• Member Since 18th Dec, 2011
  • offline last seen Jun 9th, 2016

KFDirector


T
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Flim, of the world-famous Flimflam brothers, has just been paroled from the dungeon. Reunited with his brother, Flam, and their old friend, Trixie, they have learned that their childhood home is in imminent danger. Compelled by one or more of the Royal Pony Sisters to raise an honest fifty thousand bits in just a few days, and without the aid of the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, can they indeed redeem themselves?

High-speed carriage chases, musical numbers (both random and planned), rap battles, widespread property damage, consumption of intoxicating and/or hallucinogenic substances, arson, and generalized disturbances of the peace may all turn out to be necessary.

Not MERELY a Blues Brothers fusion. In my opinion. However, the pre-reading board of Equestria Daily disagrees in the strongest possible terms. They do, however, admit that it is "not poorly written."

Use of image generously permitted by theWalterX - check him out at deviantart!

Chapters (11)
Comments ( 65 )

I can't wait to see where this goes...Flim, Flam, and (hopefully) Trixie, trying to save their childhood home. This has a lot of potential. :pinkiehappy:

You know, I say this about a half-dozen times on this site:

Just when you think you've seen everything.

Keep up the good work! :raritywink:

And "We're on a mission from Goddess" would be appropriate somewhere along the line.

You have my attention.

Thank you all for your comments and favorites so far.

Rated T for Teen, because Flim and Flam are terrible role models.

When I first heard they were attending the opera, I half expected something like this to happen.

Anyway, this is a truly epic comedy, and I eagerly await the next installment.

1229592

Marx Brothers and Blues Brothers? No, I'm afraid I just didn't have the guts - the world is not yet ready for that kind of fused awesomeness.

Yet.

If no one else will do it, then just give me a little more time.

This chapter representing just a wee bit more of a departure from the primary source material, because, as I said, this is not entirely a Blues Brothers fusion.

Rated T for Teen, because of alcohol references, implied involuntary usage of hallucinogenic substances, and implied snuggling.

That's right, snuggling.

Oh yeah. I'm edgy. I go there!

Now that IRON WILL has joined the team, success is certain! Makes me wonder who else they're going to pick up though.

So i just ran across and read this and... well. I think i have to hate you right now because my smile muscles hurt like hell on account of having been given no respite whatsoever throughout the reading of this fic.

The Blues Brothers are The Flim Flam Brothers....seems legit...

Rated T for Teen, because even implied Aretha Franklin runs the risk of being too much woman for many pre-teens.

1245382

You don't have the Blues Brothers without the Blues Brothers Band, or a supporting cast, opposed and allied, of wacky, big-name characters - even though we know whose story it is, first and foremost (hint: they're the ones in the major character listing).

1249487

I normally don't say this, even on the internet, but in this case I suppose I must:
Your hatred pleases me.

1250554

You utter, utter *yay*. My jaw was just getting over the first three chapters when I saw this one had appeared! Now it may never return to a non-grinning state.

Oh dear, I can't even begin to point out all the things I love about this. I'm surprised Pinkie wasn't at Burning Mare. It seems like that would be the place for her and her antics. And I keep cracking up at how Midwestern Pearl is, seeing as I am surrounded by people who talk like that.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to how they behave in Octavia's restaurant.

1250550
Totes legit, brony. Totes.

1250643
Yes...ye~es...let the anger at your own joy flow through you....

1252934
Pinkie Pie was boycotting Burning Mare this year because of a perceived increase in commercialism. Give it another year, though, and the playa will call her back. Assuming she doesn't get swing by Las Pegasus for some Fear and Loathing first.

Rated T for Teen, because ponified profanity really isn't fooling anybrony.

:trixieshiftleft: "HOW MUCH FOR THE LITTLE GIRL? YOUR WOMEN, I WANT TO BUY YOUR DAUGHTERS. SELL THEM TO ME."

God, I love that movie. That was a brilliant twist on the original scene. I can't wait to see what happens at Dodge, presumably home to the pony equivalent Bob's Country Bunker.

Rated T for Teen, because children 12 and under haven't done enough wrong in their lives yet to deserve being subjected to my attempts at lyrics.

Another shorter chapter - which was a welcome relief for me at least, because we're getting to the home stretch now, and anyone who's both familiar with the movie and has been following along in this story knows that there are a lot of dominoes to fall in the final chapters.

Country and Dubstep? Whatever happened to Country AND Western? Another great chapter, as usual. And that Cool, clear, water song? I know of it. I can't listen to it without getting thirsty.

And that rap was EPIC. You should see if you can get that made into an ERBOP. (Epic Rap Battles Of Ponies.)

And so now Vinyl's after them with her Bass Canon? Silly DJ, annoying electronic screeching is powerless before the might of the rockin' blues of the FlimFlam Brothers Band.

Cleaned up the text again with a round of editing in anticipation of a submission to EqD. Assuming it someday makes it through the queue, everyone who's already read, and enjoyed, liked, watched, followed, Favorited, or commented this now has +1 hipster cred, if they should choose to claim it. (I'll understand if you don't.)

1330599
After careful consideration of the kind of clubs Vinyl Scratch would be caught dead at, I'm afraid I couldn't resist replacing one of the best lines of the movie with a cheap hipster joke. I envision C&Dubstep (also pronounceable as C&Dub, or even C&Wub) as being something like the Rednex (of Cotton-Eye Joe fame) discography with a lot more synth and bass, but out of sheer curiosity, I invite correction from more knowledgeable or creative parties.

And, well, yes, the rap battle was created after first marathoning every other ERBOP and ERBOH I could find on Youtube, and it was VERY hard not to write the rest of the dialogue in the chapter in the same style. I'm not sure how I could go about having it made into an ERBOP, but perhaps an opportunity will present itself.

Rated T for Teen, because a detailed explanation of why I can't really use Minnie the Moocher is also rated T for Teen.

Less epic than any previous chapter, the last calm before the final act - though the final act will be more than one chapter. All the pieces are, one way or another, now in play. All that awaits is the awesome. Look for it later this week.

I await the oncoming storm of excrement hitting the high-speed air moving device with great and powerful excitement.

That is all.

I like Luna's oldification of Cab's speech to the children. The suspense is building up, and I was listening to Minnie the Moocher for the latter half of the chapter. I never heard of the song 'Respect', but given how awesome the rest of the story is, I expect it to be epic.

Rated T for Teen, because what Wild Fire whispered was just that powerful, that even if I don't print it, it drags up the rating of the whole work.

Everything that's left goes into one big grand chapter - except for the epilogue stuff. Anyway, you shouldn't have to wait too long for any of it, because I've been as excited to write it as at least some of you are to read it.

1350565

October 10th? What happens on October - oh. Aw, shucks.

I now have this mental image of Flam's mustache doing what, in the old Rescue Rangers cartoons, Monterey Jack's mustache would do in the presence of cheese.
Poor Twilight. She's just shifted mental gears without a clutch and look what has happened!
Also... isn't all Vinyl's stolen gear kind of... still with the band? Which she is ignoring in favor of chasing the brothers? That can't end well for her.

Aw, I was hoping for Trixie to tag along with them. Oh well. Given how this doesn't exactly follow the film, they may meet her again halfway there. (Iron Will and his Omnibus Team, To the rescue!)

Anyway, I can't wait to see how they evade capture by all the enemies they've made. (Though I have a feeling there's going to be a stampede in the near future.) :raritywink:

Rated T for Teen, because if an eight-year-old reads this and decides to seek out and watch the theatrical (R-rated) cut, I'm totally not responsible. Even if I was seven the first time I watched it.

And BOOM. That's it, folks. Flim and Flam Save an Orphanage - with a little help from all their friends.

This may be the end of the story, but while there's a bit of a sequel hook, rest assured, I won't be trying to make a sequel to the Blues Brothers - which no one ever should have done, ever, at least not once John Belushi died.

Where my warped version of Equestria goes from here, I can't be certain; but listening to the readership hasn't done me wrong so far, so maybe someone else has a notion I might just be able to use. Anyone who's compared this story to my other one on the site can guess that I have a lot easier hand at writing comedy than I do...uh...whatever genre that other story is (aside from kinda-dark, occasionally-actiony, at times gallows-humorous, sorta-angsty, gray-and-gray alternate history), so I'm more likely to follow up on this line than that one anytime soon.

EqD hasn't gotten back to me, so you all get an extra +1 Hipster Cred for seeing this through.

1363246
That's a very good mental image. I think it can be made to work. Fanart, anybody? It's beyond my skills.

Aaaaand that last line of Twilights had me imagining her all crazy-face again...

So yeah. This fic has been a fun read, one that had me laughing on numerous occasions - good job!

Good end, man, good end.

Excellent again. I think EQD is still backed up with the whole pony writing month, (you're not the only one).
Good luck with them, personally I'd be putting this straight into the vault and its on my recommended reading list.

I listened to Sweet Home Chicago while reading the second-to-last chapter. I must say it fit perfectly.
Nice to see the band get acquitted. I wonder if they can go on tour while they're still parole.
'Twas a most excellent story...I'm sad to see it end...

See the fic too derivative to ever be considered!
Read the story so unoriginal your time would be better served by just watching the movie!
Shake your head disgustedly at mere copy-paste antics!
...
I kid, I kid. I've been writing in various media for a while now, and it's always good to have one more rejection notice for the pile. Always instructive. This one particularly so.

I'm glad you all enjoyed this, and hopefully I'll have something up in the near future which won't be too disappointing.

WONDERFUL stuff, KFD!

I followed Mr. Grimm here - he left a trail of blood and breadcrumbs - and I couldn't BE more delighted! I understand how the idea of a Flim & Flam/Blues Brothers crossover makes rudimentary sense, but the execution would have to be BRILLIANT.

... and it is! Oh yeah, I'm hooked. HOOKED!

1214959 - Thanks for recommending this on your user page! IT ROCKS!

:pinkiehappy:

This is, by a not-inconsiderable margin, the most fun I've had with a vaguely-semi-crossover-type tale since I abandoned my dream of hooking up Anna Corralnina with old moneybags Count Vronsteed.

On the other hoof, this also reveals that I'm following Twifight Sparkill around like a lost Pound Puppy.

So I read this story and have to ponder why EqD didn't accept it - lofty online goal, getting a featured fic. Last year this would have topped the charts, yet now it's such an elitist trend. I say that bitterly, because my stories suck.

I'm just thankful I got to read it AND recommend it to all my following FIMFiction friends - thank you again KFDirector, you're pretty goddamn wicked.

1512395

Why would you ever give up on such a great ambition? We need more Tolstoy Pony! But don't look to me for it. Solzhenitsyn Pony, maybe.

1512395>>1497216
Glad you both have enjoyed it so much!

I attempted to strike a certain balance between originality and faithfulness to the source material. The pre-reader at EqD felt, very strongly, that I strayed too far in the latter direction.

But that need not stop other people from enjoying it. Keep spreading the word.

You've just shown why Trixie is best pony. She's the source of a lot of zany adventures. Which is why she's my favorite. And that's saying something, because I usually don't play favorites.

But I'm certain that in this alternate universe, Flim and Flam would break her out all the same.

Yeah.

Obviously, Trixie should be included, because the Trixieless version is boring as hell.

All as it was meant to be.

Indeed, the real alternate story would be Flim and Flam ignoring the orphanage entirely in the name of rescuing Trixie - but that's a much longer adventure and a separate tale to tell.

2270156

Cabbage guy never catches a break. That's not even me; that's just the fundamental laws of nature.

2274956

See: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whoa First definition.
See also: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/whoa

ALL NAMES ARE HORSE PUNS.

ALL OF THEM.

Unless, you know, they appeared in the show.

Oh my grand and glorious Celestia. I don't even know where to start.

All right, maybe I should start with how I found this story. You see, I've got a reasonably fleshed-out idea for a Muppet Show crossover, and I figured, 'well, if I'm in the "crossovers with things made of pure awesome" business anyway, why not do a Blues Brothers crossover too?' So I jotted down some rough ideas, but before I developed it any further, I wanted to check if it hadn't been done already.

It had. A site search for "blues brothers" turned up this story. 'Oh, this is almost exactly what I was planning,' I thought. 'Better throw out that idea.'

But it wasn't.

This story is a hundred times more awesome than anything I could have planned, and I'm glad you wrote it before I got a chance to try my hand at it. Because what I had in mind was mostly a straight-up ponified version of the Blues Brothers story, and it's exactly the fact that you didn't write it that way that makes this story so awesome. You actually wrote your own story to blend in with the classic tale of Elwood and Jake, putting the scenes we know and love in a fresh new context, and adding in just that little bit of uncertainty as to what's going to happen next. This keeps it all original and interesting, so much more so than 'merely a Blues Brothers fusion' could ever be.

The characterisation is excellent as well; I particularly loved Iron Will. And don't even get me started on all the delicious extra touches - the shipteasing between Trixie and the brothers, the little tie-ins with canon and fanon, the HILARIOUS brick joke with the "Apiary" - that truly round out an awesome comedy.

But one of the best parts, of course, was the musical accompaniment. I don't often read while listening to music, and when I do, I always feel a little guilty about it, doubting if I can really concentrate on the story that way. But this story is actually enhanced by music. Hell, listening to the Blues Brothers soundtrack while reading this is practically required in order to fully appreciate it. So I quickly cooked up a playlist of songs from the movie - including songs like Soothe Me, Boom Boom and I'm Walkin' which were in the movie but not on the soundtrack album - and let it run. I only broke away from it briefly in Chapter 6, blasting Ghost Riders in the Sky while they were singing its pony equivalent, and Rap is a Man's Soul a.k.a. "ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH" for the rap battle. (I also considered Won't Get Fooled Again for the sudden storm of cheese-related puns, but that was way too long for that scene). I got through Sweet Home Chicago thrice during the big chase scene at the end.

So yeah... a great comedy with strong characters, lots of hilarious gags, and a gripping plot, and I get to listen to the Blues Brothers soundtrack while reading it? You, sir, win the internet. Have 10 out of 10 moustaches. :moustache::moustache::moustache::moustache::moustache::moustache::moustache::moustache::moustache::moustache: Have all of my upvotes. Have the top spot in the "Featured Stories: Comedy" box on my user page. Hell, have free beer if you ever come near my hometown. You've well and truly made my day.

P.S.: Equestria Daily has terrible taste if they rejected this! :flutterrage: Well, at least if when "Treasures of the Everfree" gets rejected, the fact that something as awesome as this didn't even make the cut will offer me some consolation.

2452481

I say from direct experience that it can take a man a couple of days to come down off of the high of getting a review like this. Being able to entertain other people with writing is one of my joys in life, and I'm thrilled that this did so to such an extent for you.

Meanwhile, the idea of a Muppet Show crossover cannot fail to fascinate and bewitch. Please pursue this.

As for EQD - while I have a positive opinion of my own work here, I will freely admit that if one read, say, the first chapter, one ought to be forgiven for thinking that it's going to be nothing but a ponified copy-paste of the script. Had the rejection not been permanent and worded the way it was, I would have revised the early parts of the story substantially to make the differences more clear. Ah well - I don't even know if that would have made a difference to the pre-reader. Life goes on, and the people who find this fic, perhaps led by the Favorites list of others, can continue to hopefully enjoy it as much as you did!

This is one of my favorite stories I've read on the site. It takes one of my favorite movies, makes it a pony story (Both without just ripping off the original, and keeping it close enough so that you can clearly see that it's based off the Blues Brothers) and has this wonderful slow buildup of comedy that isn't blatantly parodying anything, but is subtle enough so that when a joke from the beginning comes back to bite them in the ass, it's even funnier. And when that buildup starts making jokes that are just plain hilarious, it makes me crack right up. I admit, I'd been giggling throughout most of the entirety of the story, and finally lost it for a couple of minutes at the "Infinite Road Rash" bit. All of the story after that? The fact that after making me laugh that hard, it kept going and doing more of the same? It made it all the better.
This has earned it's spot in my favorites, on my userpage, everywhere! Because it is criminal that a story this good should get cock-blocked by EQD. Good work, sir, and keep writing, as you're damned good at it.
I can't wait to read the sequel!

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