Reminiscing

Grandpere Pear walks into our barn for what I'd believe to be the first time ever. As he called it, it was "as organized and neat as the Pears' barn." After Applejack finishes givin' introductions, I smile and follow Applejack and Grand Pear upstairs to his room. He's gonna be stayin' with us now, as a new part of the Apple family. Well, techincally, he's been an Apple for a while. But I'm glad to have seen him acceptin' us as a family and stayin' with us.

He sighs as he sits on the guest bed. "If only your mother were here," he told me, Applejack, and Big Macintosh. "I would apologize to her. I would tell your dad I loved him and his wife both."

Applejack softly rests a hoof on his shoulder. "If only the world worked the way we wanted it to. There would be a lot we could do, a whole world to set right."

"Eeyup," agrees Big Mac.

I'm not familiar with the sweet voice Applejack says Mom has. Or the fluffy hair that's seemingly like Pinkie Pie's hair. But Applejack says she got her hat from Dad. I'm familiar with that. I only wish I could know more about them. That gives me an idea. "Grandpere Pear," I turn to him, gettin' his attention, "do you know any stories with Mom and Dad that you could tell me? Please?"

He rubs his chin for a bit. "Well, probably not any that you haven't heard yet. Obviously, the two kept secrets about their love from both Granny Smith and I. And remember, I moved out of Ponyville at around the time of their wedding, so I don't know much about them as a couple."

"How about Granny Smith?" Applejack suggests. "I'm sure Mom and Dad lived in the Apple Family Barn after Grandpere moved. Granny must've been there too, right?"

Big Mac nods. "How 'bout Burnt Oak?"

"The firewood salespony?" I ask. "Dad's best friend aside from Mom?"

"Pretty much," Applejack tells me. Big Mac nods as well.

I gleam. "Can we do another sibling trip tomorrow mornin'?" This makes Applejack and Big Mac look at each other with an uneasy look.

"Sorry, sugarcube. We'd love to go, but it's Applebuck Season, almost Cider Season, and we've already spent today off from work. We gotta start work early tomorrow mornin'."

I am disappointed to hear what Applejack has to say, and it's even worse as Big Mac agreed with her. "Now hold on a second," Grandpere speaks up. "Applebloom doesn't need to do much around the farm, does she?"

Applejack considers it for a moment. "Well, aside from her usual chores, she helps us by takin' the basket around and catchin' fallin' apples. But I suppose we could just leave our basket on the ground near the tree."

She and Big Mac start discussin' things with their backs turned to me before they finally face me again. "Big Mac and I have decided to let ya hear some stories on your own." I start to do a cheer when she raises her hoof, implyin' that there's more. "If you finish all your regular chores tomorrow, you can leave early and hear some more stories. As long as your back by lunch."

I beam. "Thank you, Applejack!" And then I hug her, Big Mac, and Grandpere. Applejack tucks me in a little bit later. I look at the hat on her head and think of Papa, Dad, Father. Whatever I called him. One look at my ceiling reminds me of Dad as well, as it has glow-in-the-dark stars hanging there. Dad's cutie mark had a star in the center of an apple. It sort of hurts to think about the things I love but can't have anymore.

I turn over in my bed, facin' my dresser. Guess that wasn't much of a smart choice, either, because on it rests a glitter jar. We made them in class, but they're supposed to help us relax. Seeing one now just reminds me of Mom and her pear butter jar cutie mark. It doesn't seem to relax me anymore, just make me lament even more than I already am. I turn over completely in the bed and push my face into the pillow. As I drift off to sleep, I hear lullabies sung to me. Surprisingly, they're not sung in the voice of Applejack, which I recognize, but instead two voices. A stallion's gleeful voice and the euphonious crooning of a mare. The dulcet lullaby helps me drift off to sleep.

I open my eyes, seeing the world zoom back and forth, as if I'm riding on a rocking chair. 'Cept I know it's not a rocking chair, 'cause when I look down, I'm in the comfort a soft yellow surface. It actually matches my own coat color. Looking up, I see the face of a stallion. Right next to him is a mare with a more orange, cream-colored coat. Their faces alleviate me and I close my eyes. Even though I know for a fact this is a dream, I push away the fact. I take in all I can for now. A dream is near the closest to having my parents with me in real life again.

Boy, does it hurt. It hurts both to have them and not have them. I know that the longer I'm with them, the more I'll miss them later. I climb out of Papa's hooves and hug my Mama. It sounds wrong to call either of them these, so I go with "Mother" and "Father." It sounds so solemn and formal, which is a bad thing, but at the same time, it sounds so right.

"Mother," I whisper while against Mother. "Father." I swear the words feel so heavy on my tongue, so wrong to say out loud. I'm not used to any of this, and that's a fact. It stays silent for a moment, and then I think of a song to sing, one that Fluttershy taught me and Scootaloo. I step forward and reveal my voice.

"Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now,
It's time to go to bed."

I keep singing, but as I listen, I hear two more voices join in with me.

"Driftin' off to sleep,
Exciting day behind you.
Driftin' off to sleep,
Let the joy of dream land find you."

I feel two bodies each on a different side of me, and I smile as I realize how great it is to feel solace. I can't wait to hear more stories of Mother and Father tomorrow morning.