After a couple weeks of farming, Big Macintosh was ready to teach Twilight how to buck apples. He saw that Twilight had gotten significant tone in her body. After a week she didn’t even need Granny Smith’s healing solution. Big Mac couldn’t help but get a little hot and bothered when watching her work hard. He took her to the north field for her first lesson in apple bucking.
“Ah’d say yer ready to learn some apple buckin’,” said Big Macintosh.
“Great!” said Twilight with enthusiasm. “It’ll be nice to change it up.”
“Eeyup,” said Big Mac.
“So, what do I need to do?” asked Twilight.
“Yah aint gonna ask how hard it could be?” said Big Mac.
“After two weeks of farming with you, I’ve learned that nothing is ever as easy as it seemed,” commented Twilight.
“Very good,” he said. “And yer right, it aint as easy as it looks. Sure it might seem like all we do is kick the apples off the trees. But there is a method to tha whole thing.”
“So what do you want me to do first?” asked Twilight.
“Here’s what you need to do,” began Big Mac. “Stand with your back legs facing the tree. Be sure tah be close enough to hit the tree, but not too close tah where hittin’ it will just send a huge shockwave throughout yer body.”
“That all?” asked Twilight. “Any other special tips?”
“Well,” he thought. “Ah pose it would also help tah let out some sort of shout.”
“A shout?” said Twilight. “What do you mean?”
“Ah’ll Show yah,” said Big Mac.
Macintosh positioned himself in the right place. He crouched down a little, and then let out a “HYA!” as his powerful legs kicked the center of the trunk and several apples came raining down. Twilight had never seen Big Macintosh apple buck before. She was quite surprised by how excited she was by it.
“That was incredible, Big Macintosh!” exclaimed Twilight.
“Thank ya kindly, Twilight,” said Big Mac. “But it weren’t nothin’ really.”
“That was not nothing!” she said. “That was an incredible feet of strength and technique. You’re one of the most impressive ponies I’ve ever come across!”
Nopony had ever said anything like that to Big Macintosh. The fact that it was coming from someone as well educated as Twilight Sparkle made it even more meaningful.
“Thank ya very much, Twilight,” he said. “Would ya like tah give it a go?”
“YES!” she said with great enthusiasm.
Again Big Macintosh was surprised by her enthusiasm. He wasn’t sure if Applejack was this excited her time apple bucking. Then again, he remembered that he was quite excited when his pa took him out to apple buck the first time. Twilight positioned herself, crouched herself forward, and she too gave out a big “HIYA!” But this didn’t have the same affect as when Big Macintosh did it. Instead a huge shock went across her body and she fell forward face first.
“Ahhhh,” exclaimed Twilight. “What the hay happened?”
“You were off by just a little bit,” said Big Mac. “No big deal, everypony does that first few times.”
“Even you?” asked Twilight.
Big Macintosh gave a hearty laugh.
“Ah’d say my first ten times, ah plum near cracked my hoof,” he said. “Practice makes perfect as they say.”
“So is apple bucking how you got your cutie mark?” asked Twilight.
“Well,” began Big Mac. “Sort of.”
“Sort of?” asked Twilight. “What do you mean sort of?”
Big Mac had never really told anypony outside the family this story. Then again, nopony ever asked. He figured Twilight had as much right as anypony else.
“Ah was a little bit older than Apple Bloom,” he began. “When ah started to beg mah pa tah teach me how to apple buck. Course he thought ah was still too young, even though ah was big for mah age. But ah din’t let up, so finally he took me out our biggest field.”
Author's notes: The best way I could think to show a flashback was to just put the text in italics.
“Okay, son,” began Big Macintosh’s father, Carter Blue Apple. “Tha key tah apple buckin’ is a combination of technique and strength. But ah would say technique is the most important part.”
“Really pa?” said a young Macintosh.
“Eeyup,” responded Carter. “Evry tree trunk has a soft spot. If yah hit that soft spot, you can get a dozen er more apples tah fall. Also, it helps to let out a yell while doin’ it.”
“A yell?” asked a confused Macintosh.
“Eeyup,” said Carter. “It gets yah psyched up for the kick.”
Macintosh gave his father a confused look.
“Psyched is anuther way of sayin’ excited,” explained Carter. “If you sound enthused, then the apples will be more obliged tah fall fer yah. That’s what my daddy taught me, and his daddy b’for him. Ah’ll show yah what ah mean.”
Carter positioned himself and as he was kicking the tree he let out a “HIYA!” Macintosh wasn’t sure, but there must’ve been at least two dozen apples falling from the tree. It was an amazing site. To him his daddy was the strongest colt in the whole wide world.
“That was amazin’ pa!” shouted Macintosh as loud as he could.
“Aint nuthin’ to it son,” said carter. “Go on and give it a try.”
Macintosh did exactly what his father did, down to the “HIYA!” But all that happened was a big shockwave going through his body and having him fall head fist into the ground. Carter gave out a big laugh. Macintosh had a disappointed look on his face.
“Don’t worry nuthin bout it son,” said Carter. “Nopony ever gets it the first time ‘round.”
“Really?” asked Macintosh.
“Darn tootin,” said Carter.
Hours passed as father and son worked on apple bucking. With each hit Macintosh was able to get at least one more apple to fall. As they were getting closer to sundown, Carter brought Macintosh to a big, older tree.
“We’ll make this our last tree for tha day, son,” said Carter.
“Okay, pa,” said Macintosh.
Again Carter did his usual technique, but something different happened. Both he and Macintosh heard a loud cracking noise. Suddenly a huge tree limb came crashing down. Carter managed to get Macintosh out of the way, but he himself got caught underneath the large limb. Macintosh got his footing back when he saw his father under the branch.
“PA!” yelled Macintosh in shock.
“Son…go get…help.” said a struggling Carter.
“There aint no time fer that, pa!” said Macintosh.
Macintosh positioned himself again, ready to kick the branch off his ailing father. His first kick seemed to do nothing. His second kick barely nudged. He came close to given up, till he remembered to use the psyching technique. Determined to save his father, Macintosh let out a big “HIYA!” This time the large limb split in two, freeing Carter. Macintosh had practically knocked himself out. He opened his eyes slowly to see his father standing above him.
“PA!” he exclaimed. “YER FREE! ARE YA OKAY!?”
“Mah ribs are a little cracked,” said Carter. “But ah’ll be fine.”
“That’s good tah hear,” said Macintosh.
“But there’s somethin’ more important tah focus on,” said Carter.
“What?” said Macintosh.
Carter motioned his head to have Macintosh look behind him. Mac’s pupils went totally wide and he couldn’t believe what he saw. On his flank was a big, green apple that looked as though it had been cut in two, with a few twinkles around it.
“MAH CUTIE MARK!” exclaimed Macintosh. “AH GOT MAH CUTIE MARK! AH CAN’T BELIEVE IT!”
Carter gave his son a great big hug.
“Ah’m very proud of you, Macintosh Chelmsford Apple!” exclaimed Carter.
“AW PA!” said Macintosh. “Yah know ah hate bein’ called by mah full name like that.”
Twilight sat quietly, engrossed by the story and how well Big Macintosh told it.
“That was an incredible story, Big Macintosh,” said Twilight.
“Ah spose it is,” thought Big Mac.
"I wonder why you have little stars around your cutie mark as well," Twilight noticed.
"Never really thought about that," admitted Big Mac. "Spose it just means the apples shine real big."
"Perhaps," said Twilight.
"Does yer cutie mark have them five little stars tah represent yer friends?" asked Big Mac.
"You know," she thought for a moment. "I never actually considered that. I suppose that does make sense given that we were all connected by the Elements of Harmony even before we met. Very observant of you Big Macintosh."
"Thank ya kindly, Twilight," said Big Mac.
After a moment of Silence, Twilight couldn't help but ask Big Macintosh another question.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking,” she began. “But, what happened to your parents.
Big Macintosh had a feeling this would be the next question. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to tell this story. But he didn’t want to keep anything from her.
“Little after Apple Bloom was born,” he began. “Ma and Pa had to make a delivery to Fillydelphia. But they couldn’t afford tah take the train, so they decided to hoof it. Only thing is, winter was startin’ up. They told us everyhin’ would be just fine and they’d be back before we knew it…But…on the way back from Fillydelphia, they got caught up in a particularly bad snow storm. A couple days later we were visited by some authoritative figures. They found the cart with them, inside embracin’ each other. They had tried tah keep each other warm.”
“Oh my goodness,” said Twilight.
“We had a funeral during one of the warmer days of the winter season. We managed tah get the buried by the tree they had their first date at. We found their will and pa declared the farm go tah me when ah came of age. He also left us his yoke and prized hat. And ma left her favorite bow.”
“I’ve never seen you wear a hat,” said Twilight.
“That’s because ah gave it tah Applejack,” he explained. “So that she would give up the bow to Apple Bloom. That way she’d have somethin’ she could have as a memento.”
Once he was done, a single tear ran down his face. Twilight herself got a big misty eyed.
“I’m so sorry, Big Macintosh,” she said. “I didn’t mean to make you bring up such sad memories.”
“No, no, it’s alright,” said Big Mac. “You had every right tah know. And it aint good to keep things like that end all the time. Yah gotta be able tah share. Specially with the ones you care for.”
Both started to blush at this.
“Do you have pictures of your parents?” asked Twilight.
“Eeyup,” said Big Mack. “Ah have a photo album up in mah room.”
“Will you show me?” asked Twilight.
“Be mah pleasure,” said Big Mac.