Ancient Scroll and the three fillies made their way through the crowded streets of Faranda Way as they decided on what to do next.
"So girls," Ancient Scroll said, looking around, "they've got all sorts of games, booths, dancing, singing, and I think there was even supposed to be a play at some point," he looked down at the three curious fillies, "anything in particular you'd like to do?"
"Trixie wants to know where she can get one of those fancy looking masks," the blue said, pointing to a buffalo calf wearing a white mask that depicted an odd creature with horns and an exaggerated frown.
Sunset looked at mask with distaste before turning to Trixie.
"Really?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, "I think it looks kind of gaudy."
"Trixie thinks it's adorable," the blue filly replied, "you agree with Trixie right, Twilight Sparkle?"
"Uh-huh."
"See?" Trixie continue, giving Sunset a smug grin, "Twilight agrees. It looks like you just poor taste, Sunset Shimmer, isn't that right, Twilight?"
"Uh-huh."
"Come on, Twilight," Sunset argued with a roll of her eyes, "you don't seriously believe that thing is adorable, do you?"
"Uh-huh."
"Really?" Sunset replied finally turning to face the lavender filly, "how do you... Twilight?"
"Uh-huh."
Sunset and Trixie gave Twilight a flat look.
Twilight hadn't been paying the slightest bit of attention to either of them -- her attention entirely taken up by a nearby stand where a violet pegasus stallion appeared to be selling various books.
"Ah," Ancient Scroll said, following the filly's gaze, "should've known that'd catch your eye, little filly. You can go take a look if you'd like."
"Uh-huh," Twilight murmured again as she made her way over to the stand.
Trixie snorted and shook her head.
"Trixie doesn't understand that filly and her fascination with books," she turned to Ancient Scroll with raised eyebrow, "why is there even a bookstand here anyway?"
"Oh, it's not such an uncommon thing, Trixie," Ancient Scroll explained, "there's ponies and other creatures that come from all over, and you'd be surprised at how many would love to get their claws, hooves, paws, and hands on some foreign literature."
He looked over to the stand were the lavender filly was now pointing to different books and badgering the uncomfortable looking bookseller with endless questions.
He chuckled before turning back to Trixie.
"You can find some pretty rare books at some of these stands. I mean, who knows," he said with a wink, "maybe you could even find a book on how to succeed as a showpony."
Trixie hummed to herself and turned a contemplative gaze back to the bookstand. As the blue filly tried to decide whether or not to join Twilight at the stand, Sunset's own gaze wandered to the other sights around the festive town.
"You there!"
Sunset's ear twitched and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes you!" an enthusiastic voice cried from somewhere to her left, "you look like a pony who could use a bit more luck in their life, wouldn't you say, brother?"
"Indeed I would oh brother of mine," spoke another voice, "and I believe we have just the thing for this poor down-on-his-luck stallion!"
Sunset turned in the direction of the voice and her brow furrowed at what she saw.
Across the street and a little ways up the road, was a bemused navy blue earth pony being pulled along by a lanky pale yellow unicorn stallion in a blue and white striped vest, black tie and flat straw hat.
It looked like the earth pony was being herded to a small empty stand in front of a larger wagon where another identical lanky yellow unicorn stallion wearing an identical blue and white getup was waiting with a toothy smile.
The navy blue stallion tried to speak, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise, as the twin unicorns never stopped talking for more than a few seconds.
"Now, now don't be shy, my good sir," spoke the unicorn attending the stall, "everypony has days when they just can't seem to catch a break..."
"But that's where we come in!" the other unicorn finished, pushing the earth pony stallion in front of the stand before appearing next to his twin. Together they removed their hats and lowered themselves into a deep bow before speaking once more.
"I'm Flim..." said one twin.
"...and I'm Flam..." said the other, before they replaced their hats, straightened up, and waved their hooves dramatically.
"...and together we're the world famous FlimFlam Brothers, at your service!" they both announced simultaneously.
The earth pony looked between the two in bewilderment. Both unicorn were nearly indistinguishable from each other -- the only real difference being the slight change in their red and white mane and tail styles. Another more subtle difference was the timbre of their voices, with Flim sounding younger than Flam.
Many ponies would've failed to pick up on this little detail, but one increasingly suspicious orange filly could've told the difference in her sleep.
The navy blue stallion opened his mouth to speak once again, but once again he was cut off before he had the chance.
"Now I know what you're thinking, stranger," Flim said wrapping a foreleg around the stallion's withers, "who are these devilishly handsome stallions and how could they possibly help a poor fellow like me?"
"Well, actually I wasn't really--"
"Well fear not, good sir," Flim continued, "for you see, my brother and I hold the key to your good fortune!"
"And all it takes to unlock the treasure box of bountiful blessings is five measly bits!" Flam finished, coming up on the confused stallion's other side.
"But I--"
"You heard him right fella," Flim said as he and his brother reappeared behind the stand, "only a mere five bits and you'll practically be drowning in prosperity!"
"Money!"
"Mares!"
"Prestige!"
"Power!"
"Happiness!"
"Horseapples!"
Flim and Flam blinked and looked around in confusion.
"Down here, bits-for-brains!"
The two brothers peered over the stand and flinched at the sight of the glowering orange filly standing before them.
"Well, well, well," Flim said nudging his brother with a nervous smile, "look who it is, dear brother of mine."
"Why, I'll be darned," Flam replied with an equally nervous chuckle, "if it isn't our favorite little filly, Sunset Shimmer!"
Sunset narrowed her eyes at the two unicorn stallions.
"So tell me, fellas," she said in a mocking tone, "how exactly do you plan to help this 'poor stallion' with his luck, huh?" she lifted her forelegs up onto the stand and looked it over before turning back to the two sweating twin brothers with a raised eyebrow, "I don't see anything on the stand... maybe whatever you're selling is in the wagon?"
She trotted around the back of the stand and towards the wagon before the brothers stepped in front of her.
"Now, just hold on there, little lady," Flam said with another nervous chuckle, "we'd be happy to show you what we have to offer of course, right Flim?"
"Right you are, Flam," Flim replied with a nod, "but I'm afraid you'll have to wait in front of the stand... like everpony... else?"
He trailed off at the filly's flat look.
"Flam, help me out here, brother," he whispered to his twin, "you were always better at dealing with her."
"Ah, it's no use, dear brother," Flam responded with a resigned sigh, "we've never been able to put one past the kid, and besides, she knows us like the back of her hoof."
"Um..."
The three of them turned back to the bemused earth pony stallion behind the counter as he spoke.
"Can I... go now?"
"Yeah," Sunset replied, trotting back around to the front of the stand, "If I were you, I'd get out of here while you still have all your bits."
The stallion looked between the three and the two brothers looked at each other before Flam dismissed the stallion with a wave of his hoof. The earth pony gave them one last unsure frown before trotting away.
"Well, there goes our first..." Flam said.
"...and only customer..." Flim finished.
"You sure you don't want to use another word?" Sunset replied giving the two a disapproving frown, "like sucker, rube, patsy, or how about chump?"
"Oh come on, Shimsham," Flim complained, "this was a... relatively harmless--"
"Scam?"
"Business venture," Flam corrected with a frown, "we figured we'd start small and try our hoof with games of chance and work our way up from there -- go back to the basics, you know?"
"I'm sure," Sunset responded with a roll of her eyes, "I swear, it's been more than a year and you two haven't changed a bit since the last time I saw you."
"Now that's not true," Flim said with an offended huff, "we've become much better salesponies since then, isn't that right Flam?"
"You bet your bottom bit, brother," Flam replied with a nod, "we're on the fast track to becoming successful entrepreneurs, mark my words!"
Sunset shook her head and went to make another scathing remark when she heard a familiar voice speak up behind her.
"So that's were you trotted off to," came a raspy voice, "you've gotta give me fair warning before you go gallivanting off like that, little filly."
Sunset turned to see Ancient Scroll, Trixie and Twilight trotting towards her -- Twilight and Trixie's saddlebags looking noticeably more full.
The blue and lavender fillies visibly flinched as they spotted the two brothers behind the counter.
"W-Who are they?" Twilight asked, "do you know them Sunset?"
"Yeah, I... guess you could say that," she answered looking back at the two with a scowl, "much to my displeasure."
"That's hurts, Shimsham," Flim responded, holding a hoof to his chest dramatically, "and here I thought we were all friends? I feel betrayed, don't you, brother?"
"I can feel the knife digging it's way into my back, brother," Flam replied wrapping one hoof around his brother's withers and covering his eyes with the other.
Sunset snorted and turned back to the others.
"Just ignore them," she said, waving a dismissive hoof, "they're both a couple of con artists who don't know the meaning of the word 'integrity'."
"Really now," Ancient Scroll responded, eyeing the other two unicorn stallions with an idle stroke of his beard, "from the sound of it, you seem to know them pretty well, little filly."
"Well, yeah," Sunset replied, rubbing the back of her neck. She turned back to the two brothers with a small wistful smile as she spoke.
"I wasted almost two months of my life trying to keep these two out of trouble."