//------------------------------// // A Great Encounter // Story: The Great and Powerful Centaur // by Viper Pit //------------------------------// Please sign right here. And here. And here. And... "UGGGGHHHH!!! SO MUCH PAPERWORK!!!"I loudly thought myself. I'm almost finished with the last of an hours worth of paperwork. It wasn't an easy feat to achieve or to endure as while signing them, I completely exhausted my right hand and horn. I have been at this for so long that my hand cramped so I had to switch to magic. And apparently, only residents can obtain any jobs in this town with few exceptions and the paperwork for becoming a resident is not to be underestimated and that's not including the paperwork for retrieving my stuff that after my trailer was destroyed. "Just one last signature... Aaaaaaaaaand DONE!" I joyfully exclaimed as I put down the quill and stretched my back. The sound of giggles catches my attention, so I look over to see Mayor Mare with a hoof over her mouth. "What's so funny?" "Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all Trixie." The beige fur mare says with a wave of a hoof "I just thought that I should treat us to lunch after so much paperwork but if you are gonna get a job in Ponyville right away..." "Yeah, I could eat. Where are we going?" I stand up and pop my upper back. "I made reservations at a fancy cafe called Le-Ponied." she then look around for a second then whispers "Just between you and me, I think it's too fancy of a name for a coffee shop but their doughnuts could rival Sugar Cube Corners own sweets." "That sounds delicious. Let me just grab my stuff and we can head out." She nods and I grab a not quite medium but also not quite a large box that contains stuff like clothes, my wooden cross... Ummm, I mean, my Crucifix, a re-framed picture of my family, and my bow but sadly no arrows. "Oh, no need for that. I asked Applebloom and her little friends to take care of that." Mayer Mare said reassuringly with a small smile. "Two questions; why and how?" I asked setting the box down. "To answer the why it's simple why not and the how with five bits and a chance to earn their cutie marks without having to cause too much property damage." I have to pause for a moment when she says that. "Property damage? What could a couple of adorable foals do to cause that much trouble?" "Oh, you would be surprised." She pauses to rub her chin. "In fact, it might be better if you take your stuff with you Celestia knows what ideas they could get looking at your possessions." "Okay then." I pick the box back up and head out... But before I open the door, my curiosity kept pounding an important yet annoying in my mind that I finally decided to comply it to satisfy it. "Oh before I go do you know anything about a human kid?" "Hmm, oh yes Jake he came into our quaint little town about two years ago. Poor kid was lost, hungry and confused around his surroundings when he got here. He was first seen scrounging around Sugarcube Corner's trash bins. It's too bad he didn't know about Pinkie Pie or that Sugarcube doesn't throw any food at all." She shook her head and cough. "Ahem... Pardon for being a little descriptive. "No, it's no problem at all. Please continue." I said, "Okay then. Anyway, I thought he was going to a bad seed route but thanks to Lyra he has been able to make lots of friends." She continued. "To bad for his arrival caused Lyra and Bon-Bon to get a divorce." "Why would that happen?" I asked, feeling a little curious and sad about the development. "That's not my place to say or judge. I just signed the paperwork." She says with a shrug. "Well okay, then I'll see you at the cafe," I said as I turned around and- "Trixie, wait!" Mayor Mare shouted. "Yes?" I responded, feeling a little shocked. "Is something the matter?" "Could you umm... please don't mention anypony of me telling you about Jake. I don't want the residents to spread the news again and making him sad again. He finally got settled in our town and stop feeling depressed about the divorce." "Of course. The last thing I need is creating unnecessary tension for anypony... and anyone." and with that, I headed out of town hall. And coincidentally, as soon as I took my first step on the stairs, my stomach began to growl a mighty beast-like sound. I lowered my box for a moment and patted my belly with my right hand. "I guess, I should put my stuff away back at the barn." I sighed. "Haaa... I hope I get enough bits for the tip." On my way back I happen to pass Le-Ponied and with my growing hunger, I decided to go ahead and wait for Mayor Mare so I take a seat next to some bushes. I opt to sit on the ground with my box next to me for comfort reasons. As I wait for Mayor Mare I ordered an Egg salad; no ranch and extra cheese. I'm happily eating my meal when I hear "psst" coming from beyond the bushes. "Hello?" I said, looking in the direction of the noise and I see a small tuft of brown hair trying to hide behind the hedge. "Hi, I'm Jake." The voice now known as Jake introduced himself. "Jake, huh? I heard quite a bit about you," I told him as I resume my meal. I should say anything delicate about him if I don't want to scare the kid away or make him cry after all. I'm never good with foals. Human kids are a whole new and awkward level that I never thought would happen in my lifetime. Then again, my mom is here and she's human, so I should have expected more of her kind; young or old. "Only good things, I hope." He says in a joking manner, though I sense a hint of worry from his tone. Remember, Trixie. First impressions are everything. Don't screw this one up, like you did to the recent ones in this town. I finally see his face its similar to mind except with a broader chin, bushier eyebrows, and a missing front tooth. A canine to be accurate. He wore a turquoise hoodie with a golden... harp, I think. Yeah, the hoodie had a golden harp emblem on his left chest. He also had pants and shoe that I can't tell their style. I was never good at identifying clothing, especially human ones. "So, how did another human got to this place?" He eagerly asked, rubbing his right hand on his left arm and fidgeting a lot while standing still indicating his nervous. "I was born here and in case my horn didn't give it away but I'm not entirely a human," I said putting down my fork. I can see the disappointed look on his face. "Really?!" He questioned, tilting his head to the left meaning he was confused. I looked at his eyes and see that he was observing my features. "Oh!" He exclaimed, finally realizing that I was indeed not entirely human. "Yeah, I am half human on my mom's side," I replied. "Where does she live? Can I meet her?" Jake said with a good deal of passion and I think desperation.Is he really that desperate to meet more of his kind? "She might be helping my dad with his Las Pegasus show about this time of year." I give an honest reply with a huge grin that I can't just contain whenever I talked about my parents. "Is your dad a stage magician?" The familiar voice of Mayor Mare said, scaring me. Now both Jake and Mayor Mare are laughing. "Yeah, yeah it up, and no, he just owns a hotel called The Jack Pot hotel." I puffed my chest up, feeling prideful of my father's achievement but I noticed that Mayor Mare stopped laughing almost immediately. "You mean the very hotel that has the Wild Blue Yonder roller coaster?" The grey-maned mare asked in shock. "Yeah, it gets super busy about this time of year and my dad needs all the help he can get," I replied. "I wanted to join him someday up there in Las Pegasus after a couple years traveling around Equestria and be known by all as the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!" I happily exclaimed. Oops, I think I overdid that one. My loud boastful voice attracted the attention of nearby ponies. Jake and Mayor Mare tilted their heads, feeling both confused and surprised of my... overdramatic speech. "Ahem... sorry for the theatrics. I just got a little excited." I apologized. "Oh, it's no problem at all, Ms. Trixie." Mayor Mare reassured me. "I found your future goals interesting to hear. I'm glad to see you have a determined spirit to follow your dreams and planned a stable future for not only to yourself but to your family as well." I can feel my face blush so much from that compliment. "T-thank you, Mayor Mare. I really appreciate that." "Well, take my words to heart. As the mayor of this fine little hamlet, I want everyone to feel safe and happy, citizen or not." I was about to say more but my stomach had other plans as it growled a furious noise. "Oops, I guess my stomach wants to cut our conversation short. Sorry, Jake but maybe we can continue our conversation sometime later this afternoon." I told him. "Oh, okay, Ms. Trixie," he said, sounding a little disappointed. "I was looking for Applebloom and others anyway." Now we're done with the chit-chat, I can now continue eating my delicious salad. I shoved my fork on- "Wait!" Jake called out. "Yes?" "Can I ask one more question." He asked. He did the puppy dog eyes. Ugh! My hearts can't handle that level of cuteness. Must comply or might have heart attacks from the adorableness. "Sure, Jake. I'm happy to answer anything you have to ask." I responded with an uneased grin. He took a few breaths before he was ready to say his question. "So, were you born with pony legs or..." He questioned. Oh, I guess he's curious why I'm half and half. I did say I was part-human on my mom's side. Maybe, he wants to know if magic was involved with my unusual form. Magic is usually the logical topic on this kind of question. Well, he's young, so he doesn't know about biology or Centaurs. I should tell him the truth... or maybe, I should mess him around. "Hey, Jake. Come here." I called him. He complied without some hesitation due to being a little nervous about what my answer was going to be. I leaned down close to Jake until I got near his right ear. "I didn't look like this, you know?" I whispered and seeing the little human boy shiver. "I once had only two human legs... until I did something that caused these..." I and Jake looked down at my pony-half body. "... to suddenly appear." "Do you want to know what I did to become like this?" I made my voice sound more grim to give the boy a fright of his life. With a gulp, a reluctant nod and a light-hearted eye roll from the Mayor. I continued on. "I started misbehaving like a lot." The look of confusion was evident so I elaborated. "I never listened to my parents, did not do my chores, tossing a hissy fit every day, refusing to take my medicine and a bunch of etceteras of being rude. The whole cheesy quesadilla." It's so cheesy! Huh, what was that? I heard a faint shout of fear coming from somewhere. It sounds like a mare's voice and also really familiar. "What was that?" Jake asked. Thank you, I was a little curious myself. "Oh, no need to worry about that." Mayor Mare replied. "There's a certain mare in Ponyville who has an irrational fear of quesadillas. She must have heard you say somehow, Trixie." Okay, that's a little weird. Who would be afraid of a tasty and cheesy food? I hope I never meet the weirdo while I'm in this town. "So anyway, I continued my mean girl streak for a couple of months until one day I suddenly woke up with no feet but with hooves and two extra feet at the far back." I gestured to my lower half. "W-w-what?!" Jake practically shouts and the look on his face I can't hold it back anymore and I just start laughing my butt off. "What's so funny?" "Jake dear. Trixie was just having some little foalish fun with you." Mayor Mare said with some chuckles of her own. "So, I won't turn into a pony for misbehaving?" Jake asked. "Oh no, there is some truth to her tale." She said with a false grim tone. "Wha-what is it?" "There are consequences for your actions." The older mare quickly adjusting her glasses. "So its best to think before I act?" Jake then gave us a deadpan stare. "I already knew that." "I wouldn't be so sure, Remember last week when you got into a fight with filthy riches daughter." Mayor mare gives Jake a knowing look. "Really now? I would like to hear that story." I say but before Mayor Mare can tell the story Jake decided now is a good time to book it without saying goodbye. "What got into him?" "Who knows." was the only thing she said. I just shrugged it off as it might not be important to be curious at. And with that, we resumed our meal.