11. Epilogue - Five Years Later
Flim, Flam, and the Little Lost Apple Scam
Epilogue - Five Years Later
… Five years later
“Daddy’s here! Daddy’s here!” Apple Sprout darted around Sweet Apple Acres at a full gallop, stirring up a trail of butterflies in her wake. The motion of their colorful wings almost matched the feathered wingbeats of the distant pegasus carriage and the two gold-armored guards pulling it.
“So he is,” said Applejack, looking up into the sky and trying to ignore the butterflies in her own gut, as well as the few pounds she had put on recently. “You an’ Bloom got our little surprise all comfy in the house?”
“Eyup!” Apple Sprout nodded vigorously, the pink bow tied into her mane bobbing in counterpoint with her motions.
“An’ you gonna be able to keep yer yap shut while I spring it on them?” Applejack winked.
“Cross my heart an…” Apple Sprout frowned. “Something.”
“Close enough.” She took a moment to ruffle the young unicorn’s curly mane. “Ah’ve got a surprise for both of them varmints today. You be a good girl an’ I’ll let you have an extra scoop of ice cream on your pie at lunch today.”
That got Sprout’s attention, and she sat alert and quiet beside Applejack while the prison transport landed and the guards opened the door to let Flim and Flam out, encumbered by their manacles. It did not last, however, because the moment Flim got all four hooves on the ground, Sprout darted across the intervening space and caught him around the middle in what would have been a stunning hoofball tackle if she had weighed any more than her five-year-old self.
“Ooof!” declared Flim anyway, taking a step backwards to recover. “How’s Daddy’s favorite filly? And you got your cutie mark!” He staggered back for real under the weight of a healthy farm-fed filly hanging onto his neck and waved a hoof to one side. “Just a second, Sprout. Brother, could you hold these for me, please?”
He floated the manacles over to Flam and tucked Apple Sprout under one foreleg for some proper parental nuzzling and hugging, not even paying any attention when Flam stepped out of his own manacles and floated them both over to the bemused guard.
Applejack tsk’d to herself and walked over to the guard. “You gotta keep an eye on these varmints every minute or they’ll steal everything you got.”
She kissed Flam gently, then sat back on her haunches and rubbed her itchy lip. “Including your heart. Give him back his bit pouch, you varmint.”
Grumbling slightly, Flam floated the bag of bits back over to the young guard, along with his pen, watch, and house keys, then politely signed the transfer papers without forging Flim’s name too, like he did last year. Once Applejack signed as the work-release officer and the carriage was on its way back to the sky, she turned to Flam and shook her head.
“What am I going to do with you varmints?”
“Alas, beautiful mare. You have crafted a better mousetrap with this delightful farm, and we poor varmints have been captured forever,” he responded with a playful lilt to his voice. “Or at least after five more years when we’re eligible for parole and stop having to spend half the year away.”
“Tell him, Aunt AJ!” bubbled Apple Sprout from her position trapped under Flim’s foreleg. “Tell him!”
“Patience,” cautioned Applejack, turning to Flim. “We’ve got the whole family up in the house just waiting on you two, but I’ve got a little surprise for each of you, starting with Papa there.” She could see the motion of a familiar pink coat behind the brothers, but tried not to look so the visitor could make her own entrance. “Flim, I know how much you’ve been working to get back in Marian’s good graces, what with all the letters you done writ to her and all, an’ I wanted to be the one to tell you…” She paused for effect, a habit that she blamed on close contact with Rarity for these last few years, and added, “Turn around. I think somepony else can say it better than me.”
Puzzled, Flim turned around, then stopped just as solidly as if he had been turned to stone. Almost within touching distance, Marian looked back, blinking wide dark lashes across her golden eyes. She hesitated, trying to say the words she had practiced with Applejack and Sprout over the last few weeks while at the farm, then moved forward to demonstrate with actions what she could not with words.
The feeling appeared to be mutual, as both Flim and Marian moved to each other at the same time, and showed no interest in stopping any time soon.
“We’re rubbing off on you, Sneakyjack,” admitted Flam from where he had moved up close to Applejack, watching the resulting kiss between his brother and long-lost love, with the offspring of that love bouncing around them in circles while happily babbling. “I don’t remember Sprout having a cutie mark last time either.”
“She didn’t,” said Applejack quietly as not to disturb the ongoing kissing. “She’s an early bloomer an’ got that heart on her rump while talking her Mama into this. Talked me into it first. Once she gets talkin’ about something, she won’t stop until she gets her way. Probably gonna put Cadence to shame, an’ I had to put mah hoof down about her gettin’ a bow and arrow like Scootaloo suggested. It done put Bloom right out until she got to thinking her and the Crusaders done did it. Then she wouldn’t shut up about it at all.”
With all the kissing going on, Applejack wanted to participate, but she had something more important to pass along first. She just could not get the words to come out, particularly with Flam this close, like he was stealing the thoughts out of her mind before they could form all the way.
“You know, Miss Applejack, I owe you one more kiss.” Flam moved up and locked lips with Applejack for a short time, then sat back and fixed her with that mischievous green-eyed look that could turn her legs into butter. “Something’s different than last year. I see you’ve added onto the farmhouse. Is that so Marian can stay here at the farm?”
“No, it ain’t.” Applejack scratched at her itchy upper lip. “Twilight done offered her a full-time job up at the castle, living there and keeping her library. Somepony’s gotta keep that under control or Twi will just fill it all up to the top with books.”
“Most certainly true,” agreed Flam. “Your friends are some of the most passionate ponies I’ve seen. I thought I’d surprise you all with the music boxes we made in the metal shop, but this is far better.”
“That’s not all.” Applejack took a deep breath. “Ah talked with the princesses, and I think we can get you two troublemakers released on probation at the end of this year, full time.”
“That is good news,” said Flam. “I thought we had at least five more years honing our metalworking skills before being released.”
“Yeah,” said Applejack somewhat lacklusterly, still avoiding what she wanted to say even though it felt a lot like lying.
“It certainly will be good news for my brother,” said Flam. “Once they surface for air.”
“Yeah, speaking of good news,” started Applejack.
“And from the looks of those two, my brother may not be sleeping in your barn soon,” said Flam, giving a short head-motion to where Flim and Marian were still kissing.
“At least they’ll have a private room in the castle,” admitted Applejack.
“And since you’ve added onto the house, does that mean my days of sleeping in the barn are coming to an end too?” asked Flam with a suggestive eyebrow waggle. “That’s not to say I would not say no to a few more late-night cuddling sessions like last fall,” he added, lowering his voice and smiling.
“About that,” said Applejack reluctantly before Apple Sprout’s cry of growing disgust sounded over her mother’s and father’s continuing kiss.
“Daddy! Mommy!” Sprout made a face and stuck out her tongue. “That’s enough! Gross!”
“At this rate, I’ll be an uncle again in no time,” whispered Flam into Applejack’s ear.
Applejack whispered back. “Remember last fall? You’re going to be a father first.”
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Should I feel guilty about ending it more or less the same way as Changelings, Love and Lollipops, The Traveling Tutor and the Diplomat’s Daughter, and Tantabus, Do Your Worst?
Naa....
XXD Oh dear. Talk about traps. XD
At least they won't start the Flim Flam Fertility Center, proven successful or not.
8219181Now there’s an M rated fic with potential that I’m not going to be writing.
8219195
I know, the ingredients in that tonic would stain innocents for life.
Beet juice, never washes out.
Just a lovely slice of life story.
8219130
Only if we never get to see the foal.
8219365 Hey, just because I didn’t show the results of Twilight’s offspring in Twilight Sparkle Lays an Egg. I made up for that in both The Elements of Maternity and The Traveling Tutor and the Royal Exam.
Hm. Maybe I am hitting a theme.
I love this story, and I also notice there was a surprising lack of violence directed at the suitors compared to earlier stories. Kudos!
8219130
Let’s ask Big Mac... Mac? Should he feel guilty?
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/70/68/ee/7068eec1188c2523515535a5c5fc935b.jpg?noindex=1
There ya have it. 😉
I'm sure quite a few future customers will be happy that that invention is a Sorter and not a Distributor. I doubt there are many crops that would appreciate getting fed into an APHID.
I love the idea that Mac's loquacity is inversely proportional to his happiness.
And that epilogue was almost syrupy sweet. Delightful stuff all around, especially since this was easily the best Flimflam redemption story I've ever read. (Inasmuch as thise two can ever be redeemed.) Thank you for it.
So did the other company buy thier widget or was it left to rot.
All in all a good story and we get to see Twilight is just as sneaky as Celestia just not on a grand a scale yet
8219530 Hey, I did redeem Diamond Tiara once. A little. Diamond Tiara Buys a Little Sister
8219672 One would think the widget (and possibly others afterward) sold, just for the Happily Ever After vibe.
Yet another great story from a fantastic author. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.
Having said that, I can't help but feel like it's your life’s mission to see every single member of the mane 6 married off and pregnant...
And I'm okay with that.
8220306 Did that once already, and all at once. The Elements of Maternity.
The only one I haven’t written a pregnancy story about has been Celestia. So far. (chuckles and rubs hands together) Soon...
Edit: Ok, both Letters From a Little Princess Monster and The Dance of the Sun now. Perhaps more later.
Filly Apple Sprout is pretty cute.
And seems like there's quite a crop of additional Apples coming along.
8220556
Maybe all in one piece, but I was thinking about the stories focusing on one pony at a time, like The Travelling Tutor and the Librarian and the rest of that series which revolved around Twilight, Child of Nightmares and Everfree which at least ended where we’d see Fluttershy getting married, and Changelings, Love, and Lollipops which was all about Pinkie Pie.
At this point, the only two left who need their own stories in this whole “marriage and motherhood” series would be Rarity and Rainbow Dash, and I’d definitely be interested to see what you do there.
Beginning to sense a pattern...
Wonderful story and makes my best story bookshelf
8220991 Just a minor one. Besides, in the Rainbow Dash shipping story I’m writing right now, it won’t end in a pregnancy.
I promise.
Loved this Georg but I'm still more fond of Ripple.
8220609
It's about time they had more ponies working that farm.
Managed to miss this one right through your posting cycle, so I got it all at once. Good stuff! Very enjoyable take on the Apples and all the reversals of who lied about what.
I'm a little confused about when the bulk of this story takes place - seemingly before "Viva Las Pegasus," unless I missed something. It was a great redemption story, though. I think Flim went through more changed as he told lie after lie and then lied about telling the truth, even to his own brother. And Apple Sprout is cute without being irksome. I have to think Mr. and Mrs. Cake had counter-spells put on Pumpkin's crib and other play areas after the events of "Baby Cakes."
8272316
That is, a cherry tree grows over a dead body, specifically a victim of murder.
8272329
Oh. Well thanks for telling me.
That was cute. Nice work!
I’m happy you closed up Flim’s love life :) cute story
This was really cute! I absolutely loved it!!! You did a great job with the characterization and developing the brothers & AJ's moral journey. I've also never seen a Flam x AJ fic before so this is really cool! Great job!