How It Works: Chapter 5

Traveling for a pony takes a lot longer on hoof than in a machine. This was the number one lesson Flim learned as he made his way back to Ponyville. It had taken him three times as long to travel the same distance he had traveled in the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000.
Flim noticed the small town of Ponyville coming into view. Jumping behind a bush, in a way that only a childish yet fully grown stallion can. After staying the night in a small and eccentric village, Flim came across a joke shop. Just the thing he needed.
Flim had played a prank on his brother a couple years back, which had involved coat dye and a lot of screaming. Coat die would keep him perfectly disguised in Ponyville, as they would most likely run him out at first glance.
Now behind a bush, Flim replaced his usually cream colored coat with a bright blue. It was perfect, no one would recognize him now! It was the perfect plan. Flim returned to the path a continued on his way to Ponyville, completely unaware of the blue paint trail he left in his wake.

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By the time Flim reached Ponyville the blue paint no longer showed up on the ground, but for weeks to come ponies coming and leaving ponyville would walk past bright blue hoofprints.
It was upon entering Ponyville that the first issue in Flim's brilliant plan arose. He had no idea where to look for the purple mare! The first pony he came across was a brown stallion with a sand timer for his cutie mark.
"Excuse me," said Flim speaking to the stallion, "I'm looking for a purple unicorn, mare, pink streak in her mane? Do you know where I could find her?"
The stallion spoke rapidly, "Honestly, I have no time for this, worlds to save, civilizations to rescue, if you want to be helpful make sure she doesn't take her eyes off that statue." He pointed to a statue of a pegasus, who appeared to be weeping into her hooves and the grey mare with the yellow mane who stared intently at it, before running off.
"Well that was weird," muttered Flim, but every town had a crazy…
The next pony who came along was an earthpony mare with a pale pink coat and a bright pink mane which was styled in a way that could only be achieved by a hoof in a light socket.
"Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie, we should be friends!"
"Hi, I'm looking for-"
"Oh, lemme guess! I LOVE guessing games! Is it…"
"No, just hold on. I'm looking for a purple unicorn, pink streak in her mane."
"Oh, Twilight! Twilight is one of my bestest friends! The first time I met her I was all like-"
Flim didn't stay to listen to the end of the story. It was starting to seem that all the ponies in this town were crazy! "Just one more," Flim muttered to himself. Maybe he'd luck out this time and get someone normal.
"Excuse me, do you know of a unicorn named…" Flim reached back into his memory to the name the pink pony had mentioned, "Twilight."
"Oh sure," said the mare with a pink and blue mane, and a creamy white coat, "She lives over at the library right over there." She pointed down the street to the library.
"Thanks," said Flim turning his back on the pony and making his way toward the home of Twilight.

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Flim knocked on the door to the library, a moment later it opened, yet it revealed no one.
"Hello?" Flim asked.
"Down here," came a voice from below. Standing on the doorstep was a small dragon, with tired eyes, and his foot tapping in apparent aggravation. "What do you need?"
"Oh, I'm looking for Twilight, I was hoping to speak to her."
"She's not here right now."
"Well where could I find her?" asked Flim his own nerves starting to fray at the time this was taking.
"Check Sweet Apple Acres," the dragon replied.
"Thanks…I guess." Flim turned from the angry dragon and made his way back to where this journey began, to where the apples grew.

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After another trip through Ponyville, Flim arrived at the apple orchard. He passed under the intricate, apple themed archway. "Hello?" Flim called out, "Is anyone here?"
Flim saw no one, as he wandered the orchards, eventually returning to the large house that sat in the center of it all. He had almost made it to the porch when a large red stallion came around the corner, followed closely by yellow filly. They were part of the family against which he and his brother had challenged only weeks before. Flim remembered their names of course. Flim remembered everypony's name. It was Big Mac and Applebloom.
"Hello, I'm looking for Twilight, I was wondering if she was here," said Flim in his usually charming manner. Unfortunately for him a small yellow streak took him to the ground.
"What are you doing here?" growled Applebloom from her seat ontop of him.
"I've never met you before in my life," snapped Flim.
"I know who you are! Your coat color is just different. Same mane, same eyes, same cutie mark! Your one of those two ponies who tried to destroy our farm." The longer the filly talked the more prominent her accent became.
A moment later the filly was lifted off of him. Instead he looked up to see Big Mac looming over him. Flim scrambled to his feet.
"Kids huh?" joked Flim weakly.
This didn't phase Big Mac, "You don't need ta' be seein' Twilight. You move on now before things get rough." The stallion's eyes were narrowed, he was unmoving, and he was serious.
Picking his hat from the ground, which had fallen off in the scuffle, Flim dusted the brim and placed it back on his head.
"Now, my dear friend, there is no need for violence…" Flim was then interrupted by a shout.
"There he is Granny Smith!" The filly had gone and gotten her grandmother! Flim was about to laugh, but then he saw Granny Smith. More terrifying than Big Mac and more upset than Applebloom, this old mare was coming towards him with a vengeance, a cane gripped firmly between her teeth.
She was moving faster than any old pony had the right to. A moment later Flim was being chased from the farm, and from Ponyville, as a vicious old mare chased him, and even landing blows with her cane.
Far from Ponyville Flim looked over his shoulder. This wasn't going to be easy but he was not the type to give up. He was going to solve this mystery he had created. He was going to figure out who Twilight was, and he would stop at nothing (except for an old mare by the name of Granny Smith) would stop him.