Chapter 48 - Rant
“And then Twilight said to be ready with the apples because of... Huh, come to think of it. I don’t get it! It was totally not gonna do anything!”
“Course it would’ve, Rainbow, if Ah hit him with a few apples it would distract him wouldn’t it?”
The pale moonlight reflected off the four ponies gathered in Fluttershy’s meadow. It seemed funny to Trixie that the last time she was out at night the moon had seemed such an enemy to her, lighting her up like a beacon while she made her escape. This time however, she was grateful for its light as she watched two of her friends bicker about whether or not a dragon could be hurt by apples.
“If he even feels it, yeah. But that’s not the point. Distracting him was Rarity’s and Pinkie’s job. So what was yours?”
“Look, why are ya picking on mah job? Yers was ta clear out ta smoke, and ya didn’t even need to.” Applejack huffed.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you were not supposed to feed them to him? I’m telling you. Why would Twilight say apples and not rocks?”
They are certainly animated, but in a strange way it’s… peaceful? Trixie was not sure how it worked, but she had not stopped smiling since the crazy story began. She gave a glance towards Fluttershy who sat closely beside her, softly giggling with the antics of the pair. The best sound in the world. I suppose that might help too. The tension Trixie had felt from Fluttershy before seemed gone, or perhaps she just could not detect it when she was not touching her.
She looked down at her tea mug. The water was barely warm anymore which was exactly what Trixie had been waiting for. She lifted the mug up shaky hooves, the gentle scent of raspberry wafted up from it. K-keep it steady, it won’t burn now if Trixie fails but… Without finishing the thought, Trixie felt her control on the mug slip away and quickly set it back down. Great.
“Huh, ya know maybe Ah was supposed ta do something like that.”
“I know right? Not that the plan even worked a bit like it was supposed to. It never does.”
Trixie sighed disappointed in herself, while she stared down at the filled bottom half of her mug then closed her eyes. Trixie will just try again in a few minutes, cold tea is fine too. The top half she had been able to drink by leaving the cup on the ground and leaning down, but she could not get to the rest like that unless the cup grew a couple of sizes to accommodate her muzzle.
“That still leaves ya with no actual job though.”
“Oh come on!”
The scent of raspberry became much stronger. Upon opening her eyes, Trixie discovered her tea mug being held up to her muzzle by Fluttershy. She wore a gentle, slightly apologetic smile, as if to excuse her unrequested interruption.
“Y-you don’t have to uhm… push yourself Trixie. It’s okay.”
“My job was to clear the smoke, I didn’t see any smoke so I was the only one that succeeded!”
“That’s what ya say bout weather patrol too, but it don’t mean ya did yer job just cause it didn’t need doing. In winter Ah don’t say Ah did my apple bucking just cause there’s no apples in the trees.”
Trixie looked from Fluttershy to the mug and back, then spared a quick glance at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who appeared to be still engrossed in their argument. “This is humiliating. The Great and Powerful Trixie can drink a cup of tea on her own.”
Fluttershy shrunk back. “Oh, sorry, I-I didn’t mean for… Sorry.”
“Ah wait! But Trixie will allow it, just for practice.” Quickly, she nodded a little at Fluttershy and brought her lips to the rim of the mug. She could not stop the burning feeling in her cheeks while Fluttershy tilted the mug slowly. The tea was practically cold, but Trixie did not care about that at all.
“Just for practice huh? Heh yeah right.”
Trixie froze at the sound Rainbow Dash’s patented teasing tone. She doubted it was aimed at Applejack anymore, and a quick look confirmed it as she found both of them looking at her and Fluttershy. The burning in her cheeks was even worse now.
“S-silence! You uhm ah, yes! Ponies who do not even work do not get to speak!”
“What! Why does everypony keep saying that, I totally work hard! Speaking of hard work, how nice of you to help Fluttershy practice hers, Trixie.” She grinned widely.
Applejack nudged Rainbow Dash in the ribs. “Hush! Ya ain’t getting out of this that easy. Ya wouldn’t know hard work if it poked ya in the ribs.”
“Hey, you work pretty hard. So you’re wrong hah!” Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry.
Trixie smirked and pointed a hoof at Rainbow Dash. “That’s hardly helping you. Trixie has not seen you do any work all week.”
“Oh as if you have!”
“Trixie is on the verge of dea—deeefinately getting material for a brand new show. What is your excuse?” She did her best to keep a good poker face. Nice save Trixie.
“Pfff like a show is any hard work. You just get on stage and show off for a living. I do that every day, for free!” Rainbow Dash puffed up her chest and spread her wings. “Nothing to it.”
“Well Ah reckon she’s got a point there, Trixie. But I’ve got ya both beat, Ah get ta strut mah stuff at the rodeo, AND bring back a prize in mah free time, then get back ta actual work. So Ah guess that means ya both have to be quiet as all ya do is show off.” Applejack laughed while Rainbow Dash tackled her silently with a mischievous grin that spoke to how clever she thought herself for finding the loophole.
Trixie watched the pair wrestle on the grass, realization setting in slowly. “You… you really think that don’t you? That there is nothing to what Trixie does?” From the corner of her eye she could see Fluttershy shaking her head, though she did not speak up. Trixie was not sure if it was because she was being shy or because Fluttershy considered her job as an animal caretaker not actual work.
Applejack and Rainbow paused to look towards Trixie.
“Gee when ya put it like that, Trixie. Ah am sure there’s plenty a pony that likes yer shows and thinks it’s worthwhile ta spend bits on. Ah ain’t saying yer job is no good. Just that it ain’t much work.” Applejack smiled at her, clearly thinking the clarification made it all better.
“Yeah, like I said. I do that kind of thing all day.”
“No, you don’t,” Trixie said coldly. Her tone appeared to catch the trio off guard. Trixie spared a moment to turn towards Fluttershy, and gave her a smile just to reassure her she was not upset with her, then returned to the pair lying on top of each other. “Putting on a show IS a lot of hard work. Trixie sees now why you thought it was okay to disrupt her performance.”
Trixie put on a deliberately bad accent, and waved her hoof dismissively. “It’s fiiine everypony, she is only showing off and didn’t put any actual work into this anyway. Right? It’s no more consequential than stepping in a puddle, nopony worked hard on it. It’s not as if she put months of preparation into that show and gambles her livelihood on it.”
“Oh come on, Trixie. It ain’t like that. You were being a boasting show off. If you’d been humble bout it nothing woulda happened.”
“And that makes it okay? You both do the same thing, every time Applejack says their apple products are the best or Rainbow Dash claims to the best flyer in Equestria. What is the difference?” Trixie struck her hoof back down to the ground. “Of course Trixie was boasting, it was a show! The whole idea is to work your audience and get them excited, get them invested! Make them crave you to show them what you can do!
“Trixie is not claiming she has the hardest job in Equestria, and she truly loves what she does, but it is a lot of work. Did you see Trixie’s stage? The one your unicorn friend so happily tore the curtain from? Trixie does not merely magic that into existence, it had to be made. Every decoration, instrument, and hinge. Not to mention maintained, deployed, put away and dragged from town to town by hoof. That thing is heavy!” She looked at Applejack in particular towards the end.
“That is how much work goes into just the stage. Trixie spends months practicing every part of her routine: stories, boasts, illusions, tricks, magic, music, moves, presence, articulation, timing. It all has to be perfect when Trixie is on stage. It is all necessary to build up Trixie’s audience, if she fails in any part of it the illusion is broken, and ponies lose their high. It is the difference between an enjoyable show and a tell-your-friends-and-take-them-to-the-next Great and Powerful Show!” A familiar dull painful pulse throbbed in her head, getting steadily worse, but she had come this far she might as well finish it.
“It never ends, and Trixie knows you can relate to this Rainbow Dash. Trixie can never be satisfied with just the things she already knows. She has keep improving, find new stories to tell, learn more magic, tailor her show to the taste of the area. And you know something else? Even if Trixie nails every single bit of that, it is still scary to go up there on stage and face a whole crowd of strange ponies that are waiting to judge you, but you have to be or at least appear completely confident the whole time! It is the worst every time in those last few minutes leading up to when you have to step through that curtain, let alone when you have to deal with hecklers.
“But, Trixie would not trade it for the world. It… it…” She started to stumble over her words as she noticed the world had gone fuzzy before her eyes and shook her head. “It’s something… Agh.” There was no ignoring it any longer, the dull pain had worked its way up to a burning sear through her own foolishness. Trixie swayed and brought up a hoof to her temple, hissing softly as she closed her eyes.
“Hey! Trixie, are you okay?”
“Ya alright there, Sugarcube?”
Trixie was just about to lay down in the grass to prevent herself from suffering a fall, when she felt something wrap tightly around her, it was so wonderfully soft and warm. Trixie recognized it immediately, or who rather.
It did not take much time for her mind to clear as she only had one thought left in it. …This is wonderful. Trixie squinted, and was greeted by the blurry sight of pink and yellow, confirming her suspicion. She shifted her hooves away from her head and around Fluttershy, holding on tightly while her headache gradually faded. It might not have truly been any faster of a recovery than Trixie could have managed on her own, but it was one she infinitely more enjoyed. This is wonderful.
Trixie was not entirely sure how much time had passed, she was fairly sure she had been conscious the entire time though, it was just that she lost track of the seconds while in the embrace. By the time she started to become aware that she might have to let go at some point, her headache had already disappeared. Reluctantly, Trixie pulled away from Fluttershy and looked into her eyes. “Thank you.”
Fluttershy looked right back at her and smiled. “Oh, you’re welcome. Are you feeling better now Trixie?” She slowly withdrew and sat back down on her old spot beside her.
“Yeah is everything okay Trixie? Look uh, you were right okay?”
“Yup, we get it now don’t you worry Trixie. Sorry and all. Are you feeling alright?”
Trixie still felt a little dazed, but she was pretty sure they were all trying hard to appease her and not cause her any further stress. Even if her ranting had convinced any of them she was not going to find out now. It annoyed her to know they were going so easy on her, but at the same time it also gave her a bit of warmth.
“Trixie is fine now. You girls… are such foals. Thank you.” She gave a smile at the trio for a moment. “Now tell Trixie about this dragon, no more stalling!”
Rainbow Dash was quick to jump on it, seemingly as eager for a change of subject as Trixie herself. “Right! So after Twilight gave Applejack here the task of feeding the dragon if it was grumpy when it woke up, which is total nonsense cause dragons don't eat apples, just ask Spike wh—”
“Gosh darnit, Rainbow!”
I wonder if I will ever hear the end of this story.
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Good show, Trixie.
And it's less a question of 'if', it's a question of many different endings she'll get. I'm sure at least one will have Dash going Super Saiyan.
4368089
The latest episode makes that so much more plausible.
Yes, Trixie! Tell it like it is! Find enemies, prove them wrong before everypony and listen to the lamentation of their supporters!
Corrections;
'Nice safe Trixie.' should be 'Nice save Trixie.'
'Her tone appeared to catch the trio off-guard.' should be 'Her tone appeared to catch the trio off guard.'
'Trixie see’s now' should be 'Trixie sees now'
remove the quotation mark at the end of 'Make them crave you to show them what you can do!”' since the next lines are said by the same speaker,
and
Fimfiction doesn't show a skipped line between '“Hey! Trixie, are you okay?”' and '“Ya alright there Sugarcube?”'
Comments;
It just means Luna was checking you out.
I see what you did there.
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Dang you are prolific this weekend!
I'm glad you appear to having a lot of fun with this.
I think I may have to deviate from my original plan of using your reviews while I rewrite the earlier chapters, and just blaze through them correcting only the things you point out, or I will may never catch up.
Thanks again for all your effort!
Thank you. Thank you for having Trixie explain what she goes through before, during, and after a show. Thank you.
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You're most welcome.
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Edit: Loved this chapter. Good to see that Trixie finally tells how hard it is to be a showmare. And at least they get a little understanding on how ig plot heads they were. With approrpiate examples of their own shaowmareship [sports orientated] it is, and how bad they were bucking up. At least before she passed out. Not to mention she's yet to talk about the horrendous child neglect of Ponyvilian parents and how it was their fault mostly.
Can't wait for that part ot come out. Although Iwonder if Celestia will ever do anything about the horrible parenting and teacher skills that riddle her nation. Trixie's and Cloudsdales teachers, lots of runaways ... even among the Mane 6 ad ponies we see in canon. But yeah good chapter. Was glad I got to this.
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Nah! Twilight went Super Sayjin [like she did on the Pinkie Sense episode], but couldn't stop the ferocious dragon. So she begged the Awesome, and most amazing pony in all of Equestria [not to mention best looking] to fuse with her. Of course being the Element of Loyalty how could she say no? So they fused and became a giant flaming, rainbow colored Alicorn. Who shot meteors from their eyes, and lightning ... no lava lightning explosions, from her hooves.
But alas they, against all odds were no match for the dragon. Who was made of Orachilum, and wore an enchanted suit of armor ... with spikes wearing kittens on it's shoulders. Then out of no where, Fluttershy used her magic Vampony powers to hyponotize it. And then it exploded into rainbows and butterflys.
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Welcome to the rant chapter, you got here quick!
Good to hear that you had as much satisfaction reading as I did in writing. The hardest part was not to go overboard, so I had to put a restraint on how much she could talk about in one sitting. Otherwise, this chapter might have been three times as long, and that probably wasn't realistic.
I suppose it is pretty low on the priority list since things work out the vast majority of the time.
Sorry that I haven't picked this up in awhile. Awesome chapter, I absolutely love how caring Fluttershy is in this chapter with the whole cup thing. Hearing Trixie's side of things is always nice too. I feel really bad for Trixie though, so far she has spent almost the entire story with a concussion. Great chapter, I hope that I can catch up soon. XD
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Heck with the pace you are updating your own stories at I am shocked you find time to eat, let alone read other stories.
Trixie has a pretty rough time *cough*Understatement*cough*, but at least she gets Fluttershy's care to make up for it a little bit.
Thanks for the comment.
Technically, aren't puddles the result of dozens of cumulative hours of work by the weather team?
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In a sense, yes. Though as a by-product you could argue nobody specifically tried to make that happen?
Ah
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Trixie's rant is Best Rant.
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4368089
While I can't argue with a few points she made, the problem lies in this question:
The difference is that they can back it up with their own talents.
Yes, RD can be a loudmouth bragger, but if she brags about something, she brags within her own talent range. Trixie however brags outside of it and never owns up to it.
While I understand the whole "traveler spreading tall tales" thing being part of her act, she loses sympathy points because of her "anything you can do I can do better" challenge.
Yes, they could've just walked away… wait scratch that, AJ and RD could've walked away, Trixie knowingly goaded Rarity into the challenge. The problem is that the only one she genuinely bested was AJ, when RD did her flying tricks all she did was attack her with her own rainbow, when Rarity made a beautiful dress all she did was turn her hair into a rats nest. That doesn't count as "beating them", that's just cheating to weasel your way out of your own challenge. If you say "anything you can do I can do better" you're expected to own up to that challenge.
I'm not saying Trixie deserved to get her home destroyed, but she did need a nice big slice of humble pie.
Bottom Line:
When you boast, it's better to boast about things you can actually accomplish, and when you challenge someone, you don't back out of it by embarrassing said challenger, that doesn't make you better it just makes you look pathetic cheater.
There are two types of braggers, those who talk the talk and those who walk the walk. AJ, RD and Twi can at least walk, and while Trixie being all talk is technically part of her job, she took it too far at a few points.
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Actually she never started the whole "Anything you can do I can do better" until RD, AJ, Rarity, and Spike's heckling was distracting her show. Which by the way was a pay by donation set up. Since anyone could go without paying admission. So her livlihood and the ability to survive monetarily from town to town was tied to how much bits she got after her shows.
And if you re-watch the episode. Pretty much the second the show started. Spike gave Trixie lip, with Rarity joining in shortly after. Then RD and AJ did so even more boisterously. What she was doing was dealing with Hecklers in a way that would not only get attention back to the show, but was in a way that she had used in other places that would get her a good financial return / investment from the audience (which if you see the show again works like a charm. Since the audience ate it up.).
And while a bit over the top, is pretty tame to the way other entertainers have dealt with Hecklers, and much more amusing. Although probably not in anyones top 10 list. But her "bragging out of her skill range" doesn't stop the fact that she turned what her hecklers were most proud of against them in an entertaining way.
I like this explanation it makes a lot of sense, Trixie works hard to make it all work.
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Go back and rewatch first and second again.
Trixie is an antaganost character of the time when FiM actually feel like proper fantasy shows and friendship lessons are the main focus. None of them are perfect or the greatestest.
I'm glad to see a story actually defend Trixie's job instead of just making her apologize. It's also funny because the mare do well situation is almost the same thing.