Life's Left Hook

The doctor trots past you, and goes back up to her bunk.

Scoots and Trixie both look a bit disgruntled, and Octavia looks utterly done with whatever shit she had to put up with.

Ugh...

Hoping that everything was behind them, you plop down next to poor Octy and smile.

"So! Plans?"

"Yes, plans," Cadance says, sitting down next to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo eyes the princess in admiration, but doesn't say anything.

Octy turns to you, finally, and smiles a bit.

"Yes, plans," she says, nodding.

"There's plenty to do in Marelin. Although I'll be gone for both mine and the other concert, I still found a couple of things to do."

"Liiiike?"

"Do tell," Cadance says, listening.

"Well, first off," Tavi starts, pulling out a little pamphlet, "we'll check into the hotel. We might want to get something to eat at the diner in the hotel. And after we eat, I'll have to take off to play. I'll be gone until late. What you do in the meantime is up to you, and I have a bunch of things circled you might enjoy."

"But, when I get back to the hotel? I want all of us to go down to the Sternschnuppe casino. One of my colleagues, who is remaining anonymous, has given me a generous gift. 300 bits."

Immediately, everyone in the group is at attenion.

"Wait, you gave her 300 bits?" Cadance asks, looking at you.

Everyone's staring at you.

Octavia, puzzled at first, soon realizes what she's done.

"Oh, oh no! Not this Anonymous! As in, an anonymous donor. No, Anonymous here has given me plenty more than money can buy.

After an 'ooooh' by everyone in the group, you all share a chuckle.

"Oh! Zat's impressive!" the doctor chimes, her eyebrows raised.

Cadance looks at you, chuckling. "Looks like Nonnie has some competition~"

Scootaloo is in a giggling fit.

"Wait, who?!"

And there's Trixie.

She sounds a little outraged.

B-E-A-utiful.

"Who in Tartarus would just give you 300 bits?"

Octavia shrugs.

"I've not a clue. They either have a severe crush or... Something. I'm literally stumped, but I'm not complaining."

Trixie snorts, scrunching a bit.

"Don't think Trixie is going to let them take you away from me!"

And there's the third person.

You sigh a little, and let the storm pass.

"I won't, dear. Don't worry."

Trixie grunts, and slides back up into her bunk.

"Regardless. As I was saying, I want to spend this money in the casino. I was thinking of all of us just sitting down at a poker table and playing a few rounds of Hold'em. It's been too long since I've had an afternoon at the casino with some friends."

You look at Octavia with a fake pout.

Trixie bends over and does the same.

Octy looks between the two of you, and tilts her head to look at you in irritation.

"Yes, yes, you're more than friends. I'm not going to put either of you in the 'friend' zone any time soon.

"Good," you say in unison.

Trixie goes back up to her bunk, and you slouch back.

"But yes. Can't wait. It's been too long, and I take it you all know your cards. Should be fun."

You're a bit surprised at this revelation.

Octy, a gambler?

"Huh, so you're a gambler?" you ask, intrigued.

"An old guilty pleasure of mine, I suppose," she says, nodding. "I try to do it sparingly, though. Thankfully I'm not nearly as bad as some others I know."

And, now that you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

Octavia is surprisingly smart.

And she would have the best pokerface out of everyone you know.

"Well, I'll be looking forward to it," you say, smiling.

"May I join you?" the doctor asks, smiling.

"Of course you can. Why wouldn't I let the mare who saved my hooman join us?"

hooman

Close enough

"Thank you, my dear."

Cadance raises an eyebrow.

"I've never actually gambled before. Well, I HAVE played cards with 'Tia, Luna, and Twily before, but I'm hopelessly outmatched. They're all brainiacs."

"Well, now you'll be against some lower competition," Octavia adds. "Perhaps you'll enjoy it."

"The drinks are on me, by the way, should any of you want one," Cadance says.

"I'm gonna take you up on that one."

The whole group, spare Scootaloo, seems to be in agreement when it comes to drinks.

"It's... Been quite some time since Trixie has tried her hoof at the casino, but, after all, Trixie can fix the rusty old gears in her head."

Octavia chuckles.

"So long as you don't cheat again, I'm fine."

"What?! Preposterous! Trixie never cheats!" she yells, irritated.

"Uh-huh. Of course. Concerning I had four aces, and the 'Rogue and Scandalous Trixie' had a royal flush, I think it's fair to say you were setting me up to go all in on that one."

"No! Trixie would never so such a thing! It was just outrageous luck!"

"Outrageous luck for an outrageous mare."

"UGH!"

You all share a chuckle at Trixie's dismay, and you shake your head.

But then, a little voice cuts the laughing off.

"Can I come too?"

Everyone looks at the little filly, and instantly some guilt fills Octavia's heart.

"Uhm, sorry, dear," she starts, "but I'm fairly certain you aren't of age. You have to be eighteen."

You knew the laws.

She left out a pretty important detail.

You can't be a blank-flank either.

Thankfully she didn't bring that up.

Scootaloo frowns, looking up.

"Aw, okay."

"I wish you could come. You'd get a chance to know everyone better, even though we're kind of an adult crowd."

"Pfft, so? Most of my friends are, like, five years older than me. I'll fit in just fine!"

"I'd love to have you with, Scootaloo," Cadance says, smiling, "but we may get into legal troubles."

"And, as much as I'd LOOOVE having you with," Trixie says, "you might skewer the results of the poker tournament."

Scootaloo pouts a bit.

"Oh, fine. What am I gonna do until you guys get back? Just sit around in the hotel room?"

Octavia grimaces a bit, sighing. "I'm... not quite sure—"

"Oh, darling, please," the doctor says, cutting her off. "Dear Scootaloo can join us- just let whoever know zat she's vith us, is using our money, and isn't doing ze gambling. Zey are typically fairly loose vhen it comes to things like zis."

"If it doesn't vork, ve'll find a vay to have Scootaloo come anyvay. No sense leaving her in ze room."

"Mmm, very well," Octavia says.

"Sooooo, I get to go?"

Octavia nods.

Scootaloo smiles and rocks back and forth in anticipation.

"Sweeeet. Y'know, I used to play card games a lot back when Donut Joe used to have me and some of his friends over, but–"

SCREEEEEEEEECH

You feel the train decelerating, and the grinding metal hurts your ears.

Before you know it, you've come to a stop, and outside the window you see yet another gigantic city.

Cadance stands up, and so does Octavia.

"Well, we're here," the grey mare says, stretching a bit.

"It's been too long since I've been to Marelin," Cadance says, smiling as she trots toward the cab door.

The doctor hops from her top bunk, landing with a thud.

"It really is a great city. A bit dirty, but still, a great city nontheless."

Trixie follows right behind the doctor, trotting out.

"The locals are incredibly... Generous. Trixie has toured here a few times. The crowds were great, so long as Trixie was on stage."

"Although, Trixie must admit, their sense of humor is lacking..."

With that, you look down.

"Ready to go, Scoots?"

"Of course I am! I can't wait! I've never been outside of Equestria! This is gonna be sooo cool! I'll get to see a whole bunch of things and listen to the funny accents!"

Scootaloo proceeds to mock said accent, sputtering out phrases of gibberish and trying to fling out as much phlegm as she can as she does so.

You chuckle at her antics, and ruffle her hair.

"I haven't been here yet either. Come on, let's go."

After walking out of the train and out of the station, you meet back up with your sextet at the front gates.

In front of you is a grand plaza, complete with amazing architecture surrounding the area as well as what appears to be a gigantic stone gateway.

It's a lot different than what you've seen before, and it's a little breathtaking at first.

Little Scootaloo has her jaw agape as she looks around, and she's absolutely bubbly with excitement.

Smiles are on the faces all around as the six of you walk through the plaza, following Octavia's lead.

"So... We have to go down here, and... Keep trotting... Hmm..."

Although her eyes were focused mostly on the map, yours were in the skies, admiring the amazing stone, brick, and wooden buildings.

The city gave an entirely different feel than Windsoar or Detrot.

The city seemed frozen in time—like it's a century behind.

You smile as you walk, imagining what the rest of the day will be like.

Octavia keeps talking as you come up to the hotel.

"...Okay, so. Let's check in. I'm leaving right now to watch the MLP."

"Wait, the what?"

"The Marelin Philharmonic?"

"Oh, of course."

"Go ahead and take everyone else upstairs to room 201. Take a look at that brochure I gave you, too, and find something to do."

You nod and smile.

"Will do, sweetheart. Thanks."

You kneel down and give her a peck on the cheek before standing back up and making your way to the elevator.

"Come on, guys. Well, uh, mares, I mean. Let's go check out the room."

Trixie trots up to Octavia, giving her a cute little peck herself, before following you.

The rest of the group follows as well.

After a short, quiet elevator ride, you make your way to the second floor and to your room.

You slide the key in, unlock the door, and walk in, 3 mares and a filly on your tail.

Immediately, Scootaloo gets comfy on the couch.

Cadance plops down on the bed, and Trixie runs to the bathroom.

The doctor sits on the couch as well, beside Scootaloo, and offers her a smile before turning back to the radio on the nightstand.

"Mmm. Might as vell pass ze time a bit."

*Click*

*Click click click*

"Vell, drat. Ze radio's busted."

"It's Germane. What do you expect?" Cadance asks from across the room."

"I thought it vas Ib'Xian zat had ze terrible plastic products."

"You're right. It's Germaneigh that has the terrible everything else."

After a beat, Cadance thinks a bit, and continues.

"Spare trains. And chariots. And pretty much anything with wheels. They have great vehicles. They're really efficient, too."

"Oh! Don't forget the amazing drinks!" Trixie hollars from the bathroom.

Cadance nods at the sudden revelation.

"Oh, and that too."

"Mmm, I see," the doctor says, nodding.

With their conversation over, you realize you've done nothing but stand there.

You walk over and sit down on the edge of the bed.

Cadance looks at you, smiling.

"...Noooooo, not now. No. Not with... Uh..."

You gesture to Scootaloo.

"...Aw, damnit..."

Poor nympho.

With that, you hop off of the couch.

And, as if on cue, you hear a loud knocking on the door.

Thinking it's probably Octavia, you walk over and open it.

"Heeellooo?"

You look down, and to your surprise, it's not Octavia.

It's a well-dressed stallion with a—

No, that's not a stallion.

That's a goat.

With a goatee.

Containing your chuckles, you raise an eyebrow.

"Uh, yes, sir?"

"I am heah to drop off your luggage," he states with an outrageous Germane accent, gesturing to a cart he has in tow.

"Oh. Uh, thanks."

With that, he grabs the doctor's large and incredibly cumbersome bag, along with the bag Octavia had packed.

You decide to help, grabbing your bag and Cadance's bag in one hand, and you sling Scootaloo's scooter under your other.

It's still in the box.

"Ach, zeah ve ah," the goat says, setting down the bags. "Zat is all, for now."

"Thank you," you say as he walks out of the door.

"Auf wiedersehen."

And, with that, the door closes behind the goat.

As you think of what you just saw and heard, one thought comes to mind.

You really, really hope that the locals here know how to speak English.

Or, well, Equestrian, rather.

After everything is set down, you look at Scootaloo.

"Oh, and this box? It's for you, Scootums."

She gives you a confused look before eyeing the box.

"Huh? What's in it?"

"You'll see."

After a beat, it finally sets in.

"No way..."

She slowly stands up off of the couch and trots over to the box.

Meanwhile, you head over to the side of the bed, poking Cadance on her flank.

She jolts a bit, looking up at you.

"Stop that!"

"Heheheh. Hey, Cadance."

You sit down, glancing over as Scootaloo tears open the box.

"Watch this."

Slowly, she sits up, and her eyes turn to the filly across the room.

"What?"

"She's about to open it..."

"Open what?"

"Shh. Watch."

Soon enough, she manages to pry one of the sides of the box off.

Out falls a metal pole, alongside a much thicker metal bar.

The body of the scooter, no doubt.

Right after this, in a bout of glee and excitement, Scootaloo pulls out two squirt guns with hooks on them and a large metal block, as well as a couple bags of nuts & bolts.

She sets everything down in front of her and looks at the parts.

And, the longer she stares, the bigger her smile gets.

She's smiling ear to ear after a moment, and her wings are buzzing.

"...ohmygoshohmygoshohmyGOSH!! Anon! DUDE! This is, like-What?! How did you get this?! Where did you get this?!"

She wastes no time tearing open the bags and trying to clank pieces together.

You stand up, rushing over to stop her.

"Nonono, not yet, Scoots. Later, when we're outside."

You take the parts from her hooves, and put them back in the bags.

Although this brings her down for a moment, it's not nearly enough to contain her childish glee.

"You. Got me. An UltiMax?! The -actual- thing?!"

"Eeyup!"

You suddenly can't feel your leg.

Scootaloo is squeezing it too hard.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Dude, I've always wanted one of these! Ever since I saw them on TV!"

She's absolutely ecstatic.

And it's too adorable for you to bear.

The doctor looks at Scootaloo and smiles warmly.

Deciding it's best to keep everything organized, you start packing the parts back into the box.

"We'll go to the park later and set this thing up. But, for now, I want to stay here for a bit and figure things out, okay?"

"Oh! Sure! But we'd better go to the park! You can't just show me and NOT let me ride it!"

You chuckle, nodding.

"I know, I know. Don't worry, Scoots."

With that, you go back over to the bed.

The bathroom door opens, and out steps a damp Trixie, a towel wrapped around her hips and around her mane.

Her slick coat shines a bit–she isn't completely dry.

Unf.

She trots over and sits down on the couch next to the doctor, taking Scootaloo's old spot.

Scootaloo is too preoccupied obsessing over her scooter to notice, much less care.

You chucklem grabbing the brochure again.

Looking over, there's one thing on your mind.

Food.

You need food.

You look at some of the recommended restaurants, and look at the rating, the pricing, and the locality...

And, although some of them seemed good, one catches your eye.

"Die Hütte von Spargel", in-season, highly rated and nearby.

And, even though it seemed expensive, money didn't seem to be an issue.

Hm.

Sounds interesting.

Even though you didn't know a lick of German.

You turn to your soon-to-be queen, who is still sitting up.

"Hey, Cadance?"

She looks at you.

"Yes?"

"Wanna get something to eat?"

"...Yes."

With that, you get up.

"Then let's go. I'm awfully hungry."

"So am I."

Cadance hops off the bed, and you start walking towards the door.

The doctor looks at you as you walk out.

"I'm not hungry, in case you were even going to invite me."

"I'm kinda hungry, but I wanna read the manual for the scooter," Scootaloo says, looking up at you. "Can you bring me back a snack?"

"Sure thing, Scoots," you reply, nodding.

"Trixie is hungry, but will not go out in public looking like this. Might you bring a snack back for Trixie as well?"

You nod.

"Sure."

"My appreciation."

With that, you open the door and gesture for Cadance to pass.

"Ladies first," you say, smiling.

Cadance rolls her eyes and smiles at you.

"Oh, you..."