Chapter 6: Las Pegasus
The motion of the train jerked Steel Script awake as the train stopped at the Las Pegasus train station, brakes squealing in protest.
Steel left the train and took in the sight she had seen only a year prior, after receiving a letter bearing the seal of Princess Luna, asking for help with a certain pegasus. The buildings towered above her, the point where metal and glass became cloud indistinguishable, cloud palaces sitting atop skyscrapers. The sight filled Steel with the same wonder it had when she had first met the ill-tempered pegasus at the behest of the Princess of the Night. Steel started to trot towards a building that stood slightly apart from the others, ignoring all other sights offered by the impressive city.
"The Lightning Struck Casino. This should be good," muttered Steel as she approached the lone tower. Steel entered the casino to be assaulted by noise and lights, the sounds of ponies gambling and bright lights to attract them.
"Can I help you ma'am?" asked an earth pony in a red coat.
"I'll be fine, I'm here to see Lighting Flicker," replied Steel, showing the pony the letter from Tuxedo Prism.
"Ah, go right ahead."
Steel entered a nearby elevator, pressing the highest button in the elevator, the sensation of being forced to the ground pressing down on her briefly.
Almost a minute had gone by when the doors finally opened at the highest floor open to the public, revealing a bustling restaurant in front of her and a hallway off to her left.
Ignoring the inviting smells that wafted from the restaurant, Steel turned down the hallway, quickly approaching a door that boor the words 'Do Not Enter.' Pushing the door open and trotting down the hallway that lay behind it. Steel followed the corridor as it curved gently, soon ending in an elevator, a number pad attached.
Steel punched in the code, the elevator doors sliding open and allowing Steel Script access to the floors where her friend reigned supreme.
After several seconds, the elevator slowed, and the doors parted to show a grey-blue unicorn with an ageing mane standing just outside.
"Ah good, Master, ah Mistress, Steel, I was unaware of your, ah, current condition," the pony faltered as he realised who he was talking to.
"Not to worry, Tuxedo, I am the one at fault, I should have forewarned you of my situation," replied Steel.
"Would you like to avail yourself of our faculties and cure yourself of the joke?"
"No, though I thank you for the offer. I am here to aid Lightning Flicker, and your letter explained the gravity of the situation all too well. If at first I am unsuccessful at recalling Lightning from his current stupor, then I shall indeed use the offered facilities."
"As you wish, Steel Script. Master Lightning's room is just down the hall, first door on the right. The bathroom is the fourth door on the left, should you need it."
Steel Script trotted down the hall until she came to the door Tuxedo Prism had indicated, a large image of Lightning's cutie mark in bronze recessed into the centre of the mahogany portal.
"Lightning Flicker, are you in there? Lightning? Hey Lightning, It's me, Steel Script! Lightning, open the door!" Steel rapped on the door with his hoof, all the while calling for her friend.
As no response from Lightning was forthcoming to Steel's pleas, Steel tried the door, surprised to find it unlocked. She entered the room, cringing as the smell of liquor assailed her senses.
"Lightning?" Steel called to the seemingly empty room.
"Who're you?" slurred Lightning's voice from a massive bed suspended from the ceiling by way of four large cables running to the corners of the room.
"Steel. Steel Script. Your crazy friend from the Everfree." prompted Steel.
Lightning's head appeared at the edge of the bed.
"You're not Steel, Steel's a dude, dude."
"This is pointless, he's too drunk to see straight," sighed Steel to herself, turning her back to the dishevelled pegasus, narrowly avoiding an empty whiskey bottle thrown by Lightning.
Closing the door on Lightning, Steel turned to her right and looked for the fourth door, opening it an entering the bathroom it led to, pulling out the preserved Poison Joke antidote ingredients and set about mixing them together.
Steel Script left the bathroom, half a head taller and with more muscular a build, in short a stallion.
Stretching his legs as he went, Steel approached the door to Lightning Flicker's room, intent of bring Lightning's mind back to the present.
"Lightning? It's Steel Script," called Steel, carefully sticking his muzzle into Lightning's room
The pegasus' head again appeared at the edge of the platform.
"Steel? What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Tuxedo asked me to come, he's worried about you."
"Well, that means he's a fucking idiot."
"And what am I?"
"A bigger fucking idiot."
Steel light up his horn, causing several brown bottles to float towards him, quickly followed by a rather drunk pegasus.
"Gimme back my fucking BOOZE!"
Steel rolled his eyes as the grey pegasus above him flew madly after the bottles which had started to float around in circles at ever increasing speeds. Soon the bottles and the pegasus chasing them were little more than a black, silver, and brown blur above Steel Script, who was praying to Luna that his idea wouldn't turn out to result in too much cleaning later on. Thankfully for Steel, it didn't as Lightning's vision blurred and all energy in his wings evaporated, leaving the dazed pegasus to plummet towards the floor.
Using his magic, Steel gently caught the pegasus, who had regained enough of his senses to empty his heaving gut.
Sighing, Steel led his friend around the still steaming pile of stomach acid and into the bathroom.