The room was filled with a deafening silence, only to be broken by the occasional squeak of Granny Smith’s chair in the next room. The Apple Family were just preparing to serve dinner, and had already set out place settings for them to eat, when Apple Bloom’s question halted the normal efforts.
Applejack and Big Macintosh stood silently around the dining room table, both with a solemn expression on their faces. Apple Bloom crouched low in her seat not quite sure what to say, and secretly wondered herself whether she’d done something wrong.
At length, Big Mac blinked, and inhaled in preparation to speak.
“No” Applejack whispered, holding up, and silencing her brother. “She’s old enough. Ah’ think it’s time we told her the truth.”
The hoof was removed and Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup.” He moved aside and let Applejack pull up a seat next to Apple Bloom. She scooted the chair closer, and pushed the plates and silverware aside to clear space between them.
Apple Bloom was confused. The question she’d asked seemed innocuous enough. She simply wanted to know why AJ wore that hat all the time. If she’d known they would start acting this way, she’d likely have held her tongue instead.
Applejack removed her hat and set it square on the place mat in front of her. She took a moment to fiddle with it. There was a loud cough from the corner where Big Macintosh had taken up audience and, deciding to stop stalling, Applejack left the Steton with the front crest facing Apple Bloom.
“Now,” She looked Apple Bloom in the eyes “What Ah’m about t’ say is not to leave this room. Ye’ hear?” Applejack had that rare expression about her, the one normally reserved for very serious situations. “Ah don’t want ya’ tellin’ anypony, not the crusaders, not even ya’ little friend, uh...” She paused and flicked a hoof as the name escaped her. She concluded, “...Tiara.”
Apple Bloom nodded, deciding best not to correct her sister now, and began the ritualistic motions. She cupped her hoof to her chest and recited: “Cross mah’ heart, hope to fly, stick a cup-” Apple Bloom was cut short, with her hoof inches from covering her eye, when Applejack grabbed her arm.
Applejack shook her head. “No, no Pinkie Promises this time.”
The hoof was released and allowed to return to Apple Bloom’s side. She nodded meekly. “Ok.”
“All right” Applejack seemed no more at ease now than she was moments before. In fact, she seemed to only grow more nervous; something that made Apple Bloom feel equally as anxious. She straightened her back and laid a hoof on the hat, giving it a light tap as she spoke, “Now, the reason why Ah wear this hat.”
“Ya heard the story that it has some sentimental value, that it reminds me ah’ Pa. That’s what we usually go by. But it’s hardly the full story.”
“In truth”- Apple Bloom shifted in her seat, pulling it closer, and rested her elbows on the table as her sister spoke. “Pa ain’t ever liked hats, no.” She shook her head, “He said they would just get in the way when he worked. An’ Ma? Well, she never wore a hat other than her Sunday bonnet when we attended mass. This is just a hat Ah won at the fair, nothin’ more.”
Apple Bloom frowned and looked down at the hat resting under her sister’s hoof. Strange that she would hold something so normal so closely to her heart. Applejack continued, “No. It’s what is inside the hat that matters.” Applejack moved her hoof from the hat and Apple Bloom looked up to find her sister looking her in the eyes. “Ah want ya to take the hat and look inside.”
Apple Bloom glanced back to the Stetson sitting on the table before her, completely unattended. Her sister was looking at her expectantly, so she cautiously reached over and pulled the hat to her side of the table.
She glanced to her sister’s face for confirmation, and then carefully flipped the hat over. The underside was slightly paler, likely due to being protected from the sun. There were one or two hairs stuck to the rim from her sister and it smelled distinctly of a Golden Delicious.
As Apple Bloom looked inside, Applejack speak once more. “Now ya’ll see a letter tucked away in there.” Sure enough there was a small piece of paper tucked neatly into the hemline. Apple Bloom glanced back to sister’s face one more time and, not seeing her move to stop her, slowly removed the letter from its hiding place.
“What ya’ll have there is the most valuable item in my possession.” She continued to explain as Apple Bloom inspected the envelope. It was well worn, torn in places too. The paper had turned brown in patches from age and the edges had become flailed from being handled too often. She turned it over in her hooves and observed a wax seal on the front. It bore the insignia of a single apple in the centre, framed nicely by three small flowers around the edges; the family insignia.
“Ya’ll remember the story I told about how ah got my cutiemark?”
She nodded. “Yeah”
“Ya see, in mah early years I didn’t want anything more than to get away from this farm. Ah’ was young, and confused, and when the chance came for me to move to the big city with Aunt Orange, ya’ can imagine I jumped at the chance. What Ah didn’t tell ya though, is Ah didn’t care that Ah would be gone during my birthday.”
“Ma 'n Pa didn’t tell me this, but I could tell that they were putting on their best face to see me off that early fall morning. They was sad to see me leave, yes, but they were proud ah me chasing my dreams.”
“Little did ah know that that would be the last time I saw them.”
Apple Bloom had wrapped attention on the letter in her grasp, and looked up when her sister didn’t continue. Applejack was slumped in the seat and looking away. She wanted to ask her sister what was wrong, but Big Mac spoke up before she could.
“About a month into Applajack’s trip”- He trotted back into view beside the table. -“they wanted to surprise her for her birthday. They left me to look after you whilst they were gone, and packed up their things early one morning to catch the train out to Manehattan.”
Applejack sniffed and wiped her muzzle with a fetlock, “Y- yeah.” She turned back to face the table and tried to smile, but Apple Bloom couldn’t help but notice the slight redness around her sister’s eyes. “Of course, Ah never got that surprise visit. I only found out what happened after I got back to the farm. I’d seen... news, of the train crash in the papers. But Ah didn’t think nothin’ of it.”
“A week passed. We didn’t know what to do at that point. Ah spent most of the time locked up in mah room, an’ Granny Smith took care ah the farm. Then this letter arrived.” She pointed to the paper in Apple Bloom’s hooves. “It was addressed to Aunt Orange’s place but had gotten lost in the mail somehow.”
Apple Bloom looked back down to the letter. “Anywhere I go, I always keep that letter nearby because, in a way, that’s all I’ve got left of 'em.”
“Now it’s only fair that you get to see it as well.”
Apple Bloom looked up to see her brother and blurry eyed sister looking at her with thin, expectant smiles. Big Macintosh was standing behind Applejack’s chair with a hoof resting over her shoulder. She looked back at the letter and ran a hoof along the wax seal. The seal had not been broken, but she could see the faint marks where the top of the envelope had been cut with a letter opener.
She tipped the envelope over and carefully slid the contents out into her right hoof, then placed the empty envelope back inside Applejack’s hat. Then, letting the paper unfurl in her grip, Apple Bloom began to read.
Dearest Applejack;
Your father and I miss you dearly, and it pains us so to know you couldn’t be here, with us, on your special day. You have grown into the most wonderful young mare, truly you have. I cannot describe how proud we are of you.
We wish you the best for your birthday and, as a special surprise, we have arranged to come celebrate with you in Manehattan.
Now, don’t you worry about little Apple Bloom, we are not as silly as to travel with a foal on board. She will be staying here with Macintosh to take care of her, which means it will just be the three of us together for the weekend. I hope you will show us everything you’ve come to know there in Manehattan. Your father is very excited to see the Big Apple.
We're now finishing our packing and your father seems anxious to get a move on, so I will make the rest of this short. We will meet you in the train station later today and, should this letter not make it in time, we will come to meet you at Aunt Orange’s apartment.
We’ll see you soon.
With love, Mom & Dad.
