Fallen Eagle

Chapter 37: Where Anything Can Happen

So, how was Friendship Games, guys? Personally, I LOVED it and I thought I would take a crack at giving it a review.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR FRIENDSHIP GAMES. SKIP THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT!

Firstly, another great, no, FANTASTIC soundtrack from Daniel Ingram. And what a worthy successor to Rainbow Rocks. The opening credit sequence definitely was the best of the trilogy with an intense song, heart pounding song, and you could feel the tension between CHS and Crystal Prep.

The fact that Sunset was now friends with everyone at CHS was indeed a welcome sight after Rainbow Rocks, and that she's comfortable with the change of pace. Having the Humane 5's Twilight be sort of a rival, even though that wasn't her intention, was very intriguing to see how she would react to the magic.

Now, Crystal Prep, I'll admit I cheered when I saw Human Cadence and Human Shining Armor. The school of course had the stereotype that a uniformed school was snooty, but I overlooked that because of how different it was to see Twilight as a loner again, just like the Twi we know and love was sort of like back at the beginning of the show.

Speaking of which, Twilight's song of knowing she wants more than what Crystal Prep has to offer, but she doesn't know exactly what she wants was a beautiful song. I really can't explain it, yet when the first few notes played and she peered into the classroom and started singing, a few tears were brought to my eyes as I had an instant flashback of me and my friends enjoying ourselves in High School. The song also goes to show: You can have everything going right for you, (Twilight had the best grades and the highest test scores in school history) but you can still feel empty inside without friends, VERY powerful.

The principal of Crystal Prep. Jeez I was sorely disappointed in her. Granted I love seeing what new characters Hasbro can cook up, but I was hoping the principal was either Sombra or Chrysalis. If it was Crystal Prep, Sombra would've been my choice because of season 3.

Rainbow's Pep song was absolutely awesome and a great recap of the previous two films, demonstrating how close CHS is. Kudos to you, Daniel Ingram!

I had a feeling that their world Twilight would indeed somehow get ahold of the magic, but I like how the writers made her innocent of actually stealing it; it makes her more sympathetic.

As for the games themselves, the writers made the right choice in just doing a Montage of the chemistry, baking and wood shop events. That shot of Sunset and Twilight on the stage was again, A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and very tense. It was funny to see Derpy trying chemistry though.

The incident where Spike began to talk was perhaps my favorite part of the movie aside from the racing. It felt unnatural to see a doggy Spike barking and growling. And seeing Twilight scared of him was pretty humorous.

The best part of the games, obviously, was the motocross event and the roller short track derby. The race fan inside me screamed, "YES!" When the word 'short track' was mentioned. For those of you who don't know, whenever NASCAR goes to a short track, good luck getting my attention away from the TV. When Rarity and Pinkie were racing, I was yelling, "Protect the inside. Don't open the door!" And when they did I literally exclaimed, "YOU IDIOTS!"

Anyway, seeing the plant from Equestria attacking the racers really instilled a sense of urgency in me. Nothing is scarier than going full throttle in a car or on a dirt bike, only to have something make you come to a complete stop. That wasn't the only thing about that scene; seeing Sunset getting angry was not only sad because we've seen her grow softer throughout the trilogy and we hate seeing our favorite characters getting angry, but seeing Twilight cry isn't an easy thing to stomach, especially when she didn't intend for it to happen.

BUT, the one thing that absolutely irritated me about the movie was Crystal Prep's reaction to the magic at the motocross event. Both the students and Principal ACCEPTED that it was MAGIC and it EXISTS? A real reaction would've contained the words "Mutant" and "Freaks" for seeing Wings on Rainbow Dash. Just accepting that and not calling the Men In Black seemed really convenient. I mean, they blow it off like someone had parked squarely in a parking space and freaked out like someone was murdered when they lost the race! I know, it's just a cartoon and I suspend my disbelief when we talk about cartoons, especially ones that feature magic, but that just really irked me and a fellow author that I was messaging while the movie aired.

However, pushing that aside, "Unleash the Magic" was the CREEPIEST song in MLP history. It sounded like a demonic hymn and a MAJOR KUDOS to Daniel Ingram once again for that. This Is my favorite song of the trilogy. Not only because it was creepy, but because it demonstrated how selfish and just evil the principal was for blackmailing Twilight's application if she didn't unleash the magic.

The ending with Sunset and Twilight was absolutely perfect. Seeing a complete reversal of their situation from the first movie comprehensively painted how far Sunset Shimmer has come in understanding the magic of friendship. Just hearing Sunset explain how good the power felt, how she's been there before, that it was nothing but a lie and how Twilight would still be alone even if she understood everything about the magic perfectly completed her character development and arc. And then Spike's, "This isn't you," face to Twilight when she was in demon mode brought a few droplets of salty discharge from my eyes.

Sunset teaching Twilight about Friendship was the perfect way to end the Equestria Girls trilogy, showcasing how the powers of Honesty, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity and Kindness can transform a selfish person into a completely new and caring friend.

I salute you Hasbro and the MLP writers for bringing us this alternate series, even if it got off to a rocky start.

And there's my first official MLP review. Was it okay, guys?

Anyway, a little explanation is in order. I want to let ALL of you know that I understand the tone of the story here takes a drastic change from what you've known it to be, and I realize some of you may not like it, but understand this: All of these goofy situations you see do NOT happen to Ivan. He, AJ and Applebloom may have a bit of a comedic episode, but nothing 'cartoony' will happen to his POV which is what the story is based off, HIS POV. When I said this Las Pegasus arc is like Slice of Life, I LITERALLY meant it in that all these situations happen when Ivan is not there, so the tone of HIS story does not change.

Also, I still have some more comedic scenes left, but since I have a few right now, I'm putting these up first to get your reactions and maybe a few pointers if you think they could use some work so the next chapter can be better. Of course if these are good to you guys, it works and I'll get to work on the rest of the arc. It also comes back to the tonal change of the story. I'd honestly hate to waste more time finishing the chapter and finding out you guys didn't enjoy it that much. Here, I could catch it in time, fix these few scenes and know how to write the next ones.

Okay, review reply time!

OBSERVER01: Hmm, I can tell you that those are very good possibilities...

Sassymouse: If she's the master of all evil, does she have 'Sharks with freakin' laser beams on their heads?' ;P Well, like Dixie Darlin told me, 'Skies' just rolls off the tongue so well, and I thought it would be funny that nopony bothered to tell Ivan Soarin's last name, but his defense I think was spot on! How can Misty Fly be your baby if she's a character...unless...OH MY GOD I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! YOU'RE SECRETLY A WRITER FOR THE SHOW! *Insert Dun, dun, duuuuuuuunnnnnn music*

HaloloverA001: Well, just keep thinking about New Vegas

RenaTamer: Oh damn, Ponyville, hell, EQUESTRIA has to have the best damn insurance of any dimension!

SkullCrusher550: Who the hell is Dietrich? Ivan is technically an only child. He was adopted at he age of two by Reaper's parents. And don't worry, I try to keep up as much as possible. As for Reaper, he kind of disintegrated when his F-16 Fighting Falcon was blown up.

Dixie Darlin: Yeah, it's his 'unofficial official' name. Kind of like Derpy's ORIGINAL name was Ditzy Doo and fans just called her Derpy, thus the writers used it, and then stupid people hated it and got it removed. As for Lullaby, she wouldn't exist without Sassymouse, so you might want to thank her for the character :) But, I think that Spike WOULD react like that if Twilight announced it.

Nostalgia Cop: Sorry, I've got too many to keep track of.

adhdluke: I was just trying it out for the first time. This chapter sort of uses it too, but not the same way as the previous chapter. I don't mean to rub this in your face, but I'm going to Vegas again for my 21st birthday in December.

JadenYuuki: Thank you. As for inspiration, I remember typing the same thing in a review, and trust me: I was as nervous as you were. Just don't let that keep you down. Keep working hard and soon YOU'LL have other authors telling you that you've inspired them. Just don't give up.

theflammablefiredragon: LOL! One brief cover up for sex and it earns the Quagmire catchphrase! Nice dude!

Ciaran: The climax? Oh no, no, no! We still have a few more arcs to go through. FAR FROM OVER! As for Reaper, he's kind of dead.

uss71832: I'm Batman!

All right guys, that's it, please read and review! Only 32 reviews to go before that coveted 400th! Also, Cinder, Feather Duster, the Streak Twins and Lullaby all belong to Sassymouse, I only own Ivan.

Plus, just for those who may not get the hotel puns (I'm not trying to be a smart-ass; I don't know if some people won't get it or not) Here is a list

Maredalay Bay=Mandalay Bay

Troticana=Tropicana

Broncio=Bellagio

Celestia's Palace=Caesar's Palace

---

(Maredalay Bay Casino. Ivan's POV)

"I think he's coming to," I bent down, snapping my fingers in front of the purple dragon's face. After Spike had collapsed from Twilight's surprising announcement, the alicorn shooed Pinkie Pie and Surprise away from her son and levitated him into a chair in the cooler lobby of the hotel. "You okay there buddy?" I asked when the reptile's eyes opened as tiny slits. "Oof!" I grunted when none other than Spike's mother literally shoved me onto my ass and placed a hoof on his knee.

"Spike?!" She exclaimed, "do you need water? How about some gems?" Twilight produced a bag of multicolored gems from her suitcase, shaking them in front of Spike's face. Applejack helped me to my feet as I rubbed my backside.

"Twilight dear," Rarity's blue magic counteracted Twilight's magenta magic. "He's going to be fine; he just had a bit of a shock," the seamstress explained. "Crowding around him won't help, so just back away a little bit," she explained, slowly moving Twilight back from Spike.

"All I said was I wasn't going to be following a schedule today, I didn't mean to make him faint!" Twilight exclaimed, struggling to keep herself from lunging back at her son.

"Hey, one of us was bound to from that announcement," Rainbow Dash shrugged, dumping a bottle of water onto Spike's head. "Although Spike's known you longer than any of us, so I'd expect him to be the one to take it heavily," she explained.

"Mom?" Spike groaned, rubbing his head.

"Gimmie that!" Pinkie yanked Rainbow's ice pack from her head and placed it onto Spike's. With how long Rainbow had had that pack on her head, I was amazed that it was still cool enough to have any effects without melting.

"Yes, Spike?" Twilight's lower lip quivered. 'Okay, this is getting a little over dramatic,' I thought, placing my hand on the back of Applejack's head and stroking it softly. "Are you feeling okay?" She repeated the same question most of us had already asked.

"Me?" the reptile shook his head clear of stars, "Are you feeling okay? Since when have you been one to ditch a schedule?" He questioned, holding down the pack on top of his head.

"Well, you know I've been trying to work on my perfection habit; I thought that not making a schedule for everything would be a good starting point," Twilight replied, seeming to refresh the ice in the pack with her magic. However, Spike removed the ice pack from his head and set it onto the closest thing next to him: Lullaby's back. The poor mare yelped from the cold, bucking the pack into the air and into a nearby garbage can.

"Nice aim," I winked at her. Blushing slightly, Lullaby slinked behind Rapidfire, trying to get the attention off of her. The red Wonderbolt looked behind him before rolling his eyes and focusing his attention back on Spike.

"So, is the kid okay, or not?" Rapidfire questioned.

"He will be now that I'm back!" Surprise declared from behind us.

"Um, when did you leave?" Fluttershy shook her head from side to side. The yellow maned Pegasus was dragging along another white mare with a red mane and tail and was wearing a nurse's hat atop her head.

"You gotta stop focusing on the little details, Fluttershy," Surprise patted Fluttershy's head. "Because your auntie Surprise has come to Spike's rescue!" Surprise announced proudly.

"I'm nine months older than you," Fluttershy said under her breath, 'Apparently that's possible,' I thought.

"Here's the dragon that fainted, ma'am, do your magic!" Surprise shoved the pony practically into Spike's face.

"Ah think she's an earth pony there, Surprise," Applejack corrected. Surprise shrugged, not caring what she had said was wrong and patiently awaited the nurses diagnoses. I tried to call back to when we had walked from the train station to the hotel. I didn't remember seeing any hospitals or doctor's offices on the walk over.

"Ms. Surprise," the nurse pony turned around from Spike. "I tried to tell you before you yanked me from my job, but I work at a hospital themed casino!" She exclaimed. "I don't have any medical training, especially on somepony's pet," she added.

"That is my son, madame!" I could've sworn Twilight was going to chip a tooth the more often she grit her teeth that hard. "It would be wise to think before you judge," Twilight added, getting close to her face. Twilight was certainly not kidding about embracing this motherly role, and frankly she was starting to worry me a little bit. Face and ears falling from her faux pas, the casino employee started to slowly tip toe her way out of this situation before Surprise swooped in with a, ahem, wheelbarrow of all things and threw the mare inside. I realized that it was Pinkie Pie's clone that was doing this, but it still boggled my mind to actually see something like this happening in front of me, though none of the Wonderbolts seemed to think it was news worthy.

Surprise ran with the mare inside the wheelbarrow until she reached the doors to the hotel and came to a stop, forcing the earth pony to fly out into the street with a hard thud. "And stay out you fraud!" The Wonderbolt mare shook her hoof before turning around and hopping like Pinkie back to us. "Can you believe the nerve of some ponies?" She asked her clone.

"I know! Pretending to be a nurse to get somepony's hopes up, how despicable!" Pinkie Pie grabbed a can of soda from a vending machine and chugged it down before belching. "What?" Pinkie asked me when I stared at the two ponies.

"Where did Surprise get-" I started to ask before Applejack gently tugged on my shirt sleeve.

"You'll be here all day tryin' ta figure out where them two get their stuff," she warned me.

"Point withdrawn," I adjusted my Drive to End Hunger cap. "Anyway, do you need anything Spike?" I thought of a new question. The kid might've gotten sick of everyone crowding around him, but I didn't want to leave him and make him think I didn't care.

"Yeah! If you do, we can try to get our cutie marks in caring for bed ridden creatures!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. Applebloom and Scootaloo gasped and the three jumped onto Spike's lap.

"NO!" Spike exclaimed jumping to his feet and pushing the Crusaders back to the floor, "I mean, uh, I don't want you girls to spend your first Las Pegasus vacation worrying about me; I'm fine," he waved it off. As much as I loved those three fillies, they'd probably drive him crazy or accidentally burn his face with hot soup or possibly get a thermometer stuck, somewhere. "The only thing I want is to spend the day with my mom and say, 'Buck the schedule!'"

Smack

Spike rubbed his purple arm that was slowly turning red from where Twilight had smacked him. "You may be older now Spike, but no son of mine will use curse words in public, got?" She narrowed her eyes at Spike.

"Yes, mom understood," Spike continuously rubbed his arm.

"I'm glad you're all right, Spikey," Rarity hugged the drake, forcing blood to rise to his cheeks. "But Twilight, do you think you could plan just one thing today?" the white unicorn requested. "Would you like to join Sweetie Belle and myself for lunch?" She asked. "Say around half past noon?"

"Hmm, if Spike and I manage to meet up with you and Sweetie Belle, I don't see why not," Twilight smiled. "Now come on, Spike," Twilight yanked the dragon's hand with her magic, somewhat shoving past myself and Applejack, "we've got a whole city to explore in no particular order!" She then galloped out of the lobby with Spike trying to keep up with her.

"I'll give her an hour before she cracks," Rainbow Dash bet.

"Ooh, put me in on that action!" Pinkie Pie the hopped up and down.

"I'll give her 22 minutes," Sweetie Belle replied.

"Where'd you get 22 minutes from?" I asked her. The tiny unicorn just shrugged and trotted away with her older sister. Apparently Twilight and Spike leaving was the cue for everyone to leave the hotel (or stay if they chose to do so) and go spend their vacation the way they wanted to. The Wonderbolts all split off in different directions, though not before Surprise and Pinkie gave a tearful hug goodbye, repeating over and over that, "A couple of hours is too long a wait."

"So, what plans have y'all thought of?" Applebloom questioned once nearly all of our friends had deserted us in the lobby. The only ones that were still here were Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Scootaloo, Cinder and Lightning Streak. "Ah think there may be a boxing' match at Celestia's Palace soon," she suggested. A poster on the wall caught my eye as AJ and I were thinking of ways to say, 'No,' to Applebloom. I pulled out a pamphlet from a pamphlet holder that read, 'Las Pegasus' most popular sight seeing tours."

"Whatcha got there, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked me, trying to crane her neck up to see the pamphlet.

"How about a tour?" I suggested. "It might take a chunk out of the day, but it'd be perfect for all three of us."

---

(With Feather Duster and Fire Streak.)

The dust colored janitor of the Wonderbolts Academy could barely contain her excitement as she and Fire Streak rode the elevator up to the Maredalay Bay's highest floor: 43. "Soarin picked a good hotel, huh Feathers?" Fire asked while the elevator beeped with every floor they passed. "Luxurious, tall and he stuck all of the senior 'Bolts on the top floor suites," he couldn't help but brag. All of the cadets and senior members of the Wonderbolts worked extremely hard day and night ever since their regular season schedule was scrapped. It was the only way they could keep their normal routines, normal.

Of course Fire knew he was kidding himself; every Pegasus at the Academy had their own ways of working hard, even if most of them screwed around most of the time. His marefriend even worked hard at the Academy despite not being a Wonderbolt. And by that, Fire meant she worked hard at avoiding hard work. But, he wasn't going to focus on what his friends did to work hard or relax; he had his own day to relax before the New Year's air show, a day he felt he earned. "Fire?" The stallion felt a hoof tapping his shoulder, causing him to shake his head.

"Huh, what?" He asked, looking over at his marefriend.

"I was just asking if you wanted to go swimming with me," Feather Duster nudged his flank with hers. "Or you know, we could just relax in the chairs by the pool, soaking up some of Celestia's sun," she added as the elevator jolted, having arrived at the top floor. The doors opened and the duo trotted out, looking for room 4303.

"So, you'd be doing the same thing as you do at the Academy to avoid work, just with a pool?" The white stallion smirked, "And not on the roof?" he stuck his tongue out. Feather Duster humphed, rolling her eyes.

"Do you know how hard it is to avoid work and Surprise at the same time? Soarin may be an idiot sometimes, but appointing Surprise to be the official laziness lookout keeps me on the tips of my hooves," the janitor grumbled.

"Hey, I've saved you a couple times from Surprise, Feathers," Fire lightly kissed her nose, "don't you forget that," he added as the two rounded a corner. The Wonderbolt pulled a key from his orange and cream colored mane, stopping in front of the room number they were looking for.

"Since when do you keep things in your mane?" Feather Duster cocked her head to the side.

"Kinda picked it up from Surprise," Fire Streak inserted the key into the keyhole. "As for your suggestion on swimming, I was thinking we could grab a quick bite at the hotel buffet and then go swimming," he suggested, grunting as he attempted again and again to turn the key. "Come on you piece of crap!" he exclaimed, grabbing the key with his teeth and turning his head to the left.

"You having a little trouble there, Fiery?" Feather Duster called him by his nickname. She was answered with a garbled mess of words as Fire Streak didn't take his mouth off the key. In fact, Feather Duster was one of only two ponies that knew Fire had a good mouth on him if he got really pissed off. The other pony was Fire's twin brother. Still, Fire kept his cool 99% of the time; hearing him swear like this wasn't good.

"BUCK!" He screeched, releasing the key from his teeth and rubbing his jaw. "I better not have to go to the dentist again," he seethed.

"Are you sure you're turning it the right way?" Feather asked.

"Do you really expect me to pull a Soarin? That's something only Soarin and Lightning can do," Fire moved out of the way so the dust colored pony could try to unlock the door. She grabbed it with her front hooves and turned it both ways, the lock refusing to open.

"Come on you stubborn lock!" Feather grunted. Her efforts were rewarded with the key slipping out of the hole, making her fly back into the wall behind the two. The Wonderbolt quickly pried her from the wall and rubbed her sore back.

"Maybe the lock's sticky," Fire rubbed his chin. "Do you have any DW-04 on you?" He asked.

"What, do I look like a janitor to you?" Feather Duster glared. Confused, Fire Streak cocked an eyebrow, but he brushed off Feather Duster's answer as a few other hotel guests trotted past them. Seeing their key work made his anger boil over.

"That's it! We're going back down and I'm tearing this hotel staff a new one!" He shouted, stuffing the key back into his mane.

FOMP

Feather Duster's smaller than average wings popped open at the sight of Fire Streak going into Alpha mode. Embarrassed, the mare tried to shove her wings back against her torso, but to no avail. "Get a room, perverts!" Another guest shouted from down the hallway.

"We would if our bucking key would work!" Feather Duster's combined embarrassment and frustration made her lash out. The guest scoffed and entered their own room whilst Fire Streak stomped his way past the elevator and into the stair well. "Uh, Fire? Wouldn't the elevator be-" she asked before her coltfriend picked her up, placed her on his back and dove straight down the middle of the stair well. That was enough to snap her wings back to her sides.

"I'm not putting up with this on our vacation!" The stallion's shout resonated off the walls. Feather Duster grabbed ahold of his neck and never let go, doing whatever she could to stay on his back. Although she was obviously capable of flight, her smaller wings made it difficult for her, and she didn't intend to go to the hospital instead of enjoying Las Pegasus.

As the ground grew closer, Feather tucked her head into the back of Fire's neck, just wanting to get to the ground as quick as possible. The stallion landed with a thud on his hooves, throwing the door open and stomping out of the stair well. "Feathers, it's over," he realized how hard she was grasping at his neck. The mare shakily opened her eyes and released her forelegs from Fire, only to slip off his back and crash to the floor.

"Oww," she groaned, trying to loosen up her tense muscles. "Could you at least warn me before you go off the wall like that?" She seethed when Fire Streak nudged her with his nose to get her back onto her hooves.

"Hey, if you want to go lounge by the pool, then you'd better just follow me," Fire returned to his calm and cool attitude. "I didn't mean to scare you like that Feather Duster," he nuzzled her neck and lightly pecked at her fur, "I just want to relax with you all day as soon as possible," he lightly nipped at her flesh. She yelped slightly not from pain, but excitement.

"Then what are you doing here and not threatening to cram a box of staples down the hotel clerk's throat?" Feather shoved Fire Streak across the lobby and back to the front desk. Only a few other guests were either checking in or checking out, and Jitterbug was finishing up with one of them as Fire Streak and Feather Duster were spotted by Lightning Streak and Cinder. The two other Pegasi had been debating on whether to grab lunch at the hotel or at another restaurant when Lightning's twin reappeared. The light blue stallion checked a clock on the wall to see how long he and Feather Duster had been gone.

"Bro, Feather Duster, I thought you guys were in your room?" Lightning Streak asked, trotting over with Cinder in tow. The guest that Jitterbug had been assisting left, leaving the two Wonderbolts, one cadet and janitor next in line.

"The stupid desk clerk gave us the wrong key," Fire explained, turning back to his brother and slicking his mane back as it had started to stick out in all different directions. He said this a little louder on purpose, garnering the attention from Jitterbug.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Streak?" She asked, feeling a little offended yet holding up her smile. The upset Pegasus dug his key from his mane and tossed it onto the desk where it clattered loudly.

"Ahem, I believe you gave us the wrong key, miss," Fire Streak wanted to lash out at her, especially for the possibility of injuring his jaw and teeth and for what could've happened to Feather Duster. But he remembered that he was one of the most mature members of the flight squadron and he had to maintain that image, no matter how short his fuse was.

"Okay," the desk clerk dug out the box of room cards and pulled out one with Fire's name on it. "Here we go, Mr. Streak of the Wonderbolts, one room for New Year's Eve day," she read aloud.

"That's correct so far, ma'am," Fire Streak quickly replied. "I think you may have accidentally gave me the wrong key. We tried 4303 and the lock wouldn't budge," he explained as Feather Duster nodded in agreement.

"Well, that's a crappy way to start a vacay, Fire," Lightning joked, patting his brother on the back. Fire Streak slowly turned his head over to Lightning with a face that read, 'Back...off.' Lightning gulped, taking careful steps away from Fire.

"I'm sorry, 4303? No, your name is written down for 4203," Jitterbug placed the card on the desk so Fire Streak and Feather Duster could look it over.

"Excuse me? I'm positive I signed for 4303, ma'am," Fire Streak's patience was wearing thin. "There's got to be some mistake here," he added, desperately looking over the card. The white stallion's ears dropped and face fell when he saw his name scribbled under for room 4303 and Lightning's name scribbled under 4203. "Okay, so I am under 4303, then why didn't my key work?" He questioned, pointing at the metallic object on the desk.

Jitterbug took the key and placed it onto a sheet of paper that had trace outlines for every room key in the hotel. "Here's the problem, that's the key for 4203, Mr. Lightning Streak," she explained.

"Did you just call him 'Lightning Streak?'" Feather Duster asked.

"Yes, that is your name, is it not?" The desk clerk asked, confused. "And isn't that your twin brother Fire Streak?" She pointed her hoof over the blue stallion standing behind the duo with Cinder.

"No, I'M Fire Streak, Jitterbug," Fire replied sternly. "That is my brother, Lightning," he jabbed his hoof behind him. "Sure, we're twins, but he's light blue and I'm pale white!" He exclaimed. "And damn you Lightning!" Fire realized what was going on. The Pegasus grit his teeth and whirled around, grabbing Lightning by his shoulders, shaking him violently.

"HEY! What the buck gives?!" Lightning shoved Fire away, dusting himself off.

"You lied to the desk clerk so you could get my suite for you and Cinder, didn't you?" Fire shoved his face right into Lightning's, forcing his brother to bend low from the force of the push. Fire narrowed his eyes, intimidating his twin. Lightning gulped, looking in the other direction to keep his fears down.

"Noooooo?" He replied shakily. Fire grunted, moving away from Lightning's face and shaking his head.

"That's really low brother, and here I thought you were maturing a little. Guess I was wrong about that!" He exclaimed.

"Now hold on!" Lightning countered, "You're always accusing me whenever something bad happens to you. How do you know Jitterbug isn't just an incompetent doof like Soarin?" He questioned.

"Excuse me?" the pony in question propped herself up on her forelegs on the desk. By now, the brothers' shouting had garnered the attention of hotel and casino guests, gathering a large crowd around the twins and their marefriends. Since she loved attention, Feather Duster waved happily and posed in front of the bickering duo as flashbulbs went off due to the fact the brothers were Wonderbolts. As for Cinder, she wasn't used to being apart of any attention at all and tried to hide her face with her forelegs near Lightning Streak.

"You purposely put your mane hair in my oatmeal," Lightning mocked his brother's voice, "you ripped my best flight suit, you stole my favorite pair of goggles, you drank my last Pegapsi, you glued my tail to my inner thigh." Lighting stopped when Fire Streak facehoofed.

"You moron, you admitted to gluing my tail to my inner thigh," Fire then slapped his brother upside his head. "Do you have any clue how hard it was to go to the bathroom?! Luckily my marefriend is a janitor," he shuddered. Lightning ignored the slap and instead started laughing at his prank, infuriating Fire Streak.

"Okay, so I did glue your tail, but Jitterbug just made a mistake. I haven't even been in the elevator yet!" He defended himself.

"Hey, GET OUT OF HERE!" Fire yelled to the crowd of ponies. Seeing fire in his eyes, the crowd quickly dispersed, disappointing Feather Duster and relieving Cinder. Seeing no other way to get the answer he wanted, Fire shoved Lightning out of the way and softly trotted to his brother's blue marefriend. "Cinder," he spoke gently, "did Lightning trick Jitterbug into thinking he was me and I was him?" He questioned.

Poor Cinder's irises shrank as suddenly being put on the spot frightened her. She began to shake a little from Fire's eyes staring intently into hers, looking for an answer. "Don't scare my marefriend, bro," Lightning shoved Fire Streak.

"Keep your hooves off me, Lightning," Fire Streak never took his eyes off of Cinder's. "Cinder, please be honest with me," Fire never rose his voice to her. The fuzzy mare sank down to her four knees on the floor, trying to stop her shaking.

"You know we're not gonna hurt you," Feather Duster stroked her fellow mare's back. Cinder then covered her eyes with her forelegs, finally making Lightning snap; he couldn't bare to see someone as sweet as Cinder afraid and under this much pressure.

"Okay, I DID IT!" He shouted, "Just leave her alone, please!" He shoved both Feather Duster and his twin away from Cinder to comfort her. "She had nothing to do with it; it was all me, okay?" Lightning added. "And do you want to know why?" He copied Fire's movements from earlier, sticking their faces together and pushing him backwards. "It's because ever since we were born you always got the best of everything."

"You know that's a crock, Lightning," Fire countered.

"Just because mom pushed you out 37 seconds before me doesn't give you the right to be a self entitled dick!" Lightning pushed his twin.

"Don't think about mom like that you immature little puke!" Fire pushed back. "Maybe if you acted your bucking age and actually worked hard, you'd get the same respect as I do!" Feather Duster bent down, helping Cinder to her hooves. Cinder had only seen the two bicker with words and had yet to see them actually duke it out, but Feather Duster had seen them go a few rounds before; it wasn't pretty.

"You might wanna step back a bit," the dust colored mare yanked Cinder back behind a lobby couch, poking her eyes above the top.

"Shouldn't we try to calm them down?" Cinder managed to choke out, still getting over being interrogated.

"Once they both push back, there's no stopping them," Feather Duster turned a candy bowl upside down and placed it atop her head like a battle helmet. Just as she said that, Lightning Streak and Fire Streak tackled each other in a large cloud of dust, punching, kicking, biting and shouting profanities and obscenities at one another. A few security guards arrived at the scene to placate the fighting brothers, but they were too busy to even notice the security guards.

"I hope everyone else is having a better time than Lightning and Fire," Cinder peeked out from behind her right foreleg.

---

(With Fluttershy and Lullaby)"Hello, and welcome to Maredalay Bay's Fish Reef," a hotel employee cheerfully greeted a small group of ponies. Both Fluttershy and Lullaby looked into the doorway where they would be lead into the Fish Reef, trying to suppress their excitement.

"You know, I've always liked animals, Fluttershy," Lullaby commented, "but you somehow make them even more adorable and exciting," she added as another hotel employee used their magic to lift the velvet rope and allow tourists to enter the reef.

"I'm just glad to have somepony to go with me, even if I didn't know the hotel had a fish exhibit a few days ago," the buttery Pegasus smiled. "I wish Discord could've come, but Princess Celestia invited him to the New Year's festivities in Canterlot," she explained. "But I do appreciate that you wanted to go too," she added. ..

"Ooh, audio tours!" Lullaby grasped the device in her hooves and quickly inserted the ear buds into her ears. Fluttershy received her audio tour and inserted an ear bud into her right ear so she could still listen and talk to Lullaby. "These are so much better than reading info cards," Lullaby added as the two passed through the doorway and down a hallway that lead to the glass tube under the water.

"I agree; it leaves more time to study and appreciate these magnificent animals," Fluttershy concurred. The Element of Kindness gulped as the light of the blue water seeping into the glass tubes frightened her a little. She liked swimming, but the thought of being a tiny enclosed glass tube was a little disheartening. But her love of animals and the fact she had a new friend that was going with her gave Fluttershy the push to forge on.

"Are you doing okay?" the other Pegasus asked, stopping to wait for her fellow animal lover.

"Sorry," Fluttershy took a deep breath and trotted up to the Wonderbolt, "just a lot of ponies in a tiny glass tube underwater," she explained, turning up the volume on her audio tour. "Wow..." She said when the pair walked out of the normal hallway and into the viewing area. Hundreds upon hundreds of fish and fish species swum all around the glass tube. The deep blue of the water looked absolutely stunning and beautiful and entranced the two Pegasi, giving them a perfectly clear view of everything the exhibit had to offer.

"A stingray!" Lullaby tapped Fluttershy's shoulder like crazy, dragging her attention to where she was pointing. Fluttershy zoomed over, pressing her hooves against the glass to see the marine animal sailing through the water, heading underneath the glass floor.

"Look at how long his tail is," Fluttershy's teal eyes gazed at how far apart the nose of the stingray was compared to the tip of its tail. One end of the animal was already passed the tube while the tail was completely on the other side. "Such a graceful member of aquatic life," she added as the stingray swum to another part of the reef.

"I can't believe there are ponies brave enough to swim with those things," Lullaby and Fluttershy took their hooves off the glass wall and settled back down on all four legs. "I heard those things are easily startled."

"Oh yes, their tails can flick up in the blink of an eye and poison a predator trying to eat them," the expert explained in sync with the audio tour in her ear. "Clown fish!" She then gasped, rushing to the other side of the tube. "Oh I'd love to keep a clown fish at home," Fluttershy never blinked as she witnessed a trio of the fish darting around the water.

"Do you think they actually know what kind of fish they are?" Lullaby asked, clicking on the button that listed off facts about the fish. "Like they know what names pony scientists named them?" The Wonderbolt added. Fluttershy took her gaze away from the glass and turned to face Lullaby with a somewhat excited expression on her face.

"I've thought about that so many times, but most ponies just think animals are dumb and that's it," Fluttershy explained, "but some still care very deeply for their pets. Sometimes I wish all of my animal friends, especially little Angel Bunny could talk, just so I could really know what they're thinking and connect with them on a more friendly level," Fluttershy smiled.

"If I had a talking clown fish, I hope he would be good at telling jokes," Lullaby chuckled, nudging Fluttershy with her elbow. The meek Pegasus shared a laugh with her new friend, holding her hoof to her mouth so she wouldn't laugh too loud and scare away some of the water life.

"Don't you have a pet of your own at home?" Fluttershy questioned Lullaby after their joke finally died down. The golden eyed mare hit pause on her audio tour so she wouldn't miss anything important.

"No; ever since I got accepted into the academy, I don't really have the time to give a pet the love and attention it deserves," she replied. "Plus, we aren't allowed to have pets on academy grounds," Lullaby shook her head.

"Not even fish?" Fluttershy's jaw dropped. She recalled Rainbow wanting to take Tank with her when she was accepted, but was told pets were against the rules. Fluttershy just assumed traditional pets like cats, dogs and birds were under the rule; not fish who just swim in a bowl all day.

"Nope," Lullaby shook her head, "although a fish tank would liven up my and Rainbow's room," she pondered.

"Aww, that's a little sad," the two started walking again, looking forward to what other fish species they could find by heading deeper into the reef. "Everypony deserves some sort of pet to keep them company," Fluttershy imagined cuddling up with Angel on her sofa with a good book on the table. "If you could have a pet, what kind would it be?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, it'd have to be something that can fly," Lullaby giggled again, "I mean, I would love a dog, but then I'd have to move to a house on the ground and I really like to stretch my wings," she patted her left one.

"Right," Fluttershy blushed, feeling stupid after asking too obvious of a question. "I've just lived in a cottage in Ponyville for so long that sometimes I forget."

"The Academy has a wild fruit bat that lives in the vents," Lullaby suddenly blurted. "Soarin ordered Feather Duster to catch it, but everypony who works there knows Steamed Vegetable has a better chance of going five minutes without cursing," the duo stopped once they read a sign that informed them they were entering a fresh water tank. "Cinder and I have a bet that Surprise is secretly feeding it in the middle of the night," she added.

"Is it because Feather Duster only works when she feels like it?" Fluttershy questioned, thinking about what Rainbow told her.

"Yep, and she never does. Rainbow came up with that," Lullaby peered into the water. Both mares then simultaneously clicked 'PLAY' on their audio guides when they saw a few salmon swim by.

"The Salmon is a magnificent species of fish. Born in rivers when hatched from their eggs, the salmon live in the very river they were born in for two years before venturing thousands of miles to the open ocean. There, they survive for another 4-7 years maturing until nature calls them back their place of birth where they spawn and die. The salmon is well known for their ability to leap out of the water to climb waterfalls, doing whatever it takes to return home; this has earned the salmon the term, "The most noble of all fishes."

"Look at them," Lullaby rested her forehooves on a railing, resting her head on her hooves. Fluttershy followed Lullaby's eye gaze to a female and a male salmon that seemed to be dancing together in the water. Swimming in circles side by side or on top of each other, they appeared to have found a mate in one another.

"Are you okay, Lullaby?" Fluttershy nudged the more athletic Pegasus on her wing. Yet, Lullaby didn't respond.

"It must be amazing to have a special somepony," she lowered her head even further on her forelegs before pushing up from the railing. "Do you have a special somepony, Fluttershy?"

"W-what?!" Fluttershy was completely unprepared for their conversation about fish and pets to turn to this.

"Have you found your special somepony yet?" Lullaby rephrased her question.

"Ahem, n-no...I-I haven't," Fluttershy stuttered. The last time she had this conversation was nearly a month ago with Cougar in The Hayburger; she remembered not being this caught off guard before.

"Just haven't found the right stallion for you, huh?" Lullaby pressed on. Fluttershy had a good idea where this was coming from, but why would Lullaby suddenly bring it up while studying fish? She didn't want to feel rude, so Fluttershy felt if she gave a straightforward answer, this topic would be dropped and they could get back to their fish.

"Oh, it's not that," the buttery pony blushed, "If I wasn't such a scaredy-cat about it, I could at least tell the somepony I have feelings for that I have feelings for them," she explained, lowering her voice to her classic near whisper for how embarrassed she felt. The next thing the Element of Kindness knew, Lullaby's eyes lit up and she yanked her to another part of the viewing tube that was deserted of any guests, perfect to have a private, quiet conversation.

"Rainbow's never mentioned the possibility of you having a crush on anypony," Lullaby thankfully didn't sound like Rarity about the issue, but it was still nerve-wracking for the meek Pegasus. "Of course, she'd rather talk about kicking somepony's butt or the latest Daring Do novel instead of 'relationship junk' as she calls it."

"W-why the sudden interest?" Fluttershy gulped. The other mare bit her lower lip, tapping both of her front hooves nervously on the floor below. "Not that I'm complaining, just curious," Fluttershy assured Lullaby.

"I don't know," she admitted, blinking a few times. "Call it a sixth sense, but I have a feeling we'll be as good of friends as you and Rainbow after this vacation," she smiled warmly. Fluttershy returned the facial movement, loving it every time she could make new friends.

"That sounds nice," Fluttershy put on a grin for her new friend. Her grin faded as she read Lullaby's facial expression; the mare was still wanting to know about who Fluttershy had feelings for, and it didn't look like she'd forget about it any time soon. With a sigh, Fluttershy said, "Are you sure you really want to know?"

"You have my word that whatever we say here, stays here between us," Lullaby placed a trusting hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"Well, uh," Fluttershy gulped as she began to shake a little, "if you're really sure. But, I do want to know something about you in return," she added, "unless you think that's an invasion of your privacy of course," Fluttershy quickly exclaimed. Lullaby shrugged, not caring that Fluttershy just wanted to be a little even with her. "Okay, it's not somepony per se," she started before Lullaby cut her off.

"Is it your dragon friend that Rainbow told me about?" The Wonderbolt questioned.

"Spike!?" Fluttershy shrieked much louder than she planned. She quickly covered her mouth with her wings, fearful that somepony else might've heard. "No," she said very quietly. "He's just a friend," her voice volume rose back to a normal pony level, "and besides, he's smitten with my friend Rarity," she explained.

"Oh," Lullaby scratched her head, attempting to formulate another guess. Her eyes then shot open, "It isn't..."

"And no, not Cougar; he's a very nice guy and a really great friend, but I don't see him in that light and I couldn't do that to Applejack," Fluttershy quickly slammed the door on that possibility.

"Then who's left?" Lullaby seemed to ignore Fluttershy's explanation.

"Bear in mind that I've only told one other friend this," Fluttershy replied, darting her eyes around. Sucking in a huge breath, Fluttershy closed her eyes and opened her mouth, "I have feelings for Discord," she firmly stated.

"The creep who sold you guys and practically all of Equestria out to that demon?!" Lullaby blurted before Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, backing Lullaby into the wall of the glass tube.

"Shhh!" The animal lover begged. "And he's not a creep!" She whispered loudly. "He told us that it was his plan all along to double cross, him," she couldn't even dare say the monster's name aloud anymore.

"Well, whatever he did or didn't do," Lullaby removed the other Pegasus' hooves from her mouth, "what do you like about him? I mean if a pony liked a griffon or a mule or moose or a caribou, even a dragon, I'd understand. But I don't even know what Discord is," Lullaby explained.

"First off, he's a draconequus," Fluttershy quickly replied. "Second, ever since that day Princess Celestia requested that I reform him, we became close friends considering he'd never had one before. And ever since then, we do a lot of things together: drink tea, talk about our day, tell each other funny stories, have sleepovers even though I've never been to his house before," Fluttershy trailed off. "He's just become a friend I can trust, and he trusts me to listen to him and be there for him, and I know he can do the same for me. Plus, his mismatched appendages are really, cute," she blushed.

"And he doesn't know...?" Lullaby responded, not ready to tell Fluttershy her opinion on the matter.

"Oh heavens no! It'd ruin our friendship or I'd humiliate him!" she shook her head rapidly. Letting out a cute yet understanding noise, Lullaby placed her foreleg around Fluttershy's neck and hugged her. "Uh, Lullaby?"

"Fluttershy, I may not have a coltfriend of my own, but even if Discord doesn't feel the same, if he is a friend you could completely trust, he'll understand and still want to be your friend."

"That's what I hope would happen," Fluttershy looked away, "believe me, I want to tell him, but I can't force myself to say the words to him when I feel the time is right."

"Maybe time just hasn't found you yet," Lullaby said. She was met with a completely puzzled look in return. "You're ready to tell him; time just has not found the right moment for you and Discord yet. I'm sure it'll happen soon and you actually make him sound, sweet," Lullaby joked. For once in her life, Fluttershy rolled her eyes at a joke and contemplated Lullaby's words.

"Thank you, Lullaby. Your words and Cougar's do help me, though I don't think they can help the fraidy-cat inside," she added in disappointment.

"Trust me, that little scaredy-cat will turn into a ferocious Coug... lion when you tell him," Lullaby patted Fluttershy's back, her voice raising a bit when she almost uttered out the word 'Cougar.'

"Lullaby?" Fluttershy caught on to her new friend avoiding that certain cat species.

"Yes?" The Wonderbolt felt trapped in a corner, expecting what the other pony had to ask.

"How long have you had a crush on Cougar?" She asked in the same tone Lullaby asked her about Discord. Lullaby swore she felt her own irises shrinking back into her eyeballs. She could feel her brain kick her mouth into 'Stutter mode' and her body heat rising in her face.

"O-oh, y-you noticed tha-that?" She couldn't keep her eyes stationary for even a second. She figured it was worthless to try and lie about it.

"Well, not to be nosy, you are acting the same way you did when we arrived with Cougar and he said hello to you," Fluttershy delineated. "That and Surprise told Pinkie Pie who told me that she felt you had a connection with Cougar."

"I-I'd have to say pro-probably the minute I actually saw him at the Academy," Lullaby admitted, slowly lowering herself onto her haunches. Her musical note surrounded night cap cutie mark sort of sagged sadly. "He just looked, different, and that's not saying that's the only positive thing about him mind you," Lullaby defended. "He was more unique than any creature I'd ever seen, so that drew curiosity about him. And not only that, he's so caring and sweet yet tough as a timberwolf and can handle himself under a lot of stress. I looked into those ocean colored eyes and saw a kind creature that just wants what's best for everyone around him," Lullaby concluded.

"Awww," Fluttershy gushed.

"And that's why I accept he's with Applejack," Lullaby didn't know whether or not Fluttershy would bring that up, so she decided to beat her to it. "Sure, when Pinkie told Surprise and Rainbow and Surprise told me, it hurt to know he'd stolen another mare's heart, but I'm not a selfish bitch who would destroy their relationship to make me happy. I can only hope they live a happy life together."

"GAHHH!" Fluttershy suddenly screamed.

"What!?" Lullaby screamed as well, startled by the outburst. "So I swore a little, aren't you used to that from Rainbow?" The mare clutched her chest with her hoof.

"SHARK!" The yellow pony shrieked before zooming away, leaving a dust outline of her body in a running away position. Befuddled, Lullaby turned around to see a Great White Shark staring back at her through the glass.

"Thanks a lot, Bruce," Lullaby shook her head and flicked her tail at the shark. "Now I gotta find something to do on my own," she headed for the exit of the fish reef and wandered out onto the Strip.

---

(With Twilight and Spike)

Just as Twilight had promised her friends and son, she ventured out into Las Pegasus with Spike without a schedule to follow in sight. At first, Spike was kind of excited to see his mom acting without her OCD about scheduling, but he quickly realized that Twilight was thinking outside yet still touching the box. The princess of Friendship decided to stop at just about every hotel to see what they had to offer and to take pictures. The dragon didn't mind pictures at all, but not getting anywhere was starting to annoy him.

"Look Spike!" Twilight yanked her son, "Celestia's Palace is even more beautiful than the brochure!" She exclaimed, snapping a few pictures of the marble fountains outside the front door. The hotel itself was a nice marble replica of Canterlot Castle with statues of the princess of the day standing proudly with a pair of guards on either side.

"Yeah...it's great, just like all of the other hotels on the Strip that we've visited," Spike replied in a stoical tone. "Which is practically all of them," he added under his breath, though he was unsure if Twilight was actually listening to him. Spending time with Twilight always made him happy, but he really wanted to do something based on a rash decision, not basically following a map of every hotel.

"Remember Spike, we're not going by a schedule today," Twilight reminded him. "And we don't want to miss a thing, so we have to cherish everything Las Pegasus has to offer before we leave tomorrow," she added, putting her camera back into her saddlebag and pushing Spike along with her hoof. "Come on, I heard that Celestia's Palace has an enchanted statue show depicting the fall of King Sombra before the Crystal Empire vanished!" She exclaimed giddily.

Spike, however, planted his feet firmly on the ground, preventing the two from advancing any further. Twilight attempted a few times to get the purple dragon moving again by softly pulling on his arm with her hoof, but he wouldn't budge. Her face fell a little in disappointment when she couldn't get her son to move, prompting Spike to feel bad about disappointing his mom. "Spike," the alicorn said softly, "don't you want to see one of the most highly recommended hotels in the city?" She asked, fearing that she was slipping back into her old traits. She hoped that Spike would cut her some slack if that was the case; she'd been that way for 22 years, and that's including the five years before she hatched him. Cutting it cold turkey wasn't going to work overnight.

"Please don't be mad at me, mom," Spike started.

"Spike, you shouldn't be afraid to voice a different opinion," Twilight released his arm from her hoof. "If you're not enjoying yourself, don't force yourself to put on a fake smile to make me happy," she patted his arm.

"You know I hate disappointing you, mom," Spike replied, crossing his arms over his chest. Twilight shook her head back and forth, taking the drake aside to not get in anypony's way of the entrance to the hotel. She led him over to a retaining wall that separated the sidewalk from a vast pool of water sitting in between both the Celestia's Palace hotel and the nearby Broncio.

"Just tell me what's on your mind, Spike," Twilight assured him, "I have no reason to be upset with another opinion," Twilight offered him a green gem from her saddlebag. The drake took it with a sigh, slowly munching on half of the jewel.

"Mom," Spike began, "this, this is just so boring!," he exclaimed, emphasizing the final word of his statement. Naturally, while Twilight was prepared for Spike to have his own opinion, she wasn't ready for him to be so brash about it. Yet, the alicorn understood that he wasn't aiming this at her directly and that since he was older now, he'd want to do his own things.

"Okay, so what's boring?" Twilight smiled, letting him know she was listening and not angry or upset in the slightest.

"I'm glad you want to take more of a Rainbow Dash approach and throw the concept of constant schedules in the trash, but going to every hotel in the city one by one and in order of location is practically the same as a schedule," he explained, steering clear of a whining voice.

"Really?" Twilight asked, feeling both shocked and embarrassed at technically failing.

"And it's boring because all we've been doing is walking for two minutes before stopping to take pictures of the outside of a hotel and then running inside for another ten minutes like clockwork. And you of all ponies can see how that's definitely a schedule approach," he added. The alicorn in question had to really think about her son's words. She had been so sure that they were avoiding a schedule all morning, but had she been duping herself the entire time? Twilight placed her elbows on the concrete retaining wall and stared across the large body of water before reaching back into her saddlebag and producing every picture she had taken thus far today.

With a quick glance of every photo, she soon discovered that Spike had never spoken truer words. "Oh Spike," Twilight said in a near whisper-like voice. Starting with the Maredalay Bay, they had been to every hotel from the Troticana all the way up to the Broncio. But the worst part was the two had indeed just taken pictures and walked through the first level of each hotel. They hadn't really done anything memorable that they could reminisce about a few years down the road. Just walking and taking pictures before moving on down to the next hotel in order of appearance and location, in other words: A Schedule.

"Come on, mom," Spike gently took the pictures out of her hooves and set them back into her saddlebag. "I'm not angry; I know how hard it is to break a habit, especially one you've had for over two decades," he explained, wrapping an arm behind her neck and gently stroking her mane.

"But you're disappointed, right?" the purple pony gingerly questioned, nuzzling up to her son. Spike couldn't believe what Twilight was saying. At first, he was afraid of disappointing her, yet now she was afraid that she had disappointed him. When did the tables get turned against him?

"No!" Spike exclaimed, "I just thought we'd wander around the city and eat lunch at the first restaurant we saw or went to the first show that was advertised on a poster or something," he said. "This," Spike reached back into her saddlebag and pulled out a picture of him in front of the Prance hotel, "isn't exactly what I had in mind." Twilight watched as her son reinserted the photo back into her bag and released his arm from her neck.

"As long as you're not disappointed," she forced a smile as she got an idea. "How about this, Spike," she announced, turning him away from the water, "you get to pick which direction we go and choose what to do first. Does that sound good?" She asked him with a cheesy grin.

"Y-you mean right now?" Spike asked, nervous about being thrust with this chance by Twilight.

"Of course," Twilight laughed, "just pick a direction and go; I'll follow you," she patted his back. This wasn't exactly easy for Spike; he didn't know where to begin. Spike knew that they were going by a no schedule rule, but he did want at least some place to start.

"O-okay," Spike took in a deep breath. "Let's-" he started before the sound of music drowned him out. The mother and son looked at each other before turning around and dropping their jaws. A water show had erupted in the area between the Broncio and Celestia's Palace, drawing in a number of ponies to watch. Dozens of geysers shot up and danced around each other with various colors pulsating to the beat of the music. "Let's watch this!" Spike exclaimed with glee.

"That sounds perfect, Spike," Twilight placed her hooves on top of the concrete wall, propping herself up to watch the show. However, the instant Twilight did that, she had become more noticeable within the crowd. Several ponies ceased their tourist activities to get a glimpse of the princess. A few of them felt their excitement boil over, causing them to start moving forward toward the alicorn while others stood in absolute shock.

"Princess Twilight," one pony mumbled in disbelief, opening and shutting his eyes just to be sure he wasn't mistaking a Unicorn and Pegasus as Twilight. A family of four ponies all whipped out their cameras at once, trying to get the perfect shot at the perfect moment.

"The princess of friendship in Las Pegasus, during New Year's?" Another pony questioned herself. "This has to be the best vacation ever!" She exclaimed. Thanks to the music, neither Twilight nor Spike heard the commotion going on behind them. They continued to watch and listen to the water show before them as the crowd of tourists and Las Pegasus natives grew and grew. Finally, one pony couldn't take the excitement anymore and exploded.

"PRINCESS TWILIGHT!" She screamed. The pony controlling the music for the water show was so startled that he hit the off button, leaving the water spouts and geysers to perform without musical accompaniment. The crowd of ponies took this opportunity of sudden silence to try and get a word in with the alicorn.

"Oh boy," Spike gulped when the two performed a 180, only to be faced with about 300 Twilight hungry fans. "Mom?" He asked.

"Don't worry Spike. If there's one important thing I've learned from Princess Celestia, it's how to get out of a crowd," she assured the dragon just as about a dozen ponies swarmed her closer with autograph books in their hooves.

"Can I have an autograph please?" One pony begged.

"Or a New Year's photo for my vacation album?" Another pony smiled and took Twilight's picture. Twilight shook the flash out of her eyes and cleared her throat.

"This is all very exciting I know, but I'm here on vacation with my friends and son," she gestured to the now empty spot beside her. "SPIKE?! Spike where are you?" She questioned frantically.

"Mom, I'm over here!" Spike waved his arm in the air. Apparently, when the camera flash temporarily blinded Twilight, a few ponies shoved Spike out of the way, blocking him from his mother. "They won't let me through!" He added as even more ponies squeezed him further away from Twilight.

"Could you please let my son through?" Twilight asked politely with a hint of frustration hanging on the edge of her voice. "I'm on vacation with him and I'd like to spend my day with him," she explained again, now attempting to wade through the crowd herself. Meanwhile, Spike was starting to deal with a more anti-Spike group of ponies. They intentionally squeezed him out of the crowd, pretending to not hear him.

"Hey! I've been nice, so could you let me get back to my mom, please?" Spike's patience was wearing extremely thin. He was used to ponies swarming Twilight, but none ever being this rude to him. One pony heard his plea and turned around with a sneer on their face. "What did I do to you?" Spike questioned, feeling offended by the look the pony was giving him.

"Spike!" Twilight called again, barely managing the crowd.

"You stay away from the princess, you disgusting, filthy animal!" The mare ordered Spike. Now, Spike had been called an animal before and been treated about as low as dirt around Twilight by other ponies, but he had grown accustomed to it and was gradually getting thicker skinned about the issue. But the frustration of trying to reunite with Twilight coupled with what had just been said to him cut under his scales.

"I-I'm not a filthy animal," Spike struggled to hold back the tears.

"Have you seen your reflection lately? You're a dragon, quite possibly the most violent and hideous creature on Celestia's green earth next to griffons and changelings of course," the mare added with a huff. "Ah, princess Twilight," she said when she turned from insulting Spike to see the alicorn right in her face.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO MY SON?!" Twilight screamed through her first ever Canterlot voice. The entire street came to a grinding halt in front of the crowd. Ponies on the other side of the street froze in place while a few taxi carriages crashed into one another from the shaking of the ground.

"Um, I was just saying-"

"Save your breath," Twilight refused to hear a lame lie. She stomped her way over to Spike, much like Luna stomped her way through Ponyville during her first Nightmare Night back from the moon. "Come on Spike, let's go find a less judgmental crowd," she folded a wing over Spike's back. The two vanished in an instant, leaving the crowd staring like a bunch of idiots at an empty spot.

When the magic light cleared, Twilight found herself and Spike in front of a seemingly abandoned casino somewhere on the North end of the Las Pegasus strip. "I'm not violent," Spike mumbled, sitting on his behind with his back to the wall of the deserted gambling hall.

"Spike," Twilight touched her hoof to his chin, "are you feeling okay?" She asked, still holding his chin as she sat down next to him.

"I-I don't know," Spike replied, setting his hands on his knees and resting his head. "You know, I thought I was getting better at ignoring that kind of stuff," he said dejectedly.

"You have, Spike. And you were handling yourself extraordinarily well," his mother complemented.

"Well, I guess I should get used to it now," Spike replied. "Since I'm getting bigger now, everypony's gonna get more and more afraid of me before I have to leave Ponyville and eventually Equestria."

"Not on my watch, mister," Twilight said sternly yet affectionately. "I know most ponies are afraid of dragons, but they just don't know the real you."

"They know I played a hand in saving the Crystal Empire from King Sombra, and they still think I'm nothing more than a lowly pet with the IQ of a bucking rock!" Spike cursed yet was surprised when he wasn't scolded for it.

"They're just ignorant Spike," Twilight countered. "Ignorant and too selfish to look past your outer shell to see the sweetest little boy in the whole world," she rubbed her hoof on his cheek. "And no matter how big you grow, even as big as when you went on your birthday rampage, you'll always be my little Spike." Spike blushed in embarrassment when he felt his mom's lips kissing his cheek. "And you can always come to me for advice or if you just want somepony to talk to."

"Aw mom, in public?" Spike tried to sound like he was hating the affection, but his chuckle ruined it.

"Hey, I've got 17 years of mothering to catch up on," she returned the chuckle. "And that includes giving you kisses in public," she kissed his cheek again. The two shared a good laugh and hugged each other, just enjoying each other's company before Spike said something.

"Fluttershy."

"What? What about her, Spike?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, FLUTTERSHY!" Spike picked up his mom and shielded her just as a butter and pink colored blur slammed into the two of them. All three figures crashed through the front doors of the defunct casino, rolling together in a ball before coming to a stop in a dark room. "Oh," Spike groaned, "are you two okay?" he picked up the two ponies and dusted them off.

"Sh-sh-sh," Fluttershy shook with fear.

"Fluttershy, what happened?" Twilight asked, " I thought you and Lullaby were visiting the fish reef?" Fluttershy's teal eyes drifted over to Twilight ever so slowly. Her teeth chattered like crazy, as if she was freezing cold.

"SHARK!" She screamed, folding her wings over her body.

"You do know they don't let the fish inside the tube, right?" Twilight questioned the Pegasus.

"That shark could've broken the glass at any moment and swallowed me and Lullaby whole!" the animal lover cried. Spike and Twilight both exchanged a look of exhaustion before patting their friend simultaneously.

"Would you like to spend the rest of the day with us?" Spike offered. Teeth still clacking together, Fluttershy nodded to both of her friends.

"And yes, it's okay with us," Twilight winked before Fluttershy could ask permission.

"W-what were y-you t-two do-doing here in the first place?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight was about to answer when she actually took a look around the darkened room for the first time. Numerous gambling machines were covered with dust-caked sheets and crumbs of ceiling littered the poker tables.

"Where the Tartarus are we anyway?" Twilight asked, casting an illumination spell. Spike squinted his eyes at the floor, seeing some sort of logo on the casino rug thanks to the extra light. Lighting some of his own fire, Spike scooted dust off of the logo to get a clue of where their current location was.

"What the heck is the Lucky 38?" He asked himself. All three suddenly froze when a deep, drawn out moan entered the lifeless room.

---

(With Surprise)

"Hmm, I wonder what's going on?" Pinkie Pie's clone scratched her head as she saw numerous security guards gunning for the lobby. She peered around the corner of the casino entrance to see two stallions duking it out as the guards tried to anticipate the perfect time to try and break them apart.

"Calm down sirs!" One of the guards pleaded. Surprise cocked her head before shrugging and turned back to the glorious sight of the Maredalay Bay's casino.

"Oh well, it's probably got nothing to do with me," she rubbed her hooves together, trying to figure out where to start. Of all the cities in Equestria, there was one she had always circled on the map in her room: Las Pegasus. Seeing pictures of her parents visiting the city when they were her age always brought fantasies of the Pegasus spending a vacation there herself. The bright lights and flashy signs definitely attracted the Wonderbolt to the city, but she was always curious about trying out slot machines.

Surprise had played poker before at the academy with High Winds, Blaze, Fleetfoot, Soarin and Rapidfire, but that was about all they could do to gamble legally in Cloudsdale; slot machines were considered illegal up in the clouds. So when Soarin announced that the Wonderbolts would be performing a New Year's air show in her dream city, she nearly exploded with joy, or she would have if she didn't get a letter from Pinkie Pie spilling the beans about Soarin's announcement on Hearth's Warming.

Her biggest unknown now was which slot machine to pick. There were video slots, normal slots, Daring Do slots, Princess Celestia slots, Crystal Empire slots, Colta-Cola and Pegapsi slots just to name a few, and there were dozens of each! "Hi girls!" Surprise waved as she bounced her way past High Winds and Blaze as they ventured to a blackjack table. "Those mares just love to play cards," Surprise said to herself, still scoping out the perfect slot machine.

The hyper mare padded her mane which held a small bag of bits brought specifically for a slot machine. She may have been overly excited about playing the slots for the first time, but she was smart enough to know not to gamble away her entire life savings; that was set aside for candy. As she bounced her way through the casino around cocktail waitresses, card dealers, other security guards and patrons, Surprise came to a grinding halt in front of the perfect bank of slot machines. Eyes widening and mouth starting to drool, the white mare reached up with a hoof and gently rubbed the side of the gambling device. "A-a-a Wonderbolts slot machine!" She choked out. "This is more beautiful than the time the peanut butter cup delivery pony crashed in front of the Academy! There I am!" She gasped, tapping a hoof on a picture of her above the rolls within the machine.

Her eyes then drifted upwards to a flashing sign above the bank of slot machines. Right then and there, Surprise knew she found the perfect slot machine for her first time. The sign claimed that the highest payout for these machines was 50,000 bits. To her, it was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. Possibly winning 50,000 bits on a Wonderbolt slot machine on her first Las Pegasus vacation? "Yep-a-rooni, I'm going for it!" The mare zoomed to a seat and pulled her bag of bits out of her yellow mane.

The clanking sound of one of her bits being accepted by the machine was nearly euphoric for the child-like mare. The Wonderbolts anthem blasted out of a speaker on the machine as it started up. "Do you have what it takes to fly with the best of the best?" Her old Captain Spitfire's voice asked from a recording, "Let's see what you got, rookie," several lights lit up in sync with the voice.

"EEEEE!" Surprise squealed as her hoof grabbed the lever and pulled down. Once she released it, the three spools of symbols started to spin. But instead of the noise she expected, Surprise heard the deep, throaty rumble of the Wonderbolts in the sky. "Aww," she said sadly as the spools stopped, showing a lemon, a number seven and a black rectangle that read 'BAR'.

"You keep screwing up like that and you'll end up flying shipments of doughnuts all around Equestria!" The video Spitfire insulted. Yet, Surprise didn't mind and instead grabbed another bit and inserted it into the machine, repeating the process over again. Despite losing her first bit, Surprise was still as happy and cheerful as every to finally conquer another dream on her list. She put in coin after coin, just having fun until frustration took over.

"Oh Surprise," a voice said from behind her. Surprise froze up as she was about to pull the lever for the seventeenth time. "I should have known you'd be lured in by the empty promise of a jackpot."

"Go...away...Misty Fly," Surprise growled, squeezing the lever in her hoof. Nothing could have put a bigger hamper on this vacation than the mare standing behind Surprise. Like Pinkie Pie, Surprise could handle the biggest asshole in Equestria with a smile, a laugh and a plate of cookies. But no matter what, she could not and would not stand Misty Fly. Living with her didn't help the situation either.

"Don't tell me you're wasting your life savings on these traps, are you?" the light yellow flyer asked, taking a seat in the slot machine next to Surprise. The white mare sighed, releasing the lever from her hoof.

"Tell me, Misty Fly," Surprise got into Misty Fly's face, pushing her nose against the latter's, "what do you see when you look at me, an idiot!? She demanded. Misty Fly blinked uncomfortably, pushing the mare out of her face.

"No, what do you take me for, a bully?" Misty Fly defended.

"A bully? No, but you are a pretty judgmental pony," Surprise accused, crossing her forelegs across her chest in a huff. Now Misty Fly felt offended, not that she hadn't been by Surprise before.

"Judgmental? I've always tried to show you compassion and kindness. All I wanted to do was warn you about the dangers of getting addicted to gambling," she explained, huffing in reply to Surprise.

"Excuse me ladies, may I interest you in a cocktail?" A waitress trotted up to them with a tray of free drinks.

"Can't you see we're having a private conversation here?!" Surprise shouted. "No eavesdroppers allowed!" she added, scaring the waitress away. Misty Fly's jaw dropped, not believing that she saw Surprise yell at somepony, and not in her hyperactive voice.

"Surprise, don't you think that was a little rude? She was just doing her job," Misty Fly placed a hoof on Surprise's shoulder. The poofy maned mare shook the hoof away, turning back to face the pony that drove her insane.

"Maybe it wouldn't have happened if you had left me alone and just minded your own beeswax," Surprise slammed the slot machine. "If you wanted to warn somepony about gambling, why don't you go bother High Winds and Blaze? They were heading for the blackjack tables."

"Well, perhaps that wasn't the real reason I came over to talk to you," Misty Fly held her dignity intact.

"Okay, I'll bite, but only if it makes you less annoying quicker," Surprise pouted, wishing she could get back to the slot machine. Gently, as if she were trying to pet a rabid puppy, Misty Fly put her hoof back on Surprise's shoulder.

"I've noticed a little tension between us over the past few years, you know, since we joined the Wonderbolts. Did I do something to upset you? Did I take your last cookie or something?" Surprise squeaked, not prepared for Misty Fly to open up with a question like that.

"No," Surprise mumbled. "What's your problem anyway? Do I have to like everypony I meet? Why can't there be one pony I don't particularly like, huh?" Surprise flipped the conversation around on Misty Fly, jabbing her chest with her hoof.

"Well, to be fair you instantly liked Rainbow's friend, Cougar, before you even met him!" the other Wonderbolt was losing her patience with Surprise.

"Are you saying you don't like him?" Surprise once again successfully changed the topic. Misty Fly began to grind her teeth, trying to keep her cool and not explode on Surprise in public.

"All right fine, if you want to be immature about this, I'll leave you be. If you want to act like a grown up pony, I'll be in my room."

"Good!" Surprise replied.

"Just remember to quit when you're ahead," Misty Fly reminded Surprise, going back to her normal sweet personality.

"You're not the boss of me, only Soarin and Rainbow are. I'll quit WHEN I WANT!" Surprise reared her hoof up and slammed down onto the lever of the slot machine. All three spools spun at an incredible rate, clicking as they came to a stop at different intervals.

BRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGG

A loud alarm went off, scaring Surprise and Misty Fly. "Did I say the secret word again?" Surprise questioned.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Misty Fly face-hoofed. The slot symbols all stopped on three Wonderbolt logos, indicating a jackpot. The sign above the bank of slot machines flashed, 'WINNER' multiple times.

"I...won," Surprise started to hyperventilate. "I WON FIFTY THOUSAND BITS! I'M RICH!" She exclaimed, dancing and flying around. She grabbed Misty Fly by her shoulders and shook her like rag doll. "THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" She screamed.

"Congratulations rookie, you've earned your wings."

"Only to you," Misty Fly's jealousy was building.

"I gotta write to my mom, my dad, my third cousin four times removed," Surprise listed off the ponies she had to tell. "My high school algebra teacher!" she gasped. Mountains of confetti then burst from the machine as the owner of the casino appeared.

"Congratulations, Ms. Surprise on winning the Wonderbolt jackpot!" He announced as another pony produced a giant check.

"She's still eligible for that even though she's a Wonderbolt?" Misty Fly asked while Surprise drooled over her humungous check.

"Well, it's not like she had an advantage," the owner explained, "it's just a slot machine after all."

"Here, can you put my bits in my room?" Surprise requested, folding up the check to a teeny square and put it in her mane. "I've gotta go share the news with my twinzie at Colta-Cola world!" Surprise's wings went crazy.

"Wait, don't you think maybe I deserve a cut?" Misty Fly tugged on Surprise's poofy tail.

"Excuse me?" Surprise dug her hoof into her ear. "What in the wide, wide world of Equestria makes you think you deserve a cut of my loot?" Misty fly ran a hoof through her light blue and white mane, gulping nervously.

"You know, because it was me who made you hit the lever so hard?" She explained with a nervous chuckle. Surprise narrowed her eyes and pouted her lip at Misty Fly. The light yellow Wonderbolt suddenly felt the temperature drop around her as Surprise pressed her nose against hers.

"PBBBBBTTTTT" Surprise abruptly spat a raspberry in Misty Fly's face before turning around, flicking her nose with her yellow tail and hopping away.

"Can't blame a mare for trying," Misty Fly rolled her eyes. She looked around to see another waitress walking by with a tray of alcoholic beverages. "Might as well," she followed the waitress before grabbing a drink.

End First Half

---

Next time: We see the outcome of Twilight, Spike and Fluttershy's visit to the Lucky 38. We find out where Ivan and AJ took Applebloom, who pissed off Bon Bon, who does Rarity get into a shouting match with, how much shit to Silver Lining and Wave Chill give Rapidfire? And what will Scootaloo do to get away from Feather Duster?