Life's Left Hook

You shake your head and laugh a little at her dismay, taking the controller and pressing the 'next hoof' button.

Cards are dealt, and you have the big blind.

Scoots has the small blind, and slides in one chip right after you put in yours.

You glance at your cards, and everyone else does the same.

Ace of hearts, nine of spades.

Eeeh.

Octavia puts in two chips.

"In."

Cuore grumbles, sliding her cards away yet again.

"Blech. Garbage!"

Cadance slides in two more chips, nodding as she looks at her cards.

Scoots puts one more in, smiling wide.

"Yep! I'm in!"

She must have a really good hand.

You tap the table, checking, while pressing a button on the controller to let down the flop.

With that, you see what you're dealing with.

9C, 7H, JS

Hum.

Octavia taps the table, looking to Cadance.

Cadance looks at the doctor as she taps the table, curious.

"So, you got bad luck? Or are you just really picky?"

Scootaloo takes five chips from her stack and slides them to the middle.

The little bastard's raising the stakes.

You slide in five chips as well.

Octavia folds, sliding her cards.

As Cadance shoves in five more chips, the doctor responds.

"Perhaps a bit of both. I'm not typically vone for taking risks."

"I'd fucking hope."

It takes a moment, but finally the gravity of your statement sets in, and most everyone laughs.

Spare Trixie, who's still having a fit over losing all of her cash.

With that, the river comes down.

Four of clubs.

Scootaloo slides in five more chips.

You consider it for a second.

You have a pair of nines...

She's probably got something weak.

Come on, she's a filly.

You slide in five more, looking at her deviously.

She laughs at you, returning your look.

"Gee, someone suddenly grew a pair."

"Ooooh, you're walking a thin line, Scoots..."

She just laughs at you again, turning away.

"Whatever you say, mister I'm-too-scared-to-pull-Dashie's-tail."

oh dear god you are going to murder this filly

Before you can do much else, you hear Cadance pipe up.

"Hey, calm down you two. You aren't the only ones in the game!"

She slides in a stack of five chips, smiling wickedly.

"Oh, look! Miss Candy Crush is stepping up to defend her boyfriend!"

Oh no...

Everyone gives Scootaloo a wide-eyed stare of shock.

Partly because it's evident she knew.

Partly because nobody knew this filly had guts of steel.

But, mostly, the surprise was because she just pissed off a god.

Cadance's game face is go, and she glares at Scoots, a wide, toothy smile on her face.

"Oh, you're on now, little filly."

"Bring it!"

With that, you press the button, and down comes the turn.

Nine of hearts.

Ooh. Three of a kind!

"ALL IN!"

Scootaloo anxiously shoves in her entire pile.

With that, you glance at the cards and—

Oh.

"Welp. Fold."

You slide your cards in front of you in defeat.

You aren't falling for that.

Cadance, however, seems to be going in head first.

"I call!" she says, sliding 21 of her chips inside.

With that, she places down her cards.

And she has...

Jack of hearts, Seven of clubs.

Two pair.

Not bad.

"Hah! Tough luck, princess! Beat this!"

Scootaloo places down her cards.

Eight of hearts, ten of diamonds.

Knew it.

"Welp, that's a straight, Cadance. Looks like Scootaloo here—"

"FUCK!"

Scootaloo greedily rakes in her 80 chips, giggling uncontrollably.

Cadance snarls in jealousy and anger.

"Lucky little—"

Trixie scoffs at Cadance, covering her mouth with her hoof as she leans over to whisper to Octavia.

You can barely make it out, but you can hear what she's saying.

"The princess might speak a dozen languages, but it looks like she doesn't have any sense when it comes to numbers!"

Octy and Trixie share a giggle, and the new round starts at the press of a button.

Right after the cards start dispensing, you take a peek.

6 of clubs, two of spades.

Could your hand get any worse?

And, suddenly, the controller is yanked from your hand by a glowing purple aura.

"Hey! What the-?"

You look up, and you see the doctor handing it to Octavia.

Octavia looks at you, and then at the controller.

"Sorry, but you weren't paying much attention to me waving at you."

You blink.

"You couldn't speak up?"

She merely shrugs.

"It didn't cross my mind, I suppose."

Everyone else takes a gander at their cards, and you and Octavia put the blinds in place.

"Huh, really? Aren't you a vocalist too?"

Octavia nods, and Dr. Cuore once again folds, keeping silent.

"Mmmhmm, of course. Most musicians are."

You give her a skeptical look, and see Cadance fold out of the corner of your eye.

"You'd think you'd be proud to use your voice, then."

Octavia's eyes soften a bit, and after a beat, she responds.

"And I would be, if it weren't for the constant recoil."

Scootaloo slides in a couple of chips, listening to your conversation.

"Ah. I know how that feels. But, still, you're with friends— hell, you're with family, at this point. Loosen up a bit."

You slide in an extra chip, since you have the small blind.

It's just one chip, you think.

"I plan to. I'm turning on some music right now..."

With that, Octavia idly checks, looking at the controller.

"This thing has music?"

She nods, pressing a few buttons.

"Evidently. Let me see if it works..."

The bass guitar kicks in, and you immediately knew what Octavia was doing.

The speakers beneath the table play, and although it isn't quite HD, it's still great to listen to.

You thought jazz was okay, most of the time, but you never really got into it as much as Octavia did.

But this?

This is... Incredibly fitting.

Kind of like that night in the train.

Except now, you're at a poker table rather than a bed.

You have an odd feeling that's going to change as soon as this game is over, however.

You smile, and pour yourself another shot as the flop comes down.

3C, JH, KS.

Welp, you got nothin'.

Trixie looks at Octavia, and her ears perk at the music.

"Do you know this song? I've never heard it before."

Scootaloo checks as you grab your shot glass and throw it down the hatch without a second thought.

You let out a breath after you gulp down the whiskey, and check as well.

Octavia nods at Trixie, and, upon seeing the flop, raises 5 chips.

"I've known it for a while. I guess it just hasn't brought itself up between the two of us. It's good for leisure, drinking... It helps me calm down."

"Why would you need to calm down? You're the most low-key mare that Trixie knows," she says, confused.

Scootaloo slides in five chips, and without hesitation, you fold over your cards.

"Nnnnnope."

Sheesh. After two shots, you're already feeling it a little.

Octavia takes a sip of her glass, and responds to her marefriend.

"There are... Reasons, I suppose. You know a few, do you not?"

With another press of a button, the river comes down.

5C.

Octavia slides in another 5 chips, her eyes locked on the controller.

Trixie tilts her head. "Of course Trixie knows. She just... Can't seem to remember them, at the moment."

You look at Trixie's empty glass of wine.

"Shit, one glass, Trix, and you're already losing it? I honestly expected you to be able to handle your drinks well!"

You're poking the beehive and you know it.

But it was too damn fun to stop.

Scootaloo calls Octavia's bet, and you can see her smile deviously.

She knows exactly what you're doing.

Trixie turns to you, and shoots you a half-glare.

"Trixie can out-drink anyone. Even you, monkey-boy."

"Oohohooo. Monkey boy. How original. Y'see, that's how I know you're tipsy-you'd come up with better insults if you were—Oh, shit, Trixie, what are you doing?!"

In the time it took you to contemplate her terrible comebacks, she snatched the bottle of whiskey from in front of you.

And now she's chugging the damned thing.

Oh god, does she know how powerful it is?

Okay, better question.

How the hell is she gulping that shit down?

You watch in disbelief as three-fourths of your bottle of whiskey go down her throat and into her poor, unsuspecting belly.

She sets the bottle down with a thunk, and looks around at everyone gawking at her.

Well, spare the Doctor, who looks about as interested in Trixie's escapades as one would be in watching grass grow.

"Hah! And you said Trixie couldn't drink."

The doctor looks up at Trixie with a very, very blunt look, half-lidded eyes and a condescending tone to top it all off.

After a moment, she kicks back in her seat, props her hind legs on the table, and takes a sudden interest in the chips in her forehoof.

"I give ze mare and her liver five minutes."