“Run Iron, run damn it!” Yelled Con Mane as he fled for his life from a large and heavily armed mob of angry villagers. “I am running you damn Unicorn! If you want I can throw you!” Replied Iron Will as he followed along just behind. “That might just be favourable to being caught!” Con then yelled in horror as a pitchfork that had been thrown like a spear narrowly missed him, and in a surge of panicked magic teleported himself and Iron to their caravan and powered it with more magic.
“Come on, come on, hurry up!” Mumbled Con as he poured more magical power into the caravan. The caravan left the outraged villagers, still spitting out curses and shaking hooves at the sky, behind and continued along an automatic path as Con and Iron panted for breath. “Note to self. Don't go near that town for quite a while.” Said Con with a slightly forced smile. “ Nowhere near it that is. Where now?” Replied Iron as he counted out what little money they had won thanks to Con's gambling, before his deliberately barely noticeable cheating had gotten them run out of town, not falling for Iron's part in the usual con.
Con Mane woke with a groan from his own rough bed in his and Iron Will's shared room and stared around the sunlight drenched room. He finally shook his head and went downstairs to size up the afternoon gambling crowd. Looking around, he spotted one table that he immediately moved too and sat down next to a stallion dressed in a pinstripe suit as well and with a straw hat at his side.
“What's your game kid?” Said the stallion as he saw the movement of the newcomer sitting down out of the corner of his eye. “The usual one I should think.” Replied Con without the slightest hesitation. The stallion immediately turned to look at him properly and broke out in a grin. “Con Mane! how are you friend? Why, Flam and I haven't seen you since we finished the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000!” “I'm going great thanks Flim, even have a travelling companion, a big old Minotaur by the name of Iron Will. Say, how how has your machine gone anyway?”
“Well, it's faster than any traditional method Cider maker and the Cider is just as top notch, but the townsponies don't seem to be too interested in abandoning the local Cider makers for our Cider. At the moment we're just staying here in Canterlot and selling Cider every night down at the city square where a lot of the average class citizens gather every night.” “That's right, and earning just as much than if we went travelling. Good to see you again Con.”
This belonged to a new voice, Flam, Flim's older brother. “So, what business do you have in Canterlot Con?” Flim resumed the conversation again after him and Con caught Flam up. “I'm just picking up some money before Iron Will and I leave for Las Pegasus. Now that you're here, would you two care to accompany us?” “Las Pegasus you say? I think we can afford the trip. What about you Flam?” “May as well take a holiday. We'll do it.” “Right then. It's settled. We leave in a week. Now if you'll excuse me, I must check on my large friend.” Con said as he got up and nodded towards the bar where Iron Will was ordering two portions of the lunch special for himself.