Annie Brighton

Annie Brighton is Candy's childhood friend from Pony's Home.

Appearance
In the anime, Annie has black hair, fair skin, and blue eyes.

Drawings by Yumiko Igarashi and the 1992 movie show her with blonde hair, fair skin, and blue eyes.

Characteristics
Annie is a well-mannered yet shy girl. She is also very polite but can be sometimes get jealous of Candy for being the favorite orphan in Pony's Home and Archie's love interest. She supports Candy but her selfishness shows sometimes, especially at the beginning and during the school.

Plot
Annie was found abandoned on the doorsteps of Pony's Home orphanage with a note from her birth mother saying she is unable to care for her and hopes the orphanage can. The letter also states that her name is Annie.

While out on an "adventure" with Candy, the two almost drown in a river, only to be saved by Mr. Brighton. He treats the girls kindly, gives them food, a change of clothes, and allows them to ride on one of their horses. Annie tells Candy that she'd like for them to ask him to adopt them both, but Candy refuses and runs back to Pony's Home. Annie returns to Mr. Brighton's house and stays there the night.

Upon returning, it is revealed that Mr. Brighton would like to adopt Candy, but Candy sabotages herself in front of Mrs. Brighton so she wouldn't want her. In contrast, Annie ends up displaying her politeness which impresses Mrs. Brighton who asks to adopt Annie instead. Annie accepts the offer to be adopted and thus becomes their new daughter.

Once Annie moves in with her new family, she continues to write letters to Candy at the orphanage. Mrs. Brighton, however, does not want anyone to find out she was once an orphan and forbids her form sending more letters. The final letter Annie sends to Candy is bidding her farewell, saying that to become a proper lady accepted by society she must hide her past as an orphan.

Annie and her new mother Mrs. Brighton come to visit the Leagans, Annie pretends not to know either Candy or Klint and Mrs. Brighton begs Candy to keep Annie's secret. Up to their usual tricks, Neil and Eliza press Annie into horse riding, frighten the horse Cleopatra into a panicking gallop and then persuade the adults that Candy caused the incident. Candy races after Annie, manages to grab the reins and halt Cleopatra. Finally alone, Annie admits she is unhappy and cannot forget everything and everyone that ever made her happy. When Candy comes to blows with Neil, exhorting a promise from him to never hurt Annie again, Eliza perverts the situation so that either Annie or Candy have to confess the truth about Annie's past. Mrs. Brighton stops Annie in time from speaking up and suggests that an apology from Candy will suffice. After Annie leaves with her mother, the old gardener finds Candy crying in her barn and assures her that Annie is still her friend: the ribbon Annie tied around the post outside Candy's barn is proof of it.

Annie attended St. Paul's Academy in London. Annie grows envious of Archibald's attentiveness and admiration for Candy. Much later, Annie approaches Candy, begging her not to steal Archibald. Candy assures Annie they are solely friends. Archibald has loved Candy for years and does not want to lose her to an undeserving miscreant. Annie who overhears this runs off, heartbroken. When Candy runs after her, Annie accuses Candy of always being everyone's favorite, even at Pony's Home. Eliza and Louisa overhear Annie's words and make sure everyone knows Annie's origin. Candy discovers Annie's hiding place, a cave, but realizes Archibald should talks with her. Meanwhile Archibald discovers that while he likes and loves Candy, he thinks of Annie all the time, and convinces Annie of his feelings. While Annie recuperates from her fever, Candy and her make peace.

When the May Festival arrived neither Annie nor the Cornwell brothers enjoy the May festival much without her. Eliza invites Terry to dance with her to no avail. Archibald and Terry have a fight over Terry's contempt for the US. Sister Gray stops the fight and wants to know who started it. Seeing his opportunity to get back for the past, Neil accuses Archibald. Archibald has to spend a night in the contemplation room, while Terry keeps his freedom. Annie compiles a care package for her love and asks Candy for her expertise and assistance. Not used to night climbing trips, Annie cannot move as stealthily as Candy does, waking Eliza, who alerts a patrol to investigate. While the two girls talk about Scotland for the coming holiday, Candy takes heart that Scotland is the country of origin for the Cornwell brothers and Anthony, even though she prefers to return to the US and never come back. By the time they manage to deliver Annie's package to Archibald, Candy's absence from her room has long been detected. Candy sacrifices herself to be found out, so that Annie can escape without detection.

Annie attended the summer school in Scotland along with Candy and Patty. In her room, Annie and Patricia tell her that Archibald and Alistear are staying in a nearby house that great-aunt Elroy rented and has Eliza and Neil staying with her. The boys plan to take the girls rowing the next day. The Cornwell brothers row Annie and Patricia on the lake and are shocked when they see Candy together with Terry. There is only one week of holiday left,Terry and Archibald's animosity is still alive and kicking. Both boys end up dueling in a fence fight. While Patricia and Annie beg the boys to stop,

When Candy left St Paul's Academy during the announcement of World War I Annie gets concerned all about it. As she returns back to America along with Archibald, Alistair and. They went to Grandfather William's mansion .After procuring great-aunt Elroy's permission for Candy and Annie to stay the night, Alistear and Archibald show the girls their special hideaway - a treehut. And while they all reminisce about their childhoods, they are all occupied by the war too. Patricia will come to Chicago, because London's safety may not be for long anymore. Candy tells herself to live in the moment and lightens the mood. Eliza cannot bear that two orphans from Pony's Home will stay the night in the Ardley mansion. When Neil and Eliza's initial plan backfires, Eliza involves her mother Mrs. Leagan as representative for the Ardley family. Great-aunt Elroy is too tired to make any decision, and so Mrs. Leagan orders Annie and Candy out of the house. Archibald and Alistear stand up for both girls, but anguish Annie. Candy cannot hold her frustrated disgust for the Ardley family politics any longer and asks the brothers to cease the disputes. She asks them whether Annie and her can sleep in the tree-house, preferring a humble place where love reigns, and that is where Annie and Candy declare themselves sisters.

In the morning Annie discovers the rope ladder was taken away, but luckily Alistear has a spare ladder hidden away. The Cornwell brothers have brunch with the girls and decide to go swimming in the lake and see Alistear's newest invention. Great-aunt Elroy has decided upon the same idea though and breaks Alistear's underwater bed before it even has been used. When they return Eliza invites the four to a dinner garden party she is hosting. But Annie's suitcase has gone missing and so the girls have to come to the party in their common dresses.

Annie is apprehensive of what Terry will think if he finds out about it. Candy cannot lie to Terry and writes him a letter to explain the need for it. When Archibald reads the part of the letter where Alistear enquires after Candy's visit with Terry and Annie starts to reads the newspaper that hails Terry as a new star, Candy's armor cracks and she confesses to them that Terry and her are over and that she wants to forget about him. Dr. Martin who used to work together with Dr. Kerry, Archibald and Annie who put two and two together after a letter from Candy with her first adventures at Graytown.

Annie attended Alistear's funeral with Archibald,Candy and Patty. In the end Candy leads Archibald and Annie in a race to Pony's Home where a banquet has been prepared. Annie shows Candy a newspaper that shows Terry still acting. Candy is happy for Terry who got married with Susana. Candy stays at Pony's Hill with Archie, Annie, Albert, Miss Pony and Sister Lane and the rest.

Trivia

 * In the Latin Spanish dub her last name is "Britter" instead of "Brighton".
 * The English dub of the anime has the letter state that her full name is "Annie Jones".
 * Annie and Candy didn't reconciled until the May Festival is over in the manga
 * Annie shares with her personalities and similar to Rosalina from Super Mario series and Rollpanna from Anpanman series.