Applejack sat on the outside balcony of Rarity’s theater, looking over the shitty Paradise that the vampire queen maintained. It was hard not to feel depressed, looking at this place that the Apple pack had built with the purest intentions, now tainted and driven to ruin by Rarity’s greed.

Of course, she couldn’t entirely blame Rarity; her own weakness was just as guilty. It was her responsibility to protect the pack and the Paradise, and she had utterly failed at both. Feeling a little melancholy was much better than Applejack deserved.

But more than Rarity, or even Applejack, the blame fell at the feet of the damn Flim-Flam Brothers. It made Applejack sick how close she was to them, how the objects of her revenge were within spitting distance, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She’d need to take ‘em both out at once if she expected to succeed in her revenge, and that wasn’t an easy task considering there were two of ‘em, and they’d both been given pretty powerful magic in exchange for their betrayal.

Applejack needed that soul, and she let it slip through her fingers for Autumn and Rara’s sakes. She had half a mind to smash her skull into paste against the walls of the theater as punishment for her own idiocy.

She was so close now to getting her revenge, she could almost taste it… which meant she was also so close to being murdered in retribution.

That was a sickening thought.

It’s not something she really considered very much; she knew it was inevitable, but she had chosen just not to think about it, but now as she was inching ever closer to the reality of her revenge, the consequences were starting to feel a little too real as well.

Thinking of Rara and Autumn Blaze having to mourn her like she mourned her family— hell, like the surviving members of her family already had to mourn her when she left them behind— was enough to make a mare sick.

But thinking about letting the Brothers get away with murder and betrayal… no, that just wasn’t an option.

“Hey, what’s up, nerd?” Sunset Shimmer approached Applejack on the balcony, the werewolf’s already foul mood immediately worsening as the demon tried to act chummy with her.

“Shouldn’t you have yer girl on a leash?” Applejack growled, curious that the demon would let the pony off on her own after all that bluster about protecting her earlier.

“Talk to me like that,” Sunset chuckled, “and I’ll put you on a leash like the dog that you are.”

“Is that a threat?” Applejack stood chest to chest with Sunset, towering over her.

“No, it’s an invitation,” Sunset smiled and traced a finger over Applejack’s chest. The werewolf had half a mind to throw Sunset off the balcony right then and there, but she settled for just shoving the demon away. “So anyway, what’s your deal? Why’re you dramatically staring over the balcony?”

“Just killin’ time,” Applejack shrugged and returned to the view, trying her best to ignore Sunset until she went away.

“What’re you waiting for?”

Applejack shifted her gaze to Sunset, only for a moment. The demon had a sinister grin on her face, but what else was new. Applejack did consider that maybe, just maybe, she could tell Sunset the honest truth. The demon wasn’t exactly a fan of Rarity herself, and whatever her goals were, they likely coincided with Applejack’s.

“Ain’t none of yer business.”

But no, she couldn’t risk it. She wouldn’t rely on others to get her revenge, this was something she needed to do on her own.

“You’re out for revenge against Rarity, right?” Sunset said confidently, one hand one her hip and the other dangling at her side. Almost funny how she thought she had Applejack all figured out, and while she wasn’t totally wrong, Applejack saw no reason to humor her, so she simply replied with a scoff.

“Applejack!” the voice of one of the Flim-Flam Brothers grated against Applejack’s ears, and she cursed her luck; as if this day could get any worse. “Long time no see!”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen you behind the Paradise walls!” the other of the brothers said, and Applejack refused to look at them.

“Ah, but remember brother,” the first of the two said, “Applejack hasn’t been behind the Paradise walls before!”

“That’s right!” the second replied, and it was driving Applejack crazy to not be able to tell which one was talking. “She hasn’t set foot in the Paradise since Lady Rarity took over!”

“Is that right?” Sunset asked with a sly grin, and Applejack ignored her and turned to face the twin werewolves, struggling not to try and rip their throats out right then and there.

“Well a gal’s gotta do what she’s gotta do,” Applejack forced a polite demeanor, though her fanged smile probably came off more as ‘unhinged’ than polite.

“Yo, who are these clowns?” Sunset asked, gesturing to the Flim-Flam Brothers.

“I’m Flim,” Flam said.

“And I’m Flam!” Flim added.

“And we’re Rarity’s right hand—” Flam said.

“—and left hand!” Flim interrupted.

“—men!” Flam finished, and Applejack felt like every word they spoke destroyed one of her brain cells each. “We’re Rarity’s aids, and the seeing eyes of the Empress herself!”

“Surprised the Nightmare gives a damn about a shithole like the First Circle,” Sunset mused, and Applejack thought it was curious how she referred to the Empress by name, but then she realized it probably wasn’t that strange for a demon. “You guys sure you’re not here as a punishment?”

“Haha,” Flim said, sounding anything but amused.

“The truth is,” Flam cleared his throat, “the Empress has eyes on every facet of the Underworld.”

“That’s a lot of eyes!” Flim added.

“It certainly is, brother,” Flam nodded.

“If yer so important,” Applejack griped, “why y’all wastin’ time with us?”

“We have our own lives outside of just serving our Empress,” Flam said in mock offense.

“We wanted to confirm with our own eyes that you were here, dear Applejack,” Flim said, his words piercing Applejack’s ears like a shard of broken glass.

“And offer our condolences!” Flam added, taking off his hat and holding it over his heart. “We heard things aren’t going so well for the Apples these days.”

“Yeah,” Applejack grit her teeth and painfully grinded them against each other, “thanks.”

“Flim! Flam!” Rarity called out from inside the theater as she walked toward the balcony, as if Applejack didn’t have enough headaches to manage already. “Are you two hassling my dear Applejack?”

“Oh, is she your dear Applejack now?” Flam said teasingly, more toward Applejack than to Rarity.

“So much has changed since we saw her last!” Flim added, and Applejack swore if she had to listen to these jokers for even one more minute—

“Haha, yes well,” Rarity stepped onto the balcony and leaned against the doorframe, “don’t you two have more important things to do than to sass her? Or me, for that matter?”

“Fair enough, Lady Rarity,” Flam tipped his hat to Rarity and went on his way.

“See you around, Applejack,” Flim added with a wink. Applejack watched the pair leave and wondered why she didn’t try to lash out at them. Sunset wouldn’t have tried to stop her, and frankly Rarity probably wouldn’t have either. They would definitely fight back, but if Applejack killed one before they could respond…

Oh well, didn’t matter now.

“I’m gonna hit the bricks too,” Sunset shrugged, and then gave Applejack a coy smirk. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt you two and your time together.”

“Aww, you’re sweet,” Rarity said affectionately. “Don’t go too far though, I want to have a few words with you too.” Rarity stopped Sunset at the door as she tried to pass, grabbing her wrist tightly and licking her lips. “And perhaps… more than just words.”

“Uh-huh,” Sunset replied flatly and pulled her arm away, continuing out the door without another word.

“Well,” Rarity huffed, “that was certainly rude of—” Rarity paused as she looked over at Applejack, who was halfway off the balcony and preparing to jump. “Wh—where are you going!”

“I’ll be around,” Applejack shrugged.

“Don’t you dare just walk away from me, Applejack,” Rarity demanded.

“Okay,” Applejack grinned and, true to her word, didn’t walk away; she jumped off the balcony instead.

The drop wasn’t anything Applejack couldn’t handle, and honestly the worst part about it was just not being able to see Rarity’s face as Applejack spited her. Granted, Applejack would have to make her way back to the theater eventually, but she could take the long way around. Worth it, if only to frustrate Rarity.

Applejack took a look around the crumbling Paradise as she walked, every house and structure radiating with magic from the ground beneath it. The Paradise was overflowing with magic, and it was all because Applejack and her family pioneered new techniques to farm magic from the land much more efficiently than anyone was doing before them.

And now all that work was going to waste.

congratulations to flim and flam for being fun enough to write that they manage to overcome one of the most debilitating flaws a character can have (being male)