Midnight stood on the balcony of Canterlot Castle next to her mentor and teacher Princess Celestia. She had always enjoyed the empathetic, compassionate, and comforting company of her teacher. But with everything that Midnight had recently come to terms with, she started to see her visits in a new light, as they were some of the only opportunities that her true self could peek through.
Midnight sat by Celestia’s side for some time, allowing for the silence to maintain the peace and tranquility of the moment. After a while though, she decided that now was the time. “Celestia, I want to talk to you about something, I just hope you’ll understand.”
“Of course Midnight, what’s on your mind?” Celestia responded.
“Well, I’ve been doing some thinking and talked it out with some of my friends. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, I’ve felt different, like something about myself was finally coming to light.”
“Oh? And you’ve recently been coming to terms with it?”
“Yeah, being around my new friends helped me come out more, and feels so… natural.” Midnight paused for a brief moment preparing to get straight to the point. “Celestia, I think I’m transgender.”
Celestia gave a warm smile to her student, signaling that she could take comfort in opening up to her. “If that’s the case, I’m proud of you.”
“Proud. But… it’s not just something I can accomplish, it’s just natural right?”
“Indeed, but it still takes a lot of courage to come out, especially when there are still those who dare approach gender diversity with hatred.”
“Well, I must admit that this is all new to me. Although Pinkie had helped me catch up on the LBGT community since I came out to her, I’m still learning. I wasn’t aware that there was any hatred aimed that it, seems a little bit, I dunno, petty?”
Celestia chuckled after witnessing her own student saying that she had been thinking for a long time. “Yes, it is rather petty, isn’t it? But I digress, if you are certain that this identity is the right fit for you, then you are perfectly valid, regardless of what anypony else says. Take pride in who you are, gender expression is a beautiful thing, and deserves to be embraced and celebrated.”
“Well speaking of embracing, I wanted to ask if you could do something for me.”
“I’m listening”
“Well, you’re more experienced with magic than I am, so is there any chance you had any gender-swapping spells? Although I’m at peace if my identity, I’d like to be able to transition.”
“I certainly can. However it’s a difficult spell to cast, and requires a lot of preparation, it will take some time before it's ready”
“I understand, as long as it’s done take all the time you need.” Midnight smiled, satisfied with the response that she had received from Celestia. “And thank you for understanding” Midnight stood up and trotted towards Celestia to hug her. Celestia responded by wrapping her wings around Midnight in a comforting embrace.
“Of course, you’re not the first one to speak to me about such matters after all.” Celestia released her hug on Midnight, giving her the freedom to move around again. “Oh, and I almost forgot to ask; if you plan to transition, do you plan to change your name as well?”
“My name? Oh, I haven’t thought of that, didn’t even think that was an option”
"You don't have to if you don't want to, but it is an option if you choose to do so."
Twilight took a moment to give it some thought. As she sat and pondered in thought, her eyes drifted towards the sky in front of the balcony, watching as it transitioned from a bright and vibrant sunset to a calming twilight as the stars began to take their place and sparkle in the night. Twilight kinda sounds like Midnight. Yeah, Twilight. “Call me Twilight, Twilight Sparkle.”