Sunset Rekindled

by EldritchNexus

Battle of the Summerset Casino

"And now, I shall ask for somepony in the audience to be my volunteer!" said Artemis. "Come now, don't be shy!"

Suddenly, a puff of smoke covered the far side of the stage.

"Ponyfolk of Las Pegasus!" shouted a female voice. "Feast your eyes on what shall undoubtedly be the greatest display of magic you shall ever see in this town or any other! Behold the talents--" the smoke started to clear. "--of the Great and Powerful--" the smoke cleared, revealing the speaker. "--Trrrrixie!"

Several members of the audience gasped.

"Ah! Daughter?!" said Artemis in surprised. "Er--I mean, who is this 'Great and Powerful Trixie' who dares intrude upon my magic show?!"

"I've stood in your shadow long enough, pops!" said Trixie. "I'm gonna make a name for myself right here and now!"

"Oh, so is this a challenge?" asked Artemis.

"You bet!" said Trixie.

"Then may we have a magic duel, right here in front of my loving audience!" said Artemis.

"Bring it on, old man!" said Trixie.

---

A.K. Yearling was sitting at a table in the casino, waiting for Mr. Summerset's meeting with Scarlet Blaze to end. She watched the other guests playing card games with each other at the tables, having drinks at the bar, and chattering with each other. An earth pony waitress came up to her.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" she said. "Would you care for something to drink as you wait?"

"Yes, give me a sasparilla." said Yearling. "On the rocks."

"Right away, ma'am." the waitress said, and then left.

She returned a few seconds later.

"Enjoy your drink, please!" she said.

---

The main entrance to the casino opened, and Mr. Blue, Mr. Red, and Mr. Yellow entered.

"You two wait by the stage." said Mr. Blue. "I'll be at the poker tables."

Mr. Blue passed the tables by, making quick glances here and there to see if Sunset Shimmer already made it there. Sooner or later, he noticed A.K. Yearling having a drink at the one closest to the stairs that led upstairs. He went around the other tables so that he could sneak up behind her, his horn glowing.

---

"Man, what's taking Nips so long?" Lightning Dust inquired to Frosty.

"I have no idea." Frosty responded. "We were just having a milkshake-drinking contest, when--"

"Hang on!" said Lightning, putting a hoof on Frosty's mouth and looking at the poker tables.

She saw A.K. Yearling, or Daring Do as she already knew her, drinking a sasparilla, and a male unicorn slowly sneaking up on her from behind. She recognized that unicorn as the same one she encountered at the museum in Manehatten. She peered closer, and saw his horn was glowing rather brightly.

"Watch out!" Lightning shouted, launching herself into the air at breakneck speed.

She shot straight over the tables, ruining many card games and knocking over drinks as she went, and tackled Mr. Blue to the ground. The two were rolling under the tables, but Mr. Blue managed to kick Lightning away and get back up. Yearling turned around in surprise, then was suddenly blasted by a spell from Mr. Blue's horn before she could recognize the caster. She was knocked up the stairs, unconscious.

"That's it, you're going down!" said Lightning.

"I don't think so, sergeant." said Mr. Blue, who put up a hoof to whistle.

---

Artemis finished his trick, which involved him opening up a portion of a curtain on the stage then running behind it while producing an optical illusion that made it seem like he was running back out the right side whenever he went left again and again.

"Try and top that one, Trixie m'dear." he said to his daughter.

"Oh, I thought you would never ask." said Trixie. "And now for my next trick....I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, shall transform myself into a stallion!"

The audience gasped.

"Trixie, you must be bluffing!" said Artemis. "Not even I can do a spell like that!"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie never bluffs...well, not anymore!" said Trixie.

Then there was a flash of light, and where the blue mare stood was a blue stallion wearing the same pointed wizard's hat and cape Trixie was wearing. He stood there and made a dramatic pose with his front hooves pointed up. The whole audience applauded in surprise.

"Well..." said Artemis. "You win this round, daughter...son..."

Suddenly, Mr. Red and Mr. Yellow emerged from the audience and rushed to the poker tables. Trixie the stallion watched, distracted, when he suddenly lost balance and fell over on the stage. His hat fell off, revealing his red mohawk. Without checking to see if anyone was looking in his direction, Teddy scrambled back behind the curtains and pushed Trixie back out.

"Ah-ha!" said Artemis. "Nice try, daughter! But I'm afraid that just won't cut it!"

Trixie swore under her breath at her ruse being compromised.

"What the buck is going on over there, anyway?" said Trixie, looking to see where Mr. Red and Mr. Yellow went.

She saw a fight break out over the tables, and Lightning Dust was fighting off three stallions at once. She gasped, then galloped off the stage to assist Lightning. Teddy tried sneaking off the stage, still wearing Trixie's cape, when he noticed Artemis still looking at him.

"Um...hi." said Teddy, waving a hoof sheepishly, before bolting and disappearing into the surprised audience.

Artemis just stood there confused.

---

"What in the hoof is that noise?" wondered Scarlet, hearing a series of crashing noises from downstairs.

"Miss Blaze, I would recommend staying in here, if you don't mind." said Mr. Summerset.

Scarlet opened the door and looked outside. She saw A.K. Yearling lying unconscious against the wall, and gasped.

"Is she alright--?" Scarlet said, before suddenly being pulled back into the room by Summerset.

"I'm sorry, but I must insist that you stay in here, so that we can discuss this like two civilized ponyfolk." said Summerset.

"Like heck we will!" Scarlet tried to break free.

She was going to try and cast a spell to break the door down, but then she remembered that there was an anti-magic field placed on the office. Instead, she struck Summerset in the head, threw herself against the wall, and turned around.

"Something tells me your intentions aren't as good as you've been leading everypony to believe!" said Scarlet. "And I bet you know something about my husband that I don't!"

"If I did, I wouldn't be the one to tell you." said Summerset.

"Wanna bet?" said Scarlet.

"So you're going to fight me?" said Summerset. "I must warn you, I have learned since I was a colt how to fight like the great Saddle Arabian paladins of yore."

Scarlet stood up on her back legs, and struck a martial arts-esque pose.

"So have I." she said.

Summerset did the same, and then the two started punching, wrestling, and kicking each other around the office.

---

Lightning Dust was wrestling with Mr. Blue, before being grabbed and pulled away by Mr. Yellow. A blast of purple electricity struck Mr. Yellow in the back, causing him to let go of Lightning.

"Stay away from my friend!" yelled Trixie.

Mr. Yellow got back up and charged towards Trixie and tackled her. The two wrestled on the ground, knocking tables over and sending guests fleeing in a panic as Trixie's spells shot in every direction. One spell struck an overhanging chandelier, causing all of its candles to shoot through the air in a cluster of fireworks. The gaming area was engulfed in utter chaos.

"This is for ruining my performance!" Trixie shouted as she repeatedly hit Mr. Yellow in the face.

Teddy rushed over to assist Trixie and Lightning Dust, only to be stopped by Mr. Red.

"Don't make me hurt you!" said Teddy, raising his front hooves in a threatening manner. "I mean it! I'll give you the biggest whooping of your--"

But Mr. Red hoof-punched Teddy in the face.--

92

--then the chest.--

81

--then grabbed a pool cue and jabbed him with it, before whacking him on the head with the thick end.--

66

--then he slapped Teddy in the face several times with his wings.--

45

--then hit him on the chin with his elbow.--

34

--and then finished by flying around Teddy, grabbing by the tail, spinning him round and round, and then throwing him into a nearby slot machine, causing gold coins to rain down on him.--

1

Then when the last coin hit Teddy on the head, he finally lost consciousness.

0

"Game Over." said Mr. Red. "Would you like to continue?"

"Continue this!" shouted Daring Do, who had regained consciousness and decided to join the fight by ramming into Mr. Red.

---

Sunset Shimmer and Radiant Dawn were riding in the taxi on the way to the Summerset Casino. They both felt the cool night air blowing in their manes as the cab sped down the road.

"Red, you and I are having the time of our lives!" said Sunset.

"We sure are, Sunny!" said Radiant.

The taxi made it to the casino, where Radiant and Sunset got out and paid their fee to the pony that pulled the taxi.

"Let's see if this place is as good as everypony made it out to be." said Sunset.

Suddenly, one of the windows was shattered by a magic blast and a terrified scream was audible.

"Eeyup." said the two Sun Siblings at once, who galloped up to the main entrance.

---

Frosty found himself hanging for dear life from a roulette table that was being thrown around the casino in a telekinetic tug-of-war between Trixie and Mr. Blue.

"Somepony...anypony!" he screamed. "Get! Me! Offa! Dis! THIIIIIIINNNNNNGGG!"

Nose Nip came back, still kicking off a square of toilet paper from his back hoof.

"Boy, those milkshakes really get me..." he began, when he suddenly noticed how the casino was in shambles. "Oh, come on! What the buck did I miss this time?!"

The crowd in the casino was clearing out quickly. But Artemis was still on the stage.

"Worry not, everypony!" he said over the noise. "I will see to it that this chaos is subdued! For I am the Supreme and Mystical--"

Suddenly, Frosty's roulette table was sent spiraling towards him, and he made a very panicked yelp. Just before it would hit him, Nose Nip leapt onto the stage and grabbed it with his front hooves. Frosty got off, totally dazed and wandered towards a nearby trash can to puke into it.

"'Dis is why ya shouldn't trust roulettes." he muttered under his breath after cleaning the vomit from his mouth.

Meanwhile, Artemis approached Nose Nip.

"Your assistance is much appreciated." he told him. "If there's anything you need--"

"What?!" said Nose Nip. "Look, just get out of here before you get hurt. Get the guests out of here, too."

"As you wish." said Artemis, making a smarmy grin. "But I would like to know your name, my friend."

"Nose Nip, will ya quit messin' around and get ovuh he'e?!" Frosty shouted, as he found himself dueling Mr. Blue. "I need some muscle!"

Nose Nip galloped away from Artemis as fast as he could, rushing to his friend's aid.

Lightning Dust and Daring Do exchanged adversaries, with Daring Do taking on Mr. Yellow and Lightning fighting Mr. Red.

Up the stairs, the door to Summerset's office splintered apart, and Scarlet and Summerset spilled into the upstairs hallway. Now free to use her magic, she shot orange blasts by the cluster at Summerset, who simply evaded her, knocked her aside, then galloped down the stairs at a breakneck speed. He managed to avoid the tempest that was the battle going on in his casino and dove over Sunset Shimmer and Radiant Dawn's heads as they forced the front doors open. He disappeared into the darkness outside, but Sunset and Radiant were too distracted by what was going on inside to pay attention.

Scarlet ran down the stairs, shooting more magical blasts at whoever she believed to be responsible for the battle outside. Eventually, she came to the source of most of the magical destruction: Mr. Blue.

"Why don't you try me on for size, little man!" shouted Scarlet.

Then she fired a spell at Mr. Blue, who absorbed Scarlet's spell but a second too late. The cream-colored stallion was pushed back a few feet into a wall, and his sunglasses fell off his face, revealing his eyes, which were swirly and green, but occasionally appeared to shimmer back and forth between a familiar silvery-blue. Scarlet gasped.

"Sorry, but I think my boss is going to need me." said Mr. Blue, whose horn started to glow.

He triggered a massive concussive spell that caused every poker table within six yards of him to burst apart into splinters and knock everypony nearby off their hooves. He whistled for Mr. Red and Mr. Yellow to escape through the front doors amid the confusion. Then he galloped out himself just as Sunset and Radiant rushed over to the source of the big blast. He used his telekinesis to lift himself over their heads. As Sunset and Radiant turned around, they could see a rip in his suit that exposed what appeared to be a sun-shaped cutie mark.

"Was that who I think it was?" said Sunset in surprise.

"Yes, dear. It was."

Scarlet Blaze came up to them, accompanied by Trixie, Daring Do, Lightning Dust, Frosty, and Nose Nip (Teddy was still unconscious nearby), all visibly bruised by the conflict.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" asked Sunset.

"I'd like to ask you two the same question." said Scarlet. "But I think there's something more important: Kids, I think I just found...your father."

Sunset, Radiant, and everypony else present gasped in shock.

Comments

[00RaiserGundam]

I KNEW IT!!!!!!! I SO FREAKING CALLED IT!!!!!!!!!! I KNEW it was Mr. Blue!

[Lord Nopony]

I SHOULD'VE KNOWN!!! OMG!! Way to go with that scene! I DID NOT see it coming!

Also:

"Um...hi." said Teddy, waving a hoof sheepishly, before bolting and disappearing into the surprised audience.
Artemis just stood there confused.

Cue sweatdrop! Lol

[EldritchNexus]

4996974

My personal favorite part was when Mr. Red beat the tar out of Teddy, complete with HP count.

[Lord Nopony]

4997172 Yeah! I was lmao!

[VampireVinyl]

Told ya

[JimmyHook19]

:O I KNEW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!