"It ain't fair! Why'd they have to go!?" Applebloom wailed, wrapping all four legs around her big sister.
Applejack brought Applebloom closer, hugged her gently, hoping that her soft touch would comfort the little filly. She supposed she was in as much turmoil as her little sister. Just better at hiding it. But the pain she felt in her heart was as real as any she'd ever felt.
What should she say? She didn't know the answer to that any better than Applebloom did. "I know, sugarcube," she said, her voice cracking. "It ain't fair."
Applebloom sobbed and sniffed. AJ could feel her trembling. "I just want 'em back! Please make 'em come back! Tell me I'm just imagining it! Tell me this is all just a bad dream and I'll wake up and they'll be right downstairs!"
Though Applejack didn't think it was possible, Applebloom clenched her even harder and buried her face into her big sister's strong chest. "I'm so sorry, sugarcube." She began to rock her and rub her back. "I miss ma and pa, too, but this is as real as real gets." Applejack grabbed her little sister tighter in return and let her own tears flow. This was the hardest part of being a big sister: hearing the heartbreak in her little sister's voice and not knowing the answer to her pain. All she could do was cradle Applebloom, rock her gently until she'd calmed down enough for the sobbing to stop. Applejack wanted to cry, too. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, to do anything to take the pain away. And yet, she'd take Applebloom's pain and add it to her already agonized heart, just so she wouldn't have to see her miserable like this. Minutes ticked by, or so it seemed, before Applebloom stopped shaking and sobbing.
"Why'd they have to go?" Applebloom asked again.
Applejack paused for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate answer. But there was no good answer for the loss of a loved one, something so treasured that it could never be replaced. "I don't know, sugarcube. I don't know." Applejack sniffed and looked skyward, wondering if, wherever their Ma and Pa were, if they were proud of her. She closed her eyes and tried to hear Ma's gentle voice. What wisdom she'd have. Applejack opened her eyes again. She knew just what Ma would say. "Sometimes life gives you a rotten apple. All you can do is toss it aside and keep on pickin'."
Applebloom pushed herself back a bit so she could look at AJ face-to-face. The filly's big, teary eyes held a cornucopia of emotion. Anger. Sadness. Fear. Confusion. "What do ya mean 'just toss it aside?' Are ya saying we should just forget about 'em?!"
Applejack wiped Applebloom's tears away, brought her sister's face against her chest again and ran her hoof through Applebloom's hair, for Applejack needed the comfort every bit as much as Applebloom did. "Of course not. We'll never forget Ma and Pa. Never. All I'm sayin' is we can't let a rotten apple spoil the whole bushel. Ma and Pa wouldn't want us to ruin our entire lives grieving like this. I know it's hard. I'm just as sad as you are. But we gotta keep pickin'. It's our job to run the farm now. We'll do it for Ma and Pa. Make 'em proud, wherever they are."