Ms. Cheerilee tapped the tip of her pointer at the giant calendar hanging across the blackboard. “Does anypony know what next Monday will be?”
Scootaloo raised her hoof high, waving it excitedly. “The day that Daring Do and the Crystal Spheres goes on sale?”
Silver Spoon snickered and also chimed in. “Pff, as if that was anywhere NEAR as important as Hoity Toity releasing his list of ‘Best Dressed’ in Cosmopony.”
Applebloom glared at Silver Spoon. “Who cares about what you’re wearing on the first day of the alfalfa harvest?”
Cheerilee smiled and put her pointer down on her desk. “All those things are true, but what I was hoping to hear is that one of you would have remembered that it’s Special Sibling Day, especially after we spent the whole day last year making cards for those special family members in our lives.”
“Oh, right.” Sweetie Belle leaned back in her chair, tapping her chin with her hoof. “I remember now. Rarity did eventually get all the glue and macaroni out of her mane, but we’re not doing that again, are we? She specifically asked for ‘no more macaroni pictures under any circumstances’.”
“No, this year I thought we’d do something a little more intellectual, since you’re all a year older and wiser.” Cheerilee picked up a piece of chalk and began to hurriedly sketch two ponies of differing sizes on the chalkboard. “I’d like each of you to write an essay about how siblings can help a pony to reach his or her greatest potential, how they can ensure that every pony meets the great expectations put upon them by society. You can write about your own sibling or about current and historical siblings, including our very own princesses Celestia and Luna.”
Scootaloo began waving her hoof urgently.
Cheerilee continued working on her drawing, making the two outlined ponies smile at one another. “Yes, Scootaloo, you can count Rainbow Dash as your sister.”
Applebloom frowned. “Another writing assignment? Do we have to?”
Cheerilee put her chalk down and turned around, smiling. “I’d think you’d be looking forward to it. Didn’t you get an A on the paper you wrote last week about the history of farming in ponyville? Maybe writing is your super special talent!”
Applebloom put her head down on her desk. “But it took me all week to write that!” It would have taken even longer, had it not been for Granny Smith’s extensive first-hand accounts, but even with careful hoof-written notes the paper had turned out to be the hardest four hundred words that Applebloom had ever written.
“Well this essay only needs to be two hundred words, and because it’s all about your siblings, you can ask your siblings to help you to write it.” Cheerilee smiled and pulled out a sheaf of paper, then went around the room handing out the printed sheets. “These instructions should make all the rules clear enough. Just write down how your sibling or historical siblings have assisted their older or younger brothers and sisters to achieve, though moral or physical support. You will be graded on your spelling, punctuation, and ability to follow instructions. Other than that, I want you to have fun with this assignment. Think of it as writing a present to that brother or sister who makes you feel great about yourself!”
Rumble pulled out his pencil and tapped it against the instruction sheet. “I dunno if I can keep all the awesomeness of my big brother Thunderlane on just one sheet of paper with 200 words!”
Twist looked at the instructions and frowned. “Can’t I just make a hard candy version of my big sister like last year?”
Cheerilee returned to her seat at the front of the room. “While I certainly encourage all of you to make special gifts for your siblings for the holiday, you’re all growing into smart young mares and stallions, and you’re going to need to learn how to handle instructions and writing assignments. Things aren’t going to be this easy when you enter Ponyville Middle School, after all!”
Applebloom looked at the instruction sheet and sighed. It certainly didn’t seem any worse than typical weekend homework, and with Applejack’s help she could probably finish the assignment in a couple of hours. But still, she couldn’t see how she could be expected to write about how Applejack and Big Mac were making her a successful pony when she couldn’t even get her cutie mark. Maybe she should just head over to the library and write something about Celestia and Luna, or some other group of siblings. Ideally ones who all had their cutie marks.
The bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. Every pony grabbed his or her bags, stuffing the instruction sheets into them. Cheerilee smiled and waved to the foals as they made their way to the door. “One last thing, as noted in the instructions, you will be reading your essays aloud to the class, so make sure you’re prepared. Make two copies if you need to, and read it aloud for practice if you can!”
Applebloom headed out the front door, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle following close behind. “Ugh. Can you believe we have to waste the whole weekend writing this stupid essay?”
“It’s not so bad.” Scootaloo opened the door for her friends, then went over to her scooter, retrieving it and her helmet. “I mean, it’s two hundred words, and we can get help.”
“I don’t think Rainbow Dash is going to be much help, Scootaloo.” Sweetie Belle adjusted her hoof-made couture school saddlebags. “I mean, she wasn’t much of a reader until she had that accident, and she still reads aloud. Slowly. While the rest of us are trying to study in the library.”
Scootaloo huffed. “And since when has Rarity picked up anything other than a fashion magazine, or written anything more elaborate than a newspaper ad? Besides, it’s not about whether or not Rainbow Dash can read, it’s all about how she makes me awesome like her. I’m totally gonna write about how she helped me to learn how to do a 1080 off a half-pipe!”
Sweetie Belle walked off, her head held high. “That hardly sounds like you’re following the instructions. You’re supposed to write about how siblings help you meet societal expectations. So I’m going to write all about how Celestia helped Luna re-integrate into society after he banishment!”
Scootaloo whizzed forward past Sweetie Belle, the wheels of her scooter barely missing Sweetie Belle’s hooves. “Sounds like maybe you just don’t think that Rarity helps you be as awesome as Rainbow Dash helps me to be!” She skidded her scooter to a halt in front of Sweetie Belle and then began to slowly move backwards, grinning. “You’re just jealous that I have the awesomest sister in all of ponyville!”
Sweetie Belle huffed. “She’s not even your real sister! And anyway, Rarity is totally going to help me to write the best paper in class! Just wait and see!”
Scootaloo turned her scooter around and slipped over to where Applebloom was standing. “You’re awfully quiet. Don’t you wanna chime in with something about how your paper is going to be better than either of ours because you’ve got two siblings?”
Applebloom sighed. “Sorry girls, I just don’t feel up to arguing today. I just don’t know what I’m gonna write, and what with the alfalfa harvest coming in, I don’t know if Applejack or Big Mac will be able to help me either.”
Sweetie Belle put her hoof around Applebloom’s shoulder. “Since when has any amount of farm chores managed to get between you and Applejack? Besides, you two can probably talk about it while you’re working. I know I’ll be talking to Rarity about it while she finishes up some dresses.”
“And of course I’ll be talking to Rainbow Dash about it during one of our flying lessons!” Scootaloo charged forward on her scooter, then stopped suddenly, making an abrupt J-turn before coming back to Applebloom. “Rainbow Dash says she gets all her awesomest ideas when she’s flying, maybe you get your best ideas when you’re working!”
Applebloom sat down, pulling out the instruction sheet and reading it again. Maybe it would be best to just hit the library and write about somepony else. “I dunno, all I usually think about during the alfalfa harvest is ‘when can I go to the bathroom’? or ‘I hope that Granny Smith is making apple dumplings for dessert tonight’.”
Sweetie Belle got to her feet and began to trot off. “Well I wouldn’t worry about it. Your paper on the history of farming in Ponyville really was good, so I’m sure whatever you turn in will get an A. I just hope I don’t get another C, like I did on my paper about the history of royal fashion.”
Scootaloo giggled. “I told you that you couldn’t just draw a picture of Twilight in her coronation dress and get away with it.”
“I thought a picture was worth a thousand words, and we only had to write four hundred, remember?” Sweetie Belle frowned. “Besides, what about the time you had to give an oral book report on that book about the pony who grew the biggest pumpkin in all of Equestria, and you made up half of it? Did you really think Cheerilee hadn’t bothered to read a book she assigned the entire class?”
“Ugh, but that book was sooo boooring! It’s Cheerilee’s fault for assigning something that was so dull!” Scootaloo whipped her scooter around and then stopped in front of Applebloom. “Well? Aren’t you going to chime in about how important farming is or how cool it would be to get a blue ribbon for the size of your pumpkin?”
“Sorry girls, but I’ve really gotta go off and think about this one.” Applebloom turned around and began to walk away, slowly making her way towards Sweet Apple Acres.
“Oh.” Scootaloo frowned, and slowly began to make her own way home. “Well, let us know if you need any help, ok?”
Sweetie Belle likewise began to move towards home. “Yeah, I mean, I’m sure Ms. Cheerilee wouldn’t get upset if we helped you just a little bit. Even if we aren’t siblings.”
Applebloom just sighed and stared down at her hooves while she walked. Why was such a little assignment turning so quickly into a big deal?
***
“C’mon applebloom! Just a few more twists and we’ll have enough twine to bale every strand of alfalfa come tomorrow!”
Applebloom grinned and pumped the pedals of the twine spinner all the harder. She always loved this part, with Applejack feeding the fibers into the machine while she provided the mechanical power to move its innards and twist the strands into rope. The numerous moving wooden and metal parts looked cool, and she liked to have the “power” to turn one thing into another, without any magic. Sure, Big Mac could pump the pedals with more force and for longer hours, but she could get the job done whenever he needed to take a break.
“That about does it!” Applejack let the final tips of the strands slide through her hooves and into the machine. The loose end of the twine spun around around on its spindle until Applejack caught it and tied it off, leaving the role of twine complete. “Thanks for your help, Applebloom. I can always count on you to help out around the farm.” She gave Applebloom a small hug and helped her down off the pedaling seat.
“Thanks Applejack.” Applebloom smiled, her sister’s praise warming her heart. “I can’t wait to taste that fresh-cut sweet alfalfa in one of Granny’s pies, or in my alfalfa sandwiches, or even fried alfalfa fritters!”
“You, me and half of Ponyville, Applebloom!” Applejack placed the bundle of twine with the others on the shelf, stepping back to admire her work. Several dozen neatly-spun bundles were there, all ready for making the two-rope bales she and Big Mac would be assembling for the next two weeks of harvest. “And of course there will be dried alfalfa for the fall and winter months.”
“Yuck, dried alfalfa.” Applebloom nuzzled her sister, and smiled at their work. “Even Granny Smith can’t make that taste good.”
“Well it’s good for you, and that’s what matters!” Applejack ruffled Applebloom’s hair. “Don’t you wanna grow up and be a big, strong pony like me and your brother?”
“Can’t I just stick with eating apples?” Applebloom smirked and took a few steps back, grabbing an apple off a nearby shelf and digging in a deep bite. She had stashed some of them there earlier, a little post-work reward once things had finished. “Mmm! Sweet and juicy!”
“Every little pony needs to eat more than just apples, sugarcube.” Applejack grabbed her own apple, swallowing it in one great bite. She spat the seeds and stem out onto the dirt floor of the barn. “Besides, if apples weren’t such a sometimes treat, wouldn’t they taste as sweet, now would they? You just don’t like dried alfalfa because you eat it all the time. If it was an only-sometimes thing like fresh apples or even fresh alfalfa, you’d probably look forward to it!”
Applebloom finished her apple. “Do you know so much because you spend so much time with Twilight?”
Applejack moved out of the barn, making her way back to the farm house. “Twilight teaches me a lot, but really, I’ve just learned by paying attention and working hard. Though all those school assignments certainly didn’t hurt. Speaking of, I haven’t seen you do any homework this weekend. Seems mighty unlike Ms. Cheerilee to send you home for a whole weekend without anything to turn in on Monday.”
“Oh I have homework all right.” Applebloom winced. “I just...I dunno how to do it.”
“Well I’m sure Ms. Cheerilee wouldn’t mind if I helped at least a little bit.” Applejack put her hoof around Applebloom’s shoulder. “How about we sit down after dinner tonight and get it finished before you go to bed? Then you won’t be rushing to finish it tomorrow morning, right before it’s due.”
“Oh, okay.” Applebloom bit her lip. “Actually it’s a writing assignment, maybe I should get Twilight to help.”
Applejack raised her eyebrow. “You should have thought of that way before now, Applebloom. It’s dinnertime, and I doubt that Twilight would have time to help you this late in the evening. I mean, I know she would certainly like to, but it’s a bit late to be barging into a pony’s home when she’s not expecting it. Are you sure I can’t help you with it?”
“Well…” Applebloom rolled her eyes a bit, looking off to the side. “Y’see it’s supposed to be about you. Or well, it’s supposed to be about how siblings help each other succeed. How they help one another meet ‘society’s expectations’ and stuff.”
“Well haybales, Applebloom! You know I’m an expert on myself!” Applejack gave Applebloom’s hair a playful poof, then pushed her inside the farmhouse. “And I remember when I had to write something awful similar about Big Mac when I was your age. Did Ms. Cheerilee write you an instruction sheet or anything? I bet we can just take one look at that and know just what to write about!”
“Right here.” Applebloom retrieved the sheet of paper from her saddlebag, laying it out on the kitchen table.
Applejack put her hoof on it, reading it closely. “It says right here I can help you with it. I bet you and me can knock this out before Granny’s even finished baking her apple dumplings!”
“Now you two don’t take too long there.” Granny began to move around in the kitchen, retrieving various pots and pans. “I’ve got a table to set and a dinner to make and I don’t wanna be bumping into your bohunkus while I’m getting dinner ready!”
“Oh this won’t take long at all, Granny. Applebloom’s a great writer, aren’t you?”
Applebloom sighed. “No, I’m not.” She bit her lip. “It’s just...I’m supposed to write about how siblings help one another meet society’s expectations, how they succeed. And how am I supposed to write about that when I can’t even succeed at getting my cutie mark?”
Applejack smiled, putting her hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “Oh Applebloom, is that all you’re worried about? Don’t you know that there’s more to success than getting your cutie mark?” Applejack retrieved a pencil and paper from Applebloom’s saddlebag. “You’re a very successful pony. Look at all the twine you made today! Or all the apples you helped me make into sauce the day before. Or all the old rocks and twigs we cleared out of that fallow field the day before that! Being successful isn’t about being rich or famous, it’s about a job well done. And between the two of us, we get the job done right every time!”
Applebloom leaned back, thinking about it. Applejack was certainly right — the two of them got a lot of work done on the farm, certainly much more than they could do when not working together. Applebloom was more than just an extra set of hooves, and somehow Applejack’s confidence and praise made her usual clumsiness evaporate. Even the most exhausting, boring or disgusting task was fun when she was doing it with Applejack. And she always did it well, too.
“But the other foals will be writing about Princess Celestia and Luna or their famous and awesome siblings.” Applebloom took the pencil from Applejack. “How are you and I supposed to stack up against that?”
“Have you ever seen Princess Celestia work the pedals on a twine twister? I think not. But you did for a whole two hours this afternoon, and you only had to stop and go to the bathroom once!” Applejack moved back from the table, going to a nearby cabinet and retrieving cups and plates to set out for dinner. “Every pony has their own way of being successful, Applebloom. Just write something that tells your class all about how you and I succeed more together than apart. Then you can have one of Granny Smith’s apple dumplings with extra powdered sugar— just how you like it!”
***
“...And that’s how my uncle and daddy worked together to more than just meet society’s expectations, but exceed them — by creating the biggest and most successful line of stores in all of Equestria!”
Cheerilee smiled, her eyes half lidded, her lips straining. “Thank you for sharing that with us, Diamond Tiara. I’m sure that everyone in class enjoyed your report.”
Diamond Tiara sat down in her seat with a broad grin. “I’m going to be reading it aloud at the next stockholder’s meeting!”
“I’m sure they will enjoy it as much as everypony here.” Cheerilee picked up her checklist, looking at the next name. “Well let’s see, since we’re going in reverse alphabetical order, that only leaves Applebloom. So do you have your paper ready?”
Applebloom gulped. “Do I have to read it aloud? In front of everypony?”
Cheerilee moved back to her chair, leaving Applebloom with the floor. “Reading aloud is the best way to check your writing, and reading to an audience is the best way to see if you are understood.” She smiled as Applebloom walked to the front of the class.
Scootaloo leaned over to whisper to Applebloom as she went by. “Besides, it can’t be worse than Diamond Tiara’s report.” She leaned back and pretended to snore, sprawling loosely in faux-sleep across her desk.
Ms. Cheerilee scowled. “Scootaloo, be nice.”
Applebloom went to the front of the classroom and put her paper on the podium. She cleared her throat and began to read it slowly. “Every year, my brother, my sister and I all work together to bring in the alfalfa harvest. Granny Smith says that alfalfa is the most important crop of the year, and that everypony depends on us to bring it in before winter. Everyone expects us to bring it in, because without alfalfa, there’s no hay, and without hay, we lose a lot more than just hayburgers. My brother Big Macintosh told me that eating good hay is essential for growing up big and strong like he did. And he must know, he eats more hay than anypony!”
Applebloom took a big gulp and looked up from her paper. The class was sitting there, disinterested. Some were doodling, others were folding up pieces of paper or trying (and failing) to covertly pass notes. Only Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were really paying attention, and even then, they seemed more polite than sincere. Still, she had to continue.
“As such a little pony, I never realized how important I am to helping Applejack and Big Macintosh bring in the harvest. I can’t lift the heavy hay bales like Big Mac and I’m not as fast with tying the twine as Applejack. But Applejack can’t tie the twine by herself, since she only has one mouth and two hooves. It’s my job to hold the twine in place while Applejack does it. I’m the third hoof she needs.”
“I always thought that being the third hoof was a stupid job, and that anypony could do it. But Applejack reminded me that the one time I got sick and couldn’t do it, that she had to have her friend Rainbow Dash help, and it turned out that Rainbow Dash was nowhere near as good at it as I was! Even though she did her best, the harvest took five days instead of the usual three, and some of the hay got moldy and had to be thrown away!”
Scootaloo shot daggers at Applebloom, but Applebloom continued, now getting into her narrative.
“Applejack told me that without my help, the hay would certainly get harvested, baled and sold to everypony, but that it took longer and they usually had to find or hire somepony to help out. She said that without me, she and Big Mac can’t meet everypony’s expectations for Sweet Apple Acres alfalfa hay, which she says is the best hay in all of Ponyville! Even if everypony lines up more for our apples and cider.”
Rumble leaned forward on his desk. “My big brother says I’m not old enough for the cider.”
Applebloom ignored the interruption and kept going. She was very near to the end of her paper, and wanted to get it over with. “I had no idea that it was me helping her meet everypony’s expectations, and giving them everything they needed. I always thought she was just letting me help so I didn’t feel useless, since I’m so small and I don’t even have a cutie mark. But it turns out it was the other way around! And that’s how I help Applejack meet everypony’s expectations.”
Cheerilee smiled and clapped her hooves. “That was an excellent report, Applebloom! I’m sure the whole class can appreciate how even a young pony like you can really help her older sister to succeed. It should be an inspiration to everypony! And, provided your spelling and punctuation are correct, another ‘A’ on your report card!”
The rest of the class was somewhat less enthusiastic, but still, Applebloom sat down with a smile, beaming. Applejack had taught her a lot more than just how to spell “alfalfa” last night. And if she was getting an A too, then that was just the powdered sugar on top of the apple dumpling!