Season 7 Episode 13: The Perfect Pear
The episode starts off with Apple Bloom in the market, attempting to buy some pear jam from an elderly salespony. She welcomes him to Ponyville, before being told by one of the local residents that the salespony, Grand Pear, actually used to be from Ponyville. Apple Bloom is impressed by the jam, thanking the salespony profusely. He returns the kindness by letting her have the jar for free. Thrilled with her purchase, Apple Bloom tells Applejack about it when she returns home, though Applejack is angered by Apple Bloom's purchase. She tells Apple Bloom to hide the jar, and the opening credits roll.
Confused as to Applejack's reaction, Apple Bloom inquires as to why the jam is bad, and Applejack tells of a long-standing feud between the Apples and the Pears. However, neither she nor Big Mac are sure exactly *why* they're feuding, so Apple Bloom recommends that they ask Granny Smith. Applejack conjectures that bringing up the troublesome past would be too much for Granny, so recommends that they talk to Goldie Delicious instead.
After a short interlude wherein the Apple siblings travel to Goldie Delicious' house, she recants the history behind the feud for them through means of a flashback. As it turns out, Sweet Apple Acres didn't use to be the only farm in Ponyville; there used to be a pear orchard as well. Due to being in direct competition for sales, Grand Pear had a bitter rivalry with Granny Smith. This wasn't only showcased at the market stalls, but also on the farms themselves, with the two families each trying to prove that they were better farmers than the other.
There was only one pairing between the two families that ever seemed to get along: that of Bright McIntosh and Pear Butter. In the flashback, Bright Mac is seen to be bonding with Pear Butter over their mutual interest in the buttercup flower. Bright Mac was infatuated by the way the light from a buttercup flower reflected off of Pearl Butter's face, so ended up calling her Buttercup as a nickname. It's at this point in the story that Apple Bloom interjects, stating that 'Bright Mac' and 'Buttercup' are the names of the Apple parents. It's revealed that not only are the pair the Apple sibling's parents, but this also makes the siblings half-Pear. Goldie Delicious offers to tell them more, though her next volume of Apple History is unfortunately being guarded by a cheetah. Instead, she recommends that the trio go talk to Burnt Oak, a firewood salespony who was best friends with Bright Mac in the past.
As soon as Applejack reveals that the siblings haven't come to visit Burnt Oak for firewood, he immediately assumes they've come to question him about their father... which seems a little conveniently presumptuous. Either way, he begins to recant a story of when the pair went racing. Apparently Bright Mac was so distracted by Pear Butter in a nearby field that he crashed into a water silo, destroying it in the process. Grand Pear steps in, ready to accuse Pear Butter, though Bright Mac immediately takes responsibility. Grand Pear proceeds to demand a new silo from Bright Mac, and chastise Pear Butter for showing infatuation with Bright Mac for his assertiveness. Apparently Bright Mac was so busy fixing the silo in his spare time that Burnt Oak didn't see him much after that, though he mentions that Mrs. Cake was good friends with Pear Butter back then, and that she might have some further insight.
Reminiscing about the past, Mrs. Cake informs the siblings that it was actually Pear Butter who got her interested in baking. Applejack questions this, stating that her name is Mrs. Cake. While her *marriage* is probably a fairly integral aspect of her name, I do have to wonder about the association between names and cutie marks (and therefor ability). Anyway, apparently her name hasn't always been Mrs. Cake; it used to be Chiffon Swirl. Pear Butter helped Mrs. Cake discover her love of baking by providing her with some ingredients and telling her to simply be creative. Applejack likens the fact that Pear Button helped Mrs. Cake discover her special talent to Apple Bloom's recent work in the CMC.
Mrs. Cake recants of a time she attempted to thank Pear Butter for her baking advice by surprising her with a cake. In another flashback, Pear Butter is seen making out with Bright Mac, as Mrs. Cake approaches from the bushes... before realising the situation, and stopping to perv on them instead. Stepping on a twig and giving away her position, she emerges to present Pear with her cake. Pear asks Mrs. Cake if she wouldn't mind keeping her relationship a secret, and Mrs. Cake promises to do so. Granny Smith emerges from the bushes as well, chastising Bright Mac for fraternising with a Pear, and leading him off by the ear. Mrs. Cake proceeds to ask Pear Butter how they became to be a couple, and we're presented with a flashback within a flashback.
In this second-level flashback, Bright and Pear are on a hill talking about the length of their relationship. It's their "one hundred and thirty-one thousand, four hundred and fifty-six hour anniversary", which is a rather precise and random length of time that equates to slightly over 15 years. This is the anniversary of when Bright first called Pear 'Buttercup', which was when they were foals, so we can assume that they're both 15 years old at this point. Considering horses only live to between 25 and 30 years, they would be middle-aged, though are presented as lovestruck teenagers. But I digress. As an anniversary present, Pear sings a song for Bright. For his present to Pear, Bright leads her to a clearing where has carved their cutie marks inside a love heart on a rock. This scene is harshly interrupted by a cutaway to slightly later on, with Grand Pear informing Pear Butter that the Pears are moving to Vanhoover. This apparently lead to Bright Mac doing the most romantic thing Mrs. Cake has ever seen, though for *some* contrived reason, she can't tell them about it; they need Mayor Mare to do that.
After tracking down Mayor Mare, she proceeds to tell the story from where Mrs. Cake left off. As it turns out, this romantic gesture was a secret wedding, with Mayor Mare being the officiator. They signify their union by each planting a seed of their respective fruit, shortly before Granny Smith and Grand Pear show up unexpectedly. They express anger and confusion, though Bright Mac and Pear Butter inform them that they're in love. Mayor Mare quickly pronounces them husband and wife, and the pair seal their marriage with a kiss. Grand Pear reminds Pear Butter that the family is moving, and that she has to stick with her family. She conjectures that the Apples are part of her family now too, and after being forced to make a choice between the two, she chooses to stay with the Apple family. Applejack thinks it's time to to talk to their grandparents about the past -- both of them.
Returning to the market, Applejack introduces herself and her siblings to Grand Pear, though mentions that he probably already knows who they are. Grand Pear reveals that he's sorry for the past, and that he actually moved to Ponyville to apologise for his actions. The Apple siblings immediately forgive him, and ask if they can call him by a less formal name, to which he happily agrees. The siblings return to the farm, telling Granny Smith that they've been busy learning about their parents... and their grandfather. They reveal that they've brought Grand Pear with them, and they all make amends, agreeing not to let a silly feud come between them. Apple Bloom leads everypony off to a secluded glade, where she reveals that Bright Mac and Pear Butter left something to remember them by: their interwoven fruit trees. All the ponies present bask in the trees' beauty, and share a laugh as the credits roll.
Adding the final set of parents for the Mane Six, this was a truly great and emotive episode. There was even an all-star cast lending their voices; Grand Pear was voiced by William Shatner, and Pear Butter was voiced by Felicia Day. The trope of having multiple characters all telling the same story is a good one, though did feel a bit contrived in this episode; secondary storytellers knew the *exact* required context for the story continuation, given next to no supporting context or prompting. And this necessary storyteller switching resulted in lead roles being given to two of my least favourite characters: Mrs. Cake and Mayor Mare. Still, the performances by the Pears more than made up for the random switching of storytellers.
It was also interesting to note that Bright Mac and Pear Butter were again referenced very morbidly, with Apple Bloom stating the trees were "something to remember them by". This certainly would seem to indicate that they're not around anymore. While this could simply be due to them eloping, there's also the possibility that something fatal happened. Death is always a touchy subject, and only time will tell if Hasbro will tackle such a risky concept in the future!
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