A loud booming thunderstorm was barreling down its wrath on Ponyville. In the farm of Sweet Apple Acres a young filly was trying to escape it. As each rumble of thunder came, she whimpered and hid herself under the covers of her bed hoping that the storm would go away. Another roar of thunder filled the air, and the crying of a foal could be heard.
The crying had belonged to Applejack's sister Apple Bloom, and the roaring thunder had woken her up. Applejack sprang from the covers and galloped to the source of the crying. As she entered the room, she saw her grandmother, Granny Smith comforting the crying foal.
“Hush now, Apple Bloom,” said Granny Smith in a soothing voice. The elder pony cradled the little foal gently in her hooves. The little filly’s crying began to lessen.
“Granny,” called out Applejack trotting further into the room. "Why are so good at stopping Apple Bloom from crying?"
The elder pony chuckled, "Experience. Just you wait Applejack, ya'll would be good at stopping ya kids from crying."
Applejack gave Granny Smith a disgusted look, " Are ya crazy or something Granny? Ah'm never having children!"
Granny Smith gave a slight chuckle, "Ah said the same when Ah was yur age. Ya say that now, and soon ya'll will have kids of ya own."
"Granny, can Ah ask ya a question?"
"Of course ya can."
"When is pa and ma coming home?"
“They'll be home soon,” answered Granny Smith as she put Apple Bloom back in her crib. “Just don't ya worry about it.”
“They've been gone for a long time,” remarked Applejack. “Ah'm worried.”
"Ah'm sure yur ma and pa are fine." assured Granny Smith.
"Ya think so Granny?"
“Ah know for a fact that they'll be home safe for sure,” said Granny Smith. “Now, it's time to go to bed.”
"But Ah'm not tried!" protested Applejack as she let out a big yawn.
"That yawn tells a different story, now got to bed Applejack."
Applejack sighed and went back to her room.
***
It was a peaceful day across Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was doing her usual thing, helping with the apple harvest. However, her harvesting was cut short as her younger sister, Apple Bloom slowly walked over to her and gave a heavy sigh. She went and laid on the ground.
“What's wrong Apple Bloom?” asked Applejack walking over to her sibling.
Apple Bloom slowly looked at her sister. “Nothing,” she lied.
Applejack sighed and went up to her sister and said, “Apple Bloom, ya know that ya can tell me anything. Ah can keep a secret ya know.”
"Ah said it was nothing!"
"Come on Apple Bloom, ya can tell your big sis. Ah know your lying, every Apple is a horrible liar."
“Okay, well it was at school and Miss Cheerilee said that we were going to have a show and tell at class next week. Ah said, that Ah could bring something, but Diamond Tiara and Sliver Spoon said that Ah don't have anything special to show.”
"And?"
"Well their right. Ah don't having anything special for show and tell."
“Horseapples, of course ya have something special to show,” remarked her big sis, giving her an encouraging wink.
“Ah don't think old drawings and old photos count as something special,” whimpered Apple Bloom. She brushed her hoof along the soft grass staring blankly, "Do ya have any ideas Applejack?"
The orange earth pony placed a hoof on her chin and thought for a moment. Then she said, “Well, ya can show 'em your bow.”
“It's just a pink hair bow AJ, nothing special.”
Applejack stopped a hoof on the ground. “Nothing special? Why there's more to it than that!” She declared.
"Yeah, and Ah'm an astronaut."
"Apple Bloom!" shouted her sister, "There is no need to joke about that. There is something about your bow."
“Well, what is so special about mah bow?" asked Apple Bloom. While the little filly always looked up to her big sister, she failed to see what was special about her hair bow.
The elder sister closed her eyes and nodded. “Ah think it’s time to tell ya, you’re old enough now.”
“Old enough to tell me what?”
“How ma and pa passed away, and how ya got your bow,” answered Applejack. She then laid down next to her sister on the soft green grass. “Think yur ready ta handle it?”
Apple Bloom tilted her head up. “Ah'm ready for anything. Ah'm a big filly!” She declared.
“Well, all Ah really do remember is Granny Smith's yelling.”
***
“What do ya mean that there dead?!” shouted Granny Smith glaring at the two pegasai.
"A lighting bolt got away, we heard two screams and we looked and saw that they were dead." said the red color pegasus, " We tried how best but there was nothing we could do. "
“If ya did yur job this wouldn't have happened!” shouted Granny Smith still giving the two pegasai the stink eye.
“We did do our job!” shouted the cream color pegasus. “The storm just got out of control, and few a stray lighting bolts got away.”
“We did our best ma'am, honest,” pleaded the red pegasus.
“Git!” shouted Granny Smith waving an angry hoof at them. “Ya heard me, I said git!”
The two pegasai muttered something under their breath and quickly got out of the house. Granny Smith slowly went up the stairs to tell Big Macintosh and Applejack the grim news on how they'd never see their parents again.
***
“They died in a thunder storm?” asked Apple Bloom, her eyes widening.
“Eeyup,” replied Applejack. “It was Zap Apple Season, and ya know that ya got to harvest everything before it’s gone forever. The weather was acting all crazy and the pegasai tried their best to control it. Everypony was warned to stay indoors until further notice or until the storm cleared, but pa was too stubborn to stop so he went to pick every apple he could. Ma went with him, in case he needed help or got hurt. Every Apple knows to never harvest a Zap Apple alone.”
“What happened next?”
The orange earth pony gathered her thoughts before continuing. “Granny Smith told me and Big Mac what happened and Ah ran away,” explained Applejack softly. “Ah ran away to live with muh Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten.”
Apple Bloom looked at her big sister funny. Then she asked, “You went back to Ponyville, didn't ya?”
Applejack smiled and remarked, “Of course Ah did. Ah saw how horrible it was living in the big city. Then Rainbow Dash did her sonic rainboom and Ah realized, that Ah belong at Sweet Apple Acres. That there rainbow pointed me right back home. Coming back was the easy part, but there was a hard part to it.”
“What was that?”
The earth pony craned her head up at the sky. For a moment her little sister could have sworn her big sis was becoming teary eyed. “The funeral…” spoke Applejack softly in a voice that Apple Bloom had trouble hearing. “Ah knew it would be hard to go there and how unfair it was that ya never got much of a chance to really meet them. If ma and pa were still alive, y'all would love them. Ma was as energetic as y’all are and had a way with tools as ya do, and pa was one of the nicest ponies in all of Equestria.”
"How nice was pa?"
"So nice that he was even nicer than Fluttershy."
***
Applejack noticed that everypony was crying, cousin Braeburn came from Appleloosa and Aunt and Uncle Orange came from Manehatten, in fact all the Apples came, but it was not a time for partying, rather a time to mourn and respect the recently deceased.
She even saw that her brother, Big Macintosh was crying. He rarely ever cried. Applejack had went up to him, and tried to talk to him, but it didn't work. Whenever he did cry, he was distant and rarely ever to talk to anypony. He just turned his head and walked off.
At the end of funeral, Applejack couldn't hold it back anymore. Her floodgates burst open and she cried her hardest. Her and her pa were very close, he taught her the very first rodeo tricks, brought her to her first rodeo, and taught her how to buck a tree. Ma taught her to bake and how to be a good big sister for Apple Bloom. It was like her best friends had been taken away from her forever.
Filthy Rich walked up to Applejack and gently placed his hoof on her shoulder. He smiled at her and said, “Your father was a good pony…and I can certainly say that I have no doubt about his children’s ability to run the farm in their unfortunate absence.”
The young orange filly wiped away a few tears from her dampened cheeks. “Thank ya kindly Mr. Filthy,” said Applejack through sniffles and tears. To her surprise, Filthy Rich didn't give her a glare like most ponies got when they called him Mr. Filthy and not Mr. Rich. "Ah'm sorry, Ah met Mr. Rich."
"No need to apologize." said Filthy Rich has he smiled and walked away.
Cheerilee, who was good friends with Big Mac during their school years had walked up to Applejack and manged to give her a weak smile, "I'm sorry about your lost."
"Thank ya kindly Cheerilee."
Cheerliee smiled and walked away.
Braeburn trotted up to her. He was holding something. As Braeburn reached out and extended his hooves, Applejack saw that he was holding pa's hat and ma's bow, but where was pa's yoke?
Her cousin managed a smile for Applejack. “Your pa wanted ya to have it,” he spoke gently. “And give this to Apple Bloom. She should at least have something to remember her ma by. Some day, when she's older, ya can tell her about yur ma and pa. Ah think she'll like that.” Braeburn carefully placed the hat on Applejack’s head and handed her the bow.
She looked at him with glassy eyes. “Pa's yoke?” questioned Applejack. “Where is it?!”
Her cousin nodded and answered, “Big Mac has it, and he's discussing the fate of the farm with Mr. Rich.” He pointed over to her brother and the business-minded stallion.
“He's not going to sell it, is he?” asked Applejack, a note of dread in her voice.
He shook his head twice. “No. Big Mac got the farm and yur pa's yoke,” remarked Braeburn. “Ah think ya should go to Apple Bloom now, she looks lonely. This is all probably really confusing for her.”
Applejack nodded and straightened the hat to her liking. She held the bow close to her heart as she gave Braeburn one final look.
"Go on cuz." said Braeburn has he gave her a smile of encouragement, "Ya can can do it."
Applejack nodded and trotted towards her sister. When she reached Apple Bloom, Granny Smith put the little filly down and gave Applejack a hug. After which, Applejack tenderly placed the bow in Apple Bloom's mane.
“Ma wanted ya to have it. Ya have ma's bow on now,” said Applejack as she faced her sister trying her best not to cry. “Wear it with pride! You're a real Apple now!”
***
“Ah hope ya understand just how special that there bow is,” sniffed Applejack.
The yellow filly looked over at her big sister. Tears were slowly forming in her orange eyes. “Ah do,” whispered Apple Bloom as she hugged her sister. “Ah have the greatest family ever. And Ah got something very special to show at show and tell. Ah love ya big sis.” The two sisters hugged each other tighter.
“Ah love ya too little sis,” declared Applejack keeping Apple Bloom close. They shared a few tears and hugged a little longer. Following their hug, the sisters returned to their hooves. “Aww shucks, would you look at me. I can’t remember the last time I had a good cry.”
Apple Bloom smiled at her sister. “It’s all right Applejack. Some times there’s nothing like a good cry,” noted the yellow filly.
The orange earthy pony chuckled. “Ya know what, I reckon you’re right there little sister. Now what do ya say we go see if Granny Smith will whip up one of her delicious apple pies?” Suggested Applejack with a wink.
Apple Bloom’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea! Do ya think she’ll let us lend her a hoof?”
The two sisters slowly made their way back to the farmhouse. Applejack placed a hoof on her sister’s back. “I don’t think she’d have it any other way.”