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                  Bagpiperix in Ponyville                  
                       -by Arbanis-                        
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                         Chapter 1                         
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Chapter 1
Twilight yawned, stretching and flaring her wings, and blinked owlishly at the sun coming in through the windows.
Then she checked the clock.
“Phew,” she sighed in relief, getting out of bed with a clatter of hooves “I'm not late up after all.”
“Morning, Twilight!” Spike called up from the kitchen.
“Good morning, Spike,” Twilight replied, smiling. She glanced at the clock again, and began reciting a mental list. “Morning wash, four minutes...”
Seven point five minutes later, Twilight came down the stairs with her mane still damp.
“Everything okay?” Spike asked, putting some toast down in front of her.
“Of course,” Twilight replied. “I've adjusted my morning routine to allow for time to do my wings, so everything's working out nicely.”
Spike chuckled, smearing some jam on his own toast, and then stuck a couple of little sapphires in it.
“Spike, remember, don't overuse those,” Twilight warned. “I don't want you getting fat.”
“Of course,” Spike shrugged, and ate half the toast in a single big bite.
Twilight sighed, and began spreading butter on her own toast.
“Oh-” Spike began, then swallowed. “Oh, I was going to mention – I saw something happening on one of the roads into town. Some kind of caravan or something, lots of ponies and carts coming up the road.”
Twilight frowned. “Well, I hope it's not like that Diamond Dog from last week who wanted to see the 'book pony Princess'.”
Spike chuckled. “Hey, it worked out fine.”
He finished off the toast. “I do kind of wonder-”
There was a clatter as the door swung open.
“Hey! Guys!” Pinkie Pie said, leaning through the door from the upper lintel. “There's a circus coming!”
“So that's what it was...” Spike nodded to himself.
“Pinkie?” Twilight said, looking at her upside-down friend, then wrote it off as Pinkie Being Pinkie. “So it's a circus… I don't think I've seen one of them...”
Pinkie gasped. “You haven't seen a circus!?”
She dropped to the floor, twisting around to land in a pose. “Well, I guess that means it's time to fix that! We'll all go to the circus!”
“Pinkie-” Twilight began, confused.
Spike waved a claw. “Forget it, she's rolling”
Pinkie promptly vanished in a cloud of dust. Faintly, they could hear her voice.
“The circus! The circus!”
Twilight sighed, and pointed a hoof at Spike. “Spike, take a note. Set aside the next week or so for circus things, just in case.”
“Here they come,” Pinkie sang, bouncing past Carousel Boutique. “They're new in town, it's the greatest show around~”
As she went off down the street, Rarity opened the door – half a dozen pins in her mouth and a design sketch floating next to her. “Pinkie? Was that you?”
“'cause the circus is coming to town!”
Applejack jumped at the sound, nearly missing her buck. As apples rained down around her, she looked up. “What in tarnation-”
Pinkie's head appeared out of a half-full barrel. “There are clowns – jugglers too! There's so much to see and do!”
She vanished again, sending apples bouncing out of their container.
Applejack stared, then sighed. “Consarn it...”
“Now the circus is coming to town!” the pink party pony proclaimed, gathering up Angel Bunny, three chickens and a startled Fluttershy in a hug.
“The what?” the pegasus asked.
“The lions roar – elephants will dance! Nothing could ever be so grand!” Pinkie continued, her words making Fluttershy look a little more interested. “Don't-”
“-be left behiiiind! They're startin' right on time!”
Dash turned over in her cloud bed, mumbling something.
“Cause the circus is coming to town! (Gotta see it!) Cause the circus is coming to town!”
Finally pushed beyond endurance, Rainbow Dash stuck her head out of the window – seeing Pinkie Pie singing to her from the ground, loudly enough that most of Ponyville could probably hear it.
“Pinkie!” she shouted back. “It's too early for this!”
“Here they come!” Pinkie sang, beginning a second round of the entire song so far.
Dash sighed.
A few hours later, Pinkie was happily trotting around the field just next to Ponyville proper – one the circus had hired out for the purpose of their show.
“Hm-hm~,” she hummed to herself, turning this way and that to see all the sights – from a pony with a strange-looking musical instrument to one wearing four long stilts, the performers were already practicing, and the big top wasn't even up yet!
Turning a corner, she spotted someone who didn't look busy.
“Hiya!” she said, giving them a broad smile – from right in front of their face, so they knew she was being really friendly! “I'm Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's Premier Parade P-arranger! Any idea how I can book tickets?”
The circus hand looked a bit startled, and stepped back – revealing the bouncy-ball cutie mark on his flank. “I'm afraid I'm not sure, miss… I don't know if the ticket office is open yet.”
Pinkie pouted, saddened, then spotted someone through a gap in the tents.
“Aww… and ooh, hey! I see something that would have made me go GASP if I was near enough! See you later, Mister Circus Pony!”
Leaving the slightly bewildered pony to his own devices, Pinkie cantered across to the pony she'd seen. “Nice to meet you again!”
The unicorn raised her pointy hat, and regarded Pinkie Pie with something like resignation. “Ah. Trixie did wonder if you would show up.”
“Oh, you're still talking all third-person-y, fun,” Pinkie giggled. “Anyway, hiya! Nice to meet you again! We did meet before, right?”
“...yes, we did,” Trixie confirmed.
She flourished her cape. “But not in my current guise! For I am no longer the Trixie you once knew – I have become the new magic act for the greatest circus show on Equestria!”
“Wow-eroonie!” Pinkie beamed. “This calls for a celebration!” She took a deep breath, ready to launch into song.
Trixie put a hoof on Pinkie's muzzle. “No, Trixie will be fine thank you.”
Pinkie nodded, no less eager, and waited until Trixie took the hoof away. “So! Do you know where we can buy tickets?”
The showmare frowned, thinking, and tapped a hoof on the floor. “Trixie is afraid she does not know… but she knows who might know! Now, where's the ringmaster...”
Her pointy hat lit up slightly with the backglow from her horn, and a nearby pony jumped as he felt a hoof tap him on the shoulder.
“Excuse Trixie,” Trixie said, loudly. “But there is a pony here who wishes to purchase tickets.”
“Oh, it's you,” the ringmaster said, cantering over, and Pinkie looked him up and down with interest.
He was an Earth Pony, wearing a tam o'shanter and a plaid waistcoat complete with tails, and his cutie mark seemed to be a Big Top fully set up with a fluttering flag at the top.
“There's a dreadful rush going on,” the pony sighed, shaking his head. “I don't know if we're going to be ready in time at all – there's all sorts of mistakes going on. Some of the crewmembers are lost – we're already behind schedule – we're going to have to cancel some of the acts entirely – I don't know what to do!”
He fixed Trixie with a look of desperation. “Please tell me you know what to do!”
Trixie took a step back, suddenly nervous. “Uh – I – that is, Trixie-”
“I know what to do!” Pinkie interrupted brightly. “This is just the kind of episode I like!”
Trixie swung her gaze to Pinkie. “Pardon?”
“Nothing,” Pinkie replied, giggling. “Anyway – my friends will help out! Twilight's a super-duper-organizer, she'll help sort things out! And my other friends and I can do the acts!”
The ringmaster looked at her as if he was a drowning stallion tossed a lifebelt. “You will?”
“Yupp-eroonie!” Pinkie said, nodding emphatically.
She was sure her friends would all love to join in with the circus!
“...seriously, Pinkie...” Twilight said, giving her Party Pony friend a moderately reproving glare. “You could at least have asked us before signing us all up for this...”
“But it's the Circus, Twilight!” Pinkie stressed, as they trotted up to the flap of the Big Top. “I could barely sleep last night, I was so enthusiastic!”
She waved her hooves. “I was all, ooh, I can't wait to do circus-y things!”
“I could wait to do circus things,” Rarity said. “In fact, I might rather not do them at all...”
Applejack sighed. “That's as may be, Rarity, but ah guess they are ponies in need. So we should help 'em out.”
She chuckled a little. “Besides, might be a bit of fun an' all...”
The conversation paused as they reached the opening of the tent, and one by one the six ponies (and Spike, who was thoroughly unimpressed by the whole thing) filed through the flap.
Most of the ground inside the tent was empty, save for a few ponies already rehearsing their acts. A few others were attempting to haul a set of bleachers to the opposite end of the tent, clearly not accustomed to the weight of the seats. As Twilight and her friends looked about, there was something in particular that stood out to them, though.
"Uh, guys? Are circuses always this... plaid?" Rainbow questioned.
Indeed, many of the circus's employees seemed to be wearing some form of attire, either a suit or hat, or were utilizing some sort of paraphernalia that had a bright red color criss-crossed with lines of color.
"Well, I don't think I've ever heard of a circus using such an... Interesting choice." Rarity responded, watching as a pony wobbled by on a plaid rubber ball.
“Yeah, it's totally not cool,” Dash agreed, nodding to herself. “What kind of pony would wear that kind of clothes if they didn't have to?”
Twilight hid her muzzle with a hoof, smirking. “Didn't Daring Do's assistant once-”
Dash coughed. “Uh… yeah, now I come to think of it...”
She shook her head. “Anyway! What kind of thing do we have to do here?”
“I'm more confused by what they're already doing here,” Spike pointed out. “That high wire stuff looks scary, and so does that bouncy trampoline thing they're using as a safety net… are they inflating some kind of balloon?”
Pinkie followed his claw, then giggled. “Silly Spike! That's just what circuses do – they're silly to be fun! And all of this is just a way of tartan things up!”
Twilight and Rarity groaned. None of the others seemed to get the joke.
“...anyway,” Twilight decided. “What kind of thing do we need to do? Where's the ringmaster?”
“He's over there!” Pinkie said, loudly enough that the ringmaster in question looked up in surprise.
Pinkie bounded over to the shocked stallion, grabbing him by the hoof and dragging him along the grass back towards her friends. "Here we are, mister ringmaster sir! I'm sure you'll just love meeting my friends, they're really excited to help out!" Applejack and Fluttershy gave a look, unsure if Pinkie really knew what 'really excited' meant.
The Ringmaster readjusted himself, patting the dirt off of his waistcoat as he stepped up to the others. "Ah, well, it's good to meet you. I'm not sure how much Pinkie told you, but things have been an awful mess. Many acts have gotten lost on the roads here and I don't think they're going to get here at all, let alone on time for the show! And as you can see, the acts that are here..." His voice trailed off as there was a loud clatter, the ponies who were carrying the bleachers having dropped it on the tail of a pony who had recently been balancing dishes, and who was now picking up several broken shards of porcelain.
"Oh my, that is awful!" Fluttershy said, watching as a highwire artist shifted her gaze to the crash below, only to wobble and slip a moment later. Twilight gave a small nervous laugh.
"Well, it could be worse, right?" Her words were immediately followed by the sound of a loud crash outside. "Um... what exactly did you need help with?"
The ringmaster coughed, adjusting his waistcoat with a nervous gesture, and cleared his throat. “Right. Ahem… let's see.”
He tilted his head up slightly, trying to recall from memory. “Well… our head clown appears to have run off to the Bahamares-”
“Dibs!” Pinkie said, beaming. “I always wanted to be a clown! Ever since my dear grandmama told me about how much fun the circus was, I said to myself-” Pinkie's voice deepened. “Pinkie, you'll always kick yourself if you never try to be a clown!”
“She ain't one now?” Applejack asked Rarity quietly, getting a shrug.
“Well – that's something,” the ringmaster said, with a sigh. “Now, then… I believe our animal tamer eloped with the fearsome griffin we had, and that means we've lost both of them. We've lost our trapeze artist – he went flying off into the distance and never came back – and the strongmare's gone into personal training.”
He nodded at the bleachers, where several ponies were trying to coordinate moving the seats again. “As you can, uh, see...”
There was a ripping sound as one of the costumes parted slightly, and Rarity winced.
“...we also need some new costumes,” the ringmaster finished.
Just to cap things off, the tightrope walker fell off. There was a paaaarp as they landed on the trampoline thing.
“It kind of sounds like this place has a bad case of bad luck,” Spike said. “Twilight, are you sure we shouldn't just give it up?”
Pinkie looked extremely sad at the very idea.
“...well, uh...” Twilight began, looking from the despondent Pinkie to the nervous ringmaster. “I… well, we're kind of invested now. So I think we should continue.”
“Oh, thank you so much!” the ringmaster said, sighing with relief as Pinkie Pie got out the pom-poms and began celebrating. “So… is there anyone who can do any of those?”
"Well, if it's a costume redesign, I'll be more than happy to help. A show without the proper style will simply not do! Besides, I'm sure I can come up with something a bit easier on the eyes, if you will pardon my manners," Rarity said. The ringmaster opened his mouth to speak, though he was unable to begin before Rainbow Dash interjected.
"Pffft, I bet that old trapeze artist can't do half the things I could do! I could even do it with my wings tied behind my back!" She boasted, puffing out her chest and smirking proudly. "Though you better not try and stuff me into one of those silly looking things, Rarity." She narrowed her eyes, pointing towards the plaid suited high wire pony.
"Ah suppose ah could help out with that strong mare act. Heck, I can lift more than Big Mac on a good day," Applejack suggested.
All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who's muzzle scrunched a bit. "Uh... are you sure you need help with the show? I-I mean, I could always just give... moral support... from backstage... or back home, maybe..." Her eyes swiveled up to the bright spotlights one pony was testing out.
"Aw, come on, Fluttershy, you've tamed scarier things than some ol' griffon! Just bring Harry along, I bet the audience hasn't seen a pony stick their head in a bear's mouth before!" Spike said, chuckling a little to himself.
"I... um... I s-s-suppose I could try..." Fluttershy responded, hoping her voice was too low to be heard.
"Oh, thank goodness, he was one of our headliners, if we didn't have a replacement I'm not sure what we'd do!" the ringmaster responded, which only made Fluttershy go a bit pale. "Now, if you two could come with me, I think we ought to let the others get to practicing." The ringmaster pointed to Rarity and Twilight, though as he turned to head out, Twilight turned back to Spike.
"Spiiiike, don't you think you should help out too?"
"What? And have to put on one of those silly get-ups? No way!" Twilight gave a small glare, to which the dragon gulped in response. "But she said all the acts were taken! I mean, I can't do an act if there's no more room, right?"
"Oh, I almost forgot, we could always use another hand selling tickets and popcorn before the show!" The ringmaster turned around. Spike's expression fell to a rather grumpy look.
"Great."
“And… go!” Rainbow said, launching herself off the crossbar of the trapeze.
She did four flips, three rolls, an Immelmann turn and was getting ready for a double backflip when Twilight called out. “Dash!”
“What?” Dash asked, halting in mid-air and hovering there so she could answer Twilight. “What's wrong with it?”
“It's just...” Twilight waved a hoof. “You're kind of – well – my point is, it's not really very impressive for a pegasus to be flying.”
Dash rolled her eyes. “Fine, Twi. I won't use my wings, will that make you happy?”
Twilight nodded. “That should be okay – I mean, it might be hard for ponies in the audience to be sure of that, though. Maybe you should tie them up, like you did for the Running of the Leaves?”
“Guh,” Dash grumbled. “Fine...”
She crossed her forelegs in a mild sulk. “This better not make me look uncool though.”
“So, here's what I was thinking,” Rarity said, using her telekinesis to spread out a swatch of cloth with jagged stripes on it. “This would work well for all the acts with pizazz, verve, flair – it makes them be about the sheer energy of the performance! I'm thinking it would work especially well for Rainbow Dash.”
Looking the cloth over, the ringmaster shook his head.
“What?” Rarity asked. “Why not?”
“It's not really our style,” the ringmaster replied. “It's our branding. These are the colours we use, these are the designs we use.”
Rarity's eye twitched. “Must I?”
The other pony shrugged.
“Well, then, I'll make sure to pour all my creative energies into the cut, the merger of different pieces of fabric – everything else about the costume!”
“I don't know...” Spike muttered, leaning back against his seat. “This just seems kind of like a waste of time.”
He shook his head. “I mean… the amount of effort that's going into this, we could totally do a new show for ourselves.”
"Aw, don't be such a Morose Marecy, Spike! When're you gonna get another chance to be in a circus?" Pinkie declared, munching on some of the popcorn Spike had in his basket as they watched Twilight try to coax Fluttershy out onto the stage to practice. "Just think of all the ponies we're gonna cheer up with this show! They'll be hotdogs, popcorn, cotton candy, and you get dibs on any leftover food!" She giggled, biting down on a ball of cotton candy.
Spike rolled his eyes, munching on some of the popcorn himself. "Well, yeah, it's not the worst thing in the world. It's just... I dunno, this doesn't seem like any kind of circus I've ever seen." Spike said as he spotted a few other clowns practicing, balancing on bouncy balls and playing rather large sets of bagpipes.
Pinkie chortled. "That's 'cause you haven't seen any circuses, silly! Just you wait, this is gonna be the best show ever!"
"Is this all? Ah don't mean to brag, but, this ain't exactly taxing work." Applejack shouted to Twilight up in the bleachers as she hoisted a large set of barbells over her head. "And it don't really feel right trickin' the audience like this either..."
"Well, that's what the ringmaster said the old strongmare used for practice. Something about it being closer to the actual prop." Twilight shouted back, making a few marks on a clipboard. "I think that's enough for tonight, you can set the barbells down anywhere.
"Ah hope they get the actual prop here soon, then. Ah don't wanna find out opening night it's heavier than ah thought." She let the barbells fall, and the squeaked and bounced across the grass, rolling to a stop several meters away.
"Nonononononono!" Rainbow Dash yelled, backing away from Rarity. "You said you were gonna redesign those costumes, I'm not wearing that thing!" Rarity gave an exasperated sigh, using her magic to try and shove Rainbow Dash into her new costume.
"Rainbow Dash, you have to- ungh- realize that I am no happier with these circumstances than you are! You're lucky the ringmaster at least let me change some of the colors, that red would have clashed horribly with your coat!"
Rainbow had backed herself into the wall of the tent, and before she could react, she was swept up in Rarity's magic and slid into her costume. It wrapped snuggly around her, covering most of her body while leaving her legs exposed much like a swimsuit. The design was a bright Wonderbolts blue, with a few thick dark blue bands and several thin rainbow lines forming a flashy plaid pattern. "Everypony else is in their costumes, the ringmaster wants to make sure they all look right. Now hurry up and get over to the others."
“Okay, Harry...” Fluttershy said, softly. “If you'd please keep your mouth open for a bit...”
The bear opened his mouth.
“That's good,” the butterscotch-coloured pegasus said.
She gently leaned forwards, putting her head towards his…
Then there was a loud PARP sound.
Fluttershy jumped, nearly hitting her head on Harry's teeth.
“Oops!” Pinkie said, cycling past on a unicycle. “Sorry, Fluttershy, these aren't as easy as they look! And they don't look easy!”
Harry made a small noise.
“Yes, you can close your mouth now,” Fluttershy told her bear friend.
“Darlings!” Rarity called to them. “We're doing the costume display!”
“I'd better go over there,” Fluttershy said apologetically.
The bear nodded, understanding fully.
“Okay, so...” Spike began, looking down at the price sheet. “So it's… three bits… and two bits for concessions, whatever that means… and then I have to sell drinks and stuff as well, which are… also called concessions?”
He stared, then threw up his arms. “Superheroes are easier to follow.”
Movement caught his eye, and he looked over – then snorted at the sight of all five ponies in their costumes.
He vaguely noticed Rarity had one as well, but hers didn't look so funny to him.
"Yeah, yeah, yuk it up, ya little matchstick" Dash grumbled. Applejack tugged at the rather bulky toga strapped over one of her shoulders, it bearing the same plaid pattern the others did, albeit in a more subdued orange and green.
"Oh my goodness, these are absolutely marvelous!" The ringmaster rushed over from outside, Twilight trotting after him. He admired each pony's outfits, from Fluttershy's bright vest and pants to Rarity's almost ballerina style dress, complete with tutu. None of the pony's looked particularly pleased with the extravagant nature of their costumes, but they did their best to look cheerful for the ringmaster. All except for Pinkie, who could hardly contain her excitement as she was still admiring her own outlandish, ruffled clown suit. "I really can't thank you enough for this, you've been far too kind!" The ringmaster said to Rarity.
"No, no, you really don't need to thank me..." Rarity responded, giving a forced grin as she looked down at her brightly striped leotard.
"Well, all the acts are in order, the costumes are good, and our little sweet seller is..." Twilight looked up from her clipboard. "Spike, why aren't you in your costume?"
Spike stopped his chuckling. "Wh-what? Why would I need a costume? I'm just selling popcorn!"
"Everypony's supposed to look their part, Spike. Rarity, you have it ready, right?" The unicorn nodded, presenting a simple jumpsuit the same red plaid as much of the circus's paraphernalia. Before Spike could react, he was shoved into the suit, which hugged him warmly and (much to his extreme embarrassment) gave him a wider rump than he would have liked, his tail wrapped up in the same fluffy material.
"Oh, I think this is going to be our best show ever! I hope you're all ready for opening night tomorrow! It's sure to be a real blowout!" The ringmaster declared.
As the latest group filed into the Big Top, Spike noted down the number and added the bits to the pile.
“This is going better than I'd thought,” he admitted, shifting slightly in his plaid jumpsuit. “Though I'm getting kind of tired of how many ponies are telling me I look cute.”
He looked around for the next roll of tickets, and couldn't find one.
“...wait a moment,” the dragon began, checking the numbers again. “Are we… sold out?”
“Spike!” a familiar voice hissed.
“What is it, Twilight?” Spike said, turning to look at his kinda-sister. “Is something wrong?”
“Have you seen the ringmaster?” Twilight asked. “I can't find him!”
“No, I've… you can't?” Spike repeated. “But… that means… wait, the show's starting in five minutes. Right?”
“Three minutes thirty-two seconds!” Twilight agreed. “We've got a big problem!”
She tossed her head, indicating he should follow. “Come on, we need to work out what to do!”
Spike waited long enough to put up the SOLD OUT sign across the ticket office, then hurried after Twilight.
“What do we do?” Twilight asked, looking between her friends. “The show should have started by now...”
“Well, sugar,” Applejack drawled. “Seems t' me that we've got a problem, an' we've got a solution right here along with it.”
Twilight gave her a confused look.
“I think I see what Applejack's getting at,” Rarity mused. “You've been doing so much of the organizing work you probably know the schedule better than the original ringmaster. So you can take over easily.”
Twilight's eyes widened, then she began to actually think about it.
“I… could,” she said, a little reluctantly. “Do you really think I should?”
“What, that or all this work's for nothing?” Dash asked, shrugging – wings moving slightly under the jumpsuit. “I say go for it!”
“Right,” Twilight decided.
Rarity levitated over a copy of the ringmaster's outfit, and Twilight slipped it on – both waistcoat and tam o'shanter, though done with purple instead of red.
“So,” she said, pulling a clipboard out from where she'd used it to set up the schedule. “First act is… Trixie's one. Trixie, can you-”
“Not without an assistant!” Trixie said quickly. “Trixie's only volunteer is Pinkie Pie-”
“I volunteer!” Pinkie reiterated.
“-but sawing Pinkie Pie in half is, Trixie concludes, unimpressive,” Trixie summed up.
“If Pinkie doesn't work, then who are you going to use?” Spike asked.
Everyone looked at him.
“Oh, no,” he denied, raising his arms. “No, no...”
“Spiiike...” Twilight began. “It's not that bad. It's just that everyone else has a job already.”
“But-” Spike began, then decided not to mention how Rarity was at a loose end.
Maybe Twilight was right. It certainly seemed like Trixie was… well, behaving, at least.
"Alright, I'll help," he conceded. Trixie spun about, her cape twirling as she did.
"You needn't worry, Spike. It shall be quite easy to be an assistant to such an adept magician!" She boasted. Spike bit his tongue as music suddenly began to play.
The audience hushed as the spotlight beams shone down onto the center stage. Twilight stepped out under the spotlights, walking towards center stage. Upon reaching the middle ring, Twilight took a deep breath before looking up to the crowd, grinning widely. "Greetings, ponyville! Today we've got quite a show lined up for you today! Daring feats of bravery! Amazing acts of wonder! A show that will leave you speechless! So, without further ado, please welcome to the ring, our lead magician, the great and powerful Trixie, and number one assistant, Spike!"
Trixie began marching out towards the middle ring, with Spike following close behind. Twilight stepped off to the side back to her friends as Trixie bowed. "Ladies and Gentlecolts, I offer you the pinnacle of magical trickery, of sorcery most stupendous, of tricks that will boggle and dazzle the mind!"
"Well, she certainly hasn't gotten over her boasting bit." Applejack muttered.
Trixie conjured up a box on stilts, turning to Spike. "If you would be so kind," She pulled apart the box, Spike attempting to hoist himself up into it. His hind legs wriggled as he tried to crawl into the box. A few ponies in the crowd chuckled, and Trixie grew impatient. She lifted Spike's tail into the air with her magic, stuffing his rear into the other half of the box as she pushed it shut. Spike's head popped out of one end of the box while his feet dangled out the other end.
Trixie presented a gleaming saw, placing it carefully in the middle of the box. With several quick motions, she pushed back and forth, appearing to cut Spike in two.
“Now, you see!” the showmare announced. “For I, the Dazzling and Magical Trixie, have cut this dragon in half!”
To demonstrate, she moved one of the boxes, showing that Spike's top half wasn't quite joined to his bottom half any more.
“Uh...” Spike said, twitching slightly. “Trixie? Can you put me back together please? I kind of need my feet...”
The crowd laughed, finding this all very funny, and Trixie basked in it for a moment. Then she clicked the boxes back together, removing the saw again.
Spike's feet slid back into the box, and a moment later Trixie pulled him out again.
“Ta-da!” she announced.
Spike smiled a little nervously, wondering how the trick – which had felt obvious to him – hadn't been noticed. But the applause was as loud as one could want, and then Trixie moved onto her next trick.
For the next few minutes, Trixie ran through most of the standard repertoire of magician's tricks. From a fire illusion (in which Spike was set on fire, though it affected neither him nor his jumpsuit), through a complicated coin trick which ended up with Trixie pulling a river of bits from behind the ear of her assistant, the crowd loved it all.
“I think this is workin' out pretty well,” Applejack whispered, looking through one of the holes from backstage. “She ain't half good at this when she ain't belittlin' other ponies.”
“Yes, I did get the impression that was the case,” Twilight agreed.
She checked the schedule. “Let's see… Pinkie's going to be going on next, once Trixie's show's wrapped up.”
“Well, it's not going to be long, darling,” Rarity said, warning Pinkie to get ready – not that she needed any prompting. “She's reached the rabbit trick.”
“And as a grand finale!” Trixie said, prancing around on stage and flourishing her cape. “The Stupendous and Surprising Trixie will pull no less than a real, live, rabbit out of her real, live hat!”
“Your hat's live?” Spike asked curiously.
“Something like that,” Trixie shrugged. “Now! If you will observe, I have nothing in my hat!”
She held it by the point and swung it around, then shook it, then turned it inside out just to be really clear.
“But!” she added. “Now, I will reach into my hat… and reveal...”
Down went her hoof.
What came out was not quite what she was expecting.
"A ra-" Trixie's voice died in her throat as, rather than being greeted by the long white ears of a rabbit, she was grasping some sort of long wooden pipe in her hoof. The pipe wobbled a bit, Trixie giving an experimental tug, which revealed the pipe was connected to something big. Something plaid. With a squeak of surprise, Trixie dropped her hat to the ground, where the pipe grew out, wrapped in plaid material by a thick red rope. Like a snake being charmed and with the steady hiss of air, the thing lifted itself out of the hat, only to be caught a moment later. The thing was stuck at the brim, but only for a moment. With another hiss of air, a large plaid bubble ballooned out of the hat, and two black stiff legs appeared shortly after, revealing the bubble to be a very large rear. The creature's tail twisted about as another hiss was heard, and arms appeared, pressing down against the brim of the hat. With a roll, and a rather loud 'parp!', the rear rolled back, and sitting before the audience was a large, round, plaid looking dragon. Pipes much like the one at the end of its tail stuck out of its back, the hat sitting atop its grinning head.
"Hello, ponyville!" The creature shouted. The audience, which had been frozen in amazement during the dragon's appearance, let out a big round of applause at the culmination of the trick.
"Twilight, this wasn't part of the act, was it?" Rarity hissed to Twilight. Twilight was frantically searching through her clipboard, eyes darting across the pages.
"I don't think so? Was this always part of Trixie's bit?" She looked up to see the dragon take a bow, whipping off Trixie's hat and placing it upon her head.
"That was a terrific show, Trixie, I must say!"
“A terrific show?” Trixie repeated, reaching up to her hat and adjusting it self-consciously. “But – that was not what I planned – I had the rabbit ready to – you interrupted my performance!”
“I did?” the dragon asked, smiling, and lifted himself up a bit before thumping back down on his rump again. The pressure wave from the impact rippled through his body, reaching the pipes on his back one at a time and producing a series of parp noises.
Each note was a little different, and they all seemed to hang faintly in the air for far longer than they should.
“After all,” the dragon went on, with a little hiss of air and the occasional note coming from the pipes on his back. “It's far more impressive to pull a handsome dragon such as myself from a hat rather than a mere rabbit, is it not?”
Trixie frowned, still not sure about this, but those piping notes seemed to echo back and forth inside her head – building up a steady resonance, getting louder and more influential, until she started to wonder why she was confused at all…
“What's going on?” Spike asked, and Trixie heard his voice as if it was from the other side of a loud concert hall – drowned out and unimportant. “Trixie?”
“Of course!” Trixie agreed, nodding – it made sense, after all. “Trixie's act is the most impressive!”
“It is,” the dragon confirmed. “And you did a wonderful job.”
Patting her on her back, making the plaid cape she was wearing ripple, the dragon produced a pair of bagpipes from – somewhere – and pressed them into her side. “Why don't you give us some music with the band for the rest of the show? That way you'll always be part of the performance!”
Trixie took the pipes and began to head off.
“Hey, wait-” Spike began, and then one of the dragon's spine-pipes gave him a sudden blast of music right in the face.
The notes made him feel a little dizzy, not quite sure what had been making him so angry a moment before… and for some reason, he felt slightly snug in his jumpsuit.
Maybe it had been a little bit small.
“Okay, I'm going to sort this out,” Twilight declared, trotting out onto the edge of the ring and indicating to the dragon that he should come over to the side to talk to her.
As the dragon came padding over, every step a bounce that made his body ripple oddly, Twilight thought about the question she was going to ask. The important one was-
“What's going on?” she began, selecting it as the simplest to state.
The dragon gave a little laugh, seeming to puff up a bit as he did before deflating back down again. "A show, silly filly! I would've thought you'd know that, seeing how you're the ringmaster!" He poked at her waistcoat, making Twilight stumble back a bit from the force. She shook her head. The answer the dragon gave didn't feel satisfactory, but she couldn't put her hoof on why. Looking back up to him, her eyes scanned his whole form.
"What... er... who are you, then?" She gave a quizzical look.
The dragon stood taller, placing his claws on his hips as he puffed his chest up proudly.
"Why, I'm Bagpiperix! And I think it's rather obvious what I am." He winked, bouncing in place excitedly. Looking over his shoulder, Bagpiperix noticed a few members of the audience talking amongst each other, a mixture of confusion and amusement at the spectacle. "Oh dear, but we're wasting time, aren't we? You don't want to keep these ponies waiting, they've come for a show! And I've heard you're quite good at keeping things running on time."
Twilight looked out at the audience, feeling more disappointed than she would have thought upon noticing some of them weren't paying attention to the show anymore. She looked back to her friends, who were trying to listen in on the conversation. "I, uh, suppose you're right." She said quietly. Bagpiperix nodded knowingly, patting Twilight's rump and pushing her back towards the spotlight. Twilight looked up at the bright light, still feeling a little dizzy. "Ah, sorry about the delay, folks, but don't you worry! The show's still going on!" Her confidence grew as she watched the audience all admiring her, making her voice louder and her grin wider. "Hold onto your sides and be careful not to fall off the stands, we've got a special treat for you! Pinkie Pie and her band of clowns!" Twilight stepped out of the spotlight as Pinkie appeared, pulling a rather small cart behind her towards the middle of the tent.
Pinkie was trembling with excitement, which she held in check for just long enough to unhitch the wagon in the middle of the Big Top – then she began prancing around in her ruffled costume, frills moving back and forth as she did so.
After doing two complete circuits, she went back to the cart, and opened the side – to reveal another clown, then another, and then another after that.
At least nine clowns came piling out of the small cart, each one doing so faster and more clumsily until the audience was laughing just from their antics in getting out of the door.
Forming a line, they bowed – not in unison – and formed a pony pyramid, with Pinkie at the top and doing a hooves-out display pose before the whole thing tumbled back down.
Silly music – full of parp sounds and whistles – came from the band pit, with Trixie happily puffing away on her new bagpipes to lead the band. Pinkie and her clowns did another bit to the tune of the music, throwing buckets of confetti around – then Bagpiperix came bouncing over and joined in the fun.
The big, plump, pipe-festooned, tartan-patterned dragon was so much larger than the clown ponies that he could do all sorts of things as part of the act with them. First he did a quick juggle, hefting up pony after pony to juggle three of them at a time with his forepaws and using his tail to switch ponies in or out.
Occasionally he dropped one, to a precisely-timed paaarp from the band, and the pony so dropped would land on their rump – only to be fine, or even to bounce a little, so the whole thing continued to be fun and funny.
The only one who felt something was wrong was Spike, who wasn't at all sure about this dragon who'd suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. But any attempt to make his concerns known fell on deaf ears, as the dragon began using his own back as a slide for the clown-dressed ponies.
In the midst of the feel of the performance – energetic, funny, full of life and cheerful music – it was a little hard to notice when first one and then another of the clowns reached Bagpiperix' tail.
The pipe forming the tip of his tail slipped inside the rear of their costume, and it puffed out a little – inflating the whole costume, but especially making the rear stand out and look prominently puffy.
“Uh...” Spike began. “That doesn't look – wait, something's wrong here...”
He tried to stop listening to the distracting music, but that was easier said than done, as the melody seemed to wriggle its way into his head and refused to leave. He shook his head, plugging his ears as he watched the clowns' antics continue. A few of the other clowns were tossing rings about as some attempted to leap through them. With their swollen rears, however, many become stuck in the hoops, wriggling about helplessly as the next clown would jump, only to have their muzzle squish into the previous clown's costume. The audience was roaring with laughter, cheering as they continued.
Bagpiperix laughed, balancing atop his tail as he leaned back, allowing Pinkie to bounce on top of his belly like a trampoline. Each bounce make another blast of music, accentuating the tune the band was playing. Spike watched, and he was sure that every bounce was seeming to make Pinkie's suit a bit more extravagant. Frills coated her now wide rump, and it wasn't long before she grabbed her hind hooves and began bouncing upon it instead.
Spike stood up, trying his best to block out the music as he hurried over to Bagpiperix. Reaching up to take a hold of one of his pipes, he tried to lift himself up. Bagpiperix glanced down, his smile growing as he spotted the small dragon. He scooped him up in one of his claws before dropping him onto his growing belly as well. Spike wobbled in place, the music louder now that he was on the source's own wobbly, swelling gut. He watched Pinkie bound about, her suit still growing a bit bigger. Wobbling in place, he tried to chase after her, doing his best to avoid tripping on the evershifting ground below him.
“Pinkie, you've got to snap out of it!” the dragon called, staggering as he tried to anticipate the movements of his patterned footing. “This isn't right!”
Bagpiperix laughed a booming, gleeful laugh – one that had most of the audience laughing along – and his tummy rippled in waves like the sea. Pinkie kept up her bouncing without a hitch, her outfit puffing up more and more, but Spike tripped on the second one and ended up rolling over twice before coming to something like a halt.
He had just enough time to see the next wave of belly coming before it bounced him into the air, high enough that he was in front of the big dragon's mouth as he let out a blast of music, and Spike's world went all fuzzy around the edges again – almost plaid, in fact.
Landing on a pile of half a dozen clowns – all stuck in their rings – Spike bounced off their padded rumps, then landed on his feet before falling back to a sitting position.
He watched a little shakily as Pinkie bounced down Bagpiperix' back, using the still-tootling pipes as landmarks, then she and the rest of her clowns landed next to the cart.
“All right, everypony!” Pinkie called, with a particularly loud blast of music coming with her words as she wiggled her padded tush in time with the beat. “Back in we go!”
This time there was a squeaky pile-up for the door of the cart. Ponies with thick, puffed-up costumes crinkled and squeaked as they tried to get in, with Pinkie only too happy to give them a rump-bump to knock stuck ponies into the cart, and when the last clown was in there were plaid stretches of outfit – well creased with the puffiness straining to get out – pressed up everywhere visible.
Giggling, Pinkie took the cart and pulled it off. She danced the whole way, and the crowd's applause was thunderous.
“That went well,” Twilight said, marking it down as a good result for Pinkie and Bagpiperix.
She was mildly surprised to discover she'd forgotten to put in a column for the plaid dragon, but shrugged it off as being due to overwork. Then she checked a little further down.
“All right, fillies and gentlecolts!” she announced, trotting out into the spotlight again. “For our next act, please welcome – the wonderful – the unbeatable – Rainbow Dash!”
The spotlights swung, pinpointing the costumed Dash right up at the top of the Big Top.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                         Chapter 2                         
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 2
Dash gave a wave down to the audience, making sure everypony was watching as she presented her wings, which were tied up with thick red rope. She wrapped her hooves around the trapeze bar, shifting back and forth on her hooves for a moment before jumping up and letting herself swing down. The audience gave a gasp of surprise as she swung back and forth, kicking a few times in time with the music to maintain her speed. She let go of the bar, doing several somersaults in the air before grasping another, swinging down and back again. The audience clapped at her show, a few 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing. Dash chuckled to herself, feeling rather proud about her act. In the back of her mind she still felt a bit silly, this costume was more flamboyant than she would have liked, but those thoughts were quickly pushed aside as she tumbled and flipped about.
As she prepared to leap between trapeze bars, however, her vision was suddenly taken up by a large amount of dragon. Bagpiperix was clinging to the bar opposite hers, swinging along side her as he hummed along with the music. Dash had barely enough time to tighten her grip on the trapeze before she swung away from the beast, his tail swishing back and forth. As she swung by again, she was able to catch a few words of a rather odd song.
Oh the stories of us dragons seem so harsh and mean to me
For there's nothing that I enjoy more than spreading joy and glee
A silly show's the perfect way to make that plain and clear
For everypony loves my songs and my rather puffy rear~
Dash lost her focus, and before she noticed she collided with the dragon's soft tail, twisting about on her trapeze as the world spun around her, the dragon continuing.
Spike looked up, shaking his head to try and clear the cobwebs (and tartan), and saw Dash swinging around on her trapeze – doing quite a complicated swing, one which quickly adjusted to a different direction entirely as the bouncy dragon swung his tail at her again.
It didn't look like the act was going quite right to him. But…
The song resonated through the whole of the dome, and he had to admit, it didn't look too bad. Besides, the music was really catchy!
Dash yelped as the dragon's tail flicked into the strings of her trapeze, making her spin around-and-around in four complete loop-the-loops as the ropes wound tighter and tighter around the tail. Then she struck it with a soft parp sound, making her glad her outfit was padded to protect her, and the trapeze unwound again.
Dizzy and disoriented, Dash didn't have time to wonder about why the outfit was padded when it had been so tight against her coat before – the plaid, piped dragon was still gleefully singing his way through the next verse.
For there's few beasts in Equestria that are quite as grand as I
They all pale in comparison once I have caught your eye
Nothing beats a dragon who's so big and soft and round
And those who hear my lovely tunes find them just as grand I've found~
The dragon lifted his hind legs up, wrapping them over the bar and letting himself fall back, his tail flopping against him as he swung back and forth. His tail bapped at Dash as they passed again, making her spin and one of her hooves lose its grip on the bar as she was spun all about. And suddenly she felt another hit from Bagiperix's tail, and was forced to cling to it to avoid falling down onto the safety balloon below.
Everypony looks their best when they're happy as can be
And my music makes them feel so safe and snug and warm and free
Coddled and caressed and hugged by puffiness so sweet
It's a feeling that's so comforting it really can't be beat~
Spike couldn't help but grin as he watched Bagpiperix's act, flicking his tail as Dash tried to keep her grip, the dragon bouncing in time with the beat of the song.
The crowd clapped and cheered, thinking it was all part of the act, as the happy music blared out from the band and from the dragon overhead.
Every time Dash went down-and-around, the spines on Bagpiperix' back parped and honked. When the dragon flicked his tail around to bounce her off his belly, there was a great belly-drum-belly boom which fitted in perfectly. The wail of the pipes sounded almost like Dash herself was yelling in delight as she got swung around, and went up and down the musical scales as his tail went up and down and all around.
At one point he tossed her completely into the air with a flick that broke her grip, then bounced her off his belly and his rump before offering her the tail as a hoofhold again.
With every impact, every note, Dash's surprise and fear was drowned out beneath the soothing, happy music which told her everything was all right.
Twilight watched the performance, impressed with how well coordinated Dash was being – it wasn't her specialist subject, of course, but the pegasus certainly seemed to be really throwing her all into this!
A little niggle in the back of Twilight's mind that this certainly wasn't what they'd planned for Dash to actually do went all but unheard, Twilight by far preferring to listen to the music and to twitch along to the beat.
She couldn't dance – and besides, it wasn't her job – but the tunes of the circus made her think that she might be able to try.
The big bulky dragon did a backflip himself, with Dash going around in the opposite direction he was, and he bounced her off his forehead before laughing heartily and launching into the next verse of his cheerful song.
As he did this one, it seemed as though the notes of the beat were starting to take physical form – or perhaps it was just some kind of trick. But every time Dash swung down, or Bagpiperix swung down, there was a slightly larger pile of puffy plaid note-shaped plushes on the floor of the Big Top, just to one side of the safety balloon.
A squeaky creaky pony is the best kind I believe
And they'll be quite surprised to see what I have up my sleeve
For puffiness and cushy rears and all quite well and good,
But a dragon is truly the best, you'd be one if you could~
Dash laughed and cheered as she bounced off of Bagpiperix's rear, shaking her own as she flicked her tail, which was now wrapped up in the clothy material much as Spike's costume was. She posed as she was flung over Bagpiperix's head, making sure the audience below got a good look at her now swollen suit belly before grabbing a hold of Bagpiperix's tail to be swung around again. And as Dash was thrown about, she began to be juggled in the air with some of the plaid note plushes, each time one bounced off of the dragon a loud burst of music coming forth.
Bagpiperix grinned, looking down at the balloon below, which appeared to be completely coated in notes, swinging a bit faster as he built to a climax.
Huffy puffy bouncy cushy rears, and swollen big behinds
Nothing's better than showing off them with others you will find
Bouncy, squeaky creaky plaided rumps, and sweet hypnotic tunes
The perfect thing to make a pony into a big balloon~
And with his final lyric, he tossed Dash into the air, letting her tumble, spin, and pose... only to realize a moment later her dragon wasn't there to catch her.
Dash had enough time to start to yelp, but not enough time to react more than that.
She hit the pile of puffy, cushy notes with a paaaaarp that spread across the whole of the musical scale at once, a strangely harmonious cacophany and one which coincided with her complete disappearance into the pile.
“Dash!” Spike said, startled, and began to walk over. The bulk of his puffed-up suit constrained him, so be waddled instead, and that in turn made him trip over and faceplant into the side of the note pile.
They avalanched down on him, surrounding him in their soft plushiness much as they had Dash, and after several seconds a few rolled away again to expose him – looking almost drunk, with the rush of musical energy leaving him wobbly and elated and more than a little giggly.
Reaching down into the pile of notes, Bagpiperix rummaged for a moment before pulling out Rainbow Dash – covered in notes, including piles of them all scrunched up together around her hooves and her rump which began swelling out with every beat of the music.
He posed, and the crowd applauded the finishing move as if a Pegasus engulfed in swelling bubbles of strange plaid energy was just the kind of thing that you expected to see.
Twilight didn't pay much attention to Dash's predicament, beyond marking off her act as finished on the sheet – and as another success, of course.
“Thank you, stallions and gentlemares,” she said, trotting out into the spotlight again. “If you'll just give us a minute to set things up, our next act is the animal tamer!”
Trixie supplied a triple-parp of agreement, and Twilight absently noted that the showmare was now supporting a set of bagpipes bigger than she was – and one which seemed to conceal most of her body, oddly enough.
As the crowd rustled excitedly, Twilight trotted over to the side of the tent. “Okay, Fluttershy,” she said. “It's your turn.”
There was a pause.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, not spotting her friend standing backstage. She slipped in to spot her cowering next to a few stilts and juggling balls, her hooves over her head as her rear quivered and shook from fright. "Fluttershy, you're on!" Twlight urged.
Fluttershy just shook her head, squeaking with fright. "I-I-I'm s-sorry Twilight b-but I c-can't...I can't do it! A-all those ponies out there, all w-w-watching me and..." Her voice trailed off as she whimpered. Twilight looked a little grumpy and, rather than attempt to console her friend, her horn flared up as her magic wrapped around Fluttershy's tail.
"Fluttershy, the audience is waiting! We can't let them down! Besides, you've tamed dragons before, this one won't be any different." Twilight began to drag Fluttershy out from the corner, pulling her back onto the stage and towards the center. Fluttershy poked her head up a little, confused from what she had heard.
"D-dragon? But I thought I was going to be working with Harry...?" Twilight dumped Fluttershy rather unceremoniously in the middle of the stage before trotting back out of the spotlight. Fluttershy looked around, a hush having gone over the audience as she tried to get back onto her hooves.
"Uh-um... h-hello..." Fluttershy squeaked. She felt the back of her neck prickle, and turning to look over her shoulder, she was met by Bagpiperix, who was grinning widely.
Fluttershy's legs shook as she stared at the dragon looming over her. Bagpiperix dropped onto all fours, letting out a playful tuneful roar as a tune began to build, this one more ominous than those of the previous acts despite its still somehow cheerful mood.
Swallowing, Fluttershy shut her eyes to try and psych herself up.
“It'll be okay,” she told herself, very quietly and without much conviction. “I'll be fine...”
She tried a visualization technique that she'd been taught once by Twilight, imagining herself marching forwards to go and tame the dragon – who looked like quite a nice dragon, she admitted as the music sounded around her – and took a step forwards.
In her mind's eye, all the spotlights focused on her at once, making her the only visible thing in a whole tent full of ponies watching her. The heat of the lights made her costume shift, swelling up, puffing and inflating and making her more and more obvious, making her look sillier and sillier, making it harder and harder to even move as the suit swelled up and the crowd started laughing-
-and Fluttershy opened her eyes, panting, and she was still standing on the Big Top floor. Everything was normal, the crowd was quiet, and her suit was just as she remembered it.
Her legs trembled as she looked up at the dragon, now dancing along to the music by bobbing his head, and she cringed down a little.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes again.
This time, she marched forwards in her mind's eye. She reached the dragon, and was about to start telling him what to do when the music got louder. And louder. And louder.
Notes – plaid, puffy, like stuffed felt toys – trickled out of the band pit, forming pools of music and then swelling up as the volume increased. Fluttershy squeaked with fear as a huge tidal wave of music washed over her, carrying her away-
-and everything was just fine.
“What's the matter?” Bagpiperix asked, craning his neck down to look at her.
Every second or so one of his pipes let out a deep parp note, reinforcing the music and also reminding Fluttershy just how big and puffy he was...
Fluttershy gulped, staring up at the dragon. Quivering, she took a step forward, though one so small it was impossible for the audience to have noticed. "M-mister dragon. I-I'm here to t-tame you. If that's alright with you, I mean..." She watched as Bagpiperix leaned back on his tail, making himself look even larger as he took a few gulps of air to let his music build.
"Tame me? Why, how in Equestria do you think you'll be able to do that? I'm much too large to be tamed!" He gave a wink and a few audience members laughed. This only made Fluttershy whimper again, cowering a little at the sight of the dragon growing. "And you're just a tiny little pony. Practically a foal, I'd say!" He laughed, a deep booming chortle that made him wobble and swell, looking ever more over the Pegasus.
Fluttershy clenched her eyes once again, trying to muster up all of her courage, but Bagpiperix's words stuck in her head. As she pictured herself standing up to the dragon, her imagination began to play tricks on her. Bagpiperix was bigger... fatter... almost the size of the tent in her mind, and she was barely as big as his claws! He was right, she was barely a foal compared to him! And the heat of the spotlights was starting to bother her again, the music growing louder as she imagined herself, not as a brave animal tamer, but as a foal, bottle and sleeper and diaper all together. She whimpered, trying her hardest to imagine herself being brave as Bagpiperix began to circle around her.
"My my my, what a large rump this tamer has! I'm surprised she can waddle at all in such a thick suit!" Fluttershy whined, trying to block out Bagpiperix, but each stomp shook the ground a little, the tune building and building...
"Fluttershy! C-come on! You can... do something!" Spike called out from the mass of notes he was dropping out of. He wasn't sure what it was Fluttershy could do, but something seemed off about her.... was her suit... bouncier than normal?
Fluttershy opened her eyes with a gasp, trying to shake off the image.
It had all been in her mind, she thought, but even as she did she noticed something.
The suit she was wearing was getting thicker, puffier, under the spotlights. And there was a pile of musical notes off to one side of her – and it seemed like her outfit was plumping up especially near her rump!
Bagpiperix took a big gulp of air, swelling visibly up in front of Fluttershy. “Why, I bet you don't even want to try to tame me at all!” he announced, belly bouncing as he stomped his feet on the floor and parped out music from his spines. “I bet you'd rather just be in a thick, cosy suit, keeping you warm and padded and safe…”
As he spoke, Fluttershy's head spun. She didn't-but-maybe?
She had to admit, she didn't really want to be a dragon tamer. The idea was too scary and uncomfortable – she'd much rather be somewhere warm and comfortable, plush and safe.
Shifting in her suit, she felt it getting thicker, and rather than finding that odd it simply felt expected – and comfortable, very comfortable.
“Plumply plush,” Bagpiperix said, reaching down and giving her a pat on the rump – the inflated, bouncy rump, which crinkled ever-so-slightly. “So thickly padded that nothing can touch you, because you're not really ready to be a proper animal tamer at all~… you're just dressed up as one, but really you're a foal playing in a costume, aren't you?”
Fluttershy staggered forwards a step from the impact, now having a definite waddle from all the extra weight and pressure forcing her hind legs apart.
“And you can tell because only a foal's costume is so frilly and comfy,” he announced, as the plaid-patterned plushsuit the pegasus was in began to develop just those frills he was describing. “And with little snaps to help a caretaker, and specially thick in case a little frilly filly falls over… so they don't hurt themselves one bit.”
Fluttershy nodded, sitting back on her rump with a thump, unable to deny the truth of any of what he was saying – his description of her costume was, of course, perfect.
Throwing the last of the notes off himself, Spike began to waddle over – trying to reach Fluttershy to help her, though he didn't know how he could.
Fluttershy wiggled in place, rocking back and forth on her slowly puffing rump, the frills and buttons appearing on her suit, her vest growing long sleeves and merging with her pants to become a rather decorative sleeper. She buried her face in her chest, the warmth of the spotlights making her sleepy rather than worried. "But there's nothing wrong with a foal playing pretend, of course. Playfully taming a tiny little dragon to curl up with you." Bagpiperix smiled, presenting a small plush toy that looked rather similar to himself. Fluttershy gave a gasp of surprise, reaching out and huggling the toy, loving the soft paarp-y noises it made as she squeezed it. "A foal should always have somepony to snuggle." Bagpiperix chuckled, patting Fluttershy's rear again.
Spike waddled up to the cooing Pegasus, shaking her a bit as her suit grew warmer and plumper. "Fluttershy! Snap out of this!" She simply squeezed her toy, the soft sound making Spike's mind cloudy again. He watched as a flap on Fluttershy's ballooning rear appeared, the buttons straining to hold in the fluff building around her flanks.
"Cozy and cushy" Bagpiperix continued, giving his lips a little lick.
Twilight watched eagerly from the sidelines, loving how well Fluttershy was going along with the act. It was Bagpiperix's act, right? Surely Fluttershy had never really been planning on being an animal tamer for the show?
"I know just the place to keep a foal like you safe and snug." Bagpiperix winked, patting his engorged belly. Fluttershy looked up, rocking on her rear as her tail flicked as best as it could in the swollen suit. Bagpiperix lowered his head to the ground, opening his mouth wide. The music grew louder, paarps and drum beats filling the air as Fluttershy got to her hooves. She wobbled a bit, her legs spread wide by the thickness of her onesie, and as she lifted one leg up to waddle forward, the flap on her rear popped open to reveal a puffy plaid diaper. Slowly, wobbily, she waddled towards Bagpiperix's maw, his own tail swishing happily as she bent down to peer into his mouth.
"Fluttershy!" Spike cried out, his mind all fuzzy as he wobbled in his own suit. Bagpiperix placed his claw on Fluttershy's rear, giving it a squeeze before shoving her forward, leaning up, and letting out a big GULP!
Fluttershy vanished in a single clothy snap of Bagpiperix' huge jaws, easily small enough to fit down into his belly whole, and a series of faint boing sounds began to come from Bagpiperix' overstuffed body.
He rubbed his tummy, sighing, and let out a belch of contentment – one which caught Spike square in the face, making him sit down on his rump with a hard impact, a fwoomp and a draconic giggle.
The audience applauded, entranced by the music and the magic of the circus, and perfectly sure that that was all part of the act. Twilight was almost as taken in, but she felt another little niggle of doubt which persisted despite her attempt to rationalize it all away.
Deciding to keep moving as Bagpiperix did a dance and gave himself a belly pat – which was occasionally matched by a bwoom from inside his drum-like belly – she frowned, concentrating on remembering which act was next.
It was… the high dive! That was it!
She cantered over to the side of the arena, forgetting to do the warm-up for the next act – not that anyone noticed, as Bagpiperix hoisted the plushy-suited Spike up to sit on his shoulder – and peered through the flap. “Um, hello?”
“Twilight!” AJ drawled. “An' ain't it grand t' see y'all again!”
“Applejack, good,” Twilight said, sighing in relief – twitching unconsciously to the music from the bagpiper-heavy band. “Listen, do you know where the high jump artist is?”
“The high jump artist...” AJ repeated. “Now y'all mention it, ah can't remember actually meetin' one...”
Twilight paused, an eye twitching. “You mean… there's an act without a performer?”
She took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Can't you do it?”
“Nothin' doin',” Applejack said. “Ah'm th' strongmare, remember? Ain't going t' do no good if ah go out for two acts in a row.”
“Then...” Twilight sighed. “There's only one choice. Rarity?”
Rarity was sitting away from the flap, sketching some new costume ideas down onto a piece of paper. She looked up at the mention of her name, not sure what was going on. Twilight hurried over to her, picking her up and causing her to drop her sketching materials. "Twilight! What is going on?"
"You're on, Rarity! We're missing an act and we can't keep the audience waiting!" Twilight said, pushing her friend towards the flap to the stage. Rarity gave a few indignant huffs, trying to stop Twilight from forcing her out.
"Me? I don't have an act! I'm just the costume designer!" She declared.
"Not anymore!" Twilight gave Rarity one final shove, managing to get her out towards the center of the ring. Rarity gave an impatient huff, turning around to face the audience.
"I'm sorry folks, I'm afrai-" She stopped mid sentence, staring up at Bagpiperix standing before her. Her jaw dropped as she watched him playfully bounce Spike on his shoulder, still massaging his round gut. "What in Equestria?"
"Oh, you must be the costume designer! I must say, you've really outdone yourself, these suits are absolutely magnificent! I think Spike quite enjoys his." He let the smaller dragon slide down his back, looping his tail around so Spike landed in front of Rarity, his suit's rear squeaking as it bounced to a stop. The dragon giggled, waving up to the unicorn.
"Heheh, hi Rares!" Rarity's mouth only opened wider as she looked back up to the dragon.
"What did you do to my little Spikey-wikey?" She asked, stomping her hoof down. Bagpiperix laughed, music blasting out as it always did, and Rarity winced at the noise... though it really didn't seem all that bad, on second thought.
"Nothing, he's just having fun like everypony else here! Ooh, but I must say, for a high dive act, you sure have a rather... interesting costume!" He giggled, staring at Rarity's tutu.
“Well, thank you,” Rarity said automatically, driven by her manners. “It's not really meant for the purpose – it was more of an attempt to make something to give me inspiration – and I'm not sure that I can really feel myself able to take on the task….”
“Why not?” Bagpiperix asked her, and Spike nodded along.
“Yeah! Why not? I bet you'd be great at it!”
Rarity tried to explain the problem, frowning to herself as she sought for the words to properly express her reluctance. As she did, the music played all around her, and the dragon in front of her let off a series of parps from the tubes along his spine – followed by a great big one from his tail, which resonated in the air for several seconds.
Rarity had to admit, now she was looking at this great big dragon again, she was starting to see the concept of fashion behind his choice of plaid. Strange as it seemed, it bound his whole style together, and she could see how all the rest of the plaid in the design of the circus just made everything work so well…
She shook her head, realizing she'd been woolgathering. “What was I saying?” she asked.
“You were just telling me how you were ready to take part in the high dive!” Bagpiperix told her slyly. “And I was letting you know how wonderful your costume is for it!”
Rarity looked back at her costume, with the plaid-patterned tutu with four ruffles under it and the ballerina-style outfit with padding to make sure she was… she was…
There was another parp of the music, a loud one this time backed by the wails of a bagpipe, and Rarity nodded. Of course, the padding on her vest was to keep her warm when she was so high up.
She began to climb the ladder up to the diving platform, with every rung accompanied by a rising note on the pipes – both in the band and on Bagpiperix himself, with Spike bouncing playfully on the belly of the big dragon to keep the music going on an ascending scale of notes that resonated through the entire tent.
Down below, in the band pit, Trixie happily pumped her ever-expanding bagpipes.
They made a jaunty tune, without her even needing to use the stops on the pipes! They were perfect… except for one thing, as the unicorn performer found when she lost her grip on the overly-cumbersome instrument.
As they hit the ground, there was a loud parp and a descending whistle – now without the air supply, the notes began to slow down, and in the distance Rarity slowed noticeably in her climb.
Trixie took the only option that seemed to make sense, and jumped – landing on the top of the big plaid bagpipes with all four hooves, and making the instrument parp and wail again just like it should.
The sudden rush of music again was like a drug, making her feel all happy and filling her with fizzing energy, and she jumped again – and again – and again, playing the bagpipes as loudly as she could and with as much energy as she could muster, even as they grew bigger and louder and swelled up to the point the unicorn couldn't even drag them if she'd wanted to.
Every bounce she sank deeper into the tartan fabric, going up to her ankles, then her knees, then her withers – and each time she sprang up again, she as just as full of energy and music as before! And the increasing size of the bagpipes just made the notes get louder and higher, following the daring high diver as she climbed towards her platform!
Trixie bounced so hard that she sank up to her waist. Then her back. Then only her head was sticking out as she pumped her bagpipes with all four hooves, happy and bouncy and glad to be such an important part of the performance...
The ascending scale gave Rarity plenty of energy, and she reached the top far quicker than she thought she would – giving her the confidence to show off, flaunting her costume and showing off the thinly padded rump which accentuated her curves even as the ruffled frills of the tutu flicked about with her every movement.
Bagpiperix brought his own fists into the band now, beating on his belly in a rapid drumroll, and Rarity stepped to the edge of the platform.
She looked down, the platform seeming much higher than she had originally though, but that only made her more excited at the prospect of giving the audience a real show. The music built, giving her the chills as she prepared for her spectacular act. She might have wondered where exactly she was supposed to be diving, after all, the only thing below her were the two eager dragons, but that didn't really phase her as she bounced in place, the board resonating as she bounced higher... and higher... and higher! Suddenly, she did a small turn, pointing her hooves above her head as she began to fall down, down, down. The spotlight followed her descent, her tutu fluttering in the breeze as she dove towards the ground. Bagpiperix's drum roll grew louder as he shifted in place, opening his mouth widely as she fell further and further. Then, as smooth as could be, she dropped right into his maw, a loud creak and bounce resonating from his belly as she flopped into his cushy interior. The resulting sound made the perfect end to the crescendo, causing the audience to applaud wildly as Bagpiperix bowed to them. He let out another loud burp, Spike giggling once more as Bagpiperix patted his belly and gave it a squeeze to feel Rarity's playful wriggles inside.
Twilight moved to check off Rarity's act, but as she did, she noticed there was no box for Rarity. There never had been. And this, on top of what had just happened, began to puzzle her even more. The music had died down slightly in between acts, and it took a moment for Twilight's mind to grind into gear and process what she had just saw. And when the wires finally crossed, she gave a loud gasp of fright, looking over to Bagpiperix.
The dragon was flaunting his huge belly, squishing and squashing it as Fluttershy and Rarity bounced around inside. "Ohohoho, if you've enjoyed those acts, just wait until you see this one!" He boasted. With a deeeep breath he puffed out his cheeks as he gripped his tail in his claws. He suddenly blew into it, his belly somehow growing larger, and yet his music damped. He turned around, and it was soon obvious why this was the case. Two large bubbles were starting to blow out of his back spines. One a bright yellow, crisscrossed with pink and blue plaid stripes, while another boasted a pure white decorated with purple and teal colors as they grew steadily bigger.
Twilight stared, trying to get her mind around what was happening, as the dragon – the monster – blew those bubbles larger and larger.
They reached the size of a pony, and kept growing, until they were large enough that a pony wouldn't be able to touch the top and bottom at the same time.
Then the sound of Bagpiperix' music, still subdued, altered a bit as he began to use his claws to play his tail like a trombone. The bubbles twitched, changing shape, and suddenly bits began to pop out – limbs – heads – tails, so suddenly that it was hard for Twilight to keep track and at the same time seeming strangely natural.
Then, with a pop, the first bubble detached, falling to the ground. Only – it wasn't a bubble any more, but a dragon, like a miniature version of Bagpiperix.
Clothy body, big inflated rump and belly, long tail, pipe spines – and with a white colour scheme, with purple and teal plaid patterns overlaid on it, and a certain grace as well.
The other one detached a moment late, a second dragon landing in a much lighter, less weighty way. This one's plaid-colour scheme was just as Twilight had feared – a perfect match to Fluttershy's coat, mane and eyes.
“This is...” Twilight began, taking a step back in fright. “But…”
Her eyes darted to the audience, trying to see if any of them were reacting. But there wasn't anyone who even seemed to see this as wrong… though Twilight did see something else, another of those strange little dragons in the audience.
This one with a pink coat, pink and blue plaid along her side, and happily tootling away along with the music.
“Girls!” Twilight called, trying to raise the alarm – to no avail, as not one of them reacted. “This isn't right!”
She glanced behind herself at the doorflap, and saw it was pinned tightly down. Looking back, she saw two more of the plaid dragons – both blue, one of them in the band squeezing her blue-and-purple plaid belly like a giant bagpipe.
The other was floating in a big puffy note-shaped bubble behind Bagpiperix – her stripes all the colours of the Rainbow.
Twilight turned her attention back to the smug-looking dragon. “You won't get away with this!” she declared, starting to charge her horn, then stopped in confusion as the crowd began to applaud.
“That's right, everyone!” Bagpiperix grinned, hamming it up for the audience. “The one, the only, Applejack the strongmare!”
Then he shot an amused glance at Twilight.
Twilight's brow furrowed as she glared at Bagpiperix. Her horn began to glow brightly as she charged up a spell. Bagpiperix tutted and waggled a finger before plucking something out of seemingly nowhere and shoving it down onto Twilight's head. She shook her head, her magic having fizzled out. She attempted to charge another spell, but as she did, a tune began to blare from above her. Her eyes crossed as she stared up at her horn where a tiny set of bagpipes had her horn stuck in one of the pipes. She reached up and tried to pull the thing off, but all it did was puff up a bit and play more music, making her mind fuzzy and clouded. "Bagpiperix, stop this at once!" She cried, her wings unfurling as she prepared to fly up to him. Before she had the chance, though, she suddenly felt two soft orbs press into her sides. Fluttershy and Rarity had pushed their round rears together, pinning Twilight between them as they played, laughing happily to each other. Twilight tried to push back against their rumps, but every poke and prod only elicited a note from their back and tail pipes.
"Howdy everypony!" Applejack shouted as she stepped out into the center of the ring. Twilight watched as Applejack posed for the audience, flexing her muscles and showing off her toga. "I hear y'all are looking for some strongmare. Well, how's this for strong?" She zipped over to Bagpiperix, wrapping her hooves as far around his belly as she could before hoisting him up over her head. She tossed him in the air, balancing him on his rump to the delighted cheers of the onlookers.
"Applejack, stop it! You're only making him stronger!" Twilight shouted, but her cries were unheard over the music as Applejack spun Bagpiperix around in the air. Suddenly, she bent down before tossing him across the stage, causing him to land with a loud paaarp! on his rump.
"But ah think ah can do better than that! A popped dragon's only something a real pro can do!" She laughed, holding up a pump with a hose running to Bagipiperix's tail pipe. Applejack pulled up on the handle of the pump, slowly, letting the anticipation grow before shoving down on it. With a loud hiss, Bagpiperix grew, his rump and belly stretching out as Applejack pulled up on the handle again.
Twilight watched, a small glimmer of hope wiggling in her chest as she saw Applejack trying to pop the dragon. But that little hope didn't last long.
Straining and puffing, Applejack pressed down on the pump handle again and again – faster and faster, pumping air into Bagpiperix at an ever increasing rate.
“Ah'll get 'er done,” she said, as air flowed down the hose, and the dragon expanded more and more.
But he didn't seem to be under any kind of strain. His pipes blew the same notes as ever, and even when they all blasted at once it didn't seem to slow his growth.
Wiggling between her converted friends, Twilight tried to get clear so she could canter or fly over to let Applejack know something was wrong. To her dismay, however, that just made the puffy rumps either side of her push in more tightly the more she struggled – making her blush at the odd, pervasive sensations.
Applejack's pumping reached a steady rhythm, staying there – pumping along with the beat of the music, the hiss and the parp with every press of the handle just blending into the music all the more.
“Applejack!” Twilight called, trying to use a spell automatically, and more notes came from just above her muzzle – throwing her off, and making her blush at her forgetfulness.
As she tried to get free any way she could, however – and as plaid plush pressed her pinions and pipes parped peculiarly pleasantly – she noticed that Applejack's costume was starting to change. To swell up, first around her rear, then around the rest of her torso.
“Gotta keep goin'!” she said, as Bagpiperix got bigger and bigger, and as Applejack's costume developed a long pipe-ended tail – making her look ominously like a miniature version of him. “Just y'all wait, I'll pop this here dragon yet...”
Twilight tried another burst of effort, trying to combine her magic with pushing with her legs and unfurling her wings all at once – but the only result was that Fluttershy and Rarity giggled, pressing in on her all the more and squeezing her between their giant rumps until she could barely see anything but the gradually-costumed Applejack and the nearly-roof-reaching Bagpiperix.
Hiss, puff, parp! Hiss, puff, parp! Bagpiperix just kept growing and growing! He wiggled his legs and rubbed his belly gleefully, watching as Applejack eagerly pumped him bigger and bigger. Her toga grew thicker, wrapping around her snugly, shifting to an orange and straw color scheme as she pumped and pumped and pumped. Her legs were soon lost in claws like the beast she was inflating, and she rocked back onto her tail to bounce atop it as she pumped him larger. "Ah'll pop that dragon yet!" She cheered, pumping and pushing and swelling.
Twilight could barely move between her bouncy friends, feeling them rumble as their pipes tooted out counter melodies to the tune. She panted and pushed, desperate to free herself, but all she did was become more lost in their squeezing trap. Applejack pulled back on the pump one final time, giving it a squeeze in time with a big drum bwomp!, causing Bagpiperix's head to bounce up against the top of the tent, and hers to be lost in a dragon-y hood.
Bagpiperix laughed once again, the whole tent seeming to shake and shudder as he did, his music almost deafening. "Heeheehee, silly Applejack! You can't pop a grand dragon such as myself! Nothing can pop me!" He boasted, clapping his hands. The Applejack dragon wiped her brow comedicaly, flopping onto her rear to stare up at the enormous monster before her.
Twilight let out a whine as she saw her friend become a new puffy dragon, her pipes playing along with Bagpiperix's. Despite how loud the music was, Bagpiperix heard and leaned down, his rear pressing up into one of the bleachers as he stared down at Twilight. "Looks like we just have one little pony left to join in on the fun. What do you say? Your friends certainly are enjoying themselves!" Pinkie and Rainbow Dash bounced over to Twilight, all of her friends' music combining into a wonderfully complex and cheerful tune. Twilight shook her head, trying desperately to block out the sound as they all crowded around, pressing their big bellies into her.
“This isn't right!” she insisted, shaking her head as if she could make the music shake free. “Girls, this – you're not supposed to be dragons! This isn't supposed to be how you are! We're the Elements of Harmony!”
“But all your friends are in harmony,” Bagpiperix said, bouncing on his rear and making the ground tremble slightly – and the Big Top fabric ripple as he did so. “Why, it sounds like a whiny little alicorn is the only one who's not in harmony! And she's not even in any kind of costume, either...”
He made a gesture, parping away as he did, and the Rarity-dragon bounced into the Fluttershy-dragon – squeezing Twilight between the two of them, then releasing her with a sudden movement.
Caught completely off guard, Twilight didn't have time to spread her wings before the Pinkie-dragon used her rump to knock Twilight into the air. She did a backwards flip, then landed right in front of the dragon – who leaned closer, and played a melody right down at her from his tail.
Holding out against it was the hardest thing Twilight had ever done, as music seemed to try to worm through her ears into her mind. She put her hooves over her ears, flattening them against her head, and tried to block out even a small fraction of the sound that parped and wailed all around her.
The dragon stopped after a long sustained note, and for a moment he looked cross – then he drummed on his belly again, and Applejack the dragon sat on Twilight to pin her to the floor.
Flattened under the orange-yellow plaid rump, Twilight could only watch as Pinkie's dragon form produced a huge cannon from out of nowhere – like a giant party cannon, but plaid in colour – and the Rainbow and Fluttershy dragons worked together to hang strips of purple-and-violet plaid cloth all around the Big Top. Then Twilight felt something around her rear, and managed to squirm just enough to see the Rarity dragon fitting a costume to her captive lower half.
The Trixie dragon over in the band pit began to pump her tail, leading them all in a musical accompaniment as Bagpiperix began to sing all over again.
Now it's time for our ringmaster, to join in on the fun
And though we hate to say goodbye, our show will soon be done
Once she's huffed and once she's fluffed
And properly well up-stuffed~
So please watch carefully
To our big finale!
Rarity gave Twilight's rear a pat with her tail, a thick purple plaid diaper wrapped around her flanks. Her waistcoat did nothing to hide it as Applejack bounced in place, squishing Twilight as Fluttershy and Dash came over to scoop them up. They carried their captive friend over to the cannon, where Pinkie stood beaming, holding Spike in her arms. As they approached the cannon, each of her friends joined in on the song.
"For plaid's a lovely pattern, dear, to wrap around a swollen rear~"
"It's just the thing to catch the eye of any silly passers-by!"
"So soft and snug, quite bouncy too, you'll feel so safe once this act's through!"
"To play a song that's truly rad, while you show off your rump of plaid!"
"A big balloon is what you'll be, and so happier we'll all be!"
They reached the cannon, turning Twilight around and shoving her into the end. She wriggled and squirmed, trying to free herself as her friends sang, Pinkie tugging on Spike's tail as he blew a small spark towards the long fuse. It quickly lit, and slowly, it began to burn, the song building up as it fizzled and sparked.
“For if there's an act to perform, at the end of our day,
It's the most spectacular! It blows you all away!
There's nothing that's quite like it – you'll want to see it all
As we show you how it looks to be a pony cannonball!”
Twilight's struggles didn't help her in the slightest, and the music reached a crescendo – then there was a boom as the cannon itself fired off.
The actual impact on Twilight was relatively minor – the puffy plaid diaper Rarity had forced on her took the shock of the blast – but it hurled her into the air with a parp of impact, and she went flying towards one of the pieces of fabric that the dragons had set up.
The purple-and-lavender plaid pattern swelled in her vision as she flew towards it, then she hit and somehow managed to simultaneously bounce off and have it wrap around her – snaring her wings before she even thought of using them.
She hit two more of the pieces of fabric in quick succession, bouncing between them and away again as the material added itself to her restrictive outfit. Then she landed on the floor rump-first, producing a loud parp, and ricocheted off into yet another sheet of the purple plaid.
Twilight tumbled through the air, each bounce and parp making her mind a bit more muddled as she vainly tugged at the costume. She barely seemed to slow at all, instead gaining speed as she bounced around, ricocheting off of Bagpiperix and her friend's rears and bellies a few times as she was flung all around. And still the song continued.
"A pony's a bore, and nothing new, and griffons are just as dull too,
But a dragon's the best in all the land,
And nothing beats a bagpipe band!"
Twilight's suit began to swell, sealing her up as she was bounced around growing and squeezing, massaging her in worryingly wonderful ways. Her tail was wrapped up in the cloth, pipes poking out of her back as she was tossed around, the song wiggling in deeper. Despite all her mind's protests, all her repeating how wrong it was, she couldn't help but find it all... fun! Twilight giggled, squeezing her belly as she rebounded off her rear, parping in time with the music. Soon she was dancing through the air, playing along with all of her friends as they began to bounce around Bagpiperix, Twilight singing her heart out.
"Diapers and air, a lovely mix! They're the perfect foul mood fix!
And dancing around to a great puffy jig, it's no wonder our dragon's so big!
For when you've got a song in your heart, you'll always have your own fun part~
So spread the joy and laughter too, but now we must bid you adieu!
'till we meet once more our dear lassies and lads,
Think puffy, think huffy, think bouncy, think plaid!"
Princess Celestia looked over her latest letter, knife paused halfway through spreading butter on her morning toast.
“Oh, that sounds nice,” she said, levitating it over to Princess Luna (currently having her pre-bedtime cocoa) “Sister, look at this.”
Luna took it, blinking. “This is a most unusual pattern for a letterhead.”
“I know,” Celestia agreed. “I think Twilight must have had to pick up some paper at short notice…”
Accepting that, Luna read on.
“A circus?” she asked, wings rustling a little. “Coming to Canterlot? How interesting! I believe I shall attend the first performance.”
“I'll be sure to join you,” Celestia agreed. “Even if it is after sunset.”
She took the plaid-patterned letter back, and smiled.
It sounded like Twilight was having plenty of fun.
Author's Note
Well, that's the actual first story about Bagpiperix posted. (The Horror Story I've posted before is set in a slightly different universe.)