It had been a good day for Glinda the storeholder in Griffinstone. Not only had she managed to sell a lot of her inventory to a strange rainbow-coloured pegasus who had come in earlier, but she'd also tasted one of the most delicious scones she'd ever eaten, from some youngster called Gilda. Not that one nice scone was enough to make her anyone's friend, of course.
And now, she was closing up shop, ready to return to her pathetic little shack for the night. She couldn't wait to escape this ramshackle town... Hopefully, if she had more days like today, this dream would soon come to reality. If only that multi-coloured mare had been carrying even more dough, then she would be even closer to her goal. "Oh well" she thought... "Ya win some, ya lose..."
Suddenly, there was a crash at the front door. Glinda looked up. A late customer? Had her prayers been answered? She went to check. No-one there. She frowned. Could it be... One of the youngsters playing another practical joke? Wait till she got her claws on those whippersnappers. She'd force them to listen to a five hour lecture from Grandpa Gruff. THAT would teach 'em. She turned around to get her keys so she could lock up...
When suddenly, out of nowhere, a pink pony appeared. She appeared to have balloons on her flank, and a fixed smile on her face. "Howdy" said the mare. "We haven't met." My name is Pinkie Pie".
Glinda grimaced... mostly out of surprise but partly because the pony's weird grin was unnerving her.
"Er... Hello" Said the startled griffin. "Sorry we're closed. Come back tomorrow. Unless... You want something urgently. In which case... I'm going to have to charge you extra bits for the inconvenience." Already she was thinking that this may be the break she was waiting for. That pegasus that was in her store earlier on was more loaded than any of her other customers... Might this equine be similarly well off?
"No, silly." The pink mare laughed at Glinda's greed. "I spent all my bits on sweets earlier on, during the journey here."
The Griffin's face immediately dropped. "Well, in that case, could you please leave? I've gotta get up early tomorrow to open up this stinkin' place again. The sooner I start making money, the sooner I can ditch this hole. FOR GOOD." She moved to edge past Pinkie, but the party-loving pony sidestepped to block her path.
"Aren't you even curious why I'm here?!" said the pink pony
"No, not really, all I know is you're stopping me from getting a good night's sleep." replied the exasperated griffin.
"Well, actually I just popped over for a little chat. You see, I was here today with my friend Rainbow Dash..." replied Pinkie.
At the sound of the name... Glinda suddenly felt nervous. She had a good idea about who Pinkie Pie was referring to, and why the party mare had seen fit to visit her at such a late hour. But she let the pony keep talking for now at least, she could think of a way to escape while the mare was chatting to her.
"So anyway, I was on the train journey home with my pal Dashie, and telling her all about how I turned Gilda into a goodie, and my new best friend Grover The Statue, when it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I was hogging the conversation a little. So, I asked Dashie about how she hurt her leg, and she told me about the little adventure you two had above the Abysmal Abyss. She said after the rope broke and she got stuck on a ledge, she called up to ask you for help, but because she'd run out of money, you left her there. Have I left anything out?" Pink still had that unnerving smile on her face.
Cornered as she was, with no viable means of egress, Glinda decided, for once in her life to tell the truth. "Look kid, I'll level with ya." The griffin sighed. "That's just what we do around here. Everyone is just out for themselves. Anyone who tries to be nice, just gets taken advantage of, and thrown out to the Timberwolves... I'm sorry I had to abandon your friend like that, but hopefully next time she's in Griffinstone, she'll take more cash with her. Just think of it as a learning experience." She sheepishly patted Pinkie's head.
Still holding that weird grin, Pinkie said, through noticeably clenched teeth. "Oh, so you left her, on a crumbling bit of rock, injured, with no hope of escape, because she didn't pay you well enough?" There was something strange shining in Pinkie's eyes, almost as if they were glowing. "And if I or Gilda hadn't arrived, then she might have starved to death, or fallen to the bottom of the cliff?" Pinkie's every muscle was twitching, but she was still keeping up both her permanent smile and her friendly demeanor.
Glinda shrugged her wings while nervously observing the mare's reactions. "I don't know what to tell you. It's been like this in Griffinstone for years. We don't care about each other. To me, this Rainbow Dash was merely a means to an end. She might be YOUR pal, but to me she was just part of a meal ticket to skip this dump...Anyway, you rescued her, everything's fine now, Badda Bing, Badda Boom, the end. Can I go now?" Glinda rolled her eyes. She was starting to get tired of this charade.
Pinkie paused for a minute. She even stopped hopping as if to process all this new knowledge, before stating "OKIE DOKEY LOKEY!! I just needed to return here right away to make sure Dash was on the level. Now I know she is, I think I can aid you with your problem. I can help you get out of here, if you like. And it won't cost you any bits. Just tell me: Did you try one of Gilda's scones earlier on? Weren't they delicious? Especially with my SECRET INGREDIENT added?"
Glinda was taken aback by such a generous offer, from somepony who's friend she had apparently deserted to rot. "Well, yes Ms Pie" said the griffin coming over all polite all of a sudden. "I would like that very much. And I must say, Gilda's scone that I ate earlier on was a HUGE improvement on her old recipe. It was EDIBLE, for a start. And you say you had a part in that?"
"Yes, of course". Giggled the pink mare. " I'm well known back in Ponyville for my baking prowess. I work in a cake shop. In fact, even now my pet Gummy is helping me whip up a delicious 15 layer masterpiece. I can't wait to see how he's getting on when I return... And you can come with me! I was just about to leave, as a matter of fact."
Glinda pondered the situation. On the one hand, she'd heard Ponyville was full of dweebs, and wasn't exactly on the 'cool' list of places to visit in Equestria. On the other hand, ANYWHERE was better than this crumbling, derelict old town she called home at the moment. There really was no choice.
"Okay, I'll go with you." Said the griffon to the pink pony. "I've got nothing to lose. But tell me... How am I going to make ends meet while I'm there? I'm dirt poor... Are you going to get me a job at your bakery, or something?"
Glinda thought she detected the slightest twitch in Pinkie's effervescent grin... Nope, just her imagination, she guessed. "Something like that. One final question: you said you enjoyed the griffin scone you ate earlier on. Can I ask your opinion on..."
"What?"
"CUPCAKES?!"