Scootaloo had been living with Rainbow Dash for four months now, but this would be the first time she had tried to venture into her guardians room while she was preparing for a display with the Wonderbolts. Dash had only been a member of the team for a little while and was taking every appearance extremely seriously, planning her flight paths and moves weeks in advance. As Scootaloo walked down the corridor, she heard loud rock music booming through the closed doorway. She wondered how Dash could prepare anything with that racket. Not that she didn't think rock was cool or anything...
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted, as she banged on the door. "Are you in there?"
Scootaloo mentally facehoofed as she realised Dash had to be in her room unless she was in the habit of leaving her CDs on full blast and leaving Scootaloo alone the house. She tried the door handle and peered inside, seeing nothing of Rainbow Dash. Perhaps she was around the corner by her bed?
"Rainbow?" Scootaloo shouted again, as she stepped into the room. "You there?"
She leaned around the corner hiding Rainbow's bed from view and saw her sprawled out on the sheets, still in her Wonderbolt uniform. Her eyes were shut and she was snoring. A pair of huge speakers blasted out a track from the new Metallicolt album and a blackboard with complicated looking flight paths and manoeuvers sketched out in blue chalk took pride of place above Rainbow's head , along with some old Wonderbolts posters. Scootaloo's eyes were drawn to a travel brochure resting, open, on Rainbow's back. The cover read, 'Visit Las Neighgas' and depicted a vast cityscape with hundreds of bright neon lights lighting up the skyline.
"Hello," Scootaloo shouted, edging towards Rainbow before gently tapping her on the shoulder.
Rainbow's eyes shot open and she leapt into the air, somersaulting in her surprise. She somehow managed to grab Scootaloo by the wings and pin her to the bed.
"Bloody hell!" Scootaloo gasped. "Let me go!"
"Watch your mouth Squirt!" Rainbow Dash growled, as the Metallicolt track reached its ear-burstingly loud climax. She blinked and her eyes softened when she saw who she had pinned down. She let Scootaloo up. "Sorry, kiddo, I just don't like being snuck up on is all. How come you didn't jump out of the way? I know how fast you can be."
Scootaloo smiled at the compliment and smoothed out her wings. "You just took me by surprise. I didn't mean to startle you though. I knocked and I shouted but your music is just too damn loud!"
Dash laughed and got up. She straightened her uniform and pushed up her goggles before going over to her stereo and shutting it off. Scootaloo's attention drifted back to the Las Neighgas brochure now lying closed on Dash's pillow. She picked it up and began to flick through, marvelling at all of the beautiful displays on the hotel fronts. Rainbow walked back over and sat down, reading the brochure over Scootaloo's shoulder.
"You like the look of Neighgas Scoot?" She asked. "You can come with if you want."
"Wow, really?" Scootaloo gasped. "You're going to Neighgas? How come?"
"The Wonderbolts are gonna make an appearance there in a couple of weeks for the opening of a new casino or something. We'll do an aerial display, sign a few autographs, get our pictures taken a lot and then Spitfire's gonna cut the ribbon. It's gonna be so awesome!" Rainbow sighed happily and flopped backwards onto the bed. "I was gonna tell you as soon as I finished my flight plans but as you saw, I kinda took a nap."
Scootaloo giggled and flopped backwards too. Her eyes caught a picture of a stadium tacked to the ceiling. She looked over and saw Rainbow staring at it as well.
"Is that the stadium you're doing the display at? It's huge!"
"Yep!" Dash replied. "It can seat 80,000 ponies. Just think, Scoot. That many ponies are gonna buy a ticket just to see me! Yeah, Spitfire and Soarin'll be there too but I'm the only one who can pull off a Sonic Rainboom."
"That's true," Scootaloo said. "When are we flying out?"
"Two weeks tomorrow," Dash replied. "I was going to fly out there myself to save the balloon fare but now that you're coming too, I guess we'll have to take one. There's no way you could fly that far on your tiny wings!"
Rainbow ruffled Scootaloo's purple mane affectionately. Normally Scootaloo would have objected to Rainbow saying she was a weak flyer but this time, she let it slide. There really was no way she could fly to Las Neighgas until her wings grew a bit more. Then she remembered the reason she had come into her guardians room.
"Oh yeah! Dash, I came in to tell you that your lunch was ready. I made you soup."
"Aww, thanks Scoot!" Rainbow grinned. "Whatever would I do without you?"
******
Two weeks later, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were high in the air, three hours into a ten hour balloon flight to Neighgas. Scootaloo was bored stiff and Rainbow was twitchy from having to stay in the basket. She would get out to stretch her wings, but somepony had to fly the balloon and Scootaloo didn't know how. Scootaloo had finished all of Rainbow's Daring Do books and had been pacing the basket for ten minutes.
"Rainbow," Scootaloo whined. "How long is left of the flight? I'm bored!"
"There's a good seven hours left yet Scootaloo. You need something to do?"
"YES!"
"Alright," Rainbow rummaged around in her saddlebags until she found a deck of cards and a bag of loose change. "How about I teach you how to play Blackjack? Only, you'll have to give me all of my bits back when we're done."
"OK," said Scootaloo. "I'm game."
Rainbow dealt Scootaloo a couple of cards, one was facing down. The card Scootaloo could see was a jack. Then Rainbow dealt herself an ace and a face down card.
"Alright Scoot," Rainbow began. "This is a fairly simple game and it's very easy to learn. You get half of the bits from this bag and use them to bet. You bet higher if you think you're going to beat me, and lower if you're not sure. Now, this is just a practice go so you don't have to bet, but when we play for real you have to. Right, you have a jack, picture cards are worth ten. I've got an ace which is worth one or eleven. The object of the game is to get as close to twenty-one as possible. If you go over, you go 'bust'. Got it?" Scootaloo nodded. "Good. Have a look at your face down card but don't tell me what it is."
Scootaloo had a four. Rainbow looked at hers and discovered that she had a six.
"Alright. Now if you've got a low hoof, you can ask me to deal you another card by saying 'hit'. You can do this as much as you want unless you go bust. Say 'stand' if you don't want any more cards and 'bust' if you've gone over twenty-one. When you say either of those things, I turn over my face down card and draw cards until my hoof equals at least seventeen. You win if your hoof is closer to twenty-one than mine or I go bust and then you get double the amount of bits you bet. If we draw, it's called a push and you get your original bet back. OK?"
"I get it," said Scootaloo. "Let's play! Hit." Scootaloo was dealt a seven. "Stand."
Rainbow turned over her six and dealt herself an eight! "Aww rats! Looks like you won that one kiddo, so let's play for real!"
They played for five hours, each of them playing competitively and taking turns at being the dealer. Rainbow Dash sometimes had to stand up and correct the balloons course or heat the air in the balloon up a bit more if they were dropping but she always came back to deal more cards or to try her hoof at getting more money out of Scootaloo. As she got better and better, Rainbow decided to teach Scootaloo more about the game.
"You've gotten good Scoot," the filly all but glowed at the praise. "If you've got a good head for maths, you could have a go at card counting. Unfortunately, I can't teach you how to do it 'cause I'm not much of a maths pony, unlike Twilight. She could be a Blackjack champ but she considers counting as cheating. But she wouldn't gamble if you let her use your own bits."
"What is counting?" asked Scootaloo
"Well, you basically have to keep track of the amount of high scoring cards left in the deck. If there are a lot, then you have a good chance of getting a good hoof so you bet higher. It tips the odds in your favour but some casinos use more than one deck of cards at once to make it more difficult for counters and, if they catch you counting, they'll dump you out on the pavement and tell all of the other casinos not to let you in."
"I'd still like to learn," Scootaloo said. "Maybe I can find a book that'll tell me how it's done."
"You'd be lucky to find a book like that in Neighgas! What's more, you're not old enough to play in a casino!" Dash laughed. "We're almost there, anyway. Clean up the cards would you? I'm gonna take us lower."
Eventually, when the sun was just dipping below the horizon and the first stars were appearing, the bright Neighgas skyline appeared in the distance. It got warmer as they neared so Rainbow Dash gently flapped her wings to keep Scootaloo cool. The lights got brighter and brighter as they flew closer and Scootaloo stepped closer to her guardian, grinning from ear to ear in anticipation. Rainbow steered the balloon onto a brightly lit landing strip and when they were safely on the ground, she opened the gate on the basket to let Scootaloo out.
"Welcome to Neighgas, kid!" Dash grinned.
A Room and Too Much to Drink
As Rainbow Dash stepped out of the balloon after Scootaloo, heads turned. Being a member of the Wonderbolts got you noticed, even if you weren't wearing your uniform. Having a celebrity on the landing strip got everypony extremely excited. Fans began to cheer and crowd. By the time Rainbow and Scootaloo broke free of the crowd, Dash had signed at least thirty autographs and posed for even more photos. All of a sudden, they were approached by an orange earth pony mare with blue eyes and an extravagantly styled blonde mane. Her gleaming smile was too white to be all natural and must have had some kind of treatment. She had a roulette wheel and some bits for a cutie mark and a short black skirt encircled her waist.
"Welcome to Las Neighgas!" she beamed, that bleached smile like a cluster of neon lights. "You must be Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts, yes?"
"Check this out Scoot," Dash whispered and addressed the beaming mare. "Yep, that's me! I booked a room for me and Scootaloo here at Celestias Palace?"
"Oh of course!" the mare smiled. "I'm Rouletta, the host at Celestia's Palace! I can offer you a VIP carriage to take you straight there and a top floor suite with compliments of the house. And because you are such an important guest, all of your meals, and any room service you order, will be free as well."
Rainbow smiled graciously and tried to look, and sound, surprised. "Complimentary? Oh that's so kind of you!"
Scootaloo gasped with delight. Celestias was the swankiest hotel in Neighgas! The most expensive too. How had Rainbow managed to get them a room there?
Offering Rainbow Dash free room service was a big risk for Rouletta, considering she had a young filly with her (fillies tended to order a lot of expensive desserts), but Dash was a celebrity, and celebrities had big money to lose at the casino. Thousands, possibly even millions of bits could be lost in one go and that would be more than enough to pay for anything they might order! Rouletta smiled at her guests.
"Do follow me to your carriage darlings! I'm sure you'll find it more than satisfactory." said the host as she lead them towards the carriage park.
"See Scoot?" Rainbow grinned "Only the best for you and me!"
They rode to Celestia's Palace in style. The carriage was white with red silk curtains and real leather seats. The outside was decorated with intricate patterns in gold leaf and was pulled by four white stallions dressed in golden armour that resembled the armour royal guards. Rouletta sat on a seat outside, holding the reigns (Like the carriage in the last roundup, but way more posh.). When they arrived, a red carpet was rolled out for them and a porter took their saddlebags and suitcases. Rainbow surprised Scootaloo by pressing the lift button for the penthouse suite. Scootaloo squealed happily when Rainbow told her that they really were staying there.
The penthouse suite had an amazing view of Las Neighgas Boulevard (a.k.a. The Strip) from its huge balcony. There was floor to ceiling marble and deep pile white rugs. The beds were soft white linen and could have fit five Scootaloos comfortably. There were more pillows than the pair knew what to do with and the mattresses were as soft as clouds. The sofas in the lounge were equally soft and there was a state of the art sound system for Rainbows Metallicolt CDs. Even the bathroom was luxurious with its whirlpool bath and seemingly endless supply of warm towels. Scootaloo began to bounce around the living room. Rainbow Dash smiled and grabbed a can of ParaSprite from the mini fridge.
"Enjoying yourself so far, Scoot? Dash asked, as she sipped the cool lemonade.
"Oh yes! This is the best room ever!" Scootaloo cried, happily.
"Well, we can go explore tomorrow if you want," Rainbow said. "I hear there's some cool stuff to see and do along The Strip!" Scootaloo stopped bouncing and let off a huge yawn. "Wow! You'd better get to bed Squirt. You'll need plenty of energy for tomorrow."
Rainbow draped an exhausted Scootaloo over her back and carried her to her room. She tucked the little filly under the covers and made sure she had a nice, plump pillow. Rainbow gently patted Scootaloo on the head and whispered goodnight before retiring to her own room, tucking herself in, and wishing herself goodnight.
******
Scootaloo woke at six in the morning, feeling drowsy but a quick shower soon fixed that. She peeked inside Rainbow Dash's room to find her still asleep. Scootaloo didn't want to wake her guardian so she decided to explore the hotel for a while. Celestia's Palace was huge, so wandering around would probably keep her occupied until Rainbow got up. She decided to explore the casino floor first as Rainbow teaching her how to play blackjack on the way here had got her interested in what a real working casino actually looked like. What she saw when she went down, however, wasn't very impressive at all. She'd expected the tables to be full of mares and colts in fancy dresses and dinner jackets but there were only a few tired looking ponies who looked like they had been playing all night long and cleaners mopping the floors.
Scootaloo wasn't allowed to gamble, but she could still look around as long as she didn't play on a machine or a table. Her eyes were drawn to the only pony in the room who didn't look like he'd been there all night. A posh looking colt was sat at a blackjack table, his green eyes fixed intently on the game. Scootaloo trotted up, eager to watch some real casino blackjack being played. What she saw amazed her; this guy seemed incapable of losing! Even when he did lose, he never lost much. Scootaloo was transfixed. How was he doing it? The colt noticed her watching and smiled, never losing track of the cards.
"You interested in blackjack, kid?" he asked, playing with a chip.
"Umm, yes, but I'm not old enough to play yet. You're really good though, how do you keep winning like that?"
The colt laughed and turned back to the dealer. He stopped playing and gathered up his chips.
"Follow me," he said to Scootaloo "I'll show you my secret."
******
The two ponies sat on a bench by the slot machines and the colt took a pack of cards out of his pocket. He shuffled them and dealt them to Scootaloo as if they were playing blackjack.
"You wanted to know my secret kid?" he whispered, Scootaloo leant in closer to hear him above the machines. "I count the cards. Been practising for years. Now I can win big at any casino in the world! Now, if you like, I'll show you how it's done."
Intent on learning the one thing about the game Rainbow Dash couldn't teach her, Scootaloo didn't notice her guardian stagger onto the casino floor. Rainbow was very, very drunk. She'd probably helped herself to all of the alcohol in the mini fridge. Rainbow wobbled over to the bar and ordered five vodka shots, downing them one after the other. Now even more drunk, Dash collapsed onto a stool at the nearest gambling table and began to play, betting hundreds of bits on her first hoof alone. She was approached from behind by a handsome stallion who slid onto the stool to her left. He didn't gamble, but he did seem to have made an impression on Rainbow, who began to bet even more seemingly so she could impress this newcomer. Eventually, the booze and the flirting took their toll; Rainbow Dash had lost thousands of bits and, even in her drunken stupor, could see that she had to leave the game. She said something to the stallion that made him laugh and she tried to sweep out of the casino. Instead, she collapsed right by the doors.
Meanwhile, Scootaloo had begun to grasp the maths behind card counting and was winning big in imaginary game chips. The colt was impressed.
"You picked that up quick, kid!" he smiled "You're gonna be an awesome gambler when you grow up. Just to be on the safe side, don't count cards until everypony has gone back to bed. That way, all of the dealers are tired and never notice what your doing!"
"Thanks!" said Scootaloo "I'd better get back up to my room now though, my guardian will be awake now and she'll be worried if I'm not there."
As she got up to leave, the colt pressed the pack of cards into her hoof.
"Take them," he said "get some practice in."
Scootaloo nodded and headed for the doors. Suddenly, she noticed Rainbow Dash lying passed out on the floor. Gasping in surprise, Scootaloo knelt down next to her guardian and shook her. Rainbow groaned and sat up, bleary eyed.
"Scoot!" she smiled, drunkenly "What are you doing down here? You can't gamble."
"Are you drunk?" Scootaloo asked
"No! But you should've seen me out there, all the stallions wanted me! I was on fire!"
Rainbow was slurring her words and Scootaloo struggled to push Rainbow to her hooves. She swayed and Scootaloo let her guardian lean on her as they staggered towards the lift. Rainbow would never have managed the stairs.
"Oh, you should have seen that one guy, Squirt," Rainbow laughed as Scootaloo called the lift. "He wanted me, I could tell but when I asked him upstairs he laughed! Said he'd only do it with me for sixty an hour!"
The lift doors opened and Scootaloo had to drag a swaying Rainbow inside. She pressed the button for the penthouse and kept Dash from falling over as the lift began its journey upwards.
"Prostitutes," Rainbow spat "he wasn't really impressed with my gambling skills was he? He just wanted my money didn't he?"
Scootaloo flinched as Rainbow threw up in the corner of the lift. A sudden realisation hit Rainbow and she turned to Scootaloo, eyes wide. There was a ping as the doors opened.
"Oh my Celestia, I just lost five thousand bits!"