When the Circus Came to Town

He stood there, with the rest of my "family". I was walking by the cotton candy stall when I saw them. 7 ponies in all, 3 zebra mares and 4 earth pony stallions, the stallions were all a light shade of red. My mother, father, 2 sisters, and 3 brothers all at the popcorn stall, smiling ear to ear as my father reached into his bags and pulled out 4 shiny bits, setting them on the counter. That stallion never spent a single bit more than he had to on me. The most he ever spent on something for me was 3 bits for a used schoolbook. I felt my eyes moistening. All my siblings went to the circus as I lay in my room, bloody and weeping. Until that day I never wished for another pony to die, not even my father. I always wanted to run away, never see him again, but right then at that moment I wished that his blood painted the streets.

I watched the mare behind the counter reach into the popcorn maker with her scoop.
I imagined him with a neck deprived of a head.

She lifted a hefty amount out of the glass box that held the buttery product.
I imagined disease that would take away that which he cherished so very much, his strength.

She put it into a bag.
Then his neck hacked away with a butterknife and blood poured out onto the ground.

She slid it across the counter.
I imagined the bag exploding like a bomb in his face.

He took it.
I imagined them turning toward me.

"O SHI-" I nearly shouted that phrase, but then I caught myself and whispered the rest. I didn't imagine them turning, they were about to be looking right at me. I needed to hide, vanish, be somewhere, anywhere, but not here.
I looked left, then right, then left again for a place to hide. Then I saw it, no more than 10 long strides to my left. A large circus tent colored yellow and blue that was enormous. I saw it before but I was going to save the best for last and go in there after I experienced everything else, but now there was no time. no choice.

I dashed as quick as I could to the side of the tent, lifted the fabric side of it, and got inside as quickly as I could, not checking to see if my family saw me. I was breathing rather heavily now and I tried to take smaller breaths to calm down, but I couldn't. I decided the best way to calm down was to reassure myself that they didn't see me, so holding my breath I got down low to the ground. I lifted the fabric. They were walking away and laughing about something one of them said.
I breathed a sigh of relief.

The cloth fell from my hoof and I turned around only to see my problems get increased tenfold. I stumbled into the dressing room of all the circus' show staff. Ponies putting on clown makeup, others putting on acrobatic suits and others dressing as creatures talked about only in tales of the everfree forest were all staring at me like I had 2 heads. My heart stopped right there. I stood frozen, like a statue, just returning their stares, but mine weren't from confusion, they were from horror. What if one of them called the authorities, or worse, my parents? I could hardly breathe until one of them, an acrobat mare, slightly younger looking than my mother with light brown fur, green eyes and a blonde mane, walked up to me and softly asked "What's going on?"

I stuttered "I... I.... I'm sor-"
"PHILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS!! WELCOME TO THE-"
"That's my cue" said the acrobat mare in a soft yet happy voice. "you stay here and we can talk when I'm done, okay?"
"O... okay."
"Good, I wont be more than a minute"

Then they all went out into the main part of the tent leaving me to myself, to think.
I considered leaving the tent, to just run as far as I could, but soon my mind wandered to other things.
I remembered the glint of the coins as he lifted them out of the bag.
I remembered the happy looks on their faces that were illuminated by the lights of the circus.
I remembered when I broke out of my room. That explained why they didn't hear me. They all left for the circus without me while I wept, locked away in my room.

Never did I want to leave that place behind me more than in that moment.