The Rotten Pear

by Catrina37

The Funeral

Chapter 9: The Funeral

"Sounds like Mom blamed herself for what happened?" Applejack said.

“That she did, Applejack,” Posy sadly confirmed, “That she did.”

"Say. Pardon me for asking this, but what did you mean by your last tea party with her, Ms. Posy?" Flim asks.

Silence suddenly filled the room as Applejack and her family, both apples and pears, dropped their heads, confusing Megan, the Mane 6, Flim & Flam, Spike, and especially Apple Bloom.

"Was it something I said?" Flim asks again.

"Eh... Apple Bloom, if you want to leave the room while we tell the next part, we'll understand," Applejack said to her sister.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said.

Apple Bloom suddenly realizes what the next part was going to be about and dropped her head too. Then she bravely says, "It's okay, Sis. I want to know what happened to Mom and Dad."

"Well. You have a right to know," Granny Smith says, "All of you do."

Granny nodded at Posy to continue.

"According to a letter Pear Butter left behind...”

****

“...They were going to meet someone in the Everfree Forest who could help expand the Apple Business". She and Bright Mac said they were going to be out for a day or two, but then a week passed since they left," Posy continued, "I got so worried for her and Bright Mac, I asked their closest friends, Burnt Oak and Chiffon Swirl, to help look for them..."

Burnt Oak and Chiffon (Mrs. Cake) search at the edge of the Everfree Forest. They searched high and low, until they gasped to a horrific sight: A part of the Everfee Forest where trees were knocked over and the ones still standing had huge claw marks on them.

“Oak. Do you think...?” Chiffon asked with a worried voice.

“No. It can’t be.” Burnt Oak says.

Fearing the worse, the two ponies look everywhere for evidence on their fearful theory. Suddenly, after pushing aside a bush...the two gasped in horror.

What they saw...was Bright Mac's hat and Buttercup's scrunchie, all torn up.

They now knew what happened, with tear-dropping dismay.

****

"...I awaited their return...”

Posy Springs paced back and forth, anxiously waiting for Chiffon and Burnt Oak to come back, and especially waiting for Pear Butter and Bright Mac to return, when, all of a sudden...

She sees something.

It was Chiffon and Burnt Oak headed in her direction. But, they looked miserable.

She runs right over to find what’s going on, stopping close enough to find the tear marks on their cheeks.

“...When they came back, they gave me horrific news...”

With Despair written all over their faces, slowly...they show Posy Springs the broken up scrunchie and piece of hat.

“...The timber wolves...got my daughter and son-in-law.”

Shocked and dejected beyond anything in her whole life, she becomes the third pony to shed tears because of this, covering her eyes while sobbing for the now long gone Pear Butter and Bright Mac.

****

“Soon, everyone in Ponyville heard the news. We all took it hard, but Peary and Big Bosc took the news about what happened harder. They didn't talk for weeks, and Peary hardly came out of his room...”

In the gardening room, Posy, Pear Blossom, and Big Bosc were working on giving life to more flowers. Each of them were glum about the recent news, but...Big Bosc...he could only stare off as if he was in his own world while working, hardly speaking or blinking which deeply concerned the two mares.

They had no idea what they could do.

****

In Peary’s bedroom...

Peary was sitting on his bed, staring down at the floor, completely miserable. But this time, it wasn’t just because of his dreams being taken away or Big Bosc’s sister. It was because of his sister and brother-in-law, and their death.

Ever since the news, and ever since he began looking back on the last time he saw Pear Butter...he felt completely guilty and deeply regretted what he said to her the last time they spoke, as well as realize that he still loved her despite the fact she left the family.

As a tear goes down his cheek, he looks up towards a dresser, which contained a large mirror on top of it. But, it also contained pictures. Pictures of himself, and his family. Even his sister.

He walks towards the mirror, and with one grab of the hoof, he takes a picture of him and his sister, sitting side by side lovingly. Just looking at it caused his pain to grow even more.

Then, he speaks two words which would be the first time he had talked in a while since the news:
“I’m sorry.”

****

“Two weeks after the discovery, all of Ponyville held up a funeral for Bright Mac and Pear Butter. Each Pony, including Princess Celestia, brought a flower of remembrance to the spot where Bright Mac's Hat and Pear Butter's scrunchie was found.”

Today, everypony was gathered at the funeral to mourn the loss of Pear Butter and Bright Mac. They stood in front of two tombstones: One had the name Bright Mac and contained his hair in front of it. Everyone they were close to sent their condolences by putting flowers in front of the tombstones, even Princess Celestia.

Pear Blossom and Posy Springs mournfully hug each other in comfort.

****

A few hours later...when the sun was beginning its decent.

The funeral was empty. There was no life anywhere near the tombstones because it ended a while back. But...there was one pony there who had arrived much later than everyone else: Grand Pear.

“By the time I came to Ponyville on account of the funeral, everypony was gone, and I was the only pony there,” Grand Pear narrated, “Why I never heard about all of this until that day is something I’ll never know.”

Grand Pear arrives with a bouquet of buttercups and a pear gift basket marked "Family". Grand Pear had tears in his eyes, because he never thought that this sort of thing would ever happen.

He walks right up to the tombstones...and puts the buttercups and gift basket to where they would be sitting in front of both of them, so that both wouldn’t be neglected in his opinion.

“Pear Butter,” he says with a sad sigh, “I’m sorry, for not being a good sport to you and Bright Mac.”

He bows his head in woe.

“I miss you dearly, and I wish that we could speak to one another again, and that I could get to know your husband better.”

“Grand Pear?” a familiar female voice says behind him.

He turns around to find Pear Blossom, Posy, and Big Bosc standing behind him. Pear Blossom and Posy are happy to see him, but Big Bosc snorted.

"I came as soon as I heard," Grand Pear said, "I wanted to give my regards for her."

"Why? You think it would be good for your pear jam business?" Big Bosc cynically said.

"Big Bosc!" Pear Blossom yelled, "Daddy is here to mourn our sister!"

But he never listened.

“I don't recall inviting you to this cemetery, Grand Pear!”

"It's not Grand Pear, Bosc, it’s Father," Grand Pear said sternly.

"You never once acted like a father!”

What Big Bosc said hit a mark on Grand Pear, because his expression went from stern to put-down.

“You treated us more like employees than a family, and you spent more time with your pear jam making than with us! When something goes wrong, you always get mad at us! That water-tower incident and how you treated Pear Butter was proof! The reason she ever turned to Bright Mac for comfort was because you were always hard on her!”

“I-“ Grand Pear tries to speak, but gets cut off.

“It's always your way or else! We were not allowed to try any fruit! Especially apples, because you forbade it! You moved us out of the only home we have ever known to get away from the Apples and Pear Butter! You never once listened to her or us about what we really wanted in life!”

“Big Bosc-“ Posy tries to say, but gets cut off by Big Bosc.

“You’re the worst father in the world! You want to be a good father, LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK! And take your junk with you!" he finishes, before kicking the basket and buttercups away from the tombstones.

Big Bosc turned his back and ran, leaving his mom and sister horrified and his father hurt by his words, ears flopped down because of it.

The girls would have none of that, they went to comfort the downtrodden stallion right away.

"He's just grieving for Pear Butter, Daddy," Pear Blossom comforted her father.

Grand Pear sighed, "No, Pear Blossom. Everything he said about me is right. I'm sorry for not being a good father."

Posy Springs suddenly brought a forehoof to Grand Pear’s shoulder.

"It takes a great father to say that," Posy said.

Pear Blossom wraps Grand Pear in a tight hug, to which Grand Pear returns.