A Bit Less Shy

by TransAlchemist

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Random, Alternate Universe, Applejack, Drama
Length: 3350

A trans MTF story about Fluttershy coming to terms with who she really is.

A trans MTF story about Fluttershy coming to terms with who she really is.

Stormcloud had always been bullied for who he was, so what if he accepted who she was?

Updates occasionally, will not be abandoned.

Currently on hiatus until I find the manuscript for it.

Image from https://poohadventures.fandom.com/wiki/Butterscotch

Published 2022-07-26 05:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-08-16 16:05:36 UTC

1

Ever since Stormcloud could remember, he had always been clumsy. He was not a fast flier, and he definitely had no idea how to stand up to bullies. Specifically Hoops, Dumbbell, and Score. But he was lucky. He had Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash. She was strong. She was confident. She was awesome. She didn’t hate how she looked anytime she looked in a mirror. She was the opposite of Stormcloud.

Stormcloud never understood how Rainbow Dash had decided that she was going to be his friend, of all people. It was like she just decided to, for no other reason than they were being bullied by the same ponies. Not that Stormcloud didn’t like Rainbow Dash, as a matter of a fact, she was his idol. He had a lot of fun hanging out with her.

One day, they were hanging out together. Well, more curator, Rainbow Dash was ranting, and Stormcloud was listening. But, as it often did, Stormcloud’s mind began to wander. It always seemed to wander to the same place. A place without bullies, but with Rainbow Dash. A place where they could just exist, without having o be afraid of anyone coming and shaking their lives. But, as always, it felt… Incomplete. As if there was a crucial part missing in his fantasy.

“ Uh hello? Equestria to Stormcloud!”

Stormcloud jolted, at Rainbow Dash‘s words, his mind no longer wandering.

“Sorry,” he said, his voice just above a whisper.

“Hey, is everything ok?” Rainbow Dash asked, the worry obvious in her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Stormcloud replied, “Don’t worry.”

Rainbow Dash just shrugged and continued ranting about the wonder bolts. Storm cloud just kept listening, careful to not let his mind wander away from him again.

Days later, Stormcloud was gardening in his front yard. He was careful to do this when no pony else was around. But today had been an unlucky day for him.

“ Well look who it is,“ A voice called out

Stormcloud froze, terrified. He knew that voice. It was him. The leader. The one who refused to let anyone know his name.

Stormcloud backed up, shivering with fear.

“ oh no you don’t“ The leader growled, with such a terrifying voice that Stormcloud froze in place. “ You’re not escaping us today, clumsy,” The leader chided. “ And especially not without your friend, Rainbow crash,” The leader spat out the name as though it were a curse. “ where is she anyway?“

“Right here”

Out of nowhere, Rainbow Dash burst out, kicking the leader in the jaw, sending him reeling back. He looked at the other bullies and called,

“ Let's go! But remember Stormcloud,” The leader turns to face him “ I’ll be back.”

“ Are you OK?“ Rainbow Dash asked inspecting Stormcloud “ you’re not hurt are you?“

“ I’m fine“ Stormcloud replied, holding back tears. What he said was partially true. Physically, he was the same as ever. Emotionally, however, was a very different story.

“Ok, good!” Rainbow remarked, double checking him just in case. “ what a bunch of jerks, I’m glad I got there when I-“

“Why me?” Stormcloud asked, without thinking.

“ What do you mean?“ Rainbow Dash replied, curiosity flowing through her words.

“Why do they pick on me,” Stormcloud said, then turned to face Rainbow Dash, “ And why are you so insistent on helping me?“

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, a contemplative look on her face. “ Well,” she started, slowly, “I don’t know for sure why they pick on you. But I do know why I stand up for you.”

Stormcloud leaned in, almost hanging off every word that Rainbow Dash said.

“ it’s because you just seem like the type who needs to be rescued, almost like a damsel in distress,” Rainbow finished, very matter-of-factly,” after all, you’re so dainty and frail you almost seem like a filly.”

You almost seem like a filly. those words to out storm cloud, much more than he expected them to. A filly, me? He thought. No, that’s ridiculous. Fillies are graceful, beautiful, and amazing. And I’m none of those things.

“Hey, anypony in there?” Rainbow Dash was rapping on Stormcloud’s head, which brought him out of his stupor.

“Yeah, sorry,” Stormcloud said, shaking himself. He knew that Rainbow was just joking about the filly thing, why wouldn’t she be?

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, raising Stormcloud’s head with her hoof, forcing him to face her. “You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine”

“You sure?”

Stormcloud was never sure. He always hated so much about himself. But he didn’t want Rainbow Dash to worry. So he just replied with, “ I am, don’t worry,”

It was a lie he had gotten very good at telling.

Author's Note

The first chapter! I don’t know how often I’ll post, but I promise to have a complete story and not just abandon it halfway through! Also, quick note: Stormcloud is Fluttershy, but this is a trans stm (stallion to mare) story, or in human terms, male to female.

2

Weeks had passed by since then. Unfortunately, the bullying never stopped. Rather, it only got worse. One day, Rainbow Dash decided that she had had enough.

She challenged the bullies: Hoops, Dumbell, and Score, to a competition, a race to be specific. If she won, they would stop bullying Stormcloud. If they won, she wouldn’t get in their way.

When the race was about to begin, Stormcloud went up to signal the start. When he did, the ponies rushed off, but Stormcloud had been knocked off of the cloud, and was falling. He panicked, never really being a good flier, and thought that this was the end. But then, something unexpected happened.

A swarm of butterflies caught him. They slowly lowered him onto the ground. This surprised him greatly, he had never seen butterflies before. He found them beautiful, as well as the meadow where the butterflies had put him. There were animals everywhere. He found that they seemed to be quite nice, friendly even. He enjoyed their company.

Suddenly, an explosion rang out through the sky, scaring all the animals, and sent them running. He panicked as well, not because of the explosion, but more because he couldn’t bear the thought of losing his new friends.

So he called out to them. A few of them poked their heads out, and walked over. He comforted them, which led to more showing up, and the cycle repeated. He is surprised with how well he does. He felt a sense of belonging. It surprised him. Suddenly, a light starts to shine on his flank.

Stormcloud looked back, and saw 3 pink butterflies there, and it dawned on him. He finally had his cutie mark.

The animals led Stormcloud to a cottage, long since abandoned. He entered, and saw that it was a mess.

He panicked a little, unsure as to how he was going to live here, but he also didn’t want to let his new animal friends down.

So he did the only thing that he could do. He started to cry.

—————————————————————————————————————

A few minutes later, he stopped, hearing a sound. He looked up, and saw that the animals were cleaning up the place for him.

“ You don’t have to –“ Stormcloud started, just above a whisper, when all the animals stared at him, determination obvious in their expressions. They quickly got back to work.

This was unexpected to Stormcloud. He knew that he had a way with animals, but this? These were animals who were working hard to make sure that he was happy. It was nice.

He felt a tug, and looked down. He saw a white bunny tucking at his hof, trying to get him to follow.

So he did. And the bunny brought him to a bedroom, already cleaned by the animals, and then the bunny left. Probably to continue cleaning.

He looked around. There was a nice bird with some leaf accents on it. He also saw a mirror, he didn’t spend much time looking at it, but then something caught his eye.

The closet was partially open, and in it were dresses. He looked and found no suits, only dresses.

It was weird, a small part of him was telling him to try them on!

Stormcloud was confused by this, he was a colt, not a filly. Fillies wear dresses. Where would he wear one?

He wasn’t a filly. Rainbow Dash was a filly. But the small part of him kept growing louder.

Try it on. It insisted, refusing to give up. It was almost annoying. He decided to give it a try. After all, he didn't want this voice becoming something worse later.

So he did. He decided to try on a dress. He found a dress he liked, a green one that seemed to complement his yellow coat, and put it on.

Nothing happened. No major revelation, no letdown, nothing. He just walked towards the closet but then he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

He turned, and saw what he looked like. He saw someone staring back, not a colt in a dress, but rather, a filly, almost. He’s unrealized that that was what he looked like.

But what was even more surprising to him, was that he liked looking like that.

Author's Note

Chapter 2! This is how Stormcloud/Fluttershy got to ponyville, and how he first found out that he might not be a he. Don’t worry, other ponies will show up very soon.

3

Many months had passed since then, and the house was finally clean. Many of the animals decided that this house was now theirs as much as it was Stormcloud’s. Not that he minded, after all, they were the ones who cleaned up most of it.

But Stormcloud kept thinking back to that day. The day when he put on the dress.

He remembered liking how he looked. Since then, he had put the dress on one more time. The voice had come back on that day, and he didn’t want to refuse. He wanted to wear it, to feel that way again.

The voice had returned today, telling him to put it on. He didn’t fight it, almost excited to put it on. So he did. He looked in the mirror, and admired how he looked, thinking that he looked almost pretty.

Suddenly, a cat burst through the door. It’s fur was white, and it was wearing a purple bow and collar. Stormcloud panicked a little when he saw the collar, thinking that the cat was lost.

He picked up the cat, and walked to his front door. When he opened the door, he was shocked to see a white pony with a purple mane standing there, hoof up, clearly about to knock on the door. The white pony recovered first.

“Hello darling,” the white pony started, “My name is Rarity, and I was- OPALESCENCE!” Her eyes became glued to the cat. “Oh thank you! That is my cat, however can I-“

She stopped suddenly, seeming to take in Stormcloud for the first time, dress and all. It was only then that he remembered that he was still wearing the dress, having completely forgotten it in the chaos.

“Oh,” Rarity started, surprised “ I don’t believe it,”

“D-don’t believe what?” Stormcloud said in a voice quieter than usual.

“I do believe that I have just figured out how exactly I can repay you darling,” Rarity said, “ I am going to give you a makeover!”

Stormcloud was taken aback by this. A makeover? Really? He had just met this pony, and now she was offering to give him a makeover? Despite this, the little voice was there, louder than usual, and it was telling him to go for it.

“O-ok,” Cloudstorm answered

“Splendid!” Rarity exclaimed, clapping her hooves together, “then let’s get started!”

Rarity brought out a series of make up supplies, and got to work.

All of this was very new to Stormcloud, who had never gotten a makeover before. In Cloudsdale, his only friend was Rainbow Dash, and she was never remotely interested in that stuff.

But Rarity was obviously a professional. After all, who else would bring make-up when searching for her cat? She was slow in some areas, while only spending seconds on others. She worked hard, sweat on her brow, but she made sure that not a drop touched Stormcloud. But finally it was done.

“Finished!” Rarity said, “and I must say, this is by far some of my best work!”

Stormcloud finally opened his eyes, and Rarity held up a mirror for him. He looked at himself, and was amazed.

He saw a yellow mare staring back.

Author's Note

Chapter 3! Rarity has shown up! I hope you guys are liking the story so far!

4

“That’s… me?” Stormcloud asked, in disbelief.

“Yes darling, that’s you”

Stormcloud still couldn’t believe it. He looked-

Pretty

At the thought, euphoria rushed through him. For the first time ever, he enjoyed the way he looked. It was a nice change of pace.

“What do you think?” Rarity asked, snapping Stormcloud out of her- his stooper. There was a edge of worry in her voice, as if she thought that she may have made a mistake.

“I-“ Stormcloud started, causing Rarity to lean in closer, “I like it. A lot, actually”

“Oh good!” Rarity said, relief obvious in her expression. “I’m glad. You look as though you’re seeing yourself for the first time!”

She wasn’t completely wrong.

“I just realized,” Rarity commented, “ I never caught your name darling. Would you care to tell me?”

“It’s, Stormcloud” he replied, saying Stormcloud in a voice just above a whisper.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Stormcloud” he managed to force out, trading volume for speed.

“Stormcloud?” Rarity asked, amusement spreading across her face. “Well, that isn’t exactly the most fitting name now, is it?”

Stormcloud stayed silent, his thoughts blocking out all other noise.

He was so unsure of so many things. He was a colt, right? Why did he feel like that was a lie? Why was it so hard to understand himself? Why wa-

“Stormcloud?” Rarity nearly shouted, pulling him out of his head. “Are you ok darling?” She asked, the words almost dripping with concern.

Just say yes. He thought.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Stormcloud stood there in shock. Why did he say that? He had just met this pony, and here he was, practically pouring his heart out. Why did he feel like he could trust her?

“What’s wrong darling?”

“Well,” he started, before logic could stop him, “I feel uncertain about so many things”

Rarity looked at him, worry etched on her face. Why wasn’t he just staying silent?

“Well,” Rarity started slowly, “What are you sure about?”

Stormcloud thought for a moment, and replied with, “Um, I like animals”

“Ok, what else?”

“Well, uh,” Stormcloud quickly realized that there was nothing else. Great. He thought. You know practically nothing about yourself.

“Is that it?” Rarity asked

Stormcloud just slowly nodded his head.

“You're unsure of your own name?” Rarity asked, almost jokingly. Joke or not however, Stormcloud just stayed silent. “Oh,” Rarity said, understanding. “Well, how do you look right now?”

Stormcloud looked up into the mirror again.

“I look… pretty” he replied

“And do you like looking pretty?”

Stormcloud took a second, but that little voice didn’t hesitate. It had an answer, and it gave it to Stormcloud immediately. He voiced what that little voice had been saying.

“Yes, I do”

Rarity and Stormcloud just sat in silence for a while, which was fine with Stormcloud. His head was loud enough with the seeming millions of thoughts rushing through it.

“Well, I’m glad we got that out of the way.” Rarity said, almost beaming, “After all, a mare such as yourself ought to feel pretty from time to time”

Stormcloud froze, that sentence pulling him out of his sea of thoughts. A mare like him? Oh, he realized, Rarity thinks that I’m a mare. The thought made him smile.

“Well,” Rarity said, breaking the silence. “Thank you for your time, patience, and for saving my precious little Opalescece. But I must be going now. I do so hope that you will come visit me at the Carousel Boutique sometime, Goodbye!”

And with that, she was gone, leaving Stormcloud alone with his thoughts that lived up to his name. She thinks I’m a mare. That thought had taken center stage.

He didn’t know why, but the thought of being seen as a mare excited him, almost. It filled him with joy, excitement, and euphoria.

She liked it.

Author's Note

Chapter 4 has been uploaded! I’m glad you guys are liking the story so far, and thanks for the feedback. As you can probably tell, the egg is cracking. Quick warning, mentally prepare yourself for the next chapter. Pinkie is going to make an appearance.

5

The next day, Stormcloud was still recovering from the social interaction he had had with Rarity, as well as the realization that she had made yesterday. He had not removed the make-up from yesterday, but rather, he was careful not to. It was one of the few things that he found made him happy.

There was a knock at the door, causing Stormcloud to jump. He took a minute to prepare himself, then walked over to the door. But nothing could have prepared him for what was about to happen. When he opened it, there was a pink pony standing there, with a very bouncy mane.

“HI!” The pony said, with more excitement tha Stormcloud was ready for. “Who are you? I haven’t seen you before! I like your makeup! Why are there so many animals here? Where is the mare that lives here? Are you her coltfriend?”

Stormcloud was overwhelmed, but winced at that last statement. Though he wasn’t sure why. It was, just something about the phrase “coltfriend” that, when directed at him, didn’t sit right.

“WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” that finally shook Stormcloud out of his stooper.

“St- Stormcloud”

“Stormcloud? Cool! That’s the same name that the-“ the pony looked confused, and it looked like they were trying to figure something out. Then, something clicked for them, “Oh! You’re the mare! I’m Pinkie Pie!”

The feeling from before had returned. The joy from being called a mare. But it was not the only feeling that was true. There was also a feeling of fear. A fear of being seen as a stallion. He had never realized that that was what that fear was. It confused him greatly.

For now, he decided to just focus on the pink mare in front of him.

“N-Nice to m-meet you”

“Why did Rarity do your make-up?”

This caught Stormcloud by surprise. How did Pinkie know about that? But she was looking at him, almost intensely, so he thought of a reason why.

“I-I was wearing a dress”

“Cool! The dress must be AMAZING! Can I see?”

“Um… well… ok”

Stormcloud turned and walked towards his room. Towards his dress.
_______________________________________________

A while later, Stormcloud came back downstairs, and saw that Pinkie Pie was sitting on the floor, waiting for him. Her eyes lit up when she saw what he looked like.

“Oh, my, CAKE! You look so PRETTY!!!”

Stormcloud blushed a little at that, a happy little dance was going on inside her.

“You look just like a mare!”

You look just like a mare. That was when it happened. When he finally realized what was going on with him. Why he liked being called pretty, why he hated being a stallion.

Because he wasn’t one.

She was a mare.

Author's Note

Hello again! I’m sorry for not posting, I lost the transcript for this. But I found it at long last! Expect more soon!

Pinkie pie has made an appearance, and has helped move our protagonist along, what will happen next?