Eggcellent
Spike looked at the crystal lying on the table in front of him. He picked it up and inspected it closer, turned it left and right, looked at it from different angles, but he simply couldn’t find anything appetizing about it this morning. He moved the gem up to his mouth and licked it, hoping that a taste of it would wake his appetite, but he might as well have tried it with sandpaper.
He put the gem down and sighed.
Twilight looked up from her own breakfast. “Spike?”
“Yeah?” he asked, not really paying much attention.
“Is something wrong with the alexandrite?”
“No, I’m just… not hungry.”
Concern appeared on Twilight’s face. She leaned forward. “Do you feel ill? Should we go to the doc?”
Spike shifted around on his chair, trying to avoid looking at Twilight. “No, it’s nothing.” He shrank in on himself a little bit.
“You know that you can always talk to me when there’s a problem, right?”
“I know,” Spike said, shrinking even more.
Twilight waited a few seconds before asking, “Is there something you want to talk about?”
“It’s nothing, really,” Spike said, looking at his claws.
“But something must be bothering you,” Twilight said.
Spike slammed his claws on the table and pushed himself up. “No! It’s nothing!”
Twilight recoiled, her eyes widened.
Spike grabbed the gem and took a big bite, but the gem tasted like cardboard. While still chewing, he said, “See? I’m eating.”
Spike could see Twilight’s surprise over his outburst. He knew that she knew that he was hiding something, and was steeling himself for more probing questions, or for a shouting match.
But instead, Twilight just took a deep breath and turned back to her breakfast. “Alright, fine. I won’t force you to talk to me. But remember that I’m only asking because I’m concerned.”
“I will, thanks,” Spike said.
A good minute of silence passed before Spike asked, “Twilight?”
“Yes, Spike?”
“Is it normal to sometimes… kinda, hate, that you weren’t hatched as a girl?”
“Uh, what do you mean?”
“I… I’m honestly not sure. But sometimes, I just don’t like being a boy. I don’t hate it, but I just look at a mirror and it just doesn’t feel right, you know?”
“I can’t say that I do,” Twilight admitted, “but I think I get what you mean.”
Happiness and relief filled Spike, seeing that Twilight wasn’t freaking out.
But then she continued, “You never really conformed to the stereotypical ideals of what a stallion should be like.”
Spike gave off a confused and half hearted, “What?”
“And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I know some ponies have prejudices against gender nonconforming ponies, but they’re just close minded—”
“Twilight.”
“—and you really shouldn’t pay any attention to them. And nopony here in Ponyville will be mean about it. Just think about Big Mac.”
Spike’s frustration grew. “Twilight.”
“And Mom and Dad definitely won’t, either. Shining also dabbled a bit into this kind of thing, and they were always supportive of him as well, and—”
“Twilight!”
She went silent and looked at him.
“I know that,” he said sternly. “One of my most prized possessions is an apron with a heart and frills on it. And I really couldn’t care less about what ponies think a boy dragon should be like. If that had been the problem, I would have just asked Big Mac to let me come along to his next drag artist meeting.”
“I’m sorry, but you really don’t have to yell at me,” Twilight said defensively. “I only wanted to help.”
“I know, but it was the only way to make you listen to me. And I don’t want it to go down the same way it did the last time.”
Now Twilight was confused. “Last time?”
“During the great dragon migration? When you all made fun of me for not being like a normal dragon?”
“Only Rainbow Dash made fun of you.”
“And you happily let it happen. Or you called me cute and adorable even when I clearly hated that. Why do you think I only talk about it now?”
“I’m sorry, Spike. I didn’t know that it troubled you so much.” She blinked a few times. “Wait, how long did you feel like that?”
“A few months.”
“I’m really sorry, Spike. I don’t know what I could do to help you with that. This really isn’t my area of expertise. I never really thought about my gender. I’m assigned female at birth, and I’m okay with that, but I don’t really care about it either way.”
Spike sighed. “It’s okay, just knowing that you’re still accepting me is already great.”
Then he asked himself, Who do I know who does care?
Spike stood in the middle of Rarity’s workshop like he had many times before when he modeled for Rarity. But he was still excited about it every time, and even more than usually on this day.
“My, I must say, this came really unexpected,” Rarity said while grabbing her pincushion and other tools. “I never thought that my little Spikey-Wikey is actually a dragoness!”
“I’m still not sure if that’s—”
“I’m sure that I can make a fine lady out of you in no time!” Rarity walked over to a shelf full of fabrics.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure if I actually want that.”
Rarity was intently staring at two batches of fabric, trying to decide which one to use. “Sorry, did you say something?”
Spike sighed. “Nothing.”
Rarity returned to Spike and started draping fabrics around him. “You already have a good starting point, of course. You know how to properly brew tea, and your baking is not something to be ashamed of, either.”
“Thanks.”
Spike was silent for a while after that, not wanting to interrupt Rarity while she was concentrating.
She was completely in the zone, grabbing different fabrics, mumbling about cuts, stitches, and colours.
As she swirled around him, levitating mannequins in circles and piece by piece sewing the dress around Spike, he got the impression that she was singing a song in her head. He only grew more certain of it when the lights in the studio started to turn on and off and changed colour and focus.
After the silent musical number, Rarity levitated a mirror in front of Spike. “What do you think so far?”
Spike looked at himself. He was wearing a simple, night blue dress that started on his shoulders and ended just over his knees. The sleeves only made it halfway down his arms and left a lot of room around his neck.
He started to grin. Seeing himself in the dress didn’t feel perfect, but definitely extremely good, and he could have looked at himself in the mirror for ages. “I really like it.”
“Oh, I’m delighted to hear that, Spikey-Wikey.” She lit her horn and levitated fabrics, lace, buttons, needles, threads, whatever else she could possibly need to herself. She started slowly walking circles around Spike. “It’s good to know that I’m going in the right direction. You’re presenting me with a rather unique challenge, to be honest.”
“Because I’m a dragon?”
“No. I mean, that’s part of it, yes. But it’s mostly because I never thought that you could be a filly.” She held a piece of lace to Spike’s arm. “I typically have an instinct for what looks good on mares or fillies, but it seems my muse is on vacation right now.”
Spike’s face dropped.
Rarity noticed his reaction and said, “Oh, I’m sure it’s just because it’s my first time making a dress for a dragon.”
“It’s ok,” Spike said resigned. He looked at the mirror again and at least some of the happiness returned.
Rarity looked at different parts of the dress before saying, “Can you take it off? I want to give it the final touches.”
“Oh… sure.” Spike gave it to Rarity and she went to work.
A few minutes later, Rarity gave the dress back to Spike. “So, it’s completed. What do you think?”
Spike looked in the mirror again. The sleeves now also covered his forearms with black lace, and Rarity had added a high collar that tightly covered his throat made from the same material, making it look like Spike was wearing a lace top underneath the dress. It also had frills where the cloth was connected to the lace. The lower half of the dress was now pleated.
Spike wasn’t sure if he really liked the style Rarity had chosen, but he had to admit that it was a very nice dress. “It’s great, but ah—ah—”
He sneezed into his elbow, engulfing himself in green fire.
And reducing the dress to ashes.
Rarity froze up and stared at the pile.
It was silent for a few moments before Spike said, “Uh, sorry…”
Rarity sighed, “It’s ok. I shouldn’t have used fabrics that burn easily.” She shook her head to get rid of her despair and said, “Don’t worry, Spikey-Wikey, I will find a material that will withstand your fire! And I will leave for Canterlot at once!”
She ran around the room, grabbing her saddlebag, purse, hat, and a bunch of other things that flew by too quickly for Spike to recognise. She gave him a hug and ran out of the front door.
Pinkie took a cake out of the oven. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Uh, how should I say this,” Spike scratched the back of his head. “I’m not sure who I really am. I know what ponies think I should be, because of what I’m hatched as, but I’m not sure if I want to be that.”
“Oh, that’s a real pickle! Hm…” she walked over to a different cake. “What color do you think this cake is, on the inside?”
Spike looked at it. “It looks like sand cake, so, yellow.”
Pinkie took a knife and cut the cake in half, revealing the inside to be made of layers in all colours of the rainbow. “Sometimes, how a cake looks on the outside isn’t what they are on the inside. Some are savoury, others sweet. Some are made from one batter, others have layers or complicated mixtures, but they’re all delicious!”
Spike grinned. Heh, should have expected a cake metaphor.
“Do you get what I mean?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah, I’m like that cake, right?”
“Yepyepyepyep!” Pinkie said, bouncing around Spike.
“Thanks, but… but I want to know what kind of cake I am.”
“Well, the only way to find what your favourite cake is is trying a whole bunch of them! Maybe you’ll find that more than one cake is your favourite, maybe you’ll go for years thinking that carrot cake is your favourite, but then discover that you like strawberry even more! Go out and explore, but tell me what you find your favourite. I’ll throw a party so everypony knows who you really are!”
“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”
It had taken Spike a while to find Applejack between the trees of Sweet Apple Acres, and Big Mac’s directions hadn’t been too useful, either. But when he eventually found her by sheer luck, Rainbow Dash was with Applejack, so at least he didn’t have to find her later as well.
After some smalltalk, Spike asked what he actually wanted to know about.
“What does it mean for us to be a mare?” Rainbow asked.
“Yeah, I… I’m not sure if I’m really happy with being a boy,” Spike admitted, “and I want to know what being a mare would be like, or what that would mean. I already went to Rarity, but I wanted to ask you because you two are… well...”
“Not girly?” Applejack asked.
Spike nodded.
“Well, Ah know that a lot of ponies think that it means being into fancy stuff,” Applejack said, “but that’s nonsense.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed, “There’s nothing wrong with being a tomboy.”
“Just look at us,” Applejack said while bucking a tree, “we’re really happy just the way we are.”
“And I don’t see why you being a tomboy would be a problem, either,” Rainbow added.
“But I don’t kno—”
“No doubt in my mind,” Applejack said. “And Ah’m sure with some help from the strongest mare in ponyville, you’ll find your inner tomboy in no time!”
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, puffing her chest, “just follow my lead, and it will go faster than you could imagine!”
Applejack cleared her throat. “Now, Ah know that you would do a good job, but…”
Spike sighed. He knew that this would take a while. He went over to a bucket full of apples, grabbed one, and sat down as Applejack and Rainbow Dash went into full gear.
Spike was just about to fall asleep when he heard a familiar, soft voice say, “Oh my, why are they fighting this time?”
Spike rubbed his eyes and yawned. “I asked them for advice because I might be a girl, and they almost instantly went on about helping me become a tomboy. And then, well…”
“One of them talked about the strongest mare in Ponyville helping you?”
“Yep.”
Fluttershy sighed and turned to Spike. “Do you even want them to help you that way?”
Spike shook his head. “No. And I tried telling them that, but nopony is listening to me… as usual.”
Fluttershy looked at the fighting couple, and then back at Spike. “Would you want to come to my cottage for a lovely cup of tea to talk about it?”
Spike looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who were currently in a hoof wrestling deadlock. “And what about them?”
“Oh, just ignore them. I’m sure they’ll stop eventually.”
Spike sat on Fluttershy’s couch when Fluttershy brought in a tray with a tea set. She placed it on the living room table, put one cup in front of Spike, one in front of her, and then poured tea for both of them.
Fluttershy took her cup of tea and leaned back in her seat. “So, why don’t you tell me how you started to question your gender?”
Spike took a deep breath. “It started a few months ago, I think. I met Kevin at the wedding of Matilda and Cranky, we kinda talked about how this kind of thing worked for Changelings, and how if they felt like they’re the wrong gender, they just changed it. Chrysalis apparently cared so little about the individual Changelings, she never even realized them doing that. But I think it just, you know, made me realize that I wasn’t, happy, as a boy. Looking back, I think that I felt like that for way longer. But I just didn’t really know about that sort of thing.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, me neither. Anyway, after that… I don’t really know.”
“How you feel?”
“Yeah, it’s just so confusing. I barely know what being a mare even means.”
“And the others really weren’t any help?”
“No. Well… maybe a bit? I at least know that they’ll accept me. And Pinkie gave me the advice to just try around until I find something. But…”
“But?”
“The others just all presented me with an option. You’re the first one that actually asked about how I feel.”
“Oh dear, that’s no good!”
“Yeah.”
“So, I know it’s hard to put into words, but how do you feel?”
“I… I don’t like being a boy. Sometimes, at least. Other times, I’m completely OK with it. Or at least indifferent, I guess. And I just don’t really know. I know that when I saw myself in a dress, I just felt… really happy. Like, it just felt right, you know? I could have looked at the mirror for hours.”
“That’s called euphoria.”
“There’s a name for that?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Gender euphoria is when you get a lot of happiness from the gender you are expressing. It’s a great feeling, right?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s often a first sign that you might be trans, or otherwise not cis.”
“Cis?”
“Cisgender. Basically, cis is when you identify with the gender you were assigned at birth, or hatching, and trans generally means that you identify with a different gender. Although you don’t have to use a label you aren’t comfortable with, of course. You can be nonbinary, and not call yourself trans, and you’re still valid. And it’s true the other way around as well.”
“Makes sense. So, what’s the opposite of euphoria?”
“That would be dysphoria. It can be really dreadful. It’s when you are bothered by the gender you were assigned at birth, or with how you are presenting it, and it can be anything from mild discomfort or a feeling that something is wrong, to debilitating anxiety and self loathing. Dysphoria can come from various things, and can be named after that. For example, for some, their voice reminds them too much of their assigned gender at birth, and that can cause distress. That would be voice dysphoria. Or their height makes them uncomfortable, then its height dysphoria. And you can go on from there. Chest dysphoria, bottom dysphoria…”
“But those are all physical.”
“Yes. But dysphoria can also come from other people. For example, if everypony would call me a stallion all the time, it would make me really dysphoric. Or if you force yourself to present as a gender that isn’t you, that can also do it. Or if others don’t call you by the right pronouns. It may be a little thing in of itself, but it can still be extremely awful for you.”
Thanks to Twilight, Spike was intimately aware of how seemingly negligible things could cause great pain.
“Did you ever think about your pronouns?”
“Uh, no, actually,” Spike admitted, “I was never really bothered by being called a he.”
Self doubt started to rise in Spike. He wanted to just say nothing, but Fluttershy’s friendly smile was too inviting to not open up. “Does… does that mean I can’t be trans?”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh, goddess, no! Pronouns aren’t the end all, be all. You can be a trans mare and still use he/him, and you would be just as valid as if you went by she/her. There is no one way to be a mare.”
“Yeah, Rarity and Rainbow Dash make that very clear.”
“But there’s also not just a number of different categories to choose from. There’s just as many types of mare as there are mares. And even more once you include demi and nonbinary mares.”
“Uh?”
“Nonbinary is an umbrella term for gender identities that are outside of the binary of male and female. But they can still identify as mares. Demimares would be one example. A demimare is a pony that only partially identified as a mare, broadly speaking. Being a mare will mean a little bit of a different thing for everypony, or everydragon. You are valid no matter what.”
Spike smiled. “Thanks. That really helps me feel better.”
“You're welcome.”
“You really know a lot about this kind of thing.”
“Oh, I’m speaking from experience,” Fluttershy said before taking a sip of tea.
She waited for Spike to put two and two together.
She had to slow down because the cup was almost half empty.
Then even more.
And some more.
She gave up, emptied the cup, and placed it down.
“You’re trans?!” Spike exclaimed.
“I am.”
“I never would have guessed.”
“Now, that’s not a polite thing to say.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay, just be mindful in the future. And I would prefer it if you wouldn’t tell the others.”
“Sure, but why keep it secret?”
“I don’t feel like it’s anypony’s business. I’m a mare, and that’s what counts. And Twilight would probably turn the Everfree upside down if she knew the full story.”
“Huh?”
“You know the story of how I got my cutie mark after falling down into the Everfree?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, it didn’t end there. All the lovely critters were just way too nice to just leave right away. And so I just walked deeper into the forest until I found a jackalope with their horn stuck in a blackthorn shrub unable to get out. The poor thing was really scared. So I helped her, and it turned out that a Seedling had seen me! Fae really scared me, but fae just wanted to thank me for helping faer friend out.”
“Fae? Faer?” Spike asked.
“They’re neopronouns.”
Fluttershy looked at Spike and saw the utter confusion on his face, so explained, “Neopronouns are pronouns that ponies only started using very recently. Some creatures don’t like to use she or he or they, so they either come up with new ones they like, or look at the alternatives others found for themselves. Fae and faer are examples for that.”
“Gotcha.”
“Where was I… Oh, right. Of course I said that it wasn’t a bother at all, but fae insisted on giving me a reward. So fae gave me a special berry to eat, and said that it would help me discover the real me. I ate it, and suddenly got really sleepy. I laid down under a tree, and when I woke up, I was covered in branches, and a filly! A few birdies had kept watch over me and told me that I had been asleep for three days, so I flew back home as fast as I could.”
“And everypony just went with it?”
“Most probably didn’t ever pay enough attention to me to notice that something was different. And my parents are very supportive and accepting. The only one who needed a bit to get used to it was Rainbow Dash. But after the initial shock, and after saying a few... less than helpful things, she got the hang of it. She even got in trouble for fighting with a classmate of ours after they made a transphobic joke.”
“Fighting as in shouting or...?”
Fluttershy looked him in the eyes. “Dashie was always a fan of a more hooves-on approach to resolving interpersonal conflicts.”
“Yeah, sounds about right.” He drank the last of his tea and stood up. “Well, I think I should get going.”
“I hope that I could help you.”
“You did, thanks. I’ll have to think about it for a bit, but… I feel like… I might not feel completely like a mare, or dragoness I guess, but saying that I’m trans, it… it kinda feels right, right now. Although I’m not sure if it will stick. And I… is it then ok if I say I’m trans?”
“Of course it is.”
“But what if I’m not?”
“Do you, right now, feel a connection to the label? Does it feel right to use it?”
Spike thought about it for a moment. A warm feeling spread inside of him. “Yeah. It does.”
“Then that is what counts, and you can definitely use it. And even if you stop using it in the future, it wouldn’t have been a lie or wrong for you to use it.”
“Thanks. Then, yeah. I’m… I’m trans.” Actually saying it made it feel like a weight was lifted off of Spike’s shoulders.
“Yay!” Fluttershy remembered something. “Oh, would you wait for a moment? I need to fetch something.”
“Uh, sure.”
Fluttershy walked over to a bookcase under the stairs. She pulled on one of the books, and the bookshelf swung inwards, revealing a staircase. She disappeared down the steps to her secret basement.
Spike looked at the staircase for a few more moments before standing up and walking around the room. He looked at the pillows, the cupboards, and basically everything he could find to resist the temptation to follow Fluttershy.
He was inspecting the Discord lamp, wondering if it was like Twilight’s music box, when he heard steps coming from the stairs. He quickly put down the lamp and returned to his seat.
Fluttershy stepped back into the room and closed the secret door behind her. Then she walked over to Spike and gave him a knitted scarf made out of blue, pink, and white wool. “Here, this is for you!”
Spike held the scarf in his claws, and it felt like holding a cloud. “Thank you! But, uh… why?”
“It’s a pride scarf,” Fluttershy explained, “it’s in the colours of the trans pride flag. I make a lot of them to sell during Pride Festivals, but for friends, they’re free of course!”
Spike looked from her to the scarf, his eyes sparkling. Had he been holding the biggest and tastiest of gemstones, his expression wouldn’t have been any more joyous. He quickly put the scarf on, grinning from ear to ear, and gave Fluttershy a big hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome, Spike,” she said, returning the hug with a smile.
Spike let go of Fluttershy and walked to the front door of the cottage, Fluttershy, being a good host, accompanying him.
He opened the door, stepped out, and turned around, looking at Fluttershy standing in the door, and said, “Goodbye! It was nice talking to you!”
“My door is always open if you want to talk again. Goodbye!”
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Cute! This was all around a pretty good fic. Also a nice educational piece!
10856672
Thanks, I was really nervous about the reaction
I can respect anyone who can admit stuff like this and while I might not be into people of the same sex as myself I'll admit that I can't stand people who shame others that are homosexual. So to people like that I say go jump on a donkey dong
okay???
10856691
Take that to me you liked it?
10856705
yes
yes I did
Nice educational little piece.
Also, is this part of Pride and Positivity? This feels like it should be part of Pride and Positivity.
10856858
I never heard of it, so no, but wouldn't have anything against it
10856858
Looked it up and joined it, as far as I can understand it. Thanks
Lots of people saying this is a good educational piece, and it is. But I also think you really nailed the interpretation of the Mane 6 and their approach to the issue at hoof. Of course Rarity would just kinda not listen and bulldoze over Spike's worries in her excitement to design him a new wardrobe. Of course Twilight would try to instantly fix everything. Of course Dash and AJ would bicker like that. It's all so well done and on-point. Each one wants to be supportive in their own way, even though they're flawed at it.
I do like that Pinkie kinda has the right idea. And Fluttershy is utterly in her element.
Ultimately there's something cool about seeing each of these ponies trying to help in their own way. It's a good reflection of the anxiety some allies feel, wanting to be supportive but failing to know exactly what the right thing to do or say is at any given point in time.
Well done. It was a good read.
10856902
Thank you very much, it really means a lot
Rarity being Rarity is always great
This is always a headcanon win for me.
And overall I got teary eyed toward the end. Maybe a little heavy on the exposition, but it's educational and applicable to real life so that's okay. It's still a great read.
I like this! I feel like I have a better understanding of the topic in general from this fic.
I did like everyone’s interactions with each other, Pinkie and Fluttershy where definitely my favorites!
Wow, educational and wholesome! Amazing story! And for those who are confused why your comments have a bunch of down votes, even though your comment was amazing, it's cause of people who are down voting because they hate gays.
p.s. There's a TransGender group
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/200830/folder/20432/spike
10857105
Thanks, I added it
this is extremely cute, thank you :)
Hi! I have not read this yet. But I wanted to just to leave a supportive comment.
Have a good night and I will read this in a spot.
10857525
Lmao good one mate, really fighting the good fight
10857525
Why did you link a Twitteresque post without any links or screen caps? I have no reason to take Brick’s word as gospel…
I havent read it yet but for some reason it's not rated very good, direct all the shit talking to my comment but why are people down voting this, from what I see its exploring something that does not get talked about much and as someone who has a friend that is almost done transitioning, I cant see why people are hating on this fic.
Edit: I just finished it and it was written very well and realistic. Good job author!
But as a side note keep your head up and dont pay attention to the downvotes, you'll always run into your fair share of assholes who just want to get a reaction, plus this story was political, so people who have an opposing position will obviously dislike it, meaning it had nothing to do with your story, merely their opinion.
10857658
I checked all the comments on that thread. There’s one guy who says people get bulking steroids from gym rats and inject them into girls. Other than that It’s just people jerking themselves off for their courage and some comments about murdering “trans groomers”. Did you link the wrong post or something?
10857682
I haven't read the story as yet either, but I've been wondering the same thing, and am somewhat baffled by it--I've seen plenty of trans stories on FIMFiction over the years, and yet they weren't so heavily downvoted like this, so why is this one getting so singled out?
So, I saw this and decided to check it out and do my best to give it an objective review.
On the positive side, I think the characterization is generally well done, and the story treats its subject material with respect and the proper amount of gravitas. No one here is purposefully awful to Spike, and it doesn't resort to making villains out of everyone who doesn't quite know what to do with the situation. I think the story and author deserve to be lauded for the intention to depict a person dealing with dysphoria and potentially help a reader who is going through similar struggles. Noble intentions are worthy of recognition, and while I'm sure that not all the downvotes are the work of transphobic readers, it seems certain that some of them are, which underscores the importance of addressing the topic and talking about it openly.
On the negative side, though, I think there is something to be addressed, and it isn't the subject material. My main issue with the story is that it reads less like a personal journey and more like a PSA. There's a lot of jargon and crash-course terminology that is kind of thrown at Spike and the reader in a way that breaks the feeling of immersion and emotional connection. It's not horribly written, but it's also not terribly compelling, and it prioritizes the message over the actual story, in my view.
I respect what you're going for, and I can see that this story seems to have attracted a lot of attention, both positive and negative. It looks like this is currently your most-read story on the site, and getting a reaction for an earnest effort is much better than being outright ignored. I would learn from the experience and try not to get too preoccupied by the downvotes so you can keep improving your writing in the future.
Best of luck!
10857707
Maybe a combination of bad luck and having the pride flag on the cover
I fully support the author for writing about this subject, especially during these times as more LGBTQ+ people are speaking out. We need to be educated on this, whether we support it or not.
I personally feel, however, like this story could’ve been written better, so as to present the subject in a more adequate way. During Spike’s conversation with Fluttershy, I constantly felt like, as someone who commented this before me, I was having a crash course and the terminology was just being thrown at me. The other parts with the rest of the Mane Six felt a little rushed and the pacing was a bit off, but this was a good story over all and doesn’t deserve all of the negative ratings it has received.
An adorable story about Spike finding what he feels his gender to be connected with
.
.
Even I got one
And Fluttershy had a magic trans-berry, apparently. Neat
Also, oh great. Homophobes are dropping dislike bombs everywhere
Everything was fine but the part with Fluttershy. It felt so, fake. Somewhat off, too fast definitely. If you spent a whole chapter on only that part and made it more descriptive, it would have been a lot more comfortable to read it. The amount of information thrown at me, like others noted as well seemed sudden. I got something from it, but I feel uncertain about what I learned. I don't know if I understand. Then again, it just can be me, some people are born lucky and understand while learning alone, some need someone else to teach them so that they understand and others can't understand.
I'm from Poland, and here this topic is mentioned almost every day, both the right-wing parties and centrist parties and the most leftist and moderate left constantly are talking about it. After a while it gets annoying. Thing is, I almost know nothing about it. I don't want to make people get mad if I can easily avoid it and I want to know about the people who suffer from this weird disease. Educating myself also will prevent me from having to ask the person, if I ever met such a person, what it's like or what it is about to be trans. I can imagine it's very depressing to make it literally one of the most important things about you, as you presented with the case of Fluttershy.
On the other hand, it's such a meaningless number of people who feel this way (in the US 0.6%) that I feel like it's undemocratic to make it such an important issue and to put so much attention around it. Yes, as long as these people are really heavily discriminated against, it should be, I agree. Ten minutes in biology class, maybe a little less is all that is needed about the subject.
But not to be unfound, I'll give you an example of what confuses me. You used Fluttershy as the pony to be the main character that will help Spike. Fluttershy is, well, shy. She cares about animals, she has a friend who was styled to be a weed smoker etc. She also has pink hair. Basically, someone who can be linked to a stereotypical image (at least here in Poland) of someone who has knowledge in this. Why did you choose this format when the story is about diversity and tolerance and to fight this kind of thinking?
I'll assume the best case, and I'll just think there's something wrong with me. I will be honest, that this sounds ridiculous. This supports what I hear from right-wing novelists that the whole LGBT movement is about telling people that there millions of genders, as many as there are sand particles and stars in the sky and more. I don't think this was your intention, but I get the feeling that the topic was handled too poorly in this matter.
Emphasis on "they like". Can a neopronoun be anything?
This part I simply don't understand, is this endorsing this kind of behavior or condemning it? Rainbow Dash is the element of loyalty, a vital part of what makes friendship. Therefore, a truly loyal friend should react like this?
I gave it a thumb up nonetheless, it's nice and in the technical field it's pleasant. And the people in the comments don't help. Clearly, just because it's about this topic doesn't entitle it to only good reviews and reactions. Then again, because it's a very sensitive topic, people who are against trans people will downvote only for that reason.
Sorry for bad grammar. Good luck and have a good day/night.
10858563
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it
Yeah, the review bombing is annoying, but I expected it
10858573
Okay, I'll try to explain:
Yes, it's very info dumpy with Fluttershy, that's more or less what I was going for. The story is basically an educational text going over the basic words and concepts using mlp as a framing device. Could it have been done more like a classical story? Yes, definitely. But not in the time I had to write it.
I chose Fluttershy because I thought it's at least somewhat fitting for her and because it worked well with the story.
Would it have been any of the others, I would have lost the other scenes that, while definitely not utilising the full potential in them, still were fun to write. And it would have taken away from the idea of Spike asking the six had I brought in Luna.
While there are many genders, that's not what I was trying to say here. I meant that, for example, the gender "woman" will mean something different for everyone identifying as such. But, yeah.
There's no finite amount of genders.
Basically, yeah. If you feel comfortable with using something as your pronoun, chances are it's a valid neopronoun.
Rainow beating someone up over it isn't meant as an endorsement as such (albeit I won't cry tears for transphobes getting decked), but because Rainbows Dash is very confrontational, and probably was even more so as a child. It was more supposed to be a joke about Rainbow's preference for fighting.
p.s. What would happen if... Spike eat the berry ?
p.s. what did the berry... can/may I ask how far the did the berry manage to change Fluttershy?
10858769
It's a Berry enchanted by a seedling, which I basically see as the mlp version of a Fae/Fey, so basically whatever the Fey wants it to do.
For Fluttershy, she got the whole package. Top to bottom.
10859192
so, if Fluttershy wanted
she could become with child ?
10859195
Yes, but because Equestria has magic, that's not unheard of. (Spoiler for an aspect of my Verse that isn't introduced yet) Cadence had a kid as well, after all, but the more clinical version she went through took a bit longer than Fluttershy getting help from a Fey. But I don't see why my escapist fantasy should be restricted by what human medicine can do.
10859207
sorry I don't understand ?
Cadence had Furry, why is that under spoiler ?
10859665
because what I was trying to implicitly say is that cadence is also trans in my Verse
Thumbs up from me.
I feel as if many of the downvotes are from people who are at odds with the progressive nature of the story, which is a shame. I especially liked Pinkie's allegory for gender identity. It felt apt for the subject matter while also being in character. Keep on writing, friend.
lmao, I just spent the last 15 minutes liking every comment on this story
in yo face haters
EDIT: dislike this comment if you think you're better than me just because you're afraid of trans people
10882124
There's plenty of trans stories on the site that have far more upvotes, and far fewer downvotes, than this story.
Frankly, I'd much rather read about a character who's portrayed in a compelling manner, and who just happens to be trans, rather than a PSA-styled story about how folks should be treated based on who/what they may be.
Honestly I don’t mind the “psa feel,” it seems to me pretty realistic that Fluttershy has to keep stopping to explain terms? She’s used to this stuff, and uses labels naturally, but Spike isn’t, so he asks what hey mean. It’s nice :)