Equestria Bound and Flying

"I'm telling you, driver; I saw the whole ass end on fire and the smoke was high enough to see from Coloma." The static-filled buzz of an elderly voice could be heard over a CB radio as an old cabover lurches across the interstate beneath a starlit sky. "The last four cars were completely on fire; some poor bastard's gonna have to wait for his brand-new Ranger! Heheh-hack!" The static-filled voice coughs heavily as the man listening gives a slight chuckle, beginning to speak in a soft baritone.

"It's still a freak accident in my book, tanker; just a random bolt of lightning penetrating one of the cars? That kinda-" The trucker looks back to the dark bunk and then to the road ahead of him as he holds his microphone in his hand "-That kinda shit only happens in either a Twilight Zone episode or something like those cheesy-ass disaster movies." The cabover passed a tanker trailer as it got off a ramp; the latter honking its horn as its owner spoke up.

"Well driver, this is where I'm off. Y'all be careful heading to Bismarck; mighty bad weather up'n'around that way. But you're from Fargo, ain't ya?" The baritone driver laughed as he prepared to reply.

"Fargo; Georgia, old top. Coldest it probably gets around me is 50. You be safe headin' up to Green Bay."

As both trucks broke off into separate directions; the cabover continued onwards as it trundled Milwaukee and up towards Oshkosh. The sky looked beautiful; with an amount of stars the likes of which that even the most stone-hearted man couldn't bring himself not to look up. The silence was tranquil, peaceful...sheltering it seemed.

YAAAWWWWWWN

At least...it was.

A young girl, no older than eight; clambered over the doghouse of the cab and sat in the passenger seat whilst holding onto a tiny orange platypus toy. Her light brown hair flew off into all directions as she looked outside. She looked towards the driver who held a smile on his face, gleaming hazel eyes looking towards her in amusement.

"Tamiya, you know we ain’t supposed to be at the next stop for a couple of more hours." The little girl pouted as she wiggled in place.

'So that's why she's up' thought the driver as he spotted a rest area coming up.

"Alright, darlin'; how bad do you need to go?" The child looked down as she processed the question.

"I might have drunk an entire bottle of water..."

Well that wasn't too ba-

"and a giant bottle of tea...I was thirsty and its too hot in the back!"

"Tammy. I taught you how to use the thermostat; several times in fact."

The little girl slumped back in her seat as she continued to silently do the wiggle dance. The truck driver sighed as he pulled into the rest area; it was dark to the point that his cab lights were bright enough to light his way.

What the hell does the state spend their money on? Damned government makes more than enough money off of cheese tourism to repair 94.

The truck driver clambered out of his cab and walked to the passenger side to help the little girl out. The door opened as the child spread her arms and pretended to fly; her father chuckling in amusement as she was set onto the ground.

"Thanks dad, do you think we can get a snack here?" The truck driver put his chin into his palm as he spent several seconds analyzing the question.

"Hmmmm...I don't know-" he handed her a five-dollar bill. "-can you get a snack here?"

"Only if I remember what I wanted to get!"

Several moments passed as the truck driver waited next to the women's bathroom; thank God Almighty he taught his daughter to be potty-trained at a young age. Lord knows he'd get strange looks all around just for holding her hand, considering she looked more like her mother than himself...

The driver took off his cap; revealing curly red hair that complemented an equally ginger beard. The green insulated vest he wore did little to keep away the elements, though the red-plaid corduroy underneath was at least marginally better. The silence was all but blown away as a child screamed from the bathroom...specifically the bathroom he was guarding.

The trucker rushed to his truck to grab some necessary tools. The driver briskly ran back to kick the bathroom door open before realizing it was a pull-handle, gruffly grabbing the handle; the door swung open as a child slid under the gap between the floor and wall, crying all the while.

"What's wrong?! Are you okay?" The truck driver bent down and fixed the uneven buttons on his daughter’s pikachu pajamas.

Her favorite pair. It's a chore just to get her to hand them over to me come laundry day. The truck driver thought as the child was all but calm, taking in quick shallow breaths in an effort to relax.

"Easy Tammy. Take deep breaths, in and out...slowly." Tamiya calmed down as she pointed towards the closest stall; a bright light shining from the stall next to hers. Tamiya held onto her father as she explained the best way an eight-year-old child could.

"I was using the toilet when this thingy started slamming on the walls and making weird sounds." She paused while continuing to tremble slightly. "Daddy. I'm scared." The truck driver could see some sort of figure messing with the door handle; the moment the door opened, the driver was met with confusion more than anything.

A young pale-skinned woman walked out of the stall wearing a stereotypical magician’s hat with mandatory robe included; her hair either a light blue or gray...it was too hard to tell with the dim lighting in a common rest stop bathroom. She looked around before setting her magenta eyes upon the most dangerous thing on the planet: A trembling child and an angry truck-driving parent armed with a sledge axe among all things. The truck driver spoke up; axe held aloft and ready to strike.

"Alright lady, you've got ten seconds before I start swinging to explain yourself..." The unknown woman began to panic as she tried to calm down the sledge-happy aggressor. "One...two...six..."

"What? That isn't even fair!" The woman held a hand up to the trucker as she flaunted an ever-grandiose pose. "I, the Great and POWERFUL TRIXIE, demand you lay down your arms an-EEEP" The axe was brought closer to the woman known as Trixie as the truck driver began to lose patience.

"You've got 'till I cross the tile in front of your psycho ass to explain why you're scaring my daughter shitless. Are you one of those freaks who likes children?" This struck a chord in Trixie as she began to wobble back nervously, acting as though she had barely walked before.

"Whu? Oh no no no! Trixie is not a filly-fooler. How dare you accuse her of such a criminal charge!" Trixie prepared to stomp towards the man until she remembered he was armed. Trixie fumbled about nervously as the man calmed down a little, she spoke in a whisper to the child that had visibly calmed down significantly. "Trixie apologizes for scaring you; perhaps she can make up for this little...incident...perhaps an honest apology is order?"

"Ri-wait...filly-fooler, what the hell is that?" Trixie looked to the truck driver, holding a confused expression on his face even deeper than when he first laid axe on her. "Another question...who are you exactly, Trixie; is that right?" Trixie nodded as she took off her cap, clumsily of course; her hair seemingly held in place by enough hair spray to explain the hole in the O-Zone layer.

"Trixie is a traveling magician; specializing in the fascinating, the wondrous, THE SPECTACU-"

"How many mirrors and smoke bombs do you use?"

"Balderdash! I don't use mirrors...and I usually keep a supply of a dozen 'disappearance enhancers' on my pony at all times during a performance." This statement finally made the trucker lower both his axe and his hostile attitude.

"Did you say...my pony?"

"Well of course. What else would I b-AHHHHH!!!" Trixie screeched as she gazed at her hands, legs and feet. "Oh no, it actually worked...sort of...I think...I'm not blue though. That means I ended as a human somewhere else."

"Uh-huh...I'm calling the cops; Tamiya, stay behind me and say good-bye to the nice lady." The little girl waved her hand as her father ushered her towards the door; at least, until the truck driver hit a wall at full force. He heard giggling and looked to his smiling daughter, staring at the woman known as Trixie; her eyes were wide in surprise as she realized what she had done. Trixies hands glowed with a blue field around them as it appeared that she had managed to teleport the man a short distance despite not having her horn; the truck driver began reciting bible verses in his head for extra measure as he felt insanity potentially setting in.

Lemme think...Isaiah 47:12 sounds like a good choice...maybe Revelations will scare her away? Works with trick-or-treaters when I'm bored. The trucker was broken from his train of thought as a slender hand beckoned his to grab onto. Trixie looked embarrassed and flushed red as she slightly began to panic.

"Are you okay?! You slammed into a brick wall and looked like you sustained a concussion. Trixie is willing to take full responsibility for her ac-" The truck driver held a hand up to interrupt her.

"I'm fine...I think...for the most part, Look; let's get out of this bathroom. I'm surprised nobody's come in here yet." The trucker, his daughter and the mysterious 'magician' sauntered outside where Trixie immediately began to shiver incessantly.

"m-m-m-mind telling me th-th-th-the season?" The truck driver smiled as he leaned on a water fountain, probably with frozen pipes no less.

"Trixie my dear. I do believe that you’ve 'arrived' right the middle of Winter. Judging from your clothes. I'd say its Spring or Summer right now?" Trixie shook her head as she continued to tremble.

"Not at all, our coats provide us with enough warmth. We are in the midst of autumn, just in time for The Running of The Leaves."

"Uh-huh; your robe's definitely doing a bang-up job of keeping you warm." Trixie huffed as she tried to regain some composure.

"Not that kind of coat, you fool; us ponies grow thick coats of fur whenever it gets too chilly. It's what helped us survive the Winter of The Wendigos after all." The truck driver looked unamused as he began to walk back towards his truck; noticing that Trixie was following suit.

"Do you mind telling me what you think you're doing?"

"Following you as you naturally helped Trixie out of her predicament." The truck driver stuffed the axe back into the toolbox on his truck and stared as Trixie as though she had grown two other heads and a tail.

"Lady. I don't know who you are, but I think this is where we split things off. What should have been a five-minute trip to the bathroom for my little girl turned into an hour-long standoff. I don't know what you're trying to do, but I don't want a part of it." Trixie contemplated on her next set of words; feeling as though they were akin to venom.

"Trixie is lost." That stopped the driver as he looked at the woman; she had lost her composure and her normally proud and prudish stance was regulated to slumped posture that put the hunchback to shame. "Trixie was hoping to meet some of her friend's friends on the other side of the spell, but alas; it did not work. Now I'm potentially lost without a way to get home and you're probably my best option to stay with until I find a way back...actually I think you're the only option, at least until the next town?" The truck driver stood still in thought until his daughter bumped his leg; she glared at him with big brown eyes until he gave in.

"Ugh...Lord give me strength. Trixie is it? Fine; hop on in, but I swear that if I find out your lying, even as incredulous as all this already sounds, I'm more than happy to push you out the door mid-interstate...understand?"

"Understood! Trixie will perform her best etiquette at all times, Mr....?"

"Mitchum. I'm Mitchum Cypress; and this is my daughter; Tamiya."

"Hi!" The little girl gave a small wave as she began to yawn. Trixie laughed slightly as she gave a bow.

"Trixie Lulamoon; expert traveling magician and a Friend of Harmony." Mitchum nodded as he pretended to know what she was talking about.

“Sure. Now c'mon, hop in the truck and let's out of here.” Mitchum looked to his daughter as she began to feel the cold weather hit her partial-force, she still mustered up a small smile. "You're lucky you're adorable, Tammy; otherwise I could easily say no to everything you ask." Trixie gave a quick salute as she began to attempt the treacherous climb into the truck.

“Understood…quick question. How do I enter this contraption?”

Thirty minutes were spent explaining the details of entering a semi-cab, much to Mitchum’s chagrin. The moon hung high as the truck roared to life once more, heading on its original course; leaving behind only the moths to keep the rest area company.

Trixie slumped into the passenger seat, feeling as though she were on a much louder-than-normal train ride; the child had fallen asleep the moment she hopped inside the trucks rear bunk. The wide road was devoid of all activity save for the occasional bump in the path. Trixie’s eyes began to fall as she relaxed to the rhythmic rumbling of the truck; her eyes glossed over to the sky as she could’ve sworn she’d seen a shooting star; one last thought entered her mind before sleep over took her.

‘Grant me a way home, Luna.’