The Life and Times of Tricky Merrylark

by Rayne Mercury

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, Derpy Hooves, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 3678

A young unicorn learns lessons about Friendship and himself as he dreams of joining Celestia's Royal Guard.

Tricky Merrylark is a unicorn making a living in Ponyville as a stage performer. All his life he's dreamed of being a soldier, and serving under Shining Armor now would leave him satisfied. Every year he makes a trip to Canterlot to attempt to gain entry into Celestia's Royal Guard, and every year he leaves denied.

One day, a certain lavender unicorn comes to Ponyville, bringing with her more excitement and happenings than the town has ever seen. This only ignites the flame under Tricky's hooves, as he and his friends continue living their lives in the background.

Tricky knows that someday, he'll be someone special. It's only a matter of time and effort.

Published 2013-12-12 21:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-07 06:47:24 UTC

Prologue

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there was a young unicorn called Tricky Merrylark. Tricky lived in a little town called Ponyville.

Now Tricky, being a full-grown stallion, already had a cutie mark showing off his special talent. His cutie mark was an image of a sparkling red balloon. His talent, of course, involved using magic to bring happiness to others. The problem, he would say, is that his mark didn't match what Tricky wanted to be.
Tricky wanted to join Shining Armor in Celestia's Royal Guard.

One day, Tricky was preparing for his next magic show. He was a little nervous, because it was his first time performing for Celestia herself during the Summer Sun Celebration.

For this performance, Tricky decided to ask his friends to help. Not that the yellow unicorn had any trouble performing on his own, oh no. But Tricky was a clever unicorn, and had come up with an amazing show that would utilize all of his friends' special talents. He was sure it would impress Ponyville, and only hoped it somehow caught Celestia's attention and helped him get in with the Royal Guard.

S1-E1: Ponies Prepare for Presentation

Tricky trotted down Main St., on his way to visit each of his friends. His first stop was in the town square, where a cloud sat parked near the fountain. This cloud belonged to two of his pegasus friends. The pegasi were weather ponies who worked with Rainbow Dash to manage Ponyville's weather.

"Hello?" Tricky called out. His response was a splash of water flying at him from the entrance to the cloudhome. The water soaked his maroon mane and he stood there dripping wet, frowning.

"Oops, ha ha ha!"
A blue pegasus floated out of the cloud, kicking his hooves dry.
"I almost had it that time!"

Tricky shook himself off and glared at him.
"What were you trying to do, Rain? Get me drenched?"

Still laughing, Rain shook his head.
"Of course not! You just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Without a sound, a purple pegasus with a water-logged pink mane floated out of the cloud behind Rain. She stood still for a moment, until the wind suddenly picked up and blew her mane dry. When this was finished, she looked to Tricky and gave a little smile.

"Did you let him get you too, Aria?" Tricky asked as he checked his mane with his hoof.

"Oh, we were practicing our trick for your show, and... Well, let's just say we've not perfected it yet."
Aria rubbed her shoulder and looked down at the ground.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's going to be great!"
Tricky clapped his hooves together. He wasn't really upset about being drenched, as it's something you get used to hanging around a pony who specializes in downpour.
"I should check on the others. Don't forget: Rehearsal tonight at my place!"

"You got it, buddy!" Rain held out his leg for a hoof-bump.

"We'll be there." Aria raised her hoof.

"Awesome!" *clack*

Tricky continued his journey across Ponyville. Soon he came to a shop stall filled with gems of all colors, and various bits of jewelry made the same. A vibrantly yellow mare stood hunched underneath the stall, searching for something. Her earthy green tail swished back and forth as she muttered to herself about emeralds or some such.

"Ahem... Diamond?"

/Clank./
"Oof!"
Diamond rubbed a hoof where her head hit the stall.
"Ouch... Oh, Tricky! I was just preparing the necklaces for our show!"
She ducked briefly behind the stall again before coming up with a box. Opening the box, she revealed a set of necklaces adorned with each of their friends' cutie marks.

"Wow! Those look amazing!"
Tricky stared in awe, the light reflected from the gems dazzling his eyes.

"Thank you! They might even be my best works yet!"
Diamond closed the box and put her elbows on the stall.
"Is everyone ready for the rehearsal?"

Tricky blinked a few times, still getting over the sight.
"Um... Well, Rain and Aria are still working on some trick they wouldn't show me yet, and I haven't seen the others since this morning."

Diamond suddenly stood up straight, looking past Tricky. She stifled a chuckle and tried not to speak.

"What are you..."
Tricky watched her for a moment before he caught on. He quickly spun around.
"Gotcha!"

"AGH! Diamond! Why!?"
A fiery red unicorn held his head in disappointment.

"Tee hee, I'm sorry! You know I can't keep from giggling!"

Tricky chuckled.
"You almost had me that time, Red."

"Yeah, well, next time I WILL get you. Mark my words!"
The young Guard stood tall and held his chest out.

"Shouldn't you be... Practicing?" Tricky asked.

"Practicing what? Oh, the trick? Nah, I already got it down pat. Watch!"
Red suddenly dropped low, poised like a cat, and his horn glowed.
"Aha!"
He stood again as a wheel of flame burst from his horn and spun in the air in front of them. The two ponies shielded their eyes from the intense heat and other ponies around the stall cheered.

Tricky and Diamond clapped with the crowd as the fire dissipated. Red smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"That one's tough, but it's going to blow them away!"

"Definitely!"
Tricky trotted in place.
"This is going to be great!"

Diamond looked at the sky.
"Shouldn't you get home? It's almost time for the rehearsal."

"You're right! See you there!"
Tricky dashed off toward his home.

The sun had nearly run its course by the time Tricky approached his house. He lived in a small house with his roommate, a mare he had called friend since their school days. As he entered the house, he found an empty brown bag lying on the floor. Good, she's home, he thought.

Tricky stepped into the main room to find the grey mare sprawled out on the sofa.

"Long day?"
Tricky sat next to her. She stretched her wings out and brushed her yellow mane from her eyes.

"Yeah... Everypony had a bunch of letters they wanted delivered before the Summer Sun Celebration! I've been flying across Ponyville since dawn!"
She rolled over to look at Tricky. Her eyes were slightly misaligned, unless she focused intently on something. Whether or not this had an effect on her vision, Tricky didn't know for sure. He loved his friend regardless, clumsiness and all.

"I'm sure the town is grateful to have such a dedicated mailpony as you, Ditzy,"
Tricky said as he rested his head on the sofa.

"Oh, you always say that," Ditzy replied and turned to pick at her feathers a bit.

Tricky raised a hoof.
"And I mean it every time!"

Ditzy smiled and reached out to bump hooves, then sat up.
"Isn't the rehearsal soon?"

"Yep, the others will be here any second. Are you ready, #1 Assistant?"

Ditzy twisted around and stretched her limbs again.
"As I'll ever be... I'm so glad I get the day off tomorrow to celebrate."

"We'll have tons of fun," Tricky smiled just as a knock came from the front door.
"They're here! Let's get started!"

Author's Note

This chapter coincides with the first part of Episode 1 of Season 1. The next chapter finishes up Episodes 1 and 2.
I haven't written anything like this since I was in school, which was quite some time ago. As such, I'm sure I'm breaking all kinds of rules and conventions. This is how I write, but if something is off, let me know! This will also mark the first time I publish anything where more than a few people will see it.

S1-E2: Darkness Dethrones the Daylight

It was the day of the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville. Ponies all around town were doing their part to get ready for the festival.

Tricky was once again making his rounds, checking with each of his friends and their parts in the performance. As he trotted across the town square, a sudden loud gasping sound caught his ear.

Tricky turned his head just in time to catch a pink blur shooting past and knocking him off-balance. When the dust settled, Tricky noticed the cause of Pinkie's (who else?) excitement: a lavender unicorn and her baby dragon companion. He watched as the pair walked off, seemingly on important business.

Tricky wracked his brain as he continued on his way. Where had he seen that unicorn before? He had nearly reached his doorstep when he froze in his tracks.

"It's her!"

Tricky remembered that day like it was yesterday... He sat on his welcome mat, thinking of the first and only time he'd seen her: Shining Armor's sister Twilight Sparkle. He was standing in line to enlist with the Royal Guard for the first time. Shining Armor, then just a rookie and star recruit, was leaving the castle for a vacation. At his side was the most beautiful pony Tricky had ever laid eyes on.

From the way they laughed together, Tricky was certain Shining Armor had the perfect job AND the perfect mare. But just as he lowered his head to wallow in despair, his ears caught the tail end of their conversation.

"-ounds like you're doing great, sis!"

Tricky raised his head. His sister? Of course! She looked to be about Tricky's age, and Shining Armor was clearly much older. There was hope! Tricky smiled and scratched at the ground, anxious to get in and be just like Shining Armor and impress his sister.

Unfortunately, it was not to be, as it was the first of many attempts that ended in denial for one reason or another. Mostly one: Tricky just wasn't built to be a soldier, they said. Stick to your talent, they said.

Fast forward some years, and despite growing up and even making a decent living in Ponyville, Tricky still hadn't given up his dream. It seemed he had almost forgotten about Twilight Sparkle. Now she was here in Ponyville. Certainly she was here for the Summer Sun Celebration. That would mean...

Tricky's eyes widened. She was going to see him perform! At once he felt excited and terrified. Though it was nothing more than a teenage crush at the time, his admiration hadn't changed after these few years. What if his performance flopped? It's not like Twilight knew who he was anyway, but...

Tricky sat there for a while, contemplating his fate. He didn't notice the approaching hoofsteps, or the face of his roommate approaching his. She hovered in front of him for a moment before opening her mouth.

"Hey."

Tricky jumped and slid on his hindquarters until he hit the door.
"Ah! You scared me!" He blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head. He tried to get Twilight out of his head. He'd never told anyone about that day, not even Ditzy. There was no reason to let it slip now.

"What's the matter, nervous?" Ditzy sat next to him and looked out at the neighborhood.

"A little... A lot of important ponies are going to be there tonight... I don't want to mess this up."

Ditzy poked his shoulder.
"Don't worry, it's going to be great! You've done a great job putting our act together." She smiled wide and Tricky couldn't help smiling back at his best friend.

"I hope you're right."

After an evening of festivities, the time had come for Celestia to raise the sun. Ponies from all over Equestria gathered in the town hall. The mayor gave a speech and introduced the Princess. Rarity, Ponyville's resident unicorn fashionista, pulled back the curtain to reveal... No one.

The officials scrambled to find the Princess, until a malevolent cackling rose above the clamor. Nightmare Moon had returned! Tricky and his friends watched in terror as the evil pony declared the night would last forever.

After everypony ran screaming from the town hall, Tricky slowly made his way home. He felt crushed. He couldn't work for Nightmare Moon, and surely she wouldn't appreciate his magic tricks. He'd probably end up working on a rock farm somewhere. Ditzy was already home, waiting for him. The two didn't speak, instead sharing a solemn glance.

Red Steel paced back and forth in his dorm room, mumbling to himself.

"What else are we supposed to do? The rest of the Guard from Canterlot are already here; our job is to sit and wait for their orders." Rocky, Red's earth pony Guard partner, watched him expectantly for an answer.

A red-hot spark jumped from Red's horn.
"I don't know! I can't just sit here while our Princess is being held somewhere!"

Rocky sighed.
"There's nothing we can do. We're just town guards... Nothing ever happens here anyway."

"Arrrrgh!" the furious unicorn shouted out the window at the endless night.

Aria Breeze buried her muzzle in a history book, looking for details about Nightmare Moon. Rain Slick watched his cloudmate intently.

"I thought it was just a legend. Shouldn't you be reading a pony tale book?"

"Most legends come from actual events whose details were lost over the ages."

"... Oh," Rain replied, content. "I wonder what it will be like working in the dark from now on..."

Aria looked up at him.
"I want to know where Princess Celestia has gone, and why."

Rain returned her glance with a shrug. "Beats me."

Diamond Shine stared glumly out the window of her parents' house. Being an only foal to a pair of busy ponies, she was used to spending time alone. However, she missed their company now more than ever. By now they were on the other side of Equestria, "seeing the world," as they put it.

Diamond wondered how they were reacting to the change. Were they thinking of her right now? She rested her head on her hooves and waited for something, anything, to happen out there.

Everypony was startled by the flash of light that came out of the Everfree Forest. It was blinding in the darkness of eternal night.
Tricky, Ditzy, Rain, Aria, Red, and Diamond were all together in the town square when Princess Celestia returned with none other than Princess Luna.

After Celestia raised the sun, Tricky was just working up the courage to ask if he could still put on his show. However, before he got a chance, Celestia called for attention.
She announced that Twilight Sparkle was staying in Ponyville to study the magic of friendship! Tricky was so happy, he forgot all about the performance until the next day.
Tricky and his five friends did finally put on that performance, and it was a big hit in Ponyville. Ponies were even starting to recognize him on the street! Whenever asked about how he pulled it off, he reminded them that he couldn't have done it without his friends.

Author's Note

This marks the end of Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 1. My plan is to write a chapter per episode from here on out, but we'll see what happens as we go.

S1-E3: Tickets Take a Trip

Ditzy Doo slung her mailbag over her shoulder and sighed in relief. It was finally time to go home!

On her way home, Ditzy ran into a crowd of ponies gathered around one unicorn. Curious, Ditzy poked her head through the crowd and saw Twilight Sparkle the librarian holding two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!

Ditzy's yellow eyes lit up when she saw the tickets. She got so excited about it that she almost forgot she had two tickets of her own.
"Oh, yeah! Duh." Ditzy backed out of the crowd and opened her mailbag. Reaching her snout in, she pulled out the two tickets. She crossed her eyes to stare past her nose and admire the tickets.

Ditzy smiled when she thought of how happy Tricky would be to see that she had them. At that very moment, a gust of wind blew past and took the tickets with it.
"Oh, no! Come back!" Ditzy hurriedly flapped her wings and sprinted after the tickets, which quickly sailed out of sight on the breeze.

Defeated, Ditzy sat in the middle of the dirt road and sniffled. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"What a terrible surprise this will be... To tell him I had some tickets but lost them..."

Tricky Merrylark stood perched on a tree stump in his backyard, ready to jump from one to the other.
"I can make it this time, I know it!"
One, two, three, and Tricky launched himself into the air. He saw it before he felt it: his jump was short again. He crash-landed and tumbled into the other tree stump, stopping in time to see his best friend's upside-down sad face.

"Ow... Hey, Ditzy!" Tricky rolled over and frowned when he noticed her expression. "Whoa, what's the matter?"

Ditzy looked down and poked at the dirt with her hoof.
"I was going to surprise you with two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, but..." She raised her head to look Tricky in the eye. "... I lost them. I'm so clumsy! It's no wonder they call me Derpy Hoo-"
Tricky interrupted her with his hoof and shook his head.
"It's okay, don't beat yourself up over it." He hugged her as she sobbed. "Hey, I bet we can find them!"

Ditzy rubbed her eyes. "But the wind took them..."

"They had to have stopped somewhere, or somepony must have found them. Let's go!"

Ditzy's tears stopped, and she grinned with new determination.
"Yeah! I'll fly around and see if I can spot the tickets!"

"And I'll start asking ponies if they've seen them!" Tricky raised a hoof, and Ditzy bumped it with hers.

"Let's do it!"

Ditzy's first stop was the Ponyville Library, as that's where the tickets were headed when she last saw them. She flew round and round the giant tree of a library, but didn't see the tickets anywhere. She stuck her face on a window to see inside.
Ditzy gasped when she saw that the library was full of critters. She gasped again when she realized they were cleaning the library! Fluttershy, the pegasus who was friend to all animals, led the critters on a cleaning crusade. They were doing a good job, too, and there was no sign of Ditzy's tickets anywhere.
Ditzy frowned, just as a little bird landed on the other side of the window and watched her curiously.
"Oh, birdy, it's hopeless. I'll never find the tickets..."

After asking everyone he saw from his house to the cafe with no luck, Tricky sat at a table by himself. When the waiter came by to take his order, he just shook his head and slumped in his seat.
"I guess I won't be going to Canterlot this year..."

Soon, Ditzy arrived at the cafe, and both ponies sat glumly in their seats.
"I'm so sorry, Tricky...I ruined everything."
Tricky lifted his head and gave Ditzy a grin.
"It's all right. Maybe we'll find another way to get to Canterlot!"

Ditzy clapped her hooves on the table.
"Yeah! We can-" Her words were cut short by a sudden downpour drenching everypony on the cafe patio. Ditzy's excitement quickly turned to disappointment again.

Tricky shook his mane and looked up to see Rainbow Dash holding open a hole in a cloud. He was confused until he looked down and saw Twilight Sparkle staying dry in the middle of the shower!

What was she doing here? And why did she seem so sad, too?

"I wish I could do that..."

"What?" Tricky snapped his attention to Ditzy, who stared down at the table.

"I wish I could push clouds around like that. Every time I try I just break them up."

Tricky rubbed his chin. "Hm..." He spotted an empty platter on a nearby table. With his horn glowing with magic, he moved the platter over Ditzy's head to block the water. It formed a neat little waterfall all around her, and she giggled.

Later, after the rain had stopped and Tricky and Ditzy had finished their lunch, they were caught in the street by a little purple dragon named Spike. He was running away from Rarity's boutique in a hurry, but stopped when he saw Tricky and Ditzy.

"Hey, Ditzy! And Tricky!" Spike stopped and gasped to catch his breath.

"Hello, Spike! What's up?" Tricky asked.

"Well, I-... Phew... I found something!"

Tricky and Ditzy looked at each other, hopeful. Ditzy tapped her front hooves on the ground in excitement.

"Is it-"

"I found two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala with your names on it!" Spike showed them the golden tickets, which indeed had their names on them just as Ditzy had ordered them.

"Hooray!" Ditzy flew up into the air and did a backflip, which threw a bunch of envelopes out of her bag and all over the street.

"Wow, thank you, Spike! We've been looking all over for these!" Tricky patted the baby dragon on the head.

"Don't worry about it. There's no way I'd try to use them. You'll never see me at the Grand Galloping Gala! Twilight's going, but I told her I don't want any of that girly nonsense."

Tricky watched Spike walk off, muttering about dresses and dancing. Tricky knew there was much more to the Gala, but figured Spike really wasn't interested anyway. He was just glad to have the tickets back, and Ditzy was very happy that she hadn't ruined everything after all.

Of course, Tricky could never be upset with Ditzy for losing them. He knew that accidents happened sometimes, and getting mad about it would never help anything. Besides, he would take his best friend over a trip to Canterlot (and another shot at the Royal Guard) any day. Having them both made him a very happy pony.