Twilight for a Day

by Mike the Red

A Good Prank Spoiled

"Okay, Twilight, you ready?" I asked her.

"Do you know how far Ponyville is away from the Castle?" she asked, almost as if she were asking me if I were insane.

"I teleported across a dimensional barrier to get here, along with my wife. I estimate the distance to be about sixty miles or so," I responded with a good deal of confidence. "And if I remember correctly, that's about the distance from my house to my workplace, and I already tested my teleportation a few times by popping back and forth between my house and worksite."

"Wow, I don't usually cover that much distance on a single teleport, as it leaves me a bit tired, and takes me a few moments to recover my strength," she said. "That's really impressive!"

"Well, I figured if I could do it in your body, certainly you should be able to do it. Perhaps we can teleport together to your house, and walk together towards Sugar Cube Corner," I suggested.

"No, everypony would be frightened by the sight of both of us walking together. Your first idea of meeting from opposite directions is a better one. This should be fun!" she said, stifling a giggle.

"I shall take Brenda with me, cloaking us with an invisibility spell, and we shall watch from the shadows. We will give you fifteen minutes to meet up. This will be the first meaningful entertainment I have enjoyed so far this year," the Princess stated.

"Mike, I hope you know what you're doing," Brenda said with some apprehension.

"Should be a piece of cake, and I hope to get some cake as well, after we've finished having our little fun. I have never had Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, and I am looking forward to enjoying a slice of it."

"MMMM? Really? Did you place an advance order? And how will you pay for it? Have you any idea of how expensive one of those cakes is?" came the rapid-fire questions from Twilight.

"Hmm, I hadn't planned that far ahead. Truth to tell, Twilight, your answers are a, yes, b, yes again, c, no, d, I don't know, and e, again, I don't know. Please enlighten me as I doubt the Cakes would be willing to part with more than perhaps a small portion. I am not expecting a wedding-cake sized cake, I just want to sample it."

"Oh, you just want a small one? You still have to place an advance order, as the ingredients are not usually in stock, and have to be acquired, requiring some expense for their procurement. The wedding-cake sized version was for a special event, but everypony on board that train ate it before it could get to the competition -- in fact, everypony's dessert was eaten on the trip to the competition! So everypony was awarded a prize, but the MMMM -- well -- I doubt anything can compare to those flavors!"

"Tell me, Mike, what do you know about the MMMM?" asked the Princess.

"Not very much, I just wanted to taste some, for the sake of the experience. I have eaten lots of different cakes, my favorite being one called 'Death by Chocolate'."

"Sounds fatal," Twilight mused.

"If you have a food allergy to chocolate, yes, but in this case, it's a three or four layer chocolate cake, each layer with chocolate frosting, and shaved dark chocolate delicately placed on top. If a slice is served on its side on a plate, chocolate syrup is drizzled on it, and if you want the total experience, a scoop of chocolate ice cream is placed on top of the whole thing. Hence, the name."

"Sounds tasty," she said.

"If you two are done talking cakes, and making me hungry in the process, would you please be kind enough to get on with the entertainment? There will be time for talking later. I have to lower the sun fairly soon, and I do NOT want to be tardy with that task!" the Princess admonished.

"Yes, Princess Celestia," Twilight and I said simultaneously, using nearly identical vocal inflection and tonality.

"Mike, you're beginning to creep me out," said Brenda.

"Sorry, Brenda."

I was the first to teleport, imagining myself right in front of Twilight's tree, serving as both library and house. The jump was slightly further than I had estimated, and left me a little queasy. I rested against the tree for a few moments, and felt my magic refill. Indeed, quite an unusual feeling, but not altogether a bad one. In fact, I kind of liked that feeling. Presently, I started trotting towards Sugar Cube Corner, a grin on my face. I was doing my best to avoid bursting into full fledged laughter, and the temptation to hurry was too much to resist. My trot turned into a canter, and in fairly short order into a full gallop. The feeling of the wind rushing through my mane and tail was exhilarating, instilling within me a feeling of giddiness. I had never felt so happy in my entire life and didn't care who saw me. Perhaps I should have been a bit more careful...

"Hey, Twiley, what'cha doing?" came a voice from above.

I looked up to see a blue pegasus with an unkempt rainbow colored mane and tail. I raised my left fore-hoof to my mouth, and loudly say, "Shhhh, it's a secret!" and give a sly smile.

"Oooh, what is it? I wanna be in on it!"

"If I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise," I said, trying to sound a little disappointed.

"C'mon, Twiley, don't keep me in suspense! I NEED to know!"

"Well...I had plans to go to Sugar Cube Corner, to see if I could get one of those special marzipan cakes," I said coyly.

"What, Pinke? You're gonna prank Pinkie? Ooooh, I didn't know you had it in you!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Please, Rainbow, use your inside voice, you don't want her to hear you, do you?"

"Hey, did somepony mention my name?" asked a bouncing pink earth pony.

"Rainbow," I said, somewhat dejectedly. "I TOLD you! Didn't I?"

"Sorry, Twiley, you know you can't prank Pinkie! She's too good for that!"

"What, Twilight, you wanted to prank ME? Really? Oooh, I LOVE surprises! Wait, why is my Pinkie Sense going off? That's weird...but it's just you, Twilight, but ... why? Is something wrong?"

"Come on, Pinkie, I was going to your place. Do the Cakes have some MMMM left? I was craving a taste of it," I said. Gotta love that quick thinking-on-the-hooves...

"Oh, Twilight, come on now! You know how quickly those go! You have to place an advance order if you want some!"

"So there isn't any left. I'm disappointed," I said. We continued to walk towards Pinkie's house, as she continued to bounce in her usual way, asking lots of pointless questions, which I just usually answered kind of tersely, as Twilight sometimes does when she's not in a great mood. I was beginning to doubt my decision on this prank, until Pinkie Pie's place finally come into view.

"So you still wanted to check out the selection?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Yeah, let's see what's available," I said. Might as well see if there's something worth getting, as I was getting hungry again.

"Hey, Twilight," Pinkie said, almost oblivious to Twilight coming from the other direction. It took a minute for the shock to register. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, fainted from the sight of two Twilights. Pinkie gasps in shock, then starts running back and forth between the two of us. Twilight closes the distance shortly, and greets me.

"No way! How can there be two of you?" asked Rainbow, regaining consciousness.

"I KNEW my Pinkie Sense was telling me something!" Pinkie shouted. "You're Twilight! No, YOU'RE Twilight! No -- wait, let me see here..." she comes over to me, and grins. "You're new here! Who are you? You LOOK like Twilight, but my Pinkie Sense tells me you're not! Hey, are you a changeling?"

I chuckle at that question. "No, Pinkie, I am not a changeling. You can smell those things a mile away -- they smell like rotting animal flesh."

"How do you know about that?" Twilight asked me. "Have you met any of them up close?"

"Actually, it was just a guess on my part. Just idle speculation."

"Hey, since there are two of you, and Rarity's place is just down the street, why not both of you knock on her door? I'll bet her reaction will be PRICELESS!" Rainbow offered.

"That was the plan, Rainbow. Okay, Twilight, let's do this!" I said with great enthusiasm.

She laughs softly, and we walk up to the next corner, to the front door of Carousel Boutique. Twilight knocks on the door.
She gets no answer.

"Knock a little harder, maybe she can't hear you," I suggested.

Twilight uses a bit more force to rap on the door, perhaps just a little bit too loud.

"Darling, please keep it down, I am very busy here! I don't have time for such distractions!"

"Hey, Rarity, do you have a little time for me?" I asked.

"Twilight! Yes, darling, of course! I'll be right down!" Her hoofsteps are quite rapid, and she opens the door, a big smile on her face. Then she sees both of us. Her smile disappears immediately. "Gaaaaaah! W-w-w-what is going on here? Why are there TWO of YOU?"

"THAT'S the reaction I was expecting," I said, laughing heartily. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming from their eyes. Twilight had a bemused expression on her face, and laughed softly.

"Sorry, Rarity, but I couldn't help myself," Twilight said. "The opportunity was just too good to pass up. If you want to know who set this up, it would be the other Twilight."

"YOU! Where did YOU come from?" Rarity asked indignantly.

"My apologies, my dearest Rarity, but as Twilight said, the opportunity was obvious. Couldn't help but capitalize on it. And if you want to know more about me, I would suggest either the REAL Twilight or Princess Celestia can give you the answers you want. Speaking of which, I think the Princess might be a bit closer than you think..."

The Princess recognized her cue, of course, and dropped the invisibility spell, revealing herself, and Brenda, who was not looking very happy. "Okay, Mike, are you done with your little prank? I think it's time we headed home," she said.

"Begging you pardon, Princess Celestia, would you be kind enough to bless me with a little magic, so that when I wake up tomorrow morning, I'll be back in my human body?"

"Certainly, Mike. Is there anything you would like to say to anypony here?"

"Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, I would like to apologize for scaring you like that. And Twilight, I would like to say that I have truly enjoyed being you! It was the most fun I've ever had in my entire life! Even more than that, I would like to thank Princess Celestia for her kindness and generosity, and willingness to tolerate the presence of me and my wife."

"I KNEW my Pinkie Sense was going like crazy! I didn't see anypony, but ... Princess Celestia! What is that ..."

"She is a human, and her name is Brenda Walker, the wife of the OTHER Twilight Sparkle, who told me he woke up in that form earlier today. He too was human until this morning. Apparently, one of her grandchildren broke off his horn, so he came here for help, although upon inspecting the healing used, I ascertained that the horn was successfully reattached. His name is Michael Walker, although he occupies Twilight Sparkle's body," the Princess explained. When she mentioned that my horn had been broken off, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash gasped in shock. It took a moment for everypony to regain their composure.

"Darling, are you wearing CLOTHES?" Rarity asked Brenda. She didn't know about Rarity's occupation.

"Yes, of course, why wouldn't I? I can't go around butt-naked," she said.

"If you'll excuse me, please, everypony, I have to go lower the sun. It's been a long day, and it doesn't need to be any longer than it already is," the Princess said, and then teleported back to Canterlot Castle.

"Umm, Mike, weren't we supposed to be going with her, so she could send us back home?" Brenda asked me. She was looking at Twilight when she asked this question.

I chuckled. "Brenda, that's Twilight. I'm over here," I said, eliciting some laughter from everypony.

"Wait, she's your wife?" Rarity asked incredulously. Rainbow Dash was still puzzled, and Pinkie Pie was bouncing around excitedly. I think she was wanting to throw a massive welcoming party.

"Yeah, she is. If I could show you my human form, it might make more sense. I was a male human until this morning. Twilight, I am REALLY going to miss being YOU! I truly envy you!"

"Stop it, you're making me blush," she said, her face turning a lovely shade of rouge.

"Can we throw you two a welcome party?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I don't know, we have to leave soon. I have certain obligations, which require me to be a male human. If I can't meet those obligations, I will lose my job, my home, my car, and most likely, my wife as well."

"Well, Mike, perhaps we can ask Princess Celestia to let you two stay a bit longer so we can have both parties! A welcome party and a good-bye party! It'll be the biggest, best party all year! Or at least until the next biggest party comes up, which might be next week!"

"Any excuse to throw a party, eh, Pinkie?" I ask, chuckling again.

"Well, Twiliey, or Mike, or whatever your name is, it was nice meeting you! Hope we can meet again sometime! Maybe we can have some awesome times together!"

"Rainbow, you know I'm married! But if I ever DO come back, I'll be sure to say hey, and maybe we can hang out together..."

"Mike!"

"It's not what you think, Brenda -- I just mean in a platonic way -- I would never even think of asking for sex!"

"Mike!"

"Sorry, Brenda."

"Darling, must you pick on him? He's still dealing with gender issues here, so he's still probably a little confused," Rarity offered.

"No, he isn't! I think he wants to stay here with you all, and leave ME behind in our home world!"

"Brenda," I said, trying to take a stern attitude. In Twilight's voice, that's kinda difficult. Maybe if I said it through clenched teeth? "You know I love you, and I would never leave you. Please understand THAT, if nothing else! However, I AM going to miss this place..."

"Thanks for giving me a new perspective on myself," Twilight said. "How did that long teleport from the Castle affect you?"

"Heh. It hit a little bit harder than I thought, so I had to rest for a couple of minutes," I said. "But I know what you're capable of doing, for the most part, and figured it would be a piece of cake. Hey, wait a minute, that's what I was coming down here for! I'm hungry!"

"I got something for ya, Mike! Check it out!" Pinkie said.excitedly.

"Ooh, is that what I think it is?" I asked. I smiled warmly at the sight.

"Yep, the Cakes had one slice left, and were nice enough to let me give it to you!"

"Anypony got a fork?" I asked.

"Hey, Mike, Pinkie Pie, can I have a taste, too?" asked Brenda.

"Sure, Mike, just a second!" Pinkie said, pulling a fork from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Thank you so much, Pinkie! And give the Cakes my deepest thanks for their generosity!" And with that, I took the fork in my right fore-hoof, surprising myself at that ability, and cut a small piece of the MMMM cake slice, and ate it. The flavors mixed in a series of layers, seemingly exploding in my mouth. I had never tasted anything like it! "Now THIS is what I'm talking about!" I said, grinning broadly.

"Good, huh?" Pinkie asked.

"That's the understatement of the century," I responded. Brenda came over, and took the fork and cut a small piece,and her reaction was somewhat different upon tasting the cake.

"Ugh, what is this?" she asked, spitting it out.

Pinkie rolled on the ground, laughing as hard as she could. Twilight was a little perplexed by Brenda's reaction.

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

"It tastes like grass," Brenda responded.

"That's because you're not in a pony's body," I said, stifling a giggle. "Pinkie, sorry about that. I didn't realize --"

"Mike, I think it's WAY past time we left! Take me back home!"

"Not before I give the Princess a last good-bye," I said. "I need her to place one more magic spell on me."

"What would that be?" asked Twilight. "Maybe I can do it for you."

"The spell in question will return me to my human form by morning. Think you can pull THAT one off? I know I can't."

"Oh," said Twilight. "Yeah, that's one I haven't learned yet, and may actually be in the book of forbidden spells. You definitely have to see Princess Celestia for THAT one! And Mike, to tell you the truth, I am going to miss you as well! You impress me with all that knowledge you possess, and I'll let you in on a secret -- I envy you, believe it or not!"

"You flatter me, Twilight," I said, blushing softly, "but you would NOT want to be in my world, with all the pain and suffering so many of my fellow humans must endure. The greed, selfishness, and violence is a bit much, and it will be a long time before we humans finally evolve beyond our selfishness and greed. Even so, I am still honored to have met you pony to pony, and again, I just want to thank you for everything. I would love to give you a hug and a kiss, but my wife just wouldn't understand my deepest appreciation. Anyway, we must depart, so until we meet again, au revoir, my dearest Twilight Sparkle. I will miss you, and I hope before too much more time passes that I will get another opportunity to meet you."

"Come on, Mike, you're starting to make me cry," said Brenda as she wiped a tear from her eye.

I sensed tears starting to well up in my eyes, and I daubed them with my right fore-hoof. I think I might have spied Twilight daubing her eyes as well. "Good-bye, Twilight, and fare thee well, my dearest new friend! And farewell to all of you, even if I didn't get to spend as much time with you as I should have, I will miss you all as well!" And with that, I teleported myself and Brenda back to Canterlot Castle.

Comments

[The_Foreman]

great job so far. cant w8 fer more and hope all your other stories you write will be just as good

edit: also FIRST!

[BlueBlitz15]

edit: SECOND!
Also good story lots of potential. BTW maybe when they get back they teleport back brenda is a pony and mike is still twilight. Huh? Huh? *winks*

[Mike the Red]

1533544 That would be wild, but the story keeps going after they get back home! I don't want to spoil what's coming, it'll be too good!

[butterfield pancake]

1533604 Yay it continues!!!

[Torlan04]

Hm... I can't really put it in words, but something feels a bit off since Mike is in Equestria. I'm going to keep reading and let you know if I come up with something more helpful!