//------------------------------// // Madame Alias' Fantastic Pandemonium of Wonders (Diane): Tainted Love // Story: Awkward Conversations And Other Stories // by No one is home //------------------------------// Zilia nervously approached the tent that proclaimed itself the home of “Professor Franklin Stein’s Amazing Odditorium”. Outside the changeling barker cheerfully proclaimed, “Ladies and gentle colts, but no foals, please, come one come all! The Show is about to start here at The Amazing Odditorium of Professor Franklin Nathaniel Stein! We have Freaks, Geeks, and living pony oddities beyond belief! You will be astounded! You will be shocked! You will see things herein that you will never unsee!” “Five bits please, miss,” the bored attendant at the door demanded. Zillia humbly paid her entry fee and ducked into the tent entrance. The floor was filled, but not really crowded, and the space near the stage was widely open, giving the changeling plenty of room. Apparently few ponies were brave enough to want a really close encounter with what ever the professor was displaying at this attraction. As the curtain drew open, a lanky blue Unicorn, presumably the Professor himself stood beside a caged Chimera, “Greeting ladies and Gentlecolts, I am Franklin Nathaniel Stein, Professor of Natural History, and this lovely creature is my wife, Gladys, Susan, and Misty.” The chimera casually undid the latch on the “cage” from the inside and stepped out onto the stage, giving the shocked ponies three friendly smiles, the goat head smiled shyly as she addressed the tiger hear, “Well, Susie, isn’t this just a lovely audience?” The tiger head grinned widely and replied, “I’d say they look good enough to eat.” the snake quickly peered over the shoulders of the other two and interjected, “Don’t scare the poor dears, Susan, besides, you know we’re on a diet!” to which the tiger chuckled, “Misty you’re such a spoil sport! I had them going for a minute there!” “As you can see ladies and gentle colts, the line between pony and monster is a blurry line indeed,” Franklin reassured his audience, “And if my wife frightens you… well… I’ll just give you a moment so the more faint-hearted amongst you can exit with some dignity intact.” More than a few ponies took him up on his offer, to the jeers of their fellows, before the professor continued, “Our next star has much in common with my wife, in fact. She likes to live large and she’s her own best friends. Ladies and Gentlecolts, meet Belle, Blossom, and Louise!” A collective gasp escaped the crowd at what emerged next from back-stage. The massive filly was easily twice the size of full grown pony stallion, but that was hardly her most shocking feature, the left head and front quarter seemed to belong to a white unicorn filly with a stripy lilac mane. The right Head, front quarter, and singular wing belonged to an orange, purple maned pegasus. The middle head and hindquarters were clearly a yellow earth pony with a red mane and tail. “Hi,” the unicorn head smiled shyly, “I’m Belle.” “I’m Louise,” the pegasus proclaimed proudly. “And I’m Blossom,” the middle head continued with a familiar twang, “It sure is a pleasure to meet yall. We lost our family and everyone back home was afraid of the us because… I rec’n yall know because why. We had it really hard for a long time, until Professor Franklin found us. Now we get to meet new ponies and live at the circus.” Zilia could practically taste the out-pouring sympathy from the gathered crowd, but the professor was far from finished. “Next I give you an exotic guest, all the way from the mysterious far east,” the blue unicorn announced with barely contained glee, “Is she a pony? Is she a dragon? I give you Usagi, the Dragon Lady!” “Hello,” a green and purple scaled and winged mare stepped out from behind the curtain, and spoke with a noticeable accent, “You may call me Usagi-chan. I am as you see. Do you think this to be make-up? Perhaps a simple transformation spell? It is not I can assure you.” The mare blew a gout of flame over the heads of the audience, drawing frightened gasps from the gathered ponies. “Our final guest doesn’t talk much, and she’s quite the looker,” Stein grinned coyly, “In fact, she has a smile that would stop a train, I can promise you! Stamp the ground like you mean it ladies and gentlecolts for the beautiful Michelle!” A shapely blue mare emerged, seemingly an earth pony. Her blue fur and lavender mane were exquisitely groomed. The only flaw in her features that any pony could discern was her oddly massive jaw. Zilia stepped back, and swallowed hard. She wanted to close her eyes. She already knew what she was going to see, but she still couldn’t look away. The mare smiled, and smiled again as her lower mandibles separated. Ponies gasps and trampled in place, but nothing could prepare them for what came next as three long, agile tendrils burst forth. Zilia dissolved in panic and flames of magic and diane bowled through the crowd as she galloped out of the tent. Fear filled her heart and tears stung her eyes. Those were not pony oddities. Those creatures were not from this world. And she knew exactly what world they were from. She knew because she knew all of Charlie's secrets. She knew all of Charlie's secrets because she had tied him to a chair and tortured him until he told her everything. For the first time in weeks she remembered the Nightmare. Not the dream her adopted mom, Surprise came from, but Charlie’s own nightmare. The world HE came from. It was then, over the loudspeakers that a cheerful feminine changeling voice emerged. “Ladies, and gentle colts, foals of all ages,” the cheerful voice turned Diane’s blood to ice, “I hope you’re enjoying my Amazing Pandamonium of Wonders. I can promise you the show’s just getting started! Put your hooves to the ground for tonight’s special musical guest, Mare Lynn Maneson!” Tainted love. Madame Alias. The show. The schnapps. The pony who wasn’t there. Diane cast about desperately for her friends. Iam Noone was here. She had to get Zap and Glend out before it was too late. She had to warn princess fast. She looked around and every pony she saw was munching on brightly colored sweets or drinking equally festive bottled drinks. Every pony at the circus was being drugged. Forced against their will, and without their knowledge to emote pure love. The Nopony was getting stronger by the minute, and not a single pony even knew what was happening. It was then that she noticed another disturbing detail. She was the only changeling anywhere to be seen who was not a member of the circus hive…