• Story: The Plaything

    [Light-shipping][Sad]

    Author: Gabriel LaVedier
    Description: Big Macintosh has a secret. In fact, he is a stallion of many secrets. But one of them will help draw out the others, to make him a stronger pony at the end of the day.
    The Plaything

    Additional Tags: Big Macintosh, Smarty-Pants, Magic, Secrets, Touching

    24 comments:

    1. Third! Excited to give this a read c:

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    2. Big Macintosh, Smarty-Pants, Magic, Secrets, Touching
      <><><><><><><

      Magic, Secrets, Smarty-Pants, Touching, Big Macintosh

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    3. @DPV111
      You got a laugh out of me.

      Congratulations!

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    4. The second Big Macintosh Smarty-Pants story I've read. They always seem to have that Disney magic. Toys coming to life. It's been pulled off brilliantly twice too.

      Not that I'd expect less from Gabriel LaVedier.

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    5. *sniff*
      I think I've got something stuck in my eye.

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    6. Toy Story meets Friendship Is Magic?

      Yes please.

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    7. kind of wished it would have ended differently but i still really liked it.

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    8. That was a good read during lunch. Nice story.
      Thanks!

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    9. A nice and sweet story, I hope for Big Mac he would find a real mare who appreciates him this much :)

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    10. @Ratnap

      i was hoping that was how it was going to end

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    11. There needs to be a story where Smarty Pants becomes a real mare, and stays that way.

      Dunno, (real)Smarty Pants and Big mac seems like it could be a good pairing, based on the 2 stories I read.

      Now, for the ship name, BigPants or SmartyMac?

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    12. @Ratnap

      Is it odd that this reinforces the idea of the Fluttermac ship in my mind? (Possibly even Rarity.)

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    13. why do I keep coming across stories of this blasted peasant and his strange antiquated toy?

      And why do I keep reading them, and wanting more of them?

      What witchcraft have you lot afflicted upon me?!

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    14. Heeey! <3 I drew that picture! Now I'll have to read this story for sure.

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    15. I think FlutterMac is a very good shipping. In my opinion they both do match very well ^^ And I kind of feel the "pressure" on Bic Mac. He's always to be the Big Brother for AJ and Apple Bloom and be the reasonable and hard working Grandson to Granny Smith. And to do this he has to endure everything with his stoic smile.

      I can see he desperately need someone who listen to his worrys while he himself is somepony I consider to be very trustworthy and always helpful when others are in need of his help.

      So Adam Crocker I don't think it's odd at all that this story encourages you to work on your FlutterMac ship ^^

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    16. Much better than a previous one I read in this vein; somebody like Big Mac will always hold his true feelings close in, and it takes somebody like Smartypants (and eventually Fluttermac [seriously, that needs to happen in the show]) to allow those feelings to be expressed so they aren't kept locked up all the time.

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    17. @Ratnap

      True, and very perceptive idea of how Mac's personality works. Fluttershy would just accept all these things, whether the particular tastes Mac has shown in this story (which would actually be appealing to Fluttershy since it would indicate he's very gentle) or his feelings in general (both due to her personality and the fact that she's very reserved and being a misfit in her own right). And she would be supportive in any case.

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    18. Hm.

      Hindsight, and outside observer, and such, but...

      I'm wondering if it wouldn't have worked better if the spell was made to make Smarty Pants walk 'Home'.

      And then it plays out exactly as the rest of the story did.

      Thus... Smarty Pants IS *home*.

      But I'll echo the thoughts that... It seems a little unfair for Mac and Miss Pants that they only get one more day.

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    19. I could swear that I saw the squirrel in that picture move. I think I'm loosing it.

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    20. This is more than a little creepy. Twilight isn't a god. It's a pity since I thought it was a very nice story, but the ending left much to be desired.

      If I were to write it, I would have made it like Toy Story and had the toy been alive all along. The toy could still talk to Big Mac. Then Twilight could teleport it to her. Big Mac would go to her house to ask for it back. It would be the same story, just less creepy.

      Also, I'm not sure I think having the toy be alive is even necessary. Having the toy walk home and having Big Mac get it would have the same meaning and emotional impact without bringing any bizarre elements of godlike Twilight with powers over life and death.

      TL;DR: Good story, but the ending made the entire thing some creepy satanic horror story and ruined everything it was before.

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    21. @Peter

      Response from the author (as I had to upload for him):

      "Sadly, sir, you seem to have missed some of the implication. Dolls, and other very personal items, are invested with emotion by their owners. Feeling is directed to them constantly. This interacts with a "Come to Life" spell by turning the latent impressions in their natural magical envelope and emotional charge into what can be termed a personality.

      Further, if you object to Twilight or Mac talking about Smarty-Pants coming to life and dying, well, the spell is CALLED "Come to Life" and Twilight was doing it out of respect, because Mac genuinely saw her as alive.

      Also, the story ends as it does because a little sadness is good. In moderated doses without too much tragedy it strengthens and invigorates the self. I didn't want a quick and easy solution. There was none. Choices have to be made, and seldom easy ones. Maybe someday a permanent solution will come. But not that moment."

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