Chapter 5
A new Occupation
“Trixie supposes that it’s no surprise that Trixie’s name is known both far and wide,” Trixie said as she made her way closer to Scootaloo, who was no longer pressed against the wall in fear. “So, may Trixie have the pleasure of knowing the name of whom she's saved from the cold hooves of death?”
Scootaloo looked at Trixie with a hard stare as she folded her forelegs over her chest. “If you must know, it’s Scootaloo. I’m from Ponyville, the town you thought would be fun to make into your own personal plaything not too long ago.”
“Oh,” was Trixie’s reply. “By that expression, Trixie would assume that you are still sore with her for her admittedly distasteful acts. If it’s any consolation, Trixie does feel terrible for what she put you and the rest of the Ponyvillians through.”
“That a fact?” Scootaloo retorted, not appearing convinced in the slightest.
Trixie sat on her haunches, shoulders slumping, and stared at Scootaloo with an almost tired expression. “Trixie will not ask you to express gratitude for having saved you; however, she wishes that we can call ourselves even and be civil with one another.” She stuck out a hoof towards Scootaloo, “Deal?”
Scootaloo looked at the offered hoof through one squinting eye before begrudgingly bumping her own hoof against it. “Fine, so long as you stop with all this speaking in the third pony stuff, it's way too annoying.”
“Ha, now don’t get ahead of yourself,” Trixie said while holding her nose high in the air and speaking in an arrogant tone. “Trixie will not change her dialect for anypony.”
“I knew that was too much to hope for,” Scootaloo mumbled under her breath.
“But on to more pressing matters,” Trixie continued, her tone of voice returning to normal. “What in Celestia’s name is a young filly like yourself doing so far away from home? Surely you know that this place is too dangerous to wander about so carelessly? Especially for a filly in your condition. Traveling through the Everfree with open cuts, broken ribs and bleeding puncture wounds covered by filthy bandages is a recipe for infection and death.”
Scootaloo stood up, legs splayed, narrowed her eyes and scowled at Trixie. "Hey, for your information, my ribs aren't broken, just bruised with two tiny fractures." She held her glare on Trixie for several beats before she settled back down and shifted her eyes back to the far wall with the array of posted bounties, her eyes fixated on the one with Kimbo’s photo. “And I’m looking for a friend,” she answered dryly after a short while.
Trixie quirked a brow at Scootaloo as her eyes traveled back and forth between Scootaloo and the bounty pictures. “Is Trixie to believe that one of these scoundrels is the friend you seek?”
Scootaloo glared at Trixie. “Kimbo isn’t a scoundrel!” she hissed.
“Of course not, Trixie was only speaking in general terms,” she said as she stood up and walked past Scootaloo towards the far wall, using her magic to light a kerosene lamp that was sitting on the ground.
“You see, this lot of characters are quite notorious for being, how do you say… very unpleasant,” Trixie explained as she stood in front of the posters. “One will seldom find a bounty placed on their head unless they’ve done something nasty to warrant it,” Trixie said before pointing her hoof to Kimbo’s poster. “Although you do get exceptions, such as this fellow.”
“Exceptions?” Scootaloo repeated.
Trixie nodded. “Not everypony that issues a bounty is looking to have a criminal apprehended or… disposed of. In fact, animal traffickers will pay a fine bit for rare, powerful or simply bizarre creatures such as him. Unfortunately for the fools that tried to capture and sell him to traffickers, this creature didn’t turn out to be much of an animal.”
Scootaloo's eyes widened slightly. “He didn’t… well, kill anypony, did he?”
“Trixie is told the creature was quite skilled in the use of a spear; however, it refrained from killing its assailants, although the beating it delivered makes you question just how merciful that action was. In doing so, it’s garnered more attention than it probably wants.”
Scootaloo narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils at Trixie. “So, now he’s being hunted by ponies like you, just because he defended himself!?”
“Ponies like Trixie?” Trixie echoed before stifling a chuckle at the sentiment. “Trixie would never defile herself by taking on jobs such as this. In fact, hunters such as them find Trixie to be a thorn in their side.”
“A thorn in their side?” Scootaloo repeated in confusion.
“That’s right, there are those that use bounty hunting as a disguise to commit crimes of their own, such as poaching. Trixie finds it quite a thrill to expose and capture those sorts,” Trixie explained as she walked over to the cage with the small three headed dog. “This little one here Trixie rescued from the same type of scum that have been trounced by the creature.”
“So, you’re like a bounty hunter for bad bounty hunters?” Scootaloo asked curiously. “So, how come? I thought you were a magic performer. Why the change?”
“Because of Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie answered bluntly. “Trixie has always prided herself on her magical talent, but she was sorely upstaged. Having been so shamefully defeated not once but twice, Trixie began to question if she truly had a talent for magic at all,” she said as she sat down on her haunches and observed her cutie mark. “If magic is truly Trixie’s talent then why couldn’t she defeat Twilight? Trixie then realized that the key difference between her and Twilight was experience. Twilight Sparkle has accomplished a great many things, while Trixie on the other hoof has not.”
Scootaloo scratched the top of her head in confusion. “And how does bounty hunting play a role in all this?”
“Trixie needed experience of her own,” she continued. “This job is dangerous and will help bring out Trixie’s untapped potential. In truth, Trixie’s power has already grown substantially because of it.”
Scootaloo shook her head. “Well, that doesn’t really make sense to me, but tell me, what does anypony have to gain by capturing him?” Scootaloo said while pointing to Kimbo’s bounty picture. “If they realize he’s not an animal then why not leave him alone?” she asked, her voice raised, sounding more engaged and heated than she realized.
Trixie looked slightly taken aback by Scootaloo’s rather emotional statement. “That creature is an unknown, and Trixie supposes that there are those that would want to tame and use it for their own gain,” she explained. “But why are you so concerned about this creature’s well being, it’s not like…” Trixie paused as the realization finally hit her. “You mean to tell Trixie that this creature is the friend you spoke of?”
Scootaloo didn’t answer but merely looked down at her hooves with slouched shoulders.
“Trixie sees…” Trixie muttered before a grin spread across her lips. “Interesting.”
Scootaloo stared at Trixie in mild confusion. “And just what are you grinning about, and what’s interesting?”
“Trixie just finds it curious that her and your goals coincide with one another, that’s all,” Trixie explained as she unlatched the cage containing the small, three headed dog.
“I don’t follow you,” Scootaloo said as she watched Trixie remove the midnight purple puppy from its cage and gently began to stroke its three heads, rousing it from its sleep.
“Trixie is in search of this creature just the same as you,” she confirmed. “Although for different reasons.”
Scootaloo flew to her hooves and glared at Trixie. “I thought you said you weren’t after him!” she said as she pointed her hoof accusingly at Trixie. “And that creature has a name, it’s Kimbo!”
“You needn’t fly off the handle, in fact you should be pleased to hear this piece of news,” Trixie said as the puppies three heads began to bark at Scootaloo, small embers flying from their mouths with each bark.
Scootaloo took an uneasy step back away from the fire spewing puppy, stumbling from pain when she put down her injured hind leg. “You’d better call off that mutt, before I, uh… have to show 'em who's boss.”
Trixie began to laugh at Scootaloo’s less than threatening claim. “Forgive Lewana, she’s become quite protective of Trixie, and you were shouting at Trixie rather loudly. Besides, Lewana may only be a puppy, but even at a young age a cerberus is an exceptionally formidable beast.”
“Whatever, just call her off before she starts a fire in here.” Scootaloo huffed in annoyance.
“Those embers are harmless, just a warning really,” Trixie said as she continued to stroke Lewana to calm her down. “But like Trixie was saying, she's not so much in search of… Kimbo as she is his pursuers.”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “So, he’s just bait for you, huh? But for who?”
“For the big fish of course,” Trixie said as she stopped petting Lewana and pointed to Kimbo’s bounty picture. “That bounty on your friend is in copper pieces and never has Trixie seen such a large sum issued for anything less than a mythical beast. The ones that Trixie's after will be drawn to that reward like a moths to a flame.”
“Pft,” Scootaloo scoffed. “Kimbo would put them in their place just like the others; he doesn’t need you to do it for him.”
“It’s unwise to be so sure about that,” Trixie argued. “The ones your friend fended off were nothing. The five shadows that Trixie is hoping will show themselves are cut from an entirely different cloth than those amateurs. In truth, to compare them isn’t entirely fair as the five shadows are more similar to a group of mercenaries than bounty hunters. And while Trixie is being truthful, she admits that each of them is likely more powerful than she. Even so, she cannot let this grand opportunity to apprehend them pass.”
“You’re wasting your time, I’ve seen Kimbo take down a…what did that book call it? An acro...acrorom…well it was a big, freaky, scary spider, okay? Some hotshot bounty hunters or mercen… whatevers don’t have a chance.”
Trixie’s eyes widened slightly. “An acromantula? But that’s a class B mythical beast, defeating one is above even Trixie's current skill level,” Trixie said as she rubbed her chin in thought. “The more she thinks about it, the stranger this all seems.”
“How is this any stranger than a normal job you’d take?” Scootaloo asked curiously. “They think Kimbo is some kind of beast that they want to capture, right? Seems pretty straight forward to me.”
“It’s not,” Trixie countered. “As Trixie has said before, the reward has been issued in copper pieces, a currency mostly used by bakeneko in the badlands. As far as Trixie knows, the bakeneko are a very proud race that do not like outsiders. And considering they prefer to get their own paws dirty, the fact that they employed help via a bounty means that they are desperate for his capture. 'Why' is the question.”
“It doesn’t matter why they want him; we just have to find him first,” Scootaloo said with a wide grin. “Problem solved, right?”
“We?” Trixie repeated with an arched brow. “There is no we, Trixie will be taking you back to Ponyville at first light.”
“Ponyville? I’m not going back there unless it’s with Kimbo!” Scootaloo shouted, prompting Lewana to bark at her once again. “Ah, give it a rest you mangy mutt,” she snapped.
“Trixie understands that you wish to find your friend, and that’s commendable, but this isn’t a game of pretend we’re out here playing. We aren’t in Equestria, things work differently here, right down to a creature's very sense of morals. This is the most dangerous job Trixie has ever taken. When Trixie confronts the members of the five shadows, her very life could be at stake. They aren’t a rag tag group of misguided buffoons looking to make a quick bit. Each of them is a seasoned hunter, thief or killer, and not one of them would fancy spending the rest their life behind bars. You’ll have to understand that Trixie cannot afford distractions if she wishes to succeed.”
“But that’s not fair,” Scootaloo protested. “He’s my friend, and it was my town that chased him off, so it’s up to me to set things right. You just have to bring me with you. I don’t care about the danger, it’s the only shot I’ve got.”
Trixie rubbed her temples soothingly to calm her irritation with the persistent little pegasus. “You just don’t get it, it’s not only finding your friend that’s an obstacle: Animals, bandits and the elements are all threats that Trixie would have to shield you from.”
“Don’t underestimate me,” Scootaloo fired back, her eyes positively glowing with determination. “I can hold my own just fine, and I promise to pull my own weight. You just have to give me the chance.”
Trixie actually seemed to mull over what Scootaloo had said for a moment before finally opening her mouth to speak. “Trixie is sorry, Scootaloo, but the answer is no. You just aren’t ready for the harshness of the badlands. First thing tomorrow morning we will journey back to Ponyville, and that is that,” Trixie stated firmly as her horn shimmered a brilliant pink, causing the space above Scootaloo’s head to shimmer and distort before a sleeping bag literally appeared out of thin air and fell before Scootaloo’s hooves. “Now, get some sleep, you still haven’t recovered fully from your previous trek through the forest or your injuries.”
Scootaloo looked at the offered sleeping bag with a frown before angrily kicking it back at Trixie. “Sleep yourself, I’m out of here,” Scootaloo said as she put on and adjusted her cloak and snatched Kimbo’s wanted poster off of the wall.
“And where exactly will you go?” Trixie asked while watching Scootaloo stuff the poster into her cloak.
“Where do you think?” Scootaloo retorted. “You finding me don’t change anything; I’m still going to find Kimbo, with or without your help.”
“Stubborn foal,” Trixie grumbled as she used her magic to hold Scootaloo in place.
Scootaloo stared at the pale pink magic shrouding her body before leveling an icy stare at Trixie. “Hey, what’s the big idea? Get your magic off of me and let me go already.”
“Trixie is afraid that she can’t do that,” she said as Lewana’s ears folded back and the puppy let out a low growl towards the window of the wagon. “It would seem we have some uninvited guest waiting outside.”
Scootaloo’s ears perked up immediately at Trixie’s words. “What do you mean 'uninvited guest'?” she asked curiously.
“Trixie’s detection spells have been triggered,” she explained as she stood up and stared out the window with a focused look plastered on her face. “They have my wagon surrounded on all sides, and the fools believe they are well hidden. Five of them in all, two of them ponies and three of them diamond dogs,” Trixie concluded as she used her magic to conjure her cape.
“W-what,” Scootaloo stuttered. “Five of them? What in the hay could they want?”
“Trixie would wager that they intend to ambush her,” Trixie answered with a shrug of indifference as she tied her cape on and released her magical hold on Scootaloo.
Having been released, Scootaloo slowly approached Trixie and joined her at her side. “Are they bandits or something?”
“No, not this bunch,” Trixie said with a grin. “Trixie is sure they are remnants of a gang that had disbanded when she collected the bounty on their former boss. Trixie supposes that they are still angry with her for that and wish to even the score,” Trixie added before retrieving her hat off of a table and placing it on her head. “It’s too bad that Trixie will have to deny those revenge seeking fools what they desire.”
“You’re going out there?”
“But of course,” Trixie said as she walked up to the door of the wagon and pushed it open. “It would be rude for Trixie to not give our guest a proper greeting, especially after they came all this way to see her,” she finished as she hoped out of the wagon followed by Lewana.
Scootaloo made to follow after Trixie, but stopped at Trixie’s command.
“You best remain where you are, young Scootaloo,” Trixie said as she flashed Scootaloo a toothy grin, her teeth seeming to glow in the darkness. “Things may get a little messy out here.”
Ponyville
Rainbow Dash was restlessly flying around Twilight’s library, annoyance clear on her face, while Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy simply watched her. “Ugh, I can’t take this anymore!” she suddenly shouted and turned her attention towards Twilight. “How much longer until this hotshot tracker gets here? It feels like we’ve been waiting forever!”
“Look, I’ve already told you: I don’t know,” Twilight said, huffing in frustration. “Princess Celestia only told me before I left Canterlot that she would find a suitable tracker while I made preparations to leave, here in Ponyville.”
“That’s nothing to go off of. That could mean a day or a week for all we know,” Dash said as she dropped out of the air and started to pace back and forth. “Scootaloo's out there all alone, and we’re here doing nothing about it.”
“Ah know yer worried about little Scootaloo, but we’re doin' the best we can,” Applejack said. “Ah'm sure the princess knows how worried we all are and made getting us a tracker her first priority.”
Rarity nodded her agreement. “Yes, and besides, we’ve only just finished making the necessary preparations,” she said as she stepped aside and observed her mounds of packed belongings with a content smile.
Dash glared at Rarity’s luggage as though it had said something offensive to her. “No, you just finished; I was ready to leave yesterday,” she said as she fluttered over to Rarity and pointed a hoof at Rarity’s bags. “What do you need all this for, and who do you think is gonna cart all this stuff around for you?”
Rarity turned her nose up at Dash. “Had you’d been paying attention to Twilight earlier today instead of brooding you would have remembered that she enchanted special saddlebags that can hold all of our belongings.”
Dash looked at Rarity skeptically then shifted towards Twilight. “You can do something like that?”
Twilight couldn’t help the grin that threatened to split her face. “Yep, I’ve been working on that particular enchantment spell for a while and just recently I managed to work out all the kinks. Each of your saddlebags should be able to fit about…”
“Yeah, they’re super-duper cool!” Pinkie interjected, cutting Twilight off as she bounced up to Dash and dropped her own saddlebag at her hooves. “Just watch,” she said as she unhooked the pink saddlebag and began pulling things out at random. “Look, it can fit a whole room worth of goodies. I’ve got balloons, cupcakes, party streamers, maracas, a drum set, cake and candy and….”
Pinkie suddenly found her mouth covered by Dash’s hoof. “That’s great and all, Pinkie, but shouldn’t you pack, well, I don’t know… useful stuff?”
“Don’t be silly, Dash; this is useful, besides, I’ve got all that other junk too,” Pinkie said as she reached her hooves into her saddlebag and started tugging. “My tent and sleeping bag are in here somewhere and toothbrush too.”
Twilight made to stop Pinkie from further cluttering the floor of the library with her things, but a sudden crash coming from the kitchen grabbed her and everypony's attention.
Fluttershy yelped as she dived for cover. “W-what w-was that?” she whispered in a trembling voice.
“Sounds like somepony broke some dishes,” Applejack answered while staring in the direction of the kitchen. “Don’t reckon Spike got up for a midnight snack, do yah?”
Twilight shook her head in response. “We would have seen him come down stairs,” she answered, her ears now trained on the kitchen where grunts and clanks were echoing from.
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and glared towards the kitchen before she extended her wings. “Just what we need, somepony dumb enough to break in while we’re all here,” she said before she took off towards the kitchen like a bullet.
“Wait, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight shouted, only for her warning to fall on deaf ears.
A moment later the sound of a struggle came from within the kitchen, prompting the rest of the girls to sprint for it, apart from Fluttershy, who was still shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Having entered the kitchen, the girls looked around the area frantically, only to find Rainbow Dash underneath what they assumed was a diamond dog.
Rarity observed the assailant carefully, taking note of its almond colored coat and short cropped, dark brown hair atop its head and worn jean jacket. “Is that a… female diamond dog?” Rarity asked as she stared at the perpetrator that was lounging on top of Rainbow Dash and causally eating an apple.
The diamond dog turned to the new arrivals with a bored expression on her face before she grinned, showcasing a row of sharp, pearly white teeth. “So, you're the kiddies Celestia wanted me to babysit, huh?”
“Hey, get your stinkin' paws offa me!” Dash shouted, while struggling underneath the weight of the much larger diamond dog.
The diamond dog looked down at Dash with an amused expression.
“Now, that’s no way to talk to the one that’s going to help you find that missing runt, is it?” she said as she patted Rainbow Dash on the cheek. “We need to play nice with each other.”
Dash's face grew visibly red with anger, despite her blue coat.
“Um,” Twilight started as she stepped forward. “Is there a particular reason you decided to break in rather than use the door?”
“Seemed like a good idea at the time,” the diamond dog said with a dismissive shrug. “Besides, we have more important things to discuss, like: Do you have anything besides apples and dried grass to eat in here?” she said as she pitched the apple core into a nearby trash bin.
“You have a problem wit' apples?” Applejack asked, directing a displeased frown at the diamond dog.
“Yeah, they’re red: I hate red.”
“Well, what about yellow apples or green apples?” Pinkie questioned. “Do you hate them too?”
“She’s only pulling your leg.” A new rough, yet feminine voice came from behind the four mares, accompanied by a large shadow that covered their own. “Risky Paw is colorblind.”
The girls turned around to face the new entrant, all of them needing to crane their necks up a bit due to her height.
“A minotaur?” Twilight mouthed as she observed the intimidating figure looming over them. The minotaur’s fur was a dark maroon, her long black hair held in a ponytail and, finally, she wore a loincloth and tight bandages around her chest to cover her ample bosom.
The minotaur gave them a friendly smile. “Name's Big Betsy, but just call me Betsy. Don’t too much care for the big part, and that little firecracker over there is my adorable disciple, Risky Paw,” she said as she glared at Risky Paw and snorted through her nostrils, causing a bit of steam to shoot from them. “If you don’t get your sorry rear off her, so help me.”
Risky Paw instantly obeyed and hopped off of Rainbow Dash. “Sorry, boss. Won’t happen again,” she said as she held out one of her thick paws towards Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash looked at the offered paw before reluctantly taking it and the help with getting up that came with it.
“That’s better,” Betsy said with a nod of approval. “So, you girls are the infamous Elements of Harmony I’ve heard so much about?” Betsy said, more to herself than anyone else, studying each of them carefully. “Just by looking, I can tell you all have something special, even the one passed out in the other room.”
“Fluttershy?” Rarity gasped. “The poor dear actually fainted?” she asked before trotting past Betsy in order to tend to her friend.
Twilight walked up to Betsy and stuck out a hoof. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I can’t thank you enough for coming to help us.”
Betsy reached out her hand and shook Twilight’s hoof, causing the unicorn to wince from the strength of her grip. “It’s no problem. Besides, Celestia and I go way back, and she can be quite persuasive when she wants to.”
“Basically, boss is saying Celestia is paying us out the wazoo,” Risky Paw said while licking her lips.
“Well, whatever motivates yah, ah guess,” Applejack said, tilting her hat to them.
“Okay, we’re all here now, so can we get this thing movin' or what?” Dash asked as she lifted herself into the air and folded her forelegs over her chest. “We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”
“It’s two in the morning,” Risky Paw countered as she let out a yawn to make her point. “We should get some shuteye before heading out.”
“But…”
“No, she’s right,” Twilight interrupted Rainbow Dash. “We’ve been up and about the entire day; we have to rebuild our strength before this journey.”
“A wise decision,” Betsy acknowledged. “And I doubt your friend would be ready to go any time soon anyway,” Betsy finished, pointing a clawed finger towards the opposite room where Rarity and Pinkie were both fanning Fluttershy.
Twilight smiled “Then it’s settled, we’ll head out first thing in the morning.”
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3215374 Your avatar goes so well with your comment, couldn't help but laugh.
3215374 Your avatar oddly fits your comment.
lovely seeing a new chapter. It brings great hope that the story may finally kick off and start moving quickly ^.^
Is it just me or does Risky Paw look kinda reminiscent of Carmelita Fox.
i can already tell dis gun be badass
OMG This story is back! Oh I hope Scootaloo shows Trixie what she can do. Also amazing drawing's... I'm just so excited for this story to be back. The only down side is updates like this keep me from writing
hehe.
Although I find the drawings distracting ( words should convey enough that they aren't needed is my opinion ) they are very well done :) Great story, I'll be following this one with interest
I've been wondering...
Is Kimbo a human who was transported to Equestria? Or is there a tribe of humans on Equestria?
I'm intrigued by the idea if native humans. Will his tribe eventually seek retribution or something?
The drawings seem rather unnecessary, and a bit... how do I put this...
...Furry-ish. Yeah, I'm not so sure I care for either of them.
The pictures are okay, I like the first one as I don't really see too many female diamond dog fics apart from clop or from the Echo series. The minotaur looks okay but it just seems a little too furry like for my tastes. I am definitely following this though.
Oh god the cover pic gave me a heart attack
THOSE EYES
Nice Trixie development, and that pair of OCs has potential.
So know you have put together a rag-tag D&D party.... Lets see, you have two barbarians: RD and Big Betsy, a Ranger, Risky Paw, a mage, Twilight, a bard, Pinkie, a druid, Fluttershy, a warrior, AJ, and... what would Rarity be? Hmm...
Also, your cover pic is almost enough to give me nightmares... Where the hell did you find such creepy eyes?
This is officially one of my new faves, the story is engaging and has a very even flow and feel to it. Can't wait for the next installment!
3216254 Honestly, the towns people were't out of character. They don't have character in the show. They are extremely inconsistent. Also, they were too terrified to do something against Zecora, since they thought she could curse them. While the rest of your critisism is mostly true, it gets better as the story continues.
Glad to see the story updated, and a tiny bit of world building and art.
Saw a spelling error, though: feinted should be spelled as fainted. Feinted and fainted are two different things.
So Trixie is now Lina Inverse?
I saw the art for Risky Paws and the first thing I thought was:
Carmelita Fox is that you?
3216910 Same here.
3215374... Isn't this like the third time you've said that about this story? An this is the third time someone has said this, 3215438>>3215448 in the comments for this story as well, I believe, if you count both of 'em.
3215599 ...aaand you beat me to it, appearantly.
3215457 Sorry to shoot down your hopes, in the manner of a howitzer shooting down a hot air balloon, but this story is being written on the side. Until A Zoologist Dream is finished, this'll stay on the back burner.
3215667 See above.
3216344 A social rogue, of course. Who else has skillpoints out the wazoo and has bluff, diplomacy and appraisal as class skills?
3216650 Bugger, I missed that. Hey Sonson, fix it will yah?
3216707 Who?
3216910>>3216942 A bit too beefy for Carmelita if you ask me.
3217144
From Slayers.
Alternately, watch this for about a minute.
Pony Poachers
. It's funny to see such a turnaround. Prey becoming predator and all that.
3216344
Rarity? probably an illusionist.
The badassery of the fic has increased substancially in one chapter.
Where did you get those amazing pictures they are beyond perfect?
3217144
LOL
3215374 Well it was actually never dead, just not being prioritized.
3215438>>3215448 And that was the exact response he got last time.
3215457 Yeah about that. I wouldn't expect this story to pick up the update pace until my first story is completed. Then I can dedicate all my time to this one.
3215459 Yep she should, since I used Carmelita for inspiration. The mole should be a dead giveaway.
3215667 Why do they keep you from writing?
3215756 To each their own I guess. Inserting art is sorta of my thing, or gimmick whichever you prefer to call it.
3215992 It should be safe to assume he isn't from their world. Don't worry you'll get your answer to why he's there.
3216027 I don't think giving readers a visual image to go with OC's is unnecessary. I would hope it would make it easier to connect with the character if you know what they actually look like. Apparently that's a matter of opinion, you can't please everyone.
3216075 Too furry? Maybe the diamond dog, but the minotaur? She's supposed to be anthropomorphic,she's a minotaur.
3216091 The cover image is supposed to be, wait for it...eye catching
yes I know that was lame as hell. 
3217188 "The uploader has not made this video available in your country." Yeah, fuck you too Youtube and fuck you FUNimation.
3216318 I'm gonna have so much fun with Trixie's fighting style.
3216344 I haven't thought of any of that since I don't play those types of games. But it looks like its fits. And the cover, well I made it myself so I'm responsible for those eyes.
3216438 Thanks a lot, always nice to have a new reader.
3216650 Will fix
3216707 Can't say I know who that is. But if I had to make a comparison for Trixie, I'd say she's similar to Zatanna, at least in ability.
3216910>>3216942 Was it the mole?
3217520 Things aren't always what they seem.
3217975 I drew them.
and here I thought this story was dead
3218290 Wow you have a real talent for drawing I would love to see more.
Cause while your story updated, several others did. While I'm reading a new chapters, usually a few others do again... I favorite too many stories for my own good. So, distractions. 3218273
Ah yeah, glad to see this fic again. It was nice seeing a HiE that went in such a different direction than most. Now I'm really looking forward to seeing if the EoH can actually stomach apologizing for how they acted.
I notice that both hunters are female. Nice turnaround from the usual male/male team up or the classic male/female where they usually end up together.
3218290 The mole and hairstyle. Her bangs to be specific.
It is good to see this update, and I especially like what you are doing with Trixie. Too many people write her off because she has less raw power than Twilight, but if you look at what she can actually do you realize that she is incredibly badass and could probably kick Twilight's ass in a fight. Illusions and distractions are deadly in a fight because they make it so the enemy cannot rely on their senses to fight while the caster easily dispatches them when they are looking the other way. After all, it does not take much energy to levitate a knife into the throat of an unwary opponent, and Trixie seems to have no problem running a whole mess of illusions to create that kind of opening.
3227258
But that's my exact point. Fanfiction allows the writer to take control of the world and steer it in new and interesting directions. 'Control' and 'Steer' being the key words here. If the author wants to develop a world where ponies are rampant, not to mention bloodthirsty, xenophobes, you need to develop that in the story, make a justification for it. In this story that does not happen. If you are going to rely on the show completely for your story's background, you are then locked in by it's rules unless you are going full blown alternate universe.
Now, I will say that it's possible that this could be a 'wham' style opening chapter and the author will use later chapters to do world building to clear up this issue, but honestly the story and writing aren't good enough for me to continue to that point.
Except my point was that it was her relationship with Celestia that hasn't changed. Twilight is a take charge kind of person, AFTER she calms down and thinks it out. Running to her mentor and surrogate mother for advice and reassurance, NOT giving a lecture, is what her character is about. The author went for a big emotional scene, which the possible sundering of the Celestia / Twilight relationship would be, that doesn't pay off and has no justification in character for it.
I'm happy you like the story. I'd never tell anyone not to enjoy something just because I do not. The main issue is FimFiction has some of the nicest readers around. That's great for someone's confidence, but when every comment left is 'BEST THING EVER' it lets good story ideas (like this one) meander in mediocrity because author's aren't being challenged to improve their craft.
It's official... Trixie 'Took a Level in Badass' and have also become a 'Fluffy Tamer'.
I really want to hear the background of ''Fluffy'' though.
And I have a particular feeling that the trackers somehow become 'Big Damn Heros'?
Good chapter though!
Ok so far, tho there is something that seems off to me.I can't pin what it is tho. Maybe I will be able to tell what it is after I reread the whole thing whenever you next update this.
Only have one question: Are you planning on integrating season 3 into the story(as in this happened sometime in the middle of Season 3), or is this just supposed to have happened after season 2(or where-ever you decided to place to place it timeline-wise.)?
3233216 Trixie did mention being upstaged by Twilight twice. So this story would have taken place after magic duel, how long I can't say. But I suggest not thinking too much about the timeline, since I choose not to write Twilight as an Alicorn. So timelines will never mesh perfectly with the cartoon in anything I write.
3233260 Well there is only one episode that might make you change things quite a bit compared to what you originally planned when you first started writing this. Keep Calm and Flutter On, with Discord free and reformed he could affect things quite a bit.
More updates! Now!
And DAYUM, U SO GOOD AT DRAWING
is there going to be an update soon?
3675695 83 weeks later.
6265221
Even more weeks later and I still want more...