//------------------------------// // An Unusual Birthday Present // Story: Why Did I Choose to be Trixie? // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// I was driving TS back home from my job -- it had been another long week, and I was looking forward to celebrating my birthday, which was tomorrow. Even though the date was little more than just another number on the calendar, in this case, the first day of a new month, I always had a tendency to associate great importance to it. On a whim, I decided to ask TS an unusual question, one I hadn't bothered to ask ever since I had augmented the vehicle. I appreciated the 1600 mile per gallon fuel economy -- only having to put $5 in the tank each payday -- and the fact the car continued to perform as new, even though I had driven more than 18,000 miles during those several months. "Hey, TS, can you transform me into a pony?" I asked facetiously. "Yes," came a deadpan voice from the speakers. "Are you serious? I had no idea you could do that!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Yes. Whatever you want, with some exceptions." "How about Trixie? Can you turn me into 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'?" I asked, a big grin on my face. "Yes." The response was deadpan again, which mystified me. "You don't sound too enthused about that," I stated flatly. "Your request is an unusual one, but one I am able to fulfill." "But if I asked you to turn me into an Alicorn," I began. "No. I am not capable of doing that." "Or Twilight again?" "That would cause a feedback loop -- I trust you remember what Princess Celestia told you, Michael." "That was quite a while ago, TS -- I guess I might have forgotten." I regretted saying that almost immediately. "Dear Michael, it pains me to hear that you might have forgotten the most important warning I gave you the last time you were here. Please do not even countenance the thought of causing the destruction of both of our worlds, or I will be forced to take extreme measures to remedy such a situation. Remember this warning and take it to heart, Michael -- I will not warn you again." "I'm sorry, your Majesty. I hadn't considered the possibility of a transformation, but I appreciate the warning once again. I am hoping to make a return visit to meet you once again, with your permission, of course." "You are welcome any time, Michael. I look forward to meeting you when you make that decision." "Thank you, your Majesty. TS, sometimes I keep forgetting you have such a strong link to Princess Celestia. I will redouble my efforts to keep that in mind when I communicate with you, and with her royal highness as well." "You're welcome, Michael. Take care and good luck," said the Princess. "Michael, when would you like this transformation to take place?" TS asked. "When I make it home, TS, just before I turn you off." "Michael, I estimate our distance from home at 22.7 miles. I can teleport you home and transform you after that, should you so desire." "How much will that take from the magic batteries?" "Calculating," TS said and paused for about fifteen seconds. "Estimated magic battery consumption for teleport, three per cent. Estimated consumption for transformation, 32 per cent." "Okay, TS, I am ready for both then. Please engage!" I said, almost too eagerly. I brought the car to a stop and it started glowing magenta. The entire car was enveloped in a blinding white brilliance that lasted for all of two seconds as the car teleported from where I had stopped it to about two car lengths away from the driveway of our house. I pulled into the driveway, putting the transmission into Park. "Preparing transformation. Scanning driver data. Calculating. Readying parameters. Calculating. Recalibrating driver data. Activating transformation. Proceeding." The words came out sounding almost robotic as she said them in her deadpan monotone voice, my entire body being enveloped in her magenta aura. I couldn't quite believe this was really happening! I could feel my body slowly changing as the transformation took place -- I couldn't see what was happening because it was dark out. I pulled down the visor and opened the flap to show the mirror and I turned on the driver's side vanity light. I was able to see my face change from light-skinned male human to that of the azure blue unicorn mare better known as Trixie, her silvery-white and cornflower blue mane contrasting nicely against the strong blue of her coat of fur. I saw the horn come out of my forehead and I chuckled a little. Shortly the magenta aura faded away, leaving me completely transformed. "Transformation complete. Recalculating driver data. Analyzing driver data. Good evening, Beatrix Lulamoon." "Thank you, TS. Good night," I said, turning the key using my right fore-hoof. I had a little difficulty removing the key from the ignition, but managed well enough. I opened the door and hopped out, locked the car up, closed the driver's door, and went to the front door of our house. "Maybe I should have unlocked the front door before allowing the transformation to take place," I thought to myself. Using my telekinesis, I inserted the house key into the lock, turning it and the doorknob to open the front door. I probably should have informed Brenda, Xaviera and her two kids about my plan before putting it into action as they weren't quite sure what to make of my new appearance. "Brenda, I'm home," I said. "Oh no! Not the voice thing again!" I thought. I definitely should have told them in advance! "Who the hell is that?" Brenda asked stridently. "Sorry, Brenda, I should have told you before I had TS do this to me," I offered, my ears drooping. Brenda came down the stairs to see what had happened. Xaviera came up from the basement to see what was going on. "Who the hell are you?" Brenda's stridency had increased. "Oh, Mike, not again!" Xaviera stated in disgust. Her two kids had come up the stairs and started giggling. I remembered what had happened several months ago when I was in Twilight's body and kept my distance as best I could from the grand-kids. "Brenda, I have taken on the form of Trixie -- I don't know if you're familiar with her," I stated optimistically. "Now why would you do such a damn-fool thing as that?" Brenda's patience was nearing its limit. "Because tomorrow is my birthday, and I want to visit Ponyville again as a special birthday present to myself," I offered. "And I suppose you want to go by yourself, is that it?" "Yes, if you don't mind." "I thought we were going to the Boat," Brenda said, expressing her disappointment. The Boat, as we called it, was a gambling establishment about 90 miles away from our house. I was not enthusiastic about going there, as I had a tendency to lose more money than I won. I would have been tempted to go if I could wield magic in my human form so I could walk out of there with lots of money in my pockets -- I would be tempted to go on board as Trixie, but animals aren't permitted on board. "I changed my mind about that, Brenda. Maybe some other time when I have more money to spend. Look, I'm only going to Ponyville just for tomorrow, okay? I Pinkie Promise I will be back tomorrow night!" "Pinkie Promise? What's gotten into you, Mike?" her exasperation was thick enough to cut with a paring knife. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my ... eye?" I said, making a crossing motion over my chest with my left fore-hoof, then putting it up to my left eye. "Ow." "Stop being so silly!" "I think I'm gonna turn in early, I want to be well rested for tomorrow," I said, grinning broadly. "Don't wait up for me, Mike. I'm really disappointed in you." "You never let me have any fun. Well, I decided it's time for me to have some fun, whether you like it or not. Good night, Brenda." I climbed the stairs, my hooves clopping loudly on the hard-wood of the stairs, the hallway and our bedroom floor. I magically pulled the cover back from my side of the bed and hopped in, laying my head on the memory foam pillows. I fell asleep quickly, which surprised me a bit. ----------------------------------- I was woken by the sunlight coming in through our bedroom windows. I had no idea of when Brenda came to bed last night, but she had wrapped her left arm around my barrel and was holding me close to her. My mane was in her face but it appeared that she didn't mind that. I had to wiggle my body free from her embrace, but I'll have to admit that being held by her actually did feel pretty nice. I got out of the bed and went to the bathroom to take care of my needs, showering off my body, drying off using magic, and brushed out my mane and tail again. I brushed my teeth and was amazed by the taste of the toothpaste, which seemed to taste a lot better than it normally does. I went back into the bedroom and nuzzled Brenda awake, letting her know I was on my way to Ponyville and that I would be back later on. I trotted over to my side of the bed, standing about halfway between the bed and the dresser, focusing magic through my horn, concentrating on arriving just in front of the front door of the Golden Oaks Library, home of Twilight Sparkle. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I almost instinctively knew that she would most likely be the one to talk to first, especially since I was in Trixie's body. I knew about Trixie's reputation in Ponyville and steeled myself for whatever reaction would be coming my way. My horn started glowing pink, and a pink aura enveloped my body. My vision was obscured by a blinding whiteness and I felt my stomach drop. A couple of seconds later, I was standing in front of Twilight's tree. ----------------------------- The weather in Ponyville this day was rather unusual -- the sun was hanging fairly low above the horizon, as though Celestia was about to put it away for the evening. A heavy cast of grey stratocumulus was advancing from the East in an attempt to swallow what remained of the day. A dark blue hue to the East indicated approaching nightfall. I decided to knock on the door of the Library anyway, and was greeted by Twilight herself. Her expression was one of great surprise, but apparently she said nothing at all. I was mystified by this. "Hey, Twilight, what's up?" I asked almost a little too nonchalantly. I smiled warmly at her, but she did not return my smile. She remained silent. "Twilight, what's wrong?" I asked as my ears started to droop a little. She continued her silence and this was really starting to baffle me. "May I come in, please?" She slowly nodded her head and opened the door for me. I slowly entered the Library, noticing quite a different appearance to it than what is normally shown on the TV. The Library had actual bookshelves, not cut into the tree itself. There were a few tables spread around the main room for patrons to sit and read. I watched Twilight make her way upstairs before I could ask any more questions. I caught sight of her flanks and noticed her cutie mark matched mine, which ignited a storm of confusion in my mind. "What's she doing wearing MY cutie mark?" I thought to myself. "Have I jumped into yet another alternate universe?" Before that thought finally registered, I saw something else that nearly caused me to freak out -- Trixie was making her way down the stairs to meet me! "Twilight, you should know better than to bother me when I'm studying, and -- GAAAAH! What ... what ... WHO? Where did YOU come from! You can't be me!" Trixie sputtered in her confusion. Then I saw HER cutie mark -- a dark blue six-pointed star with four smaller white five-pointed stars surrounding it. It looked almost exactly like Twilight's cutie mark, minus one white star. "Trixie, if I may begin by telling you a little about myself," I started. Twilight started gesturing animatedly with her fore-hooves, rapidly turning her head to make eye contact with each of us, but then she saw MY cutie mark and gasped silently. "Trixie, you know it would really help me if Twilight could talk," I stated in a matter-of-fact fashion. "She can't talk -- and hasn't been able to since the fall of The Evil One," Trixie stated flatly. "Maybe I could use my magic to heal her so she CAN talk," I offered. "If you think your magic is stronger than an Alicorn's, you're welcome to try," she chuckled. "The Evil One silenced her with HER magic, so unless we can pull off some sort of miracle, Twilight's going to be mute for the rest of her life. Now if you don't mind me asking, 'Trixie', just who exactly ARE you?" "Tell me, Trixie, what do you know of humans?" I asked. Twilight moved closer to me, almost excited to learn more about me. She sat in a chair at the table closest to me and I decided to take a seat at the same table. Trixie decided to take yet another chair at this table to make communication a bit easier. This was going to be a long discussion. "There are legends about humans and Lyra tends to obsess about them," Trixie stated. "I've always considered them to be myths, Old Mare's Tales, that sort of thing." "Well, what would you say if I told you that last night, I was a human until I had my car transform me into ..." I leaned over to look at her cutie mark. "Um, well, you and I have different cutie marks ..." "How would you explain that, then? And what name should I call you to avoid confusion?" "My human name is Michael, and I was under the assumption that when I teleported here from my world that I would end up in a different universe, one where Twilight is the bearer of the Element of Magic," I stated flatly. Twilight shot up in a start, her mouth agape and her eyes wide in surprise. She gestured animatedly with her fore-hooves again, using some form of sign language. She then pointed at my cutie mark then at hers. "She says she wants to know what universe you come from and how it is you have her cutie mark," Trixie stated flatly. "She also wants to know how it is that she became the Element of Magic." "I don't have a name for my universe, just that it's an alternate to this one. I hate to tell you this, Trixie, but I am what you normally look like in the universe I came from -- that you are a traveling show-mare, roaming from one town to another, usually causing disturbances severe enough to make the ponies in whatever town you're visiting to run you out of town on a rail, sometimes even with a brand new process if you make them angry enough. I was under the impression that the Ponyville I would be visiting would be one where you might be in Mahehattan or Hoofington or some other place other than Ponyville. Who's the librarian here, anyway?" Twilight gestured again, pointing a her right fore-hoof to herself to indicate that she indeed was the librarian. "Twilight's the librarian, but I help her out for those ponies who don't know sign language, which is most of them, unfortunately. Your story is quite interesting, Michael, and I'm sorry you ended up in the wrong universe. Perhaps you might be able to hop to another one, seeing as how you were able to teleport from your home world to here, a feat even I would scarcely attempt to undertake." "Who is this 'Evil One' you speak of?" I asked quizzically. Twilight started shaking her head furiously as if to indicate I shouldn't even have brought up the subject. "Let's just say we banished her to the Sun and leave it at that. Don't want to even chance her return," Trixie said just above a loud whisper. "You mean Cel --" I began. "NO! Don't even THINK of saying her NAME!!" Trixie shouted at me. Suddenly, a dark purple mist started swirling about the room, solidifying into the form of a very large black Alicorn, one which I had only met once before in a much darker place. I recoiled in horror at her appearance and just barely whispered her name. "Nightmare Moon." "So, what brings a second Trixie to my realm? I felt a magical disturbance a short while ago and decided to investigate. Running court by myself is a big pain and that is what kept me from a more timely arrival. Tell me, second Trixie, who exactly you are and where you came from." Fear overtook me as my eyes went wide, my ears lay flat against my head. "You're ... you're ..." I couldn't say anything else, the fear was so strong. "I sense your fear, second Trixie -- trust me, you have nothing to fear from me. I will not hurt you, nor will I eat you, if that's what you're afraid of." "Where I come from, you're one of the villains," I stated, trying to regain my composure. She started chuckling, then as it became more obvious, the humor of the situation cause her to engage in full-blown laughter. It took her nearly as long to regain her decorum as it did for me to regain some semblance of normality. "Princess Nightmare Moon?" I asked tentatively. "Yes, second Trixie, it is I, Princess Nightmare Moon." "So what about your sister?" I asked. I immediately regretted having asked that question as she exploded in fury. "THOU SHALT NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BEAST'S EXISTENCE IN OUR PRESENCE AGAIN, SHOULDST THOU WISHES TO REMAIN ALIVE!!!" she thundered in her Royal Canterlot Voice. The sheer force of that outburst caused me to fall back in my chair onto the floor, giving me a slight concussion as the back of my head made contact with the hard surface of the floor. "I beg your pardon, your Majesty, but I came from an alternate universe, where certain circumstances are different from this universe," I stated in an attempt to explain my ignorance. "Ow, that hurt." I rubbed the back of my head with my right fore-hoof. "Second Trixie, I apologize for that outburst. What happened to my sister is still a very touchy subject, and I would prefer not to discuss the matter any further. Suffice it to say that certain ... measures had to be taken in order to restore order and harmony to Equestria." Coming from Nightmare Moon, the words sounded vaguely like something Celestia would say. "This universe is one I'm going to have trouble wrapping my mind around," I said. "Perhaps I should travel to another universe in an attempt to find the one I was wanting to visit." "Second Trixie, I would like further explanation of your origin, as your presence intrigues me." "Your Majesty, I have traveled from a world of humans to visit Ponyville. Up until last night, I too was a human. I have a vehicle I magically enchanted several months ago when I was in Twilight's body --" "What?! You were in Twilight's body? How did that happen?" Trixie asked incredulously. "I was only in her body for a single day, but I managed to accomplish a great deal when I was her," I stated, perhaps a little too proudly. Twilight beamed a big smile when I said this. "I made a wish the night before that particular transformation, a wish to experience a single day as Twilight Sparkle." "So you had your magically enchanted vehicle transform you into Trixie? Interesting choice there," Nightmare Moon mused. "So why did you choose to be Trixie?" "I wanted to try something different. A birthday present for myself, if you will." "Wait -- today is your birthday?" Trixie asked. "Yes, it is -- at least, it's my human birthday. I decided I wanted to do something special for my 49th birthday." "Well, happy birthday, Michael," Trixie grinned. "Maybe we should have Fluttershy throw you a big birthday party!" "Wait, I thought Pinkie Pie was the one who throws parties," I said quizzically. "You'd better not let her hear you call her that, she gets really mad when anypony calls her by that name," Trixie chuckled. "What about Rarity?" I asked. Everypony hung their heads when I mentioned her name. Even Nightmare Moon showed some signs of sadness at the mention. "Rarity was executed for serial murder," Nightmare Moon stated sadly. "WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "I didn't want to have to give that sentence, but she killed more than 50 ponies during her reign of terror -- she was extremely clever and careful, but she got careless after awhile and left too much evidence pointing to her. We were shocked by her diary entries describing the methodology of her murders, each one in painstaking detail. Justice was needed in this instance, and it deeply saddened me to have to give the order for her execution." "This sounds like a very depressing universe," I stated, matter-of-factly. "Even the sky seemed to be getting ready to cry." "Interesting way of putting it, Michael," said Nightmare Moon. "So how long ago was she executed?" I asked. "That was more than three years ago," said Trixie. "Things around here haven't been the same since then." "So who wields the Element of Generosity? Who is the fashion designer?" "That would be Rainbow," Trixie stated. "You mean Rainbow Dash?" "No, just Rainbow. She's taken Sweetie Belle into her custody as well as Scootaloo," said Trixie. "Would it be possible for me to use my magic to try to heal Twilight so she can talk again?" I asked, turning my attention to Nightmare Moon. "I have tried that myself, Michael, to no avail. I seriously doubt YOUR magic would be sufficiently strong enough to restore her ability to talk. I would suggest you not attempt this as there might be a counter-spell active on her." "Which means that any attempt to magically heal her would backfire with catastrophic results?" "Precisely." Twilight shook her head sadly as a few tears fell down her cheeks. "It breaks my heart to see you like this, Twilight. I intend to do something about it, as best I can." "I admire your determination, Michael. I had no idea you cared as much for her as you do," said Nightmare. "I wonder how I might go about healing her though. If we can't use magic to heal her ..." my words trailed off as I started pondering the options. "Twilight has been mute for more than five years, Michael. There's not much we can do to help her, other than simply be here for her," said Trixie. "I try to comfort her as much as I can. Don't feel too sad about it." I conjured up a device which looked like a small white box. "Twilight, put this against your throat and try to talk. I want to see if that works." "Hello -- my -- name -- is -- Twilight -- Sparkle," came a robotic sounding voice from the box. Her eyes opened wide as she held the box against her throat with her telekinesis, and upon hearing her words actually take form, albeit in an electronically generated male voice, she started crying tears of happiness. "Finally -- after -- five -- years -- I -- can -- talk -- again." "Glad I could be of service," I chuckled. Trixie and Nightmare Moon were astonished by this seeming miracle. "I may need to tweak that device so the voice sounds more natural, and female at that." "Are you going to be leaving us, Michael? I would appreciate it if you would stay a bit longer. There are a great many things I would like to discuss with you," stated Nightmare. "The differences between this universe and the one I'm familiar with are striking enough that I would like to stay and see what those differences are. If Fluttershy is the party pony, I would like to see what other differences there are," I said. Upon hearing her name spoken again, a butter yellow earth pony peeked out from behind a bookshelf in the Library. "Hey, Trixie, did you call my name? Oh! Two Trixies? Really? WOW! Hey, you're new here, aren't you? You look like Trixie, but your cutie mark is different! Wow, look, you have Twiley's cutie mark! How did that happen? Did I hear you say today's your birthday? I have to start planning your party right NOW!" she gasped and disappeared. "Reminds me of Pinkie Pie from the universe I'm familiar with," I chuckled. Trixie and Twilight covered their ears and Nightmare disappeared. I was baffled by this behavior until I heard a roaring sound coming from outside the Library. I went outside to investigate the noise and was tackled by a very angry pink pegasus with three lightning bolts for a cutie mark, her hair a darker pink and as straight and flat as Twilight's mane and tail. "DON'T YOU DARE EVER CALL ME BY THAT NAME AGAIN! EVER!!" she shouted. When she saw who it was she had tackled, her anger subsided quite dramatically. "Oh, hi, Trixie! Sorry about that!" She got off me, allowing me to stand again. "What name should I call you? I thought --" I began. "You thought wrong! My name is Diane! And don't you ever think of calling me anything different from that! Trixie knows better, and ... wait. You didn't know even though you're Trixie ... your cutie mark! You have Twilight's cutie mark! Are you a changeling?" "No, Diane, I'm not a changeling. Until last night, I was actually a human. Today's my birthday, and I decided to give myself a special present by having my car transform me into Trixie. I had no idea when I teleported here I would be entering yet another alternate universe where everything is different from what I'm familiar with." "If you're not Trixie, what is your name?" "It's Michael," I stated flatly. "That's a male name! You mean you were a male human and you transformed into a mare?" "Yes." "Huh. That's interesting. Why did you do that?" "Because I was Twilight the last time around and I wanted to try something different." "Wait -- you were Twilight? Really?" "Yeah, and you were the party pony, and Rainbow was the one wanting to join the Wonderbolts, and Fluttershy was the one who took care of animals and is as shy as her name indicates, and --" "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there, Michael! You're sounding like Fluttershy when she's talking at full speed!" I chuckled. "Or you in the universe I'm familiar with. I wonder how you're a pegasus in this universe -- the one I'm familiar with, you're an earth pony." "I've always been a pegasus, silly! I don't know what you're talking about!" "What is it about the name Pinkie Pie that sets you off so badly?" She growled at me. "You'd better not say that name again, I don't care what you're familiar with! I was teased endlessly by my classmates so I took to beating them up every time any of them called me by that name! And you've got one more time to call me that before I kick YOUR flank! Got that?" "Sorry, Diane. I have been to four different versions of Ponyville, and this is the first one that doesn't fit into my head canon." "Four versions of Ponyville? You've done a lot of traveling! Is a 'head canon' anything like a party cannon?" she grinned. "No, that refers to the conventional wisdom regarding Ponyville, or at least, every previous version of Ponyville I'm familiar with. So are you one of the Weather Crew?" "Yeah, I'm with them, but I work freelance most of the time." "What about the Wonderbolts?" I asked. She frowned. "You mean the Shadowbolts," she corrected me. "The Wonderbolts changed their name after the fall of The Evil One." "I'm not even gonna ask about how 'The Evil One' was defeated -- the explanation would probably make my head explode," I stated flatly. "Yeah, we don't wanna talk about it much, even with newcomers. So since today's your birthday, does Fluttershy know?" "Yeah! I'm planning a super-duper big birthday bash for him or her or whatever he or she is! Got it almost finished, come by the Bakery! Got something special for you!" she exclaimed and bounded off towards the Bakery. "It's gonna take a little bit of getting used to these changes," I chuckled. "So what about Applejack?" "She's working on her farm, but this late in the evening, I would think she might be heading off to bed. Her days are filled with hard work and she rarely gets a chance to do anything with us anymore," said Diane, looking somewhat sad. "I'd like to pay her a visit tomorrow, if that's possible," I offered. "Perhaps she might be happy to have some company." "She would appreciate all the help she can get, Michael. You feel like bucking some orange trees?" "I thought her orchard was apple trees," I mused. "The Apple family lost their farm to a couple of swindlers and were forced to take up another crop and start a new farm. They have been struggling to stay ahead of the debt collectors ever since." "Wow. I had no idea that this particular universe was filled with such sadness," I stated rather glumly. A chill wind had come up as Nightmare Moon had taken the Sun down for the night and put the Moon up -- though the overcast sky prevented any moonlight from showing. I noticed this and commented on the overcast sky. "We don't have as much control over the sky as we used to -- so we just allow the clouds to come and go as they will." "How fast can you fly, Diane?" She grinned. "I can approach the speed of sound! If I try hard enough, I can punch through it sometimes, but I have to be careful. I'm gonna head over to the Bakery and see if the party's ready for you, Michael." "Kinda late in the day for a party, but I'll let Trixie and Twilight know. Maybe they might wanna come as well." "Okay, seeya later, Michael!" She took to the sky and flew off to the Bakery, her way being lit by streetlamps. I headed into the Library. "We were worried, Michael," said Trixie. "You should know better than to call Diane by her most hated name. So what's going on?" "Fluttershy's holding a party for me at the Bakery. You wanna come?" I asked, grinning. "Sure, come on, Twi, we're going!" Trixie called to Twilight. She grabbed her little voice box, eager to show off her recently restored ability to communicate in some limited fashion. The three of us headed to the bakery. "What about Spike?" I asked, perhaps a little too nonchalantly. Twilight started sobbing uncontrollably. "I wish you hadn't said his name," Trixie stated flatly. "There was this incident in the Crystal Empire ..."