The Cirque Has Come To Town
“Welcome, welcome, one and all, to our glorious, euphorious carnival!” boomed the earth pony in the ragtag suit at the gates of the massive carnival. “Your admission here is but a bit of altruism, and we welcome every and anyone to step through our gates, where we promise your wildest imaginings will become reality! Come, sir, come madam, come one and all, and see what we have to offer! A carnival of clownish cheer! A bacchanal of befuddling bliss! A masquerade of mischievous madness! A saturnalia of sadistic succulence!”
The earth pony strutted to the side, his cane floating along beside him by no apparent means as he posed proudly in his suit before pointing into the audience, shouting: “You there! Wouldn't you love to expose yourself to an exposition of earthly ecstasy? We'll make you smile for a penny, laugh for a dime, and a mere dollar, sir, can pay for delights as you've never seen!”
He whirled, gesturing out at another pony, giving a wink as he teased: “Or you, sir! Does such a jolly jollification not jibe you, but instead you long for the languish of lost years, to feel the terrors of the house of mirrors, the foul fetid fear at the fiends of the freak show? We have that too, and in such supply that the rest of your life will be spent with a ghostly chill in your step and a killer's breath on the back of your neck!”
The earth pony spun back around, striding towards the crowd as he declared cheerfully: “Yes, ladies and gents, we have sights and sounds never before seen, from Manehattan to Canterlot and beyond! All the riches of Saddle Arabia could not buy the treasures within this carnival, but you, sir, you may rent them all for pittance! Pay the price and make your wish and come, come and join us! Step up to the gate, show your ticket, and tell the ticket taker what you wish to see, and then take your first step into a great and glorious journey all your own! But for the parting of a few bits, witness wonders and warmth that would make even Princess Celestia gasp, delights and desires that would shake the boundless imagination of even Princess Luna!”
The earth pony turned and leapt up onto a set of boxes, grinning as he posed, 'leaning' on his cave. His eyes are wide and bright, eyes wise and prankish: eyes that would do worse than never lie, but always twist the truth. His teeth sparkled, his suit was made of a thousand patches held together by string and prayer, but impeccably neat and tidy; all for the sake of providing the right feeling! His hat was tipped jauntily, the very same hat as his cutie mark, with the same feather, the very same playing cards decorating its brim, as he exhorted: “Come, come one and all, and see what we have to offer! Dare with us, dream with us, love with us, leap with us! Challenge us, and find if you have what it takes to face what you desire most, in your heart of hearts!
“And all for one good act!” the earth pony said, before he flicked his cane to the side and vanished in a puff of smoke and fireworks to the awe of the crowd.
The pony in the ticket booth sighed in exasperation, then winced as ponies crammed forwards. He shouted at them pointlessly, shoving grouchily back at them before he slumped inside the little stall, tapping a hoof impatiently as he waited for them to form into a coherent line, ignoring the purple and black mane that fell over his face. His curved horn gleamed, his black eyes shifted, the purple lines that spun endlessly through them loosening as they rolled backwards, then tightening as he focused on the first pony in line, who shoved a few bits at him with a bright smile.
“Welcome to the Cirque du Noir. Have a nice day.” he muttered, stamping a ticket before he slid it to the pony with telekinesis. The little pony turned with a squeal and bounded through the gates, then blinked in surprise as he stumbled on the other side, looking dumbly back and forth as if he had expected... well, more.
He huffed, but continued on his way. The green unicorn back in the ticket booth rolled his eyes, and so things continued: ponies gave him random amounts of bits, took their tickets, then ran through the gate as if something magical was going to happen to them.
None of them had much luck. Some looked disappointed, some clung to their delusions, some angrily turned and exited. A few of the ones who turned back were dumb enough to join the line again, but it would be a long time yet before they got to come in.
Veritas always did this to him. One day all his showponyship was going to backfire and they were going to end up losing the whole crowd.
He snorted, then looked down in surprise as not bits, but instead, a white piece of paper was pushed through to him. He picked this up and examined it for a moment, before a smile bridged his scarred muzzle as he set it down and stamped it, straightening and locking his eerie gaze with the pony's own as he said pleasantly: “Welcome to the Cirque du Noir. I hope you enjoy your time with us.”
The pony took the ticket, then turned and pushed through the gate.
The gate swung closed, but on the other side, there was no pony to be seen.
But of course, at this carnival, all the very best sights were the ones that went unseen by everyone but the special few they had been made for.