The following day was hot and humid, and thunderheads began to form up around one in the afternoon as the Flimflam Brothers led Twilight and Rarity through a big gray casino that had been built to look like a castle, located in the heart of Las Pegasus.

“Slow down!” Twilight called after them.

“No, you speed up!” Flam called back. “Pick up the pace!”

“So, what do you think?” Flim asked them after they reached the top.

“This place gives me shivers,” Twilight whispered to herself.

“Wow! What a gorgeous view!” Rarity breathed.

“We’ve got big plans for this place,” Flim said.

“Just imagine how much the guests would enjoy this view if this whole top floor was a bar-lounge,” Flam added.

“But aren’t castles like this usually haunted?” Twilight asked. “Wouldn’t that drive customers away?”

“Who knows?” Flim replied. “Spooky stuff like this could be a great attraction.”

“Let’s check out the basement,” Flam said.

“Do we have to?” Twilight asked.

The basement was black marble and onyx, its ceiling held up by four statues of nude women with upraised arms and stainless steel eyes. Blue tapestries hung on the walls and long black candles stood in elegant silver candlesticks.

“There used to be a pretty popular casino here back in the 19th Century,” Flim told them. “It was run by a woman named Nightmare Moon, who’s featured in this portrait here.”

They all gazed up at the framed painting of a regal woman in a dark blue gown silhouetted against the night sky.

“She’s so beautiful,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, she really was something,” Flam replied. “And we’ve converted this basement into a perfect recreation of her casino.”

“Conveniently, these tables are the same as the ones we use in our casinos, so repairs were a breeze,” Flim added.

“Impressive,” said Rarity.

“I know,” Flam answered. “To pull the whole look together, we’ve ordered you ladies some special costumes. We’ll open for business next week, when the reconstruction is done. Can we count on you?”

“How do you expect us to work here and at the hotel at the same time?” Twilight asked. “We’re all working overtime as it is, not to mention all of your little side projects.”

“No worries,” said Flim. “We’ve already got your replacements lined up for the big day.”

“Not another new recruit, I hope,” Twilight replied.

“No, these are experienced professionals,” Flam assured her. “There’s no room for error.”

“We’ve invested a truly irresponsible amount of money into this castle,” Flim said as the women followed him and his brother out of the basement. “If it turns out to be a flop, then we all lose big.”

When they left the castle casino, the skies opened. It began to pour and the portrait of Nightmare Moon started glowing.

Hours later, a zigzag of lightning cracked across the sky over Las Pegasus. It had been raining for hours and the storm showed no sign of letting up. Outside the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort, the night was cold, rainy, and dark. But inside, the guests were all warm and comfortable. Several of the girls had joined Spike in his suite for a little late night reading.

“Ah...” he sighed.

Spike had his nose buried in one of the many fine titles in his excellent collection of comic books. He wasn’t sure exactly when his fanboy crush on Mistress Marvelous had begun, but he didn’t care. At the moment, he imagined himself as Humdrum, peeling off her tight red uniform and making love to her... right behind Masked Matterhorn’s back!

Applejack was looking at an issue of Mistress Marvelous too. Pinkie stifled her laughter (as not to disturb everyone else) as she read a comic about cartoon animals that sang silly songs and (at least in her mind) spoke in squeaky voices. Fluttershy held up a comic, but it was to conceal a smutty romance novel about a group of lady pirates who had saved a young man from dying and took him on as their cabin boy. She was reading the part where the cabin boy had started a relationship with the ship’s doctor (who was also a woman). Even Rainbow Dash was reading a Shadow Spade novel... with a sour, unbelieving expression on her face. She traded with Rarity for Daring Do and the Tickets to the Opera.

The only one who wasn’t reading was Sunset Shimmer. She was staring out the window, into the rain, into the darkness. Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed into the night, followed by a deafening crash of thunder that shook the building.

All the other girls looked up at Sunset, startled.

“Just the storm,” she said, blushing as red as her hair.

She turned away from the window too quickly, stubbing her toe against the leg of the room’s main reading table.

“Ow!” she cried, hopping around the room in pain.

“You’re awfully jumpy tonight,” Spike observed. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Sunset insisted.

Spike returned to his comic book, but every few seconds, he lowered it an inch to look at Sunset. When she caught him looking, he quickly raised the comic back in front of his face.

Twilight glanced at her watch—it was almost midnight—then she headed for the door.

“I’ve got to work the graveyard shift,” she said.

No one seemed to be listening as Twilight pulled the door to Spike’s suite shut behind her. She hurried down the hall to the elevator and rode it down to the ground floor. Once the doors reopened, she walked through the lobby to the casino. She glanced at her watch again. The minute hand moved. It now pointed straight up to twelve. The lights flickered on and off as Twilight took her position behind her table and a woman in blue sat across from her. She was soaked to the bone but in good humor.

“Good evening,” Twilight said.

Droplets of water dotted the lady’s hair as she pushed four chips (one red, one black, one purple, and one blue) across the felt to Twilight. Thunder boomed and a few hanging lights in the gloomy casino flickered.

Twilight dealt the woman the Ten of Hearts and the Ten of Spades, and she got the Jack of Diamonds and the Eight of Clubs for herself.

“Twenty,” she said. “The dealer shows eighteen. Congratulations.”

“Let’s make a bet,” the lady told her. “If I’m the winner of this game, then your casino belongs to me.”

“Good one, that’s very funny,”

The lady in blue started laughing. Then she attacked Twilight!

Twilight screamed as she bolted upright in her bed.

“Just a bad dream,” she told herself as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and she dove under the covers. “I hate lightning!” she cried.

Across the city, lightning struck the castle casino and the spirit of Nightmare Moon was freed from her portrait!

The next morning was sunny and warm. The staff and the guests of the Flimflam Brothers’ Resort could hardly believe that there had been a storm the night before. Applejack, Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Twilight were all by the pool, preparing for the Brothers’ latest side project: a swimsuit calendar featuring all of them. Applejack was dressed in a royal blue bikini while Fluttershy wore a yellow two-piece number with a frilly pattern, Pinkie was decked out in hot pink while Sunset wore black, Rarity was in white, Rainbow Dash wore red, and Twilight wore purple.

They had agreed to stay by the pool for the entire shoot, in support of each other. The plan was to finish up by 10:00 and reshoot anything that the photographer didn’t like after that, but they had the pool to themselves from six until noon... when they would enjoy a Champagne brunch together.

“I, Photo Finish... have arrived! Now, let’s get ready for the photo sesh!”

Spike stood in the shade, away from the pool and out of Photo Finish’s way. He had heard stories about her from his days as a model; about a famous fashion photographer who was as beautiful as she was smart, good at giving direction, had no limits (as long as her models felt comfortable posing for her), and a thick accent that added to her sexiness. He had never worked with her personally, and he only “knew” her from her work, which was impressive, and her reputation.

She wore a black ensemble with white accents and big purple sunglasses with thick black frames that complimented her light gray hair. And she had brought her entire entourage: Soigné Folio, High Style, Powder Rouge, Pixel Pizzazz and Violet Blurr (all women).

“It is time to make... za magicks!”

Photo Finish pulled out her camera—a high-end single-lens reflex digital model—and immediately started snapping photos. And the girls did as she instructed them without hesitation.

“Oh, yes! Ja! There you go. Okay, yes. Oh, now, Pinkie Pie, you’re having fun! Yes! So much fun! Now, Flootershy, you’re feeling bashful. You’re blushing. Rarity, give me a little pout...”

The poses started out modestly with Pinkie holding a beach ball, Fluttershy looking cute, and Rarity sitting on one of the pool chaises with her legs crossed and acting coy (like she knew they wanted her).

“Ah, yes, very nice. Ja,” Photo Finish said. “I like what I’m seeing. Now, let’s get a little sexier.”

The poses quickly got more provocative with Applejack and Sunset hugging each other, their hands coming dangerously close to untying each others’ bikini tops; Twilight tugging on the strings of her top, and Rainbow Dash bent over and looking back as she sucked a Popsicle. Photo Finish kept throwing out commands and the girls obeyed, which made her very happy. And every time the camera flashed, the girls moved. They wanted to give Photo Finish as much to work with as possible.

Photo Finish saw Spike in the shade out of the corner of her eye when she was adjusting the focus of her camera, and stopped mid-command. Then she lifted her sunglasses, staring at him with wide, dark indigo eyes.

“You!” she shouted, pulling him out of the shadows. “That poise, that masculinity... You are magnificent!” She kissed him. “I MUST photograph you!”

Photo Finish started taking photos of Spike. He held his hand up in front of his face (the first few flashes had temporarily blinded him), then his eyes adjusted.

“Remove your shirt!” she ordered. “So I can see the hunk behind the man!”

Spike took off his vest before Photo Finish (or any of her assistants) could get the chance. Then he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, and Photo Finish was in complete awe.

“Ooohh... That flat stomach, those taut, sculpted muscles... That abdomen, those lats, those deltoids, that butt, and just the right amount of chest hair... you are a fantastic physical specimen! You pose for me!”

Spike just went with it, a simple turn here, a flex of the arm there...

“You are a big, strong, macho, MACHO MAN!!” Photo Finish shouted.

She went crazy with her camera, snapping in numerous different positions, including under her leg, upside down, while lying down, looking away, crouching, even between her legs! Spike started getting the hang of it and even added some of his own personal touches, which Photo Finish liked.

He could sense Photo Finish’s lust for him as he gave her a look that said, “I know you want me. Come and let me ravage you.”

Photo Finish couldn’t remember the last time she had done a photo shoot with a man so gorgeous nor so comfortable with himself as Spike. She was thankful that she was wearing her shades, because if not, Spike would have been able to see the desire in her eyes.

“Perfect!” she said. “Hold that pose! Brilliant! Brilliant! Oh, you’re radiant! You’re glowing! Enough! I go!”

And just like that, with a snap of her fingers, Photo Finish and her entire team were gone.

“Is she always that intense?” Spike asked.

“No,” Fluttershy replied. “In fact, usually she’s much more than that.”

“That was great,” Dash said to Spike as she offered him a bottle of water.

He thanked her before taking a swig.

“You really have gotten popular around here,” Sunset said. “I’m sure you’ll be getting a call from Applewood any day now.”

“I’d love to see a movie starring Spike,” Pinkie put in.

Spike smiled as he fought off a blush. But he smiled even wider, and blushed even harder, when he saw Chrysalis sprawled out on one of the pool chaises... naked, as usual.

“Spike, can you be a dear and do my back?” she asked cutely. “You always get the little nooks and crannies.”

“Sure thing, Mamacita,” he said.

Spike was a little surprised that Photo Finish didn’t ask Chrysalis to pose for her (she had been laying there the whole time). She had been tanning so much that her skin had gotten a bronze sheen to it. Chrysalis tilted her head to look up at Spike as he rubbed oil onto her shoulders.

“That storm last night was intense,” she said.

“I slept like a rock, so I couldn’t tell,” Spike replied.

“Lucky boy,” she thought.

It hadn’t taken much effort (on Spike’s part) to seduce Chrysalis. She was lonely, bored, and like many women her age, horny. Add a few drinks and a day where it was a hundred degrees in the shade, and the result was spontaneous combustion. Now, he had her wrapped around his little finger. And yes, I’m sure most of you are thinking, “All Spike has to do is look at a woman and she’s wet between the legs, panting like a puppy for a treat, bent over, thighs spread, ready to satisfy his every desire.” But Spike liked to earn it, even though he didn’t have to. He took the time to enjoy every opportunity that came his way.

Suddenly, Starlight Glimmer came running out from inside.

“Did you hear what went down yesterday?” she asked the girls.

“No, what happened?” Twilight replied.

“Grand theft pineapple,” Starlight said. “Late last night, someone stole every single pineapple that we had on the hotel premises!”

“Every one?” Pinkie asked.

Starlight nodded.

“That’s odd,” Twilight commented.

Applejack looked over at Spike when she noticed him rubbing his arm.

“Are you okay?” she asked him.

Spike shook his head. Starlight mentioning the word “pineapple” had caused him to give in to his reflexive urge to scratch. They looked over at Rarity, who was lying on one of the pool chaises and holding her cell phone to her ear.

“I’m sorry, but I need to cancel my reservation,” she said. “Yes, thank you.”

“What’s wrong, Rarity?” Spike asked.

“I’ve been dieting, but I’m still gaining weight,” she replied.

“Are you sure?” Applejack asked.

“I was shocked when I got on the scale after I woke up this morning,” Rarity said with a sigh. “And I’m so busy I have no appetite.”

Spike gave Rarity a sympathetic smile as she got up and went inside.

“I hope she’ll be okay,” he thought.

It was cold and rainy again that night. At one o’clock in the morning, another horrible rainstorm lashed the resort. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed, and when the grandfather clock in Spike’s suite bonged, the sound was drowned out by a thunderclap. And down in the casino, several of the patrons left when the slot machines didn’t pay off.

“What the--?!”

“Is it broken?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve been on a cold streak,”

“Man, let’s just go,”

A woman in dark blue approached the Roulette wheel. She was dripping wet and she was carrying several stacks of casino chips. With a pale white hand, she placed a stack of red chips on Black 26 as Fluttershy spun the wheel.

“Let’s make a bet,” the lady in blue said. “If I’m the winner, your casino will belong to me.”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the casino’s vast roof. Thunder boomed and rain slashed noisily downward and all of Las Pegasus blacked out for ten whole seconds. Then the power returned... and the lady in blue had disappeared.

Discord, Spike, Applejack, Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Starlight and Twilight assembled in Flim and Flam’s office the following morning.

“If she wins, the casino’s hers. That’s what she said?” Twilight inquired.

“Almost word for word,” Fluttershy confirmed.

“Damn!” Applejack exclaimed. “She’s got guts!”

“What did she look like?” Starlight asked.

“She was wearing a long, very dark blue dress,” Fluttershy replied.

Twilight looked aghast.

“What?” she asked.

“And she was beautiful, if not a bit gloomy,” Fluttershy added.

“I’ve never seen anyone like that before,” Pinkie said.

“Just like in my dream,” Twilight whispered.

“What dream?” Starlight asked.

“Well, well, speak of the Devil,” Flim and Flam both said.

The Brothers had pulled up footage from the camera near the Roulette table Fluttershy was working the night before, and the lady in blue appeared on the security monitors.

“Creepy!” Dash commented. “You can’t even see her face!”

“Applejack, if this woman shows up again, we want you and your security team to deal with it,” Flim ordered.

“You got it,” AJ replied.

“Discord, check the backup generator and make sure it’s operational,” added Flam. “If the power goes off in the hotel again, we’re going to need it.”

“Yes, sir,” Discord said.

“Fluttershy, come with me,” Twilight whispered.

The afternoon was cold and rainy when Spike entered the Sweet Snacks Café. After the shoot with Photo Finish the day before, he went to the front desk and asked Coco if she would like to have coffee with him the following afternoon. She said yes and that she could hardly wait. The Café was almost deserted at 3:00 o’clock when Spike went in and sat at a table near the back. He waved for Coco to join him after she’d arrived. She smiled as she sat across from him and Pinkie brought him a cup of hot chocolate.

“You already ordered?” Coco asked.

“I didn’t know how you take your coffee,” Spike replied. “If I had, I would have ordered it for you so that it would be ready when you got here. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “I don’t drink coffee.”

Pinkie asked Coco what she wanted and Coco said she would have the same thing that Spike had.

“Another hot chocolate with whipped cream, coming right up,” Pinkie smiled and skated away.

“It’s surprisingly chilly out there,” Coco said. “Hard to believe it was sunny and warm a few hours ago.”

“I know, this weather’s been freaky lately,” Spike replied.

Once Pinkie returned with Coco’s cocoa, she (Coco) began to relax and she and Spike got to talking. He thanked her again for helping get Suri fired and making sure that Fluttershy stayed. Then they started speaking about their jobs at the resort; Coco had told Spike that she had been working there for five years now, but she had aspirations of being on Bridleway and that if not as an actress onstage, then as a set builder and/or costume designer behind the scenes.

Spike shared that his minor in college was Theatre Arts and he had done community theatre a few times since then. He also admitted that green was not his natural hair color; he had dyed it once on a dare, but he liked it so much (and he looked so good) that he just never let its natural black color return. Then he told her he liked her hairdo.

“Bobs are gorgeous, but not a lot of women can pull them off,” he said. “And you... you do it very well.”

All in all, it was not bad for their “first date.” But after a while, Spike started staring at her.

“Spike, are you okay?” Coco asked.

He sighed.

“I like you, Coco,” he said. “I really do. But, there are others... Other girls... that I like, and who like me...”

“Miss Queen and Miss de Lis being among them?” she guessed.

“Yes. I’m sorry--”

“I understand,” she said.

Spike was shocked. He had expected her to slap him, or at least cry, but she didn’t do either.

Coco paused for a moment before adding, “Have you told either of them how you feel?”

“No,” he replied.

“Well, I think you should,” she told him. “You’re a good man, Spike Drake, and you deserve the best.”

She thanked him for buying her cocoa.

“I hope I didn’t keep you from work,” he said.

“Not at all. I had fun. I only wish we had more time to talk,”

“Me too,”

They exited the Café together. Then Coco gave Spike a kiss on the lips.

“Thank you again, Spike,” she said. “I don’t know what it is about you, but I feel that as long as you’re around everything will be all right.”

Spike held a hand to his lips and he blushed as he watched her go.

“She slipped me tongue!” he thought happily. “She slipped me tongue!”

Fluttershy was extremely scared when Twilight led her down to the basement of the castle casino. Even with the lights on, it was still dim and eerie.

“It’s not much farther,” Twilight told her.

They walked down the stairs, then Fluttershy stood frozen, her face twisted in terror as she pointed up to the gilt-framed painting hanging above their heads.

“That’s the woman I saw!” she exclaimed.

“Are you positive?” Twilight asked.

“I’d never forget a face like that. That’s definitely her!”

“It’s just as I thought. It’s the spirit of Nightmare Moon!”

Twilight and Fluttershy returned to the Flimflam Resort right after, and Twilight marched into Flim and Flam’s office.

“A ghost?” the Brothers asked.

“I’m not kidding,” Twilight said. “It’s Nightmare Moon! Fluttershy confirmed it after I showed her portrait.”

“We had heard rumors of ghosts when we bought the place,” Flim admitted, “but we thought it was just a joke.”

“So what?” Flam asked. “Ghosts don’t exist! Nightmare Moon died years ago and she’s not coming back!”

Twilight showed them an article she had printed off the internet.

“What’s this?” Flim inquired.

“I decided to do a little research,” she told them.

“And what did you find?” asked Flam.

“Nightmare Moon loved gambling more than anything or anyone,” Twilight said. “The casino she opened in the castle basement was well known for being as beautiful as its owner... until one night, when a high roller came to visit. In a single night, she lost everything from ownership of the castle to her all-time favorite food: pineapples.”

“Pineapples?” Flim echoed.

“Isn’t it strange that all of our pineapples have gone missing?” she asked.

“It can’t be--” Flam started to say. “It’s ridiculous!”

“The casino continued to operate long after Nightmare Moon’s death,” Twilight continued. “But frequent sightings of her ghost roaming through the castle caused a decline in sales, which forced the casino to ultimately close down for good.”

“Nonsense!” Flam shouted. “It’s all nonsense!”

“You’re not going to do anything even in the face of all this evidence?” Twilight shouted.

“What evidence?” Flam replied. “Let’s suppose there really is a ghost. Why would she show up here and now after all this time?”

“And why would an immaterial being want to eat pineapples, anyway?” Flim added. “Ghosts can’t eat without a physical body!”

“None of this makes any sense!” they both stated.

Twilight couldn’t answer.

Rarity awoke in the middle of the night with a throbbing headache. She went into her bathroom, splashed cold water on her face and when she looked in the mirror, she saw Nightmare Moon staring right back at her. Rarity shook her head and closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, she saw her own reflection in the mirror.

“What’s happening to me?” she asked.

Rarity could hear Nightmare Moon laughing in her head, and then she blacked out. A little while later, a noise woke Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Dash made her way to Fluttershy’s room.

“You hear that?” Dash whispered.

Fluttershy nodded.

It was a terrible, slurping, smacking sound like somebody was licking their chops. And it was accompanied by the sound of teeth tearing meat from bones.

Rainbow Dash fumbled in her pocket for her penlight. When she flicked it on, the thin beam of light found Fluttershy’s pale face.

The noise was coming from Rarity’s room.

They tiptoed to Rarity’s room and saw that she wasn’t in bed. Then they saw the door to Rarity’s bathroom creaked open. They peeked around the corner and saw Rarity sitting on the floor, savagely devouring whole pineapples. Only it wasn’t Rarity, it was a creature that looked like Rarity. It looked up at them with wild eyes and they turned and ran with it close behind them.

They bolted for the door, but it cut them off.

“You saw me!” she shouted as she overtook them.

Meanwhile, Twilight tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep.

“I can not believe them!” she said about Flim and Flam. “They are so hardheaded!” Suddenly, her cell phone started ringing. “Rarity, what’s up?”

“Please... help me... before it’s too late...”

She sounded weak, almost like she was dying.

Then the line went dead.

“Rarity, what’s wrong? Rarity!” she shouted.

Twilight ran down the hallway to Rarity’s suite. The door was wide open. She walked in and saw that the suite had been trashed. The water had been left running in the sinks in the bathroom and the kitchenette, a bottle of red wine had been spilled on the carpet by the couch, and every single one of the rooms was littered with... pineapples.

“Rarity’s been possessed by Nightmare Moon!” Twilight breathed.

Numerous bolts of lightning flashed above Twilight’s head as she made her way across town, to the castle casino. Once she was inside, she made her way down to the basement, and she found Spike standing across from Rarity as she sat on a throne in the center of the room. Only it wasn’t the Rarity they knew. This woman wore a dark blue, almost black dress, and she was taller, paler, and more endowed in the bust department.

“I welcome you to my castle, Miss Sparkle,” she said with a wicked smile.

“Get out of Rarity’s body right now!” Spike ordered.

“You want me to leave? Very well, but in exchange...”

She tossed Spike a pair of red dice and he caught them one-handed.

“I want to play a game,” she said. “Afterward, I will release Rarity. Well, if you win, of course.”

“And if I lose?” Spike asked.

“The Flimflam Brothers’ Resort will belong to me... forever!”

“That’s outrageous!” shouted a familiar voice.

“Unacceptable!” added another almost identical one.

“We’ll never agree to those terms!” a third joined in.

Spike looked behind Nightmare Rarity and saw Flim, Flam, and Discord all hanging, suspended by ropes on the far wall.

“Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy!” he shouted.

They had been possessed too, hypnotized into Nightmare Rarity’s servants.

“If you refuse my game, I’ll cut them in two!” Nightmare Rarity said.

“Accept her challenge, Spike!” shouted Flim.

“Do what she says!” Flam added.

“Are you okay with putting your entire resort on the line?” Spike asked.

“I’d rather die!” Flim growled.

“You’re about to!” Spike reminded them.

“Fine, you have our express permission!” the Brothers shouted.

“If I win this game, do you promise that you’ll let Rarity go?” Spike asked.

“I swear,” Nightmare Rarity replied.

“And you have to promise to leave all of us in peace!” Spike added.

“I keep my word!” Nightmare Rarity smiled evilly. “Now, let’s get started!”

“I’ll do it!” Spike accepted.

They took positions on opposite ends of a Craps table.

“Let’s keep it simple,” Nightmare Rarity said. “We’ll place bets on the sum of our dice coming up even or odd.”

“That’s fine,” Spike replied.

“One roll will decide your fate,” she added. “Here we go.”

Spike held the dice firmly in his fist.

“Hurry up and roll already!” Nightmare Rarity demanded.

“What’s your bet?” he asked.

“Odd,” said she.

“Don’t you dare lose, Spike!” Flim stated.

“The resort is our lives!” added Flam. “You have to win!”

Spike was about to throw when suddenly, a swarm of bats appeared and started flying all around him. Only they weren’t bats, they were rings of pineapple. Flying pineapple rings with bat wings attached to them. He tried to knock them away with his fists, but they were too quick.

“What is he doing?” Discord and Twilight asked.

Spike was the only one who could see the pineapple rings, and even if they were a hallucination, they still felt very real. His arms started to turn red as the pineapples rings surrounded him.

“What’s the matter?” Nightmare Rarity asked. “Roll the dice. I’m getting impatient.” She picked up a pineapple ring from a bowl of them that had been sitting next to her throne and tore into it. Then tears started to form in her eyes. “What the Tartarus is wrong with these rings?” she exclaimed. “They’re so spicy!”

“They better be,”

“You!” Nightmare Rarity hissed.

Spike squinted through the swarm of pineapple rings, and Twilight turned to look up the staircase, and saw Sunset and Pinkie Pie standing at the top!

“I soaked the last of that shipment in my own special blend of hot sauce with extra habanero,” Pinkie smiled.

Nightmare Rarity exhaled sharply, and spat out a fireball that incinerated the flying pineapple rings surrounding Spike.

Once they were gone, Spike cast the red cubes... and he rolled two ones.

Normally, single digits on both dice were not desirable at all... but that day, they were life-saving.

“Snake Eyes!” he declared. “You lost! Now release my friends!”

Nightmare Rarity screamed as Sunset ran down the stairs. She whipped out Spike’s allergy shot and jabbed it into his arm just before his face started to swell up. Spike thanked Sunset as he quickly caught Rarity, Pinkie caught Fluttershy, and Sunset caught Rainbow Dash before they all fainted to the floor.

“That was close,” Discord exhaled.

“Rarity, are you okay?” Spike asked.

“I’m all right,” she groaned. “But I feel bad for Nightmare Moon. We had so much in common... we might have gotten along.”

“Hello, anybody,” Flim began. “Let us out of here!”

“If we’re not out of here in ten seconds you’re all fired!” Flam yelled.

Sunset and Pinkie released Discord and the Brothers from their bonds before helping Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to their feet.

“Thanks for your help,” Spike told Sunset and Pinkie Pie. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“But who, what--when--how?” Twilight attempted.

“It was quite simple, really,” Spike told her. “The other girls and I had been keeping a close eye on Rarity since the photo shoot. It was originally just to make sure that she was all right, but then we noticed her acting strangely. Then, when I saw her leave the resort after a late night gambling session, I decided to follow her and voilà!”

“We saw where things were headed,” Sunset added. “I guess that’s what you’d call intuition.”

“You gotta make sure players follow the rules,” Pinkie said.

Twilight was thunderstruck. Spike, Sunset and Pinkie had saved Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Flim, Flam, and Discord! And not only that, but in spite of her not sharing any of her findings with him, he had found out about Nightmare Moon on a simple hunch! As they all walked back to the resort, Twilight couldn’t help but think that there was much more to Spike, and his abnormally large amount of good luck, than what was meeting the eye.

Next time, the girls take Spike to a magic show, only to have the Great and Powerful Trixie make him disappear as part of the act.