Smarty, Twilight and Applejack left the library without another word. The day felt much colder than it had before Smarty had gone inside. She shivered, regretting giving the scarf away for a brief second before mentally berating herself. It was, of course, for a better cause. Twilight took the lead, walking up through Ponyville. More ponies were walking through the town, and Smarty feared it would soon be the time for everyone to rise and shine. It wasn't the individual ponies that frustrated her, but the need to keep diving and dodging between ponies to get anywhere. At first, the bustle and business seemed exciting, but it eventually grew tedious. Like a lot of things, in fact.
It soon became rather obvious that Twilight had no idea where she was going. Smarty had noticed her taking them around a boutique twice, and even Applejack began to look worried. “Twilight?” Smarty asked, “do you even know where we're going?”
“Discord,” she said bluntly. “We're having a word, like I said.”
“Well, I didn't doubt that, but do you know where to find him?”
Twilight stopped in the middle of the road. Her head fell. “No,” she admitted.
“You could've said something,” Smarty said.
“Of all ponies, you know what I'm like,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow.
“Too right,” she confirmed, chuckling.
“Twi, we could always do the magic trick!” Applejack exclaimed, her eyes glimmering.
“The magic trick?” Twilight asked, raising a hoof to her chin. “Well, there's quite a few. Which one do you mean?”
“Oh, y'know the one Ah mean,” Applejack said, kicking at the ground.
The unicorn glared at her. “Could you be any more vague?”
Applejack sighed. “The one where ya look in the mirror, and say the name of the person three times over. Ya must know that one, surely. Even Ah do.”
With a slap, Twilight brought a hoof to her face. “Applejack, those are just filly games. Everyone knows that actually doesn't happen. It's not actually magic!”
“Do ya have any other bright ideas, Twi?” Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes. “Discord ain't exactly the easiest ta find. Ah'm jus' spitballin' here.”
Twilight rolled her eyes again. “Fine. It's better than just walking around aimlessly. You'll be the one doing it, though. I'm not going to look like an idiot.” With a swish of her horn, Twilight materialised a mirror before Smarty's very eyes. She could see her red and blue eyes staring back at her, but Twilight quickly rotated in front of Applejack, apologising. The farmer looked at the mirror, holding a hoof to her chin. “Well?” Twilight said, pointing at the mirror. “We're waiting.”
“Can't we do it somewhere a little more... hidden?” Applejack asked as people walked past. They turned their heads and wore bemused smiles. “Ah think everyone's watching me...”
“Can't you just admit that it's just a myth?” Twilight asked.
Applejack hesitated, but shook her head.
“Whenever you're ready,” Twilight said, grinning mirthfully.
With a sigh, Applejack looked into the mirror. Several ponies stood and watched her, but she tried to avert their gaze. “Discord,” she said, eliciting a giggle from a member of the audience. Applejack ignored it, and said the name once more. The same member laughed again, but louder this time. The farmer looked around to stare before returning to the mirror. “Discord,” she said once more. The giggling mare came forward, pushing the small crowd aside. Smarty knew her from somewhere... She watched the mare carefully, trying to put a name to her face, but then looked down to find a spotted scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. Smarty gulped.
“What are you doi— Hey! That's my scarf!” shouted Twilight.
The mare shrugged. “Well, you asked for me, and here I am!” she exclaimed in a rather... ill-matched voice. Though quite whimsical, the mare sounded like an old colt retelling the tales of old, much to Smarty's confusion.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Discord.”
“Statistically,” the mare said, becoming enveloped in a bright light, “Applejack's idea wasn't entirely incorrect.” The onlookers held their hooves to the their faces, attempting to shield themselves from the intensity of the light. Smarty continued watching, completely bemused. She could see a shape change and increase in size. It tripled in size, towering all the watching ponies in seconds. Smarty heard a click of claws, and the light was gone. Discord stood before her, a menacing grin on his face.
“Of course it was!” Twilight shouted. “It was only by chance that you were here. An anomaly.”
Discord tutted. “You've only tried it once, and the results came back as positive. Isn't that a one hundred percent success rate, Twilight Sparkle?” he asked, winking. “And here I was thinking you were the scientist.”
“Th-that's not the point!” Twilight argued. “Scientifically—”
“Why were you here, disguising yourself as... that mare?” Smarty interrupted. She ignored the piercing glare Twilight was giving her.
With a shrug, Dicord gave the scarf back to Smarty. “I like pony watching. It gives me something to do on... well, boring days like this.”
“That's a weird hobby you have there.”
“Not as strange as keeping little fillies' toys, correct?” Discord countered. He winked a wonky eye. “Besides, it provided quite the insight on you, Miss Goody Four-Shoes.”
Smarty felt her cheeks blush.
“I jest, of course. At least you—”
“Uh, hello!” Twilight exclaimed, extending a hoof. “After all, it was my scarf!” Smarty passed the scarf back to its rightful owner with a frown. “Now, you,” she said, pointing at Discord, “you're going to explain the process in which... Actually, hang on for a second.” Twilight closed her eyes in concentration, sending purple sparks to her horn. A light blinded Smarty momentarily, but she opened her eyes to find herself in the same place it had begun. “That's better,” Twilight said.
The three ponies and draconequus stood alone in the park. Fortunately, no ponies were around to hear the conversation. “Gah, Twilight!” Applejack cried, her eyes wide. “Warn me the next time ya wanna do that! Y'know how that magic makes me feel.”
“Sorry, AJ, but not now,” Twilight said, a stern look on her face. “So, Discord, I want you to tell me how you managed to transform both Smarty and Big Mac in graphic detail.” She levitated the hat off of Applejack's head to reveal Big Mac. While Applejack clutched at her hovering hat, attempting to bring it down on top of her mane once more, Twilight plucked the doll from the air, holding it up to Discord. “Graphic detail,” she repeated.
Discord rolled his eyes and began tutting. “Well, I always thought you were a Goody Four-Shoes,” he said in Smarty's general direction, but she wasn't listening. She was transfixed by Big Mac in the air, as if seeing him for the first time in what seemed like a long time. “You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?” he murmured, “I was having such fun as well.”
“What was that, Discord?” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes. “Explain. Right now.”
With a click of his claws, Discord summoned a deck chair. He fell back into it, materialising a Martini in his paw. “I don't see why I should. I've done enough favours as it is,” he said, shrugging. Discord ate the olive from the stick before throwing the entire cocktail away with a shatter of glass. A second later, it exploded, and a colt cried out in pain, bringing an evil smile to Discord's face.
“You will tell me,” Twilight said, bowing her head slightly.
“I'll have to get back to you on that,” Discord said, chuckling.
Twilight swished her horn, and the deck chair disappeared from underneath the draconequus. He fell to the ground with a groan, quickly rubbing his back. Before Discord could get up, Twilight stood over him, her horn pointed directly at his chest. “As the newly-appointed princess, I command you to tell me how you did it,” she said, quiet but menacing.
Discord looked away, and then glared back at Twilight. He tapped her horn with a playful claw. “You think you have authority over me? I may be reformed, or whatever it is you call it, but I can assure you; no one commands me to do anything.” Discord poked the tip of Twilight's horn once more. “You may be a pretty, little princess, but you have nothing against the Element of Chaos.”
“Really? How about the magic of friendship, just like you admitted?”
The draconequus grinned menacingly. “Chaos reigns over all, Twilight Sparkle. How can you—”
“Oh, please,” Smarty interrupted, “Discord, do you have to be so immature? We're talking about the life of an actual pony, not just some toy for you to gawk at.” The Element of Chaos suddenly looked very small. He looked as if he was going to argue, but something stayed his tongue. Smarty gently pushed Twilight aside, offering a hoof to Discord. His eyes shifted away, and she could see the hesitation he had before he eventually took it. With a heave, Smarty pulled him up. “It's not for me, Discord — it's for Big Mac. It's for his sister, his family,” she added, pointing to Applejack.
Silence fell between the group for what seemed like an eternity. They waited for Discord to answer, but he simply stood still, not uttering a word. “Well? How did you do it?” Twilight asked, her brow furrowing.
“Give him time, Twilight.”
“I have the answer,” Discord said bluntly, “I don't think you'll like it much.”
“Any answer is better than no answer,” Smarty said.
“I'm warning you; you won't like it.”
Smarty shrugged.
“If you say so,” Discord mumbled. “You all understand how Big Mac here had to sacrifice his own life to give little Smarty Pants a life of her own, essentially reversing their separate existences, correct?” Smarty didn't appreciate the condescending words, but nodded along with Twilight and Applejack. “Well, that is an outright fabrication. A joke, if you will,” Discord admitted, nodding solemnly.
The three ponies were dumbstruck. Smarty could almost hear her jaw hit the ground. “A... a joke?”
“A joke.”
“... Mah brother didn't need ta become a doll?” Applejack asked, her body tensing immediately.
“Correct.”
“So, ya tricked us all for yer own sick joke?”
A bead of sweat trickled down Discord's forehead. He gulped.
Applejack nodded slowly. She tilted the brim of her hat over her eyes, panting slightly. Smarty could see her legs shaking. “Applejack...” she began, but her words were interrupted by a cry of rage. Screaming her heart out, Applejack leapt into the air, landing on Discord with the elegance and care of a rhinoceros. She began yelling all sorts of words Smarty had never even heard as spittle flew from her mouth. With another yell of anger, she pounded away at the helpless draconequus with her strong hooves.
“Applejack!” Smarty tried to yell, but Twilight placed a firm hoof on her shoulder, shaking her head.
“As a rule, don't get between Applejack and her family,” she whispered over the violence. “It never ends well, and it's usually best letting AJ blow off steam. Let this be a lesson.” As much as Smarty wanted to disagree, she couldn't not admit to having some heartfelt pleasure in watching Discord getting his just desserts. He had messed with her just as much as Applejack, perhaps even more, considering that he had seen her entire life as his toy. She pouted. Actually, it was rather ironic. The only thing stopping her from joining Applejack in hitting him was the sight of just that — it wasn't every day she got to see a normal earth pony tangle with an mythological creature and win.
Discord looked so utterly distraught as Applejack continued pummelling him. He tried to move away, but she had him pinned down tight to the ground. Eventually, however, Smarty could see anger appear in his eyes. He snapped his claws, and Applejack was soon levitating in the air. Discord took the opportunity to get up, and he glared at the farmer. Applejack was still insisting on kicking, even though the only thing she hit was the air. Occasionally, she would let out a grunt of exhaustion, but she didn't let up for a second, almost as if she hadn't realised that her position had changed.
“She's a feisty one, isn't she?” Discord asked.
“Rightly so,” Smarty said, smiling.
Discord gulped again. “You're not planning on getting some revenge of your own?”
Smarty chuckled. “Oh, I had my fun watching. Don't worry about that.”
“Hell hath no fury like a mare scorned,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes. “Are you quite done yet?” he asked Applejack, poking her side. The panting mare gradually began flailing her limbs slower, finally to the point of stopping. She adjusted her hat, making sure it sat perfectly aligned on her head. With a sigh, she nodded. The draconequus snapped his claws, allowing her to fall gently to the ground. Upon impact, Applejack turned and bucked Discord's reptilian leg. He winced, and began hopping on the spot, holding his injured leg. His cry of pain only brought a sadistic smile to Smarty's face, no matter how much she disapproved of it.
“That's for Big Mac!” she exclaimed, looking deep into his wonky eyes. “Don't ya dare cross mah family ever again!”
“Do you want me to turn him back or not?” Discord yelled as he hopped. Smarty could feel her eyes twinkle at the words. The thought hadn't occurred to her — if Discord had been pulling her leg the entire time, he could easily bring Big Mac to life. The conversation between the group faded in her ears as the happy thought entered her mind. She could finally be with Big Mac. With all his nervous quirks and awkward tendencies, Smarty could finally be with him. It was like a dream come true. Through all the trials and tribulations she'd faced, they could finally be together.
Her eyes wandered over to Big Mac, who was still clutched by Twilight's levitation spell. She could see his pure green eyes once more, instead of the buttons on his face. She could see that warm smile he would have etched across his entire face after a good day's work. All those little secrets he whispered to her would soon pay off. Smarty grinned at the thought, seeing the pair of them together at last. She wondered what he would say at first glimpse of her.
“Maybe I don't want to,” Discord said, folding his arms. Smarty's bubble of thought had been popped, but it didn't matter. It only brought her closer to the reality of the situation. “Especially after what you've just done to me.” The draconequus averted Applejack's gaze. The farmer walked over to a nearby tree. She made sure to make eye contact with Discord before doing so, even if he watched from his peripheral sight. Applejack stood on her front legs, launching her back legs at the poor tree. With a crack, the tree shifted back, and then began to decrease in size.
“Timber!” Applejack cried as the tree fell over, leaving a cracked stump behind. Upon impact, the tree shook the ground beneath their hooves, and the following thud made both Smarty and Discord jump out of their fur.
Discord did nothing but stare as his eyes went wide.
“Applejack!” Twilight exclaimed. “You can't just—”
“I'll do it,” Discord said simply.
“That ya will,” Applejack confirmed, nodding. “Twilight, are definitely ya sure ya can't do it yerself? Ah don't trust this snake at all.”
“I can't,” Twilight confirmed. “I don't even know the spell.”
“Well, okay,” Applejack said, giving Big Mac to Discord rather reluctantly. “Honest ta Celestia, Discord, if ya mess with me again, yer gonna snap like that tree.”
Discord gulped, but quickly tried to look unafraid. “Oh, don't worry,” he said, suddenly interested in his claw, “I've had my fun watching.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Ah'm just gonna pretend Ah never heard that.”
The draconequus looked at the doll in his grip. “Do I really have to do this again? It's only been a day since—”
“If you don't do it now, I'll help Applejack break you,” Smarty said.
“Oh, no, two little ponies want to fight me! Whatever shall I do?” Discord said mockingly, but the ensuing glares he received made him stop. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. His ears flicked as he recalled the spell. He snapped his fingers, and Big Mac was sent into the air from his paw. For a moment, the doll flew, but came to a hover just above Smarty. Discord clicked once more, and Big Mac began spinning in the air. He became enveloped in spirals of light, which cascaded down from the sky. Smarty had to squint in order to watch, as the radiance only increased in size and brightness.
Smarty's mind began racing. What if this was another trick? As Discord had proven, he preferred to joke about a pony's life, rather than take it seriously. For all intents and purposes, it could be another trick. A cry of pain interrupted her thoughts. Smarty felt a smile creep onto her face. After all, it was a very familiar cry. It was Big Mac, not a single doubt in her mind. She could see a limb flail out from the light at times, but she still couldn't see him completely. A gruff scream or shout would occasionally escape him, but Smarty knew it was for the greater good, even if the noises scared her.
Big Mac's dream were finally coming to life, and Smarty knew that she shared it. It wouldn't be long until they would be together. Neither of them would be dolls or toys, and they could actually converse with one another. Though Big Mac usually had little to say, his words were profound and wise. Smarty could hear him speaking as she closed her eyes. She could see him in her mind — how he used to hold her in the privacy of his room, how he would sometimes even act nervous around a doll. It brought a tear of joy to her eye.
As the light began to dim, Applejack jumped in front of Smarty. “It'd probably be best if Ah talked to him first,” she said, an uneasy smile on her face. It made sense. After all, she was his sister; Smarty couldn't interrupt family with what Big Mac and her shared, no matter how much it mattered. After all, family came first. In a moment, the blinding light disappeared. Smarty turned her head to see Big Mac in his true form. His golden, luscious locks fell down his neck, slightly waving in the breeze. His eyes were shut tight, but Smarty could picture the green pupils, anyway.
Big Mac was back to his pony self.
The group waited for Discord to return him to the ground. Big Mac stood on all four of his powerful legs, but his eyes remained closed. Smarty could see him sway in the breeze, but he still wouldn't wake up. “Big Mac?” Applejack called, running over to her brother. She grabbed him by his collar, shaking it slightly. “Can ya hear me?” she tried. When he didn't respond, Applejack turned to Discord. “Ah swear, if ya messed him up, Ah'll have ya for—”
“S-sis?” a soft voice asked.
As much as Smarty wanted to talk, she couldn't interrupt a family reunion. “Oh, Mac!” Applejack cried, launching herself at her brother. Fortunately, he was still strong enough to handle her, even in his dazed state. She latched her hooves tight around his neck, almost suffocating him. When he gasped, Applejack released him slightly, chuckling. “That's what ya get for scaring yer sis like that!” Applejack cried. She pulled away, not smiling, but not frowning either.
“Wha... What happened?” he said, rubbing his eyes.
“Ya were an idiot again. That's what happened,” Applejack said.
“Bu-but... the park? Why are we in the park? Ah was havin' such a weird dream,” he mumbled. Smarty watched his eyes shift around, as if not quite able to focus on anything in particular. She remembered the haze of waking up herself.
“Don't ya remember?” she asked, cocking her head. “Ya abandoned yer family. That's what ya did. Start explaining it right now, or Ah'll regret going through all this trouble you caused.”
“What? Ah'd never do that!” he exclaimed.
“Well, ya did,” Applejack said.
“There was this mare,” Big Mac interrupted. “She'd carry me all over the place... and Ah couldn't do anything 'bout it. Ah'd try to move, and Ah just couldn't.” He nodded feverishly, his eyes still not adjusted to the light of the day. “She... said some things that Ah can't remember, and Ah swear ya were there, sis.”
“What?” Smarty asked, moving into the light.
Big Mac's eyes went wide, and he began backing away. He had a look of genuine fear on his face. “Y-yer the mare in mah dream! Ah was trapped with ya!”
“I didn't trap you!” Smarty exclaimed. “I was looking after you.”
Big Mac mumbled something under his breath, which only Applejack heard.
“She's right. It wasn't a dream, Mac. What you saw actually happened. She had nothing to do with it.”
“No... that doesn't... B-but, who is she?” Big Mac asked.
Smarty felt her heart sank. “You... you don't know me?”
"Nope."
"You've don't know my name?"
Big Mac rubbed the back of his head nervously. The entire group went silent, waiting for his reply. He felt their eyes watching them, and Smarty could see him panic as he became the centre of attention. “No...”
With a sigh, she felt her head fall. That was that. Big Mac didn't even know her. After this entire journey, this great escapade, it was all for nothing. She sobbed as a tear fell to the ground. After everything, Big Mac didn't even recognise her, and that was a far worse predicament than before. At least then she was under the illusion of happiness. After all, ignorance is bliss. The entire time Smarty had been caring for Big Mac, he had thought of her as only his captor, nothing more. Whenever she had looked at him or said something, he hadn't understood.
Applejack nudged Big Mac, who jumped at the touch. She indicated over to Smarty, who was content to watch the tears roll off of her face. He walked over with a frown. “Ah'm... Ah'm sorry,” he said softly, kicking at the ground. “Ah barely remember ya in the dream, but Ah—”
“How is this possible?” Smarty asked, wiping away her tears.
Twilight was taken aback. “I... I don't know.”
“Think, Twilight!” she shouted, sniffing.
“There's only one explanation,” Twilight said, raising a hoof to her chin.
“And that is?” Smarty quipped.
“Remember the time I cast the 'want it, need it' spell?”
Smarty nodded quickly.
“When Princess Celestia arrived, she stopped it. Everyone stopped falling in love with you, and the crowd broke up.” Twilight paused, frowning. “Perhaps Big Mac somehow avoided the counter. When someone is introduced to something they are deprived of in a short amount of time, the reaction can be quite... extraordinary. Mentally, Big Mac had no choice in the matter,” she said, indicating to the stallion. “Minds are not always as straightforward as you may think.”
Smarty bowed her head. “Are you... are you saying that your spell was the only thing making Big Mac love me?” Twilight opened her mouth, but no words came out. She merely looked away from the mare's piercing glance. Smarty felt a lump build in her throat. She scoffed. “Of course,” she said, no tone present in her voice.
“When Discord used another spell on him, it could've possibly stopped my spell, which was still working.” She licked her lips. “Effectively, when Big Mac was turned into a doll, my 'want it, need it' spell was cancelled out. Two spells acting out on the same pony can sometimes lead to a conflict, leading to the effects of one spell ceasing. If that was the case...” Twilight stopped midsentence.
“Then Big Mac would stop wanting me,” Smarty finished. “How do you explain him not knowing me then? Just to add insult to injury,” she added, chuckling in a less than savoury manner as tears fell down her face.
“Well, I'm quite unsure on that,” Twilight said, somehow finding her voice. She frowned, sensing Smarty's complete mood change.
“The last thing Ah remember was Twilight telling me to get the doll,” Big Mac murmured, looking at the ground. “That was when Ah thought Ah had the dream.”
“You don't remember anything? Everything you ever said to me? Not even... me?” Smarty asked, her lip trembling. She already knew the answer, but she wanted proof.
Big Mac looked into the sky. Smarty watched his eyes, following them to a bird flying into the wispy clouds. Big Mac had once told her that he'd always wanted to have wings. He envied the pegasi. Of course he did. When he only collected apples all day, she couldn't blame him, even if he was afraid of heights. The freedom of flight was something only the lucky few managed to experience. He gazed down, looking into Smarty's eyes. At least he had the decency to do that.
“Nope,” he said softly, the look of regret on his face as soon as he said it. Big Mac frowned, unable to stop the inevitable.
“But... but...” Smarty whispered. Her mind was cluttered with emotions and thoughts trying to make themselves heard, but a lone phrase managed to keep appearing to the fore. The final nail. The final nail. Finally, the final nail. Her throat was sore, and her legs felt weak and unsteady under her weight. Smarty felt her hooves buckle, and she fell to the grass. The cold, muddy ground was there to welcome her, but she didn't care .Smarty was robbed of her breath. It was like her mind couldn't process everything — her only means of communication becoming the tears and sobs she gave.
“Smarty... it's okay,” Twilight said, feeling a tear well up in her own eye.
“Honest. At least ya two are breathin'. Ya coulda got into something much worse,” Applejack said, looking away.
“I-it's...” Smarty tried to say, but her throat wouldn't allow it. She gasped for air, hungry for the oxygen her body yearned. No amount of oxygen could restore her feelings, though, no matter how hard she tried. She felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder, and then another. Smarty looked up to see Applejack and Twilight trying their best to smile, even though it was clear that her outburst was affecting them, too. Her head sank to the grass again, and then she felt a larger hoof on her. It shook uneasily, but she knew who it belonged to.
“Twi-Twilight? Can't you just do the... the spell again?” Smarty mumbled, her voice quivering and interrupted by gasps.”
“You know I can't,” Twilight answered simply. “It wouldn't be right.”
“Wha... what about that memory spell?” she asked in between bouts of sobs.
“Smarty, Big Mac doesn't have any memories of you, aside from seeing you when he was a doll. He was just under an illusion. It's okay, Smarty. It really is. You don't have to—”
“It's not okay!” Smarty shouted, tears flowing freely from her eyes. “How is anything about this okay, Twilight? Tell me that! Go on — where is your everlasting optimism now, huh?” She felt her body calm down, and her voice declined to a whisper once more. “Nothing is okay about this, so don't bother trying to tell me otherwise.” Aside from the occasional sniffle from Smarty, the group fell deafly silent. No one knew quite what to say to the crying wreck of a pony on the ground, and Smarty knew it. There was no point for it, so she stood up, her shaking legs holding her weight once more.
“What do I do now?” she asked quietly. “I have nothing else to do.”
“Live, Smarty,” Twilight said, a sad smile on her face. “That's a question we all ask ourselves.”
“Yeah, well, you didn't just have... Oh, forget it,” Smarty said, dismissing it with a wave of her hoof. “There's no point in arguing, anyway. Nothing you can do.” She sniffed again, feeling pointless, alone and empty in a world filled with bright, colourful creatures. Of all places. She had to admit, it was better than being stuck in a cardboard box for all eternity. If this whole awkward situation never happened, that's where she'd still be. At least, she was happy for that.
“Come with us to the farm,” Applejack said, interrupting her train of thought. “There's plenty of work there for an honest pony like yerself. Ya can come live with us for a while if ya really want.”
Smarty wiped a tear from her cheek. She found her eyes wandering over to Big Mac, who was still watching her in his gentle, quiet way. As soon as her eyes locked on his, he looked away, pretending it never happened. If she hadn't been so depressed, it probably would've brought a grin to her face. He blushed fiercely, his red cheeks becoming a deeper hue. She didn't know such a thing was possible. That made her chuckle.
She nodded slowly. “Thanks, Applejack. I think I'll have to take you up on that offer.”
“Well, wanna go now? No sense in mopin' 'bout the place.”
“Sure,” Smarty said simply.
Applejack smiled, and helped her up from the ground. She took the lead, following the path to Sweet Apple Acres. Smarty turned and waved back at Twilight and Discord, who looked to be in a state of depression as well. She hadn't noticed it, but he had materialised a tissue, and was proceeding to blow into it almost silently. Twilight smiled back at her warmly, wiping away a tear of her own.
Big Mac walked next to her, looking straight ahead. He soon found Smarty's eyes burning into his own, and he turned to face her. She could've sworn he looked deep into her eyes before looking away again. She giggled, making him blush again. Applejack rolled her eyes, but she pretended not to notice. In a moment, Smarty felt the heat of the sun on her coat. She closed her eyes, feeling the gloriousness of the warmth. For the second time, she felt alive in more than one sense.
Smarty looked up to the sun, watching a flock of birds flew overhead. It was a start, at least.
It was something.