Traditions' End
She woke to the sunrise in her heavy eyes, with last night’s dream fresh in her thoughts. Her hooves and her spine argued and screamed to be still, but she wasn’t having any of that today. The crusts of sanddust in her eyes forced her to squint, challenging her ability to finish her morning routine. Her hair was loose straws of hay sticking every which way but down, but it mattered not; her hair today would be hidden from too much exposure.
A howl of wind echoed through the exposed house. Equestria would be right to begin preparation for autumn soon, she thought as she closed the window. With her hair now tied into a bun and hidden behind a new hat she had bought for today’s special occasion, it reminded her of a special time when she was a young filly, but though she was quite nostalgic, she didn’t have time’s partnership to bother with it. It faded from her head and was soon forgotten completely, which was beginning to become a common thing for her. She dare say, she felt old sometimes.
She licked her teeth walking down the stairs, which effected in smacking sounds popping out from her lips. Oh yes, she was walking down the stairs now; her mind had been so absent from reality she didn’t even realize she was skipping steps to her routine. She turned her body around and made her way back up to complete a few more things. It was strenuous for her to do so early in the morning, but routines were important for good memory, and Celestia knew, she really needed it now-a-days more than ever. She licked her teeth again, that had been how she realized what she had been doing wrong, and she brushed. There, she was finished now, and she could walk down to the kitchen with no restraints to her mind. Unless she was forgetting something. No? No. No?
She shrugged away her doubt, she would be reminded some way if she had indeed forgotten something important. She reached the kitchen and began the recipe for pancakes, an Apple breakfast tradition on this day; they were, after all, Apple Bloom's “favorite kinds of cakes in the whole wide Equestria” as she categorized it so confidently. She grabbed the ingredients out of their respective spots and started right away.
She was again alone with her thoughts, which was a nice place to be, it was impossible to explain the ideas in her head now-a-days, another symptom of becoming older by the day, so it was nice to have conversations with the imaginary ponies in her head, because they at least understood her enough to carry a conversation. She giggled to herself silently, even though she knew there was nopony to hear her. If anypony ever found out that she had voices in her head, that would be the stamp of insanity. What made her sane though, was she was well aware that the voices were false and her own, but she couldn’t find ponies who could carry a conversation quite like they did, so what did it matter that they weren’t real. They were the closest friends she had.
By the time the batter for the second mix of pancakes was being poured, the others were waking up. Their hooves clopped loudly against the ceiling, entertaining the idea that it would soon crumble right in whichever spot she ended up standing soon.
But what she didn’t account for was one little filly’s ability to sneak about and pounce upon her back.
“Surprise!” The little filly giggled on landing.
“Careful, sugarcube,” she giggled with unison, “I’m too old to be surprised like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, don’t be-” a yawn stretched her mouth wide open, “I just need a few more minutes and some pancakes to help me wake up. Now go get yourself ready in the meantime, you do remember what today is, don’t you?”
The little filly jumped up high, “Sisters’ Day, Sisters’ Day, Sisters’ Day!”
“Well then go up and take care of business,” she smiled.
The little filly trotted off, but spun around and ran back for another tackling hug, “I love your new hat,” then trotted up the stairs.
“Well thank you, Apple Bloom.” But Apple Bloom was too far up the stairs to hear her. She snorted a smile on her face while she continued on with her work. When she had finished up the last batch of pancakes, she rang the triangle.
“Breakfast!”
And soon everypony was sitting down enjoying breakfast. Granny Apple Smith was munching on her pancake, Big Macintosh was slurping his juice, and Apple Bloom was… was making a complete mess of herself! She was gulping down the sticky syrup before it even soaked into her pancakes! Heck it was soaking into her fur faster than it was her cakes.
“Apple Bloom, calm down! We won’t be able to celebrate nothin’ if you make yourself sick!”
The wide eyed filly swallowed the chunks in her mouth and sipped her juice (because the wheat and syrup had become trapped and needed help). “I’m sorry,” Apple Bloom finally said, “I’m excited, I can’t wait for Sisters’ Day.”
“Well, Sugarcube, it would seem that it’ll have to for a bit, you can’t go outside with all that syrup in your coat.” She lifted and carried Apple Bloom up with one hoof up for a wash; there was no way the floors were going to be mopped twice in one week.
The two made their way up to remove the clingy mix, and Big Mac and Granny were left to observe. “More an’ more like her Ma each day.”
“Eeyup.”
…
Thirty soapy minutes passed by the sink with subtle frustration between the two girls in the room. No bathing was needed, none desired, and certainly not necessary. Soon, however, the silk of Apple Bloom coat was smooth and bright with the morning sun bouncing off it. Apple Bloom fidgeted like a mad cow while her hair bow was placed on her head once more.
“I can do it! I can do it!”
“I know you can. But I wanna do it this time.”
“I’m three! I can do it all by myself! Let G-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!” Apple Bloom escaped with a hearty fight. She promptly took the finished bow out of her hair and threw it down. Only to pick it back up and put it back in her hair in a sloppy display.
Apple Bloom looked up to see a weird looking face rolling her eyes. “Alright, you win,” she smiled.
The pair headed outside to begin their day. The breeze was cool against Apple Bloom’s wet fur, but she was too preoccupied to worry about that. She had been planning this in her mind for the whole week she had known about it. She knew exactly what they were going to do today.
Apple Bloom grabbed a ball and bat and immediately started playing ball with her big sister. But though one sister was hopping and skipping and laughing, the other one was quite silent, offering coos of “Good job, Apple Bloom!” “You caught it!” “I’m proud!”
Nothing memorable or special about the activity really, Apple Bloom just really wanted to play this game with her big sister. But soon that was finished and they moved onto the next thing.
Apple Bloom had wanted to see a movie, a specific one that she had seen advertised and had been dying to see it for weeks, so their trot to the cinema was quite talkative about the promised plot the movie premiered. Apple Bloom in her excitement had forced her sister to keep up pace, therefore a large sum of the dialogue revolved around pacing and timing as well as the importance of taking one’s time on top of a half dozen other topics. It was mostly forgettable, the only real memory of it being ideas but none of the words. That was except for one.
Apple Bloom, motivations foggy and unclear today, gave her sister a hug on her front hoof whilst announcing to her, “You’re the best big sister ever. I love you.” Now how did that happen?
The cinema required four bits to enter, another three for individual drinks and and a shared popcorn bag (Apple Bloom was careful to share both with her big sister) and thirty minutes of their lives in uneventful lines. The movie was mundane and unmemorable, though Apple Bloom naturally adored it from beginning to end.
It was going to be a warm afternoon, but it was still morning and the wind was still blowing, though quite more calmly than the day’s start. It really was a bad idea to be outside right now, too cold for comfort.
After filling their bellies with the sweet drinks and popped corn, the two sisters next ventured forward to the town’s playground, again it was Apple Bloom’s idea. No use trying to change that. Apple Bloom was the only sister of fitting size for the outdoor playing furniture, making her the only one who really did any playing on the grounds. Still Apple Bloom, being a creative and imaginative filly, found ways to include her sister, which she was proud of. Games of Hide-n-Seek or Pretend Ball were performed, along with others.
The final game was Hat Keeper, a game made up on the spot in which Apple Bloom stole her sister’s hat and she ran. It was the final game because if this. It was giggles until Apple Bloom, in an effort to cheat, fell off a ladder.
Apple Bloom had her eyes clouded in tears in seconds, but her other senses let her know that her sister was by her side far before that.
“Oh Apple Bloom, where does it hurt?”
Apple Bloom tapped her forelimb, but she was too old to confusedly tap her chest where her heart was located.
“Here let me see. Let me feel it. Tell me when it hurts.”
A gently squeeze and, “Ow,” she yanked away.
“Alright now, it’s goin’ to be alright. You’re safe now. Nothin’s broken, nothin’ that bad happened. You’re alright.”
Apple Bloom felt her body levitate off of the ground and into her sister’s cradling grasp. The warmth from her body calmed Apple Bloom down a bit, but she continued to sniffle and moan for a little while longer. She sensed a hoof that was not her own wipe away the tears from her eyes. It felt nice.
When she did finally gain composure of herself again, Apple Bloom was let down. She found the hat beside her, beaten, dirty and flat. She picked it back up and shamefully handed it back to its owner, “Your hat.”
“It’s alright, baby. They’re a dime-a-dozen, we can shop for a new one later day.”
“I’m not a baby,” Apple Bloom testified.
“Of course not. Babies are too young for ice cream.”
“Ice cream!”
“Only if you can eat your lunch real well. Come on.”
Apple Bloom wasn’t in the mood to walk, so she spent the walk over to the restaurant chain on her sister’s back. When they arrived, she hopped down gracefully and marked her place in the line of ponies.
She had been yawning all the way over, and she didn’t seem to stop after the food had been ordered. Her eyes were becoming heavier with each passing minute. That will be fun, telling a foal that her time for naps had come. After promises of ice cream later on, no doubt. Fun. It was best to just eat lunch and then maybe see if she could carry her all the way back to the farm without incident.
“Applejack?” Apple Bloom had awaken from her daze, she just realized that they were sitting down with their food now.
“Yea, Sugarcube?”
“Why are you mad?”
“Mad? Mad? I ain’t mad, silly filly. What gave you that idea?”
“You have a mad face since breakfast.”
“I do? O’ Sugarcube, that’s just my thinkin’ face. Been thinkin’ real hard about a lotta things.”
“What?” Apple Bloom chewed on a hay fry, mirroring her sister’s own chewing like a mare would.
“Stuff that needs doin’ at the farm. It’s getting to be about that time for your brother and I to start makin’ apple cider. I don’t think we have enough of all the ingredients.”
“Why don’t you buy them?”
“I’m busy. It’s Sister’s Day today, that’s more important.”
Apple Bloom swallowed her hay fry early, “We can stop doin’ Sister’s Day today and you can do your grown up stuff. And then we do Sister’s Day again tomorrow!”
“Don’t stand in your chair, Apple Bloom.” She watched Apple Bloom plot her flank back down. “No, we can’t do that. Sister’s Day is today, we can’t have Sister’s Day when it isn’t. It’d be like celebrating Hearth's Warming Eve a day late.”
“She must not like her sister,” Apple Bloom turned a hoof to the mare, Pinkie Pie, a pony who had moved to Ponyville last week and had celebrated with a party, inviting everyone. That was how Miss Pie had become so well known, she seemed to have a tenacity for friends, honestly it was more of an acquaintance relationship, but no one really deemed it necessary to correct Miss Pie about it.
“Well Miss Pie may not have a sister to celebrate with. And if she does, Sister’s Day is a thing for just me and you, it’s kinda like our own holiday.”
“Why?” She shouldn’t have asked that; the only response she was going to get was, Eat your hayburger, Apple Bloom.
“Why? Why don’t other sisters celebrate Sister’s Day? Don’t they love their sisters?”
…
“Applejack. Applejack!”
“Don’t yell.”
“But-” Apple Bloom stopped talking when her sister threw her thinking face at her.
They didn’t talk too much at lunch after that. A circle of silence echoed in the restaurant where they sat.
They finished and walked out.
“Let”s go home now.”
“No. I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want a nap!” Filly was too smart for her own good.
“Tell you what. Hop on my back and if you can stay awake from now until we get there, then you don’t have to take a nap,” and she meant it too, and Apple Bloom agreed.
It was nice to get out of there, Apple Bloom was in desperate need of a nap. She rode on her sister’s back to home. She was asleep before they were halfway there. Again she was alone to her thoughts; she wished Apple Bloom was awake so she wasn’t. She didn’t like her thoughts, they were depressing. She was good at hiding it with smiles and false energy, she could even sometimes lie well enough to fool herself.
Soon one sister laid down in her sleep, the other sat in a chair looking through old photographs in a memory book. She, at some point, too found sleep blanketing her shoulders, and welcomed its fragrance of apples and old wood. That reminded her, she didn’t smell apples anymore, time and foul memory had swiped it from her nose. But it was strong now, Sleep always smelt of Pa.
And Sleep was gentle and kind, letting her know that everything was okay. Sleep sang to her, her favorite lullabies, though she knew two by only heart. It was cleansing to hear them again, their rhymes and their tones, the soft voice that Sleep carried in her throat was intoxicating and so very inviting. It came that she heard her own voice follow along with Sleep down in the cool-meadowed atmosphere that spread its arms around the edges of the field. What a lovely dance.
“Trust me,” Sleep sang,
“Trust me, my little baby,
The world is strange and cold.
But upon my warm decree,
You will sprout honest and bold.
You will be as mighty as the tree,
You will shape the younger mold,
Trust me, my little baby,
No need to hide from the fables of old,
Their loyalties lye with you.”
What? What was that? Why was she fading? No, NO! Not now! Not now! Sleep! What color are your eyes? I can’t see them anymore!
“Oof!” She grunted, “Apple Bloom? What in tarnation are you doing on top of me?”
“I’m sorry, I just wanted to lay next to you while you sang.”
“Sang?”
She nodded, “You were sangin’ in your sleep and I wanted to hear it, but it’s cold so I was goin’ to listen to you in your blanket.
Blanket? She didn’t place a blanket over herself, but it was here now. Smelling warm with her own scent mixed with wood.
“What were you singin’?” The filly swaddled her own self into the blanket with her. “You never sang that one to me before.”
“Can’t recall. What were some of the words?”
“Mmm” Apple Bloom shrugged, “I don’t remember.”
Apple Bloom grabbed a book near her. She liked that one the best, it had pictures of her inside. She dug around the pages looking for her favorite one, sliding past Sisterhooves Socials, playing games, and just a whole bunch of baby pictures, because there were a bunch of those. But one she really wanted to find was somewhere.
There it was, one of three pictures that had the whole family together. Two were family reunions, but not this one, this one the doctor took for them, so Pa didn’t have to hold it. Pa always took the pictures, so he was missing in half. Eventually Big Mac and Pa would trade and take two pictures, because timers never worked well for this bushel of Apples. But this one had everyone, everyone looking at her, and she had a pout.
“Hey, Applejack,” a hmm responded, “why does Ma have on glasses? She doesn’t wear those.”
“She was embarrassed of them, said they made her look old-”
“They do.”
“Hmm. -So she made sure to never wear them in pictures. Any picture that had her in glasses was shredded by her, so you won’t find many outside of a few unlucky newspaper shots of her in them.”
“She missed this one, though.”
“No. She just figured it was worth keepin.’ She could see you clearly in that one, so she was proud to be caught wearin’ them. ” A thought, “Apple Bloom, you’ve seen that picture a thousand times, why are you suddenly so curious now?”
“I don’t know. Was she buried with them?”
… “No. The only thing they took with them was their wedding rings.”
“Oh.” … “Do you think Ma can see me up in sky without her glasses?”
“They’re in the ground, Apple Bloom, they can’t fly off.”
“Uh Huuuh, they’re stars!” The filly stated.
“Stars? Where did you hear that?”
“Twist told me that the moon takes ponies after they leave and uses magic to turn them into stars.”
“Oh that. Sugarcube, there hasn’t been a new star in the sky in almost a thousand years. Twist was confused, ponies don’t change into stars until the princess of the moon wakes up.”
“Why doesn’t she?” Apple Bloom snuggled her body closer to her sister’s.
“Well, that’s a long one; been awhile since I’ve even thought of it, but let’s see… Once upon a time, before Granny Smith’s Granny was a newborn baby, the two princesses lived and ruled together hoof an’ hoof. The Princess of the Sun and the Day, Princess Celestia, was responsible for watching over the play and work of the ponies of Equestria. The younger Princess, whose name has been forgotten for centuries, looked over the little ponies while they slept and gave them a home in her sky when it came time to leave their bodies here.
“One day, the earth shook, and a monster, that called itself Nightmare Moon and was with the body of an alicorn and the appetite of a beast, slithered out and gobbled the younger Princess with one gulp. It was a monster of hate and envy and wanted blackness to rule supreme over Equestria. The monster came for the Celestial Princess next, but before it could widen its jaw for a second time, it was stopped, and it was dragged away. The younger Princess was still alive inside Nightmare Moon’s belly, cause the alicorns are immortal, and she dragged Nightmare Moon away into the moon leaving only her face on the moon to see. That’s who the Mare in the Moon is. After that, dreams were left unguarded, ponies souls lied still in their coffins, waitin’, and the Princess of the Sun was left to guard both the day and the night.
“Don’t fret, there’s no need to shake, lil’ filly, the story ain’t over. Because, you see, the younger Princess left a little bit of insurance with her. Once a thousand years has come, the stars will open its one eye and the younger sister will be released to fight back Nightmare Moon, and the sisters will unite, and the souls of all those waiting ponies will get to be stars and reunite with loved ones lost.”
Apple Bloom blinked her left eye half open, “Is that really what happened?”
“Well that’s one of the stories anyway. It just happens to be the one I fancy, but they all do end the same more or less.”
“And Ma and Pa will get to see each other again after the Princess Moon come back?”
… “That’s right.”
A large yawn escaped the little fillies mouth. “I like that.”
The two of them rested in their spots on that couch. The sunlight in the room changed from a bright white and yellow to a crimson red and orange, and a pair of crystal emerald eyes took notice of the growing shadows as it did. The room grew darker by the minute, the shadows making the small room grow as more and more was hidden in those shadows. And the chill was returning, it was always so cold now, why did the earth demand a cold season anyway? It never helped anypony.
Apple Bloom shuddered as a cool wind whistled its way into the home, but her misery was short lived when the rest of the blanket was given over to her by a dark silhouette that had left the couch and now hovered over her.
The silhouette moved to the window, where the whistle of the wind was swallowing up a fillies whispers. A thick, old rag was stuffed in the crevasses to mute out the sound, and the whispers were heard. Apple Bloom, in sleep or at wake, it was unclear, was praying a quick prayer for Ma and Pa to be safe while they waited for their place in the stars.
“We’re home!” the crackled voice of ole Granny Smith called out at the shadows. Apple Bloom woke from the sudden sound. Big Macintosh was following behind with a lantern guiding the pair. “Where are you girls? Y’all hidin’ from me?”
“Shh!” shouted Apple Bloom. She ran inside another shadow, with no peace to contain her giggling as she did.
“Where are you?” the elder sang in a hymn.
“Boo!”
…
It was all laughs, and she even joined them a bit, but she just didn’t feel it right now. She noticed that she was standing there, being unproductive, and they might think that something was wrong when there wasn’t, so she took the opportunity to clean the couch of their drowsy mess. A lantern that Big Mac had carried in lit her sight for her. The moon was not out tonight, and there were not enough stars in the sky to light up the room.
Hmm. The blanket smelt of apples.
...
She was so tired, but she wasn’t quite sleepy, she really just needed to-
“-You mean, your sister never told ya how it got started? Years ago, your ole Ma and her-”
“Nothin!”
Six eyes now on her.
“Granny’s a few apples short in her basket, Apple Bloom. Pay her no attention.”
“Oh.”
“Few apples short!? Is that how your parents told ya to talk about your elders when theys in the room?”
“Apple Bloom I think it’s time for you to go to bed, the adults need to talk.
“But I just got UP!”
“Adult? Just cause you gone and quit your schoolin’ early to work the farm don’t make you an adult, lil filly. There kids your age still in school.”
“Applejack, it’s six! I need supper!”
“Apple Bloom, sit down while the adults work out our differences!”
“Don’t yell at her! She ain’t done nothin’ worth gettin’ yelled at yet!”
“fSSSSSSSSSff!!” Six eyes turned on the Stallion of the House, “I’m cravin oats an’ carrots tonight. How’s that sound?” His head turned to the Baby of the Family.
“EEWwwww. I don’t like oats an’ carrots.”
“Well, then what do you want for supper?”
The filly pondered and thought and queried, “Eggs!”
“Apple Bloom, eggs are a breakfast food, you can’t have eggs for supper.”
“But that’s what I want! And you said I could have what I wanted on Sister Day.”
“Within reason. I’ll make you eggs in the mornin’.”
“I want eggs now, not tomorrow.”
“I’d like some eggs,” the burley cords of the red stallion agreed.
And that was what happened. Big Mac kept Apple Bloom entertained with some of her favorite toys. Going to make a fine father someday, the two mares private thoughts agreed. Those two mares, meanwhile, made not a drop of noise at each other save the clomping of their hooves on the floor and pans.
Everyone ate in silence. Not a single word.
Then Big Mac continued to play with Apple Bloom in the dark room. “Big Mac, have you been choppin’ wood?” The Elder asked.
Big Macentosh shook his head in a ‘Yes’ fashion.
“Might explain why this room smells like tree sap.”
The two adult mares watched in somberance until, after only a mere two hours later, Apple Bloom was out like she had missed her afternoon nap. And they were halfway to sleep as well as they watched Big Mac carry her up to her bed.
She envied her brother, she envied their connection together. That had been the true motivation for Sister’s Day, to grow as a pair. To really be sisters after today. After all, that had been the whole motivation behind Mother-Daughter Day, to grow closer, remind each other that in everything they loved each other, and no other mother or daughter was capable of loving each other quite like they had. It was a shame then, that Sister’s Day had failed so poorly.
But then, why wouldn’t it. Applejack didn’t spend time with her sister. Applejack didn’t bother to wake her sister up with smiles or honey voices like their Ma had. Applejack didn’t sing lullabies at night like her Pa had for three years. And Applejack certainly treat her sister with much love. Applejack was selfish. Applejack had run away once to live with her aunt and uncle. Applejack worked the farm every single day from the rooster’s crow to the shimmering sunset. Applejack was too tired after a hard days work to tell her sister that she loved her or that she was glad to have her around. Apple-Applejack was a lousy sister, who couldn’t even put in the effort for one lousy day for the sister who never got to experience her mother’s warmth or hear her father’s laugh.
A game of catch, a stupid movie, a visit to an abandoned playground that ended in her getting hurt, a fast food restaurant for lunch and then goodbye town, it was time for a nap. They never even did stop for that ice cream. Applejack’s Ma had once settled thirty acres, a business deal, cider selling, all while caring for baby Apple Bloom; and yet still the next day she had enough energy and zest to come up with a memorable day for her and Applejack. She would have been ashamed of Applejack. Applejack, was a disgrace.
“Applejack?” Granny Smith had been watching for a while now. “Is everything okay, sugarplum?”
She had been making her thinking face again. “I’m awfully tired. I’m goin’ head to bed myself.”
She made a slow crawl up the stairs to where her room was. Upon making it halfway up, she heard her Granny whisper, “I do miss them too. Tain’t a name for mothers who lose their children, is there.”
What a beautiful moment, she thought, would it be to turn around, to shout out her apologies, honestly tell her Granny that she was so alone she felt emptiness in her body everyday, to scream out her frustrations, to cry, honestly cry. But she couldn’t, she was expected to be strong, she had promised. Crying wasn’t what made ponies strong. She needed to work this out on her own. There was really nothing wrong with her, it was all in her head.
So she continued back up to her room. Alone to be with her thoughts, like she did every day. For countless days since their deaths, she was like this, and for many more days after today she was even worse.
No hope for her. No hope for her family to see her actually happy. Nothing but flesh, missing the most essential organ.
But it's alright, Sugarcube, cause I happen to think that Applejack turned out alright in the end...