Apple Bloom was up with the roosters.
She didn't want to sleep in, not when there was so much to do. She had to help out Applejack set up the farm for the family reunion. She wanted everything to be perfect by the time her relatives arrived. And once they were there, Apple Bloom didn't want to spend a single second working.
She was most excited to see her favorite cousin again. And she had something special to show Babs Seed--her cutie mark! The lovely little apple cart had appeared on her flank just the week before.
Applejack and Granny Smith were fussing over every little thing on the farm, trying to make it all perfect for the family. Apple Bloom took care of the daily chores--just 'cause this was a special day for the Apples didn't mean the pigs could go without feeding. After those were handled, she went to help Big Macintosh fix up the cart for the family hay ride.
"Aren't you excited, Big Mac?" she asked her brother while they worked.
"Yup."
"Everypony's coming! And I get to show Babs my cutie mark!"
"Yup."
The cart was soon fixed, and Big Mac hitched himself into it for a test ride.
"You're all set, right?" Apple Bloom asked. "'Cause I don't wanna miss a minute of the reunion!"
The stallion nodded. He leaned down to give his little sister a quick nuzzle on the top of her head before gently pushing her out the door.
Apple Bloom raced back to the house. Everything was wonderfully decorated for reunion, and a few relatives had already arrived. Granny Smith was catching up with Apple Rose, and somepony had already started making fritters.
"There you are, little sis," Applejack said when she caught sight of the filly. "Looking for Babs?"
"Is she here yet?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly.
"No, I don't think so," Applejack replied. "But could you lend me a hoof for a minute? I just need to put up the sign welcoming everypony to the reunion."
Apple Bloom frowned. "But then I might miss seeing Babs!"
"You'll have plenty of time for that," Applejack said. "Now come on."
Apple Bloom didn't follow her sister. She was going to stay right where she was and wait for her favorite cousin. Applejack didn't need help putting up a silly old sign, anyways.
"Come on," Applejack repeated.
"I helped out all morning, and saying hi to Babs right when she gets here is what I've been looking forward to!" Apple Bloom protested. "Can't you get somepony else to help? I just want to see my cousin!"
Applejack sighed. "All right. But you know, Apple Bloom, sometimes you're more stubborn than a mule."
"I'm sorry," the filly replied, sisterly guilt making her instantly ashamed. "I just really want to see her right away and show off my cutie mark! You understand, don't you?"
Applejack nodded slowly. "I understand. I'll see you later, sis."
Apple Bloom didn't have much longer to wait before she saw a familiar tan filly step out of a carriage. She gleefully rushed over to her cousin.
"Babs! Look what I got!"
When she reached her cousin, she turned to show off her flank. Babs grinned. "Hey, cool! I just got mine too!"
Babs showed Apple Bloom the mark on her flank, an apple cut in half so that the seeds made a star shape.
"So we both have our cutie marks? That's great!" Apple Bloom said. "Of course, you're still a Cutie Mark Crusader, right?"
"Of course!" Babs said. "There's lotsa ponies at my school who need help finding a cutie mark still."
"Good, 'cause I got tons of crusadin' business to tell you!"
The two fillies ran off, Babs Seed turning to wave a quick goodbye to her parents. The two headed towards the orchard, a perfect backdrop for games and fun for the day.
It was a perfect reunion. Every Apple was happy to see their family again. Stories were told, fritters were fried, and as the sun set on the reunion, everypony was already talking about how great the next one would be.
"Man, today was great," Babs said to Apple Bloom, as the two sat by the barn with a pile of fritters between them. "It's too bad the reunion's just one day."
"Well, maybe if I talk to Applejack, she'll say it's okay to spend the night," Apple Bloom said.
"You think?"
"Sure! Let's go find her now and ask!"
The fillies headed back towards the group of adult Apples. They didn't notice that most of the older ones were filing into the barn. Instead, these two fillies were focused on finding Applejack, and they spotted her within a few seconds.
"There you two are," Applejack said on seeing them. "Come on, the reunion ain't over yet."
"But we got a question for you!" Apple Bloom protested.
"Later," Applejack said. "Everypony's going to the barn now. Come on inside with us."
As the two made their way into the barn, they couldn't help but whisper to each other.
"Do you know what this is?"
"No. Do you?"
"I think they did something a few reunions back like this. Applejack said it was for big ponies only."
Babs smirked. "We are big ponies, dummy! We got our cutie marks!"
"Oh, right!"
Inside the barn, every cutie-marked member of the Apple family stood in a circle around the perimeter. In the center of this circle was the family's cider press, Big Macintosh and Caramel Apple stood on the treadmill to run the press, goggles covering their faces as they were ready to run at a moment's notice. Beside them was the oldest member of the family, Auntie Applesauce.
Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack, who stood beside her. "Sis, what's going on? It ain't cider season."
"You'll see soon," Applejack replied. "Babs, go over to your parents."
Babs nodded, waved a small goodbye to her cousin, then crossed the room to stand beside her mother and father.
Everypony was inside. Apple Dumpling shut the door. The barn quieted.
"Each year, we come together to celebrate the best of the Apple family!" Auntie Applesauce cried. The ponies stomped their hooves and cheered. Apple Bloom, though confused, did the same.
"But we can't all be good Apples," Auntie Applesauce continued. The cheering immediately stopped. "Our family is strong because we've always taken care of our crop. We cultivate those Apples that belong to the family. And those that don't...well, you all know by now. One bad apple--"
"Spoils the bunch!" the family chorused.
"That's right," Auntie Applesauce said. "And so it happens that this year, we Apples are not strong. We have a bad Apple among us. Can we let this Apple stay?"
"No!" shouted the family. Apple Bloom stayed silent.
"This young Apple has been a bully to her friends," explained Auntie Applesauce. "She talks back to her family. She causes destruction wherever she goes. She brings a bad name to the Apple family! We will not let her continue to do this!"
Apple Bloom locked eyes with Babs Seed from across the room. It was true the two of them had destroyed part of their towns at one time or another, while searching for their cutie marks. But certainly Auntie Applesauce was talking about some mean pony who did that on purpose, right?
Granny Smith stepped out of the crowd and walked up beside Auntie Applesauce. "Babs Seed," she said. "Step forward."
Babs didn't move right away. Instead, she turned to her parents. They both nuzzled her, whispered something in her ear, but then pushed her to the center.
She held her head up high as she walked towards Auntie Applesauce, but Apple Bloom could see her cousin's legs shaking and her tail half-covering her flank.
Another Apple, a pony from Manehattan, followed Babs, carrying a length of rope in his mouth. When Babs noticed him, she looked up at Auntie Applesauce. "Wh-what are you gonna do to me?"
"Only what you deserve," the elder pony said coldly. "Tie her."
The Manehattan Apple hog-tied Babs' legs before the filly had time to run. He lifted her onto his back, and headed up the barn's stairs to the loft, carrying the filly up with him.
"Stop!" Babs cried. "I-I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt anypony!"
Big Mac and Caramel started running. The cider press started up. Apple Bloom grew sick as she realized just why it was there.
Babs must have come to the same conclusion. "No!" she screamed, terror in her voice now. "I don't have to be an Apple anymore! Let me go live with Aunt and Uncle Orange! I promise, I'll be better with them!"
"You are an Apple," Auntie Applesauce said. "Your cutie mark confirms it. But we all know you are a bad Apple. You must be purged from our beautiful crop!"
The Manehattan Apple set Babs down at the edge of the loft. There were only inches separating her from a fall. He stepped back a few feet and waited. Babs struggled against the ropes, but stopped when she realized she was in danger of rolling over the edge.
"Now!" Auntie Applesauce cried.
The pony bucked Babs Seed off the loft. She screamed and bit at the ropes in a futile attempt to escape. The pony had good aim--Babs landed squarely on the intake chute for the cider press. She slid down towards the spinning stone wheel, unable to scramble away.
"Stop it!" Apple Bloom cried out. "Big Mac, Auntie Applesauce, stop it! You're killing her!"
Big Macintosh looked straight ahead, his goggles obscuring his face. Apple Bloom didn't know if her brother heard her.
The agonized screaming began as Babs' hind hoof reached the end of the shoot. Apple Bloom knew that press inside and out. The apples would first be pushed through a wringer, chopping them into manageable pieces, before being pressed under the giant stone wheel until the delicious, refreshing juice came out the tap into a waiting barrel.
She realized she couldn't possibly drink cider again after this.
Apple Bloom turned to her sister, burying her face into her side so she wouldn't have to see. "Applejack! Make them stop!"
Applejack just watched the cider press with a grim look on her face. She pulled Apple Bloom away and faced her towards the press again. "You're a big pony now, ain't you? Act like one."
Apple Bloom couldn't stop the tears pouring down her face, and she couldn't dare to look at the press. If she had, she would have seen the first drops of red pouring from the tap. She would have noticed that the screaming had turned to helpless gurgles long ago, had now stopped, and the only sound came from the wheel turning and her own sobs.
She noticed Babs' parents. They weren't looking at the press either. Her mother was quietly weeping.
Then the wheel slowed, and stopped. There was red streaked across the stone, dotted with clumps of matted brown fur. The dirt below the tap was stained with red. Small pieces of hoof and bone had made it through the press and sat glistening on the dirt, refusing to soak in and go away.
Apple Bloom couldn't stand anymore. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing. She was beyond words. All she could possibly do was an agonized wail that rang through the otherwise silent barn.
Applejack nudged her little sister. "Stand up," she said gently. "We aren't done."
Standing at that moment was the hardest thing Apple Bloom ever had to do, but she managed. Her legs shook beneath her.
"The bad Apple is gone," Auntie Applesauce said solemnly.
The Apple family cheered as the blood seeped into the dirt and straw. Apple Bloom hung her head, sniffling one last goodbye to her favorite cousin.
"But!" called out Auntie Applesauce, immediately silencing the cheers. "Some years, we find our crop has more than one bad Apple."
The crowd murmured. Some of the ponies looked around eagerly for who this other bad Apple could be. Apple Bloom took a few steps backward, trying to shrink into the crowd.
"Apple Bloom," said Auntie Applesauce. "Step forward."
Apple Bloom turned to Applejack, hoping her big sister would protect her. Her horror grew as she saw the mare holding a length of rope.