A Trip to Luna's Moon, or the Equestrian Dream Factory

Flicker Light gulped as he looked out the window of the theatre and at the large line of ponies that had formed outside.

“Sweet Celestia! There are so many!” Flicker squeaked nervously, taking a step away from the window and beginning to pace back and forth as his nerves started to overtake him. “What if they don’t like it! What if the premier doesn’t go as well as we wanted!”

Swindle gave a short chuckle. “Trust me, they’ll like it,” he trotted over to the concession stand and popped open the cash register. “So long as everything we’ve prepared for goes according to plan, everything should be perfect.”

Flicker gave him a grim look. “So as long as nothing goes wrong, nothing will go wrong? That’s not overly reassuring,” Swindle just gave him a flat glare. Flicker took a deep breath. “Right… yes… of course,” He glanced back over at Swindle for a second, his face filled with nervous worry. “Are you ready?”

Swindle nodded. “Naturally.”

“Alright then, here it goes…”

With a flick of his magic, the doors to the theater swung open. Flicker took a step out and swept one of his fore hooves in the air before him in a grand gesture. “Welcome everypony, to the grand opening of the FlickerLight Theatre!”

A few ponies applauded as they all began to make their way into the newly cleaned and renovated theater. Flicker was beyond surprised to see the amount of ponies pouring into the theatre, there were even a few zebras and a griffin.

“Ah, Flicker Light,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Flicker turned to see the two Bits siblings trotting through the glass doors and into the theater. “We are greatly looking forward to this grand opening of yours.”

Flicker bit his lip as the two bank ponies approached him. “Golden Bits? Many Bits? What are you two doing here?”

“Well, we wanted to see this new theater of yours of course,” Many Bits replied charismatically, throwing a hoof around Flickers neck. Flicker was not oblivious to the obvious sarcasm that dripped from his voice. “According to you, this film business is the opportunity of a lifetime. We could hardly miss something like that.”

“Besides, how are we to agree to your future demands if we don't see exactly what you’re capable of,” Golden Bits added, though his voice sounded incredibly doubtful. “I simply can't wait to see what you have planned for tonight.”

The two Bits siblings chuckled at that. Flicker Light felt his eyes narrowing. They weren’t here for any of that, their tones made that perfectly clear. It was clear that in their minds, they had come to watch him fail.

Forcing himself to smile, Flicker gestured over to the concession stand where Swindle Gyp was selling bags of popcorn and peanuts. “Why don’t you go get yourselves something to eat for the show and take a look around. Get some ideas for what we can add to future shows down the line. This is only a proof of concept of course, there is always much more we can add to make more bits in the future.”

The two Bits siblings cast each other surprised looks. Many Bits coughed into his hoof and turned to face the concession stand. “Well yes.. Of course. I’m very interested to see its potential of course. Come along brother.”

Flicker sighed as he watched the two of them trotting away. This night was going to be stressful enough. The last thing he needed right now was for those two to be looking over and scrutinizing his every move, waiting for him to mess up.

“Flicker Light?” Another familiar voice said from behind him. This time the voice sounded a lot more pleasant.

Flicker turned to see his old Landlord, Rosemary, standing a few feet away, a small bag of popcorn in her hooves. Flicker felt himself grin. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

Rosemary shrugged. “I told you I’d watch one of your films if you got to make one. Though I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”

“I got a business opportunity pretty quickly,” Flicker said sheepishly, gesturing to the theater around him. “But I’m glad you could make it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Rosemary responded, popping a popcorn into her mouth and taking a few steps closer. “I saw the posters all over the city. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

Flicker gave yet another sheepish smile. “Swindle has a lot of connections apparently. He has a good marketing team. None of this would have been possible without them.”

Rosemary’s face flickered with doubt for a second. “Hold up, Swindle? You don’t mean Swindle Gyp, do you?”

He nodded cautiously. “Um… Yeah. Do you know him?”

Rosemary scowled. “Know him? Of course I know him. Most everypony has had at least one run in with that scammer,” Her scowl deepened. “That con artist posed as an elevator repair pony a few years back. Every wonder why the elevator never got fixed?”

Flicker grimaced. “I think I remember that…” He glanced over at Swindle who seemed to be laughing to himself as he sold popcorn by the dozens to ponies for a rather steep price. Flicker turned back to Rosemary. “That was him?”

She nodded. “I’d be careful around him, Flicker. Most ponies that work with him end up getting the short side of the stick.”

Flicker took a nervous step back, not really knowing how to respond to that. His eyes trailed up to the clock that hung on the wall across from him. It was almost time to begin. Flicker let a forced laugh escape his lips. “Well, thank you for the warning. I’ll keep it in mind. I must get going though. We’re about to start.”

Rosemary gave him a gentle smile. “Good luck. I hope it goes well for you.”

It didn’t just go well. It went great!

Ponies were applauding. As in, applauding applauding.

Flicker had seen ponies applaud to films before, but never like this. It had always been a few grateful stomps of their hooves, followed by them chuckling amongst each other and trotting out of the circus tent to see what other oddities awaited them.

This time was different. The films were the same. Still the same collection of quick three to five minute shorts his father had made. The ponies were very much the same. Same attention span, same interests and opinions, even a few familiar faces. Only the presentation was different.

It was being presented to them as art. As an event. As something to go to for more than just a quick couple seconds of cheap enjoyment.

A young, grey colt with a white mane was applauding profusely. Beggin his mother beside him to let him return tomorrow. The colt's mother patted his mane and sighed. “Of course Horsehooves. I’ll see if I can get us tickets…”

Not far away, Flicker caught sight of the two Bits siblings staring up at the large screen from the audience as the final film came to a close, their eyes wide and mouths slack. Their temporary shock was quickly wiped away as their eyes lit up with money symbols. The two siblings straightened their ties quickly and gave each other knowing looks.

Flicker felt himself smiling ear to ear as the rows of ponies in the theater stood up and stomped their hooves appreciatively. He felt Swindle give him a pat on the back from beside him.

“Do I dare ruin the moment and ask how much money we got out of this?” Flicker gulped, casting Swindle a sideways glance.

Swindle gave off his most charismatic smile. “Just under seventeen thousand. And this is just the first night!” Flicker could feel his whole body relax with relief at those words. Swindle wrapped a hoof around Flickers neck and pulled him in close. “I made the right choice partnering with you. It was a gamble, but a good one.”

“Those Business associates of yours really knew what they were doing filling the place,” Flicker replied, his expression thankful. He quickly thought back to his previous conversation with Rosemary. “Swindle, can I ask you something? Something important.”

“I’m sure it can wait for later. No point ruining the moment with serious talk!” Swindle replied quickly, cutting off his train of thought. Swindle’s smile suddenly broadened. “Ah yes, speaking of which. I suppose I should finally introduce you to those associates of mine. Quite the characters those two are,” He held up a hoof to tell Flicker to wait as he quickly slipped off into the crowd. “Stay right there. There are two ponies I think you should meet.”

Flicker watched him slip off into the crowd for a second before he let his eyes drift over the rest of the ponies as they talked amongst themselves or slowly made their way out the doors. The audience seemed genuinely happy. They had enjoyed it, and as more than a sideshow attraction. He felt himself smiling again.

Flickers smile faded slightly as he saw the two Bit’s siblings making their way over to him. They came to a stop in front of him and gave Flicker an expecting look. “Well…?” Golden Bits asked, waving a hoof in the air. “Don’t leave us waiting. How much did you make tonight?”

Flicker straightened up. “Swindle just told me. We made just under seventeen thousand.”

Many Bits did a spit take, his eyes widening at the rather large number. “You’re pulling our leg!” He said, his voice disbelieving. He glanced over at his brother. “He has to be pulling our leg!”

Flicker shook his head. “I’m not. Thank Celestia for that.”

The two Bits siblings looked at each other for a moment before puffing out their chest and putting on the widest smiles Flicker had ever seen on two ponies.

“What did we tell you!” Golden Bits exclaimed, his voice both excited and filled with false friendliness. “These films of yours are the thing of the future! We never doubted you for a second.”

Flicker raised his eyebrow at the obvious lie, but he smiled anyway. “So you’ll fund my future projects?”

“Consider us your new investors!” Many Bits proclaimed, thrusting his hoof in the air dramatically. “Tell you what Flicker Light my friend! Why don’t you stop by the bank tomorrow and we’ll see about getting you that money you wanted. What do you say?!” He held out his hoof to Flicker to shake.

Flicker smirked and held out his own hoof, giving Many Bits a firm shake. “It’s a deal. I will see you then.”

The Bits siblings gave each other smug looks before turning and walking out the doors to the theatre.

“Deals with the bank already, I do say brother of mine, we picked the right job!” A high, yet strangely charismatic voice called out from a few feet away from Flicker. He glanced over to see Swindle quickly approaching once again, only this time with two bright yellow colts fast on his heels. They couldn’t have been very old, neither of them having their cutie marks yet, but they seemed tall for their age, or at the very least, lanky. They wore matching red and white striped vests topped with a red bowtie and straw hat. They were clearly twins, as Flicker has no way of telling one apart from the other. When they get older, one of them should get some facial hair or something so ponies could differentiate them. Or at least wear different clothes.

“Flicker, allow me to introduce my marketing associates,” Swindle chirped, gesturing to the two foals. “This here is Flim, and that is Flam,” he pulled his hoof back and looked them over for a second. “Or maybe that is Flam, and this is Flim…? I can never tell.”

“Pleasure to meet you Flicker Light, this theater of yours is the opportunity of a lifetime!” Flam… er… Flim… one of the two twins said, taking off their hat and bowing down slightly. “My brother and I am honoured to be a part of this rather successful looking establishment.”

Flicker cast Swindle a surprised look. “Wait… the marketing ponies you put in charge of making sure this premier was a success were…” He looked back over at the FlimFlam brother to make sure he had seen them properly. “...They were foals!?”

Swindle Gyp held up a hoof with a small chuckle. “I know what it looks like Flicker my boy, but I assure you, these two ponies are the best ponies around. They can talk the average ponies into buying just about anything.”

Flicker cast a glance at the two foals. “If you say so.”

“Oh he says so,” The twin still wearing his hat said, taking a quick step forward. “In fact, I guarantee that with our help, this theater of yours will be one of the most successful establishments in aaaallll of Coltifornia. But why stop at just one theater? Why, we could expand. Turn this whole area into an industry of film. Why, it would be a bit making factory like none other I say. Don’t you agree brother of mine?”

“Oh most definitely,” the other brother responded before Flicker could have a chance to interject his own thoughts. “Why I can already see the headlines. The success of…”

Flicker held out a hoof to stop them there. “Okay, lets slow down. We haven’t even made a full film yet. We can talk about expanding once that’s done.”

“Well, what do you say brother of mine? Want to see if we can get a few more popcorn sales before all the ponies leave?” The twin that Flicker was pretty sure was Flam said, his voice squeaking slightly.

“Brother of mine, I thought you’d never ask!” The two foals quickly spun around and started rushing towards the doors that led to the concession stand, giggling deviously.

Flicker glared up at Swindle. “Are they always like that?”

Swindle rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “They’re just excited. It's not everyday that they get an opportunity to use their talents like this.”

“Do I even want to ask how you got associated with those two, um… foals?” Flicker asked, arching an eyebrow.

“It’s a long story,” Swindle said with a sigh. “And not necessarily a happy one. I’ll leave out most of the deals, but I found them living alone on the street a few years back. They were hungry so I decided to help them out. Been teaching them everything I know about makin’ bits and bein’ a businesspony since. I do say they will be much better at it than even me one day. Those ponies have ambition.”

Flicker’s expression soured. “Yes, about that. I’ve been meaning to ask. What exactly are you a businesspony for?”

Swindle’s face was as emotionless as ever, but his mouth was still twisted into a smile. “Why I’m a businesspony of opportunity of course. I see something with potential and I make some bits off of it. Why do you ask…?”

Flicker bit his lip. “Oh.. um… Well I just heard some things and… uh… never mind. It’s not important,” he quickly dropped the train of thought and looked away. “Just making sure you’re actually going to see this business we have going here through.”

Swindle gave a chuckle and slapped Flicker gently on the back. “Why of course I am. This theater of ours made more bits in one day than I’ve seen in years. You don’t have anything to worry about a thing from me.”

Flicker gave a smile, though it lacked much of the mirth it should have held. “Right… Of course. Sorry I doubted you.”

Swindle gave him another pat on the back before he began trotting towards the door. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to see if I can sell some last second tickets for tomorrow. Can't slow down now that we have a head start, now can we!” He paused and looked back at me. “Oh, and one last thing before I forget. There’s a Griffin over there that wants to talk to you. Seemed important.”

He gestured over to the other side of the theater. Flicker followed his hoof with his eyes until his gaze landed on a Griffin standing in a rather posh looking posture while slowly munching on a bag of popcorn.

“Who is he?” Flicker asked, shifting his gaze back to Swindle. Flicker didn’t know much about Griffins, aside from that they tended to be rather greedy creatures. Despite the fact that they had more rights here than Zebras did, there were very few Griffins in Coltifornia. Most of them tended to stay up in Griffonstone.

Swindle simply shrugged. “No clue. Told me his name was Griffin. Bit off an odd name if you ask me, but I’m not one to judge,” He finally turned fully and pushed his way through the doors into the room beyond.

Sighing, Flicker turned and began making his way towards the Griffin. He spotted the Griffin’s eyes following him as he approached. As he grew near, the Griffin’s beak twisted into a sort of smile. It was kind of disturbing actually.

The closer Flicker got, the more details he was able to make out. The griffin was a light grey, with the tips of the feathers on the top of his head fading into a dark charcoal. He was dressed in a grey, tweed jacket that was topped with a black tie.

“Your name is Griffin? Correct?” Flicker asked, finally moving into speaking distance with the Griffin. “I was told you wanted to talk to me?”

The Griffin looked over their rather sharp looking talons for a second before looking up at Flicker Light. “Indeed I did. The Name is D.W. Griffin. You may call me Griffin for short. And I had a particular interest in buying that camera of yours.”

A bolt of suprised excitement shot through Flicker. “Wait, really?! You’re interested in buying the magical lantern camera?”

D.W. Griffin nodded. “I am. I was interested in buying it back when it was owned by your father. Unfortunately, he had no desire to sell me his inventions. Said there was no future in it. As you have proven otherwise, I was hoping that perhaps you might be more lenient in selling this marvellous creation.”

Flicker gave the griffin a sceptical look. “What exactly do you want with this camera for?” A strange feeling was beginning to go through him. No pony… er… Griffin had ever wanted to buy the camera off him before.

“Why, I want to make a film with it of course!” D.W. Griffin exclaimed, raising a talon into the air slightly. “Ponies don’t seem to understand the capabilities of these films. It truly is an art like no other. My wish is to spread that artform. Bring it to life,” He looked down at Flicker Light with his eagle eyes. “I have a theory. An Idea for the future of film. So far, all your father's films have been static cameras, on flat backdrops. A stage play done with lights so to speak. But the camera is what makes film so different from stage. The audience does not need to be stationary. The sets don’t need to look staged.”

“So what exactly is this theory?” Flicker asked, his voice once again filling with excitement. Never before had anypony… any griffin talked about film with him like this before. Or even at all for that matter.

“I call it Cinema Space,” Griffin said, his beak twisting into a smile. “Where the camera can move. The angle can change. We can cut back and forth between what is happening in one place or the other. Even cutting forwards and backwards in time. The camera should not be limited to the simple parameters of a stage play. It is so much more complex than that.”

Flicker tapped his chin thoughtfully. “That… makes a lot of sense actually. Things would have to be done to make sure the audience still understands what's happening, but I think you’re right…” Flicker bounced up and down a couple of times, Griffin’s idea suddenly sparking more creative potential in his mind. “In fact, I’d go so far as to say that idea is genius!”

Griffin gave him a sly smile. “I’m glad you are interested. If only your father was so inclined to utilize my ideas. I see film as a real opportunity to stretch the boundaries of what we can do,” he reached into the front of his tweed jacket with a talon and pulled out a checkbook. “Now, about buying that camera? What exactly are you planning on charging?”

Flicker shook his head. “Not sure yet. I haven’t really had a reason to think about selling it before,” a curiosity overtook him. “Say, what exactly is this film you wanted to make?”

D.W. Griffin’s smile widened. “Just a dream I had. The Birth of an Empire. I film about overcoming the obstacles we are facing in these troubled times. And with all the controversy over the zebras in the upcoming election, I feel there is no better time than now for such a film to be made.”

Flicker’s face softened at that. “Oh! You want to make a film to help promote zebra voting rights?”

D.W. Griffin stared at Flicker for a long moment, his eyes looking over him as if he had said the most ridiculous thing. After an awkward moment of silence, Griffin lifted his head up and laughed. “Helping them get voting rights? You must be joking with me?” We raised a talon and wiped a tear away from his eye. “No no, I want to ensure that they never get these rights again!”

Flicker’s heart stopped dead in his chest, his previous excitement coming to an abrupt standstill. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly found himself lost for words. The last few ponies filed out of the theater, making the room suddenly feel painfully quiet. “I, um… excuse me?”

Griffin put up a talon defensively. “Now don’t get me wrong. I love zebras. They do excellent work while working in the factories, but let's both be honest, they have no place in politics. That position is for the more intelligent races to decide. Like us ponies and griffins.”

Flicker took a shaky step back. “I… what? You want to use film to… make sure they don’t get equal rights?”

Griffin rolled his eyes. “I’d make films to ensure they get proper rights. The ones they deserve. Clearly a visionary like you would understand that. Art is a form of political intrigue. We use paintings and books to spread our political opinions and sway ponies to the proper conclusions. Why should we not do the same in this new upcoming art you have established?”

“Because maybe we’d spread the wrong message…” Flicker grumbled under his breath, taking another step back.

D.W. Griffin raised his eyebrows. “Now what was that?” he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. How about I just put you down for a few hundred bits and we can work out the details of price later? With the election soon at hoof, I want to make sure I get started right away!”

“N-no!” Flicker blurted, looking up from his hooves and at the monochrome griffin. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Griffin’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me? I could raise the price if you wish? I’m sure I could add another zero to the end of the-”

“I mean I won’t be selling you my camera,” Flicker cut in, stomping his hoof on the ground firmly. “I’ve heard what you’ve had to say and you’ve explained your vision. I don’t think you’re the best fit to sell my camera to.”

Slowly, Griffin placed his checkbook back into his jacket pocket. “Are you sure about that? I think we could really create something great, you and I. With your creative mind and my vision of cinema space, film could be like something nopony has ever seen.”

Flicker gulped and nodded. “I think your idea is truly marvelous. This cinema space has real potential. I’ll be honest, I think your vision is stronger than mine, and I’m sure that you could make films like nothing I’ve even imagined,” Taking a deep breath, Flicker took another step back. “Of course, therein lies the problem, doesn’t it. I think that a griffin of your ability, but also your mindset, might be very dangerous.”

Griffin’s beak twisted into a small snarl. He puffed out his chest with a huff. “So you would turn away a fell artist to advance your own political interests?”

Flicker gave a nervous grin. “Uh… wouldn’t you?”

Griffin shook his head. “Of course not. Art is philosophy. A debate to be discussed and admired from all sides, regardless of right and wrong. I would be interested in what a fellow artist has to say,” Griffin huffed again, Flickers expression making it clear he had no plans to change his mind. “Very well, if you will not sell me your camera, then I see no more reason for us to converse. I shall leave you to it Flicker Light. Good luck to you.”

Turning, D.W. Griffin stalked away and towards the door. He didn’t even bother looking back as he pushed the swinging double doors open and marched out of the theatre, walking past a confused looking Swindle Gyp.

“Now what in Equestria was that about?” Swindle asked, waltzing in. “Mr Griffin over there didn’t look overly happy.”

“He wanted to buy my camera off me,” Flicker said solemnly, turning back and looking up at the large projector screen. “He wanted to make a film.”

Swindle grinned ear to ear. “And you sold it to him, yes? Perhaps he can be our new business partner! I’ll start thinking about how we could advertise that!” Flicker’s head sagged. Swindle cast him a worried look. “You did sell it to him, right?”

Flicker shook his head slowly. “He wanted to use it to create anti zebra propaganda.”

Swindle looked genuinely confused. “Okay? Big deal! Film’s about making bits, right? That would have made a lot of bits! Please tell me that you at least didn’t turn down a large sum of money?”

Flicker’s head drooped even lower. “He offered a few thousand for it.”

Swindle slapped his own face with his hoof. “Darn it Flicker! Do you have any idea how big of a business opportunity that could have been!” Swindle sighed. “Just wait there! I’ll go see if I can get him back here. Maybe we can still salvage this…”

“Don’t bother,” Flicker grumbled, sitting down in one of the auditorium seats. “I won’t sell. Not to him.”

“But why not!” Swindle burst, hopping over and waving his hooves around as if the extra motion would add to his point. “Think of all the opportunities you’re missing out on!”

“What part of anti zebra propaganda did you not get?” Flicker snapped, whipping his head up to glare at Swindle. “Sure, we’d be making lots of bits, but what would be the point if we stoop to such levels! We’d be ruining what I believe film stands for!”

Swindle was visibly taken aback. “What would be the point of making lots of bits!? Have you lost your mind!?” He sighed, calming down slightly. “If not bits, what in Equestria do you believe this whole film business is about?”

Flicker looked him over for a second before looking back at the huge screen. It looked like a giant painting canvas to him, ready to bring any world he could imagine to life. “It’s about making dreams come true,” He said softly, his gaze never leaving the canvas like screen. “And not just my dreams, but every ponies dreams. Ponies, griffins, even zebras. What Griffin wants is to make his own dreams come true… by destroying the dreams and hopes of others. I won’t allow that.”

Swindle sighed. “Fine… fine! We’ll keep him out of this. But next time something like this comes along, let's talk about it together, got it?”

Flicker gave a slow nod of understanding. He glanced back over at Swindle, his mind confused. “Swindle, if this whole film thing stops being profitable, will you still help me? Or will you just move on to the next big thing?”

Swindle laughed at that, though he sounded a little nervous. “We’ll see when we cross that bridge,” He turned and began walking towards the door. “I’m heading out. It’s been a long day, and we need some rest. You coming?”

Flicker shook his head. “I’m going to stay here a bit. I’ve got a lot to think about.”

Swindle shrugged. “Suit yourself. I’ll see you later,” With that he pushed through the doors and out of sight.

Sighing, Flicker pulled himself up to his hooves and trotted over to the large projector screen. He reached out and placed a hoof on the screen, the thick canvas bending slightly under the pressure of his hoof.

In the sudden quiet of the theater, Flicker began to realise just how tired he actually was. The premier had really taken a lot out of him.

Yawning, he trotted over to the old ladder that led up to the lighting booth that held the projector. He rolled his eyes a little as he remembered that he had forgotten to get it replaced. He’d look everything over and make sure everything was set for the screening tomorrow, then he could go to sleep.

Clang!

Flickers eyes opened at the noise. Still groggy, he looked around. It was dark. So dark in fact that he could hardly see more than a few inches in front of him, but he was still just able to make out the dim walls of the lighting booth he was in. He was still in the theater. He realized he must have fallen asleep while he was looking over the reels.

Thump!

Another noise caused him to bolt upright. What had that been? How long had he slept? Was Swindle already coming back into work?

Flicker glanced up at the clock. It was twelve at night, so probably not Swindle. The rats then? He thought he had dealt with those a few nights ago.

He pulled himself up and looked around... And came face to face with a pony shrouded in shadows.

He jumped back, surprised. A frightened yelp escaping his muzzle and his heart immediately started beating a hundred miles a second. He landed hard on his rump, the wind being knocked out of him.

The pony he had come face to face with made a noise and lurched back. Whether it was a ghostly shriek or a yell of terror Flicker couldn’t tell.

Flicker quickly scrambled back to his hooves, his heart racing. He looked up just in time to see the figure dart backwards, floating upwards into the air for a second before seemingly disappearing into nothingness behind a stack of crates. Flicker felt a cold breeze pass through him as they vanished.

“Not a ghost, not a ghost,” Flicker reminded himself, trying to calm himself down. But his mind and heart were racing. He knew what he had seen. A pitch black pony with eyes that glowed in the darkness.

Clop! Clop! Clop!

There were hoofsteps echoing all around him. He staggered to the middle of the lighting booth, his head whipping around to try and catch sight of the intruder.

Clop! Clop! Clop!

“It’s not a ghost… Ghosts aren’t real…” He breathed, his breath coming out in short ragged pants.

Creak… scratch, scratch, scratch!

Something seemed to be clawing at the walls out of sight. Flicker pushed himself up against the glass wall of the booth. Through a crack in the wooden wall, he saw something large dart past, obscured by shadows.

“Not a rat! That is not a rat!” Flicker squealed, his heart beginning to pound so loud that he was afraid it would burst right from his chest.

Thump!

Agha!

A high pitched screech squealed out from all around him. Flicker jumped into the air in fright, spinning around and darting towards the ladder. He had to get out of there! Now! There was no doubting it anymore. There was something up there in the booth with him!

His hoof touched the first rung of the ladder, then the second. He began to move his way out of the lighting booth as fast as possible.

Crack!

The ladder rung he was standing on snapped. Flicker screamed, his hooves flailing as he tried to find purchase to keep himself from falling. His hooves grabbed onto the broken part of the ladder, only for it to give away completely and send him tumbling from the top of the auditorium.

Then he was falling. The floor of the auditorium raced up towards him at frightening speeds. It seemed to reach out to him, ready for him to splatter himself against it.

His breath was knocked out of his lungs as hooves wrapped around him midsection and abruptly halted his fall inches from the ground. He tried to breathe a sigh of relief as he looked down at the ground directly in front of his face, so close he could almost touch it with the tip of his muzzle.

There was the sound of flapping wings as his mysterious saviour slowly pulled him away from the ladder and laid him down gently in the middle of the auditorium floor.

Once Flicker was safely on the ground, he took a second to steady himself before looking up at his saviour. He had only just enough time to look up and catch the last bits of a ponies tail as they ducked behind one of the theatre chairs with a startled eep.

“Um… Hello?” Flicker Light called out to whomever had ducked behind the chair, daring himself to take a step closer. “Who’s there?”

A pair of eyes peeked over the top of the chair to look at him. In the darkness, Flicker was able to see little more than a mane of dark hair.

Flicker ignited his horn in a field of magic and lit the room around them with a silvery glow. What he had mistaken for a pure black coat and mane had instead been a dark blue. He dared himself to take another small step forward. “My name is Flicker Light… What’s yours?”

The two eyes seemed to sink a little lower below the chair before the pony they belonged to dared to answer. “Um… I’m Shadow Silhouette,” a timid voice spoke up, so quiet it was barely legible even in the silence of the theatre.

Flicker paused and looked at the two eyes looking at him. “Um… well... thank you for saving me Shadow…” He started, not really sure how to continue. “What uh… what are you doing here? I’m taking it you’re not a ghost?” a sudden fear shot through Flicker. What if he was talking to a ghost! Was that even possible!?

A small giggle sounded from behind the chair. “I’m… uh… I’m not a ghost silly…” Slowly, the mare behind the chair pulled herself up and into the light. She was a pretty pegasus mare, though a little dirty with much of her coat coated in dust and her mane in a small tangle. As Flicker had previously noted, she had a dark blue coat and mane, with the mane being only a little lighter than the coat, and a pair of dazzling cyan eyes. It was hard to see in the dim, flickering light, but her cutie mark appeared to be that of a full moon. She reminded him a lot of what Princess Luna might have looked like, if the old illustrations in the books he had read were to be believed that is.

Flicker pulled his eyes away from her cutie mark and kicked at the ground awkwardly for a second. “So, um… why are you in my theatre?”

Shadow seemed to wince away at that. “I um… well, I live here and… um… please don’t make me leave?”

Flicker gave her a surprised look. “Wait, what? What do you mean you live here? I thought this place was abandoned before I moved in?”

Shadow gave him a shy look and took a quick step back. “I… I don’t own the place… I-I mean I’ve lived here for a while, b-but I don’t think I was actually supposed to and… Sorry, when I saw you and that other pony come in I just thought you would be there for a few minutes and leave like everypony else and that would be that. I didn’t know you planned on making this place operational again…”

Flicker shook his head as he tried to wrap his mind around everything that was happening. “Wait, you’ve lived here, like… the whole time!” he stared at her for a second, slightly unbelieving. “So like… you were the ghost!?”

Shadow giggled again. “Ghosts aren’t really silly. And yes, I’ve been here the whole time.”

Flicker grumbled under his breath about how he knew ghosts weren’t real all along. He looked back up at Shadow Silhouette. “Why are you living in the theater? Don’t you have someplace to go?”

Shadow looked down at her hooves, her expression sad. “I don’t want to talk about it…”

“But, why-”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it…” Shadow repeated, her voice raising for the first time since Flicker had met her. “It’s just… Never mind. It’s complicated.”

Okay, clearly not a topic she wanted to discuss. Time to try a new approach. “Were you the one that turned my projector on the other night?” Flicker asked, taking another step towards the mare.

Shadow nodded nervously. “Yeah. I saw you and that other pony watching those light shows of yours. They’re really cool! I didn’t think you’d mind if I just watched a few of them while you were gone.”

Flicker brightened at that.”You like my dad's films!”

Shadow Silhouette’s face was suddenly filled with excitement. “They’re soooo cool! I’ve never seen anything like them! They’re like plays mixed with shadow puppets! It’s amazing!” Her face suddenly mixed with an expression of worry and she began taking a few steps backwards. “I probably shouldn’t have used your projector while you were gone, but I watched you set it up and all, so I knew how to do it without breaking it, honest. I-I hope you don’t mind.”

Flicker shivered. The thought was both nice and creepy. He waved a hoof to show it was okay. “No no, it’s alright. Just wish you had told me you were here. I’ve been jumping at shadows for almost a month thinking this place was haunted. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry,” Shadow apologized, looking down at her hooves. “I’d understand if you don't want me to stay here. I can leave if you want…”

“Whoa whoa! Hold on a second! I never said anything about kicking you out,” Flicker said quickly. “I was just a little started. That’s all. I mean, you could, like… help out around the theatre if you wanted… If you want to, that is… But you can stay.”

Shadows eyes lit up. “You mean that! I can stay and help!”

“Uh…” Flicker Light scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I don’t see why not. I mean we could use all the help we can get, and I don’t want to kick you out, so like… yeah, you can. Only if you want to, I mean.”

“Oh, yesyesyesyesyes!” Shadow squealed joyously, zipping into the air with a flap of her wings and doing a quick flip above Flickers head. “Thank you so much! I can be lots and lots of help! Really I can!”

Flicker chuckled. “Okay, got it. I didn’t think you’d be so excited about it.”

Shadow gave him a surprised look as she came down and landed in front of him. “Why wouldn’t I be excited! Having friends, not needing to hide here all the time! I mean, getting to watch those films with your permission and not from behind a wall is reward enough right!” She gave him a nervous, yet thankful look. “This really does mean a lot to me…”

Flicker gave her a smile. “Don’t mention it… sorry that I, uh… Moved into your house… I guess...” This was suddenly kinda awkward. An idea passed through him. “Say, how about we watch a couple of films?”

Shadow's eyes lit up with excitement.

“Flicker, you here?” Swindle called out, opening the glass doors to the theater with a creak. “You never showed up last night! Are you still here or what?”

The theater gave him no replay but silence as he walked in and headed towards the door leading to the auditorium. As he got closer, he began to make out the clicking sound of a projector. Frowning, Swindle opened the doors to see the projector projecting nothing onto the screen. There was a loud clanking noise every few seconds as the film reel spun aimlessly in the projector. Clearly somepony had turned the projector on, but failed to turn it off.

Quickly moving up to the lighting booth and only barely avoiding falling down the ladder as he found the topmost rung broken, Swindle ducked into the booth and flicked off the projector. As the theatre was cast into near darkness, he flipped on the light switch and looked around.

His eyes caught immediately on the forms of two ponies sitting completely still in the seat below. Narrowing his eyes, he slid down the ladder and approached them.

Flicker Light and a dark blue pegasus mare he didn’t recognise were sitting in the auditorium seats, asleep. Flicker’s head had come to a rest on the mare's shoulder while he slept, while one of the mare's wings had been draped over Flicker's back like a blanket. It didn’t take a scientist to figure out they had fallen asleep watching Flickers old reels.

Swindle put a hoof to his mouth and coughed loudly, making both of them wake up with a start. They both looked around groggily as they tried to make sense of the sudden jolt of awareness before looking up at Swindle awkwardly.

“Do I even want to ask?” Swindle cooed, looking the two of them over smuggly. He let his amused gaze settle on Flicker Light. “Flicker my pal! Have you been hiding a mare friend from me all this time?”

Both of them went bright red with embarrassment at that comment. They quickly pushed themselves up to their hooves and shuffled a few inches apart.

“I, uh… no…” Flicker stammered, trying to get a grasp on the situation. “Um… Swindle Gyp, I’d like you to meet Shadow Silhouette. She, um… lives here… and also works here now,” Flicker gave and abashed look. Shadow nervously crossed her fore hooves together in a quick curtsy.

Swindle’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m sorry, what? Did I miss something?”

Shadow took a nervous step back while Flicker scratched the back of his neck. “Uh… yeah… so about that… turns out that this theatre wasn’t exactly abandoned...”

This was going to be fun to explain.