//------------------------------// // Fluttershy's Gambit // Story: Fluttershy's Las Pegasus Rampage // by Teyeson Bee //------------------------------// As the six friends entered the Four Aces Casino a few blocks from the hotel, they couldn't believe how big it was on the inside. From the outside, it looked pretty decent in size, but inside, it was a whole different experience. There were neon lights in the shape of spades and hearts and such lit all around. Tables for Blackjack and Poker were teeming with eager ponies, waiting for their chance to get lucky. The sounds of slot machines filled the air, ringing out a bell-like sound that probably was an indicator that somepony had won. Over to the far part, a bar was set up with a matching bartender behind it working the drinks. Beautiful mares wearing black and red skirts and stockings were carrying around trays with drinks on them to other customers. "What a sight!" Rarity exclaimed as the girls stared in awe at the brilliance of the interior. "So elegant! So divine!" "So AWESOME!" Rainbow intervened. "I can't wait to try my hooves at some games!" Though most of them were amazed by the sights, it seemed that the only one who wasn't enthusiastic about it was, surprise surprise, Fluttershy, who just stood behind Rainbow, cautiously looking around at the tempting-looking games. "So shiny!" Pinkie said in awe before moving outward. "Well, see ya guys!" "Where are YOU going, Pinkie?" Twilight asked as she started to leave. "The poker tables, silly!" Pinkie responded with a big grin. "See ya later, alligators!" And with that, she was off in a flash. "You think we should send somepony to look after her?" Twilight asked the others nervously. "Ah let her have her fun!" Applejack scoffed. "It'll keep her entertained for a while! In the meantime," She turned to faced a series of tables at the far corner, "I'm gonna try my hoof at some Blackjack!" "Ooh! I'll come with you!" Rarity called out as she trotted over. "I've always wanted to see how it's played!" "Well I'M going to try Craps!" Twilight exclaimed as she started to trot off. Before she got far, she turned back to see Fluttershy still cowering behind Rainbow. "Uh...Rainbow?" "Don't worry, Twilight!" Rainbow responded. "I'll take care of Fluttershy." Twilight smiled, nodded, and trotted off toward the Craps table. After she had gone, Rainbow turned to look at Fluttershy, who looked like she was going to the chair or something. "Well I saw the casino it looks nice oh no I think I hear Angel calling me don't want to keep him waiting let's go!" Fluttershy said quickly as she started to leave. Rainbow, however, grabbed her by the tail and pulled her back. "Oh no you don't," she said through her teeth as she pulled Fluttershy back. "You're not leaving until you've tried something!" "But what's the point?" Fluttershy asked. "It's just wasting bits. Can't we just go somewhere else? Maybe...back to the hotel room?" "Nice try," Rainbow said with a smug as she opened her bag she brought and pulled out a bit. "I have a bit. And I'm gonna try out a slot machine. Is that alright with you Miss Unfun McPartypooper?" Fluttershy scowled a little. "Hmph. Go ahead," she responded with a huff. "I don't have control over you! Go on and waste your money. Don't say I didn't warn you." Fluttershy followed Rainbow over to one of the vacant slot machines as Rainbow placed her bit in the slot. She then put her hoof on the lever and pulled hard. The lights flashed and the wheels inside the machine began to spin. "There," Fluttershy spoke, "I hope you're satisfi-" She was soon cut off by the sound of a little alarm and brighter flashing lights as a pocketful of bits spewed out of the machine. Rainbow looked up at her with a cocky grin. "You were saying?" she asked smugly. After about an hour of playing, Twilight and Applejack met up with Rainbow and Fluttershy over by the bar. While Twilight and Applejack looked rather satisfied and were carrying on a conversation about how fun playing was, Fluttershy was still cautious and hadn't played a single game. Rainbow was annoyed by her lack of playing games, and Fluttershy was equally annoyed that they wouldn't go back to the hotel room. "I just don't understand you, Fluttershy!" Rainbow said. "I won, like, 50 bits only from the slots! You could win something too! Why don't you try something? It'll change you forever!" "That's just what I'm afraid of," Fluttershy whispered. Rainbow slapped her forehead and grunted. "By the way," Twilight said as she turned to Applejack, "what happened to Rarity?" "She went off somewhere," Applejack responded as she sipped an Appletini. "Said she saw somepony she knew. I don' know." Soon after she said that though, Rarity came trotting up to the others with a big smile on her face. "Girls!" she exclaimed in a triumphant tone. "I have something for us to do!" Fluttershy's ears perked up at this, seeing that she wanted to leave the casino. She and the others stared at Rarity confused. "Do you remember a while back, I fixed the suit for the bodyguard to Sapphire Shores?" "You mean Velvet Rope?" Twilight asked. "Exactly!" Rarity responded. "Well, it turns out that Sapphire is performing at the concert hall across the street, and I just met with Velvet, who was doing some last minute gambling before the show. He saw me, recognized me, and said that he still owed me for fixing his suit so..." She then reached into her saddlebag and pulled out six tickets that said "Sapphire Shores: Live from Las Pegasus" on them. "...he gave me tickets for all of us! We're going to see Sapphire Shores!" "That's great, Rarity!" Twilight said excitedly. "Looks like our night is set!" "Yay!" Fluttershy quietly, but enthusiastically exclaimed. "I guess that means we'll have to leave to get ready! Let's go!" As she started to leave, she was stopped by Rarity. "Not to worry, darling," she continued. "The show isn't for another two hours, so we still have time to hang out here." Fluttershy's expression dropped again. "Oh joy," she said unenthusiastically. "Fluttershy! You're KILLING me!" Rainbow grunted. "I know shy is part of your name, but we're trying to help you! We just want to see you come out of your shell!" "But I like my shell!" Fluttershy said. "My shell is safe, and safe is good." "Not if it means missin' out on all the fun!" Applejack chimed in. "C'mon, sugarcube! At least try ONE thing? We won't badger you again if you do..." "But what DO I do?" Fluttershy asked as she looked around. "There are so many..." Rainbow grunted in frustration and looked around. Poker, Blackjack, Slots, Craps, Roulette...actually... "There!" Rainbow pointed towards the Roulette table. "C'mon, Flutters! I'll even go with you. Please?" Fluttershy stared at her pleading friend as she made those big puppy-dog eyes and pouting face that made Fluttershy's heart melt. "Alright," Fluttershy finally sighed. "I guess one game won't hurt." "Great!" Rainbow said with a smile as she pulled Fluttershy over to the table. A small crowd of ponies were placing chips on red and black squares with numbers on them as a casino worker spun a big, horizontal wheel with the same numbers on them and threw a small white marble into the wheel. The marble would land on a number, and the pony who bet on that number would win all the chips. Fluttershy looked at the other ponies and noticed how intense they looked at the wheel. Rainbow reached in her bag and pulled out a stack of chips that she got converted from her bits. She handed half to Fluttershy. "You know what to do right?" "I believe it's just placing chips on a number..." Fluttershy whispered. Rainbow nodded and winked as the round ended. As bets were being called again, Rainbow signaled Fluttershy to put her chips on a number as she did it herself. Fluttershy looked around cautiously before placing a few on 22. Rainbow put all of hers on 15. When all the bets were called, the pony spun the wheel and threw the marble. Fluttershy watched as the marble clinked onto the wood of the wheel and landed on a number. Fluttershy closed her eyes in tension as the Caller shouted out the winner. "22!" Fluttershy opened her eyes, which her wide with disbelief. Everypony was looking at her as the Caller pushed all the chips on the table toward her. "Fluttershy! You won!" Rainbow cheered. Fluttershy still stood in disbelief as the feeling of winning still hovered over her. Just then, a new feeling came to her; a feeling of confidence. She didn't waste any time in putting some more chips on a different number; 19. Just like before, the Caller spun the wheel, threw the marble, and waiting to call the winner. "19!" She couldn't help it this time. Fluttershy let out a silent yay as the Caller pushed the chips to her. As this went on, Rainbow, wearing a satisfying grin, walked over to the others, who were staring with smiles of their own. "Our work here is done," Rainbow said triumphantly. "Let's go have some fun!" The others nodded and trotted off to other games, leaving Fluttershy at the Roulette table. Another hour and 15 minutes had gone by as the four ponies met back at the bar. With their favorite drinks in hoof, they started talking about how they won some, how they lost some, and just how much fun they were having with each new thing. The conversation went on until Rarity looked at the clock on the wall and realized the time. "Good heavens! We better get back to the hotel room and get ready! The show'll be starting in 45 minutes!" "Good idea," Twilight said putting down her drink and paying the bartender. "We should get going. Where's Fluttershy?" The four looked around until Rainbow spotted her right where they left her at the Roulette table. "There!" Rainbow pointed. The four trotted over to the table and gathered around Fluttershy. "C'mon, Flutters," Applejack said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "The Sapphire Shores concert is comin' up. Let's go back to the hotel room and-" Applejack stopped mid-sentence as she took a closer look at Fluttershy. As the others looked at her, they all got a worried look on their face. Though from the back she looked the same, her face showed that something was different. Her eyes, though normal were soft and caring, were now wide and wild looking. Her mouth was moving up and down, and even though she wasn't saying anything, it looked like she was mouthing numbers. Suddenly, the Caller shouted the next winning number; 22. At that point, Fluttershy raised her hooves to the air and her wings fluttered at a rapid pace as she almost shouted, "YES!" startling the others. Now Twilight became worried. "Uh...Fluttershy?" she asked nervously. Fluttershy turned to face her with the wild look in her eye. "Are you alright?" "Yeah I'm fine!" Fluttershy quickly replied. Even though it was still quiet, her voice had even changed to a more rapid tone. She quickly turned back to the table and placed some more chips on the number 11. The four looked at each other with worry. "Well...the concert's gonna start soon," Applejack said. "Ya wanna head back to the room?" "How about I just meet you guys there?" Fluttershy said. "I'll finish up here and meet you guys at the front gates." She then gave a soft but agitated grunt as the Caller shouted 14. "Well...alright..." Twilight responded as she looked Fluttershy over with worry. She then grabbed the tickets and hovered them over to Fluttershy's bag. "If you're going to meet us there, you might as well hang onto the tickets for us. Remember, in 30 minutes." "Got it," Fluttershy responded as she placed another bet. As the four headed for the door, they faintly heard the Caller shouted for 21, which was followed by a normally familiar voice shouting, "Oh COME ON!" The four looked at each other with even more worry. "You don't think she's overdoing it do you?" Rarity asked the others. While Twilight and Applejack shrugged and stammered, Rainbow was more direct and relaxed in her answer. "Nah! She's just getting more and more out of her shell. Give her some time and she'll cool down." The others gave a cautious nod as they walked out of the casino, not realizing what they unleashed. "Come on! Number 7! Lucky Number 7!" Fluttershy stood at the Roulette table, trembling with anticipation as the wheel spun. She had a big helping of chips on number 7 and was eyeing the marble as it fell in. Number 11. Fluttershy grunted loudly as she watched her chips get pushed to a smiling pony next to her. As the Caller asked for bets, it didn't take a second for her to place more chips on 13. "FLUTTERSHY!" Fluttershy turned quickly to see her four friends behind her, although they weren't really happy to see her. On the contrary, they looked downright agitated. Twilight was the first to speak. "I thought you said you would meet us at the front gates of the concert hall?" "I will," Fluttershy quickly answered as she turned back to the table. "That was ALMOST 45 MINUTES AGO!" Rarity scolded. "They're already letting ponies in, and I wouldn't be surprised if the opening songs aren't performing yet! If we don't hurry, we're going to miss out!" Although she was scolding, Fluttershy wasn't listening. She was too busy grunting at another loss of chips. Now this was getting ridiculous. "Alright, that's it!" Twilight snapped. "If you're going to stay here, fine. But WE'RE going to the show. Where are the tickets?" "Oh those," Fluttershy responded without turning around, too focused on putting chips on 21. "I sold them." "You WHAT?!" Rarity shrieked as the others' mouths dropped from disbelief over what they heard. "Do you know how hard it was to get those? Sure it was due to a favor, but that stallion's suit was SO HARD TO REPAIR! I had to use thread so thick it looked like ROPE! Why did you sell our tickets?" "I was running low on chips," Fluttershy responded. "C'mon! Number 21!" The wheel spun and the marble rolled. Number 20. Fluttershy grunted so loud it almost sounded like yelling. Now the others were VERY worried. Their once kind, sweet, and completely innocent friend had turned into a...Raging Roulette Maniac! "Ok, this is getting RIDICULOUS!" Twilight snapped at the others. "I think Fluttershy has had enough Roulette for a while!" "You said it!" Applejack agreed. "Here here!" Rarity proclaimed. "Ah let her have her fun!" Rainbow scoffed. The others jerked an annoyed look towards her. "This is what we wanted wasn't it? For her to get out of her shell?" "Oh she's out alright!" Twilight said. "She's out and she has taken our tickets with her! Maybe it would just be best if we end the trip here and go home-" "WHAT!?" Rainbow shrieked as if Twilight had just recommended something preposterous. "But this is Las Pegasus! There won't be another opportunity to come here! I don't want to leave!" "We can't anyways," Fluttershy called to them. "I sold our train tickets too." "There, you see?" Rainbow calmly stated. "We can't go ho...WHAAAAAT?" Rainbow's tone changed dramatically as her, as well as the others', mouth fell open again. "You sold our TRAIN tickets too? How are we supposed to get home?" "Don't worry, girls!" Fluttershy happily said. "I'll win them back." As the Called shouted for 17, Fluttershy's tone changed again as she shouted, "OH FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE!" The others turned a stink-eye to Rainbow as she still stood with her mouth open. She then looked at the others and chuckled nervously. "I...guess it has gotten a little out of control." "Glad you see it our way," Applejack said as she pushed Rainbow towards the table, "'cause YOU get to talk her out of it!" "Why ME?" Rainbow asked. "YOU'RE the one who got her on Roulette in the first place!" Twilight said through gritted teeth. "Now GO!" Rainbow grumbled and carefully trotted over to the wild-eyed pegasus. She leaned against the table as to act all cool, but her nervous voice said otherwise. "Uh...hey there Flutters. Look...the others have been talking...and...well...we figured that maybe it would be better...if you...stopped playing. Just saying." At the word "stopped," Fluttershy whipped her head toward Rainbow with a now crazy look as her eye twitched a bit. Rainbow could lie; she was a little scared. "Stop playing?" Fluttershy asked in a soft but sinister tone. "Stop playing? Aren't you the one who wanted me to get out of my shell?" "Well yes..." "Aren't you the one who wanted me to try something?" "That's also true..." "Then BACK OFF, SISTER!" Rainbow fell back as Fluttershy snapped at her, sounding more and more crazy as she spoke, her eye twitching wildly. "I'm THIS CLOSE to winning the big pot! It's only a matter of time! I'm going to win back our train tickets, and I am NOT leaving this room until I DO!" Shen placed stared Rainbow down with her legendary stare. "You got that?" Rainbow opened her mouth to answer, but she was so freaked out, all that came out was, "Got it." Fluttershy went back to the table as Rainbow made her way back to her now shocked friends, who had apparently heard the conversation by the look on their faces. "So...talking to her's not gonna work." Rainbow squeaked. Twilight thought wildly. There HAD to be some way to get Fluttershy to snap back to her old self. It was pretty much THEIR fault for bringing her there. She kept saying that she didn't want to gamble. She didn't want to end up like her Auntie Ladybug...wait... "I GOT IT!" Twilight proclaimed. She quickly gathered the others together and whispered her plan. One by one, her friends started to smile. "I like it!" Rarity said. "You think it'll work?" "There's only one way to find out!" Twilight said as she looked back at Fluttershy. "But first, we have to get her away from that table." "I got that covered," Applejack calmly said as she trotted over to the table. Then, in one swift motion, while Fluttershy wasn't looking, Applejack swiped all of Fluttershy's remaining chips into a bag. "RUN!" she shouted as she and the others bolted out the door. As they exited the building, they immediately heard Fluttershy start running too, as well as screaming, "GIRLS! GIVE ME BACK MY CHIPS! GIRLS!" "Quick! To the hotel room!" Twilight shouted as the girls galloped to the hotel doors, followed by a crazed Fluttershy.