The Cirque Du Noir and Other Tales

Chapters

The Cirque Has Come To Town
Tale I: The Carnival
Tale II: I'm Always Right, Pt 2
Tale II: I'm Always Right, Pt 1

The Cirque Has Come To Town

“Welcome, welcome, one and all, to our glorious, euphorious carnival!” boomed the earth pony in the ragtag suit at the gates of the massive carnival. “Your admission here is but a bit of altruism, and we welcome every and anyone to step through our gates, where we promise your wildest imaginings will become reality! Come, sir, come madam, come one and all, and see what we have to offer! A carnival of clownish cheer! A bacchanal of befuddling bliss! A masquerade of mischievous madness! A saturnalia of sadistic succulence!”

The earth pony strutted to the side, his cane floating along beside him by no apparent means as he posed proudly in his suit before pointing into the audience, shouting: “You there! Wouldn't you love to expose yourself to an exposition of earthly ecstasy? We'll make you smile for a penny, laugh for a dime, and a mere dollar, sir, can pay for delights as you've never seen!”

He whirled, gesturing out at another pony, giving a wink as he teased: “Or you, sir! Does such a jolly jollification not jibe you, but instead you long for the languish of lost years, to feel the terrors of the house of mirrors, the foul fetid fear at the fiends of the freak show? We have that too, and in such supply that the rest of your life will be spent with a ghostly chill in your step and a killer's breath on the back of your neck!”

The earth pony spun back around, striding towards the crowd as he declared cheerfully: “Yes, ladies and gents, we have sights and sounds never before seen, from Manehattan to Canterlot and beyond! All the riches of Saddle Arabia could not buy the treasures within this carnival, but you, sir, you may rent them all for pittance! Pay the price and make your wish and come, come and join us! Step up to the gate, show your ticket, and tell the ticket taker what you wish to see, and then take your first step into a great and glorious journey all your own! But for the parting of a few bits, witness wonders and warmth that would make even Princess Celestia gasp, delights and desires that would shake the boundless imagination of even Princess Luna!”

The earth pony turned and leapt up onto a set of boxes, grinning as he posed, 'leaning' on his cave. His eyes are wide and bright, eyes wise and prankish: eyes that would do worse than never lie, but always twist the truth. His teeth sparkled, his suit was made of a thousand patches held together by string and prayer, but impeccably neat and tidy; all for the sake of providing the right feeling! His hat was tipped jauntily, the very same hat as his cutie mark, with the same feather, the very same playing cards decorating its brim, as he exhorted: “Come, come one and all, and see what we have to offer! Dare with us, dream with us, love with us, leap with us! Challenge us, and find if you have what it takes to face what you desire most, in your heart of hearts!

“And all for one good act!” the earth pony said, before he flicked his cane to the side and vanished in a puff of smoke and fireworks to the awe of the crowd.

The pony in the ticket booth sighed in exasperation, then winced as ponies crammed forwards. He shouted at them pointlessly, shoving grouchily back at them before he slumped inside the little stall, tapping a hoof impatiently as he waited for them to form into a coherent line, ignoring the purple and black mane that fell over his face. His curved horn gleamed, his black eyes shifted, the purple lines that spun endlessly through them loosening as they rolled backwards, then tightening as he focused on the first pony in line, who shoved a few bits at him with a bright smile.

“Welcome to the Cirque du Noir. Have a nice day.” he muttered, stamping a ticket before he slid it to the pony with telekinesis. The little pony turned with a squeal and bounded through the gates, then blinked in surprise as he stumbled on the other side, looking dumbly back and forth as if he had expected... well, more.

He huffed, but continued on his way. The green unicorn back in the ticket booth rolled his eyes, and so things continued: ponies gave him random amounts of bits, took their tickets, then ran through the gate as if something magical was going to happen to them.

None of them had much luck. Some looked disappointed, some clung to their delusions, some angrily turned and exited. A few of the ones who turned back were dumb enough to join the line again, but it would be a long time yet before they got to come in.

Veritas always did this to him. One day all his showponyship was going to backfire and they were going to end up losing the whole crowd.

He snorted, then looked down in surprise as not bits, but instead, a white piece of paper was pushed through to him. He picked this up and examined it for a moment, before a smile bridged his scarred muzzle as he set it down and stamped it, straightening and locking his eerie gaze with the pony's own as he said pleasantly: “Welcome to the Cirque du Noir. I hope you enjoy your time with us.”

The pony took the ticket, then turned and pushed through the gate.

The gate swung closed, but on the other side, there was no pony to be seen.

But of course, at this carnival, all the very best sights were the ones that went unseen by everyone but the special few they had been made for.

Author's Note

Welcome to this year's charity project! This year, the theme is a Carnival, but as you may have inferred, this is no normal carnival: the Cirque Du Noir seeks to provide for the specific tastes and desires of whoever steps through its gates with a special ticket, giving them a glimpse of Heaven... or of Hell, if that is what they desire most.
To put it simply: if you donate money to the Midwest Horse Welfare Foundation and send proof of your donation to mjcc [at] hotmail [dot] ca - a screenshot of your donation, or a screenshot of your name and donation from the Paypal receipt - then I'll write a story for you. Anything above five dollars gets you a snippet roughly as long as the first Tale in this story. Ten dollars will buy you up to 5000 words. For donations greater than that, and we can discuss larger commissions, multiple stories, or something else more personalized.

Your story does not have to be included in the Carnival Tales if you would rather keep it private.

I hope I have your interest and I look forwards to making your fantasies a reality, here at the Cirque Du Noir.

Tale I: The Carnival

The squat unicorn – and everything about him, from his horn to his body to his little legs was squat – scowled around at the carnival and the other carnival-goers as he floated a device in front of himself, which beeped loudly. The device seemed to serve no other real purpose: it simply beep, beep, beeped away in a steady, unending rhythm, creating a high-pitched beat to the music of happy ponies chatting and yelling and laughing as they enjoyed the fairgrounds, the food, the sights and sounds of the carnival.

“Torque!” called a cheerful, tall unicorn stallion who bounded over, a bright autumn red to Torque's drab blue. Torque winced and nearly dropped his device as the stallion barged right into him, floating a pair of ice cream cones in his vibrant magic as he smiled brightly. “I got us some ice creme!”

“Cream.” Torque corrected pettishly, scowling at the aforementioned substance, and then he carefully used his own magic to push the cone away. “We're here on a research mission, Charm. You and Pickle... where's Pickle?”

Torque halted and looked back and forth, then squawked as a bright yellow mare leapt out of the crowd, nearly knocking several ponies over before she crashed into Torque and Charm. Or more acutely, she rammed Torque into Charm, firmly sandwiching the tiny unicorn between the two larger ponies as she threw a foreleg and a wing around the red stallion. “Hey guys! It's a carnival!”

The small unicorn wheezed loudly, flailing uselessly between the two larger ponies before he managed to shove them apart as he hugged his device to his chest. He glowered back forth at the two, then glared at the pegasus mare as she smiled brightly down at him, reaching up to firmly rustle his mane as she bounced in place. “Are you having lots of fun, Torque?”

“No, I am not having fun.” groused Torque, glaring between Pickle and Charm. “And neither should you two! This is serious! Don't you remember why we're here?”

“It's a carnival! We're here to have fun!” Pickle said happily, bouncing on the spot and making her long ponytails swing with the same exuberance.

“Yeah, a carnival. We're here to explore, right?” Charm answered, absently offering Pickle an ice cream cone, which she immediately gorged herself on in several large, messy bites, Torque leaning away in horror from the generous spray of drool and ice cream that accompanied this.

“No!” Torque finally snapped, glaring at the two, and Pickle and Charm both stared back at him with childish expressions of confusion. “This... this is the Cirque du Noir! I've told you guys dozens of times about this! Ponies show up here and vanish! The last time the Cirque visited Canterlot there were three disappearances and dozens of reports of bizarre visions and otherworldly experiences!”

“Sounds like magic.” Pickle said, before she grinned as she leaned in and waggled her eyebrows, bright blue eyes locking on Torque's grumpy grey. “Magic mushrooms! We should find some!”

Charm huffed at this, saying seriously: “Hey, I don't think that's such a good idea. You never know what could be in magical mushrooms if you don't get them from a licensed alchemist or regaent dealer. Your potions should contain only top quality ingredients.”

Pickle chortled, and Torque slowly dragged a hoof down his face before he looked suddenly up and hissed: “The ticket taker!”

Pickle and Charm both turned and looked with dumb curiosity as the ticket taker walked by ahead, ignoring everyone around him as he cut through the crowd. Torque glared after the gaunt green unicorn, then squawked when Pickle almost stepped on him as she turned to watch the ticket taker, asking: “Do you think he's selling the mushrooms?”

“I- no! It's not mushrooms!” snapped Torque as he wriggled his way out from under Pickle, and then he gestured sharply with his device through the crowd. “Let's go after him while we have the chance! He has to know something!”

“We should be polite, though.” Charm said seriously. “You get more bees with honey than vinegar.”

“And more hydras with meat than hay! So we should get him honeyed meat!” Pickle added with a grin and a thrust of a hoof into the air, and Torque's eye visibly twitched before he grumbled under his breath before he stalked off after the ticket taker.

Pickle and Charm traded looks and shrugs, then ran after him, and the trio found the ticket taker sitting alone at a table outside the food tents. He was slowly sipping at a cup of cola, glowering back at Torque, who was standing on the table and glaring down into his eyes. Well, glaring across into his eyes: Torque was very short, and the unicorn was very tall, or perhaps 'stretched' was a better word, with how emaciated his body was.

“Hi there!” Charm greeted, positive as ever.

“Do you got mushrooms?” asked Pickle excitedly, twisting her head upside down with a wide, comical, predatory grin.

The ticket taker scowled at them all, and then he grumbled: “If you have a problem with the carnival, take it up with Veritas. I'm not even supposed to be here.”

“I know what you're up to here.” Torque growled through grit teeth, leaning down aggressively, but the unicorn seemed unperturbed even as their noses almost pushed together. “I've followed your carnival all over Equestria, and I've heard all your false promises of making people happy and letting them have their fondest desire-”

“Not my promises. That's Veritas' problem. Take it up with him.” the scarred stallion grumbled, before he winced when Pickle shoved her face in to mash against theirs with a greedy grin.

“Ooh! Can I have my fondest desire? Where do I sign up for that?” she asked excitedly.

The stallion scowled as Torque furiously shoved against Pickle, before he squeaked when Charm leaned in on the other side, face squished between the two larger ponies' as the red unicorn asked curiously: “Can I meet Twilight Sparkle? I was hoping that since we're close to Ponyville, she might be here! I'd love to meet Twilight Sparkle!”

“You don't want to meet Twilight Sparkle.” the grizzled unicorn reached up and firmly shoved the three ponies backwards, knocking Torque off the table and sending the other two down on their rumps. “That's never how it works. You don't want to meet the real Twilight Sparkle. You want to meet your Twilight Sparkle, the ideal Twilight Sparkle you've cooked up in your head, altered by your perceptions, your desires, your 'oh we'd get along so well!'”

The unicorn posed with his hooves under his chin, fluttering his eyelashes before he scowled at the ponies, and Charm and Pickle traded looks before Charm asked awkwardly: “So can I meet her or not?”

The green unicorn sighed and dropped his face in his hooves, and then he winced and leaned back in surprise when Torque popped out from under the table, shoving his front hooves against his chest and glaring up at the larger stallion as he snapped: “Listen, dude. I know all about what you've been up to. What this place really is. And I am not leaving here until I get some answers.”

Torque and the ticket taker glared at each other, before Pickle reached quickly over and lifted Torque up, yanking him back across the table to plunk him down as she apologized: “Sorry. He gets cranky without his nap. What do you mean by that, though? Can you give us anything we want?”

The ticket taker grunted, looking away and cross his forelegs before he answered evasively: “I didn't say that. But if you showed up at the right time, with the right payment, and you had something you desired...”

The green unicorn reached up and tapped his nose with a wink, and Pickle continued to look at him expectantly before she asked slowly: “Yes?”

The green unicorn sighed tiredly, and then he answered grouchily: “If you're willing to pay, we may be able to provide.”

Pickle and Charm both leaned in before Torque exploded up between them, shoving them apart as he shouted: “Don't trust him! He's evil!”

“Probably, but I'm also lazy.” the stallion said sourly, snorting in distaste. “Again, we're not doing this for free. Sure, it's your altruism, but we use it, selfishly, to balance our sins.”

Both Pickle and Charm looked confused by this, while Torque snorted and stomped his hooves, squinting at the stallion before he hissed: “I knew it. I knew you were up to something wicked here. And it's not all pleasure and happiness, is it?”

“Some ponies don't want 'pleasure' and 'happiness.' Some ponies want to repent. Some ponies want to drown in a sea of sorrow. Some ponies clutch fear closer to their hearts than they do love or life or joy.” the unicorn snorted, then he shrugged. “They ask. We answer. They order, we deliver. That's the way it goes.”

“I'll have a pizza. We can get pizza?” Charm asked hopefully, and Pickle nodded with a grin.

Torque groaned in frustration, and the ticket taker rolled his eyes before he said shortly: “If that was your true desire. But that seems a lousy wish to make when you could have anything you want.”

“Then I'll have two pizzas!” Pickle said, before she rubbed her hooves together with a grin. “Two ice cream pizzas! How about that?”

Charm nodded in approval as Torque rolled his eyes, and the ticket taker grumbled before he shoved himself away from the table. “Well, thank you for wasting my break. I have to go back to work.”

“Hey! I'm not done with you yet!” Torque snapped, bolting off after the stallion. Pickle whooped and hopped the table with a flap of her wings, following excitedly, and Charm began to follow before he cocked his head curiously as he noticed a white slip of paper on the table.

He picked this up and looked at it, reading it over:

You Are Invited!

Come to the Cirque Du Noir, where all your dreams can come true!

Experience your fondest desire!

Go on a wild adventure!

Face your deepest fears!

Taste redemption!

Relish punishment!

All for the low price of one simple kindness!

Come today, and live out the moment you have always desired!

Charm looked at this for a moment longer, then he shrugged before tucking it away in his saddlebag and taking off after Torque and Pickle. If nothing else, it would make a nice souvenir.

But he did still really wish he could meet Twilight Sparkle.

Author's Note

Your story does not have to be included in the Carnival Tales if you would rather keep it private.

I hope I have your interest and I look forwards to making your fantasies a reality, here at the Cirque Du Noir.

Tale II: I'm Always Right, Pt 2

Tale II: I'm Always Right, Part II
~BlackRoseRaven

Everything felt wrong. He knew it should all feel right, but instead, everything felt wrong.

Torque was having a hard time convincing himself that it wasn't the fact that Charm and Pickle weren't arguing with him that was so wrong, it was everything else. The carnival was too nice, and the ringmaster and the other leaders of this demented little circus were nowhere to be found. All he saw were cheap seasonal hires working booths and stalls and rides, none of who seemed to know anything about what was going on.

The small stallion bit his lip as he looked back and forth nervously: it was getting dark. They were going to have to leave the carnival soon, whether he liked it or not. The carnival did close at night, didn't it? Yes, that was why they were going to have to leave, because the carnival was closing, not because he wanted to, not because he was exhausted, not because he was afraid of what this place might become after dark.

“The... the carnival is shutting down.” Torque said as he came to a stop outside the food tents: tents that were busy serving ponies, brightly-lit and happy. The whole place was warm with gaiety, as a matter of fact, and ponies still passed constantly by in knots and groups.

“Oh, okay.” Charm nodded in agreement. “If you say so.”

“Okay! I'm ready to leave when you are!” Pickle added, and for a moment Torque looked back at her with hope: was that a hint of disappointment in her voice?

“We don't have to if you don't want to!” he blurted, before he could stop himself.

But Pickle only smiled at him, erasing any hopes he had when she chirped: “Whatever you think is best, Torque, because you know best!”

“Oh.” Torque mumbled, then he sighed and said, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm: “Well, let's... let's go then. We... there's no point in lingering here.”

They agreed: Torque didn't even have to look at them to know they agreed. They had stopped arguing with him, stopped advising him, stopped telling him he was overreacting... stopped being Pickle and Charm, because all Pickle and Charm had ever done was fight with him and ruin his ideas and... balanced him out, for lack of a better phrase.

He felt miserable. He didn't even know why he did, but he did. He hated it: he hated the way he felt, he hated how tired he was, he hated how they had run all over this stupid circus and hadn't found the ringmaster and it was getting dark and he was afraid and everything was wrong. He hated the fact that he had told Pickle to go get him a drink and she had, without spilling a drop, without a complaint. He hated the fact that he'd complained about them being useless, and Charm just apologized.

Being right hurt. Being in complete control made him feel... guilty. And when he looked at Charm and Pickle and saw them just droning on, doing whatever he told them to, he felt awful. He felt awful because he wanted to yell at them to do things, and frightened of the fact he knew they would. Without question, they would.

He was no leader. Maybe he'd always been aware of that: sure, every now and then he got something right, but it wasn't like that was even saying all that much. He only ever figured things out because he had Charm and Pickle to argue with him, to moderate him, and... to give him motivation, really. Because he always wanted to prove he wasn't wrong or that he knew what he was doing or he could figure things out himself.

Now he didn't have any of that. They just agreed with him, no matter what he said or did. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

So what else could be possibly do? This was all his fault, wasn't it? He had dragged them here in the first place. And maybe some part of him had wanted this: well, he had gotten what he desired most, hadn't he? Pickle and Charm, listening to him.

His heart's desire. Really, was that what this was?

But then again, he did always have to be right. And he did wish they would just listen to him... but not like this. He hadn't wanted it to be like this.

They headed back to the carnival gates, Torque subdued, Charm and Pickle almost their usual selves: almost, but they never got loud enough to bother him, they never went wandering off on their own, they never said or did... anything on their own. They were just there.

That made it feel like they weren't really Pickle and Charm at all.

Torque scowled as he lingered in front of the gates: there were more ponies leaving than coming in, but there was still more than a trickle entering through the gates, he noted. Maybe the carnival wasn't going to shut down in the evening. Maybe it would just keep going all night long...

The last thing he wanted to do was stick around into the night, though. This place was weird enough during the day. He didn't want to think about what kind of freaks might come out here at night.

He couldn't help but look at the ticket taker's gate, and he scowled as he saw that the green unicorn was gone: there was some other pony there now, taking bits and giving tickets. He thought briefly about trying to interrogate this new pony, or going back into the carnival to find the weird stallion he wanted to blame for this entire mess...

But it wasn't his fault at all, was it? Everything was all his fault, for coming here. But that horse had known something! Maybe if he could find him again...

How long was the carnival in town? Weren't they supposed to pack up and leave soon? What if they left before he had a chance to fix things, to solve this mystery?

But he didn't think he could stay here much longer tonight. That was just asking too much. It was bad enough being here as it was, and all he wanted to do was go home and give up.

Pickle would refuse to leave. Charm would encourage him. But even though he knew that and what they would say, somehow it just made the pain of the fact that those two were basically being the opposite of who they were supposed to be, of the ponies he had always known, who had always driven him and... just made him a better pony in general... it made all that worse. So much worse, and so much harder to overcome.

Torque bit his lip, then he looked back at them and blurted: “Why can't things just go back to the way they were before?”

“I'm sorry, I don't understand.” Charm apologized. “Did we upset you?”

“Sorry Torque! I don't know what for, but I really am!” Pickle added ,with a smile and such honesty that it nearly broke Torque's heart.

But he only grimaced and looked sharply away, scowling even as he rubbed roughly at his eyes and muttered: “You're... you're such idiots.”

Charm and Pickle only agreed with him, with smiles, with nods. He hated that. Pickle should be laughing and Charm should be gently chastising him, and it just all felt wrong.

“Let's go.” Torque mumbled, stalking his way out of the exit gates. It was the wrong thing to do, and he knew it was the wrong thing to do, but he felt beaten. He was afraid. He wasn't strong enough to handle this on his own, an all he could do was run away.

No, he was... he was just going to get his bearings, that was all. He would figure things out tonight, and once he had more answers and some sleep – because oh, it had been a long, exhausting trek all around the Carnival today, learning all its ins and outs! – then tomorrow he would return and fix everything. He just needed to get away.

He couldn't stand looking at Pickle and Charm anymore.

He bit his lip, looking back at them as they stood with the lights of the carnival at their back, how they seemed so large and alien with their faces in shadow, the light glowing around their profile. He studied them silently for a few moments, then said finally: “Go... go home. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay Torque! See you tomorrow.” Charm said brightly.

“Yep! Talk to you then!” chirped Pickle.

And without another word, without so much as a glance at him, the two left him, heading off down the beaten path back towards Canterlot. Torque watched them go before he bit his lip, and then he forced himself to take a breath before he turned away and headed in the direction of his own house.

It was a lonely walk: he wasn't used to walking alone. He always insisted he was fine, but Pickle would bounce along at his side and Charm would follow behind, reasoning that he liked walking with his friends, and Pickle would probably need somepony to walk her home anyway. And they'd have the same argument they always did: why didn't Pickle just walk home then?

Well, she wanted to walk with him.

But they lived in opposite directions!

She liked to walk, though.

She was wasting Charm's time!

Charm would butt in that he was fine and happy to spend some extra time with them.

Blah, blah, blah.

But now here Torque was, walking home alone, just like he'd always wanted.

It just felt so wrong.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the dark or anything. But it was eerie to walk alone in this deepening twilight when he was so used to having other voices around him. Pickle and Charm were just always there, always... telling him what to do or correcting him or just...

Not arguing, no. He always took it like they were arguing with him, but they really did just want to help, didn't they? It wasn't that they thought their way was better: sometimes they were just right. Sometimes he breezed right past what the right thing was.

Sometimes he was just an idiot.

Torque spent the entire walk home trying to ignore himself and the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was strange how he barely recognized the old house at night: lights gleamed in the windows, but it seemed the furthest thing from welcoming. He lived far away from anyone else, from Canterlot or Ponyville, stuck with his mother. Stuck: that was the story of his life, wasn't it?

He sighed as he pushed the creaky gate open, making his way to the door and biting his lip before he steeled himself and pushed inside. His mother could be so difficult sometimes and he hated the way she talked to him and having to explain every little thing-

“Is that you Torque?” she called.

Who else would it be? He wanted to snap back, but he withheld it and replied glumly: “Yes, mother.”

Now she would start with the- “Alright, Torque, I just wanted to be sure.”

And then silence.

Torque stood uneasily in the entrance, fear nibbling at him as his whole body tensed up: was she okay? Had something happened? That wasn't like her at all. No questions, no ribbing, no chastising for forgetting to oil the gate for the hundredth time or skipping out on his chores...

Torque nervously made his way inward, heading to that living room: it was the inner sanctum of his house, where his mother had always ruled from. And there she was on her throne, the cushions of the couch long shaped to her body, her knitting needles clicking together as she crocheted or purled or ribbed or whatever it was that she did.

The old mare looked at him with those wise old eyes of hers: those eyes had always pierced him right down to the soul. It had always frustrated him: she always knew just how to push him and just where, and it drove him mad.

And for the first time, those eyes didn't seem to dig right through him as he looked uncomfortably at her, before he blurted: “Are you alright?”

“Fine, dear.” she said, and he waited for her to laugh or tease him, but she only smiled and said no more.

He lingered, waiting, waiting, like it would make something happen. But she calmly went back to knitting, and he bit his lip, shifting back and forth on his hooves before he asked in spite of himself: “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Torque. Are you well? Do you need something?” she asked.

“I... fine. I just... need a glass of water.” Torque mumbled, rubbing at his head before he grimaced, waiting for her to say, just like always, well go and get it yourself.

She looked up at him, then smiled, and for a moment he felt a weird stinging hope, as if he wanted-

She stood up and left the room, and Torque stared after her. He heard a clink of glassware, and a hiss of water, and then the tap-tap-tap of hooves before she returned and offered it to him.

Torque shakily took it in his hooves, not trusting his concentration right now as he swallowed thickly, staring back at his mother as she smiled at him. “You look a little peakish, Torque. You should get some rest.”

“Y-Yes. Yes. I suppose I should.” Torque muttered, looking down at his glass of water. He squeezed it slowly in his hooves, then forced himself to steady enough that he could lift it with telekinesis, almost stumbling out of the room.

He looked back, hoping to catch a grin, a smirk, even a glare, but all he saw was a smile.

He supposed this was how he'd always imagined other mothers acted. How he'd always wanted her to act. And oh, it made him afraid and feel sick to his stomach, as he hurried his way through the house to his room, slamming the door with a gasp and clenching his eyes shut as he anticipated the yelling to be careful, but that yelling never came.

He nearly dropped the glass of water on his table, then he shook himself out before he stumbled over to his bed, lowering his head and muttering: “It's fine, it's fine. It's all fine. I should be happy. This is better, right?”

Torque dropped his flank on his bed, looking around his room: a room that still looked almost like a foal's room, with the tattered, colorful wallpaper and the never-updated furniture, some of it still plastered with crayon from when he had been an overactive foal. The walls were layered with drawings and schematics and vague ideas that he promised he would finish one day, but he knew in some part of himself he never would.

He rubbed at his face, then looked at the door, and he tried his hardest to think of all the things he'd always wanted. Maybe his mother would answer all the questions he had instead of just deflecting; maybe she would actually respect him now, treat him like more than just some servant.

But somehow, that thought made him feel sick to his stomach.

Pickle, Charm, and his mother... what about other ponies? Had they been affected too? Could this be the world he wanted, the world where he was respected, where people recognized that he knew what was best, that he was always right?

Torque smiled queasily, looking down at his hooves and shivering a little. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, then simply dropped back in his bed, closing his eyes and covering his face.

He'd figure it all out in the morning. That was what he'd do. Delay everything until the morning. That was best.

He knew what was best, right?

Right?

Torque woke up in the morning and convinced himself that everything was going to be okay. If everyone thought he was always right, then he'd just his his rightness to make everything... right. It was that simple, wasn't it?

And he could use it to get answers!

And anything else he wanted, really...

But the last thought made him feel uneasy. There was something about it that made him feel sick, like it would be crossing a line that he wouldn't be able to come back from.

Besides, it wasn't worth thinking about. He was going to fix this. This wasn't what he wanted, anyway, he wasn't really being acknowledged as right, they were just... babying him, and the last thing he wanted was to be babied!

Torque mumbled and nodded to himself as he left his room, biting his lip and almost creeping down the hallway before he winced as he heard his mother call from the kitchen: “Is that you, dear?”

“Uh, yes, mother! I'm just... going out.” Torque blurted, preparing the usual litany of excuses for why he couldn't-

“Alright dear. Take care.” his mother said.

Torque winced and bit his lip, then he scrambled towards the exit. He slammed through the door and shoved it closed behind him, not knowing why it bothered him so much that his mother wasn't being loud and annoying and obnoxious...

He didn't like it. He didn't know why he didn't like it. He hated it when she argued with him and annoyed him and teased him... didn't he? Yes, of course he did, it didn't make sense otherwise. Did it?

What kind of idiot enjoyed arguing all the time?

Torque shook his head, then he brushed himself off and made himself take a breath before he headed out to the road. He lingered, however, looking away from everything he'd known and out into the distance.

He could run away. Especially if it was more than Pickle and Charm and his mother who were going to treat him like he was always right. He could run away and start a new life somewhere, being or doing whatever he wanted.

And yet the thought barely made his hooves shift. Sure, part of him wanted that, thought it would be a grand adventure, but... it would also be running away, and he knew he'd miss this place, miss his friends, and as much as he wanted to be right, he was afraid that if the wrong people started thinking he was right all the time...

He talked tough, sure, but he didn't really want to hurt anypony. He just wanted...

Torque grumbled under his breath, then he scowled as he looked up at the carnival as he drew nearer to it. Yes, the source of all his sorrows: the carnival that had likely ruined thousands of lives, just like they had ruined his!

Torque marched towards the gates, not looking where he was going as he glowered through the cheap fencing, and then he squawked when he accidentally ran right into a mare, nearly knocking himself over and making her wince as she stumbled and snapped: “Do you mind?”

“You bumped into me!” Torque immediately blurted in defense.

“Oh.” the mare said, and then she apologized: “I'm sorry.”

Torque stared at her, and she looked uncomfortably back before he said disbelievingly: “You too?”

“I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean.” the mare said awkwardly. “Are you... okay?”

“Oh, fine. Fine, yes, fine.” Torque looked at her lamely, and then he asked: “How do you know who I am?”

“Everyone knows you, Torque.” she answered, sounding surprised. “You're the... always right pony, isn't that right?”

“What if I said no?” Torque couldn't help but retort.

But the mare only laughed at this, smiling and gushing: “You're so funny!”

“Hey, what's going on?” asked a grouchy-looking stallion, who approached and scowled at Torque. Torque winced a bit as the stallion asked: “Is this guy bothering you?”

“You're... bothering ponies!” Torque snapped, then he winced back, fully expecting to get stomped into the ground.

But instead, the stallion blinked and then looked awkwardly away as the mare chastised: “Stop bothering ponies!”

“I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was. I don't want to screw today up.” the stallion said honestly.

“Well, you did.” huffed the mare. “I don't get why you have to be such a jerk all the time!”

Torque winced as the mare continued to scold the stallion, and he awkwardly slipped away, hurrying towards the gates of the carnival. Without thinking, he ran past the line, then he leapt in front of several ponies, who shouted at him before he snapped: “It's... it's an emergency!”

And they all backed off, just like that, nodding and whispering amongst themselves, and it almost made Torque's heart leap up into his mouth. It all just felt so wrong, and he hated the way they looked at him.

On the rare occasion he won an argument, they looked at him with a grudging, honest respect: it was something he had earned, something he could feel proud of, and he relished that.

This was... fake. This felt patronizing, agonizing. Did he really have anything at all if he could have anything in the world with a word?

“That's a retarded thought.” commented a voice, and Torque glared up at the ticket taker, who looked back at him grouchily with his eerie eyes.

“You're retarded!” Torque blurted out, before his eyes widened and he added in horror: “Can you see into my mind?”

“Yeah. You like stallions.” the ticket taker retorted, and Torque stared for a few moments before the unicorn said tiredly: “Foal tickets are four bits.”

“I'm... I'm not a foal” snapped Torque, glaring at the unicorn before he grabbed at himself, then he blushed as he realized he'd forgotten his saddlebags, his tracking device, his bits... everything Charm reminds me to get. Where are they, anyway?

He looked lamely back over his shoulder, and the ticket taker droned: “Please don't hold up the line, sir.”

“I'm not!” Torque snapped.

“You are.” the ticket taker replied patiently. “Four bits.”

“I'm... I'm not! You are! I'm not a foal, either!”

“You are. Yes, sir, I understand, you're a very big boy. Four bits.”

“You... you...” Torque spluttered to a stop, then stared up at the sour-looking ticket taker before he clawed his way almost on top of the counter and grabbed the stallion, making him wince as he was jerked down against the tabletop, then nearly dragged out of the booth. “You're arguing with me!”

“Carnival rules.” droned the ticket taker., before he winced when the little stallion furiously shook him, making the ticket taker's head and body rap against the tabletop as Torque glared up at him angrily.

“You did this! I was right all along! You're the evil behind all this!” Torque snapped as he feebly swung a hoof against the green unicorn's head, to no avail: it only made the larger stallion snort and roll his eyes.

“I am not. I don't have that kind of power. Again, not even supposed to be here.” retorted the ticket taker, before he sighed and gestured grumpily towards the carnival. “Go find Veritas and whine to him. You can go inside on me.”

“I... I don't need your charity!” snapped Torque as he shoved the ticket taker back into the booth, even though he clearly did. He looked awkwardly back and forth, and then he huffed and added crankily: “You... let these other ponies in too!”

“No.” the ticket taker said shortly.

“Please?” whined Torque.

The ticket taker rolled his eyes, then refocused his eerie gaze on Torque, saying dryly: “For someone who doesn't like his new reality, you sure seem intent on abusing it with all the wrong people.”

“That's why I don't like it!” Torque shouted out, stomping his hooves angrily, and the ticket taker cocked an eyebrow. “It's not... I keep screwing things up! I get it! I'm a screwup! I screw everything up! Is that what you want to hear?”

The ticket taker studied him for a few moments, and then a smile quirked at his mouth as he said mildly: “This isn't a moral lesson. This is you, getting your heart's desire. It's not my fault that most ponies have stupid, selfish desires, that they want band-aids and pats on the head instead of real help. You got what you paid for.”

Torque glared at the ticket taker, and then he snapped: “Well, I want to give it up! I... let someone else have their heart's desire or whatever that is! I don't want this anymore!”

“You can't just do that.” the ticket taker said pettishly, before he winced in surprise as a grinning earth pony in a top hat popped up in the booth next to him and lightly tapped the green unicorn's nose with his cane.

“Ah, but why not?” Veritas extolled, winking at the ticket taker as he threw a companionable foreleg around him, and the ticket taker scowled horribly, leaning as far away as he possibly could even with that iron grip keeping him uncomfortably close. “What could be more generous than giving up your one true desire to some other pony?”

“It is not my true-” Torque clamped down on those words, and then he ground his teeth together before he nodded and said grumpily: “Yes.”

“Yes!” declared Veritas cheerfully, before he winked and asked, as his cane floated out to lightly bop Torque on the nose: “But are you sure you want to give this up?”

Veritas leaned forwards: he smiled, but the way the shadow of his hat fell over his face made him almost sinister, transformed those friendly features into something intimidating and devilish. His eyes gleamed, his teeth bared in a grin that was too large, his voice scintillating and seductive as he whispered: “You could have anything and everything, you know. No one to ever bother you again. It's what you dream of, so why not make those dreams real? The world is your oyster... or rather, your servant. You could be a king. You could have pretty – the prettiest! – of playthings, all to yourself. Sir, we don't scrimp or judge or hold back when we give you what you want. We give you what you want, sir, and what we have to offer is everything.”

Torque shrank away, trembling a little, eyes wide as he stared up at the ringmaster, who looked back down at him, grinning, predatory, expectant. His legs shook, and he wanted to run away: that would be easier. He could run away, and live out a life of luxury, always being right, winning every argument, proving he was the mastermind he had always believed himself to be...

But would he ever be able to look at Pickle and Charm again? Would he ever be able to live with himself?

This wasn't what he wanted. This wasn't what he wanted at all.

“I don't... want this. Please take it back. Please.” Torque whispered.

Veritas narrowed his eyes, and Torque whimpered before the ringmaster suddenly leaned back with a cheery smile and a wink, tapping Torque's nose again with his cane as he said kindly: “Don't look so frightened, young stallion! Very well, for today, and today only, we'll set things back to the way they were. Normally, of course, that's quite impossible, but since you so generously want to give your gift to another, well, I think that counts as a charitable enough act.”

Torque smiled awkwardly, and then Veritas hopped away, the ticket taker sighing in relief and shaking himself out. Torque looked expectantly back and forth, but then he blinked as he realized Veritas had simply vanished, before looking up as the ticket taker said: “Go inside.”

“Uh... yes.” Torque said, deciding not to argue. He turned towards the gates, took a deep breath, and walked through.

He clenched his eyes shut expectantly, then scowled as he looked back and forth uneasily. Nothing had happened. He hadn't felt anything at all. What was going on?

“Hey! Hey!” Torque began to turn, then he yelped when a hoof grabbed his shoulder.

“Hi, Torque!” Pickle greeted, and the stallion dumbly spun around to see Charm and Pickle. “I mean, we already said hi, but hi again!”

“Hi.” Torque said lamely.

“Hello, Torque!” greeted Charm.

“What... what are you doing here?” Torque asked dumbly.

“Well, you asked us to meet you here.” Charm said reasonably.

Torque felt his stomach clench, before he blurted out: “No I didn't! I mean... I didn't mean to! I didn't want you to!”

Charm slowly tilted his head, and then he asked gently: “Are you okay, Torque? Not to argue with you, but you did the other day, remember? You wanted to check out this carnival.”

Torque stared at Charm.

Pickle slowly leaned in and peered at Torque, then slowly leaned over to Charm and whispered: “I think he's gone crazy.”

Charm began to open his mouth, then winced in surprise when Torque leapt forwards and hugged him, staring down at his friend as Pickle confirmed: “Yep. He's gone loopy.”

“Shut up.” Torque mumbled, before he shoved himself away and cleared his throat, saying firmly: “The sky is green.”

“You're silly.” Pickle said cheerfully, craning her head up to stare directly into the sun. “It's hurty, duh!”

Charm reached over and gently covered Pickle's eyes before he asked, honestly concerned: “Are you okay, Torque?”

“Yes. Yes, I'm fine, Charm, I'm fine. I think... I think I'm fine.” Torque stammered out, giving a wide smile of relief, before he cleared his throat and asked: “What would you like to do?”

“Well, I'm happy to do what you want, Torque. But it's a carnival, so maybe we could enjoy ourselves.” Charm suggested.

“Rides! Candy! Puking!” blurted Pickle excitedly. “I want to go on a ride and then eat ten tons of cotton candy and then go on the teacups and vomit!”

“That's disgusting.” Charm said almost tenderly.

“I hate you both.” Torque said, before he mumbled under his breath. “I'm glad you're my friends.”

Both Pickle and Charm looked at him curiously, and then Torque cleared his throat before he shoved his way past them. Pickle hopped happily after him, and Charm came last, humming cheerfully, before he winced a bit as a mare bumped into him, dropping the book she had been reading.

“Oh, sorry!' she exclaimed.

“Oh, that's fine, no harm done.” Charm replied with a smile, scooping up her book before he offered it to the purple mare, and then his eyes went wide with excitement and he bounced a little on his hooves as he squeaked out a name.

The mare smiled awkwardly at him, then took her book and mumbled something before she scampered away

Veritas chuckled, watching from a perch high and far away on the top of the ferris wheel, grinning his bright and cryptic grin as he looked out into the distance, then remarked, seemingly to no one at all: “No matter how great or small, we see to it that you get your heart's desire fulfilled here at the Cirque du Noir.”

Veritas winked, and then, with a click of his heels, he turned sharply and vanished from sight, as the ferris wheel began to turn, and the music of the carnival blared, and the revelers came and went, bathing in both the light and darkness of the carnival that promised to fulfill your deepest desires...

As long as you were willing to pay the price.

Author's Note

If you'd like to see your own Tale in the Cirque du Noir, please check this link for details!

Tale II: I'm Always Right, Pt 1

Tale II: I'm Always Right, Part I
~BlackRoseRaven

Torque scowled as he crankily looked back and forth through the crowd of ponies surging past: he'd lost the ticket taker in the throng of colorful equines. He snorted in irritation, then whipped out his device, listening to the regular beep-beep-beep-

His eyes widened slightly: was the beeping getting closer together? No, that was impossible. He was the one looking for the anomaly, the anomaly couldn't be looking for-

“Hey!” Pickle shouted, and she tackled him to the ground, knocking him flat with a squawk as his detector flew high into the air. “There you are! Where's the pizza delivery pony?”

Torque glared at her, then winced as his device crashed down beside his head with an awful rattle, the beeping cutting off. He squawked and scrambled out from under Pickle to grab it in his front hooves, wincing as he held it up. “You broke it!”

“I didn't break it! Gravity broke it!” Pickle argued, and Torque glared at her before the mare asked curiously: “What was it, anyway?”

Torque groaned, then looked up as Charm approached, asking curiously: “What are you doing down there?”

The small unicorn glowered, then he straightened quickly before he snorted and tucked the device away, snapping back: “Where were you? I lost that idiot because-”

“Hey, he didn't seem like an idiot. Anyway, we just have to order a pizza to get him to come back, right?” Pickle pointed out, and Torque rubbed at his head as if pained.

“Wasn't he the ticket taker? So if he's going back to work, maybe that means he's back at the ticket booth. We just have to leave and come back.” Charm said thoughtfully, and Torque snorted at him even as he grudgingly nodded.

“But we can't leave leave. I'm not buying new tickets.” Torque argued.

“Okay, Torque.” Charm agreed, and Torque glared at him for a moment before he picked himself up and turned with a grumble.

Pickle and Charm fell into step behind him, Pickle bouncing a little and Charm humming to himself: it was maddening. Didn't they realize how serious this situation was?

“I don't think you two quite 'get' what we're doing here. This is important.” Torque said suddenly, raising his head and glaring back and forth between the two. “This place is dangerous. Ponies have vanished. It is a mystery and I am going to get to the bottom of it!”

“I don't know if I'd really call it a mystery.” Pickle said thoughtfully. “You seem pretty sure you already know the answer, after all, Torque.”

Torque rolled his eyes, snapping back: “Then you two could pay attention to what I'm saying for once instead of traipsing all over this place like it's some stupid carnival.”

“But it is a carnival. You said so yourself!” Charm pointed out, tilting his head in confusion.

Torque scowled as he stopped and glowered over his shoulder at the two, and Charm and Pickle stumbled to a halt to stare back at him before Torque growled: “It is much more than just 'a carnival,' you bunglers. The carnival is precisely how they attract ponies in! And once they lure them in, then they get them!”

“They get them? What do they get them?” Pickle asked, suddenly bursting wth excitement.

“I don't really understand either.” Charm admitted. “Are you sure you aren't overthinking this, Torque? It could always just be a coincidence.”

“There's no such thing as coincidence! Everything happens for a reason!” Torque snapped, glaring at Pickle and Charm. “If you two idiots would just listen to me for once, we wouldn't be having these problems!”

“What problems?” Pickle asked curiously, cocking her head.

“I don't think we have any problems.” Charm said, as genuine as ever. “Sure, we fight sometimes, but all families fight.”

“We're not family!” Torque burst out, shaking his head vehemently, and Pickle gave a long, loud inhale as Charm only cocked an eyebrow. “And we do have a problem. What if one of your friends came to this place and got trapped here? What if you end up never being able to leave?”

Charm and Pickle traded looks, and then Pickle grinned and hopped from hoof-to-hoof, saying cheerfully: “I always wanted to run away and join the circus! Imagine, getting to go to the circus every single day for the rest of your life!”

“Well, are you really going to the circus if it's your job, though? I think the most exciting part would be traveling all around the country, getting to explore all of Equestria and maybe beyond.” Charm said with a smile. “Just think of all the places you'll go, the people you'll meet!”

Torque groaned at this, rubbing slowly at his temples before he growled: “That's not what I meant. This is exactly what I was talking about!”

“But if it was exactly what you were talking about, how can it not be what you meant?” Charm asked curiously, and Pickle nodded vehemently in agreement.

Torque grasped his head with his hooves, then slowly dragged them down his face, muttering: “I'm surrounded by idiots.”

“That's not very nice, Torque, I'm sure a lot of these ponies are plenty smart, just like you!” Pickle retorted disapprovingly.

The small unicorn glowered at her for a moment, and then he turned back forwards and stormed on through the crowd, Pickle and Charm trading looks before they both hurried after him.

Torque decided it would be better to ignore the idiots until they found the ticket taker again: to his surprise – and displeasure – he found that Charm was right, and the ticket taker had returned to his booth, where he was already back at work.

Torque scowled, eyeing the steady stream of ponies coming through the gate: a steady stream of victims, he thought, unaware that this carnival was going to cheat them out of their money and possibly their lives, all happiness and joy like the idiots he was traveling with. But he knew what was going on: he understood that this place was nothing but a trap, and he was here to put a stop to it.

“Um. He's on the other side of the gate.” Charm pointed out, and Torque scowled. “I mean, I just thought you said we weren't going to have to buy tickets again.”

“Hey! Hey you! I want to talk to you!” Torque shouted, which had utterly no effect whatsoever. The unicorn didn't even look at him. “Jerk.”

“Hey! That's rude!” Pickle scolded, and then she added: “Also Charm's right. I don't have any money. Maybe if we just explained it, he'd let us back in?”

“I doubt it.” Torque grumbled, then he looked warily up as Charm frowned in that thoughtful way of his.

“Well, if we can just leave, why don't we?” he asked reasonably. “I mean, if you're really so concerned about something bad happening here, we could easily just leave right now.”

“Aww, but I wanna play the rides and go on the games still!” Pickle complained.

“No, you don't ride the... no, nevermind.” grumbled Torque, before he snapped: “Look, I'm not leaving here until I get to the bottom of this! Just for a moment, pretend you believe me-”

“Oh, I do believe you, I do!” Charm said brightly, nodding enthusiastically.

“-then what do you want us to do? Leave and never look back or return and leave all these ponies here to just, what, vanish or die or whatever happens to them?” snapped Torque, glaring between the two ponies. “Look, I'm not here for fun or games or because I want to, but because I have to. No one else will believe me and no one else will try and fix this. Only me!”

Charm and Pickle shifted uncomfortably, trading awkward looks before the red unicorn asked: “But why don't you try telling someone if you're so worried, Torque?”

Torque scowled, then retorted: “As if I haven't tried! But no one will listen to me, and... I... I'll buy another ticket if I have to go talk to him! You two wait here and I'll do it myself!”

Pickle gasped at this proclamation, eyes going wide, and Charm bit his lip before he suddenly dropped his sidepack and scrounged through it before he smiled and pulled out a white piece of paper, saying brightly: “Here! I found this, maybe you can trade it for a ticket!”

Torque blinked as he took the piece of paper, looking down at it for a few moments before he scowled and said flatly: “This looks like a flier. Where did you get it?”

“I found it on the table. I think it's an invitation.” Charm said, and Pickle gave an 'ooh!' of interest, leaning her head forwards curiously as Torque returned his eyes to the slip of paper, scowling at it. “It says you just need to do something nice-”

“Yes, to hide their wickedness! I get it! I understand this scheme!” Torque scowled horribly, then he shoved the piece of paper away in his own sidepack before he extracted a bag of bits, opening it and grouchily poking through the coins inside before he muttered: “It's... nothing. Evidence, but circumstantial evidence. That's all.”

“How?” Pickle asked curiously.

Charm slowly opened his mouth, then winced when Torque snapped: “It just is!”

Charm cleared his throat and closed his mouth, then he said gently: “Maybe we should just go get a snack, Torque. Your blood sugar sounds maybe a little bit low?”

“Oh shut up.” Torque huffed, then he shook his head before he glowered out the gates, looking at the short line of ponies outside. “I'm going to go talk to him. You wait here. I'll be right back, okay?”

“Okay! I'll be right back too!” Pickle said brightly, before she looked around and then pranced away, and Torque slapped his forehead with a grumble.

“She'll be right back, though.” Charm said, positive as ever, and Torque glared at him over his hoof before he grumbled and turned around, heading to the exit gate and shoving his way through.

Standing outside the carnival, he took a deep breath and shivered, risking a look back over his shoulder: but Charm was only looking at the sky, apparently humming to himself. Or at least Torque imagined he was: there was some kind of bizarre distance created by the gates that muffled sound, as if he was miles away instead of only meters.

He grimaced a bit, shifting away before he bit his lip as he looked quickly around, feeling a bit of nervousness bite at him despite himself. It was easier to be loud and obnoxious when he had Pickle and Charm around: they always gave him confidence, probably because they were always there to protect him when things went badly, and to take all the attention off him.

Torque took a slow breath, and then he forced himself to wheel around, storming over to join the line leading into the carnival. He grumbled and fidgeted as ponies filed forwards one after the other, until it was finally his turn to face the ticket taker once more.

He glared at the stallion, and the green unicorn looked back at him, scowling and surly. He tapped a hoof slowly against the counter of the stall, and then he said dryly: “Foal tickets are four bits.”

“Foal!” Torque glared, before he gritted his teeth, then the little pony straightened up to his full height, snapping: “I know what you're up to here-”

“I know, I know. We went through that already.” the ticket-taker said dryly, rolling a hoof irritably to the side. “Keep the line moving, please.”

Torque looked back, and all he saw was a foal crying over a dropped ice cream in the distance with parents who were uselessly trying to console him. He huffed, then turned back towards the ticket taker, glaring up at him before he suddenly reached back and rummaged in his sidepack, ripping out the flier to thrust it at the stallion/ “I have evidence!”

The unicorn slowly cocked an eyebrow as he studied the flier, and then he said dryly: “That's one of our invitations, that's all. It's only evidence of bad grammar and worse marketing.”

“Look, you!” Torque leaned up into the ticket booth as far as he could, which wasn't very far at all, given his size and stature. “I know what's going on here! I have this! I have records! I know precisely what's going on here and I intend to bring the entire thing to light!”

The ticket taker sighed at this, rolling his eyes before he waved at the stallion irritably, complaining: “Why don't you just go back in there, then and find Veritas? You can harass him for a while. He's the current ringmaster, after all, you can find out everything you want to know about the Cirque du Noir.”

Torque huffed, then he retorted: “Well, maybe I will! Because it's clear you don't know anything at all, do you?”

“Not a thing. Please keep the line moving.” the ticket taker said drolly, and Torque huffed and looked back over his shoulder as he saw the little family with the now-sniffling foal was awkwardly hovering nearby.

“Fine! Here, for the ticket.” Torque grumbled, grabbing some bits from his bag and flinging them at the ticket taker.

“You already bought a ticket, you can just go back in.” the ticket taker said mildly, and Torque huffed as he stormed away, raising his head proudly with a sniff of disdain.

“Well, then you can give the kid a ticket for free!” Torque retorted as he stepped through the gates, and then he winced as he stumbled a little, his heart giving a double thump and his legs nearly buckling beneath him before he managed to catch himself.

“Torque! Torque, are you okay?” blurted Charm, as he rushed to his friend's side. But Torque only shook his head and shoved grouchily at him, Charm wincing as he stumbled backwards.

“I'm fine!” Torque snapped.

“Okay.” Charm said, and Torque stared blankly at him.

But after a moment, Torque shook himself out, then he straightened on his wobbly legs and grimaced. He stomped a few times to try and get the feeling back in his hooves, mumbling: “Yes, I'm... okay. Just... I must have tripped. That's all.”

“I'm sorry you tripped.” Charm said honestly.

Torque sighed, then he shook his head before he grumbled: “We need to find the ringmaster. And where's Pickle?”

“Okay, let's go find him!” Charm agreed, before he added: “I don't know. I think she ran off somewhere. Sorry, Torque.”

“Stupid idiot. Can't trust her with anything.” complained Torque, and Charm nodded agreeably, which made Torque frown and cock an eyebrow at him. Usually Charm leapt to Pickle's defense in an instant... but no, he didn't have time to wonder what was going on with him. Or with Pickle, for that matter.

“Well...” Torque bit his lip, and then he shook his head quickly before saying finally: “Let's go get Pickle.”

“Okay.” Charm agreed, and Torque grunted before he looked back and forth, then looked pointedly at Charm.

Charm looked innocently back at him, until Torque sighed and asked tiredly: “Where did Pickle go?”

“Oh, this way, Torque!” Charm said brightly, gesturing quickly to the side, and then he turned and hurried off through the crowd, Torque grumbling as he followed quickly along behind the red stallion.

They found Pickle standing outside the port-a-potties, the mare looking over at them with a bright smile. “Hey guys! There you are!”

“Hi!” Charm said cheerfully.

Torque huffed and shook his head, rolling his eyes before he grumbled: “You're an idiot.”

“Sorry.” Pickle apologized. “But you know, well. I am an idiot!”

Torque groaned at this, and then he said tiredly: “Yes, I know you are. Look, we're going to go find the ringmaster of this stupid carnival and get some answers out of him.”

“Okay!” Pickle said brightly.

Torque frowned, looking awkwardly from Pickle to Charm as they both looked at him. They were as smiling and vapid as ever, and yet something just felt wrong about the whole thing. Not that he really cared about them or anything, of course, but if something happened to them, well... he supposed he'd feel a little bad. Friends or not.

“What happened?” Torque asked, which was about as close as he could get to showing any concern for these two.

“Nothing that I know of.” Charm answered.

Pickle shrugged, then rambled off: “Well I ran off to find a potty because I really had to go pee and you don't pee in public because that's bad and that meant I had to run off and find a potty to go pee and so I did and I found one and then I peed and I felt better but then I felt bad because I didn't listen so I came out to find you guys but you had already found me!”

Torque blinked slowly, then he shook his head in frustration before he turned back around, grumbling: “You never make any sense. Let's go.”

“Sorry!” Pickle apologized, and then she smiled and added happily: “I'll try harder now, though, because I know you're always right, Torque!”

“Yes. I am.” Torque grumbled, leading the way onward before he scowled as he looked back and forth through the crowd of the carnival: he couldn't make sense of the way the aisles were arranged, with games and confections set up in slapdash rows, every now and then some massive ride looming out here or there among the tent village of the carnival.

Where would the ringmaster be? There had to be some kind of offices around here, after all: or had the ticket taker been talking about a literal ringmaster?

“Well, let's look around for who's in charge here. He has to have his own tent or something.” Torque said, scowling a little. “Now, if I was in charge, I'd want to be in the center of all the action...”

“Okay Torque! You know what's best, after all.” Charm agreed with a smile.

Pickle only nodded agreeably, and Torque scowled back at them before he grumbled a little, turning his attention back ahead. He led them on through the crowd of ponies, keeping his head high and looking back and forth for anything suspicious.

He had an uneasy feeling in his gut that something was wrong, but he pushed it aside: of course he had a bad feeling! This whole place was a bad place, and they were here to get to the bottom of it!

Torque glowered at one of the confection booths as they passed it, but the pony inside looked like a dumb, lost colt: of course they probably hired a lot of help, too. That was probably how they covered their tracks and made ponies vanish! Then they could just say they 'ran away with the circus' and pretend they must have 'stayed behind' a few towns over! A perfect cover-up!

They made their way to the center of the carnival, and Torque found absolutely nothing of interest: the center was actually an open square, with an empty stage and a bunch of food booths. Pickle whined and stomped her hooves and slavered over the cotton candy, but Torque only grumbled: “No,” and proceeded to ignore her as he surveyed the rest of the area.

When he turned back towards Pickle and Charm, he fully expected the mare to be gone. But no, there she was, still looking longingly in the direction of the cotton candy, but she hadn't run off. Torque slowly tilted his head at this, and then he asked after a moment: “Why are you here?”

“Well, you said no. You know best, Torque! I'm going to be good, see?” Pickle declared, raising her head high.

Torque stared at her for a few moments, then he uneasily looked over the mare before he finally gave an awkward laugh and echoed: “Yes, I... I know best. Yes.”

“Yep!” Pickle and Charm both agreed.

Torque looked at them for a moment longer, then he shook his head quickly before he said finally: “I don't think we're going to find the ringmaster here. Where should we look next?”

“You know best, Torque!” Pickle non-answered brightly.

“We'll go where you tell us!” Charm agreed.

Torque scowled at the two, and then he nervously shifted on his hooves, biting his lip. He wasn't sure where to look next... maybe they should ask someone? No, no, he was sure he could find it on his own!

Okay, so where would a ringmaster be? If he didn't have his own tent here, maybe...

Torque leaned up as far as his little height could, looking back and forth before his eyes locked on what he thought had to be the top of a giant circus tent. There! Okay, maybe it didn't look all that big to him right now, but he bet if they went over there, they might find the ringmaster where he was supposed to be, in the circus tent!

“Let's go.” Torque said, and Pickle and Charm both nodded firmly, and somehow that made him feel far less sure of himself than if they had just argued or questioned or...

“Aren't you going to say anything?” he blurted out.

“Oh, sorry, Torque! Yep!” Charm said apologetically.

“Yeah! I can say lots of anythings! Anything!” Pickle declared.

Torque shook his head in frustration, then snapped: “I mean, be helpful!”

“Sure, Torque! How can we help?” Charm asked, and Pickle tilted her head almost sideways as her eyes went wide.

Torque stared at the two, then he shook his head before he growled: “Is this a prank? Are you two really choosing now of all times to try and teach me a lesson? I'm not an idiot, you know!”

“Sorry!” Charm apologized. “We just really want to help, Torque, we know you're the smartest one here and all.”

“Yeah! This would have been a super great time for a prank, you're even right about that! But us dumb-dumbs couldn't even think of that by ourselves!” Pickle added, knocking on the side of her head with a hoof.

“Foals.” muttered Torque, and then he shook his head before he almost stumbled on his hooves, hurrying around in a circle and grumbling: “It's just... it's this place. It's an evil place. We have to stop it.”

He led them onward, hurrying through the crowds of ponies and the maze of tents and attractions towards what he thought was a circus tent... but of course it wasn't actually a circus tent. There were no animals, no rings, no nothing inside or around it: it was just a large tent covering up a bizarre bazaar of bohemian baubles, all manner of pony and creature hawking goods under its top.

Not wanting to admit he was probably wrong, or that this clearly wasn't the right place, Torque led his friends inside, looking awkwardly back and forth at the displays. Some of the ponies here certainly looked weird enough to be traveling with the carnival... but he thought a lot of them were probably just eccentric artist types.

He hated artists.

Torque grumpily made his ways through the stalls, before squawking when an earth pony slid out of nowhere, grinning a cheerful grin as he tipped a wink to Torque and lightly tapped his nose with his cane. “Looking for something in particular, sir? I'm surprised, I thought you'd already found it!”

“Why would you think that?” snapped Torque, wincing back from the stranger as Charm and Pickle both stopped obediently behind them. He waited for their usual outbursts, then looked dumbly back at them when nothing happened.

There was an awkward silence as Torque hung like a limp sheet between the smiling ponies, and then he straightened and cleared his throat, looking up with a scowl at the stranger. “Well, uh... I'm looking for whoever's in charge of this carnival!”

“Well, sir, that would be the people, of course!” the earth pony said cheerfully, waving his cane wide, and Torque glared at him before he did a double take as he realized the cane wasn't actually being held by the stallion. His eyes immediately shot up to the jaunty top hat covering the pony's head, but as if on cue, the earth pony whipped it off to reveal no hidden horn there, bowing politely as his cane fluttered mockingly up behind his back. “But allow me to introduce myself, good sir! I am Veritas, and I have made it my sacred duty to see that all our special guests get precisely what they desire most!”

Torque scowled up at Veritas, studying him intently for a few moments before he asked: “Well, where do I find the ringmaster? I need to talk to the ringmaster.”

Veritas chuckled at this as he flicked his top hat into the air: it landed precisely on his head, before his cane poked it jauntily askew again as the stallion winked at him. “He's not very far away at all. But now, why precisely do you need to-”

“Because something is wrong here!” Torque burst out, and then he winced when all eyes in the bazaar turned to stare at him, the little pony hurriedly stepping backwards to hide between Pickle and Charm. But they only stared at him too, and it just made Torque feel even more uncomfortable before he shoved them apart and stormed up to Veritas, saying in a harsh – but much-more controlled – voice: “Something is very wrong, and I am here to get to the bottom of it.”

“Oh? Well, I've worked here for many a year, sir, and let me tell you, while not every customer has been happy, every last one has been satisfied.” Veritas replied in a confidential whisper as he squashed himself down beside Torque, who grimaced and shifted a little, but bit his tongue and listened all the same as Veritas continued seriously: “Now, I'm not saying strange things, bad things, don't happen from time to time, but we are a carnival! That is to be expected, of course; but I must say, sir, we sate the souls that slither, slink, and strut inside, no matter how low to the earth or high to the heavens they may be!

“But it's not them we have trouble with, sir, the highs or lows, oh no no no. It's the ones who are in-between, the normal ponies who want normal things; it's the little changes that cause the greatest waves, my friend, and that promise most you can't go home again!” Veritas straightened with a smile, nodding firmly before his cane lightly scooped up under Torque's chin, making him squawk as he lifted him into the air. “But don't you worry and don't you fret! When a heart's desire changes, we can accommodate that, too! It might take another ticket, but I am a firm believer that no one and nothing here is beyond redemption, and with enough kindness, you could buy a ticket through Heaven's gates itself.”

Veritas laughed and grinned, posing for a moment as he leaned on his cane with both front hooves and a wink. “After all, even Heaven needs an economy, and what's karma but another form of currency?”

Torque scowled, then winced when Veritas suddenly sprung backwards, spinning his cane up above his head as he declared: “But I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do, sir, except tell you to make the most of your opportunity, and if your heart still longs for something more or something less, remember always that you have as much power to fix it as you always have! Good luck, sir, and good bye!”

And with that, Veritas sprung away, and Torque stared after him before he grumbled: “What a nutcase. He didn't know anything!”

“Nope, he sure didn't.” Charm agreed.

Pickle nodded, saying cheerfully: “Too bad! I guess he didn't know a thing after all!”

Torque glowered over his shoulder at the two, and then he shook his head before he muttered: “We should try and find the ringmaster.”

“I thought you said that he didn't know anything, though.” Charm said dubiously.

“Yeah, wasn't that the ringmaster?” Pickle pointed out, and Torque scowled.

“No, you idiots, that was... that was Veritas!” Torque retorted, ignoring the sneaking suspicion that they were right and he was wrong.

“Oh, I see.” Charm nodded, and Pickle gave a low 'ooh' of understanding.

“Yes.” was all that Torque could think to say. He looked uncertainly between the two, then he chewed nervously at his lip before he huffed and straightened, snapping out in a voice that quavered ever-so-slightly: “You... you just need to... think better for yourselves!”

“Okay Torque.” Charm smiled.

Pickle nodded vehemently. “That's why we're so lucky we have you to guide us!”

Torque couldn't help but shiver a bit at this before he looked awkwardly away, clearing his throat and mumbling: “I don't think that's... well, yes, I mean, I am right, of course I know what to do, but... you need to be able to make your own decisions too! I... I can't always be there to babysit you two!”

Charm and Pickle both nodded at this, then Charm smiled and said: “We know! But don't worry, we know that you're always right, too, so we won't argue with you, Torque. You just lead the way, and we'll follow!”

“Yep, that's right!” Pickle bounced on her hooves, nodding violently.

Torque stared at the two with something like horror before he gave a crooked smile, and then he turned around and mumbled: “We... we have to find the ringmaster. We have to find the ringmaster right now. Let's go find the ringmaster!”

Torque almost scrambled away, and Pickle and Charm followed behind him, obeying diligently, happy to run along in the wake of the pony who had always wanted them to listen.

Author's Note

If you'd like to see your own Tale in the Cirque du Noir, please check this link!