When Fluttershy wins a trip to Las Pegasus, her friends think it'll be a good way to get her out of her shell. But what do they do when she takes the gambling too far?
Fluttershy wins a mail raffle that includes a trip for her and five others to the fabulous Las Pegasus. Her friends feel that going on this trip will be a good way to help Fluttershy get out of her shell. Although Fluttershy feels conflicted about going, she is goaded into it.
While there, Fluttershy starts enjoying herself in the casino, but maybe a little too much. What will come of the entire trip?
Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the Elements of Harmony, have been through many a hard trial. They have wondered the Everfree Forest to get the Elements, defeated the Lord of Chaos himself, fought off an army of changelings, helped save an entire empire, and even took down a talent-sucking centaur from Tartarus. They were difficult, but even through all of that, they were able to handle the difficulties. All of that, however, was child's play compared to what they went through with a specific yellow pegasus in a specific city of fun and gambling.
It was a bright, sunny afternoon in Ponyville. A perfect time for ponies to be out on a nice walk, or laying out in the sun, sipping on a cool beverage. To a coincidence, that's exactly what Twilight and her friends were doing! Five ponies sat outside Sugarcube Corner on lawn chairs in reclined positions, enjoying the hot sun and slightly cool breeze that occasionally whisked by. Twilight was reading a book while Rainbow Dash was snoring away. Pinkie Pie was sipping on a cool lemonade as Applejack fanned herself and Rarity held a reflector, no doubt working on her tan. The only one that seemed to be missing was Fluttershy. Though the five didn't think much of it at first, after a while, they were starting to wonder if she was going to show up, since she didn't say she had other things to do. Suddenly, as the five sat there on their chairs in the nice sun, a shadowed figured flew down and landed with the sound of thudding hooves on the sidewalk.
"Girls!" a normally-quiet voice called out. It was per the norm for Fluttershy to not raise her voice too much, but her voice was raised to a little above normal volume, which was a still pretty excited tone for Fluttershy. The sound startled the girls so much, Rainbow jerked awake and fell out of her chair.
"Fluttershy?" Rainbow grunted as she rubbed the newly formed lump on her head. "What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing, Dashie!" Fluttershy replied with a big smile. "In fact, everything's great! Guess what I got in my mail today?"
"Oooo! I LOVE guessing games!" Pinkie squealed. "Wait wait don't tell me...uh...cake! No...uh...um...A magazine about cake? No...<GASP!> A year's subscription to a whole bunch of magazines about cake!"
"It doesn't have to do with cake, Pinkie!" Fluttershy giggled. "Do you guys remember that mailing raffle that I entered about a week ago?" The others nodded. "Well I got a congratulatory note today saying that I WON!"
"That's great, Flutters!" Applejack stated as she patted Fluttershy on the back. "Whatcha win?"
"Oooo, that's the best part!" Fluttershy said with anticipation. "I have a choice between two prizes. Look!" She then reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the letter. She opened it and read aloud, "You may choose a new, not-released-in stores-yet, top-of-the-line refrigerator," Fluttershy squealed a bit as she read on, "or a two-day, one-night trip for six to Fabulous LAS PEGASUS!" After she finished, the others' jaws dropped out of pure awe.
They had heard stories about Las Pegasus, how it was considered the funnest city in all of Equestria, but none of them had ever been there before. The fact that Fluttershy had won a trip for SIX was even better. It was such great news, that none of them could keep in their excitement anymore. In a second, five ponies were jumping up and down with excitement, whooping and cheering as Fluttershy watched with a smile.
"That's amazing, Fluttershy!" Twilight said with a big smile. "You've won something that anypony would KILL for a chance at!"
"I know!" Fluttershy replied.
"It'll be simply DIVINE to get that prize!" Rarity squealed.
"I know!" Fluttershy replied.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Rainbow shouted with anticipation. "To think: the six of us, going to the FABULOUS LAS PEGASUS!"
"I kno-" Fluttershy stopped mid-sentence and looked at the still bouncing ponies. "Who said anything about Las Pegasus?"
At that point, the bouncing came to a screeching halt as the five friends looked at Fluttershy like she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. After a short silence, Rainbow started laughing. "HA! And here I thought you didn't like joking around Fluttershy!"
"I'm not joking," Fluttershy responded seriously. "I'm taking the refrigerator."
The smile on Rainbow's face disappeared in a split second and was replaced with the others' expressions; disbelief. "What?" shouted Rainbow. "But-but-but but but anypony would leap at the chance to go to Las Pegasus! It's the most funnest place in all of Equestria!"
"Most FUN place," Twilight corrected. "Or FUNNEST place. Not MOST FUNNEST place."
"Is this really the time to correct my grammar, Twi?" Rainbow asked with an annoyed look.
"Rainbow's right, Flutters," Applejack chimed in. "This could be an opportunity that ya'll never get again!"
"I don't care," Fluttershy answered. "I need a new fridge, and this is the perfect timing for me!" She pulled up an ad of the fridge that came with the letter and held it up to her friends. "See? It's not even in market yet! It's the top-of-the-line! And it comes with a free set of salad bowls and a lettuce crisper!"
"OooOOOOooo!" Pinkie gawked as she eyed the ad. "A FREE set of salad bowls AND lettuce crisper? Maybe you SHOULD get the-"
"NOT HELPING, PINKIE!" Rainbow scolded. Pinkie blushed with an embarrassed grin and gave the ad back to Fluttershy. "Why don't you want to go to Las Pegasus, Fluttershy?"
"I just don't feel like going," Fluttershy responded as she tucked the ad back in her bag. "I mean, all the flashy lights, loud music, endless casinos..."
"But that's the best part, darling!" Rarity intervened.
"But it's not me!" Fluttershy replied. "Besides, with all the gambling that goes on there, I don't want to end up like my Auntie Ladybug..."
"Your Auntie Ladybug?" Twilight repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Who's Auntie Ladybug?"
"She's my Auntie," Fluttershy answered.
"No kidding," Rainbow muttered sarcastically.
"She went to Las Pegasus once on vacation," Fluttershy continued. "But the thing was, she had a horrible gambling addiction! Ever since she visited her first casino, she couldn't stop gambling. I remember once, my mother actually had to pry her away from the slot machines, and I mean LITERALLY pry her away...with a crowbar! Anyway, she lost everything because she gambled it all away! Her house, her clothes, her jewelry, her pets! Her PETS for Celestia's sake! All for the temporary joy of gambling! I don't want to risk being like her. The addiction might be hereditary."
"I don't think an addiction can be hereditary, Fluttershy," Twilight sighed. "Besides, there's more to do in Las Pegasus than just casinos you know. There are museums, restaurants, different shows..."
"I'm sorry guys," Fluttershy said with a stern tone, "but I won the prize, so I get to choose what I get, and I want the fridge." As Fluttershy started to trot away, the others' once excited tones melted into a chorus of sulking sighs. Their one chance to go to Las Pegasus, and now it was gone because Fluttershy was too afraid. As the others went back to sulk in their chairs, Rainbow straightened up and stared with intensity toward Fluttershy.
"This isn't over!" she announced as the others looked toward her with confusion. Before any of them could ask, Rainbow soared off toward Fluttershy. It didn't take long for her to catch up with her, and although the other four didn't see, they heard what sounded like a struggle going on. Soon enough, They saw Rainbow coming back over the hill, carrying a struggling Fluttershy on her back. The others looked at each other. Rainbow wasn't normally this aggressive, but she really must've wanted the trip. As Rainbow returned to the others, she plopped Fluttershy down not-so-gently. Fluttershy quickly got up, dusted herself off, and stared at Rainbow with a look of annoyance mixed with disbelief on her face.
"What was THAT about?" Fluttershy asked in her annoyed tone.
"It's about YOU!" Rainbow responded sternly. "Look, Flutters, I know you think you don't want to go to Las Pegasus because you don't want to get an addiction, but I know what it's really about! You don't know how to have FUN!" The others' mouths fell open at Rainbow's comment as they looked towards Fluttershy, who's mouth was also ajar, for her move.
"Th-th-th-that's ridiculous, Dashie!" Fluttershy stuttered. "I know how to have fun!"
"Oh yeah?" Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow. "Name one thing you've done that's considered fun?" Fluttershy opened her mouth to answer. "And the time you watched the Butterfly Migration doesn't count!" Fluttershy closed her mouth as she started to think. After a minute, Rainbow leaned up again Fluttershy. "You can't think of anything can you? Then that should be enough. Look, Flutters, I know that shy is kinda your thing, I mean, it's in your name, but sometimes, you gotta know when to come out of your shell!"
"But Fluttershy isn't a turtle!" Pinkie chimed in. "How can she come out of her shell?"
"A metaphorical shell, Pinkie!" Twilight answered as she rolled her eyes. "And I agree with Rainbow, Fluttershy. You don't seem to do much fun stuff as much as the rest of us. We just want to help you live a little. Have a little fun!"
"And what better place than Las Pegasus!" Rainbow concluded as she put a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulder. "C'mon, Flutters! Don't do it for us, but for yourself! For the sake of your fun! For the sake of letting it all go for once...and it wouldn't hurt to do part of it for us. PLEEEEEASE?" At that point, a sudden chorus of "Please" echoed around the yellow pegasus as her friends crowded around her with big, pleading smiles. Fluttershy looked from pony to pony, starting to feel overcome by the peer pressure. Finally, it burst.
"Alright! ALRIGHT!" Fluttershy called out as she pushed her friends away. "I'll take the trip." The bouncing continued as the five friends whooped and hollered as they jumped up and down. The Mane Six were going to Las Pegasus!
The six all met at the station around 4:00 pm and got on the first train to Neighvada, where Las Pegasus was located. The trip took about four hours, but when all they could see was desert, the ponies knew that they were getting close. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the six got a signal from Pinkie that the lights of the city were in view. Everypony ran to the windows just in time to see the train enter the city. After they had exited and grabbed a cab to take them to their hotel, everypony had the chance to look at the amazing sites of the city as they passed. The colorful, flashy lights, the height of the skyscrapers, the different street performers, doing whatever they did best. Even Fluttershy had to admit that it was really a beautiful site. After a 15 minute drive through the city, the cab stopped outside the Grand Plaza Hotel, where they would be staying. The hotel was at least six stories high, and had a huge neon sign at the top, blinking the name of the hotel in blue neon. The girls reveled in the site even more as they entered the "simply divine" establishment. They quickly got their room keys from the desk pony and before they knew it, the six friends were on their way up the elevator to rooms 518 and 519.
When the six opened the door to the first room, they were all astounded by how amazing it looked. There was a little fridge, a huge, flatscreen TV, and an amazing view of the city.
"This...is...AWESOME!" Rainbow squealed as she could barely contain her excitement.
"It really is a site!" Twilight agreed. "Ok girls, since we have two rooms, let's split into threes. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity will take one room. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and I will take the other. Everypony got it?" The four ponies nodded. Four? Twilight suddenly noticed that Pinkie wasn't with the others. She sighed and turned around to see Pinkie laying on the bed. "Got it Pinkie?"
Pinkie wasn't listening due to the fact that she was trying out the bed's "Magic Hooves" function, where a pony would insert a bit, and the bed would vibrate, acting as a massage treatment. Pinkie was enjoying it a little too much. "So-o-o-o-o m-m-m-magical-al-al-al-al..." Pinkie sighed as she felt the vibrations melt away her nerves. The others just stared with stunned looks.
"So I guess we'll take THIS room," Twilight chuckled. The others nodded and Rainbow, AJ, and Rarity went to the room next door. As Twilight put her suitcase by the bed, she noticed that Fluttershy was looking over a brochure of the city. "Ah-HA!" she said with a smirk as Fluttershy looked over at her. "Looking at good attractions are you?"
"Well, I might as well find something fun to do while I'm here," Fluttershy responded. "I'm gonna prove to you guys that I CAN be fun!"
"Oh Fluttershy," Twilight sighed. "You don't have to prove anything to us..."
"YES SHE DOES!" Rainbow shouted from the other room.
"You're not HELPING!" Twilight called back through gritted teeth. She then turned back to Fluttershy with a smile. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Well, if you want to know," Fluttershy replied with an excited grin, "I found a little park at the center of the city! It has a little pond with ducks, and squirrels! We could explore, and then we could eat at a lovely little bistro at the corner of town, and then we could go to the National Insect Museum and check out-" Fluttershy was cut off by the sound of gagging coming from their door. The ponies turned to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and Rainbow was holding her stomach.
"Sorry," Rainbow chuckled. "Something stuck in my throat. It was a big ball of BORING!" She whisked over to Fluttershy's side. "I mean c'mon Flutters! Bistro? Insect museum? A POND? This is Las Pegasus, not...Bambi!"
"Hey! I thought you said you liked that movie!" Fluttershy sternly said.
"I said I liked the END of the movie," Rainbow stated bluntly, "like, when it ended, but I digress. What I mean is that you're missing the best part of the city; the casinos!"
"Oh no!" Fluttershy said as she pushed away from Rainbow. "I said I would come to Las Pegasus. I NEVER said that I would go to a casino!"
"Aw c'mon, Flutters," Applejack chimed in. "It's the best part! And ah don' know 'bout you, but ah wanna check out the Blackjack table!"
"I was rather hoping to see how Craps works," Twilight added.
"You see?" Rainbow said to Fluttershy. "Everypony else wants to go! C'mon! It'll be fun! It'll be an experience that you'll never forget, and you can stop gambling anytime you want when you feel enough is enough!"
"That's exactly what Auntie Ladybug said," Fluttershy muttered, "before she sold her husband's life insurance...and her husband."
"You're making that up Flutters," Rainbow scoffed.
"I wish I was..." Fluttershy responded. The others looked at Fluttershy with a half surprising, half disturbing glance for a second before brushing it off. A moment of silence passed between the friends as they all looked at Fluttershy with anticipation. Finally, with a big sigh, Fluttershy said, "Ok ok. I'll go see a casino." She knew that her friends would start pleading like children if she said no.
"GREAT!" Twilight exclaimed as the others smiled big. "I happened to see one just a few blocks from here!"
"Alright!" Rainbow grinned with anticipation. "C'mon everypony! We're going gambling!" The others cheered as they started out the door, before realizing that Rarity wasn't with them. Rainbow rolled her eyes as she flew over to the other door and pounded on it. "C'MON RARITY! WE'RE LEAVING!
"I'm coming!" Rarity yelled from inside. Soon, the door opened, and there stood Rarity in a beautiful, sparkling red dress and with her hair tied up in a fashionable way. The others stared at her overly-dressed self as she posed. "What?" she asked when she noticed the others' looks. "This is my Lucky Dress!"
"Lucky Dress?" Applejack asked in a mocking tone. "What kinda lucky YOU talkin' about? You lookin' to get lucky or GET LUCKY?" The others chuckled at the joke.
"Oh hardy har har, Applejack," Rarity scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "C'mon girls! I'm feeling lucky tonight!"
And with that, the six friends happily galloped to the elevators to head out for the casino.
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.
The door to the hotel room flew open as the once very sensitive and innocent Fluttershy stepped in. She was once very sensitive and innocent, until she found herself in the world of Roulette. Though she did very well at the beginning, her luck changed for her, and changed HER as well. She had become a wild-eyed pegasus, obsessed with winning Roulette. When her friends took her chips and ran though, that was what sent her over the edge. No chips, no playing. No playing, no winning. The game had done something to her. She was no longer looking somewhat wild-eyed, but now looked crazy, her eye twitching, and strands of hair standing on end. As she walked casually but menacingly into the dark room, her voice and expression had changed into something psychotic.
"Heeeeeeeeere's FLUTTERS!" she said with a crazed smile. She quickly turned the light on and looked around. The room looked empty, but she saw her friends rushing into the room. She knew they were there. With her wild eyes quickly looking around, Fluttershy began to talk out loud. "I know you're here, guys! I can smell my chips! You can't hide forever!" She explored the bedroom, looking under the desk, bed, and behind the TV, but still no sign of her friends. Suddenly, Fluttershy caught sight of the end of a lavender-colored tail sticking out from behind the long curtain. Fluttershy smiled and chuckled maniacally as she inched towards the curtains, sounding innocent as she did so. "Oh don't worry, friends," she whispered as she closed the distance. "All is forgiven. Just come on out and we can talk abou-AH HA!"
Fluttershy quickly grabbed the curtain and pulled it back, just in time to see Twilight jump out and tackle her. The two landed on the ground with a thud, Twilight holding onto Fluttershy for dear life, as the pegasus struggled.
"Guys!" Twilight shouted. "A little HELP please!" At that moment, the three others ran out. Applejack was hiding in the bathtub, Rarity in the closet, and Rainbow Dash literally attached to the ceiling. The three rushed over as Applejack and Rainbow helped hold down Fluttershy's flailing hooves. "Rarity!" Twilight signaled as she struggled to hold Fluttershy's torso. "The mirror! Quick!" Rarity nodded as she rushed toward the drawer by the bed to retrieve a handheld mirror. As Fluttershy flailed her body, her eye caught sight of a bag strapped around Rarity's midsection. It was the bag with her chips. At that point, Fluttershy began to fight even harder. Applejack and Rainbow held onto her hooves with everything they had, but it didn't seem to be enough. Twilight was losing her grip, and tried casting a spell to hold Fluttershy in place. However, since spell casting required a focused mind, it wasn't enough due to Twilight focusing more on keeping her balance on the pegasus.
Then, in one furious motion, Fluttershy flung each of the restraining ponies off of her. Three friends went flying in different directions as Fluttershy got up, huffing and puffing with crazed fury. She turned her eyes to the bag around Rarity, and then to Rarity herself. Rarity looked from the bag to Fluttershy with an expression of fear. The two continued glancing for a second before Fluttershy pounced towards the prissy unicorn. Rarity shrieked in horror as Fluttershy soared towards her with her hooves stretch out and a hungry look in her eye. Hungry for chips.
"RARITY!" Applejack shouted. "OVER HERE!" Without even thinking, Rarity grabbed the bag with her magic and flung it over Fluttershy's head. Fluttershy turned quickly to see Applejack catch it in her mouth. Fluttershy stopped in midair and rapidly turned around to soar straight towards the earth pony. Applejack quickly slung the bag up in the air for Rainbow to catch. A high speed chased ensured as the two pegasi circled around the room. It was like watching a little Wonderbolts Derby on the ceiling as the yellow streak followed closely behind the cyan streak. It didn't take too long for Fluttershy to grab Rainbow's tail in her mouth and start to pull her back, muttering something nopony could understand. At that point, Rainbow dropped the bag and Twilight caught it. The unicorn then ran to the door, but was quickly cut off by the yellow pegasus. As Fluttershy lunged for her, Twilight used her magic to teleport to the other side of the room as Fluttershy crashed into the bed. She quickly recovered though and continued her pursuit of the bag.
What started out at a carefully placed trap soon became a life-or-death game of Keep Away as the ponies tossed the bag from one to another, keeping it just out of reach of Fluttershy. All that could be heard were the constant shouts of the ponies, calling out for the bag to be passed to them, and the insane grunting of Fluttershy as she tried to keep up. Pillows flew, chairs were knocked down, drawers were drawn out of whack. It was a good thing the TV was bolted to the dresser it was sitting on, or else they would have quite a massive bill on their hooves. It seemed to go on for 15 minutes before Rarity screwed up. Twilight passed the bag to her, but she wasn't ready. As the bag hit her, it fell on the floor. Within a split second, Fluttershy and Rarity were on the floor, rolling around, trying to grab the bag from one another, shouting for the whole floor to hear. Finally, in a stunning turn of events, Fluttershy had Rarity pinned to the ground. Rarity looked up in fear at the face of pure insanity with the mangled pink mane. She was looking down on her, huffing with a combination of exhaustion and insanity as her eye twitched and her mouth curled into a crazy-grinned smile.
"F-F-Fluttershy!" Rarity shrieked. "What has happened to you?"
"THERE IS NO FLUTTERSHY ANYMORE!" Fluttershy responded with pure insanity. "THERE'S ONLY FLUTTERLUCK! And I'm going for the BIG jackpot! I'm gonna blow the ROOF off this city!"
Suddenly, everything was stopped by the sound of the door opening and the hotel manager sticking his head in. "Excuse me, ladies. We've been getting complaints about the volume, so if you would be so kind as to-"
"GET OUT!" Everypony shouted. The manager didn't even hesitate as he quickly shut the door.
"Now," Fluttershy whispered sinisterly, "where were we? Ah yes! Give. Me. Back. My. Chips!" Rarity peeked toward Twilight, who was standing behind Fluttershy, holding the mirror. Twilight nodded slightly, and Rarity took that as the cue.
"Fine!" Rarity said as she let go of the bag. Fluttershy quickly opened it and started to pet the chips, like a lunatic.
"My own!" she whispered. "My precioussssss!"
"NOW, TWILIGHT!" Rarity shouted as Fluttershy felt her head being restrained by a purple aura. Fluttershy started to struggle again as the magic forced her to turn around. When she had turned completely around, Twilight held up the mirror right in front of Fluttershy's face. As she opened her eyes slightly, Fluttershy gasped at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't struggle, she didn't close her eyes again; they were glued to the mirror. Everypony stared in anticipation as Fluttershy continued to stare, not saying a single word. Suddenly, Fluttershy spoke in her old, whispering voice, "A-Auntie Ladybug?"
The four ponies sighed of everlasting relief as Twilight lifted the restraining spell. Fluttershy's head was let go, but her eyes were still glued to the mirror. The girls waited as Fluttershy finally looked away from the mirror and looked down at the bag of chips in front of her. There was a brief moment of silence as everypony looked to see if she was ok. "Fluttershy?" Twilight calmly said. "Are you alright now?"
No response as Fluttershy continued to face the floor, not saying a word. The girls inched closer as they tried to look at her face. Just then, Fluttershy lifted her head, to reveal a fresh flow of tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eye wasn't twitching, her crazy smile was gone, Fluttershy was back. The others didn't say a word as they gathered around the sobbing pegasus and wrapped her in a group hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes before everypony broke apart, leaving Fluttershy still on the floor.
"W-what happened to me?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, sugarcube," Applejack responded as she wiped her brow with her hat, "I'm no expert, but ah think ya'll just went Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs!" The others nodded slightly as Fluttershy started to sob again.
"Oh my gosh," she said through the tears. "The addiction IS hereditary! I'm...I'm a compulsive gambler!" Fluttershy put her head into her hooves as she cried.
"Fluttershy," Twilight calmly stated as she put a hoof on her shoulder. "You are NOT a compulsive gambler." Fluttershy looked up slightly from her hooves. "I mean, you don't bet on the Wonderbolts Races do you?"
"Well, no," Fluttershy responded.
"Yeah," Rainbow chimed in. "And that time when I tried to buy a lottery ticket, you told me not to waste my money!"
"That's true," Fluttershy agreed as she lifted her head more.
"I think what happened here," Twilight explained, "is that you got a little caught up in the rush of Las Pegasus, and that's natural for anypony. You've been secluded for too long, that when you tried something so new and fun, you just got a tiny carried away."
"Which involved you getting crazier than when Twilight caused the Smartypants Incident," Rainbow casually said. Twilight shot her a look which made Rainbow quickly close her mouth. Fluttershy got up from the ground and wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked at her friends.
"Thanks guys," she said with a soft smile, "and I am SO sorry for what I put you guys through. Can you ever forgive me?"
"Darling," Rarity smiled as she nuzzled up against Fluttershy. "We've already forgiven you." The others nodded which made Fluttershy smile even more.
"Well, we owe you just as much of an apology," Rainbow said with a look of guilt. "Mostly from just me. If it wasn't for all our goading, you wouldn't have done this in the first place. I-I'm sorry Fluttershy, for pressuring you to do something you obviously didn't want to do."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Twilight said to Rainbow with a proud smile. "We should've respected your wishes, Fluttershy."
"Oh it's alright," Fluttershy happily responded, "but you know what? In spite of all that has happened, I really had fun on this trip."
"You did?" The girls asked simultaneously.
"Yeah," Fluttershy responded with a nod. "Maybe you girls were right when you said I didn't have that much fun. I've done simple things, but never anything that we all could call fun. This trip has helped me come out of my shell, whether by crazy intent or not, and now, I feel more free to do more fun stuff. I don't feel so introverted anymore!"
"Well...that's great, Flutters!" Rainbow said with a smile as she playfully tapped Fluttershy's shoulder. The others nodded in happy agreement.
"And when we get home," Fluttershy proudly said, "I promise that I'm going to try more 'fun' stuff and do more outgoing events!"
"And if we ever come back to Las Pegasus," Twilight intervened, "we keep somepony with you." She then looked toward Fluttershy and playfully winked. "Just in case."
"Deal!" Fluttershy giggled. "Oh, you guys really are the best friends anypony could have!" The others "awed" as they gathered for another group hug, laughing as they hugged.
"That just leaves one problem," Applejack suddenly said as the others broke the hug. "We STILL don't have train tickets, or the money to get any." The others' expressions quickly changed to sad pouts.
"That means all five of us are stuck here till further notice!" Rainbow pouted.
"You mean six." Twilight corrected.
"No five." Rainbow responded.
"Six."
"Five."
"Six."
"Do you need to go back to kindergarten, Twi?" Rainbow asked. "Count us. There are five of us here!" As everypony looked around, they soon realized that they WERE missing one.
"WHERE IN TARNATION IS PINKIE!?" Applejack shouted.
"Did we leave her down in the casino?" Rarity asked.
"She went off on her own, but she hadn't returned to us!" Twilight panicked. The others gasped as they headed for the door, but before they could reach it. The door swung open, and there stood the pink earth pony, smiling from ear to ear.
"Hiya, guys!" Pinkie cheerfully exclaimed as she looked at her five friends, now with mouths ajar.
"Pinkie! Where were you?" Twilight asked.
"I told you I was going to the Poker tables!" Pinkie answered.
"For over TWO HOURS?" Rainbow snapped.
"They were very intense games," Pinkie happily answered. "There was this earth pony who tried to sneak some aces under the table, but a unicorn caught him and called for the big bouncer guy, who threw him out of the casino. So what's happened with you guys?" Before any of them could answer though, a unicorn in a tuxedo came up to Pinkie carrying a tray the size of a wagon wheel with a box that looked like a treasure chest on it. "Ooh! Right on time!" Pinkie said happily as she bounced with excitement.
"Your winnings, Miss Pie," the unicorn professionally said as he used his magic to open the chest. The girls' mouths fell to the ground as they stared at the piles of shiny bits filling the chest.
"Thanks!" Pinkie said as she cleared the way for his entry into the room. The others watched, still in disbelief, as the unicorn placed the chest on the bed and left with a bow.
"Uh...Pinkie?" Applejack said, her tone expressionless. "How did you win all that?"
"Oh that's easy, silly," Pinkie chuckled. "I was the Pie Family Reunion Poker Champion five years running. Lost last year 'cause of Maud. So, what HAVE I missed?"
The others were at a loss of words as they looked from Pinkie to each other, thinking of what to say. How would they respond? How would they explain the weirdest, but funnest, but most life-threatening, but most learning trip to Las Pegasus?
