Sweetie Belle Learns Rarity Is Trans

by cookiefonster

10. Twilight Sparkle Learns Rarity Is Trans

Rarity had been putting this off for years now. She knew she had to tell Twilight Sparkle the truth eventually. She had told the other four ponies in her main group long ago, so why should Twilight be kept out of the loop? Aside from the fact that it felt so affirming for Twilight to go off about how ladylike Rarity was, or that she had long put her childhood as a colt behind her... no, it couldn’t be that bad. Surely the Princess of Friendship would understand if her friend was transgender.

A much bigger problem was that if Rarity told Twilight Sparkle she was transgender, she would also have to tell Spike, who could never understand how deeply flattering Rarity found his crush on her. She really did not want to take all that away from Spike... and yet, here she stood, right outside the entrance to the meeting room in Twilight’s castle.

Rarity gulped and knocked on the door. “May I come in?” she asked.

“Of course you can!” said Twilight Sparkle from inside. “There’s no need to sound nervous. Spike and I just finished organizing all of our books on potions, and we’re taking a fifteen minute break before we organize our books on magic spells.” Rarity internally laughed, knowing that some things about her friends never changed.

As Rarity opened the door and walked in, she saw Twilight Sparkle squint as her eyes fixated directly on Rarity’s flank. Meanwhile, Spike was snoring in an empty spot in the topmost row of books, taking a well-deserved rest from book classification.

“Twilight, darling,” Rarity said as she stepped into the ornate white chair with her cutie mark, “it’s a delight to see you as always. But... may I ask why exactly you were staring at my flank so intently?”

Twilight Sparkle awkwardly smiled and darted her eyes around. “You see, if one of us arrives here between nine and nine-thirty in the morning, my calculations have shown there is a ninety percent chance they have come here for a cutie map mission. A ninety-five percent chance if it’s on a Tuesday, like today. So I thought for sure your cutie mark would be glowing, but like... really faintly?”

From almost anypony else, Rarity would think that excuse was nonsense. However, she knew how obsessed her friend was with analyzing details and finding answers, so she chose to believe this. “No, Twilight, I’m afraid my cutie mark isn’t glowing today. I merely came here to, um... to tell you something. About myself.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked, looking concerned.

Rarity rubbed her hooves together, trying to find the right way to phrase it. “This is something I should have told you far sooner, and I really have no excuse for withholding it from one of my dearest friends, but...” Come on, Rarity, she thought. You only have to say four words. How difficult can it be? “I can’t deny this any longer,” Rarity said with a loud sigh. “The truth about me that I’ve avoided telling you for the longest time is... that...” She gulped, her heart pounding more intensely than when she told any of her other friends. She closed her eyes and said the four words: “I’m a transgender mare.” Then she exhaled deeply, opened her eyes, and found Twilight looking... confused?

“What exactly is a... transgender?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“You... don’t know what it means?”

“Nope. You’re going to have to explain it to me!” Twilight pulled a notebook and quill out of her highest bookshelf and set them at the table like an eager student.

“It means that I... ugh, this is so difficult to explain. I was born as a colt, but I never felt right as one, and really wanted to grow up to be a mare. It just felt so magical to try on makeup, or wear a dress, or even be addressed as ‘she’. So I changed the way I—”

“Wait, wait, you don’t have to explain further,” Twilight said as she finished writing her notes. “I think I know what this means.”

“Really?” Rarity said with a smile.

“It means that somepony finally cracked the code to Star Swirl the Bearded’s gender swap spell! It was long thought impossible to complete, so much that I used it as a fake spell to trick a certain unicorn who thinks she’s sooo much better at magic than me into giving up her amulet and saving Ponyville from eternal doom! But now that it turns out the spell was real all along, it opens up so many possibilities for us to spy on—”

“Twilight!” Rarity shouted, banging her hooves onto the table. “I know being transgender isn’t easy to understand, but I frankly expected much better from you. It’s not some sort of instantaneous magic spell I used for impersonation purposes. It was a gradual process that I went through because I so badly wanted to be a girl! Do you have any idea how difficult that was for me? No, of course you don’t, because you’re so busy perfecting all your magic spells to solve your big and important problems.” Rarity stepped out of her chair and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

“What... did I just... do?” Twilight said in shock.

“Um, you totally hurt Rarity’s feelings and now she doesn’t want to talk to you?” Spike said as he climbed down the ladder from the bookshelf.

“Spike, what would you know about hurting Rarity’s feelings?”

Spike made it to the floor and took a seat next to Twilight. “Well, I know she can tell when somepony’s being insincere to her, or not treating her with respect. And I know that if she thinks somepony is doing that, she’ll blame it all on herself and lock herself in a room while eating ice cream. You should really go apologize to her before it’s too late. She might still be outside the castle!”

“Wait, Spike. Are you sure we should still be calling Rarity ‘she’? Maybe Rarity is really a stallion who uses magic spells to disguise as a mare,” Twilight said as she looked through bookmarked pages in a tome on transformation spells. “And maybe Rarity simply trusts us not to tell anypony her, or his, or their secret identity.”

“Yeah, that’s totally something Rarity would do,” said Spike.

“Let’s see, mane color changes on page 122, eye color swaps on page 129... ooh, griffon impersonation spells on page 138...” Twilight muttered to herself. Then she flipped back a page and showed the book to Spike. “Aha! Check out page 137 of this book. It tells the story of a stallion from centuries ago who pretended to be a mare so that he could marry another stallion! And I shouldn’t have to tell you which legendary wizard helped him perform that spell.”

Spike smacked his face with his claw. “Are you even hearing yourself, Twilight?”

“Say what now, Spike?”

“I heard what you and Rarity said to each other. When you pulled that notebook out of your bookshelf, I woke up from a great dream about Rarity. And then I heard the real Rarity explain something about herself that she obviously was waiting for years to tell you. But then you just had to interrupt her and completely misunderstand what she meant, so she snapped at you and left.”

“Yes, I know all that happened,” said Twilight, holding her head in her hooves. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that you should respect Rarity for who she is, just like you always have! That’s all she ever wants from anypony who she tells her secret.”

“Wait, Spike... how would you know that? Did she already tell you?”

“No, but I have some experience. You remember the griffon named Gabby, right?”

“Yes, what about her?”

“Well, I’ve been writing to her a lot, and, um... I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but... she was born as a boy griffon too.”

Twilight Sparkle’s face lit up, and she put her hooves on the table. “Wait, are you telling me this magic spell works on griffons too? Oh, this is so exciting! I can’t wait to tell Starlight about—”

“Twilight, you’re missing the point!” Spike shouted.

“... I am?”

“The point isn’t about which magic spells work the best at turning a mare into a stallion or whatever. It’s about respecting others for who they really are, and understanding that Rarity told you this because she trusted you not to judge her for it! Try to imagine how you made her feel.”

“Um... upset?”

“I don’t think you’re getting it. Let’s try another example. Think of how I felt when I set off to meet my fellow dragons, and they all were jerks to me and kept saying I was more like a pony than a dragon. How do you think that made me feel?”

“It made you feel heartbroken, like no one of your own kind would ever take you seriously,” said Twilight. “Am I accurate?”

“Yeah, that was spot on. I didn’t want to see any other dragons ever again, until I was forced to a few months ago. And even then, making friends with other dragons was tough, since I’m still so small and weak and don’t even have wings yet!”

“Spike... you’re not weak. You have a lot of heart, and you—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but this isn’t about me. It’s about Rarity. I can guarantee you she also felt like she didn’t belong as a kid! Obviously I don’t know the full story, but when I learned that she had to become a mare on her own, well... it made me respect her even more than I already do.”

“You really do like her, huh, Spike?” said Twilight, some tears welling up in her eyes.

“Well, yeah. She isn’t just super attractive... well, she is, but even aside from that, she’s one of the coolest ponies I know. Think of all the nice things she’s done for you without even being asked to! Like all those times she made dresses for you and your friends, or the time she took us on an incredibly fun trip to Manehattan, or all the nice gifts she’s given us... wait, Twilight. Where are you going?”

“I need to apologize to Rarity!” Twilight Sparkle said as she ran out the door, leaving a trail of tears behind her. Spike followed her, carefully tiptoeing around the newly formed salty river.

---

“Rarity? What are you doing behind my castle?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “Normally, nopony ever explores this part of the building.”

“Leave me alone, Twilight!” said Rarity while crying. “I’m an awful friend, and I should have never told you and Spike something that I knew would irreversibly tarnish your image of me.”

“But, Rarity....”

“I used to be somepony special to you. But now that you know the truth, I am just a nefarious spy to you, and rightly so! I’m not a real mare, I was never a real mare, and I never will be a real mare. All I am is a faker, who pretends to be somepony I’m not, all because it would make my friends happy.”

“Rarity, you have to listen to me,” said Twilight Sparkle, putting a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. She expected her hoof to be swatted away, but instead Rarity let her keep it on.

“Y... yes, Twilight?”

“You did nothing wrong, Rarity. I’m the one who was being a bad friend. I cared more about what your secret meant about some random old magic spells than how difficult it must have been for you to admit it, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

“Oh, but it’s not your fault you didn’t know what it meant to be... you know,” said Rarity as she wiped her eyes with a tissue she apparently had on her. “You grew up in a magic school where you never socialized much with other ponies, and I can hardly blame you for misunderstanding what I was saying.”

“You’re wrong. It was completely my fault, and you should really stop blaming this on yourself!” Twilight sat down and scooted a little closer to Rarity. “I know you didn’t transition to a mare just to make your friends happy. You did it because you knew that was who you were meant to be, and for that, I am very proud.”

“Wow, I... thank you, Twilight. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that from you. But... how were you able to change your mind so quickly?”

Twilight Sparkle pulled Rarity in, getting ready to hug her. “Well, I have to thank Spike for helping me get my head out of my—”

“Hi, Twilight. Hi, Rarity. Are... you two doing alright?”

The two mares looked behind them and saw Spike, then they jumped apart with startled expressions. Rarity spoke first: “Spike, dear, we were just having a... an intimate moment! Among mares. It’s not of much concern to you, being a dragon boy and all.”

“But you’re my two best friends,” said Spike. “And I just wanted to make sure you weren’t still mad at each other.”

“Oh, Spike, that is so sweet of you,” said Rarity, “but this conversation was meant to be only between me and—”

“Here, come sit between us,” Twilight said, making some space between herself and Rarity. Spike sat down between them, with Twilight looking calm and placid on the right, and Rarity with her head buried in her hooves on the left.

“So, Spike...” Rarity said amidst some stammering. “I gather Twilight had told you... that I... wasn’t born as a mare.” The last few words were barely audible and followed by a squeak.

Spike scooted back a little, closer to the wall of the castle. “Well... not quite. Twilight accidentally woke me up from my nap, so I heard most of your conversation before you stormed out of the room. I told her how ridiculous she was being, and then when it got through to her, she ran out to apologize to you.”

“It’s true,” Twilight muttered with a sigh. “I don’t understand how you can be born in the body of a colt but decide you would rather be a mare... but this wouldn’t be my first time learning that some things in life, you don’t have to understand. Remember how stubborn I was that there was no such thing as Pinkie Sense?”

Spike and Rarity broke into laughter, recalling this memory from years ago. Twilight Sparkle joined in with a few awkward chuckles.

“You’re a wonderful friend, Twilight,” Rarity said amidst a few more tears. “And I forgive you for not understanding what I was talking about at first. It’s a complex topic that takes years for anypony to internalize. Though I do wonder... Spike, do you have any thoughts on this revelation?”

“Well, I mean... it’s not really a big deal to me. You’re still the cool and inspiring pony I’ve always known. Just that now I respect you even more!”

“You really mean it, Spike? You aren’t just... saying that?” Rarity asked.

“Of course I mean it! And it’s not even that hard for me to understand. There are, um... times where... how do I put this?” Spike twiddled his thumbs and lowered his head. “Sometimes, I wonder if I should even call myself a dragon. Because I was raised by ponies, I do everything with ponies, and I like to do the same things ponies like to do. Like, I have cool scales, I can breathe fire, I can swim in lava if I wanted to, and someday I might be taller and more muscular than any of you! But I’m not sure if that matters more than my upbringing.”

Twilight turned her head to face Spike. “Wait, Spike... are you saying you want us to call you a pony?”

“No! It’s not that. I’m still a dragon, and I like being called a dragon. It’s just that, um... I can see why a dragon who grew up the same way I did might prefer to be thought of as, like... an honorary pony. And Rarity’s still a pony! Just a different type of pony from the one she was born into, and that doesn’t seem far-fetched at all to me.”

“Well, then... I’m glad you think so, Spike,” said Rarity. “That... truly means a lot to me.”

“I’m proud of you too, Spike. Both of you, actually,” said Twilight Sparkle. The two ponies and Spike started a group hug and laughed together, and they didn’t let go for quite a while. They held each other tight, careful to still give Spike some breathing room.

Two unicorns who had just returned from a leisure trip to the Crystal Empire noticed the scene, paused their walk, and watched from a distance.

“Uh... should we check in on them?” said Starlight Glimmer.

“Don’t mind these three. They’re having another one of their snuggly heartfelt moments,” Trixie said as she waved her hoof dismissively.

“You’re kind of staring at Twilight right now. With a weird smirk on your face.”

Trixie leaped back and gasped, then turned to face sideways. “What?! N... no, I wasn’t. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Starlight Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Sure, if you say so. After all, when is the great and powerful Trixie ever known to be wrong?”

Trixie turned back to face her friend and smirked. “See? You get it.”

Comments

[Lab 39]

11426712
You're Welcome, like I said earlier so far it is good for casual reading. An example of a short story that I like is Kingdom of Monsters where the characters one by one turn into different monsters and basically take over Equestria. I bring it up because technically it is "rushed" I still like it because of the premise.

[Bicyclette]

“Oh, but it’s not your fault you didn’t know what it meant to be... you know,” said Rarity as she wiped her eyes with a tissue she apparently had on her. “You grew up in a magic school where you never socialized much with other ponies, and I can hardly blame you for misunderstanding what I was saying.”

aww, the nicest way to tell Twilight that she never learned how to not be a jerk

“No! It’s not that. I’m still a dragon, and I like being called a dragon. It’s just that, um... I can see why a dragon who grew up the same way I did might prefer to be thought of as, like... an honorary pony. And Rarity’s still a pony! Just a different type of pony from the one she was born into, and that doesn’t seem far-fetched at all to me.”

it does make sense that Spike, having grown up as the only member of his species among ponies, would have a better understanding of what it means to be an outsider, which i guess is also shown in the canon episode introducing Thorax. but also, very sad to see that Rarity’s secureness as a mare is still so fragile for her even after all these years!

“You’re kind of staring at Twilight right now. With a weird smirk on your face.”

Trixie leaped back and gasped, then turned to face sideways. “What?! N... no, I wasn’t. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Starlight Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Sure, if you say so. After all, when is the great and powerful Trixie ever known to be wrong?”

Trixie turned back to face her friend and smirked. “See? You get it.”

hehe, very true to them both

[cookiefonster]

11654324
If I ever write another MLP fic, it would most likely feature Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, or both. They both seem like so much fun to write.