Six months after Applejack revealed the truth about the Flim Flam Miracle Curative Tonic, Silver Shill is back working with the twins... just not how he expected.
Flim and Flam have done it again. They've opposed Applejack. This time, they've built themselves a bed and breakfast smack bang in the middle of her farm. Applejack doesn't approve of this and goes to see them... only to discover that they are hiding a dark secret involving a pony she's seen before.
You already knew that, though. I mean, you're my diary. But this is my first ever entry, so I'm going to be straight with you.
I need help.
I know I'm being too hopeful about that. I know full well I'll never be able to escape. But I have even more hope that a miracle, a real one this time, will happen and save me from this horrible life I agreed to.
I didn't know it would be like this. About a year ago, I was just wandering about in Ponyville, visiting Sugarcube Corner, when I bumped into two unicorns, who said they needed somepony to do them a favour. I didn't decline, of course, because I had no idea what I was in for. They said their names were Flim and Flam, and they seemed nice enough. I stayed with them on their travels for a while, helping them sell some stupid drink that they claimed was a cure-all medicine. When the show came to Ponyville, the most famous town in all of Equestria besides the capital, I had no idea that it would change my life for the worse!
It started with a pony named Applejack. Her granny bought a lot of the tonic, and I stupidly blurted out just after she had tried to break the high dive record that the tonic was a fake, and the brothers left on their cart. I thought I'd seen the last of them, but I was so wrong.
It had been a couple of weeks since I'd encountered Applejack at the swimming pool, and I was still trying to recover from the whole thing. It turns out I took a wrong turn at Ponyville's town hall. I wasn't looking where I was going, as per usual, and this time I literally bumped into the twins. I can't remember what it was they said exactly, but it was something involving how I'd have to pay for betraying them at the sporting event and helping Applejack, who they told me that they hated. Ever since that day, I've been trapped within this metaphorical prison.
They said they'd pay me bits for it! They said I would be rewarded! They said plenty of things that they never did do. On that day, they told me that if I worked for them - for, not with - then they'd forgive me... but they never have! Almost every day, I receive kicks in the face from one or both of them, sometimes they trip me up and walk away laughing, or worse. I wish that I could tell somepony, but honesty might not be the best policy when it comes to this sort of thing.
Anyway, today's events involved me going to Sugarcube Corner. I do go there rather often, but I can only dream of the cakes and pies that they have there. They're never for me, despite the fact that I always have to buy them in ridiculously large quantities. If ever the Cakes ask me why I buy so much cake, and they notice my unnatural skinniness, then I always tell them I have a massive family and can't feed myself.
I doubt if Applejack saw me she'd recognise me. The same goes for the brothers. Whereas I'm getting skinnier by the day, they're becoming quite the opposite. But what can I say? If I had somepony who basically catered to my every need, I'd be kind of out of shape too. The thing is neither of them so much as thank me for anything I do. They don't even thank me for providing them with the essentials, not that they need them or anything. I mean, they eat so much every day it's like crazy. What they have in a day is more than what I had in a week.
Enough about them. This is about me. Every day, I dread the moment where my door handle glows green with magic or my name is shouted by one of them. I know I'll never finish the day's work unharmed, and that's really what breaks me.
I can hear hoofsteps, luckily only four. At least I'm a little lucky. Well, I'm going to have to hide you for a while.
***** Silver Shill frantically jammed his dusty book under the frayed armchair he slept on, hearing the steps get closer. He sat in the middle of the floor, acting innocent like he hadn't done anything. The handle on the door suddenly glowed a bright green, filling the earth pony with dread. Slowly, it turned downwards, and it opened a tiny crack.
"Hello? Anypony in?"
The voice was the higher-pitched of the two brothers. Silver Shill was going to pretend he wasn't present, but a part of him forced him to respond, "H-hello, Flim..."
The entire door opened, and without any further warning the light yellow unicorn practically burst in. He was wearing his usual outfit, despite the fact that it was getting a little too small.
"I suppose you came to ask me if something?" Silver asked.
"Why, of course!" Flim nodded. "You're needed downstairs."
Silver sighed, following the younger twin across the landing and to the elaborate spiral staircase. He was waved off, left to head downstairs alone and have Equestrian public see him.
"One last thing before you go..."
"What is it this time?"
Flim raised one of his front hooves and quickly jabbed it in Silver's face, cutting him both above his nose and giving him a nosebleed. The earth pony quickly left downstairs, holding back the tears nopony would ever see. Flim jokingly waved, opening the door to his and his brother's room with his magic and locking it tightly behind him.
Since the tonic mishap, the brothers had promised to 'reform' and had set up a bed and breakfast near Sweet Apple Acres without the permission of the family. This did annoy the Apples, and Applejack had decided something needed to be done.
Apple Bloom happily skipped towards the busy looking building, seeing happy ponies both around the building and in the small garden. She couldn't believe her sister when she said that such a lovely establishment should be taken down. Walking through the doors and going unnoticed, she jumped to get the attention of the receptionist.
"S'cuse me, Mr. Receptionist!" the filly yelled. She suspected she wouldn't be heard over the noise of everypony else - the place was packed - but he heard her.
"Hello there..." whispered the receptionist.
Apple Bloom looked up, frowning. "Y'all don't look too good." she noted, the scarred and bruised face of the somehow familiar pony looking down at her.
"Anyway..." - the receptionist tried to change the subject - "What brings you here, little filly?"
"I need to see the Flim Flam brothers!" she declared.
The earth pony receptionist gasped. "No! Absolutely not! You have no authority to-"
He was cut off by an angry Apple Bloom. "I'll have to go get my sister, then."
"Wait!" he protested, but the Crusader had already left.
Within seconds an orange pony came charging in, but upon seeing the receptionist she froze.
"Silver Shill? Why is your face all messed up? What're y'all doin' here?"
"I... um... uh... had to get a job, so I worked here, and, uh, I used to be a... member of the Royal Guard...?"
Applejack frowned. "Is there something y'all aren't tellin' me?"
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.
He couldn't sleep for a second, due to the ringing in his bitten ear and his painful legs and back. He had tried various positions on the tattered armchair he called a bed, but found no way to sleep.
Something was off about the atmosphere. Something was missing. Looking around the room, the bespectacled pony searched for an answer to his problem. However, all was the same. The dusty journal was lying on the floor next to the worn quill, the cobwebs in the corner were all in place.
The supposed missing thing wasn't in this room. He had to go and search for an answer. He knew if he didn't find out what was wrong, it'd bug him all morning and he'd never be able to so much as shut his eyes.
Gently pushing open the door, the earth pony trotted silently down the corridor, cautiously peeking through every open door. One door was open just a tiny crack, whereas it was usually shut. He decided if anything was missing it would be from this room.
The word "private" was scratched into the heavy wooden door. Even he wasn't allowed in. It must have been a safe room, or something along those lines. Maybe somepony stole all of the bits? Surely they'd blame him if they noticed any were missing. Silver decided to be the hero, and inhaled deeply before making his way towards it.
The anxious pony clasped his teeth firmly around the gold-coloured handle. His mind filled with dread as he wondered if anything had been stolen.
The strong smell of sugar hit Silver Shill in the face as he pulled back the handle. The floor was a mess of crumbs, icing, and mashed up bits of cake. Hoofprints were clearly present in the mess of cake, and they lead up to the large table.
Sat at said table were the two unicorns he feared so much. Both of them were cramming large, messy chunks of cake and pie into their mouths, their faces adorned with sticky icing. Flim was drinking a thick chocolate milkshake, and half of it missed his mouth and dribbled down his chin like a small, chocolatey waterfall. Flam was levitating at least three slices of pie near his face, bringing one to his mouth and shoving it all in at once. Their chairs were pushed slightly away from the table to make room for their now even more enlarged stomachs.
Silver Shill was about to gasp at the somewhat horrifying sight, before he realised they didn't know he was there. He tried to remain silent and breathed deeply, knowing something terrible was bound to happen if he was caught. Realising his breaths were a little too loud, he simply stopped and stared at the twins. He was shaking with fear, and he had good reason to.
Finishing his third cream puff, Flim leant back on his chair in a similar way to his brother before grinning with satisfaction and using his magic to pick up yet another. Without hesitation, he put the entire thing into his mouth, cream oozing out of it and forming a white ring around his mouth. Licking it off, he used his magic to pass it to Flam, who soon picked it up and placed it on the table without so much as moving a muscle.
Thinking maybe the door was emblazoned with "private" for a good reason, Silver Shill was just about to turn and leave when an all-too familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Why is HE here?"
I'm going to die. the earth pony thought. This is it.
"Were you..." Flim eyed him suspiciously from the table, still not pausing in his eating.
"Spying on us?" his brother finished.
Trying to remain calm, Silver shook his head.
That proved useless, as neither believed him. He was in deep trouble now.
"Come here." they said in unison.
Not daring to run - he was pretty sure they knew the teleportation spell - the earth pony could only follow the instructions he was given. He carefully made his way across the floor, hooves squelching in the sugary mixture.
"Ponies who spy on us," said Flim in a muffled tone due to the fact that his mouth was completely full,
"Are punished accordingly."
Silver Shill could do nothing. He just stood there, his eyes darting from one pony to another behind his thick, oversized glasses.
A green glow formed around Flam's horn. Expectant of the magic to pick him up, Silver braced himself. Surprisingly, this was not the case. Instead, a bottle of whipped cream levitated in front of him.
"W-what is that for?"
"This, my dear friend," Flam began with an evil smirk,
"Is your punishment."
Silver was confused at the least. Whipped cream was nice as far as he was concerned.
"I don't get it." he muttered, looking at his hooves.
"Nopony does."
"Let's just do it, shall we, brother?"
"Indeed we should."
Their horns flashed a light green and they disappeared for a few seconds. Suddenly, a pair of hooves grabbed Silver Shill from behind, pulling him downwards and twisting his back sharply. His hooves were pinned down by his sides, and expecting his head to smack into the floor was very surprised when it collided with something soft and warm. He realised he was lying on top of Flam. He kicked weakly with his back legs, before Flim appeared suddenly directly on top of him, pinning his struggling legs beneath his tremendous weight.
A teleportation spell. Of course.
"Prepare for your worst nightmare to come true!" the younger pony said. Magic removed his glasses and levitated the can of cream directly in front of the helpless white stallion. He screamed, thinking it was going to suffocate him, but it purposefully missed his mouth and eyes.
His vision blurred, Silver could only make out the faint outline of a grinning yellow unicorn.
"Excuse me, Silver Shill, but you have some food on your face."
"Wasting it would be a crying shame."
With that said, Flim shuffled upwards slightly and without warning, ate a bit of the cream directly off of Silver's face, not heeding his filthy coat. In doing so, his teeth caught on a particularly nasty cut and opened it, staining some of the cream nearby a deep pink. Flam, unable to reach the earth pony's head from his position - trying to reach him would have lead to the white pony being near suffocated - just picked up large globs of cream with his magic.
After about ten long, painful minutes, Silver's face was absolutely ravaged. Small bits of uneaten cream stuck to his face and his white fur was stained red with blood. Flim was still eagerly lapping up the cream, the final bit being taken between his teeth along with a large chunk of Silver's face. The earth pony cried out in pain, but the yellow unicorn seemed deaf to everything at that moment. He pulled backwards, a dreadful ripping sound making tears run steadily down what was left of Silver's cheeks.
Finally the teeth released their grip, a bloody and mauled chunk of flesh with a coating of cream disappearing down Flim's throat, never to be seen again. Gasping for breath, Silver had run out of tears to cry and could only make choking cries.
"What's the matter?" Flam mocked. The earth pony could only wish that he cared. He let go of the pained pony, allowing him to cover the gaping red hole with his hoof. His coarse coat was slick and red, but it somehow brought a tiny amount of comfort to him.
"What a silly pony, seeking attention like that. He's such a crybaby."
Accidentally proving Flim's point, Silver Shill rolled over and buried his bloodied face in Flam's soft, fuzzy fur. He was still sobbing.
"How pathetic."
Flim just nodded, both tired and pleasured from the excessive eating. He rolled over and sighed happily. His left hoof absent-mindedly rubbed his full, round stomach, smearing it with a dark pink mixture made up of cream and blood. An awkward silence soon arose, save from Silver's constant wailing.
Flam broke said silence.
"You know what, brother of mine?"
"What?" Flim asked, for once not knowing what his brother was going to say. As he wondered, he realised what his left hoof was doing and quickly dropped it back down on the floor. Flam laughed, having been watching the whole time. Flim blushed slightly.
"Just tell me." he said, shaking his head.
"I have a hankering for some red velvet cake."
"So do I!"
"Silver Shill!" they both shouted.
"I'm right here..." he wept.
"Go to Sugarcube Corner and buy lots of red velvet cake! Now!" Flam ordered, pushing the pony away. He could barely stand due to the unbearable pain everywhere. Before they could say anything else, he'd limped out the door.
