Cadence and Winter approached Applejack. The hard working pony looked the same as always, only with even more toned muscles and a bigger and fuller build. She was surrounded by dozens of apple trees, besides which tens of bushels had been set. When they made it to where she was standing, she shared a hug with the Princess of Love. Then she lowered her head to greet her honorary niece.
"Auntie, I've missed you!" The small filly jumped, hanging herself on Applejack's neck. The earth pony laughed with a crystalline laugh, embracing the small unicorn between her hooves.
"Ah've missed you too, Blossom." She nuzzled her softly. A set of hoofsteps could be heard approaching them. Applejack released her niece and the filly sprinted to greet the newcomer, a yellow colored mare. She had a physique as impressive as that of her sister, with flaming red hair tied in a bun and a cutie mark depicting an apple split in two, revealing a mechanical inside. Apple Bloom nuzzled Winter Bloom happily.
"Howdy, everypony!"
The youngest member of the Apple family walked groggily down the path that lead to her home. Her hair was dishevelled, she carried her bow in her mouth and spat out muffled curses. As she finally saw the farmland before her, her spirit rose greatly and she covered the remaining space in no time. She waved to her siblings who were in the orchards and hugged her grandmother in the kitchen. The old mare was even more in a state between sleep and wakefulness than how Apple Bloom remembered her. Apple Bloom headed to her room and tossed the bow on her bed before sighing.
"Gosh darn Scootaloo and her dumb pranks! She's been following into Rainbow Dash's hoofsteps too much. Ah think it's about time somepony gave her a spoonful of her own medicine. But what can Ah do?"
Four years had ran past since she met her two best friends. With time, their crusading had become more friendly games than anything, as they took the resolve to simply wait for the right moment. Apple Bloom smiled, thinking of her two friends and giving a brief look to her still blank flank. She didn't mind too much, she knew it was only a matter of time.
She brushed her mane briefly, before going downstairs to help Granny with dinner. Apple Bloom had learned a great deal about cooking in recent times, as the older mare became less able. She mostly guided the filly and pointed things out when she needed the advice. Finally, the apple stew was ready, with a side dose of salad and juice. She signaled her siblings and a few minutes later, the family was around the table. Granny Smith only ate several spoonfuls, while Applejack and Big Mac devoured their meal enthusiastically.
"Y'all have become a darn' good cook, Apple Bloom!" Applejack complimented her while wolfing down her stew. She was spending the day preparing a clearing for a new row of apple trees while Big Mac took care of the fruit collection. That was besides all the other routine activities and some that weren't so much routine. The red stallion voiced his approvement in his usual way.
"Eeyup!"
"But you look quite tired, little sis'. Is Scootaloo still up to it?"
"Ayup," said the filly, with a small pout forming in her lips. "She's convinced that she has to follow in RD's every step to be like her, and we're getting tired of it."
Applejack's smile didn't falter in the slightest. "Well, then why don't you step up her game?" The orange mare took a final bite from her plate before turning her attention to her little sister.
"Ya mean that Ah play a prank on her? But how would Ah do that?!" said the filly with an incredulous expression on her face. Granny Smith was dozing, while her brother only followed the conversation in silence. Applejack's smile grew even wider.
"Well, y'all know how much of a big eater Scootaloo turned out to be, don't cha? Ah say, reach her over there."
Apple Bloom took in her sister's words. Dinner finished, she picked up the dishes and cleaned the kitchen while the others went to rest. She was beginning to help around in the fields, but as she was going through her last year of education, still had plenty of leisure.
Finally, she washed herself and went out to bed. She lay there, contemplating the ray of moonlight and meditating on what Applejack had told her. But not too later after, she slipped into the land of dreams.
The loud ringing of her alarm brought Apple Bloom back into the waking world, as she moved her hoof around and finally turned if off. She jumped out of bed and went out to wash herself before going down to prepare breakfast. Half an hour later they were all eating to their heart's content.
"Ah think that after classes, Ah'm going to go to the Library and investigate. Ah have a plan now."
Both her siblings smiled. After they all finished, she left the dishes on the sink for future washing, picked out a helmet by the entrance, putting it on along with picking up her backpack, and went out through the door.
The sound of Scootaloo's bike engine received her. The orange pegasus sported a cutie mark featuring a winged bike wheel, while Sweetie Belle, riding in the enlarged sidecar, had a musical note surrounded by sparkling stars. Both had been acquired recently: Scootaloo's after she had received the bike as a gift for her prowess with such vehicles, and had soon learned to make awesome tricks with the help of her wings; and Sweetie Belle after she had accepted singing at a school festival and had earned thunderous applause from the whole concurrence. Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had been forced to applaud so as to not become too conspicuous among the crowd. The earth pony still hadn't obtained hers, but she wasn't discouraged in the slightest. She smiled and waved at her friends.
"Good morning, Apple Bloom!" chirped out Sweetie Belle, with her characteristic high pitched voice. Fortunately it was not so grating anymore, as she has singing lessons. Scootaloo honked.
"Come on, we'll be late!"
With a jump, Apple Bloom fitted herself in the bike, behind her friend who turned back to look at her with a grin.
"Was yesterday's an awesome prank, or what?!" She turned her look back front again and turned the handle, setting off.
"Y'all still keep insisting on them..." said Apple Bloom, muffled by the helmet and the increasing air resistance hitting against them, so that nopony spoke until they made it to the school. They entered class just as an electrical bell was ringing.
Apple Bloom's morning was quickly spent as she gave herself up to daydreaming, receiving a couple of admonishments from Cheerilee and giggles from her friends, and worse, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Those two fillies hadn't changed a bit after four years of knowing her friends. After the bell marked the end of the classes, Cherilee requested a talk with her, and so Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took off before her. Apple Bloom excused herself and promised it wouldn't happen again, and she trotted back home to fulfill her chores. Once she was done, she trotted back to town and entered Twilight's library.
The lavender unicorn greeted her, having sent her dragon assistant on an errand.
"Hey, Twilight, I needed to consult books on electronics. Y'all got some good ones here, right?"
Twilight smiled, nodding with energy, and led her towards one section. She pulled out several books: Electronic for Dummies, Basic principles of electronics, New Electronics and other similar titles. She spent the hours away taking notes and observing. Finally, dusk approached and she waved goodbye to Twilight, Spike and the pets, making haste to the Acres to take care of her chores.
The next day, she bought some implements and returned to the library. With Twilight and Spike's assistance, she spent the next few days after school (with a couple of those days sporting the results of Scootaloo's pranks) working, using their tools. More than once, neighbors would be frightened by the lights and explosions coming out of the tree building. Finally, her work was done, and she smiled brightly, putting the result of her long days away in her bag and going back home.
She woke up even earlier the following day, despite the tiredness she felt after several days of having to take care of her farm chores, schoolwork and her project, and prepared breakfast before everyone was up, leaving soon for school. When Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle showed up, she awaited them at the front of the school, beaming. The orange pegasus bellowed.
"What was the great idea with making us go to your house for nothing?! The magic for this thing isn't free, you know?!"
Her smile didn't falter. "Wasn't it a great prank?"
Scootaloo frowned, but the unicorn pushed them inside before anypony else said anything. The orange pegasus soon forgot it, until it was lunch time. Outside, a huge rain was falling down, so they were all stuck inside. When Scotaloo got out her lunchbag, Apple Bloom approached her smiling and put a shiny red apple on top of her desk.
"Scoots, Ah'm sorry about that. Y'all accept this apple in exchange, won't cha?"
The orange mare beamed and thanked her. A white light shone outside just when she took the apple in her hoof, rumbling mightily. When Scootaloo bite in top of it, her whole body shook violently,along with the apple. She let go of the 'fruit' and was elevated outside, still shaking. Her mane and tail stood on end and after some seconds she came back to the floor. She shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the dizziness, while all the ponies, including Cherilee, stopped in their track and looked at the bedazzled pegasus, that finally managed to regain herself. She looked down at a giggling Apple Bloom.
"What was that?!"
"That, Scootaloo, was my invention: 'The Shocking Apple.'"
She took the apple-like construction in her hooves, that hadn't received the slightest damage from Scootaloo's bite and showed her the top.
"When you bite in here, it liberates a magical zap that leaves you rumbling as if an electrical current had just gone through you, but without any damage!"
Scootaloo frowned at her. Cherilee approached the group that had formed around them, Sweetie Belle only looking speechless. Snails sniffed at the apple the farm pony held in her hooves and took it in his mouth, biting at it. He was promptly shocked all the way up to the roof, comically falling in his back, shaking his legs wildly. Sweetie Belle went to help him.
"Why, Apple Bloom, that's -" Cherilee began, but she was interrupted suddenly by Scootaloo's laughter, that began as a chuckle and soon morphed into a barrage of laughing that made the orange filly roll around in the floor. After a couple of minutes, in which everypony laughed, even Cherilee, she put herself back on her four hooves and looked at her earth pony friend.
"That was payback for all of my pranks, right? Well, that was AWESOME! Did you build it yourself?"
"Well, yeah... Ah had some help from Twilight and Spike,tho'..."
Scootaloo nodded. "Well, I see what you wanted. I promise to tone down the pranks from here on, is that right?"
"Sure it is, Scoots." The pegasus didn't have any time to react before her two friends crashed against her in a ribs busting embrace.
"Can I see it, Apple Bloom?" requested Cheerilee, looking down at the mechanical apple. Apple Bloom nodded and, disentangling herself from her friends, walked over to the apple and deactivated the mechanism, opening the fake fruit, showing all the circuits inside.
"This is indeed a great job, Apple Bloom, I'd say almost of an expert level!"
The earth pony grinned sheepishly, with a blush reflecting on her cheeks, while everypony around her cheered, or almost everypony. Snips took his turn to bite in the apple, but only received the taste of cold metal in his tongue, when Sweetie Belle pointed at Apple Bloom's sides, hooting with emotion. The orange filly turned her head in a hurry, looking at the image of a shiny red apple appear on her flanks. This apple was split in two parts, which revealed the mechanical workings of it.
After some seconds of silence, the whole classroom exploded in cheer, with Apple Bloom's own eyes looking as if they were about to come out.
"Ah can't believe it. Ah did it at last!"
"That's really cool, girl!" Scootaloo patted her on the back.
"Congratulations, Apple Bloom!" said both Cheerilee and Sweetie Belle, the unicorn reaching for an embrace with her while the rest of the classroom cheered on and approached her to have a better look. The cries of the excited foals tuned out the rain, and in the middle of all of it, a sudden pink blur appeared.
"You know what this calls for?!"
"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here?!" screamed Cherilee, jumping away from the candy loving mare that had appeared by her side. Said pony only giggled and beamed at her.
"Silly Cheerilee, how was I not going to congratulate Apple Bloom on her newly discovered special talent? Here, Bloomy, have this!"
Before the stunned farm pony could react, Pinkie stuffed a strawberry cupcake in her mouth, of which she took a bite and then ate the rest, almost choking on it.
"Why, thanks, Pinkie." was the only thing she could say in her shocked state. The pink pony giggled again.
"Aww, it was nothing, Bloomy. Now I've got to go and plan a party. See you later, alligator!"
And then, suddenly, Pinkie Pie jumped towards Cheerilee's desk and disappeared behind it. The scene remained in silence for some more time, before the teacher pony sought to regain order in the class, that continued as normal.
Once it was over, the three friends sped off in Scootaloo's bike. In Sweet Apple Acres, the family rejoiced at the news, and Applejack received a sudden visit from Pinkie Pie in order to set up the party; the orange earth pony didn't bat an eyelid when the pink pony came in from the cold oven. Scootaloo asked to keep the artifact, and Apple Bloom consented, but refused to tell the pegasus how to activate it again.
Apple Bloom smiled while playing with Winter Blossom. The small filly looked at her and asked rather loudly.
"Where is Apple Bite? I want to play with him!"
As if on cue, an earth pony colt approached the group trotting. He had a coat colored with an intense red, but his eyes were of a clear blue and his mane came in two colors: hot pink and dark blue. He smiled upon seeing Winter next to Apple Bloom and walked quietly so as to provide a surprise for the small unicorn.