1: Earth Bound
A stack of notebooks, messy and frayed, were magically floated into a box. A set of glasses and beakers were placed into another. Magical ingredients went into still another box.
Trixie cast a cooling spell on the ingredients box to keep its contents fresh. She wondered if it'd be possible to convince the staff to let her take some of the textbooks. Then again, given what she'd just requested, she wasn't sure the staff would listen to her ever again.
It was just as well. She needed to pack light until she could find some mode of transportation. She'd been looking at used wagons for two weeks. Most of the ones which fit her budget, and could be sold to a mare as young as herself, were rather tiny.
Still, Canterlot wasn't built in a day. She doubted anypony's first wagon was anything to write home about. She'd learn more, earn more, then buy herself a worthy home!
All in due time.
But this had to be the first step.
She sighed, sealing the boxes one by one. Once the final box was shut, Trixie heard a soft, lilting voice behind her.
"Are you sure I can't change your mind?"
Trixie turned around to see a white alicorn with flowing multicolored hair towering over her.
She knew this moment would come. She'd been trying to figure out what to say.
She decided to speak her mind -- but first, she bowed. It was not only courteous, it was custom.
Princess Celestia chuckled. "No need, my student. I simply wish to talk to you -- mare to mare, magician to magician. I must say, when your request was forwarded to me, I was rather surprised. I hadn't thought you to be unsatisfied here."
Trixie shook her head. "I'm not doing this out of dissatisfaction. You've been nothing but kind. Though heaven knows I haven't always deserved that kindness."
"Then if not dissatisfied, what are you?" Celestia asked.
Trixie looked around her learning room. Shelves of spellbooks stood against one wall, but the rest of the now-bare room commanded her attention. She remembered there being scrolls, formulas, and designs scattered across the walls. The table in the center had always been full of magical nick-nacks. Her blackboard -- and whiteboard -- had never been erased until today.
Now all that was left, anywhere, were small stains and scorch marks -- leftovers from experiments and pyrotechnic spells which hadn't gone exactly to plan.
Taking it all in, she finally whispered what she swore she never would.
"I'm scared."
Celestia stayed quiet.
"Every student here, I see doing the same thing," Trixie said. "Every student here gets told the same thing. 'Gifted.' 'Destined for greatness.' We're the cream of the crop of unicorn mages."
She looked to Celestia, silently seeking validation of her statement. Celestia returned Trixie's gaze with a straight face.
"Do you think it untrue?" Celestia asked.
"I..." Trixie struggled to find the words. "...well, no, of course not! But I see us all learning the same things, the same way, in the same place. Equestria is an immense world. There's no way I'd learn everything I could by staying here. To really know who I am, what I'm capable of? I need to be out there." She pointed to the window.
Celestia nodded. "I can sympathize with your frustration with structure and limits." Her eyes twinkled. "You should have seen me when I first took on my duties. I swore I'd never allow myself to be as stuffy as the ancient pony rulers." She gave a sardonic scoff. "And yet, here we are.
"But Trixie," Celestia continued, "you are gifted. You wouldn't be here if you were not. Nor would you have lasted this long even given your... occasional stumbles."
Trixie looked away. "Stumbles I'm not proud of."
"But stumbles we as equine beings must all make." Celestia took Trixie's hoof in hers. "I want you to know that I didn't create this school to groom ponies for predetermined destinies. I created it to give them as much preparation as needed, so that they could then choose what they wanted to do with their lives."
Celestia levitated a signed piece of paper towards Trixie.
"If you truly believe in the path you are about to take, then I will not stop you. I hereby grant your request. But I want you to remember one thing, for as long as you live."
Trixie stood at attention, staring straight up at Celestia with wide eyes. "Th-that being?" she stammered.
"Out in the 'immense' world of Equestria, there are ponies, and other things, that will test you. However, you've been here long enough for me to see that confidence is your greatest asset. Never let it falter, and you will be able to weather any storm."
Celestia looked directly into Trixie's eyes with a small smile. She levitated a blue hat which had been sitting amongst the sealed boxes -- a prop from a failed talent show act -- atop the unicorn's head. Trixie responded with a warm blush.
"You are destined for great things, Trixie," Celestia said. "Whether you like it or not."
---
"Lulamoon's Castle"
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Chapter 1: "Earth Bound"
Bookish Delight, 2014. MLP:FiM belongs to Hasbro.
---
Her carriage's window showed a constantly-moving view of the countryside. Grass, trees, meadows... Trixie stuck her head out of the window and took a huge whiff of fresh air. She exhaled, felt the breeze in her mane, and relaxed.
Her relaxation didn't last. Memories of the past week still lingered in her mind. All too easily, all too vividly, she remembered aimlessly roaming the land, completely devoid of the very thing that made her her, a cold husk residing where an everlasting spark should have been.
Those memories still made her shudder, especially when they came to fixate, as they always did, on the source of her plight.
The dread Lord Tirek.
She'd learned of him as a foal before seeing him in person. He wasn't supposed to have come back. Then again, that could be said about a lot of villains these days.
Naturally, she had stood up to him. She had given him everything she had... and in the end, driven him off all by herself! It would make for an excellent story to tell far and wide during her performances!
That is, if that last part was at all true.
What had actually happened? She was sucked dry of her magic, drop by drop, with not a single way to stop it. He didn't even have the courtesy to leave her with her cutie mark as he walked off in cackling triumph! Never had she felt so embarrassed, so humiliated, so... violated.
Trixie refused to let such a crime go unpunished. She set about devising ways to take back what was hers.
Her planning only lasted a day. In almost as little time as it had taken to lose her magic and identity, both were restored. Tirek disappeared entirely. And she had a pretty good hunch as to who might have been responsible.
Which was why it was time.
The carriage left the grass and went back onto smooth, paved road. Trixie walked to the other side of her room, and stood in front of her dresser mirror. She flipped her mane, striking a pose.
"Twilight Sparkle! Prepare yourself, for today is the day that we finally settle things! You may be good, but I'm still better... and it's time the world finally knew!"
Trixie paused and frowned. Too plain. She struck another pose, this one a guarded stance on her hind hooves.
"Hello. My name is Trixie Lulamoon. You bruised my ego. Prepare to lose."
She paused to let it sink in. Still not enough. Perhaps, she thought, just a little more zing. A little more... magic.
She tried once more, pointing at her reflection in defiance, and casting a spell that lit the entire room in golden brilliance.
Her voice rose, loud and proclaiming. "Do you see, Twilight Sparkle? The Great Trixie radiates with an awesome power! This burning strength tells me to defeat-"
Gah! Too much! Far, far too much. She stopped where she was, recoiling and embarrassed. The golden light dissipated in an instant.
Trixie sighed. "None of these sound right." She snorted in dismissal. "Pah, fine then. The Great And Powerful Trixie will simply have to wing it."
The view outside of her window suddenly became static, and a bell sounded. This was it. The spell she'd set on the carriage was fashioned to take her straight to Ponyville, following all valid roads, and stop a fair distance away from Twilight Sparkle's house.
She went to her door, opened it, and stepped out.
Indeed, this was Ponyville as she remembered it. Rural and rustic, with only the tiniest snippets of civilization. Then again, earth ponies were never fond of change.
Change, however, was a sentiment that Trixie fully embraced. She took a look back towards what some pony passersby were already staring at -- a grand, freshly painted blue carriage bearing her cutie mark.
And three times larger than the piddly wagon she'd previously owned.
Her heart swelled. It had taken her a long time before she could afford the carriage, and she was more than proud to call it home. She couldn't wait to show Twilight Sparkle all she'd learned, and all she'd gained. This would be where she would start.
As soon as Trixie managed to find Twilight Sparkle, that was.
Had her spell gone wrong? She couldn't find that old treehouse anywhere. Moreover, there was an odd, ever-present brightness, the source of which she just couldn't place.
She spun around, trying to find it. Had they installed a reflective light source she wasn't aware of? Such a prospect seemed to be just a little advanced for this town-
Then, she found it.
And she found herself unable to stop looking at it.
Nor could she stop gaping.
"You there!" She pulled a nearby aquamarine pony to her side. "Excuse me, but-"
"Whoa, hey!" Lyra recoiled after seeing who had grabbed her. "Aren't you... yeah! You're that magician that tried to take over our town last time you were here!"
Trixie huffed. "First off, The Great And Powerful Trixie did take over your town. Second, it wasn't one of her finest moments. And finally, none of that's important right now!" She gestured with her right hoof towards the crystalline tree-castle that stood prominently in the distance. "Now tell Trixie, who does this... this grandiose monstrosity belong to?"
Lyra gave a challenging smile. "None other than Twilight Sparkle herself."
Trixie nearly choked. "Twilight?"
"That's right! So if you try anything this time, you're not going to last long! Enjoy your stay in Ponyville!" Lyra trotted off, her head held high with pride.
Trixie looked back at the castle, gaping again.
"Twi... light," she just barely managed to utter, unable to fight back the rising tide of frustration.
---
"Spike? Spiiiiiiike?" Twilight called.
"Spike? Spiiiiiiike?" the halls called back.
Twilight sighed. It was easy to get tired of this. Only a few days living in the castle, and she'd had to train herself to both walk and speak more softly in order to avoid confusion -- or worse, earaches.
Did Princess Celestia have to put up with this? Had she come up with some sort of magical soundproofing solution? She made a note to ask these questions the next time they met.
In the meantime, she had a dragon to find.
"Spike, talk to me so I can stop talking to myself! Where are you?"
Silence responded at first, then... "Uh, a room?"
He sounded close. Twilight poked her head into a nearby room, finding nothing. She repeated this three more times, her face etched in an annoyed frown. "Which room?"
"A... big one?" Spike said.
Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head. All the rooms were big. "I'm gonna need more than that, Spike."
"Marco!" Pinkie Pie's voice echoed across the halls.
"Pinkie?" a surprised Spike called out.
"You're supposed to say 'Polo', Spike!" Pinkie replied.
Twilight threw up her hooves, then hunched. She shook her head again as she walked down the hall. "How many floors did the library have? Three. How many times did we get lost in it? Zero. This is ridiculous."
Twilight's tirade was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream. She gasped, running toward the sound. Along the way, she found Spike.
"Twilight," Spike said, "Did you hear that?"
"I think Celestia heard that!" Twilight replied.
"SPAR-KLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!" the same voice cried out.
The two looked at each other, then located a window. Looking outside, they saw The Great And Powerful Trixie laying at the front of the castle doors, unconscious.
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Great backstory for Trixie.
And the room joke, the room joke!
Princess Bride reference...all my yes! :D
OMG DAT PRINCESS BRIDE REFERENCE! YOU KILLED MY FATHER! PREPARE TO DIE!
Why yes Twilight, it's called "carpeting and tapestries".
Your good friend Rarity might be acquainted with it.
Forget the Princess Bride reference, that G Gundam reference.
This story already has my attention. Moving on...
Background Pony 1: "Hey, isn´t that unicorn who used dark magic to enslave the town to her whims?"
Background Pony 2:"You mean Rarity. I think she already apologized for that"
Background Pony 1:"No, the cerulean one. What was her name...Pixie, Dixie, Trixie..."
Background Pony 2:"When was that? the same week the Flim Flam brother tried to scam us with their false tonic? or was back when the town was invaded by the magical black vines while the princesses were missing?"
Background Pony 1:"Black vines? I thought they were Pinkie Pie clones'"
Background Pony 2:"Now I remember!, it was just before Celestia decided to bring the chaos weirdo who drove us crazy and tried to take over Equestria to be reformed by the Elements. Did I ever tell you I met my marefriend that day?..."
I bet Ponyvillians are so accustomed to crisis hitting their door each month to bother keeping track of them. .
Poor Trixie! I think her brain has had to go on a holiday after this latest humiliation!
4495330 It's baffling that they don't have giant monsters stomping through town like it's Tokyo. Oh, wait...they have that, too.
Ahahahaha! Trixies consciousness decided to rage quit.
4493946
i.imgur.com/PJEzeQC.gif
Somebody call a wahmbulance! Trixie just had herself a conniption fit!!
You also get some bonus points for this little paraphrase:
TPB, FTW!
"Except for Twilight Sparkle..." Celestia added hastily in a mumbled aside to herself.
"What?" blinked Trixie.
"Nothing! Uhm... care for a banana," grinned Celestia innocently.
The first thing that popped into my head at the end of the chapter?
KHAAAAAAN!!! - Captain James Tiberius Kirk, a little annoyed.
4493310 calm down
Stupid Lyra
"EARTHBOUND" REVIEW
The Great And Powerful Trixie is one of those characters who, on the surface, is pretty easy to get "right": even with only two major appearances in the show (and an "Equestria Girls" cameo), her vibrant personality and memorable show-stopping persona give writers a very clear guideline to work with. Once an author decides to try and dig beneath that obvious surface, however, things get a whole lot trickier; trying to extrapolate from what we know in a way that still feels honest to the character, expanding on her back-story and personality and trying to really piece together what makes her tick...it's a Balancing Act worthy of Trixie herself. If there is one thing you've proven, time and time again, over the years, however, it is that you are a master of tackling that exact kind of Balancing Act with flying colors, and this may well be your masterpiece in that respect. What we have here is, to my mind, one of the absolute best Trixie stories currently online...but more surprising still, I think it may also be one of the very best Twilight Sparkle stories too.
Right out of the gate, the prologue with Celestia and the school puts this story on the right footing. The idea that Trixie may have been a member of Celestia's School at one point or another is one I've seen several times before, but you offer my favorite take on it here by having Trixie part ways with the school, not as the result of being expelled or out of distaste for That Pesky Twilight as I most often see, but instead out of choice...out of a belief that while the school may be of benefit to her, it cannot provide her the thing she really wants. It is a note of Characterization that will come to encapsulate and define the entire story, and you are laying it out plain as day right here from the start, but in such a way that its full power is not yet known even as the way it clicks so nicely with Trixie's already-established persona-of course that boisterous showmare would want to forge her own path; the Great and Powerful would never let others so rigidly define them!-makes it ring true and strong in its own right. It is just one of a multitude of wonderfully nuanced structural choices you make throughout the story as a whole (and indeed, the entire prologue is another one, but we'll get into that more next chapter), and it sets the tone of the story very nicely for me; you can feel the larger implications of where this is going just from the opening, even if their specifics are yet to be clarified; you also provide a note-perfect Celestia; sagely, wise, and understanding to a point that others might have turned stern at, but with just the right little touches of warmth and humor that ground all of that in a believable, personal place that strengthens them all the more. All together, it provides just the perfect note of "I want to see where this is going" I've seen in a good long while for any 'fic, which is exactly what one wants an opening for a first chapter to be.
It just keeps going strong from there, too. Using Tirek's attack on Equestria as the motivating factor that gets Trixie to go back to Ponyville to settle things with Twilight once and for all (and as I've said, you weave the references in so nicely here; everything from Inigo Montoya to Domon Kasshu to even Wolf O, though I'm not sure that last one is intentional x3) is very effective, not only providing a perfectly believable spark to set the rest of the main story into action but also tying the tone and themes of the story directly into the events of "Twilight's Kingdom", another of those great structural choices I mentioned given how things unfold from here. It is positively loaded with great details, too; Trixie's new carriage, the compare-and-contrast between Trixie's belief in the importance of Change vs. the content stability of Ponyville, and most significantly the description of how Twilight's new castle reflects across the town...it is one of the best examples I've seen in your writing to date of using those small touches to really ground us in the reality of the world and the characters, of creating a sense of Setting that is full and rich and adds to the feeling of the experience in a wonderful fashion; even the moment with Lyra, despite primarily being meant as exposition acts as one of those nice grounding touches by showing how the citizens of Ponyville are adjusting to all the big shake-ups they've been through up until now and endearingly expressing their confidence and pride in Twilight. Admittedly, transitioning from the fairly neutral narrative voice of the prose in the opening to the much more Trixie-inflected tone here is a little jarring, even as it makes for some pretty great little moments (the prose's brief attempt to convince us Trixie had actually defeated Tirek is my personal favorite), and it's one that gets followed up by another shift in perspective when we make the transition to Twilight in the castle just as we've gotten used to it, but that transition is handled better, at least, thanks to using Trixie's frustration as a good connecting device.
Speaking of, I know a lot of Twilight's scene here is nicked from nanashi_jones, so kudos to you both, because her dialogue is fantastic, and you manage to link the whole thing up to the rest of the story excellently; again, it's all about the structure. Sure, this scene is funny now, and it is sincerely meant to be so, but it is also introducing us in plain terms to Twilight's big problem for the story, just as the opening did for Trixie, and it works all the better for how much it doesn't announce itself as such by instead focusing on the humor of the situation and on the always-endearing dynamic between Twi and her Number One Assistant. You add your own humorous bent to the scene too with Trixie's big outburst, (another reference, I wonder? It feels very Abridged!Vegeta to me in just the best way x3) and thus do our two paths at last cross each other and let the real heart of the story begin. It's a clever cap to the opening chapter, a wonderfully warm bit of Comedy that nonetheless feels honest and right to the mood of the story, both thus far and to come.
Which means we're off to a damned good start in general here. Even before I read the rest of the story (which I promise I'll get to with time ^3^), this chapter alone was enough to convince me that "Lulamoon's Castle" was going to be something special, because it's already managed to strike a lot of unique balances in wonderful fashion, while still leaving a lot of room to grow and expand and evolve.
4510234 I thought I was the only one here who watched the princess bride
Okay, nice start all-around. 4526390 pretty much said everything I wanted to. ;)
suggest changing to foal? Not essential, but it did leap out at me.
Great back story for Trixie. It makes me wonder how she became such an overconfident and arrogant mare after what I read of her past. Maybe this will be explained, or maybe it will be left to me to imagine. Given her drive to discover everything, I guess I can see her changing over time.
Also nice to see her as a former pupil at the School for Gifted Unicorns.
Now, let's see how Trixie handles being outdone, yet again.
Trixie might be upset. Can anyone confirm?
My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!
Oh great, now I have the urge to go re-watch G Gundam; thanks Bookish,
This is awesome! Good writing, great pace, clever. And this...
Well done. Very well done
Looking forward to reading the rest of this... Right now!
Alright, you've got my attention.
"Grandiose monstrosity"... I like it! I may have to steal that term