Cocktails, Casinos, and Chaos

The Las Pegasus Strip was as colorful and bright as one of Pinkie Pie's acid trips, although it was significantly more coherent.

The half floating, half ground based city dominated the landscape. Massive sky-scraping casinos pulled in billions of dollars of revenue and taxes for the Equestrian nobles to keep their harems full and mistresses well paid. The lights of buildings were flashing off of every sign that sparkled off of the dozens of large hotels advertising their presence. The laughing of ponies and honking of steam carriages filled the air. The cajoles of whorses whoring their trade was both seen and not seen at the same time.

This, was Las Pegasus. This, was Sin City. This, is where adult ponies played.

And Discord had his metaphysical and physical balls in a twist.

The Elements of Harmony suckled in the sights of the city like infants seeing their parents for the first time, walking down the main strip with bursts of laughter escaping from their lungs. They pointed at buildings and advertisements, laughed at what they were planning on doing, whistled at an attractive colt they saw in the distance, and were feeling their small town mentality melt away in the wind.

Twilight was proving to Discord how incredibly lucky he was that he had not faced this side of her before. He would have turned himself back to stone instead of having to deal with the darker side of her she kept at bay, prohibiting a world ending event again.

"Your magical potential is simply astronomical, Que Que," Twilight hummed, looking back at the faintly whimpering deity. "However, I had to make sure that you kept your promise on not ruining this trip. With your magical defenses down, I just placed a questionably legal stasis spell on your testicles. Try to transform out of your current shape - or I flip the failsafe - it will result in a pain that would fry your ether glands and cause perhaps permanent spiritual psychosis!"

She talked casually, as if she was doing some science experiment with Discord's newly transformed body. That was what scared Discord the most.

He was thankful she wasn't evil. Very, very thankful.

She turned her muzzle around to laugh, flicking her mane and tail behind herself. "See? You really can outsmart a deity! Besides, I need to drink until I pass out tonight. It's one of those nights I need to put my IQ away once it's all over. A mare always has to have backup plans. At least you get to have a nice view of me though... right?"

Her ears folded by the side of her frame as her tail flicked from side to side. She had lost all of her confidence, replaced by sexual insecurity. "Am... I too fat? Does my rump look good?"

Rarity nuzzled herself beside Twilight, Rarity's horn flaring to life to summon an ethereal brush above Twilight's back. She gently pet her friend, stroking her from neck to withers. "You are wonderfully adorable and beautiful, Twilight, and don't you say otherwise! We will not allow it! Hurting Discord is one thing, but hurting yourself is unacceptable!"

"How could you say that about yourself, Twilight?" Fluttershy nuzzled into Twilight's neck supportively. "You're beautiful. I'd... umm... date you."

In another mood, Discord would not have shied away from Twilight's tail raising on instinct from the firm stroking of her back. He would be lying to many parts of himself if he did not find his once arch-enemy's hindquarters to be attractive. Currently, the last thing he ever wanted to see in the universe was anything having to do with reproductive anatomy.

Rainbow Dash joined in to support Twilight. "Hey, I'd tap your mana," she said, her wing joining the stroking of Rarity's brush. "I mean, just look at you! You're the perfect color, adorkable voice, cute mane. You got a lot going for you."

"And you don't have that, Rainbow," Twilight said. Rainbow's ears began to fold at the insult directed toward her until Twilight laughed, ruffling her friend's mane. "I meant with the mana tapping. I tend to counter or steal everything you play."

Rainbow growled loudly at Twilight. "Because your decks suck! You're such a prick when it comes to Magic."

"It's called 'tactics', Rainbow. All you do is go with Flying and Haste."

"Can ya two stop speakin' nerd and enjoy bein' in Las Pegasus?" Applejack groaned. "I'm tryin' to enjoy the sights."

"I thought you were straight, Applejack?" Rainbow purred, rubbing her thick coat into Applejack's own. "What changed? The mares on the street? Or looking at me for too long? I have that effect on woman."

As effortlessly as Twilight's magic did before, Applejack's shear strength shoved Rainbow onto her side and onto the street, causing the pegasus to burst out into a gale of laughter. "Yer're a bitch, Rainbow!"

"I didn't know when I said I wasn't to you!" Dash cackled, bursting into the air to float above her friends. Her laughter continued as Applejack stared a silent stare of hatred toward Rainbow.

"And I thought I enjoyed chaos," Discord whimpered, drudging himself behind the Elements of Harmony. He looked down at his mortal pony form and cursed himself for even thinking about getting a silent revenge on the six mares in front of him. It seemed that the third time really was the charm, wasn't it?

He needed a drink. Or several thousand.

"Don't worry, we've only become like this recently," Pinkie said, wrapping a forehoof around his side. "It started about... a year ago, because we all realized we're adults! And we can do adult like things. Like sleep with ponies! And drink. No wait... we always knew about the drinking." She waved a forehoof dismissively at her own words. "World saving is different than partying! So this is our partying side!"

Pinkie Pie laughed with abandon, squeezing Discord tightly toward her curly chest coat. "You didn't think we didn't drink, did you? Silly colt! I love making ponies and foals happy, and I can do lots of things sober, but not slam down gin and cocktails once a month?" She gaily nickered, nuzzling into his neck, "is it my fault we have Applejack Alcohol?"

Applejack grinned with pride, scoffing at her chest. "The Apple family has been makin' alcohol for Ponyville county for over sixty years. Apple hard cider, Apple beer, Apple vodka, Apple ale, Apple wine, Apple brandy, and of course, Applejack. And that don't count my family grains!"

Rainbow stuck out her tongue. "Just don't drink from her barrel. Heard it's kinda bitter, and her grains are-oww oww oww-let go of my tail!"

Applejack growled loudly as she attempted to yank Rainbow down from the sky, Rainbow neighing in protest as her tail was pulled in Applejack's mouth. "Somepony's cranky! Oww! Okay okay, I'm sorry! You are the hottest mare alive! Leave my tail alone!"

"And that, is why we drink, Mr. Que," Rarity said. "Being heroes is a job that none of us wanted, and yet the world dragged us into our current position. We love each other very much most of the time, but a mare must do what a mare must do in order to survive."

"Does that involve having your 'leader' holding me hostage when I am trying to help Celestia's little ponies have fun?" Discord spat. "Do you have any idea how rare it is for me to feel... uncomfortable?"

Rarity chortled. "She gets like that when she's a bit... nippy in her more intimate regions; not to mention that the thought of being able to control you without the Elements must feel fantastic for her."

Discord huffed loudly, his horn flashing white for only the briefest of moments. Disappearing with a snap of magic, he appeared in front of the Elements with a snort, his salt and pepper tail cracking loudly behind him. "How ungrateful you six are! What happened to your moral excellence, Twilight Sparkle? Nay, all of you!?"

"We aren't going to hurt you," Fluttershy said, looking at her friends. The six mares glanced at each other. "We aren't like that."

Fluttershy leaned forward to stroke Discord affectionately on the muzzle tip, her aqua eyes smiling at him. "I know my girlfriends have changed, but I promise you that everything's going to be alright."

"How can you say that, Fluttershy!?" Discord peaked over Fluttershy to snarl at Twilight. "Look at her! Your friend has a spell on me that could... could drive me insane! I'm already insane!"

"Colt, please," Pinkie giggled, "that's me! Insane in the membrane!"

"You don't count!" Discord shouted. "I know who you are!"

"It's for your own safety," Fluttershy said more firmly. "It's a bit extreme, but-"

"My safety!?" Discord shouted, "my safety? From who? Myself?"

The Elements of Harmony nodded their heads slowly.

Discord sputtered, flailed, hissed, and stomped in rage. "You damn... damn... damn kids!"

Pinkie Pie leaned into Applejack's ear. "I think he's mad."

"Rarity getting farted on by Rainbow Dash mad," Applejack laughed.

Rarity's ears perked up at the phrase, glaring icy destruction into Applejack's own. "What kind of turn-of-phrase is that!?"

"Something that happened during the last sleep over," Rainbow squealed. "And you thought it was thunder! Good thing it didn't smell!"

Rarity screamed hellfire as her magic flared to life, Rainbow's wings flapping loudly to prepare herself for the attack. Rarity's magic began to pull onto Rainbow's frame to bring down the pegasus, but Rainbow would have none of that.

Rainbow's wings flapped furiously to propel herself, the sheer strength of her wings putting forth a massive strain on Rarity's magic. With her anger ebbing her forward, Rarity kept her magic at full power, her horn a flaring blue until Rainbow's wings won out in the magical duel of forces. With the shattering of Rarity's ethereal force propelling the unicorn into Twilight and Pinkie Pie, Rainbow roared into the heavens as misty and colored dew danced in the air behind where she once was.

Discord and Fluttershy looked at each other as Rarity drunkenly laid on top of Twilight and Pinkie Pie, Applejack rolling around on the street as tears poured from her eyes.

"Now you see why we don't need you causing more trouble," Fluttershy hummed. "Just being around you is enough."

Twilight looked down at the cooing and incoherent Rarity, gently stroking through her friend's mane. "You should have known by now you don't have the mana reserves that Rainbow does in her wings, Rarity. You are about efficiency compared to strength like me."

"I feel... so pissed in so many ways right now," Rarity giggled gaily. "Where did Rainbow go? Where did I  go? Can I kiss you? You have such a cute stomach, sweetie."

"Mana crash high," Twilight chuckled. "Just relax, Rarity. Just think about nothing, breathe, and-"

Discord appeared beside Twilight, his marble colored magic holding a strawberry bottle. "Vitamin water," he said.

Twilight smiled. "Of course you know how to fix it, and it seems a good part of your magic is still open to you."

"A man must have his options open when he is... held captive. I have always been resourceful, and even though I could - and should - do nothing for those who hold me on this... mortal coil, perhaps you can accept this as a token of my reformed nature."

"I'll take it into consideration," Twilight said, opening the bottle and placing it on Rarity's lips.

Rarity drank from the bottle stoutly, instinct taking over her need to replenish her lost mana reserves from her friends releasing pent up stress. It was only preparing her for the almost certain intake of incredibly large amounts of alcohol, something that Rarity had a frightful amount of practice with.

Rainbow Dash soared from the heavens and curled back down toward the ground, the colors dancing behind her air stream attracting attention even over the glow of lights coming from the endless lines of casinos. By the time she landed beside Rarity, ponies had begun to look at what seemed to be a slightly drunk herd of mares and one either very lucky or very unlucky colt having to manage them all. It depended on one's' view on polygamy.

"Oww," Rainbow winced, her wings folding and flickering by the sides of her frame. "Yeah. I'm not flying far or for most of the night after that. Now that I'm grounded, that friggin hurts. Man, she went all out on me, didn't she?"

Applejack had only recently composed herself, leaning into Rainbow Dash's side for support. "I take the blame for all of that," she cooed. "And I'll pay for the bombs tonight. It was worth it. And I'd do it again."

Discord looked at Fluttershy, who seemed to be the only one of the Elements who was relatively sane at the current moment in time. "So you aren't concerned that two of your best friends could have killed each other? Surely you know that if a pony loses all of their mana..."

Fluttershy smiled, letting out a quiet giggle. "They are like that all the time, and it's really cute if you ask me. I've dealt with it for over three years, and I've become used to it. It's very silly, and nopony gets hurt in the end. Iron Will once said, 'what doesn't kill you, you can push through.'"

Discord winced at the belch of content escaping from Rarity engulfing her vitamin water. "I can tell you from thousands of years of experience that-"

Fluttershy's eyes glowed like the brightest sun reflecting off of the clearest ocean, boring into Discord's own. "You finish that sentence, you'll be seeking repentance."

Discord looked at the ponies from across the street staring at the six mares he had aligned himself with.

He said nothing. He liked living.