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[b][u]Phillis Circus: Big Top - Onstage[/b][/u]

The crowds erupted into screams yet again as Poppy finished off her logic-defying act. A couple of younger fanboys had collapsed to the ground, seemingly fainting, as Poppy's glitter landed on them. Others had already knocked out from extreme shock after seeing an actual lion being tossed around like a plaything. Still others were fanning themselves at Isabella's agility, eyes glued to her despite all the other performers' actions.

"All right!" Sammie stepped forward with a clap. Her smug smile never winced throughout the entire show. "What a show, am I right, am I right?" By this point, most of the audience members had risen to their feet, Pride members included. Sammie's voice only encouraged the screaming to boom even louder than it was. "You think you've seen something? You ain't seen nothin' yet! We can only have more in store! Hey, hey - who here is a returning guest?"

Many guests raised their hands high, jumping and screaming yet again in response to Sammie. "Haaa! What a number! All you newbies"--she pointed a finger out to the crowd--"this just goes to show that we got something new to boast every night! Incredible, innit?" Her smile widened even further. "But now - now we have something even [i]newer[/i] in store! The debut of our two new members, and our special stars for the night!"

From afar, both Cammie and Tammie contorted their expressions. While their postures remained unchanged, they tried to speak silently to their sister with their visage alone - slightly shaking heads, mouthing lips, narrowed eyes. As Sammie continued speaking with utmost confidence, her expression as she looked to her sisters on opposite ends belied her vocals. Only when she faced the audience again did she regain that confidence.

"Many of you have sent in fanmail, hatemail, requests, complaints to our circus, our home! You all should see the number of times one particular thing was pointed out: that our dear performances aren't - well - 'hot' enough for continuous returns." To this, a handful of audience members cooed, while others gasped wildly in anticipation that their mail had been heeded. As the performers on stage stepped aside and some offstage to allow room from the back curtain, guests sat themselves back down one by one. It was only a matter of time before they'd be back on their feet.

"Well, we heard your pleas, and are coming right back at ya with exactly what you wanted! You want 'hot,' you got it!" The audience cheered. "You want 'burning,' you got it!" Another cheer. "You want 'on fire,' you got it!" A third cheer, louder than the two previous.

Trixie leaned over to Estelle, whispering. "Are they, er, bringing some really flashy person on stage or something?"

"Drumroll, please!" As Sammie directed the audience's attention to the back curtain, Olga the gorilla began slamming her fists on the floor in a rhythmic beat. The curtains pulled open on cue, and a young man with a nervous smile stepped out. He seemed to be dressed for success, with a fancy black vest to boot, but his pink button-down beneath it and his baseball cap showed otherwise. In his hands, he held two long club-like sticks.

"Introducing our newest member - the one, the only - Crispin Ocelooooot!"

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As the audience roared with a welcoming cheer, Crispin waved back shyly. "Um... hi."

"Now watch," Sammie stepped back in front of Crispin, gesturing with her hands, "as our companion breathes [i]fire[/i] into the sky! A lovely obstacle for our beloved acrobats to dance over, don't you guys think? What do you say to our human cannonball Max soaring straight through not some dumb loop - but an actual wall of flames!? Hey, ever seen an animal play with fire?? Well, we've finally got it all!"

The audience clamored at once, the most excited they had been all night. After all they had already seen - imagining all of that all over again but with [i]fire[/i] - it drove them wild.

Crispin held up a hand to speak, forcing a hearty laugh. "Actually! Actually! I had a bit of something else in mind. And it requires audience participation."

It was only then that Sammie's smile was wiped clean. "What are you doing?"

"Pssst, guys! Guys!" Tammie called from her standpoint in a whisper loud enough for Sammie and the other performers to hear. "He said he had something new and different in mind for tonight's show. For his opening act anyway. Cuz... uh... don't worry about it! ... I think."

"AHEM!" Crispin cleared his throat, grabbing at his collar. "Actually - I don't need help from one person. I need help from [b]everyone."[/b] His seemingly nervous grin widened into something almost maddening. His own confidence sent Sammie's spiraling away. "Don't you worry, all you beautiful people! I ain't gonna hurt ya. Chef's word! I just need a little help from each of you. That's all." The audience continued whispering amongst themselves - though Crispin's next words quickly quieted them.

Tammie bounced from where she stood. This was so exciting! Every time another performer on stage looked her way, expecting some sort of explanation, she put both fingers to her lips before pointing back at Crispin. Still bouncing, of course.

"For my grand act! If all of you lovely people could rise to your feet!" They did so at once, with hesitation more or less. "You need to listen carefully - very carefully. Once you see fires light the skies - I need you all to do one simple little task. Please: make your way to the exits. Calmly and quietly, but quickly. Trust me, the spectacle will look a [i]lot[/i] better from the outside than from in here." Crispin's eyes lit up. "You guys like fireworks, right?"

The clamoring within the audience grew louder and louder. Some infants sensed their parents' fear and began to cry loudly. Tammie's lips pursed. "...oh."

"Someone stop him... someone stop him," Sammie snapped under her breath, walking towards Crispin with her arm outstretched. She opened her mouth to speak - to tell the audience that this was a joke and he was a rejected jester - but Crispin continued to avoid her grasp, instead stepping in front of her every time she attempted to speak up.

The other performers began to make their way towards him, which he caught onto quickly. He dropped the two sticks in his hands, revealing something golden laced along his knuckles. Shining brass. "All right, folks!" Crispin fisted his palm, his wrists and hands burning with a red aura. A wisp of smoke danced out of his pores and dissipated into the air. [u][b]"It's showtime!"[/b][/u]

"No! Stop him!" Sammie cried out, initiating the audience's screams. She jumped after him.

Narrowly avoiding another performer's grasp, Crispin leapt forward and punched the edge of the stage - immediately lighting it on fire as sparks of flame burst from his hands. The fire was not sizable, but thanks to the screaming, it began traveling around the stage and towards the tent's fabric walls much more quickly than it would have otherwise.

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"Ahh! I'm going, I'm going, I'm going!" As the rush escalated, Trixie leapt from her seat and launched herself into the sea of madness gathering at the nearest exit. She was lost from view in an instant.

The Big Top began to waver, threatening to crash in on itself as the flames continued to spread. The flames themselves was quite a distance away from the audience members, but at the rate it was spreading... Guests all throughout the tent screamed and flocked about. With the various exits crowded, thanks to multiple people trying to bust out at once, there was nothing else they could do but make matters worse for themselves.

Instantly Cammie and Tammie both made their way to opposite exits, to help their guests leave in a timely manner without them all getting stuck by trying to squeeze out at once. Funnily enough, a couple of other performers from on stage had joined the rush as well - not to calm them down, but to leave alongside the audience members.