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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Step Three Is Always the Hardest
Looking back, the plan had been so very simple. Everything had been in place, from the beginning until the very end. The town seemed so willing to believe anything they’d tell them.
So what went wrong? Flam sighed as he leaned against the piano and stroked his mustache.
“Still down about being ran out of Baltimare?” asked Flim, as he walked up besides him.
“Everything was perfect, I tell you!” said Flam, as he got up and walked around to the keys of the piano.
“That’s true,” mused Flim, as he joined his brother and took a seat on the stool nearby.
Flam dejectedly hit a few random keys, and turned to face his brother. “So where did it go wrong?”
“Well, let’s go over the plan one last time, brother of mine. First step: Convince every pony that pianos are the key to becoming an alicorn,” started Flim.
The cardboard wings had been uncomfortable, but decorated with feathers and with an expert paint job, they looked as real as actual wings. No pony even bothered touching them, just looking at them was proof enough.
Of course, anypony who would actually want to touch his wings were probably too busy crowded along the piano, as his brother sang a song of how they learned that pianos could turn you into an alicorn.
“Right!” said Flam, as he stopped narrating his flashback. He jumped up on the piano and said, “And I must say, brother of mine, your singing was as excellent as ever.”
“Thank you, brother of mine,” replied Flim, as he played a quick reprisal of his song on the piano. “The next step was…” he waved his hoof in the air, as if trying to capture the escaped memory.
“Step Two: Sell everypony a piano, along with instructional pamphlet on how to use the music to become an alicorn,” Flam reminded his brother.
The ponies were lined up from one end of the plaza to the other, as they all bounced eagerly up and down. The Flim Flam Brothers' music had that effect on ponies. They were all in line to buy a piano, with the possibility of becoming an alicorn right in front of them.
Flam had to suppress his laughter as he looked out at all the ponies. “Oh, brother of mine, these ponies will buy anything, won’t they?”
Flim just nodded his head, as he kept handing out pamphlets to the ponies trotting up to his little booth and took the bits passed towards him.
Flam looked out of his booth, and saw several ponies struggling to carry a piano back with them.
“Just as I remember!” said Flim, as he listened to Flam narrate his flashback again.
“But after that…” said Flam, as he slumped back down on the piano.
“Yes, after that, we had step three: Escape with the profits before they figured out our trick.”
“Everypony! Don’t listen to them! They’re just a pair of con-ponies who trick innocent ponies like you all into buying faulty products ” yelled a purple pony princess aloft in the air, the one and only Twilight Sparkle.
“What do you mean by that, my princess friend?” asked Flim. “Did you yourself not become an alicorn through the power of music?”
“What?” asked Twilight, recoiling almost as if the words had hit her. “I remember there being lots of singing that day, but that cert- HEY! Get back here!” she yelled after the wagon driving off into the distance, the brothers inside.
“If only that stupid rock hadn’t been in the way…” muttered Flam as he stared longingly out of the barred windows of their room.
“Well, you know what they say, brother of mine,” said Flim, as he looked out of the window as well.
“What’s that, brother?” asked Flam.
“The best laid plans of yaks and equines often go awry,” replied Flim, as he trotted back to the seat, and started playing a tune.
“Hey, you two!” yelled a guard. “Your allotted time is almost up. The other inmates would like to use the music room as well you know," he said, pointing towards a clock hanging on the wall.
“Y- y- yes,” replied Flim. A few seconds later, the guard left, and Flim turned to his brother. “Ready?”
A nod, and Flam started to sing as Flim played. “Everypony let’s rock! Everypony in the block start dancing to the jailhouse rock.”
So what went wrong? Flam sighed as he leaned against the piano and stroked his mustache.
“Still down about being ran out of Baltimare?” asked Flim, as he walked up besides him.
“Everything was perfect, I tell you!” said Flam, as he got up and walked around to the keys of the piano.
“That’s true,” mused Flim, as he joined his brother and took a seat on the stool nearby.
Flam dejectedly hit a few random keys, and turned to face his brother. “So where did it go wrong?”
“Well, let’s go over the plan one last time, brother of mine. First step: Convince every pony that pianos are the key to becoming an alicorn,” started Flim.
The cardboard wings had been uncomfortable, but decorated with feathers and with an expert paint job, they looked as real as actual wings. No pony even bothered touching them, just looking at them was proof enough.
Of course, anypony who would actually want to touch his wings were probably too busy crowded along the piano, as his brother sang a song of how they learned that pianos could turn you into an alicorn.
“Right!” said Flam, as he stopped narrating his flashback. He jumped up on the piano and said, “And I must say, brother of mine, your singing was as excellent as ever.”
“Thank you, brother of mine,” replied Flim, as he played a quick reprisal of his song on the piano. “The next step was…” he waved his hoof in the air, as if trying to capture the escaped memory.
“Step Two: Sell everypony a piano, along with instructional pamphlet on how to use the music to become an alicorn,” Flam reminded his brother.
The ponies were lined up from one end of the plaza to the other, as they all bounced eagerly up and down. The Flim Flam Brothers' music had that effect on ponies. They were all in line to buy a piano, with the possibility of becoming an alicorn right in front of them.
Flam had to suppress his laughter as he looked out at all the ponies. “Oh, brother of mine, these ponies will buy anything, won’t they?”
Flim just nodded his head, as he kept handing out pamphlets to the ponies trotting up to his little booth and took the bits passed towards him.
Flam looked out of his booth, and saw several ponies struggling to carry a piano back with them.
“Just as I remember!” said Flim, as he listened to Flam narrate his flashback again.
“But after that…” said Flam, as he slumped back down on the piano.
“Yes, after that, we had step three: Escape with the profits before they figured out our trick.”
“Everypony! Don’t listen to them! They’re just a pair of con-ponies who trick innocent ponies like you all into buying faulty products ” yelled a purple pony princess aloft in the air, the one and only Twilight Sparkle.
“What do you mean by that, my princess friend?” asked Flim. “Did you yourself not become an alicorn through the power of music?”
“What?” asked Twilight, recoiling almost as if the words had hit her. “I remember there being lots of singing that day, but that cert- HEY! Get back here!” she yelled after the wagon driving off into the distance, the brothers inside.
“If only that stupid rock hadn’t been in the way…” muttered Flam as he stared longingly out of the barred windows of their room.
“Well, you know what they say, brother of mine,” said Flim, as he looked out of the window as well.
“What’s that, brother?” asked Flam.
“The best laid plans of yaks and equines often go awry,” replied Flim, as he trotted back to the seat, and started playing a tune.
“Hey, you two!” yelled a guard. “Your allotted time is almost up. The other inmates would like to use the music room as well you know," he said, pointing towards a clock hanging on the wall.
“Y- y- yes,” replied Flim. A few seconds later, the guard left, and Flim turned to his brother. “Ready?”
A nod, and Flam started to sing as Flim played. “Everypony let’s rock! Everypony in the block start dancing to the jailhouse rock.”