“Lieutenant, this is highly irregular,” Sergeant Power said as I followed him and Skippy through the streets of Baltimare.
“I know, but as I keep telling you, I’m doing research.”
Sergeant Power shook his head. “It isn’t the research part, ma’am. It is the fact this has been going on for almost six months! Skippy is going to be a pro soon.”
“And I’ll be there to see it. I want the whole experience, Sergeant,” I explained. He’d asked a lot of questions that I’d been waving off. He was a good guard.
“I see… Well, I hope I get to see this research of yours someday. I’d imagine you—What is that?”
Up ahead, there was a small crowd gathered around one of the little green spaces that were common throughout the Glen Barnie neighborhood. It was like Baltimore’s Canterlot Heights.
“Not this again…” Sergeant Power sighed.
Skippy and I followed along behind him as he trotted up to the crowd and started to gently push his way through.
“Thank you, one and all, for coming to the Magnificent Trixie’s show! She hopes you’ve enjoyed it. Now, if you’ll just kindly place your bits in her hat…” The light blue unicorn started floating a ridiculous purple hat in front of the ponies gathered around her.
It was the sort of hat that the wizards in ancient times wore. At least in all of the books, anyway. I often doubted that they truly did so. Where she’d found one, I’d never know. Of course, I rarely looked at her hat when we came across her. The Magnificent Trixie had a magnificent as—
“Folks, please don’t do that! This is an unregistered performance. Go ahead and disperse,” Sergeant Power called.
Trixie huffed. “Listen not to the tin pony! The Magnificent Trixie is not unregistered! She is known across all of Equestria.”
The crowd looked at Sergeant Power, then Trixie, then back at Power. They all started trotting off on their way.
“Wait! Wait, don’t go,” Trixie called before folding her hooves over her chest and glaring at Power.
Skippy followed after his partner. “Now, Ms. Trixie, you know we’ve warned you about this before. You can’t perform in this neighborhood without paying for the license and registering. It really isn’t that big of a deal.”
“The Magnificent Trixie would pay for the license if you’d let her collect from one of her shows.”
Sergeant Power reached for her hoof. “Or you could perform in any of the neighborhoods that don’t require a license. You just want to cater to a wealthier group without paying. Now, as Skippy said, we’ve warned you several times. I’m afraid this time we’re going to have to take you to the station.”
Trixie gasped and pulled her hoof back. “How dare you! The Magnificent Trixie is not some petty criminal or prankster! You will not take her.”
That was a mistake. Especially with a guard like Power. Even if he was being a little too much of a stickler for the rules. This was a minor infraction that was neighborhood specific. He hopped closer to her, grabbed her hoof, and growled, “Oh, I will take her because she broke the law repeatedly! Now, come along. You’re cutting into my time to teach.”
The light blue mare’s ears drooped and she got up to go with him.
“Sergeant, if you want to continue educating Skippy, I’ll take her to the station,” I offered. It would be bad form to contradict Power’s decision in public. I’d just walk Trixie off, tell her to be good, and send her on her way.
“What about your research?” he asked.
“I can’t research if you’re just dragging her down there while she complains.”
“Good point, she’s all yours. See you tomorrow.”
I nodded, trotted over to Trixie and slipped a hoof under her foreleg. “Come on, let’s go.”
We got out of sight before I let her go. “You realize you should just pay for the license, right?” I asked her as we walked side by side.
She tossed her silver-blue mane. “The Magnificent Trixie realizes the fee for performers in this neighborhood is unfair! That is to say, Trixie cannot afford it.”
“Oh I see. Well, Trixie could… you know… perhaps get a job?”
The mare gasped as if she had been struck. She sputtered, “How dare you… you… orange-maned hussy!”
My nose wrinkled before I started laughing. “I see. Well, you could always find a stallion to take care of you. You’re pretty, after all.”
Trixie’s ears turned a bit pink and her head shook. “No. The Magnificent Trixie does not need somepony else to take care of her. She is going to be famous and have her name in lights! This city is not fair to Trixie, though! Everywhere Trixie goes, the ponies seek to hold her down. Ponies like you hold her down.”
I snorted. “Ponies like me? Royal guards just doing their job?”
“Yes! Well, no… more like your sergeant friend. He is mean to Trixie! He is jealous. He is like the ponies that insisted Trixie leave Manehattan and did not appreciate her shows either.”
“Mmhmm.”
Trixie glared at me. “Don’t you ’mmhmm’ Trixie! You don’t know what Trixie has been through. Trixie did not go to a fancy unicorn school. She did not grow up with a rich family. Her father only gave her a small loan of several thousand bits.”
The verbal tirade continued on as Trixie tried to convince me that her life was horrible and that she was disadvantaged. She just kept droning on and on. Trixie this, Trixie that.
I came to a stop, and she did too. Walking, that is, not talking. “And Trixie thinks you are being unfair for making her trot all the way—”
About then was when I’d heard enough. It was time to shut her up and I wanted to use a different tactic, so I looped a forehoof behind her head, pulled her close, and planted a kiss right on her lips.
Trixie’s eyes went big. She lifted a hoof to, I presumed, give me a light push. It instead ended up over my back. She nestled into the kiss and lingered there. I had completely misjudged her. Oh wow, thank you, Celestia, I had misjudged her!
When our lips finally parted, she huffed, “You are a rude pony! At least buy Trixie dinner first.”
“Oh yeah? Before or after I book you?”
Her tongue poked out. “You are kissing a prisoner. Is that in your little guard book?”
“So… do you like noodles?”
“Trixie does! Trixie should probably know your name too.”
“It’s Sunny Day. I’ve told you every time we gave you a warning.”
“The Magnificent Trixie cannot be bothered to learn the names of all the ponies that love her! Now take her for noodles!”
With a light chuckle, I grabbed her hoof and turned right at the next street. “Alright, come on.”
☼
A perky, light blue mare rump wiggled in front of me. Her silvery tail just kept batting my face. “Trixie did not know you were a model!”
She had somehow found my copy of the C.O.C. Yes, I thought it was stupid, but I did look really amazing in it and part of me was proud. Trixie had it captured in her magic and she was staring at it. I was staring at her. “I’m not really a model. We do it for charity.”
Her ears turned towards me before she looked back. “What charity?”
“Oh, that is easy. It was for the… uh… Veterans for… Mares for… Uh, I’ll have to check. It is some charity! I promise.”
She turned around and pressed her nose up against mine. “You look cute in socks, Sunny. Do you still have them? Trixie wishes to inspect you in them herself.”
I looped my forehooves around her and pulled her to my chest. “They’re at the office, which I have to go to soon. If I let you go, are you going to go right back up to Glen Barnia?”
Trixie shook her head. “No, Trixie’s reputation there is tarnished. She will try someplace else.”
“I see, and will I see Trixie again?”
Her ears wiggled and she nuzzled my cheek. “Do you want to see Trixie again?”
“If Trixie is in my bedroom, I can be reasonably assured she isn’t out causing mischief. I think it is my duty to keep an eye on your booty. As a Royal Guard officer, of course.”
“Of course. Then you will see Trixie again. When?”
“Mmm, Friday night? I’ve got a double shift tonight.” That wasn’t entirely true, but I couldn’t give up my education for cute mare tail.
“Very well! Trixie will be here Friday. Can she use your shower?”
I nodded. “Yup! Just let me get ready for work. I can’t be late. You can stay as long as you like. Have some breakfast too, if you want.”
She gave me a soft look. “You are very nice for a royal guard, Sunny Day. You do not assume Trixie is trying to con ponies for their bits.”
That was true. That wasn’t the impression I got from her at all. No… Trixie just wanted attention. “No problem. See you later, Trixie.” I kissed her cheek, slipped out from under her, and went to start my beautification ritual. After all, today was a big day. Today was the day I forced Wonder to sign my captain’s training paperwork.
I arrived early, as usual. That was my way to get acclimated before the insanity started. By insanity, I mean all the fawning over outfits and manes. The vice colonel’s way of motivating was to praise, praise, praise on everything except the work we did. As long as the comment cards were good, that is.
Of course, they always were. Some ponies were so star struck they just filled them out right in front of us and dropped them off on the way out. We were, without a doubt, the highest rated unit. Not that anypony cared. Comment cards don’t make you royal guards.
The back door opened and Mythic came in. “Hello? I assume the lights are on because you’re already here, Lieutenant?”
“Yup!”
“Always up bright and early, eh? Just like the sun?”
“Yup! I’m surprised you’re out of bed. If I had a cute stallion like that, I’d never leave the house… or be able to sit down.”
Outside of my door, I heard Mythic fumble with her papers. “Oh my!” she squeaked.
A snicker crossed my lips but I kept it to myself and went back to my paperwork. There was a lot of paperwork in this job. We took all of the complaints seriously. They were all archived and filed so if somepony ever needed them, they’d have them. We had a whole warehouse full of them from all of the years we’d been in service. It was nuts!
The door opened again and then slammed. “I can’t believe it!” came Van Glorious’s voice.
“What is that?” Mythic replied.
“I don’t have a date for this weekend! Not Friday! Not Saturday! Not Sunday morning. Nopony asked me and all of my regulars are busy.”
“Oh… well, maybe they got tired of hearing no?”
There was a derisive snort followed by the sound of mugs shifting. He wasn’t getting dates because he kept saying no and I kept saying yes. They were likely tired of hearing no, too.
Over the next half hour, the others shuffled into the office. The last, as usual, was Vice Colonel Wonder.
“Good morning, ponies! It is another lovely day and you all look lovely. Are we ready to do great work?”
“Yes, ma’am!” everypony replied.
I came out of my office and stood to attention. “Good morning, ma’am.”
“Good morning, Lieutenant! You look lovely, too.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
As she walked into her office, I trotted along behind her, a set of paper work captured in my magic.
When she sat down, she blinked in surprise to find me so close. “Oh! You gave me a start. What can I do for you, Lieutenant?”
The paperwork landed on her desk. “Captain’s school, ma’am. I’ve finished my first year and I’d like to go ahead and get my application in.”
Her nose wrinkled and she looked at the paperwork. “I see. And you’re determined to do this now?”
“Yes, ma’am. No time like the present.”
“Well, if you wanted a four week vacation, we could just make that happen. You’ve got leave and I don’t mind looking the other way. You work hard enough.”
My teeth caught my tongue just before it went off on its own. I smiled, shook my head, and replied, “It isn’t a vacation, ma’am. I want to learn something. I’m sure it will make me an even more effective leader here.”
She looked at the forms and then shrugged. “Well… alright. I’ll have them done by the end of the day. If you’re sure.”
“I am. Very, very sure.”
“Alright then.” She waved me off.
I trotted out into the open office feeling pretty pumped. I was going to go to captain’s school! That would let me network and I’d do a better job there. If I showed improvement, I could start looking for transfers.
I’d also soaked up a lot of what Sergeant Power was teaching. He was an excellent pony. I’d have to send him a thank-you card someday. Someday later! For now, I had to get through the work day without looking too giddy. I was giddy, though. Nervous energy filled me.
Shouting in glee wasn’t appropriate. Hmm… I could… prance? Yes! I could prance. I pranced my way to the office door. “Come on, ladies! Let’s open up early and get a head start on the line.”
“Yes, ma’am!” they replied.
And there she goes, my ponies! Sunny Day, C-Life Master!
Cutie all day every day.
Sunny your taste in mares.. is a bit trashy this chapter in my opinion I mean you barely know the bi... bitter pony and she was effectively just a lawbreaker and yeah.. blue brat, but captain school yay! you go and become more awesome!
Wonder isn't going to sign the paperwork today. She'll stall, say she didn't have time, forgot about it or just plain lost it. She doesn't want Sunny to leave, so she'll try to keep her there as long as she can, even if it's just a couple of additional days.
It's been six months? Sunny might just end up waiting out the year delay in real time.
Repression by The Man! (The Stallion?) (The Princess?)
That escalated quickly.
Huh. Didn't see that twist coming. Or should I have? I vaguely remember a character that roomed with Trixie in some story, was that Sunny in the Q&B stories?
This should be good.
Er, or maybe just kind of normal. I have to admit, I expected something other than Sunny just straight up asking.
*High Pitched Whine*
Aaaaauuuurrrrggghhhhuuu! Now I have to complain about Sunny. Why do you do this to me, Anzel? Anyway, on with the show.
Flirting, kissing, or otherwise getting intimate with your charge is such a huge 'no' that Fimfiction does not support the font size I would require to write it out. This should have been the very fucking basics they taught at the Academy. I'm almost wordless for how much Sunny is fucking up right here. There's no other way I can put it, Sunny is a bad Guard and doesn't deserve her bars. She is screwing up almost every major facet of military/police procedure that she has had to deal with so far. I find it sad because I initially liked Sunny, but she just... *sounds of exasperation* You know what, I don't see much of a point any more. You do you Sunny. I'll be over here with my Equestrian Imperial Guard and its Commissars. Good day to, Sir.
The vice colonel isn't going to sign it. I'm calling it now. Great chapter!
7164943 7165342
That's exactly what I was thinking.
7165158
I start thinking the same things, then I remember that this isn't Earth and these aren't humans. Their policies and procedures are most likely different.
7165158 Oh no! The Dreaded Trixie, Evil-Doer of "Performing Magic Shows Without A License"! What next? Will Sunny get intimate with somepony who Litters Carelessly? Where will it end?!? Soon, she'll be going on dates with the Dastardly Jaywalker and... gasp!! The pony who threw their recyclable coffee cup away instead of recycling it!
Sunny is downright awful for letting these morally corrupt, ethics-murdering villains get away with their petty, harmless crimes. There is no stopping her! She might as well be Tirek Incarnate!
She ain't getting those papers signed. Not by the end of the day, at least.
7165362 Actually, as far as I can tell they aren't. From reading Memoires, Secrets, and now Trials the procedures and policies of the Royal Guard and the Equestrian Army aren't that much different from police and military organizations here on earth.
7165380 The severity, or lack thereof in this case, does not distract from the fact that Lieutenant Day became, or planned to become, intimate with a suspect/charge while under her supervision. For any police or military organization that is a very serious offence and is given the official titles of "Fraternization" and "Dereliction of Duty" which can and do result in court martials, dishonourable discharge and possible imprisonment.
The big issue I especially have here is that Sunny wants to move her career up and become a proper officer with more serious duties and responsibilities. This is a serious responsibility. Sunny was placed in charge of escorting a repeat offender from her location of arrest to a secure location where the suspect can be processed, and Sunny failed to do that in a proper and orderly manner befitting of an Officer of Her Majesty's Royal Guard. Granted the offence was along the lines of violating a parking bylaw but the core of the matter is that Lieutenant Day either forgot or discarded her duty for the purpose of getting a date. Again, due to the nature of Trixie's offence I doubt that either of them would be punished too severely for this. But the Vice-Colonel could very well deny Sunny's application for Captain's school on these offences alone. I'm sure Anzel will descend from the Heavens and we will get the word of God on this issue soon but I stand by this notion until that time.
7165613
7165380
*reads the overly long comments that are mostly*
*eyes the comedy and random tags*
Um... Damn you for taking the piss out of everything and having a good time, Anzel?
No, but seriously, using organizational models to build your universe when there is little to know actual show of how things are organized in canon =/= laws/enforcement of those laws are the same. In fact, if you read through Memoirs again (as I have as recently as yesterday), you'll find that is not the case. At all.
And Memoirs was written in a far more serious mindset than this one—and I would've ratcheted up the size on the word "far" but fimfic doesn't let me go that big.
Blah de blah, just let the man have some fun dicking around with his universe while he writes his more serious story over on Trials. If you don't like it, piss off. You whined last chapter about Lovey showing up when that was to give context behind Sunny and Lovey being friends in Memoirs and Diamonds/Hearts. Not sure what else I can say on that subject other than lighten up.
7165613 Trixie wasn't arrested for the record. They never said she was. They just take her down to the precinct, give her a little infraction, and send her on her way.
Same thing just happened to Velvet for a far more serious infraction. Doing a show without a permit is like getting a speeding ticket for doing 2 over.
Is it against the law? Sure. Is it a big deal? No.
One of the things people with authority have to be careful about is using discretion. Blindly following all of the rules and laws to the letter leads to inferior soldiers, officers, and law enforcement officials. No two situations will ever be identical nor do "zero tolerance" policies result in anything but the worst possible outcomes.
7165716 I do agree with that, however I do still stand by my third paragraph. If Sunny wants to have a more serious posting she'll have to act like she deserves it.
And she had to pay back, with interest.
Trixie Trump
7165740 I guess I'll get into this today. I don't see it how you do for a few different reasons:
1. Sunny was the senior royal guard on the site. Just because the sergeant said he was going to take Trixie in didn't mean Sunny agreed with that assessment. She could have said "Let her off with another warning" but that would have undermined the sergeant's authority in front of his trainee.
Perhaps it isn't super obvious but Sunny didn't actually offer to take Trixie so the sergeant could keep teaching. She did it to just try to talk some sense into Trixie. Prior to any smooching, to me, it seemed clear there wasn't really going to be a ticket written.
So if we're going to get super into the semantics of this, there was no duty. She chose not to enforce a law. If Trixie had done something worse and been arrested the situation would be different.
2. As far as "deserving her bars" and "moving up" I consider that a laughable reaction for something so minor. The tone is "Based on this one thing it is clear this officer is unfit" which, in my opinion only, is utter nonsense and I pray you don't apply that thinking to your profession once you're in uniform.
Judging anything but one or two situations without weighing them against the whole of someone's being is amateurish and dangerous. How does Sunny handle ponies that commit more serious crimes? How does she handle the dangerous situations?
We know she's good at her job. We know she's been putting in extra hours just to learn. We know she makes mistakes too, but in the whole of what we've seen so far, she does more of what she is supposed to than not and nobody does what they're supposed to 100% of the time.
You say forget or disregarded. I say she clearly made the decision "not to enforce" tried to do some re-education and took it to a laughable level.
She's never going to be a perfect guard because there isn't one. She's never going to enforce all the rules... say making sure a crazed filly doesn't get into a low-security office but a good leader doesn't give two craps about that stuff.
A good leader only cares about how their subordinates act when it really counts.
So, you can feel how you want. That's perfectly fine. You can take my advance or not. Also perfectly fine.
In either case, Sunny is going to be Sunny and as long as I don't hear later on "OMG she should have been court-martialed" I'm good... because she obviously wasn't. Ponies don't sweat this small stuff and they'd certainly not waste a good guard because she chose not to enforce a "don't perform in this neighborhood without a permit" law.
7165782 C'mon, Anz. Sunny deserves at least fifty lashes.
Soarin can administer them.
I'm not sorry.
7165782 I... Yeah you're right. I'll admit to being wrong here.
Sunny can do better than Trixie, IMO (to be fair, I hate Trixie, so...)
Meh, either way, an interesting chapter indeed.
Honestly, given what little I know about Vice Colonel Wonder, that paperwork isn't getting done anytime soon.
7165819 it is my opinion. It isn't any more valid than yours. It is just my experience and the perspective I write from.
I appreciate you being willing to hear me out.
7166150 *shrug* You're the author. Yours is the word of God.
7166165 Nah man ;) Authors can be wrong.
Edit: went ahead and put some clarity in the chapter based around your thoughts and some other feedback. It was obvious I wasn't completely clear on what I was trying to convey. Thus, authors can be wrong ;d or at least unclear.
Sunny must have the patience of a saint to deal with Trixie.. Then again it is nice to see her have atleast one friend in Baltimare. I think Vice colonel was surprised to see Sunnys packet, but then again it should be a good surprise. Everyone respects someone who has Initiative most of the time. And Mythic is adorable.
7165380
I'm a huge admirer of the way you deal with dumb comments. *Applause*
7166460 That's not fully what I meant.
"A statement regarding some ambiguous or undefined aspect of a work, the Word of God comes from someone considered to be the ultimate authority, such as the creator, director, or producer. Such edicts can even go against events as were broadcast, due to someone making a mistake." - TV Tropes "Word Of God" page.
7164745 C-Life? I am unfamiliar!
7164787 Minor law breaker ;D
7164943 I guess we'll have to see what kind of pony the colonel is!
7165062 It has! Time skip ahoy! And yes, poor Trixie is totally being held underhoof. In ToH Azu meets Trixie because she is Sunny's friend. Azu gets all tongue tied and Trixie is, in my opinion, hilarious.
Yeah, the ending wasn't exactly what I wanted. Time issues >_<
7165342 Noted! And thank you ;D
7165394 So much distrust for the vice colonel!
7165748 Exactly! ;D Couldn't help myself.
7165901 Well, Sunny has diverse tastes we'll call it. Or she just likes booty.
7165902 OH my! Another one :D
7166596 I think Sunny's strategy was to just keep Trixie's mouth shut.
Nuuuuuuuu, Sunny! Trixie (almost) always annoys the piss out of me and this was no exception. I don't want to be annoyed at you by association!
*huff* *grumble grumble*
Though Van Glorious... I think I'll add him to the same list Au's on: Ponies I'd Like to See Reformed into Better Ponies Via a Hard Slap Upside the Head Followed by a Heartfelt Hug.
7168369
That would be the style of life — or lifestyle — where you do what you can to maximize the time you spend setting your eyes and hooves on cutie marks, and the cuties that they are attached to. And, as we have seen, Sunny Day routinely maximizes the amount of time she spends displaying her C-Life mastery.
Or almost-mastery, because there is the final part of C-Life that you must abide by to be a master, and that final part is:
Cutie all day every day.
Hope this clears things up! #CADED
And the prancing starts
Really awesome chapter! sorry for the late comment, been a bit busy.
Like always the chapter was super enjoyable, Sunny is just a really awesome character!
I'm really looking forward to reading more of the story. Also, so many people have doubts about the vice colonel actually finishing the paperwork - the paperwork will likely get done, its just what else the VC will do to try and keep Sunny is what worries me.
Although I am looking forward to Captains school whenever it actually happens, mostly because I think its a big opportunity for Sunny to really be challenged and struggle a bit. Personally I love it when the characters of a story have hard times and struggle, because that is when the characters really get an opportunity to show what they truly are made of. Regardless, I can't wait for the next chapter and the continuation of such an awesome story!
Hear that? That's the sound of all the Trixie shippers screaming in agony. Schadenfreude.
I love Sunny so much man