DreamWorks "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted"

Chapter 15: Vitaly's Past

When Alex, Mariah, and Katie got inside of a part of the train with Stefano, they all see something all around them.

"Whoa." Alex said.

There were a lot of posters, pictures, trophies, ribbons, and other things about the circus. It was famous from the past, including the circus animals, too. Mariah takes Adriana off of the back carrier and lets her free, Mariah sits in a chair and puts Adriana on her lap.

"What is this place?" Alex asked.

"l know you think we are a stinky, poopy circus, but there is something you must know. There was a time when Circus Zaragoza, we were a great circus! Numero uno in all the Europa! And Vitaly... He was the biggest star of us all. He was fearless. Taking risks. Always new. He jumped through the hoop like he could fly!" Stefano explained the story about Vitaly's past.

There was a flashback that Vitaly jumped in the big hoop in front of the audience, and they all cheered for him loudly and happily, even calling his name.

"Stefano! Make the hoop smaller." Vitaly said.

"Like this?" Stefano asked as he got a hoop one time smaller than the big hoop

"Smaller." Vitaly said.

"Like this?" Stefano asked as he got a hoop that it was two times smaller.

"Good!" Vitaly replied.

Vitaly opens a bottle of olive oil and pours it over his body. He runs and jumps as he spins to the hoop that it is success, and the crowd cheered happily even more.

"lt had never been done before because it was physically impossible! And the people... They loved it!" Stefano's voice said as he kept on telling the story.

"Viva, Vitaly!" Gia shouted.

"Smaller!" Vitaly shouted.

Stefano kept the last hoop with a smaller hoop as Vitaly opened two bottles of olive oil to pour on his body. He runs and jumps as spins to successfully go through to hoop, too. The people of the audience cheered even louder than before, and the other circus animals were happy, too.

"And the hoop, she got smaller! Like the ring on a finger of the tiniest lady with the slimmest of fingers." Stefano's voice said for the story.

Stefano gets a ring size hoop and places it for Vitaly's talent, too.

"Bravo, Vitaly!" A man from the audience shouted.

Vitaly opens a big container of olive oil and pours it all over his body.

"He would not stop pushing. And one fateful day... He pushes too far." Stefano's voice said.

"Light the hoop on fire!" Vitaly shouted.

The other circus animals were shocked to hear that. Stefano lights up the hoop, and Vitaly runs so fast as the audience cheers wildly. When Vitaly runs enough, he jumps and spins to get into the hoop, but instead... Disaster struck.

"He fly too close to the sun... And he got burned. Literally. The extra virgin olive oil is extra flammable. And he lost everything. His wife, she ran off with a musician. He lost his dignity... His fame... His passion... And his fur. And when it grows back, it is less soft. It's more like a prickly beard." Stefano's voice explained the darkness part of the story.

After in incident, Vitaly was silent while the other animals were behind him to check up on him.

"Scusi. Vitaly!" Stefano said.

Vitaly turns around and growls angrily to make the other circus animals run away in fear.

"Nothing!" Stefano shouted as he ran away.

Vitaly was drinking a soup from a bowl.

"His only passion now is the borscht." Stefano's voice said.

The flashback ends, and Stefano shows all three of them the ring sized hoop.

"Whoa." Alex said.

"Oh, no." Mariah said.

"Goodness." Katie said.

"He was our inspiration. So when he lost his passion, well... As Vitaly goes, so goes the circus. This is why we need your help." Stefano said as he put the ring sized hoop away.

"What sort of help?" Alex asked.

"What do you mean?" Mariah asked.

"All if you can teach us to do new circus. Americano style! We find a new passion. Make a new show. And we go all the way to the US and A!" Stefano explained.

Alex, Mariah, and Katie stay silent.

"l know. lt is a stupido idea. We are a lost cause." Stefano said in desperately.

"No, no, this isn't stupido. This could work!" Alex said.

"What?" Stefano asked.

"What you just said." Alex said.

"What?"  Stefano asked.

"You know." Katie said.

"The idea you said. Two seconds ago." Alex said.

"What?"  Stefano asked.

"About your idea." Mariah said.

"Your stupido idea!" Alex said.

"It could?"  Stefano asked.

"Stefano, you're a genius!" Katie said happily.

"No, no, no, no. I am only average intelligence. Some say l'm even slightly below." Stefano said

"We are gonna rethink everything anybody's ever known about circus!" Alex said.