An alarm clock buzzed loudly in the early morn hours. The humble and cozy bedroom’s calm silence was broken while a blue unicorn was disturbed from his dream and slumber. His hooves shuffled from the warmth of his bedsheets as he drowsily rolled over to the right side of his bed, reaching a hoof to his bedside drawer to shut off his alarm. Ah, mornings. As much as the steed liked them, it was always getting up from bed that was the hardest part to do. He was so tempted to head right back to sleep, but this was the second time his alarm had gone off this morning, the first time being an hour ago. His right eye reluctantly pried itself open to see where the snooze button was before it was finally pressed and the silence gloriously returned. The stallion stretched his fore and hind legs as far as possible, letting out a rich groan while his limbs trembled. Finally having some semblance of consciousness, he sat up in his bed, only to be greeted with the cold air as his blanket fell from his body.
“S-Sweet Luna…” He muttered as a chill crawled down his spine. He looked at his alarm clock. 7 AM. It was the usual time the stallion awoke every day. Getting up on his hooves, he walked over to his draped windows. With a gentle purple glow from his horn, he pulled aside the curtains, letting the morning light brighten the room. The unicorn squinted, covering his eyes with his leg for a few seconds while his eyes adjusted. There was no orange and blue sky to greet him. Only grey gloomy clouds that warned of incoming weather.
“Aw, horsefeathers…” Didn’t seem like there would be any clear skies today. Cloudsdale hardly ever gave proper warning for any rain. Actually, it was December already. Perhaps it would be the first snow marking the start of winter. It would explain why it’s so cold.
Unable to bear the low temperature, the stallion hurried downstairs to warm himself up. Entering the just as frigid living room, he trotted to the fireplace, levitating some firewood and old newspapers for kindling to the pit and striking a match against the red brick of the fireplace to ignite it before lighting the kindling. The flames grew as they fed off the wood and warmth started to radiate from the gentle fire. The stallion sighed, comfortably warming himself.
“Ivory? Ivory, you around?” He called out, turning his head to the empty home and awaiting some sort of response, but there was no answer. “Hmm.” Turning his head back to the fireplace, the unicorn was met with the sight of, not the calm flames of the fire, but the face of a monstrous inferno of a creature glaring right back at him. It’s body was hot with a form composed entirely of flames, taking the likeness of a dragon head. A low growl sounded through its gnashed razor sharp teeth before it roared an explosive, deafening roar in the unicorn’s face. However, the stallion was unfazed by the sight, merely having a smug grin curving his mouth.
“Good morning, Ivory.” He greeted the creature.
“Were you scared, Bright?” The draconic monster disappeared with a pop and in its place was a young mare with a ghostly white coat and pale blue mane. Her eyes were a brilliant yellow and on her flank was the image of a pair of ivory daisies. “Tell me honestly!”
“I was almost scared that time. And thanks for warming me up, by the way.” Bright replied with a cheeky smile. Staring down a monster made of such intense heat and flames did rid him of the chill that he had previously. Turning away from Ivory and the fireplace, the blue steed trotted to his kitchen with a chipper skip to his step.
“Oh, come on, Bright Sight! I’ve been working on that haunting for hours!” Ivory rolled her eyes, exasperated. She levitated off the ground and drifted through the air, following Bright.
“Ivory, I’ve seen countless hauntings over the years. You learn to get used to ‘em.” The unicorn reminded as he reached into a cupboard and pulled a frying pan out, setting it on his stove. “Anyway, we’ve got a big day ahead of us! Princess Twilight invited me to her castle today, so this calls for a big breakfast!”
“Pancakes!?” Ivory pressed her nose against Bright’s as she let out an excited gasp.
“Pancakes!” Bright confirmed.
Ivory’s eyes lit up like the city lights of Manehattan. “Can I work the mixer this time!?” She asked, almost begging.
The gentle morning breeze felt freezing as it blew past Bright’s hide. The stallion felt a short tremor shake his body while he tightened the thick red scarf around his neck. The gloomy winter sky may have been blocking out the day’s sunshine, but that didn’t deter Bright as he trotted up the path that lead to Ponyville. What really bothered him was finding yet another splotch of flour on his blue coat that he missed scrubbing away during his morning shower.
“Ivory, remind not to let you haunt the mixer again for awhile.” He muttered in mild annoyance.
“Heh. Sorry again, Bright.” The ghostly mare giggled as she apologized.
“Eh, it’s alright. I can’t stay mad at you!” Bright smiled. The peach colored homes that defined much of the likeness of the town of Ponyville came into view as the two made the climb over a hill. Well, Bright made the climb. Ivory only fluttered her incorporeal form following the stallion. She looked down at him before her beaming twisted into a small frown as she looked down at the ground, away from her friend.
“You...sure that you don’t want me to scram for the day? I wouldn’t want you to risk yourself just to have me around.” Ivory asked.
Bright looked up at the pony spirit with a questioning tilt of his head and a furrowed brow. “Ivory, where did this come from?” He replied.
“Well...you only just moved in a week ago and you’re already on your way with making some new friends.” She paused for a moment. “I just don’t want to get in the way of that…”
Bright gave a short chuckle and smiled at his ghostly friend. “Ivory, we’ve been friends for how long now? 10 years? You’ve always been there for me when I had no pony who’d think of me as anything more than a nutcase or a lunatic. You think I’d pay you back by turning my back on you when it’s convenient for me? You are my best friend and I want you to stay with me.”
Ivory’s frown lifted a tad into a small smile and she lowered her head to nuzzle the unicorn’s cheek. “Thanks Bright...I’d hug you, but I don’t have a body.” She giggled.
Bright touched his cheek with his hoof. He couldn’t feel much, aside from a warm spot, but he appreciated the gesture, nonetheless.
It really stunned Bright when he actually saw Princess Twilight’s castle in person. The crystalline tree-like palace definitely stood out among the hay roofs and pastel foundations of the houses of Ponyville. It managed to sparkle, even under the grey skies above. Bright stood before the tall golden doorway at the tree-castle’s base and knocked on the door with his hoof.
Silence for a moment. Just as the unicorn was about to knock again, there was a muffled voice that yelled from the inside. “Coming! Coming!!!”
The door opened and from within appeared a small purple reptile with green spines that stretched from his head down to his tail. His head only reached as high as Bright’s shoulder. He was panting heavily, as if he had ran a mile.
“Sorry for the wait! Whew! You’re...Bright, right? From Pinkie’s ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party?” The baby dragon asked.
“Yeah, that’s me!” Bright nodded in confirmation, thinking back to a few days ago, when he first moved into town. A bubbly pink mare was responsible for rallying so many townsponies to a surprise party at the stallion’s new home, and what a night that was. Princess Twilight herself was there, along with her group of friends. Bright had never felt so welcome.
“Well, come on inside! Twilight’s in the library.” The reptile gave a smile, gesturing for the guest to enter while leading the way. Before, following suit, Bright gave a short, but excited glance at Ivory floating right next to him, and she silently responded with the clapping of her hooves. Looking inside of the castle, it was a wonder how much bigger it looked inside than out. Even more astounding was that the pillars and columns were made of crystal and that the walls and floors were so clean and glossy that Bright could make out his reflection.
The long hallways and similar looking doorways made it difficult to discern which door went where. How does anypony navigate this place? Bright wondered. Then, after a short while, the purple dragon directed him to a particular set of doors that were unique in design compared to the others. The young hatchling opened the doors and beyond them were shelves that lined the walls, reaching two stories high on all sides. Even more notably, a lavender mare, with large wings folded at her sides and a glowing horn extending from her forehead, stood by a table, her deep purple eyes scanning through a book, one of celestial bodies it looked like.
“Twilight, the pony you were waiting for is here.” The purple lizard notified. Twilight looked up from her book and set her sights on the blue stallion that entered behind her assistant. Her mouth curved into an ecstatic grin as she set her tome down and trotted up to greet her guest.
“Thank you, Spike. Hello, Bright! It’s great to see you again!” She chimed.
Bright instantly knelt down on his fore leg, bowing down to the alicorn, as was customary when in the presence of royalty. “I-It’s an honor to be here, Princess Twilight!” The stallion blurted out, his nerves causing him to stress on his etiquette. Twilight gave a short giggle as she lightly blushed from embarrassment.
“Oh, please! No need for any of that.” She objected, lending her hoof to have Bright rise back up to a stand. “I’m not one to dwell on formalities. Besides, as the Princess of Friendship, I want to extend my friendship to you, since you’re new in town and all. Also, when I was at your house, I was rather taken with your telescope and your collection of ‘Wizards and Warlocks of the Stars’ books.”
“Heh. Well, I didn’t earn my cutie mark by slouching on my studies.” Bright responded with a giddy chuckle, twisting his rear to better show the mark that branded his flank: a yellow crescent moon accompanied by a bright blue diamond star, along with other smaller stars. “And astronomy is my biggest passion. I’ve loved it ever since I was a little colt!”
Twilight’s eyes became alit with glee. For her, it was always a joy to see another pony with such a high affinity for gaining knowledge. “Ah, the study of the stars and the physical universe. Such mystery! Such beauty!” She chortled. “I could give a whole term’s worth of lecturing on astronomy, but let’s get back to the reason I invited you here.”
“You see, Bright,” Twilight continued. “the library I have in this castle is one of the largest in Equestria, second only to the Crystal Empire Library and the Canterlot Archives. One day, I thought ‘It isn’t fair that I should have this whole library to myself.’ So, I want to open the library the public, so that ponies from all over can come and reap the benefits of all this knowledge.” She gestured to the shelves upon shelves of books that lined the walls. “But I can’t possibly run this library myself while tending to my duties as a princess and Spike here is busy being my number one assistant,” She gave a wink to the dragon, who responded with a smile. “so I need somepony with a love for learning and books to be the librarian.”
“And you want...me?” Bright asked.
Twilight smiled and nodded. “I had a hunch back at the party that you were a well educated stallion. So, what do you say? Would you like to have the librarian position?”
Bright paused, at a loss for words. His eyes became widened as he stared at Twilight, then Ivory drifted to hover next to the alicorn princess. She nodded almost furiously. “Yes! Take it, Bright!” She encouraged.
“I...I’d have to say...yes! Yes! I’d love to!” Bright joyously accepted. “Thank you so much, Princess Twilight!”
The lavender pony chuckled. “Just call me Twilight! We are friends now, after all.”
“Wow! I have...no words. Just...thank you!” The blue unicorn repeated.
“You’re very welcome! Now, if you’re willing to start working now, we can have the library ready for the public by Monday next week!”
“Of course! I’d be happy to start!”
The thick clouds above Ponyville’s skies lingered around all the way until the evening time, which disappointed Bright, since he wanted to arrive home and take his telescope out to stargaze. It didn’t seem like that would be possible tonight, but that didn’t completely discourage him. He did have some nights in the past week where the night was clear enough for watching the sky, and maybe tomorrow he’d have better luck.
Still, even with the sky cloudy, Ponyville itself was a sight to behold at night. Bright was walking through the marketplace when the streetlights came on, illuminating the town with gentle light. It was a simple touch, but one that filled the blue unicorn with such delight that he couldn’t help but beam as he trotted down the path back home, even through the cold winds that whipped at his body, save for neck and torso, which was protected by the unforgiving winter by his red scarf.
“What a day…” Bright sighed, slightly spent. He was quite pleased with his work from today at the castle library. Most of the books had been organized by genre and alphabetically for each. Some had found new shelves to call home, but then the late afternoon came before the stallion could go further. Twilight gave Bright the approval to end the day after the long hours he worked for his first day and assured him that the rest of the books would be waiting for him tomorrow.
Ivory followed alongside Bright, making an effort to actually walk normally on the ground. It wasn’t necessary for her to walk, being a spirit, but it was something that reminded her of when she was living. “It was a lot of organizing and rearranging back at the library.” She recounted, though she spent some time lazily drifting and wandering around while Bright was working.
“But it’s all worth it! I still can’t believe that I have this job!” The unicorn responded in a hushed voice, so as to not draw attention from anypony. He can’t afford others thinking he was off his rocker.
“Things are looking up for your new life here, Bright.” Ivory grinned, giving her best friend a proud gaze before looking down at her hooves stepping on the ground. Not once did they make a single clop, but it didn’t take much of Ivory’s imagination to fill in that gap.
Bright nodded in agreement at the pale mare’s statement. Everything was perfect. No foreseeable worries. No antagonizing ponies. Just a simple life.
BUMP!
Bright was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed some pure red apples fall off a market stand and roll along the ground. Acting on a kind instinct, the unicorn did a short wave of his horn, making it glow it’s lustrous purple hue as he grabbed the six stray fruits with a levitation spell.
“Ah, dagnabit!” A deep bass voice exclaimed in frustration. Bright looked over to the owner of the stand and his gaze was met with the sight of a huge red stallion. He was certainly taller than the average stallion and had a very thick build that looked like it came from years of physical exertion. The red earth pony...well, draft horse may have been a better term to describe him, stepped in front of his market stall to pick up his apples, but he found them all picked up by the blue unicorn that stood before him.
“You dropped these. I think a couple of them got bruised. Sorry.” Bright explained as he let the fruits float back onto the stand in a neat pile.
“Thank ya kindly.” The red stallion thanked with stoic look on his face. His eyes were a deep shade of emerald green, his mane a flowing orange-blonde, and some pale freckles dotted the big colt’s upper cheeks.
Bright recognized this pony from somewhere. He had seen him sometime in the last week, he was sure. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I? Were you at my house when that pink mare threw me that welcome party?”
“Eeyup.” Was the stallion’s simple answer as he turned to his stand. The old thing was all rickety and had a habit of teetering one way or the other way too often. Perhaps it was time for it to be fixed or replaced, the stallion thought to himself.
“Oh, really? I met so many ponies at that party that I can barely remember what they look like.” Bright confessed, scratching the back of his head with his hoof while smiling a sheepish smile. “Ahem...Anyway, what’s your name?” He asked.
“Big Macintosh.” The draft horse spoke, his mind more focused on the state of his family’s apple stand, but he wasn’t so rude as to completely ignore the blue unicorn. After all, he did pick up his fallen apples for him as a friendly gesture. Macintosh then decided to deal with the old stand tomorrow in the morning. It was time to close down for the day anyway.
“I’m Bright Sight. So, you work over at the apple farm just outside of town?”
“Eeyup.” The stallion put up a “Closed” sign on the stand and stashed the remaining apples on the stand into a barrel and loaded it onto a small cart to take back to his family’s farm. The bruised apples will probably have to be fed to the pigs.
Bright couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable with the single word responses. He shuffled his hooves against the road, not knowing how to continue this line of dialogue. He had a notion that Big Macintosh wasn’t much of a talker.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around, then.” The unicorn began with his farewell, turning to head home.
“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh replied as he strapped his cart’s pull onto his midsection.
Without another word, Bright started into a trot, beginning his way home. He tightened his scarf around his neck to better shield himself from the cold icy gusts that occasionally passed by. Then, about half a minute later, the unicorn noticed the sound of wooden wheels rolling along on the road and heavy hooves clopping behind him. He stopped and looked behind him, seeing Big Macintosh hauling his cart just behind him. Their eyes met for a moment and they exchanged looks of confusion.
“The farm’s this way.” Big Macintosh stated.
“My house is this way.” Bright responded.
The two shared an awkward silence that lasted for a few long seconds before Big Macintosh’s expression brightened immensely as he broke the tension with a fit of laughter, mostly from the coincidence that they were both going in the same direction. Bright followed suit with the laughter, relieved that the big stallion wasn’t at all annoyed or angered.
“Want to walk together then, Big Macintosh?” Bright asked.
With a friendly smile, the red draft horse gave a nod. “Jus’ call me ‘Big Mac.’” He said.