//------------------------------// // 0 - Prologue // Story: Trixie Through Time // by Yukito //------------------------------// Today couldn’t possibly get any worse. That’s what Trixie Lulamoon thought as she made her way through the Canterlot 6th Street market square, holding a list of what should have been ingredients for tonight’s dinner in front of her with her magic. Instead, in her haste, she seemed to have picked up the rough sketch of her roommate’s next ‘masterpiece’, which means that, right now, her roommate was probably either fuming, or trying to paint something based on the grocery list they now had. Trixie sighed and stuffed the paper back into her cape. As if today hadn’t already sucked enough. First, she woke up early because she forgot to set her clock back an hour. Why did daylight saving even have to exist? It never gave more sunlight, just the illusion of more sunlight! Then, she burned her toast when she was checking her lottery ticket against the winning numbers. She thought she had won for a second, but then did a double-take and found that she had not. She hadn’t won even a single bit, and instead, she had to eat blackened toast, and with no butter, because apparently, her roommate had finished off the last of the stuff. Well, there was regular butter, but Trixie was unwilling to try anything that wasn’t ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’. She had to watch her figure, after all, to make sure that she remained as Great and Beautiful as she always has been. And then, on her way to the theatre after her less than satisfactory breakfast, she ran into a fan that just wouldn’t leave her alone. Until she got to the staff only area in the theatre, and the security was able to handle the rest, she had to restrain herself from beating the raving lunatic who obviously had no awareness of personal boundaries to a bloody pulp. After that, her cape got caught on a loose nail, and ripped. She had it sent to be repaired immediately, and in the meantime, had to use a substitute, which didn’t smell as nice as her previous one did. Then there was some kind of mix-up with her makeup, and she didn’t realise it until she had already applied some. She quickly washed it off, and scolded the pony responsible. The second time went better, but by then, she was already fed up with her day and just wanted it to be over. The bad luck just wouldn’t stop there, though. She stepped in gum in the hallway, she tripped over a tool that had been left out carelessly, she passed by a family on her way home, and the baby filly saw fit to grab her mane and not let go, and to top it all off, she had a run-in with that dressmaker from Ponyville, who Trixie referred to as Marshmallow, and learned that she was attending the same dinner party as her later that week. And it’s not like Trixie could cancel. One does not simply turn down a dinner party with Fancypants, even if you are on friendly terms with him. It would be like saying ‘no’ to a direct order from Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. After she finally got home, Trixie was asked by her roommate to go and do some shopping for tonight’s dinner. Some simple shopping. Nothing could go wrong there, right? “Somewhere, Celestia is eating bananas and watching me through a crystal ball, laughing,” Trixie told herself with a groan. “Well, I guess I’ll just improvise. The Great and Powerful Trixie knows plenty of recipes, so I’ll just pick one, and gather the ingredients.” It occurred to Trixie that money might be an issue. She checked her purse. “Hmmm… If cherry prices haven’t gone up since last week, Trixie should be able to make her favourite salad…” And so, Trixie wandered over to the nearest cherry stand that she could find. Of course, her bad luck was working overtime today. Cherry prices had gone up a whole three hundred percent since last week! “This is ridiculous! You expect ponies to pay twenty bits for a dozen cherries?!” The mare at the stand simply shrugged. “Crops got attacked by a pack o’ hungry critters. We gotta increase the price ta make up for lost profits.” “Well then, Trixie will just try another cherry stand.” “Sorry, darlin’, but this here’s the lowest price y’all will find. Trust me, ah did some scoutin’ earlier.” Trixie gritted her teeth together. If she played this mare’s game, there’s no way she’d be able to make the salad tonight… Well, unless she removed the orange slices, but they were the best part! “Seventeen bits,” Trixie said. The mare scowled. “Ah ain’t hagglin’. Twenty bits.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “Eighteen.” “Ah said ah ain’t-” “Alright, alright, fine! How about if Trixie just pays ten bits for six cherries? Is that fine?” The mare considered it for a second. “Ah don’ know…” “One bag of cherries, please,” a mare beside Trixie said. Trixie recognised the voice, and turned to see her friend Feathermay flying beside her. “Thanks.” She offered the bag to Trixie. “Here ya go. You can pay me back whenever.” Trixie stared blankly at the bag in front of her, and took it into her magic. “You sure you got enough money to just throw it around like that?” “You’re welcome,” Feathermay said sarcastically as she landed on the ground, and the two began to walk towards another stall. “And it’s cool. I got a date tonight. Guy’s loaded, so everything’s on him.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Let me guess: you have no intention of seeing him again after tonight.” Feathermay frowned at the implication. “Hey, this one’s different! He’s actually kinda cute.” “U-huh.” “Geez, what’s up with you?” A grin spread across Feathermay’s face, and her wings spread out. “Ya need a little help smiling there, Trixie?” “Touch me and die,” Trixie said, though it didn’t seem to get through, and Feathermay’s wing began to stoke Trixie’s neck. Trixie had to hold back the smile forming on her face as she batted the wing away with her hoof. “Today’s been positively dreadful, and the Great and Powerful Trixie would just like it to be over already.” “Hey, we’ve all been there,” Feathermay said. The two arrived at an apple stall, being run by a very familiar face. “Hey there, Fritter! Be careful, Trixie’s feeling a bit grumpy today.” Trixie shot a glare towards her friend, whilst the mare at the stall simply giggled. “What’s up? One of yer shows get cancelled?” “No,” Trixie said, levitating a few apples with her magic to examine them. “That’s actually the one thing that’s gone right today.” “And bumping into me,” Feathermay added. “… As Trixie said, the only thing that’s gone right today.” Feathermay pouted and turned her head away, and the apple seller let out another giggle. “Well, it can’t be that bad, if ye’re able ta make jokes like that.” Trixie placed most of the apples she had lifted up down, and levitated two towards herself. “Trixie will buy these two apples. How much?” “Five bits each.” Trixie frowned. “What, no ‘friendship discount’ this week?” “Y’all said friendship is stupid, an’ for the weak,” Apple Fritter said, shooting a sly grin at Trixie. Trixie shrugged. “Ponies change. Friendship is magic.” “Nice try. An’ sorry, but no. As much as I’d love ta give both of ya a discount, I’m afraid I can’t.” “Why not?” Feathermay asked. “Haven’t ya heard? A pack of hungry, unidentified creatures are roaming across the Country, eatin’ farmers’ crops. Produce prices have gone way up as a result. Why, even the apples in Ponyville, which used ta go for one bit each, are suddenly four bits each!” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “How has Trixie not heard of that yet? Surely such news should be all over the place by now.” “Well, I don’t know about you,” Feathermay started, “But as for me, I had the day off, and didn’t really do much outside of taking out the trash.” Apple Fritter shrugged. “In any case, that’ll be five bits each. And I warn you, the rest of the prices around here ain’t gonna be any better.” With a sigh, Trixie placed one apple down, and levitated five bits out of her purse. “Looks like it’s going to be a small salad tonight…” Apple Fritter thanked Trixie for her business, and apologised for not being able to cut her some slack. Feathermay and Trixie continued down the market square, and were both shocked, and sometimes even appalled, at the new prices. Three bits per orange? Eight bits per banana? Watermelons had shot up from ten bits to twenty-five bits! Clearly, this was the start of an economic recession. Trixie decided that she’d have to be prudent with her spending for a while. Once Trixie had acquired what she deemed an acceptable level of ingredients to make two small (very small) salads, she and Feathermay parted ways, and Trixie began to make her way home. “… Think I’ll take a shortcut,” she said to herself, cutting into an alleyway that was rather dark, and filthy. “Already got the bad luck virus, so I might as well. Hay, I’d like to see just what else the world can throw at the Great and Powerful Trixie.” Halfway through the empty alleyway, her challenge was accepted. She stopped when she saw a bright light shining from behind her, and heard the sound of very powerful magic being discharged. She turned around, and was suddenly blinded by an explosion of light. When she could finally see again, she was sure that her eyes had been damaged. Because, standing before Trixie… was herself. Or, she thought it was herself, at least. This new Trixie was… definitely a blue Unicorn mare, and her mane and tail were definitely silver, but the manestyle was completely wrong. It was completely flat, and not to mention, it had streaks of red in it. The mare’s left eye was swollen, and bloodshot, and her right foreleg was completely wrapped in bandages. The mare was breathing heavily, and covered in sweat and scratches from head to toe. The final thing that caught Trixie’s eye, was the red coming out of this new Trixie’s mouth. It was then that Trixie caught the scent of blood in the air, and it only grew stronger as this new Trixie approached her. “Trixie!” the new Trixie shouted. “I don’t have much time! You have to listen to me!” “Who are you?!” the real Trixie asked, pushing her hoof out to stop the other Trixie’s advances. “You look like me, but there’s only one Great and Powerful Trixie!” “I’m you from the future!” the crazy Trixie explained. “I don’t have much time, I need to-” The real Trixie scoffed. “Please! It’s impossible to travel through time!” “No, it’s not!” “Then prove that what you say is true!” The ‘future’ Trixie sighed, and rolled her eyes. “You wet the bed until you were six years old.” The real Trixie’s eyes widened. “You had a crush on Lieutenant Armor for two years, before he rejected you. You sleep with a stuffed teddy bear named Orion. You-” “Okay, okay!” Trixie shouted, desperate to keep her darkest secrets hidden, even if nopony else seemed to be around. You can never be too careful, after all. “Amazing… The Great and Powerful Trixie, a time traveller! Oh, this is simply… How far from the future did you say you were from?” “I didn’t. Four days from now.” “Half a week you say? Oh, this is just-” Before the present Trixie could get too excited, the future Trixie slammed her hoof against her mouth, silencing her immediately. “Listen to me! I have a warning for you!” Suddenly, the future Trixie stopped talking, and her pupils shrank as her eyes widened. She gagged for a second, before coughing up a large volume of blood, and then collapsing onto her side. “T-Trixie… One, five, seven, three. C-Crystal… mine…” The future Trixie coughed up one final pool of blood, and then fell completely silent. Meanwhile, the past Trixie could only watch with shock, confusion, and horror, as she watched her self lying on the ground before her, submerged in a pool of her own blood. Slowly, Trixie leaned down to her body, and pressed a hoof to her neck… “Nothing…” The body was suddenly enveloped in a bright light, which blinded Trixie once more. When she could see again, both the body and the pool of blood were gone. Trixie rose to her hooves, her legs shaking and her breathing rapid as she stared at the empty space before her. She raised her forehoof, and looked at it. She did not imagine what she had just witnessed… She knew it was real. She didn’t understand what had happened, why it had happened, or what the message left by her future self was supposed to mean, but she knew one thing for sure… In only four days from then, the Great and Powerful Trixie… will die.