> How to be successful.
>  by Jumpitydude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Answer carefully...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marble looked at the bakery and let out a soft sigh. She could see movement inside the building, but there was no way to tell who it was. She opened up the front door and stepped inside. There was no one else there. She approached the counter when she noticed more movement coming from a room right next to the one she was in. She entered the room.

Inside of that room were ovens, counters, baking ingredients, and a pink pony.

"Pinkie?"

Pinkie turned around. "Oh, hi Marble! Didn't expect you to show up!"

"Um..." Marble tapped her hoof on the ground. "How do you become successful?"

Pinkie tilted her head. "That's all you have to say? You just be yourself, duh."

Marble blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah. You just put yourself out there and make friends. That's as successful as you need to be."

"Well, what if I need money?"

"Just get a job you're comfortable with. It's not that hard. I mean, I tried and I landed my dream job!" Pinkie raised her hoof above her head. "Okay, maybe not a dream job but I really don't want any other job now. Especially the first two I got."

"Well, what if-"

"Oh, don't overthink it." Pinkie pulled a batch of cupcakes out of the oven. "I mean, sure there are problematic ponies from time to time, but as long as you stay with the ones that won't say mean things to you, you'll be fine."

"What if I don't have a choice?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Eh. You always have a choice in things. I mean, except for small things like mom and dad wanting to give the farm to Limestone alone."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, yeah. You didn't hear? They wanted Lime to be the only one of us working the farm when they pass on. That's why they weren't bothered too much when Maud and I flew the coop."

"B-but..."

"Don't worry, though. They probably won't kick it for a nice long while." Pinkie paused right before piping icing onto the cupcakes. "Unless an accident happens, but hey, that's why they call them accidents. You never know when they'll happen."

"Okay. Thanks."

"I mean, if you're looking, there are ponies around here that are hiring. As long as you don't break anything, it'll be fine. You know, like that one time you accidentally broke mom's statue."

"You mean-"

"Oh, yeah. You did that a couple of times." Pinkie laughed as she poured some sprinkles on the cupcakes. "Oh, good thing you're her daughter. Can you imagine what would have happened if someone unrelated to her broke it?"

"Unrela-"

"Oh! There may be good jobs for you at the Crystal Empire! There are so many cool things there too!"

"What if I can't and I get stuck there?"

"Mm, good point." Pinkie gasped. "You could work with Rarity!" Pinkie then placed her hoof on her chin. "Nah. That wouldn't work. She likes ponies that can talk a lot. You're really quiet."

"Q-quiet?"

"Yeah. That's gonna be hard to work with. Heck, some ponies might call you disabled with how quiet you are, and I know there are some jerks that won't put up with someone disabled."

"I... I..."

"Eh. They aren't that common, though. Just common enough that you'll want to keep an eye out for them. Cus trust me, they'll ruin any job. 'How dare you have a small issue that can be ignored.' It's like they're trying to get fired or something."

Marble whimpered.

"I've even heard of someone getting fired because they were too successful at their job. Can you imagine? Being so good that someone fires you so you can't climb the corporate ladder? I don't know if that guy got another job, but he had to leave because there weren't any opportunities here for him. Might be begging in a street somewhere." Pinkie turned around with a box of cupcakes balanced on her hoof. "Anyway, do you want to-"

Marble was gone.

"Huh. That's weird. Oh well."





"I swear, even now Sweetie Belle can be such a trouble maker!"

Rarity's friends laughed at her tale.

Applejack was the first to catch her breath. "Yup. That's how sisters can be at times."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "Or siblings in general."

"Oh! That reminds me! Marble came by Sugarcube Corner yesterday and asked me a bunch of weird questions!"

Twilight's ears perked up. "Really? Like what?"

"Like, 'how do you make money,' and, 'what if I need to move,' and something about making choices."

Rarity giggled. "Little sisters can be quite strange."

Twilight smirked. "Marble's older than the crusaders, though."

Fluttershy frowned. "You did give her advice, though, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Pinkie raised her eyebrow and hoof. "What kind of sister would I be if I didn't?"

"Hey, did I tell you girls about the time Apple Bloom was hunting the Great Seedling?"

Rainbow shook her head. "What happened?"

"Well, you see..." Applejack went into detail about her sister's antics and her brother's sleepwalking, causing the others at the table to laugh.

Rarity caught her breath. "Oh, Applejack. You have the strangest family sometimes."

Applejack nodded. "Not sure what I'd do without them."

Pinkie chuckled. "Me either."

"Pinkie?"

The girls all looked at Starlight as she approached the table.

Pinkie waved. "Hey, Starlight! Decided to join us?"

"No, it's-"

"Come on. Just for a couple of min-"

Starlight shoved her hoof in Pinkie's mouth. "This is serious!"

Everyone else at the cafe turned and stared.

Starlight let out a sigh. "A couple of ponies were walking through the park earlier when they found your sister Marble."

Pinkie raised her eyebrow.

"Authorities are still looking into it, but at the moment it looks like she... They believe she..."

Pinkie's eyes shrunk.

"She may have committed suicide."

The other patrons gasped as Starlight pulled her hoof from Pinkie's mouth.

"She... what?"





Pinkie sat in front of the tombstone for hours after everyone else had left. She read the name over and over again. As she did, the same thought crept back into her mind, every minute, like clockwork.

"What did I say wrong?"