Applejack stared at the big yellow blanket covering her little sister, focusing mostly on the bright red apple sewn in the center. There was something about it that seemed strikingly familiar to her, but she couldn't get get a handle on what it was.
'What's troublin' ya, big sis?' Apple Bloom inquired, lying in bed as her sister tucked in the corners. 'You seem pretty focused.'
Sighing, Applejack finished stuffing the last corner underneath the mattress. 'It's nothin', don't worry. Jus’ have a good night, ya hear?' she said, kissing the young filly on the forehead.
'Aw, I don't believe that!' Apple Bloom said. 'Come on, I can tell there's somethin' bothering ya!'
Applejack looked intently at the blanket, pondering its significance. 'I think I remember what this blanket reminds me of,' she said after a few moments.
'Huh? What about the blanket?'
'Well, I had one sort of like that not too long ago, and it was mine since I was jus' a young filly. It had a few apples on it like that,’ Applejack said, pointing her hoof to the red fabric of the apple. ‘I had a mighty good time with it, back in the day...’
‘What happened to it? Don’t ya still have it?’
‘When I went over to Appleloosa with Bloomberg, I had brought my blanket with me to comfort my sweet lil’ apple tree. When I planted Bloomy in the orchard, I figured he’d get cold in the winter chill, so I wrapped it around his trunk nice and snug. Shoot— if that wouldn’t make him happy, I’m not sure what would.’
‘Don’t you miss your blanket? I know you were thinking of your tree...’ Applejack winced at the notion of her baby being called a “tree”. ‘...but do you ever regret it?’
Applejack brought her hoof to her head as she pondered the question.
‘A little, I guess. Have I ever told you the story of my first rodeo?’
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to answer.
‘I thought we were talking about blankets, not the rodeo! Why are ya being so random, big sis?’ Apple Bloom asked, brimming with curiosity.
‘Don’t worry, it’s not long. You’ll see what I mean when I say that my blanket has done mighty wonders fer me before...’
***
'Oh boy...' Applejack said nervously, keeping her worried gaze fixated on the line of rugged, eager-looking ponies waiting in front of her.
'Is somethin' the matter?' the deep, resounding voice of Big McIntosh replied next to her. 'I figured you’d be excited to finally take part in the rodeo! Hasn't this always been your dream after all those shows ya watched?'
'I'm-I'm jus' a lil' bit nervous, is all. Not sure if I want to do this anymore—'
'Nonsense!' Big Mac interrupted, shaking his head. 'You're a very talented young mare, Applejack. I saw you practicin’ at home, and wow! I ain’t never seen a filly perform that well anywhere from Ponyville to Manehattan!'
‘I know, I jus’ don’t think I can do it in front of all these ponies!’ Applejack exclaimed. ‘Sometimes, I feel like crawlin’ into bed and forgettin’ about stuff like this. It’s pretty scary without some covers around ya!’
Big McIntosh’s eyes lit up at Applejack’s explanation, turning around sharply with a sense of urgency etched on his determined face.
‘Wait,’ Applejack cried out, ‘where are you going? I need ya, Big Mac!’
‘I’m gonna get somethin’, just hold tight! Sweet Apple Acres isn’t far away!’ Big McIntosh called out as he began running from the rodeo circle.
‘Big Mac!’
It was useless for Applejack to continue, as her brother was already out of earshot. Despite his calming words, she couldn't shake the feeling that kept her hooves glued to her spot at the back of the line.
‘I can’t do this without Big Mac...’
Seconds quickly turned to minutes, and soon enough, the line had shortened drastically, to the point where she could see the gate leading into the rodeo circle. However, her hooves were still cemented in place, unwilling to move up to her spot in line.
‘I see yer turn is almost up, lil’ sis.’
Applejack turned in surprise to the comforting voice of Big McIntosh next to her, keeping an apple-spotted piece of fabric clenched in his mighty jaws.
‘Big Mac! Ya came back!’ Applejack said excitedly, hopping up and down at the sight of her big brother. ‘Say, what’d you bring my blanket fer?’
‘Well, ya said ya wanted to crawl into yer bed, so I brought the bed to you!’ In a swift movement, Big McIntosh draped the two front corners of the blanket over her neck and tied them in a simple knot, securing the fabric over her back.
‘There ya go, Applejack. Now yer all tucked in!’
‘Ah! This is perfect, thank ya so much! Now that I have my own cape, I can go show them other ponies what the Apple family is all about!’
Big McIntosh looked down on his newly confident sister, his eyes gleaming with pride.
‘You go get ‘em, lil’ sis!’
***
'Wow!' Apple Bloom interjected. 'How did you do?'
Applejack began walking out of the room, imagining the day at the rodeo in her mind. As she stood at the doorway, with Apple Bloom still waiting for her answer, the orange mare turned her head and smiled.
'I won first prize.'
She closed the door behind her and walked over to her own room, still smiling at her fond memories.
'I guess I do miss that ol’ thing. But that's all gone with Bloomberg now...'
***
The following morning, Applejack looked out her kitchen window with an apple in her hoof. Munching happily on the red fruit, she watched as the sun rose above the tree line on her orchard, casting its light all over Sweet Apple Acres.
'Hey, Applejack!' Apple Bloom cried out from the living room. 'I wanna show you somethin'!'
Curious, Applejack set her apple on the kitchen counter, and proceeded into the small living room. Inside, both Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were sitting in rocking chairs, each holding up a small piece of fabric and a large needle in hoof.
'What're y’all doin' with the fabric?' Applejack inquired, trying to make sense of the activity.
'Granny's showing me how to sew!' Apple Bloom replid excitedly, dropping her needle. 'Oops! Could you get that fer me, sis?'
'Sure thing!' Applejack replied, reaching down to get the dropped needle. Apple Bloom accepted it gratefully and returned to her sewing routine. Applejack watched for a moment, then broke the silence and said, 'Granny tried gettin' me into it a while back, but I never took to it. I guess it ain't fer everypony!'
Granny nodded her head in agreement, watching the little filly’s routine closely. 'She took quite an interest in it, you know,' Granny said. 'Back in my day, everypony was an expert at sewing! Where did we go wrong?'
'Okay, Granny,' Applejack said, chuckling. 'You two have fun, I've got to go finish breakfast!'
Without another word, she returned to the kitchen and her apple, leaving the two sewing ponies to their work.
I'm mighty glad she found somethin' to take to! Applejack thought. I could never have the patience fer that— there's simply too much work on the farm!
***
The following morning, observing the sunrise once again, Applejack munched on another apple. Curiosity piqued, she moseyed into the living room once more. Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were at the sewing practice again. They quickly resumed their work on the fabric, weaving in and out through the loops they created.
Days turned to weeks, and the same routine was followed morning after morning in the Apple family house. Every time the curious Applejack checked up on her developing sister, Apple Bloom was dying to show her a new technique she had learned from Granny Smith. Whether it was learning how to sew an apple made of fabric or a new, faster way to sew, it made Applejack’s heart skip every time.
My sweet lil’ Apple Bloom is really enjoyin’ herself, just like I did at rodeos... it feels so good to be done with all that blanket trouble and to see my sis be happy too! It’s... been a while since we’ve all been so happy. I sure hope Apple Bloom feels even happier if she gets her cutie mark from this!
‘Hey, Applejack!’ Apple Bloom called out from the living room, just as she had done many times before. ‘I’ve got somethin’ to show ya!’
‘Is it another technique, Apple Bloom? I’m sure Granny Smith’s still got plenty of tricks up her sleeve!’
‘No, but it’s the latest project I’ve been working on! Do you want to see it?’
Before Applejack could reply, a loud creaking noise silenced the ponies in the room, all of them curious as to the peculiar sound’s source.
‘I’m pretty sure that was the mailbox creaking. You can show me your project after I go check the mail, okay Apple Bloom?’
‘Yeah, that’s fine! I can’t wait for you to see my project!’
Nodding her head, Applejack switftly left through the front door of the living room, eager to see the mail that the now distant grey mailpony had delivered. Her curiosity grew as she saw a brown box sticking out from the edge of the mailbox, preventing its lid from shutting.
'Now, I wonder what that package could be?' Applejack thought out loud. 'I don't remember orderin' anything! And who could be sending me somethin’ on a Sunday evenin’?
Applejack quickly made her way to the package, taking care to handle whatever lay inside as she took it from the mailbox. The package wasn’t very big, but on top of it, an envelope was securely taped with the words “Applejack” and “Appleloosa” inscribed in jet black ink. She took the letter in hoof, leaving the package unperturbed.
Holding the parchment in her hoof, she unfolded it from the envelope and began reading the familiar writing.
Applejack,
Braeburn here! How’ve you been doing, cousin? I reckon we really should stay in touch more, but that might be my fault. You seem like a pretty busy pony on your farm.
But our little "farm" over in Appleloosa hasn't been doing so great. We got hit by a nasty drought last summer, and it ravaged our orchard. Amazingly, your tree survived with flying colours, being the only tree that gave us apples. They were some of the best ones our little townhas ever eaten! On behalf of the entire town, I'd like to say a mighty thanks!
Applejack smiled as she recalled her fond memories of the strong apple tree.
...But we also found something that looked like fabric around the tree, probably a blanket of some sort. It was almost unrecognizable since it was so tattered and torn from the animals, dust and whatever else that may have come its way. It seemed to be the big reason why the tree survived, since it was wrapped around it like a shield. I enclosed its remains in the package with this letter, as I'm sure you’ll want it for a memory.
I won’t keep you too much longer, I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do and plenty of stuff to think about. I’m mighty busy too, what with all of the work that needs to be done around the town. Secret stuff. Well, not really secret stuff, that’d be pretty silly. But seriously, you really should come and visit more often! Me and some of the boys miss seeing you around these parts!
Talk to ya soon!
Braeburn
'Applejack? What does it say?' Apple Bloom said as she left the house, watching her sister with anticipation. ‘...Applejack? Are you all right?’
The young filly’s words had no effect on the still-as-a-stone mare standing directly in front of her, still clutching the letter. After a few moments of silence, Applejack reached into the mailbox slowly, pulling out the package included with the letter. She gave it a few shakes, muttering a few words to herself. Even though Apple Bloom wasn’t sure what the significance of the curious box was, she saw the sadness growing in her sister’s eyes as clear as day.
‘If somethin’ is wrong, jus’ tell me! There’s no harm in telling me, is there?’
Applejack approached her younger sister, still maintaining her rock solid expression. She slowly gave the box to the puzzled young filly, stopped for a few moments and ran off to the nearest hill, allowing tears to flow down from her eyes and along her face.
Apple Bloom, meanwhile, merely stared at her fleeting sister, becoming more and more puzzled all the while. She noticed a piece of paper fluttering downwards, the same one that Applejack had held before her sudden departure.
‘Does it have somethin’ to do with this letter? Maybe it’s about the package!’
Apple Bloom looked at the package she had been given closely, eager to see its troubling contents. Without a moment’s hesitation, she opened the flaps and stuck her hooves inside the small box, fidgeting around the foam packaging pellets for a few moments before coming across something soft and thread-like.
‘Aha! So this is what she’s been—’ Apple Bloom began, cutting herself off as she saw the object pulled out in front of her. It was a blanket, but it’s conditions barely made it recognizable. A few threads were all that kept a few patches of fabric together, dangling limp from the other patches. The most distressing sight was in the center patch, which had a partially torn, faded out image of an apple sewn into the fabric.
‘Oh no...’
Looking for confirmation, she grabbed the letter Applejack had been reading before, and took in Braeburn’s grim news with meticulous detail.
‘Braeburn... Appleloosa... blanket... tattered? Torn? It really is Applejack’s blanket!’ Apple Bloom cried out loud. She looked out into the distance and caught a faint glimpse of her sister, who had stopped on a nearby hill, silhouetting herself against the sun. ‘Don’t worry sis, I know what you need.’
***
Applejack stared off into the yellow horizon, which had begun casting a shadow over Ponyville as the sun prepared for its daily setting. She wasn’t in tears anymore, but she wasn’t sure what to feel in its place.
All those memories are just... gone? Just like that? Taken away from mewhile my guard was down?
She closed her eyes as the sun began setting, still trying to recall the now-painful memories from her mind.
‘Hey, Applejack,’ a familiar filly’s voice said comfortingly, interrupting Applejack’s thoughts. ‘I read the letter and saw the blanket, so I brought it over to you.’
‘You... brought the blanket?’ Applejack said, keeping her eyes tightly shut. ‘I don’t want to see it. Jus’ leave me here fer a while.’
‘Are you cold?’
‘Why, yes, I guess I am a little cold from the wind-’
A warming sensation fell over Applejack as something thick and soft covered her up to her head. The feeling was familiar, one she felt every cold night when she crawled under the normal, plain blankets on her bed. This time, though, a stronger warmth was felt all over her body.
‘What in tarnation—’
She opened her eyes to see what the source was, and she saw a relatively large blanket adorned with a few bright red apples lying on top of her. Apple Bloom was to one side, holding the tattered blanket from the mail, a hesitant smile etched on her face.
‘So, what do you think?’ Apple Bloom said. ‘I know it took a while to sew, but I’m kind of new at it. Granny wanted to keep it a secret, so she helped me finish it off quicker than I would have so that you wouldn’t see me working on it. I’ve been working on it in my own room fer the past couple months!’
‘What do I think?’ Applejack said, a bright smile lighting up her face. ‘I think it’s amazin’! This is the best thing anypony has ever done fer me, lil’ sis, and I am so darn grateful that you put so much work into somethin’ like this! But why’d ya do it in the first place?’
‘Well, I saw you seemed a little unhappy, that’s how I started! If it wasn’t all fer you, I wouldn’t have kept sewing since it’s so boring. Granny goes on fer hours and hours sometimes—’
Apple Bloom’s speech was cut off mid-sentence as the newly sewn blanket was offered by hoof to her.
‘Here, you can take it. My time with it is over, but your fillyhood is still a work in progress. I’m happy enough knowin’ that you did this fer me,’ Applejack said as Apple Bloom accepted the blanket. ‘Jus’ give me mine, please, so I can keep it fer memory’s sake.’
Apple Bloom gently handed the heap of worn thread held between her hooves over, careful not to pull any of the thin pieces and rip it further.
Applejack lit up at the offering. ‘Thanks, sis. It means a lot more when ya give it to me yerself.’
Applejack smiled brightly and turned to the sunset, which was halfway down the horizon. She lay the tattered cloth over herself, but a gust of wind came, prompting her to shiver from the lack of warmth.
A pang of worry ran over Apple Bloom. ‘You’re still cold. Here, the blanket won’t be mine; it’ll be both of ours. Let’s share it, then we can both be warm!’ Apple Bloom said, moving right to her sister’s side. She lay the fairly large blanket over the two of them, wrapping them both in its fierce warmth.
‘If you really want to share it, I’m all fer it. It is mighty cold, after all!’
The two sisters lay underneath the warm fabric, watching as the sunset completed its daily descent into the horizon.
‘Apple Bloom?’
‘Yes, big sis?’
‘Have some great memories with this blanket. You know you only have one fillyhood, and just like I did, make it count. Alrigh’?’
‘Of course I will! It is a special blankie, after all!’
Applejack looked to her sister as darkness fell on Sweet Apple Acres, the blanket, and the two sisters.
‘It’s not the blanket that’s special. It’s the special somepony who made it.’
