>Be anonymous
>Hear about a show coming to town
>More like you saw a poster for one
>"Witness the AMAZING magic of The Great And Powerful Trixie!"
>Tickets were dirt cheap
>You also noticed that there wasn't an address listed anywhere on the poster
>It just said "By your local Town Hall"
>You wondered how that worked
>Nothing ever really comes by from out of town, so you decided to track down a ticket
>Apparently they were sold at the town hall
>At the time, you wondered why they didnt have a theater specifically for things like this
>But now that you're actually at this show, you realized why
>This act's got its own stage
>You made sure to arrive early so the line wouldnt be too long
>You also made sure to save money in case concessions were super expensive
>But... even an hour before the show there was no line
>Or concessions
>You were quite literally just standing out in the middle of town looking at this stage
>You also remember there being no security
>Did you even need to pay for a ticket? Let alone bring it?
>15 minutes left until it starts and you're wondering if you made the right choice coming to this show
>However, you begin to notice a few ponies gather with you
>After about 10 minutes, a small crowd forms
>10-15 audience members is a good attendance level, right?
>They're mainly kids, too
>You're really hoping this show was worth it
>If not genuinely, then maybe in a sick "bad but enjoyable" way
>Especially because you're right in front
>Suddenly, lights on the stage dim
>Which is odd, considering it's pretty much noon
>Fog fills the stage and fireworks and brught colors fill your eyes and ears
>Suddenly, a feminine voice fills the air
>"PREPARE TO BE MYSTIFIED, AMAZED, AND ASTONISHED..."
>Lights shine bright
>"AS THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRIXIE SHOWS YOU HER AMAZING MAGICAL FEATS!"
>The fog clears, revealing a blue unicorn wearing a magician's hat and cape
>"Good afternoon loyal followers of Trixie!" She pauses, waiting for a laugh. There is none
>"Are you ready to be AMAZED?" Her horn starts glowing
>A small applause erupts
>Suddenly, lightning shoots from the Magician's horn
>The lightning bolt strikes the air and bursts ilike a firework, but its vibrant colors move in a circular motion
>The small crowd cheers
>You included
>"Thank you! Thank you! You're all so kind to Trixie! For this next trick, Trixie will need an extra special volunteer! Does anypony in the audience have their ticket stubs with them today?"
>Silence
>You did, but you'd rather not get involved with this, being a human and all
>"Anypony. Anypony at all?" You can tell she's a bit distressed
>Time for your seasonal good deed, Anon.
>You reach into your pocket and wave your ticket stub in the air
>"Yes! You! Come up on here and watch as Trixie astonishes you!"
>You tuck your ticket stub back into your pocket and walk to the side of the stage and head up a few steps and make your way up to the magician
>"What's your name, noble assistant?" She asks you
"Anonymous."
>"BEHOLD! MY ASSISTANT, ANONYMOUS! Everyone, say hi to Anonymous" She wraps a hoof around you
>Silence
>"Anyway, Anonymous, pick a card, any card." The magician says as she levitates a deck your way
>You take a card
>"Remember your card, it will be important later!" She tells you and the audience
>A red 3 of diamonds
>You show the card off to the audience, but make sure not to show it to the magician
>"Memorized it yet?" She asks
"Yes."
>"PERFECT! You're a great assidtant, Trixie will have you know. Any magician would be happy to have you as theirs, Mr. Anonymous" she winks at you and begins shuffling the cards
>"IS THIS your card?" She holds up an ace of spades with her magic
>You shake your head
>"Are you sure? Hmmm..." The magician thinks for a moment
>You stand there, somewhat nervous
>"AH! OF COURSE! THIS! Is your card, is it not?" The magician exclaims
>Suddenly, you feel a movement in your pocket
>She's grabbing the ticket stub with her magic
>She's having some trouble with it, though
>"Ahem, it appears that the great and powerful Trixie is having some magical difficulties. Could you please show everypony your ticket stub, Mr. Anonymous?" She asks
>You reach into your pocket and pull out your ticket stub
>On one end is details for the show, but on the other is...
>a red 3 of diamonds
>You excitedly show the audience
>Fireworks explode, forming the shape of the card and its symbols
>The audience applauds
>Suddenly, the magician shoots a bolt of magic at the card
>She winks at you
>"Can we get a round of applause for Trixie's amazing assistant?"
>Another burst of cheers comes from the audience
>The magician tips her hat and smirks at you
>You smile back and return back to where you were standing before
>You look at the ticket again
>It still shows a red 3 of diamonds
>But the other side has the words "Meet me after show" written on it
>You look up at the magician
>She gives you another sly wink and performs another trick
>This one involving a myriad of animals in her hat 

>After what felt like an eternity, the show was over, and ponies were heading home
>Many tricks were experienced
>Some involving danger
>Others involving cheesy humor
>Most just generally cool to see
>You waited it out to see what this magician could want from you
>Everyone was gone, except you
>Suddenly, the stage compressed into a quaint lite wagon
>Next to it was the queen of magic herself
>She notices you and waves at you
>"Anonymous!"
>You nervously make your way into her home
>What could possibly happen in this situation?
>A job offer? A sincere thank you? Hot sweaty mare sex? Drugged alcohol and forced cuddling?
>All of these possibilities made you uneasy
>As you step inside the wagon, Trixie directs you to a seat at a small table
>You each sit on opposite sides of the table
>She looks like she's thinking about what she's going to say
>"You didn't have to do that you know." She says sternly
"What do you mean?"
>"Pay for a ticket. Nobody actually pays for them... unless they have some ulterior motive..." she looks at you with disgust
>You just stare at her
"What?"
>Trixie facehoofs
>"My shows are free, Anon. My pay is in the form of giving a show to the audience and the occasional ticket sale." She explains
"But... what about fireworks?"
>"Magic." She says simply
"Animals?"
>"Magic also." She smiles
"Cards?"
>"Trixie has her own brand" she holds up a package with her face on it and makes the same expression
"That's pretty cool"
>Trixie nods
"So... why am I here?"
>"Because I called you here." Trixie smiles
"What for?
>"Nothing." 
"Really?"
>"Yes." She winks at you
"Oh. In that case, bye. I liked your show"
>"Why thank you, Trixie- Wait, you're leaving?" She asks
"Yeah?"
>"Why?"
"Because we're not talking about anything anymore?"
>"We're talking now"
"About nothing"
>Trixie puts her hoof to her chin
>"So... you aren't hopelessly obsessed with Trixie to the point of paying for a free show in an attempt to get closer to Trixie when she does a card trick specifically involving a ticket stub and then getting Trixie to invite you to her chambers out of gratitude then confessing to her that you love her and would-" 
"No."
>Trixie sighs
>"Maybe next time..."
"You have issues."
>"But it's a cute fantasy, is it not?" Trixie blushes
"No. Why would you want to date a stalker?"
>"Stalker is... a scandalous way of putting it! Trixie sees it more like-"
>You shut the door behind you as you exit
>You hear Trixie explaining some more in her trailer
>And that was the last time you ever paid for anything that wasn't vital to survival 

The End