This story is a sequel to There's No Place Like Home
Since she was born, Trixie believed she would achieve greatness, but life had always conspired against her with setbacks. First, she was forced to drop out of school. Then her reputation was ruined, and next she fell under the influence of a dark magical artifact. Finally, her father was killed in a tragic incident.
Years later, the taint of the Alicorn Amulet is gone, but having felt the power of Princesses once before, Trixie hungers for it yet again, and she takes to exploring Equestria. With her will renewed, Trixie is ready to let the dice roll, knowing there will be no third chance if she fails. In Phantasia, a mare shall defy destiny.
Begins in media res. Absolutely no knowledge required out of the prequel, but one small plot point will be spoiled by Chapter 2 (Midsummer). Ignores post-Season 4. Cover Art by Malifikyse
I'm sold.
Well, Luna's own mark is a crescent moon. Why would she have a crescent moon if crescent moons don't actually exist in Equestria?
7197772 I think of the crescent moon in-universe as simply being a stylised symbol of the real thing. After all, Celestia and Sunset Shimmer's Cutie Marks are of a sun with numerous 'spokes' coming off of it, but the actual sun is always a simple round object. Alternatively, if it's in your headcanon that Equestria, the moon and the sun obeyed real-world orbital dynamics before some cataclysm that required ponies to raise the sun and moon, then there would've been a lunar cycle in early history.
So far I like this story and I hope that Trixie succeeds in her ascension . ^^
It's too bad that the Crystal Heart ended up being pretty pointless, but I guess that would have been a little too easy. I think you're doing well with your inter-character banter, which is cool, and I look forward to seeing what it looks like when more characters are involved.
As a point of gripe, I like that you remember that Trixie sometimes speaks in the third person when excited or distracted, but I don't feel like you have to call it out immediately every time through Noire (at least, I feel like you've done that a lot comparatively). Let it naturally slip in and out on occasion to mark a pointed change in her mood and let Noire point it out or not depending on her own or how much she's paying attention. Likewise, it doesn't always have to be pointed out in a way that interrupts Trixie midspeech. I can see that Noire is pretty blunt and straightforward, but even so it feels too rude to me for her to break the flow of conversation. But that's just my opinion! I may have forgotten something mentioned previously or not have as solid an understanding of the characters as I thought.
I'm pretty interested in this next fated encounter that brings us closer to the first chapter. I'm dying to see what's going on in Trixie's head in the future, so watching her evolve now is pretty interesting.
Thank you for the chapter! Eagerly awaiting the next one /two.
7229238 Thanks for the review. I will give a longer response on the thread itself in the next day or so.
7234522 Thanks for the feedback, it's especially useful. As a writer I have a little bit of a bias with character relations since how I view them in my head is more 'evolved' than to a reader, since all a reader has is the words I've written down, while I have more than that. Noire and Trixie are childhood friends who've been separated for a while but have spent a few months together since, so while it's definitely rude of Noire to interrupt like that, it's within their character dynamic to poke and prod at one another like that.
The Crystal Heart as a plot device for Changelings to feed off of gets overused in my opinion. I dislike it and so I flipped it around, but I run with the idea to at least get Trixie and Noire up to the Crystal Empire for this arc. I outlined basically every big event in this story prior to writing it, so that first chapter will make more sense and little things start to add up as each arc is published.
Interesting concept about the windigo fossils you have here. Carry on the good work.
Wouldn't Shining Armor, being military himself have done an inspection of the borders, military forts or at the very least talked to the returning troops about the situation, basically get a sitrep? I wonder why he didn't do so as clearly there is a problem here, sure not an all hands on deck problem but something one would want some troops near not a skeleton force.
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I think it's because just like humans, peonies can be discriminatory. I mean, ponyville banished trixie because snips and snails brought the ursa-minor into town? They didn't really get any punishment. Shining Armor might not be aware of it. If your doing something wrong, it does make more sense to keep the higher ups out of the picture.
also favoriting. I like the new light this is casting Trixie in. I always thought however that Twilight was just a tad more stuck up then Trixie ever was, in her own
Bretty gud
Good stuff
Strange to start farther into the story than the next chapter is. Here's hoping the story gets farther than the first chapter is. Otherwise reading it is going to be tedious. Kind of like spoilers really...
The sun isn't a simple round object though, even if we can't see why. If you consider the coronal mass ejections (cme) then it's really not quite spherical. In any case if Equestria's sun merely emits light and heat, etc then the swirls/spokes could be seen as representing that.
If one wanted to world build then Luna or someone else might have invented the phases of the moon for some reason or purpose, perhaps to keep ponies mindful of the energy fluctuations you mention. Frankly though, most of the 'facts' out there are fan canons. The show doesn't really go into that much detail. I think you'd have to resort to an Occam's razor esque approach to make appearances into fact.
Hmm... I don't agree with Trixie magic theory. What she's doing is clearly a transmutation spell rather then illusion. However any sorcerer (not academic wizard) will tell you that magic isn't black and white nor does it have boundaries in which is what. That's simple done for the ease of mind to comprehend what it is. It's need to put everything inside boxes that such a system as classes in magic is even created. In other words some spells blur the boundary between Transmutation and Illusion. This was clearly the case here.
If Trixie continues this path in her magical development then she will understand a universal truth. There are no classes in the end magic is just magic and spells only ease the path to cast it. In otherwords a being that becomes in total enlightenment in the arcana no longer need spells only will to do so. This is the ultimate achievement a sorcerer can reach. Willing magic without spell in doing what the caster desire simple by tapping the flow and guiding into its results.
Well enough about magic theory. Now for the chapter. I have no problem reading big chapters such as these. Overall it was entraining that in my opinion it fell that here and it reduced a bit of its overall pace. Perhaps a bit more open dialogue rather then inner dialogue could solve it. But this is just a minor nitpick and it was in my opinion a very good chapter. Keep on the good work.
Yay! All of the stories I'm reading are updating at the same time. It's a conspiracy I tells ya.
Anyway just wanted to say that your story is intriguing and the way you portray magic is very different but nice all the same. And I definitely like red as a character. He has a depth to him that you can feel without us having been around him for long. Welp, thats all I have for you today. Thank you for giving me something interesting to read.
Okay I wonder how they will be received by the chancelings.
7252637 Yes, it's been an idea I kicked around for a bit. As world-building lore it's plausible in a world of magic and as an obstacle it worked out fairly well.
7253642 Shining Armor is most likely bogged down by paperwork, and other duties as Prince. As The Crystalling shows (though I had this story plotted out before Season 6 aired), it's not like the Empire even has a plausible evacuation plan.
7344733 The in media res device is something I talked over with two people about. I refrain from mentioning too much, though you'll obviously recognise bits and pieces if you reread the first chapter after going through the rest of the story. As an earlier comment states and my author note in the second chapter states, (most of) the rest of the story is building up to what turned Trixie into her incarnation in the beginning chapter.
7350995 Good to hear your thoughts about Red, since he's obviously going to be in the next chapter.
Good joke with the voice. Perhaps you could go as far as making Queen Chrysalis Trixie aunt because of their similar voice. That would be a barrels of laughs to read about. XD
This version of Chrysalis seems far more helpful and far less malevolent and manipulative than usual. Does she has a bigger role in this story?
What she was planning to archieve with the invasion anyway? A kingdom ruled by fear and hatred is the last thing changelings would want?
I noticed that you indeed seem too struggle writing this Character through your writting. Personally I think you should have split this chapter so that you could pace the character interactions a bit better. But overall a good chapter in my opinion keep on the good work.
I really like your view on changeling culture and I especially liked the way they do mushroom farming. Most people neglect food sources other than emotions. Please keep doing what you are doing because I really need more stories that keep me as entertained as yours.
Also just a side note, Three comments!
7411485 Thanks. I'm curious. Would you think that Red Wings' development would feel a lot better if the text was the exact same as it was, but the chapter split in two to provide a more natural 'divide' to the reader, with the first half ending after his conversation with Trixie in the library? (This would put the first chapter at about 13k words and the second at 9k)
I've decided I will split this chapter and the last chapter of Stasis within the next couple of days.
7411890 Thanks, much appreciated. Something I've enjoyed writing in this story so far is describing the disparate cultures that don't commonly seem to get more than a surface glance in other fics - the Crystal Ponies from their being out of time, Dodge Junction since it's canonically next to the Badlands, and a changeling hive itself.
7411321 Her desire was as she said in canon, to gather love for her subjects. As it says in the text (albeit mixed in with tens of thousands of other words), post-invasion Dodge Junction has been more freely outgoing in camaraderie and neighborly love, sorely aware that doing so may help prevent or mitigate another invasion of Canterlot.
Chrysalis at the supper was originally going to run a lot harder deal, but then her mood changes completely upon finding out Iceheart fought Windigos. As has been repeated multiple times in the story thus far, Changelings didn't like Windigos, and Chrysalis has a respect for Iceheart as a result. Finding out Trixie helped destroy the ice basically drastically alters the arithmetic for Chrysalis, where she has a greater chance of coming out on top by giving Trixie what she wants.
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I hope you will eventually clarify the reason Twilight was ordered to prevent Trixie from ascending, even by killing her. We didn't see Trixie doing anything nefarious to archieve the alicornication, and Twilight doesn't give any reason besides "it was not in her destiny".
Was it because the Alicorn Amulet?
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Indeed it would help. But what I think would also help if perhaps you should add a little bit of jealously in Red Wings character. Not true jealously but very subtle one. Of course the jealously I'm talking about is aimed towards everything flies around him as it would constantly remind him what he has lost. But make it so he hides it very well that it isn't noticeable at all, perhaps going so far that he even fools himself that he isn't jealous. If you would add that it would make Red Wing a bit more fleshed out as a character and more understandable.
This is of course friendly advice and you as the writer has the final say in it.
Did enjoy
Reeeespect, this is unfortunately one, underappreciated story and i am so glad i found it.
Can't wait to see what happens next.
Oh bother, i had to re-read the story again. I got hooked bad. May the Hammer Of Inspiration(+5) strike you true my good man, cuz this story needs to be told.
Very nice. I've seldom seen such elegant, yet simple to read script used. The entire battle was easy to envision. I look forward to seeing how Trixie evolves from here. Thanks for sharing.
Really like the world building you do here.
After reading the rest of the story and then re-reading this chapter again Im still confused as fug but I somehow get the feeling that this isn't the end for Trixie. Though I may be wrong but tis just a feeling in my gut.
Can't wait for more
7728205 I accidentally hit the Publish button on the next chapter in case you (or anyone else who saw that and is seeing this comment) is reading this, but have it Unpublished now. The next chapter should be up in the next day or so anyways, though.
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I guess that's the reason this story went into Featured box right now.
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Noice, this story deserves more views tbh.
more ?
7735948 I'll Have Another
(horse joke ftw)
Wow ! My wish came true!
Oh my gosh, you just made me so happy with this update!
So now we get to know more about the next member of the team.
How did I not know of this story?
*track*
To. Ma. To. Yay
Yes one of my favourite stories got a new chapter!
I think you mean Manechester?
7727801 I hope you are right, Trixie has earned a better ending.
7739322 Yes. I caught myself writing 'Manehatten' instead of 'Manechester' several times, too, but I corrected all those before publishing
7738046 I'll Have Another (hurray for repeating a horse joke)
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Well, when originally plotting this story out, I ran the plot outline over with two people. While they liked it, they were both iffy about this chapter because of the in media res structure. It has its strengths and its weaknesses. While this chapter won't completely make sense until the rest of Trixie's story leading up to it has been revealed, it slowly opens up in bits and pieces with each arc that gets published. Twilight mentions multiple ponies at the start of her narrative, and I think by now you can pick out who several of them are (as well as the red pegasus who hasn't been identified by name in the first part of the chapter
).
Good to see Trixie getting her groove back.
And two updates in such short time? I think christmas came early.
I already had a suspicion that Cockatrices were involved when in the previous chapter it ended with the line. "That's no statue." None the less another great chapter and so fast compared to the last.
Welp... Its past midnight and i just saw the update. Ah well, sleep is for the weak.
7346000 The end results are the same, but there are limits to Transmutation magic where as there are nearly none with Illusion.
Here's what I mean as an example. A Transformation would take 6 rocks and turn them into mice. Trixie's illusions (If she got creative enough) could trick reality into thinking 6 mice had always existed there, basically creating life.
What's more, Transmutation is changing a Physical object, into another Physical object. But an illusion is about bring Ideas into the Physical world.
In some ways, this makes 'Illusion magic' the most powerful branch of magic, as it can will into existence the other magical branches. This is actually seen in Dungeons and Dragons. More clearly, in the game Neverwinter Nights 2. There are high level 'Illusion' spells, that make a 'shadow copy' of other spells from other branches of magic. Such as Fireballs, and some buff spells. Bringing illusions to life.
There is also a far more darker side of it. Namely, in theory, you would be able to create the illusion that somepony couldn't do magic, and they would be unable to do it. A good example of this, is in the Fanfiction story 'The Star In Yellow', in which Twilight believes to give up her horn and magic to an entity no one can see as it's all in her head. We know this cause she is confronted shortly after, but never uses her magic because she believes mentally that she can't. Illusion magic would be able to have this effect people, in theory.
What you're saying about "Willing magic without spell in doing what the caster desire simple by tapping the flow and guiding into its results." This is basically Illusion magic mastered. Not all other magic schools, just illusion magic. They would be able to will their illusions, their ideas, into existence. They would be even more powerful than Gods in DnD, cause they would be able to will that a god wasn't a god, and in fact was a mortal, and reality would make it so.