Herr Regis

False Confidence

It was midday at the Ponyville swim meet. Days had passed since the arrival of 'The World Famous FlimFlam Brothers.' Since then Granny Smith had been drinking their curative elixir by the gallon, paying through the nose to get her hooves on as much as possible. Although Flim and Flam had explained to Applejack the true contents of the tonic, they had also swayed her not to expose their plot to make a quick bit.

Over her shoulder, Applejack could see a poster with a picture of herself energetically smiling and point at a bottle of the tonic, a mirror of this poster on the opposite side of a wooden booth. Behind it, two creamy yellow unicorns with peppermint manes and a seemingly endless and unscrupulous charisma to sell.

Applejack struck up an uncomfortable conversation with Silver Shill at the corner of the audience stands of the Ponyville swim meet. She was partially disgusted to see him still playing a role in the ever growing plot that seemed to choke her, burying the working mare in something that started as a white lie, but eventually endangered many ponies.

There was a heavily pinned cap on his head, big and thick glasses over his eyes and a referee type uniform on. He was still riding the immense high of being promoted by Flim and Flam, also having just made his first bit as a sales pony.

"No more costumes for this pony!"

Applejack scrunched up her face, surveying his body and thinking about what the brothers had him wearing.

"This is more of a... uniform." Silver Shill realized she was thinking about what he was wearing, likely silently considering it a costume. Applejack shrugged, unsure if Silver Shill was completely free from the brothers' control. "If you say so."

"I used to wonder if I was doing the right thing-" Silver Shill held his hoof up and looked to the sky, as if picturing his past actions and the times he'd acted out his part, "-you know, pretending to be cured, basically lying to folks about this tonic-" Silver Shill rubbed the back of his neck, aware that he'd been a part of a deceitful effort, but not completely worried that the results may hurt him in any way, -"but thanks to you, I realized that sometimes honesty isn't the best policy!"

"Thanks to... me?" Applejack took a horrified step back. Lifting up a hoof in shock, her eyes wide with self loathing and disbelief.

In the background, Apple Bloom had taken center stage of the FlimFlam plot, preaching the wonderful nature of the cure-all fluid to a crowd of attentive ponies.

"With FlimFlam's Magical Curative Tonic, my granny can do anything!" Apple Bloom held her hoof in the air excitedly, looking out over the many sick or weak ponies as the two hat wearing unicorns stood to either side of their booth, holding up a bottle of their grayish-green beverage, both of their faces superimposed on the label. Apple Bloom continued, -"just ask Applejack!"

All ponies seemed to turn to Applejack, waiting for her approval and happy words of acceptance and love. Camera flashes went off, the electric charge building with a soft but ever growing buzz, then the flash. Applejack was shocked, she didn't know what to do. She looked around, but saw no escape and she saw no solace. She tried to cover her face as the flashes grew and multiplied, but it was no use, hiding from the hot white light was impossible.

"No! This has gotta stop!" Applejack stomped her hoof in protest, staring across the swimming pool in front of her to the FlimFlam Brothers' booth and the crowd of ponies across from her. Her green eyes were serious, and the camera ponies as well as Silver Shill stood back in surprised worry. They waited to hear what she had to say.

"If ponies keep believing that tonic can do things it can't-" Applejack looked from side to side, trying to communicate her very important message to everypony around and before her, "-who knows what'll happen!"

She stared on at the FlimFlam Brothers with a weighty disapproval, but before they could respond in their jovial and eccentric way, Silver Shill tapped Applejack on the shoulder. She turned, facing him to see what was the matter.

"Well-" his voice seemed to shake, "-maybe something like that!"

His hoof shot up into the air, his grey eyes wide as they always seemed to be, his mouth open a little from the awe-like pulsing he could feel in his fragile heart.

Applejack looked up, gasping at the sight of Granny Smith climbing the six stories to the top of the diving tower. To add insult to injury, granny hung from the ladder with one hoof, waving to the crowd below.

"Granny!" Applejack didn't know if she should be afraid or angry. Her face was a complete mix of every negative emotion, that of fear, the sudden realization of imminent loss and pain.

She ran over as Apple Bloom pushed a very small tray of water into the correct position with her nose. Apple Bloom stood back and smiled up at her granny, who was towering six stories above her from the thin diving board.

"What in the blazes does she think she's doin'?" Apple Bloom was quick to respond, not yet keen to the seriousness of the situation. She'd never known the true recipe for the tonic as Applejack did, soon her innocence would cause her great pain if somepony didn't do something to save their granny from harm. "Granny's gonna break the Equestria high divin' record!"

Applejack looked down at the tiny pool and then up at the high tower before her. Applejack's heart raced as she tried to decipher what to do. Granny Smith was just making her way to the tip of the diving board, quickly coping a bottle of FlimFlam Curative Tonic, drinking it all in one big gulp just before she prepared to descend.

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