Four Ponies were sitting at the table in the town inn, with more standing around watching the game. One of the players was a stranger to the small Earth Pony town, a young white coated Unicorn stallion with black and red tail and mane under a straw hat, and some of his coat covered by his blue suit. The other players were three rough looking and large Earth Pony stallions, labourers at the towns construction projects. “I'm all in.” Declared the Unicorn with a blank face. His three fellows, so to speak, said the same, and cards were compared. The newcomer had won yet another game. He'd been winning against the townsponies all night, and the night wasn't young any more.
“Ha ha! There's that infamous Mane family luck again I suppose!” Declared the grinning Unicorn. “Wait a moment fella! Ah'm onto you!” Yelled one of the losing players, obviously angry. “You're cheatin'! I can see it now! You've been doing it all night long dang it! We've been swindled I say! Swindled!” At this all the other townsponies started muttering amongst themselves and angry looks came onto their faces. Some of the townsponies that had lost to the Unicorn and gone of to nurse their paycheck sorrows in drink came over, even angrier than the other townsponies, and forced their way through. “Now now, calm down, there's no proof for that accusation okay? Don't get angry, put the rolling pin down please, I'd greatly appreciate it...”
The newcomer tried to calm the townsponies down, but it wasn't working, especially when a massive blue Minotaur burst in and shouted at the top of his lungs “YOU! I should have known if I went into a gambling place with accusations of cheating being yelled I'd find you, you lying, cheating piece of dirt! I've been trying to find you for months! You ruined my life with your swindling! I lost my home! My fiancee! My job! All because of you!” “Now now, calm down, I'm sure there's just been a misunderstanding folks.” “Manure! We want our bits back!” “Tar and feather him!” “Run him out of town!” Came the cries from the angry townsponies as the Minotaur picked up the Unicorn in one hand. “How would you like me to do something even worse to him?” Roared the Minotaur as he shook the nervous Pony he was holding.
“Yeah! Do it! Do it! Make him pay!” The townsponies yelled back at him. “You pay me for my services, and I'll make him wish he was never even born!” The Minotaur yelled again. “Yeah! Make him regret everything! Make him suffer! We'll do it! Deal!” Roared back the over excited and furious townspeople. “How long has he been here?” “Long enough to take most of our money! Take that as your payment! Yeah!” Replied the townsponies yet again. “All right then! You're going with me you sly little snake, and it's about time!” The Minotaur threw the Unicorn over his shoulder, picked up the money, including that which hadn't been paid yet, and left without a word. It was only a few minutes later that one of the townsponies suddenly realised something. “We've been had again! It was a con within a con! Dagnabbit, they have our bits!” At this the screams of frustration from the inn could be heard from out of town, where Con Mane the Unicorn and his partner Iron Will the Minotaur laughed in delight as they made their escape.
“Run Iron, run damn it!” Yelled Con Mane as he fled for his life from a large and heavily armed mob of angry villagers. “I am running you damn Unicorn! If you want I can throw you!” Replied Iron Will as he followed along just behind. “That might just be favourable to being caught!” Con then yelled in horror as a pitchfork that had been thrown like a spear narrowly missed him, and in a surge of panicked magic teleported himself and Iron to their caravan and powered it with more magic.
“Come on, come on, hurry up!” Mumbled Con as he poured more magical power into the caravan. The caravan left the outraged villagers, still spitting out curses and shaking hooves at the sky, behind and continued along an automatic path as Con and Iron panted for breath. “Note to self. Don't go near that town for quite a while.” Said Con with a slightly forced smile. “ Nowhere near it that is. Where now?” Replied Iron as he counted out what little money they had won thanks to Con's gambling, before his deliberately barely noticeable cheating had gotten them run out of town, not falling for Iron's part in the usual con.
Con Mane woke with a groan from his own rough bed in his and Iron Will's shared room and stared around the sunlight drenched room. He finally shook his head and went downstairs to size up the afternoon gambling crowd. Looking around, he spotted one table that he immediately moved too and sat down next to a stallion dressed in a pinstripe suit as well and with a straw hat at his side.
“What's your game kid?” Said the stallion as he saw the movement of the newcomer sitting down out of the corner of his eye. “The usual one I should think.” Replied Con without the slightest hesitation. The stallion immediately turned to look at him properly and broke out in a grin. “Con Mane! how are you friend? Why, Flam and I haven't seen you since we finished the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000!” “I'm going great thanks Flim, even have a travelling companion, a big old Minotaur by the name of Iron Will. Say, how how has your machine gone anyway?”
“Well, it's faster than any traditional method Cider maker and the Cider is just as top notch, but the townsponies don't seem to be too interested in abandoning the local Cider makers for our Cider. At the moment we're just staying here in Canterlot and selling Cider every night down at the city square where a lot of the average class citizens gather every night.” “That's right, and earning just as much than if we went travelling. Good to see you again Con.”
This belonged to a new voice, Flam, Flim's older brother. “So, what business do you have in Canterlot Con?” Flim resumed the conversation again after him and Con caught Flam up. “I'm just picking up some money before Iron Will and I leave for Las Pegasus. Now that you're here, would you two care to accompany us?” “Las Pegasus you say? I think we can afford the trip. What about you Flam?” “May as well take a holiday. We'll do it.” “Right then. It's settled. We leave in a week. Now if you'll excuse me, I must check on my large friend.” Con said as he got up and nodded towards the bar where Iron Will was ordering two portions of the lunch special for himself.
