I creaked the door open and there was Applejack, soaked to the bone.
She smiled, vaguely, she was clearly repressing a shiver. "H-Hey Twi. W-would you mind if I came inside?"
I blanched. "Holy... AJ yes! Hurry, you'll catch your death!"
The moment she stepped through the door I levitated over a towel (stored here for specifically such purposes) and started drying her off. "What were you thinking coming out in this weather! The pegasi had this storm planned months ago!"
She chuckled. "It's really alright Twi, I'm just a little wet."
I grabbed the towel with my hooves, scrubbing my frustration away. "It could have been a lot worse than that! Why are you even here at this time of night? I..." I stopped after finding myself dangerously close to her flanks.
I blushed. "Um... Maybe you should finish up."
AJ turned crimson, but took the towel with a nod.
After she finished up I took us to the library. We ended up on the couch, just sort of staring into space.
"I'm sorry..." I managed finally.
Applejack's eyes widened. "Twilight, I was here to apologize! You were trying to help me and I just..."
I balked. "AJ, all you did was open up! You were honest, it's what I rely on you for, it's what the world relies on you for!"
She shook her head. "You were the one who opened up... I was in the perfect place to talk about my feelings and all I could talk about was how much worse-"
"WOULD YOU TWO JUST GET A ROOM ALREADY!" Spike shouted.
We froze. Spike was standing in the doorway with my tea set in claw.
I felt my cheeks burning. "S-spike! How long have you been here?"
He groaned. "Long enough..." He hit the tea kettle with a quick gout of flame and set it down in front of us. "Now, are you two going to tell me what's going on? Seriously, I'm used to being left out of the loop, but this is ridiculous."
I bit my lip. He wasn't wrong, but this wasn't something I felt comfortable sharing. "I'm sorry Spike, but this is an exceptionally personal matter. You need to-"
AJ held up a hoof. "It's okay Twi."
I stared at her. She had a look of stubborn determination on her face. "Spike saved my dang life at least twice." She said. "If I can't trust him, who can I trust?"
She walked over to the little dragon and knelt down. "I'm sorry about the trouble, sugar cube. Twilight's just been helping me out because I've been tryin' to actively deal with a bunch of junk from my past."
He raised an eyebrow. "What sort of stuff?"
She sighed. "I guess I should just spit it out... Basically I feel like I've been using being an orphan as a crutch. Like I haven't dealt with it really, so I haven't moved-"
The little dragon ran up and hugged her leg.
She blushed. "Okay then... Yeah, it'd be pretty hard for y'all to not know about that one... But that's not the only excuse I give for not living my life to the fullest..."
I felt myself tensing. Please Spike don't let me down...
"I'm a trans mare." She said, finally.
Spike blinked. "You... You can turn into a car?"
I facehoofed so hard I think I knocked my brain backwards. Applejack fell down laughing.
Spike crossed his arms. "Okay, okay, ha ha, let's all laugh at the little dragon who doesn't know what words mean... Sheesh!"
Applejack wiped a little tear from her eye and her giggles calmed down. "Sorry Spike, after all I've been through over being trans it was just funny to bump into a transmorpher's reference."
He perked up. "You read transmorphers comics?"
She shrugged. "I did back in the day... I admit I wonder if I should pick them up again. Did they ever manage to rescue Robotron?"
Spike shook his head. "Nah, Cyber Slicer got him in the end which caused Gear Head to transform into his ultimate form... So what does being a trans mare actually mean?"
She tilted her hat. "It means I was born with the body of a stallion, even though I'm actually a mare."
Spike tilted his head. "Huh? You don't have a Stallion's body."
She nodded. "That's because some doctors and me fixed it a long time ago."
The little dragon looked completely lost. "Oookay... So... What's the problem? I mean, I get having the body of a stallion must have sucked, I have no idea how I'd live with myself as a dragoness... But, it doesn't seem like it's much of a problem anymore."
She shrugged. "I mean, Discord's in the details. There's all these little things about how they put me back together that bug me... But mostly you're right."
She walked over to the book-shelves and rested her hoof against them. "I just... I guess that part's more about me not feeling real, or good enough you know? I know that's plum foolish of me, but it's hard to shake. It's like... Why would anypony ever want to hang out with me when they could have a normal mare?"
Spike rolled his eyes. "Puh-lease! You're talking to a baby dragon, being normal is so overrated. Besides, you're one of the most awesome ponies I know! If you looking like a boy back when dinosaurs roamed Equestria is enough to drive someone away then they weren't worth your time in the first place."
She turned back, smiling. "Thanks Spike... That means a lot."
He blushed. "Yeah, well... It's kind of something I tell myself a bunch..."
Okay, I couldn't sit there anymore. I picked that little dragon up and hugged him tight.
He stuck out his tongue. "Okay, okay, I get it Twilight! You've got my back too... Enough with the mushy stuff."
Applejack smirked. "Y'all threw the first hug sugar cube."
Spike sighed.
I let the little dragon go, blushing. "Sorry."
There was a pause.
"Sooo..." Spike said finally. "What now?"
#
Spike Raised up his little plastic air-ship bot. "Y'arr! Sky Pirates don't fall so easily!"
I held up my little plastic robot in retaliation. "Now see here Wind Cutter! I may be nothin' but a lowly apple cart transmorpher, but there ain't no way I'm going to let you get away with this!"
Spike laughed an evil laugh. "We'll see about that!"
We smashed our action figures together in a flurry of angry plastic.
Meanwhile, Twilight was leafing through the comic books. "I don't get it, why does Mega-cron spend all of his time trying to destroy the Prime Bots and attacking populated planets when he could get charge crystals by mining asteroids? These people have easy space travel for pity's sake!"
Spike groaned, spinning his toy's propellers. "Twilight it's just a fun adventure story, you might as well ask why Ahuizotl is messing things up in the Daring Do books."
"But he's real!" Twi objected. "And his nuanced backstory is perfectly explained in book four!"
I scratched the back of my head. "I think there might be a compromise here. I mean, there's a limited amount of charge crystals in the universe right? And the Prime Bots need them just as much as the Nego Robos do. Maybe his attacks are sold to his people as a pre-emptive strikes against the Prime Bot menace... While he's actually just a no good phony that gets off on hurting folk." I concluded.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Sure... That makes sense..." The alicorn yawned, she glanced at the clock. "Yeesh, it's getting late. Has the storm died down at all?"
I shook my head, matching her yawn with one of my own. "I think it's supposed to last through the night."
Twilight nodded. "Nothing for it then... Spike, could you fetch a pillow and blanket for AJ? I'm sorry all I have to offer you is the couch. I had a spare bed in my old place, but it... exploded."
I smiled. "Don't fret about me, I'm used to roughing it."
She smiled back. It was warm, unguarded... Just amazing in every way...
Spike left. I knew what I had to do.
I picked myself up off the floor and plopped myself on the far end of the couch from that mare. She turned to me, confused.
Just do it ya coward... "Twi?"
"Yes Applejack?"
I gulped. "Would... Would y'all like to go out some time?"
Her eyes widened. I braced myself for the worst...
Then her smile came back. "You know what? Yes Applejack, yes I would."