I showed up to where the carnival was located on Friday. And it was jam packed and full of activity. So I walked up to the entrance and saw families, friends, and couples buying passes and going in. I was told to go straight to the entrance and show the person the VIP envelope to that person. I came up to the entrance and was met by a lady with mint hair and dressed in mint clothes. I handed her the envelope and she opened it and pulled out a special wristband and clipped it around my wrist. She handed the envelope back to me, telling me to hold on to it for later. I’m not sure what for, but I decided to keep it and went in to the carnival. I could see lots of people walking around, feeling happy and excited. But somehow, it just didn’t felt right for me.
As I was walking around the carnival, I heard someone echoing out loud. “Come one, come all. Witness the mind-bending trickery of the Great and Powerful Trixie.” I knew that this was the person that Starlight was telling me about before. So I decided to walk to where the crowd was gathering and saw Starlight in the area. She was looking around until she saw me in the area. She waved her hand, asking me to come over to her. So I went and joined her.
“I see that you were able to come after all,” she said.
“Well, might as well not let it go to waste.” I looked up on the stage and saw the same Trixie that was on the poster back then. “Is that your friend?”
“That’s her. Just watch and you will see what she can do.
So we both watched and saw Trixie do a variety of tricks and illusions. Some were awe inspiring, others were a touch funny. But it was one act that somehow stood out.
“Now for my next trick, I will need a volunteer.” People started to wave their hands, most of them being kids. But I looked over to Starlight and saw that she was pointing to a red-headed boy nearby. I looked back to Trixie and saw her give a wink, then said, “You! The one with the red hair.” The boy in question pointed to himself. “Yes you. Come and Join Trixie in her next trick.”
I leaned over and whispered, “Is that the boy and his mother that you were talking about?”
“Yep. And this trick will be a big surprise at the end.”
The boy finally joined Trixie on stage. “Now, tell Trixie what your name is?”
“Sam.”
“Sam, what Trixie has in her hand is an unopened pack of cards.” Trixie unwrapped the pack and pulled out all the cards. “This deck has never been used before. First, Trixie will place the two jokers back into the box, because we will not be using those. Now, Trixie wants you to pick a card. Any card, and show it to the audience. And whatever you do, do not show Trixie your card.”
Trixie had the cards spread out in her hand while looking away, and the boy pick out a card and showed it to the audience. It was the eight of hearts.
“Now, place the card back into the deck.”
The boy placed the card into the deck while Trixie was still looking away. Once that was done, she looked back to the audience.
“Now, Trixie will shuffle the deck several times so that the cards are mixed.” Once that was done, she placed the deck on the small table. “Now, Trixie wants you to split the deck into four decks, than stack them back in a different order.” The boy did what he was told. “Now, Trixie knows that your card is on the top of the deck.” She takes the top card and shows it to everyone. It was the three of clubs. “Is this your card?”
“NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!”
She looked and was a bit surprised. “Well, Trixie must try again.” She laid the card to the side and pulled the next card. It was the ten of spades. “Is this your card?”
“NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!”
She was still surprised. So she grabbed the next card. It was the seven of diamonds. “Is this your card?”
“NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!”
Now she wasn’t happy and stared at the boy. “You sure you placed the card back into the deck?” He nodded. She quickly counted the cards, then decided to grab the box to see if it went in there. But when she shook it, only one joker came out. “Wait a minute. Where’s the other joker?” She went back to the deck and flipped through the cards until she found the other joker to show them. “It seems that the joker has taken your card. Perhaps, if Trixie was able to see in your head, Trixie can find the card that you picked.” So she looked through the boy’s ear and said, “What’s this?” She placed her hand behind the boy’s ear and had a card appear out of nowhere. It was the eight of hearts. “Is this your card?” The boy nodded and the audience cheered and clapped in response. Trixie took the deck of cards and placed it back in the box and handed it to the boy. “For your help with Trixie’s trick.” And the boy left the stage.
Starlight said, “Told you she was talented.”
“I see what you mean.”
But before we could see her next trick, a lady came up to us and asked for Starlight to step aside from the crowd. She had the gorgeous purple hair that I saw before. Starlight wanted me to follow her, just in case.
“Is something wrong, Rarity?”
“Well, Twilight is a bit busy with some things and was hoping that you can watch over the final preparations for the big show for her.”
“Sure. I can do that.” But before she could leave, she looked at me, then back to Rarity. “Can you do me a favor and keep our guest company before the big show? I’m sure he could be hungry right about now?”
“Most certainly, dear. I’m a bit hungry as well.”
“Thanks Rarity.” Starlight looked at me and said, “I would like it if you see the big show before you leave. Rarity can show you where to go, since we have a special seat for our VIP’s.”
So I nodded and she went off to join the others. Now I was left with Rarity for the time being.
“So, what do you feel like eating?” she asked me. “Hamburgers? Hot dogs? Pizza?”
“Pizza!” I quickly replied. “Pepperoni if possible.”
“Then come with me. I know where the pizza here is served.”
So I followed her through the carnival grounds to the pizza booth. When I went up, I requested a slice of pepperoni pizza and a bottle of cola. Rarity requested a slice of cheese pizza and a bottle of water. I was able to grab my wallet, but Rarity stopped me and asked for the envelope. So I pulled it out and handed it to her, and she pulled out of the envelope two meal coupons and two snack coupons. She handed me the snack coupons for later and handed the server the meal coupons. He came back with our orders, and we took them and went towards a nearby picnic table to eat.
“So, I’m guessing you never dated a lovely lady like me, have you?” she said while blinking her eyes in a romantic look.
“I’ve never been on a date since… I don’t know when.”
Her romantic look turned into a look of shock. “Seriously? I mean, a cute looking guy like you has been on a date before.”
“Well, I was able to go to my junior prom in high school. But that was it.
“And how long was that ago?”
“Over twenty years.”
“Twenty years? And how old are you?”
“Thirty-eight,” I said
“I would have figured that you were a bit younger. Oh well. Looks can’t be that important, right?”
I just stared at her while taking a bite of my pizza. She noticed this and decided to speak.
“What. Is something on my face? Is there a stain on my dress?”
“No, it’s not that,” I said.
She looked at me and started to get a picture of how I was acting.
“I think I see the problem. I can guess that the date you had was your girlfriend back in high school, right?”
“More of a sweetheart. But it lasted about… five to six months, I think. That’s all.”
“You mean that she just dumped you like that?” she asked me, feeling shocked.
“Not really,” I corrected. “She was younger than me, and it was our first time dating. I’m guessing that she wasn’t ready for a long distance relationship when I went to college.”
“She could have given it a chance.”
“We never had the media resources back then, so I would have to talk to her on the phone when she was available. That might have been the problem.”
“And I can guess that you couldn’t find one in college, right?” I nodded. “I guess they must have been taken by other guys. I mean being tall and handsome would be what a girl wants at that time.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me. At least you have a job, right? Ladies like a guy with a stable job.”
“I had a job for a long time, but they let me go. Haven’t found one in about a year. I mean, I was able to take some jobs, but they didn’t fit me right. I needed one where I could be more flexible in what I do, without holding others back.”
“So you were more of a lone wolf in what you do, right?” I nodded. “I see. So money would be a problem for you?”
“Not really. I have what I like to call my rainy day fund. It was something that my father had in place before he passed away.”
“Well, I’m sure that things will get better in due time.” She looked at her watch on her wrist. “We got fifteen minutes before the big show starts. Let’s finish our pizza and grab some cotton candy on our way there. Will that be fine for you?”
“Sure,” I said.
So we finished our pizza and threw our trash away. Then we went to where the cotton candy was being sold and used the two snack coupons for them. With that out of our way, we made it to the big tent and went inside. Rarity guided me over to one area that they leave for their VIP’s. It wasn’t close, but wasn’t far either. I was in the middle of a section that had a really good view of the area.
When the lights dimmed in the tent, a spotlight shined in the center ring where Starlight Glimmer was standing, holding a megaphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Welcome to the Canterlot Carnival’s Big Top!”
Lots of the members from each act came out to simply displayed their talents to the fans. When that was done, the first performance begin with the Pie Sisters, Pinkie and Maud. Maud was on a round board, and Pinkie held several throwing knives and threw them around Maud. After grabbing the knives back, she started to spin the board and do the same trick while it was spinning. All of them hit the board, missing Maud. She repeated what she did and decided to do it again blindfolded. Taking her time, Pinkie was able to throw each knife and hit the board without striking Maud. The audience cheered as Pinkie took off her blindfold and went to free Maud from the board before bowing to the crowd and leaving the area.
The next performance was Fluttershy and her animals of various kinds. She first tried to get them to sit in a line, but they wouldn’t listen. So she stared at each one with an evil looked ad instructed them to sit, to which they did. She got the animals to do several tricks with her and with other animals before her performance ended.
The third performance was Applejack, who had several cans on a narrow wooden fence, making sure that no one wasn’t in the line of fire. She showed off her shooting skills, hitting each can with a normal pose. Then the same with backward poses. And again while facing her back against them. Then Pinkie came out with some small disc and threw them in the air, to which Applejack was able to take out each target with one shot each. She even took out two targets in a row with one shot.
Performance after performance, it was a site to see. I never knew that these people would have talents like those. But the final performance came up from above. The Wonderbolts. The four members that were on the poster were up there, along with a few extras to help out. It was Fleetfoot who went to the center bar, swinging back and forth, ready to catch one of her teammates. Spitfire was the first to swing to her. Then Soarin started to swing to Fleetfoot, allowing him and Spitfire to switch at the same time. Then Rainbow Dash did the same with Soarin before returning to the tower stand. They would do more stunts, creating a human chain. Some of the extra Wonderbolts were at the ready to catch the first bar, just in case.
Then they finished their act with the use of a third bar on the other side, to which another extra timed his toss so that Spitfire would make their way to that bar. Soarin would be the next to cross to Fleetfoot. Rainbow Dash would try to do the same, but miss grabbing Soarin and fall onto the safety net. Soarin yelled to Rainbow Dash asking if she was alright, to which she would give a thumbs up. She would make it back up and try the trick again, this time grabbing Soarin and being tossed to Spitfire. Then Soarin would set himself up so that he and Rainbow Dash would switch sides at the same time, to which went perfectly. Then Rainbow Dash would make it back to the first bar, but set herself up so that Soarin would go from Spitfire to Fleetfoot, then to Rainbow Dash. He would go back to Fleetfoot and Spitfire. Then Rainbow Dash would go to Fleetfoot and switch placed with Soarin before he would return to the first bar and onto the stand. Rainbow Dash would make her way to the stand, then Spitfire, and finally Fleetfoot, finishing is performance.
As the show was coming to an end, Starlight came out and thanked everyone for coming out. All of the cast came out to bow and wave to the audience. At that point, party favors shot out of nowhere and came flying down towards us. At that point, Starlight told us to grab the white ones coming down. Everyone was able to grab one as they came down. Rarity pointed out one that was coming my way, so I was able to grab that one. When I looked at it, I was surprised to see something written on it. It was like what you would find inside a fortune cookie, but I would have never believe what it said.
If you wish to find your path, go to the sisters that will give you a hand.
I wasn’t sure what it was talking about, but Rarity explained it to me.
“Everyone of those pieces of paper contains a message that would be for that person, and that person alone. What you hold right now says that you should see the two sisters here to help you. And since you’re a VIP, you are allowed backstage access as long as me or one of my friends are with you.”
So I went with Rarity outside and we went to the backside of the big tent. There was another tent that was lower than the big one. At the entrance was a big guy with orange hair and wearing a red shirt and blue overalls. Rarity stopped me for a moment and asked me to wait here before she went inside. So I waited outside for a while before Rarity came back out with Twilight.
“I see that you’re still here,” Twilight said to me. “Rarity, thank you for being with him during the evening for Starlight.”
“Oh it was no trouble at all,” Rarity told Twilight. She looked at me and said, “I hope you have a great time here,” and gave me a wink before leaving.
“Rarity can be a bit of a flirt at times, but she can be very generous towards others,” Twilight explained. “Well, if you will come with me, I shall introduce you to the sisters.”
So the big guy lifted the entrance for us to go inside. We were walking down the pathway, passing by other small rooms. As we passed each room, Twilight told each one how well they did tonight. For some reason, I was able to make eye contact with each one, to which they smiled or waved back at me.
“You can see how well we all get along. It’s like we are one big family,” Twilight explained. “Speaking of which, remember when you told me about what you have been doing with your life as of late, trying to find a purpose?” I nodded. “Well, Rarity filled me in on some of the things that you told her. I’m starting to get a picture of the problem that you’re dealing with, but I think there must be more to the story.”
“Well, I’m not sure if you would understand anyway.” I said.
“I see. Well, once you meet the sisters, I’m sure they can help you open up some more and maybe find the path that you need to take. They’ve helped each one of us, and some of us were able to pass it to others. It’s what makes the Canterlot Carnival special.”
We finally made our way to where the two sisters were located and went inside. Both of them looked just like the poster that I questioned when I saw it.
“I see our guest is here,” spoke Lady Luna.
“I believe so,” spoke Madam Celestia. “Please, have a seat.”
There were three long, fold-up seats in the room. Both sisters were in their own on one side. So I went to the one that was empty on the other side.
“If you don’t mind, but I need to finish up on a few things for the night.” Celestia nodded to Twilight, allowing her to leave.
Luna was the first to speak. “So, Twilight tells us that you have a hard time believing that dreams can come true.”
“Well, it’s hard to believe that it can happen.”
“That may be true,” Celestia said. “But there are people that have dreams. Dreams of what they want to do in their life. Or more likely, a goal they have in mind. Was there ever a goal that you wanted to achieve?”
“I’m… not really sure.”
“Maybe it would be to have friends around,” Celestia said. “Or maybe start a family.”
“Or maybe be noticed and respected for what you have done in your life,” Luna added.
“We have heard some of the details from those that you were with earlier, and we might be able to help,” Celestia said. “It’s like someone who is lost on the path that they are on now.”
“All of us are able to help those in need,” Luna said. “But when someone has lost hope in their path, then we all have to help restore them on the path, or find the real path for them to take.”
“Luna, why don’t you get things prepared for our guest.”
Lady Luna nodded, got up, and left the room, leaving me with Madam Celestia.
“So, what happens now?” I asked.
“You will see soon enough. While we have help others find the hope they need to go on, there are some that still feel lost. We do the best that we can to put them on the path, but there are times when the path they are on is one that they can’t take alone.”
Lady Luna returned and said, “It is ready.”
“Please, if you will, go with my sister. She will tell you what has been prepared for you.”
So, I got up and followed Lady Luna out of the room. As we were walking, she started to explain what I was able to face.
“I’m sure my sister may have given a hint to what you are about to face. But I’ll explain it to you as well. There’s a lady with us, somewhat younger than you, who has lost her way. We have helped her the best that we can and allowed her to help us out around the carnival. But every time the carnival goes on, she tends to be by herself, looking at the stars at night. I think the two of you might have something in common.”
We came up to our destination, and Lady Luna raised the curtain, leading to the very back of the area. Outside, there was a lady with red hair and streaks of yellow in it, sitting on a log. I could only see her from the back, but she was wearing a black leather jacket.
Luna whispered, “Her name is Sunset Shimmer. She came close to taking her own life a year ago before we came along. She felt hopeless for actions that she has done in the past. So we allowed her to join us in hopes of finding a purpose in her life. She helps us in setting up and breaking down the carnival. But most of her time is spent in places like this.”
“I’m not sure I can be of any help. I’ve tried to help others back in college, and-”
“Do not worry about what has happened in the past,” Luna quickly responded. “Those have been lessons learned. Think of this as another chance to heal someone who feels broken. Maybe this will help you find what has been missing in your life.”
I took what Lady Luna told me and decided to take a chance. So I started to walk towards the lady on the log and came up next to her. “Excuse me, but is alright if I sit here?”
She looked at me for a moment and said, “Sure. Don’t see why not.”
So I decided to sit down next to her. It was quiet, and I was having a hard time finding a way to start a conversation. One of the problems in my life. But somehow, she started the conversation for me.
“So, what’s a VIP doing back here?”
I guess she saw the wristband I was wearing. I had to come up with an excuse that she could believe in. Just saying that Lady Luna took me here would create a problem.
“I just… needed some quiet time somewhere. I figure this would be as good of a place to come to.”
Somehow, I wasn’t sure if she would believe me or not. But her response was, “Whatever.”
I needed to keep it going, so I asked her, “Do you like coming to places like this at night?”
She just stared at me. “Is that the best that you can come up with?”
Somehow, she must have known what was going on in the first place.
“I can understand that they want to help me in some way, but I’m not in a mood to talk about it right now,” she explained.
“Sorry. I’m just… never good at conversation. Everything I say or do just gets lost in translation. It’s why I just do things by myself. I can never get anyone to understand me, that’s all.”
“So, you’re just unique like me, right?”
I’ve always thought I was unique. Like I was one of a kind. But I wondered why she thought she was also unique.
“What makes you say that?” I asked her.
“Well, I’m just different from everyone else.”
“Isn’t everyone like that?” I said.
“Well, everyone has some things in common. I just… don’t.”
“Well, I used to have things in common with those I once knew. But it was more like I was friends with several groups who were different from each other. Now I’m just by myself.”
“Man, I wish I had what you had. I used to try to get everyone around me to respect me for who I was.” She paused before she corrected herself. “Well, worship me would be a better way of saying it.”
“Well, everyone that knew me, respected me for who I was and what I did, even if it was a private company. I just never got enough credit for what I did. But that was twenty years ago. Now I just work my rear off to get things done. And yet, only the ones that I worked with gave me the credit that I deserved.”
“Maybe you just need to work harder.”
“I did. But after working for around twelve years, I was laid off.”
“Ouch. Maybe you weren’t cut out for the job.”
“Oh I was. Maybe a little too good. It was more of financial cuts that were made at my job. And of some reason, I was somewhere on top of that list. Do well, get a better raise than the others, then they decide to let you go. My manager didn’t even get work of this until after I was gone. Told them that they would regret letting me go. But that doesn’t matter now. They moved to another city to merge somewhere. Now I haven’t been able to find the job that was right for me.”
“So you’ve been out of a job since then?”
“I’ve tried a couple of jobs, but they just didn’t work out. My social skills sucked, so retail was out. I did try to work in a factory, but soon found out that I just couldn’t keep up. I needed something that I can do that was on my own pace.”
“Why not ask your friends to help you find one?”
“Because all of them have their own lives ahead of them. They have families and love ones to have at their side. Plus, all of them have moved from one place to another. So I don’t have any friends close by that could help me out. Nor do I have a family around.”
“Not even a loved one?”
“If you mean girlfriend, then no.”
“Seriously? Not in your life?”
“I had one. More of a sweetheart. But she broke up with me, thinking that I would find someone in college. But everyone that I met thought they were broken and believed that I deserved someone better. But they were all taken. When I got my job, my co-workers tried to help me as well. But that went nowhere. But one of the temps that came in to help was an old classmate of mine and my sweetheart. She gave me my sweetheart’s e-mail so that I could get in touch with her. When she learned that I was still single, she regretted breaking up with me.”
“I guess she learned from her mistake. Did you ever meet again?”
“Not really. She’s now married and have two kids, which take up a part of her time. So I decided put more effort in trying to find a girlfriend, hoping that would remove the regret that she was feeling. But I kept making mistakes in doing so. Even when I went to my the year reunion, everyone that showed up thought I would get one. But it just kept getting worse as each year went by. Now I just feel old and started to question everything that I was doing in my life. Sometimes I wonder if my father was to blame for all this. He was focused on a work lifestyle that he forgot about having a social lifestyle as well. That’s why my social skills suck.”
“Well, at least you had a father. I never knew my parents in my life.”
Just hearing that made me wonder if she was an orphan growing up.
“So you were raised in an orphanage?” She nodded. “Were you ever adopted?” She shook her head. “How come?”
“Because… because I acted like a bully to everyone, that’s why. I wanted to be respected, but they all though I was some reject and that no one wanted to adopt me as a foster daughter. When it was time for high school, they sent me to the nearest school for me to study. I wanted to be respected again over there during that time, but everyone just turned a blind eye at me. After I graduated and turned eighteen, I was on my own. I was able to get a job, but would be let go myself, thinking I wasn’t good enough for the job. Happened several times before I just gave up. So I started to do whatever I could do to get by. But it just kept getting worse. I almost decided to end it all before they came along.”
“You mean the two sisters?” She nodded. “So you never had a family or friends to be with you, didn’t you.”
“That’s right,” she said. “Now I’m trying to find what it is that I’ve been looking for. But all I do is help out in setting up the carnival and breaking it down. Otherwise, I just spend my time by myself out of the spotlight. I don’t have any talents that can be of any use here. Just as long as I work hard, I was able to get a roof over my head, and three meals a day. It’s not much, but it’s good enough for me. I’m sure you’re having to deal with surviving on your own after you lost your job.”
“Well, my late father left me with some funds to help me get by, should the worst happen. I call it my rainy day fund. I was able to get some other money transferred from my job that was set for retirement. Now, I have enough money to get by for me to retire if I wanted to. But somehow, it doesn’t feel right to just do that already.”
“I ca guess you don’t like to do nothing with your life. Plus, there are some things that money can’t buy. Like friends, or even… love.”
One of the things I learned in my life. You can buy items for your friends or love ones. But it wouldn’t be the real thing if they are not like that. Friendship and love has to be earned, not bought.
It was quiet again. This time, all the sounds of the carnival started to die down.
“I guess everyone must be leaving,” I said. “Maybe… I should do the same.” I started to get up and stretch before walking off until she grabbed me hand to stop me.
“Say, what kind of place do you live in?”
“Just a small apartment. I had my father’s estate, but finally got everything taken care of and had it sold after I lost my job. I don’t have a lot. Just some personal items that I have had during my life. Why?”
“Well, I was wondering if… you would join us. You said that you were a hard worker, and you were looking for a job. Make be you could be of some help here.”
I was surprised at the offer that she was giving me. “Well, I’m not in any hurry for work right now. Just trying find out what I want to do with my life.”
“That’s what I was thinking as well. I mean, you don’t have any friends nearby, and no job. And why you might have enough money, you don’t want to use it all up so soon, right? So why not travel with us. Maybe you can find your friends that you knew along the way. Plus, the carnival staff and performers have their own place to rest after every tour. They use that time to work on new acts before the next tour. And we always travel by train. Or more likely, two trains, since they have a lot of cars to pull. And maybe…” She started to look down towards the ground. “Well, both of us can find what it is that we wanted to do with our lives. I mean, I have everyone that works in the carnival. But it would be nice to… have someone at my side instead of being alone during my downtime.”
That’s when I realized that both of us had something in common. It wasn’t that we were unique, but we were trying to find what we wanted to do in our own lives. I have come across girls that felt broken long ago, but couldn’t put the effort to really help them. And during that time, I thought I was broken as well. I’ve been searching for the answers to every question that I have been asking myself, only to realized that it was something that I couldn’t do alone. And for some reason, she was at that same state that I was. Everyone that I came across at this carnival was able to deal with their problems and find what they wanted to do with their lives. But this young lady was still searching, and didn’t have anyone else who would have the time to help her because they were busy helping others in need in each city.
“Well, I can see if my landlord can end my lease with him early before I join. But I’m not sure what to do with my stuff.”
“Oh, I believe that they have a spare train car for something like that,” she said. “I think they try to be prepared in case someone joins then during one of their tours. And if you need a place to sleep until we return home, I can share my living space for you if you like. It’s a caboose on one of the trains. I try to stay out of the way from the other performers when they get their rest, so I have it to myself. Twilight does come by to visit me when she feels like it. But it would be nice to have someone around while we travel between cities.”
If I didn’t know any better, I thought she was blushing when she explained that to me.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt, right?”