Opportunities

by QuirkyQuills

Flim Flam Final

It was over, and Applejack didn’t feel nearly as satisfied as she’d always thought she would.

In fact, she realized as she stared up at the near-finished cider machine, it hurt. At some point, she’d stopped waiting for Flim and Flam’s good behavior to end. She’d stopped waiting to see their angle, their con.

She’d started seeing them as a part of the farm.

And then the good behavior was over. She’d come into the barn to call them to supper, and she’d seen them working on a new Super Speedy Cider Squeezy Whatever - planning to try competing next cider season she didn't doubt! - and it all came crashing down.

Flim had tried to interject, tried to answer her as she raged.

Flam had simply stood silent, letting her anger wash over him, ears tipping ever further back as she shouted over Flim.

And in the end she’d run both of those no-good, two-faced, flim-flamming conponies off her farm.

For good.

"Hey y’all, I brought…."

Apple Bloom trailed off as she entered the barn and saw Applejack standing in front of the machine. The filly had her saddlebags on, the pouches brimming with tools, and for a moment she stared wide-eyed at her sister.

"Aw, no!" she wailed at last. "Applejack! Y’done gone an’ spoiled th’surprise!"

"Surprise?" Applejack echoed. "Y’mean t’tell me ya knew about this?”

"Sure did! We’ve been workin’ on it for weeks!" Applebloom trotted forward, looking up at the machine with pride. "See, Flim an’ Flam pointed out how we really do run short on cider, an’ yer friends can’t take days off every fall t’help! So we were improvin’ their old design, so Big Mac can run it instead a’ magic, an’ we pick an’ sort th’ apples - Flam says the apple-sucker-thingy bruises too many anyhow - but it’ll still up our output lots! Just like th’contest only we don’t gotta call Twilight an’ th’others t’help!"

"That’s what they told ya, huh?" Applejack muttered hollowly. She looked up at the machine, absently reaching over to ruffle Applebloom’s mane.

Then she frowned, ears coming up as she looked the contraption over again.

Treadmill, just like Big Mac’s cider press.

No magic receptors.

No apple-sorting window.

Just the treadmill connected to a variety of gears leading to the press instead of directly to the press itself. A generator - she’d seen one before, including magical ones.

No magic here, though. Just pure horsepower.

An improved Earth-pony run press without a trace of magic needed.

Applejack made a low, choked sound and wheeled on her hindlegs, tearing out of the barn at full gallop as Apple Bloom called after her in puzzled plaintiveness.

What have I done?

***

She caught them a few miles out of Ponyville. The twin unicorns had been walking in resolute matched step, heads lowered; they looked up in unison as she ran out in front of them and then slid to a stop, dust floating about her as she turned to face them.

"Wait," she gasped out, flanks heaving from her run. "Wait, please."

They exchanged a glance but remained still, holding their silence as they waited for her to catch her breath.

"I… I… listen, boys. Bloom came into th’barn an’… an’ she set me right. I never… I shoulda… I shouldn’ta… I…."

She lowered her head, eyes burning as her hat slid over them.

"I’m sorry." A bare whisper. "I’m so sorry."

Another moment of silence.

Then Flim lifted her chin with a forehoof, his own voice a bare echo of its usual chipper tone.

"Why my dear - I wouldn’t have listened to me either!"

"And quite frankly, I wouldn’t have believed me if I had listened," Flam added, head tilting. Applejack smiled a little at that, swallowing hard.

"I… well that’s… I just… can y’all ever forgive me?"

"Weeeell, that depends," Flim drawled out, a cheeky glint returning to his eyes. "Can you ever forgive us for riding in uninvited, playing up the cider shortage, and trying to con you out of the Acres?"

Flam snorted; Applejack stared at them both a moment before snorting as well.

"I let y’all back on my farm, didn’t I?"

Both unicorns chortled, nodding.

"That you did," Flam said. "And really, Applejack - do you really need to ask?" He offered a hoof, Flim echoing the motion; after a moment Applejack nodded, rearing up so she could take both their hooves at once.

"I guess not. Friends?"

"Friends," the brothers replied in unison. Applejack smiled, and the three started a leisurely walk back to Sweet Apple Acres.

***

"Do y’all really have t’go?"

Apple Bloom pouted, offering the twins her biggest, saddest eyes. Flim and Flam took a full step back at the sight before chuckling nervously, both nodding as Flim spoke.

"I’m afraid we do, my little appleseed. Winter is wrapped up, spring has sprung, and the deal was until we were back on our hooves besides."

"Traveling’s the way for a pair of charlatans like us," Flam added.

"Besides - we’ve got farms to visit, wares to peddle, and our Fantastic Fruitjuicer to show off to orchards across Equestria."

"Fantastic Fruitjuicer?" Applejack asked.

"We’re still working on a name," Flim admitted.

"I see." Applejack nodded a little. "What about ‘Perfect Produce Presser’?"

Flim and Flam blinked, exchanging a glance.

"Say, that’s good," Flam said. "Perfect Produce Presser. That’s a winner!"

"Now then, no fretting, Apples," Flim said. "Our stay is ending, but - that just means the next one’ll come all the sooner, Miss Applejack allowing."

"If y’behave," Applejack said, giving them as stern a glare as she could muster. Both grinned at her, and she grinned back.

"And who knows?" Flam said. "We sell a few PPPs, and maybe we’ll buy our very own Flim Flam Fields for you to visit."

"All right," Apple Bloom said. "If y’promise."

"We promise," the brothers chorused.

A hug from Apple Bloom, an exchanged hat-tip with Applejack and nod with Big Macintosh, and a theatrical bow to Granny later, Flim and Flam hitched themselves to their new wagon and made their way out of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Ready for the next big road-trip adventure, Flam?"

"Ready, Flim."

"It was nice, though. We’ll have to go back sometime.”

"It'll be nice to be welcomed back somewhere, sometime.”

"Oh yes. But for now - we’ve got a world of ponies to show a world of perfect pressing! Now, about the problem with orange peels…."

Author's Note:

And so we reach the end, this final chapter being written for the final prompt over at TMP. Thank you for reading!

Comments

[AisheyruFox]

This was a very cute story. I liked it immensely! I dunno why, but I love Flim and Flam so much. XD