//------------------------------// // 5. Double Confessions // Story: Sweetie Belle Learns Rarity Is Trans // by cookiefonster //------------------------------// After a long day of tedious school assignments, an exhausting argument with her parents about sleeping at her boutique, and a horrific step into a puddle of mud, Rarity spent what little remained of the day at one of the few restaurants that was open this late: Sugarcube Corner, a quaint little bakery run by a newly married couple that happened to sell some of Ponyville’s finest coffee. “Now would you like any extra sugar or cream with your coffee, miss?” Mr. Cake asked. An unconscious burst of joy ran through Rarity. Oh, it felt so good to be called “miss”. To be thought of as a mare without having to specify anything else. She wasn’t sure whether strangers didn’t notice how often her voice cracked, or if they were just being polite, but it still felt wonderful to be treated as a lady. So wonderful... “Uh, Rarity? I asked you if you wanted anything extra on your coffee. If you’re having trouble deciding, we could offer you a plate with ten different—” Rarity shook her head out of her stupor. “Oh, yes, yes, sorry.” She cleared her throat. “I would like no cream in my coffee, but just the most miniscule dash of sugar would suit my fancy quite well, n’est-ce pas?” Mr. Cake gave Rarity a curious look, then chuckled. “I’ll have your coffee with a dash of sugar ready in five minutes!” Rarity found a table far in the corner to sit at, then pondered what she just said. Was she laying things too thick there? She said “miniscule” in a tone so squeaky it nearly strained her throat, but such were the lengths she would take to sound more like a lady. With nopony else in the bakery so late at night, perhaps she could get some peace and quiet to decompress. “Hey, Rarity!” said a voice in front of her. Rarity jumped back in a panic, then smacked herself in the face, realizing she had spaced out yet again when somepony was trying to address her. Not just that, but it was the friendly orange pony who she had crafted suits for. “Applejack? What are you doing here?” she asked. “Oh, I’m just here to unwind after a long, hard day of farm work. I like gettin’ some donuts here sometimes, ‘cause nopony else is ever ‘round here late at night.” Applejack leaned in closer to Rarity and lowered her voice. “But don’t ya go tellin’ Big Mac I do this, ‘cause then he’d talk my ear off about how he ‘wasn’t invited’.” She let out a hearty chuckle. Mr. Cake came over to the table. “Here’s your coffee with a small splash of sugar, dear, just the way you wanted.” “Thank youuuu!” sang Rarity, waving her hoof. “And here’s your order of sugar-glazed apple donuts, Applejack. Enjoy!” said Mr. Cake. “’Scuse me, Mr. Cake,” said Applejack. “Normally, your wife’s here with you at this time a’ day. I was just wonderin’, where’s she at now?” “She’s not feeling too well,” Mr. Cake replied. “She learned something terrible happened to one of her best friends and... actually, I should go check on her. Ask if she needs any soup, or some vitamins.” “Aw, I hope she feels better soon,” said Applejack. Mr. Cake went upstairs, leaving only two young ponies in the room. “Say, Rarity. You look awful excited today. Did ya make a bunch of money from a new line of dresses or somethin’?” Rarity looked at Applejack with bright, dazzled eyes. “No, Applejack. I want you to tell me all about the glamorous times you had in Manehattan!” She leaned forward and put her elbows on the table, nearly spilling her coffee until her magic rescued it. “Did you gaze upon any gorgeous architecture? Did you amaze your family with my fashion design skills? Did you try out one of the city’s famous spas? Tell me, tell me, tell me! Well... after you finish chewing of course.” Applejack gulped down the last bite from her first donut, then wiped some crumbs off her cheeks. “Well... uh... you see... Rarity, I gotta admit somethin’ to ya.” Rarity’s smile dissipated. “Oh... did your family not like the suits I made? I’m so sorry, darling, I really thought I—” “No, no, it’s not that.” Applejack paused and took a deep breath. “The suits weren’t for a family visit in Manehattan. They were for... my parents’ funeral. I didn’t mention it earlier ‘cause I didn’t want somepony I barely knew feelin’ all sad for me.” Rarity’s heart dropped like a stone as she processed the news. She lowered her voice to a strained whisper. “Oh... I’m so sorry, Applejack. This must be... incredibly difficult for you.” “Aw, thanks, Rarity. I really shoulda told you sooner, ‘cause I’ve been startin’ to learn lies don’t get you anywhere good. But you don’t gotta worry. It was a good funeral, and I think we’ll recover soon enough. The Apple family’s got a long history of getting back on their hooves after disasters... no matter how unfortunate.” Though Applejack’s eyes remained dry, she did let out a sniff. “The toughest part is that we gotta spend more time now takin’ care of baby Apple Bloom. She didn’t even get to know her parents... but maybe I’ll tell her all about ‘em when the time’s right. That’s gotta be years from now, though.” “And you... aren’t too broken up about losing your parents?” Rarity asked, then took a tiny sip of coffee. She had no idea how to respond this heavy news. “Oh, we’re all devastated. Big Mac’s been cryin’ for over a week now, and Granny Smith has barely said a word except when she gave that long funeral speech. This ain’t easy for me either. I guess I’m just good at keepin’ my tears on the inside.” Applejack lowered her eyelids and smiled gently. “That’s why I chose to step up and ask somepony for outfits for the funeral. But since I dunno the first thing about fashion, I guess I sorta stumbled into your place. And boy howdy, am I glad I did. You shoulda seen how excited Big Mac was when he put on his suit!” “Applejack, this... this changes everything I thought I knew about you,” said Rarity, a tear running down her face. “I thought you were a travel pony who soared across the most high-strung cities in Equestria, but it turns out you simply wanted to honor your loved ones. And that’s... sniff... that’s true beauty to me.” “Aw, it’s nothin’, Rarity. Somepony had to go get us funeral outfits, ‘cause the only clothes we got lyin’ around are a hundred of Dad’s spare hats, and we won’t be needin’ those no more.” “Perhaps you could start wearing them in his honor? I always thought you would look fabulous with a garment upon your head! Plus, it may improve your vision when delicately harvesting apples from apple bushes.” Applejack laughed. “Apples don’t grow on bushes, ya goof. They grow on trees!” “Wait... do they? How do you harvest them from trees then? It must be a real ordeal without unicorn magic or wings that could take you to the top. Or do you use ladders to provide some vertical assistance?” “No, silly. You buck a tree with your hooves, and then all the apples come fallin’ out.” Rarity grimaced. “But then, um...” She delved into some incoherent stuttering, unsure how she got basic knowledge of farming this wrong. She knew she should have paid more attention in biology class! “Don’t your hooves get a little, um... dirty while doing that?” “Yeah. So?” “But... that... HOW COULD YOU EVER POSSIBLY TOLERATE THAT? Hooves are the most important parts of a mare’s body, and they should be kept pristine at all times!” “Oh, Rarity, you’re so funny. Maybe someday, you could learn to buck apples with us! You might even find it fun.” “I’ll pass, thank you very much. I wouldn’t want to subject you to dressmaking either, lest you smash all my delicate sewing machines apart. Because that is obviously the true function of hooves, is it not?” “Sure, Rarity. If you say so.” “Anyway... Well... Um.” Rarity stammered and started sweating, her eyes darting around the room to make sure it was empty. “You doin’ okay there, sugarcube?” “Yes! I just...” Rarity sighed. “Applejack, I also have something to confess. Or at least, something I would like to confess, but it is so difficult to admit.” “Go on and say it. I promise I won’t tell anypony.” “You... you do?” Rarity held a hoof up to Applejack, who shook her hoof in return and nodded. “Applejack... I’m not really a mare,” Rarity said slowly, barely audible even against a nearly silent backdrop. Applejack’s pupils went tiny, then her face froze for a second. “Wait, WHAT?! You mean... you were a stallion this whole time? I was wonderin’ why your voice sounded a lil’ scratchy, but I woulda never thought you weren’t a mare. ‘Cause ya sure look and act like one. But what I don’t get is why a stallion would wanna pass off as a mare. If this is just an act, then you’re puttin’ an awful lot of energy into it.” With every word Applejack said, Rarity’s face alternated between despair and glee. “This is difficult to explain, but...” Rarity sighed again. “I really would not call myself a stallion. Since I was a foal, I always wished I could be a mare, even though I knew that was impossible. But a few years ago, not long after I earned my cutie mark, I learned I could do the next best thing, which was making myself look and talk and act like a mare. It’s been a tedious process, and I’m far from finished with it, as I’m sure you can tell. But it’s all worth the sensation when somepony calls me a girl or tells me I look pretty. Oh, it just feels so magical!” “I won’t lie... all this is way over my head. I ain’t never heard of anypony wantin’ to swap their gender before today.” Rarity raised an eyebrow to Applejack. “But since you’re my friend, Rarity... I’m happy to take your word for it and keep callin’ you a mare, ‘cause that seems to make you happy.” Rarity’s face lit up, and she smiled broadly. “Are you saying that even after everything I told you, you still think of me as a mare?” “Sure I do! It’s not hard when you already look like it.” Rarity jumped out of her seat and attacked Applejack with a tight hug. “Applejack, you are the coolest pony EVER!” She shook Applejack, bumping her into the table and spilling her coffee. “But, if I may ask... you don’t actually have any family in Manehattan, do you?” “Oh, that part’s actually true. We got members of the Apple family in just about every corner of Equestria!” Rarity hugged Applejack even tighter, and Applejack returned it. “You really ARE the coolest pony ever!”