The Magnificent Gyre Gimbleshire

by Mr. Grimm

Trixie's First Lesson

Trixie trotted along with a new confidence in her stride, a break from her usual grumpy and depressed shuffling. Gyre followed behind her and seemed to be fascinated by everything he saw.

“That’s interesting,” he said as he pointed a finger at a nearby post office, “There’s a post office without any posts. Do they have off on the fourth?” He went on and on like this until they finally arrived back to the antique store.

“Don’t move from this spot,” Trixie ordered, “I’ll be right back.”

“May I come in for a mom-”

“Absolutely not,” Trixie replied, “I need to go do something of great importance, and I can’t have you screwing it up.” She turned around dramatically and trotted up the stairs into the store. The Unicorn strode right up the still-sleeping Mrs. Bluebell and rapped her hoof on the counter. When this failed to wake up the ancient pony, Trixie rapped louder. Mrs. Bluebell awoke with a start, and gazed with a sleepy, confused look on her face at the blue Unicorn.

“Mrs. Bluebell,” Trixie began, “It is with great pleasure that I am to inform you that I am terminating my employment at your, to be quite frank, atrocious establishment.” Bluebell looked at the unicorn groggily.

“I have no desire whatsoever to remain in your employment, because you’re an incompetent fool who can’t even run her own shop properly,” Trixie said in her ever contemptuous tone, “And I have much better places to be.” Bluebell’s eyes suddenly went wide. This was not because of Trixie’s scathing speech, but rather because she saw the disembodied head and hands of Gyre float in through the doorway. She said not a word, for she was quite shocked. Gyre’s feline pupils grew into huge black circles as he spotted her. He held a finger up to his smiling lips as he floated towards the other side of the shop. The hovering parts of the cat-creature eventually stopped at the mirror they had emerged from. The two hands grabbed the top and bottom of the oval looking glass, and folded it in half. Bluebell looked on in silent amazement as the hands once again began to fold it again, and continued to fold it until it fit in the creature’s palm. Then the three parts floating parts exited as silently as they had entered. All this time Trixie was still talking, completely unaware of what was going on behind her.

“And further more,” continued the blue Unicorn, “This place is absolutely filthy. I suppose the last time it was cleaned was when its wares were new. Good day!” The Unicorn stuck her nose in the air and briskly trotted out of the shop.

Trixie emerged to see Gyre putting something away in his jacket. He grinned hopefully at her.

“May we please go to see the king now?” he asked enthusiastically, “I’m very late.”

“Not quite yet,” Trixie said as she walked past him, “I need to stop at home to pick up a few things.” Gyre once again began to follow her through the town.

“As to what sort of things shall we be picking up?” he asked, “I hope they’re not heavy, whatever they are.” Trixie managed to ignore him long enough to get to the boardinghouse where she had been staying for the past few months. It was once a large and grand home, but was now in the sorriest of conditions. She trotted through the rusted iron gates and walked up the steps of the porch. She reached out and knocked three times. An annoyed look spread out across her face when it was not answered immediately.

“Where’s Reginald?” huffed the blue Unicorn.

“Who’s Reginald?” asked Gyre.

“The stupid servant who’s supposed to answer the door.” Trixie muttered under her breath.

“Answer the door?” echoed Gyre, “What’s it been asking of?” Trixie was about to turn around and give him a verbal beating when the door suddenly creaked open. There stood an ancient pony who looked very much like a skeleton.

“Yes?” he asked in a dusty voice that sounded as though it were about to go out at any moment. He became silent when his bloodshot eyes spotted Gyre. Trixie pushed her way past him and headed toward the cobwebbed stairs. Each step creaked noisily as she and her companion ascended to the second floor.

“Lovely house,” commented Gyre, “I’ll send my regards to the carpenter. How long shall we be staying?”

“We’re not,” Trixie said as she turned down a dark, cobwebbed hallway. They passed by several doors until they at last found Trixie’s room. Trixie turned the tarnished handle and opened the door to reveal a tiny room with a great deal of posters on the walls. All of them showed a different picture of Trixie, as they were advertisements for her magic show. On the dresser was a variety of objects, among them the cape an hat she usually wore when performing.

“Fascinating,” said Gyre as he examined a deck of cards, “I’m quite adept as card tricks. Would you like to see one?”

“Later,” Trixie replied coldly. Her horn began to glow as a suitcase was pulled out from under the bed. In the next instant the room’s paper décor began to remove itself from the walls, fold itself up into uniform squares, and pack itself into the suitcase. Once that was finished the drawers opened up and several clothes followed the same pattern. In a matter of moments the whole room was as bare as it had been when Trixie had first moved in.

“Let’s go,” said the Unicorn as she turned to leave. The suitcase hovered behind her. Gyre followed close behind, still glancing at everything with childlike wonder. They descended down the stairs towards the door.

“Tell Mr. Dunworth that I’m giving my notice,” Trixie quipped to Reginald as she passed him by. Reginald didn’t seem to hear her as his eyes were locked on Gyre.

“Marvelous architecture,” the feline said as he vigorously shook the pony’s hoof. With that the two magicians departed.

The moment they stepped out onto the porch, Gyre pulled out his pocket watch.

“Six minutes and forty-two seconds,” he said. Trixie paused and looked over her shoulder at him.

“What are you blathering about now?” she asked flatly.

“That’s how long we stayed there,” replied the cat creature, “I thought you said we weren’t going to be staying there.” Trixie let out an annoyed huff.

“Your weak grasp of reality both fascinates me and disturbs me,” she muttered as she started down the steps.

“You know what fascinates me?” Gyre said as he glanced back at the house, “Is that the house you lived in seems familiar. I daresay it looked like my old house. But of course, my house isn’t painted such a dreary gray. Perhaps they have the same architect.”

“Do you ever shut up?” Trixie grunted.

“Shut up?” asked Gyre, “I apologize, I’m not familiar with the term.”

“Do you ever stop talking?”

“Why yes, I did just a second ago when you talked.” Trixie began to contemplate whether or not this whole situation was a good idea, but she came to the conclusion that she herself had come up with the idea, and therefore, it was brilliant. So she and her new companion continued down the road to the edge of Oakwood.

“I shall be sad to bid farewell to such a wonderful little town,” Gyre said they left Oakwood, “But I shall also be happy to bid hello to the king. We’re very good friends, you know.”

“Right,” said Trixie, although she wasn’t actually paying attention to him. She was more focused on the pony who had humiliated her: Twilight Sparkle. She’d exposed Trixie for the liar she truly was, and had utterly destroyed her reputation. Trixie had gone from a well-known performer to a homeless and penniless beggar in less than a day. And everybody knew about it. News of an Ursa Minor tended to spread quickly, thus Trixie was the laughingstock of all Equestria. But all of that was about to change. She looked over at her secret weapon, who was currently gazing at a dandelion seed that drifted on the wind.

“Pardon me, Mr. Gimbleshire,” she said, “But may I ask you something?”

“Of course you can,” answered the feline, “You just did.”

“Right,” Trixie said as she forced a smile onto her face, “Anyway, can you teach me to do any of those tricks you showed me earlier?”

“Certainly,” replied Gyre, “What might you be interested in learning?”

“I thought that the butterfly trick was rather amusing,” said Trixie, “Could you show me how to do that?” Gyre held out his hand which had been empty seconds ago, revealing a pack of cards.

“Choose a card,” he said with a grin. Trixie hid a disappointed frown. She considered card tricks to be simple and unentertaining. All the same, she drew a card from the deck. It was the four of diamonds. She glanced back at Gyre to see him removing his hat. He then proceeded to pull out and set on the ground what Trixie considered to be the most bizarre looking rabbit she’d ever seen. It was covered in dark brown fur, and had long, crooked ears. The skinny creature’s nose seemed to be twitching at a hypersonic speed as it looked at Trixie with wild eyes. Suddenly the creature was cut from her view as Gyre draped a bright red handkerchief over it. A split second later the cloth fell to the ground. Gyre snatched up the handkerchief to reveal that the rabbit was gone. The feline reached back into his jacket and pulled out a life-size disappearing cabinet, a feat which defied the very laws of physics. The magician set the cabinet down and opened the door, revealing the rabbit. In its forepaws it held out the four of diamonds. Trixie glanced down, but found that the card had disappeared from her hoof. Gyre took the card from the rabbit and presented it to the astonished Unicorn.

“Was this your card?” asked the euphoric feline. Trixie looked up at him and tried her best to hide her envy. The very way he manipulated magic mystified her. How he managed to do it without ever using any special gestures or words went against everything Trixie had known about her craft.

“Yes,” she said with hollow enthusiasm, “That was a very…interesting trick. Would you please show me how you do it?” Gyre cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow.

“Weren’t you paying attention? I just showed you how. Really now, it’s not that hard to follow, is it?” Trixie’s eyes went wide with disbelief.

“What?” she cried angrily, “What do you mean I wasn’t paying attention? You didn’t explain anything to me!” The unicorn’s face grew red with anger, which Gyre, as usual, did not pick up on. Instead he sighed wearily and looked up at the sky.

“Alright, I’ll show you once more, but please pay close attention. Let’s begin with the cards.” He handed the deck to Trixie, who was watching him like a hawk.

“What next?” she mumbled.

“Do you have your rabbit ready?” asked Gyre, “The rabbit’s very important.”

“I…I don’t have one,” Trixie replied quietly. Gyre gasped incredulously.

“No rabbit?” he cried, “I suppose you‘ll be telling me you don‘t have a disappearing cabinet next?”

“Well of course I don’t!” snapped Trixie, “Does it look like I have one?” Gyre sighed and snatched the cards away from Trixie’s hoof.

“I can’t teach those who are unwilling to learn,” he chided as he crossed his arms, “If you’re going to be my apprentice, you must come properly prepared.” Trixie’s face grew hot with fury. Her patience had finally worn away.

“Your apprentice?!” she shrieked with disbelief, “You think that I want to be your apprentice?!” Gyre’s look of reproach suddenly melted away into a grin of delight.

“I do?” he asked happily, “How wonderful. Why, I think you’ll do marvelously. Shall we set up a training schedule?” Trixie let out an infuriated scream as she turned around and began to march away from the feline.

“This is such a waste of time!” she growled through clenched teeth.

“If you knew Time as well as I do, you would never talk about wasting it. Time is a him.” said Gyre as he started after her.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Trixie spat venomously.

“Of course you don’t,” Gyre said as he tossed his head back contemptuously, “I dare say you never even spoken to Time!”

“Shut up!” snarled Trixie.