Stealing the Dapper · 9:03pm Jul 27th, 2015
There are times I wonder what goes through the head of a particular magician, or traveling gypsy would be more appropriate, as she tries to one up Twilight Sparkle. What better way than having her evicted from her own library, right?
As far as comedy goes, this one has its ups and downs. Granted, the point of the comedy tag is to tell us that this is going to make us laugh, which it certainly did, but what type of humor you're using is another matter. Trixie certainly has no comprehension of legal matters, or how to shut the hell up when discussing her evil plans. Deciding to take the deed for the library to force Twilight, a princess of Equestria, and Spike out into the streets of Ponyville, Trixie's plan went as well as a flaming wreck in a Daytona 500 race.
Much to her surprise, Trixie learns that just having a piece of paper with the name of the building on it won't get you ownership. Gideon should've been kicked out the Mystery Shack then. Seeing no other recourse, or most likely unable too stubborn to think this through, Trixie heads over to the Mayor to find a way to win over Twilight's library. Now, most at this point would try to convey some form of tact. Not our Trixie. Telling a pony that you wish to consume her flesh to gain power does stray from the norm and I commend her open thinking. Sadly, these are modern times and eating other people is prohibited so off to prison she goes.
This is the point in one's life that you should stop while you're ahead. Should. I want to say that Trixie's train of thought has derailed. Trixie's train hasn't just derailed. It derailed over a bridge on a fifty foot chasm and collided head first into the ground. Then exploded, causing Yellow Stone National Park's volcano to erupt. Here's a small fun fact, Trixie, don't state your evil plans in front of a court official or a princess who's trying to get you off the hook. This is got to be a record for how fast one digs their own graves. Telling Sparkle that you're enamored of her by cutting off her mane and sniffing added several layers of dirt, on said grave, with a tombstone that reads 'Here lies an idiot.' Side note, does purple taste like grape or possibly plums? Seriously, we must discover the meaning behind it all.
Weeks pass before Trixie is released from prison, who doesn't know if she can survive in the outside world. Well, don't give up just yet, our blue Brooks Halten, Twilight thinks Trixie worth releasing. Or it was to cover up the fact you were forgotten because, hey, princesses have important crap to attend to. Seeing as their is no way to get rid of our favorite blue menace, Twilight finally surrenders her lodgings to Trixie. Never would've thought that Twilight would pull such a sly move, handing over a burnt tree stump to her, self proclaimed, mortal enemy. While her new, subterranean home (only thing that survived Tirek's assault was the basement) is the furthest thing from Twilight's new castle, Trixie plans to make the most it. Mostly with ice cream.
I'm deciding on whether to side with agreeing or disagreeing on the strongest point of this story. It's a comedy that keeps well with the parameters of a children's show. Nothing too extreme (eating other ponies take a few steps over the line) but Trixie was carrying an house sized, idiot ball through the story. It excels with giving us with cartoonish exaggerations of a underplayed street magician. On the other hand, it lays it on a tad thick with how bonkers Trixie is with such sheer ineptitude.
Final Verdict: 9/10. This story made me laugh, that's what the goal of anyone writing a comedy story should do. Forcing the joke can kill a story, trying to turn every sentence into a snappy, one liner just makes it unreadable.
Yeah, Stealing the Deed is pretty typical of Justice's better works, wherein most people are horribly stupid caricatures of themselves, with just enough canon flavor to be recognizable, but enough laughs that you don't care about the fact the plot runs on stupidity.