Look let me make this clear what you like about Trixie or Twilight and why you like them there is only one rule and you must use the there show persona's. The point of this is to get a nice debate going as to who is a more interesting character and to see why just remember you can only use the version of them that is on the show.

Despite not actually being nearly as powerful as Twilight she still stood up for the town and tried to get rid of the Ursa Minor. I mean, did you see the size of that thing!? I doubt I would have the bravery to stand there only able to throw such meagre spells at it. She has a heck of a lot of guts in my opinion.

I also loath the fact Snips and Snails didn't get the flack they deserved for bringing a monster to town.

She's prideful which makes it all the more fun to break her into submission.

I like that sheer bravado of hers, to stand in front of a crowd and loudly proclaim herself to be great and powerful. Knowing she went to the school of gifted unicorns makes her backstory all the more interesting. I picture her failing and leaving the school proclaiming "Trixie is far too Great and Powerful to be taught by those who do not understand her. She will make her own school!"

Twilight's a lot more interesting, but I always imagined Trixie to have some deep insecurities, hence the act she puts on as an attempt to overcompensate. Twilight is openly insecure, while Trixie conceals it.

I don't know, honestly. I just like 'em.

1225813
wait how is twilight more interesting?

with trixie there is a lot of interesting things about her from job, her life use of third person and her overall personality.

I argue that rainbow dash and rarity are more interesting characters because just like trixie they aren't perfect paragons.

Good question. First off, she's a very good foil for Twilight. In "Boast Busters", she was practically Twilight's shadow archetype - the kind of person Twilight could have been without the restraining and moderating influence of her friends, family and mentor. For both good and bad - Trixie is narcissistic and self-centered, but also confident and self-assured.

Trixie makes a good rival for Twilight, and I hope that is something we get to see more of in S4. She's really the only one besides Twilight (and the princesses) who takes a genuine interest in furthering her magic, particularly after crossing paths with Twilight. Her time before "Magic Duel" was spent gathering power to prove herself against her rival, and in return Twilight was driven to enhance her own skills in order to defeat Trixie. Textbook rivalry. Most enemies on the show are either everyday people with social issues (Diamond Tiara, Iron Will, Gilda) or genuine supervillains requiring the Elements an/or other powers to defeat. Trixie is fairly close to Twilight's level - she's her rival, nopony else's.

And then there's the fact that she's hammy, entertaining and very memorable.

Trixie is Twilight's perfect foil. You care about Twilight—because you are watching the show, and can be expected to empathise with the protagonist—and Trixie becomes interesting through her similarities to Twilight. It's so important that her similarities and differences to Twilight define her character.

Both are powerful mages, with an intense dedication to their craft. They are at, or near to, the top of their respective specialities. iirc, Trixie was confirmed in canon to have attended Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She may not have been Celestia's protegee, but they share their origins.

The difference here is only implied. Where Twilight had a fairly straight-forward and happy life, at some point Trixie ended up roaming Equestria as a solo act. It's a darker, lonelier transition from foalhood into their show personalities.

Both have been shown to share (some) character traits. As has been pointed out above me, Trixie had the guts to attempt to take down the Ursa. She isn't afraid to fight for herself, even if she can't live up to her own words. Twilight has also demonstrated that courage, standing up to numerous god-tier villains and what-have-you without flinching.

You could point out that Trixie isn't anywhere close to Twilight's power level. I think that's beside the point, though. They acted in similar ways.

This list continues, and I don't feel like typing it all out. Suffice to say that Trixie is, in a way of thinking, a darker representation of Twilight. She represents what Twilight could have become, and could still become in the future. That allows Twilight to shine in contrast, and adds depth to both of their characters.

tl;dr Twilight and Trixie are both essential to the other in terms of depth and character growth. The more mature fans of the show latched onto Trixie because she represents a darker Twilight—and that is inherently more 'real' and 'interesting' to us. Not that I want to generalise, or anything.

-Preservation

Edit: Mooncalf beat me to it (kind of). A tip of the hat to you, good sir!

Well, here's why I like Trixie... she was pretty much the only good thing about Boast Busters.

Warning: Incoming rant!

I'm dead serious. Hell, I wouldn't even call what she was doing 'boasting', more like advertising! Here's what she says when she first shows up:

Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!

Who does she mock? No one.
Who does she belittle? No one.
Who does she challenge? No one.
Is this even all that... bad? Not really. Hell, you think this is 'boasting' then almost all real-life adverts must get under your skin. And the first things Rarity says?

My, my, my, what boasting!

Well, yes, I guess you could call it that... or she's trying to get a crowd around to see her show! What's even worse is the Mane Six members who take offense. If it was Pinkie Pie and/or Fluttershy, then maybe they'd have a point. But these three? Oh PLEASE! Rarity's got an ego and the stage she had set up in 'Suited for Success' was about 5-6 times the size of Trixie's entire wagon. Applejack, as we see in 'Call of the Cutie' does the exact same thing as Trixie with her produce, and Dash's ego is large enough to have its own gravitational field. They are massive hypocrites. And what's even odder is it seems only Dash is aware of this.

And before I get too deep, please let me state Trixie's not perfect. Then again neither are any of the Mane Six. It was wrong for her to single out Twilight in the crowd like that. She was a bit of a jerk to Snips and Snails after her show and running off at the end... not too cool. Then again if being a jerk is enough to be a villain then every member of the Mane Six, Spike, Celestia, Luna, Big Mac, Cheerilee and Bonbon IN CANON are villains too. Dead serious, folks.

Anyway, 49 seconds after Trixie first appears in her cloud of smoke Dash lets out with "Magic, schmagic, boo!" Did I mention rarity and Applejack were also badmouthing her in plain view and earshot of her? They were. A question i have asked since the damned episode aired... if they didn't like the opening seconds of her show, why didn't they just WALK AWAY?!

*Ahem* Anyway, yes, Trixie does the "Anything you can do, I can do better" line. And you know what? I admit she may not have done them 'better', but I think the point was to show up three obviously rude and assholish hecklers who were disrupting her show. If you'll notice, no one else besides them were heckling or booing. I had little sympathy for them going in and none coming out. Served all of them right. Except Twilight, mind.

Anyway, after Spike gives Snips and Snails-yes, Spike. I swear almost everyone forgets his role in the Ursa bit-the idea to get the Ursa, it comes to town and smashes Trixie's wagon. :( And here's the deal. Where she is, she's got two avenues of escape open to her. There's an alley to her left and a break in the houses behind her she can leap over. This town has had little but trouble for her. She has no roots, can easily abandon it to its fate... but no. She gives an honest effort to try and stop it. Does it work, no. But she tried. And that took legit guts and courage.

Twilight sends the Ursa packing, and here's where my bullshit meter redlines. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity mock Trixie's failure... and those three assholes did NOTHING against the Ursa. "All hat, no cattle," Applejack drawls out. Applejack, you did nothing. You had no hat. This is another thing that almost never gets addressed, either. The sheer hypocrisy of these three. Applejack and rarity are lifelong residents of Ponyville. Dash is the Element of Loyalty. They did nothing while a stranger tried, and they mock her for it. Fuck. You.

Anyway, Trixie is now without a wagon and a reputation. She runs off while Twilight says maybe someday she'll learn her lesson. What lesson?! Don't stand up to legit hecklers who try to ruin your show? Run off instead of standing your ground? God...

If you go to TV Tropes and protagonist-centered morality, click the western animation folder and scroll down. Boast Busters is there. I started it and others have added to it. I'm not saying Trixie is perfect... but she got royally SCREWED in that episode. And it's why I don't need a 'woobie background' for her for sympathy. I simply need canon.

I really like her mane

She's powerful (we've never seen another unicorn other than Twilight with the versatility of Trixie's spellwork), intelligent (she found the alicorn amulet in a couple years, something I think would have been sought by some ponies for decades of their lives), brave (she did stand up to an Ursa Minor she thought was an Ursa Major) and Trixie has an interesting way of saying what Trixie wants to say while Trixie says it.

She's like Twilight, but with flaws (ok, flaw) that sometimes make her more interesting to write than Twilight. Don't get me wrong, Twilight's a great character and the one I've included most in my writing, but Trixie might be more fun sometimes.

Basically, because she's so overconfident and over the top. She's hilarious to write. I have this idea that she deludes herself most of the time by making herself the victim in almost any situation, and then uses these as excuses for her actions. She's essentially unable to accept certain things and goes to great lengths to maintain the perception that she's perfect in every way, and that everyone else is wrong. And when she does finally accept that she's done wrong, she is genuinely sorry.

1226436 Thank you. THANK YOU! Everyone seems to forget that without Spike's "advice", Snips and Snail would probably never have looked for the Ursa in the first place.

Anyway, for my reasons. Aside from EVERYTHING RK_Striker_JK_5 said, in any case. Trixie is shown to be a proud and somewhat egotistical pony, but through certain hints, we can see her character is a lot deeper than that. First, why is she traveling if one can make a better name staying in a big city? Reasons we may never know. She talks mostly in third person, but a few times, when she is being personal, she talks in first person. That leaves me to believe she's hiding something about her, most likely some fears. And the fact that we don't really know what is what makes her a lot more interesting. She can fit pretty much any role and look good at it.

Also, let's not forget her looks. I really love her mane. And her cutie mark!

One more thing, she wears a freaking wizard's hat and cape. The only thing better than a wizard's hat and cape are an illusionist's outfit; the best outfit I've seen for Trixie is a nice tux with a top hat.

Just look at that smile!

What I really like at Trixie is that she never gives up. Sure, she has her not-so-orderly retreats, but she always comes back stonger. She continuously bites of more than she can chew but still tries to the best of her ability. She is refreshingly unscrupulous without stooping as low as Flim and Flam - there is a difference between being drunk with power and even being an a**hole while sober. And her bravado is more than just an act - she believes her own propaganda, and in turn draws bravery and strength from it.

Trixie talks in the 3rd person on stage and it seems like it's just a thing she does for her show, but after the show is done, she continues to use the 3rd person so it seems like more of a mask than just a stage show. It's not until the Ursa attacks that she drops the 3rd person.

There's a really interesting backstory potential there on her use of 3rd person that just isn't touched in the show.

1225900 I wouldn't call Twilight a "perfect paragon." She's proven time and again, in episodes like "It's About Time" and especially "Lesson Zero", that she is neurotic and insecure about her own abilities. I find that very relatable. Trixie, while being a fully developed character in her own right, has not had enough screen time for me to get to know her and see her go through the struggles Twilight's gone through.

Now that she's a princess, we'll have to see where they take Twilight's character in Season 4, but for now she is my favorite character on the show (just look at my avatar).

I'll have to admit that canon Trixie is quite fun to write. Her personality can sometimes be enigmatic, but because she was featured only in two episodes, we have to extrapolate it from there. Personally, I would like to see quite a bit more of her in upcoming episodes, but I can't hold my breath on that. It's like asking them to provide Bon Bon with a single voice instead of farming that out to whomever.

1229701
in "it's about time" she thought that the world was going to end
and lesson zero was an insanity episode so it doesnt count

1231809 Hmm, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. The fact that Twilight thought the world was ending shows how overwhelmed she was. As for Lesson Zero, I don't see where you're coming from there. Every episode contributes to the characters, whether or not it is an episode merely for comedy (or insanity).

Oh well. I'm glad you like Trixie as much as I like Twilight.

1226436 That's a really good analysis of Boast Busters. It makes a lot of sense, and now I'm convinced that the Mane Six were just as nasty in that episode as they were in "Mysterious Mare Do Well."

Damn...

1227600>>1236593 Thank you, both of you. Please keep in mind I'm not saying Trixie is fully blameless or some perfect little angel. But she was NOT a bad guy in that episode. As childish as it might sound, the Mane Six legit started it with her.

What makes Trixie interesting is the fact that you really do need to ask who she is when you're writing with her. There's quite a bit to her from her arrogance to constantly speaking in the third person, hence a lot can potentially be done with her.

She could easily just be seen as a bitch. The "I am so much better that you it isn't even funny" kind of bitch. A lot can be done with that. Maybe something happened in her past to give her that kind of attitude, or maybe it's really all just an act. It's possible that she has no idea how to talk to other ponies and dresses herself up (metaphorically and literally) to hide her insecurities.

To answer the question though...I just like a character that can come off confident and strong. Not to mention the reason I liked android 18 in dbz. She's the kind of woman that can easily kick your ass. True Trixie is more talk than walk, but she can walk too mind you. I like that in a woman (note, I am not in love with Trixie, I just respect her is all. Besides, Rainbow Dash is more my type ).

I agree with RK_Striker_JK_5 about the Boast Busters episode...but I still like the headcanon that she's an orphan as well. Otherwise, why not just go visit her family and get reassured by them about her stage career? Why try to get revenge on Twilight if there isn't something lightly bigger going on there? Why have we never heard about her parents? But...mostly that episode.

1225733 Why do I like Trixie? Well, it's largely because her ego is so freaking entertaining to listen to and that third person voice just strikes me as cute for some reason.

Topic necro? Well, I guess I'll go along with it and post some content to fill it up.

I like writing Trixie as a character, simply because she has near-zero background (Word of God from the show runners constrain this, but I ignore that as needed), so I can do almost anything with her. I've given her multiple different pasts and backgrounds as the story requires.

Spoilers for some of my stories...I'm especially fascinated with giving her a Wandering Jew archetype, where she wanders, never really able to settle. It makes her a haunting character to write.

She is brave and individualistic. Mind you, she takes it to the point of also being foolhardy and obnoxious, but the fact is that Trixie will stand up to what she perceives as evil or unjust, and she will stick by her own conclusions even if everypony else opposes them. Individualism to the extent of risking exile is a rare virtue among the Ponies -- the Mane Six and Sunset Shimmer all have it as well, as does (ironically) Starlight Glimmer, the great collectivist.

Her confidence, her mind and her magic.