The foals piled into the Residency, and Trixie directed them to go into her living room and make themselves comfortable. Once they were all out of sight, she stepped out of her home and up to Raindrops. “What is going on?” she demanded in a low voice as she closed the door behind her.
“I don’t know!” Raindrops responded, throwing her hooves wide. “One moment it was me and Snails trotting down here with Dinky, and Dinky didn’t know Snails was coming so I was explaining what was going on…then just when we reached the gate, Scootaloo appeared out of nowhere with all those foals in her scooter’s wagon!”
Trixie turned to glare at Scootaloo. The orange filly looked back confusedly for a moment, before realizing that Trixie didn’t precisely look happy, and her filly survival instincts kicked in. “Oh…um…” she said, glancing around a few moments before her ears and wings perked. “I’m, uh, supposed to be...grounded right now! Right! So I can’t be here! I’ll get in trouble! Bye!”
“Wait!” Trixie cried out, but it was too late. Wings buzzing, the orange filly shot off at full speed, leaving a dust cloud behind her. She had moved too quickly for Trixie to even consider using telekinesis or some other magic trick to stop her.
Raindrops raised an eyebrow. “Look, I guess there was some confusion or something,” she said. “Snails probably told a bunch of foals at school, and they wanted to come over and learn magic with him and Dinky. But what’s the big deal? I thought you liked foals.”
Trixie turned to Raindrops, one eye twitching slightly. “There is a huge difference between liking foals, and wanting to be stuck with a herd of them for a few hours!” Trixie shook her head. “This isn’t like some magic show, they’ll be expecting me to show them spells, teach them stuff…I don’t even know who half of them are!” She looked back to Raindrops, eyes wide. “You have to stay.”
“Huh?” Raindrops asked, whickering and wings flaring. “Trixie, I can’t.”
“Sure you can!”
“I have an evening shift today,” Raindrops said, waving a hoof up at the sky. “I can’t stay, Trixie, I’m sorry.”
“B-but…” Trixie tried, as Raindrops turned around. “But…what am I gonna do?”
Raindrops stopped her trot away, looking over her shoulder. “Well, if you really think you can’t handle it,” she said, “you should let the foals know that there’s been a misunderstanding, and send all but Snails and Dinky on their way. We don’t want this to turn into another Oaton, do we?”
Trixie blanched, once again making cutting motions with her hooves. “Totally different!” She insisted.
“Hopefully,” Raindrops responded, before turning again and heading off towards the weather station.
Trixie watched her go for a few moments, then glanced down, at her own hooves. Raindrops wasn’t the most verbose of ponies, but she sure had a way of packing a lot of meaning into single-word statements. After a few moments, Trixie looked back up, and grit her teeth. “She’s right,” she said to nopony in particular, turning back towards her door and trotting towards it determinedly. “She’s right. Je déteste. But I gotta tell the truth. I have to, I have to, I…”
Trixie opened her door, and found herself staring at a small, gray unicorn filly with a blonde mane – Dinky. Dinky was looking at her confusedly. Trixie stared back for a few moments. “H-hi, kiddo,” Trixie said, before stepping into her home. “Is…is everything okay?”
Dinky considered, sitting back on her haunches and tapping her front hooves together. “I…I thought I was your magician’s assistant, Miss Trixie,” she said simply, glancing up at Trixie, voice full of worry.
Was there anypony in the world as good at the puppy-dog stare as Dinky Doo? Trixie sighed, mussing Dinky’s mane with one hoof and briefly pondering what would happen to the world if Dinky ever learned to consciously invoke that look. “You are, I promise,” she said, leaning down to look Dinky in the eye. “And my friend. But Snails is my friend too. He doesn’t use enough magic so it’s been giving him problems. So I was hoping that you and me could help him learn to use his magic better.”
Dinky nodded. “What about everypony else?” she asked. “Sweetie Belle and Firelock and Tootsie…”
Trixie shook her head. “I don’t know. I think there’s been some misunderstanding.” Trixie stood up and smiled. “But! We’re going to go in there and clear things up. Okay?”
Dinky brightened up right there, nodding again and smiling. Trixie kept an eye on her as the two trotted towards the living room, where they could hear the six other foals talking to each other. Huh, she’s a little jealous, Trixie thought of Dinky, and couldn’t help but smile. Never thought Dinky had any flaws…wait, did she pick that up from me? Ditzy said that Dinky’s becoming a little more sarcastic ever since I started helping her…
Trixie entered the living room with the worry that she was corrupting the youth of Ponyville occupying most of her thoughts. She found the six ponies on or around her couches. Snails and Snips were sitting on the couch itself, talking to each other; Tootsie and the white-coated unicorn were on the floor, meanwhile, singing a song and clapping each other’s hooves. The winged unicorn was on the couch as well, though at the other end from Snips and Snails, and she was keeping an eye on the orange filly with the pale red mane. Said filly was next to Trixie’s wall, of all places, looking up at one of the gas lights.
No, not the light itself, Trixie realized…just the flame inside of it. She was staring at the fire. There was a faint smile on her lips, and her front hooves were gently tapping against each other. She was either lost in thought, or lost without thought, completely transfixed by the flame…
“Um,” Trixie said.
Surprisingly, that got everypony’s attention. Tootsie and her friend ended their game, Snips and Snails ended their conversations, and all six foals turned to look at Trixie as Dinky trotted out and amongst them. They were all staring at her, waiting, expecting her to show them how to perform amazing feats of magic, how to craft faultless figments, how to create things out of thin air, how to…
Trixie shook her head. No, that was a trap. She wasn’t going to fall into it. “O-okay,” she said, making a cutting motion with her hoof. “Okay, um…this is a little unexpected. I only thought Snails and Dinky were going to be here.”
The white-coated filly smiled broadly at that. “But you’re gonna be teaching us magic now, right?” she asked. “’Cause your special talent is teaching foals magic! Snails said so.”
Trixie stiffened a little, looking at Snails. “That is not my special talent,” she objected.
Snails thought. “Oh yeah…” he said after a moment. “It’s, um…doing magic for others. Right.”
“Same thing, really!” Tootsie Flute said. “Because to teach us magic you’ll have to do magic to show it to us.”
Trixie rubbed a hoof against the back of her neck. Tootsie technically had a point; indeed, that was the very reasoning she had given Pokey Pierce just a few minutes ago. “O-okay,” she said. “That is true…but I was really only expecting Dinky and Snails. Like, I only invited Dinky and Snails.”
The foals, save, Dinky, blinked a few times. At length, the white one turned to Snips. “Told you!” she exclaimed.
“That’s not very fair, though!” The orange filly insisted. “How come you’re gonna show them and not us? That’s like…that’s like if Miss Cheerilee was only gonna teach one of us math, but then give us all the same math test!”
“I’m not giving anypony a test, though,” Trixie pointed out. She took in a deep breath, and held up a hoof. “I’m sorry. Dinky’s my magician’s assistant, she helps me out with magic shows, and so of course I’m going to show her magic. And I’m helping Snails because he’s not doing enough magic, and it’s giving him headaches and insomnia.”
“Huh?” Snails asked.
“You can’t get to sleep.”
“Oh.”
Trixie closed her eyes, nodding. Good, the situation seemed to be under control. “It’s just that this is very short notice,” she said. “I was only expecting two foals. I’m really very glad and very honored that you all thought that I could show you all magic, but I don’t think – ”
Trixie opened her eyes, and saw five foals all on the verge of tears – lips quavering, breaths hitching, eyes wide and watery. “B-but…” the white filly said, “but my sister Rarity…sh-she was so much better with magic a-at my age…”
“A-and my momma doesn’t have enough time to t-teach me everything…” the winged one said, looking down at her hooves, wings clinging tightly to her sides, “a-and papa can’t help…”
“And I just wanna…just wanna hang out with my friend…” Snips insisted.
“A-and…a-and…”
Trixie’s mouth opened and closed a few times. She glanced at Snails, who had a comforting hoof on Snips’ withers. Dinky, meanwhile, was looking between all the foals, visibly torn between worry that she was going to be replaced, and worry that her friends would be disappointed. She looked to Trixie helplessly. Trixie shrugged her shoulders, covered her eyes with a hoof, and let out a sigh. “But I don’t think it could be permanent,” she said.
The foals all quieted a little, and Trixie looked back to them. “I could help you all a little,” she said. “Just for today. Okay?”
“Yay!”
The switch in demeanors was neck-breaking in its rapidity, as six sets of hooves were thrown to the sky in joy, tears disappearing instantly. Trixie blinked a few times. Had she just been played? Had these foals just played her? There was no way that was possible, they were too young to know how to do that…right?
Trixie shook her head. “Okay,” she said. “Well…let’s start with the basics – ”
“Levitation?” The white one asked.
“Conjuring?” Snips put in.
“Ignition?” The orange one said with a beaming smile.
“Names,” Trixie clarified, as she trotted into her living room and sat down amongst the foals. “I know some of you already, but some of you I don’t. So let’s…let’s go around in a circle, and you can introduce yourselves to me, tell me a little about yourselves.” Trixie nodded, smiling. Just like what she had done with Cheerilee and everypony else back during the Longest Night. The foals obediently formed a semi-circle in front of Trixie. She pointed to the one at the furthest end, the one with wings. “So…let’s start with you.” She smiled. “You look like a princess.”
The reaction to that was somewhat unexpected. The foal started, wings flaring slightly. She sniffed as her eyes began to water. “I-I’m…I’m n-not a princess,” she said softly, looking away from Trixie.
Trixie blinked a few times, rubbing the back of her neck. This was not a good start. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “Just, um…okay. What’s your name, then?”
The foal sniffed again, rubbing her eyes a moment before answering. “Alula.”
Trixie nodded, leaning a little to look at her side. “No cutie mark yet…what do you think your special talent will be?”
“Pottery,” Alula answered without hesitation, and brightening a little. “I don’t know why I haven’t gotten my cutie mark yet. I know my special talent already…”
Trixie smiled a little, touching a hoof to her chest. “Well, it might be something else,” Trixie said. “Or there might be some special quality about pottery you haven’t discovered yet. Like my special talent. I knew from the day I was born that it was gonna be magic, just like my Grandpapa. But it wasn’t until I realized that it wasn’t just doing magic, but doing magic in a way that made an impact on the lives of ponies in some way, that I earned my cutie mark.”
“Can we hear your cutie mark story?” Snips asked. “I bet it’s awesome!”
Trixie certainly thought it was, in its own way, but she was also pretty sure that it wasn’t the sort of thing she should be telling little foals. “Maybe some other time,” she said, looking to the white filly next to Alula. “Okay, you said you were Rarity’s little sister?”
The filly nodded. “Sweetie Belle!” she identified herself. “I don’t know what my special talent is gonna be. Me and Scootaloo try to earn ours all the time, but nothing ever seems to stick.”
“Well, it will eventually, don’t worry,” Trixie said with a nod, then looked to the next filly expectantly.
“Tootsie Flute,” the filly said. “I dunno what my special talent is gonna be, either.”
“Truffle Shuffle,” Snips said with a laugh. Tootsie started, then blushed as she looked away, but also smiled a little.
Trixie also smiled at that. She knew Truffle Shuffle, or at least knew of him. “Does somepony here have a crush?” she asked, leaning in a little.
“M-maybe…” Tootsie said, rubbing one hoof against the opposite leg.
“Not denying it?” Trixie asked with surprise. “That’s actually pretty mature for a filly your age. Does Truffle Shuffle know?”
Tootsie shook her head. “I’m, um…I was planning on waiting…for Hearts & Hooves day.”
Trixie tsked. Sure, she had issues when it came to…intimacy…but sweet, innocent little schoolyard crushes? Hardly. She had been raised in Neigh Orleans, after all. “Might not want to wait. Il n’est rien de réel que le rêve et l’amour.”
The foals all looked at her strangely. Trixie rolled her eyes. “Zut alors…” she sighed, looking to the next pony in line. “And you are?”
The filly smiled. “Firelock,” she said. “And my special talent is fire.”
Trixie blinked, glancing at the pony’s side. Her flank was bare. “You sure?” she asked. “It might be something else…”
Firelock shook her head. “Well, I mean, like you said, it might be something specific,” she said. “Like it could be pyrotechnics, or firefighting, or fire science, or…”
“Um,” Trixie said.
“…volcano inspector, or fire magic, or smoke jumping, or…”
“Uh,” Trixie added.
“…phoenix breeder, or fire eating, or fire wrangling, or…”
“Okay,” Trixie interrupted. “Firelock, is it? Yes. Very good.” She looked to the remaining ponies, though she kept an eye on Firelock. “Okay…Snips? Your special talent is mane-grooming, right?”
Snips nodded. He was one of the only two ponies in the room, besides his friend Snails, that had actually earned his cutie mark already. “Miss Rarity even said that I was good enough to do her own mane! Though she wouldn’t let me actually do it when I offered. But my dad lets me help out in his barber shop! I can do tails and beards, too.”
Given how his own mane looked, Trixie wasn’t very surprised that Rarity didn’t allow Snips to touch her mane; Trixie could only assume that just because one had a special talent for cutting and styling manes, it didn’t necessarily mean that one’s own personal style choices were going to be typical. She turned her attention to Snails. “And Snails, of course. Your special talent is…creepy crawlies…”
Snails laughed a little, glancing at his own cutie mark of a snail. “I like animals,” he said. “But especially invertebrates. They don’t get nearly enough attention in Equestria!”
“’Cause they’re gross,” Sweetie noted, sticking her tongue out a little.
“So? So are dogs,” Snails noted.
“They are not!”
“Are too! They drool, don’t they?”
Sweetie Belle didn’t respond to that. Trixie supposed that Snails had a point, and of course, a special talent of dealing with bugs and snails and worms and other such animals was actually invaluable in a farming community like Ponyville. Whatever Trixie’s own aversion to “creepy crawlies,” Snails would find no shortage of friends as he learned more about his special talent.
Trixie looked to the last foal. “And Dinky Doo,” she said. “You know everypony here already, right?”
Dinky nodded. “And I don’t know what my special talent is gonna be,” she said, glancing at her flank, “but that’s okay. ‘Cause as long as I don’t have my cutie mark, it could be anything! I’m full of potential.”
Trixie nodded. “Okay, then,” she said, looking at Dinky. “Now, Dinky, you’ve been here the longest. For today, instead of my magician’s assistant, you’ll be my teacher’s assistant.”
Dinky brightened a little at the responsibility. “What do I do?” she asked.
Trixie thought a moment. “Go to the basement and grab some of the golf balls I use for tricks. As many as you can carry.” Dinky nodded, dashing off. Trixie, meanwhile, stood and held a hoof out to her side. “And as long as I’m teaching magic, I’ll need my magic hat!” Her horn glowed, and with a blue flash and pop, her hat appeared in her hoof. She put it on as stylishly as she could.
The foals applauded lightly, and Trixie smiled. “To begin,” she said, casting her magic sight spell, “we’ll need to see where all of you are with your magic. Can all of you make your horns glow?”
There were nods, followed by each of the six foals lighting up their horns. Some of them accomplished this easily enough – the pale lavender glow of Tootsie seemed the strongest, though Firelock’s own red effervescence wasn’t far behind. Snails’ green-gold and Sweetie’s lime green magic were the weakest, meanwhile. The remaining two foals – Alula with purple magic, and Snips with orange – seemed to be roughly in between the two. More importantly, through her magic sight, Trixie saw that Snails, and to a lesser extent Sweetie, were both under-channeling, while the remaining four seemed to be channeling just the right amount of magic.
Trixie tapped a hoof to her mouth as she regarded Tootsie Flute in particular. Magic flowed from her inner reserves and through her horn with very little effort; even Dinky, after months of practice with Trixie, wasn’t quite at the same level, though she was pretty certain that Dinky had a larger inner reserve to draw from. “Tootsie, your magic seems to be pretty good already,” she noted as she cancelled her magic sight.
Tootsie nodded, though she shifted nervously. “My momma and papa have been teaching me. They’re both unicorns. They say it’s cause I come from a good – ”
“I’m back!” Dinky’s voice interrupted. Trixie glanced and saw the filly coming with the small bag that Trixie kept multicolored golf balls in. She was balancing it on her back, using her lavender telekinesis – a few shades darker than Tootsie’s – to balance it there. It didn’t look it, but it was actually more complicated a task than simply carrying the bag telekinetically. Was Dinky showing off?
I really hope I’m not corrupting the youth of Ponyville, Trixie mused. Trixie took the bag from Dinky, and hoofed out three balls to each foal, resuming her magic sight. “Okay,” Trixie said. “Everypony levitate just one ball.”
Each foal was capable of it, but Sweetie and Snails both visibly struggled. Trixie considered. “Okay, Sweetie, Snails, take a break. Everypony else, try picking up two at the same time, in two different grips.”
Sweetie and Snails both looked dejected at being told to sit out picking up two balls, but Trixie made sure to give them a reassuring smile. The remaining ponies managed two, but Alula dropped hers after a few moments, and Firelock not long after. Trixie looked between Dinky and Tootsie. “Okay, now each of you try for three,” she said.
Tootsie and Dinky both managed to pick up their three balls without a problem. “I could lift a whole lot more,” Tootsie noted.
“So could I!” Dinky insisted.
Tootsie grinned, standing, though only to drop into a challenging stoop. “You’re on!” she proclaimed, horn flaring slightly. Dinky met the grin eagerly, not standing but instead closing her eyes and spreading her front hooves wide. Snips’ and Snails’ golf balls were lifted in her aura, while Tootsie grabbed Alula’s and Firelock’s. Dinky took one from Sweetie’s pile, Tootsie another…and that’s when the problems began.
A pale lavender aura started to close on the remaining ball, but a darker lavender aura tried for it as well. Dinky opened an eye, looking at Tootsie, who looked back. Caught between two auras trying to pull it in opposite directions, the ball began to shudder. Sweetie backed away from it nervously.
Trixie glanced between them, raising a hoof. “Um,” she said, stepping forward. “That’s enough, girls. You two are the furthest along with telekinesis.”
“Yeah, but I could hold way more,” Tootsie proclaimed.
“I could too!” Dinky said. “If Tootsie would just let me…”
“If you’d just let me…”
Neither of them released their hold on the remaining golf ball. Trixie glanced between the two. Both were actually beginning to sweat a little, and their breathing was coming faster. “Actually, I’m pretty sure both of you are pretty close to your limits,” she said. “It’s okay, you’re only foals – ”
“Nuh-uh, I’m not at my limit!”
“I’m not either!” Dinky said.
The other foals had backed away a few paces. “Um,” Trixie said. “Look, why don’t you just put down the golf balls so we can move on…and let go of that one…”
Tootsie and Dinky glanced at Trixie, then back to each other. Every ball they had was lowered to the ground – but they continued their struggle over the remaining one. “I want to hold onto it!” Tootsie said.
“Miss Trixie said to let go!”
“I will if you do!”
“I’m her assistant, I’ll have to clean up the golf balls for her after we’re done anyway – ”
Compressed as it was between two young unicorn fillies, there was only two things that could have happened to the golf ball eventually. The first was that it would be crushed between their two telekinetic auras, reduced to powder. However, neither filly was quite strong enough to manage that under normal circumstances.
The second thing that could have happened was, held as it was in the imperfect auras of little foals, the two were not applying pressure equally across the entire surface of the ball. For a brief moment they both applied pressure equally on one side, while their grip on the other was just a little too loose…and the ball suddenly shot out of their auras.
Time seemed to slow for Trixie as the ball flew, and she tracked it. It first hit a wall and bounced off, leaving a dent. Next, it collided with the edge of a bookcase. This sent it rocketing towards the ground, where it bounced, and proceeded to head straight for Trixie’s head. In her slowed perception of time, what Trixie wanted to do was catch the ball telekinetically, put it away, and then lay down a little bit of law on Dinky and Tootsie over doing what she told them to do, when she told them to do it.
What actually happened was the ball smacked her right between the eyes. Her world was stars and pain and golf balls as she stumbled a little, then tumbled over.
Fore…
---
The world was a bright blue, slightly cloudy sky and a field of green as Vicereine Trixie Lulamoon, dressed in her finest Sunday getup, trotted through the golf course with her faithful caddy, Solrath the Dragon.
“The nine-iron, I think,” Trixie said as she set down her golf ball on the tee. Solrath obediently got her nine-iron and proceeded to hit the ball for her, sending it bouncing off a nearby tree and into Trixie’s head.
“Very good, Mr. Scary Dragon,” Trixie said from the ground as the tree loomed over her and the Moon looked down while the day turned to night and the stars into sunflowers. “Hole in one.”
“Very good, your excellency,” Solrath said, though as it turned out, he didn’t really exist. Where he had been standing, there was now a picture of a nine-iron. “Looks like it might rain, your excellency,” the picture said.
“Quite,” Trixie observed as the flood waters rose. She clung to her golf bag for life, but a shark grabbed her from beneath and started shaking her back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and –
---
The world slowly faded back into reality as Trixie realized she was being shaken awake.
“Miss Trixie! Wake up!” Dinky was exclaiming. She and Tootsie were on either side of her, shaking the larger pony trying to wake her up, while the other foals watched. Maybe. Trixie couldn’t seem to get a good look at them; her eyes were spinning a bit.
“I – I’m awake! I’m awake!” Trixie proclaimed. “I’m awake! I’m awake. Yes. Ow.”
Dinky and Tootsie stopped shaking Trixie, looking at her with deep concern. “Are you okay?” Dinky asked.
“We didn’t mean to!” Tootsie added. “Honest!”
“We’re sorry for fighting!”
“We’re sorry for not doing what we were told!”
“We’re sorry for nearly killing you!”
Trixie heard about half of that as she closed her eyes and put her hooves to her head, trying to get the world to stop spinning. You can walk straight after Oncle Sky Shaper’s moonshine, you can recover from this, she insisted over the pounding in her head. “Okay, okay!” Trixie said, raising a hoof and waving it at the two. “It – ow, la batterie, arrêtez de jouer de la batterie – it’s okay. It was an accident.” She rubbed her head, then looked at her hoof. She didn’t see any red. That was probably good.
“Okay,” Trixie said, standing. She wobbled a few times, but was otherwise okay, as she looked to the foals. “Okay, um…so that happened. Dinky, Tootsie, don’t fight. Let’s just move on – wait. Wait.” She counted the foals, then counted again to be sure. “There were seven of you, right? Where did – um…the one with the wings…”
“Alula,” Snails provided.
“Yeah, her. Where did Alula and Firelot – ”
“Firelock,” Sweetie corrected, as she pointed to the living room’s door. “They went looking for a first-aid kit. Dinky said there was one in the basement.”
Trixie nodded. She was normally better with names, too. She decided to blame the blunt force trauma, and an icepack sounded good right about now. “Okay. Once they get back, we can – ”
“Oh, hey, cool! Fireworks!” A voice called. It came from outside the living room, down the hall, and from the basement, which was accessible from Trixie’s kitchen. It sounded like Firelock’s voice.
Trixie took her hoof from her head. She remembered what Firelock wanted her special talent to be. She remembered seeing Firelock staring, lost without thought, at a simple gaslight flame. And, she remembered that she had just purchased a new crate of fireworks, for the show she hoped to put on for the Ingathering in a few months.
The crate that was stored in her basement.
Luckily for her, salvation is at her local library!! Just look under "T" for "Twilight" or "S" for "Sparkle"........
Ah. This is the part where the explosions start.
Oooooh wow! Heh, that was some trippy sequence at the end. Love it!
Another solid chapter. I was also kinda glad to see Dinky acting a bit more like a foal. It's a minor criticism, but I sometimes feel that Dinky is written too smart, too mature, too--in Trixie's words--flawless. (By the same token, I go too far in the other direction, going for diabetes-inducing adorableness with little to no warning). But I just thought I should comment on it, and I did like seeing her feel jealous and argumentative and acting more like a little girl, so take from that what you will.
So how long before Trixie realizes she's in over her head..btw, with the golfball hitting her, I imagine that'd raise quite a lump on her head. Enough to even make her a DOUBLE unicorn? XD
....and the only thing to survive will be the window. Just to spite Trixie.
Fire in the hole! Trixie needs to get more adult bodies in there fast. Never let kids know you've lost control of the classroom.
Yeah, so it begins. The total destruction of the Lunaverse, and all due to kids being kids. Also, I believe Trixie needs to insure her home before this is over.
Twilight is going to at least be able to teach them something other than how to hurt their teacher and drive them out of the mind. Trixie is most likely going to end up drunk as hell after this.
And next chapter opens with Trixie in search of a new home, owing to one over-eager pyromaniac foal.
Question: is Firelock an OC, or a background pony? If the latter, can someone provide a pic?
No, she didn't.
This doesn't look good, maybe this time around the house will burn down but the windows will be fine?
Firelock is just a little bit creepy.
I wonder if their is a reason Sweetie is under performing, their should be at least one parent (I don't think Magnum's been shown without a hat) and a sister to show her how to do magic.
Nice to see Trixie's being a bad influence, it's good to see Dinky acting like a child, she's missing out on a lot of fun being good all the time.
3333281
Here's a link for you.
Canon background pony. Looks kinda like Pinchy.
Great, Hermione and Draco have gotten into a fight already, and knocked out their teacher. Good work, girls!
It is cute that Dinky might be picking up some of Trixie's bad habits. She did bill herself as the "Great and Powerful Dinky" in the school talent show, after all! Besides, she's picking up Trixie's good qualities, too, such as a strong sense of responsibility.
Speaking of responsibility, it is rather endearing to see Trixie put in this position. She may only be teaching the kids today because of the (I'm going to say unintentional) guilt trip they put on her, but she's taking the task seriously, and her ability to perceive magic is already proving to be integral to that.
I can see that Firelock is going to be a hoofful. Maybe the next lesson should be outside. (Maybe this lesson will be outside once there is no more house to be inside.)
3333179 I thought about that too, but I don't think parents will want their foals learning magic from a convicted criminal. Particularly not when her crimes are primarily "teleporting into restricted libraries to learn illegal magic" and "using illegal magic irresponsibly". Our Twilight's social skills aren't really up to the task of being a teacher either, I think, while Trixie is actually really good with children.
Ha! Some fillies just want to watch the world burn. I love it so far.
I can just imagine Terry Crews yelling, "OH NOOOOOOOOO"
Wait... If they still have hooves...
We have a cast of centaurs?
...I suddenly want to see a humanized Antithesis.
Missing a word in here.
Oooooh boy, pyro kid and fireworks.
Insert obligatory "dis gun b gud" here.
Aw, I wanted to see Trixie react to Tootsie's little pureblooded spiel.
....I must write about Firelock. She is new best foal.
...sorry Scootaloo....sorry Diamond Tiara.......
Also, I am SO waiting to hear how Trixie will react to the whole talk of "Pedigrees"
Lots of little spelling errors here, and it could have used a bit more length in general and more movement. But overall a nice addition. Later chapters will likely be far more interesting then what has come thus far in this story though.
Firelock for unexpected best foal.
3334278 Yeah, especially with Trixie being a 'mudblood' herself, on account of her dear granpere (no idea if I got that word right).
I guess in her battered state, Trixie accidentally cast that spell she used on Lyra a while ago, right?
Great chapter, sorry I haven't reviewed so far, anyway this has been a really entertaining ride so far, CH2 probably holds out as my favorite just for watching all the dominoes fall into place. But this and the other two were excellent chapters, i'm liking Dinky showing some flaws and Firelock is my new favorite background pony. I really liked Trixie's behaviour throughout this fic it shows how much she's grown as a character while maintaining her personality. The same could be said for Twilight as well, it'll be interesting to see how she gets dragged into this, presumably after her house is trashed the foals, still, want to learn so she drags them to the library. Anyway looking forward to chapter 4/5.
You got a talent for turning background characters into compelling OCs! Firelock is amazing
A pyromanic and fireworks....
RUN! RUN!! FOR LOVE OF ALL THINGS RUN!!
It's not directly related tot he story, but just something I thought I should mention because I love Firelock too. There are other options out there in terms of fire obsessed ponies, like Firecracker Burst. She's a blind bag pony and her card reads "Firecracker Burst loves watching fireworks and guessing how they'll look when they burst- it's always a surprise!" Her coat is green and her cutie mark is a red and yellow flame, the same colors as her mane. That is all cannon.
Personally I made her a demolitions expert working as one of Luna's guards, but I'm sure others could think of fun things to do with her. Heck, now that I think about it she might be a good candidate for Firelock's mother.
Why do I have the feeling the next chapter is going to start with Trixie and the foals all outside Trixie's place and the inside has heavy smoke/fire damage? Anyways, it does seem like she'll need Twilight's help. The only problem is whether or not that's technically 'allowed' due to Twilight's house arrest situation..thing. I foresee potential complications with that, or maybe I'm just wrong, either way looking forward to more.
Loved this chapter, I'm really liking how the characters were done, it's also given me a little help for my own stuff
Dinky is best mini-Trixie in the making. Though I imagine her mother will keep her hooves on the ground. Heh. Irony.
In any case, Trixie is definitely handling this about as well as anyone could. Definitely looking forward to more, especialy when Tootsie's politically incorrect upbringing makes itself known.
3333179 I'm really not too fond of that idea, to be honest. Trixie's the Element of Magic. She's the hero of the Lunaverse... or is supposed to be. I feel it'd be really detrimental to her to have Twilight come in and 'solve' any problems here. Trixie should be the hero here.
Anyway, good chapter... but really starting to feel sorry for Trixie here.
I expected the golfball to shatter the window after damaging the brain of the Great & Powerful Dame Representative Beatrix LulaMoon, but now that FireLock found the fireworks, I believe that I know what will destroy the window, along with the rest of the Residency.
3349417 No worries on that score. I think the point of this is that Trixie tries reaching out to her only to have to clean up Twilight's mistakes again. Also, "Not good with kids" will have to be added to Twi's character page.
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LoL
Nice chapter, it is good to see Dinky portrayed in a more balaced fashion and not just as the perfect golden child.
Oh Trixie you try so hard and things never seem to go your way
Sorry for the delay in commenting, the last couple of months have been crazy for me.
I enjoyed this chapter, it gave us an introduction to the lesser known foals, juggled the multiple characters quite and managed to show just how well and truely out of her depth Trixie is.
I will admit seeing Dinky actually coming across as flawed was a little strange at first but honestly I kinda think we need to show that side more often. I'm not saying turn her into brat but just remember that despite being sweet and quite mature for her age, she is still a child and children will have their less than stellar moments.
Though I'm going on record and saying we need more Firelock in the Lunaverse, I've barely met the filly and I already love her
Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Good thing Lunaverse Twilight isn't resentful, else she might grow bitter at Maneverse Trixie never really getting punished for the whole Alicorn Amulet business^^ That would be highly ungrateful--she's being handled very leniently herself.
It is a bit irritating, though I guess a large part of that, at least for me, is rooted in the belief that Trixie couldn't have not known about the Amulet's side effects. Nevermind that she only bought it for revenge anyhow. Or that she looked poised to steal it, had the shopkeeper not come in at the time.
Aha! One step closer on the several year journey to getting 1001 Problems But An Apple Ain't One into canon! Now that Dinky is becoming more sarcastic from Trixie, all it will take is 3-4 seasons of things not deviating too much from my predictions and a vote on whether it still fits after many arduous years when the fandom may or may not exist any more! With that story made canon, my plans will come to fruition and I shall rule the universe.
MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
Oh and nice job as usual boss.
Dang. i thought for sure that that golf ball was going to go through The Window for sure.
Oh well. Just means its a legitimate target for next time.
But not, of course, until just after the fire damage is repaired.
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Huh. I find this explanation of unicorn/pegasus hybrids to be interesting. Back in An Early Reunion it was mentioned that such ponies are universaly sterile. Sad.
But now that i think about it, why couldn't there be Unicorn/Earth pony and Pegasus/Earth pony hybrids as well? Granted they would be much harder to tell apart from normal unicorns and pegasai but i bet i could make a couple of guesses:
Fluttershy; think about it, she is a very poor flyer and she has a deep connection to nature and animals in particular. Sounds like a flying earth pony to me.
Snowflake; he certainly has the body of a Machintosh sized earth stallion, in a very disproportionate kind of way. Heck if it wasn't for his obviously strong pegasus magic he wouldn't even be able to fly with those stubby wings.
Blossomforth; a pegasus with an earth pony name. Go figure.
And, and ... dang. I can't think of any obvious Unicorn/Earth pony hybrids. Anypony else got any suggestions?
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Actually, though it's sort of spoiling a plot twist, Hero of Oaton indeed has an earth pony/unicorn.
The idea that true hybrids are sterile, though, was dropped. Ridiculous world of magic, etc.
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Oh do you mean the child with the inverted horn? Interesting.
But then does that mean that (in your head canon) there are no ponies hybrids that can use both earth and unicorn magic, the way Alula can use both unicorn and pegasus magic?
Also when Tryxie uses her 'see magic' spell she describes unicorn magic as being pink, pegasus magic as sky blue and earth magic as green. In this chapter she used that spell to gauge the magic of each of the foals. Shouldn't it be mentioned what she saw when she looked at Alula? Is her internal magic colored purple or is it a swirl of two distinct colors, like pink in her head and horn and blue in her wings and hooves?
One more question; is a hybrid's magical "horse power" divided between thier two magics? like if you take Alula and a unicorn filly with the same level of magical power, will Alula only be able to pump half the power into her telekinesis as the pure unicorn?
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No, I do think there are some capable of it. But I think the total population of true hybirds in all of Equestria is, like, 30, at most.
Eh, Trixie wasn't looking for that. To be honest I just forgot to mention it, but it's not really relevant, either.
No, I don't think so. But, they have to split time learning both kinds of magic, so they tend to lag behind, and most tend to end up favoring one over the other just due to personal preference. But theoretically Alula could become just as good a flier as the average pegasus and just as good a spellcaster as the average unicorn (remembering that her spells will be limited to her special talent)
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Awesome. I love concise world building. What you and the others have created is interesting and beautiful and i am endlessly curious about it.
Just three final questions if i may:
1. What IS the color/pattern of a hybrid's magic when viewed with magic sight; an even mix (blue+pink=purple), swirled, distinct to body parts? What?
2. Will any other hybrids be spotlighted in your stories?
3. Do you think Fluttershy or Snowflake are hybrids?
I thank you for your patience with your readers.
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1. I think they're distinct, which can look really odd with earth pony/pegasi, since both of them exert their magic through their hooves.
2. No, probably not. There's just not that many of them, and the vast majority lead normal, uninteresting lives.
3. No, I think they're just pegasi with unusual talents (in Fluttershy's case) or builds (in Snowflake's).
3487017: It's worth mentioning that the Vault, which is discussed in 'Treasure City', has several hybrids.
Firelock and firecrackers, oh dear. Trixie getting golf baled in the head has got to hurt.
Uncle
___________
This is fun re-reading. Love how much of a pyro Firelock is. First she burnt down Town Hall, White Tail Woods, and allegedly set fire to Sweet Apple Acres [which explains the Fire Wards]. Now here comes Hearth's Warming Eve come early for her. Don't remember if she sets them off in the house or not.
Ah, the surreal fever dream sequence. Otherwise known as "par for the course" for Trixie.
I have experience with getting hit in the head with a golf ball. So I can sympathize with Trixie.
I have to wonder if RainbowDoubleDash has experience with getting hit in the head with a golf ball too. Because that description is relatively accurate to my experience. I didn't necessarily black out. But I remember losing my balance.
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Basketball, actually. Kicked at me accidentally while in gym class. Knocked my glasses clean off, would have looked great in a high school comedy movie. Oddly it actually didn't hurt all that much...never start with the head.