Fleur had her arms crossed. She was seated in a chair. It wasn't an especially cozy chair. Made for employees to park themselves on break and little more, it didn't have the luxury of other seats in the casino. She wasn't focused on that. "We are very upset," she declared firmly.

Celestia angled an ear. "We?"

Fleur pointed at herself. "Eric and I. Eric is napping, but he was quite clear on this fact, hm?" Her eyes went to Luna. "Your other half. He does not wish to be oppressed further!"

Announcer Luna snorted with obvious annoyance. "What are you babbling about? The relationship between me and my other half is not your concern."

Fleur thumped the chair she was seated in. "Plutôt l'inverse! Our relationships with our other halves is a great part of why we have these meetings. It is part of what makes us who we are." She tapped herself on her chest. "The other day, he took over when I was so very tired. He did his part, and I am very proud of him."

Soft clops of approval echoed over the chamber.

Celestia inclined en ear, though her head remained straight. "This is actually Lauren. Since that day, Celly and I have been sharing. I'm very thankful for the care she gave, but I'm awake now. I don't want to sleep anymore… I hope that doesn't make you mad."

Luna scowled at her sister. Or who might not be her sister? "Release my sister this instant! This is how you show your gratitude? She went out of her way to shelter you, and… this?!"

Octavia scowled. "I shudder to imagine what they were up to while I was indisposed."

Fluer turned her accusing hoof on Octavia. "You too?! Our other halves, mon ami, they are as much a part of us as the ponies who are speaking. We cannot--"

"We can and we have." Luna tapped a hoof on the tiled floor. "Some of us permanently. Applejack shows no hint of another beneath her satisfied eyes. Is that what you would prefer?"

Apple Bloom raised a hoof, present for a rare change. "Don't be bringin' mah sister in on this. She's happy jus' the way she is. But that ain't the only way." She tapped at her own smaller noggin. "We're both up here, and we get alon' just fine. They was right clever, took a nap just before I got real tired so we could swap out. Tricky! Normally we're in here together, like right now."

Luna crossed her arms. "You can't say there are different ways, then decry my way of doing things. Or hers." She pointed across at the nodding Octavia. "We are pleased the way we are."

Octavia nodded firmly. "I have not 'shut down' my other side." She frowned faintly. "But I am the primary. I am Octavia."

Fleur huffed, hopping to the ground. "And moi? I am Fleur de Lis! But I am also Eric. They are me, and I am them." She nodded with firming confidence. "We are the same pony, and we stand together."

Celly reached out a hoof. "We all have strong opinions here, but it's not fair, in the end, to tell another pony how they should behave in their own head. This is the very definition of a subjective matter. Nopony can know what's really going on up here like the pony living in it." A gentle smile spread, a Celestia smile, even if it wasn't Celestia driving. "I can only suggest you speak to your other side. You may find you like them more than you currently fear.

"I felt the fear." Fleur climbed back into her chair. "Eric fears, for the friends he just made, on that stressful day. He fears they will be killed, having only just discovered they want to live. I… cannot tell you what to do, mon amis… I can only ask that you give them a chance."

Luna pointed firmly. "Let's put that aside for now. You brought up another point on that day. The other you, Eric. He questioned our freedom to act as we pleased." The other ponies pricked up with alarmed gasps. "They implied, nay, they outright said that we are enslaved ponies, bridles heavy on us as we marched for the amusement of others."

Celly perked an ear. "We have two taskmasters. They don't hide themselves. Flim--"

"--and Flam," finished Apple Bloom. "Who ah just negotiated with." She looked quite proud of herself. "Got us a nice raise an' everythin'!"

Luna snorted softly. "Some slave drivers, to allow their slaves to demand better pay, which is not a thing a slave is prone to having, hm?" She met Fleur's eyes. "Do you have words to share on behalf of your other?"

Octavia clucked, driving her tongue against her teeth in a loud snap. "As if anypony could demand things from me. I am a professional. I work for a fee, never without one. That is what being a professional is."

"I do… Votre Majesté." Fleur her differential head at Luna. "I am the newest, hm? I can remember the start. I was never asked, simply told I work here. I am not… upset. I like much of it. I like you all." She spread her arms wide. "But who here was asked if they wish to be here, mon amis?"

Octavia swatted at one of the hovering hooves. "When you first appeared, you were a lost mess. Not much has changed since then. Still… I appreciate the respect you show to a fellow performer, and to my instrument." A thin smile spread. "As roomates go… you're tolerable."

Apple Bloom burst into new laughter. "Comin' from 'Tavi, that there's a genuine compliment." She leaned forward in her seat. "You've been nothin' but great, Fleur. Ah'm real glad you an' Eric are gettin' alon' jus' fine. Means there's twice as much to make friends with in one package." Her eyes moved to Celestia. "That goes fer you too, um…"

"Lauren," provided Celestia. "Nice to meet you too, Apple Bloom. Now… Celestia, the other me… She was pretty well convinced this is a retirement for her, but she has been working a lot for a retirement position." Celestia tapped gently at the chair's rim. "Now that I am awake fully, I feel certain either of us could secure a better position."

A firm knocking came from the door suddenly. "Ladies?" came a familiar male voice. "We could use you out on the floor."

The group groaned, but Announcer Luna was the first to speak up. "We're on the way." She stepped down from her chair. "This meeting is concluded. Don't do anything foalish before our next one."

Luna, the smaller one, had her room festooned with trophies and banners of contests she had won. She was parked on the bed on her side, watching the door with a cocky smile. When the knock on the door came, she sat up. "Press start if you're up for it."

The door cracked open, "Hey." In came a grey mare with an impassive expression. "I'm not here for any of the advanced options."

GamerLuna raised a brow. "Hey…" She couldn't place the name of the mare, however familiar they were in the back of her mind. "That's alright. I don't play those games anyway. Come sit with Luna." She patted the bed beside herself. "Chill, talk, cuddle. That's what I like."

Maud nodded, a shallow motion. She nudged the door shut with a backwards kick and started forward. "I am not used to this." She ascended to the bed without a pause. "I have a boyfriend, but we haven't done much. Neither of us are very good at communication or interpersonal… things."

Luna reached out her hooves, laying on her side, and soon had a Maud caught up in them, hugging the stoic mare. "That's real bold of you. Most ponies don't like to bring up their Player 2s while they're here."

"He is aware," Maud noted flatly. "We are both trying to become better, for each other. I appreciate him. He appreciates me."

Luna constricted, squeezing Maud in all four limbs. "But neither of you are good at telling the other one?"

"He is better than me." She rubbed a chin with thought. "He tells me exactly what he thinks and feels. I am… less skills in that regard."

"You're doing great right now." Luna smooched Maud's cheek. "You're sharing with me and you barely know me. Keep right on!"

Maud smiled just a cracked. "I'm not bothering you?"

"Girl, you came in here to get some personal time with me." She nuzzled firmly into Maud's cheek. "So here you are. Share. Tell me all about it, and you."

"My sisters." Maud sat up a little, as best she could in the grip of Luna. "Pinkie is… Self-expression is her specialty. Limestone is good, but only if that emotion is anger. Marble's worse than me…" She glanced away and back at Luna. "Ponies like you?"

"Luna is very popular." Luna frowned. "I mean I'm pretty popular, yeah. Unless I'm in the middle of grinding a pony's nose into their failure." She laughed with remembered victory. "But, yeah. I'm used to sharing. I'm motherbuckin' Luna! I visit dreams. I see things."

Maud inclined her head slowly. "Have you seen my dreams?"

Luna began tapping at her chin, thinking back. Had she?! She… had not been patrolling dreams while on duty at the bar, which meant she hadn't patrolled a single one in moons! "Uh…" But Maud was familiar, so… "Oh!" It came to her. She began to wave as her horn glowed, allowing her to paint an image. "You were on a ranch farm, literally on it, on the roof."

There was Maud on the roof, the wind blowing past gently. Cheers washed up from below. There was Pinkie, the other Pie sisters, and her parents, all cheering with big smiles. "Tell me what this means, to you?"

Maud examined the image of her dream. "It means… I'm sitting." She pointed at herself.

"You are doing that." Luna slipped around Maud, hugging her from behind. "But what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking you're hugging me."

Luna snorted at that. "Not about right now, but back then, that you." She pointed to the Maud on the roof. "What is she thinking? Why isn't she smiling if everyone else is?"

"I'm not good at smiling." She turned an ear back at Luna. "I don't…. Do happy the same way other ponies do." Her eyes dipped to her cheering family. "I like that they are there. It's better than them not being there."

"And you care about them, right?" Luna rubbed firmly at Maud's sides in slow strokes. "Your family is nice and tight, right?"

"We are very close. We were. I moved away." She reached out, brushing the image of herself away off the roof, gone. "Pinkie likes me being close to her."

Luna went with it, the house vanishing. Just Pinkie, cheering wildly in front of a stoic Maud. "You like her too, don't you?"

"She is one of my favorite ponies," agreed Maud in her stoic tone.

"Go on, show her." The image of Pinkie grew to the size of an actual pony, even if that cheering Pinkie remained a hologram at best. "I bet she'd really like to get a hug from you."

Maud considered the fake Pinkie. "I am here to be with you." She looked over her shoulder at Luna.

"I give you permission." Luna scooched back. "Only a mean pony would stop anypony from hugging a special pony. Go on…"

There had been, nor would there be any physical intimacy, unless one counted aggressive snuggles. But Maud would get to hug and talk about her feelings. She would have zero complaints about the treatment she received that day. "You're very good at this. Do you share your feelings often?"

"I should do it more often." Luna nuzzled the mare gently. "But I'm having fun doing it today, so thanks for stopping by."

Author's Note

The casino is scaling back to usual operations, hurrah! Luna gets to see a client. Gamerluna doesn't do the naughty stuff beyond hugs and cuddles. If you think so, that would be a typo.

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