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// Necessary Chores 
// Story: Apple Family Traditions 
// by Mr Valentine 
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It'd been another good day at Sweet Apple Acres. Now, I may be biased, 'cause I think most of 'em are good days, but it'd been nice and sunny, the hit of my hooves against the trees had been as satisfying as ever, and every apple I'd sampled ('cause you've gotta check, right?) had been just about the juiciest, most delicious thing I'd ever tasted.

Again, I may be a mite bit biased here, but that's how it seemed to me.

Anyway, I'd had a mighty good day's bucking but it was getting time for me to clean up and start taking care of chores back at the house, so I headed on home, Winona dancing and barking at my heels.

When I got back to the house I saw Granny sitting in her favourite napping chair on the porch, and I waved to her. She didn't wave back, so I figured she'd gone and overslept again, and hay, who can say she ain't earned the right to nap as much as she likes, right? So I just chuckled and trotted on down to wake her up.

“Hey there, Granny!” I called as I got close up, but she didn't stir, and I slowed down, stopping when I got to the steps, 'cause I just knew.

I guess that it ain't ever gonna be a surprise when a mare as old as Granny passes. You get used to carrying the expecting of it in the back of your mind, you know? Hay, it'd gotten to be something we'd joke about from time to time, Granny telling us that if we ever acted up when she was gone she'd reach up out of the ground to clip our ears for us And you know what? Even now I wouldn't be the least surprised if she did.

I pulled off my hat and held it against my chest, bowing my head. You've gotta show the proper respect. That's important. “Oh, Granny,” I said. “Oh Granny Smith.” I took a deep breath and put my hat back on. I reckoned I'd sit down and have a good cry later, but never let it be said that any Apple ever shirked when there was work that needed doing.

Beside me, Winona looked up and whined. I ruffled her ears and gave her a kiss on the nose. 

“You go play, Sugarcube,” I said. “There's stuff I gotta do.” 

Winona scurried off, and I stepped up onto the porch. There were flies buzzing around and a smell in the air, and when I got up close I could see that Granny had done messed herself. It's just one a them things that happens, and there ain't no shame in it, but of course I wasn't gonna leave her there. Dignity, that's another thing that's due to the dead, maybe more than the living.

Gently as I could, I manoeuvred her onto my back and carried her into the house and upstairs, laying her on her bed. I stepped into the bathroom and came back with a bowlful of warm water on my back and a couple a wash-cloths in my mouth, and set to work cleaning her up. I started humming while I worked, and it took me a while to place the tune. Wasn't until I was finishing up and I was dropping the cloths back into the bowl that I remembered that it was an old nursery rhyme Granny used to sing when I was just a little 'un. Can't for the life of me remember what the words are, but I think I'll have to take a while later to look them up. I'd kinda like to know.

Granny's mane had started to come loose, so I decided to untie it and give it a good brushing. It was fine and dry, felt kinda brittle too, and it was a heck of a lot longer than it looked when it was all up in a bun so it took a while, but it looked kinda nice hanging all loose like, so I figured I'd untie and brush her tail as well. Granny had always said that she kept her hair tied up so it wouldn't get in the way when she was working. Well, I thought, I reckon you don't gotta worry about working anymore, Granny.

She looked strange like that, all pale with her hair down around her like a white cape, or something like that. She seemed smaller, and more frail then she ever had before, even on the days when she wasn't feeling good and we'd all walk around on the tips of our hooves so as not to disturb her. But she looked peaceful too, you know? Real peaceful.

I gave her a kiss on the lips. “Thanks for everything, Granny,” I said.

I headed downstairs and wiped down her rocking chair, then cleaned out the bowl and threw the wash-cloths in the trash. I poured myself a cup of cider and sat down at the kitchen table, looking up at the clock.

Pretty soon I was gonna have to head on into town and tell Big Mac what'd happened, and then the two of us would have to decide how to break the news to Apple Bloom when she got home from school. But I had a little while yet.

Reckoned I had time for that cry now.