KayloCreschendo0825 asked for this one. :) Here you go, Amiga! :) Enjoy! :)

Balan Wonderworld belongs to its respective owners. I own nothing.

Opening The Doors To The Heart Of Love

Attilio sighed as he saw Princess Merry up on the float and she was waving to everyone. He bit his lip, glad his mask hid his face as he watched the beautiful princess, wishing he could just go up there and confess his feelings to her.

But he was just a clown that made people laugh. What if she laughed too and thought he was just being silly or doing an act for the audience?

Thoughts like these made the man lose his courage to go talk to Princess Merry. "I...I can't do it," he said to himself as he sadly walked away.

Seeing it was time for his break, he decided to go for a walk around the park, just glancing around before he paused, seeing that looked to be a strange, new attraction called "Wonderworld". Curious as he had never seen it before, he looked around, but noticed that no one else seemed to notice it. Now even more curious, Attilio decided to go in.

"I wonder what this place is or when they put it up," he said to himself. "Maybe it's still under construction and that's why no one's interested in it yet?"

As he looked around, he then spotted a small creature that was red in color and had bunny ears. It looked rather cute and he smiled before growing curious. "A child must have dropped their toy," he said and he had just made up his mind to take it to the lost and found when it suddenly moved, coming closer to him.

Attilio blinked. "What?" He asked himself as the creature came closer to him. A few more like the creature came out and came up to him. "Well, I've certainly never seen creatures like you things before."

Suddenly, some of the small creatures jumped at him and slipped under his shirt, snuggling against his stomach. This created a ticklish sensation and the clown man began to laugh.

"H-Hey! AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed out, quickly but gently grabbing the creatures and pulling them off of him, very carefully setting them down. "That was a sneaky attack."

The creatures chirped as if they were laughing and hopped closer. "Oh, no you don't," he said playfully before advancing into another room, the door closing behind him and he saw there were a bunch of mirrors in the room. "Huh, a mirror maze."

As he moved closer and saw the mirrors reflecting back his own image, he paused at one and to his surprise, his reflection moved, pulling out a feather from its sleeve before stroking the feather over its stomach. A bigger surprise was that Attilio felt the feather tickling him and he began laughing. "Wh-What? H-How is this possible?!" He asked through his laughter, which grew higher in pitch as he noticed a few other reflections moving.

One had sat down and was running soft pipe cleaners in between its toes and another was sitting down and brushing soft brushes behind its knees. This made Attilio fall to the floor as he felt those tickles too. "AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!" He laughed out.

Another reflection began wiggling its fingers into its own underarms, which made the clown man squeal with laughter as he clamped his arms down, but the tickles didn't stop. No matter how much he squirmed, the tickle sensation stayed with him. He then felt fingers wiggle into his ribs and he felt something like a feather brush over his neck.

"EEEEE! OHOHOHO, PLEEHEEHEEHEEHEASE! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" He pleaded, feeling tears stream down his face from under his mask.

No sooner had he laughed out his plea, the sensations stopped and he felt hands gently grab hold of him and lift him up with the upmost care, placing him in a chair as the mirrors melted away, revealing what looked to be a theater, much to the man's surprise. He then saw another person in costume on the stage in front of him and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw this man had on a sparkling white suit with red and gold accents and a white hat with a red hatband was on his head and was pulled down over his face to be similar to a mask. His green hair stood out behind his head and the smile on his face was huge.

The man stepped down from the stage, going up to the stunned clown. "Hello, friend!" The strange man said warmly. "You must a new costume from Wonderworld! Oh, I'm so excited to meet you!"

Attilio didn't know what to say as the man took his hand and shook it warmly. "Please tell me, what do they call you?" The strange man asked curiously. "Surely an amazing costume like you has an equally amazing name."

The stunned man blinked before giving his head a little shake and taking a deep breath. "Um...I'm sorry, but I'm not a costume," he said, reaching up and removing his mask, revealing he was human.

The ringmaster-like man's eyes widened in surprise. "So that's what I sensed in the mirror room," he said. "I couldn't put my finger on it though."

Attilio bit his lip, a bit unsure of this man. "Um...can I ask what this place is and who you are?" He asked, keeping his tone polite.

"Ah, of course! How rude of me to not introduce myself!" The man said, backing up a little and bowing as a showman would. "My name is Balan, my friend, and this is my theater. May I ask your name?"

The clown man took another deep breath. "My name is Attilio," he said. "I work in the park as a clown."

Balan smiled before looking concerned. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

Just then, the little creatures came in and Attilio looked surprised. "Um, are these little guys yours?" He asked.

The tall man chuckled. "I am their guardian," he said. "They are called Tims and they enjoy it when a visitor comes."

Attilio blinked in surprise. "Huh, I thought they were a child's toy at first," he said.

Balan laughed warmly. "Fooled you, did they?" He asked in amusement.

"A little," the man said as a few of the Tims came up to him and one snuggled against his hands. He gently stroked the Tim's fur, making it chirp happily, which made him smile. "They're definitely cute."

The Maestro smiled at seeing the Tims were helping the clown man feel a bit more at ease. He then went up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Attilio, I can sense something is bothering you," he said. "Please tell me. Perhaps I can help."

Seeing his new friend looked concerned, the clown man bit his lip. "Promise you won't laugh?" He asked.

"I won't laugh," Balan promised.

Attilio took a deep breath, still petting the Tim in his lap. "I...I am in love with a princess," he said. "She's beautiful and kind and...I really want to confess to her, but...I'm scared she'll reject me."

He looked at Balan, who was looking at him before the tall man smiled. "She must be quite beautiful for you to be so smitten with her," he said.

Relieved he wasn't laughing, the clown man nodded. "She is," he said. "I...I really wish I had the courage to tell her."

"Ah, but you do have the courage," Balan said, making Attilio look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

In response, Balan went behind Attilio's chair and as the clown man turned to watch in curiosity before turning back when he felt a few more Tims jump into his lap. Just then, gloved fingers wiggled into his underarms and he burst into laughter, squirming in his seat as Balan tickled him for a bit before letting him up, chuckling.

"Don't let those negative thoughts fill your head anymore and hold back the courage you have in chains," the tall man said.

Attilio looked at him. "But...," he started to say, only to feel a gloved hand gently cover his mouth.

"You can do it, Attilio," Balan said encouragingly. "I know you can go up to the princess and tell her you love her. Say your words from the heart and she will know you speak the truth. A man who speaks the truth will win the heart of the lady he has fallen for."

He stepped back and gestured for Attilio to follow him. The clown man stood up and followed after the tall man, who took him out to a garden where there were beautiful roses growing. As Attilio watched, Balan moved quickly and gathered up a large bouquet of the roses, coming closer and giving them to the unsure man. "A red rose stands for love," the tall man said. "Confess to her, Attilio. Something tells me you won't regret it."

The clown man took a deep breath. "Do you...Do you really think she'll love me back? That she'll accept me?" He asked.

"Only the lady you love can answer that," Balan said. "If you open the doors to the heart of love inside of you."

Attilio looked at the roses and looked back at Balan, who nodded encouragingly. That gave Attilio more confidence and he nodded. "Okay," he said, putting his mask back on. "I think I can do this."

The tall man chuckled. "I know you can do it," he said as he snapped his fingers, magic swirling around them both.

Attilio blinked and to his surprise, he was back at the park and the parade was just about to start. Quickly, he climbed aboard Princess Merry's float and was soon behind her. "Pardon me, Princess," he said politely.

She turned in surprise to see him and smiled. "Yes?" She said.

He bravely pulled off his mask and got down on one knee in front of her, presenting her with the lovely roses. "Princess Merry, I must confess that I have fallen for you," he said. "You are the kindest, most beautiful lady I have ever laid eyes on. Would it be too bold of me to ask you if I can court you?"

Merry's eyes twinkled as she smiled at him. "What is your name, my brave man?" She asked.

"Attilio, my princess," he said.

She gestured for him to rise and she accepted the lovely roses from him. "No man has ever been so bold to step upon my float and ask me out," she said. "Therefore, for your bravery, politeness, and kindness I have seen within you, I accept your offer of courtship and return your feelings tenfold."

Attilio felt his heart beating faster and he blushed. "I...I was so afraid you'd find me silly," he admitted to her.

She giggled. "How can I find the man that makes me laugh and is so kind to others silly?" She asked before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him right in front of everyone.

The clown man's eyes widened in surprise before he held her lovingly and kissed her back. The cheering crowd melted away as his heart sang with joy that the princess loved him back.

Balan, who was leading the parade, watched in joy as the two kissed and he smiled, happy for the new couple as he led the parade on, snapping his fingers to make rose petals fall in a gentle shower over the new couple as the crowd cheered happily.

Balan is quite a matchmaker, is he not? :)

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418