diff --git a/neopixel.py b/neopixel.py
index aca77d5..9840700 100644
--- a/neopixel.py
+++ b/neopixel.py
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2016 Damien P. George
 # Copyright (c) 2017 Scott Shawcroft for Adafruit Industries
-# Copyright (c) 2019 Carter Nelson
-# Copyright (c) 2019 Roy Hooper
 #
 # Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
 # of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
@@ -27,33 +25,28 @@
 `neopixel` - NeoPixel strip driver
 ====================================================
 
-* Author(s): Damien P. George, Scott Shawcroft, Carter Nelson, Roy Hooper
+* Author(s): Damien P. George & Scott Shawcroft
 """
 
+import math
+
 import digitalio
 from neopixel_write import neopixel_write
-try:
-    import _pixelbuf
-except ImportError:
-    import adafruit_pypixelbuf as _pixelbuf
-
 
 __version__ = "0.0.0-auto.0"
 __repo__ = "https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_CircuitPython_NeoPixel.git"
 
-
 # Pixel color order constants
-RGB = 'RGB'
+RGB = (0, 1, 2)
 """Red Green Blue"""
-GRB = 'GRB'
+GRB = (1, 0, 2)
 """Green Red Blue"""
-RGBW = 'RGBW'
+RGBW = (0, 1, 2, 3)
 """Red Green Blue White"""
-GRBW = 'GRBW'
+GRBW = (1, 0, 2, 3)
 """Green Red Blue White"""
 
-
-class NeoPixel(_pixelbuf.PixelBuf):
+class NeoPixel:
     """
     A sequence of neopixels.
 
@@ -64,7 +57,7 @@ class NeoPixel(_pixelbuf.PixelBuf):
       brightness
     :param bool auto_write: True if the neopixels should immediately change when set. If False,
       `show` must be called explicitly.
-    :param str: Set the pixel color channel order. GRBW is set by default.
+    :param tuple pixel_order: Set the pixel color channel order. GRBW is set by default.
 
     Example for Circuit Playground Express:
 
@@ -94,37 +87,28 @@ class NeoPixel(_pixelbuf.PixelBuf):
             pixels[::2] = [RED] * (len(pixels) // 2)
             time.sleep(2)
     """
-    bpp = None
-    n = 0
-
     def __init__(self, pin, n, *, bpp=3, brightness=1.0, auto_write=True, pixel_order=None):
-        self.bpp = bpp
-        self.n = n
-
-        if not pixel_order:
-            pixel_order = GRB if bpp == 3 else GRBW
-        else:
-            self.bpp = bpp = len(pixel_order)
-            if isinstance(pixel_order, tuple):
-                order_chars = RGBW
-                order = []
-                for char_no, order in enumerate(pixel_order):
-                    order[pixel_order] = order_chars[char_no]
-                pixel_order = ''.join(order)
-
-        super().__init__(n, bytearray(self.n * bpp),
-                         brightness=brightness,
-                         rawbuf=bytearray(self.n * bpp),
-                         byteorder=pixel_order,
-                         auto_write=auto_write)
-
         self.pin = digitalio.DigitalInOut(pin)
         self.pin.direction = digitalio.Direction.OUTPUT
+        self.n = n
+        if pixel_order is None:
+            self.order = GRBW
+            self.bpp = bpp
+        else:
+            self.order = pixel_order
+            self.bpp = len(self.order)
+        self.buf = bytearray(self.n * self.bpp)
+        # Set auto_write to False temporarily so brightness setter does _not_
+        # call show() while in __init__.
+        self.auto_write = False
+        self.brightness = brightness
+        self.auto_write = auto_write
 
     def deinit(self):
         """Blank out the NeoPixels and release the pin."""
-        self.fill(0)
-        self.show()
+        for i in range(len(self.buf)):
+            self.buf[i] = 0
+        neopixel_write(self.pin, self.buf)
         self.pin.deinit()
 
     def __enter__(self):
@@ -136,6 +120,100 @@ def __exit__(self, exception_type, exception_value, traceback):
     def __repr__(self):
         return "[" + ", ".join([str(x) for x in self]) + "]"
 
+    def _set_item(self, index, value):
+        if index < 0:
+            index += len(self)
+        if index >= self.n or index < 0:
+            raise IndexError
+        offset = index * self.bpp
+        r = 0
+        g = 0
+        b = 0
+        w = 0
+        if isinstance(value, int):
+            if value>>24:
+                raise ValueError("only bits 0->23 valid for integer input")
+            r = value >> 16
+            g = (value >> 8) & 0xff
+            b = value & 0xff
+            w = 0
+            # If all components are the same and we have a white pixel then use it
+            # instead of the individual components.
+            if self.bpp == 4 and r == g and g == b:
+                w = r
+                r = 0
+                g = 0
+                b = 0
+        elif (len(value) == self.bpp) or ((len(value) == 3) and (self.bpp == 4)):
+            if len(value) == 3:
+                r, g, b = value
+            else:
+                r, g, b, w = value
+        else:
+            raise ValueError("Color tuple size does not match pixel_order.")
+
+        self.buf[offset + self.order[0]] = r
+        self.buf[offset + self.order[1]] = g
+        self.buf[offset + self.order[2]] = b
+        if self.bpp == 4:
+            self.buf[offset + self.order[3]] = w
+
+    def __setitem__(self, index, val):
+        if isinstance(index, slice):
+            start, stop, step = index.indices(len(self.buf) // self.bpp)
+            length = stop - start
+            if step != 0:
+                length = math.ceil(length / step)
+            if len(val) != length:
+                raise ValueError("Slice and input sequence size do not match.")
+            for val_i, in_i in enumerate(range(start, stop, step)):
+                self._set_item(in_i, val[val_i])
+        else:
+            self._set_item(index, val)
+
+        if self.auto_write:
+            self.show()
+
+    def __getitem__(self, index):
+        if isinstance(index, slice):
+            out = []
+            for in_i in range(*index.indices(len(self.buf) // self.bpp)):
+                out.append(tuple(self.buf[in_i * self.bpp + self.order[i]]
+                                 for i in range(self.bpp)))
+            return out
+        if index < 0:
+            index += len(self)
+        if index >= self.n or index < 0:
+            raise IndexError
+        offset = index * self.bpp
+        return tuple(self.buf[offset + self.order[i]]
+                     for i in range(self.bpp))
+
+    def __len__(self):
+        return len(self.buf) // self.bpp
+
+    @property
+    def brightness(self):
+        """Overall brightness of the pixel"""
+        return self._brightness
+
+    @brightness.setter
+    def brightness(self, brightness):
+        # pylint: disable=attribute-defined-outside-init
+        self._brightness = min(max(brightness, 0.0), 1.0)
+        if self.auto_write:
+            self.show()
+
+    def fill(self, color):
+        """Colors all pixels the given ***color***."""
+        auto_write = self.auto_write
+        self.auto_write = False
+        for i, _ in enumerate(self):
+            self[i] = color
+        if auto_write:
+            self.show()
+        self.auto_write = auto_write
+
     def write(self):
         """.. deprecated: 1.0.0
 
@@ -148,8 +226,7 @@ def show(self):
 
         The colors may or may not be showing after this function returns because
         it may be done asynchronously."""
-        neopixel_write(self.pin, self.buf)
-
-    def fill(self, color):
-        """Colors all pixels the given ***color***."""
-        _pixelbuf.fill(self, color)
+        if self.brightness > 0.99:
+            neopixel_write(self.pin, self.buf)
+        else:
+            neopixel_write(self.pin, bytearray([int(i * self.brightness) for i in self.buf]))
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 5feab09..edf9394 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,2 +1 @@
 Adafruit-Blinka
-adafruit-circuitpython-pypixelbuf
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 19b9d72..b2eb264 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
     author='Adafruit Industries & Damien P. George',
     author_email='circuitpython@adafruit.com',
 
-    install_requires=['Adafruit-Blinka', 'adafruit-circuitpython-pypixelbuf'],
+    install_requires=['Adafruit-Blinka'],
 
     # Choose your license
     license='MIT',