Chapter 1: I Need a Hero
It was a rare day for Trixie, one in which, against all the odds of the cosmos, she didn’t have any work to do. Normally when her assistant Pokey Pierce had a day off, like today, there was inevitably a mass of paperwork waiting to ambush her in her office. Yet some miracle of good fortune had led to Trixie discovering only a small and easily manageable hoof full of documents on her desk that morning and it’d taken less than half an hour to power through them.
That left her with the entire day to do as she pleased, with no obligations, appointments, or even minor errands that needed doing. An almost completely free day. This was something to be savored. The azure unicorn almost teared up at the realization. Hm, quick check to see if anypony was looking. No? Good. Tearing up commencing!
“A day off, all to myself. How to spend it, how to spend it?”
The immediate notion of crawling right back into bed and napping for awhile was certainly promising, but since these kind of days were so rare she didn’t want it to go by that fast, which napping would certainly make happen. Besides she did that anyway even on days she was supposed to be busy, hence why the paperwork tended to pile up like it usually did even with an assistant on hoof to help. No, she should do something special with this precious free time. Something fun. Fun, that thing that other ponies who weren’t Representatives of the Night Court got to have. Perhaps she was exaggerating a bit, but for such a supposedly unimportant position she’d been saddled with there seemed to be a suspicious amount of work involved with being the Night Court Representative in Ponyville. Trixie intended to take advantage of every possible opportunity to avoid said work and enjoy herself, especially now that she had friends who seemed to genuinely enjoy her company.
“I should go see who’s free today. Do lunch at the park or something. Think we’re scheduled for decent weather today.”
If she hurried she’d be able to check up on her friends before noon hit and the customary ‘hide in our houses for an hour out of fear of the sun’ tradition was done with. Trixie had noted that since Corona’s return that ponies were extending that hour somewhat past its thousand year old tradition and were certainly taking it more seriously than they had before. Trixie couldn’t blame them. Corona might have had her power severely damaged by the Elements of Harmony but as long as she was out there she remained a very real threat, one that most the ponies of Equestria had good reason to fear would resurface sooner rather than later.
Trixie’s expression soured.
“Good job Trixie,” she said to herself “Ruin a perfectly good mood with pessimism. Corona will show up when she shows up, and when she does, you and your friends will shove a huge dose of Harmony so far up her flaming posterior that she’ll be throwing up rainbows for the rest of her life freshly re-interred in the core of the sun. Simple as that.”
She needed to psyche herself up some, because whether her ego let her admit it out loud or not, Trixie was afraid. It was a lot easier to focus her attention on more immediate issues like keeping her friends safe from the machinations of Night Court nobles like Greengrass than letting herself get worked up over a confrontation that may be months or longer down the road...but the knowledge of the inevitable rematch with Corona was always a unpleasant back thought that never quite left Trixie’s mind.
When the time for that fight did arrive would the Elements of Harmony work a second time? Trixie had no real reason to suspect they wouldn’t, but she wasn’t comfortable relying entirely on the Elements either. Corona was insane, not stupid. Trixie felt a sneaking sense of paranoia that the maddened alicorn may just find some way to counter the Elements of Harmony. If not Corona it was also possible Zecora might dig up some ancient zebra magic that at could at least interfere with the Elements ability to function.
The problem was Trixie didn’t know much about the Elements of Harmony, despite being the Element of Magic herself. Far as she could tell the things just sort of…did what they did when they felt like doing it. There was no obvious on/off switch, no clear and definable list of powers and functions to choose from. The Elements just…were. Trixie didn’t doubt that they were powerful beyond any other singular form of magic known to ponykind, she’d felt that power herself and seen it in action. She just didn’t like the notion of betting her life, and the lives of her friends, and by proxy the safety of Equestria, on something that seemed so…finicky.
.
“Nope, not thinking like that! This is a day for relaxation and enjoyment. With friends. Yes, Trixie will show her friends so much friendship today they won’t even know what hit them! Ponyville, neigh, the world shall bow before my friendliness! And there is nothing to stand in my way!”
The natural talent and nature of a performer combined with a growing love of the magic acts she’d been putting on for the locals of Ponyville had brought out something of a dramatic streak in Trixie, one that got away from her at times. She was posing on her hind legs with her forelegs spread out around her as if she were imagining the world in her megalomaniacal hooves. Or something like that.
Then there was a knock at the door.
Trixie looked at the door of her house with narrowed eyes. She knew that kind of knock.
“No…”
There was that knock again. The obvious insistent, hectic, frantic knock of a pony that wanted something from Trixie. Something work related.
“No, no, no…”
Whether mundane work or taking care of some random disaster there would be something she needed to do and there would go her day off. That was what that knock meant. Only ponies who had work for her to do, or some catastrophic matter (like signing something) for her to attend to knocked like that.
“I’m not here. Go away. The Trixie you are trying to reach is no longer in service.”
…Blast it all they were still knocking! But, but, but, friends! Free time! Her day off! The fate of Equestria depended her being lazy and not doing work today! Couldn’t ponies see that!? After it became clear that the incessant knocking wasn’t going to stop Trixie heaved out a resigned sigh.
“Fine…I’ll answer the door. Then do whatever stupid thing it is they want me to do. When Equestria is set on fire by Corona and we couldn’t stop her because I wasn’t able to spend time with my friends to boost our harmony levels or however those stupid Elements work I’m going to have it put in my epitaph that it was the fault of this one pony who wouldn’t stop knocking on my day off!”
Trixie went up to the door and opened it with a glow of magic and with a barely suppressed scowl said, “What?”…to thin air.
She looked left. Nothing. Right. Nothing still. Down…oh.
There was a young earth pony filly with a bright yellow coat and blue mane looking up at her with wide brown eyes. Trixie stared at her for a moment, taken aback by the filly’s earnest expression.
“Um, I mean, yes, can I help you?”
The filly’s eyes went even wider, if that was possible, and her mouth slowly opened, and she whispered in a tone of near reverence that took Trixie completely off guard, and maybe made her feel a tad pleased.
“Is it really you?” said the filly between gasps of air, apparently out of breath from her frantic knocking “Are you…are you…her? The Great and Powerful Trixie?”
Trixie blinked, for a second not sure what to make of the awe in the filly’s voice. Then Trixie grinned. Broadly, and smugly. So this was a fan then? Some filly who’d seen her magic show and had come for an autograph? Of course she was! The title was a dead giveaway, as among the various stage names she used to build herself up the one the filly had used was among Trixie’s favorites. An autograph wouldn’t take long at all and she could easily go about spending time with her friend’s today. Strange that the filly had knocked so frantically, like she was in trouble or something, but Trixie supposed she couldn’t help it if some of her fans were just that eager to speak with her.
“Why yes I am. Normally I don’t do autographs outside of performance but since you’ve gone through the trouble to come to my home I’d be happy to-“
‘Ohpleaseyouhavetohelpusyoujustgotta!” the filly practically threw herself onto Trixie, wrapping around one of Trixie’s forelegs and shaking it as she shouted a fast jumble of words in a voice of pure desperation.
Trixie, too stunned to respond, just sort of stood there for several seconds as the filly bawled, shook Trixie’s leg and babbled words spoken so fast Trixie wasn’t understanding a one of them. Before she could respond, however, a concerned feminine voice said from above her.
“Trixie, what’s going on?”
Trixie looked up to see Ditzy Doo in her blue mailmare uniform and satchel hover around the corner of Trixie’s house. The gray coated, blond pegasus was giving the filly a worried look and in turn a questioning one at Trixie.
“What? I don’t know! She just showed up at my doorstep! I don’t know who she is.” Trixie said quickly, not pulling away from the filly but certainly looking uncomfortable with the situation. Actually now that she just heard herself say it Trixie did a quick mental checklist of all the fillies she knew in Ponyville. Having done a fair number of magic shows when time permitted since starting her official duties as the Night Court’s Representative in Ponyville she’d gotten pretty familiar with most the foals in town, as there were few that missed any of her performances. This filly wasn’t at all familiar.
Ditzy, nodding and immediately snapping into parental mode floated down and put a hoof on the young filly’s shoulder, saying soothingly “There there, slow down honey. It’s okay, just take a deep breath and tell us what it is you’re trying to say.”
The filly quickly quieted down and wiped her face; doing as she’d been bade and took a few deep breaths. Trixie had to admit she was a tad envious of Ditzy’s facility with foals. Trixie could work with them well enough when she was doing a performance and certainly enjoyed entertaining them, but outside of that she had little experience with dealing with foals, especially hysterical ones. Ditzy Doo on the other hoof was a single mother who by all accounts was what any parent should strive to be. Trixie couldn’t imagine a pony more suited to being the Element of Kindness.
The filly had to take a minute or two to calm herself, taking big deep breaths. Even then she still seemed to practically vibrate with a nervous energy as she looked up at Trixie, and still teary eyed, said “You got to help us! You’re the only one who can!”
“Help who honey?” coaxed Ditzy calmly in a soft tone.
“My town, Oaton! The mayor sent me to find Trixie.”
“The Elements of Harmony, then. You were sent to get help from them,” Trixie presumed, the gears in her mind turning. She figured sooner or later, probably sooner, someponies would start coming to her and her friends to help deal with this, that, or the other thing. It wasn’t general knowledge that being an Element or Harmony conveyed no actual special power or ability beyond what the pony already had before becoming one. The power of the Elements only worked when all of them were together, and even then Trixie wasn't sure how that power activated or even what it could conceivably be used for other than giving mentally unstable sun alicorns the equivalent of a magical enema. Still if this filly was looking for help she didn’t see any reason not to hear her out…though that name, Oaton, it sounded oddly familiar. Where had she heard that name before?
The filly just looked at Trixie in a puzzled manner, head tilting to the side.
“Elements? Oh, that’s what that nice mare I met on the road called you when I asked her where Ponyville was and if she’d heard of you. I don’t know about any Elements, but I’m definitely here for you!”
It was Trixie’s turn to look puzzled as she peered down at this little filly, “If you don’t need me because I’m an Element, then why do you need me?”
“Why? Because you’re the Hero of Oaton! That’s why!”
Trixie’s eyes widened and she and Ditzy exchanged looks, then Trixie blurted the first thought that ran through her mind.
“I’m the what of what now?”
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My little pony, My little pony
Ahh ahh ahh ahhh...
My little pony
Friendship never meant that much to me
My little pony
But you're all here and now I can see
Stormy weather; Lots to share
A musical bond; With love and care
Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat,
And magic makes it all complete!
You have my little ponies
How'd I ever make so many true friends?
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It was late afternoon now, with the Elements of Harmony having gathered at Trixie’s home after their own daily obligations were done and Ditzy during her mail rounds had spread the word of what was happening. Trixie’s living room was a little crowded with all of her friend’s present but they made do, and Carrot Top had volunteered to cook up dinner for everypony. Trixie was more than happy to let the farmer have at the kitchen, her skills as a cook completely outshone by Carrot Top’s recently developed culinary prowess.
.
Raindrops had a disbelieving expression as she leaned up against one of the walls. Lyra had just looked bemused, lounging on a couch. Cheerilee was looking like she was trying not to laugh and not hiding it very well. Ditzy at least had the propriety to look away and cover her mouth when she chuckled. Carrot Top was just barely visible in the kitchen glancing their way and clearly paying attention but otherwise too focused on cooking to show much reaction to…well…
“-and is it true you can grow a hundred feet tall whenever you want!?”
The filly, who’d introduced herself as Bushel, hadn’t detached herself from Trixie for a second since they got her calm enough to at least partially explain what all this was about and during the time Trixie was waiting for her friends to gather in the hopes of salvaging at least part of the day for some quality time with them the filly had also been asking a constant stream of questions. Most of which were ridiculous beyond belief but Trixie couldn’t deny a certain warm glow as she felt her ego getting a hefty stroke.
“Such a feat isn’t that hard,” she said, straightening her shoulders, then quickly amended “Sort of. I can make myself look that tall without difficulty in any case!...I think.”
She probably could, she thought, as she puzzled out a few magical theories on a proper illusion spell to create a realistic fabrication of a hundred foot tall version of herself. She’d have to sacrifice a little on the tactile department to get that size but she thought she could manage it.
“I actually was a hundred feet tall once,” Raindrops said with a small laugh, “Don’t hear any fillies calling me a hero for it though.”
“It was really more life fifty feet tall,” Trixie said “And Poison Joke doesn’t count.”
“That dragon sure seemed to think it counted when I bucked him in the face. Anyway is this filly sure she’s got the right hero? I mean, you don’t even seem to remember this ‘Oaton’, Trixie.”
Bushel scrunched up her nose and shouted before Trixie could reply, “Trixie is too the Hero of Oaton. My ma and pa told me so!”
“Where is Oaton anyway?” Lyra asked, “I’ve never heard of it.”
Cheerilee calmed her chuckles enough to say, “It’s a hamlet to the south west, on the route between Ponyville and Hoofington. There’s no train that goes there directly but there’s a way-station ponies can get off at and follow a road a few miles there.”
“You been there?” asked the lyrist, and Cheerilee shook her head.
“Just know my geography. Apparently I don’t know my history as well as I thought though,” the teacher grinned “The Hero of Oaton must have been a chapter I missed.”
Apparently I did too, thought Trixie, a little morosely as she wracked her brain. Raindrops was right on that count; for the life of her she just couldn’t remember Oaton or anything that Bushel was talking about. If she was a hero she wanted to remember it! Bragging rights were always better when they were legitimate, after all. One would think that would be the kind of thing that would stick out in a pony’s memory anyway, saving a whole town from…whatever she supposedly saved it from.
“Come on,” said Carrot Top, poking her head out of the kitchen “Stop nettling Trixie, she clearly doesn’t know what this is about and I for one want to know why Bushel here was sent so far from home just to get her.”
“Yes, I don’t know what that mayor was thinking sending a young filly by herself across country like that,” said Ditzy, looking at Bushel “That’s no kind of journey for a foal to make alone.”
Cheerilee nodded, her smile still present but no longer quite as amused, “Alright, no more laughing on my part. It is a little funny though, seeing Trixie all flustered.”
“I am not flustered! I am merely a tad…confused. Besides what is so funny about someponies thinking of me as a hero?”
“The part where you clearly don’t remember what Bushel’s talking about?” said Raindrops with a shrug, “No offense Trixie, you’re my friend, and you’ve shown you can pull through in a pinch, but to be honest you don’t exactly exude heroic qualities, you know? Odd doesn’t begin to cover this.”
“Hey!” shouted Bushel “You take that back! She is a hero! I know it; she’s got a song and everything!”
That caused all those gathered to stare at the filly. Lyra’s interest seemed most piqued.
“A song?” Lyra asked, leaning towards Bushel.
Bushel nodded her head viciously and without any prompt began to launch into song, her squeaky voice a tad high pitched but otherwise slipping easily into a jaunty and fast paced tune.
Trixie!
The mare they call Trixie!
She stood up for right and she stood against wrong
She fought injustice as you’ll hear in this song
Our love for her now is easy to see
The Hero of Oaton
The mare they call Trixie!
Now Trixie saw our crops were dyin’
She heard our cries for water
She saw that Lumber Guild buildin’
Without a care for who they were hurtin’
She said “You won’t harm my little ponies!”
“You can’t dry up all their land!”
So Trixie put on her hat and in no time flat
Burned down the Guild’s wretched dam
Raindrops came over to Trixie, leaning in and whispering, “Any of this ringing any bells?”
Trixie slowly shook her head, unable to qualify any of what was being sung with what her memory was telling her. The Lumber Guild was an ambiguous term; it could reference any number of small organizations that handled lumber acquisition all over Equestria, and she certainly didn’t remember burning down any dams.
Trixie’s confusion aside Bushel kept right on singing, hopping on top of a chair and jumping to a book-stand, much to the dismay of Ditzy who kept floating nearby to catch the filly if she fell.
She stood up for right and she stood against wrong
She fought injustice as you’ll hear in this song
Our love for her now is easy to see
The Hero of Oaton
The mare they call Trixie!
Now the Guild came after our hero
Waving permits and thinking themselves sly
But mare they call Trixie, even while tipsy
Showed the Guild’s permits for lies
Something was starting to turn over in Trixie’s mind. Small snippets of memory that were beginning to surface from the recesses of memory from her early years at Night Court, arranging themselves into place with each additional line of the song.
She brought water back to our fields
She brought hope back to our hearts
Then the mare they call Trixie, still quite tipsy
Galloped off that night full of stars
She stood up for right and stood against wrong
She fought injustice as you’ll hear in this song
Our love for her now is easy to see
The Hero of Oaton
The mare they call Trixie!
The filly had sung with such energy and exuberance that none of the Elements had dared interrupt, though Trixie had seen various looks that ranged from shock to amusement, and ultimately, curiosity as they all looked her way. As Bushel caught her breath after such vigorous singing Raindrops gave Trixie a raised eyebrow and gestured a hoof at the filly.
“So, care to elaborate on any of that?”
“I…maybe…?” Trixie said as fragments of memory continued to link up in her mind, until finally a somewhat coherent picture formed and the dots got connected. The azure unicorn’s jaw slowly dropped as she did finally remember Oaton.
“Bushel,” she said in as sweet a voice she could manage in an attempt to imitate Ditzy, “Could you give me and my friends a few minutes alone please?”
Bushel’s eyes widened and began to water as her lips quavered, “You didn’t like the song?”
Trixie was quick to say in a panic, “What!? No! I mean, yes, yes it was a nice song. Very…um…provoking! Yes, thought provoking. I just need a little time to talk hero-y stuff with my friends, that’s all.”
The filly still looked like she was about to cry but Ditzy came to the rescue and with a few whispered but firm assurances that yes Trixie did in fact like the song and that everything was alright was able to usher Bushel upstairs. With the filly out of earshot Trixie was able to finally look to all her gathered friends and try to explain things.
“Alright, so maybe I kind of sort of recall going to a village called Oaton. It was a little over a year ago, back when I was trying to get involved in the Night Court, with…er…sort of mixed results.”
“Define ‘mixed results’, “said Raindrops.
“Not entirely succeeding as much as I may have less than fully succeeded at any of my plans but as a result had many useful learning experiences.”
“…so you pretty much failed a lot.”
“I was trying to put a positive spin on it.”
“I know.”
“So did you save the town or something? Like it says in the song?” asked Carrot Top as she stirred a pot of something that smelled good enough to get Trixie’s mouth watering.
“Did you commit arson, like it says in the song?” asked Raindrops with a wry grin.
“No, yes, a little of both? Look I was drunk for most that night!”
“Like it says in the song,” said Cheerilee with a chuckle.
“Let her explain,” said Lyra, arms crossing, as she lounged back on Trixie’s couch “I want to hear this.”
“Don’t worry Trixie I’ll keep the gigglers in the audience quiet,” said Ditzy with a wink and floated over between Cheerilee and Raindrops, giving the two fake glares. The two did quiet down though and Trixie resumed her story.
“So as I was saying, this was slightly over a year ago. I had no real status per se, I was just the Princess’ protégé, a student with no title or actual place in court. Luna was trying to teach me the ins and outs of politics and I figured I’d put those lessons to practical use and try to involve myself with the Night Court. With no title or power all I could really do was try to look for ways to gather information on ponies I could use later, or try to earn favors to call in once I was actually established. The trouble was I tended to get cornered in a lot of my schemes to get information or collect favors. Instead I ended up the one owing favors myself. One of those favors was ferrying a package to a small farming hamlet called Oaton, near the edge of the South Everfree province…I was rather depressed that day and may have indulged in bringing a flask of bourbon with me…”
Oh this is so very going into the list of canon stories....from the sound of things it takes place after Carrot Top Season. Episodes 17, 18, and 21 are still free; any preference as to which?
Some highlights, and two minor quibbles:
I nearly fell off my chair after reading this.
Trixie's follow-up line is great, too, but Raindrops here made my day.
This is my first minor quibble. Here you refer to Oaton as a kingdom and Trixie is going to some hamlet within it; but earlier, you called the hamlet itself Oaton. Which is it?
My map of the Lunaverse doesn't include a kingdom called Oaton, though I don't mind adding one somewhere. If I did, though, it'd have to be considerably further away from Ponyville than Cheerilee suggests, given that Ponyville is near the center of Equestria.
If you meant to have Oaton to be a hamlet in some tiny province of Equestria, though, that's easily workable. I suggest the South Everfree province.
Trixie wasn't a part of the Night Court at all prior to arriving in Ponyville. However, I can believe that she was trying to put her hoof in the waters (and failing) at this point. I just want to make sure it's clear, though, that she has literally nothing at this point.
However, my bigger problem is the bourbon thing. Trixie's actually quite young; I imagine her as the second-youngest of the L-6 after Raindrops. If this was "years ago," she'd be quite the miniature alcoholic at this point.
...Oh my god....
Not only is this brilliant, but I am very jealous I didn't come up with this concept.
track track track.
Um....Are the implications of the sentence that Trixie met her friends roughly a year ago? Cos I'm pretty sure that's...gonna cause problems. Maybe I'm just reading a it too much into it though.
Otherwise A nice introduction to the story. Especially happy to see RD being not close to exploding in rage.
Someone is a Firefly fan I see...Heh we going to have a firearm spell named "Vera" too ?
Anyway, this looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. Will be very interesting to see where this goes and how exactly Trixie deals with this sort of situation. Nice work thus far! Added to my favorites and tracked.
Ha!
Now, back to reading.
Edit: I agree with RDD. Unless Trixie was the youngest drunk in history, you might want to shorten the time gap between then and now.
And I love the idea that Trixie saved the day while drunk out of her mind.
While I approve of Firefly references, I must admit this doesn't quite match up to the wonder of the original. Then again, very few things match up to Jayne.
Regardless, favorited and thumbed up.
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Raindrops - "This is what going mad must feel like."
Cheerilee - "We gotta go to the crappy town where I'm a hero."
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Heh. Shiny!
Ooh, I love it. The humor elements work really well. Thumbs-uped and favorited. This looks likes it going to be quite entertaining.
(And I haven't seen Firefly, so I guess I'm going into this one blind. :-) ).
First chapter in and I'm already liking where this is going
I love the fact that even the song that hails Trixie as a hero still keeps in the fact that she was drunk at the time.
Okay first, the good. This is a delightfully well written story. The dialogue is snappy and the narrative descriptions weave a wonderful visual. Whatever else I may say from here, I want to first make it abundantly clear that I very much enjoyed this story on its own merit.
That said, while the premise for this story is basically sound and amusing, I feel like it's a little misaimed. What made the episode of Firefly you seem to be referencing work so well was that Jayne is such an obvious non-hero. Trixie used to be sort of that way, but more so in the time before LNLD. Granted that's exactly the time frame this whole Oatan incident happened in, but from a reader perspective she's pretty much always been a hero, if a somewhat self-absorbed and overbearingly egotistical one. This means that none of the same tension exists; we've already seen as early as LNLD that when push comes to shove Trixie has what it takes to step up and be the hero everyone in this filly's hometown thinks her to be. She's also presumably quite a bit younger than Jayne, so there really wouldn't seem to have been a sufficient gap of time for the legend to grow to such proportions.
This set of lines is giving me mixed impressions. As pure hyperbole to express how boring Trixie finds her job and duties it's great, but the context makes it feel a bit too much like she's being 100% genuine in the sentiment that she rarely, if ever, had fun before coming Ponyville (even somewhat suggesting she never even bothered trying). That just doesn't seem even remotely right. She's hardly a stuffed shirt who only ever had political ambitions or a socially reclusive shut-in like M!Twilight. She doesn't seem like she was lacking "fun" before coming to Ponyville, but rather simply had no friends to share it with.
L!Trixie has been Luna's apprentice since very shortly after the day she put on her first private show for her grandfather. She never had to perform for a living or any such. Further, as I recall, staging actual public shows is something she's only taken to in earnest recently, at Luna's recommendation after Trixie took to it so well to it during her LNLD scheme. Then again, maybe I'm just mixing up my references as I can't seem to find where it is specifically spelled out in any of RDDs works at this exact moment.
Somehow I feel that should be The Great & Powerful Trixie.
Seems an odd question for Trixie to ask. Ever since LNLD she's become something of a nationwide celebrity, the hero who saved Equestria from the Tyrant Sun. If nothing else, that fact alone should provide reason enough for random strangers from far off towns to be begging her for help. Again this is where things breakdown as compared to the apparent source. Jayne was pretty much a nameless mercenary, while Trixie has stared down an insane god and lived to tell the tale and even before that she was personal portage to the ruler of the entire nation.
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Oh yes, I very much enjoyed both those scenes as well. Like I said, this fic is a pure joy to read in and of itself. I'm just having trouble reconciling it with the wider canon.
The timing could be a wee bit better for her save; maybe, say, three or so months before the Ice Palace incident?
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Oh you are in for a treat, then.
Yeah, but the song makes her out to be a fine and upstanding hero in the vein of Robin Hood or some other Lawful Good pony. Bushel also clearly thinks that she's some kind of paragon. So, maybe, not quite as fun as Jayne, but still a hoot in its own way.
Mmn...that is a good point, I missed that...I can see Trixie having put on small shows here and there for any friends she did have at the time (before driving them away), thus allowing her to get practice in, though, so a minor point overal.
Firefly plot reference? I think Trixie fits Mal better than Jayne though.
Hmmm.
Trixie-Jayne
Cheerilee-Wash
Ditzy-Shepard Book
Carrot Top-Kaylee
Lyra-Inara
Raindrops-Zoe
In that case, who are Simon, River, and Mal?
Whoa...many comments. Responding time is now!
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Either 17 or 18 would work for me.
Ah,yeah, that line probably should've had a comma in it or otherwise been made clearer. Oaton is just a small hamlet in Equestira. 'the kingdom' was referring to Equestria as a whole, as in Oaton is on the edge of 'the kingdom'.
Ah, I'd gotten the impression she'd actually been a part of the system, just in a sort of weird non-titled way, like Luna just sort of tossed Trixie into the mix and said "Go, practice politics, try not to screw up too badly" and Trixie got the first two parts but not the third. Still I can made a few edits to make it clear that Trixie was mostly just screwing around on her own initiative without any actual tie to the Night Court, but was still trying to dig dirt up on nobles to use for future use.
As for the alcohol/age thing, I'll admit I thought Trixie was older than your indicating. I'm not sure what drinking age limits Equestria has, if any, but I'd been operating under the notion Trixie is early twenties (22ish) and that, say, three years ago a 19 year old Trixie could still conceivably be allowed to indulge in drink. If she's younger than that I can adjust time frame of her first trip to Oaton so that it takes place, maybe a year prior? Still don't know what age you want her at, but does that sound closer to an acceptable mark?
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Gah, me and my poorly worded sentences. I was mostly just trying to imply that, say, a year ago, Trixie was minus any friends, at least any she could keep around. I can probably just take out the time frame reference to make that sentence make more sense.
Yeah, I figure Raindrops might have anger issues, but it takes very specific or extreme things to really trigger her actual 'rage mode'.
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Oh yes, I am indeed a fan of Firefly. Heh, funny you bring up the "Vera" reference, as when the thought struck me to do a send up to one of episodes as a Lunaverse fic it was a close tie between "Jaynestown" and "Our Mrs. Reynolds".
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Agreed, Jayne rocks. But then, so does Trixie, just for very different reasons. If I manage to entertain folks to even a fraction of the source material that inspired me I'll consider myself having succeeded in my intent.
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Must. Watch. Firefly. Fortunately even if you do watch it and see Jaynestown, the episode this is inspired by, you'll hopfully still be able to enjoy what's to come, since while I'm using the episode as a framework, the details of the plot and the overall themes should be different enough to essentially be its own story.
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I'll admit I was wondering if the theme of the story might not quite match the same poignancy we get in Jaynestown due to just how different Trixie and Jayne are from each other, but I also figure that's something I can work with. I'm using Jaynestown as a framework, but the meat of the story is essentially different. You're right though, that tension wise the audience might not see the same level of contrast between Trixie being viewed as a hero as the ice-water-to-face slap the Serenity crew get when they first run into that statue of Jayne in Canton. My plan here (and by plan I mean 'loose set of vague notions I have that are connected by still forming plot points') is to make this story focus on the rather wide discrepancy between how the ponyfolk of Oaton view their 'Hero', how Trixie's friends view her, and how Trixie looks at herself, and the conflict that arises between those viewpoints as Trixie tries to take care of Oaton's current problems.
I see what you're saying here. I think I tend to view Trixie as being more melodramatic than most, so I tend to give a sarcastic and exaggerated twist to my own view of her inner dialogue. That line was really just her complaining about her work, perhaps going so overboard as to suggest she never gets to enjoy herself. We know that's not true, Trixie knows that's not true, but that won't stop her from blowing things out of proportion to make herself feel better. But I could probably tinker with that line to smooth it out and make it tone it down some. Or at least make it clearer that its just Trixie whingeing because she feels like it.
Another one of those things that slips through the swiss-cheese nature of my brain. I can tinker with the line some.
Hm, you know you're right, given the way I got it in my head how things went down in Oaton the first time a title like that would make a lot more sense.
Fair point, but I'm working off of the other Lunaverse fics where, despite having saved the world from a crazy sun goddess Trixie and Co. don't seem to actually have a lot of celebrity. Most ponies seem to recognize that they are the Elements, but don't seem to make much fanfare about it. I'm under the impression that, unlike in M-verse canon, Trixie and the other Elements haven't really gotten the same publicity. Still, the line would be easy enough, and perhaps actually fit the story better, if I changed it to being Trixie assuming Bushel was asking for the help of an Element of Harmony, and the kid brushing aside the whole Elements thing as unimportant, that she's here to get Trixie because she's the Hero of Oaton.
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I'm thinking of making a year prior now, given what other folk have said. And has RDD ever explained what that Ice Palace incident was? Other than an incident. With an Ice Palace.
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Heh, if I'd decided to do "Our Mrs. Reynolds" as the inspiration for a story, Trixie would've had Mal's spot in that one.
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It's kind of like the noodle incident from Calvin and Hobbes. Trixie is supposed to have screwed up big time but we'll never learn quite how.
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We know that it was as soon as three weeks before "Longest Night, Longest Day." We know that Amethyst Star, Octavia, Lyra, Moonlight Smiles, Frolicsome Meadowlark, and possibly Vast Volumes were there, as well as Luna. And we know that the ice palace melted, and that it's Trixie's fault, and that she somehow managed to convince Luna from there that it was really Luna's fault since Trixie's bored because she's not getting any real responsibility from Luna.
And that's all we'll ever know.
Glad to see your aware of the differences between Jayne and Trixie, and that you intend to account for such.
One need only read the first four paragraphs GOtL:Ch3 to know that I fundamentally agree with Trixie being melodramatic. That's why my first presumption was hyperbole, and I only brought up anything else because I thought the context of the scene made it too easily mistaken for fact.
Actually, I've always seen it a bit the other way around. In the show, no one ever really seems to mention anything about the M6 or their connection with the Elements unless there is a pressing need to use them (Discord/Chrysalis). Where as, while it's still not all that big a deal, ponies are constantly bringing up that the L6 are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.
That said, there is still a bit of a dissonance in how various Lunaverse fics have treated the level of celebrity they possess. They certainly aren't mobbed where ever they go level famous, but most ponies seem to at least know them by name and deed. And even if they don't regularly have folks beating down their doors with such requests, there should probably be little surprise whenever someone come by seemingly seeking the aid EoH.
Alright, a few slight edits made in response to all the helpful comments.
Set the date of Trixie's first time through Oaton at being a little over a year ago, so she's a slightly less young alcoholic. Sound more plausible to folks?
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I think I'll just take that as a sign that you really shouldn't make a palace out of ice anyway. Doesn't sound structurally stable.
...Hopefully it was insured.
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Sounds more plausible.
I've been avoiding giving any of them exact ages because I'm not sure how magical ponies from a rediculous technicolor world age relative to humans and terrestrial ponies*, but in human terms I've been thinking of them all as: Raindrops, 17-19; Trixie, 20-21; Ditzy Doo, 23-24; Carrot Top, 25; Lyra, 25-26; Cheerilee, 26-27 (and no more than a year older than Lyra).
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*The Cakes' twins are 1 month old for most of "Baby Cakes" according to Pinkie's monthiversary song. They're much more developed than human babies would be by that point, able to crawl around when 1-month-old babies can't even roll over; on the other hand, they're much less developed than pony foals would be.
Okay, that song? pure win. And I just finished watching Firefly to boot.
And yeah, Trixie's got bluster, but even now she'll pony up for her friends.
I love these lunaverse stories!
Trixie and Jayne would make an awesome team!
(now back to reading! )
This should be a real episode of MLP:FIM. You can submit it to Laren Faust. She uses the pseudonym FireFly. ¡Oops! I do not mean FireFly. I mean Fyre-Flye. FireFly definitely has nothing to do with this FanFic. ;-)
Oh my goodness, if this really is a reference to Firefly's episode "The Hero of Canton", I will squee so frickin loud. I loved that episode. And anything referencing that show positively is epic.
"and when she does, you and your friends will shove a huge dose of Harmony so far up her flaming posterior that she’ll be throwing up rainbows for the rest of her life freshly re-interred in the core of the sun. Simple as that."
ahhhh......so refreshingly lunaverse
Shoving so much Harmony up Corona's rear she's vomiting rainbows for the rest of her sun imprisoned life! HAH! I love that line! I gotta use something like later. A drunk Trixie? I'm surprised she didn't insist she be called Lulamoon, Drunk! Trixie is hilarious!
Hero of Oaton Me: thats a unique name
Western themed setting.. Me: Well that sorta reminds me of..
Hero that in no way deserves title Me: Oh please!! PLEASE make a Firefly reference!!
"Trixie!
The mare they call Trixie!
She stood up for right and she stood against wrong
She fought injustice as you’ll hear in this song
Our love for her now is easy to see
The Hero of Oaton
The mare they call Trixie!"
SO MUCH WIN!
So we have Trixie in a "Man who shot Libery Valence" type of situation? Well, it had to happen sooner or later.
Awesome!!
Trixie! The hero they call Trixie!...
Man, I love that song. But, I also love the sset up here, because it is so uniquely Trixie. I could bearly see any of the maneverse gals having to deal with a "Man who shot Liberty Valence" situation. The closest that would come to it would most likely be Dashie. Trixie, on the other hand? It fits her like a glove.
I also love the light ribbing from her friends, showing that they know her faults but they love her anyway. I love how Ditzy immeaitly went maternal on Bushel and was kind and sweet to her.
This story also has a great set up, the song and Bushle lend itself well to a mystery of WHat and how did things happen. Though Trixie tries to tell the truth, we can feel a sense that this is not all that is here at the moment.
4957235 same
Jayne and Trixie...amazing heroes yessss
Looks like I was wrong before. She doesn't do her work. But she also seems to always get it done. I mean she doesn't rely solely on Pokey. She does her work herself and finished her work pre hiring Pokey. Well as she points out the work piles up. So Trixie is a giant procrastinator but will get the work done.