“Heya Big Mac, I’m spendin’ the day with you, is that alright?” Apple Bloom asked. She thought about spending the day with her friends, but today was special and she wanted to stay close to Big McIntosh.
“School?” He asked as he walked toward the apple orchard.
“It’s the weekend, Big Mac.” She answered following him.
“Applejack?” He asked, he would’ve rather worked alone but ,didn’t mind the company.
“She went with Granny to market, they told me t’ stay here with you, is that okay?”
“Eeyup” Oh right, it’s ma birthday, I forgot again. He thought.
“So what are we doing today?” She asked hopping around him.
“Bucking Apples.” What a shock, right? He thought as he smiled to himself.
“What a shock,” She said giggling. “But okay I’ll help.” She walked behind her brother; she noticed how towered over her, how much he was than most of the ponies in Ponyville. She also stared at the green apple on his flank.
“Hey Big Mac, how’d ya get yer cutie mark?” She asked.
“Welp, one day I bucked all the apples from a tree with a single hoof kick and I was so happy that I ran all the way home to tell … never mind, but that’s when I got ma cutie mark.”
“But you do that all the time, was that the first time you ever did it?”
“Eeyup.” He thought of the day he got his cutie mark, it was also the day he learned his mother was going to have another baby. He was so happy that he was going to have a new foal to take care of; he remembered wondering if it was going to be a colt or a filly.
“Do you think ma cutie mark will have something to do with apples?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Nope.” He answered. He already had his theory on what Apple Bloom's cutie mark would be, but he didn’t want say anything. He liked that his sister and her friends experienced so many things looking for their cutie marks.
“Why not? You and Applejack have apple cutie marks; Granny Smith has an apple pie. Come to think of it,” She said scratching her mane. “All our family has a cutie mark that has something to do with apples. Why not me?”
“Cutie marks are related to yer talent, not yer family.” He said. Maybe a saw and hammer or a paintbrush. He thought.
“But what’s ma talent? Maybe, if I spend the day with ya, I can find out … right?”
“Eeyup.” Maybe a screwdriver with an apple for a handle? Now I'm just graspin' at straws.
“Okay, what’s first?”
“We’re bucking the McIntosh Red trees.” I hope the party ain't a big thing, I don’t like parties.
“Hey, were you named after them?”
“Eeyup.” I think our parents had a dart board with words related to apples on it. They walked in to the Macintosh fields.
“Okay, hey Big Mac, want to play a game?" Apple Bloom asked. Big McIntosh looked at his sister. “Let’s see who could buck the most apples in ten minutes; I’m good at that game, I can even beat Applejack sometimes. So do ya want to play?”
“Uh …” He bucked the tree behind him, dropping all the apples in a single hoof kick and looked at her. He didn’t think his sister stood a chance against him and would rather not patronize her by letting her win.
“Hey no fair! Okay, ready, set, go!” Apple Bloom began jumping from tree to tree. Big McIntosh could swear she didn’t touch the ground. She knocked multiple apples into the baskets below by jumping on the tree trunks.
“C’mon Big Mac, I’m beating ya.” He saw that she had emptied six trees already. He rushed to another tree and bucked all the apples in a single kick. “C’mon Big Mac, yer sister's makin' ya look bad.” She said giggling, still jumping between the trees. Little monkey pony he thought with a smile. “There, how many trees did you get Big Mac?” She asked trying to catch her breath.
“Forty.” He answered surprised, he never saw anyone buck apples like she just did.
“I got Forty-four; see I told you I was good at that game.” She continued panting. “But, I can only do it for a few minutes before I get real tired.”
“Eeyup.” He said smiling.
“Do you mind if I rest for a little bit.” She said as she sat down on the cool grass.
“Nope.” Big McIntosh said. He moved deeper into the orchard and continued bucking the apple trees.
“Big McIntosh!” He heard his sister yell out to him. “Where are you?” He bucked another apple tree, hoping the noise would lead his sister to him. “Oh there you are, why didn’t you say something?”
“I don’t like raising my voice, less'n I need to.”
“Big McIntosh, why are you so quiet?” Apple Bloom asked. Her brother turned his back to her.
“I just don’t have much to say.” He said as he bucked another tree.
“Why? You’re real smart and nice, and everypony loves you; I bet you would have a lot to say.” She smiled thinking about him and Ms. Cheerilee.
“No, not really, I don’t like talking to ponies I don’t know.” He said as he moved deeper into the orchard. His sister followed close behind him.
“But what about us, you’re quiet with us too.”
“Well … It’s just that when people talk, sometimes they lie.”
“But we would never lie t’ ya Big McIntosh, you know that, I mean, Applejack’s the element of honesty and we love ya too much to lie t’ you.”
“Ponies don’t always tell lies to hurt ya, sometimes they do it because it’s easier, because sometimes the truth just hurts more.”
“What do ya mean, who lied t’ you?” She asked. She heard him sigh.
“You don’t know them.” He said quietly.
“But if they hurt ya, I want to know who they are, you’re ma brother.” She said nuzzling his side.
“You not supposed t’ ….” He paused, “You don’t talk ill ‘bout the dead.” Big McIntosh said sternly.
“What happened Big Mac, please can ya tell me?” Apple Bloom pleaded.
“Our parents Apple Bloom, they lied t’ me.”
“Oh, um, I know I never ask about them, but what happened?” Apple Bloom asked, she never saw her brother sad before.
“They’re not with us anymore.” Big McIntosh said. Apple Bloom looked at her brother with big eyes, he sighed again.
“Momma was sick and pop, he, he wasn’t strong enough to go on without her.” Big McIntosh said sitting down, Apple Bloom sat next to him. “It was a little after you were born,” He took a deep breath. “We promised not to tell you 'til we thought you were old enough, but yer too smart for us to leave ya in the dark. After momma gave birth to ya, she got real small, she couldn’t keep food down and Pop, he was worried, I still don’t know all the details and I don’t want t’ ask granny ‘bout it.” He began to tear up. “Momma went first, I remember the day, we were at all at her side, she looked me straight in the eye and said it would be okay. She lied to me, she knew what was going on and she lied straight to ma face.” Big McIntosh began to heave.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to keep talkin’ bout it, if you don’t want.” Apple Bloom said looking at the grass; she didn’t want to hear anymore.
“No, I’m sorry, but they were yer parents too, ya need to know. Pop, well, he loved momma so much and he just couldn’t live without her. We were all worried ‘bout him. He stopped eating and we could hear him cry at night. Applejack was a little younger than you; you were still just the little foal who would cry when it was dark. One night he said the same thing to me too, he said it would be okay and that I was the head of the house now and t’ take care of you and Applejack and Granny. I didn’t know what he meant right then, but now I do. Granny found him the next day.” Apple Bloom began to cry quietly.
“Is it ma fault?” She asked turning away from him.
“Nope.” He said hugging her, tears running down his face. “These things happen and that’s all I can say to maself and that’s all I can say t’ you. I wish I could have all the answer for ya, I don’t like to lie, that’s all I can tell ya.” He said.
“I’m sorry.” She said crying into his mane.
“It’s not yer fault, and momma was right, we are okay, don't ya think?" She as sniffed back tears. "And don’t you think for a second that it is; it’s good to talk ‘bout these things, ya see, it brings us closer together.” He said, hating himself for making her cry.
She sniffled. “Okay Big Mac, I think we should get back to the house.
He smiled “Ya can get on my back, I’ll carry ya.” They walked out of the orchard.
“Happy Birthday Big Mac.” She said quietly.
“Thanks Apple Bloom, I’m sorry, but you know what? Maybe everything ain't perfect, but I have you and Applejack, and Granny. Y’all are all I need to be happy.”
“You have more than us Big Mac.” She said wiping away the last tears in her eyes.
“Happy Birthday!” A crowd of ponies yelled in front of his house.
“Big McIntosh,” Applejack said walking up to him, “Did we surprise ya?”
“Nope, but thank ya anyway.” Big McIntosh answered. Apple Bloom got off her brother’s back and went to mingle with the other ponies.
“How was she?” Applejack asked.
“She talked a lot, hopped around a lot, it was nice.” Big McIntosh answered.
“Well she does that.” Applejack responded. “Did y'all play that game of hers? What you two talk about?”
“We did and, um, mom and dad.” Big McIntosh said quietly.
“Oh, well, I guess she is ready to hear it. How did she take it?”
“She cried a little, but nothing too bad.”
“What she say when you told her about momma?”
“I told her it happened after she was born.”
“McIntosh, why? You know she’s gonna find out sooner or later.” Applejack said, angry at her brother. “If she asks me, you know I'm gonna have to tell her the truth. I don't her to think you're a liar.”
“Ponies don’t always tell lies to hurt ya, sometimes they do it because it’s easier, because sometimes the truth just hurts more.” He said as he walked away from her and toward the crowd of smiling ponies waiting for him.
