Not a Morning Mare

Okay, so I'm writing a fanfic that will basically take place about twenty years after the most recent episode (end of season 3) and it involves Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle (married) as well as their daughter, Tea Leaf. This got me to thinking... "Hold on a moment. Claims relation to canon ponies... Becomes pivotal in my story... Oh no, this is starting to sound like another terrible OC." You know the ones, the Mary Sue's and Gary Stu's created by some of the less creative or less literate members of the fandom (I deeply apologize to anyone offended by this phrasology). The overpowered ponies. The "beloved-by-all" ponies. The flat, static ponies. I suppose what I'm worried about is, will Tea Leaf automatically be seen as one of those sorts of ponies because I say she's the offspring of two canon ponies, or, if I write her character well, will she be okay? Do the foals of canon ponies count as bad OC's automatically, or are they something else altogether? If I'm not articulating my thoughts well, please excuse me; it's late and I'm tired but this idea is nagging at my mind. Thank you for your opinions, anyone who sees fit to respond.

Dem finger nubs, Oh celestia those are adorable. But, if you are looking for criticism, I think the moon could be redrawn. It looks a bit, blah, compared to Luna. Also, I love how you put her Cutie Mark in the sky; very cool.

Maxim settled down in the basket of the balloon with the guard on one side of him and Basswaver on the other. The young zebra gulped and tried not to think about Standoff's dismal outlook on events. Maxim smiled at the blue pegasus filly and reached out a hoof to shake, "Hello there Cloudia. My name's Maxim, newly crowned God-hero of Equestria, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Maxim followed the other Chosen to the balloon, more accurately being dragged along by Basswaver as the zebra was still in a semi-catatonic state of shock. He was uncerimoniously loaded into the ballon and might well have been mistaken for luggage if he hadn't snapped out of it soon enough to sit up and speak, "Okay! Honestly wasn't expecting this, but I can deal with it. Okay, yes, I can do this." He really wanted to believe that he could. He looked around at the other Chosen, and the nervous guard. He walked over to the guard and sat down next to him. Maybe some company would calm him down. Wait a minute, why did they need guarding? Were the Chosen dangerous? Were there ponies who would want to hurt them!? Sweet Mother of the Night, he was only fourteen years old! He wasn't ready to be the target of asassins! @@soullessduck, Okay, so maybe it wasn't just the guard who needed to calm down. Maxim cleared his throat, "So, uh, hi. I'm Maxim."

@@RoseLaflesh, Maxim pursed his lips and rubbed his chin, "I think," He said slowly, "We just got our first Chosen." Maxim smirked and stifled a chuckle. Maybe this guy did have a sense of humor. That was good; despite his slightly abrassive nature, the colt was growing on him. Maxim's eyes widened as Waver pulled him into a hug, catching a glimpse of her new mark. He grinned massively and threw his forelegs around her, giving her a tight squeeze, "That's incredible! Congradulations Waver! I- uh- What? What is it?" He let go of her and took a step back as she gasped and pointed her mirror at him. He immediately saw the styalized bull's head now adorning his own head. He grabbed the mirror in his hooves and pulled it closer, staring at his forehead to make sure he wasn't missing something. Nope. It was there alright; Taurus, if he wasn't mistaken. Maxim stared in... he wasn't sure if he was feeling terror or elation at the moment. He just went with plain shock and gulped. Even with his new odds at getting Chosen he'd never really expected anything. "I... Well that's... I..." He tried and failed repeatedly to form a full sentence, finally settling simply on a breathless, "Whoa." Suddenly he sensed a shift in the already unruly looking crowd. He lowered the mirror and looked around outside Basswaver's magic bubble, "Hey, is something going on out there?"

@, Maxim blinked and adjusted himself in his seat. Part of his mind agreed with the odd blue colt. If he was about to be Chosen, then he couldn't be sitting there like a lump, staring at nothing. Another part of him though was irked by Standoff's comment. Maxim raised an eyebrow at him, "I have a one in three chance of becoming one of the most important ponies in the world, as part of a ceremony that only happens once every twelve thousand years, and you think it's unusual that I would be a bit surprised?" He smirked a bit, "If anything, I think it's you who's acting strange my friend. The way you're taking this all so quietly makes me think you knew this was going to happen. And what 'job' are we on exactly? Strange indeed..." Maxim eyed Standoff suspiciously for a moment, then grinned and shrugged, "I'm probably just being paranoid though. Right then! Eye on the ball! Focused, and ready!"

Maxim nearly choked on the air he was breathing when Fyllo called out his name. He'd known there would be a chance he might get Chosen, but the odds had been at least a billion to one. With just a few sentences those odds had become one in three. If he had been a gambling pony he would have had no qualms putting money on his chances. He stared at the stage where the little unicorn had moments before teleported away, and continued to stare like his mind had snapped. Perhaps, just a little bit, it had.

@@MagicalStarRain,@@soullessduck, Maxim wondered if anything he'd said had been understood by Cirrus. He suspected not. "Hmm, yes, well... Oh look! Ponies!" He held out the little colt and Cirrus took flight once again, buzzing about Viridian's head. He smiled at Cirrus for a moment, watching his antics, then edged back over toward Basswaver, having been struck with a thought, "Hey Bass? My conversation with him may have been brief, but Standoff brought up an interesting point. Do you know when the ceremony part of this ceremony is supposed to begin? I'm just curious really. I could play with that little colt for hours to be honest."

@@MagicalStarRain, "Nice to meet'cha Red Storm; howdy Chaser Wing. I'm Maxim, but you can call me Mr. Stripey. Excuse me a moment will you..." Maxim rolled his eyes up to look at Cirrus, who had squirmed from his brother's grip and landed on the zebra's head again. He smiled at the little colt's innocent question, "Well, my fine little foal, it might surprise you, but I'm not actually a pony," He gasped at his own comment theatrically, "I'm a zebra. My great-great-great-great-grandparents came from a place really far away, where everyone has stripes." As he was answering the foal's question Maxim's family quietly arrived, joining the crowd standing before the stage. Maxim took his eyes off Cirrus long enough to spot them and beam, waving a hoof at his parents. He sat on his haunches and picked the colt off his head, holding him with his forelegs. He pointed out his family to him, "See? That's my family. They've all got stripes and they're all zebras too. Well, mostly." Both his parents had stripes, as did his brothers. His cousins on the other hoof were from a branch of the extended family interbred with ponies enough through the generations that their stripes were almost too faint to see. His cousin Fade Water even had a horn and could use magic.

Maxim leaned his head back and grinned up at Standoff, "Hello there muscle hunk!" His smile became sheepish at the mention of his secret keeping problem, "Ah-heh, er, yes." He became interested again as Standoff mentioned his line of work, "Oh? What sort of work do you do, and at only 14-" Maxim stuffed a hoof in his mouth again to stifle a titanic laugh as a tiny pegasus colt suddenly fell from the sky to land on top of Standoff's head. The playful little colt lying on the stoic young stallion's head looked absolutely adorable! Maxim squeed in delight as the colt buzzed over and landed on his head as well, like a fluffy little fez. "Sweet Princesses of Old, you are just the most precious thing ever!" Maxim gushed, rolling his eyes up to look at the little colt/hat, "And thank you for noticing. I've had this look since my birthday, my first one, and I was worried it was getting stale." When Chaser came and lifted the colt off Maxim's head the zebra smiled at him, "And hello to you as well! Do you belong to this one?" He reached out a hoof and ruffled the little colt's mane, making silly faces as he did so.

Maxim squeaked in surprise as he was unexpectedly used as an impromptu lounge chair. It felt like he was wearing a huge fur coat with a pulse. He stared at her in confused shock for a moment when she rolled off him, then burst into a fit of giggles. When he was able to stifle them he cleared his throat and stuck his nose in the air. He did his best to immitate her terrible Canterlot accent, "You? Hardly my dear. I shall be the next princess, for you see it is I who posess the magical talking cloak!" He resumed his role of adolescent zebra and glanced over at Standoff, smiling. He whispered back to Basswaver, "That fine specimen there is Standoff. I think he might be headed for the military from the way he holds himself, and as for 'hunk of muscle,'" Maxim hummed as he recalled the colt's toned muscles, "You've certainly got that right; but I don't think he's the one for me. Seems too serious for my tastes. I like a stallion with a sense of humor to them. Oh, and he said something very interesting. He said-" Maxim shoved a hoof in his own mouth as he sat down beside Basswaver. Now, y'see, this is why no one tells you their secrets anymore, he thought at himself. The young zebra took his foot out of his mouth and coughed, "Er, maybe I shouldn't say, actually."