Smarty Family
Prologue
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Twilight sighed as she finished putting the last of her supplies away, a giddy smile on her face.
Things had been going well for a while now. Tirek had been defeated, they’d stopped Starlight Glimmer and her castle now was feeling like a home.
It seemed things were finely going to be just fine.
A sudden pounding on the front doors caused Twilight to look up, surprised. She wasn’t expecting any visitors today and Spike was off gem hunting with Rarity. Not to mention, for the knocking to be that loud from where she was, whomever was knocking had to be hitting the door with a lot of force.
Nopony would be using a heap of force just to knock unless... Oh no. Unless there was trouble. And, as a princess of Equestria and as a decent pony, she was obligated to go and see what was wrong.
Trotting downstairs, she reached her doors in no time and opened them with her magic, causing an orange farm pony she knew very well to tumble through, having been in the motion of bringing her hooves down on the door again when it opened.
“Applejack?” Twilight gaped for a moment, before hurrying over and helping her friend up.
“Thanks, sugarcube,” she said once she was on her hooves again.
“Sure,” Twilight smiled, before it faded as she remembered why she’d opened the door for the farm mare in the first place. “Applejack, what’s wrong? Why were you banging on my doors so insistently?”
Applejack paused for a moment, before her face feel and she grabbed the Alicorn by her shoulders and vigorously shaking her. “Twilight, it’s terrible. Ah need yer help!”
“Su-u-ure,” the lavender mare said as she was shaken about.
Applejack stopped, giving Twilight time to recover from the world spinning and shook her head to fully clear it. “What can I do to help?”
She blinked. Applejack was already barreling down the road, back towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Frowning, Twilight ran after her friend, catching up in a matter of minutes. “Applejack, what’s going on?” she asked as they bolted through Ponvyille, ponies jumping left and right and even into the air just avoid the two mares bulldozing their way through town.
“It’s Big Mac!” Applejack said as she leaped over Carrot Top and her daughter, Dinky Doo. “He’s in the worst state Ah’ve ever seen ’im in. He wasn’t even this bad after what happened t’ our parents.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. If Big Macintosh was in a state worse than one is when they lost their parents, this really was bad.
“Just what’s happened?” she demanded as they shot through Town Square, the Alicorn using her wings to avoid hitting the fountain by going over it.
“He’s in the worst shape, ever, Twi,” Applejack said, her eyes straight ahead, focused on the farm in the distance. “He’s not eating, he barely sleeps anymore. He ain’t able t’ work on the farm atall.”
Twilight gulped. If Big Mac wasn’t even up to working, something she knew he did to get his mind off things whenever they were troubling him, this was worse than she’d previously previously thought.
“All he does all day is lay in bed, cryin’ clutchin’ ont’ that doll.”
Applejack’s words caused Twilight to freeze, her hooves burying into the ground as she came skidding to a stop. “Doll?”
Applejack stopped too, just a few metres from the farm gate. “Twi?”
“When did this start?” Twilight demanded, her expression one of firmness and horror at the same time.
Applejack thought for a moment, before sighing. “Right after the day Granny told me that a filly callin’ herself Smarty Pants came by saying Mac was ’er daddy. Ain’t that the name o’ yer old doll? Can ya imagine...?” her joking tone trailed off from the expression on the Alicorn’s face. “Twilight?”
Twilight, for her part, was trapped in a horrified mental lock-down as the pieces fell into place in her mind. The day Applejack was talking about had been the day she’d accidentally animated her old Smarty Pants doll. It had called her Mommy and Big Mac daddy.
She had asked Mac to watch over her until the spell wore off, which would’ve been around midnight. If Mac had become as much of a wreck as AJ was saying after that, and he was worse off than when their parents had died, that meant...
“Oh, Celestia,” she shut her eyes. “How could I be so stupid?!”
“Come again?” the orange mare looked worriedly at her friend.
Twilight shook her head frantically. “No. No, no, no-no-no! I... I have to fix this, but... I could never cast a spell strong enough to make it last, even now. It’s not meant to last.” She sat on her haunches, burying her face in her hooves. “What am I gonna do?”
“Uh, Twi?” the farm mare was feeling very confused now.
“I can’t do it,” Twilight muttered, shaking her head. “To pull of that kind of magic would be impossible. The only way it could work is if it didn’t make sense. I’d need—” She stopped, her eyes widening, before she drooped her head, her eyes closed. “I don’t have a choice in this. He’s the only one who can help.”
Before Applejack could ask what Twilight was going on about, the Alicorn’s horn shone brightly. There was a flash of light and Discord appeared, sitting at a table, drinking some tea.
He blinked, before raising an eyebrow. “Really, Twilight? I know we’re truly friends now, but what did I say last time about giving me some warning before summoning me like that?”
Twilight looked at him with pleading eyes. “Discord, I’m begging you. I need your help.”
Both Applejack and the dragonequus were stunned, open-mouthed at the desperation in Twilight’s voice, as well as the tears that had started forming.
Discord got a hold of himself (literally, he grabbed his tail to yank himself into a standing position) and nodded, smiling kindly to the purple mare. “Of course, Twilight. What do you need?”
Twilight lit her horn and, in a flash of light, they all appeared in Big Macintosh’s room.
The sight they saw broke all three of their hearts. The room was a wreck, papers and things scattered all over. The red stallion was lying on his bed, not even taking notice of the two ponies and one dragonequus who had suddenly appeared in his room. He instead continued to hold the stuffed animal tightly to his chest, his body, which Twilight noted was alarmingly thin compared to Mac's usual mass, though still reasonable for any ordinary stallion, racked with sobs as his tears soaked the bed.
Discord looked to Twilight, and eyebrow raised. “What’s gotten into him?”
Twilight looked sadly at the sobbing stallion, then closed her eyes. “Can you help me make an animation spell permanent?”
Discord looked confused for a moment, before he looked at saw how tightly Mac was holding onto the doll. Closing his own eyes, he nodded.
“Okay, then,” Twilight said quietly, lighting her horn. There was a flash of light, followed immediately by the sound of Discord snapping his talon’s.
For a moment, all that was heard were the sounds of the stallion’s continued sobs. They were broken however, by the sound of new sobs, higher pitched and quieter.
Big Mac gasped, lifting his head up and looking down. Held within his forelegs, clinging to his chest, was a small grey filly with a ragged mane, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed into his fur.
Mac looked up, his shock doubling when he saw the three guests in his room.
Twilight looked to Discord with tired eyes and nodded, smiling wearily. “Thank you.”
He smiled back, nodded and disappeared with a pop.
Mac looked from Twilight to AJ, the latter of whom was staring dumbfounded at the filly held in Mac’s embrace.
“It’s permanent this time,” Twilight said, her voice sounding as tired as her eyes looked. “She’s yours now, Mac. Be a good father to her.”
Mac stared for several more moments at the Alicorn, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief, before they softened and he brought his head back down and cradled the filly in his care.
Author's Note
Here's my sequel to Smarty Daddy.
Hope you like it so far. Had to rush it so i'd be done before heading for work tomorrow, so if there are any errors, i apologize for that.
Well, that's all from me for now. Til next time, goodnight everypony
Chapter 1
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Twilight yawned as she stepped out of her room, plodding down the hall and entering the dinning room, where Spike was setting down a plate of sandwiches.
“Mornin’ Shpike,” she yawned, pulling up a chair and sitting down.
The little drake looked to her in confusion. “Morning? Twilight, it’s late afternoon.”
The lavender mare blinked blearily at him, before lazily cocking her head to the side. “Huh?”
Spike shook his head. “Man, whatever tired you out two days ago still hasn’t let up? Just what kind of spell took that much out of you?”
“Sht’s a long story,” she yawned again, putting a hoof over her mouth and lazily levitating a sandwich over, taking a small bite and chewing very slowly. “Nurshe Redher’ shaid I should be fine by tchomorrow morning.”
“Was kinda surprised she made a house call last night,” the drake said, putting some small saphires in his sandwich and munching. “And Applejack said Big Mac’s in the hospital too. Malnourished. Big Mac, malnourished, of all things.”
Considering the emotional trauma I put him through, I can’t say I’m surprised, the Alicorn thought gloomily.
The two finished in silence, before Twilight left, heading out into the town. She didn’t even know what she wanted to do, just that she felt she needed to go for a walk.
After a couple minutes, she found herself outside Ponyville General, with no clue how she’d gotten there.
She turned to leave, before a clearing of a throat from behind made her look back.
Granny Smith was walking towards her, a frown on her face. “Twilight Sparkle.”
At once, any grogginess the princess had been feeling vanished at the sound of the older mare’s tone. She knew that tone. It was the one adults used on foals when they were in trouble and having Granny Smith give it to her… made her uneasy.
“Y-yes, Granny Smith?” she gulped, smiling nervously.
The wizened mare looked her over, before her face melted into a warm smile and she pulled the winged mare into a hug just as warm.
Twilight just blinked… not sure how to respond to that.
“Ah’ve been waitin’ t’ see ya fer days,” she pulled back, looking gratefully at her. “Ya helped ma grandson, fer that, Ah can’ never repay ya.”
“I… um… well…” for a mare so smart, Twilight’s brain was surprisingly blank at the moment.
“Come on in,” the green mare turned, indicating for her to follow. “There’re some ponies who have been wantin’ t’ see ya fer some time now.”
Twilight obeyed, if only because her mind was still rebooting, trying to understand just the situation she was in.
Granny Smith led her through the halls to a room with 312 on it. Opening the door, she let Twilight in.
Upon entering Twilight’s eyes fell upon a room filled with apple themed gifts, balloons, cards and streamers, a banner above the bed with writing in a very Pinkie Pie manner saying, “Get well soon and congratulations on becoming a daddy, Big Mac!”.
Laying in the bed, fast asleep, an IV drip in his left foreleg, was the red stallion himself, looking much better, though a tiny bit stockier than he normally would. Resting against his side was a familiar small grey filly with a ragged mane, wearing blue shorts with white polka dots.
“Little rascal an’ Ah sure didn’ have the best o’ starts,” Granny said, her eyes on the content face of the sleeping filly, “but, we’re getting’ there.” She chuckled, glancing at the other mare. “Was hopin’ Ah’d live ta see my first great grandfoal. Never expected her t’ have been a doll afore.”
“Um… yeah,” Twilight rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “Sorry that was so… sudden?”
How in the world were you supposed to apologize for unintentionally creating life that you then had to recreate?
Granny Smith just laughed, the grey filly stirring, but returning to sleep seconds later. “Ain’t nut’in’ t’ be sorry for, youngin’. Ah’m glad. Though, with you bein’ the ma, Ah guess yer kinda an Apple now, right?”
“Wait, WHAT?” Twilight’s head snapped to the older mare, who was smirking fondly.
“Ain’t never thought we’d have a blood connection to royalty afore,” she chuckled. “Wonder what that prickly old pear would say about us Apples now.”
Twilight paused for a second, confused by the elder mare’s word choice, before shaking her head. “What are you talking about?”
Granny glanced at her, an eyebrow raised. “Even if’n ya ain’t gonna get married, ya’ll that filly's mother, Miss Twilight. Doctor’s did all them dang fangled DNA tests an’ everythin’. She may’ve been a doll afore, but that filly is now by blood yers and Mac’s daughter.”
Twilight just stared, her right eyes twitching, before she blinked and deadpanned. “Discord. Of course.” She looked up, yelling, “I never said you had to make her blood related, ya know!”
Granny cocked an eyebrow. “Who’re ya talkin’ to, dear?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Twilight grumbled. “He heard me. I know he did.” She gave a big heaving sigh, rubbing her temples with a hoof. “I’m still too tired to be thinking about this.” She looked to the elder mare. “Does Apple Bloom know yet?”
“Uh…” Granny Smith shifted her eyes to the ceiling. “Applejack an’ Ah thought… it might be best t’ wait til Mac’s out of the hospital first. Give us time to get her room set.”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Apple Bloom’s?”
Granny shook her head. “Smarty’s.”
Twilight stared for a few moments, before giving a simple, “Oh.”
The two mares turned to watch the father and daughter sleeping, both with content smiles on their faces.
“Yer welcome t’ visit her any time,” Granny said, glancing at the princess. “She’s family and now so ’re you.”
Twilight moved her eyes to the filly, focusing on her for several long moments, before closing her eyes, a small smile coming to her face. “Thank you, Granny.” She turned to leave, before freezing in place and facehoofing, groaning, “Oh no!”
“Somethin’ wrong?” the other mare asked, an eyebrow raised.
“I’m going to need to let my parents know about this,” Twilight dragged a hoof over her face. “And if the nobles or tabloids get word of this… the inaccurate stories… oh, sweet Celestia, I don’t even wanna think about them…”
She flopped down on the floor, grumbling incoherently.
“Urm…” Granny hesitated, not really sure what to say.
“You know what? No!” Twilight stood up, her expression firm. “I’m too tired to think about that right now. I’ll worry about it tomorrow, when I can actually think. Goodnight, Granny.”
She teleported away as the mare cocked an eyebrow saying, “But it ain’t even five, yet. Did Ah miss sumthin’?”
Author's Note
Okay, so, after the massive arc I just went through in Twilight's Twinlight, i wanted to do something smaller and less intense. take a bit of a breather, so i chose this.
i know it isn't much, but the story can't really move forward til Mac's back to full strength again.
Dunno if next chapter will be done by tomorrow, but keep an eye out, just in case.
and you will have noticed the oddity of this being chapter 1 despite it already having been up for ages. That's because I've changed chapter 1 to prologue because it's honestly more fitting as that.
anyway, hope this is alright for getting back into things and finally moving this story forward again and look forward to all the shenanigans that will come from having Smarty Pants Apple around.
hope you enjoyed the chapter and, til next time, later everybody
