//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Sparkling Apple // by TheBronyRun //------------------------------// ***This is the sequel to Zap Apple Jam. You should probably go and read that before you read this, it will clear up some stuff, like what happened to Twilight’s eye*** Twilight breathed deeply. It was over. It was finally over! And yet, it also had just begun. She looked breathlessly at the doctor, wiping sweat off her muzzle as she smiled with giddiness. He smiled back. “You did great, Twilight. Everything went perfectly.” Big Mac came in the room then. He looked between the doctor and Twilight, a look of both worry and excitement etched in his face. Twilight laughed with joy. “She’s finally here!” Big Mac smiled with relief. “She?” Twilight smiled tearfully, nodding. “W…Where? Where is our daughter?” Big Mac asked, choking up with joy. But before he had finished the doctor turned around, letting the new, tiny filly into sight. Big Mac sighed with emotion. He laughed softly, trying to hold back tears as he slowly approached his new daughter. He was a daddy now. The new filly was a light purple. She had a red tail and mane, both streaked here and there with thin lines of orange. She was a unicorn. She smiled, waving her hoofs clumsily through the air. Her big eyes were wide and curious, and a smile grew on to her tiny face as she looked into her daddy’s eyes. Big Mac couldn’t handle it, he started crying with joy. He smiled and nuzzled his new foal, who laughed and nuzzled back. Twilight smiled. “Save some of the baby for me!” Big Mac chuckled, wiping tears from his face. Twilight slowly edged her way out of the hospital bed, groaning but eager to meet her child. As she approached the newborn, the young filly turned toward her. She was smiling at her mother as well. But then the filly saw her mother’s eye. Puzzled, the baby’s face dropped into confusion. Twilight grew worried. As she approached the new filly cautiously, the filly suddenly started crying as if begging Twilight to stay away. Twilight felt tears coming in her own self. How could this happen on the best day of her life? She wasn’t going to except it. She forced her tears back and shushed the new foal gently, smiling. The foal paused for a moment, but then continued crying its small newborn cry. No, please, don’t do this to me! Twilight screamed in her head to the universe. Please, no! But the foal kept crying. Twilight’s face dropped and she looked at Big Mac, who was looking grimly at her. “Twi, I know how hard this must be, but-” Big Mac was interrupted my a sudden spew from Twilight. “No, you don’t. You have no idea what its like to live without one eye. To live with the pity and curiosity people try and fail at hiding in their faces. You have no idea what it’s like to have your own foal scared of you at first sight!” Twilight was almost yelling. Finally, she stood up from her kneeled position and tears flowing she stormed from the room, still wincing from the pain of giving birth. Big Mac followed her with his eyes, panic in his eyes. This was the day they had been waiting for for over six months now! Ever since Twilight had discovered the foal, it had been nothing but excitement for them. They had waited so long and it had been so hard to stay patient, expecting this day to be the best. Big Mac felt terrible about his foal’s reaction to her mother. It was Twilight’s day too, after all. Big Mac suddenly felt a wave of anger towards the dragon who did this all to his mare. How dare he?! But he bit back the anger as he realized he needed to support Twilight now. “Can you take care of her?” Big Mac pleaded with the doctor. He smiled sympathetically. “Of course.” And with that Big Mac quickly left the room that held his new filly and ran after his girl. Nothing was going to ruin this day for her. Nothing will ruin it for them. Big Mac found Twilight sitting on the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the hospitals garden fence that protected the huge flower made designs all around the front of the large white building. Big Mac sat down beside his wife, who appeared to have noticed him but decided to ignore him, and sat silently. “I suppose you’re here to try and cheer me up. Tell me that everything will be better in time. That despite how this hideous eye that even scares children is actually beautiful and that she will get used to it.” Twilight said, obviously choked up and speaking with a bitter tone in her voice. “Yup. That’s about right.” Big Mac said. Twilight looked up at him. “But today was supposed to be a special day, Big Mac! Today I was going to get to nuzzle my new foal which I have been growing inside me for the last year almost and she would look at me with happy, loving eyes. But…But I didn’t get that, and she is scared of me, Big Mac. It’s worse than anything that’s ever happened to me. Worse than the pain of the dragon attack. You know I read up on about this for months, but no book could have prepared me for this.” Twilight let a single sob out and then straightened up. “Twi you still have a new foal.” Big Mac said. “But she is scared of me, are you deaf?” Twilight retorted. “You still have a new foal.” “But-“ “Twilight, you still have a new foal.” Twilight looked at her husband, confused. “Big Mac have you heard what I’ve been saying? She hates me!” “Twilight, you have spent the last year growing another living being inside your body! Think about that! Today you gave birth to a beautiful little filly, who is scared of your eye, not you. She spent the last year hearing your heartbeat and feeling safe because of you. She does not hate you, and she will get past your eye before you know it. And then we will be a family. No, we already are a family, Twi.” Big Mac said. Twilight looked at him for a minute, and smiled weakly. “How is it that you said exactly what I said you would say, and yet it still worked?” “Because it’s true.” Big Mac replied, smiling. They stood up and started walking in. “Twilight!” Somepony suddenly yelled from the dirt path behind them that led back to the main area of Ponyville. Big Mac and Twilight spun around to see Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack all trotting down the path. The couple smiled. “Hey guys!” As they arrived to the stairs Rarity smiled excitedly. “Well?” “Well what?” Twilight asked, faking innocence. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Don’t tease sugarcube, you know good and well what we want to know first.” Twilight smiled. “It’s a filly.” The others cheered for a second, then urged her to continue. “Well, what’s her name?” Pinkie asked impatiently. Twilight and Big Mac looked at each other and nodded. “We came up with this about a month ago. Her name is Sparkling Apple.” And with one last “Aww” from the girls, they all reentered the hospital to return to the new foal.