[Pierrot appears on the scroll in full clown regalia. He clears his throat, then begins to speak. It isn't his usual high-pitched racetrack announcer fanfare; his voice is low and quiet and almost... normal.]Good evening, fellow guests of Equestria.
My name is Pierrot Bolneze, and I fear I may have inadvertantly been the cause of quite a bit of panic some weeks ago. I'd like to unravel one of the mysteries behind that incident, to rid this town of one more ghost... Especially one that haunts my own self so closely.
You see, I am a clown by profession. In fact, I am quite famous as a circus performer back home, in high demand for performances with my troupe all year round. I have earned this fame through years of hard work and training and more than a little luck, and I am proud of where my career has taken me. I'm sure most of you remember the town-wide celebration back in early November, after all?
Now, in order to appeal to the widest possible audience, I trained myself in far more than the usual circus-derived skills. I can also be a diplomat, an interpreter, a political advisor, a nutritionist, a dispenser of trivia, or even master of ceremonies; always performing at the same level of skill demanded by internationally-renown masters of the same craft. I was the leader of my circus, and my audience were often the leaders of countries - I could not afford to disappoint on any point.
In the end though, while my troupe's would be on call to perform maybe twice a week (thrice during particularly lucrative tours), I find myself called upon to perform on a near nightly basis. I love my work, and I love my audience, but such a schedule can be exhausting; even more so when I alone must manage and prepare for performances.
It is inevitable then, that I began to take some shortcuts.
[The clown hesitates, and reaches to the side to grab something off-camera before pressing on.]Ladies and gentlecolts, the visage you see before you right now is my "true face". It is not make-up, nor paint, nor cosmetic of any kind. During the peak of my career I had my face surgically altered to resemble my clown make-up - and it seems even as a pony, this remains true. I cannot ever stop wearing my performer's mask.
...That is, unless I wear another mask to cover it.
[With that, the off-screen object is rapidly slid over his head and adjusted over his features, accompanied by muffled sounds of rubber against fur. The maneuver is performed with a speed that could only be born from hours and hours of practice and in moments, Pierrot's face is transformed - he is now a perfectly ordinary pegasus with a slate gray coat and spiky white mane.
The clown smiles gamely at the scroll, but his ears twitch nervously anyways.]If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer.
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