The days begin bright and early at Sweet Apple Acres. There are chores to be done, water to fetch, and acres of apples to buck. Most days on the farm, work never seems to quit. Sometimes, however, there comes a lazy afternoon where the only work to be done is lying on a soft patch of grass beneath the warm sun, your hat pulled over your eyes, and you catch a few Z's. Today is one of those days. Work on the farm had finished early, so Applejack decided to treat herself to a little RR&R, that is, "Rustic Rest and Relaxation." She found herself a nice quiet spot. Chewing on a piece of straw, she lay back in the grass, lowered the brim of her hat over her eyes, and let the warm sun and country breeze lull her to sleep. After a while, she was awakened by a voice calling her name.
"Hey, Applejack," the voice spoke.
Applejack pushed her hat back. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she looked up to see Big Mac standing in front of her.
"Oh, hey, Big Mac," Applejack replied. She yawned. "'Scuse me. What's goin' on?"
"Well, I was gonna head into town," began Big Mac. "Thought I'd stop by and see Burnt Oak. I was hopin' he could tell us more about Mom and Dad. Y'all want to come?"
Applejack smiled. "I'd sure love to," she said with delight.
Applejack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom headed into the lively little village of Ponyville. They went to the bustling marketplace where ponies shopped for and sold goods such as fruits and vegetables. It didn't take them long to find Burnt Oak, an old friend of their father's. He was helping a customer load their cart with firewood.
"Thank you kindly," Burnt Oak said to his customer. "If you need any more firewood, y'all know where to come!" Turning to find Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and Applejack at his stall warmed his heart. "Well I'll be. Seeing you three never puts a damper on things. How've you been?"
"We've been good, thank you," said Apple Bloom.
"Good, and how's Granny Smith?"
"Keepin' busy," Applejack replied. "She always says that we need to keep up with the harvest, but I reckon it's the harvest that needs to be doing the keepin' up!"
"Well that's Granny Smith for ya!" chuckled Burnt Oak. "Always had a knack for running the farm." He reminisced, "I remember them early days. We were just youngins back then." Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom listened intently as he continued, "Granny Smith was running Sweet Apple Acres while your grandfather from your mother's side ran the Pear farm down the road apiece. No matter how much the two families feuded, your parents never lost hope with each other. Now I reckon that's what you call true love."
"Could you tell us more about Mom and Dad?" Big Mac asked.
"Why I'd be happy to," Burnt Oak replied happily. He led Apple Bloom, Applejack, and Big Mac into his firewood stall. "Pull up a log, my little ponies."
They each took a seat on some logs. Burnt Oak cleared his throat. With a twinkle in his eyes and a warmness in his voice, he commenced to tell his story.
"If you recall," he began, "The last time you came 'round here, I told y'all about a plow race your father and I had. Quite by accident, he knocked over the Pears' water silo. He promised to fix it for them. After several weeks, he finally got'er done."
It was a number of moons ago. A young Bright Mac went to inform Grand Pear that the water silo was finished.
"Mr. Pear, sir, I finished repairing your water silo," said Bright Mac.
"Let's see how well you did," Grand Pear said sternly.
They went out to the crop field where Grand Pear inspected the water silo.
"Hmmm. No leaks," Grand Pear observed. He knocked on one of the silo's legs. "Sturdy. No wobbling."
Bright Mac nervously watched as Grand Pear looked the water silo over. He had spent many hours rebuilding it and was afraid that Grand Pear wouldn't be satisfied with the job he had done.
Grand Pear stood back and stared at the silo. He looked neither happy nor dissatisfied.
"Mr. Pear?" Bright Mac spoke cautiously.
"Git on home, boy," Grand Pear insisted unsmilingly. "Don't let me catch you around here again."
"Yes, sir," said Bright Mac.
He turned and started back to Sweet Apple Acres.
Seeing Bright Mac head for home, Pear Butter, or Buttercup as she was known, approached Grand Pear.
"Oh, Daddy, couldn't we give him somethin' in return?" she asked.
"No!" Grand Pear asserted with a stomp of his hoof. "He's done enough around here. He cleaned up the mess he made. That is all." He said more calmly, "Now go wash up, dear. Dinner will be ready soon."
Grand Pear started for home. Pear Butter looked out toward Sweet Apple Acres, thinking of Bright Mac, before she followed Grand Pear home.
Burnt Oak continued to narrate, "It wasn't long after when your father and I were tilling the land when I heard a whisper."
"Psst! Bright Mac!" the voice discreetly called.
A young Burnt Oak looked around and saw Pear Butter hiding in the bushes. Seeing him, she gestured toward Bright Mac.
"Hey, Bright Mac," the young Burnt Oak started.
"Yeah, Burnt Oak?" replied Bright Mac.
Before Burnt Oak could continue, Bright Mac noticed Pear Butter in the bushes and hurried to her.
"Buttercup! What are you doing here?" Bright Mac said in a hushed voice.
"I wanted to give you something for all your hard work fixing the water silo," Pear Butter explained.
"Aw, you don't have to give me anything," said Bright Mac. "It was my fault the silo got busted."
"No, I want to," said Pear Butter. "All those weeks you spent working. Daddy wouldn't let any of us help you. It's the least I can do to say 'thank you.' I bought us tickets to Buffalo Bull's Amazing Wild West Show tomorrow, if you'd want to go with me."
She gave Bright Mac a ticket.
"Why thank you kindly," Bright Mac said with appreciation. "I'd love to go with you."
"Great!" Pear Butter squealed with glee.
"Pear Butter!" Grand Pear's voice called out. "Soup's on!"
"Uh-oh. That's my Daddy. I better get going," said Pear Butter. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bright Mac."
"And I'll see you tomorrow, too, Buttercup," Bright Mac replied.
"The next day," narrated Burnt Oak, "Without Grand Pear or Granny Smith's knowing, your parents went to Buffalo Bull's Amazing Wild West Show. It was just a small show at the time, but, big or small, Buffalo Bull didn't fail to entertain with his fantastic rope tricks and dancing. Your parents had the time of their lives. Back home, on the other hoof, things weren't quite as amazing."
Walking home from Buffalo Bull's show, Bright Mac and Pear Butter stopped at the fork in the road that led to both families' farms where they were approached by Burnt Oak.
"Thank goodness y'all are back," Burnt Oak said with relief.
"Well of course," said Bright Mac. "You knew we were goin' to see Buffalo Bull's show."
Burnt Oak didn't look any less stressed.
"What's wrong, Burnt Oak?" Pear Butter asked.
"Your ma's been lookin' for you, Bright Mac," explained Burnt Oak. "She's mighty upset."
"Oh no! I never did help her with the zap apples," Bright Mac realized.
"Don't worry. I covered for you. I told her you were helping me chop firewood."
"I reckon it was all a lie," said Granny Smith walking up the trail from Sweet Apple Acres. She approached Bright Mac, rebuking him, "You and Burnt Oak must've had a whole lot of firewood to chop."
"Mom, I can explain," said Bright Mac.
"I'm listening."
Bright Mac looked nervously at Granny Smith. He turned to Pear Butter. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell a lie, but he couldn't get Pear Butter in trouble either.
"Pear Butter! What did I tell you about courting an Apple?" Grand Pear scolded as he came up the trail from the Pear farm.
"Daddy!" Pear Butter exclaimed in surprise.
"No daughter of mine will be caught gallivanting with an Apple."
"And neither will my son be seen with a Pear," Granny Smith proclaimed. "Say your goodbye's," she told Bright Mac, "because this here's the last time you're gonna see her."
Concluding his story, Burnt Oak encapsulated, "Forbidding your parents to see each other was the only thing Granny Smith and Grand Pear could agree on. Try as they might, they couldn't take away the love that Buttercup and Bright Mac shared."
"Wow! I never knew Mom and Dad got to see Buffalo Bull!" Applejack exclaimed.
"And you were such a loyal friend," noted Apple Bloom, "The way you covered for Dad and all."
"If you're not too busy or anything," Big Mac began, "Could you tell us another story?"
Burnt Oak smiled and answered, "I'd be delighted to." He then proceeded to tell his next story, "It was Hearts and Hooves Day and I was helping Bright Mac with the apple bucking. He told me that he was going to ask Buttercup to be his special somepony."
Just as he had with his first story, Burnt Oak took Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom back moons ago when he, Bright Mac, and Pear Butter were young.
"Burnt Oak, I'm gonna ask Buttercup to be my special somepony," said Bright Mac.
"Not if she asks you to be her special somepony first," replied Burnt Oak.
"Do you know somethin' I don't?"
"I see the way y'all look at each other. Ain't no doubt she wants to ask you to be her special somepony."
Whack! With one final thrust of his hind legs, Bright Mac bucked the remaining apples from the tree.
"Phew! Bucking's done," Bright Mac said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Let's get these apples to the farmhouse."
As soon as all the chores were finished, Bright Mac and Pear Butter met each other in the field located between the Apple and the Pear families' orchards. Pear Butter carried a picnic basket, a checkered blanket, and a sweet-smelling box with her.
"Howdy, Buttercup!" Bright Mac greeted. "My, something sure smells good," he said sniffing the air.
"If you think it smells good," Pear Butter began, "Just wait 'til you taste it." She opened the box. "I asked Chiffon Swirl to help me bake a cake for you."
Bright Mac gasped upon seeing the cake. The frosting letters read, "Will you be my special somepony?"
"Of course I'll be your special somepony," Bright Mac said with delight.
Pear Butter set out the checkered blanket. She and Bright Mac ate a Hearts and Hooves Day lunch, then had the cake for dessert. There couldn't be a better day for a picnic. The sun was shining brightly, the country breeze gently blew, and the chirping songs of the birds could be heard in the trees. While having their picnic, Bright Mac worried about what he should get Pear Butter in return. She had certainly put a lot of work into their lunch to show him how much she cares. There has got to be something that he could give her to show her how much he cares.
"I had never seen your father so worried," Burnt Oak explained to Apple Bloom, Applejack, and Big Mac. "He wanted to get your mother the most perfect gift. He had asked me to go to Ponyville with him to help look for something your mother would love."
The young Burnt Oak and Bright Mac walked around Ponyville, searching for a gift Pear Butter would be proud of.
"How 'bout chocolate?" Burnt Oak suggested.
"Everypony gets each other chocolate," replied Bright Mac. "My gift needs to be unique, one-of-a-kind."
Burnt Oak thought for a second. "You could maybe get her a gem from Mr. Feldspar Granite Pie's rock stall."
"What a great idea! C'mon!"
Mr. Feldspar Granite Pie had a big collection of rocks and minerals at his rock stall in the marketplace. He and Holder Cobblestone would bring them from their rock farm to sell in Ponyville. Bright Mac and Burnt Oak made their way over to the rock stall and were greeted by Mr. Feldspar Granite Pie himself.
"Greetings. I am called Feldspar Granite Pie," he introduced himself. "How may I assist thee?"
Bright Mac responded, "I'm lookin' for the biggest, most beautiful gem you've got."
"Behold!" Mr. Feldspar Granite Pie exclaimed, setting a large gem on the table. "'Tis the most beauteous gem in my collection. I am inclined to sell thee this garnet stone for no less than twenty bits."
"I don't quite have twenty bits," sighed Bright Mac.
"Perhaps thou wouldst favor jewelry instead?"
Mr. Feldspar Granite Pie showed Bright Mac the jewelry he had. There were necklaces and bracelets, brooches and earrings. They were made with a variety of gem stones including rubies, sapphires, and diamonds. Each one dazzled magnificently in the sunlight. Bright Mac admired each one carefully as he tried to find one Pear Butter would like.
"There are so many, I don't know which one to choose," Bright Mac said worriedly. "Ugh!" he groaned with stress. "Mr. Pie, your jewelry is mighty fine and all, but I can't decide on which one to get. I'm sorry, sir."
Bright Mac slowly turned and walked away.
"Bright Mac! Hold up, pardner," Burnt Oak called out.
"Fare thee well," Mr. Feldspar Granite Pie bid them adieu. "May Providence bestow glad tidings upon thee."
That evening at Sweet Apple Acres, Bright Mac paced back and forth, still concerned with the perfect gift for Pear Butter.
"I just don't know what to get her, Burnt Oak," said Bright Mac. "Hearts and Hooves Day is almost over and I still don't have a present for Buttercup. Everything we've found just doesn't seem right."
"You're thinkin' about this too hard," Burnt Oak replied. "That cake Buttercup gave you was special because it came from her heart. Find something in your heart to give her. Whatever it is, I reckon she's sure to like it."
Bright Mac gave Burnt Oak's advice some thought. As he looked out at the setting sun, he tried to find in his heart the perfect gift.
Later, at the Pear family farm, Pear Butter was finishing her work in the fields when she heard a whisper.
"Buttercup!" the soft voice quietly called out.
Pear Butter turned and noticed Bright Mac behind the bushes. She went over to him carefully, making sure Grand Pear wasn't around to notice them.
"Hi, Bright Mac," Pear Butter greeted.
"Hi, Buttercup," Bright Mac greeted back. "I, uh, wanted to give you something special for Hearts and Hooves Day. I'm sorry it ain't much."
He gave Pear Butter a card he had made back at home.
"Why thank you," said Pear Butter. "I appreciate it, but you already gave me something."
"I knew it. You don't like it," Bright Mac cried. "Buttercup, I looked all the live long day for a gift I could give you that shows how much I care about you, like the cake you gave me earlier, but nothin' seemed right." He then realized what Pear Butter had said. "I what?"
"You already gave me a gift," Pear Butter said again. She explained, "Being my special somepony was the best gift you could've given me."
Bright Mac realized that being Pear Butter's special somepony was indeed a gift from his heart, and one that really did show how much he cares for her.
"Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Buttercup," Bright Mac said warmly.
"Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Bright Mac, my special somepony," Pear Butter affectionately replied.
Drawing his story to a close, Burnt Oak stated, "I don't reckon any two ponies were made more for each other than your parents."
"Aw, that was such a sweet story," Apple Bloom commented.
"Dad sure was determined to find Mom the perfect gift," Applejack noted.
"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed. "He had it in his heart all along."
"The seeds of friendship blossomed into a mighty tree nourished by the love they had for each other," said Burnt Oak, "And that love continues to grow: inside each one of you. Reckon the apple and the pear don't fall far from the tree."
The sun began to set low over Ponyville. Salesponies in the marketplace began to close their stalls for the night.
"Sundown already," observed Burnt Oak as he looked out at the setting sun.
"Burnt Oak, sir," Big Mac started, "Thank you for sharing your stories with us. It really means a lot."
"We sure do appreciate it," added Apple Bloom.
"Well y'all are welcome to hear more stories any time you like," said Burnt Oak.
"We oughta be gettin' back home," said Applejack. "Thanks again, Burnt Oak."
"Y'all take'er easy now," Burnt Oak said tipping his hat.
Big Mac, Applejack, and Apple Bloom headed on down the trail for Sweet Apple Acres. As they journeyed home, the sun had set and the moon rose to take its place above Equestria. Just then, two shooting stars soared across the purple sky.
"Hey, look!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Two shooting stars!"
They paused to gaze upon the shooting stars which seemed to have landed just a short distance away. In curiosity, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac hastened in the direction the stars had flown. They hurried along the trail until they came to the place where the stars seemed to have landed. The stars, however, were nowhere to be found.
"Hey, where'd the stars go?" Apple Bloom asked as she looked around.
"Seems like they would've landed right here," noted Applejack.
"Look, y'all," said Big Mac.
Before them stood the intertwined apple and pear tree which Bright Mac and Pear Butter had planted the night they were wed. They remembered the words Burnt Oak had said.
"'The seeds of friendship blossomed into a mighty tree,'" quoted Apple Bloom.
"Nourished by the love Mom and Dad had for each other," Big Mac continued.
"And that love continues to grow inside each of us," said Applejack.
Reflecting on Burnt Oak's stories, they embraced each other and returned home.
Author's Note
This story's title comes from the song, "Days Gone By," from the holiday album, "It's a Pony Kind of Christmas."