"One thing ah was wonderin'." Big Mac was knocking apples out of trees. It was a good job, a return to tradition. It felt nice to be getting back to it. "First, if ya thought it through all the way."

"Sounds like two things already." Spike was perched on a fence, watching Big Mac work. "I... talked with Smolder."

Big Mac paused in his work, looking at Spike with new surprise. "Oh! How'd that turn out?" He rubbed behind his head, imagining all the ways that coulda gone wrong. "She understandin'?"

"Not at first," he admitted with a wry smile. "She thought I was joking, at first, then she thought it was... kinda silly..." He rubbed his hands together fretfully. "But I got through I was serious, and... we talked."

Big Mac let out the breath he had been holding. "Was it a good chat?"

"It was..." Spike leaned back on the fence that served as his chair. "And I learned some things... Um... some things I woulda never thought to even ask..." His cheeks darkened with this new, forbidden knowledge. "Girl dragons have a lot going on, and they don't even show it!"

Big Mac stepped towards the fence instead of the next tree. "And this...um... Ya ready to run towards it, or away from it? Not gonna think less of ya either way."

Spike put his hand on Big Mac's nose, holding his friend's face. "As if you would. You're way too good for that..." He smiled wistfully as he pulled the hand away. "Sorry."

"Ain't nothin' to be sorry fer." Big Mac sat, facing Spike. "It's a confusin' time... Um... Been there?"

"How do you do it?!" Spike threw his hands to the side, eyes wide. "Just keep going back and forth like that? You're a guy, and a girl! At the same time, almost. You just keep bouncing around, and you're alright either way. That's so..."

"So..." Big Mac rolled a hoof. "Is that bad?"

"I'm super jealous, actually." Spike flopped his face down between his hands, grinning at Big Mac. "I don't think I could manage that..."

"Ain't a race." Big Mac waved at himself. "Bit of an odd 'xample. Right now, ah'm a fella, a stallion, all the way. Ya called me a mare, ah'd be offended."

Spike held up his flat palms and forced a smile. "I get it, I get it. You're one of a kind." He waved his words away in a forceful dismissal. "But you know what both sides are like, and the ponies you deal with are interesting. I'm not insulting! It's amazing."

Big Mac considered with a soft hum of thought. "Can't argue that..."

"Besides, you've changed!"

Big Mac recoiled at that. "What?"

"Not in a bad way." Spike hurriedly raised his hands flat towards him. "You talk more these days... I like it, actually. We can... you know... talk." He waved between himself and Big Mac. "And here we are... But, um, back to the matter at hand... I don't think I can bounce around like you do. I need to be on one side of the fence... but I'm pretty sure..." He hopped down to join Big Mac, looking up at him. "I want to be on the girl side, um..." He worried his fingers together. "And maybe I always was, just... It's hard to explain. I like a lot of girl things, always have... Probably always will..."

Big Mac set a hoof on Spike's shoulder. "Then yer a girl."

Spike blinked softly. "Um..."

"Jus' like that. If a friend asks for somethin' so small, gonna give it. What a friend would do." Big Mac inclined his head. "But the outside don't match the inside none... We could ask Rarity fer help. Bet she'd set you up proper."

Spike blushed at the idea of a frilly dress. "Smolder doesn't wear any frilly dresses, and nocreature doubts she's a girl."

"True..." Big Mac considered that quietly a moment. "But yer inside and outside don't match. We can't rightly argue that."

Spike patted... her? sides. "Is it really that simple though? Really? I'm a girl now?"

Big Mac smirked faintly. "Ya just said ya always were, so we're just catchin' up, not changin' nothin' there. So my storyteller's a lady dragon. Ain't not a thin' wrong wit' that!"

Spike clapped her hands together. "Now, uh... You're a, uh, magic unicorn princess, like Twilight, sometimes, right?"

Big Mac inclined his head. "Sometimes, at night. Why? Um, technically, alicorn, but ain't no difference right now. Why?"

"Well..." Spike rocked on her feet forward and backwards, almost enough to tip over. "You could maybe help with the outside parts?"

"Oh!" That was, technically, in his magical abilities... technically. "Don't know that spell! 'Sides, we got a friend that'd help, who's probably already waitin' fer you to ask him. In fact, he's probably right annoyed it's taking so long fer you to do it."

Spike looked around furtively, but she didn't see any chaos spirits about. That was no assurance. "Do you think he would? I was getting the idea he was upset when we brought a lady to game night. You know, a guy's thing..."

"Now that's just insulting." Discord stepped out from behind Spike casually. "You're still you, Spike. As if I stopped being Discord while I was showing off Eris. You started the game, and dream up the world we get to visit." He put both hands on his own chest. "And you think I'm going to get all huffy because you're a lady dragon?!"

Spike jumped away from Discord's sudden presence with a squeak of surprised dismay. "When'd you get here?!"

"A magician never gives away his secrets." Discord waggled his brows meaningfully. "So, what do we call you?"

"Huh?" Spike pointed at herself. "I'm Spike?"

"Are you really?" Discord looked like he was enjoying things far too much. "Spike was the old you. The new you is a lady dragon. Spike the lady dragon doesn't work quite as well. Pick one that really works for you. Come on, it's half the fun." His tail lashed behind him as he leaned forward. "Just like I'm Eris in my other self, hm? And Big Mac is Orchard Blossom. We all have lady names, so get with the program."

"Um..." But Spike wasn't certain, shuffling. "We were talking about, you now... the outside and the inside matching?"

"Your name's the easiest part of your outside to change." Discord pointed to the nametag Spike hadn't been wearing, but there it was on her chest.

It was blank, just reading, "Hello, My name is" Discord offered a marker with a big grin.

Spike took the marker with an angry grunt. "Right! Right... I like having a short name..." One syllable was good! "But should sound... girlier... Without being super girly... A balance."

"Good call." Discord nodded, puffing a cigar he was holding. "You're not much of a 'Fluttershy', even on your best days. Something closer to an Applejack."

"Hey!" Big Mac snorted at the bringing up of his sister into things. "She's plenty girly when she wants to be."

Discord tapped Big Mac's nose with that cigar. "Which isn't often. "

"I read something." Spike pressed her marker to the tag she wore. "A dragon that made a big splash with ponies, and dragons... She was kinda awesome, um... She wasn't girly, taking charge and getting things done, but she was, for sure, a lady dragon. Her name was kinda long though."

Big Mac raised a brow at that. "How long are we talkin'?"

"Barbara the Living Inferno, Bringer of Flames." Spike announced each syllable purposefully. "Oh! But I can take a bit of it." And so she wrote 'Barb' on the nametag that had been given to her. "There! How's that?"

Big Mac and Discord both applauded in approval. Discord nodded firmly. "A fine name, Barb. And we have a secret, since only us know the full thing, hm?" He waggled his brows. "What is it with you and collecting really long fancy names for not liking them?"

"Is Spike here?" Twilight appeared with a puff of smoke. "I'm re--" And she saw the dragon, with a nametag. "Is... that a new character in your O&O game?"

Big Mac gestured at Barb. "Say hello to Barb, yer little sister."

Twilight fell from the air, her wings failing entirely in that moment. Fortunately, it wasn't a long drop, and Discord caught her in her plummet. "Oopsie-Daisy!" He set her on her hooves, wobbling but upright. "Welcome back!"

Barb waved timidly at Twilight. "Um, hi..."

"Hello," she fired back, sinking to her haunches. "Barb... Are you... Are you certain this is what you want? I'm sorry if I haven't been a good older sister. I'll fix it!"

Barb grabbed one of her wobbling hoofs and hugged it close. "You're the best older sister I ever had... I hope I can be a good little sister."

Twilight pulled Barb closer, hugging them with both arms tightly. "As if you aren't already! Um... So... Are there other things I should know, besides the name?"

Big Mac inclined his head towards Discord. "Ah reckon she's still workin' up the bravery tah ask Discord to make her as much a lady dragon on the outside as they are on the inside."

Twilight cringed, despite her best efforts. "Can that wait? Please... I'm not saying no... That would not be a supportive action, but... Let's try the new name, and being known as a lady dragon for now. Maybe you'll like it, a lot, and maybe not..."

Discord huffed at the objection. "As if I couldn't snap her either way whenever I wanted." With a sharp snap, Twilight became Dusk Shine, much to her surprise.

Dusk glared at Discord. "You turn me right back!" But she was speaking with a stallion's voice and she blushed vividly. "This... Turn me back!"

"You sure? We could just try the name first. Maybe you'll like it, or not," taunted Discord without a scrap of mercy. "Let's find out for sure first."

"There is no doubt." Dusk stomped in place in a growing fit. "I am a mare and I demand I go back to being one right now!"

"As you wish." He snapped his fingers, but two puffs of smoke happened instead of one. "Everyone is now the gender they want to be. You're welcome."

"Thank you." Twilight floated a mirror out to admire her female face, just the way she left it. "Please don't ever do that again."

"Woah..." Barb was looking in a smaller mirror. "Woah..." A lone tear ran down her face. "... Wow..."

Discord bent in close. "I can undo that if you don't like it."

"N-no!" Barb pushed Discord away, only to color. "Sorry! No! It's... It's perfect." She turned from pushing to hugging, squeezing Discord tight. "Thank you so much!" She laughed a little hysterically. "Will it... stay like this?" She spread her wings to look over her shoulder at each, as if every part of her body was worth admiring and studying. "Or will it wear off?"

"Only changes are temporary," noted Discord with a smirk. "I didn't change anything, just put things in order. Ugh, Harmony would tease me for years... They may anyway... There I am, being all orderly on their watch. You think I don't know you're watching?!" He glared at... nothing...

Twilight considered the dragon formerly known as Spike. Still Spike, in appearance, but rounded and changed. Female Spike? No, that was unfair. They were Barb. She was Barb. "Hello... Barb."

Barb abandoned Discord to hurry to her sister's side, grabbing her up tightly. "Hey!"

Big Mac sat with a little smile. "Ayup."

Discord elbowed the stoic stallion. "Oh, sure, now you go back to bein' quiet. Leave all the talking to me! I see how it is." He crossed his arms with a huff, but a smile followed after it. "Still... Seems we're a bunch of kooks in this game."

"Ayup." Big Mac back turned back towards his trees. "Got work ta do."

Author's Note

What Barb may look like, just add wings!

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