> No spell for that
>  by Jeweled Pen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Drifting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight grinned and pointed towards the chalkboard, snapping the ruler against the drawing of the scroll. “And, in closing, if this adventure taught me anything, it's that the magic of friendship can solve any problem life throws at you.” She looked out over the class of unicorns who stared at her. Some with expressions of boredom, others with wide eyed attention. And, more than a few, with the glimmering eyes of those who loved their 'princess'. She wondered how long until that would start to feel old? “So, when you go through your senior year, always remember. The friendships you make now are always important. They may not determine the future of Equestria in quite the way mine has, but that doesn't make them any less important. The magic of friendship is powerful and it lives in us all, so treasure those bonds you make and all those who you are close to. Thank you,” she said before turning and trotting back to her seat. The purple alicorn took a seat, greeted by applause as a unicorn in a suit and tie stepped forward.

“Thank you, Princess Twilight, for this rousing speech. Now, everypony, as I'm sure you're all excited to finish your first day of school, please be careful as you make your way out of the auditorium. Watch out for--”

Twilight toned the principal out as she glanced down at the seat besides her. A purple unicorn sat in it. “So, Starlight, how did I do? I hope you didn't feel too upset with me... talking about the events of--”

“Not at all,” Starlight said quickly, shaking her head. “I uhhh... I've learned my lesson. Besides, if it teaches ponies about... friendship, that's good, right?”

Twilight nodded. “You didn't have to come, though. If you didn't want to. I--”

“Nonsense!” the mare said quickly. “Last time I was here... well... I still owe you for everything. I think assisting you on one of these... events is the least I can do.” She then paused. “Did... you really have to mention the crystal thing, though? I wouldn't have let you fall to your death. Probably. I mean... you are an alicorn.”

Twilight blanched. “I-I'm sorry, I just thought the action would help keep the ponies interested. I think I was losing a few. I-I didn't mean to--”

“It's fine, really, it's fine,” Starlight said before lowering her eyes. “So, what's next?”

“Oh, I wanted to do a tour of the grounds.” Twilight said with a slightly far-too-innocent look.

“Weren't you raised here?”

“W-well, sorta. Just... errr...” She poked her hooves together.

“... What is it?”

“They added a second wing to the library and I heard they have over four hundred new books and I really really want to see if there's any I haven't gotten my hooves on yet!”

Starlight gave a soft little chuckle, before nodding. “I don't see any problem with that.”

“Sqwee!” Twilight said, happily clapping her hooves together.

The unicorn cocked an eye. “Did... you really think I'd say no?”

“Err...”

“I almost destroyed Equestria. I think spending a few hours in a library are the least of my problems.”

“Thanks, I--” She blinked a few times. “Hours?”

“Spike warned me about the other wing. Why did you think he was gracious enough to let me take his place?”

The alicorn scowled. Clever little dragon. She then perked up. “I'll make it as quick as I can, honest!”

“It's fine, princess. Really, I don't mind. I could do some studying, too.”

------ 

Twilight raced as fast as she dared(at a quick trot. After all, it was still a library). Her excitement could barely be contained. A whole other wing of the library and, best of all, in advanced magics! Advanced transformations, advanced medical spells, advanced teleportation, advanced transdimensional summoning. She frowned and wondered if maybe one day she should write her own advanced friendship magic book. She started looking over the rows of books, before gasping. “Yes!” She pulled out 'Transdimensional teleportation and you, an explorer's guide to the chaos realm'. “Ohhhh, this will infuriate Discord soooo much. I'll visit him and--” She blinked, looking around. Starlight was gone. She frowned. “I'm not that bad.”

She shrugged and flipped the book open. She was on chapter twelve when she felt a tap on her flank. She paused and looked back. “Starlight?”

Instead there was a small white unicorn mare there, with a red mane. She was wearing a small, flowing blue dress with white cloud designs on the bottom and a star over the chest. It took her a moment to realize it was one of RARITY'S designs. Well, she didn't know much about this child yet, but she knew she liked her tastes, at least. She wasn't that old, in that awkward phase where almost a mare and no longer quite a filly.

“N-no. I... I'm... ummm... I-I'm...” the mare chewed on her lower lip a little bit. “I'm uhhh... Petal. Drifting Petal. I... err... I just... are you Princess... Princess T-Twilight?”

The princess blinked a few times before looking up. She couldn't see it, but she could definitely feel the crown on her head, as well as her horn. She then looked to the side. Yup, wings still there. “Yes, I am.”

“I... I just... I ummm... I'm sorry to bother you.” Her voice sounded very soft and oddly breathy, difficult to hear. Poor dear must have been terrified.

Twilight shook her head. “Nonsense,” she said before turning around and smiling at the mare. “There's no need to be scared of me, and you don't need to talk in that funny voice. Come on, no need to be shy.”

The mare cringed. “T-this is my voice. My... normal voice.”

“Err... right. What can I help you with?”

“I... I ummm...” Her horn glowed and she pulled out a small book. It was titled 'My adventures and victory*  in Ponyville, by the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon'. Under that it said '*and minor defeat' in tiny letters. “I... I wanted to know if this was true...”

Twilight sighed and face hoofed. She'd have to read that one later as well, though she wasn't expecting she'd enjoy it. “I'm afraid I haven't read it. Of which part?”

“The... final duel with Trixie. It says here you ummm...” She flipped open the book to the only marked page. “You performed a lot of very powerful, high end magic. Aging spells, duplication magic, high level... transformation magic?”

“Ohhhh, that. I'm afraid that was just a ruse to catch Trixie off guard. The spells themselves weren't done at all. In fact, the aging spells are so rare and powerful that I'm not sure if any pony can cast them any more. At least not without some powerful artifact. The duplication spell and gender changing spells are absolutely impossible. Even with the alicorn amulet Trixie was so amazed by them I doubt even its great power could make them possible. I...” She trailed off as she stared at the little mare. The thing looked absolutely crushed, almost broken. Her eyes had gotten all watery and downcast, her head lowered. Even her horn looked like it had lost its gleam. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh... I ummm... y-yes. I'm fine, s-sorry,” the mare said quickly, instantly forming a forced smile on her lips. “I just... n-needed to know for a research paper. T-thank you princess,” she said, her voice cracking. She turned and quickly galloped out of the room, leaving a very confused Twilight behind.

“That... was strange,” she said with a shrug. She then grinned none the less. “Oh, researching forbidden, impossible magic. I remember when I used to do that. My, it seems like only yesterday I summoned a full grown dragon onto the gym.” She then paused. “W-wait. Duplication spells.” Her mind suddenly filled with images of thousands of dragons falling all over the school. Or worse, the return of a thousand Pinkies. She took a slow, deep breath before glancing back to her book, then sliding it back into the shelf. “Later, my sweet,” she said softly, before trotting out of the room towards the principal's office.

------ 

Twilight gently knocked on the door, grinning softly to herself. There was probably nothing to be worried about. Probably. But then, that was what she thought before the jelly belly march madness surprise incident, and half the faculty knew how THAT ended. Well, the ones who hadn't quit.

The door opened and the suited up stallion smiled back at her. “Ah! Princess, I trust everything is well? The students haven't been giving you any problems, have they?”

“Oh no, not at all, principal Higher. They've all been exceptionally friendly and polite. I just...” She frowned and tapped her hoof against her chin. “I'm... not sure how to say this. I'm just a little concerned for one of your students.”

“Concerned? Whatever for?” the stallion asked before he turned back and trotted towards his desk. “I assure you, we have maintained the standard of excellence that we had when you attended our fine school.”

“Oh, I can see that. Well... I'd hate to get a pony in trouble, but they asked me some questions and I'm a little worried that she might be tampering with... dangerous magic.”

“Oh dear, oh dear. Well, worry not, I'm sure we can discreetly handle the situation and stop the dear from hurting herself. It would hardly be the first time some new student here got a little over their head, though I'm sure you know that more than anypony. Tell me, did you catch her name?”

“Drifting Petal.”

The principal froze for a second there, before the smile slowly faded. “You... ahhh... princess, you've met with Drifting Petal?” She couldn't be sure, but there seemed to be a little hint of sweat on his brow.

“Err, yes? Is something wrong with her?”

“With her? Oh, no no. Well... a little. She is a tiny bit of a trouble maker, but I assure you she is no threat. She's just... special.”

“Special?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.

“Yes, special. Not in the manner you were, of course your highness. She is... talented, I'll grant her. But nowhere near the extent you were. She's just a sophomore. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“Really? She seemed pretty upset.”

“Oh, she's always upset about something or another, trust me,” Higher said with just a hint of annoyance. “But please, don't worry about her. She's completely under control. I'll have one of the faculty talk with her about this... incident. So please, put it out of your mind.”

“Well... I... suppose. Thank you. As long as you're sure she's okay.” She frowned and eyed the stallion for a moment. “Maybe I could talk with some of her friends?”

“She doesn't have any friends. Trust me,” he muttered a bit more darkly than he likely intended.

“Wait, she doesn't?” Her eyes lit up with glee. Yes, friendship problem! A new letter to send to the princess!

“No, she moved here recently and--”

“Is too shy to make friends, of course. Well, worry not, Principal Higher Learning! As the Princess of Friendship, I will deal with this manner personally!”

“Wait, what? No! No no, there's no need for--”

“Don't worry, it's no problem. This is my job, my duty!”

“Princess, please, there's no need to--”

“Nonsense. So, where can I find this mare?”

“Oh heavens,” he said before face hoofing. “Really, please. Princess, don't. There's... no need to worry yourself about that pony. She'll be fine.”

“It's my duty,” she said again, proudly.

He sighed. “She's... in the Starswirl wing, floor three, room J.”

“Okay!” she said, turning to walk away.

“Princess!” he called after her.

“Yes?”

“Just... I... did warn you. Remember that.”

She nodded. “Of course,” she said before walking away. She frowned about halfway down the hall. Starswirl Wing? She didn't remember ever going there. She lived in the Clover wing, with--

Ohhhh! The Starswirl wing was the colt's dorms. Funny, she didn't remember them mentioning they were going co-ed. Wow, the school really had changed since she'd been here last.

------ 

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Twilight just couldn't figure out what. The moment she stepped into the Starswirl Wing, most the ponies stared at her. That was normal, in fact she was used to it. However, the problem was they were all colts and young stallions. The only mares she saw were about her age or older, likely parents. She did hope the principal had given her the right location. None the less, she made her way up the stairs and soon found the door. J.

She slowly reached out and knocked on it a few times. There was no answer. She frowned and knocked a few more times. “Hello?”

“Go away! I'm not... I'm not in the mood!” a voice called from inside. It sounded like Drifting, but kind of foggy and odd.

She took a deep breath. “Please open up. I'm here to talk with you, Miss Petal.” She blinked as she heard laughter from down the hall. After a few moments the door opened and a tear covered Drifting peeped through.

Twilight waved gently.

The mare shrieked and slammed the door. “It's not a crime I don't wanna go to jail am I getting expelled I'm sorry I'm sorry!” Okay, now her voice sound a lot deeper. And filled with panic.

The princess stared. “Err... no, you're not. The principal told me about your situation and I came to help,” she said proudly. Okay, now there was even more laughter from down the hall. Just what was so funny? She had the distinct impression they were laughing at her, but she couldn't imagine why. “Could you please open up.”

Slowly the door opened. “Y-you're going to... help me?” Drifting asked softly.

“Of course. May I come in?”

The mare nodded and slowly stepped back, widening the door for Twilight. The princess stepped in and took a look around. It... didn't look like how she'd have imagined it. In fact, it looked almost completely bare. There was a small bed, a couple boxes, and she could see a mirror, dozens of makeup containers lined out in front of it. There were even three dresses hung up on a little rack, but that was it. “Haven't finished moving in?”

“Moved in a few months ago,” Drifting said softly. “Y-you're going to help me? But... you said the spell was impossible...”

“Nonsense!” she said with a nod. “You don't need magic for this.” She walked to the center of the room and grinned at her. “You just need the right mindset and--”

“GET OUT!” Drifting screamed, the tears forming in her eyes again.

“E-excuse me?”

“Y-you c-can't just fix me!” she screamed, covering her face with her hooves. “I-I've tried and I've tried a-and it just doesn't work t-there isn't... there isn't fixing this!”

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. She didn't know what to do, something was definitely wrong here. She had no idea what to do. The child was horribly upset and, somehow, she'd poured fire on the wound. What would Celestia do?

She blinked and slowly stepped forward, pulling the child into a hug and wrapping her wings around her. “There there, child. It's okay. I... I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to help you make friends. That's all. There's nothing wrong with you that needs to be fixed.”

Drifting sniffled. “R-really?”

“Of course not. I'm sure you're a delightful young mare who... are you okay?” Now the child was smiling as she cried. Twilight really felt she was missing something.

“You... you called me a mare...”

“Err... you are, aren't you?”

“Y-yes, yes I am...” the young mare said softly, closing her eyes.

Twilight frowned as she looked around the room. Something here was missing. Something important. Why in Equestria was the child so upset? 'Fix' her? What needed to be fixed? Not to mention she was in such a strange place, last time she was here the Starswirl Wing was for the colts and stallions, not--

A light went off in her head and she looked down at the sobbing mare. The rather... odd voice. The crying fits. The laughing children. The principal's reaction. Buck, the questions about the transformation magic she'd used. “You're a stallion!” she blurted out. Instantly she regretted it as the child looked as if she'd just been stabbed, recoiling from the alicorn.

She stared up at her with tear stained eyes, her entire body shaking. “GET OUT!” she screamed.

“W-wait, Drifting, I didn't mean--”

“GET OUT! GET OUT!! GET OUT!!!” Drifting screamed as loud as she could, stomping her hooves with each and every word.

“I was just--”

“OUT!” she screamed, opening the door and tried to force the alicorn out. Drifting was only a young mare, barely beyond the state of being called a filly. Twilight was a slightly older mare, but also an alicorn. She wasn't going anywhere unless she wanted.

She slowly got to her hooves and let the other pony shove her out, the door slamming closed behind her. She could hear the sobs coming from inside the room and the laughter from down the hall. A feeling of guilt penetrated down to her core as she closed her eyes and disappeared in a flash of light.
> Chapter 2: He? She? It?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Twilight appeared in the local hayburger and walked to the counter, a dazed look on her face. She had no idea how to process what just happened. She tried to think of some point of reference, anything, but she came up blank.

He said he was a mare, but he wasn't a mare, was he? Ugh, this whole thing was just confusing. She looked to the pony behind the counter. “Three hayburgers, medium, please,” she mumbled before walking to one of the many tables and taking a seat.

She was midway through her second one when the door swung open and Starlight stepped inside. “There you are! You know, I was looking all over for you?”

“Huh? Oh. Right. Sorry. I kinda... ran into some trouble.”

Starlight sighed and sat down across from her, pulling out a book. “Thought you'd left me here. I was about to take the train back, you know.”

“Hmm? How'd you know I was here?”

The unicorn didn't look up as she flipped open the book and started going through it. “How else? I spent... who knows how many months after you took apart my town stalking you. By the way, you eat at hayburger too much. You're a princess now, aren't you? You should really get a professional cook. Those'll go right to your thighs.”

Twilight's cheeks turned redder than the ketchup on them. She quickly tried to redirect the conversation. “So... you'll never guess what I just went through. What... I just met.”

“Hmmm?” Starlight asked, flipping a page. “A sphinx?”

“What? No. She was... he...” She struggled to think of the right word, before smiling. Of course! “It was a stallion, but it kept saying it was a mare and got really upset when I realized it was a stallion.”

Starlight blinked a few times and looked up. “Err... it?”

“Well... she... he... it's just easier to say it.”

The unicorn stared for a few long seconds. Then took a soft breath. “Wow. Just... so... cross dresser?”

Twilight blinked and then nodded rapidly. “R-right! Kinda like that except... well, it got really upset when I called it a stallion.”

Starlight gave another sigh. “Please stop calling it... her... an it. I... think I know what you're talking about.”

“But he got really upset--”

“Then you should probably call her a her if it upsets you so much upsetting her.”

Twilight blinked a few times. She then lowered her eyes. “Sorry. She was just...”

“You've never met someone like that?”

“No. Have you?”

“Oh, a ton. Remember my little village? We had a bunch come there.”

“W-what?”

“Oh yeah, nice ponies for the most part. Turns out the whole everypony being equal thing is a big draw for ponies like them. So long as they got to be the treated and called the gender they wanted, they were more than happy to give up their cutie marks. At least, the ones that came.”

“And... you just did that?”

Starlight glanced down at her book again. “Sure, why not? If a stallion wants to be called a mare and a mare wants to be called a stallion, who cares? Isn't like they're hurting anypony. They tended to hide away a lot, though. Worked all the same.”

“But it's not... normal...”

“Says the mare with a pet dragon.”

“Assistant dragon!”

“Why do you care so much? She's not hurting you any, so just call her what she wants.”

Twilight sighed and looked down. “I... I guess. She... did seem pretty upset.”

“How'd you even meet a pony like that?” Starlight asked as she flipped a page.

“W-well, he-- she-- asked me a question. When I asked the principal about it-- her, he said she didn't have any friends.”

“Not surprising. Pony like that probably hides away a lot.”

“Do... you think if we got him some friends, it would help fix her?”

“Are they really good friends if they make you change who you are?”

“Good... point.” Twilight sighed. “But... I... kinda feel really bad for her. You should have seen her face, she was heart broken. I... wish there was something I could do. Do you think I could help her make friends?”

“Maybe? Making friends isn't always easy, though. Especially if you hide away a lot.”

“I never had any problems and I was a bit... secluded.”

“Hmm. The princess' personal protege had ponies trying to be her friend. Imagine that. A wonder you didn't have more trouble.”

Twilight cringed. “O... kay. Point taken. But... I need to make it up to him somehow.”

“Her.”

“Right, her. You've dealt with these kinds of ponies before, right? What do you do to apologize to them?”

“Well, start calling her a her, for one. It's kind of a big deal to them. Two... I don't know? Get them a dress or something? I'll be honest, I didn't study them, I just met a bunch of them. All they really wanted was to be treated like and called whatever gender they chose. I just went along with that and there wasn't much trouble aside from when someponies decide to cause problems. I had a lot more to worry about that some ponies identity issues.”

Twilight tapped her chin, before nodding. “She did have one of Rarity's dresses. Maybe I could get something like that.” She got to her hooves. “I'm going to go visit the Canterlot Boutique. You can head home if you like, I'll head back once I'm done here.”

Starlight nodded. “Okay, have fun.” The moment the princess was out the door, she quickly reached over and took the last hayburger. “So many stake outs you have made possible my little caloric fiend...”

------ 

Twilight walked into the boutique, looking around nervously.

“Princess Twilight! Could it be true?” a voice called out. Before the princess could react, a light blue unicorn with a striped orange mane nearly tackled her. “It is, it is! Could it be? Is Miss Rarity with you?”

Twilight blushed and shook her head. “N-no, I'm afraid not, Sassy. I ummm... I actually need to talk with you. About making an order. A... special order.”

Sassy blinked, then smiled. “Ah. One of THOSE garments? Well, no matter. Here at the Canterlot Boutique, we offer all our clients a privacy guarantee. So, something in pleather, yes?”

Twilight blinked, then blushed. “N-no! It's not for me and it's not like that! Just a dress, a simple dress. Kind of an... apology.”

“Oh? Then just a simple dress? Well, no matter.”

“Well, errr, t-that's just it. It's... special. Ummm... you see... it... I mean...” She sighed. “It's for a stallion who thinks he's a mare.”

Sassy blinked and then snickered. “Truly, that's all? Just have her come down and I can take her measurements.”

Twilight paused and then stared. “That's... all?”

“Of course. Why?”

“You've made dresses for... stallions before?”

“Well, I thought you said she was a mare? But yes, Miss Rarity has made them for mares of the more... masculine variety.”

“Wait, so you've dealt with ponies like this before?” She grinned. “Is there a cure?”

Sassy paused. “Ex... cuse me?”

“Is there a cure? A way to make him... want to be a him, I guess?”

The unicorn stared at the alicorn. “Oh. Oh dear. Darling, please tell me this is not for a friend of yours.”

“Well... no, I just met him. Her. Him?”

“Ah. I see. Well, in that case, dear, do her a favor. Never talk about such things. It is extremely hurtful. Possibly leave her alone if you talk to her like that, yes?”

“Hurtful? But--”

“Dear, if the pony is willing to dress up as a mare and deal with whatever dangers or humiliations that may arise from it, who are you to judge? If it makes her happy, let her be a mare.”

“But... it's weird... there's just no reason for it.”

Sassy sighed. “You've never met a pony like that before, have you?”

Twilight shook her head. “I... haven't met a lot of ponies until recently, to be honest.”

“Well, trust me. There are plenty of ponies like that. I've met hundreds. And... while personally, I couldn't begin to tell you why they go through what they do, I can tell you I wouldn't wish it on anypony. I've heard every excuse and explanation under the sun, but the only thing I know for certain is their pain is real.”

Twilight blinked and then cringed as she thought back to that look on the stall-- mare's face. That pain, the sadness. “Really?”

“Oh, indeed. I've met dozens of ponies, both mares and stallions, who come here looking for some outfit to express their real selves. Some are confident and just ask, some are shy and will try desperately to explain away why what they are doing is natural. All the medical reasons for why they're like this. My favorite, though, is the 'my marefriend just happens to be the exact same size, weight, height and shape as me. So, ummm, make the dress as if it was on me, please.' My, you should see the way their eyes light up when they try it on.” She then frowned. “And the way they die again the moment they take it off and put on whatever they were wearing before.”

The alicorn sighed. “So... oh.” She thought back to the crying mare. “You'd... best make it three dresses.”

Sassy cringed. “Just... what did you do?”

“I think I might have broken her heart and dashed her hopes. So... three dresses should at least get me enough time to apologize.”

The unicorn trotted away and soon came back with three small pieces of paper, she held them out to the alicorn. “Here. Vouchers. Just sign them and when the mare comes to redeem them, they'll be charged to you. As a personal friend of Rarity, I'm sure she'll give you a special discount. And I know you wouldn't not pay.”

“O-of course,” Twilight said as she took them, turning to walk away.

“It might behoove the mare to come this weekend. I do believe Miss Rarity intends to run the boutique for a few days to take care of some orders. It would be the best chance to make sure a gown was chosen especially for her.”

“I'll make sure he... she knows.”

“Oh, and one more piece of advice, dear?”

“Yes?”

“If it upsets her so, don't call her a he.”

“... Right.”
> Chapter 3: Makeover and made-uptoher
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight took a deep breath as she stood outside the door to Drifting's room. Last time they hadn't left under the… best terms. She wouldn't be surprised if h-- she slammed the door in her face. It would probably serve her right. But she had obviously hurt the mare, and she couldn't just let this stand. She gently reached out and knocked on the door.

There was no answer. She tried again after a few moments. Then, on the third attempt she heard a soft voice. “Who is it?”

“It's me, Princess Twilight, I—”

“Go away!”

The alicorn gave a sigh. Well, she expected that. Deserved it, probably. “I came to apologize. I… uhhh… I brought a gift.”

“I don't want it!”

The princess hummed, looking at the three little pieces of paper. She then slowly slid them under the door. “Here. You don't have to--”

They were shoved right back out. “I don't want anything from...” The voice stopped. “Did… those have… were those from the Canterlot Boutique?”

Twilight grinned and slid them right back under. “Yes.”

There was a long, long pause. Then slowly, the door creaked open. Twilight couldn't believe it, bribery worked! The mare stared at her from the other side. “They… aren't fake, are they?”

“No, of course not. The owner is a personal friend of mine and she has apparently dealt with plenty of situations like this. May I come in?”

The stall-- mare looked thoughtful for a moment, before pulling back and letting her in. Twilight stepped in and let out a sigh of relief. Phase one of apology, complete, not getting the door slammed in her face. She smiled at Drifting and… tried not to frown.

Now that she knew, she couldn't help noticing. The dress didn't fit right at all, the make up was just horribly done, her body was a bit stallionish and not to mention her face, it was a little softer but definitely a stallions. How did she possibly miss this? She--

She face hoofed. Ten seconds in and already she was over analyzing everything. If she says she's a mare, then she's a mare. Weird or not, she hurt the pony and she couldn't stand for that..Twilight took a deep breath.

“Um… are… are you okay? Princess?” Drifting asked softly, before looking down. “I'm sorry I… kicked you out. That's… err… that's… not a crime, is it?”

Twilight stared for a few moments. Now that she thought about it, it might possibly be a crime. “No, not at all. I deserved it.” But buck her if she was going to press charges. “Can we talk?”

“I… I guess. You aren't going to try and… fix me, are you?”

“No! No no, no,” Twilight said quickly. “I… actually talked to a few ponies. About your… condition. I'm sorry, it was just a bit shocking.”

“Yeah, shocked me a lot when I found out, too,” she said darkly.

“If… umm… you don't mind me… asking. How did you find out about… I mean… what made you decide this?”

Drifting gave a sigh, the sigh of a pony who had explained something ten thousand times already, but was going to have to do it again. Many of Twilight's past projects were often connected with that sigh. “I was depressed. Parents sent me to therapist. Helped me figure it all out. The end. Happily ever after,” she said a tad bitterly.

Twilight cringed. “I… I'm sure there's more to it than that. But if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to! I just… I'd… like to know.”

Drifting glanced down to the small vouchers from the boutique. Once again, bribery won her over. “I… I was depressed a lot, growing up. I hid it, but… my parents eventually noticed when my grades started to fall. I… saw a therapist for a while and she helped me… find out what I wanted.” She closed her eyes. “It… it didn't make sense at first, but after a bit, it all did. How I felt, why I couldn't look myself in the mirror, why I hated… everything about me.”

“And… and you're still seeing this therapist?” Twilight made a mental note to talk with this mare. Surely she'd have some answers.

“No. The moment my parents found out, they found me a new one.”

“Oh. And… your second one?”

“Told me what I was feeling was wrong, that if I kept on this path, I'd just end up alienating myself and everypony around me, ruin my life and cause trouble for everypony I knew.” She glanced towards the door. “Guess she was right.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “I… I'm sure she didn't… say it like that.”

“She might as well have,” Drifting said weakly, giving another shudder. “I… I tried being fixed, r-really, I did. I tried to be a colt. To… to make everypony happy. I was just miserable and hated myself a-and wanted to die!” She gave another little sniffle. “E-everypony was still mad, though. T-the others always picked on me, mom and dad were mad my grades were failing, I… I finally just decided if they were going to hate me anyway, I might as well be what I want to be.”

The alicorn nodded and reached out, putting a wing over the mare. “For what it's worth, I think you're a very pretty mare.”

The mare looked up, giving a little sniffle. “R-really?”

Twilight gave a nod. Maybe it was the tears, but she was really starting to see that mare in there. Or maybe she just felt so bad. “So… your parents are okay with this?”

“Ha!” Drifting said, before blushing. “S-sorry princess. I-I didn't mean to… to be rude.”

“No, no, go ahead. Please, tell me.”

“They… don't like this at all. They say stallions should be stallions and...” She glanced to the dresses. “B-but we made a deal. They said if I got my grades up and… and got into this school, they'd let me dress however I like. For every A I get, they give me bits I can use to buy dresses and things. Not… a lot, b-but some of the other girls sell me theirs, cheap. So…. I get some things.”

Twilight glanced to the make up cases by the window. There were a lot of them, but all of different shades and brands. She then looked at the mare before her. The princess had only learned the bare minimum of make up application from her mother, but even she knew that half of those were probably useless for the mare. She must have been desperate.

“And… so long as I keep going to therapy, they honor the deal.”

“I… I see. And this therapist?”

“He's trying to fix me. It's just… there's nothing wrong with me,” she said with another whimper. “I was just… I was just born in the wrong body and… and I thought...” Tears started to well up in her eyes. “W-w-when I r-read that book, I-I thought you had a spell to t-turn somepony into… into that a-and i-if I learned it I-I could fix everything a-and nopony would hate me anymore!”

Twilight pulled the mare into another tight hug. “I'm sorry, Drifting. I really, truly am. But… there isn't a spell for that.”

“There should be!”

“Transformation spells like that are… well… I… could turn you into a breezie? It only works during the breezie season, though.”

“I-I already know t-that spell,” she said with a soft whimper. “B-but I don't wanna b-be a breezie, I-I wanna be a mare! I am a mare! I am I am I am I am!”

“I know, I know,” Twilight said as soothingly as she could. She gently patted the mare on the back as she worked, trying her best to comfort the girl. Once the was finally all cried out, she smiled down at her. “Listen. Do you think you can come down to the Canterlot Boutique this weekend? My friend will be there and I can guarantee, she will personally make you whatever dress you want.”

“A-any?”

“Any.”

“… E-even the p-princess dress?”

Twilight blinked a few times. Oh, she would owe Rarity soooo many favors. “Yes. Even the princess dress. You heard about that one?”

“U-uh huh… I… I saw it and ummm… it's how I recognized… you.”

Twilight paused and tried to process that. Multiple time savior of the whole country, newest princess, her castle only a few miles out of the city, not to mention she had her picture in a few places in the school. And yet she is identified for modeling a dress. “I… see. Yes, whatever you like. Okay?”

“O-okay. I'll… I'll be there. I promise.”

“Good. I'll meet you there as well, okay? Princess' promise. And we can't break our promises.”

“Really?”

“Really really. So… just… try to be brave, okay? I'll see you then.” She slowly pulled back and gave the mare a smile.

Drifting nodded, smiling up at her. “O-okay. I'll be… I'll be good, I promise.”

Twilight nodded and then headed out the door, before making another sigh. She still didn't know what was going on, but the mare seemed happier at least. Which meant she could feel slightly less guilty for what she'd done. Slightly. Now came the fun part.

Convincing Rarity to remake the princess dress. Well, bribery had worked on Drifting, maybe it would work on Rarity, too. So to Sugarcube Corner she'd go!

------ 

Twilight sighed as she say in one of the chairs of the Canterlot Boutique. Cake bribery had not worked. Neither had bits. Instead, she'd had to use… favors. Nothing too difficult, of course, she'd just had to help around the boutique as Rarity worked on a rush order for some clients of hers. It had, sadly, taken up a lot more time than she'd wanted.

Still, it was just a few days and after she got the little stall-- mare these dresses, her conscience would be clear and she could move on. The boutique would open in a few minutes, though she didn't expect to see Drifting for a few hours yet. It was still early morning and she couldn't imagine anypony wanting to be up at this hour.

Still, she'd helped as much as she could with the opening preparations, now Sassy and Rarity were just doing final touches before uncovering the windows and opening the doors.

As soon as they were unlocked, a light jingle hit the air as they opened. Drifting stood in the doorway, pausing halfway in as every eye turned to her. Twilight couldn't believe it, what student wanted to get up at this hour? The mare was also shaking a little bit.

Wait, had she been out there waiting for the store to open? How long? It wasn't freezing outside, but it was still cold. She got to her hooves. “Drifting, you came!”

The mare looked so startled she nearly bolted out the door, turning around.

“W-wait!” Twilight called out.

Drifting paused, shuddered, and slowly turned back around. She looked like a mess. Her hair was a bit wild from the wind, her make up was just… no. And she was wearing a red, gemmed dress that was… two sizes too big in some places, and a size too small in others. Still, she was here, that was the important thing.

Rarity smiled as she moved forward. “Ah. You must be Drifting Petal, yes? Please, come with me. Don't worry, child. I've dealt with plenty of ponies with your sense of Dysphoria, there is nothing to be worried or embarrassed about. You're a perfectly lovely lady.”

The alicorn blinked a few times. “Dysphoria?”

“Yes. It's the clinical term,” Sassy said calmly.

Twilight tilted her head. "Huh. When you use the clinical terms, it sounds familiar. I think...I think I remember reading about it? A bit. Apparently its caused by sexual abuse or moderate sociopathy, at least according to Sigmare Frid, and can be cured via electro-shock therapy or… or... uh..."

She noted the look Rarity was giving her, and Sassy's wide eyes and shocked expression. Not to mention the look of terror on Drifting's face, who was only not fleeing for her life because Rarity had a firm grip over her withers.

"Or...uh. I'm...going to shut up now."

“P-please don't… electro-shock me...” Drifting said softly, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Drifting, darling? Please don't cry,” Rarity said quickly. “Twilight didn't mean that. She may be a princess, but she is still simply dreadful in social interactions. I promise, she was just reciting some dusty old book from memory. She would never conceive of actually doing that to some pony. Oh, my." Rarity herded her up to the little dais she worked all of her clients on with skill and strength that would have astonished Applejack. Circling the mare, she looked her up and down. "I see you're wearing one of mine from...hmm. That was the spring selection a few years back, yes? It goes wonderfully with your hair, darling. Now, now, now… let us see."

She whipped her tape measure out with a crack, grinning. "You have an astonishing natural beauty dear. lets just see how best to… accentuate it."

Drifting, for a split second, looked like she might try to flee again, Rarity Originals or no. Especially when the fashionista's horn lit up, and she felt the dress sliding free.

"No worries dear, I'll alter this before I begin working on your pieces so it fits better,” Rarity said in a soothing, docile tone. “It shouldn't take but a minute or three once I have your measurements." She hummed, walking around her again. "Now, please stand straight darling. Oh, you have a simply lovely coat. What product do you use?"

"Pro... duct?" She'd ask softly with a wince. "I-I just get shampoo... the... school supplies it..." She lowered her eyes and shuffled her hooves. Her mane was a bit... ragged. It was obvious she let it grow and brushed it, but had none of the proper care used on it. Even Twilight could see that.

Rarity was behind her, so she didn't see the wince. "Well, I'll send you home with some of mine, and some recommendations." She hummed. "Perhaps, when we're done here, you could use a visit to the local spa? As tense as you are, I believe you could use such a trip.”

Drifting's face turned bright red. "I-I can't... really, afford a spa trip. I-I'm sorry, I--"

"Nonsense," Sassy said quickly. "That is one of the benefits of having a princess act like a total cad to you. It means she will likely hoof the bill."

Twilight face hoofed. Well, she wasn't wrong, but still, did she have to be so blunt?

“Hmmm...” Rarity rubbed her chin, before holding out the measuring tape to Sassy. “Would you?”

“Of course,” the other unicorn said before moving besides the frightened mare.

Rarity then grabbed a small white hoofkerchief and began to wipe the face of the startled mare. “S-stop...” Drifting said weakly.

“Oh darling, do hold still. I am a professional, I know what I'm doing.”

The mare gave a little whimper, but didn't fight. Twilight couldn't help but feel even worse for the poor mare now, she looked like she might start bawling at any moment.

“There. You do have a nice beauty, darling. You shouldn't put so much on, hiding that pretty face,” Rarity said with a little coo, before her horn glowed and she grabbed a small makeup case from the counter. “Of course, all of us girls do like a little help, no? How about we do this proper. I think I can probably help with your mane as well, dear.”

“O-okay...” Drifting said weakly. She was too frightened to move as the older mare began applying the make up. She trembled a bit as her eyes began to water.

“Oh dear. Whatever is the matter?” Rarity asked softly.

“I-I'm sorry I don't... I don't k-know how to... to do any of this--”

“Nonsense,” Rarity said, cutting her off. “Plenty of mares don't know how to properly style their manes or apply their own make up. It can be difficult even for the best of us.”

Drifting nodded and gave a little nod. “T-thank... thank you.”

“Truly, shame on your mother for not teaching you such things,” the mare tutted as she softly applied a thin layer of blush. “A young woman such as yourself shouldn't have to depend on strangers to teach her.”

Drifting cringed. “Mother... doesn't... approve...” Her eyes wandered to Twilight and she chewed on her lower lip a little.

The fashionista hummed for a moment, before smiling. “Twilight, dear, could you go into the back and grab a round, little red box? I think it would suit her perfectly. Only about the size of your hoof.”

“Huh? Oh, sure,” Twilight said before hopping up and trotting out.

The moment she was gone, Drifting let out a sigh of relief. “S-she wouldn't really try to have me put through electro-shock therapy, would she? I-I mean, she's a princess, I-I know she can if she wants to and--”

“Hush. Twilight would never, ever do such a thing to somepony. She just... has much too much book smarts and not always social smarts. I assure you, you're in no danger.”

“O-okay.” For a few moments there was silence, then she gulped. “And... and she won't... tell my parents, will she? That it can be... cured? Like that?”

Sassy and Rarity shared a concerned look. “It cannot be cured like that, for one,” Rarity said quickly. “And I will have a talk with the princess. But surely your parents wouldn't permit such a thing.”

“They wanted to send me away to one of those... fixing camps... when they found out.”

Rarity managed to turn paler. “I... I see. I will have a long, long talk with the princess. I assure you. Besides, you don't need to worry about those. Camps such as those have... long been outlawed. I do believe the last went through a... scorched earth phase once the princess found out what they did there.”

Drifting gave a soft giggle. “I-I read about that in the paper. Did... the princess really--”

“I do believe so. Princess Celestia is very protective of children, or so I hear,” Rarity said with a hum. “You have a darling giggle, child. You should use it more often.”

She blushed. “I-it's not... good. My voice is too deep and--”

“You're young, it will strengthen with time and use. Just practice, practice, practice.” Rarity said with a nod. “Now then, are the measurements done?”

“Yes, Miss Rarity. She's as fit as a button.”

“Good, now how about we finish the alterations before we work on your next gown, shall we?”

“P-please,” Drifting said softly as she kept her eyes lowered, unknowingly beginning to lower herself down to the ground, hiding as best she could while they worked. Without the dress, she felt naked and helpless and it was all she could do not to run and hide. But within a few minutes the dress was back on her as Rarity stood over her, smiling.

“There. I do hope you didn't catch a chill, child,” Rarity said before trotting off and humming softly as she looked over a few pieces of paper, finally pulling one out and handing it to Sassy. “Can you ready this one?”

The assistant nodded. “Of course.” She then trotted to the back room.

Drifting sighed as she eyed the mare, her cheeks a little red. She knew if she... she knew she wanted to be a mare like that, one day. Quick, smart, talented, smooth as silk. She doubted the mare ever had a non-graceful moment in her life. She probably could walk through a rainstorm without getting a single hair out of place.

“Rarity, I think I found about twenty boxes that suited your description,” Twilight said flatly as she walked out, a dozen little red boxes held in her magic. “Are these it, or do you need me to get one of the others?”

Rarity hummed before taking one. “No, this one will do. Now, how about we get to work, shall we?” She trotted over to Drifting and hovered over a brush and a pair of scissors, making the mare recoil. “Easy, easy. I'm a professional. Trust me, darling, I know what I'm doing.”

Drifting gave a frightened look to Rarity, but the mare only stared back with that soft, soothing gaze of hers. Slowly she moved back into position and closed her eyes. She soon felt the gently brushing and the snip snipping. She couldn't open her eyes, no matter how much she willed herself to. She was terrified and felt like she was going to be sick. The mare seemed nice enough, but she was still friends with the princess. She didn't want to think this was all some sick, elaborate trap, but she couldn't help but feel it was. Maybe a plan of her parent's to try to 'fix' her again.

It took her a few moments to realize she was being a bit too neurotic. While she wouldn't put it past her parents, there was no way they could get a princess involved. Which meant that was how one of the rulers of the country actually was. That brought another shudder.

Finally, the sounds and feelings stopped. “Okay, darling. Open your eyes.”

Drifting did and stared into the mirror held in front of her. She felt tears welling up in her eyes again as the mare stared back at her. A real mare. The makeup was perfect, accentuating her more delicate features. Her hair was gently trimmed, but still long, with an adorable little pink ribbon going through it and tying into a little bow at the top of her head. The red dress fit her form perfectly and... she was pretty sure had a bit of padding in some places, but she didn't care. She stared at herself, not even flinching as Rarity dabbed at her eyes with a hoofkerchief. “Careful, dear. You don't want to make your makeup run.”

“S-sorry.”

“Now, how about you go sit with Twilight while Sassy and I work on your first dress.” She turned and gave the princess a little smile before trotting over. “Do be gentle.” She leaned in and whispered. “And that little glow in the child's eyes? That's why it's worth getting through the initial bit of confusion.”

“R-right,” the princess said quickly. “No fixing, I swear,” she whispered back.

------ 

Twilight shuffled her hooves a bit nervously, before glancing over to the mare. It had been about ten minutes and the two hadn't managed to say a single word. She finally took a deep breath. “I'm sorry for what I said before. I swear I won't try to put you through... anything like that. No electro-shock. Princess' honor.”

“Thank you,” Drifting said gently. “And... thank... you for this. All of this.”

“It's no problem, really. It's mostly Rarity, anyway. She's... much better at this than I am.”

Once again the two sat there, awkwardly shuffling. Finally, Drifting spoke up again. “I'm sorry... I don't... I don't mean to be such a freak.”

“It's fine, really. You have your reasons,” Twilight said with a shrug, before cringing. “I-I mean, you're not a freak!”

Drifting lowered her eyes. “Didn't you ever... feel like...” She paused. “Did you ever want to be a stallion?”

Twilight shook her head. “Of course not. Well, there was this one time when I was a little filly, but that was more because I wanted to be like my big brother. I like being a mare, I couldn't imagine being a stallion.”

“That's exactly how I feel, all the time.”

The princess cringed. “I... I see. I'm sorry, I really don't know much about it. I'm afraid Rarity is right, that was probably from some old, dusty tome. My studies have been a bit... lax as of the last few years and modern psychology has fallen a bit to the wayside.”

“It's okay,” she said softly, before looking up. “Do... you hate me?”

“Huh?”

“I mean... do you and... for this. Do you... hate me?”

“Of course not!” Twilight said quickly, shaking her head. “How could I possibly hate you? You haven't done anything bad!”

“Do... you think the other princesses would hate me?”

“I... can't claim they would approve of this, but I'd never say they'd hate you for this. If it makes you happy, then... I don't think they could fault you for it. Why do you ask?”

“I... used to be...” She poked her hooves together. “I... know it's silly, but I thought... before. I thought if I tried doing it... I'd be... bad. It would make me an evil pony. A... horrible, sinful pony. One that deserved to suffer and just... die.” Her voice was weak and filled with despair.

Twilight shuddered. “Drifting, you are not evil, in any sense of the word. If this is what it takes to make you happy, that's fine. You're not hurting anypony and you're most definitely not trying to cause problems. You're just... special. Suffering with... something I really don't understand, but I wish you weren't. If there was some way to fix this--” She saw the child cringe again. “To make you a mare, like you want, I would. But... there isn't magic for that.”

“Not yet,” Drifting said softly.

The alicorn cocked her head to the side. “Not yet? Oh! That reminds me! Drifting, what is it you study at the school? I never got a chance to find out your focus.”

“Oh, transformation magic.”

“Really? That's quite--” She froze. “Wait. You said you knew how to turn into a breezie?”

“Oh, yes. It was a really hard spell to do, but I learned it for extra credit after I had a bad test. It took a few weeks to get right, but it was worth it.”

Twilight stared for a moment. She'd only learned that spell AFTER becoming an alicorn. Granted, she probably could have done it as a unicorn if she'd tried. Likely years ago if she hadn't spent so much time learning all of the other spells she'd picked up. Still, she couldn't help being a little impressed. “That's... quite the advanced spell. Aren't you just a sophomore?”

She nodded. “Uh huh. Just three more years and I'm free.”

“What do you want to do after that?” Twilight regretted it almost as soon as she said it. She knew the mare was going to say 'be a mare'. She just knew it.

“I wanna work with animals. Not a vet, though. I couldn't do that. Maybe work in the zoo.”

“I'm sure you-- wait, what?”

“Uh huh! I love animals, I used to have a ton of cats and a few dogs. It's why I always liked transformation magic, I could run around and play with them a bunch. But I don't really know what kind of job I'd like to do with it, though. I'd love to work at a zoo, but I'd hate to have to clean up all their messes, ick.” She paused and looked intently at her. “Though, if I could tell you the truth? Something I really, really, really wish I could do but I just knowwww would never work?”

“What?” Twilight asked, dreading the answer.

“Be somepony like Daring Do. She's sooooo cool. Going on adventures, fighting off bad guys. I used to dream I was her side kick and we'd go on the most awesome adventures, I'd turn into like, birds and things and we'd fight off villains like Azhooicicle.”

“Ahuizotl.”

“Gesundheit. Or maybe I'd become a writer, make up a bunch of stories and sell them. I tend to daydream a lot, so sometimes I think about putting the words to paper. But I doubt anypony would ever care to read them, they... wouldn't be that good.”

Twilight could sense the conversation was taking a dark turn. Time to switch the subject. “You know, I've met Daring Do.”

Drifting rolled her eyes. “Oh, of course you did. And I met the tooth fairy.”

The princess paused. She hadn't expected THAT response. “I did! Really!”

“Oh, come on. I'm not a little kid, I'm almost an adult, you know. I know those books aren't real.”

The alicorn gaped. “But... but they are. I was IN one of them!”

“You were?”

“Yes! The purple alicorn! Twine!”

“That was YOU?” Drifting asked, her mouth gaping open. She then paused. “Wait, so you really just stood there and watched while Daring Do was being attacked?”

“... Kinda... we were... a bit caught up in the moment and... w-we just weren't paying attention, that's all. We helped when we realized!”

Drifting eyed her suspiciously. “I... don't believe you. There's no way somepony as cool as Daring Do is real.”

Twilight face hoofed. “She is, and I've met her. Maybe if you're lucky, one day I'll introduce you, too.”

For a moment the child looked excited, before pausing. “Wait, is there a... condition to this? To me... 'meeting' this Daring Do?”

“What? No. Of course not. Why would there be?”

“Uh huh. It's just the author, isn't it? Or some actor?”

“No, it's the real Daring Do and just... listen. Daring Do is real, I give my word. I swear.”

“Is everything alright in here? I heard yelling,” Rarity said as she stepped into the room.

“Hi Miss Rarity! The princess is trying to make me believe that Daring Do is real and she knows her.”

“Oh, yes. She is real, we met her not that long ago during the midst of writing her newest book. Quite the adventurous sort. Though, I do feel she didn't do my character justice.”

Drifting blinked, her mouth falling open. “Wait. She... she really IS real?”

“Oh, so her you believe,” Twilight grumbled, crossing her hooves.

“Well, yeah, she wouldn't lie.”

“I haven't lied either!”

“Do... do you think she'd want a side kick?”

Rarity chuckled and shook her head. “I'm afraid not, deary. She prefers to work alone. I believe her last adventure was a... one time deal.”

“Awwww...”

“Your dress is almost ready.”

“Eeeeee!”

Twilight smiled at the young mare. She remembered when she was that age, something like a dress would have never interested her in the slightest compared to a good book. Yet to this mare it seemed like the best thing in the world. The three dresses were well spent.

Then Rarity stepped out from the back room, pushing the gown ahead of her. The way Drifting's eyes lit up made it all the more worthwhile. It was a take on the princess dress, although the gems glimmered in many different shades of red and pink, flowing gently with the blues. “Now, I hope you don't mind, but I made a few modifications to the original. It--”

“It's beautiful and I love it,” Drifting said softly. “Wait, modifications?” She blinked, and gasped. “It's... it's unique?”

“Oh, of course. I can honestly say there isn't another princess dress like it,” Rarity said, before adding flatly. “Not for lack of trying, mind you.”

“And... and I can have it?”

“Would you like to try it on now, dear?” Rarity asked with a little smile.

“O-of course!” Drifting yelled, rushing to the changing room, the dress tugged behind her.

Twilight sighed and walked up behind Rarity. “You're... really good at this. How did you... learn all this?”

“Oh, darling. My first time dealing with a case like this was absolutely dreadful. I was so shocked that... frankly, I was afraid the poor dear was going to do something... irreversible to herself after. She was fine, but I learned from the ordeal. It has taken me years to get... this good at it, of course. But it's well worth it, no?”

Twilight nodded and gave a sigh. “Right. Is... she going to be okay?”

“Oh, I imagine so. She's still young. I do believe that today will stick out as a particularly good day for the rest of her life, though. The princess ensuring she gets properly pampered and such. As turbulent as her life must be, this day will likely linger for years.”

The princess blushed. “I-I haven't done anything, t-though. You're doing everything.”

“So? You're the one who set this in motion, took a notice. Besides, it's not every day a princess comes out from the heavens and tells a pony what they're doing is okay. That alone might help more than you know.”

Drifting pushed aside the curtain before Twilight could answer. She gulped and gave a soft little sile. “How... do I look?” True to Rarity's talent, the dress framed the young mare perfectly, drawing attention to all the right points and hugging the mare's body in just the right way to keep a viewer's eyes away from the more... masculine traits.

“You look spectacular. Now, little Petal, I do believe the princess owes you a spa date.”

Twilight yiped. “W-what? Me? I thought--”

“I do have a business to work with. Dear, it'll be fine. You've been to the spa often enough. I'd go to the Silver Sponge. They'll be perfect.” She then looked to Drifting. “Make sure to return here when you're finished, okay? With the makeup washed away I'll teach you how to properly apply it.”

The little mare squeaked. “W-what? But you've already done so much, I can't--”

“Nonsense. Now, you two have fun.” Rarity shoved the two out the door before they could object.

It was harder to tell who was more nervous about it, the princess or the sophomore.

------ 

Drifting let out a happy, content sigh as she walked up to the school, her bags hanging neatly over her side. Today had probably been the best day of her life. No, it most definitely had. Miss Rarity was amazing, so beautiful and kind, she hoped one day she could be like that.

As busy as she was, the mare had been generous enough to spend hours teaching her how to apply the make up properly and giving her directions on how to do her mane correctly. She even taught her a simple spell to help get the ribbon fixed right. The princess hadn't been nearly as bad this time, though she was still a tad bit intimidating. The spa trip had been delightful as well. She'd been pampered and coddled to her heart's content and she wasn't sure if she was just imagining it, but she swore a pony had been checking her out. Her, of all ponies. Possibly more than one pony.

All in all, Drifting felt more like a mare than she had since she'd discovered what she was. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she really was what she felt like on the inside. Finally, her happiness was a real possibility.

She froze as she walked in the school grounds and her heart began to beat faster. There were only a few ponies out and about, though that made sense. It was a little after dusk, and so most of the weekend staff were either in their rooms or had headed home. Now it was mostly just the other students. A few of the students glanced up, but barely gave her a second glance.

They probably didn't even recognize her. Now she was just another mare. She doubted that would last once she made it to the Starswirl Wing. That was when the real danger would begin.

She took slow, deep breaths as she walked through the halls, plotting her route. Once she was in the Starswirl Wing, they'd put two and two together. For the most part, the students were… passable. They would yell things at her, but they wouldn't hurt her. Most of them. But there were always those who would. Years of bullying had taught her how to avoid those situations. The number one rule was to make sure there was always a member of staff around, even if it was just a janitor. As long as there were witnesses, they'd limit themselves to just words.

But she'd been out too late. Even the floor aide had likely retired by now, locked in their room and only coming out if there was real trouble. Drifting lived on the third floor, the aide lived on the first floor. That meant the second floor would be the most dangerous. That, and the lounge on the third floor. She'd have to pass through it to get to her room. There was a second entrance, though. If the first floor was quiet, she could pass through to it, then make her way up. The back way would be quieter. She took a slow, deep breath as she came to the Starswirl Wing.

She put a hoof to her chest and felt her heart, pounding away. She had to do it, she couldn't hide out all night. Once she was in her room, she'd be safe. She pushed open the door and quickly trotted inside. Running was out of the question unless she was chased, no matter how badly she wanted to. If she ran, they'd chase. She knew that.

Her heart hammered in her ears as she stepped inside. The main lobby was filled with ponies. Of course, it was the weekend. Lots of ponies had gone home, but there were still many more who lived at the school. A few of them stared at her, probably trying to place her. But she ignored them and quickly made her way through the door into the staircase.

“Hey freak!”

She ignored it and kept walking, quickly making her way up the stairs. If the lobby was that full, then she didn't dare risk the hallway. She stopped for only a moment near the second floor, her ears twitching as she tried to hear if anypony was following her. But there weren't any hoof steps. She quickly made her way up, stepping into the second floor lobby for just a moment before stepping into the next staircase, making her way to the third floor.

She was almost there. Almost home free. There had been a few ponies in that lobby as well, but she'd been in and out so quickly they probably hadn't noticed her.

She stepped into the third floor lobby and held her breath. The room was emptier than all of them, only one table occupied with four ponies. The biggest problem was they were looking right at her, staring. She did her best to ignore them and kept walking. She made it to the doorway to the hall before she heard the scraping sound of chairs being moved.

She didn't have to look to know they were getting up. “Hey,” one of them called.

Her heart started hammering so fast she felt it would explode. She quickly pushed open the door and walked into the hall, trotting as quickly as she could without running. If she ran, they would run. If they were faster, they'd catch her. She prayed they'd stop and wouldn't follow her down the hall.

Her prayers weren't answered as she heard the door behind her open. “HEY! Bitch boy!” one of them called after her.

She paused for a second, before breaking into a full gallop. Buck not running, if they were going to hurt her, they'd have to earn it. She raced down the hall and could hear their hoofsteps behind her.

She just had to make it to her room, once she was there, she was safe. Her blood was pumping in her ears as she turned the corner and, at the end of the hall, she could see it. Her door. Her horn glowed as she pulled out her key.

She could hear them, racing down the hall towards her, all four of them. Like the four horseponies of the apocalypse. She fumbled with the lock, her key jamming in and her realizing a moment too late it was the wrong key. She yanked it back.

They were getting closer. She could hear them. She didn't dare look, because she knew she'd freeze. She got the right key and jammed it in, twisting the knob and shoving the door open. She raced inside and then slammed the door, locking it behind herself.

A moment later there was a heavy pounding on it. “Hey! Tranny!”

They really needed to come up with better nicknames for her. They pounded for a few more moments, but soon she heard them trotting away. She could hear them talking and laughing to each other, probably congratulating themselves for spooking the freak. She was safe, she knew she was safe. She sat down and put a hoof over her chest, feeling her heart pounding so fast it might burst.

Once again she found herself thankful she'd come to this particular school. Due to the high amounts of magic that flowed through the student body, breaking into another student's room was grounds for immediate expulsion. There were just too many dangerous, sometimes deadly, experiments that went on. That and there were so many enchantments on the rooms that breaking in was nearly impossible. This was her sanctuary and they couldn't hurt her here.

She sat there, heart pounding as she took slow, steady breaths, calming herself down as best she could. Once her heart went down to a reasonable level, she turned and trotted to the mirror, looking in at herself.

A grin slowly spread against her lips. She was pretty. Beautiful, even. No matter what those ponies said about her, there was no denying it. She looked good. There was no way she was letting a near mistake ruin her amazing day. She turned in the mirror a few times and admired herself, as vain as it was.

------ 

As Drifting slept in her bed, a blanket wrapped tightly around herself and face cleared of make up, she failed to hear the gentle hoofsteps outside her door, or the sounds of the small, red envelope being pushed under it.
> Chapter 4: A little red letter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Drifting woke up bright and early, quickly jumping in front of the mirror before she began doing her morning routine. She grabbed a few of the products that she had been given, made a quick dash to the staff showers, cleaned up and then made a dash back. There were staff in the halls now, so all she got were a few mocking calls, she was fine with that.

Soon she sat in front of her mirror, ready to begin. She started by brushing her mane. It was a little shorter now, but it was properly cut and looked fabulous. She took a deep breath and her horn glowed. Slowly she moved the ribbon through it, before tying it at the top in that adorable little bow. Just like Rarity had showed her.

She sighed and put a hoof to her chin, thinking about that mare. So pretty and smart, she wondered if she could ever be like that. Maybe she could dye her mane purple and--

She shook her head. There was being a fan and then there was being a stalker. She preferred to not alienate one of the few ponies who seemed okay with her. She then began the slow process of getting into her dress before, finally looking into the mirror and pulling out all the little kits that Rarity had gotten her. Before long, she was done up just like she had been shown. She gave herself a seductive little wink and then giggled, a hoof coming up to her mouth.

She took one last, deep breath, grabbed her purse and made her way out of the room. She paused as she felt something underhoof. She blinked and picked up a small red letter, staring at it curiously before putting it in her purse. It could wait. She locked her door and trotted down the hall, heading out finally. She ignored the words they spewed at her as she made her way out of the school. They hurt, but she was used to them. Most of the insults were ones she'd heard a hundred times before, so she usually just ignored them.

Once she was out of the school and a few blocks away though, she felt better. She wore the princess dress and she felt amazing. Beautiful, even. Judging by a few of the looks she was getting, she looked good as well. Normally ponies just stared at her thoughtfully, as if they were trying to determine what was wrong. Today they were giving her passing glances and she couldn't help but notice a few were looking her up and down, or pretending not to. Without those looks of concentration or confusion, either.

She was sexy and she knew it. Or at least she believed it slightly over fifty percent. Like, fifty-one percent. She had a big smile on her face as she pushed open the doors to the Canterlot Boutique. It faded slightly when she saw Rarity was helping a customer already. However, almost instantly Sassy was at her side. “Oh, Miss Petal, a pleasure to see you today. Are you here for the other two dresses?”

“Ummm, yes,” she said, the nervousness beginning to creep over her once again. With the other, much prettier mare standing there, she felt her confidence begin to waver. She struggled to keep it standing, reinforcing it as best she could. “Do you know how long it'll be?”

“Not more than half an hour, I assure you,” Sassy said with a smile. “Rarity just has some matters to attend to.”

Drifting nodded. “Okay. The… ummm… princess isn't here, is she?”

“Oh, no. She went home after your visit last night. I'm not sure when she's due back.”

To the unicorn's surprise, she felt a little disappointment. The princess was terrifying, but it had been a little special having her attention for a while. She never thought she'd talk to a princess before, but the other day she'd actually been to the spa with her. She shook her head. “R-right. Thank you. I'll wait, thank you.” She gave a grin before trotting over to one of the chairs and sitting down, gently humming to herself. She was already feeling a little impatient, but she tried to shut those feelings down.

As amazing as Miss Rarity was, this was a place of business. She'd spent hours as the elder mare's focus yesterday, it would be greedy of her to do it again. Though she still wanted to. Instead she glanced into her purse, wishing she'd brought a hoofboy or something.

She sighed as her eyes fell on the red letter. She slowly scooped it up in her magic and glared at it. Red. The color of violence. It was probably another hate letter, or mild threat. She'd been fortunate not to receive any death threats yet, but she imagined it was more because the school wouldn't stand for such things. Instead, she usually received 'subtle' warnings of how things would go bad for her. She considered tossing it into the trash, but instead slowly peeled it open and emptied the contents.

 Dear Drifting,

Huh. Better than 'Dear freak'. She quickly scanned over the contents.

She then froze and read it a second time. Then a third and fourth time, her cheeks getting redder with each and every read. She kept reading it, getting closer with each go through.

“Dear? Is something the matter?” Rarity asked before touching her shoulder.

Drifting shrieked and leaped into the air, tossing the letter to the heavens. “What? NO! Nothing, nothing wrong, I'm fine, I'm good, how are you? I'm good! I'm good good goodie good!”

Rarity cocked an eye, catching the letter in her magic. “Voice, dear.”

“E-err, right, sorry,” Drifting said, going back to her feminine voice quickly. She then yelped as she realized Rarity was reading the note. “W-wait--”

“Oh my. A love letter, already? From a secret admirer, no less. How scandalous.”

Drifting didn't think her face could get any redder. She was wrong. “It's… it's just...”

“Oh, no need to be shy, darling. You are quite the fetching young lady. It just took the proper care to reveal it.”

“But… I mean, i-it's not… the pony has to know a-and I'm not even sure, I mean, it's just… i-it could be anypony.”

“Oh? So you have no intentions of going to meet them on this… midnight rendezvous?”

Drifting's face got even redder. She was sure the make up was boiling away. “I… I never… said that. Besides, it's not at midnight. It's at… nine… that's not so late.”

“Of course it isn't,” Rarity said with a smile. “Hmmm… have you been on a date before?”

The mare slowly shook her head.

“Such a shame. Well then, how about we make it extra special, no?”

“Extra… special?”

“Indeed. You still have two more dresses, no? I was planning to have you choose two… but...” A wide grin formed on her lips. “How about I make you something extra special for your night tonight? Something to… truly wow this mystery pony? And you hold onto your third for now. Hm?”

“I… I think you're brilliant, Miss Rarity.”

“Good. Now, come along. As this is your date, I think it best you give some feedback as we work. I think… white should be the color of the evening. After all, a young maiden's first date, is there anything more pure?”

Drifting squirmed and got to her hooves, following after the other mare. She couldn't deny she was excited. Very, very excited now. She could do this. She would do this.

Eeeeeee. Best weekend EVER!

------ 

Drifting glanced towards the small bag laying on the table besides her. She was all gussied up and ready for the evening. Her purse had everything she'd need in case there was any trouble, a brush, some make-up, a few bits. There was no need to head back to her room, and therefore no need to go near the Starswirl Wing. She knew it would have been easier to go there and wait, but she just couldn't risk them finding out or blockading her in her room, waiting for her to try to sneak out.

No, instead the library turned out to be a much safer location. It would be easy, the moment she returned, she went off to one of the quieter sections, pulled out a few books and studied, though she couldn't remember anything she read. She was just far too excited. There'd be a librarian here til almost midnight, so she didn't need to worry about leaving late or getting in trouble. She wore the princess dress, but it would only take her a moment to try on the other dress. She'd have to dip into the bathrooms for a few minutes to do it, and fix her appearance, but that would be fine.

She had a date. Sorta. She'd never had one and she couldn't wait. But she had to be patient or she might not even make it. Still, her eyes kept drifting to the bag that housed her dress. She wanted so, so desperately to put it on. Compared to it, the princess dress almost felt cheap. A dress made just for her, to celebrate her first date. She couldn't dare risk anything happening to it.

But she wanted to go nowwwwww! She looked back to her book and she tried, once again, to do the impossible. Study. Normally transformation spells would have been so fascinating to her(especially long term ones, such as this one that could last up to a whole day), but now all of the magical theory flowed in one eye and out the other.

Was her secret admirer a stallion? A mare? Maybe it was somepony like her? Well, she knew that wasn't the case. If there was somepony else like her, then they'd have been outed by now. Unless maybe they lived off campus or were really good at hiding it. Why did they choose now to act? Was it the dress? The make up? It was probably all of it.

Eeeeee! She rocked back and forth in her chair, looking to the clock. Ugh, only a minute and a half had passed since she last looked. Come oooooon.

------ 

Drifting raced through the halls, as fast as she dared. It was almost time. Well, okay, she was still really, really early. But it was close enough she didn't have to feel too self conscious about it. She made her way straight to the teacher's rest rooms and quickly unlocked the door, before stepping inside. She let out a sigh of relief as she moved to the mirror. She looked at herself, adjusted her make up, fixed her mane, then slowly began to take off her dress, folding it as neatly as she could before, with great trepidation, drawing out the beautiful white gown.

It was, by far, the most pure and beautiful thing she owned. Whiter even than her coat, it flowed down around her back, just above her hooves. The front went over her chest into a small, silver petal that dangled around her throat, where the fabric went up to loop around her neck. It left her back bare, letting her mane and ribbon shine brightly through. It shimmered as well, every few streaks of thread seeming to have been made of silver, making it glimmer with each step. It also had four little silver horseshoes, shaped like vines that flowed up her legs. To most ponies, it probably wouldn't have seemed like much. But to her, it was the most beautiful thing in the world. It was hers, and hers alone. She doubted anypony would ever have such a gown like it, even if it was a bit simple. She could barely contain herself as she got dressed, did one last look at herself, then grabbed her bag and quickly made her way to the school field. It was empty tonight, so she knew the two of them would be alone. She wondered if the pony was shy?

A new thought occurred to her as she stopped by the bleachers. What if the pony was embarrassed by her? That's why they wanted to meet her alone? She looked down at her hooves. “Of… course they are. I'm embarrassed by me. Who wouldn't be?” She sat on the bleachers and sighed. “W-well, who cares? It's not like… anypony else is looking at me. So what if they're a little embarrassed by me? They… they are interested. That's all that matters. That's… all I could ever hope for, anyway...”

It still didn't make it hurt any less.

She heard hoofsteps and looked up, a wide grin on her face.

It evaporated quickly when she saw the three stallions walking towards her. “Well, hey, tranny. What brings you out here?”

Drifting instantly started looking around for a way out. There were three of them and they had her surrounded. Going through the seats wasn't possible, at least not fast enough. She stared back at them, trying to look as confident as she could, though her heart hammered in her chest. “You… you sent the letter?” she asked softly, her mouth dry with fear.

“What letter?” the one in front of her asked as he stopped, only a few feet from her. She couldn't move, she was too scared. “Why you dressed up like you're getting married, freak? You hoping to trick some stallion into the altar?” His friends laughed at the joke, but all she could do was frantically move her eyes, looking for some possible way to escape.

She was trapped.
> Chapter 5: Fighting back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Drifting looked between them, holding her breath. “So, what's with the dress?” one of them asked.

“I… I bought it...” she said weakly. She supposed that was sorta true. She hugged the bag holding her other dress to her chest, looking at them helplessly as they came closer. “I-I should go.” She wanted to stand, but her legs didn't let her.

“What's the rush? You came all the way down here, why not enjoy the night? So, tell me, tranny, did you cut your dick off? Rumors say you did.” The others were sent into a laughing fit for that one.

“N-no,” she said weakly, the tears welling into her eyes. She prayed to the heavens that they'd stop there. Insults, name calling, she could handle that. If that was all they did, she'd be fine.

“Then why do you keep playing pretend?”

“I… I'm not pretending. I am a mare, I'm—” The first blow hit her in the side of the head, knocking her off the seat and sending her to the ground. The second blow hit her in the chest. She whimpered, collapsing into the fetal position as the blows rained down on her. One swift strike between her legs made her cry out, knocking the wind from her. They were saying things, though she could barely hear them. Telling her to apologize. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” she pleaded, trembling. There were three of them and they were all bigger than her, she held no thoughts of winning this fight. Instead she covered her face with her hooves and tried to protect her lower regions, hoping they'd tire out or get bored before they really hurt her.

She'd been so, so stupid. She was smarter than this. Sneaking out after hours, when there wasn't any staff around. She knew better. She wasn't safe. She deserved this. She--

She heard a tear. "Where'd you get such a fancy dress?" Another tear. Through her hooves she could see one of them had grabbed the edge and started tearing it off. The other had picked up the bag holding the princess dress and let out a low whistle as they pulled it out.

"N-no, stop, stop!" she shrieked and tried to get up, but another blow knocked her right back to the ground.

"You think you're a real mare, prancing around in this?" Another tear.

They were ruining her dresses. The special dresses that miss Rarity had made for her. "Stop!" she screamed, reaching out with her hooves and grabbing the hoof. All she got was another blow to the side of the head, that sent her ears ringing as she fell back to the ground. She laid there, dazed, as the pony tore at it. She felt anger and rage building up in her. How could they? WHY?! I-it wasn't fair. They were bigger than her. Stronger than her. They were...

Not for long. She glared up at them, her horn beginning to glow.

They were bigger. But they wouldn't be for long. Tears clouded her eyes as her horn flashed a brilliant red.

------ 

Drifting rocked back and forth, clutching the princess dress to her chest as she kept her eyes lowered to the ground. She was covered in bruises and her right eye was slightly swollen.

Principal Learning just stared across his desk at her, shaking his head. “You know what you did.”

“I'm sorry,” she said softly, not looking up at him.

“You know casting magic like that on other students is forbidden. You could have done some real, serious damage.”

“I'm sorry,” she repeated, rocking back and forth.

“Where did you even learn how to turn a pony into a rabbit? Let alone three of them?”

“I'm sorry,” she said once again.

“Are you even listening to me?”

“Y-yes.”

“Good. Now, normally in this kind of situation you'd be expelled. However...”

“E-expelled?” she squeaked, looking up. “B-but they… they attacked me. I-I was just… I-I was defending myself, I-I was--” He lifted a hoof and she fell silent.

“I said normally. Fortunately, for you, the teacher arrived before you could do any lasting damage. Bad enough you turned them into bunnies, but then punting one of them?”

She knew she shouldn't smile at that, no matter how badly she wanted to. She was in trouble and egging the principal on would not end well for her.

“And the student who fetched the teacher collaborated your story about the three ambushing you.”

“W-wait, there was another student?”

“Yes, she wishes to remain anonymous, though,” he said as he flipped through the papers on his desk. “However, that magic is forbidden to be used in such a way. While the circumstances are… poor, something has to be done. As such, you're being suspended for two weeks. Your parents will be here in the morning to pick you up, they've already been notified.”

Drifting wilted. “T-they're on the way here? Two weeks? T-they're already coming?” she asked, fresh horror going through her. It was late, if they were already coming, that was bad.

“Yes. I talked to your mother personally.” He sighed. “Snowy, you--”

“M-my name's not Snowy,” she said instinctively, before cringing at the glare she got. “S-sorry, sir.”

“Scowy, I can't forbid you from… indulging in your… fetish. But I would strongly suggest that you give up on this little… act of yours. You're doing nothing but causing trouble.”

She nodded slowly. “I'll think about it.” It wasn't a fetish, it wasn't an act and she'd be bucked if she'd let some bullies make her stop. But she'd definitely be bucked if she kept talking back to him. “Can… I go pack?”

“Yes, you may. Do try not to get in any more fights.”

Drifting nodded and got to her hooves, throwing the princess dress over her back and trotting out of the room. She took a slow, deep breath. Once again the halls were filled with ponies and staff, though she wasn't surprised. Practically half the school had been woken up by her little stunt. Within a week everypony would know what she did.

On the up side, she got to her room without being harassed. In fact, some ponies even looked scared of her. That was safer, at least. She moved in front of the mirror and sat down, looking at herself.

She looked horrible, little bruises peeking through her white coat. When her mom got here, she'd be furious. There was only one thing to do. She slowly got out her hoofkerchief and began cleaning up her face and undressing.

The entire time all she could do was mentally kick herself for her stupidity. She knew better. She KNEW not to go out alone like that, where there weren't any teachers. She'd learned that in elementary. Yet here she went, practically serving herself up on a silver platter to them. Why was she so stupid? By the time she was cleaned up and naked, the tears flowed down her face in a steady stream.

Her dresses were torn. Her mother was coming and was going to be furious. Her only option was to play on her pity, making her see how badly she'd gotten beaten up. She rested her head against the mirror.

They were already against all this. What if they tried to take ALL of it away now?

------ 

Drifting rocked back and forth on her bed, chewing on her lower lip as she waited in her room, occasionally looking at her bags. She was leaving most of her stuff here, since she really didn't care about it. But all of her dresses and make up were coming home with her. If they decided to do any cleaning while she was gone, she'd be bucked if they thought she'd let them throw those out.

But she'd woken up hours ago, double checked everything was packed a few dozen times and now had no idea what to do. The anxiety was getting to her and there was nothing she could do. If she kept pacing, she was bound to eventually drill a hole in the ground.

Then there was a knock on the door. She froze. “Who… who is it?”

“Hey lil sis, guess who?”

Drifting's heart almost exploded. She raced to the door, pulled it open and stared at the pony on the other side. A white unicorn with a yellow mane. She got hugged so tight. “Sunny!”

The pony chuckled and patted her on the back. “Hey. Hear you got in a bit of trouble?”

“Y-yeah. Is… mom with you?”

“Nope,” the mare said with a shake of her head. “Me and her had a long talk. Convinced her she had to work in the morning anyway, so it was best she let me do it. Told her I had the day off.”

“Did you?”

“No. But you know I've always got time for my lil sis,” the mare said before patting her on the head. “I just called my supervisor and let her know there was a family emergency. So uhhh...” She looked the younger mare up and down. “Is this one of those 'I should have seen the other guy' things?”

“There were three of them...” Drifting said softly, lowering her eyes.

“Right. How are you holding up?”

“How… mad is mom?”

“Furious. Don't worry, I'll be there for you. We've got a few hours until the train leaves back to Fillydelphia, wanna catch a bite?”

“Kinda...”

“Okay.” She then glanced towards the mirror. “Wanna get dressed, first?”

“Yes!”

“I'll wait outside, enjoy.”

Drifting nodded and quickly got to work. Well, it looked like it wouldn't be so bad after all. If her sister was here, that bought her time. At least she wouldn't have to face their mother alone. Sunny was the only one in her family really supportive of her decision, though she still didn't completely understand it and sometimes slipped up, calling her Snowy or lil bro. But she tried, which was more than she could say for most ponies.

She quickly went through her dresses, staring at the tears in the princess and date dress. She finally chose the red one she'd worn the first time she met Rarity. It was the only one that fit her right now. She smiled happily as she put her make up on and put the ribbon in her hair, before looking in the mirror.

Her anxiety and fear began to melt away as she stared at herself. A few of the bruises were still visible, but the make up and dress hid most of them. She felt right, now, dressed like this. Like herself. She gave a soft, content sigh before trotting to the door and pulling it open. “Hey. How do I look?”

Sunny turned back and froze, her eyes widening. “Oh. Wow. You look… wow. When did you learn to do that?”

“It's… a long story.” She grabbed her bags in her magic, pulling them onto her back. “You're never going to guess who I met and spent the other day hanging out with.”

“Who?”

“The new princess,” she said before she started walking down the hall.

“No way! You've got to tell me everything.”

------ 

“That's horrible,” Sunny said softly as she chewed on one of her fries. “So the note was just a set up?”

“Yeah,” Drifting muttered. “I have to admit, I didn't even think of that. I should have, though. It's so obvious, I--”

“Oh, don't even start that. You're a pretty mare, Drifting,” Sunny said with a grin. “You look great, you're bound to have stallions, or mares, pounding on your door before long.”

“Yeah, so they can drag me out of it and pound me into the dirt.”

Sunny sighed, before grinning. “So, turned them all into bunnies?”

“Yeah. It was pretty awesome. Even managed to punt one of them.” She cringed. “Was that… too… stalliony?”

“Nah, I'd have done the same thing.”

“How's mom? I mean, has she… changed… much?”

Sunny sighed and shook her head. “Not… really. I don't think she likes any of this. She's putting up with it, but I think she's looking for another one of those camps. I've been trying to talk her out of it, but… well… you know mom.”

Drifting nodded. “Yeah. How's… work?”

“Oh, you know. Work is work. I got a new place, actually. Me and my colt friend moved in together. I think you'll like him.”

“He's… not like the last one, is he?”

“Nope! Doesn't drink or anything.”

Drifting nodded, though she kept her eyes down. She adored her sister, but she always chose the worst ponies to date. “So, is he going to be the one?”

“Maybe, he's amazing. Kind, charming, sweet. Honest, too.”

It didn't help that she always seemed to fall head over hooves fast, then fall out of love just as quickly. “How long you two been dating?”

“Two months, why?”

“Just curious. What happened to uhhh… Sorewing?”

“Soaringwing. She just… wasn't my type. I think she just wanted someone to help raise her kids. It was a massive pain in the flank, every time they'd get out of control she'd just let it slide or cave to their demands, then I'd have to step in. I swear the only reason she wanted to date me was so I could help pay for things and could be the bad guy.”

Drifting nodded and took another nibble of her fry, listening to her sister rant, a grin on her lips. Once she stopped for breath, Drifting cut in. “How long will you be around?”

“I… won't be the full two weeks. I'm sorry, I just can't miss that many days of work. But I'll come by after work for a bit each day, I swear. And we can spend some time during the weekend. We can swing by my place on the way too, okay? So you can prepare?”

“Thank you,” Drifting mumbled. “Three more years. Just three more years and I'm out.”

“It'll be okay, Drifting. Mom'll come around. Dad… well, dad's dad. He'll at least pretend he doesn't care.”

“Maybe...” Drifting mumbled.

“Come on, don't be like that. You met a princess, remember? That's pretty awesome. And it sounds like she owes you big. Or at least, feels she does. And those new dresses of yours look amazing. A Rarity original isn't cheap. If I liked dresses, I'd be jealous.”

“Y-yeah. I've… I've got to take them back to the boutique and get them fixed.”

“Do you wanna stop there now?”

“N-no. I… I wanna wait. She just finished them yesterday. I don't want her thinking I didn't love them. When… I come back, I'll do it.”

“Okay, if you're sure.”

Drifting took a slow, deep breath before smiling. “So… ummm… do I pass?”

Sunny sighed. “Drifting, you don't need to worry so much about that.”

“I… I know I shouldn't… I just...”

“Yes, you do. But you need to stop worrying what other ponies think.”

“I know, it's just… hard.”

“You look fine. Don't care if other ponies care. Just relax.”

“Okay,” Drifting muttered as he looked over at his sister. She wasn't wearing anything. But then, she didn't have to in order to feel feminine. She wasn't like… her. Her femininity was natural. Even when she acted masculine, ponies didn't automatically assume she was a guy.

“Sis? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Just… thinking. Sorry...”

“Come on, we'd best go get to the station. Don't worry, sis. I'll be with you the whole time. We'll deal with mom together.”

Drifting smiled and gave a nod. At least she wouldn't have to be alone for this.

------ 

“Can I just hide here for the two weeks?” Drifting asked the moment they stepped into the small two bedroom apartment of Sunny's. The trip had been slow, but uneventful. She'd been able to wear her dress and stay all prettied up, but she had been dreading this part. Now she had to take it all off. She looked at herself in the mirror, only a few hairs out of place.

“I wish, but you know mom wouldn't let that happen,” Sunny said with a shake of her head. “Come on, it'll be fine. I'll be with you the whole time.”

“Do… you think I can go… like this?” She cocked her head to the side and smiled at her reflection. “Do you think mom'll...”

“Yes,” Sunny said firmly.

“R-really?”

“Of course,” the elder mare said before walking up to her and patting her back. “This is who you are, Drifting. Mom has to learn to accept it. To accept you. Besides, you'll always be her little baby no matter what.” She gave her a hug. “So… if you want to do that, I'll be there the whole time.”

Drifting looked in the mirror. She felt a little confidence surge inside her. She looked like a mare, a real mare, now. This would be it. This would work. She gave a slow nod. “Lets. Please. I… have to do this eventually, right? Now's as… good a time as any.”

------ 

“Snowy, wipe that gunk off your face this instant and get out of those ridiculous clothes,” her mother said the moment she opened the door. The unicorn shared the family's white coat, though her mane was a soft green.

“Mom, I--” Drifting said quickly, but lowered her eyes as the other mare just glared.

“Bathroom. Now,” she said, pointing a hoof down the hall.

Drifting sighed and stepped inside, keeping her head lowered.

“Why are you encouraging this behavior? Is this why you wanted to go pick him up?” his mother asked his sister.

“So you wouldn't flip out on her the moment you saw her? Yeah, it was. A shame it didn't stop you.”

“Him,” she said coldly.

“Did that look like a him to you?”

“A stallion in drag does not make a mare,” she said back, her voice rising.

Drifting made her way to the bathroom, quickly peeling off the dress and folding it up before putting it in the bag. She could hear the two fighting down the hall, again. She'd have felt bad about causing a fight, but those two always fought about something. At least this time it was about something she felt important. She pulled the ribbon out of her hair and let her mane flow freely, before wiping the make up off and looking in the mirror.

Just like that, she was Snowy again. The awkward little stallion who nopony really liked. Stupid, neurotic, annoying. Not good with other ponies at all. A stallion nopony wanted, not even him. He rested his head against the mirror and tried not to cry, even though he wanted to.

After all, stallions didn't cry.

------ 

Snowy nudged the lasagna around on his plate, the pre-cooked glob not looking appetizing at all. He couldn't imagine why somepony would put that nasty white cheese on it anyway.

“Snowy, honey? You should eat,” his mother said.

“Not really hungry. Can I be excused? I just… want to sleep.”

“If you think you're going to spend your suspension just sleeping around the house, you've got another thing coming,” she snapped. “You're in big trouble, young man.”

“For what, defending herself?” Sunny asked with annoyance. “They picked a fight, they got what they deserved.”

“If he wouldn't dress in such a way, then there wouldn't have been any fight at all.”

“It's not his fault he's like this!”

“Well it's certainly not mine! Snowy, you're a smart kid, if you'd just stop acting so stupid and dressing up, you could have a bright future ahead of you.”

“There you go again, calling us stupid,” Sunny said with a glare.

“I'm not calling him stupid, I'm saying he's acting stupid, and he is. He needs to give up on this little perversion of his, it's not natural.”

“It's who he is, if you'd just try to understand it--”

“There's nothing to understand. Stallions are stallions and mares are mares! Putting on a bit of make up won't change anything!”

Snowy sighed as the screaming match started. He wished he could say something, but nothing he said ever made any difference. All it did was get him in more and more trouble. He nudged the food around and glanced to his dad.

The other stallion barely seemed to be paying attention, just eating his meal. It was the closest thing Snowy got to support from his parents. If his dad minded, he didn't make any real mention of it. Granted, since he'd come out, they'd barely said two words to each other. Then again, before he'd come out they had hardly talked either.

“I swear, your mother,” Sunny said, glancing to Snowy.

“I'm not claiming her,” Snowy said instinctively, before glancing across the table at the angry mare.

“Snowy, you need to stop acting out.” She put a hoof to her head. “Maybe this was a mistake, sending you to that school. It was better when you were here, being our boy. Maybe--”

Alarms went off in Snowy's head. “B-but my grades are up! They're good! Y-you promised if I kept them up, I could do what I want!”

“Yes, but you never got suspended when you were living here. Before all of… this.”

“She was also failing half her classes,” Sunny snapped. “She's in Celestia's school! You couldn't ask for a better place for her to be, so what if she's a mare now? You should be happy she's doing so well.”

“But she's not doing well, she's suspended!”

“Because a few other ponies couldn't keep their hooves to themselves.”

Snowy lowered his eyes as, once again, the shouting match began. He wished he could have been anywhere else. Maybe he was lucky and this was all just a nightmare and those stallions had put him in a coma. That bought a bitter smile to his face. His mom probably wouldn't yell at a coma patient.

------ 

Snowy laid in bed, staring at the roof. His room was just the way he'd left it, cluttered. So much junk he didn't even care about. Books, games, a bed. The only thing added were a ton of pictures his mom had put throughout the room. Pictures of a younger him, with his stupid blue mane. He hated blue hair, it was why he dyed his red. Blue was a stupid color for a mare, it made him look like a stallion.

He curled up into a little ball, pulling the blanket closer to himself. He slowly looked across the room at his bags. His horn glowed and he slowly drew out the princess dress, gliding it over to himself and hugging it tightly to his chest.

He was a mare. He was was he was he was he was he was…
> Chapter 6: What will you give up?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Snowy stared at the ground, his eyes focused on the little specks of dirt there. His mother was sitting in the chair next to him, the two waiting patiently for him to be called back.

Well, his mother was waiting patiently. Snowy had a big orb of anxiety in the pit of his stomach. He'd been dreading and hoping this wouldn't come to pass, but once again it did. How they'd gotten an appointment so quickly, he'd never know. But here he was.

Therapy. With Dr. Toughlove.

The door opened. “Snowy Skies? The doctor will see you now.”

He groaned and momentarily considered fleeing the scene. It was no use, though. He knew that. He hung his head and made his way back to the room, each step feeling as if he was walking closer to the gallows.

It wasn't that he hated therapy, in fact he'd had quite a few delightful therapists over the years. Some of which, without, he would have probably given up on being happy. The problem was, the moment they started to support Snowy's behavior, a new one was found. Toughlove had been suggested by a friend of his mom. He didn't know which one, but he despised her and he despised Toughlove.

The mare was sitting behind her desk in a small, cramped room. Snowy sat down in the chair opposite her. It had a weird, plastic coating that always stuck to his coat and made him fidget with discomfort, especially when it got too hot and he had to move around to try to avoid the heat pocket.

Toughlove hummed a little as she looked down, her off gray coat mixing with the same colored walls, her black mane tied into a tight bun. “So, Snowy. It has been a few months since our last session.”

“Yes,” the stallion said softly.

“Your mother has kept in contact with me, however. Informed me of their... decision to humor your mental disorder.”

He merely nodded.

“I always told you that you were a smart child, all you needed to do was apply yourself. Your grades are proof of that.”

He kept nodding, he knew what was coming.

“You just need to stop holding yourself back with your little fetish.”

“It's not a... fetish. I am a mare,” he said softly.

“Snowy, you're not a mare. I'm a mare. Your mother is a mare. Your sister is a mare. You are a very confused stallion who requires medical aid. Your case is not the first of its kind, and it's not the last. You just need to stop fighting us and let us help you.”

“I... I am a mare,” he said softly.

“Really?” Toughlove said with a cocked eye before pulling out a small letter. “Suspended from school for fighting? That doesn't sound like a very mare-like quality.”

“I... I was defending myself.”

“A mare wouldn't have fought, she would have used her words to escape the situation, or fled. She wouldn't have tried to fight them. That is what stallions do.”

He kept his eyes lowered, but didn't speak up.

“Snowy, you could have a bright future ahead of yourself, but you need to abandon this pretext. All you're doing is hurting yourself with your delusions. You are a stallion. That is basic anatomy. No pony can look at you and possibly think you're a mare, no matter how much you try to trick them.”

He closed his eyes. “I... I am. I've gotten better, I-I've learned how to put my make up on and... and my voice is getting better, and I--”

“And how many fights have you been in? Think back to your school, are you really happy there, flaunting around this sickness?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes. I am. I'm more myself than I've ever been.”

“Snowy. You need to stop fighting this. I'm on your side, truly. I don't want to hurt you, but this is what you need to hear. You are not a mare. You will never be a mare. You are a stallion. A confused one, but a stallion. If you tried, you could be a cute one and if you really wanted to, perhaps find a nice mare friend.” She paused for a moment. “If your desires to be a mare are just because of that, I assure you as a stallion you have a far higher chance.”

“I don't want a mare friend! I want to be a... I am a mare,” he said, looking away from her.

Toughlove sighed and put a hoof to her head. “Snowy. Please. We want to help. All you're doing is hurting yourself and your family. Is this really what you want to do?”

“I'm just being me...”

“You're embracing a mental disease and forcing it on everypony around you.”

“A-all I want is to be treated like a mare...”

“You're not a mare and you cannot be treated like one. If anything, it would be too dangerous. You've already shown a tendency towards violence, do you really think other ponies would want you near mares for that?”

He slowly shook his head.

“Exactly. And think about your future. In a few years you'll be out of school, what then?”

“I'll find a new job and a new home.”

“Really? How? No pony is going to want a stallion who can't act responsible in the work environment. For ponies like you, there isn't a good future. Or do you plan on having your parents carry you through life?”

He shook his head. “I'll deal with that when it comes.”

“Snowy, look at yourself. You're miserable, aren't you? This is no way to live your life. You need to let go of these fantasies.”

He didn't answer.

“You're in a very prestigious school now. If you cut your mane, stopped wearing those silly outfits and presented yourself appropriately, you could have a real future ahead of yourself. You could be somepony. If you'd just decide to stop being this way and--”

“It's not a decision!” he shrieked. “I am a mare! I am! Why can't you just... why can't you just see?”

Toughlove sighed and shook her head. “No, Snowy, you're not. I wouldn't tell a pony who was blind they could see, I wouldn't tell a pony with severe schizophrenia that they don't need help and I won't lie to you and indulge your mental illness. You need help and the sooner you stop fighting it, the sooner we can work on curing you. Now, are you willing to let me help you?”

He looked away, closing his eyes. “I hate you.”

“Yes, we often hate the ones who try to help us, but that doesn't mean we'll let you suffer for it.”

He didn't answer, keeping his eyes off her.

“Now, Snowy. Tell me about your school.”

He didn't answer as she sat there, lightly tapping her hoof.

“Snowy?”

He just sat there.

The mare sighed. “Are you going to just give me the silent treatment?”

He nodded.

“It's worse than I thought. Snowy, you're dismissed. You can go wait in the lobby.”

The stallion blinked and couldn't believe his good fortune. He galloped away, slamming the door closed behind himself as he ran. He was out, he was free. “I'm done!” he told his mother as he stepped out of the room.

“Already?” she asked, staring at him. “That was fast.”

“Miss Skies?” a voice said suddenly, making him jump. He looked back to one of the nurses. “Dr. Toughlove would like to speak with you a moment.”

Snowy blinked, watching her go. A slow feeling of dread spread through his stomach. He moved to the seats, sitting down and watching the room. His mother came out after about ten minutes. “What did you two talk about?”

“Nothing, it's... nothing, honey,” his mother said softly. “Just... let's go home.” Her eyes were lowered and she looked confused.

“Mom?”

She shook her head. “Don't worry about it, Snowy. It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay.”

“Mommy?” he asked softly, the dread forming a knot. She didn't answer this time as he trotted behind her.

Something was wrong. He felt it all the way down to his hooves.

------ 

The rest of the day went quietly, without many problems for once. Yet Snowy wished there had been. Sunny came by for dinner and for once there weren't many fights. Their mother seemed to barely be paying attention at all, nudging at her plate in much the same way Snowy liked to. He hoped that Toughlove told her there was no cure, that just letting him be who he was would be enough. To just let him be happy.

He found that doubtful. No matter how he poked or pried, she refused to tell him anything, even his sister couldn't get a rise out of her. His stomach felt more and more twisted with each moment. When it was finally time to go to bed, he tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable as he laid there, staring at the darkness.

Then he heard the creak of his door opening. He froze and looked over. His mother slowly stepped into his room. “Mom?” he asked softly.

“Snowy?” she said, sounding alarmed. “You're awake?”

“Can't sleep. What's wrong? What are you doing?”

The mare blinked, before trotting over and sitting by him. “Honey... you know your father and I love you, right? I know your father doesn't always show it, but you're our baby boy.”

“Uh huh,” he said nervously.

“We just want you to be happy and healthy.”

“I am when you let me be me...”

“Snowy...”

“I'm Drifting.”

“Snowy, this isn't normal. Normal ponies aren't like this. You can't keep doing these things, you're just ruining your future and hurting yourself. Nopony wants that.”

He sighed and lowered his eyes. “It's... my life, why can't I decide what I do?”

“I'm your mother, it's my job to look out for you.”

“Mmm hmm...” he grumbled softly.

She sighed, before reaching out to hug him. “Honey, I love you. I'll always love you, you're my little baby boy. But... I just want you to be happy and safe. That's all.”

“I know, mom,” he said softly, slowly hugging her back. “I... love you too. Even if I don't always show it.”

She hugged him for a few more moments, before slowly pulling back. “I talked with Toughlove. She won't have any more appointments available before you go back.”

“You're letting me go back?”

“Of course.” She stopped for a moment. “You'll do fine there, honey.”

He sighed and laid back, closing his eyes as he heard the door close. At least she wasn't going to go back on their deal, that was a load off his mind. He pulled the blanket over himself, nestling into bed.

Even better, he wouldn't have to see Toughlove again until next time he came back home.

------ 

Snowy blinked blearily as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked around in confusion, staring around the dark room. What in the world? Why had he woken up?

He heard a low metallic thump and frowned, glancing towards the door. What in the world were his parents do--

His groggy mind finally caught something important. He had been sleeping with the princess dress besides him. It wasn't there now. His horn glowed and he scanned wildly around the room.

All of his dresses were gone. His make up, too. All of his bags. He tossed off the covers and raced through the house, his heart pounding.

His mom was in the living room, stoking some logs in the fire place. The fire was only starting and she didn't seem to hear him over the nudging of the flames.

The dresses were in their bag besides her. Snowy couldn't see the make up. “What are you doing?!” he asked, staring at the dresses.

His mother froze, turning around and staring at him. She then sighed, her horn glowing as she picked up the bag. “Snowy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but this has to be done. Toughlove talked with me, and she's right. Letting you do this was a bad idea. It's... just made your condition worse. I want my baby boy back, honey. And... this is the only way to do it.”

“M-mom,” he said softly, staring at them. He was too frightened to move as his mother held them besides the fire. Could he even save any of them in time if she tossed them in? “Please. D-don't do this.”

“I'm sorry. I know you'll hate me for a little bit, but it has to be done.” She moved them closer. “Just go back to your room and sleep. It's over, honey, no more of... this.”

He watched helplessly as they got closer to the fire, until the words burst out. “I'll never stop hating you!” Snowy screamed. He was terrified, but he felt a brand new emotion break through his wall of apathy. Anger. The words stunned his mother, making her freeze in place. “If... if you... if you do t-this to me, I-I'll never stop hating you. I swear. I'll... I'll run away, o-or escape, or... y-you'll never see me again. I'll never be a part of your life again.” For the first time since she'd taken off her make up and dresses, she felt tears welling up in her eyes. “I swear. If you... if you do this to me, you'll never be anything to me again. I won't be your... anything.”

“Snowy, you don't--”

“IT'S DRIFTING!” she screamed, stomping her hoof down. “And if you can't accept that, then I... then I don't need you as my mother! I'll do this all alone if I have to! I'LL DO IT ALL ALONE! I'M A MARE AND I DON'T NEED YOU IF YOU DON'T WANT ME!” The tears flowed down her face as the words tore their way out of her throat. Each one felt like a barbed wire through her heart, but she believed them. She didn't want to lose her mother, but if she had to, she'd give her up. So long as she could be herself.

Slowly, gently the bag began to lower. “Snowy... You don't...”

Her grip on the bag faltered and Drifting's horn lit up, yanking the bag from her and pulling it to the younger mare. She pulled it close, holding it close and sobbing.

His mother slowly moved over to her side, reaching out to touch her shoulder. “Snowy, I don't--”

“DON'T TOUCH ME!” Drifting screamed, before tearing away and racing down the hall, slamming the door shut behind herself. She collapsed on the ground, her body against the door, and began to sob, hugging her dresses to her chest. They were her dresses. They were hers.

And she was Drifting, no matter what anypony said.

------ 

Drifting awoke with a groan, her back aching. She slowly leaned forward, pulling away from the door. She then looked down at her dresses, safe and sound in her hooves. Slowly she put them aside and opened her door, just a crack.

Outside of the door, her make up and other necessities were sitting, waiting to be picked up. She opened the door a little more, her horn glowing as she brought them in. They weren't in a bag anymore, but she didn't care. She slowly went through each and every one, making sure they were all present.

They were. She let out a sigh of relief and slowly got to her hooves, grabbing her supplies and making her way across the hall to the bathroom, opening the door and stepping inside. She took a look at herself in the mirror before steeling herself. She'd already stepped over the line, there was no turning back. She locked the door and slipped into the shower.

When the door opened again, Drifting stood in it, in her special red gemmed dress. Her ribbon was returned and her make up was on. She made her way down the hall towards the living room.

The log in the fireplace still smoked, but the fire was long gone. Her mother was sitting on the couch, though she looked up the moment Drifting entered the room. “Snowy...”

She didn't stop, she turned and made her way towards the door.

“Drifting!”

That gave the mare pause. It was the first time she'd ever been called by her name.

“Please, come back. I'm... sorry. I really, truly am. I'm sorry and I swear I won't do it again. I won't... destroy your things. If you want to... be this, it's okay.”

Slowly Drifting backed up and made her way towards the couch. “Mom?”

“All I want, all I ever wanted is for you and your sister to be happy. That's all.” She patted the seat by her. “You're my little baby boy. You're just so... smart and could have such a great future ahead of yourself. I don't want you to throw it away over... this.”

“This is who I am,” Drifting said softly as she sat down by her. “And... I have to be me. Even if it's without you.” She let out a yipe as her mother leaned forward and hugged her. Slowly, she reached up and hugged her back.

“All... I want is for you to be happy. Even if... I don't understand, I don't agree, I'll always be your mother. If this is who you have to be to be happy, then I won't stop it.”

“Really?”

“Really. Just... promise me you'll be careful? You'll be safe? And... try to be happy?”

“I... I am, mommy,” she said softly, before hugging her back, tightly before breaking down into sobs against her chest. She didn't even care that it made her make up run.

No matter how much she hated it, she'd been ready to lose her parents.

She was just thankful her mother wasn't ready to lose her child.
> Chapter 7: New changes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Drifting nibbled her eggs, her eyes lowered as she sat across from her mother. They'd both had a good, long cry and she now felt so drained she didn't want to do anything. Her mother's words still echoed in her head and she hoped her mom would keep them.

Her mom had made up some breakfast, though Drifting could only eat it slowly as she waited for the hammer to fall.

“So...” her mother said.

Drifting froze, her breath stopping as she waited for what she'd say.

“I'd... like you to keep going to therapy, once you get back to Canterlot.”

“Not with anypony Toughlove recommends.”

The elder mare nodded. “That's... perfectly understandable. I will see about finding--”

“I want... I want to choose who does it.”

“You? But you need help, and--” The glare Drifting gave made the mare go silent. She finally sighed. “Fine. I... suppose but... dear, are you sure it's not just because you're single? I can understand the desire to have a mare in your life, but there's no need for you to be that mare. You're a cute, wonderful little stallion and--”

“Mom, I'm a mare!” she screamed, glowering at her. “I thought you said you would... support this?”

“Fine, fine,” she mumbled. After a few minutes she glanced up. “Are you sure you're not gay? Because plenty of stallions are into that these days, you don't need to be a mare to--”

“Mom. This has nothing to do with who I... feel attracted to,” she said, her face bright red. “B-besides, I might... ugh.” She double face hoofed. “I just... mom, I just want to be me. This is who I am.”

“Fine, fine, no more questions about it. You're a mare, okay?” she said with a small smile. “Honey? How... ummm, has school been?”

“Good,” she said softly. “My grades are doing well. Really. I've made a few... well, I haven't made any friends, honestly. But I'm happy. I...” She then blinked. “I... met one of the princesses the other day. Princess Twilight.”

There was a clatter as her mother dropped her fork. “You... met the princess? As tha-- err... as... you?”

“As Drifting? Yes. And she was very accepting. I-in fact, she knew a lot about the subject a-and said it was completely natural. She even bought me some dresses. A few. I mean, since her friend owns the Canterlot Boutique, she got me some dresses from there.” She felt a little guilty lying, but she was sure the princess probably knew a little about it by now. After all, she'd tried to make it up after what happened. She doubted the mare knew much by now, though. It'd only been a few weeks.

“I... I see,” her mother said, her eyes wide as she seemed to be struggling to process this information. “So... the princess? Knows?”

“Yes, she knows. And she's okay with it. I ummm... I think she's really awesome. And she has the coolest friends.” Her eyes lit up. “Miss Rarity is just the prettiest pony in the world and she's so cool and awesome. Every word and movement is like silk, she's so refined and smart and lady like and oh my gosh I want her voice soooo bad and she gave me a hair cut and just look at how good she did and she taught me how to put my make up on and fixed my dress so it fit and--”

“She taught you how to put your make up on?”

Drifting sighed. Leave it to her mom to miss everything else. “Yes, she did.”

The elder mare nudged her plate a bit. “It looks... nice. You... did a good job. What, errr, brand?”

“Crystal coat,” Drifting said softly. “I'll need to save up my bits for a while to buy more, but I think I can do it right, now. I don't have to practice any more and I can make myself look so pretty and I actually had ponies staring at me and not in the 'wait, is that a colt' way but in the 'ohhhh, she's hot' way! I was actually being checked out and I got a love letter and...” She paused, frowning softly. The love letter had all been a set up, she couldn't believe she'd fallen for such a thing. “And I'm... really happier than I've ever been, mom. I just wish you could... accept that.”

The other mare took a deep breath, before smiling. “Of... course I can. If this makes you happy, if this is really what you want, I'm fine with it. But you know it won't be easy. Other ponies won't--”

“I know there are ponies who won't accept it, but buck them!” Drifting said, before looking up at her. “I don't need any of them. I don't... need anypony, if that's what it takes for me to be able to be me.”

The elder mare got up and quickly walked around the table, giving her another hug. “Dear, my little Sno... my little Drifting. If... this is what you want, if this is what makes you happy, fine. I'll support you. I... don't understand it and I don't think I'll ever really... like it. But you're my little baby bo... girl. And I will always be there for you when you need me. I promise.”

Drifting laid her head against her. “Really, mommy?”

“Of course, honey. So... you... still have almost two weeks until you have to go back to school, how about we go out and have a little fun? Just us... girls?”

Drifting blinked a few times. “You're okay being seen with me?”

“If you're okay being seen with your mother, sure.”

The younger mare cringed. “That is true, being seen with my mother will kind of make me an out cast...” she said with a smile. “But... I think I'll get by.”

“Err... do you want me to... help you with your make up?”

“No!” Drifting said quickly, before pausing. She then looked up at her mother, then lowered her eyes. “You... promise... to actually fix it? Not try to take it away, or trash it, or... change it?”

Her mother nodded. “I promise.”

“Then... then just this once. One time,” she said softly. She watched as her mother walked towards the bathroom.

More than anything, she hoped. She knew she shouldn't trust her, that her mother would probably, possibly, do something bad. Maybe try to make her look like a stallion.

But no matter what she said, she knew she wanted to give her another chance. She could still feel those wounds in her heart, raw and bloody, angry at the pain they'd suffered. But she wanted them healed. More than anything, she didn't want to have to keep fighting her on this.

So, nervously, she followed her mother into the bathroom. She sat down by the counter, eying her mother suspiciously as she got out a few small tools and a washrag. “Do... you want me to use your things, or mine?” her mother asked nervously.

Drifting looked back just as nervously. “I'll... get mine.” She quickly trotted out the door, took a slow, deep breath, retrieved her things and then came back. She placed them nervously on the counter. “It... shouldn't be that bad. I didn't cry that bad.” She knew that was a lie, but she stuck by it.

“I know, dear, I know. You're very han... pretty.” Her mother's horn glowed as she began picking things up and began adjusting her make up.

“Mom... what did... Toughlove say? To make you do that?”

Her mother took a slow, deep breath. “A... lot of things. That I needed to stop this foalishness now if I ever wanted to have my son back. Getting rid of the clothes and make up was first, then she suggested I cut your mane and tail. Possibly while you slept.”

Drifting choked, her eyes going wide.

“Careful! I don't want to jab you in the eye,” her mom snapped.

“You... you wouldn't... w-would you?”

“...”

“Mom...”

“I won't, I promise.”

“I wasn't... lying. If you... if you can't... accept me just... let me go then. Please. I'll be happier being me without y--” She froze as the hooves wrapped around her.

“You are my little baby... my little baby. No matter what you decide to be, you always will be. And you will never, ever have to be without your mother. I promise.”

“Mom...”

“You don't have to make that choice, Sno... Drifting. I'll... try. I'll take my little baby girl, okay?”

Drifting nodded, sniffling a little as her eyes started to water. “I-I just... just finished c-crying...”

“Y-yeah, me too... I guess you... g-get it from me.”

“So... you won't... do that?”

“I promise. I won't hurt you like that.” She slowly adjusted her make up, looking over her face. “You are a... really pretty girl, Drifting. I can see why you want to be this.” She took a slow, deep breath. “Are... you getting by okay in school? Any troubles?”

“I'm doing fine, mom. Aside from that one fight, I haven't had any others,” she lied. She'd been in a few minor ones, but as long as she stayed near the teachers, her 'fights' tended to just be a few harsh words, shoves or light kicks to the shins. Nothing to write home about.

“Okay. As long as you're happy.”

“I am happy. Mom, I'm very, very happy. As long as I can be me.”

“Of course.”

“And... if... you can support me in... being me. It'll make it easier...”

“Of... of course. You're my little baby.”

She smiled up at her mom, giving a small smile.

------ 

The two weeks passed swiftly, to her surprise and delight. Despite her expectations, her mother hadn't tried to do anything to her dresses, hair or make up. In fact, they'd gone out and her mother had even bought her some more make up and accessories. Even let her get her ears pierced, something she really hadn't expected. Two small little rubies were now imparted on her ears, small and cute, though she doubted most could even notice them. But they made her feel pretty and more like herself.

She'd been smart, of course. Left booby traps besides her door whenever she went to bed, but her mom didn't try to sneak in, didn't try to do anything. She could barely believe it, but she felt her mom was really beginning to accept her. To love who she was.

For the first time in years, as she said good bye to her mother from the train station, she felt actual sadness at saying good bye, instead of relief of leaving her.

------ 

Drifting took a slow, deep breath as she trotted into the school grounds. Barely any ponies noticed her, or if they did, they didn't show it. She slowly trotted towards the principal's office, eyes wandering around. She didn't see any sign of the ponies who had beat her up(and gotten punted, she would never stop being proud of that), so she wondered if they had yet to arrive.

However, after she knocked on the door and stepped into the principal's office, she felt the small edge of dread flow through her. Principal Learning looked annoyed as he glowered at her. “Ah. Drifting. I was wondering when you'd return.”

“M-my suspension ended today, right? I'm not still in trouble, am I?”

“Oh, no, you're in the exact opposite of trouble,” he grumbled as he put a hoof to his forehead. “I would like to... congratulate you.”

“Err... sorry?”

“You are familiar with our esteemed new princess, are you not? A miss Twilight Sparkle?”

Alarm bells went off in Drifting's mind, but all she did was give a little squeak and a nod. “Y-yes.”

“Ah, good. Are you also familiar she was once a student here, in fact she was one of our best? Possibly one of the greatest minds Equestria has ever known?”

“N-no, I wasn't...” she said softly.

“Ah. Well, I'd like to congratulate you. Apparently you've sent all kinds of delightful ideas off in her head.”

“I-I don't wanna get electrocuted!” Drifting shrieked, her hooves coming up to her head.

The principal just stared at her, before shaking his head. “No. Let me make one thing clear, child. We've been willing to... humor your little... perversion. If you wish to go by a different name and wear dresses, fine. We allow ponies to express themselves however they wish. But if you think we're ever going to let a stallion live in the mare dormitories, you're in your own little fantasy world.”

“W-what?” Drifting asked softly.

He then dropped a stack of papers, as thick as a dictionary, onto the desk. “Along with the other... ten thousand or so 'improvements' and 'suggestions' the princess has offered us.”

“W-what?”

“I don't know what you've been telling the princess, Drifting, but you're on thin ice. We are one of the greatest schools in all of Equestria. I will not have this school turn into some kind of... fun house for you ponies to walk around in your stupid getups and make a mockery of all we stand for. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes sir, sorry sir. Won't happen again, sir,” Drifting said quickly. She really wished she had any idea at all what was being asked of her.

“Good. Now, a compromise has been made with the princess about your... lodging situation. She has agreed to give you her old room in the castle, to avoid the... so you can...” The stallion sighed and flipped open the report. “'So you can feel safe and secure without having your... dysphoria put on display for others.' How you managed to convince the princess that any of this is credible I'll never understand. I should have nipped this in the flank the moment you signed up for our school...”

“Sorry sir, I never meant to cause any trouble...”

The principal's glare told her clearly that he didn't believe her. “Of course you didn't. Now, the princess will be here to meet you in a few hours. If you'll go and make yourself scarce and try not to cause any more problems, that'd be wonderful.”

“W-wait, she's coming here? Why?”

“I told you. You're getting a new room. She'll meet you in the library,” he said before giving another sigh and rubbing his forehead.

“Thank you sir. I'll try not to cause any more problems.”

“Of course you will,” he said before looking back at the stacks of paper. “Single spaced, double sided... how does she find the time?”

Drifting chewed on her lip as she made her way slowly through the school. She felt like she was in trouble, but it didn't sound like she was in trouble. She wished she had any idea what it was the princess was actually after. She wanted to say it was a trap, but this was one of the princesses. More importantly, she had been... well, she'd tried to be nice. Even after she'd been tossed out of her room.

Her friend had been really nice too. Drifting sighed when she made it to the library, placing her bags on the table and just sitting there, so confused she felt the world was spinning. Why would the princess want to meet with her of all ponies? She wasn't important. Buck, after she'd left a few weeks ago, she imagined she'd never see her again. But here she was, meeting with the princess again and being--

Offered a room at the castle. The little color that her face held faded. A room at the castle, of all places. With the princess. She'd never even been IN the castle! Not that she hadn't had the opportunity. The school itself was just a gentle trot away and student's were allowed to visit many of the facilities at any time. But that required her to show her ID, which was unfortunately marked with a big S on gender. She didn't want to imagine how the guards would react to that.

What if she was in real trouble? What if the princess was going to tell her she had to be a guy now? What if this was all some kind of mass mind wiping thing? Her mother HAD been very nice. What if Toughlove was in on it? What if she was being imprisoned? A room in the castle! A cell was a room!

She buried her head in her hooves, horrible thought after horrible thought filling her mind as she imagined the great torments that awaited her. What if Twilight thought she had a CURE? She didn't want to be cured! She wanted to be a mare! She hated being a stallion!

“Drifting?” a voice said, making the mare shriek and turn around. She covered her hooves with her face the moment she saw the alicorn.

“Please don't torture me or imprison me or banish me or try to electro-shock me or a-anything like that!”

Twilight blinked a few times. “I'm... sorry?”

“Wow, she's as neurotic as you,” a small purple dragon said as he chewed on a small green gem.

“Spike, that's mean. Drifting, would you come with me?”

“I-I'm not in... in trouble, am I?”

“Of course not!” Twilight said with a grin. “Oh, hold on. This'll be faster.” Her horn glowed and the three of them, as well as her bags, disappeared in a purple bubble. A moment later they appeared in a large room with a big purple bed, a single desk and dozens of book cases, filled to the brim with all manner of books. “Here, my old room in the castle.”

Drifting looked around fearfully. “W-we're in the castle? How did you teleport all of us so... oh. Right. Princess. I guess your magic must be really... strong.”

“I've practiced that spell a lot,” Twilight said with a small chuckle. “Practice makes perfect. Now, Drifting, I wanted to talk with you.” Her horn glowed and a bunch of books popped into the air around her. “I haven't had much time, sadly. Princess duties and I had to spend a week solving a friendship problem near the Badlands, but whenever I had a spare moment I looked into your problem.”

“Err... my... problem?”

“Oh yes, gender dysphoria. It truly is fascinating. There was actually very little about it in the books I had, I had to special ordered a ton.” She said with the biggest grin.

“Oh yeah, she had to,” Spike said with a roll of his eyes.

“Err... okay?” Drifting said softly.

“But I am now quite knowledgeable about your problem and I have discovered there are three possible cures!”

Her blood chilled and she whimpered. She wondered if she could possibly out run a teleporting mare. A princess, no less. Where in the palace was she? “Err... do... go on?”

“Well, the underlying problem seems to be a problem between the brain and the body. Namely, having the body of a stallion, but the brain of a mare. Now, as I'm sure you know there are plenty of differences between how both brains are formed, so having one type of brain in the wrong body isn't impossible. Albeit rare.”

“Errr, that's nice?” Drifting said as she glanced towards the window. She wondered how long she could maintain a bird transformation spell. Twenty, thirty minutes? Longer if she was near a magical leyline.

“So the first, and obvious solution is to fix your brain. Basically change your mind so it's okay with what your body is.”

Drifting gulped and ran. She leaped towards the window, but stopped in mid air and was dragged back to Twilight in the alicorn's telekinetic grip, who sighed.

“I told you she'd run,” Spike said with a shake of his head.

The princess looked into her eyes. “Drifting, please calm down, I assure you--”

“P-please d-don't do b-brain surgery on me, d-don't change my mind, please! I-I like being me!”

“Of course I'm not going to do that!” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “If you'd let me finish.” She dropped the mare, gently, on the bed. “As I was saying, that is a possible cure. HOWEVER, the penalties far exceed the benefits. To put it bluntly, it would change who you are, on a fundamental level. It wouldn't just change what you feel good as, it would change who you were. You'd look the same, but you wouldn't be you any more.” A frown formed on her face. “And... I've seen that kind of thing happen to ponies. Thanks to... a certain spirit's magic. Not to mention... changing cutie marks.” She took a deep breath. “While such a 'cure' would be feasible, it is not practical. It would be akin to murder, effectively erasing who you are and replacing it with somepony else. Such magic is forbidden, even having two ponies switching bodies, the closest realistic spell, is expressly forbidden and immoral.”

“O-oh. Okay,” Drifting said softly, relief flooding into her.

“The second method of curing you is, well, therapy. You see, you might not be... this at all. There are a number of problems that can lead to such... desires. Discussing them with a therapist may help to uncover those problems and fix whatever is making you feel this way.” She then gave a soft sigh. “Sadly, I hear this is... rarely the case. But it still is a possibility. Unfortunately, if you really are a mare born in a stallion's body, this won't really have any effect.”

“I've tried that. I'd rather... not.”

“The... third option is...” Twilight took a deep breath. “I imagine may be the most beneficial to you.” She moved over and sat besides him. “If changing your mind is impossible, then changing your body is the best cure. You won't look the same, but you'll still be the same pony. And... I'd like to help you.”

Her eyes widened. “W-wait, you can? I-I thought you said there wasn't magic for that! There is magic for that?”

“Sadly, no. Even the most advanced transformation spells have time limits and effects. Most are really just a practice of re-adjusting mass. For example, turning a pony into a bunny doesn't give them the abilities and functions of a bunny, it just makes them take a bunny shape. Or, for a bigger example, if I was to turn a pony into a dragon, they wouldn't be able to breath fire or step in lava, but they would be tougher and able to fly if I gave them wings. Assuming they knew how. Even then, the bigger the transformation, the shorter the duration. Actually changing a pony's gender...”

“O-oh...” Drifting said, lowering her eyes. “R-right. I guess... impossible.”

“Fully, yes. However, there are alternative methods,” Twilight said before her horn glowed. “Now, I wrote a few reports in my spare time.” Drifting yelped and jumped out of the way as hundreds of pages suddenly appeared in mid air, crashing down and nearly snapping the bed.

“S-spare t-time?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Twilight said with a small grin. “I wanted to do more, but I really didn't have time. I hope it's enough.”

Drifting stared at  the stacks upon stacks of papers that now covered the bed. “I-I see. A-and... err... alternatives?”

“Well, magically there's no quick fix, but there are slower methods. There are treatments and procedures to turn you into a mare, at least physically. They aren't perfect, but they apparently can get you pretty close. It really depends on how far you want to go. Oh! And I learned a number of things to help you with your... ummm... look.” She paused and teleported a book into her hooves. “The art of cross dressing! There was an entire section on a thing called tucking!”

Drifting's face turned bright red. If ever there was a conversation she didn't want to have with the princess, THAT was it. She was pretty sure she couldn't possibly be more embarrassed.

“It'll probably be a lot easier for you, though. In the book it's an earth pony that does it. With your magic, it'll be a lot easier. See, you just have to reach back and--”

“I-I know what it is,” Drifting squeaked, her face bright red.

“Oh, okay then. Oh, also, I sent a letter to Princess Celestia about your condition.”

Drifting wilted. She had been wrong. “Y-you... t-told the princess?” NOW she was sure she could never be more embarrassed.

“Yes. She actually helped suggest a number of books.”

“Wait, really?”

“Oh, yes. It's not very commonly discussed this day, it seems, but it is becoming more popular.” She flipped through some of the pages. “She says she's known a few ponies in the past who have suffered with varying degrees of it, but regrets to inform she knew very few who had it to the extent you do.” She the glanced up. “But she also said that, no, she doesn't hate you for it. In fact, she is sorry you have to suffer through such feelings and she is very sorry if anything in her time as ruler has left you, or ponies like you, feeling that she would hate you for this.”

Drifting's mouth fell open, then shook her head. “Y-you're joking, right?”

“Nope. Hold on.” Twilight's horn glowed again and then a small letter appeared in front of Drifting. “Now, she had a few other recommendations. Also, Luna had a few of her own as well. Hold on... here!” She dropped a small business card in front of the mare. “This.”

“Who... wuh? Shoemaker? I... need shoes?”

“No no. That's just her last name. Ms. Shoemaker. She's a therapist who specializes in this field. Also, I've found five support groups that meet in the local area, a whole slew of--”

Drifting stared at the mare, her mouth falling open. Two weeks ago this mare had barely even known this kind of thing existed, now she was dumping so much info on the younger mare she felt her head might explode. She sat down and stared. No wonder the mare was a princess. Apparently she knew how to cram ten hours of work into ten minutes.

“I also sent a few suggestions to your principal to help with your time there.”

“Err... what? A few?” she asked.

Spike spread his arms apart and mouthed 'tons'.

“Oh, yes. Just a couple that came to mind. He didn't seem very pleased by that, but they were just suggestions so I can't imagine why.”

Drifting nodded. Suggestions from a princess. She doubted many would count them as 'suggestions'.

“Now, he refused to bend on the whole lodging with the mares thing, even though it would likely stunt your emotional development, so we compromised. If you want to stay here in the castle, you may. I've already talked with the princess, you can be a live-in guest while you're attending the school.”

“O-okay,” Drifting said, so overwhelmed she couldn't really think of anything else to say.

“Wonderful! Now, once we solve your problem, we can move onto the next phase!”

“Next... phase?”

“Yes! Finding you some friends!”

“Friends?”

“Well, I am the princess of friendship, aren't I?”

“Right. I ummm... so... I live here now?” she looked around and then noticed her boxes were stacked up by the closet. “You got the stuff out of my room?”

“Of course. Oh, I hope that wasn't a problem?”

“Err... no. I ummm... honestly... I'm... kind of tired. Can I uhhh...”

“Have a bit of rest? Sure,” Spike said quickly, before glancing to Twilight. “Twilight?”

“What? But I still have forty five flow charts, three presentations, sixteen reports--”

“How about you leave them here for her to... study on her own time?”

“Well, I suppose self study is good,” the alicorn said before her horn glowed again. Drifting yiped as four more boxes filled with books and papers landed on the ground. “Now, if you need any help with anything, just send a message. One of the guards will ensure it gets to me. Have a nice night.”

Then, just like that, the princess was gone.

Drifting stared at the place the alicorn had been standing, now just empty carpet.

“The... buck... just happened?” she asked, her mouth open as she stared. She slowly picked the papers off her bed and put them to the side, before collapsing onto the bed.

It beat electro-shock therapy at least, though it was kind of a shock. She wondered how in Equestria a pony like that existed. Didn't she ever burn out? Her cheeks turned red as she remembered the first time they'd met. She'd been so angry, shoving the princess out. So hurt, too. Yet the princess had done all of... this for her.. How could she ever thank her?

Her eyes widened and a grin spread across her face. If she lived in the castle... that meant she'd never have to run through the halls of the Starswirl Wing again! “Eeeeee!” She kicked her hooves out.

Then she sat up, her eyes widening. “Wait. Did she say there were... treatments to turn me into a...” She glanced towards the stacks and stacks of papers on the ground. She then looked out the window.

“... Well, it's still early.” She pulled up the top layer and started skimming through. She had heard a little bit of such methods, but had mostly ignored them. After all, she never imagined her mother would okay them. At least, not before.

------ 

Drifting groaned as she woke up, looking around blearily. Where in Equestria was she? Near her bed an alarm was going off, but she had no idea why. She didn't even have such a fancy crystal alarm clock. Why was it by her--

Why was she in a big purple--

The last day flooded into her mind, with one thought in the forefront. “I'm late!” she shrieked, jumping to her hooves. She trotted in place, looking around in a blind panic. She had no idea where she was or, more importantly, where the bathrooms were. They were--

Relief started to flood through her when she realized one of the doors of her room was attached to a bathroom. She trotted over and pushed it open, glancing inside. Her mouth fell open as she just stared. The tub was made of ivory, she was sure. Or maybe pearls. Or time frozen snow. Something super white and super expensive, she knew. It probably cost more than everything she owned. Nervously, she walked over towards it, stripped down and slid into the tub. She let out a light eek as it came on and the water was ice cold, making her recoil across the tub, hugging herself and shivering.

“R-r-really? E-even s-such a fancy tub?” she muttered to herself.

At least now she felt awake and after a few minutes she felt good and clean, allowing her to get ready. With the bathroom being right there and not having to race through the halls, she found she wasn't late at all. In fact, she might actually be early. Her mood darkened slightly as she pulled out her dresses.

As much as she hated to think it, she almost regretted Rarity fixing her dresses. She had a few others, but now none of them fit her right, at least not like the other three. Just the thought of putting on the non-fitting ones made her shudder. With two of them ruined, that meant she only had the one left to wear and it had been ALL she was wearing. Her mother had bought her a few others, but she had no idea how to do the padding properly.

She glanced towards her purse. She had a few bits now, though. Maybe she could visit Rarity and pay her to fix all of them. She made a mental promise to herself to do it immediately, once class was over.

But for now, she had to go. She pulled open her door and looked right into the eyes of a guard. Her calm evaporated as she stared up into those big, tough eyes. “I-I was t-told I could be here, t-the princess said I could. I-I swear! I have a letter!”

The guard blinked. “Of course, Miss Petal. Do you require an escort to your classes?” he asked, staring down at her with a calm expression. If he thought anything was amiss, there was no sign from him.

“Miss Pe...” She blushed. “N-no. I'm fine, thank you.” She then turned and quickly started jogging down the hall. She made a mental note.

Princess Twilight, best princess of all time. She was having the absolutely best week ever. She wasn't looking forward to finding out what it was that was going to end up ruining it. There was no way she was allowed to be this happy, the rules of the universe just couldn't allow it.

She still practically eeeeee'd the entire way to school, skipping as she went.

------ 

Best first day back to school EVER! As she'd walked into the school grounds, she noted a few ponies eying her. Some were the standard 'wait, is that...' looks, but a few she swore were looking her up and down. It had been two weeks, so she supposed it made sense. After all, they hadn't seen her or her dresses in ages AND she was feeling more confident than ever. Without having to go to the Starswirl Wing, she wasn't constantly being reminded of her unfortunate physical defect. Not to mention she was getting far better at hiding it.

Then she'd run into the three ponies in the halls, the ones who had beaten her up. They'd taken one look at her before running away, the one she had punted in the lead. She had enjoyed that far more than she should have and had struggled to keep her giggles as feminine as possible. With a little bit of a cackle thrown in.

However, the crème de leh crème of it all was breakfast.

Today they had DONUTS for breakfast. With cream in the center. She knew she shouldn't, but she was in too good a mood to deny herself the treat, getting one and taking her seat, shuddering with delight at the delicious snack. Calories be bucked. She'd just go for an extra long walk later.

Ohhhhh, she could go for late night walks now without being scared of getting to her room. “Eeeeeee!”

“Are you okay?” a voice asked, making her jump and look up, across the table. A red mare with a silver mane stared back at her.

“E-errr, yeah. Sorry. I ummm... I'm just having a really good day. Can I help you?” she asked nervously. The other mare sat across from her, chewing her lower lip.

“I... I just wanted to ummm... I wanted to say I'm sorry...”

“Sorry? Sorry for--” Alarms went off in her head and she looked around, expecting somepony to be behind her. While there were ponies behind her, none of them were near enough to be a real threat. More importantly, there were no signs of buckets, itching powder or spray bottles filled with some nasty dyes. “For... ummm, what?”

The other mare looked off to the side. “About... the letter. I... I meant to meet you there, really. But... then when those stallions showed up and started... fighting, I ummm... I had to go get a teacher. I never... saw you after that...”

Drifting stared for a moment, cocking her head to the side as she tried to understand what the mare meant. 'What letter? I--' Her grip failed, her donut falling to her tray as her mind remembered exactly what letter.

This mare had been there that night.

This mare had been WAITING for her.

This mare had LEFT HER THE NOTE!

It HADN'T been a trap.

She just stared, her mind struggling to reboot with this new information before her. Finally, she slowly managed to speak. “O-oh,” she said, her face going red as her voice cracked midway through.

“Sorry. I didn't realize anypony else would be there. I thought I'd just meet with you and ummm... we could talk.”

“O-oh...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Drifting gulped and opened her mouth, before closing it again. She then opened it again, closed it, before finally opening it one last time. “W-what's your--”

A bell went off, making her jump in her seat and hit her knees on the table. She let out a hiss of pain, grabbing them and whimpering. When she looked up again a few moments later, the mare was gone. Her cheeks flooded red.

Had she imagined the whole thing?

“I'm Branding. It's nice to meet you. Maybe... talk after class. By!” the mare said from behind her before galloping off.

Drifting just stared. She then eeed a little bit more, her hooves wiggling in the air.

Best! Back to school day! Ever! She took one last bite of the donut before tossing her tray with the others and galloping off towards her class.
> Chapter 8: Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Drifting gave a small little yawn as she wrote notes down in her book. As always, she sat in the front. It tended to help avoid trouble, since being in the front meant she was under the watchful eye of the teacher. She'd still sometimes get hit by a random spit ball or someone would 'accidentally' kick her chair, but it was far better than the alternatives.

Unfortunately, even being in front during the lecture did little to help her focus. She couldn't believe how excited she was and how great she was feeling. She'd spent a lot of time the previous night looking through all of the things Twilight had given her.

Well, about... a thousandth of what the princess had given her. She couldn't imagine how the alicorn had found the time, it would have taken Drifting months to come up with all that information, then write it all out. It was so well organized too, and she was fairly certain it had been proof read. But there were methods, little goals she could set for herself. While there weren't ways to actually fix everything, like getting pregnant was impossible, she was fine with that. She'd be an infertile mare and, frankly, as long as she was a MARE she didn't mind that part. Adoption was always a possibility if she ever decided she wanted children.

The biggest worry was she needed her parent's permission to do any of it, at least until she was officially considered an adult. Before anything else, though, she needed to talk with this new therapist the princess had suggested. She'd have to give them a call and then set everything up that way.

Either way, she was now super, duper excited and she didn't think anything could ruin her day. Buck, she'd only been hit by two spit balls today and--

“Drifting? Hello?”

She yelped when she realized the teacher was talking to her. “Y-yes?”

“Your answer?”

Red flooded her cheeks. “E-err... w-what... was the question... a-again?” The class burst into laughter.

The mare sighed. “When creating magical limbs or attachments such as wings or claws, where does the extra mass come from and what are some differences between them and standard mass?”

“Solidified magic drawn from the surrounding environment, usually from nearby leylines and often molded with a nearby natural substance, for example water. The biggest weakness is that it can be a bit unstable and shares an increased weakness compared to the element it makes up. For example wings made of water may fly well, but too much heat or cold and they would evaporate or shatter. Claws of dirt might be strong, but get them wet and they'd turn to mud. But the created limbs also tend to be, uhhh... prettier, due to the occurrence of magic flowing through them, giving them a glimmering, jewel like appearance.”

“Very good, Drifting. Now, do try to pay attention,” her teacher said.

Drifting tried, but soon her mind was already going back to thoughts of what her future could hold. There were so, so many options. Things she could do to fix herself, to make her appear more like who she was.

Unfortunately, as excited as she was, the princess had also mentioned how expensive some of the things could be. The most important part, the hormones, wouldn't be so bad and could do most of the needed work for her. Other things, such as gradually... sculpting her body to better fit herself and make her more feminine was far, far outside her price range. She'd need to be rich to afford something like that.

Another thing that terrified her, just a bit, was a full surgery. Making her more or less appear a female. All the way. The price on such a thing was obscene and she wasn't sure she could ever afford that even if she saved up her money for the rest of her life.

More importantly, she wasn't sure she wanted to or was willing to risk it. The surgery could be dangerous. There were also apparently plenty of cases of mares who stopped before getting it, and she couldn't find herself imagining they were any less mares for it. Though she wondered if she'd ever be able to really see herself as a mare if she DIDN'T do it. She really, really wished there was just a quick and easy magic spell she could do to fix everything. It would be soooo much easier. Or maybe a button she could push, or a lake she could fall in, or anything really to just quickly and easily make everything about her make sense.

The bell rang and she jumped with a yipe, her face going red as she looked around. She quickly got to her hooves and made her way towards the door, her mind completely void of whatever the teacher had said. All she wanted to do was run back to her room and start doing more research. She still had two more classes to go though. Why did school have to be so long and boring? It wasn't fair! She wanted to go now! At least her next class was study hall, so she could probably read something to try and keep her mind off it.

She stopped in the halls as she caught sight of Branding. She gaped for a moment, before galloping towards the mare. “H-hey! Branding!” she called out.

The mare looked up and gave a little smile. “Hey. Ummm, Drifting, I--” She then yelped and stepped forward as somepony stepped on the back of Drifting's dress and made her fall back when she felt the sudden tug. “Are you okay?”

“Sorry,” a pony mumbled before he walked off.

Drifting groaned, her face red. “Y-yeah. Pride's a little sore, but ummm... yeah. So, errr... h-hi again. It's... not torn, is it?”

“What, your pride?”

“N-no. The dress.”

Branding shook her head. “No. I don't think so.” She held out a hoof to help the other mare up.

Drifting coughed nervously and gulped. “S-so, err... the note. Uhhhh... you left it?”

“Uh huh.”

“And, uhhh, well, you said... err... you thought I was... interesting?”

“Yes.”

“And... would like to... get to know me a bit more?”

“I was the one who wrote it, no need to repeat it towards me.”

Drifting blushed redder. “R-right. S-sorry, can I uhhh... can I ask why?”

“Oh, I thought you were interesting. I'd never seen a stallion like that, who actually looked pretty good in a dress. I thought you were a mare at first, but then I saw you go into the Starswirl Wing. Is it true you met the princess?”

Drifting blinked a few times, lowering her eyes. “I... I am a mare.”

“Wait, really? I thought... oh. Sorry, I mean, I heard you had a room in the Starswirl Wing and when I asked around, a few ponies said you were a stallion. I thought... err...”

Drifting took a slow, deep breath. “It's a... long story. I... I'm... born a colt, but I am a mare. I uhhh... would... you like to ummm... we could talk about it... I mean, if you're... if you still think I'm interesting.”

Branding nodded. “Sure. Meet me outside after class?”

“Sure! I--” He paused. “Err... can we meet just outside the gate? It'll still be sunlight so... not anywhere secluded this time. Please.”

“Wh--” She then cringed. “Ah. Right. That'll be fine. I'll see you then!” She said before turning and trotting off.

Drifting watched her go, her heart hammering before she turned and started trotting off. Eeeee. She was INTERESTING!

------ 

Drifting blushed as she looked across the table at the other mare, her heart hammering as she eyed her. The two had gone to Pony Joe's and were now enjoying a couple of milk shakes. Well, Branding seemed to be enjoying hers. Drifting had barely been able to get through the cherry on hers and nibble a little of the whipped cream as she explained the situation.

Branding swallowed a bit more of her shake, before nodding. “Sooo... you're a guy who likes to dress up like mares then. Weird.”

She sighed and lowered her eyes. “No... it's not... I am a mare. I just... I'm not... I just was born in the wrong body.”

“That doesn't really make a lot of sense, how can you be born in the wrong body?”

“I just... I was. There's... tons of evidence to support it. I literally have stacks of information about it now.” Sure, she hadn't read most of it, but it still counted.

“I guess, it just seems kind of...” Branding cringed. “H-hey, don't cry. It's cool, really. You say you're a mare, you're a mare. No need to be upset about it.”

“But I am a mare... the only reason I... was staying in the Starswirl Wing was because I'm listed as a stallion on the files. I don't even know if I can be listed as a mare. Even if I was, I don't know if they'd let me in there, they told me not to use any of the mare facilities.”

“Well, yeah, you're a stallion. That'd be dangerous.”

“I'm a mare!” Drifting said quickly, shaking her head.

“Right, right, sorry. So you use the guys, then? Err... as a... mare?”

“... No,” Drifting said, closing her eyes. “We... came to an agreement. It really wasn't safe for me to use the male ones. Nopony was comfortable with me going in there anyway, since the other students would probably just beat me up. So... instead I use the staff faculty ones. They're gender neutral.”

Branding grinned. “That's pretty cool. You know, you're pretty lucky.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you get all this special treatment. Getting to use the faculty stuff so you don't need to do it in front of the other students. Getting all the benefits of being a mare and a stallion has to be pretty cool. You even met the princess!”

Drifting sighed and shook her head. “I'd rather have just been born a mare and not have any of this stuff happen,” she grumbled.

“Oh, it's not so bad. At least you'll never have to deal with periods.”

Drifting face hoofed.

“Err... is something wrong? Sorry, was that a bad thing to say?”

“No... just... I've been told that before. I'd rather have the periods than be... this way.”

The two sat there in awkward silence, soon just sipping their shake. Finally, Drifting gulped and lowered her straw. “I... ummmm... I-I'm sorry. I thought... I mean, when you left the note, I thought... maybe you knew and... I thought you were kind of... interested in... sorry...”

“Hmmm? Oh, no. I still think you're pretty cute and interesting,” Branding said with a smile. “Never really seen a stallion like you.”

Drifting almost corrected her, but nodded slowly. “So... ummm... does that mean...?”

“Wanna see a movie this weekend?”

“I-I'd love to!” the mare said, nearly jumping out of her seat. She then blushed. “I uhhh... what... kind?”

“Well, there's a few out. There's this cute romance from pranch, do you like those?”

“Not really, I usually like the romantic comedies,” Drifting said, before freezing. “B-but I don't dislike them, we can see that. What's it called?”

“Crispe Deh Morveux. I hear it's pretty good.”

“T-that sounds delightful,” Drifting said, before gulping and glancing down. The other mare reached for the check and she shook her head. “I... I'll pay. I ummm... I... kinda called you out here to talk about everything. So ummmm...”

“Okay,” Branding said, before glancing back. “Oh, that reminds me. You're in the school, right? What's your specialty?”

“Transformation magic, yours?”

“Fire magic.”

“Oh, you're—”

“If you make a joke along the lines of 'you're really hot', I will light you on fire.”

“... I'm... going to just shut up now.”

“Good boy. See you this saturday. I'll have the time figured out and let you know by then,” she said before trotting off.

Drifting sighed and put a few bits on the table. She looked down at her shake, a frown on her face. She... didn't know why, but something felt off. She had a date, shouldn't she be happier?

She shook her head and got to her hooves. No time to worry about that. She still had to get her dress fixed and set up a meeting with her new therapist.

Eeeee, she had a date! Yeah, that was more like it.
> Chapter 9: The date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Drifting trotted back and forth in front of the theater, her heart pounding as she waited. Finally saturday was here which meant MOVIE! Awesome movie! With a cute mare who was interested in HER of all ponies.

Eeeee, she felt great. She must have been looking really good the last week or so to get to that point. She glanced back at her dress, a soft, gentle sky blue with a ruby red hem. It was an old one that she'd had since before she knew Rarity, but the mare had been happy to fix all of her dresses for only a hoofful of bits.

Well, she hadn't, but Sassy had been willing to. When Drifting had gone to the boutique to explain the situation, the older mare had admitted that Rarity wouldn't be around for a few more weeks. However, she was more than capable of fixing the damaged dresses and molding the others.

Drifting now had over half a dozen dresses to choose from, more than she ever thought she'd have access to. Not only that, but she had managed to set up an appointment for next week. Albeit, it was a fairly late one set for after class, but it would be nice. If the pony was even half as awesome as the princess, then it would be awesome.

Now, however, she was waiting and waiting, glancing towards the theater and hoping Branding would show up soon.

And dreading the mare wouldn't show. She couldn't help but imagine this was all a horrible prank, designed to humiliate her after she came here. It wouldn't be the first, or even worst, prank that had been played on her.

She kept pacing back and forth, looking towards the clock. Five minutes until the movie was set to start. She swore the ticket pony was watching her, judging her. Did he know? Had he seen this happen before, dateless ponies wandering outside, waiting for a chance at romance that'd never come? Judging her? Shaming her? Making her feel as if--

“Sorry I'm late!” Branding said as she trotted up, making the other mare jump.

“W-what? Late? Errr, r-right. I uhhh, I barely noticed. Eh heh... heh.”

“Did you get the tickets?” the other mare asked.

“W-what? Oh, ummm... no. I... wasn't sure if...” She blushed.

“It's fine, I asked you out. I'll pay,” she said with a smile, before trotting to the window. Drifting trotted behind her, following the other mare into the building and letting out a sigh of relief.

It hadn't all been an attempt to humiliate and shame her. Yes! “So, uhh, what happened?”

“Oh, I got caught up with a friend, Rosewing. She just started dating this jerk, you know Topazhoof?”

“I'm not familiar with him...”

“Well, he's a total jerk, but she doesn't see it at all. He keeps flaking out on their dates. You should have a talk with him.”

“W-what? Why me? I don't even know him,” Drifting said softly.

“Well, you're both guys, I figured you'd know better what to say.”

The unicorn sighed. “I'm a mare...”

“Well, yeah. But I mean since you're really a stallion. Besides, they don't go to our school so you could put on some normal clothes and he'd never know. We should all go on a double date sometime.”

Drifting blinked a few more times, looking away. “Y-yeah. Double date,” she mumbled. “I'd... still prefer to be in a dress for that.”

“Ehhh, whatever you like. Come on,” she said before dragging him along into the theater and making their way to some seats near the back. They sat down and soon the commercials started.

Drifting glanced over, a little worried. She wished she had any idea what to do, she'd never been on a date before and now she was certain she was messing something up. Wasn't popcorn supposed to be involved? Or was it because they were both girls there was no popcorn? She didn't mind if there wasn't, she didn't need the empty calories. But she wished she knew if there was or wasn't supposed to be. Was SHE supposed to get the popcorn? What if she'd already screwed up and ruined things? Was she supposed to buy the tickets? She thought the pony who asked out was supposed to. But then she'd also heard it was the stallion's job to get the tickets. But she wasn't a stallion, but Branding kept calling her one.

A small knot of worry started to fill her stomach. “Branding?”

“Hmmm?” the mare asked, glancing over.

“I uhhh... I've never... done this before. Am I doing everything... right?”

Branding cocked an eye before chuckling and reaching out, patting her head. “Don't worry, you're just fine. You're being a cute little coltfriend, no need to worry.”

“Marefriend.”

“Sure. Now come on, just relax and enjoy the movie.”

Drifting sighed and glanced ahead towards the movie. After about twenty minutes, she came to a horrible, horrible realization.

She was so. Incredibly. Bored. The movie wasn't bad, she guessed. It was just 'artistic'. And, unfortunately, she didn't get it in the slightest. There weren't any translations so she had no idea what was going on. It was all supposed to be about 'subtext', she imagined. She had no idea how to read them. She couldn't even pick up on the signals SHE was giving half the time, how could she possibly pick up on the signals that others were giving? So instead she focused on something that made her happy.

Watching the pretty mare on the screen and hoping one day she could be that pretty and classy, giving a soft sigh. She folded her hooves neatly in her lap and gave a content little murmur, imagining herself being on the screen, dancing and singing, so graceful and majestic.

Then Branding yawned and stretched a little.

Drifting froze, her heart pounding in her chest as Branding's hooves went up, up, UP! 'Oh gosh she's going to make a move what do I do? Do I accept it? Do I nestle in closer? Do I play hard to get? Do I snuggle? What do I do what do I do what do I do?!!'

The legs came back down, back into Branding's lap. The panic evaporated, soon molding into disappointment.

'She didn't make a move? Does that mean she's not interested? Did I do something wrong? Does she want me to make a move? No, that'd be stupid. She invited me, that means she's supposed to make the move to snuggle, right? But she sometimes calls me a stallion, does that mean I'm supposed to do it? What if I put my head on her shoulder? She might freak out and slap me! But what if she WANTS me to put my head on her shoulder? Ohhhh, I wish I could know what she's thinking!'

'I swear I've seen that background pony in something else, ugh, what was it? A commercial? Maybe another movie? Dang it, this is going to drive me nuts,' Branding thought to herself.

'She looks annoyed, am I doing everything wrong?' Drifting thought to herself. 'I need a book on this! Why didn't I get a book on this? I should have sent a letter to the princess! She's a super genius, she probably knows everything about dating ponies! Oh, or Rarity, I bet she'd be totally perfect at this dating thing. I bet she's never even met a stallion who didn't fall head over hooves in love with her in a moment. I bet even a prince would love her in a few seconds! Gahhhhh, why does this have to be so hard?' Her eyes widened. 'What if I didn't brush my teeth? Oh, wait, no, I did. I think. What if it didn't hold? What if my hair is out of line, what if--'

“Are you okay? You're breathing really heavily,” Branding said with a cocked eye.

“Y-yeah, just not feeling too well. I uhhh... I need to go use the little mare's room. I-I'll be right back,” Drifting said before getting to her hooves and trotting away as fast as she could.

“Uhhhh... okay? Have-- wait, did you say...?” Branding blinked and got to her hooves, trotting after her.

------ 

Drifting walked into the mare's bathroom, locked the door and moved to the small mirror, staring into it. “Deep breaths, deep breaths. Okay, you're doing okay. You're fine. You're on a date, and everything is going smoothly. Smooth as silk.” She put a hoof to her chest and breathed deeply as she examined her make up. “Yes, it's all good. You're a pretty little mare and she asked YOU out. She knows what you are, she's okay with it. She probably has more experience with this kind of thing, anyway, it--”

There was a knock on the door. “Drifting?”

The unicorn blinked, then walked to it, slowly opening it. “Branding? What's wrong?”

“What are you doing?” she hissed at him.

“Using the bathroom,” Drifting said, looking very confused. “Did you need to, too?”

“It's... that... y-you're in the mare's bathroom,” Branding whispered back, looking around frantically. “You can't do that.”

“Ummm... but... I'm a mare.”

“No, you're a stallion. Just because you put on a dress like that and... g-get out of there before you get us in trouble.”

“W-what?”

“Get out of there, it's weird. Just use the stallion's bathroom.” Branding gestured quickly towards the other room.

Drifting just stared, her mouth falling open. She closed her eyes for a few moments, before closing the door and locking it.

There was a bit more heavy knocking on the door, but Drifting just turned to look at the mirror. She took a slow, deep breath and stared at herself. “It's... only the first date. We can... no, we can't.” She sighed and slowly opened the door again.

Branding looked relieved. “Thank heavens. Now come out before--”

“Branding, what do you think I am?”

“I'm... sorry?”

Drifting stepped out of the room and into the hallway with her. Thankfully, there was a bit of privacy for now as none of the movies had let out. “What do you think I am?”

“A unicorn, obviously.”

“No. I mean... I am a mare, you know this. Don't you? You've... seen me and...”

“A fancy dress doesn't make you a mare,” Branding said with a sigh, before smiling. “Listen, is that what this is about? I'm cool with your little fetish, really. If you like to play dress up and act girly, that's fine. But you can't--”

“That's not it!” Drifting shrieked, before covering her mouth and blushing. She shook her head. “I'm not a... I don't... I am a mare.”

“But--”

“I was born in the wrong body, that's all! And I fully intend to fix it!”

“Fix... it? Magic can't... ew. You can't just change bodies.”

“I fully intend to change mine. To fix what I am, to make myself a girl. Fully. I'm not just... a stallion in a dress. I'm a mare in a dress who just isn't... right yet.”

“That doesn't even make any sense. You're a guy, you're obviously a guy, I mean... look at you. You don't even really... I mean, it's obvious you're a stallion. You can't just fix that. Come on, I said I was fine with it, so it's fine. Let's go see the movies.”

“Yes, you can and I intend to do... everything I can,” Drifting said before lowering her eyes. “And I... I think I should go home.”

“W-what?”

“I'm a mare and... you see me as a stallion in a dress. I can't... I can't do that. I won't be that. I think... I think this is a bad idea. Was a bad idea. Let's just... call this off. We shouldn't--” Drifting yelped and recoiled when she was slapped, a hoof moving up to her cheek. “Y-you can't... y-you hit me!”

“You ARE a stallion in a dress,” Branding snapped, glaring at her. “What the buck is wrong with you? You can't just... you're the weirdo!”

Drifting squeaked and took another step back. “R-right, I'm sorry, I-I'm the weirdo, I'm the freak, I-I just don't think we should... b-be... I should go. I-I'm sorry it didn't work out, I just--” She tried to take a step past the mare, but Branding moved to block her way.

“Why? I just want to know why? I put up with your little fetish. Who else would?”

Drifting paused before taking a deep breath. “It's NOT a fetish. It's not just going to go away. It's who I am, it's WHAT I am. To you it might seem weird, but to me it's the very core of my being. I cannot, will not just hide it away. And... and...” She closed her eyes, before opening them and glaring right back. “And I deserve somepony who does more than 'puts up' with me. I deserve someone who loves me, cares about me and sees me for what I really am.”

Branding took a step back, allowing Drifting to pass by. She quickly took the opening, trotting towards the exit, her head lowering slightly.

She couldn't believe it, her first date was an absolute disaster. It--

“You're just... just a freak,” Branding snapped. Drifting turned in time to see the other mare's horn alight, before she sent the flames searing at her.

She let out a shriek, covering her face, but she wasn't burned. After a few moments the flames dissipated. She slowly opened her eyes, her entire body shaking as she tried to stop her heart from hammering. Of course, the other mare wouldn't have killed or really attacked her. Not over something like this. It wasn't as if--

She then noticed her body felt lighter. She looked down at herself and saw the ash in her fur, her dress gone. Her eyes widened before she looked to Branding, then herself. “You... why would...”

“See? You're just a stallion, anypony can see. Now knock off the... knock off the...” She stopped and stared as the tears started to go down Drifting's face. She then looked down at the pile of ash. “O-oh. Drifting, I'm sorry, I just over reacted. I was--”

Drifting didn't listen. She turned and galloped away, the tears flowing down her face. She made it outside before her horn glowed, disappearing with a pop and a bird appearing in her place. The transformation wouldn't last long, but it didn't need to.

She flew through the sky, towards the castle. All she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and cry until she couldn't cry anymore.
> Chapter 10: Therapy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Drifting shuddered slightly as she crawled out of bed, staring at the clock.

She got up, she knew she was supposed to have gotten up. She'd already missed a few days of class and spent too long hiding away in her room. Branding had tried to come by a few times, but when the guards told her, she just said no, she wasn't seeing anypony. Especially not her.

Drifting couldn't believe it. She'd felt a lot of things for ponies over the years, but this one felt horrible. She didn't like it in the slightest. She was pretty sure she hated Branding. She hadn't at first, she'd been sad, angry, upset. But the feelings hadn't faded. She couldn't even think about the mare without either wanting to scream or kick something with all of her might. Usually a nice nights sleep would make her feel better, but it didn't. Not this time. She just wanted to stay nestled in her bed and cry.

If this was hatred, true hatred, she didn't like it in the slightest. It felt like she was rotting from the inside out, destroying parts of her with every second she couldn't let it go. She glanced at at the clock and sighed, before slowly crawling out of bed and pulling out a small dress. She'd already missed classes for the day, but there was still one thing she had to do.

Meet with her therapist. She made the appointment, the princess had gotten it for her, the least she could do was show up for it. It wasn't as if laying wrapped up in her blankets was doing her any good. She slowly made her way to the bathroom and showered, cleaning herself up as best she could.

She stared into her mirror when she was done and began applying her makeup. Her stomach formed knots the longer she looked at herself, but she struggled to ignore it and just keep working, forcing herself to look as feminine as she possibly could and struggling to keep the tears from flowing out.

She rested her head against the glass. “Ugh. Stupid... stupid mare. W-why do you even care? I mean... I just... you're just... Ugh! One date, your first date, it wasn't important or anything. Besides, you broke up with her. Sorta. I mean, kinda. It was like a date. I just... ugh.” She lightly thumped her head against the mirror, her horn tapping it. “Why do you have to be so... picky? She... was okay with this. Why did you have to push it? No wonder she got mad, no wonder she got... upset. Why does it matter if she didn't... see you as a mare? She seemed okay just playing along. And... that's all this is, after all. Isn't it? Just... a big game...” she muttered to herself, staring down at her hooves. “A big, stupid, stupid game that you like to play with yourself... why are you so stupid?”

She closed her eyes again. “You're... a mare. No matter what anypony says. And you're going to fix this and... maybe you'll find somepony who loves you and sees you as that mare. Or maybe you'll be alone forever. But who cares? Lots of ponies spend their whole lives being alone. You'll be fine. You don't need anypony else to make you happy. You have family. You have fri... you have family. You can make new friends. Better friends. Friends who can teleport and shoot lasers and all your old friends will be so jealous and wish they were still your friends. Like the princess. Yeah. She wants to be your friend for... some reason. See? You're in the castle, you're a pretty mare, you're going to get some... help from a... new... therapist.” She gulped and looked towards the door.

What if this new pony, Shoemaker, was just like Toughlove? Could she endure another... session like those? What if this was all another trap? Would the princess do that to her?

She snorted and looked in the mirror again. “Well, if it is a trap, BUCK THEM! I'll just leave! I am NOT doing that again!” She shoved the door open. “Okay! I'm ready! Let's do this!”

------ 

Drifting was so not ready as she sat, her legs a little crossed as she tried to keep her heart from hammering. The room she had been sent to was... nice. It had a few chairs, a small table, a few jars with little snacks and candies. The window gave a nice view of the city as well. The only thing it was missing was her therapist. Which was fine with her, she was feeling ready to bolt. She wondered how fast she could run to the window, open it, transform and escape.

The door opened, putting an end to her fantasies of flight. “I'm so sorry,” a black coated and red maned unicorn mare said before she stepped inside, sitting down across from her. “It has been the most hectic of days.” She adjusted her glasses and glanced down at the folder in her hooves. “Now, Snowy, was it?”

“Drifting,” she said softly. “M-my name is... Drifting Petal.”

“Oh. Right, sorry, ummm, hold on one second. Wrong fi--”

“It's the right file. But... I don't... go by Snowy,” Drifting said softly, her legs shivering. She saw as the realization dawned on the mare. Here it came, the insults, the warnings, the telling her she had no idea what she was in for.

“Really? That's a shame,” the mare said, making Drifting sigh. “Snowy is such a pretty name for a mare.”

“I'm a--” Drifting blinked. “A... mare...?”

“Of course,” the mare said, before blinking and going through the folder. “Errr... right? You do identify as female, correct? Sorry, I try to clarify this before I start normally, but today has just been so hectic.”

“Err, uhhh, yes. I do identify as female. Don't... ummm, don't you think it's weird? Or... going to tell me... ummm... I'm... wrong?”

“Why would I do that?” the mare asked. “Oh! I am Sole Shoemaker. Should have said that first. And no, dear. I'm well aware of your situation and, no, I don't think it's weird. I've dealt with quite a few patients in your particular situation.”

“And... you fixed them?”

Sole shook her head. “No. I merely helped them get the help they needed to make themselves feel like the ponies they were. Now, tell me, how far along do you plan to go? Or have you decided yet?”

Drifting gulped, her face red. “I-I... I don't know. Some of it looks... k-kind of scary. But I... I want to... I want to... be... I mean...”

“Living as a mare full time?”

Drifting nodded quickly. “Uh huh... and... I think... hormones. I don't know about the surgeries, though. Some of them... I mean...”

“That's quite alright. Plenty of ponies who undergo these procedures never make it to those stages. Drifting, the important thing is to get you where you feel comfortable, safest and most like yourself.”

“Really? You don't think... I mean...”

“What?”

Drifting poked her hooves together. “My... last therapist she said... I mean... she told me... I-I was... born a stallion, so I have to... be a stallion. Aren't you going to... say that? Or tell me I can't... be feminine enough to...?”

Sole took a slow, deep breath. “Drifting, let me answer that with a question of my own. Do you think ponies are only born male and female?”

“Ummm... yes? I mean... that's basic biology,” Drifting said softly.

“But they aren't. You see, there is a wide spectrum. Some ponies are born with both parts, some are even born with neither. Some are born with different pieces and mixes of them. While male and female are the most common and seen, there is a wide spectrum on which any pony can fall and, for many of them, surgery, hormone treatments and other medical aid are their only options to be what they feel they are. Would you say these ponies are wrong for correcting their bodies?”

Drifting blinked and blushed as she imagined a pony without any of the parts. She slowly shook her head. “N-no. I... guess not.”

“Your situation is much the same. You just happened to be, physically, further along the spectrum of male than some of them. Or less, in some cases. It doesn't mean you're wrong, it means you have a problem that you can get aid for and there is nothing wrong with asking for it.”

“R-really?”

“Mmm hmmm. Now, tell me, how long have you had these feelings and when did you find out you felt this way?”

Drifting blinked, then lowered her eyes. “I... ummm... you... won't tell anypony? I mean, you can't, right? You promise?”

“I'm sorry?”

“Can you... promise not to... tell anypony, at all? Ever? Especially not my... parents? Or the princess?”

Sole frowned and then gave a nod. “I won't tell a soul. What you say here is between us, and us only.”

Drifting took a slow, deep breath. “I... felt like this when I was... younger, but it really started to hit when I got older. I... well.... when we played games, I'd always have to like... the colts always had to be the royal guards, fillies got to be the princesses. I... kind of wanted to wear the dresses and... things like that and... I got jealous. I... I didn't know why, at the time. But I'd always get sad when they'd... do those things. The makeup, the dresses, even things like... hearing about slumber parties made me sad. Because they were filly slumber parties and... I didn't like the colt slumber parties.”

Sole nodded as she wrote down in her folder. “Keep going.”

“I didn't think of it much but... then I got older and things got a lot worse. I really felt like I was expendable. Like I didn't care about myself, or my body. I couldn't even look in the mirror, I couldn't bring myself to do anything but play games or read books. Mostly ones with... mare characters who I could pretend to be. I didn't go around others often and I got really fat and I really, really hated myself and I...” She took a slow, deep breath. “I... wanted to be a mare at times. I'd watch other mares, I'd wish I was them or could be them but I thought it was wrong and I was a bad pony because of it.” Little tears started to form into her eyes. “I couldn't... do anything. I tried to bury it down, told myself that stallions didn't cry, that they didn't get upset, that they were strong, like the guards. Stoic. But I didn't want to be that. I wanted to run and giggle and skip and wear pretty dresses and put on makeup and do all those girly fun things and...” She bit her lower lip. “You... won't tell anypony, right? You promised?”

“Of course,” Sole said softly.

“Well... I... read about things. Potions that could turn ponies, stories of ponies who were turned mare. They were fiction, but I fantasized. Especially the ones that happened on accident. Hoped one day I'd wake up and... poof. I... I kind of wished they'd happen to me, but I heard they were impossible. But... I started learning transformation magic for it. But... I still heard it couldn't happen. Then... I ummmm...” She chewed on her lower lip. “I... I was young. I was.... well, younger. I was really, really upset. I didn't really... I didn't know what I was thinking was wrong...”

Sole stopped, putting the pen down. “Dear? It's okay. This is a safe place.”

Drifting gulped. “I'd... fantasize about... accidents happening. I'd remembered hearing about a... carriage accident and a pony losing their...” She shuddered. “In the accident. And I thought... they were lucky. I kind of hoped something like that would happen to me. Because then I could... pretend and nopony would care. Because I wouldn't have a... I wouldn't be it any more.”

“I... see.”

“That's when I went to my first therapist. I... I knew I was wrong, something was bad. She told me I was possibly transgender. I didn't know much about it then.” She blinked as she thought back to her room and the piles and piles of papers. “I... still don't know much about it, I think. But... she said it was okay. That I could be a mare if I wanted. That I didn't have to pretend to be something I didn't want to.”

“And you told her about your little fantasies?”

“Uh huh. She said it was better I try to be a mare, than risk... hurting myself. I took it to heart. I... started trying to do it. Little things at first. Tiny things. Little... tiny things. I'd dress up in hiding. I'd try to walk like one. I felt so happy, like everything made sense. I started losing weight, too.” She glanced down and sighed. “Then I told my parents and well... mom didn't take it well. She took me away from that therapist and took me to a few others until she found one who claimed she could... fix me.” She groaned. “But I don't wanna be fixed unless being fixed means turning me into a mare!”

Sole nodded. “Of course. If that's what you want to do, I'll try to help you as best I can.”

“R-really?”

“Mmmm hmm. However... is your family supportive of your changes now?”

She groaned again. “Kind of. Mom just... doesn't want me to do any of this. But... my sister is amazing and is supporting me a hundred percent. And, frankly, she's the only family I need.”

Sole nodded. “Then I think it's best you know now. Most hormone treatments will require your parent's permission before you can get them, at least until you're considered a full adult.”

Drifting felt like sinking into the ground. “O-oh.”

“If your parents don't support the change, there are alternatives. There are ways to... put your development on hold. Your male development. At least until you're old enough to make the decision for yourself. If your parents aren't okay with a full conversion at this stage, pausing your development may be an easier sale.”

Drifting blinked. “I... think I read something about that.”

“There are dozens of other options we can look at as well. I'll try to have more prepared during our next appointment, okay?”

Drifting nodded. “I... I'd like that.”

“And Drifting, don't worry. You're not the first pony I've met in your situation, you won't be the last. But you can get through this and I will help in any way I can. And trust me, my help is worth a lot for this.”

Drifting nodded, a smile on her lips.

“Now, are there any things you'd like to discuss or talk about? Any recent troubles or things you've had on your mind?”

Drifting blinked a few times, before nodding. “One... thing. I guess. I mean, ummmm...”

“Yes?”

“I kinda... had a nasty break up last week. Sorta.”

“Sorta?”

“Well... it was... kinda our first date and I got mad at her because I...” She lowered her eyes. “I was being too... demanding. Then... she over reacted and... I think I hate her. But...” She gave a little whimper. “Some of the things... I think she said might have been true.”

“Which things?”

“She said... who would put up with me. Being this way. And... and I can't blame her. I mean, there are so many pretty mares out there without... this? So why would any pony put up with this? Are there ponies who would put up with this?”

“Plenty of ponies would, those who would love you and care about who you are. For many ponies, something like this would be insignificant. I know a few who are in your situation who are in kind, loving relationships with ponies who treat them like the mares or stallions they are. I even know a herd or two that has a few ponies like you. There are plenty who will more than accept you for the mare you are.” Sole gave her a soft smile. “And you should never stay with a pony only because you're afraid you'll never find anypony else.” She glanced down to her notes. “So, your sexual preference is towards mares?”

“I... don't... know,” Drifting said with a sigh. The other mare didn't say anything, so she continued. “I... think it is? I mean, I think I like mares. I never really... I mean, sometimes I'd get a little bit of excitement from stallions, but only rarely. But mares always made me the... most excited. Before. When I was... before this. But now that I'm this, well...”

“Yes?”

“I think it was kinda jealousy. I don't think I wanted to be with them so much as... to be them. Since I've started being a mare, even when I was just... trying, before I could dress up, when I started imagining myself being like them, I stopped getting those feelings. It kind of became the... same with the stallions. Sometimes I'd get a surge of excitement, but it was rare. I... don't know if that means I like both, or neither. Is that strange?”

“Of course not, plenty of ponies are like that,” Sole said before writing a few things down. “But you do seem awfully concerned about being alone. Could you tell me, what is your ideal pony?”

Drifting blushed and then lowered her eyes. “It's... it's kind of silly.”

“You've thought of this before?”

“Who hasn't?”

“Then go on, tell me. I won't judge, I promise. Besides, most ponies have an ideal partner, there is no fault in that.”

Drifting sighed. “Well... somepony... kind of like me. I mean, like... a little mix of both? I'd want them to be kind of... strong. And competitive. Somepony who could teach me, but at the same time protect me. Somepony who, when I was with them, I'd feel safe and secure, knowing no matter what we did, they'd never, ever hurt me. Even if they had a chance and I was helpless with them, I know they'd never hurt me. But somepony who wasn't afraid to beat me in things, so we could compete and... try against each other.” Her cheeks turned even redder. “Somepony who... wouldn't let others try to hurt me. Not... necessarily fight with them, but would at least try to pull us away from them. Who wouldn't... want to be around ponies who would say things to hurt me. But... I'd also want them to be soft. At least a little. I'd want them to like to dress up, with me. To help me when I can't figure out what to wear. Somepony who I could gossip with and we could play cute little games and watch adorable lil movies with and even snuggle up with stuffed animals together and be cute together.” She took a slow, deep breath. “But... more than anything, I want them to... love and care about me. To support me. To see me as a mare, even during all this. To... even... though I have so many flaws and mistakes, to have them still... want to be near me. Even when I fail. I... I don't care if they know I'm trans. So long as they... see me as a mare and treat me like one.”

“I see. Now, when you envision this perfect pony, what do you see? Male, female, neither?”

“I... don't know. I think a mare, but... if the perfect pony showed up, and they were a stallion, I think I'd try to make it work and could,” Drifting said, before sighing. “Well, I know one thing.”

“What?”

“It's... kind of shallow, but ummmm...”

“Yes?”

“They don't have a beard and they most DEFINITELY don't have a mustache. I know it's bad, but I just can't stand them they ick me out sooooo badly. I mean, could you imagine kissing a pony like that?”

Sole snickered. “You might want to try it sometime, the tickles can be quite pleasant.”

Drifting blushed so red she thought her head might burst into flame. She quickly looked down. “A-anyway. I uhhh... I don't know which I... want them to be. I don't even know if I want them to be either. To be honest, I like the... ideas behind them? I mean, ummm... like... romantically involved with a pony. Kissing, cuddling, snuggling, all that stuff. I used to love those things in romance novels. But... well... actual...” Her cheeks turned even redder. She didn't know how.

“This is a safe place, Drifting. You're safe here.”

“The... idea of actual... well, sex, seems boring to me. The stuff before and after seems fun! Like, the romance, the kissing, snuggling, even the games and stuff! I-I read the books, I-I know what goes on in there! M-my mom had a bunch of romance novels a-and I used to read them all the time!” Sole chuckled, but didn't respond. “But... in the... actual... full act? It doesn't seem that... appealing. It just seems like... a thing. And I don't know if I'm interested in it.”

Sole nodded. “Don't worry. You're still young, Drifting. You have your whole life ahead of you to discover what you like and who you like. It can take anypony years to discover who they are, so I wouldn't put too much worry into it. But, I imagine you have spent a lot of time thinking about it?”

“Mmm hmm... is that weird?”

“Not at all. You're in that stage of development where all things are still so exciting. Just be careful in whatever you do decide to do and you should be fine. And don't rush.”

“O-okay...” She chewed on her lower lip for a moment. “So... I uhhh... is... it wrong to break up with a pony if they can't... see me for what I am?”

“There is no wrong reason to break up with anypony. If the relationship won't work out, then it should be ended. What was the reason in this case?”

“She... wouldn't see me as a mare. I just... I couldn't handle that. She just saw me as a... as a stallion in a dress.”

Sole nodded. “If that meant that much to you, then yes. That was the right reason to break up with her.”

“But what if I wasn't so sensitive? What if I'd--”

“Let me stop you right there.”

“Huh?”

“If it meant that much to you, then it was the right reason. Your feelings do matter, just as much as hers do. If you needed her to accept you as that, but she was unable, then that is reason enough. You have no obligation to make yourself miserable to keep another pony happy, understand?”

Drifting nodded with a smile. “O-okay...”

“Good, anything else you'd like to talk about?” she asked with the nicest smile.

“You know, you're... much easier to talk to than Toughlove.”

“Who?”

“My old therapist. She... didn't approve of this. Of my... decisions.”

“Would you like to talk about her?”

Drifting shuddered and shook her head. “Not... not today.”

“Okay. Perhaps at a later time. Tell me, what do you want to talk about? What do you need to talk about?”

Drifting chewed on her lower lip. “You... said you've dealt with plenty of ponies like me, right?”

“Of course.”

“Ummm...” She poked her hooves together a little faster. “I uhhh... is it normal to... sometimes have doubts and just want to stop?”

“I'm sorry?”

“Well... just...” Drifting sighed. “I... don't talk to anyone about this. But... I... I really try to look strong and brave and confident and... and not put up with... anypony rejecting this. Rejecting me. But... but some mornings I just want to... I just want to give up on it. When ponies tell me I can't do it, or I can't... be this, I just want to toss off my dresses, maybe... put on a saddle or something. Walk around like a stallion, so ponies will stop staring at me, or making fun of me. Other times I... I look in the mirror and all I can see is the colt. No matter how much makeup I put on, even if I wear dresses, no matter what I do, I just feel like a colt. A big, ugly, stupid colt who's trying to hide who and what they really are. That no matter how hard I try, I'll never, ever be able to... be what I really want to be. Is that... normal?”

Sole nodded slowly. “Yes. Many ponies, when faced with hard ships and difficulties want to give up. If you decide to, that is your decision. But I would only advise it if you feel it would make you happier. If this is what you need to do, to stay happy, then my advice would be stay the course and keep going.” She paused. “But... you will need support. Ponies who will help you and still care for you despite your changes. You're going through a difficult, somewhat painful journey. While some can do it alone, it will be far easier if you have somepony.”

Drifting nodded. “I... have a few. I think. I know my sister is there for me.”

“Then that can make all the difference. Drifting, so long as you're sure that this is the path you want to take, then take it with pride. I think you make a very pretty young lady, so you look just fine.”

“Okay. So, ummmm... is it... weird to... I mean, sometimes, err... I worry I won't... pass. That people will identify me as a... guy. Is it weird to think that?”

“There will always be those who will think you're a guy. But you are a mare, so don't let those ponies change how you perceive yourself. For the most part, it's a confidence issue. I guarantee you, for everything about yourself that you think makes you seem masculine, there are hundreds, if not thousands or millions, of mares who have that same thing. At times you might seem like a more masculine mare, but you will be a mare.”

Drifting let out a soft sigh, a grin on her lips. “T-thanks. You... know what? I feel a lot better now. Honestly. I thought... well, I thought this was going to be really bad but...”

“I'm here to help, dear. It's my goal to help you achieve whatever makes you happiest.”

“Okay,” Drifting said with a content sigh. “So... can I talk with you about... anything?”

“Of course.”

“So... the new princess is really, really awesome. But... is it just me or is she a little...” She tapped her hoof to her chin. “Over... examinative? Or kinda... like... have you met her?”

------ 

Drifting hummed softly as she walked out of the building, a big grin on her face. She felt good. Confident. That had been a real mare and she'd called her a real mare too. And she was one, she knew she was.

Now all that remained was convincing her mother. She wondered if it would be okay to bring her to the castle. Ohhhh, maybe she could get the princess to write her a letter. Or drop a few crates of research on her head. That seemed a little bit cruel. She was sooooo going to do it. Maybe that'd teach her to at least listen to her daughter for once.

“Drifting?” a voice said, making her look up.

The mare froze in place. “B-Branding.”

The fire unicorn stared at her. “I... I haven't seen you at school, I--”

“I don't care. I don't want to talk to you. Just... just stay away from me,” Drifting said before turning away and walking the other way. She could go back home the long way.

“Wait!” Branding called out, her horn glowing as she grabbed the other mare's tail. “I-I'm sorry! I over reacted and--”

“I don't care,” Drifting said, as coldly as her voice could muster. “Stay away from me.”

“But... I'm sorry. I didn't--”

“It doesn't matter! I don't care if you're sorry! I don't care if you spend the next hundred years apologizing! I hate you and I never want to speak to you again! Just stay away from me!” Drifting screamed. She felt the grip on her tail release and she took her chance, galloping away.

------ 

Drifting stepped into her room, closing the door behind herself before collapsing back against it, closing her eyes.

She hated the mare. She hated her so much. Hated everything about her. But why did hatred hurt so much?
> Chapter 11: Snog
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Drifting groaned as she rolled around in her bed. She had been feeling so good before. The therapy session had been wonderful, she felt like Sole really got her. But now she felt miserable. All because of Branding.

Why did she have to be there? Why? Hadn't she done enough?

The unicorn groaned and rolled onto her stomach, letting out a sigh of exasperation. She had class in the morning, she couldn't... well, she supposed she could call in again, but she couldn't do it forever. She needed a distraction, something to keep her occupied, to take her mind of Branding. Ugh, what she wouldn't give for anything to just--

Thump thump thump.

Drifting paused and looked towards her door. She then glanced up. “I'd... give a lot if, say, a million bits dropped into my lap? Or even like... a few thousand? I'm not picky.”

Sadly, all she received was a few heavy knocks on the door. She got to her hooves and trotted towards it, pulling the door open. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest when she saw the royal guard there, staring at her.

“O-oh no, I'm sorry, what's wrong? Am I in trouble? Did I do something—”

“Oh, don't play coy, Aeon. You know why I'm here.”

“Huh? Why you're--” Before she could finish her words, the stallion was on her. One hoof around her back, the other on the ground and then his lips were pressed to hers.

Her eyes bulged wide as he proceeded to kiss the buck out of her. Her entire body went on edge, but after a moment she began to relax, color flooding her cheeks.

He wasn't a bad kisser. Not at all. She'd never kissed a pony before, but if this was what it was like, she wasn't surprised they liked it. Slowly her hooves reached up and wrapped around his neck as he bent her back. She wasn't sure what she'd done to get this reaction but--

ACK! TONGUE! TONGUE IN HER MOUTH! TONGUE IN HER MOUTH THAT WASN'T HERS! OH MY GOSH SHE COULD TASTE CIDER! HE WAS DRUNK HE WAS SO DRUNK AND HE WAS MAKING OUT WITH HER WHAT DO WHAT DO PANIC PANIC PANIC!

Were he not supporting her so well, she would have panicked a lot more. As it was, she wiggled a bit before the kiss brought her back under control.

Okay, she had to end it. Just push on his chest, shove him off you. Now.

Now.

Okay, now.

Aaaaaaaany second now.

Okay, not working. Count down. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Now!

… Still kissing. Okay, push him off... now!

'Dang it, woman, get a hold of yourself! Wow, he can hold his breath a long--' Her thoughts were broken when he collapsed on top of her, making her shriek as she found herself pinned under an unconscious, drunk stallion.

A shame, and she was totally about to shove him off any second now. She gulped and looked at him. He was... cute. No beard or mustache, a lithe, agile form. Pegasus. White coat, blue hair. But the guards all had that. Also, he'd made the first move. Sorta. Did that count? Did drunk kisses count? Ugh, she wished she had an appointment with Sole tomorrow. Now she had a ton of new questions.

She blinked a few more times. Hadn't she been upset about something? Important? Right, Branding! Totally upset about that. Definitely.

Odd, seemed kind of... silly now.

She blushed as she realized she could still taste the cider on her lips. Or was that him? Buck. Was this normal? Was she supposed to like a kiss given like that? She needed advice! Twilight! Maybe she could send her a letter and--

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, that train of thought slamming her back down to Equestria. As worried and freaked as she was, there was no force in all the worlds that could make her ask a PRINCESS for advice on kissing.

She then realized he was all nestled up to her and cuddling in his drunken slumber and she yelped, slowly wiggling out from under him. She stared at the unconscious pony, gulping nervously.

Should she get the guards? But what if he got in trouble? He was just drunk, so he'd probably feel bad enough when he got up in the morning and realized all that happened. She'd hate to get him expelled from the castle.

And she definitely was not hoping he'd be grateful enough to kiss her again. Totally not that. No matter how much that kiss had made her feel like a woman all the way from the tip of her horn to the toes of her hooves. Nope, not at all. She walked to her bed and took off one of the blankets, tossing it on him, before closing the door. They'd just have a nice, long talk when he woke up in the morning.

------ 

Drifting's eyes opened wide as she was awoken by extra weight on her bed. It wasn't even dawn yet, her windows still dark.

Oh gosh what had she done. She'd let a drunk pony who had technically already assaulted her once sleep in her room and even closed the door. What if she was attacked? What if he was a violent drunk? What if he was still drunk?

The lamp suddenly flicked on and he smiled down at her. “Hey Ae...” The words froze in his mouth and she saw as the color drained from his face. “You're... not my wife.”

“I... I'm pretty sure that's true,” she squeaked.

“Ummm... are... you... going to scream?” he asked timidly, slowly pulling back.

“Uhhhh... are you going to try something?”

“No! No no! No!” he said quickly, before jumping off the bed and cringing, holding his head. “Ouch... buck it, going to kill him. How many of those did we drink?” He then gave her a nervous smile. “Errr... you aren't a diplomat, are you? Cause... well... errr... buck.”

“N-no, I'm not. I'm just a guest of the princess. Or... live in guest.”

“Oh. Good. So no international incident. Just banishment. That's... slightly better,” he said with the most charming smile she'd ever seen.

“Oh! No, I'm not anypony that important. I'm just a student from Celestia's school.”

“Oh, cool, you're a--” That made him lock up and dash back against the wall. “Y-you're a minor? Mother bucking, I-I didn't touch you, did I? Oh buck oh buck oh buck!”

Her cheeks turned bright red and she looked away. “Y-you... ummm... kind of... did...”

“Oh dear Luna. My wife is going to castrate me and THEN I'm going to be banished.” He took a deep sigh, before nodding. “Well, nothing to do about it. Miss... err...”

“Petal.”

“Miss Petal. What I did last night... I... I assure you, it is not anything a guard has any right doing with a student. I was drunk, but that does not explain or forgive me of my actions. If there is a... child of this incident, then--”

“Oh, no no no no! You just kissed me, that's all!”

He blinked. “Wait... that's... it? Just a kiss?”

“It was... a very long, very passionate kiss,” Drifting said with a blush. “Your... tongue may have been involved...” She then poked her hooves together. “A-and I'm not... that much a minor.” She glanced back to him. “Besides, you're not that much older than me. I think.”

“Oh... so no banishment then. Just castration. That's... slightly better. I don't suppose you have some coffee?”

“I can go get some?”

He shook his head and cringed. “Ouch, no. I deserve this. So ummm... can you please tell me all I did?” He then sighed. “And I'd best go tell my commanding officer. He'll find out one way or another.”

“You were drunk, snogged me. Like... a lot of it. I uhhhh... I'd never actually... been kissed before but ummm... you made an impressive first showing.”

“Ah buck and I stole your first kiss, too?” He face hoofed. Then fell over. “B-bad idea...”

“It's really okay. I mean, it wasn't very special but... it was still pretty pleasant. It actually helped clear my head.”

“Really? Well, happy some good came of it. Never drinking again. Ever. I bucking mean it this time. So... I kissed you?”

“Yeah. Then you kind of... passed out on me. So I tossed a blanket on you and went to bed.”

He sighed. “Miss Petal, you are far too trusting. After such an act, you should have called the guards. I appreciate you not doing that, of course. But I could have been anypony! I could have been a real danger to you!”

“I know but... I didn't want to get you in trouble.”

He paused, a smile forming on his lips. “Well then, Miss Petal, you have a heart filled with forgiveness and beauty that compares only with that of your delicate features.” Her cheeks turned even redder. “I appreciate your kindness in trying to protect me, but I must report this. I will try not to bother you again. Thank you for your compassion and, should we meet again, I swear I shall be in your debt.” He then turned and trotted out the door.

She watched him, eying the door once it closed before sighing. “Did he really have to be married?” she asked the sky, before laying back. “Oh well... he'd probably have been like Branding, anyway.” She still couldn't help smiling none the less. She found her bed was also far, far more comfortable now as she nestled in to get some shut eye.

------ 

Drifting grinned and hummed happily to herself as she finished applying her makeup. She was pretty and gorgeous and had a wonderful night. Sure, it was a bit.... entertaining and she hadn't gotten as much sleep as she would have liked, but it didn't stop her from being in a good mood. In fact, she felt pretty awesome right now, tired or not. She grabbed her bag, opened her door, and froze at the sight of the royal guard captain. “Errrr, hi.”

“Hello. Miss Petal, I presume?”

“Y-yes? Am I in trouble?”

“No, of course not. I just wish to discuss the incident last night with our guard. Neon Wave?”

“Who? Oh! Ummmm... the guard who....”

“Assailed you last night, yes. I will need a statement and if you intend to press charges. I assure you--”

“No!” she said quickly, shaking her head. “He made a mistake, that's all. He was drunk and came to the wrong room. He didn't do anything violent or rude, it's fine.”

“Err... are you sure? He gave the impression that he may have... assaulted you.”

“He kissed me, but it's fine.” Buck, it was more than fine. “As long as he stays off the booze for a while, I'm fine. Mistakes happen and I do not want to ruin his career over this. Please.”

He sighed before giving a nod. “I'll need a signed statement for that, but... if you're willing to let it go without pressing charges, the act will be mostly forgiven. Are you sure? You are a guest here, after all.”

“We all make mistakes, there's no need to be too harsh about them. Heaven knows I'd hate to have some of my dumb things come back and haunt me.”

“Well... thank you very much, Miss Petal, for your time. I will have a formal statement written up to be signed later by you. I assure you, he won't come within a hundred yards of you again.”

She blinked. “Err... why?”

“He's being transferred across the city.”

She cringed, lowering her gaze. “O-oh. I thought... he seemed nice. I... thought it might be nice to meet him and his wife when he was sober and... sorry, never mind. I guess it's for the best... I uhhh, I need to get to class. Thank you.” She turned and trotted off.

The captain eyed her as she left, looking thoughtful while he rubbed his chin.

------ 

Drifting grumbled as she trotted back towards her room, her backpack weighted down with sooooo much homework. She really had to stop missing school days. It just made everything such a big hassle.

Branding had tried to approach her in the halls and left a dozen or so letters in her locker, but she'd avoided her each time. She hoped the other mare would get the hint soon. Her hatred had disappeared as she found something new to focus on, but she still didn't trust the other mare in the slightest. The other mare could and probably would turn on her at any moment and she wanted nothing to do with a mare like that. All she wanted was to be left alone. Well, left alone by that mare. Her mind kept flashing back to another pony she wouldn't mind bothering her so much.

If nothing else, at least she was getting picked on less at school, less ponies were going out of their way to make her miserable. During study hall she'd even set aside a bit of time to work on a letter for the princess. A thank you letter for all she'd done. Even if they'd had a bit of a rough encounter, she'd really wrongly judged the mare and she was now quite thankful she had met her.

Also, she added a minor note asking if it would be possible to have some of her notes delivered to her mother. After all, her mother didn't have any idea about this kind of thing. It was cruel, but it gave her a nice, warm fuzzy feeling.

She felt quite happy with herself when she returned home and trotted through the castle, humming softly as she looked around.

Then froze at the two guards standing outside her door. A unicorn mare with a white coat and red mane, and a pegasus guard who... might have been the one who kissed her. Maybe. All the guards had white coats and blue manes, at least the stallions, but she was pretty sure it was him. Probably.

“Hey, Miss Petal!” the stallion said with a wave of his wing.

Okay, about ninety percent sure. “Hey... you. I uhhh... don't think I actually got your name.” She wondered if he knew she'd talked with the captain already.

“Neon Wave,” he said with a grin. Odd, when she came closer she began to notice he was sweating and looking a little nervous. “This is my wife, Aeon. Remember I mentioned her?”

“Oh!” Drifting said, color flooding her cheeks before she gave a small grin. “Hi. Yes, you did. I didn't think I'd see you again.”

“Oh, apparently you'll be seeing a bunch of us,” the unicorn said with a grin, before trotting forward and giving Drifting a massive hug. “The captain asked us to meet with you, together.” She then paused. “Dear, are you okay?”

“I-I'm fine, j-just... n-not used to getting... ummm... hugs,” she squeaked, her face bright red now.

Aeon blinked, before giggling and pulling back. “Well, aren't you just adorable? The captain came and asked us to try and get to know you, since apparently Neon made an impression on you yesterday.”

“Oh, he definitely did that,” she said with a small grin. She caught sight of the stallion shaking his head, clasping his hooves together in a silent prayer. “He was very nice and we talked for a bit. It was... nice. I haven't really... talked to any of the guards here. They're so... ummm... kind of scary...”

Aeon nodded. “Oh, I hear that from time to time. But trust me, they're all a bunch of big ol' softies once you get to know them. We'll introduce you to a few of them. I'm sure a bunch of them are dying to speak to you.”

“W-what? Me? Why?”

Aeon shuffled her hooves and looked to the side, the confidence fading suddenly. “Well... I mean. We've all heard the rumors. After the princess brought you here and all. Not to mention... well, you know. Soooo... are the rumors true? I mean... are you...?”

Drifting blinked, her mouth falling open. She couldn't believe it. There were rumors. Here she was, in the castle with a bunch of ponies who didn't know her, and there were still rumors? No, of course there were rumors. Some of the school ponies had probably talked about her nearby. She sighed and lowered her head. “Yes, they're all true. I'm... a transmare,” she mumbled softly. “Good to know everypony in the castle knows.” It wasn't all bad, though. If they knew, they'd still come here to see her. Maybe it wasn't a big deal to them. She'd gotten a kiss out of it, too.

Silence filled the air. She blinked and looked up. Aeon looked shocked, Neon just looked confused. Finally the pegasus coughed. “Errr... what's a transmare?”

“It means she's a... cross dresser,” Aeon said, still staring.

“A cross dresser?” he asked, before blinking. His face wilted. “W-wait, you're a GUY? Ew!”

Drifting recoiled from that. “W-what do you mean, ew?” Her chest hurt a little from that reaction, but she tried to keep the tears in check.

“Err, I just meant, err--”

She glared at him. “You were the one who barged into my room in the middle of the night and kissed ME! Not the other way around! You have no right to be disgusted!” she snapped at him.

“Wait, WHAT?” Aeon roared, her head whipping around towards Neon, who suddenly yelped and recoiled.

“N-now honey, it's not what it looks like. I-I thought she was you and... I-I'd just had a few too many ciders and--”

“You were out DRINKING? You said you just had a late shift! Ohhhh, it's Ivyleague again, isn't it? I knew hanging out with that stallion would lead to this!”

Drifting snorted. “He barged into my room, kissed me, then passed out on top of me. Then thought I was you and tried to crawl into bed with me.” It was adding fuel to the fire, but she was feeling a little bitchy after that ew comment. And here she'd been feeling so good after last night.

“Neon, you did WHAT? She's a student! Well, she... he--”

“She,” Drifting said quickly.

“She's a student!”

“I-I didn't do anything, I swear! I mean, aside from the kiss!” he said weakly, cowering before the fury of his wife.

Drifting sighed and walked past the two of them, stepping into her room and closing the door. She then crawled and collapsed onto her bed. She listened to them scream(well, mostly Aeon scream, mostly Neon whimper) for a while before there was a knock on the door.

“Errr, Miss Petal?” Aeon's voice came through.

“What?” the unicorn asked.

“Can... we speak for a moment?”

“I'd really rather just lay here in my misery.”

“Please? I've sent Neon off to get some chocolate.”

Drifting sighed and cocked her head to either side. She could use some chocolate now. Slowly her horn glowed and the door clicked open. “Fine.”

Aeon stepped in and gave a small smile. “So... errr... I'm sorry about Neon. He often speaks without... thinking.”

“He's not the only one,” Drifting muttered. “If that wasn't the rumor that everypony was talking about, what was?'

“Well, with all the interest that the princess has been giving you, along with...” Aeon paused and pointed towards the boxes filled with 'research' from the studious alicorn. “Homework, most of us thought that... well... you know.”

“No, I don't, and I'd rather not guess something else and reveal some other stupid facet of my life.”

“That you're Twilight's personal student now.”

Drifting blinked a few times as she tried to process that. She stared at Aeon, her mouth opening, then closing, then opening again.

Finally, she had no other choice but to fall to her side and laugh, so hard her entire body shaking.

It was probably the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. Her, be THAT mare's student. Her grades were nowhere near that good, she had barely even known about the alicorn for more than a month and, most importantly, she wasn't. Important, that was. There was no way she could possibly be worthy of the interest of one of the most important and powerful ponies in the world. It took her a few minutes before finally she was able to catch her breath.

“I-I'm sorry, I just... oh buck I needed that,” Drifting said, still snickering. “Me, be HER student? Are you kidding? I'm only JUST passing half of my classes! She was able to find out more about my condition in a few weeks than I have in my entire life! Buck, that's even with her doing... whatever it is she's supposed to be doing.” She snickered again, looking to her. “Y-you really thought I was her student?”

“W-well, there are a lot of rumors... since you have been brought to her old room and such...”

“Oh... oh that's awesome. I wonder if that's why they stopped picking on me at school. Afraid of the princess' star pupil, eh?” she asked, before bursting into another fit of giggles. “S-sorry, but no. I'm just some poor, stupid sap she's taken pity on and is helping through... being this.” She gestured to herself.

“Oh. If... it's any consolation, I wouldn't have guessed.”

“That... does kind of help. A little. I figured most of the soldiers knew. I mean, I hoped they didn't... but... after... that, I liked to think they... didn't. I guessed... rumors and...”

“Well, there might be a few rumors, but I haven't heard them. I'm not always in the loop, though. Besides, you being the newest princess' student is far juicier gossip.” The other mare trotted over. “So, are you okay?”

“Of course I'm okay.”

“I mean... what... exactly did Neon do last night?”

“Came to my door, kissed me and then passed out on me. Then thought I was you and tried to crawl into bed with me.”

“Uh huh. If you don't mind me asking... why didn't you call the guards once he passed out?”

Drifting blinked a few times, before lowering her eyes. “I... didn't want him to get in trouble. Kinda... felt I... owed him for that.”

“Owed him?”

“He was a really, really, realllllly good kisser and he kind of put some things in perspective and I just remembered I'm talking to his wife and--”

Aeon looked a tad annoyed, but kept her tone kind and sweet. “No, no. He is a good kisser, it's one of his redeeming qualities. He has so few of them sometimes.”

The two suffered through the silence, before Drifting sighed again. “I'm not a cross dresser.”

“Oh?”

“I'm a transmare. I... am a mare. I was just... I was born in the wrong body and... I'm getting it fixed. Or I'm trying to. And... and I'm not just a cross dresser.”

“It's fine, whatever you--”

“No, it's not fine. It's not... I'm not... I am a mare. I was just... born unlucky. Born wrong. I'm not... weird or disgusting or anything like that...”

Aeon sighed and face hoofed. “Listen, if this is about what Neon said, don't take it personally. As... hard as that may be. He's just... he doesn't THINK. He just speaks. He's never kissed a guy, as hard as that--”

“I'm not a guy!”

“Yes, I... well, I don't get it but--”

“If you wanna try, there's about ten tons of paperwork about it scattered around my room, courtesy of my 'teacher',” she snapped bitterly.

“Listen, I'm sorry! I don't really know what to say about it, okay? It was all kind of just... blind sided me. Us, both of us. We couldn't have guessed and we're not trying to make you mad, okay?” Aeon said before getting to her hooves. “If you wanna be mad and angry, fine. I was just trying to be friendly. If you don't want that, I'll leave you alone.”

“W-wait,” Drifting said quickly, looking up. “I-I'm sorry, I didn't... I just... it's... been a very...” she sighed. “It has been very tough lately and I was taking it out on you. I'm sorry. That was wrong of me. I just...”

Aeon stopped, then gave a nod, before sitting down. “So... ummm... never really met a pony like... this. Before. Well, that I know of. There's a few rumors about some of the lunar guard, but even then. So... how about you tell me about it? I promise I won't judge. And I'll try to keep insensitivity as low as I can. But, err... not really sure what to say.”

Drifting gave a sigh, before nodding. “Okay. It's... not always the easiest to explain. But... I'll try. So... ummm, as far as I know...”
> Chapter 12: Playing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Drifting shrieked as she ran through the castle halls, the sound of the angry guards pursuing her. “Buck buck buck buck!” she shrieked, little tears in her eyes. She could hear the angry buzz catching up on her when she turned a corner. She caught sight of Neon and her eyes widened, before she galloped forward. “Neon, fly!”

“What? Wait, Drifting, don't--” But it was too late, she tackle glomped him, sending them both flying out the window.

------ 

Aeon stared, before face hoofing. “Did... you forget that he's a donkey in this?”

Drifting blinked a few times and looked down at the tabletop, staring at her little unicorn figure who was supposed to represent her zebra princess. “O-oh. Oops. I-it's not my fault, his figures a pegasus, I keep forgetting!”

Neon sighed and face hoofed. “I knew I should have gone griffon. But seriously, the donkeys are just such great tanks. How much damage we taking?”

“Well, you're on the third floor. Five to Drifting since she lands on you. Neon, you take fifteen, falling and crushing damage.”

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!” Drifting said, bowing her head quickly. “I-I use my healing touch on him. That's uhhh.... ten damage healed. Sorry.”

Neon shook his head. “It's fine. Besides,” he said before posing dramatically. “It is a stallion's duty to protect such fair, beautiful maidens. Even if the only way to do it is to act as a landing cushion.”

Drifting gasped and stared, her hooves together. He was so amazing.

Aeon rolled her eyes. “Honey, dial it back a bit. Anyway, you soon hear the flutter of the changeling's wings and the sky is darkened as the hive bursts out of the windows, descending on you two.” She nodded. “And I think this is a good point to pause it. Not bad for a first session.”

Neon chuckled. “Next time just remember neither of us can fly, okay?”

Drifting blushed, poking her hooves together. “S-sorry. I just... sorry.”

“Hey, it's fine. We all make mistakes.”

Aeon nodded, chuckling. “I'm surprised you've never played a game like this. You really got into it when we were making your character.”

“Of course I did. You said I could make a princess. How could I NOT?” Drifting asked, before sighing and lowering her eyes. “I... actually like these kinds of games. Though I've... never really had a chance to play them.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Well... most of my friends weren't...” She sighed. “Me and my old friends never really had much of the same interests. Probably would have made fun of me for wanting to play the mare. I uhhh... you guys don't really mind that I went... I mean... I...”

“Wanted to play a princess? Not at all,” Neon said, before taking her hoof and placing a kiss to it. “My fair maiden, as your loyal bard, I will protect you until the day I die.”

Drifting's cheeks went so red that she swore there had to be steam coming out of her ears. “O-okay,” she squeaked.

Aeon just glared. “No trying to bang the princess. In or out of game,” she warned.

“What? You said you wanted me to make sure she felt like a woman,” Neon said smoothly, before leaning in, his wing moving out to be placed on her back. “Now, tell me,” he whispered softly into Drifting's ear. “Do you... feel like a woman?”

Drifting gave a weak, delicate squeak. Aeon rolled her eyes. “Neon, too much. If you're going to flirt, wait until she's at least able to resist it. I think she's going to explode.”

The stallion snickered before leaping over the table and landing besides his wife, giving her a little nuzzle. “Awwww, you know I'm just playing, my little angel. I'd never make her actually explode. Much.”

Aeon grinned and gave him a little kiss, her own cheeks red. She then looked to Drifting. “Hon? You okay?”

The mare yiped, shaking her head. “What? Oh, yes, errr, fine. I uhh, just, err, sorry. What'd you say?”

“That my husband needs to use his great powers on someone with higher resistances. So, did you have fun?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you very much for all of this,” Drifting said, nudging her little game piece around. “I uhhh... I never would have thought you were into this kind of stuff. I mean, being a royal guard and all.”

Aeon giggled. “Oh, please. Us royal guards are like the biggest nerds EVER. Most of our job is standing around, looking intimidating. The rest of it is sitting around, trying not to go mad out of boredom. Card games, board games, table top games, I guarantee you, if the game exists, there's a guard who has specialized in it.”

Drifting giggled. “Oh, sure, it--” She paused. “Wait, are you serious? But you're all so... all so... big! And tough!”

“Well, yeah. It's our job to be big and tough. That doesn't mean we can't have fun, too. Buck, I hear sometimes even the princesses join in on some of the games. Rumor has it that Princess Luna is an amazing Dress-up poker player.”

Drifting giggled softly, shaking her head. “Okay, now that I won't believe. But uhhh... that does seem kind of cool. Nice, even. I uhh...” She chewed on her lower lip. “You... don't... mind, do you? I mean--”

“No, we don't,” Neon said with a shrug. “Not gonna lie, it's a little... shocking. But hey, whatever makes you happy. Sorry about the whole...”

“I know. And I'm sorry I kind of...” Drifting sighed again. “Got... very defensive and mad. It's just... sometimes... I've met so many ponies who just won't... give me a chance, I just want to lash out and... thanks. For ummm... listening and stuff...” She poked her hooves together. “I'm sorry, I'm not really good at this.”

“Awwww, it's okay,” Aeon said before reaching out to pat her hooves. “You're doing fine. So, do you have any friends at your school?”

Drifting shuddered. “No. I... almost did, but well... it didn't work out.”

“What happened?”

“She burned my dress off me, leaving me standing naked in public, shamed and humiliated.”

Silence reigned over the room for a few long minutes as Aeon and Neon just shared looks. Finally, the latter coughed. “Well, onto less depressing matters. Now that you've got a feel for the game, think you'll be up to doing it later? We could probably add you to a larger game of ours we do with a few of the other guards. Once you've got the feel of it more.”

Drifting gulped. “I uhhh, I don't want to intrude.”

“Nonsense,” Aeon said with a shake of her head. “Besides, we're supposed to be guarding your room, more or less, so we get paid for it this way and we get to have fun.”

Drifting snickered before giving a nod. “Well, when you put it that way. They uhhh... you won't tell them about my... condition, will you?”

Aeon shook her head. “Nah, of course not. That's for you to tell ponies. Though, I should mention... wellll...” She coughed into her hoof. “Sometimes they can get kind of... crude.”

“Crude?”

“Oh yeah. Some of the girls like to, well... you blush easily. They will take advantage of that to torment you. A lot.”

Drifting squeaked. “T-that's... fine. I mean, a-as long as it's all in good fun, I guess I don't mind and just... errr... they won't... ummm...”

“Pull an Aeon? No, you're still technically a minor until you graduate. Well, I guess Poofy might, but she's a few years younger than you, so I'm really not sure how that'd work.”

Drifting nodded and gave a soft sigh. “Yeah. I know all about that. That's one of the annoyances with going to the higher prestige schools. They take so long to graduate, so we stay minors forever! I knew a girl in one of my classes, her little sister went into weather management and graduated years ago, so kept buying her alcohol and stuff. She was always soooo smug about it, too.”

Neon chuckled. “Yeah, it can get iffy and odd sometimes. Though could be worse. I hear in griffon lands, you're considered an adult the moment you hit a random age. Could you imagine?”

Drifting blinked and shuddered. She could think of a few students who she couldn't imagine being adults at ANY age. “Weird.” She looked down and then blushed. “So... ummm... just... thanks. For everything. Do uhhh... do you think we'll see each other again tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Aeon said before getting up. “Come on, we can help pick up before--”

“No, no, don't worry about it,” Drifting said before she got up as well. “You two were the guests. I'll clean up. Besides, it's late. I'm sure you guys probably wanna get home and get some sleep.”

“Are you sure?” Aeon asked. “It's really no--”

“I insist. Besides, there's not really that big a mess and I'm going to be up for a while. Go on.”

“Well, if you're sure,” the mare said before picking up her books in her magic and then turning around. “Come on, Neon.”

“Coming dear,” the stallion said with a nod, before grinning to Drifting. “See you later, princess.”

Drifting squeaked and blushed, looking down at the mess and quickly getting to work as the two walked out.

“So, that was a lot of fun, actually,” Neon said with a shrug once they were out and the door closed behind them.

“Yeah, sure is lucky you went out and made out with her last night,” Aeon said with just a hint of annoyance.

“Eh... heh heh... I-I really did think she was you. Maybe not as pretty, but I was drunk.”

Aeon glared at him as they walked, making him squirm. Then, finally, she relented and gave a sigh. “Yeah, I guess it's fine. She seems nice enough.”

“Yeah,” Neon said, before gulping. “So... the whole... I mean, do you think there's any truth behind it?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, sure, she wants to be a mare. But... well...”

Aeon sighed. “I don't know. I honestly can't imagine why a pony would want to go through something like that. I can't imagine how the other children at her school must treat her. But... if this is what makes her happy, then I don't see any reason to try to bring it down. She's cute enough as a mare, anyway. If she hadn't told us... well, I wouldn't have believed it.”

Neon nodded. He  glanced to her. “Soooo... there's probably something else we could do.”

“Hmmm? No more making out with her, dear. I'll forgive your little drunken mistake once, but only once.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “No, not that. Luna's little... well, the Dreamscape.”

“Oh? That game of hers? I... suppose that might work. But would she be a mare in it?”

“I don't know, maybe? We could talk to the princess, I'm sure she could set it up and make it so she was. Drifting's a unicorn, too, so it'd be easier to have her in it. Besides, even if it IS meant for training, we both know that's not all it's used for.”

Aeon snorted. “Oh, you mean that little adventure they had set up? Well, even if she's not a soldier, I'm sure the princess would probably be okay with it. So it couldn't hurt to try. Worst case scenario, we're rejected.” She frowned. “Do you think we should talk to the princess directly, or go through one of her maintainers?”

Neon hummed and tapped his chin. He then chuckled. “We should probably go through Twilight. She's obviously taken quite the interest in the mare, I'm sure having a princess requesting it might help.”

She frowned. “Are... you sure it's a good idea, though?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well... it'd just be an escape, after all. Not real. What if she gets to the point she just... wants to live in it all the time? Shuts herself out of the real world to be in it?”

Neon frowned, before shaking his head. “Well... that can happen just about anywhere and in anything. Besides, she seems pretty... smart about this kind of stuff. She's getting therapy now too, right? And has one of the princesses looking out for her. I'm sure it'll be fine.”

Aeon nodded. “I guess. Well, we can send the princess a letter tomorrow. Now that we're assigned near the kid and all, maybe we'll meet her more often.” She gave a snicker. “Maybe she'll dump about five hundred pounds worth of paperwork on us, too.”

Neon shuddered. “Oh man. Did you see some of those stacks? They almost touched the roof.”

“Exactly. Truly this princess is one to be feared.”

------ 

Drifting sighed when she collapsed on her bed and closed her eyes. Today had been a pretty good day, actually. She felt pretty good, at least. She'd had a wonderful kiss the night before, made some actual friends who seemed okay with what she was. She'd even got to play that game with them, it had been so much fun.

She had always wanted to play games like that, but she'd never known anypony who played them. But now she had friends who did. She sighed and glanced towards her bags and the homework they held. “Well... buck,” she grumbled to herself before getting up and dragging them over to her desk. She had the time, she might as well bust some of it out.

She was midway through before she found herself giggling again. “Me, the princess' student. Ugh, could you imagine what a pony would have to go through as that? I mean... she's brilliant. You'd have to be super smart to not mess that up.”

------ 

Starlight yelped, looking up when she felt a shiver go down her spine. She looked around in confusion, before shrugging and looking back at her tome. She had no idea what Twilight's next test was going to be, but she'd be bucked if she was going to fail it.

------ 

Drifting sighed and pushed her books aside once her eyes started to get droopy. She folded her hooves in front of herself and laid her head down, giving a soft yawn. She found her mind brought back to Branding. She found herself... oddly not as mad as she had been before. She still didn't trust the mare, not in the slightest. But she couldn't find herself too upset or angry about it anymore. All her hatred had burned away and now she just felt empty.

Maybe it was time to forgive her. She doubted she'd be able to trust the mare again, but she wasn't sure she wanted to have that hovering over her for the next few years. What if something happened and she never got the chance? At least if she did it, it would all be over and done with. She could get it off her mind finally. She took a deep breath and got up, walking to her bed and collapsing on it. She wondered if she should ask the princess for advice about it. She was the Princess of Friendship after all, she'd have to know something about forgiveness. She shrugged and decided to write a letter tomorrow, before putting it out of her mind and focusing on what happened today.

As tired as she was, she couldn't stop smiling. It had been sooooo much fun. It hadn't taken her long at all to decide what she wanted to play. Once she realized there was a class that every other class protected AND could be a princess AND was still pretty useful, it had only taken a few seconds. She gave another little sqwee as she imagined herself, the adorable princess, running off on adventures, being protected and flirted with by majestic, rugged knights. Tending to their wounds, accepting their deep, passionate kis--

Her cheeks turned bright red and her eyes shot open. She quickly shut THAT line of thinking off, shaking her head and holding her cheeks. “No no no no, baaaaad Drifting,” she said with a little squeak, before pulling her covers tightly over herself.

Best of all, though, was the fact she had friends now. Not just friends, but ones who seemed... while not able to understand her, they were trying. They seemed to want to be around her. Even if she had been a tad pissy at first. They even ran this entire little game for her on the fly since it was getting so awkward and they had to do something. She sighed and wiggled a little more.

Even better than best, one of them was a pretty mare. She finally had a gal friend! Maybe it meant she could do all those things that gal friends did together. They could do each other's hooves, talk about... well, okay, she didn't even know if she liked colts and Aeon was married. They could talk about Neon. Who she swore was still the best kisser ever and she squirmed again, taking a slow, deep breath. She'd make sure not to talk about that with Aeon, again.

She couldn't wait until the next time they could hang out. She hoped it was after school. She pulled the blankets close and curled up into a ball, a big dopey grin on her face.

------ 

Drifting opened her eyes and stared into Twilight's face. She blinked, then screamed, flailing about and falling off the bed. “AHHH! What are you doing in here why are you here am I in trouble you scared me please don't banish me!”

“You made some friends!” the princess said happily before she skipped around the bed.

Drifting blinked a few times, still tangled up in the blanket and her heart hammering. She just stared and blinked, before looking towards the clock. She didn't have school for two hours, what time did this mare wake up? “Err... yes?”

“I knew you could do it! I got Aeon and Neon's letter yesterday!”

The mare blinked a few more times. “W-what?” Her heart began to fall. “They... wrote a letter about me? A-are they asking to... to be left alone?”

“What? No! It was a good letter! They wanted me to talk with Princess Luna about letting you come with them on a special training thing with them.”

The unicorn squeaked. “W-what? They w-want me to come with t-them on a trip?”

“Well, sorta. I mean, I hear the dreamscape can be a bit trippy, I haven't had the time to try it myself yet, but I'm sure it's positively delightful! But that's not important, you made a friend!” The alicorn's horn glowed and she lifted up the blanket, dumping Drifting out with a squeak before folding it up neatly. “This is a cause for celebration!”

“How... how long have you been up?” the unicorn asked, staring at the deranged princess.

“Oh, ever since I got the letter last night,” Twilight said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Once I realized you finally came to the next part in your development, I just knew I had to come here and congratulate you.”

“Y-yay,” the unicorn said softly. “Errr... so... did you ever send my mom those papers?”

“Hmmm? Oh, of course. I sent her everything I could find, I imagine she is quite well informed by now.”

Drifting grinned as she imagined their house being filled to the brim with packages from the princess. Ah, sweet vengeance. “Wonderful. So... errr... it's just to congratulate me, right?”

“Well, I also figured we could get victory waffles! I tried to get Starlight to come too, but she threw her clock at me and yelled it was too early. I think she was up too late studying...” Twilight gave Drifting the biggest grin. “Soooo, tell me everything, how did you meet your newest friends?”

“... One of them came into my room and made out with me. With full kissing and tongue action.”

That jarred the princess, her cheeks going bright red. “They... they did... wait, b-both of them?”

“No, just Neon.” Drifting got to her hooves. Normally her make out sessions were not something she'd want to discuss with the princess, but being woken up at the crack of dawn by a hyperactive alicorn had a way of putting things in perspective. “And oh my gosh he was amazing. You should ask Aeon if she'll let you borrow him.”

The alicorn squeaked and shook her head. “N-no thanks. I, err, a-anyway. So, I have a number of fun activities I think the two of you should try.” Twilight's horn glowed and a scroll appeared besides her. She unrolled it and Drifting yiped when it spread across the floor, all the way to the opposite wall and then some. “I think trust exercises should be done first, I recommend trust falls. However, once the foundation of--”

“H-hold it,” Drifting said weakly, shaking her head.

“Hm?”

“Can... err... I take my shower first and get ready? Also... victory waffles do kind of sound good.”

“Oh, sure, I'll wait,” Twilight said before sitting at the hoof of the bed.

Drifting sighed and walked to the bathroom, locking the door behind herself.

Holy buck the princess was insane. Completely, utterly insane. And DRIFTING had somehow managed to become the target of her insanity. She couldn't imagine how this had happened.

Still, she couldn't help feeling a little flattered and thankful. As crazy as the princess was, if it wasn't for the mare's... brand of insanity, she'd have never met her two new friends. She wouldn't be going through proper therapy and having at least a shot at getting the transition she wanted. She also had an ally in this whole ordeal who her mom couldn't just flat out ignore AND who seemed to have a decent grasp on everything.

If a few early morning waffle breakfasts were the price of this, she'd be more than willing to pay it. As long as she didn't have to actually pay for them.

Oh, and it meant she got to meet RARITY! The most awesome mare who she wanted to be when she grew up. She gave a soft sigh when she finished adjusting her mane, before stepping out of the room and smiling to the princess. “I uhhh... I'm done.”

“Wonderful, you look good. Shall we?” Twilight asked.

Drifting blinked. Just good? “Oh, uhh, sure. Let's--” And almost instantly they were outside the castle and in the town, outside Pony Joe's. “Right. Princess. Teleportation.”

“Come along,” the princess said before trotting in.

Within a few moments the two were sitting across from each other and the princess just smiled at her. “So, has there been any other friends you managed to make?”

“Hm? Oh... uhhh...” She shuddered when she thought about Branding. “No. Not really.” She paused and glanced up to her. “Hey have... you ever...” She frowned. “Have you ever had a pony who... really hurt you and... well... didn't know if you could forgive them?”

Twilight blinked and slowly her eyes lowered. “A... few times. Discord, for one. I'll be completely honest, I still have a lot of trouble trusting and forgiving him after all the things he's done. Why?”

Drifting blinked a few times, then coughed. “O-oh. Right. Yeah. I guess... uhhh... you'd uhhh... have a lot more... bad ponies you knew, than I would. Heh. I guess... Branding doesn't feel so bad, in comparison to a chaotic spirit of... that.”

The alicorn blinked, then smiled. “Is there somepony who has hurt you a lot, then? This Branding?”

The unicorn nodded. “Uh... huh. I used to be really mad at her but... honestly, it feels like it's fading. But... when I did, it really... it hurt.”

“It hurt?”

“Uh huh. I felt this burning hatred in my very core towards her. Like... I really, really hated her. I wanted her to just go away and leave me alone forever. I wanted to never see her again. But now...”

“You miss her?”

“What? No. I just... I don't feel much of anything for her. I don't feel anger or hatred. I feel... disappointed. I was hoping we could have been good friends, that she could have been somepony very special to me. Maybe even my... special somepony. I feel... betrayed, though. In the end. Like she took my vulnerability and used it to stab me in the heart. All I feel now is... just sad. Betrayed and sad. How do you deal with somepony like that?”

Twilight blinked a few times and stared at her waffles. “I uhh... I'll give the best advice I can. I've met a few ponies who hurt me over the years, but in the end... well... I've found there's usually a reason for what they do. Usually. There was usually something driving them. Pushing them. A reason for their actions. I'd suggest you forgive her. Maybe try to find out what pushed her to do this. Do you have any idea why?”

“Well, she hurt me because... she didn't believe any of this about me. She thought I was... she thought it was just a kink. That it was some kind of fetish. So I kinda... broke it off with her. We were on a date and... I didn't want to... I couldn't stand the idea of being with somepony who couldn't see me as a mare. So I wanted to break it up early. She got... mad, and hurt me.”

Twilight nodded and looked thoughtful for a moment. She then nodded. “Well, ponies do sometimes do bad things in the heat of the moment. What she did was wrong, but that doesn't mean you can't forgive her. Maybe you two can actually become friends in the future, as well. Do you think you can?”

“I... don't know. Maybe. If she can... accept who I am. What I am.”

“Good. There may be a future for you two. A future of friendship. I've found that some of my greatest enemies have become great friends over time. Why, even Sunset and Starlight used to be the most... well, they were difficult ponies. But with time, effort and determination, they're now great friends. I know it might be hard, but I do believe in the long run making them friends is the best way to go. It might not always be easy but... well, it's worth it. It will likely require hard work from both of you, though.”

Drifting nodded, smiling. “Thanks, princess. I uhhh... I'll remember that. I... guess, who knows? Maybe there can be friendship in the future for us. But I don't think I'm ready for that. Right now... right now I think I just want to forgive her so I can get over this and heal.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. You can't force it, but do make sure to consider it. Now... is she sorry for hurting you?”

“I... think so. At least, a little bit. She just...” She sighed again. “Yes.”

“Then I think you know what you need to do.”

She nodded, before taking a bite of her waffles. “Thanks.”

“Wonderful. Now, onto your new friends. I can probably get the observatory ready for this weekend and you could have a friendship building slumber party!”

Drifting blinked and opened her mouth to object, before pausing. “Slumber party?”

“Mmmm hm!”

“Do... you think we could do make overs?”

“Well, I don't see why not. I actually have the perfect book for the occasion and I can get all of the things you'll need. Flashlights, popcorn, make up, fruit, backup pillows for when some of them explode.”

The little mare nodded. “I uhhh... think that could actually be kind of... fun. If they're okay with it.”

“Wonderful! I'll have it all set up by this weekend. You'll get your letter in the mail.”

Drifting blinked a few times. “Letter? Err... o... kay... then?” She eyed the princess nervously.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing, just thinking. I uhhh... thank you. For all of this. I uhh... I know you're busy and all, but uhhh... thank you for taking so much time out of your day to help me. With everything.”

Twilight nodded. “It's really no problem. Besides, this is what a princess is supposed to do. Help ponies. As long as we can get you some friends, it's all worth it!”

Drifting giggled into her hoof. “Well, thank you. I... think that's a distinct possibility now.” she nibbled her waffles a bit more, suddenly feeling not very hungry, though a tad tired. “I do have class soon. I should probably start getting ready.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay. Remember, if you need any more help, send me a letter at any time!”

The unicorn nodded. “Thank you, princess. I uhhh, I'll walk home. I could use the fresh air,” she said before getting to her hooves and slowly trotting out. She took a deep breath when she stepped outside.

Forgiving Branding wasn't going to be easy, she knew that. But the princess was right, it was something she needed to do. And maybe it was possible they could still be friends. Maybe.
> Chapter 13: Slumber Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drifting took a low, weak breath before glancing up over her book, pretending not to notice Branding standing there about twenty feet away. Peering out from behind one of the book cases. In possibly the worst attempt at hiding she'd ever seen. She looked down at her book and sighed.

She could do this. She would do this. It was for her, not Branding, anyway. Besides, she didn't want to hate anymore. Hating hurt. She flipped the page and saw a little movement ahead of herself. She looked up and saw Branding making her way forward. The other mare stopped, as if she was approaching a easily startled bunny. She then gulped. “H-hey Drifting. I... err... I...”

“Yes?” Drifting asked, before closing her book and placing it on the desk.

“I uhh... I'm really sorry! I really, really, really am. I was just really mad and I over reacted and I'm so sorry!”

She gave a soft, deep sigh before nodding. “Okay, I forgive you.”

Branding looked shocked, her mouth falling open. She then gulped. “Wait, really?”

“Yes, I forgive you. I... I'm still hurt, but I don't hate you anymore. I just... I want to let it go, you know? I'm done being mad over it.”

Branding grinned and slid into the seat across from her. “Really? That's great! So, umm, wanna hang out this weekend?”

Drifting blinked and paled, shaking her head rapidly. “O-oh buck no!”

“W-what?”

“I... I think there's been a mistake,” she said with a shake of her head. “Branding, what happened... I forgive you. I'm not mad any more. But I do not trust you in the slightest. I don't feel safe around you, at all. In fact, if we weren't in a public place and the librarian wasn't over there, I wouldn't even be sitting here with you.”

Branding blinked, before her eyes narrowed. “What? But you said you forgave me. Was that just you bucking with me?”

“No, I do, but...” Drifting hugged herself. “You're... scary. I mean, you're a fire mage, for one. Last time you burned my dress off. What's to stop you from hurting me, next time?”

“I-I'd never do that!”

“Really? And if you just 'get mad' again? How... many times are you allowed to 'get mad' until I'm allowed to not want to be alone with you?”

“Listen, Drifting. I'm trying to be nice,” she snapped, slamming a hoof down on the table. She cringed when she was shushed by the librarian. “What do you want from me?”

Drifting gulped and took a slow breath. “You... I... I want you to...” She looked at the mare. “I want you to... get help.”

“Help?”

“See a therapist or... or something.”

“What? You're ridiculous! I don't need a therapist. One little outburst and you want me to see a therapist?”

“You stripped me naked in public. You literally burned off the clothes on my back because I wanted to just be friends. You hurt and humiliated me. If that's not an anger problem, if that's just the kind of pony you are, I don't want to be around you. I... I won't be around you.”

“Well, maybe I don't want to be your friend. I don't need somepony who's always bossing me around.”

Drifting blinked and perked up. “Wait, so you'll give up? That's great! So I'll see you around, okay?”

Branding blinked, her mouth falling open. “I... you... fine! Whatever!” she snapped, before turning and storming off.

Drifting let out a sigh of relief. Then cringed when she say the librarian glaring at her. She quickly looked down at her homework and prepared to get back to work.

------ 

Drifting groaned as she collapsed onto her bed.

Finally, it had been a tough couple of days, but the weekend was here. She had two whole days to get all of her homework done and then do whatever she wanted. She could--

There was a knock on her door. She groaned and slowly oozed out of her bed, before slinking across it. She swore, whoever it was better be normal and not light her on fire.

She opened the door to a very strange, very pink pony.

Who erupted a confetti cannon in her face, making her topple back with a shriek. She flailed her hooves helplessly in the air, confused and disoriented. She was under attack! Assassins! Fluffy pink assassins! With cannons. “Don't kill me!” she shrieked. She then realized the pink pony was jumping around her room, singing a song.

“-- and make sure nopony gets lit on fire hit with a smore truth or dare uncomfortably kisses the wrong colt eats too much cotton candy and gets sick in the trash can slumber partyyyyyyyy!” the mare cried, before standing on her back hooves, flinging more confetti into the air and standing over the prone mare, panting slightly.

Drifting just whimpered, her legs pulled tight to her body. “P-p-p-please don't h-hurt me...”

“What? Hurt you? I'm not going to hurt you, silly billy,” the pink mare said with a little giggle, before dropping an envelope on her stomach. “I'm here to invite you to Twilight's slumber party tomorrow, silly!”

Drifting blinked a few times and slowly opened the envelope. Sure enough, there was a letter. She couldn't help but admire how precise it was. Directions to the observatory, a date, time, who the invitation was from. But it didn't explain the scary pink pony in the slightest. “She uhhh... wanted you to give me this?”

“Uh huh! She said you'd need all the help in the world to make friends and she wanted to see if we could come! Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack are busy, but Rainbow and I will be there! She said I should definitely come and meet you before hoof, so you have time to prepare!”

Drifting squeaked and gave a little nod. She kept watching the mare but... something was so off here. When the mare talked, she'd wiggle her hooves, or seemingly walk off, walk behind something, then appear behind something else that was across the room. She couldn't see the horn though. Truly the pink pony had to be the most amazing of mages. Like Twilight. She nodded slowly. “I uhhh... thanks. Rainbow?”

“Oh, and Starlight will be there, too! It's going to be her first slumber party, too! Well, at least with us. I don't know if she's had one before but it's going to be so awesome! We'll have pin the tail on the dragon and fruit punch pillow fights and smores and--”

The mare seemed to be stuck in some kind of loop, so Drifting slowly got to her hooves, nodding along with her. “Really. Uh huh. You don't say. Amazing. Peculiar. Wow. Cool. Much wow. Such passion,” she mumbled as she flipped open her book. “I... do have a lot of homework and--”

“Okie dokie lokie!” she said before giving Drifting a cupcake, inserting it directly into her mouth and somehow bypassing the lips and teeth. The mare's eyes bulged.

She coughed, hacked and swallowed. “P-please don't do that.”

“Sorry! Bye bye!” she said happily before galloping off.

Drifting gulped, squeaking softly. What had she gotten herself into?

------ 

Drifting took a nervous step forward and gently reached out to knock on the door of the observatory. “H-hello?” she called out softly.

The door opened and a light purple pony stared back at her. “Drifting?”

“Y-yes? Are, ummm, are you... Rainbow?”

The mare blinked, then shook her head with a light chuckle. “No, I'm Starlight Glimmer.” The door opened fully. “I'm Princess Twilight's student.”

Drifting blinked, then squeaked. “W-wait, you are? I-I'm so sorry, I didn't have anything to do with those rumors and--”

The other mare raised a hoof and shook her head. “Relax. I've heard about them, but Twilight hasn't. There's no need to bother her about it.” She then sighed. “Besides, there's no need to worry about a couple of rumors, okay? They're just silly ponies gossiping about whatever seems interesting at the time. Come on in, Twilight's been running herself ragged trying to get everything ready.”

Drifting sighed, trotting in and looking around. She then looked towards Starlight. “Can... I ask you a question?”

“Hmmm? Of course.”

“Do... you uhhhh... do you know why she's taken such an... interest in me?”

“Oh, guilt most likely.”

Drifting cringed. “O-oh. Because of what I... said and...”

“A little bit. But... well, you don't have many friends either, right?”

“Not really, no. I'm not really... good at it.”

“She doesn't allow that. She's... well, she likes to spread friendship where ever she goes.” Starlight blinked and lowered her gaze. “Even to ponies who don't deserve it.” She coughed into her hoof. “But, really, you're in no real danger. You'll probably get a few dozen lectures or so, but it's not so bad. You get used to it.”

“She filled up my room with notes. I think she knows more about my... condition than I know about my condition.” Drifting blinked. “Do, errrr, do you know about my condition?”

“Yes. She talked to me about it after your first meeting. She was a tad confused,” Starlight said with a shake of her head. “I've met a few ponies like you, but I'm not aware of all the inner workings. I'll be honest, I don't particularly care. If you say you're a mare, you're a mare. So you don't need to worry about me or anypony else being a danger to you.”

“O-oh,” Drifting said, before glancing over. “Is it uhhh... obvious? I mean that... I'm... not... a hundred percent?”

“Not at all. Perhaps if somepony went searching for it. But you look fine.” She then blinked. “Although, I must admit I did not expect to see you for a while. You're the first one here aside from those two.” She motioned towards Twilight and Pinkie who were setting up decorations.

Drifting shuddered. “The terrifying pink mare...”

“She's good, honest! She just takes a little getting used to. I am a little concerned she scared off your friends, though. She--”

There was a few heavy bangs on the door.

“Oh, that must be them.” She trotted to the door and pulled it open.

“Aw yeah everypony! Rainbow's here!” a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane yelled as she blurred in, circling the room once. She then landed in front of Drifting. “So, you're Twilight's new research project?”

“Rainbow!” Starlight hissed.

“Oh, I'm just kidding,” she said with a wave of her hoof. “So, are you?”

“Y-yes ma'am. I'm Drifting,” she squeaked softly, lowering to the ground as she stared up at the pony. She'd seen this kind of mare before. The way she stood, the tall, the muscle, the confidence. She was about to get stuffed into a locker, she knew it.

“Cool! Twilight said you're all into that girly stuff and if I had anything I wanted to give, should just toss it to you.” She then disappeared.

Moments later Drifting shrieked as a bag the size of a small wagon landed on her. A moment later two more bags landed on her. She whimpered.

“Rainbow! What in the world is all this?” Starlight shrieked. “Where did you get it from? Why do you have it?” Starlight asked.

“From Rarity, tons of stuff,” the pegasus said with a chuckle.

“A-a little... help... please...” Drifting begged.

“There must be ten tons here! Why did Rarity give you these?”

“Oh, don't be over dramatic, there aren't that many. Over the years Rarity has tried to get me into a LOT of different dresses, gowns and frankly things I don't care to wear.”

“F-feels like... m-more than ten t-tons...”

“And you kept them?”

“Well, yeah. She said I didn't have to wear them, but you can't just toss out a gift like that. She went to a lot of work and all that, it'd have been rude.”

“N-no help? O-okay... just... just gonna lay here... go into the light...”

Starlight shook her head, then blinked. “Wait a minute... you're REGIFTING THEM?”

“Well, yeah, I'm not ever going to wear them. There's LACE in there. A bucking maid outfit! Like, really? Does she even know me? I think I got just about everything but the gala outfits. Those were just cool enough to keep.”

“G-grandma? Is that y-you? Oh... I missed you. And Bun Buns! M-mommy and daddy told me you went off to a special bunny farm...”

“Rainbow, you can't just do that! It's rude!”

“What? I'm not going to wear them and he wants them, what do I care? See, he's happy.”

“She, Rainbow. And she's not--” Starlight blinked. “Drifting? DRIFTING!” The unicorn galloped around the bags towards the quickly conscious losing mare.

------ 

Drifting did not know what to make of Rainbow. On the one hoof, she had almost killed her, was most definitely a jock and therefore the most likely to beat the crud out of her or stuff her in a locker, kept calling her a he and ALMOST KILLED HER.

On the other hoof, dresses. And gowns. And night gowns. And cute little outfits. And soft adorable pillows. And long socks, the kind that only grown up mares in special magazines were supposed to wear. And lil stuffed animals. And casual wear. And hats.

It was a very, very, very tough decision to make, walking that fine line. She decided on, for now, passable acceptance. She hugged her newest stuffed teddy bear to her chest(it was that or wear one of the teddies, but she knew that could wait until she got home and wasn't in the company of a princess. Besides, it would have made things awkward.) “So, uhhh, you're Rainbow then?”

“Mmmm hmm. Rainbow Dash. But I'm sure you've heard of me. Newest member of the Wonderbolts?”

“Oh, that's the hoofball team from Manehatten, right?”

Rainbow's face contorted in horror, then looked to Starlight. “You... you didn't... p-put her up to this, did you?”

“What? No!” Starlight said quickly.

Drifting squeaked, hugging her teddy. “W-what? No, I-I'm sorry! I just don't keep up to date on the sports. Is it an archery team?”

“The flying teams,” Twilight offered helpfully.

“Ohhhh, the blue ponies with lightning on their flanks? I've seen them!” Drifting added helpfully. The look that washed over the pegasus' face made the unicorn cringe. “I-I mean... errr... they're nice? I mean, I wouldn't wanna fly around in outfits like that and wow I am not helping, am I?” She yelped as Starlight yanked her away from the blue pony who seemed to be smoking slightly.

“Let's go over here and make sure nothing is broken, shall we? Oh, your friends arrived while you were unconscious!” Starlight said as she quickly dragged the mare across the observatory. Neon and Aeon were sitting at a pair of chairs in the corner, away from the others. Aeon looked a little nervous. Neon looked dizzy, but that was likely because he seemed to be having a lot of fun in the spinning chair.

“I don't think anything is broken,” Drifting said softly. “It doesn't hurt to walk.”

“Heyyyyyy, Driftinggggg,” Neon said before falling out of the chair. “Cool party...”

“I''ll just leave you three here while I go make sure Rainbow doesn't try to kill you for that... earlier comment,” the mare said before quickly galloping back towards the other.

“She uhhh... she's exaggerating, right?” Drifting asked softly. Rainbow looked annoyed, but she didn't look too mad. She hoped. She then glanced to her friends. “So, ummm, why are you two over here? Why not with the others?”

“That's the princess and her friends. It's... a tiny bit intimidating,” Aeon said, poking her hooves together. “We... didn't really know what to say...”

“... Ask Twilight for a lecture. On anything,” Drifting said flatly. “Oh, I know!” the unicorn grinned. “Princess?” she called out.

Twilight glanced up. “Hmmm? Yes, Drifting?”

“Could you come here for a moment, please? My friends want to talk with you.”

Aeon eeped and waved her hooves frantically, shaking her head. “N-no need princess, I'm fine. We're fine. It's all fine. How are you?”

“Eeeoughhhh...” Neon said softly.

“Oh, it's no problem,” the princess said with a nod before trotting over. “What do you need?”

“Well, my friends have never been to a party before and they have no idea of the proper protocols,” Drifting said quickly. “Could you--”

“Can I?” the princess asked with an excited squeak before her horn flashed. A projector and screen appeared besides her. “Now, I have a short twenty minute presentation on the subject matter I'll be happy to show you. Pinkie helped me make it!”

Drifting grinned wickedly. She wondered if she was just a little evil?

“Also, since this is your first slumber party, Drifting, you should join in too!”

The smile vanished and somehow appeared on Aeon's face.

------ 

Drifting struggled to keep her eyes open as she leaned again Aeon, starring bleary eyed at the screen.

“And that is the proper ratio of cracker, marshmallow and chocolate,” Twilight said with a nod before clicking the projector off. “Any questions?”

“Who dah wah?” Neon asked from Aeon's other shoulder.

Aeon sighed and looked down at her two cling-ons. “I think we've all learned a very, very valuable lesson, princess. So, ummm, how about we try that truth or dare? Could you go get everypony ready?”

“Oh, yes!” Twilight said happily before galloping off.

Aeon glanced down at Drifting, who was snuggled up and hugging her new teddy. “That was a nasty little trick.”

“She's not so scary now, is she?”

“She's not the intimidating one. That'd be...” Aeon gulped. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh, lightning butt!” Drifting said with a little giggle.

“She is NOT lightning butt. Do you have any idea who she is? One of the most impressive Wonderbolts to ever join the organization. She's only a rookie, but they say she's bound to shatter just about all of their records. Not only that, a multi-time world savior. And she's not like the princess. For somepony like her, you need to be... cool.”

Drifting blinked a few times before looking up. “Oh my goodness. You're one of her fans, aren't you?”

“Aeon and I have done guard duty on EVERY Canterlot Wonderbolt show. We've even met a few of them. But actually hanging out at a party with THE Rainbow Dash? Why didn't you warn us?”

“I... didn't really know who she was?”

“How can you not have known?”

“I'm not really into sports. Especially ones I can't play myself.”

“Why?”

“Many, many reasons. Mostly because, well... it's boring to watch something and not do it yourself. I'm sure they're really good and all, and I can see why some ponies really enjoy it. But it's just not something I'd like. I'd be sooooo borrrrred watching,” she said with a little whine. She then glanced up. “So, why do you like them so much?”

“Well, Neon got me into them,” Aeon said before motioning to her husband. He snored gently on her shoulder. “And he even got a cute little outfit for himself and sometimes he wears it when we play--” She shut up quickly, her face going bright red. “Aaaaanyway, it's really cool. They are all kinds of flexible and Rainbow is one of the best. She even did the sonic rainboom! That move was thought to be absolutely impossible to do, but she did it. Only pony to ever perform it and, more importantly, she can apparently do it at will now. While flying UP! How awesome is that?”

“Pretty awesome?” Drifting said worriedly. “Is Neon going to be okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. He'll be fine, he's never really been good at the whole... school thing. Oh, speaking of, how are your classes doing?”

“Mine? Pretty good. I'm passing and... well, I think I might have missed a few too many days. I'm catching up, though, and I don't intend to miss any more days.”

“Good, good. When's your next vacation?”

“A few weeks, why?”

“Well, Neon and I are working on something special for you. It should be ready by your vacation time. And no I won't tell you what it is, it's a surprise,” she said with a little smile.

“Awwww, come on. Please? Is it something cute?”

Aeon shook her head. “No. Besides, I think you've got enough cute for now,” the mare said before glancing to the bags, many of which had the cute spilling out. “Where did all those come from, anyway?”

“Rainbow. I will admit, she is pretty awesome. She just gave me those, didn't want to keep any of them!”

“... Those... are M-Miss Rainbows?” Aeon asked with a little squeak.

“Yeah. Apparently Miss Rarity made her a bunch of clothes and stuff, she never used any of it, but she felt bad just tossing it out. So she decided to give it to me! Isn't she awesome?”

“You... you have Rainbow's hoof-me-downs?” Aeon asked with a little squeak.

“Well, sorta. More just her box of stuff she felt guilty about trashing, but--”

Aeon squeaked, before giving her the filly eyes. “Drifting. I know we've only just become friends and all but I would be eternally in your debt. Do... do you think I could...?”

Drifting blinked, then her cheeks went red. “O-oh! Of course, when we ummm, t-take it all back, we can go through it, you guys can of course have some things. Y-you're my friends after all!” She then blinked. “Except the maid outfit. That's mine. Or anything too cute.”

“Oh, I already have one for Neon, don't worry,” Aeon said with a nod.

“Huh? Wuzzat? Maids?” Neon asked, sitting up.

“Nothing, dear.”

“Is he going to be okay?” Drifting asked.

“He'll wake up eventually. Probably. Going from super excited and nervous about meeting Rainbow to... a princess lecture was a bit much for him to handle.” She gave him a little kiss on the forehead. “He'll be fine, I'm sure.”

Drifting nodded, glancing over to the princess and her friends. She then looked back to Aeon and Neon. “So, errr, this surprise?”

“Told you, not until it's time. Now, come on. We've got some truth or dare to do, right? After that, I think you could use a proper make over.” Aeon paused. “Neon, look! Rainbow and me are wearing teddys!”

“Wait, what?” Neon asked, raising his head and then losing his balance, falling past Aeon with a squeak.

“It's time for truth or dare,” she said with a chuckle. “Come on.”

“Whatever you say,” he said with a light yawn, before sitting up.

Drifting smiled, trotting after them.

------ 

Drifting stared up at the roof, a big grin on her face. She held up her hooves, admiring the thin gloss over them. She had to admit, Neon had quite the steady hoof. She could hear the gentle snores from all around her... and the foghorn that was Rainbow from up above.

It really did feel like she'd had a slumber party. She knew, technically, it was just a sleep over. She'd had them before. But to her it was a slumber party, a real one. Like all mares had growing up. She gave a soft, content sigh and nestled up in her bed.

She felt happy and content. She knew she had more things she had to do, stuff to work on. But for now, she felt really happy and in a good place. She glanced over to Aeon and then the princess. A part of her wondered if, just maybe, all of this was possible. Maybe, with a bit of luck, she actually could convince her mother to be okay with everything.

How hard could it be?
> Chapter 14: Mom?!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"YOU BITCH!"

Drifting froze in place, her face paling as she looked over to the guard behind her, who had stood up and slammed her hooves down on the table. Goldwing had been a bit excitable so far, but this new outburst was something she hadn't seen before.

"You massive, evil, monstrous bitch! you didn't! Did you? Is she...?" Goldwing asked, pointing a hoof accusingly at Aeon.

The unicorn merely smirked and nodded.

"By Celestia's cutie mark! You... you're evil! You're the evilist bitch of a GM I've ever met!"

Drifting whimpered, moving back closer to the bat pony on her opposite side, the fear starting to rise. The mare look pissed and Drifting had no idea why, but it was something she'd done. Somehow. "I-I'm... I-I'm sor--"

"That's bucking brilliant! This is gonna be AWESOME!" Goldwing sat back down, roaring with laughter, a moment later the rest of the guards joined in.

Drifting just sat there, her eyes wide and frightened, looking between them. "W-what? What happened? W-what'd I do? I'm sorry..."

Goldwing looked over, a wide grin on her face. "Oh, right, newbie. Okay, so you wouldn't know. But my pony? Redwing, well, she's actually a thief. Grew up on the streets. However, when she was younger, she saw a princess get captured and, hey, she looked enough like her that she saw her opening. Claimed amnesia, been living with the royals ever since." She leaned in. "And guess just which princess you seem to be?"

Drifting blinked. Then the realization dawned on her. She paled and shook her head. "O-oh my gosh I'm so sorry I--”

"What are you sorry about? This is going to be AWESOME! She thought you were dead! Buck, EVERYPONY thought you were dead. The court is going to flip. Especially those that know about my girl's little secret."

Aeon laughed, shaking her head. "Ahem, so, as I was saying. The group opens the bars to the cage and finds Drifting's character inside the cell. Most of you realize almost instantly. This mare looks JUST LIKE Redwing. What do you do?"

“I flirt with the prisoner!” Neon said quickly.

“W-what?” Drifting asked with a squeak.

The rest of the group snickered. Goldwing rolled her eyes. “I shove the bard aside and go to examine the girl, a look of horror on my face and holding my sword out, ready if she tries anything. Are there any hints of her being a changeling?”

Drifting smiled and nodded. “I uhh... I thank my rescuers, though I back away from the girl with the sword. I also examine her a little as well.”

It had been almost two weeks since her sleep over and Drifting felt as if she was getting back into her groove. Aeon had done as she'd said and brought her into the game with the other guards. She still felt a little nervous, but she couldn't help feeling more relaxed as the night went on. They'd been nothing but kind to her since they met, if they could tell what she was they didn't say it.

School had been going well for her as well. Branding had been leaving her alone, if the mare felt bad or considered her words she didn't know. To be honest, she didn't care. Her therapy was going well, Sole really did get her. Her mother hadn't sent her any letters or threats, either. She really hoped whatever Twilight had done had stuck with her.

She'd also been working on what to tell her mom about hormonal treatment. Sole had been helping her with writing a letter and now that her grades were picking back up, she felt she might have a chance. A slim chance. She'd have to make sure Twilight signed the letter she'd send.

“Hey! Drifting!” a voice said, snapping her from her thoughts. She looked up to Aeon, who was staring at her.

“Huh?”

“The griffon picked you up. What do you do?”

“Oh, uhhh... errr... parley?” she said with a nervous squeak. There was a low groan from the table.

“Not the parley rules,” Neon said with a face hoof. “Worse than grappling...”

She gave a sheepish smile, though she couldn't help feeling a little happy as she reached for her dice.

------ 

“It was a lot of fun, Drifting,” Aeon said before she gave a little wink, her bags tossed over her back. “See you tomorrow, okay?”

“O-okay,” Drifting said with a small smile. “I... I had a lot of fun. I didn't do too bad, did I? I just--”

“You did fine,” Neon said with a chuckle. “Don't worry, we're all a good group of friends. Besides, Poofy liked you.”

Drifting blinked, then frowned. “Poofy was the one that sat on me and force fed me chips, right?”

“Hey, you did tell her you were on a diet,” Neon said solemnly. “She has made it her duty to make sure each and every one of us take the worst possible care of ourselves on game night.” He gave a nod.

“It's true. She is dedicated to her craft,” Aeon said, adding her own solemn nod. “Are all your classes going well?”

“Yeah. I'm getting everything back in order,” she said with a grin. “I can't wait until I graduate, though. Only a few more years!” She then gave another sigh. “At least this year is almost over.”

“Ahhh, buck up,” Aeon said with a grin. “Besides, I've got some good news. Princess Twilight said Princess Luna okayed your--”

“Mom?!” Drifting squeaked, her eyes going wide.

“Err... what? No, I was going to say she okayed--” Aeon paused at Drifting's frantic pointing. She then looked back and the two guards barely parted in time as Drifting's mother slammed into her, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

“Oh my little baby boy I'm so so so sorry I never thought... w-why didn't you tell me?” she asked, shaking.

“M-mom?” Drifting asked, struggling in the arms. “Err... I'm sorry? What did I do?” She tried to pull herself free to no avail.

“It's okay, mommy's here.”

Drifting squeaked as she was suddenly being rocked in the hug. Her cheeks burned bright and she glowered at the two guards who were struggling not to laugh. “A-a little privacy?!”

“R-right. Game's over, see you later!” Aeon said quickly, dragging Neon off as the stallion started to snort.

“M-mom, what's wrong?” Drifting asked before, finally, managing to squeeze out from her grasp and stumbling back. She shook her head. “You're acting funny.”

“I-I received dozens of packages from the princess last week.” A haunted look flashed over her mother's features. “Dozens. I was only able to go through some of them yesterday and... and I'm so sorry. I had no idea what you were going through.”

Drifting closed the door and looked around. There was still a big mess from the group she needed to pick up, but her mom took precedence. “How... much did you read?”

“Enough. Oh, darling. I'm so sorry you had to go through all this.” There was another hug, an even tighter one than the first.

Drifting groaned, closing her eyes and really wishing she knew how to teleport. She considered trying to transform into something small to escape, but she was too scared she'd be crushed. “I... thank you? So... you're...?”

“I wasn't sure what to do,” the mare said. “I just... I finally went to Toughlove today. I requested an emergency appointment to talk with her about the things I read.”

An icy chill went down Drifting's back.

“She suggested I take you out of here right now. That the princess enabling your behavior is... just going to make it worse.”

“Are we going back to this, mother? You promised me! You PROMISED! I-I meant what I said! If... if you can't accept--”

“I'm not taking you home,” her mother said quickly, shaking her head.

Drifting paused, staring up at her. “You're... not?”

“No. I... I realize that Toughlove... may not have been the best mare to talk with about these things. May not have been the right...” She closed her eyes. “The things I ready scared me, honey. They terrified me. I... I had no idea that ponies felt that way. That you felt this way. Why didn't you tell me?”

Drifting lowered her eyes. “I... I tried... you sent me to Toughlove...”

The mare sighed and slowly let her go. “I'm... I'm so sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. I... I just wanted to protect you. But I made a mistake.”

“Really?” Drifting said softly. “You really... mean it?”

“I do... I just wish I had realized sooner. Can you ever forgive me?”

The mare slowly nodded. “Y-yeah. Yes. Mom... I... I can. I...” She chewed on her lower lip. It was now or never. “Mom. I... I want to... I...” She took a slow, deep breath. “I want to... I want to transition.”

“What?”

“I want to become a mare. I want to... take hormones and everything and--”

“No!” she shrieked, her eyes wide. “Why in Equestria would you even--”

“You just said--”

“You've been through a lot and I am so, so sorry I--”

“Don't,” Drifting said, digging her hoof into the ground.

“I'm... sorry?”

“Just... don't. Don't come and tell me how sorry you are, or how you want to make it up to me, or... or any of that. Then just cut me off and tell me you don't really mean it.”

“But Drifting--”

“No. You said no, that's fine.” Her eyes narrowed. “If you won't accept it, I'll find a way to do it myself. I don't need you to support me for this. I never needed it. I definitely never had it.” She knew she was being cruel, but right now she didn't care. Even as the pain flashed in her mother's eyes, a part of her reveled in it. Enjoyed it. Wanted to see how far she could twist that knife. She'd had the knife twisted in herself enough times. “I'm just... I'm done. I thought you understood. I thought after... after last time. I thought you'd realized this was real. That I'm your daughter. But I just... I can't keep doing this. It's just exhausting.” She turned and trotted to the table and began picking up the mess. “You come and feel bad, I smile and try to pretend everything is alright. That I'm doing fine. You try to 'help' me, but you never mean help. You mean 'cure' me. You hope that maybe if they give me some kind of pill or jam some needles in me or maybe just beat me up enough, I'll decide to man up. Well, that's not going to happen. Even if it could, I don't want that to happen. I'm happy being a mare. I'm going to take the hormones, one way or another. I'm going to try going as far as I can, even. The princess has even given me a bunch of information about how far I can go.” She shook her head. “And I want to go all the way.”

Her mother just stood there, chewing on her lower lip. Finally, after a few minutes, she gave a sigh and trotted to the bed, sitting down on it. “Drifting...”

“Don't.”

“No, Drifting. Let's... talk about this. Actually talk.”

“Mom, I don't want to do this. Your idea of talking is just... I tell you what I am, what I want, how I feel. And you shut me down and tell me I'm wrong, or silly, or just... no. I'm just... I'm just tired of it. I can't keep doing this,” Drifting finally said, turning away when she felt the tears start to build up. “I can't... I can't just let you keep hurting me! Do you have any idea what any of this feels like? How it feels to wake up every day looking in the mirror and hating what I see? How it feels to look down at myself and want to burst into tears because I feel I'll never be as cute as I feel I could have been? To wonder if every single pony that looks at me thinks I'm really a mare, or is disgusted or, even worse, planning to find a way to hurt me because of what I am? I'm just... I'm just done. I'm done arguing with you. I'm done fighting with you. You said no, fine. I'll find another way.”

“Drifting...”

“NO!” she shrieked, glaring back at her mother with tears in her eyes. “I'm just... I'm tired of it! I'm not letting you change my mind. I'm not letting you control me! I'll find my own way to do it so just... just go home!”

The mare stared at her for a long while before lowering her eyes. “Is... is this really how you feel? Is this really what you want?”

“Of course it's what I want! I've been telling you for years! It's not just going to go away because you ignore it! Don't you think I've tried that? This makes me happy and I'll do it with, or without your help!”

Her mother lowered her eyes. “Drifting... I...” She closed her eyes. “If... if you really feel this strongly about it... I... won't stop you.” She paused. “I'll... okay it.”

Drifting paused. Then, weakly, she spoke up. “Wait... really?”

“Yes. I just... I just want you to be happy. That's all I ever wanted. If for that to happen you need... those, then I'll okay it. I just--” She let out a yelp when she was suddenly hugged.

“Oh thank you mommy thank you thank you so much thank you!” Drifting shrieked, little tears in her eyes flowing freely. “I-I wasn't sure how I was going to do it I mean I was sure I could somehow but I didn't know how it worked without permission and thank you so much thank you!”

The elder mare smiled and hugged her tightly, gently rubbing her back. “I know, I know. I... I don't want you to be alone in this. I don't want you to feel alone. Ever. I'll... I'll support you.” She paused. “I don't like it. I really don't. But you're still my little... baby and I will never make you go through any of this alone. I'll help you, I promise.”

Drifting nodded and closed her eyes. “T-thank you... mommy. I... I just...” She gulped. “How... much of what Twilight sent did you read?”

“Not even a fraction. How many months has she been preparing all that?”

“Oh... I'm sure a while,” Drifting said nervously. Unwilling to admit that the alicorn had probably only prepared it a few days before sending it all. Maybe even a few hours. The princess was a little terrifying. She was thankful she wasn't a teacher.

“I thought somepony had shipped a full front room set to us by mistake. I can't even begin to imagine the cost of shipping all those boxes. Has... she really been helping you?”

“Oh, yeah. She's great. Terrifying at times, but great. She's really worked hard to... well, understand all this.”

“Good. Good. I'm... happy you're not alone in all this,” her mother said with a small smile. She then looked to the table and frowned. “Who were all those ponies with you?”

“Oh, game night. We were playing some board games.” She tossed some chip wrappers in the trash. “They're a bit weird, but a lot of fun.” She glanced out the window. “I... have class in the morning so I was just going to clean this up and go to bed. I uhhh... I'll take the floor, okay?”

“What? No, honey, there's no need for--”

“I insist. Besides, you're a guest here now. The floor is carpeted so it'll be fine.”

She sighed and gave a nod. “Well... I suppose it'll be fine.”

“Good,” Drifting said before going back to clean up, though after a few moments her mom joined her. Soon the mess was cleaned up and she was able to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. She couldn't believe it, she was going to be able to get her hormones. She was going to be able to get everything! She could barely hold her tooth brush in her magic she was so excited. Tomorrow was going to be the best day EVER!

------ 

Drifting was awoken by a blood curdling scream.

“AWAKEN YOUNG DRIFTING! For we have come to speak of great BUSINESS WITH YOU! Cease thy's SCREAMING!” a voice boomed through the room.

Drifting looked up and saw a dark blue alicorn, Princess Luna, standing over her terrified mother. “The... buck?”
> Chapter 15: Rude awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drifting stared at the princess of the moon, her mouth open. Her mother looked like she was about to have a seizure, staring into the eyes of the princess.

“SO! YOUNG DRIFTING! WE HAVE HEARD OF THY'S AILMENT!”

“I-I'm Drifting,” she said softly, glancing between her mother and the princess. Were all the princesses insane? Were all her beliefs in the regality and nobility of the royals going to be shattered this year? “Please stop yelling.”

Luna turned and stared at the young mare. “Oh. Our apologies. So you are the young one who has abandoned her previous guise in order to one day blossom like a flower into a young maiden?”

Drifting nodded slowly, struggling to decipher that. Once she was satisfied she knew what was she said, she spoke up. “I... I think so.”

“Excellent! Your friends have spoken very highly of thou and we have in fact received a letter from the young princess of friendship requesting us to aid in any way we can.”

“O-okay. Err, uhhh, mom. I think I'm good. I'll see you later, okay?”

“Honey, are you sure you don't want me to stick around for... whatever... this is?”

She shook her head. “No. No no. I'm fine. I'm good.” She looked up at the princess. “So, errr... h-how can I help you?”

“It is not how thou can help us, it is how we can help thou! Your friends have requested that we allow you into...” She paused and looked to her mother, who was just staring with wide eyed shock. “Pardon us, child. But this is private and while your daughter has been allowed to know of it, thou has not. We would like to, kindly, ask thou to leave if you have no further business. If thou doest, we can wait.”

“W-what? Oh! I'm leaving, right away, sorry princess!” the mare yelled before galloping out the door.

Princess Luna nodded before looking down at Drifting, her horn glowing and making the door lock. “Yes. We have decided to allow thou entry into the Dreamscape, as one of our many guests.”

“The what what? Huh?” She gulped. “Can, errr, could you tell me exactly what you know? And.... what you want me to do? They didn't tell me anything.”

She nodded. “Indeed! We are aware of thy condition, young maiden. However, fret not! Thou is not the first we have met with such an illness.”

She blinked. “W-wait, really? You met another... err...”

“Indeed. A captain of our lunar guard and, quite like yourself, she chose such a pretty, flowery name for herself. A Petal as well.”

“R-really?” she asked, a little embarrassed she didn't have a unique one. “And you're okay with it?”

“Why of course! Of what harm does it do us for thou to become a maiden?” Her wing slowly moved out, lifting the young mare's head up. “Thou art quite pretty and will make a fare mare to whoever thou chooses. And if thou wishes to be a maiden during such an encounter, do as thou wishes.” She said with a nod.

Drifting stared at the mare, her mouth falling open. She couldn't contain it. She lunged forward and gave her a big hug. Luna looked shocked, but slowly her wings wrapped around the mare.

“There there, child. There is no need for such a reaction. One of our subjects is always a subject to be protected. So please, let not your heart ache. Now. We must depart, however. Head to the lunar guard tower when the clock strikes noon. Thy friends will meet you, and explain all. We welcome you with open hooves into the Dreamscape!”

Drifting nodded, a big smile on her face. She didn't really know what all she meant, but it was going to be exciting at the very least. She watched the princess turn and trot out, a little quiver of excitement running through her veins.

She didn't know what this Dreamscape was, but she couldn't wait to try it out. It had to be exciting if the princess was involved.

------  

Drifting could barely contain herself from full galloping out of the castle, quickly bypassing other ponies in her rush to get to the tower. She gave a few nods to the guards as she trotted, but all she could think about now was the excitement of what was to come.

She caught a glimpse of Branding as she trotted, but she ignored the mare’s attempts to get her attention. She wasn't in the mood, far too excited to find out whatever the princess had in store for her. She hoped it was as exciting as she expected.

She soon stood outside the lunar guard tower and took a deep breath. It was now or never. She slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The place was bustling. Pegasi, unicorns, bat ponies and earth ponies, the majority in dark lunar armor, were milling about and talking. She gulped before slowly making her way to the receptionist. “Hello. I, err, I'm here to see--”

“Drifting!” Neon's voice called out and she glanced to the right, catching sight of her friends.

“Neon! Aeon!” Drifting called, galloping to them. “O-oh my gosh I am so happy to see you. Um, Princess Luna woke me this morning and--”

“No, we know,” Aeon said with a grin, shaking her head. “Gotta admit, we didn’t think it’d go this fast. So, um. Surprise. We figured now we’d be telling you about it, but not actually going into it on day one,” she said sheepishly. “So, excited?”

“May… be? I’m not really sure what ‘it’ is though. What is the Dreamscape?”

Aeon blinked a few times and then sighed. “Right. Of course. I guess we should start from the beginning, huh? The Dreamscape is, to be clear. A uhhh… well...”

“A game,” Neon said, giving a nod from besides her.

“It’s not a game!” Aeon said quickly, her face going red. “It’s a specially designed training simulation spell that--”

“It’s a game,” Neon said with a snicker.

The unicorn gave him a glare, before looking back to Drifting. “Ahem. Ignore him. It’s a spell, designed to help draw members of the lunar guard into special simulations. You see, we don’t get a lot of time to like… fight in actual life or death situations. And with the attacks that have occurred recently, it’s only natural that we’d try to get all of our soldiers up to the best they can be, without putting them at actual risk. So we can do it in our dreams. The Dreamscape lets ponies gather up and go on training exercises against other ponies. Now, it’s only in the testing and, currently, it’s mostly maintained by unicorns, with only a hoofful of non-soldiers and non-unicorn permitted within. Aeon is one of them. However, we’ve gotten special permission to allow you inside. It won’t be easy, mind. It can be a bit disorienting at first.”

“Wait, so like… it’s a dream, right?”

“Sorta,” she said quickly. “But you’re not actually asleep. We have to put you under while in it. And there are certain… dangers. And even when you wake up, you’ll likely be sore as heck. Even though you’re sleeping, that doesn’t mean it’s ‘easy’. Also, you’ll find you remember everything. It’d hardly be a training tool if not for it, would it? It can take a bit of getting used to, but you’ll be fine with us there with you.”

“… But it’s basically a game, though, right?”

Aeon gave a long suffering sigh and face hoofed. “Fine. It’s a game.”

“… Why do you want me to do this, though? I mean, if it’s just a dream…. I already play a bunch. And it’s not really--”

“You could be a girl in it.”

“… Come again?”

“It’s your dream self,” Aeon said with a smile, grinning at the other mare. She could see by the way she was leaning in, that Drifting was now entirely hooked on the bait. “You’ll be able to be a girl in it.”

“I-I can?”

“You ca-- eek!” Aeon found herself suddenly glomped by a small, excited unicorn.

“Oh my gosh you’re the best pony in the whole world! No, the universe! Oh my gosh, you’ll let me? Really? You’ll let me try this?!”

The mare snickered and gave a nod. “Of course,” the older unicorn whispered, petting her head. “It’ll be fun, okay? But really, you should thank the Princess of Friendship, not me. If it wasn’t for her, we’d have never gotten permission to bring an unaffiliated civilian to all this.”

Drifting nodded. “O-okay! Thank you. Oh my gosh. I am going to write like… a five page thank you letter when I get home.”

Neon snorted. “Oh? So you are her student then?” he teased.

“No, but she DESERVES it! When do I start, when do I start? When when when?” Drifting asked, practically hopping up and down.

Aeon shook her head and pulled back. “Okay, come on then. Let’s go get you tucked in, okay?” she said, turning and walking through the door opposite them. She couldn’t help but notice all the lunar guard ponies who were watching her with looks of amusement mixed with concern. She gave a nod and mouthed ‘it’s fine’ to them. She hoped it’d be fine, at least.

Drifting barely resisted squealing while they walked through the halls of the compound. There were a lot of ponies in dark blue armor with moon emblems on them. She saw a few pegasi, but the majority seemed to be unicorns. She couldn’t really be surprised, though. A spell like this had to require a LOT of magic. She couldn’t imagine how many unicorns it probably took for every non-unicorn that entered.

They stopped outside a door near the end of the hall and she stared at it. “Are you ready?” Aeon asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be...”

“Don’t worry, it’s not so bad,” Neon said with a snicker. “It can be a bit jarring the first few times. But you’re a unicorn, so it’ll probably be easy. You’re used to the whole… magic thing,” he said before giving a shove on the door and opening it.

Inside the massive room was a massive chamber, easily the biggest room she’d ever seen. Even compared to the massive ones in the castle. It was filled with dozens, no, possibly hundreds of beds. Almost all of them filled with ponies who seemed to be asleep. They weren’t hooked up to anything. Instead, there were a dozen or so unicorns in the same dark armor of the lunar guard wandering about, checking on ponies. Drifting felt like she was going to have a heart attack. She could FEEL the amount of magical energy being gathered and flowing through this room. Each unicorn giving a fragment towards a greater whole. And…

Her eyes were drawn up to the light. And she realized all too quickly that the massive, oval ‘light’ that was built into the roof wasn’t a light at all. It glowed with magical energy, illuminating the room. It was covered in runes. “That’s the focus, isn’t it?” she asked softly, pointing at it.

“Eeyup,” Aeon said with a nod. “One hundred percent moon stone. The princess herself supplied it. Now, they are talking about altering the focus to something more common in the future, and just using moon stone as the ‘beacons’ to connect different points at the waylines.”

“Why?”

“Because this is new,” Aeon said with a grin. “But it could be the beginning of a brand new wave of technology. For now it’s only for military ponies, but in the future this might become incredibly common for even normal households.”

“So basically use it as a game,” Neon said with a snicker. “There have already been a few companies that have been requesting permission to use the technology for development.”

Aeon sighed. “Fine, it WILL likely be a game. Eventually. But right now it is a VERY experimental training tool. So please treat it with the dignity and respect it deserves.”

Drifting nodded. “Right. So what do I do?”

“I’ll answer that,” one of the unicorns said while he trotted towards them. “Aeon. I take it this is the… civilian the princess has allowed to enter?” he asked. He turned his gaze on Drifting and made the mare shiver. She didn’t know why, but she already had a feeling this pony did not like her. Or maybe he didn’t like anypony, judging by the way he looked at the others as well.

“Yes. Drifting, this is Cottonpress. He’s one of the developers for the Dreamscape.”

Drifting gave a weak little wave. He had a dark coat, with a black and gray striped tail and main. She wondered if that was his actual colorations, or just required dye jobs for lunar guards. Considering almost everypony here seemed to have them, she assumed the latter.

“I see...” the stallion mumbled. “Once again I will voice my concerns about letting a civilian, let alone a minor, into the Dreamscape.”

“I-I’m graduating in a few years...” Drifting said softly, her eyes lowered.

“And you have yet to have earned your place as an adult, ergo, you are a minor,” Cottonpress said harshly. “And should NOT be involved in such a procedure.” He then gave a long suffering sigh. “However. As the princess has decreed, we, her soldiers, shall do. I cannot pretend to understand WHY she would desire this, Drifting. But I am sure our lady has her reasons. Now then, please follow me.” With that, the stallion turned and trotted away.

“He doesn’t like me, does he?” she whispered to Aeon.

“He doesn’t really like anybody except his work,” she whispered back. “Don’t worry, you’re fine. He’s just… uptight is all. And worried something will come down to cancel his baby. He’s been a part of this since the beginning...”

The stallion stopped besides a bed, and motioned Drifting into it. “Lay down. I will apply the necessary spells. Now, in theory, there should be no actual danger in the tests we will be performing today. However...” Two more lunar ponies trotted forward. “Aeon, Neon, you two will go in first, while I fill her in on all the details.”

Drifting gave the other two a nervous nod before turning back to the stallion. She started to crawl into the bed. “So… I just sleep?”

“Not quite yet. Sit, first. Ahem. Now, you have been told all of the risks, correct?” he asked, staring intently at her.

“Not… really...”

He sighed. “The princess asks, and we do...” he muttered, pulling out a clipboard. “The princess has gone ahead and procured your medical chart for this operation. While it has been perused already by one of my colleagues, I’d like to do a final check. First and foremost. Have you ever been in a group spell casting before?” She shook her head. “The effects are simple enough. You’ll have a constant drain on your magic and...” He stopped and examined the chart for a moment. He then looked back up at her. Then back at the chart. “Huh.”

“Huh?”

“… Your legal name is Snowy--”

“Yes,” she said quickly.

“And you’re a--”

“Yes.”

“… I see. Then allow me to warn you. You’re not the first to enter in this condition. And it may be quite jarring.”

“… Really?” she asked softly. “Someone else like… me has?”

“Yes. Not many, however. You’ll likely enter as a stallion, depending on how far along you are,” he said, his tone calm and relaxed.

“W-what? But I want to--” She stopped when he raised a hoof.

“The first few times. The Dreamscape enters us as we see ourselves. It can be altered and ‘fixed’ with a simple spell. Though this is something I SHOULD have been warned of before...” he muttered, distastefully. “Are you prone to nightmares?”

“Errr...”

“Yes, then. I will warn you now. This is still, for lack of a better term, a dream. If you cannot control your mind, you are likely to bring or something dangerous. Possibly putting yourself, or others, in danger. Understand?”

She nodded sheepishly, feeling the panic start to well up within. What horrors was she going to accidentally unleash? What if she COULDN’T fix it and even there she had to be a boy?

“The magic we use to put you under should, fortunately, ensure that if anything DOES happen while you’re under, you’ll wake up almost instantly. There are, of course, still dangers. If anything happened too quickly, you could be mentally scarred. The first subjects, before we… perfected the spell...” He closed his eyes, before shaking his head. “Fortunately, there are now plenty of dream walkers to help you through this matter.”

“Dream walkers?”

“Soldiers who focus primarily on dream magic. They assist the princess in the dream realm. Most are, currently, focused on aiding us with this project. Now… I need you to sign some waivers.”

“Err… but… I’m a minor. Will that still be okay if I do it?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “In the end, this threat level constitutes only a D rank level threat to you. You are able to sign off on it without parental approval,” he said before sliding the clipboard over. “The princess would have never allowed your entry if there was any true danger.”

“Okay...” she mumbled, going over it and reading slowly. Once she finished, she signed it and turned it back over to him. “Now what?”

“Lie down and relax.”

“Yes, sir...” she mumbled, laying down. Her cheeks burned red as he pulled covers over her. She couldn’t believe he was tucking her in. She wasn’t –

And then everything went dark.
> Chapter 16: Dreamscape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drifting was falling! Oh gosh she was going to die, she was going to… wait. No. She was floating. She was a few feet above the ground, floating in a small, purple bubble. She looked around nervously, before calling out. “H-hello? Is… is anyone there?” she asked. Everything seemed blurry. The grass, the trees, the mountains, Aeon, Neon.

She was jarred back to focus when she realized her friends were outside. Everything seemed to be coming into focus, as well. The world ‘snapping’ into place. She let out a yelp when the orb around her popped and dropped her to the ground, ungraciously landing on her face. “O-ow...” she groaned.

“Not as good as Neon’s, but you are a unicorn. How do you feel?” Aeon asked, trotting over and gripping the mare’s hooves, yanking her back up.

“Distorted. Like… everything is foggy,” she mumbled, glancing around at the slowly focusing world. “It’s so… weird. Like everything is… wait. Is the grass blue? Why is it… and now it’s green. What?” she asked. Things seemed to be changing, reverting to normalcy. She resisted the urge to cover her eyes, the shifting making her feel a little nervous.

“It does that the first time. You’re in a dream, Drifting. Well… sort of. You’re kind of in between dreaming and awake. Kind of like a day dream. In your dreams, anything and everything makes sense. But when you’re awake, you have logic and details. For example. What do you see when you look around?”

“A big, rolling field. Grass, trees in the distance.”

“Exactly. For example, I see cement and buildings in the distance,” Aeon said, giving a smile.

“And I see clouds, with decorative pillars,” Neon said with a nod. “That’s the secret of the dreamscape. It gives the ‘shape’ of the dream, but our minds fill it out how we are used to.”

“That doesn’t seem… useful for training...” Drifting mumbled.

“Oh, no. For now, you’re just getting used to it,” Neon said with a snicker. “The actual training areas involve more focused locations. The dream walkers shape those, so everyone sees the same thing.”

“But for now…?”

“For now, we’re just training you on how this works. And ummm… helping you… err...”

“Yes?”

“Be a mare.”

“What do you--” Drifting stopped mid sentence when she looked down. Her body was different. Very different. In the real world, even she had to admit she was a bit dainty and delicate looking, which she enjoyed. It was part of why she adored all of the help from Rarity. It really helped to draw that side of her out.

But here? Her legs were thick and strong, the exact opposite of how she was. And worse, she felt BIG. And hulking. And she didn’t even have to see herself to realize she was ugly. She was how she often saw herself. And she couldn’t imagine anything worse. She felt her heart rated start to get faster, humiliation flooding her.

“Easy! EASY! Drifting, Drifting, calm down!” Neon said, rushing forward and gripping her face in his hooves. “Hey, listen. Don’t panic, okay? It’s okay!” he said quickly. “We’re going to help, okay? It’s just a nightmare, and we’re here to get you out of it. Focus on my voice. Focus. Listen.”

Drifting stared up at him and slowly she let out a soft, weak reply. “Okay...”

“Good. Okay. This isn’t you, it’s just a poor representation of how you… view yourself… wow...” Neon said, looking her up and down. “You really don’t give yourself like ANY credit, do you? Well. I can tell you with a hundred percent honesty that this isn’t accurate at all. I proooobably wouldn’t have kissed you if it was even a tenth of this.”

She turned red. “W-what?”

“Yeah. So just relax, okay? We’re gonna help you out. You’re gorgeous. Aeon?”

“Okay then. Ahem,” the other unicorn said, stepping forward. “Yes. This is kind of how we see ourselves. And if you have a poor self image… it’s not always pretty. Fortunately, as this is a spell induced sleep, we can alter it. The initial form isn’t well buuuut… we’ll get you something nice, okay? I just need you to trust me. Now… I want you to look at me. And then I want you to focus on being shorter.”

“On being shorter?”

“Yes. Just will yourself. Imagine, and kind of… mentally push. Like your magic. You know how you transform? Envision yourself like that. Using your magic to alter yourself.”

Drifting blinked and, slowly, she nodded. “R-right. Shape myself...” she whispered. With the other mare’s words, she found it actually really easy. She could transform herself so well already, but here it was much easier. She didn’t even have to use her magic, just focus.

“Now, focus on your hair, I want you to make it shorter...” Aeon said gently, guiding her. Telling her how to adjust herself piece by piece. Eventually, the unicorn looked satisfied and a large mirror appeared in front of them. “Good. Now. What do you think?”

The younger unicorn gulped before looking inside. Relief flooded over her. She looked fine. Well, mostly. She made a few small alterations to herself. But she didn’t look big, ugly, clumsy or awkward. She looked like how she wanted to look. Delicate, soft.

“You know you looked almost nothing like that when you’re awake, right?” Neon asked, cocking an eye. “What you looked like before… no. I don’t know why you think of yourself like that… but no.”

“… I know that logically. But… sometimes it really feels like I do...” she mumbled. She missed the shared look of concern from her friends.

“Yeah. Anyway, let’s get going,” Aeon said before starting towards the trees. “You’ve got… oh! Wait. One last thing. Drifting, do you mind if I shape you a bit?”

“Shape me a bit?”

“Yes. Some things that… well. You don’t have the mental grasp for yet. So… here,” Aeon said. She stepped forward and her horn glowed for a moment, tapping the two together.

Drifting’s eyes bulged and she yelped, stepping back. Her cheeks burned and she looked back at the mirror. She didn’t look that different. No. But… she FELT different. She felt a LOT different. She felt… the appearances weren’t really physical. But they felt RIGHT. And she knew why. She was a girl. Fully. It wasn’t just that she LOOKED like one now. She felt like one. She stared at herself for the longest time.

And began to cry, covering her eyes with her hooves.

“W-what? Drifting? Oh my gosh, are you okay? I’m sorry. I just, I didn’t think you--”

“No! I-it’s fine,” Drifting whispered, sobbing into her hooves. “No, it’s perfect. I-it’s the best thing I’ve ever… oh it’s just so… I-I’m a girl!” she said, the tears flowing like a waterfall. “I’m fully. You made me… I can finally be a g-girl. I just… I-I feel right. I feel r-righter than I’ve… I’ve ever felt before. I-I just… I...”

Aeon and Neon shared a look, before Neon stepped forward and put a wing over her. “Hey. It’s okay, really,” he said softly. “Cry as much as you want. Okay? Just get it all out. Take as long as you need...” he whispered. After a few moments, Aeon joined them, forming a protective, warm barrier of hugs around the mare as she let out all of her pain from having been so wrong, for so, so long…

------ 

Drifting groaned when she slowly woke up. She felt exhausted, as if she’d just ran a marathon. Her eyes were wet with tears, and she could feel the sticky remains of prior tears across her face. Cottonpress stared down at her. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“L-like I was run over by a carriage...” she mumbled, groaning. “Wasn’t I just sleeping?”

“Hardly,” he said with a shake of his head. “You were expending magical energy and, as a unicorn, I don’t need to tell you how exhausting magic can be. Especially with a spell you’re not familiar with,” he said, before his horn glowed for a moment. Satisfied, he gave a nod. “Now. Your vitals are all good. Did they help you through the basics?”

She nodded, slowly sitting up. Everything hurt. No, it wasn’t only that. Everything felt… wrong. That feeling of wrongness was back. Only now it felt so much worse. She’d BEEN right for a minute. And now the ache of being wrong was all the clearer, since she finally knew, fully, what it felt like to NOT have it at all. “When can I go back?”

“In a week.”

“W-what?! I have to wait a week?!” she asked, almost jumping him, but instead just falling on her side.

“Yes, you do,” he said, glancing back to her chart. “You’re still a civilian, Miss Petal. That means there are other issues and problems with letting you in. More to the point, you’re not a priority. This is for military training, after all. And still in the testing phase. That means there are only set times you will be able to enter. Is that a problem?” he asked, his voice turning cold as ice.

She blinked and then shook her head. She wanted to argue more, to beg to go back in sooner. No, she wanted to go back in NOW. But something about the stallion told her that if she pushed, she’d lose the opportunity entirely.

“Good,” he said, before looking back up at her. “The next visit will be a lot easier, now that you know what to expect. Were there any issues I should be made aware of? Any headache?”

“Well, I ache all over. But no, my head feels fine.”

“Good. The aching and tiredness are normal. I’d advise you to head home and drink plenty of fluids. After a good night’s rest, you should be fine. Do you want an escort? Neon and Aeon should be here soon.”

Drifting glanced back to the bed for a moment, before shaking her head. “N-no. Honestly, I’d like to be alone for a little bit. Okay?”

“As you wish. Have a good day, Drifting,” he said, before turning and trotting away.

Drifting sighed, before climbing out of the bed. Her body felt tired, but no more than if she’d gone for a long run. She started to slowly walk to the exit and make her way out of the compound.

She couldn’t believe it. She’d always dreamed of being a mare. Wanted so, so desperately to be one. Even for just a second. A minute. Just to know how it felt. And for hours she had been one…

And now it was all the worse. Now everything just felt so WRONG. It nagged at her, like a pesky insect that kept biting her skin. No matter what she did, it just kept reminding her. She was wrong. She wasn’t a REAL girl. Now she knew what it felt like. What it meant.

And how wonderful it could be to just be right. Now, more than ever, she knew that she was definitely a girl. Even her worries and anxiety couldn’t make her doubt herself after that. But…

But she wanted to go back. She wanted so, so desperately to go back. To be able to be herself. A week? How could she last a day, let alone a week, without feeling that way? Without finally being herself? She managed to hold the tears in until she got outside and a block away from the compound…

But once she was sure nobody would see her, she couldn’t stop the silent tears from falling down her face. She’d finally been able to be herself. So why couldn’t she just stay like that, forever?

------ 

“That… was intense...” Neon mumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at his wife across the table.

The mare just picked at her fries. As they hadn’t had to escort the unicorn home, they’d instead decided to go out and get some hayburger. “Yeah. I didn’t know she’d… take it like that. I don’ think I’ve ever seen someone so...”

“Yeah...” Neon mumbled. “She may not have been born it, but… dang. After that? I don’t think anyone could deny she’s a… well...”

“Definitely. The way she just… I knew she wanted to be a girl but like… I didn’t… realize how deep it all was. Do… you think she’ll be okay?” Aeon asked.

Neon hummed and then shook his head. “Honestly? Like… if I know my mares. Which, I’d remind you, I do. Nooooot a chance. Let’s make sure to check on her in a few hours, okay? Like… once the shock wears down, I think she’s going to be completely wrecked.”

“Wait, what? I meant okay like. In the long term. Why would she be upset now?She got to play as herself. Or like… how she wanted to be. Shouldn’t that be a good thing?”

Neon shook his head. “Nope...” he mumbled. “Remember Redsmoke? That stallion who lost his wing?”

“What does he have to do with this?”

“Just remember him. I thiiiiink we may have just screwed up.”

“… And what does Redsmoke have to do with anything? He turned down the invitation into the Dreamscape.”

“Exactly.”

“… Okay, I am going to backhoof you in a second.”

“He turned it down because he didn’t want to go someplace, be able to fly, then lose it all again,” Neon said quickly, inching away. “We… kinda just did that to her.”

“… Oh crud muffins.”

“… But hey. Maybe it won’t be so bad?”

“I take it back, let’s check on her in an hour.”

“Eeyup...”

------ 

Drifting laid in her bed, staring at the roof. She’d gotten her wish. Oh, how she’d gotten it. Only for a moment. Only for a few, small bits… but oh she wanted it back. She’d give anything to have it back. Already her mind was searching, looking for ANYTHING she could do to get a few more hours. Maybe if she dropped out? There were far quicker positions she could take that would remove her ‘minor’ status faster. Join the royal guard? No, that’d take almost as long as her current focus, AND she’d never get in if she dropped out.

Maybe if she found out how to do the spell on her own. She tapped her hoof. How hard could dream magic be? She’d heard of it, but never actually seen the spells. Then again, mental magic wasn’t really something she was good at. She could transform her body, sure. But her mind? She sighed and buried her head under a pillow. She knew she should be studying, but… but this was TORTURE! She wanted to be herself. SHE WANTED TO BE A MARE! For GOOD!

She swore she’d do anything for it. Become a member of the guard? Definitely. Heck, she’d have made a deal right now with Tirek himself if she could just be herself! Why couldn’t she just go and LIVE in that beautiful dream world? At least there she was right!

She had to learn that spell. To tap into it on her own. And she knew just where to start. With a slightly lifted heart, she crawled out of bed. “If I can study a bit of dream magic, I should be fine. I KNOW they have books on it in the library, how hard could it be?”

She had to try. She HAD to.

------ 

Weighted down by four different books on dream magic, Drifting trotted happily towards her room, nodding to the guard before she entered the hall.

She froze in place, staring at her door. Neon and Aeon were standing outside it, staring at her with looks of concern. “Errr… hello… guys...” Drifting said sheepishly, taking a step back. “I uhhhh… was at the library, getting some books for class. I have to stay up on my classes, you know.” She quickly checked to make sure her bag was closed so they couldn’t see the contents, before trotting forward. “What brings you guys here?”

“We just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. You left without us and all. Was it too intense?” Aeon asked, giving a wary look to Neon, who nodded.

“W-what? No! It was fun. I had a lot of fun, really,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I really do need to study though. I-- eek! Hey, wait!” Drifting reached out a hoof, trying to snag the bag that flew out of her bag. Her cheeks burned when Aeon read the cover.

The unicorn then sighed. “Dream magic, huh? You want to become one of the dream walkers?”

“E-err...” Drifting said, shuffling from hoof to hoof. “M-maybe… I mean… it’s not… errr…”

“It won’t be easy. But if that’s what you want to do, hey, that’s on you. I’m just happy you’re not doing something dangerous.”

Drifting blinked a few times and stared at her. “You’re… not mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad? It’s our own fault, really. But...” Aeon glanced down at the book. “I don’t think it’s going to work, Drifting. You can’t just pick up a new magic like that. Your talent is in transformation, right? This magic is completely different. It’s… there’s a good chance you won’t be able to learn it. You may not have the capability of learning it.”

Drifting blinked a few times and looked down at the book. “I-I know. But… I want to try and...”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Aeon interrupted. “I’ll see if I can help, okay?” she said. “Do you mind if we come in?”

“Yeah, come right in,” the disappointed mare said, trotting into her room and moving her books aside.

Neon and Aeon lingered for a few moments outside. “Do… you think she can learn magic like that?” he asked.

“I can pretty much guarantee she won’t. There are only a hoofful of ponies who can learn all kinds of random spells. Maybe if it was similar but…” She rubbed her forehead. “We may have screwed up big, here.”

“We’re going to get another lecture from the princess of notebooks, aren’t we?”

“Yeah… probably… oh well. Let’s go stop her from doing something stupid. At least she’s directing it towards learning something. There are a lot of worse things she could do.”

Neon nodded, letting his wife head in before her. It was going to be a long, long night. He could feel it. Filled with LOTS of talking and crying. Oh well. It was kind of his fault, anyway.
> Chapter 17: Echoes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drifting stared at her book, slowly flitting through it. She couldn’t really focus on it, though. All she could think about was the Dreamscape. Somewhere else. So far away, it might as well have been… well… a dream. She’d have given anything to be back in it. It had already been four days, and she didn’t know if she could last the next four. She wanted to be herself. So, so bad.

But she was terrified that if she DID go back, she’d never be able to escape. That she’d want to hop right back in, that she’d be kicked out again. That she’d want it so desperately and all of the pain would come right back to her, striking her like a knife through the heart. And as desperately as she wanted to go back, she didn’t want to re-open this wound all over again, every week. How could she? How could ANYPONY want this?

It felt like she was starving, only being given a cracker on occasion, just this occasional taste to remind her just how close she could be to being satisfied, but not being allowed it. To not being allowed the same satisfaction that every other mare was allowed.

No, it wasn’t even a satisfaction for most mare’s, she imagined. It was just what they were. It was like breathing, or having a heart beat. Most didn’t know how wrong it felt to not have it until it was gone. She’d been trying to ignore it, which was why she’d begun to do her studying at the library. A place where other ponies often were. Even if they weren’t ones she knew, at least she wasn’t alone. So she could at least pretend she wanted to do more than curl up in a ball and sob in her bed.

Worse, Aeon and Neon were busy and wouldn’t be able to see her until they were next in the Dreamscape. So she couldn’t even distract herself with friendships.

“Drifting?” a voice asked from behind her.

She glanced back and quickly inched away. “Branding! I ummm… I was just leaving,” she said, gripping her books and starting to pack them up.

“W-wait! I wanted to talk to you! Listen, I’m sorry, you were right. I’m seeing a therapist about my anger issues!”

Drifting stopped. Slowly she looked over the other mare. “You are? You… really?”

“Yes, really. You were right. What I did… it wasn’t right. Even if I don’t completely understand what you’re doing. And even if I DO think it’s a bit weird. And I still have trouble...” Branding stopped and rubbed her forehead with her hoof. “No. I’m sorry. I… am sorry. What I did was wrong. It was cruel, and it was wrong. And I am sorry I did it to you. Okay?”

“O-okay...” she said, eying the fire caster closely. “Is that all?”

“No. It’s… I want… to try and be friends again. Before you get upset! Please. I know what I did was wrong. I really, really do. I ended up talking to my therapist and she said that it was very much an over reaction. I mean, of course it was. I attacked you. If you’d gone to the guard about it, or even the school, I could have been in so much trouble and...” She shook her head. “It was wrong. You said you forgave me. And… I just...”

“…You just what?”

“I want to know if we can try to… be friends again? I-I’ll understand if you don’t want to. But… what I did was terrible and I’d really like to try and make it up to you. To… not… be that terrible pony I was that day,” she mumbled.

Drifting stared, her mouth falling open. “You… really sound sorry.”

“I am.”

“…Okay. I… I can try. Okay? Just… ummm...” She glanced to her books. “… Want to study with me?”

“Do we have the same subjects?”

“Okay, probably not...” she muttered.

“…So how have you been?”

“I’m starting hormonal treatment, amongst other things. Or should be, soon. As soon as mom finishes all the paperwork and agreements...”

“Hormonal treatment?”

“Err… yeah. Um, so… I’ve learned a lot since then. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the details.”

“No. Please tell me. I’d like to know more about it. If that’s okay.”

“Oh. Well, um. There are a few treatment’s I’ll be trying. They’re… slow. But my parents are finally supporting them, and...”

------  

Drifting walked towards the exit, her head low. She’d spent a lot longer than she’d expected talking with the other mare. However, it only drove things even deeper how long she had to go to be herself. It’d take YEARS to get to where she wanted to be. It’d be worth it, though. She knew it would. But that didn’t make it any easier. It still hurt so much.

She wanted to be herself NOW. She didn’t want a time trial. She just wanted to be herself. Why was it so hard to--

“Ahem. Snowy,” a voice said, making her glance over. She yelped and took a step back.

“H-hello, Principal Higher. A, err, a pleasure seeing you here. I was just heading to the castle and--”

“I see, I see,” he said, cutting her off. “Could you come to my office, please? I’d like to speak with you.”

“Err… y-yes, sir,” she said, following him towards his office. Her heart was pounding. How much trouble was she in? Was this about her grades? Probably. They’d been terrible. And she didn’t really have a good excuse. And try as she might, she couldn’t THINK of anything to say. Once she was in the office, sitting across from him, she could only shuffle nervously and stare across the desk at him. “So, err… what’s… up… sir?” she tried, failing to make any actual smile.

“We’re here to talk about your grades.”

“…I figured as much.”

“Frankly, they SHOULD be far better than this.”

“I know, sir...”

“In fact, when it came to transformation magic, you’re incredibly talented. Fortunately, your grades in that department have been quite good. And considering that’s why you were accepted into this school, that, at least, is important.”

“…Sorry sir...”

“Unfortunately, while normally this would just mean we’d let you continue as normal… you have the attention of the princess. And while this has, fortunately, NOT spilled out too far yet… if somepony who was connected to the princess dropped out, or worse, we were seen as having been unable to properly train them, it could cause quite an incident. And make the school look bad. I’m sure you understand.”

“Shape up or leave, basically?” Drifting asked. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean it like--”

“No. I want you to graduate. This year.”

Drifting blinked a few times. “I… what? But… you just said I was doing terribly.”

“Incredibly. However. If your focus is shifted to a less… difficult, more focused class of study, you’ll be able to graduate with ease.”

“…What?”

“You’re currently registered as a general studies, secondary in transfiguration. What I’m talking about is shifting to a transfiguration primary. It would require you to pass a few more classes that are more advanced than your used to. But, then again… you did transform a number of your fellow classmates into rabbits while under duress. And that is far harder than anything you’d be likely to encounter on the way to this degree. It would also require far less general classes, and focus more on your strengths.”

Drifting nodded. Her mind was racing. She could be out of here in under a year. More importantly, if she graduated she would be a FULL adult, legally she could do whatever she wanted. And since she wasn’t dropping out, she could even join the lunar guard if that was what it took. But there was still something nagging at her. “… This is honestly what I wanted. What I’d been thinking about for the last few days. But it’s kind of a bit too… cut and dry. You know? Why just offer me this? Letting me graduate early? It’s--”

“It’s not early. It’s shifting requirements around,” the stallion interrupted. “Let’s be perfectly clear… Snowy. A general studies degree won’t help you where you’re going. Especially, with your current grades it’ll--”

“What do you mean, where I’m going?!” Drifting snapped, puffing up her chest.

“…Your grades were never very good, and have only gotten lower. When it comes to transfiguration, you’re quite talented. But the problem is you’re not focusing on that magic. The kinds of jobs you could get as...” He trailed off. “Tell me, Snowy, what kind of jobs are you hoping to do? What kind of life are you hoping to make for yourself?”

“W-well, I want to… err…” she mumbled, trailing off. “I’d like to… ummm...”

“Yes?”

“…I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“However, in terms of transfiguration…” He flipped open a file on his desk. “Apparently you learned a spell to transform yourself into a breezie for extra credit?”

“Well, yeah.”

“That’s incredibly advanced,” he said with a long suffering sigh. “And if you were to only focus on transfiguration magic--”

“I’d be out of your mane faster, pretty much guaranteed to be able to pass, not cause an incident, right?” Drifting asked through gritted teeth. “But I’ll be a lot more limited in what I can do, I--” Then stopped. “Wait. Can… is joining the guard possible with a transfiguration degree?”

“From here? Yes,” he said with a sigh. “And you are correct. This is better for all parties involved. And if you agree to the change, I will ensure that, whichever line of duty you eventually pursue, you will have top recommendations from this school. The fact is, a general studies degree is better if you do not know where you’re going. In fact, our Princess of Friendship had one… well. Her first one. From there she… expanded. A lot,” he mumbled. “Never seen a mare who could get so many majors finished so quickly...”

The unicorn shuffled in her seat. “My parents won’t be happy. They really wanted me to get the general degree. A well rounded education and all that.”

The stallion sighed again. She got the distinct impression he wanted to pick her up and throw her out of his office. “I will call her myself and talk with her. Would that suffice?”

“Y-yes sir...” she said, nodding quickly. “If… they’re okay with it, sure. I’ll do that. Am I excused?”

“Yes. Once it is sorted, I’ll have your new class list delivered to you. You’ll most likely only keep one of your current classes. Dismissed.”

Drifting quickly jumped out of the seat and fled the room as quickly as she could. Though, once she was outside the room, she stopped and started walking at a much slower pace. This was EXACTLY what she wanted. And she’d gotten it served to her on a silver platter… so why did she feel so bad about it?

Because it was being thrust on her because she was doing poorly. She wasn’t getting it because it was what was best for her. She was getting it because they wanted her GONE and they couldn’t just show her the door. And it hurt. It felt like another knife dug into her back. Is this what the rest of her life was going to be like? Given ‘things’ or kicked out of ‘places’ just because of how she was? And yes, it may have been best for her, but what if she couldn’t even find a job?

Maybe the lunar guard really would be a good place for her. She couldn’t imagine the princesses turning her away. It might take her a while to get accepted, if she even could. She didn’t even want to ima--

Wait. No. Princess Luna had mentioned a soldier of her forces who was like her. So it had to be doable through them. And if she could graduate early, and head there immediately, she’d be able to count as an adult when she joined.

She trotted outside and glared back at the door of the school. Fine. IF they didn’t want her, she didn’t want to be here either. She WAS talented. She was very good at her transformation magic, and if she could use that to leverage her way into where she needed to be, she would!

She trotted back to the castle, her head held high. Trying, and failing, to shift that feeling of pain and abandonment into anger.

Of course, the moment she arrived at her room and found a few key letters on her bed, some from home, she felt nothing but dread fill her stomach. She sat on the bed and opened them, reading through slowly.

Her heart started beating faster.

Her mother had given permission to the hospital for her to take hormones and start transitioning. She gave a shriek of pure glee, almost hopping up onto the bed while she read the letter, instead settling for pacing around the room. The pleasure she felt was only amplified further when she found a letter from the Canterlot hospital amongst her mail. Telling her that she had an appointment for this saturday for a quick evaluation before…

That time she was unable to contain her shrieks of glee any longer and galloped around the room, even jumping off the bed. “Yes yes yes yes YES! Finally. I can finally--”

“Miss Petal? Are you okay?” a voice asked. She turned and stared at the guard who had opened the door. Quickly, she dove behind the bed, and tried to hide behind it.

“Y-yes I’m fine I just got some good news please go now!” she squeaked, her cheeks burning with shame.

The stallion gave a small salute, before turning and leaving, the door closing behind him. Drifting couldn’t stop herself from flinging herself down on the bed, reading the letter again. And again.

And again and again and again and again. She was going to finally get started, for real. Her mother was finally approving things. And while she didn’t really believe she’d approve everything, if she could just get things started…

She sighed and looked at the roof. So what if the school didn’t want her? She was going to be a girl. A REAL girl. A pretty, beautiful mare. And even if she had to wait for it, even if it took a while, she was moving forward.

She couldn’t WAIT to tell Aeon and Neon. Even if they wouldn’t be here in time to see the day she got started, she knew they’d support her in spirit. She’d send them a letter before she went to bed. “Eeeeeeeeee!”
> Chapter 18: Wish
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drifting stared at the little pill, her stomach doing little flip flops. The appointment hadn’t been bad at all. A bit of blood draw, a quick going over of notes from both her mother and her therapist. Then the doctor had talked with her for a few minutes, asking if she was aware of all the dangers and the issues that might arise, but it honestly felt like a formality. She already KNEW all that. She wouldn’t have been there if she hadn’t.

And she was more than willing to accept ANY risk, no matter how dangerous it could have been. And the risks themselves seemed relatively minor.

So now she stared at the little pill, a small glass of water besides her. It was finally time. The first step of many. She tossed the pill into her mouth and drank it down. She then…

Felt nothing. Drifting blinked and looked down at herself. She’d expected to feel SOMETHING. Some warm glow flowing through her chest. Or a bit of a tingly feeling. Or really, anything. She then sighed and shook her head.

No, that was just being selfish and unreasonable. Even if she WANTED it to be done already, it was going to take a while for there to be any real effect. No matter how badly she wanted it to all be done RIGHT NOW!

Drifting plopped back down onto her bed, staring at the bottle of her new medication. She wondered if she could jump start the process by downing half the bottle and--

“NO!” she snapped at herself. “Stupid. Don’t be stupid. If you do that, they won’t let you have any more. And you’ll probably end up just delaying the process, because you’ll get sick and throw them all up or something!” she said, audibly scolding herself to try and remove the desire and need. Though it didn’t help much. She wanted to--

A resounding knock on the door made Drifting jump up with a shriek. “Who? What?!” Aeon? Neon? She cut the thought out of her head quickly. Those two were taking care of some other matters, otherwise they would have come here by now to check up on her. So who could it be? She trotted to the door with an odd, growing sense of dread.

Only to have it washed away when she opened it to find the Princess of Friendship in front of her. “Y-your highness!” she said, quickly backing away. “I didn’t know you were coming! Err, come in, come in.”

“Thank you, but I’ll only be here a minute. I heard this was a very important day for you. Aeon and Neon sent me a letter and asked for me to check up on you.”

“Oh? They did? I’ll uhhh… remember to thank them for it, later. But it’s fine. I’ve got the pills and… huh?” Drifting said, eying another mare who was with her.

“Oh, this is Fluttershy, she’s one of my friends. Don’t worry, I’ve already told her about your condition.”

Drifting nodded, before glancing to Fluttershy. The pegasus looked shy and nervous, as if she wouldn’t hurt a fly. And she had the most gorgeous, pink mane that Drifting had ever seen. She’d have given anything to have a mane like that. So pretty and soft. She yelped when she realized she was staring. “O-oh! Sorry! I ummm… yeah. Err. So you… know? Err. Wait. No. Of course you know. All of her… Oh! You were the one who didn’t come to the slumber party. Well, one of them...”

“Oh… Y-yes. I’m sorry. I had a prior commitment with Discord. And I hope everything went well...”

“Err… yes,” Drifting said. “So… errr...” she coughed into a good and then motioned towards the bottle on her dresser. “Those are the pills. So… ummmm… t-there? Is… that all you wanted to check in on? I’m not like. Going to do anything stupid like take all the pills at once…” she mumbled with a soft cough.

Twilight snickered. “Oh, you definitely shouldn’t. The effects would be disastrous! But no, we’re only going to be a few minutes, or rather. Only had a few minutes. I just wanted to remind you that you’re not alone and… ummm...” She paused, pulling out a notebook and flipping through it. “… No. That’s it. Everything. Oh, and you look really great. Okay, we really got to go now. We need to prepare for Dis… err… don’t worry!”

“Oh… uhhh. It was nice… meeting you?” Drifting said, cocking her head to the side and watching the two mares trot away. She really wasn’t sure how to react to all of that. It felt very rushed. Whatever it was that dragged Twilight off had to be important. She snorted and looked at her pill bottle. “Nope. Not going to do that,” she said with a roll of her eyes, before trotting to her bed. She prepared to jump into it, before the blankets suddenly lashed out and wrapped around her, making her topple over with a muffled shriek. She tried to scream, but with the blankets covering her mouth she couldn’t. “MFFFFF!”

“So, you’re the appointment that Twilight was so hush hush about? And here I thought it was about a surprise party for me...” a strange voice said. One she SWORE she heard years ago. She writhed in the blankets, trying to escape. Eventually, she managed and took a breath, intending to scream… only for bubbles to come out of her mouth. “Oh, please don’t shout. It’s so very annoying,” the voice said.

She finally caught sight of the strange creature, only a few inches tall and leaning against her pill bottle. What a strange creature it was, seeming to be made of an amalgamation of a number of different beasts. Even she could identify such a creature at a glance. “Discord? W-what are YOU of all creatures doing here? WHY are you here? No, what. No, whatever! W-why are you here?”

“Because I was curious, namely,” the creaturesaid with a shrug. “Twilight--”

“W-wait, this isn’t about that wish I made, was it? Y-you couldn’t actually hear it, could you?”

Discord blinked a few times, before chuckling and disappearing. Only to reappear in a portrait, pulling out a pear from it and chewing it with wanton abandon. “Oh? A wish, you say? Why… Indeed it was,” he lied, eyeing the mare with a cocked eye. “Though, you should know the old saying… oh, never mind. It’s not important. Do go on.” He popped the pear in his mouth and blew a bubble from one of the seeds.

“… Well… could you? I mean. Turn me into a girl? Err...” Drifting gulped. If he could do it, would that be okay? He wasn’t really evil, right? After all, the princesses used him for all sorts of things. And she’d heard of him going all over, using his chaos to fix things.A deal with him would be well worth it. Probably.

“Turn you into a...” Discord stared at her for a few moments, before bursting into laughter and disappearing, landing on her bed. “Ohhhhh. Oh, that’s rich. That was your wish? Something so ea… difficult?” he asked, shaking his head. A malevolent smile on his lips. “It almost makes me wish my other plan hadn’t already paid off. This would have been so delightful to rub in their faces. But no, little pony. I won’t be granting that silly wish of yours. All I wanted to know was who little Twilight was sneaking off to see. You ponies really are quite humorous with your little--”

His words were cut off when something big and heavy SLAMMED into his face, knocking the spirit of chaos backwards. He toppled out of the bed, shaking his head. It hadn’t really hurt, but it had taken him by surprise.

Drifting was staring at him through tear filled eyes, wielding a metal bad in her magic. She couldn’t believe it. How could he say he was here one second to do it, then take it back the next? Was this all just a joke to him? The unicorn’s entire body just shook with hatred and rage. “Get out of my room! Get out get out GET OUT!” she shrieked. How could she have actually let herself have hope for those few seconds? She felt like an idiot.

Discord merely laughed, shaking his head. The bat came at him again and he snapped his fingers. He then ducked, eyeing the still transformed bat. For a moment, he was confused, then burst into laughter. “Oh, I see. Already transformed, then?” He snapped his fingers again and the bat turned back into a small, stuffed bear. “To turn to me in such a way, it must truly be… un-bear-able,” he said with a laugh. Though he watched her for a few moments, smirking. “But you know… perhaps you can help me with a little something. You’ve given me something absolutely delightful to think about,” he said, before disappearing with a strange slurping sound.

Drifting stared at the spot the spirit had been residing, searching for any sign of the foul creature. With a flash of her horn, she tried to turn the bear back into a bat, but it refused. She blinked a few times, then sighed. “Right… stupid… chaos… spirit thing,” she muttered, before tossing the bear into the corner of the room and dropping onto the bed. Only to shriek and dash to the bottle of pills.

No no no no. If he’d altered them in some way, she swore she’d find a way to end him. She didn’t care how long it took. She’d find a spell to turn him into a cockroach or something! However, when she popped open the bottle of pills and took a quick look, they looked exactly the same. She gave a quick sniff, but they didn’t smell like candy or anything else. She sighed and lidded them back up, before crawling back into her bed. “I’m way too paranoid...” she mumbled. “Stupid spirit of chaos.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. Soon. She’d be back in that virtual world. Back as a mare. A real mare. She’d be a girl again. She just had to focus on THAT, and not this… prank.
> Chapter 19: Patience
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Run!” Aeon yelled with a shriek, before turning and fleeing as well.

Drifting ran with her, the sound of angry timberwolves behind them. She’d seen at least three, but it wouldn’t surprise her to find out there were more. Judging by the growls and howls she heard, it was a full pack. Neon appeared overhead, breaking through the tree cover and glancing down at them. “There’s a river ahead. It’d not very deep, but if you two can make it across they shouldn’t chase you!”

“Got it!” Drifting yelled, pushing herself with a small burst of speed, moments before the three broke through the trees and came to the edge of the river. She didn’t hesitate. She stopped for a moment, her horn glowing, before she crawled into the water as an alligator. She felt a weight on her back.

“I’m on, go go go!” Aeon called.

Drifting started gliding through the water. She became all too aware that there was definitely SOMETHING in this water with them, a bunch of somethings. And they were nibbling at her stomach. Fortunately, the thick hide of her form kept the creature’s from actually doing much more than tickle her. Aeon leaped off when they came closer and Drifting walked onto shore a moment later, before turning back into a pony again. She shook her head, wobbling a bit. “That’s REALLY not easy,” she said, before sitting down. “It feels different this time. Last time it didn’t make me feel so… tired.”

“Training exercises need to be realistic,” Neon said, before turning to watch across the river. The timberwolves came barreling out of the treeline… Only to come sliding to a halt in front of the river. They let out undignified yelps while crashing into each other, one even being knocked into the river and sent slowly downstream. The wolves growled at them, but then scattered.

“Will they be able to get across?” Drifting asked.

“Maybe, where the river thins and gets more shallow,” Neon said with a shake of his head. “We won’t be here when they do, however. Come on, let’s go. We’re almost to the retrieval point. Once we get in there, we’re done.”

Drifting nodded, trotting after the pegasus once he lifted from the ground and took to the sky. Today had been an almost completely different experience from last time. While the first try had been all about learning how the system worked, getting her hooves wet so to speak, now that she understood how it worked she was expected to help them test it. In this case, running some of the exercises with them. They were fun, at least. Though she truly wished she could do less running around and fighting strange beasts, and more relaxing and just enjoying being a mare.

Though she couldn’t deny the enjoyment of running around as a team with her friends.

“So, how’ve the hormones been treating you? Any side effects?” Aeon asked.

“Just happiness,” Drifting said with a chuckle. “Though, it’ll take a while for them to do anything. They don’t make me sick or anything, so they’re barely noticeable right now. I’ll admit I really was hoping there’d be… something. Anything. When I first took them. Some kind of feeling that just… hit me. That’d make me feel… all right. You know?” she muttered. “Kind of like I do now when I’m in here...”

“… I see. It takes time, Drifting. It--”

“I know it takes time,” the unicorn interrupted her. “Trust me. I know. I know probably better than most the ponies in this city. It doesn’t mean I have to like it. I don’t understand why there can’t just be a… some kind of spell that just fixes things. You know?” Drifting said with a shake of her head.

“I know. And I wish there was, too. How’s school?”

“… Good. I should graduate this year. They shifted my focus around so I can get out, sooner. I’ll have an official diploma in transfiguration. After that… well… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll try to join the lunar guard...”

“You shouldn’t force yourself to join, like this,” Aeon mumbled. “If you want to join, then do it. But don’t make a commitment like that just because you want to keep coming here.”

“Why not?” Drifting asked.

“Because it’s a lot of work, can be dangerous and there’s no telling if you’ll even get in here. Your focus is transfiguration, right? They’ll likely transfer you somewhere far away from here. Like the griffin lands or something. Maybe even the dragon lands. The chances of you getting into here are slim.”

“… Well, it’s not like there are any other chances of--”

“You just need to be patient. Wait for them to develop this more, it--”

“All I AM is patient,” Drifting interrupted. “All I do is wait. Wait for the pills to take effect. Wait for mom to be okay with this. Wait until I can get proper treatment. Wait until I graduate so I can keep going. Wait wait wait. You know what? Other ponies don’t have to wait. They get to be born a mare or a stallion and not hate themselves for it. I’m just tired of losing all this time and… I’m sorry,” the unicorn said, noting the distressed look on her friend’s face. “I… I didn’t mean to get all… angry…”

The other unicorn didn’t say anything for a few moments. Finally, however, after giving a soft sigh she spoke up. “I’m sorry, Drifting. I didn’t mean it like that. This must be incredibly frustrating for you. I’m sure if there was a faster way, there’d--”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Drifting mumbled. “I’ll be patient. Really. Who knows? When I graduate, maybe this’ll all be ready. Or maybe I’ll be further along or--”

“Griffons!” Neon interrupted, descending so he was just over them. “Okay, arrow formation, I’ll take point. Let’s do this!”

Drifting set the thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hoof.

------ 

Drifting tried to clear her head while the three of them headed back towards the palace. She couldn’t shake the feeling of just wrongness, however. No matter how much she tried to joke and talk with Aeon and Neon about the fun adventure they’d had, the pain of not being RIGHT anymore just cut into her like a hot knife.

She was so distracted she didn’t notice that something was wrong until Neon lifted a wing to stop her path. “Oh crud muffins,” the pegasus mumbled.

“Huh? What’s wro… oh,” Drifting mumbled, staring at the castle. Despite it being so late, ALL of the lights were on, and soldiers were running all over the place. “Is it an alarm?”

“No,” Neon mumbled. “It must not be anything too serious,” he said softly. “We’d have been called back, otherw--” he let out an undignified eep when a pegasus in lunar guard armor seemed to almost appear in front of them.

“Miss Drifting?” the pegasus asked.

She quickly nodded. “Y-yes, sir. Am I in trouble?”

“No. Neon, Aeon, I presume? Head to the barracks, get your armor on and head to the kitchen, official duties. Sorry for the sudden shift, but we’ve encountered some issues and are a bit short hoofed. Drifting, come with me. I am to escort you to your room.”

Drifting let out a startled yelp when her friends seemed to almost vanish. She didn’t know how they could move so fast. She then nodded, following after the pegasus. “W-what’s going on? Wait...” When she walked in through the gates, she noticed something strange. All of the grass was now polka dotted and the trees were made of cotton candy leaves and chocolate bark. “How…?”

“Visit from Discord. Official visit, he’s requested an audience with the princesses. Standard operating procedures, all guests of the crown are to remain in their rooms during this time.”

“… Oh. OH! Wait, that’s all? Okay,” she said with a sigh of relief. So it was just a visit from THAT creature. She cringed. She hoped he wasn’t going to get her in trouble for hitting him with a bat. He REALLY deserved it. “So I’m not in trouble, am I?”

“Of course not. But for your own safety, please remain in your room until this event is over.”

“Okay. I’ll go ahead and just do my homework and head to bed, okay?”

“Thank you, that would be appreciated,” the soldier said, before stopping outside her door. She had two guards outside it now, standing at attention, though one pushed the door open for her.

She sighed and walked inside, closing and locking the door behind herself. As if she’d be able to sleep. She was already caught up on her homework, though, so she wasn’t sure WHAT she was supposed to do.

Of course, those thoughts were cut off entirely when she looked up at her bed and saw the strange spirit of chaos sitting on it, filing his nails. She gave a helpless squeak, looking up at him.

He merely smiled back. “Ah. And so the guest of honor appears. Hello, Drifting. Shall we have a talk?” Before she could object, the draconequus’ tail shot out, wrapping around her and turning the world dark.
> Chapter 20: Costs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The world returned and Drifting whimpered. She was at a place. That was all she could think to describe it. It looked like a house, almost. Except everything was weird. There were stairs to nowhere, the window opened out to a void filled with floating islands, the furniture was… running around. She swore she saw an upside down room just off from the kitchen. “N-nice place?”

“Oh, this? It’s just a breaker-downer,” Discord said with a laugh. “But I didn’t bring you here to discuss my fabulous home. I came to make you an offer.”

The unicorn squeaked. “A-an offer? Is… this because I hit you with the bat?”

“The what? Oh, no, no no no,” he said with a malevolent smile. “You said you wanted to be a mare, did you not? So I’ve come to offer you...” He snapped his fingers and two buttons appeared in front of Drifting. One said ‘mare’, the other said ‘stallion’. “The chance to… err...”

The unicorn had already hit the mare button.

“…Don’t you want to hear the offer first?”

“Err, right, sorry,” Drifting said, blushing.

The spirit chuckled. “Indeed. But I’ll cut to the chase. It’s oh so very true that normal magic can’t do such a thing. And I cannot tell you just how… saddened I am that Twilight’s magic of… hmph… friendship can’t perform such a feat, either.”

Drifting couldn’t help but think he didn’t look sorry at all. He looked smug as the cat about to eat the canary.

“But mine, on the other hand, why… it would be eas-- difficult, but doable. But in return… I’ll need something from you.”

Drifting nodded. “W-what… exactly?”

“Ten years.”

“Ten… years?”

“Ten years of your life, to--” Discord blinked a few times, sighing. “Can you stop hitting that button like that when I’m TRYING to be dramatic?”

“Sorry, but ten years is fine. Heck, I’d give up twenty if it could… err. Wait. Full girl, right?”

Discord nodded. “Of course. Ten years, full mare. All the way down to your tail and snout...” he said with a very, very wicked grin.

“Then yes! Ten years is fine! I’ll do it!” She smashed the button once more.

The spirit of chaos merely laughed. “Oh, please do remember that eagerness.” Before he snapped his fingers.

Drifting found herself in a massive chamber. The ground was white, with a large, red carpet that led up down the center towards three thrones. The unicorn squeaked and stared when she realized that Celestia, Luna and Twilight were all staring at her, drawing her attention fully before she could look around the rest of the room. Oh dear heavens she wanted to die. Even more when she realized those three were the only ponies in the room aside from her.

“DRIFTING?!” Twilight yelled, her wings spreading before she got to her hooves. “Discord, what is the meaning of--” The spirit of chaos appeared in front of them, a wide grin on his face. “--This?!”

“Why, isn’t it obvious? You asked for a volunteer, and I’ve procured one. And while, certainly this pony wasn’t my first pick… I believe you will find they meet the criteria required. No?”

“She’s a minor,” the princess of friendship said, her eyes swiveling to Drifting. She looked furious, and the unicorn had a feeling it was a mix of at her and at Discord.

“That is acceptable. We all know more than a few minors have joined your guard, while finishing their schooling,” he said with that wicked grin.

“Yes, a few. But not our first,” Celestia said, her own eyes narrowing. “There’s no need to involve a foal.”

“W-what?” Drifting finally managed to speak up. Only to quickly cower and back up when three royal pairs of eyes turned to her. “S-sorry.”

“You know that young mare?” the Princess of the Sun asked, glancing to Twilight.

She merely nodded. “Yes. She’s, err. A… friendship project I’ve been working on. I didn’t know she was planning to be a part of this. Discord, why did you select her?”

“Why, she asked for it,” Discord said with a low chuckle. “Why, she practically begged for it… with proper compensation, of course.”

“Proper comp--” Twilight started, then froze. Her eyes dilated slightly. “Y-you didn’t, you haven’t. DISCORD! You can’t just--”

“Oh, I can. Spirit of Chaos, remember? All those little laws and requirements you have with your magic? Doesn’t apply to me. You know this better than anybody, little miss over achiever,” Discord said with a wide grin. “I made an offer, she accepted. Ten years, and I grant her wish. A fair trade, no?”

“TEN YEARS?!” Twilight yelled, stepping up in her chair. “Discord, you--”

“I believe that is plenty of time to attain my goal. And who knows? Maybe she’ll ask for another ten when all is said and done,” he said with a soft chuckle.

Drifting just blinked a few times, feeling more and more confused with every second.

“She can’t sign on for that long,” Twilight snapped. “She’s a--”

“Will someone PLEASE tell me what is going on?!” Drifting finally yelled, shaking her head. Then yelped and covered her mouth, realizing she just yelled at the princesses. “I-I mean… if that’s okay.”

“…You haven’t told her?” Celestia asked, her own eyes swiveling to Discord.

Drifting gulped and stared at the white alicorn, her own stomach doing flip flops. She’d never seen the ruler of the sun look mad before. But she definitely looked furious now.

“Of course I have,” Discord said with a chuckle. “Isn’t that right, Drifting?”

“H-huh? Err. Yes. He takes ten years of my life and… ummm… turns me… into a mare...” she said sheepishly, nudging her hooves into the carpet, her eyes unable to look up at the rulers.

“Into a mare?” Celestia asked. “I’m… afraid I don’t understand. And take ten years of your life? No, that’s not what he’s asking you, my child.” She turned her furious gaze on Discord. “He’s recruiting you, into his… chaos guard.” Her voice burned with venom.

“Ah. Okay… wait. What? Recruiting into what now? What’s a chaos guard?”

Discord merely chuckled. “Oh my. Did I forget to explain? How silly of me. I’m not taking ten years of your life, no no no no. In return, you’re giving me ten years of your life. Ten years in my new chaos guard. My own personal force, opposite the lunar and solar guard… and I suppose the crystal guard… and friendship guard,” he muttered the last one with a hint of annoyance. “That was part of the agreement, was it not, your highness?” he taunted back at them. “If I found somepony willing to, fully… dedicate themselves to the cause. To be my first chaos guard.” He snapped his fingers.

Drifting squeaked when armor appeared on her body. It was a strange, dark green color, with a design almost exactly like the solar guard’s. Except for the mohawk at the top was instead a strange, curved horn. The mare was so distracted for a few seconds by this new change that she almost missed the most important thing.

She was a mare. He’d actually done it. She was a mare. FULLY. She could feel it. That sense of ‘wrongness’ just gone. She felt like she might start crying.

Twilight looked ready to burst into flame, staring with pure hatred at Discord. “Yes, and we imagined you’d choose somepony ELSE to be your representative. There have to be other ponies! Why her?”

Discord gave the most innocent smile he was capable of, it did nothing to amuse the rulers. “Why, yes, I did. Unfortunately, my primary candidate accidentally fell through. Dimensions. Chaos magic can be like that sometimes.”

“DISCORD!” Twilight roared, her wings flaring out and making the windows of the room shake. “WHY ARE YOU INVOLVING DRIFTING IN THIS?!” Her voice echoed through the hall, making the windows rattle.

“Oh my. The Canterlot royal voice? Marvelous,” the spirit said with a laugh. “Easy. I needed a representative. You ponies want somepony who can watch over me. Or did you think I missed how many of my prime candidates you were, ahem, monitoring? And Drifting here, well… I think we all.” He pointedly glanced to Celestia. “Well, most of us, at least, know what she wants. Isn’t that right?”

Drifting was too busy staring at her hooves to care, her mouth falling open. “It’s… it...”

Twilight let out a low growl, a hoof over her head. Then her eyes lit up. Her horn glowed for a moment and a small book appeared in front of her. She quickly flipped through it, before nodding. The purple alicorn then glanced to the other princesses and gave a nod, all three leaning in and whispering amongst themselves.. If Drifting had managed to notice their faces, he’d have noted a look of smugness on the alicorn’s face.

“Unfortunately, Discord. You’re correct. All of this is technically true,” she said with a nod. “And we will agree on two counts. One, Drifting? We will need your express consent.”

“Huh?” Drifting asked, glancing up from staring at her flank. “What? Oh. Um. Yes? Whatever the awesome spirit says,” she said, before glancing back. It had to be a dream. It had to be. This was all too easy. She felt right.

“…And her consent later once the shock wears off,” Twilight said with a sigh, putting a hoof to her forehead. “Stupid spirit… How in the world are you friends with Fluttershy? Pure evil...” she grumbled under her breath. “And the second aspect… Her recruitment of only five years. That is the minimal amount of time for a member of the guard, including basic training.”

Discord nodded. “Oh, very well. Five years is plenty,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Wonderful. Now, as we’re in agreement. As per section seven, sub-paragraph six of the royal guard code, as the newest guard order, while granted to a non-ruling element of the Equestria hierarchy, your guard will be monitored by the strictest measurements.”

“Oh, but of course,” the spirit said with an almost giddy glee, clasping his hands together.

“And, as such, will fall under the purview of one of the already established guard units.”

Discord paused, blinking a few moments. “Come again?”

“As per section seven, sub-para--”

“No, not that. The purview? What is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

Drifting felt a light tingling in her horn and took a quick step back, though she didn’t know why. A moment later Discord appeared just above where her head had been, only a few inches tall, and fell to the ground. Only to reappear a second later just above her head properly, reaching out and gripping her horn as he leaned on it.

“It basically means that, until the force is officially, and fully formed, rather than serve directly under you, they will instead operate as reinforcements through the already established guards. Now, as the friendship guard only exists on paper and has never been properly formed, and the crystal guard operates in the Crystal Empire, that leaves the solar and lunar guard.” Twilight cleared her throat. “And, as the lunar guard is still short hoofed, Princess Luna has agreed to take them as their reinforcements… while we sort out the needs of the chaos guard.”

The spirit glared at her, before finally sighing. He disappeared, only to reappear in front of the princess. He was now wearing block glasses and a turtleneck sweater. “Very well. If that’s how you wish it. I accept,” he said in a mocking tone.

“Very well. Then in that case, I move we close this meeting,” Luna said. The other two princesses nodded. The dark alicorn got to her hooves. “Discord, shall we discuss things? Please, come with me.” She turned and trotted down the steps, and out the opposite exit, Discord ditching the outfit and following behind her.

Once they were gone, Twilight shook her head and… “DRIFTING!” she yelled, her glare turning on the unicorn.

Drifting eeked and stumbled back. “E-err… h-hi….”

“What in the world were you thinking? Do you have ANY idea how much trouble you’ve caused? We had all of this handled, without you tossing yourself into the fire. We already knew exactly how to handle his selections and… ugh!”

“S-sorry… umm… but I don’t?”

“Of course you don’t,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Because you didn’t th--”

“No, because I literally do not know. You never told me anything about any of this. Discord did. When he popped into my room and went ‘Hey, I’ll turn you into a mare. If you’ll give ten years’. And I mean, I’d have given twenty years? How in Equestria could I pass that up?”

The alicorn stopped. “Given… twenty years? Why? Do you even understand what you’re asking? You can’t just risk your life like that! It’s not--”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Drifting grumbled. “You already are a mare.”

Twilight put a hoof to her forehead.”Drifting, you have no idea what you’re even talking about. What you’re even offering Discord. He’s a… Well, he’s Discord! If you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile!” she snapped. “And you just gave him ten!”

The unicorn sighed and then glanced towards Celestia, who was sitting on the throne and still managing to look quite regal, while also looking completely confused. Finally, she turned to the Twilight. “Okay, then. What exactly have I agreed to?”

“…What?” the alicorn asked.

“What have I agreed to? What exactly am I going to be doing, in order to be a mare? In order to be right?”

“OH!” Celestia finally spoke up, making both ponies turn to her. “Then I take it, this must be that young mare you told me about in your letters?” she asked Twilight, giving a radiant smile.

“Huh? Oh. Err. Yes. Drifting, meet Celestia. Celestia, meet Drifting.”

“E-err, hello, your highness. A pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” the white alicorn said before getting to her hooves. She stepped forward, looking the mare up and down before speaking again. “I see. Twilight, I wouldn’t try to change her mind.”

“W-what?” Twilight asked.

“Judging by the things you’ve told me about her, there is no sacrifice she wouldn’t make. And, unfortunately, Discord is correct. Our magic cannot do what she desires. And for that, I am eternally sorry,” Celestia said, moving besides the two.

Drifting couldn’t help but feel humbled before the great mare. “T-thank you, your majesty. I ummm… I’m sorry it all came to this. I mean, I never intended to cause any problems. Really. I just...”

“I understand. Or, at least, I understand as best I can. I’ve been alive a very, very long time and have seen a few ponies with your particular… issue. While it is very rare, I cannot fault a pony, any pony, for wanting to, as you put it, be right,” she said, before reaching out and placing a hoof on the small unicorn’s head, gently. “I am only sorry that you were driven to the point where this became the means by which you could. But, no matter what. Always know you are one of our subjects, and we will not forsake you.”

“O-oh… t-thank you… your majesty. I just… Thank you...” she mumbled, her cheeks burning. “May… I will try my hardest. I promise. To not let any of you down. I just… I just want to be right. I’m sorry…”

Twilight sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. “… It’s fine. I’m sorry I got mad at you, Drifting,” she mumbled. “And no, I suppose it’d not as terrible as it could be. We have been planning for… well. Discord’s guard for a while now. When he first came to us with the proposal, we began to plan on how to deal with it,” she said, gently. “And we’ve been monitoring all of his choices closely.”

Satisfied, Celestia turned and walked away, heading out of the throne room and leaving the two alone.

“And… I kind of threw a hitch in everything, didn’t I?” Drifting said sheepishly, shuffling her hooves. “But I really just--”

“It’s not as bad as that,” the alicorn said, shaking her head. “Though, I would have preferred you HADN’T been involved. I just know Discord is using this to prove a point,” she said flatly. “And… had it been on a day other than today? Had you joined him after his guards had been formed? I wouldn’t have been so upset,” she said firmly. “But you really should not be the first. Because there are going to be a lot of eyes on you,” she mumbled. “Not every eye in the kingdom, but enough,” she mumbled. “We’ll try to get you out of sight as best we can but...”

“But I did kind of invite this, right?” Drifting mumbled.

“As much as I hate to say it, yes. How did Discord even find out about you?”

“Oh, um. The day you brought that yellow mare with you. He came by a few moments after you left.”

The alicorn let out a low, unhappy mix of a whine and a growl. “Really?! I didn’t even… So if I just hadn’t… gahhhhh!” She shook her head. “Right! Focus! Okay then, Drifting. You are familiar with the solar guard and the lunar guard, correct?”

“Err, of course.”

“Good. Now, Equestrian law allows a special ‘guard’ for each ruler or those who are considered of ‘sufficient rank’. Primarily, myself as a princess and Discord as the spirit of chaos. This law has been in existence for centuries, though it wasn’t actually used until recently, when Princess Luna came to the throne. It’s the primary reason why the lunar guard was created so quickly.”

Drifting nodded. “Okay. That… makes sense. And Discord wanted one, now?”

“Discord wants a lot of things. But we never thought he’d actually look through law books. He’s basically the description of lawlessness! Why did he decide NOW to get involved in them? I know somepony had to tell him, and I swear if I ever find out who I will give them SUCH a homework assignment. Ugh. Either way, he put in the formal request to begin his own chaos guard. Soldiers that answer to him. Now, for obvious reasons we’re wary of allowing him, of all ponies, soldiers. But we can’t exactly deny him, either,” she said with a shake of her head. “Technically he is on our side now. And, more importantly, all guards must swear their loyalty to Equestria, first and foremost. Then their guard. And it’s not like there will be a large number of volunteers, either. It’s Discord.”

“There are likely more than a few ponies like me who would happily serve if it meant they could be how they want to be...”

Twilight gave a soft nod. “Exactly. And this sets a dangerous precedent. We’ll now have to setup discussions with him. He can’t just grant anypony their wish, no matter what it is. And while chaos magic is… different. It STILL has rules. If there’s an entire army of ponies banging down his door, trying to get their hearts desire. Or even worse. What if there’s no way to fulfill their hearts desire?”

Drifting stopped, her eyes wide. She imagined for a moment, ponies like her, hearing that this could be done. Then finding out it couldn’t. She gave a shudder. “I-I’m sorry. But I just couldn’t pass this up! This is my chance to be… to be right. And I don’t mind the risks. Even if everypony in Equestria hates me for it, I just want to be normal. Like every other mare...”

“Well, you’re not going to be normal,” the alicorn muttered. “Five years under the chaos guard. Who knows what other tricks Discord has in store? We’ve been trying to cover every angle, but… ugh. There is a silver lining, at least.”

Drifting nodded. “And that is?”

“You’ll be an official member of the chaos guard, likely by the end of the week. And from there, the five years will start. There is a distinct possibility that Discord will completely lose interest in his guard before he fully has control of it. It’ll take time for him to gain enough members for the guard to be fully formed. And, until such time, he will have very limited control. Additionally, the guard are all monitored by strict laws that he will have to follow, and that’s really not something he’ll likely do for long. Probably. Maybe. I hope...” she muttered.

“Err… so what about… ummm… school then?”

“You’ll be getting tutoring, for the time being,” Twilight said with a shake of her head, looking absolutely horrified. “There is no way you’ll be able to keep going there. The press would descend like vultures! How could you ever study like that?!” she asked, the notion of an unsatisfactory education stabbing through her even worse than the nasty trick Discord had played. “We’ll figure out what we can. But… in the end? It’s very possible we won’t be able to protect you at all,” Twilight mumbled. “At least… not as much as we’d like. You’ve thrown yourself into the deep end, Drifting. You’d best get ready to sink or swim.”

Drifting nodded, turning her gaze towards the main door. She took a deep breath, before finally speaking up again. “I know. And I know. But… I think it’s worth it.”

“I certainly hope you’re right. I know I wouldn’t have done something like that.”

“Well, maybe if you’d been born a colt, you would have.”

Twilight shook her head. “I doubt it...”
> Chapter 21: Oath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drifting was beginning to think she made a horrible, horrible mistake. It had been almost a week since she’d agreed to her new role, and she would be sworn in tomorrow. In that time Neon and Aeon had descended on her, first almost in tears, then a quick screaming match, followed by more tears and then a lot of hugs. Why they were none too happy with this decision, they’d eventually relented and agreed that, if it made her happy, then they’d support her as best they could.

Her mother, on the other hoof, had not been so accepting. The mare had to be forcefully removed, taking six guards. She’d nearly bashed down the door trying to get at her daughter. Fortunately, the door to Drifting’s room could have taken a raging bull in head on charge without opening when locked. Though her mother had come close.

She wasn’t surprised at all to find that the principal had formally agreed to let her graduate early on a special ‘guard addendum’. Officially allowing her to be considered an adult, though she would have to continue her lessons while in the guard. She imagined he had been almost giddy to finally be rid of her.

She hadn’t been able to leave her room since the day after. Once the announcement had been made of the official ‘forming of the chaos guard’, the papers had been filled with stories and guesses of who these new guards would be. The princesses were doing their best to keep details to a minimum, but there were already plenty of guesses and she was mildly annoyed to see her original name listed as a possible selection. She suspected the only reason it wasn’t truly known was because Discord was enjoying the air of mystery it was creating.

Of course, once she was fully signed in, there would be no more doubts. EVERYPONY would know who she was, as it would be a matter of public record. She couldn’t help but feel more dread at the notion that, once it was officially out, that also meant everypony would know who she was. More importantly, what she was. Just thinking about the whole of Equestria knowing she was trans made her want to throw up.

There was a light knock on the door, making her glance up. Oh dear heavens she hoped it wasn’t her mother trying again. She didn’t hear any objection from the guards, though, so she supposed it couldn’t be her. “Hello, who is it?” she called out.

“Hey sis, it’s Sunny. Your sister? I hope you haven’t forgotten me now that you’re gonna be all famous and stuff,” the teasing voice answered.

Drifting’s eyes widened and she raced towards the door, swinging it open and giving the other mare a tight hug. “O-oh my gosh! Sunny! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

Sunny gave a light laugh. “You’re kind of in lockdown mode, now. Is it true that they tossed mom out?”

“Yeah. I hear they had to escort her home after all of this,” she said with a giggle, before trotting to her bed and sitting down. “So. I’m guessing you know, then?”

“Yup. Mom and dad are furious.”

“I imagine they will be. But ummm… it’s not like I like Discord or anything. Just… and in five years, I’ll be out.”

Sunny sighed and trotted over, hopping into the bed besides her. “They’re… not mad about that.”

“Oh… they’re mad about me… ummm...”

“Being a mare now? Ohhh yes. They actually sent one of the elements of harmony themselves to break the news. Nice mare, Rarity? But oh buck mom and I had it out.”

Drifting couldn’t suppress the grin. If nothing else, at least she always knew her big sister had her back. “Yeah… I guess mom probably didn’t expect me to be fixed all at once, huh?”

“Oh gosh no. I swear,” she muttered, patting her on the head. “She was really holding out hope that this was just a phase and you’d snap out of it and wanna be a stallion. I kept trying to tell her that you weren’t going to snap out of it any more than I was going to snap out of wanting to be a mare. But… well. Mom.”

She sighed and gave a nod. “Mom. So… you’re not mad?”

Sunny shook her head. “Not at all. You’re a cute mare, and you finally get to be what you’ve been trying.”

“I mean… since I’ll be working for Discord.”

“…Joining the guard is still a pretty noble profession. I’m sure, once everything gets sorted, they’ll be seen as just as valuable as the other guards. I mean, if the princesses are okaying them, then they can’t really be bad for Equestria, now can they?”

Drifting couldn’t help but give a giggle. “Oh, no. They hate this. I’ve only seen them a few times, since. But Twilight is really furious that he grabbed me. Princess Luna has been coming by from time to time to ask how I feel about certain things to station me and I should know tomorrow. But… to be honest? I’ll be a mare. I’ll go where ever they position me. Well… except...”

“Except?”

“I did ask that they didn’t put me anywhere near diplomatic borders...” she mumbled, poking her hooves together. “I’m going to have a lot of eyes on me for a while. The last thing I want is to be near someplace where I might cause an international incident.”

Sunny snickered, nodding. “Oh yeah. Especially if mom tracks you down. She’d probably toss a yak.” The two stared at each other for a moment, before bursting at the mental image of it. After a few moments, the elder unicorn shook her head. “Right. Though that’s not why I’m here.”

“It’s not?”

“You’re officially an adult now, right?”

“Yep. Got my records changed and everything. I uhhh… even… actually got Princess Twilight to help me set it up so my name would show as Drifting Petal from now on.”

“Oh, mom is going to kill you for that one.”

“Probably, but I figure she can only kill me once, so I best make it worth it,” she said with a shrug. “So, why are you here?”

“Because, little sister of mine. You are now, officially, an adult. Which means!” Sunny’s wicked grin sent a little chill down Drifting’s spine. The elder unicorn grabbed her bag and opened it. Pulling out bottle after bottle after bottle, lining them up.

“Uhhhhh…” Drifting whispered, staring. “I...”

“You’re old enough to drink. And since, hey, who knows when I’ll be able to see you again when all this is over? So, it is an older sister’s job to get her newly adult little sister completely and utterly plastered. You can thank me later.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Oh, I am totally serious.” She opened one of the bottles with her magic, pouring it into a pair of small shot glasses. “Now then. Bottoms up, sis. This first one is called jager and it has a bit of a kick.”

Drifting groaned, staring at the dark liquid. She then glanced to her sister and found a smile forming on her lips. “Well, okay. Since you insist. What’s the worst that could happen?”

------  

Drifting groaned, slowly opening her eyes and gazing up at a very annoyed looking Princess of Friendship. Her tongue felt like cotton balls and her head felt like somepony was trying to drill out from the inside. Worse, there was a stabbing pain in hip. She glanced down and saw her sister was sleeping besides her, horn digging into her. She pulled away and let out a sigh, before turning back to the princess. “H-hello, your highness.”

“You do realize you are being sworn in, in a little more than an hour. Correct?”

“…I do now.”

Twilight shook her head. “Really, I expected better from you. You finally become an adult and the first thing you do is go drinking? There are so many better things to do with your time.”

“Like…?”

“Well, for one, there is the more restricted access of the magical tomes you’d now have access to. As an adult you’re expected to--”

Drifting couldn’t stop herself. Despite the pain, she couldn’t stop giggling helplessly.

“What’s so funny?”

“I-I don’t know. I think I’m still a tiny bit tipsy. I-- EEK!” Drifting flailed a bit after being picked up in the alicorn’s magic and forcefully dragged into the bathroom, the door closing behind her.

“Take a cold shower and get ready!” Twilight yelled. “Here!” A small bottle appeared on the counter. “Drink that, it’ll help!”

“… What is it?”

“One of Pinkie’s. Just drink it.”

“Ughhhhh…” Sunny groaned. “Keep it down...”

“And you, miss… Whoever you are. This is not a...”

Drifting rolled her eyes, drowning out the rest of the lecture by turning on the water in the shower. She waited a few minutes for it to warm up, downing the drink. Mmmm, it was a bit minty, and it calmed the strong rumbling in her stomach.She then stepped forward and slid under the flow of water. She let out a content, relaxed sigh when the water began to wash away that weird, grungy feeling. She rinsed out her mouth and stretched out her sore muscles. Like it or not, the princess was right. She had to give her oath soon. Otherwise, all that she was would disappear.

She climbed out and quickly got to work, drying her mane and pausing at the mirror.

She was a mare. The face that looked back at her didn’t even have a hint of the masculinity she had held for so long. That she had tried to cover up for so long. She hadn’t really looked at it until now. She just stared at her reflection and began to sob.

After a few moments, there was a knock on the door. “Hey, sis? You okay?” Sunny called in.

“Y-yeah,” she managed to croak out, opening the door. “S-sorry, I just… I-I got a bit e-emotional and… and...” She stared up at her sis. She tried to suppress it, to stop it from erupting. But she couldn’t. She lunged forward and hugged her sister tightly. “I-I’m a mare. I’m finally a m-mare. I-I don’t have to, have to look at the mirror any more a-and try to hide things o-or c-cover things o-or f-feel disgusting o-or icky or a-anything!” she said, between her loud sobs. “I’m a m-mare now and I n-never ever have to be anything different… I-I just… I-I’m so happy...”

Sunny stared at her little sister, before lightly patting her on the head. “Hey. Yeah. You’re a mare now, sis. Heh. It’s gonna be okay. So… don’t worry. We’re here for you, no matter what. But you got an oath to make, right?”

“R-right. I gotta get… get ready. F-for it. Yeah. I gotta go and...” she mumbled, giving a soft sniffle. “I-I’ll go finish. Thanks. For everything,” she said, turning and walking back into the bathroom to finish cleaning up. Once she came back out, she noticed her new armor laying on the bed. Her horn glowed, gripping the equipment in her magic and drawing it over, strapping it on. She then looked to Twilight. “I think I’m ready.”

“How are you feeling?” the princess asked, her gaze having softened considerably.

“Sore and my head is pounding,” Drifting said, standing up straight. “But… happy. Very, very happy.”

“Good,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Try to remember that enthusiasm. Today is going to be… interesting.” She then turned and trotted to the door. A guard came up to escort Sunny, while Drifting followed the princess.

Drifting’s nerves quickly went into high alert and she couldn’t stop herself from feeling dread while walking through the halls. The guards all seemed to be staring at her, some with eyes of hostility, others with pity. However, when they drew closer and closer to the throne room, she began to wish the trip would take ten times as long. All too soon it ended and she was brought to the massive chamber. It was filled with guards of the solar and lunar guard, though she could barely focus on them. All she could focus on were the princesses opposite the entrance(who Twilight teleported to join), and Discord. The spirit looked quite pleased with himself, grinning so much she wondered if his face might split. The pounding in her head felt as if it was only getting louder, though she suspected that had something to do with the trumpets being blown. She didn’t know what was in that drink Twilight gave her, but she sent a silent thank you to the heavens for it. Slowly, she walked down the long carpet, feeling as if every single eye in the room was on her… though it probably was. It was all she could do to not turn tail and run.

Before she knew it, she was standing before the most powerful ponies and spirit in Equestria, bowing her head to them. Once she was told to rise, she felt her tongue practically turn to sand paper. Fortunately, from here all she had to do was repeat. One by one the princesses stepped forward, said their line and let her repeat it back to them. While she did flub a few lines, she fortunately managed to avoid making a total flank of herself. Once she had finished making her vows, she turned and was escorted away, by a member of the lunar and solar guard, both unicorns.

She let out a sigh of relief once she was free, lead out from the room. She followed the two, walking in silence until they headed into a locker room, which was currently empty. “Nervous, kid?” the solar guard asked, giving a small smile. She nodded. “Don’t be. We’ve been informed of you, already. You’ll be working with us, in a few weeks. Her highness asked us to introduce ourselves,” he said with a nod. “I’m Major Rosebush, a pleasure,” the unicorn said with a nod.

“…Major Rosebush?” Drifting asked.

“Yes. And this is Captain Lavender. She’ll be your primary commanding officer while you’re working with us.”

Drifting’s eyes widened and she quickly stood at attention. “S--”

“Knock it off,” Lavender said, turning her glare to her. “Listen, Drifting. Like it or not, you’re a member of the guard. Chaos or otherwise. Before you get too excited, thinking this is all going to be fun and games, make it through basic. Then we’ll see if I’m being offered dead weight, or someone of actual use.” The unicorn then turned and walked off, leaving the younger unicorn staring.

“I… I don’t think she likes me...”

Rosebush merely chuckled. “Don’t mind her, she’s always a little testy,” the stallion said. “But she’s a good commander. As long as you don’t give up and survive basic, well… you’ll likely get along great. She’s just not too happy about the uhhh… conditions of your arrival. This isn’t exactly standard operating procedures, after all. Don’t let her shove you around too much, Private. While we both, technically, out rank you, as a member of the chaos guard, we have no direct control over you. Though I would still follow orders. Just because we don’t technically out rank you by the book, we still have far more experience and, more importantly, a desire to keep you alive.”

“Keep… me alive?”

“Yup. The princesses have deemed to send you to one of the most remote places imaginable, at least for now. To keep it out of the public eye, at least, until all this drama dies down enough.”

Drifting gulped. “W-where exactly am I going?”

“The Badlands. You’ll be working alongside the Badland Mooners, that’s the name of Lavender’s unit. Now, wipe that look of terror off your face. It’s not as dangerous as you’re worrying. So long as you keep your head down, don’t cause any troubles and listen to us, you’ll be fine.”

Drifting nodded. “O-okay. And… umm… about my enlistment… it...”

“We’re aware of the reason you enlisted,” he said with a shake of his head. “And trust me. You’ll receive no complaints of objections from anyone in either the solar or lunar unit. Of that, I can assure you.”

“I… I see. How bad will basic be?”

“Pretty bad. I believe you’ll be going through lunar guard training. But you should be fine. As long as you don’t give up, well… just be determined, Private. Assuming you want to make it. The most important thing is determination. We won’t see each other for a while, though. So good luck.” With those words, the stallion turned and trotted away.

Drifting gave a soft, gently sigh and closed her eyes. Here it was. Everything she ever wanted. All she had to do was survive the next five years and it’d be perfect. Though, she couldn’t keep a smile off her lips.

She’d just have to survive five years of herself and these Badland Mooners. Even if the Captain seemed a bit rough, the Major seemed wonderful and she was sure she would make it through. Because there was no way she’d allow herself to fail, not now. Not after everything she’d had to go through to get here.

She would never give up, ever. Because now she finally got to be herself. And there was nothing better in the world.