Lamplight

by beet

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, DJ P0N-3, Human, Main 6, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Octavia
Length: 6028

A strange being wanders out of the Everfree one day, hauling a massive amount of treasure and numerous questions.

It wasn't his actual name, of course. But then, this wasn't his world. Here, he could be whoever he wanted to be. So he became Lamp Lighter, local eccentric, Ponyville patron of the arts, as well as the town, well, lamp lighter.

And at night, when everyone dreams, he does his part to make the night a little less frightening. After all, tis the job of a lamp lighter to make the evening a little less dark, a little less frightful.

Published 2018-02-24 06:40:06 UTC
Last updated 2018-08-25 08:51:44 UTC

First Contact

It was a rainy day when the creature wandered out of the everfree forest into Ponyville, pushing with them a large wheeled basket, made out of an odd sort of metal mesh. Clothed in an all concealing cloak, the creature took advantage of the storm to wander through the empty streets, looking for a certain building.

Eventually, it finds it, a large circular building, surrounded one one side by a river, and on the other side lay a fountain. The building fit the description he was given perfectly. The creature walked up the short flight of stairs, carefully maneuvering his odd basket up as well, before approaching the door and knocking. Hearing no response, the creature paused for a moment, before opening the door to the building, finding it unlocked. Opening the door, his vision was met with a long corridor. I suppose that the person-Ah, pony. I suppose that the PONY I need to see is further inside.

Well, he needed to get out of the rain anyways. At this rate his cloak would be soaked and he would catch a cold. And he had better things to do than get sick. The creature slowly pushed his cart into the building, humming as he began searching for the offices of one Mayor Mare.

Mayor Mare was mildly bored. The storm had left most of the ponies indoors, and combined with the fact that it was the weekend and most of the other ponies who worked at the town hall were enjoying their day off, she was the only one in today.

She gazed down at the permit application she had to sign off on. Somepony wanted to construct a pool or something. Why, she had no idea. Fall was almost over, after all. Besides which, she was fairly sure that building it at the requested location would violate zoning laws. She sighed and stamped a quick 'deny' on the permit, taking note to find the pony later and discuss alternative locations. After all, the town could really use a pool..

Next year. When it was warm. And in a spot that didn't violate several rules. She moved on to the next piece of paperwork, this one a petition, and sighed. Another request to renovate the old abandoned library. She set it aside. The problem with renovating the library was that despite her best efforts, she couldn't find somepony to be the librarian.

She was about to read the next piece, something about a noise complaint, when she heard a knock. Looking up, Mayor Mare blinked. She had been fairly certain she was the only one who came into work today, meaning that somepony had weathered that awful storm to visit. "Come in!" she shouted, glad for the brief reprieve she'd be getting from looking over paper work.

She froze when she saw her visitor. An impossibly tall, thin creature, its head almost reaching the ceiling, face hidden in shadows, covered by an old raggedy cloak, pushing an odd cart with them. It looked like a monster out of a storybook for foals. And then she heard it speak. "Ah, are you Mayor Mare?" It said, in a soft, scratchy voice, like it had swallowed sand.

"U-um. Y-yes, I'm Mayor Mare," she stammered, quietly panicking about this strange being in her office and its intentions.

The thing gave a brief tilt of its head in what Mayor Mare thought might be a nod. "Are you busy? I can come back later," it asked in that soft, yet rough voice. Mayor Mare gave a dry swallow.

On the one hand the creature didn't...SEEM to have ill intentions. The mayor took a deep breath to calm down. Besides, if it did have malevolent things planned, best to not have the thing return later, when there might be other ponies at the town hall who might get hurt. "No, I have time."

The creature gave a brief nod and stepped further inside, pushing the same cart as before. "Thank you, then. I, ah, am told you are the pers-PONY, the pony to see about purchasing a house in this town?" It asked, before pausing. "Apologies. I, uhm, am from a very distant land, and I'm still getting used to the plurals Equestria uses."

Mayor Mare blinked. This creature wanted...to purchase a house? "Um. Alright?" Worried that this might be a trap, she opened a drawer in her desk, and quickly browsed the files, looking to find a building that was currently unoccupied or for sale. "Any requirements?" She asked.

"If you could find one with a slightly taller ceiling, it would be appreciated. Otherwise my only real request is that it have plenty of space," the creature replied.

The Mayor nodded, quickly looking through potentials. "Well, we have a open three story on Hoofmeyer Street. It's near the local market, so it'll be a bit noisy during the day."

The creature visibly perked up. "It sounds perfect. How much will it cost?" It asked, with something in its voice that the mayor couldn't identify. Eagerness?

The mayor quickly looked at the listed price and winced. "It, ah, will cost..." How to break this gently.

"...Seven hundred thousand bits." The mayor said before flinching, expecting the figure to grow upset at the exorbitant price, only for it to nod, and stretch one long gangly limb to its strange wheeled basket, fishing around before it pulled out a small pouch and placing it on Mayor Mare's desk.

"Will this be satisfactory? I have no idea how valuable it is in Equestrian terms." He asked, opening the pouch to reveal...

Mayor Mare's eyes widened at the treasure in the pouch. In the past she had dabbled in coin collecting, and could recognize the currency of old Equestria, carefully crafted coins of platinum and other extremely rare metals, mixed with a variety of rare gems.

She was fairly certain that this would MORE than pay for the house, seeing as even one such coin could go for as much as fifty thousand bits. "Yes. That will almost certainly be satisfactory." Mayor Mare took a deep breath. "I...assume you want to move in immediately?" She ventured to guess.

The creature nodded. "That would be preferable. I assume I need to sign something?" It asked.

The mayor shook her head. "No. I can handle that bit, I think. I WILL need a name to put on the forms, however."

The creature paused. Mayor Mare couldn't see its face or whatever thoughts were going through its mind, but the fact that it had to pause at all told her a great deal.

This creature didn't want to use its actual name. At the very least, it wasn't sure about it. Which led to more questions. Was this creature a criminal? A monster on the run?

She would have to look in for it, contact someponies she knew to search into the matter. For now, better the creature stay where it could be monitored. "A pseudonym is perfectly acceptable," she lied.

It nodded. "In that case, for now, put me down as...Lamp Lighter, perhaps. If necessary, I can change it later, yes?"

The Mayor nodded, and quickly filled out the paperwork. "Alright, you are now the proud owner of 245 Hoofmeyer. Do you have any business?"

The creature shook its head. "Not now, I don't think. Thank you for your time." It briefly glanced out the window, noting that the storm seemed to be clearing up. "And with that, I think it time to bid you adieu." It stood up, going to leave, pushing its strange basket with him. But before he could leave the Mayor's office, he paused. "Ah. I, uhm. I don't know where the house I just purchased is," the creature said.

The Mayor sighed. "Fine. The storm's letting up, so I can go show you where the house is." She stood up from her desk and began walking out. "Follow me."

As the storm let up, Ponies stopped hiding away in their houses. Some wore raincoats. Others used umbrellas. Some simply went without, whether due to an enjoyment of the light rain or a lack of anything to keep them dry.

They were more than a little surprised when they saw Mayor Mare escorting the creature through the town. Some gawked, others whispered amongst themselves, others simply bolted. Throughout, there was an air of confusion and worry.

"Who is that?"

"WHAT is that?"

"What does it want?"

"Where is it going with the mayor?"

"Whats with that basket thing?"

The creature ignored their comments. Its to be expected. After all, I'm something they haven't seen before. Being nervous is normal.

"This is it," Said Mayor Mare as they came upon the house the creature had bought. It had a white wooden fence surrounding it, the paint dry and cracking, and several of the windows were cracked or otherwise needing replacement. The yard wasn't much better, covered in weeds and overgrowth. It was apparent that no one had lived here in several years.

However, to the creature it was perfect. Sure, it needed a little maintenance, but compared to the place he had been staying it was an absolute palace. He turned to the pony who had led him here, and gave a brief nod. "It's amazing. Thank you for helping me find it." He said, his voice heavy with emotion. An actual home! He'd need to go find furnishings tomorrow, see about fixing the windows, but the fact that he owned an actual house filled him with a warm, light feeling.

"If there's anything you need, Mr. Lamp Lighter, feel free to ask." Mayor Mare said giving a large smile. Lamp Lighter nodded.

"I will, thank you. Have a nice day." With that, he slowly pushed open the gate and, shoving his basket along, disappeared into the house.

Mayor Mare stood there for a second, watching him enter the building, still holding the obviously fake grin on her face until he was gone, and holding it a bit longer, before dropping it with a sigh. Right. Now to contact someone to keep an eye on this...Lamp Lighter. And do a background check. AAAAAND find someone to appraise the treasure the creature had paid for the house. She turned and began the trek back to her office as the sun slowly came out, whispers surrounding her.

"Did that creature buy the house?"

"What did Mayor Mare call him? Lamp Lighter?"

"I don't think the mayor would let him stay in town if he was dangerous. Maybe he's friendly?"

'I hope he's friendly. I REALLY hope so." Mayor Mare thought, worry in her heart.

Author's Note

Hi. First story on here, decided to do the fairly easy if not particularly original concept of a human winding up in Equestria. Some things to note:

This will primarily be a mix of drama and slice of life as the main character adapts to his new home and makes friends, with a handful of more exiting arcs.

There will be no romance. If there is, it'll be between the canon characters only. Lamp Lighter isn't getting shipped with anyone.

Details about Lamp Lighters past will come up ONLY when necessary for the story. I want him to be a bit of an enigma to start with.

This is set in a very specific time period. You can probably guess based on a certain paragraph, but for those who haven't put it together, don't worry, I'll delve more into the topic next chapter.

Do NOT be afraid to give me criticism. I don't write much and this is my first MLP fic, so if I make a mistake I'd prefer to know about it.

To the Market!

The house was a bit of a fixer upper.

The hardwood flooring in several places was cracked in several places. A couple of holes in the wall. Windows, obviously, needed fixing.

And of course, there was dirt. Dirt and rubbish and all sorts of things that had been tracked over how ever many years this house had been abandoned. He would need to clean that up.

Of course, beneath the dirt, dust, and built up grime, there was something that had the potential to be a...home. Lamp Light grinned under his ratty cloak. Him! A homeowner!

And all it took was traveling to a different world.

The house was, unfortunately, lacking in furnishings. Like, say, a couch. Or bed. Or shelves. Something to be fixed. The bottom floor consisted of just a single large room, with the hardwood giving way for tile at a certain point, with what looked like a counter and simple brick oven.

Well, at least he had a kitchen.

The second story wasn't much better. It consisted of about three rooms, one of which Lamp Lighter hazarded was a bedroom. It was hard to tell when each room seemed to be completely bare, however.

The top floor, meanwhile, was pretty much an attic. At least, that was what Lamp guessed, since it lacked any windows. Well, at least he had a place to put all his junk once he carted it over.

...And he purchased shelves. And chests, as well. Probably a few tubs.

Once he had acquainted himself with his new home, Lamp returned to the bottom floor. Time to begin cleaning up a little. Tomorrow he'd have to buy a garbage bin to put it all (as well as find out the acceptable method for trash disposal in this town), but for now, he could at least make sure the garbage was all in one spot.

From his basket, he pulled out the three things he would need for such an undertaking: A splintery broom thatwas obviously not designed for human hands, a flat thing that would serve...adequately as a dust pan, and a a raggedy washcloth.

Time to start.

Several hours later, the deed was done. Most of the house was, if not clean, at least no longer coated in garbage. At least to the point where he wouldn't feel ashamed should he invite guests over. Grinning, he places his things back into the basket, before walking over to one of the windows and taking a peek outside. It was getting dark. Lamp Lighter frowned. He had hoped to visit the market today. See what they offered, at least.

Unfortunate. But expected. Assuming seasons worked the same way here as they did back home, it was only to be expected the days be shorter at this time of year.

Very well. Time to relax. He reached into his basket and pulled out a sleeping bag, one of the few mementos he had of home, a small orb set in a stone base, and a book. Walking over to the nearest wall, he placed the sleeping bag down and crawled into it, getting comfortable as he rested his back against the wall.

He then shook the orb, which began to emit a glow. It wasn't particularly bright, but it would serve for his purposes. Setting it down, he then took the time to open the book. Time for a little light reading.

A Beginners Guide to Magic, by R. T. D. Lamp Lighter, Volume One

He turned to the page he had been on, and began reading.

"Did you hear about the creature?"

"I heard it came from Everfree!"

"I heard its seven stories high!"

"It bought a house from Mayor Mare!"

"I hear it paid in ancient treasure!"

"It's name is Lamp Lighter, apparently."

"Weird. So does it actually light lamps?"

Octavia rolled her eyes as she walked through the town. Really, ONE strange creature walks into town and everyone COMPLETELY loses their composure. If she wasn't in need of groceries, she would have simply stayed home until everything calmed down a bit.

In all honesty, she doubted there even WAS a creature. Most likely it was just an odd looking pony or an unusually emaciated griffon.

It wasn't but five minutes later when she walked into the market square and stopped dead in her tracks. That...was NOT a pony. Standing in the middle of the empty square was a creature, twice as tall as a pony was long, covered in a ratty brown cloak, looking around. Octavia was about to let out a meep of terror when she felt a sudden tug on her tail. Before she could say anything, a hoof wrapped around her mouth, silencing her as she was quickly dragged behind a cart, her screams muffled.

"Ah'm gonna let you go, but DON'T scream, you hear?" The unknown pony said, a twang in its voice. "Ah DON'T want that Lamp Lighter thing spottin us. Do you understand me?"

Octavia nodded, and the hoof retracted. Octavia whirled around to come face to face with one Applejack, a local farmer who, as the name implied, grew apples.

"Applejack! How DARE you haul me around like that!" Octavia whispered, angry. Applejack blinked.

"Ah'm sorry, but I FIGURED you didn't want Mr. Tall Dark and SCARY over there catchin you and doin...whatever a critter like that does to ponies," Applejack drawled.

"Fine. Just...Don't surprise me like that again. I nearly had a heart attack." Octavia said, before carefully taking a peak around the cart to continue glancing at the creature. "What does it want, do you know?"

Applejack grunted. "Dunno. Don't wanna find out. Feller walked in here ten minutes before you, an' hes just been wandering around so far. This point, pretty much everypony is hiding. I'm waitin fer him to leave so I can sell some of my products. Assuming anyone wants to buy after that critter scared em away."

The creature still looked around, walking to each empty stall and looking in. As if it was trying to find something. Octavia dreaded knowing WHAT it was searching for. No doubt something malevolent. Briefly it turned around and gazed in Octavia's direction, causing the ponies blood to run cold for a moment.

It had no face. That was the first thought that ran through her head. What kind of monster doesn't have a face? Its like gazing at a mannequin. It wasn't until she kept looking that she realized the...Lamp Lighter wasn't some blank faced monster, but wearing some kind of featureless mask, the only inconsistencies in the smooth material being a twin pair of holes around the top that she assumed were for eyes.

Well, it was better than having no face at all, she supposed, but it was still rather unnerving. Luckily the creature didn't seem to notice her. Octavia took a breath of relief and retreated back behind the cart, her nerves shaken. "Applejack." She said, her voice very dry. "I saw that things mask. For a second, I thought it had no face."

Applejack gave her a look of sympathy. "Got me too for a second. Scared me plum near to death for a second. If the mask's that scary, I DON'T wanna see what it keeps under the hood."

Octavia nodded. "I think...I think I'm going to leave now. I'll get groceries later. Tomorrow. Maybe I'll eat out tonight."

"I'd do the same, but I told Apple Bloom I'd buy her a new bow, and I'm not gonna let some lanky lamp loon make a liar out of me." Applejack said, her eyes narrow. "An' to do that, I need to make at least a FEW sales."

It was then that the pair heard a whistling noise, and Applejack paled. "Oh no, Apple Bloom! She said she'd be visiting later today to help me out with the stall!"

Apple Bloom walked through the market, wondering where everypony was. It was monday, which usually meant the market should be SWARMIN with ponies buying and selling things!

It wasn't, though. It was quiet. Like some sorta ghost town. Apple Bloom began whistling, hoping to get rid of the silence a bit.

It was then that she spotted a strange figure. Tall, lanky, and covered in an old brown cloak, the figure turned to face her, and began walking to her.

Applejack VAULTED over the cart, yelling at the top of her lungs. "Get away from mah sister, you-"

"Hiya Mr. Lamp Lighter!"

She paused, gobsmacked, as Apple Bloom walked right up to the creature and started talking to it.

Lamp Lighter smiled beneath his mask. "Apple Bloom! It's good to see a friendly face," He said, giving a nod.

"Same t'you," she replied, smiling. "What're you doin' in Ponyville, though? Thought you said you lived in the forest?" she asked, slightly tilting her head.

Lamp Lighter sheepishly scratched his head. "I, ah. May have gotten a bit lonely. You were correct, living as a hermit was NOT doing wonders for my sanity." He paused, straightening up. "So I decided to immigrate! I've already purchased a lovely house not too far from here."

...

"For a given value of lovely." He admitted. "I may need to invest in some renovations. But at present I'm mostly looking for some furniture, maybe a nice tea set, some shelves for my books."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Well, it's great you moved out of that miserable old forest. But, uh," she said, looking around, "It doesn't look like anyone's around to sell you stuff."

Lamp Lighter let out a sigh. "Yes, it appears so. I'm assuming I might have scared them off. I tried visiting some other stores before this, but they were all closed. Very frustrating."

Apple Bloom was calmly conversing with the creature. Like she KNEW the thing! Applejack narrowed her eyes and approached the pair. "Apple Bloom! What are you doin' talking to this...character?" She said, failing to come up with a better description for the lanky fella talking with her sister.

Apple Bloom turned to her. "Oh hey, Applejack! I was just talkin' to my friend Lamp Lighter. I met him a few days ago." She turned back to the creature. "Mr. Lamp Lighter, you remember telling you about my sister?"

The thing nodded, before giving a small wave. "Apple Bloom mentioned you, yes. Applejack, is it? Pleasure to meet you. My name is Lamp Lighter." It said in a soft, scratchy voice, like somepony who had gotten one heck of a sore throat.

"It's....nice t'meecha too." Applejack said hesitantly. Was the voice thing normal fer his type? "Er, your voice..."

"Sounds terrible, yes, I know." Lamp Lighter said, shrugging. "I caught a very bad cold the other day and it still hasn't cleared up."

Alright. That sounded reasonable. "Th' mask 'n cloak?" She asked.

"I recognize that they happen to be a bit ominous, yes," Lamp Lighter acknowledged, "But my kind are, ah. A bit ill equipped to deal with the elements."

That explained that. Applejack was mildly more at ease. The creature was strange, but he didn't seem to have any ill intent. At least, nothing obvious. Applejack faced her sister again. "Alright, and that brings me to mah next topic. You. You said you met this feller a few days ago. WHERE did'ja meet him?" She asked, her eyes narrowed.

Apple Bloom froze, a worried smile on her face. "I, uh. I," she stammered.

"We encountered each other in the local forest. I think you call it everfree?" Lamp Lighter 'helpfully' added, causing Apple Bloom to facehoof and her sisters eyes to narrow even further.

"YOU WENT INTO THE EVERFREE ALONE?! HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY BATTY?" Applejack shouted.

"I'm sorry?" Apple Bloom said in a small voice.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! You, little lady, are headed straight home, and when I get back, you and me are gonna have a LONG talk! Now start marching!" Applejack said, pointing. Apple Bloom sighed and started to trudge off.

The elder Apple turned and looked at Lamp Lighter, who was now thoroughly confused. "Thank you for informin' me my sister decided to go play in that forest unsupervised." She said, still somewhat annoyed.

"You're...welcome? Is the forest really that dangerous?" The critter asked, confused, to which Applejack just snorted.

"How long you been livin' there? Course its dangerous! You got the cragodiles, manticores, timberwolves, and all other sortsa monsters!"

Lamp Lighter paused. "Well. It's good I decided to move then. Those all sound rather...ominous."

Applejack grunted. "More n' a bit," she said, before taking one last look around. "Don't think I'm gonna get any customers today, so I think I'm gonna pack up."

She noticed Lamp Lighter perk up. "You have a stall here? Ah, might I ask what you sell?"

She gave him a blank stare. "Take a guess," she drawled.

...

"Apples, yes. I apologize, that was a stupid question," Said Lamp Lighter, sheepish as he scratched his head.

"Lil bit." Applejack agreed, before turning to walk to her cart. Well, no luck today. At least she knew the creature wasn't dangerous. Bit of an odd feller, but he seemed more or less harmless.

"Uhm. If it'll make it up to you, I could buy some apples? I haven't eaten today anyways."

Applejack paused in her tracks and turned around. Well, at the very least this day wouldn't a complete waste. "Well then, how much y'want? One apple goes fer two bits."

The creature reaches into its cloak and pulls out a handful of coins. "I don't know how much this goes for in bits," he apologized, "So if its not enough, I have more." Applejack looked the coins over and her eyes widened.

She wasn't no archaeologist or treasure hunter, but that didn't mean she didn't recognize the coins. Those were pure platinum, the kind Equestria hadn't used in....centuries, she thought? A single one of those coins could go fer tens of thousands of bits!

'And he's buyin' simple APPLES with it?' She thought. Wherever this critter was from, he clearly didn't know how much he had in his hand.

For a moment, Applejack was tempted to let him spend his coins on her wares. We could use the money. Get Granny that hip replacement. Build a barn extension. Hire some new hands for the farm. However, as soon as these thoughts popped up, she squashed them. Applejack was many things, but chief among them she was HONEST. Weird critter or not, she wasn't gonna fleece anypony.

"I can't accept that." She said bluntly to which she saw Lamp Lighter deflate a bit.

"Ah. Is it not enough? I have more-"

She shook her head, cutting him off. "It ain't that you don't have enough. You've got more'n plenty. The issue is I can't in good conscience let you pay fer mah apples with near priceless treasure."

Oh. Huh. That explained the Mayors reaction when he paid her for his house. Lamp Light still needed food, however. He carefully thought things over. "Well. I have a problem then. I have a lot of things I need to get. And, um. The only thing I have to pay for them are these coins."

Applejack gave him a look of sympathy. "Tell you what, you can HAVE a few apples. I know yer good fer it, you can just pay me back when you manage to convert some of that there treasure into actual bits."

That...still left him with a problem. "I, ah. I sorta came to the market to purchase other things, as well. Like furnishings." He said scratching his head, before pausing.

He had an idea. "Actually, what if I pay you for the apples AND your assistance purchasing basic necessities?" He asked. "My coins might be more valuable than a few apples, but a few apples AND the things I intend to add to my house seem a bit more fair, yes?"

Applejack blinked, thinking it over. "So basically a trade? Some of your coins fer my apples AND me buyin you some furniture. I dunno. Still seems a little unfair."

Drat. She wasn't going for it. "It would be if I had any other choice," Lamp Lighter said, carefully choosing his words. "But at present the only thing I have to pay for anything are these coins, and there are things I need that I can't particularly wait on. I'd rather not sleep on the floor again tonight, if its all the same to you."

Applejack nodded. "Alright. Can't fault ya there. Grab yerself a few Apples then, and I'll start helping t' get you yer things."

"Why is Applejack talking to it?"

"It doesn't SEEM scary."

"What did it just give Applejack?"

"I think it was one of those platinum tokens."

"So it DOES pay for things in treasure!"

"If Applejack is okay with the creature, its probably harmless?"

"If it buys everything with treasure, its obviously super rich!"

"Seriously, does it or does it not Light Lamps?"

Author's Note

Not sure I'm happy with this chapter to be honest. I had planned to make it longer, but I decided 2K words was probably a decent stopping point. As always, any and all criticism is accepted.

Making Friends

Applejack grunted as she pushed the table into position. "Alright, ah think that's it." She said, looking over the place. Lamp Lighters house was, frankly, a dump. Cracks in the floor, windows were all broken, and she she was pretty sure she smelled mold in the walls.

The only thing this place had going for it was the fact it was big. Which considering how tall its owner was, was probably a requirement, what with him being several times the size of a normal pony.

"So, uh. Where'y from?" Applejack asked, looking to make small talk. Lamp Lighter paused from filling his newly acquired bookshelf. The silence lingered, one moment, two, three...

"Very far away. Very, very far away. Lets just leave it at that." The creature said, continuing to shelve. "Hmm. Question, do you think adding a chess set to the coffee table would bring the room together better?" He continued, causing Applejack to narrow her eyes. Did he REALLY think she wouldn't notice such a blatant attempt to change the subject.

"Maybe. Ain't much for chess, myself. More into checkers. So, mind telling me whats up with the whole 'deliberately cryptic' thing y'got going?" She asked, now actually curious as to her new associates behavior. He PROBABLY wasn't malicious, but he definitely had something to hide.

"Hm. Uh. Apologies, but...I'd rather let my past remain buried." He finished stacking his books and moved on to placing some decorations he had purchased. "I...will say this: my past isn't what you would call happy. Now, please, leave it at that. I'd rather not get into this now."

Applejack nodded. "Alright, Ah'll leave it alone for now. M'not gonna dig into your personal business." She took a moment and looked around. "Beyond suggestin' you use some of that fortune you have to renovate this place."

"I'll...take that into consideration. I, uh. Will probably need to figure out how to convert my coins into....The local currency is 'bits', yes? I'll need to figure out how to do that first." Lamp said, finishing placing directions.

Applejack thought for a moment. "Well, if'n anyone'd be able to help you there, it'd probably be Filthy Rich. He's, y'know, a wealthy type. You could also ask the Mayor, she probably knows people who'd help." She gave a shrug. "Worst comes to worst, y'could always visit the bank. See if they'll let you exchange the stuff."

She almost suggested writing the princess, before shutting that thought down. One oddity, no matter how weird, probably wasn't worth wasting the princesses time. Especially since said oddity was basically-probably harmless.

"....Who names their child Filthy?" Lamp Lighter asked, confusion in his voice, heedless to Applejacks internal musing.

The mare snorted. "He prefers to go by his last name, y'might have guessed. Filthy Rich is an honest sort, he'll give you a fair deal. Assumin he can resolve your problem, 'course." She gave another chuckle. "Y'know, as far as problems go, only bein able to pay fer things in near priceless treasures an' odd one." She cracked her neck. "Anyways, lets finish this up, I need t' get back to the farm."

Filthy Rich suppressed his urge to panic as he gazed at the massive...creature. The long, spindly thing sat in a chair that was two sizes too small, its long, thin arms resting in its lap as it loomed menacingly over Riches desk. He had heard about the strange, menacing creature that had moved into town. He had not, however, expected it to visit Richs office.

"Hello. It was suggested that I visit you to resolve a problem I have. " The creature said in a soft, rough voice, like it had gargled sand. "...Ah, wait, sorry, I failed to introduce myself, didn't I? My name is Lamp Lighter."

Rich did his best to force a smile. "Pleasure to meet you. Filthy Rich. And what problem exactly do you need help with?" Rich had a couple guesses, none of them good. Strange creature that wandered out of the everfree? It probably intended to have Rich help with all manner of fel act, like kidnapping ponies for sustenance, poisoning wells, kicking cats, targeting ponies with curses, committing calumny-

Rich was interrupted by the creature placing a single platinum coin on his desk. Rich narrowed his eyes, looking it over. That was, to his estimation, a very old, very valuable coin, at least several centuries old. "I, ah. I have a lot of these coins. From what I understand, they are considered valuable. I do not, however, have any actual Bits." The creature said.

Rich paused. He had...several questions. Namely how one acquires a great deal of priceless treasure like this creature supposedly has. The creature didn't look like the treasure hunting type. Then again, did ANYONE look like the treasure hunting type?

He shook his head. Best not to speculate. "So, let me guess; You want my help in converting these coins into actual currency?" He asked, a neutral look on his face. Right. Not calumny.

"As well as provide financial advice. I'd, ah, make sure to pay you." The Lamp Lighter rasped, drumming its appendages-fingers, Rich believed they were called- together.

Rich carefully thought it over. On the one hand, he did like money, and this person would almost certainly be a massive boon to the towns economy what with having a fortune in treasure. On the other, it might hurt his business to help such a...sinister figure.

Rich briefly considered trying to fleece the Lamp Lighter, but dismissed the thought. He was many things, but Filthy Rich was a crook.

"....Fine." Rich said, finally, hesitation in his voice. "I'll see what I can do. I have a few friends at the bank, I might convince them to let you exchange these coins for actual money." He'd probably have to omit a few details about who they were doing it for, but the exchange rates should be fairly reasonable.

"As for the financial advice, you'd probably be better off just hiring an actual financial adviser." Rich continued, leaning forward a bit. "For one thing, my expertise is mostly in running a business, and unless you intent to pursue a career as a small business owner, I'm not sure I could help."

Lamp Lighter sagged. "Ah. Alright. Fair enough." He paused, before straightening again. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone who can do renovations, do you?"

The next day, the townsfolk noticed the creature taking its odd metal basket in and out of the forest, hauling various goods, ranging from treasure such as coins and gems, to books, to other, more stranger objects, and storing them in his home.

"Wonder where he gets it all."

"I bet he stole it all from unlucky wanderers who stumbled on his lair!"

"Maybe he's a pirate, and thats his loot from years of raiding on the sea!"

"My theory is that he used to be some kind of alien treasure hunter."

"Pfft, aliens don't exist! OBVIOUSLY hes an evil sorcerer. The fortune? Alchemy."

"Well, it WOULD explain the books..."