• Member Since 29th Apr, 2012
  • offline last seen Jan 12th, 2019

D G D Davidson


D. G. D. is a science fiction writer and archaeologist. He blogs on occasion at www.deusexmagicalgirl.com.

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Source

After Princess Celestia appoints Twilight Sparkle and her friends to be ambassadors to Earth, they decide to introduce themselves to the humans by appearing in a horse show, but they need someone to get them ready. They call on Megan, the legendary warrior who guarded ponykind in days of yore. Megan has banished or slain countless demons, but can she convince the ponies to hold still long enough for her to braid their manes?

This crosses over with G1, but should be accessible to all.


Featured on Equestria Daily!

Featured in The Royal Guard.

Now with its own TVTropes page!

Editing and fact-checking by Horsegirl123. Additional editing by Portmeirion.

Big thanks to Trinityinyang for the cover art!

Chapters (7)
Comments ( 684 )

I'll admit, I have no familiarity at all with G1, but this fic looks like fun. Seems to have a lot more potential for dramatic depth than the cover image and description suggest (though I'm hoping it still delivers some cute brushie-brushie action). Gonna have to follow this one.

Also, kudos for the Gulliver's Travels allusion. Why did I never make that connection myself? :facehoof:

1866185

I tried that connection with Gulliver's Travels in a ham-handed way in an earlier story, but I like this better. I'm particularly struck by Swift's description of the Houyhnhnms using their pasterns as hands, and I think from now on I'm going to describe the ponies so using their pasterns, rather than their hooves, as an homage.

I don't think the ponies using their hooves in this way really became a thing until after G1, though.

(And yes, the brushie-brushie is coming!)

So... another G1/G4 crossover with G1 coming before G4.... might give it a shot

That is one hell of a start, though I wonder what Twilight was thinking about revealing the Ponies at a 4H competition.

Hmm... not what I expected given the description. Seems Equestria has a darker history, according to Megan.

1866294>>1866224

Thanks to both of you for giving it a chance. My usual shtick is to take silly premises and then squeeze as much drama out of them as I can. Admittedly, this means the cover and the contents often don't match.

1866316
I think I'm one of the few bronies that acknowledges the existence of the previous generations and seeing how they all can cross is interesting. And yes I have watched Tirek and his deeds

Fuck yea Megan was the boss back in the day.

Not stupid, Megan, they're just very, very naive... Even after everything that happened to them over the past five millennia, they still believe that, on the balance of probabilities, people would want to make peace. I just wish they were right.

I'm wondering if the Locket would have done anything significant, though. The Windigoes were a symptom of a very profound crisis in Pony society, something that I don't think the Rainbow of Light could have fixed, only possibly postponed. A crisis postponed is too often a crisis worsened. Of course, Megan probably only knows the vaguest aspects of the history of Equestria and the pre-Equestrian tribes of the Paradise Estate.

I'll be very interested, if Twilight gets around to telling her story, if she and Megan will explore together the origins of the Elements of Harmony and their apparent precursor the Fire of Harmony. I'm wondering if Moochick... or Starswirl as Twilight knows him... could make as many magical doomsday weapons as he wanted.

Aww, yeah!

Gotta say I loved pretty much every minute and your notes might just make me sit down with MLPnF now.

"Zebrabwe" I like that name much more that "Zebrika":rainbowwild:

I'm looking forward for more:eeyup:

1866796

I think I stole Zebrabwe, though I don't remember from whom. I think Shinzakura might call it "Zebrababwe" in All-American Girl.

1867615
I see some other mixes there, it-s pretty entertaining :rainbowkiss:

I love G1 and G4 crossovers. This one is interesting, so far.

Hmm, you have my following sir.

Although I must say that you could have used more filler between the time when Megan picks up her little sister and when Twilight arrives.

Hee.

I'm liking this. Smooth dialogue, good grammar, good pacing. And enough exposition that someone without knowledge of G1 can follow this fic.

Also, G4 ponies at a 4H show. G4 ponies wearing halters or bridles please.

Yeah, Rainbow Dash does take the 'tomboy' thing a bit too far sometimes. I think it's believable that she'd neglect it to the point where it risks her health out of fear of looking 'sissy'. I wonder if she has some bad experience with this sort of thing - maybe got laughed out of the prom at Flight School or something for not pulling off looking pretty. Still, if there's anything Megan's good at, it's this. If Rarity thinks its good, I'd take her word for it. :raritystarry:

FWIW...? This is a dumb idea; incredibly dumb. The Equestrians don't even look like Earth equines with their coat colours, larger brain-cases and binocular eyes. Unless Megan and the Mane Six jumps the back-stage crew and keeps them under lock-and-key, Molly and Rainbow won't even get as far as the show floor. If they do get to the show floor, though, I'm not sure how well they'll do. Dressage is hard enough with an Earth equine who might have his or her own view about what they want to do. Rainbow is a full-blown sapient and a stunt-mare with a notoriously strong will. I'm not sanguine about her ability to work with Molly as a part of a team.

That blimp...? Megan must live a long way away from civilisation for the Pony airship not to have been spotted from miles away and drawing a response.

I think Megan is worrying a bit too much about the potential safety of the ponies. Yes, there are risks but they are manageable at this stage. I think that those fears are infecting her subconscious and her behaviours too.

It looks like you did your research on equestrian activities and horse care.

I have a feeling Rarity's gonna love the grooming.

And Mane Six wearing tack. Me gusta! :rainbowkiss:

1872235

When I decided to write pony fan fiction, I immediately started studying horse anatomy, reading articles on horse care, and watching videos on the same. I had assumed that was common, but then I had readers, including EqD pre-readers, telling me to tone down the technical details.

1872246, ehh, it's an easter egg for those into the stuff.

Though I have to admit, you do need to strike a balance. Your story kinda lean towards the "Tom Clancy" side (excessive) when it comes to things like that.

Honestly I never thought about how messed up and irresponsible it was to trick or kidnap a little kid to face potentially lethal forces. The worst part is, tons of kids shows pulled this device! It was like the main characters couldn't save themselves without a 'chosen one' who had to be a human kid and/or his/her annoying siblings/friends.

1873209

Personally, I love that trope in kids' shows. The idea, of course, is that every kid watching the show yearns to be the girl who gets carried away to a magical world by a winged pony, or else the young boy whose awesome dad is a globetrotting scientist who lets his son tag along and use loaded firearms.

Still, even though allowing children into dangerous adult situations where they somehow excel even though they should more realistically fold like soggy pancakes is a time-honored trope, it has high deconstruction potential. My novel in progress, Rag & Muffin, is in its entirety an effort to screw around with this trope.

Ah, an excellent chapter! The back-and-forth between Megan and RD impresses me the most, I think, but there are plenty of other things to love. You’ve done an admirable job of balancing the cute, funny bits with the drama, and weaving it all together seamlessly. I was able to move from one mood to the next as I read and it never felt jarring. The tone is serious enough that Megan’s angst doesn’t feel inappropriate, but not so serious that it takes the fun out of grooming a magical cartoon pony.

This is a very minor issue, but I think Pinkie’s few lines of dialogue were a bit too bland and too generic. If you’re going write a chapter about her, be sure spice up her lines with more colorful details.

At any rate, this was fantastic, even better than I expected. I eagerly await the next installment.

1873662

I sweated over this thing, so your comments are quite gratifying. Obviously, Pinkie's dialogue is not important to this chapter, but I may revisit it if I can come up with a way to improve it.

You may be pleasantly surprised by what I have in store for Pinkie. Her chapter will be a major shift for the story, at least if I can pull it off. Most of the "X Time for Ponies" stories (which this is an attempt to subvert) start off with Pinkie, but I'm saving her for later because of her importance.

AWESOME!:rainbowdetermined2: But I think Megan is, at the moment, a bit too much paranoic, just saying.:twilightoops:


I imagine Fluttershy will be more tamed, but still will make it for an interesting chapter

1877423

AWESOME! But I think Megan is, at the moment, a bit too much paranoic, just saying.

I think the rest of the cast would agree! :twilightblush:

Hi Deej, I'm stopping by. I know you didn't enter this one, but you posted it on the board, so I thought I'd take a crack at editing and giving out my comments. Did you know that if you collect 100 of my comments and show me the punch card, you are entered in a drawing for free air? Act now, and I'll also throw in some bonus dust! Won't that impress people?:pinkiehappy: I'm not going to do both chapters for contest editing, cause I want to save some for the others, but I do plan on finishing them.
Edits HO!
With a stack of textbooks clasped to her chest, Molly stood in the berm in the midst of a knot of her girlfriends and jabbered away. : Remove the berm part, Mostly because I believe that word is incorrectly used.

She slid a hand to her breast and felt under her shirt to make sure the locket was still there. Usually, lockets on necklaces sit in the center of your chest. Unless you just want us to think she is groping herself, you might want to change that to neckline instead of breast.

That's it for chapter 1, and I can't wait till Tom shows in the Hobbit Trilogy(Darn them for milking our money)

1884976

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll take them.

The word berm, as I understand it, is correct here; I've placed the Williams (??? TVTropes says that's their last name, so it must be true . . . ) family ranch in Oklahoma, and according to my research, that strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street is called the berm in that region. However, it's confusing, so I'll remove it. And yes, I really do look up stuff like that while I'm writing.

I also agree that the other sentence you point to can be misread as self-groping. I'll change it.

Thanks for bringing your keen eye to this tale, but, tssk, I set the story only five years after the events of My Little Pony n' Friends and you didn't even mention the anachronistic wind turbines? I'm afraid you may be slipping, my friend.

This is amazing!

I love the way you write the ponies' voices. I love the detail you put into Rainbow's grooming. I love the pony history. I love Megan's weird ambiguous melancholy. This is the best, most unexpected thing I've read in a week! I love it! :twilightblush:

1922960

Thank you. Chapter 3 will be up soon, I hope.

I'm enjoying this immensely, especially the nods to Swift.

Man this story is amazing so far. Can not wait to see where it goes.

Yes the technical details do get annoying, but one thing you could do is have some sort of reference on them.

Nice so far. Reminds me a bit of Grossman's The Magicians, in its exploration of (not to spoil overmuch) the real psychological damage that comes from being a fictional children's hero. Also, your protagonist is really quite appealing in a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" way. I've got No familiarity with G1, other than the vague notion that, yes, it was shockingly grim at times, so good job with the stealthy hand-holding for the newbies among us.

1923292

I've been working on a novel, under the working title of Rag & Muffin, that deals with the psychological damage that comes of being a magical girl's sidekick, but after Puella Magi Madoka Magica, my idea's not original anymore. Of course, it wasn't quite original in the first place.

G1's Megan appeals to me with her surprising toughness and cleverness. One of her first acts after arriving in Ponyland is to fistfight bare-handed with a dragon. No kidding. Typically, her methods involve ingenuity or deus ex machina, but she can throw down when she has to. She's plainly a skilled rider even in the show, and since she's a farm girl, I assume she can also drive a tractor, shoot a gun, throw a rope, and perform other similar tasks.

1923399

...Megan took on a dragon mano a mano weaponless?...G1 was considered kiddy because?

:moustache:

1923419
Well, she took a swing at the dragon. It didn't do much good, as you probably expect, but that is what she did. (And this was an adult dragon, not a baby dragon like Spike. It was a bit bigger than a car or van, IIRC.)

OMG I always knew someone would get Rainbow Dash to get that hooficure! Anyways, I love psychology, always have, so this is really interesting! I also happen to be very familiar to G1 having grown up with it, so when I first saw this on Equestria Daily, I knew I had to read it.

And you didn't disappoint! I can understand where the paranoia would be coming from, having killed things at such a young age and having the ponies be so reliant on her. I scrolled around the comments and others seem to have the same critique. There are some things that are not technical enough and some that are too technical. Mind you, if you get too technical, I as a reader will either be confused and move on or have the urge to look it up, interrupting the story (assuming I didn't know it). One of the not so technical ones is the part where Megan will hide the ponies. I understand she lives on a farm, but at this point, a huge air ship is bound to draw attention and pastel ponies in a horse show would get kicked out I think. Don't you have to register or something? Eh, whatever. Details, details.

Anyways this is really interesting and I hope to continue! :pinkiehappy:

P.S. Don't you hate it when you have an original idea and someone else does it first and you look like you're copying? v-v I hate that.

The real reason Firefly never showed up again was twofold: Budget and the Toy-driven nature of the show.

Budget prevented them from keeping both Sandy Duncan (Firefly) and Tony Randall (The Moochik) in the cast.

By the time the Catrina special aired, they'd stopped making Firefly toys, and they wanted to push the current set of toys.

1923624

Badass attempt is still badass, most would just run and hide.

Pretty good. btw does anyone else remember how there a mirror from a g1 book that creates pony children, well i think it's frozen mirror pool water strengthen to be less chaotic and create smart YOUNG duplicates (Instead of those no smarter than a video games AI as seen with the pinkie clones.)

I wonder if you will have megan have them say that humanity is not peaches and cream (Wondering if she should mentionstuff like world war 2 and the likes)

1923794

I was unaware of that book. Maybe that explains why all the baby ponies look like exact duplicates of their mothers. Since they have no stallions around (except the big brothers, who apparently spend most of their time running around the world or something), I figured the G1 ponies must reproduce through cloning.

1923664

Oh, yes, but, you know, fansaving . . .

In fact, I don't think any of the ponies from Rescue at Midnight Castle show up in Escape from Catrina, even though the ponies are having a welcome back party for Megan. G1 really cycled through the characters in order to give maximum exposure to the toys, with the result that, sadly, only a few of the pony characters become memorable.

1923906 OH yeah, (Btw i meant comic1 not book my bad) you see My Little Pony refers to two different comics based on the original My Little Pony comics that ran in the UK during The Eighties.

The first comic, simply called My Little Pony, came out in 1985. An issue came out every two weeks. The next comic, "My Little Pony And Friends" (not to be confused with the American cartoon of the same name), came out two years later. It was twice the price and came out every two months however it had more pages.

For the most part the comics were more Slice of Life themed then the western cartoons and Megan wasn't in the comics. Many characters also have very different personalties from My Little Pony And Friends. It was not uncommon to see illustrated stories in the comics. The comics typically used vector artwork instead of original drawings for most characters.

NOTE not to be confused with IDW My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic which is out on itunes.

Wow, now that was quite an opening. I am glad that I saw this on EQD and I decided to go it a read.

So, Megan and her family were from Oklahoma in G1? That's a detail I haven't ever seen mentioned before.

Of all the G1 villains, only the Witches, Hydia & her daughters, got a second crack at the ponies. Everyone else got zorched. Porcina got crystalized, Grogar banished, etc. Never mind that the entire planet was trying to kill you anwyays.

It seems that Ponyland was a dark place before the ponies came and made it all shiny and bright. And it just kept trying to turn itself back to crap.

1923906
Here's a link to the mirror story.

Some other fun stories are:
Applejack's Amazing Adventure (Trust me, read this one. G1!AJ has an major CMOA in here.)
A Worrying Time
The Trolls and the Castle of Darkness (one of my favorites. Also, you get to see Majesty in action!)
The Uninvited Guest (G1!Twilight was rather OP too.)
Baby Lucky Disobeys (Why no one dares disobey Majesty.)

Take a read, they're all fairly short.

1886558 Oddly enough, I never got an indication from the site that you had responded. Huh. :twilightoops: No matter, but I do want to congratulate you on another EQD mention! Way to rack them up.:yay:

This is wonderful!

I'm a big nostalgic fan of G1, so I'm really enjoying the homages. I like what you've done with Megan's character and the realistic and affecting ways that experiences like she had would have shaped it. It's adult without being over-the-top gritty for the sake of being dark.

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