Another day, same job, different town…
The result was always the same.
“And don’t show your faces here again!”
The rest of the mob’s cries were drowned out by the gyrating wheels striking the uneven dirt road as the steam-powered cart sped off into the distance. The two unicorns aboard it knew they would have to scrape the rotten fruit off the back and sides of the vehicle before another day of work, but such trivial matters clung not to their minds at the moment.
“Whoo… that sure was close, wasn’t it?” Flim glanced away from the road and directed a sheepish smile towards his brother.
Flam didn’t reply as the cheery façade he had worn minutes ago faded away. He simply stared downward, lost in the sea of his own thoughts, counting the seconds as they ticked slowly by. Little by little the false claims he had uttered began to slip into his mind as he vainly struggled to ignore them.
“We still managed to get a lot of bits, though!” Shifting his attention from the road to the small sack beside him, Flim tossed it into Flam’s lap, a couple of shiny bits slipping out as the cart hit another bump. “And we’ve got at least a hundred times that! I think we did a good job today.”
Flam’s gaze shifted away from the money and towards the passing scenery, yet his eyes focused on nothing in particular. Celestia’s sun shone gleefully in the distance while animals of all kinds played under the soothing light. Such a happy sight… but to him, the landscape failed to derail his train of thought. He grasped at words unreachable, unable to clear his mind of the ordeal that had happened only minutes ago… no matter how used he was to the comments…
You thieves! The princesses should set you right!
Scoundrels! A disgrace to all ponykind!
“Flim… do you… I don’t know anymore…”
“Hmm?”
Flam said nothing more as an uncomfortable silence began to fill the cart, unbroken except for the muffled sounds of gravel on wood.
Take your lies elsewhere!
And don’t show your faces here again!
The air was unsettling, and Flim could feel it. Something was amiss… but what?
“Hey, somet—” Flim was cut short as he noticed his brother’s solemn expression and slowed the cart to a stop. “Flam, are you okay?”
“I just… I mean, it’s… Isn’t it wrong to be stealing like this?”
“Come on, Flam! It’s not like we’re stealing from the poor! They all have more money than they use if they can afford to buy what we sell!”
“I know, but… it’s just that… I don’t think I can do it anymore. I thought I could, but…” Flam shifted nervously in his seat. “Every day after work I see all the towers of bits we’ve swindled, all stacked up neatly and shining brilliantly… It’s like they’re mocking me.”
Flam lowered his head onto his hooves.
“Every day, I put on this fake smile and disregard my conscience as I lie to ponies, griffons, every single creature... and I don’t think I can take it anymore… What would she say if she kn—”
Flim stretched out his hoof and placed it softly on his brother’s foreleg. A simple glance and Flam noticed those watery eyes as Flim began to blink faster.
“I know how you feel, Flam. I shouldn’t have placed this burden on you. It’s all my fault. I should have been there. I sh—”
“It wasn’t your fault, Flim. I keep t—”
“It should have been me instead of her…”
Flim’s teary eyes met Flam’s in understanding as they both reached that one conclusion, that same one they had arrived at after trying metallurgy, party-organizing, and all the other attempts at gaining a couple bits...
“I know it’s hard, but there’s no other way we can get enough money.”
Silence emerged between them as Flam closed his eyes, as his thoughts filled with memories of kindness, warmth, unparalleled love… memories of all she had given them…
“It just… It gets so hard sometimes.”
“I know, Flam, but it’s only for a little while longer. Soon we’ll have enough and everything will be back to normal. One more job and we reach our goal, that’s it. So let’s keep it together until then, okay?”
Flam nodded softly in acknowledgement of their duties, and the cart slowly trudged on along the path.
Just one more job…
One more and we’re done.
“We’ve found the place. Should we go in now?”
“No, not yet. Send in one of our undercover ponies to check the place, and if it’s true, we’ll get them first thing in the morning.”
“Alright, boss.”
“What do you mean, complications? I thought we had a deal! We only needed a couple more bits!” Flim glared angrily at the frightened doctor as Flam struggled in vain to contain his worry. The turquoise earth pony began to quiver slightly as fear engulfed his faint heart.
“I-I-It’s just that I need some more equipment to make the treatment. Her condition has advanced faster than I thought. She only has a couple of days left, so I’ll need a little bit more money for equipment to brew it fas—”
“How much, exactly, is a little bit?”
The unicorn’s cold stare pierced through the small amount of resolve the doctor had mustered, and yet he somehow found the courage to continue.
“Maybe… around five… thousand b—?”
“FIVE THOUSAND BITS! AND JUST HOW DO YOU THINK WE’LL GET THAT MUCH MONEY?”
Flam hastily pushed his screaming brother out of the way and grasped at the doctor’s hooves in despair.
“There has to be something you can do, please! We’ve already given you all we could come up with!”
“I-I-I’m sorry, b-but I don’t have the necessary tools! Not even the finest hospitals in Canterlot use them! I’ll have to get them from a very expensive source!” The doctor sat down shakily in a nearby chair as he slowly let sadness wash over him.
“Then how much time have we got?”
The physician quietly made figures in the air, his mental calculator working in overdrive. “I can make the potion in ten hours, and with everything else… I’ll need the money by tomorrow. I fear the worst if more time passes.”
His head rested atop his hooves as he pondered upon those first days he had been hired to help this patient.
I was so naïve back then… I only asked for more and more money…
Small tears began to glisten beneath his eyelids as the full brunt of his actions was finally revealed.
If I hadn’t been so stupid… I could have stopped this so long ago, but still I kept asking for more and more…
“I’m so sorry, Flim, Flam…”
“No, it’s okay, Doctor. I’m sorry for our reactions. We know you’re just doing your best.” Flam let go of the pony and glanced over at his brother, beckoning him to a corner of the room.
“We need more money,” Flim whispered.
“I know, but five thousand bits is more than we’ve gotten in a week of work.”
“You know there’s only one place where we can get that much money. It’s a risk we’ll have to take.”
Flam’s mind began to process that last statement, and his eyes opened widely in astonishment.
He can’t mean…
“You… you don’t mean C—”
A loud, hacking cough from the room right next to them broke the conversation. It only took a fraction of a second for a new thought to enter Flim’s mind.
“She’s awake!”
The three ponies rushed over and opened the door to reveal the familiar sight of a pale unicorn mare attached to several machines. The coughing stopped abruptly, and she opened her eyes slowly as they adjusted to the light. She sat up with little difficulty as Flim and Flam held her forelegs from either side of the bed.
“Ughhh… I feel like a train slammed into me…”
“Don’t worry, Mom. It’s just the medicine you’re on.” Flim tried to smile as best he could without making it seem forced. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“Oh, Flim, you don’t have to lie to me. *cough* I know the truth. You were always a good liar, but never to your own mother. I’ve been listening to you three in the other room for quite some time now.”
“Then you heard ab—”
“Yes, I did. Five thousand bits is too much, Flam. There’s no way you’ll be able to get that much money in such short time, not without putting yourselves in danger.” The near-incessant coughing began once again, slowly growing worse. The earth pony rushed out of the room and returned with a small vial filled with a putrid-smelling concoction. In an instant, the mare downed the entire flask, coughing a bit more from the acrid taste until she began to grow calmer.
“It’s too much money, sons.”
“Let’s not talk about that just now… After all, did you forget?” Flam quickly dug into his saddlebag to pull out a small card, handing it to the mare. “Today is your special day, you know.”
Flim rapidly galloped out of the room, returning in less than a couple seconds with a heart-shaped box. The two unicorns pulled in some chairs as they replied in unison:
“Happy Mother’s Day, mom.”
“Oh my, I guess I had forgotten…” The mare’s smile grew exponentially as she viewed the presents they held.
“The doctor said you can still eat chocolates,” Flim said as she opened up the container and popped one in her mouth. “You just need to drink lots of water.”
“Oh, it’s been so long since I’ve had something so sweet to eat…”
That caring smile, that one gesture of kindness, of love… It drove a spike into the two unicorns’ hearts as they beheld her current state.
“Thank you so much, Flim and Flam. It’s always nice to have you right by my side. Heh, do you remember when you were still in elementary school? You never wanted me to hug you or give you a kiss in front of everypony…”
The two unicorns blushed as they remembered the days past as she continued.
“But every Mother’s Day, both of you would write me those cute little cards and use your allowances to buy me a heart-shaped box of chocolates, just *cough* just like this.”
Small tears began to stream down her muzzle as she continued to remember, and for ten more minutes they talked about the past, the first time Flim and Flam had tried to make apple cider, the time when their mom grounded them for throwing apples at that one showmare…
“It was Flim who started it, though.”
“What are you talking about, Flam? You threw the first apple!”
“Now, now, you both participated in it, so you were both equally guilty. Oh, you foals were such a hooffull back then.” The room suddenly grew quiet as even more rivets of salty water flowed from her eyes.
“You know, sons, I’ve lived a good long fifty years. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve experienced a love unlike any other… and right now… *sniff* right now I have my two most precious possessions by my side. I… I know I probably won’t last more than a couple days… so can you two please promise me one thing?
“Please live life to the fullest. Forget about the five thousand bits, forget about my treatment… If you do that, I’ll be truly happy.”
“B-But we can’t just leave you here to die!”
“Flim, I know you, and you’re just like your brother. You would move mountains to protect somepony you care about, but I couldn’t forgive myself if you got hurt doing so.” With all her remaining strength, she clutched at their hooves and continued. “Please… I’ve had the best life a mare could ask for… Promise me you won’t do anything rash… Please prom—”
*COUGH COUGH COUGH*
Her body quickly stiffened, yet the coughing would not stop.
“Everypony, get back!” The physician, recovered for the most part, hastily rushed over to his saddlebag and pulled out a syringe. He instantly plunged it directly into her foreleg, injecting a small colorless serum as she failed to control her breathing. Each second lagged for an eternity as the three watched the mare’s coughing slowed down bit by bit… and soon, she was asleep again, lying there so peacefully. The trio took soft steps out of the room and closed the door behind them.
“I’ve had to sedate her a bit to stop the coughing,” the doctor commented to the two unicorns.
“Alright, Doctor. We’ll… We’ll get you the bits we need. You can stay in the guest room as always.”
The earth pony nodded slightly as he left Flim and Flam to their own devices.
Silence. Silence engulfed the two as they locked gazes.
“Canterlot?”
“Canterlot. First thing tomorrow morning. We’ll get at least five thousand bits from them.”
“Alright. Let’s go back home and get ready, then.”
The two unicorns exited the house and rode away, reaching their own abode in less than a couple minutes. It could not exactly be called a house, since it held only a single bedroom and bathroom, but to the two ponies it sufficed. The entirety of their money had been reserved for their mother’s medical care, and they had refused to rent out a more decent place for themselves while she still lay sick.
After all the chores, night quickly arrived, and the unicorns soon drifted off into a dreamless, restless sleep, clinging to the hope that this ordeal would soon be over…
She’ll be alright, you’ll see.
Those words always comforted the two, always kept their hope alive…
If only they knew the surprise they would get that following morning.
Author's Note
Possibly two more chapters left... I think.
Comments appreciated!
