Family Appreciation Day

Family Appreciation Day is the twelfth episode of the second season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. The episode shows up as number eleven on Zap2it's TV guide. Apple Bloom tries to prevent Granny Smith from speaking at her school for Family Appreciation Day. This is the first episode that features only one of the main ponies, Applejack.

Preparing for the Zap Apples
The episode starts with Granny Smith shouting around Sweet Apple Acres, exclaiming that the "timberwolves" are howling. Applejack, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh look on in surprise.

Apple Bloom then starts exclaiming to Granny Smith that she's very excited to make Zap Apple Jam. Granny Smith starts by giving Apple Bloom a twig broom, prompting Apple Bloom to inquire if it is some special spice she uses, but Granny Smith replies, saying that it's just a broom. A storm brews up outside, and lightning strikes a tree. This lighting arcs over to each tree, and suddenly big leaves pop out, which Applejack calls "Zap Apple Leaves".

Diamond Tiara and her father Filthy Rich then appear on the farm, as Granny Smith and Apple Bloom are jumping around watering cans singing the alphabet, while wearing bunny costumes. Filthy Rich is there to do business with Granny Smith about the jam. Diamond Tiara begins to taunt Apple Bloom, saying that she should be embarrassed of Granny Smith's eccentricity and odd behaviour.

Apple Bloom and Granny Smith then go into town to gather ingredients for the Zap Apple Jam. Granny Smith continues her disruptive behaviour, which includes chewing on a cooking pan, and playing with bees. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon happen to see Apple Bloom again, which prompts her to hide, and eventually beg Granny Smith to stop embarrassing her. However, Granny Smith remains oblivious, ironically calling Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon "dolls".

Family Appreciation Day
Back at the schoolhouse, Filthy Rich is doing a presentation for Family Appreciation Day. He talks about his business, which leads almost the entire class to fall asleep, except for Diamond Tiara. Cheerilee notices that it's Apple Bloom's turn to bring in a family member, and because Applejack and Big Macintosh are busy collecting ingredients for the Zap Apple Jam, Apple Bloom tries to say she doesn't have any family members to bring in. However, Diamond Tiara butts in and exclaims that she can bring in Granny Smith, to which Cheerilee agrees.

Back at the farm, Applejack tells Apple Bloom she and Big Macintosh can't take a break from the harvest, and assures her Granny Smith has plenty of entertaining stories to tell. The next scene, Apple Bloom shares her woes with her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in a long string of synonyms, making Scootaloo use the line "what are you, a dictionary", which she'd used before in The Return of Harmony Part 1. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo tell Apple Bloom they'll help her postpone her presentation, trying tactics like faking an illness for Apple Bloom, manipulating a napping Granny Smith to say that she won't be able to make the presentation to Cheerilee, harvesting the Zap Apples early, and sending Granny Smith on a train journey to see Uncle Apple Strudel. The former works, and she goes to visit Apple Strudel.

At the schoolhouse, Granny Smith is not present for the presentation. Apple Bloom exclaims that she had family affairs to take care of, but she arrives. She begins to tell the class a story of Ponyville's history, with a much younger version of her as the main character.

Granny Smith's story
Granny Smith's story begins with her and her family searching for a place to settle. Her father brings their collection of seeds to Princess Celestia, who notices the poor state they are in, and points out to them a place to settle at. Once they settle, they plant their first orchard, but begin to run out of food. In response, Granny Smith enters the Everfree Forest to search for extra food, and comes across a Zap Apple tree. At this point, a bunch of timberwolves begin to howl and chase after her. Granny Smith runs back to her house and begins clanging a metal pan, which drives the timberwolves away. They take the seeds from the Zap Apples, and plant them in their orchard - the magic these seeds possess allows them to grow into full size trees instantly.

Granny Smith then goes on to tell how she created Zap Apple Jam, the process of which involves the strange activities she was exhibiting earlier in the episode. She reveals that the sale of the Zap Apple Jam is what led to the agglomeration of the area, and the creation of Ponyville, and that without the Zap Apple Jam, Ponyville would not have been founded.

Granny Smith's account of Ponyville's founding agrees with the account given in Winter Wrap Up by Twilight Sparkle. After she finished her story, Silver Spoon kicks off a round of applause, to which everyone joins in. Diamond Tiara is shocked at the attention Granny Smith has received, and lashes out at her, but Apple Bloom rushes to defend Granny Smith. At the end of the episode, Apple Bloom tells Applejack that Family Appreciation Day went well. The episode ends with Filthy Rich pushing Diamond Tiara, wearing a big pair of bunny ears, to go and join in with other fillies in singing to the watering cans.

Apple Bloom learned that you should always appreciate and be proud of your family and friends, even if they may seem different.

Quotes

 * Apple Bloom: Ready, Granny!
 * Granny Smith: Ready for what?
 * Apple Bloom: For makin' Zap Apple Jam!
 * Granny Smith: Darn tootin'! It's time for some good old-fashioned Zap Apple Jammin'!
 * Apple Bloom: Yes mam, I can't wait mam!
 * Granny Smith: [pause] Wait for what?
 * Apple Bloom: To make Zap Apple Jam with you!
 * Granny Smith: O'course.


 * Cheerilee: Well, thank you, Mr. Filthy- I mean, Mr. Rich...


 * Apple Bloom: I'll be embarrassed, shamed, disgraced, mortified, humiliate-
 * Scootaloo: What are you, a dictionary?


 * Apple Bloom: Whuh- what are you doing here? Did you miss the train?
 * Granny Smith: Er no, it came. And Uncle Apple Strudel was on it.
 * Apple Strudel: Ooooooh, noogie noogie noggie! [laughs madly]


 * Granny Smith : Magic is as magic does.


 * Applejack: So I take it Family Appreciation Day went well?
 * Apple Bloom: Did it? My Granny Smith is super special! I just forgot that for a little while.
 * Granny Smith: Aw, don't fret. I forget things all the time. Now, I'll getcha... er... somethin'.

Gallery

 * Family Appreciation Day image gallery

Trivia

 * With the exception of Stinkin' Rich, all the ponies in the Zap Apple Jam queue in Granny Smith's memory are the same ponies who queue up for the Zap Apple Jam in the present day, without the sepia tone or old fashioned clothing.
 * No letter was written to Princess Celestia.