THE EVENT OF THE DECADE
A Short Tale by Lemmers
It was a pleasant autumn day in Ponyville, the kind of day that everypony wanted to spend outside. It wasn’t too hot, nor too cold, and a pleasant breeze would occasionally blow through to tickle your mane. It was a slight breeze, mind you, just strong enough to feel on your skin but too weak to disturb the red and gold majesty of the fall forests.
On a day like this the park was practically packed with ponies, and the streets were seriously swamped with sellers. In fact, every merchant from Baltimare to Las Pegasus, every merchant who was worth his saltlick in other words, was in Ponyville at this very moment. What about the ones who weren’t? Well, they sure as Celestia ought to be on their way!
Why?
Because the circus was coming to town!
Yes, the Ponificus Fantastico Carnivale was, as Pinkie Pie would say, “The most biggest, fantasticalest, awesomest, extravaganza – est – in the whole… wide… world! Well, except for that time I saw Twilight and went, ‘UUAAAH!’ but I mean, who could possibly top that?”
You see, the PFC travelling circus only came through Ponyville once every ten years, and it was an event that anypony would regret missing for the rest of their lives. Or at least until the next circus came to town. It was also the reason why Twilight Sparkle, one of the newest residents of the town of Ponyville, was going to be sorely disappointed this fine autumn day.
“What do you mean you can’t go?!” Rainbow Dash demanded, placing her hooves on her hips.
She had flown all the way over to Twilight’s home in the Ponyville library to tell her best unicorn friend the news, only to be completely blown off? There was no way this was going to stand.
“I told you, I’ve got – stuff – to do that day,” said Twilight with a shrug.
“But – but, the circus is the most radical place ever!” Dash complained, “the Incredible Pegajets are going to be performing this year! Next to the Wonderbolts – and myself – the Pegajets are the coolest ponies ever!”
“I told you no Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, a bit too haughtily for Rainbow’s taste.
The purple unicorn stuck her nose in one of her books, placing it rather purposefully between herself and her flying friend.
"Coolest. Period. Ponies. Period. Ever!" Rainbow Dash whined.
"No!" Twilight shouted, almost spitefully.
Rainbow Dash huffed, “Fine!” she snorted, “but don’t come crying to me when I have an autographed poster of the Pegajets and you don’t!”
Rainbow Dash charged out the window, leaving a familiar rainbow patterned trail in her wake. The opened, branch-framed window pane swung gently back and forth, making a squeak each time it did.
“Wow Twilight,” Spike said, poking his head out from behind Twilight’s bedroom loft, “you really told her.”
Twilight said nothing, and buried herself deeper into her copy of Mystical Magics for Middle-Aged Mares.
“Why exactly did you do that again?” Spike questioned, fiddling with something shiny in his little baby-dragon claws.
The purple unicorn gave a deep sigh, “Because I can’t go,” she said with a hint of irritation.
“But I’m the one who wrote your schedule,” he said, “you and I both know that you could just move your meeting with the mayor up to next Monday, since the arbor committee postponed the Running of the Leaves!”
Twilight shook a bit from behind the cover of her book, “But I had already planned to, um – recatalog the west wing of the library that day.”
“But we already did that the Thursday before last!” Spike argued.
Twilight slammed the book down, “Look, what part of I can’t go can’t you understand Spike?”
Spike frowned and crossed his arms, turning his head away from Twilight in a huff, “The part where you can’t tell me the real reason why you don’t want to go!”
Twilight stood up from her resting spot and trotted across the room, “I can’t go Spike, I just can’t!” she said desperately.
“But why!?”
“Because…” Twilight Sparkle stuttered, her hooves suddenly starting to clatter nosily against the wooden paneling, “because I’m afraid of circuses!”
The unicorn dropped to the floor in a fit and threw her hooves over her eyes in shame, “There! I said it!” she moaned, “you know my secret!”
Spike raised an eyebrow quizzically, but, being a good number one assistant, climbed down the ladder that lead up the loft and crossed the room to stand over his shivering friend. He placed a hand gently on her head and stroked her mane, “There, there, Twilight,” he said, “we’ve all got our problems.”
“But it’s not just the circus I’m afraid of!” Twilight croaked, her voice taking on a hate-filled brutality, “it’s what’s in the circus…”
Spike gave Twilight a reassuring pat, “Come on Twilight,” he said calmly, “what could possibly be in a circus that’s so scary?”
Twilight began shivering even more fiercely, ”Clowns…” squeaked the unicorn.
Spike had to choke back a laugh, “C – clowns!? What do you mean clowns!?”
“I’m terrified of clowns Spike! I hate everything about them! I can’t even stand to look at them!”
“But you’re perfectly fine around Pinkie Pie!” Spike retorted.
“That’s different!”
Spike was unsure how to approach the situation, but he was sure that he had to do something to help his number one friend.
“Well, what if you talked to somebody about it? You know, like a phsycho – psychio – psychia…” Spike fumbled.
“A psychiatrist?” Twilight corrected.
“Yeah!”
“But I don’t know anyone like that!”
Spike ran a claw over his chin in thought, “Well what about Fluttershy?” he suggested, “she’s afraid of lots of things! And I’ve seen her work wonders with the animals around town!”
Twilight Sparkle peered out from underneath her hooves, sniffling, “That might work…”
Later, at Fluttershy’s cottage, Twilight somehow found herself sprawled out on the timid pegasi’s couch. Fluttershy, meanwhile, was busy laying out a tea kettle and several cups for her two guests.
“We really appreciate your help with this matter Fluttershy,” Spike said, taking a cookie from the tray his host had produced.
“Oh, it’s no problem whatsoever,” Fluttershy said gently, “I’m honored that you would come to me for advice.”
Twilight had calmed down quite a bit since her nervous breakdown in the bedroom earlier, but she was still visibly nervous at the idea of spilling her darkest secrets. Even if she was spilling them to the kind and trustworthy Fluttershy. Twilight was always so used to being the strong one, the unicorn that anyone could come to with their problems. She had never even considered seeking reassurance from one of her friends, but she was willing to try it if it meant she could spend the day at the circus with her closest galpals.
Fluttershy pulled up a chair next to Twilight and placed a hoof next to her friend’s head, “So… what are you having trouble with Twilight?” she asked.
“I’m…” Twilight paused, fighting back a lump in her throat.
She turned her gaze to the expectant Fluttershy, and then to Spike, who gave her a smile and an encouraging thumbs up.
“I’m afraid of clowns…” Twilight said, finishing out her statement with a massive, stress-relieving sigh.
This time it was actually much easier to say. It was… comforting almost.
“Clowns?” Fluttershy said, sounding a bit confused, “but you’re always perfectly fine around Pinkie Pie.”
“That’s different!” said Twilight and Spike in unison.
“Oh Twilight,” said Fluttershy, “you don’t have to worry about a thing. It’s perfectly fine to be afraid of clowns, why, even I was afraid of them when I was younger.”
Twilight smiled hopefully, “You – you were?”
“Oh yes, I was absolutely terrified of them!” admitted the Pegasus.
Spike chimed in, “See, Twilight, isn’t that great, Fluttershy should know just how to cure you of your phobia!”
“Of course I do!” Fluttershy said, sounding almost confident.
Twilight turned to look her friend in the eyes, “How did you conquer your fear Fluttershy?”
The Pegasus placed her hooves together happily, “Well, it was easy,” she said, “I just realized that there are a lot of other things that are scarier than clowns. Like… full grown dragons, drowning, being buried alive, being eaten by a mad tree, evil witches, landslides, heights, sharp objects, loud noises, the dark, little kids in costumes, Rainbow Dash being tortured by a murderous Pinkie Pie…”
Twilight gave Fluttershy, who had somehow been reduced to a quivering heap rocking back and forth in her chair, a concerned look, “Um… Fluttershy, are you alright?”
“Please leave me alone…” the Pegasus squeaked.
“I think we should leave,” Twilight said with a deadpan sort of dissatisfaction.
“Ditto,” replied Spike, who was already easing out of his seat and towards the door.
Twilight and Spike walked along a path together, working their way through the throngs of other ponies.
“Now what Spike?” Twilight asked, “that was a total waste of time!”
“I dunno about that…” said Spike with a smoky little burp, “those cookies were actually pretty good.”
“Spike! This is not time to be thinking about food!” Twilight scolded.
“I beg to differ!” said the dragon, pointing to the large crowd of ponies which had gathered around the outside of the Sugarcube Corner.
In the very middle of the mob was a very familiar pink pony who was busy waving the pair down, bouncing up and down as though on a trampoline.
“Twilight! Spike!” she shouted, waving her arms wildly over her head, “ooh! Ooh! Over here!”
Twilight Sparkle rubbed a hoof into her forehead, “Oh no…” she mumbled.
“So are you super duper excited about the circus coming to town Twilight!?” Pinkie asked cheerfully, having finally gotten her two friends seated at a table in the Sugarcube Corner.
The entire store was packed with ponies, chatting and murmuring amongst themselves about their various plans, and of course there was no shortage of chat regarding the upcoming festivities. Despite the plethora of ponies milling about, it was impossible not to notice the ludicrous quantity of party decorations that were strewn around the room, including the circus-tent shaped piñata that hung from the center crossbeam like a disco ball. The ceiling was hardly visible through the myriad of multicolored balloons, there were buffet tables overflowing with cotton candy and caramel apples, and a pleasant tune trickled out from a phonograph in the corner. This was undoubtedly a patented Pinkie Pie party...
“I was so excited I threw this pre-pre-circus party!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “but not even that can compare to the pre-circus party, the pre-post circus party, and ooh! What do you think about a post-circus party too!?”
Twilight cringed, “That sounds… wonderful Pinkie.”
Pinkie raised an eyebrow, “Something’s wrong…” she said with a lip-quivering frown, “what’s wrong Twilight?”
“Twilight’s not going to the circus,” Spike said though a mouth-full of pastries.
"Spike!" Twilight spat.
Pinkie Pie veritably exploded with panic, little shrivels of confetti and streamer-bits littering the table, and she somehow reappeared to Twilight’s left a half-second later, despite her previously exploding on Twilight’s right beforehand.
“What!? How could you miss out on the most biggest, fantasticalest, awesomest –“
“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted, interrupting her friend.
“What?” she asked.
“Twilight can’t go because she’s afraid of clowns,” Spike said, picking up a cookie.
Twilight shot a death glare across the table at the gluttonous little dragon, baring her teeth in a vicious snarl.
“Afraid of clowns!?” Pinkie Pie mused excitedly, “but you always seem perfectly fine around me!”
Twilight gave and exasperated sigh, “Pinkie, that’s different!”
“Not really!” the pink pony exclaimed.
Somehow, as though she had reached her boiling point some time back and already simmered out, a missing block slipped into place in Twilight’s psyche. It suddenly all made sense, as though until now she were trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. How could she have not seen it before?
“Huh… I guess you’re right,” said Twilight with an embarrassed grin and nervous chuckle.
“Of course I am!” Pinkie Pie replied.
Spike spit his mouthful of food across the table.
"WHAT?!"
The End
2012
