A Royal Guard Unicorn came to the guest room I had been sleeping in. "Wakey, wakey -- eggs and bakey!" he chimed.
"Mmm, I hope they burnt the bacon," I moaned. Trixie's voice sounds so sexy when it comes out like that...
"Hay smells bad when it burns," the guard chuckled. "Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, summons you to the Great Dining Hall for breakfast. Are you coming or not?"
"Yes, just a moment please." I rose to my hooves and rubbed sleep from my eyes. I followed the guard out of the room, along a few corridors until we made it to the Dining Hall. I was allowed entry, but the Sun Goddess was not too happy to see me.
"Are you Michael or Trixie?" she asked. "Oh, wait -- I see a different cutie mark. You must be Trixie from the other universe!" she smiled. "Take a seat, my little pony!"
"Your Majesty, I am Michael Walker. Thank you once again for breakfast."
"So how did your trip back to your home world work out? And why do you have the other Trixie's cutie mark?"
"Would that I had better news for you, your Majesty. I lost everything I owned in my home world. I have nothing left to my name, except for the saddlebags I left with your sister last night. As for the cutie mark change, well, let's just say that your counterpart has an odd sense of humor and leave it at that." I fixed myself a plate of eggs, hay bacon, Prench toast and something that looked like pan-fried shredded potatoes. I poured myself a glass of orange juice.
"Michael, I am terribly sorry to hear about your loss. Do you have anything planned on how to deal with this?"
"I suppose Princess Luna might have told you I visited with Trixie in the dungeon last night," I began.
"She did, yes. Why did you choose to visit her, after what she did to you?" Celestia delicately nibbled at her toast, not spilling a crumb. She casually sipped from a teacup.
"Your Majesty, I ask of you a favor. It is my desire to marry Trixie," I offered.
The Sun Goddess did something I wasn't expecting. She did a spit-take, spraying her tea out of her mouth onto the table. "Michael! I cannot allow this!"
"With your permission, your Majesty. I understand the nature of her crime, however she was under the corrupting influence of that amulet. I forgive her, and ask for your blessing ..." my words trailed off as I saw Celestia's visage darken considerably.
"I suppose you were wanting her to be released a little early as well," came a very cold response from the Alicorn.
"I understand your apprehension, your Majesty. I apologize for broaching the subject. But I beg of you this indulgence, as I am quite enamored with her." I chewed on a piece of Prench toast with syrup on it. The potatoes were quite tasty as well.
"Be that as it may, Michael, I give you this warning. She will break your heart and leave you crying. I see this in your future. I strongly advise against your wish to marry Trixie -- it will only end up in deep sadness for you. If it is Trixie you wish to marry, why not venture back to the other universe to meet with your ... identical ... self. She is the Bearer of the Element of Magic, and I believe she will make you much happier were you to marry her instead."
"She may look like Trixie, but she is not truly her. The external appearance has no bearing on personality -- truthfully, I actually had considered that possibility, but ... it's this Trixie I wish to marry, not the other one." I took a gulp of juice to wash down my food at this point.
"I understand your desire, Michael, but I'm afraid I cannot allow this. She is to serve the remainder of her sentence and you are not permitted any more visits with her. I suggest you forget about her and seek another for marriage."
I pouted, giving her my very best sad puppy-dog eyes look. I allowed tears to start welling up in my eyes, getting ready to spill out over my cheeks. "Please, Princess Celestia!" I begged. I saw her resolve start to waver ever so slightly. I kept up the act to see if I could get her to break. "I made her a Pinkie Promise!" The dam was starting to show some deep cracks ... "You know what it means to break one of those, don't you, your Majesty?" Aaaaany minute now ...
"I understand the severity Pinkie Pie takes those promises -- however, this matter trumps your desires. I am very sorry to disappoint you, Michael, but there is the matter of precedent here. If I were to release Trixie now, it would serve as negative reinforcement encouraging further bad behavior. I also believe that it is in your best interest to avoid further contact with Trixie, despite the fact you have fallen in love with her. At the risk of repeating myself, it is with great concern for your future happiness I give you this advice: do not look back, for a marriage to Trixie would be worse for you than your marriage to Brenda. Speaking of whom, were you successful obtaining a divorce from her?"
"I'm afraid not, your Majesty. I was unable to locate her, so by extension, I was unable to obtain a divorce from her."
"You have my sympathies, Michael, however, since you are technically still married, I would be completely unable to offer my blessing to you for a marriage to Trixie. If you wish to marry her, you must successfully obtain a divorce from your wife."
Now it was my turn for a spit-take. "Sorry about that, your Majesty. Have you any idea of just how difficult a task that will be? I can't even change back into a human as my vehicle was taken from me in my absence from my home world. To top that off, I have no way of supporting myself on my home world as a human, as I lost my job as well. I have no one who can help me as a human, and without any money, or any way of obtaining any money, I would not be able to afford an attorney to help me in my quest to obtain a divorce."
"I am fully aware of the difficulty of the task. That's the one condition you must meet if you wish to marry Trixie. Good luck, Michael!" she grinned. I dropped the sad puppy-dog eyes. My expression turned to one of anger. "I suggest you calm yourself before you do something you might regret, Michael. I would hate for anything sad to happen to you," the Alicorn stated, smiling serenely. I got out of my chair at the table and sat on my haunches on the floor. I held my fore-hooves to my head, trying to figure out a plan, or perhaps just to express my state of disappointment. I stayed like that for a few minutes as the Sun Goddess simply observed my behavior. "What are you thinking about, Michael?"
"Your Majesty, I am thinking. There is a part of me that is trying to decide on a course of action and there is a part of me that seems to be resigned to this fate. There is a part of me that feels your decision is rather unfair and another part of me that knows, almost instinctively, that what you're saying is essentially correct. I believe you can see into the future, and I wouldn't be too surprised if a marriage to Trixie would end up leaving me feeling miserable and wishing for a way out, kind of like my current marriage -- and that's the crux of the matter. It's like being stuck in a Catch-22."
"Never heard of that expression, Michael. Care to explain?"
"It represents a no-win situation, your Majesty."
"What is your plan now, Michael?"
"You know, you could make this a lot easier for me, your Majesty."
"And I've already explained myself, Michael. The answer is still no, regardless of how persuasive you try to be. I can sense your determination on this matter, and trust me, I admire such perseverance, however, I wish to save you from future heartbreak. Please don't force me to take stronger measures, as they would prove to be most unpleasant for you."