“Sitting at the blackstallion table, Hard Boiled glared at his cards as if expecting them to change. A seventeen, possibly the worst hand in the game. Would he take another card and risk going over or stand pat and hope that the dealer busted? As he pondered his options he though back to how he had arrived at this point.”
“Palace!”
“Yes, Wealthy Palace, his ruggedly, handsome friend and fellow writer who had rescued him from the dull boredom of his hotel room and whisking him away to the casino.”
“Are you finished?” Hard Boiled asked the stallion at his side.
“For now,” Wealthy Palace replied.
Boiled looked down at his hand, the nine of moons and eight of suns. “I’ll stay,” he told the dealer. With a nod she turned her attention to Palace. Boiled took advantage of the break to glance around the busy casino. It certainly wouldn't be his first choice of where to spend his time, he’d much rather be in his hotel room writing or reading a good book. The only reason he was even in Las Pegasus was due to his latest novel being nominated for an award and Boiled was in town for the ceremony.
It wasn't that he wasn't a ponies pony. He just tended to get nervous around large groups of people. Part of him even hoped he wouldn't win so he didn't have to get up and give an acceptance speech.
Hearing the dealer call out nineteen brought his attention back to the table in time to see that he had lost this hand. The dealer took his chips, along with those of another stallion and mare at his table, Palace having been the only one that won this time. Tossing down his next bet, Boiled again looked around the room while the dealer dealt the cards. That was when he saw her.
It was the giant sun hat entering the room that caught his attention first, beneath it strode a female… was it a unicorn? Yes it was he noticed her horn just visible underneath the massive brim. She wore a stylish dress, flowing in some places and clinging to her form in others and she was simply stunning, her white coat flawless. Boiled was so focused on the sight that it wasn’t until he heard the dealer say ‘Sir,’ that he realized he’d been staring.
“Sorry… I was just um…” Boiled fell silent as he looked at the cards before him, the princess and two of hearts, the princess card featuring a drawing of Princess Cadance adorning it. “Hit me,” he said, before wincing as the dealer flipped over the mare of stars giving him twenty-two and causing him to bust. The smiling unicorn on the newly dealt card almost seemed to be mocking him. He sighed while the dealer moved on to Palace.
“Hit me, sweetheart,” Palace said. The dealer gave him a look that said she’d love to as she revealed the next card. Boiled turned his attention away from the game and back to the crowd once more, after some searching he found the unicorn mare again. He gazed at her for a bit before she glanced in his direction, their eyes catching for a moment before Boiled quickly looked away.
‘Great now she probably thinks I'm a weirdo or something,’ a voice in his head berated him. He sighed. “I think I’m going to check out the other games, see if I have better luck,” he told Palace while starting to slip off his stool.
“Just don’t try sneaking back to your room. I know where you’re staying,” Palace replied, pointing a hoof at his eyes, then at Boiled.
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” Boiled told his friend before heading off to see what else the casino offered. He was very tempted to head back to his room, fighting down his anxiety as he moved through the crowd, pausing now and then to let other ponies move past, but he knew Palace would find him. He’d literally drag Boiled back outside if he had to, wanting to make sure that his friend ‘enjoyed’ the trip.
After a slow lap of the room he found himself at the craps table, watching the action for a bit, seeing how the game was played and how each pony rolled the dice, some using their hooves, some their mouths and most of the unicorns using their magic. Building up his courage he stepped forward. He placed a few bets, having average luck, before he found the dice being placed in front of him. “New shooter!” the stickpony announced, the crowd placing their bets.
As Boiled picked up the dice, a mare leaned in and blew on the dice. It was the white unicorn from before. “I believe that is the proper way to grant one luck,” she told him in a distinctly accented voice.
“Oh… Thanks, um…”
“Rarity,” she told him with a smile.
“Thanks, Rarity. I’m Hard Boiled.” Boiled tossed the dice, they clattered along the table, one even bouncing high enough to hit the anti-magic bar that surrounded the inside of the table, preventing unicorns from using their magic to cheat.
“Seven!” the stickpony announced. He grabbed a long stick with his mouth, using it to separate the winning and losing bets. Rarity squealed in delight, being one of the victors. She certainly did seem to be a good luck charm as the pair was successful over the next six rolls, the casino employees even swapping the dice after a few rolls to make sure the pair weren’t cheating somehow.
Finally however their luck ran out. “Snake eyes!” the stickpony announced, a pair of ones looking up at the group from the dice. Boiled moved aside, Rarity following him as the next shooter took his place.
“Now I know this isn’t very lady like of me, but I was wondering if perhaps you’d like to go somewhere quieter and get a drink?” she asked him.
Boiled felt his mouth go dry, this beautiful unicorn was asking him to have a drink with her. He must be dreaming. “I’d…” he paused for a second, having to clear his throat a bit before continuing, “I’d like that, Rarity.”
She smiled. “I know just the place.” Following her out of the casino, the pair headed to a nearby café. It was quiet this time of evening, the two easily finding a seat, a waitress coming by not long after to take their order.
“I have to admit that I do have an ulterior motive for asking you here,” Rarity told him while the two waited for their drinks. Using her magic she pulled a book from a saddlebag she wore and placed it before him. It was his book. The one he was nominated for, his third book published and the first to make the Manehatten Times best sellers list. “I was hoping for an autograph?” she asked, fluttering her eyes at him.
His face sunk a bit, trying to ignore that voice telling him that of course she wouldn’t be interested in him personally. Still he did his best to give no sign of his disappointment as he pulled out a pen, opened the book’s front cover and signed him name.
“Thank you,” Rarity told him with a grin. She took the book back and looked over his signature before returning it to her saddlebag. “I’ve been a huge fan of your novels since the first. Cold Steel is such a valiant and daring stallion, always putting his life on the line to save the damsel.” Cold Steel was the series protagonist, a gritty earth pony detective that used his brains as well as his hooves to fight crime. “And the details are so amazing. It’s almost like you’ve lived them yourself.”
“Thank you.” Boiled grinned and blushed from her compliment. “It’s just research though,” he explained, “I try and make things as realistic as I can.”
“Still, Cold Steel must be based on someone,” Rarity insisted. The waitress arrived with their drinks, tea for her and a coffee for him, placing a cup in front of each of them.
“Sugar?” Boiled asked, pushing the bowl gently towards Rarity when she responded with a nod. “And no, not really. I mean he’s kind of based on me… or more how I wish I was,” he admitted.
Rarity looked him over while she took a long sip of her tea, her eyes seeming to peer into his very being. He shuffled a bit nervously under her gaze. “Ah,” she said knowingly after finishing her sip.
“So… um… I guess you know all about me but what about you?” he asked quickly, trying to change the subject.
“Well I’m from Ponyville and I’m here in town for the fashion show.”
“One of the models?”
“Oh no,” she replied with a chuckle and a wide grin. “I’m one of the designers actually. I run a… modest little shop called Carousel Boutique where everything is chic, unique and magnifique. But thank you for the compliment.”
The two sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes as they sipped from their drinks until Rarity spoke again. “You know. You remind me a bit of my friend Fluttershy. She’s a kind and charming dear, but shy as can be and practically scared of her own shadow.”
“Yeah, I guess you have me figured out,” Boiled replied, staring down at his half empty coffee cup.
“Perhaps, but still I know that you’ve done some quite brave things.”
Boiled looked up, confused. “What do you mean? I’m just a writer.”
“Just a writer?” Rarity scoffed, “Nonsense. You are an artiste! When we create we put our hearts, our very souls into our creations and bare them for the world to see! That takes courage.”
“Even if it’s garbage?”
“Of course. After all one cannot grow without mistakes. Even the worst hack has the chance to become the next bard if they practice their art, learn from their errors and listen to constructive criticism. I know I’ve had my failures over the years but I’ve learned from them, and moved past them… eventually,” Rarity told him, saying the last word reluctantly.
Boiled smiled, feeling better about himself. The pair finished their drinks, Boiled offering to pay for both before Rarity shook her head, the mare insisting paying for her own. “Now then, where shall we head next?”
“Next? I thought that… that you just wanted an autograph.”
“Nonsense,” Rarity replied. “You have been quite a gentlestallion so far and I am quite interested in getting to know you more.”
“There’s a carnival down the road a bit.”
“That sounds delightful. Let us be off.” The two paid for their drinks before heading out and taking a nice stroll down towards the carnival lights. With the sun having set, the air was cooler, nicer than the intense heat of the day. “I still find it hard to believe that you’re so shy,” Rarity said. “In your novels Cold Steel has no trouble with the ladies.”
Hard Boiled couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s a lot easier when you know what the mares are going to say in return. And when you can rewrite things if you don’t like how a scene is going.”
“True enough,” Rarity agreed.
The carnival was fun, Rarity accepting Hard Boiled’s nervousness, although she did manage to get him aboard the roller coaster, which he enjoyed far more than he expected. In return he didn’t mind her minor eccentricities. She paused to make sure her hair and makeup were flawless after every ride and he’d never seen anyone eat cotton candy as daintily as her, wiping her mouth after every few bites. Then there was the hall of mirrors.
“We probably shouldn’t go in there. Last time I was in a hall of mirrors they had to drag me out so they could close down for the night,” Rarity commented with a laugh. They did go on the haunted house boat ride, Rarity pressing close against him and holding him tight during some of the scares. Boiled suspected she was overacting a bit, but he let her have her fun, especially since he got to feel her against him as a bonus. At one point he even noticed Wealthy Palace, the other stallion having apparently managed to convince the blackstallion dealer to go out with him. Palace looked over giving Boiled a knowing smile and an approving nod before mouthing the words, ‘talk to you later.’
Eventually the pair reached the carnival games, Hard Boiled placing down his bits at the ring toss to win Rarity a stuff animal and he failed horribly as his rings bounced off the various bottles. After a few more tries he gave up. “Sorry,” he said to her.
“Don’t be,” she replied, placing down a few bits to play herself. “A game like this take skill, an eye for detail,” the first ring clinked harmlessly off one of the bottles, “And a little bit of luck.” Her second toss failed as well. Grabbing the final ring she glared at the bottles with determination as if she could win solely by staring them down. The ring flew through the air, clanking off a few bottles before landing around the opening of one. Rarity squealed in delight and jumped for joy at her victory, even giving Hard Boiled a huge hug in celebration.
All good things must come to an end as they say and it seemed far too soon that Boiled and Rarity were standing before the entrance to the hotel she was staying at. “I’ve had a wonderful evening,” she told him, holding the adorable stuffed dragon she’d won from the ring toss.
“So have I,” Boiled replied, grinning.
They stood there for a few seconds before Rarity pulled a card and pen from her saddlebag, writing a number on it and handing it to Boiled. “That’s the phone number for my hotel room. I’ll be here for the rest of the week and I do hope we have a chance to spend more time together.”
“I do too,” he replied, taking the card from her magic aura. He paused for a few more seconds, gathering his courage before leaning in and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. To his relief she didn’t pull away. “Good night, Rarity.”
“Good night, Hard Boiled,” she replied, a smile on her face as the pair parted.