Chapter 8
“Hold still, Applejack!” Rarity said as she made a few last minute alterations.
“Maybe I'd stay still iffin' you'd stop pokin' me.” Applejack grumbled. They stood in a corner of the Imperial Suite's main lobby that Rarity had turned into an improvised seamstress' workshop.
“I'd stop 'poking' you iffin'--” Rarity caught herself, and shook her head. “If you'd stay still!” Rarity's deft fingers made a few quick, final stitches, and then stood up. “There! Done. Finally.”
Applejack looked down at herself, and let out a low whistle. Admittedly, the neckline was a little low, and the skirt was a little high for her tastes, but she had to admit, the little red dress was impressive.
“Well, shoot, Rarity. You'd never think this was a bedsheet.” Applejack mused as she ran her fingers over the silken fabric.
“A bedsheet and a set of curtains. The black trim brings it all together, you know.”
“I'm impressed.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Rarity said. “To be honest, I wouldn't say it's my best work, but I dare say given time and materials, or, rather, the lack thereof, it's quite the achievement, isn't it?”
“One thing, though.” Applejack said.
Rarity blinked. “Yes?”
“Where's yours?”
Rarity paused, and then did a quick count on her fingers-- and then the terrible realization hit her. “Gasp!” She said the full word, and then set off like a bolt. “I'm going to need more bedsheets!”
Rarity scrambled up the stairs, passing Fluttershy, who was on her way down. The pink-haired young woman ducked out of Rarity's way, clutching a vacuum cleaner to her chest.
“Sorry!” Rarity said in passing. “Fashion emergency!”
“Oh. Um. Okay.” Fluttershy murmured, and crept cautiously down the rest of the spiral stairwell.
“Uh. Fluttershy?” Applejack said. “Y'know they'll send somebody to clean up once we're gone, right? Ya don't need to clean anythin'.”
“I know. I mean, I don't like being messy. But Twilight asked me to vacuum Discord's room. She said it was--”
“The next step in the process!” Twilight seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and neatly relieved Fluttershy of the vacuum cleaner. “It's all quite simple, really. In theory. On paper. The application, on the other hand … that's the tricky part! Everyone, follow me!”
With the speed of the inspired, Twilight swept back into the kitchen, which she had converted into an impromptu laboratory. Champagne flutes had been re-purposed into test tubes, scented candles into heating elements, and a digital clock into a primitive oscilloscope. There were no crackling Tesla coils nearby, but Twilight had at least put on the lab coat she'd stuffed at the bottom of her suitcase.
“Is everyone here?” Twilight said, glancing around at her bewildered looking friends.
“Yep!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing on her heels.
“Except Rarity.” Rainbow Dash said.
“I'm here! I'm here!” Rarity rounded up the last of the group, having squeezed herself into a half-assembled dress that had once been a bathrobe. She skidded to a halt as she got an eyeful of the gear on the kitchen table.
“Great!” Twilight said, and heaved the vacuum cleaner up onto the table. She unhooked the dirt canister and carefully poured the contents into what had once been a coffeemaker. It sputtered and sparked as it processed the materials, and Twilight giggled cutely. That is, if you considered mild insanity as a form of cuteness (as some do).
“Now! Before, I'd been working on modifying that magic-containment compact I first used on you guys--- sorry about that, by the way –to absorb Discord's magic so he couldn't hurt anyone. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish it in time.”
“So this is what's left over?” Rainbow Dash poked the coffeemaker monstrosity, which zapped her with a tiny bolt of electricity for her trouble. “Ow!”
“Sort of! Kind of! Not really!” Twilight squinted at the coffeemaker-contraption, and finally picked up the coffeepot itself, which was now filled with a small amount of some eerie green fluid. “My earlier devices were designed to absorb active magic … it's taken a little bit of doing, but I've managed to adjust the process to absorb ambient magic. And as much as Discord said he was playing nice, he still was maintaining his human disguise, which means that he was radiating entropic particles at a frankly alarming rate. But! Lucky for us, it's theoretically possible to collect these entropic particles and distill them for a better use!”
“Uh. Anybody else get that?” Applejack said.
“Just let her talk.” Rarity said, even as she sewed up the hem of her own dress. “Asking questions just makes the whole process last longer.”
“So!” Twilight said. “While we don't have nearly enough chaos-energy to pull the kind of stunts Discord did- what, with the teleporting and dimensional breaching and general mucking about with the fabric of reality and stuff. But! If my calculations are correct, it's theoretically possible to apply these entropic energies to a straightforward inversion of natural probability!”
“Do what now?” said Applejack.
“What did I tell you about asking questions?” Rarity hissed.
Twilight laid out seven thin chain necklaces, each with a heart-shaped locket. Carefully, she poured a drop of the growing green liquid from the coffeepot into each locket, and closed them. A strange, electric feel filled the air, but Twilight gave it no heed as she got to work. “If I had more time, I would have personalized the jewelry for each of you, but I figure everybody likes hearts, right?”
“You spent all this time …. making jewelry?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Not just jewelry! This is magic. Well, applied magic. Slight difference. The important part is, when you're wearing these, it'll create a faint but distinct aura of chaos energy around you.”
“Is that safe?” Fluttershy said.
“Perfectly! There won't be any quantum distortions or dimensional tears or anything hazardous-- we don't have enough energy for that. Instead, the chaotic aura will manifest along the path of least resistance: statistical probability.” Twilight draped one of the lockets around her neck, and then held up a pair of dice Pinkie had gotten from the hotel's gift store. “Watch.”
She rolled the dice on the table, and the cubes came up with a four on one and a three on the other.
“I don't get it.” Rainbow Dash said.
“I'm not done.” Twilight scooped up the dice, and rolled again, for the same result.
And again.
And again.
By the fourth seven, Rainbow Dash's mouth was hanging open. “Okay, so, that's just weird.”
“That's applied magic for you.” Twilight said, and handed out the rest of the necklaces, along with the divvied up complementary gaming chips. “Now, we need to hurry, because the effect will wear off in a few hours. So stay together, make smart bets, and make that time count.” Twilight unbuttoned her labcoat to reveal the deep purple evening gown beneath. “Because tonight, the house always loses.”
The plan worked brilliantly.
For about twenty minutes.
Split up into two pairs and a trio, the girls spread out over the casino floor, placing small bets here and there. It didn't take long before the cries of victory began to spread throughout the playing floor, passed from table to table like a contagion.
“Blackjack!”
“Full house!”
“Jackpot!”
“Royal flush!”
“Bingo!”
(The Megaluxe liked to cater to the senior citizen demographic).
“Seventeen, black!”
Twilight Sparkle's eyes gleamed as the roulette crouper pushed a toweringly large stack of chips her way. “This is perfect!” Twilight said, raking the tokens to her.
“Yeah.” Sunset Shimmer laid a hand on Twilight's arm. “A little too perfect.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look.”
By design, a casino is a chaotic place, intended to dazzle and distract its patrons into giving away their money. But when the money began to flow, nearly universally, in the other direction, pandemonium ensued. Gamblers muscled and pushed at each other to get in on the 'hot' tables or slot machines, while increasingly worried card dealers attempted to smile through it all and keep things under control.
With each passing minute, someone else won, and won big, which only contributed to the rapidly building hysteria as more and more gamblers streamed in, each wanting to grab as much money as they could, while they could.
Twilight Sparkle paled. “...so maybe the lockets have a larger area of effect than I thought.”
“We should cash out.” Sunset tugged gently at Twilight's arm.
“But we haven't won enough yet!” Twilight Sparkle said.
“We've got bigger problems than that. Time to get the others and--”
“And what, ladies?”
The weasel-faced casino manager materialized behind them, along with his two impeccably dressed goons. He kept thesame tight smile on his face, but the sweat rapidly beading on his forehead betrayed his mood.
Twilight froze, clutching a tray of chips to her chest. Sunset stepped in front of her, reflexively.
“Please,” the weaselly man said, “why don't we continue this conversation someplace a little quieter?”
The walls of the 'interview room' were possibly the only bare brick in all of the Megaluxe, if not in all of Las Pegasus. After spending so much time in the Imperial Suite, it seemed almost odd to Twilight to see a surface that wasn't polished to a mirror sheen. The steel folding chairs might've been the only only ones in the whole hotel as well, barring the occasional professional wrestling event.
Twilight and Sunset were the last ones to be rounded up, 'guided' into the bare room by the well dressed security staff. The rest of their friends sat around the edges of the room, with expressions ranging from sheer, shocked terror (Fluttershy) to righteous indignation (Rainbow Dash).
“Y'all alright?” Applejack stood as Sunset and Twilight stepped through the door.
“I've been better?” Twilight jumped a little as the heavy steel door closed behind her.
“You guys didn't talk, did you?” Sunset said.
“Don't worry! I didn't tell them anything!” Rainbow Dash said.
“They didn't ask you anything.” Fluttershy murmured.
“Details!” Rainbow Dash said. “The important thing is, now that we're altogether, we can totally bum rush the security guys next time they open the door! I'll take the one on the left, and the rest of you can take the guy on the right.”
“Let's keep that as 'plan B.'” Sunset Shimmer said. She paused for a moment. “Or, well. C. Or D, or … you get the idea.”
“That means you've got a plan A, right?” Fluttershy murmured.
“Not exactly,” Sunset Shimmer said, “but I'm working on it. Just, everyone … relax, and we'll figure this out.”
“I'm sorry.” Twilight said. “This is all my fault. I should've thought this through. I—”
“Hey.” Sunset Shimmer didn't let her finish. “That's my line.”
Twilight stared at Sunset for a moment, and then broke into giddy, nervous laughter. “We are in so much trouble, and that's what came to mind? Things must be looking up if you can make jokes, right?”
“Actually.” Sunset Shimmer shrugged, and then slumped back in her steel chair. “We are so absolutely screwed that I can't even comprehend it anymore.”
“At least the world's not going to magically explode anymore, right?” Pinkie Pie said.
“Unfortunately.” Sunset Shimmer mused. “We would've known how to fix that.”
The single door into the brick room opened. Rainbow Dash started to get to her feet, but a swift elbow from Applejack stopped the soccer player from launching herself at the goons.
The weaselly little man stepped through, again trailed by his ubiquitous, silent associates. He looked at the septet of girls for a long, long moment, and pulled in a deep breath. Despite the coolness of the brick basement room, his forehead was still dotted with sweat.
“Okay, ladies. Who wants to talk first?”
“Oooh! Oooh! Me! Me! Me!” Pinkie Pie raised a hand. “My name's Pinkie Pie and these are my best friends and we've saved the world a couple of times because we're such good friends and then we were afraid we had to save the world again so we went on a road trip and then I ate some gas station sushi and then I barfed all over the place so we stopped and went camping and felt better and then I went skinny dipping and then we met this magical chaos god named Discord who's really a dragon goat bird-thingie but then he made himself human and we all went to Las Pegasus and then he racked up a big bill and went 'poof' back to his home dimension! Oh, and his dimension is just like ours, only everyone over there is a magical pony.”
The casino manager held up a hand as Pinkie Pie stopped for breath.
“Right. You're all on drugs.”
“Hey! I'm not--”
“Quiet.”
“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said thoughtfully, “I'm pretty loud, actually! But I'm not on--”
The manager loomed over the pink haired girl, and hissed. “Shut. Up.”
Pinkie Pie cringed backwards, and pulled her legs up against her chest. “Okay.”
“Now.” The manager straightened up, and smoothed out a few wrinkles in his suit. “I get it. This Ischord guy hires you on, gets you jacked up on junk, and then has you run interference for his con. Did he really think we wouldn't notice every slot machine on the floor going haywire at once? No, I'm smarter than that.” He pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and began to dab at his forehead. “I've got eyes on the vault, too, so I know he won't be able to hit that, either. The whole thing's falling apart. Now, we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way. All you ladies have to do is ID the rest of your gang, and we might just not press charges. You.” He pointed at a trembling Fluttershy. “Talk.”
“I. Uh. I'm not very good at talking.”
“Now's the time to practice.”
“I. Uhm. Okay? What do you want to talk about?”
“The gang!”
“What gang?”
“Don't play stupid with me!”
“I'm not playing!” Fluttershy blurted.
“Listen here, you--” the weaselly little man reached for Fluttershy, and then a lot of things happened at once.
“Keep your hands offa Fluttershy, ya big bully!” Rainbow Dash launched herself at the casino manager with surprising speed, tackling him into the brick wall.
In turn, the casino goons went after Rainbow Dash.
In turn, Applejack went in swinging with her folding chair.
In turn, even more, seemingly identical goons piled in, and before long each of the girls found themselves held up with a massive security staffer on either arm. The casino manager swore in fluent Italian, and once again dabbed at his forehead, though this time to wipe off blood rather than sweat. “That's it! Lucco, call the cops!” he spat, and one of the be-suited men nodded.
Sunset Shimmer began to laugh.
''What're you laughing at?” The casino manager sneered.
“Go ahead.” Sunset Shimmer said. “Call the cops. I'd love to talk to them. Think you could get the press, too? Unless our little stunt already got their attention … “
“What're you talking about?”
Sunset Shimmer smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. “You got it all wrong. Ischord wasn't using us. We were using him.”
“Sunset?” Twilight sputtered. “What're you--”
“Shut up.” Sunset hissed at Twilight, and looked back to the casino manager, who now had the air of a bewildered, bleeding weasel. “Ischord was just some hobo we picked up on the way here. We cleaned him up, slapped him in a suit Rarity made--”
“I did not make that … that monstrosity!” Rarity shuddered.
“We're made, Rarity. No sense denying it.” Sunset turned her attention back to the casino manager. “Once we cleaned him up, we used that hobo as a cover so we could get into the joint.”
“Save the confession for the cops.”
“Oh, I will.” Sunset Shimmer laughed again, in a tone that usually came right before the part where Sunset Shimmer grew wings and started lighting things on fire.
“It must be the entropic energy.” Twilight said, horrified. “It must have infected her, somehow.”
“What're you laughing at?” the casino manager demanded.
“You really don't get it, do you? You cart us out of here, give us to the cops, and you've got to explain to your bosses how you got conned by a bunch of high school girls.”
“But I caught you.”
“Only after we racked up a hell of a room service bill, and nearly ruined your casino floor. That stuff, I know you can write off. But reputation? Well … it's not like they make reputation insurance.”
“What're you--”
“I can see the headlines now. Spring Break Beauties Break Bank! Or … well, something like that. I don't work on the school newspaper. How long do you think the Megaluxe is going to stay in business once it becomes the laughingstock of all Las Pegasus?”
“Er.”
“I mean, getting conned is bad enough, but getting conned by a bunch of underage girls who shouldn't have been in your casino in the first place? That's the sort of thing that sticks with you. Might even start attracting attention from certain governmental agencies who want to make sure everything's on the up and up. Which, I'm sure wouldn't be any trouble for you.” Sunset said, sarcastic.
“That's my problem.”
“That's a big problem. One that you don't have to worry about, if you don't want to.”
“I'm listening.”
Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat delicately. The casino manager waved his hand, and the goons on either side of her let go. She smiled, and then settled back into her chair and crossed her legs demurely.
“Here's the thing. We don't care about the money. We're teenagers. We were just in it for the rush.”
“And?”
“If you give us to the cops, you're kiiiiind of giving us what we want. Attention. Which won't be the kind of attention you want. But,” Sunset Shimmer held up a finger, “as much as I like the spotlight, getting thrown in jail doesn't sound too fun. Not to mention it wouldn't do you any good, since we're all juveniles. We'd be out of the system in a few months. But, without an official police report or a paper trail … well, this would just go down as just another 'What happens in Las Pegasus' story. A harmless rumor.”
“Let me get this straight. You want me to let you go.”
Sunset Shimmer idly toyed with a lock of her red hair. “No, you want to let us go. You just haven't realized it yet. Unless you'd prefer to be known for the rest of your life as the guy who couldn't handle a couple of girls on spring break?” She arched one brow.
The casino manager shut his eyes, as if already trying to dispel Sunset Shimmer and her friends from his memory. “You will never, ever step foot in the Megaluxe again.”
“I thought that went without saying.” Sunset Shimmer smiled.
“Lucco, get their keys.”
In a testament to the Megaluxe's staff, the girls' bags were waiting for them by the time the valet pulled Fluttershy's battered minivan up to the curb. Sunset Shimmer hadn't spoken since they were lead out of the casino's basement, and she glared murderously at any of her friends if they tried to.
Sunset Shimmer held her hand out expectantly, and the valet hurried to press the keys into her palm. For his trouble, Sunset Shimmer flipped the man a poker chip as a tip, and neatly deposited herself into the driver's seat.
“Get in,” she said, and the other six did so. Twilight wound up riding shotgun, even though nobody called it. As the doors closed, Sunset Shimmer pushed down on the gas, and pulled away from the Megaluxe with what meager speed she could get out of the battered minivan, and out into the Las Pegasus night.
Sunset Shimmer waited until the Megaluxe was out of the rear view mirror before she spoke.
“Uh. Sorry.”
“What was that?” Twilight said, flabbergasted.
“It was scary,” Fluttershy said.
“It weren't true.” Applejack grumbled.
“It was kinda awesome.” Rainbow Dash mused.
“It did get us out of there.” Rarity said.
“When Rainbow Dash called that guy a bully, well … it reminded me of when I was a bully.” Sunset Shimmer tightened her fingers around the wheel. “And that's when I realized … a lot of being bully is, well, reputation. Doesn't matter if it's high school, or Las Pegasus. But the problem is, once someone sees through you … well, it all falls apart. It's what you guys did to me.”
“We also shot you with a friendship laser.” Pinkie Pie noted.
“That too.” Sunset said with a little laugh. The passing neon lights of the Las Pegasus strip rhythmically passed over her face as she drove on. “So … well, I just figured out a way to threaten that guy's reputation. And now we're here.” Sunset sniffed a little bit, and wiped at the corner of her eye. “Figures. After all this, it's not friendship that got us out of trouble, but … well, lying and intimidating and otherwise being evil.”
“You're not!” Twilight Sparkle said, perhaps too loudly. “I mean, uh. Evil, that is. Or if you are, I guess that makes me kind of evil too? I mean, I did kind of meddle with chaos magic for the explicit purpose of defrauding a casino.”
“Perhaps … evil isn't the best term.” Rarity leaned forward in her seat. “Maybe we're just, ah … charmingly mischievous.”
“Whoopee cushions are mischievous, Rarity.” Sunset said. “Casino fraud is … something else?”
“Oooh, ooh, what if you did both?” Pinkie Pie chimed in.
“What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Let's just say Mister Casino Guy is gonna have a biiiiiig surprise next time he sits down in his office.”
“We all did something we probably shouldn't have.” Twilight said.
“Except Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash said. “She's like the goodiest goody-two-shoes of all of us.”
“If you say so.” Fluttershy clutched a conspicuously large backpack to her chest. “Unless. Um. It's not illegal to take a juvenile tiger across state lines, is it?”
“Rowr,” said Fluttershy's backpack.
“So we're stopping at a zoo on the way back.” Sunset Shimmer said.
“Aw,” said Fluttershy.
“See?” Twilight said, “even Fluttershy got a little carried away. But the important part is that nobody got hurt--”
“Except for the manager when Rainbow tackled 'im. Oh, and the fellers I hit with a chair.” Applejack said.
“The important part is none of us got hurt.” Twilight amended. “Not to mention, if Discord's as bad as you say he is, who knows what he would've done if we just let him run loose? He was so distracted with being mean to us, he didn't have the chance to turn the world into a roiling sea of madness, right?”
“No crazier than Las Pegasus is normally.” Sunset said as she drove past a three story tall neon cowboy.
“Exactly! It's not like you would do any of those bad things if Discord hadn't put you in a terrible situation.”
“You're not saying the ends justify the means, are you? I don't think that's the kind of friendship lesson I should sharing with Twi—” Sunset Shimmer bit the inside of her cheek. “Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
“So … don't?” Twilight adjusted her glasses, nervous. “I mean, if one Twilight knows … something, that's enough, right?” She reached out and placed her hand atop Sunset's on the steering wheel.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Sunset wiggled her fingers a little, but didn't pull away. “Besides, I at least learned something else very important.”
“What's that?” Twilight asked.
“Next time Discord shows up, we just blast him with magic right away.”
All seven of the girls broke into relieved, playful laughter.
“So now what?” Sunset said, even as she found her fingers interlacing with Twilight's.
“Well.” Twilight pulled a road map out of the glove box with her free hand. Unfolding it with just one hand was a little trickier, but she couldn't bring herself to break contact with Sunset Shimmer if she didn't have to. “We're a little over a thousand miles from home. But, since it's spring break, and nothing's trying to blow up the world, so we can take some time in getting back. Maybe do a little sightseeing on the way back. Y'know. Spend some quality time … together?” Twilight looked over the edge of the map at Sunset.
Sunset gave her hand a squeeze. “So, where to?”
Twilight hid her blush behind the road map. “Well, the Biggest Ball of Twine in the World is only about three hundred miles to the southeast … “
“Twine? Lame.” Rainbow Dash said from the backseat.
Sunset laughed, and gunned the van's poor engine a little harder. “Hey, sometimes it doesn't matter where you're going, as long as you go with your friends.”
They sped off into the darkness of the desert, and left Las Pegasus behind them.
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Magnificent. I was hoping you'd go in that direction for the ending. And the setup for it was very cleverly executed. Really, I could say that about the whole story. Fun from start to finish. Thank you for it.
Go Sunset!
They should have a slumber party next time.
Awwww. You just had to make it end didn't you? Oh well, good ride from start to finish.
*Sci-Twi
You don't need the Human tag if the setting is in the EQG universe, just use the Equestria Girls tag and it'll be enough for the readers to know. Also, why the Random tag? If this a story that is supposed to make sense from beginning, middle and end, then why have this tag on your fic?
Nice story, well done!
Goid story (y)
Aw, that was a sweet ending. Too bad they couldn't do anything about Discord, but like they said, at least they held Discord back a little bit. Clever solution to their problem, glad to see Sunset use her old manipulation talents, though as noted it kind of contradicts the "friendship is magic" atmosphere, but who cares, it was fun.
Great fic, a fun little adventure, almost literally a perfect spring break story- just a bunch of friends on a road trip.
s6.postimg.org/5pzpmopep/Pirate_Approved2.jpg
I gotta wonder if Slimy McWeasel and his boys actually were Mafia like Rarity suspected... if they had been, there's a good chance that the girls might've just 'disappeared' as soon as they started being more trouble then they were worth,
good ending glad sunset was the one to solve things
still think discord was needlessly dickish thoe
sequel?
Really good ending. Simple but pleasurable.
Nice! Sunset using her ability to think like a villain, and her knowledge how to manipulate and browbeat people, for good was an extremely satisfying ending for a very fun road trip romp, if you ask me.
Too bad Flutters couldn't keep the tiger...
With all the chair slingin' Applejack did, she shoulda been watchin' wrasslin 'stead of rodeo. Also, the other girls should have found out about them kissing! Like, Pinkie Pie was watching them the whole time instead of actually skinny dipping and caught the whole thing on her phone.
"No fair! How come you guys got all the face sucking? I didn't even get to make out with other me or Applejack's brother." Rainbow complained.
Applejack reached for a chair.
That was fun. Sunlight at the end was a nice bonus.
And then the FBI appears at each of their doors, the casino says they knew full well who they were and alerted the authorities, and the authorities just allowed them to continue their gambling until was interrupted by the manager just to see what they would do. Press charges later and now we have the headline for the next month and seven high schoolers with a record. and a deported/jailed Sunset.
Well, that was a fun trip. I'm not going to lie, this was my favorite chapter because you had Sunset going full manipulative badass, and that's not something you typically see. Good jokes all throughout, a touch of Sunlight, and excellent characterization all around.
As for Discord...I can't decide if he was bored, really was that antagonistic and mean to Sunset because he didn't like her, or had some ulterior motive behind it all, or he just made it up as he went along. Probably all of the above, now that I think about, so congrats on getting him right.
7057323 I don't blame her for trying, tigers are fluffy!
YEAH SUNSET WOOHOO!
7058792
Discord is like Q in a lot more ways than just the voice, there's always at least a dozen ulterior motives behind every action, eh.
7066967 yeah, send Soledad to Mexico!
Damn that was a great story.
7185674
The baby dragon card only gets played by the other ponies when it's convenient. At least I hope it's not normal to make an alleged baby do the chores Spike has to do.
I very much approve of Discord's taste in nuts.
Seriously though, he's gonna be in biiiig trouble once Pony Twi finds out what he did. If she does...
"Bully" Sunset is actually really badass when she uses it to help her friends. Adds a lot to her character that she's still capable of that but feels guillty or insecure about it. Makes me think of "reformed" Diamond Tiara. Also makes Sunny's reformation a lot more beleivable as opposed to "she's suddenly a completely different person now." Trying to escape her past is beleivable but it's cool to see it addressed that that dark side still exists, albeit now for a different purpose.
I enjoyed this story a lot! They went on quite the adventure during the whole trip, but in the end things worked out for them!
Except for Fluttershy, who didn't get to keep the tiger
While reading the ending, I heard a high pitched voice. It sounded like a Portal 2 turret. Wanna know what it said near the back-right of my brain?
...
"I ship it!"
7274817 That's a factor of pride, and loving oneself too much. Selfcest involves two bodies, both being the same person.
Essentially, narcissistism is looking at yourself in the mirror, admiring what you see, and saying, 'damn, I am the most beautiful thing that ever existed,' and be dead serious about it.
Selfcest would be cloning yourself, then screwing your clone. Much easier to explain.
Erm why do i get the feeling pinkie pie pulled a pinkie pie trick and has a bunch of money in her hair
7344941 He sure did. Firmly planting himself in the top 3 favorite captains list in the process.
I really liked this one. Shame I'll have to ruin those 404 likes, though...
Hey...How did the girls get into the casino? Casinos make you show your ID to get in. Unless their magical necklaces allowed them to play Jedi mind tricks on the workers at the entrance. Admittedly, I've gone inside only one casino and the ID check was probably mostly to make it easier to serve alcohol and tobacco on the floor. Maybe there are some smoke-free casinos, or else the rules work differently on EG Earth. Or I'm way overthinking this.
Anyway, this was a fun story overall. I liked a lot of this, especially Applejack hitting guys with chairs, and you write Discord very well. My main complaint is that the summary is misleading. They didn't really end up going on a road trip to save the world, it was just Discord trolling with them. Although, it's perfectly IC for Twilight to blow things out of proportion and fear the worst. And at least the story had a decent payoff, even if it wasn't anything like I expected. So have an upvote from me.
My first reaction: Yes, Fluttershy, it's called the Lacey Act.
My second reaction: ...I am SUCH a nerd... (though in my defense, I'm a Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences major, so I've had to study conservation law and policy)
Interesting ending. I approve of some comedic sociopathy, especially if it involves Sunset Shimmer.
While this is a good story and i enjoyed reading it, i feel like it's a bit shorter than i expected. I mean, whole way up to the appearance of Discord it was one kind of a pacing and then BANG they are at the hotel. Well, ok, i can roll with it, everything goes as it should, they've figured a potential way out, and then BANG! everything ended. I mean, i was expecting a little bit more and boy, Discord and whole gang in Vegas, i certainly expected something nuclear.
I don't really blame you, Author, for anything, you've had your plans for this story and i was expecting something else, not a big deal.
But man, you've got really good and steady pacing and i enjoyed interactions between the characters (good job on that) and that feeling of the road and travel, and now it's over.
Tl;Dr: This should be like three times longer imo, with lots of running through Vegas from mob (and after them later), explosions of creative chaotic magic from Discord and maybe something like Pinkie doing lewd pole dancing. I'm not into clop much, but you kept undressing her, so i guess that would be a given.
Is't yig stapen güllbroz!
Bruja kern gallek sti phylt altjac myukev dhunk.
Kela, napo lepn shta, is't yig stapen güllbroz zishtena.
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Wait what?
Oh she is GOOD.
Oh you are GREAT.
Wooow. This story was wayyy better than it had any right to be for a road trip.
Well done good sir. I also hope Flutters washes Discord's mouth out with soap when he gets back to her cottage.
You know I did enjoy this story very much, if I had one complaint it's that Discord doesn't get his comeuppance which kind of leaves things feeling unfinished.
So, I really liked the idea behind this story. Throwing the girls in a cramped van going on a road trip to parts unknown is a really fun idea and allows for some fun character interactions and putting the girls in hilarious situations. I feel that when the characters got to their final destination and had to finally face the story's conflict, the story fell a bit in terms of enjoyability. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the las pegasus and Discord stuff, but I feel like the roadtrip stuff is where the story's true potential lies.
I'd like to see either a sequel or remake to this story. Same cramped, rickety van 'cause that allowed for some fun moments and could probably allow for even more fun moments, but instead of focusing on getting to a single destination and dealing with some kind of conflict, just have the girls go on a long roadtrip exploring the country getting into whatever mischief that they'd naturally get themselves into. I think a really fun story could come from just that.
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Anthony wrote a whole crapton of Xanth novels, so presumably, there are some decent ones in there. On the other hand ...
durdlesbooks.com/shop_image/product/000004.jpg
Now I'm afraid I'm on a watchlist for googling that.
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I'd Also like to see Discord around longer and on more friendly terms with the girls.
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It could also be a reference to the Slaughterhouse 9 of the web serial Worm.
This is definitely the single best one I've ever read. I absolutely love it.
Started reading and couldn’t stop! This was one heckuva story, and it kinda makes me hope to see a story from you where Sunset uses their summer break to go cause some mischief. She may be reformed, but I like to think she still enjoys a bit of trouble now and then.
Very fun little Trollcord fic, though, odd why he was that antagonistic towards Sunset. While him acting like that is perfectly him, it's usually just to ponies that have pissed him off somehow or when he's just generally in a bad mood. It seemed like something personal but no reason for why. But more then made up for any issues with that by just how well all the Rainbooms played off each other.
Discord arriving was the magical event, right?
Did I miss the part in the story where they figured that out/mentioned it?