(Reposted from my blog with some edits for length)

Prior to this week's upcoming episode, I figured I'd explore my thoughts on the previous two Trixie episodes. I intended to do this at some point but in lieu of her third episode I figured I'd do so now.

Boast Busters is where it all began, as the sixth episode of the entire series. I might be going against the grain here, but honestly, I think this is a poor episode. Two things save it: Trixie, and Kathleen Barr's performance as Trixie, and the Ursa Minor animation.

Many words have been written by people other than me, who go more indepth than I'll bother to here. What it comes down to is that there are nine main players in this episode: Trixie, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Snips, Snails, and the Ursa Minor. Six of them are partly or thoroughly unlikable in the episode, one is a bear, and then there's Trixie and Twilight. Trixie is a braggart and a showboat, but from all indications her show was entirely free, she would've been gone within a few days anyways and even in ponyland, it's a very giant leap of logic to think anyone in your audience is an idiot enough to actually go find a bear and bring it into town for you to show off.

Twilight is almost a background character until the very end, as it's actually Spike who drives most of their conversations while she continues to roll her eyes and go "No, no, no" like a broken record. She's at least a neutral to likable presence in the episode. The only flub is her line at the end:

Twilight Sparkle: Just let her go. Maybe someday she'll learn her lesson.

Twilight never elaborates on this. If it's not to showboat, Rainbow Dash does plenty of that herself (to her credit Twilight does in fact do something about this eventually, but I'm sure few people like to think about Mysterious Mare-Do-Well). Heck, Applejack quasi-lies in The Last Roundup and barely catches crap for this. Considering Trixie just got her home wrecked and appears to be running off without any money in hand, I think she learned her lesson thoroughly: karma is a b

Actually, here's an idea: what if Trixie showed up to their Hearth's Warming Eve Play and heckled them? She'd be unlikable in doing so as a character, but it's an amusing thought.

Asides from Trixie's performance, the other good part of this episode is the Ursa Minor. C'mon, don't lie, you all fell in love with the Ursa Minor once it appeared. The visuals on the thing are amazing. The revelation that it's actually a baby and then the shot comparison of the Minor to the Ursa Major is legit one of the best visual gags of the season. It may or may not be coincidence that the Minor is blue like Trixie, and the Major is purple like Twilight.

This episode was written by Chris Savino. He only wrote two pony episodes, this one and Stare Master, so it's tough to say how much of this episode is from him working off concepts alone like all Season 1 episodes were. It's sloppy, but on the other hand it gave us Trixie so I guess it wasn't all bad.

Something that gets mentioned lots is that Trixie was originally planned as a stallion, before he was later changed to being a mare. I wonder, how popular would male Trixie have been? He wouldn't have been voiced by Kathleen Barr of course, so no guarantee that he would have a charismatic voice actor (I actually looked up the VAs of all the male adults I could remember spoke in Season 1 - Big Mac, Hoity Toity, Mr. Cake (married), Braeburn, Chief Thunderhooves (a buffalo), Sheriff Silverstar, Soarin' and Blueblood. Surprisingly, only Bryan Drummond repeated for two of them. No idea about the dragons, Diamond Dogs and occasional Royal Guard). However, he would have been the first big male character after Big Mac's few lines in Applebuck Season, and as you can see from that list of male characters, he would've been one of a few adult male ponies with some presence. Blueblood was unlikeable, Hoity Toity certainly never took off, and Silverstar was relegated to the background by Braeburn's eclectic performance in Over A Barrel.

Male Trixie wouldn't have the horse-waifu effect obviously, but Twixie would still have been a thing regardless thanks to him being her foil, and being the only significant non-family male character she would've interacted with for three seasons - I mean Twilight was shipped with Comet Tail because he was standing next to her in a scene! If he was even slightly likable he would probably have been shipped with boatloads of other characters, much like Braeburn and Big Mac were before Season 2 came around and we got more male ponies. However, Snips and Snails would have to go in their present incarnation, because a male - male/male dynamic would just be weird. I actually wrote a story with male Trixie, and used the CMC instead (having Call of the Cutie take place prior to the story in-universe). It might be good we didn't get that, though - from what I've read of the fandom's history a lot of people thoroughly disliked the CMC in the first season, and an episode where they were as dumb as Snips and Snails would have probably made it even worse.

Now, let's look at Magic Duel, which was written by M.A. Larson, who was one of the show's script heavy-hitters.

I like Magic Duel. I think it's a strong episode. However, as a sequel to Boast Busters, it flops.

Let's look back at Boast Busters again. Disproportionate retribution, jerk Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and so on. As a result, within the adult fanbase at least, Trixie came off as the best as a poor bunch and became a fan favorite. So what do we get? An episode where Trixie is the clear-cut villain but is still given a forgiveness clause in the Alicorn Amulet, and is basically used as a stepping stone for Twilight (this happens somewhat in Boast Busters but to a much lesser extent).

Now, Trixie mentions having to work on 'a rock farm' during Magic Duel, and the brief scene we get shows Pinkie's dad, Igneous Rock Pie, so it's generally assumed she worked at the Pie Family Farm. Let's run with that. Suppose we instead got an episode where the Mane 6 decide to go to the Pie Farm only to find Trixie working there, practically destitute, after having her reputation tarnished and losing a second cart (as we see in Trixie's flashback window), and having to confront the reality of what sometimes happens to ponies that get caught in Ponyville's antics. Rather like Homer's Enemy, but for MLP, where reality ensues. Perhaps from letters that Pinkie has sent to the farm, Trixie is aware of incidents such as the Parasprite swarm devouring much of Ponyville's inanimate infrastructure and Fluttershy keeping one even after seeing how destructive they are, or deliberately using mind control spells on fillies which accidentally end up captivating the whole town. Remember, two rights do not make a wrong. Just because Twilight and friends have saved the world a few times doesn't mean they're allowed to cause havoc on their own. She could point out issues with her own treatment (again learning this from Pinkie's letters), like how Snips and Snails got punished with a slap on the wrist (mustaches) or how Trixie was the only pony to stand up to the Ursa Minor besides Twilight, and in turn her reputation was still ruined.

That said, I think the majority of fans would still have preferred Magic Duel to something like that, and I'm honestly inclined to agree. Seeing Trixie badass and able to actually outmatch Twilight in her first duel sounds a lot more exciting than Trixie being reduced to working on a rock farm.

As for the episode itself, I think perhaps the most overlooked part is the beginning sequence prior to the theme song. Notice how Trixie looks like she's about to steal the Alicorn Amulet. However, when she is confronted by the shopkeeper, she hands hoofs over a bag of money. That implies to me that the lure of the Alicorn Amulet is a strong one: Trixie intended to pay, but as soon as she approached the Amulet in person its lure got stronger and she was going to steal it instead until the shopkeeper interrupted her. Also, how many fics have been written about this shopkeeper, anyways? Who is he to keep the Amulet around, seemingly aware of what it does and thus disinclined to sell it, at least until he's offered a huge bag of money?

Another interesting note is that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy get somewhat outsized roles, perhaps to compensate for their lack of lines in Boast Busters. Pinkie of course tells Trixie off and gets her mouth taken away for it. Fluttershy is the real hero of the day, in my opinion. She manages to sneak out and find Twilight, in an action of bravery that we'll later see of her in Keep Calm and Flutter On and The Cutie Map Part 2. Why is it that episodes that aren't Fluttershy-centric seem to do a better job with her character than ones that are? Again, it's interesting to note that Trixie also lifts the dome to let the beavers out. I'm no psychologist, but generally the type of people who are sociopaths have no compunctions with torturing animals. Given she's at the height of her power here and doesn't have to worry about PR, her letting them leave is perhaps a hint that while she's being cruel, it's a targeted one against the residents of Ponyville and outside of her targets she's not going to be needlessly mean.

I'm endlessly fascinated by the power and limitations of the Alicorn Amulet, however. It's never stated precisely what it does beyond blessing its wearers with untold powers. At minimum we can assume this means a magic boost, but what about the actual spells? Trixie pulls off magic that leaves Twilight very impressed, but it's not just the power but the implied skill level, able to induce body metamorphosis on four ponies (Mayor Mare, Rainbow Dash, Snips and Snails) including aging spells, as well as a dragon, creating a dome, and transforming the entire town within a matter of days. Did the Amulet give Trixie the knowledge on how to do these spells, or did she somehow know how to do them already, just perhaps not with the prerequisite power requirements?

Also, wheels. Last year, March 14th was on a Saturday, when new pony episodes normally air. Imagine if Season 5 had started a few months earlier and a Trixie episode had aired on March 14th. That would have been the ultimate meta-joke and my hat would've been off to whoever OKed it, be it the show producer or a Hasbro exec.

Now, No Second Prances. From the looks of it it's going to be a combination Twilight/Starlight/Trixie episode. One of my hopes for the episode is that they do not have a 'Trixie is down on her luck' episode here. The sole reason for that is if they did that, I feel it would have been a better opportunity for a Cutie Mark Crusaders episode in lieu of On Your Marks as they help Trixie reignite her passion for the stage, as opposed to a Starlight episode. Similarly, I hope they don't decide to villainise her, make her a stepping stone for Starlight, or make this What About Discord? Mk II. If they avoid those four things I think I'll be generally happy with No Second Prances. If they show her teleporting then I'd be ecstatic because then her being a directly powerful magician is canon.

I wonder how long ago the NSP script was written. Magic Duel was going to be a Season 2 episode originally before it got bumped up to Season 3. This means it happens to take place after Chrysalis' appearance in A Canterlot Wedding, also voiced by Kathleen Barr. I've heard rumours that it's apparently difficult to consistently get her for voice acting, so maybe they had a script on stand-by and activated it with some rewrites for Starlight once they got KB for the Chrysalis timeline in the Season 5 finale?

That said, in all honesty, I actually hope that we don't get a background story for Trixie, and that her past remains as shrouded in mystery as it always has. The main reason is that I enjoy reading a lot of Trixie stories that have her come from many, many different origins, and I've even written her in at least four different characterisations - as a secret agent, a Boast Busters reprise as a stallion, as a Pony-Changeling hybrid and as a runaway filly princess.

If we were to get a backstory people for her, many authors would instantly allow themselves to be shackled by it and refuse to write anything else. I've seen other fandoms like Naruto and Harry Potter where fanfic writers will drastically retcon their story even though they're several tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of words into it to match the latest issue or book or episode, and it would be a shame for people to do the same here until we lose a lot of originality. Friendship is Magic has a lot looser continuity, but I'm certain that in its place people would allow their headcanons to mutate until they think it's actual canon with ironclad belief. There's a reason why the short bio for my profile is 'Leave your headcanons at the door.'

Let's look at a Trixie-related example: who actually said that the pony appearing in MLP Comic #40 is Trixie's mom? Equestria Daily said it, but they don't cite any official sources, and the fans just ran with it. Ted Anderson, the writer of the comic, doesn't even say. For all we know, it could be Trixie's big sister, and there's absolutely nothing to prove that wrong. On a bigger topic of debate, how many people assume it's fact that Twilight is immortal? It's never stated in the show, and Meghan McCarthy's one tweet on the matter fudges so much that you can run with anything from a regular life-span to as immortal as Celestia and Luna, but the amount of fanwork that sees a mortal Twilight is tiny in comparison to an immortal one.

I suppose I'm a little bit hypocritical though, because I would like another episode where we finally get to see Scootaloo's family which would wipe out a ton of fan headcanons.

In any case, here's to No Second Prances!

im willing to bet that many fanons will be ruined, and maybe a few will become canon

5199016 Very nice overview. I agree with you for the most part. Also, you're not alone in thinking Boast Busters wasn't very good. ;) For me, the only good thing to come out of that was Trixie.

As for No Second Prances, that preview and the synopsis are both redlining my 'bad feeling' meter. Hope for the best... prepare for the worst.

Also, I am intrigued about this pony-changeling hybrid fic of yours concerning Trixie. Could you please send me a link to it?

Ya missed a few. But don't worry, ah've got yer back.

I really like Trixie and hope this episode does her justice.

5199016

Twilight Sparkle: Just let her go. Maybe someday she'll learn her lesson.

Is the one-liner that really makes Twilight seems an asshole in an episode were, until that point, she was the only decent one of the mane six. Is the sixth episode, that means that, since the first two cover a span of few hours, she had friends for the first time in her life since about a month, and she thinks to be entitled to give lessons (deciding, from the fact that Trixie is running away from an angry mob, that she had not learned anything)?

Notice how Trixie looks like she's about to steal the Alicorn Amulet.

Well... It may looks like it, but all we know is that she is actively searching for it, and that she brought the money to purchase it. We know that Trixie is not really considerate of others, so, since the shopkeeper chose to not be there for her (nearly an insult!), rummaging through the store to find what she was looking for could be only a way to save time for her.

Pinkie of course tells Trixie off and gets her mouth taken away for it

That's the part that really resembles "Boast Busters" the more. It seems that the mere presence of Trixie is enough to bring the worst out of the mane six. Pinkie is not even present in "Boast Busters". Trixie did not anything to her directly. The Pinkie we know would have asked to Trixie how the experience of rock farming had been, or, recognizing his father in Trixie's image spell, would have asked news about her family (leaving Trixie puzzled). Her nature is to ease conflicts and befriend.
Instead, we have a nasty and completely gratuitous comment, that makes Pinke resemble the "friend of the bully", harrassing someone only cause the others do it.

Again, it's interesting to note that Trixie also lifts the dome to let the beavers out.

Yeah, one of the parts when you know Trixie is a decent pony (as when she tells to Snips and Snails to "stay back" and stand up to the Ursa). Even the evilest, corrupted, Trixie is kind to animals. I really hope the witers don't mess up this part in the next episode.

I'm endlessly fascinated by the power and limitations of the Alicorn Amulet, however. It's never stated precisely what it does beyond blessing its wearers with untold powers. At minimum we can assume this means a magic boost, but what about the actual spells? Trixie pulls off magic that leaves Twilight very impressed, but it's not just the power but the implied skill level, able to induce body metamorphosis on four ponies (Mayor Mare, Rainbow Dash, Snips and Snails) including aging spells, as well as a dragon, creating a dome, and transforming the entire town within a matter of days. Did the Amulet give Trixie the knowledge on how to do these spells, or did she somehow know how to do them already, just perhaps not with the prerequisite power requirements?

Well, if Trixie's magic is something, it's "versatile". In the few seconds of the two episodes in which we see her use her real magic, she puts up a display of different abilities bested only by Discord in the same screentime. Listing them we have: telekinesis (at a pretty good level, if she manage to catch AJ by surprise), pyrokinesis (her fireworks seems to be of magic nature), neon-like displays (Twilight uses a similar spell in "Bats!"), teletransport (of a bunch of flowers. Teletransport seems to be a super-rare ability. Apart from newborn unicorns in magical burst, Trixie, Twilight, Nightmare Moon and Sunset Shimmer are the only ponies that we see to teletransport something, and counting that one is a super-being, and another is not even show-canon...), stormy clouds gathering (like Luna), electric blaster (like Luna) , thunderbolts underlyning of her speech (like L... ok, it may be not a real magic power) rainbow solidifying... she probably knows a thing or two about magic.