Tuesday, 4pm – The Four Stallions Hotel, Las Pegasus
Twilight gazed around the lobby; the thick carpets; the marble pillars; the giant, glittering crystal chandeliers and smiled "It really was very nice of you to arrange for us all to stay here Discord," She said, in disbelief "I mean; I thought the hotel I was booked into before was fancy, but the Four Stallions? This must have cost a small fortune!"
"Believe me, it was the very least I could do." He said feelingly, glancing over to where Applejack and Fluttershy were talking to the concierge. In fact, he couldn't quite believe it himself. He'd started out planning this trip only for himself and his best friend. Now, here he was with four extra mares (not counting Twilight) and Spike for a vacation in Las Pegasus – how had that happened?!
"It's lucky money's no object to me, because this is probably the most expensive misunderstanding in history!" He gave a little grimace "And to think I arranged all this because I couldn't bear to upset her! I'm not the instigator of conflict I used to be… "
But as he watched her trot over to re-join them, she gave him a sweet smile and he found he couldn't regret it.
"Simply gorgeous darling," Chimed Rarity beside him and it took him a moment to realise she was talking about the hotel "I must admit I was a little peeved when you rushed off so abruptly earlier but I can see now why you were in such a hurry to get away - what a simply marvellous surprise!"
"Yeah! It's like you've turned into a big, scary-looking fairy godmother who grants wishes!" Squealed Pinkie, "Except for making it rain chocolate milk and whipped cream because you never remember the whipped cream, ya big tease!" She punched him playfully in the side.
He allowed himself to bask in their praise for a moment "Maybe going on holiday with seven friends instead of one isn't so bad after all!"
"Well seeing as how I'm the best friend ever," He said slyly "You all owe me!"
"Can't say Ah like the sound o'that!" Applejack said wryly, as she and Fluttershy came over "Sounds like a whole bushel o' trouble to me!"
"What?!" Discord protested "I'm on my very best behaviour! I just spent two whole hours at an event so boring it made me want to beat myself to death with a copy of Twilight's summit speech." He pulled out huge stack of paper and used it to hammer himself into the ground like a tack.
"Hey! It wasn't that long!" Twilight rolled her eyes, but good humouredly.
"But all I want is for us to spend our trip having some real fun!" He spluttered, springing up out of the ground again "Bonding and so forth! After all," In a flash, he was wearing a white robe and strumming a harp with a halo glowing above his head "I'm a model of virtue now, just ask my new bestest pal Princess Celestia!" He gave Fluttershy a wicked grin and she sighed, but she was smiling at least.
"Can't the 'bonding' wait?" Asked Applejack "Ah'd prefer to take a load off. If Ah'm gonna stay in this fancy schmancy place Ah'd like to at least get a look at ma room. And how 'bout that pool?"
"And what about room service!?" Spike chipped in, holding up a menu he'd swiped off the front desk "It's amazing here, you can order literally anything you want! Rubies, diamonds, a triple chocolate fudgicide Sundae -"
"Oh no you don't!" Discord swiped the card out of his claw "I'm not having this vacation turn out like guys night."
Spike looked up at him with big, hurt eyes "I thought you liked our guys nights?"
"Oh I do!" The Draconequus patted the little dragon's head with his lion paw "But tonight isn't guys night, it's guys and girls night."
"Yeah and that means it has to be at least twice as cool as guys night!" Rainbow Dash said "AJ, we can't come to Las Pegasus and spend all day holed up at the hotel; I say we ditch the luggage A-SAP and go out on the town."
"Ooh yes!" Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly "Las Pegasus is party pony-central! We just gotta go out and paint the town red, Pinkie style – and by red I mean pink!"
Twilight looked up from her Las Pegasus Guidebook "Well I was hoping to take a walking tour of Mustang Canyon – " She began, but was cut off by a chorus of groans from the others "What!?" She said in disbelief "It's supposed to be one of the great natural wonders of Equestria! Besides, Discord and I are supposed to be attending the summit soiree tomorrow night, so we can't go too crazy." She did her best to ignore the Draconequus making gagging noises beside her.
"Oh please darling!" Rarity exclaimed "I didn't come to the City of Light to go trekking through some dusty crevasse and, no doubt, get pounced upon by some awful manticore or dragon (no offence Spikey Wikey!). Just for once can we please go somewhere we have a chance to get dressed up, show off our fabulousness and sample the high life in civilised surroundings!"
At her words, an illuminated scoreboard appeared behind Discord with two tallies, one marked "Game" and the other marked "Lame". Each tally had three points in.
"So that's one, two, three and - oh look!" He pointed at his own chest "Four of us in favour of some – ahem – well behaved carousing." A fourth point appeared in the "Game" tally and he shrugged as Twilight gave him a hard look.
"So I guess that means you might have the casting vote Fluttershy!" Rainbow turned to the yellow Pegasus "Are we in or are we out?"
Fluttershy froze and Discord suddenly realised his mistake. He knew she would hate to be put under this kind of pressure; having to decide for the whole group and worse, having to choose between her friends. No matter what she picked, somepony would be disappointed.
"If she starts out the night like this, she'll have a terrible time!" He thought in alarm "And then we won't get to have fun together like I want!"
Quickly he snapped his fingers and the scoreboard disappeared. Instead he transformed himself into a pair of dice, sitting in Fluttershy's outstretched hoof. Each side of the die had his face on it – the dots made up by his eyes.
"On second thoughts," Said the Dice-cords "As we're in the gambling city, why don't we let the fates decide? Your roll my dear; evens we go out, odds we stay in?"
Fluttershy hesitated amid more plaintive cries from the rest of them, then she shook her head
"No." She said firmly.
"I beg your pardon?" The Dice-cords frowned, bemused.
"I mean, no thank you. I've made my choice. I want to – " She gave a little smile "Go out and party?"
As her friends gaped in surprise, Discord re-materialised in his own shape, looking as if he was about to spontaneously combust with glee.
The Pegasus fidgeted nervously as they all stared at her "I mean… um… if that's ok with all of you?"
Tuesday, 8pm – The Skyhorse Bar, Las Pegasus
"Ah don't care what ya say, Ah'm never gamblin' with ya again, ya crooked, hornswagglin' varmint!" Applejack nudged Discord in the ribs.
"How dare you suggest I'd ever cheat, AJ?" He smirked "Maybe you just have a talent for rolling ssssnake eyesss!" His forked tongue flickered out between his teeth and the earth pony laughed reluctantly.
"Don't worry AJ, I lost my money too!" Spike said wryly "It just doesn't make sense, I was doing so well!"
"Oh yes, what can have happened?" The Draconequus rolled his eyes at the Dragon "Are you not familiar with the saying "the house always wins"?"
"But you won!"
"Oh yes, but chaos theory works in my favour in games of chance. After all, I practically invented those games!"
"Well, rolling dice and watching a little ball spin round a wheel isn't my idea of fun," Drawled Rainbow "But this is more like it!"
They were seated around a table in a glitzy cocktail bar which boasted amazing views over the city, the place was already beginning to fill up.
"I wholeheartedly concur!" Rarity gazed around, enraptured "Oh, just look at all the beautiful ponies! The dazzling glitterati! Finally somewhere I feel like I belong."
"My guidebook says the Sky Horse Bar is one of the most famous bars in Las Pegasus," Twilight read from the slim volume that had not left her hooves since they had arrived "And apparently it's particularly well-known for its amazing cocktails."
"Oooh and they all look so delicious, I can't decide!" Pinkie squeaked, looking at a drinks menu "Oh wait! Yes I can, I'll have this green, fizzy one and the pink gooey one with cherries and the one with the cute little umbrella in the top – "
"Woah! Slow down Pinkie, we've got all night," Twilight put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder and held up the guidebook "And there are plenty of other sights to see – "
"Look Twi, you slow down if you want to," Rainbow waved over a passing waitress "But some of us actually know how to have a good time!"
The Princess bristled "I know how to have fun! Right, Spike?"
The dragon coughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly
Dash smirked at her "I don't mean rearranging your library kind of fun, I mean real fun! You need to loosen up. Put the book away and stop being so uptight."
"I am not uptight!"
The blue Pegasus shrugged "I'll have a Mare-quila Sunrise please." She said to the waitress, ignoring the Alicorn's angry scowl.
"Rainbow, will y'all quit yer teasin'!" Said Applejack "Twilight can be just as much fun as the rest of us, when she's a mind to be."
"When I've a mind to be?!" Twilight said crossly, slapping the guidebook down on the table "Gimme one of those Mare-quila Surprises. I'll show you who doesn't know how to have a good time!"
"Mare-quila Surprise?" Rainbow laughed "You got the name wrong and you haven't even had a drink yet!"
Twilight looked at her furiously, mouth framing some angry response, when Discord held his paw up.
"Now, now, girls. Much as I am enjoying this little fracas, why don't you leave the disharmony to the professional?" He stretched and cracked his knuckles when suddenly a factory whistle blew above their heads "And – oh, would you look at that? I'm off the clock! So let's try and order our drinks without killing each other shall we? I'll have the same as Rainbow and our dear Princess and let's all lower our hackles and be pals again." He grinned at Twilight, who looked distinctly peeved.
"Oh yes, one of those for me please!" Pinkie said with a little bounce of excitement.
"And me!" Rarity and Applejack both said at the same time and laughed.
"And I'll have one too. Um.. please?" Discord looked down in surprise at Fluttershy, who was sitting beside him. She had an odd look on her face; her mouth was set in a determined line. When she saw him looking, she quickly smiled and said "Well, we are here to have fun – yay fun!"
He grinned at her stupidly, unable to help himself "Things are going so well," He thought, in jubilation "We're going to have such a wonderful time!"
"You sure, sugarcube?" Applejack shot Fluttershy a look of concern "I don't wanna be a wet blanket, but it ain't usually your kinda thing – "
"Anything you girls can handle, I can handle too!" The Pegasus answered stubbornly.
Spike raised a claw "Can… I get one of those cocktails?" He asked, hope written all over his face, then withering under the gaze of both Applejack and Twilight "Uh, I guess I'll just have a milkshake."
As soon as the drinks arrived at their table, Twilight grabbed her glass and downed it in one.
"Darling!" Rarity gave a shocked squeal "That was rather unladylike!"
"It's a cocktail, not a shooter Twi!" Dash cried.
"What's the matter Rainbow?" The Alicorn raised an eyebrow "Afraid you won't be able to keep up?"
"Pfuh! As if!" Dash knocked back the glass without a drop spilt "I can do this all night!"
Twilight raised an eyebrow "Well then, whaddaya say we order some real drinks?"
"That was just the warm up!" The Blue Pegasus bragged.
"Me next! Me next!" Pinkie swallowed down the contents of her glass in the blink of an eye.
"Ooh, this is all so macho!" Discord drummed his talons frenetically on the table.
Just at that moment, a foghorn voice rang out from the direction of the bar "Well hellooo your Highness!"
They all looked around to see a portly but well-dressed unicorn with yellow fur and an unconvincing toupee bearing down on them. He was trailing an entourage made up of other well-heeled but rather starchy-looking stallions who nevertheless seemed to be accompanied by some very attractive females. A sugar pink earth pony with a pink and white striped mane was draping herself all over him.
Instantly Twilight was back in Princess-mode, a polite smile spreading across her features.
"Oh Lord Mayor, how nice to see you again!" She said, then turning to the rest of the group "Girls, Spike? This is the mayor of Fillydelphia."
"Just call me Big Cheese!" He inclined his head, completely oblivious to the fact that his hairpiece had flopped forward to reveal his shiny scalp. Twilight nodded diplomatically, ignoring stifled giggling from Pinkie and eye rolling from Rainbow at being interrupted.
"Mayor Cheese, these are my friends from Ponyville," Twilight went round the table introducing the others "And of course, you already know Discord." She added.
"Oh sure, how could I forget?" The unicorn nodded enthusiastically "This is my, uh, friend, Candy Canes." He turned to the pink and white female "Candy, meet Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. And this here's Discord, the Lord of Chaos! We met just today at the Summit." He nudged the Draconequus "Thank Celestia you livened that place up!"
"Delighted to be of service," Discord said flatly. He remembered this Mayor now as a crashing bore, just one of many who had suddenly started cosying up to him now he was in the Princess's good books.
"I didn't come here to be Celestia's court jester," He thought irritably "He's lucky I don't turn him into fondue!"
"You sure were a scream at the summit!" The unicorn continued, oblivious to Discord's lack of enthusiasm "Those shindigs are usually duller than a rusty horseshoe."
The Draconequus grimaced "No kidding!" Ignoring Big Cheese's gratified smile, he turned towards Fluttershy and out of sight of the stallion, let his eyes cross to the point where the pupils ricocheted and bounced around his eyeballs. She tried to give him a censorious look but he could tell she was struggling not to laugh.
Whilst Candy had been twittering excitedly at Big Cheese's name-dropping, his words had also snagged the attention of another mare; a white unicorn with deep red tresses even more elaborately styled than Rarity's. The clinging, purple dress she wore matched her hungry, violet eyes; eyes which had already noted how large piles of money kept appearing out of thin air whenever a waitress brought drinks to their table. At Big Cheese's introduction, she stopped half-heartedly flirting with a male companion and turned a hundred mega-watt smile on their party.
"Oh Cheesie, you're so naughty!" She said to him in a low, melodious voice "I can't believe you're not going to introduce me?"
"As if you'd let me get away with that!" Big Cheese chortled "This is Glamour Puss, she's the singing sensation of the Las Pegasus stage!"
"Just Glamour darling," The unicorn scolded him playfully "Both onstage and off, you know that!"
As the Mayor of Fillydelphia snorted with laughter, she turned her attention back to their table "Well I declare; it is an honour to be introduced to such important ponies."
"Well that's very –" Twilight started to say but Glamour cut her off, ignoring the Alicorn's look of incredulous affront and leaning towards Discord.
"How exciting to meet the actual Lord of Chaos," She said, her voice lingering over the title "And from what I hear you're the most powerful being in all of Equestria!"
"Guilty as charged," Discord inspected his eagle talons in a bored fashion "But don't say it too loud or we shall be mobbed by all my adoring fans."
"I'll bet you could handle them, you look like you could handle anypony." Glamour fixed him with a smouldering look from under long lashes "You should come and see me after my show," She purred "I'd love the chance to thank you properly for saving us all from the Changeling hordes!"
Discord briefly considered responding with some withering reply or even using his magic to drive these ponies away. This mare and her friends were getting in the way of what promised to be a very entertaining evening. Finally, he realised politeness was the quickest way of getting rid of them without causing a huge scene and disrupting everything. He flashed Glamour a brief, insincere smile.
"Oh you're too kind, but I fear I must decline," He answered smoothly "I'm with my friends tonight and currently on vacation. Pulling entire countries back from the brink of disaster does tend to take it out of one."
She gave a little pout "Well when you do get bored here at the Ponyville table," She shot a sly glance at Fluttershy "I'll be at the club downstairs. Au revoir, my Lord."
And with a flip of her tail she turned and swished off, the purple spangles on her dress flashing as she walked.
"Hoo-boy!" Big Cheese punched Discord jovially in the arm "She's somethin' ain't she?"
"Indeed," He looked down in irritation at the stallion.
"Did you see that?!" Rainbow exclaimed to Discord, after the Mayor and the rest of his party had left "She was totally giving you the come on!"
"Why so shocked Dashie?" The Draconequus raised his eyebrows at her "That just proves she's got excellent taste."
At that moment there was a loud bang right next to Discord, making him jump. He turned to see that Fluttershy had drained her drink and slammed the empty glass down on the table. To his surprise she looked almost… angry.
"I don't know about her taste but her manners leave a lot to be desired - implying we're a lot of dull, provincial stick-in-the-muds!" Cried Rarity, as Fluttershy continued to stare after the other ponies with burning eyes.
"Where's that waitress?" Said the yellow Pegasus "We need more drinks!"
Wednesday, 8.30am – The Four Stallions Hotel, Las Pegasus
"Celestia have mercy!" Twilight croaked as she resurfaced from the black depths of drunken sleep "Why do I feel so awful?"
Her tongue felt thick and furry and her head was thudding like it was going to burst. Even opening her eyes was painful; they felt like they were full of grit. She looked around in bewilderment. She groaned as she spotted an empty Mare-quila bottle lying next to the bed, beside it was a glass with only dregs left in it. Even the sight of it made her stomach lurch a little.
She just had time to notice what a terrible mess the room was in, then stopped dead as she realised something even worse "Wait a minute, this isn't my room!"
Her saddlebag wasn't on the back of the chair where she'd left it, and instead of her own clothes hanging in the wardrobe there were somepony else's.
Suddenly she heard a loud snore. She looked down in horror to see a shape in the bed next to her and a jet black mane on the pillow. Dreading what she might find, she carefully lifted the sheet to reveal a white Pegasus stallion, obviously dead asleep.
Her eyes bulged "Who in the wide world of Equestria is that!?"
As she gasped, he snorted and rolled over. She waited a moment; hardly daring to breathe in case she woke him. When he didn't move again she lifted the cover oh-so-gingerly and slid out of bed. He turned over but didn't wake up.
She scrambled backwards out of the bedroom and was surprised to find herself in another huge chamber. This must be a suite, she realised "Who is this guy to have such a big room?" She wondered.
This room was in an even worse state than the bedroom; drifts of fluffy, white feathers lay everywhere, as if there had been some sort of massive pillow fight; in one corner a glass table had been overturned and the table top shattered into tiny fragments; empty bottles and glasses were left on every surface and scattered over the floor. The curtains were still drawn.
Twilight tiptoed through this scene of devastation as quietly as she could, then nearly swallowed her tongue as a blanket covered lump on the enormous black sofa suddenly moved and stretched. To her immense surprise, she recognised the head that poked out.
"Rainbow?!"
The blue Pegasus stared at her groggily, then her eyes popped in astonishment "Twilight!?"
"What are you doing here?" They both said at the same moment.
There was a yawn and a rustle as a second shape moved under the blanket.
Rainbow's expression froze but, despite her efforts to shush whoever was under the covers, another head emerged.
"Pinkie?" Twilight gasped.
"Who is it? Ohhhhhh, it's you Twilight!" Pinkie said "Hey, you don't look so good."
"What in the hay are you two doing here!?"
"Well we – hey, wait a minute!" Rainbow narrowed her bloodshot eyes "We don't have to explain ourselves until you tell us what you're doing here first!"
Twilight opened her mouth to argue, then she sighed "I don't know! I don't really remember much of last night, I just woke up in bed with somepony I don't even recognise – "
"Why are you whispering?" Asked Pinkie.
"Because I don't want to wake him up!"
"He's still in there?" Rainbow's eyes widened and she slid off the couch, trotted over to the bedroom and stuck her head round the door. Then she turned to Twilight with an incredulous grin on her face.
"Twi! That's Jet Stream!" She hissed, when the other two looked blank she said "The captain of the Cloudsdale Wingers?" When that didn't get a reaction she went on "A totally awesome Pegasus air hockey team?"
Twilight suddenly looked very green "Omigosh I'm gonna be sick!"
She stumbled over to the ensuite bathroom, tore open the door and rushed inside.
Pinkie and Rainbow gawked. In the background they could hear Twilight being noisily ill, but neither of them could stop staring. In the bathtub, glaring at the intruders with beady red eyes, sat three pink flamingos.
"OK I have no clue how those got there," Rainbow whispered "But let's get our flanks outta here now!"