//------------------------------// // Train Ride to Canterlot on the Day Before the Wedding // Story: Why Did I Choose to be Trixie? // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// There were just a couple of days left before the wedding was to be held and Trixie had indeed been willing to spend each night with me, though she seemed kind of distant -- in fact, it seemed as though she was completely different from the Trixie I knew and loved. Whenever I tried to embrace her when we were sleeping, she would rebuff my advances. "What's wrong with her?" I thought as I turned my back to her. She responded by turning her back to me, both of us sleeping on the very edge of each side of the too-small bed. I was starting to get worried and would ask Trixie on several occasions what was wrong. Her response was an almost-typical, "Nothing." I couldn't understand why she seemed so cold and unresponsive to my affection. One of the other things that confused me was the fact that she refused to use magic of any kind, preferring to use her hooves when simple telekinesis would prove much more efficient. Even her eyes seemed distant when I would gaze into them. Instinctively, I knew something was wrong with her, but I could not put my hoof on it. -------------------------------- The day before the wedding was unusually cold and cloudy, but it was the day we were to take the train to Canterlot to prepare for the ceremony. Every pony who had an invitation from Ponyville was going to be on board the train: the Apple family, bringing the food needed for catering; the Cakes who had sent the MMMM cake along with Pinkie Pie (strictly told to prevent anypony from even tasting it); Rainbow Dash, who had informed me the Wonderbolts would be giving a performance in honor of my wedding (I told her I was deeply humbled and honored to be the recipient of such a gift); Fluttershy, who had brought Angel Bunny along with her; Rarity, who had packed a great many bags ("I intend to do some serious shopping, darling!"); and Twilight Sparkle and Spike. The lavender unicorn informed me that she even wanted her parents to attend the wedding as well as her brother and his wife. I told her I was deeply honored to be blessed with their presence. Trixie had ridden with us on the train as well, but I had a difficult time getting her to sit near me. Every time I tried to talk to her, she seemed to retreat to another section of the train. I was starting to get seriously worried and informed Twilight about my concerns. "I've noticed her acting quite differently myself -- in fact, she has stopped referring to herself in third pony," the librarian mused. "Is there something you can do, some way of scanning her or something? She seems so different, as though she's been replaced by a changeling or something," I stated, my voice colored by my deep concern and confusion. "I suppose I could scan her, though I'm afraid it would exacerbate the situation." "I have to know, Twilight -- she means so much to me, I couldn't face the possibility of losing her." "Okay, Ammy, I'll do it. Give me a few moments, I'll track her down for you and let you know --" she began. Trixie burst into the coach we were sitting in and glowered at me with fire in her eyes. "Trixie has been listening to your conversation, Amethyst! If you don't trust Trixie, why are you wanting to marry her?" she asked very angrily. "Trixie, you've been acting very strangely lately," I said, trying to calm her down. "You say you love Trixie? She does not believe you any more!" she shouted and galloped away to another passenger car. "I'm sorry, Ammy," Twilight said softly as she came over to me, wrapping a fore-leg around my withers. I felt a tear trickle down my cheek as I leaned on the librarian for support. I was deeply worried about losing her for real, but hoped she would come around to her senses in time for our wedding. After a few moments of allowing Twilight to console me, I strengthened my resolve to find Trixie and let her know my true feelings for her. I trotted through each of the passenger cars, the dining car, even the mail car. I was unable to locate her. I was wanting to access the first class car, but was prevented from entering it, as I had not purchased a ticket for that coach. I looked through the window to see if I could catch a glimpse of her. I sullenly returned to sit beside Twilight. "Is she still on the train, Twi?" I asked, sadness creeping into my voice. My ears drooped, laying almost flat against my head. "I can sense her presence, Ammy. Yes, she's still on the train, but she's definitely trying to avoid you." "I know this might sound like a dumb question, but were you able to determine if she's the real Trixie or an impostor?" "Her anger prevented me from doing that, Ammy. Sorry." "I guess that can't be helped. Well, I can only hope she's there for the wedding tomorrow," I said rather glumly. "If it's any consolation, Ammy, I'm still --" "No, Twilight, it would be wrong. I can't do that, it would bother my conscience too much --" "Look, I will do what I can to comfort you, Ammy. Please don't think I'm trying to persuade you to marry me instead of Trixie. I know how much she means to you, and I will do what I can to help you get her back. If nothing else, I'm sure Princess Celestia might have an answer or two, should the worst actually happen." "Thanks, Twilight. You're the best friend a pony could ask for, and I mean that sincerely." I smiled at her and she returned a smile to me. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, which caused her to blush. "Sorry about that, Twi, I guess I got a little carried away there." "It's quite all right, Ammy. I know how you must feel." For some reason or other, a snippet of a song came into my head, so I decided to sing it aloud: "It's only love, and that is all, why do I feel the way I do? It's only love, and that is all, but it's so hard loving you Yes it's so hard, loving you ..." "That's an interesting song, Ammy. Did you write that yourself?" asked the lavender unicorn. "No, Twi, that was written before I was born by a couple of guys who wrote some very popular music in my home world," I stated. "They were among the best songwriters I've ever known of." "I'm fascinated by the music of your home world, Ammy. Would you care to share some more of that music with me?" "Sure, why not. I feel like singing a few songs anyway," I said, and launched into "Here Comes Your Man" by the Pixies. I then proceeded to sing a few more songs by that group and then sang a few songs of Frank Black's solo material. It was when I sang "White Noise Maker" that Twilight interrupted me. "What's a Telstar?" she asked. "That was the name ascribed to a man-made satellite launched into orbit around Earth a few years before I was born," I responded. "What? Something that was put into space around the planet?" "Yes, and it was the first of many objects to be put into orbit around my home world. We even sent expeditions to the moon for scientific investigation and exploration," I said, a slight grin making its way onto my face. "WHAT? You mean ... man went to the moon? How long ago was that? Do they still go there? What was it like? Have you ever been there?" came a barrage of questions from the librarian. I chuckled. "No, never been there myself. It's too expensive, and it's been more than 40 years since man last went there. I remember my father telling me when the first moon landing occurred, watching it live on TV, that I should tell my grandchildren I was there to witness history being made. 'Remember this, you'll be able to tell your grandchildren you saw it happen with your own eyes,' he told me." "How old were you when it happened?" "I was almost five years old, Twilight. It's about the only memory I have from that time, since nearly everything else from my memory is hazy at best. I remember having mumps when I was four, I remember going to the hospital to have a surgery performed on me when I was four, and I remember the house we moved into when we were in Florida, which was also when I was four years old. I also remember my dad being a very imposing and intimidating figure, easily able to scare me into crying even when he was not in a bad mood." "It sounds like you had a traumatic childhood," she mused. "I guess you could say that, Twi," I responded. An idea came to Twilight. "Have you tried talking to Pinkie Pie? Her Pinkie Sense might be able to tell you a little better than I can," she offered. "Sounds like a good idea, Twi. I'll go have a chat with her." I trotted to the next passenger coach where Pinkie was sitting, the cake being well protected. "Oh, hiya, Ammy! What brings you here? Something bothering you?" the pink mare asked, noticing my expression. "Twilight suggested I talk to you about Trixie -- she's been acting very strangely the past few days, and I don't know what's wrong with her. Has your Pinkie Sense been going off about her? Something's not right with her." "Well, Ammy, it has! My left fore-leg has gone all wobbly, my right eye twitches a little, and I have a headache!" "What does that mean?" I asked, hoping for some esoteric answer. "It means I'm coming down with a cold!" she responded cheerfully. I groaned. "So what about Trixie?" "I dunno. Have you tried talking to her?" "Yeah, but every time I've tried, she has avoided me. I have no idea what's going on, Pinkie. I need some answers and I'm starting to get depressed over it. I don't want to lose her! We're supposed to get married, for Celestia's sake!" The pink party pony came over to me and wrapped a fore-leg around my withers. "Hey, don't be sad, we're gonna make tomorrow your best day ever! I'm sure Trixie will be ready for the wedding! She's probably just a little scared or something, I'm sure she'll come around and realize how much she loves you, Ammy!" "I certainly hope so, Pinkie, for my sake. I would be so embarrassed if she doesn't walk down the carpet with me." "She'd better! She made a Pinkie Promise to you, didn't she?" "Yeah, she did. I think she knows how serious that is if she breaks it." "Well, if she does, I wouldn't want to be in her hooves! I'll make sure she knows better than to break a Pinkie Promise!" "Don't hurt her too much, okay, Pinkie? I still love her deeply," I pleaded. "I won't kill her, silly billy! I'll just scare her a bit so she knows better next time," the pink earth pony grinned. "Okay, I'm gonna head back to the other car and talk to Twilight a bit longer. See ya later, Pinkie." "Okie dokie lokie! Have fun!" she giggled. Talking to Pinkie Pie seemed to cheer me up a bit, but then again, her bubbly personality is something that will perk anypony up. I trotted back over to Twilight and sat next to her. "Did Pinkie Pie tell you anything about her condition?" the librarian asked me. "Nothing conclusive, just that I need to be a little more patient, I guess. Maybe I should talk to Rarity to see if she knows what's going on," I mused. "Sounds like a good idea, Ammy. I would suggest you talk to the others as well, maybe you might even run into Trixie again and get some answers from her yourself." "Thanks for the suggestion, I believe I will do just that. Seeya in a little bit, Twi." "Glad I could help you, Ammy," she smiled softly. I trotted around the train, talking to each of the other Element Bearers and informed them of my situation. Each of them had let me know that they too had suspected something was wrong with Trixie, but couldn't determine with any certainty what it was. I saw Trixie a few times, appearing to be eavesdropping on my conversations, then angrily accusing me of trying to cheat on her with every mare on the train. I tried to explain to her my suspicions, but she would have none of it. Eventually, I made my way back to the coach Twilight was still siting in, her muzzle deep in a book. I took a seat next to her and waited for the train to pull into the station. "Whatcha reading, Twi?" I asked. "An Illustrated History of False Teeth," she responded. "I heard something about a guy named Lemming of the British Dental Association wanting that book," I chuckled. She slammed the book shut, her cheeks a bright rouge from embarrassment. "We don't like to talk about the BDA," she muttered. "I'm not going to ask," I stated with some amusement tinging my voice. Just then an announcement was made. "Attention all passengers: the train will be pulling into Canterlot Grand Central Station in five minutes. Please remain seated until the train comes to a complete stop."