It was five minutes to eleven o’clock in the morning.

At least that’s what the digital clock showed when the driver of the white limousine glanced at it before refocusing on the long road ahead of him.

In the back of the limo sat a mature woman in a white business suit and a well-groomed young man in semi-formal attire. With super-flawless, silky-smooth skin, big boobs, a tiny waist and childbearing hips she was built like a goddess. He was tall, easily six foot one, built like a boxer. Not a heavyweight, or a lightweight, but somewhere in between. And he was handsome, with slicked-back green hair and emerald eyes, and sat with his briefcase on the seat beside him.

Wearing jeans and a jacket, he could have passed for a Canterlot University frat boy. In a suit and tie, he would have looked like he worked in the business district of Manehattan. At the moment, he was wearing black slacks, a mulberry vest (five hundred thousand dollars in gambling chips jammed into them), a white collared shirt, black leather shoes and white gloves.

The woman held the limo’s built-in phone to her ear.

“I’m considering staying a bit longer this time, Luna,” she said. “Take care of things in my absence.”

“Yes, sister,”

The woman in white hung up and dialed another number.

“Reservations, please... Yes, I’m calling to confirm the two rooms for Celestia Soleil and Spike Drake,” she said as she looked at the young man seated across from her.

Spike Drake, age 22, all expenses paid vacation to Las Pegasus; Equestria’s playground for the rich and famous. A city of bright lights and bustling activity, reputed for being a wild vacation spot, complete with loud noises, large crowds and fun times. Home of nineteen of the world’s twenty biggest hotels, hosting over thirty million visitors a year, generating five billion dollars in gaming revenue, and utilizing no less than sixteen miles of neon tubing.

But unbeknownst to him, is the fact that there is a prize in this holiday, not expected, but certainly bargained for.

Celestia smiled as she remembered the very first time she brought Spike to Las Pegasus. He was still a little kid, bouncing in her lap.

She told him to look out the window at the skyline ahead and she said, “See that city out there, Spike? See that big town, one day we’re gonna own that town. You and me. What do you think of that?”

That had been over fifteen years ago. Now, Spike was sitting opposite of her, flipping through a brochure for the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort. A luxury casino hotel filled with games and carnival rides; their destination.

It had 3,044 rooms, two casinos, two theaters, four gyms, five arcades, a full spa, six saunas, pillow top beds, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, four swimming pools (two outside, two inside) with extreme slides, fine dining, warm cookies at turndown, a musical chocolate fountain, a wing for shopping, and areas for riflery and archery. But its signature attraction was Ponet Fantastique, a stage show that featured acrobatic and trained exotic animal acts.

Spike had been looking forward to his summer vacation, especially since he spent the better part of his last semester working at a gambling den in the Badlands. But he always made time to study and never let his grades fall.

When the week of final exams came, he went to bed early while all the other students stayed up studying. Then when they finally did get to sleep, most of the information fell out of their heads.

But not Spike.

He didn’t study the night before. Instead, he got a good night of sleep, woke up extra early and studied in the morning. That way, everything was still fresh in his mind by the time he went to class to take his finals... and it worked.

He took his tests and he passed.

Ever since he was a child, Spike was a fast learner. He caught on quick, and he knew how to win. He was willing to do whatever it took to succeed, he knew how to think four moves ahead... and he never quit.

Outwork, outthink, outwit, outplay, outscheme, outmaneuver, and outlast.

Make no friends. Trust nobody. Make damn sure you’re the smartest guy in the room whenever the subject of money comes up.

And never say die.

Spike knew more about casinos and casino security than anyone... besides the men who invented them, of course. He knew that a certain hierarchy existed: dealers were watched over by pit bosses, who were controlled by shift managers, who in turn answered to the floor manager, who kowtowed to the casino manager (the CM), who in turn bowed directly to corporate headquarters. In Las Pegasus, that translated to some faceless monster with a hundred million shareholders and almost as many lawyers. He knew that they had cameras, watchers, vaults, locks and timers on those vaults, and enough armed personnel to occupy Mareis, Prance.

He had seen many men, and women, succumb to an illness worse than any virus could ever produce; an inoperative and deadly life-shattering affliction known as “The Fever.” He stood by and watched people, old and young, smarter and a lot dumber than him cash check after check after check, hour after hour, and just throw their money away.

And it didn’t just stop at money. Some of them lost everything: their spouses, their homes, their children, even their pets.

But not him.

Not Spike.

Oh, he enjoyed a good gamble as much as the next person, but only if the odds were in his favor. And nothing disgusted him more than slot machines. Often described as one-armed bandits, they mocked and teased like no other device on Earth. Quick, addictive, and somehow satisfying, those devices ate money faster than a Manehattan rental agent. It was inhuman the way they let the player win a little and then take it all back. It sucked them in, they got hooked, and they never won it back.

But not him.

Not Spike.

Like most twenty-somethings, he didn’t know where he was going; but he also knew where he didn’t want to end up. At the moment, he didn’t want to think about his future. He just wanted to enjoy one last summer vacation before the real world hit him in the face.

Spike was broken from his thoughts by Celestia’s voice.

“Spike, what’s the matter?” she asked. “Aren’t you excited?”

“Sure,” he answered sarcastically. “I’m fresh out of college. I have no job, no money, no girlfriend... Things are really looking up.”

“First of all, you don’t need a job; because second, you’re as rich as I am; so three, you can do anything you want!” Celestia replied. “Except mope, you’re not allowed to mope. Stop moping! We’re spending the summer in Las Pegasus!”

“You know, your addiction isn’t healthy,” he commented. “You do know that, right?”

“I’m sorry, Spike,” she said. “But I can’t help it if the Resort keeps calling me back.”

As much as Spike hated to admit it, it was nice that the Flimflam Brothers invited them out for the summer.

Spike glanced at the brochure for the resort again, over pictures of the hotel’s atrium, aquarium and topless poolside lounge, and skimmed the not-so-brief history of the establishment to the second-to-last paragraph:

“With Gladmane no longer running the resort, Flim and Flam quickly stepped in to take over. And the first thing they did was tear down the solid gold statue of Gladmane that stood in the center of the hotel lobby. Then they melted it down, recast and remolded it into a likeness of themselves.”

With Flim’s showmanship and Flam’s business sense, they made the resort even bigger and more popular than it ever was under Gladmane’s control.

Unfortunately, the wealthy socialite Impossibly Rich and her son, Filthy Rich, showed up and took over the hotel right across the street from the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort... and cut in on their business!

Filthy Rich was first in his class at Pranceton, and he owned almost half of Las Pegasus. He was a fine businessman, but a bit of a bully. Fortunately, his bark was worse than his bite. Unfortunately, the Brothers had experienced both.

Spike then glanced at a picture of the Flimflam Resort’s star dealer: Twilight Sparkle, otherwise known as the Princess of Friendship.

“What makes her so special?” he thought.

According to the brochure, the rumor surrounding her was that “her very presence gave her the ability to soothe the customers’ tension and bring good luck throughout the entire casino.”

It was the main reason she’d been hired on as a dealer.

Celestia’s voice broke Spike from his thoughts again.

“Why do you want to work in a casino, anyway?” she asked.

“Because last week I graduated from wasting four years of my life learning how to deal cards, and I’m sick of cold-decking Canterlot Beat cover boys,” Spike replied. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he added. “I know I should be happy, but I guess I always thought by this point in my life I’d have somebody special to share my success with.”

“You’ve got me,” she told him.

“Thanks, Mom. But that’s not really what I’m talking about,”

“Oh, I see,” Celestia said with a smile. “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it, Spike. You’re still young, you’ll meet someone. One morning, you’re going to wake up with a wife and kids, and you’ll be like, ‘Where did they come from? They weren’t here the last time I looked.’ It’s like the old saying, ‘most things in life, good and bad, happen when you least expect them.’”

“That’s where you’re wrong! I believe we create our own opportunities. We have to make things happen. It’s not like something’s just going to fall out of the sky, land right at your feet, and change your life forever. I’m going to make things happen for me,”

“Well, at least we can agree on one thing,” Celestia said. “This summer, everything’s going to change.”

Spike glanced out the window and when he did, he saw the iconic neon “Welcome to Fabulous Las Pegasus” sign in the distance. It was off because it was daytime, but Spike had seen it, and the city, many times after dark. And both were always spectacular.

They were almost there.

Celestia leaned forward in her seat and placed a hand on Spike’s knee.

“Try to enjoy yourself, okay?” she asked.

Spike tried to smile as he looked back at his adoptive mother.

Before Celestia took him in, Spike was always very careful to protect what little was his. He had a hard enough time enjoying himself when he was spending someone else’s money.

But now he didn’t. He had amassed a small fortune of his own, which he kept in neat stacks in a suitcase under his bed, each two inches thick bundled together by strips of colored tape, all of it legal. He was rich, he was handsome, and he was successful. He could have anything he wanted.

He could take in the sites, relax in luxury accommodations, and enjoy the upcoming concert gala by Countess Coloratura.

He sighed and said, “Okay, Mom. I will.”

---

A young man and two women stood outside the Las Pegasus International Airport, waiting on a bus. They were a diverse trio, but they all were 25-years-old and at least three years out of college. The first was a kind-faced girl with long hair, pale skin and blue eyes, dressed in a white tank top, green skirt and white sneakers. The guy was tall and lean, clothed in blue, and had dark windswept hair and green eyes. The other girl, in a white T-shirt, blue hoodie, tight track pants and running shoes, recognized them as Fluttershy and Soarin; the former her best friend since childhood, the latter a fellow graduate of the Equestrian Air Force Academy.

As she looked at Fluttershy she couldn’t help but think, “Why Las Pegasus?” Fluttershy had never been there herself, the other girl knew this. And what little she did know was from those cheap novels she read and stuff she saw on TV. But when she looked at Soarin, she knew that he’d had the same idea she did. They both had some time off after graduation before they would be given their first real assignments, so they figured why not spend the summer in Las Pegasus.

Soarin might have changed a lot since high school, but the Academy drill sergeant sure didn’t beat the wise guy out of him. Not a chance of that.

She was holding her cell phone to her ear and talking to her older brother as she looked Soarin over.

“Okay, the Las Pegasus Poker Tournament is in twelve weeks and three days, and I am so going to be dealing for it,” she said.

“You’re gonna dominate, Sis!” her brother told her.

“Thanks. And until then, I get paid to hang out at a hotel and mix drinks for the tourists. I think I can handle that. How are things with you down at the Hay Burger?”

“So lame!” he replied.

“Are they making you wear that ugly uniform?”

“Yeah,”

“Oh, you should be here, you dork!”

“No promises, but I’ll see if I can come out for the Tournament,”

“All right, bro,” she said. “Until then, have fun flipping burgers! Oh, and please take care of Tank while I’m gone.”

“You got it, Dash,”

“What the Tartarus is that?!” she asked.

She looked down the road and saw a vehicle coming her way.

“Hold on, you have to see this!” Dash chuckled into her phone. “The lamest tour bus just pulled up.”

The brakes hissed as the multicolored shuttle bus slowed to a halt and the door opened to reveal its driver: a tall, slender man with brilliant green eyes, wavy, dark brown hair, and dressed in a tacky yellow Hawaiian shirt and brown shorts.

“All aboard for the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort!” he announced.

“Oh, my gosh!” Dash exclaimed. “I think that’s my bus!”

Fluttershy and Soarin loaded their luggage into the compartments beneath the bus windows and quickly boarded. Rainbow Dash followed suit. Despite its paintjob, the bus was almost new, and it was luxurious. The twelve passenger seats were wide and soft; they reclined and had padded footrests.

“What’s up, people?” the driver asked them. “I’m Cheese Sandwich. I drive the shuttle for the hotel, so anytime you need a ride, you just look for me. You just look for El Queso Grande! So, you guys here to ride the Wild Blue Yonder?”

“You know it!” Soarin replied.

“Is it as epic as they say?” Dash asked.

“Best in the country,” Cheese Sandwich answered. “The hotel’s totally booked most days. Hope you’re looking to get worked.”

Soarin and Rainbow Dash groaned a bit. They were looking forward to gambling and riding the best rollercoaster ever, not working their butts off. But that’s what they had signed up for when they applied for summer jobs at the Flimflam Brothers Resort.

As Cheese Sandwich looked at the three kids in the rearview mirror, he couldn’t help but think about how much money they were going to lose during their stay. The average visitor to Las Pegasus lost no less than three hundred dollars during a single weekend. They were mostly middle-aged men, visiting for three nights; spending another $300 on food, rooms and entertainment, in addition to the $300 flight home.

Weekend flights to Las Pegasus were the funniest thing. On the way out, everyone was smiling and laughing, thinking about the great time they were going to have and how much they were going to win. The flight home was the exact opposite. Everyone went home a loser. But Cheese Sandwich had a feeling that things were going to be different for these three.

---

The sofa was only half as warm as Starlight Glimmer had known it to be, but it was warm enough to ease her chill. She lay face down, exhausted, totally spent.

She was very tired.

Not dying. Just tired. Weak. Hung over. And she knew it.

The images in her mind showed things swirling all around her. A Jeep caught in a whirlpool, slowly sinking. Her viewpoint was that of a young woman who’d had way too much to drink, and staring helplessly at the pool as the car disappeared beneath the water.

There was also a blond guy swinging from a tree. That was before he took control of the vehicle. Slowly, the guy inside the car saw figures around the pool’s edge, waving, staring. Their faces tilted every direction in laughter.

Then the images faded into darkness, because now words seemed more important than pictures. Starlight twisted and turned as the voice of Sunburst (her best friend since they were kids) coaxed her from her slumber.

“Starlight?” he said. “Starlight!”

She groaned in reply.

“It’s amazing,” he told her. “I leave for not even one evening and you manage to totally trash the place.”

He walked over to the window, threw open the blinds, and she hissed as she pulled a blanket over her head to block out the light.

“It was just a little party,” she continued to groan. “It’ll all be cleaned up by the time they get here.”

“I think you better see this,” he said as he picked up the remote control.

“See what?” she asked.

Sunburst turned on the TV and the morning news appeared on the screen.

“The Las Pegasus Strip was turned upside-down last night at what has been described as an end-of-the-school-year party gone wild.”

“Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!” Starlight protested. “Is there any chance your Mom and my Dad won’t find out about this?” she asked Sunburst.

“What do you think?” he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Just then, the hotel room phone started ringing.

“No -- don’t answer it! Please!” she begged.

“You’re going to have to face him sooner or later,” Sunburst said. “You might as well get it over with.”

He pushed a button on the phone’s console, and it violently shook almost immediately.

“What in Tartarus is going on there?!” came an angry voice over the speaker.

“Nothing, Dad,” Starlight lied, “I just had a few friends over, no big deal.”

“Well, all of the news reports are saying that over a hundred teenagers were running wild and disturbing the guests!” Firelight continued to shout.

“Dad, you know how the camera adds ten pounds?” Starlight asked. “Well, it also adds ten people for everyone who was actually there.”

Firelight must have been watching TV somewhere (wherever he was), and watching the exact same channel that Sunburst and Starlight were watching, because footage of a vehicle disappearing beneath water appeared on the screen—the same images from Starlight’s dream.

“Is that one of the pools?” Firelight asked.

“Is that my Jeep?” Starlight asked herself.

It was then that Starlight finally, and completely, realized that it wasn’t just a dream. The events of last night really did happen.

And it was going to cost her dearly.

“That! Is! It!” Firelight yelled. “When I get there, you and I are going to have a serious talk! AND YOU CAN KISS YOUR SUMMER VACATION GOOD-BYE!!!!”

“I’d say your party girl days are officially over,” Sunburst commented after Firelight hung up.

“Puh-lease!” Starlight replied. “I’ll clean up the penthouse, and by the time they get here, everything will be just fine. And besides, Dad never stays mad at me for very long, so this is a moot discussion.”

Both youths’ eyes shot open in shock when they looked at the TV again.

“The Las Pegasus Police Department was here last night?” Sunburst asked.

“They were?” Starlight replied. “Ooh, he’s cute.”

Sunburst finally clicked the TV off.

“Hey!” Starlight exclaimed. “I was watching that!”

“Who’s going to clean the rest of the hotel?” Sunburst asked. “Replace all the broken furniture? Have you even seen the hot tub?”

“Uh, that’s what the rest of the hotel staff is for,” Starlight answered.

“It can’t be done!”

“If I can single-handedly organize the city’s Poker Tournament, I can clean up a little mess,”

“Single-handedly my foot, you stood around and smiled all day while I ran the registration booth!”

“Sunburst, you know you’re better with numbers than I am. Anyway, I’m already on it,”

Starlight reached into her pocket, pulled out her cell phone, and made several phone calls.

“See? All taken care of,” she told him after she was done. “Do you know how to get a Jeep out of a pool?”

“That’s your problem,” he said as he headed for the door.

“You’re still going to help me, right?”

“I have to make the rounds while the others train the new staff. You know, the people who actually work for their money,”

“What? You’re leaving me? That’s so selfish!”

“It’s my job,”

“Fine, go then!”

“You have about six hours. Good. Luck,”

---

The bus ride from Las Pegasus International Airport went down the Strip, past all the mammoth hotels and megaresorts, including a six-hundred-fifty-million-dollar trip into fantasy, a massive black glass pyramid that would have made Somnambula feel right at home (at night it was the most powerful spotlight in the world), the emerald-green Maretro-Goldwhinnyn-Mareyer (MGM) Grand, its main building stretching the width of four football fields; a sex-charged rock club, a bright red volcano that spat lava into the sky after dark, and Manehattan if it had been reimagined by Dalton Whinny, with buxom cocktail waitresses instead of college kids in Wilhelm Wombat and Elmer Eagle costumes—the results of Las Pegasus being in an almost constant state of boom for the past four decades.

A white limousine pulled in front of Cheese Sandwich’s shuttle bus as both vehicles peeled away from traffic.

“This is it, compadres -- The Flimflam Brothers’ Casino and Resort,” Cheese said as the bus screeched to a halt.

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Soarin stared in awe at the huge, 31-story casino hotel. With its colossal water fountain, extravagant double doors and revolving doors, and flashy neon signs, the exterior alone was impressive.

The trio spilled out of the bus and retrieved their suitcases from the luggage hold while a handsome young man dressed in a crisp white collared shirt, tucked in, under a sharp mulberry vest, black slacks and a tie, and carrying a briefcase, exited the limo, accompanied by a woman in a white business suit.

Cheese Sandwich honked the horn and a blond college kid in torn jeans and an open vest sprung up from the fountain.

It was Fluttershy’s younger brother, Zephyr Breeze. Her parents had told her that she would be seeing him in Las Pegasus. She just didn’t expect it to be like this—climbing out of a public fountain, half-clothed, and smelling like a bar rag.

“Zeph, wake up!” Cheese Sandwich shouted out the window to him.

“What time is it?” Zephyr Breeze asked with a yawn, his shoulders drooped with fatigue as he pulled himself out of the water.

“Almost noon,” Soarin said.

“Oh, man, I slept iiiin!” Zephyr yawned again.

His eyes shot open at the sight of his older sister and her best friend.

“Big sis! Rainbow Dash! What’s up?”

“Rough night, Zeph?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

“Oh yeah,” he replied.

The hotel lobby’s main doors (a pair of tall, golden double doors) were flanked by a pair of doormen like two proud sentinels. Spike peered through the windows and saw a multitude of people, everyone from a janitor mopping the floor to a young woman behind the front desk.

Suddenly, a blue limousine eased past Cheese Sandwich’s shuttle bus, slowed and slid to a stop in the passenger pickup lane in front of Celestia’s limo. Spike had to shield his eyes as the bright sunlight flashed off its sleek blue curves.

“Le gasp!” the doormen exclaimed.

Spike watched as the blue limo’s rear passenger door swung open. A couple in lavish foreign clothing uncoiled onto the sidewalk and walked toward them, followed by a man in a brown cloak and turban.

“Welcome, Your Majesties!” the doormen greeted them as they hauled on the handles of the double doors.

“Who are they?” Spike asked.

“They are the delegates from Saddle Arabia,” Celestia told him, “Haakim and Amira, and their advisor Hoo’Far.”

“Good luck, dudes,” Cheese told his former passengers as the bus door closed and he drove away.

---

The interior of the resort was modern and stylish, decorated in the fashion of a tropical jungle; with palm trees, rainforest flora, rumbling brooks, and even the odd waterfall. The air seemed misty, unlike the dry desert air outside, and the entire place smelled authentic. A giant gold statue of the owners dominated the center of the lobby; a 53 foot by eight foot aquarium stretched behind the registration desk, and out front, by the coat check room, stood a beautiful blonde; the resort’s head of security.

Applejack was her name—according to the shiny, golden nametag on her left breast—and she was Spike’s fantasy. A gorgeous woman with soft lips, beautiful green eyes that rivaled his own, and a smoking hot body underneath a black pants suit (which he was sure her bosses made her wear). The way her legs filled out those tight pants, the curve of her ass, she looked more like a V.I.P. than an enforcer.

“So this is the gal who brought down Gladmane,” Spike thought.

He smiled at the blonde who averted her eyes before smiling back.

“For a fancy hotel, it’s not very clean,” Rainbow Dash commented.

“We haven’t gotten to the outside yet!” a maid whose nametag read ‘Suri Polomare’ grumbled.

The group looked out the massive post-modern window at the back of the building and surveyed the remains of an equally massive party. Streamers and toilet paper hung from the trees and lampposts surrounding the now drained swimming pools, cardboard pizza boxes, paper plates and plastic cups littered the entire patio area, and several tables and chairs were overturned.

“Whoa!” was all Dash could manage.

“Oh, my gosh,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Is that a Jeep in that pool?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, that’s from the party last night,” Zephyr said. “It was so sick!”

“I like this place already!” Soarin exclaimed.

“Check you guys in a minute,” Zephyr told them as he walked off to the men’s room.

“Should we be checking in with someone?” Fluttershy asked Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah,” Dash replied. “I’ve got to find out where to dump my bags so I can hit the casino.”

A couple with two children and four singles (two men and two women) were standing at the front desk and yelling at the concierge—a prim, beautiful woman just short of thirty.

She was dressed in a white cotton blouse and tight black pants with matching Stiletto heels. She wore a pair of tiny reading glasses and her hair was done up in a high curl. Her face was a pale oval out of which peered luminous moderate azure eyes. Her nose was pert, her lips full, and her breasts swelled provocatively against the buttons of her blouse.

“We were up all night with that racket!” one of the guests complained.

“I demand to speak to a manager!” shouted another as he slammed his fist onto the counter.

“Right away, sir,” the concierge said as she picked up a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. “We have a Code Red at the front desk. I repeat, Code Red.”

The upset guests stormed off as Soarin, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike and Celestia approached the counter.

“Welcome to the Flimflam Brothers’ Casino and Resort,” the concierge greeted them. “We are gambling.”

“‘We are gambling’?” Rainbow Dash echoed.

“Yes, we are. It’s company policy; I have to say it,” she replied.

“We’re the new summer staff. I’m Fluttershy,”

“I’m Rainbow Dash. And that’s Soarin,”

“We’re all checking in,” Celestia put in. “Not all together, though.”

“And whomsoever art thou?” Spike asked the concierge.

“I’m Rarity. So, what do you think so far?”

“It’s a little different than I thought it would be,” Fluttershy said hesitantly.

“Try, it blows!” Dash exclaimed. “It’s all fake!”

“Oh, you must have seen last year’s brochure,” Rarity said. “Last fall, the Mayor of Las Pegasus decided to rebrand the city as a family vacation destination and make all the casino-hotels more ‘family friendly,’” she explained, complete with air quotes. “He also had a variety of new resorts with theme-park style rides built, and voilà: every true gambler’s worst nightmare!”

She handed Spike an up-to-date brochure for the resort, and it was very different from the one he had read in the limo. It was brightly colored, and covered in words that included (but were not limited to) “Adventure!”, “Challenge!”, “Fantasy!”, “Mystery!”, “Rides!”, “Shows!”, “Splash!”, “Thrills!” and “Wonders!”

“I guess that means no topless pool lounge,” Spike thought.

“Man, we got super-lucky seeing the Princess of Friendship before hitting the casino,” a young man behind him said as he passed through the lobby.

“Maybe we’ll hit the jackpot,” the guy’s girlfriend replied.

“Dare I ask?” Spike directed at the concierge.

“They’re talking about Twilight Sparkle,” Rarity replied. “She’s incredibly popular. Even Applewood starlets are overlooked when she’s around--Zephyr Breeze! What did I tell you about taking sink showers in the lobby bathroom?”

The group turned and saw that Zephyr had returned from his trip to the men’s room. And his hair was dripping wet.

“Uh... don’t?” he answered after he shook his hair dry.

“Right! So, what are you doing here?” Rarity asked.

“I’m the new bellhop,” he replied.

“Back up! You’re working here?” Rainbow Dash asked in complete shock.

“What happened to hair therapy school?” Fluttershy added.

“I needed a change of scenery,” Zeph said as he kicked back on one of the lobby sofas, “and the fastest-growing city in the world seemed like a good pick.”

“And the last place on earth where a bum with no skills can make a decent living,” Rainbow Dash commented.

They made an interesting point, Spike thought. The phenomenon of Las Pegasus was very unique. The town’s growth, financial influx, architectural fluidity... Where else in the world would a cocktail waitress afford a mortgage on a house and a lease on a car? Where else could a college dropout who parked cars for a living earn enough to send his kids to private school?

“My kind of town,” Zeph said. “That was a sick party last night.”

“Who threw the shindig, anyway?” Spike inquired.

“One of the investor’s daughters, Starlight Glimmer,” Rarity answered.

“If her old man finds out, she’s dead meat,” Zephyr said.

Just then, a man holding a cell phone to his ear approached the front desk.

He looked to be in his late forties, dark-skinned, and his teeth were horrible; it was impossible to tell if he was smiling or snarling (maybe both). His clothes were almost as bad as his teeth. He wore a brown suit coat, a white opera glove on his left hand, a brown leather glove on his right hand, slacks (the left leg of which was tan while the right leg was green), and leather shoes (a brown one on his left and a white one on his right foot respectively).

“Right... Yes... Golf carts need repainting, chairs repaired, and the pools need to be cleaned. Absolutely no problem,” he said into the phone. “IF I HAD ALL ETERNITY!!!!” he added after he hung up.

“Ahem!” Rarity cleared her throat. “Sir, you know Mr. and Mrs. Paradise.”

The man in the multicolored suit ran his mismatched gloved hands through his very dark gray hair, smoothing it out, and turned to the group of angry guests.

“What a charming family,” he said, a fake smile plastered across his face. “I understand the party last night was a little loud. How about I take twenty percent off your total bill?”

“Make it thirty!” the father, Mister Paradise, demanded.

“Done, and just to further prove how much we value your patronage,” the manager continued to lie through his crooked teeth, “how about I throw in free passes to the amusement park for the whole family?”

“Hear that kids?” Mr. Paradise told his twin sons excitedly.

“We hate amusement parks!” one of them shouted.

“We demand souvenirs!” added the other.

And they stomped away, followed by their parents.

The man in the mismatched suit turned his attention to Spike, Celestia, Rainbow Dash, Soarin and Fluttershy.

“Welcome!” he said with a little more sincerity. “Just checking in, I see. Excellent! I’m John de Prancie, the day manager at the hotel, but you can call me Discord. If there is anything I can do to make your stay even a little bit more comfortable, you just let me know.”

“Sir, they’re not guests,” Rarity interjected. “At least they are not.” She pointed to everyone except Spike and Celestia. “They’re the new staff.”

“What’s up?” Zephyr Breeze asked.

“Then why are you standing in the lobby?” Discord shouted. “Why are they standing in the lobby?” he asked Rarity. “And you, off the couch!” he shouted at Zephyr Breeze. “I just cleaned that myself!”

“It’s cool, dude,” Zeph said. “It’s cool.”

“We just got here. I’m Fluttershy--”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. No time for introductions!” Discord said. “Follow me. You too!” he told Rarity. “I need every hand I can get!”

“Yes, sir!” Rarity replied. “Coco, take over for me.”

A pretty young woman with a blue two-toned bob haircut, wearing a pleated lavender skirt, an off-white blouse with a lavender collar, and a scarlet tie (who had been silently standing by Rarity the entire time) nodded and stepped up to the front desk’s computer.

“Reservations under Drake and Soleil,” Spike told her.

“Ah, yes, here you are,” she said softly. “Two Resort Tower Kings with Unobstructed Views Overlooking the Strip... Should I put the balance on the same credit card?”

“Uh, no,” Spike said. “I will be paying in cash.”

“Very well,” Coco replied. “And may I arrange for some refreshments to be sent up to your suite, Mr. Drake?”

“Absolutely,” Spike answered. “Champagne, caviar, lobster, a shoe shine, an in-room massage, and my own private maid please.”

“Excellent,” Coco said. “Here are your room keys, your spa card, some complimentary casino chips, and Bulk Biceps will see to your luggage.”

She motioned to an enormous guy with a blond crew cut and arms thicker than his legs standing just behind her. He tipped his bellboy hat to Spike and Celestia, picked up all their suitcases (except for Spike’s briefcase) in both arms and pranced (yes pranced, like a giddy schoolboy) to the staff elevator.

Spike and Celestia stood dumbfounded for a moment at the display.

“Now, in order to get to your rooms, you’ll have to take the gold elevators,” Miss Pommel told them. “To get to them, you’re going to have to go through the casino, and veer to the left. Then take a right at the first palm tree. You’ll see the blackjack tables. Not baccarat, not craps, blackjack. Take another right and wind around left. If you get to the indoor pools, you’ve gone too far.”

“Gold elevators, through the casino, left, right at the first palm, past the blackjack tables, right again, and then left, pool, too far, got it!” Spike replied.

Coco smiled and said, “Enjoy your stay.”

Spike’s stomach growled and he looked across the lobby for a place to eat. His eyes picked out two suitable targets.

The first was the Sweet Snacks Café, which was a Rockin’ ‘50’s-themed diner that served burgers and milkshakes (complete with a soda fountain and waitresses in carhop uniforms). The other was an oriental restaurant that had an aquarium filled with many exotic fish, dubbed “X Sushi.”

Spike, for one, couldn’t stand the thought of eating raw fish. Especially since the mercury that was used to kill any potential parasites in them was more than enough to make his stomach turn. But he knew that his mother was always up to try something new and exciting, and sushi fit the bill.

Celestia could tell exactly what Spike was thinking so, in order to avoid an argument, she reached into her pocket and said, “We’ll flip a coin. Heads you win and we’ll go to the diner. Tails you lose and we eat sushi.”

Spike had played “Heads or Tails” many times before. So much, in fact, that it was how he had managed to score several free taxi rides over the years. Normally he would wager his ride be free of charge against him washing the cab driver’s vehicle... by hand.

It was a form of sortition that inherently had only two possible (and equally likely) outcomes. There were only two ways the coin could land—heads or tails. And heads came up just as often as tails. So, half the time one party would win, and half the time the other party would win. The odds and chances were a solid 50/50, and a game of chance didn’t come much fairer than that.

Unless, of course, the tosser used a two-headed coin.

Coin tossing was a simple practice of throwing a coin into the air and checking which side was showing when it landed, in order to choose between two alternatives, and sometimes used to resolve a dispute between two groups.

In this case, it was where to eat: the café or the sushi bar.

The diner or the restaurant.

A well-done burger or uncooked seafood.

“Come on, Spike,” Celestia said playfully. “Take a chance.”

She gave Spike the coin she planned to use and he looked at both sides of it to make sure that his mother wouldn’t cheat (even though she never did), and he handed it back to her.

“Okay,” he said.

Celestia flipped the coin into the air and it landed in her open palm.

“Tails it is,” she said.

Spike sighed for a brief moment, but smiled, accepting his defeat with some grace, and escorted his mother to X Sushi.

“First casino I’ve seen with a sushi bar in it,” he commented.

“Table for two, please,” Celestia told the hostess.

“Right this way,” she replied and she led them to a table near the center of the room. “Make yourselves comfortable, and Sunset will be with you in a moment to take your order.”

Spike and Celestia took their seats and looked at their menus. Spike skimmed over various Nigiri and Sashimi platters. They had everything from Sake (Salmon) and Maguro (Tuna) to Ebi (Shrimp), Saba (Mackerel) to Unagi (Smoked Eel), and Ika (Squid) to Tako (Octopus). They also offered traditional sushi rolls from avocado to cucumber and asparagus, as well as the Califoalnia and the Fillydelphia. There was even a Las Pegasus roll!

Celestia glanced over at Spike, smiled, and decided to tease her son a little about the conversation they had in the limo earlier.

“I’ve got a feeling today could be your lucky day,” she told him as she put her menu down. “I’m telling you, you could turn around right now and meet the girl of your dreams!”

Spike didn’t believe her, especially since he had already “met” her when he saw her standing by the coat room on the way in. Then he turned his head and saw a cute redhead with stunning golden streaks standing next to him.

She was dressed in a sleeveless blue-and-white tunic with a matching skirt and sash, a white apron that held her notepad, and a pair of wooden sandals. Her skin was the color of honey with the remnant of a great summer tan, her eyes were a vivid blue, and her legs were long and shapely.

“I’m Sunset Shimmer. I’ll be your waitress,” she introduced herself. “The fish is fresh. But be careful, so are the geisha girls.” She giggled. “So, what’ll it be handsome?”

Spike’s mouth hung open.

“Hamana-hamana-hamana...” he muttered. He quickly composed himself and said, “Well, I’ve never eaten here before. What do you recommend?”

“Oh, gosh, I could hardly say,” Sunset replied. “We have good Teriyaki...”

“I’ll try it,” Spike said quickly.

“And I will have the Califoalnia roll,” said Celestia.

Sunset wrote down their orders and smiled, “I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared into the kitchen as Spike sipped his water. Applejack was beautiful, but Sunset was just as stunning; maybe even more so. Spike glared at his mother and said, “Not a word!” and Celestia just smiled again.

Sunset came back with Spike’s Teriyaki and Celestia’s Califoalnia roll. Spike’s dish consisted of cooked beef, carrots, broccoli and squash. Spike took a bite and his eyebrows shot up.

“Oh, my Faust!” he breathed.

“What?” Celestia asked.

“It’s like I’ve never eaten squash before,” he replied.

“You have,” she said.

“Not like this,”

It was fresh, just like Sunset had said, but to Spike it was amazing. The vegetables had been cooked in such a way that they were warm, but they retained their shape and still had a bit of crunch to them. To Spike, there was nothing worse than vegetables that had been overcooked to the point that they were mush.

He preferred his squash sautéed in butter or a little oil, but he had never come close to matching this, and he was soon shoveling into his mouth.

“Now THAT’S how you cook a squash!” he thought.

And the sauce it was marinating in was actual Teriyaki sauce, made in-house, not something one bought at the store. The taste of ginger was strong. It was incredible, and Spike ate every bite.

Celestia paid for both of their meals and told Spike that she was headed for a meeting with the resort’s owners. That meant Spike was free to wander around and see what the hotel had to offer.

As he clutched his briefcase, he thought about going on one of the rollercoasters, hanging by one of the indoor pools or taking in a show. Then suddenly, a big, brown owl swooped into the restaurant and landed on the bar, right next to Sunset Shimmer.

It was difficult for Spike to tell exactly what kind of owl it was, for it had the dark eyes of a barn owl, but the plumicorns (those tufts of feathers that look like big eyebrows) of a great horned owl.

“Oh, hello, Owlowiscious, perfect timing as usual,” Sunset said. “Be a dear and bring this handsome gentleman to see your mistress, will you?”

The owl hooted in reply, which Spike found quite annoying, and it flew back out the way it came in.

“Take me where?” Spike wondered.

“You’d better hurry if you don’t want to lose him,” she advised.

“Thank you,” Spike told her.

With a last glance at Sunset, Spike took off after the owl.

“Such a handsome guy,” she sighed. “Why does he look so familiar?”

Next Chapter: The Princess of Friendship Estimated time remaining: 21 Hours, 54 Minutes