“From everything I’ve heard, this sounds like a pretty neat show,” Beacon said, scooting down a row of seats with her friends close behind.

“A dance routine and a puppet show, Bea?” Frost Glide remarked. “I dunno.”

“Could be worse,” Pineapple Pizza said with a shrug. “There’s this great and powerful unicorn I keep hearing about who nearly sets her stages on fire.”

“Here we are.” Beacon plopped down in a section of three empty seats, followed by her two friends. Frost munched on a bag of popcorn she had brought, raising a skeptical eyebrow towards the stage.

The lights in the theater began to dim, and a series of spotlights illuminated the stage. There was the low hum, and a light fog began to cover the stage.

“Mares and gentlecolts,” boomed a male announcer. “Introducing the one, the only, Silly String!”

A light grey unicorn burst through the curtains and onto the stage. She had a flowing grey mane and tail with pastel stripes streaked through them. She grinned at the stage and her sky blue eyes sparkled. Colorful strands of strings adorned her flank as her cutie mark.

On her hooves were a set of roller skates, which she used to glide across the stage with ease. She did several spins, seeming to jump higher than a normal pony could without wings. The crowd murmured in wonder as they watched, and even Frost Glide was hooked.

Silly’s horn ignited, and as she twirled and pirouetted, brilliant, multi-colroed sparkles and streaks shot out like fireworks. The crowd gasped as the rainbow bursts illuminated the dark theater, leaving behind minute sparkles in their wake.

This went on for twenty minutes, with Silly String seemingly not even breaking a sweat, despite the magic and physical prowess on display. With one final, giant leaping spin, she shot a firework of magic into the air that cascaded into a series of prismatic explosions. She landed before the crowd, skidding to a halt, and giving them a bow.

As the popping of the explosions died down, the theater erupted in thunderous applause and the stamping of hooves. Beacon and her friends stood up, stamping their hooves in approval. Frost even threw in a whistle for good measure.

“Thank you, thank you!” Silly String announced from the stage, barely audible over the applause. She wiped her brow as the audience quieted to hear what she had to say. “We will now have a brief intermission while we set up our next act. I hope you all enjoy it.”

With a final bow, Silly String rolled backstage with the audience’s applause trailing her.

Behind the stage, another unicorn wiped her brow as the green glow of her horn died away. She had a strikingly black, with a black and white flowing mane and tail. Aside from her piercing green eyes, her other most unusual feature was the white stripes on her legs. Her cutie mark was a wooden puppet control.

“Brilliant!” a male unicorn said as he approached. He was shorter than the mare, with a pale yellow coat, mint green mane and tail, and brown eyes. His cutie mark was a pair of comedy and tragedy masks. “You were fantastic love!”

The mare gave only a small smile as he kissed her cheek. “Silly was the fantastic one,” she huffed.

“Do you need a minute?” The stallion looked her over.

“Just a breather, I’ll be ready soon. Make sure the puppets are ready.”

“Righto!”

Anne Marionette watched her husband Showstopper walk back to where they stored their props and sighed. “I can do this,” she muttered to herself, steadying her breathing.

After all, the show must go on.

Author's Note

Silly String: Female, Half-Zebra Half-Unicorn

About: The younger sister of Anne Marionette. Silly is more upbeat than her sister, and loves taking the stage to perform her favorite dances.

Appearances: None so far.

Anne Marionette: Female, Half-Zebra Half-Unicorn

About: The older sister of Silly String. Due to the unusual striping of her forelegs and mane, she endured a lot of teasing when she was younger, which she strived to protect Silly from. She's quiet, reserved, and often very serious. Inspired by the Puppet from Five Nights at Freddy's.

Appearances: None so far.

Showstopper: Male, Unicorn

About: The husband of Anne Marionette. He's a jovial fellow who's always looking after Anne, despite her protests. His hopeful, happy demeanor is what drew her to him.

Appearances: None so far.