//------------------------------// // Chapter 2- The Bar // Story: The Last Casino // by WeirdBeard //------------------------------// The Last Casino by WeirdBeard Raided by ol' MagicLlama Chapter 2- The Bar Somebody stop me! Last Call. The first of Jackpot's stops that evening. It was here where Applejack organized her syndicate. The building's exterior was designed as a barn, though whatever color it was originally painted had faded completely. Its wooden framework was aging and grayed from the chemical exhaust of a nearby factory. The stallion stood outside the front door, contemplating his next course of action. He stared at the overhead sign that bore the name of the tangerine mare's establishment. A broken spotlight showcased a ridiculous looking depiction of a purple-coated pony. The pony drooled over a mug of some frothy beverage, with its eyes glazed over and a depressingly cheerful expression. Jackpot sighed and shook his head. "I better get this over with." Before he even took a step toward the entrance, a large shape rocketed out the double doors. It collided heavily with the corner light post and slumped downward from the heavy impact. A diamond dog stood at the entry, brushing its paws and glaring at the thrown zebra. Its light orange fur glowed slightly from the dim lighting as it bellowed, "Get lost, striped freak! We no want your tricks here!" The crumbled form of the zebra lay motionless from being thrown, its purple saddlebags ripped open and spilling out bottles of strange, colorful liquids. Clearly one of the Twilight's Novas that had attempted to take a break at the best bar in town. However, this member of XXX wanted nothing to do with the rival. It puzzled Jackpot at times how these factions would be so opposed and violent to each other so often. Then again, they rarely coexisted peacefully and the gray stallion would dismiss the questioning of their reason. He glanced at the bulky diamond dog again and nodded. "That good of a night, Rex?" Rex's yellow eye twitched when he finally noticed Jackpot near the dingy curbside. "Not now, pony. This not good time for inspection," the tangerine canine muttered. He turned his back to return inside, desperately hoping that the excuse would suffice. "When has it ever been a good time?" the earth pony asked while trotting past the diamond dog. He felt its hot breath run down his mane, sending an unpleasant sensation through his spine. Jackpot shrugged the feeling away and continued inside the bar. Slowly, the canine trudged behind him and closed the doors. The interior of Last Call was very spacious and well lit. Jackpot's hooves echoed loudly upon the hardwood flooring, which was painted a deep brown color and brandished with the appearance of old-fashioned decor. The main lobby led into a broad and open casino floor and featured several orange-tinted tables in various spots. Each table seated a myriad of creatures, but the majority was dominated by XXX diamond dogs. Half a dozen or so glittering slot machines lined against the side walls, decorated with the trademark apples that symbolized the group. A few creatures not affiliated with Applejack mingled in between the goons. They were either there because of the proximity of the casino to their own shelters or the more likely reason: booze. While the other factions possessed hard liquor, XXX monopolized the most quality beverages to be found in Trace. How that aspect of Applejack had remained with the copy was a mystery to Jackpot. However, there were plenty of other oddities in the city along with the duplicate bearers that the stallion had come to just accept. He trotted towards the back of the casino where a long, dark-stained oak bar was constructed. The earth pony's eyes glanced to a nearby poker table. Jackpot's vision soon filled with faint, green lines that floated over the cards and each of the players, but he immediately shook his head. He had more pressing matters to deal with. Besides, the night was still young. The gray stallion continued on, the gamblers paying him no heed if only for a small moment. Upon reaching the bar, he propped himself up against the counter and stood upright. The bartender nodded curtly before returning his attention to polishing out a thick goblet. Jackpot eyed the selection behind the serving dog, small lights showcasing a cornucopia of different bottled beverages. Even though the popular choice was always the mare's trademark hard cider, the other drinks were circulated out every night. Vodka, wine, scotch, spirits, lager, whatever the regulars desired. "Anything to drink this time, pony?" the bartender inquired, indifferent and disregarding of Jackpot's status. "You know I'm here on business, Samson. C'mon, where's AJ?" the stallion asked. His green eyes drilled into the bartender's own gray irises, matching intensities. Aside from the two, only one other being remained by the bar: a robed zebra that leaned over a tall mug of cider. Everyone else was scattered throughout the open room, gambling or drinking or both. However, there was no sign of their lead mare. Samson shrugged. "You tell me, pony. Aren't you her foalsitter?" the gangly bartender retorted sarcastically. Jackpot didn't relax his penetrating stare, clearly not amused by the dog's antics. His ears flattened down against his skull and he narrowed his eyes. Several tense minutes passed by without another word said. Then, with shocking speed, the gray earth pony sprung forward and grasped the bartender's collar tightly. The action took the dog completely by surprise and was helpless to prevent Jackpot from slamming its head into the heavy counter. Samson impacted with a loud smack and slumped in the stallion's grasp. Everyone in the casino immediately turned their attention to the scene. A few stood up from their tables, but most sat still and watched half-heartedly. Unbeknownst to those standing, they were really stealing chips or taking peeks at their opponents' hands. Jackpot dragged the dazed dog onto the bar and shoved him down. The gray earth pony ignored the crowd's reaction and shook his head. "Samson, Samson, Samson, you do this every single time. I'm really not in the mood for this. Why don't you do yourself a favor and just tell me where she is?" he questioned flatly. "Applejack ain't here righ' now," a feminine voice called out from a closed door behind the bar. Jackpot's ear twitched, recognizing the country drawl. He pushed the bartender harder into the counter and replied, "Guess that means no one will stop this mutt from scuffing this beautiful oak." "Okay, okay! Hold yer horsefeathers!" the voice in hiding shouted. After a few moments, the closed door finally opened up and revealed the tangerine cowpony herself. She trotted slowly out from the back room, cautiously eyeing her fellow earth pony. Her blonde mane was held in check by a weathered, black Stetson cowpony hat. Taking in her options, Applejack sighed before asking, "Ya always gotta be so violent?" The stallion released the recovering bartender abruptly onto the floor. "It's just like the farm, AJ; you have to use that special touch," he responded crossly, straightening his vest and tie. "Why didn't you come to the meeting?" "What meetin'? Ah' didn't know about any meetin'," the mare lied. She scrunched her face and her eyes darted side to side. "'Sides, Ah' was busy." Jackpot rubbed at the bridge between his eyes, annoyed by her ill-hidden dishonesty. "Not even to the status report and she's already lying. What a good sign of things to come," he thought. Thankfully the casino's patrons had returned attention to their own dealings. The bartender lay dazedly on the floor behind the counter while the robed zebra at the end of the bar remained motionless over her mug. "Whatever, we need to talk," the buck stated. Applejack frowned and glanced around. "Out here? No thanks, 'specially not with that freaky zebra over there," she whispered. The mare tilted her hat back over her mane and stared pleadingly at Jackpot. "Fine, your office then," Jackpot replied quickly. He trotted around the cowpony and entered the room she had exited from earlier. He heard her groan, but the stallion continued anyway and examined the 'office'. It wasn't as well lighted as the rest of her building, but the strangely bright red paint that coated the walls made up for that. A light-colored cedar desk sat against the far wall, some scattered papers sitting atop it. Three black x's were painted on the beaten floor; whether by Applejack's request or by the whims of one of her dogs, Jackpot didn't really care. The orange mare trotted toward her desk and leaned against it. "Ya know that I hate these talks, right?" she asked, irk present in her voice. She pushed a button next to a lamp, but instead of it lighting, a pair of frothy cider mugs appeared. "You and me both. Just show me your reports, talk about how you and the girls are these days, and then I'll be out of your mane," Jackpot muttered. It was a dull routine, but he had to do it regardless. He ignored the mug intended for him while the mare took a sip of her own drink. Applejack tossed a folder onto the floor in front of the gray stallion. While he perused over the contents, the cowpony began casually chatting. "Well, 'bout the same ol' really. Flutters still has the pit, that fancy unicorn is bringing in more bitc-" "I wasn't asking about their businesses, AJ. What's going on between you and your friends? Improvements, new developments, anything that you did with them specifically and not just through goons. Fill me in," the buck explained. He blinked a few times while the orange mare bit her lip. Applejack's eyes twinkled briefly and she started crafting a story. "Heh, why didn' ya say so? Everythin's just sunshine and rainbows these days! I went out on a picnic with Princess Party Whore, then I had a friendly lil' race with that colorful idiot, and finished off with a sleepover at the crazy suck-up's pad. She loves them books, lemme tell ya. Oh! Did I tell ya 'bou-" Jackpot interrupted her once again. "Fine, if you don't want to talk, be that way. I've got better things to do," he replied angrily. The gray stallion turned around and trotted back out the office to return to the lobby. Applejack quickly rushed behind him and muttered, "Oh c'mon now, I was only teasin'. I really do like it when you come and check up. It feels like ya care sometimes." The two trotted around the bar, everyone in the casino paying them no heed. The bartender was now fully conscious, glaring at Jackpot while cleaning another glass. The zebra at the end of the bar was leaving a payment and pushing away the untouched mug of cider. The stallion noticed this idly, but disregarded it in light of Applejack's comment. "Whatever. I'm glad you had least at the reports ready; it's gonna be a nightmare trying to get even that from the rest of your friends. Business aside though, AJ, how are you doing?" he asked. The cowpony blushed slightly and looked away. "Shoot, ya don't hafta worry 'bout me," she muttered quietly. "C'mon, AJ, I really want to know. You're the one I hate the least in the group; the rest of the mares are moody as all Tartarus and usually try to kill me. You probably slipped that mug with poison, but the gesture was at least thoughtful enough. Do you need something?" Jackpot questioned. In all sincerity, he actually did care about all the mares since first being charged with them. "They were a hoof-ful, but what fillies aren't these days?" he thought. His only problem with the orange mare was that she was a horrible chronic liar, but she was relatively easy-going. Applejack was silent for a moment. "Thanks, but no thanks, sugah cube. I've got my dogs to keep me company and more than enough cider to stay happy," she explained, motioning a hoof at the bottles alongside the wall. "Not to mention that the casino's staying busy." Jackpot opened his mouth to respond, but a loud guffaw echoed loudly from the direction of the poker tables. He glanced to the source and spotted his dark-scaled assistant pumping the air with his fists. Fang had apparently been swindling more than a few angry diamond dogs of their money, a large stack of chips next to him. "Looks like he's finally taking your tips on the game," the cowpony stated, chuckling. The dragon continued celebrating and dragged the hoard of his winnings closer to himself. Jackpot and Applejack shared a momentary look, but neither said anything. Spotting his friend, Fang shoved away from the table and stomped his way towards the two. “Check it out, Jack! Your stupid advice finally paid off!” the draconic assistant jeered. He smiled widely, sharp fangs barring from his open maw. Fang’s enthusiasm was thick enough that he didn’t even notice a bundle of chips falling from his grasp. Jackpot rolled his eyes and sighed. “Imagine how much you would have won all those other times if you had listened to me sooner,” the gray stallion chided. He looked back at the orange mare beside him and said, “I’m glad we got this meeting out of the way. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?” Applejack shook her head dismissively. “Not likely, sugah cube. We both know that’d be a lie if I agreed to that. Don’t have too much fun wit- OFFFM!” her response was cut off when the departing zebra bumped into her. “What the hay didja do that fer?!” The striped mare quivered and backpedaled away from the cowpony. “Oh. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it,” she responded. Her hindlegs bumped into the bar, causing several mugs and bottles from other drinkers to shatter onto the floor. Within moments, she was now the center of attention inside the casino. “Zebras not welcome here!” Rex shouted. His large, heavy frame twitched in anticipation as he cracked the limbs in his arms. His large, heavy frame twitched in anticipation as he cracked the limbs in his arms. The bouncer was obviously ready to throw out another victim, but something about this zebra seemed off to Jackpot. While more and more dogs began circling closer, the gray earth pony stepped out in front of the group to question the mare. “Nova or Cook?” Jackpot interrogated. His green eyes drilled into the zebra’s own magenta ones. Applejack looked ready to unleash her goons on the hapless mare, but waited for the response. The zebra shrunk back against the hard counter, still shaking. “I, uh, I think, um- Cook! Yeah, I’m a Cook! I'm on your side!" she yelped to the members of XXX in desperation. All of the diamond dogs howled in unison, angered by the revelation. However, both Jackpot and Applejack could see that she was lying. Fang reared back defensively, snarling at the advancing dogs. Even though the zebra clearly didn't appear to be affiliated with the crazy pink mare's group, the dogs wanted to attack. They stood upright and unsheathed their claws. Whoever this zebra was, she was definitely hiding something. Jackpot grunted. “Wrong answer,” he muttered before three beastly mutts pounced. The scene unfolded in slow motion before the stallion, noticing every minute detail about their attack. With the dogs' attention focused on the zebra, Fang was able to swat two away with his formidable tail. Jackpot shoved the striped mare out of the way as the final attacker clawed at empty air. The zebra was knocked out as she collided with the counter, but was unharmed for the time being. More diamond dogs reared back to attack, but a shrill whistle resonated through the lobby. The mutts turned their gaze to the bar where Applejack stood next to a small red button. She smiled and shouted, "Soup's on, boys!" The orange mare smashed her hoof down and a tinny bell chimed in response. A whirring noise echoed from the ceiling and multiple sprinkler heads lowered down. Suddenly, thin streams of amber-colored liquid began raining down upon the casino's occupants. Her goons unleashed a celebratory howl and lapped at the hard cider that sprinkled from the ceiling. The gray stallion raised an eyebrow at the cowpony and deadpanned, "In case of emergencies?" "Eh, better than cattle prods. Only a little, though," Applejack replied with a grin. "C'mon, git out through the back while they're still busy." Jackpot nodded and trotted to the fallen zebra. She was still unconscious, so he eased her body onto his back and waved at his assistant. The immature dragon, however, was distracted along with the diamond dogs by the cider rain. "Fang! C'mon, we're leaving." "Awwwww, things were just getting interesting," Fang responded with a sigh. The cobalt-scaled dragon took in one last sip from the sprinklers and finally lumbered away towards the exit. None of the dogs had yet noticed what was going on; 'Either a small miracle or a sign of how stupid they really are," Jackpot thought. Applejack motioned toward the exit again. "Yer lucky Ah'm in a good mood tonight. See ya around, boss," she said, tilting her hat down as a bit of a salute. "Thanks, AJ. We'll be in touch," Jackpot responded quickly before galloping out the exit. The doorway led into the back alley of Last Call, with only some scattered light posts here and there. Fang shook his body off to the side in an attempt to dry himself off. The gray stallion trotted toward him and set the zebra down between them. The unconscious mare's coat seemed unnaturally thick to Jackpot's touch. Her stripes looked fairly normal, but there were inconsistencies about their black shades. Even with the dim lighting and the darkness of night, Jackpot could tell something was off. He nodded to his assistant and muttered, "Breathe some embers on her." Fang's face contorted in confusion. "We saved her so we could burn her? You sure you didn't drink anything tonight?" he asked. "I said embers, Fang. Your draconic magic will be able to show us if she's really a Cook, a Nova, or something else," Jackpot explained. The two had run across problems like this before in the past, but often the suspect would crack under interrogation. With the zebra unconscious and Jackpot's patience running thin, Fang's fire would be the faster alternative. The dragon shrugged and replied, "Whatever you say, Jack." Fang breathed in lightly and exhaled a small stream of flames. The tiny, navy-colored embers caught onto the zebra's hide and slowly burned. For a while, nothing happened. At last, the characteristics of the zebra began to melt away. Fang's own magic was burning the magic disguise away as the flames eventually died down. The once monochromatic mane revealed two tones of blue hair and even a small horn. Her coat retained its white undertone as the stripes disappeared completely. A music note accentuated her thin flank, but the revealed unicorn mare remained unconscious despite the bath of flames. Fang blinked in surprise. "Is that-" "Yes," Jackpot replied quietly. "Vinyl Scratch."