Chapter 10
>Day after 12 on a train to Manehatten.
>The train ride had taken hours upon hours; it was now around midnight and the only sounds were your own heavy breathing and the train’s circuits, whirring in high-speed velocity.  You were sleeping peacefully despite of the sounds – At least until a snout pressed itself lightly against your side, cold to the touch.
>”Psst. Anon..  Pssssssssssst. Anon, wake up!” a voice echoes throughout the thick darkness. You slowly open one of your eyes up to find Arid Star, standing just a few inches before you. She looks like she was completely awake, her eyes glimmering in the night from excitement.
>You close your eye again. 
>Nope. Too tired to deal with anything right now.
>She lets out an irritated moan before barring her teeth. With a light ‘swoosh’ sound she gnaws her teeth down into your shoulder, making you yelp out suddenly in surprise, thereby causing you to rumble down onto the floor.
>You wearily look up at an excited bat-pony that has her eyes focused at the window in the small coupe. With a groan you get yourself up back on your feet and look with her.
>On the very edge of the Horizon lies a bustling, large city with lights that shine throughout the bleak and gloomy night. It reminded you of a typical, modernized city from back home – skyscrapers, wavering spotlights in the air and multiple commercial billboards ignited by neon-lights to glow through the darkness.
>It only grew bigger and bigger as the train rode closer towards your destination. You cast your glance down on Arid Star again, stars in her eyes – Mouth agape. She has probably never seen anything in the like.
>she tried to form a few sentences, but all that came out were flabbergasted sounds of excitement and confusion. You couldn’t help but express a small chuckle, seeing her like that.
>”Mares and Gentlecolts. We have now arrived at the Manehatten central-station. On behalf of the Express Way 6000, we wish you a good day, and thank you for using our train-line.” A voice box called out as the train slowly came to a halt.
>you look down at Ari Star, whom looks terribly giddy – but at the same time, terrified. “Anon.. Is it safe to go out there? You know, with what we are?” she inquires cautiously, looking up towards you.
>She had a point. Unlike Appleloosa, that had a local law-system and was just a small frontier – Manehatten was more likely to have a full on law-enforcement system, and a massive scale of ponies, trotting about. If one of them got scared of you and called for help, you were bound to be in for a far more complex ride than the one in Appleloosa.
>You had already been in a cell once in this world and had no wish of having that happen to you again.
“I think it would be for the best if we tried to keep as low a profile as possible. Let’s not fly needlessly over the skies, or go pouncing on any humans for a snack, hm?”
>She sticks her tongue out in response to your remark, but agrees that it would be for the best if she held back – for now. You wait for a few minutes, ensuring that most of the passengers had left the train before you got out of the coupe. Why couldn’t the damn Alicorn ensure some kind of transport method that didn’t involve the public, if she was so intent on keeping the two of you a secret to as many ponies as possible?
>Fuck Goddesses and their mysterious ways.
>You peek your head out of the exiting doors to the train, and with a more or less clear coast, you and Arid Star skitter across the station and into the shadows – It wasn’t a huge plus that most places were lit up by electricity due to the fact that it was prime night time, but at least you wouldn’t bring much attention this way.
>”My, I must say – Those are some terrific, life-looking costumes!” a voice exclaims from behind, making both you and Arid Star Freezing up in the middle of your solid-snake style. You slowly turn your head about to look at a earth-pony mare in a pink coat, dressed up in a white wolf suit.
>”Just where did you get a hold of such pretty wings?” She continues as she almost casts herself across Arid Star – Which causes her to instinctly fly up in the air and hide behind you. She merely giggles “Ah, how it must cost your dear feathers beneath those appendages”
>Now hold on. Just what in the fuck was going on here, why wasn’t she screaming in terror and flailing her hooves about like a damsel in distress?
>”Oh dear, I’m going to be late for my date!” She mutters as she looks on the stations clock, nestled at the very top of the building. “Happy Nightmare night!” she mutters and trots off, leaving both of you more confused than a pair of pears on an apple-tree.
“Do you have any idea what a ‘Nightmare Night’ is, Arid? And get down from there already.”
>Arid laughs sheepishly as she lands down beside you again. “Nope!” she simply exclaims afterwards.
>Two idiots on an adventure, again.
>It doesn’t take long for both of you to figure out just what exactly caused that mare to not go into a terror-stricken frenzy. 
>As you walk down a pair of stairs and out from the station, you find yourself in a huge, huge nightlife with an enormous ongoing festival.
>Colors in all shapes and sizes have overtaken the city – Running and laughing foals blundering about underneath you, dressed in costumes of various forms – Stallions and mares going around in pairs, also dressed up to some extent. Most of the costumes were of some sort of horror theme; Mummies, zombies, ghosts – but there was also the occasional princess, or pirates that galloped around on the endless streets.
>It wasn’t only ponies in this town however it would seem – Minotaur’s towered up and around the ponies, laughing and boasting about themselves – Gryphon’s flying about  the glowing sky above you in packs; a balloon string attached in some of the younger’s beaks.
>Everyone was busy - no one was paying attention to both of you except for the occasional comment on how unique your costume looked.
>Seems like you arrived on the only day that you could blend in with the people, without having rocks thrown against you.
>it reminds you strongly of a certain other festivity from back home, but you don’t ponder too much on it. This is a good turn of events; a rare occurrence on your travels. 
>Arid Star is once more almost clinging to you as a gang of Minotaur’s blunder beside you, a jug of apple-cider in each of their hands. “Anon I don’t like this” she whispers
“Huh? I thought you were all hyped for seeing this place.”
>”I didn’t know that there was going to be this many p0nies and.. and other things!” 
>You grunt, holding another laugh back – You weren’t quite sure where her brain was on things like these – What in the world had she expected? 
“You’ll just have to get used to it – But let’s find somewhere where people don’t run about as much, then.”

>You casually remark back to her as you start to walk down the first avenue you see. Every soul on the way seems to be in the happiest of spirits – Trying out festivities, playing games and generally enjoying the company of one another.
>Once more the thought of home struck you – This really weren’t all that different. Sure, the colors were far more intense, and the inhabitants were of ponies and fable creatures of your world; But everything had personality, dreams, opinions.
>You look down on your friend once more, seemingly having become a little bit more comfortable with the situation now that you weren’t in the thick of it. She points towards a large, striped tent in red and blue – “What do you think is in there?” She asks curiously.
>You smile to her as you start to walk over towards the tent with newfound faith in this world. At least for a night, you could go and act wherever you pleased. 
“I don’t know. Let’s find out!”
>Freedom is a helluva drug.
 >As you inch yourself closer to the tent you make out a large, wide sign that reads: “THE ILLUSTRIOUS, FANTASTICO, MACIKA SHOW – SEE WONDERS OF THE SEA, THE MYSTERY OF MAGIC AND STRENGTH UNMEASUREABLE, FREE TONIGHT!”
>The entrance of the tent is littered in creatures of all shapes and sizes, and you quite simply set yourself in the waiting line – Still slightly baffled by the lack of gasps and terror-wails.
>And now you remember how much you hate waiting in line.
>No seriously, this shit always takes foreeeeeeeeeeeeeever.
>Arid Star seems to dance from one hoof to another in excited anticipation, like a small child taken to the cinema for the very first time. Finally you reach the ticket booth where you are given two seat-tickets from a brown-spotted Minotaur with a deadpan, bored face.
>Must be quite the tedious task – You silently hope he gets some sort of pay raise for his work, judging by the size of his body and the size of the booth he is sitting in.
>Entering the tent you find that it is not that much different from a typical circus tent. There are a bunch of multi-leveled benches that stretches out in a circular pattern – all of it focused towards the inner ring at the centrum of the tent. Besides for a simple mast at the middle of the arena and a small walk-way from the arena that leads into a pair of large curtains.
>Ponies begins filling up the slots, so you quickly grab Arid Star under your arm and rush up to find a good spot at the top of one of the benches.
>With a steady momentum, the entire tent is filled up with anticipating ponies. While the last pair of costumed ponies makes their way inside, the light starts to dim –Allowing only the spot-light in the arena stay lightened.
>The atmosphere around you starts to tension as everybody looks expectantly at the ring. With a sudden flick - followed by a large ‘BOOM’ - the entire ring is covered in smoke as fireworks of all kinds shoot out and around, engulfing the tent in flashy colors.
>You quickly complentate how easy it would be for those fireworks to catch fire to the tent.
>You decide to roll with it.
>In the mist of the heavy smoke, a pony silhouette appears – as the fog slowly fades away, you realize that it is infact not really a pony, but a Zebra.
>The Zebra has a magician’s top hat on, with grey hair covering her left eye – A single, solitary gryphon feather braided into her medium-cut mane. Her coat is partially visible with the typical black and white zebra stripes. The front is however covered up with a following ringleader suit.
>It looks tomboyish enough for you to think that it is a male Zebra – but her sudden, booming voice, followed by wipping eyelashes quickly makes it clear for you that you’re looking at a mare, not a stallion.
>”GRE-E-E-EETINGS EVERYP0NY. IT IS I, ‘WHITE-STRIPES’ – AND I BID YOU WELCOME TO THE WILDEST, CRAZIEST, MOST MYSEEEEEEEEERIOUS SHOW THAT YOU WILL EVER BEAR WITTNESS TO!” she says, rolling her tongue off the words every now and then.
>With another puff of smoke, she disappears from the bottom of the arena, and reappears at the top of the mast, hanging steadily from it as she takes her top hat off and waves it at the baffled crowd, before continuing to speak.
>”FIRST OFF WE HAVE THE MAGNIFICENT, THE AMAZING, THE SPECTACULAR  GRYPHON – MIRA THE SPIRITBIRD!” She exclaims before disappearing in another puff of smoke while the light’s turn off – leaving you in the dark.
>Suddenly a loud screech that is reminiscent to that of an eagle tears through your ears. Suddenly from behind the curtains a huge ball of fire shoots out with a frightening speed before it unfurls.
>The entire crowd gasps as a gryphon, blazed in fire broadens her wings and hovers lightly in the air – fireworks shooting behind her back.
>It looks like an enormous phoenix with the flickering colors of red and orange – but in the blink of an eye, the colors start to shift into a completely neon-blue hue as she starts to twirl around in the air, leaving a hot fire trail behind her.
>Slowly, letters start to take form as the trail behind her leaves S P I R I T behind her – Well, Circus attendants usually love to yell out their own names. 
>The ‘Spiritbird’ lets out another chilling shriek from her beak as the light show goes on, numerous pictures being painted in multiple hues of fire. It was nothing short of mesmerizing, and unlike anything you had ever seen before. Sure, Fireworks could to some extent shower your gaze in colors – but the intensity, the shapes mixed with the fiery heat as the gryphon soars past you.
>it was art.
>You break off from the slight trance that you had entered, and look down to find Arid as baffled by the show  just as youwere. With eyes as round as tea-cups, she lets herself suck completely into the show. It looks like she is enjoying the show.
>She didn’t even pay attention to the fact that there were ponies everywhere around her; all that could fit in her mind right now was the circus show taking place. It slightly reminded you of yourself when you were taken to a festival for the first time in your life.
>Suddenly the gryphon starts to fly in a tight, small circle around itself – propelling faster and faster. The air around you starts to tug lightly at your hair as the gryphon mercilessly increasing her speed faster and faster, eventually creating a multi-colored, flaming tornado in the middle of the arena.
>And just like that, she disappears into the Tornado and vanishes from everyone’s sight.
>the entire crowd goes into a huge applause, hooves stomping the ground below them – That was one heck of an entrance to a show, and you can’t help but get all riled up for the next event.
>With a large grin on her face, the Zebra mistress slowly trots out and bows deeply for the applauding crowd. She waves her left hoof around for a short while as the crowd starts to simmer down again.
>”PREPARE YOURSELVES, EVERYP0NY – FOR THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT THEY MAY SEEM TO BE FOR THE NAKED EYE, THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS TRUE – AT LEAST NOT WHEN THE ILLUSTRIOUS, MAGICKA TWINS ARE NEARBY! WATCH OUT, FOR THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINTED HEART”  She hollers, an over-the-top evil smirk smeared across her face as a faint, orange shimmer covers her and makes her split into two, making the crowd gasp (along with Arid Star.)
>Two, caped unicorns now stand where the Zebra had once stood – one of them is a red coated Stallion with a somber orange mane to boot.
>The other is an orange coated mare with a cherry-red mane. They first look towards each other with confident smiles, before trotting out to the dead center of the Arena – bowing neatly as they receive another round of applause.
>You didn’t usually like the magic part in a circus show. It was always tediously predictable and everyone knew that it was fake. But not here, not in this world – Here the magic was going to be real and not simply be some sort of eye illusion.
>You position yourself comfortable in your seat, and let yourself get drawn into the magic show, blitzing before your eyes.
-
>”..And for our last trick, we shall strive to do what Nop0ny ever has done before!” the stallion calls out as his twin saunters into the middle of the Arena, and sits down.
>”I shall do that which everyp0ny thinks impossible – Fillies and small-colts may want to close their eyes for: THE SAW” he exclaims as he conjures a saw up from pure nothingness – the crowd gasping once more, doubting his serious tone.
>”Ah, you think I am to murder my own twin? Puh-leaze, relax! I assure you – we’re professionals!” he says, grinning as he looms closer and closer towards the middle of the mare’s body.
>This didn’t sit that well with you – there wasn’t a fake-box around this time. You could see it all happening in the bare, with nothing hidden away from you. Was he really going to saw her over, without anything happening to her? 
>You look to your side, and find Arid Star gone.
>You look back to the Arena, and find her soaring towards the two Unicorns.
>Goddamnit.jpg
-
>OHMYGOSHYOUMUSTSAVETHEMAREFROMHEREVILTWIN.
>You glide with all your speed down towards the unsuspecting stallion that still tries to linger the moment of no-return for the crowd. That was until you tackle him and start to fumble about, trying to hold him down.
“DONTDOANYTHINGTOTHEMAREAREYOUCRAZYYOUCOULDHURTSOMEP0NY!!”
>You hammer down on him with your hooves until you find yourself lifted by an orange shimmer. Looking behind you, you find the mare staring straight at you – and she does not look overly happy to have been saved, what a meanie!
>As you look around from inside the spotlight, you find that the entire crowd is staring silently at you, unsure whether this is part of the scene – or a hooligan who attempted to  pummel one of the magicians to senselessness.
>”My my, it seems we have an eager one!” a voice yells out suddenly. Turning around awkwardly you find the behatted Zebra appearing once more, with a sly smirk on her lips. “It seems like we have had an interruption, my beloved crowd – Do excuse us as we.. Take care of our little predicament.” She cries out, before you find the magical shimmer around you begins to pull you in the direction of the curtains.
>You barely manage to look back up at a fumbling Anon that is trying to get past all of the P0nies around him before the curtains enshroud you completely.
>For a few seconds you have your eyes shut, scared of what the strangers might do to you – but you are simply laid upon a wooden bench, not that far away from the curtain entrance. Opening your eyes, you find yourself in a small, sided hallway covered in wood – It seems to be somewhat transportable and only links to a door that, judging by the small ‘exit’ sign above it, leads to the outside.
>You hear the Audience clapping, and the Zebra yelling once more – but it is all muffled to you. Whatever those curtains are made of, they’re doing an effective job of nullifying sound, even to your ears.
>You shiver slightly in fear; why would they take you away? To punish you? You just tried to save the mare from that crazy stallion!
>And where was Anon? You didn’t want to be left here, in the circus without him! There were Ponies everywhere, maybe they’d see through your clever not-disguise!
>Your mind starts to reel itself more and more up, you catch yourself getting difficulties with breathing and you start to sweat slightly in the thick of it all.
>You just wanted to hide behind Anon right now.
>A pair of hooves starts to echo throughout the tiny hall, and you find the Zebra looming over you. For a second you thought she was going to gobble you up whole, but she cracked a friendly smile down towards you.
>”That’s a nice costume you got there, where’d you get it?” She inquired while readjusting her top-hat. You look down towards the ground in silence, trying to come up with a story that could fool the arena-master.
>The silence echoes throughout the enlarged caravan, and you shift about uncomfortably, readjusting your wings.
>This peeks the curiosity of the Zebra, as she slowly leans out a hoof to try and touch your left wing. You screech at her as loud as you can muster, and flap your wings defensively, making her stop her relentless assault on you.
>”..Did you just screech.. .?” 
>You are not a clever pony.
>”That.. Is.. Brilliant!” she utters as she lunges at you – You holler in terror as she hugs you.
>Wait, a hug? That wasn’t the same as gobbling you up! You nudge about in an uncomfortable manner as the Zebra finishes her hug. “Sorry. I’ve always had a thing for ‘different’ stuff – I don’t know how you did it, but it was simply magnifico!”
>You simply sit there, slightly put off by this anticlimactic turn of events.
“So.. You won’t punish me?”
>The Zebra gives out another one of her sly grins. “I do admit that your entrance was.. Rough – but I’m sure it could become a splendid performance, with some practice” She mutters nonchalantly – You didn’t really like where this was going by now.
“Pratice, performance? What do you mean by those!”
>”Oh my dear, it is quite simple – You botched our show up, leaving the crowd displeased – So, according to our old circus standards, you have to repay us by giving back the scene that you took!” she says matter-of-factly.
>You really, really didn’t like where this was going.