Family Appreciation Day

Family Appreciation Day
Season №:	2
Season episode №:	12
Overall episode №:	38
Original airdate:	January 7, 2012
Written by:	Cindy Morrow
Storyboard:	Sherann Johnson & Justin Nichols
Featured characters:	Granny Smith Apple Bloom Diamond Tiara Filthy Rich
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
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Family Appreciation Day is the twelfth episode of the second season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the thirty-eighth episode overall. In this episode, Apple Bloom grows embarrassed with Granny Smith's mannerisms and tries to prevent her from presenting during the school's Family Appreciation Day.

Production

This episode is listed as number eleven on Zap2it's episode guide.

Summary

The zap apples

At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big McIntosh are awoken in the night when Granny Smith starts running around outside with cooking pots attached to her neck and shouting that timberwolves are howling. She follows this by announcing that "the zap apples are coming", which prompts cheers from the rest of the family.

Bunny costumes and onlookers.

The following morning, Apple Bloom expresses excitement to Granny Smith about making zap apple jam with her as she helps clean the kitchen. As Applejack and Big McIntosh prepare harvesting equipment in the orchard, a strong gust of wind and discharge of electricity between the branches causes leaves to suddenly appear on the apple trees. Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich arrive at the farm moments later to find Granny Smith and Apple Bloom in bunny costumes hopping over watering cans and singing the alphabet. While Filthy Rich talks to Granny Smith about preordering jam, Diamond Tiara ridicules Granny's "silly ways" and convinces Apple Bloom that she would be humiliated if others were around to see them.

Granny Smith brings Apple Bloom with her into town to help gather materials for the zap apple jam, though she starts drawing the attention of nearby townsfolk with a series of eccentric behaviors. Apple Bloom begs her to stop when she spots Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon passing by but ends up humiliated when Granny calls out to them instead.

Family Appreciation Day

Cheerilee schedules Apple Bloom to bring Granny Smith.

At the Ponyville Schoolhouse, after Filthy Rich finishes a presentation about his business for the school's Family Appreciation Day, Cheerilee announces that Apple Bloom will bring in a family member to present next week. Apple Bloom tells her that Applejack and Big McIntosh will be too busy with the zap apple harvest to attend, though when Cheerilee asks if anyone else from her family would be available, Diamond Tiara suggests that Granny Smith come in. Cheerilee takes to the idea and schedules Granny to present, leaving Apple Bloom in dismay.

"Come Monday, I'll be the laughin' stock of Ponyville!"

— Apple Bloom

Back on the farm, Applejack confirms to a crestfallen Apple Bloom that she and Big McIntosh will be too busy to present for Family Appreciation Day. A strong wind picks up across the apple orchard moments later, and after a large flock of crows flies overhead in the shape of an apple, the trees suddenly blossom with large flowers. Returning to work, Applejack assures Apple Bloom that Granny will have no shortage of entertaining stories to tell.

Finding a workaround

Putting words in Granny Smith's mouth.

Apple Bloom shares her concerns with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle inside the Cutie Mark Crusaders treehouse, and together they determine to find a way to avoid the presentation. After unsuccessful attempts to pass Apple Bloom off as sick, harvest the newly-formed zap apples themselves, and convince Cheerilee that Granny Smith won't be able to attend, the trio end up forging a telegram from Apple Strudel requesting that Granny pay him a visit on the day of the presentation. She accepts, setting Apple Bloom at ease with the assumption that the train ride will delay her long enough.

When Family Appreciation Day arrives, Cheerilee announces Granny Smith to the class only for no one to enter the room. Apple Bloom starts to claim that there was a family emergency but is interrupted moments later when Granny appears at the door and explains that Apple Strudel was on the train. As Apple Bloom bows in despair, Granny Smith pulls out a map and begins to tell a story.

Granny Smith's story

"Long ago, when I was a little pony, things were very different here in Ponyville... 'cause there was no Ponyville!"

— Granny Smith

Granny Smith and her family in Canterlot.

When Granny Smith was a filly, she and her family roamed far and wide collecting and selling various seeds. They arrive in Canterlot at one point and come across Princess Celestia, who notices their exhaustion from so much travel and offers them land next to the Everfree Forest to settle. The family builds a home on the land but soon faces food shortages as they wait for their orchard to grow.

One evening, young Granny Smith ventures into the forest to search for food and encounters an unusual apple tree. She manages to gather some fruit before getting chased back home by timberwolves, which she scares off by hitting cooking pots together to create a loud noise. After the family plants the fruits' seeds in their orchard later on, the ground beneath them suddenly erupts with lightning before sprouting full-grown zap apple trees.

As the years pass, Granny Smith learns the signs of the zap apple harvest and discovers eccentricities in the jam-making process, including how certain unusual behaviors seem to improve quality. She refines the jam to the point where it attracts ponies from across the land to settle nearby, including Diamond Tiara's great grandfather Stinkin' Rich, who sets up a store to sell the jam. A bustling town soon emerges and eventually becomes the modern-day Ponyville.

Apple Bloom is appreciated for having Granny Smith.

Granny Smith finishes her story and receives applause from an enraptured audience. Annoyed by the presentation's success, Diamond Tiara tries to cast Granny as a "kooky old lady" but is swiftly rebuked by Apple Bloom. Later on at Sweet Apple Acres, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom process the harvested zap apples into jam and start selling it to a long line of ponies. Applejack asks how Family Appreciation Day went, prompting Apple Bloom to remark that her grandmother is "super special", even if she forgot it for a while.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

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 ma'am, I can't wait ma'am!

Granny Smith: Wait for what?

Apple Bloom: To make zap apple jam with you!

Granny Smith: O'course.

Granny Smith: Whoo! Why, hello, Bea, Beatrice, Beecher! Ooh, you've all been busy little bees, haven't you? [buzzes]

Apple Bloom: Granny, isn't there a less... silly way to get the honey?

Granny Smith: Oh, are they your friends? Hello, Half Pint's friends!

Silver Spoon: Hiii, Granny Smith! Hiii, Half Pint!

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, just funny that way.

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

References

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Make Your Mark
Episode 1 Izzy Does It	Episode 2 Growing Pains	Episode 3 Portrait of a Princess	Episode 4 Ali-Conned
Episode 5 The Cutie Mark Mix-Up	Episode 6 The Traditional Unicorn Sleep-Over	Episode 7 Hoof Done It?	Episode 8 Have You Seen This Dragon?
Episode 9 Top Remodel	Episode 10 The Jinxie Games	Episode 11 Sunny Side Up	Episode 12 The Manesquerade Ball
Episode 13 A Little Horse	Episode 14 Missing the Mark	Episode 15 Cutie Blossom Bash	Episode 16 Family Trees Pt. 1
Episode 17 Family Trees Pt. 2	Episode 18 Father of the Bridlewood	Episode 19 Mane Smelody	Episode 20 Nightmare on Mane Street
Episode 21 The Isle of Scaly‎‎	Episode 22 Roots of All Evil Pt. 1‎	Episode 23 Roots of All Evil Pt. 2