Vault: MLP One-Shot Collection

Equestria Girls: No Strings Attached

A few weeks after the grand finale in the Battle of the Bands, Applejack is still simmering over the incident in 'A Case for the Bass' every time she passes the Flim Flam Brothers' Everything under the sun Emporium. She knew she couldn't let them get away with not only trying to con her out of $2,000 for her bass, but also for forcing her to wear a banana suit in public as payment for her instrument. But, the farm girl didn't know what to do to teach those conniving brothers a lesson. That all changed one Sunday afternoon during a walk through town with her friends Fluttershy and Casey Knight. What did they come up with to get back at Flim and Flam? Read and find out!

(Canterlot City, June)

It was a relaxing Summer day in Canterlot City, California. The brilliant sun beat down upon the citizens of the city, blanketing them with an 85 degree day without a cloud in sight. Since it was a Sunday, the town was alive with people buying milkshakes or lemonade to cool them off or heading to the public pool with their families. The students of the local high school took advantage of the beautiful day, still relishing the few weeks they'd been off from school and looking forward to the remaining months of freedom. Two of them in particular had just exited the animal shelter, having spent the morning volunteering their time to clean the cages of various animals or to just give them a few hours of someone to play with.

One half of the pair was a yellow skinned girl with thick, flowing pink hair that had a butterfly hairpiece tucked into the side. Her outfit consisted of a white tank top, a pair of green boots and a green skirt with butterfly logos. And she had the kindest eyes that made it difficult for most people to say no to her if she asked for help or asked them if she could help. "Thanks again for letting us volunteer, Mrs. Fauna!" She waved cheerily back inside the animal shelter, throwing a strap from a backpack over her back.

"The animals love you, Fluttershy!" The woman called back, "please return at any time!" the owner of the shelter replied from her desk as the sounds of barking animals and meowing cats were muffled behind the closing door. The second half of the pair, a grey skinned British male with a jet black mullet, blue jeans, converse sneakers and a Union Jack tank top couldn't help but grin at how giddy his friend got around animals. "With your help, they'll still be there tomorrow Fluttershy, or hopefully they'll get adopted," the boy awaited Fluttershy to catch up so they could stroll through town, thinking of something to do.

"I know it's good for them when they find a loving home, but I always miss some of the pets I grow attached to," she said gloomily. A soft breeze blew across the street they had begun journeying down, cooling their skin of the mugginess they were stuck in inside the shelter. "I'm also glad you could come and help, Casey," Fluttershy added, quickly nuzzling him on the shoulder.

"Always glad to spend time with ya, Flutters," Casey responded, grabbing her around the shoulders for a hug before continuing to walk down the street. "And don't worry, you're not just some backup when Vinyl's gone," he assured her, putting an earbud into his left ear.

"Oh, I know," Fluttershy smiled, "how is Vinyl's show in Los Angeles?"

"Last she texted me, everything was going good," he responded. "She's met some really nice people and has made bank on tips," he added before taking another look back at the animal shelter that was growing smaller with each step they took. Fluttershy was about to ask him another question before noticing where he was looking.

"Do you miss them already too?" She giggled, "we can go back anytime, you know that," Fluttershy slowed her pace alongside Casey as a few more street walkers walked past them. The Brit just shook his head before looking up at his friend.

"Just a little glad to get out of there, Flutters," Casey ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh of relief. Fluttershy did a double take and gasped. Casey seemed to enjoy his time helping her with the lonely animals; he didn't look as if he was acting like he was having fun.

"I thought you liked animals, especially dogs?" Fluttershy asked as the duo stopped at a streetlight. A few cars honked and rolled on by loudly, forcing Casey to hold back until it was quiet enough for Fluttershy to hear.

"Yeah, I do, but I swear that doberman was out to get me when you weren't in the room," the Brit shuddered, impatiently tapping his foot for the crosswalk sign to turn green. Fluttershy couldn't help but laugh at Casey's statement, placing a hand atop his shoulder.

"Aw, Sprinkles is a real sweetheart, Casey. You just gotta let them know you're their friend," the sweet girl smiled at the guitarist. Finally, the sign turned green, granting the two permission to cross.

"Who names a doberman Sprinkles? And at any rate, I could see in his eyes he was planning on turning me into the next Rick Allen to use my arm as a chew toy; I'd like to keep BOTH of my arms, thank you very much," he argued, jamming his hands into his pocket to grab his cell phone once they crossed the street to another sidewalk.

"I know, you want to keep playing the guitar," Fluttershy teasingly rolled her eyes.

"Guitar? Yeah, there's that, but I meant for cuddling with Vinyl," Casey selected a song on his phone and adjusted the ear bud in his ear. "Anyway," he continued, "anyone else doing anything today?" he asked. The animal enthusiast folded one arm across her chest to support her other arm to scratch under chin, helping her think. "I mean, Rarity drug Sweetie Belle to San Francisco for shopping, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo are watching the X-Games all day and Applebloom went with Granny Smith to visit her cousin Braeburn in Vallejo," Casey counted off what the rest of his bandmates were preoccupied with that day.

"Well, that takes care of Rainbow Dash and Rarity," Fluttershy pondered. "I know Sunset was offered to go to the spa with Lyra and Bon Bon, and I don't think Twilight is coming back from Equestria anytime soon," she continued as they rounded a corner. "And Pinkie Pie is in DisneyLand, lucky duck."

"Heard anything from Applejack then?" Casey turned to look at his friend. Fluttershy dug into her backpack to retrieve her phone before Casey stopped her. "Speaking of which," he chuckled, "hey Applejack!" he greeted an orange teenager with long blonde hair, a cowgirl hat, brown cowgirl boots with a logo of three apples on each boot, a jean skirt with a brown belt and a red and green button up shirt. Up ahead, the girl in question waved to the duo, holding down her hat as she jogged towards them. She had weave her way through a few others on the sidewalk on her way over.

"What a nice coincidence," Fluttershy inserted her phone back into her backpack and hung it onto her shoulders.

"Howdy ya two," Applejack greeted, lowering her hand from her hat. A few droplets of sweat formed on her forehead from her run in the heat as waved to her friends. "Volunteerin' at the shelter again, Fluttershy?"

"Yep, Casey and I just got done and were looking for someone else to hang out with," she explained, "and it's too nice of a day to spend playing Super Nintendo games, sorry Casey," Fluttershy apologized. Casey grinned and hit pause on his phone.

"Yeah I get that, Flutters. We always have spare time for that anyways," he patted her shoulder before looking back at Applejack. "Say, I know you probably just came from home, Applejack, but if you're not doing anything else, how about we go swimming at your pond?" he suggested. Applejack's irises shrank and she bit her lower lip, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah, that can't work out," she rubbed her shoulder. The three stood in silence, acting like a large road hazard that other people were forced to maneuver around on the sidewalk.

"Something the matter, Applejack?" Fluttershy

"You and Big Mac get into another fight over Applebloom dating again?" Casey smirked, moving out of the way of a tourist with a huge map. Applejack breathed through her nose, removing her hand from her arm.

"Naw, Big Mac's over that since he 'officially' met Featherweight when school ended," Applejack replied.

"Well, what's wrong then?" Casey scratched his ear. "I mean, it's really freakin' hot today; I figured we could cool off," he repeated. Fluttershy shrugged when Casey looked over at her for a possible explanation. Applejack usually didn't seem so worried like this; it was a little strange to the Brit.

"Ah decided ta give Big Mac the pond fer today since Granny Smith 'n Applebloom are gone," Applejack delineated. "especially since he invited Cheerilee over fer swimmin' today," she added.

"But we like your brother and Ms. Cheerilee," Fluttershy countered, "I don't mind joining them, do you, Casey?" She motioned to the boy standing next to her. Casey shook his head back and forth, his mullet bobbing and copying the motions.

"They're uh, they're swimmin' au naturale," Applejack coughed into her fist. Fluttershy's face went from yellow to bright red while Casey nodded his head with pursed lips, looking elsewhere. "Eeyup, Ah had no choice," AJ forced a chuckled from her mouth.

"And we're walking," Casey politely placed his hand on the small of Applejack's back, gently encouraging both her and Fluttershy to walk and change the subject. Thankfully, the two girls caught on and resumed walking. "Anyway, did you have any plans, AJ? Or did you come to town to get away from the farm?" He asked, walking in between them.

"Actually, a little 'o both. After findin' out about, that, Ah was just gonna go see what Ivan was up ta," she explained, spreading a smile across her face. However, Casey had a smile of his own. Having done this with the Crusaders, Casey couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a little teasing amongst friends.

"Oh, Mr. Ivan huh?" his knuckles lightly tapped on Applejack's shoulders. "things still going good between you two, AJ?" He asked, giving her a cheesy smile. "How numb do your lips get after you see him?" Casey added, sticking his tongue out at the farmer.

"Shut yer mouth, mister," Applejack tried to sound intimidating, but wound up sounding flustered, "we've only been together a few weeks," she attempted to argue before Fluttershy spoke.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Applejack," Fluttershy assured her friend, "being able to share your life with someone else in a romantic manner is beautiful, right Casey?" she asked.

"Embarrassin' only counts if someone talks ta me about it like him," AJ jabbed her thumb towards Casey. "Ah like Ivan, he's a sweet guy that's hard workin' 'n can take care 'o himself, what's not ta like about him?" she threw her arms in the air. She signed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "at least yer not as annoyin' as Rarity about this," she admitted as the three rounded a corner.

"So then, do you want us to walk with you to Ivan's?" Fluttershy offered, "you know, if it's okay with you," she added. However, neither Casey nor Fluttershy got a response out of the cowgirl as they continued down the street. Her silence was like someone accidentally bumping the mute button on a remote. Her face began to scowl, eyebrows furrowing as her nostrils flared. "Applejack, are you okay?" The meek girl worriedly asked.

"Did you get a pebble in your boot?" Casey checked out her brown cowgirl boots. He was well aware that that couldn't be the case; he was just trying to make conversation out of the awkward silence. Applejack replied to both Fluttershy and Casey with a curt grunt, not turning to look at either of them. "Come on," Casey implored, "what's wrong, mate?" he asked, getting in front of Applejack and walking backwards.

"Oh, that's why," Fluttershy commented as the trio approached the entrance to a particular store. Applejack tried to pick up the pace, but was stopped when Casey paused in front of her.

"What?" Casey questioned, starting to sound a little impatient. The Brit turned around and looked up to see a sign that read: The Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium. Casey had never set foot inside the pawn shop, but he recalled the story that Fluttershy told him concerning the proprietors of the establishment trying to con Applejack out of $2,000 dollars for her own bass which was sold by her grandmother by mistake. "Oh, you're not still mad about the banana suit fiasco, are you, Applejack?" he inquired. Suddenly, the door to the knick-knack store flung open with the ringing of a bell to reveal none other than the Flim Flam brothers with their smug grins.

"Well, well, well," the mustachioed brother greeted, "if it isn't our favorite advertising mascot and a few of her friends," he chuckled.

"Too right, Flam," the twin agreed, "what was your name again missy?" He appeared behind Applejack, leaning against her shoulder with his elbow, "Kumquatjack, Kiwijack, Grapefruitjack?" He gave off a cheesy grin to the orange girl.

"Her name is Applejack, you know that, um, sirs," Fluttershy attempted to sound tough, but her kind persona wouldn't allow for that.

"How could you forget her name, Flim?" Flam twirled his mustache from the doorway. "Perhaps because she looked better in, yellow?" He snickered, holding up the banana suit that AJ was forced to wear to collect her bass. Applejack growled and whirled away from the twins, attempting to stomp away before all three teens were whisked into the pawn shop.

"Hey!" Casey exclaimed, "we didn't come to town looking to buy junk," he insulted Flim and Flam. The owners of the shop jumped up from behind the counter with their song and dance faces ready to go. Flam leaned forward on his elbows, getting uncomfortably close to Fluttershy.

"So, what'll it be, little miss?" He asked, pulling up a few random items from the shelf behind the counter. "Battery operated battery charger, unopened Pepsi-Cola bottle from the 1950s that's still good for drinkin'? He placed the items on the counter, "How about the complete guide to dissecting cute little animals, only $9.95?" Flam wiggled the book in front of Fluttershy.

"GAH!" Fluttershy squealed and hid her eyes from the book.

"Too intense for you, huh?" Flim twirled a cap in the air that landed perfectly atop his head. "How about a photo of Sean Connery from his 007 days signed by Roger Moore?" A framed picture appeared in his hand.

"What the heck is that even for?" Casey asked, studying the picture. "I'll bet that's fake," he added folding his arms.

"We can assure you, young man, that every autographed 007 item in our emporium is 100% legitimate," Flim whisked the picture back behind the counter. "And considering that that is the only autographed piece of 007 memorabilia we have, that statement is true," he coughed and spoke quickly. "We do have other autographed items, such as sporting equipment, cads hats, name it if you'd like." Casey rolled his eyes and looked over at Fluttershy who was still shaking from seeing the animal book. Applejack just had an angry look carved into her face.

"Hmm, you're British, are you not?" Flam studied Casey, scratching at his chin.

"What gave it away? My accent or my shirt, Sherlock?" The Brit sneered, glowering at the two brothers.

"I heard a yes, brother," Flim nudged Flam in the ribs with his elbow. "Hmm, the mullet, the UJ tank top, the converse sneakers, you're a musician are you not?" the con artist snapped his fingers. Casey's only response was a bored yawn, but that was acceptable enough for Flim and Flam. "Wait here just a second; don't go anywhere," Flim requested as he slinked over and blocked the exit with a few boxes.

"Ah'd like a brand spankin' new WAY TA LEAVE!" Applejack shouted at Flam who was still sitting behind the counter.

"Sorry missy, fresh out of that," he smugly winked at her. Applejack gritted her teeth and turned away from the owner so she could concentrate on not strangling the both of them. "Ah, thank you brother," Flam said to Flim as he dropped off a particular item. "Ahem, for the musical gentleman, a signed copy of Def Leppard's Adrenalize album?" He suggested, handing over the record to Casey. "See? It's signed by every member," Flam's index finger pointed to every signature, "how about we start at oh $8,000?" Both brothers grinned hopefully.

Attempting to amuse them and also feeling intrigued, Casey scanned his eyes over the giant eyeball on the front of the album. "We can start a little lower if you'd like," Flim suggested, "perhaps $7,800 and your tank top?" Flim drummed his fingers along the top of the counter.

"This, this is a joke right?" Casey asked, throwing the album back at the Flim Flam brother's faces.

"Hey, you break it you-" Flam twirled his mustache before Casey cut him off.

"Steve Clark's 'signature' is on the album," Casey's index finger jabbed at the record cover. Flim and Flam both grabbed the album and looked it over, confused by Casey's words.

"And what's the big deal? He was their guitarist if I'm not mistaken," Flam slid the album back over to Casey. "Darn good guitarist if I do say so myself," he cracked his knuckles smugly.

"It's a shame Clark died a year before the album was finished," Casey put his hands on his hips. Applejack huffed and Fluttershy glared at Flim and Flam for attempting to swindle Casey. The color swiftly drained from Flim and Flam's faces as they tossed the record behind them where a loud crash followed suit. "Yeah, we're out of here," Casey moved away from the counter.

"Best idea Ah've heard all day!" Applejack cheered.

"Hold on now!" Flim skidded in front of the door, accidentally knocking over the boxes. He waved his arms frantically, signaling to his twin brother that he needed to bring out more items to sell. "Can we interest you in soda cup hat?" He held up a blue New York Yankees cap with empty cans of Pepsi on either side and a chewed up nozzle.

"Or possibly a flamethrower which we're not sure is legal?" Flam dangled a WWII flamethrower in front of the trio. All three shook their heads in fear of a punctured hole in one of the gas tanks, making them move hastily out of the store. "Come on, a flamethrower is something you can't live without!" he swindler placated.

"If we can't live with it," Fluttershy began, "how come we're all still alive?" she rolled her eyes.

"Not even this t-shirt of a cute little pegasus for the meek lady?" Flim seemed to materialize in the doorway wearing a blue shirt that had a red pegasus with a light brown mane and tail in the middle. Applejack shoved him out of the way, allowing the three to get out.

"Okay, you'll think about it, very smart!" Flam tapped the side of his head. "Stop by again soon! Our poor banana suit is feeling cold!" He called out to Applejack, making her grumble and clench her teeth as the brothers' door shut, complete with the jingle of the little bell. Fluttershy and Casey did a double take when they realized how fast AJ had was getting away from the pawn shop, stomping no less.

"Applejack, wait!" Fluttershy pleaded, running to catch up. The farmer was already a good half block away by the time Casey and Fluttershy were able to walk evenly with her. "I know those two can be frustrating to deal with."

"Ah'd love ta take a banana 'n shove-" Applejack started but stopped before her anger caused her to say something stupid. Casey power walked a little faster to get ahead of Applejack.

"Look AJ, you can't let them treat you like that out in the street; you have much more dignity than that," he explained, walking sideways so he could still talk straight to her face. Applejack snorted, grumbled and rolled her eyes all at the same time.

"They done took most 'o my dignity already," she argued, clenching her fists.

"I would think after the Battle of the Bands, you'd have that back?"

"Ah'd like ta think that, but then every time Ah see a dadgum banana, ugh," Applejack shuddered, shaking her head back and forth. A crosswalk sign forced the trio to wait on the sidewalk, delaying them further.

"You need justice for this Applejack," Casey suddenly blurted.

"Justice?" Applejack snapped her head toward her British friend.

"Of course! Those two cigarettes can't keep mocking you like that, especially after trying to con you out of $2,000 for your OWN instrument!" Casey flailed his arms around like Kermit the Frog. "No offense, but just threatening to beat them up won't do it," Casey drew in a breath after the crosswalk allowed the three to keep walking.

"What are you suggesting, Casey?" Fluttershy nervously bit her lower lip. "Because playback is really more Rainbow Dash's speed," she explained, worried what Casey was brewing up in his mind.

"All I'm suggesting is that AJ won't be able to get over this until she sees justice for what those two nimrods tried to pull, plus she'll get her dignity back permanently," he explained. "But we'll need a better place to think than the street!" Casey shouted over the roar of a semi truck's horn.

"Ah know a place; Ah was headin' there anyway," Applejack's scowl turned into a little smile.

(Ivan's House. 3rd Person POV)

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in!" A teenage boy's muffled voice called from behind a white door. Applejack, Casey and Fluttershy had trekked to the residential part of Canterlot City, heading in the direction of Ivan Pearson's house. While Ivan's father was in the Air Force, he had decided to house him and his family in a regular neighborhood rather than the Air Force base in hopes of Ivan making new friends for his latter years of High School. Luckily, Ivan's parents liked all of his friends and warmly welcomed them on this Sunday afternoon. Ivan's mother informed them that he was in his room, watching his favorite sport.

"Hey Ivan," Applejack greeted as she swung his bedroom door open. Out of the trio, Casey was only one who had yet to see Ivan's room, so he was a tad jealous that Ivan had a 40" flat screen TV in his room complete with a PS3 and a PS4, though he didn't much care for what was on TV. Ivan turned around and smiled, jumping up from his bed and hugged his girlfriend.

"Good to see you, AJ," he hugged her tightly as she kissed his cheek. "And you too Fluttershy," he shook the yellow girl's hand. Applejack relinquished the hug, allowing Ivan to see the third person who'd entered his room. The two males locked eyes like a pair of desperadoes in a Western movie preparing for a duel. Both Casey and Ivan extended their arms and grabbed each other's hand. "Casey, good to see you," Ivan greeted, shaking his hand. Casey clicked his tongue, shifting his eyes to the TV during its commercial.

"Same," he replied, a grin spread across his face. "Mr. Left turn," he joked, releasing Ivan's hand and bringing his own down to his side.

"Oh, haha," the NASCAR fan rolled his eyes, "very original," he walked back over and sat on his bed. "So, how are you guys enjoying summer?" A can of Pepsi hissed as he popped the top.

"Pretty good," Fluttershy replied, "summer vacation just gives me a better excuse to help the poor animals who don't have a permanent home yet," she both gushed and looked sad at the same time, loving helping the animals but saddened that no one would adopt some of them. Fluttershy and Casey both sat down on a pair of chairs Ivan had in front of a desk while AJ joined him on the bed, leaning into his chest

"Vinyl, the girls and I have been getting some good gigs in a few restaurants," Casey bragged, crossing his feet on the floor. "Shame we're not 21 yet; we could expand our audience and maybe come up with new song ideas in bars," he said wishfully.

"Ah just wanted ta see what you were doin' Sugarcube," Applejack cuddled closer to Ivan. He wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her closer.

"Maybe we can all go for milkshakes after my race?" He questioned. "Or maybe an early dinner at Hard Rock Cafe?" Casey's eyes lit up at the latter idea, but Fluttershy's voice reminded him of why they came to Ivan's house in the first place.

"Well, that does sound nice," Fluttershy began, "but Applejack was on her way to see you already when she bumped into us and-" she continued before the TV interrupted her.

"And welcome back to Fox Sports 1's coverage of the Toyota Save Mart 350 here at Sonoma Raceway!" A NASCAR announcer declared. Ivan immediately jolted up, causing Applejack to fall backwards onto the pillow with an 'oof!'

"Applejack, are you alright there?" Casey asked, trying to suppress a snicker. The girl in question grumbled, getting up from the bed, shaking her head at her boyfriend and marched over to where Casey and Fluttershy were sitting and sat down on top of the desk, her legs dangled off the edge. However, Ivan didn't seem to notice; his eyes were fixated on the TV, studying the images of stock cars whizzing by the camera.

"Ah'm okay, Casey," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Ivan's a little distracted when his NASCAR is on," she explained. "Luckily he only does this when it's on TV; a few hours once a week is no skin off my nose," Applejack added, blowing a strand of her blonde hair out of her eye.

"The bloody hell are they doing turning right?" Casey asked, scrunching his nose and squinting one eye at the TV.

"Ivan explained that they go to road courses twice a year; Ah pay little ta no attention," Applejack explained. "Anyway, that's not why we're here," she reminded. "Ya say we need ta come up with a way ta gets back at the Flim Flam brothers?" Casey, busy drumming his fingers atop his wrist, looked away from the TV back to the southern accented girl.

"Of course. Walking through town shouldn't be mentally anguishing for you," Casey replied, stretching his arms behind his head. "They know that they and their store upset you and they abuse the crap out of it; you can't let them hold that power of you, Applejack," he informed her.

"So, what should we do, Casey?" Fluttershy inquired. "Go to Kinkos and make flyers about how the Flim Flam brothers are con artists?" She suggested.

"Ah think most people are well aware 'o that, Fluttershy," Applejack scratched her chin, "yet somehow they still manage ta stay afloat," she added, leaning her back against the wall.

"Besides, that would take too long to work if most people are unaware of their shameful business practice," Casey agreed with Applejack.

"Oh my God, you suck!" Ivan suddenly shouted, drawing the attention of all three of his amigos.

"Hey! I don't here you coming up with any ideas to help us!" Casey spat.

"Nice going tire changer, you just cost Jeff a freakin' penalty!" Ivan shouted at his TV monitor.

"It's better not ta ask while there's a race goin' on," Applejack rubbed her finger over her top lip. Casey shrugged, shaking his head with a sigh. "Heh, anyway, are ya sure we should even try ta get payback on those two varmints?" She asked. "Ah mean, my Granny always taught myself, Applebloom 'n Big Mac that revenge makes ya just as bad the person who wronged ya in the first place."

"Your grandmother is a wise one, I'll give ya that," Casey agreed, "but those crooks don't feel remorse for what they do. They even tried to con $7,800 and my own shirt out of me for a forged Steve Clark signature!" He exclaimed. "If they go as low as that and your bass, then there's no low they won't reach," he concluded. Applejack sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Applejack?" Fluttershy called out. The farmer released her nose from her fingers and looked over at the meek teenager sitting next to Casey. "You know I'm not the person to go to on matters like this, but what if we can get back at them without causing physical harm or property damage?" She suggested.

"Trust me Fluttershy, Ah'm all fer not stoopin' lower than them, but how can we make an impact without resortin' ta any 'o that?" AJ demanded.

"I've got a few ideas, but they only worked on TV shows," Casey cleared his throat, "and they'd probably land us in jail if we got caught," he added, grabbing a pad of yellow paper and a pen from Ivan's desk. "Hope he doesn't mind us borrowing these."

"You're such a freaking moron Gustafson!" The NASCAR fan shouted, not even paying attention to what was going on.

"Didn't think so," Casey said condescendingly, clicking on the pen. "Okay, what if we super glue or rubber cement their doors shut when they leave for the night?" the pen scribbled the idea down on the notepad. "If they can't get in, they can't swindle anybody else," Casey wiggled his eyebrows.

"But wouldn't it hurt them financially either way?" Fluttershy countered, "if they can't run their business, they'll lose all of their money, or they spend the majority of their money getting the doors fixed or replaced and then they could get behind on their monthly rent," she explained. Casey looked over for Applejack's verdict before crossing out his idea.

"Okay, scratch that," he mumbled.

"What if we buy a whole bunch 'o rotten bananas 'n shove 'em in the air ducts on top 'o their store?" Applejack thought up, "their whole store'll smell like a dump; who would wanna shop in a place that smells like a dump?" She questioned enthusiastically. Casey jotted down the idea, not fond of it, but it was the best one they'd come up with so far.

"We'll keep that one in the maybe pile," Casey said. His idea tank was running on low, but having both Fluttershy and Applejack's on him reminded the Brit that getting payback was his idea. He understood that he couldn't convince his friends to try and think of ways to get back at the Flim Flam brothers and just abruptly quit.

"Hmm, how about one of us sneaks in during business hours and pretends to browse for something?" Fluttershy adjusted in her seat, "then with a label maker, we mark all of their prices 99% off? It's not like we'll be robbing them or causing property damage," she shrugged, sitting back down.

"Not too shabby, Flutters," Casey complimented, scribbling down her notion.

"Ah think that may work," Applejack agreed, cracking her knuckles, "'n if they try ta take back the price, that's technically illegal ta price change like that unless they can prove it is a mistake," she explained. "Filthy Rich spoke at family appreciation day fer Applebloom's middle school class a few years back." Casey and Fluttershy nodded at her extended explanation when they looked confused.

"Not to mention, they seem to not know half of their own inventory not their shelves," Fluttershy interjected.

Ivan growled angrily, catching the quick attention of the trio before returning to the matter at hand. "Any other ideas, girls?" Casey asked curiously, feeling like they had the perfect idea. "Unless you want to combine both ideas," he proposed.

"Nah," AJ shook her head, checking the clock on Ivan's wall. "They're still open 'til seven, do ya wanna try it now or gather up a better game plan fer tomorrow?" She stood up from the desk. Applejack and Casey stood up, but had the exact same expression on their faces after realizing how short term the label idea was. Since it was Fluttershy who came up with the idea, Applejack and Casey barely had the guts to tell her what they realized about the idea, but they had to.

"Let's face it," Casey balled up the paper he'd ripped from the pad and tossed it into the garbage. "If that's the best idea we can come up with that A) Won't land us in jail B) Won't cause them physical harm or C) Won't cause property damage, then they won't learn a lesson or we won't make a deep enough impact," he admitted.

"Thank goodness," Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm not very good at coming up with ideas for this, I'm glad you agree."

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Casey tossed the pad and pen back onto the desk. "You girls are too nice and honest to do something like this, sorry for trying to drag you into something you're both above," he apologized.

"Don't sweat it none, Casey," Applejack smiled warmly. "Yer just lookin' out fer friends, Ah completely understand," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we can't give up now; those creeps deserve some comeuppance, we just gotta take some more time than ten minutes ta think of an idea good enough," she explained.

"An idea good enough for what?" Ivan suddenly asked, making the three jump. The TV was off and the boy was standing in front of them, holding a can of Pepsi in his hand. "Sorry, race is over; Kyle Busch won," he informed the trio.

"Oh, how'd Jeff do?" Applejack released Casey's shoulder, turning her full attention to her boyfriend. Ivan's face fell and he bit his lower lip, lightly tapping the can of Pepsi against the side of his leg. "Ah see," AJ replied, feeling sorry for Ivan.

"Wait a minute, you seriously didn't hear us talking about different ways to get back at Flim and Flam?" Casey asked, surprised. "We were talking for a good ten minutes while you were glued to your race."

"Applejack did say Ivan's pretty distracted when races are on," Fluttershy reminded. Ignoring Fluttershy's explanation, Ivan's brain was hard at work, trying to think of where he'd heard those names before.

"Flim and Flam? Oh, banana suit!" He snapped his fingers triumphantly, "oops, sorry hun," he apologized when Applejack glared at him. He cleared his throat of his faux pas before continuing his original inquiry. "What are you guys trying to do, exactly?" Casey and Fluttershy stepped back, choosing Applejack as the one to explain their current plan to Ivan.

"Well, Casey here said that until Ah see those brothers get what's comin' ta them, Ah won't really get my dignity back from, ya know," she quickly filled him in. "So, we're tryin' ta come up with ideas that can make a good enough impact on them or make them learn their lesson."

"Learn a lesson you say?" A sly smile appeared on Ivan's face.

"Without, you know, physically harming them or damaging their property," Fluttershy extinguished a growing idea in his mind. The smile vanished from his face; Ivan brought a finger up to his chin and placed his thumb and index finger on either side.

"Casey," Ivan's face lit up, "are you still friends with the school janitor?" He asked.

"You mean Gordy? Of course I am, why though?" Casey was certainly puzzled at this out of left field question.

"I'll explain later. And Joe's Doughnut shop is right next door to the pawn shop, right?" Ivan took off his black and red hat and replaced it with a jet black Axalta Racing hat that was sitting on his bed post. He was met with a slow round of nodding heads from AJ, Fluttershy and Casey. "Perfect. Casey, you call Gordy and have him meet all of us at Joe's," he instructed.

"Ivan, just what are ya plannin'?" Applejack pressed.

"You're going to get your dignity back, I promise," Ivan pecked her cheek.

(Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium)

"Hey Flam, I think I've got another gold mine idea," Flim said as he and his brother played Go Fish inside their emporium. While it wasn't very good business practice to be sitting around playing cards, the brothers would be at attention ready to con another sucker quicker than ludicrous speed.

"And that would be?" Flam replied, scratching at his red mustache and shifting his eyes from his cards to his brother.

"We get one of those claw machine games and fill them stuffed animals we can buy for $2 a pop from Amazon and charge $1 per play. Nobody can resist the allure of the claw," he grinned.

"Why that's a stupendous idea brother, and we wax the claw with cooking oil, right?" Flam chuckled.

"It's like you're reading my mind, Flam. And not only that, customers get five seconds to try to win, no one can win a prize from a claw game in five seconds," Flim grinned. "Now we gotta find one that's good and cheap, by the way, do you have any threes?" Flim questioned, staring deeply into Flam's eyes in hopes of his brother giving a sign. Flam looked down to see that had two three cards and shook his head.

"Fraid not, go fish," he lied.

Jingle, jingle, jingle.

In a flash, both brothers left their card table so fast that there were dust clouds of their outlines still sitting on the chairs. "Welcome to the Flim Flam Brothers' Everything Under the Sun Emporium!" Flim and Flam sang simultaneously.

"We just got this- oh, it's you three," Flim set down a golden lightning bolt necklace.

"Come back for that dissecting book did we?" Flam took the book off the shelf and thrust it into Fluttershy's face, causing her to whimper and hide behind Casey. "Still a little squeamish, I see," he said condescendingly.

"Actually my good gents," Casey set a black acoustic guitar case on the counter of the store. "I'm looking to sell you something," he unlatched the locks and opened up the case for the store owners to see.

"What have we here?" Flim and Flam crowded around the case, staring at its contents.

"An acoustic guitar, with lots of dust," Flam drug his finger along the body. Casey grabbed ahold of the instrument and pulled it from the case, setting it down on the counter. From behind him, Applejack bit her lip, trying to hide what they were trying to do. She preoccupied her mind with thoughts of riding horses out in the pastures of her farm with Ivan and having a picnic near the lake.

"You wouldn't happen to have any information on this, antiquated instrument, would you?" Flam twirled his mustache while Flim squinted his eyes, looking not for imperfections or defects, but anything that could be worth money.

"It's just my dad's guitar that he used to play back in high school," Casey explained. "He gave it to me when I was four and I took up electric guitar a few years later, so this thing sat in my closet for a long time. I was hoping that it could be worth something; my girlfriend is coming back from LA tomorrow and I wanted to treat her to a nice dinner, movie and-"

"We didn't need a life's story, Ringo," Flam shut him up. Feeling a little insulted, Casey glowered at the two, holding his anger back. "Does it work?" Flam continued as he and Flim studied the guitar.

"Of course it works; I replaced the strings last year when I thought I could get back into it, but I just didn't feel the music anymore," Casey explained.

"Hmm, wait a minute," Flim blew across the guitar, sending dust particles flying in the air. "There's a signature right here. You know anything about? Whose it is, where it came from, how long it has been there?" he questioned.

"Did your father sign it or was it signed by someone important?" Flam added. Bringing the guitar into more light and blowing more dust off, Flim and Flam could clear as day read the signature: Jeff Gordon.

"Right, my father told me that he was visiting Indianapolis in 1994 and got some racer to sign it, I think it was Jeff Gordon or whatever," said Casey in a stoical voice. "Actually, he found the guitar, which used to be Gordon's, and Gordon signed it for him, allowing him to keep it as a thank you for being honest," he added.

"The Jeff Gordon?" Flim's jaw nearly hit the counter.

"The stupendously amazing California native?" Flam's hands started to shake.

"The winner of the inaugural Brickyard 400 and four others?" Flim continued.

"The only nine time road course winner in NASCAR with a combined 92 career victories?" Flam braced himself against the counter.

"If you cigarettes say so; I haven't a clue about NASCAR," Casey replied. "But it seems he was pretty good if you know so much about him," he added. Flim and Flam mentally cursed themselves for letting slip that the signature could potentially be worth a lot of money. They both cleared their throats and gently set the instrument back into its case, shutting it softly.

"We constantly buy and sell sports memorabilia kid," Flam supported himself on his arm, leaning toward Casey.

"We've got to be on top of which athletes rake in the big bucks and which ones can't even hold a penny," Flim continued for his brother. "And when it comes to stock car racing, Gordon's name gets tossed around, maybe once or twice," he tried to lie.

"Um, excuse me, but 92 wins doesn't seem like once or twice," Fluttershy commented.

"Indeed," Casey agreed with a bit of a smirk. Flim and Flam gritted their teeth, knowing that this kid currently had the upper hand, but they weren't going to bend over and give him whatever he wanted for the guitar.

"Well, before we get into the negotiating phase," Flim said as his brother opened up a search engine on the shop computer, "first we need to see just how much his signature is worth at the moment," he flipped his hat in the air and caught it on his pinkie finger. "Could be high, could be low," he added with a grin.

"Could be somewhere comfortably in the middle for all we know," Flam typed away on his keyboard.

"Find anythin' yet?" Applejack eyed the duo out of the corner of her eye.

"These things take time, Bananajack," Flim winked at her. Fire erupted from Applejack's eyes her hands clenched up and she got into a lunging stance which Casey stopped immediately, holding her back by her shoulders.

"Are you sure Wikipedia is the website to go for these sort of things?" Fluttershy questioned, getting but a brief glimpse of the computer screen.

"It's the quickest website to pop up, my dear," Flam replied from behind the machine. "Alright," he stopped typing to read the screen, "says here that since Gordon retired last year, his autograph's value will increase every year, so we can't look any higher than," he continued to read. Both brothers exchanged a brief look when they saw that a 'One year since retirement' autograph was only around $4,000; they had to keep this a secret.

"$900," Flim concluded for Flam.

"That's it? After all of these amazing stats?" Casey questioned. "And the fact that he owned the guitar prior to giving it to my father?"

"Look your royal highness," Flim pushed his hat up, "the value is around $2000," he lied, "I'm sure you've seen Pawn Stars, we aren't in the business to break even," he folded his arms.

"Correct," Flam agreed, "or else we'd be nothing more than a lending library; what's the fun in that?"

"If the value is $2000, then I'll take $2000, sirs," Casey pushed the guitar case forward.

"Very funny, but no deal. You can probably charm your girlfriend here," the mustachioed brother pointed to Fluttershy who blushed like mad and froze, "but there's no reason for us to just break even like this," he pushed the guitar back to Casey.

"First off, she's like a sister to me," Casey glared, "second, just stop with the song and dance already. We know your little smoke and mirrors trick when trying to make a quick buck, and you know I'm not stupid enough to let this thing go for a measly $900," both Flam and Casey were pushing on the guitar case.

"We haven't a clue what you're talking about," Flim shook his head, "you must be delirious from the heat. Can we interest you our patented Flim Flam brothers' cure all tonic?" he produced a glass bottle with a picture of himself and his brother.

"Why? So you can drug me up and then take my guitar for $900, I don't think so," Casey leaned closer to the brothers with an annoying grin on his face. "Just imagine, you buy it for its face value now, and then 2-3 years down the road, it could be worth $10-$20,000 depending on how high in demand his autograph will be. Patience can be as awarding as an $18,000 profit, my good men," Casey opened the guitar case again to show the brothers the guitar once more.

Both of them drooled a little at the thought of a whopping $18,000 profit for their little store. "I mean, I'm sure you didn't just open your store in a day. You must have put a lot- some money away," Casey corrected as he saw that the space was still a work in progress, "to help get this place on its feet. Didn't your patience pay off when you opened the doors for the first time a few weeks ago?"

"It was a momentous feeling when we heard that bell jingle for the first time when a customer walked in," Flim admitted, though Flam didn't seem to budge just yet, "if we're just a little more patient, we could use that money to help expand and buy out that doughnut shop, making even more profit selling breakfast pastries and coffee," Flim envisioned. "I'm sure you could run the emporium while I run the Flim Flam Brothers' Delectable Doughnut Hut," he coerced.

Flam responded to his brother with a look of uncertainty. Sure, the value of the autograph was double what this kid thought it was and was asking for, but he knew buying low and selling high was the only way to make a profit. Passing up a $3100 profit if they paid $900 and sold the guitar right away versus a $2000 profit if they bought it for what the kid wanted was not an easy decision. But the alluring idea of an $18,000 profit by letting the value accumulate over a few years was also hard to pass up. Besides, Flam knew that both he and his brother had plenty of other overpriced crap in their store that could keep them busy for a further three years.

"$2,000 or I'm walking out," Casey threatened, locking one of the latches on the case. "You could get double what you paid in a week, or wait a few years and be counting money during a month long stay in Miami, your choice."

"Fine!" Flam shouted, "you've got a deal Mr. Mullet," he shook Casey's hand.

"That's Mr. Knight, but whatever," he rolled his eyes. While Flam took the guitar case and set it aside to be put up later, Flim produced the paperwork and $2,000 cash that now belonged to Casey. The sound of paperwork was dreadful to the guitarist, but it turned out to only be a signature there, an initial here and an official stamp on the bottom plus a huge wad of cash.

"Pleasure doing business with you kids," Flim said as he took the paper and stuffed it into his shirt pocket. "Come back anytime!" he added.

"We'll have to think about that!" Applejack said in a salty tone as Casey held the door open for her and Fluttershy. Flim and Flam both stood behind the counter as still as statues, waiting for that euphoric sound of the bell jingling so they could celebrate their first major buy.

"Outstanding, brother!" Flam congratulated. "I do believe that this calls for some bubbly!" he cheered, pulling out a cider barrel marked, 'Property of Sweet Apple Acres,' and poured a glass for himself and Flim.

"I know it wasn't easy paying more than we wanted," Flim sipped his cider, setting the guitar on the highest shelf behind the counter, "but at least he didn't know the real value as of now, so we still got a steal!" he clinked his glass with Flam's.

"Eh, sometimes we just have to take one for the store and realize we can't win every negotiation, but the joke's on those clueless children."

Jingle, jingle, jingle

The brothers tossed their glasses back on top of the barrel, kicking it into the back room. Another teenager wearing blue jeans, a blue Air Force shirt and a jet black hat entered with his hands in his pockets, whistling a song.

"Anything we can get for you, son?" Flam wiped some foam from his mustache.

"Just checking if you have an PS4 controllers," the boy replied, not even attempting to look them in the eye. Flim ducked under the counter and rustled around a few items as Ivan looked over their inventory. The sound of rustling around drew him over to the counter as Flim reappeared with a black Dual Shock 4 controller with duct tape stuck all around.

"We just got this one in last one, slightly used," Flam grabbed the controller from his brother as the blue X button fell off and clattered to the counter. "How about, $45?" Ivan looked as the pink square button popped off, nearly beaming him in between the eyes.

"Are you out of your mind? That thing's a weapon!" he ducked in case something else would come flying off.

"$40 perhaps?" Flam set the controller down onto the counter. As Ivan sat back up, Flim and Flam noticed that his hat had a NASCAR logo on the side, prompting an idea between the two. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be a fan of NASCAR, would you?" Flam braced himself against the counter. Ivan blinked several times as he looked up at the bill of his hat and back to the two owners of the shop.

"I've seen over 600 races, does that count?" He responded. Flam quickly grabbed the acoustic guitar and gently set it down in front of the boy with a grin.

"Then would you be interested in purchasing this one of a kind authentic acoustic guitar signed by the legendary Jeff Gordon?" Ivan's eyes lit up as he shot his head down to the instrument and stared at the autograph in the middle of the body.

"Only, $5200 how about?" Flim winked to his brother.

"Jeff Gordon you say?" the boy asked, picking up the guitar, fully studying the autograph.

"It's true, we just bought it not two minutes ago, in fact," Flam rubbed his chin. "Big fan are you?" he pressed on, crossing his fingers that praising his favorite driver would push him to buy it.

"My whole life," Ivan squinted and looked over every curve of the signature.

"So then how can you just sit here not owning this piece of rare memorabilia?" Flam asked. "We take cash or credit, no checks," he informed the boy, holding up a fresh pawn ticket. Ivan then chuckled, setting the wooden instrument back onto the counter.

"How much did you say it was?"

"$5200 American if you please," Flim pushed a pen and the ticket towards the boy. "I mean, he just retired last year, what better way to preserve how much you cheered for him?" Ivan did a double take before laughing some more.

"Retired? Last year? He just finished sixteenth at Sonoma about an hour ago," he laughed.

"Say what now, young man?" Flam dug his finger into his ear.

"THIS season is his final season, not last year," Ivan explained.

"But Wikipedia said-" Flim was nearly losing oxygen at this point.

"You guys checked Wikipedia for research? Good God you're stupid, and another thing, $5200? I think that cider you were drinking is a little expired; this piece of junk is only worth $5 at the most!" He exclaimed.

"F-F-F-F-F" both Flim and Flam stuttered, the color draining from their faces.

"You have to be yanking our chains, pulling our legs!" Flam sputtered.

"No, I'm not," Ivan wiped a tear from his eye. "Take a look at this," he pulled his hat from his head, showing them the side, "this stitching is the perfect duplicate of his signature, now compare it to the guitar," he held the hat next to the autograph in question. "That is one poor attempt at forging his autograph, the worst I've ever seen." Ivan reset his hat atop his head. "How much did you guys pay?" he questioned.

"I NEVER SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO YOU!" Flam tackled Flim to the ground where a cloud of dust blocked Ivan's view of them.

"YOU COULD HAVE TALKED ME OUT OF IT!" Flim shouted back, rolling around trying to defend himself and beat up his brother.

"YOU COULDN'T GET A CHEETAH TO RUN IF IT WASN'T FOR ME!" Flam bit down on Flim's arm.

"That's what I thought, see you later," Ivan nonchalantly exited the store.

(Outside)

Across the street, Ivan joined Casey, Fluttershy and Applejack who were all sitting in lawn chairs with a cooler full of soda as they watched Flim and Flam beat each other up in their shop. "Well, it's all taken care of, Applejack," Ivan sat down next to his girlfriend who was having a ball witnessing the two men that humiliated her throwing punches at kicks at one another.

"I don't know," Fluttershy said quietly, "it feels wrong that we did what they tried to do to you, Applejack," she admitted sadly.

"It's a little weird, Ah know, but those two needed ta learn a lesson, Fluttershy," Applejack kissed Ivan on the cheek with her dignity fully restored. "Now Ah won't be able ta walk in front 'o their pawn shop without laughin'."

"We're going to put this money to good use, Flutters," Casey assured her, sipping his soda pop. "Besides, their greed blinded them so much that they couldn't see it was their own guitar they just overpaid for," he explained. "It's a good thing too that Joe's storeroom is connected to Flim and Flam's storeroom."

"And that Joe believed I was an electrical inspector!" a man wearing a pair of Navy blue coveralls appeared in a fifth chair with a huge bowl of potato chips. "Ever since I heard they tried to swindle you, Applejack, I was hoping that they'd get what was coming to them," the janitor popped a few chips in his mouth.

"It still feels wrong," Fluttershy repeated. "I know they're meanies that swindle people, but are we any better?" She asked.

"Fluttershy, there's a difference between what they do and what we did," Ivan explained. "They would spend the money on themselves, selfishly, after swindling honest people out of their hard earned cash, but not us."

*Epilogue*

Indeed, the quartet that hatched the plan to get back at Flim and Flam spent the money on those who needed it. Casey gave Fluttershy half of the money that they had gotten from their scheme and she in turn donated it to the animal shelter. The stress of getting even with the con artists lifted off of her shoulders when she saw how much food, water, treats, toys and medication every animal had gotten thanks to her donation.

Casey, AJ and Ivan on the other hand donated the rest of the money to the school, putting it toward newer sporting equipment for the sports teams. "So, this is what you guys do when I'm gone?" Rainbow Dash asked as the twelve friends slurped down milkshakes at Sugar Cube Corner.

"We had the idea ready to go," Ivan shrugged as he slurped only the whipped cream on top of his drink. "And we had nothing better to do," he added.

"Yer tellin' me that ya would have left the X-Games early just fer that?" Applebloom questioned, munching on the cherry from her shake.

"I would have," Scootaloo replied, "for some reason they had Call of Duty as an event," she shuddered. "Now tell me, how is that a sport?"

"Well, as long as the money went to good causes, then I guess it sounds okay," Sunset ate a spoonful of ice cream.

"Tell me about it," Casey bragged, "who would have thought a redneck could have come up with a plan that smart?" he joked. The next thing Casey knew, he had a glob of vanilla ice cream and peanut butter dripping from his nose. Ivan innocently whistled with his arm around Applejack as Casey grinned evilly, sucking down a fair amount of his shake, aiming the straw at Ivan. Just then, Big Mac and Cheerilee walked into the ice cream shop hand in hand.

"Hey Applejack," Big Mac greeted. "Y'all can go swimmin' now; we're done," he winked. Applejack and Fluttershy's faces lit up red.

"Something the matter, hun?" Ivan questioned.

The End.