//------------------------------// // Break-in Bewilderment // Story: Trickery Through Time // by Silvermyr //------------------------------// ”Alright, brother, let’s begin. There is a small inconvenience behind us that must be dealt with first, but that should be easy.” Flam said lightly to his brother. Flim’s ears peaked up. He picked up a small make-up mirror and a comb. He levitated the mirror up to eye level and made a show of sliding the comb through his peppermint mane. Instead of taking in his appearance, he was keeping careful watch of the pony behind him. She looked like the mare next door. Long raincoat, hat, scarf and her mane and tail carefully tied up. Some would say it was a fashion choice, but Flim knew that posture. After all, he had stalked her for the last week. Bon-Bon had followed them to Vanhoover. She had tied up her mane and tail to hide their iconic coloring. ”An inconvenience indeed, brother of mine. So, shall we try to escape now, or should we have something to eat first? I read somewhere that Vanhoover have some really nice restaurants.” ”Well, dear brother, I have been meaning to test a little something out,” Flam said. ”It struck me the other day… I really have no good way to escape or fight back when nopony else is around.” ”You are good at balancing on ropes,” Flim pointed out. ”Though on the ground you might get in trouble, that’s true.” ”And I think I have the remedy,” Flam declared proudly. ”Come on.” Flam began to walk a lot faster, and Flim followed. The mare behind them picked up the pace too, erasing all doubts as to who it was. Flam began to trot, and then run. Suddenly, the two brothers were running as fast as their hooves wold carry them from the mare behind them. Flam leaped to his left and into an alleyway. Flim raced in behind him and nearly collided with Flam, who had stopped as soon as he got out of Bon-bon sight. ”Look away now, brother,” Flam said excitedly. He levitated up a small make-up mirror similar to his brother’s. It was plated with gold and had his cutie mark engraved on the back. He quickly opened it to reveal the mirror. Below it, where a mare would have some rouge, Flam instead had some silvery, extremely fine powder behind a strainer. With a jerky motion he swept the mirror in front of him, producing a thin silver cloud. ”Hold it, you two,” Bon-bon said as she came around the corner. Flam’s horn started to glow as he hid his face in the elbow. ”Smile up for the camera,” he smirked, and in the next moment, Bon-bon gazed into the sun. She gave a startled scream and staggered backwards with a hoof over her eyes. She stumbled and was left sitting on the street. She heard ponies starting to gather around. Bon-bon blinked a few times, but to no avail. Everything she saw was coated in a dazzling white sheen, making it impossible to see properly. She looked around, dazed and confused, but could only make out a mass of formless figures around her, everything white. ”Miss, are you alright? What happened?” Somepony asked her. She looked towards the source of the sound but saw only a contorted mess. ”Where are they? The stallions in the alleyway, stop them,” she commanded one of the formless figures around her. ”Uh, miss? There is no pony there. Did they do this to you?” Bon-Bon cursed under her breath. It was bad enough that she had missed half The Circus moving out one week ago, but to also loose the brothers now was just incompetent and dumb. ”Just get me to a place to sit down,” She mumbled and felt a pair of hooves helping her up. ”What was that flash anyway?” she wondered. ”What was that flash?” Flim asked from inside a conveniently placed trashcan. Sometimes it was good to have been raised on the streets, you were never without hiding places. ”I guess that’s your idea for escaping trouble, isn’t it?” ”Magnesium powder,” Flam explained from a neighboring trashcan. ”With a small spell I can ignite it, and that creates the light. It’s the same stuff used for photo flashes. Now let’s get out of here before the garbage pony, or worse, the police comes.” Flim peeked out and tipped his trashcan away from the street as soon as the coast was clear. ”Huh, that’s useful,” he said and brushed himself off, ”but I can’t say it’s the most subtile way to escape. If you use that after dark, then everypony will know exactly where you are, wont they?” ”That only means I can use it as a decoy too,” Flam replied nonchalantly. ”If you say so,” Flim said with a shrug. ”I guess you are clever enough to use it effectively.” ”Don’t you worry none brother,” Flam said confidently. ”Come. We need to take care of that mare before she goes out shopping or something like that.” ”True. Where did she live again? Printing Types, or whatever her name was?” Flim asked. ”Printing Types, yes. Just a few blocks over that way,” Flam answered. ”She has been going out grocery shopping in two days intervals, and today is one of those days if the pattern holds.” ”Then let’s hurry.” A few minutes of brisk walking and putting on masks later, the two brothers found themselves in front of a multi-story brick building. There were comely flowers under every window, giving the house a cute feeling in the otherwise gray street. Flim decisively opened the door and looked around. There was a staircase right in front of him and a small door to what probably was a broom closet. ”Third floor,” Flam said silently ”corridor to the left and first door on the same side.” ”Got it,” Flim mumbled back. ”have you given any thought to how we are going to do this?” ”I have an idea,” Flam shrugged. ”But we must be more than extra careful about letting anypony see us now. We have no Illusionist on our side, so we can’t assume the police will just drop the case this time.” ”I am aware,” Flim said shortly. ”Just tell me what to do.” Flam described his plan shortly and Flim nodded with a mischievous grin. He silently trotted into the corridor and stood behind their target’s door. He pulled out a thin rope from his sleeve and stood at the ready. Flam donned his game face and went casually into the corridor. He knocked at the door listened. When he heard hoof steps he produced another cloud of magnesium and quickly skipped in behind the door. ”Hello?” the pony who had opened the door said. ”Is anypony the-” Flam closed his eyes and ignited the powder. The mare who had opened the door yelped in surprise. Flam darted out behind the door, pressed her mouth together and yanked her out in the corridor. He barely had the time to get out of the way as his brother’s ropes snaked through the air and laid a noose around her mouth and legs, effectively silencing and immobilizing her. The brothers levitated her up together and brought her into the open apartment. She whimpered slightly in her gag. Flim went in behind and closed the door. He pulled out another rope and twisted it quickly, spelling out a few letters. W-H-E-R-E-T-O He ended with an artistic question mark, albeit without the dot. Flam put his head against his right hoof and pretended to sleep for a moment. Flim nodded. ”mmghff!?” The mare whimpered and wriggled about in Flam’s magic. The brothers ignored her and looked about in the apartment after the bedroom where they could tie her up conveniently. A quick search later they put her down on the bed. Flam held her down with his magic while Flim began to tie her down. ”MMMGHPH! HMMGHM!” She whimpered and fought as best she could against the magic. The brothers spotted tears from her unseeing eyes. A few minutes later she was tied on top of her bed, her head the only thing that could move. C-O-M-E, Flim spelled out and began to sneak away silently. Flam followed. They stopped and listened for a moment before they went outside the apartment to make sure there was no pony there. All was silent and they went out casually. Flam closed the door and placed a small envelope outside it. ”That went swimmingly,” Flim said proudly once they were out on the street again. ”That it did,” Flam said. ”Thanks to your amazing tricks.” ”Stop it,” Flim said dismissively. ”You blinded her. She never saw nor heard us. Your plans, if anything, are awesomely amazing. What was the letter?” ”From her boss, explaining that she has been pranked. And yes, my schemes are simply splendid,” Flam confirmed smugly. ”Come. Let’s wait for The Bearded Mare by Grand Hotel’s bar, shall we?” ”Yet another dazzling design,” Flim said with a grin. ”Think they have some cider?” ***** Filthy Rich took the suitcase and stepped out from the first class train coupe. He immediately spotted his partner in crime. Suri sat by a small bar with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. Aside from her trademark scarf she also wore a mane pin the shape of a moth orchid. He went up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. After having finished her coffee, Suri and Filthy made their way to PC comics. Suri involuntarily thought about what Spoiled would say if she saw this; she and Filthy taking a walk together in Vanhoover. This week had helped her forget her problems, but unfortunately she was nowhere closer to a permanent solution now than she had been when she left. She moved those thought into the back of her mind and buried them. They had work to do. She could worry about her own problems later. Filthy looked at a large building, an office complex by the looks of it. ”Was it up on this roof you said?” Suri nodded. ”Go to floor five. Trixie will pick the locks to the roof and keep a lookout. Be ready in ten minutes at the latest, m’kay.” ”M’kay,” Filthy mimicked with a playful voice. He went into the house with The suitcase steadily on his back. ”M’kay, might as well get to it then…” She trotted into a nearby hotel, and looked around after the restrooms. She found them, trotted in and looked into the mirror. Beautiful as always. She looked around quickly and then reached into her saddlebag. She took out one of her masterfully crafted masks, a cloak and some dye. She put on her mask and then her cloak. She noted that it covered most of her body, except her puffy, luxurious tail, which she proceeded to dye carefully. She scrutinized at her new look with a critical eye. There were guards by the printworks; she had to look perfect. Flim and Flam should have the original pony tied up, quite literally, so there shouldn’t be any problems as long as she was a good enough actor. She still had a little problem mimicking the voice of Printing Types, so she had to be careful with that, but otherwise she was confident. Suri looked into her new, jade green contact lenses. ”Curtains rise, I guess,” she told her mirror image and shook her head. She trotted on towards the low glass building that was the place where the Power Ponies were printed. The place was off limits, with two watchponies by the door. Suri went up to them. The rightmost watchpony looked up and nodded. She nodded back. ”Hello, Printing Types, forgotten something?” Suri nodded and motioned to her throat. ”Hmm? You lost your voice?” the watchpony asked with a somewhat suspicious voice. ”You seemed fine when you went home earlier…?” ”I know,” Suri said hoarsely. She was hoped that the guards would attribute the rasp in her disguised voice to the sore throat. ”But I don’t feel so well. Think I will work from home tomorrow, just need to get some things…” ”Ah, but you know we can’t let you in after work hours,” the watchpony said nervously. ”Wouldn’t look good…” ”I know, I know,” Suri said with a silent, sensual voice. She looked deep into the watchpony’s eyes. ”But it thought you might make an exception for me, won’t you?” She coughed violently, and looked back at the watchpony with somewhat watery eyes. ”I really don’t think I can be here tomorrow. Pretty please?” Suri batted her eyelashes and gave another small cough. ”I really don’t think-” ”Pretty please with cherries on top?” Suri was sure to sneak in a desperate edge in her voice. ”If it goes quickly, then who can complain?” The other watchpony said with somewhat flushed cheeks. The first one looked at his colleague with a roll of his eyes. ”Come on. What could happen?” The first one shook his head, turned and unlocked the door behind him. It clicked open and three ponies entered. Together they went together past a loading bay and further into the building. Suri heard a soft clanking sound that became stronger and stronger as she went. Suddenly, the two watchponies diverted from the main corridor and entered an elevator. Without missing a beat, she followed. She assumed Printing Types’s office must be located on a higher floor. The watchponies stood still, seemingly waiting for something. Suri understood and pressed one of the buttons at random. She had no idea where ”her” office was, not that it mattered. ”Why are we going to the marketing floor?” one of the watchponies asked suspiciously. Suri kept her expression unchanged as she thought. She did hit an office floor, which was all that really mattered. She knew that all offices in this building had openable windows. Now she just had to get the idiots where she wanted them. She smiled slyly. ”I… may, in fact, not only be here to collect my things. Maybe I wanted to see a couple of handsome, strong watchponies too… and then corner them both in an office…?” The last words were barely more than a whisper. She whisked slightly with her tail and breathed a little heavier. Strictly speaking it was not even a lie. She did want to corner them in an office. ”I-I-what?” The watchpony who had opened the door looked like he had bitten a chili pepper. His cheeks shone like traffic lights. The other pony seemed suspicious. The elevator gave a soft tone as it stopped. Suri winked once and went out of the elevator quickly, leaving the two watchponies behind. ”Wait up, Printing Types,” one of the guards said with an authoritative voice. She ignored him and went into one of the closest offices. She inspected the window, but found it locked. She mumbled a curse before she smashed it to splinters with her forehooves. Not exactly subtile, but it would work. An annoyed sound came from one of the guards. They both came into the office. ”What do you think you are doing?” One of the guards asked with an angry gesture to the window. ”Come with me. You will be fined for that.” ”Come and get me,” Suri said, still in her disguised voice. Both watch ponies looked like she had slapped them. ”Very well, Miss Types,” one of them said and came at her slowly. The other one followed. Suri had just the time to get worried before a dart flew through the window and hit the first pony. He screamed out once in pain before the drugs took effect and his muscles relaxed. As soon as she heard the scream, Suri fished out her mane pin from her saddlebag. She placed the orchid in her hoof and slashed with the thin nail at the other pony, who was more or less stunned in surprise. He jerked backwards as he felt the nail drill into his muscle. Suri squeezed the small button against the other pony and her hoof, injecting the hypnotic. The pony looked into Suri’s contact lenses as he fainted. Suri looked at the fainted watchpony and shook her head. ”Stallions… a mare so much as looks at them and their brains automatically assume she is in heat…” She kicked the watchpony once for good measure. She went back to the pony Filthy had shot and collected both the dart and the keyring before she returned to the elevator. She pressed the button to the first floor and went back to the door she came from. The door was closed. She placed ear at to it and listened. When she heard hoof steps she opened and allowed Filthy Rich to enter. Suri hoofed Filthy the dart, and he quickly placed it in his suitcase. ”So, you have bought some new equipment I see?” Filthy said with an approving look to Suri’s mane pin, which she now wore. ”I like it. Once you get that dye washed out of your mane I think it will look good on you.” ”I look good in everything,” Suri said with certainty. She was still happy that Filthy noticed all work she put down in her appearance though. She also realized that Spoiled Rich would have strangled her if she heard Filthy say that. ”And as everyone,” Filthy added. They rounded a corner and came to another set of doors. Suri took out the keyring she had snatched from the guard and proceeded to try the different keys. The doors opened at the third one. Suri kicked the door open and entered. The room was huge. Filthy and Suri stood on an elevated walkway that went around the giant room. Below them were a series of printing presses, churning out all manner of printed stuff. ”I guess everything is automated then, just as Flam said,” Suri nodded. ”It works like an assembly line, blank papers are fed at one end and out comes completed and ready-to-be-sent papers.” A pile of Manehattan Times laid by the closest press. Suri trotted down the staircase and up to the pile. She looked at the headline, took out one of the papers and browsed up the last pages. ”Filthy, do you know any word for ’warrior of the sea’ with nine letters?” ”Mr. Rich,” Filthy corrected. He mumbled to himself for a few moments. ”Is swordfish nine letters?” He called back as he came down from the walkway. ”Didn’t know you were into crosswords, Suri.” ”It’s the perfect way to relax when I don’t feel like sewing, m’kay,” Suri said as she folded the paper and placed it in her saddlebag. ”Now, do you know how to operate these things? I don’t.” ”We don’t have to,” Filthy called back. ”They are automated, so all we have to do is change the printer template. Come on now, help me find the right press.” ”How convenient,” Suri said with a relieved voice. She and her accomplice went around the many presses, looking at the papers. ”Found anything yet?!” Suri called after a few minutes. Filthy didn’t answer, he stood like hypnotized and looked at something by one of the presses. ”You found it, or what?” Suri asked and went up to him. She took one look at the cover of the paper, sighed and slapped Filthy hard, bringing him out of his stupor. ”Work, now, Playcolt, later! We are breaking in; this is not the time for… THAT!” she growled and pointed at the magazine. Filthy dropped the paper with a sheepish look and went away with strangely wide eyes. Suri looked down on the obscene cover. A pony, of course. Pegasus mare with fully erected wings. ”Do stallions ever think with their brains?” She thought and continued her search, and also took the opportunity to ”burrow” a few papers for the train ride home, including the next number of The Crosswords Currier and a few traveling papers. ”Found it!” Suri called after ten something minutes. It was one of the smaller presses in the near the back of the room. Filthy came around the corner, now with a more controlled look. He looked at the pile of comics being spat out from the machine. ”Mane-iac and the Grand Slam Scam?” Filthy read the title. ”Huh, so the Mane-iac is still in commission? How nostalgic.” He slipped one of the comics into his suitcase. ”Didn’t know you were into this, Filthy,” Suri remarked, surprised. ”Isn’t this a little too… childish for you? Sounds like something Ditzy might like, but not you.” ”Rich! My name is Rich!” Filthy corrected in an annoyed and somewhat resigned voice. ”And I grew up with these. I might not know so much about those new fancy plot lines and villains, but I still remember my childhood heroes.” They went alongside the press to find the template. They didn’t have to look for long. A series of hoof-drawn pages laid at a small pedestal, and a small light flashed at even intervals, almost like a camera. ”So, I guess we simply remove the templates and replace them with my improved version then?” Suri asked. ”I guess,” Filthy shrugged. Suri took of her saddlebag and produced the folder with her comics. ”What is it about anyway?” Filthy asked when he saw the surprisingly high quality of the paintings and writing. ”Wasn’t it supposed to just be somepony stealing the orb? Why do you have so many pages?” ”Ditzy wanted me to make it a real issue,” Suri shrugged. ”She came up with the storyline and wrote the whole thing, and I had a feeling it was easier to just do what she wanted rather than dissuade her. So now we have…” Suri riffled through the pages until she got to what Filthy assumed was the cover art. ”…Neighvar Kreuger’s Museum Momentum.” ”Huh,” Filthy shrugged. ”well, whatever. Let’s just plant it and be done.” He looked over the pages at the pedestal. ”Okay, so let’s switch the pages one at a time. There is no telling how this machine responds if one of the templates are missing when it tries to scan it.” They proceeded to switch the thirty-something pages just after the flashes. ”You know,” Filthy remarked as they were working, ”I feel kind of bad about this. Some ponies are now going to get a comic with pieces of both stories in them.” ”So?” ”So they are unreadable and incomplete,” Filthy replied. ”I don’t feel good ruining these comics for some random readers like this.” ”But kidnapping, extortion, destruction of property, theft, and… whatever else you have done is alright?” Suri asked with a deadpan look. ”Hush with you,” Filthy mumbled as he placed the last few pages onto the pedestal. ”M’kay,” Suri said when they were done. ”So now we wait for one of them to be printed and then get out, I guess?” ”No,” Filthy said. ”It takes almost an hour for the ink to dry, and I don’t want to wait here for longer than necessary, especially since the cracked window might attract unwanted attention.” ”Then what?” Suri asked. She had assumed they would get the paper now and be done. ”Don’t worry. I just placed a subscription to the Power Ponies, so I will receive their latest issue direct home in my mailbox. We just have to wait.” ”Alright,” Suri shrugged. ”Then let’s get out of here.” ”Not yet,” Filthy said with a grin. ”What? Have you forgotten something?” ”You said it yourself, ’first work, then Playcolt’, Work is over, so I will go and fetch me some… reading matter, as it were.” Filthy tried to keep his voice professional, but failed miserably. Suri shook her head, grabbed Filthy by the ear and dragged him away. ”Hey, OUSH! STOP THAT! I WAS ONLY KIDDING!” ”No, you weren’t.” Suri shook her head and dragged him away. Filthy gave a resigned sigh. ”You are starting to sound like my wife.” Suri froze for a moment. That statement felt far, far more uncomfortable than she imagined, and it also made her very much aware that she still had no solution for her problems with Spoiled. ***** Flim, Flam, Trixie, Suri and Filthy Rich leaned back in the comfy sofas that were standard for all first-class trains in Equestria. They had ordered in some artichoke leaves and something to drink. In truth, none of them had any clue what it was they were drinking; Filthy had just gone with the most expensive thing they had. Some fruity, winelike brewage with a distinct taste of cherries and blueberry. ”Just a few days until we get the comic,” Flam said and plopped a succulent artichoke leaf in his mouth. He chewed slowly. ”And then we just need to contract the doctor.” ”I have yet to meet a pony who can say no to us,” Filthy remarked. ”He will comply, one way or another. And Equilibrist, I also need to take care of a little something regarding my wife and butler, just so you know.” Filthy was certain Randolph must have intercepted the letters at this point. Filthy had been gone for a few days, the perfect time for Spoiled to make her move. ”Can’t you guys think of something other than your jobs for five minutes?” Suri asked and looked up from her crosswords with an annoyed glare. ”We all know the next part of the plan, so just give it a rest already, m’kay?” ”Why are you so stingy all of a sudden?” Flim asked. ”You don’t like… whatever this is?” Flim swirled the red-purple liquid in his glass and took another sip. ”I must say I do.” ”I don’t like being disturbed by your eternal rambling,” Suri answered cooly and took up the pen in her mouth again. Flim got an angry look for a moment, but he hid it quickly. ”Well, if my company is not desired, I will go to the dining car. There is always somepony who is up for a good game of Blackjack.” He rose stiffly. ”Count me in, brother,” Flam said. ”Been too long since I had me a good battle of wits.” The twins brohoofed and went out, leaving Filthy, Trixie and an absent Suri. Silence settled. Flim had been the most talkative of them, so when he left the conversation effectively died. ”Filthy, perhaps you could go and fetch Trixie some peanut butter crackers?” ”Why can’t you go yourself?” Filthy asked tiredly. ”And I’ve told you I prefer Rich.” ”The Great and Powerful Trixie thought you were a gentlestallion?” Trixie replied quickly with a heightened eyebrow. Filthy sighed and left. It was probably easier to just oblige and get Trixie her treats. And the spirit in the room was not very comfortable, for that matter. The moment the door had closed, Trixie turned to Suri. ”Alright, we are going to have a small talk.” Suri ignored her. The azure unicorn’s eyes narrowed. If there was one thing The Great and Powerful Trixie could not stand it was ponies ignoring her. She ignited her horn again and snatched Suri’s newspaper with her magic. ”Hello? Trixie is talking to you,” Trixie said sharply. ”As annoying as he can be, The Equilibrist did not deserve that. What’s with you anyway?” ”I recall I told you last week that it is none of your business.” Suri hissed. Trixie glared at Suri while she thought. Suri had snapped at her just before they left for Vanhoover, but while they were there she had been as cheerful as ever. Trixie and Suri had seen the sights in the city together, shopped together and eaten at the fancy restaurants together too. Suri had not been like this for all the time she was away from Ponyville. Not since she was about to discuss Filthy’s wife. ”Does this have anything to do with Spoiled Rich?” Trixie asked slowly. ”No!” Suri cut her off quickly. ”No! No! No! It has nothing to do with her, with you, or anything else either, so just leave me be!” Trixie hid her smirk. Suri’s reaction told her she had found an end to begin working at. ”Trixie is not sure you are telling her the truth. But it doesn’t matter, Trixie will make you tell her.” ”I will not tell you anything, and you can’t force me,” Suri replied defiantly. ”Not me, but Trixie’s horn most certainly can,” Trixie remarked with a sinister smile. ”So either you tell her now, or she will make you tell her.” Suri looked like she was ready to slap Trixie, but she did sit still. Trixie’s horn started to glow, and the same light appeared around Suri’s throat. ”Waitwaitwait!” Suri yelped. She held up her hooves in a protective gesture. ”I’ll tell you, m’kay!” ”I knew you would see things Trixie’s way eventually,” Trixie said with a victorious grin. ”M’kay,” Suri said slowly. She swallowed, then sighed. ”The evening after Filthy and Spoiled argued…” Suri grudgingly recounted her scolding for Trixie. It felt good to vent the unfair treatment Spoiled had given her, better than she had imagined. She had always been on her own, so this was the first time she really opened up about her problems to another pony. Trixie did not seem to judge her either, nor did she give any snide remarks. In fact, she looked just as shocked as Suri had felt at the time. Suri was not sure why, but she felt grateful that Trixie actually listened. ”You and Filthy?” Trixie asked when Suri silenced. ”She thought that?” ”Apparently,” Suri sighed. ”don’t ask me how.” ”Oh, but you two would look cute together, now that Trixie thinks of it,” Trixie said with a sweet voice. Suri was not sure what to make of it, so she decided that Trixie must be sarcastic. ”Not helping,” she mumbled. ”So you are worried that Spoiled will figure out Filthy and you spent time in Vanhoover together and draw some… conclusions then?” Trixie asked. ”She can understand your worry, but you might still want to apologize to The Equilibrist.” Suri nodded. ”I know, m’kay. I will.” They were both silent for a moment. Only the train’s clanking sound could be heard. ”Hey, Trixie?” ”Hmm?” Trixie looked up. ”Do you know what Filthy sees in that mare? I have known her for just a few months, and I already hate her. I don’t get it how he can love her, much less have a foal with her.” ”Trixie shares your feelings, sister,” Trixie said consolatory. ”She does not like Spoiled very much either. And, for all her greatness and power, she does not know much about Filthy’s and Spoiled’s history. However, she can tell you this: Trixie has been in The Circus for a while, and these last few months are the only time she has seen Spoiled in Ponyville for any period longer than a few days.” ”She doesn’t normally live there?” Suri asked. That could explain Spoiled’s hasty conclusion. Since she did not see Filthy very often, maybe she worried that Filthy was unfaithful? A shiver went through her spine at the thought. Spoiled thought that Filthy and Suri had an affair. Trixie shook her head. ”Trixie is sorry she can’t tell you more. However, if you want to learn about Filthy’s relation with Spoiled, she would suggest talking to Filthy, obviously, or Flam.” ”Flam? What would he know about this?” Trixie chuckled. ”Trixie will have you know that before he contacts anypony to join us, he makes sure to know exactly who he is dealing with. Wouldn’t surprise her in the least if he knew Filthy’s relation with Spoiled even better than Filthy himself.” Trixie’s right ear twitched. ”and speaking of The Cerberus, I think Mr. Rich is just coming back.” Indeed, one moment later, Filthy Rich returned with a silver tray of crackers on his back. ”Oh, and one more thing,” Trixie said nonchalantly. ”Trixie really has no clue how to force a pony to speak. Just so you know.”