Spike hid behind a corner watching Twilight sit down and start to go through the books and loose papers that he had placed on her stack for the day, while she grabbed her morning tea. Spike had been even more self-conscious since his, or more properly her last growth spurt where along with some height making her a hair shorter than her big sister and gaining weight in more mare focused areas giving her a fuller body shape, instead of the muscular bulk she was expecting.
"Spike, I can see you behind that corner. Can you come here?"
Spike started to approach her, her mouth feeling very dry and unable to form words. She tried despite of this, but before she could form any Twilight had gotten up and wrapped her arms around Spike. "Come here sweetie, I know we've always had an odd relationship. Especially with others not being sure if you're my brother or my adoptive son, but with what motherly instincts I've grown from our relationship. It's that I will always want my daughter to be happy no matter what."
At hearing Twilight recognize her as her daughter or sister, it really was a weird relationship. Spike couldn't help but burst into tears of joy that the single closest person in her life. Her tears wear starting to soak Twilights shirt before both started to fall onto the floor, where they stayed for as long as Spike needed.
"You know Spike, this isn't the first time you've given me hint's about this."
Pulling away from Twilight, Spike sniffled, "Really Twi what were those?"
"Well it started with your last growth spurt, but I wasn't entirely sure, so I decided to freshen up on what's currently available about the subject," Twilight said while nodding to the stack of books she was about to read. Stepping over to the pile, Spike Started to read the titles. "Transgender, Every Question You Had and More You Didn't." "Transgender foals, A Parents Comprehensive guide." "My Foals Trans, What Now?" and so on, and so on.
"The cute part is you were the one who grabbed all those books for me and you didn't even notice," Twilight said before Spike stuck out her tongue and made a face. This cause both of them to laugh, which ended with Twilight asking Spike if it would be alright if they could take today and make it all about Spike. Which she pondered, before having to admit neither she nor Twilight had anything happening. She gladly accepted looking forward to some much-needed girl time.
~~~~~~~~
Finalizing the final touches of Spike's claws with the nail polish, "There we go Spike now remember to be careful while those dry."
"Thanks, Twi. You know it feels weird. Before now I always projected what others thought of me, but now that I've made this step, I realize that I'm not sure who I am, like what makes me me. I'm not even sure if my name still fits me."
"well they say a new wardrobe helps define a new outlook on life and I will be up in Canterlot this weekend with a free day. I can easily include you and we can have a day with just us and an endless shopping spree for you. Plus that will give you a few days since this is Wednesday to think about stuff and mull them over."
Spike nodded, "Thanks for the offer, I would love to go with you and it's like Rarity always says... Buck me, Rarity. I really need to tell her."
"Best do it first thing tomorrow morning when she is the most free before she starts focusing on her work for the day, after all the chasing you've done to her she has right before any of our other friends," Twilight said as she was setting the bottle of nail polish down on a night stand, but missing it causing the bottle to tumble towards the floor. Reacting poorly while trying to grab the bottle before it broke and they would have a mess to clean, Twilight ended up tumbling off the bed right behind the bottle causing it shatter in her hand right as all of her body weight was put onto said hand.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch," Twilight said as she started to examine the broken glass shards in her hand.
"Twilight are you okay? Do we need to call someone?"
"No my alicorn powers should be able to heal this just fine, but the initial part still hurts." She said as she started to pull the glass out but found that some pieces were caught in her flesh.
"Dang, it's like a barb or something. Spike, can you get me the tweez...ers?"
Spikes eyes were as large as dinner plates. "THAT'S IT!"
~~~~~~~~
'Okay Barb, you can do this. Even if she turns you down for a relationship, she is still your friend and she'll always be no matter what.' Barb kept telling herself as she made her way to the Carousel Boutique. It was still early and if she timed it right then Rarity should be getting breakfast ready.
Upon reaching the front door of the boutique Barb reached up and gave three rapid knocks. She started to fidget in place while waiting for an answer and was about to knock again, but was stopped when she heard Rarity shout out from a window that she was coming.
The door slowly opened, "Hello how may I help... Spike. So glad to see you, but what in Celestia's name are you doing here this early."
"Well, I figured some things out last night, and I felt it would be wrong to wait longer than a day to tell you and I wanted to catch you before you dive into your work."
"Oh, Spikey how sweet of you. Do come in while I put some morning tea on to boil." Rarity turned as she gestured Barb in and guided her towards the side kitchen she had in the back of the boutique. Rarity started to turn a dial on the stove and place a kettle of water, while Barb sat down in one of the chairs at a small table.
"Alright, Spike what was it that you needed to tell me?"
"Rarity, I'm transgender."
~~~~~~~~~
CRUNCH rang out as the door to the Carousel Boutique slammed into Barb's face. Any pony nearby had winced because it was clear by the sound a nose if not a few bones were broken at the least. Barb started to become enraged over the negative reaction Rarity had. She started to pull out some tissues from a small pack in her pocket as she rushed back towards the castle, with the only thing on her mind was to quickly pack a bag and rush to Canterlot, to stay with her adoptive grandmas/moms Celestia and Luna for a spell if not indefinitely. Knowing full well that the last thing Ponyville needed was a pissed-off dragon and one that was justifiably so.
Twilight was walking down one of the many halls of the Castle of Friendship when she heard the door to Barb's room slam open. She rushed to her room only to find her trying to close a suitcase that looked like it had been packed in a hurry. "Um Barb, is everything okay?"
"No Twi, everything has gone tits up, and it's all because of Rarity, so I'm going to Canterlot and stay in your old room of the castle to cool off for a few weeks," Barb said as she kept trying to close the suitcase with one hand.
"She turned you down didn't she?"
"If that was what she actually did then things would be very different, but as I'm sure in some part of my mind and I'm willing to bet yours as well, there was always a chance that she would turn me down whether it was because of different age or different species..." Barb finally turned around to face Twilight and show her full on how damaged her nose and snout were. "But she threw me out along with breaking my heart... and my nose I guess."
Twilight who had been resting her hand on the door frame, broke off a large chunk turning it into a fine powder as she took in the sight of Barb's broken nose. All she was thinking about was that she had a picnic date scheduled with her friends later that day and she was going to make it very clear that no pony breaks her daughter's heart.
Barb gulped when she saw the frame break and magic start to become visible around her mother/big sister. "Um, maybe I have more than one reason to skip town."
"Maybe, but first Barb you are going to tell me every little thing that Rarity did to you this morning."
~~~~~~~~~~~
Barb set her suitcase in the carry-on space above her private cabin and sat down as she waited for the train to take off for Canterlot. Being a part of the royal family had its perks, such as the cabin giving her some privacy to make a call to her aunt/cousin-in-law of love Cadence.
Cadance sat Flurry Heart down in her high chair as Shining Armour started to pour cereal into three bowls. Sitting down herself, Cadance's phone rang and she immediately answered it when she saw the caller ID. "Spike, good morning and may I ask what has you calling me so early?"
"Hey Cadance, actually I have something important to tell you and then I need some love advice."
"Oh, love advice you say, well you called the right mare for the job then. Now, what was the important thing you needed to tell me?"
"Now please don't be mad, but... I'm trans. I'm actually a mare."
"That's wonderful and don't worry I'm not mad and I fully support you. I am the princess of love after all and I had my suspicions after your last growth spurt. Now tell me do you have a preferred name?" Cadance said in a calming voice.
"I'm going by Barbara or Barb for short now, but only you and Twilight know that at the moment. I kinda beat feet out of Ponyville, on my way to Canterlote for a spell. Which is the second thing I need to ask you about. Well... when I told Rarity this morning she... kind of got pissed, tore my heart to shreds, and slammed the door in my face." Barb replied hesitantly.
Cadance quickly put a silencing spell over Flurry Hearts ears', "Tell me what the BITCH said! Details now." she said sharply.
After Barb gave a recap on the events of that morning over speaker so that Shining could listen in She hung up and placed some earbuds in her ears. She still had several hours before she would reach Canterlot.
Cadance however was fuming. Shining had never seen her so mad. "You know dear, it's supposed to be my role to beat up the pony that breaks his little sister's heart not his aunt-in-law. But I'm not sure who will beat her up first Twilight, you or Celestia."
Cadance started to calm down, "Wait why Celestia?"
"She is Barbs grandmother after all and you know better than anypony how she would take it since you're one of the few ponies who has seen her mad before."
"True, very true. Maybe I should take a side roll in her demise and give it to Celestia. It sure sounds like Rarity deserves her wrath far more than mine. Regardless, she's dead meat anyways."