PLEASE don't make AJ's parents alive.

[TheAnimatorOfficial 567]

If they do then it's obvious Hasbro is caving in to overly sensitive parents.

 

This is not a fan cannon issue. This is an issue of the show going beyond many other kids shows.

[Blackshirt Brony 415]

I would have two big problems with this:

 

1. If they are such a strong nuclear family, why are her parents never in the show?

 

2. If they work on another orchard, why weren't they at the family reunions?

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

If they do then it's obvious Hasbro is caving in to overly sensitive parents.

 

This is not a fan cannon issue. This is an issue of the show going beyond many other kids shows.

Agreed.

 

I'm hoping AJ's parents are dealt with in a flashback scenario in S7.

[trademark2 485]

what if they went on a long journey. A quest to find the powerful magic seeds that make apples taste better. For many years, they were thought dead, but they were actually trapped in a temporal stasis prison. By eating the plants there, over time they gained enough magic power to break the prison and return home. 

 

There you go, that could be cannon!

[chaosprincess 1,067]

A lot of fans were wondering what Applejack's parents look like along with Rainbow Dash's as well its already in place that Applejack's parents are gone so I doubt they would just go back and revive them I think its more of a flashback to please the fans so they will no longer have to wonder what they look like.

[Artimis Whooves 1,576]

Well, considering the events of the first six seasons took place over the course of a year, It may be that they were just on a long trip somewhere...

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

If they can somehow survive, i will kill them myself.

[Valeska 184]

I'm 99.999999% positive that Applejack's parents are dead. If I had to guess, I would say that their death happened shortly after the birth of Apple Bloom. Maybe at the age where Apple Bloom could remember them but didn't have many shared memories. The nail in the coffin is in Season 5 Episode 19: Crusaders of the Lost Mark. Applebloom is showing off her cutiemark to her family when Applejack says (in tears), "Oh, sugarcube. If Mom and Dad were here, they'd be so proud of yeah." Take a close look at the use of past tense in the word "they'd" or "they would". If Applejack, Applebloom, and Big Mac's parents were still alive, AppleJack would have said, "they will be so proud of you." This would have implied that their parents were just not there at the significant moment in Applebloom's life, but would be back soon. Which is implied that it is sadly not the case.

 

I am really excited so see Bright Mac and Pear Butter in the upcoming season, but I highly doubt it will show them in the present, due to their lack of appearances in past episodes involving the apple family.

Edited February 26, 2017 by Valeska

[BlueStreak98 828]

I think at this point they'd have to do such serious plot gymnastics to make them alive that it's extremely unlikely they'd even attempt such a feat.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

I think at this point they'd have to do such serious plot gymnastics to make them alive that it's extremely unlikely they'd even attempt such a feat.

Nah, the writers would just handwave it away by "they were on vacation" or some crap like that.

[Olsen1987 133]

They can't make everyone happy no matter what they do.

Some would be upset that they're dead, some would be if they're alive.

I for one hope they're still alive somehow, but it would also of course make for a deeper story if they're dead.

[Red Cedar 1,408]

The announcement of the episode with Applejack's parents came with a couple other pieces of information: first, they're seen in a flashback, and second, there is also going to be a character named Old Grand Pear, which I would guess would be Applejack's grandfather on the Pear side of the family. It's probably a story told through him.

 

Personally, I hope they finally, truthfully, confirm and come out and say that her parents are dead. I'm not meaning to be a horrible person wishing this on Applejack, but the show would take a big leap, in my mind, if it had a character that younger viewers who had lost one or both parents could relate to.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

The announcement of the episode with Applejack's parents came with a couple other pieces of information: first, they're seen in a flashback, and second, there is also going to be a character named Old Grand Pear, which I would guess would be Applejack's grandfather on the Pear side of the family. It's probably a story told through him.

 

Personally, I hope they finally, truthfully, confirm and come out and say that her parents are dead. I'm not meaning to be a horrible person wishing this on Applejack, but the show would take a big leap, in my mind, if it had a character that younger viewers who had lost one or both parents could relate to.

 

Plus, honestly, the target audience for the show that they're shooting for is older than when they first started out it seems; the pilot seems pretty clearly aimed at 4 year olds while I'd say the two parters currently are more aimed at 7-8 year olds. So I feel there's more wiggle room in what they can expect kids to handle.

[Steve Piranha 29,432]

what if they went on a long journey. A quest to find the powerful magic seeds that make apples taste better. For many years, they were thought dead, but they were actually trapped in a temporal stasis prison. By eating the plants there, over time they gained enough magic power to break the prison and return home. 

 

There you go, that could be cannon!

Really? According to wikipedia, it's more like: "A piece of artillery that uses gunpowder, or other usually explosive-based propellant to launch a projectile, which may or may not be explosive"

 

Nah, I'd prefer for the Apple parents to have passed. They don't have to show us how, but at least heavily imply they did died. If there's something that ponies could use from time of time, is a sense of tragedy 

[llamalauncher 84]

They NEED to be dead, it's CANON. The only thing I would accept is if that applejack and whats his face thought they were dead. I guess

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

They NEED to be dead, it's CANON. The only thing I would accept is if that applejack and whats his face thought they were dead. I guess

>Applejack's parents suddenly jump out from behind a bush

"SURPRISE! We just faked our deaths 20 years ago as a prank dawgs! you should see the looks on your faces right now!"

[Ganondorf8 11,370]

The writers may have dug themselves into a proverbial hole with this situation and have no other option but to go with whatever decision is made by Hasbro.

[Daring_Do 552]

Applejack's parents have actually never been confirmed canonically dead. Faust just said she would have *LIKED* for them to be dead, but that it would've likely be deemed too dark for a kids' show, so she and the crew discussed them being traveling salesponies or explorers instead. Faust went on to say it's undefined where they are until someone decides to do something with them.

(Also, from what Faust said, the meta reason for their parents being absent was because she wanted to include Granny but didn't want to ruin the small tight family dynamic - The way she tells it, it sounds like she only wanted to say "they're dead" because it was a clean simple answer for their absence that avoided further complication)

[Deae Rising Shine~ 55,951]

as mentioned, AJ souded like they are dead in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark"

 

I also remember one older episode(Dunno which season and episode) where you see 2 shooting stars at the end of the episode, that was even comfirmed by someone from the staff or so on twitter, that itwas a symbole of there dead parents.

 

and i also hear this upcoming episode is a flashback so right now I highly doubt they are alive

[Passion 3,484]

 

but that it would've likely be deemed too dark for a kids' show

 

I haven't seen entirety of seasons so I don't know what's in the store, but I've seen pretty much most of S1-5, and didn't we already had a ton of dark stuff happen? Slavery with Sombra, his banishment for example and the way he just "poofed" into non-existance?

 

I see no issue with keeping AJ parents out of the loop of that world, even though I don't like it myself. Not sure how it is dark if their passing away is heavily implied but not explained for example. It's a natural course of life. This show has proven many times that world is not just about rainbows, friendship and flowers. Nobody should take that factor away from it.

 

If anybody is sensible, they'd make sure to write the story in a way that doesn't make your kid ask questions like "Mommy are you gonna die too?" before they understand what are they asking about.

[ggg-2 3,553]

Not only would Bright Mac and Pear Butter being alive go against some STRONG implications we've gotten over the years, when Bright Mac and Pear Butter were revealed at the toy fair, they were likened to Romeo and Juliet, and anybody even REMOTELY familiar with William Shakespeare knows how THAT turned out.

[Hierok 11,832]

Maybe AJ and BM are angry at their parents, because they were left on Grannies farm.

[cmarston1 5,959]

At this point in the show's run, with how long we haven't even had an acknowledgment of their existence, I can't see any good reason for them being alive, that would portray them in a positive light, and not just them being deadbeats.

[BloodDrops 762]

Applejack's parents are dead

 

Got to be, otherwise I'll turn them into Zombies.

 

Maybe i can be the season villain 

Edited February 26, 2017 by BloodDrops

[Castle Bleck 19,379]

The most pragmatic decision, IMO, would be to keep them flashback-only and their fate open to interpretation.

Edited February 26, 2017 by A.V.