Applejack hummed to herself as the trotted toward the barn. "How's the haulin' comin', Berry?"

"Very... slowly," she grunted. She'd pulled her mane up into a ponytail, but it was sticking to her neck with sweat. "I don't know how your brother does this every day!"

"Well, he's got ten times yer strength."

"I'd say a hundred." With a heave, she got the last of the hay bales in its place, and slumped back to the dirt floor. "Whew!" she said, wiping her brow. "That good enough, Applejack?"

She eyed the haphazard stack, but it didn't look like it was about to topple. "Sure thing. Say, I was gonna go get us somethin' to drink. Whaddaya fancy?"

Berry pulled the tie out of her mane, and sighed when it popped back up into a frizz. "You have any iced tea?"

Applejack grinned. "Long Island, I take it?"

"Uh, no. Just the regular stuff."

That gave her pause. "Really?"

A little blush stained her cheeks, and Berry scuffed at the dirt. "Uh... listen, do you have a minute?"

"A'course."

"There's something I've been meaning... well, let me show you instead." She trotted to the saddlebags she'd left at the barn door and began rummaging through them.

Applejack laughed. "Berry, the last time you pulled somethin' outta there you were unconscious fer three days."

"That was awhile ago," she said, sliding something across to her. Applejack leaned down and pulled it closer; it was a purple coin with a triangle embossed on it, inside of which was Four Months in blocky script.

Her eyes widened. "Is this what I think it is?!"

"Uh huh," she said with a smile.

"Really? Four months?"

"And a week, two days, and seven hours," she added sheepishly.

"Aw, Berry!" Applejack grabbed her and hugged her hard. "I'm so proud of you!"

She was still smiling, but she turned her head away. "Thanks."

She wanted to say 'I knew you could do it!', but that wouldn't exactly be true. "Was it hard?"

"You have no idea," she sighed. "I'm not even through all the steps."

"Which one are ya on?"

Pulling out of the hug, Berry looked at the ground, then back up, and off to her side. "Actually, Applejack, that's... why I'm here."

"Y'need my help?"

"Sort of. Listen..." She trailed off, still looking away. Finally, after screwing up her courage, she turned back to her friend. "The Ninth Step is, um, is making amends. That's why I offered to help while your brother was away."

"Y'didn't offer. Y'insisted."

"And I'm not taking any payment."

"Berry, I can't let you work all day fer no pay," she said gently. "And why'd you need t'make amends t'me?"

She winced. "Um. Applejack, uh... I... was..."

Applejack just leaned forward, nodding.

"I... I was the one who told everypony about you and Flim," she pushed out in a rush.

In the distance one of the cows lowed. Applejack blinked.

"I didn't mean anything bad by it!" Berry went on. "Really, I didn't! I wasn't thinking! I was drunk, and I liked the attention---"

"You liked the attention?" she said coldly.

"Applejack, I---"

"You think you've been through some tough shit, but you know what I've been goin' through? What my family's been goin' through?" she barked. "My sister's gettin' bullied! I won't even repeat what some ponies've said to my face! D'you know how much our sales dipped this year? Huh? Y'ever think of that?"

Her eyes were filling with tears. "I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, y'sure are!" Applejack gave the stack of hay a rough buck, and the top one fell hard. "You have no idea what kinda humiliation you put me through!"

"I wasn't thinking right at the time, I---"

"Yeah, typical drunk, only thinkin' about yerself!" She pointed at the open doors. "Get off my property!"

Berry opened her mouth, but closed it again and drooped her head. "I'm sorry, Applejack," she whispered as she put her saddlebags back on. "I can't take back what I did."

"GO! LEAVE!"

Applejack panted, shaking as she watched her former friend slink away. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel it in the back of her mouth. She'd been having mood swings for the past few months, but this one at least felt justified.

Just as she turned to go kick something else, a little glint on the floor caught her eye. Berry's four-month chip was still there.

The sound of the dinner bell rang across the orchard, and Applejack swallowed the saliva that was gathering up in her throat. She'd just have to deal with things later.

***

The smell coming from the house's open windows was welcoming, but that wasn't the first thing she noticed---Applejack's ears flattened against her head when she saw Granny on the porch, clacking the swing loudly against the wall. Uh-oh. She only did that when she was royally pissed.

"Uh... Granny?" she said as she tried to hide the quaver in her voice. "Somethin' the matter?"

"Yer sister's settin' the table," she answered without meeting Applejack's gaze.

"Um, good fer her?"

"With an extra chair."

Applejack had to take a couple of shaky steps backwards to keep her legs from giving out. "Wh-what?!"

"Yer brother came home while you were out." She finally turned her head just enough to give Applejack the side-eye. "And he brought somepony with him."

All the alarm bells in her head began to blaze. Run! Dye yer mane, change yer name, and move to Acoltpulco! RUN!

"Uh, G-Granny? D'you mind if I go, uh... do... somethin' fer a minute?"

"Take yer time," she muttered. "It's gonna take me awhile to calm down enough t'go back in there."

"Great!" she said as she took off in a gallop. She cleared the crest of a hill and made it down to the riverbank before she allowed herself to stop and pant heavily.

"This ain't happenin'!" she told her muddy reflection. "This can't be happenin'!"

With a loud groan, she knelt down and dunked her face in the river. The cool water felt wonderful flowing across her cheeks, and she left her breath out in a flurry of bubbles.

"Okay," she said quietly when she lifted her head. "If I can face Discord, I can face this. Right?" She wiped the water off her face with her fetlocks. "Right."

She'd learned not to ask how bad it could get.

***

Applejack cautiously peeked around the doorframe, and it felt like the bottom of her gut dropped out. Standing there in her own dining room was the stallion she hadn't seen in months, casually chatting with her little sister as they set the table. Very carefully and quietly, she stepped into the room.

"...an' then Scootaloo got her back leg all the way over her head!"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, but she got stuck!" Apple Bloom giggled at the recollection as she slid a plate from her head to the table. "She couldn't get it back down, and she started hoppin' around tryin' to get it loose, and she fell down the clubhouse ladder!"

"I take it she didn't get a yoga cutie mark, then?"

"Nope! But the nurses gave her lots of candy an' chocolate milk, so she wasn't too upset."

"Maybe she can get..." His voice trailed off when his eyes met Applejack's. They both blushed, and she shuffled back a little. "Er, Apple Bloom, could you excuse me for a moment?"

She looked up, saw her sister's worried face, and then turned back to him. "Uh, sure. A'course."

Applejack quickly retreated into the kitchen, letting Flim follow her. He closed the door behind him, and they stood staring at each other for several long, anxious moments.

"Uh... hey there, Flim," she finally offered.

He took off his hat. "Hello, Applejack."

She shifted around a little and scratched the back of her neck.

"You're.... huge," he said, eyeing her belly.

"Yeah, that's kinda what happens," she said with a scowl.

"I, er, I didn't..." He coughed. "I didn't think you really were, um..."

"Knocked up?"

"I was going to say pregnant, but, yes."

Applejack looked at the floor. "Oh, Celestia. I thought I'd never see you again."

"I thought so too," he said, replacing his hat. "But, er, I... kind of hoped I would."

"Why?"

Before he could answer, Big MacIntosh entered the kitchen, glaring at his captive. "Dinner's comin' up," he muttered. "Both a'you---go wash up."

"Uh... the bathroom's upstairs, third door on the left," she said. "I'll use the kitchen sink."

Mac nodded at Flim. "Go."

Applejack turned the taps on, watching him leave; once her brother was out of the room, however, she darted through the door and went on tip-hooves up the stairs.

Flim had the water running, but he was splashing his face instead of washing his hooves. Without turning the taps off, he stared at his reflection, breathing heavily, his face still dripping.

She decided it best to hurry back downstairs. She knew anxiety when she saw it.

"Somethin' tells me this ain't gonna end well," she said under her breath.

As her family went about getting the food ready, Applejack went out to take her place---she'd been on her legs all day, and her back was aching. She gulped, however, when she saw the layout of the dinner table; while she, Apple Bloom, and Granny had glasses of sparkling juice, her brother had rather pointedly put a stein of Apple family cider in front of Flim's plate, as well as his own.

She was about to switch it when she heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs, and quickly took her place again.

"This looks nice," he said. "Where do I sit?"

"Uh... over there."

He raised an eyebrow when he saw his drink, but mercifully kept his mouth shut.

Everypony else took their places and, as usual, they let Granny say grace; Applejack noticed that while Flim did bow his head, he neither closed his eyes nor put his hooves together. She'd have to ask him about that later.

A full five minutes passed in silence, save for the sound of chewing and swallowing. Applejack tried as hard as she could to keep her eyes on her plate, but her appetite was almost gone.

"Well, we're a lively bunch, aren't we?" Flim said with his mouth full. "How 'bout that local sports team, huh?"

"Don't get cute," Applejack spat.

He smiled at her. "I thought you liked it when I get cute."

Her face went red. "S-shut up!" Then she turned to her brother. "Why'd you even bring him here?!"

"Y'know why," he answered without looking up.

"That's not what I meant. Why not both of 'em?" Applejack glared across the table at Flim. "I know I let it slip who... it was, but how didja know which one...?"

"I heard the news around town."

That settled a pall over the table, and they all nervously picked at their plates.

Applejack cleared her throat. "Really, though---why isn't Flam here? Wouldn't he be worried?"

"He probably is, considering he doesn't know where I am." Flim met Big MacIntosh's eyes. "He wasn't present when I was coltnapped."

"Is he gonna come lookin'?" That was Apple Bloom.

"Of course. It'll take him some time, but he'll track me down. He always does."

"I sure am sorry fer the circumstances," Granny said with as much politeness as she could muster. "But so long as yer here, well, yer our guest. Our home is yer home, too."

Big MacIntosh grimaced and opened his mouth to say something in response, but a withering look from his grandmother shut him up pretty quick.

"Thank you," Flim said. "I appreciate the, er, hospitality."

Granny nodded. "After dinner, the young'uns'll get the guest room ready."

He smirked. "Why bother? Doesn't Applejack have a big enough bedOW!!"

The kick from his left had probably come from Applejack, and, judging from the force of it, the one to his right from her brother.

"You don't wanna sleep in her room," Apple Bloom said innocently. "She snores like a timberwolf."

"Apple Bloom!"

He quickly stuffed a forkful of turnip loaf in his mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. "I know. And she whinnies in her sleep."

"I do not!" she protested. "Besides, you drool on the pillow!"

Big MacIntosh pressed a hoof to his forehead. "Can we please talk about something else?"

"Believe it or not, this isn't actually the most awkward dinner I've ever been to," Flim said as he took another bite.

"Find that hard to believe," Applejack muttered.

"I ruined a wedding once," he said with far too much pride.

"That," she said, "I do believe."

It was probably a bad idea to ask, but... she couldn't help it. "Whose wedding?"

"Flam's."

The only sound was the clink of Granny's fork as it fell to her plate.

"What?" he said, looking at the sea of shocked faces. "Nopony's perfect. I make mistakes. Speaking of which," he said, turning his attention to Applejack, "Have... uh... have you thought of a name yet?"

Without looking up from her plate, Applejack said "If it's a colt, I'll name him after Pa. If it's a filly, I'll name her after Ma." Then she met his eyes and patted her belly. "But if this is just gas, I'll name it after you."

Granny gasped. "Really, now!"

Flim actually smiled. "Impressive!"

"How long are y'stayin'?" Apple Bloom asked.

"He'll be here for awhile, Bloom," Big MacIntosh grumbled into his food. "He an' yer sister are gonna get married."

Her whole face lit up like a beacon. "Really??"

"NO!" they shouted in unison.

"Yes, you ARE," he said firmly.

Applejack turned her frown from Flim to her brother. "Mac, if he was my husband, I'd put poison in his cider!"

Flim laughed. "If you were my wife, I'd drink it!"

Granny placed her hoof over her mouth. "Hooo boy!"

"Whassa matter?" Applejack snapped. "Don't think you could handle me?"

"Oh, I don't mind handling you," he answered smugly. "But I don't want you tying me down. Tying me up, maybe---"

They all jumped when a huge red hoof crashed down on the tabletop.

"Big MacIntosh!" Granny scolded.

"Pass...the...salt," he said through clenched teeth.

Applejack reached out to do so, but stopped when she saw a green aura lift it up. As Flim placed it beside his plate, Granny turned to her grandson and prompted, "Well? Whaddaya say to our guest?"

"I'd say what I'm thinkin' out loud," he said as he snatched up the salt, "but there's a child present."

Apple Bloom folded her front hooves and pouted. "Hey! I know swears. You can say 'em in front of me."

"He's right, you know." Flim smiled at her. "You are a little young to be listening to vulgarities. You don't even have your cutie mark yet, my dear."

"That don't mean I'm a baby!"

"Of course it doesn't," he said soothingly. "You do seem quite mature for your age."

As Apple Bloom was puffing her chest out in pride, he went on: "You know, my brother got his a full month before I did. I never thought I'd hear the end of it."

"Really?"

Flim patted her on the head just above her ribbon. "Even though we're the same age---I'm twenty minutes older, even---he just wouldn't stop reminding me that he'd got his first. Caused quite a rift between us."

Apple Bloom frowned. "But I thought twins always got their cutie marks at the same time."

"No, that's an old pony's tale."

"So are y'two the same, or like the Cake twins?"

Flim finished his plate and pushed it back. "Who are the Cake twins?"

"They're Mr. and Mrs. Cake's foals. One's a unicorn, and the other's a pegasus."

"That means they're fraternal."

She looked confused. "Huh?"

"Twins are either fraternal or identical. Do you know what genes are, Apple Bloom?"

"Uh huh!" she said with a smile. "I did a group project in biology class a month ago!"

"Do you know where foals come from?"

"Watch it," Big MacIntosh warned.

Ignoring him, Flim continued "Well, fraternal twins are just two siblings who happened to share a womb at the same time. Identical twins, however, happen quite a bit after the sperm meets the egg. Nopony knows why, but sometimes that fertilized egg splits in half and turns into two babies who have exactly the same genes."

"Uh... does twinnin' run in families?" Applejack said. Her gut felt particularly sour.

"Only fraternal twinning," Flim answered. "Identicals are a fluke."

"So if ya'll have the same genes," Apple Bloom asked, "Does that mean you're exactly the same? Like, clones?"

"Mm, we're similar, but we're quite different at the same time. For example, I'm left-hooved; Flam isn't." He sipped from his stein. "Having the same genetic makeup doesn't make us exact copies, you know."

"Oh. So that explains it," she said, turning back to her dinner.

"Explains what?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Why yer brother's handsome and yer kinda... funny-lookin'."

Her timing couldn't have been better; her brother had just taken a gulp of his cider, and it suddenly sprayed out his nose across the table.

"Oh, Mac! Lookit what y'just did!" Applejack yelled as she jumped out of the way. Flim hadn't been quite so lucky; he scowled as he swept the dripping strands of mane out of his eyes.

Big MacIntosh stuffed his napkin against his face, blinking away the tears that were brought forth both from laughter and from the pain of the bubbly cider shooting through his sinuses. "I'm s-s-sorryhahahaHAHA!" he managed, getting up. "I'll go get some towels! I'm sorry-hee-hahaHAHAHA!"

"Now that was not polite, Apple Bloom," Granny said, pursing her lips to try to hide her smile.

"I'm sorry!" And she really did look it. "I didn't mean t'hurt yer feelins!"

Again, he patted her head, using his magic to wipe his napkin across his forehead. "I've been called worse." Shooting a look across the table, he added "Your sister had a few choice terms for me, if I recall correctly."

She stared back at him, unblinking. "'Good-fer-nothin' son of a whore' t'be exact."

"Applejack!"

"It's fine, Granny," Flim said with some surprising calmness. "I am a son of a whore."

"Really?" Apple Bloom's eyes went wide.

Looking up, Flim noticed that everypony present was staring at him---even Big MacIntosh, who had returned with a few towels. "It's not something I'm particularly proud of, but, yes, that is who I am."

Applejack suddenly felt the need to examine her dinner very closely. "Uh... really?"

"Yes." Flim swallowed the last of his cider, and offered: "I have no idea who my biological father is. My mother, well... she did what she had to do to make a living."

"Oh, you poor dear," Granny said under her breath.

"I didn't know that," Applejack mumbled into her mouthful.

"It's fine."

"No it ain't!"

Everypony else at the table turned to look at Applejack. Her face was hot and flushed. "Y'didn't tell me that!"

Flim raised an eyebrow. "Would it have made a difference?"

"A'course it would!" The lump in her throat was growing. "I didn't know you had t'live without a father, too!"

"And without a mother."

"Huh?"

"Oh, well..." This time she saw something flicker across his face, but---it was gone in a flash. "She, um... she's dead."

A horrible silence descended over the table.

To Applejack's surprise, her brother was the first to speak. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It's not like I miss her or anything."

"What...?"

"She died in childbirth," Flim said. "I never really knew her."

"I... I think the pies shoulda cooled by now," Applejack said, pushing her chair back. "I'll go get 'em."

***

There were two pies, one with cinnamon and one with rhubarb; she had just begun to cover the former with thick whipped cream when the kitchen door creaked behind her.

"I don't need help," she said without looking up.

"I know. I was looking for an excuse to get out of there."

"You too, huh?"

Flim brushed up beside her, and although she frowned, she didn't move away.

"You, er, really don't know if it's a colt or a filly?"

"I ain't psychic."

"You could get an ultrasound."

Applejack shook her head. "Why bother?"

"Just to make sure everything's alright. And to see what it is."

"Ma had the three of us jes' fine without all that fancy technology," she said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. "If the natural way was good enough fer her, it's good enough fer me."

"Well, I can see this is an argument I'm not going to win." He held a hoof next to her belly. "Do you mind...?"

She laughed. "Go ahead. You put it there, after all."

"Are you sure about that?"

Flim yelped as she swatted his hoof away. "YES."

"It's just that, well..." He shrugged. "The way you acted that night made me wonder if it's really mine."

"It's yours," she growled, going back to covering the pie.

"But are you sure?" he needled. "Completely sure? One hundred percent?"

"The. Baby. Is. Yours," she repeated.

He put a hoof on her back. "I don't mean to be rude, Applejack, but you're... not exactly a saint. You did some things in bed that even the wildest mares I've been with would blush at. Honestly, it could be anypony's---"

His sentence was cut off when she slammed the pie in his face.

"Enjoy!" she said as she stormed out of the kitchen.

Apple Bloom was the first to notice: "Hey, where's the other pie?"

"It's right here," Flim said as he trailed after Applejack, using one of Granny's best towels to wipe off the blobs.

Big MacIntosh's chuckle was cut off when Granny said "Oh, Applejack, really now!"

"It's quite alright, Granny. It's not the first thing she's put on my face, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last."

He shrieked and jumped a full foot backward when Big MacIntosh threw the table on its side. "THAT'S IT!"

"No! I didn't mean---"

The murderous look in the larger stallion's eyes made him suddenly feel quite athletic, and he took off in a sprint. He was glad he had a head start, because Mac was on his heels in an instant.

"Mac, no! Wait!" Applejack screamed as she did her best to chase them. "Don't hurt him!"

"I ain't gonna hurt him! I'm gonna kill him!"

"You can't hit him! He's a necrophiliac!"

That made him pause long enough for Flim to dive behind the sofa. "What?!"

"She meant hemophiliac," he said, peeking out over the cushions. "I---erk!"

Big MacIntosh pressed a hoof on Flim's throat, pinning him to the wall, and reared back for a killer left hook.

Applejack had to stop to catch her breath. "Don't! It ain't right to hit a bleeder! You know that!"

"Prove it!"

"Take your hoof off my neck and I'll talk," he choked out.

"You c'n talk jes' fine."

"See this bruise?" he said as he pointed to his muzzle. Mac had to squint, but there was a little brownish remnant just under one of his nostrils. "Your delightful sister slammed a door on me."

The hoof he'd cocked back for a punch began to lower. "She ain't seen you in months."

"Exactly!"

He let him go, and Flim slumped to the floor, coughing and clutching his throat. As Applejack hurried to his side, he looked up at the stallion towering above him and managed "And she put a drink in my face. A drink. What did you think I meant?"

"Uh..."

"Consarn it, Big MacIntosh!" Granny hollered from the doorway. "Get back in the dining room this instant!!!"

His ears drooped. "S-Sorry, Granny."

She bopped him on the head as he shuffled past her. "Go clean up the mess you made! Yer sister's cryin'!"

"You okay?" Applejack said as she rubbed a hoof across Flim's back.

He nodded. "Are you?"

"I'll answer that after I'm done havin' my heart attack," she said with a weak laugh.

Flim smiled, adjusting his crumpled tie. "You really thought he was going to kill me, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah."

He surprised her with a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for the courageous rescue, then."

"Yeah, well..." She looked away, blushing a little. "Y'wouldn'ta needed it if you'd kept yer smart mouth shut."

"Yes, I have a habit of letting it get me in trouble," he said as he helped her to her hooves. "But this is still not the worst dinner I've been to, all things considered."

***

"There's signs of forced entry," Spitfire said as she pressed her hoof against the battered door. "But it couldn't have been a robbery, not with all this stuff left behind."

Flam was pacing back and forth in the room. "He wouldn't have left without his money. That's not like him."

"Was he alone last nigh---"

"Maybe he went for a walk! Y'know, go see the sights?"

"Don't talk over me, Soarin'," she snapped, then turned back to Flam. "He could have been in an altercation. Was he alone last night?"

He looked at the rumpled bed and frowned. "Considering I had to wear earplugs from about nine p.m. on, I'd sure say he wasn't."

"Do you have any idea who he---"

"Hey, maybe if we go for breakfast, he'll be back by the time we're done!"

Spitfire grit her teeth. "Soarin', that's your last warning!"

He withered a little under her glare. "S-sorry. But I am hungry."

"He didn't just go for a walk, and he's not at breakfast," Flam said as he sat down. Pacing wasn't helping, and he was still tired from the disrupted night's sleep. "He's gone. I just know it."

"When did you first notice he was gone?" she asked as she did another scan of the room. It was in total disarray, the bedcovers on the floor, empty bottles on the desktop, crumbs and half-eaten food ground into the carpet. She'd already pegged the missing pony as a bachelor.

"The front desk sent somepony up. The maid noticed the broken lock when she did her morning rounds, and we'd listed each other as our emergency contacts."

"Is there anypony who'd want to hurt your brother?"

Flam laughed bitterly. "How long do you have? A week? A month, maybe?"

"There's a chance a pegasus took him," she said, eyeing the open window. "A unicorn couldn't make it down from here on his own."

"Yes, I thought of that, too. Even Flim's not stupid enough to try the window."

"It wasn't one of us, though," she added.

"Of course not."

"Uh... maybe he forgot his key," Soarin' suggested. "He could've broken into his own room, you know."

Spitfire rubbed her temples. "The front desk gives out replacement keys, you idiot!"

"With all due respect, ma'am, you shouldn't be so hard on him," Flam said as he got up. "He's just trying to help."

"I don't need his help!" she said, her eyebrows knit. She turned to address her officer: "I can handle this on my own. You're excused."

"Okay," he said as he slunk away.

"Listen, uh...?"

"Flam."

"Listen, Flam," she said with a bit more gentleness. "I'm really sorry about this. This shouldn't have happened under our watch. I have contacts with the Royal Guard, and if you like---"

At the mention of the keepers of the law, Flam's eyebrows shot up. "Er, no, that's... that's fine! You don't have to do that!"

"Are you sure?"

"Uh..." He quickly looked at the clock. "He's only been missing for half a day; I'll have to wait twenty-four hours before filing a missing pony report."

"I can make things go faster if---"

He held up a hoof, shaking his head. "No, that's quite alright. I really appreciate you coming in to investigate, but I'll deal with the paperwork on my own."

After staring at him for a moment, Spitfire sighed and landed on her hooves. "If you insist."

"Thank you again, ma'am," he said as he accompanied her to the door.

"But if you do need any other help," she said before leaving, "You know where to find me."

"Thank you."

He waved after her as she flew down the hallway, then closed the door and pressed his forehead against it, groaning.

"Damnation, Flim, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

With a heavy sigh, he walked back into the room and began gathering up his brother's things, which included, to his surprise, a camera he didn't recognize. It looked new, and cheap, the kind that they probably sell in the gift store downstairs; the counter at the top corner indicated that several photos had been taken. Flam turned it over in his hooves, thinking; knowing his brother, he'd probably have to bleach his brain after looking at the photos, but they were going to be the only clue as to who he'd been with the night before. He seemed to recall a 24-hour photo developing place around the corner.

Maybe not the only clue---when he got back to his room, right across the hall, the first thing he noticed was a note slipped under his door.

I know who took your brother. Meet me by the dumpster behind the hotel at nine. BRING THE CAMERA!!!

***

"Nice place," Flim said as he flopped down on the guest bed. "I've paid to be in worse rooms than this."

"Eeyup," he said from the door as he unrolled the sleeping bag.

"I don't suppose this place has room service, though."

"Here's how this is gonna go down," he said in a dangerously low voice. "You stay in this room, got it? I'm-a sleep right outside this door. You even think of goin' to see Applejack in the night, and I'll see to it yer legs bend in a bunch a' different places. Got it?"

Flim gave him a mock-salute. "Sure thing, warden."

"Good night," he said as we walked towards the door.

"Hey. Wait."

He did, but he didn't turn.

"Let me tell you something. Stallion to stallion."

Big MacIntosh turned his head slightly. "What?"

"Look." Flim rolled over on the bed. "I've been around the block a few times. Every town I go to, there's a bunch of loose mares just waiting to throw themselves at somepony new."

"You have ten seconds to improve my mood."

"Your sister isn't one of them."

This time he did turn, and fully. "What?"

"She's different."

They stared each other down. Flim blinked first, but he didn't seem to mind. "I can tell you aren't particularly pleased about this," he said, "but if there's anypony you should be angry at, it's me. Not her. Hey...?"

Mac had swayed a little, one of his eyelids drooping. Flim frowned. "You okay there?"

"Good night," he said as he slammed the door shut.

He groaned as quietly as he could once the door was shut and rubbed his temples. He'd been putting on a good front in the room, but now he could let his guard down; he felt like he'd been put through the wringer. Sure, he'd just gone through two of the most aggravating days of his life, but he shouldn't be this... exhausted. It felt like some black shroud was wrapped around his brain.

He just barely managed to crawl into the sleeping bag before losing consciousness.

***

The snores from outside let Flim know it was time to move. He opened the door an inch, ready to slam it shut again should his captor flinch; when he saw no movement, he stepped back on the creaky floorboard. Nothing. He smiled to himself. To think he'd been worried about the dosage for such a big guy---three pills took him down just fine.

He tapped at the side of Big MacIntosh's head. "You have no idea how tempted I am to draw something on your face right now," he whispered. "But I'm supposed to be nice, right?" Then he looked down the hall. "Besides, I have other business to attend to."

Author's Notes:

As you can probably guess, the clop comes in the next chapter.

Also, I sprinkled a couple of famous quotes in here. Name who said them and get a cookie!