The Mane Six Buy Their First Cars

by Caddy Finz

Chapter 2: Applejack's New Power Wagon

"I'm telling you Flim, it's the stache!" Flam said as he attempted to give courting advice to his brother. "If you would just try growing one, the ladies will throw themselves at you."

"I tried it before, remember?" Flim retorted. "It grew all thin and patchy and it felt like I had nails growing out of my face. Ugh!"

"Well Flim, some ponies got it and others don't."

"Oh shut up, Flam. Just shut up."

"You mad, bro?"

"Well lookie here!" A female voice with a country accent said. "If'n it ain't the Flim Flam brothers!"

The two startled stallions turned around in their office chairs to see none other than Applejack herself standing at their doorway. She wore a slightly bemused expression as she trotted towards the two salesponies which made them nervous. They were not so much afraid of physical retaliation on her part but what worried them was the idea of bad publicity as spread by somepony who had a lot of pull in town. The last two encounters with the farm mare were not exactly the most trust building.

"Oh! M-Miss Applejack!" Flim stuttered. "Why w-what a pleasant and surprise! We were hoping that you might show your pretty face here eventually!"

"Y-y'all think ah'm purdy?" Applejack replied before violently shaking her head, freeing herself from the brothers' attempt to charm her. "I-I mean, y'all ain't up to no funny business, are ya?"

"Good heavens, no!" Flam replied. "Miss Applejack, my brother and I have completely overhauled the way we do business! I can assure you we've cleaned up our act and now sell quality products and stand by our warranties if they fail."

"That so?"

"It most certainly is so, madame." Flim reassured.

"O-okay then. Well now that we got all that cleared up I wanted to look into...well...y'all got any of them car doohickies that got a box in the back of it?"

"Uhh, you mean like a pickup truck?" Flam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh is that what they're callin' 'em?" Applejack replied sheepishly. "Yeah well Ah s'pose yer wonderin' why I'm askin' you two of all ponies about this."

"We are indeed curious as to why you suddenly wish to give us your business, yes." Flim answered.

"Well, fellas...mah friend Rarity is a real stickler fer the little details and she's got the highest standards of anypony Ah know. She ain't quit talkin' about that puke y'all sold her last we-"

"Buick." Flam said flatly, cutting Applejack off. "It's called a Buick, not a puke."

"Oh, right." Applejack said sheepishly. "Sorry fellas, Ah'm just a bit behind on the times and a lot of mah friends have been gittin' themselves some of these fancy power wagons and Ah kinda wanted to try 'em out."

"Of course madame, we completely understand!" Flim said as he elbowed his brother for rudely cutting off their nemesis turned valued customer. "So you're looking for something that can haul fruit around on your farm, correct?"

"Yup, that's pretty much what Ah'm lookin' for. Oh and if y'all got somethin' with a good sized back seat fer mah granny and Apple Bloom, that'd be mighty nice."

"Well then, Miss, you have undoubtedly come to the right place!" Flam beamed. "To the lot!"

---

"We have every type of truck for every type of job, Miss Apple!" Flim said as the trio trotted down the lot in front of the pick-up trucks all lined up in a neat row. "I'm certain we'll have just what you need, and to make up for any troubles we may have caused you in the past, we will discount any purchase you make by ten percent!"

"Well gee, that's mighty nice of you fellers!" Applejack replied.

The salesponies were true to their word when they said that they had them all. There were dozens upon dozens of different trucks off all makes and sizes. The first several they trotted past were some exceptionally pristine specimens including Ford Rangers, Chevrolet S10 and Colorados, Dodge Dakotas, Toyota Tacomas and even a tiny little front drive Volkswagen Rabbit.

"So, what do you think, Miss?" Flam asked. "See anything you like?"

"Well they all look pretty nice but..." Applejack began. "Well, Ah'm gonna git something and really put it to work. Y'all got anything bigger?"

"But of course!" Flim replied. "Just down a little further, we have our F-series and fifteen hundred sized trucks. Perhaps that Silverado would fit the ticket?"

What Flim was pointing to was a very respectable looking light blue metallic Chevrolet half ton rated pick-up with an extended cab featuring a small back seat. It was a short box Z71 offroad package and judging by its modern looking body curves, it appeared to be a fairly late model.

"Say, that is a darn tootin' swell truck if Ah ever saw one." Applejack said as she looked the vehicle over. "Y'all mind if I check out the inside?"

"Why, not at all, madame!" Flam beamed. "By all means, feel free to take as close a look you need!"

Upon entering the impressive truck, Applejack was met with not quite as roomy interior for rear seat passengers as she would have liked. Also, the box in the back was only six feet long so room to carry fruit there was also a bit more limited for the farm girl's taste. Overall, the truck was nice but not quite what she was looking for.

"It's alright but Ah kinda need somthin' that mah granny can git into nice 'n easy." Applejack stated "Ah think a bit more room in the back seat and a bigger box would help too."

"Oh, then it's something bigger you're looking for then?" Flim asked. "How about that dandy truck over there?"

"Yah mean that red one?" Shoot, now that one's not half bad!"

"Milady, what you're looking at is a 2009 Ford F-250 super cab!" Flam explained. "This beauty has a 5.4 litre V8 and a heavy duty towing package set right up and ready to go!"

"She's also got push button four wheel drive for when you get into the muddy spots on the farm." Flim said. "But why stop there and think about just work when it's perfect for play too? You could take this on a day trip with your family to any swimming hole that was previously out of reach!"

"Also, you're granny will appreciate these step bars for easier acce-"

"Bed's too shallow." Applejack stated flatly upon closer observation. "Got anything deeper?"

"Why, you're just impossible to please, aren't yo-oof!" Flam began before his brother punched him in the stomach.

"Of course Miss, and we would be more than happy to show you. wouldn't we, Flam?!" Flim said through his teeth, scolding Flam who was now gasping for breath.

"Huhuhuh, yah know somethin', Flim?" Applejack chuckled. "Yer actually alright! Nopony's ever called me 'miss' or 'madame' or 'lady' as much as y'all have today."

"Oh, I'm simply calling it how I see it, Miss Apple. Now what say you and I take a look at that Ram over there. Shall we?"

"Sure thing, pardner."

Trotting arm in arm while Flam continued to catch his breath, Flim lead Applejack over to a magnificent specimen of a full sized truck. It was a forest green unit with front fenders that flared out from the hood giving it a retro look of sorts while maintaining an impressive appeal from every one of its curves. The bed was much longer and deeper and the truck's cab was much larger than the previous two trucks Applejack looked at.

"Milady, this here is a 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 Power Wagon with a crew cab." Flim began. "It has a 6.7 litre inline straight six turbo diesel and a six speed automatic with overdrive. The box is Eight feel long and it has a class three heavy duty towing package so you'll be able to haul your entire orchard around."

"Shoot, Ah bet Ah could plow through the Everfree Forrest with this thing!" Applejack beamed. "Ain't no timber wolves gonna mess with me no more! How much is this big 'ol beast?"

"Well my dear, my brother and I have priced it at thirty-five thousand bits but for you, I'll let you drive away with it today for twenty-seven!"

"W-w-what?"

"Yes, I said twenty-seven thousand. Is that still too much?"

Applejack was flabbergasted at the price of the truck. Not because it was too high. It was not. Sweet Apple Acres is a successful business that brought in a good deal of money for the Apple family so they could afford to get a sizable truck for their farm work. What surprised Applejack so much was that Flim was willing to discount it so much. It was a lot more than the ten percent that the brothers had promised her before.

"Naw, that ain't too high." Applejack replied. "It's just fine but why would yah knock the price down s'much? Yer brother's gonna be rip snortin' mad."

"My brother is all the way back there throwing up in the gutter. I apologize that he was so impolite to you, by the way. That's not how we do business here."

"Oh it's all fine 'n dandy but Ah don't get why you'd discount it so much fer me."

"Because, Applejack, I like you. I like that you came here willing to give me and my brother a chance at earning your business. You're a nice young lady who just like us, runs a business and understands the hard work involved in making it succeed. We have something in common and that my dear is why I'm giving you such a deal."

"Well shucks Flim, y'all got a point there. Shoot, yer a swell fella."

"Why thank you, Miss Applejack. So, would you like to take a test drive?"

"Ah'd like that, Flim."

The two eager ponies climbed into the enormous truck to learn more about its interior and its handling. Applejack's eyes darted around the spacious cab as if she were a filly waking up on hearths warming morning. Everything on the control panel was within very easy reach, the seats were comparable to even the most finest of premium sofas and the sheer height was very impressive. It was enough to make the excited farm girl feel as if she could be queen of the road weather she was driving on or off of it.

"Ever driven one of these before?" Flim asked.

"Nothin' like this." Applejack replied. "Some of mah friends let me drive their cars enough fer me to get the hang of it but none of 'em got anything this big...Ah like it."

"Let's take a little cruise then. Here's the key."

"Okay then, Ah'll crank 'er up."

Chrurururuururururururu! Vroom! Wubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwubwub!

"Ah, now doesn't that just sound lovely, Miss?"

"Ah'll say, buddy. It sounds a might different than other stuff Ah've cranked over."

"It's a diesel. They ignite with compression rather than traditional spark so it will sound a bit unfamiliar at first but you'll come to appreciate the power of this beast."

"Ah like the sound of that, sugarcube."

"I knew you would. Oh and the shift lever is on the steering column, by the way."

"Ah got it."

Just then, both Applejack and Flim reached for the lever at the same time causing the latter to place his hoof on top of that of the former. This proved to be a somewhat awkward moment as the two glanced at each other for a second or two and quickly withdrew their hooves while blushing.

"Sorry." Both said in unison.

"Oh, it wasn't your fault, Miss." Flim reassured.

"No harm done, hon." Applejack replied. "S-so uh, how this this here dandy truck huh?"

"Oh b-but of course, a dandy one indeed, heheheh."

Applejack finally shifted the truck into drive and lightly pressed the throttle, getting the large truck up to twenty miles per hour very quickly. Pulling out of the lot and on to ponyville's main thoroughfare meant she could increase speed to forty miles per hour which the truck did effortlessly. After several stops and turns, the pair had covered nearly half of the roadway in town. It was then when Applejack asked a question that would change everything.

"Say, Flim."

"Yes, Applejack?"

"How about we take this truck and see what she can do on the farm?"

"I'd be disappointed if we didn't, my dear."

Eight hours later...

It was now drawing close to six o'clock in the evening which meant Flim Flam Bros. Used Autos would be closing soon. Flam had long since recovered from his brother's punch to the gut but the latter was still nowhere to be seen. The impatient older sibling grew more and more annoyed by the second until finally, the green truck finally came into view and rolled towards the irritated salespony.

Upon closer observation, Flam noticed that the box was filled to the brim with nearly a dozen ponies whom he assumed were more members of the Apple family. The truck was covered from top to bottom in mud and a large trailer in tow was filled with enough apples to feed the entire town for weeks.

The now dirty truck slowly came to a stop in front of Flam where his brother who had been gone for an entire work day jumped out and his appearance was cause for quite the concern. Flim sported a brown vest, a stetson hat in similar color, a green bandanna around his neck and cowboy boots on his rear hooves.

"See ya later, Apples!" Flim said as he waved to the ponies as the truck pulled away. "Ah'm good fer hangin' out on Friday, Applejack!"

"Darn tootin'! Applejack replied. "Thanks fer all yer help on the farm, hon!"

"Flim?!" Flam said out of concern.

"Well howdy there, brother!" Flim greeted. "Fancy seein' you still here! How long was Ah gone fer?"

"Sweet Celestia, Flim what have they done to you?!"

"Ah dunno what yer talkin' about, buddy. Ah feel just fine! Boy howdy, them are some real nice ponies! And that Applejack! Shoot, what a girl!"

"Flim just wait right here, my dear brother! I'll go get a blunt object to strike you with!"

Author's Note:

Shipping potential perhaps? I dunno, I've never heard of Apple-Flim before and thought something new would be in order.

Comments

[Caddy Finz]

Can someone tell me why I keep getting so many downvotes? I thought I was a decent writer but all these dislikes I've been getting is very discouraging.

[SusieBeeca]

6211676

In a word? Shipping. A lot of people don't like unusual pairings, and if they're not expecting it in a story, they can get upset. Don't get discouraged; I've read some great fics on here that have a surprisingly high red bar up top. The story is funny and wonderfully silly, and I like the tension between the brothers. Keep writing if it makes you happy, because a lot of people are too shy to leave a comment even if they like the fic

[Caddy Finz]

6390906 Yeah I guess I can see how that particular part may receive mixed reactions either positive or otherwise. I like to try to create new, original things like a pioneer of sorts. Sometimes, it just turns out that some unexplored things are best left as such. I'm sure this will look a little better once I get my cover done and I get more chapters out. I'm waiting for the artist I hired to finish before I release the next installment. Thanks for your input

[Barry From Mars]

Amusing chapter. Hopefully A.J. knows what fuel to use and what to not use.

Come to think of it if the truck were modified it could run on fuel made off the farm...

[Barry From Mars]

6542960

I say that because there is such a thing as Biodiesel, which I hope to use in a 100% batch with my 1999 Suburban. These newer Diesel vehicles can only run up to so high of a percentage of it though, when stock. Ironically, Biodiesel lowers emissions (that's not the ironic part) and at least some of the reason why 100% Biodiesel doesn't work in a 2009 Diesel is because of the exhaust system which is made to lower emissions, isn't compatible with the thicker fuel.

Also, (Some) Biodiesel (depending on what it's made from) gels up like olive oil at a higher-than-freezing point.

[strangephantasm]

You just can't properly advertise a Ram without Sam Elliott's voice. Rrraam.

[Wiz Ahmad]

6211676 idk either, maybe it's the way your storyline is flowing. anyways anyone who dislikes this are complete a**holes

[DualKitsune]

I rather like the flim-flam shipping. It's done rather well here. Not full on love, just mild beginnings of something that could possibly turn into something. Also it made it that much more amusing.