“Come back soon,” Granny Smith waved as her latest customer just bought a jar of their apple jam and a bundle of Fuji apples. The old mare looked up and down the row of stands, “Where is she?” she muttered. A couple of minutes ago she had sent her youngest grandchild out to make a run for the farm to get some more golden delicious that she had run out. There were still ponies that were waiting on her for their order of that particular fruit. Every so often they would come by to inquire about it, but each time that happened she kindly told them that it was coming and it should be here any moment now.
Then she spotted the very filly that she had been waiting on, but at the same time, she also noticed that there were two more ponies that were following behind her. It gave the old mare pause at what she was looking at the couple, her memories started to kick in. But for a moment, she couldn’t put her hoof on who exactly they were until the yellow stallion with the Stetson lifted the basket of Golden Delicious off of Applebloom’s back and said, “There ya are Ma, we’ve been lookin’ fer ya.”
Granny blinked, “Bright Mac?”
After he placed the basket off the counter, he took out a glass jar of red berries. “We’ve got those cherries that you needed fer tonight. But right now, we’ve got a problem on our hooves. There’s somepony on the farm that jus’ kicked us out, and even threatened to call the police on us.”
“Are the children with you?” Buttercup asked. “Where’s Big Mac and Applejack?”
The old mare rubbed her eyes in order to get a closer look at the couple.
“Granny? Do you know who they are?” Applebloom asked as she went around in order for her to get behind the counter.
She didn’t answer her question as she got up and went over to them. The green Apple narrowed her critical eyes at first the couple. At their cutie marks, their manes, underneath Bright Mac’s hat, she inspected both of them. “What did ya say yer names were again?”
Both husband and wife exchanged puzzled looks, “What are you talking about?” the orange mare asked. “It’s us, Bright and Pair?”
Applebloom took a double take, “Wait, what?”
“C’mon Ma, you know,” the stallion lifted a hoof. “Bright Mac and Pear Butter? I’m yer son Ma.”
Granny sat on her haunches, “Prove it,” she demanded. “Tell me somethin’ that only the real Bright Mac and Pear Butter would know.”
“Are we really doing this?” Buttercup questioned.
“Apparently,” her husband sighed as he thought for a moment. “How about this: when Ah was nineteen, you grounded me fer a month because Ah tried to sell cider outside of the farm, and a week after Cider Season was over. You scolded me for hours when you found out.” He snorted with a grin on his muzzle, “Shoot, Ah remember that you wouldn’t let me near yer apple fritters and that you had me go on real long deliveries that took days ta get done during that time.”
“Was that why it took longer for you to send me any letters?” Buttercup smirked.
“Eeyup,” Bright replied. “Granny had taken away my messenger bird so Ah had ta force mahself ta sneak over to yer folk’s farm so Ah could deliver them to ya.”
With every passing word, the skepticism on the old mare’s face eroded away. With every detail, doubt about whom these two ponies were suffocated. As the story unfolded, described down to the exact sequence of events that she found that matched perfectly with her memory until she knew for certain, “Oh mah Celestia,” she said softly as she hugged Bright Mac. “You came back.”
“Granny?” Applebloom began, “Are ya really sayin’ that they’re-”
“Yer Ma and Dad,” Granny Smith confirmed it with tears in her eyes.
Buttercup’s eyes went wide, now her attention was towards the jaw-dropped filly behind the counter. “Wait, what?” And before she could think any further, a yellow blur slammed against her withers, knocking her over. By the time her mind caught up with her, she realized that she was being hugged tightly by this filly as if she hadn’t seen her in… Then she felt something wet on the fur of her coat, “Are you okay?”
Applebloom looked up, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, “Ah’m so happy ta have you back.”
“Uh… Ma?” Bright Mac began, “What’s goin’ on?”
Applebloom had a pretty good idea where her older sister was. Being a Thursday, she would find her practicing Buckball at the park with three of her friends. The young filly was galloping as fast as she could down the dirt paths, frantically searching for any sign of Applejack. She called out her name over and over until she finally spotted her.
She founded her gulping down ladles of water and sweating underneath her red playing clothes. “Applejack!” the yellow Apple called out as she slowed down.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she took notice of her, “Hey sis, is somethin’ wrong?”
However, by the time she was able to catch up with her, the little sister was out of breath, “Applejack… come home… now…”
“Why? What’s goin’ on?” she handed Applebloom a ladle of water, in which she quickly gulped it down.
“You’ll never guess… who jus’ came home…” she said between breaths.
“Who? Is it some relative that jus’ got here?”
The yellow Apple shook her head, “They’re alive… Ma and Dad… alive.”
This had gotten her older sister’s attention. In fact, Applebloom could have sworn that at least a full minute had gone by before Applejack could respond with, “What did you jus’ say?”
“Pear Butter and Bright Mac, they came back.”
Another minute of silence.
“Are ya lyin’ ta me?”
“No,” Applebloom shook her head. “Ah’m dead serious that Ah’m tellin’ the truth. Ah’ve no clue how, but somehow, they’re back.”
“Hey AJ,” the two sisters turned to the other three ponies waiting for the orange Apple. The one that spoke up was Rainbow Dash, “You coming or what?”
Applejack told them to call it a day. When inquired why she told them that something had come up that is in need of her attention. After apologizing, she and her sister left to return home, back to Sweet Apple Acres.
‘There ain’t no way,’ the older sister rationalized. ‘They can’t be here. Ah was there when they died… Maybe it's ponies that happened ta look like them. That’s gotta be what it is. If so, why did they come here for?’ Such thoughts came to mind as Applejack followed her sister out of town and towards their farm. Up hills and through orchards, they finally came across the red farmhouse.
Before she could open the front door, she heard voices. Some came from her grandmother and older brother, and two others that sounded vaguely familiar.
“Ya know,” a stallion’s voice said. “It’s kinda weird that yer considered the quiet one. Why, when we saw you last, you were really quite the chatterbox – talkin’ pretty much everythin’ and anythin’.”
“Thank AJ for that,” Granny Smith replied. “She was the one that he oughta talk less and listen more.”
Applebloom was on the steps by the time she pushed opened the front door. Through it, the two sisters stepped inside, and the orange Apple froze in place at who she saw that was sitting on one of the couches. Buttercup stood up in amazement, “Jackie?”
But Applejack didn’t move, even when the orange-maned mare came up to her. “Oh look at you,” she exclaimed as she hugged her. “All grown up!”
“M-Ma?” She glanced over to her elder brother and grandmother. “Are they really-”
“Ah’ve tested them,” Granny Smith interrupted. “Ah’ve questioned them of everythin’ Ah ever knew about yer parents inside and out, up and down, sideways and backward. Their cutie marks are certainly real. There’re voices match up. Even their hoof signatures are genuine.”
“We’ve done everythin’ we could think of,” Big Mac said. “And…” he glanced at his father. “They’re back. They’re really back.”
It was then that Granny Smith, Big Macintosh and Applebloom saw something from the orange Apple that they hadn’t seen in years. If anything, they were both amazed and worried at the very sight of it: Applejack was crying. Just as instantly, Bright Mac got up and hugged his daughter from the other side of his wife.
“Jackie, it’s okay,” he said softly. “Really, it’s all fine now.”
“Applejack,” Buttercup began, “Tell us what’s wrong.”
“Ah’ve missed you,” she choked. “A-Ah didn’t think… Ah thought… y’all were gone… fer good.”
Both parents hugged her tighter, “Now now,” the yellow stallion told her. “It’s all gonna be okay. There ain’t no reason ta cry now.” However, he and his wife knew instantly, that if what the elderly mare told them was true, and that they had died a long time ago… then there was a good reason why their daughter was reacting like this.
They excused themselves as they took Applejack up to her room, for it was her turn to have a talk with them and so that she could cry in peace. It took several minutes until their daughters were ready to speak to them, “So,” she began softly. “How?”
Bright Mac shrugged, “Can’t say. One minute we were goin’ ta fetch some cherries fer ice cream because Ma said we jus’ ran out, the next we had ta turn back, only ta find that everythin’ changed on us. Suddenly, everythin’ is older and, fer whatever reason, we’re not around no more.”
“Still,” Applejack’s mother said, “whatever happened, it seems that we’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do. But do forgive us, we didn’t mean to make you cry, Jackie.”
“Ah know,” she sniffed. “It’s jus’ that… Ah’ve missed ya both so much. No, we all did. But, havin’ ya here now… Ah really don’t know where ta start. So much has happened in the past thirteen years that neither of ya would believe.”
“Understandable,” Buttercup nodded. “While I don’t exactly know where to ask either, it is getting close to dinner, so I’ll tell you what – as long as we’re still here, we’ll cook dinner for all of you, and we’ll all talk as long as we need to so we can see what else we’ve missed.”
“Oh Ma, Y'all shouldn’t-”
“We insist Jackie,” her father told her. “After all, if we do somehow go back, at least we want to be sure that all of ya are taken care off before hoof. It is the least we could do.” The yellow stallion smiled reassuringly. “Tell ya what, we’ll get started so it’ll give ya plenty of time ta think things over what you want ta say to us. Okay?”
Applejack sniffed, “Fair enough…” then an idea came to her, “Hey Ma, ya mind if Ah go bring somepony over here fer dinner? Ah know someone that would be itchin’ ta get some last words with ya.”
“Anything you want,” her mother patted her head. But just as she stood up on her four hooves, she paused. Buttercup looked down at her stomach, “I’ve a kick,” she said.
“What are ya talkin’ about?” their daughter asked.
“The baby, I felt it kick just now.” She sat on her haunches again and her husband reached over to feel it. “Do you feel it?”
Bright Mac nodded, “You think that might be our Applebloom in there?”
“Wait, what?” Applejack blinked. “Ma, yer pregnant?”
She nodded, “When we left, we just have you and Big Mac, so I assume that Applebloom might be our third…” she trailed off. “Wait a minute, if they’re only three of you here, and I’m carrying a baby around, then that must mean…” All three Apples knew what it meant. Not only will they be going back, but they have calculated an estimation of how long they might live. “You know what, don’t worry about it, you take care of whatever it is you need to do, and we’ll go ahead with making dinner.”
“You sure Ma?” Applejack asked, concerned.
“We’ll be fine Jackie. Now go ahead and do what you have to, I think we’ll have things ready by the time you get back.”
Although she knew that what her mother said wasn’t exactly true, she did head out of the farmhouse to find a particular pony that she felt a visit from was long overdue.