//------------------------------// // Provoked Confessions // Story: Role Reversal // by Trials //------------------------------// The mare gasped.. Her eyes fluttered open as she adjusted to the suffocating darkness around her. “Very strange,” she said to herself, getting up from the ground. She tried to look around, but couldn't see anything. “Hello?” the mare called into the nothingness. There was no reply. Hmm. She waited for minutes, but there was still no reply. She couldn't even see her very own hooves in front of her face, no matter how hard she squinted and tried. There was no use. With a sigh, the pony sat back on her haunches. No point in using up energy for standing, anyway. The ground beneath her flank didn't feel warm or cold. In fact, it didn't feel like much of anything. There was obviously something holding the mare's weight, but it wasn't normal, whatever it was. The mare inspected the ground, poking at it. Not soft or hard. Not consistent or irregular. “Oh, very helpful,” she commented, rolling her eyes. The darkness around her seemed to be increasing. Though it already seemed as black as possible, the mare could feel it invading her body. It crept down her spine, filling her legs and hooves with a feeling of unease. It snaked up through her bloodstream, to her very core. Soon, she felt horrible, as if infected with a disease of some disgusting form. She closed her eyes, attempting to rid herself of the feeling of dread, but there was no such luck. The mare could feel her body shiver from fear as she realised how utterly helpless she was. Suddenly, a light erupted into the darkness. It was dim, and most likely far away, but she could still see it. She watched as the light grew in intensity, spreading across the entire canvas of black. The disease retreated from her body, starting with her core until she could sense the darkness leaving through her hooves. Soon, she could see her grey legs and the brown mane flowing from her neck. Out of curiosity, the mare watched the light once more. On closer inspection, the light had a pink hue as it grew ever larger. The ball was moving towards her, and even though her instincts told her to run, she stayed. There was something familiar in that light, and she wasn't going to leave until she found out exactly what it was. It wasn't like her legs were going to let her run, anyway. The ball of energy came close to her, nearly under her very nose, but she still didn't move. It was almost blinding, and she had to raise a hoof to shield her eyes from the intensity, but she remained glued to the spot. Flashing, the ball grew larger once more, turning into a shape very much like her own. Golden hair materialised from its neck, and the red colour became more solid, changing from the pink it had originally been. Powerful legs formed on the red light. Even though the mare had to look away, on pain of becoming blind, she could still see the green eyes of a pony piercing through the light. Big Mac. Once the light show came to a halt, Smarty Pants felt her eyes wander over before she could even command them to. It was him. In the flesh. Of course it had to be him. Who else would've saved the day? He stood proudly, defiance in his eyes. Though they were not looking at her directly, Smarty felt a smile spread across her face. With tears in her eyes, she ran over to the colt, launching herself onto his strong neck. “Big Mac!” she cried, holding onto his neck tightly. A gasp escaped him, to which Smarty laughed and reduced the strength of her grip slightly. “We're finally together, Big Mac!” she whispered into his ears. “Both of us. Finally.” She closed her eyes, nuzzling his soft, golden mane. Smarty felt herself being gently pushed away. She looked at Big Mac, her ears drooping. “What's wrong?” she said, confusion riddled in her voice. Big Mac held about as much confusion in his eyes as he gazed into hers. His hooves were shaky under her weight, so Smarty steadied them with a hoof of her own. Big Mac jumped at the touch, quickly backing away from her. He cowered away, a look of genuine fear on his face. His lips trembled as he uttered the very words Smarty feared. “Who... who are you?” “No... no... no,” said a small voice from Smarty's bedside. She groaned, trying to adjust to the earliness of the morning. Light rays cascaded down on her through the window, and her hooves felt cold outside of the blanket. The dream still lingered in her mind, and the bed felt too warm to be true. Smarty dug deeper into the pillow, inserting her hooves back under the blanket as she tried to ignore the voice. A contented sigh escaped her lips as the increased warmth embraced her. The little voice stopped talking for a while, much to her satisfaction. Smarty began slipping back into her dream when it was interrupted once more. “No... no... Wait, what is this?” said the high-pitched voice. Smarty dismissed it, but a name made her frown. “Big Mac?” Smarty couldn't have woken up faster. Her eyes opened wide, and her hooves shot from the blankets. She landed on the floor with a crash as her eyes fell upon the owner of the voice. A little, yellow filly looked back at her, shrieking in fright. It was Apple Bloom. Big Mac's little sister, as memory served, with... Big Mac in her small hooves... looking back and forth between the doll and her. Smarty opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't form any words. A louder voice broke the silence between them. “Apple Bloom? What's with all the ruckus?” Applejack walked into the room, seeing the open saddlebag on the table. Her cheeks blushed as a chuckle escaped her lips. “Sorry 'bout that, Smarty. Mah sis is a little too curious for her own good sometimes...” she said, buckling the bag back up. She glared at Apple Bloom, who was still watching Smarty and Big Mac. “Apple Bloom! Ya know better than ta rifle through a pony's belongings! How many times do Ah have ta tell ya that?” Smarty was too scared to talk. When not a single word was said, Applejack narrowed her eyes. “What's goin' on? Cat got ya tongues? It's too quiet round here... Ah don't like it.” She walked between Smarty and Apple Bloom, staring at both of them. “What's wrong?” she said, waving a hoof in front of Smarty's eyes. “Ya better tell me right now, Apple Bloom,” Applejack threatened, turning to face her sister. “Yer in enough trouble as it is.” Her eyes moved downwards... “No, wait!” Smarty cried, finally coming to her senses. She dove into Applejack, wrestling her to the ground while she was still surprised. “What's with you, Smarty?” Applejack cried. “Get off of me right now!” She wriggled and writhed under Smarty's weight, trying to get up from the floor. Smarty knew that Applejack was a lot stronger than her, and that it was only a matter of time before she overpowered her. She was an athlete and a farmer, whereas Smarty was just a normal pony. It was obvious. Smarty's weight could only distract her for a short amount of time, even if she did have the element of surprise. With a grunt, the farmer managed to free her strong legs, and kicked Smarty into the air. Her head hit the wall hard, and she fell to the floor with a groan. "No, wait!" she said weakly. Smarty looked up weakly to see Applejack finally find the thing in Apple Bloom's hooves. The thing that was distracting the pair of them. Big Mac. “Oh,” she said simply. She plucked Big Mac from Apple Bloom's hooves, looking into his green eyes. “Oh,” she repeated. Smarty felt her head slam against the floor. There was no point in watching; she had failed. “Apple Bloom, fetch the rope.” Applejack said simply, still watching the doll. Smarty's eyes grew wide. The filly closed the door behind her without a word. Smarty could hear the clip-clop of hooves moving on wooden planks. They grew louder, and she realised Applejack was moving towards her. She looked up to find Applejack staring down on her. “Yer gonna tell me why ya have a toy that looks like mah brother. Right now,” she said quietly. Her tone was far from friendly, even though the volume suggested otherwise. She stomped hard on the floor near Smarty's face, just to make a point. “I-I can explain!” Smarty exclaimed. “Ya better. And make it fast. Before Ah have ta use that rope,” she said through gritted teeth. “If I told you the truth, you'd never believe me!” Applejack stomped once more, closer to her head this time. Smarty gulped. “Okay, okay!” Smarty said. “But, can I stand up? I'm quite... uncomfortable down here, and it's a long story.” “Yer lucky Ah haven't touched ya yet,” spoke Applejack, “don't push that luck.” “Fine,” Smarty confirmed with a frown. “Well, stop me if you get confused.” She cleared her throat. “I used to be a toy, very much like the one in your hooves.” Applejack's eyes fell on Big Mac, but quickly returned to Smarty. “Yer a toy?” she asked, her nose wrinkling. “Ah don't believe it!” Smarty rolled her eyes. “I was. Listen, let me tell the whole story, and then you can choose to believe it or not. Okay?” Applejack scratched the back of her head. “But... no. But, Ah—” "See, I told you that you wouldn't believe me!" Smarty complained. Applejack simply continued babbling incessantly. "Look, you've seen a lot of weird things here in Equestria. Seeing a toy come to life isn't exactly a life-changing experience, right? I mean, there must be even stranger things out there than little, ol' me. So, deal with it." "Ah... Ah don't understa—" “Anyway, I was exactly like that toy. The one in your hooves,” Smarty interrupted, growing tired of Applejack's confusion. Applejack raised an eyebrow, but allowed her to continue. “I was Twilight Sparkle's toy. You know her, right?” The farmer didn't nod or shake her head. “Never mind, then. Well, a while ago, she used me in this... science experiment, and your brother got involved. He had this little side effect where he, and pretty much everyone else in Ponyville, fell in love with me, fighting each other to claim me. Well, your brother being the strong colt he was, he ended up with me. As a toy, obviously.” “He never told me 'bout this,” Applejack mumbled. “Well, if you were a colt, would you tell your siblings that you liked a young filly's toy? It's not exactly the easiest thing to admit, I'll be honest.” Smarty could see the mare rack her brains, but she turned her attention back to the story without an answer. “So, Big Mac decided he quite liked me, for some strange reason. The experiment wore off, but he still liked me. I'm still not entirely sure why myself, but he became really attached to me.” Applejack narrowed her eyes, to which Smarty responded with a wry smile. “As a toy, obviously. I was an inanimate object. Nothing more, nothing less. He would, you know, talk to me about stuff. About whatever he wanted to. Whenever he wanted to. I was there to listen to him, and that's exactly what I did,” she said, smiling warmly at Big Mac. “Wait. Two things. Ah was always there ta listen ta him. He'd always talk ta me 'bout stuff, too. He did talk to me. What made ya so special?” Applejack asked, her ears slightly drooping. “Like I said; I don't know. Maybe he just wanted someone to listen, not to respond. Anyway, he always thought you were—” Smarty stopped midsentence, gulping. It probably wasn't best to spill Big Mac's secrets right in front of him. Even though he remained complacent, she could feel his button eyes boring into her own. “He thought Ah was what?” Applejack asked, her voice suddenly monotone. “That you were... overburdened with your own problems. He told me you had enough problems as it was, what, with all the work you had to do, so he didn't feel right putting even more pressure on you.” Phew, Smarty thought, good thinking. She sighed silently. “Well... that does sound a lot like him,” Applejack admitted, looking back at the doll. “Anyway, how the heck did ya hear him? As ya said, ya were an... in-any-mut object, so Ah jus' don't think that's possible.” Smarty stuck her tongue out. “We inanimate objects hear a lot more than you'd like to think.” Applejack was taken aback, but quickly resumed her stern look. “That... doesn't make any sense. Are ya sayin' ya watched mah entire family? If he's been keepin' ya here, which Ah can only guess, ya musta seen us around sometimes.” “That's how I knew your name,” Smarty admitted. “And your little sister's name, too.” “But—” “Listen, I'll explain everything. Everything. Your brother and myself. Just give me a chance.” Applejack's lips trembled, but her gaze stiffened. “Ya still need to explain why ya have a toy lookin' like mah brother. Ah'm only lettin' ya talk cos of that, ya hear? It's more than jus' creepy.” “Are you done?” Smarty asked, raising an eyebrow. Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Continue,” she said simply. “Where was I?” said Smarty, bringing a hoof to her chin. “Right. About your brother. So, after talking to me for so long, he became attached. He grew lonely, because... well, he couldn't tell his problems to you, like I said.” “Oh, Big Mac,” Applejack said softly. Smarty blinked. “Yes. Anyway. Eventually, he got this crazy idea into his head. He wanted me to come to life, so that he could talk to me, and I could talk back. It was a good idea, I guess. Of course, I was willing, even if he didn't know. Yesterday, he finally mustered up the courage to go and talk to Discord about it, see if this whole thing was possible.” “He went ta Discord?” Applejack asked. “After all the things he did to him?” “Yeah, not too sure about that. You'd have to ask him yourself.” Applejack frowned. “Do Ah really hafta use that rope Ah was talkin' 'bout?” “No!” Smarty shrieked, her voice growing in pitch. “I really don't know! There's no point in not telling you, is there? What would I possibly gain from lying to you, especially under... these circumstances.” “Whatever,” Applejack dismissed. “Jus' get on with it.” “Thank you.” Smarty breathed a sigh of relief. “So, it turns out that Discord could turn me into a real pony... but there was a catch. There's always a catch. I don't know how to say this in any other way, so I'll just say it. In order for me to become alive, your brother had to take my place.” “And, what's that supposed ta mean?” Applejack said. Smarty remained silent. In this scenario, it was probably best to let her figure it out for herself. The farmer glared at Smarty, but she couldn't look her in the eye. “What does that mean, Smarty Pants?” Applejack looked between her and the doll, shaking it in her hooves before she finally saw the link. Smarty could only watch her as she realised, only to fall into despair. Applejack choked, gripping the doll harder. Her voice became softer, and her words were riddled with sobs. “What... what does it mean?” “Big Mac turned into a doll, so that I could live,” Smarty said simply. There was no other way to say it. She stood up from the floor. It was easy to see that Applejack was no longer in the mood. “Why?” Smarty scratched the back of her neck. “I don't know.” “No, ya don't understand. Why would he leave us behind?” “Leave who?” Smarty asked, frowning. “Me. Us. All of us. His family.” “I-I don't know.” “He jus' did it yesterday? Without even tellin' us? I don't understand!” “I don't know!” “But, that doesn't make sense!” For the first time, Smarty genuinely didn't know what to say. She remained quiet while Applejack paced around the room. She would occasionally grunt or groan in annoyance, so Smarty stayed out of the way. “Why would he give up his family for a... a toy! Ya were jus' a toy!" she shouted, poking Smarty hard. "He... chose a stupid toy over his stupid family. What a great brother, right? Tell me, Smarty Pants! Why would he do that? Yer apparently the smart one! Yer the one he chose, so tell me! What's so great 'bout ya that it could compete with his entire family? Tell me!” Applejack yelled, the volume shaking the floorboards beneath Smarty's hooves. Smarty rested her hooves on Applejack's shoulders. She looked deep into her tearful eyes, not smiling, but not frowning either. “I honestly don't know,” Smarty said. Applejack gazed into the button eyes of her brother, as if trying to read his mind. She wiped a tear from her cheek. Frowning, she pushed Smarty off of her, not caring about her feelings. She faced away to look out the window, to see the rolling hills only on the other side of the pane of glass. The early sun fell on her, covering her in light. Smarty felt a voice rise through her body. “Applejack... I can fix this.” Applejack didn't reply, nor even acknowledge Smarty's presence. Smarty moved closer, joining the mare by the window. “I can. I can change this. You know—” “Jus' go away,” she said softly. “Applejack—” “If ya don't leave, Ah won't be held accountable for mah actions,” Applejack threatened. “No. I was going to—” “I said: go away! Can't ya see Ah don't want ya here?" she yelled. “For once in your stubborn life, listen to someone! You can have your brother back. I don't want... this!” Smarty said, indicating to herself. “I've had my time in the sun. It's been nice, but your brother is more important. We'll go over to Discord, and set this right. I don't see why he wouldn't be able to simply reverse it. Okay?” Applejack remained quiet for a few moments. Smarty ground her teeth together. “Okay?” “Okay,” Applejack mumbled. “Good,” Smarty said, smiling even though she didn't want to. “But, Ah wanna go ta Twilight's first. Ah don't trust that Discord as far as I could throw him.” "Okay."