"So, what's it like?"

Big Mac looked over to Spike, question unasked, just a look.

"Bein' a, you know, mare."

"Here we go." Discord was there, smirking viciously. "I thought this was a testosterone filled party."

Spike waved him away. "We've had mares play before. Probably not the last time. Um, but you're the only pony I could ask, so... asking."

Big Mac gave a lone clop, fidgeting in place without words.

"You're not going to get a lot of answers out of him," half-taunted Discord. "But we could ask Orchard Blossom." He fluttered his lashes with a half-giggle. "Bet she'd say."

Spike hopped up onto the table, putting himself between Big Mac and Discord. "They can answer, or not. Up to them."

Discord arched a brow at the young dragon. "Look at you, being all brave and whatnot." He flicked one of Spike's fins. "It's adorable."

Big Mac had a thought. Did Discord know--"Yes," Discord answered without being asked. "I just thought it'd be polite to not bring it up. We are friends and all."

Spike looked between the two, rubbing the flicked fin. "Wait, you know about Orchard Blossom?"

"Newest princess of the lands?" Discord leaned in, chin on his balled fists. "It'd be hard to miss. That she has a certain resemblance to a pony I know wasn't missed either."

Spike held his defensive position. "Don't poke fun at him."

"Who? Me? I would never." He gasped with shock at the very idea of it. "That would be entirely unlike me. If he likes the feeling of a skirt, it wouldn't even be the first time." He waggled his brows, looking far too amused at the whole thing. "Now, if you're asking me, not my type."

Spike hiked a brow. "Dare I ask what your 'type' is?"

"No." Discord reached across the table without needing to stretch very hard, reaching as far as needed on a whim to shove Spike back into his seat. "I suggest against it. Besides, Big Mac here has a special somepony. Does she know about this hullabaloo? That could get prickly."

Big Mac perked his ears up. "Wait. Ya don't know?"

"I don't spy on everything." Discord rolled his eyes into his waiting right hand, to pop back into his skull. "I keep half an eye on friends, which she isn't. So, does she know? Spill the 'hot deets' for us. We wanna know."

Spike fidgeted. "Um, I am a little curious, but you don't have to."

"No... No it's alright." Big Mac sat up with a slow cleaning breath. "It's alright... Ah'm still me."

Spike raised a brow. "Nocreature said you weren't. Where did that come from?"

Big Mac cracked a smile at that. "Me. Um... Jus'... Tryin' to grow a little... Don't mind me... bein' a little slow. Now, uh... Since ya both know..." He looked between his two guy friends. "And ain't upset?"

Discord shrugged softly. "I don't show her off much around here, but Eris knows how to make a mess. I've been either at times. Chaos spirit, remember?"

Big Mac blinked at that. "Eris?"

Discord clapped his hands in front of his face before pulling them apart to reveal her face. "Eris," she noted with a new softer voice. "It's not very chaotic to be hung up on these things. I was gender fluid before that rabbit even hatched from his egg."

Spike blinked softly at the altered Dis--Eris. "Huh... You know rabbits don't come from eggs, right?"

"As if." She plunked down an egg that split in half, revealing a suspiciously trademarked rabbit that winked and hopped away, laughing. "You're not a rabbit expert, Spike. Now, admittedly..." She shrugged softly. "He was actually a hare."

Big Mac rubbed the side of his head. "Huh... So you don't think it's odd, um, what ah'm doin'?"

"On my ruler?" She pulled out a ruler and slid a finger along it. "You have a long way to go. But I'm still waiting to hear what your girlfriend thinks of it. She's no chaos spirit. She panic or what?"

Big Mac's tension ebbed a little. At least his friends there seemed alright with it. "She's a great pony, um... And she didn't get upset none... Ah... think she might even like it."

Spike colored at that. "Wow. Um... Wow..." He flopped bonelessly back. "You two, um... do... anything?"

Eris howled with laughter. "Twilight might try to petrify me if this conversation goes the way you're making it sound. In the interest of that not happening, kindly don't answer that in the presence of our young dragon, hm?" She leaned forward, tail wagging behind her sinously. "Instead, I will safely assume you two have things worked out. Good for both of you. I didn't expect she had it in her. Now... Spike."

Spike perked at his name. "Yeah?"

"You've been showing a sudden interest." Eris wagged a finger between Spike and Big Mac. "Are you jealous of being the only all-guy here?"

"I thought I had company..." Spike peered at the one-guy that was Eris. "Uh... So... could you answer the question then?"

"Nope!" She fanned herself gently. "One downside of being what I am, I'm everything, which actually makes me awful for explaining what one thing is like compared to the next. I prefer guy-me." And Discord returned with a snap. "Just got used to it, a bad habit really. Still, sometimes I like to let the hair down." He fluffed at the long hair he only had for that instant.

"Ah can try..." Big Mac quietly considered. "It's softer, on the inside, an' the outside. Not a whole lot. Orchard Blossom's still a tough earth pony, mare or not. Got muscles like I do, plenty hard, but still softer than ah am right now... Hard to explain, right? Still, it's a feelin'."

"Softer," echoed Spike. "Weaker?"

"Nope!" Big Mac rocked his head with a grunt. "Don't let the girls hear you say that, or they'll be real mad."

Spike squeaked in fear at that situation. "You have a point!" The mares he knew weren't generally weak as a word.

Spike fiddled with his fingers a little. "Still, uh... Are creatures happy to see you?"

"Ayup." Big Mac inclined his head. "They're happy to see either ah me, really. Can't say they're happier, though Blossom's a princess and a super hero, so that makes ponies happy, but not jus' bein' a mare."

Spike rubbed his hands together nervously. "So..."

"Out with it," cut in Discord. "If we wait for you, we'll be here all night without any adventure. Go on."

"I'm getting to it!" Spike shoved a hand in his pocket and drew out a paper, slapping it down. "I drew this a while ago."

Big Mac leaned over to get a look. It was a dragon, like Spike, but also not. Their shape was clearly different, more like... Smolder or Ember. Dragon differences in gender were not his specialty at all, but he could see some differences in the Spike-like but not quite Spike drawing. "Huh..."

"It's dumb." Spike covered the picture with both hands as if to conceal it from the world. "Sorry, it was stupid to bring up."

Big Mac clopped his hoof down between Spike's hands. "Nope!"

"Uh..." Spike edged his hands away from that heavy hoof. "No what?"

"Ain't gonna." He leaned in at Spike, snorting in a great gust of air. "Been learnin' from Twilight."

Spike blinked softly. "Learning what?"

"What it means." He tapped at the drawing trapped under his hoof. "To want what ain't yers. To want to be what ya ain't, on the outside."

Discord blew his nose with a tissue in a great honk. "So touching! Sorry to interrupt, but are we going to play at all tonight?"

Big Mac drew his hoof back. "Oh, yeah, sure... But ah'm serious, Spike. If... that's somethin' ya want to talk about, let's talk, when it ain't game time."

Discord drew out his many sided die. "It's time for adventure!" He would be held back no more. It was game time, not exploring one's feelings time.

"And so our heroes crept down the hallway, the heavy breathing of what could be doom just ahead. Would they survive?" Spike made a closing motion in the air. "We'll find out next time."

Big Mac applauded with a merry clip-clop.

Discord let out a spirited whoop. "I'll be there. Captain Wuzz isn't going to let things end like that if he can help it." With a puff of smoke, he was gone.

Big Mac stood to leave, but felt a small hand against his side. "Hm?" Spike was touching him, holding him really. Big Mac could have easily dislodged Spike, he wasn't that strong, but... "Ayup?"

"Is now a bad time?" Spike fidgeted with his free hand. "It's alright if it is."

Big Mac sat right back down. "It ain't a bad time. Say, have you spoke to Twilight?"

Spike paled at that. "N-no! Why would I? That would freak her out! She freaks out really easily, if you didn't notice."

"Ayup." Big Mac nodded slowly. It wasn't hard to remember that. "But she's studyin' this right now. That's why she's talkin' to me. So... Anyway, this ain't 'bout her. How can I help?"

"It's... embarassing." Spike released Big Mac, unfurling his fingers from the large pony's fur. "I've been a big macho kinda dragon a lot... But a lot of it is trying to... make up for things." He fiddled his fingers together fitfully. "I'm not really that big, or strong."

"Yer still a little thin'." Big Mac inclined his head slowly at the small dragon. "Might grow up to be big an' strong."

Spike laughed, a strained noise. "Maybe, but I don't really want most of... those things. I want to be admired, sure, who doesn't? but I don't want to be loud. I don't want to shout at ponies or most of the... guy stuff. Even when I was a big dragon, fueled by greed, I just wanted to collect stuff I liked and be left alone mostly."

Big Mac rubbed behind his head softly. "Ah'd be a real somethin' or other if ah shot ya down. I used to dream of bein' a princess, bein' powerful and savin' the day..."

Spike fired a sudden thumbs up. "And you got that! Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank ya... It's complicated. Lot more to it than I ever thought..." Big Mac leaned in. "You got an advantage."

Spike blinked, slit eyes contracting briefly. "I do?!"

"Ayup. You got some she-dragons to talk to. So talk to 'em. Ask 'em. Bet they know a few things most don't about being one of 'em. The things we don't even think about. Normal for 'em, but if ya ask polite like, maybe they'll share. Maybe not."

"Huh..." Spike rubbed his hands together a moment. "Not a bad idea, but how do I bring that up without sounding like a weirdo?"

"Ya don't." Big Mac sat up with a little smile. "Just do it polite-like. Sometimes, we got weird questions. Ain't a crime last ah checked. The dragon, at Twilight's school. She's about yer age, ain't she?"

"Older, a little... I think? She already had wings." Simple logic there! "Unless she-dragons get their wings earlier..." Logic, defeated. "Guess I could ask her... Um... But isn't it... It's kind of sissy--" He cringed at the word. "--for any guy to think about this?"

Big Mac snorted softly, curling a hoof at himself. "Now, let me ask, am I a manly pony er not?"

"One of the most I know!" Spike's eyes sparkled, hands clapped together. "You're great! Why?"

"'Cause I had the same thoughts. Don't see nopony callin' me sissy."

Spike considered that with a slow nod. "Yeah... but you're also keeping it a secret."

Big Mac's ears flopped, realizing that was true. "It's... complicated, with there bein' two of me. It confuses me, let alone anypony else. Either way, ya ain't a 'sissy'. Yer a brave dragon, Spike." He thumped Spike on the chest. "Don't let nopony tell ya otherwise."

Author's Note

A heart to heart between two friends. Any of you have such a conversation?

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