Tempest whirled to face the new enemy, head low, horn sparking and one hoof pawing at the ground. "You plan to join this brawl?"

"I plan to do something even better!" He clapped his hooves together. "Offer a splendid deal."

Flim blinked at his brother. "A deal?"

"Of course a deal." Flam nodded lightly. "That is how we do things."

LunaClassic sat up tall. "We will no longer work under you two. Your management of this casino is poor. Your management of us has been even worse. We can do better."

"I'm gonna noscope your management!" cried GamerLuna, perhaps still a bit loopy. "Ponies will line up around the block after we're done."

Flam dipped his head. "I'm sure it will be, but you don't know how things work."

Flim seemed to grasp where Flam was going without words between them. "We have experience!"

Flam nodded at him. "Exactly. Do you even know where to get the supplies to keep this place going?"

LunaClassic frowned, but had a hoof to her chin.

"Are you even considering them?!" Tempest stomped in fury. "We can figure that out later! I've managed entire airships before!"

LunaClassic raised a brow. "To my understanding, you had underlings to assist with that."

Tempest froze, caught. She began to deflate a little. "Well, yeah... I didn't have time for the little things..."

Spitfire waved a hoof between the brothers. "Hey, look at that. Two underlings! How convenient is that?"

Flim moved beside Flam. "And we know how to get things done."

"Absolutely." Flam turned in place. "In fact, I was just out securing needed supplies. If not for us, this place would have run dry moons ago."

LunaClassic snorted softly. "Then you two agree to work for us, instead of the other way around?" She raised an ear. "Think of it this way, we will pay fairly."

"Unlike some." GamerLuna scowled at the two, even if she still had no idea what 'fair' was in terms of payments.

Flim bobbed his head quickly. "Absolutely--"

"Positively--"

"--Completely." Flim was turned in the same direction as Flam, the two moving to depart. "We'd best get to it.

And the two marched away, leaving the hallway in quiet.

Spitfire blinked slowly. "Did... we just win?" She raised a hoof to her collar. "Why am I still wearing this?!"

LunaClassic hurried to the end of the hallway. There was no Flim, or Flam. The brothers had fled. "Accursed creatures... Well, we did win. The casino is ours." She placed a hoof at her head. "But they weren't wrong. We don't know how to run one."

GamerLuna thrust up a hoof. "I bet sister does! She's great at running things."

The other ponies let out an 'oh'. That was so obvious, looking back at it. Of course Celestia could do it! But... would she? LunaClassic began forward. "I will ask her."

Tempest sank to her haunches with a scowl. "Still feel good about not letting me tear him apart while he was right there in our hooves?"

"Yes!" Spitfire scrunched her face at Tempest. "Get your bloodlust down a few pegs. Bottom line is, we own this place. This is our place, all our place. Let's figure the rest out, together."

Tempest casually pushed Spitfire, sliding the pegasus away several inches. "You are way too happy."

GamerLuna bounced in place. "Why shouldn't she be? We won! As if there were any doubts." She buffed her hoof on her own chest. "Few are the ponies that can meet me in a game. They were doomed from the very start."

Flim and Flam fled. It was one of their specialties. "A damned shame."

"Quite much. I think we're done with--"

"--this? I agree. Enough casinos. It's not even our specialty."

"Not at all! We can do better."

The two brothers shared a firm nod. They'd find a new way to scam ponies and look good doing it.

"Pardon?" Celestia sat up tall where she had been watching for troublesome patrons. "You did what?"

LunaClassic folded an ear back at her sister's tone. "We... defeated the brothers. We own the casino."

Celestia's ears danced. "Did you hurt them?"

"No! I mean... a little door squishing, but they're both fine."

Celestia set a hoof over her face. "I won't ask you to expound on that. Is that why they hurried past before?" Luna nodded firmly. "And now they're gone... And we own the casino." Luna nodded all the more. "And you want me to figure this out?"

Luna sagged in place. "I know I am presenting work for you, sister mine. If you don't want it, we will find another way. But you are the best pony for the task that I could think of, so..."

"So here you are." Celestia snorted softly. "She wishes she could have seen that 'door squishing'." Celestia still didn't have a collar. She never put one on. They didn't try to force the large pony.

"However, Lauren also thinks she can handle this." Celestia brought her hooves together. "She dealt with money before. With my support, which she has, she feels she can take charge of things and get the casino on the right path. She, and I, would like to know one thing for certain though. Are all the workers here alright with this? We won't do it against their wishes."

Luna flinched softly. That alien presence in her sister. "It's… all well and good she wants this, but what of you, sister? What do you want?"

"I want her to be happy." Celestia sat up, tall and imposing. "And I know how to rule things. I have no objection to letting her take the reins on this. I retired." She tapped Luna on the chest. "So let her have this. I will help, where I am required. Sister… You are younger than me. I had to live, and work, for a thousand years. I'm mostly done." She shrugged softly. "I want to just enjoy myself. This lets me do that. She can run the casino. I will entertain ponies, and myself, in the back. Everypony wins."

Luna stomped suddenly. "It's not fair! What passed so slowly for you was but a blink of an eye for me, an angry blink, but I am… I am younger, as you said. I want my sister…"

A wing fell over Luna, drawing her closer. "I am a terrible sister… I am not dragging you along behind me. This is why I asked for all the workers here to give their view, including you. This is a new and exciting world, which I am certain you are hungry to see."

"I want to see it with my sister," Luna whimpered out in a small voice. "Is that so much to ask?"

Things drew quiet a moment, cheek to cheek as the two largest ponies in the room shared contact in silence despite the noise of the casino around them.

LunaClassic drew back. "You realize… The… other Luna feels the same way. We both want our sister." Her tongue spilled out a little. "Even if I'm the true Luna."

Celestia set a hoof on Luna's snout. "You're both lovely sisters that I am glad to have the company of. Now, if you'd please, go and ask around."

So it was that Luna went to each in turn. Applejack perked an ear on being asked. "Ah'd take the word of Celestia over the brothers any day. Ain't not a complaint from me."

Apple Bloom began to clap excitedly. "Woo-ee! Celestia's a great big nice pony. Love 'er to bits. Her in charge? Shoot, means ah might actually get what ah ask fer. Sign me up!"

Fleur recoiled in surprise. "The brothers left?" Luna nodded shortly. "I did not imagine them giving up without more of a struggle." She gave a thoughtful hum. "But if this is so, Celestia already has experience with ruling, and she has done nothing but good for what she has ruled over. I can think of much worse ponies to have in this position."

Tempest leaned towards Luna, one brow raised high. "I was there. You don't have to explain it over again. If she wants the position, fine by me. But if she's doing that, she'll need a new security pony." She curled a hoof at herself. "And I know just the pony that'll get it done!"

Sunset smiled, a little smirk and barely that as she sipped from a brightly colored liquor-filled glass. "Right. I've worked with Celly before. If she's alright having me around…" Her tail twitched behind her. "I guess I could put up with that…" She glanced away and back. "Can't be worse than the brothers. Here's to brighter tomorrows." She hovered a glass towards Luna.

"Pardon?" Octavia ran a slow long note from her instrument. "Were you expecting some grandstanding from me? One boss, another, so long as I'm paid promptly, I will perform. A lack of drama is one of my selling features." She rolled her eyes as she tuned busily. "I will be here, ready to play. Though, if we are having a chance of management, perhaps she'll be more open to having refined music playing instead of the… garbage we usually have."

"You even need to ask me?" GamerLuna pointed at herself with both hooves. "This is our sister we're talking about. We disagree on a lot of things, but that's not even up for debate. She's the best pony out there! Um, besides me." GamerLuna grinned impishly. "No, seriously. If she's up for it, yay! The new stage begins, and I'm ready to play." She mashed at imagined buttons in front of her.

LunaClassic approached the other workers, the ones who weren't the mares. They had even less of an opinion on the matter. None of them held any great love for the brothers. They were there to do a job, and get their bits. That was the start and end of it. "But since you're asking." The mare who worked near the front leaned forward. "Why is it we can't toss a horseshoe in to work the back areas?"

Luna's ears pricked. "The appeal of… the back hallways is the company of famed ponies. You are a…" She was a perfectly average mare. "Lovely pony, but can you say you have that star power?"

The mare stomped a hoof. "Give me a chance! If that was my job, I could gussy myself up. I'll make ponies happy, promise."

LunaClassic inclined her head slowly. "Well, I'll inform Celestia, but it would be up to her, not me. I remain the announcer, not the assigner of ponies."

But she only looked happy, not displeased. "Good! That's already more than I got out of the brothers, pfft, forget 'em! Let's make this place the best we can."

LunaClassic met hoof with hoof. "Now that I can agree with wholeheartedly. Glad to have you with us."

"And that's what they said," reported Luna to Celestia. "None are asking we get the brothers back, and they seem quite alright with you taking on their role."

Celestia let out a soft hum. "You heard her. Are you certain you wish this?" The conversation went on, silently. "I will be there, of course." More unspoken words. "We are one, Lauren. We will handle this. You will rise during the day hours, I more during the night, but we are one, and we will always be there." She nodded once more, her entire body seeming to relax. "She agrees. Now, tell us about this mare." Her eyes shifted subtly, another intellect rising to the fore. "We'll need to interview her for a new position if she really wants it. But this is a new era. She will know exactly what's expected from her before she takes one step in."

The casino would start a new era, under new management. And the ones that would have complained had already left.

Author's Note

Phew, took a while to get this one approved, but here ya are!

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