Second Battle! Trixie vs. Applejack!
The unicorns led Luna along a hard dirt path towards the open barn. Trixie and Amethyst followed, walking side by side and eyeing the orchard. Apple trees surrounded them, but to Trixie they didn’t seem too healthy – many appeared on the verge of death, and others weren’t bearing any fruit. All in all, the orchard was in sad shape.
“You remember this place?” Amethyst asked with genuine curiosity.
Trixie was watching the Earth ponies out of the corner of her eye. “No, Trixie did not come to the orchard on her last two visits.” Why did she feel like everypony was watching her?
Up ahead, Jet Set and Upper Crust were enthusiastically talking to Luna, who didn’t even try to get a word in edgewise. Trixie attempted to listen in and was able to gather that they had been given the farmland as a royal gift after the previous owner’s death. She found that rather odd, but surely Luna had known what she was doing. Or perhaps it was Celestia who’d given them the land? Whatever the case, she hoped the current state of the orchard wasn’t a sign of the couple’s abilities as farmers.
“So,” a nearby stallion walking near Amethyst asked, “which one of ya’s Trixie?”
“Oh, you don’t want to talk to her.” Amethyst raised her head as she shot him a playful smile. “I’m far more interesting.”
“It’s you.” The mare just ahead of Trixie looked back at her with a smile that slightly unnerved Trixie. “Ah remember. We’ve been really lookin' forward ta seein' ya.”
“Umm… Trixie is flattered.” There was something very wrong with this situation, but for now it was only a feeling in Trixie's gut. Or maybe it was the sour look Amethyst was shooting her.
They reached the brightly lit barn. Inside, the floor had been cleaned and cleared to make room for a pair of tables covered in food. Already there were dozens of ponies there who cheered the arrival of the visitors. Well, that part seemed genuine at least.
Upper Crust turned to Luna, who had paused at the door to let Trixie and Amethyst catch up. “Your Majesty, we were so thrilled to hear of your coming! We prepared a humble feast in honor of this occasion.”
Jet Set stood close to his wife and grinned at their guests. “It’s not up to Canterlot standards, but we hope you’ll accept this as a gesture of our appreciation.”
“Of course. We thank you for your hospitality.” Luna's head arose once more to gaze upon all the ponies in the barn. “We thank you all!” There was a rousing cheer at her words.
Jet Set turned and clapped his hooves. A moment later there came an orange-coated mare with a blonde mane sporting a Stetson. Upon spotting her cutie mark, Trixie lost all interest in everything else.
Apples. Three apples.
“Miss Applejack, would you be so kind as to show Princess Luna and her friends to the head of the table?”
“Sure thing,” she replied, turning to the visitors. “Hello there, princess. Been a while.”
Luna’s face had been regal and imposing a moment ago, but now she was like ice. “Applejack.”
Applejack, a friendly smile on her face, turned and gestured to the table. “If y’all jus’ follow me, please!”
Amethyst let out a satisfied giggle. “Ooh boy, being friends with a princess sure has its perks. Look at those pies!”
Trixie paid her no attention, eyes locked on their guide’s cutie mark. Apples. Apples. What did apples represent again? Was this one of Luna’s lost lovers? Was this mare her next opponent? What did the damn apples stand for?
They all took their seats. Luna had the largest seat in the center of the table, while Trixie sat at her side and Amethyst at Trixie’s side. Jet Set and Upper Crust sat on Luna’s other side. Trixie watched intently as Applejack took a seat at the head of the table opposite theirs. Her fellow Earth ponies were whispering to her, but she barely said a word to any of them. She only smiled.
Jet Set was making some kind of speech. Trixie missed almost all of it, her mind trying to recall the parchment she’d received from Twilight. If that had been a dream then it was all pointless, but if it hadn’t then surely Applejack was her next opponent. She certainly seemed important; the other Earth ponies were treating her with clear respect.
Everything seemed off in this place. Why were the two owners unicorns when everypony else at the orchard was an Earth pony? Why did all the others keep shooting wicked smiles her way? None of them tried to talk to her, but the way they eyed her, the way they whispered while glancing her way, the secretive chuckles… Trixie shifted and tried to avoid the varied gazes.
“So,” she heard Amethyst ask the pony nearest her, “why is it all I see are Earth ponies?”
Trixie tried her best to appear focused on her apple salad, but her ears perked as she listened intently to the answer.
“Oh, we’re all family,” the stallion explained.
“All of you?” Amethyst asked, incredulous.
“Yep, we’re the Apple Family! We practically started the town of Ponyville. And we all work here on the plantation.”
Trixie gave the stallion what she hoped was a friendly smile. “Oh, Trixie understands! So you all live in Ponyville?”
His face went hard, but only for an instant. He recovered with a grin that was just a little too wide. “No, we live here on the farm. I’m sure you saw the bunkhouses when you landed.”
Yes, yes she had. The memory worried her almost as much as his smile did.
“So it’s a family-run business, then?” Amethyst took a big bite of apple pie.
The stallion froze – the mare next to him hurried to speak up. “It used to be. But we’re happy with the way things are, really!”
“Well as long as you’re happy,” Amethyst declared, her attention now turned wholly to her pie.
Trixie didn’t pursue the subject, even though she desperately wanted to. She refused to be rude – it might make the princess look bad. For the sake of her goal she wouldn’t do that. She cast a glance at Luna, who was listening to Upper Crust ramble on about the farm. Though she seemed to be listening intently and even asked a question every now and again, Trixie suspected Luna wasn’t at all interested. If only she could have the chance to talk about the situation…
She bowed her head in thought. She had the feeling she was looking at some complicated puzzle. All the ponies were family, but it wasn’t a family-run business. Upper Crust and Jet Set had been given the land, so that meant they weren’t family. What had they done to earn the land? What had the Apples done to deserve losing it? She mentally stumbled over this information for a long time, but nothing would come together. After a time she glanced up… and found herself looking right at Applejack.
Applejack was watching her, leaning forward with hooves touching in a thoughtful manner. Her ever-present smile wasn’t so kind anymore. There was something… wicked in it. The two stared at one another for some time, a strange intensity in the air. Trixie lost all sense of the rest of the world as she stared into those studious, expectant green eyes.
Applejack broke the contact and rose. She knocked the table with her hoof, gathering the attention of all the feasters. “Everypony, in honor of Princess Luna, Ah’d like ta make a toast.” She lifted a glass and cast a pleasant smile the princess’ way. Luna smiled back, but it was strained.
“The princess had the wisdom ta deliver ta us a new Lord an’ Lady.” Applejack nodded to a beaming Jet Set and Upper Crust. “So le’s make this toast also go ta them, fer their wonderful leadership an’ guidance in these tryin’ times. Truly we are blessed. We all had our doubts, but Ah am happy ta say that all our worries are long gone!”
A round of “Hear, hear!” erupted through the room as all the ponies raised their glasses. The two unicorns beside Luna held their heads high as they basked in the praise.
Amethyst raised her own glass enthusiastically. “Yeah, good going, you two!” She downed the entire drink in a single long swig. Trixie, sensing a curious tension in Luna, followed the princess' lead and didn’t touch hers.
“Oh,” Applejack added as if in afterthought, “let’s not forget Luna’s friends.” She waved a hoof at them, grinning. “Amethyst Star an’ Trixie Lulamoon, another fine pair of unicorns! Ah don’ know much about Miss Star, but Ah know she runs her own minin’ company. Jus’ goes ta show how unicorns really know their business, am Ah right?”
More cheers, and Amethyst basked in the attention. Trixie was paying attention, though, and the words just felt… wrong in her head.
“But we all know Trixie, don’ we y’all?” Applejack turned to cast a knowing smile at the other ponies. This time there were snickers and dark glances shared, and Trixie tensed at the sudden attention. “How could we forget? Twice she came ta visit us here in Ponyville.”
Oh no. Trixie stared in horror at the Earth pony, who was clearly relishing the attention she now had.
“Oh yes, Miss Lulamoon.” Applejack's tone seemed pleasant enough, yet Trixie could see the cruelty in her eyes. “Ya came here once in yer wagon, didn’ ya? Ah remember, ya claimed ta be the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria! Guess Twilight showed ya a thing er two when she summoned that Ursa Minor, huh?”
Trixie sank in her seat, face hot. They were all staring at her, grinning and laughing. Even Luna was watching, her expression solemn and intense.
“I remember that,” somepony called from the crowd. “The big bear tried to eat her and ended up spitting her back out!”
Laughter filled the barn; it was all Trixie could do not to dive under the table in humiliation.
“That was pretty funny,” Applejack agreed with a giggle. “But it wasn’ enough! She had ta come back fer seconds.”
“Miss Applejack, that is quite enough.” But Upper Crust's voice was drowned out by the laughter in the room.
“Y’all remember how Twilight filled her wagon with manure? That was great!”
“Applejack!” Jet Set’s voice was louder and more firm, but it didn’t help – they just kept laughing.
“An’ then she stuffed Trixie’s tail down her throat an’ sent her rollin’ across Ponyville like a wagon wheel!”
“Stop it…” Trixie covered her ears, but the laughter kept coming.
“An’ then she hung her by her cape on the school belltower! Kept her up there fer days! Ya’ll remember throwin’ rotten apples at her, right?”
“I am so sorry!” That was from Jet Set. “She’s usually not like this!”
“I know.” Luna’s voice was calm, but there was no concealing her anger.
Applejack was laughing raucously with her family. “Oh, yer a hoot, Trixie! Yer the perfect pony ta go datin’ the princess. Ah can see it, ya look wonderful together!”
Something snapped. Trixie thought it might have been her.
“Shut up!” A bolt of lightning flashed from her horn to strike her table, shattering it and sending food flying.
The barn went silent. She stood and glared venom at Applejack, whose happy manner had been replaced with solemn disapproval. Trixie’s breath came in short gasps, anger filling her to the core of her being. How dare she make a foal of Trixie!
She cast a sinister glance at Luna, who didn’t look at all pleased about having a bowl of custard resting on her head. Trixie pointed a hoof at Applejack. “Is she the reason Trixie came here?”
Luna knocked the bowl aside before nodding. “She is.”
Amethyst's ears perked. “Ah, lover two. Fight time?”
Trixie let out a vicious snarl. “Fight time!” She reared back and sent another lightning bolt streaking towards her target.
Applejack slammed a hoof against her table, which flipped up and took the magical blow in her place. It shattered in a fiery eruption, but when it fell apart the pony was standing in the same place, untouched and unconcerned. “Please, not in the barn. Let’s take it outside, huh?”
“Why you—” Trixie’s words were cut short as she suddenly felt herself lifted off the ground. She was being carried away by the other ponies! “Let Trixie go this instant! This fight is between—” She was tossed unceremoniously through the door, landing on her side in the dirt.
She winced in pain and started to stand, but as soon as she was on her hooves Applejack rammed her in the chest at full gallop. The force of the blow sent her sprawling once more.
“Ah was wonderin' when Ah’d get my turn,” Applejack announced, her voice wicked. “Ah’ve been really lookin forward ta this.”
Amethyst’s voice came from somewhere beyond Trixie’s vision: “Wow, she’s aggressive. I like.”
“Not helping!” Trixie struggled to her hooves, wincing at the pain in her chest. She glared daggers at Applejack as a circle of ponies began to form around them. “You’re still only an Earth pony. Trixie has magic! What are ya gonna do about that, you hick?”
Her horn began to glow, but just as she was about to launch the attack she felt a hoof strike her just above the cheek. Trixie saw stars as the blow impacted with all the force of a sledgehammer! She reeled and dropped to the dirt, her vision swimming. She looked up, barely able to make out the huge red stallion standing over her.
“Thanks, Big Mac,” Applejack called with satisfaction.
“H-hey!” Trixie shook her head, trying to clear her vision. “That’s not—”
“Helloooooooo stud!” Amethyst was there with alarming speed, rubbing up against Big Mac and batting her eyes with a mischievous grin. “You got a mare-friend, huh? I bet you and me would get along wonderfully.” She rubbed a hoof against his chest teasingly. “What say you and I head off into the orchard and see just how big you really are?”
Big Mac’s eyes went wide and his face went an even deeper shade of red than it already was. “Uuuuhh…”
Trixie slammed a hoof in the dirt as she picked herself up off the ground. “Ammy! We’re in the middle of something important!”
Amethyst cast an annoyed glance her way. “Alright, alright.” She set a hoof to Big Mac’s lips and grinned. “You, me, orchard. After the fight. Don’t keep me waiting.” She fled to a safe distance, leaving a slack-jawed Big Mac sitting in the dirt. A moment later a yellow filly approached and poked him in the leg, but he didn’t respond.
“Uh, Ah think we lost Big Mac, sis.”
Applejack facehoofed. “Of all the stupid—”
“Hah!” A glowing rope wrapped around Applejack’s legs. Trixie used her magic to give it a solid jerk, sending the pony to the ground with legs tied tight. “That’ll teach you to cheat against the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Something hard smacked against her shoulder. “Hey, who did that?!”
Then she realized that she was completely surrounded by Earth ponies, each and every one of them glaring at her. They were all carrying apples and it was pretty clear that they weren’t for eating. “What? B-but why are you all…?”
The filly reared back, her voice proud and angry at the same time. “Ya mess with one Apple, ya mess with ‘em all!”
Trixie covered her face as apples began to rain down on her. The ponies weren’t taking this lightly, and each hit stung worse than the one before. “Hey! You can’t… This is against the rules!”
“What rules?” Trixie turned in time for an orange hoof to bash her in the cheek. She took a step back and raised a leg to try blocking Applejack’s next strike, but an apple whacked her hard in the back of the head and threw off her focus; another hoof struck and made her stumble. “There are no rules,” Applejack declared, “except to win!”
Trixie felt herself being lifted to her back hooves, but before she could grasp what was happening she was hit hard in the gut. The air flew out of her lungs and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
“Come on!” Applejack circled Trixie with a sneer. “Aren’ ya supposed ta be a unicorn?” She stomped on Trixie. “Doesn’ that make ya better?” Another stomp. “Ah’m just a lowly Earth pony. Ah’m not good fer nothin!” Stomp. “Come on, put me in my place!”
Trixie concentrated through the pain and breathlessness and slammed a hoof to the ground. The soil shivered and shook, a small crack opening up. The shaking ground threw Applejack off-balance, forcing her to her knees. Trixie took the opportunity to buck her in the face with one leg.
Moving fast while still trying to catch her breath was difficult, but Trixie pulled it off. She was on Applejack’s back, her glowing horn pressed against her opponent’s neck. “That is enough! Trixie demands to know what she did to make you so angry!”
Applejack’s head turned so she could look up at Trixie with a single eye. “What did ya do? Nothin’.”
Trixie took a moment to catch her breath. “Trixie has never even met you before.”
“Yer with Luna,” Applejack declared. “That makes ya mah enemy.”
“But Trixie thought you were fighting for—” An apple whacked Trixie in the face. She jumped up to glare into the crowd. “Would you stop that?”
Applejack turned and struck Trixie in the chest with a front knee. Trixie’s horn fired off a small blue beam, but the blow knocked her aim off and it sizzled into the dirt. By the time she’d recovered, Applejack was on her back and delivering a surprisingly powerful two-legged kick.
Trixie flew and smashed into a tree. Before she could fall she felt herself being grabbed. Two stallions pulled her legs back behind the tree, pinning her. “Stop! Let Trixie go!”
Applejack stood, a wicked grin on her lips. “Time ta do some applebuckin'.”
Trixie knew what was coming, and her mind scrambled for a solution. Before her enemy could carry out the threat, dozens of apples were flying through the air, guided by Trixie’s magic to rain down on her enemies.
“You want to throw apples at Trixie? Trixie will throw them right back!”
Her captors tried frantically to avoid the barrage, giving Trixie the opportunity to jerk free. Applejack came at her, but this time Trixie was ready. Her opponent struck again and again, her hooves flying violently, but Trixie was able to bring her legs up to block the blows. In the back of her mind, she was amazed that she was keeping up with the frenzied attacks. Adrenaline and anger kept her reflexes quick, though, and Applejack couldn’t land a proper hit.
Unfortunately, Trixie was so focused on self-defense she’d forgotten to maintain her apple barrage; somepony came up from behind and grabbed her around the shoulders. Applejack capitalized on the situation, pummeling the surprised and defenseless Trixie with a string of powerful, furious blows.
But Trixie recovered through the pain and came up with a solution. She waited until just the right moment and lowered her head; the soft flat bottom of Applejack’s hoof was pierced by her horn. It hurt like hell, but it made the attacks stop. Applejack jerked back, but the soft tissue under her horseshoe was firmly stuck. She was so busy trying to free herself she didn’t notice the horn’s glow until it was too late.
It was Trixie’s simplest, signature spell: fireworks. They burst from her horn in a shower of sparks and flame. Normally they would be harmless… but when they were stuck inside Applejack’s hoof they burned like hot coals.
Applejack let out an agonized scream, fighting to free herself as more fireworks erupted inside her hoof. A half-dozen ponies rushed to her aid, trying to pull her away. Trixie ignored the pain of her horn being jerked around so much and concentrated on a new spell – a burst of energy that finally detached her from Applejack’s hoof. Applejack and the others were sent flying, leaving Trixie alone and safe, albeit with a terrible headache.
Silence. Everypony was staring at Trixie and Applejack. Luna – flanked by Amethyst, Jet Set and Upper Crust – was watching with a slack-jawed expression of astonishment. Trixie cast a glance at the princess, then approached her enemy.
Applejack was on the ground, clutching her blackened hoof with tears in her eyes. “This ain’ over. The fight’s not finished!”
Trixie paused over her, seething in frustration. “Why are you fighting Trixie? She thought you liked Luna.”
“Like her?” Applejack sneered. “Of course not! Why are you fightin' for her?”
“I don’t know!” Trixie's mind went blank for a moment. The truth in that statement hit her hard and she didn’t even know why. “Trixie… Trixie doesn’t know why.” She cast a breathless look at the princess. Was that anxiety on Luna’s face? “Trixie thought it was to meet her challenge, but that doesn’t seem so important anymore. Trixie is a little confused, to be honest.”
She turned back to Applejack, face firm once more. “But Trixie will finish what she started.” She pointed a hoof at her foe. “Your turn. The truth!”
For a few seconds Applejack stared up at her, brow furrowed in thought. Was it because of the sincerity in Trixie’s answer? Or perhaps she simply didn’t understand it. Whatever the case, Trixie’s response was clearly not something she’d anticipated.
Then Applejack’s face hardened. “The truth, huh? Ya want the truth? Fine, since we’re all bein’ so honest.” She rose to her hooves, a scowl on her face. “Ah love Luna. Ah always did! But then Nightmare Moon dumped me right after my Granny Smith died. When Ah needed her she wasn’ there. Worse, Ah was meant ta inherit the Apple Farm, but some royal decree's announced an’ Ah’m expected ta give up my land ta them!” She pointed her blackened hoof to Jet Set and Upper Crust, who both took a wary step back at the sudden attention they had received.
The hoof turned to Luna, whose face was solemn and poised. “Luna screwed my entire family. Now we’re expected ta work like indentured servants fer these two fancy-smancy idiots who don’ know an apple from a pile of dung! An’ since we’re all Earth ponies we have no standin' in Equestrian court o’law.” Her volume grew with each word. “So we have ta smile an’ pretend ta like it when the farm our family grew up from scratch with our bare hooves an’ the sweat an’ toil of three generations withers an’ dies under the blind eyes of a pair of Canterlot floozies!” The last words came out as a scream that even had Trixie backing away in alarm.
Applejack stood before Trixie, breath coming out in huffs and her face red with rage. It was Trixie’s turn to be stunned speechless – this was not anything at all like she’d expected. Her eyes went to Luna, whose face remained expressionless. Had she really done such a horrible thing to a pony she’d once considered a lover? It didn’t seem like the Luna she was coming to know… and yet Applejack’s honest fury left little room for doubt.
One thing didn’t add up. Trixie turned to Applejack. “Trixie thought you just said you loved Luna.”
“Ah do!” Applejack’s anger faded to sadness with surprising swiftness. She lowered her head, ears tucking down as she shook with emotion. “Ah still love her, an’ Ah want her back more than anythin’. Ah know it don’ make sense. An’ you!” The sneer was back just as quickly as it had gone. “Ya come waltzin' in here at her side an’ ya expect me ta jus’ accept it? Ah’m gonna hurt ya now. Ah’ll be doin ya a favor, ‘cause if Ah don’ hurt ya then sooner or later she will!”
Trixie shot a sneer of her own, gesturing to Applejack’s burnt hoof. “Trixie observes that you are already seriously injured. The fight is over!”
“Oh no,” Applejack countered with a shake of her head, “we’re not finished jus’ yet. Bring it out!”
Trixie heard something approaching from the darkness of the orchard. She turned to face whatever weapon the Apple Family had planned for her and gasped.
It was her wagon.
“My baby!” She ran to it, shoving ponies out of her way in her excitement. She pressed up against it as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “How? How did you get it?”
Somepony tripped her hind legs. She landed on her stomach beside one of the wagon’s wheels. Before she could even try to recover, she felt something sharp poking her back and keeping her in place. She glanced up and felt her blood run cold; it was that country hick she’d sold the wagon to in the first place! What was his name, Turnip Truck? The sharp something was a pitchfork, which he looked more than ready to use.
Applejack approached, limping on three legs but smiling darkly. “Distant cousin. Fourth er fifth, there’s so many of us it gets a bit jumbled sometimes.” She stopped just before Trixie’s face as a number of ponies formed a circle, many of them carrying torches to light the night. “Somepony tipped us off about this here wagon an’ how special it was ta ya. How lucky that ya went an’ sold it ta family!”
Trixie attempted to raise herself up, but the pitchfork kept her from moving. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothin’,” Applejack replied, “if ya agree right now ta surrender an’ leave Luna. Fer good!”
Trixie let out a frustrated shout. “Trixie isn’t even trying to court her!”
“Tha’s beside the point. Are ya gonna surrender er not?”
“Trixie does not surrender!”
The two shared a scowl, then Applejack’s eyes flared. “Are ya not hearin’ me? Look at what that royal witch did ta me an’ my family! She’s gonna use ya an’ crush ya. It’s what she does, it’s what she’s always done! Yer gonna keep resistin'? Fer her?”
Trixie’s eyes shifted to Luna, who was watching her with an intense focus. She thought on everything she’d been told. For just a moment she wondered if it was all true.
Then she realized that it was a moot point. Trixie turned her eyes back to Applejack with a feeling of determination. “Trixie was never in it for Luna. Trixie is in this for Trixie!”
Applejack’s jaw set. An eye twitched. She scowled down at the captive Trixie for several long seconds, considering this answer. Then she turned and walked to one of the ponies, taking the stallion’s torch in her mouth. She came back, eyes locked on the wagon.
Realization hit Trixie like a sledgehammer to the gut. “W-wait, what are you doing?” She squirmed, but the pitchfork pressed down on her back, just barely stabbing into her skin. Fear gripped her as she squirmed. “Stop! You have no idea how important it is!”
Applejack cast a dark look Trixie's way, smiled around the wood in her mouth... and tossed the torch inside the wagon.
“No!”
The other ponies began tossing their torches, ignoring Trixie’s shouts. She wanted to get up but didn’t dare move. She screamed and wept as her precious wagon went up in flames. She was so close she could feel the burning heat, so that even as she buried her head in the hooves she couldn’t escape the terrible reality of what she was losing.
Nopony spoke. There was a long, terrible period where the only sound was the crackling of flames and Trixie’s sobbing.
Applejack turned away. “Tha’s it, then. It’s over.”
Fury erupted within Trixie, completely replacing her misery. She looked up at Applejack and let out a vicious snarl. “No, Trixie has only just started!” Her horn glowed as she raised both hooves to slam them into the ground. It was the earthquake spell, made much stronger thanks to her rage. The entire orchard shook and the ponies all stumbled at the sudden motion of the Earth. Trixie’s guard shifted and slipped. It was all she needed; she shoved him off and cast her wind spell, pushing the wagon. It rolled away, Applejack leaping to avoid being run over.
Applejack raised her head form the dirt to glare venom at Trixie. “Why the buck won’ ya give up?”
“AJ!”
“The barn!”
“What?” Applejack sat up and turned, eyes going wide upon seeing what the others already had; the wagon – flames and all – was rolling right to the open barn. She let out a horrified shout and leapt to her hooves. “Somepony stop that wagon!”
Applejack started to run, but before she could take two steps Trixie’s magical rope appeared and caught her legs. She fell on her face with a cry and squirmed as Trixie dragged her back. Nopony came to help her, for they were too busy rushing to save the barn. With tears on her cheeks, Trixie walked forward and set a hoof to the back of Applejack’s head, not bothering to be gentle.
Applejack screamed. “Let me go! Please, not my barn! My family will be ruined!”
Trixie watched as the wagon rolled through the open doors of the barn and crashed into a wall, flames licking the hay and wood. Her horn glowed and the doors slammed shut. The ponies beat on it furiously. They screamed and cried and pried at the wood to no avail.
Trixie let out a vicious snarl. “You burn Trixie's wagon, Trixie burns your barn!”
Applejack’s face was wet with tears. “P-please! Those idiots wasted all our bits on parties an’ wine! We can’t afford ta build another barn! Don’ do this!”
Trixie was seething, but she was also seeing the terror in the Apple ponies. She watched them for several seconds, noting the intensifying smoke coming out of the barn’s gable windows. She thought about her pain, the terrible emptiness that blanketed her mind. Finally she knelt down to hiss in Applejack’s ear. “You surrender?”
“Yes! Ah’ll do anythin', jus’ don’ burn my barn!”
Trixie raised her head to concentrate and the doors flung open. Ponies poured into the building to fight the blaze. She stepped off of Applejack’s head and glared down at her, heart pounding in her chest. “This could have gone very differently, but Trixie will not stoop to your level.” The rope around Applejack’s legs faded away. “Remember what Trixie has done and do not dare tempt her to do this again.”
Applejack stood, her stance low and ears tucked. Cheeks moist with fresh tears and breathing heavy, she gave Trixie a wide-eyed look of both fear and amazement. Her lips moved without sound. After a few seconds she turned and limped as fast as she could to the barn.
Trixie sat and watched as the ponies fought the blazing wagon and tried to keep its flames from consuming the barn. She was victorious, but she felt numb. Unheeded tears fell down her cheeks as she stared at her once-glorious wagon. When an axle snapped and the whole thing collapsed, she had the terrible feeling that a knife was twisting in her heart.
Amethyst appeared at her side, but Trixie didn’t look to her. “So. You won.”
Trixie didn’t answer.
Luna also arrived next to her. “A hard victory. I am sorry about your wagon.”
Bitterness fueled Trixie’s words. “It’s not about the wagon,” she whispered. “It has nothing to do with the wagon.”
Luna looked down at her, but Trixie didn’t see the emotion on her face. “Then what is it about?”
She gazed at the flames, her old life crumbling in a miserable pile of wood and metal and dead dreams. She hardly noticed how the Apple ponies had contained the blaze and saved the barn. Only one torturous thought was going through her head:
It was all over.
She turned away from the blaze, head bowed. “You couldn’t understand. It’s gone. I… I can never go back.”
And she sobbed, her wails echoing among half-dead apple trees and rising up to a pale, quiet moon.
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Oh wow. Some of my suspicions just got much clearer. Hmm. Just out of curiosity, are your OCs (or in the case of Jet Set and Upper Crust, reinterpreted canon characters) reimagined for this story, or should I read up on your other stories to better grasp their motivations?
I was hypotesizing that you were incorporating one particular element from Mal's original story, but Applejack may have jossed it. Or maybe not.
This is shaping up into a pretty good ontological mystery. There's no certainties at all regarding the characters or even most established facts. Everypony's got secrets.
I'm going to have to point out one interesting fact, though. The part directly on the underside of a horse's hoof is called the frog, which serves as a shock absorber but also as a part of the circulatory system - by pressing it against the ground, it helps pump blood back up the leg. Injuries to the frog, or just not giving it regular exercise, can harm or even cripple the leg. So, uh... I think Trixie just crippled Applejack. Not your intention, I hope?
Now it's getting personal.
Well, having that gem from before wouldn't have solved Trixie's wagonless problem. Seems it's been dealt with permanently.
Is this world comprised entirely of assholes? Because that seems to be the default character trait of each pony that Trixie meets.
Speaking of Trixie, is she made out of iron? Taking a hit from Applejack should have caved in her head, let alone the beating she got from all the ponies involved. This is all starting to seem like a hyper-real, extended dream...
Keep at it!
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Maybe this is a dream. Really, after Trixie challenged / accepted Luna's challenge she was put into Luna's dream, this IS the dream. It could explain the durability.
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My general plan is to keep most personalities intact, but give them completely new histories. So Jet Set and Upper Crust, for example, are more or less what the show depicted them to be without any of the character development they gained in my No Heroes story.
Another example: Nye's closeness to Luna is no coincidence, as he's close to her in No Heroes as well, but the how and why have been completely changed. Their motivations are similar, but reading No Heroes won't be necessary as the OCs with more regular parts will have their presence in this story explained clearly at some point.
Besides, No Heroes is huge and still not quite finished. It'd take a while for you to get it all in. I say that I wont' stop you from reading it(that poor neglected story needs some love), but I don't blame anyone for being scared off by its size.
And no, I had no intention of permanently crippling AJ in this story. Nor did I know the 'frog' was that susceptible to damage. No matter, I already had something in mind for that kind of issue that will be mentioned next chapter.
If I remember.
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It's a tough world, but no. There's a very specific reason for this behavior in certain ponies, which will become clear when it's all over.
Actually, I'm taking a certain aspect of the original Scott Pilgrim in this area. In the comics and show all the characters were very durable, able to take significant beatings that would have killed normal people. I figured I'd incorporate that to a limited extent in this story, too.
But I'd also like to point out that I may have written that buck attack a bit wrong; AJ was supposed to be on her back when she delivered that buck, thereby greatly reducing the power of the hit. I guess I should check that part later and see if I can't make it more clear.
The main point is: don't take too much stock in the unusual endurance of these characters. It's purely a stylistic choice on my part and has no real place in the story other than to allow more brutal/awesome/difficult fights.
So...
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Sorry, your guess is off.
I've been enjoying this story as Trixie is a favorite of mine. The writing for her has been very good, and I love all the symbolism that Trixie's wagon represents for her. I think based off of the Scott Pilgrim comic and all the interesting hints dropped that I have a good idea of what is going on, but I will not spoil it for comment viewers.
I am a bit curious on Applejack's behavior in some of this, though I have an idea of why it is. If you think about it, she is interested in keeping Trixie away from Luna, despite Trixie explaining she has no romantic interest in her, and therefore no reason at all to fight Trixie over her. She also talks about Twilight, but it makes me wonder just how long it has actually been since Applejack or Rarity even looked in on Twilight based on how she appeared before Trixie.
What I am also curious to see is when Trixie is going to give Applejack and Rarity those symbol-things Twilight gave them. I'm assuming Applejack will get it back next chapter somehow, unless you plan to do a 'everyone meets in the last chapter and Trixie hands them all out at once' kinda deal.
Enjoying it so far, and even with my curiousness on these matters I think I have an idea of what's going on, but some clarification would be great. Here or just when it comes up in chapter. : )
Well, this world is decidedly crapsack.
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Ahem. No, I've sat through tougher books. We had a "Read and review a Stephen King novel" assignment in junior high, and my pick was "It". (Not being able to sleep for fear of clowns in the shadows freed up a lot of reading time.) And have you checked Fallout Equestria's wordcount? No Heroes is on my to-do list.
I may have to check with someone who's more obsessive about horses than me. I'd assume that it's fairly durable against blunt force, but Trixie kinda stabbed through it and then shot it point-blank.
But then, video game damage logic. Kinda like how in Nippon Ichi games you can drop a raging inferno on a plot-relevant enemy that does 20,000 damage when they only have 20 hit points, yet in the next cutscene they swear undying vengeance and runs off on their fully functional legs.
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I love all the theories and suggestions people are coming up with for this story! Seeing people trying to make conclusions and guess what's going on makes it even more fun. At the same time I'm stalwartly trying to avoid discussing those theories in an open forum, because I don't want to give anything at all away to the masses.
BUT... if you wanna tell me your expectations and discuss things via PM, I'm perfectly open to that.
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Well I certainly don't intend to use 'video game logic' so much. It won't be like in Final Fantasy 7 where Sephiroth summons a supernova and blows up half the solar system but - miracle! - it's all back to normal and ready to be blown up against five minutes later. I just felt a little extra durability would keep the fight scenes from being short and anticlimactic.
And besides, if Rainbow Dash can Sonic Rainbomb AJ's barn in the show and come out without a hitch, I think I'm within the show's version of reality.
I still think Luna never wanted this. Maybe, in her rage, she tried to make example of Applejack by destroying her life, to turn all the others off of fighting for her? Obviously, everyone's insane, so that didn't work.
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Insane? Nah. Pissed? Definitely.
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Well, anger makes for good sanity sandpaper, right?
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I suppose, and the world is fairly whacked, thanks to a certain someone.
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Evil Twilight? Celestia?
Okay, I'll stop with the theories.
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Actually, I already told at least one person that I was willing to discuss theories via PM. So if you're interested and don't mind the risk of spoilers (as I will be acknowledging correct theories), feel free to shoot one at me.
I'm horribly late to the party, but I may as well theory drop now.
The Twilight Trixie met was from the future, a future in which whatever problem is currently plaguing the mane six (whatever that is -- more later) was never solved and the past, presumably bitter Twilight made an awful mistake which had her banished to the deepest pits of hell. To me, that seems fairly obvious. Now, she's trying to atone by aiding Trixie and ensuring she doesn't lose. At the same time, another possibility is that, with the elements "corrupted", there is no force to stop some mighty villain, so the world is plunged into chaos (hell, they may never have even gotten the elements in this story, which is why they're so unlike who they should be).
Now to speak of Luna, she and Nightmare Moon must be one in the same. Like two people in one body, she is the malevolence that lies dormant inside of her. Occasionally, she needs her time out. When that happens things typically don't pan out well for any involved, as was the case for poor AJ here. Being with Luna means you have to be with her as well. And the thing about that is Luna knows this, and she doesn't like it, which is why she'd rather have nobody trying to fight her demons with her. In her eyes it's for the best this way.
Now those are just my ideas, which could be way off. Regardless, I'm really enjoying this story so far. It has action, sure, but plenty of emotion driving our character, and a whole heap of juicy secrets lying just beyond the curtain. In short, this is really entertaining.
Good job so far, awesome author.
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Yay, fresh theories! Obviously I won't be spoiling anything, but it's nice to see how so many people interpret the mystery of what's going on. I look forward to hearing more, be it revised theories, revelation reactions or just general plot commentary. Enjoy!
Don't forget: Applejack is a silly pony!
Question: why couldn't twilight just write a little note next to each picture, telling what's what?
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Who knows? Maybe she just neglected it. Maybe she thought it would be enough to just tell Trixie what cutie mark represents what Element without a written reminder. Maybe she ran out of ink (she had to have stolen her supplies, after all).
...
Maybe Twilight's hideous appearance and inevitable doom was expected to shock Trixie so much that she wouldn't be able to forget.
Well after my 3 day hiatus spent reading MLP comics I am back...
Great chapter...
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AJ was one of the harder ones to write, as I recall. Glad you approve.
That sure took a turn for the dark. Well, another turn for the dark in any case.
Well, at a guess either the Elements of Harmony did an incomplete job on Nightmare Moon, or Discord didn't really lose and is very subtly manipulating things behind the scene.