Applejack receives a letter from her cousin Apple Fritter while apple-bucking. The Flim Flam Brothers had just arrived in Fillydelphia and were payed a large sum of money to solve the parasprite problem. They used the money to build a cider factory in Fillydelphia and ran Apple Fritter and her family out of business and out of town with their mass production of cider. Now, the Flim Flam Brothers really are world famous, and are selling a "new and improved" cider Equestria-wide. This new cider could run apple farms everywhere out of business as soon as winter comes, and Applejack senses something fishy about the factory. Flim and Flam don't allow anypony into their cider factory… that is, until they send out golden apples in six cups of ciders for six ponies to find.