//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Profits of the Present 
// Story: More About Time 
// by SilverStar7 
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“One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present.” - Golda Meir


Twilight wanted to talk to Rainbow about changing the past, but after Rainbow confessed how nervous she was about Soarin' Twilight couldn't. If I tell her that there is a parallel timeline where she and Soarin' never got together she might feel like none of this was supposed to happen. Of course, that might actually be the case, but that didn't mean that Twilight had to ruin Rainbow Dash's happiness. In time she could tell her.

So, as the two spoke their conversations meandered about through their other friends. Twilight also had to relay some basic information about how her own life was going since Rainbow was not around Ponyville on a regular basis anymore. Overall, it was a very nice chat. The best thing that happened was not directly a part of their conversation, however. It was something Twilight had been working on in the back of her mind all day. After talking with Dash, and thinking about Applejack's past, she thought she'd found something she could change that would help her friend without negative side-effects. It was an event strictly about business where Applejack didn't learn any important lessons. A perfect choice for another trip to the past.

But Twilight did realize she never got Rainbow's full story. In all their discussions about the other four friends they never discussed why Dash became a Wonderbolt in the first place.She needed that information too. So Twilight changed the subject from one of Spike's sad sapphire shortage stories.

"Rainbow, I've been wanting to ask you. What was it like becoming a Wonderbolt?"

Her friend gave one of the confident grins she had come to expect and admire. "Well, it really started the day I was born, but I suppose I can skip ahead to the day that Soarin' came to Ponyville." When did that happen? Twilight wondered. Rainbow Dash continued, "I met with him before he left and we talked a bit about how I saved the Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale. Then I asked him if I could show him some of my tricks and, well, the rest is history!

"After that I was put on the fast track to the Wonderbolt Academy. That was one of the most challenging weeks of my life, but I really proved that I had what it takes. After breaking just about every Academy record I was asked to apply for a position. And then that was the most challenging week of my life. 

"I had to compete against half a dozen ponies, some of them had been training for years to get into the 'Bolts. I thought my own training wasn't going to be enough. After all, I have to be a weather pony most of the time. It's not like I'm one of those born and bred fliers that was sent out to flight courses every day since I was a filly. And these tests were hard, but I stuck with it and stayed in the game.

"One by one they eliminated ponies, until finally it was neck and neck between me and a pony named Lightning Dust. She had gone to the Academy a few weeks after I did and just blew everypony away. She'd even broken a few of my records! It was too close to say one way or the other which of us was the better flier, but the Wonderbolts only had one spot open. So Spitfire put us through one last challenge: A race.

"I wasn't sure going in. Lighting Dust was really fast - pretty much as fast as Fleetfoot. But I had one thing she didn't. I wasn't just flying for myself, I was flying for my friends. You all had been with me this whole time. During that final race, Lighting was able to stay right beside me. In fact, I was behind going into the final stretch. I just couldn't move fast enough. Then I imagined you guys all cheering me on. I thought of Pinkie and Fluttershy and all of you guys! And soon I felt that air resistance. Lightning Dust didn't know what was coming until the Rainboom had already formed. After that, there was no way Lighting Dust could catch me. And I was inducted into the Wonderbolts the next day." Rainbow Dash grinned as she finished her tale. "I have to thank all of my friends for this. Without you guys, I'd never have been able to push myself enough. Lighting Dust was good at pushing herself, but you guys have always kept me pushing myself in the right direction, you know? And even if you weren't physically there like back at the Young Flyer's Competition, I could still feel you guys with me as a crossed that finish line."

Twilight smiled. "I feel like we were there, Rainbow Dash." Well, maybe I wasn't, but I'm sure I was. At least, the past me was. And the rest of my friends.

"In a way, though, I really have to thank you specifically," Rainbow said. 

Twilight raised an eyebrow to her friend. "Why me?"

Dash smiled. "I was practicing for Soarin's visit that one time you saved me from crashing. Remember, out in that field with Pinkie Pie and Rarity? If I'd hurt my hoof or wing then I'd have never been able to show Soarin' my stuff, and then I'd probably still be grounded in Ponyville." 

So it all clicked. That was how Twilight's moment in the past had changed the course of Rainbow's life.

"It was nothing, Rainbow. I'm just glad I was able to help." Twilight was still feeling guilty for not telling Dash the truth. It was just that everything that had happened to Rainbow was so good. I'd hate to ruin all this by telling her it didn't used to exist... But she'd have to say something eventually. Outside the sun was beginning to set. Tomorrow. I'll tell her tomorrow.

The pegasus followed her friend's eyes and looked out of the window. "Wow, it's getting that late already? I should probably let'cha head back. The last thing we need is one of Equestria's princesses getting lost flying at night." Rainbow laughed slightly at her own joke. 

"Actually," Twilight said, "I was wondering if I could spend the night here. It is a long flight back to Ponyville and I think it'd be fun to have a bit of a sleep over."

Dash smiled. "Sure! I'll go get some blankets. We can stay out here in the living room. It's not like a cloud bed is that much softer than a cloud floor anyway." 

Twilight nodded as Rainbow left the room. The moment the pegasus was out of sight, Twilight performed the time spell again, reciting the words under her breath as she prepared herself for another foray into the past. What I'm thinking now shouldn't matter. What matters is what I'm thinking about once I'm in bed. I need to make sure I think clearly as I'm about to fall asleep. The spell ended and Twilight walked to the center of the room laying down in front of the couch just before Dash returned with blankets and pillows.

This time, Twilight thought. This time I'll get it right. Because this time the change would be intentional. This time she knew what she was doing. This time--she would really be able to do some good.

Rainbow placed the bedding on the cloud floor and the two settled in. Dash simply flopped down and pulled the blanket over herself; Twilight laid down more gracefully, but without any amount of fussing. It reminded her of the night that AJ and Rarity slept over at her place, but it wasn't as stark of a contrast. She then stopped herself from pursuing that thought. I can't think about that night when I'm about to sleep. I need to keep my mind focused. Dash yawned and Twilight thought about just trying to clear her mind right then, but her curiosity lead her to ask one last question of the pegasus.

"Rainbow Dash? When did you and Soarin' first think about dating? I mean, I know it wasn't right away, but you must have some moment you can point to."

Rainbow grinned and blushed a bit. "Well, it really was that moment at training day. Where we did that Hoof Clasp Double Spin maneuver. But I know I've told you that training day story a dozen times, you probably don't care to hear it again."

Twilight smiled as she shook her head. "I know you love that story, Rainbow. Come on, I'd love to hear it again." Or for the first time...

"Alright." Dash beamed and turned herself back into an upright laying down position so she could face her friend more easily. "It was my first day of official Wonderbolt training. I was so... what's that word that Pinkie sometimes says?"

"Nervous-cited," Twilight reminded her.

"Yeah, that. I had finally become a Wonderbolt! This was my life's dream, but I still wasn't going to do any performances until after the training. That was where I'd need to really prove that I was ready. The first half of the day was tough for sure. I had to keep up with Fleetfoot through the aerial hurdles, bust clouds with Spitfire, and do all sorts of tricks.

"But then it was time to do some team practice. I got paired with Soarin'. To be honest, I had never thought of him in that way, you know? We were great friends, and I thought it was so cool that he helped me get into the 'Bolts, but it didn't seem like we were heading in that direction. At the time, I just thought it was really nice that the pony who got me into the 'Bolts was going to help me train for the team maneuvers. And the first one they called for was the Hoof Clasp Double Spin."

"Um, could you remind me what that is again? I don't really remember." Twilight scratched her hoof behind her head, feeling genuinely embarrassed about still not telling Dash the truth. But Rainbow didn't seem to mind her question, instead she was clearly happy to add any details to this story.

"Yeah, yeah," she continued. "The Hoof Clasp Double Spin is a pretty basic trick. I've known how to do it for years. And I knew I wouldn't have any trouble with it then. I can even do a Hoof Clasp Headspin in my sleep. The basic spin is just two pegasi flying toward each other. They look like they are about to pass right by, but then they meet in mid air and grab hoofs. They spin around twice - 720 degrees - and then let go, flying off in the same direction they were heading at the start. The hard part is being coordinated enough to go the right direction at the end.

"So Soarin' and I were flying at each other and when we met and grabbed hooves we started to spin. Some ponies close their eyes when they do the maneuver because it's easier - your body and ears can tell you what direction to go better than your eyes most of the time. But Soarin' and I didn't close our eyes. We looked into each others' eyes... And then we just kept looking. It was like time stopped or something and I started to notice everything about him. How bright his emerald eyes are. The way the wind was pushing his mane around. And I felt his hooves in mine, holding me against the forces trying to rip us apart. When he smiled at me there, something just sort of clicked. After it did, I didn't really want to let go. 

"And neither did he.

"So we stayed there, floating above the field staring at each other. Some of the other ponies thought it was cool we maintained altitude in the maneuver for so long. Spitfire wasn't impressed though; her whistle brought us back. So we let go. I didn't know how many spins we did, but Spitfire says she kept count. It was twenty on the nose--and don't worry. We both headed off in the right directions." Dash laughed at that. "Fleetfoot still thinks that was the best part of the story. Apparently we set a Wonderbolt's record for the most spins successfully performed in a Hoof Clasp maneuver. That makes me the fastest pony to ever break a Wonderbolt record and they even named the trick after us - the Soarin'-Dash Seventy-Two Hundred!"

Twilight smiled. "That's a great story, Rainbow Dash! It's so cool that you and Soarin' could make a connection like that - and that you'd break a record on your very first day!" Twilight felt a yawn coming on, but stifled it. After hearing about this she had to have more details. "So how long did it take for you two to start dating after that?"

Rainbow gave a grin. "Well, I am a pretty awesome mare. I don't just let any bright eyed stallion go on a date with me. It took Soarin' a few days to work up the courage to come and ask."

"And how did this fair gentlecolt woo the amazing Rainbow Dash?" asked Twilight.

Dash blushed again. "There were a lot of things on that first date, but I really remember this one line..." She hesitated. "Oh, I don't know. It's sort of cheesy now that I think about it. It was probably just one of those 'in the moment' things or whatever. Maybe I shouldn't tell you."

Twilight playfully threw a pillow at her friend. "Come on, Dash! You can't leave me hanging like that!"

The multi-colored mare chuckled. "Alright, fine. He said 'I never realized how dull a regular rainbow looks until I saw your mane during our spin.'"

"Ohhh! That is so sweet!" Twilight was gushing over this story. Before having friends, she'd never imagined she'd be up late into the night talking about a stallion. It was far more interesting than she would have thought. And she had never seen her friend so giddy. This kind of life is really what my friends deserve. I just hope I can do something this good for AJ tonight. "He's a great stallion, isn't he?"

Dash nodded while giving a light yawn. "Yeah, he really is. That's why we've been dating ever since then. And that's why I hope we can keep dating in the future." 

"I'm sure you will Rainbo--" the end of that name was cut off by a yawn. "Sorry, but I guess it is time for bed."

The pegasus turned onto her back. "Yeah, s'pose it it. Thanks for coming over tonight, Twilight."

The alicorn smiled as she turned over herself and pulled up the blankets. "Thanks for having me over, Rainbow Dash."

And the two didn't exchange any more words after that. Twilight heard Dash's snoring before falling asleep herself, but tried not to pay attention to it. Instead she was focusing her thoughts on a day from almost a year ago. A day where a couple of ponies with a strange contraption came to town and tried to run her earth pony friend out of business...


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The line of ponies stretched as far as the eye could see, which said something considering Twilight was floating a few feet above the ground. Yet the cider was almost gone. Big Mac had just loaded up the last barrel. Twilight stood with Rarity and Spike sipping a mug of her own delicious Sweet Apple Cider while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash neared the front of the line. This is it! she thought. This is the day that the Flim Flam brothers came to Ponyville! And as she suspected, the moment she realized where she was she was pulled down into her physical self on the ground. She was beginning to understand this spell better. Clearly Star Swirl didn't want the user to be randomly flung into a moment of their past, so you had to know where you were before you could change anything. It was really ingenious.

Upon being reunited with herself, Twilight could still taste some of the cider in her mouth. She examined the mug and sadly found it empty, but that was alright. She wasn't here to relive the taste of cider. She was here to help her friend's future.

"Oh dear," said Rarity, pointing a hoof at the cider stand. "Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are still a few ponies from the front. Do you think Applejack has prepared enough cider for them?"

"Don't worry," said Spike, waving a claw. "Those two got here right after sunrise. There's no way the Apple family didn't make enough cider for them."

Twilight bit her lip. I don't remember if I made a comment about this, but I do know they don't have enough cider. Any minute now AJ's going to make that announcement. And just as before, Fluttershy got her mug of cider. Rainbow Dash gave up her bits and waited eagerly, mouth open in anticipation. It was hard to watch the spout sputter and fail to relinquish any of the precious liquid.

The orange mare came around the the front of the stand. "Heh. Sorry, everypony. That's it for today!" Groans and moans rose from the crowd and Rainbow Dash flew over to her friend.

"Surprise, surprise! You ran out again!" she declared.

"Yeah, you always run out!" shouted an angry Caramel.

It was just as before. Everything was playing out the same, and that was of course to be expected. The changes would come later. Twilight wasn't sure if she could have brought herself into the day later or not, but she would have to consider that idea the next time she made a trip like this.

Twilight saw Pinkie Pie talking with a still frustrated Rainbow Dash and proudly proclaiming "I'll never forget the cider I just drank! It was a moment in time that will never exist again..." The blue pegasus' brow furrowed as she let out a growl.

Then there it was. Right on cue. Honking and whirring and steaming as it approached the scene. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000. Of course Twilight would never forget the name, as the brothers were about to sing about it for the next few minutes. A part of her wished she could skip past this part. While their song was sort of catchy she hadn't really bought into their whole bit. At least not at first. She now remembered that she had started to go along with the crowed toward the end. It would probably be best to just play along for now. Her new role in all of this would come right after the brothers' introduction.

The machine again knocked over the Apple's fence and the brother's again rose out and began to sing their song. A part of Twilight still could not get used to the bizarre sensation of repeating this part of history. It was much longer than her previous visits to the past, or at least it felt much longer. Maybe it's because I don't want to be here, or maybe it's because I don't want to change any of this? She wasn't sure, but either way she did her part in the musical number.

Following that, an eager Applebloom slid forward to declare "You got a deal!" The crowd began to speak amongst themselves excitedly until Granny Smith shouted "Not so fast!" and the Apples gathered to deliberate amongst themselves.

Twilight now made her move. "I'm gonna go see what's going on," she said to Rarity and Spike. The purple pony prepared to take off and fly over to the group, but then realized her wings were missing. Oh, right... So the unicorn started walking in toward the huddle. She now was in view to see that Flim and Flam had joined the Apples, possibly without their noticing. Twilight didn't remember that moment, but perhaps she just hadn't made note of it at the time. It was hard to hear what was being said over the other ponies in the crowd, but she could listen clearly enough when the discussion was nearing its close.

AJ spoke as she returned to her family from speaking with the brothers. "Cider sales keep our business afloat through the winter. We'd lose Sweet Apple Acres if we agreed to this."

The brothers then asked in unison, "So? What'll it be?"

Big Mac literally put his hoof down as he said, "No deal." 

Alright, now I need to go in, thought Twilight. Her horn began to glow.

"Hmphf, very well," said Flim. "If--" Twilight blinked herself in between the two sides, stopping Flim mid sentence. 

"Hang on," she said. "Maybe we should talk about this a bit more."

"And who is this?" asked a confused Flam.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle," she said, matter-of-factly. "I'm one of Applejack's best friends. And I know how important her farm is to her, but I also know that you ponies could really help each other out if only you reached a deal. The Apples could use more cider sales to help make it through the winter, and you two are clearly interested in making money here. I think we can work out an agreement that's good for everypony!

"Rarity, could you come over here?" Twilight called out across the sea of ponies and the white mare looked confused as she walked over. Twilight turned back to the group. "Rarity has years of experience working out contracts for her fashion clients. I'm sure she can help you all come to some kind of a compromise."

"Well, I suppose we could budge a bit on the deal," said Flim.

"But we still need to be able to make good profits from our magic and machinery!" declared Flam.

"Just look at all these ponies lined up to buy cider," said Twilight, pointing to the crowds. "I'm sure you've noticed how popular Sweet Apple Acre's cider is. Even if you only made 30% you could still turn a huge profit."

"Unacceptable!" shouted Flam. "We need at least 60% of the sales!"

"After all, without our machine that cider isn't even being sold. If we don't sell it then nopony gets any cider and the Apples don't make any money."

"We've made enough to get by in the past without y'all's help!" Applejack scowled.

Big Mac gave a hearty "Ee'yup!"

Twilight shook her head. Perhaps this wasn't the best idea. I made it this far, I can at least see if Rarity can do anything. Worst case is, they do the competition like before. She turned to her other friend. "Rarity, could you help the brothers and Apple family work this out?"

"Well, I suppose we can try." Rarity cleared her throat and looked to the Flim Flam brothers, "Well, I can see that you two gentlecolts are quite savvy. And clearly you have a lot of technical know-how since you were able to build that machine. How could anypony argue that you deserve a fair share."

"Yes indeed," Flim smiled. "So glad you noticed."

"It would seem, though," Rarity continued. "That the Apples do in fact have the one thing you lack.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" asked Flam.

"Their namesake apples, of course. Without those your machine is just a fancy cart."

"But without our machine the apples can't be made into cider quickly enough to meet the demand," pointed out Flim.

"That is true," Rarity conceded. "Yet the Apples have been able to get by nicely without your help for years. It would seem to me that you need them more than they need you." 

"This town needs cider!" declared Flam. "Isn't that right?" he directed his question to the crowd, who gave a hearty shout of approval.

"See? The ponies of Ponyville are anxious for more delicious cider. Do you really want to disappoint them?" asked Flim.

Rarity shook her head. "Of course not. But we need to come to a fair deal. What would you propose?"

"60-40!" the brothers shouted.

"We get the 60," added Flam.

The white unicorn gave a sigh. "You're going to have to do better than that," said Rarity. Her tone was interesting. It was a sort of sad indifference. It was like she genuinely wanted the brothers to see reason, but she was comfortable if they did not. After her words, she was simply silent.

"You drive a hard bargain," said Flim. "But you seem like a nice mare. We can settle on 55-45." It was a statement, not a question.

Rarity ever so slightly raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She was just looking at the brothers. The mare stood there for nearly a complete minute. Then for more than a minute. Twilight almost interrupted to ask what was going on, but then she realized what her friend was doing. It was a tactic. She was letting the silence build intentionally.

And it was working. The two brothers were at first composed, but now they were sweating. They then began to whisper back and forth. Flam's head emerged. "50-50?" he asked.

Rarity shook her head.

The brothers whispered some more, then both turned to face the fashionista. "Okay," said Flim. "We'll take 40-60, but that's our last offer. If you can't take that, we'll have to walk away."

"I'll see what the Apple's have to say about that." Rarity walked over to the Apple family and began to discuss things with them. Twilight couldn't hear them, and so she was sure the brothers couldn't either. Then, Rarity returned. "The Apple family will accept your proposal, on the condition that they be allowed to continue selling their own cider."

"What?!" cried the brothers.

"Your cider will be sold separately to reach unmet demand."

"Unacceptable!" Flam put his hoof down.

"We need to be compensated for our machine!" said Flim. "We put hundreds of bits into this thing!"

Rarity started to think, but Applejack came forward. "Thanks for all yer help, Rare, but I can take it from here." Rarity graciously stepped aside and Applejack spoke to the brothers. "How 'bout this: Ya'll can have 100% a those profits 'til you've paid for that machine. After that, we go back to 40-60. My family'll provide all the apples and help you need to keep the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy goin'. All y'all need to do is power it and take in the money from the sales."

"So our costs will be completely reimbursed?" Flam clarified. AJ nodded. The two brothers looked at each other for a moment, having a wordless conversation. Finally, Flam spoke again, "That sounds like a pretty good profit margin to me, brother."

Flim smiled. "I'd have to agree. No costs, no fuss. But I have one more condition."

Twilight bit her lip. What now?

"If the Apples can still sell their cider, then I want our name to be on the cider we make."

"A fine idea, brother," said Flam. "How about..."

"Flim Flam's Fantasti-Cider!" they said together.

Applejack looked back at her family. Big Mac shrugged. Granny Smith nodded. She turned back. "Okay, sure. Y'all can name yer cider." 

Flim then abruptly put out a hoof. "So do we have a deal?"

The crowd around the discussions had grown quiet by this point. Everypony was watching Applejack intently. Then the mare reached out and shook Flim's hoof. "We have a deal!" The townsfolk cheered in delight at the news. Hoofshakes were exchanged between the brothers and the rest of the Apple family, even Applebloom.

"So, where do we start?" asked Flim, getting back atop their machine.

"You can use our south field," said Granny Smith. "The apples there'll make great cider. We usually can't harvest them all before the winter's done."

Applebloom came forward. "But now that we have the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy those apples can make enough cider for the whole town!"

Applejack chuckled. "You hear that?" she declared to the crowd. "We're gonna have cider for everypony!" The town gave another cheer and Rainbow Dash actually did several loops in the air.

Twilight beamed. She'd done it! She'd found a way to get a compromise between the Apples and the Flim Flam brothers. Or, more correctly, Rarity had. Regardless, the agreement should mean that the Apple family would have a lot more money in the future. They won't be scraping by through cider season anymore.

The brothers brought the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 over to the south field and began to collect apples for their cider. The town began to line up again at the stand and Twilight laughed as she saw that Pinkie was already the first in line having beaten Dash by half a second. She wasn't worried though. I'm sure there will be more than enough cider for Rainbow Dash today.


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Twilight awoke to find herself still in Rainbow Dash's cloud house. The blue mare was snoring next to her on the floor. So whatever I did didn't affect Rainbow or I in the future. But I bet it did something to Applejack. Standing up, Twilight looked out the window at the sun barely rising in the east. She walked over and stood there for a few moments, taking in the view. She heard a yawn and turned to see Rainbow Dash stretching. "Good morning," she said to her friend.

"Morning, Twilight," said Dash through another yawn. "That was a good night's sleep. How about you?"

The alicorn couldn't help but laugh a bit at the question. "Oh, it was interesting, but good."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "What are you laughing about?" Then a look of realization struck and the pegasus grinned. "Did you go to the past again?"

Twilight could only manage one thought. I guess something did change for Dash and I...