Come visit Celestia's Circus! See exiting shows! Play fun games. Test your strength and mental abilities. Saves your friend's life. Do it all, for a low price of your sanity.
Do you want to have fun? Do you want to be pushed to your limits? Or do you just want to see something exciting? Whatever your reason, come on down to Celestia's Circus. Where fun grows, relationships are tested, and sanity is broken.
“Oh Twilight, don’t tell me you forgot your one and only mentor.”
“Celestia…is that you? What’s going on? Why does my head hurt?”
Twilight opened her eyes only to be engulfed by darkness. She stretched her hoof out to try to feel around, but there was nothing to be felt. No walls or defining shapes were around. After awhile of searching, Twilight saw a glow form in the darkness. The glow slowly grew brighter and brighter until the unicorn’s eyes couldn’t handle it, and they had to be covered .As it kept growing, the outer edges began to wisp and snap. The glow started moving closer and as it did the heat rose slightly. An alicorn soon outline grew more defined.
“You see, Twilight. I want to play a game with you.”Celestia said with a grin growing on her face.
“Okay…uhh which game?” Twilight began thinking of different games to play. “How about Ponies and dragons, Maneopoly, Hide and go Seek, Candy Land, maybe ev-“
Celestia lifted her hoof to signal Twilight to quiet down. She gracefully walked over to Twilight and wrapped her wing around her. The warmth calmed the lavender pony, and caused a slight blush to arise.
“No ,Twilight. I was thinking something more…,”She stopped. The word she was looking for was just out of her grasp, “Something more serious.”
“What do you mean by ‘serious’, princess?”
“Well, let me show you!”
Bright lights flashed, nearly blinding Twilight, to reveal unexpected scenery. They were located a circus big top. Red and white columns alternated on the fabric as it went around the circus tent. The colors dingy and darkened with time. Black stains covered the fabric. Along the outer edge of the tent were rows and rows of empty seats. Behind Twilight was the entrance/exit. Twilight's gaze went to the center ring and saw her mentor dressed in a red ring leader outfit taming a lion.
“Welcome, Twilight, to Celestia’s Circus!” guffawed the alicorn as the lion nearly took off her snout.
“So your idea of ‘serious’ fun is hosting a circus,” Scoffed Twilight, “If I might be so brash, what is wrong with you?
A noticeable twitch came across Celestia’s face, but quickly subsided. She used her magic to teleport the lion to another place. Then, she began to hastily trot towards Twilight.
“Nothing is wrong with me, dear Twilight,” Her speech was starting to slur and her movements were very erratic, “I just want to have some fun with you!”
Becoming worried, Twilight started to slowly back. “Okay…Okay…so what’s the game you want to play?” Her back hoof bumped a rock, causing her to lose her balance and fall onto her haunches. Celestia wasn’t far behind. She walked up to Twilight and gracefully put her snout by Twilight’s ear.
“The game I want to play will test you, “She whispered, “Your magic, memory, physical and mental abilities will be pushed to the limit.”
“Oh…so it’s like a test,” Twilight smiled, “When do we begin?”
“Whenever you're ready,” Celestia stated while lifting her head away from her students ear, “but first let me tell you some more details.”
“No problem, but why are you-“
Again, Celestia lifted her hoof to quiet Twilight down. A serious look was cast over her face. “This game will not only test you, but will also see how much you care for your friends.”
“I care for them with all my heart,” snapped Twilight, “That is the one thing that does not need to be proven!”
Celestia lifted her hoof again, but Twilight ignored the command.
“After all we’ve been through. All the letters we sent you. You still doubt the love I have for them!” Twilight stood up from her position and looked her mentor directly in the eyes, “Are you sure nothing is wrong Celestia because from my point of view you're crazy! You know what? I’m out of-”
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE! I COMMAND THE TO QUIET DOWN AND LET YOUR PRINCESS SPEAK!”
Instantly, Twilight hushed and sat back down in her previous position cowering at her mentors might.
“Sorry that I had to use the Royal Canterlot Speaking Voice on you…cough…it hurts my throat. I just needed your attention. I know you love your friends. The question is whether or not your love and faithfulness will be strong enough to protect your friends or anyone else in the time of need.”
“You know that it is!” Twilight screamed.
“It’s not about what I know. It’s about what can be proven.”
“You…you,” A single tear streamed from Twilight’s eyes. The disbelief covered her face like a wet blanket. She began to turn towards the exit and leave, but not before her parting words, “You think my love and faithfulness needs to be tested…, but in actuality it’s yours, Princess.”
Celestia reached out, grabbed Twilight’s shoulder, and roughly turned her around. “Nice speech. Now, before you leave, could you bring your attention to mid-arena? We don't have that much time before the show starts.” The lights flashed off then back on to reveal that Celestia was now in the middle of the big top with a microphone.
“Mares and stallions! Please play attention to mid-stage!” A black mist flowed through the opening and filled the empty seats. After all the mist had flowed in, the opening closed. Then the mist settled into the seats and began to take the form of ponies. Each one laughing and cheering at whatever Celestia was demonstrating.
“Now if everyone will calm down we’ll start the show,” Celestia waited a couple of moments, “Today, we will have two very special guests with us.”
Dumbfounded, Twilight could only utter a word. “Two?”
“Yes. Please give a round of applause to Twilight Sparkle and…SPIKE!”
“Twilight? What’s going on?” Questioned the small purple dragon
“I don't know, Spike,” Twilight responded, “I just don't know.”
Spike was bound to a wooden table in the center or the ring. His hands and feet were tied down with leather straps. His face was roughed up like someone hit him, but other than that he was okay. His small body only took up a fourth of the tables total length.
Celestia spoke again. “Tonight, for your enjoyment, we will have a race against time.”
The crowd of mist ponies cheered with full on enjoyment.
“Celestia, what the buck is going on?”
“Shush, Twilight. You’re ruining the show,” Celestia continued, “If you all will look towards the ceiling, you will see a particularly beautiful gem.”
The crowd looked towards the ceiling. Each mist pony oohed and awed.
“I've read about that gem before. It is called The Fury of the Sun.” Twilight recalled.
“That is right, Twilight,” concurred the princess, “Anything else you want to tell the crowd.”
Even though they weren’t real, Twilight could help but feel nervous in front of the mist crowd.
“It was, umm, it was cut so that when the sunlight hit it, the rays would concentrate on a single point, creating a dangerous ray of energy.”
The princess smiled. Her student had learned a lot in her years in Equestria. Sadly, this was not the time to tell her how proud she was.
“Excellent! Now let the shows commence!”
A small ray of light protruded from the gem and hit the floor. Almost instantly, the point where the laser hit was scorched. Slowly, the laser started to move towards the center ring.
“As of this moment, it is 11:55 a.m. When the time hits Noon the laser will be in the center of the ring where Spike is. As soon as it connects with your dragon...let's just say don't let it happen, ” Celestia, being magically connected with the sun, knew the exact time, “You now have four minutes and forty-five seconds to save him. Better hurry. Time flies by when you’re having fun.”
“Don’t worry, Spike. This will all be over soon." Twilight ran over to Spike and started undoing the straps, "How could you think of this, Celestia?”
Celestia laughed hysterically, then teleported beside Twilight. “Oh you know. Spike likes to eat gems and I raise and set the sun. Also, I’ve been watching a few too many spy movies. four minutes and thirty seconds left!”
“Twilight…do you think you want to hurry?” rushed Spike.
“I’m trying Spike, but these straps are really tight.” strained Twilight.
“Well you do have magic!!! Use it!”
Mentally, Twilight face hoofed. Why hadn't she thought of that in the first place? Her horn began glow it’s violet color. Without much strain the first strap, then the second came a loose. Spike’s hands were now free. He rubbed them vigorously trying to restore blood flow.
“Alright, Twilight! Way to go! Only two more!” Spike cheered.
Twilight nodded, and then looked at the now closer laser. Judging by its position, she still had about three minutes. That was more than enough time to free Spike. The mist ponies started cheering and clapping for her success. Some even whistled. Another blushed appeared on Twilight’s face, but she couldn't let it stop her from freeing her dragon. Her horn relit and she went back to work. She went to work on the strap on Spike’s left leg. Instantly it was opened, and she went to work on the next strap which was opened quickly too.
“Okay, Spike…Let’s go!” Twilight breathed. She felt some magic depletion, but not enough to cause harm.
“Umm, Twilight. You might to look again.” Spike said worriedly.
The unicorn looked down to see that both of the straps she had undone had belted themselves. “Celestia! What is this?”
The Alicorn, who was now levitating the lion above her head, spoke up. “Oh, you see, I forgot to tell you that the last two straps require you to answer a question correctly. To see the question just ask to see it. Also, you have two minutes and ten seconds.”
Secretly, the lavender unicorn cursed her mentor. Once again, she looked at the laser. It was dangerously close and seemed to get more concentrated as it got approached. She needed to hurry. She brought her attention back to the strap and asked to see the question.
~ Who are the rulers of Equestria? ~
Twilight was shocked. “That’s it! The rulers of Equestria are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!” She rushed saying the answer trying to save time. With some delay the first strap loosened and freed Spike’s left leg.
The crowd’s cheers grew louder as Spike’s freedom was within grasp. A little filly could be heard crying and the mother was trying to shush it. Whispers from different directions were also heard commenting on different subjects that ranged from how “Twilight was going to fail” to “How nice she looked”.
“Okay Spike. We're almost done here” The unicorn signed thankfully
“Good. Can you finish it, please? I'm starting to feel the heat from the beam. Also, the gem is making me hungry. What do you think it taste like?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. The temperature was rising. She looked at the laser for one last time and saw that it was charring the end of the wooden table that Spike was on. Time was almost out. She had to hurry. Before she asked to see the question something grabbed her attention. It was Celestia laying on a royal chaise lounge being fanned by a mist pony that resembled a royal guard.
The crowd couldn't help, but “OOH” at the words Celestia spoke.
Twilight tried her best to ignore the comment and barely kept her composure. After and deep breath and a dragon bellowing into her ear, she requested the next question.
~ Who is the secret brother of Star Swirl the Bearded? ~
Stupefied, Twilight just stood there. In all her years of studying, she had never read about Star Swirl’s brother. That information couldn’t possibly exist. It didn’t exist in her library, or the Canterlot archives. She should know. She read all the books in both.
“Is something wrong?” Celestia questioned, “Because you only have a minute left.”
The table was nearly cut in half. The inner edges of it were burned black. Spike couldn't move. The strap around his leg was too tight. He started hollering to get Twilight’s attention, but with no avail. Still in her trance, Twilight was of little use to anyone.
In her mind, Twilight dug through everything see knew about Star Swirl. • A talented unicorn. • The most important conjurer of the pre-classical era • Time-related spells • He created more than 200 spells. He even has a shelf in the Canterlot library of magic named after him. • The father of the amniomorphic spell • Didn’t understand the magic of friendship as well as I do. • The mentor of Clover the Clever, one of the founders of Equestria.
There was nothing useful. What kind of question was this? Maybe it was a trick question. Maybe, Star Swirl didn’t really have a brother. There were too many possibilities. Twilight’s mane began to frizzle. Spike sighed. He life was one the line and Twilight was going insane. He reared his hand back and smacked the unicorn across her snout.
“Snap out of it Twilight!! We only hqve twenty seconds left!” He cringed as the heat reached his leg. His dragon skinned useless against such high temperature.
The smack helped Twilight get out of her trance. The sudden realization of her situation put her in a deep panic. Out of her vast knowledge she didn’t know the one answer to save her friend.
“Spike, I don’t know the answer,” Twilight stated with anxiety.
“Then guess!” Spike pleaded; shielding his eyes from incoming doom, “Please!! The laser is really close!”
“If only I had more time…”
Without hesitation, Twilight covered the dragon with her body. Her horn glowed as she cast a spell for a magic dome. When Spike uncovered his eyes, he saw that the laser was blocked directly above his chest. He breathed out a sigh of relief, but he was interrupted when he noticed the dome was beginning to melt.
“Uhh, Twi-”
“I know, I know. I feel the laser’s heat against my magic.”
Twilight tried to concentrate on the question at hand, but the amount of magic she was using to block the ray of light was disrupting her focus. She began to sweat as the laser broke the shield. Instantly, she conjured another one before it reached her or Spike.
“Twilight…is this end?” Spike asked. The dragon’s started to water.
Her heart broke when the dragon asked the question. Instinctively, she wiped the tear from his eye and hugged him.
“Oh course not.” She managed to choke out.
The laser overpowered the second dome. Without delay, Twilight conjure another one. This time, she was suffering from magic drain. She was only able to summon a small square shield. The heat was almost unbearable. If she didn’t hurry, both Spike and she would be disintegrated.
As the time passed noon, the laser began to move. If she could hold out two more minutes then she and Spike would make it out. Sadly, she knew her magic couldn't hold out any longer against the sun’s concentrated fury. She looked at her shield. It was almost completely melted through. She thought to herself that this whole situation was ridiculous. At that moment something in her mind snapped. The situation was ridiculous. Celestia was being ridiculous. The question was ridiculous ; therefore, the answer must also be ridiculous.
Gradually, Twilight stood up. She put the last remaining magic she had into lifting and maintaining the shield. She turned around and courageously looked her mentor directly in the eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but her shield broke. Will full force, the concentrated light continued down. The center of the ring exploded soon after the laser hit. Dust and pieces of wood were thrown everywhere. The crowd went silent, uncertain of the entertainer’s fate. Celestia leaned forward and whispered to herself, “Twilight?”
Moments passed. No one dared to move or say anything. The mist filly resumed crying. Eventually, the dust cleared to reveal a lavender unicorn and a baby dragon, tightly grasping her leg, surrounded by another magic dome still blocking the light. The unicorn was covered in scraps and bruises. A small piece of wood punctured her left hind leg. Blood trickled out of the wound, tinting the unicorn’s fur a dark purple. Even if it hurt her, she didn’t show it. The dragon didn’t seem to be physically hurt at all. The unicorn opened her mouth to speak, with some trouble, and said, “Star Swirl’s secret brother…is…King Sombra!”
The laser immediately stopped and receded back into the crystal. When it was completely gone,a small cracking sound could be heard over head. Without warning, the gem shattered. Each piece was aimed directly towards the two survivors. With her magic completely drained, Twilight’s shield dispersed. Seeing their impending fate, she covered Spike and waited. And wait she did, but the gem shards never reached her. When she looked up, a golden aura was gently levitating the gem shards down towards center ring.
Celestia stepped off her chaise lounge and began to walk forward, “Congratulations Twilight Sparkle! You have completed the first game!”
The crowd was ecstatic. Stallions threw their hats while some emptied their pockets of bits they lost in bets. Mares sighed in relief. Fillies laughed and hollered in excitement. Celestia also joined in on the merriment. She laughed and chuckled on her way towards Twilight. Once she arrived next to the unicorn, she placed her hoof around her shoulders. Twilight tried to remove the princess’s hoof, but the grip was too tight.
Feeling the struggle, the alicorn forcefully pulled Twilight in closer. The pain made Twilight wince, however she still didn’t stop struggling. Celestia looked her faithful student.Those soft, beautiful eyes calmed Twilight down and made the pain she felt subside for the moment.
The princess lifted her hoof. The crowd grew quiet. “Today, my student has proven to me that she does have the capabilities to save and protect her friends under little too no pressure.”
The final words of Celestia’s speech snapped Twilight out of her daze. “What do you mean by ‘little to no pressure’?”
“I’ll explain later. For now…just rest.” Celestia whispered.
Annoyed, Twilight trotted over to Spike. Already, he was sampling the broken gem.
“Twilight, This is the best gem I ever ate! It’s better than turquoise, jewels, and a fire ruby mixed together!” said Spike with his mouth dangerously filled with the shattered gem.
Celestia, ignoring the motherly talk Twilight was giving to Spike, continued, “Thank you for coming to our show today. I hope you have enjoyed it. There will be many more throughout the day, so I hope you’ll stay and see them. Until then, please enjoy our many other events and activities.”
The mist ponies gave one last cheer before once again forming into one mist cloud and departing through the exit. Once the mist as completely gone, Celestia magically closed the opening.
“Well done, my student.”
“Be quiet. I no longer have anything to do with you.” Twilight spat.
Celestia looked shocked, but returned to her natural composure, “Oh come on. Don’t be that way.” The princess’s horn began to glow and the magic enveloped Twilight and Spike. The bruises and scars began to vanish. The wood slowly slid out of Twilight’s leg and vanished. After awhile the pain disappeared too. Soon, Twilight felt her magic returning, but it felt as if she didn’t have full control over it.
“Thank you princess, but we’re out of here.” Twilight declared without hesitation. She levitated Spike onto her back and started to walk towards the exit.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Celestia inquired.
Without stopping, Twilight uttered, “I’m going home. There,I will write you a strongly worded letter on today’s events.”
Celestia giggled then teleported in the path of Twilight. Once again, her movements were erratic and her speech slurred. “You seem to not have heard that my circus has more shows to put on. And without you, the show couldn’t possibly go on.” The princess began walking forward forcing the small unicorn back towards center ring.
“Twilight…I’m scared,” Stated Spike, “What’s wrong with the princess?”
“I’m not sure,” Whispered the unicorn to her dragon. She cleared her throat, “What do you mean, Celestia.”
Grinning, the white alicorn replied, “You see. What you just went through was only the first performance. The appetizer you could say. It was to give you and the audience a taste of what is to come.”
Visibly worried, Twilight asked, “And what exactly is to come?”
“Don’t you ever pay attention my dear,” Celestia scolded, “You should really learn how to connect ideas. That was one of your problems when you were younger. Anyway, what the future holds are the games. The ones designed to test you.”
Twilight was about to speak, but Celestia gently placed a hoof onto her own lips. She then straightened up her composure then continued, “You will see when it is time. For now, you and Spike go enjoy the activities located outside.”
Before Twilight could say anything, Celestia conjured a lion. Using her magic, she lifted the lion and chased Twilight and Spike around the tent. As they ran, the lion took every opportunity to swipe at them. Spike was lucky enough to dodge a couple of fierce attacks. When Twilight reached the exit, she looked back to stare at her mentor. For a moment, she saw cold, bitter eyes, but they changed back into the caring ones she grew up with.
“Twilight! One more thing. Remember, whenever you hear the sound of a bell, it means the next show is about to begin. Don't be late.”
The circus tent’s entrance closed, leaving Twilight and Spike on the outside. Twilight tried to touch the tent, but a magical barrier covered the entire surface. Both were shocked by what they had just experienced. A cold, awkward silence resonated between them. Spike chose to speak first.
“Uh Twilight…” The words wouldn’t come out his mouth.
“I know Spike…I know.” Twilight whispered.
The young dragon jumped off Twilight’s back. He walked around, so he could look the unicorn right in her eyes. Slowly, he put both his hands onto Twilight’s cheeks. His claws dug into her skin, but not enough to cause a discomfort. His emotions turned serious as a shadow came upon his face.
“That…Was…The …Most …Awesome…Thing…Ever!” The dragon yelled out. He let go of Twilight’s face and started to jump around.
Twilight’s jaw dropped. For the second time today, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She used her magic to hold Spike still, then brought him closer. Even within the grasp of Twilight’s magic, the dragon still moved with bliss.
“Spike, you can’t be serious,” The unicorn’s voice beginning to rise, “Celestia just tried to cut you in half with a beam of light! That was not awesome."
“Twilight. Think about it. Do you actually think the princess would let that happen?” Spike began to smirk, “It was just a game. There is no way she would have let the laser actually hit me if your magic dome didn’t protect us.”
Twilight thought of about what her dragon said. There was a possibility that it was just game. There was also a chance that the princess was serious. She wasn’t sure about which possibility was true. She let go of Spike and pondered.
Moments passed and the dragon became restless. He walked back and forth. For a while, he even practiced his fire breath. His green and purple fire barely reached five feet from his mouth. Soon, Boredom crept upon him. Enough was enough. He wanted to go enjoy the Circus. Not just sit around and think.
“Twilight, let’s go enjoy the circus!” whined Spike, “It is boring just sitting here”
Once again, Twilight pondered, but this time reached an answer. “No, Spike. We have to wait for the bell. We can’t miss the next show.”
Spike grew annoyed. He grabbed Twilight’s hoof and began to drag her towards the other booths and activities. She tried to use her magic to stop him, but something didn’t allow her to. When that plan failed, she proceeded to plant her back hooves firmly into to ground. Even with the added resistance, Spike did not stop dragging the unicorn. The superior dragon strength had her beat. With her options exhausted, Twilight decided to take a good look at her surroundings.
She hadn’t notice it before, but outside the decayed circus tent was actually a thriving environment. The grass had the lushest color of green. As far as the eye could see, not a cloud could be found and the sun shined bright. Then, Twilight looked straight ahead to see the rest of the circus. There were booths, made form the same material as the big top, were located every where. The only difference was that these were newer and cleaner than the actual circus tent. Many different activities ranging from water blasters to strength testers could be found. The only thing that ruined the scene was the fact that the mist ponies were about.
“Spike, I’m not so sure we should do this.” said the unicorn. She finally started walking.
“Stop being a wimp, Twi. These ponies aren’t even real,” Spike looked around and found a perfect target, “I’ll show you.”
Spike went over to a female looking mist Earth pony and tried to show Twilight that his hands would go right through it. Instead, he ended up pushing the poor defenseless pony onto the ground. Realizing his mistake, Spike raced to help her off the ground.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?!” yelled the mist pony.
“I’m so sorry! I...was only trying to...uh...um..” Spike fumbled to explained while offering his hand out to help.
The mist pony rejected his help and raised herself up. Twilight quickly ran over, after recovering from shock, and brushed off the Earth pony. While doing this, Twilight noticed that she actually could feel fur on the mist pony. It made her uneasy, but she continued to brush.
“We’re both so-“Twilight tried to speak, but was interrupted.
“Look…I appreciate your help, but…” The mist pony stopped talking and turned to Spike and Twilight, “Wait. You’re the performers from the show! All apologies accepted!”
In unison, both Twilight and Spike said, “Really?”
“Of course! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!” cheered the mist pony as she stomped her hooves, “It was amazing!”
“Uh…thanks.” Confused, the lavender unicorn sat down.
Spike on the other hand, smirked and said, “It was nothing…It’s all the raw talent we have.”
Becoming slightly annoyed, Twilight levitated Spike unto her back. She then walked towards the mist pony and asked a question.
“Not to cut the conversation short, but do you any ‘fun’ activities to do around her before the next show?”
The mist unicorn rubbed her chin while she pondered. When she thought of an answer, she pointed down a row of abandoned booths. She giggled a bit then explained.
“Down there is a booth where…where…you get to play a musical instrument.” She said clapping her hooves together.
“Well that doesn’t seem like much fun.” Spike stated matter-of-factly.
Twilight performed a spell that put a sound barrier over Spike’s mouth. She blushed a little at the embarrassed then turned her attention to the mist pony. “Shush, Spike! Sorry. We’ll go check it out. Thank you.”
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“Come one; come all! Win the game and win a prize!”
“Excuse me sure, but did you say a prize?” questioned Twilight as she walked towards a booth with two curtains.
The male mist pony jumped down from his pedestal and walked over to Twilight. “Why I didn’t know a celebrity would be among us today. “ He wrapped his hooves around Twilight. He began walking over to his booth and starting to explain.
“Yes, little lady, I did say you could win a prize!” He cleared his throat, “Are you interested?”
Twilight’s face scrunched. She was unsure whether to take play or not. On one hoof, she needed to relieve some stress and this would do it. On the other hoof, she needed to prepare for the next performance. She needed a third party, so she looked for Spike. When she located him, he was poking the mist pony to see if his claw would go through.
“Spike! Will you stop that and listen? What do you think about playing?”
The dragon looked up and shrugged. “It’s whatever you want. I say go for it.” After he finished talking, Spike went back to poking the mist pony.
“Well…what will it be Miss? I do have other customers.” asked the male pony. He moved over, so Spike’s claws wouldn’t bother him.
Confused, Twilight turned around to see a whole line of mist ponies patiently waiting in line. Most were surprised to see the show’s star performer outside among them. Others were becoming agitated by the wait.
“Yes, I’ll play.”
“Excellent!” The male mist pony trotted over to the first curtain and pulled it out the way. Behind it was a beautiful lyre. Twilight walked over to the instrument and levitated it with her magic.
“This looks familiar…” she said trying to remember where she had seen the instrument from.
“The point of this game is to play that instrument.” said the mist pony.
Twilight smirked. This wasn’t going to be hard at all. While at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, she participated in many classes that involved musical instruments. The teacher always told her that she should move on to other subjects. It was probably because she mastered music.
“Let’s g-“
“Whoa there little missy…You didn’t let me finish,” he went over to the second curtain, “You have to play the instrument, correctly, in order to save this little pony. Over dramatically, he pulled away the second curtain. Behind it was a turquoise unicorn sitting awkwardly a bench. Beside her were two mist guards with spears.
“Twilight?! You don’t how happy I am to see you!” said the elated unicorn. She tried to run over to Twilight, but the guards crossed their spears to hinder her progression.
“Lyra! What are you doing here?” Twilight asked. She was stunned to see another pony that wasn’t made of mist.
The Carnie owner stepped into the conversation. “That’s enough talk. The time for play is here.” He handed Twilight a piece of paper with musical notes on it.
Twilight looked and took a deep breath. The paper was number from one to five. Beside each number was a random musical note. She squinted at the paper unsure of what each symbol meant.
“Twilight... please tell me you’re not playing the game.” pleaded Lyra.
“Yes I am. Why do you ask?”
“Well…” Lyra paused for a moment, “You were never the best instrumentalist in school.”
“I passed all the musical courses!” Twilight said defensively
“Pitch Perfect passed you so no one would have to suffer anymore…”
The carnie came between the two unicorns once again. This time he was more serious.”I said ‘The time for play is here.’ Now here are the rules. You must play three out of five notes correctly. If you do, then that fine mare will be set free.”
Twilight brought the lyre closer. She examined it thoroughly, and didn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Spike ran over then strummed the instrument. It made a beautiful sound which was followed by a blood curdling scream.
“AHHH!!!!!!”
Twilight and Spike looked in the direction that the scream came from. When they found it, the shock flowed over them. Lyra was lying on the ground. Tears streamed from her eyes as she clenched her chest in agony. She screamed in pain until her voice gave out.
“What type of game is this?!” Twilight asked. She ran over to the carnie and grabbed what felt like his shirt collar.
“Where are my thoughts? I forgot to tell you that if you don’t play the right notes, then our poor Lyra will have a nasty chest pain.” The carnie, with his free hoof, strummed the lyre.
“AHHHHHHH!!!”
“Stay away from this lyre!” Twilight pulled the lyre away from the carnie, “Try to touch it again and I’ll destroy you.”
Spike ran over to Twilight and pushed her away. He looked her in her eyes and shook his head. He then pointed to Lyra and nodded. The look in his eyes was of determination and a bit of guiltiness, for when he strummed the lyre. Twilight knew exactly what needed to be done. She took one look at the paper then strummed a note. It rang throughout the area. Lyra eyes opened. She began to slowly rise.
“Good job, Twilight!” Lyra cheered. Her voice was still weak.
“Beginners Luck…” The carnie added.
The crowd cheered. Twilight didn’t care, though. All she was determined to do was free her friend. She looked down at the next note on the paper. She remembered the note, but wasn’t sure that she knew the exact fingerings for it.
“Hurry, Ms. Sparkle. Others are waiting.” rushed the carnie.
“Don’t you rush me,” Twilight warned, growing agitated.
She took a deep breath and strummed the next note. It sounded correct, but it was a little sharp. Lyra gripped her chest and stumbled. Blood started to flow from the corner of her mouth. She felt it and wiped it away.
“Way to go! Just make sure next time to be more exact.” Lyra cheered as she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth again.
All Twilight needed now was one more note and Lyra would be free. Spike cheered as loudly as the crowd did. Perhaps a friendly competition? Who knew? The carnie looked distraught. This was the only unicorn he had. If Twilight won, he would be out of business. "Good" Twilight thought. Determined,she looked at note three on the paper. She downright didn't know this note. No amount of memorizing could help her. She looked towards Lyra with a desperate look.
"Look Twi, I can take a wrong note. " Lyra said, "Just one. Okay. After this. You have to get the next one right."
"But-"
"No buts...just do it."
Unsure, Twilight strummed a note. There wasn't a scream of anything, but a loud thump was heard. Lyra had fallen to the ground and remained there. No movement; no sound. Did Twilight accidentally kill Lyra? The crowd went silent and hovered in around the situation. Then, a miniscule cough was heard. The motionless unicorn shook before cautiously rising to her hooves. Where she laid was a pool of her own blood. "It'll take a lot more than one wrong note to do me in."
The next note on the paper was one she remembered but was followed by a symbol she couldn’t remember what it stood for. The symbol resembled a lowercase “b”. Did it mean the note was flat or was it sharp? Twilight new both fingerings, yet she didn’t know which one to do. It wouldn’t hurt her is she got it wrong; She just knew Lyra couldn’t handle anymore wrong notes.
Try as she may, Twilight couldn’t remember what the symbol meant. “Hurry, Miss Twilight. Customers are waiting.” mentioned the Carnie, once again. Twilight didn’t pay him any attention as she clenched the lyre in her hand, ready to play. She took a deep breath and began to strum.
“Wait!” yelled Lyra, “Make sure you’re absolutely sure about the note. Remember the symbol that looks like a ‘b’ makes the note flat and the one that looks like an octothorpe makes the note sharp.”
“HAY, SHUSH!” commanded the Carnie. He ordered the guard to push Lyra onto the ground.
It was all so clear now. The note. The flat. The fingerings. Everything. Twilight lifted up the lyre, a little too drastically, and strummed a note. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Lyra stood in the sun brushing herself off. The push from earlier had gotten dirt all in her fur. Nevertheless, she still had a huge smile on her face.
“Thanks Twilight,” Lyra acknowledged, “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t came along.”
“Let’s not dwell on it, Lyra.” Twilight offered, “ So how did you get here?”
Lyra rubbed her chin remembering the past. “Hmm, Bonbon and I were sitting on the couch when we received a note from Princess Celestia. Next thing I know, I was here. “ Lyra shrugged
“What are you going to do now?” Spike asked
“Well, Spike…I’m going to go look for Bonbon. If I’m here, she has to be. Celestia knows what type of torture she is endearing…” Lyra spoke depressingly.
“She probably does know…”Twilight whispered.
“What was that?”
“Oh noth-“
A loud bell sounded interrupting Twilight’s statement. Remembering what Celestia said, Twilight hoisted Spike onto her back and began to run off. “Sorry, but I have to run. The bell…crowd…next show…Celestia…can’t be late…explain later.”
“Uhh… Alright,Twilight. I’ll meet you later once I find Bonbon.”
Twilight nodded while running. She stumbled, yet quickly regained her composure. The bell rang for the second time and the black mist from earlier began to flow into the big top. She saw the end of it nearing and began trotting faster. She didn’t know what was in store for her, but whatever it was, she hoped Cele-…Luna would protect her.
Twilight, with Spike on her back, ran into the dimmed circus bigtop. Her lungs begging for air. Luckily, she made it before the last ring of the bell and before the smoke fully entered the tent. As the smoke blew past her, she felt strangely cold, and drained of emotions. The feeling went away when the smoke filled the stands, and formed into sentient smoke ponies. Twilight continued to walk forward making sure to watch her step. The next show was about to begin and Twilight didn’t know what to expect.
In that instant, stage lights flashed in center ring to show Celestia, wearing a blue Ring leader outfit, and a lion. She used her whip on the lion to get it riled up. In its anger, the lion let out a might roar, with swipes of its claw.This caused the smoke crowd to cheer in excitement, or cringe with fear. Then, a hushed silence fell over the crowd as Celestia raised a hoof. Slowly, she reached for the lion, and opened its jaws. Hesitantly, she moved her head into the lion’s mouth. Her head remained there for a couple seconds as the crowd held their breath. Celestia then started to bring her head out of the lion’s mouth. Unfortunately, part of her ethereal mane flowed across the lion’s teeth. Without warning, The jaws of the beast snapped shut.
Celestia’s body went limp.
“Princess!!” Twilight screamed in horror. Even with the all the princess had put her through, Twilight still felt a connection to her.
Twilight galloped to center stage. With slight discomfort, she shot magic bolts at the lion which caused it to walk away. The lavender mare kneeled by her mentor and lifted the headless body. Tears formed in her eyes from the loss of her teacher. She was to busy feeling sorrow to notice the lack of blood, or the weird indention where Celestia’s head should be. Unexpectantly, the body jumped from Twilight’s grasp. It walked before dancing to some unknown song. Celestia’s head popped from the chasm in the body, shocking the entire crowd. Some of the smoke mares fainted.
“Hello, mares and stallions! Welcome to the Second show!” The re-headed Celestia announced, “Please welcome our returning star, Twilight Sparkle!”
As the crowd cheered, Twilight felt her stomach churn, and had to stifle a feeling to vomit. Celestia indulged in the crowd’s cheers. She continued Dancing feeding off energy until she noticed her student, Twilight, recovering from the incident. Celestia took some empathy, and walk to her student. She wrapped her in a wing, trying to comfort the distraught mare. Instinctively, Twilight cuddled in the warm embrace, until she realized what was happening. Immediately, Twilight broke the embrace.
“What’s wrong, my faithful student?” Celestia asked. For a moment, Twilight sensed the old Celestia.
“Don’t…Don’t call me that!” Twilight replied, “I’m no longer your student. Let’s just get this show over with.”
Celestia, visibly hurt by Twilight’s words, said, “If you insist…” She lit her horn, and the lights flashed off, then back on, “Ladies and Gentle! The Show is about to begin!”
In the middle of the Circus was a titanic sewing machine. In its grasp was a giant, sharp needle used for piercing. In front of the machine were mirrors with hammers in front. Slowly, a whining piece of cloth slid across the floor until it was positioned underneath the sewing machine. Twilight heard the cloth whine and speak, “Someone, please get me out of this cheap cotton…it’s so scratchy!” Twilight went to help her, but was stopped by Celestia’s wing.
The machine screamed alive, and the needle rapidly went up and down stabbing the dirt floor of the circus leaving behind a medium sized, deep hole. A whole big enough to kill a pony. The loud noise form the machine drowned out the crowd, yet Twilight could still hear her friend’s whining, and Celestia’s speech.
“Okay Twilight. This is another easy task. Trust me…” Celestia giggled, “ You see, it is as simple as smashing three of those mirrors ,and boom! Your friend is free. You better hurry. The machine is getting hungry.”
Twilight looked toward the machine to see that the cloth was moving towards the needle with her friend, Rarity, now fully in view. “Don’t worry ,Rarity! I’ll save you!” The Element of Generosity looked to her lavender friend, and smiled with relief. Twilight went to the first mirror, picked up the hammer, and went to smash it, yet stopped when smoke swirled in the mirror to reveal something dear to her heart.
Mirror one: Filly Twilight played with her baby sitter, Cadance, on the front lawn of her house. It had been a day of fun, and relaxation, but Twilight’s brother ,Shining Armor, had come to pick her up. As usual, every time he got around Cadance, Shining turned into a bumbling fool. His words were jumbled, and he sweated profusely as he tried to ask Cadance something. Twilight sensing he needed help, used her still developing magic to create a message.
“uh..uh…Hey…Cadance…” Shining struggled to read, “Would you like…t-to go on a… date with me?”
“I thought you’d never ask! I would love to go!”
Twilight Then ran to each of the mirrors
Mirror two: Filly Twilight struggled to get her magic to work in front of the board of judges. Try as she may, only spark flew from her horn. After futile attempts, Twilight decided to give it on more go, and that’s when a loud boom cause her magic to explode from the depths of herself, causing the egg she was aiming at to hatch and grow into a mighty dragon...
Twilight ran to the next mirror. She already knew the rest of that story…
Mirror three: This mirror wasn’t a scene in her life , but more of a picture slideshow of her first adventure with her friends: NightMare Moon. Twilight saw pictures of her meeting her friends, Rarity opening the curtain to reveal the Shadow mare, the manticore, the group falling off the cliff, the manticore, Steven, Shadowvolts, and even the final defeat of Nightmare Moon. Twilight couldn’t help, but smile. Those moments intertwined their lives ,and formed an eternal friendship. Unfortunately, Rarity’s whining broke her train of thought.
“Twilight, dear…not to rush you from looking at yourself, but I’m getting uncomfortably close to the needle…” Rarity. Fear was subtitle in her voice.
“Sorry…sorry…” Twilight apologized, “Celestia…exactly what will happen once I break these mirrors?”
Celestia appeared on the lion that supposedly bit her head off. It looked uncomfortable, and awkward, but Celestia didn’t seem to mind. She got off the lion, and poofed it away with a flick of her horn. Celestia laughed as she summoned another mirror. This mirror showed Twilight’s graduation memory.
“You see, Twilight. These mirror are attached to you mind which holds you memories. They are also attached to the power source of this machine.”
“Twilight Hurry!!!”
“Continue…”
“To stop the machine you have to break each mirror which in turn will delete the memory from your mind,” Celestia grabbed a hammer, and smash the mirror she summoned, “Now, do you remember graduating from my school of gifted unicorns, Twilight?”
“Uh…” Twilight searched for the memory she knew should be their, yet she couldn’t grasp it, “It’s gone…you took my memory…”
“No..no…I sacrificed it to slow down the machine. You better hurry.” Celestia’s eye twitched before she disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Without hesitation, Twilight ran to the first mirror, and grabbed the hammer. She watch as the memory repeated itself of Shining asking Cadance out. It was an important memory, but one she was willing to sacrifice. Twilight swung the hammer with little regret. The mirror shattered, and she forgot how Shining and Cadance’s relationship started. Fortunately, the machine slowed down.
Twilight then ran to the second mirror. As this memory replayed, Twilight sighed. This memory was more important to her. It is how her life started. The point in her life that changed its course for the better. Her first connection to her friends. The hammer shook in her hoofs. She swung the hammer which cracked, but did not shatter the memory. In Twilight’s mind, the memory went hazy, but still intact. She swung again, and the mirror shattered. The memory now gone, and the machine even slower.
Now, as she approached the third mirror. The most important memory of the three. Tears flowed from her eyes as she picked up the hammer. She could barely watch as she swung to hit the mirror, yet she dropped the hammer as she swung. The hammer hit the corner of the mirror causing Twilight to flinch. She couldn’t do it. This memory was too important. How couldn’t one sacrifice the start of their friendship?
Twilight looked up to see Rarity only feet away from the sharp needle. Her eyes were closed, and a single tear was being produced in her eye. She seemed to be saying prayers to some higher power. If she was praying to Celestia, her prayers would be in vain.
“Spike…I can’t…I can’t do it?” Twilight cried.
“Twilight...you just gotta!” Spike yelled from the audience, “To save Rarity! And prove that you’ll do anything for your friends!”
The words rang in Twilight’s head. She realized that one memory didn’t determine a friendship. Each on played a piece in the puzzle that was friendship. With new found determination, Twilight grabbed the hammer, and smashed the third mirror. Each time she hit, a different part of the entire memory would disappear. Meeting her friends: Gone. Going into the Everfree Forest: Gone. Realizing her friend’s elements: Gone. Releasing Princess Luna: Gone. With the last hit, the memory was entirely gone.
“I’ve been hit! The horror! The Horror!”
“Rarity!” Twilight ran to her friend to see the needle centered in the middle of Rarity. The needle punctured the poor , marshmallow mare causing some blood to arise, but with quick healing, Rarity would be alright, “Rarity, you’re alright. Spike! Come apply some pressure.”
“It’s going dark, Twilight…no…I see a light at the end of a tunnel! Oh! It’s my time.”
Spike ran to his damsel’s aid, holding her hoof, and her wound. Twilight could only sigh as she manually lifted the needle. Spike pulled Rarity from the needle’s clutches. Rarity used her magic to summon a fan to cool herself down after the horrifying ordeal. Twilight tried hard to remember something…something important. Something about friends. Her thoughts were halted, when Celestia’s voice rang through the Bigtop.
“Giving up precious memories for friendship, Ladies and Gentle! Can you believe it?” Celestia yelled as the crowd cheered, “See you at the next show.”
The smoke ponies all formed into one cloud, and exited the Circus. Celestia then walked to her former student and friend who went on the defensive. Taking aback by the show of aggression, Celestia kept her distance.
“It’s time to leave the circus, Twilight.” Celestia stated. She somewhat sounded sorry for what she did.
“We can’t leave with Rarity like this...” Twilight responded.
Celestia lit her horn, and Rarity disappeared from Spike’s armd. “Don’t worry about her. She will get the attention she needs. Now, it’s time for you to leave. Be back when the bell rings.”
Twilight levitated Spike, who seemed traumatized by the disappearing Rarity, on her back. She had a spiteful look on her face as she walked towards the exit, “I used to look up to you…”
Celestia’s eyes seemed to fill with tears, yet they quickly changed, and twitched as a insane smile appeared on her lips. She seemed to struggle to get the word out, “If…o-only you knew the full s-story…”
