"This ain't good..." Braeburn thought, looking down at the lamp. The well was pitch black, but his eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness. "Now I'm locked in a dark, cold cave. Well, at least I have food back there! ANd maybe I can find a backdoor or something." he grabbed the lamp with his teeth. "If that Strangeli-- Changeling wants it that bad, then it must be important. Might as well keep it close to me!"

He went back the tunnel, which somehow seemed to be longer, only to hit his face against a wall.

"What the...? What's that? A turn?" he began to move his hooves around, looking for a path, but he found none, only the way he came from. "This ain't right! There was a cave here not too long ago. An' trees, fountains, even a crypt full o' lamps!"

"Flesh..."

"Huh?" Braeburn slowly turned around. Behind wim was a floating pair or red, glowing eyes. "Whoa Nelly the Third!" a new pair of red eyes joined the first. And another. And another.

"Alone..."

"Pain..."

"Cold..."

"Hungry..."

"Come with us..."

"All will go away..."

The glowing eyeballs started to approach the farm pony, who dropped to the ground, covering his face with his hooves.

"This can't end like that! Mah story has just begun. Ah'm too young to die, Ah don't even have a beloved wife an' beautiful foals yet."

Accidently, Braeburn rubbed the bracelet on his left hoof with his right hoof. The red jewel on it started to glow, making the "ghosts" back away. The glow started to spread, lighting up that whole part of the tunnel. A red energy coming out of the jewel took shape of some sort of tall, humanoid, red demon. It had big muscles, claws and long fangs. There was also some sort of collar around his neck, with an energy chain connecting it to the jewel of the bracelet.

"I am the Slave of the Bracelet and slave of the one who wears it." it said with a deep, mighty voice. "What is your command, my Master?"

Braeburn moved his hooves away from his face, taking a good look at the creature. "Ah-Ah don't know who or what are ya, but if yer offerin', who am Ah to refuse? Please, help me!"

"Yes, Master, your wish is my command!" a purple sphere of energy appeared on the Slave of the Bracelet's and he threw it at the floating red eyes. It exploded, creating a wave of purple energy that disintegrated all of the "monsters". A loud shriek forced Braeburn to cover his ears. "It's done, Master."

"Wow. Th-Thanks, mister!"

"Do you need my help with anything else, Master?"

"Well, can ya get me outta here? Ah mean, ya can use magic, even though the Stran-- Changeling says the cave block magic."

"Of course I can get you out of here, Master. The cave cancels unicorn magic. And my magic is nothing like unicorn magic. Now please, close your eyes!"

Braeburn nodded and closed his eyes.

"You can now open your eyes again, Master!"

He opened his eyes again and found himself outside the cave, right in front of the talon-shaped rock. Braeburn smiled and stood on his hindles, waving his forelegs like crazy, shouting a mighty "YEEEEHAAAAAW!" of happiness!

"Ah'm free! Ah can't believe Ah'm free! Looks like the last chapter of Braeburn's tale wasn't written yet!"

"Your joy is my joy, Master! Do you need my help with anything else?"

"Well, Ah could ask ya to take me back to Appleloosa, but ya already helped me quite a lot, an' Ah don't want to abuse of yer generosity! It's already dark, anyway, so there's no sun to drain mah stamina!"

"Then I shall leave. If you need me again, Master, all you have to do is rub the bracelet again."

"Oh! One more thing: what are ya?"

"I have many names. Some call me 'Genie'. Others call me 'Demon'. And others call me 'Monster'. But, in the end, I'm just the Slave of the Bracelet."

"It... Doesn't really answer mah question, but it will do! Ya can rest now, mister!"

"I thank you, Master."

With a bow, the humanoid creature turned back into red energy and retreat himself into the jewel of the bracelet.

"And now, time to go back home!"

* * *

When Braeburn arrived back in Appleloosa, he went straight back to his home, where he planned to sleep through the whole night, but a concerned but angry pony was waiting for him at his door: a pale yellow earth pony mare with a brilliant crimson mane.

"G'night, AB!" Braeburn said. "What are ya doin' out here this late? Anythin' wrong?"

"Where have ya been, Braeburn?"

"It's... Sort of complicated, Apple Bumpkin!"

"You have any idea how worried Ah was when Ah heard ya went into an alley after a suspicious-lookin' pony an' then suddenly disappeared, Braeburn? Ah thought ya've been foalnapped! Or even worse!"

"There's no need to worry, AB! Ah'm back an' Ah'm ok."

"Ah'm yer sister, for Celestia's sake! Ah worry about ya!" she closed her eyes and sighed. "Please, don't scare me like that again." she walked in their house, followed by Braeburn. "Where have ya been, anyway?"

"Well..."

* * *

"...then the thing disappeared an' Ah came straight back home!" he said with a smile, which suddenly disappeared after he sighed. "But Ah doubt ya believe me..."

"Yer wrong!"

"What?"

"As unlikely as yer story sounds, Ah know ya, Braeburn, an' ya ain't a liar! An' ya have both the lamp an' the bracelet to prove it!"

"Thanks for believin' me, AB."

"But why did this Queen wanted this lamp, anyway?"

"Ah have no idea! But still, it's a nice lamp. An' the one we have really needs to be replaced!"

"But this one is quite dussty, don't you think?"

"Ah just have to clean it!" he grabbed a nearby piece of cloth and rubbed the lamp with it. Suddenly, the white details of the lamp started to glow, making both Braeburn and Apple Bumpkin jump back in surprise.

"What's going on, Braeburn?!"

"Ah-Ah have no idea!"

The whole room where they were "disappeared"; the floor was still underneath them, but the walls and ceiling were pitch black, as if they were in another dimension or something similar. Blue energy started to leak from the nozzle of the oil lamp. The energy started to take shape. The shape of a titanic, humanoid blue creature, incredibly similar to the Slave of the Bracelet, yet more fat than brawny like his smaller, red doppelgänger.

"Braeburn, what's that?!"

"Ah still have no idea!"

"I am the Slave of the Lamp and slave of the one who possess it." he said with a loud, booming voice, similar to thunder, that made the whole floor below them shake, making Apple Bumpkin lose her balance and fall. "Tell me, Master, what is your wish?"

Already recovered from the shock, Braeburn looked up at the giant, blue eyes looking down at him. He smiled.

"Then hear me, Slave of the Lamp, for I have a wish!"

"Your wish is my command, Master!"

Braeburn's smile grew wider.

* * *

In the next morning, Braeburn went to the west orchard, followed by his younger sister. The orchard was crowded with the residents of Appleloosa, trying to understand what had happened: all the dead trees were green once again, filled with fresh, big and juicy apples! Braeburn smiled.

"It worked. It really worked!" Apple Bumpkin said, surprised.

"Ah just hope Dodge Junction is now as verdant as Appleloosa!"

"Well, if Appleloosa is like this and ya asked him to help both our trees and their trees, there's no doubt Dodge Junction is back in business as well!"

"Ah guess yer right!"

"Ah'm yer lil' sister, Braeburn. Ah'm always right!"

With a smile, Braeburn wrapped a foreleg around his little sister's neck. "Maybe, AB. Maybe!"

* * *

A few days later, in Appleloosa train station, a train stopped and its doors opened. A pony, wearing a cloak and a hood similar to Queen Chrysalis', yet considerably smaller than her, stepped out of it.

"I told you I was going to visit more often... Braeburn!"

Author's Note

I read a fanfic a long time ago where Apple Bumpkin was Braeburn's sister. Can't quite remember which fanfic was or what was it all about, but I thought it was a good idea to give Brae-Brae a sister, so here it is. I'll give the proper credits of the idea to the writer of said fanfic once I remember the name of it!