• Published 21st Jan 2015
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The Awakening of a Tactician - Mountainmanmad



A young man decides to attend a convention with his friends dressed as his favorite character from the Fire Emblem series. Next thing he knows he's in Equestria.

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Chapter 6 - Home is Where the Dust is

Robin pushed through the heavy foliage as he made his way back towards his home. He had a bag of books slung over his shoulder, most of them empty and ready to be filled. beside him followed an unusually quiet Trixie. Her eyes constantly shifted left to right. Even in the day the Everfree was still a dangerous place.

After Trixie had accepted Robin’s invitation of apprenticeship he suggested they both retire for the night. Robin planned on starting Trixie’s training as soon as possible and an early start would be a boon.

Robin glanced at the aspiring mage, his mind filled with turmoil. He had watched enough My Little Pony to know what Trixie had done and what she will do eventually. He hoped to offer her a new path, one that the Trixie from the show didn’t have. With any luck he could turn this egotistical, revenge filled pony into a scholar and a master of magic. He would have to chip away her shell carefully else he may only worsen the situation.

“Trixie, there are some points I want to run by you so you understand what you agreed to.” Robin started.

Trixie glanced at her new master with suspicion, wondering if she signed up for more than she bargained for.

Robin rose his index finger. “For starters, I expect you to remain diligent in your study of my magic. It requires a large amount of reading and writing and can be difficult to comprehend. On top of all that you will need to learn a new language in order to cast this magic.”

Trixie nodded, expecting to have to study hard to learn a new branch of magic. She was a bit put off by the language requirement, but It couldn’t be any more difficult than the studying she had to undergo at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns… right?

Robin next rose his middle finger. “Second, once you have a basic understanding of my magic you are expected to practice on a regular basis. You are not, however, allowed to practice said magic on a living creature. Also, if you wish to try something more advanced, I must be there to supervise you in case of an accident.”

Trixie merely nodded once more.

Robin rose his ring finger. “Lastly, you are not to use the magic I teach you to harm others. Should you come into conflict you may use it in self-defense, but you will not willingly harm another. This also means you are to not go after Twilight Sparkle.”

Trixie’s step faltered as the last rule was given. She glared at Robin in annoyance. “Trixie has been wanting to get revenge for the way she was treated! That mare deserves nothing less than a swift and humiliating defeat!”

Robin immediately rounded on Trixie, his stance aggressive as his hands formed into fists. He returned Trixie’s glare with full force, the fire in his eyes causing the boastful mare to shrink back.

“This magic is both powerful and dangerous. I’m giving you a chance to become a great mage, but if you would rather focus on petty revenge… than you can leave now.” Robin hissed.

Trixie winced as she was verbally assaulted by Robin. She couldn’t understand why he was so adamant about the topic. Didn’t he state that he had a rivalry with Princess Celestia? Trixie forced herself to keep eye contact with her master despite her instincts screaming at her to look away.

“T-Trixie understands. She won’t try to get revenge on Twilight Sparkle…”

Robin held his gaze a few moments longer, making sure he got his point across. When he believed he did, his features softened. “Trixie… please understand that revenge is not a path that should be taken. It’s a dark path which can lead to suffering and pain. Don’t let revenge be your motivator to study, else you may let it consume you in full.”

Trixie’s fear quickly gave way to confusion. She hardly expected such an answer from the usually straight faced human. Not wanting to rekindle his anger, she swallowed her curiosity and continued on in silence

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Perfect, made it home and it’s not even noon yet.”

Trixie followed his gaze, surprised to find a decently sized built log cabin centered in the middle of a clearing. She was originally worried about living conditions, but her fears seemed to have been for nothing. She gave a genuine smile for the first time in over a week, happy to have a roof over her head once more. She could take a nice warm bath and snuggle under the covers of a bed. She held her smile all the way until she entered through the front door.

Her gleaming smile turned into one of shock, which quickly fell to disgust. The decently built home she beheld only a moment ago was only an illusion. The house was littered with decaying wood and worn out furniture. A layer of dust covered everything in sight and she found herself coughing as she dragged her hooves across the floor. Robin grimaced as he took note of her surprise. He forced a smile and walked further into the home.

“Now, I know it’s a mess, but it’s a decent home and with some love and care I’m sure we can make it livable,” He accompanied this with a pat to the kitchen table. The wood seemed to take offense to the contact as it groaned and crumbled, leaving more splinters of wood, sawdust and dust to the growing collection.

Robin glared at the offending pile of sticks as Trixie’s eye twitched violently. She forced herself to calm down, reminding herself that this was still a step up from the cave. She took a deep breath and turned her attention to Robin.

“Trixie hopes you have a plan to make this home ‘more livable’” she spoke through gritted teeth.

Robin ignored Trixie’s anger as he clapped his hands together in excitement. “I do indeed have a plan. You see, I used to make my own furniture, but they weren’t really that comfortable. I plan to stick around now, so I’m hoping to get some higher quality goods!”

Trixie calmed down further, glad Robin had a plan to fix this mess. “And… how exactly do you plan on getting the furniture?”

Robin’s smile grew ever larger. “Simple, you’re going to go to Canterlot to do some shopping!”

Trixie had to remind herself who exactly this was. That thought alone was all that was keeping her from rushing over and beating her new teacher half to death. She instead settled for a glare that could put Cerberus in his place.

“Trixie does not approve of this plan!”

Robin shrugged. “I can make all the furniture again, but it will take longer than buying it. I’d buy it all myself, but I can’t enter any towns or cities since I’m trying to lay low. If you’re worried about costs, I actually have some gems and metal that I accumulated over the years.”

Robin retreated into the storage area before Trixie could respond. She huffed angrily while she waited for the man to return with whatever currency he had. The last thing she wanted to do was perform manual labor, let alone have to travel to Canterlot and back.

All train of thought ended when she saw what Robin returned with. Held in his palm was a cut diamond, roughly a third of the size of her head. Robin casually gave the priceless gem to his apprentice, unaware of the value of said gem. “While I’m not familiar with the currency today, I would think that should be enough for most of what we need.”

Trixie merely nodded dumbly as she placed the diamond within her saddlebag. She was no geologist, but even she knew how rare diamonds were. Sure, Equestria was abundant in rubies, sapphires and emeralds, but diamonds?

“Wh-Where did you get it?” Trixie said in wonder.

Robin’s face became hard, but it was lost upon Trixie as she was too enthralled by the gem. “That doesn’t matter, what’s important is if that should be enough to get everything we need.”

Trixie quickly nodded, now much more eager to do some shopping in canterlot. Robin noticed the change in attitude. “Trixie… I don’t want you getting anything extravagant. I live a simple life and I want it to stay that way. I do not want you to bring back anything fancy or something we do not need. Do I make myself clear?”

Trixie grumbled in protest, but surrendered when given a stern glare from Robin. With a sigh she turned and prepared for the long trek to Canterlot. Robin had other plans, however.

“Hold on a second Trixie,” He called out, slipping a piece of parchment into her saddlebag, “Here’s a list of what we need. Also, let me give you some of my own magic so you can simply teleport to Canterlot.”

Before Trixie could react Robin wrapped his hand around her horn, gently squeezing it. The mare’s face flushed a crimson red from the touch, letting out a small squeak of surprise in the process. Before Trixie could buck the human between the legs, she felt her magic spike considerably. She barely noticed Robin releasing her horn while she tried to control her overflowing magic pool.

Robin smiled and crossed his arms. “So, how do you feel?”

“L-Like Trixie could move the sun.” Trixie stammered.

“I highly doubt that, but that should be more than enough to get you to Canterlot and back. Do you think the Great and Powerful Trixie can handle it?”

Trixie smirked as her horn glowed a violent blue. “Trixie will be back later with everything this dreary house needs!”

With a flash and a pop she vanished from sight, leaving Robin alone in his home. He turned and reached for the bag of books he brought with him from his haven. He would need to get started on writing the translation book.

Author's Note:

So things are going to be a little slow as Trixie and Robin settle in. Once that portion is over I plan on time skipping a bit and going along with the show's episodes (which I'll pick and choose). I'll add on my own twist of course.

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