Remembering the Perfect Apple Pear-ents

 

 

The sound of hooves smacking against the trunks of apple trees softly echoed across Sweet Apple Acres, the family farm. With steady strength and skill, the orange pony’s back hooves shook the trees as red ripe apples fell gracefully into the round wooden bucket underneath the tree’s branches. Though the morning sun shone hot and bright, the hard-working pony kept doing her job until all the wooden buckets were full of fresh apples.

 

“Whew-wee,” Applejack sighed in her southern accent as she rested for a bit under a tree. “Haven’t bucked trees like this in a while. Her blonde mane of hair and her tail were done in the usual ponytails, her brown cowboy hat resting atop her head. Three red apples on her orange flank made up her cutie mark. White freckles were near her large green eyes, which calmly observed the surrounding land. Several red and white birds chirped happily as they flew across the sky and disappeared into the trees.

 

After her rest, Applejack stretched, gathered the buckets into a wooden cart, and got into a harness attached to it. She pulled the cart back toward the red barn and the pinkish red farmhouse that was her home. She passed under the green archway of red apples before stopping by the barn. Removing herself from the harness, she placed the buckets down on the ground.

 

“Hey there, sis!” called a familiar voice.

 

“Howdy there, Apple Bloom!” Applejack smiled when she saw her sister. After checking up on the corn in the fields, the young yellow pony bounded over to her older sister. She had a red mane, orange irises, a red tail, and a large pink bow in her hair. Her cutie mark was a shield with an apple symbol on it, the one similar to the cutie marks of her beloved filly friends Sweetie Belle and Scootalo. Apple Bloom helped Applejack move the buckets of apples into the barn.

 

Applejack’s older brother, Big Mac was there, helping as well. He was a large red pony with an orange mane of short hair and a green apple cutie mark. He wore a thick brown yoke collar around his neck with two nails sticking out on the top. His green eyes were soft and gentle.

 

“The corn’s lookin’ great for the harvest this year,” said Apple Bloom.

 

“Yes indeed,” replied Applejack. “And I bet we’re gonna have a great a great apple cider season, thanks to all these apples!”

 

“I’m so excited!” Apple Bloom added. “And I’m glad those Flim Flam Brothers won’t be there to mess things up!”

 

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed. He hoisted the remaining buckets of apples and carried them inside. The family spent the rest of the afternoon cutting up the apples and using them to make apple cider. The cider was then stored in barrels.

 

Back in the house, the light green grandmother pony Granny Smith rocked contently in her rocking chair in the small living room. She had a white mane of hair and a brown apple pie for her cutie mark.

 

“Howdy Granny Smith!” Apple Bloom greeted. Applejack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom came into the small homey kitchen as the sun set.

 

“Great to see you dears as always,” Granny Smith said. “You got the apple cider finished for tomorrow?”

 

“Eeyup,” Big Mac smiled.

 

Big Mac handed her a mug, and she took a sip.

 

“Mmmm!” she said, licking her lips. “This cider tastes just as good as I remember it!”

 

Applejack and her siblings gave each other hoof high fives. “Excellent work everypony! Looks like we’re all set for the cider sale tomorrow,” said Applejack. “Now, who wants dinner?”

 

“I do!” called Apple Bloom along with affirmations from Big Mac and Granny Smith.

 

Applejack’s cheerful dog, Winona was brown and white. She wagged her tail and sat by her side as she began to make dinner. As the sky turned indigo, the meal was ready. Bales of fresh hay, apple stew, and apple pie were placed on the table. Winona barked with delight as Applejack fed her some dog food and a small piece of apple pie.

 

After the ponies enjoyed a peaceful dinner with apple pie for dessert, Apple Bloom yawned.

 

“I guess it’s getting close to your bedtime, sugarcube,” said Applejack.

 

“Sis, I’m not completely tired,” said Apple Bloom. “Can’t I stay up longer?”

 

“Nope,” said Big Mac.

 

“Big Mac’s right,” added Granny Smith. “I think it’s high time we all get some shut-eye soon.”

 

“All that hard work sure paid off,” said Applejack. “Plus, we got the sale tomorrow and you got school, Apple Bloom.”

 

“I guess you’re right,” she said.

 

“And Big Mac, aren’t you busy tomorrow, too?” asked Applejack.

 

“Eeyup,” he said. “Sugar Belle and I have our honeymoon soon.”

 

“I wish you the best of luck,” said Granny Smith.

 

Big Mac smiled. “Thanks.”

 

“Promise us you’ll visit again soon?” asked Apple Bloom.

 

“Eeyup.”

 

Big Mac noticed Granny Smith with a photo album nearby, with pictures of two ponies not seen as much. They gave each other a knowing look while also glancing over at Applejack and Apple Bloom. Applejack thought she saw a slight sadness in her brother’s eyes.

 

Before long, Big Mac had gathered his things, waved a happy goodbye to his family, and left to see his wife.

 

Apple Bloom left the kitchen and sighed after Big Mac left. “Things sure have changed fast around here. I’m gonna miss seeing Big Mac all the time.”

 

“He’ll still be around,” said Applejack. “You know how our tight-knit family loves to stay close by.”

 

“You ponies have grown up so fast,” Granny Smith mentioned with pride.

 

“Indeed, they have,” said Applejack. “I remember last week, how we all defeated the Legion of Doom together. With Twilight and the students leading us, Equestria was thankfully saved.”

 

“Yeah!” said Apple Bloom. “Remember Big Mac and Sugar Belle’s wedding? And that crazy apple monster Discord made?”

 

Granny Smith nodded. “Their marriage was certainly beautiful. Especially under the apple-pear tree.”

 

“And don’t forget our Apple Family Reunion, when we all worked together to fix the barn!” Apple Bloom chimed in.

 

“Yes, indeed,” Applejack smiled as she glanced at the large Apple Family all posing in a photo in front of the barn.

 

Applejack walked over and glanced out at the night sky from the open half door. For several minutes, she paused, looking intently at the stars.

 

“I think I remember seeing two shooting stars not too long ago after that reunion,” Applejack mentioned. Stray tears fell from her eyes after several silent minutes. “They reminded me of them.”

 

Apple Bloom felt sad, too. “I wish I had gotten to know my parents,” said Apple Bloom. The two walked over to Granny Smith, who was standing by a table with a photo album in front of her.

 

Granny Smith held out a picture of the two pony parents. Bright Mac was a yellow stallion with a bright red mane, the same build as Big Mac. A brown cowboy hat sat on his head, the same hat Applejack always wore. His cutie mark was a cut up green apple. Next to him was a cream-colored mare with a curly orange mane, a curly orange tail in a braid and a yellow flower in her hair. Her cutie mark was a jar of honey. She was Pear Butter, Applejack’s mother. The picture showed Pear Butter playing the ukulele to a smiling Bright Mac on a picnic blanket.

 

“I remember Bright Mac saying he named you Big Macintosh. And Pear Butter named you Applejack,” mentioned Granny Smith.

 

“No family rivalries could stop their strong love for each other,” said Granny Smith. “They wanted to be together, but Grand Pear and I did not approve. That’s why they planted the apple-pear tree the night of their secret wedding. Pear Butter renounced her ties to the Apples after the wedding was discovered. The two of them left together, and soon enough, you, and your brother and sister were born.”

 

“Oh Applejack, you look so cute in this one!” squealed Apple Bloom, pointing to a picture of an infant Applejack asleep in her mother’s hooves.

 

“I’ll admit, I don’t remember much about them,” said Applejack. “It was a long time ago. I was just an infant and Big Mac was only a colt.”

 

There were a few more old pictures in the album: Bright Mac giving his yoke to Big Mac and an infant Applejack riding on Pear Butter’s back.

 

Applejack turned to Granny Smith. “Say, do you know what happened to them, exactly? Why they disappeared?”

 

Granny looked off to the side, eyes downcast. She was silent for a minute. She sighed. “I wish I knew as much as you do. I do know they traveled a lot to gather apples and food. No one knows what happened to them. Some say they got lost in the woods. Others say they got sick with hay fever or got eaten by monsters in a swamp. Or maybe your mother died while giving birth to Apple Bloom.”

 

“So, you’re saying that they’re…they’re…” Apple Bloom began.

 

Granny Smith leaned in, after looking around cautiously. “Dead, yes.”

 

“I had a bad feelin,’” Applejack mentioned.

 

Granny Smith sniffed sadly and continued. “The last thing I remember was Bright Mac telling me Pear Butter had some kind of illness during her pregnancy. Bright Mac had some trouble moving around after a farm accident but wanted to be with his wife. Pear Butter’s condition got worse after giving birth to Apple Bloom, it was a hard childbirth for her. Thankfully Apple Bloom was a healthy infant. Bright Mac grew ill and depressed. That’s the last time anypony heard from them. Or at least us in particular.”

 

Granny Smith sighed. “I…I was still kind of angry at Pear Butter and her father. I still wasn’t fully accepting of their union. I just let them go…I had no idea they wouldn’t come back. Back then, Big Mac was starting to tend the farm and filly Applejack was briefly with her Uncle Orange and Aunt Orange in Manehattan. By the time Applejack returned to Sweet Apple Acres and baby Apple Bloom was back at the farm with me…I knew something had happened to them.”

 

Applejack’s eyes widened. “You… you feel bad because…you felt you couldn’t save them.”

 

Granny nodded. “Grand Pear had no idea until it was too late. Out of reluctant respect, I told him the news after they had passed. Then he promptly told me that he never wanted to see my face again.”

 

The ponies were silent.

 

“It’s not your fault, Granny Smith,” Applejack said sympathetically, putting a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “Does Big Mac know about this?”

 

“I told him yesterday in private,” Granny admitted. “Big Mac and all of you had a strong feeling that they were gone. I just…wanted to try and clear things up as much as I could.”

 

“Thank you, Granny Smith,” said Apple Bloom.

 

“That would explain the looks you gave each other earlier,” said Applejack.

 

“He’ll be fine,” said Granny Smith. “He just needs some time with Sugar Belle and his family. After they were gone, I had to take care of you children in the meantime. I was much younger then,” she said. “Thankfully, Big Mac and Applejack were a huge help in tending the farm.”

 

“So, our parents…don’t exist anymore?” Apple Bloom inquired.

 

“I…uh…suppose they are among the stars watching over us,” Applejack guessed. “One pony talked of a mythical paradise called Elysium. Who knows? Nopony knows what happens after our bodies die.”

 

“It’s something everypony has to go through,” Granny Smith mentioned, “(Save for Celestia and Luna for thousands of years.) But strangely enough, it’s never talked about, not even in Ponyville. The citizens get along well most of the time but whenever that topic is brought up, everypony seems to avoid it.”

 

“I’ve noticed that, too,” Applejack said. “It’s like we all want to remain happy and in harmony as much as we can. This town is a compassionate place but even we can’t escape the unknown…”  

 

Granny Smith slouched back into her rocking chair, fatigue in her face. Her joints creaked and wrinkles lined her face. “Each day, it seems to get harder for me to move around. To use my strength like I used to. I could be gone at any time. I assure you though, we’re a strong family, we’re Apples to the Core. We stick together no matter where we go. Don’t worry too much about me, just keep on being the hard-working thriving ponies you are.”

 

“Stop making me cry, Granny!” bawled Apple Bloom with a sob and a laugh. Applejack cried hard on the inside…but then it started to show on the outside.

 

Granny Smith continued. “We may never know what exactly happened to your parents and my son, but providing some closure and getting some secrets out…it does feel comforting to finally get it out.”

 

Without any words, Applejack and Apple Bloom hugged their grandmother, tears spilling out from their eyes.

 

Big Mac came back through the door, glancing down at his bare neck.

 

“Oops.”

 

He was about to grab his yoke he had forgotten in the kitchen but stopped in his tracks. He walked toward his family and gave them a comforting hug. The sobs and hugs lasted for several minutes.

 

They slowly separated. “Oh, Big Mac, you’re back,” said Apple Bloom, looking up.

 

“Forgot my yoke,” he said.

 

“Just remember, no matter what happened to them, or what anypony thinks, I like to think that Bright Mac and Pear Butter are always with us,” mentioned Granny Smith.

 

“I can agree with that,” said Apple Bloom. Applejack and Big Mac nodded.

 

Applejack turned to Apple Bloom. “It’s time for you to get to bed,” she said.

 

Apple Bloom yawned again. “Okay,” she said. “Emotions make me exhausted.”

 

“Eeyup,” agreed Big Mac, retrieving his yoke before waving goodbye.

 

“Good night, Granny Smith,” called Applejack and she led Apple Bloom up the stairs to their bedrooms.

 

“Good night, my sweet little ponies,” she replied.   

 

They reached a bedroom window, which gave them a clear stunning view of the night sky.

 

“Do you really think they are watching over us?” Apple Bloom asked.

 

“I’m not totally sure,” Applejack answered. “But I think I told ya earlier, Apple Bloom, that if Mom and Dad were here, they’d be so proud of ya for getting your cutie mark.” She playfully ruffled her sister’s mane.

 

Apple Bloom smiled and embraced her sister. “Aww, thanks, Applejack,” she smiled, tears down her face.

 

The two ponies leaned against each other as they stared out the window. Not too far from the apple-pear tree were two gravestones with flowers nearby. Two shooting stars streaked brightly across the night sky, zooming near the moon.