//------------------------------// // Hello Circus! // Story: A Circus At Cliffside // by Ardent Wing //------------------------------// “Where is he!?” Cloud Charmer whined. “I don’t know.” Cloudy Night answered. “Honestly, you ponies around here sleep in too late; he should be here by now.” “Well, we could see him coming better if we got on the path.” Cloudy mentioned. “No! I think we can do it, we just need to wait a bit longer.” Cloudy Night sighed, pushing a green leafy branch out of her face so that she could see well. They were currently hiding in a bush not a hundred hoofsteps from the circus, since Cloud had become determined to surprise Thunderstruck from here. Just across, Cloudy could see the monstrously large coloured tents, their blood red and earthy green canvases occasionally shifting with the light breeze. The grey sky in the background made them look larger and more imposing than they already were, though to Cloudy they had been suspicious the moment she saw them. She could feel the pulse moving through the air around them like the beats of a great drum, once again matching their beat to that of the tinny mechanical music coming from within the numerous rows of tents. Even with the almost signature music of the circus echoing throughout the area, Cloudy had not seen a single pony moving about, which had increasingly put Cloudy on edge. Cloud Charmer felt completely the opposite. Apart from the boredom she felt from the lack of one very specific pony who promised they would be here, she was rather enjoying herself. The music playing from the circus was odd, but also very friendly and inviting, and Cloud Charmer could not help but wonder what amazing sights lay within those gigantic coloured canopies. Of course, it was strange that nopony seemed to be about, and just walking into the circus felt wrong, so sitting in this bush seemed to be the perfect solution. Just wait for somepony to come by, and then go in. But her boredom would not be suppressed, and after a few more moments of staring down the main road, looking for Thunderstruck, Cloud Charmer pulled back into the bush with a loud sigh. “Seriously, how could anypony spend all this time sleeping, it just wastes time you could already be using to have fun!” Cloud said. When she looked at her dark blue friend, she noticed that Cloudy seemed to be on edge; staring through the leaves with an almost feverous look in her eyes… or at least, in the eye not covered by long blue mane. Better not to say anything about it, she was tired of having to tell Cloudy not to worry so much. Her friend kept saying that the beats coming from the circus were weird, but she still couldn’t feel it. Sure, it was something new, unlike any of the other beats they had felt before, but did that make it bad? Since when was strange evil? The rest of the ponies in town appeared to think of the circus like that, which only continued to amaze Cloud Charmer. The whole world was full of awesome new experiences, and the ponies here just slept all the time! They should be here, where the fun was! Come to think of it, there wasn’t a sign of anypony around the circus. It was like a ghost town, which was odd, since it actually was getting near late morning. Where was everyone? She decided to voice her concern to Cloudy. “Hey, Cloudy. Where do you think everypony is? I mean, some of them had to have wanted to come here, don’t you think?” “I don’t know Cloud; it’s not as if I had anything to do around Cliffside before now.” Town had seemed like a scary prospect back then. Funny how fast things changed. “But that can’t mean the whole town decided not to come today, could it?” “We can’t be sure if the town ever saw something like this before… I don’t know… maybe some kids are being kept at home by their parents. I don’t even know if WE should be here right now.” Cloudy said. “Why should we NOT be here. It’s not as if we weren’t i-“ “Shhhhhh!” Cloudy suddenly whispered. “wha-“ “Somepony’s coming!” She whispered. Cloud Charmer immediately pushed her muzzle through the last branches of the bush to look at the circus. Was Thunderstruck finally here? Were they actually going to get the chance to scare him? However, the pony she saw approaching was not Thunderstruck, but Master Mirage himself. He was dressed the same as she had seen him yesterday, wearing a tall black top hat and shiny black cape, lined with red inside, not to mention his exquisitely well made suit and vest. He looked absolutely spotless, with his pale coat seeming freshly brushed, and his cape and hat lacking the tiniest speck of dirt. His moustache looked perfectly trimmed at the end of his muzzle. Next to him walked another stallion, far older and rougher looking than himself... though he carried a youthfulness about him that completely contrasted with his appearance. He was hastily speaking to Master Mirage, who seemed to become more upset with every word. Cloud Charmer strained her ears, but she could not hear a word they were saying to each other. “What are they saying?” Cloud Charmer whispered. “I don’t know, wait till they get closer.” And they were, Mirage and his companion were trotting directly towards the very bush the two fillies were hiding in. As the distance closed between the two groups, Cloud Charmer felt both her nervousness and excitement growing. This was just like the adventures her uncle told her about! Finally Master Mirage came close to the other side of the road, not more than 20 or so paces from the bush they were in. As his words came into their hearing Cloud and Cloudy also noted that he appeared to be trying to hide what he was saying from anyone on the circus side of the road. Not that there was anypony there, but still. “You’re sure? Not a single pony?” Mirage’s voice still held that hypnotizing lilt, which twisted every word he spoke into something of great importance. What could that tidbit mean? Cloud Charmer almost wanted to jump out of her hiding spot from the adrenaline in her veins. Master Mirage’s nervous looking associate glanced down the road before speaking again. “No, not a single pony from town or the refugee camp has made their way here since we opened.” Oh… they were just talking about that. Cloud drooped a little in her spot. She should have expected that, it seemed like nopony could talk about super-secret things around her. “Hmph! For shame! Have you even seen activity in the town today?” Master mirage asked. For a moment the breeze rose up, blowing the cape away from his flank, and Both fillies almost gasped aloud. He had no cutie mark! Master Mirage was a blank flank! Neither of the girls had ever seen an adult without a cutie mark, and Mirage’s distinct lack of the thing looked so out of place from their ordinary lives. The bush shook a tiny bit in the breeze. A lucky thing, for in their surprise the girls had shifted around, and without that breeze they likely would have been noticed. “It’s as dead as a funeral home out there, sir.” The companion answered. “Well, it seems that it’s going to stay that way sometime… I don’t understand! This town was so trusting before. The last time I was here Canterlot was downright pleasant! What could possibly have happened?” Master Mirage asked the air. He took of his hat with on hoof and held it above his head, as though wearing it stopped him from thinking. His mane was, of course, a shiny black, slightly parted at the front. “Discord happened.” His companion intoned. Cloud Charmer started, as she actually seemed to notice the pony for the first time. He was a unicorn of average height, wearing a rough looking shirt collar around his neck, and sported a pair of small spectacles, reminiscent of her own uncle’s glasses, on his muzzle. His coat was the colour of dried dirt, but his mane was golden and shining, despite being very messy. Around his face his coat seemed to be stained with strange symbols that she couldn’t recognize. Who was he? Her curiosity held no end for this pony. “Ah, yes, Discord. This place was trusting before him.” Mirage said, placing his hat perfectly atop his head again. “He certainly changed policy.” “Policy! He changed the world! Ponies used to love each other, used to love the world! I could take this show anywhere in Equestria, and find excited viewers waiting for me. Now, we come back to our home, and for three months we haven’t gotten a single customer!” Mirage shouted, shaking his hoof at the rolling grey sky. Yes! Now things were taking an upward turn. These two ponies were talking about Discord. “Well, he brought chaos to the land. He showed ponies just how powerless they are. Can you really expect them to stay happy?” his companion intoned. “I expected something more than this! Look at what he’s done; wars seem to spring from the ground like worms in the rain! The world is still in chaos! Now more than ever ponies should be interested in entertainment, if only as a distraction.” “They just don’t have the spirit left.” Master Mirage didn’t appear to be listening anymore; he turned to stare at Cliffside… or Canterlot… down the road. He paused for a long time, just staring, before he spoke again. “What a homecoming, eh. We should never have come back.” “I think they do need us… they just need to remember that.” Mirage’s associate said. “Sure… But they better remember quickly, or we’ll be starving.” Master Mirage sighed. Overhearing their conversation had managed to make Cloud Charmer sad and angry at the same time. These ponies in town didn’t care about each other! Life outside the estate was nothing like she imagined it. There must be some way to fix this problem; she just needed to figure out how. Before Master Mirage or his companion could speak again they were interrupted by a shout from the circus. A large stallion ran out from the wall of flapping tents to meet the two on their side of the road. “Master… Mirage!” He spoke, huffing and puffing from what seemed like a very short run. “What is it, Number Crunch?” Mirage said. “Well… Quick Fix told me to tell you… that somepony broke the wheels on several of the travelling carts last night!” He said, gasping for air while he had his moments pause. “Who did it?” Master Mirage asked, beginning to sound very angry. “He said it could only have been somepony from town.” Number Crunch answered. “Probably telling us to get out of here.” Said the golden haired unicorn. “Then they’re fools! If they want us to leave, why would they break our wagons!? No, this was the work of some children.” He paused for a moment to puff angrily, glancing at the sky for a moment, “Did Quick Fix say how long it will take to repair the wagons?” “I believe he said… two days!” Number Crunch replied. Master Mirage looked at his companion, “Well, it’s no longer than we were staying here anyways. But… perhaps we should close up shop until the time comes to go.” The unicorn looked at Master Mirage for a moment, and then glanced behind the group. Cloud Charmer almost recoiled into the bush. It felt like he stared right at her! She felt her friend tense up beside her, and knew she was thinking the same thing. “I don’t think we should close just yet. Who knows, things can change in the blink of an eye!” The unicorn said with a wink before he trotted off in the direction of the circus. Master Mirage grumbled to himself for a moment, “One hour! That’s the longest I’ll wait!” He then turned to Number Crunch, now speaking in a very serious tone. “Tell Quick Fix to get to work on those wheels. If he needs any bits to find some parts, provided this ungracious town will provide any!” He shouted at the sky, “Then you may see fit to give him the necessary funds. Now, off with you!” Mirage ordered, watching Number Crunch take off on a gallop back into the circus. He seemed to grin a bit, seeing the stallion scramble to carry out his orders. It lasted only a moment though, and he himself trotted almost all the way back to the circus before shouting “Boy!” Like lightning, the foal that had been helping him with the wagon yesterday appeared from one of the tents. Cloud Charmer could no longer hear what he was saying to the boy, but she could guess that he was giving out some orders. Master Mirage then stopped to wait at the entrance of the circus grounds, obviously playing the greeter for the moment. Cloud Charmer almost fell back from her viewpoint through the bush, sitting perfectly still for that long almost killed her! Oh, but the things she had heard! This really was an adventure. “Cloudy, did you see? He had no cutie mark!” Cloud Charmer exclaimed. “I did see… but I don’t know why.” “Do you think he just, doesn’t know what his special talent is?” “That doesn’t seem likely. If what your mom said about him is true, then he must be old enough to be our grandfather. How could he have gone all that time without learning what his special talent is?” Cloudy Night asked. “That’s true, except that he doesn’t look old. It can’t be normal aging.” “He could be wearing an illusion around himself, made to change his appearance.” Cloudy suggested, and it was a possibility. “How would he do that?” “It’s one of the methods in my mother’s books. A magic user would wrap the illusion spell around themselves, and then tie it off, like weaving a net. The spell would then sit there and feed off of its own energy while the user wears it like a cloak. It’s doable, but very hard.” “Why is it so hard to accomplish?” Cloud asked. “Because it’s very hard to focus on yourself when you’re casting a spell. Self-enchantments are a risky and very unreliable type of magic, it would require a unicorn of both great power and focus to pull it off.” Cloudy explained, remembering what she could from the book she had taken from her mother’s library. “If it is an illusion spell, then how do we tell he’s wearing it?” Cloud Charmer asked. “Easy, we just need to get close to him. If he’s using magic at the time, then I should be able to sense it on him, like we do with the beats.” “Hmm… I wonder if ponies can give off pulses like the ones we hear.” “Maybe an important one like Celestia or Luna, but not anyone the likes of us.” Cloudy Night answered, not as an insult or a put down, but with a brutal honesty. She and her friend were simply not as important as Celestia or Luna, who would stand as a much better source for a beat. Cloudy looked to her friend, seeming less on edge than before, but by no means was she at ease. Her one dark blue pool of an eye stared back at Cloud Charmer, looking inquisitive. “So… do we go in?” Cloudy asked. “Of course we go in! But we need to wait a minute. We should come out looking like we just arrived.” She instructed. “Obviously, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t like us spying on them… Not that we heard anything we didn’t know already.” Cloudy said to herself at the end of her statement. “This is so exciting! Are you excited?” Cloud Charmer asked. To Cloudy Night her friend’s stormy grey eyes were beaming. It was hard not to feel the same from looking into those contagious eyes. “Yes, I’m excited.” Worried as well, but she wouldn’t bother admitting that right now. “Then, let’s get ready!” Cloud Charmer practically squealed. They waited about five more minutes before marching out of their bush, Cloud Charmer hopping confidently ahead as Cloudy Night slowly followed behind. As they drew closer and closer to the red and green tents, Cloudy could not help but feel like they actually grew larger the closer they got. She supposed that on a sunny day the reds would blaze like lines of fire, and the greens would look like the grass at her hooves, but in this light they only appeared ominous. Even the one open tent that she could see seemed a gateway into pure darkness. Cloudy shuddered, just a little, as they crossed the road. Cloud Charmer could see Master Mirage watch them cross the road. He had noticed them the moment they stepped out of the bush, yet he only decided to interact with the two fillies once they were drawing close. As Cloud Charmer hopped near the tents on the circus side of the road, Master Mirage suddenly leaped from his place leaning on a pole to stand before them. The move actually surprised Cloud Charmer, and she took a step back, placing Cloudy a hoofstep in front of her. Mirage flashed out his hoof, sending his cape into a large sweep behind him as he lowered himself to see the two small fillies. Cloudy could not help but notice just how tall he was; enough to rival somepony like Celestia herself! “Well who stands before me but a little blue unicorn, and an even littler grey pegasus. What may Mirage do for you two young ladies?” He said, his eyes offering comfort, care, and welcome as he spoke. The air about him spoke for him, as though his only mission was to become their best friend. Cloudy looked to Cloud Charmer, who stepped forward again to address Master Mirage. “We’ve come to see the circus!” she said, her previous excitement taking hold over her momentary surprise. “Of that I have no doubt, for my circus is the greatest in all the land! We’ve been beyond borders that few even knew existed. We’ve seen creatures fit to give nightmares… even brought some of the fearsome ones with us here, to show the ponies of this land. Sights unseen await you in here, little ones… have you money?” Mirage asked. “Well, we didn’t know how much you wanted for entry, so we brought two bits each.” Cloud Charmer answered. “You’re in luck; entry fee is only one bit.” Mirage said, holding his hoof out to take Cloud’s money. As she removed the bits from her neck purse, Master Mirage stared despairingly at the road before him. The road to an empty town. “Wait! How about this. For two bits each I’ll give you the tour of this place myself.” Mirage offered. “Why would you do that?” Cloudy asked, suspicious of the strange circus owner. “Oh, so she does speak! I was beginning to fear you were dead child, I could hardly hear you breathe! As for ‘why’… well…” He looked down the road again, staring a few moments longer before answering. “Well…” He said, leaning in close to the two fillies, “Nopony wants to stand out here all day, especially when my two finest customers are right here in front of me.” He whispered, making it seem as though he was sharing the world’s greatest secrets with her. That was what Master Mirage felt like; he made everything feel so much more important that it really was. “So whadd’ya say, two bits for my personal tour?” Mirage asked, his eyebrow rising questioningly. Cloud Charmer looked to her friend for her answer. She would of course pay the fee, but she was still unsure of what her friend would think. Cloudy Night seemed to ponder her decision for a few moments before nodding to Cloud Charmer. If there was any way she was going to get to know this circus, it would probably have to be through him anyways. “Yes! We’ll pay for the tour.” Cloud Charmer practically shouted. “Excellent! Hoof me those bits… thank you.” He said as Cloud Charmer gave him her bits. “Now, where should we begin? Ah! Your names?” Master Mirage sked. “I’m Cloud Charmer, and this is my friend Cloudy Night.” “And I am, of course, Master Mirage! But you may call me Mirage, if you wish.” “And are you two natives of this most auspicious town?” He asked. “Not really. I just moved here a month ago, and Cloudy doesn’t really hang around here.” Cloud Charmer answered the inquisitive circus owner. “Ah! Now there is no doubt as to why you weren’t intimidated by this place.” Cloudy frowned, that was a very open question regarding the avoidance that ponies around town made of this place. Why was he being so direct? “What do you mean?” Cloud Charmer asked. Mirage sighed for a moment, “It may not be something to mention out here, thinking about it. Come, we’ll talk while I trot you over to our muscle pony, Braun.” “Wait!” Cloudy said, stopping Mirage before he could continue. “Cloud Charmer, what about Thunderstruck? We’re supposed to wait for him.” “You have another coming to join you? Very good! I will, of course, have him brought straight to us when he arrives.” Mirage mentioned, obviously trying to move the group along. “He decided to sleep in today! He’ll just have to catch up to us.” Cloud Charmer concluded. “Ha! Fire in this one! With that said, may we depart?” Master Mirage asked. Cloudy nodded again. It was actually kind of funny that Thunderstruck would have to catch up. She just worried that he’d be disappointed that they didn’t wait for him. Mirage flourished his cape as spun and trotted into the innumerable rows of coloured tents, though the look on his face said that some thought was troubling him. Cloudy followed after, followed by Cloud after she stopped grinning stupidly at nothing, obviously excited at the notion of meeting Braun. As she followed behind, Cloud glanced at the entrance of the circus, only to find that another pony had already taken the place of Mirage. She was tall, like Mirage, and wore no very standout clothing, only a short dress that ended at the base of her tail. She was pale, and sported rosy hair tied in a neat bun on top of her head. Presumably she had come from one of the tents right next to the entrance, but had managed to refrain from making any sound as she did so. Looking at her, Cloud Charmer actually felt dread for the first time since she heard about the circus. The musical box songs continued to echo throughout the circus, still keeping time with the beat that pulsed all around the three ponies as they trotted. Cloud Charmer could not understand how these beats worked, they were currently surrounded by the beat coming from the circus, but they were not overwhelmed or overpowered by it. Sometimes she even stopped noticing that the beats were there! It made no sense at all. They trotted a few steps farther, and Cloud Charmer also began to see other ponies from the circus darting about between the tents. This place only looked inactive, when under the surface it looked almost as though it was in constant operation. Before they had trotted very far Mirage resumed the conversation they had been having earlier. “So… what did you say your names were again?” Cloudy Night turned her head oddly as she looked at Mirage. What was going on with him? He seemed so much less sure of himself now that he was away from the entry to the circus. Nevertheless, Cloud was still a few steps behind, despite her uneasiness… Cloudy answered him. “I’m Cloudy Night, and this is Cloud Charmer.” She said. “Oh, yes, I know child. I merely ask because of your little grey friend. Her name seems familiar, like one I’ve heard before…” He said, trailing off. “Well, you have met my mom before.” Cloud said as she hopped close. “Mother… wait! Cloud Charmer? You’re… Oak Leaf’s daughter!” He practically screamed, turning on the two friends so fast that Cloudy fell backwards in surprise. “Uh, yeah!” Cloud Charmer shouted back play fully. Before she could say anything else, Master Mirage grabbed Cloud Charmer and almost tossed her in the air, instead just spinning her in a twirl with his hoof. “Wooo! I knew you sounded familiar! I have not seen Oak Leaf since she was almost as short as you!” He said joyfully, apparently overtaken with emotion at having found a true friend so nearby. “Was she really as short as me?” Cloud Charmer asked quickly as she helped her friend up from the ground. Cloudy had some dust in her coat, but otherwise she was fine. “Oh yes! She-“ He noticed that Cloudy had fallen over, and immediately moved to assist her up. “Terribly sorry, child. Just the excitement at finding friends so close to myself… and I hadn’t even noticed!” He seemed to say to himself. Cloudy was very confused as to what exactly was going on. First Mirage was welcoming, then worried, and now… just… ecstatic! This pony was absolutely out of his mind! “So, I guess you and Oak Leaf were close then?” Cloudy asked. Mirage cleared his throat as he stood up straight, turning to lead the ponies on past the next row of tents. “Yes, well… I knew her when she was a child. I did see her once more; when she was pregnant with this little grey one. She was dragging that dreamy looking stallion behind her, simply putty in her hooves he was! She helped my circus once, long ago… and any child of hers is a friend of mine! Including the friends of those children.” He added at the end. “So, if you knew her when she was a filly, why aren’t you really old?” Cloudy Night asked, getting directly to the point. Cloud Charmer turned on her friend, an angry look on her face, but before she could so much as open her mouth to speak, Mirage interrupted her. "Who says I'm not?" "You don't look old." Cloudy commented. “You’d Never believe me if I told you.” He said, his voice suddenly becoming mysterious and inviting, subtly begging the two to ask that very question. “I want to know.” Cloudy responded, more than willing to oblige to his silent question. She felt very daring for some reason, perhaps because she felt she was so close to an answer. This pony was strange; she knew that before she had even met anyone else from the circus. “Very well, but on your own head be it…” He trailed, and to Cloudy’s surprise she noticed that ponies were gathering around the three, forming a tiny crowd. They were all circus folk, whose shapes sizes and colours varied as widely as the mind can imagine. Many of them sported stained symbols on their coats, similar to the one on the golden haired unicorn she saw earlier. She began to breathe a bit harder, already feeling tense by being surrounded by these ponies, but she had to stay, to get an answer to her question. The only strange thing was that these ponies must have heard the story before, and yet in the beginning of what should be a busy day of work; here many came to hear Mirage speak, right in between two closely packed tents of brightly striped blue. “Sit, everyone, and hear the tale of my… immortality…” Mirage said, raising his eyebrow at Cloudy Night, as if he were calling out her question in particular. He gestured for the fillies to sit among the others, and before you knew it, they were sitting with about a dozen circus ponies to listen to Mirage’s story. Cloudy was crowded next to a pair of mares in tight fitting jumpsuits, made from a bright pink, and very shiny material of some sort. ‘This story had better be worth this’ Cloudy thought, mainly trying to keep herself from panicking. Crowds were seriously not her thing yet. “Once… long ago...” He said with a wide flourish of his cape. “I found myself exploring the great lands beyond the eastern coast… beyond even the kingdom of the griffons…” he said at a near whisper. Cloudy looked to her friend nearby, Cloud’s eyes were wide open, looking larger than she had ever seen them. She was completely absorbed in the story, while all Cloudy could do was think of just how odd this whole scene was. Is this seriously what living in a circus was like? It seemed so… unstructured. “I know it may be hard to believe… but there are lands far out there. Strange lands, filled with ponies who many say were odder than the griffons themselves… a hard thing to believe indeed.” Mirage joked, eliciting a quick giggle from a few of the ponies surrounding him. “It was in this strange land that I encountered a being… much like the griffons, but larger by at least ten hooves!” He said, standing tall as he could and leaning over the crowd. It really had changed from a simple story to a theatrical presentation, and now he was pulling the crowd into his world. Even Cloudy started to lose herself in his words, despite how few there were. “This story is short and simple… The being that I met was a sphinx! To my suprise I realized this as she turned her cackling muzzle to me. Oh, the horror! Imaging she stands before you now. Thirty hooves high and leaning in, her face that of a pony; smiling almost motherly towards you with her razor sharp teeth. Her body was that of a mighty golden lion, fierce and supple as she stalked around me. She sported a large set of wings, as long and encompassing as that of the great eagles of the northern mountains. She was a sight!” Mirage paused for a moment, seeming to try to recollect his story. The small crowd waited in complete silence for him to continue. “Closer and closer she drew to me, and I began to fear that my end was coming close, when… inches away from me, she whispered words to me. I only know now that this was common, but a sphinx will grant your greatest wish if you answer her riddle correctly. This was exactly what she offered; my heart’s desire if I answer her riddle.” “There was no safe way out of that situation, for I knew she would end me if I even made one tiny movement to run. I only had a few moments to memorize the green encompassing jungle that had become my world then. I did not hold out hope that I would survive.” Mirage looked over the crowd, forcing them to feel as hopeless as he did then. “So, I offered to attempt her riddle, and without hesitation she was in my ear; whispering those great words in one of the gentlest voices that I had ever heard come from a pony’s mouth…” He took a long pause. Without hesitation, Cloud Charmer spoke up. “What happened?” “I answered her riddle, and in a flash she was fifty steps away from me, sitting on a large rock as a perch. She stared at me for a long time, and then she told me to go straight on till I came to a path, and to follow it.” “But… what was the riddle?” Cloud Charmer asked. “I was sworn to secrecy. To the sphinx, an answered riddle is a sacred bond. I fear that if I told you the riddle or my answer to it that I’d likely find myself face to face with that old beast. I am not keen on dying yet, even if I am old.” Mirage answered with a wink. “I followed the path, long and winding, and I knew that I was so far lost that I would never find my way out. The only thing that I could do was keep following the path that lay before me. Until, that is, that path ended… at none other than a natural pool directly in a clearing at the end of my path. It seemed like a regular pool, though completely untouched by ponies, strange, considering the paths that lead me there. Nevertheless, I was thirsty, and I drank from the pool. Oh, to describe it! It tasted clear, that’s all I can say about it. It felt like the purest liquid that I had ever felt run down my throat, essence of the gods. And it filled me with an energy I had never experienced before. I felt like I could run the longest race, climb the highest mountain!” “In no time at all I was out of the jungle and well on my way back to Equestria, where I formed this original circus you see around you here. But… I never aged again; in fact, I’ll never die… ever. I am free from that pull for all of eternity. Ha!” He laughed to the sky, his shiny black moustache turning silver in the grey light. Despite that fact that Master Mirage’s brief story was clearly over, the many ponies in the crowd, including Cloudy Night and Cloud Charmer, simply sat there, mystified. Mirage actually had to clear his throat to get their attention, which he used to promptly order them all back to their duties. Cloudy came out from her daze, and merely spent the moments staring at Mirage… considering. Cloud Charmer, however, appeared ecstatic! She shot a flurry of questions at Mirage faster than he could answer. “Was it true? How old are you then? Do you only not die form age or can somepony kill you? How old was my mom when you met her? You really haven’t aged a day since then?” she asked. He came out of the flurry looking like he had been in a windstorm. His hat was on an angle, his collar was ruffled, and even his moustache looked tweaked. Cloudy knew from personal experience that Cloud Charmer could quite literally talk a storm at you, and for a moment she felt Mirage’s pain. “Well, of course it’s true. I’m immortal; your mother could have told you that.” He answered Cloud Charmer. “I guess you told her that story too. Still it seems a little hard to believe.” Cloud Charmer said. “A little, try a lot! It’s impossible to be immortal!” Cloudy Night threw in. Once again Mirage raised his eyebrow at her incredulously, “How else would you explain my lack of age?” Cloudy scowled a little at the circus owner. Now it was clear, he was just using that story to mess with her. He never explained why he didn’t look old, he just toyed with her! “Why would you be immortal?” she asked. “Plenty of ponies are un-aging, just ask Celestia. Besides, it’s not like I know the motives behind a sphinx.” Mirage answered. “But… sphinxes don’t exist!” “Little blue unicorn, are you claiming to know more of the world than ME?” “Well…” Cloudy Night trailed off from his intimidating stare. “Whether my story was true or not matters little. If you want an explanation as to why I look young, you can take it or leave it, I have no other answer. But I will tell you now, there are more things roaming around this world than you would believe. I bet I know of things that even the kings and queens are clueless to. The difference is that I believe there is always something else to find, while they believe they’ve found everything. Permit me to give you some advice?” He asked, as in he actually asked Cloudy’s permission to give her advice. Cloudy slowly nodded, still feeling a little intimidated despite the fact that Mirage seemed to have shifted back to a polite attitude… if still an angry one. “Never believe you have the answer. If you do you’ll just stop looking, and your life will become a living hell.” He advised. “That actually seems like some good advice.” Cloud Charmer commented. “Well of course! All my advice is good… er…” He pulled at his shirt collar for a moment. “However… I apologize if I came across as rude a moment ago. Slip of the tongue, let’s put it past us. Come along then!” Mirage said, assuming his friendly attitude once more as he walked down the tent alley, leading them to Braun. Cloudy took a step to follow, but was stopped when Cloud Charmer put her hoof out to stop her. “Cloudy, are you alright?” Cloudy Night looked at her friend for a moment before she answered, Cloud Charmer looked very concerned. “I’m fine, I mean, just surprised. I saw him more than I thought I would.” “And?” “And… he’s friendly, a bit arrogant, but he’s not wrong about what he said.” Cloudy answered. Cloud Charmer nodded and looked at one of the blue striped tents, a sudden breeze came in between them, sending her own messy blue hair blowing in the wind. Cloudy’s hair somehow managed to stay still even in the wind. “Did you feel any magic around him?” Cloud Charmer asked. “No, he’s not wearing an illusion. He must honestly not age, or else he’s hiding something else.” “I don’t know… somehow I don’t feel like he’s hiding anything…”Cloud Charmer said. Strangely, Cloudy Night wasn’t feeling that either. Sure, Mirage hadn’t been telling the truth in that story, but he hadn’t lied either. At Cloudy didn’t feel like he lied. He wouldn’t tell them why he looked so young, why? Was he truly immortal? It was hard to believe, but how else would you explain a pony that didn’t age. Why was he so open about it? So many questions, and what felt like no answers, and that almost enraged Cloudy. Still, the advice he had given her, which was… interesting… something to take to heart. “That was a cool story, though! Do you really not believe in sphinxes?” Cloud asked. “To be honest… I can’t really know, now can I?” she responded. “I guess, but we can believe.” “Who’d want to belie-“ “Ladies! Are you coming?” Master Mirage shouted from down the tent aisle. It appeared he had been waiting a few minutes for them. “Sorry! Coming!” Cloud Charmer yelled, loudly. Down the row it looked like Mirage actually flinched from the volume of her voice. “C’mon, I’ll race you down!” Cloud Charmer said, taking off down the narrow path. Cloudy quickly followed. Cloud Charmer galloped as fast as she could, laughing while she did so. While Cloudy followed as quickly as she could, she couldn’t keep up with her friend. Cloud Charmer was apparently going so fast that Cloudy saw her stop and actually slide in the dust, past Master Mirage, and into the wide row of tents beyond. Cloudy Smiled to herself as she ran. Cloud Charmer was too energetic for her own good. Cloud stood, facing the aisle her friend was galloping down, and smiled… Right as gigantic roaring shape barrelled into her from one of the tents. Cloudy Night’s smile turned to a shriek as she sprinted down the aisle to aid her friend, now obscured by an immense blur of orange motion. Master Mirage shouted as he too ran into the aisle turning to a small green mare emerging from one of the tents. Cloudy reached the aisle, and tried to jump at the beast on top of her friend. But even as she leaped, her hind legs were grabbed by Mirage, who pulled her to the side. “Stop!” He yelled at her as she struggled in his grip. “I need to help her!” Cloudy screamed. Even now she could hear her friend screaming underneath the furry beast, which had stopped moving now, and had effectively revealed its form to her. To her horror, Cloudy Night realized that her friend was being attacked by a manticore! It loomed over her screaming friend, who was still out of view. With its back to her, it looked as though it were about to close its gigantic jaws right onto her. Cloudy screamed even louder for her friend. “Stop panicking! There’s nothing to worry about!” Mirage yelled. “Help her!” “Little one… why do you scream so?” The green pony asked. “Wha…?” Cloudy looked at her incredulously. Why were they not panicked? Time seemed to slow down for a moment, and Cloudy Night slowed herself to analyze the situation. Mirage looked angry, still struggling to hold her, but the green mare didn’t seem worried at all. Why? As time resumed, Cloudy stopped struggling and looked at what was happening. She could still hear Cloud Charmer yelling, but now it sounded… happy?! She was squealing in delight! Mirage let go of her, and she walked towards the manticore. She yelled when its scorpion tail suddenly lashed around her and quickly tossed her over its body. She landed a bit roughly on the other side, and found herself face to face with the beast. An orange furred lion head stared directly at her from this side, and she felt terror rising as it loomed over her. Cloud Charmer was lying next to her, looking… wet. Before Cloudy could react, the manticore opened its mouth, sharp teeth practically sparkling… And gave her a gigantic lick! Its rough tongue ran over her entire body, lifting her mane over her head and leaving it sticking there. Cloudy Night merely sat, not thinking anything as she stared blankly ahead. Well, now she felt embarrassed. Cloud Charmer rose, laughing and hugging her friend, whose mane and coat were just as ruffled as her own. “You know, I like your hair done up. Let’s me see both your eyes!” She giggled. Cloudy Night stared at her friend incredulously, refusing to speak. Without a word, her entire body surrounded itself in golden sparkles, and as Cloud Charmer watched her as friend’s mane and coat smoothed themselves out. Cloud Charmer started giggling. The immense manticore pulled itself away from the two fillies, its purr sounding like distant thunder as it turned towards the green mare. Mirage came towards the two, laughing himself. “Ha, I see you’ve met our friend Merlin, eh girls!” He giggled. “I tried to tell you there was no need to worry, Cloudy.” Cloudy still didn’t say anything; her mouth might as well have been sewn shut. As Cloud Charmer quit hugging her and turned to face Mirage, she herself felt tingly as Cloudy’s golden magic surrounded her; smoothing out her hair and fur as well. “Merlin is awesome! Where’s he from?” Cloud Charmer asked. Mirage glanced at the green mare, as she approached, the manticore was now wearing leash tied to a pole for one of the tents, as if that could hold it. “Wild Call here has been training him all his life. She’s our animal caretaker around here.” He explained. “Yes, I have been training him, though I used to travel with a different circus to help keep their animals under control. That job was tough! But Merlin here was a breeze, he’s as gentle as a kitten, as you two experienced firsthoof.” Wild Call said. “Yes, we sure did experience that!” Cloud Charmer chimed happily. “Come to think of it, why were you moving Merlin, Wild Call?” Mirage asked. “The boy came to me saying that you were closing the circus for the day, so I was moving him from the show tent to his pen.” She answered. “I did not tell him to tell you. Oh… when I get my hooves on him… BOY! Where is he!?” Mirage asked the sky angrily. Wild Call seemed to think about it for a moment before answering. “Quick Fix has him running some chore in town. I think he has him buying some parts.” “Fine, but when you see him next tell him I want to speak with him.” Mirage ordered. “Of course, Master Mirage.” Wild Call responded, “now, children, would you like to pet Merlin before I go? Children?” She asked when she noticed that the two fillies were no longer standing next to her. She turned towards Merlin, only to find them already there. “Come on Cloudy, his fur is really soft.” Cloud Charmer encouraged. Reluctantly, Cloudy Night put her hoof on Merlin’s mane. It WAS soft, like a pillow. Wild Call must have put a lot of work into grooming such a giant creature. “See, not so scary now, right?” Cloud Charmer asked. Cloudy giggled quietly. “No, not so scary.” Both Mirage and Wild Call smiled at the two fillies, but neither probably noticed the other doing so. These two were upbeat, and exactly what the ponies around here needed after three months of being ignored. Those two little ponies, they carried something with them… Mirage thought that they carried an air of change, and could not help but think just how far it would go. “All right little ones. Merlin needs to go now, but Braun is still waiting. Let’s go see him.” Master Mirage called out. Both Cloudy Night and Cloud Charmer turned their heads to Mirage at the same time. Was it really time to move on? Now they both reluctantly said goodbye to Merlin as Wild Call took him away. Still, Cloud Charmer began to feel excitement at the prospect of meeting Braun, and seeing just how strong he was. She led Cloudy over to Mirage who was looking at the sky. “Weather’s beginning to clear up, good.” He commented. Cloud Charmer joined him in looking up at the sky. It was true, though it was still a blanket of grey, it looked much lighter in shade, and occasionally she could see sunlight stream through a here or there hole in the flowing misty sky. Today was really looking up, in their case literally. Cloud Charmer giggled at that thought. “What’s so funny?” Cloudy asked. “Nothing important.” Cloud Charmer said. “Now are we gonna see Braun or what?” “Yes, let us proceed to-“ “Master Mirage!” yelled one of the circus ponies. “Yes?” “You said this one was to be brought to you when he arrived.” The pony said, and from behind him stepped the one and only Thunderstruck, whose silvery mane seemed rough and un-brushed. “Hello Cloud and Cloudy, sorry I’m late.” Thunderstruck said with one of his sly grins. “I assume that this is your friend, young ones?” Master Mirage asked. “Yes, he is. Thanks for bringing him here!” Cloud Charmer called out to the circus pony as he trotted back to his duties. “Welcome… um?” Mirage looked at Cloud Charmer. “Thunderstruck.” “Ah! Thunderstruck! What a brilliant name. Welcome, Thunderstruck, to the grand circus of my own deviation. I am Master Mirage, and I will be giving you my very own personal tour of this place” He declared theatrically. Thunderstruck immediately responded with his own theatrics. “To receive such an audience from one so high as yourself truly is a gift, one I have no doubt talked my two friends into submission.” “Thank you… I like this one.” Mirage whispered to the two fillies. “Come now, join us as we witness the great feats of strength performed by our muscle pony Braun.” “Of course.” Thunderstruck joined his two friends by Mirage. Just looking at him, Cloudy could tell that he had been through some ordeal to get to the circus. “What happened to you?” Cloud Charmer asked bluntly. “Well… the ponies in town aren’t too keen on this fair. Seems that Prickly Pines, along with some of his friends have basically cordoned off the town. I had to pretend to be going to the stadium. As you know, there are only woods between here and there… it was a long walk.” Thunderstruck explained. “Pray tell, who is this Prickly Pines?” Master Mirage asked. “He’s the dad of this bully in town: Chud. He’s also the unofficial leader of the town.” “Chud… what an uncreative name, odd coming from someone named Prickly Pines. I suppose that he’s the problem we’re having.” Mirage said. “You mean, the reason why nopony’s here? Yes, he’s the one doing that.” Thunderstruck responded. “But he can’t!” Cloud shouted. Thunderstruck laughed, apparently he found it funny. “Even the actual mayor listens to him, Cloud Charmer. What he says is bad, is bad, and the town will follow him.” “Why would they follow him? He must be a jerk.” Cloud stated. “Sure he is. But he’s also brave, or stupid, hard to tell with Chud’s family. Either way, he inspires the townsponies, and he’s got more than enough friends in his own wicked party to support him.” “Actually I did hear something about him.” Cloudy Night added in, drawing the attention of her small group. “What would that be?” Thunderstruck asked. “I heard from my mom that Prickly Pines was taking his whole group, including the mayor, to set some terms against the refugee camp outside of town. Apparently he’s going to try to stop them from building any long term habitations at their camp.” Cloudy explained. “When is that happening?” Cloud asked. “One or two days from now, he has a real problem with outsiders, according to my mom.” “Children, this is all troubling news indeed and surely worthy of attention. But we are at my circus! And I’ll have no fretting right now. Let us depart to see Braun.” Mirage encouraged. Prickly Pines… was wrong. In her mind Cloud Charmer knew that everything he was doing against the circus, or anypony else was absolutely wrong! How could he encourage mistrust between ponies!? Her father had told her that everyone was supposed to love and trust each other, no matter how strange a pony was. She had to stop this! But… Did that mean that she already sided with the circus? So far she’d only actually met Mirage and Wild Call, and yet… she trusted them. Maybe that was just her personality, her affinity for trusting others, but she really wanted to help Mirage and the circus. The group made their way down the rows towards where Mirage said Braun was, but something had changed. In Cloud Charmer’s mind the cogs were turning, and they would not stop until she had a plan. She needed to figure out a way to get this circus popularity; if she could get the town to trust the circus, then maybe they’d stop listening to Prickly Pines. He’d be proven wrong, and they’d start thinking he was always wrong. It was one of the basic military laws she had learned from her tutor; sew doubt against your enemies’ leader, and they’ll destroy him themselves. Should she try? Who was she to fight against the unofficial mayor of the town? Who was she? Cloud Charmer… and she was one of the only ponies outside of that stallion’s power. But she needed a plan. For that, she had to understand the situation better. She’d keep her thoughts to the side for a while, but her mind would not stop planning, even as she enjoyed the circus. She had to help these ponies, even if she didn’t really know them. In less than a minute the group found themselves standing directly in front of a large green tent. From what Cloud Charmer could see of the sky, it was after noon. Strange that so little could happen over so much time, she supposed that time moved fast when you were doing things you don’t usually do. Mirage, of course, stepped first right before the entryway of the tent, he accentuated his pose; swinging his arm in a welcoming gesture. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I introduce to you, the powerful pony with a penchant for physical activity. I present Braun!” He said loudly, angling his head like he was yelling into the tent itself. With a large flourish he pulled open the canvas opening of the tent, and before their eyes could adjust to the lower light he rushed the children inside. To be greeted with the largest pony they had ever seen! To Cloud Charmer he appeared to be a walking mountain of muscles, propped upon some small legs. This was Braun, the muscle pony, and one of the strongest ponies alive. He was light brown, like aged paper, though his mane and tail were shortened blazes of orange and red. He also sported a red beard around the entire bottom of his face, and he wore what looked like a patterned skirt. He was currently lifting a wrapped bundle of tent poles, tied together so that they were large as a tree trunk. With one hoof he held it in the air, while he raised and lowered his body with his other foreleg. It was terrifying... and amazing. “I am Braun.” He said loudly, and in a strange accent, rolling his R’s on his tongue. “I am the strongest.” He said simply, as if there were nothing else to say. “Why, hello Braun! Allow me to introduce Cloud Charmer, Cloudy Night, and Thunderstruck. They are friends here to see some of your awesome feats of strength.” Mirage explained. “It cannot be.” Braun said. Master Mirage glanced at Cloudy and her friends for a moment, looking nervous. “What do you mean?” “I have no equipment, I cannot perform.” Braun said. “What? You have huge quantities of equipment. I bought it myself. How could you not have any?” Mirage asked incredulously. “Speak with Number Crunch, he knows.” “Who is Number Crunch?” Thunderstruck asked. “My accountant and part-time assistant. I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Mirage looked at the entrance of the tent before turning back to Cloud Charmer and her friends. To Cloudy, he looked enraged. “Children, I need to speak to Number Crunch, if I’ve not returned when you’re finished here, go across the row to the yellow tent. All Seeing Eye lives there, and he should be at his station. I’ll be back soon.” Mirage said as he hurriedly left. Cloudy quickly glanced at Cloud, seeing her little grey wings flapping nervously from her excitement. That was the act she wanted to see. As soon as Mirage was out, Braun dropped the pole bundle, which shook the ground when it landed, and walked towards the group. Cloud Charmer stood in front, trying to look un-intimidated. Braun towered over the children, making Cloudy very nervous at his closeness. However, when he spoke he sounded very cheerful. “So, you are the little ones been’ exploring the circus with Mirage?” Braun asked. Cloud Charmer decided to answer before her friends could open their mouths. “Yeah, so you’re the strong one.” “StrongEST one. I can lift any weight.” Braun boasted. “Can you lift me and my friends?” Cloud spoke again, ignoring the sudden panicked looks she got from Thunderstruck and Cloudy Night both. “Ha! Not even a problem, little girl.” He said. “I dare you to do it.” “Done.” Braun said, and before any of the ponies could react he swept them all off their hooves and tossed them in the air. Thunderstruck was yelling, Cloudy was shrieking, and Cloud Charmer was giggling. They soared up high in the air, though they did come back down quickly. Before they hit the ground all three found themselves landing on top of Braun’s gigantic back. They held there for a moment, and then Braun tossed them up again. He did this several more times over the course of the next few minutes. In the beginning Cloudy and Thunderstruck were yelling, but by the time Braun put them down all three of the children were laughing and giggling uncontrollably. Braun let them all down, surprisingly gentle for his size. “I have faced your challenge, and I leave with my honour intact.” Braun stated. Still giggling, Thunderstruck answered. “Indeed you have, my good fellow. I must say that Mirage is making no boast when he states your strength, you have me thoroughly impressed.” Braun guffawed at the three, almost looking offended by the statement. “That was nothing! If I had equipment, I would perform like you have never seen, little children. I can smash through solid stone with one hoof! I can wrestle a manticore into submission! If I had my equipment I’d show you.” He boasted. “I’d like to see you wrestle the manticore!” Cloud Charmer said. “When I have what I need to prepare, you shall see this. I will force the mighty manticore to submit with one hoof tied behind my back!” “Deal!” Cloud yelled. Braun smiled at her as they hoof bumped, “Deal, little one.” “While I do enjoy your company greatly, Mister Braun. I would like to see the All Seeing Eye. Would you mind terribly if I hurried us along.” Thunderstruck said, quite out of nowhere. “Thunderstruck! How could you be so rude to Braun! After he treated us with such hospitality.” Cloud Charmer berated. “I speak only the truth of how I feel, even if it is unpleasant to hear.” Thunderstruck answered, looking like he was trying his best to seem humble. “Then I like you. I only accept honesty. Leave, but return tomorrow, so that I may show you that Braun fears no dare.” Braun said. “Alright Braun, if you’re sure about that.” Cloud Charmer said as she turned to lead the others through the canvas barrier to the outside world. The clouds were still blanketing the sky, but the light was bright. They were thinning. Mirage had said that the All Seeing Eye was directly across the square, and that was where Cloud Charmer trotted. The tinny music was still echoing throughout the rows of tents, but try as she may Cloud could not locate the source of the sound. As she was searching, though, she did notice something rather odd. The pony from before, with the rosy pink bun was standing some distance away, watching them trot towards the yellow striped tent. She was tall as Master Mirage, but where his eyes were warm and welcoming; hers were cold, and blank. Cloud couldn’t exactly see her clearly, but she was definitely staring at them. “Cloudy, who’s that?” Cloud whispered to her as they trotted. Cloudy didn’t even look, yet she knew what her friend was talking about. “I noticed her earlier; she was watching us during Mirage’s story.” “So what do we do?” “What can we do? Should we blame these ponies for being odd? I say we just avoid her.” Cloudy Night suggested. “Sure, but will she avoid us?” Cloud Charmer whispered to herself. She had no more time to consider, as they arrived at All Seeing Eye’s tent. Cloud Charmer almost leaped inside, partly from the pale mare and partly from excitement. However, Cloud Charmer accidentally slammed into somepony as she leaped into the tent, and in a moment she found herself lying flat on the ground inside the tent. She got up, facing Cloudy and Thunderstruck, and found her blue friend struck with horror. She turned… slowly to come face to face with All Seeing Eye. And it was the unicorn they had spied on just a couple of hours ago! She shrunk back in terror, just as he grabbed all three of the ponies with his magic, shoving them into the tent. They all slid to a halt right before a table placed in the center of the small circular tent that served as the mind reader’s station, yet Cloudy and Cloud were frozen with fear. “Why hello you three. Two of you I owe a slightly larger hi than one, no offence.” The golden haired unicorn said to Thunderstruck. “None taken.” Thunderstruck responded, looking confusedly at his friends. “No need to worry, Thunderstruck, they’re just scared because they spied on me earlier.” “Wha…” all three ponies said at the same time. “Did you not believe? I can see your names. You’re Thunderstruck, and the two beside you are Cloud Charmer and Cloudy Night, in that order.” “Woah.” Thunderstruck said. As for Cloudy Night, she needed to speak up, but… “I don’t need to use magic to hear your thoughts. And yes, I know you were spying on me, it’s painted all over your brains.” Cloud Charmer opened her mouth, but All Seeing Eye spoke first. “Don’t worry, I see all, but tell none. I will not tattle nor prattle to Master Mirage.” He said. “Before you speak Thunderstruck, let me say that it is my very good honour to meet all of you. You three carry something I haven’t seen in a while before… care.” “As well, I will say that I will let you speak before I answer, as it makes it much easier to talk that way.” All Seeing Eye said with a smile. “So…” “You don’t need to call me All Seeing Eye, Cloud. Any daughter of Oak leaf can call me Blink… oh wait! I just did it, force of habit, sorry!” Blink said. “That of course, goes for you two as well. Friends of Cloud Charmer are friends of mine.” He interrupted again. Cloud Charmer actually blushed, becoming slightly offended. Blink raised his eyebrows at her as he stared. “Watch the fire in that one Cloudy! She may burn us all to a crisp with that much anger.” “I’m not angry!” Cloud said angrily. “And I can’t read minds.” “How do you do that, by the way?” Asked Cloudy Night. “Might as well ask a fish how they swim, or a dog how it barks. I just… do.” Blink said. “So, Blink… we came to-“ Cloud began. “To talk with me, to play games likely, but I can see you. You’d all like to talk. But none of you agrees on what to talk about.” “How can we agree on concerns we haven’t voiced yet!?” Cloud asked. “Very astute, however, what interests me are these negatives, floating around your minds. You and Thunderstruck are both thinking about Prickly Pines.” Blink stated. Cloudy looked to her friends, they both looked embarrassed by this blonde pony. He was very blunt, quick, and- “Clever?” He said. “You sure are a fast talker aren’t you?” Cloudy asked. “And you are very observational. Thoughts are quick, and so am I.” Blink said. “Yet how much of what you say actually matters?” Cloudy asked, angry for her friends. Blink stared at her for several moments, a big grin almost encompassing his brown face. “Ah! Now you show your intellect! I like you; you have a mind that can almost move fast enough to compete with mine.” “Do you know your own mind?” Cloudy asked. “As well as anypony else. I like the play on words, both directing the attention to myself while calling me crazy. We could go back and forth for hours like this.” “We could but-“ “I’m sorry for embarrassing your friends. I often speak, but do not think, much to my own credit.” Blink said laughingly. “Thank you.” Said Cloudy. “For listening?” “For apologizing.” She responded. “Is there a difference? But I still want to know about Prickly Pines. From Thunderstruck I can tell he’s no good. In fact I’d say that he’s the enemy of this battle. Oh, yes! Cloud Charmer you sly devil! Always a plan in your head isn’t there? But you don’t have the facts yet, and I can’t give them to you. Good luck.” “Are we to just stand here while you speak to us like this?” Cloud Charmer asked, still sounding angry. “I’m sorry I caused you offence. Let’s move past that bridge at talk about Prickly. It bothers you that the pony encouraged distrust, doesn’t it?” Blink asked. “Yes.” Cloud answered. “You’re mad because your dad taught you to love and trust, and now you see mature adults acting like scared children.” He said, it was not a question. “It is wrong. I-“ “Stop! If you say anymore I might just fall in love with you.” He grinned. “That’d be strange.” Cloudy commented. “Especially so. I love your entire generation. So different from the last.” Blink reflected. “How so?” Thunderstruck asked. “Completely so. Mirage likes to think he was the only pony who lived through Discord’s short rule, but apart from the princesses and Bullion, I’d like my name counted on that list.” “Yes! Before you three ask, I did live during Discord’s time. I’d like to say it changed me for the better, but who really knows. What I do know is why ponies fear.” “Okay, why do they fear?” Cloud Charmer asked. Blink almost jumped forward, slamming his hooves on the table and badly frightening the three children. “Control! That’s what they fear, because they lost it. Before Discord ponies trusted each other, because they had control. Replace that with sheer chaos, even for a little while, and it breaks them. Even today, I would say that in this town you ponies barely control what you used to be masters of, especially hate.” “Does it break your hearts? It does mine. These ponies have allowed hate to run rampant through their lives. Discord saw to that. It has been so many years since his defeat, and still the pain lingers. That’s one thing the Princess’ can’t fix, pain. Ponies lost control, and when they got it back they feared. They tried to repair and then they were attacked, again and again, and then there was the second griffon pegasi war, and now some fool thinks he can take the north for himself. Ponies here have learned from their parents, from themselves, that stranger means danger, and now they fear.” Cloud looked down for a moment, “But-“ “How do you fix it? You can’t, but they can. Very easily too. You just need to get them on a good day, and before you know it they’ll be showing you just how good they can be.” Blink responded. “How can you do that with ponies like Prickly around?” Cloudy Night asked. “Simply remove Prickly from the equation. He is the lump that keeps them sick.” “How do you remove what they grasp so tightly?” Thunderstruck asked. “You kids, too smart for your own good.” Blink said, without answering the question. “If you lived in Discord’s time, then you must be-“ “Old, very. And yet look how young I am. Don’t believe anything Mirage says about that. It’s far easier to stay looking young then one might think, though it wears terribly on the mind. By the way, none of you have sat down on the nice floor pillows. I’m almost offended, considering how welcoming I’ve been to you; you could at least indulge me.” Indulge him they did, quickly sitting down before the table. “I’m old enough to know your mother, Cloud Charmer. Few here can boast that. I’ll tell you now; she was an amazing filly, though you might have a brighter spark in you. She saved this circus from a terrible plague, and I’ll never forget that.” “How?” They all asked. “Her caravan was passing by; she knew the herbs that saved us. Simple. I wish she’d come over sometime.” He spoke again before Cloud did, “But she never would. She left that part of her life behind, a feat that not even the Princesses could boast. She said her goodbyes long ago, and I knew that she was not going to look back.” “Why?” “The life of travel is a hard one; it’s also hard to give up. One look back and you can find yourself caught in the life again, as with any past. She won’t look back because she can’t; everyone here at the circus knows that.” Cloudy Night looked to her grey friend, and noticed her eyes looked wet. Very wet. She nudged up close against her, leaning her body onto her own as a support. “Strong even when you’re weak…” Blink said to her. “That must have made my mom so sad.” Cloud Charmer said. Only now did she notice that both Thunderstruck and Cloudy Night were leaning against her like supports. “Life is sad, except for when it’s happy. One day you’ll find that the two often mix.” “I fear I’ve drained you all. Energy is costly around here, I apologize for that. Thunderstruck, I will speak more to you tomorrow, as well as Madame Zendra, I suspect. But for now, you will probably be leaving.” Blink stood up, just as the tent opened, and Mirage leaned in. “Girls, and boy, I need to speak with you outside. Thank you for entertaining them, All Seeing Eye.” Mirage said. “I believe that they would probably call it torture more than entertainment. Yet they will be back here tomorrow, of that I have no doubt.” “Well, thank you anyway, I’ll tell the missus you said hi.” Mirage said as Blink opened his mouth to speak. “Sometimes I wonder who the real mind reader is.” He said. “You, most of the time.” Master mirage grumbled, leading the ponies out of the tent. Thunderstruck exited first, but just before Cloud and Cloudy left, Cloudy turned. “What does it feel like?” she asked. He laughed quietly. “You know, I think that’s the first time anypony’s asked what I feel like. It’s like, seeing and hearing all of these noises and pictures at once, but from a distance. I can ignore them, but the buzz is always there. Do you know what that’s like?” Cloudy Night did, and though he said nothing, she suspected that Blink knew as she led her friend out of the tent and into the fresh air. The air was certainly fresh. The breeze had picked up and become a strong wind, sending tents flapping and trees thundering in the distance. Up above the clouds were breaking apart as they streaked by like they were racing to some distant finish line. The sun shone through the breaks in the sky, and she could clearly tell that the day was approaching mid-afternoon. Perhaps things can change faster than she thought. Mirage cleared his throat, causing all of the ponies to turn and look at him. They waited patiently for him to speak. He looked down for several moments before he spoke. “I’ll be honest with you, as you are the daughter of a dear friend, and I trust all three of you as friends. I have to send you away early.” “What!? Why?” they asked simultaneously. What possible reason could he have to send them away? Was it Prickly Pines? “We simply aren’t ready! It seems the same ponies who broke the wheels on some of our carts also managed to roll some off of a small cliff nearby. I have ponies clearing it up right now, but we’re going to need the rest of today just to set up all of the stations for tomorrow.” “Oh…” Cloud Charmer said. Who did this to the circus? Did it matter? All of this trouble was stirred up by Prickly Pines. She almost growled to herself thinking of that pony. She’d only heard his name earlier that day, and already she thought of him as the enemy. Just like she’d been taught, she was trying to get a read on him, if she could figure out how he was operating, how he affected the town, then she could beat him. She needed to start helping the circus right away! What could she… Oh… now that was an idea. Not exactly a plan, but it was something she could use to start poking at Prickly. “I am deeply sorry for this mistake.” Mirage said, taking his hat off and placing it back on, like a nervous tick. “We’ll refund you for what we can, and hope you return on the morrow.” “No!” “It’s really fine.” He insisted, but Cloud Charmer held out her little grey hoof to stop him. “It’s fine, I paid willingly. I will come back tomorrow, when everything is ready.” She said, looking to her two friends. Would it work? It’d be a good place to start. “Besides I need some time to talk to my friends in town.” Cloud added, much to the surprise of her friends. “Uh, it will be as you say, my little lady.” Mirage said. “Good! We’ll leave now, but we are coming back tomorrow, and not alone.” Cloud Charmer assured. She would help, because she could. “What does that mean?” Mirage asked. “It means that we’re bringing friends tomorrow. I promise that you’ll be busy then.” She stated, a determined look in her stormy eyes. Cloudy knew that when Cloud Charmer got that look, she meant what she said. “Of course.” Mirage said incredulously. “We’re going now. See you tomorrow!” Cloud Charmer shouted at him, in an instant taking off down the rows of tents towards the exit, followed swiftly by her friends. “Why are we going to town?” Cloudy asked, more curious than nervous. “Because, I need to see exactly how it is in town.” “You won’t likely find much. Most ponies are staying at their homes today.” Thunderstruck said. “Still… that’s the place to be, right Cloudy?” “It certainly seems like it.” Cloud's friend responded. “So, I assume you have some plan to get these friend’s here?” Thunderstruck asked. “Oh yeah! We’ll talk in town. For now, I could really use a good run!” Cloud shouted as the galloped. Mirage watched them leave. The grey one promised to bring friends, on any other day he would have been in disbelief. In one day the little grey Pegasus had done more to befriend this place than anyone in too long. But even so, suddenly bringing business from a town like this seemed an almost impossible feat. Cloud Charmer… Oak Leaf’s daughter! She had more than a spark of her mother’s fierceness in her. Even if she couldn’t do it, she would try to help. Those two… blue and grey, out and in, big and small. They carried change on them like a gale carries the wind. For the first time in a long time, Master Mirage believed. He looked up at the sky, and laughed.