21. Neurotic Situation
One fine day, Luster and her parents, Starlight and Sunburst, were enjoying the view and breeze on the Castle balcony in the daytime.
"I'm so glad that we could spend at least a few minutes relaxing here, Mum and Dad." Luster told her parents.
"We're glad, too." Starlight replied.
"It's not even every week that we do something like this." Sunburst added, just before the family heard the delivery pony, Derpy Whooves, shouting, "Incoming!"
The pegasus was about to crash land into the unicorns, but Luster managed to use her magic to freeze Derpy in a similar way to how Twilight froze her friends in 'Castle mania', but without freezing any creature else.
"Phew, that was a close one." Sunburst heaved a sigh of relief.
"That's our daughter! Talented in good ways as always!" Starlight praised.
"Thanks Mum, but I don't really needed to be complimented all the time." Luster modestly replied, before turning to Derpy, "So, what do we have?"
"A few letters..." was the reply, as Derpy took out a stack of them and placed it right in front of Luster.
"You know what a few means, don't you?" Luster asked, before Derpy nodded and flew off.
"Looks like the one on the top is for Yellow Bright." Sunburst pointed out, using his magic to levitate the later on the top of the stack towards him, before showing its cover to his family.
"It is for Yellow Bright! And it looks like it's urgent!" Luster exclaimed.
After the series' theme song played, the scene showed what happened that evening when all of the Castle residents returned home for dinner.
"An urgent letter?! For me?!" Yellow Bright asked.
"Don't get too excited. Because when it's urgent, it probably isn't something good..." Volcano apprised.
"How are you so sure?" Buffer asked.
"Why else will it be urgent?" Volcano responded.
"What?! My little sister is obsessed with cleanliness?!" Yellow Bright could be heard shrieking as he looked at the letter.
"Obsessed?!" Krona asked.
"That is so not good." Sunshine Rays informed.
"Indeed. Obsessed means preoccupy or fill the mind of someone continually and to a troubling extent." Volcano defined.
"Huh?" Krona asked, confused.
"Could you please give a more basic definition?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Well...as basic as I can go, is when you're obsessed with something, like obsessed with cleanliness, you like cleanliness so much, that it becomes the thing that you love and care about the most, in not a good way, most likely." Volcano explained.
"Take it from me, when you're obsessed with something, no matter what it is, being obsessed cannot be good." Sunshine Rays notified.
"My parents said that my little sister is obviously obsessed with beauty recently, spending lots of time bathing in the bathroom everyday for a start!" Yellow Bright announced.
"That isn't so bad, it's important to bathe at least once a day so you can clean yourself of all the bacteria you get while you are outdoors and...indoors." Nature Bloom stated.
"Unlike a certain some creature I know. Who bathes so fast that I don't think he washed himself properly." Sunshine Rays said, glaring at Falcon Dive who nervously laughed at her comment.
"Consuming 45 minutes to take a bath that is!" Yellow Bright read, immediately changing the others' positive views.
"Alright...that is not so good..." Nature Bloom commented.
"45 minutes?! Every creature should just take up a maximum of 30 minutes!" Sunshine Rays declared.
"What about yaks?" Krona asked.
"Alright, maybe yaks and creatures with longer manes, or hair, or larger in size, should take a bit more than 30 minutes..." Sunshine Rays figured.
"She always wipes the table with table cloth and table cleaner alkaline solution..." Yellow Bright read on.
"Alkaline solution?! I love alkaline solutions!" Alkali exclaimed uncontrollably.
"You love anything that's alkaline..." Volcano responded.
"She cleans her table, once every hour?!" Yellow Bright read in shock.
"What?! That will consume loads of table cleaner alkaline solution per day!" Alkali cried.
"Subtracting the time she isn't around, and taking only the hours that she can afford to do that...according to my calculations, that will be...8 times of cleaning the table for weekdays...and 14 or 15 times for weekends, if she never went out on weekends, that is." Volcano told every creature.
"Cleaning tables many times is a good thing...but not that many times!" Sunshine Rays claimed.
"The School of Friendship only cleans the table after school and before! Not as many times as once an hour!" Luster added.
"She doesn't want to get her soft, smooth, comfy pillows, blankets and bed dirty so easily, so she bathes before bed, meaning that she bathes twice a day!" Yellow Bright went on.
"Twice a day?! Doesn't she know how much water she will consume?!" Falcon Dive asked.
"And the fact that water is a very valuable need to even creature that should not be wasted that way?" Sunshine Rays added.
"While you're worrying about water, I'm worried about how bathing before sleep can affect her. I mean, isn't it difficult to fall asleep after a bath because getting your face wet make you less sleepy, which is why teachers tell sleepy students to wash their faces?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Not underwater, obviously..." Alkali commented.
"But in most cases, washing faces do make you less sleepy." Volcano notified.
"But when it's bedtime! Creatures got to be sleepy!" Krona exclaimed.
"Not sleepy, not easy to sleep." Buffer added.
"And if it isn't easy to sleep, she might wind up sleeping even later at night!" Evergreen apprised.
"I know I like cleanliness, but not obsession with it that takes some creature too far!" Sunshine Rays informed.
"And she washes the dishes with a lot of detergent, consuming lots of water to wash off the soap..." Yellow Bright continued.
"That will cost lots of bits!" Nature Bloom gasped.
"Is that all?! I cannot take all this hearing that some creature is wasting things out of wanting to do so!" Falcon Dive complained.
"Well, for short, it's obvious that my little sister is obsessed with cleanliness." Yellow Bright stated.
"To a serious point that has got to be stopped!" Volcano pointed out.
"And we are the creatures who will stop it!" Luster announced.
The scene changed to showing the train on its way to Manehattan, Yellow Bright's hometown.
"We're almost at your hometown, Yellow Bright!" Evergreen told her earth pony Best Friend.
"I know, it's been a while since I last came home!" Yellow Bright responded.
"You are not the only creature who hasn't visited home in a while!" Falcon Dive reminded, hang heard Yellow Bright and Evergeen's conversation since he was sitting right in front of them with Sunshine Rays.
"Anyway, I love the Hayburgers and breakfast specials in one of the restraints here! And the yoghurt, and the donuts..." Yellow Bright listed.
"We get it, there's so many delicious food to love here!" Sunshine Rays responded.
"Food! Yaks love food! And smashing! And music! And..." Krona started listing.
"Back to talking about Manehattan, I'm sure it's as great as we last saw it, Yellow Bright!" Evergreen commented.
"Are you sure you're sure? Because when you are sure, you are completely confident that you are right. In other words, without a doubt!" Volcano defined from behind with Alkali.
"Thanks for the definition, Volcano." Evergreen responded.
"We're here, every creature!" Luster announced, when the train stopped at the Train Station.
"Manehattan, the famous big city in Equestrian!" Buffer exclaimed.
"Madam Rarity loves this place, as much as she loves Canterlot, I assume." Luster recalled.
"Especially when she got her Key of Generosity from a friend here." Nature Bloom added.
"Let's not forget why we're here, every creature." Volcano reminded.
"Yeah, my sister's obsessed with cleanliness!" Yellow Bright informed.
"And it's not good!" Sunshine Rays added.
"And we came here to stop the obsession!" Luster declared.
"But which way to her home?" Krona asked.
"Allow me to lead the way, every creature. I may not have visited for a months, but I am sure I haven't lost my memory that I gained for more than 1 and a half decade!" Yellow Bright claimed.
"More than 1 and a half decade?! Yellow Bright, saying that means that you remembered things since you were 0!" Volcano apprised.
"In that case...more than a decade..." Yellow Bright corrected.
The scene changed to show Yellow Bright knocking at a rainbow-coloured door.
"Love the door, it's very colourful." Krona commented.
"Thanks for the compliment, even though many other creatures say that when they visited." Yellow Bright responded.
"I think your family is quite fortunate to have members with the colours of the rainbow." Nature Bloom informed.
"You mean the colours of regular rainbows and not the one we made when we defeated Eclipse. I mean, regular rainbows do not have peach nor gold! While cyan is just a lighter version of blue, so it'd probably be in a rainbow that is zoomed in to pay closer attention to its tones and shades and..." Volcano began explaining, before the door opened.
"Yellow Bright! It's so good to see you again!" an orange-coated Earth Pony stallion greeted.
"And it's great to see that you've brought all of your friends!" a red-coated earth pony mare added.
"It's a pleasure to see that you welcome us, Mr. Orange Fall and Madam Rose Red." Evergreen greeted her earth pony best friend's parents.
"Evergreen! We never remembered you being the most respectful out of Yellow's friends." Yellow Bright's mother responded.
"You got to thank Nature Bloom for that, because I learnt respectful words from her!" Evergreen apprised.
Nature Bloom nervously laughed as the older ones approached her.
"Nature Bloom! you're still as sweet and nice as we last saw you!" Yellow Bright's father commented.
"Yes...I am..." Nature Bloom softly answered.
"Can you please teach us how to use respectful words, too?" Rose Red asked, before an impatient Falcon Dive interrupted.
"Enough on the small talk! We came here because of urgent crisis!"
"I don't think 'crisis' is the word to use in this situation. It means a time of intense difficulty or danger or a time when a difficult or important decision must be made..." Volcano began defining, to the other creatures' annoyance.
"Maybe you could tell us more about the word later?" Alkali suggested.
"I believe you should use 'can', as in 'you can tell us more about the word later'." Volcano corrected.
"Don't mind Volcano, he loves correcting things, defining words, calculating, telling us science information..." Luster told Yellow Bright's parents before the Earth Pony mare laughed in a friendly manner.
"Don't worry, we hard that he's a teacher who teaches all subjects, so correcting mistakes must be a habit of his."
"It sure is." Krona responded, looking at Volcano.
"Anyway, let's continue the chatting inside." Orange Fall figured, allowing all ten creatures indoors.
"Wow, this place is a lot cleaner than I last came here." Yellow Bright commented, looking around.
"Which is a good thing, because it's better to be clean and hygienic, than the opposite, which is dirty and unhygienic!" Sunshine Rays notified.
"But it isn't so good, I mean, not as good as you think," Orange Fall apprised.
"It is because of Purple Blend, her fear of dirtiness gave us no choice." Rose Red added.
"Fear of dirtiness? That is so not her! I mean, she's an artist! he loves drawing, colouring and painting since little! And she usually gets herself covered with paint before a bath!" Yellow Bright recalled.
"But isn't that still cleaning herself?" Krona asked.
"I believe that is cleaning herself, but also not afraid to get dirty, as she was alright with the possibilities of getting covered in paint." Volcano explained.
"If she's afraid of getting herself dirty..." Evergreen began, before Alkali finished for her.
"Does that mean she doesn't paint anymore?!"
The Earth Pony couple did not say anything, but their nodding meant something the creatures could not believe was happening.
"She doesn't paint anymore!" Buffer gasped.
"This is obviously not good." Luster added.
"Taking cleanliness too far to the point of becoming neurotic!" Volcano added, causing every creature to look at him in confusion.
"That means afflicted by neurosis, describing mental, emotional, or physical reactions that are drastic and irrational. Some common traits are basically negative thinking, resulting in negative emotions..." Volcano began explaining, making Yellow Bright more uncomfortable as the explanation went on.
Evergreen quickly noticed the impact Volcano's explanation brought on her Earth Pony Best Friend, quickly responding by telling the dragon, "Volcano, stop! I don't think Yellow Bright is comfortable hearing your explanation!"
"Sorry about that, I was just defining and explaining what every creature else doesn't know!" Volcano apologised.
"Because he couldn't help himself but do so!" Alkali added.
"That's what happens when you diligently read books and try all sorts of things!" Volcano finished.
"I'm sorry, I just can't stand the thought of a family member of mine being so...negative..." Yellow Bright admitted.
"Just like I can't stand the thought of immorality or anything that isn't good!" Sunshine Rays could not help but comment, before correcting herself, "Except...you don't go crazy like I do."
"And don't go on making loads of rules and strict measures to ensure no creature breaks those rules?" Falcon Dive added, as he turned to look at Sunshine Rays.
"Should we go back to the main subject?" Buffer asked.
"Sorry about the interruption," Nature Bloom apologised.
"My sister may not be as positive as I am, but I never thought that she'd become this negative. Before I left, I remember her helping to take out the trash." Yellow Bright informed.
"That means she wasn't afraid to get dirt back then." Evergreen figured.
"That's very obvious from the description!" Krona responded.
"And after taking out the trash, she would wash up, knowing that when you can get clean, you shouldn't be afraid of getting dirty...And when you are dirty, wash up and get clean, that's something positive I taught her..." Yellow Bright went on.
"We get it, you're disappointed that what you taught her faded away." Sunshine Rays responded.
"Don't worry, we'll just teach her again, and hopefully the lesson will remain a permanent influence," Evergreen assured.
"Are you sure permanent is what you want? Because permanent means..." Volcano was about to define the word, but Falcon Dive beat the dragon to finishing the sentence.
"Forever. We know!"
"Actually, it means last a long time." Luster stated.
"Right..." the boys said in unison.
"So, where do we start?" Alkali asked.
"Probably finding where the creature in need of our help is. You can't help some creature without being in the same place." Luster figured.
"Actually, there are cases when creatures can help other creatures without being in the same place. Like substitute them when they cannot do what they are supposed to do?" Krona pointed out.
"Krona does have a point, but that's another case." Buffer told the others.
"Alright, in some cases we have to be in the same place as who we are helping." Luster corrected her last sentence.
"You're in luck, because Purple Blend is at home right now!" Yellow Bright announced.
"That's odd. I remember you said that she likes hanging out with her best friends from school!" Evergreen commented.
"And once in a month or an occasion, hang out with our younger siblings." Nature Bloom added.
"Plus Gloss Semblance, the younger sibling of one of our former schoolmates!" Falcon Dive contributed.
"Maybe I should check on her before the rest of you come into her room, or go close to her...because..." Yellow Bright began, before Volcano interrupted.
"Ten biologically in young adult ages creatures can be overwhelming to just one preteen? We probably know that."
"That's right..." Yellow Bright responded.
"Alright, Yellow Bright. You can go first, if it doesn't work out, we all will come in." Luster informed.
"But if it does, what do we do?" Alkali asked Luster.
"Better not say go home. I don't like trips that are not worth it! Especially when we spent bits and time!" Sunshine Rays complained.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe we could spend spare time looking around at the sales." Falcon Dive suggested.
"Or meet the members of Yellow Bright's family that didn't attend the latest birthday parties this year!" Krona added.
"Sorry, but other than Yellow Bright's parents and little sister Purple Blend, the rest of his family don't live here anymore. They moved out to their final schools and got jobs in other parts of Equestria!" Evergreen apprised.
"That's what happens in a society like this!" Buffer stated, "Growing up, leaving home to get a job after finishing school."
"Can you all just quiet down and give me a little support here?" Yellow Bright asked.
"Sorry, just got...distracted..." Nature Bloom apologised.
Pushing the door open, Yellow Bright stepped into his sister's room. But when he step hoof onto the floor...
"Yellow Bright! Did you take a bath?!" Purple Blend asked in a shriek.
"Aah! Purple Blend!" Yellow Bright screamed, being startled from hearing his little sister shriek.
"Sorry, big brother, but didn't Mum and Dad tell you that I like being clean? And having my room clean?" Purple Blend asked.
"Yes, they did..." Yellow Bright responded.
"Then did they tell you that I don't allow any creature, not even myself, step into the room or enter it without bathing here first?" Purple Blend went on.
"I don't want any of those bacteria from outside in here!" Purple Blend shrieked, scaring her brother out of the room.
"Alright, alright, I'm out of here!" Yellow Bright told his sister, retreating and closing the door once he was out.
Once the older Earth Pony was out, Purple Blend took out an anti-bacteria spray and spayed it around the area Yellow Bright stepped on.
"She did what?!" Yellow Bright's best friends asked him in unison.
"Chase me out because I didn't bathe using the showers here, before stepping into her room. And, shrieked at me to get me to back off." Yellow Bright explained.
"That is so not her!" Luster claimed.
"She's usually nice like I am!" Nature Bloom added.
"Not to mention that the reason behind it was she did not want any bacteria from outside to get into her room." Yellow Bright went on.
"What?! Doesn't she know that bacteria can move?! So even if the bacteria was outside her room on the walls, it can move onto the door and into her room." Volcano explained.
"Volcano, don't talk so loudly that clean-lover and bacteria-disliker can hear you!" Alkali hushed.
"Sorry, I was jus explaining what I know! I teach science!" Volcano responded.
"Purple Blend isn't like this the last time I saw her, she really changed a lot." Luster commented.
"In a matter of time!" Nature Bloom contributed.
"What could have caused this?" Yellow Bright asked, before the ten creatures could hear Yellow Bright's father suddenly saying out loud, "WHAT?! Water shortage?!"
"Water shortage?!" Krona repeated, as the Heroic Ten rushed to the living room where Orange Fall was reading a newspaper.
"What is it, Dad?" Yellow Bright asked, galloping over to his father.
"Appleloosa is running out of water! The reservoir water level is going down!" Orange Fall informed, showing them the newspaper cover page.
"My family depends on that water! It's their water source!" Buffer gasped.
"And not just Buffer's family depends on that water, all the creatures living in that area, too!" Falcon Dive added.
"We got to do something!" Luster declared.
"But what about my little sister?!" Yellow Bright asked.
"Alright, half of us will go to Appleloosa, and the other half will stay and try to fix Purple Blend." Luster instructed.
"Fix Purple Blend?" Krona asked.
"As in, try to stop her new neurotic character and change her back to the way she was before becoming neurotic?" Luster clarified.
"That makes more sense!" Krona responded.
"So, who's going and who's staying?" Sunshine Rays asked.
"Krona, Buffer, Volcano, Alkali and Falcon Dive's help could be used in Appleloosa, so they should go, while every creature else stays.
"Alright, we'll go!" Buffer replied.
"Race you to the Train Station!" Falcon Dive called.
"Be careful!" the four other creatures that were selected to go to Appleloosa told the griffon in unison, as they rushed off.
"Do you think we can handle Purple Blend?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Don't worry, with some creature moral, nice, patient, positive and a great leader, we can do it!" Luster assured.
"Or maybe it is safer to say that our chances of success are not slim, because when you say we can do it, it's like you're confirming that we can by a hundred percent." Sunshine Rays apprised.
"Sunshine, are you checking vocabulary like Volcano would?" Luster asked.
"What?! As some creature moral, I have to be careful what I say, and be careful what others say." Sunshine Rays responded, just before they got another interruption from hearing Orange Fall's voice.
"Rose Red! We should start watching out how much water we are using!"
"Wow, just learning the news that Appleloosa is facing water shortage immediately got him to change." Evergreen commented.
The comment made Sunshine Rays get an idea.
"Wait, did you just say 'made him change'?" the pegasus asked.
"Yes, I said that the news made him change as he said that they should start watching out how much water they use, which mostly meant that they never did so before..." Evergreen replied.
"The newspaper influenced him! It affected him to change!" Sunshine Rays exclaimed.
"What does that have to do with the problem with my little sister?!" Yellow Bright asked.
"Don't you get it?! She must have been influenced to care about cleanliness so much, that she doesn't want to get dirty at all! What else can be the reason she changed?!" Sunshine Rays explained.
"You're right, Sunshine! Usually other than maturing, creatures won't change to become so different from themselves before the change, naturally. They must have been influenced by something! Like how the comprehension in your exam influenced you to become moral, when you were fourteen!" Luster exclaimed.
"Right...and every creature is kind of lucky that I had been moral ever since, although I still haven't been moral for longer than how long I was immoral...fourteen years..." Sunshine Rays answered.
"So, my little sister had been influenced by something to become the neurotic creature she is right now, but what?" Yellow Bright asked.
"Don't ask us, Yellow Bright. We know that Purple Blend is old enough to go around the neighbourhood without a grown-up accompanying her, and we have been letting her visit the shops and public places without us, so she can be influenced by anything!" Rose Red informed, walking into the living room.
"So we have too...search the entire neighbourhood for the influence?" Nature Bloom gulped.
"That can take ages! Even if the other half of the Heroic Ten were still with us!" Sunshine Rays dramatically exclaimed.
"Calm down, every creature, let's not just jump to something big, especially when it can be unnecessary." Luster told the others, before turning to asking Rose Red, "Since when did Purple Blend started to show signs of becoming neurotic as she is scared of getting dirty?"
"Since last Monday." Rose Red answered.
"I get what you're doing, you are looking for more details!" Nature Bloom figured.
"So you don't have to search so far!" Yellow Bright added.
"And do so many things you could have not do if you went on a huge search!" Evergreen went on.
"Exactly!" Luster responded to her best friends, before turning back to Rose Red, "Did she go anywhere after school?"
"Well, she did go to the Cafe near the school to spend some free time with her best friends at school, like she usually would before going home." Rose Red explained.
"Anything else?" Sunshine Rays questioned.
"She did take a little longer than usual to come home for a bath. And after that, she started cleaning up." Rose Red answered.
"Is that all?" Luster asked.
"That's all I can recall," the earth pony mare nodded.
"Alright, so this is all we know; whatever influenced Purple Blend must be encountered last Monday, before she reached home." Luster explained.
"Are you sure 'must' is the word to use? Because if you're wrong, or still have chances to be wrong, then the correct words to use is 'most likely' as in 'whatever influenced Purple Blend most likely was encountered last Monday before she reached home." Sunshine Rays corrected.
"Wow, you really are becoming like Volcano, so careful and concerned about vocabulary," Nature Bloom told the pegasus.
"I do it because of being moral." Sunshine Rays stated.
"Alright, so the influence was most likely encountered last Monday. So we have to search the cafe, and the area around, and the places along and around the trail from the school to the cafe, to home." Luster figured.
"That is still a lot to search!" Nature Bloom commented.
"Look on the bright side, it's still a lot lesser than all of Manehattan!" Yellow Bright pointed out.
"Yellow Bright, Evergreen and Nature Bloom, you all stay here and try to help Purple Blend, plus examine the apartment, just in case the influence is here." Luste instructed.
"Alright." Evergreen replied.
"Sure thing!" Yellow Bright saluted.
"Indeed," Nature Bloom nodded.
"Sunshine, you know influences as well as you know morality, you are undoubtedly fit for searching the streets for the influence with me." Luster declared.
"My pleasure Luster." the pegasus replied.
"I'm going too, you mares haven't been to Manhattan much, you might get lost!" Rose Red apprised.
"Alright, you can come too, just please don't go far from us." Luster informed.
"Uh, Luster? I know that you are 10 years older than your chronological age, but Yellow Bright's Mum is still older than you, by both biological and chronological ages! So I figure that the ones that shouldn't go far away from who is..."Sunshine Rays hushed.
"Oh, right..." Luster responded, before correcting her sentences, "I mean, don't worry, we'll stay close to you..."
After the three mares left,Nature Bloom asked, "What are we going to do to help Purple Blend?"
"Well...we can try to reason with her." Evergreen figured.
"But I already told you, she won't let any creature who didn't bathe here enter her room!" Yellow Bright cried.
"So we all have to bathe here?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Or maybe we instead of trying to go inside her room to get to her, let's try to get her to come outside her room to get to us..." Evergreen suggested.
In the streets of Manehattan, the mares were on their way to the Cafe, using the shortest route since it was the route that Purple Blend always used unless she had to take another path.
"Manehattan is actually very amazing, you and your family must be so lucky to live here, Madam Rose Red." Luster said, looking around.
"Indeed, Manehattan is unique in its own way of being a big, busy city." Rose Red replied.
"Wait a second, if we want to find the influence, we shouldn't just walk pass the stores! We should look inside them! In case Purple Blend went in to take a look and encountered the influence!" Sunshine Rays claimed.
"But, not all of us are expects like you, Sunshine! What if we did see the influence, but not know that it is the influence, and leave it?" Rose Red asked.
"You have to think. That's one of the most important parts of being moral, and helps you identify right and wrong." Sunshine Rays answered.
"But, Sunshine, it isn't right or wrong, but what can be the influence, that we're trying to identify!" Luster reminded.
"I'm just telling her that we have to think to identify what the influence is, or can be! Like, if Purple Blend is influenced to become so scared of bacteria and getting dirty, then whatever influenced her is most likely something related to dirtiness, or bacteria, or even them themselves!" Sunshine Rays explained.
"Sunshine, we cannot even see bacteria unless we have a microscope or cast a very difficult spell. And I haven't mastered that super difficult one..." Luster informed.
"True, but maybe Purple Blend read, or got a peek in a book or saw a poster that described bacteria in a super scary way that scared her into being neurotic!" Sunshine Rays pointed out.
"Are you sure you didn't write or make such things as the creature who scares immoral beings into stopping their wrongdoings by becoming Moonshade Fright?" Luster asked.
"WHAT?! I didn't do that! I actually haven't thought of hygiene situations, but that's not important right now! Let's just find the influence or whatever we think that can be the influence!" Sunshine Rays responded.
"That's what we'll do. And don't forget to ask the creatures who work there for information. Number one question should be asking them if they saw a preteen female purple-coated Earth Pony last Monday afternoon." Luster reminded.
"But wouldn't it take a long time to go into every store along the way and around the area and ask?" Rose Red asked.
"It will, but not when we split up and get it done in one third of the time!" Luster figured.
"But, what about not getting too far away?" Rose Red asked.
"We won't be far if we keep checking the stalls that surround this road, and meet up at the Cafe." Sunshine Rays assured.
"And to make sure that we really do cover more stores by not have two or all three of us going into the same store, we should plan out who goes to what store, and I already got it worked out: I will check the first store, which is the first one on the left, Sunshine will check the second store, which is the first one on the right, and Madam Rose Red, you will check the third store, which is second on the left." Luster explained.
"In case you didn't see the pattern, it goes horizontally and diagonally across the road. Odd number positions on the left, even number positions on the right, you cross the road horizontally to get from odd to the even number that's 1 more, and go diagonally across from even to the odd that is just 1 more." Sunshine Rays stated.
"And another pattern, but I think I'll just tell you your part so you won't get confused, or have to risk messing up calculations. Madam Rose Red, since you will start with the third store, which is the second on the left, your next store will be the sixth, which is third on the right, and then the ninth store which is the fifth on the left. We left you with the perfect multiples of 3 to check." Luster explained.
"Thanks, mares, but are you sure you can handle this?" Rose Red asked with concern.
"Of course we can! We've been through a lot of challenges in new, unfamiliar places like this! Just go on!" Sunshine Rays assured.
"Alright, see you mares at the cafe!" Rose Red replied, walking away.
"Alright, so you understand the pattern?" Luster asked.
"Sure thing! Since I start with the second store, my next store will be the fifth, then eighth! I will go in the pattern of multiples of 3 then minus 1." Sunshine Rays stated.
"Good. That leaves me checking out the first, fourth, seventh, tenth and so on in the multiples of 3, then minus 2!" Luster declared.
Meanwhile, in her room, Purple Blend was cleaning her table when she heard her brother calling, "Little sister! Guess what's outside your room waiting for you? Your favourite piece of Blueberry cake from your favourite Bakery in Manehattan!"
In the living room, the three creatures were waiting for the bait the yellow-coated Earth Pony bought to lure their target.
"Are you sure this will work?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Most likely will, I know my little sister, she loves this cake more than any other dessert!" Yellow Bright claimed.
"And you took a trip to get it!" Evergreen added.
"Thank you big brother..." Purple Blend began, as she galloped towards her older sibling, before screeching to a halt, asking, "Did you wash the hoof you are holding the cake on?"
"Of course I did! And washed the plate with the cake on it that I'm holding!" Yellow Bright replied.
"Because he's being a thoughtful big brother, knowing that his little sister couldn't stand any dirt or bacteria from outdoors..." Evergreen went on.
"Right..." Purple Blend replied, before walking off to the sink in the kitchen, while telling her older brother and his best friends, "Well, none of your not washed hooves or body parts should touch the cake nor the plate not even for a millisecond, while I wash my hooves before consuming that!"
"A millisecond? Is she that serious?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Maybe it's just an expression so she doesn't literally mean it?" Yellow Bright asked.
"I sure hope so." Evergreen added.
"I literally mean it!" Purple Blend announced, as she returned from the kitchen, walking with three hooves as she came, leaving her front left hoof available for lifting the plate with the cake on it. Once she got the plate and the dessert from her older brother, she continued, "Don't even think about touching the table with your not washed body parts!"
"Don't worry, we won't do that!" Evergreen assured.
"We probably won't do that to any creature's table." Nature Bloom added.
"So, little sister, now that you got your favourite treat, would you please talk to us while we're not so physically close to you, and not so far away?" Yellow Bright asked.
"Sure, but be quick." Purple Blend answered.
"Be quick? What's the rush?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Nothing's the rush, I just wanted to get back into my clean room as fast as possible." Purple Blend answered.
"Volcano would have corrected that 'fast' into 'soon', as in 'I wanted to get back into my clean room as soon as possible'." Yellow Bright imitated Volcano.
"Oh wonderful, when Volcano isn't here, the other Heroic Ten members correct sentences that used the wrong words?" Evergreen asked.
"Well, the more is usually the merrier." Nature Bloom figured.
"So, Purple Blend, little sister, don't you remember that you can always clean yourself up after getting dirty?" Yellow Bright asked.
"Sure, but it still isn't so good getting dirty out of wanting too!" Purple Blend argued.
"Yellow Bright's point isn't to encourage you to get yourself dirty on purpose! He's just telling you that you can't expect yourself to stay clean all the time! There are certain activities that you have to do, with no escape from getting dirty!" Evergreen tried to reason with the preteen Earth Pony.
"Well I'll just tell whoever tries to get me to participate in such activities that I'm not going to participate because I got an illness!" Purple Blend snapped.
"Maybe I should handle this, I'm usually the one creature who knows the nicest and least hurtful words." Nature Bloom suggested.
"Anything that can help!" Yellow Bright pleaded.
"Alright, Purple Blend, can you please reconsider and think of all the water, soap and resources that you are consuming because you are always cleaning once every now and then?" Nature Bloom asked in a soft-spoken tone that was very similar to Fluttershy's.
"I'm sorry, I just don't want to get dirty..." Purple Blend responded in a normal tone, unlike the tones that she used earlier that day around the visitors.
"I know how much we all like being clean, but there's a line between enough and too far. So will you please cut down your excessive cleaning and go back to a routine of cleaning once a day?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Uh, Nature? There are a few things that needed to be cleaned more than once everyday..." Yellow Bright reminded.
"Like the Dining Table, it needs to be cleaned before and after usage!" Evergreen stated an example.
"You heard them, just clean whenever there's a need to, not a desire to!" Nature Bloom turned back to Purple Blend.
"But, what if the bacteria multiplies before the next cleaning? And, forms...germs?" Purple Blend asked as she shivered when she was saying her last sentence out loud.
"I kind of wish Volcano was here, maybe he knows how germs and bacteria work." Yellow Bright stated.
"And tell us with one of his full of details explanations." Evergreen added.
"Purple Blend, will you please tell us what made you so scared of germs, bacteria, and dirtiness?" Nature Bloom asked in a concerned tone.
"I actually...am too afraid to even say it!" Purple Blend cried, running into her room after she finished her cake.
"Well, at least we talked a little sense into her, didn't we?" Yellow Bright commented after watching his little sister race off.
At the cafe, the three mares regrouped to tell each other the latest thing they knew.
"I checked all the stores on my list, and nothing can be the influence, because Purple Blend never went in last Monday, nor any other day that's close!" Luster reported.
"Asked, checked and looked all around, but nothing can be responsible for the neurotic behaviour!" Sunshine Rays informed.
"I got nothing too, and I'm thirsty!" Rose Red said, wiping her forehead with her front right hoof.
"Did you wash your hoof before you wipe your forehead like that?" Sunshine Rays asked.
"Sunshine! Not you too!" Luster cried.
"What?! I'm not affected! I advise that we all should wash our hooves whenever we want to wipe sweat off our faces and foreheads! Claws and wings are also the same story as in, using to wipe off sweat from faces and foreheads! It's good hygiene, not obsessed with cleanliness, nor neurotic." Sunshine Rays explained.
"Tell you what mares, I'm buying some tea from the Cafe for a little while, do you want a drink, too?" Rose Red asked.
"Well...I could use some liquid like healthy tea." Luster responded.
"I guess I'll have the same thing, because I am not very picky, and can't think of anything else." Sunshine Rays added.
"Alright, then three cups of healthy tea it is!" Rose Red said, walking to the counter.
"Quick, examine the place! Maybe the influence is around here!" Luster told Sunshine Rays.
"There's nothing here that can be the influence, I mean, it's usually very clean thanks to the 3 cleaners that work around here..." Sunshine Rays stated, looking around, "Except for that shelf full of magazines! Maybe Purple Blend saw something that scared her into being neurotic!"
"Let's check it out!" Luster declared, galloping to the shelf and using her magic to levitate the magazines.
"You sure are lucky that they haven't ordered magic-sealing defence system here, or you might not be able to levitate the magazines." Sunshine Rays stated.
"Very funny, Sunshine. Just help me look through these magazines, do any of them have something related to dirtiness, bacteria and germs enough to be the influence?" Luster asked.
"Not any so far through these pages...hold on, what's this?" Sunshine Rays asked as she stopped at one of the pages in a magazine, reading the title out loud, "Zombie Outbreak?! All begins in a very dirty place that isn't the dump nor the sewers. Thanks to a careless scientist, who threw his useless potion out the window and into the area full of germs and bacteria, the germs and bacteria were mutated into a living germ that the eyes can see without a microscope.The germ made a pony sick, then the pony, losing control of his own body and mind, sneezed on others to spread the disease...as they become...zombies..."
"That sounds extremely scary!" Luster cried.
"I may find scaring immoral creatures into stopping their wrongdoings somewhat amusing, but this kind of scare is not the kind I like! Plus, even though I do like fantasy, there's no way I'd like to write something like zombie outbreaks or vampire invasion or...anything like those!" Sunshine Rays exclaimed.
"And look, this story is in a cartoon magazine! According to Yellow Bright, his little sister is still a fan of cartoons despite her age." Luster added.
"So there are very high chances that this magazine was what she looked in last Monday, and saw that outbreak story which scared her!" Sunshine Rays figured.
"I'll ask her, and will be right back!" Luster declared, teleporting herself away.
"Where did Luster go? I thought she wanted healthy tea." Rose Red asked, approaching Sunshine Rays.
"Don't worry, Luster will be back. And the tea is obviously still hot because you can see steam coming out of them! It's probably just served, and too hot for drinking! We might just as well wait for Luster to come back before drinking, the tea probably would have cooled when that happens!" Sunshine Rays suggested.
"Come on Purple, there's nothing to be afraid of! Even when the micro-organisms multiply, it won't be as dirty as obvious when you clean it once a week or every 5 days!" Yellow Bright called through the closed door to his little sister's room.
The next second, Luster teleported herself right behind her best friends.
"Luster, you're back!" Evergreen responded.
"Yes, and I think Sunshine found out what the influence was, and I came back to make sure." Luster answered, before calling through the door, "Purple Blend, did you read a cartoon magazine last Monday at the cafe?"
"Yes! Like I always do!" Purple Blend answered.
"Did you read anything about a scary outbreak caused by a scientist who carelessly threw a useless potion into a dirt area with germs and bacteria?" Lusetr asked.
"DON'T ASK THAT!" was the response.
"Where did you get that idea?" Nature Bloom asked.
"It's not an idea, there's a story about that in a cartoon magazine that Sunshine Rays found on a shelf full of magazines for the customers of the cafe to read." Luster explained.
"And Purple Blend's reaction does support the theory that what you found in that magazine was the influence." Evergreen stated.
"Then it's got to be it! That magazine's story is the influence!" Yellow Bright exclaimed.
"Maybe we can write a letter to the writers of this magazine, and tell them to not put this kind of scary thing in magazines that youth most likely will read." Luster suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea to stop such things from happening again." Nature Bloom commented.
"But what about Purple Blend? She's still affected!" Evergreen asked.
"And train to take us home will be here in less than an hour!" Yellow Bright cried.
"I'll get Sunshine and Yellow Bright's Mum! We'll be back in a flash!" Luster declared, teleporting herself away.
Luster returned with Sunshine Rays and Rose Red after a few seconds, causing Yellow Bright to comment, "That was fast."
"How are we going to convince Purple Blend to stop being neurotic?" Rose Red asked.
"I remember a technique I used to prevent myself from getting affected by things that aren't good influences after becoming moral. Maybe that can help." Sunshine Rays stated.
"What is the technique?" Luster asked.
"It's zero!" Sunshine ays answered.
"Zero?!" every creature else asked in unison.
"You know, when you have zero of something, you have none! And if Purple Blend tells herself that there are zero outbreaks like the one she read about in that magazine, she might calm down, because zero means not a single one!" Sunshine Rays explained.
"Do you think it will work?" Nature Bloom asked.
"It better, because we're running out of time!" Yellow Bright cried.
"Quick! Get Purple Blend to talk to us!" Luster instructed the yellow-coated Earth Pony.
"Purple Blend!" Yellow Bright called as he knocked on her door.
"What do you want?!" Purple Blend asked.
"Just answer this question for a stat; what is the number for nothing?!" Yellow Bright responded.
"It's zero!" was the answer.
"Then whenever you are scared of something in a story that's not real, just remind yourself, there are zero of that thing in reality!" Yellow Bright called.
"You don't need to be afraid, the Heroic Ten will be writing some letters to the writers of that magazine!" Evergreen added.
"To tell them not to put such a scary thing in such magazines ever again!" Nature Bloom went on.
"And you got loads of heroes to protect you; the Council of Friendship, their graduated top six students at the School of Friendship who helped defeat Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, and the newest heroes, the Heroic Ten, including your own older brother!" Luster contributed.
"And good always triumphs over evil, some way!" Sunshine Rays ended.
"Purple Blend, just think of all the needs and bits you are consuming out of being neurotic! Don't you want to save more and spend less because you want to be selfless and care about others? Don't you want to do what has to be done like some creature moral? Don't you want to cooperate with others and listen? Don't you want to be positive like your big brother? Be the Element of Positivity in your own group of friends?" Yellow Bright asked, starting to get through to his younger sister.
"Remind her what you used to say about getting cleaned after getting dirty!" Luster whispered.
"And if you want to be positive, here's a quote that you probably need right now; If you get dirty, you can get clean, and it makes more sense to clean yourself after you are dirty, instead of all the time!" Yellow Bright called through the door.
"But you still got to clean yourself with a bath, once a day minimum!" Sunshine Rays reminded.
"And think about all the things you won't do if you continue being neurotic!" Evergreen contributed.
"No more painting, for a start..." Nature Bloom began.
"No more going out because you're scared of the germs and bacteria out there!" Luster went on.
"No more playing, not getting to see any of your friends, not go to your favourite places..." Sunshine Rays listed.
"And you'll be very bored, it's not worth it staying in your room, nor your apartment and never leaving. If you continued being neurotic, all those not so good things might happen! So will you please think again and stop being neurotic? There's actually nothing to be scared of!" Yellow Bright called one last time, before the door opened.
"Yellow Bright, I'm so glad that you're here." Purple Blend said, hugging her brother.
"What? But, little sis, I went out and didn't bathe here!" Yellow Bright cried.
"Now that you mentioned it, Purple Blend sure didn't touch any of us this whole time!" Evergreen recalled.
"Only because I was neurotic like what you all were saying, and I'm really sorry about how I acted, and what I did all because I was scared." Purple Blend apologised.
"That's alright, we forgive you." Nature Bloom assured.
"But, what made you change and get over your neurosis?" Luster asked.
"My brother!" Purple Blend happily answered.
"What?!" Yellow Bright asked.
"You never gave up on me, and I could sense how upset you were to know that I was neurotic by hearing your voice, and your speech was very convincing." Purple Blend commented.
"aw...thanks little sis..." Yellow Bright responded, warmed up by his success.
"I know this sounds a little extreme, but maybe we should write a letter to Princess Twilight Sparkle, telling her that it might be a lot better if she gave more cleaning jobs out to creatures who needed jobs, and had them to mop the floors and scrub the walls to make sure that they're even cleaner, because it is good to be hygienic and clean, but not too much of it." Sunshine Rays suggested.
"Are you sure reading that outbreak story really didn't affect you?" Luster asked.
"Of course not! Just thinking that maybe that way, Purple Blend will feel a lot safer, and the same goes for any creature else who was affected like her!" Sunshine Rays stated.
"Maybe we should do some research and double check whether we have those or not before we write. Anyway, I believe some creature learnt something about cleanliness, neurosis and positivity." Luster responded before turning to Purple Blend upon referring to the preteen Earth Pony.
"Write a letter to Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Ruler of Equestria?" Purple Blend asked.
"Don't worry, trust heroes are right around you!" Yellow Bright assured.
"Tell you what, I will write what you learnt today." Luster assured the purple Earth Pony, before saying out what she was writing on the scroll she was levitating, "Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of my best friends, Yellow Bright, has a family member who learnt something valuable today. She learnt that..."
"It is good to be clean and hygienic, but not to the point that you clean yourself countless times in a short period of time, as you will be consuming needs unnecessarily! Another thing that was learnt was, it really isn't good to be neurotic, as it will prevent you from doing lots of things, and could make you very bored! Last but not least, one more thing learnt was how amazing positivity can be, as it might be enough to convince some creature neurotic to change, especially when you show concern for them at the same time. That's all I got for now, hopefully I will learn more valuable lessons to share with you." Purple Blend said out loud.
"Signed, your faithful student, Luster Dawn." Luster ended, before sending the letter away with her magic.
"I hope that you can completely recover from that scary outbreak thing's effects, Purple Blend." Yellow Bright told his younger sister.
"Don't worry, I've already started recovering, thanks to you and your best friends." Purple Blend replied, hugging her brother once more.
"Maybe in just a few more days, she'll recover and get over completely!" Nature Bloom figured.
"Depends," Evergreen reminded.
"Thanks for getting Purple back to her regular self," Rose Red thanked the Heroic Ten members that were there.
"We're just doing what we should have done upon knowing what was happening." Luster answered.
"And you've really saved our water supply. I mean, I can't take how much water we've been using to clean this place recently!" Orange Fall said, walking towards every creature.
"Dad! Where have you been this whole time?" Yellow Bright asked.
"Trying to save our water, and find out how much we have been using! Can you believe how much we used?" was the response.
"No thanks, we got to catch a train!" Sunshine Rays informed.
Just then, a scroll from Princess Twilight Sparkle arrived, delivered by magic.
"Dear Luster Dawn, the last letter told me something good to know, and here's something good for you to know; your best friends Falcon Dive, Alkali, Volcano, Buffer and Krona helped every creature in Appleloosa solve the water problem, and taught us all to think twice, and taught us how every one of us counts and makes a difference. With the problem in Appleloosa solved, you and your best friends visiting Manhattan can just return to Ponyville." Luster read out loud.
"Really? They solved the problem?" Sunshine Rays asked in disbelief.
"Without us?" Nature Bloom added.
"But how?" Evergreen asked.
"We'll ask them once we're home." Luster announced, walking towards the door to exit the apartment.
"Goodbye!" Yellow Bright's family waved, as the visitors left.
After closing the door, the five creatures headed to the Train Station. Along the way, they had a conversation stated by Yellow Bright.
"So, once we're home, what are we going to do when we see the others?" the yellow Earth Pony asked.
"Tell them that your sister is alright now?" Sunshine Rays asked.
"And ask them how they solved the water shortage problem?" Evergreen went on.
"Whichever way it is." Luster figured.
"And any chance we'll come back here and visit my favourite places with all of you?" Yellow Bright went on, as the scene faded black.
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Wow Purple Blend, are you okay ?. Because it is not normal to go crazy for a cartoon magazine. I also think that it is better instead of denouncing the company that created that magazine, to take the girl to a psychologist.
I have a better idea, because we don't make young people use their brains and common sense a bit so they don't look like assholes.
Seriously, what happened to Equestria!