//------------------------------// // 4 - Color Coded... and Right On Time // Story: Stories From Beyond the Grave // by Gravekeeper //------------------------------// Trixie yawned and scratched at her mane with a hoof. She looked around the room almost proudly. She wasn't entirely sure where she had ended up, but there was a warm homey-ness to the bedroom that made her feel welcome. She spared a moment around the room, but failed to spy her paramour of the evening. No matter, she still had places to be. It simply meant she wouldn't have time to give them a kiss on the way out. She levitated her hat and cape into place as she exited the bed, carefully making the sheets. No reason to be unkind. A light telekinetic grip opened the door. And Trixie recoiled with a strangled noise of surprise at the huge smile on the other side of the bedroom door. "Good Morning Trixie!" Minuette chirped cheerfully as the showmare attempted to start her heart beating again. "Oh, err, g-good morning." She thumped her chest twice, and swallowed a lungful of air. "I brought breakfast!" Minuette happily floated over a tray of eggs and sweet rolls. "Oh, that's very nice of you- err, but Trixie really should be-" "Your next showing at Horn Quarry was cancelled due to rock fleas." "What?" "Your show, three days from here, that you had to leave for today. It's cancelled." Trixie blinked, and scratched at her head. "When-" "You didn't actually mention it." Minuette continued to smile, Trixie shifting nervously. "Why-" "You went to the school for gifted unicorns, right?" Trixie glared her frustrations at the other unicorn, but gave a grunt of agreement. "So did I! ...You know, they actually call some really special moves Trixies there." "Trixie is aware. Something over the top spectacular, that still fails." Minuette winced. "I... I didn't know that." Trixie shook her head. "Trixie is glad she was able to spend this time with you, but she is a traveling showmare. Even if Horn Quarry is off the list, it's still on her way east Equestria." "Would you come back?" "Trixie can't make promises. She's already known to lie." "..." Minuette looked to one side, then back to Trixie. "If you could change something about your life that you knew you regretted, would you?" Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Trixie supposes. But then you'd never know how the rest of your life turns out. Fixing a problem might mean never learning from it." "What if it's realizing you don't want to let somepony run away?" Trixie frowned at Minuette, who shifted nervously. "Trixie doesn't remember your name. She's loud. She's brash. Yes, she is skilled, but is the rest of it worth it?" Minuette stared at the floor. "Trixie is not some ideal. She is not perfect. She is not an alicorn. She is not even a strong spellcaster. Stop holding onto some dreams." "This isn't the conversation I prepared for." Trixie gave a bark of laughter. "Prepared for? Trixie is hardly that predictable." "I know... that's why I don't want to let go." Trixie's head snapped up as Minuette's eyes glowed white, her cutie mark actually animating, turning upside-down. Minuette's eyes snapped open, just minutes before Trixie was going to wake up. She leaned over to sneak a kiss from the sleeping showmare, and slipped out of bed. She gave a sigh as she closed the bedroom door behind her. "51st time's the charm?" Color Coded... and Right On Time Two Years Later Minuette tapped her hoof impatiently at a perfectly paced meter of 240 beats per minute. '33.025 seconds more,' she thought, eyeing the tea kettle. In 28.878 seconds, she would magically fetch the teapot and teacup to make sure they levitated over to her side at the exact same moment the water started boiling. In 192.230 seconds, she would make her way to her couch, teacup floating besides her, and she would read the newspaper until 0843 Equestrian Standard Time. At 0844, she would— A knock at her door made her train of thought derail; there were no survivors. She eyed the kettle, then turned her ears towards the general direction of her front door. For 4.087 seconds, she thought about stepping back in time for a few minutes, just so she could set the tea a minute earlier. She shrugged, and decided against it. "I suppose it's a good thing I made enough for two cups!" she said to herself, turning off the stove as she walked out of the kitchen. Reaching her door, she put on her most winning smile for her soon-to-be tea companion. She used her magic to unlock the door and fling it open. "Good morning—" The sight of The Great and Powerful Trixie, cape billowing in the wind, face half-shaded by the wide brim of her hat, and somehow looking even better than ever made Minuette's heart stop. Trixie doffed her hat. "Minuette." Minuette gaped at Trixie. "Has Trixie caught you by surprise?" she asked, smirking. "I... I... I..." Minuette, summa cum laude from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, replied. "I haven't done it since!" she finally squeaked out. "Yes you have." Minuette hung her head. "...Yes I have." She stamped her hoof, bringing her head back up. "B-but not for big stuff! Just for like, when I accidentally burn the toast or something!" Trixie sighed, half smiling. "Trixie believes you. I know from personal experience how hard it is to drop a bad habit completely." "I'm so glad you stopped by!" Minuette chirped, "It's been such a long time..." she added, almost a whisper. "There's going to be an amazing show tomorrow night here in Canterlot," Trixie said, her horn lighting up. "Trixie knows the beautiful, talented mare that will be performing it, and she scored a ticket for you," she added, using her magic to pull the ticket from behind Minuette's ear. Minuette grabbed the offered ticket with her own magic and brought it up to her line of sight. "'One Night Only: The Great and Powerful Trixie @ The Celestial Amphitheater'?" Minuette gaped once more, but recovered quickly. "Trixie, you're performing at the Amphi? That's one of the biggest venues in the kingdom!" she said, giddily hopping in place. "Hmm," Trixie replied, nodding stoically. "Turns out Trixie was the one holding The Great and Powerful Trixie back," she said, replacing her hat. "A little less lying, a little less cheating," she chuckled wryly, "And most infuriatingly, a little less reminding lesser, Non-Trixie ponies of their inherent inferiority, and suddenly everypony wants Trixie to show them why they're inferior." Minuette's smile reached Critical Pinkie levels. "You're amazing, Trixie! ...You've always been." Trixie pulled the brim of her hat down to shade her blushing face. "Yes, I suppose knowing it and feeling it were two very, very different things. Trixie has you to thank for that distinction, despite the enormous temporal irresponsibility you employed to demonstrate it." Minuette blinked. "You're thanking me? After what I did? Trixie, who knows how many more times I would've tried to keep you from leaving if you hadn't reverse-engineered my spell! You were... You were right to leave." With downcast eyes, she floated over the ticket back to Trixie. "Perhaps." Trixie grasped the ticket and once again offered it to Minuette. "But now more than ever, Trixie knows how it feels to have the ability to reshape your destiny to your will; how easy it is to trample others as you grasp that which you believe is owed to you. Trixie experienced this for a single day, while you've had this power all your life." "Trixie..." "Trixie had to be tricked into giving up her power. You, on the other hoof, have the power to let power go." Trixie stepped forward, almost muzzle to muzzle with Minuette. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is amazing... But you, Minuette, are extraordinary," Trixie breathed, causing a shiver to run across the other unicorn's spine. Minuette closed her eyes, enjoying the frisson, then surged forward, lips at the ready, but Trixie had already stepped back a few paces from Minuette's doorway. "Trixieeeee..." she moaned petulantly. "Trixie should go; she needs to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow," Trixie said, taking another step away from Minuette. Minuette pouted. "Still running away?" Trixie shrugged. "Bad habits die hard. It was good seeing you again, Minuette," she said, tipping her hat. "Hold on!" Minuette called, raising a hoof, "Gimme a second!" Trixie smirked. "You know I can tell whenever you cast your time spell, now." Minuette rolled her eyes. "No, silly, I'm doing something dumb ol' Past Me should've done two years ago: coming with ya! I just need to fetch my scarf; it's kinda chilly out!" Trixie's eyes widened for a second, her cheeks tinging. She let the shade from her hat obscure her features once again. "Minuette... Don't bother." The words knocked the wind right out of Minuette's sails as her heart dropped. Fortunately, she had already turned around, so at least Trixie wouldn't see her about to start crying like a lovestruck foal. "Ah, y-yeah, I guess I—" the warmth that covered her back surprised her. "Just take Trixie's cape instead."