//------------------------------//
// Family 
// Story: Dear Applejack 
// by Captain of the Guard 
//------------------------------//

	Setting down the two wooden buckets, which overflowed with ripe red apples, the orange mare admired her work harvesting the last of the western orchard. Sweat beaded through her fur under the day’s heat as she panted. The sun had still to reach its zenith, and the supply of apples from the week’s harvest was copious to a point of pride. For the Apple family, that is.
A thought struck her then, and she made to the house’s porch, where an old mare sat in a chair, rocking in the shade, and giving Applejack a warm smile. Applejack approached, returning the smile, and greeted her with a cheery “Howdy.”
“Why hello, dearie. How’s the harvest?”
“Great, Granny. Western orchard’s done, and Mac’s workin’ on the eastern. Now, there was something I wanted to ask you.”
“Yes, dearie?”
“Well, you know the, uh, letters?” She cleared her throat.
“Ah, yes of course.” Granny Smith’s smile grew less enthusiastic. 
“Well, it’s just that, my, well, Ma, mentioned a box...”
The pale green mare nodded, “Yes, yes. Would you like to see it?”
“I think so, and I think Apple Bloom and Mac should too.”
Her grin widened again, “Well I think that’s a cheery idea, darlin’. Fetch your siblings, I’ll go grab it.” Granny Smith rose from the walking chair planting her shaking hooves on the ground as her back cracked. She trotted off towards the barn. Applejack entered the house, into a small living room filled with old furniture and family pictures, “Apple Bloom!” She shouted, awaiting a response.
“Yeah sis?” A muffled shout from above.
“Come down here, I want you to see something.”
Seconds later the sound of hooves on creaking wood, drawing louder, as the filly trotted down the stairs. The light furred and red maned pony smiled at her sister, “What is it?”
“I’ll show you in a minute, grab Bic Mac and meet me in the barn. He’s in the eastern orchard.”
“Yes ma’am.” Apple Bloom teased, the ponies snickering. 
Before Apple Bloom strode through the door, Applejack stopped her, “Apple Bloom.”
“Yeah, sis?”
“Mom and Dad would be so proud of you.” The mare’s smile was shaded with sorrow.
Apple Bloom’s expression was confused, and surprised, “Uh, thanks.” She left.
She has her mother’s eyes.

The barn’s doors ajar, sun beaming in onto the hay and dirt floor. Applejack entered through a wooden hatch in the ground, Granny Smith following, with a dusty wooden trunk balancing on her back. She tossed the truck to the packed dirt floor with a crack, and turned to the old mare. “You wanna stick around?”
“Oh, I’ve looked through that old thing enough times, I reckon.”
“Alright, Granny. And, uh, thank you for the letters. They’re really something.”
“That they are, dearie, that they are.” They exchanged amiable grins, a warmth falling over Applejack, and Granny Smith departed. Applejack opened the rusty iron latch, and the trunk creaked open, a cloud of dust rising, which she promptly swatted away, coughing.
“Heya sis!” The excited little filly exclaimed, a muscular red stallion smiling a hello besides her as he chewed a piece of wheat.
“C’mon over, let’s take a look through this trunk.”
The ponies walked over to stand either side to her, peering down into the gloom of the wooden box. The three sat down after Applejack did so, and the orange reached down, pulling out a small bundled stack of square papers. She turned the first to face them, blowing dust off.
A colorless photo depicted a young filly with large, gleaming eyes, a light coat, and hair tied up in a ribbon, looking just like Applebloom. Beside her, with a very familiar grin, was a middle aged, but beautiful mare with shining white hair in a braid.
“Oohh, who are they?” The enticed filly asked
“Why Bloom, that’d be ma and Granny.” Applejack nudged her.
“Wow, Granny was so young, and look at ma, she’s just a filly like me! And our ribbon...” Apple Bloom touched the ribbon tied in her hair, looking at the same such accessory in her mother’s hair.
“Yeah, our Granny was a real beaut, you know.” The mare looked at her brother, who’s green eyes were fixed steadily on the picture.
She shuffled to the next one, a now in-color picture of the same previous filly, now a grown, beautiful young mare, her head resting on that of a long, blonde maned stallion with a coat red like Macintosh’s, and emeral eyes just like her’s.
“Is that ma and pa?” Apple Bloom inquired, blinking up at Applejack.
A nostalgic sigh, “Yeah, yeah it is.”
“AJ...”
“Yes Bloom?”
“Ma and Pa died when I was young, right?”
“You still are young, Bloom, and yes. You were a newborn.”
Apple Bloom not-so-subtly rolled her eyes at the young remark, and continued, “Disease took them, right?”
“That’s right.” The mare responded solemnly. 
“What kinda disease?”
Applejack met her sister’s eyes, large with anticipation, filled with an innocence so pure that it almost scared Applejack.
“A terrible one, Bloom. One that destroys a lot more than your health.”
“Whaddya mean by that?”
“You’ll learn one day.”
Apple Bloom frowned, frustrated, “I ain’t a child, AJ. I want to know.” She raised her voice, her tone obvious with anger.
“Bloom,” AJ sighed, “You don’t always want to know. I know you’re smart, and you can understand it, but that doesn’t mean you should understand it. It ain’t always good for you.” She turned to Macintosh for approval, who nodded. 
“Fine.” Applebloom surrendered.
The next picture depicted those same ponies, this time dressed all fancy and whatnot, and a host of ponies behind them. The old Apple family house stood in the background, and those two ponies were grinning wider than Applejack thought possible. The joy in their eyes was uncharacteristic of anyone other than a certain pink mare.
“This was their wedding day, can ya believe that?”
“Wow, that’s amazing.” The filly cheered, then resumed her earlier questioning, “AJ, what were Mom and Dad like?”
“Well,” she exhaled, “that’s a more difficult question than you think, but... Dad was a lot like Granny Smith. He was a joker, and pretty silly at times. He loved to make us smile, and he never once scolded us. He was very good to us, despite what he thought. Ma was like me, actually.” She chuckled nervously. Was it getting hotter? “Stubborn, and hard working. Geez, listen to me, like one o’ them arrogant Canterlot elites.” She teased herself. “Ma always looked after us, and would readily devoured her entire life to us before she would even think about what she herself wanted. She was always there for us, and she could barely keep her hooves off you when you were born. You see, they were very difficult to each other, but it wasn’t their fault. They deserved a second chance, but life never gave it to them.”
Apple Bloom listened carefully, opening her mouth as to speak before Bic Macintosh spoke, “I miss Ma and Pa, AJ.”
“I do too, brother. I miss them a whole lot.”
Big Mac took the picture from Applejack’s hoof, examining it further as sorrow glinted in his eye.
“What’s this?” Apple Bloom said as drew out a wrinkled, folded piece of parchment from the trunk, handing it to her sister. A crinkle as the mare unfolded it.
“It’s a letter.”
“Read it sis.”
“To the love of my life,
The reason I put this in writing is because if I tried to say it to you I’d be babbling and stuttering like a fool. You are and always will remain the greatest thing that ever came across my humble path, and every hour that I breathe I think of you. I don’t believe in fate, my darling, but I cannot accept there is anyone else in all of Equestria that I can love. I cannot accept that you and I were not meant to be. Every flaw that you have makes me love you so much more, and while I honestly do not believe that I deserve you, I can never let you out of my heart and mind.” Applejack paused, drew a shaking breath, attempting to rid herself of the shaking lump in her throat. “I love you more than I love life, more than I could ever, ever love myself. I want to be with you until time stops, but until death will have to do. Will you marry me?”
“Is that how Dad proposed?” The filly asked, enthralled.
“Eeyup.” Macintosh responded, smiling so slightly.
“That’s so sweet, they were perfect.”
The mare laughed, sniffing as tears ran across her cheek.. Why did this love have to die? Why did you have to die... What she thought was kept in her mind, she realized she had said aloud. Hearing it only made it so much harder to bear, and her weeping resumed. Apple Bloom’s eyes filled with sorrow, her mouth turning to a deep frown. Suddenly Big Macintosh’s arm was around his sister’s shoulder, and her head leaned upon his, crying into his coat. He gently and repeatedly nudged her with his muzzle, comforting her.
Apple Bloom watched the two, before looking to the next picture in the stack, not knowing how to take away her sister’s burden. It was a picture of a newborn filly, Apple Bloom, with a red ribbon in her mouth. In the corner of the picture, poorly written ink, “I love you Apple Bloom”.
She never knew her parents, why did she love them? She knew she was supposed to love them, but why couldn’t she explain why she did love them. The questions confused and saddened her, and soon she was crying.
“I want to meet them, AJ. I want to hear their voice.” She cried, “I want to hug them, and play with them. Why aren’t they here? Why do all the other ponies get to love their parents, and I don’t? I want to meet them. I want to meet my parents.” She wept, her voice too shaking and too painful to continue. She continuously grew sharp breaths, releasing them as tears. Applejack pulled her up to the mare’s body, running her hoof through her hair, and Apple Bloom leaned on her, in tears.
“I love you two.” Big Mac said.
“I love you.” Applejack responded, her head still on his shoulder.
“Please don’t ever leave, ever. I love you guys too much. Don’t ever leave.” Like Ma and Pa did.
“We ain’t going nowhere, sis.”