Author: LDSocrates
Prompt: Genderbend
“Ow, c’mon AJ, lemme go!” Twi grunted as she was dragged away from their friend’s picnic. She was still far from used to hearing her own voice be so… gruff, but she supposed it was an inevitable side effect of switching out an X chromosome for a Y.
“No can do, sugarcube,” Applejack said, pulling the both of them behind a tree and out of earshot from their four other, very confused friends. “You’re not that good a liar, and if the others won’t call ya out on it, I will.”
Twilight let out a small gasp when she was propped up against the trunk, her forelegs tied to her side with a lasso. “Call me out on what? I’m telling the truth!”
Applejack sighed and sat down, giving Twilight a hard glare. “Twi… I’m not book smart, but I know you’re not trans. I have several trans cousins I love a lot; I know what gender dysphoria looks like before and after the switch, and you ain’t got it. For one, you look more uncomfortable in your skin than ever. You’re still a mare, despite messing with your genes. Why’d you really drink that sex-swap potion?”
“W-well, there is still a transition period, so of course I wouldn’t feel very…” Twilight shrank and shivered under Applejack’s gaze, her lie dying in her throat. “Okay, okay, fine… I’m not trans. Never was.”
“This is about Pinkie being straight, isn’t it?” Applejack asked with all the tact, patience, and gentleness of a sledgehammer to the skull.
Twilight just looked earthward and mumbled, “Yes…”
Applejack sighed and took her rope between her teeth, untying Twi with a single tug. The ropes fell limply to her side, but Twilight was then pinned by Applejack’s forelegs in a strong, tight hug. “You can be a darn fool sometimes, you know that?”
“I know…” Twilight sobbed, hugging her friend back.
Applejack held her all the tighter. “Don’t ever change who you are for somebody else, Twilight. Ever. Promise me that, okay?”
Twilight mutely nodded into AJ’s mane with a sniffle.
“Good.” With a brief squeeze, the cowpony pulled back with a sad smile. “Don’t get yourself down, alright? I have it on good authority that you’re making a certain somebody really question her sexuality. Who knows; she may learn something about herself and give a certain other mare a chance.”
Twilight wiped her eyes and smiled in return. “I hope so… until then, I’ll make another potion to change back. You have no idea how awkward it is to walk like this.”
Applejack giggled and rose on all fours, giving Twilight a nuzzle and helping her stand too. “I can only imagine. Now, let’s get back to the girls; you really need to come clean about this.”
Twilight took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I know… let’s get this over with.”
I really like how this one goes hand in hand with my entry earlier. If I do say so myself, they complement each other well.
If I had to pick one part of this entry as my favorite, it'd have to be this one right here:
It's a pretty powerful thing to say, and I love the implications. It adds weight to how much Twilight must mean to Pinkie if she's questioning her straight-ness in favor of her, and I really felt for Twilight. While I myself have never been in a situation like this, I have been in AJ's place. I've watched people make mistakes for the ones they love (or think they love) and they end up hurt. That's what really made this entry real for me, and I think it's amazing that you added that in there. AJ's such a dependable pony, it's really criminal that she's overlooked all the time.
You know, over the course of all the entries I've read from you... you certainly seem to write a lot of AJ. I'm definitely not complaining, but is there any reason behind that? Fan of TwiJack, perhaps?
Oh, shit, this was powerful. I loved that it was AJ who called bullshit on Twilight, and I love how horribly strange being male was for Twilight- it shone nicely through all her actions. And it was a little heartbreaking to see Twilight trying to change herself so fundamentally for Pinkie... yeesh. A great entry all round.
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Well, as I said in my review of your entry that's similar to this, it's a feeling I could seriously identify with. ...and it was either this or a short comedic bit about Pinkie possibly possessing a penis (god I love alliteration), but I felt that would be too expected.
I ship just about anything! ...but yes, I really do like TwiJack. And in stories where they are not together, I portray them as ex marefriends, because I think they're too good for each other to not have hooked up at some point. That and Applejack is, as you said, criminally overlooked by the fandom in just about every respect.
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So glad you liked. And I apparently have a penchant for writing characters uncomfortable in their own skin for... some reason.