She smiles into the mirror, pleased with the dragon she sees. Once she tried to be as macho as she could, but that was a game. Now she can just be herself.
She smiles into the mirror, pleased with the dragon she sees. Once she tried to be as macho as she could, but that was a game. Now she can just be herself.
Barb turned left and right slowly as she played with her fins. They had become soft, wobbly even. To a dragon, perhaps this was a sign of weakness. But she wasn't a random dragon. She was Barb, sister of Twilight Sparkle. She had helped defeat huge monsters and saved Equestria and possibly the entire world a few times. Also, she was cute, but that was mostly her opinion on the matter.
"And the only one that counts." She fired finger guns at her reflection, who was polite enough to return the gesture with the same smile, though that faded. "I hope." Her transition hadn't meant her insecurities had just faded away entirely, but it felt... different, from the toes on up. It was a brand new day for a brand new her! "Time to get out there!"
She rushed from the room just to almost crash into one of her roomies. "Oh, hey Starlight."
"Hello, Sp--Barb." She was still getting used to that name change. "How are you feeling?"
"Great! How do I look?" She saw Starlight's doubt. "Not on a 'how pretty I am,' kind of scale." She waved that away. "Just making sure I look right. I'm... new to prettying up in the morning. You've been a mare a bit longer..."
"Oh!" Starlight parked and closed in, looking Barb over intently. "I don't see anything out of place. And, last I remember, you prettied yourself up as a boy. It hasn't changed that much, has it?"
Barb colored at Starlight's words. "It's not exactly the same thing, but I guess you're a little right. Boy dragons I know don't care about that... So long as they looked properly tough and dangerous, they were happy..."
Starlight looped a leg over Barb, drawing her in. "Maybe you knew what you were long before we took any steps about it."
"Yeah..." Barb wrapped both her arms around Starlight in a happy embrace. "Thanks for being awesome!"
"Any time, Barb." Starlight released her draconic pal. "So, besides... this." She waved over Barb's changed form. "Anything else changing today? You're still helping Twilight at the school, right?"
"Actually." Barb shrugged softly as she pointed out a window. "I was going to meet up with Smolder. She's a she-dragon around my age. First, um, gonna show her, then maybe get some advice, dragon to dragon."
Starlight hiked a brow. "Watch out about that... You two are close in age... from my perspective. For young creatures, every year makes a big difference. I bet, from her point of view, she's way older than you. You're a little dragon, barely out of being a hatchling. I'm not trying to badmouth her, you two get along well enough."
"We're friends, Starlight." Barb rolled her eyes at Starlight's worry. "Besides... If I'm younger, that may work out. She can take me under her wings like a little sister." She began to glow in the cheeks, shuffling in place. "That'd be... kinda nice actually. Don't force it!" That last she aimed at herself, bidding herself to not screw it up.
Starlight smiled gently at Barb's situation. "If it helps at all, you're already in that camp with me, even if I'm still getting used to the idea."
"Did I mention you're the best? Is Twilight already at the school?" Barb hopped up, wings carrying her the rest of the way to a window sill to look down on the school of friendship. "If you think you're getting used to things, she practically fell apart about it." Barb worked her fingers together, fidgeting as she hovered. "I hope she comes around."
"Spi--Barb. Twilight is your sister, and loves you. You haven't done anything wrong, just... new. She'll get over it, because she loves you. Besides, you're still her #1 assistant." Starlight winked sharply. "And she can't find another one of those."
Barb giggled, just to stop, surprised. "Was that me?"
Starlight peered at Barb curiously. "What, the giggle? You've giggled before, Barb."
"Sorry... I sound new, even to me. It... It's not bad... Good even! Just surprises me once in a while." She landed, only to hurry for the stairs. "See you later!"
Starlight waved at the vanishing Barb. "Nice to see you smiling." Even if her he-dragon friend had become a she-dragon, they seemed pretty happy about it, so she mentally ticked that in the 'good thing' tally. "Even if Discord was a bit of a jerk about it..."
Barb emerged from the tower and considered her first target. Class was on, so she couldn't bother Smolder just yet. Hm. Right! She went towards the town instead. She had so many ponies to meet, again.
A sharp gasp reacher her fins. "A new dragon? No way! Are you just flying past or hanging around?" Pinkie had spotted her, trotting up in a spirited jog. "What's your name? What's your favorite color? Flavor of cake? I need all the details!"
Barb laughed at Pinkie's eager attempt to figure out her party preferences. "Hey, Pinkie."
Pinkie came up short. "Wow, you already know me? That saves some..." It was dawning on her. "You sound like Spike. I didn't know Spike had a sister! Oooo, that's amazing!" She was dancing in place, cantering with a joyfully swishing tail. "Hiya!"
Barb considered how to approach that. "I am them, uh, Spike. But I'm not Spike anymore."
"What are you then? Also, neat." Pinkie leaned in, sniffing at her altered friend curiously. "Still look like a dragon to me."
"I meant my name." She couldn't muster the will to be properly angry at Pinkie's innocent mistakes. "I'm Barb now. Nice to meet you, again." She offered a hand, quickly met with a hoof for a proper shake.
"I changed my name before, if you remember, so I get that." She bobbed her head. "And that's a new one. Barb, huh. That feels like it's short for something..."
"Barbara," offered Barb. "But just Barb's fine. When did you change your name? You've been Pinkie the whole time I knew you."
"It was before I came to Ponyville." One could see Pinkie's eyes sliding off the present into the past. "When I was a little filly, I was Pinkamena Diane Pie. They'd call me Pinka or Pinkamena, not Pinkie. Pinkie is a name I gave myself, and it's super special. I bet Barb feels the same way, so congratulations!"
"Thanks!" Pinkie was taking it quite in stride, to Barb's relieved pleasure. "Is it a good one?"
"A good name? Silly! You picked it, so it's good for you. Nopony can take that from you." She nudged Barb with the flat of a hoof. "But if we're being honest... I love it! This feels like something that deserves a party. We'd throw one for name changes usually, though those are usually wrapped up in weddings or cute ceneras. Whatever! You deserve a party. Any of your preferences change that I should know about?"
"Nope. I'm still me, just, uh, improved." Barb considered Pinkie with some amazement. "So you're really alright with... this?" She waved over her new self.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Pinkie half-turned away. "I'm a little upset I don't get to greet a new creature, but welcoming a new name for an old friend sounds about as good to me!"
"I meant the she-dragon part," yelped out Barb, faintly colored. "You're alright with that?"
"Oh." Pinkie looked over her shoulder at the changed Barb. "Mmm... Cute, but too young, sorry."
Barb listed forward, arms flailing a moment to keep upright. "Not as a special somecreature!" She laughed at that misunderstanding. "I'm happy being your friend."
"Well so am I." Pinkie reached out to help Barb get back to being properly upright. "Oh! Are you asking how pretty you are? Because I'm not a pro with dragons, or anything really..." She ruffled her own fluffy mane. "Pretty's not my specialty, but you are cute. Is that good enough?"
"Cute's good." She waved at Pinkie. "But don't let me keep you. You looked like you had something to do."
"I do! Thanks for being awesome, Barb." She hugged Barb warmly, but vanished just as quickly afterwards, back to her various baking duties.
"Psst."
Barb looked over to see Bon Bon looking quite... discrete. She was hiding behind a bush and waving Barb closer. "Psst."
Barb pointed to herself. When Bon Bon nodded, she scampered over. "What's --" She squeaked as she was grabbed and pulled into that bush. "What's wrong?!"
Bon Bon waved a strange device over Barb. "You are loaded with chaos magic. Do you feel alright, Spike? The physical effects seem... obvious. Don't panic! I'm here to help."
Bon Bon raised a brow at that. "You are clearly not fine, Spike. You appear to be female. Were there mental alterations also involved? How many hooves am I holding up?"
"Seriously, calm down. Also, I'm not Spike anymore." Barb held up her hands wardingly at Bon Bon. "And that chaos magic is entirely welcome. I asked Discord. We're friends, remember?"
"You're not Spike? You... look like Spike, mostly... If you're not Spike, who do you allege yourself to be? If you are being forced, just blink twice." She rapid fired her questions and statements, looking quite serious about things. "I am here to help."
Barb had to focus on not blinking. "My new name's Barb, but it's still the same me, inside here." She patted herself on her chest. "Just a lady dragon instead of a guy dragon, on the outside."
Bon Bon leaned in, nose twitching faintly. "And on the inside?"
"Girl dragon," Barb rapidly assured. "All girl."
"But you were a guy dragon..."
"I was forcing myself to... do that, yes." Barb ran her fingers through her soft fins. "You ever wear a disguise before? You get used to it after a while... But it's not the real you, right?"
Bon Bon recoiled. "Oh! Oh... Yeah... I... I should probably go." She stuffed the strange contraption away. "If you're sure you're alright. You know where to find me."
Barb dashed in front of her. "Wait! What was that thing?"
Bon Bon flipped her ears back. "It came in a box of snacks. Ha ha... Kinda cool, right?"
"It must work." Barb tried to peek at it, but it was lost in Bon Bon's furry pocket. "Cool. Where can I get one?"
Bon Bon shook her head sadly. "That promotion's all done, sorry. If I see it again, I'll let you know... Barb?"
"That's me." She fired two thumbs at herself with a big smile. "It's still me, promise. We're still friends, right?"
"Of course! That's why I brought you over here... I thought you had been attacked or something... I never saw a creature rate that high in chaos magic that wasn't Discord himself. Still, if you're alright, then... okay." One could almost feel her setting the objection down. "So long as you're happy, and not being brainwashed into being happy?"
"Nope! Big Mac was there if you want to double check. Oh, and Twilight. You know she would have gotten way involved if Discord was messing with me."
"Now that's true." Bon Bon relaxed at that news. "And if she couldn't resolve it, I imagine she would have fetched Fluttershy."
"Dirty pool," laughed out Barb. "But that'd get him to fix things. Everything alright then?"
"That's what I was asking, but, yes, everything is alright it seems." Bon Bon patted Barb on the shoulder. "Stop by for a treat." She emerged from the bush and walked off like nothing had happened.
Barb popped free of the bush herself. Two ponies down! So many more to go. Maybe she would be better off waiting for Pinkie's naming party. She could tell everypony at the same time! That would be easier than going up to each pony one by one.
Maybe she had a point, it was a party worthy event. But then, Pinkie thought about everything was.
"Ta da." Barb did a slow twirl for her older peer. "Just like you."
Smolder raised a brow. "Not just like me. I won't know what being a guy's like ever, so..."
"Huh..." That memory hadn't vanished. "Still, hello. I'm Barb, short for Barbara. Nice to meet you, again."
Smolder met the offered hand in a firm shake. "Smolder, you know that. So, Barb... Barbara? That's a big name you're borrowing there. She was a total badass!"
Barb grinned, thinking of the source of her name. "Yeah... But she was also between species." She pointed off to a pony in the middle distance and Smolder. "Like me."
"Huh... I guess I can see that." Smolder sank into a crouch, bringing their eyes even. "Now, you did ask about... all this... but I thought you were just being a curious little dragon."
"I was," she defended. "But I was serious too."
"I see that..." She tapped a claw against her chin. "I didn't tell you near enough for an actual dragon to live on. I didn't know you were making it happen!" She threw her hands up. "How did you even?"
"Discord," answered Barb simply.
"Discord..." It was a pretty complete answer. "Figures... Alright... Alright!" She stood up, wobbling forwards and back. "This is at least partially my fault. So... We need to go over, like, a lot... If you're serious, which it looks like you are, there's so much to learn about this." She waved down her female form. "I gave you the quick startup, that ain't enough."
"Is it that complicated?" Being a dragon, and a young one at that, the differences were not as extreme for her as a mammal might experience. "Um, some differences..." She colored. "But I'm... getting over those."
"I bet you're not." Smolder snatched Barb's hand and began leading her away. "Doing it wrong is a good way to end up getting sick."
Barb followed as she was led, smiling despite the embarrassing situation. Smolder was showing she cared, and being fawned over wasn't all that bad. "So... question."
"Yeah?" Smolder slowed, looking over her shoulder at Barb. "What's on your mind?"
"I was just wondering... When do I lay my first egg?"
Smolder went a deep red all across her face. "Barb! Wow... Did... Did nocreature ever talk about how that works?" But Barb looked clueless. "Wow... Okay, so... Wow... You are really knocking me off my feet today." She resumed tugging Barb along. "First step's first. I'm not talking to you about eggs unless Headmare Twilight gives the alright. I am not calling dibs on that talk with her little br--sister."
So Barb learned how a she-dragon handled some private things. "I don't think I need to remind you, but this is private. It's private for guys. It's private for girls. That hasn't changed." Smolder hiked a brow. "Got it?"
"Got it!" Barb fired an emphatic thumbs up. "You are fantastic! Thank you... Gosh, I can imagine this is... a little odd for you... Most dragons woulda figured this out ages ago..."
"Most dragons would have been a guy or a girl the whole time, yeah?" Smolder slowly tilted her head. "Never heard of one changing their mind like that... Still... Cool. I mean, the world said 'do it my way' and you looked it in the eyes and said 'No you.'" She smirked viciously. "I can respect that. Wow... Bro's gonna pitch a fit..."
Barb swallowed audibly, thinking of Smolder's brother, Garble. "Y-yeah... Can you calm him down?"
"Pfft, as if." She poked at Barb's chest. "You know I only can do so much with him. I'll tell him to chill out, but that's about all I can do. You know he's going to tease. I'm already hating it, thinking about it." She folded her arms. "He's going to say something dumb, like 'Oh here's that namby dragon. The ponies made him such a wuss, he turned into a girl.'" Smolder rolled her eyes. "As if our dragonlord isn't a girl! As if I'm not. As if either of us couldn't bend him in half if we bothered."
Barb giggled at the mental image of either she-dragon bending Garble like a fine bit of draconic origami. "I'd like to see that."
Smolder punched at Barb's shoulder lightly. "That requires he's already being a jerk and not taking the hint to shut his big yap. I'd rather we skip that part. Anyway, he's not here, but you are." She pointed at Barb. "So we don't have to worry about that right now. Now... I need to talk to Twilight. I have a thousand questions, most of which involve you."
Barb let her go with a friendly wave, feeling just a little more informed about her situation. "I can handle this!"
"Handle what?" There was Apple Bloom, walking past but slowing at spotting Barb. "Neat! I thought Twilight was kidding around."
Barb blinked owlishly. "Oh, she mentioned me?"
"Sure did." Apple Bloom nodded firmly. "Said not to make a big deal about it." She waved a hoof away. "How do I not make kinda a big deal about it? Look at you." She didn't seem upset at it, just kind of amazed. "How do you feel?"
Barb fired a double thumbs up. "Better by the hour! My friends have been super amazing and helping me figure things out. Oh! I'm Barb now."
"Howdy Barb!" They met, hoof to fist. "Where'd that name come from? That wasn't no nickname before."
"It's a, uh, historical she-dragon." Barb rubbed behind her head. "Kinda awesome."
"Neat!" Apple Bloom had no reservations about the situation. "I bet Twilight has a book about her. I'll ask for--"
She had been about to walk past Barb, but got cut off, a hand in the way. "Hm?"
"Twilight does not have a book on that. Ponies don't have a lot of dragon books... I heard about her from Ember... When she was still thinking about the whole 'become a dragonlord' thing. Those were really big shoes to fill! Barbara was one of a lot of dragons she looked up to." Barb scratched at her cheek. "And she stuck in my head... so..."
"So you went with it." Apple Bloom gave a spirited clop of her hooves. "I love it. I wonder what Big Mac would think of it..."
Barb blinked slowly. "Wait... Why did you think of Big Mac?"
Apple Bloom covered her snout. "Oops! Nothin'!"
"Is this about his other half?" Barb kept her space in Apple Bloom's way. "I already know about that."
Apple Bloom scrunched her face. "His other half? Do you have halves? Ah more meant that he's curious about the whole mare thin' too!" She took an unsure step back. "That's all... Don't tell 'em!"
Barb burst into airy giggles. "Oh, no. No no. Big Mac likes himself as he is, a stallion. And he was there when I... this." She waved over her new form. "So he knows all about it."
"Phew!" gusted out Apple Bloom, confirmed that she didn't mess everything up. "Thank goodness! Ah was scared he'd be real sore with me later or somethin'... Alrighty then. Ah can't say ah get it. Right happy just the way ah am, though I could be a little taller." She reached up to the height her filly body didn't allow. "Maybe as big as mah sister. She's a good height."
Barb half-danced out of Apple Bloom's way. "She's a perfect height. I hope you get as tall as you want to be, though you're great even this tall." He held up a hand at Apple Bloom's head height.
"Aw." She spared a moment to give Barb a friendly hug. "Gotta go!" And she trotted off in a brisk jog to whatever else she had in mind.
Barb decided to not wait for another pony to run into her. She'd go find a pony! She hurried to Twilight's office and knocked lightly before cracking the door open. "Twi?"
"Spike?" She shook her head. "Barbara?"
"That's me." Barb closed the door behind her. "Most of the way through my first day!"
Twilight smiled at her little sibling. "You sound very happy about it."
"Because I am." Barb half-skipped towards the desk Twilight was at. "Ran into some friends, and all of them were understanding. Bon Bon took a little more talking to, but she came around." Barb waved, laughing at the memory. "Smolder is awesome, but we knew that already."
Twilight nodded slowly. "She is a remarkable dragon. Did... she have anything to say?"
"Lots." Barb hopped up with flapping wings up onto the top of Twilight's desk. "She taught me some... stuff... There's more to being a lady dragon than I thought."
Twilight nodded slowly. "Too much? We could probably ask Discord to undo this whole... thing."
Barb frowned, hands at her hips. "It's a lot, but it's what I want, Twi."
"I'm not forcing you, promise!" She raised one hoof up, the other plonking an imaginary cupcake in her eye. "I'm just checking... I care about you. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do." Barb came over to throw her legs off the desk on Twilight's side. "You're my sister. Sorry, by the way... This must be so confusing... I know you don't like sudden new things just... out of nowhere." She made an explosive growth with her hands. "And I didn't give any warning."
"I was gone trying to get information and I come back with you having made up your mind." Twilight sighed softly. "It was quite a surprise..."
"So..." Barb rolled her hands over one another. "Did you learn anything?"
"Oh, actually, yes." With a sparkle, a new book appeared. "Ember had one for me." She set the book down heavily and flipped it open. "There is a tale of a dragon that did much as you did, but there was no magic involved. They simply decided they were a female, and comported themselves appropriately, to the confusion of the dragons around 'her'."
Twilight nudged the book with a push of a hoof towards Spike. "Reading about their adventures may actually be useful. Sure, you used magic to skip over some of it, but many of their struggles will still be yours. Dragons, and ponies, that knew you as a stallion will be confused at the idea of simply accepting the same you, but as a mare."
Barb picked up the book with a grunt of effort. "Wow! A dragon wrote all this?"
"Sure did." Twilight watched Barb with a little smile. "They wanted to share their journey with everycreature else, and now that includes you. I imagine they would be very happy to know they may help a dragon in a similar situation so many years later... Barb, I'm sorry I was so... I'm still a bit confused, I won't lie!"
Barb put a hand on her shoulder. "You're trying. That means a lot."
Twilight smiled and rested the side of her head on Barb's arm. "I want you to be safe and happy."
"Just remember." Barb danced away, almost tipping over from the heavy book. "No going Twilinanas. But if you do, your number one assistant is there to help out."
Twilight put her hooves on her hips. "I do not go Twilynanas! Really... Still... I want you here, as my sibling, and my assistant.. Oh! Shining Armor and Cadance need to know what happened... I wonder how they'll react."
Barb thought of the two. "I bet Cadance will get it first."
"You think?" Twilight reached her desk, drawing out a quill to set on the top of it. "I'll write them both to let them know and see if they want us to stop by. I feel certain they'd want to see what's happened to you. Poor Shining, becoming the odd one out."
"Odd one out?"
"I was the only mare." Twilight pointed to herself. "And now, he's the only stallion."
Twilight looked up from her desk. She had not opened the door, nor allowed anycreature to entered, but there was Smolder, looking at her. "Is something wrong?"
"Maybe." Smolder pushed off the edge of the door. "I was talking with your bro--sister earlier." She snapped her fingers lightly. "Getting used to that."
"Me too," sighed out Twilight with a more understanding expression. "Did it... bother you?"
"A little." Smolder came up on her desk. "But that's not why I'm here. They made their decision, so she's a she now. Good for them! But now she's asking questions. Not even... bad questions... Any she-dragon would be wondering the same thing." Her cheeks began to burn, thinking back on it. "I know I was curious..."
Twilight stiffened, trying desperately to guess what Smolder was driving at. "Is this about draconic reproduction?"
"Yes! Yes, but also no... depending on how you're looking at it..." She edged a step away from the desk, eyes cast high. "We're not talking about dating or anything like that... But how a lady's body works. You're a pony, they have cycles too, don't they?"
"Of course." Twilight colored faintly. "Periods of greater and lesser interest due to fertility. Bothersome, but easily ignored."
"Really?" Smolder lifted her hands in a shrug. "Ponies have it easy. Now, dragons? We make eggs, and the eggs gotta go somewhere, even if we don't do anything with 'em, so..."
One could almost see the gears turning in Twilight's hear. "So... Oh... Oh! I had no idea..." She curled a hoof to her cheek. "Are other creatures like that?"
"Funny thing." Smolder's brows came down. "I haven't asked any of my friends about it. It's kind of rude to just.... ask... hey, do you lay eggs? I know ponies don't. Two of my friends are half bird, so maybe? One's an insect, so you'd think so right? I'm not asking! It's not my business! Also one of the half birds is a guy, so probably not. Back to the point." She slapped one hand against the other. "Spike wants to know about laying eggs." She caught herself a moment too late. "Barb. Barb wants to know. She deserves to know, since this will affect her, and she'll probably freak right out when it happens. You don't lay eggs, so you're not going to be helpful, at all. But I wanted to talk to you before I start going over this kinda stuff."
Twilight sagged back against her chair with a weary sigh. "Wow... How long... before this becomes an issue?"
Smolder lifted her shoulders. "Every dragon's different about that. Some of us do it yearly. Some of us monthly. I heard of one poor lady that did it every two weeks, what a pain." She rolled her eyes. "And that wasn't me, glad to say. One day, Barb's gonna get a feeling she never felt before, and the freak out will begin. So I'm asking if I can, and should, give some hints ahead of time."
"Of course!" Twilight blurted. "Please... Barb is lucky to have you as a friend." She set a hoof on her cheek. "I did not predict this would be a conversation I'd have today..."
Smolder hiked a thumb behind her. "That also means coming and getting me when it, you know, happens. Now, most dragons? We have to deal with it ourselves. According to some, it helps us be strong." She folded her arms across her chest. "But this is Barb. That train left the station years ago. She expects friends." Smolder smirked softly. "I'm jealous a little... But I'll be there, so come get me, alright?"
Twilight hopped down from her chair and hurried around her desk to Smolder. She hugged the teen dragon close. "Thank you. I feel awful I can't help..."
"You can help, by getting me." Smolder gently pushed Twilight back, reclaiming her personal space. "Sounds like we're cool then. I'll talk to her." Smolder fired a double thumbs up. "We're on the case."
"Woah." Barb glanced down, then away, glowing and hot in the face. "Really?"
Smolder raised a brow at Barb. "You asked me about it. You shouldn't be surprised it happens at all."
"Well, yeah..." She fiddled with her fingers. "Just... I thought we were talking like years away. I'm pretty young!"
Smolder reached out and plinked at Barb's closer wing. "See these? These double as a 'I'm probably gonna lay some eggs' hint."
Barb brought a wing around into her sight, grabbing it with both hands. "They're connected?"
"Basically." Smolder hiked a thumb back at her own wings. "Growing these bad boys is a hint that you're moving onto a new step in the whole dragon life cycle. You're not a baby anymore. Congratulations! You're in adolescence now. You'll grow, maybe a lot." She spread her hands. "You'll get wings, we covered that, and the first egg is on the way. Oh, that'd be rich... If you grew bigger than Garble, I will maybe die laughing..."
"S-so... I could become a mom?!"
Barb sputtered. "Woah! Hold your horses."
"Twilight isn't here." Barb looked around fretfully, quite ready to hold her horse tight.
Smolder snorted at that misunderstanding. "Do you know how babies are made? I'm guessing not."
"Uh..." Barb tapped at her chin in thought. "A lady dragon lays an egg... It hatches... New dragon?"
"So close... so far..." Smolder swung her arms up to put her hands behind her head. "You're not wrong, just missing a step or two. And without those steps, no hatching, and no new dragons. Since you probably won't be doing those steps, you won't become a mom. You'll just lay an egg."
Barb tried to figure out the missing steps, counting on her fingers and muttering as she imagined the process. "Uh... But then what are the eggs for? What do I... do with them?"
Smolder made a bit of a face. "Nothing. Throw them out. They're not going to do anything but take up space." She made a motion as if tossing a pretend ball into an equally imagined waste basket. "Keeping them is a bad idea. They'll go bad."
Barb's face soured. "Really?! That's awful... Twilight never laid any eggs?"
"Ponies are not dragons," calmly retorted Smolder, looking quite smug. "They don't do the egg thing. We do." Smolder flashed her sharp teeth. "Lucky us. So, you get it now?"
"No..." She crossed her hands as if to protect her belly. "But... Thanks. Um... So now I wait?"
"You wait." Smolder shrugged lightly. "Until you've had it a few times, and the pattern gets clear, you know little more than that. Welcome to growing up!" She threw up her hands with a tepid cheer. "It sucks, but you only have to do it once at least."
"Yay," echoed Barb with an uncertain tone. "So... alright... Guess that's... all to it until it happens." She scratched behind her head. "So why are you being evasive?"
"Because you're not ready!" stormed Smolder in an angry fit. "Sorry... Sorry... Look, it takes a daddy dragon and a mommy dragon to make little dragons. Just a mom isn't how it works." She wagged a finger. "And there are no daddy dragons even around here, so your odds are really against any baby dragons happening. You're not ready to be a mom anyway. You're barely ready to be you! Finish growing up, alright? Get a grip on you, then we can consider trying to branch out."
Barb recovered her footing from her flinch at Smolder's outburst. "Sorry..."
"You're a little sister I didn't ask for." Smolder punched Barb in the shoulder in a stiff but not too heavy landing. "Jerk." But she was smiling. "I'm here if you have questions. For now, just enjoy being you. You're a pretty great thing to be."
Barb colored brightly at that. "Really?!"
"Well, not as good as being me." She hiked a thumb at herself. "A close second? We'll go with that."
Barb jumped up and hugged Smolder tight. "Thanks for being there!"
Smolder patted Barb on the head gently. "Alright, alright. Now go off and be girly or whatever."
Barb dropped to the ground, frowning in thought. "Like..."
"I don't know." Smolder huffed out a bit of flame. "Wear a frilly dress or something? What do pony girls do?"
Barb considered. That sure was something Rarity did, often... "That's... a great idea actually! Thanks." And off she ran with a new mission in mind.
"No problem." Smolder watched Barb flee. "If you show up in a frilly dress... That might be cute." With a smirk, she returned to other things in need of her attention.
"It's open!" called Rarity in a musical trill. "Do come in, dear."
Barb threw open the door to Rarity's shop. "Hi!"
Rarity started. "Oh! Twilight had... Oh my... Darling, do come in."
Barb slipped inside and closed the door behind herself. "She told you? Um, hi! I'm Barbara, but Barb works great." She bowed properly. "A pleasure to meet you, again."
Rarity sat up with a lightly inclined head. "Darling... I... I was rather fond of my Spikey-Wikey..."
Barb colored at that. "I'm still here... Just... not that..."
Rarity raised a brow sharply. "I hate to ask, you are still a young thing... but are you... Do you... Darling, you've filled me with so many questions..."
Barb hopped forward, twirling in a circle in the air. "I'm here for your professional help, today."
Rarity perked up at that. "Oh! Well, darling, you know you can count on me for that." Yes, professional duties. It was so much easier to deal with those. "How can I help you, dear?"
Barb gestured over herself with both hands. "I want to look girly. I want to be the prettiest dragon you ever saw. Can you help me?"
Rarity burst into sudden laughter. "Well! My experience with dragons is limited, but not entirely unknown to me, dear. If that is what you wish, then I will make you the belle of the ball!" Her horn glowed as she brought over a flexible ruler and started taking Barb's measurements. "You haven't changed in size too much, but there are subtle differences. Best to just take them all."
Barb clapped with joy. "I know anything you make will look fantastic. You're a pro at this!"
"Darling." She smiled with the simple joy of her skill being acknowledged. "I will do my utmost to deserve such glowing praise. Now, as I work to get these numbers." A floating quill busily took down the measurements as she got them. "What manner of dress do you have in mind, dear? Something to stand and be admired, or do you need to move about, potentially a lot?"
Barb considered that with a soft humm. "I'm not gonna want to stand still... So it should still be mobile." She fired double finger guns. "I can't help you get gems if I'm buried in frills."
Rarity set her numbers aside. "Darling, whatever I make, you are not taking into any dirty caves. If you want work clothes, I can work on that next, but this will not be that. They are made for social events, not getting all filthy in, really dear."
Barb looked over the existing pony dresses. "I guess that's true. You don't usually get that dressed up, just a fancy hat sometimes... Oh! Do I get a fancy hat?"
Rarity smiled at her suddenly effimate friend. "You can get one if you like. That is seperate of the dress in most cases. Now, dear, you say you want to continue helping me? I... was thinking maybe you wouldn't want to, being a lady dragon and all."
Barb peered at Rarity quizzically. "Why would that change it? There's nocreature around that can dig for gems as good as me unless you make friends with a diamond dog... which I doubt."
"Truly," Rarity grunted in agreement. "But... I thought you helped, at least in part, because you were attracted to me?"
Barb took a step back, cheeks warmed. "Oh! Um..." She had stepped right in it. Veering around the topic felt impossible. Rarity had called her out! "Um... You are still... the prettiest pony I know..."
Rarity fanned herself lightly with a hoof. "Delighted to hear that, dear. But that hardly says your feelings about it."
"Right!" No escape... "I'm not sure there... is a next step... You're the prettiest thing I ever saw, and you still are."
Rarity considered Barb for a quiet moment. "I haven't... been fair."
Barb blinked at that. "What'd you do?"
"Nothing. Everything." Rarity turned away with a heavy sigh. "Poor thing. You have no idea what you feel, and that's about where you should be, isn't it, darling?"
Barb hurried forward to grab one of Rarity's hind legs, hugging firmly to her. "I know we're friends and I don't want that to stop."
Rarity put a hoof on her head, mussing her softer spines. "You are too kind. Dear... Hm, as a little boy, it was easy enough to pass it off as a sort of puppy love. As a girl, this feels more awkward than usual, considering your amor hasn't changed at all. Little wonderful dragon, do you even know what you'd do if I said yes?"
"Um?" Barb slackly let Rarity step free. "Said yes to what? Oh! To being my special somepony?" Her cheeks light up a bright red. "Um! I'd... We'd go places, besides gem hunting." She rocked forwards and back on her feet, fingers dancing together. "Hang out by the pond? Watch a movie? I could make dinner! It'd be so much fun!"
Rarity's eyes welled with new tears. Evidence of how cruel she had been was being rubbed in her face, and ignoring it felt impossible to do any longer. "Darling... I would be delighted to do all of those things, but that makes us friends, not special someponies. And we are already that." She offered a hoof towards Barb. "A dear and beloved friend I care for so very deeply."
Barb took hold of Rarity's offered hoof. "But there's more! I'd be allowed to kiss you." She colored anew. "And you could kiss me. That's what special someponies do."
Rarity casually planted a smooch on Barb's cheek. "Darling, I have kissed you several times."
Barb thought back on that, almost woozy from the blushing she was doing. "Uh... yeah, you did."
"Well then, that can't be it." Rarity held up a hoof. "Dear, you are a little thing, still growing... I am an old mare. We can be friends, so very good friends, but special someponies? That is..." She swallowed thickly. "Improper... Yes, improper. You deserve somecreature closer to your age."
"You are not old!" hotly burst out Barb, her color shifting from embarrassment to anger almost instantly. "You're wonderful! And young! How could you say that?"
"Compared to you?" Her mascara began to run lightly with her thin tears. "Compared to you, dearest Sp--Barb, I may as well be ancient. Really... I will be well middle aged by the time you finish growing. That is the way of things." She grabbed Barb by the cheeks between two hooves. "That isn't to say I don't love you, because I do, and always have. You are one of my dearest friends, and I hope that continues, darling."
Barb felt her own tears rising to the stinging surface, sniffling noisily despite her efforts. "That isn't fair..."
"No... But there's not much for either of us to do about it, dear." She leaned in, touching nose to nose with her precious dragon. "You will grow up to be a stunning creature, this I know for sure. I will be proud to know you, and be your friend, but I can't be your plus one."
Barb sagged back, squirming in place. "S-so..."
"I will gladly make that dress for you, dear." Rarity waved aside at her collection of creations. "Without reservation."
"Yeah..." Barb's heart wasn't in it, not at that moment, but she went through the motions.
Twilight sat up sharply as a door slapped shut. "Who's there?" There were only a few creatures that'd wander in, and few of them would slam a door like that.
"It's me," came the sullen tones of Barb as she plodded into sight.
"Barb, welcome back." Twilight hopped free of her chair and hurried towards her assistant and sibling. Her trot slowed to a stop. "You look..."
"Rarity dumped me." Barb played with her fingers in a fidget. "We didn't even get together and she dumped me..."
Twilight cringed, ears pinning. She offered a hoof and soon had a shaking dragon against one of her arms. She drew Barb close, hugging them gently. "Sorry."
"Sorry? What'd you do?" Barb nestled with her despite that. "You didn't tell her to do that, right?"
Twilight set her free hoof on her face. "I should have, perhaps."
Barb frowned at the idea. "What? Why?"
Twilight booped Barb's nose gently. "It's complicated... but I was fairly certain you two would never... be a couple."
Barb sagged with defeat. "Because I'm too young?"
"That... but, perhaps more importantly." She spread her hooves in front of Barb. "You're in different parts of your lives. You're still discovering you. In fact, you're in the middle of that in a big way right now, Miss Barb. Rarity is an adult, with a business, several actually. You're far from the same level of maturity. That's not an insult. We were all at your stage before." She rubbed her fuzzy cheek. "I admit, mine included little consideration of what it'd be like to be a stallion, but trying to figure out my place as a mare certainly came up."
Barb poked Twilight dead center on her chest. "I was there to help. I remember that." She was smiling lopsidedly. "You were a mess."
Twilight burst into giggles. "I really was... Thank you for being there, even if it confused you, a lot. Which, right there, see? You were a great little brother, back then, but you didn't know what I was going through. You were just the best little sibling I could ask for..." She smiled brightly. "And I imagine Rarity sees the same thing now. You're a wonderful, treasured, and beloved friend, but not her partner. Partners stand eye to eye." She wobbled between her eyes and Barb's. "Which means they need to be closer, um, not physically, but maturity."
Twilight sat up. "And now it's my turn. You're learning what it's like to be a dragon mare, and I will be there, to help. I know what it means to be a mare, even if the dragon parts elude me... What I mean to say is that if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Me and Smolder." She wriggled her nose at Barb. "Lucky! You get two older sisters. I didn't have any of those."
Barb laughed, a choked sound as she wiped an arm across her face. "Thanks... It just hurts, you know? Um... I'm... glad we're still friends and all." She played with her fingers fretfully. "I still think she's pretty. Is that wrong?"
It was Twilight's turn to darken. "Um! She puts a lot of effort into her presentation. I... feel certain knowing it's working is very appealing to her."
"Just not as a special somecreature." Barb sighed and climbed up to her feet. "I get it..." A sly smile spread on her lips. "But she did tell me something I didn't know before."
Twilight perked at that. "What's that? You look excited by it, whatever it is."
Barb fired a thumbs up. "Rarity said that kissing is not a special somepony thing. Friends can kiss."
Twilight inclined her head. "This... is true. It's also a family thing. I've kissed you before."
Barb froze. Had she? She had! "Wow... how did I not realize that?" She went in and smooched Twilight right on the cheek. "It's a whole new age!"
Twilight laughed gently, accepting the kiss. "Are you going to go around kissing everycreature you like?"
"Maybe." Barb shoved her hands behind her back and rocked with a sly grin on her face. "Smolder deserves one for sure."
Twilight pushed a new book against Barb. "Then you should study this."
Barb accepted the book with a raised brow. "The Courtesies of the Formal Kiss? What is this?" She peered at the thick book.
"It's exactly what it looks like." Twilight nodded with confidence. "There are rules about how to kiss and be proper. A common way to kiss a friend who is not a special somepony is like this." And she kissed Barb on either cheek, hooves on Barb's shoulders. "If you go for a hug while you do it, that is a mark of greatly increased intimacy, reserved for very special friends you've had for many years." She pointed at the book. "Read."
Barb held the book balanced on one hand, the other scratching at a cheek. "Huh... I didn't know there were... fancy rules about it."
"You have no idea." Twilight waved at the book. "But you will."
Barb turned the book against herself, hugging it. "Thanks. I'll do that, promise. Um... Thanks! Really... I know this has to be so confusing. It's confusing to me too."
"But you like it." Twilight stood up. "You're smiling, a lot. Now... I can't claim I understand it entirely, but I do understand you."
"Um, do you?" Barb raised a scaled ridge with doubt clear on her face.
"As a sibling, yes." Twilight nodded with confidence. "And I can see you're happy. Confused, certainly, but happy... Happy in a way I never realized you weren't before. You've found something new and strange and wonderful and you're still figuring out how you... How you are... You're figuring out Barb, and that's a fine thing to figure out."
Barb couldn't see. Oh, she was shedding a few tears. She wiped them away hurriedly, clearing her face. "T-thanks! That means a lot. Wanna figure out Barb with me?"
"I would be honored." Twilight dipped her head. "I never had a little sister before, but maybe I always did. It just took us this long to notice the fact."
Barb caught on that. "Woah..."
"Is everything alright?" Twilight inclined her head at Barb. "Do you want some tea? It's been a long day."
"Um, maybe later." Barb waved that way. "I just never thought of it that way before... Wow... Maybe I was?"
"A filly? I thought that was what you were saying in the first place." Twilight rose to her hooves. "We're just making the outside match the inside and all that." Her wings fidgeted on her back as she headed towards the kitchen. "Sorry for not noticing earlier."
Barb trailed after her. "Well, I mean... I didn't notice either. You can't blame yourself for that... Um..." She squeezed the book about kissing. "I'm lucky to have a good sister."
"Even if I wanted to hold you back?" Twilight peeked over her shoulder. "I was very alarmed... I'm still a bit rattled, but I want what's best for you."
"I know that, really... We were all confused." Barb poked her on the rump. "Discord shouldn't have done that! That was mean of him."
"I thought you wanted him to change you? Why would that be--"
"--I mean changing you! Making you a stallion, even for a little while. That part was mean of him." Barb gusted out a sigh, tail twitching in thick sways. "Heavy handed."
"Heavy handed is one of his things." She reared up, horn glowing as she retrieved a box of tea and set it on the counter and got to filling a kettle with water. "To be honest, I'm more surprised you manage to deal with it with him as a player in your game. You must be very good at it."
Barb colored at that. "I do my best... I think he likes it, and I like having him there. We have a good time!" She snatched a tea bag and plopped it in a cup before Twilight could, only to do it with a second. "Let's both have some."
Barb leaped free of the castle with her arms wide in a cheer to meet the new day. "Yeah!" She hit the ground and turned it to a firm fistpump. "It's time to get started!"
Twilight descended at a more sedate rate, her horn closing the door behind her. "What are you starting, Barb?"
Barb paused. She hadn't thought out her excitement that far. "Um... Well, I want to talk to ponies that are closer to my age." She lowered a hand from high up to closer to her eyes. "I've been hanging around ponies way older than me, uh, no offense. It's about time I fixed that."
Twilight smiled at that. "I love that idea. You're not wrong. You do spend a lot of time with adults, and you are not quite there. Did you have a particular pony in mind?" She inclined her head with a thought. "Did you want to start attending school?" She tossed her head in the school's direction and its foals. "I could talk to Cheerilee."
Barb considered that. "I already know most of what she's trying to teach. Having you as a big sis leads to that." She stuck out her tongue. "It's hard not to second hand learn a lot of stuff, hanging around you."
Twilight colored at that. "I'm not sure if that's a compliment... So what do you have in mind then?"
Barb fired finger guns at Twilight with a sudden laugh. "I ran into one of them just before. The crusaders are at the right age, they know me, and I just haven't been trying to hang out with them. Bonus, Apple Bloom already knows about it, so that's less explaining I have to go over again."
Twilight raised a dubious brow. "How has Pinkie not already thrown a party about this?"
"She's planning one, don't you worry." Barb wagged a finger at Twilight. "When are the crusaders expected next at the school?" She hiked a thumb at the school that Twilight was supposed to be going to. "That'd be an easy spot to talk to them."
"They're usually busy when they come to the school, that's why they go there..." Twilight turned instead to the apple orchard outside of town. "Why not visit them at their headquarters?"
"Wow, duh. That's a great idea." She clapped and started off. "Good luck with school!"
Twilight waved at the departing Barb. "See you later." She resumed her trek to start the day of education for eager young minds.
"Still alright?"
Barb jumped at the sudden new voice. Oh, it was Bon Bon, watching her. "I'm fine. Is this about the whole... discord thing? I'm fine, really!"
Bon Bon considered the small female dragon. "I'm glad to hear that... I'm just making sure. I want what's best for you, Barb." She smiled gently. "And that free candy offer is still open."
Barb clasped her hands together. "Well... Your treats are pretty good... I was going to go visit the crusaders though." Bon Bon did not qualify as being on Barb's maturity level, or age. "Got anything I can bring for them too?"
Bon Bon began walking towards her shop. "Come on, Barb. We'll pick out a little something for the group then." As they walked, she turned an ear on Barb. "So! Welcome... to the lady side. Don't miss being a fella?"
Barb colored a little at that. "Uh... I like it better here, like this." She patted her own sides down a little. "Nothing against stallions; just not for me. You feel the same way, right?"
Bon Bon considered that with a faint frown. "Hm, I guess that's true." She drew a rough breath. "You are too young for me to go into details on my thoughts on that. Twilight would bend me in half, and I'd deserve it."
Barb struggled to think of what Bon Bon could even potentially be implying. "I know about egg laying, if that's what you're worried about."
Bon Bon light up a bright red. "Egg laying?!" She looked over her shoulder at Barb. "That isn't... a thing, for mares..." Which Barb wasn't, she had to remind herself. "I... You lay eggs?"
"Not yet," sang out Barb. "But I will, eventually. Kinda nervous about that... Um, back on topic. Candies!"
"Yes, candies." Such a safer topic for all involved. "I know the crusaders' preference, so leave this in my hooves." She pushed open the door to the shop and vanished inside, though Barb was following right after her. "They agree on some flavors, and others they disagree with. She wielded a metal scoop to get bits of different candies into one larger bag. "And this is a sampler of candies I know they like seperately and together, so you can all enjoy it."
Barb accepted the bag of jingling chocolates and candies. "Thanks! What do I owe? This is more than a few." She shook the full and heavy bag.
Bon Bon poked Barb. "Thanks for looking out, but this one's on me. Consider it an apology for freaking out when I first saw you." She glanced away and back. "I was worried for you."
"Aw, Thanks." Barb hopped up, hugging Bon Bon around the neck. Using her newfound powers, she smooched Bon Bon on the cheek and slipped to the ground. "Gonna go share these!" She left the stunned Bon Bon behind.
She shook her head slowly, then alone in her store. "That was new..."
Barb raced up the steps that creaked with well-loved wood on each impact of her feet. "Anypony home?" She reached the door of their clubhouse and knocked firmly. "It's Barb. Got a moment?"
The door opened almost instantly, revealing Sweetie Belle. She gasped with wonder. "Wow! Apple Bloom wasn't... Um, sorry. Hi there, Barb." Her eyes fell to the bag Barb was carrying. "What's that?"
Barb thrust the bag forward with a big smile. "Some candy I brought to share. I know it's a little sudden and all... but I was hoping we could all hang out a little."
Sweetie sat back with surprise not hidden at all. "This is new..." A common thought of the day.
"Who is it?" Scootaloo poked her head out under Sweetie's head in an adorably snuggly display. "Oh! Wow..."
"Told ya." Apple Bloom circled around both, nodding at Barb. "Hey! Nice to see ya again."
Barb offered a hand and it was met with a hoof in a firm hoofbump of greetings. "Hey. Brought some candy and a wish to hang out." Her tail wagged with excitement. "If that's alright?"
Apple Bloom shrugged. "Don't see no reason why not. We ain't got a client until late in the afternoon, right?"
Sweetie pulled out a notepad with her magic, checking quickly. "Yep! All free until then." She slipped the pad away. "Huh, well, come on in. We should meet, again."
Scootaloo popped back inside and got things in a hurried order, so there were four pillows in a circle that she claimed one of, hopping into place. "Welcome!"
Barb entered with a growing hope. "I know we've known each other for a while... but I never stopped to actually... get to know any of you."
Apple Bloom snorted at that. "Now yer bein' silly! Yer practically family!"
Sweetie clapped in agreement. "We see you all the time, Spi--Barb. Though this is a new... adventure for you."
"Welcome to the winning side." Scootaloo gave the best thumbs up a hoofed creature could manage. "But, yeah, we're way not strangers or anything."
"Strangers, no." Barb smiled at the three. "But we're, like... friends because we live in the same place, not like... because we do anything... I barely know you, and you, um, don't know me all that well..."
Apple Bloom tapped at her chin with her hoof. "Ah think ah getcha. So, alright! Let's know the real Barb!"
Sweetie burst into fresh giggles. "What's your favorite game?"
Scootaloo nudged against Sweetie. "Duh! She likes Ogres and Owls."
"Obliouttes," corrected Barb. "That is one of my favorite games, yeah... I play it weekly with Big Mac and Discord."
Sweetie fished around in her pockets and produced a 12 sided die that she let tumble to the ground. "Ta da! It's the only one of those I have."
Barb watched it tumble to a slow stop on an eight. "Nice, but you need a few more usually. Say, do you play?"
Apple Bloom shook her head. "I've heard of it."
"Nope." Scootaloo shrugged helplessly.
"A few times." Sweetie collected her missing die. "But the other girls don't play it, so it doesn't come up very often."
Apple Bloom started up. "Really?! Sweets?"
"Speaking of that." Barb tossed the bag down between them all. Candies spilled out into view as it hit the ground.
Scootaloo grabbed a big chocolate and stuffed it in her mouth. "Your sacrifice is accepted."
"And our anger is appeased, for now." Apple Bloom put a colorful hard candy into her own snout. "But really, Sweetie?"
"Why not?" she pouted at the idea. "It's a fun enough game... The boys like it, and I play it with them."
Barb leaned forward, grabbing a sour candy for herself. "Which boys?"
"Double on that question," joined Apple Bloom, chewing. "Didn't think you hung out with boys at all."
Sweetie colored as she was stared at. "It's nothing special! We just play O&O once in a rare while..."
Barb crossed her arms. "Well, now you have to say." The girls all looked to Barb. "What? She has to say what her character is. I'm dying to know!"
Sweetie went slack with relief. "Oh! Sure. I play a Guardian of Friendship."
Barb inclined her head. "Wow, that just came out. So you're playing the new edition? Neat! I'm doing 6th."
"Sixth?! Old." Sweetie burst into giggles. "Why don't you update?"
"Those books aren't cheap," squeaked out Barb. "The one I have was a gift from Twilight." She ruefully smiled. "She loves giving books as presents... It worked out especially well for me those times, when she got me an O&O book. I can't exactly be like 'Hey, wrong book!' at a gift. That'd be rude."
Apple Bloom looked between the two O&O players. "Huh... So you both play... Um, if Twilight is getting you books and not really payin' any mind on which ones she gets... Do they even all match up, or are ya gettin' all kindsa different books?"
Barb let out a defeated sigh at that. "I have some third and fourth mixed in there. Not even sure where she found them, but older books are even better in her eyes, so I bet she thought she was getting extra good books. Still... they're not worthless. They're full of inspiration."
Sweetie hopped forward, right over the candy. "So, you run the game? Neat."
Scootaloo inclined her head. "I have no idea what they're talking about."
"Applejack played it once." Apple Bloom nodded with certainty. "Fun enough, she said, but not really what she wanted to do all the time."
Sweetie twirled on her friends. "She runs it!" She waved a hoof back at Barb. "So if we ask real nice, I bet she'd run a game for us. Then I don't need any boys."
Barb blinked, realizing what was happening. "Oh, um... Do... they even want to play?" She looked between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.
Scootaloo cracked a smile. "Barb, you missed something."
"Huh, what?" Barb tried to reign in her excitement. What had she missed?!
Scootaloo threw an arm over Sweetie, drawing the other filly close. "She's obviously ready to get some filly time." Sweetie bobbed her head quickly. "And she wants you to run it."
Barb let that tumble around until it clicked into place. "Oh! Wow... That... Thanks!" She surged to her feet and grabbed Sweetie in a firm hug from the front. "That means a lot!" She was being accepted into a girl space, as a girl. No catches or hitches. She just had to do it right. "If you two want to play, then I'll run it."
Barb skipped along with a pleased smile on her face. She had a second game to plan, and making up O&O stories was fun! She wouldn't play in that one. The other group was small enough that made sense. With this one, she had enough players she could just let them play. "This'll be great!"
"Excuse me." Another pony had almost bumped into her. "I really should watch where I..." Mayor Mare blinked softly, just realizing who she had thumped into. "Spike? Did you get a makeover? Your fins are different."
Barb felt a moment of irritation, but Mayor Mare hadn't been told, so she put it aside. "Hey, Mayor. I'm Barb these days." She hiked two thumbs at herself. "And I look different because I'm a lady dragon on the outside, and the inside."
Mayor Mare frowned in new thought. "Is that so? Have you filled out the paperwork?"
"Wait, what? There's paperwork for that?" Barb rubbed at a cheek. "Do ponies do this often enough for there to be forms?!"
"Of course." Mayor Mare curled on herself, retrieving a few scrolls and sorting through them. "One of... Here." She offered one of them out towards Barb, held in her teeth. "Ponies change their names. It's not common, but it's not rare either. Keeping track of name changes is an important thing for everypony. What if somecreature writes a letter to 'Spike'? It may not reach you!"
Barb took the scroll in a hand. "I never thought about that..."
"And if 'Spike' owes somecreature some bits, less fun, but we should know where to go about that. Similarly, the other way around, if somecreature is trying to find them to give them something. Yes, recording name changes is important. Besides, it could mess with the local census if we think you're two dragons, instead of one who changed their name. I'm not sure we're ready for two friendly dragons."
Barb giggled at that, more of a titter. "Stop that..."
"By the way, why did you change your name?" She inclined her head at the little dragon.
Barb waved her free hand. "Well, on the outside, I went from a little boy dragon to a little lady dragon. So I picked a more, uh, girly name."
Mayor Mare leaned in, looking Barb over anew. Reptiles had so fewer obvious tells about that kind of thing... "I see... Would it be impolite to ask how?"
Barb colored faintly, just a faint tinting of her cheeks. "Discord helped. Twilight knows, in case you're worried."
"You saw my next question coming." Mayor Mare pointed at the scroll Barb was holding. "Fill that out and bring it to town hall, and we'll record it properly, so things don't get more confusing than they have to. Now, Mayoring doesn't take breaks. I should keep going. Have a nice day."
"You too!" She waved at her as Mayor Mare walked past. "That was nice of her." She scrambled over to a nearby box and got to scrawling on the scroll, making note of her old and new name. Cutie mark? She didn't have one of those... She slapped down a handprint instead. Only she would have that.
Folding it back up tight, Barb broke into a jogging sprint towards town hall. "Sooner it's in, the better, and I can do something else." Procrastinating felt silly in that moment.
She burst through the doors to find a pony behind a desk guarding the rest of the building. "Hey there."
"Hello," returned the secretary mare. "Do you have an appointment?"
"No." Barb waved the new scroll at the mare. "Just turning this in."
"Ah." She reached out a hoof and soon brought the scroll in to unfurl in front of her. "Ah, a petition to have your name changed."
Wait... "Petition? Ask? I already change my name."
The secretary shook her head. "You have to ask permission. Once approved, they officially changed your name." She pulled the scroll in and tucked it away. "Until then, you are just using an alias. That isn't against any law, but an alias is not the same as 'your name', legally."
"If you'll wait here, I'll see if there's room for you to be seen today."
Barb come up short, other thoughts aborted. "Oh, yeah! If we can get this all done today that'd be great!"
"One moment." The secretary stepped down from her seat and walked off with the scroll in her mouth. "He's a busy pony. No promises."
Barb leaned against the abandoned desk. "Huh..." She puzzled through things. So, technically? She was Spike, aliased to Barb? That was dumb! Why did laws have to be silly...? Whatever, she was there to fix it!
"Spike?" A stallion with thick glasses was looking at her. "Hey! What are you doing here?"
Barb inclined her head at the pony. "Oh! Tadwell, how's it going?"
Tadwell waved Barb closer. "Doing great. It's busy, as usual. So busy they got two ponies to greet as you come in. You picked the other one." He pointed to the other secretarial desk. "She's alrigh though, does a great job!"
"Hoping. I didn't see you there, sorry about that. Oh, I'm here to get my name changed 'officially'." Barb made a face at that.
"What to?" Tadwell inclined his head. "Gotta know what to call you!"
Barb thrust a hand up and forward at Tadwell. "Barb, at your service."
"Barb... Spike... I like it!" He met the hand with a hoof and a smile. "Nice to meet you again, Barb. Love the spine style. I haven't had a new style of mane in forever..."
Barb fluffed her softer spines. "This isn't just a fashion thing. I'm a girl dragon now."
Tadwell colored. "I had no idea!" Whatever ponies looked for in male vs females, dragons didn't have that. "You did sound more... I didn't want to be rude!"
"You didn't know." She leaned forward, hands on her hips. "But now you do."
"Yes, ma'am!" He coughed into a hoof lightly. "So what are you taking care of?"
"Getting my name changed?" Barb hiked a brow at Tadwell. "I just said that."
"Oh, right." Being short of memory was one of his traits. "Sorry. Hope they get that done nice and quick for you."
"Barb, by the way." She smiled at the forgetful stallion.
"Oh, thank Celestia... I wasn't sure how to ask without looking silly." He wrote the name down quickly just to be sure. "Good luck, Barb!"
Barb waved on her way back to the first desk, seeing the other secretary returning at about the same time. "Good news?"
"Excellent news, for you." She placed a slip of paper on the desk. "Follow this."
Barb reached up, snatching the paper and taking a peek.
Court Summons Room 305
Spike Dragon
Barb wrinkled her nose. Stupid 'legal names'. "This looks official." There was a time. "That's in a few minutes!"
"He was here and you were here. That isn't an issue, is it?"
"N-no!" She tucked the paper away and jogged past into the building proper. "Thanks!"
She dashed past other working civil workers and up the stairs to the third floor. With a sprint down the hallway, she eyed the plaques as she went. "302, 303, 30..." It skipped, suddenly hitting her target. She reached for the doorknob, just to hesitate. She knocked instead. "Anypony in?"
"Is that Spike?" asked a male voice from within.
"Barb," she corrected, stepping inside to see a judicial stallion seated behind a desk in the small room. "I'm here to make that official?"
"Ah, yes." He shuffled papers and got out a quill. "Why are you changing names?"
Barb waved over herself. "I was a guy on the outside. Now I'm a girl! Still a dragon though. Barb, short for Barbara. I was, uh, told we have to make it 'official'?"
"That is why I'm here, among other reasons." He made dutiful notes with swirls of his pen. "That's not a common reason. Marriage is the most often used reason for name changes."
Barb colored at that. "Not getting married today!"
"A pity." And a new note. "Have you made the community aware of your changed name?"
Barb blinked at that. "I've been telling them as I see them, like just now." She waved between herself and the judge. "Hiya!"
"Hello." He shook his head slowly. "But that's hardly efficient, or sufficient. A name change has to be common knowledge, or you're just making up a nickname for yourself."
Barb tapped at her chin thoughtfully. "Pinkie's planning a big town party about it?"
"Ah, public announcement via Pinkie." He checked a box, as if Pinkie announcement was a specific box to be checked. "That will do nicely.
"For the record, please state your full name." He angled his quill forward, ready to capture it. "Feel free to also note any shortenings or nicknames that may be present."
Barb stood upright at that. "Oh! Barb, short for Barbara. Barbara Dragon." She struck a hopefully triumphant pose, watching him write it down. "So... all good?"
"Almost." The judge brought down a big stamp with a heavy thump. "There you are." He slid the paper across the desk. "This is for your records."
Barb hopped forward, lifting on her wings to snatch the paper. "Thanks!" The paper read nice and clearly that she, Barb, was so forth named. Her old name was gone. Dead. It was all there, in ink on the paper.
She sniffled softly. "Sorry." Why did that matter so much? Like officially moving to a new part of life, she couldn't help but feel it. "Thank you... So that... covers everything?"
"Everything," the judge agreed. "But do complete that announcement. It must be done within one moon to complete the process. After that, you are Barb, short for Barbara, Dragon, and nothing else."
"And nothing else," she breathlessly got out. "Wow..." She hugged the paper close. "Thank you so much!"
Barb burst free of the town hall with a huge smile on her face.
"Oh!" Fluttershy was there, startled by the abrupt exit. "Hello, Barb. You look happy today."
"Because I am!" She waved the paper at Fluttershy. "I'm officially Barb Dragon now."
"Congratulations," she cooed supportively, accepting the paper for a proper look. "Very nice. A lot of ponies have to do this when they get married." She gave the letter back to Spike. "It's an important day for them, and I imagine you too."
Barb gasped, eyes wide. "Woah, I may have to do it again if... that ever happens... Can you do it again?! Did I just mess up?!"
Fluttershy set a hoof on her shoulder. "It's alright. So long as you have a good reason, you can always change your name. You may bother them if you do it too often. They do have the, um, right, to just say no if somepony was asking for a new name every day."
Barb imagined that. "Wow... That really would be annoying. I won't do that, promise."
"I didn't imagine you would." She started past her at a sedate rate. "I came to do some shopping."
"Need some help?" Barb joined her, walking alongside the pegasus. "Oh! Did I mention Rarity is making me some dresses? She is the best at that..."
"She really is." Fluttershy turned an ear on Barb. "I apologize if... this is a rude question." And she went quiet, no question coming.
"Uh, you have to ask a question for it to be rude?"
"But I don't want to be rude," she shyly murmured. "This is new to me."
"You're a friend." She patted Fluttershy on the side. "Go ahead. I'll just not answer if I don't wanna, but I won't get mad. Like you could be mean."
"I can if I want to," Fluttershy defended before gathering herself up. "Did you and Rarity have 'A Talk'?"
Barb recoiled. "Oh! Um... Was... everypony? Wow... Was I the only one that thought that?"
"That's a yes." She folded a wing over Barb, drawing her closer. "I'm sorry."
With a thud of four hooves hitting the ground, Pinkie landed before Barb. "It's all planned," she cried out with a big smile. "I hope you are ready for a party, because this one is all about you." She thrust a hoof at Barb.
Barb blinked softly. She had been walking along with Fluttershy, shopping for daily supplies, and suddenly Pinkie. "You sure do love to pop out of nowhere."
"Nowhere? Don't be silly." She waved that away. "I'm from Ponyville, but not originally, I suppose. So are you ready?!"
Fluttershy put a protective hoof on Barb. "Is this about--"
"--Her new name, yep! Also her new... everything else! We're gonna tell the world! Well, at least Ponyville." She bobbed her head firmly at this. "I've invited everypony! And all the creatures I could find. Fluttershy, yours--" She pointed away. "is sitting in your mailbox if you didn't already get it."
"I didn't," she admitted, looking towards where her house resided. "But if you say it's there, I'm inclined to trust you." As if Pinkie would mess up party invites. "Do you need Barb?"
Pinkie curled on herself and came back with a big fancy letter. "Only to be there." She dropped the letter in Barb's waiting hands. "Be there!" Having delivered the last invite, she bounced away with a pleased expression.
Barb slit the letter open with a claw. "Let's take a look." She flipped it open, allowing confetti to burst free with a fwee of a noise. "Pinkie." She looked more amused than not at the festive burst. Inside was the when and the where and the what and the how, and even a why and the who! All the questions, answered. It was a party, for her, with a big Spike â–¶ Barb header to make it very clear.
Fluttershy was peeking over Barb's shoulder. "How lovely. An interesting place she picked..."
The where was the site where the old library once stood. "Yeah..." Barb rubbed her chin, thinking about it. "The library ended, and... gave rise to that." She waved at Twilight's new castle. "Maybe this is the same kinda thing? Spike is dead, long live Barb?"
Fluttershy raised a hoof to her chin. "That sounds about right. I happen to like both Spike and Barb."
Barb raised a lone finger, but it curled and fell. "Uh... but I'm only one of those."
Fluttershy nodded gently. "But I remember Spike, who was a positive force in my life. I like Spike, and I like Barb. Both are wonderful dragons who deserve our love and support." She hugged Barb gently. "I will be there, at your party. I may... leave after long, but I won't miss wishing you well in your new life."
Barb returned the hug warmly. "Thanks... Heading off?"
"I should." She checked her saddlebag to be sure. "I have all my shopping done for now. Somepony has to help the animals, but I'll be sure to tell them the good news for you."
Barb waved at the departing Fluttershy. "Hm." It was Twilight's turn to handle dinner, so she couldn't really shop for that... She saw no further use in the marketplace, but spared the time to swing by the apple stall run by an Apple. Her favorite Apple was there. "Hey Mac!" She waved eagerly.
Big Mac nodded down at Barb. "Ayup. How's it going?"
Barb hopped/flapped up onto the counter. "Check this out." She flipped out the paper that had made it official.
Big Mac leaned in for a look. "Huh. Nice." He nodded with firm agreement. "Pleased to meetcha, Barbara." He offered a hoof to his small dragon friend.
Barb met it with a balled hand. "You already know me, but hey again! Oh, did you get a Pinkie invite?"
"Ayup."
Barb fired a thumbs up. "See you there?"
"They'd need at least three ponies my sized to keep me away." Big Mac thumped his chest firmly. "Ah'll be there, promise."
Barb clasped her hands under her chin. "Aw, thanks! You're the best, or at least one of. Gifts are not required."
Big Mac raised a brow. "You ain't gonna turn down mah gift."
"No..." Barb rocked in place. "Just, you know, you don't have to, but if you already did... I won't say no..."
Big Mac gave Barb a nudge, causing them to flap down to the ground. "So how's things treatin' ya?" He glanced left and right suddenly. "Yer the only other critter ah know that knows what I knew."
Barb blinked owlishly at that. "Knows what? What secret are we hiding?"
Big Mac pointed at Barb and himself. "We know what it's like both ways. Out and in. Stallion and mare. Ain't somethin' most ponies know."
Barb colored as the meaning became clear. "Oh! Right... yeah..." She rubbed behind her head. "I'm still learning, if we're being honest... I haven't even..." She came to an awkward halt. Big Mac was a guy. Who was sometimes a girl? She wrestled with that a moment. "Um... I..." She gestured downards over her belly. "You know dragons lay eggs, right?"
Big Mac slowly inclined his head. "Ayup?" He brought up two hooves. "A boy dragon and a girl dragon love each other very much..."
"Not like that!" squeaked Barb, their coloration only getting worse. "Lady dragons, like me, do it even when there aren't any boy dragons around. Um... Think of it like a practice run... Lucky us."
"Oh." Big Mac sat back and up. "Mares don't do that."
"So I hear," laughed out Barb. "But I'm not a mare. I'm a dragon. I have to deal with dragon things, for good and bad." She gave a thumbs up that turned into a thumbs down as she talked. "It is what it is."
Big Mac nodded at that. "Ayup... Yer still a little thing. Don't get too stressed about it."
Barb squinted at her large male friend. "It's kind of half of what I'm thinking about right now. How do I not stress about it?"
"Hm. Think of Twilight. Do what she wouldn't do." Big Mac nodded along with his words. "That should work."
Barb swatted at Big Mac, even if she had no hope of reaching from the ground. "That's mean! But also kinda funny... Alright, no Twilynanas today..." She performed the breathing technique Cadance had shown before, in and out. "One thing she learned that seems to help..."
Big Mac echoed the breathing, sweeping his hoof away with a whoosh of air. "Huh... That really does work." He brought the breath in and let it go in a slow motion. "Cadance knows a thin' or two." A thought struck him. "Maybe ah should visit her, princess to princess."
Barb blinked softly. "That's a long train ride." She pointed to the station. "The family alright with you doing that?"
"Ain't no thin'." Big Mac had a big smile, a knowing smile. "Ah'll just let Orchard Blossom stop by. Ah did say princess to princess."
"Oh. Ohhhh." Barb got it with a double snap. "That makes sense. How are you doing? Both of you." She hopped up, but didn't sit on the counter, instead landing with her elbows, legs kicking in the air behind her. "That must be rough. I went from one thing to another, but you went form one thing... to two things. If you wanna talk, I'm here."
"'Ppreciate that. It's, uh, complicated. But ya gave a good idea." Big Mac tossed his head northwards. "Maybe Cadance can help. She's 'bout the girliest princess ah know!"
Barb tittered, kicking a bit harder a moment. "You need girl advice?"
"Well, um, am one of those half the time. And yer still new at it, so ain't askin' you!" Big Mac folded his arms in firm denial of that option. "So there."
"Oh, fine." Barb slid to her feet. "But I am here. I want to help."
"Y'are helpin', promise." His eyes lifted to a pony approaching. "Howdy! What can ah get fer ya?"
Barb took the hint and departed with a wave. She pulled out the invitation as she jogged along. "This is gonna be great!" She could stop telling each pony one by one about things and just... tell them all. She came to a slow halt, realizing the magnitude of that. "Oh." Everypony would know, all at once. They'd all be together to tell Barb exactly what they thought of it.
What if they didn't like it?
Well... so far, the ponies she'd run into had been super supportive about it! They liked her before, and they still liked her. Don't be Twilight. Barb smirked at that thought. Poor Twilight... Still, don't that. She would try to have faith in her friends. They hadn't really let her down so far!
"Woah." Lyra had caught a glimpse of Barb and was closing rapidly. "Look at you!"
"Hey, Lyra." Barb waggled her fingers at the smiling unicorn. "Nice to see you."
"Nice to see me? I'm still the same boring unicorn." She waved the good words away. "Look at you. Little lady dragon. I love it." She grabbed Barb by the cheeks between her hooves, mashing them with a happy giggle. "Your fins look so soft." Which was the very next spot she went to pet over Barb with undiguised wonder. "I know soft fins aren't a lady dragon thing. It's a lady you thing, and I like it."
Barb was helpless, grappled and smiling awkwardly. "Th-thanks! I like the way they look too."
"Good!" She threw Barb up into the air, catching her in her magic. "I'd be real sad if you didn't like the new you, after all that. Besides, here I am saying how good you are, and if you were busy feeling sad about it, that'd make me a huge jerk. So... digging it?" She put Barb down on her back, looking over her shoulder at her new rider.
Barb fired an emphatic double thumbs up. "I am loving it, so no reason for you to feel bad about it. Uh, did Bon Bon tell you?"
"You bet she did." She curled to nuzzle at Barb with a happy giggle. "Also, I'll be performing at your party. I hope you're ready for some slamming Lyra lyre lyrical levity!"
"Awesome!" Barb threw up her hands. "I didn't know you did small things like that."
"I don't, but this isn't just 'some small thing.'" Lyra pffted softly. "This is about my favorite little dragon. I'll be there to throw down some serious beats. Still poking at Vinyl to see if she can't join, but she can be like that. She'll show up, or not, day of without any warning!" She laughed at the mental image. "She's like that... Anyway... Real talk, I didn't see this coming." She hiked a brow. "I thought you were... kinda super proud of the guy dragon thing."
Barb crossed her arms, darkening swiftly. "I was... but I was also kinda deflecting, you know? Defending myself, making excuses..." She worried her hands together fitfully. "Maybe I picked that up from Twilight."
Lyra shook her head. "Nah, pretty sure Twilight has no interest in trying out the stallion thing. You are still an adorable little she dragon. I can't not talk about that..."
"You're too much." Barb put her hands on Lyra's back, leaning forward. "But do go on."
"Subtle." Lyra giggled softly. "You liked being talked up before, and that hasn't changed. Well! I happen to agree with you."
"You also like being talked up?"
Lyra's giggles turned into an outright laugh. "Not that! I think you 'fit' better, as a lady dragon. Now this is just my opinion, so it's barely worth the air used to say it, but you're even betterer than before, and you were already pretty good, so this is a complete win in my book." She started down the street at a vigorous trot, bouncing Barb up and down in the motion. "You weren't the biggest, toughest dragon, but you are the sweetest and awesomest dragon."
Lyra bounced in her spirited trot down the road. "Now, not sure I ever asked before, but do you have a favorite kind of music? You're getting a lyre, not much flexibility there, but you can do a lot with a lyre." She threw a hoof wide at the idea of the musical possibilities. "So, give me a hint! It's your party."
Barb considered from Lyra's back, half-watching the town scroll by with the ride. "I'm not that picky. Give me a good beat to move to and I'm a happy dragon."
"You were already a happy dragon." She paused, curling to pressing her nose into Barb's belly. "And now, even happier." She squealed with joy, trotting in place. "This is going to be so fun! Oh, and I have the perfect--"
Barb put a finger on her snout. "Gifts not required. We don't need another... big dragon... thing."
Lyra inclined her head, full of thought. "A big greedy lady dragon? Part of me wants to see that... But also would be a pain. Still! It's not the gifts, silly."
"It wasn't?"
"No." Lyra shook her head firmly. "It was you deciding you deserved everything, instead of just the gifts." She reached up to poke at Barb on her back. "You're awesome, but not that awesome. Now, your party, getting you a gift, and you will like it, and not ask other random ponies for stuff. Either they give one, because they want to, at the party, and that's it."
Barb gave out a little huh of consideration. "I think I get that..." She fell forward onto her hands on Lyra's back. "Thanks for being awesome. I bet your song's gonna be great."
"You bet your last bit," sang Lyra, her horn glowing as she plucked up Barb and set them on their feet. "See you at the party, Barb." They shared a wave, Lyra heading off to Lyra-related business.
Barb turned in place, hands behind her head. "This is a great day! Nothing could go wrong."
The universe would not be so casually challenged. "Nng." She suddenly felt a stab in her midsection and glanced around. "Maybe..." She scurried home as quickly as she could, dashing up the steps and throwing open the door. She vanished into the bathroom, a seldom-animated place to take care of what she decided might be the problem.
But it wasn't. Sitting and waiting for that, but it didn't feel right. "Nng." It wasn't... It wasn't like she was being hurt, but something strange was moving in strange places. It was all new and uncomfortable. "What's even going on?" she asked of the empty room.
But it hit her. "Oh... Oh no..." She hopped to the floor and crashed into the door jamb on the way out of the room. "Twilight?! Smolder?!"
Twilight appeared with a flash of magic. "What's..." She trailed off, seeing Barb out of sorts. They had stopped on Twilight's appearance, leaning against a wall and huffing for air. One hand was on their belly, eyes wide with fear, pupils dilated. "Wait... right here." She vanished just as quickly.
Barb slid to the ground. "Welcome... to being..." She flopped onto her back with a groan. "There has to..." There had to be a way to deal with it, but she didn't know it. She was just along for the ride. Things were moving in ways she didn't quite grasp, and it was inside her, which didn't make it even a little better.
Elsewhere, Twilight appeared at the front of a classroom, to Rarity's shocked gasp. "Twilight! Dear... We're in the middle of a lesson, hm?"
Twilight rushed to Rarity's side, whispering urgently to her.
"Oh... Oh my, dear, yes." Rarity pointed to Smolder. "The headmare requires your presence. You are excused."
Smolder got to her feet, confused expression worn. "What's up?"
Twilight grabbed Smolder's hand in her magic, tugging the draconic student forward. "We have to go. You said to get you."
"I said to..." Click, it came together with her posture shifting from confusion to determination. "Woah! Let's go!" They hurried out into the hallway. "I wasn't that interested in the fashions of Baltimare anyway," noted Smolder quietly. "Where's Barb?"
Twilight frowned at the admitted lack of scholarly interest, but that faded quickly. "This way." They vanished, to appear an instant and forever later beside the heaving Barb.
"Woah, let's take a look." Smolder went around Barb for a better angle. "You're alright. It's gonna be alright..."
While some part of her was curious to see how the whole thing worked... It was also her little sister, and watching them during a moment of vulnerability felt wrong. "Do you need me for anything, Smolder? Just shout." Twilight fled, dragging the camera of the story along with her. "I hope she's... She'll be fine." She took a Cadance-approved breath. "She'll be fine... She's a tough little dragon." Twilight had witnessed that herself. "She'll be fine."
Twilight sat in front of a desk, reaching with her hooves to adjust the lantern there she lit with her magic. "She'll be fine..." Things had... taken directions. Her precious little brother had become a sister. "She'll be fine..." And was experiencing dragon puberty in a way that mares wouldn't ever know. "She'll be fine..."
They were becoming a lady, a grown lady, at least at the start of that path. "She'll be fine..." Things became blurry and she frantically swiped at tears that threatened to obscure her vision entirely. "She'll be fine!" she wailed, trying desperately to convince herself. "Oh, Spike..." She thumped, face to the desk with a low thud of only that wood holding her up. "What have I done? What have you done?" She clopped a hoof down slowly on the desk, desperately trying to gather herself. "Is this... Is any of this right?"
She wanted to call for her #1 assistant, but they were busy, upstairs, performing an act that wasn't even possible not that long ago. "I'm not fine!" she screamed, shoving away from the desk and tumbling down to her hooves. "This isn't fine. None of this is... fine..."
A soft knocking startled her. "Who's there?"
"It's me," called Smolder. "It's over."
Twilight hurried to the door. "Already?!" She willed the door open to reveal Smolder. "I thought..." She glanced at the clock. She had... She had lost herself for some time, still... "How is she?"
"A happy mother." Smolder crossed her arms with a cocky smile. "She insisted in holding onto the egg for now. Typical first egg thing." She colored faintly. "I held onto my first too... But you have to put it down eventually... That egg isn't destined for anything fancier than the trash or an omelette."
Twilight blanched at the idea, recoiling. "You wouldn't consider!"
"It's a joke, teach." Smolder sure didn't seem that worked up about it. "Eating your own egg? Nasty. May as well chew on your arm while you're at it. Either way! Barb laid her first egg, and she's proud and a little tired, but it all went smoothly. She's ready for the hardest part of being one of us." She hiked a thumb at her chest. "Besides all the other things."
"Other things?" Twilight sank to her haunches. "Is there more I should be waiting for?!"
"Nothing you don't already know, teach." Smolder shrugged at that. "You may not be a dragon, but you are a girl, and so is she, and me! There's more to being one of those than popping out an egg, or a foal. You can help her with the other parts, right?"
"Oh, right, yes, of course." Twilight let out a strained laugh, trying and failing to compose herself. "Of course I'll help with that..." She glanced away and back at Smolder. "Are... they happy? I mean... That didn't look easy... If they want to go back...?"
"Nope." Smolder leaned forward at the headmare Twilight. "Not happening. Barb is 100% in this. I mean, shoot, little thing just laid her first egg, and she looks happy, not sad. Scared while it was happening... but who isn't? But she did it, and she looks ready to do it again." Smolder rolled a hand palmside up. "Shoot, she's more interested in 'girly' clothes than I'll ever be." She smirked viciously at that. "I blame that on her pony pals."
Twilight darkened at that. "I barely wear clothing, except for formal occasions..."
Smolder rolled her eyes at that, stepping past Twilight into the office. "She has more than one pony pal. You're just one. I mean, wasn't she in love with a pony that was all clothes? Hardly surprising she's that interested... Speaking of that." She twirled to face Twilight. "What's up with that? They still a thing?"
"N-no..." Twilight stood up, willing the door closed. "Rarity called it off... That's for the best, likely." She let out a grunt of a sigh. "I should have been a better sister and made that happen moons ago..."
"She left an impression." Smolder leveled a finger at Twilight. "Makes sense, being their first crush. She can't wait to look as girly as a soft pony mare." Her voice lowered suddenly. "little jealous..."
"What?" Twilight perked an ear to try to hear those low words. "Something wrong?"
"Nothin' nothing," Smolder quickly waved away. "She's ready to be cute and girly, is all I'm saying. It's nice... She would get tore apart, trying to live with other dragons like that..."
Twilight cocked a brow. "You're another dragon."
Smolder colored, called out like that! "They were already a friend of mine! Also, sibling of the one in charge of my school... so... not exactly a fair comparison. I'm not going to bust their chops... They came to me for advice... They... trusted me." She fidgeted with her hands nervously. "I never had a little sister, but suddenly I did, and she looked at me with these big hoping eyes... I was their everything, for a little while... I liked that part, alright? Is that so bad?!"
Twilight broke the tension with a brief little hug. "Thank you for being such a great friend, and big sister, to Sp--Barb. They really appreciate it, and so do I."
Smolder's worry became malicious grinning. "You're still trying to learn their name? Come on! You live with her! Barb. Barb Barb Barb!" She started to sing the word. "Barbity Barb Barb. Barbara, dragon of legend!" She twirled with the words, laughing with easy joy. "Say it until it's the most boring word you know. Barb. She is Barb."
Twilight shrunk in misery, called out in return. "Sorry, I owe her at least that much... They've been a huge part of my life. Hopefully, they will continue being that... Thank you, again. You can return to class. Well, not that class..."
"The one happening right now, got it." Smolder flashed a thumbs up. "I'll get back to it. You remember Barb, which is her name." She pushed open a window and jumped right through it, sailing down towards the school. "Good luck!"
Twilight waved at the receding form, her horn's magic closing the window gently. "You have such good friends." Twilight smiled, relaxed at that. "Now..." She emerged from the room. "Barb? How are you feeling?" She found Barb in the map room, seated on her crystal chair and cradling an egg all wrapped up in a warm blanket.
Barb saw Twilight coming. "H-hey. I know this is silly." She jostled the egg gently. "This isn't... a kid... Takes a daddy dragon for that to happen, I know that..."
Twilight sat next to Barb. "But it's still yours... I can't pretend I know, personally... Ponies don't do this..." The pony cycles were not dragon cycles, by quite a degree. "But I do understand that you are proud of it. You can keep it until you don't want to, whenever that may be." She put a hoof on Barb's shoulder. "I heard you were very brave."
"I was so scared," admitted Barb, coloring. "But... I did it."
Twilight skewed an ear at the immobile egg, as most eggs tended to be. "Barb, congratulations."
Barb lifted her egg with a triumphant smile. "This is silly," she admitted with a soft sigh. "Just an egg..."
"Doesn't have to be." Twilight sat next to Barb. "You started as just an egg, I will remind. Celestia thought you were entirely lifeless, or she wouldn't have had random foals zapping you with their magic." She made pew pew noises and flexed her hoof through the air in demonstration of the blasts. "And yet..."
"And yet..." Barb moved the egg into her full vision. "She doesn't have an egg anymore, right? Maybe... I could give her this one. Probably nothing'll happen... but it's a nice thought, that something could, maybe... And, uh... if it does, I'll be here to greet them..." Unlike her own parents, she didn't say out loud, though the meaning echoed clearly to both present.
Twilight wrapped a wing around her little brother. "We'd both be there. They'd be a part of our family, if it happened." She leaned in, touching nose to cheek. "But let's not get too focused on that. You're hoping for another little filly like me."
"Small odds," admitted Barbara as she carefully set the egg down in its nest and got out some paper to start writing.
Dear Princess Celestia,
It's Barbara! Oh, did you hear yet? I was Spike, now Barb. Um... Part of that included laying an egg, which I did...
She flushed red, writing that. "Do you think Celestia will be alright with this?"
Twilight's mind whirled with a few doomsday scenarios, but she shoved them aside. "From.. what I've seen, she'll accept this a lot faster than I did, and I'll feel foalish."
"That's big of you to say." Barb continued writing.
So now I have an egg, a dragon egg, obviously. You don't have one of those anymore, so I was thinking to gift it to you. Maybe some new unicorn foal will make it hatch? Wouldn't that be nice? Um, anyway, I'll send it a few minutes after this letter, so be ready for that. Oh! Actually, send me a letter back when you're ready.
Yours Faithfully, Barbara Dragon
Barb folded the paper up into a scroll and with a woosh of flame, sent it off towards Celestia. "Way better than just... throwing it away." She made a disgusted expression at that. "I don't want to do that."
Twilight considered with a curled hoof at her chin. "Well, I get the idea that's exactly what a lot of dragons do." She smiled down at her little sister. "But you care more than most dragons, and that's part of what makes you special, in a very good way."
Barb colored at that. "It... also makes me the softest dragon."
Twilight hooked a leg around Barb, hugging close. "I'll take my soft and wonderful dragon any day of the week. Besides, you get serious when the situation calls for it. It's just that an egg is not that situation."
Barb would have replied, but she hiccuped and coughed instead, belching out a returned ornate scroll. She grabbed it from the air and unfurled it.
Congratulations Barb,
I confess, I did not see this coming, but you have clearly taken a large step in your life and I wish you the best of fortune in navigating it. An egg, you say? I feel I should warn, eggs placed before foals may not always survive the experience. It wouldn't be proper for you to not be entirely aware of that. While we can hope for another miracle, it's far from assured. Are you certain? If you are, send the egg. I will wait patiently for ten minutes, in case you send it. If not, I will presume you are keeping it. You are a dear friend in either event. When the day comes that you lay a quickened egg, I hope I am invited to celebrate that special moment with you.
Wishing the Best, Princess Celestia
Barb giggled softly, hugging the letter. That felt just as important as the legal proof. Celestia saw her, and recognized her. "Hm..." She put a hand on her egg. "It isn't... completely safe..."
Twilight rest the side of her head against Barb's. "This may not sound like me... but nothing is, in the end."
"Yeah..." Barb drew the egg closer, sliding it on its bedding. "It has better odds than if I just stare at it until it... Yeah..." She drew herself upright. "Better a small chance than no chance at all." With a puff of enchanted flames, she sent her egg and its bed off on its journey to a sliver of a chance, where before it had none. "This is... kinda dumb though." She threw up her hands behind her head. "Until something happens... It's just an egg. I know that, you know... up here." She tapped at her head.
"It's not as easy to know that here." She tapped at her chest and its rebellious heart. "But thanks. That was a great idea."
Twilight shared a gentle hug with Barb. "Glad I could help. Sorry for being... kinda distant about... everything. This isn't a promise that I'm suddenly better. As Fluttershy would say, babysteps. I want to be there, for you. You're still my sibling, and my #1 assistant. I care about you, a lot..."
Barb hopped away from the hug. "You're taking things at your own pace." She winked with a smile. "If you just rolled with it, I'd ask who you were and how did Chrysalis sneak you in when I wasn't looking?"
Twilight wrinkled her nose, rolling her eyes with a huff. "Barbara Dragon!" Barb went stiff. "Your full name still works, I see... Still, really..."
"I'm just joking around." Barb stepped away from her throne, done with it for the time. The two laughed as they headed off out of the map room. "You going to be at my big name reveal?"
"Of course I will be." Twilight turned her eyes skywards. "Perhaps as good a time as any to have it completely down. As your sister, Barb, it would be quite improper for me not to be there."
Barb swung around in front of her. "One thing."
"Hm?"
"It was a little time, and you were, understandably, upset..." Barb held up two fingers close together. "But you were there, for a moment. How was the other side of the fence?"
Twilight peered at Barb, understanding absent a moment before a snap of realization replaced it with a dark and rapid spread of color. "Barb! I... didn't have enough time to consider it, just that I was suddenly very much not what I was normally and to be upset about that. Thankfully, Discord undid his little trick." She let out a slow breath. "But if you're asking if I'm curious, only on a scientific level, and I had that long before he was involved. I am quite comfortable being a mare. Which I hear you are too?"
"It's pretty great, minus the confusing new parts, but I'll get used to that." She patted her belly, no longer holding an egg for the moment.
"So are you curious about going back to being a guy dragon?" gently teased Twilight with a sly smile.
"No! I... Oh." Realization dawned on Barbara. "I get it... Sorry..." She skipped backwards, facing Twilight and going the opposite way. "I'm not trying to be a jerk. This is a really small club I'm in, me and Big Mac. I was just... kinda curious if you were in it too."
Twilight inclined her head, following Spike at that sedate rate. "Considering my sexuality? No, I'm comfortable with mine." She hummed. "Actually, there is one part still undecided."
Barb perked at that. "Do tell!" She pantomimed zipping her lips. "I won't tell if you want me to keep it a secret."
"Thank you for that... This is between you and me." Twilight closed, nuzzling between Barb's legs and casually tossing her up onto Twilight's back. "So it's like this..." She twisted an ear back at Barb. "I feel silly even discussing this... No offense, but you're a little young for this."
Barb crossed her arms with a flat expression. "I may be young, but I laid my first egg. It's not like I'm entirely clueless, Twi."
"Yes, well, true... but also you have had no experience... Rarity didn't let you get... intimate... did she?" Her raised brow was hint enough that she hoped this was not the case.
"Uh... She let me help her a lot? We went mining, like, all the time." Barb waved her hands in the air in wild pantomime. "We hung out all the time. Is that... intimate?"
"Not that sort of intimate." Twilight relaxed under Barb. At least that was avoided. "Which is my point. What I'm talking about is that kind of intimate, which you aren't very familiar with. Ah!" A thought came to her. "Think about our parents. The hugs, the kisses, the closeness they have that isn't quite the same as two good friends. You've seen that, hm?"
"Sure, yeah?" Barb shrugged helplessly. "They're all lovey dovey..."
"Correct. Now... Most ponies have a clear idea of who they want to be 'lovey dovey' with. That was true even for you. You wanted to be lovey dovey with Rarity, did you not?"
Barb shrank at that. "Yeah..." Not that she wanted to talk about that failed romance that moment. "What about it?"
Twilight curled a hoof to point at herself. "I don't know who I want to do that with! I don't... even know what kind of pony I want to do that with. " She grunted with annoyance. "It's not that I'm against the idea, but I really don't know where to start, and I get distracted with other things so easily..."
Barb stroked at her chin softly as they arrived in the kitchen. She hopped free to the floor. "Hm! I think I get it."
"You do?" Twilight moved to the fridge, gathering what could become lunch with some effort. "What do you get?"
"It's like me." She hiked a thumb at herself. "I used to want that... with Rarity, but that's been, uh... busted? Is busted the right word? Um..." She fidgeted nervously a moment. "Best I got. Now who? I don't know! Do I... Am I...? I'm a dragon mare now! Do I look for a stallion? I'm not used to even thinking like that, so that's new..." She sagged with a low chuckle. "And I only know how to romance Rarity, and apparently wasn't that good--"
Twilight put a hoof to Barb's lips. "Don't say that. You were quite good. I feel quite confident in saying that Rarity will never forget the time you two spent together. You did nothing wrong."
Barb buried her face in that hoof. "Thanks," she mumbled into it. "It's hard... but I think I get it, what you're saying. That kinda thing isn't the same as friendship. Don't get me wrong, friendship is pretty great!" She pulled back from the hoof and went to sit at the small table in the clean kitchen. "I love my friends a lot. It's a different kinda thing with a special somepony, or creature, or dragon, or..." She tapped her fingers together. "Speaking of that... A lot of dragons I've met are kinda... abrasive, but not all of them. Like Smolder's pretty great! But she's also my big sister, so that'd be super awkward."
Twilight smiled at Barb's meandering thoughts. "Maybe I was wrong. You do seem to get what I'm talking about." She set some food on a pan, sizzling it gently with her magic to wriggle it about. "Seems this is a difficulty we can share. It would be nice, perhaps, to be on even footing on this. There's been so much you or I have been ahead of the other on. Perhaps on this we can step forward together?"
Barb smirked at that. "Not literally together."
Twilight paused, figuring that out. "Barb! No." She stuck out her tongue. "Not that kind of together."
With her biology back under control, Barb was free to enjoy herself, skipping through the town of Ponyville with a smile. "Is it in?" A fine time as any to check the post office. "That'd make this day even more perfect."
She waved at the postal ponies and went up to the next available one. "Hey, Muffins."
"Hello there." She inclined her head left and right. "Barb, right?"
Barb blinked at that. "How'd you already know that?"
Muffins waved behind her. "Postal pony. We get all the redirect requests, and Twilight put in one to make sure all the mail addressed to 'Spike' went to 'Barb' instead." She turned that hoof on Barb. "And you look like a Barb to me."
Barb colored faintly. "Huh! That was really nice of her. Well, since you already know, any mail for me?"
"Some with your old name." She ducked down, vanishing a moment before she popped up with a small stack of large envelopes. "Here you go!"
Barb's eyes shined, guessing what was held within them. "Yes... Today is perfect." She claimed her mail with a happy giggle. "You're the best mail pony."
"Aw, don't let the others hear you giving me that award." Muffins waved Barb off. "Enjoy your mail. Oh, did you need anything else?" She gestured to a basket sitting there. "Pinkie dropped off some muffins. Want one?"
"Since you're offering." Barb snatched one right into her mouth, chewing with a pleased noise. "Best," she whispered conspirationally. "See you later!"
"Bye!" She waved as Barb headed out. "Next!"
Barb hopped through the door to the road outside about just right on time for somecreature else to make a landing. A pegasus? No, not furry enough. A dragon. One he knew. "Ember!" She waved and rushed for the dragon lord. "I didn't know you--"
"--were coming?" she finished, crossing her arms. "Look at you..."
Barb slowed to a stop. Those tones were hard to read. "Look at me?"
Ember leaned in. "Look." She poked Barb in the center of their chest. "We small dragons have a bit of an uphill journey. Everydragon else has already written us off. Small, weak, pathetic, easily forgotten." She counted on her fingers as she went. "And others your pony friends would faint if I repeated." She glanced at the ponies hurrying past them. "But I made it anyway. Shoot, I'm in charge now." She stood tall and defiant. "You were part of that."
Barb dared a little smile. "You're welcome?"
"I thought we had a thing." Ember half turned, eyes turned skywards. "I thought we were two smalls ready to punch this big world right in the face... claim our part of it."
Barb slowly inclined her head. "Um... what changed that?"
"What changed that?!" demanded Ember in an almost shriek. Her voice came back down. "Sorry, scaring the ponies." She may have been upsetting Barb too, but that wasn't as big a thought, clearly. "Seriously, what changed that?" She waved over Barb's altered appearance. "Dummy! There was a time I considered, just for a hot moment, if I should grab you and add you to my horde. Good dragon lords need a plus one... And now?" She whistled sharply, brows falling. "Now..."
Barb began to color more and more vividly as she got a grasp on what was being said. "W-wait... You thought I was... handsome?"
Ember raised both brows high. "Handsome? Adorable in the right way, and compatible." She shrugged softly. "If we're being honest, that was all I was measuring. We'd learn to get along after the fact." She punched Barb in the shoulder. "You are so not used to dragon things."
"No..." Barb deflated, called out on her lack of dragon etiquette. "Um... This may sound kinda rude, so sorry ahead of time. But aren't you a young dragon, like me, or Smolder?" Barb pointed to herself, then the school in the distance. "You'll get bigger, right?"
Ember let out a single bark of a laugh. "No... Wow, you thought that?" She waved over herself with both hands. "This is full sized. Not getting much bigger. Small dragon." The thought hit her. "Oh, wow... that was dumb of me. You are still growing. Maybe you'll end up way bigger than me... I woulda felt stupid... but we'd already be nestmates at that point." She shrugged, as if that wouldn't have been a deal breaker if it had gone that way. "Either way! What's up with going all girl-drake on me? I'm the girl-drake in this dynamic and it doesn't need two!"
Barb tried to fluff herself up. "Well, make room." She flashed a smile. "We're small dragons, making room is something we're good at."
Ember flicked Barb's nose. "Ha ha. Anyway, I learned from Smolder. Imagine my surprise 'I got a little sister'." She made air quotes and toke on a mocking tone. "You made her soft, at least for a moment. It was kinda funny if we're being honest. But you're forgetting something."
"I am?" She looked over herself. She seemed to have all her needed parts...
"You're a lady dragon. You're going to--"
"--Oh!" barb colored, but she knew that part. "I already did."
Ember blinked at that. "You're not lying, are you?"
"No way." Barb pointed the way. "Ask Twilight, or Smolder. They can both back me up. Anyway... Um... So yeah."
"So yeah," echoed Ember with less certainty. "Seriously? And you didn't run back to... wherever this happened?" She wriggled her fingers at Barb's female form. "I'd be tempted."
Barb blinked at that. "Wait, you want to be a boy-dragon?"
"No," Ember flatly denied. "Doesn't mean I enjoy the whole egg part." She seemed to realize. "Lucky little lizard! I bet yours are the right size."
Barb blinked at that. "They can be... the wrong size?"
Ember lifted her hands in a grand shrug. "Look, your parents help set the size of things. They failed in me as a whole, but the eggs? They seem to think I'm bigger. I'm not, but good luck telling them that." She stomped, scowling at Barb. "And here you are, little new-girl, just having no problem! I'm so jealous right now." She saw no reason to hide this fact, glaring at Barb. "Wonder if your parents are small dragons too... Would make sense. Or maybe you just got stupidly lucky."
Barb winced with the imagined pain of her egg being significantly larger. "S-sorry... can I help?"
"Yeah... No, that's really a problem a dragon has to face on their own." She swatted at Barb. "Thanks for offering."
Barb smiled at that, a sign that they were still friends. "Try asking Twilight? She's a wizard and all. Her and Starlight are quite a, uh, arcane duo. Maybe one of them, or the two together, could do something."
Ember huffed at that. "I don't feel like owing either of them a favor." She arched a brow. "Twilight likes making things owe her one. Sure, she's usually nice about it, but she still does! So did they do this?" She waved over Barb's head. "Tell me so I can punch them."
Barb squeaked at that threat. "Don't do that, besides, it wasn't them." She chuckled at the thought. "You don't want to punch who did it, promise."
"Try me," she flatly countered.
Barb shrugged helplessly. "Well, alright. Discord did it, with my permission."
"Spike!" Ember grabbed Barb by the shoulders, shaking vigorously. "What were you even thinking!?"
"Um..." Barb had to shove a hand away to gain some freedom, taking to the air several inches. "Stop that! And it's Barb now. Short for Barbara."
Ember's scowl grew two sizes that day. "Hold up. That's a big name. A huge name. What've you done to call dibs on that name, of all names?"
Barb extended a finger. "Helped defeat the local spirit of chaos." The next finger came. "Defeated an ancient pony of untold power in the north." A third finger came. "Won the rite of the dragon lord, even if I gave it away afterwards." A fourth finger went out, but Ember's hand came down on top of it.
"Enough, enough! Figures you'd have an answer for that." She crossed her arms. "Still... You know you're going to catch flack for that, lots of it. You thought he was a pain before? You haven't even started. Barb... really." She started. "You actually read that book!"
"Yeah?" Barb shrugged faintly. "That's what books are for, right?"
"Honestly... you're the first dragon I know that actually read it. I thought Twilight was just geeking out, like she usually does. Figured her havin' it wouldn't do much harm." She leaned in towards Barb. "Didn't know she was actually giving it to you."
Barb huffed at that idea. "More should read it. It's full of good information..."
"Already sounds boring. I'll leave that to you." Ember smirked at her soft dragon friend. "So, your pony pals gonna throw you a big party? Did I already miss it?"
"Nope!" That wasn't Barb. Pinkie sprang out of a nearby bush, invitation at the end of her hoof. "Here ya go!"
Ember accepted the letter, closing her fingers on it and flipping it into view. She casually passed it to Barb. "Read that for me."
"Sure." Barb had read a lot of things out loud for Twilight before. Which Ember was not... "Hey. Why am I reading it?"
"Because I asked nicely? Please." Ember tapped a foot at Barb. "C'mon, Spike. We're friends, right?"
"Are we?" Barb wagged the envelope at Ember. "My friends use my name."
"What are... Oh, right. Fine. Barb, will you please read the letter? Pony writing gives me a headache."
Barb got the idea Ember didn't read a lot if she could help it. "Alright." She flipped the invite open. "You are cordially invited to my name announcement coming up soon. It'll be just over there." Barb pointed at where the old library once stood. "Gifts are optional."
"You're trying to make me look cheap," huffed out Ember. "I can manage a gift, don't even worry about it. Think about what you're going to do when I drop the awesome all over your head."
Barb came back in for a light landing. "Well, now I'm worried..."
"You should be." Ember rubbed her hands together with dark plans in her eyes. "I know exactly how to pick the right gift." She marched off without a goodbye. She didn't take flight, instead stomping towards the school with a mission clear in her eyes. "Smolder! Get your tail out here!"
That secret hadn't stayed a secret for long. Barb chuckled with a wry sorrow for Smolder. "Guess Ember will be there then." She had quite the full party coming up shortly... "But for today." She reclaimed her dropped envelopes. "I have reading to do!" What was wrong with reading anyway? Comics were great! With a giggle, she rushed off to catch up on her subscriptions.
As if Barb could expect anything else from Pinkie, the entire area was prepared for a party. Ponies were chatting, drinking tasty drinks, eating snacks, and playing games. And it was all dedicated to her. "Barb." And there was Twilight, looking less cheerful than most. "Can we talk?"
Still, she had gotten the name right! Points! "Sure. What's up?"
"First... congratulations." She dipped her head at Barb. "This is a big step for you... As your sister, I want to be there for you." She reached out a hoof for Barb's chest. "You're still my precious little br--" She shook her head. "Sister, and I still love you. That doesn't change so easily."
Barb hopped up, hugging Twilight firmly and getting one in return. For a moment, there was just quiet companionship.
"However," Twilight sighed out. "Pinkie sure knows how to pick a location!"
Barb looked about at the other happy ponies. "Seems to be working out..."
Twilight released Barb back to the ground. "It's another place where... things changed, and never went back." She turned to point her horn at the spot the library once stood. "I have many... lovely memories of that library... But it's gone, and it's not coming back. Part of me wonders if she just picked it because of our connection, or if she was going for a deeper meaning. This is another change. There's little chance of coming back from, that I will need to adjust to..."
Barb gently patted Twilight's side. "I'm still here, for either big change. Your friends and family haven't gone anywhere."
Twilight wrapped an arm around Barb, drawing her closed. "At least there's that." She nuzzled her little dragon gently. "Now! Enough of Twilight feeling things, go, enjoy your party."
There was plenty to enjoy. Barb bounced from one smiling face to the next. They were happy to greet her new self. "Shoot." Even Granny Smith was there. "Pinkie sure does like to outdo herself, don't she?"
"Would she still be Pinkie if she didn't?" Barb shrugged at the idea. "Thanks for coming."
"As if ah'd miss it." She swatted Barb lightly with a hoof. "Now..." She leaned in. "Ah know what Big Mac's goin' through... At least yer case is more... done. It's a big change, sure, but it ain't changin'. Poor stallion, always gonna be changin'!"
Barb caught the key word there. "But our friendship won't be."
"Glad to hear it." She gently hugged Barb. "Yer welcome by the farm anytime, as if ya need me to remind you."
But it was still nice to hear. Barb eagerly returned the hug and bounced off to the others at the party. Ah, there was Lyra and Bon Bon. "Hey!" She waved at the two of them.
Lyra raised a hoof. "Hey! I'll be putting on my performance soon." A lyre popped into existance over her head, horn glowing. "Hope you're ready!"
Bon Bon more sedately patted a spot next to them, eyes on Barb.
Barb accepted the unspoken invitation, hopping up beside them. "Good to see you both. Having fun?"
Bon Bon coiled on herself, drawing out a little bag clenched in her teeth and holding it towards Barb. "I try to offer new ponies in town a little treat, so you get this."
Barb caught the little cloth bag when it was released. "Thanks." She pulled it open from the top and peeked inside. "Hey, neat!" She popped out a little chocolate ball from within and chomped it. "Not to complain, but why didn't we get one of these when we first came to town?"
Bon Bon considered that. "Maybe because I knew you weren't quite here yet."
Lyra swatted her girlfriend. "Smooth! Pretty sure she just forgot."
Barb giggled at that. "Well, I appreciate it, and I bet you'll knock 'em dead, Lyra."
"Oh, wow, hope not." She plucked at her lyre with her magic. "I need them alive for the next show."
Barb snickered at that reaction. "Not literally." She slid to the ground. "I'm sure you'll be great. Thanks for coming." The two waved as Barb continued her patrol to see all the ponies.There was an earth pony he knew! "Davenport!"
The brown pony perked up. "Oh, the mare of the hour. Hello, Barbara. I'm afraid I didn't bring many supplies with me." Despite that, he was already drawing out a small box. "Just one."
Barb blinked at the little box. "What's that?"
"A gift." He held it out towards Barb. "A congratulations for the day, and a hope for a later business, hm?"
Barb accepted the box and popped it open without delay. Within was an ornate fountain pen. "I know Twilight prefers quills, and they are lovely, but do try that. Works the same, but doesn't break. You can still come to me for ink, have no fear."
Barb squeezed the box, closing it along the way. "Thanks! That's really nice."
He tipped the hat he wasn't wearing. "Glad you like it. But don't let me hold you. I see other ponies waiting their turn."
The crusaders rushed up to get their turn. Sweetie waved over Barb. "You're looking fantastic today. I'm surprised you aren't wearing a dress, if we're being honest."
"That's only--" Rarity emerged from the crowd. "--because I haven't yet given my gift." The crusaders spread to either side to let Rarity present a ribboned package to Barb.
Barb snatched the gift. She could guess what it was. It wasn't like Rarity was very subtle about it. She hopped up and forward, smooching Rarity on the cheek. A friend's kiss. The other sort had been shut down, but friends could give kisses! "Thanks! I'll be right back!" And off she ran to make that happen.
Rarity rubbed where she had been kissed. "She certainly seems eager..." She smiled at the crusaders. "My apologies. You barely had a chance to say hello and I went and ruined it."
Apple Bloom waved it off. "It ain't no thang. Not like we can't see Barb anytime."
Scootaloo flashed a grin. "Besides, she's gonna play O&O with us! We'll get more of her than a lot of other ponies. Can't be super mad."
Elsewhere, Barb tore her dress free and quickly climbed into it. One downside of feminine attire was that they had zippers and things in the worst possible place... "I know a fashion designer," she swore to herself. "We're fixing this!" But, for the moment, she was stuck with a dress half-hanging from her. "Twilight!?" But Twilight wasn't there. She was out at the party Barb had fled.
"Shoot..." She dashed for a window and peeked outside. There! A form was jogging from the friendship school. "Hey!" Barb waved at them wildly.
Smolder looked up at the voice. "Barb?" She took off, easily ascending to get at Barb. "What are you doing here? Figured you'd be at your party right now. I was headed to you!"
That was when she got a good look at what Barb was wearing, or failing to wear. "Woah." She hopped through the window and hit the ground next to Barb. "Um..." Alright, part of her wanted to make fun of the frilly dress.
Another part of her was super jealous she didn't have it on.
Another another part began to blush at the idea of anycreature seeing her within 30 feet of the dress. "What's... up?
And Barb was ignorant of it all, turning to display her back. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but could you help me zip up? I can't reach any of it."
"Why are the zippers in the back?" grunted Smolder. "They could put them almost anywhere else..."
"Right?!"
But Smolder did step in and start zipping and clicking clasps into place. "There, there... there." She clapped her hands as she stepped back. "How's it feel?"
Barb whirled to face Smolder, her dress lifting a moment with the motion. "I feel like I'm ready to take on the world!"
Smolder gave a polite clap. "Cool, cool... but you can't do that from in here." She pointed out the window she came in through. "Your party's down there, missing you."
"Right!" Barb flapped her wings, lifting from the ground. "Race you there."
"With you wearing that?" Smolder chuckled darkly as she lifted up next to Barb. "Too easy."
Easy or not, the two raced back to the party. They landed side by side to stomping ponies greeting them.
But Barb had not expected those unicorns.
Twilight Velvet stepped forward with a big smile. "There you are! Look at you... I thought I was the adventurous one." She pointed at herself, the thrillseeker of the family. "But there you go, showing me right up." She burst into laughter, devoid of hard feelings. "And you are making that dress work."
Barb's face was a furious red, standing before her parents. "Um... hi."
"Hello there." Night Light set an arm around Barb. "You didn't think we'd miss this big day, did you?"
Velvet snickered softly. "Wild horses would have to try to drag me away." She leaned in, eyebrows waggling. "Wouldn't work, but they sure can try."
Barb pushed at her with a laugh. "Love to see them try, and fail. Um.. Like it?" She turned left and right, showing off the frilly dress that Rarity had crafted for her. "Nice... right?"
Night Light inclined his head. "Not bad. I'd go with +3 yellow and -5 red, but not bad."
Velvet swatted at him. "Rarity knows what she's doing! Speaking of... I should bother her sometime, hm. Enjoy your party." She leaned in, smooching Barb on the forehead. "We're proud of you."
Barb was stunned a moment, but she wasn't sure why. Oh, duh... Hearing her parents approved and were proud of her... It was nice.
"Ayup." There was Big Mac, nodding at Barb. "Nice."
"Ain't it?" Barb smiled with more confidence. Big Mac had tried a dress, as a guy and a girl! "I can only hope to wear one half as good as you."
Big Mac colored at the implications. "Ain't like that... Happy not wearin' a dress..." He leaned in. "'Least while ah'm a stallion."
Barb nudged at Big Mac. "Then I have to talk to Blossom and swap some fashion tips."
Big Mac's coloring only grew worse. "Um... that sounds... kinda nice..." He wandered off, off balance and confused, but not unhappy.
"You were never in my class." There was Cheerilee. "I wouldn't have been able to raise you properly... Such a wonderful dragon you're becoming." She touched noses with Barb, rubbing gently. "I didn't do that raising, but I still feel proud... Is that silly?"
"Nah." Barb waved it away. "They say it takes a whole town to raise a foal right."
"Mmm, point." Cheerilee curled a hoof to her chin. "Then I'm proud to be part of that town, having played my little part to help such a lovely thing come into its own."
Barb smiled brightly. So many ponies were there, each with their own warm words. Some even with presents, optional as they were. She was surrounded by love and care... "Um." She hopped up on a table. "Your attention, please." Eyes turned towards her and conversation waned. "I want to thank you, all of you..." She started to bow, but thought better of it, turning it into a proper curtsey. "I'm super lucky! Um, to live with so many caring creatures."
"Shut up." oh, there was Ember. "You can't say that until after you check this out." She shoved a considerable rock at Barb. "Go on!"
Barb blinked at the rock. "What is it?" She dug her claws into it, finding it to be soft, relatively, for a rock. With a great heaving pull, she popped it in half, allowing a bright yellow garnet to fall to the table beneath her.
"Ta da!" Ember licked her lips. "Eat up and enjoy. From my personal stash."
"Aw." Barb snatched up the sparkling rock. "Is it alright if I just keep it?"
Ember rolled her eyes. "Oh wow, you are such a pony." She elbowed Barb gently. "Don't change."
