"What's goin' on in 'ere?"
Run you idiots.
"It appears they are...torturing our patched together friend."
"What?!"
Zola knows all about the King. She can get herself and Alamo out of here.
"Zola...youse walked in at a bad time."
"...It seems we did. I take it he wasn't brought down here to amend?"
Don't talk to him, just run!
"Let mah buddy go! OOF-"
Alamo was tackled to the ground by several pegasi, their bodies forming a struggling bundle of grunts and flying hooves. I saw the tough old blighter send lightning cracks of jabs into every last one of their face, stunning them enough to work his way out of the mess. He bucked two away and sent another reeling with a quick snap from his pistol's bunt end. The King only regarded the mess fondly. Zola stared him down, her face creased into that of great displeasure.
"I really don't feel like killing anypony today..."The King said in an almost exasperated tone."So, Zola, take your backwater friend here back up to the casino and give him a round of chips on the house. We're not done,"He pointed a hoof back at me."With this thing yet."
Thing? I was a thing now to the bugger? If I wasn't restrained right now...
"No."
A heavy silence fell upon the room. The thugs confusedly looked between Zola and the King, an expression of shock on nearly every face in the room save for Alamo's and mine.
"...What did you say, striped-ass?"The King asked, grinding a new cigar between his teeth without even lighting it. Must've been a habit to have one of those nasties in his mouth at all time.
"I said no."She repeated without rhyming this time. I take it zebras only rhymed when they felt in the mood to do so. By the look on her face and the atmosphere change in the room, I believed she didn't feel like busting out some namby-pamby rhymes at the moment.
The King gave a slight twitch."And I said get back up in the casino, or you and ten-gallon here are gonna be chained up just like Oddy over here."
"I'm tired of all this,"She waved her forelegs in a grand sweeping motion."The crime, the lies, the terror you inflict upon everypony that passes through Los Pegasus. I left Zebrafrica to leave strife behind, to find a better life here than in the grasslands. But I find myself under the control of a corrupted monster that does not belong in such a peaceful land."
The ground underneath the King was beginning to blacken, a tell of a bad sign."What are you saying, Zola?"
"I quit, and, you can go buck yourself right up Celestia's pearly flank."She stomped her hoof several times, and Alamo could only nod in approval at an insult so foul, to equestrians anyway.
"Boys,"The King didn't even have to command them. His goons were upon Alamo and Zola once more. The auburn cowpony's horn glowed for a split second before he sent out a blast of telekinetic force, sending those nearest to him flying back, giving him some breathing room. Zola stood up on her hindlegs and grabbed a metal pole from a nearby rack, twirling it elegantly in her fetlocks. She whirred around and struck one pegasi directly in the snout, a sharp crack signaling that his nose was broken. She raised up the rod and brought it down right between his eyes, his optics crossing in pain before he fell to the ground.
Alamo aimed and fired several times, each one of his bullets meeting their mark. The small metal fillings tore directly through feathered wings, rendering the pegasi's speed and agility useless. He then proceeded to headbutt three of them in succession repeatedly until they too slumped into unconsciousness.
The last two were Royal Flush and Ace, and Zola had them all to herself. With almost malicious glee, I could tell by the grin on her face, she took pleasure in dismantling them. The pole would strike them across the face deftly before she brought it back around and crunched it into their kneecaps, sending them tumbling over one another. A quick flourish of the rod, and both were sent flying backwards to crash into one of the racks, sending it toppling over directly onto them. Alamo gave her a questioning glance as she finished the two, her breath barely even strained. She replied with a shrug.
"Zebrafrican stick fighting, my father taught it to me."The zebra said, moving a misplaced dread away from over her eyes.
"Brutus..."The King commanded through gritted teeth, and his bodyguard only happily obliged, stomping over to them with heavy grunts.
"Alright big fella, don't make me use this."Alamo waved the revolver at him, a fresh load of six bullets reloaded into it. Brutus snatched it out of the air with ease, breaking the magical hold on it with pure strength alone. He tossed it across the room, only to whip his around back around and catch Alamo with his forearm, smashing the cowpony into the ground. I winced after I heard a gush of air leave Alamo, he was winded.
Zola fared no better, for her blows only slightly agitated the hulking monster. He caught the iron rod and snatched it away from her, bending it until it was in the shape of a pretzel. Zola backed away nervously, only for a heavy jab from the minotaur to send her sprawling.
Alamo, the persistent little coot, got back up on his hooves, he wasn't out of the fight just yet. With something akin to a warcry, he leapt onto Brutus's back, wrapping his backlegs around the minotaur's waist and his forelegs around his neck in a struggling chokehold. He couldn't exactly get a good grip, seeing as how thick and veiny the blighter's throat was, so all Alamo could do was hold onto the bull he was trying to wrangle.
In retaliation, Brutus jumped into the air to land on his back, pressing his full, crushing weight into Alamo. When the minotaur got back up, all I could make out of Alamo was something crunched up and coughing blood.
Quick as a flash, a blurred form of monochrome rammed herself into Brutus, not even budging the giant. He lifted her by her dreads, tugging at them painfully. Zola struggled in midair while he held her, only for him to whip her around by her hair and smash her into the harsh ground below, each thud of her limp body against the floor making me wince. Finally, I had had enough.
"STOP!"I roared with a voice much louder than I thought I could muster, nearly shaking the whole room with it's intensity.
The white pegasus that was the King turned around to look at me, that same, amused light in his eyes."Brutus, bring the two troublemakers here."
Brutus grabbed both of them by the scruff of their necks, holding their crippled bodies as trophies to be won. They were both in incredibly bad shape. I could see trickles of blood coming out of Alamo's mouth, and his torso appeared to be the most bruised thing I had ever seen, mounds of varying colors of brown to black to blue over his body. Zola had trouble breathing, her breathes gasping and erratic.
"Just...stop hurting them."I said pleadfully. I knew only one thing would satisfy the King, and I did it. Just as before, I crawled onto my knees and placed my head on the floor."Don't hurt them anymore for what I did...please."
"..."
He gave a quick motion, and Brutus dropped the two onto the floor beside me. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you truly, apologetic, Oddy?"He questioned. With my face still to the ground, I could hear him lighting a cigar.
"I am."
"Y'know, I just can't let youse go, principles and all that."
Fuck you and your principles.
"But...I can give you and your friends a way out. Nopony disrespects the King without some kind of...sacrifice."
"And what would mine be...?"
He pushed a hoof underneath my chin, lifting my face up to gaze into his. He was as smug as ever.
"A little game, a game of chance. This is Los Pegasus, after all! All youse has to do is beat me, and you and your pals can walk free, simple as that."
"And if we lose?"
Something lit up in his eyes, that same dark force I had been seeing inside him for the past few days.
"The consequences won't be pretty."
Something tugged at me. I turned to see Alamo's foreleg weakly pulling at my sleeve."Don't do it..."He mumbled before letting out a cough of pain, small splatters of blood flecking the ground near his open mouth.
I mouthed the word 'sorry' to him before turning back to the King."I accept."I stated with a nod."What's the game?"
He chuckled, a guffaw that quickly transformed into a hacking cough. He did this for several seconds before answering."A simple game of Go Fish, my favorite."
I raised an eye."Out of any game you could choose, you pick Go Fish?"I questioned."Why not poker, craps, or even a game of D&D for crying out loud!"
"It's my favorite game."The King repeated.
"...Alright."Another nod from me.
Brutus placed a table between the two of us and Lady Luck dealt seven cards to both of us, placing the deck to the side and placing one in the middle of the table. A simple three of clubs. I clumsily held my cards between my hands and the King held his with his wingtips.
I had two jacks, one five, two threes, and two twos. Eh, decent hand for such a childish game. I could remember playing this back when I was a kid, but I lost ever single time. Seriously, every. Single. Time. In fact, no matter what I played, every kid always beat me. I didn't know if God decided to curse me with losing all the time or that I was a natural born loser, but this time, I had to win, I just had to. Even though the King may have Lady Luck on his side, literally, I still hoped for a chance of victory.
"Any threes?"The King asked. I begrudgingly placed my cards of that number into the pool. He chuckled, and continued his prolonged term."Any twos?"
"Fuck."I cursed, placing those in the pile as well.
"Hmm...any kings?"
"Go fish."I smirked, to which the King only drew a card from the deck and allowed me to start my turn.
"Any...queens?"
"..."He silently placed a single card into the pool that mostly consisted of my own cards. Yes! One down, seven more to go for me to win.
"Alright..."I tried to think of something else he might have."Got any fives?"
Three more of his cards went into the pile.
"Uhhn....twos?"
A single card. He only had four left, while I had three remaining. C'mon Oddjob, ride out the luck.
"...Ones?"
He shook his head, and I drew another card, signaling the King's turn. For the briefest of moments, I could see Lady Luck's horn flash green, only for it to die down a millisecond later, just as fast as it had appeared. Did she just use magic? I looked at her and the King, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except his hand looked slightly...bigger. When did he get more cards?
"Any jacks?"
With a sigh, two more of my jacks went into the pile, leaving me with one card. Okay, I was sweating a bit now, or at least the parts of my body that could sweat were. I had only one card left, and I had to hold onto it.
"Fours?"
I shook my head with a relieved grin.
"Any..."Before I even spoke, that flash again. The King definitely had more cards, and the pile looked bigger. All of a sudden, I felt dizzy. What...what was she doing? My head felt funny. She was using magic, but what kind? I thought to her name and cutie mark, and the thought hit me like a sledgehammer. She was using luck magic, if that was entirely possible. She had been stacking the odds in favor of her precious King. Not on my watch, sister. I looked at her, and our eyes met. I allowed my mouth to slightly open with a growl, revealing rows of sharp fangs that still glistened with my green blood, and her irises shrank a little.
"Any ones?"I asked, and three cards of his went into the pile. The King was down to...eight cards? man, I had to work fast.
"...Sixes?"
Three more into the pile.
"Ones?"
Two of his down. The King's glance shifted from to his woman, giving her an icy stare before going back to the game. She feared him much more than she did me, and her magic activated once more. The King's cards went right back up to five being held, while I still had one.
There must've been something I could, outside of cheating that is. As I switched between staring at the King, Lady Luck, my dealt hand of a single card, and the two beaten friends beside me, my head was reeling. The dizziness intensified, and the room around me seemed to distort.
I felt like shit. I felt chaotic.
At the sound of the word, I snapped back into reality. Where was I again? Oh yeah, playing the biggest kingpin in Equestria over a child's game that risked me and my friend's lives. No biggie.
"Any..."I paused as I contemplated by next move. I looked up, the King having an incredibly smug smirk set across his face, already a victory cigar in his jaw. He puffed it out in little smoke ringlets.
"Any kings?"
A small pause, and the pegasus placed all five of his cards into the pile, leaving him with no hand, and thus, no victory.
I won.
"Err...good game."I chuckled, the feeling inside my chest instantly lightening. But around us, things went the exact opposite. Brutus and Lady luck slowly stepped away from the King, his entire form shaking and seething with absolute rage. The clouds that made up the room around us began to blacken, and I could hear a crash of thunder in the distance.
"Nobody beats the King."He stood up, knocking the table aside, sending cards flying through the air between us.
"Nobody."