Watch in Awe

by flying_whimsy

Watch in Awe

Watch in Awe

The day Trixie Lulamoon was born was the worst day of her parents’ lives. Born to a pair of dirt farming earth ponies, Trixie’s blue coat and blue-so-light-it-was-nearly-white mane were surprising enough (there hadn’t been a blue pony in the family for four generations), but the horn marking her as a magical unicorn was a mark of shame for the Diggler Family. The Digglers were an ultra-conservative family that placed hard work above all else, and magic was nothing more than a lazy way to avoid doing things properly. The earth tone ponies originally planned to name their daughter after the flowers that grew at the edge of their fields, but Trixie’s name quickly became the two words her parents couldn’t help but say every time they looked at her: “No way.” So with more disappointment than joy did little Noway Diggler enter the world; her life as Trixie wouldn’t begin until much later.

The Digglers had a simple existence farming dirt: they would bring in cartloads of dirt that other farmers paid to have them enrich, lay it out on the fields, spend a season sowing compost into it, and then take it back to the proper owners. Mama Diggler would haul the cart, hence her wheel cutie mark; while Papa Diggler would tow the plow, hence his shovel cutie mark. Magic had no place in their world, so they did the best they could to ignore Noway’s special gift. Too ashamed to send their daughter to school for anypony else to see, they kept little Noway on the farm and out of sight whenever visitors came calling. Noway’s world was small and quiet, and all she knew was working the fields, cooking the food, and taking care of the house. Mostly, Noway was a happy child; the only thing that made her sad was her horn, mainly because of the way her parents looked at it. The one time she ever dared ask about it, they told her it was Celestia’s way of punishing them for being lazy. Sometimes she overheard her parents talking about how much they wished she was normal like them, and she would look at the stars at night and wish for the very same thing.

Then one day, an amazing thing happened: while Noway was serving breakfast to her parents her horn started to glow pink and the next thing she knew, all of the plates were glowing the same shade of pink as they lifted off the table and hovered over her parents’ heads. All three of the Digglers could only stare in dumbfounded amazement.

“Why I never…” Mama Diggler whispered in amazement before her senses returned and she turned a stern eye to her daughter. “Noway Kathleen Diggler, you stop that right this instant!”

“Stop what?!” Noway’s amazement turned to fear at the sound of her mother’s angry voice. Noway’s voice jumped an octave as the realization hit her, “Wait, I’m doing that?”

“Not anymore you’re not, little lady,” Papa Diggler said as he rose from his place by the table.

Standing before his daughter, Papa Diggler raised his right hoof and swung the back of it at his daughter’s face. Papa Diggler was a proud stallion: proud of his strength as he spent day after day pulling a heavy plow, and as he felt his hoof connect it was the first and only time he ever doubted that strength. He only meant to hit her lightly, to knock some sense into her, but years of shame and resentment found their way into the blow. With a loud crack, Noway went flying across the kitchen, breaking through a cabinet as she landed.

The pink magical aura surrounding the dishes vanished and they fell from the air, scattering food everywhere as they broke on the floor.

“Papa Diggler…” Mama said breathlessly as she brushed bits of splattered food out of her mane.

Papa Diggler didn’t respond as he hoisted his unconscious little girl onto his back and carried her out of the room. As carefully as he could manage, he towed her up to her room and laid her in her bed. He returned to the kitchen a few minutes later and motioned for his wife to tend to their daughter. He spent the morning cleaning the kitchen by himself, fighting back tears the entire time.

Noway awoke two days later to the worst headache she would ever have in her life. Reaching up to her aching head, her hooves encountered bandages. Everything that happened came back to her in a flash, and she started to cry. Between sobs she could hear the sounds of the cart and the plow out in the field. After regaining control, she made her way to the hallway and the nearest mirror.

She carefully removed the bandages on the left side of her face, revealing a bruised and swollen cheek. It hurt just to look at it. She never knew that a pony could hit another like that, and she realized she must have done something terrible to deserve it.

Noway vowed to never used magic again and her parents never spoke of that violent morning.

---

The Digglers went on as if nothing happened. But Noway was a sensitive girl: her father hesitated just a little bit when he spoke to her, and he was just a little more distant than he used to be. Her mother was angry, but it only ever showed when talking to Papa. Although her parents never said anything, Noway knew it was all because she used magic. As the months passed, Mama and Papa finally returned to normal, but Noway’s guilt never left her mind.

While she was cleaning out the attic to prepare for winter, Noway came across a dusty old box with the name ‘Lily Belle’ spelled out with fading letters. She never heard the name before and couldn’t help but look inside. At the top of the box were pictures of her parents when they were younger; they were smiling in every single one. As she dug farther down she found letters talking about a baby on the way. Beneath that, she found blankets, baby toys, and even a cute little saddle. None of it was ever used.

Confused, Noway went back to the letters. Reading, she learned that her parents were once expecting a baby…not just expecting, but were thrilled at having a child to carry on the family traditions. She could only find one short letter talking about the baby after it was born:

“Dear mother,” it started, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but your granddaughter is a unicorn. We don’t know how it happened; you know how magic is. We’re sorry to have raised your hopes over these last few months. Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to keep this from shaming the family. Love, Clover Diggler.”

Noway dropped the letter, sat back, and stared at the box. The silence in the attic was broken only by the sounds of her parents working outside. She may be a little filly, but the blue unicorn knew what that box meant, what she was denied because of her stupid horn. Taking a deep breath she started putting everything back. She didn’t like that box, she wanted to forget all about it and the name ‘Lily Belle.’ Its contents returned and its lid closed, the box sat opposite Noway. She couldn’t stop staring at it.

“Unicorn,” she whispered to herself. That’s what she was; that’s what her parents hated about her.

Without realizing what she was doing, Noway yelled and turned, bucking the box with all of her filly might. The box slid across the floor, tipping as it caught the edge of an uneven floorboard. The lid popped open and out flew a colorful little book. Feeling guilty for losing her temper, Noway straightened up the box and picked up the book: on its cover was an illustration of a bright blue unicorn shooting stars up into the sky; on the inside was a dedication to Lily Belle from somepony called Uncle Buck.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Noway sat and started reading the book. It was a tale about Lula, a unicorn from a city filled with all sorts of different ponies. Looking at the pictures of the ponies with wings, and the ones with horns, and the ones like her parents, Noway glanced out the window and wondered if there was a place like that out there that she could go to. As Noway read on, the little filly learned that Lula was proud of what she was, that the grown mare worked hard to develop her powers so that one day, she could face an evil wolf and reclaim the stars for the night sky. The story ended with Lula the hero being praised by everypony in the land.

Noway closed the book, crying as she ran a hoof over the cover. She hoped desperately that she could live in the world within those pages. She thought back to that morning when she accidentally used magic to levitate the plates. Lula lifted things all the time. Lula worked hard to develop her magic. No pony ever hit Lula.

Setting the book down and taking a step back, Noway closed her eyes and tried to remember what it felt like when she lifted those plates. Remembering just the feeling was hard: images of her angry father kept getting in the way. As the minutes ticked by, however, Noway’s focus increased. She opened her eyes and looked at the book.

“Lift,” she said quietly but firmly. The minutes ticked by and nothing happened. She tried to focus on what it felt like to lift those plates, and she remembered that brief moment of joy when she realized she was the one doing it. The attic grew brighter as her horn shone with a pink light. Slowly, the book began to glow as well. Gritting her teeth with the effort, Noway spoke again, “Lift, book. I said, LIFT!”

The book floated into the air and hovered. Noway had to stifle a cheer. She set the book down beside her hooves and closed up the box. She wasn’t the Lily Belle her parents wanted, but she knew that book was meant for her.

---

From that day on Noway practiced her magic. While her parents were out tending the dirt fields, she would rush through her chores and then run to the attic so she could spend whatever time she had left in the day mimicking the magic on the pages. Her only guide was the book about Lula, and many an afternoon were spent in frustration trying to do even the simplest things. But Noway did learn. If there was one thing being a Diggler had taught the little filly, it was how to work hard.

As it approached a year from the time she found the book, Noway wasn’t quite a little filly anymore. Her body had slimmed down and her limbs had gotten longer to the point of being awkward; she liked to think she looked like Lula, just smaller. Mama and Papa Diggler talked more and more often about how it would soon be time for the little blue filly to start tending the fields with them all day.

Somehow, Noway’s parents had remained oblivious to her studies. She dreaded every morning, fearful of the day when they would put her to work and she’d no longer be able to study. She knew it was just a matter of time before she either got called for field work or her parents would happen upon her studies, so she tried all the harder.

One day, however, she tried a little too hard and her studies happened upon her parents…through a hole she accidentally blew in the attic wall at the front of the house.

No pony was hurt, thankfully, but Noway’s heart sank as memories of her father’s enraged look as he struck her rose out of her memory. Cursing her overzealous efforts, she knew it was too soon; she simply wasn’t strong enough yet to ensure that no pony ever struck her again. To her surprise, Noway’s parents never said a word; they simply picked up the debris and set to work repairing the damage. Noway decided to lay off the magic practice for a bit, at least until the house was fixed.

A few days later, while Papa Diggler was on a ladder outside patching the hole in the wall, a white mare walked onto the farm, towing a large wagon with a solid wood roof behind her. Noway did what she always did when visitors arrived: went to her room. She could hear the murmuring of voices outside, the hoofsteps of her father as he stopped working on the wall and climbed down the ladder to meet the guest. Usually Mama handled all the talking, and it was especially rare that Papa would stop in the middle of a task for anything.

The minutes passed and eventually Papa’s voice called out loud enough for Noway to hear him even in her room, “Come on out, Noway; there’s somepony here we want you to meet.”

Panic started to set in as Noway left her bedroom and made her way downstairs. She’d never once met another pony; her parents never let her. What would the stranger want with her? Was she there to take Noway away from her family for being so bad? A million wordless things to dread ran through Noway’s mind as she exited the house. They all vanished as she saw the pony standing with her parents.

Looking beautiful in the midday sun, there stood a white pony with a bright red mane that had a streak of purple running through it. As Noway’s eyes adjusted she could make out a crescent moon surrounded by stars cutie mark and purple eyes. The thing that got the most attention from the little filly, however, was the mare’s white horn. Noway never thought she’d meet another unicorn, and she nearly cried at the fact that she really wasn’t alone.

“Noway,” Papa Diggler spoke and nodded towards his daughter, “this is Miss Cherry Cobbler.”

“How do you do, Miss Cobbler?” Noway politely curtsied just as her parents had taught her.

“Hello there,” Cherry smiled warmly, “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Miss Cobbler,” Mama interjected, “has come all the way out here to teach you some magic so we don’t have any more…incidents.” Mama glanced nervously towards the hole in front of the house.

“Don’t worry about a thing,” the white unicorn smiled as she walked over to stand by Noway, “I’m sure Noway here will have a handle on things in no time.” Turning to Noway, she continued, “Now your folks tell me you’re a pretty good cook: why don’t we head inside and you can tell me all about what you’ve learned while you make lunch. I’m starving!”

Before the pair of unicorns could head inside, Papa cleared his throat, “Miss Cherry Cobbler, don’t forget what we talked about.”

“Right,” the red-maned mare frowned for a moment, “I won’t forget.”

Noway didn’t really trust Cherry Cobbler, she was a stranger after all, but her excitement about meeting another unicorn loosened her tongue as she made lunch. She told Cherry about all the spells she’d been working on, beaming with pride each time the older unicorn oohed or acted surprised.

“You’ve been making a lot of progress on your own,” Cherry asked between mouthfuls of dessert, “Are there any textbooks on magic that you’ve been studying from?”

“What?!” the blue filly cried out, thinking of the fairy tale book about Lula; her parents didn’t know she had the book, and she was worried if they found out about it they would simply take it away. Trying to sound casual, she went on, “no, no textbooks. I’ve pretty much been making it up as I go.”

“Okay,” Cherry’s voice filled with skepticism, “but there’s nothing wrong with learning from a book, you know?”

“Yeah,” the blue unicorn sighed, “I don’t have any textbooks, honest Miss Cherry. I used to have an old storybook, and that’s all I’ve ever seen of magic.” Lying didn’t come naturally to Noway, and she had to suppress a grimace; she didn’t want to lie to Cherry.

“That makes it all the more impressive,” Cherry’s eyes filled with admiration, “now why don’t we grab a seat in the living room and I’ll tell you all about the history of unicorn magic? After that, we’ll figure out what you’d like to learn and we’ll go from there. Oh, and call me Cherry.”

“Would it save time if I just told you that I want to learn it all?”

---

Cherry Cobbler told Noway all about unicorn magic, how they used to raise the sun and moon each day and night, and about how after the princesses took over that role they and the pegasi were in charge of all the weather in Equestria. Noway’s eyes widened as Cherry used her magic to make pictures in the air as she talked. For the most part, the white pony answered the little filly’s questions, but whenever Noway asked about Cherry’s life or the cities in the fairy tale, Cherry would frown and change the subject. Cherry and Noway spent the rest of the day making a plan to teach the little blue pony. That night, as she would for the rest of her time at the farm, Cherry slept in her big wagon and awoke to find Noway waiting for her. Noway was never allowed to go into the wagon or even take a peek behind the door.

The months passed quickly for Noway and Cherry Cobbler. Cherry did just as the Digglers had instructed her and taught the little pony everything she knew about levitating objects, controlling the weather, and handling water and fire; careful to never mention the cities or world beyond the farm that she could tell Noway desperately yearned for. Noway did her part in learning and practicing with every ounce of effort she could muster. Rarely a night passed where Cherry didn’t see the little filly practicing in her bedroom when the older mare retired to her wagon.

“Cherry, why don’t you teach me any other magic besides things I can use here on the farm?” the young mare asked one morning while they were working with fire. Noway had gotten even taller, but her body still had the lanky awkwardness of youth to it.

“Because,” Cherry sighed as she realized she couldn’t fool the talented filly if she wanted to, “because your parents told me not to. Just like they told me not to tell you anything about the world beyond this farm.”

“I thought so,” Noway nodded.

“Aren’t you mad?” Cherry frowned with concern.

“Not really,” Noway grinned, “and even if I were, I would be mad at my parents, not at you. Come on, I want to show you something in my room. But you have to promise not to tell my parents.”

With a nod from Cherry the blue unicorn sped off towards the house, the curious white unicorn in tow. Cherry had enjoyed the months working with her pupil, but sometimes she wondered if things hadn’t started to get out of hand. Cherry was a traveler, and the months here had marked the longest she’d been in one place since she was a filly; the Digglers paid well, but she was starting to get attached to the lonely unicorn she was hired to teach. When the time came to leave, she was worried that she wouldn’t want to.

Once they were in Noway’s room with the door closed, the filly set about pulling up a floorboard with her pink-hued magic. Cherry watched as an old picture book levitated out of the hole in the floor before the board was replaced. Without a word, Noway passed her most prized possession into Cherry’s emerald green magical grip.

“That,” Noway said with a mixture of pride and sadness, “is everything I knew about the world beyond this farm before you came. If this place were burning down, I would run back in to save that book.”

Cherry flipped through the pages, recognizing the tale as one she liked as a child. She looked at Noway with new appreciation for how hard the blue unicorn had worked both before and since her coming to the farm. Cherry made a point not to ask her student about the filly’s family situation, but she couldn’t help it when she saw the dedication on the inside of the cover.

“Who’s Lily Belle?” Cherry cautiously asked.

“That’s the pony I was supposed to be,” Noway sat on her bed and looked out the window. “I was supposed to be an earth pony like my parents; they hate unicorns, thinking we’re all somehow lazy abominations. They were going to name me after the flowers that grow at the edge of the fields. Instead they named me after the only thing they could say when I was born. I…” Noway’s voice trailed off as she wiped away a couple of tears. “I found that book in a box of all the things they never gave me as a child.”

Cherry passed the book back to Noway before stomping towards the door and flinging it open.

“Where are you going?” Noway called out urgently.

“To give your parents a piece of my mind!”

“No!” Noway cried as she jumped after Cherry, catching the unicorn’s red tail with her teeth. She pulled the surprised mare back into the room with only a little grunt of effort. “You promised you wouldn’t tell them about the book.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t promise not to tell them they’re jerks.” Cherry rubbed at the base of her tail, “Being a farm filly sure has given you some muscle.”

“Please,” the blue mare pleaded, “if you tell them they’ll send you away and I’ll be all alone again.”

The white unicorn put a hoof to her forehead and thought for a minute. She was still mad, but she couldn’t justify leaving Noway alone just for the satisfaction of yelling at the girl’s parents.

“Fine, you win,” Cherry said after a few minutes, “but I’m almost finished teaching you all the things your parents hired me to teach you. I can’t stay here forever.”

“I know.” Noway’s dark violet eyes lit up, “Can’t you teach me anything else?”

“I can,” the white mare’s voice turned hard, “and I will. But from here on time is against us, you got it? You are going to have to work harder than you have ever worked in your life.”

“I’m a Diggler;” Noway grinned, “it’s what we do.”

---

Noway and Cherry wiled away the following months possessed by an overwhelming sense of urgency. Cherry became a hard task master, demanding the absolute best from her student. Noway awoke early and studied late into the night. Whenever Cherry felt bad about driving Noway so hard, the little mare would work even harder. Everything she knew, the white unicorn tried to pass on.

Cherry started calling her student ‘Tricky,’ on account of how often she found herself telling the young mare that what they were doing was “tricky even for the best unicorns.” Noway’s progress was dazzling, and Cherry found herself lacking the ability to properly teach some of the skills the young mare was trying to learn.

“What’s wrong, Cherry?” Noway asked late one evening while they were practicing with magical fireworks.

“Tricky,” Cherry paused, knowing there would be no going back after this, “remember when you showed me that fairy tale about Lula a few months back? Well, now it’s my turn to show you something. Follow me.”

In the months since they bonded over Noway’s book, Noway still hadn’t been allowed into Cherry’s wagon. As Cherry motioned her inside, the blue mare finally understood why. Plastering the walls were posters and newspaper clippings of Cherry from cities all over Equestria. Of course, none of them called her Cherry.

“Moondancer?” Noway asked as Cherry closed the door to the wagon.

“It’s my stage name,” Cherry looked embarrassed as she gestured towards the dress form adorned with a gaudy red cape and matching hat. “I’m a traveling show pony. I tour Equestria and perform magic for anyone that will watch. Your parents hired me while I was passing through a nearby town where your mother was shopping.”

“I can see why you weren’t supposed to tell me about this,” the blue unicorn intoned with awe.

“That’s not actually what I wanted you to see,” the white unicorn gestured towards the wall near a vanity mirror, “I wanted you to read that.”

Noway was silent as she read the framed piece of paper on the wall. Finished, she turned to Cherry Cobbler, “This is a graduation certificate.”

“From Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” Cherry stood straight with pride, “that was the proudest day of my life. I think it would be yours, too.”

“You think I could go there?” Noway’s voice was a whisper.

“You’re every bit as talented as I’ll ever be,” Cherry hugged her student, “and I’ve hit my limit as your teacher. It’s one thing to perform some of the tricks, but something else entirely to teach them. I need to step aside and let somepony else guide you.”

“Will they teach me to be strong there?” the blue mare’s voice was still quiet.

“You’re already strong, Tricky,” Cherry backed away and looked her pupil in the eyes, “how much stronger do you need to be?”

“Strong enough so that no pony can ever hurt me again.” Noway’s voice was cold as her eyes flicked back in the direction of her house.

Cherry couldn’t bear it and hugged her student tight again.

“We need to go talk to my parents, don’t we?” the young mare’s voice was filled with dread.

“Yes.”

---

Noway woke up her parents and brought them down to the living room where Cherry was waiting. The Digglers were obviously not happy to be disturbed so late at night.

“What in Equestria is so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?” Mama Diggler complained as she rubbed her eyes. Papa Diggler merely yawned and stared down at his daughter.

“I’ll cut straight to the point: Noway wants to apply to Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns,” Cherry stood straight as a board, waiting for the inevitable response. Noway stayed silent just as Cherry had instructed her.

“She wants WHAT?!” Mama Diggler cried out. “Oh, I knew it was a mistake to bring you to this farm. You were just supposed to teach her how to use magic relevant to the farm, not fill her head with, with, with a bunch of-” Papa raised a hoof and his wife stopped talking.

“No.” The old stallion’s voice was calm and even. His eyes never left Noway.

“With all due respect, sir,” Cherry didn’t budge an inch, “I have to disagree. Somepony needs to think of your daughter’s needs and it surely hasn’t been you. Noway is the most talented unicorn I’ve ever met, and you’re squandering her life away in the middle of nowhere.”

“You’re not going to drop this, are you?” Papa Diggler watched as Cherry nodded before continuing, “Then you’re fired. I expect you to be gone when I wake up in the morning. Come on, Mama, we’re going back to bed.” Noway’s parents turned to leave the room.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Cherry shouted as she hauled the Digglers to the couch with her green-hued magic. Noway recognized the fear on their faces as the same fear they had when she levitated the plates the morning her dad hit her. “Your daughter is going to leave some day whether you like it or not; the world of this farm is too small for her.”

“If you take my daughter, I’ll report you for foalnapping,” Mama Diggler blurted out. “I’ll have every guard between here and Canterlot hunting for you.”

Cherry had hoped to avoid this, had hoped Noway’s parents would be reasonable. Realizing she had no choice, she turned to Noway, proclaiming loudly, “Tricky, I, Moondancer, challenge you to a magic duel tomorrow at dusk. It’s time you showed us all what you can do. If you win, you can take my cart and go anywhere you want; I won’t stop you. If you win, I doubt any of us will be able to stop you.”

Noway’s jaw dropped. Her parents tried to say something, but Cherry’s green magic stayed their tongues.

“You lost the right to step in when you struck your own daughter. I’m going to show you how great and powerful your daughter is, whether you like it or not!” With that Cherry turned to leave, whispering to Noway as she passed, “Be ready, Tricky; I won’t hold back.”

The next morning Mama and Papa Diggler awoke to find their daughter locked in her room and Cherry’s cart still parked near the barn. After breakfast, they nervously worked the fields, unsure of what else they could do. The day passed without as much as a sound from either of the magical unicorns.

Dusk arrived, and the side of Cherry’s cart folded down to a thunderous cacophony of fireworks. The Diggler parents could only watch nervously. A cloud of fog rolled across the makeshift stage as the curtain parted, revealing Cherry Cobbler in her gaudy red cape and hat.

“It is I, the Mistress of Magic, the Queen of Conjuring, the Magnificent Moondancer!” As Moondancer strode across the stage she couldn’t help but smirk at the two earth ponies she had for an audience; she bet that if they hadn’t known she was Moondancer, they wouldn’t have recognized her at all. “I hear tell that there is a unicorn here who dares think she is more powerful than I. Where is this charlatan?”

“I am no charlatan,” Noway said as she kicked open the front door of the house and walked towards the stage, “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon, the best unicorn in all of Equestria!”

Moondancer looked at Noway, or rather Trixie, and had to hold back tears at hearing the name Lulamoon; she knew exactly where the young mare had gotten the name. Trixie wore a purple hat and cape, and with an almost imperceptible nod, Moondancer could tell it matched the purple highlight that ran through her own red mane. Cherry Cobbler had a new proudest day of her life.

True to her word, Moondancer didn’t hold back as she unleashed a bevy of magical tricks and traps for Trixie to match. Levitation, fireworks, object conjuring, Trixie matched everything Moondancer did and surpassed it. Moondancer had planned to lose the fight, but even as she threw her best tricks at the little blue mare, she realized she couldn’t win if she wanted to. After nearly an hour of dazzling feats, Moondancer ran out of tricks.

“What’s wrong, out of tricks?” Trixie’s voice had an edge to it Moondancer had never heard before. “Then let Trixie put on a finale this audience will never forget!”

Trixie turned towards her house, her horn glowing brighter than ever. Boards ripped themselves from the side of the house, one after another as they flew out into the field to spell out something. The last thing to leave the house was the box with ‘Lily Belle’ on the side, ripped right through the attic wall that Papa Diggler had patched. Trixie set it in middle of the field.

“You might want a better view for this,” Trixie said as she lifted her parents to the roof of the barn. “Watch in awe.”

With that, the planks in the field all caught fire, spelling out Trixie’s message in flames visible for miles. The Lily Belle box burned bright, dotting the last ‘i’.

As Moondancer looked up at Trixie’s crying parents, she knew what the message was; it was the only thing Trixie had left to say to the two earth ponies that tried to keep the world from her, and she spoke with forty foot tall letters of fire: “My name is Trixie.”

As Trixie walked past Moondancer couldn’t help but notice her student’s shining magic wand cutie mark. The blue unicorn whispered, “Thank you.”

“Just go,” Moondancer’s eyes filled with tears. “Go and show the world how great you are.”

---

Years later, a full grown Trixie gazed from a hilltop at Ponyville. Noway Diggler and her parents weren’t even a memory anymore. Moondancer’s cart is the only reminder of who she was. Watching the ponies go about their business, Trixie can’t help but laugh.

“Watch, all of you, watch in awe.”

Comments

[Mooncalf]

This is an extremely captivating origin story. I love it. It doesn't mesh too well with canon - she's extremely powerful as a filly with only basic training, whereas canon adult Trixie is mostly good at stage tricks and performance - but it's nonetheless heartening and enjoyable.

I also hate her parents now. There's only so far you can take your bigotry, and tormenting your child for not having been born to your standards is way too far. Moondancer could probably have gotten her away from the Digglers just by contacting the Foal Protection Services - some of those things they did count as psychological abuse. To say nothing of the physical abuse. (Yes, just once, but... two days?!) You clearly wrote them to be obviously dislikeable, and you succeeded.

Disregarding her elevated power levels, I could happily accept this as a potential origin story for her. On the other hand, I'd love to see a story sometime where Trixie really is as powerful as she claims, just to see the reactions when she handily throws the starbeast back into the forest without breaking a sweat. ("What? That was just an Ursa Minor, they're even easier to handle than the Ursa Majors. Trixie said she was great and powerful.")

[flying_whimsy]

2587662

Wow, thanks for the in-depth feedback. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it so much.

This may sound funny for a 5500 word story, but I was pretty constrained working under a strict time and word limit for the fanfic event: Trixie's seemingly higher power level (I was operating under the assumption that her boasting wasn't entirely empty, even though she does only have one great feat in the story proper), her parents' hatred of unicorns, Trixie's life after setting out on her own, and Moondancer's lack of more direct intervention are all things that got left on the cutting room floor. My main goal of the story was to explore just what kind of circumstances could churn out a pony that's as unfriendly, boastful, and vengeful as Trixie was in the show.

At some point, I'd like to come back and expand on some of those things, especially the ending. Knowing that there's somepony out there that would probably enjoy reading it is definitely some good incentive: thanks again for the great comment and all of the thought you put into the story as you read it!

(Also, as a fun fact Trixie's parents are the only original characters in the story; Moondancer is actually based on her G1 incarnation.)

[DerpyMuffins15]

Okay, let me give it to you sttaight. The story is great, in fact I think it needs more views and likes, but the group is about Trixie moving past her obsession with Twilight, although I do commend you. Unfortunately the story doesn't exact fit the group's criteria. If it's any consolation, I would have given this a yes.

[flying_whimsy]

2605899

Fair enough; I guess I misunderstood a few things about the group. Thanks for the time and comment.

[Obsidian Raindrop]

i cried manly tears

[Ethereal Trixster]

I loved this story.

[flying_whimsy]

2609987

It's just liquid pride, right? I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

[flying_whimsy]

2610095

It makes me happy to hear that folks are enjoying this one. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[Swashbucklist]

The first few paragraphs could just as easily describe Spike's earliest years. One of these days, I'm gonna ship those two.

This is, as Mooncalf said, an extremely captivating origin story. Seeing the dialogue and narrative language start small before rising to a normal level of sophistication worked well to give an impression of Trixie's development from filly to young mare. Every other element you worked in fit perfectly with canon; the two freshest in my mind were her childhood taking place on a farm and her idealistic dream of being a storybook hero. It was even mentioned by Lauren Faust that Twilight and Trixie were in the same class in the same school. That's the only thing here (besides an adult Moondancer) that clashes with canon: Twilight was about five or six when she was accepted, but Trixie was probably ten or eleven in this story. The feelings throughout were gripping, especially when she discovered that she had an uncle who wrote a children's book about her.

It was a pretty good tale about how potential cannot, or should not, be repressed. The Digglers' poor parenting not only damaged their kid but came back to bite them in the asses. Karma, meet the Diggler family. Diggler family, meet karma.

EDIT: Just read the rest of Mooncalf's comment. He's right, Trixie was a little OP. Guess I missed it because I love the idea of Trixie being genuinely powerful.

[flying_whimsy]

2636868

I usually stick to show canon, but I had no idea it went that deep (as far as Trixie being in Twi's class and all that). It's always interesting to see what sort of assumptions people make when they read a story or how they interpret characters or events.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed so much and thanks a bunch for such an in-depth comment.

[Cheer]

2636868

You can say she was a lil op but think about how her emotions might have played on the whole thing. Emotions are a powerful thing. They coulda supercharged her from the moment she called herself Trixie.

[gapaot]

This is awesome. One of the best "Trixie" origins.

[Cusi]

I love this story so much! The fact that Trixie is too powerful makes me like it even more! If she was in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, she must be powerful. You know what I think? I think a lot of people think Trixie is weak because they don't like her. Fanon Trixie is weak. I'm writing a story that got good comments; at least until Trixie appeared to fight and a lot of people complained that she was 'too OP'. Well, I like powerful Trixie. You story is great and I love it.

Also, I really love your story.

[PaulAsaran]

You can has review!