//------------------------------// // Greatest Show Unearthed // Story: Il Carnevale de Artiglio // by Vicron //------------------------------// The air was filled with chanting as the creatures ducked into hiding. The ground behind the arches cracked, a dozen mirrors sprung from the ground, creating a hallway to the main path. Kleng chuckled, flourishing his claw. His shadow reached up, swallowing him before it all vanished in a puff of smoke. Standing in his place was a black pegasus, a scattering of stripes and his muzzle were white as bone. He leaned upright on a large, three pronged scythe, his crimson eyes, blade like silver mane and the skull emblazoned on his flank making what he was playing as obvious. He smirked, lifting the scythe with both hooves and began to sing. "The dark carnival is in town, you'd better be ready." He spun around, blue light trailing off the blades. Spreading his wings he flipped backwards, scratching divots into the ground with his scythe. He landed heavily, cracks spider-webbing out from his hooves. There was a moments pause, ponies looking around in anticipation. With a sound like shattering glass, a skeletal hoof broke through the turf, lifting a corpse from the dirt. A scream rose from the audience, prompting more bodies to spring from the dirt. The stallion grinned fiercely, slamming the staff into the ground, the skeletons shook themselves free of dirt and took a step forward. "Just follow the parade, of dancing skeletons." He twirled the scythe in the air before bringing down the blades into the ground. A blaze of blue fire engulfed him and all but one of his skeletons, the fire distended the remaining skeleton's shadow onto a tent. A new voice spoke. "Full of ghoulish delight," the creature from the flier stepped out from the skeleton's shadow before it too was engulfed in flame. "Around every corner." The fire flashed white, blinding the audience for a moment. When they could see again the slender colt was gone. A shadow fell over Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, they turned to find his muzzle not a foot from their own. They shrieked, tripping over themselves as he stood up. "Don't tell your parents you're here," seven black tentacles erupted from his back, closing in on them for a moment before pulling away. "They will soon me mourners." He dove down towards them. The Crusaders clung to each other in terror, closing their eyes and bracing for impact. He slithered around them, his limbs losing all semblance of skeletal structure. Slinking along on his belly, the slender stallion curled around a wooden booth, resting his head atop it like a grotesque wreath. Lounging within, etching glowing symbols into the air with his talon, was Kleng. "I will be your ticket taker," he took off his mask, revealing a flat, apelike face. "Come inside, it's a dream." He drove his claw through the forehead, the gold wrapping around the new hole. He tossed it into the floating rune, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. One of the more courageous colts had started through the hall of mirrors. "Inside the funhouse of mirrors," the colt's reflection distorted into a shadow monster with dripping fangs and claws. It's right glowed red. The colt looked at it and gasped, looking down at himself to be sure he was still normal. "No one can hear you scream." The mask that he had vaporized suddenly reformed over Rarity's face, perfectly molded to her head. One of the mirrors angled itself so she could see the beak now perched comfortably on her face. Kleng continued to sing. "We can supply anything, that your heart desires." In the reflection shadows crept up around her, faces leering, teeth dripping. "But the consequences, will surely be dire." Rarity yanked the mask off and the shadows abated. A diamond dog [one half of his face turned up in a smile, the other half pulled down in a deep frown] jumped from behind the mirror. "Welcome to the lower birth!" It howled before it was joined by a cheer from across the entire fairground. "The greatest show unearthed!" A great bat-like creature dove down from the sky, making not a sound as it swooped over the audience. "We appear without a sound," A grey unicorn mare took up the next line. "The darkest show around." Her coat and eyes turned black before a phantom image stepped away from her, darkness billowing off of it. It left behind a shining white mare that sparkled in the afternoon light. The two creatures sang in unison. "We will leave you in a daze." The diamond dog stepped back up to the plate, covering one half of his face and then the other. "Madness, murder, dismay!" All the shadows in the area, save for the dark mare, ripped themselves away from their owners, pooling in before the audience. Kleng's arm burst from them, his claw glinting darkly in the light no one had noticed was fading until then. He pulled himself the rest of the way out of the darkness. "We will disappear at night," he flourished his blood red claw. "With blood on the concrete!" The entire circus sung the last line in concert. "Come inside, for the ride. Your deepest, darkest fears." As one they advanced on the crowd, Kleng standing before them with a bright grin on his face. "The best night of your life, you're never leaving here!" Despite the threatening words, the few in the audience that decided to run were unencumbered. Outside of having to run past some disappointed looking carnies. "The unknown, the unseen, that's what you're gonna find! Witness this," one of the mirrors pulled itself apart, re-arranging the shards into the shape of a pony. "Witness that," A black and red llama turned into a parrot in a puff of pink smoke. "Until you lose your mind!" Kleng pulled a keyboard out of his sleeve, setting it out on thin air he began to play, expertly keeping his claw out of the way. Somewhere in the carnival a pipe organ started playing, filling the air with its melodies. He played for a moment, the audience riveted to him until he brought the music to a crescendo and stopped playing. He threw his head back and cackled, fireworks flew up from the main tent, bursting in all colors of the rainbow, in finale they exploded into a familiar representation of a star bear.