Equestria Girls - The Tale of Two Sunsets

A battle was about to commence within Hope Hollow's arcade area, with a pair of vengeful brothers who were completely bent on settling some unfinished business with a certain somepony who took their most prized possession, many years ago. The FlimFlamtimus Prime ended up scaring away most of the arcade's guests, much to Flim and Flam's delight, as they knew full well that Celestia wasn't around to intervene this time. Better yet, by the time the former princess would even know of her daughter's predicament, they were most likely going to be long gone, imagining the Señor G. Echo plush as their meal ticket to afford every necessity, allowing them to be set for life. It was only a matter of defeating this pesky Sunset Shimmer once and for all, and the brothers had heavy machinery on their side as a huge advantage.

"You think you're so clever, don't you, Sunset Shimmer?" Flam announced, as the robot's legs began to move towards her, looking like it was going to crush her at any given moment. "But let's see how clever you are when you're face to face with the might of the FlimFlamtimus Prime!"

"And don't even think of trying to call your Mommy Celestia for help!" Flim added. "We're settling this one way or another, but your Señor G. Echo toy holds the very key to our retirements! When we take that thing to an auction and get our hooves on millions, you'll be sure that we'll end up having the last laugh in this so-called arcade saga!"

"Alright, time out." Sunset said, as she moved out of the way to avoid getting crushed. "Before you decide to end me like the psychopaths you are, can I just say one thing?"

"Fine, it'll be nice for us to at least enjoy this moment while it lasts." Flam grunted. "What are your last words before we crush you into dust, hmm?"

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere, I assure you on that." Sunset's eyes narrowed. "But I do have a proposal for you two, since you both seem pretty quick in resorting to such extreme measures. I know you're not foolish enough to think you can just get away with this, not in a town like Hope Hollow."

"Sunset's got a point there!" Babs nodded. "Ponies from all over Equestria have been visiting Hope Hollow, including Manehattan!"

"It'll only be a matter of time before word of this incident gets out to Celestia!" Sunflower added. "She may be a retired princess, but she's still more than capable of tracking you con artists down, no matter how rich you think you'll be!"

"You think we're actually afraid of Celestia after all we've been through, that's your best shot?" Flim scoffed. "But alright, Sunset, we'll entertain your little proposal. What do you suggest?"

"Before I decide to put everyone's lives in danger because of your inability to let go and just make an honest living for a change, how about this?" Sunset said as she trotted towards her saddlebag, pulled the Señor G. Echo plush out, and brought it back over. "So, you just want this, is that correct? No beating around the bush or speaking in riddles, you only want this toy, plain and simple?"

"Yes, yes, give us Señor G. Echo!" Flam's face expressed obvious greed at the sight of the plush. "With this, we'll be set for life, and you'll never have to see us again, it's a win-win for everyone!"

"Alright, but before I give him to you, answer me this." Sunset continued on. "It just occurred to me that you two were behind the nonsensical tonic scheme that Twilight wrote to me about. In fact, she's even written to me about the other shady operations you two have done over the years, including a Friendship University."

"Blah, blah, blah, you don't need to keep yapping about our past failed investments, we're already well aware, thank you very much!" Flim groaned. "Could you quit stalling and just get to the point?"

"The point being, if I give you Señor G. Echo, am I to understand that you won't be a nuisance around Equestria ever again, nor cheat innocents out of their hard-earned money?" Sunset asked, sternly.

"Look, Sunset..." Flam began, his voice a mix of desperation and arrogance. "We've learned from our past mistakes, and we're willing to make an honest deal this time around. Give us Señor G. Echo, and we promise to leave Equestria for good, never to swindle another pony again. We've got a score to settle with you, sure, but we're not monsters, we just want the finer things in life, and if that means leaving your precious Equestria behind, then so be it."

"Well, if this was the very first time we've ever crossed paths, I'd be willing to take your word and give you a fair chance." Sunset kept pushing on. "But tell me, after everything you just tried to pull on us here in the arcade, why should I take your word now? How do I know that one day, you're not just going to weasel back into Equestria under new identities, and continue your conniving ways?"

"Can't really argue with that, I'm afraid." Juniper Montage frowned. "Especially since you two HAVE been pocketing my tips, even though I practically rely on those to pay my rent!"

"Hmm, but what if they're telling the truth this time?" Silverstream pondered. "After all, didn't those two stallions also participate with everyone in the battle against Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow?"

"See, the bird creature seems to understand us." Flim nodded with approval. "We're willing to do whatever it takes to make this right, and we promise, if you give us Señor G. Echo, we'll immediately leave Equestria and start fresh!"

"As much as I'd want to believe you're being genuine, I'm not buying it." Sunset narrowed her eyes. "It would certainly be a huge service to everyone in Equestria if that were the case, especially for my friend, Princess Twilight, given how much history she and her friends have had with you. But knowing you two, all I hear is an empty promise from a pony consumed with greed."

"I'm with our chaperone on that statement." Smolder agreed. "Knowing what natural greed can do to a creature, they'll probably just get their fortune, blow it all on a casino or dumb purchases, go broke, and the cycle will start all over again."

"In other words, we can't trust them!" Gallus added. "They even almost tricked us to go to their Friendship University once, which would've certainly depleted our life savings!"

"I myself may've always been a boastful showoff, but I still work hard to get by!" Trixie added. "Whether it'd be performing my tail off, or looking after somepony's foals, that's still more respectable than... whatever you morons do!"

The rest of the group all chattered in agreement, protesting against Flim and Flam's claims about changing for good, especially when many of their recent actions had contradicted their claims. Sunset in particular was all for giving second chances, much like she did with Sour Sweet or Sunny Flare, but it was different with these two stallions. Her intuition and experience with them had told her everything she needed, knowing for certainty that the sacrifice of her fillyhood's most cherished toy would be all for naught, and Equestria would live on with these two never learning their lessons.

"Alright, and now that I've proven my point, here's the last proposal I'll give you both." Sunset called out, her voice echoing through the arcade as she held up Señor G. Echo. "You say you want to leave Equestria and never return, that you've learned from your past mistakes. But the truth is, I can't just hand over what's rightfully mine, in the hope that you've suddenly seen the light. If there's a shred of decency left in you two, I need a real guarantee. I want you to dismantle your machine there, return the waitress's stolen tips, issue a public apology in regards to threatening all those poor guests who fled the arcade, and paying a large sum of bits in damages."

Hearing this, everyone else in the arcade gave gestures of approval towards Sunset's proposal, feeling like everything she listed would be an incredibly fair and fitting punishment. Flim and Flam meanwhile simply expressed disgust at Sunset's conditions, but realized that if they could potentially earn back the Señor G. Echo plush, it would all be worth it. The brothers huddled together to discuss their next move, before coming to a mutual decision.

"So, if we follow your demands there, you'll give us what we want?" Flim questioned.

"Correct, fulfill these conditions, and I'll consider giving you Señor G. Echo." Sunset's gaze remained steadfast on the brothers. "It's a small price for the chaos you've caused, but remember, this isn't just for me, it's for all the ponies here in Hope Hollow who've suffered from your greed, and everypony else you've ever scammed. Show us that you've changed, otherwise, we stand our ground."

"Fine, if that's what it'll take for you to give us what we want, we'll do it." Flam's expression grew darker, his greed momentarily overshadowed by the anger at being outbargained. "At least when we have that plush once more, we'll never have to look back on all our previous failed investments..."

"Wait just a minute, brother!" Flim said, abruptly. "How do we know we can trust Sunset Shimmer, exactly? What leverage will we have on her if she's holding all the strings? She's refusing to accept this promise in keeping our word, yet expects us to make an exception with her on promise?"

"Ugh, are we really going to go there, now?" Smolder put a claw on her own face. "It's so frustrating to think, we could all just walk away from this arcade without anyone getting hurt, and yet those two are just way too stubborn to do something logical for once..."

"Just so you know for the record, Sunset good friends with Cousin Applejack, and we've certainly seen how much she embodies her honesty and honor!" Sunflower stated. "You can certainly be assured that she'll keep her word."

"Brother, perhaps we should actually consider... especially if it means she'll honor her word on giving us the millions we need to afford that dream life we've always wanted!" Flam insisted. "It's just like I feared earlier on, she was able to outsmart every one of our little schemes, and I'd actually believe she'd do so again, should we continue this path."

"Speak for yourself!" Flim refused. "We managed to outwit Gladmane that one time, which allowed us to take over Las Pegasus and start our Friendship University! Even if that particular scheme was short-lived, we were specifically chosen to trick somepony, which was a success! That means we've still got it in us to do whatever we need to come out on top, especially getting our satisfying revenge on the Princess's girl there!"

"Yeah... you're right!" Flam immediately changed his mind. "If we could successfully overthrow Gladmane like that, we'll very easily do it again! Besides, Sunset here was technically always responsible for us having to resort to various other failed schemes, putting us in tremendous debt over the years!"

"You simply can't put a price on sweet revenge, not even millions of bits!" Flim grinned with malice, as he stared at Babs and Sunflower. "Even though that pesky Applejack isn't here, we at least have an opportunity to have some fun with her extended family, down there! What do you say we show them what this bad boy is capable of?"

"What the hay do you two think you're doing?!" Babs stepped in front of her big sister, her eyes blazing with protective rage. "You've gone too far with this! After everything you've done, Sunset's willing to give you a fair chance, and this is how you repay her?!"

"We're not asking for much, just our rightful property, considering we were the ones who BOUGHT that toy at an auction in the first place!" Flim reminded. "But if you won't budge, and insist that we have no other choice but to pry it from your hooves, then we'll play your little game! We're in an arcade anyways, so we might as well make this interesting!"

"Well that's just too bad." Sunset's eyes narrowed, as she put the Señor G. Echo plush back into her saddlebag, before strapping the satchel on. "You could've had this toy so easily if you did the right thing, and now it seems like we're going to have no choice but to teach you yet another lesson..."

"Think you can intimidate us with mere words like that, huh?" Flam's voice echoed through the robot's speakers, as he maneuvered the FlimFlamtimus Prime towards Sunset. "We're going to take what we want, and there's nothing you or your little friends can do to stop us!"

"If you don't hand over that plush right now, we're going to turn this entire place into rubble, and leave you to suffocate under all the debris!" Flim threatened. "Is that what you want, or are you going to actually comply?"

"Oh, so now you're threatening innocent lives just for a plush toy?" Trixie's voice grew stern. "Your eternal greed has truly made you bozos absolutely despicable, but you're forgetting one thing... right, Sunset?"

"Ugh, dare I ask what that even is, or are you going to do nothing more than talk our ears off for a while?" Flam rolled his eyes.

Sunset felt the confidence and familiarity filling within her, as this scenario almost reminded her of what she herself had done at the CHS Fall Formal, back then. She ended up becoming a horrifying she-demon, and was threatening to end Twilight and her friends, much like Flim and Flam were currently doing. But this time around, the tables had turned, and she was the one determined to not give these con artists what they were after, much like Twilight did, when Sunset was selfishly trying to get her hands on the Element of Magic.

"You're forgetting that in Equestria, friendship is magic!" Sunset announced to the brothers. "And I've got friends here who are more than capable of handling your little robot toy, friends who have faced far worse than you two have ever dreamt of, and have come out even stronger in the end! So go on ahead and make your move, you are NOT getting this plush!"

"Hmph, it's no wonder you're friends with the very same ponies who've destroyed our plans to thrive here in Equestria!" Flim snickered, his grip on the robot's controls tightening. "Well, we've got something better than friendship, we've got power, and with this robot, we're unstoppable!"

"So far, you're not really impressing us!" Gallus scoffed. "Looks like you're just riding around in a slow and clunky robot, while we could very easily fly up there and kick you out of your seats!"

"I told you we should've given this thing a test run before we went through with this plan!" Flam groaned. "We'll never catch anypony at this rate!"

"Relax, it's only warming up since the activation, before we can make this animatronic move at turbo speeds!" Flim winked, as he pushed a button to enable enhanced reflexes, allowing the robot to quickly stomp near Sunflower and Babs, almost crushing them.

"Jeepers, not even the bullies at my school wanted to injure me this fast!" Babs stared up at the robot. "You two need serious help!"

"You've got that right, Babs!" Sunflower added, her eyes grew wide as she took a step back. "Those stallions have gone bonkers over a toy, so it seems like we've got no other choice but to destroy that machine before they become even more delusional!"

Sunflower, driven by her protective instincts and a touch of annoyance at the brothers' audacity, ran over to the robot with surprising agility and determination. She reared back and slammed her back hooves into one of its clunky legs, almost as if it were an apple tree during harvest season. The sound echoed through the arcade, and a shower of sparks shot out from the robot's knee joint. The FlimFlamtimus Prime wobbled slightly, but remained standing, resulting in Flim and Flam looking down from their cockpit, their expressions a mix of shock and amusement.

"Is that the best you've got, darling?" Flim sneered, his voice metallic through the robot's speakers, before getting ready to press another button. "We've modified this baby to handle more than a simple kick! In fact, now that we're at full power, why don't we show you what else this brilliant contraption can do! Ah, the sweet taste of victory, quite literally!"

Suddenly, the FlimFlamtimus Prime began to activate its arm cannons, and aimed them at the ponies in front. After a few moments, the cannons fired a glob of thick, sticky peanut butter at Sunflower and Babs. The two siblings did their best to leap out of the way, but the sticky substance was way too fast to see coming. The peanut butter hit the wall with a wet smack and expanded into a large sticky blob, trapping the two. Babs and Sunflower struggled to pull free, their eyes widening as the sticky goo held them in place, but it simply wasn't enough.

"Ack, what in tarnation is this stuff!?!" Sunflower continued struggling.

"Is that... peanut butter?" Babs recognized the substance's aroma. "Whatever this stuff is, we can't break free!"

"Not to worry!" Trixie assured, as she ran over to the two. "The Great and Powerful Foalsitter will save you from that delicious trap!"

Trixie immediately clung herself to the wall and began devouring away the peanut butter, which seemed like no real challenge, given how it was one of her all-time comfort foods. Under her watch, she wasn't about to sit back and let all this perfectly good peanut butter go to waste.

"Mmm, I sure wish I had some crackers to go with this!" Trixie savored.

"Come on, Trixie!" Babs encouraged. "Eat faster!"

"Haha, with those three busy for a while, we can now focus directly on what we're after!" Flim smirked, as he turned his attention towards Sunset. "Señor G. Echo, we have you now!"

But just as Flim and Flam were about to advance the robot towards their grand prize, they immediately felt a projectile bonk their machine's cockpit from behind, prompting them to look over, only to see Juniper Montage, alongside Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder, all holding plates.

"You really thought you could get away with stealing my server tips, huh!?" Juniper spat, as she and the three students began lobbing a volley of plates and utensils at the robot, making it stagger back and forth. "Well here's a tip for you, instead! Want to make a good living, then don't steal from the ponies around you!"

"Alright, you want to play rough, Miss Waitress?" Flim's eyes narrowed as the robot began getting dents. "FlimFlamtimus Prime, activate Sneaky Salsa mode!"

The robot's colorful lights flickered as it switched tactics, and began superheating salsa within mere seconds. Suddenly, jets of sizzling hot salsa shot out from various nozzles scattered across its body. The heat was intense, forcing Sunset and the others to dodge and weave through the scalding barrage, as the air filled with the pungent aroma of peppers and tomatoes.

"Ah, the sweet taste of victory, or in this case, victory in the form of salsa!" Flim smirked, whilst licking his own lips.

"Careful now, brother!" Flam warned. "We ought not care for what happens to the rest of these guests, but we must take caution to avoid spewing Sunset with this stuff! Last thing we want is collateral damage to that toy!"

"I hadn't thought of that, thanks for the reminder." Flim nodded, as he went less crazy firing the jets of salsa towards the aforementioned mare. "We need that plush in mint condition, if we want to stand a chance at snagging at least a few million bits from an auction!"

The robot's movements grew more erratic as it spun around the arcade, trying to avoid hitting Sunset while keeping the others at bay. But overhearing this, Sunset's mind raced for a strategy, as the waitress and students did their best to avoid the robot's nozzles, before they were covered in broiling hot salsa. Sunset knew that the brothers wouldn't dare harm her with the toy in her satchel, which meant she had an open advantage that the others didn't. Seeing how Flim and Flam were busy focusing on Juniper, Silverstream, Gallus, and Smolder, Sunset quickly used this distraction to sneak over to the prize booth, and ducked behind the counter.

While Flim and Flam were focused on attacking everyone else, Sunset's eyes scanned the prize counter for a flicker of inspiration. Her gaze fell upon a batch of plush toys, and she spotted a yellow lizard plush that looked remarkably similar to Señor G. Echo from a distance. Seeing this, she hastily switched her cherished plush with the generic lizard toy, whilst tucking Señor G. Echo safely under the counter. The brothers had primarily drawn their attention towards the waitress and students, giving her the perfect opportunity to slip away, unnoticed. With this quick thinking and clever improvision, Sunset already knew that she had an open advantage on the stallions, despite their confidence with the FlimFlamtimus Prime.

"Look at you two, willing to harm others just over a toy!" Sunset called out from a distance, prompting the brothers to turn around in their machine. "Have you no shame or conscience, whatsoever!?"

"Spoken like a true friendship believer, those are words for the weak!" Flim scoffed, as the robot took a few wobbly steps towards her. "Besides, we're just giving you all a show in this here arcade for your bit's worth, but if you really want to engage in some combat, we can do that too! The FlimFlamtimus Prime is out of salsa, anyways!"

As the robotic arms of the monstrous contraption lunged towards Sunset, she didn't flinch. Instead, she braced for impact and dodged, her eyes gleaming with the fiery determination that had once been her downfall, but had now become her greatest strength. Juniper and the three students watched from the sidelines, their hearts racing as they all saw that Sunset was in huge danger now. Despite the situation appearing dire, Sunset could feel a sudden spark in her eyes, a familiar feeling she hadn't felt since the Battle of the Bands. It was a spark that told Sunset she wasn't just going to fight, she was going to win.

"You think a robot and a few servings of salsa scare me!?" Sunset yelled, her voice filled with contempt. "I've faced much worse than you two ever could imagine, and I'm not about to sit back and watch you hurt my friends, or terrorize Hope Hollow!"

"So you think you're going to be the hero now, huh?" Flam's voice taunted over the robot's speakers. "How typical that you believe the magic of friendship mumbo jumbo is going to save the day, when in reality, the only way you'll ever win is by coming out on top, no matter the expenses!"

"Friendship isn't about coming out on top, it's about supporting each other through thick and thin!" Sunset retorted. "Being there for one another, not using others for your own selfish gains! But I don't really expect either of you to understand this, maybe you SHOULD have studied at Twilight's School of Friendship! At least she wouldn't have tried to take your money, like you always have!"

"We could sit here all day and discuss how we'll always be more intellectually superior to make it big in this cruel world of competition, but you've already wasted enough our time!" Flim growled, as he motioned for the robot to stomp on Sunset, but only ended up crushing tables. "You can't keep this up forever, you know! There's just no way you can compete with heavy machinery once you start getting exhausted!"

The FlimFlamtimus Prime's mechanical limbs thrashed and smashed through the arcade games and decorations, sending wires and debris flying, as Flim and Flam relentlessly pursued Sunset. She could feel the chase becoming more intense by the minute, the sounds of clanking metal steps echoing through her mind like the ticking of a doomsday clock. Sunset eventually found herself cornered between a couple of skeeball minigames, her eyes darting around nervously for a way out. Unfortunately, Flim and Flam were already one step ahead, and coated the rest of the area with sticky peanut butter to prevent a swift escape.

"You know something, since that toy is in a saddlebag, we'll risk a little collateral damage if it means we can finally have what we truly deserve!" Flim grinned, as he readied the robot's cannon to shoot another peanut butter blast.

Just as Flim felt confident that he could blast Sunset down without any issue, the FlimFlamtimus Prime suddenly stumbled back from a plate hitting it. The moment before Flam pressed the fire button, the robot ended up veering slightly towards the left, resulting in the projectile being fired directly at the wall. The peanut butter blast had made the nearby wall crumble apart, creating an open hole to allow Sunset to escape. Sunset immediately did so, as Flim and Flam turned around, only to see Trixie, Juniper, Gallus, Silverstream, and Smolder, alongside Sunflower and Babs, who had been freed from their peanut butter trap from earlier.

"Nopony hurts The Great and Powerful Foalsitter's friends!" Trixie pointed up at the brothers.

"Sunset's a part of our family now, too!" Sunflower reminded. "Even if she's not directly related to us!"

"You mess with one Apple, you mess with the rest of the extended family, you hear!?" Babs added.

"Oh, so now we're getting all personal, are we?" Flam spat. "Brother, never mind these simpletons who'll simply do nothing more than slow us down! The quicker we get that valuable toy, the sooner we can book a vacation at a luxury resort outside of Equestria itself!"

"That's what you think!" Smolder announced, before Gallus and Silverstream flew over with some arcade cabinet wires.

The griffon and hippogriff quickly wrapped and circled the wires around the FlimFlamtimus Prime's legs several times, until they were tight enough. Gallus quickly tied a knot, seemingly making the legs become stuck together.

"Let's see you try to walk up some stairs when you're all tied up like that!" Silverstream said, satisfied with her and Gallus's work.

"Looks like you two should've grown up, instead of relying on toys to do your dirty work!" Gallus added.

"Might as well surrender right now, while we're still a little merciful!" Juniper insisted. "Give me back my stolen tips, and I'll consider calling it even!"

"You think you've won, do you?" Flim's voice grew cold as the robot began to glow with a sinister blue light. "Well, we've got a little surprise for you all! FlimFlamtimus Prime, deploy the Elemental Cannons!"

Cannons on the robot's shoulders emerged from their compartments, becoming active, as the blue energy grew brighter, coalescing into orbs of fire and ice. The robot began spraying an ice beam at the wires, coating them with a thick layer of frost. Suddenly, the other shoulder cannon emitted a blazing flame, burning through the wires swiftly, and causing them to snap apart. The brothers' mechanical monstrosity regained its full mobility, with the smell of burnt plastic and metal lingering in the air.

"Looks like you've just earned yourself a taste of our true power!" Flam grinned, getting ready to use the peanut butter cannons again.

"Never mind them, brother!" Flim insisted. "We have to catch Miss Princess's girl before she gets away with our retirement funds!"

"Quite right, but just to make sure we have no further distractions..." Flam put his hoof on the cannon lever.

Flam's eyes gleamed with malice as he fired a massive glob of sticky peanut butter from the robot's cannon, the thick substance arcing through the air with surprising speed. Juniper, Gallus, Smolder, and Silverstream couldn't react in time, and found themselves entangled in the sticky mess, their wings and limbs bound tightly as they struggled to break free. Babs and Sunflower weren't as lucky either, getting hit and stuck to the wall again, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief. But Trixie instinctively used her magic to teleport a shield in front of her, miraculously avoiding the peanut butter from splattering all over her. Seeing this, the Flim and Flam began marching outside of the arcade through the hole they created, ready to snatch their prize, even if it meant the destruction of Hope Hollow itself.

"Awwww, not again!" Trixie groaned at the mess she needed to clean up to free everyone. "There's still peanut butter all over the place, but I can't eat anymore of it! My stomach's rejecting the idea of ingesting one more spoonful of this spread, what have I become!?"

"Don't you worry, Trixie, we'll all have to eat together!" Sunflower assured up, her eyes glinting with determination.

"I don't even like peanut butter to begin with, but I'll show those two rascals what happens when you mess with a hardworking waitress's pride!" Juniper said, as she angrily ate away at her peanut butter cocoon.

"I'm not sure I'll want to eat peanut butter ever again after this..." Babs gulped.

Outside of Hope Hollow, Flim and Flam were hot on Sunset's tail, no longer holding back or willing to negotiate with the mare that held their key to a luxurious life. Many of the town's residents panicked and screamed upon seeing the metallic monstrosity on the verge of a seeming rampage, despite the fact the brothers were only targeting one individual. The townsfolks had ended up barricading themselves into their homes, while others were coming out to check up on what all the commotion was about.

"What in Equestria...?" Sunny Skies exited Hotel Hope, as his eyes widened upon what he was witnessing in the distance. "Say, isn't that one of Torque's animatronics from Slice-N-Shake? What's that doing, terrorizing the town!?"

"Cool!" Pickle Barrel came out to observe the madness. "A big, awesome robot smashdown show! I've never seen one in real life!"

"Could we go and get a closer look?" Barley Barrel asked. "We'll be good, we promise!"

"I don't think this is a show, either the animatronic's gone haywire, or it's been hijacked, and the town's under a serious attack!" Petunia deduced, as she escorted the foals and her husband back inside. "Quick, we must contact the authorities before things get even uglier!"

The chaos grew more as the FlimFlamtimus Prime tore through the town of Hope Hollow, its metallic hoofsteps echoing through the roads, much like the Stagma Beetles had done atop the Endtrak Express. Panic had set in, and the town's remaining residents ducked into their homes and shops, hoping to find safety from the madness that somehow entered the once peaceful town. As the robot continued its relentless chase upon Sunset through Hope Hollow's market square, it caught the attention of a few more familiar faces, who were momentarily just enjoying a town tour. Kerfuffle, standing outside her clothing shop, watched in horror as the robot barreled closer, as did Sour Sweet, Sandbar, Yona, and Ocellus.

"Stack my pancakes, what's going on right now!?" Kerfuffle exclaimed, aghast at the situation.

"First a giant bug infestation aboard the Endtrak Express, and now a rampaging robot!?" Ocellus observed. "Makes for an exciting field trip, I suppose, but this isn't good!"

"This is definitely not part of the tour, it looks like Sunset needs our help!" Sour Sweet insisted, as she fanned out her wings in hostility.

"Mean metal machine not going to hurt best field trip chaperone!" Yona snorted. "Yona's family has history of smashing things when we not pleased!"

"Hang on, Yona." Sandbar held the yak back. "Just like Miss Sunset told us before, we can't just charge in there without a plan, much like when you tried to do the same with the Stagma Beetles. Surely we must at least try and figure out a weakness?"

"Who would we even ask, though?" Sour Sweet pondered. "I know nothing about how to deal with a machine like that, we typically don't combat those things back in Canterlot!"

"Wait, if I remember right, I know who can help us!" Kerfuffle insisted. "We could ask Torque Wrench, she's the one who created that animatronic for Slice-N-Shake!"

"Hmm, alright, sounds like we can work with that!" Sour Sweet nodded. "Yona, Sandbar, Ocellus, could you three find Torque and get an insight on how we can deactivate that machine? I'll need to help Sunset fend that thing off for a while!"

"Good idea, we're on it!" Sandbar nodded, as he and his classmates ran away. "Stay safe, Miss Sour Sweet!"

Sour Sweet swooped towards the direction of the metallic menace, her eyes focused and determined. She had always had a knack for protecting others like a good royal guard would, but this time for all the right reasons. This was a battle for the very heart of Hope Hollow, and her new friend who had showed her compassion and understanding. Watching the intense chase from a distance, the pegasus immediately saw the fear in Sunset's eyes, and knew she couldn't let her down.

"Hold on, Sunset!" Sour Sweet called out, her voice ringing with confidence. "I've got this!"

Sour Sweet streaked through the air, her eyes focused on the robotic beast. She knew she couldn't match this metal monstrosity in brute strength, but had agility and speed to her advantage. Diving and weaving, she aimed for the robot's more vulnerable areas, including the joints and sensors, using her hooves to strike with precision. Her hits weren't enough to cause any significant damage, but they certainly got the brothers' attention, as they momentarily ceased their pursuit on Sunset.

"What's with you ponies, can't you just let us have our little trinket?" Flim grumbled as he worked the robot's controls, trying to swipe at Sour Sweet like a mosquito. "You think you can just drop by and interrupt our quality time with our old friend here?"

"Funny how you call her a friend, considering she's also the main reason we lost our first jobs and got banned from Canterlot." Flam reminded. "Just imagine how many gullible rich suckers we could've made a fortune from, had it not been for that Mommy Celestia of hers!"

"I don't remember specifically doing anything back then, aside from watching you both reap what you sowed!" Sunset paused, as she tried to catch her breath from sprinting around town. "You two have lost any shred of decency you might've had, chasing after your own greed, metaphorically and literally! Sour Sweet, these two are the Flim Flam Brothers, and they're after a toy that they rightfully gave me when I was a filly, you know who they are?"

"I've heard of them, mostly thanks to Princess Twilight and Celestia!" Sour Sweet replied, as she continued slowing the robot down. "They're quite the notorious pair in Equestria, known for their clever, yet underhanded schemes. But why are they going through such extreme lengths for a simple toy?"

"Simple toy!?" Flam remarked, insulted by Sour Sweet's comment. "Señor G. Echo is no mere plaything, he's a rare, limited edition collector's item that can fetch millions on the black market!"

"After the way Canterlot's treated us, we're entitled to that kind of fortune!" Flim added. "So I insist you keep to yourself and let us pound Sunset here into applesauce! We won't hurt you or anypony else, as long as we get our hooves on that leopard gecko toy!"

"Oh, please!" Sour sweet retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm, as she bucked the robot's knee joint, making it wobble slightly. "You expect me to take your word on such an empty statement? Even if that toy is worth that much, I'm sure there are better ways to earn your fortune than by terrorizing the town! Why don't you join us in the real Equestria, where friendship and compassion are more valuable than any treasure you could imagine?"

"So typical, you're another one of her pathetic friends, I see." Flam rolled his eyes, before giving Sour Sweet a swift kick with the robot's leg, sending her crashing in the distance, and injuring one of her wings.

"You'll... regret... that!" Sour Sweet gritted her teeth, trying to push herself back up, but her wing was too damaged to allow flight.

"That was just a little demonstration and preview for our product of pain, which we'll soon deliver towards our old friend over here!" Flim grinned, as he turned back to Sunset. "Speaking of which, you've proven to be quite the nuisance by being able to outrun our little contraption, but you certainly can't compete with a machine! Once you're out of breath, we'll pulverize you into pieces and take back what was always ours! We already gave you a fair negotiation earlier, but you refused, so we're no longer going to play nice, you hear!?"

"Well that makes two of us!" Sunset spoke back. "Or... three of us? You get what I mean, and either way, your greed is going to be your downfall! Just look at yourselves, wreaking havoc upon Hope Hollow for a toy!"

"Sunset!" Sour Sweet announced from a distance, as she slowly got up from her injury, and directed Sunset over to a nearby bush. "While I was doing my best to damage that thing, I think we have a good chance at destroying those joints and lights!"

"Pfft, with what exactly, dear?" Flam snickered at the idea, as the FlimFlamtimus Prime had barely sustained a metaphorical papercut from the attacks. "You think your soft and weak hooves can penetrate the might of solid steel and titanium!?"

"Maybe not, but can you really say the same about some good old fashioned rainbow rocks?" Sour Sweet replied, as she and Sunset emerged from the bush, holding various multicolored stones in their hooves.

"You can't be serious!" Flam sneered, raising an eyebrow at their supposed weaponry. "You think those glittery pebbles will stop us?"

Sunset and Sour Sweet began chucking a barrage of rocks and stones at the FlimFlamtimus Prime, dealing continuous damage upon the robot's joints, sensors, and outer components. Flim and Flam began to panic within the cockpit, realizing that the projectiles were surprisingly effective, and slowly chipping away at the robot's defense.

"Come on, do something!" Flam began freaking out upon hearing an alarm sound from critical damage. "If the FlimFlamtimus Prime goes down the drain, much like all our other failed investments, this'll be the final nail in the coffin for us! We'll likely end up in prison, or even worse, Tartarus!"

"We surely can't let them ruin our perfect plan, and I believe I remember how we can combat these projectiles!" Flim looked at the robot's controls. "I seem to remember, one of the functions on the control panel can deploy a durable armor coating to deflect what would otherwise be pathetic pebble attacks, but..."

"But what, brother!?" Flam snapped. "If we don't get that armor up soon, we'll be sitting ducks to Sunset and her Hope Hollow friends!"

"We have to input a passcode in the prompt here to deploy it, and I may or may not have forgotten the passcode...?" Flim grinned, sheepishly.

"YOU IMBECILE!!!" Flam screeched, as he desperately started guessing random four-digit codes. "Why are you wasting time instead of guessing what the code is!? It's only a matter of time before our brilliant contraption is on the ropes, and we get sent to jail!"

As Sunset and Sour Sweet were persistently finding rocks to throw at the FlimFlamtimus Prime, they both noticed that the robot was starting to show noticeable signs of damage from their combined efforts. It became clear that they needed to stall for as long as possible, on the chance that Flim and Flam would deploy their armor. While this was happening, Ocellus, Yona, and Sandbar were desperately looking around Hope Hollow for Torque Wrench, hoping that the creator of the animatronic could give them some insight on how to deactivate it. The trio finally entered Slice-N-Shake, but were only greeted with the rest of their classmates, all stuck in a sticky peanut butter mess.

"Whoa, what happened with you all?" Ocellus's eyes widened upon seeing the arcade's state.

"Don't ask, just please, help us get free of this gunk." Gallus continued struggling. "Even worse, some of us are getting pretty sick of peanut butter."

"I have no idea how the mare in the hoodie could eat so much of this stuff, I feel like I'm going to vomit at any moment!" Juniper Montage gagged, feeling sick and nauseous from the forced consumption.

"Perhaps I've just got a magical stomach, or always enjoyed peanut butter crackers as a filly." Trixie replied, as she continued using a tool to scrape away the now hardened peanut butter.

"Guidance Counselor Trixie?" Yona said, rather confused. "What she doing here when school professors said she was ditching school duties?"

"Oh, uh, don't worry about that!" Trixie's eyes widened. "I'm here on a... special assignment for Princess Twilight, but for now, we've gotta free every creature from this tempting yet now repulsive peanut butter spread. It's a shame to think we'll have to let most of this peanut butter go to waste, but... think you can help us out here?"

"I guess I could give it a go, even though I typically prefer marmalade or honey as a spread." Ocellus shrugged, before she morphed her appearance into a dragon and flew up to reach the peanut butter trapping Babs and Sunflower.

"Yona actually hate peanut butter, but Yona hate seeing friends stuck and unhappy even more!" Yona replied, as she began devouring away at the peanut butter around Gallus and Smolder.

"Hehe, not there, Yona, that tickles!" Silverstream shrieked upon feeling the new sensation.

"Well, it's a good thing we know a bighearted yak with just as big of an appetite." Smolder chuckled to herself.

Trixie and Ocellus eventually freed both Sunflower and Babs Seed from the peanut butter with their teamwork, but Ocellus knew that her job wasn't done yet, and headed over to assist Yona. The Apple siblings then approached Sandbar, trying to get some insight on what was now happening out there.

"It's certainly a good thing that hospitality is a common trait for the guests of Hope Hollow." Babs said, before turning her attention towards Sunset's situation. "Unfortunately, two certain stallions seem way different in that respect."

"I'm pretty worried what they could be doing to the rest of Hope Hollow right now." Sunflower took a glance outside the arcade. "Do you have any idea where that giant robot thing went?"

"Last I saw, it was tearing through the town square, chasing our field trip chaperone, Miss Sunset." Sandbar replied. "She's with our other chaperone right now, trying to hold that thing off. I was told that we must find Torque Wrench, since she might know how to shut that thing down, given how she built it! Problem is, we've looked all over, and we have no idea where she is!"

"Did you say you needed to find Torque?" Gallus remembered a crucial detail from earlier. "She told us that she'd be fixing up the Endtrak Express's interiors, shortly after we got off the train! Chances are, you'll most likely find her there!"

"Alright, thanks for the info, Gallus!" Sandbar nodded. "I'll go find Torque and put an end to this robot nightmare, while Yona, Ocellus, and Trixie free the rest of you!"

"We'll come with you." Sunflower began trotting towards the hole in the wall. "You might also need somepony to explain what just happened here in the arcade, since we both witnessed everything."

"Yeah, I'm not going to miss this for the world." Babs added. "Sunset's a part of our family now, and if Cousin Applejack's taught me anything, it's only natural for an Apple to get their payback on Flim and Flam."

Sandbar, Sunflower, and Babs all raced out of the wrecked arcade, their hearts pounding with a mix of fear and determination. The trio didn't waste a moment, their eyes scanning the horizon for the location of the Endtrak Express. After spotting and sprinting towards the train, it was only a matter of locating the repair pony, who had proficient experience in mechanical work. The interior of the train had seen better days, but Sandbar knew she'd be here, working tirelessly to fix the damage from the Stagma Beetles. The group navigated and searched through the coaches, calling out her name.

"Torque, Torque Wrench, are you around!?" Sandbar's voice echoed through the train. "It's an emergency, we really need your help!"

Finally, the trio heard a sudden clang, followed by a muffled groan coming from one of the compartments. From a distance, Babs took notice of a pony stepping out of a hole in the train's floor, facing the opposite direction. To Babs, this pony looked quite familiar, and it almost seemed quite surprising to actually find her here.

"Applebloom, is that you?" Babs began approaching the pony. "Jeepers, I never could've imagined that you'd get into mechanics instead of apple bucking, congrats on getting a job here in Hope Hollow!"

"Uh, excuse me?" Torque Wrench turned around, feeling rather confused. "Do I know you?"

"Oh... sorry, I thought you were somepony else." Babs grinned, sheepishly.

"Just so we're clear here, you're Torque Wrench, right?" Sandbar questioned. "You're the town's repair pony, and you built the animatronics from Slice-N-Shake, is that correct?"

"Yeah, that's me, alright." Torque replied as she took off her noise-cancelling headphones. "I'm a little busy welding the interior of the train, but I believe she'll be good to go for the return trip. What can I do for you folks?"

"Torque, it's not just the train that needs your help, it's the entire town!" Sunflower pointed out the train's window, as the repair pony got a good glimpse of the situation over by the town square. "Flim and Flam are using your animatronic to cause chaos in Hope Hollow!"

"They've coated us with globs of sticky peanut butter, vandalized the arcade, and are threatening to hurt somepony in particular!" Babs recapped. "We need to know how to shut it down!"

Torque's eyes widened in shock as she took in the scene outside, she had never intended for her creation to be used for such malicious purposes.

"What have they done with Optimare Prime!?" Torque exclaimed, her tools clattering to the floor. "I never even got a chance to test drive her, only engineered the inner components! Certainly never designed her to spew peanut butter or deface Hope Hollow property!"

"Torque, please, we need to shut it down before it causes any more damage or harms somepony!" Sandbar insisted. "We've all got a bad feeling that if we don't do that soon, Hope Hollow will never be the same again!"

"Follow me, I know exactly what to do!" Torque led the ponies over to her workshop, analyzing the robot's blueprints. "The main power source is in its chest, but we can't just rip it out without disarming her first. She's got a manual override switch, but it's a bit complicated to reach, given how high up it is. If we can get to the control panel on her back, we might be able to shut her down temporarily."

"Alright, so we need to distract it long enough for one of us to climb on its back." Sunflower began formulating a plan. "I've seen how it moves, and I've had plenty of experience climbing apple trees. But we need to be careful, that animatronic can still be quite unpredictable."

Knowing this, it practically seemed trivial to foil Flim and Flam's plans, but the trio knew that Torque had brought up a good point, approaching the robot itself would certainly pose a challenge. Sunset and Sour Sweet were still doing their best to hold off the FlimFlamtimus Prime, but their stalling would inevitably come to an end. Flam eventually guessed the correct passcode, prompting the machine to arm it's vulnerable components with a much more durable alloy coating.

"Are you kidding me, the code was seriously '1-2-3-4' the whole time!?" Flam bonked his brother on the head for his idiocy in forgetting such a simple code.

"Well come on, you could've guessed that sooner, and besides, does it really matter now?" Flim turned his attention towards Sunset and Sour Sweet. "Now that your pitiful rocks are no longer a hindrance, it's time you face the reality, Sunset! We'll tear Hope Hollow apart, piece by piece, if it means you give us that leopard gecko toy!"

Knowing that the brothers weren't playing around, and that she was already one step ahead of them, Sunset took the generic yellow lizard plush out of her saddlebag, which Flim and Flam seemingly mistook for the real Señor G. Echo toy. Sunset winked to Sour Sweet, giving the pegasus a hint that she knew exactly what she was doing, and that the two stallions would soon be in for a real surprise.

"Alright, if that's really how you want to play, I suppose we could also reflect on what brought us to this very moment." Sunset began playing along. "Don't you remember how Princess Celestia cornered you in that arcade, and that out of a cowardly instinct, you threatened to rip Señor G. Echo apart?"

"Just because my brother thinks more with his paycheck than his brain, doesn't mean you get to keep stalling!" Flam started becoming impatient. "Are you going to hand over that plush, or will we have to teach you a real lesson?"

Sunset took a deep breath, and with a swift motion, she began ripping the decoy lizard plush apart with her hooves, mimicking the very threat that Flim had used against her, many years ago. The brothers' eyes lit up with horror and disgust, completely mistaking the fake toy for the real Señor G. Echo. Sour Sweet caught on to her friend's ploy and quickly followed suit, both of them shredding the toy before the stunned siblings. What remained of the plush fell to the ground, nothing but fabric and stuffing in their hooves.

"Where's your so-called fortune now, huh?" Sunset challenged the brothers, as she knew exactly how this would make them feel.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!" Flim's face became red with rage, now believing that he and his brother had done all this for absolutely nothing. "THAT DUMB TOY WAS WORTH MORE THAN A HOUSE'S MORTGAGE!!!!!"

"YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR, SUNSET SHIMMER!!!!!" Flam exclaimed, furiously. "IF YOU'RE GOING TO DESTROY OUR FUTURE AND RETIREMENTS, YOU'LL BE GOING DOWN, ALONG WITH IT!!!!!"

"Look at what your greed has cost you, Flim and Flam." Sunset continued her plan. "You've lost everything you thought you had, but the real question is, am I really to blame? After all, didn't one of you almost go along with my proposal, only for the other to change his mind at the last second, because he thought I was untrustworthy?"

"She... she's got a point, actually!" Flam paused, as he gave this some deep thought. "I actually considered doing the so-called honest way, but you convinced me to weasel out of it at the last minute, brother! If anything, I should probably be more furious at YOU, than her!"

"Well, I just didn't want to lose the only thing we had going for us, you know!" Flim continued. "Surely you understand as well as I do, that nopony would ever believe that we genuinely had a change of heart!"

"You're just making excuses again!" Flam snapped back. "It's because of your indecision, that we're in this mess! We could've already left Equestria long ago with our meal ticket, but you had to go and ruin it with your greed and paranoia! Perhaps you deserve a good thrashing for this!"

"Perhaps... if that even WAS the real Señor G. Echo plush in the first place!" Flim finally broke out of his act, as did his brother, much to the horror of Sunset and Sour Sweet.

"Wha...!?" Sunset's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. "You mean... you knew the whole time!?"

"Please!" Flam scoffed. "We may've been ignorant and careless back in the arcade, but we're not blind! You really expected us to fall for the old switcheroo trick, especially for a generic lizard toy that we're already well familiar with, given how we RUN Slice-N-Shake's prize booth!?"

"B-But...!" Sunset gulped, shocked by how the brothers had turned the tables, and were instead one step ahead of her. "I'm so sorry, Sour Sweet, it looks like we're in some real trouble now..."

"Don't worry, we've dealt with worse back on the Endtrak Express." Sour Sweet panted, trying to keep her sweetness and positivity. "Even though we can't damage that machine anymore, we can still figure something out."

"Like that'll ever happen!" Flim cackled, as he maliciously advanced towards the two exhausted mares. "It's funny how you came to Hope Hollow for fun and games, but it finally looks like you've officially gotten your first game over!"

"We're done playing games as well, they certainly never did much for our career choices!" Flam added, as he was getting ready to stomp on both ponies. "First, we turn you two into a pair of pony pancakes, and then we'll enjoy the finest and most luxurious cruise outside of Equestria! Too bad you're not invited, as much as we would love you to join us... as our servants, that is!"

The brothers laughed maniacally, as they prepared to go through with what they described. But just as Flim controlled the leg's movements, ready to crush Sunset and Sour Sweet into smithereens, the FlimFlamtimus Prime had mysteriously stopped. The brothers both continued to work the controls they were accustomed to, but to no avail, and the animatronic remained immobile.

"What the...?" Flim looked at his brother, incredibly confused. "This isn't supposed to happen!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Flam groaned, this time genuinely angry with his brother. "I specifically said that we should've given this thing a test run, given how it actually malfunctioned last time, but you don't listen to me, do you!?"

"Actually... Optimare Prime has always performed her very best, and if there were ever any supposed malfunctions, that'd be the fault of the ones operating her." Torque Wrench approached the robot from behind.

"Did you miss us?" Babs Seed accompanied Torque. "We Apples have always been keen on attending our family reunions, and now it seems like a family tradition to foil your schemes!"

"You really thought you were outsmarting everyone here, but the truth is, you both totally just got schooled!" Sunflower announced, as she had successfully climbed up the robot's back and flipped the switch, while the brothers were distracted. "Don't think you've got the upper hoof, especially when your opponents are able to consult the pony who built the contraption!"

"Thanks for the save, Sunflower." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "Sour Sweet and I really thought we were goners there."

"Anything for an Honorary Apple, but my work ain't quite done yet." Sunflower said, as she trotted over to the animatronics' leg and gave it a hard kick, sending the whole thing crashing down from the lack of balance, and causing Flim and Flam to fall out of the cockpit.

"I'll go get the mayor, Sunny is certainly not going to let these troublemakers off easy, after everything they've done!" Torque glared at the brothers, as she trotted over to Hotel Hope.

Now sitting outside their broken machine's cockpit, Flim and Flam were surrounded. Sunset and Sour Sweet both gave the brothers a cold glare for their misdeeds, and they were soon accompanied by Babs, Sunflower, Trixie, Juniper Montage, the six students, and the various residents of Hope Hollow, all with expressions of anger and disgust towards the two stallions. Flim and Flam nervously looked around the angry mob, the fear of being torn to shreds had amplified even further than getting sent to prison.

"Um, hey, listen, Sunset Shimmer..." Flim began nervously, as he saw Sunset approaching them. "We're uh... so very sorry for all the trouble we've caused, we completely understand if you want nothing more than for us to leave Equestria for good..."

"Uh, yeah, that's right..." Flam added on, before he reached back into the cockpit. "But to show you how very sorry we are, we'll give you a little prize instead, for your efforts in truly helping us learn our lessons. How about you just take a parakeet and go home?"

Sunset looked at the parakeet plush Flam took from the cockpit, staring on with slight amusement, given how she had once experienced a similar scenario with a different Flim and Flam. As a way of humorously repeating her own history from the Human World, she went right up to the brothers and replied with the only thing that seemed like an appropriate response.

"It's not about the parakeet." Sunset replied, coldly, as she slapped the toy from Flam's hooves. "In the words of Señor G. Echo himself, evil will always be spotted, amigo."

Suddenly, Mayor Skies and Petunia Petals approached from the sides, both with equally furious expressions as the rest of the crowd.

"Flim and Flam, when my husband and I decided to give you a fair chance at making Slice-N-Shake a wonderful experience for Hope Hollow's guests, we most certainly were not expecting this unacceptable behavior!" Petunia frowned. "Your actions today have endangered not only our town, but our trust in you both!"

"I'm absolutely appalled, you two!" Mayor Skies stomped his hoof. "I thought you two would actually commit to your jobs, but very clearly, I was wrong! Never in all my years of being the mayor have I ever had to do this, but it's clear now that you've left me with no choice! You're both hereby banned from setting a single hoof in Hope Hollow, ever again!"

"We can certainly also assure you, that this isn't the first time they've tried to pull a scheme like this." Sour Sweet added, her eyes narrowing at the brothers.

"I've seen what greed can do to somepony, and I've faced it in myself." Sunset sighed, but knew that after all this madness, what she had done back then simply couldn't compare to the brothers' everlasting greed. "It's time for them to face the music, or in this case, the law."

"L-Look, we can make this right!" Flim stuttered. "We've got connections, we can fix all the damage we caused, just don't turn us over to-"

"Not a chance." Petunia shook her head. "We've already contacted the authorities long ago, and they should be here any minute now. I sure hope you slimy stallions know a good lawyer, because it looks like to me, we have a ton of witnesses to testify against you!"

"None of us are going anywhere until we see you both get cuffed and arrested." Juniper added. "You petty crooks are certainly going to do some hard time behind bars after this fiasco!"

"Alright, so that's how you want to play, is it?" Flim shot up from his position, now knowing that begging for mercy was out of the question. "Well unfortunately for you all, Torque's not the only one who knows how to reverse engineer a contraption! How do you think we came up with the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000!?"

"That's right, brother!" Flam cut his act as well. "You all think you're clever surrounding us like the peasants you are, but in the chance that even our last resort would fail, we came prepared for that, as well! Quickly, into the escape pods!"

Unaminously, the brothers climbed up into the animatronics' ears, and set a course for a destination far away from their current predicament. Shortly after, the FlimFlamtimus Prime's ear segments had transformed into rocket-like escape pods, expelling a flame from underneath, and sending the brothers flying away through the sky.

"They're getting away, let's go after them!" Smolder fanned out her wings, ready to give Flim and Flam everything they had coming to them.

"No need to worry about them now, let them go." Sunny Skies sighed upon seeing the brothers' escape. "I think it's fair to say that after this whole fiasco, they'll never find a job in Equestria again. We'll certainly be reporting everything to the local news station."

A majority of the crowd shrugged and agreed with the mayor's reasoning, as they slowly trotted back to their homes and shops, thankful that the main threat to their town had been dealt with. As the crowd dispersed, the only ones who remained at the town square were Sunset, Sour Sweet, Trixie, the students, Babs Seed, and Sunflower.

"Well, that was certainly quite the adventure, who knew that an innocent arcade vacation would lead to all this chaos?" Sunflower giggled. "This'll definitely be one of our most memorable vacations, don't you agree, Babs?"

"Absolutely, but we certainly also owe it to Sunset here for making it possible!" Babs nodded. "If it wasn't for her, we'd probably already be back in Manehattan, feeling disappointed at this entire trip being a waste."

"Well, I've learned all about hospitality from a good friend." Sunset looked around at her friends and students, feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction that they had all come together to stop the notorious brothers. "Even if we couldn't bring those two to justice, I'm just happy that everyone's safe, and we can get back to enjoying Hope Hollow."

"As much as I'm sure we'd all like that, I'm afraid we're right on schedule." Sour Sweet gave a reminder. "According to the town's clock tower, our three hours in Hope Hollow are pretty much up. The Endtrak Express is going to take off for its return trip in about 15 minutes."

"Ah, you're right, thanks for reminding me." Sunset nodded upon looking at the clock, before she turned to Babs, Sunflower, and Trixie. "We've got to get going, but before we do, I want to thank all of you for sticking with me through this."

"Hey, I couldn't forget the very pony who helped encourage somepony as great and powerful as I to get into foalsitting." Trixie recalled. "Besides, nopony makes ME sick of peanut butter crackers, but it really is a shame that we'll just be wasting all that leftover peanut butter at the arcade. I sure do feel sorry for whoever's going to have to clean all that up. Either way, I can certainly see why Starlight likes you so much, Sunset. If we ever cross paths again, I could certainly consider bringing you to my next foalsitting gig."

"Speaking of which, Babs and I have seen your potential in being both protective and entertaining, especially after all the help you did to get us free from the peanut butter, Trixie." Sunflower reminded. "Most other sitters likely would've fled and bailed when such a situation arises, but you really cared for our well-beings. So I'm proud to officially say, you've passed your orientation day. When we get home to Manehattan, we'll be sure to give a good word to the rest of the family, and make sure you get a call whenever they need a foalsitter."

"Wow, it's such an honor, thank you, Sunflower!" Trixie said with glee. "Don't you worry, I'll be ready to face any challenges that come my way in the future, no task will be too difficult for somepony as great and powerful as... I mean, thank you, I won't let your family down!"

"Anytime, the Apple Family's always had a long history of understanding what it's like when business is slow." Sunflower winked. "Speaking of family, like I've said before, we'll always consider you an Honorary Apple, Sunset, for everything you've done for not only my sister and I, but even Cousin Applejack. I wish we could give you a nickname to remember you by, if we ever cross paths again."

"How about 'Sun Sister', that has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Babs suggested.

"If it'll help you remember this whole memorable experience, I say go for it!" Sunset giggled.

"Alright then, you got it, Sun Sister." Sunflower replied, before turning to Babs. "This'll be goodbye for now, we really should head back to Hotel Hope and wash this peanut butter from our manes, but until next time, may the rest of the family smile down upon you for all your good deeds!"

"Thank you both for being here, always been a pleasure to meet AJ's relatives." Sunset waved goodbye to Sunflower and Babs, as she turned to her students. "I also know I couldn't have done this without all of you, seems like Twilight's been teaching you all about friendship and teamwork for us to prevail in the end."

"It's all thanks to you, Miss Sunset." Ocellus said, her voice filled with admiration. "Your guidance and belief in your students definitely brought out the best in us."

"We couldn't have asked for a better experience than saving Hope Hollow from those two scoundrels!" Silverstream added.

"Certainly hope to have you as a field trip chaperone another day, you're like the very first one who's never bored us, or caused any problems to affect our... education, so to speak." Gallus snickered.

"Yona still can't get nasty peanut butter taste from mouth, but bad taste worth it for friends!" Yona grinned.

"Well I'm sure on the return trip, you could wash it down with more of Mr. Ramsay's sticky toffee pudding." Sandbar reminded.

"Sounds like everyone's had their fun and games on this field trip, but unfortunately, we really have to get going to the Endtrak Express if we want to get back to the School of Friendship." Sour Sweet instructed, as she guided five of the six students over to the train, before turning around. "Sunset, Smolder, you two coming?"

"I'll catch up with you momentarily, there's still one last thing I must go fetch before I depart." Sunset replied, knowing she wasn't about to leave behind a cherished fillyhood toy.

"I guess I'll go with Miss Sunset for a bit, then we'll all meet back on the train." Smolder went off with her chaperone.

Sunset made her way back over to Slice-N-Shake's prize booth, and retrieved her Señor G. Echo toy, which she had hidden away under the counter, on the chance that the Flim Flam brothers were able to get their hooves on her saddlebag. Luckily, everything had already worked out in Sunset's favor, and both this cherished toy and Hope Hollow itself were safe from the brothers' greed and shady schemes.

"So that's where you hid it." Smolder folded her arms at her chaperone's ingenuity. "Good to see you've not only been an awesome field trip chaperone, but even a clever one, at that!"

"Had a ton of experience over the years, that's for sure." Sunset replied, as she put the toy back into her saddlebag. "You never know when you might need a little trick up your sleeve."

Sunset and Smolder then left the arcade, ready to head back to the School of Friendship. The dragon herself was certainly looking forward to sharing her experiences in Hope Hollow, and everything she and her friends had been up to, as it was all made possible, thanks to their new chaperone. While Sunset had similar ideas on her mind, she still knew that despite these recent adventures, there was still the matter of finding and defeating Chestnut Magnifico, and getting the Bewitching Bell back. However, these thoughts were suddenly derailed when the duo passed by one of the houses in Hope Hollow, and heard some crying in the distance.

The pony and dragon deviated from their original path to the train to check this out, as the crying sounded like it was getting more severe. After checking around the back of the house, Sunset took notice of the Barrel twins, with Barley Barrel looking severely heartbroken. In fact, Sunset could almost feel exactly what the filly was seemingly going through, as she herself had once experienced a similar emotion, when she first met Flim and Flam. Trixie was also nearby the twins, also trying to figure out what was upsetting Barley.

"I heard the crying from back here and wanted to see what was happening." Trixie explained. "That filly looks so sad and lost, but she's refusing to talk about it..."

"Hey there, Barley Barrel, right?" Sunset approached the broken filly, her voice soft and compassionate. "I can see something's severely troubling you, may I ask what's wrong?"

"You'll... you'll laugh at me." Barley Barrel refused. "It's something so silly for me to cry about, and I just know you won't understand..."

"Come on, Sis, please don't be like that. "Pickle Barrel tried to cheer his sister up. "That's the same mare who helped and rescued us from those nasty bugs on the Endtrak Express, I'm sure she's willing to lend an ear."

"I promise I won't laugh, sometimes the smallest things can mean the most to us, especially when they're tied to something much larger." Sunset assured and got down on Barley's level. "What's got you so upset?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with that giant robot attack by Flim and Flam, does it?" Smolder questioned.

"Well... no, actually." Barley Barrel finally began opening up. "I was real excited at Hotel Hope earlier, but... you know how I was saving my allowance for months, and I gave it all up for this reward that was supposed to arrive in our mailbox today?"

"Hmm, yeah, that rings a bell." Sunset nodded. "Your parents got it for you as a reward for a great report card, I believe. What happened to your reward?"

"I saw an ad in the mail that mentioned somepony was having a yard sale for a bunch of old toys, and that I could get any of their items, as long as I mailed them their money." Barley continued. "It claimed that the seller had a Señor G. Echo toy for sale, and that because of how rare these toys were, it'd be a pretty hefty price, as there's supposedly only ten of those in existence..."

Sunset listened on, but by this point, her eyes widened, as she began to immediately deduce what must've went wrong for the poor filly.

"The seller wanted 500 bits, so I patiently saved my allowance for months, hoping to finally own some official merchandise of the very leopard gecko who inspired me to start the Rainbow Dash fan club." Barley further elaborated. "When I finally saved enough and ordered it through the mail, I checked the mailbox today, only to find this, a plain yellow lizard doll with a cheap hat stitched onto it. I'm so sad, I got cheated in the worst possible way!"

Sunset examined the doll Barley showed her, as she realized it looked just like the knockoff toy she had done a switcheroo with earlier, in an attempt to fool Flim and Flam.

"That's awful!" Trixie exclaimed. "As somepony who's had her fair share of run-ins with scammers, I know exactly how she's feeling right now."

"I've tried doing everything I could to cheer my sister up, even offering to give her some of my allowance, but no dice." Pickle Barrel sighed. "I've never seen her like this before, she's even refusing to fly with me now, because she's so upset."

"Practicing to become a future Wonderbolt means nothing to me anymore if I'm such a gullible idiot..." Barley sniffled. "Just... leave me be."

"We'll... see what we can do to resolve this." Sunset said, as she contemplated making the ultimate sacrifice.

Sunset trotted back over to Trixie and Smolder, setting her saddlebag down besides them. She then fished through her belongings, as she was about to take her own Señor G. Echo toy out, almost as if she was going to give it to the broken filly. The unicorn and dragon's eyes widened upon seeing what Sunset was seemingly about to do, and they felt the need to ask Sunset why she wanted to do this.

"Sunset, wait!" Trixie stopped her friend for a moment, before whispering. "You're just going to... after everything that happened with Flim and Flam?"

"Are you sure about this, Miss Sunset?" Smolder whispered in disbelief. "For some filly that you've hardly even met?"

"Don't worry about this." Sunset said under her breath, as she began reflecting her entire journey up to this point.

When she decided to take this extended return to Equestria, Sunset had done so much more throughout this entire week than she had initially envisioned. Her adventures consisted of getting chased by security guards, helping save Rainbow Dash's reputation with the rest of the council, fighting pirates through a difficult expedition to Everfree Island, encountering a vicious horde of Stagma Beetles atop a train, and now defeating the FlimFlamtimus Prime, operated by the same scoundrels who had cheated her in her youth. Sunset realized that she went through all these adventures with her new changed self, and that she inadvertently fulfilled Señor G. Echo's philosophies, in being a hero and friend for those in need.

"Even though I hadn't really thought much about Señor G. Echo, up until my recent stay in Equestria, I realize that he, in some ways, inspired me to explore and become a hero." Sunset began explaining to Trixie and Smolder. "But... I've come to accept that I don't need him anymore, especially after what we witnessed with Flim and Flam. Think of everything we've been through on this entire field trip with your friends, Smolder. Solving mysteries on a train, exploring Bridlewood Station, and even defeating a big red beast formed by the Stagma Beetles."

Smolder reflected on the whole field trip and teared up a bit, now understanding where her chaperone was coming from.

"We did all those things together, and they were real adventures that we can always reflect on, years from now." Sunset continued. "We've... even surpassed Señor G. Echo as far as being true heroes of Equestria, in a sense. So with all this in mind, I believe in my heart that... it's finally time that I pass this toy down, so that a filly like her can be encouraged to follow her own dreams and endeavors, much like I once did when Celestia gave me this cherished toy. It'll be important for her to understand that not everyone in Equestria is out to cheat her, that there are still good ponies who'll fight for what's right. Plus, it's a small price to pay for all the wonderful new friendships we've made here in Hope Hollow..."

"That's... that's incredibly sweet of you, Sunset." Trixie began tearing up at her friend's selfless act. "I-I think I'm gonna cry great and powerful tears!"

"I'm so proud to hear you say all that, Chaperone." Smolder nodded. "This is probably the most generous act I've ever witnessed..."

Sunset trotted back over onto the Barrel twins' house porch, as Trixie and Smolder followed, ready to watch this immensely meaningful act of kindness.

"Barley Barrel?" Sunset slowly approached the filly, holding the Señor G. Echo plush in her hooves. "This is for you, please take it."

Barley looked up, clearing the tears from her eyes. She stared at the plush in Sunset's grasp, her heart racing. The plush looked just like the one she had envisioned of her superhero idol, the one she had worked so hard to save up for. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief, as she instantly grabbed the toy and began hugging it.

"NO WAY, AN ACTUAL TOY!?!" Barley became extremely chipper. "An actual Señor G. Echo toy, I never thought I'd actually hold one of these!"

"Whoa, you actually found one of those!?" Pickle Barrel became equally surprised. "I'm even more speechless than the time we met the actual Rainbow Dash!"

"Is... is he really for me?" Barley looked up at Sunset.

"Yes, he's all yours now, Barley." Sunset nodded. "I certainly understand how much he means to you, and I want you to have something real to keep the spirit of hope alive in your heart. Let's just say, I also understand myself, how jarring it felt to be cheated as a filly. Please remember, friendship is more important than any toy, and you've got friends here in Equestria who will always have your back. As long as you keep that philosophy for the rest of your life, I promise you that you'll become as heroic as Señor G. Echo himself one day."

"How much was the toy?" Pickle Barrel felt the need to compensate Sunset. "I think I've got my allowance up in my room, so I'll gladly pay whatever you spent on it. You have no idea how much this means to Barley and I."

"Let me get what little allowance I have left too, it's in my piggy bank!" Barley Barrel insisted.

"No, no, please, there's no need for that." Sunset's smile grew warmer, her eyes gentle. "This is a gift from me to you, Barley. Think of it as a token of friendship, a reminder that there's always hope, even when things seem bleak. You already got cheated by a shady seller, so I would much rather have you save your allowances to purchase other necessities."

"Wow, is Starlight not the coolest mare you've ever met, Sis?" Pickle Barrel turned to his sister. "First she saves us all from those nasty bugs atop the Endtrak Express, and now she made your biggest wish come true!"

"I... I don't know what to say." Barley Barrel stammered. "Thank you so much, Starlight, you really are as amazing as Mayor Sunny Skies said."

"Huh...?" Trixie raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Err, so sorry to interrupt such a sentimental moment, but... what are you two talking about? I don't see Starlight anywhere, you're talking to my friend Sunset over here."

"Wait, really?" Pickle Barrel replied, equally confused. "But we distinctly remember the mayor calling you 'Starlight'."

"Yeah, about that, he... really seems to believe I'm Starlight over a misunderstanding, and I'm afraid Starlight's actually somepony else entirely." Sunset tried her best to explain. "My name's Sunset Shimmer, and I hope this gift will help you both remember a hero's true strength from within."

"We'll remember this forever, Sunset!" Barley Barrel continued showing the plush her affection. "I promise to take good care of him for the rest of my life!"

"Words can't describe how grateful we are for your good deed, Miss." Pickle Barrel added on. "It's certainly not everyday we meet such kind ponies like yourself."

"It was nothing, really." Sunset assured, as she trotted back over to Trixie and Smolder, and strapped her saddlebag back on. "We have to get going now, however, since the train's leaving soon. Hope you enjoy Señor G. Echo, and all the delight he'll bring to you."

Sunset waved goodbye to the twins, as she began trotting away, accompanied by Smolder and Trixie. It was time to finally return to the School of Friendship for the conclusion of this field trip, and that last-minute deed made Sunset feel incredibly warm inside, watching Barley Barrel flare up with genuine happiness like that.

"It's pretty ironic in some ways, how someone once claimed that money can't buy happiness." Smolder reflected on what she just witnessed.

"Well in some ways, it kinda depends on how you interpret that saying's meaning." Sunset giggled. "Friendship and kindness are priceless treasures, so I wouldn't just take that saying in the most literal way."

"I for one am extremely proud of seeing your good deed, but just for the record?" Trixie joined in on the conversation. "The actual Starlight never had a secret kite club at all, did she?"

"Yeah, sorry about the confusion, I know Gallus and Silverstream like to play around like that." Smolder explained.

"I... knew that this whole time, anyways." Trixie claimed. "And it's such a relief anyways, since I find kite-flying pretty boring, regardless. Well, I'll be staying here in Hope Hollow for a while, but I wish you and the students the best of luck at following your dreams and passions! Where there's foals in need of a sitter, there's somepony great and powerful for such a role!"

Trixie immediately trotted off in the distance, as Sunset and Smolder waved goodbye as well, before finally approaching Hope Hollow's train station platform. The mayor was also awaiting Sunset near the train's entrance, ready to give her a formal goodbye.

"Have a safe trip back, Starlight!" Mayor Skies tipped his hat. "The residents of Hope Hollow will remember you fondly for all you've done for us!"

"Thank you, Mayor, I'll never forget the friendships we've all made together here." Sunset stepped onto the Endtrak Express, followed by Smolder, before the door closed.

"Well, he still called you 'Starlight', even after the field trip's over." Smolder noted. "Sounds like to me, Gallus lost the bet, and he owes me one of his prizes. Oh wait, we technically never got an opportunity to cash in our tickets at the prize counter, did we? Well that's no big deal, it was still the best field trip we've ever had, so I'm more than satisfied with our experience."

"I suppose being mistaken for Starlight isn't so bad when it comes with such warm farewells." Sunset mused, as she began making her way back to her cabin. "And yes, this trip has certainly been unforgettable, I'm sure we'll have some good stories to share when we return to the school. I think I hear Sour Sweet and the rest of your classmates over there, shall we entertain ourselves on this return trip?"

"Sounds like my kind of language, Chaperone!" Smolder nodded with approval. "Hey uh, Miss Sunset? Just more out of curiosity, what do you think will happen to Flim and Flam, after they made their escape?"

"Well Smolder, it's really hard to say where they've ended up, but it's definitely a pretty good bet that struggling to make end's meet will be next to impossible for those two now." Sunset surmised. "Wherever they'll end up, we can only hope they'll genuinely learn that their actions will have consequences..."

Meanwhile, Flim and Flam had once again narrowly avoided the clutches of the law, this time escaping from the disaster that awaited them from the residents of Hope Hollow. The brothers exited their escape pods, which finally crash landed on what looked like the jungle of a desert island. Although they had managed to evade getting arrested or torn to shreds from that angry mob, the Flim Flam brothers suddenly made their realization that they had another new problem.

"Brother, now I know it was your idea to install those escape pods in the FlimFlamtimus Prime, but... did you ever at least consider how exactly we could return to Equestria?" Flam questioned, now realizing their fatal error. "Our escape pods are now out of fuel!"

"We ought not worry about that now, we're unscathed and free from prison, aren't we?" Flim reminded. "Now we don't have to worry about the fierce competition of entrepreneurship, and can live the rest of our lives here on this luxurious, tropical island. A vacation was most certainly well overdue for us, don't you think?"

"Luxurious?" Flam scoffed. "This place looks absolutely atrocious, and where's the nearest five-star hotel!?"

"I'm sure we can slowly get familiar with the island over time, besides, now we kinda have no choice, do we?" Flim encouraged. "Come on, let's explore this uncharted territory without the fear of the law catching up to us. According to the escape pods' coordinates, we should be on a locale far away from Equestria itself."

"Alright, if you insist." Flam groaned. "But the first thing we have to do is find where we'll sleep tonight, I'll be sure to crack a coconut over your head if we have to sleep on a solid rock. How about that shiny cave over there, strangely hidden behind that waterfall?"

"Now that's the spirit!" Flim clapped his hooves together, enthusiastically. "Who knows, that may even be where the hotel you're looking for is located!"

Flim and Flam trotted through the dark and mysterious cave, unsure of what to expect. The brothers had become mostly relieved that being stranded on this seeming island appeared to be inconsequential, as this locale already seemed to have promising options in providing food and shelter. After traveling long enough, the two curious stallions took notice of a more lit-up area, and resting at the center was what appeared to be a huge pile of treasure. A plethora of doubloons, jewels, and ancient-looking artifacts were scattered in front of the brothers, making their true colors show, once more.

"Well would you look at that!" Flim whistled upon seeing this massive fortune. "It seems we've struck it rich, and there's nopony around to stop us!"

"We're not here to build our wealth again, remember?" Flam rolled his eyes. "What are we going to do with all this treasure if there's nothing on this desert island to purchase it with?"

"Ah, but think of the luxuries we could afford back in Equestria with this... once we find a way home." Flim insisted. "We could consider building a boat and sailing away with this loot! This amount of wealth would even make Celestia jealous!"

"I guess you're right, brother!" Flam finally felt his motivation return. "You know something, forget that dumb Señor G. Echo toy, we didn't even need it anyways, we have all we need, right here! We'll have to work as a team to make a fortune off of all this, so how's about you start carrying the wealth outside the cave, while I construct a boat for us to sail back to Equestria with?"

"Smashing idea, I'll get to work on the treasure extraction!" Flim chuckled to himself, grabbing a gem from the pile. "Now remember, we must divide this treasure equally, it's only fair, and I've got a keen eye for these gemstones. Imagine the looks on everypony's faces when they see us return as the wealthiest stallions in all of Equestria, but for now, let's get this goldmine out of here and find somewhere safe to store it!"

"OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo..." Gaea Everfree began making her presence known.

"Uh, what now!?" Flam's eyes widened, unsure of what was happening. "Brother, what did you just do by touching that treasure!?"

"I-I don't know, i-is this a ghost or a c-c-curse!?" Flim began freaking out.

"How typical..." Gaea Everfree materialized behind the brothers, as they turned around in horror. "Greedy and selfish mortals drop by Everfree Island in the hopes of stealing my treasures and riches like a bunch of conniving pirates! And this time, I overheard everything to know this isn't a simple misunderstanding, and that my wealth truly is at stake!!!"

"You STILL think we wouldn't have been better off, had we surrendered and turned ourselves in, back at Hope Hollow!?" Flam yelled at his brother.

Gaea Everfree suddenly used her magic to block off the exit to the grotto with her vines, as she began approaching and cornering the brothers with a stern expression, their fates now being sealed from what their lifelong greed had turned them into. Everfree Island's enchanted spirit began wrapping her vines all around the intimidated stallions, until they could see nothing more than darkness within their vine cocoons.