"Guys, guys! Guess what?" Rainbow Dash called while breaking up her friends' conversation.
Twilight sighed over her friend's ignorance. "What do you want, Rainbow?"
Rainbow Dash gave a wide grin and a squeak.
"Ifoundoutthissuperawesomegamecalled"poker"It'sreallyfunandIsaw abunchofotherponiesplayingitanditlookedcoolsoIthought-"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down, sugarcube." Applejack slurred.
Rarity gave a shocked look. "I've never seen you worked up over something so trivial as a game before. Have you been spending time with Pinkie Pie lately?"
Rainbow quit jumping around and gave Rarity a cold stare.
"What, it was only an assumption." she huffed, turning her head and air-whipping Rainbow with her mane.
With Rarity shut, Rainbow got pumped up once again. "So, you wanna play it? Yeah yeah yeah?!" she said with another huge smile.
"Well, I could play, I mean, I don't have anything to do today." Fluttershy spoke.
Applejack raised an eyebrow at Rainbow. "Well, if it's got Rainbow all giddy like this then it oughta be good."
Rainbow stared at Twilight, giving her the best puppy dog look she could muster. Twilight tried to resist, but it was no use.
"I guess."
"YAY! I'll bring some snacks and drinks!" Pinkie exclaimed, already running towards Sugarcube Corner.
All eyes now shifted to the still upset Rarity, who gave a long sigh. "Whatever it is, I'll never be late to a game with my friends." she gave a small smile.
Rainbow cheered as she did loops in the air, leaving her friends to stare at her blankly.
"We'll meet up at 7:00, Twilight's house!" she cheered again before flying off.
"What? I didn't even.......ugh, nevermind." she grunted before leaving the table, her friends imitating her as they left.
Fluttershy still sat on the table, unsure of what to do next.
"But..but...we didn't finish our talk....... Girls? Hello? Anypony?"
As Rainbow reached her house, she gave another cheer. "Heh, I'll be rich after this game!"
++++++
7:00 Was here, and Twilight saw Rainbow burst into the door as soon as the clock struck their "play date" time.
"Oh, I can't wait! I'm so excited!" she squeed.
++++++
"Alright, so now what? How do we play this, game of yours?" Applejack questioned upon her arrival.
"You'll get to know as we play."
Everyone but Rainbow exchanged unsure looks, even Angel and Spike, who were there, for whatever reason.
"Uhh, okay, then." Applejack responded nervously, suspecting something creepy and sinister about Rainbow's explanation.
Rainbow rubbed her hooves together and began setting up the table, just knocking everything off of Twilight's coffee table and pulling a deck of cards from under her wing.
"Alright, let's get started!" snickering at Twilight's expression.
Rainbow began throwing down cards and explaining the rules very quickly.
"-and a full house is one of the best ones you could get, and consists of three of a kind and two of a kind......"
++++++
After the cards were set, bits were (reluctantly) set on the table, and the very simple basics of poker were explained, they each took a seat.
"Alright, Applejack, you're a blind." Rainbow sneered.
"What are ya' talkin' 'bout? I can see just fine!" Applejack snapped.
"No, I didn't say you were blind, I... just give me those bits." she said before reaching out towards Applejack's money.
"Hey! What are you doing!? You never said stealing was part of the game!" she yelled, trying to snatch her bits back.
"I'm not trying to steal your money! This IS part of the game! LET GO!"
Everyone did nothing but watch the two mares wrestle over two bits with a confused look.
++++++
"Check." Rainbow grunted, rubbing her bruised face, pretending to frown as more bits were given to her.
"Fold." Applejack said with a sigh as she watched the game through her good eye.
"Spike! Go look for that poker book I bought!" Twilight whispered loudly.
"On it." he whispered back before heading up the stairs.
Pinkie Pie gave a squeak and grinned. "Hey! I have one of those flush-y thingies!"
"UGGGH." Twilight as she groaned and hit the table with her face, causing the four bits in front of her to rattle.
Rarity just looked at her cards and kept the best poker face the world has ever seen. Spike ran down the stairs and hid under the table unsuspected, opening the book to a random page and showing it to Twilight. She sank slowly into the chair and started scanning the book in fear of losing her four bits.
Angel looked at Twilight's cards and began speaking to Fluttershy a way no other pony could come close to understanding, while she hid herself under her cards.
"......HAHA! ROYAL FLUSH!" Rainbow smiled, forgetting her fake frown as she re-adjusted Twilight's Element of Harmony on her head and took Angel's carrot, placing it into her mouth like a cigar. Angel gave Rainbow a dirty look, then continued coaching Fluttershy with his completely un-realistic amount of knowledge about poker.
Twilight noticed the tiny bunny peeking at her cards and shoved him with her magic, turning the cards beyond bunny-eye level, before she continued skimming through the book while Spike rolled his eyes, making sure nopony saw it.
Pinkie Pie beamed again. "Bingo! I got the flush-y thingie again!" she grinned, showcasing her cards to her friends and sliding the bits to her table. "Jackpot!"
Applejack gave a soft chuckle. "At least that ain't mah money on th' line!"
Those words shook Twilight as she started sweating, checking on her now three bits every minute, making sure nothing happens to them. Why? Why did she fall for Rainbow's calling trick? WHY?! She looked at her cards and noticed she had a straight! A mischievous grin crawled onto Twilight's face as she pushed her three bits into the pile.
Twilight's smile turned into sadness, then anger, until she finally threw the book Spike was holding onto the ground in fury, and headed up her stairs. Rainbow shifted the carrot in her mouth and whispered slyly, "Full house."
Enough of Rainbow's winning streaks, Rarity and Fluttershy quit, leaving Pinkie to battle it out.
"Fold."
"Umm... I fold."
Rainbow grinned as she turned to Pinkie, ready to battle with a new set of cards.
"Check."
"Check!"
A few checks later left them in a dramatic situation.
"All in!" Pinkie exclaimed happily.
"Same here." Rainbow grinned, sliding her winnings to the center of the table.
It was Rainbow to go first. "Straight flush."
Pinkie grinned even more, sending a worried look to replace Rainbow's smug smile.
"Royal flush!!!!!" she yelled, mysterious confetti cannons blasting on the sides of her as she jumped onto her winnings.
"YAY!"
Rainbow sat there with a shocked expression, seeing her pink friend wallow in her winnings, before getting up, and leaving Twilight's house with no change in her expression.
"That was fun! Can we do it again!?" she squeaked.
"NO!" Twilight yelled from upstairs.
"I don't think losin' money is FUN, in mah opinion." Applejack said before leaving.
"Well, I thought it was exciting." Rarity commented.
"Don't worry, Angel, I'll get you a new carrot.....if I can afford it." Fluttershy sniffed before following her friends out the door.
"Hey? Where did everyone go?" Pinkie asked. "Oh, well!" she said as she mysteriously plucked a saddlebag from Twilight's books and shoved her winnings in them, proceeding to hop her way back to Sugarcube Corner, a loud 'CHING!' following her every bounce.
THE END.
