In an alternate world that respects (inasmuch as I ever do) the Season 3 canon...
Following their summary and shouted dismissal from the orphanage, the brothers retired to a nearby bar, taking their drinks on the patio in the Canterlot sun and watching pretty mares trot down the cobblestone streets as they sipped bottles of cider and contemplated their situation.
"What about Trixie?" Flim asked. "She was near as much born at that orphanage, you'd think she could be of some use."
Flam's face darkened. "Oh, right. Trixie."
"...something wrong, brother? What happened to Trixie?"
"She...a few months back, she obtained a powerful ancient amulet, became drunk on evil power, and terrorized Ponyville for about a week."
Flim's eyes widened. "Oh. So she...."
The mustachioed brother sighed. "Now, at the end of it, Twilight Sparkle and her friends forgave her, and pressed Princess Celestia to pardon her for these things."
"Oh? So what's the problem, if Twilight Sparkle forgave her?"
"The Mayor of Ponyville, the legal guardian of two young colts, and Filthy Rich did not."
"But you said the Princess pardoned her...."
"Yes, but those other ponies pressed for an investigation of how a bankrupt rock-farmer was able to even obtain a powerful ancient amulet in the first place."
"...that is a good question. I assume it wasn't through Daring-Do-style feats of adventurous archaeology."
"Long story short, she's doing fifteen to forty in the royal pen for robbing three banks."
"There was nothing short about that story, Flam."
The two brothers whistled loud and wolfishly as a mare with a vibrant purple mane and a gleaming white coat trotted past. To their surprise, she did not ignore them.
"You two!" Rarity cried, turning and advancing towards them.
"Do we know you - horse apples, we know you." Flim grimaced.
"I should say you do!" the mare said, scolding. "I'll have you know my friend Applejack has been inquiring all over regarding your whereabouts!"
"I'll bet she has," Flam said, looking around for an escape plan - he'd needed one anyway, the cider here was expensive.
"She has a business proposition for you - and from one businesspony to another, I must say, it sounded very lucrative. You must contact her at once!"
Two days later, the brothers were sitting with their lawyer. "It looks good, fellows. Real good."
"But the payout isn't until cider season - how do we get the fifty thousand bits for the orphanage now?"
Their lawyer peered at them. "Seriously? Take this paperwork to the Canterlot Municipal Bank and get a loan on it. This is a solid business plan. Calculate some capital expenses, pad it by the fifty thousand you need, and take out, say, a five year loan on it, to be paid with your cider profits."
"Don't forget my eighty-five thousand in parking tickets."
"...okay, a ten year loan."
"That's...an awful long time to be pinned down in one place, brother." Flam brushed his mustache.
"We can leave whenever it's not cider season, Flam. Which is a lot better than doing those ten years in the dungeon. And if we don't take do this, that's probably how it ends - some zany scheme that puts us both in the dungeon."
Flam sighed. "By the Goddesses, I hate being responsible." But in spite of it, his magic summoned up a quill and ink to sign the documents.
"So let me give you a letter of introduction for a friendly loan officer at the bank - and then let's talk about my unpaid fees...."
As we can clearly see:
With Trixie: zany adventures.
Without Trixie: boring non-adventures.
Let's not make this mistake again.