//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Falling 
// Story: After the Surge: Las Pegasus 
// by Nanrite 
//------------------------------//

"They're back!" yelled Daisy as she beamed at Six's return. "Wait... where is..."

It didn't take long before Six was at the gate again, hooves caked in blood and a large bag balanced across her back.
"Is that him?" the guard stallion asked. Six merely tossed the bag off her back and to the guard. The bag, once brown, was now a dark crimson. The guard pony slowly opened it to find the severed head of Nasty Neighs.
"Finally..." he began. "He's finally dead. Thank you."
Six looked out to the ruins, not hearing the guard. She only paid him mind when he hooved her a bag of gold, silver, and bronze bits.
"Where is your friend? Is he..."
Six stopped for a moment, Reins' face flashing back to her like a bolt of lighting. The smile he gave her. His last smile before... before he...
"He's gone... may I enter?" Six asked, looking back to the wasteland of Equestria. The guard nodded before looking back at the bag.
"Stick around... this is for you as well as me," he stated to Six without looking at her. With one quick motion, his upper half lifted from the ground. He hung there for a moment, front legs in mid-stomp, before bringing them down on the head of Nasty Neighs. There was a loud wet sound as the severed skull caved in to the hooves of the massive guard.
"That was for my sister..." the guard stated coldly.
Six looked at the mush that was now Nasty Neighs and wondered, was she happy now? Once revenge is quenched, there is nothing but an empty void. A void that will never truly be filled again. Nothing could bring Reins back... and she knew that.
"May I enter?" Six asked again.
"Yeah," the guard stallion replied. "The Trots is the best bar in town... just in case you need it."
"Thanks," she replied.
The gates to Las Pegasus opened slowly. It was bright—the place always lit up the desert like a star atop a Hearth’s Warming tree, but actually being in the city was different.  Six took her first steps into the famed city. To her right was a small bar and grill, to her left, 3 young looking mares wearing rather revealing clothes smoking cigarettes.  One of them winked to her, before she looked away and kept walking.
The further she got into the city, the higher the buildings reached. And there it was, the Trots. The building itself was almost completely undamaged, sure few cracks here and there but it was amazing! At the front door stood one guard, a black young stallion with a brown leather jacket and some kind of high tech gauntlet strapped to his right hoof. As Six approached the stallion stepped in front of her.
"Gotta search you for weapons, kid," the black stallion said with a smile. Six looked at him, confused.
"Ponies aren’t allowed to carry weapons here?"
The guard laughed.
"You must be new," the guard began. "I assume you didn't have a weapon when you arrived otherwise you'd have known about the search. Or maybe our gate partol is getting soft with age. Regardless, high class casinos like the Trots have guards. And sometimes ponies hide weapons in... hard to find places."
Six rolled her eyes and sighed. "I have this bag of bits, I got it from the Nasty Neighs bounty, that is all."
"A bounty hunter without a weapon... I dunno, that's awfully-"
"Fuck it, I will head back down the st-"
"Nah, you can head in kid, I trust you."
Six looked at the stallion. She didn't know if she should be confused, angry, or happy. She tried to read him but she couldn't get past that smile... the smile. Six put a hoof on her head for a moment, trying not to think of Reins’ smile.
"Thanks," Six said whilst moving quickly past the guard.
"The name's Lucky Streak! See ya around Six."
Six trotted further in but stopped. Did she ever tell him her name? She must've, she thought to herself, before making her way past the blackjack tables and to the bar. The bar itself was basically empty, anypony drinking was playing at the tables. She took a stool and sat down, looking at all the drinks this place had, and oh, they had many.
A few moments passed and a young mare in a suit made her way to the bar.
"Sorry ma'am!" the mare told Six in a begging manner, like she'd be struck for not being her as soon as Six had arrived.
"It's no big deal, I just got here," Six told her. The mare let out a nervous giggle, clearly waiting to be scolded, but it never came.
"M-My name is Olive Drop, what can I get you Ms.?"
"Six Shooter, and..." Six turned her attention to all the drinks behind Olive. Six closed her eyes as she decided, without her even knowing it, a smile was forming on her face.
"Get me a spiked apple cider, the cheap stuff," Six said. Olive's eyes widened at the weird request but quickly she straightened up and smiled to Six.
"At once!" Within seconds, the young mare had produced one, cheap, spiked apple cider. "4 bits please!"
Six's horn ignited, and her bag of bits floated onto the bar. She reached in and gave Olive 4 bits. Olive smiled.
"Yeah, b-barkeep!" a slot-machine-playing stallion yelled to Olive. "More gin and tonic dude!"
Olive gave Six a nervous laugh before bowing to her and hurrying to make the stallion his drink.
And then she was alone there. Six took a gulp from the cider before allowing herself a moment to reflect. Not even a week ago she was in Rustbowl, drinking with Snow and Reins. Not even two weeks ago she was planning her trip to this place with Reins. The two were going to strike it big at a casino... stupid she thought. She was in such a hurry to leave home and be out on her own and now... she had no home to go back to. No family or friends at her side. But she got what she wanted. She had bits, she was in Las Pegasus.
"Guess it all worked out didn't it..." Six told herself quietly. "You stupid bitch..."
"Ms. Six?"
Six looked up from her empty bottle. She hadn't realised Olive had returned, or that she had finished her bottle... or that she was crying.
"A-Are you... alright ma'am? Is it because I took too long to get back to you?! I'm sorr-"
"N-No!" Six blurted out quickly wiping away the tears. "Just uh... allergies! I got 'em bad," Six lied with a nervous giggle. Olive could tell her patron was distraught, but didn't want to pry into her personal life.
"Hey Olive, long time no see!" a voice sounded from behind Six. Olive's eyes started sparkling.
"H-Hey Lucky, done with your shift?" Olive said. Lucky. Six rolled her eyes and tossed four more bits to Olive for another cider but Olive didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah, give me the usual, cutie," Lucky said, pulling up a stool next to Six. Olive nodded excitedly as she poured a rum and cola for the black stallion. It was only then that she noticed four bits sitting there in front of Six.
"Why are... oh my! I'm so sorry Ms. Six!" Olive exclaimed. Quickly, she gathered up the bits and gave Six another cider before rushing back to the casino floor.
Six sipped on her cider, trying her best to pretend Lucky wasn't there.
"So... staying long?" Lucky asked with a smile while he sipped on his mixed drink.
"No."
"Oh? Well in that case you better buy a weapon from our gate patrol... or maybe you had one all along," Lucky said in a sultry manner. Six was quiet.
"Go hit on Olive," she told him coldly. "She seems to like it."
"Hey," Lucky told her in a stern tone. "Olive is a nice girl."
"Is that why you lead her on?" Six asked, turning to him.
"N-No!" Lucky stated, flustered. Never before had a mare been able to make him get like this. "Olive is... she's had a hard life. Still does," Lucky told her while signalling her to look at Olive with his glass. Six turned to see the slot machine stallion arguing with Olive about how the gin and tonic was made wrong. Lucky downed the rest of his drink before beginning again.
"My flirting with her makes her smile... really smile."
Six huffed and chugged the rest of her cider. "You're giving her false hope... believe me. I know." Suddenly Six had a flash to her and Reins' kiss... the first and last intimate moment.
Lucky looked down to the mare beside him. She wore that look he had saw when she first walked toward the Trots.
"Hey," Lucky asked. Six looked back to him. "Wanna get wasted?" Six looked at him a bit confused, then shrugged. "I'll take that as a yes!" Without giving Six a chance to protest, Lucky threw a gold bit down on the bar. After a few moments of silence Olive was back at the bar, she almost looked 5 years older since she was last there.
"Trouble?" Lucky asked.
"Yeah... he kept telling me his drink was made wrong and... wh-what am I doing? You two need a drink?" Olive beamed.
"3 shots each, Golden Hoof, you can have the change Olive," Lucky smiled to her. Olive looked down to the gold bit and back up to Lucky.
"A-Are you sure? That's a 20 bit tip..."
"You deserve it, cutie," Lucky told her with a smirk. Olive's eyes started sparkling again and a blush covered her face.
"Thank you so much Lucky!!"
Before the pair knew it, 6 shots were in front of them. Lucky picked his up with a hoof, Six with her magic. Lucky extended his hoof towards her for a cheers. Six huffed and rolled her eyes, clinking his glass before they downed the shots. Six's eyes widened as the liquid ran down her throat. It was... smooth, unbelievably so!
"This is... really good!" Six said, her face already getting warmer from the drinks. Lucky set his down and smiled at her.
"Finally loosening up?" Lucky asked. Six gave a laugh.
"Don't get any ideas wiseass."
The two laughed and cheersed their second shot, then the third.
"What's uh... What's the, fuck!" Six stuttered.
"It's 60% alcohol," Lucky told her. She looked to him, his face was flushed too but he still seemed sober. "It sneaks up on ya, that's for sure!"
Six gave him a drunken smile before reaching into her bag of bits and producing a gold bit before passing it to an absent Olive. Just then, Six remembered something.
"Hey!" she asked Lucky. "When I walked in... you... you called me Six. How did you know my name?"
Lucky stopped for a moment before giving her a laugh. "Maybe we shouldn't do three more, I didn't know your name was Six you silly filly."
Six looked at him for a moment, then gave him another smile. "Shut up, you perv, frisking ponies all day."
Lucky gave her another smile. Six smiled back... but she only saw Reins' smile again. She looked away and frowned. Lucky frowned back.
"Something wrong?"
"N-No..." Six replied. "Let's just get those shots!"
"My mare, now you're speakin' real Equestrian!"

The next three shots came and went. Six hiccuped and set a half-full shot down at the bar.
"Finish it, pussy!" Lucky taunted. Six looked at the remaining shot and gulped. She ignited her horn and the shot slowly levitated to her muzzle before she downed it.
"Th-" Lucky burped before finishing. "There you go! S-See? You stay and we can do this every night!"
"I would... I would like that," Six said, this time, her blush wasn't front the booze. She smiled back to Lucky... then she saw him. It was Reins. He was looking at the shot glass. Then he turned to Six and smiled to her. Six's eyes widened.
"Hey... y-you gonna be okay," Lucky asked, bringing her back to reality. Six watched as Reins’ face faded... he was gone, again.
"I... I need to go," Six said as she got up from the bar quickly.
"Bathroom is down the hall there!" Lucky laughed. But that wasn't where she was headed. Six ran down the hall and tapped on the elevator button for "up". Slowly the doors opened and she ran in, tapping the button for the top floor. Her head spun as the elevator ascended and all the tears she was holding back were trying desperately to get out. The doors opened, and she ran for the roof access. As the door gave way, the cold night air washed over her and she could no longer contain the tears. This was all her fault. If she had stayed at home. If she had never came to this city. If she had been a better partner for Reins...
Six stood there, on the edge of the Trots casino. She smiled to herself. It'd finally be over... all of it... done with.
"Six!!" Lucky yelled from behind her. Six turned, her face wet from the tears she had been holding back, and a smile across her face.
"Six please! Get down!" Even as the words left his muzzle, she swore she heard Reins.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry Reins. I... I can't go on without you..."
"Six no!!" Lucky yelled, running for her, but it was too late. Six fell back, off the rooftop and down to the alleys of Las Pegasus.