# Dig Your Own Hole

## by Sirius_Face

### Chapter 4

“What the hay did ya do that for?” Apple Bloom complained as she rubbed her eyes, explosions of light behind her eyelids. She had seen plenty of unicorns cast magic before, but never once felt it actually cast on her. Her body tingled, feeling extra aware of her fur and the weight of her mane and tail. She was even more aware of the small area of fur that she wanted to rub in class, much to her embarrassment. “What’cha just do?”

When Apple Bloom opened her eyes, Dinky wasn’t standing in front of her anymore. A quick glance around showed she was no where to be seen.

“Dinky? Did ya just turn yerself invisible again?” Apple Bloom asked, feeling something was off.

She heard Dinky chuckle in front of her, and felt something wave in front of her face—no doubt a hoof that she couldn’t see.

“I did it! It really worked!” Though Apple Bloom couldn’t see Dinky, she could practically hear her smiling, overly pleased. She heard Dinky jumping excitedly, watching as the grass in front of her was repeatedly crushed, seemingly by nothing. “I wasn’t sure I could do it but I did! Oh wow, the princess will be so impressed with me!”

Is this really Dinky ah’m hearing?

Though the voice was the same, the tone had completely changed. Dinky sounded much more lively and excited, almost carefree in a way that reminded Apple Bloom of Pinkie Pie.

“Just how in the hay is this suppose to prove ah’m trustwor-?” Apple Bloom stopped short, reaching out with a hoof to get a feel for where Dinky was, only to see nothing there.

Stretching her leg out, there was no sign of it. Looking down, she didn’t see her chest, or any part of her body. Panic set in.

“Dinky? What did ya do to me?!”

“Relax,” Dinky laughed, “I know it’s a little scary the first time, but calm down. You’re invisible now too. Try shutting your eyes and focusing just on your body. That’s a trick the princess had me do when I first turned invisible.”

Apple Bloom did as Dinky said, shutting her eyes once more as she laid on the grass, not wanting to move. Surprisingly, it was helping her calm down. The fear of no longer seeing her legs on the ground passed slowly as she felt them under her. Opening her eyes slowly, it became easier to accept that her body was still whole, even though she couldn’t see it.

“Feeling better now?” Dinky asked, sounding calmer, though Apple Bloom flinched as Dinky’s voice came right beside her.

“Sorta. It’s weird… why the hay did ya do this?”

“So I can trust you,” Dinky said, tossing her tail over Apple Bloom’s. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you before. And don’t worry, the spell only lasts an hour. But I can take it off if it really bothers you. I needed to make us both invisible though.”

“Why?”

“Because we can’t let Miss Cheerilee and Snails know we’re watching them.”

Apple Bloom felt confused, still not feeling ready to get up and try standing. “Ah don’t get it.”

“I need to know you can keep secrets,” Dinky spoke slow but serious. It sounded to Apple Bloom like she was frowning. “Someponies… they act like they can be trustworthy, but the moment you turn your back they show how they really feel. When they think they’re alone, they show their true selves.”

“Ya mean, ya go around and spy on other ponies?”

“No! I mean, I observe. A lot of ponies in town talk bad about my mom, but when they see me or her around, they pretend to be nice. I like knowing who my mom’s friends really are.”

It was still taking Apple Bloom time to accept not seeing her body anymore while still knowing it was there, but hearing Dinky speak gave her something else to focus on. She couldn’t blame Dinky for being protective of Ponyville’s notorious mailmare. In fact, the desire to protect one’s family was something Apple Bloom knew plenty about. She could easily see herself doing the same thing if she had suspicions somepony was secretly bad mouthing one of her kin.

“So… ya do this a lot?”

Dinky chuckled, but it lacked any humor. “That isn’t really important. Do you feel okay enough to stand up now? I’ll keep my tail on yours so you know I’m near by. We just need to walk to an open window to see Miss Cheerilee and Snails.”

“Ah think ah feel okay to walk, but why do we have to spy on them?”

Apple Bloom could feel Dinky standing up again. “Would you think any less of Snails if you knew his darkest secret?”

Apple Bloom frowned at that thought, “It ain’t mah business to know his secrets.”

Dinky didn’t respond right away, but when she did, she sounded sad. “Sometimes we can’t help knowing what we know. You’re right though, a pony should be entitled to keep their secrets—well, secret. That’s why I’m trusting you to keep what you find out about Snails a secret.”

“What if ah don’t want to know what he’s talkin’ to Miss Cheerilee about?”

“Well…” Dinky started and paused, waiting a while to choose her words carefully. “Then, you don’t want to know about what Scootaloo is keeping to herself. Her secret is similar to Snails’. And I can’t say more than that without showing you just what is happening in the schoolhouse right now.”

The more Dinky tried to explain the situation, the more it helped Apple Bloom focus on getting over not being able to see her body. She felt confident enough to stand up without her legs getting shaky. Whatever was going on sounded scary and serious to Apple Bloom, as if Snails’ was doing something wrong.

Wait, it can’t be wrong or bad. Not if Miss Cheerilee knows what Snails’ secret is.

“What I can say,” Dinky continued, “Is that, even though I know what the secret is, I don’t think it’s bad. It’s not hurting anypony, and I don’t think any less of Snails for it. In fact, I think she’s braver than I could ever hope to be.”

Despite Dinky’s claim, Apple Bloom didn’t like the idea of snooping. It was dishonest, and if she had learned anything from her sister, it was that honesty was often the best policy.

“Wait a minute.” Apple Bloom realized she had heard Dinky call Snails a she. “Wuddya mean she? You mean Miss Cheerilee?”

“Well…” Apple Bloom felt Dinky give her tail a gentle pull. “If you want to know, just follow where I lead you. If you feel you can really be a good friend, and keep an important secret safe in your heart, than I’ll tell you what I know about Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash.”

Temptation was pulling Apple Bloom towards the schoolhouse. She was curious now, and though she still didn’t like the idea of spying on Snails, Dinky’s comment about good friends echoed in her mind. She wasn’t exactly a good friend of Snails, she hardly knew anything about him, but the last thing she would ever be was a pony who gossiped about others. Whatever Snails was keeping to himself, she would keep his secret safe—maybe she'd have an easier time being friendly towards him.

“Ah… ah guess,” Apple Bloom said. She started walking slowly in the direction she felt Dinky pull her, each step becoming easier to take. The whole feeling of being invisible was starting to feel natural. Apple Bloom thought of all the times she wanted privacy, and how useful turning invisible would have been when she had her itch. She’d never have to worry about her sister or brother, or—Celestia forbid—her granny, catching her touching that place.

“And don’t worry, the spell only lasts an hour.”

Apple Bloom’s heart sped up. An hour of being invisible… she could do anything without being caught. Anything.

Her body tensed, and she nearly missed a step. The itch was coming back, faster than normal.

“Okay,” Dinky whispered, just as they approached a slightly open window, “Remember, they can’t see us. Miss Cheerilee sometimes looks back to the windows to be sure the coast is clear, but she and Snails will never know we’re here. Just don’t speak, and we’ll be fine.”

Apple Bloom nodded, forgetting that Dinky couldn’t see her. She had nearly forgotten about Snails while thinking about what she could get away with while being invisible. Those thoughts were quickly banished when she approached the window to see Snails sitting on a stool at the head of the class, facing rows of empty desks. Miss Cheerilee stood behind him, brushing his mane.

Wut the hay?

“Your mane is growing out nicely. I think in a few more weeks we can try braiding it, and playing with some new mane styles. I have some ribbon that we can try braiding into your mane as well that would really compliment your favorite eyeshadow.”

Miss Cheerilee took a quick look out the window of her schoolhouse, making sure no ponies were walking by. She reminded herself that she would need to see Big Mac soon to get the curtain rod replaced. While she was happy for any excuse to see the big red stallion, it was just a shame that she couldn’t have gotten it fixed sooner.

“I’d like that,” Snails said, his normally dull voice sounding softer. “Do you think… maybe we could try what we talked about soon?”

Cheerilee paused, frowning with the brush handle still in her mouth.

“It’s just,” Snails went on, “I want to. I really do. It’s not getting easier, having to pretend all the time, letting everypony think I’m just a slow-witted colt. Everyday I lie to Snips and Pipsqueak and everypony else—it’s just getting harder to do.”

Snails pulled away from Cheerilee, enough to turn around and face his teacher. “I want to be the real me. I want... to be pretty.”

Seeing the pain in Snails’ eyes made Cheerilee bite down harder on the brush handle. She set it on her desk, taking another look outside the window, glad to see the field was still empty.

She took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. Snails turned away, knowing a rejection was coming from the only pony he could be himself around.

“It’s too risky to wear a dress in Ponyville…”

It wasn’t the answer either of them wanted, but they both knew it was true. As accepting as Ponyville could be, there wasn’t a single pony in the whole town like Snails. And as much as Cheerilee wanted to help her student, she was also fearful of the ridicule and bullying that would come if Snails ‘came out of the stable.’

“Next week, I have a substitute teacher coming from Trottingham. I’ll be going to Manehanttan. I need to use the vacation time I’ve been building up. I’ll be gone for a whole week.”

Though she couldn’t see Snails’ face, Cheerilee could tell he was frowning. Her heart was racing as she pushed past her fears and doubts; if she didn’t do this now, she would hate herself for it later.

“I plan on traveling with my niece.”

Snails began trembling a little. Cheerilee could sense he’d start crying soon.

“I… um…” Cheerilee paused.

Taking this next step was harder than Cheerilee imaged it would be. She loved her students dearly, even the ones that gave her a hard time. And while she wanted to help Snails any way she could, she couldn’t ignore there were liabilities that came with what she was planning.

Yet, when she heard Snails sniffle, she swore she could hear his—her—heart start to break, and those risks were pushed aside by the reality of her student’s seemingly hopeless situation.

“I was hoping you’d be willing to pretend to be my niece for that week.”

Snails’ head shot up in surprise, and she quickly turned to look back at Cheerilee, who was facing the window with a small, nervous smile on her face.

“As… your niece?”

“I understand this is more than what we had talked about, more than just wearing the clothes you’ve been wanting to wear, and certainly a step up from wearing makeup. And you would miss a week of school, but I plan to make up for that by teaching you what I know of Manehattan while we’re on that trip—like a field trip. Plus, next week the sub would be introducing the plays of Neighspeare, and I never really cared for his work.”

Cheerilee rambled a little longer, the nervousness making her start to tremble. There was little to no chance that anypony would know her in a big city like Manehattan, and even less of a chance that anypony would know Snails. It would be the ideal place to visit and pretend to be somepony else.

Seeing the hope blooming inside of Snails’ eyes, Cheerilee felt a surge of courage fill her heart, and mentally corrected herself; everyday Snails was pretending to be somepony she wasn't.

“You really mean it, Cheerilee? You would… you would do that for me?”

Cheerilee gave a small nod with a nervous smile.

“You need to understand…” Cheerilee started, and looked away, struggling with something she was always so eager to do. Helping her students wasn’t just a teacher’s duty, it was a passion. Snails’ situation was just a little more demanding, and a hundred times more complex. “What I’m proposing we do, it has to be between us… for now. You’re still very young Snails, and you still have a lot of growing up to do. You have a lot of time to live before you really learn about yourself and the kind of pony you are. I’m not saying this to tell you you’re wrong about who you are, I’m saying that you need more time and experience… to come into the mare you were born to be.”

Snails gasped, fresh tears streaming down her face as she threw her hooves around Cheerilee’s neck.

“I have some spare clothes from when I was your age to go with the dress you have. They’re a little dated, but I don’t think that will be an issue. We’ll need to also think of a name for you, just to be safe.”

Snails sniffled and rubbed her hoof over her snout before she tried speaking. “I thought of… some names.”

“Pretty names?” Cheerilee asked, smiling a little more.

“I think so. It’s hard to choose. I came up with Sequins, Tinsel, and... Glitter.”

Wut? Ah… ah don’t understand wut ah’m seein’ or hearin’.

It was a small miracle that Apple Bloom had been able to keep quiet as she watched the scene unfold between Miss Cheerilee and Snails. Her itch had been completely forgotten as she watched the two share their moment in the empty classroom. Every time Cheerilee turned to face the window, Apple Bloom flinched and wanted to duck, forgetting that she was completely invisible.

And thank goodness for that, because her mouth had been hanging open for a while.

“Come on,” she heard Dinky whisper, nearly forgetting the other filly was still with her. “We’ve seen enough.”

Apple Bloom felt Dinky tug her by the tail. She slowly started to follow in the direction Dinky was leading her, taking a few looks behind her, still trying to understand what she had spied on.

Heading for the playground, Apple Bloom didn’t wait for Dinky to stop before launching into questions.

“Wut was that? Snails thinks he’s a filly? And Miss Cheerilee is just going along with it?”

“She doesn’t think she’s a filly. She is a filly, just born in the wrong body.” Dinky spoke softly, stopping just by a large slide, far enough from the schoolhouse that there was no risk of being overheard when Cheerilee and Snails would eventually head outside. “Have you ever heard of transgender?”

“Uhhh…”

“I guess that’s a no,” Dinky sighed. “Look, Snails is one of those rare ponies that wholeheartedly believes they were born in the wrong body. It’s rare, and sadly for Snails, there’s no other pony in Ponyville like her. I don’t know how long she’s been keeping this to herself, but I do know that Miss Cheerilee has been helping her through this for the last two months.”

“Ah still don’t git it.” Apple Bloom had pulled her tail away from Dinky’s, pacing back and forth as she struggled to make sense of what she was being told. “Snails is a boy. That’s as plain as day!”

“This is exactly why Snails is keeping it a secret from everypony else. She wouldn’t want to be bullied by ponies who don’t understand. Can you imagine if Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon found out that Snails wishes she was born a filly? Can you imagine how confused and upset Snips and Pipsqueak would be if their best friend suddenly told them this?”

“This just doesn’t make a lick of sense!” Apple Bloom yelled.

Dinky didn’t respond right away, but when she did speak, it was with a cold calmness. “So, you hate Snails now?”

The question, particularly the word ‘hate,’ struck Apple Bloom like a slap to the face. “N-no… no, ah don’t hate Snails. Ah just don’t understand why he thinks he should be a filly.”

“We don’t have to understand it, we just have to accept it. If we don’t, we risk pushing somepony special away, making her feel isolated and wrong. You saw how hopeful Snails looked when Miss Cheerilee offered to take them both to Manehattan, and you must have heard how desperate Snails sounded when she talked about how she hates lying to her friends about who she is. All of that raw emotion is hurting Snails right now because she’s afraid of what would happen if other ponies knew the truth. If you had a secret that you didn’t want anypony to know about no matter what, then you’d understand at least a little of what she’s going through.”

Apple Bloom groaned, rubbing her head as she felt a headache starting to come on. She did in fact have a secret that she wouldn’t want to tell anypony else. Before she could think of how to respond, Dinky pressed on.

“Are you going to tell anypony what you saw today?”

“No! Ah’d never gossip like that… shoot, no pony would believe me anyways. Ah never wanted to know this about Snails in the first place! How does invading his privacy like that have anything to do with Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash? If ya tell me that Scootaloo wants to be a colt, then I know you’re full of horseapples!”

“It’s not like that,” Dinky said slowly. “It's like this. Scootaloo and Snails, they both have one very important thing in common: honesty. They are both brave enough to accept being the kind of ponies they are, even though they have to hide that from their friends… I wish I had the courage to be brave like them." Dinky paused, wondering if she was getting through to Apple Bloom at all. When all she saw was a look of irritation on the farm filly's face, she felt the heavy weight of failure pushing her ears and head down. "Well, since you will keep Snails’ secret, then I’ll tell you about Scootaloo.”

“Finally…” Apple Bloom muttered to herself.

“I saw Scootaloo kissing Rainbow Dash in the library last weekend, with her tongue.”