As the sun rose, the Apple family slowly awakened. It was a big day for Apple Bloom, it was open house day in her school. Granny Smith was at the door waiting for Apple Bloom. They walked out of the house together.
“I can’t wait to show you my classroom!” Applebloom said as she was walking to school.
Soon the yellow filly and the green mare arrived at a red school house. They slowly went inside and Apple Bloom began showing Granny Smith around.
“Wow, your mom is old.” said Diamond Tiara, sniggering.
“She’s not my mom, she’s my Granny.” said Apple Bloom defiantly.
“So where is your mom?” smirked Diamond Tiara.
“Getting into somepony’s business ain’t right” Apple Bloom said.
“Granny? Can I use the little filly’s room?” she asked. Granny Smith excused her. But Apple Bloom wasn’t going to the bathroom. She ran back home into a quiet corner in the barns and began to cry. Big Mac heard her.
“Apple Bloom!” Big Mac exclaimed.
“Big Mac!” Apple Bloom said loudly.
“I thought you were at the open house with Granny Smith!” he said, a frown on his face.
“Yeah, well, I left.” she said angrily.
“Applejack needs you to help her in the apple orchard.” Big Mac said softly, and quickly left.
Apple Bloom trotted off towards the orchard and began harvesting the apples, kicking the trees hard. Apple Bloom thought about what happened today. Although Granny Smith meant a lot to her, sometimes she wished she had actual parents. Then a quavering voice reached her ears.
“Apple Bloom, would you please explain why you left me at the open house!?” Granny Smith said angrily. “How could you do that to your old granny!” she exclaimed. Apple Bloom shrank down to the ground.
“Sorry Granny Smith,” she said tearfully. “I…I just…” Granny Smith then smiled sympathetically.
“Oh Bloom, it’s alright. I know just how you’re feelin’” the yellow filly looked up at her granny.
“Y… you do?” Granny Smith nodded.
“Now go clean up your face, all this crying has left your eyes red!” Granny Smith said, back to her normal voice.
“Now everything in Sweet Apple Acres is back to normal.” Granny Smith said happily. “I was wonderin’ when that was goin’ to happen. “
Apple Bloom trotted into the direction of the house and sighed.
“But it’s not.”
…………
The next morning Apple Bloom got ready quicker than usual and burst into the barn.
“Applejack, how did my parents die!?” she demanded loudly. Applejack was taken by surprise at her sudden outburst.
“W… well, um…”
“How did they die!?”
“Y… you see, they… uh…”
“APPLEJACK! Tell me! HOW DID THEY DIE!?” the yellow filly thundered. Applejack was saved from answering when Big Mac ran in.
“I heard shoutin’ and came runnin’.” he explained. “What’s wrong!?” Apple Bloom blushed.
“I was just asking sis how our parents died…” she trailed off into silence. Applejack frowned.
“I’ll say she was doin’ a lot more than a lot of simple questions,” she said, a slight bite to her voice.
“Well then,” the earth stallion said awkwardly. Then the two older ponies suddenly seemed to compromise, and then, at the same time, looked at each other and said,
“We should tell her. ” then Applejack said,
“We’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time.”
“Eeyup. We have been keeping it from her for a while” Big Mac sighed.
“I really want to know!” Apple Bloom pleaded.
“I don’t really like talking about it…” the orange mare said. “But you deserve to be told.”
Just then Granny Smith walked in carrying a basket of apples.
“Hey Granny!” said Apple Bloom, a cheery expression on her face. “AJ and Big Mac were just about to tell me about my parents!” she beamed.
“Oh were they?” Granny Smith said, raising an eyebrow. The cutie markless filly nodded. Both of her siblings nodded also.
“Well, ok then. They were very good ponies and cared for everypony” Granny Smith started.
“They were very fine ponies.” Applejack agreed.
“Eeyup” Big Mac nodded.
“How did they die?” the yellow filly looked up at her family as she spoke.
“Well, it was my fault and lets leave it at that.” Applejack yelled as she stormed out of the room.
“I didn’t mean to make anypony upset, I just wanted to know.” Bloom said with a gloomy face, though very surprised that the conversation went so wrong so fast.
“It’s alright little one, lets get you to bed, you have had quite a day.” Granny Smith replied with a warming smile on her face.
“Granny, it’s only 3:00.” the yellow pony said.
“Oh.” replied Granny Smith, looking confused. “A could’ve sworn it was after dinner.” she said, squinting at the sun. “Well, that’s fine. Take a nap anyways.” Bloom frowned.
“Anyway, you fillies can do what you want but I’m going to get some rest.” Granny Smith said as she walked up the crooked wooden staircase.
The yellow filly looked up at her big brother.
“Maybe I should get some rest.” Bloom sighed.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac replied.
Bloom walked up the stairs and found that her sister was in the closet, crying.
“Applejack, is that you?” Bloom asked.
“Yes!”Applejack cried. “It’s me!” she sobbed. “As… as the element of honesty…” then, taking a deep breath, began her story.
“We… we were having the Apple family picnic… My parents had wanted to show me the sunset from the top of-” she ran up the stairs, Apple Bloom in pursuit, into her bedroom, and yanked open the curtains that hadn’t been opened for a long, long, time. “-that cliff.” she pointed to a ridge. Gulping, she started again.
“ I was enjoyin’ the sunset, when then the cliff began to tremble a bit. Ma and Pa didn’t notice, so I didn’t fret about it. Then suddenly a part of the cliff began to crumble and I backed away, but it was too late. They fell off. I just grabbed Ma’s hoof, and Pa just grabbed hers. I had… had a lot of training, but I… I still wasn’t strong enough.” she paused, breaking into a fresh wave of sobs. After a minute, she suddenly stopped her tears and continued, now hiccuping.
“My… hic… hoof was sweaty… hic… an’ they… hic… they…” Applejack stopped talking, tears spilling out of her eyes like a waterfall. Apple Bloom was left speechless.
“Apple Bloom, do you mind if I have some alone time.” Applejack said politely, still crying.
“Okay.” Apple Bloom mumble, reluctant to leave her, tortured sister to cry herself sick. But she trotted out of the mare’s room anyways, now tears coursing down her face like dogs chasing after squirrels.
...............................
Apple Bloom went to bed that night spilling out her tears. She slept, having horrible dreams of crying faces and crumbling cliffs until it was four in the morning. She got up and began to write a letter.
Dear family,
I am going to find my parents. I want to say I am very sorry and writing this letter is very hard for me. Granny Smith, I want you to know that you were an amazing caretaker, always caring and fair. I give you all our happy memories. For Big Mac, I want you to know that you are a pony of little words, but a big heart. You were such an awesome big brother. I give you all our happy memories. As for you Applejack, you were there when I needed you, and you were brave to face the fact that our parents weren’t coming back. I give you all our happy memories and a favor. Tell everypony in Ponyville that I said goodbye to all of them, and thank them for me for their hospitality and their honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity, laughter, and magic. Thank everypony for being amazing friends, especially Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
With all my possible love,
Apple Bloom (I can’t possibly tell you, though I have tried, how deeply I love you all.)
Then Apple Bloom packed a saddlebag with food, combed her mane, put on good walking shoes, left the note on the kitchen table, and walked out the door, taking one last moment to look at the house, where she knew her family would be waking up from any moment now. She swept her eyes over the barn and the apple orchard one last time, taking it all in. Tears were rolling down the yellow pony’s cheeks.
“Goodbye,” she whispered. “Goodbye and I love you…”
......................
Back in the barn, the Apple family was busy looking for Apple Bloom.
“Where could that little filly be?” questioned Applejack, pacing. Granny Smith just shook her head and kept calling the little pony’s name. Meanwhile Big Mac had found a piece of paper on the kitchen table.
“Hey guys, come an’ take a look at this!” he said, beckoning to the worried family.
“What is it!” Applejack said, rushing over. Granny Smith, a bit slower, came over too. Just when she came over, Big Macintosh’s eyes filled with tears. Turning his face away, he shoved the letter to his little sister. Scanning it, she started screaming.
“NO! NO! APPLE BLOOM!” she was hysterical. “WE HAVE TO GO!” she screamed, crashing through the front door, leaving a pony shaped hole in it. Granny Smith silently read the letter, then burst into tears. She glanced at her legs, then Big Mac.
“Macintosh!” she yelled at the stallion. “Get over there and help your sister!” giving a start, he wiped away his tears and ran through the door, leaving a bigger hole. Granny Smith then promptly fainted onto the floor.
................
Apple Bloom stood at the edge of the cliff, hanging tightly to her saddle bag. She lifted her hoof, ready to jump, when her sister rushed up to her, and held her hoof close. Apple Bloom pushed herself of the cliff with her hind legs. She was now hanging over the cliff.
“I’ll pull her up while you give me support.” Applejack said to her brother.
“I’m very sorry, but I have to do this.” Applebloom said loosening the grip on her sister’s hoof.
Soon Applebloom was only holding on to the cliff’s edge.
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack said, her voice trembling with fear, reaching for her sister’s hoof again.
But Apple Bloom let go of the cliff’s edge, and fell.
“Sorry.”