Oh my God, it’s HERE. I-I need to fan myself. I’ve been waiting for literally YEARS for this episode. OwO;

💝 SYNOPSIS 💝
Apple Bloom visits the market and meets a very nice, elderly stallion by the name of Grand Pear. He’s generous enough to let her have a jar of some of his famous preserves, and she happily goes back home to tell her siblings about it. But Applejack and Big Mac are horrified at the sight of the pear-related product and rush to hide it from Granny Smith, who always becomes highly upset at even the mention of the fruit. Apparently, there was a long-standing feud between the Apple family and the Pear family. Determined to find out why, the three Apple siblings venture around Ponyville hoping to get some answers. But they’re all in for the shock of their lives when they discover just how complicated the history really is!

💝 IMPRESSIONS AND STUFF 💝
So Grand Pear rolls into town and he’s made a great name for himself producing and selling pear jam! That actually sounds pretty tasty and reminded me that I used to love the fruit! Maybe I should buy a few sometime…

And BLASPHEMY! An Apple dares eat the rival fruit! Just kidding. I actually like that Apple Bloom associating with a Pear wasn’t a problem because of the actual fruit thing, but because AJ and Big Mac knew Granny Smith had a beef with that family (even if they weren’t exactly sure why). I found it hilarious how panicked they were about Granny finding anything relating to pears in the household. XD

But luckily for us, the Apple siblings don’t let Granny stop them from investigating into why there seems to be a feud between the Apples and Pears. They pay a visit to that wacky hoarder Goldie Delicious again, who remains the family historian. Nice continuity there. Also, there’s another hint that the Pies may be related, what with Goldie’s hair being able to hold all manner of things inside. While she’s a bit apprehensive about telling them the story, she figures they have every right to know and starts getting to the good stuff.

So we have the set-up of Granny Smith and Grand Pear being extreme rivals back in their day, with their farms being right next door and competing constantly. It was amusing and nice seeing their younger selves, and how crazily competitive and obsessed they were with their farming. XD

Both families hated each other, all except for two: Bright McIntosh from the Apple clan, and Pear Butter from the Pear clan. Now, they’re cute as buttons and all but… Aren’t they BABIES when they first meet? How the heck are they talking beyond goo-goos and ga-gas? Especially with such mature voices? My head hurts… 💦

Anywho, AJ quickly realizes that these two are their parents, who are more commonly known as Bright Mac and Buttercup instead of their given names. And boy, is it a shock to realize they’re all actually half Pear. THE SCANDAL. But they’re all understandably questioning how this itty bitty detail never came to light before, and Goldie actually answers that by reminding them that Pear Butter was rarely called that after getting the nickname “Buttercup”. Not only that, their mother’s cutiemark was a jar of preservatives, which doesn’t look any different from apple butter. Very fair point! I like that the writers addressed that immediately.

With this fascinating discovery, the Apple siblings are eager to hear more. But Goldie doesn’t remember too much about them herself, except for the fact that the two obviously adored each other and that love could be felt by anyone around them. D’aww! 💗 But she does give them the name of Burnt Oak, a childhood friend of their father’s who could give them even more details about their parents. They recognize that he’s the local firewood salesman and go to pay the seasoned stallion a visit. Speaking of, Oakwood’s got a kick-ass design and cool Southern drawl! He’s quick on the uptake, and realizes that the Apples are there to finally hear about their father. He’s happy to finally talk about his best friend and the siblings sit down for more.

Burnt Oak recalls how Bright Mac was a fast and strong worker of the land, but that he had an obvious crush on the girl next door. He was so distracted by her during a race he and Oakwood were having that he accidentally runs into a water silo and floods the surrounding Pear farmland. Oakwood wisely tried to hide himself and his friend as Grand Pear approaches, and he starts accusing his daughter of causing the damage…. somehow?? Yeah, he strikes me just as a bit of an irrational jerk. But Bright Mac is a good guy and takes responsibility for the damages instead. How lovely! I see that’s where AJ gets her honest nature from, which is also cutely pointed out by lil’ sis Bloom. This begins to endear him to Pear Butter immediately, but Grand Pear is wise to what’s developing and adamantly tells her that no daughter of his will be pairing up (hush!) with an Apple. So a forbidden relationship began forming between Bright Mac and Buttercup as he visited the Pear’s farm afterward to repair the damages. At this point, Burnt Oak advises them to consult Mrs. Cake to learn more about their mother’s side, but he is overjoyed to know they’ll come back to him for more stories. ;w;

Wow, I did NOT expect Mrs. Cake to be one of the ponies able to tell the Apples about their parents! Turned out she was the best friend of Buttercup in their younger days. But I like this development, it makes a lot of sense! And looking back, it must have been bittersweet for the Apples to come around Sugarcube Corner, as Mrs. Cake likely always wanted to talk about her old friend with them, but didn’t really know when to do so considering the complicated history. She also didn’t think it was her place to bring it up. I find that very believable, honestly. Plus, she was always cute, but she’s downright adorable as a younger mare! ✨

Also, Mrs. Cake’s given name was actually Chiffon Swirl! Very fitting! And as another cool connection, Buttercup actually helped her realize where her true talent lied, as Mrs. Cake actually had no idea what she was meant to do. This sounds very familiar, and Applejack proudly points out that this knack for helping ponies with their talents is present in Apple Bloom as well. I adore how many of the traits we know and love of the siblings are apparent in their folks as well. That’s always part of what gets me so excited to see the Mane6’s parents and I’m glad they’re really running with it here.

Buttercup’s song was so sweet, oh Lord. Don’t look at me. ;w;

The last pony that can complete the story is none other than Mayor Mare, who actually officiates the wedding, with Mrs. Cake and Burnt Oakwood acting as respective witnesses! And am I the only one who things she looks even better with pink hair? And more bonus points for continuity.

And man, the love story between Bright Mac and Buttercup was one of the sweetest romances I’ve ever seen, much less in MLP. Anyone who says the team can’t handle a romantic relationship believably should just take a look at these two. Yes, they were clearly a parallel of Romeo and Juliet, but they were well-developed in just one flashback episode, and had a natural and endearing star-crossed lovers’ story that started in childhood and extended to adulthood. Rather than, y’know, two teens who became creepily obsessed with each other over the span of a day or two. Their chemistry was lovely and they had cute innocence and laid-back way about them that you can’t help but smile. Even their decision to get married, as seemingly rushed as it was, was completely understandable and proved to be the right decision in the end, even if they never got to see the day their families put their differences behind them. That, and they actually did succeed in getting together despite the feud, marrying, and having a wonderful little family as a result. Yes, they’ve sadly passed away in the end (it’s all but said outright) and it’s very uplifting. They ended up making it even when everyone around them insisted they wouldn’t. And that’s beautiful. ♥️

Bright Mac and Buttercup’s shotgun marriage was amazing! Everything was simple yet sweet, and them exchanging their fruit seeds instead of rings was a creative touch. Even though you knew it was going to be discovered by Granny Smith and Grand Pear, you couldn’t help but be on the edge of your seat a bit. Even though Grand Pear was insistent on his daughter dropping the marriage and coming with him so they could move all the way to Vanhoover with the rest of their kin, Buttercup surprised me by making the point that technically the Apples were her family as well now, since their vows were sealed thanks to Mayor Mare. So she wasn’t putting the Apples over her relatives at all, and put the ball squarely in her father corner on if he’d make her choose between them. And when her father had the nerve to unashamedly say that he was making her side with one or the other, my heart truly went out to her. She adored her family, and to have to give them up just because she was in love with an Apple stallion shattered her heart. Her own father couldn’t put aside his pettiness even for the sake of his (assumingly) only child. That’s pretty darn low.

Granny Smith may have been just as petty and stubborn during the feud, but even she never had the heart to disown and abandon her child. She loved her son and wasn’t willing to ruin their family bond. What’s more, I give Granny ALL the respect for setting aside her animosity in an instant, not only allowing the marriage out of love for Bright Mac, but easily accepting the poor young mare that was just disowned into her family. That was amazing. In that small scene, I was able to forgive Granny Smith for her part in the feud and see her as an amazingly strong character. This makes her reluctance to talk about the couple all the more understandable, even if she should’ve told this to her grandchildren way before now. She probably feels a lot of guilt for her part in the feud and knowing that her son felt he had to go behind her back just to be with Buttercup. But even when she fully accepted their union and had them both living with her, she likely had to deal with the full brunt of loving and losing them when the time came. I can’t imagine how difficult that must’ve been, in combination with the rage and resentment she’d have felt towards the Pear family for disowning one of their own. She was also left having to raise her poor grandchildren, and not have the other side of their family help at all. I see her in a whole new light now.

As terrible as Grand Pear was in his youth – and I DO mean terrible – I couldn’t help but feel a lot of pity for him. While I don’t have much respect for him for letting his personal vendetta with Granny and the Apple family drive him to shun and abandon his daughter, I can’t imagine how crushing it feels to know that your child is gone and you never got the chance to make amends with them before their passing. At least Granny was able to reconcile with both of them, while he stubbornly refused to budge. And by the time he finally had the guts and maturity to come around, it was far too late. That’s heart-wrenching, and you can clearly sense all of the regret and remorse in his tone and expressions. Since it was too late to fix things with his daughter, I give him props for having the courage to fully admit how awful he’d been and try and at least reconcile with Granny and get to know his grandchildren. Buttercup would have at least wanted it that way. ;o;

And as a humongous Applejack and Apple Bloom fan, I LOVED seeing how much they took after their parents. Big Mac, too, talked a bit more than he usually does, which was very fitting considering the important things going on and really endeared me to him. In fact, your heart goes out to all three of them, who all seem to have made peace with their parents’ passing, but are extremely happy and fulfilled to learn more of where they’ve come from. It was well worth the wait for them to finally get these answers and grow from it all.

That ending was right in the feels. The way it was foreshadowed during the wedding, when Bright Mac and Buttercup exchanged seeds like wedding rings, and how those seeds bloomed into the impossible apple and pear trees entwined into a heart? It’s like a symbol of them always being together and watching over them, and confirmation that the Pears and Apples are now a single unit in the form of the children. My GOD, I swear I’m not crying! 💦

💝 FINAL SCORING 💝
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Ugh, I promise I didn’t cry, but I did tear up. Finally seeing the Apples’ parents was well worth the wait. I had absolutely NO issues with this episode, it was flawless. I got everything I wanted out of an episode like this, and the writing was smooth and kept up great consistency. Sure, some people may feel the show “shied away” from outright verbally saying that Bright Mac and Buttercup have died. But I don’t agree with that at all: they left so many obvious clues with the way the ponies who knew them recount the tales (and the fact I can’t believe for a second these two lovable characters would willingly part from their children, nor do I get any indication that they’re somehow missing like in a show like “Hey Arnold!”), it’s abundantly they’re deceased. And I don’t need them to outright say it: you can still drive home that atmosphere without zeroing in on the details/cause. Sure, you shouldn’t sugarcoat that kind of thing, but I don’t think the show did that. Kids will likely understand this even without a strong grasp of the subject, and possibly make connect of the Apple siblings’ reactions.

This is one of the best episodes of the season – no, the entire series. I knew I was going to love this, and I encourage you all to give it a watch. Or several.