//------------------------------//
// 76. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 - Part 2 
// Story: Blaze the Pony Tale 
// by Wolven5 
//------------------------------//

“You’ve gotta deal!” Apple Bloom declared, much to the excitement of the ponies in the crowd.

“Hold… it!” Midnight spoke up, “Apples, huddle up!”

They did just that in order to have a private word.
 “Whattya think everypony?”
“No way-no how tha’ machine matches up wit’ th’ care we put in our cider!”
“But if it really does work, we could make everypony in town happy.”
“I wanna make everypony happy too, but this doesn’t feel right.”
“Twinken’s right, we’ve always made cider th’ same way.”
“Eeyup.”

“We’ll sweeten the deal!”

“HUH?!”

The Apples dispersed, unable to comprehend how Flim n’ Flam got into their huddle without them noticing as Flim offered, “You supply the apples…”
“We’ll supply the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000!” Flam added, before they both said, “Then we’ll split those sweet-sweet profits!”
“Seventy-five,” Flim spoke, Flam ending it with, “Twenty-five.”

“Really? And why do I get the feeling that deal favors you two?” Midnight accused.

“Well, we’re providing the machine that does all the work,” Flim reminded him in a sly tone.
“But just to throw you all a bone, we’ll throw in the magic that powers the machine… for free!” added Flam as though he were doing them a favor.

“I could power that moving junk-heap by myself for a whole month straight without even breaking a sweat!” Midnight countered, sounding insulted. “If anything, I could power the machine and the deal should at least be split fifty-fifty!”

Flim and Flam shared a disgruntled look but raised their brows as Flim said, “You drive a hard bargain, my good stallion; we respect that!”

“I need to discuss this further with my family,” Midnight faced the other Apples with a questioning look. 

Applejack considered for a moment but shook her head.
“Cider season keeps our farm afloat through th’ winter. We’d lose our farm even if it was fifty-fifty!”

“So, what’ll it be?” the brothers asked.

Big Mac knew he spoke for his whole family as he punctuated his following reply with a stamp of his hoof, “No deal!” 

“Hm! Very well! If you refuse our generous offer of partnership,” Flim said in an oily tone, “then prepare yourselves for some competition!”

“You wouldn’t dare…” Applejack challenged

“Oh no?” responded Flim with a smirk and raised brow.

“Don’t you worry everypony!” Flam announced on the podium set on the front of the machine, “There’ll be plenty of cider for all of you!”

“Once we drive Sweet Apple Acres out of business,” Flim whispered threateningly to the Apples, making them gasp.





The next day, the line once again stretched all the way into Ponyville, and again Pinkie was the first customer. The cycle repeated, with Twinken providing the mugs, Apple Bloom pouring the cider, Granny Smith counting the bits, and Big Mac replacing the barrels.

Midnight and Applejack stood with Twilight and Spike, enjoying their own mugs of cider, the two farmers looking a bit nervous, which Twilight noticed.
“Still worried about Flim & Flam?”

“Granny Smith says they were just blowin’ hot air,” Spike waved it off.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Spike,” Midnight responded.
“But they sounded mighty serious when they threatened t’ run us outta business,” noted Applejack in worry. 

And as if to kick them when they were feeling down, fate chose that particular moment for Apple Bloom to announce, “That’s it! Last sip!” 

The customers all groaned in disappointment and it didn’t take a genius to figure out whose voice it was that screamed, “OH FOR PETE'S SAKE!"

“Come back tomorrow, everypony,” Twinken invited them all with a nervous smile, only to be met with more complaints.

But they were silenced by the chugging and honking of a very familiar machine as it pulled up… and bumped into the fence after Granny Smith had just finished fixing it!
“What seems to be the problem here?” asked Flim spuriously to Applejack and Midnight.
“My oh my, out of cider again?!” Flam asked in mock-despair.

“What have we here?” Flim asked as the machine produced a barrel of cider, “Who’d like a cup?”

And just like that, the disgruntled customers came flocking, Flam announcing as he levitated a mug of cider towards Rainbow Dash, “Don’t worry, everypony, we’ve got the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 to make more in an instant!”

But suddenly the barrel was enveloped in a turquoise blue aura and streaked away from the two sleazes, bumping into Rainbow Dash, causing her to drop the mug, as the barrel settled next to Midnight, who placed a protective hoof over it.
“You can’t sell cider made from our apples!”

At the moment, Rainbow teared up as the cider she’d gotten poured into the dirt and she shamelessly shoveled some of it, Soarin going over and pulling her up, saying, “Come on, Dashie, have a little dignity!”

“What good is dignity if I don’t get cider?!” she whimpered to him, burying her head into his chest, making him blush. 

“Don’t worry everypony,” Flim declared, “there are plenty other apples in Equestria, we’ll just find some and make more cider than all of Ponyville can drink!”

That promise appealed to the crowd when a certain filly challenged, “We’ll make more cider than y’can ever imagine!” 

They eyed Apple Bloom’s defiant glare but she found herself upside down as Big Mac carried her away by the tail, Granny Smith gently scolding her, “Now it ain’t about th’ speed, young’un, it’s about quality.”

The ponies all groaned, Rainbow Dash adding, “Who cares how good the cider is if I never get to drink any?!”

“Rainbow shut up!” Midnight snapped before addressing the crowd, “Are you saying you would all stand in line for hours on end only to get a drink of cider and find out it tastes like garbage?!”

That one turned heads but Flim pulled Rainbow in a hug, despairing, “Oh but just lookit all these poor dissatisfied ponies!” 

“Ponyville is Sweet Apple Cider country!” Apple Bloom protested, getting dropped on her head.
“Our cider speaks for itself!” agreed Applejack.

“Let’s puddit to the test,” Flim threatened, looking blasé as he lounged on a sofa set on the machine. 

“Anywhere…” Apple Bloom challenged, Twinken adding, “Anytime!”

“Tha’s enough now,” Granny Smith said to them but Flam was quick to add fuel to the flame.

“With our machine we could make enough cider in one hour to satisfy this entire town!” he boasted.

“We’ll do it in forty-five minutes!” Apple Bloom took him on, Flim smirking behind his hat as the ponies chattered.

“Easy, Apple Bloom easy!” Granny Smith scolded.

“Whatsamatter, Granny Smith? …Chicken?” Flim sniped from the sofa built onto the front of the machine.

“Wha’ did you call me, sonny?” Granny Smith asked in a low tone, her eyes narrowed. 

“Well, if you’re so confident in your cider then what’s the problem?” Flim poked at her.

“Tomorrow mornin’, right here!” Granny Smith declared the when and where.

“But I’m afraid we haven’t any apples,” Flam reminded her in a mock-despairing tone. 

“You can use our south field,” Granny Smith conceded, “It’ll be worth it t’ teach y’all a thing r’ two `bout cider makin’!”

“Excellent! We have a bet,” Flim agreed, all eyes on him so nopony noticed Midnight gasping and momentarily staring off into forever. 
“Whoever produces more barrels of cider in one hour gets the exclusive rights to sell the stuff in Ponyville.”

“Fine!” Midnight butted in, “And when you two sleazes lose, don’t you dare show your sorry faces around here again!”

“Until… tomorrow,” Flam bade them as he and Flim rode the machine away. 

Applejack watched them leave, Midnight going over, saying, “Don’t worry, sis, whatever happens tomorrow, everything will be alright.”

“Ah hope so, cuz if we lose,” Applejack fretted, “wer’ gonna lose our farm!” 





By mid-morning, both sides had set up shop, the ponies all watching from the fence. Big Mac got himself psyched for running the cider-presser, Granny Smith had on her special glasses to help her in determining the good apples from the bad, Twinken was bringing out the baskets, Midnight was making sure the barrels were in pristine condition, and Apple Bloom was helping Applejack make sure her apple-bucking was top-notch.

“Applejack,” they looked to see it was Twilight. “Are you sure this is such a good idea?”

“Me an’ th’ family” – she bucked the heavy bag Apple Bloom was hanging onto – “are one-hundred percent confident” – “ in our cider-makin’ capability!” 

“An’ besides! Nopony calls Granny Smith a chicken!” Apple Bloom added before she got knocked off by a mighty buck of Applejack’s hooves. 

“ATTENTION EVERYPONY!” 

Realizing the mayor was getting things started, Twilight wished the Apple sisters, “Well, good luck.”

The teams listened as Mayor Mare declared the rules and particulars.
“The teams have one hour to make as many barrels of cider as they can! Upon the conclusion of the hour, whichever team has produced more barrels will win the exclusive right to sell cider in Ponyville! Are both teams ready?”

“Ready!” Applejack called, Midnight adding, “Willing!” and Twinken couldn’t help adding, “And able!”

“Ready,” the FlimFlam brothers said arrogantly.

“Then let’s…” Mayor Mare said as she raised her hoof and the local time-keeper, Time Turner, spun an hourglass to get it started.
“GO!” 

The Apple Family sprung to action while Flim and Flam just lazed on their machine’s sofa but their horns lit up with green mana and the machine got started. The vacuum extension  reached out to a nearby apple tree and sucked up all the fruit.

Applejack bucked her first tree, shaking some apples down that Apple Bloom caught with the basket on her head, Twinken gathering any she missed into the basket he was levitating. They quickly brought them to Granny Smith and took some empty ones while Granny Smith got started checking the apples’ individual quality, throwing the “bad’uns” away and adding the “good’uns” to the cider-presser. Big Mac ran the treadmill that powered the presser, and Midnight closed each barrel after it was full before levitating it away and adding an empty one below the nozzle. 

“Great job, y’all,” Applejack called to them as she still bucked.

“We’ve already filled two barrels!” Midnight called.

“An’ Ah’ll bet those guys don’-” Apple Bloom started but Twinken shouted, “LOOK!”

What they saw made the whole Apple Family gasp!

The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 had already produced six barrels neatly-stacked, Flim and Flam waving mockingly. The machine sucked in its next batch of apples, and inside the quality-checking function buzzed red when it rejected any bad apples while dinging green while allowing the good ones through to the internal cider-presser. 

“Come on, kids, focus!” Applejack called to her little brother and sister. “We gotta ferget those guys if wer’ gonna have a chance at winnin’!”

“Come on, Bloom!” Twinken urged as he picked up the apples she’d missed in her daze, making her snap out of it as she said “Sorry, Twink!”

They brought the baskets over to Granny Smith, Apple Bloom saying, “Better keep up, Granny!”
“We’re falling behind!” Twinken added as they made off with some empty baskets.

Granny Smith wiped away her sweat and kept up her work, while Big Mac was panting and slowing down.

“You can rest when it’s over, Big Macintosh!” Midnight yelled to the big red stallion. “NOW RIDE LIKE OUR LIVELIHOODS MOST DEFINITELY DEPEND ON IT!!!”

His brother’s words made Big Mac shake it off and he was once again riding the presser at full speed. Midnight topped the barrel and put it with the others while putting an empty one in its place.





In the crowd, Rarity fretted, “This is just dreadful!”

“I agree, even at their best,” Blueblood added, “the Apple Family is barely making two barrels for the FlimFlam brothers’ every three!”

The barrels on both sides rose up in mountains but it was clear which side was winning. Twilight then had an idea and approached the mayor.
“Um, Ms. Mayor! Are honorary family members allowed to help in the competition?”

“Well, I’m not sure,” Mayor Mare considered, “Flim, Flam, would you object to honorary family members helping?”

“Are you kidding?” Flim scoffed as he wet his whistle, Flam boasting, “We don’t care if the whole kingdom of Canterlot helps; it’s a lost cause.”

“I guess it’s okay,” Mayor Mare conceded before saying, “Applejack, what do you think?”

“Ah’d think Ah’d love t’ have th’ rest’a mah fam’ly helpin’ out,” Applejack said with a grateful smile. 

“ALRIGHT!” cheered her friends as they stood single-file, Twilight marching before them like a general.
“OK, everypony, we’re not gonna let those smooth-talkers take our friends’ farm!”

“YEAH!" they replied.

“Fluttershy, Thunderlane, help Applejack with the trees,” Twilight instructed.

“Got it!”
“You can count on us!”

“Pinkie Pie, Blueblood, you’re on apple-catching detail!”

“Yessir, ma’am, sir!”
“We won’t let you down.”

“Rarity, you’ve got a discerning eye, help Granny Smith at the quality-control station!”

“Of course!”

“Rainbow Dash, Soarin, do you think you can help Big Macintosh press?”

“In our sleep!”
“Bring it!”

“Alright, everypony, let’s save Sweet Apple Acres!” Twilight declared, everypony cheering, “ALRIGHT!”

Applejack continued to buck while Fluttershy and Thunderlane flew through the trees and shook `em free of their apples.

Pinkie caught some apples with the basket on her head, “Over there, Apple Bloom, don’t miss them!”

“Right behind ya, Pinkie Pie!”

“Twinken, take this basket to Granny Smith and Rarity!”

“I’m on it, Blueblood!”

Twinken levitated a few baskets to the quality-control station where Rarity helped Granny Smith throw away bad apples and add the good ones to the presser. 

Soarin and Rainbow Dash helped Big Mac on the presser while Midnight continued to top the barrels and levitate them to the stack while Twilight kept track of their production. 
“Based on these figures, we’re making six barrels for every three of theirs!”

The ponies in the crowd still loyal to the Apple Family cheered, Applejack cheering, “Keep it up, everypony, we’r back in this!” 

Flim did a spit-take into Flam’s face as they realized the fatal mistake they’d just made.
“Come on, brother, we’ve gotta pick up the pace!”
“Right, uh- Double the power!”

They flared their horns and the machine pounded as it was sent spiraling into full-charge! But instead of just sucking up apples, the machine sucked up entire apple trees! The quality-checking function started rejecting all the apples that came in because they weren’t apples at all, for rather they’d been reduced to nasty mushes of pulp, leaves, twigs, and dirt. Flim worried, “We’ve gotta try something else!”

“I’ve got it, brother of mine!” Flam said as he turned off the quality-checker and it all went through.

“Well done, Flam!” Flim cheered as the barrels popped out faster than popcorn. “We’re at top productivity!” 

The sell-outs in the crowd cheered while Rainbow gasped as she flew up, leaving Mac and Soarin to be taken for a wild ride. 

“Come on, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called to her, “Keep pressing!”

“We don’t have time for quality control if we wanna win this thing!” Rainbow argued before she dive-bombed Granny Smith, leading the old mare to get protective of the apples.

“Get back, you! One bad apple spoils the batch!”

“Just add the whole thing!” Rainbow urged before she yelped as a turquoise blue aura pulled her right up to Midnight’s face and he did not look happy.

“Rainbow Dash. My family’s farm is on the line here but we’re gonna do this our way!” he growled, his eyes glowing an intense white. “Now get back to work or so help me I will clip your feathers and leave you grounded you for a month!”

“Applejack, help me!” Rainbow pleaded. 

“There’s no point in winnin’ if we cheat!” Applejack declined.

“We’ll just have to work harder, come on everypony!” Twilight urged encouragingly. 

Midnight released Rainbow and she conceded.
“Alright then, double-time!”





Both sides worked for the rest of the hour at full-speed, the mountains of barrels on both sides growing ever larger, until…

“Time’s up!” Mayor Mare announced, causing the Apple Family and their friends to collapse.

The crowd cheered while Mayor Mare started the counting, and Twilight said to Applejack, “I’m proud of you, Applejack…”
“Thanks,” she panted in reply.
“And trust me,” Midnight panted, “the integrity we showed today is what will come out on top.”

“Flim & Flam win!”

Everypony gasped, and it became apparent that the Apples’ mountain of barrels was just a little smaller than Flim n’ Flam’s!

“We… lost?!” Applejack whimpered.

“D’aww, too bad, Apples!” Flim mocked, Flam adding, “Guess you’ll have to find a new line of work that doesn’t match your names!”

“So shall we tear down all these tacky buildings and put up new ones, brother?”
“I don’t see why not, brother, after all! This isn’t Sweet Apple Acres anymore, it’s-”

“HOLD EVERYTHING!”

Everypony looked to Midnight, whose expression was oddly smug.

“Midnight, no,” Applejack spoke, “we lost, plain n’ simple.”

“Trust me!” Midnight whispered to her before approaching Flim n’ Flam. “Now, I know the agreement was whichever side produces the most barrels of cider gets exclusive cider-selling rights in Ponyville…”

His tone was as slick as theirs, causing Flim & Flam to be at unease.

“But what good is that right if nopony will buy your cider?”

“What’re you talking about?” Flim demanded.

“Me? I’m not saying anything,” Midnight said innocently. “And to prove it, let me be the first to congratulate you on your victory. In fact, you oughta celebrate by selling the cider from your last barrel!”

“Hmm! I think we will,” Flam snapped as he looked to the very top of their pile and levitated the barrel down to the cider stand. After pouring some mugs, he placed them out, announcing, “Drink up, Ponyville!”

Some ponies walked up reluctantly, feeling bad that their complaints to the Apple Family had led to this as they took the mugs.

“Down the hatch!” Flam egged them on.

*PPPPBBBTTHH*

Flim & Flam shook themselves dry, having just been spat on as the ponies spat and coughed.
“I can’t get this taste off my tongue!”
“Mine’s got rocks in it!”
“I wouldn’t pay one bit for this DRECK!” 

Flim and Flam realized they’d been had and glared at Midnight, demanding, “What did you do?!”

“Me? I didn’t do anything?” Midnight said in a smarmy tone, “You did!”

“Huh?!” Flim didn’t get it, Flam saying, “I demand an explanation!”

“Quality will always prevail over quantity,” Midnight declared, proudly adding, “My sister taught me that.”

Applejack and everypony else regarded Midnight with confusion so Midnight explained.
“Flim & Flam might’ve won fair n' square if they hadn’t been so arrogant they allowed our honorary family members to help us! When they saw we were getting ahead of them in cider-production they super-charged their machine to work full-blast! But in doing so, the machine sucked in more than just apples, it sucked in leaves, trees, even dirt! Because of that, the machine rejected all the apples because they’d been reduced to inedible mush, so Flim and Flam made the foolish mistake of turning their quality-checker off! Sure they’ve produced more barrels of cider than us…”

He then turned to glare at Flim & Flam.
“But because you made this contest about quantity rather than quality, you lost from the beginning! You’ve produced so much nasty cider and already served it to some would-be customers! And now that everypony knows you for the slimeballs you are and know exactly what it is you’re packing, you’ll be lucky to sell even a drop of that swill you dare to call cider!”

Flim and Flam’s jaws dropped but they faced the crowd again, asking, “You wouldn’t even pay one cent?”

“No!”

They shared a quick word before Flam offered, “How `bout two cups for one cent!”

“No!!”

They discussed it again and got desperate as they both offered, “Two bits for a barrel?”

“NO!!!”

The brothers whimpered nervously, realizing Midnight was right! They’d defeated themselves!
“It looks like we’ve encountered a slight… problem here in Ponyville!”
“Nopony wants our product… next town?”
“Next town. Let’s go Flim!”
“Let’s go, Flam!”

They hopped onto their contraption and drove off quicker than a whiplash.

“They’re gone!” Applejack cheered
“And Sweet Apple Acres is still in business, sister of mine,” Midnight added.

“Plus we can have high quality Apple Family cider!” Caramel cheered.

“Because of this competition,” Twinken spoke up from behind the stand, “we've made more than enough of our cider for the whole town!”

Everypony cheered, and the cider-selling re-assumed although the Apple Family was more than happy to give the first round on the house. Everypony was happy to get a sweet succulent taste of the nectar called Apple Family cider! Even Rainbow got her fill of the stuff!

Dear Princess Celestia,
I wanted to share my thoughts with you. [clears throat] I didn't learn anythin'! Ha! I was right all along! If you take your time to do things the right way, your work will speak for itself. Sure I could tell you I learned something about how my friends are always there to help me, and I can count on them no matter what, but truth is, I knew that already too.