Trix of the Trade - Chapter 23

>Knock knock knock
>You are Anonymous.
>”Anonymous! Wake up! We have no clue when your friends are arriving and I want this place looking like you hadn’t just torn a storm through here.”
>Another dreamless sleep rudely broken by Trixie’s voice.
>Only mustering a groan, Trixie deems it a response good enough for her.
>You push yourself up to a sitting position and pop any joints you can. You should go see a chiropractor sometime soon. You should get a bed too.
>After fumbling around and lighting your small lantern, you quickly put on something a little more acceptable before exiting.
>The dull candlelight does little to blind you as you stumble around and catch your bearings. You recall Trixie saying something about…
>Oh! Your friends from Ponyville!
>Shit, when are they supposed to be here? Fluttershy didn’t say…
>You immediately turn on your heel and duck into your room for a couple things. Water bottle, toothbrush, toothpaste and a hairbrush. You give yourself a mental synopsis of the grand tale. ‘Shit fuck I wish there was a bathroom in this thing’, before leaving your room once more and heading for the wagon exit.
>”Ah, where are you going?” Trixie’s reemergence from her room stops you.
“Hygiene, and stuff.”
>”You can try and fail AFTER Trixie gives you the most wondrous thing you’ve ever been given!”
“Really?”
>With a glimmer of excitement clearly painted on your face, you turn around and plop down in a seat at the table before Trixie quickly takes the one across from you.
>There’s a clear expression of self-satisfaction on Trixie’s face that screams, ‘Yesssss. I’m so nice and that makes me the best.’

>”Hmph. Maybe I should have let you clean up before this. Your mane is a mess.”
“Huh, I expected you to follow that up with, ‘Tsk, Trixie means more than usual AHAHA I’m so great’.”
>”I am in a good mood this morning, and soon you will be too. Feast your eyes on…” She brings a hoof up from under the table, a smell envelope resting upon it. “This!”
“What is ‘this’?”
>”Read what’s inside, you idiot.”
“Now, now, now.” You take the envelope out of her hooves. “Let’s not resort to name calling, you egotistical hack.”
>She answers your playful jab with an intense glare.
“It was a joke.”
>”Trixie isn’t laughing.”
“I think I’ve figured it out. You go back to third person speech when you’re upset.”
>Trixie’s continues her silent glare.
“Got it.”
>”Are you going to open it, or are you going to continue giving Trixie reasons not to be generous?”
>You have a response to that all lined up, but you’re pretty curious as to what’s inside the envelope.
>It remains unsealed, hinting that it may still need to be mailed to something, but the contents are a treat for you.
>Or maybe Trixie is pulling a grandma and giving you a check inside an envelope.
>And maybe the battle between speculation and curiosity is tipping heavily in the latter’s favor!
>With no more thought, you unfold the flap of the envelope and remove the folded paper. No emblems or logos are visible as you unfold meaning it isn’t something official.
>Something off strikes you though.
>Trixie’s signature is at the bottom.
>And the penmanship is… decent!
“Did… did you write this?”
>”Yes! Trixie worked on it last night! It… took longer that she expected but… Tsk, no matter. Aren’t you excited?”
“Oh. I should probably read it.”
>Trixie puffs up her cheeks and crosses her forelegs.
“Come on, I was complimenting your penmanship. Use that to stroke your ego a bit while I read this.”

>When you joked about the ego stroking, you didn’t expect Trixie to actually do it.
>As you read the letter, she just sat in her seat with her eyes glued to the ceiling. She would rock side to side and bite her lip as if she were pleasuring herself while listening to a really good song.
>The letter’s contents are what’s more exciting though. Trixie attempted to word it in a way to make it sound professional, and failed (‘Opinionata’ is not a word), but is basically stated,
“I’m finally getting a larger room?!”
>Well, it was more of a request as to whether it can be done or not, but still.
>”Mmhm! Trixie has realized you are not some animal to be kept in a small cage, but she finally found the time to request an improvement on your sleeping situation.”
“Thanks, Trix… I mean, really. This will do wonders on my knees in the mornings. Heh…”
>Trixie takes your gratefulness silently while adopting a proud look on her face.
“Hey, about last night,-“
>”Say no more. Trixie is aware as to why you were so upset.” Her eyes flutter and lips curl before. “Your friends are the source of all your anger, obviously.”
“And how did the Great and Powerful Trixie come to this Great and Powerful conclusion?”
>”Don’t you dare mock my glorious title! And Trixie has merely observed your attitude around other ponies you get close to. Trixie is the only one you seem peaceful around.”
“I only get upset because you intentionally antagonize both me and them.”

>”Lies!”
“Not really.”
>”No matter! Trixie has created a schedule for your friends!”
>This is starting to get a little annoying…
“I don’t think we need a chaperone.”
>”It’s a fool proof system that Trixie knows will work for sure. You will have a set amount of time for each of them. With five minutes each, that would total out to around twenty minutes. Afterwards your friends will leave, we will eat a tasty meal between the two of us, and practice magic for the rest of the day!”
“I don’t know where to start…”
>”You start by thanking me for being such a wonderful pony, looking out for you and your best interests when Trixie has far more pressing matters to deal with.”
>You let out a beleaguered sigh and sink down in your chair.
“You know, that attitude gets exhausting after a while.”
>”E-excuse me?”
“First, I have six friends coming over. I don’t know if you forgot or if you’re just bad at math. Second, I’m going to spend as much time as I want with them. There’s a lot to catch up on.”
>”Absolutely not!”
>You reel back a little at her sudden defiance. Still, it’s pretty unintimidating and nothing to back down to.
“And what are you going to do to stop me?”
>She raises her hoof and takes a deep breath, but nothing follows.
“Exactly. And I agree with the magic thing. I know you’re only doing to separate me from my friends, but I have like, a whole week to hang out with them. That, and working on your magic routine helps with the performance.”
>”Hah! So Trixie has won this negotiation.”
“God, you’ll take anything as a victory… So can I go brush my teeth now?”
>”Yes. There’s a tap on the wall just outside. Don’t use too much, the owner will get ornery if he catches you.”
“We should also see if we can get a bathroom installed in this wagon...”

>After cleaning yourself up, you and Trixie clean the place up a little. Trixie’s contribution was surprising, but she only focused on her trophies and interesting instruments along the walls while you were stuck with shitty work like washing dishes and dusting surfaces. But at least the place looks nice!
>As you finish your part, Trixie begins weaving more false tales about the crap on the walls. “Did you know Prince Blueblood is completely enamored with Trixie?” Is soon going to be a trademarked line.
>It’s mildly entertaining and it helps the time pass until you hear a knocking at the door followed by, “Hey, Anon! You in there?”
>That raspy voice of hers is unmistakable.
>You push yourself away from the counter and dart for the door, but Trixie jumps at the opportunity of being first and teleports to the door before you can get halfway there. She immediately opens the door without a second thought. She only cracks it enough for her body to poke through.
>”Well, well, well,”
>Nope. Not having any of that.
>Because Trixie can cause some serious damage, you grab her by the snout from behind and yank her backwards, pulling her behind you while you take the spot she was in a second ago.
>The faces of your friends and Fluttershy instantly change from a frown to an excited smile.
>Friend, you mean. Singular. Because only Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are here.
“Hey, girls! Good to see you! Where’s-OOMPH!”
>Rainbow Dash abruptly cuts you off with a hug. Shortly after wrapping her hooves around your neck she stops supporting herself and falls into your arms.
>And for a pegasi, she’s god damn heavy.
>BECAUSE OF THE MUSCLES OF COURSE!

“So uh… yeah?”
>”Hehe, sorry, dude.” She pushes herself off to hover a few feet in front of you. “It’s been a little while and… and, oh man it’s good to see you!” She attempts to go in for another hug, but you place a hand on her chest to stop her.
“I missed you too, but let’s not stand around hugging each other all day. Come on in.”
>You push the door open wider and move out of the way for Dash and Fluttershy to easily flutter on in.
>It takes her a moment, but Rainbow Dash realizes just how big this thing is on the inside and falls to the ground, mouth agape.
>”W-…. Whoa.”
>”See, I told you the inside is amazing.”
>”You weren’t kidding, Flutters.”
>”Admiring Trixie’s many trophies and awards, are we?” Trixie rounds the three of you from behind with much arrogance in her strut and voice.
>”No, just the si-“
>”Do you see that crown on the shelf? Prince Blueblood,”
“Trixie, they’re not here to hear about this stuff.”
>”Shush, Anon. Ahem, I’ll have you know THE Prince Blueblood was once infatuated with The Great and Powerful Trixie!”
>It’s like this ride never ends. The prince loving, monster slaying fallacies that Trixie spews seem to get worse as time goes on.
>However, Rainbow Dash is having none of it.
>Trixie has somehow transition to a miraculous story of how she resisted the temptations of a hundred incubi , but Dash makes her boredom obvious with a long and loud groan.
>”This is dumb. Lemme see your room, Anon.”

“There’s nothing to it. Like, it’s just a small,”
>You catch Rainbow Dash shifting her eyes between you and Trixie and nodding her head in Trixie’s direction a little.
“R-right, yeah it’s just over here.”
>”But wait! Trixie isn’t done,-“
>”Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash quickly flitters behind you and gives you a gentle shove to get you moving.
>The three mares trail behind you, Trixie in last and having a fit about all this, as you walk to your room.
>You quickly slip inside, followed by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Trixie attempts to come in but Rainbow Dash quickly shuts the door on her face.
>”Ow! Hey, what gives?!”
>”Sorry! We, uh, need a moment. Could you excuse us?”
>”… Hmph!” Trixie wiggles her head out of the door, scoffs once more, and then trots away before Rainbow Dash closes the door.
>”Sheesh. I couldn’t take another minute of her.”  She turns to you with an annoyed expression. “I was thinking you haven’t returned to Ponyville because you managed to change Trixie into a tolerable mare, buuuut it looks like she’s still the same mare.”
“Hold on,”
>You reach over Rainbow Dash and yank the door open.
>Trixie, who was leaning her ear up against the door, falls to the floor.
“Could you wait in your room?”
>Trixie gets back to her hooves and composes herself before digging in and trying to defend herself.
>”It’s Trixie’s wagon! There’s no reason why Trixie should be excluded from any and all conversations!”
“Listen, Trixie,” You step over Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to kneel in front of Trixie. “I haven’t seen my friends in a long time… and,”

>You scoot a little closer to Trixie and she starts becoming noticeably uncomfortable with the distance.
“I’d like some privacy. So could you do this… for me?”
>You bring a hand to the area behind Trixie’s ear and give it a little massage. She takes a half-step back and begins to blush furiously.
>”W-what are you doing? Stop.”
“I’m only showing,”
>”No. Stop. I-I don’t care.” She weakly pushes your hand away and steps out of reach. “Have your privacy. Trixie will be in her room.”
>Trixie turns towards her door, the only thing on her mind being, ‘WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?’ before you close your own and turn up the lantern.
“… That worked a lot better than I expected.”
>”Uh, yeah, what the hay was that?”
“I think Trixie has a hard time dealing with awkward over affection.”
>”You mean… hrm… hm, n-nevermind.” Fluttershy mumbles behind Rainbow Dash.
>Much to your satisfaction, Fluttershy has been avoiding drawing attention to herself since she arrived.
>”What we’re you saying, Flutters?”
>Damnit, Dash.
>”Well, um… I was going to say… A-Anon and Trixie have something in common, then.”
>What? You don’t get it.
“What do you,”
>NEVERMIND, YOU GET IT!
>TOO SOON, FLUTTERSHIT!
>Eager to not talk about this at all, you quickly change the subject.
”So why is it just the two of you here? I thought Fluttershy was getting everyone.”
>”Wellllll, when Fluttershy came and told me, I thought about it but everyone else had plans today so, heh, it’s just you and I! And Fluttershy is here too.”
>”Hello.”

“That’s why, huh?”
>”Yep!”
“You sure?”
>Rainbow Dash’s breathing halts for a second before quickly says, “Uh-huh!”
“And you just didn’t want me all to yourself?”
>Once again, more signs of panic from Rainbow Dash.
>”W-what? Nah, no way! Why would I bring Fluttershy if I did?”
“To help you find the place.”
>She’s actually sweating now.
>”H-hey! Speaking of, d-did you want Fluttershy around? After what she did and all…”
“Dash, I think you didn’t want Fluttershy to tell anyone else so we could spend time together.”
>Dash remains still for a second before slumping forward.
>”I’m a terrible friend, aren’t I?”
“Naaah, you just missed-“
>”I just missed you so much, man! And… after how you left… and what we agreed on…” Dash averts her gaze and begins to trace a hoof along the floor.
“Yeah, yeah. I haven’t forgotten. We can have the date here, if you’d like.”
>Fluttershy reels back while Dash leans forward in excitement.
>”Seriously! Aw, yes! I was like, really really nervous that you forgot or didn’t want to go anymore but,-“
“Dash, cool it.”
>”Okay… yeah, okay.”
“You and I, we’re going to have a fun night, one of the days we’re staying here.”
>Her smile grows just a little more.
>But Fluttershy in the back there remains stoic. Whatever’s she’s thinking or planning, it makes you a little uncomfortable. And being stuck inside this cramped room with her and Rainbow Dash is making you a little claustrophobic.

“Hey, let’s uh… let’s get out of here.”
>”Yeah, what’re we gonna do?”
“You girls know where the rest of the girls are?”
>”Weeeell,” Fluttershy pipes up as you open the door. “Twilight is at Tome Square.”
“I could have guessed that…”
>”Rarity is probably browsing the Garment District. I… wouldn’t know what Pinkie Pie and Applejack were doing. We might have to wait until tonight to see them.”
“That’s fine. Just one last thing.”
>You quickly step to Trixie’s door, give it a quick knock before shouting. “Trixie, I’m going out!”
>You expect some sort of snippy response, but you’re met with silence instead.
“You in there?”
>Nothing.
“Helloooooo?”
>You attempt to open the door, but as soon as you start turning the knob,
>”I heard you, you idiot! Where else would I be? You’re going out! Fine! Leave Trixie alone!”
“Fine… shit. I’ll be back whenever.”
>”It had better be before my magic lessons!”
“Yeah, whenever.”
>Any more of Trixie’s further protests go unheard as you, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy exit the wagon and get onto the busy streets of Manehatten.
>Tome Square is the closest, so you’ll probably be seeing Twilight first.
>… And she’ll probably bring up the whole Duel thing… and get mad.
>Well at least Rarity… god no, you left on a terrible note. She’s probably still mad at you.
>Shit, this is going to suck.

>You are The Great and Powerful Trixie!
>Anonymous think he’s so clever, finding you listening in on their conversation. Hmph, what he doesn’t know is that you managed to listen to everything… through the wall! Yes, your quick thinking knows no bounds!
>But enough about that.
>If what you heard is correct, Anon and the blue on are… going out on a date!? That’s completely absurd considering he’s in your presence! How can he even think of another mare when you’re around? You exude appeal and sensuality. Anonymous was proof of that when he clearly flirted with you right in front of his guests. His hands all over you. Tsk, you can’t blame him. You’re you. Trixie is Trixie. You should have slapped him for what he did but… well, you just should have!
>That isn’t of much concern at the moment. Anonymous is going to meet with all of his old friend, all of which want to take Anonymous away from you forever. You can’t let that happen.
>It’s not in your nature to be sneaky and deceitful. But, for Anonymous’ sake, you will.
>W-well… not for Anonymous but… but…
>Aaah, who are you trying to convince?
>You pick up your cape off the floor and tie it around your neck. You simply cannot go on this kind of mission without a cape.
>You wait until you hear the door to the wagon close before bursting out of your room and preparing to give pursuit.
>With only everything you’ll ever need stuffed into your infinite storage hat, you jump out of the wagon a minute after Anonymous’ departure, and begin tailing him, the braggart, and the loose one.
>They said Tome Square, did they not? You have your destination.
>And your goal? You…
>Erm… wait, what exactly is the point of this?