Twilight woke up near ten in the morning with a baby dragon beside her. She looked down, saw him, and said: "Spike, are you alright? Also... What time is it?"
The unicorn nudged him a bit witch caused him to wake up with a sudden: "AHHHHHHH!"
"Why are you sceaming? Are you hurt?"
"GRAPPLES CAN EXPLODE!"
"Oh, you must have read my report. Apparently they do when you get the close to fire, or any thing that can produce as mush heat as a candle. That reminds me..." Twilight turned back to her work, and levitated a quill to continue writing. "...I need you to grab a candle and a grapple, I need to tell the brothers about this before anypony else gets hurt."
Spike looked at her with confusion and asked: "What do mean 'anypony else' I think I should know."
"No time to explain, I need to show them my reports!" Twilight gather the papers, stuffed them in her saddle bag, and started out the door without the other supplies she had asked for.
Right as the door closed, Spike asked again: "What do you mean 'ANYPONY ELSE'?!?" It was too late, and he was left in a newfound terror of their small storage of grapples in the their kitchen.
Twilight arrived shortly after her departure. Due to all the pollution, all signs of vegetation was nowhere to be seen, an it has become mandatory for everyone within the area to wear a gas mask. Another thing to note is that there were more buildings than the last time, and the entire factory was surrounded in a five meter high, one meter thick, wall blocking it off from the rest of Equestria. The only entrance now was the front gate which was guarded by at least two stallions at all times. One of the stallions asked her what she was doing here. The explanation was then transferred through a panel in the wall, and she was granted access, but she was told to always have her gas mask on and to stick to the paths. The other one explained that it wasn't because of security, it was because some of the soil has become dangerous to come into contact with.
The inside of the factory walls looked even worse than the outside. They weren't kidding when they said the soil was dangerous to touch. There were certain spots were it either bubbled or had heat editing from it. Workers went from building to building to continue their work for the day. They usually were either pulling a cart full of all sorts of stuff, or they were on the suspended walkways making sure that no one was slaking off.
One of them noticed Twilight and asked in a stern voice: "HEY! WHP ARE YOU?"
Twilight looked up at the mare and responded: "I'm here to see Flim and Flam. I have something really important that I need to show them."
"NOPONY IS ALLOWED TO SEE THEM WITHOUT MY OK! AND I DON"T REMEMBER GIVING YOU AN OK!"
"Please! The information that I have can save a lot go pony's lives!"
"LIKELY STORY! BESIDES, I NEED TO CHECK YOUR BAGS THERE BEFORE I LET YOU ANY FURTHER!" The Mare went over to a lever and pulled it which caused a staircase to extend down to Twilight. She ascended the stairs and was face to face with the mysterious mare. Unfortunately, most of her characteristics were concealed by the worker's uniform and her gas mask. Twilight levitated her saddle bag over to the earth pony who began searching through them. She occasionally muttered to herself about what she saw. All of a sudden, she started laughing after looking at one of the papers.
"You think... You think grapples can.. can explode! HA HA HA!" She said throughout her laughing.
"I'm serious! I did some tests and I can prove that they can explode!" Twilight replied. This only caused the mare to laugh even harder before she calmed herself down.
"Look, because you got me in a good mood, and because I want to see there reaction. I'm going to escort you to their office."
"Thank you."
"No, thank you for giving me a good laugh today." The mare motions for twilight to follow her further down the walkway.
After navigating through the maze that was the factory, they finally arrived at the office which looked significantly different form the rest of the factory. To start, it was maintained better than the rest of the facility. It was also well guarded by small towers, and another wall. There were columns that lined the walkway inside the secondary walls, and there were statues of working ponies on top of them.
Once inside, the mare told her that the gas mask was no longer needed; because, this building was ceased off from the rest of the factory. The interior was made out of the finest wood, and smoothed stone. There were the occasional gems here and there to give the walls a mystical aspect. A large self portrait of the brothers with a grapple was hung over the desk. Flim was behind the desk when they entered. The stallion was wearing a dark brown suit with a top hat. He was examining papers while rubbing the side of his head occasionally gritting his teeth.
The Mare stepped ahead of Twilight and said: "Sir. There is a visitor her to see you."
Flim looked up and stopped rubbing his head as he said: "Hello Twilight. Why are you here?"
Twilight walked up to his desk and placed a stack of papers then replied: "Yo need to know that your grapples are extremely lethal!" He quickly looked over the papers. Flim became serious in seconds after reading what was in front of him.
He leaned over to look at the other mare and said: "You are dismissed." The mare left the office after she put back on her gas mask. He then continued: "This is certainly interesting data."
"From what I gathered, grapples explode if they are presented with enough heat. You need to do a recall on them, and correct the problem."
"If you would like to know, this information isn't new to me."
"Are you saying that you knew they could explode, and you sold them to the public anyway!"
"This was discovered around a couple of weeks ago when I was experimenting with them. Luckily, Flam and I were the only ones that knew this information. The formula to make them was corrected and all the newly grown ones are safe. The lethal ones that haven't shipped will be kept in storage, but I will not do a call back on the ones that are out there."
"But, you will be jeopardizing ponies lives if you don't!"
"I know, but what do you think will happen if I go out there, and tell them that the thing that they have been eating can explode?"
"They will..."
"I'll tell you what would happen. They would panic and cause Flam and I to be out of the business again." He gritted his teeth, and began to rub the same spot on his head again. "Then they... Then they wouldn't want to buy anymore of my. Our products."
"Are you okay? You seem to be in pain."
"I'm... I'm fine. I was working on an experimental product." Flim stopped rubbing his head and continued: "I might have came into contact with a chemical or two."
"Shouldn't you go to the hospital?"
"No. It wasn't anything lethal, and it would rase panic if I was to be edited to the hospital due to an accident in the factory. I also wanted to ask you something. How did you figure out that grapples can explode?"
"A stalion blew himself up with one of those things, and it didn't leave him in a good condition."
"What was the damage?"
"Well, His fur was charred, hives partially dissolved, and multiple broken bones. All of that damage was caused by just one of them!"
"Interesting, and does any pony else know this information?"
Twilight hesitated for a second. If she said she was the only one, she would be able to keep them from going after Spike, and possibly Rainbow Dash. Although, that would mean that he could get rid of the only one who knows right now. She finally said: "I'm the only one who knows."
"Good, I shouldn't let this information out..." Flim levitated the stack up into the air, and lit it on fire.
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I already told you what would happen if this information was to reach the public."
"You may be right, but what will keep me from telling the princess about this?"
"Like I said before, and add the pert where hundreds of ponies would be put out of the job all because of you. The what would they do with all of their free time?"
"Um..."
"They would come after you, your friends, and practically anypony who is close to you."
"Fine, I won't tell.
"I'm glad we have come to understanding. Now, I need to get back to my work. Good day to you." Twilight left the factory and headed back to her library home.
There was a knock at the cottage door. Fluttershy answered the door to meet Sir. Cog Steam who slightly terrified her. Cog was accompanied by another pony that was also dressed in a suit. Cog noticed that the pegasus before him was not applejack, but someone else.
He started by saying: "Good afternoon madam! I was told by Mis. Applejack that I could find her here. Again, where are my manners, I am Sir. Cog Steam, and who is the lovely mare I am speaking to right now?" After examining Him for a moment, she wasn't intimidated by him anymore. Something about him made her fell comfortable and no longer shy towards him.
She replied: "Applejack isn't here. Her and Big Mac are still working, but her Grandmother is here of you want to talk to her."
"PERFECT! May we come into your nice and cozy looking home?"
"Yes, you may." She stepped aside to allow the two ponies to enter.
Granny Smith was on the couch reading a book when Cog and his associate sat down across from her. She noticed the two, closed the book, and placed the book to her side. The still nameless pony took out some papers, and arranged them in front of her.
Granny spoke up first: "Who might you two be, and what are these papers for?"
"I am Sir. Cog Steam, and this is a lawyer that I hired for this occasion. These papers are for a deal I wish to propose to you since Applejack can't be reached at the moment."
"And what is this deal?"
"I want to buy Sweet Apple Acres, and I am willing to pay you a large sum of bits."
"Why would somepony like you want farmland? Besides, It has been in the Apple family for generations."
"I expected nothing less, so here is what I am offering. Alongside being paid for the land, your entire family will be granted full access, within resin, I will send you a monthly payment in accordance to the profit that I would make off of the land. All you have to do is sign right here."
Granny Smith looked at the paper, then back at Cog and said: "I just don't know about this."
"Just think about this for a moment. Your immediate family and you will be set up for life! You won't be doing any work, yet you will be paid! Doesn't that sound FANTASTIC; because, I know it does!"
She thought for a moment on the decision. To her, it felt like she was being pushed to agree.
Granny Smith Finally said: "You got yourself a deal."
"PERFECT! Just sign here and you won't have a single worry for the rest of your life!" Granny signed the papers which were then collected by the lawyer. The two got up from their seats, bid goodbye to Granny and Fluttershy, then they left. Granny Smith then felt bad about the decision, but it was too late now. All she could do is hope that this wouldn't come back to haunt her.