//------------------------------// // Opening Night in Vanhoover // Story: The World Famous Flim Flam Brothers' Spectacular Travelling Menagerie // by Sage Runner //------------------------------// "Welcome, citizens of Vanhoover!" Spike shouted to the applauding crowd as the spotlights settled on him and the loudspeakers blasted out their pre-recorded fanfare. "Welcome and be amazed by the World Famous Flim Flam Brothers' Spectacular Travelling Menagerie!" He waved to the audience while they whistled and cheered. The red tuxedo he wore obscured the glowing collar around his neck, which controlled his every word and motion. The fake mustache attached to his nose he minded a bit less than the rest of the outfit. The ring was outdoors, with floodlights and fireworks illuminating the night sky. The stands seating the crowds—their wooden components inexpensive, yet heavy—had been constructed quickly when nobody was looking. Flim and Flam had spent the day handing out flyers around Vanhoover, ensuring that the seats were filled to capacity when the show began. "Feast your eyes upon the rarest creatures in Equestria!" Spike continued. "Watch as they perform feats beyond all imagination!" The crowd roared with applause. "I'm your host, Dragon! Allow me to introduce you to the rest of the crew! Straight from the Griffon Kingdom, she's half lion, half eagle, and all awesome! Give it up for our famous stunt flier, Grizelda!" Spike shouted Gilda's stage name, drawing out the vowels. "Oohs" and "Aahs" could be heard from the audience as Gilda darted across the sky, doing several loops above the stands, her Wonderbolts costume becoming visible as the floodlights centered upon her. "Up next," Spike said, "is our resident strongman! With the raw power of ten full grown stallions, travelling here all the way from an enchanted labyrinth in the Everfree Forest to entertain you, let's have a round of applause for the Mighty Minotaur!" The crowd erupted as the spotlights settled upon Iron Will, who wore a full-body jumpsuit the same color as his fur. Like Spike, he wore a fake mustache. He flexed his muscles and growled as the crowd gasped. "They're eating this up, brother of mine!" Flim said, giggling as he and his brother continued to direct everyone's movements from behind the scenes. "This is Vanhoover, Flim," Flam said. "The town is practically isolated from the rest of Equestria! These ponies are only used to seeing other ponies. The crowds in other cities won't be this easy, so we'll use this as practice!" "Good thinking, hermano y amigo!" Flim grinned. "Doesn't hurt that we made a killing with admissions alone, either. Just wait until the Griffon spells out 'Visit the snack bar' in the clouds!" "Next up, hailing from the mystical land of the Zebras, our resident magician, the mythical, magical Zebralia!" Spike said as Zecora, wearing a wizard's costume, appeared next to him in a burst of smoke, astonishing the crowd. "And finally," Spike said, "this next one is for those of you who prefer a little danger with your excitement. She's upturned an Ursa Major, she's axed the Alicorn Amulet, now observe from the edge of your seat as the Great and Powerful Trixie faces her deadliest opponent yet, the menacing Manticore!" The spotlight drifted over to Trixie, who was dressed in a tuxedo similar to Spike's, with the addition of a red top hat. A whip was strapped to her side and a wooden stool had been placed next to her. Adjacent to it was a cage containing the aforementioned Manticore, who appeared to be attempting to hide its face from the crowds, noise, and lights with its paws. "Let the show begin!" Spike declared, bowing as he backed away. *** Three hours later, the five stars collapsed onto the floors of their cages. "I'm ashamed of how low I was forced to stoop." Zecora panted. "But more than anything else, I'm pooped." "You said it, sister," Gilda replied, rolling over onto her back. "How're you holding up, tough guy?" She cocked her head in Iron Will's direction. "Iron Will is strong," the Minotaur said, leaning against the bars and pressing a bag of ice against the lower part of his back. "But when Iron Will was forced to lift the entire audience, he may have pulled something..." "At least you didn't have to break the sound barrier while detonating multi-colored pyrotechnics strapped to your butt," Gilda said, massaging her bandaged hindquarters. "I can't believe the crowd thought that was a genuine Sonic Rainboom." "And that Manticore," Trixie added, shaking her head. "I was terrified of the beast until I realized that it was more scared of me than I was of it. I don't think they've been treating the poor thing very well. I hope my whip didn't hurt it!" "The crowd was stunned, and quite confused, all because I pulled a rabbit out of a hat. They are easily amused," Zecora said, her eyebrows raised and her upper eyelids lowered. "They ate everything up," Spike said. "When yours truly is working the crowd, it's easy to knock 'em dead." "Don't tell me you're getting into this," Gilda replied, frowning. "Of course not!" Spike said. "I'm just saying... the cheesy things Flim and Flam made me say? Only I could have made that work. My throat is killing me, though. I hope they give me a microphone next time." He rubbed his neck tenderly. "Next time, huh?" Iron Will asked. "Guess that means you're not any closer to figuring out an escape plan." "It seems like they've thought of everything," Spike said, scratching his chin. "No ripping off our collars, no hiding, and no magic. What's worse, I got a look at our tour schedule, and they've picked border towns that are all really far away from Canterlot and Ponyville, so the chances of running into anypony we know are slim. For now, our best bet is to play along so they don't treat us any worse and hope that they make a mistake." "Your plan sucks, dude," Gilda said. "Totally." Spike sighed. "Hope seems faint, to be sure," Zecora said, sitting up. "But we must keep our spirits up and our resolve must stay pure!" "The Great and Powerful Trixie has her own reasons for wanting to escape," Trixie said. "She simply cannot stomach the idea of playing second-banana to such inferior showponies." "Heh, yeah," Gilda said with a laugh. "The stuff they had us doing out there? It may work on a border town like Vanhoover, but once we hit up some of the more connected cities, the stunts we're pulling now are gonna fall flat. Imagine how it'll go over when we get an audience that's actually seen a Sonic Rainboom before. I hope they turn violent." The others laughed. "I don't think that matters," Spike said, hoisting himself up on an elbow. "Flim and Flam are more concerned with bits than anything else. They'll make whatever money they can, then cut and run if things turn sour." "Makes you wonder what they'll do with us if they decide to skip out." Iron Will shuddered. "Nothing good," Spike said as he grimaced. "We know too much." "One thing I don't get," Gilda said, "is how did they set up the ring, the stands, electronics, any of it? That's at least a day's worth of work, and the two of them spent the whole day passing out fliers, so who set up the stage?" "We did, of course, but the 'how' of it is a trade secret, I'm afraid," Flam replied, approaching them from the darkness, his brother following closely. "Iron Will doesn't think you used that term correctly," Iron Will said, raising his index finger and his brow. "You five were stupendous!" Flim turned towards Flam. "I think they've earned a little reward, brother!" "I think you're right," Flam said, nodding. "This ought to be good," Spike replied, his voice monotone. "We'll give you the entire night to rest and recuperate before our encore performance tomorrow!" the brothers shouted in unison. "I'd say I'm surprised by your cruelty but, at this point, my expectations really can't get any lower." Spike sighed as the others nodded. "I knew they'd be excited," Flam said, nudging his brother. "Again, I'm not hearing any deceit in your voice," Spike said, his eyes widening. "I'm really curious as to how wide the disconnect between what I just said and what you just heard actually is." "I like your enthusiasm!" Flim winked at Spike. "This is getting scary," Gilda whispered to Zecora, who nodded softly. "Well, we'll let you get back to resting! Goodnight, my shining stars!" Flam said as he and his brother withdrew with a bow. "This combination of cunning and stupidity has me at a loss," Zecora said. "I've never had to deal with such a contradictory boss." "Yeah, no telling when they'll make a mistake," Spike agreed. "They could see this whole thing through to the end without any slip ups, or they could trip over their own hooves and fall face-first into their campfire within the next five minutes. Neither would surprise me." "Which means we need to save ourselves," Gilda said. "Whaddaya think, Spike?" Spike was about to reply when he noticed, for the first time, how intently the others were staring at him. As he made eye contact with each of them, they offered him an encouraging smile. "If he's staying calm and collected..." Twilight Sparkle's words echoed in his memory. "I bet he's doing a terrific job as a leader!" He allowed himself a reciprocating smile. "Well?" Iron Will asked. "I need to know more about these collars," Spike said. "As a dragon, my body is naturally attuned to magic, and I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two from Princess Celestia and Twilight on that subject. So, feeling the effects first hand will go a long way towards figuring out how to beat them. I've already felt how the control aspect works, so now..." He trailed off as he wrapped his hands around his collar. "Spike, are you crazy?!" Gilda looked hastily toward the brothers' campsite. "If they find out you tried to pull your collar off, they'll just punish you!" "She's right, little friend," Iron Will added, gripping the bars. "When Iron Will tried it, they didn't feed him for two whole days! It won't work and it's not worth it!" "I know it won't work," was all Spike would say before giving his collar a tug. Immediately upon pulling, the collar released its magical restraints, a green forcefield enveloping the palms of his hands, running down his arms, and spreading to cover his entire body. His petrified form fell to the floor with a thud.