Trixie's Greatest Trick

by theworstwriter

10 - Knowing is Half the Battle

The ashes scattered in the wind. Trixie remained silent as her jaw dripped downward. A few times, her mouth twitched, as if to start speaking, but nothing intelligible came out. For once, I had left her speechless, albeit not in a good way. The completely dumbfounded look on her face was almost cute before I started to think about what she would do to me once the righteous anger registered in her mind. Luckily, my future self had left me a gift that I had a hunch was meant for exactly this moment.

I reached into my pack and pulled out the blanket, unfolding it to find a plush red cape and a hat with a lump in it. Ensconced in the hat was a mostly-translucent orb, carrying just a hint of a very striking blue color. After stuffing the orb back into my pack, I prodded Trixie and offered her the costume.

At first, she just stared and blinked. I started to sweat a little. And then she smiled.

“Trixie supposes this replacement is adequate. Trixie thanks you... which one are you, again?” she asked.

“Uh... present from the future... after the past, I think.” I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

She fidgeted in place a bit. “Trixie may have placed a bet with one of you. She must regretfully admit she has lost.”

I grinned stupidly. “Neat. What’d I win?”

“Trixie owes you nothing,” she scoffed, turning her head to one side and closing her eyes. She looked back with one barely open eye, but her nose still turned up. “Trixie owes a later incarnation of you something that isn’t any of your business yet, and she’s considering nullifying the agreement. Since you just inadvertently learned in the past how the bet would go in the future, there’s no risk to you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut short by the same bizarre *vwoomph* sound I still wasn’t used to. A portal appeared next to me and I stepped out. “Hey, not to cut this short, but you gotta go meet Trixie, and Trixie owes me something,” I said to myself.

I shook my head, knowing better than to try to understand. Even if I did ask myself, I wasn’t likely to know. “And what do I have to do?”

“I just told you. You have to meet Trixie,” I said.

I slowly turned and looked at her, then back to myself.

I got the message and slapped myself upside the head. “Right. The first meeting. You need to go make a good impression on Trixie.”

“Trixie agrees. She has appointments of her own to keep, and if you want to impress her you’d best get moving.”

I rolled my eyes. “Great. This isn’t confusing or stupid at all and I totally know what I’m doing.”

I glared at me. “We don’t have to. Trixie’s the brains of the operation and the real star of the show, and don’t you ever forget it,” I snapped. “From her point of view, everything makes perfect sense.”

“I know she’s pretty, but you don’t have to lay it on quite that thick,” I retorted. Turning to face Trixie, I pointed at the hat and cape. “Alright. Just make sure that when you meet me for the first time, you aren’t wearing those. Because you weren’t when you... already did. Or something? Space-time preservation mumbo-jumbo, I dunno.” I looked at myself. “Portal already lined up?” I nodded to me. “Off I go, then.”

---

Right away I saw two things worth paying attention to. Trixie’s old hat and cape were stuck in a nearby tree. Without thinking, I reached up and grabbed them. Glancing left and right for some clue as to when or where I was or which direction to go, I found a perfect answer. A distraught looking Trixie, sans-costume, scrambled across the countryside as if in search of something.

I ran a hoof through my mane and checked my breath, before arching an eyebrow and whistling. “Looking for something?” I asked in my deepest and movie-starriest voice.

Trixie frowned. “Not now, Euro. Trixie is looking for Trixie.”

I frowned, too. “Which Trixie are you?”

“You don’t recognize greatness when you see her?” she said with a scowl. “You were just conversing with Trixie a few moments ago. She was... unaware her appointment would be so temporally proximaI to yours.”

“I better get a nice reward out of all this.”

“You’ve got plenty of ‘reward’ coming to you when you find Trixie, and again when you win your stupid bet, but for now Trixie must depart.”

“What, allergic to teamwork?”

“Trixie has no need for assistance,” she huffed, “but even if she did, you’d be of no use here. Trixie isn’t looking for the same Trixie you’re looking for. Your time might be better spent assisting yourself over there,” she said, pointing off into the distance.

Stifling a groan, I began the trudge to go meet myself.

Comments

[Corrupted Spirit]

first
but any way am i the only one that can follow this chapter

[dontexistanymoresorry]

Space-time preservation mumbo-jumbo

should have said