//------------------------------// // A Case for the Bass // Story: Equestria Girls JT: Rainbow Rocks // by MrBiteo //------------------------------// After seeing friends' performances in the past week, Applejack couldn't be more happier when Rainbow Dash gave her the chance to play in the band. On the day she was to attend band practice and while she was getting herself ready for school, she saw outside her bedroom window that Granny Smith was having a yard sale outside. She didn't really pay much attention to it as she turned toward and headed for her closet to get out her bass to bring to band practice. It was a sleek, red, well-used electric bass. It was handed down to her by her father when she turned 13 and Applejack had been playing it for a long time since then. The bass is a little longer and bigger than a regular guitar, and it gives a band its rhythm. That's the way Applejack thought of herself, honestly. Not as a star, but the girl who helped everyone keep their rhythm. She soon, however, lost that happiness when she opened her closet. Her bass wasn't in there where she left it. She then searched the whole house, but she couldn't find it anywhere. Where was it? That's when Granny Smith told her that it was lying by the porch while she was setting up the yard sale a few hours ago, to which Applejack soon remembered that she was playing it last night and forgot to bring it back inside after dinner. She couldn't help but feel the slightest bit embarrassed about that as she blushed and hid her face with her hat. But, unfortunately for her, when Applejack asked Granny what happened to it, Granny soon realized that she had sold it to someone by accident. Now what was Applejack going to do? She knew the band couldn't have one without a bass player and she had to find a way to get her bass back. There was no way she could afford another one. Basses these days were expensive. Her friends arrived to pick her up and Applejack explained her situation to them. Luckily for her, they were more than willing to help her. And surely if she explained all this to the person who had bought it at Granny's yard sale, they would understand and give it back to her. It was the only thing she and her friends could do. There was only one problem, though. Could Granny still remember who had bought it, they soon wondered? "Okay, Granny, one more time. When you accidentally sold my bass at the garage sale, who did you sell it to?" Applejack tried to ask Granny Smith having done so multiple times now. "Was it a man or a woman?" "Err, It was definitely a woman," Granny answered, remembering and smiling. Applejack nodded. "Okay, that's a start." Granny Smith twisted her apron between her hands. Her brow was furrowed again. "Did I say woman? I meant man." Applejack gave an exasperated whinny and looked like she was about to scream. But Applejack managed to keep her cool since this was her grandmother she was talking to. "Granny," she asked Granny again, "did the man who took the bass say why he wanted it? Was he a musician?" Granny Smith looked surprised. "A magician? What would a magician want with your old boots?" "Not my boots. My BASS!" Applejack then shouted, having finally reached her breaking point. "Now there's no need to shout," said Granny Smith. "I remember exactly who I sold your bass to. I thought we were talking about your boots. I sold your bass to a couple of brothers." The girls all looked relieved at Granny's confidence, especially Applejack. "Slim and Slam. Those were their names," Granny told them. Fluttershy took out a notebook and wrote down the names of the brothers, but almost instantaneously she had to cross them out. "Or was it Trim and Tram?" Granny then wondered trying to remember. "Nope. That's not it. Skim and Skam?" All the girls were starting to worry. "Granny, please try and remember," Applejack begged. "We're going to perform at the Musical Showcase at school, but only if I can find my bass. You sure it was Skim and Skam?" Granny shook her head, and all the girls sighed like deflated balloons. "Uh, hold on!" Granny then stammered, much to the girls' delight. "It's coming to me. Uh, uh, I think I've got it. I sold it to the owners of that new pawn shop in town. Uh, Flibbity Flabbity, somethin' like that." Rarity pulled out her phone and did a search on the pawn shop. "She's right!" she soon confirmed to the others. "There's a pawn shop right near Canterlot High!" "Now we just have to hope no one's already bought it!" said Rainbow Dash. "Quick, gals! There's no time to lose!" Applejack told her friends. "Let's get it back before school starts!" The Humane 5 hurriedly ran in the direction they usually take to Canterlot High as a shortcut to the shop. Using the GPA on Rarity's phone, they found the shop, spotting Applejack's bass in the display case in the front window. As they all entered the shop, they were greeted by the shop's owners, who were this world's counterparts of the Flim Flam Brothers from Equestria. The Flim Flam Brothers were dressed in matching suits with blue-and-white-striped shirts and matching gray bow ties. They each wore a straw boater, askew on the top of their slicked-down red hair. "Welcome to the grand opening of the Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium!" Flim greeted the Humane 5. "If you want it..." Flam said. "...we've got it!" Flim and Flam both said in unison before zooming off from each other. "Need a pogo stick?" Flim asked the Humane 5 while riding on said pogo stick. "A bowling ball?" Flam then asked holding up a magenta colored bowling ball. He sent it rolling across the floor, where it hit a stack of bowling pins and knocked them over. "A stuffed clown?" Flim then asked holding up a small stuffed clown doll by its orange hair. "Whatever this is?" Flam then asked holding up something that he couldn't figure out what it was, and neither could the girls, which was a helmet-like device that slightly resembled Doc Brown's helmet from Back to the Future. "I like that bass." Applejack requested pointing to her bass currently at the display window. Flim then quickly fetched AJ's bass from the display window and offered it to her, much to her friends' relief since they'll now both get her bass back and be at school on time. "I can give you this bass for a non-negotiable price of $1,000." "A $1,000? Why, you only paid Granny Smith $2 for it." Rarity pointed out to Flim baffled by the price. "Yes, well, we have to cover our overhead in transportation costs." Flim explained to Rarity handing the bass to Flam. "And of course, there's also the stocking fee." Applejack then got prepared for business. "Listen, my granny never shoulda sold my bass. it wasn't hers to sell and I simply cannot let ya keep it." Applejack tried to reason with the Flim Flam Brothers. "I'll tell you what. I'll give ya the $2 back and we'll call it even." Flim and Flam were unconvinced as Applejack pulled out exactly two dollar bills from her pocket to hand over to them. "Likely story." Flim and Flam soon replied in a disbelieving tone. Flim placed the bass down on the ground, holding it by its neck like a cane. Applejack was dumbfounded. She was so honest, she was always flabbergasted when other people weren't. "It is! Because it's the truth! That's my bass!" Applejack argued trying to prove her case, to which the other girls nodded their heads in agreement. "Is that so? And can you prove that this is your bass?" Flim then asked Applejack still unconvinced as he then held the bass by its neck. Applejack smiled confidently. "Yep. For one thing, my name's Applejack, and my initials are written on the strap." For a moment, Flim and Flam were taken by surprise. They looked to where she pointed on the strap and, just like Applejack had said, her initials were right there in bold lettering. "See! See!" Pinkie told them excitedly. Now maybe at last they could get started on practicing for the showcase. But Flim and Flam weren't going to give up that easily. "That could mean anything! It could stand for..." Flam then rebuttled trying to disprove the evidence that Rarity showed them, but had trouble coming up with what the initials stood for. "'Aardvark Junior'!" Flim then suggested, backing up his brother's "claim". "'Anvil Jokers'!" Flam suggested to Rarity. "Or 'Animal Jane'!" Flim suggested to Fluttershy. "Why, I'll bet you don't even play the bass, Applejack..." Flam accused Applejack before confronting her nose-to-nose. "...if that's even your real name!" "Of course, that's her real name!" Rainbow Dash pointed out to Flam defending Applejack while also bringing her face close to his. "And she does play the bass!" Pinkie Pie then defended Applejack while she was rocking back and forth excitedly on a rocking horse. "Exactly! In fact, If you'll let me play it, I'll show you that it's my bass." Applejack then told Flim and Flam, "Right, girls?" "Go on, Applejack. Show 'em what you've got." Rainbow Dash agreed, knowing that it was exactly the right move that would solve the problem. "Yes," Rarity said to Flim and Flam. "Give her the respect she deserves, and let her display her talents." "Seems like we've got ourselves a little competition." Rainbow Dash said. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Pinkie Pie agreed. "You'll see how amazing and awesome and fantabulous she is! Let her play." "I think you have to," Fluttershy agreed. "It's only fair." Flim and Flam looked from one girl to another. There was no way they could say no to so many potential customers. Reluctantly, they held out the bass to Applejack. Flim coughed nervously and Flam bit his lip as Applejack snatched her bass off Flam's hands. Applejack strung the guitar strap over her shoulder. "You have an amp?" she asked. When Flim and Flam quickly fetched one from the back, she plugged in her bass. "Hold on to your ears, boys. I'm going to let it rip!" And she started playing it to prove to the Flim Flam Brothers it was hers. And boy, Applejack could play! Her fingers were flying, and Flim and Flam's Emporium was rockin'! People passing by on the street stopped to peer in. This was great! What a solo! What a performance! To her friends' amazement and Flim and Flam's shock, she showed off her skills pretty well. And that's when the magic happened! First the ears appeared, and then her hair began to look like a horse's tail while she played! She was playing pony style! She eventually ended her riff with a flourish, unleashing a shockwave similar to Rainbow Dash's experience at the Music Center throughout the shop, hitting the brothers, though they weren't exactly knocked back as they were still where they stood. After Applejack had finished, her friends cheered for her victory. Flim and Flam, meanwhile, were still shocked at what they just saw as their hair was disheveled as a result of the shockwave Applejack unleashed. "Perhaps this is her bass." Flim said in realization and defeat. Relieved, Applejack reached back into her pocket and took out the two dollars again before offering them to Flim and Flam. "But there are still the transportation costs and overhead." Flim then reminded Applejack as he and Flam straightened their hair back into place, along with Flam's mustache. "Don't forget the stocking fees." Flam then pointed out. "Wouldn't dream of it, brother." Flim agreed giving his brother a hug. Applejack sighed and hung her head in shame, seeing that she had lost her chance to win back her bass. The rest of the Humane 5 then joined her as she was leaving for school. The brothers, however, soon saw that Applejack's riff had attracted lots of potential customers into their shop. Seeing that this could boost business with dollar signs in his eyes, Flim pulled Flam aside for a moment, and the two brothers whispered together conspiratorially. Finally, Flam turned to Applejack, an oily smile on his lips. "Then again, I suppose we could some sort of...trade?" Flam then offered to Applejack, who, just as she was about to exit the door with her friends, turned around and beamed in excitement at the prospect of getting her bass back. The rest of the Humane 5, however, looked at the brothers questioningly. What did Applejack possibly have to trade? That was how Applejack found herself in front of the shop after school that same day, jamming on her bass, in a banana costume with a displeased look on her face. A huge flashing neon arrow behind her pointed to the store's entrance. Well, she was certainly drawing a crowd like earlier--and she'd had her bass at the end of the day, which was now turned sunburst with orange lining as a result of the magic that helped her pony up earlier. Though, she didn't seem to mind the change. "Come on down to the grand opening of the Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium." Applejack said for anyone passing by the street, whom as it turned out was Trixie. "is that going to be the costume your band is going to wear for the showcase?" Trixie snickered when she walked by. "Just for practicin'," Applejack told off Trixie. It may not have been what she had hoped for, but at least she'll be able to get her bass back in the end. Then shortly after, Granny Smith came out of the shop having purchased the Back to the Future-esque helmet from earlier, much to Applejack's confusion. Granny then spotted Applejack and looked at her with a look of confusion. "Since when do you play the bass?" Granny asked Applejack. Applejack then facepalmed from Granny's forgetfulness she endured this morning coming back to haunt her.