As the sun began to fully set just outside the furthest hills from Ponyville, the glow of purple magic could be seen quickly sweeping across the darkening skies. While carrying a surprisingly large smile on her face, Princess Twilight Sparkle wasted no time gathering all of the supplies she needed before flying straight towards Sweet Apple Acres. In her aura, the Alicorn had several books, as well as a rather large chest held by her magic with ease when she finally landed at the front door of the Apple family’s modest barn.
Twilight wasted no time, and knocked on the front door several times. After a short moment, the door opened to reveal Applejack. “Well, hey there, Twi!” said the orange mare enthusiastically, looking like she just got back from her trip to Manehattan. “Ah didn’t even get the chance to see any of ya yet!”
“Oh! Ummm…” Despite looking slightly surprised to see her friend at the door, Twilight was quick to give her a warm hug for her return. “I actually wasn’t expecting to see you back so soon.”
“Hm?” Applejack pulled back from her hug with a confused look on her face.
“Not that I’m not glad, of course,” quickly added the purple mare with a nervous giggle as she looked away from Applejack for a moment, feeling embarrassed by her choice of words. “What I meant to say is…”
While her head was turned away, Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw Big Mac up at the top of one of the hills with Apple Bloom, looking like the two were appreciating the sunset side-by-side. The Princess paused briefly with a smile, looking grateful that the stallion looked so happy again.
Of course, after remembering that Applejack was still standing in front of her, Twilight quickly shook her head clear before looking back to her. “Ummm, I was just saying that… I was actually planning to talk with Big Macintosh about something.”
“Really?” asked the farm-mare confusedly. “About what?”
Twilight rubbed the back of her head while looking away again, obviously having difficulty finding the right words. Applejack’s attention went towards the chest and the pile of books beside her. “Uhhh… does it have somethin’ ta do with all those books?”
“What? Oh!” Twilight quickly pulled the books away from Applejack’s sight with a hoof, making sure that they were behind the chest before her friend could get the chance to read any of the titles. “Th-that’s nothing! Really! I… I just needed to ask him something, that’s all.”
Applejack’s eyes narrowed on Twilight suspiciously, noticing how the Alicorn had her lip bitten slightly while darting her eyes back and forth. While she couldn’t necessarily say she was a good liar herself, Applejack could still tell that something was up. “Twi?” asked the mare with a tilt of her head. “What’s goi--”
“Applejack!” shouted Granny Smith from inside the barn in a chipper tone. “Can ya help me fix the table? I got a lot ta tell ya about the Sisterhooves Social!”
The old mare could be heard snickering after that last statement, which was enough to divert Applejack’s attention away from the nervous-looking Princess. “Ah’ll be right there!”
By the time Applejack turned back to her friend, both of them saw Big Mac and Apple Bloom coming down the hill with warm smiles on their muzzles. Apple Bloom was the first to run down to the house, and hopped up to give her older sister an enthusiastic hug. “Applejack! Welcome back! Ah missed you soooo much!”
Applejack forgot about Twilight long enough to hug Apple Bloom back. “Well, Ah missed ya too!” After putting her back down, Applejack grew a more worried expression on her face. “Sorry Ah couldn’t be here for the Social. Ah hope ya understand.”
“Nah, it’s alright,” stated Apple Bloom with a smile and a wave of her hoof. “Everything was fine! In fact, Big Mac--”
“Don’cha tell her!” yelled Granny Smith from inside again. “Ah wanna say it!”
Another giddy giggle came from the kitchen. Big Mac, who was now close enough to the house to hear Granny, gave off an irritated groan as he realized how she was probably going to bring this up at every family gathering. Of course, he couldn’t think about that too much when he saw that Applejack was back from her summoning.
“Hey, Mac!” said Applejack with a smile while Applebloom trotted into the house. “How was the Social? Ya have fun?”
Big Mac shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Uhhh… ye--” Before he could finish, the stallion noticed how Princess Twilight was standing by the doorway, giving an unusual-looking smile towards him. Mac blinked a couple times before turning his attention back to Applejack. “Y-yep.”
“Well, that’s good ta hear. I remember how upset Apple Bloom was abo…” The orange mare’s words slowly drifted off when she noticed Twilight as well. “Twi, what the hay is it?!”
Twilight didn’t even realize she was still looking up at Big Mac, and shook her head again as she looked back at Applejack. “Oh! Ummm… nothing. Heh heh…” The Princess’s awkward smile came back as she stared between her friend and Mac, who was looking over at the chest with a crooked brow. “I just wanted to ask Big Macintosh a question, and then I’ll be off. I swear.”
After Twilight gave Applejack a more sincere look to indicate she was being honest, Applejack kept her eyes narrowed on her for only another moment before walking back inside the house. “Well… alright then....” Even though she was still unsure what it was Twilight wanted with her brother, it wasn’t enough to keep her from whatever Granny Smith was cooking in the kitchen. “Just let me know if you want some dinner before ya leave. We could easily set up the table for ya.”
“Oh, no thank you,” said Twilight before Applejack could disappear into the kitchen. “Spike is making me dinner back at the castle.”
After Applejack and the others were out of sight, Twilight closed the door before looking back towards Big Mac. While the two stood outside the doorway, Twilight’s smile grew wider as she looked up at the confused stallion. “So…” Her shoulders swayed a little as her tone grew more upbeat. “Did you have fun at the Sisterhooves Social?”
Mac’s eyes widened, and he made a nervous gulp before looking away from her. “Uhhh… A-ah--”
“It’s okay,” assured Twilight as she quickly put a hoof on the stallion’s shoulder. “Really, Mac. It’s perfectly fine.” Biting her lip in contemplation, she paused for a second before asking in a more comforting tone. “Would you feel better if I called you Orchard Blossom?”
“What?!” Mac looked back at her with a puzzled expression and pulled away from her hoof.
“It’s okay! I’m talking to you as a friend!” Holding both of her hooves out to motion for Mac to settle down, the Princess took a deep breath before continuing. “Listen, I… I saw how upset you were after your identity was shown after that race. And I can understand how troubling a reveal like that could be, so I came by to let you know there’s no shame in wanting to embrace who you really are.”
Mac’s eyes narrowed on her as he blinked repeatedly, looking like Twilight just spoke in fluent Zebrican. “Who Ah… the what now?”
“Just hear me out...” Keeping a more confident smile on her face, the mare lit her horn and floated a large purple book towards Big Mac. “I don’t exactly have my full selection of books since the whole, you know… Tirek incident, but I did manage to find some literature that I think could really help you with what you might be feeling.”
Mac picked up the book that was in Twilight’s purple aura, and reeled back when he read the title:
Gender Dysphoria: A Comprehensive Guide for Gender Identity and Acceptance.
“Whooooaaaaaa…” Big Mac immediately pushed the book back towards Twi as he tried to explain himself. “Princess, Ah wasn’t--”
“Mac did WHAT?!” shouted Applejack from inside the house, undoubtedly hearing from Granny Smith what happened.
“Please, before you dismiss this,” said Twilight more sternly while pushing the book back towards him, seemingly not hearing the roar of laughter coming from inside the barn. “I just want you to know that I’m not judging you. It takes a lot of bravery to embrace the mare inside of you, and I want you to feel comfortable wi--”
“Ah wasn’t doin’ that!” shouted Mac before pushing the book back towards her again. “Ah ain’t like that, Ah swear!” Upon pushing the book back into Twilight’s hooves, Mac looked away and rubbed the back of his head before adding meagerly, “Ah mean, not that there’s anything wrong with it, but--”
“Exactly!” Twilight said insistently before trying to give him another book, this one titled When A Stallion Wants to be a Mare. “Big Ma-- I mean, Orchard Blossom, you shouldn’t try to hide yourself any more than you already have! You’ve undoubtedly had these feelings for a long time, and I want to--”
“Ah was just tryin’ ta help my sister!” yelled Mac before Twilight could spout off any more of her nonsense. “It was nothin’ more than that! Ah’m perfectly fine with bein’ a stallion, okay?!”
Even though he felt like his tone may have been a bit louder than he wanted (especially towards Royalty), Big Mac didn’t seem to see any look of shock or fear from the Princess he just shouted at. Instead the mare froze briefly before slowly narrowing her eyes on him. “So, wait… you’re not wanting to be a mare?”
Mac groaned in irritation, looking slightly annoyed that Twilight even came to that conclusion in the first place. “Ugh… nope.”
“And… Orchard Blossom isn’t the identity of a mare who you want to transition to?”
“Nope!”
“So... you’re fine with being a stallion?”
“Yep!”
“... And… you just wore the dress because you liked it?”
“Yep. W-wait!” Mac threw his hooves up frantically. “Ah mean--”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so?” said Twilight with a more optimistic beam as she floated her piles of books away and went towards her chest. “That’s perfectly fine too! I personally don’t see anything wrong with a little cross-dressing every now and then.”
Mac face-hoofed in annoyance as he let off another tired groan. “Twi, Ah’m not--”
“Here are a few outfits that I don’t need anymore,” interrupted Twilight happily before floating several dresses towards the stallion. “I was planning to give them to you to let yourself be ‘Orchard Blossom’, but they can be perfectly fine if you just want to do drag when you’re happy.”
“No, Twi!” Mac threw the clothing back at her. But fortunately, the Princess grabbed them with her magic before they were even close to hitting her. “Ah don’t need any dresses! That ain’t my thing!”
Twilight eyed the stallion suspiciously, looking between him and the garments held in her aura. After a brief moment, the mare’s eyes slowly opened as she gave a more understanding nod. “Ohhhh… Now I see…”
Mac sighed in sweet relief, a relaxed smile on his muzzle. “Whew! Thank ya Twi--”
“I should’ve known that you would have dresses of your own!” Shaking her head like she just got the punchline to an old joke, Twilight chuckled and began to put her old dresses back inside the chest, not noticing how Big Mac tried to catch her attention. “Well, that’s alright too. But just know that I can gladly help you if you want to find something really nice. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if that dress you wore to the social was the best choice, but I know better than to judge somepony else’s taste.”
Mac dragged one of his hooves down his face slowly, his earlier relief immediately vanished. “Ughhhh…”
“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve helped a stallion find dresses either. In fact…” Twilight looked around for a second, and then leaned in before whispering with a smirk, “Don’t tell anypony, but Applejack isn’t the only one with a brother who likes that sort of thing.”
Realizing what she just told him, Big Macintosh’s jaw dropped like a brick while staring at the giggling mare. However, before he could say anything in response, Twilight went back to pick up her books and chest with her magic. “Well, I’m sorry for coming out here like this. I guess I should’ve just tried to talk with you before making any big assumptions, you know? But I hope you understand that I was just wanting to be helpful. Anyway, have a nice dinner!”
Twilight brought out her wings and quickly pulled herself off the ground. While her wings were flapping, Mac’s voice could barely be heard trying to shout out over the gusting wind. “Twi! Ah am NOT--”
“Oh, and one more thing,” said Twilight in a chipper tone down to Mac while she was up in the sky with her things. “Remember to always use protection if you ever plan to Kai-Kai! See ya!”
With that, Twilight Sparkle soared off into the fresh evening sky, leaving a totally bewildered Big Mac to stand outside of his home with a look that bordered between shock and slight disgust. His head shook slowly, not being able to comprehend what happened in the past two minutes. “Ah… Ah can’t…”
The front door opened again, with Applejack stumbling out while chuckling and wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh, man!” said the mare in a gasp like she just got back her ability to breathe. “Ah think Ah passed out laughin’ after Granny told me what you did! What the hay were ya…”
When she noticed how confused her brother looked, Applejack paused while taking a couple heavy breaths. Not sure what was up with him, her head tilted again as she asked, “Uhhh… you okay there, Mac? Anything you wanna tell me?”
Mac’s whole body jolted up, and he rushed past Applejack and quickly walked toward the kitchen while shouting, “NOPE! Nooooope, nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope….”
Applejack blinked a few times in puzzlement, and shrugged before closing the door and going back to the dining room. “Jeeze, Ah was just askin...”