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// An apple a day... 
// Story: Teary Despair 
// by Peppermint Pony 
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Silver Shill gulped. He couldn't tell this pony, an Element of Harmony who helped him learn a lesson or two, that she couldn't do something! He decided to subtly tell her the bad news. 

"Well, what's the issue?"

"This here area is my family's farm! It ain't nice to build some fancy hotel without warnin'!"

"For your information, Applejack, I didn't even know it would be here...!" Silver told her, feeling intimidated.

"Look, I don't want to do this as much as y'all do." Applejack sternly said. 

"Alright..."

Only Silver Shill knew how truly risky this could be for both him and Applejack. He had no idea how the brothers would react on seeing Applejack for the first time in a while, a long six months. He also wondered how the Earth mare would react. That and everypony downstairs, since Flim and Flam hadn't recently been too keen on going downstairs. That was one of the reasons why he was there. 

Shivering in fear, the white pony nervously knocked on the door to the room in which Flim and Flam slept. "An... important pony from, um, Canterlot is here and she, uh, wants to congratulate you..." he whispered.

"Let him in." came a voice from the other side of the door. The handle glowed green, and the door opened to reveal the somehow clean room. Given the fact that half of it was empty cake boxes never thrown out, it was well-kept and no dirt was anywhere near the bed. Of course, this was courtesy of Silver Shill.

"Tell this important pony we're honoured by what she said." Flam told Silver, not so much as opening his eyes.

"That's the thing, see, she wants to see you."

Both of the twins looked surprised. "Why?" they asked in perfect unison. 

"She wants... um... a hoofshake."

The two ponies exchanged a look that said "I don't know if he's lying or not!" before Flim nodded his head. "Very well," he began,

"We'll see this pony from Canterlot." his brother finished. 

Silver's face lit up. "Really?"

"Really." They spoke at the same time yet again.

It took them such a long time to stand up, anypony could think they hadn't done it in years. However, they in fact stood up at least twice a day, even if it was just for small things like getting that one hard-to-reach pie within horn distance.

Flim took one look at the staircase, it seemingly not having an end. "Spare me the discomfort of having to walk down that!" he cried, basically asking Silver Shill to carry him downstairs.

The earth pony wasn't sure if he was capable of carrying a pony at least three times as heavy as he was, but he really didn't want to be kicked in the face if he could help it. He rolled his eyes, and the yellow unicorn jumped onto the smaller pony, crippling his legs and making him fall to the ground. The pain in his back was unbearable, but he managed to slowly crawl forwards, whimpering and crying as he went.

The unicorn on his back didn't seem to notice as he shuffled forwards slightly, crushing even more of Silver's already breaking spine. He made a horrible failing attempt to stand, and the dreadful snap heard was audible from where Applejack stood. There was a few seconds of silence downstairs, just enough for the piercing scream to ring out through the building. 

"What in Equestria was that?" Applejack asked nopony in particular. She turned her head as heavy hoofsteps were heard coming from the stairwell. "Why are they so loud? Are they stompin' their way down here?"

A snivelling earth pony trotted out of the door to the stairwell, fresh blood trickling from a wound on his ear which hadn't been there when Applejack had spoken to him earlier. Voice shaking, he managed to feebly whisper, "I now present to you the world famous Flim Flam brothers, salesponies nonpareil." 

He finished with a light bow, and very slowly a pair of yellow hooves became visible. Applejack could hear a little bit of bickering from behind the door.

"You're going first, you said you were more confident!"

"No, youngest player goes first!"

"This isn't a game!"

"Nopony cares!"

A few more seconds passed, before two light yellow unicorns stepped out of the stairwell. Applejack gasped, knowing that these two ponies were the same ones she'd seen twice before... yet they looked so different. Not really wanting to pursue her Element, she opened her mouth to tell them they looked nice, before noticing Flim was stood right next to her.

"How did y'all..."

"For an important pony from Canterlot, you look and sound... unusual."

"Important pony from where now?"

Silver Shill shook his head at Applejack.

"Our sl-" Flim, almost carelessly revealing a fact about Silver Shill, was cut off by his more sensible brother.

"Our friend, Silver Shill, thought you were an important pony from Canterlot."

"But you're just Applejack."

"I am." Applejack nodded, once for each brother. "It's certainly been a while... how have y'all been gettin' on then?"

It was clear that through some means they had been spoilt rotten, but Applejack was intrigued. "Have y'all sold any interestin' stuff?"

The unicorns exchanged a different look which said, "is this mare serious?" before Flam started with "No, we haven't sold anything since..."

"That whole 'tonic' business. I mean, we've made bits out of the things we sell here, but that's just normal food. No magic medicine,"

"And no 50-50 splits!"

"It's always seventy-five,"

"Twenty-five!"

Applejack assumed that they were getting the seventy-five, but she gathered that their cutie marks rendered them unable to split money any other way. "And what's Silver Shill's job?"

"He... uh..."

"He runs reception, keeps everypony in check..."

"He's really a great... employee."

Applejack couldn't help but make a face. Why were they being so vague about him? She decided it was best not to ask, since from personal experience she knew not to get on their bad side.

"If you say so." 

She always said that when she was suspicious. She last said it to Silver when she asked him if he was still wearing costumes. Applejack was glad that the white pony had chosen not to wear anything silly, even if he was covered in questionable cuts and bruises and was much thinner than she remembered. She guessed he might have had a bad life outside of working at Flim Flam's Wonderful Bed & Breakfast Which Serves Everything Under the Sun... but why was there a snap, a scream and the missing chunk of ear? She was sure he was hiding something.

A voice brought her back to reality. 

"Applejack, why was it you wanted to speak to us?"

"We're... often very busy with management upstairs."

"Well..." Applejack hesitated for a few seconds, "This here bed n' breakfast can't really be here on my family's farm."

"Whyever not?" Flam inquired.

"Y'know... it kinda ruins Sweet Apple Acres' image, not to mention it has nothin' to do with apples!"

"The thing is, Applejack," 

"This place makes ponies happy."

"So, yet again, the question is..."

"Do you really want to be the pony who takes all that happiness away?"

Applejack couldn't argue with that. Even her friends had been talking about the place. It was good quality, she was certain. However, she didn't exactly trust the unicorns, no matter how many times they said that they had been reformed. After they'd interfered with her life twice, she wasn't prepared for it to happen again. 

Then there was Silver Shill. What was wrong with him? Why was he bleeding all the time, and why was he so thin? Applejack thought he might not be payed much... or nothing at all. In fact, just looking at the brothers, she could tell they were the ones with all the bits. She looked from the earth pony to the unicorns and back a few times, before finally saying "I suppose y'all could keep it here..." while intently staring at the ground. "On the condition that you promise this here earth pony isn't this way because of you two." She pointed at Silver.

"Of course not." Flim said, shaking his head.

"He just slips a lot carrying trays."

The white pony, feeling defenceless, said nothing and worriedly looked around him as if somepony was a changeling.

Flim nodded again, putting a hoof around his brother's shoulder. "We really should get going, Flam."

"I agree, Flim."

"Thanks for your time, Applejack."

"Feel free to speak to us again if you want to!"

The unicorns left back up the stairs before Silver spoke up. "I should go too. I probably have got a job I'd better attend to."

Applejack was about to ask him about his welfare, but he'd limped fast enough to get away from the orange mare. She knew something wasn't right; that Flim and Flam were up to something. Something was amiss, and she was going to find out what. 


Dear Diary,

Today I saw Applejack again. I really shouldn't be surprised, I suppose, considering this is her farm, but she gave me a small spark of hope. Hope that I'll be able to escape this.

And what did today bring? Well, it wasn't all good, of course. I was kicked once. Flim even tried to ride me downstairs. I think he might have broken one of my legs. He looks heavy already, but I can assure you he weighs as much as at least three copies of me. Not to mention the fact that he bit a piece out of my ear.

I wish I could die, but what good would that do? They'd just make somepony else suffer. I don't want that. I'm not even sure they've done their worst on me.

I sure hope nopony finds you. Especially those two. They'd kill me, I tell no lie. Either they'd kill me or make me run around Ponyville for hours on end, not giving me even the small amount of food I have every week.

Anyway, goodnight. Tomorrow is another day.