A young Pinke Pie discovers a spooky neighbor she never knew about, and just can't leave well enough alone.
Before she discovered her cutie mark, young Pinkie Pie led a somber and dreary life on the family rock farm. Of course, that doesn't mean she never dreamed of something more. She makes plenty of friends after her first week of school, and she's starting to open up... but making friends isn't always easy. There's a spooky and frightening neighbor next door that she never even knew about, and poor Pinkie Pie just can't bear to let her stay all alone forever.
But not everyone wants to make friends. And getting others to open up isn't always easy. How can you understand someone's feelings when they refuse to say a single word? Pinkie Pie intends to find out.
Pinkie Pie looked over her shoulder and down the dirt road that led back to the schoolhouse. A pair of brightly colored fillies were running after her, wearing the same school uniforms and carrying the same tiny saddlebags.
"Oh, hey." Pinkie Pie stopped and waited for them. She stroked her long, straight hair away from her eyes—an old habit. "You're, uh... Flicker Flash, right?"
"Yeah, that's me."
The other filly smiled at her and waited patiently.
"Em... Emerald, uh..." Pinkie Pie rubbed her nose. "It starts with an 'e', right?"
Her ears drooped. "Emberleaf," she said. "I sit right behind you."
Pinkie managed a half-hearted smile. "Sorry. I'm not too good with names."
Flicker Flash smiled back at her. "Don't worry. It's your first day, is all. You'll get the hang of it."
"Yeah. Sure."
Pinkie Pie continued walking down the dirt road, and the two fillies fell in beside her. She paused to look back at them, then quickened her pace. They followed suit.
"What are you doing?"
They glanced at each other, then back at her.
"Didn't you have any friends at your last school?"
"Not really."
Emberleaf's eyes widened. "No friends? Not even one?"
Pinkie Pie turned away. "I never went to a school before. I was homeschooled."
"Why? Are you stupid or something?"
Flicker Flash slapped Emberleaf's shoulder. "Ember! How could you?"
"I just wanna know! That's all!"
Pinkie shrugged. "So what if I am?"
"Hey," said Emberleaf, "what's nine times seven?"
"Sixty three," Pinkie said, "but the nines are all really easy."
"...Really?"
"There's a trick. The first number is always one less than the operand, and the two digits always add up to nine."
"Huh?"
"Lets do nine times seven. One less than seven is six, so the answer has to be sixty-something. Six less from nine is three, and that gives you sixty three."
Emberleaf stared off into the distance for a moment.
"...Whoa."
"Yeah. It's fun once you figure it out."
"So, okay. Can you add up all the numbers from one to a hundred?"
"Five thousand and fifty."
Emberleaf gasped.
"Lemme guess," said Flicker Flash, "there's a trick to that too?"
Pinkie Pie smirked. "Of course there is. That's what math is about."
They walked in silence for a moment.
Emberleaf squinted at Pinkie "...What number am I thinking of?"
Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes.
Flicker Flash gave a polite cough. "So, why didn't you take the school bus home?"
"I live right nearby. It's just a ten minute walk." She nodded ahead. "It's that road right there, actually. See the white mailbox?"
Flicker Flash frowned. "The bus goes past there every day. Isn't it a rock farm or something?"
"Yeah."
"So why are you going to a rock farm?"
Pinkie nodded. "Maybe because I live on a rock farm."
Flicker Flash frowned. "Seriously? You're not just making that up?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Believe it or don't. Doesn't make a difference to me either way."
"You might regret it later. I still remember Puddle Jumper's first day at school..." She nodded to Emberleaf. "Do you remember?"
Emberleaf nodded. "Do I ever. Nopony's going to let him forget it."
Pinkie arched an eyebrow. "Really? What happened?"
"He stood up in front of the whole class and said his dad was a royal guard at the palace. He was, like, the coolest kid in the whole school for about a week. Then—'
Flicker Flash nodded. "Then they had bring-a-parent-to-school day. Turns out his dad was just an accountant or something."
Ember scowled at her. "I thought I was telling the story!"
"Yeah, you probably were."
Pinkie turned to look at them both. "He lied about a royal guard? I thought you could get in real trouble for that. Like... grown-up trouble."
"Big time," said Emberleaf. She leaned close and whispered "I heard he got a talking to from his parents and the principal... at the same time!"
Flicker Flash shrugged. "Even worse, everypony was calling him a loser and a liar for weeks. He still hasn't gotten over it. Always sits alone at lunch."
Pinkie Pie glanced between them. "Why didn't anypony talk to him?"
"Whaddya mean? What for?"
"I dunno. To make him feel better. Or something."
Flicker shook her head. "He was pretty grumpy after that. He wouldn't listen to anypony."
"Besides," said Emberleaf, "what would you have said?"
Pinkie Pie stared at the road ahead.
They came to the white mailbox. Pinkie Pie nodded to the rough dirt road that led south. "So."
"This is your place?" said Emberleaf.
"Yeah."
"Hey, I've never seen a rock farm before. It sounds kinda cool!"
Pinkie Pie looked at her. "I hope you like disappointment."
"Well... do you think we could visit for a little while?"
"Ehh..."
Flicker flash nodded to her. "It's okay. We can take a hint. Maybe we can hang out some other time."
"Yeah, sure."
Pinkie tugged at the strap of her own saddlebag, then jogged down the road by herself. Halfway down, she saw an elderly mare walking out to meet her. She was dressed in the same outfit as always: a frumpy, black and brown dress that was rugged and plain and covered with age-old dirt stains.
"Pinkie!" She rushed out to meet her and gave her a big, strong hug. "Are you all right, sweetie? They didn't bully you, did they?"
"I'm fine, Granny Pie. Really."
Granny set her down and straightened out her school uniform. "Oh, my poor little baby! You forgot the lunch I made for you—you were so nervous, you left it right on the porch before you left!"
"Right. Forgot."
"I made a special trip and took it to the schoolhouse. Did they give it to you?"
Pinkie Pie winced as Granny Pie fussed over her mane. "Everything was fine, Gramma. The school gave us all lunch anyways."
"Well I'm sure it wasn't enough. You're a growing filly, you know. I made a fresh tray of cornbread just this morning. Would you like some?"
Pinkie Pie's ears perked up. "Really? That'd be nice, actually."
Granny Pie turned back towards the farmstead and led her down the path. "So how was your first day? Was the teacher mean to you?"
"Would you relax, already? Everyone was really nice to me. Honest."
"Well, that's a relief. Did you make any friends?"
She stared at the dirt road. "Eh."
"Well it was just your first day, is all. I'm sure you'll have lots of friends in no time."
They reached the end of the path and walked past a small wooden gate, home at last.
Pinkie Pie pawed at the dirt. "Actually, Granny..."
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Is it okay if I have a friend over tomorrow? Or... whenever?"
Granny Pie smiled at her. "You certainly may!"
The next day after school, Pinkie Pie led Flicker Flash and Emberleaf along a narrow path through rough, bramble-choked forest. The ground here was hard earth littered with grey rocks that had been sanded smooth on top by countless rainy seasons. The path was full of twists and turns that led over and around all sorts of tiny hills and outcroppings.
Emberleaf stared up at the branches of a massive ash tree, covered with curtains of ivy and moss. "Oooh... I bet that's spooky at night!"
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" said Flicker Flash.
Pinkie Pie nodded. "I could find my way through here blindfolded," she said. "It's not much farther."
"But it's so wild! It's like a jungle and a mountain got smooshed together."
They kinda did, actually. Our farm is near the edge of the Everfree forest."
Emberleaf gasped. "The Everfree forest!? Why would anypony live anywhere near there?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "If you want to grow the best rocks, you gotta do it somewhere rough and tumble. The rougher the better."
"Besides," said Flicker Flash, "She said it was near the forest. Not in it."
Emberleaf jogged ahead and walked next to Pinkie Pie. "Do monsters ever wander out and chase after you?"
"Not so far."
"What about ghosts? Any of those?"
"Nope."
"There's gotta be something scary around here. I mean, just look at this place! What's the scariest thing you've ever seen?"
"Can't think of anything, really. I don't get scared anymore."
"Aww!"
Flicker Flash frowned at her. "Whaddya mean you don't get scared? Everypony does once in a while."
"Not me," said Pinkie Pie. "Not anymore, at least. Not since my granny taught me how not to be scared."
Flicker Flash arched an eyebrow. "What'd she teach you?"
Pinkie smirked. "That's a secret."
Flicker Flash opened her mouth to speak, but Emberleaf cut her off with a shout. "Hey! What's that over there?"
They looked at the side of the road and saw a side path that was even rougher than the one they were on now: the trees closed in around it so tightly that it looked like a tunnel, and the ground was choked with weeds and vines.
"It looks like a secret way!" Emberleaf hopped over and peered in. "Where d'you think it goes?"
Pinkie Pie glanced at the sunny sky above. "North... must be one of the other farms. Not sure whose."
Flicker Flash went to a faded wooden signpost—barely visible through the leaves—and pulled aside a thick curtain of moss. "It says something about... brambles?"
"What? No!" Pinkie Pie rushed ahead and stood in the way. "That must be old mare Bramble's farm. We can't go there. She hates trespassers."
"Whats-a-matter?" said Flicker Flash. "Are you afraid of her?"
"Of course not."
Emberleaf hopped in place. "What's she like? Is she mean and nasty? Does she yell a lot?"
"I don't know. I've never actually met her before."
"What about her farm, huh? What's it like? What's she grow there?"
"Well it's not like I've ever been there before."
Flicker Flash tilted her head. "...So what do you know about her?"
"Well, she... she's... old."
They waited, eagerly.
"...And she hates trespassers."
"That's all?" said Flicker Flash, "You lived here your whole life and you never even met your neighbor?"
"Never mind that," Pinkie Pie said as she waved them back towards the main path. "Farm neighbors aren't like city neighbors. We're like a million miles away from each other."
Emberleaf tilted her head. "Y'mean farmers ain't friendly?"
"Grownups visit all the time. It's just too far for little kids." Pinkie Pie smiled back at her. "We don't visit often... but when we do, we're the friendliest folks you'll ever meet."
They continued on down the main path. Eventually, Pinkie Pie led them through a wooden gate and into a small clearing between a pair of farmhouses. The buildings looked old and faded, made of wind worn wood and covered with ivy streamers. There was an elderly mare standing on the front porch to their left, sweeping up at a leisurely pace. The mare looked up as they approached and smiled warmly.
"Good afternoon, Pinkie! And who are these lovely ponies? Are these your friends from school?"
Pinkie nodded to each of her friends in turn. "This is Emberleaf, and this is Flicker Flash."
Both of them curtseyed together. "Good afternoon, Missus Pie!"
"Well don't you two know your manners? Please, make yourselves at home. Is there anything you'd like? We have a fresh pot of stew and some homemade bread, if you'd like."
Emberleaf's eyes widened. "Homemade bread?"
"Maybe later," said Pinkie. "Is it okay if we go play in the barn? I wanna show 'em the big rope swing over the hay loft."
"Yes, but you'd best not go alone." Granny Pie looked up at the house's second story window and called out. "Inky? Are you there, Inky Pie? Your little sister needs you."
Pinkie Pie's ears drooped. "Aw, come on!"
"You know the rules." Granny turned back to the window above. "Now now, Inky! I know you can hear me."
"Not now," a disgruntled voice called back. "I don't have time for baby stuff."
"This is important. Pinkie brought some friends over, and you know the rules. Little ponies can't play in the barn without a big pony watching."
A teenaged filly with a black mane and a light grey coat stuck her head out the window. She looked down at them with a puzzled frown. "Wait. Pinkie has friends?"
Granny gave her a stern look. "Yes, she does. Now come down and be neighborly."
Inky Pie rolled her eyes. "Won't last," she muttered to herself.
Pinkie Pie walked into the main hall of the farm's common bunkhouse: a big cafeteria with lots of long wooden tables. A small crowd of young fillies followed behind her, talking and laughing. They were all the same age, and all carried the same style of book bags. Some of them were also carrying bags of snack food or pulling little wagons loaded with blankets and pillows. Flicker Flash and Emberleaf stayed near the front of the pack, next to Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie's mother waved at them from across the room. The crowd of children wound its way over to a bunch of small tables that had been set up for the occasion, and Pinkie's mother hovered over them constantly.
"Over here, everypony! We have oatmeal, cream of broccoli soup, fresh vegetables, lots of bread and milk... Is anyone allergic to milk? We have goat's milk if anyone's allergic."
"It's okay," Pinkie Pie said, "everypony brought snacks and stuff."
"Snacks are one thing. Dinner is quite another."
"It'll be fine, mom. Really."
"Well, if there's anyth—" Her eyes widened as one of the fillies took out a large plastic bottle covered with a brightly colored label. "Is that carbonated!?"
"It's fine, mom!"
"It's nothing but sugar water!" She pointed at the filly from across the table and raised her voice. "You'd better not drink that whole thing yourself, young filly, or I'll tell your parents!"
Pinkie Pie clenched her teeth."Moooom!"
"Well you'd better not have any yourself. Not even one sip, you hear?"
"You know I hate sweets."
Inky Pie wandered in from the side door, walking with her nose in a journal. She looked up and flinched as she saw the crowded table. "What the...?! What's going on? How am I supposed to write with all this noise?"
Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Can't you make your dumb old poems somewhere else?"
Inky's eyes locked on her mother's. "Mom!"
Her mother cleared her throat. "Pinkie Pie is having a sleepover with her friends."
"Actually," said Pinkie,"They're Cloud Kicker's friends from the music club. It was her idea."
Inky Pie pursed her lips. "You better not ask me to babysit for free again. It's not happening."
Mother pulled Inky aside and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Dear, please don't be difficult about this. It's the first time Pinkie's ever brought friends over, and we should do everything possible to make them welcome. You know how important it is to be nei—"
Inky rolled her eyes."Neighborly, yeah. I get it already. I'm still not babysitting for free."
"They'll be staying in the den of the guest cottage. All you have to do is stay in the master bedroom with the door open a crack. Thats all I'm asking."
Inky lifted an eyebrow. "The master bedroom? All to myself?"
"All you have to do is listen. And none of that loud music. And if they get cold, you're in charge of the fireplace. You know how to take care of it."
"Fine. Fine!" Inky glared at the table of bright, cheerful children. She snapped her writing journal shut and stormed off.
Flicker Flash leaned close to Pinkie Pie. "What's her problem, anyway?"
Pinkie stared at her bowl of oatmeal. "Dunno."
"Was she always like this?"
"Sorta. She was always kinda grumpy, but not like this... she never used to talk back. Now all she talks about is moving to the city. And she says 'whatever' a lot."
"Did your mom and dad talk to her about it?"
"They tried, but it only made things worse. It's like no matter what they say, she won't listen. She just gets angry right away."
They looked up as Inky walked out of the hall.
"Why? Did something happen to her?"
"She, uh..." Pinkie stroked her hair over her eye. "She started going to school."
Flicker Flash and Emberleaf both looked at her, then at each other. Pinkie Pie focused on her oatmeal.
Sunny Daze took a lantern full of fireflies and held it up, casting a flickering glow across the faces of the fillies gathered in front of her. They were all lying on the floor of the cottage's living room, bundled up in quilts and blankets. Every last one of them was staring at her, wide eyed and slackjawed.
"...And when she turned around she saw words painted on the bathroom mirror... smeared in gooey red blood... and the words said 'axe murderers lick hooves too'!"
The semicircle of fillies gasped in horror and hugged their blankets and sleeping bags tight.
"You mean the killer was under her bed the whole time?!"
"That's exactly right," said Sunny Daze. "She was hiding under there all night, lurking in the shadows."
"Then what happened to the filly?"
Sunny Daze frowned at her. "Nopony knows. Because she was never seen again... ever."
There was another round of gasps.
Pinkie Pie arched an eyebrow. "If nopony knows what happened, where'd you hear the story from?"
"Hey yeah," said Emberleaf. "How do you know the story?"
Sunny Daze took up the lantern and held it under her chin, casting an eerie glow across her face. Her eyes glinted with a demented light."Because," she said, "I was that axe murderer!"
The fillies all screamed at the top of their lungs. Some of them bolted out from under their blankets and ran around the room in circles, desperate to find hiding places.
Pinkie Pie sat where she was, calmly watching the chaos. She let out a quiet little sigh.
Emberleaf ran back over to her sleeping bag and flopped down. "That was the bestest scariest story I've ever heard!"
Sunny Daze grinned. "Thanks. I heard it when my family went camping... my uncle came along, and he knew a million stories. I had nightmares for a whole month. It was awesome."
"So cool!"
"What's the big deal?" said Pinkie Pie. "It wasn't that scary."
Sunny Daze pouted at her. "What's up with you, anyways? You haven't screamed or jumped all night. Not even once."
"What about the story about the filly with the yellow neckerchief? Or the one about Mister Jiggles? Nopony's heard those ones."
"I'm not tryin' to be rude or anything," Pinkie Pie said, "honest. I just don't think stories are very scary."
Emberleaf jumped forward and stamped a hoof. "Well I've got a story for ya! It's gonna scare you so bad, your mane will turn white!"
Pinkie Pie slumped on the floor. "Fine, fine. Let's hear it."
Emberleaf picked up the lantern and waved it around. "Once upon a time, there was a really old pony... and every night, at midnight, he walked from his house all the way to the well in the middle of town. Every... single... night."'
"And?"
"And... one of his ears was really big!"
Pinkie arched an eyebrow. "A big ear?"
"It was huge! Bigger than a bedsheet! And whenever he walked, he'd draaag it behind him..." Emberleaf pushed her blanket back and forth, rustling it softly against the floor. "And it sounded just... like... this."
Everypony let out a soft 'oooh' noise.
"His ear was so big that, one day, he folded it over and used it like a bag. And he filled it all up with... nose hair clippings!"
Pinkie Pie giggled. The rest of the fillies quickly joined in.
Emberleaf stamped her hoof. "Hey, cut it out!"
"Sorry," said Pinkie, "but it's not very scary. It's just kind of icky."
She stared at her hooves. "Well I think it's scary."
Flicker Flash stood up and took the lantern. "Here, I'll show you how it's done. This one'll give you nightmares for years."
Emberleaf backed away a step. "Really? Whoa!"
"Oh yeah. And you know the scariest part? It's all true."
The fillies murmured amongst themselves.
"True?" Emberleaf said, "but scary stories are never real. They're all just made up."
"Oh, most of 'em are. But this one isn't." Flicker Flash sat down in front of them. "Get ready for the story... of Old Mare Bramble."
The fillies all looked at each other, puzzled. "Old Mare Bramble? Who's that?"
"Most ponies never heard of her..." Flicker Flash's eyes settled on Pinkie Pie. "But I know one pony here who knows about her. She just doesn't know the whole story."
Everypony looked at Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, her? She owns the farm up the road."
One of the fillies gasped. "You mean Old Mare Bramble is really real!?"
Pinkie frowned at her. "Would you relax? It's no big deal."
"No big deal, huh?" said Flicker Flash. "How much do you know about her, then?"
"Well, nothing. She's quiet. Keeps to herself."
Flicker Flash gazed up at the ceiling in contemplation. "Quiet, huh? Keeps to herself? I remember hearing those same words in a lot of the stories Sunny Daze told. 'She seemed like such a nice pony', people would say."
Pinkie frowned at her. "And how do we know you're not lying? It's not like you were there."
"Of course I wasn't there... this all started before any of us were born, over thirty years ago...thirty six years, in fact. On October sixteenth. At six-thirty four in the morning."
The crowd gasped.
Pinkie Pie waved her hoof in the air "She coulda just made that up!"
"I'll be honest with you. I don't know the whole story for certain. All I found were some newspaper clippings about little kids that went missing, and some pages from a moldy old diary." Flicker opened her bookbag and took out a spiral-bound notebook with dog-eared pages. "I went to the public library and read a bunch of books in the reference section. That's where they keep all the true books."
"Oh, come on."
Emberleaf shook her head. "She's not kidding, Pinkie! I went in there once, and there were all kind of books about real things. Some of 'em didn't even have pictures!"
Pinkie gave her a disturbed look.
"Anyways." Flicker Flash opened the dog-eared notebook and flipped through the pages. "I took some notes. It turns out that Old Mare Bramble used to be a normal, everyday farmer. She had a whole family: a husband, and a whole bunch of little fillies of her own. To everypony else, they seemed like normal folks... quiet. Kept to themselves. Until one day..."
Emberleaf leaned closer. "Yeah? Yeah?"
"Nothing."
Pinkie furrowed her brow. "Nothing?"
"Nothing. At first nopony noticed anything wrong. Over the years the Bramble farm sold less and less crops, until finally they weren't selling anything at all. They stopped going into town, and then they stopped checking their mail. One year, they didn't even go to the harvest festival."
Pinkie Pie's bottom lip quivered. "No farmer would ever miss that!"
"That's when the other farmers really started to worry. So they sent somepony to visit the farm. The whole place was overgrown... the place was chilly and foggy, even for october, and the buildings were all grey and covered in dust and cobwebs. And the only pony they found was Old Mare Bramble, sitting in her rocking chair on the front porch, like nothing was wrong. She told 'em to go away and mind their own business."
Emberleaf shuffled closer. "What happened then, huh? What happened?"
"Well, the other farmers decided to look around. All the buildings were empty. The only thing they found was the moldy old diary of the youngest daughter, hidden under a mattress. Most of the pages were ripped out..."
"Can we do something else?" said Pinkie Pie, "I don't like this story."
"I wanna hear the end," said Emberleaf. "Go on."
"Well, the daughter wrote in the diary about her mom... how she was starting to act all weird. She got really strict with rules and stuff, and she'd start punishing her kids real bad. Sometimes for little stuff, or even stuff they never did. Some of it didn't even make any sense: she once gave her oldest daughter a spanking because 'the trees were too loud'."
Pinkie Pie scowled at her. "That never happened! None of it's real!"
Flicker Flash shrugged. "I never said it was real. But it was in the diary. Somepony wrote about it."
Pinkie Pie stared at her for a moment.
"...And then, one day when the dad was away, Old Mare Bramble told the oldest daughter to meet her out in the woods behind the back yard. She told her to bring the axe... the big one. Said she needed help cutting firewood. She couldn't do it alone, because dad was out. Every day after that, she'd ask another of her daughters to do the same thing. Go get the big axe. Meet her in the woods. One by one. And eventually, the youngest daughter was the only one left... all alone..."
Pinkie Pie jumped to her feet and shouted "How could you say such things about poor Missus Bramble?! She's a real life pony!!"
Emberleaf leapt away, screaming. "Old Mare Bramble is real!! I knew it, I knew it!!"
All the fillies screamed and ran around the room, blind with panic. They scattered their pillows and blankets across the floor and bumped into end tables and chairs. One of them crashed into a shelf and knocked several books onto the floor. One of the pillows was torn open and the air filled with a flurry of fluffy white feathers.
Inky Pie threw open the door and held up a bright oil lantern. "What's going on!? Is anypony hurt?"
The riot continued at full force. Pinkie Pie sprinted towards her older sister in a straight line and hugged her front leg tight, pressing her face against her shoulder.
"SETTLE DOWN!!"
The chaos immediately came to a halt. The screaming stopped, and the fillies froze in place. They turned to look at Inky Pie and watched as she knelt down to look at her sister. Pinkie's eyes were scrunched shut and puffy with tears. Her lower lip trembled.
Inky looked back at the rest of the fillies. "Tell me what happened right now."
Flicker Flash stepped forward. "I-I-It's my fault. I was telling a scary story. I... I didn't mean to..."
Emberleaf jumped ahead of her. "No, it's my fault!"
"Ember, no!"
"But it is! Pinkie wanted her to stop the story, but I told her to keep going. I wanted to know what happened to Missus Bramble, thas' all."
"Missus Bramble?" said Inky Pie. "Wait. You were making up stories about a real pony?"
"I was just—"
Inky pointed at her. "That's not stories. That's gossip, and good neighbors don't gossip about each other. It's mean and hurtful!"
Flicker Flash looked at the floor. "I'm sorry. I really am."
Inky knelt back down and gave Pinkie Pie a hug. "What about you? Are you okay?"
Pinkie Pie sniffled once and opened her eyes."I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The story wasn't scary at all. I just thought..."
"You thought what?"
"I thought Flicker was bein' mean to me. I never had friends before... I didn't want 'em to turn out mean."
Flicker Flash tiptoed over. She and Pinkie watched each other for awhile. Eventually, they both began to smile. They stepped close and hugged each other tight, and the rest of the fillies cheered and rushed close.
"Still friends?" said Pinkie Pie.
"Definitely," said Flicker Flash. "And please don't be scared. I just made it all up, I swear."
"Forget about it. The story wasn't scary."
"Really? Well... good then. I'm glad."
There was a quiet moment.
"Not even a little?"
Pinkie Pie reached up and tousled Flicker's mane, grinning.
"All right you two," Inky Pie said, "why don't we think of something else you fillies can do tonight? Something fun."
Sunny Daze waved a hoof. "What about hide and seek? This cottage has all sorts of secret places!"
"It's too dark for that," said Inky. "Somepony might get lost for real."
"Aw..."
"This is Cloud Kicker's sleepover, right? Why don't we let her pick?"
Everyone turned to look at Cloud Kicker. She glanced about, nervously. "We're all in the music club, right? I kinda wanna sing some songs. Is that okay?"
Everypony nodded in agreement and began rummaging in their book bags, searching for songbooks. Pinkie Pie started back towards her own pile of quilts, but Inky Pie caught her at the last second.
"Hey," she whispered, "are you okay?"
"Sure," Pinkie said.
"Sure you're sure?"
Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Sure I'm sure."
"Okay. You go have fun now. And if you need anything, just let me know."
Pinkie smiled at her, then ran to join her friends.
Pinkie Pie and Flicker Flash walked along the main dirt road that led away from school. The sky was clear and blue, and the sun shone brightly through the leaves and branches above. It was unseasonably warm, but there was still a cool breeze in the air.
They turned a corner and Flicker Flash waved at a young pegasus further up the road. "There she is! See? I told you she wouldn't let us down!"
They ran ahead. The pegasus, Razzle Dazzle, spread her wings and glided over at a leisurely pace. She was two whole years older than them, and moved with grace and balance. She nodded to them both.
"Afternoon, Flicker Flash. And this is your new friend, right?"
"Yeah," Flicker said. She nudged Pinkie's shoulder. "Go on!"
"Right. Yeah." Pinkie Pie took a breath, then cleared her throat. "Hey. I'm, uh, Pinkie Pie. 'Sup?"
"I've heard a lot about you," said Razzle. "Pretty good things, too."
Pinkie's ears perked up. "You did? I thought I was a terrible singer. Everyone hated me."
"Your singing recital was atrocious, yes. But I also listened in on the presentation you gave to your history class. You had good volume and excellent control. I could hear you just fine, all the way from the back of the room. All you have to do is build your confidence and you'll be an excellent singer."
"Really? No way!"
Razzle nodded. "Way. You have a real talent for it."
Flicker Flash nudged Pinkie Pie. "See? I told you she was cool!"
"So, does that mean...?"
Razzle nodded. "Yes. I've spoken with the others, and we've all agreed: we'd love to have you be a part of our music club."
Pinkie Pie hopped in place. "Woo!"
Razzle Dazzle stamped her hoof. "But! We can't let you in just like that. There are traditions to think about."
Pinkie Pie frowned at her. "Traditions?"
"Totally. Before anypony joins our club, they must pass a test..." Razzle Dazzle began pacing back and forth in front of them. "A test of courage. A test of wits. And, above all, a test of loyalty."
"There's three tests?"
"It's just the one. It's for all three of those things."
"You made that up, didn't you?" said Pinkie.
"Nope. It's totally real."
"It's true," said Flicker Flash, "they gave me a test when I joined up. Everypony does it."
Pinkie frowned at Emberleaf. "What kind of test?"
"I had to push a baseball all the way up the road with just my nose, from my home to the school. The whole way!"
Razzle Dazzle nodded. "Her test was meant to teach her about patience and determination and not giving up no matter what." She pointed at Pinkie Pie. "Your test, however, will be different."
Pinkie shrugged. "Well bring it on, then. How hard could it be?"
Razzle Dazzle walked a little further down the road and stopped next to a large driveway. She pointed up at the sign over the gate. Pinkie Pie and Flicker Flash followed after her and stared up at the sign.
"Bramble Bush Estates?!" Pinkie stared at Razzle Dazzle in shock. "What're we doing here?!"
"That's the test," said Razzle Dazzle. "You gotta go all the way up the driveway and ring the bell. If nopony answers, you gotta wait for at least one minute."
Pinkie glared at her, furious. "Don't you dare ask me to pull a prank like that! That's the worst thing I've ever heard!"
"Prank? Are you crazy? You can get in serious trouble for that." Razzle Dazzle lifted up a tin can and a homemade pamphlet, both decorated with crayon markings and sparkly stickers. "I'm asking you to help with fundraising."
Pinkie Pie blinked at her. "Wha?"
"Go up there and ask if they want to make a donation to the school music club. Seriously. We're saving up for a new clarinet."
"Oh. Kay."
Pinkie Pie stared at the tin can.
"Can't we ask somepony else?"
"Nope." Razzle Dazzle passed her the tin can and pointed down the driveway. "You've gotta overcome your fear of introducing yourself to strangers. Otherwise, you'll never be able to sing in front of an audience."
Pinkie Pie stared at the gate for awhile.
"Do I hafta?"
Emberleaf stepped forward. "Don't worry. I'll go with you!"
Razzle Dazzle shook her head. "Nope. The loyalty test has to be done alone. It's tradition."
Emberleaf frowned at her. "Don't you remember what teacher said about going to strange places and talking to strangers?"
"Hey yeah," said Pinkie Pie, "she said to never go anywhere alone. Always bring a friend."
Razzle Dazzle pawed at the ground. "Well... I guess that is a pretty important rule. Okay then: Just this once, you can go in together. But Pinkie has to ring the bell herself, and do all the talking."
Pinkie Pie and Emberleaf nodded to each other, then turned towards the gate. They stared at it for awhile.
Emberleaf leaned close and whispered "Are you scared?"
"Course not," said Pinkie. "Why would I be?" She looked past the gate and down the road beyond. "So, are you scared?"
Emberleaf shook her head. "Nuh uh."
"Well, okay then. But if you do get scared, lemme know."
"Sure."
Pinkie Pie took a deep breath and took a step forward. They walked ahead together, ducked under the gate, and continued on down the path. The trees loomed over them, and the sunlight filtered through the leaves above.
"So what's Missus Bramble like?" said Emberleaf.
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Dunno. Never been here before."
"You gotta know something about her. Anything at all."
"Well, she... hates trespassers."
"We're not trespassers, right? We're just walkin' up the front path to say hello. Right?"
"Yeah."
The thick forest by the road came to an end, and they saw the farm itself at last. Bramble Estates was much smaller than Pinkie Pie's rock farm and was shaped like a circle: the fields were divided up into pie-shaped pieces, with hard dirt roads leading to the very center like the spokes of a wheel. The fields were packed with giant vines that curled up into tight spirals: they were thick around as a pony's neck and covered all over with curved thorns. The thorny brambles formed a solid wall to either side of the road, well over three yards tall.
Emberleaf stared up at brambles as they walked down the path. "D'ya think they're good eats?"
Pinkie Pie shook her head. "Couldn't tell ya."
Emberleaf pointed town the perfectly straight road. "At least we can't get lost."
Pinkie Pie continued on towards the buildings. She glanced to each side now and then but saw nothing out of the ordinary. There were no animal noises here... just the faint whistle of wind.
Emberleaf stopped to look up at the cloudy grey sky above.
"Whassa matter?" said Pinkie Pie.
"Wasn't it sunny before?"
"She prolly has custom weather-work done to help the crops grow. Pegasus do it all the time."
"Yeah. Prolly. D'you think—"'
Pinkie Pie froze in place and glanced to the left. Her eyes flitted over the wall of brambles for several seconds.
Emberleaf glanced between Pinkie and the brambles. "What?"
Pinkie slowly resumed walking. "Just... nothing. Thought I saw something move. It's nothing."
"Nothing!?"
"Just a mouse or something. Probably."
"Probably!?" Emberleaf hopped towards her. "Stop tryin' to make this even scarier than it already is!"
Pinkie frowned at her. "I'm not! And besides, this isn't scary at all. We're just... sayin' hello. That's all."
Emberleaf's lower lip trembled. "Saying hello."
They continued walking. They reached the center of the estate and saw three buildings around a main yard: a warehouse and a common bunkhouse to each side and a mansion in the middle, directly ahead. It was an honest-to-goodness mansion, three stories high, with a great big covered porch and fancy-looking shuttered windows. There was even a small concrete fountain out front—a pool with a statue of two unicorns rearing up. The water was dark and brackish, and the fountain wasn't spraying water.
They stopped beside the fountain and stared up at the mansion. Eventually, Emberleaf pointed at the porch. "There's the bell."
Pinkie Pie continued to stare.
"Pinkie?"
"I can't hear any birds," she said. "What kinda farm has no birds at all?"
Emberleaf nudged her shoulder. "Come on. The sooner you ring that bell..."
"Right."
Pinkie walked up to the porch, but paused to look back. She could see all the way down the perfectly straight road, back the way they'd came. No matter where she looked, Emberleaf was the only other pony in sight. Pinkie swallowed a lump in her throat and set her hoof on the first step of the porch. It creaked as she put her weight on it. She looked up at the bell... a faded silver bell with a braided cord hanging from the clapper. It was covered in grime, and there was a dusty, abandoned spiderweb between it and the wall.
You can do this, she thought. You've made lots of friends now. You can make just one more.
She climbed up the last of the steps and stood on the porch proper. She stared at the bell. She glanced to the left and saw a heap of large farmer's tools stacked against the wall. Spades, rakes, scythes...a huge, heavy firewood axe covered with rust-brown stains.
Just do it!
She darted forward and bit down on the cord, giving it a frantic pull. The bell clanged like a lead can, loud and dull. Pinkie Pie turned and scrambled down the steps. "There I did it let's go!!"
"But the donation!"
"Forget it! I rang the bell so we're done!"
Pinkie Pie grabbed Emberleaf and pulled her back towards the exit. As soon as they turned around, they both slammed headfirst into something solid. They fell backwards and stared up at the obstacle.
She was the tallest pony either of them had ever seen. Dressed all in black, with a narrow wasp-waist corset and a huge, multi-tiered bustle dress made of lace. She was wearing a fancy wide-brimmed sun hat, but with a dark veil that hung down from the brim and was tucked tight under her collar. They could see the silhouette of her head and neck, but her face was obscured and shadowy.
Pinkie Pie stared up at the mare. "S-s-sorry...!"
Old Mare Bramble's eyes lit up under the veil, casting an aura of light that glimmered like satin. There was a loud hissing sound, like a cherry-red iron being quenched in water, and a sheath of ice-white fire spread over the old mare's horn. The stack of farm tools sitting on the porch burst to life with the same white fire and leapt into the air and flew overhead. Spades. Rakes. Scythes. Pinkie stared at the heavy firewood axe, transfixed. The tools whirled in a ring around the mare in black.
Pinkie Pie and Emberleaf shrieked at the top of their lungs. Neither of them could tell who'd screamed first. They bolted across the yard at an all out sprint, towards the side road that cut between the western fields.
The farm tools whirled and danced through the air, leaving behind trails of ghostly fire. They slipped ahead of them and formed a wall across the road, like toy soldiers standing at attention. There was a blinding flash of light, and the two fillies skidded to a halt. When their vision cleared, the tall, skinny mare was standing before them. She walked towards them quickly, despite a pronounced limp. Her hoofbeats were loud and heavy.
Emberleaf grabbed Pinkie Pie and darted towards the wall of giant vines. Despite their size, there was just barely enough space between the roots for the young fillies to squeeze through. They burrowed deeper into the brambles, pressing themselves against the hard ground to avoid the sharp thorns and prickles.
Pinkie Pie took several deep breaths. She looked back the way they'd came, but couldn't see any trace of the road. Despite how dense the brambles had looked from outside, the lowest roots were spaced apart and raised off the ground. She stood up, carefully, and walked a few steps.
"Whoa... are you seeing this, Emberleaf?"
There was no response. She looked all around, but her friend was nowhere to be seen.
"Okay. Okay. Just... stay calm." She took another deep breath. "There's roads around every field. I can't get lost."
Pinkie Pie slowly made her way through the bramble maze. No matter how careful she was, the thorns constantly caught on her mane and tail. She had to duck down under several low vines and her legs were soon covered in scrapes and bruises. She kept an eye out for Emberleaf.
After what felt like an eternity, she caught a flash of sunlight just out of the corner of her eye. She crawled faster and saw a patch of open road ahead: it was only a few yards away, and yet she'd nearly missed it. She let out a sigh of relief and hurried towards freedom.
Something snatched her from behind and clamped her mouth shut before she could scream. She struggled for a moment, but froze still as she heard hoofbeats ahead... heavy, irregular steps. She watched as Old Mare Bramble limped down the road in front of her, not three yards away. She could only see her from the knees down: her black, billowy dress brushed the ground as she walked and her feet poked out in front with every step. Her hooves were shod in rough iron horseshoes covered with rugged spiked cleats.
Pinkie Pie watched as she slowly walked past. She stayed still as her footsteps faded into the distance.
Emberleaf let go of Pinkie Pie's mouth and crawled up beside her. "This way, before she comes back."
Pinkie Pie nodded without a sound. They crept up to the road and carefully peeked to each side. The elderly mare was nowhere to be seen. They could see the mansion not far away.
They climbed out and ran down the road to the edge of the farm, then followed the outer border to the main entrance. They reached the main gate and saw Razzle Dazzle standing by the main road up ahead, just where they'd left her.
Pinkie Pie wiped the tears from her eyes and made a pitiful attempt to brush her mane back into order. "Are we gonna tell her what happened?"
Emberleaf shook her head. "We're not telling anypony."
Pinkie Pie lay on the floor of the farmhouse's living room, scribbling in a coloring book with a bubblegum pink crayon that was worn down nearly to the nub. There was a pile of other crayons scattered about the floor around her, most of them clean and unused.
"Pinkie?"
She looked up as her mother walked in from the kitchen, drying off a plate.
"I'm over here, ma."
"Have you done all your homework for tonight?"
Pinkie turned back to her coloring book. "Yup. All done."
"Very good then. Can you be a dear and help me with a chore? Your sister is busy with her own homework."
"Sure," she said. "Whatcha need?"
"Thank you, dear. Just go fetch the axe from the shed and meet me in the back yard. It won't take long."
Pinkie Pie froze in place. Her eyes stared straight ahead at nothing in particular.
"What?"
"I need to cut some firewood for the tinderbox. Your father would normally do it himself, but he's out to town for the morning."
Pinkie Pie shrieked as loud as she could. Her mother flinched in shock and dropped the dish, which shattered on the floor. Pinkie shot to her feet and sprinted for the stairwell. She screamed all the while. Her voice was loud and ragged, like a fire alarm or a police siren.
"Heaven above, child! What's the matter!?"
Her mother rushed towards her, but Pinkie only screamed louder. "Get away from meeeeee!! I dun wanna!!"
Pinkie scrambled up the stairs and ran headlong into Inky Pie, just as she came around the corner.
"Pinkie!?"
Pinkie hugged her big sister's leg and pressed her face against her shoulder, sobbing wildly. "Gedder away from meee!! I dun wanna go in the b-b-back yard!!"
Their mother stood at the bottom of the stairs, wide eyed with alarm. "Inky, dear? Is she all right?"
"What happened?" Inky said, "what did you do to her?"
She wrung her hooves together. "Nothing! I asked her for help with the firewood, that's all! I've no idea what—"
Inky Pie waved at her. "I think I know what's going on. Give us a few minutes."
Inky Pie dragged her little sister into her room, set her on the bed, and hugged her while she cried. The sobbing slowly tapered off. Inky held a hankey against her nose and wiped it off.
"Soree," Pinkie whimpered.
Inky set the hankey aside. "What's gotten into you? I've never seen you this scared before."
Pinkie Pie looked away. "Granny Pie told me a secret... she told me how to not be scared all the time. She said if you're scared, you should laugh. Laughter makes it disappear."
"And it worked, right? You used to be such a scaredy-cat. Now you can look under your bed and open your closet all by yourself, even at night."
"Yeah, because those ghosties weren't really real!"
"So?"
Pinkie flopped back on the bed. "Missus Bramble is real. I can't just laugh at her."
Inkie watched her for awhile.
"So, Missus Bramble is real, right?"
"Yuh huh."
"What about that scary story? Was that real?"
Pinkie Pie stared at the ceiling. "I dunno."
Inky Pie pursed her lips. "I think... you should learn more about her. Once you know what's real and what's not, then you'll know what to do."
Pinkie Pie tiptoed down the basement stairs and peered into the masonry workshop. There were tables loaded with chunks of rock, and the walls were covered with racks of chisels, files and hammers. Faint dust filled the air, and shafts of light flowed in from the three tiny windows along the upper wall. Pinkie Pie climbed to the bottom of the stairs and looked at the very back of the workshop. She saw her father standing at a bench, facing away.
"Daddy?"
His ear twitched. He set down a pair of calipers and turned to look at her. "Yes child?"
"Can I um, talk?" She pawed at the floor."It's about grown-ups."
He arched an eyebrow. "Sounds important. Come over here, child. Just promise not to touch anything."
"Promise."
She walked across the workshop, taking special care not to knock anything over. Her father lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the workbench. There were a bunch of big rocks laid out on squares of linen cloths.
"Sooooo..." Pinkie Pie swung her feet. "Can Old Mare Bramble hurt me?"
"She certainly could, if she wished to do so. She's quite strong, and she has enough true grit for six ponies half her age."
Pinkie Pie frowned.
"Does she wanna hurt me?"
"Missus Bramble wouldn't hurt a fly," he said. He picked up the calipers and began measuring one of the rocks. "You have my word on that. She's a grump and a recluse, but she's a peaceable sort."
"Oh."
"Mm."
Pinkie Pie stared at the floor for a moment.
"Daddy?"
"Mm?"
"Why's Missus Bramble alone all the time?"
"Nopony knows. S'pose you'd have to ask her."
"The why doesn't anypony else ask her? Don't they wanna know what's wrong? Don't they care?"
Her father frowned at her. "What a cruel thing to say, child. Of course we care. She's our neighbor. Ponies ask her all the time."
"Then what does she say?"
"She says it's none of our business. And she tells us to get off her land and leave her alone."
"But she must be so lonely! How can we help her if she won't even tell us what's wrong?"
Her father pulled up a chair and sat across from her. He gave her a long, sad look.
"Daddy?"
"It's a fact of life, Pinkie, but you just can't help them's that don't want to be helped. Missus Bramble was living here since before you were born, and she's always been this way. Ponies have tried to talk to her... time and time again, they try. But no matter what they say, she doesn't care to hear it."
Pinkie sniffled and hugged her knees.
"What is it, child?"
"There's gotta be somethin' I can say. Somethin' to make her smile."
He watched her for awhile. Eventually, he picked her up and set her on his lap.
"Some ponies won't listen no matter what you say. But always remember, child... actions speak louder than words." He set her on the floor and turned back to the workbench. "Go on upstairs. Give it some thought for awhile. I'm sure that when the time comes, you'll know just what to do."
The next day, Pinkie Pie walked down the main road and stopped next to the front gate to Bramble Bush Estates. She stared up at the wooden sign above, faded and colorless.
She walked towards the gate. She stopped at the last moment and turned back, then spent a minute or two just walking in tiny little circles. She sat on the dirt road and let out a sigh.
Eventually, she looked back over her shoulder and stared at the gate.
Okay. You can do this.
She stood up and marched to the gate again. She stopped in front of it and glowered intensely for a moment.
"HA!!" she said, and pointed at the gate. "HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
The gate offered no response. Pinkie Pie lifted her nose up as she walked under it, smiling triumphantly. She went up the same path as before, with the same wall of brambles to either side, and eventually came to the mansion's front yard.
She started towards the front porch, but stopped when she noticed motion off by the warehouse to her left. She walked along the edge of the yard and saw half a dozen spades floating in the air, all aglow with a pale white light. Missus Bramble stepped out of the warehouse, dressed in the same elaborate black dress with the veiled hat. She struggled with the door for a moment, and the spades crowded around her. She waved at them in mild annoyance. They obediently backed off a bit.
Pinkie Pie shuffled her hooves a bit, then politely coughed. Missus Bramble's head snapped towards her.
Pinkie stared up at her... at the black silhouette of her head, hidden behind the veil. She took a breath and opened her mouth, but nothing came out: even just the word 'hello' had caught in her throat.
Missus Bramble uttered a faint little 'hmph' and turned away, walking towards the mansion with a heavy, awkward limp.
Well this is off to a great start.
Pinkie followed Missus Bramble to the porch and watched as she stacked the spades against the wall,next to all the other tools. Pinkie looked up at her, about to speak, but the old mare walked past her without a thought. She limped to a rocking chair, sat down, and stared out at the fields.
Pinkie Pie watched her for awhile. Listened to the creaking of the chair. The faint whistle of cool, misty wind.
You'll know what to do, child. When the time comes, you'll know what to do.
Pinkie Pie walked around the rocking chair and stood in front of her. The old mare ignored her entirely. Pinkie climbed up onto the chair, struggling for a moment to reach the armrest. Missus Bramble rolled her eyes and let out a little sigh, but stubbornly refused eye contact.
Pinkie Pie settled in her lap, leaned against her, and closed her eyes. She wondered if she could listen to her heartbeat, but heard nothing through the rough, starched cloth of her dress. She was still as stone, all stiff and awkward, except for her breath.
After a few minutes of silence, Pinkie Pie felt Missus Bramble move: she'd twitched sharply. Pinkie looked up and saw a bit of her expression behind the veil: her face was clenched up, like she was struggling not to cough or sneeze. Pinkie snuggled against her and hugged her around the neck.
Missus Bramble began to cry. It sounded more like she was coughing: it was loud and sudden, like something was choking her from the inside. It was an ugly sound, ragged and dry... the sort of voice you'd expect to hear from a donkey or a buzzard. Her whole body shook, but Pinkie Pie held on tight. The crying gradually became wetter, less like an animal's and more like a person's. Missus bramble reached down and hugged Pinkie back: it made her seem huge and strong, as if she could hold the whole world together through even the very worst of times. She didn't know why, but it reminded Pinkie of her own mother.
At last, her crying quieted to a sniffle. The trembling stopped. Pinkie Pie looked up at her. Missus Bramble pulled her veil aside and wiped her eyes. It was the first time Pinkie had even seen her: her coat was dark grey with black dapples, and her mane was very short and bristly. Pinkie Pie stared into her blue eyes. They were still quite wet with tears, and brighter than she'd expected.
"She would've been about your age," she muttered.
"Who?"
Missus Bramble glanced over her shoulder, at the front door of the mansion.
"Would you care for some lemon cakes?"
Pinkie Pie smiled, and her eyes brightened up.
Pinkie Pie's mother rushed about the kitchen, pausing occasionally to fuss over a large cookpot on the stove. "Inky Pie? Have you finished setting out the dishes?"
A muffled groan came from the next room.
"Inky, I know you can hear me. Finish setting out the dishes."
"Why can't Pinkie Pie do it?"
"Why...? You mean you haven't even started yet!?"
"I'm busy!"
She snatched up a spice bottle and shook it into the pot three times."I swear, Inky, if you don't set up the table this instant you won't eat a single bite of dinner! Not one!"
"I'm not hungry."
Granny Pie came in with two glass trays full of cheese and mushroom casserole, which she set on the counter. "Here you go, dear. They just need ten minutes in the oven to brown the top."
She nodded. "Perfect. See if you can—" a ringing from the front door cut her off. "Inky? Go get the front door."
Granny nodded. "I'll go fetch some fresh milk from the icebox."
"No no, you go have a seat. You've helped plenty enough as it is."
"Are you sure, dear?"
"Really, it's quite all right." She turned to the door and shouted "Inky! Answer the door!"
"Can't," Inky called back,"busy setting the table."
She clenched her jaw. "Pinkie? Can you answer the door for me?"
"Aaaaalmost done my homework!"
Granny took the casserole dishes and carried them to the oven. "You go on. I'll take care of the kitchen."
Missus Pie stormed out of the kitchen, glaring at Inky Pie as she passed by, and went to the front door. "I told you before, you can just leave the mail on the—" She gasped when she saw the tall, elderly mare standing on the front porch. She was dressed in a mournful black dress complete with a corset and a lace veil.
She swallowed a slight lump in her throat."Ah... may I help you, ma'am?"
The mare pulled aside her veil. "Is this the residence of one Pinkie Pie? I should like to have a word with her."
"Oh, goodness me... Whatever she's done, I'm very sorry about it. She's been having troubles lately."
"Oh, she's not in any trouble. None that I know of, at least."
"Ah... yes. Then, why... may I ask...?"
"She visited me yesterday, and asked if there were any chores I needed help with."
"She asked that?"
"Among other things, yes."
"Of course. Just a moment."
She went back inside and saw Pinkie Pie setting out forks and knives on the dinner table.
"Pinkie?"
"I did my homework. Sorry it took so long."
"No, it's not that... there's somepony at the door to see you."
Pinkie looked up, wide eyed. She set aside the cutlery and went to the front door. "Oh! Good afternoon, Missus Bramble!"
"Good afternoon, Pinkie. Do you still have any interest in doing chores for me?"
"Yes, Missus."
"Very good. I've got a large crop of royal roses, but I can only gather blossoms from the exposed vines on top. Since you seem to be nimble enough to climb underneath them, I was hoping you could search for any I've missed."
Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"
"I'll pay you three bits for each bouquet of twelve roses you bring me. Only full bouquets will do. If you pick eleven roses, you get nothing. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Very good. You can visit no earlier than four and no later than six. I wouldn't want to deprive you of your schoolwork or your family."
Pinkie Pie looked up at her mother. "Is that okay?"
"Well... yes, of course."
Missus Bramble nodded. "Very good then, Pinkie. Visit me tomorrow and I can instruct you in the proper use of pruning shears. And good day to you, Missus Pie."
Pinkie's mother watched as the elderly mare walked back down the road. She turned to look at Pinkie Pie, but she was gone. She went back inside and saw her older daughter, Inky Pie, staring out the window.
"Where's your sister?"
"Who died?" Inkie Pie said, still staring.
"Don't you even joke!"
Inky looked at her, alarmed. "I wasn't! Was there a funeral or something? Did we miss it?"
Missus Pie rushed back to the dining room and saw Pinkie Pie setting out cups. "Pinkie, dear?"
Pinkie looked up. "Mm?"
Her mother worked her jaw back and forth for a moment. "Did you... visit with Missus Bramble?"
"Yeah."
"You mean you spoke to her? What did you say, exactly?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Nuthin'. I just listened."
Missus Pie paused for a moment. "When you were listening to her... what did Missus Bramble say to you?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged again: a very slight, casual gesture. "Nothin'."
"She didn't say anything? At all?"
"She didn't have to."
She and Pinkie Pie watched each other for a moment. Eventually, Pinkie Pie set out the last of the cups and then walked to the kitchen. "Hey, granny? Can I help with anything?"
"Well, there's a whole pot of boiled potatoes sitting right there. Think you can find the masher for me?"
"Mashed taters? Awright! Squishy squish!"
Missus Pie sat at the table and listened quietly as Pinkie Pie and granny worked in the kitchen together, laughing and giggling.
