Schoolhouse Shenanigans!

by Dragonborne Fox

Chapter XXIV- Serious Cider Business Part 1

"NOW HOLD UP JUST ONE SECOND!" Katie shrieked, catching everyone's attention. "Why are there no rules as of yet?!"

My in-law's inner Nazi has awoken... Anna thought with a sigh. I suppose she does have a solid case to point out.

"You have a point!" Flim said as he ran up to the fox and almost scared her into a heart attack while doing so. "Since we have human helpers, I'll propose a deal: Only two humans and two ponies can gather apples per team! If there is a lack of either, then four ponies or four humans will do!"

"What about children?" Lance asked.

"And the sick or injured!" Natalie cried.

"Flam," Lazarus said as he turned to the mustachioed stallion, "They also make a point."

"Well, then!" Flam smiled widely, "Since children are small, two would have to equate to one adult for either species. As for the sick and injured, they'd fall under the 'lack thereof' category my brother Flim mentioned earlier!"

"AND WHAT ABOUT HIM?!" Fenrir shouted as he accusingly pointed at the Beholder, who in turn proceeded to look at him funny.

"Simple: given his girth, he accounts for two whole adults and four ponies!" Flam replied with a sly grin.

Fenrir face-palmed.

"And what of the Apple Family team who, mind you, are currently missing two members--one because of natural causes and the other on an errand?" Anna wailed.

"The Apples are incompetent!" The brothers shouted in unison.

A bulky red stallion with an orange mane, green eyes and green apple cutie mark walked up to Flim and pushed him away from the fox. He looked like he was in his mid-30's but even then his morals didn't deteriorate.

"Eenope. We ain't what y'alls callin' 'incompetent.' Y'all fancy-schmancy Flim-Flam Brothers are nothin' but a bunch of cheaters!" The stallion paused to look at Applejack before shifting his gaze to Twilight Sparkle. His gaze then moved onto the party. "This here group of fine, dandy people helped save us all and y'all treat 'em like scum? What kinda ponies are you, anyway? I dare say these humans are better than you will ever be as far as morale and courage are concerned! Their legless cat could do better than your machine at apple-pressing!"

The party smiled at the stallion's comment. NoLegs meowed, and he sure was happy to hear it. The Beholder held a sign with a smiley face engraved in its woodwork since he couldn't really express himself given all he had to do so were tentacles and eyeballs.

"Hadn't seen y'all in forever. I wonder what's taken ya." The stallion smiled.

Natalie picked up Alexis and walked up to the stallion. "This little girl's gettin' too big for me to carry her." Sighed the wizard.

The stallion nodded. He fully understood. "Mah nephew's been learning how to give his uncle grief."

"He ain't givin' ya grief, Bic Mac. He's jus' showin' ya some love!" Applejack protested with a hearty laugh.

"Let's discuss the battle plans and then the contest of...well, cider-making will be held!" Matt declared, although grudgingly. He could not remember the last time strategy was involved because strategy was a thing he hated.

The party, counting the Mane Six, huddled together and discussed this and that.

"Just who do we send in first?" Natalie whispered worryingly.

"I dunno." Lance sighed in defeat since his brain kept pulling blanks.

"Any ideas, big brother?" Applejack asked.

"Eenope." Mac sighed, shaking his head.

"I'll decide who gets sent in first. They didn't mention anything else about the Apples, so I guess they're in the clear until more help arrives." Twilight sighed.

Everyone in the massive circle turned to her.

"Flim and Flam!" Twilight cried, "Do the Apple ponies count as a separate team?"

"No, they do not. However, the new rules apply to the old since its the Apples we have to settle scores with. In short, think of last time only with another rule added." Flam sighed before returning to his huddle circle.

"Yeah, they're in the clear." Twilight sighed before using her magic to levitate Katie, Natalie, Anna, and Fenrir off the ground.

"Natalie, can you use your Star Shower to get apples out of their trees?" Asked the alicorn.

"Yes." Replied the wizard before she was set down onto her feet.

"Anna, you help in quality control."

"Roger that!"

"Katie, gather apples from the trees using your tails."

"Sure!"

"Fenrir, help Big Mac press apples."

"Will do!"

Next, Matt, Lance, Coryza, and Blake. Blake got assigned Natalie's role should she falter somewhere; Lance to Katie once she fell; Coryza to Anna's; and Matt to Fenrir's. And so on.

"Is everyone ready?" Flam asked.

"More or less!" Katie replied.

The cider-making stations were soon prepared, and before anybody asks, the foals and infants were left under the care of Chuckles and the Beholder.

Natalie Star Showered all the trees that Applejack hadn't bucked, and each star hit the individual trees thrice as all the apples fell out and were scooped up in baskets being carried by Katie's tails. The baskets were then given to Anna who sorted out the apples so fast Rainbow Dash looked slow. Fenrir and Big Mac ran alongside a treadmill that operated the press that turned apples into cider. The brothers, as lazy as they were, simply made the machine work with their magic. Unlike all the other times before, however, it could do a quality check and make 15 barrels in three seconds. The funnels the apples went into didn't suction anymore--as that was more or less Lazarus' job now, with Lancelot entering Rage status and performing insane Monkey Dances to and fro along the treetops. Good god, he could rival Rainbow Dash now!

Matt held his hands before him and cried out in disbelief. The brothers really were cheaters! And with Lazarus and Lancelot on their side--well, you could see what went on in his head at the time.

Lance almost fainted. He was foaming at the mouth with an index finger pointed accusingly at the brothers.

Coryza's eyes were white in shock.

Blake was waving his arms and hopping around like a madman, and he was screaming this and that and the other thing too and they all had to do with Lazarus.

The Beholder held up a sign that had a picture of Lady Gaga doing a Poker Face. Yes, a Poker Face was his current expression.

The children were infuriated, and this drove them to cheer their parents on like mad beasts during a lunar eclipse. The ponies not participating also did much the same.

"They're making a measly 14 barrels compared to our 15!" Flim shouted as he drank a mug of cider.

"Hah! Good thing we put the limiter on them!" Flam agreed, "There's a reason they're called the Wandering Heroes!"

"Keep it up!" Applejack cried as she kicked a tree, "Just because they've got some machine and this God on their side doesn't mean we'll give up!"

"You heard her!" Natalie cried before a stray Star hit her on the face and pretty much told her her mana was more or less depleted. She was immediately ousted from the contest and Blake rushed in head-first into trees. He literally flew into them, shook them violently twice and then went on to the next.

Katie tripped on a rock and found herself literally crashing into Lancelot. Good thing she emptied the baskets beforehand as her son took over. With him were a few robots that simply carried excess baskets. Feh; the brothers were complete and total morons compared to him--they themselves technically used a freaking robot, so why couldn't Lance do the same? It made him smile whenever he thought of it.

Anna passed out because the sheer load of apples in need of sorting did more than overwhelm her. Cory soon took over and she worked twice as fast as Anna (let's assume she had way too many energy drinks.)

Fenrir ran so fast the treadmill sent him flying right into Lazarus, halting the enemy's cider production in doing so. Matt soon followed his comrades and he ran like a hamster in a wheel.

Lazarus pushed the wolf-man off him and hovered over Matt. "I will hurt you and get that pretty fox when this is over!" Declared the Wind God.

"You know the Nazi, right?" Matt asked, keeping his eyes forward as adrenalin kicked in.

"What about him?!" Lazarus screamed in frustration.

"He's my half-brother. We have the same father. His mom is the fox. You hurt me, she wrecks you." Matt answered as a Reflex was cast on him. His legs moved even faster, and he could do more than give Sonic the Hedgehog a run for his money.

Comments

[Elderly]

I tried to read this and find out about the other 2 characters in the group but couldnt put my self to it after all the demon and warewolf stuff, other wise im saying its to sci fi ish

[Dragonborne Fox]

3418115 It kinda already has.

[Dragonborne Fox]

3422219 *clears throat* Taken into consideration. But please do be more constructive than that, if you mind.