Flim-Flam Fever

by EHAN

Chapter 3

A week later, the town of Ponyville was bustling in its usual happy-go-lucky way. While not nearly as small or as secluded as Hollow Shades, they were about as cheerful. People came and went more often here. It was definitely a nice place to be at any time of the year.

Two ponies strolled into town: one a mare, the other a stallion. They were in conversation with one another. The mare turned to her brother.

"So what exactly are we goin' to town for, Big Mac?" she asked. He pointed over to a store which sold farm equipment. He explained to his younger sister: "Dang plow's broken down, AJ. Need to get a new one."

The two walked over to the store, but the sight of another mare carrying a large barrel on her back caught their attention. She didn't seem to be struggling at all, but was trudging along at a rather slow pace. Big Mac walked up to her. "Need a little help there, miss?" he said with a chuckle. She looked at him and said back to him: "Nah, this is nothing for me. I can carry way more than this if I wanted to. You know how I am when it comes to drinks." They both shared a good, quick laugh.

"So Berry, what'cha got in that barrel?" he asked her. She replied, "Oh, just a new brand of cider I saw being sold in the town square. Quite a crowd for it. If they manage to draw in a crowd here in Ponyville, then you know that they're something worth talking about. You should probably go check out the scene. You know, since you're part of the Apple Family and all. But anyway, I'm bringing this home to create some drink ideas. This could work as a pretty good base for my new beverages."

Big Mac and Applejack stared at Berry Punch, interested in what new brand of cider she could possibly be talking about. They felt a bit threatened by this news, but not terribly. After Berry Punch went on their way, they decided to head into the store first to buy a new plow. On their way home, they ran into a massive crowd of excited ponies. The crowd was so large, it was impossible for them to see what they were there for. A blue pegasus with a rainbow mane came out of the crowd, gulping down a cup of cider. They stopped to talk to her.

"What's this big crowd for, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked her, bewildered at the sight of all these ponies. Rainbow Dash responded, "Haven't you heard? It's the new brand of cider everyone's been talking about! It's called 'Golden Delight!' Hurry up and get a cup already, guys, they're selling like crazy!" She flew off, closely gripping her cup of cider. Applejack and Big Mac decided that the only way they could figure out who was selling these cups was to make their way through the crowd. Before they got to the front, however, a voice which was nearly inaudible over the noise of the crowd shouted: "That's all for today, folks! Come back tomorrow!"

The disappointed sighs rang simultaneously throughout the marketplace. Before they knew it, the crowd was dispersed, and the business ponies disappeared. Disheartened, the two continued on their way home.

At their barn, they set the plow outside, and went in to tell their grandmother, Granny Smith, what they had seen in town. She was in her rocking chair, reading the newspaper. Before the two said a word to her, she told them to sit down next to her. She had seen news about the "Golden Delight" cider in a news article, and with a tone of disgust in her voice, she revealed to them that the ones behind the cider were none other than Flim and Flam.

Flim and Flam. The names rang through their heads like a horrible curse.

How could it be? They dropped out of the public eye long ago! The Apple Family personally ran them out of town! How could they possibly be back and doing better than ever?

Granny Smith advised them to avoid the cider at all costs. No matter what anyone said, they were to keep away from the cider and do whatever it took to make sure nobody else drank any of it either. Applejack, deciding to take matters into her own hooves, went out to collect as much evidence of the situation, so that the Apple Family could know what they were up against.

Comments

[PurpleWonderPower]

Love this. Awesome.