"Twilight."

Twilight looked up. "Yes, Sun?" She inclined her head a little. "Did you invent a new spell?"

"Not what I was going to talk about," he admitted. "Tell me, uh, as a mare."

Twilight's ears danced. "As a mare?"

"Well, you are one..." He rubbed behind his head awkwardly, glancing away. "Have I... acted oddly?"

"Besides being unable to do magic? Not to my knowledge." She leaned in a little. "Why?"

His cheeks warmed. "Well, you see, Derek is going through a lot."

"Autumn Blaze," gently corrected Twilight.

"Huh?"

"She accepted her name." Twilight nodded with certainty. "Look, I get it. I'd rather be focused on magic, but I do get it." She rose up and thrust a hoof back alongside her barrel. "I used to be a guy too, all waggly and whatever. I know what that's like." She sank to her haunches. "I... might have buried myself in magic to forget about it."

Sunburst slowly inclined his head, adjusting his glasses as he did so. "Oh... I'm sorry. Am I digging at a sore--"

She set a hoof on his chest. "You're a stupid guy, just like I was. Stupid stupid stupid." A little smile spread on her lips. "She's stupid in love with you, you know that, right?"

"I..." His glasses fell askew from his shocked face. "Really?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "She has basically sent you a hoof-written letter at this point. And it scared her."

"And she ran away," he sighed out, pushing his glasses back into position. "What can I do?"

"Let her feel her feelings." Twilight waved it away. "Celestia knows I have more than a few of those." A brow raised. "Pity I don't have another pony with romantic interests to distract me."

"Um."

"That was a joke." She poked Sunburst on the shoulder. "You're quite distracting as a research assistant. I won't move in on Autumn's territory. That'd be rude, and might cost me two research assistants. That'd be counterproductive." She raised a hoof to her chin. "Speaking of that, I have an idea, a new line of research if you're up for it."

One of his ears shot up, the other joining it a moment later. "Hm? What's on your mind?"

"Eri, our Leader." I heard that. "What she does, I have it well documented." She floated a book over to rest on the table in front of him, one hoof tapping just ahead of it. "See which of them you can duplicate. Her list of accomplishments can be considered a sort of 'what if', inspiration, if you'd prefer. I'm not promising we can do it all, but trying..."

"It's what we're here for," agreed Sunburst, his glowing horn lifting the book. "Is she alright with this?" Sheesh, at least one of them had some sense. "Some of what she did is... out there. Starlight's told me a few stories." And I got to hear them. She had focused on the parts she liked, which were still enough to make Sunburst nervous.

Twilight waved the concern away. "Don't do the ones that hurt anypony. That isn't either of our goals. But, the rest? Why not? Better than just trying to randomly think of things to do. If she can do it, it means it can be done. The question is just, can we do it?"

Ugh, would I need to take him aside later? "I'm not sure, uh, I'll start with what looks to be harmless." The book flipped open under his power and he began to read it in a skim. "Are we done for today?"

"For today," sang Twilight. "Lyra's getting a lesson next."

"Oh, good luck to her." He tucked the book away and looked ready to leave, but hesitated. "So... question, has... any other unicorn had my problem?"

Twilight inclined her head. "Hard to say. Many of them simply have no interest in pushing past the basics, which means they could have your issue, or not, and we'll just never know. Lyra seems to have some interest, thankfully." She nodded firmly. "But we're getting the basics down before trying the alphabet." Tossing her head towards the door, Twilight waved Sunburst off. "Good luck."

"Like a song," he mused as he trotted off.

Autumn took a slow breath. "Alright, girl, you have this. He's just a guy, like you once were. If some girl just walked up to you and said 'Hey, I like you', what would you do? Be happy! That's what you'd do. He thinks you look awesome and you are kinda awesome and he's a dork and you're just gonna knock on the door and he'll open it and you'll explode his day." She threw her hooves wide in imitation of poor sunburst's mind being shattered. "You got this."

She thudded a cloven hoof on the door. "Hey, open up. Unless you're not there. You might not be there. Shoot, I didn't think this through at all. Maybe you're busy or something and I should just come back--"

The door suddenly opened, revealing Sunburst, watching her, staring into her soul.

Or at least it felt to her. "H-hey," she squeaked out, her confidence shattered.

"Hey, Autumn."

"Y-yea! Autumn Blaze, that's me! My name..." She burst into nervous laughter, taking a step back. "Good to see you." She thrust a hoof forward, but it was on fire, burning with the blue flames of her nirik form. "Oops!" She turned the hoof up and blew across it, snuffing the flame casually. "Um, later!" And she fled, clip-clopping away in a panic.

Sunburst watched her go, unsure what to do. Chasing her felt wrong... "I'll be here," he whispered out, willing the door closed.

"I freaked out!" wailed Autumn. "He was right there and I just... panicked! I'm the worst kirin ever..."

"You're the only kirin ever," noted Starlight, brow raised. "Which makes you the best."

"And the worst," huffed Autumn. "Look, you've been showing me how to be a mare, even if I'm not technically a mare." She inclined her head, "What even are female kirin called?"

"A lin," noted Starlight. "But we're getting off topic. You're a lovely lin. Do you feel like one?"

"Y-yeah...." Her tail wagged nervously. "Which feels odd saying, but... yeah... I'm a girl, mare, lin, whatever, fine, whatever." She turned on Starlight. "Ain't no reverse on this train. Went away without a pain. Unless you count, the head in doubt" She pointed to her head, voice lilting melodically as she sang on, "I want him bad, it'd make him glad, but I'm really not quite sure."

"There is no cure," continued Starlight, drawn along with the song magic that Autumn wielded so naturally. "That aching heat, your strong heartbeat. You're ready to spread wide."

"I'm not a whore! But him I adore. I liked him even before this. The last time I tried, I almost died, pressing into a french kiss!" Autumn sprang right over Starlight, flames touching the air behind her, burning hot with her mixture of emotions. "I want a friend, not to display my end. I want to talk, not this sidewalk."

Starlight followed after, a light canter to her steps. "The best mates are partners too, I'm still waiting for my screw. Mine loves me but won't finish the deed, I'm wide open, go on, breed." She blinked softly. "Getting off topic, let's not be myopic. This is all about you. He wants only the best, he's acing this test, he's waiting for you to come through."

Autumn suddenly pounced Starlight, driving her to the ground and grinding against her in a way that left little to the imagination. "What about you and me, we could try even if you're a lady."

"Enough!" Starlight rolled right back over, pinning Autumn instead. "Enough." The song was disrupted, ended. "Autumn, you in there?"

"Yeah?" Autumn tilted her head faintly. "That... a no?"

"That's a no," noted Starlight with a sour look. "I'm taken by a certain someone that could really get angry and not in fun ways. I'll avoid their name so they don't know, but can we cool off a moment?"

"Yeah..." She sagged onto her back. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you like that. Ugh, I'm messing it all up." She applied her cloven hoof to her face. "Why can't I face him?! He's my friend... He was ready to be guy-friends with me even when I was smoking hot in his view and very not ready for... any of that. He'd a damn nerd, the good kind."

Starlight smirked a little. "The kind you were?"

"Ha!" She sat up, Starlight stepping off as she did. "Hay no. I was cool, thanks. I had girlfriends before." She pointed at her own chest. "I know how to hook up for Friday night, and how to party. I was a cool dude, not a nerd. He's a nerd... But an adorable one." She sighed softly. "God, is that hormones talking?"

"Uh huh." Starlight rubbed softly at her chin, considering Autumn. "So, when was the last date you had, before coming here?"

"Oh, uh..." Autumn paced in place in little fidgets. "Not that long... ago... Uh..."

"That's what I thought." Starlight prodded Autumn in the side. "You're looking back through Autumn eyes. I don't think Derek was as outgoing as you've become. Now, look. Sunburst is more like Derek. He's afraid to overstep, terrified of chasing you away. So do you want his company or not, make a choice."

"Ugh." Autumn shook herself out, from her mane down to her adorned tail. "I want him as a friend, yes... maybe more? Look, we need to talk." She pointed back at her own rump. "I'm new to this. Are you a virgin?"

"Pardon?" She raised an ear at Autumn. "That's quite the question."

"And still the one I asked," was sang in response. "The way you were talking, guessing no."

"No," affirmed Starlight with a flat expression of annoyance. "Why?"

"What's it like?" She turned to keep starlight directly ahead of herself. "I mean, sure, I get the idea. Guy goes around, hops up... He's all stiff and whatever, been there, and he just... shoves it inside? I never worried about it from the other side, but now I'm on it and I'm not afraid to say that sounds kinda painful."

Starlight burst into snickers. "Sorry, sorry, not laughing at you, but... yeah, any stallion that 'shoves it inside' deserves the kick you'll give him." She inclined her head. "They're not animals, and neither are we. He cares about you a super ton. You tell him to go slow, or just not go at all, and he's on it. Any good partner would too. Tell him to take it easy."

"Take it easy," softly echoed Autumn. "Nice and gentle." She made quite the lewd noise, like wet sliding. "So we can both enjoy it."

Starlight huffed. "Wow, you're... yeah, that. Assume he'll do what you say."

"That doesn't tell me how it feels," countered Autumn. "I don't have the part I used to. What does it feel like? Reversed?"

"Oh, no. No no no." Starlight shook her head quickly. "I've helped enough new stallions to confidently say no. For a stallion, that little stick of theirs is the center of their universe, like everything is pulling in tighter and tighter to a point, then it explodes." She threw her forehooves wide. "And they're shattered and happy. There, the male experience."

"Okay, sure." Autumn nodded quickly. "Been there, so the girl experience?"

"The girl experience is... a state of being." She tapped at her chin, considering it. "The contact is great, don't get me wrong. But thinking about what you're doing, how much you love the guy, how hot it is that he's doing what he's doing, how great your future is, how great he is, and you feel. A girl's thinking a mile a minute, reaching out and out and out instead of in and in and in. When it's really good, it's like we're... all over the universe at once." She leaned in suddenly. "And I didn't even get to the fact that orgasm doesn't mean the end for us girls."

"What?"

Starlight inclined her head. "Seriously, you never heard about that? You hit orgasm, and that's great, real great, trust me, but the guy doesn't have to stop, and you don't want him to. You're floating on cloud nine and man, I'll take another half dozen of those, thanks." She suddenly smirked. "Watch out though, stallions are not really known for their endurance. You'll have to teach him to use other parts of his anatomy too."

"Other... Oh!" Autumn began to blush furiously, flame licking at the tips of her ears. "God, I have to teach him that?"

"What, do you just... instinctively know how to dive between a lady's legs?" Starlight turned away. "Doubt it. If he's your boy, take responsibility and show him how it's done."

"But I don't know how to do that!" she quailed.

"But you'll know what feels good." Starlight peered over her shoulder. "Just guide him to what's good and away from what's not. Shoot, I don't even know if kirin have... exactly the same anatomy, so don't go asking me. You'll learn on your own, and I bet he'll come for the ride if you let him."

"Right..." She suddenly sagged to her belly. "So... how do we do... things... safely? I'm getting used to being a girl, sure. That doesn't mean I'm ready to be a mom."

Starlight turned suddenly back to Autumn, surprise on her face. "You get a gold star. One of the first mares to really ask about that. Well, not the first, but a minority." She shook her head. "I'll take him aside, get him some condoms. Pills aren't guaranteed to work on mares, or lin. We're not human, go fig..."

Autumn burst into delirious laughter. "Oh, wow, of course." She clopped a hoof to her forehead. "How else do guys avoid that? Look, thanks, really." She closed in and touched noses with Starlight. "I know I'm a mess, but you're great."

Starlight gently rubbed the tip of her snout against Autumn, returning a warm nuzzle. "You go on, and go say hi to him. You two are impossible, and I doubt I'll get him to move."

Autumn crashed back. "Wait, you've been talking to him?"

"Duh?" She hiked a brow. "I introduced you two, remember? Poor guy thinks you must hate his guts."

"No! No... I don't..."

"I told him that." She rolled a hoof. "But you keep avoiding him. Go make his day already."

Autumn scurried off, desperate to get somewhere.

"It's been a few days." I reached for her head and patted it gently. "And not a single complaint."

Silver looked quite smugly satisfied. "Now, not complaining, but you're asking me to cool it, but you have your hand on, like, my head." She ducked back and touched her snout to the hand before I could draw it away. "Not that I mind, but, like, crossed signals, you know?"

"Silver..." I crossed my arms, considering her. "I made you--"

"--You can unmake me?"

"Technically, yeah? But that wasn't what I was aiming for." I lifted both hands in a shrug. "I feel responsible for you. Even if you aren't the only person I've ponied, you're the one that asked, that I talked to." I gestured between us. "I feel like there's more there."

"Probably helps that I'm one of the only ones that day that doesn't hate your guts a lot or a little." She huffed softly. "Sucks for them. Ever consider letting me talk to them? You made one other little pony, bet she has all the parts too. I could maybe turn her around."

"No turning any fillies around by you!" I huffed out a little louder than I intended. "Look, Silver. I'm like a parent."

She suddenly sat and began clopping her hooves together. "Finally."

"Finally...?" I peered at her, confused as hell.

"I've been waiting for you to realize, like, I'm ready to be your daughter." She smirked softly. "Benefit, daughters and mothers don't do 'things'."

"You're an adult," I reminded. "Adult adoption is..." To be honest, I had no real idea. "I'd have to even look that up. But, still, you barely know me."

"I know you're powerful, but kind." She hopped suddenly, pouncing my lap and curling there. "I know I feel completely safe around you, even when you're, like, telling me I've been bad."

"Like now?" I gently rolled her off and she landed on her feet, tongue stuck out at me. "You are an imp."

"Your imp." She pointed at me then leaned to the side. "Where are your SOs? I mean, I really should talk to them too. You're a family. If they... hate me, well, that's that."

That was surprisingly mature of her. "I doubt Shining 'hates' you, but they're both a little odded out that you specifically chose the lolita path of all things."

"Really?" She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a kid, so no Lolita. I just like being small and cute. I think that's fun, and a little sexy." She half turned away. "I'm an adult, you said that. I'm either an adult, or not. Which is it?"

"You're an adult," I sighed out.

"And adults can have sex lives," she concluded. "Two consenting people, not a single pony, like, hurt, so relax." She polished a hoof on her chest. "Besides, eventually I'll find Mister Right."

Wait. "You're looking for a permanent thing?"

"Duh?" She hiked a brow. "What, did you think I'd just, like, slut around forever."

I didn't need that little filly using words like that... "You seemed to be enjoying yourself," I noted as tactfully as I could.

"And I am, but I'm not totally stupid." She waved a lone hoof. "I want a family. Look... It's like this." She let out a slow breath. "My parents already know what I did... they were not happy. I don't have a family anymore. They weren't the sort that could take a trans daughter, let alone a cross-species one." Silver Spoon pointed at me. "You are my chance to have a mom, and you're already way better than the first one I had. I... know I've annoyed you."

"Silver, we're both on the clock." I gently shooed her away. "Let me think on it, and we'll both earn our paycheck."

"Alright," she allowed more quietly than her other words. She trotted out, leaving me there.

I flopped onto my chair and began typing rapidly. There was something I needed to see. Sure, I didn't have a hacking program... 10 minutes ago, but I did then, double-click. There we were. I typed in Silver Spoon and her file came up. "Communication," I said to myself as I browsed to the proper file. "Let's see."

Hey Guys,

It's your boy, well, girl. I've been through a lot, and now I'm ~~a pony~~gone through a transition.
Don't worry! I'm fine, and I love you both a lot, okay. I'll be stuck here while ~~I'm infectious~~I'm adjusting to the new hormones. I'll see you when I can.

I scowled at the message. It wasn't... against regulations. That didn't mean I had to like it, even a little. I clicked the scroll wheel along. They had replied.

The hell?

Did you go gay on me? I told you working there would get to you. Did they inject you with some kinda gay drug? Bloody fucking hell. I'm going to sue them into next year. Don't bother, you're dead to me. They're gonna pay for this.

A little note was attached. The message had been forwarded to HR, who reported the likelihood of successful legal action was small, but not zero. It was far more likely they wouldn't actually jump through the hoops to bring it that far.

Shit... Poor Silver, thrown right out, just... abandoned, instantly. I checked the timestamp on that. She had emailed them a week ago, and got the reply a few days ago. No wonder she had gotten a bit more... reserved. Shit... I couldn't just admit I saw what I had no business looking at.

Sure, she was an adult. Adults didn't need parents the same way kids did... Still, damn... damn... That couldn't have been anything short of agonizing to read. I could imagine my parents scowling at my new look. They wouldn't have been happy...

I still had to tell them...

I could be next on the dispossessed line, though I was also looking down the barrel of a huge promotion! And I was married! To... a horse man, and a horse lady...

Yeah, that could get ugly.

What was the outside world doing? We were in here failing to cure the big disease. I flipped over to some news sites and began browsing around curiously.

"Stage 3 trials are well underway," noted one reporter.

I clicked onwards. "Look, I'm telling you. All this hurry for a vaccine is costing lives." A haggard man was wearing a mask, shouting through it at a reporter. "A friend of mine went in for trials, never came back."

Oh geeze, was that us? I copied the link and forwarded it along. That was above my pay grade. I kept the facility running. PR? Not my thing.

Fortunately, the news seemed to treat it more as a singular oddity rather than any grand conspiracy, like say a secret lab full of horses and stuff...

That reminded me... I started a new search for my company. It was on a site listing the great many others that had collapsed under the weight of the pandemic... Great, lost to a bookmark in history. I rather liked that place...

California was on fire? Huh...

"You could fix that." There was another me, a really small me, on my left shoulder. "Just a little snap, done, fixed. No more fire. Snap, no more global warming. Snap snap snap. Just one would make a big difference."

Another me appeared on my right shoulder, arms crossed with a frown. "That's taking a lot of agency away from people."

"Ugh, sure, but most of the people who want to fix it, also can't. You're 'stealing agency' from rich pricks who don't care."

"And how will this convince them?"

"Snap them too," offered leftie with a wicked sneer.

"You can't listen to her," huffed Righty. "You know there's nothing good that way."

"Yeah, I know, I know." I stood up, the shoulder mes vanishing without a sound. I was not the same person I had arrived as. I was a godling. I had a husband and a wife and maybe I'd be getting an adopted daughter?

I was a mess. But I liked that mess. That mess was me, and I was alright with that.

"Um, I don't... have anyone I plan to be with." He rubbed behind his head, eyeing the selection in front of him.

"Relax." Starlight gently nudged him. "It's too late if you're already ready and you don't have protection." She inclined her head. "Now sit down, close your eyes, and let me measure you."

His eyes went wide, glasses fogging. "Starlight! We're... friends, um, at best, and you're offering to--"

"--Provide a medical service." Starlight hiked a hoof as a measuring tape floated over. "Now think of England."

He squeezed his eyes tight. "If you say so!" He was fidgeting, but it was soon over, and Starlight was back in her own space. "You do know I'm American, right?"

"Yeah, so am I." She pointed. "That one right there."

He set a hoof on the condom box. "Really?"

"That'll fit you," she assured with a little nod. "Then if a nice mare does happen to make a move, well, you're ready. Now... do you actually know how to put one on?"

He suddenly fell over, unconscious. "I will take that as a no..."

Author's Note

Phew, welcome. The story in motion. Silver Spoon wants to be adopted. Did you know you can adopt adults?

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