Cirque du Poney

by The Wandering Bard

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Slice of Life, Original Character
Length: 5463

After her harrowing escapade in the Never, also known as the land of dreams, Misty is no closer to finding answers as to what threatened it. So when she is invited to a carnival by a friend, will she choose to go, and will she be able enjoy herself?

Author's Note: This story was written when an earlier version of Night Terrors was posted on this site. This story will be updated sometime in the near future to better reflect the events that transpire in the current version of Night Terrors. In the meantime, enjoy!

It has been two weeks after Misty’s harrowing events in the Never, also known as the land of dreams, and she has yet to find an answer as to what threatened it. Her desperation and frustration grow with every passing day. So when she is invited by a friend to a carnival, will Misty take the time to go? And could she set aside her fears and doubts long enough to enjoy it once she arrived?

Many, many thanks to Will-Owl-the-Wisp for helping with research and for being my collaborator.

Published 2015-07-15 18:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-07-15 18:50:01 UTC

Cirque du Poney

Laughter sounded in Sugar Cube Corner as ponies ate their breakfasts, sat with their friends, and planned out their day. It was the middle of summer after all, and there was still so much to do to enjoy the warm weather while it was around. But as most ponies talked excitedly amongst themselves, a grey unicorn mare sat and stared at the plate of waffles before her, her snow-white and unbrushed mane falling into her eyes.

“Misty... Misty... Misty?”

“Hm, what?” Misty Moonrise asked, snapping back to the present. Across the table, a brown unicorn stallion with a darker brown mane and tail gazed at her, his earthy eyes somewhere between amusement and worry. A cup of tea sat steaming in front of him. Misty sighed. “I’m sorry, Cloudy. What were you saying?”

Cloudy Day smiled warmly. “I said, is there anything you want to do today? After all, Steel Shield’s on duty, Nightingale and Lilypad are booked with appointments, and Juniper Berry said that she wants to work some more on her pineapple soufflé. That just leaves us, with a whole day to ourselves.” He grinned, but it faltered when Misty turned away and gazed down at the table. “Misty, what is it?”

Misty hesitated before answering. “As much as I'd love to spend the day with you, Cloudy—and I really would—I think I should spend the time looking into the Shadowmancer.” Cloudy’s face fell, shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, but this is too important to ignore. Not just anything could have frightened the Never like that, and the fact that I haven't found any information is just so... frustrating!"

Once again, Misty recalled the night that she and Princess Luna had been studying in the land of dreams, also known as the Never, and how it had pulled in and attacked not only her and her mentor, but unsuspecting dreamers as well. The very fact that it had done so was troubling enough, but when she had merged with the wild dream magic of the land and chased away the dark entity that had scared it so, the Never had left her with a word of parting—Shadowmancer.

“I understand that,” Cloudy said, placing his hooves upon hers and bringing her back to the moment once more, “but you’ve been obsessing over this for almost two weeks now. Steel told me you’re spending every day in Princess Twilight’s library, and that you’re only eating and sleeping when somepony reminds you." He leaned across the table and nuzzled her. “I’m worried about you.”

Misty returned the affectionate gesture. Maybe he’s right, she thought. I really have been working hard lately. Maybe I should take a break. She finally cut into and took a bite of her waffle, though now it was almost cold. But what if I take a break and something else happens? What if I could have stopped it, but didn't because I wasn’t ready for it? What if...? She would have continued her inner ramblings, but then she saw Cloudy’s drawn eyes, his mouth in a slight frown and his ears drooped as he gazed upon her. Misty chewed on her lip for a moment before taking a deep breath and letting it out. I suppose just one day off couldn’t hurt.

“Okay, Cloudy, you win.” She gave him a small smile. “Let’s do something, just the two of us, like you said.”

Cloudy’s beaming face could have rivaled the sun. “Great!” he declared, jumping up from his seat. When curious patrons began to stare, he blushed and sat down again. It was all Misty could do to conceal her grin. “So what should we do?” Cloudy asked as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not really sure what events or activities are going on around here.”

“You’re asking me?” Misty replied with a giggle. “I’ve been holed up in the library for two weeks, remember?”

It was then that a small, purple dragon with green spines bolted through the door, calling out at the top of his lungs, “There you are!” Misty flinched. Seeing this, the dragon lowered his voice as he made his way to the unicorns' table. “I’ve been looking all over town for you.”

“Hi, Spike,” said Misty Moonrise. “What’s going on?”

“A letter came for you,” Spike answered, handing over a piece of parchment. Instead of being rolled up into a scroll and tied with a ribbon as Princess Celestia’s letters were, this one was folded into an envelope and sealed with a drop of white wax in the shape of a crescent moon. Misty’s name was written on the letter in Princess Luna’s immaculate scrawl. “I don’t know what it says, but it could be important."

Misty hastily took the letter from him. “Thanks, Spike,” she mumbled as she tore it open, already poring over the contents.

“No problem! Just doing my duty,” Spike said with a bow, then he sauntered over to the counter and greeted, “Hey, Mrs. Cake! Is it too late for me to get some of those waffles?”

After Misty finished reading, she lifted the letter, looked behind it, then glanced all around the table.

Ears pricked taut, Cloudy asked, “What does it say? Is there something you need to attend to?” He tried—and failed—to hide his frown and downcast eyes behind a cheerful facade.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Misty told him as she continued to search. “Princess Luna just said that something was sent to her and that she was asked to pass it along to me. But I don’t see anything else.”

Cloudy Day stuck his head under the table and said, "Is this it?" He floated another, smaller envelope up to her, this one more worn and water-stained, but still legible.

“It must be,” Misty replied, taking it, “but I don’t recognize the writing. I wonder who sent this...”

“Only one way to find out,” Cloudy stated as he finished off the last sip of his tea.

Misty nodded and opened it. What she had thought was an envelope actually turned out to be the letter itself, folded into the shape of one. Settling herself in, she began to read:

Dear Misty Moonrise,

I hope that this letter finds you well. Although our first meeting was brief, I certainly have not forgotten what it was you did for me in the Never, nor did I have the chance to properly thank you for it. In order to rectify this, I would like to invite you to join me in Manehattan. A carnival will be taking place there for one week, and I shall be performing in it. I will be there until the night of this month’s full moon, the night the carnival ends. Should you be able to make it, come find me at the grandstand, placed near the sideshow.

I would be overjoyed if you could meet me there, and hope that this letter finds you in time. If not, do not despair, for I have no doubt that our paths will cross again. Fate had a reason for bringing us together, I am sure of it. I very much look forward to meeting you in the waking world, Misty Moonrise, and to seeing you soon.

Your friend,

Lyric

Misty’s eyes widened, even more so when she saw the date written on the top. “Cloudy!” she exclaimed, making him start. “When is this month’s full moon?”

“It’s tomorrow. Why do you ask?”

“I know what I’d like to do today,” she announced with a smile, showing him the letter.

As he read, Cloudy’s eyebrows steadily climbed, and his eyes grew wide. “Lyric? The Lyric has invited you to Manehattan? To a carnival?”

“That’s what she wrote. And I’d really like to go, if you want to as well,” Misty added, her cheeks tinged light pink.

“Of course I do,” Cloudy replied, grinning from ear to ear.

“Even though it won’t be just the two of us?”

“Even then, because we’ll still be together—that’s what I really care about. But do you think she’d mind? After all, the letter was addressed to you, and there’s no mention of anypony else coming along in here.”

Misty shook her head. “I don’t think she would. When we met, she was very friendly and ready to help anyone we came across. Besides, as much as I would like to see her again, I... don’t think I could go by myself.”

“Because of the crowds?”

She nodded. “I’m not as afraid as I was before, but I still don’t like them. If I had you by my side, I know I’d be a lot calmer.”

Cloudy smiled, and his eyes and voice softened. “You’ll always have me by your side, Misty, I promise."

“I know I will, Cloudy. Thank you.” She finished her breakfast and stood, Cloudy soon joining her.

As they trotted out of the sweetshop, Cloudy said, “I suppose we should head home and pack, and then catch the next train to Manehattan. It’ll be almost midnight by the time we arrive, but we can meet up with Lyric tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Misty agreed. “I won’t take long to pack, so should we meet at the train station in an hour?”

“An hour it is.” Cloudy Day wrapped her in a hug. “I’ll see you then.”

Misty nodded into Cloudy’s fur, then headed straight for Princess Twilight’s castle after they parted. For the first time in two weeks, she actually had something pleasant to look forward to.

* * *

“Wow... It’s so much bigger than I imagined," Cloudy marveled as they approached the carnival. Misty nodded, staring up at the tallest ride there—a spinning tower with swings dangling from it. She started to tremble, but then Cloudy spoke again, distracting her from her fear. “It’s so different from anything we have in Ponyville.”

The analytical part of Misty’s mind kicked in, and she was grateful for it. “Yes,” she remarked as they stepped onto the grounds, “I heard that there would be more than food and games here. Like these rides—they come from some of the finest pony and griffon ingenuity.”

“Really?”

“Really. There are so many mechanics behind each and every one, and all the rides have to be completely safe for us to enjoy. I heard that they even brought in some of the Cloudsdale weather machine engineers to check everything out.”

“That’s pretty impressive.”

“It really is. I even heard that, if this sort of thing is successful, they’ll build something more permanent here, something called an amusement park. They want to call it Pony Island.”

“Well, it looks like it will be,” Cloudy noted. “Look at how much fun everypony is having.”

Despite her quickening pulse, Misty couldn’t help but smile as she saw the bright, happy faces of those around her. Even so, she took a step closer to Cloudy as they made their way toward the sideshow area. As they passed, they could see the different attractions. There was a strong-pony—a muscular earth pony capable of lifting heavy objects even other earth ponies could not. There was the merpony, who could hold her breath underwater for extraordinary lengths of time, though Misty suspected the mare had merely had a spell placed upon her. Then there were the rodeo and Wild West shows, put on by both ponies and bison, and a pair of unicorn brothers demonstrating and hawking their wares.

At long last, the grandstand came into view. In front of it sat ponies, griffons, and bison of all kinds and ages, enraptured by the cloaked figure upon the stage.

“There she is,” Cloudy whispered reverently as he and Misty approached, taking a seat on one of the back benches.

The earth pony whom everyone looked upon was just as Misty remembered her. She had a parchment-colored coat, meadow-green mane and tail with a forest streak in each, and freckles splashed across her nose and legs. When she moved, Misty could just make out a lute cutie mark under the cloak. Her musical voice and the notes from her lute flowed out from the stage.

“... And so it was that the land of dreams was safe once more, free from that which had terrorized it and the dreamers within. With lightened hearts, the student, the teacher, the wanderer, and the creature parted ways, bound forevermore by the lessons they learned, the friendships they’d formed, and the events that had brought them together.”

The last notes faded away, and the gathered audience erupted into applause. Even Cloudy leapt to his hooves, clapping and cheering despite having only heard the end.

Misty, however, stayed on the bench, her ears drooped and her thoughts in a tumble. I came here to get my mind off everything that happened. Why did she have to tell that story? She watched the bard take her bows just before the curtain closed. The audience departed, chatting happily about what, to them, was merely a tale.

“I wonder if she saw you,” Cloudy said to Misty, “though you’re hard to miss.” He grinned, and Misty gave what she hoped was a convincing smile. Cloudy tilted his head, but before he could say anything more, a familiar voice called out.

“Misty? Misty Moonrise?” Looking up, the two saw the earth pony fast approaching, face lit up with a wide smile and waving excitedly. When she reached Misty, she laughed and said, wrapping her in a hug, “It really is you! You made it after all!”

Misty gave a real smile now as she returned the embrace. “Lyric, it’s so good to see you!” she replied, pulling back after a moment. “And you’re looking well.” Which is a relief.

“As are you!” Lyric replied. Then the bard saw Cloudy Day standing there, staring and frozen in place. His mouth opened and closed several times, but he seemed to have lost his voice. Lyric grinned. “Hello there, I’m Lyric. Though, I take it you already knew that,” she told him, her own voice full of mirth. She offered a hoof to shake.

Cloudy took it and shook vigorously. “Cloudy! Cloudy Day! And what an honor it is to meet you at last! I must say that I am a huge fan, and I absolutely love your stories!”

“Why, thank you,” Lyric responded with a chuckle, “but I cannot take credit for them all. Some, yes, but others were told by tellers of tales long before I. I simply bring them to the light once more and return them to the world where they belong.”

“Still, what you’re doing is wonderful, and I just love the way you tell them. Did I say what an honor it is to meet you?”

Misty had to stifle a giggle. “Yes, Cloudy, you did.”

“Oh, right,” he said with a grin, blushing. The two mares gave a good-natured laugh, in which he joined.

When their laughter died down, Lyric told Misty, “Really, though, I am glad you made it. I was starting to think we would miss each other, but here you are! And you even brought a friend along.”

“Well, he’s more than just a friend. He’s my special somepony,” Misty returned, “and a storyteller like you.”

“Is he really? How wonderful!” Lyric said, beaming all the while.

“And I hope that’s alright. I know your note was only addressed to me, but I really don’t like big crowds and Cloudy offered to come to keep me calm...” Misty knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t stop herself as her phobias closed in once again. And I was the one reassuring Cloudy yesterday.

Lyric put a steadying hoof on her friend’s shoulder and assured, “Of course I don’t mind, Misty. The more the merrier! But, really, facing your fears to come see me? You are certainly brave.”

Misty shrank back a bit. “No, not really. If I was brave, then I wouldn’t be afraid in the first place.”

“That’s not how I see it. You were so quick to act in the Never, so ready to protect me and to save it.”

“But I lost control, almost destroying it and you!”

“And like I told you then,” Lyric said soothingly, “everyone makes mistakes, but you had the right intentions. And now you are here despite your fear of crowds. All of that, to me, is true bravery.” Misty stood still, awed and humbled, as Cloudy smiled and nodded at Lyric’s words. A twinkle came to the bard’s eye as she went on, “Now, what do you say we go enjoy ourselves? This is the last night, and there is so much to do and to see!”

“That sounds great!” Cloudy exclaimed. Misty nodded, Lyric grinned, and the three were off, delving into the semi-controlled chaos.

Although Misty’s mind was once again recalling all that had transpired in the Never, dampening her mood some, her thoughts were interrupted when Cloudy took her hoof in his and said, “Come on, Misty, let’s go ride that!”

He pointed to a tall slide, and Misty’s pupils shrunk to pinpoints, her ears folding back against her head. “Y-you want me to go on that?” Her knees trembled.

Cloudy gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s only a slide, Misty. I know you can do it. And like I said before, I’ll be right beside you.”

“As will I,” the bard put in.

Misty looked again, still shaking, and saw now that the slide itself was no taller than what she imagined the Golden Oaks Library had been. I… I can do that, she tried to convince herself. She’d never had the chance to go inside the library itself, but she could imagine that she was there, climbing the stairs to search for a book on the upper levels. Her quivering ceased, and she looked to her companions. “I... I suppose I could give it a try.”

“Then let’s go!” Cloudy said, and led her to the stairs, holding her hoof all the while.

Misty squeezed his hoof the whole way up and kept her eyes level, staring straight ahead. I’m just getting a book... I’m just getting a book... I’m just getting a book... was her mantra as she climbed. At the top, she surveyed the view, quirking one ear sideways. “This isn’t too bad.”

“I knew you could do it,” Cloudy said, beaming.

Misty smiled back as the trio took their places at the top of the slide, but then she accidentally looked down. Once again, she started to quake, ducking her head and retreating a step.

“Misty? What’s wrong?” Lyric asked.

“This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come up here. I... I really want to get down now...”

“Well, we are on a slide,” chuckled Lyric.

“I know, but I don’t think I can do it.”

Cloudy leaned in to nuzzle Misty. “I know you can do it.”

“I really don’t think—” Misty began.

“Lyric was right. You’re braver than you know.”

“But...”

“And besides,” Lyric intervened with a gentle smile, “how do you know until you try?”

Gazing downward once more, Misty tried to bite her tongue on a little whimper. But then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her friends’ reassurances running through her head, and let herself slide. Her screams of terror soon turned to delight as she felt the warm breeze blowing in her face, her mane flowing back in the wind. And then, almost before she knew it, it was all over.

Cloudy and Lyric landed beside her, laughing. Then they stood and took Misty up in a hug. “See? What did we tell you?” Cloudy said.

“Yes, you were right.” Misty pulled back to look at her companions. “Just promise me one thing?”

“What?”

“Never make me do that again.”

Lyric and Cloudy laughed. “Alright, we promise,” Lyric assured her, “but at least you were able to once again overcome your fear.”

“And you know that you could do it again, if you wanted,” Cloudy added.

Misty gave them an uncertain smile. “Yes, I know. But do you think we could stay on the ground for a little while? Please?”

Lyric beamed. “No problem. There’s still a lot more to see. Let’s go!” She bounded off like an excited filly. Cloudy and Misty followed her at a slower pace, but Lyric never seemed to get too far ahead.

“How can she do that?” Misty Moonrise wondered.

“Do what?” asked Cloudy.

“Be so cheery after all she’s been through.”

“How do you mean?”

“After everything that happened in the Never, you’d think that most ponies would be at least a little shaken, but she’s not." Plus, there’s everything that happened to her before... When Misty had found the bard in the Never, Lyric was reliving one of the darkest moments in her life—the time she had almost died. But Misty couldn’t share this with Cloudy. Dreams belong to their dreamers alone, Princess Luna had told her shortly after their first meeting, and Misty had taken it to heart.

Cloudy shrugged. “I suppose that’s just the kind of pony she is.”

It was then that Lyric ran up to them, carrying three pink puffs on paper cones. “Here, you both have to try this!”

“What is it?” Misty asked as she and Cloudy each took one.

“It’s called cotton candy.”

“Is it really food?” Cloudy queried.

Lyric giggled. “Of course it is! Go ahead, taste it!” she encouraged, and took a big bite.

Misty and Cloudy shared a glance before doing as the bard said. It was one of the sweetest things Misty had ever tasted, and the sugary strands quickly dissolved on her tongue. “Mmm!” was the only sound she could make as the gooey substance stuck to her lips, but she licked it away. As she took another bite and another, it seemed as if her worries and doubts disappeared along with the puffy treat. “That was amazing,” she said once she had finished, and Cloudy nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Lyric told her friends. “It’s one of my favorite things here, and I knew I had to share it with you. And speaking of, there’s so much more that I want to show you! What do you say?”

With a smile and a nod, the trio delved back into the fray. They took part in various games on the midway, starting with the darts booth. Although none of them could hit the target, they laughed at their own attempts as the darts flew wide. But when they accidentally knocked the hat off the stallion running the booth, they knew it was time to leave and scooted away, apologizing profusely.

“And this is why I became a bard,” Lyric murmured, as it was her dart that had dealt the hat its finishing blow. Both Misty and Cloudy stifled a laugh.

When they saw a jar filled with marbles, the three decided to try their luck at guessing how many were in there. The prize offered was a pass for a free dinner for two at one of Manehattan’s nearby restaurants. Lyric leaned in and whispered, “If I win, I know who I am giving the pass to.” Cloudy Day chuckled, and Misty blushed.

When they came upon a game of ring toss, they were enthralled. They all tried to hook the rings around the necks of the milk jugs placed in a square. At this, Cloudy was able to land three rings, earning himself his choice of many stuffed animals along the shelves. Thinking carefully, he chose a small rabbit plush the same color grey as Misty’s coat. Without hesitation, he placed it in his special somepony’s hooves, and she gave him a grateful smile in return.

As they left the games, they came upon a carousel. It was populated with bears, tigers, sheep, dolphins, and birds of all kinds. Without even realizing it, Misty inched closer. “Do you want to go on it?” Cloudy asked her.

“Yes!” was her eager reply. They each took their place in line and were soon able to step on for the go around. As Cloudy and Lyric held on and gazed around them, Misty stared upward with her rabbit sitting in her lap, watching as the mechanical marvel moved up and down, imagining how it and the calliope producing the music worked. Too soon, the ride was over, though Misty convinced her friends to take another spin. She loved how gently it moved, and she was eager to study it some more. Had she but the time, she would have spent the whole night and longer there.

From there, it was on to the teacup ride—where Misty threw up her hooves as they spun—and even the tilt-a-whirl, though she needed some gentle prodding to go on this one. It was a bit too fast for her liking, and she squeezed her rabbit all the while, but she was proud of herself for going on that ride.

When they came to a mirror maze, they all dived in without a word, quickly losing themselves but laughing hysterically at the way the mirrors both tripped them up and distorted their reflections.

“Look at you, Cloudy! You’re as burly as Steel!” Misty exclaimed as Cloudy stood in front of a mirror that improved his girth in its reflection.

When Cloudy saw Misty’s reflection, he had to laugh as well. “And you look just like Princess Luna in front of that one!”

Misty hadn’t even noticed the mirror she was standing in front of. It made her taller and skinnier, and, yes, she had to admit, a lot like the Princess of the Night. Cloudy’s and Lyric’s laughter reached her ears as the bard took Cloudy’s place, but Misty could not bring herself to join in.

After their harrowing adventures in the Never, Misty had asked her sovereign, Is there anything that could truly pose a threat to it?

No, Princess Luna had said. There is nothing.

After all the time she had spent with Princess Luna, Misty knew that this was a lie, and that only added to her frustration and her desperation to discover more about the Shadowmancer. But Princess Luna has a good reason... right?

As her friends started to make their way toward the exit, Misty trudged after them, her rabbit plush perched on her back and her thoughts in a whirlwind. She hardly noticed as they left the maze, though once they were outside, the lights from the rides and all of the attractions shone in Misty’s eyes. She shielded them with a hoof until her eyes could adjust, but then the beauty of the lights dancing against the backdrop of the darkening sky took her breath away.

“There’s just one more thing I’d like to take you on,” Lyric told the two unicorns, that now-familiar twinkle in her eye again. “It’s right over here.” She trotted to a large wheel, called a ferris wheel, if the sign in front of it was any indication. It was the most lit up ride at the carnival, and Misty was in awe. Although it was high off the ground, it was no higher than the slide, and this time she would not have to look down. The line for the ride grew steadily shorter, and soon it was the trio climbing into a car. Cloudy took a seat by Misty, Lyric across from them, and the couple held hooves as they were all lifted above the carnival grounds.

“It’s so beautiful,” Cloudy said as the full moon came into view. “It looks so close, as if I could touch it.”

“It does,” Misty murmured, but after thinking of Princess Luna and hearing Lyric tell the tale of their ordeal, it was a different moon that she saw in her mind’s eye—a moon of blood-red. Finally, the question she had wanted to ask the bard before came back to her. “Lyric, why did you tell that story?” Both Lyric and Cloudy stared at her. “You know, the one about the Never.”

Lyric’s expression smoothed, her cheer momentarily replaced with sobriety. “Because I could tell something was wrong.”

“You could?”

“Yes,” Lyric replied. “I know all the old tales, I know the signs from them, telling us that something grand is about to happen. I am sure that Cloudy can attest to the same.”

“Well, yes, I know what you mean,” said Cloudy, “but I wasn’t there. I don’t know exactly what you went through, not like you do.”

“But do you not agree that this could be a portent of things to come?”

“Could be? Could be?” cried Misty. “No, it is definitely a portent, and I don’t know how you can just sit there and be so calm about it! Something is going to happen, and nopony but me seems to be doing anything about it!”

All was quiet in the car. Misty clapped her hooves over her mouth, eyes wide. She shrank back, afraid that she had spoken out of turn, that her friend would hate her now for all that she had said. She tried to stammer out an apology, but Lyric spoke first.

“You are not the only one, Misty.”

“W-what?”

“I said, you are not the only one. After that night, I started doing research on the Never.” Lyric sighed and waved her hoof. “Regrettably, I have not found anything useful as of yet, but I shall continue to search. And as to how I can be so calm?” She paused, putting a hoof to her chest. “I’ve learned how all of this can be taken away from us in an instant. Yes, there is another life waiting for us in the beyond, but I still have a life here, and I refuse to let myself pass it by, worrying about what is to come. I am not saying that we should not prepare, and I have been doing so to the best of my abilities. And I have been telling my—no, our tale in hopes that others may be prepared should something happen. However...” And here the bard smiled. “I choose to make each day the best it can be and to live it how I want, so that when my time does eventually come, I will have no regrets.”

Misty gazed at the bard in awe, but then her eyes trailed to the floor. “I wish I could be more like you,” she muttered, folding her ears. “Like both of you.”

“But then you wouldn’t be you, Misty,” Cloudy said as he lifted her chin with a hoof. He smiled. “And we wouldn’t have you any other way.” Beside him, Lyric beamed.

Misty sighed. “I just don’t like this, any of it.”

“We know,” Cloudy told her as she leaned against him, “but we’re right here with you, Misty. Always. No matter what comes.”

“And should you ever be lost or need a friend, just listen for my lute,” Lyric said with a wink and a grin.

Misty nodded and gave a small smile, but it did little to quell the dread she felt in her heart. Still, she had such a short time left at the carnival. She raised her head to meet the bard’s eyes. “I’m sorry I yelled at you, Lyric. This whole affair just has me stressed.”

“No apology is needed, Misty. I understand.”

Her heart lightened more at that, making the smile genuine. It was then that the ferris wheel reached the apex of its climb for the second time, pausing with the trio at the top. Once again, the full moon was in view. This time, Misty was able to take in its true beauty and its full glory as she had so many nights before.

“Hey, look! Fireworks!” Cloudy cried, pointing, as they soared and exploded in front of the moon in blazes of color and sound. Enraptured, all three gazed at the display before them.

Things still aren’t right, but I have Lyric and Cloudy here. Misty smiled to herself. And I always will. I still haven’t found anything on the Shadowmancer, but we’re together. We’ll get through this. She squeezed Cloudy’s hoof. We have to. As she watched the shrilling rainbow of fireworks, for just a little while, Misty was content.

THE END

Author's Note

The Shadowmancer Saga continues in

Cold, Unhappy, Far-Off Things

by Emylia Hawke

Many thanks once again to my wonderful friend Emylia Hawke for letting me snag Misty and Cloudy for this story, for all of her help with old-timey ride research, and for being my collaborator. Misty Moonrise, Cloudy Day, Steel Shield, Juniper Berry, Nightingale and Lilypad all belong to her. Lyric belongs to me. All other characters belong to Hasbro.