Chapter 31: The Mysterious Madam Glass
Sisstet followed Madam Glass out through the front door and into the sunlight. The house was positioned, so the sun was currently beaming brightly onto the yard in front of the house, and he could only presume that the backyard was nice and shady. The grass was even, without a single blade of it higher than any other. The bushes, when not shaped into leafy displays of ponies or animals, were squared, and not a single leaf or twig was out of place. There were four ponies that he could see tending to every shrub, bulb, and vine with extreme care. Looking at this, it occurred to him that perfect houses required a lot of work to maintain.
"Madam Glass, ma'am, I have a quessstion," Sisstet said as he continued to observe his surroundings, testing the air with his tongue–it tasted very fresh, with hints of sweat in it.
"Nothin' wrong with askin' questions. It's how we learn best. What question do you have for ol' Madam Glass?" the old servant asked with a smile.
"Why does it take more ponies to keep the yard nice?" he asked. "You said it was just you and the cook that came inside. How does the inside stay so nice and clean with just you two, but the yard has all these ponies working on it?"
Madam Glass chuckled. "Oh! You're a perceptive one, young master. The mister and misses will be quite pleased to hear that. The answer is that out here, there be so much more trying to break down the order of the place, don't ya know. The trees, grass, and bushes be tryin' to grow how they want to grow and not how the mister and the misses want them to. Ya can try to tell a tree not to do that, but trees are stubborn and ain't the types to listen to those instructions. Furthermore, there is the wind and the rain and the sun out here. Them pegasus ponies do a brilliant job telling the weather what's what, but the weather still will shift the dirt and blow the dust and make things a mess. Ay tell ya, its enough to drive a good servant to drink, as it did my ol' pa many a day."
"Oh," Sisstet said, taking notice more of the light breeze that was currently blowing.
The old servant bent down and partially covered her mouth to do a whisper. "But the biggest reason is, ol' Madam Glass ain't got a green hoof like these servants out here do; otherwise, ay'd put this yard to right faster than any of 'em. I keep the house clean, not letting a single speck of dust settle."
He blinked at her. "All by yourself?"
She nodded. "All by myself. Not a thing out of place inside the mansion. Ay have my pride. Now, it's rude to block the front door. Let's take a little stroll…slither in your case."
Sisstet followed close behind as they left the porch and ventured out into the yard. Upon leaving the path into the grass, he savored the feel of the grass against his still very sore body. This grass even felt different than the grass in the rest of town, like a fuzzy blanket. It was much thicker than it looked too.
They came up to the unicorn mare who had earlier been trimming the bush to look like a snake monster. She didn't seem to notice them since her focus seemed to be entirely on her unfinished work. The shears levitated in her magic, but she wasn't currently using them. She was staring at the bush and muttering at it.
"How to salvage this? How to salvage this?" the gardener fretted. "They should have let me get a good look at him before having me start this or give me a photo or something. How was I supposed to know what a naga looked like? I wasn't anywhere near the fighting during the war; I only heard stories. I might have to ask the earth ponies to pull up the whole bloody bush and plant another. They won't like that…."
"If ay may," Madam Glass spoke up to the gardener. The gardener jumped a full ponylength into the air, dropping the shears from their magical grip, before landing and looking at Madam Glass in abject terror.
"Th-they said you d-don't come out of the house," the gardener stuttered as the blood drained from her furry face and she began backing up. She seemed absolutely unconcerned about Sisstet; her eyes were locked on the elderly servant. Why was she acting like that? This seemed much worse than just being startled.
Madam Glass tilted her head slightly. "Ol' Madam Glass has been known to go as far as the front gate when the mood suits me. Normally not much reason to leave the house, but ay'm watching the young master, and the dear could use some air. Ay won't be troubling ya outside for long."
The mare still looked like she wanted to turn and run. In fact, Sisstet was pretty sure that Madam Glass's explanation of being outside had only frightened the gardener even more than they already were. However, the unicorn mare looked at the bush and licked her lips.
"What is your suggestion? You have a suggestion?" the mare asked, keeping her eyes glued to the bush and purposely not looking at Madam Glass.
Madam Glass kept on smiling as if the pony wasn't being rude. "Ay happen to know that Poppy Seed has a talent for helping branches bud. Yea can trim the whole thing down, which is just as well since the young master is so small, and with her help, ya can get fresh buds on the shrunken shrub. That saves ya the trouble of gettin' a new one."
"I'll take that under advisement," the mare replied quickly, then started muttering again. "If I hang around. She isn't supposed to come outside. They promised."
"Glad to help. We'll leave ya to your work," Madam Glass said happily. Had she not heard what that pony was saying? Maybe she was hard of hearing because she was old. "Come along, young master. Ay can show ya the pool. It's just around back."
She turned and walked away from.the gardener, who turned and watched closely Madam Glass depart, as if making sure she was really going. Sisstet was confident that the gardener was holding her breath. The gardener still hadn't looked at him. It was like he wasn't even there. He turned and slithered after the old caretaker.
"Why was that pony ssscared of you?" he asked as he closed the distance.
She didn't turn to look at him as she replied. "As ay said, they get a little spooked. Didn't hear us come up on her, the poor dear. A spooked pony can take some time to settle down."
"She said bad thingss," he replied, not backing down.
"Ohhh, ya misinterpreted, young master," Madam Glass said, not breaking the smile in her voice.
"I'm not sssure."
Madam Glass stopped and looked at him. Her smile faded and she bent down.
"Let me talk to ya, not as a caretaker, but as a pony who has seen some things," Madam Glass said, sounding serious. "Ya're a creature ponies take a fright too, one that makes them shake in their wee withers. Ya haft to learn to pretend it ain't happenin'."
Sisstet blinked in confusion. "Why?"
"They haft to learn ya are just a regular ol' creature, just like them. Ya can't tell them. Tellin' them don't do a lick of good. Ya have to show them. They won't believe ya saying it, and ya can't seem hostile, even if ya deserve to be. It makes them think they were right 'bout ya."
"Oh," he said, feeling small. None of that seemed very fair, but Madam Glass was an old adult, and old adults were supposed to be wise, so he didn't want to question it. Plus, that would be rude, and he was supposed to be on his best behavior.
Madam Glass, seeing him not reply, must have taken him for listening well, and resumed guiding him to the pool. It only occurred to him after he started to slither after her that she had completely avoided answering his question about why the gardener had been so scared of her. She'd turned it around into a life lesson somehow, and he wasn't really sure how it had happened. He couldn't ask him again, at least not so soon, because that would be nagging, and nocreature liked nagging. He had learned that from his old guardians. They said little worms that nagged too much got eaten. Madam Glass wasn't a naga, so he doubted she could eat him, but she could get mad. He would just ask Silver Spoon instead.
Not that his curiosity about the subject was any less as he followed. There seemed like there was an army of gardeners here, and they all stopped and stared as he and Madam Glass passed. Some of them looked at him, and a few seemed frightened of him, but most were looking at Madam Glass, and he could tell that she was still the one they were more scared of. He saw some of the ponies whispering to each other as they watched her, and he wondered what they were saying. Madam Glass didn't ignore them; she smiled at them, even though she kept walking.
"Here we are, young master. The pool," Madam Glass announced.
He looked at it and didn't know what to think. It was big. As big around as Silver Spoon's house. It was one big rectangle with stone blocks– inlaid with silver, of course. It had a diving board, and lots of chairs around it with umbrellas for shade. It was a very nice pool. However, he had been kind of expecting something grander after seeing everything else in the house. It was as big as the community pool that Silver Spoon sometimes took the class to, but part of him expected it to be bigger, or to have a water park or something. He would still enjoy laying in the pool and swimming, and without anycreature else sharing it with him, he would have lots of room and not have to worry about startling any ponies or other creatures. Was it possible to really like something and be disappointed at the same time? What kind of feeling would that be called? He should ask Cheese Slice. Cheese Slice had a way of making up words to fit the situation. He could also ask Candy. She was smart and knew a bunch of weird stuff.
"The pool hasn't gotten much use these past years," Madam Glass lamented. "The mister and misses don't really come out here that much. The young miss used to bring her friend Diamond Tiara over whenever she could. The young miss even brought over other ponies sometimes, even if ay think she was doing it just to show off, at least early on. Ay hates to say it, but she was a spoiled one back then, even if she did get better when she got older. Goin' off to business school changed her even more, and even though the mister and misses might not care for how it changed her, ay think she came back a better mare– once she stopped mopin' about all brokenhearted."
"Can I have friendss over?" Sisstet asked. Lots of creatures in the pool wouldn't be good, but if it was just his friends that might be nice. He didn't want to spend the whole week not seeing his friends.
"Ay don't know why not," Madam Glass replied. He noticed that the way she talked changed when she was around Silver Spoon's parents. Not a lot, but she sounded more like Candy when away from them, and the way she talked sounded a little more normal when around them. He wondered if she was related to the Apples. Maybe she was a pirate. Didn't pirates talk like that too? If she was a pirate, that would scare ponies.
"Can I invite them now?" he asked.
"The mister and misses might want ya to hold off until next visit, just because they want ya to themselves as much as possible while gettin' to know ya. Ay'm sure they want ya to spend time with friends. Spendin' time with friends is good for a foal."
That was disappointing, but he wasn't going to get upset. He slithered over to the edge and looked into the pool. The water was clean and clear. There was no sign of dirt floating around in it or leaves. It was like the house, spotless.
"Now, ay should have asked this already, but ol' Madam Glass can get caught up in the excitement and forget important things sometimes. Do ya know how to swim? It's okay if ya don't. We can find ya an instructor."
"I can sswim," he said as he lowered his head down and flicked his tongue out to taste the water. There were no nasty chemicals like the community pool. This was nice clean water.
"Well, a few pool rules for ya," Madam Glass said. "Ay would say no running by the pool, but ya can't run, so that rule don't make a lick of sense. No goin' under the water for more than thirty seconds. Ay don't want to worry ya drownin'."
"I can hold my breath way longer than that," Sisstet said proudly.
Madam Glass shook her head. "Well, don't. You'll still worry me, and ol' Madam Glass can't swim to jump in and save ya. Convincin' other ponies to jump in would be a chore. Best not to have reason to do it."
"I won't stay underwater that long," Sisstet promised as he slithered over the edge into the water. His head was underwater for a brief second before it was back up. He paddled with his arms and swished the rest of his body to keep moving around the surface.
"A fine swimmer ya are," Madam Glass complimented. "Naga seem built to swim. The last rule is no cannonballs off the divin' board."
He kept moving but raised his head further out if the water. "I can't cannonball. I can't really jump. I just kind of fall off diving boards."
"Be careful with the board then. Don't want ya hittin' your head or some other sensitive part," she blinked. "Forgive me, young master; ay forgot a rule. No piddlin' in the pool. Want to keep the water nice and clean, don't we?"
"I won't pee in the pool," he assured her as he continued to swim around. It felt nice on his scales. It made them feel less itchy.
He dived down to the bottom, propelling himself with his whole body. He touched the bottom then came back up. It had taken about ten seconds; he counted.
"Madam Glass? Did you really help take care of Silver Spoon?" he asked after resurfacing.
She came over to the edge of the pool and sat down. All the other ponies in the area had apparently found things to do somewhere else because none of them were in sight.
"Oh, yes. Her, her father, and his before him," Madam Glass replied.
That made her really old, but he thought it might be rude to comment on that. "Was she really a bully when she was my age? I don't think I believe her. She's too nice."
"Haha!" Madam Glass laughed. "Yes, she was, sad to say. Ay blame that Diamond Tiara filly for it. The young miss would do anything to please that filly. Took a lot for her to eventually turn on her friend, but she eventually learned the friendship only was goin' one way. Still tore her up to do. Ay can't even blame that Diamond Tiara filly. Her mum was…still is…a right…hmmm…ay don't think ay can say what she is to a foal."
"A meanie?" Sisstet suggested.
"That be a good startin' point for what to call her," Madam Glass agreed. "Luckily for the young miss, her friend eventually learned to stop listenin' to her mum, and became a right decent creature and true friend. That was the end of young miss's bullyin' career. Warmed my ol' heart when it finally happened. It just didn't suit her. Her mark weren't made for a bully."
"She gets mad at her parents a lot. Did she get mad at you?" Sisstet asked.
Madam Glass frowned. "One time, she did. Every year, a year's students at the school do this cart racin' thing. They gets an adult to help them and ride with them, at least, they had an adult ride with them back then. I seem to recall there was some commotion that year that brought that second part to an end. Ay helped her make her cart. A good cart it was; sure to be the fastest."
"Did it not win and she got mad?" he asked.
Madam Glass shook her head. "She ain't even get to race, got left out. The mister was originally goin' to ride with her, but he came down with a dreadful flu that day. It t'weren't no excuse, he was sick, and had been lookin' forward to ridin' with his daughter. The mister might seem cold, but he does love the young miss. The misses was away on a business trip, so she was right out as an option, so the young miss asked me. Ay told her no. That made her more furious than a rooster stuck in a feed bag in the middle of a storm. Ay suggested another member of the staff, but she wasn't having it."
Sisstet swam over to the side and propped his arms over the edge to latch on. "Why didn't you go with her?"
Madam Glass looked away. "Ya don't see me galavanting around town, do ya? Ay got my duties here at the house."
"You never leave?" he asked in confusion. The other ponies seemed amazed she was even outside.
"Only when ay absolutely have to," Madam Glass said firmly. "Takes a life or death situation to pull me away. My place is here."
She seemed forceful and less nice when discussing this subject, and that confused him. There must be some other reason. Everybody got days off from work. So she couldn't be working all the time. It also seemed kinda bad, never leaving the house. It was a nice house, but it would get boring being here all the time.
Madam Glass perked her ears and looked back at the house. "The minister and your soon-to-be mum are done talkin'. Best be headin', back in. Can ya get out of the pool with no assistance?"
He nodded and pulled himself out. How'd she know they were done talking? He wanted to ask, but his last question seemed to have made her a little mad, and he didn't want her mad at him, so he decided not to ask. He just followed her as she led him inside.
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It's alive! Yes!☺
Nice chapter!
Why not both? It can be funnier that way.
I agree with CMC, why not some of both?
Good chapter, I eagerly await more! 🦄
A family ghost?
Awesome chapter