//------------------------------// // The Beginning is Still an End // Story: A Bushel of Apples // by dramatic_spoon //------------------------------// “Mornin’ Lyra.”   Big Macintosh trotted over to the unicorn mare and planted a kiss on her cheek. The unicorn blushed and pushed him away.   “Morning, you big lug.” She smiled back, “is…”   “Not yet. Just came down to check on breakfast.”   “It’ll be done once you go and wake your daughter up,” Lyra responded, rolling her eyes.   The stallion left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. Pushing open one of the doors, he entered a room decorated with crayon drawings. Atop a bed laid a pile of blankets, slowly rising and falling.   “Rhapsody, wake up.” The stallion called out.   The pile of blankets stirred and a head poked out of them.   “Mmmrhm?”   “Get up, your mother made waffles.”   The head wiggled its way out of the blankets, revealing a rust red unicorn filly with a Celeste mane with white streaks. The filly hopped out of the blankets and landed on the floor.   “Do we got apple butter too?” she asked.   “It’s ‘Do we have’, and yes, we do,” the stallion corrected, “Now c’mon.”   “Alright, Pa.”   The filly trotted over towards Big Macintosh and the two headed downstairs.   “Hi mommy!”   “Good Morning Rhapsody,” Lyra smiled at her daughter as she placed a plate of waffles on the table, “Better hurry up, they’ll be here soon.”   Rhapsody’s horn gave off a light red aura as she dragged a jar towards her. Opening it, the filly grinned as she levitated a spoon and scooped out a heaping helping of the spread. Before she could place it on her waffles, another magic aura engulfed it.   “That better not be for one waffle,” Lyra frowned.   “Eee…nope,” Rhapsody responded, “I was gonna use it for all of’m.”   “You better,” Lyra released the spoon, dropping it and the apple butter onto her plate. The filly grumbled to herself as she began to smear it onto all of her waffles.   “I smell waffles,” an older Applebloom and Rumble appeared at the bottom of the stairs.   “Better hurry up, before your brother and niece eat them all,” Lyra noted.   The two quickly hurried over and loaded their own plates with waffles, the two then sat at the table as Rhapsody continued to stuff her face with waffles. Between bites, the filly noticed them.   “Hi Aunty Applebloom!”   “Morning Rhapsody.”   “Aunty Applebloom, I have a question.”   “What is it?” Applebloom asked as she began eating.   “How come there were weird noises coming from your room last night?”   Rumble and Applebloom spat their mouthfuls of food onto Big Macintosh.   “It sounded like you were both really happy.” The filly continued before turning back to her waffles.   “I… we… uh…” Rumble stuttered.   “I think I hear someone coming,” Lyra interrupted, “Why don’t you go see who it is, Rhapsody?”   “Alright!”   The filly finished her last waffle and hopped off of her chair. Big Macintosh and Lyra shot Applebloom and Rumble a dirty look.   “We told you not to do that here.” Big Macintosh scolded the two.   “We thought she was asleep.” Applebloom grumbled, “Besides, it was Rumble’s idea.”   Rhapsody pulled open the door, revealing an azure pegasus colt and Pink earth colt.   “Hi Rhapsody!” the pink one beamed.   “Hi Popper. Hi Flash.” She greeted the two ponies.   “Rhapsody, who is it?” Lyra called out.   The two ponies head into the house.   “Hi Mrs. Apple!” the pink one beamed.   “Oh, Hello Party Popper, Flash Bulb,” Lyra greeted the colts, “What do you all have planned for today?”   “We’re gonna go to see Lightning Gem, and then figure it out,” the pegasus, Flash Bulb, responded.   “Alright, stay out of trouble. We don’t want a repeat of last time.” Big Macintosh grumbled.   “…We apologized to Mrs. Cake,” Popper sulked.   “Just don’t do it again.”   ---   The three ponies continued their way into town, before stopping in front of the Carousel Boutique. Before any of them could knock, something leapt out of the second story window, and landed behind the three. They turned around to see a white pegasus filly with a blonde mane.   “Quick, we need to leave,” the pegasus informed the others, “Mom’s still looking for m-”   “Lightning Gem! Come out here this instance!” Rarity’s voice thundered.   “….Hawk’s?” Popper asked the others.   “Hawk’s.” the other three nodded in agreement before taking off.   Rarity made it to the window just in time to see the four flee.   “THIS IS NOT OVER YOUNG LADY!”   “Rare, you should calm down,” Thunderlane tried in vain to calm his wife down. Rarity spun around to face him and redirected her anger at him.   “I BLAME YOU!” the fashionista stabbed an accusing hoof into Thunderlane’s muzzle.   “…It’s not my fault our daughter’s a tomboy.” He grumbled as Rarity stalked off.   ----   “…Alright, she’s not chasing after me anymore, I think we can stop.” Lightning Gem skidded to a stop as the others crashed behind her.   “Why were we running anyway?” Rhapsody asked as she pulled herself from underneath Popper.   “Mom wanted me to help her model a dress,” Lightning Gem’s face distorted at the mere mention of it, “she knows I hate dresses.”   “…Why are you all lying on the ground?” a new voice called out.   A grey unicorn colt with a bright, rainbow mane trotted over to the group.   ‘Don’t ask, Hawk.” Flash Blub grumbled, “Will you get off me?”   “My hoof’s stuck,” Popper grumbled.   “On what?”   “I dunno.”   Flash Bulb grumbled and muttered to himself as he pushed Popper off him. The earth pony landed on his back.   “Oh, it was a rock.” Popper sprung back to his hooves.   “So what are you all doing here? I thought we were suppose to meet at Sugarcube corner.” Hawk inquired.   “The blender blew up.” Popper scratched behind his neck, “Not my fault this time.”   “So since Aunty Pinkie didn’t want us staying there while it got fixed, we went to go get Rhapsody. Then we went to get Gem, but she ran out of her house.” Flash Bulb continued.   “Why were you running?” Hawk turned his attention to Lightning Gem.   “New dress.”   “So now we’re gonna go look for Slide Ru-”   “What are you all standing around for?” another voice called out. An earth pony filly with a brown coat and cerise mane trotted up to the group, pausing for a moment to adjust her glasses.   ‘…Well that makes everything easier,” Rhapsody responded.   “I thought we were going to meet at Sugarcube Corner.” The newcomer asked.   “Popper blew up a blender, Slide Rule.” Flash Bulb informed her.   “I didn’t blow it up.”   “Most ponies don’t put frozen pineapples in blenders.” Bulb countered.   Slide Rule blinked, “How did that….”   “Whole pineapples.”   “…Why did you freeze whole pineapples?” Rhapsody asked Popper.   “Because we ran out of space in the refrigerator.”   Hawk and Lightning Gem exchanged confused glances as Rhapsody opened her mouth to speak. “…You know what, never mind.” The unicorn filly changed her mind, “What are we going to do now?”   “…The Library?” Slide Rule offered   “…I guess.” The others all shrugged.   PONYVILLE LIBRARY   The door slammed open as the six ponies entered. A grey unicorn mare peeked over at the fillies and colts.   “Hi Miss Dinky!” the six called out.   “Hello everypony,” Dinky smiled at them, “What can I help you with today?”   “We’re just gonna look around until we can figure out what we’re going to do today,” Rhapsody responded.   “…Alright, I need to step out to take care of something,” Dinky informed them, “Don’t wreck anything.”   “We learned from the last time,” Popper apologized.   “Do you have the newest Daring Do novel yet?” Hawk asked.   “We just got it, Tomahawk.” Dinky chuckled as she levitated the book into view, “Daring Do and the…”   Tomahawk’s aura surrounded the book and yanked it out of Dinky’s aura. Tomahawk, Popper and Flash ran off to go read it.   “…Empire of the Rising Sun.” Dinky rolled her eyes, “I know he loves the series, but he could at least be a bit more polite….”   ---   “That’s how it ends?” Tomahawk frowned, “But is Doctor Baku on her side or the bad guys?”   “I dunno,” Popper shrugged, “That’s how they sell more books.”   “Bu…” Flash trailed off, “…Anypony else felt that?”   “What are you tal…” Lightning Gem trailed off as a stray spark of electricity shocked her, “What the heck?”   The air in the middle of the room crackled and sparked.   “EVERYPONY HEAD FOR COVER!” Rhapsody screamed before ducking behind a table.   The other five dived for cover as lightning struck the ground. A brilliant flash of light filled the room, followed by smoke. As the smoke cleared, the six ponies found an older mare, about the same age as Dinky and Applebloom on the ground, surrounded by scorch marks. The mare, a white coated Unicorn with a gamboge mane and heavy trench coat coughed as she pushed the goggles on her face up. She looked down at her left forehoof, inspecting a clunky metal box.   “…Seems to be working right,” The unicorn mused, “Gotta get this stupid jacket off…”   The mare took off the coat, revealing her cutie mark: a set of gears and a wrench.   “…Little fillies and colts, I can see you, you know,” the mare shook her head, “Come out.”   “My pa said not to talk to strangers,” Rhapsody shot back.   “Who’s that?” the mysterious mare asked.   “He’s Big Macintosh.”   “…Your mother’s not Lyra, is it?” the mare went on. Instead of responding Rhapsody shot Lightning Gem and Slide Rule a confused look. “Don’t answer that, your face says yes,” the mare chuckled. “It’s alright, Big Macintosh and I know each other.”   “Are you friends?”   “In a sense,” the mare paused.   “Who are you?” Tomahawk asked.   The mare grinned at the collected fillies and colts.   “My name is Golden Gem.”