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// 55 Moondini 
// Story: Moonie shorts [Filly Nightmare Moon] 
// by Eighth 
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	Tonight is the big night, where Moonie and Trixie will do the show they’ve been practising for. Trixie has been so excited for this with all the work she has put into this, and it has finally come to fruition.
“There you are Anonymous. Come one, your costume is ready.” Trixie states as she shoves you forward into the poorly fixed wagon sitting out in the town square.
“Woah, since when was I getting a costume?”
“Since I asked Rarity.”
Trixie gives one final shove, tripping you into a room alone where she slams the door behind you.
“5 minutes till showtime!” She squees.
Hooves can be heard scurrying away as you’re left to your own devices. You look over the costume as you ask yourself why you’re here. The costume is a pair of black dress slacks, a bright red bow tie, and some suspenders. You try looking for the shirt to no avail so instead you sigh deeply while changing.
“You should know exactly why you’re here,” you grumble.
And you do. With only a week till the show, it was pretty clear that it’d be difficult to teach Moonie all these tricks and the skits especially when some are a two person performance. So with big pleading eyes the two begged you join the show. And somehow, your usual god-like resistance faltered for the briefest of moments. You look yourself over to allow that self pity to grow. With no shirt, your chubby little belly is hanging out for all to see. You feel like calling it a 'dad belly' would be dodging the issue here. You’re not exactly fat or anything but your gut does poke out enough for you to feel self conscious enough to put your own shirt on instead.
“Woah, where’s the costume?” Moonie sniggers as you as you open the door.
“This is it. Save for the shirt, I had to bring myself.”
“Oh, I was kidding.” Moonie steps in and pulls a dress shirt out. 
It’s got white sequins all over it and the sleeve of the wrists puff out with flare. It’s preferable to shirtless, but not by much. You sigh once more as you snatch it and shove Moonie out to change once again.
“It’s one night. Everyone will enjoy themselves and it will all be over,” you mutter.





“Greetings every pony. I am the Great and Powerful Trixie,” the Great and Powerful Trixie thunders as fanfare and confetti fly from the stage, “Today I come to put on a show for you--”
“Woah! Woah! Woah! You’re putting on this show?” Moonie interrupts.
She arrives on stage in her own costume, a blue mimicry of Trixie’s outfit.
“Y-Yes… Trixie booked this time at the town hall a week ago.”
“Well, so did I… The Magnanimous and Magnificent Moondini,” Moonie rears up onto her hind legs as fanfare and confetti fly from the stage.
The crowd murmurs a little amongst themselves, wondering if this is part of the show or not.
“A magician, eh? Very well. The Great and Powerful Trixie is nothing if not humble. She will wager the time slot with you. Whoever can wow the crowd more with their performance, wins.”
“Deal! Now, I will need a volunteer.”
“As does Trixie which is why she got the man who double booked to volunteer. Fillies and colts, mare and stallions, please welcome Anonymous!”
Fanfare ring out and the popping noise for the confetti ring out but there’s no colourful paper.
“Trixie could have sworn there was enough for three,” she mutters to herself.
The crowd clap and cheer non-the-less, which makes you smile. Even in this ridiculous outfit.
“Fear not this terrible beast my attentive audience, we have tamed this great ape,” Moonie jeers as she pokes her tongue out at you.
“Let’s get on with things. Anonymous, my rings please,” Trixie beckons.
You head behind the curtain and pull out two chests. One blue and one purple. From one chest, you grab two rings that Trixie levitates from your grip.
“Something simple to begin,” Trixie bellows as she uses a spell to merge the two.
“Please,” Moonie scoffs, “Anonymous, MY rings please.”
You hand three rings to Moonie who merges them without a spell.
“See, it’s really easy because they split,” she says while demonstrating.
“Don’t bend the rings out of shape,” you angrily shout as you snatch them away from her as per the script.
The crowd laughs a little but none of you pause, you keep the show going so there is always a flow to things.
“Can you create an alternate dimension in your hat?” Trixie boasts as she begins pulling coloured ribbons tied to one another from her hat.
“Anonymous, your hand please.”
When you hold out your hand Moonie grips, with her teeth, a piece of ribbon tucked away under a cap over your thumb and begins to pull. She pulls what seems like and endless line until she bits the thumb cap and pulls, causing the rest of the coloured ribbons to fall onto the floor. This time the audience laugh a little louder, possibly because that could have seemed to be a real accident.
“Is tricks all you know?” Trixie jeers, causing a few crowd members to boo. But it doesn’t shake her.
“The Magnanimous and Magnificent Moondini could ask you the same.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not some conjurer of cheap tricks!”
“Then why do they call you Trick-see?”
“Very well, Trixie shall show you her power. Anonymous please lie flat on the stage here.”
You do as you’re asked then Trixie begins an overly loud chat in what sounds most like gibberish. Then a sudden warmingly glow flows up and down your body as you start to float. Trixie magics over a hoop to go over you, proving there is no trick here.
“That’s all you’ve got? Watch.”
Trixie places you back on the safety of the wooden floor for Moonie to throw a red sheet over you.
“Now! ARISE!”
Once again you float, but this time you use an arm and leg to do it, using the others to make it look like you’re laying flat still under the sheet.
“Great and Powerful? The Moondini is but a filly and she can do everything you can. But better!”
The audience claps and cheers, the laugher growing as Trixie looks as furious as possible for them. 
Trixie uses her hoop once again but it gets caught on your leg.
“Wait a minute,” she states while throwing the sheet off of you to reveal the ‘trick’ to the audience.
They just eat it up. Almost all of them are laughing hard at the sight of the bashful human doing this awkward push up.
“Let Trixie show you REAL magic!”
A box almost large enough for you slides on stage, the door swings open and spanks you on the behind. A few from the crowd whistle or holler, while the rest laugh.
“Trixie would like you, Anonymous, to get inside Trixie’s box,’ says Trixie slyly, setting the audience off again.
It’s cramped but you climb inside. Your head is pressed against your chest, your arms twist around your body and your knees are firmly pushing your stomach.
“Trixie apologises for your discomfort but it shall be over soon,” exclaims the magical mare as she spins the box three times.
Then in an instant, you’re standing behind the crowd watching the empty box be thrust open.
“Ta-da!”
Trixie points over to you and the crowd spins before erupting into clapping, hoots, hollers, cheers, woots, whistles, stomping, and those awkward looking pony clap.
“Anonymous, Moondini needs you to return to the stage.”
You gently break through the crowd, a few pats on the back and words of encouragement as you pass by.
“Do not fear folks, The Gaudy and Powerless Trixie’s sad show is about to be overshadowed when a mere filly out stages her with the same trick once again. And you need not feer too Anonymous, Moondini has a bigger box,” she haughtily laughs while bringing out a poorly constructed box about your height.
Paint looks like it has been slapped on, various stickers adorn it, and a few chunks of glitter can be seen on it. Moonie raided your shed to put it together and was adamant about doing it herself. Trixie supervised. The final result, is cute in its own raggedy, falling apart, kind of way.
“Please, step inside.”
As the door swings open, the sound reminds your of a rusted door in cheesy horror movies. It spooks you a little as the inside of the box seems almost devoid of life. Still, you step inside and let Moonie close it behind you.
“One,” calls the miniature magical midnight mare as she spins the box, “Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!”
The box suddenly stops and you begin to feel slightly dizzy. Then you hear the sounds of joyous laughter as Moonie opens the box to find you still there.
“W-What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“You were meant to use the trap door to make it look like you disappeared.”
“What trap door?”
“This,” Moonie shouts while pulling the latch.
You yell and pretend to trail it off as if you are falling down a deep ditch. But in truth you are crouching under a very cramped stage. After adjusting yourself, you begin to crawl out and head back into the wagon without anyone seeing, from there you can peek from behind the curtain to watch the rest of the show.
“Well, looks like we’ve lost him,” Moonie states, faking an echo at the end there.
“Very well, Trixie will perform one last time, then you will do yours, and then our faithful audience shall decide the victor.”
“Agreed.”
With a nod, Moonie steps back as Trixie moves up. She summons orange sparks from her horn which hold and glimmer in place like little stars until there’s a small collection. Then they begin to grow in size and take shape together.
“Ooo!” the crowd elicits.
Eventually the shape is complete and it looks like a transparent serpent with glittery stars inside its belly. It lets out a cry as it takes to the sky just above the audience. A few mares shriek a little but most let out an, “Ah!” She sets off a few small fireworks to do the sky as some string music plays from who knows where. The fireworks are small, they make soft pops so everyone can take in their bright, colourful, and glittery splendour. Some fireworks are even shaped into hoops that the celestial serpent glides through. As the serpent climbs into the sky, it bursts into thousands of pieces of glitter that ran over a now cheering audience.
“Oh yeah? How about this?”
Moonie’s horn glows and shortly after the horns that play the fanfare screech as confetti loudly bursts at Trixie. This all startles her as she screams. The crowd laughs and she blushes before composing herself.
“Thank you, you’ve been a wonderful audience. Almost as much as the Wow-inducing and Wonderful Trixie,” she loudly boasts with a bow, “And let’s not forget the Magnanimous and Magnificent Moondini!”
Moonie bows as the crowd gets louder then sends a small firework into the sky out of excitement. She hops on the spot a little, feeling overwhelmingly giddy. You smile warmly as the curtains are thrust open on you but the mischievous filly.
“Take a bow Anonymous,” Trixie and Moonie shout in unison.