Okay. So I’ve had a lot of time to practice my human skills from Celestia assigning me a year here. I’ll get to that later. Anyways, I can now (hopefully) describe things better, and I now have knowledge of things that people seem to take for granted, like credit cards and cars and things. So, yeah. See? I’m using humanisms. Kinda.
Anyways, where was I? Oh, right, Rarity having a problem. She certainly seems to like painkillers.
“Twilight, darling?” Rarity called for me from the main room of her apartment. After the pharmacy, we had headed to Rarity’s small apartment near the pharmacy. Yes, she lives near the pharmacy. This keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?
“What’s up?”
“Applejack called. She wants to meet with you, and…well, talk, I suppose.”
“Uh, cool.”
“Cool? You’re beginning to sound like Rainbow Dash now.”
“Well, I am living in her apartment.”
She sighed. “I suppose that’s true. Has she shown you any movies yet?”
“No. Why?”
“Well, ever since we came here, she’s really gotten into the movies they have here. Movies are different here than in Equestria. There are tons of different actors, actresses, genres, directors…much, much more than in Equestria. And the quality! Oh, darling, some of the movies I’ve seen here just seem so real!”
“That’s…that’s great, I guess.”
“Oh. Right. Applejack. She’ll come and pick you up in…”
Just then, there was a knock at the front door.
“Now, apparently. I’ll get it.” Rarity walked towards the door and turned the handle.
“Howdy, Rarity. How are ya?”
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“Eh, I’m okay. Plannin’ on goin’ down to the casino. Wanna come?”
“No thank you, darling. I’ve never really taken to gambling like you have.”
Oh, shit. (Did I use that right? I’m still learning.)
“Well, to each their own, I guess. Twi here?”
“Yes, she is. Well, don’t just stand there! Come in!”
Applejack sauntered into the room, her ever-present Stetson resting atop her blonde hair. She had on a red plaid shirt that was rolled up at the elbow over a plain white t-shirt. She was wearing jeans adorned with golden stitching in curled designs near the pockets. On her feet were cowboy boots.
“Howdy, Twi!” She came over to me and gave me a hug.
“Hey, AJ.”
“How ya been holdin’ up?”
“I’ve been doing well. How about you?”
“I can’t complain. Well, I didn’t come here to talk. You wanna go somewhere?”
“Uh, sure. You said something about a casino?”
“Yeah, I was plannin’ on goin’ there. Wanna come with me?”
“Sure, why not?”
----------
We arrived at a place called the Golden Gate Casino. A large neon sign informed me that it was this place’s grand opening, and that all alcoholic beverages were half off.
Good thing Pinkie wasn’t here.
Applejack and I walked into the light-adorned entrance. Inside, it was a clusterfuck (I think so, anyways) of men in expensive suits, women in expensive dresses, and waiters and waitresses carrying food and drink around. Applejack looked to her lefy. “Hey, Twi, c’mere and look at this.”
“What?”
She pointed to an elliptical green table. At first, I had no idea what it was. Then it hit me.
A poker table.
“What, you like to gamble, AJ?” I asked her.
“Hell yeah. I love to gamble!”
Oh boy.
----------
Five hours of unbearable tension and annoying waiters later, Applejack had blown five hundred dollars trying to win.
“AJ! Do you have any idea what you just did!?” I scolded her as we walked out.
“Uh…I lost?” She meekly answered, disappointment evident on her face.
“You lost? You lost five. Hundred. Dollars!”
“So what? You win some, you lose some.”
“So what!? SO WHAT!? YOU LOSE FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS, AND YOUR BEST ANSWER IS SO WHAT!? WHAT DO-“
She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close to her face, which was scrunched up in determination. “Now listen here, Twi, and listen close. I lost today. I get that. Gambling is what I do. I come and go to casinos just about every night, and I have learned that sometimes, you win and sometimes, you lose. Tonight was just one of those nights that I lost. Got it?”
My face fell. “Yes. I got it.”
She let go of me. She looked down and kicked the ground. “I’m…I’m sorry. It’s just…you’ve been gone for so long, and it’s just…I missed you, Twi. I missed you so much.” She was crying, and her tears were moistening my shoulder.
“It’s alright, Applejack. Why don’t we go back to Dash’s place? You could use some rest with a few friends.” I smiled at her.
“Yeah, all right. Sounds good.”
We drove off.
----------
“Yo, Twilight! Oh, hey, AJ! What’s up?” Rainbow Dash greeted us as we walked into the apartment.
“Not much. How’s it been with you, Dash?” Applejack returned.
“Eh, I’ve been doin’ okay. You guys wanna watch a movie?”
“What movie?” I asked.
“Memento! We should totally watch Memento. Hey! Why don’t we invite the other girls over?”
I liked this idea. All my friends in one place? Well, as much as I hate to take advantage of the situation, it’d give me time to hold an intervention.
I mean, Rainbow Dash is violent, Pinkie’s an alcoholic, AJ is a problem gambler, Rarity loves her painkillers, and Fluttershy gets the shit beaten out of her just about every day.
The intervention, little did I know it then, almost destroyed our friendship.