"You Can't Go Back, Michael."

by Mike the Red

"You Can't Go Back, Michael."

"This cake is great, it's so delicious and moist!" I crowed, eliciting a bigger smile on Pinkie's face.

"Glad you like it, Mikey! Now, how about a game of pin the tail?" she grinned.

"Let me finish eating and I'll join you -- I don't think I've ever played that game, even when I was young," I declared before taking the last few bites of my cake. Truly such a treat was supposed to be savored, but I felt compelled to join Pinkie and the others for the game. I trotted over and she placed a blindfold on me while I held a cloth tail in my right fore-hoof -- how I managed to hold it baffled me, but I pushed that conundrum aside as I was spun around swiftly. The disorientation got to me a little as I stumble-stepped a few times, then fell over on my left side, my balance thrown off completely by the lack of sight and dizziness brought on by Pinkie's method of spinning me around. Once again I was the victim of laughter as I removed the blindfold, letting the tail fall on the floor.

"Ugh, why did I know this was going to happen?" I asked rhetorically, eliciting a few more chuckles from some of the other ponies in the room. I sat on my haunches, glaring at the ponies who laughed at me. "Stop laughing at me!" I exclaimed indignantly -- but in my high-pitched voice, it sounded like petulant whining, which elicited more laughter. I glanced over to the Princess who tried to stifle a giggle or two and slowly trotted over to her.

"Your Majesty, I think I've had enough fun," I groused, my words tinged with anger and frustration. "I think I'm gonna go home now." I heard more laughter at this mention and tried to ignore it as best I could as I squared myself and concentrated on returning to my home. I clenched my eyes shut once again, focusing on my bedroom in my homeworld, my horn glowing with a magenta aura before it turned white. I felt a dizziness overtake me and felt a headache coming on. I powered down my horn, figuring I had made it past the dimensional barrier and sat down once again. I opened my eyes to see myself surrounded by all the ponies who were still at the party in the library.

"What happened? Why's it not working? I was trying to go home! Let me try this again," I stated as I readied myself once more, this time concentrating even harder on returning home. Again my horn glowed brilliantly, so much so that it started hurting the eyes of anypony who stared at it too long.

"Michael! Stop it or you'll burn yourself out!" Twilight pleaded as she rushed over to me. I pushed aside her warning, redoubling my effort, pushing past the pain, desperately trying to go home. The pain grew to an incredible level, causing me to stop trying. Exhausted from this effort, I returned to my sitting position again.

"Princess, why is it not working?" I asked fearfully. Tears began to well up at the corners of my eyes.

"I'm afraid you can't go back, Michael -- perhaps the fabric of the space/time continuum has been repaired -- but by whom, I don't know," the alicorn mused.

"But -- but -- that means -- I'm stuck here?!" I cried as the tears began to trickle down my cheeks. "But -- I have -- family and friends back home -- and -- and -- I -- I -- can't go back? But -- but -- WHY?!" I asked as my tone became even more despondent, the desperation turning to panic.

"That's another reason why I warned you not to return, Michael -- now it looks like you've become one of my little ponies -- I believe I remember telling you that the consequences would be severe -- and now you're discovering that firsthoof," the alicorn stated, her words tinged with sympathy for my plight. She trotted over to me and sat beside me, wrapping her right wing around me. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Michael -- originally, I was rather upset at you for having disobeyed me -- I had my reasons, you know -- but your spirit is a wild one, one which cannot be contained or controlled easily. I am willing to make a place for you here in Ponyville, but you can no longer trot around in a copy of my student's body."

"So -- what am I supposed to do now? And if I can't stay in a copy of Twilight's body, what am I supposed to be?"

"Since you happen to be a male inside a mare's body, I suggest you become a stallion -- I cannot change you back into your human form if that's what you're asking -- but I can provide you with a stallion's body of your choice." With these words, she stood and gave me a little space. "Make your choice quickly, Michael -- I would prefer you be transformed before everypony present so they may get to know you in your new form."

"I was hoping I'd be able to continue to run around in Twilight's body -- this has been quite fun for me -- but if I must be changed, then so be it. I'd still like to be a unicorn, perhaps a deeper purple -- I'm partial to blue and green as well -- but I'd prefer to stay away from yellow, orange, or red for my colors," I opined. "I'd also like to have a tall and lanky build." The words weren't even five seconds out of my mouth when I felt my body change and my visual perspective shift upwards a little. Instead of looking eye-to-eye with Twilight, I was now looking down a little at her. Everypony gasped at my new appearance, though I noticed a few mares with half-lidded expressions.

"Is this more to your liking, Michael?" the Princess asked, her tone sounding a little warmer than I thought normal for her.

"I don't know, your Majesty, I'd like a mirror so I can see what you've done for me," I replied, noting the change in pitch of my voice -- sounding awfully familiar to my ears, as though my human vocal characteristics had transferred over to my new body. The alicorn summoned a mirror for me and I trotted over to it, turning around and gazing at my new body. I noticed the lack of a cutie mark.

"I like my new appearance -- but what about a cutie mark? Or is it because I'm in a new body I have to discover my special talent for it to show up? Or is it that I have a new purpose?" I asked quizzically.

"You're closer than you think on quite a few of your hypotheses," Celestia chuckled. Rarity had trotted over to me and stood next to me -- I hadn't noticed this until I turned around again and bumped into her. I blushed at the contact, though her blush was much more noticeable.

"Terribly sorry about that, darling!" she grinned.

"What do you want, Miss Rarity?" I asked.

"Princess Celestia does good work, I must say! Michael, darling, would you be interested in returning with me to my boutique? I would like to craft a few ensembles for you!"

Twilight trotted over to me at this point, interjecting herself between the fashionista and me. "Rarity! He's staying here at the library, with me! Right, Michael?" she asked almost stridently, giving me a hopeful grin.

"Hey, Mikey! Why not come back to the bakery with me? I can get you some more of your favorite cake!" Pinkie chirped.

"Michael, I request you accompany me back to my castle in Canterlot -- I believe I may need some assistance with a few matters," the alicorn noted as she flashed me a slightly larger than usual smile.

"Ugh, don't tell me -- these are the consequences of my returning despite your warning, aren't they?" I groaned in disappointment. My query elicited hearty laughter from the Princess -- so infectious was her laughter that I couldn't help but laugh as well, despite my fear of what lay ahead for me.

"Well then, Michael -- shall we be going?" she asked, a note of expectation in her voice. I hung my head in response.

"Fine," I groaned before I was enveloped in her golden aura, then teleported to a very ornately decorated room in the castle.

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[HoneyBadgerr]

It's a lie!