"We're getting complaints." Flim tapped at a small stack of papers.

"From the workers?" Flam rolled his eyes at the idea.

"The outside ones." Flim gestured with tosses of his head. "The ones that can go to the authorities if pressed."

"Oh, that's different." Flam stepped to the door, his horn glowing as he grabbed the blinds and shut it. "What are they complaining about?"

"We pay them properly." Flim sighed lightly. "But they just don't want to work 24/7, even with offers of raises."

"Hire more?" Flam shrugged softly. "They're not custom order. Surely we can just get a few more."

"You'd think." Flim rubbed his hooves together. "But nopony's responding to our job postings. We're stuck with what we have."

While it was, technically, possible to ask Doctor Fetlock to create basic workers, that would be a very expensive way to get a pony that oversaw a ride or cleaned up and little else. Not that both brothers weren't working over those numbers quietly just that moment. Flam sighed softly. "Fine! This isn't the end of things."

"Certainly not." Flim nodded quickly. "We just need to scale back, for now."

"For now." The two met eyes, nodding in unison. "We're offering good bits though. Why wouldn't ponies come calling?" With an angry snort, Flam turned back to the door. "We'll scale back on the extras."

"Enough!" Lauren/Celestia clopped down a hoof. She was typically not the confrontational sort. She blamed riding Celestia, being her, and taking up a few of her traits along the way. But then... Celestia had simply accepted things. Lauren was left with the idea that, maybe, it was more of her in that moment. It didn't matter! Something had to be done, and she wouldn't stand idly by a moment longer.

James/Luna arrived at her side, marching in lockstep. "You look like something's wrong."

"This." Celestia waved at where Applejack was slumped over her guitar, using it as much as a support as anything else. "That." She pointed at Sunset face down on the counter. "Not that." There was Fleur, looking oddly pleased with herself.

"A dire situation." James/Luna kept pace with what was their sister? It felt right to call them that. It felt nice to be near them. "What are we to do about it?"

"What we should have done ages ago." She raised a hoof to knock on the brother's door, but never made contact with the wood, the door already opening before she could make a knock.

"Oh, Celly." There was Flam, smiling at her. "You're just in time!"

"I am?" She turned the hoof that had been about to knock to point at herself instead. "In time for what?"

Flam noticed Luna, peeking out from behind Celestia. "Ah, you're here too? That works out perfectly. Go and spread the word to the outside workers that we're scaling back."

Both royal ponies recoiled in clear surprise. "You are?" Celestia leaned back in. "We should inform all the ponies, shouldn't we?"

"Sure sure." Flam waved it away. "Back to the usual schedule."

Flim, from inside, clapped his hooves twice in quick succession. "Go on and tell them the good news."

Luna began to turn towards the main hall. "Very well. Announcing is my specialty." It hadn't been their specialty, before becoming half-pony, but it was theirs then, and she took pride in it.

"One thing." Celestia put down a hoof where Flam had been about to start withdrawing. "Is this a forever thing, or a today thing?"

Flam lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Forever's a long time, Celly girl. More than today, can't promise forever."

"Who can?" added Flim. "That's a long time."

Celestia took a step back, allowing Flam to go as he pleased. "This has been quite tough on the others."

"It's a hard job," allowed Flam as if sympathetic. "But we came together!"

"As a team." Flim nodded quickly.

"We made it happen." Flam swatted Celestia's shoulder as best he could. "Good job."

Celestia faced the closing door, teeth clenched. "Those two are…" Lauren/Celestia had been told. It was part of them that the brothers were their bosses, who they listened to. That didn't mean they had to like them. "Jerks."

"The worst." Luna was already on the move. "I'll get on the outside workers. You tell the others." It needn't be said that she meant the other mares, the ones like them. "Thank Celestia--"

Both looked at each other an awkward moment before they laughed. "I will not take credit for this, but you're welcome anyway." Celestia leaned in and Luna met, their foreheads gently touching in a moment of sisterly bonding. "Let's spread some good news."

They emerged from the back halls with long confident steps. Luna sat herself down right in the middle of everything. "I hope you've all been enjoying the extra effort we've been putting out for your enjoyment." The customers cheered and clapped and stomped. "But all good things must come to an end. Effective tomorrow, we are returning to our usual schedule of events. The casino will remain open for fun and play, but events will return to their previous schedule."

Celestia raised an ear at her loud sister. "You just took the thunder out of my steps, Sister." A little smirk spread. "Good job."

"Aw yeah!" called out Gamer Luna, pumping a hoof just before she listed to the side, just as exhausted as any of the other more aligned mares.

"Yay." Sunset twirled a single magical finger up, the rest of her slumped over. "Next drink's on me." It didn't take long for a pony to take her up on that, to her misery. Still, she was a professional and got to work on it with a wry smile.

The disaster had passed. Celestia set a hoof on Tempest's shoulder. "Go get a nap. I'll handle the cards for now."

Tempest unleashed a thunderous yawn, as if she had been storing it the entire time. "I owe you one." They hooves met in a loud clop and Tempest staggered away.

Fleur's ears were dancing atop her head, noticing many of her fellow mares were withdrawing. After a moment of confusion, it hit her why. Or so she guessed. She had been quite asleep, as Eric. To her, him, they… They were still early in the day. They were ready to finish their shift. The others were not. She approached the beaten Sunset. "Go, mon ami. I will mix a few drinks in your name."

"You're the best," slurred out Sunset, half-falling from her stool and slowly retreating towards the staff rooms.

Fleur slid up into the vacated seat. "Oui, drinks are available. Be kind with me, I am following the directions." On her side of the bar, bright cards displayed the recipes for the popular drinks. "I will do my mon meilleur!"

Though she had admitted to not be a pro at drink mixing, the strange allure of being served drinks by Fleur was compelling. The smiling prench mare drew a fresh wave of suddenly thirsty ponies. "Une margarita," she called as she set the ornate glass, glowing with her magic, down for the pony that ordered it.

She'd never made one of those before! She clapped with self-satisfaction. "Qui est le prochain?" Another pony nudged to the fore and she got to preparing the next treat. As her magic grabbed and poured and shook appropriately, she got a chance to think about things. She was Eric, and also Fleur. They were two minds in one body. Fortunately, both liked the other. Fleur was a good pony, and she had already extended a welcoming hoof towards the human inside her.

S--He had a life, before, but it was… It was the past. There was no way back that they knew of. They were a pony, a big pretty french pony. There were worse things to end up being, Eric quietly decided as he set down the next glass. But did they have to work there?

Mixing drinks had a certain charm to it, but what they knew of Fleur didn't echo back that way. It wasn't Eric's job either. The casino… They hadn't applied for the position. Surely they could get a different job! They were a pretty mare with talents. They didn't have to be a waiter!

"You look thoughtful." Luna sat on the customer side of the bar. "And awake. Who am I talking to? Eric was it?"

Fleur flipped an ear back. "Hey."

Luna nodded softly. "James. This woke you up too, huh?"

"Yeah." Fleur got to making a basic drink as they spoke. "So, we're ponies now."

"We're still us," noted James, horn glowing as she took the glass Fleur had made. "Is this virgin?"

"No alcohol on duty," half-sang Eric/Fleur. "So yeah. Still tasty, I hope, oui?"

James/Luna took a sip. "Mmm, thanks. So what were you thinking about?"

"We're both amazing people, ponies, whatever." Fleur gestured between herself and Luna wildly a moment. "Why are we here, doing this, for what never feels like a lot of money?"

"That's what we always did." Luna looked a bit confused even as the argument came.

"Was it though?" Fleur leaned forward. "Était-ce vraiment?" James/Fleur blushed. "Was it really?" She repeated in Ponish. "I swear, the Prench just… happens."

"I know that feeling. Luna has a specific way of speaking, with an old school dignity that I cannot fully fight, not that I especially desire to." James/Luna drained half her glass. "What are you implying? Speak plainly."

"Very well." Things were quiet, other than the noises of the casino around them, which made it far from silence. "I remember having a job. Then I remember being a pony. I remember another life, even if it feels a mille miles away! I do not remember… Non. Forget that." She tapped a hoof firmly on the counter.

"I am being, how they say, off track? We are being worked hard, for little. Do we work here, or are we paid minions?"

"Paid minions?" Luna raised a brow at that. "I am no minion."

"Is Slave a better word?" Fleur waved a hoof in a slow circle at Luna. "If you can't quit, what else are you? Even old army folk at least signed up for a specific amount of time. There is no time limit here, that I've seen. We're just… expected to be here, forever."

"I could quit at any time." Luna sat up tall and haughty. "None could stop me, save perhaps Celestia. It can be difficult to win arguments with her. Hm, or my little doppelganger. She's stubborn… like myself perhaps."

"Prove it." Fleur's glowing horn was busy cleaning a glass as she had seen Sunset do so many times.

"But I do not want to leave." She scowled at Fleur. "Do you dislike me? I thought we had become allies."

"We are!" Fleur waved her hooves wildly. "We are, mon ami. Be angry at the ponies who hold our reins, not me. I'm on your side."

James/Luna set down the drained glass. "Let's finish our shift, so the others may return." A new thought poked at them. "Will we be more… active now? I am not certain I wish to return to slumber."

"I… hear you there, mon ami. To sleep is easy, but now, awakened, to return to it, less so." Eric/Fleur smiled gently. "I feel confident my other half will tolerate me, so long as I am polite about it, oui? She is a good person, and a fine friend, even if it's not very optional."

James/Luna did not have the same confidence. "Luna takes pride in her self control. Letting me free is admitting she is not doing exactly that. She may be thankful that we got through this, but I struggle to imagine such a proud mare will be thrilled to be asked to step aside in a less severe situation."

Author's Note

Things are coming to a head, I think.

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