Extremely Loud, Intensely Bright, Drastically Tense, Exceedingly Tight

by h4ns

The Big Green Monster

Chapter 21: The Big Green Monster

Finished with his first chore, Bryce hefted up the now full milk cans. When he came in sight of Apple Bloom and Dinky, he found them so engrossed in their game of hopscotch that they didn't notice him. Amethyst had decided to join in their game, and she was up.

Amethyst tossed the marker. It landed in the third square. "Okay, here goes nothing." Taking a leap she got into the first and second squares, landing on both her right legs, without incident. When she came to the third square she tried her best to jump over and land in the fourth and fifth squares, but she lost her balance and feel into the dirt. "Darn it!" This made both of the fillies laugh out in joy.

"That was good sis, but it's my turn now." Amethyst got up and cleared the course. When Dinky tossed the marker it landed in the exact same square.

Dinky was able to get both her left hooves into the first square, but almost lost her balance in the second when Apple Bloom yelled out, "Hey, Bryce. Are yuh done with the milking?" It took all of Dinky's focus to stand of her left hooves to not tip over and fall.

"Yeah..."

"Is everything alright, Bryce?"

"Yeah, it's just... Do any more of these barn yard animals talk?"

"Yeah, the sheep can."

"Not the chickens?" Apple Bloom shook her head. "Good." Chicken parmigiana with a side of green beans. It's no steak, but it'll do. "So, are you both ready to help me with the chicken coops?"

"Ah am, what about you, Dinky?"

Amethyst butted in, "What's this about the chicken coops?"

Dinky answered, while still trying to balance herself inside the square, "Bryce said we could help him clean out the chicken poops."

"Oh no, there's no way I'm going to let you get involved with that."

"Ahh, come on, Amy."

"I said no, you'll just have to find something else to do." Dinky stared at her sister; her eyes the definition of pouting. "Dinky, that's not going to work. I said no and that's final."

Dinky had to twist her body around to keep herself level. "Come on. Pllllllllease? Bryce said if I helped it would get done quicker."

Amethyst sternly said, "Dinky..." Dinky's face melted from one of pleading to one of disappointment. Satisfied her sister would give no more protest, Amethyst said, "Now I'm sure there are things to do around here that are more fun than rolling around in chicken-" As her sister spoke, Dinky finally lost her balance and fell on the ground. "Oh my goddess, are you alright?"

Dinky swatted the magenta mare's hoof away. "Leave me alone, Amy, I don't want you."

"Come on, Dinky. Don't be like this now. Weren't we having fun before?"

"I want to go help Bryce with the chickens and have fun with him."

"Dinky, I said no. Now you can accept that or we're going home."

"Mama said we had to stay here with Bryce and-"

"I don't care what 'your mama said'. You can either find something better to do or we can go home. What's it gonna be?"

"You're not mama!"

"No, I'm your sister. And I'm the best thing to a mom you're ever going to have compared to that dimwitted, homewrecking, incompetent retard and-"

"That's enough!" Bryce shouted. This outburst forced a silence between the two quarreling siblings. He dropped the milk cans before he pointed a finger at Amethyst. "I want you to come with me right now."

"What makes you thinking I'm- Hey, HEY! What the buck?!" Amethyst cried out as Bryce grabbed the unicorn by the horn and dragged her to the back of the farmhouse. When they were both alone he released her. "WHAT THE HAY WAS THAT?!"

"I gave you the option to come on your own."

"SO YOU DECIDE TO DRAG ME BACK HERE BY MY HORN! YOU CAME THIS CLOSE TO PULL-"

"Shut! The fuck!! Up!!!" Amethyst Star went silent. "What you said back there was uncalled for. I don't know what Ditzy did to you, but I doubt she did anything that bad to constitute you saying that."

"*Pfft* Shows what you know."

"Oh really. What did she do? Did she send you to bed without supper? Refused to let you go out with your friends because you had to watch your sister? Force your 'daddy' to run away from home to get away from you all?" He emphesized this last query with air quotes.

"Don't you dare say that you-" Amethyst said as she made an attempt to tackle the human. At the last second, Bryce slid out of her path forcing her to fall on the ground.

"What's the matter, strike a sore nerve?"

Amethyst blew a few blades of grass out of her mouth. "You don't know anything! If anypony was responisble for him running away, it was 'Derpy'. If it weren't for her clumsiness he'd-"

"Then he's not only a runaway bastard; he's a coward too."

"What did you-"

"If he really cared about you, and your sister, he would have stayed, regardless of how 'Ditzy' was."

Amethyst could feel her rage building. She wanted to end the human right where he stood. She looked up at his dark grey eyes. "You take that back you little-"

"You need to stop living in this fucking fantasy world you've created for yourself. Your father doesn't care about you, or Ditzy, or your little sister for that matter."

"You shut up..."

"Let me ask you this: has he sent you any money; a letter; anything to let you know he even still exists?"

"I... he... You don't know anything. He loves me, and Dinky too."

"Then where is he then? If he loved you he would have stayed and watched over you both, even if Ditzy is clumsy. Just because she's a little clumsy is no reason to just up and abandon your responsibilities. Explain that to me."

Amethyst bit down on her lower lip. She was so angry at Bryce she could taste the blood. "Take... that... back!!!"

"No. This was the only way you're going to hear it. You need-" Amethyst spat blood into his face. Bryce lifted up his hand, ready to backhand her. The magenta mare flinched, half expecting him to do it. But it never came to pass.

Bryce slowly lowered his hand and looked down at the ground. In a much calmer voice, he said, "Just go on home, leave your sister here."

"The... there's no way I'm-"

Without looking up at her, Bryce replied, "She's not going to want to be around you after what you said about her mother. It'd be best if you went home and let her cool off here. If you take her home now she'll only lock herself in her room and resent you."

Amethyst wanted to rebute him, but she could think of no better alternative. Swallowing once, she finally stated, "Okay..." She then took a more serious tone, "You better watch after her, you hear me? She's the only family I have here in Ponyville." She began to walk away to say goodbye to Dinky.

"Amethyst..." She stopped to hear what more Bryce had to say. "Don't be mad at her. You both said things you shouldn't have, but she's just filly. I'll try my best to calm her down before she goes home, but I can't promise what I say will work."

"You better take care of her. I mean that." Amethyst walked away. When she got back to the front yard, both Dinky and Apple Bloom were lying against the side of the house. "Dinky... I'm... I'm not feeling well. I want you to stay here until... until your mother comes to get you." Dinky didn't bother to look at Amethyst. With nothing better to do, Amethyst walked down the path away from the farm.

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Amethyst walked down the road towards Ponyville. Her mind was ablaze with a multitude of thoughts. Thoughts of her little sister; who she just left in the hooves of some creature nopony really knew. Other thoughts were how she could possibly make up for what she had done that day. But the most prominent thought was everything the human had said to her before she left.

Who the hay does he think he is? There's no way he could know what I'm going through. I mean, he's not even a pony. What could he know? And what about what he said? Could he be right, or was he just trying to hurt me? Amethyst let out a heavy sigh.

"Hey, Amethyst!"

The intrusion of this voice calling her name brought the magenta unicorn out of her stupor. "Huh, wha...?"

"Amethyst, I'm behind you!" Turning around, Amethyst found a mint green unicorn waving at her. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"H... hey, Lyra. I was just... going back home."

Lyra cleared the distance between them. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"I was... watching after my little sister at Sweet Apple Acres and-"

"YOU WERE AT SWEET APPLE ACRES!?!?!?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

Lyra stuttered out, "Did you see, did you see, did you see a human?"

"A hu-what?"

"You know, a human. It should be about twice as tall as a mare, has, like, no fur, and stands on only two legs. DID YOU SEE IT!?!?!?"

"Well I..." Amethyst remembered the reason why Lyra would be this excited to see a 'human'. Lyra's been dying to see one of these things her whole life. If I tell her no, she'll go on back to Ponyville and leave him alone. But if I say yes... A devilish smile spread across her face. "Actually, yes. I saw something matching your description."

"What, REALLY!?!?!?" Lyra said as she jumped up in the air.

"Yes, he's at Sweet Apple Acres right now. You should go and see him now. He said something about going back into the Everfree Forest soon."

"Oh no, I better get going then." Lyra began to run off.

"Hey, Lyra."

The mint unicorn skid to a halt. "What?"

"He really likes hugs, so be sure to give him the biggest, tightest one you can."

"Okay, thanks." Lyra then ran off at a much faster pace.

Amethyst turned back around towards Ponyville, her head held high at what she had just done. About a minute later she found two more poines coming her way. As they came closer she saw it was Applejack and Rarity.

When they took notice of the unicorn in their path they stopped. "Hey, what are yuh doing outside the farm?" Applejack asked.

Amethyst quickly stated, "I wasn't feeling well so I'm heading back home."

Rarity spoke next. "Well did you see Lyra come this way, we think she may be after Bryce and-"

Amethyst shook her head. "No, sorry. You two are the first ponies I've seen since I left."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Are yuh sure, we were both pretty sure she was coming this way."

"Of course I am. Now if you two don't mind, I really am not feeling well. It must have been something I had last night or... something." She walked right between the two mares and didn't look back.

When she was out of sight, Applejack said, "Somethin ain't right. Did yuh believe that story, Rarity?"

"I most certainly did not. But we can't really take any chances."

"You're right and... Gosh darn it. Ah've done gone and left the stall without anypony watchin it. Rarity, I know this is important, but Ah need ta get back and see if everything's still there."

"Well if you feel you must, and it is only Lyra. What's the worst she could possibly do to Bryce? As big as he is, he should be able to withstand her." Rarity began to prance towards the farm.

"Right, Ah guess." Applejack ran back towards Ponyville, hoping everything would work out.

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Both of the fillies and Bryce watched as Amethyst left the farm, her flank swinging back and forth as she went. When she was out of sight, Bryce looked down to the two fillies. "Apple Bloom. Do you thank you could go and see if there are any eggs in the hen houses?"

"But aren't we gonna clean'em out?"

"We are, it's just better to go on and get them out of the way." Apple Bloom obliged and ran off towards the chicken coops, leaving Bryce alone with Dinky. "Hey, are you feeling alright?"

Dinky huffed.

Bryce bent down to the greyish-purple filly. "Look, you can't let this get you down. She didn't mean what she said."

"Well it didn't sounded like she meant anything else."

"Dinky, she still loves you."

"Then why wouldn't she let me help you."

Bryce calmly answered, "Because it's a messy, smelly, dirty job. She didn't want you getting wrapped up in all that." He reached over to the muffin basket and pulled one out. "Here, it'll help you feel better if you have something in your belly."

Dinky took the breakfast pastry and started sinking her teeth into it.

"Hey, slow down before you choke." Dinky complied with what Bryce said, gingerly taking smaller bites. "Now I can't really explain what's going on, but your sister still love you."

Dinky swallowed before saying, "Then why'd she say all that mean stuff about mama?"

"She didn't mean it. When people get angry they usually say things they shouldn't. Most of the time they know it's wrong, but they just want to make the person they're fighting with feel bad."

"Well she did."

"I know, but she regrets it. She still loves you. She's still your sister after all."

"B... but what about daddy, does he still love me?"

Shit... what can I say about that? "He... he does. He just... had to go away to get work to support you all."

Dinky sighed. "That's what mama keeps saying, but I want him to come home. Do you think he will?"

Bryce shook his head. "I don't know." Dinky looked down at her muffin. "But if you keep on having faith he will eventually. He just can't find his way back is all."

"So he... he's lost?"

"Yeah, in a sense."

"Should we go out and look for him?"

"No, then we'd get lost too." Bryce patted Dinky on the back. "Just don't worry. He'll find his way back. Just keep him in your prayers." Bryce rubbed her back for a while before he stood back up. "Now come on. To pass the time let's go clean the chicken coops."

Dinky looked up into his light grey eyes. "Can I help, really?"

"Sure, but you have to do as I say, okay?" Dinky nodded. "Now finish your muffin and let's get-" Bryce grabbed at his forehead.

Dinky became worried. "Is everything alright, Bryce?"

"Dinky, is there someone behind me?"

Dinky looked past Bryce to find a mint green unicorn smiling back, but not at her it seemed. "Th... there is somepony."

"Dinky, get inside. She's going to start chasing me. I don't want you getting in the way."

"But Bry-"

"Do it, do it now!" Dinky got up and ran inside the farmhouse, leaving the rest of her muffin and Bryce behind. Bryce turned around to face this new pony. "Uh... can I help-"

The mint unicorn slowly stepped forward. "You're... a human."

"Yeah, and you're a horse-"

"I've believed in you, I always have!" She quickened her pace. Bryce didn't stall as he ran away. "GET BACK HERE!!!"

Bryce didn't look back as he ran into the orchard.

"COME BACK HERE, COME TO LYRA!!!"

This made Bryce add more zeal to his run, fearing this could turn into a 'surprise buttsecks' moment.

Lyra added more zeal as well. "I'M GOING TO HUG YOU, HUMAN. YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM LYRA HEARTSTRINGS!!!"

Bryce made the mistake of looking back. "What the hell-" His foot got caught on a rock throwing him to the ground.

"AH HA, NOW I'VE GOT YOU!!!" She got on her hindlegs, ready to pounce.

Bryce turned around onto his back. He could only watch as she pounced on him. "No, no, no, no, no, noooo!"

Lyra wrapped her hooves around Bryce and squeezed his ribs tightly. "I knew you existed! I just knew it!! This'll prove everypony wrong for sure!!!"

From in front of Bryce, behind Lyra, somepony shouted out, "Lyra, get off of him. RIGHT NOW!!!"

Comments

[Silerius]

DAM, update this ASAP PLEASE

[Doctor.whooves]

GOD DAMNIT LYRA -_- .

[akarock]

I was just wondering, what is Bryce's condition called?

[h4ns]

4116955
I know you have been wanting to know, and I want to tell, but I am going to reveal in time. I'm kinda ticked no one has put a name to it yet.

The symptoms are all there, someone just needs to put the puzzle pieces together.

[metricjosh]

brice has ass burgus condition or somthing like that I think I have it and I have most of the same

ps bring corn back that's the whole reson I started reading this story

[h4ns]

4118735
Actually, I have been debating who yelled at Lyra. You've given me something to consider.

[damnaion]

oooooooo

[Doctor REDACTED]

4117724 a mix of OCD and skizafenia m maybe
( I can't spell the last one)