“Oh, hey, Applejack! Good to see you! Hey, wanna try this double-chocolate mint-frosted cupcake?”

“Hey, Pinkie. I... actually, a cupcake sounds real good.”

“You bet it does! So, what's up? You sound like you've got something on your mind.”

“I s'pose I do. I... mm, that is a good cupcake, though.”

“Isn't it? The frosting is my own super-secret recipe! But... you didn't come here to talk about my special mint frosting recipe, or else my shoulder would have got all pinchy when you came in the door.”

“No, sugar, you're right. I came here to talk about... to see if you wanted to talk about... aw, shoot, maybe this was a bad idea. I'm sorry, Pinkie, I—I shouldn't be here.”

“No, wait! Applejack! Don't go. Whatever it is, you can tell me. We're... we're friends.”

“I... okay. Okay. You're right, Pinkie, it's just, it has to do with that. I got it in my head to come here and talk about us.”

“Us?”

“Y'know... before.”

*

“Applejack, I thought we promised we wouldn't talk about that.”

“I know, sugarcube. I know. And I know we had good reasons to make that promise.”

“It's been years...”

“Yeah, it has. Before Twilight, even. I'm glad she came by when she did. Without her, you and I might never have made it back to... to what we are now.”

“I... I like what we are now, Applejack. We can bake together, and laugh at jokes, and it doesn't hurt so much when I see you, and... Why, Applejack? Why would you want to talk about before?”

*

“I ain't quite sure. Celestia knows, where we're at now is better than a lot of what we went through. And if you'd like to keep things that way, I ain't gonna pressure ya. You're probably the brighter of the two of us if you do.”

“Applejack...”

“But I just think sometimes... You and me are both better mares now than we were back then. More reasonable, more flexible. And lately, I've been wondering... if maybe, it might be time to give 'us' another chance...”

The Prompt: Picking up where we left off.

This is a thirty minute writing prompt, meaning you have thirty minutes to finish your story from the time you start writing. You may take as much time as you wish to think, plan, or outline before you begin, but once the first word is on the page, the timer begins. When you are finished, post your story to this thread, and, in the tradition of the TMP mods of yore, I will read and give it a comment when I can.

Traditionally, TMP prompts would have a six to eight-hour window in which to submit, but for these legacy prompts, there will be no limit after the prompt is up. Go ahead and post something a year from now, if you like. Just bear in mind that I'm less likely to respond with feedback to anything submitted more than a day after the prompt. Good luck!

2960433
ApplePie! I am SHOCKED. Shocked, I say!

I really like the flavor text. But then, I've kinda always liked the idea that Pinkie and AJ dated before the start of the series, and post-relationship fallout explains some of the tension between them in-series. (Aaaaaangst.)

Would you like the submissions posted right here in the thread, or should they be PMed to you, or ...?

2961825 I actually got the idea for the flavor text from your musings on Apple Pie.

And of course there's Apple Pie. What, you think I wouldn't abuse the power?

Just post the submissions right here in the thread. Perhaps it opens it up to trolls and rules violations by cutting out the screening process, but eh, I'm willing to take that risk if it saves me some work.

Well, here we go with this thingy.
If you want, you can read it over here.

Legacy Prompt #1: School of Hard Knocks

Twilight Sparkle stood with her eyes closed, concentrating only on her breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. In, and then out. The sound of impatient flapping reached her ears, and Twilight could feel the soft plush of the cloud underneath her hooves.

“You gonna get in the air anytime soon, Twilight?” said Rainbow Dash, and Twilight cracked one eye open.

“In a minute, Rainbow Dash,” muttered Twilight, as she tried not to think about how far away the ground was, and how if she crashed there was a non-zero chance of breaking a bone or worse, her horn and wondered if she should just teleport back to the ground and go back to the safety of books and she was falling.

Why was she falling? She didn’t remember stepping off the cloud.

“Rainbow!” screamed Twilight, as she opened her wings and began to flap in the hope that she could control her fall and come to a nice soft landing. Twilight’s hooves just brushed the grass of the field that she had been practicing on as her wings converted downward motion into forward motion. Overjoyed by the feeling of having controlled her fall and converted it into flight, Twilight let out a brief yell of exhilaration.

That was when she hit the tree.

On the cloud up above, Rainbow Dash winced as Twilight peeled herself off the trunk of the tree.

“Lesson number two, Twilight! Look where you’re going!” she called out.

*****

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash glided through the air, with Twilight in the middle, and Rainbow Dash just off her side, and slightly behind her.

Once Rainbow was confidant that Twilight had managed to get a handle on stable, level flight, she pulled level with Twilight.

“Right, Twilight. Now let’s try something a bit more difficult. See those two trees down there?” Rainbow pointed out a pair of trees that were a couple of meters apart, easily wide enough for a pegasus to fly between with wings at full extension. Twilight nodded as she registered them.

“Just follow me, then!” said Rainbow, pulling ahead of Twilight, and going into a gentle glide and dive that took her between the trees, and then touched down on the ground on the other side with barely a scuff of dirt. Twilight copied Rainbow as best as she could, but as she was approaching the trees, there was a sudden crosswind, and Twilight was unable to correct her flight in time, and she smacked nose first into one of the trees. Rainbow winced and moved to help Twilight peel herself off the tree.

“Lesson three, Twilight. Respect the wind.”

*****

[Time]

Princess Celestia stared at her tired and battered former student as the youngest alicorn studied in the library in Canterlot Castle, and trotted up beside her.

“How are the flying lessons coming along, my dear Twilight?” asked Celestia. She was greeted with the sight of Twilight shooting six feet up in the air, and trying to go in every direction at once before realising that she wasn’t being asked to have another flying lesson. Twilight collapsed back down onto the reading cushion and sighed.

“I’m just not getting the hang of it, Celestia. Rainbow Dash isn’t exactly the best teacher, either. She just dumps me in situations and then expects me to use my wings to get out of them. And it’s not like she keeps to a regular schedule, either! She just swoops in and goes ‘we’re having a flying lesson now’ just like-” Twilight was cut off by Rainbow Dash diving through the window, picking up the ascended unicorn and tossed Twilight out of the window. Rainbow bowed to Princess Celestia, and then shot out of the window after her princess friend.

“Lesson time, Twilight! What were we up to?” heard Celestia over the screams and yells of her former student. Princess Celestia simply sat down on the cushion, and picked out a book to read.

2963938 Ah, a nice bit of physical comedy to get things started. I like how every one of her lessons end at a tree. Twilight is getting shell-shocked by the end of it, there, but from Celestia's reaction, it's pretty much business as usual. You ought to know by now, Twilight, that anything worth learning is worth breaking a few bones.

Good job!

Thanks for doing this Esle, hope this fits the prompt you prepared.

Legacy Prompt # 1: Apples always fall

“Come on Pinkie, just aim higher!”

“I can't do this, Applejack.”

“Horse feathers, Pinks! You´re an Apple, even if you lack the apples on the flank, it´ll come natural!”

“I once had apples on my flank and that didn't helped. AJ, I really appreciated you´re trying to make me part of the family…”

“You are part of the family!”

“Fine but maybe farm life just isn't for me.”

“Okay then, I just want to let you know that you will always have a home here in the Acres.”

“..let´s give it another try.”

*****

Pinkie Pie woke up from her dreams when the train hit the station. She couldn´t if the train was lousier or she was getting too old for the ride. She got out and stretched her limbs, sighing and missing the days she could have landed with a somersault and a confetti explosion. She also missed wearing glasses just for a joke and not because she couldn't see two hoof steps in front of her. With a little difficulty, Pinkie made her way to Sugarcube Corner, finding a very bored pegasus behind the counter.

“Hey Pouty-Pound! Hihi, remember when I made you that nick-”

“PINKIEEEEEE!!!” the pegasus shouted, flying over the counter and giving Pinkie the biggest hug possible.

“Ugh Pound, remember that auntie Pinkie is no longer a young mare, you gotta let her breath.”

Rumble apologized, leaving Pinkie go, just as Pumpkin came downstairs and gave Pinkie a much more gentle hug.

“I´m so glad to be back,” Pinkie said being escorted by the kids to the front door. “Funny, Ponyville hasn't changed much,” she said, looking around.

True, aside from a few ponies she couldn't recognize or couldn't remember if she couldn't recognize them, everything seemed the same.

“Mom and Dad are going to be back soon from the market. Wanna play with us first?” Pound asked, acting like a colt half his age.

“Aunt Pinkie wants to rest, featherbrain!”

“Actually I need to visit a few places…” Pinkie said, ignoring the usual fights between the siblings.

“Oh, you wanna see Princess Sparkle at the library first?” Pumpkin asked.

“You just wanna see your dragon boyfriend,” Pound teased his sister.

“He´s not my boyfriend!”

Pinkie rolled her eyes, enjoying the nostalgia of the bickering twins.

****

Pinkie thought that seeing the peaceful landscape of Sweet Apple Acres will cheer her up but instead she feel even more nostalgic. It seemed like that time had stop all together in Ponyville,especially on the quiet farm. She watched the fields in silence for a few seconds, her eyes getting tired after just a while. Soon after a tall, red pony approached her, pulling a plow.

“Hey Big Mac, how´s life in the farm?”

The pony looked at her confused and Pinkie blushed.

“Oh sorry Red Leaf, you´re so tall now that I mistake you for your father. Look at you, just one year older than Pound and Pumpkin and so tall!” she said, ruffling his mane. “Have you seen Auntie Applejack around?” she asked and the colt nodded to a nearby tree.

Pinkie had seen pictures of her friends over the years and they all have aged well. Rarity was as fabulous as ever, Fluttershy always looked graceful and Rainbow simply refused to let her age show; but that didn´t prepared her at all to eh sight of an aged Applejack, resting against the apple tree because she couldn´t buk no more.

Applejack turned over and saw Pinkie standing there, “Well, if it isn´t mrs. Sweet Presents! How´s the fancy baker life treating you in...Canterlot, was it?”

“Canterlot and Las Pegasus and the island of Potro Maltese, that was fun!”

Pinkie smiled like before, hoping that would be enough but Applejack was so tired that she barely noticed it so Pinkie decided to drop the act.

“I´m sorry I missed Granny Smith´s funeral, Applejack.”

“You were away. Don't worry about it.”

Applejack looked so sad and small, Pinkie wondered if she looked the same. She took a look at the apple tree, noticing that there were still half a dozen apples hanging.

“So, it´s been a while but I think I need to raise my hoof like this and then poke my tongue like this…auh. Didn´t worked.”

Applejack laughed at Pinkie´s failed attempt and got up to help her.

“You need to aim higher, Pinks. Here, raise your tail and plant your front hooves on the ground, firm. Then…”

3021120 Aw, after a long, presumably well-lived life, she comes back and picks back up on the apple-bucking lessons Applejack was giving her. This is sweet. I like the way you showed how Pinkie had aged, how Ponyville had aged, how everypony had matured. And then in the end, they work on going back to where they were. I like.

2960433
I freely admit I'm testing you out on that 'post something later' option, but I also realized this prompt worked well with something else I've been trying to put together. Thank you for that.

Legacy Prompt 1: Tenant

“Excuse me, miss. Are you Lyra Heartstrings?”

Lyra glanced up. “Yeah, I am,” she said, slipping sideways on the bench. “I’m not keeping you from sitting down, am I?”

The other speaker shook her head. “Oh, no, nothing like that. I just wanted to make sure of who I needed to speak with. You see, I was told you run a house rental business in town?”

Lyra looked up, really looked, at the mare who’d interrupted her thoughts. The other was a pink unicorn, close to Lyra’s own age, with a creamy-white mane and tail and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue headband and a pair of glasses almost the same color, and the Cutie Mark on her flank resembled a piece of chocolate on a plate, almost looking as though it had been arranged for a contest of some sort. Lyra shook her head a bit, bringing herself back to earth. “Not exactly, but that’s close enough. I take it you’re interested in renting, miss…?”

The other mare frowned in confusion, then smiled. “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Spun Sugar. Most folks just call me Sugar, though.”

Lyra nodded. “Well, as I’ve already said, I am Lyra. So, again - you’re interested in renting, are you?”

Sugar nodded. “Yes, please. I just got into town and I need somewhere to stay.”

“Fair enough,” Lyra said. “I’ll just take you on a tour of the properties I manage.” As she rose from the bench, Lyra thought of something. “If you’re new in town, I probably need to warn you about the local welcome wagon. She’s a good friend, but the instant she hears that there’s somepony new in town she’ll be halfway through planning a party for you.”

Sugar frowned in concentration. “I… thank you for the warning, Miss Heartstrings.”

“No problem. Now let’s get going.”

“I’m sorry, but this house feels a little large for just one mare.” Sugar put an apologetic smile with the words, and Lyra nodded.

“Yeah, I know, but I still thought I ought to show it to you. It’s really designed as a family dwelling, although the price is lower than that would suggest.” She glanced sideways at Sugar. “After all, you might end up wanting the extra room anyway.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Sugar said. “I’m not in any big rush to start a family.”

“Okay, then we’ll cross this one off our list.”

“Oh, this place feels so cozy!”

“Yeah, it is,” Lyra said, “and it’s one of our cheaper rents. It does have at least one major drawback, though.”

Sugar looked up from the couch she’d been about to sink into.”

“Come take a look.” As the two headed outside, Lyra nodded her head to one side. “Over there, we have the elementary school, and over here,” this time tilting her head to the other side and turning it slightly, “we have the most popular local hangouts. Having a crowd of colts and fillies tearing through your yard every day isn’t the easiest task to deal with.”

Sugar blanched. “I’ll bet. Eegh.” She shook her head as if to clear it, then resumed speaking a few seconds later. “I’m… not exactly good with foals,” she said. “It probably would be best for me to not stay here.”

“This… this is my place,” Lyra said. “It does have a spare room I’m renting out, though. You liked cozy, and this way you’ve also sort of got a live-in cook and laundry service if you need it.”

“Sounds enticing,” Sugar said. “That’s making me a bit suspicious. Is there some reason it’s not currently being rented?”

Lyra turned to stare out the window. “I… yes. Until about a week ago, I was renting it to one of my best friends, a mare named Bon Bon. I assume you’re familiar with what happened in Canterlot last week?”

Sugar nodded. “The changeling invasion,” she whispered.

“Yeah. I was in Canterlot when that went down,” Lyra said, “and it left me really freaked out, especially about changelings. And, well, it turns out that Bonnie was one.

“Don’t get me wrong. Bonnie was a true friend, nothing like those things that hit the wedding. But given what’d happened to me at the wedding, I didn’t care. I was scared,” Lyra said, “and it made me stupid, and I lashed out at her because of it. I mean that literally.” Lyra’s gaze drifted briefly to Sugar’s face, then back out the window before she continued, her voice almost dead. “I was supposed to be one of the bridesmaids at the wedding, and that meant I was in the bug-queen’s direct path. When I got back here, I accused Bonnie of setting me up, yelled and called her a traitor and other, worse things. And when she tried to calm me down, I went into panic mode and hit her hard enough to send her sailing across the room.” Lyra trailed off, swallowing hard to keep the upwelling of remembered guilt from choking her. “I kicked her out of the house, yelled at her to never come back. I was the one who was wrong, but she listened to me. She left, just left her stuff here and went away. I owe her an apology for that, an apology and a lot more.”

Sugar put a hoof on Lyra’s shoulder. “I’m sure that, if she really was the friend you say, she’s forgiven you, ma’am. Is there any chance she might come back?”

Lyra took in a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before exhaling. “You tell me,” she said. “Will you?”

As Sugar stuttered and tried to form a coherent sentance, Lyra shook her head, still staring out the window. “I’ve been watching you all morning, Bonnie. It’s a good disguise, but you’ve got these little habits I’ve come to learn, and I’ve seen five of them already today. Six if you count the fact that you just stuck your tongue under your upper lip so you can suck on it while you try to come up with a response.”

Time Limit

‘Sugar’ quickly pulled her tongue free, and shook her head to clear it. “I’m sorry, Lyra. I didn’t exactly intend to deceive you, but I wasn’t sure…” She sighed, and tried again. “I was serious a moment ago, Lyra. I do forgive you. I just wasn’t sure you could forgive me.”

“I c,can’t, Bonnie.” Lyra turned around, her eyes brimming over with tears of pain, guilt, and shame. “I can’t forgive you, because you didn’t do anything wrong. That par,particular ‘honor’ is all m,mine. Yay me.” She tried to take a step forward, but her legs buckled and she fell to the floor. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, over and over again. “I’m sorry. I was, I didn’t, I, I, I’m-”

Bon Bon stepped over to Lyra, kneeling down and placing her own neck over Lyra’s. “Shh,” she said, “it’s all right.” She just lay there, offering comfort to her heaving friend until the poor mare’s sobbing wore itself out.

When Lyra finally managed to lift her head from the floor, she looked at Bon Bon again. “Sorry about this,” she sniffled, “I didn’t-”

“Lyra, it’s all right. You’re forgiven for this, too.” Bon Bon rose to her feet, then looked around. “So, um, am I still renting from you, or…?”

A harsh bark of laughter came from Lyra, who then shook her head in apology. “Sorry about that, Bonnie. Yeah, if you’re still willing to put up with me, you’re still renting here.” She frowned as she finally managed to lift herself up from the floor. “I’m not sure we can exactly pick up where we left off, though.”

“Doesn’t matter, Lyra. We’ll just pick up from where we are now instead.”

“That, that’s fine by, fine by me,” Lyra said, starting to sob again. “I’ve missed you, Bonnie.”

Bon Bon used her disguised form’s magic to levitate a few pieces of tissue over to Lyra. “I’ve missed you too, Lyra. I’ve missed you too.”

3755133 The moral of the story is that Lyra is a terrible real estate salesmare. C'mon, gal, you had her on that second house until you opened your mouth and pointed out everything wrong with it!

Seriously, though, another touching LyraBon scene. Have you considered stitching all these Changeling!Bon Bon prompts together into a single continuous story?