True Sparkle

by Heartbeat Unicorn

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rarity, Princess Celestia, Alternate Universe
Length: 5727

Ever since Midnight Dusk came to Ponyville, he's been having strange feelings that he's only now coming to terms with.

Midnight Dusk can't help but contemplate an odd feeling that he can't make sense of. Ever since he came to Ponyville and began to make new friends, he's felt different. But after doing a bit of reflecting, he begins to believe that perhaps his identity is clashing with his physical body.

Published 2023-08-12 00:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-08-12 00:30:00 UTC

Late Night Contemplating

Midnight used his magic to hold up a photo of himself with his friends, before looking down upon himself. He let out a loud huff, his low, almost raspy voice felt, strange to him. Ever since he came to Ponyville, he began to notice that he felt different. While it wasn’t anything major as far as he could tell, it was still something that nagged at her from the back of his mind.

So many of Midnight’s beliefs and worldviews had been challenged by his new friends, even if unintentionally, yet Midnight wouldn’t have had it any other way. Where he once kept himself locked up on a seemingly twenty-four-seven basis to focus exclusively on his studies, now he’s opened up to creating meaningful bonds outside his comfort zone.

But it wasn’t just Midnight's social skills that his friends had challenged, he felt something else as time went on. These friends became more than other ponies for Midnight to interact with during his free time. Midnight’s friends were there to support him, helping him to overcome his flaws and struggles, and he would do his best to do the same in return. During these many challenges and interactions, he would notice something within himself start to shift like he was feeling something that he hadn’t noticed was there before.

Over time Midnight learned to be more open, vulnerable, soft-hearted, and even intimate in some cases. It made him look back, while he used to be uncomfortable around most ponies, he was especially distant from the masculine, or at least what most ponies would perceive as masculine. While he did feel comfortable and open around loved ones like his father, Spike, and his older brother Shinning Armor, he never felt as though he fit in with other masculine ponies, and detested the stereotypes associated with masculinity. Perhaps it was these assumptions from others that made Midnight want to distance himself from the conventionally masculine, and just focus on himself instead.

She, feminine, mare, gal, why do these words keep coming back in my mind? Midnight wondered to himself. He sat on his bed gazing at the night sky through his window. His raspy voice narrated the thoughts in his head, and it sounded so disappointing to him as if there was some form of disconnect that he couldn’t put his hoof on. Why am I even having these thoughts? Something’s not right with me. Why am I feeling this way? What the heck is going on?

“Midnight,” Spike said as he entered the room, catching Midnight off guard and instantly earning his attention.

“Oh, hey Spike, what’s up?”

“Well, I just finished dusting the bookshelves like you asked, and came to check on you.”

Midnight let out a sigh to relax before replying “Thanks Spike, what would I do without you?” Midnight turned her attention back to the window in front of her.

“Are you alright? You seem… off?”

Midnight paused with silence for a moment before replying, trying hard to decide how to put his thoughts into words. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I feel, weird.”

“Weird how?”

“I don’t know, I can't describe it. It’s almost like something that has been with me for a long time has gotten stronger. Like something I’ve been repressing or something, like a disconnect, those are the only ways I can think to describe it. No offense but you wouldn’t understand.”

Spike slowly walked up to comfort Midnight, lightly patting him on the shoulder. Although he wasn’t fully sure of what Midnight was going through or what he was getting at, he still held sympathy for him. “We all have times where we feel a bit down and don’t always know why. Maybe give it some time and it’ll work itself out.”

“I’m not so sure, I’ve been feeling this way for a long time, almost as long as I’ve been here in Ponyville. Any time I try to figure out what’s happening… nothing, my mind just rejects it.”

“You're probably just stressed, you should try to relax for a while, get your mind off of things for a bit. That’s what I normally do when I’m feeling down”

“Well… maybe your right, I might just be overthinking. It’s probably not all that important anyways”

“Sweet.” Spike began to yawn, tired from the effort of keeping Midnight’s library as clean and organized as he could. “While you do that, I’m gonna hit the sack. Goodnight Midnight”

“Goodnight Spike”

As Spike crawled into his bed, Midnight trotted downstairs to the first floor of the library, looking for a book to read. It was one of his biggest passions, so he naturally figured that it would be just the thing he needed to help ease his troubles, at least for now. He looked through his vast collection, trying to decide on what to read. Despite calling the Library his home, a vast majority of the books were already there by the time he first arrived, and hadn’t had nearly enough time to read through all of them.

Midnight pulled each book out of its place on the bookshelf one by one, trying to find something that suited his mood. As he continuously scrolled through each book, there was one in particular that caught his eye titled; Dysphoria.

For whatever reason he couldn’t grasp, Midnight found himself drawn to the pony on the cover, feminine, confident, proud with a welcoming and easy-going flair. And yet it was a stallion in mares clothing, or at least that’s what the pony on the cover looked like. The muzzle was bulky, nothing like what he had seen on any mare before, and the eyes were considerably smaller than most mares.

Despite these seemingly clashing aspects, Midnight wasn’t weirded out by what he saw, but instead, he felt his curiosity peeked. Most stallions would never be caught with an appearance like that, let alone in that kind of clothing, yet this stallion had a gleeful and carefree expression on his face, void of shame or embarrassment as if he was at peace with how he looked. Midnight couldn’t resist his curiosity and decided that this would be the book he would read to help him get his mind off of things. He trotted back to his room, still carrying the book with his magic. He settled back onto her bed, ready for a peaceful night with a new book.

Generous advice

Rarity was in the middle of organizing her work space when she was interrupted by the sound of knocking on her front door. She trotted downstairs to the bottom floor, “I’m coming” she said as she approached the front door. She opened the door when she was greeted by Midnight on the other side, huffing as if he just ran a marathon. “Ah, Midnight darling, what brings you here?”

“Sorry to bother you so early in the morning" Midnight huffed as he slowed his breathing to speak clearly.

"Well I guess it's still technically morning, but it's not that early. Have you been up late gain last night?"

"Yes, but that's not important. I could use your help with something. May I come in?”

“Of course, darling, you know your always welcome.” Rarity stepped to the side making way for Midnight to trot right in.

“Okay, so bear with me here because I know that this is kinda weird and probably a little confusing... or really confusing. You see, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about myself, and I’m hoping you could help me nail it down. Ever since I met you and the others, I felt different, not just in the fact that my life has changed for the better, but also as if something in me feels stronger. This feeling that has lingered throughout my whole life but can’t comprehend.”

“Oh my, that’s an awful lot to take in darling. But change can be a good thing, maybe you're still adjusting to your new lifestyle here in Ponyville.”

“I think it’s more than that though. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it for a long time. But now I’m starting to get an idea of what it might be, but I want to be absolutely sure.”

“With all due respect darling, what does all of this have to do with me? I sympathize with your situation darling, but I’m not so sure where this is going.”

“Well, this is where you come in.” Midnight paused as he gulped from the awkwardness of the request, his cheeks mildly blushed from the potentially embarrassing results. “ I… would like you to suit me up… in one of your dresses.”

Rarity’s eyes and ears perked up. With that one request, she had a strong feeling that she knew what was going on here. She was just surprised that somepony like Midnight couldn’t piece it together sooner. “Well, I’d be glad to darling, in fact, I might have just the perfect one for you”

Rarity gleefully rushed into the nearest storage closet, and came out with a large blue dress, with stars plastered on the back. A row of more stars was aligned on the bottom of the dress’ elegant poofy skirt. Midnight noticed however that the fit seemed a bit bigger than what would work for most mares. Some new line of plus-sized dresses? Midnight assumed.

Regardless of size, Midnight wasted no time and stood atop the step by the mirrors in the room. Rarity assisted Midnight in putting on the dress, being the element of generosity that she was.

“Darling, do you mind if I ask a few questions?”

“No, go ahead” Midnight replied.

“Have you been feeling like yourself?”

“Well.. no… I haven’t. Come to think of it, I think that’s exactly what’s been bothering me all this time. It’s like something is out of place all of a sudden, or that I’m realizing something but can’t even figure out what it is. Why do you ask though?”

“Well, I don’t know if I ever mentioned this before, but I think it will help you to know. I am transgender”

“Trans-… gender?” Midnight was puzzled, never hearing of such a term before, at least not as far as he could remember. “I don’t follow”

“Well I’m surprised that you've never heard of his before, or that nopony has told you about it”

“Well when you’re a shut-in like I used to be, you’re not much of a conversationalist.”

“Hmm, fair enough. Well, darling, transgender is when somepony, mare or stallion, identify as with the gender opposite of what they’ve been assigned at birth.”

“But if they’re born with… you know, doesn’t it make sense for them to just say that they were born as that gender? It is how they're born after all.”

“For some, yes, but there are those out there, myself included, who simply aren’t satisfied with the gender that they’ve been assigned at birth. Gender goes beyond how you were born, it’s all about how you feel darling. They may identify with the opposite gender for a variety of reasons, perhaps the way they're treated by society, the expectations that are brought upon them, or how they wish to express themselves, it’s a case-by-case scenario. But they often feel out of place from it all, in some cases feeling uncomfortable and discontent in their own skin.”

“Uncomfortable in my skin… that’s a good way of putting it now that you mention it.”

“Exactly, now you're starting to get what I’m saying. So naturally, us transponies will often choose to express ourselves in ways that better fit our true identity. As I said, it’s not about how you're born, but how you feel, a difference between the mind and the body so to speak. The body says one thing on the outside, but the mind is saying something else on the inside. And the mind is the true heart and soul of us all, never doubt what your soul is telling you, darling.”

The pieces in Midnight’s mind once again began to fit together. Midnight never felt all that comfortable in the masculine because it prevented her from expressing who she truly was; the feminine, the part of her who didn’t want to act broey, stoic, or rough and tumble, the side of him that was considerably more gentle and calmer. Although these were merely stereotypes and social expectations that were never truly exclusive, they still didn’t sit right with him.

As he continued to make sense of everything that Rarity had just explained, another thought crossed her mind. Her… yes, not ‘he’ but ‘her’ that word resonated more with Midnight and made her feel more welcome than the word he ever could, it just felt right to her. The word he only made her feel more out of place every time that it had been spoken, even if the effects were unintentional.

“Well when you put it like that, I think I might feel that way. What do you think Rarity?”

“Well, I can’t make that call for you darling, even as a fellow trans-mare myself. The only one who can decide how you feel and identify is you and you alone. But If you feel more like a mare than a stallion, I’d say embrace it, more power to you, and be proud of who you are.” And as if on cue, Rarity had finished helping Midnight put on her dress. “That should do it, darling, take a look and tell me what you think.”

Midnight turned towards the mirror to see herself. When she looked at the image reflected back at her, she was captivated. No longer stuck in the masculine image that had been haunting her all her life, instead, it was now a fraction of her true feminine self brought to life. She turned to get a look at her side, the elegance of such a beautiful dress that not only reflect her true gender but even matched her personality as well. The dress itself even fit so seamlessly despite her stallion body. She slowly trotted closer to the mirror, placing her right hoof against its surface.

“I… I love it” Midnight replied gazing at her reflection “I’m beautiful” A tear swelled in Midnight’s eyes as she tried desperately not to burst into crying on the spot. “This is me, this is who I want to be.”

Rarity gently places her hoof on Midnight’s shoulder “I’m happy for you darling. If this is how you feel, and it’s who you are, then don’t let anypony tell you differently.”

Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, she jolted towards Rarity with a big embracing hug. She began to sub vocally in a cathartic cry, finally letting her emotions be free “Thank you.”

“Your welcome darling” Rarity replied as she returned the hug.

Midnight continued to cry for some time, allowing her emotions to let themselves be free. As soon as her emotional jar was empty, she released her grip on Rarity and dried her tears “So… how do I tell everypony else?”

“Do so in your own time darling. When you feel most comfortable, you can tell them. Until then, I’ll keep this our little secret.”

But Midnight felt that this was too big to keep to herself. She wanted to tell others, and there was one pony in particular who came to mind. If anypony would understand, surely she would.

Coming Out

Midnight stood on the balcony of Canterlot Castle next to her mentor and teacher Princess Celestia. She had always enjoyed the empathetic, compassionate, and comforting company of her teacher. But with everything that Midnight had recently come to terms with, she started to see her visits in a new light, as they were some of the only opportunities that her true self could peek through.

Midnight sat by Celestia’s side for some time, allowing for the silence to maintain the peace and tranquility of the moment. After a while though, she decided that now was the time. “Celestia, I want to talk to you about something, I just hope you’ll understand.”

“Of course Midnight, what’s on your mind?” Celestia responded.

“Well, I’ve been doing some thinking and talked it out with some of my friends. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, I’ve felt different, like something about myself was finally coming to light.”

“Oh? And you’ve recently been coming to terms with it?”

“Yeah, being around my new friends helped me come out more, and feels so… natural.” Midnight paused for a brief moment preparing to get straight to the point. “Celestia, I think I’m transgender.”

Celestia gave a warm smile to her student, signaling that she could take comfort in opening up to her. “If that’s the case, I’m proud of you.”

“Proud. But… it’s not just something I can accomplish, it’s just natural right?”

“Indeed, but it still takes a lot of courage to come out, especially when there are still those who dare approach gender diversity with hatred.”

“Well, I must admit that this is all new to me. Although Pinkie had helped me catch up on the LBGT community since I came out to her, I’m still learning. I wasn’t aware that there was any hatred aimed that it, seems a little bit, I dunno, petty?”

Celestia chuckled after witnessing her own student saying that she had been thinking for a long time. “Yes, it is rather petty, isn’t it? But I digress, if you are certain that this identity is the right fit for you, then you are perfectly valid, regardless of what anypony else says. Take pride in who you are, gender expression is a beautiful thing, and deserves to be embraced and celebrated.”

“Well speaking of embracing, I wanted to ask if you could do something for me.”

“I’m listening”

“Well, you’re more experienced with magic than I am, so is there any chance you had any gender-swapping spells? Although I’m at peace if my identity, I’d like to be able to transition.”

“I certainly can. However it’s a difficult spell to cast, and requires a lot of preparation, it will take some time before it's ready”

“I understand, as long as it’s done take all the time you need.” Midnight smiled, satisfied with the response that she had received from Celestia. “And thank you for understanding” Midnight stood up and trotted towards Celestia to hug her. Celestia responded by wrapping her wings around Midnight in a comforting embrace.

“Of course, you’re not the first one to speak to me about such matters after all.” Celestia released her hug on Midnight, giving her the freedom to move around again. “Oh, and I almost forgot to ask; if you plan to transition, do you plan to change your name as well?”

“My name? Oh, I haven’t thought of that, didn’t even think that was an option”

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but it is an option if you choose to do so."

Twilight took a moment to give it some thought. As she sat and pondered in thought, her eyes drifted towards the sky in front of the balcony, watching as it transitioned from a bright and vibrant sunset to a calming twilight as the stars began to take their place and sparkle in the night. Twilight kinda sounds like Midnight. Yeah, Twilight. “Call me Twilight, Twilight Sparkle.”

Ascension

Twilight rushed back into her library with her mind focused on an epiphany. She had the key to fixing Starswirl’s spell, she was just surprised that she hadn’t realized it before. She lifted the spellbook with her magic, turning to the page to where the original spell was. She took a quell, ready to rewrite the spell, and finally undo her mistake for good.

“From all of us together,” she said out loud as she wrote, “Together we are friends, with the marks of our destiny made one, there is magic without end.”

As soon as Twilight finished writing and placed the book back in its place, something in the air felt different, she felt a spark as if a new form of magic had been released. Her suspicions were quickly confirmed as light burst from the element crystal on her head. Both she and her friends were caught off guard as the elements began to operate on their own. One by one, each element crystal shot a beam of light at Twilight, who was now caught in a bubble of light.

Despite the sudden turn of events, somehow Twilight knew that this was merely the magic of friendship at work, operating in it's own mysterious ways. She knew that there was no fighting it, she didn’t even try; she just closed her eyes as the elements whisked her away from her current realm. Twilight opened her eyes after the blinding light faded out, finding her in an expansive cosmic realm made up of stars.

“Hello? Where am I?” She asked as she gained her footing on the surface made up of sparkling stars below. “What is this place?”

Twilight was relieved however to see a familiar face manifest and approach her from the cosmos. “Congratulations Twilight, I knew you could do it.”

“Princess? I don’t understand, what did I do?”

“Not only did you overcome your own internal struggles, but you did something today that’s never been done before.” Celestia lifted Starswirl’s spellbook with her magic, turning to the page of the spell that Twilight had rewritten. “Something that not even a great unicorn like Starswirl The Bearded was not able to do, because he did not understand friendship like you do.” Celestia sent the book away in a puff of magic, no longer having any need for it. “But that’s not all, you’ve also had the courage to look inside yourself and overcome your struggles and conflicts, from learning to let go of fear and judgment, to discovering who you are and becoming a better and stronger pony because of it”

Twilight was puzzled at first, but like a truly brilliant mind, it didn’t take long for her to put the pieces together. “That night when I came out.”

“That night, I was able to witness for myself how much you’ve improved. Your beginning to accept yourself for who you are, and thus learned how to help others overcome their internal struggles as well.”

“Well, I have great friends and a great teacher to help me along the way.”

Celestia smiled humbled by Twilight’s compliment. “Which is why I’m proud to do what I’m about to do. You’ve proven that you're ready Twilight.”

“Ready? Ready for what?” Twilight asked as Celestia began to lead Twilight down the path of stars laid in front of them.

As Celestia lead Twilight, she sang a beautiful ballad, praising Twilight for her accomplishments thus far, as screens floated by, displaying her greatest triumphs and deeds. Twilight was humbled watching her greatest achievements thus far and looking back on the memories being shown to her, along with the heartwarming, melodic song that Celestia sang to her, and the encouraging and humbling lyrics that came with it.

At the end of the starry path, Celestia flew upward in a powerfully majestic pose, her wings spread out wide and her head held high as she declared that it was time for Twilight to fulfill her destiny. A rushing collection of swirling lights surrounded Twilight, raising her upward as she felt an exhilarating amount of magic enter her body. In most cases, such a large dosage of magic would be dangerous for one pony to contain, but Twilight was absorbing it like it was nothing.

Along with this sudden rush of magic within her, she felt another feeling, a tingle on her back, a soft, feather-like sensation began to make itself present. Her hooves began to feel smaller, and less dense like the feeling of muscle tension released and softened. Her face felt lighter as well, her muzzle felt less heavy, and her cheeks began to soften, which began to make her feel light-headed. She felt the familiar sensation of her hair being combed as if it was being straightened out, but there was no brush above her head to speak of.

The strange feelings came to a stop, as her vision cleared out. She could see herself being slowly lowered back to the grounds of Ponyvile. Her friends stood still witnessing Twilight descend from whatever display of magic and light displayed in the sky above her. She finally landed softly on the ground, her knees weak as they still felt the aftermath of the magic cast upon her.

“Twilight?” Applejack asked squinting in hopes of getting a better view of what was going on, but all she could see was a silhouette of Twilight. But the silhouette seemed off to her for several reasons, making her seem different.

Suddenly, a light gleamed from where Twilight stood as she made a glorious, angelic pose spreading her wings wide. Wing? That’s what that feeling was back there. One question was answered, but more arose as she saw her friends in front of her watch her in awe and amazement.

“I-I never seen anything like it!” Applejack proclaimed as she and the others approached Twilight.

“Twilight’s got wings!” Rainbow Dash gleefully shouted before embracing Twilight with a hug “A new flying buddy!”

“Not only that, but you’re a mare now!” Rarity said

Twilight was caught off surprised by Rarity’s comment “A mare?” She asked, but as she did so, she noticed a difference in her tone of voice. She looked upon herself, her hooves, her back, and her flank, even getting a feel for her face. She smiled and pranced in place with excitement that none of her friends had ever seen her express before. “I’m a mare! I’m finally in a mare's body!”

“Twilight Transition party!” Pinky yelled swinging from a rope attached to an unknown source as confetti and party balloons manifested out of nowhere.

“Oh my, and you’re an alicorn too” Fluttershy noted as she approached to join the group “You look like a princess”

“That’s because she is a princess” Celestia declared as she slowly descended to the ground, watching as everypony’s expression turned to that of surprise.

“A… a princess?” Twilight stuttered.

“Since you came to Ponyville, you’ve displayed the charity, compassion, devotion, integrity, optimism, and of course the leadership of a true princess. And your friendship helped pave the way to becoming your truest self, learning from your experiences, and taking pride in your identity and your accomplishments.”

“But will this mean I won’t be your student anymore?”

“Not in the same way as before. I’ll still be here to help and guide you, but we’re all your students now too. “Celestia bowed before her top student, along with all the other ponies beside her. “You are an inspiration to us all Twilight.”

One generation, to another

You are an inspiration to us all Twilight the memory replayed in her head as she stood before a stained glass window depicting the very same event. “those words hit so much differently now” she whispered to herself.

Twilight’s attention was turned to the sound of the door to her throne room opening. A guard pushed it open just enough to where he can be clearly seen through. “Your majesty, he has arrived.”

Twilight flew back to her throne, making herself comfortable and presentable, anticipating a meeting with one of her most devoted students. “You may send him in.”

The guard pushed the door open, revealing a navy blue stallion with a short, poorly kept mane. The stallion wore a pair of headphones on his ears which he took off and wore on his neck, signaling his undivided attention to the princess. The stallion approached meekly with a sense of nervousness cracking through his expression. “Your majesty,” He said as he bowed politely.

“Tech Beat, I’m glad to see you again, I was so worried that you wouldn’t make it.” Twilight said, “You’ve been keeping to yourself for a while and haven't kept up with your friendship assignment as of late, it’s making me concerned.”

“My apologies princess, I just haven’t been feeling well, mentally.” Tech Beat replied meekly.

“I see. Is something bothering you?”

Tech Beat didn't reply, to nervous to confess, which Twilight noticed was a common habit of his seeing their previous interactions. Instead, Tech Beat turned his head away shamefully as his eyes darted around the throne room, his expression of shame and anxiety nearly impossible to hide.

"Tech Beat, please, I want to help you, and you know I'll do what I can, but I can't do that unless you communicate with me. Please tell me what's going on." Twilight said in a soft-spoken empathetic voice, which was just the thing needed to give Tech Beat enough comfort to finally express his thoughts, although his nervous expression still remained.

“I just haven’t been feeling like myself, and it’s affecting my ability to connect with others. It’s not that I don’t want to make friends, but it’s been so hard, it feels like my head is always in the wrong place and I can’t help but push others away.”

“Perhaps there is a source that has been making you feel this way, perhaps I can help. I am in a position to pull some strings, so anything that’s wrong I’ll do my best to assist.”

“Well I haven’t really pinned down the entire problem as a whole, I do believe that I at least…” Tech Beat stopped, visibly hesitant to pour out his troubles honestly. “Forget it,” he said with a sigh.

“Teach Beat, I understand that it can be hard to open up, but I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

Tech Beat considered Twilight’s words; it was hard to deny what she had to say, especially with her elegant and compassionate demeanor that felt motherly to him.

“Okay, but… I just hope you won’t judge me for it.”

“What kind of princess of friendship would I be if I were to do such a thing?”

Tech Beat gave off a gentle smile before it faded back into his weary expression. “Alright" His legs began to tremble, still uncertain of the risks of telling the truth, even if it was the pony that he trusted more than any other. “I’m… I’m… I… feel, like…” He gulped before his emotions burst from his lips. “I’m transgender.”

Twilight’s eyes widened for a few short seconds before she returned to a comforting expression again. She knelt, wrapping her hoof around her student like a compassionate hug, and gently laid her head upon him.

Techbeat wrapped her leg around Twilight, hugging her tightly, still shivering not from anxiety, but from the overwhelming amount of solace and emotion she felt. She sobbed as tears drizzled down her face, no longer feeling the need to hold it in anymore.

Twilight released her comforting grip on Techbeat, drying her tears in a motherly fashion as she gave a warm smile. “I’m proud of you for coming out to me, my faithful student.”

Author's Note

Hey everyone, thank you for taking the time to read my first fanfic. I want to start getting more into writing, so if you have any critiques that you think will help me improve, please feel free to let me know. Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it.

Epiphany

“Midnight?”

“Huh?” Midnight woke up at the sound of Spike’s voice, watching the book that he reading last night fall in front of his vision and fall into his hooves. He was incredibly drowsy, and was lucky that he didn’t have any business to attend to that day; otherwise, he would be rushing with panic by now.

“Oh, sorry,” Spike said as he backed away from Midnight by a few inches. “You look like you’ve been up for most of the night. How long have you been reading that book?”

“Oh, uh… I don’t know. I guess I lost track of time. It was just such an intriguing story, I just couldn’t put it down.”

Spike knew what this meant; another info dump from Midnight about whatever new book he was reading at the time. “Alright, let it out.”

“Well, it’s about this stallion… who…” Despite Midnight starting the conversation with such strong energy, he paused trying to think of how to describe it without it coming off as odd or confusing. “Well, I say Stallion, but is kinda not… he’s like… more like a mare in a stallion’s body I guess. The story is about her realizing this and learning to be more open about herself” Midnight explain tripping over his own words repeatedly

“A mare in a stallion’s body who never knew she was a mare? How does that work?”

“I don’t know, but the story did such a great job at putting the reader in her horseshoes. It was so engaging it’s like… it’s like…” Out of nowhere, the pieces from before were finally starting to click together in her mind little by little. Midnight felt he could already see the image that the pieces were forming, but he needed confirmation. “Spike, do you think… do I… come off as feminine at all to you?

“Feminine?” Spike asked confused. “I mean, not really. But now that I think of it, you’ve never really acted all that masculine either, at least compared to other stallions. Though I guess being a shut-in for so long probably has something to do with that, no offense.”

Midnight wasn’t entirely satisfied with Spike’s answer. He needed a second opinion to piece together more of the puzzle forming in his head. He soon began to pace the floor frantically mumbling incoherently to himself for a moment as he tried to rationalize the thoughts accumulating in his head.

“Are you sure you’re alright Midnight?” Spike asked.

“Uh… you know what Spike? Start breakfast without me, I need to test something.” Midnight rushed out of the Library, the adrenaline giving her a boost of energy to pull her out of her original drowsy state of mind from earlier. She ran across Ponyville with one destination in mind; Carousel Boutique.