"I'm s.. I'm sorr..." Applejack choked. "I'm sorry Big Mac, I don't know what's comin' over me."
Big Mac watched Applejack bucking the trees. She would hardly miss the trees now. Smiling triumphantly, Applejack turned to Apple Bloom.
She tried to buck, but missed, pushing herself to land hard on her flank. Realizing her failure, her face quickly grew a frown. Applejack walked over to her sister, putting a hoof on her shoulder before giving her a demonstration, and telling her how far she should be from the tree.
Apple Bloom tried a second time and let out a cry of pain. Applejack instructed her a second time. Apple Bloom tried again.
All of the apples fell from the tree, piling on top of them. Their heads popped out. They both looked at each other before bursting out laughing.
Big Mac smiled at his sister. He felt as if she was growing up too fast.
It felt like it was only yesterday that he taught her how to buck, along with the memory of his father teaching him. He frowned in thought.
"You okay, Big Mac?" Applejack asked, jolting him out of his thoughts.
"I'm fine." Big Mac uttered. "I'm just thinking about the time I taught you how to buck."
Applejack burst out laughing. "Yeah, I remember that." she chuckled. "You remember when I would try to sneak out into the orchard as a foal?"
Big Mac chuckled at the memory. His face turned to another frown.
"Is something wrong, Big Mac?" Applejack asked.
Big Mac shook his head. "Yeah, I told you, I'm fine." he lied. "I'm just a little tired."
"Then go ahead and get some rest, Apple Bloom and I will take care of the work." Applejack said as she turned around and walked back toward the trees.
"Applejack! Look at how many I bucked by myself!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.
Applejack chuckled on her way up.
Big Mac turned toward the house and went inside. He went into the living room and turned to the bookshelf. He never really bothered to look through the family photo album very often but he felt like now would be a good time.
He pulled the book from the shelf and sat down before opening the first page.
As he flicked through the pages, memories flooded back into his mind.
When he first came home, first bath, first words, when he got his cutie mark, all types of memories of him and Applejack. The picture of Apple Bloom coming home made him slam the book shut, refusing to look at more pictures. He honestly didn't know why he shut it so hard. He put the book back, walking away from the book case. He decided to go for a walk and clear his mind.
---
Big Mac sat at the graves of his parents. His ears were flopped back and tears were streaming down his face. Rain had started to fall from the sky since he left the house.
"Big Mac?"
Big Mac turned his head, finding Applejack. She walked toward her brother and sat with him. Soft thunder was audible.
"Tell me what's wrong." Applejack said.
Big Mac let out a sigh, giving up on keeping it inside. "I miss them, they won't be able to see Apple Bloom growing up, and it just makes it seem unfair to me."
Applejack put her hoof on his shoulder. Big Mac turned to his sister. He couldn't tell if she was crying or if it was rain falling from her face.
"I miss them too. I wish they could be able to see the rest of things with us, but we can't always rely on the others in the family." Applejack let out a few sniffs. Big Mac knew she was crying at this point. "Apple Bloom is one of the luckiest fillies in the world. You know why?"
Big Mac shrugged and shook his head.
"She has us. She needs us. She doesn't have ma and pa."
Something came over Applejack. She stared at her parents graves. All of that pain from those years ago came back to her at the same time. She burst into tears. The memories from her years with her parents came back into her mind.
Big Mac hugged her. "You see it too, don't you?" he asked.
"I'm s.. I'm sorr..." Applejack choked. "I'm sorry Big Mac, I don't know what's comin' over me."
Big Mac squeezed his sister. "It's okay, Applejack. You helped me realize something today."
Applejack looked at her older brother. "We can make new memories with our family. No matter what."
The rain slowly stopped falling. Big Mac and Applejack stared at the sky. Two stars shot through the sky.
"Did you feel it too?" Applejack asked.
Big Mac nodded.
The sky turned bright pink. Applejack and Big Mac turned around toward the farm. Applejack turned back before she left.
She followed her brother off to the farm.
---
Big Mac sat with his sisters showing Apple Bloom old pictures.
Applejack spotted one and pointed to it, chuckling.
"Remember this one, Big Mac?" she asked.
Big Mac looked at the photo and chuckled. It was one of Applejack trying to buck the apples from the tree.
Apple Bloom looked at the next page. It showed a picture of her when she was born. A frown grew on her face.
"I think that I'm gonna head off to bed, I'm a little tired from all the work." she uttered walking out of the room.
Applejack stared at her brother, a look of confusion written across her face.