Examination Day
The day dawned bright and warm in Canterlot. And fillies and colts, together with their parents, waited in line to be admitted to Celestia's School for their entrance examinations.
"Now don't you worry, cupcake!" Sunflower said. The orange, cornflower-maned mare hugged the nervous slate-green filly beside her. "That nice pony filling in the forms over there already has us on his list. So you just line up with the other children, and we'll wait until they start calling us in."
"You think I have a chance, mama?" the filly asked, shivering.
Sunflower nuzzled her comfortingly. "Every chance in the world, honey! Now just do your best, and remember, no matter what happens today -- no matter what -- we are proud, very proud of you my darling, for getting this far!"
"Okay, mama!" The filly beamed, and trotted happily forward to join the line.
"Uhm.. excuse me, ma'am?"
Sunflower turned, and found herself facing a nervous, white-maned blue filly, wearing a carryall with a magic wand emblazoned on the pockets.
"Is this where ponies line up for the entrance examinations?"
"It surely is, honey!" Sunflower smiled encouragingly. "And oh my, you look like such a sharp young thing, you're sure to do well. What's your name, deary?"
"Trixie," the filly replied meekly.
"Oh, what a pretty name! And how appropriate! I'm Sunflower, by the way." She grinned warmly. "And I'll just bet you were an early admission too, just like my little cupcake! Am I right?"
"Um... no, actually." Trixie grimaced. "I was hoping to try for one of the open admission slots... assuming there are any left."
"Oh, how forthright of you, my dear! Now I don't understand all the details myself, but I'm sure if you trot on over and talk to that nice pony at the table, he should be able to get you all sorted out."
"Oh. Thank you, ma'am!"
"You're most welcome, my dear. Best of luck, now!"
Trixie headed over to the table, and found herself facing a harried-looking gray unicorn, wearing a red uniform vest and a baked-in look of weary indifference.
"I wish to sign in," Trixie declared primly. "For the open exams today."
"Name?" he snapped disinterestedly, drawing over a fresh sheet of parchment. His quill darted around over it like a bloodthirsty fly, filling in lines, ticking boxes.
"Trixie."
"Trixie..." he echoed coldly, still bent over the parchment, quill scribbling. Then he eyed her, the quill poised over a blank line on the form. "Trixie what?"
Apparently he was expecting something more, a last name. Trixie thought fast. She had two teachers, so she could just pick one... but which one to choose... which one...
And then she smirked. Why choose? This was Canterlot, after all.
"Luna Moon," she said loftily. "Trixie Luna Moon!"
"Trixie... Lulamoon," the pony muttered inattentively, quill scratching away.
"Uh no! Wait..." Trixie said, annoyed.
"Yes?" The pony glared up at her sourly. "What?"
"Oh. Never mind." Trixie mentally shrugged. What difference did it make, anyway? It was just a name on a form.
"Address?"
Trixie gave the current location of her wagon.
The official went on, taking down some other identifying particulars. And then...
"Parent or guardian?" he snapped.
"Oh, my mother's with me," Trixie said, waving a hoof vaguely in Sunflower's direction. "Sunflower. Same address."
"I need a release signature," the pony said. His quill pointed to a line near the bottom of the form.
Trixie froze, chilled. Oh haybales! she thought frantically. What do I do? What do I do?
"Just... one moment," she said brightly. "I'll be right back."
She turned and trotted casually back toward Sunflower, anxiously turning over ideas in her head.
Then one came to her.
"Why hello, dear!" Sunflower greeted her. "All signed up?"
"Um, not quite," Trixie replied, looking embarrassed. "They need some kind of witness signature on the form, just to make it official. I don't have anypony with me today so... would you mind...?"
"Oh, not a bit, dear. Glad to help!" Sunflower willingly trotted back with her to the table.
"You'll be accompanying her during the exam?" the official demanded grumpily.
"Oh! Well, certainly, I'd be glad to!"
The official harrumphed, then read out an apparently memorized litany of potential hazards of the test, up to and including physical injury, thaumic dissociation, and simple, unvarnished death.
And Sunflower willingly signed her name, not even looking at the form. "She's such a bright young thing, isn't she?" she said to the official. "She'll make an excellent student!"
The official scowled in annoyance, then pointed with a hoof. "Wait over there, until you're called." Then he tossed the filled-in parchment onto a stack to his left, and turned to the next applicant.
"Well now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Sunflower said brightly, as they trotted back to the line.
Trixie nodded distractedly, stumbling along on legs like jelly, her heart pounding. "Thanks so much, ma'am," she whispered. "You can't know how much this means to me!"
"Oh, it's no trouble, dear. You remind me so much of my own little cupcake, after all. So excited and nervous! But I know you'll do just fine."
Trixie stared up at her, astonished... at the warmly smiling, comforting face gazing down at her. For a brief moment, she had a strong, dreamlike recollection. Of a Hearth's Warming Eve, long ago, and another smiling face.
Yes, Showcase had said to her. The ornaments on the tree are a lot like fireworks. You're such a perceptive little filly, Patricia! And then her father had called her attention back to the rabbit-in-the-hat trick he was working to amuse her...
It had felt nice, back then... having somepony she could count on to look after her.
Trixie turned to look ahead, at the long line of fillies and colts waiting to go in. "I wish..." she said quietly, thinking of Princess Luna, "I wish she could have been here with me. I wish I didn't have to do this all on my own."
"Oh, my dear!" Sunflower said, putting a consoling hoof on her withers. "You're not alone! You're never alone! Not ever! Don't even think that! Now, we'll stay and watch you take your exam, all right? Give you a little extra encouragement, eh? And don't you fret, Trixie! Just do your best. That's all anypony could ask of you, right?"
"Uh huh," Trixie said, numbly.
"And don't doubt yourself, dear, not for a moment! After all, this is your big chance to shine now, isn't it?"
Trixie nodded, distractedly. "I suppose so."
"Absolutely! So just remember, my dear..."
Trixie looked up at her. Sunflower gave her a gentle squeeze and a reassuring smile.
"Never any fear, Trixie... and never any doubt!"
Then Sunflower's gaze swing to the doors of the examination hall. "Oops! Looks like they're ready for us. Here we go!" She trotted ahead, to be with her own little filly.
Trixie stared after her, with a wistful look on her face.
Then she squared her shoulders and trotted along after them.
And fought to hold back the tears.
------------------------------
"Trixie... Lulamoon." The head examiner intoned the name, flatly and dispassionately, like a bailiff summoning a prisoner to the witness stand.
His associates readied their clipboards and quills, looking on with bored indifference.
Trixie took a quick bow.
"Thank you all! And prepare yourselves, for a spectacle the likes of which you have never seen!"
"Ahem, yes..." The examiner glanced at his clipboard. "Levitation, please, Miss Lulamoon."
That was easy. Trixie grabbed a book from a nearby table with her magic, and caused it to hover -- a trifle unsteadily -- before her.
"Alteration, please."
Trixie pointed a hoof at a candle on the table, and used a simple incendiary spell to light it.
"Conjuration."
Trixie thought quickly, then attempted a quick weather-spell. To her relief it worked, producing a diffident cloud that crackled and fizzed fitfully for a moment, sprinkling a few drops of water on the floor.
The examination went on, and the requests became harder and harder to fulfill with her limited repertoire of spells. And Trixie could tell that her pitiful, wimpy spellwork wasn't endearing her in the eyes of the examiners. They fidgeted, glanced around, cleared their throats. She was losing them, losing her audience. And Trixie couldn't have that.
Just then, they asked her for something that she knew she could not do.
"Transfiguration, please. Turn the candle to stone."
Trixie froze.
The examiner raised his eyebrows. "Well, Miss Lulamoon?"
Trixie stared at him, swallowing uncomfortably. And then, throwing caution to the winds, she shrugged in a bored fashion.
"Oh, pshaw! Trixie does not trifle with such... plebeian prestidigitation!"
"Really." The examiner's tone was flat, cold, and dismissive. He moved to write something on his clipboard --
"Not when she is capable of feats such as this!"
She brushed back her mane, then waved her forehooves in mystic passes. And then, almost too fast to follow, her hooves held up an apple... and the candle had disappeared.
"But Trixie is not yet finished!" Turning to her carryall, Trixie rummaged inside... and then pulled out the candle, its wick still alight.
The examiners sat up at that, watching intently.
"Go on, Miss Lulamoon," the lead examiner prompted.
Trixie had only intended to do just the one trick, just to distract them from her failure at real magic. But here she was, presented with a willing audience, who clearly wanted something more -- something truly astounding.
Trixie had never been able to resist that.
"Watch in awe!" she intoned grandly, "as the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie demonstrates powers and skills the likes of which you have never seen! Behold!"
And she dove into her usual performance. She demonstrated all manner of types of magic: conjuring, pyromancy, teleportation, transfiguration, plus a few tricks requiring props from her carryall. And all of it stage magic, a complete fraud, offered with confident aplomb and depth of skill, allowing the examiners not a second's pause, not a moment's opportunity to ask for something Trixie could not do, not an instant to realize that they were being hoodwinked, thoroughly and completely.
Trixie found herself actually pitying the examiners. The poor things, stuck in this auditorium for hours on end, watching pitiful candidate after pitiful candidate attempting to impress them with clumsy, fitful spellwork. When what they were really after was smooth, polished, powerful showponyship, the likes of which only the Great and Powerful Trixie could provide!
And Trixie could tell she had them hooked. They were impressed, even though they tried to hide it. She'd always been good at reading a crowd. But more than that, she sensed they were... strangely relieved, somehow. As if they'd been looking for something like this all day. And in Trixie, they had finally found it.
Trixie wrapped up her performance smartly, and took a deep bow. "Thank you!" she called out grandly. "Thank you all, for your time and attention! Now, if you will excuse Trixie, she has many other pressing engagements to attend to, many, on this fine day!"
And with that, leaving the examiners not a chance to ask questions, Trixie turned, swept up her carryall, and marched straight out of the examination hall, tall and proud and radiating absolute confidence.
She didn't look back, not even once. She didn't have to... she knew she'd won them over.
Later that day, when a messenger tapped on the door of her wagon, and presented a gilt-edged scroll, which proudly told Miss Trixie Lulamoon that she was welcomed wholeheartedly as a student of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, Trixie merely nodded in satisfaction. It was only her just due, after all.
Really... if the School was going to staff its entrance panel with judges so unfit as to be unable to distinguish stage-work from thaumic magic... why should the Great and Powerful Trixie trouble herself to show them the error of their ways?
Trixie decided, then and there, that she would not care in the slightest. Trixie had an evening performance to prepare for, after all.
And she definitely didn't have time for regrets...
------------------------------
That night, long after midnight, Trixie finally managed to drop off to sleep, tucked up in the bunk in her wagon.
"Trixie..." a voice called, slinking through her dreams, like cold mist through a deep underground chasm.
For once, Trixie didn't mind the interruption of her slumbers. Opening her eyes, she looked about eagerly, seeking the source of the voice. She found herself in a dark, echoing throne room, with cold marble walls hung with night-dark tapestries...
... it was her throne room... Nightmare Moon's.
Around Trixie stood a phalanx of lantern-eyed, dragon-winged nightmares. As one, the guards came to attention, bowing their heads respectfully to Trixie.
Trixie carefully trotted forward through them, approaching the throne herself, and then dropping a carefully measured curtsey. Her teacher liked a show of fealty, but despised servile flattery. It was a very thin line, but Trixie nailed it perfectly.
Nightmare Moon leant forwards out of the shadows, grinning down at her. "Welcome, our diligent student! How fared thee at the examination?"
Trixie sniffed. "It wasn't even a contest, Your Highness."
"Really? The examiners presented no difficulties?"
"Not a hope! The Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie floored them with the skill and brilliance of her presentation. They wanted a show, and Trixie gave them one. And they bought it, without hesitation."
"Indeed?" Nightmare Moon eyed her closely. "And thou, Trixie? Thou has no qualms about that?"
Trixie rolled her eyes in disgust.
"They're undeserving of Trixie... a means to an end, nothing more."
"Capital! So, thou has been accepted?" Nightmare Moon grinned, in a way that suggested she already knew the answer.
Trixie nodded. "Trixie received her scroll just this afternoon. Hoof-delivered, by special messenger! They must have been in a hurry -- didn't want to miss their chance."
"Our congratulations. Though really, we expected no less from thee." Nightmare Moon nodded. "Now thou are ready... ready for the next, most important part of our plans..."
"Oooh! What is it?" Trixie settled herself attentively on the cushion that had been provided by one of the nightmares.
"It concerns a fellow student, who has only recently begun studies at the School herself: Celestia's own personal protégé..."
An image formed in the air between them: a lavender pony, with a blue, red-striped mane. And her snout buried in a book.
"Twilight Sparkle," the Nightmare snarled, her tone cold and sharp, like a sword being unsheathed...
------------------------------
Trixie came awake, in the pale light of early morning.
She was shivering, though not from cold. Even as the dream slipped away from her, fading from her awareness as it always did, she recalled fragments of the viciously triumphant voice of her teacher, spelling out the terms of her retribution...
... and Trixie's part in it.
"Thou will position thyself close to Twilight Sparkle," Nightmare Moon had said, "and await my command. For safety's sake, you will not remember why, only that it is essential -- very essential -- that you be part of her inner circle of companions at the School..."
The Nightmare had glared, ragingly, at the image of the studious, distracted pony.
"So like Celestia," she'd said. "So perfect, so flawless, so quick with an answer, so swift to win the confidence of all who speak with her. No wonder she was selected to be Celestia's protégé. Celestia likely sees herself in that bookish little brat. Celestia never could resist primping and preening in front of a mirror, keeping up her image, her oh-so-perfect image, as the kind and benevolent ruler of all Equestria..."
Nightmare Moon's armored hoof had struck the marble floor, fracturing and splintering it with a thunderous crash.
"A role she usurped from me! Me! The true mind and power behind the throne! Without me, Celestia would be nothing, a figurehead! And I shall take back what is rightfully mine! There shall be one ruler in Equestria... and that ruler shall be me!"
She'd gazed down at Trixie, grinning, yet without a trace of mirth... or remorse.
"And you, my student, shall be the instrument of my retribution... my revenge. Against dear Celestia, and her chosen successor... Twilight Sparkle..."
Her loud, braying, laugh had echoed through the throne room.
"When I give the command, Trixie, thou shall act! Thou shall strike! And thus seal their fate... their doom... forever!"
The triumphant echoes of her laughter mounted to a thunderous cacophany. And then, gradually faded, slipping away into nothingness, as the memory of the dream itself slipped from Trixie's grasp.
Trixie shook herself. She got up, lit the stove, put a kettle on for tea. She brushed her mane, inspected her wizard's hat and cloak for dust or lint. She went through her props, deciding on a lineup of tricks for the morning's matinee performance. And tried not to think about the dream. No, the nightmare...
She tried to let it settle back into her mind, fading away, as it always did. But for once, she didn't feel comfortable with that, didn't want to let go. She didn't want to forget what she had been instructed to do.
Because then she would still have to go through with it.
She covered her face with her hooves.
"Princess Luna?" she whispered, helplessly. And thought she heard the Princess's calm reply, though she wasn't certain whether it wasn't just her own thoughts, anymore:
"What ails thee, our student?"
"What would you do if... well, if there was something you had to do. Like, to help somepony you really, really cared about... ?" She gritted her teeth. Then she rushed into it, before she lost her nerve. "And it wasn't something you thought you could live with? Because it meant destroying a whole bunch of other ponies' lives, irreversibly?"
There was a long, considered silence.
"I would live with it," the Princess replied, calmly and directly. "So that others would not have to."
"But --"
"Trixie, thou are a strong, capable pony. Trust in thyself. Thou will do the right thing, when the time comes."
"But, Princess... I'm all alone!"
"Trixie, we have told thee before: thou are never alone. We will always be here for thee. And there is nothing that cannot be accomplished, so long as we do it together. Trust in us, Trixie. Please... trust us!"
"I do trust you, Your Highness," Trixie whispered desperately. "Always."
"And if we tell thee to do something, Trixie," the Princess reminded her. "Do it, without question. Because it will mean everything in the world..."
"I will, Your Highness! I swear!"
"And remember, Trixie... always remember..."
"Yes?"
"Never any fear... and never any doubt."
Trixie relaxed, nodding. "Yes, Your Highness." She smiled, her mind made up. "I'm so glad I have you to help me!"
"And we are glad of thee, our diligent student... more than thee can know...
------------------------------
The back shelves of the library at Celestia's School were dark and dusty. Few ponies ever came back here.
Except for Twilight, of course -- the lavender unicorn came here practically every day, chasing down a reference. She rummaged amongst the scrolls in a bin at the far end of a shelf, tongue between her teeth, her horn gently singing to provide a soft gleam of light to see by.
"Hellooo, Twilight..."
Twilight looked up in surprise, and saw, standing in the shadows at the far end of the shelf, a light blue filly with a white mane... and a proudly triumphant grin on her face.
"Oh, hi!" Twilight replied. "Sorry, you are...?"
"Trrrixie Lulamoon!" the pony said, in a tone that suggested it was the answer to any and all questions of importance. "I'm new here, and having just a tiny bit of trouble finding my way around. Could you tell me, where might I find a good book on transfiguration? I've been finding it so difficult to wrap my brain around how it works..."
"Oh, no kidding! You'll want Clover the Clever's survey on projection along thaumic dimensions. It's kinda wordy, but it'll give you a real grasp of the whole subject. Come on, I'll show you where it is."
"Oh, would you?" Trixie smiled. "That would be so kind of you, Twilight. So very kind, indeed..."
With Twilight leading the way, the two of them disappeared further into the darkness of the back shelves, the light from Twilight's horn fading into the shadows.
She's just like everypony says, Trixie thought to herself. So bookish, so knowledgeable. So innocent and perfect. The pony with all the answers... always the head of the class.
That kind of perfection just burned Trixie up. Why, she couldn't quite put her hoof on -- it just did.
Well, that wouldn't last long...
Not now that the Great and Powerful Trixie Luna Moon was here...
------------------------------
In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
in the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away --
for the Snark was a Boojum, you see.
-- The Hunting of the Snark, by Lewis Carroll
The End
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.
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Oh, Trixie.
See, this is why authority figures need to listen.
REALLY good work on the final chapter of this Whole Episode flashback.
Excellent show on the behind-the-scenes details leading up to Twilight, Tempest and Starlight's first meeting with Trixie.
All in all, the exchanges, characterizations, general story wrap-up and future story set-up are all quite well done.
10050632
Thanks again, CK -- I really appreciate your detailed feedback, as always!
This one took a bit longer than previous installments to bring together, since I wanted to give Trixie an opportunity to show her "side" of things, so it's great to hear it works for you!
10050651
You are quite welcome.
That was an interesting origin story for Trixie. Luna is using her as a mole within Twilight’s group of friends, but it is clear Trixie is having second thoughts on this. Let’s hope she will make the right decision when the time comes.
10050789
Nightmare is using her as a mole, but Luna seems to be using her as a double agent against Nightmare.
10051169
Oh, sometimes I can get them mixed up.
10050761
Well she's got Nightmare Moon living in her head, and everypony she intimidated really needed blackmailing.
Huh, it's no wonder Luna went spare if part of her duties included knowing the details of every little bit of corruption or malfeasance around her whilst being largely unable to do anything about it. Dreamer's confidentiality and all that...
...Aww, I missed this yesterday... This must be remedied immediately!
...I sense Luna's influence here... And it feels abnormally strong, unless this mare is just normally like this. Which is a possibility, but an improbablility...
10051759
Consider also the possibility that it works the other way -- where did Luna/Nightmare Moon get that little catchphrase from anyway?
10051791
Hmm... Also a possibility. Inspiration can come from even the dreams of others, it seems...
10050371
And why not? Makes sense to write about interesting characters.
I love Trixie so much! And everything you keep adding to her story just makes it better and better! I literally cannot wait to see how this alternate universe finally shakes out.
10051869
Thanks much! I've really gotten to like Trixie myself, as a character. She's such a bag of ego, but one gets a sense, even from just watching the canon episodes, that it's more than just being mean or self-centered, that there's a reason behind it.
I really like all the characters I've written so many stories about: Twilight, Tempest, and more recently Sunset and Moondancer. And it's in part because in doing such a "deep dive" into a character, you really find yourself understanding and caring about them, and wanting to help them really shine.
Hopefully you'll enjoy where I take Twilight and the gang next in this...
Man this was a fantastic Trixie origin story. In the first chapter when we met Showcase, I have to admit I was mildly disappointed that she wasn't Sunflower, considering how much work you had done with her dad in a way that shows you obviously did a lot of research on Trixie before writing this. Then that twist in the last chapter!
The one thing I noticed, that I worry about: The way Luna acts and what she says to Trixie, it makes me wonder if she's really Luna at all, or just Nightmare Moon as well, disguising herself because she wants to control Trixie with the carrot AND the stick. Luna is nice and kind and caring, but the way she tells Trixie she wants her to free Luna someday, and in her last speech where she doesn't say anything about 'don't do something evil even if its to help someone' but instead says Trixie should do whatever it takes to help. It kind of reminds me of the siblings in Ender's Game, where Peter and Valentine Wiggin posed as Demosthenes and Locke, offering different perspectives and values to establish their authenticity, so they could come together at the right time to convince people to follow a single course of action.
10055210
Thanks so much! Yes, I was really hoping someone would comment on the Showcase/Sunflower dodge, since that was an intentional recasting of that one-panel scene in the comics showing Trixie attending Celestia's School.
And yes, Luna is somewhat handicapped here by being Nightmare Moon's "dream self", so her motivations are a mixture of the Nightmare's waking aspirations and her own regret -- but she is the pony of dreams, after all, so there's a method in her madness...
Great job. I finally caught up and it’s already looking really good.
I’m hoping that tempest gets some training or something to be more awesome or something.
I also really love what you did with Trixie, the only thing I believe is missing currently is giving more development for Starlight. Other then that forest job can’t wait for more.
This was really good, as usual. I can't wait to see things develop. Though I would also enjoy more backstory stuff if there's anything left to tell at this point. Really, this AU is just great and well-realized.
Varnished death only happened once in the school's history, and the maintenance staff were always given examination day off afterwards.
Fascinating backstory for Nightmare's mole. Also the first time I've seen a Patricia Trixie outside of my own work. When the time comes to give the order...
Well, I'm honestly not sure what will happen. Looking forward to finding out.
... God damn it I hate it when people make a character so much more alive and sympathetic! Now I just wanna hug Trixie and tell her everything'll be alright.
Why you gotta make Fluttershy cry?! WHY!?Anyhow! Fantastic work! I really have loved this entire series of stories you have and I really can't wait to see what comes next. Also, cause I need to get this out of my head before it burns into my subconscious. "Your editors. Give them to me now." I dare you not to read this in a deep Austrian accent and see why I don't need it burned into my subconscious. Seriously, your dedication shows in the work you do. Be proud of this because it's top tier.
10063460
Thanks so much! I'm my own editor, so it's doubly reassuring to hear that the result is so well-received.
And I kind of can't help making each of these "pre-villain" characters sympathetic. I spend so much time figuring them out, so to speak, that I really get to know and like them. It would be hard not to make them likable, or at least understandable in their motivations. Especially Trixie, who's wound up being the catspaw of the group here. It's amusing seeing how likable Trixie has become over time, even just in the show. I think it's because while she is incredibly egotistical, she's aware of it, and doesn't defend or sugar-coat it. It's just how she rolls, and her friends understand that and tolerate it.
10063968
Now I've got like 2 or 3 new ideas and I wanna write them all up! Though I'm questioning one of those ideas and I'm not sure how it'd go over considering it's sort of a crossover, sort of not. The ever expanding web is driving me mad and what's worse is I don't really have anyone else to bounce those ideas off of and refine em.
... Still makes me wanna bundle her up and let her know everything'll be okay. That and you keep giving me ideas.
That's not a good thing damn it!I've still got a story to work on that I can't let myself drop!This is a great origin story for Trixie in the series. It explains why we never see Trixie's parents and her relationship with her mentors. Personally, I think her mentors differ in what they want from Trixie. Nightmare Moon uses her as a tool to aid in her escape and revenge. Princess Luna guides and comforts Trixie and pleas to her to free her. (Not from her prison. But from her nightmare) Fitting representations of dreams and nightmares.
Trixie having the ability to know the deep dark secrets of other is interesting. We see her hilariously outsmart the young Flim Flam Bros and many other bad ponies. But it would have been nice to see her also use that ability to do good out of it other than selfishness also. It would make an excellent contrast on how Trixie mirrors her two faced mentor.
I like how you know that she was and still is divided on her loyalties which will come to head in the thousandth year of the sun. I'm surprised that Celestia didn't bother questioning Trixie's fake mother Sunflower after hearing of her name Trixie Luna Moon in Trixie's first story appearance.
In the end, I can't wait to see where this will go next. Perhaps a story involving the Unicorn Six just spending a day together? You finally introduced the six mares that will play a part in the future. Either get on with the Summer Sun Celebration or make some stories with each unicorn playing off with one another to further establish their relationship.
10064559
Thanks! Good point about NMM/Luna representing dreams/nightmares. And yes, the idea has always been that Luna, as Trixie sees her, is essentially the buried, subconscious core of Luna's personality -- though she is also Nightmare Moon's dream-self, so her motivations are more complex.
The interaction with Gingham Quilt (the mayor's wife) was intended to show that Trixie wasn't just being cruelly vindictive at this point, and could still do the right thing (though for the wrong reason) -- but at that point she's still not "over" her past enough to be able to be truly altruistic.
Good point -- I think that she would have quickly determined that Sunflower had nothing to do with it. Trixie is more complicated, though: Celestia is taking a cautious, wait-and-see approach here, motivated by the hope that Luna may be returned to her safely, and not wanting to mess things up by interfering too soon.
Great suggestions, and thanks so much for your detailed feedback -- it's responses like this that really help keep me writing!
SSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEQUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL PLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASSSSSSSSSSSSE?!
Whoa time slowed down there for a sec.
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I just caught up, and I must say despite it's seeming simplicity there's a lot of depth and hard work put into the story, including the change from Trixie's initial character and composure to "herself" as we know. I'm really excited to see how this AU moves forward, especially with this version of the Mane 6...I really don't want it to end with NMM/Luna! It must go on...forever!
One can dream, right?
However, thanks for the amazing read. Looking forward to the next installment. I'm going to assume there is one, right? 
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Thanks so much for the read, and for your kind feedback! And yes, there's another episode coming up soon, which I hope you'll enjoy. Having been working with these versions of the characters for so long, I've really gotten to like this "alternate 6" team myself, and the responses I've gotten from everyone all along have been wonderfully encouraging. It's much appreciated!
That scene with Sunflower was a bit heartbreaking.
A possibility that may not work as planned for the Nightmare.
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Thanks for catching that! Fixed.
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No problem!
Interesting story so far. Can't wait to see what you do with it.
Clever Luna working your own plans into Nightmare's,
Man, Nightmare Moon is like the pony version of Elliot Rodger.
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I apologise; I haven't continued this series in months, so I just forgot.
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I mean he works in a city that is meant to resemble Las Vegas, the circumstances just help dig a deeper hole.
Uh-huh... Seems like a certain Moon pony actually does have some feelings towards her student.
I mean, of course she has, she’s Luna after all, and Luna cares about Trixie.
But still, nice to see how Luna for sure noticed how much Trixie cared about those words and then Moon uses them. Yeah, a little fleur of manipulation, and even the fact that those two moment were written backwards, in reverse, but still - those curtains looks nice with this deep shade of blue. And even aside the obvious joke, it really feels nice.