//------------------------------// // Off to Hoofington // Story: Why Did I Choose to be Trixie? // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// Did I tell you that Equestria's infrastructure is bad? I mean REALLY bad! In fact, we hadn't even gotten five miles outside Ponyville when we were forced to turn around. I drove the car back to Ponyville and parked it behind the Golden Oaks Library, and unhooked Trixie's caravan. Twilight expressed some degree of curiosity about this. "Um, Amethyst? Why did you come back?" the lavender unicorn asked. "The road is so bad that I cannot drive the car on it -- the way I see it, there are two ways -- either we go on hoof or we have the car teleport us from one location to another. The only problem with doing that is that other than some ponies who have seen the car either here or in Canterlot, nopony else has ever seen the car, and they would either freak out over seeing it or try to damage it in some way or other. So I'm leaving the car here for the time being, Twilight. I just hope you can keep it safe for me, if you would, please." "I'll be sure to protect it for you, Amethyst -- but I must ask you one other thing. How did you change back?" "A-heh. You might want to ask your teacher about that -- I think you'll find her explanation most amusing. Suffice it to say Celestia and I had a little ... disagreement of sorts. That's why I tried to make our last round of good-byes quick, because even though I want to see much more of Equestria than just Ponyville and Canterlot, there's a part of me that wishes to remain here. I promised Trixie I would accompany her, though, so we have to get going. We've already wasted an hour in the car, and on hoof pulling the caravan it will take the better part of a day or so to reach Hoofington." "Okay, then, Ammy. Take care, you too, Trixie. Good luck to you both! Please come back soon!" Trixie and I worked together to pull her caravan -- I had no idea it was so heavy -- and we slowly made our way toward Hoofington. One of the other problems about traveling in Equestria is that there are substantially more dangers to face than on Earth. The worst I had faced on Earth would be a vehicle break-down of some sort or other, or perhaps a flat tire. In Equestria, though, the dangers were far more substantial. Trixie and I chatted with each other as we pulled her caravan. I asked her lots of questions about what she had faced on her travels and she regaled me with several tall tales about facing off against Manticores, Diamond Dogs, Timber Wolves and the occasional Hydra. "Oh, come on, Trixie -- a Hydra? Really?" I asked in disbelief. "Oh, well, uh ... Trixie DID run into a hydra!" she protested. "You DO realize just how big those accursed things are, don't you? I suspect you probably ran away from it as fast as you could. If WE were to face one, well ... I'm not even sure how to deal with it myself!" "Trixie was in the Everfree Forest when she stumbled upon the sleeping Hydra. Thinking she could best the giant, she readied her strongest spell! Trixie was going to prove herself the strongest and most powerful magician in all Equestria by taking one of the four heads as a souvenir -- but her spell did not work as she had planned. The beast awoke and roared louder than thunder, then chased the Scared and Frightened Trixie until she reached a clearing, whereupon a Zebra mare chanced upon her and allowed her into her hut until the danger had passed." "Well, we're not traveling through the Everfree, so I don't think we need to worry about running into a Hydra," I stated confidently. "Well, Amethyst, the Everfree is huge! We're going to be traveling near enough that some of the meaner creatures in there might find us." "I hope you've been practicing your magic over the past few weeks," I said with a hint of apprehension. "Trixie hopes you remember some of what you learned as an Alicorn," she said, echoing my trepidation. "I hope my decision to be returned to my former unicorn self doesn't turn out to be a bad one." "Trixie hopes she gets to live another seventy years!" We kept going back and forth with our conversation about hopes and fears for quite awhile. As it turned out, we didn't really have to worry much as we made it to Hoofington about ten hours later. We decided to set the caravan about two miles outside of town so we wouldn't be too easily noticed. It was time to rest -- pulling the caravan had taken a lot out of me and I was dog tired. We entered her caravan, which oddly enough, was substantially larger on the inside than on the outside. I considered it something along the lines of the TARDIS, the conventional wisdom regarding interior dimensions of that vehicle being somewhat similar to Trixie's caravan. I didn't bother asking her about it as we laid down on a mattress on the floor and pulled a blanket over our bodies. I had a little trouble falling asleep, so I asked Trixie a few questions. "So what all are we going to be doing tomorrow?" "We will be visiting Trixie's mother's house. She can't wait for her to meet you!" "What's her name? What's she like?" "She is known as Midnight Lulamoon -- Trixie thinks her mother might take a quick liking to you," the mare mused. "Technically she is my mother-in-law," I stated flatly. "Where I come from, there is a long line of comedians who made light of just how disagreeable some mothers-in-law could be." "Trixie wants you to be on your best behavior -- please don't embarrass her in front of her mother!" "I will do my best, Trixie. I just hope she's nice," I offered as I snuggled up to her a bit more closely. She sighed contentedly as I laid against her back, my right fore-leg wrapped around her mid-section. She seemed to fall asleep very quickly like that, as I heard a light snoring coming from her. It took a bit longer for me to drift off to sleep as I was fairly anxious to see what the morrow would bring.