“All right, girls, wake up! We've got a big day of work ahead of us.” An aging brown stallion said. The stallion wore a tie and a bowler hat over his mane.
“Yes, father.” Two fillies replied in unison, rising and getting out of their beds. As they filed out, their father noticed that one of his daughters was missing. He walked over to the third bed with a brow raised.
“Pinkamena, wake up. You know we have work to do.” He said, gently shaking her.
“Five more minutes, father.” The pink filly mumbled.
Her father sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that. I need you and your sisters to move all the rocks to the north field by midday.”
The pink filly immediately rose after hearing that. “Why does it have to be the north field?”
“The rotation from field to field every few weeks help keeps the soil full of nutrients, which allows for better soil to grow crops with.” Her father explained.
“Except we don’t grow any crops.” Pinkamena replied as she got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She picked up an apple to eat and took a bite, before looking up and seeing her mother looking at her.
Pinkamena swallowed and nodded in her mother’s direction. “Yes, mother?”
“I was wondering when you would join us, Pinkamena. Anyway, could you be a dear and head to the market? I need some produce for tonight’s dinner.”
“What kind of produce do you need, mother?” Pinkamena asked.
“It would be nice to have some lettuce or tomatoes. A few apples might be good too.”
“Alright mother, I'll make a trip to the market, but father needs me and the sisters to move the rocks to the north field."
Her mother looked at her over her glasses. “Then you’d best hurry if you want to be eating any more apples today.”
Pinkamena nodded solemnly and devoured the rest of her apple. She deposited the core in a nearby wastebasket, and quickly trotted outside to join her sisters.
A few hours later, Pinkamena was walking throughout the marketplace, a saddlebag on her back which contained a bag with a bunch of bits inside it. Seeing a table that had several fruits on it, she decided to stop there.
“Afternoon.” The mare behind the table said automatically.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. I was wondering if you have any lettuce, tomatoes and apples.”
The mare gestured to what was on the table. “What ya see is what ya get, kid.”
“Oh, alright.” The foal replied, taking two heads of lettuce and about five apples.
“That’ll be about fifteen bits, kid.”
Pinkamena took out her bag and dropped the amount on the table. She then placed the bag and the produce in her saddlebag, knocking a round looking object off the table onto the ground.
The mare was quick to pick it up off the ground. “Hey, watch it! You break it, you buy it!”
As Pinkamena gazed at the object, she gave a look of confusion. “What exactly is that?”
Now it was the mare’s turn to look confused. “I’m not entirely sure. I think it’s some type of fruit or something, but it doesn’t look too edible.”
The “fruit” was violet in color and spherical in shape, with a remarkably curly stem. It was also covered with swirls all over it.
“How much does it cost?” the pink filly inquired.
This surprised the mare. “You’d be willing to eat this?”
“Yes. You said it was a fruit, so I’ll eat it. So how much is it?” she repeated.
The mare stroked her chin in thought while grinning to herself. “Ya know kid; I haven’t been able to sell this fruit, since so many people think it’s cursed or something. So I’ll strike ya a deal. I’ll let you have this fruit, but only if you eat it right now.” The mare then held the fruit out for Pinkie to take.
Pinkie eyed the fruit warily, but took it from the mare all the same. She stared for a few minutes, enticing a ‘get on with it!’ from the mare.
“Sure. Here goes…” Pinkamena took a bite out of the fruit, cringing at the taste and causing the mare to laugh. Resisting the urge to vomit, she steeled herself and consumed the rest of it.
The mare had finally stopped laughing at this point. “So, how was it?”
“It tasted awful.”
The mare chuckled. “That figures. Do you feel any different?”
Pinkamena moved each of her legs a little and walked in place for a bit. “Not really.”
“It’s probably cause it all went to ya hair!” the mare joked, handing Pinkamena a mirror. The pink foal was shocked to see her normally straight mane had somehow gotten poofy and frizzy.
“Oh no! Mother and Father aren’t going to be happy about this…” Pinkamena exclaimed. Looking up at the sky, she noticed the sun’s position for the first time in a while. “I need to get home! Thanks for the produce ma’am!” The pink filly yelled over her shoulder as she ran home.
The sun was setting when Pinkamena finally made it home. She ran inside her home as quickly as she could, seeing her family gathered around the dinner table already, enjoying a meal. Her mother frowned as she entered, while her father raised an eyebrow and her sisters looked relieved.
She took off her saddlebags, placing them in the middle of the table. “You all started dinner without me?”
Her father gave her a questioning look. “Pinkamena, where have you been?” He then did a double take. “Also, what happened to your hair?”
The filly looked confused. “I was at the market buying produce for tonight’s dinner.”
“That doesn’t answer the question, Pinkamena. I sent you there around noon, but you just returned a few minutes ago, when the sun has nearly set.” Her mother butted in.
“Cloudy, we agreed I would handle this.” Her father replied.
Cloudy Quartz gave him a small glare, but nodded all the same. “Alright, Igneous.”
Igneous Rock turned back to his daughter. “You mother raises a valid point, dear. You returned much later than expected. What were you doing during the time that expired?”
Pinkamena looked at her father with pleading eyes. “Father, I simply went to the market, bought some produce, and ate a strange fruit that the vendor offered me.” She replied, making sure to say the last part quietly.
Her father’s ears pricked at the words ‘strange fruit’. “Wait, a strange fruit? What exactly do you mean?”
Pinkamena held her hooves about a foot apart. “It was about this big and had a lot of swirls on it. The vendor who gave it to me said it may have been cursed, which may be true due to how horrible it tasted.”
Her mother interrupted her, “Pinkamena Diane Pie, what have I and your father said about taking things from strangers?! You could be poisoned for all we know!” She then turned to her husband, who seemed to be deep in thought. “Igneous?”
The single stallion left his trance and firmly said, “I need to send a letter to your mother.”
About a week later, Pinkamena woke up to the sound of multiple adults talking. She walked into the kitchen to see her parents, a white pegasus filly with a blonde mane who looked bored, and an elderly mare whose fur and mane were almost as pink as her own.
“Granny Pie?” she asked, rubbing some of the sleep out of her eyes.
The senior smiled and nodded in appreciation as Pinkamena looked at the pegasus. “Who is this?”
“Pinkie, meet your cousin, Surprise.” She looked at the pegasus, but she only blew a strand of her mane out of her face, saying nothing.
Her father gave Granny Pie an irritated look. “Now Granny, we've been over this. Her name is Pinkamena.”
The elder mare laughed at this. “Sure, son-in-law, I’ll let my youngest granddaughter keep a name that scares ponies. Not while she’s at my rock farm.”
Igneous gave her an incredulous look. “What’s wrong with the name Pinkamena?”
“That’s the name I’d expect a crazed female guard to have. Who came up with it, anyway?”
“Cloudy Quartz, your daughter.”
Granny Pie simply stared at him. “Are you sure?”
Igneous glared at her. “Of course I’m sure! What kind of father doesn’t know who named his daughter?”
Pinkie ignored the adults’ argument and looked at her parents quizzically. “Mother, father, what does she mean?”
“We think that given recent events, you should spend some time with your grandmother. It’s been years since you were at her farm anyway.” Cloudy explained.
This did little to convince Pinkie. “But, why?”
“You see, Pinkamena-” her father began, only to get interrupted by Granny Pie.
“Listen, dear. Your parents informed me of you eating a strange fruit. I don’t know much, but it sounds an awful lot like a devil fruit to me.”
“Devil Fruit?”
The elder mare nodded. “Yes. While not much is known about devil fruits, it is known that past devil fruit users were persecuted by normal ponies.”
Pinkie looked down at her fore hooves in thought. “So you think that I ate a devil fruit, and you want me to go to your farm for protection?”
“I want you to develop your powers in a safe environment, so that you will be able to go into the world and stay safe.”
“This is why you’re going to be spending time at your grandmother’s rock farm with your cousin.” Igneous added.
Pinkie turned to look at Surprise, who finally looked back at her. The filly regarded her a moment, before smirking wickedly at her. This put her in a state of uneasiness.
“So Pinkie, I expect you to be packed and ready to go in about ten minutes. We have to get back to my farm before dusk.”
This surprised the filly. “Wait, I don’t have a choice in the matter?”
Granny Pie gave her granddaughter a grim look. “Dear, past devil fruit users have been killed by the Royal Guard simply for existing. I was called by your parents to keep you alive, and I will not fail.”
Pinkie nodded sadly and went back to the room she shared with her sisters. It took her only seven minutes to pack her saddlebags with her belongings, as she didn’t have many things she called her own anyway. She walked back into the kitchen to find Granny Pie and Surprise not there, but her parents and sisters were present.
Her father did not speak, and her sisters simply gave her teary eyed looks. They then both rushed towards her and hugged her.
“Bye, Pinkie.” Limestone choked out.
“Have a safe trip.” Marble added.
The two stepped back and Cloudy Quartz stepped up, holding what looked like an article of clothing.
“Pinkie, this is a vest that I made for you. I know most ponies only wear clothes half the time anyway, but I thought it would be a nice memento to remind you of home.”
Pinkie took the vest from her mother and held it close to her chest, tears in her eyes now. She quickly hugged her mother, who hugged her back in response.
“Thank you, mother. I’ll treasure it.”
Pinkie took the time to put the vest on, but heard her grandmother yell as she was putting her saddlebags back on, “Pinkie, we have to leave now!”
Pinkie gave her family one last look, before running outside to join her grandmother and cousin.
“It’s about time you joined us. What were you doing?” Granny Pie asked as she and Pinkie began walking, Surprise flying beside them.
Pinkie looked down as they continued to walk. “I was saying my goodbyes, Granny.”
The elder mare noticed her granddaughter’s tear-filled eyes and smiled. “Don't worry, Pinkie. If all goes well, you'll be able to see them again in less than a month.”
This brought a smile to the filly’s face, but her face quickly took on a confused look. “What do you mean by ‘if all goes well’?”
“If we discover your powers soon enough, you can spend less time worrying and more time mastering them.” Granny Pie replied.
Pinkie nodded as Surprise flew above her with a bored expression on her face, which reminded her of something she hadn't thought of before. “Surprise, how come I've never heard of you before?”
Surprise regarded her for a few seconds, before scoffing, still wearing the same bored expression as before. She didn't answer, opting to simply stare at her.
Pinkie gave her an annoyed look. “Are you going to answer?”
Surprise continued to stay silent as she flew backwards; Granny Pie then replied, “Surprise doesn't usually speak openly to strangers, dear.”
“Why?”
Granny Pie shrugged as Surprise flew a few feet ahead of them. “I'm not entirely sure. She never seems to talk much when she’s around me.”
“So why did you bring her to the farm to meet me?” Pinkie asked, curiously.
Granny Pie made sure Surprise was out of earshot before responding, “For the same reason as you, actually.”
Pinkie’s bright blue eyes widened. “Really?! She’s a devil fruit user?”
“I believe so. Her parents informed me of her rejecting swimming a few days before I came to get her, even though she was a great swimmer before.”
“So what can she do?” Pinkie asked excitedly.
Granny Pie gave a look of exasperation before replying, “That’s the problem; I don't know. Like you, I originally brought her here so she could develop her abilities.”
“You don't sound too happy about it.”
Granny Pie looked on as Surprise did a small loop-de-loop a few feet away. “I brought Surprise here three years ago, when she was the same age as you are now. Since then she has resisted me at nearly every turn, and I've made little progress towards discovering her powers, if any.”
“So it seems she’s just like me.”
“There are many ponies like you in the world, dear. You aren't the only devil fruit user in the world, you know.”
The sun was setting as the three of them arrived at Granny Pie’s farm. It was much larger than the one Pinkie had previously lived on. The fields were much bigger, there was a mess hall and a house that was undoubtedly Granny Pie's home, and there were two rows of cabins to provide housing for the workers. There were many different workers of different races and genders, from the three races of ponies to griffins and even a minotaur or two.
Pinkie looked on in awe as she witnessed one of the minotaur punch a gigantic boulder, shattering it into many smaller pieces. “Whoa... Granny, you never wrote about the farm being this big.”
“There was never a reason to. Besides, your parents wouldn't have agreed if they knew the full extent of what you will be doing here.”
“I'll just be training, right?” Pinkie asked, giving a concerned look.
“That is how you will spend most of your time here, yes.” She then looked up at Surprise. “Take her to her new quarters, Surprise, and tell Screwball to come to me. I need to talk to her.”
Surprise nodded and motioned for Pinkie to follow her. She led the younger filly to a small cabin with nothing inside aside from three beds and a drawer. One of the beds was already occupied with another filly, this one an earth pony with violet fur and a white and violet two-toned mane.
Surprise set down her saddlebags on her bed and nudged Screwball, who was sleeping. “Wake up, Screwball. The mistress needs your assistance.” She said in a partially annoyed voice.
Pinkie grinned broadly. “So you can talk!” she exclaimed.
Surprise glared over her shoulder at her as Screwball woke up. “Is that you, Surprise? What did you say?”
“The mistress needs you.” She repeated.
“Oh. Did your trip go well?” Screwball asked as she got up and stretched.
“It went about as well as the last. The mistress takes me to another farm and all we've done is brought back a little kid.” Surprise deadpanned.
“At least you get to go places. I've been stuck here pretty much all my life.” Screwball replied, walking outside to find Granny Pie. Pinkie looked at Surprise, who was standing near her own bed. The filly sat on the only empty bed and took off her saddlebags, setting them on the bed beside her.
“Surprise, what did you mean when you called Granny Pie-” she stopped when she saw that Surprise was gone, and that she was alone in the cabin.
“Oh, OK. I'll just go to sleep now. ” she said to herself. She looked outside, noting how dark it was, and laid down under her covers to get some sleep.
“Wake up! Wake up, kid!”
Pinkie sat up to find Surprise hovering above her bed, wearing an annoyed look. “It’s about time you woke up.”
Pinkie looked outside her window to find that the sun had barely begun to rise. “What time is it?”
“It’s time to work. The mistress wants you with me and Screwball so that we can teach you the ropes.” Surprise replied in an annoyed voice.
Pinkie got out of bed and the two began to walk outside. “You don't sound happy about teaching me.”
“I’m not.” Surprise deadpanned.
The two fillies continued to walk toward the mess hall to get some breakfast. They entered to see only a few ponies sitting at a table eating, chatting with a couple of griffins. Surprise went to the counter and got two plates of daisy sandwiches from the cook and gave one plate to Pinkie. She then led her over to the table where the other occupants were sitting.
“What exactly am I going to be doing here?”
Surprise didn't reply, opting to instead take a bite out of one of her sandwiches. As Pinkie groaned in annoyance, one of the older ponies gave her an understanding look.
“Don't worry about her. She’s like that to everybody who’s new.” The pony said with a reassuring nod.
“Even family, it seems.” Pinkie replied, taking a bite of a sandwich as she thought back to what her grandmother had said.
Surprise devoured another three sandwiches as Screwball walked in, frantically trying to get her beanie to stay on her head.
“You still trying to get that thing to stay on that crazed mane of yours, Screwball?” Surprise asked, cracking a small smile at the sight.
Screwball took a hoof full of Surprise’s sandwiches in response. “Come on, you two, let’s get to work.”
Pinkie looked up from her plate to see the other two already out the door. She grabbed another sandwich as she ran straight into a particularly well built and stocky pegasus stallion. He lifted the brim of his hat and looked down on her, making her feel much smaller than before.
“Sorry, sir.” She said quickly, before dashing out the door. The stallion looked at the other ponies in confusion, who merely shrugged.
“C’mon, Pinkie, it isn't that hard.” Screwball said as she and Surprise watched Pinkie struggle to lift a boulder.
“Shouldn't I build my strength before trying this?” Pinkie gasped as she stepped back from the boulder. She plopped down on her haunches to get some rest.
“This is your strength-building exercise. This boulder probably only weighs about five hundred pounds; Surprise and I lift boulders much heavier than this.”
“Easy for you to say, you've done this so many times before.” The pink filly replied.
“True, but breaking boulders isn't exactly rocket science.”
Deciding that she had had enough of this, Surprise walked up to the boulder, shoved Pinkie aside, and lifted the boulder easily with one hoof. She gave Pinkie with a look of disappointment, before punching the boulder with her free hoof, splitting it into two.
Pinkie looked at her cousin in awe. “How did you do that?”
“There’s more to breaking rocks than strength.” Surprise replied simply.
“Really? It looks like you used just that to break the boulder.”
“She didn’t. Almost every boulder has a weak spot you can exploit when you're trying to shatter it. By exploiting this, we can conserve our strength and keep our hooves safe.” Screwball explained.
“Why is this important?”
“It’s important if you don't want your hooves covered in your own blood and your bones broken. It's possible to do this with brute force alone, but you aren't even half as strong as you'd need to be to do that, despite being an earth pony.” Surprise said while rolling her eyes.
There was a pregnant pause before Pinkie spoke again. “How do I find the weak spot?”
“You usually have to feel for a spot where the rock looks weak. Once you learn what to look for such things, you'll be able to do it instantly, like Surprise just did.”
Surprise walked over to the pile of rocks they were assigned to break and effortlessly lifted one similar in size to the one she had previously broken. She set it in front of Pinkie and smirked at her.
“Break it.”
Pinkie gulped loudly and looked at the boulder that had been set in front of her. She moved her hoof over its surface, eventually finding a crack that she could exploit. She then punched the rock as hard as she could, which caused it to split in two.
Pinkie stared down at her hoof, astonished. “That didn't hurt at all!”
Surprise raised an eyebrow as Screwball looked Pinkie’s hoof over. “Not even a scratch, despite the fact that you used mostly brute force; your hoof should be bleeding right now.”
“This could have something to do with her devil fruit powers.” Surprise said as she smashed another rock.
“Immunity to blunt force is a devil fruit power?” Screwball asked with an eyebrow raised.
Surprise lifted another boulder and set it in front of Pinkie. “Why not? It’s pretty useless, but at least she won’t die if she’s tossed off a cliff.”
This caused Pinkie’s eyes to widen slightly. “You wouldn't do that, would you?”
“No! What would ever give you that idea? Granny Pie on the other hoof…” Screwball mused as she looked over the boulder.
Pinkie tried to ignore what they had said as she focused on what her devil fruit powers could be. “I need to talk to Granny Pie.” She said, beginning to walk off.
“Hey, you’re not done training yet.” Surprise said as she reached out and grabbed Pinkie’s hoof.
“Let go of me, Surprise. I need to talk to-” she paused as she looked back to see her hoof stretching about ten feet away from her. Surprise was staring at her with a look of pure shock, and Screwball was running her hoof along Pinkie’s elongated hoof.
“So the mistress wasn't lying.” Surprise remarked as she let go of Pinkie’s hoof, which snapped back to its normal length. “You do have powers.”
“Her power is stretching?” Granny Pie asked.
Screwball nodded, gently nudging Pinkie. The filly then grabbed her face and pulled, stretching it comically.
“She also seems immune to most forms of blunt force.” Screwball added.
Granny Pie raised a hoof to her chin in thought. “That’s strange. I've only heard of one devil fruit that could bestow such powers: the Gum-Gum fruit. It can turn a pony’s entire body into rubber. Good thing too, it protected the previous users from falls…”
This caused Pinkie to blink rapidly. “Wait, you knew somepony with the same devil fruit powers as me?”
Granny Pie sighed before answering. “Yes, I knew him when I was younger. He was good friend of mine, if a bit crazy.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wanted to be Equestria’s first Pirate King.”
The three fillies’ eyes widened at this. They looked at Granny Pie with incredulous looks. Then Screwball's face changed to one of puzzlement.
“Why?”
Granny shook her head. “He wanted to go on a great adventure rift with danger and chaos. On his journey to become the king of the seas, he fought many for the title, saved countless lives in the process, and quickly became a force to be reckoned with.”
“Despite the fact that he couldn't swim, and was probably a danger to himself and his crew.”
“Every devil fruit user is at risk at sea, dear. That’s just the way it is.”
Pinkie then spoke up, “Granny, why are you telling us this? Do you know how to help me control your powers?”
Granny shook her head. “I’m afraid not, dear. While I did know the previous wielder of the Gum-Gum fruit’s powers, I was not privy to its secrets. If you want to discover its potential, you must discover it on your own. But I must warn you, mastering the powers of the devil fruit can take years.”
Pinkie looked down in sadness, causing Screwball to try to comfort her by putting a hoof around her. “We can help you if you want. It’d be a nice change of pace from the daily grind.”
Pinkie shook her head. “I need to get some air. I’ll see you in a bit.” She quickly ran outside before anypony else could say a word.
“Good going, Screwball. Now the kid’s run off to join the circus.” Surprise remarked.
Screwball glared at Surprise, before replying, “C’mon, Surprise, we have to make sure she doesn't get hurt or lost.” Surprise rolled her eyes as the two ran off to find the pink filly.
Pinkie’s head was swimming in thought as she walked alongside the edge of her grandmother’s farm. At this point, she wasn't on the property anymore, and could see an ocean in the distance. She stopped on the dirt road she had walked to get here just yesterday to try and collect her thoughts.
“I have to figure out my powers on my own, but I have no idea how to start…” She trailed off, looking at the ocean while pondering her situation.
“What powers?” asked a voice.
“She must be one of those devil fruit users I've heard so much about.” replied another.
Slightly scared now, Pinkie turned to see a stallion and a mare looking down at her with looks of pure greed.
“You think we could sell her for any bits?”
The stallion pondered it for a bit. “If we could prove the existence of her powers, we could get quite the sum of money for her.” He gave Pinkie a look that unsettled her. “What do you think, kid?”
“I think you should leave me alone.”
The mare pretended to consider this course of action. “That’s not an option, kid. But I’ll tell you what: we'll give you a five second head start.” When she noticed that Pinkie hadn’t moved, she laughed darkly. “That’s your cue to start running, kid.”
“No. I don't want to fight you, but I won't run away.”
The mare raised an eyebrow at this. “You don't want to run? Fine by me.” She punched Pinkie hard in the jaw, causing her to fly back onto the ground. As Pinkie got up, she spat some blood out of her mouth.
Gritting her teeth, Pinkie said nothing as she ran at the two of them. She tried to punch the mare, but she easily dodged the blow, causing Pinkie to face plant in the dirt.
The mare slammed a fore hoof on Pinkie’s back as the stallion watched, a smile plastered onto his ugly mug. She then brought her mouth to Pinkie’s ears and whispered, “Anything you'd like to say before I put you under?”
Pinkie tried to struggle to no avail “Let me go!”
The mare smiled sadistically. “Cute. Well, it’s been fun, but I think you've bitten off more than you can chew.”
“Chew on this!”
It was at that moment that two holes appeared in the ground. A few seconds later, two eyes rolled into those holes like dice. This in turn created a pony in the ground, who jumped up so incredibly fast that she could barely be seen and punched the mare so hard that she flew back about ten feet and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
This surprised the stallion. “What in Celestia’s name is this?!”
The pony pointed to the stallion’s left. “Watch your flank.”
The stallion did as he was told, and was promptly hit in the face from a kick from an angry pegasus. He flew off the road and landed painfully on his stomach, knocked out. The other pony landed near Pinkie and immediately began looking her over.
“You ok, Pinkie?” Surprise asked with a worried look in her eyes.
Pinkie looked at her and Screwball in Surprise as they helped her up. “Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just surprised that you two came to save me.”
“You thought we didn't care about you?” Screwball asked, somewhat hurt.
Pinkie looked off to the side. Surprise sighed before speaking, “Look Pinkie, neither one of us is exactly thrilled you're here, and neither one of us are used to having another filly around. Especially one that's family. But it was kind of cool how you stood up to those two jerks.”
“But despite that, we need to teach you how to fight.” Screwball added.
Surprise nodded. “I'll say. We can't have you losing like that again.”
"Will Granny Pie let us do that?" Pinkie asked.
Surprise gave a grin. "I've been here long enough to know that she doesn't care what we do, as long as we meet that quota of her's. So, are you in?"
Pinkie pondered their words for a minute, and then turned to look at the two of them. To her delight, they had looks of compassion and smiles on their faces. Self-assured of their intentions, she replied, “OK. Let’s do it."