After being returned to their makeshift cell in the smallest room in Princess Twilight’s Castle, Flim and Flam were finally free to express their relief and start plotting.
Flam turned to Flim after the guards locked them in and said, “We sure got lucky, dodging that Tartarus with that sentence eh, brother?”
“We sure did Flam. How do we work this, brother. We've come close, but we never quite got to these Apples in the past.”
The two contemplated their circumstances for a moment.
“I suppose our best chance is to charm our captors to the best of our ability, brother.” Flam said.
“Agreed, we may have to play along for a bit, but we can find a way out.” Flim replied.
The two brothers went about the dreary business of passing the time until lights out.
Hours before Daybreak Flim and Flam were rudely awoken by the guards, the guards affixed the magical binding shackles to each of their horns and then took them outside. They were marched for nearly a half hour out to Sweet Apple Acres. The guards finally allowed them to stop when they came near the house where they met Applejack and Big Mac.
Applejack began, “I reck’n that we ought to have you start with y’all help’n to build you two a secure place to stay.”
Flim and Flam exchanged a look that both conveyed dread and apprehension. a nearby guard gave them trowel and hammer and pointed to a pile of bricks and a neat stack of wood. Clearly the two unicorn colts were in for a long hard day. One of many they now feared. The two started the slow work of constructing their future cell according to Applejack’s instructions and under the watchful eye of a pair of guards. Not long after first light a trio of construction ponies arrived to speed up the process of construction of the barracks. the construction ponies made the work move much faster, they also took lead in directing Flim and Flam. Applejack took the opportunity to begin her daily work across the farm. Big Mac did the same but stayed nearby. Presumably to keep an eye on them.
Around midday, Granny Smith came round and began tending to the hogs thus relieving Mac to attend to other farm chores. Their earliest opportunity was a break for lunch. Flam gave Flim a wink as Flim walked towards Granny Smith.
Flim said, “I cannot think of a more lenient punishment than to be required to spend my days near such a wise and lovely creature as you, Granny Smith.”
“Keep your fancy talk to yourself, young’n. Y’all better eat up and get back to work. Ya don’t want have to spend the night in a barracks without a roof, do ya?” Granny Smith taking no heed of Flim’s charms. Flim sulked back dejected and, perhaps for the first time, truly seeing the difficult position he and his brother are in. They reluctantly took Granny Smith’s advice and ate up. They soon returned to work.
Many sweltering hours of back breaking work later, as sunset drew near, their work on the spartan-looking barracks that the brothers were to sleep in while they worked at Sweet Apple Acres was finished. two new guards came to relieve the ones who had been with them most of the day. With them, they brought two fairly basic beds for the prisoners. It was clear to both Flim and Flam that they would both have to work much harder at stroking the Apple family’s egos than they had anticipated. It was also clear that that they will have all the time in Equestria to do so.
Flim and Flam were once again roused pre-dawn, this time by a rooster, and later by stirrings from the main house. Flim and Flam were escorted by two exhausted looking guards who must have been nearing the end of the nightly shift to the main house where the Apples treated the brothers and their guards to a hearty breakfast. After breakfast, as their guards were relieved, Applejack outlined the day’s work. Flim would go with her to trim the trees in south fields, Flam would go with Mac to help him buck the east Fields. both would spend the late afternoon helping Applebloom and Granny with the Hogs and Chickens and then the house chores. The brothers looked at each other, clearly not relishing the idea of being split up.
“It’ll only be for a few hours you two. we won’t let anything bad happen to either of ya.” Applejack reassured them. “Now we all best get a move on, we're burnin daylight.” said Applejack ushering them all out.
As they walked in different directions Flim and Flam exchanged a glance meant to reassure each other. Flim thought to himself, “I hope Flam has better luck with the statue than I may have with miss bossypony here. Applejack was by far the most skeptical of the bushel.”
Flam simultaneously thought to himself, “I hope Flim has more luck with Applejack than I will with Big Mac. How am I supposed to charm a Colt who barely talks?”
Flim and Applejack were the first to make it to their destination. Applejack gave him a pair of limb cutters and a long pole saw.
“Ya see them there Apple trees with the decaying limbs?” Applejack asked.
Flim nodded.
“We have to get all of those limbs cleared away by lunch time. Ya hear?”
Flim shuddered. There had to be thirty trees to trim. He got right to work.
Meanwhile Flam and Mac arrived at the in the east Fields where they were to applebuck. They were slowed by the carts of bushels they hauled with them. Big Mac was silent. He placed the bushels around a tree and gave Flam a look that conveyed he was to do the same. Flam did as he was wordlessly bid.
Big Mac finally said, “Get to buckin”
Flam tried his best to buck the Apples off the tree. He watched as Big Mac knocked nearly all the Apples off of his first tree in one buck. It took Flam nearly four tried to get any to fall.
Big Mac rolled his eyes knowing he'd get less done having to babysit this guy.
Back in the South field, Applejack was struggling with Flim. “ No, no, no! You gotta cut across the grain otherwise you are gonna injure the tree!” Applejack said with exasperation.
“We are cutting off limbs, aren't we already injuring the tree?” Asked Flim.
“For somone who has tried to take Sweet Apple Acres from us, you sure know nothin about Apple farmin” replied Applejack.
“Well, you certainly do know your stuff.” Complimented Flim.
“I suggest ya pay attention then and get to work. You are here to learn a thing or two remember?” replied Applejack, obviously not falling for any of Flim’s attempts to get under her skin.
Both Flim and Flam spent the rest of the morning quietly following instructions to the best of of their ability. Neither Applejack nor Big Mac managed to complete their tasks with their respective brother in tow. But rough starts were not unexpected. the Apples knew going into this that it may be some time before they see any actual benefits from having Flim and Flam around as farm hands.
Flim and Flam proved more adept at helping with the farm animals and with the house chores. though they were destined to be just as frustrated in their attempts to charm Applebloom and Granny Smith as they were with Applejack and Big Mac. at the end of their first real day on the farm with the Apple Family, Flim and Flam came to the mutual conclusion. that their normal ways of charming and scheming their way out of things just wasn’t going to work. The Apple Family was too ready for them. They knew Flim and Flam too well.
When they were finally allowed back to their hastily built barracks, Flim turned to Flam saying, “We have to get out of here, Flam. We have to escape.”
Flam said, “I agree, brother, but how? the guards watch us like hawks and we are always around the Apples.”
Flim said with despiration apparent in his voice, “How about we try and escape tonight? Let's wait till the guards doze off and make a run for it.”
“As good a plan as any, brother.” Flam agreed.
It was several hours before Flim and Flam got their chance. While one of the guards went for water, the other guard fell asleep. Flim and Flam snuck off as quietly as possible. when they were out of earshot of the guards and the Apple house, the two colts raced off in the fastest gallop they could muster. they raced out of the ponyville area. Flam suggested heading toward manehattan thinking they could disappear in the large city.
The two made it a few miles out of Ponyville before they were caught by several guards. It seems the shackles that prevented them from using their magic also acted as homing beacons in case of an escape like this.
As they were returned to their barracks they sulked. They were stuck. They had no other options but to face whatever the Apples decided to do with them. the two unicorns couldn’t help but fear whatever consequences this escape attempt may bring down upon them.