//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Larfleeze visits Equestria // by KingDogbertXIV //------------------------------// “Applejack,” a slightly strained mare’s voice called. The voice’s owner was struggling to face an orange mare with green eyes, freckles, a blond mane and tail with a red tie in each, and a Stetson hat. The orange mare had markings on her flanks that resembled a trio of apples. “Where do you want the snack tables to go?” “Over there, Twilight,” Applejack answered, pointing to the left of the strained voice’s owner, a tall, slightly lanky pony with wings, a horn. a dark blue mane and tail with a single pink and purple stripe through them, and dark purple eyes. The pony had flank markings that resembled five small white stars surrounding a large pink star. “Okay,” Twilight said, slowly setting down the tables that she was magically levitating in midair. “Now what do we do?” “We finish putting up streamers and balloons,” a white unicorn with long purple mane and tail with fabulously curled ends a well as eyeliner and makeup answered. Her flanks markings resembled a trio of four-sided diamonds. “Pinkie and Big McIntosh have already done the north and east side. We need to do the other two directions.” “Aye aye, Rarity,” Twilight saluted as Rarity magically grabbed a clump of streamers from a nearby table. “When will the others be here?” she then asked, picking up the remainder streamers using her magic. “In an hour or so,” Rarity replied as the trio started towards the south side of the farm. ”If I may, darling, you seem a bit out of your element here.” “I’ve never been to any birthday parties for fillies before,” Twilight started. “Since the normal routine is out the window due to Sugarcube Corner being under renovation, I figured I might as well help you guys set up here.” “Well, we mightily appreciate the help, Twi,” Applejack said. “Anytime, Applejack,” Twilight smiled as the southern apple field came into view. “Hold up,” Applejack warned after a moment, holding a hoof to her side, halting Twilight and Rarity. “Somethin’s fishy to the south, y’all.” “What is it?” Twilight asked. “I dunno,” Applejack started, squinting and inching closer to the southern apple orchards. “It could be anything from a thief to a harmless li’l weed.” “Let’s check it out, girls,” Twilight commanded, carefully setting down her batch of streamers. “Let’s,” Rarity affirmed, neatly organizing her batch of streamers as she lowered them to the ground. “C’mon,” Applejack called, trotting into the orchard field. Twilight and Rarity then followed suit. --- “Mine,” a demented voice shouted as the voice’s owner snapped to consciousness. Surveying his surroundings, the voice’s owner growled in frustration upon discovery that what he was looking for was nowhere to be found within the wreckage of the nearby spacecraft. “Thieving bug,” he sneered as his attention shifted to the brightly colored planet that, he assumed, his treasured possessions had fallen to. He then grunted in annoyance and set off towards a small green patch on the planet’s surface. --- “You know, no matter how many times I visit the orchards here, it always makes me hungry,” Twilight mused as she glanced around at the dozens of apple trees that lay in the southern orchard. “I know the feeling, Twilight,” Rarity said. “I’m positively famished as well.” “We’ll chow down at the party later, y’all,” Applejack said. “I reckon we’re gettin’ close to the disturbance.” “See anything yet?” Twilight asked. “No, but I hear somethin’,” Applejack replied. “Somethin’s rustlin’ in the trees. My trees are bein’ invaded.” “By what or whom?” Rarity asked as Applejack trotted to the top of a hill and peered past it. “What in tarnation?” Applejack suddenly shouted, oblivious to Rarity’s question. Twilight and Rarity instantly galloped to either side of Applejack and looked in the direction that her dumbstruck gaze was facing. Their eyes bulged and their jaws slightly dropped as they watched a certain pair of infamous traveling sales ponies hover up to an apple tree, sprout several orange hands and arms from their wrists, and then simultaneously pluck the tree free of all its fruit using the orange limbs. “What in Equestria…? How are they…?” Rarity stammered in awe as the brothers dumped the freshly picked apples into a nearby pile of previously picked apples. “I…don’t know,” Twilight numbly said. “Thievin’ varmints,” Applejack shouted, a scowl hitting her face. “Get outta my orchards,” she then added, breaking into a gallop towards the brothers. “Well, lookie what we got here, brother of mine, it's a mad orange pony with a frown,” Flim started in a musical tone as Applejack skidded to a halt in front of the brothers. “You’re darn right I’m mad, varmints,” Applejack yelled, pawing the ground. “Leave my apples alone before I knock you into next week.” “Those with the power make the rules,” Flam grinned, constructing another orange hand that reached to Applejack’s hat and pulled it down over her eyes. “Our power gives us the right to lay claim to what we see.” “You’re about to see stars,” Applejack growled, fixing her hat as Twilight and Rarity galloped up to the scene. “You have no right to pick and take those apples,” Twilight said authoritatively. “I insist you leave now or face the consequences.” “Nor do you have any fashion sense,” Rarity griped, eyeing the brothers’ attire: orange and white pinstripe suits and orange bowties and, on the fronts of the suits, a black circle with short lines marking every diagonal 90 degrees and a v-shape at the circle’s top. “Orange and white clash.” “Drat,” Flim sneered. “It’s Princess Twilight Sparkle. We’re not trained well enough to fight a princess.” “Sure we are,” Flam said, molding the orange limbs into a mallet and swinging it downward right at Twilight. Teleporting several feet to the right and away from the impact, Twilight quickly lowered her head and fired a magical shot from her horn at Flam. The shot whizzed by his head and through a nearby apple tree. “That was a warning shot,” Twilight said sternly. “This isn’t,” Flim retorted, aiming his ringed hoof and firing several orange shots at Twilight. Again, the lavender pony teleported out of range. “This is getting nowhere slowly, brother,” Flam grunted. He then constructed an orange bolt that zigzagged around Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, back to Applejack, back to Twilight, and then suddenly darted back to Applejack, hitting her directly in the side and sending her tumbling a few feet into a crumpled heap. “That was for gossiping to all of creation about us and soiling our reputation.” “That was uncalled for,” Twilight growled, taking flight as Rarity rushed to Applejack’s side. “This ends now,” she then stressed, forming a magic aura around the brothers’ rings and, after futilely tugging on the rings with her magic, started squinting in concentration, and trying harder. “Those are ours,” the brothers simultaneously shouted as the rings absorbed the aura of magic, and then fired two enormous orange blasts that struck Twilight, knocking her out of the air and into a crumpled heap on the ground. “How did we do that?” Flam asked after a moment, eyeing his ring. “We’ll ask Ophidian later. For now, let’s grab our apples and book it out of here,” Flam said quickly, forming, from his ring, an orange aura around half of the picked apples and lifting them up. “Right,” Flim called, using his ring to pick up the remaining apples. “C’mon, brother,” he ordered, turning around and jetting westward, apples in tow behind him. “Right behind you, brother,” Flam called, bringing up the rear, leaving Rarity and two injured ponies that were slowly regaining consciousness in his wake.