Thicker than Chaos

Chapters

Beginning Again
Business Boom!
Ivory's Favor
Trusting Twilight; Bright's Confession!
Right Place, Worst Time
The Seeking Shaman

Beginning Again

Thicker than Chaos

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfic

Written by Josh “Jarulso” P.

Hey Mom and Dad, it’s finally happened!

I’ve moved into a quaint little town, just near Everfree Forest and, surprisingly enough, Canterlot! I looked around a fair bit before talking to the Mayor, and sure enough, there was a house available, which looked like a perfect place to set up shop! I’ve already moved my things in, and I’m going to start almost post-haste, but I thought I better write to you first, just in case you started to worry about me getting lost. Haha.

I’ll be in touch soon!

Your loving son,

Bright Spark.

The dark green unicorn eagerly clopped through town, trying to find his way around, and memorize his surroundings as quickly as possible. For somepony like himself, he hated not being able to remember things. He turned to find that he was about two steps away from crashing into an orange mare, and nearly tripped over trying to stop. “I’m sorry!” He immediately apologized; however, it seemed she wasn’t looking. She turned, and noticed that he’d nearly run into her and couldn’t hide a smile.

“Sorry ‘bout that, pardner, guess I was hoggin’ the walkway.” She spoke in a heavy southern bell, which caused a small laugh to escape Bright Spark.

“I guess we both weren’t looking, but I’ll still pretend it’s my fault.” He replied, before dipping his head slightly. She looked at him, and laughed a little. It was only at this point that Bright noticed her emerald-like eyes.

“Ah haven’t seen anypony around here such’n yourself, what’s yer name?” She asked, offering her hoof for a friendly shake.

“My name’s Bright Spark!” He smiled, shaking her hoof. “And you are…?”

“I’m Applejack!” She replied, before turning around, semi-revealing her tri-apple cutie mark. “I better be headin’ on back, I got a powerful load a’ work to catch up on back at the farm. See you ‘round, Sparky!” She quickly explained, galloping off. Bright Spark found himself grinning from ear-to-ear, happy he’d made a new friend. He trotted off, heading back home. She had a point, though. It was time to get to work.

Bright Spark had spent a majority of the day, from that point, getting his shop set up. ‘Magic makes life so much simpler…’ He thought happily to himself, as a dark green aura surrounded his bit box, which he hid in the safety of a hidden compartment behind the counter, which only he knew how to get into. With that small bit of safety pushed to the back of his mind, he continued trying to get everything he could set up so that he could start by tomorrow. He slowly began layering out all of his equipment, and making sure he left nothing behind.

He’d made a container, which, under the right conditions, could hold enough magical energy to use his products for at least eight weeks straight before needing to be refilled. He wanted to quickly charge it up some more, but continued unpacking. He’d put all of his other equipment in a different room, and just finished setting up another shelf before hearing the door open. He quickly turned around, noticing a lavender unicorn, looking around as she stepped inside. “Hello there!” He smiled. She quickly turned, and found him standing in a near corner. “Sorry about the intrusion.” She replied. “But I noticed the new sign out front, and wanted to take a look inside.” She politely explained.

“Sorry about deceiving you, but I just need to unpack a few more things before I get started on anything.” Bright sheepishly admitted. “But you’re welcome to take a look around in the meantime.” He finished, trying to get the rest of his things in order. In the meantime, the mare strolled around, looking at all his merchandise.

“So, I haven’t seen you around town before, did you just move in?” She asked, trying to make a bit of small talk.

“I just finished this afternoon.” He replied, putting up a few more displays, and moving the box containing them into a small room off the side.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you.” She said, before introducing herself. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle.” She finished.

“And I’m Bright Spark.” He smiled, before putting the final touch on his counter – A small, silver bell. “And I make Light Bulbs for a living.” He laughed, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. Twilight joined him in a small giggle, before strolling back across the room.

“You make quite a bit of merchandise, if I do say so myself.” She admired, look at the new variety he’d placed up earlier.

“These are all for show – But I got a few working ones, if I could find the box I put them in…” Bright eagerly replied, with a slight trace of annoyance, carefully moving the packages so that he didn’t break the one that actually had the bulbs he was talking about.

“I’ll have to come back eventually, after you set up shop.” She said, with a hint of actual sincerity, Bright noted.

“Make sure that you do!” He smiled as she left.

After another hour and a half, Bright had finally finished setting up shop, but heard his stomach grumble. “I’m with you, buddy. Let’s get some chow.” He smiled, heading out, and turning over the ‘Day’ sign that he left out. At first, it read ‘Open’, but it now read ‘Out to lunch! Back in a minute!’. He trotted off, trying to remember where the Café was. He knew that he passed it earlier, but continued searching none the less. Instead of the deli, however, he found himself in front of a place known as the Boutique Carousel. He looked at the sign for a second, and made a quick note that he’d have to return at some point. He then remembered why he left, and made his way down the street. About a minute later, he found himself at the Café. He had a quick talk out the front, and then sat down for a bit of lunch. Whilst he waited for his Daisy Sandwich to arrive, he looked around, and saw a sweet shop just around the bend. “Definitely going there next…” He smiled, feeling a wicked sweet tooth coming on.

After a refreshing lunch, Bright took off for the sweet store. He finally arrived, and took a moment to examine the exterior properly. Bright chuckled at the playful design of the actual shop, which resembled a house with a gingerbread roof, as well as putting a GIANT cupcake on top. He walked inside, and found a couple baking sweets. “Hello there!” He smiled. The two turned to face the potential customer, and smiled back. “Welcome to Sugarcube corner! How can we help you?” The lady smiled. Bright looked around, and found an array of treats, sweets and sugary feats. However, he had his mind stuck on one thing, which had just caught his eye.

“These all look fantastic – But I have to go with the Strawberry Pie over there.” He smiled again. The couple returned the friendly gesture, and took the pie out from the rack, put it in a small to-go bag, and after a quick bit exchange, Bright left the store. On the way out, however, he met yet another pony. She was completely pink, with a mane similar to cotton candy. She stared at him strangely, as if trying to remember who he was, yet to no apparent avail.

“Erm… Hi?” Bright tried. The pony seemed to suddenly click, gasped loudly as if she were about to scream bloody murder, and zipped off into Sugarcube corner. Bright stood there, completely stupefied.

Later that night…

“Consarn it!” Applejack shouted in frustration, as the fixture in her barn went dead yet again. “It’s gonna cost a good week to get another one of these doohickeys again…” She commented, pulling the faulty bulb off its string. Luckily, though, she’d left a candle on the ground, which kept just enough vision for her to make her way back down. She threw the light bulb into a nearby bin, and looked around. Although it was slightly lit, there just wasn’t enough light for her to finish her chores. “Maybe Twilight has one I could borrow…” She mused, before heading outside, and galloping to Ponyville.

Twilight had (luckily for Applejack) just returned from Sugarcube Corner, having seen an all-too-familiar look in Pinkie’s eyes earlier, meaning that she was planning something huge. And, more than likely, it was going to be a surprise party for Bright, seeing as he was new in town, and also because he made the slight mistake of running into her earlier (As she had hurriedly explained, trying to find her confetti cannon at the time.). Before she could indulge in her thoughts any further, though, she heard a familiar tone call out her name. She turned to find her friend Applejack calling for her. “Oh, hello there, Applejack!” She greeted with a quick smile, before noticing that she seemed exhausted. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve been chased out of Sweet Apple Acres!” She commented. Applejack shared a quick laugh, before standing tall.

“I feel like I just have been, too.” She replied, before changing the subject. “You got any spare light bulbs on ya? The one in the barn gave out again, and the stores I know that sell them are shut.” She explained. Twilight thought about loaning one to her, but then had a sudden idea. “I know where we can get you one! Follow me!” She said, trotting off at a quick pace, towards Bright’s shop.

Bright Spark, having no luck in sales for the day, decided it was best to pack up before it got too late. As he went upstairs to fetch the day sign for the morning, he heard a chime at the counter. Excited, he grabbed the sign with magic, and headed downstairs to find Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, standing at the counter, looking around. Just as he made it down, Applejack spotted him. “Well howdy there, Sparky!” She grinned, her familiar southern chime being as predominate as ever.

“Hey girls, what can I help you with?” Bright Spark asked, moving the day sign under the counter.

“Well, Applejack’s last bulb ran out of power, and she needs another to continue her chores for the night.” Twilight explained, with Applejack nodding slowly in affirmation. Bright Spark thought for a second, and then rushed into the back room. In the meantime, Applejack whispered something in Twilight’s ear, and left momentarily. When she came back, she had her backpack on. “Why’d you grab that?” Twilight asked.

“Just because I need one a’ these glowin’ glass balls doesn’t mean I ain’t payin’ for ‘em.” She firmly stated, with an obviously stubborn look on her face.

About ten minutes later, Bright Spark came back out, and in front of him, was an Apple-shaped Light bulb, as if specially designed. Next to it, there was also a small button, similar to a doorbell, with a container behind it. “This should do.” He smiled, looking slightly fatigued. “You just press the button when you want light – It’ll keep the barn lit for about a week straight, because I didn’t find any time to charge it up.” He quickly explained. Applejack looked at the bulb with slight adoration in her eyes, before looking back to Bright. “I can’t thank you enough!” She smiled. “You even made it look like an apple, too…” She said, getting lost in the handiwork. Bright chuckled a little bit, before using magic to pick up the bulb and button, and putting it, with her unsaid permission, into her bag.

“Well, my family’s always taught me that your first customer is a special one, even if they’re your only one. So I figured a small bonus should be in order.” Applejack nodded at this, and pulled out five bits from her bag, to which Bright denied.

“Keep it; you seem to be in a rush.” He said. However, Applejack threw the money on the counter, and ran outside.

“Darn tootin’ I’m in a rush! And I don’t need any of yer silliness slowing me down!” She grinned, poking her head inside slightly, before disappearing to the night. Bright, yet again, couldn’t help but laugh, and Twilight joined him.

“She’s as honest as can be, but as stubborn as a bull.” She giggled, before heading to the door. “I better be going anyway – I’ll see you tomorrow!” She finished, shutting the door gently, leaving Bright to start his new life. He smiled at the collection of bits, and put them in his bit box, before locking it up for the night. He went outside, flipped the sign, and headed back in for an early night.

‘Memories such as these must be preserved.’ Bright thought, as he slid into bed for the night. Life was good, and it couldn’t have made him happier.

AN: So ends the first chapter of my first ever FiM Fan Fic!

Stay tuned for more – It does get more exciting sooner or later!

~Special thanks to my friends Lachlan and Ash for Proof Reading! /) * (\

Business Boom!

A bright, sunny day ascended over Ponyville elementary, as young Apple Bloom headed to class. Along the way, as always, she met up with her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who, together, made the Cutie Mark Crusaders. However, when they weren’t crusading for the object of their desires, they were normal fillies, discussing anything they could find time to talk about. “So, did y’all hear?” Apple Bloom asked. She was met with stares as blank as their flanks. She giggled a bit, and then elaborated further. “My sister made friends with the new pony in town!” She said. The other girls laughed a bit, just as they arrived to class.

“But how’s that news?” Scootaloo piped up.

“Well, he’s already helped us out; He sold us a light bulb for the barn that actually works! I don’t think I’ve heard a single peep out of Applejack since she got it!” She continued.

“Didn’t that cause you a world of trouble?” Sweetie Belle mentioned.

“It did, but not anymore!” She chimed. Their teacher, Cheerilee, had just strolled in. “Alright my little ponies, settle down!” She called, keeping the affection that drove her to teach in her voice as clear as day. “As I said yesterday, we’re doing show and tell this morning. Apple Bloom, would you like to start us off?” She asked, looking to the cream-coloured Filly. She moved out of her desk proudly, and pulled the very same apple-shaped light bulb from her bag that Applejack bought the week before. Immediately, a giggle rose from the back of the class.

“A light bulb?” The youngling known as Diamond Tiara jeered. “All the things in the world to bring, and you brought a light bulb?”

“It’s not the light bulb!” Apple bloom retorted. “It’s the story behind it!”

“Oh, you mean walking to the shop, picking out the weirdest bulb you could find, and buying it?”

“No!” She shot back. Before they could continue, Cheerilee had already moved between them. “Fillies, this is not the time!” She interjected. “Apple bloom, your presentation please.” Apple Bloom looked at her blankly, but remembered the reason she went up in the first place.

“Oh, right!” She said, before walking behind the bulb to present it as clearly as she possibly could. “That new pony in town sold it to my sister when she needed it most. It was even made especially for her, because she was his first customer!” She explained. “She said he had a sense of honour almost bigger than her own! He nearly gave it to her for free, but she threw the money on the counter and ran off, so he could at least make some money from it!” She finished, before taking a small bow to indicate she was finished. The class, excluding a certain pair, began clapping their hooves together.

“Is it okay if we pass it around?” Sweetie Belle called.

“I would, except that it’s the only one the barn has, so I have to say no to that.” Apple bloom smiled back. However, Cheerilee, after hearing the story, began to feel a small idea forming in her head as she waved Apple bloom back to her seat.

On Bright Spark’s side, however, everything had been going very well for him. In exchange for three light bulbs, he had a new banner done for him by a mare known as Rarity, who, if you asked him, could’ve argued all day on where the light bulbs would work best. He managed to win two out of three, which, according to Twilight Sparkle, had to be the greatest feat achieved by anyone arguing with Ponyville’s fashionista. He went into the backroom to prepare more light bulbs, but heard the familiar sound of his front door opening. He was close enough to not bother keeping his potential customer waiting, so he promptly exited the back room, and found himself face-to-face with a deep-purple mare. “Well hello there!” He smiled. “And how can I help you today?”

“Oh, that was quick!” She remarked, slightly off-guard at the reception. “Well, I heard from one of my students that this is a better place to buy light bulbs than the general store, and I need one to run the night classes.” She explained. Bright thought for a second, then wandered into the back room, looking around for what she might need.

“I’ll have to get back to you on that – I got an idea for a new light bulb, but it might take a day.” He replied with a louder tone of voice to make up for the fact he’d closed the door behind him.

“That should work – You could find me on my lunch break. How many bits will this cost?” She asked, accommodating the same tone of voice he had.

“Standard cost, four bits.” He replied. “Unless you’d want something special?”

“That’s quite alright.” She finished. Bright heard the distinct jingling of bits hitting the counter. Still music to his ears to his ears, even now. However, his mind was aglow from the idea that Cheerilee had managed to put into his mind.

The next day, Apple bloom, along with her Cutie Mark Crusader friends, had been spending their lunch time as usual, trying to find a way to get their cutie marks without doing something too disastrous. That could wait until after school. The girls had decided that they could try their luck at racing (As recommended by Scootaloo, after recalling the story on how Rainbow Dash obtained hers.). The three raced against each other, making it so that they’d have to make it around back of the school for as many laps as they could manage. “How many do you think you could do, Scootaloo?” Apple bloom asked of her Pegasus friend.

“Please! I could do more laps than any of you could do in ten seconds flat!” Scootaloo proudly announced, as eager as ever. The girls shared a small giggle, but got ready. “On your marks…” Sweetie Bell began.

“Get set…” Apple bloom continued.

“GO!” Scootaloo yelped, as the three took off, each of them exerting as much energy as possible, galloping around at their greatest pace possible. Making their way around the corner, Scootaloo had taken the lead, but saw something blur in front of her, and pulled to stop, but bumped into the pony that had pulled in front of her. “Oow, owowow…” Scootaloo groaned, noticing that she’d run into a dark green unicorn. “Sparky!” Apple bloom piped up. Bright looked to his right, and noticed Applejacks younger sister smiling up at him. He returned the smile in kind. “Hey kiddo, what’s up?” He laughed. He then remembered Scootaloo. “Are you alright?” He asked, turning to her, and helping her up.

“I’ll get over it.” She smiled, rubbing her right leg slightly.

“So what brings you here?” Sweetie bell piped up. Bright remembered her, purely because she was there when he went to ‘negotiate’ with Rarity.

“Well, I was looking around for your teacher – I looked inside and couldn’t find her. Do you have any idea where she might be?” He asked. The girls thought about it, and Scootaloo jumped up. “Ooh, ooh! I know!” She said, fluttering her wings, and pointing towards the front of the yard. Bright smiled, and ushered her on. “Lead the way!” He said, looking to where she had started pointing. Scootaloo giggled a bit, dashing off to go find Cheerilee. Bright followed her, which enticed the other two to dash off.

“Girls, this is NOT the time!” Cheerilee barked, keeping Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara away from a shy filly known as Twist.

“But she started it!” Diamond whined, trying to get past her.

“It doesn’t matter who started it – Because I’m ending it! You two are going inside, and staying there until our lunch break is over!” She firmly spoke, eyeing down both Silver and Diamond. They both huffed over-dramatically, but shuffled slowly into the classroom, and shut the door. Cheerilee sighed, before hearing a familiar sound of hooves trampling in the dirt. She turned to her right, only to find Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell and Apple bloom, running along with Bright spark behind them. “Oh, you’re back! How’d it go?” She asked with a small smile. Bright used magic to open his bag, and reveal a light bulb, shaped similar to a book.

“It took a while to get right, but this is how it works.” He explained, bringing out another switch, with three buttons on the front. “Could you girls help me with this?” He asked of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They smiled, and approached the buttons. “The top one gives you regular light…” He said, as Sweetie bell lightly touched the button with her hoof, causing a bright glow to flood from the bulb. “The one in the middle dims the light enough to read and write, even in the dark…” He continued, with Apple bloom pressing the middle button, the glow becoming fainter, until it was bright enough to stare at without causing harm to the other pony’s eyes. “And the one at the bottom, my personal favourite, changes the colour of the light – But it doesn’t matter which one you press before it.” He finished, with Scootaloo knocking the final button with her nose. The light slowly shimmered, then changed into a shade of light maroon. He smiled as the class stared at the bulb, lightly whispering to each other in admiration. “Would you like me to fit it for you?” He laughed. Cheerilee nodded, before walking inside.

“Alright girls, you can come back out.” She said, and with that, Silver and Diamond came back outside, as Bright walked in. “Looks like we have an extra ten minutes out!” She announced, sending the class away to play.

“I still love this place.” Bright hummed happily to himself, as he returned home with a small bounce in his step. He ended up finishing early, so he played a couple of quick games with Apple bloom and her friends, before Cheerilee called them back in. However, there was something about the colourful town that always made each day seem a day to treasure. He approached his home, and noticed something was wrong. The windows were closed up, something he rarely did. Did he do it whilst he was testing the coloured bulb? With sudden caution overtaking him, he approached the door slowly, and, after a couple of seconds, he threw open the door as quickly as he could.

“SURPRISE!” A sudden volley of voices shouted at him. He could feel his heart almost leap through his chest as he found a variety of ponies, all gathered in his house. However, before he could truly figure out what happened, a loud bang drew his attention yet again, which made his eyes glaze over a ‘Sorry-I-was-late-in-giving-you-a-welcome-party-but-now-it’s-here-party!’ banner draped above the fixtures. He tried to say something, but his voice just wasn’t getting through. In front of the counter, the Pink pony he met a week ago was standing with a wide grin on her face. “Sorry it’s late!” She giggled, bouncing over to him. “But I know everypony in this town, and if they’re new, they get a party or a welcome song before I introduce myself! I’m Pinkie Pie!” She explained, much like an excited child. Bright, still trying to get a word out, ended up bursting into near endless laughter.

“This is so awesome…” He giggled, trying to sound serious. “You go to all this trouble just to welcome new ponies?”

“Well, duh!” She replied, poking her tongue out a bit. “It’s always nice to make a good impression! That, and I LOVE parties!”

“Let’s not keep you waiting then!” He half-shouted, as the other ponies celebrated, officially starting Bright’s welcoming party.

It seemed to go on for what seemed like an age, and Pinkie had yet another surprise lined up. Approaching a turntable (To which, Bright was mystified to how it got in without breaking anything.), was a pure-white pony, with an electric-blue mane. She wore a pair of purple shades, rimmed in black. Her horn glowed momentarily, causing a techno beat to erupt from the stereo systems attached upon the deck. The pony then tied in an older song, causing it to blend in a manner that made Bright want to dance already. Looking around, he noticed he was already beaten to it, so he decided that it wouldn’t cause any harm. On the ending piece, the pony on the turntable began to start a new beat, which began to overload the system, and cause the lights to burn out. Nopony seemed to worry about it, and the beat continued. Bright noticed, and was amazed that her magic had the raw power to short out, but continue to entertain other ponies. He kept dancing, but, at the same time, began to think of something else.

It was another two hours before the party ended (To Bright’s amazement), and everypony was leaving. He smiled and waved them goodbye as they left, then returned to the DJ. “So, I happened to notice that your lights shorted out.” He said, looking at the impressive system. She laughed a bit at his comment, but quickly returned to her previous composure.

“Yeah, I might’ve overdone it this time.” She sheepishly admitted. “I had a small problem trying out that beat the first time, but I guessed it was a fluke.”

“Well, I can’t let you leave without replacing them for you.” He replied. She laughed again, but noticed he was serious.

“My tastes are fussy; I’ll let you know now.” She said, as if attempting to dissuade him.

“And mine fussier. I’ll see what I can do, just see if you can stick around for a bit longer.” He replied, as if implying it was final. She cocked her head a bit, before actually considering the concept.

“I guess I’ve needed an excuse to take a break for a bit… Alright, I’ll take a breather, and hang around here for a while. But no longer than a week, alright?” She gave in.

“You’ll be out of here within a couple of days.” He grinned, making her laugh yet again.

“I’ll hold you to that. By the way – The name’s Vinyl Scratch.” She smiled, turning away. “Catch you ‘round, Sparks.” She finished, walking outside.

It was the next day, and the only thought running through Bright’s head was the derailed train that formed his headache. He slowly rolled out of bed, before stumbling out to the counters. “How she cleans this fast I will never understand…” He grumbled, moving the check the bit box. It was all there in one piece, which made Bright sigh a small bit of relief. He’d been too used to being robbed whilst distracted. However, he shook the doubt from his mind, and wandered over to the counter, remembering his promise to Vinyl. His distant thought managed to come back to him, as he tried to think of ideas for a bulb with a bit more flash. “Maybe another coloured bulb… No, it’d take too many ground roses…” He said.

“Do you need some help with that?” A sudden voice came from his door. He yelped slightly, finding Twilight Sparkle standing there with a very light-yellow Pegasus, who appeared to be hiding behind Twilight. She seemed terribly afraid of Bright, but offered a meek smile.

“Haha, yeah… What can I do for you?” He asked of the Lavender pony. She looked to her friend behind her, and ushered her in. She mumbled something, to which Bright couldn’t make out. “I’m sorry…?” He questioned.

“Um… Could I… Get one of the small lights…?” She tried, seeming as shy as can be. Her pink mane covered her eyes, but Bright could tell she was trying to avoid eye contact.

“Small lights…” Bright thought for a second. “Oh, the ones that get less bright?”

“Um… Yes?”

“No problem.” He smiled, before fetching a dim bulb and button, and putting it on the counter. She slowly put four bits on the counter, and hastily retrieved the bulb.

“So, you seem to be having a bit of a problem.” Twilight mentioned. Bright looked to her, and chuckled a bit.

“Yeah, I promised the DJ that I’d fix her broken lights, since it happened at my welcome party and all.” He explained. “But I’m trying to think of a good liquid substitute to add in for the bulb to change its colour – I can’t go around pinching roses, and if I used too many flowers, it’d be too heavy to work.”

“Well, if you need liquid, I have an idea. We have a friend who lives in the sky – Her name’s Rainbow Dash; she might be able to help.” She replied in kind. The name sounded familiar to Bright; and it was because of Scootaloo. The poor thing adores her to pieces, trying her hardest to be just like her. He found it a bit funny, in a way, but kept that to himself. He looked back to Twilight.

“I suppose – The only problem I see is that she lives in the sky, and we don’t.”

“I have a spell to fix that – It’ll let you fly for a few hours, give or take.” She explained. Bright nodded, eager to set off.

“Let me pack a couple of things, and I’ll be right behind you.” He smiled.

“That’s fine – I’ll take Fluttershy back home in the meantime. Meet me by my house, okay?” She finished, escorting the shy pony out, who said a quick “Thank you” before leaving.

A few minutes later, Twilight led Bright to an open field, with a rather large cloud obscuring the view by a shadow, but kept it enough to keep the light around them bright enough to see each other clearly. Twilight’s horn began to glow a magnificent purple, giving Bright a pair of flimsy, yet usable wings. He fluttered them about slightly, and he noticed they felt quite a bit more natural than it should’ve been. However, after Twilight cast the same enchantment on herself, she took flight with him to the clouds above. As she’d explained, the house was formed out of clouds, yet solid enough to walk on. The pair made their way to the front door, to which Twilight knocked on gently. A few seconds later, a cyan Pegasus, with a radiantly rainbow mane opened the front door. “Hey Twilight!” She grinned, looking to Bright. “What’s up?”

“Hey Rainbow, this is Bright Spark – We need to ask you a quick favour.” She explained. Bright nodded to Rainbow, as a sign of a greeting. She grinned back, but before Twilight could talk, Rainbow cut in. “Cat got your tongue, Spark?” She questioned.

“Everything but.” He replied back. She raised an eyebrow, not exactly expecting him to talk, but laughed a bit.

“Anyway… We were wondering if we could use a bit of the Rainbow liquid out the front of your house – Bright needs them for a project.” Twilight explained.

“What, that’s it?” She replied, with a smirk on her face. “Go right ahead!” Twilight was taken a bit of guard, but nodded to Bright.

“Thanks, Rainbow.” Bright smiled, trotting off to the Rainbow waterfall, and pulling out a jar using magic. He scooped up the glistening liquid, and promptly sealed the jar. The two seemed to be talking about something, so Bright took the time to look at the liquid clearly. It looked like paint, had the consistency of water, and definitely looked like fun, if crafted into a light bulb. The two laughed, and Rainbow walked alongside Twilight Sparkle.

“If that’s all we need, we better get going.” She said, smiling to Rainbow Dash.

“I’m gonna fly around for a bit, so I’ll head back and lock up after you two go.” Rainbow replied. Bright however, shook his head.

“I’ll head back on hoof – It feels a bit weird to fly, y’know?” He explained. Twilight nodded her head, and left. Bright took the opportunity to jump down, and make a soft landing on the ground. He began walking off, but heard a voice. The voice itself made his blood instantly chill, as it brought back haunting memories, the very same he tried to escape when he left for Ponyville.

“Hey there, little bro.” The malevolent, feminine voice spoke. He turned around, and found a dark-grey Pegasus standing above him. Her mane was a mix of dark-purple and a light grey, making it seem malicious. Or at least, to him anyway.

“…Ivory Rose…” He merely spoke. The corner of her mouth lifted, and her look of false sincerity changed to a new look; one that he knew all too well.

She wanted a favour.

Ivory's Favor

Bright stood there, paralysed by the sight of his older sister. Past memories began to swirl through his head of all the things she’d put him through, but he shook it out of his mind. “What do you want?” He stang.

“What, I can’t visit my baby brother without getting the nasty treatment?” She trilled, as the sarcasm in her voice became as prominent as ever.

“Surprisingly, no.” He replied, turning to walk off. However, Ivory flew back in front of him.

“Well, while I have you here, we may as well have a little… Chat.” She smirked. Bright looked back up to face her, keeping his ground.

“I’m over this. I moved to Ponyville to get away from you, and you’re not going to deceive me again.” He said, trying his best not to raise his voice.

“And that worked like a dream.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. Bright felt his temper rising, but couldn’t risk keeping her around.

“You already know that my answer is no. Why’d you bother coming here?” He continued, feeling his voice rise.

“Because I know your answer will change to yes. Simple.” She smugly replied.

“Ivory, I’ve made a new life here! Go away!” He began shouting. Overhead, Rainbow Dash heard the commotion, and poked her head over, watching over them.

“You think so?” She shouted back. “Nothing’s changed with you! You’re trying to run away from the things you don’t like, all over again!” She continued. It began to sting Bright, because deep down, he knew she was right. At this point, Rainbow Dash dived down, landing in front of the Pegasus. Bright was surprised at her arrival, but at the same time, thankful for it.

“Now wait just a minute!” She brashly exclaimed. “Just because you knew him first, doesn’t mean you can bother him over it!” She continued. Ivory raised an eyebrow.

“And just because you’re close by, doesn’t mean you get to tell me what to do.” Ivory snarled back, which even made Rainbow stop for a second. “But whatever, it’s not really like I care or anything.” She sighed, heading off, giving Bright an evil look. “After all, I’m not the one who left over something as pitiful as a missing object.” She spoke quietly. Bright caught onto what she was referencing to, and gave her a furious gaze. However, as if accepting his defeat, his face softened enough to look at Rainbow.

“Thanks for the help Rainbow, but it’s alright…” He said, seeming down. He walked next to Ivory. “Come on.” He said, walking towards his house, with Ivory behind him. Rainbow stood there, completely flabbergasted.

“…And then he completely blew me off!” Rainbow finished explaining to Fluttershy. She didn’t seem too interested, but was concerned at the least.

“Maybe they’re friends…?” She offered, but Rainbow shook her head.

“I’m pretty sure friends don’t yell at each other like that.” She said, getting a blank stare from Fluttershy. “What?”

“Nothing… But I don’t think I’m the best pony to talk to about this…” She said quietly, after putting in the dim bulb that Bright had sold her earlier.

“So, why’d you get that?” Rainbow questioned. She knew she wasn’t going to get a straight answer out of Fluttershy anyway.

“I think the chickens get scared at night.” She explained, before nudging the button to be sure it worked. It lit up, but to a standard where it wouldn’t hurt their eyes. Fluttershy smiled, and then turned back to Rainbow Dash. “Maybe you should talk to Twilight about this…” She said, leading a couple of the chickens in to see how they felt about the light.

“I’ll give her a couple of days – They might’ve just gotten into a fight over nothing.” She said, pushing the mysterious unicorn out of mind.

“…And that’s about it.” Bright finished explaining to Ivory, grudgingly.

“Uh-huh, sure…” She replied, looking outside without the slightest bit of interest.

“Now look, just because I’ve let you in my house, doesn’t mean you’re here forever. I’ll give you a small portion of what I’m paid, and when you have enough, you leave.” He firmly finished, walking back into the back room. Ivory, still not paying attention, snuck outside. It was about time for her to have some fun, and because Bright thought he was in charge, it gave her an excuse to knock him down a couple of pegs. She examined the vague surroundings, keeping anywhere of ‘interest’ in her memory. Like Bright, she had a near photographic memory, letting her recollect anything that caught her fancy with almost near-accurate results. She found herself near a white pony with a deep, indigo mane. The pony looked at her curiously, before speaking. “Oh, hello there.” She said, seeming slightly interested at the new company.

“Uh… Hey there.” Ivory replied awkwardly.

“I don’t recall seeing anypony such as yourself around here, are you new?” She continued.

“Gee, I don’t know!” She retorted sarcastically. "Let's see, it's the first time you've met anypony such as myself, and you're asking such a stupid question?" She finished, walking off. The other pony huffed, and walked off, muttering small comments that Ivory chose to ignore. Finding nothing else of interest, she took off.

Meanwhile, Bright, knowing how incredibly peachy Ivory could get around other ponies, took off looking for her. On his way, he passed a familiar pony, and when their gazes locked, he knew what kind of battle he was in for. “I still say it looked better the way I had it earlier.” The pony known as Rarity said, with a raised eyebrow. Bright couldn’t help but offer a fake chuckle.

“You’re probably right, but I’ll ask the expert.” Bright grinned, picking up a rock with magic, and held it to his right ear. “Hello, expert?” He asked, with a terrible Rarity impersonation, before swinging the rock to his left ear, and switching back to his normal voice. “Oh, hello there, how can I help you?” He wanted to continue, but Rarity gave him a look familiar to that of one stating he was going to get his face bucked in if he continued. He put down the rock, and cleared his throat. “So, you seem a bit down.” He said, trying to make small talk.

“Ugh, a new pony in town just gave me the brush-off! I’ve never met a ruder mare in my life!” She began. Bright rolled his eyes slightly, knowing EXACTLY who she was talking about. Whilst she continued, Bright found himself imagining what kind of other havoc she could’ve been causing.

Ivory, in the meantime, spread her wings, and took flight through the town centre, and took off to the sky, spotting a familiar rainbow-maned cyan Pegasus. She allowed the corner of her mouth to rise in a familiar smirk, as she quickly changed course, in the process, forcing the other pony to make an emergency landing to avoid going through a house. Ivory giggled wildly at this, taking off, away from the dazed Pegasus. She looked up as Ivory flew off, and shook her head. “That’s it; I need to talk to Twilight…” Rainbow muttered, deciding against flying there, and taking the more scenic route. Walking past, she found Bright being lectured by Rarity. “Hey Sparks, what’re you doing out?” She asked, slightly suspicious, but couldn’t hide a small smile for the familiar Unicorn. He turned, as if half-thankful that it’d keep Rarity quiet for at least a second. Before he could get a word in, however, Rarity cut in.

“Oh, hello there Rainbow, darling!” She smiled. Rainbow walked past the two, but turned back around.

“So, what’re you bickering about now?” She asked.

“Ugh, about that new pony in town. She was rude to me earlier, and I needed to get it all off my chest.” Rarity explained.

“And I was the closest victim.” Bright smirked slightly. Rainbow giggled a bit, Rarity returning the compliment with a kind death stare.

“Have you seen her in the skies, Rainbow?” Rarity asked, through gritted teeth, which still couldn’t hide her smile.

“Depends; what’s she look like?” Rainbow replied.

“Well, she has a dark-greyish coat, and a mane that’s purple with a streak of grey, if memory serves me correctly.” She said, as if deep in thought about it. Rainbow clicked in a second, and looked to Bright.

“Oh yeah, her…” She pondered, giving Bright a small stare, as if telling him to tell Rarity that the very same pony was living with him. However, either he wasn’t looking, or he deliberately ignored her.

“No idea.” He merely responded. “Anyway, I’ve enjoyed the chat, but I need to find that DJ from a couple of nights ago – I needed to talk to her about her order.” He lied, trotting off as casually as he could manage. Ivory had already begun her string of chaos, and Bright needed to find her as quickly as he could.

Twilight Sparkle, engaged in her day-to-day chores, began resorting all of the books in her personal library. Spike, one of her closest friends, walked around the library as well, sorting out all of the miscellaneous odds and ends that were lying around. The purple and green Dragon had been hatched by Twilight’s sudden burst of magic during her entrance exam at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. He’d stuck with her through thick and thin, and was more like a little brother to her than an assistant. Just as Twilight finished organizing her books, she heard a knock at the door. She opened it up with magic, smiling at Rarity and Rainbow Dash as they made their way in. “Hey girls!” She said, checking over her house slightly, as the two made their way in. “Pretty rare to see you two together – What’s the occasion?”

“It’s that new pony in town.” Rainbow replied bluntly, receiving a confused stare from Twilight.

“You mean Bright?”

“No, no, there’s another new pony.” Rainbow continued, relaying the stories from earlier. Twilight attentively listened, before relaying a look of dormant shock.

“She doesn’t sound like the kind of pony who’d have bought a home here; maybe she’s just a prankster from someplace else, like Gilda?” Twilight reasoned. However, Rainbow shook her head.

“That’s the messed up part! She’s LIVING with Bright!” Rarity burst, getting a stunned stare from Twilight.

“What? That can’t be right…” Twilight replied, thinking back to when she first met Bright. Rainbow continued rambling on how the new pony, Ivory, had messed up her best training routine yet, with Rarity’s slightly divided attention.

The next couple of days had been a personally reserved spot of hell for Bright, as he continued trying to craft the special bulbs for Vinyl. However, with Ivory keeping him up at night, he’d begun to start falling asleep at nearly any given opportunity, and it had even started reflecting on his latest work. The little things such as the wrong brightness, wrong colour, even going as far as forgetting to build the button that turns them on. He’d taken a day off to try and rest, but Ivory had still managed to keep him up through that. To take his mind off it, he headed down to Sugarcube corner yet again, to try and find something sweet enough to keep him up for a day, like a Red Minotaur or a H energy drink. On his way down, he ran into a familiar lavender pony, who, just by looking at him, could instantly tell how little sleep he had. “Bright, you look awful…” Twilight commented. Bright hid a small, yet obviously fake chuckle.

“Thanks, I feel the same, too.” He weakly replied, continuing his walk. Twilight, not satisfied with her answer, walked alongside him.

“So, what do you think of that new pony in town?” She asked, trying to get as much information out of him as possible. However, with a half-dead look on his face, he only managed to weakly smile back, seeming oblivious.

“I dunno.” He said, trying his best not to fall asleep.

“Well, you should. Last I heard, she was living with you.” Twilight continued, getting Bright’s full attention in the progress. “Furthermore, although she’s been causing chaos, she’s been doing it smartly, as hard as it is to believe. She’s been waiting for times in whether she won’t get caught, and even other times in broad daylight when there’s more than one reason why the accident could occur.” Bright began to look at her, and the sleep deprivation began to show even more as Twilight continued to stack her evidence onto Bright. “Lastly, her mane is almost similar to yours, in a way. Whilst hers is dark-grey with a purple stripe, yours is dark-grey with a black streak. Bright…” She said, making sure she had his full attention. “Who is this pony?” She finally managed to ask. Bright let his head drop a bit, before sighing.

“Alright Twilight, I’ll explain, but on one condition.” He said, making sure she heard.

“What is it?”

“You can’t tell ANY other ponies what I’m going to tell you, only because I’ve lost enough business. I can’t move again.” He explained. Although Twilight wasn’t happy about it, she grudgingly accepted, leading Bright back to her place so that they could talk in private.

Trusting Twilight; Bright's Confession!

Bright walked into the brightly lit interior of the hollowed-out tree that created Twilight Sparkle’s home and library. A small dragon named Spike had welcomed him in, and after speaking to Twilight briefly, resumed cleaning the shelves. The two headed into the basement, since it was most likely the only place that would keep out any eavesdroppers. Although Bright would’ve most likely begun playfully pestering Twilight about the lights, he was too tired and bothered to try. Instead, he found the closest step, and sat down, enticing Twilight to stop with him. “Alright, we won’t be heard here. Now what’s going on with this new pony?” She asked. Bright took a deep breath, and began his explanation.

“Well, to put it simply, her name’s Ivory Rose, and, unfortunately, she’s my sister.” He began, already getting a look of exasperation out of Twilight Sparkle. “And although she does cause me and, right now, the town nothing but trouble, I can’t say no to nearly anything she asks of me. For reasons I’d rather not explain, she essentially has an iron hold over me, so to speak.” He continued. He could see Twilight was going to protest, but he only held a hoof, binding her attention. “Again, I’d rather not explain. She’s only going to be here until I earn enough to send her off, and that’ll be the end of her. It’s only about twenty more sales, and with that little surprise that the DJ from four days ago inspired me to make, I’m hoping it’ll be soon.” He finished, taking another quick breath, and then rubbing his eyes.

“But… Why can’t you just say No?” Twilight asked, which irked Bright slightly.

“As I said, I’d rather not get into detail about that, it’s very personal.” He replied, before shaking his head a bit. Twilight could see she wasn’t going to get anywhere soon, and merely sighed.

“Well, I’ll respect your wishes about not telling anypony, but you need to hurry and get her out of here; she’ll do something soon that’ll make the entire town turn on her, I can feel it.” She finished, looking off. Bright smiled slightly, feeling more tired than ever.

“If that’s all, I’d like to head off to Sugarcube corner… It’s going to be a long day.” He said, standing up. Twilight nodded, and escorted him out without another word out of the two.

Twilight’s worries, from there on out, began to grow, as the toll that Bright had begun to endure steadily began to show on the outside. His friendly exterior was beginning to steadily chip away, leaving him inside most of the day, as well as the fact that whenever he was outside, he’d almost completely forget why he was out, and return back to the store. However, he had been talking with Vinyl Scratch, and it seemed that whatever he was making for her was getting closer and closer to completion. In those few moments, Twilight noticed that Bright looked closer to happiness since Ivory moved in, and, in a small way, felt happy about it herself. However, Ivory, on the other hoof, wasn’t making such a friendly impact during her “Brief” stay. She had, without her usual effort, broke down Fluttershy in a matter that nobody dared repeat. It took the poor thing two days before she could return back to Ponyville, and even then, she checked around to be sure that Ivory wasn’t keeping tabs on her. Needless to say, nopony was impressed, and had even begun looking around for her (Some more so than others), which was putting even more pressure on Bright. Keeping an eye on the dimly lit street, she found Bright walking with another pony, hidden under a musky, brown coat. Using her vast understanding of the arcane, Twilight focused her energy, creating a dim shade a meter or so from where the other two were walking, which began to pick up their voices. They were hushed, but she caught everything they were talking about.

“So, tomorrow’s the big day.” Ivory whispered in a razor tone. Twilight didn’t hear a reply from Bright, so she assumed he nodded. “For the both of us, I mean. You get your thousand colour bulb on display, and I leave.”

“But it’s not that simple, is it…” Bright hissed, obviously annoyed at her, getting a small chuckle out of Ivory.

“It will be.” She said, implying the conversation was at an end. However, Twilight found herself confused. Ivory’s final tone, at least, in her opinion, was sweeter than Applejack’s wicked toffee apples, but in a way that caused suspicion in Twilight. It made it sound in a way that Ivory had something in store for the hopefully suspecting Bright.

Bright spent the rest of the night, and part of the day, trying to catch up on his sleep. However, the enthusiastically disastrous Ivory Rose never let up, and without his supervision, there’d be another shelf of the display missing. He got back most of them, but Ivory had hidden the rest around the house, and he eventually just stopped bothering to try and find them. Ivory had decided she wanted to go out for the day, making sure nopony else was around before leaving, so Bright took the time to catch up on some well-deserved slumber. His normally hopeful dreams replaced by an endless nightmare of his past, he unwillingly dived into the one he feared the most…

Five years ago, Manehatten.

Bright searched through the house, high and low. The night before, his older sister had told him that he’d thrown his grandmother’s vase around the house in his sleep, and it was now in small pieces. He looked to the night stand, where the ancient vase once stood, ornamented with blue flowers, and coloured white, and shuddered at the thought of it breaking. It made him feel worse, because his grandmother was possibly his only friend at the time, and if she’d found out he’d broken it; he’d lose her, too. Continuing his search, he began to fall deeper and deeper into despair, knowing she’d be home soon. Before the nightmare could hit its terrifying conclusion, he heard a sound that was familiar to a hoof banging on the door. He quickly awoke out of the nightmare, and stumbled down to the door. He lazily used magic to open it as he got behind the counter, only to find a smiling DJ at the door. “Mornin’, Vinyl.” He smiled, trying his best not to act like he’d been plagued by nightmares. She giggled at the comment slightly, and looking at the clock on the wall, he’d figured out why, too. It was nearly 3 in the afternoon.

“Close enough.” She smiled, before walking to the counter. “So, I’ll be leaving tomorrow, and I need to know if that bulb’s finished.” She explained, suddenly serious.

“It’s all done, but I realised soon after that I could make a bunch more. So, if it’s alright with you, I want to test it in public first, and see if it’d be worth selling in the future.” He explained. “I don’t want to build a second if it won’t make me any bits, you see?” Vinyl bit her bottom lip for a second, but eventually nodded.

“I suppose, it shouldn’t take too long, and I can head out first thing in the morning.” She reasoned. Bright nodded, smiling back to her, and walking out back.

“That doesn’t mean you won’t get to see it, though…” He called, picking up the bulb carefully via magic, and lifting it through the door.

The bulb was carefully weaved around itself, looking similar to a tornado, but with a different colour carefully embedded at nearly every twisting point, making it look more three dimensional. He then lifted it up a bit. “The ones that I built for your system have a rotating plug, which means that it’ll spin according to how long you hold down the second button.” He explained, pressing the first button. The entire room lit in a variety of bright, vibrant colours, which shimmered as Bright talked. “It picks up sound from whoever’s holding down the button, but only if it’s by magic.” He explained, before putting down the second one. “And I’ll just say something here…” He said, the bulb picking up his sound, and changing colour according to volume and the tone of his voice. “It’ll adjust to whatever beat you’re using.” He finished with a smile, but it couldn’t beat the one on Vinyl’s face. She stared at it, and looked back to him.

“It’s fantastic… Better than what I expected by a long shot. But it’ll cost me the world, won’t it?” She asked. Bright laughed a bit.

“If I didn’t tell you already, I owed you one. I’ll show it off tonight, and then hand it over to you, free of charge.” To which Vinyl giggled a bit.

“You’re too nice for your own good, you know that?” She asked. Bright pondered the words deeply, as the words left an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. The only reason he felt compelled to be nice was because he never really had any friends like the one that he found at Ponyville, now that Ivory was back, she was ruining it all for him, and if they found out…

“…Bright?” A sudden voice rang out. He snapped out of his daydream, and looked back to Vinyl, still laughing a bit. “You completely zoned out for a second there.” She smiled, before turning back around. “Anyway, I’ll see you at the event tonight, alright?” The white mare finished, walking out the door. Bright stood there, and eventually put his head on the table, thinking carefully over how he could Ivory-proof the gathering.

Dusk slowly descended on the lazy town of Ponyville, the street lights fading in slowly as Bright made his way to the front of Twilight’s house, who’d agreed to hold the event for him, since it was rather low-key. He’d invited anypony he could think of who had helped him make business since he arrived, including Applejack, Apple Bloom, Cheerilee, and even Rainbow Dash, as well as quite a few others. He eventually made it to the looming tree, barely changing in appearance, even under the sinking sun. He stood out for a couple of seconds, before knocking on the door. After a bit of paced movement, he heard the front door open, revealing to be Spike. “Oh, well hey there, Bright!” He said, smiling a bit. Bright returned the smile as best he could, trying to hide how exhausted he really was. “Twilight set up a small display stand you could use, she left it inside somewhere. I’d check where, but Twilight asked me to clean the shelves while she was gone. You’re free to take a look for them, though.” The purple and green dragon explained.

“Cheers Spike.” He nodded, before walking inside. He looked around the main area, but had no luck. He went down into the basement area, and found a small, wooden end table, which had a note with ‘Bright’ written on it. He lifted the small table using magic, and after a quick “Thank you” to Spike, he walked out the door, and set it up a few paces from the rather large abode. He got the Rainbulb out of his backpack, and put it carefully on the table, making sure that it could be publically seen, but moved it so that it wouldn’t disturb any immediately adjacent houses. He then set the button up near the front, hoping to play it like the display at Ponyville Elementary, where he got volunteers to press the button, disclaiming that it was his own magic lighting the bulb. He then waited patiently as his guests arrived.

Slowly but surely, everypony who’d helped him make his rise in Ponyville slowly began showing up. Applejack arrived with her younger sister, Apple Bloom. Rainbow Dash turned up with Scootaloo, Rarity with Sweetie Belle, Twilight Sparkle with Spike, and Cheerilee all turned up, Vinyl popping into view shortly after. When they all arrived, Bright cleared his throat, and began. “Alright, so as everypony knows, I’ve been working on a little project since my welcome party.” He began, moving over to the Rainbulb. “I felt bad, because I noticed that one of the lights on Vinyl’s turntable broke during the party, so I made this.” He said, ushering it off. “I couldn’t have made it without Twilight and Rainbow’s help, so I thank them from the bottom of my heart for doing so.” He said, smiling towards the two. They both smiled in return, to which Bright continued his explanation.

“So, without further delay, I give to you this; The Rainbulb.” He finished, as the other ponies gathered around it. Twilight then looked to Bright, asking the obvious question. “Does it work?” She asked, to which Bright nodded. “But of course. Give it a shot!” He smiled back. Twilight pressed the button, and it began to glow in a radiance of colours, but then, as if out of nowhere, the bulb smashed into pieces, each colour reflected as they fell to the ground in what seemed like slow-motion (Or at least to Bright anyway.). As the pieces of the bulb scattered to ground, the ponies moved away from the shards, carefully avoiding injuries. Bright seemed utterly gobsmacked, looked at the fragmented pieces, and picking them up using magic. He felt like he was going to cry, so he tried his best not to stay anything, his concentration wavering, showing in the pieces. The other ponies began mumbling to themselves, until something hit Rainbow Dash in the side of the head, making her spin around to look. A rock flew out of the bushes she looked at, and hit Bright dead-on between the eyes. He snapped out of his stupor, and looked over as well.

Ivory was standing there, and as if to give it away, with a small rock in her hand. Her mouth raised into the annoying smirk that Bright was all too familiar with, which meant, in Bright’s reasoning…

It was her.

The other Ponies began to close in on Ivory, with a look of a forming mob in their general stance. As they surrounded the Pegasus, Bright felt his heart skip. Ivory knew how much time he’d put into the Rainbulb, and furthermore, she knew what this night meant to him. She knew what would happen if she were stuck in this situation too. Bright felt the pressure overwhelm him, and in a brief burst of magic, he pushed himself to the front, aimed at the crowd. “STOP!” He yelled, refusing to look up. However, he could tell by the general mumble that everypony there (Except for Ivory) was completely confused. Bright bit his bottom lip, knowing he’d have to come up with possible his worst lie to the community yet. He took in a small breath, and began. “Look, I know that Ivory has been causing a lot of trouble here, but it’s really not her fault… I know that I shouldn’t be standing here, but, compelled as someone close to her, I can’t let this happen.” He began. He even knew he was lying; she was just causing chaos for the fun of it. But he couldn’t bear to see her hurt, finding that worse than compared to what she could’ve done to him in return. “I’m sorry for wasting all of your time…” He mumbled, turning with Ivory. The Ponies behind her moved away and let them through, however, another voice rang out from behind him. “Now wait just a minute!” The familiar, yet brash voice of Rainbow Dash rang out. “We should be knocking her block off! Why do YOU care so much about what happens to her?” She exclaimed. Bright didn’t want to answer, but Ivory spoke up. “Go on… Say it.” She hissed at him. Bright winced, and didn’t want to, but turning back to the rest of the group he could’ve called friends but a moment ago on bloodshot eyes, he finally said it.

“She’s my sister.” He finished, feeling his knees go weak. However, he trudged back to his house, with Ivory in tow, leaving the others to stand there. His words seemed to have changed the wind in a heartbeat, as the group slowly began to talk amongst themselves, doing the exact thing that, at least Bright, expected as a result of Ivory’s meddling. They’d begun back chatting, and saying things that would’ve hurt Bright’s ears if he were there. All except for just a small cluster, who had gone out of the other’s way to discuss further. Vinyl, Twilight and the two Apples began discussing among themselves; What had Ivory done that was horrible enough to make Bright abandon his friends like this?

Right Place, Worst Time

Bright laid on his bed. At least there, he was as close to alone as he could get. Ivory, without fail, had managed to do it yet again. And now, it’ll happen just like before. His friends will slowly forget about him, chaos will continue, and the conclusion will result in him having to leave. Again. However, a thought still remained at the back of his head. Call it is vanity, his selfish pride, or maybe his sense of honour, he still couldn’t forgive himself for not giving the first-ever Rainbulb to his customer, No - his friend, without even giving her a decent explanation. Although he wanted to leave to explain the situation to her, he knew what await him if he tried to go through the town. Gossip passed through the small town like wildfire, apparent by how well his customers had been arriving. In a matter of days, everypony would soon find out who lived with Bright, and whose fault it was that somepony like that could’ve been let into the town, almost with open arms. The thoughts made Bright dizzy, and he tried to bury them down, like he always did. But there was something stopping him. There was a part of him that simply didn’t WANT to forget about Ponyville, to return to the days of carefree laughter and innocence it once retained for him. He got up out of bed, and checked the weather outside. He must’ve been down a while – It was already morning.

Ivory had left the house a while back, so Bright knew the store wouldn’t be in any immediate danger if he left. He grabbed the key out of his backpack, and put an old, yet new sign on the door as he locked it up. ‘Out to collect ingredients, be back in a while!’ Bright then sighed, making his way to the beat-off track outside of Ponyville. He figured he wouldn’t be spending his brief time outside eating lunch with his friends anymore, so he didn’t really mind the cheap change in signs, seeing as it used to be his lunch sign. However, one thing he overlooked as he left; his sister. She had been in the clouds above, watching over the home and shop. After he left, the left side of her mouth rose in an all-too-familiar fashion.

Twilight, in the meantime, had invited Applejack and Vinyl Scratch over for the night. Not for a slumber party, but more as a meeting. They figured it’d be easier to remember in the morning after a good night’s sleep, which definitely helped when they awoke. Being the first one up, Twilight walked downstairs to the small kitchenette area she’d briefly set up, to accommodate more than a pony and a dragon. She put the pot on for a hit of coffee, and found some bread that was still good, preparing breakfast for her two guests. As she did, memories of the previous night began to come back in kind. She knew she’d told Bright to tell everyone else, but why did he pick then? Was there some kind of hidden message by his statement that she didn’t understand? Whilst the questions continued to spiral, Vinyl and Applejack lazily made their way into the kitchen as well. “Mornin’, Twi.” Applejack yawned. Twilight snapped out of her stupor, and looked over to Applejack. “Morning.” She smiled, trying not to show her plagued state. She then looked over to Vinyl, and noticed it was the first time she’d seen her with her glasses off. Her eyes were a deep shade of crimson, which, to Twilight at least, seemed rather unique. Why would she hide them behind purple shades? However, those weren’t the questions she wanted to ask on this particular morning. She slowly pushed them away, and used magic to lift over breakfast. “Dig in girls; we have a bit of an afternoon ahead of us.” She said, seating herself as well. As they all began to eat, it seemed everyone was dodging the question. Then again, it was still a bit early in the morning for that kind of talk just yet. However, Vinyl was the one who managed to break the ice on the topic. “So, what was up with Sparks yesterday?” She asked. Applejack seemed to have been thinking about it as well, but shared the only inevitable conclusion she could come up with.

“I’d have more luck tryna find a cow with rainbow spots.” She merely said. Twilight nodded.

“I think I’ll borrow her answer.” Twilight replied, taking a quick drink out of her cup. “It’s like that Ivory pony is completely changing him into something he’s not, and it’s hurting him deeper than I originally thought. I just assumed that she was keeping him up, but it’s like she has an iron hoof over him…” She offered. The other ponies steadily mulled it over for a bit, before Twilight sighed out loud. “We won’t get anywhere just sitting here. Finish up quickly; I think we better pay Bright a visit.” She finally said, taking over her own plate and cup.

Bright searched around the outskirts of the Everfree forest, trying to find an active Rainbow. Although he still had plenty left, he wanted to have more. Better to be safe than sorry, his reasoning kept reminding him. As he looked around the surrounding area, he found a rainbow nearby, which caused him to promptly gallop after it. However, after twenty minutes of strenuous running, it faded away, leaving none of its exclusive nectar behind. He stomped into the ground in frustration, before trying to get his bearings. Finding his way back wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but trying to remember if this area was hostile or not was an entirely different story. He closely observed the detail of this new area, taking it in as much as he could. He seemed to be near a mountain, poisoned only ever-so-slightly by dragon smoke, which had nearly faded away over time, meaning it had long-since left. There was a singly path that lead, after half an hour, straight back through the heart of Ponyville. Bright shook away that concept, wanting to make it back to his house with as little ridicule as possible. Looking back over to his right, he found the clearing he had gone out from, which kept Everfree forest looking as ominous as ever. Adjusting his focus a bit, he noticed a small haze coming from somewhere roughly five minutes from where he was. It was too small for a forest fire, so his next best guess was some kind of housing with a narrow chimney. And finally, to his right, there seemed to be some kind of enormous apple farm. Bright thought back a bit, and remember Apple Bloom mentioning that herself and her sister both lived there with their granny and older brother. Figuring Applejack would be there, he once again decided heading over there wouldn’t be the best choice. He turned back towards Everfree forest, figuring that he’d see the brightness of a rainbow much more clearly through the darkened wood.

Bright managed to go through another two hours of walking around the forest before finally giving up for the day. He’d probably lost about twenty bits worth of business, and Celestia knows what else she would’ve done unsupervised. Making his way back home, he passed the small hut that had been the cause of the small haze he’d found earlier, but decided against going in. Continuing on his beat-off path, Bright felt sick to his stomach, having his somewhat perfect world turned upside down yet again. He kept his back to a tree for a bit, before deciding to sit down and try to gather his thoughts around his next move.

“Twi, we’ve been waiting for a coupl’a hours now, I don’t think he’ll show for a couple more.” Applejack chimed. Twilight looked around, and made sure that Bright wasn’t inside. The roughly made sign was already proof enough, but her natural thirst for curiosity kept her rooted to the spot. However, Applejack had a point. There was no point starving themselves for answers. Twilight looked to Vinyl, who had been just as patient, but without a single word. “Alright, we’ll head back for lunch, and try talking to him in an hour or so. Sound good?” She asked the small group. They all nodded in agreement, and left, returning to Twilight’s home.

Bright finally managed to get back up, and continue along the track. It took him ten minutes or so, but he finally made it out to the familiar place that, a few days earlier, would’ve happily called his home. Stopping outside the front, he looked around. Something didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t put his hoof on it. He looked to the ground, and found about twelve hoofprints in the ground. Ponies had been waiting for him out here. ‘Most likely to throw me out, too…’ Bright’s venomous thought rang. He shook it from his head, and opened the door to his home. However, something was now DEFINITELY wrong.

Vinyl sat quietly as the girls nattered through lunch, and even during their small break. However, even though the hour wasn’t up, she finally walked towards the door. “I’m gonna head there early – He might even turn up then, and if one of us miss him, we might not end up finding out what was up with yesterday.” She explained. Applejack and Twilight nodded.

“We’ll come along soon – I want to call over some friends of mine to see if they’ll at least try to help.” Twilight explained.

“And I hafta hogtie Rarity.” Applejack grinned cheekily. Twilight giggled slightly, and Vinyl followed suit. However, she still stood outside, making her way back to Bright’s place. It didn’t take her too long to reach the shop and home, and found the door was wide open. “Hello…?” She quietly called from around the corner. There was no answer, so Vinyl began to assume the worst. However, she turned the corner, and looked inside.

It didn’t look like it had been robbed. It looked like a cyclone or two had gone through. The entire house seemed completely turned on its ear, as if whoever had broken in were only looking for one specific thing. Most of the displays were smashed, or scattered over the floor. Carefully avoiding the broken glass, she heard two noises with her somewhat sensitive ears; the sound of the lock on a larger backpack, and the pitter-patter of water landing on the floor. They both seemed to be coming from upstairs, so she quickly raced up to see what was there.

Bright tried his hardest to stop himself from sobbing where he stood. He had only just finished packing the remainder of what he had left into a larger backpack, the very same he’d used to bring his things to Ponyville in the first place. He heard a noise from behind him, and immediately lighting up his horn, he turned around to face who was there.

Vinyl had never seen Bright, no, not even anypony as angry, or sad, as he were at the moment. He looked like he was either going to start screaming at her, or completely shut down and begin sobbing. However, either way, it terrified her. She took a step back from Bright, who made no sudden moves in response. He calmed down slightly, the dark green aura fading from his horn, and he sat down. “I’m sorry…” He choked. Vinyl didn’t really know what to say, so she kept silent. The aura reappeared, picking up the heavier portion of Bright’s bags for him.

“What’re you doing?” She finally managed. Bright looked up to her on severely bloodshot eyes, and only offered a fake smile.

“I’m packing my stuff and heading off. It’s for the best, really…” He said, his voice cracking a bit towards the end. Vinyl wanted to question it, but Bright’s manageable backpack began to glow. The top opened, and an object floated near her. As she figured out what it was, her eyes began to well up as well. “I promised I’d get it done for you by the end of this week.” He merely said. “Take it.” Vinyl’s blue aura covered the object, overtaking Bright’s own. He nodded again, before downstairs, with the bag in tow. After Bright left, Vinyl sat down, and stared at the brand-new rainbulb, as if trying to convince herself that this was all nothing but a hoax. However, without Bright popping around the corner to tell her that he was only trying to get out of dodge for a bit, she slowly made her way downstairs, carrying the rainbulb carefully with her own aura. She felt something stick to her hoof as she did, though. Quickly shaking it off, she looked down to be sure it wasn’t a piece of glass or something. However, she noticed that it was a hastily scribbled note. Looking over it, her heart suddenly sank.

Cleaned you out, little bro!

I figured it was too boring being around this dull town, so I made off with your bit box and smashed all your stuff. Now I can get my own place, not to say the same about you. Isn’t rent due tomorrow?

See you never, twerp.

Ivory.

Vinyl couldn’t tell if she were about to be sick, if her anger had hit boiling point, or if she was going to explode in tears. She picked up the note, and keeping both the note and the rainbulb as close as she could, she galloped out the door. She needed to find Twilight.

The Seeking Shaman

It was as if time were moving even slower than usual to Bright. The stamina he needed to carry the bags was now completely gone, after with all the running he’d done beforehand combined with his lack of sleep had left him almost completely out of energy to continue. He sat down momentarily, staring at the once-again familiar surroundings of the Everfree Forest. The haze from the strange home once again rose into the air. He’d never met the pony there, and he figured that they could, at the very least, be the last. Looked around, trying to find somewhere appropriate to hide his bags, to at least make the visit look slightly formal, despite how down he really felt. Approaching the door, he felt the heavy musk of familiar flowers around the forest, as well as some other strange ingredients that he couldn’t recognise. However, he knocked on the door, and awaited an answer, trying his best to wipe out his eyes enough to look somewhat civilized.

Vinyl Scratch, in the meantime, had gone back to Twilight’s house. She’d left her stuff there, since today was supposed to be the day she left, and she only wanted to drop by Bright’s house early to see if the rainbulb was done. In retrospect, it seemed rather selfish. However, pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she began to wander around impatiently, waiting for Twilight to arrive back with her pony companions. Doing her best to stay quiet, as Spike went down for a nap earlier, trying to keep the library clean whilst the girls giggled through the night. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea they could’ve had, but it was still a fun night nonetheless. She quietly made her way back downstairs, and went out the front, still holding the note in her shining blue aura. Just as she did, she saw Twilight Sparkly, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all approach from Rarity’s house, probably meaning she was the hardest to convince. ‘No surprise there.’ Vinyl thought to herself, intending it to lift her spirits. It didn’t do too much, but she felt a little happier. However, breaking out of her small stupor, she ran over to them. “Girls!” She shouted, trying to get their attention. It definitely worked; they all turned to stare at her as if they’d seen a ghost.

“Vinyl Scratch?” Twilight spoke up. “What happened?”

“It’s Bright!” She replied immediately, moving the note by magic to Twilight. She read over the letter a few times, before taking it with her own, as if trying to be sure it was real. She turned back to the others, and then looked back to Vinyl. “What happened to Bright after he got this?” She asked. Vinyl kicked the ground softly, before looking back to Twilight.

“He left.” She merely replied. Immediately, everypony looked to each other and began chattering. Although Vinyl wanted to throw in the rainbulb story, and what Bright had told her before he left, she didn’t know how to put it. However, she soon found that everypony made up their mind on one action. “Alright, we’ll go check out Bright’s home, and see what we can find.” Twilight announced.

“Ooh! Ooh! I got an idea!” Pinkie suddenly jumped. Twilight looked over to her, waiting on her brilliant idea. “We could go ask Zecora! She’s got that magic stick thingy that she used to find Fluttershy that one time, remember?” She bounced. Twilight thought about for as second, but then shook her head.

“That’s true, but Zecora needs to know what the Pony looks like before she can find them. It wouldn’t work for Bright, unless he has a picture of himself in his house with family or something.” Twilight mused, before looking to Bright’s house. “Come on, we’re losing time!” She said, galloping off with her friends and Vinyl in tow.

The door to the hut slowly opened, revealing, to Bright’s surprise, a rather shaman-like Zebra smiling at him. “Greetings, young crafter of contained light; what may I offer you this early before Luna’s night?” She cryptically began. Bright shook his head slightly, trying to piece together her sentence before replying.

“Well, I’ve only just noticed that I’ve never visited you before, even though I’ve come through every now and then.” He bluffed. However, she cocked her head, and looked at him oddly.

“That idea does not seem most wise; you are allergic to something here, just look at your eyes!” She replied in yet the same, confident tone. Bright resisted the urge to ask her to talk normally, and only offered a false chuckle.

“I suppose so… But it’s still much too scenic to pass up.” He continued. The Zebra moved aside, and ushered him inside. He decided there wouldn’t be any harm in a quick visit, especially considering he needed somepony to talk to. Although she didn’t really fit the quota for being a pony, she was still great company, though a little cryptic.

At Bright’s home, the other ponies were searching around for anything that might’ve seemed amiss. Twilight had already confirmed that the bit box was empty, and Rarity found the rent letter, much to Rainbow Dash’s astonishment. “Wait, I thought you two didn’t get along! What’s the deal?” She asked of the pure white fashionista.

“Oh Rainbow Dash, we were only toying around with each other. He’s really quite great company, even if it didn’t look it.” She explained with a small smile. Whilst they talked, Fluttershy went back outside to talk to the animals with her bunny, Angel. Angel seemed rather irritated about it, but went along to talk with the other woodland creatures. After a prompt chat with a squirrel, Angel returned to Fluttershy, and had visually explained what the squirrel saw. It had, apparently, seen somepony leave, but had no idea where it was headed. However, with that clue in mind, she went back to the others.

Bright, on the other hoof, had left Zecora’s hut feeling a little better than he did before arriving. Although it took a little decoding, he got the gist of most of the things the cryptic zebra had to offer him. He had found out her name, and promised to return to her in a week’s time. Although he had a gut-wrenching feeling about lying to her, he didn’t want to involve her in his own hectic life. The last thing he needed, unbelievably, was advice on how to run his life. He bit his bottom lip slightly and after a bit of thinking, he picked up his bags, and resumed his journey. However, he was unaware of Zecora’s prying eyes watch him as he left.

Twilight had been looking through the house with Vinyl, even after hearing of Fluttershy’s recent news. Rainbow Dash had gone ahead to search from the skies, leaving the rest behind. Keeping Pinkie’s advice to go to Zecora in mind, Twilight was searching around for a photo of Bright. However, Applejack beat her to the punch. “Down here!” She called out, her voice leading Twilight to the back room where Bright used to craft his light bulbs. On the floor was a broken frame, containing an image of Bright Spark with two others. There seemed to be a fourth, but it was torn out. Looking to the other two ponies in the picture, Twilight assumed that they must’ve been his parents, and it was most likely taken before he left. Bright Spark himself seemed to look rather irritated, looking off slightly to where the tear was, which lead to the general assumption that Ivory was most likely there uninvited. With this picture, the group headed to Zecora’s hut.

Rainbow Dash, still diligently searching for Bright, found herself stumped after ten minutes of nothing. She began to push her wings to a faster beat, finding that a quick fly-around would do wonders to the slow-building stress that had welled within her. After finding nothing else of interest, she began to head back, meeting with the others just before Zecora’s hut. “Nothing.” She quickly reported, landing just behind Twilight.

“That’s alright; we figured that we might be able to find him with Zecora’s searching stick.” Twilight replied. However, the cyan Pegasus cocked her head in reply. “The stick she used to find Fluttershy when she returned a beaver to his dam and forgot how to get back?” Twilight further elaborated. Rainbow seemed to click, but turned her head away.

“I knew that! I was just testing you!” She stubbornly replied, keeping a single eye open so she didn’t walk into a tree. The others giggled a bit, arriving outside of Zecora’s hut. Twilight gave a quick knock, which was promptly answered by the shaman zebra.

“Hello Zecora!” Twilight smiled. Zecora returned the smile in kind.

“Greetings, everypony standing before me; you seem to have a problem, I see!” Zecora replied, keeping up with her rhyming speech pattern. Twilight levitated the picture carefully, and offered it to Zecora.

“We need to find this pony; He’s had a really bad day, and he ended up being driven out of town by a rather unpleasant pony. Can you help us?” She asked. Zecora looked at the image for a second and frowned.

“That young pony I met just before; it seemed only his eyes were sore…” She began, mumbling further rhymes as she went inside. Twilight turned back, and looked to the rest of the group, though to Pinkie in particular.

“He was here?” She stuttered. Pinkie nodded furiously in reply.

“Well duh! It was the only way out of his house without being seen! I figured he went to Zecora’s first, but you said it’d be a better idea to check out his house first!” She quickly replied. Twilight sighed slightly. Trust her to forget about Pinkie’s impeccable logic.

“We must move rather fast; he left only a half hour past.” Zecora said urgently, carrying the searching stick in her mouth. The stick itself seemed to pull her in the direction that Bright had previously travelled down, to which the others now followed.

They’d been on the trail for about twenty minutes, Vinyl noted. They weren’t any closer to finding Bright, though they’d been on the right track since they’d visited Zecora. It felt as though they were chasing smoke, which remained forever illusive, gliding through every slight opening it could find with the wind on its side. She sighed, noticing that she was beginning to fall behind. She quickly went to catch up, before hearing a rustle to her side. Applejack must’ve picked up on it too, stopping dead in her tracks, and looking off to where she’d heard the noise. However, with the searching stick pointing off in a different direction, the group continued to follow Zecora. After no further contact, the other two quickly dashed to catch up. “Shouldn’t we look?” Vinyl asked of Applejack. However, she merely shook her head.

“Wouldn’t do us no good anyhow, sugar cube.” She replied. “Besides, might just be some harmless critter skittering around. I don’t reckon he’d like it much if we pounced on him.” She finished, as the two caught up with the rest of the group. They travelled along in silence for yet another ten minutes, before a silhouette appeared before them, just as dusk began to roll in. They all looked ahead, and with Zecora’s searching stick pointing towards it, the group all shared happy chatter as they approached. “Bright!” Twilight and Vinyl called out. The silhouette turned towards them, and remained still. The group approached the figure, but noticed something was wrong. The pony before them definitely wasn’t Bright. The now clearly revealed Pegasus allowed the left side of her mouth to rise in a smug smirk.

“Ivory Rose!” Twilight’s alarmed voice rang out. The deep purple Pegasus looked down to the other ponies, and donning her sinister smile, she flicked her head back slightly, as if showing herself off.

“I know, I know. I’d be amazed too.” She replied, looking back down to the others. Rarity scoffed at the comment, which earned her a death stare that could’ve given Fluttershy a run for her money. “I’m sorry, I didn’t QUITE catch that.” She snarled slightly. Rainbow Dash went to open her mouth; however, Vinyl’s voice came next.

“Where’s Bright?” She immediately asked. Ivory offered a scoff, turning her head away slightly.

“Hmm… Don’t know, don’t care.” The Pegasus immediately replied, feigning interest with a dead serious face. However, Rainbow, sick of being interrupted, put her two bits in.

“Forget that; where’d you hide Bright’s money?! We know you stole it!” She yelled out. Ivory cocked her head slightly, before her sarcastic smile returned yet again.

“Stole is such a nasty word… But I like it.” She replied, before taking flight. “Besides, it’s not like I’d ever TELL you losers! Later!” She finished, heading off to the east.

“Don’t even think about it!” Rainbow yelled out brashly, taking off after Ivory. Although the purple Pegasus was fast, Rainbow knew she was faster. And by the look of it, so did Ivory. She quickly pulled backwards, and headed back down to the forest. However, Rainbow Dash, excelling in her own right of travelling directly downwards, caught up to her, and tackled Ivory into the ground.

The others had seen what had happened from the ground, and raced to where they were. Although Ivory was struggling intensely, Rainbow kept a firm hold on her as the others arrived. As they arrived, Ivory was beginning to gain an upper hand on the cyan Pegasus, but suddenly realized there was a purple wall in front of her. The wall slowly closed around her, becoming a bubble of lavender energy. Vinyl, having taken lead over the group, approached the bubble.

“You’re going to tell me everything I want to know.” She spoke slowly, trying to make her voice as intimidating as possible.