WARNING: IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS!
CUPCAKES: VOLUME 2:
Chapter 1 - No, Not Pinkie Pie!:
It had been a week since Rainbow Dash had left. Pinkie had told everypony that she had gone off to be with the Wonderbolts, and had shunned all the others.
"Well tarnation!" Applejack had exclaimed. "Who needed her anyway?"
But Twilight was skeptical. She went back to the library to mull things over. ‘First Apple Bloom, then Twist, and now Rainbow Dash. Why is everypony in such a hurry to leave Ponyville? And why do they keep leaving exactly once a week?’
Suddenly, a horn sounded. The town had called a meeting. The mayor came up and made the announcement. "Rarity has left a note at my door stating that she will be leaving Ponyville to design dresses for Photo Finish in Manehattan. She will be leaving her Boutique to Twilight Sparkle.”
“Just yesterday Rarity told me that she would meet me in the spa”, a tiny, timid voice sounded from within the crowd. A tiny, timid voice that could only belong to Fluttershy. “She would never back down from a promise like that without telling me.”
A loud southern drawl rang out from the crowd next. “They’re all a buncha flakes is what they are!” Applejack yelled. “Rarity, Dash, and the rest of them. Y’all shouldn’t be surprised over them.”
Fluttershy protested, “But Appleja-”
“But nothin’. Rarity had her own thing to do, and figured us ponies were in the way.” Applejack paused, then turned to Twilight and spoke in a less irritated voice. “You take that Boutique and make something nice out of it.” Twilight said nothing as they slowly walked towards the building.
Twilight poked her head inside and opened the door. Everything was gone. The pony mannequins were bare, and the rolls of fabric were gone. The store rooms were dry and bare. All that was left was one roll of gold silk.
“That’s strange,” Twilight mused. “Fluttershy told me that Rarity wouldn’t stop talking about this stuff. Why wouldn’t she take it?” As she was leaving the closet, out of the corner of her eye she caught a small card. Twilight lifted it up. It was a business card that read ‘Photo Finish Complete Gallery’, and had an address on the back. Twilight sent a letter to the address inquiring about Rarity, and got one back saying that they had never spoken with her. ‘Okay, now I’m worried. Where is Rarity?’ Twilight wondered.
The next day, Twilight confronted the mayor of Ponyville. Twilight approached the large wooden door of her house, and knocked three times. On the third knock the door slowly creaked open. Twilight poked her head in and decided to announce her presence. “Hello? Is anypony here? Um, I’m just gonna let myself in, if that’s oka- AUGH!” Twilight’s train fo thought was derailed by the sight of a shivering, frightened Mayor rolled up in a blanket.
“Mayor? Are you alright?” Twilight inquired.
“Yes, yes, perfectly fine!” the Mayor nervously announced. “Now! Why don’t you trot on out of here before somepony gets hurt?”
“I’m not leaving until I know what really happened to Rarity,” Twilight asserted.
The mayor turned to reveal that she was wearing a headdress of knives and a look of absolute terror. Their gazes locked on each other for a moment, then the mayor charged at Twilight. Twilight levitated her up and pressed her against the wall. The headdress came off and turned on the mayor as Twilight calmly and forcefully stated, “The royal court will find you guilty of attempted murder, Mayor. You could spend your whole life in the dungeon. But, if you tell me what really happened to Rarity, I might forget this horri-”
Twilight was interrupted again by the mayor’s frantic sobbing. “It’s not me, it’s her!”
“Who? Tell me!” Twilight yelled.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie,” the mayor bitterly stated. “She said I would get a higher number, that I would be the last to go if I kept my jaw tight. I can’t even look at myself, most days I’m in here like this.”
“This isn’t making any sense, give me an answer. Where is Rarity?” Twilight pressed.
“I don’t know, alright?!” the mayor cried.
“You know. Tell me or I’ll notify the Royal Guard.” Twilight threatened.
“No! Okay! Pinkie she, er, has taken Rarity. Her number came up. It’s Pinkie’s standard procedure. Perhaps too standard. She’s gotten lazy, but she said she needed at least one a week. Too many orders, too little cupcakes. Tomorrow, go to Sugarcube Corner. She will probably have something planned for you. Get the guard, get her behind bars. It’s going to take a lot of horsepower to take her down.” The mayor explained, sighing. “She’ll find out I told you… I’m as good as dead.”
“If you think that’s the case, I’ll have the Guards give you protection.” Twilight responded.
The mayor looked down sullenly. “I hope that will be enough.”
Chapter 2 - Dress-up Time!:
Drip, drip, drip.
Rarity tossed and turned, eyes closed. ‘Is the roof leaking again?’ She wondered.
Drip, drip ,drip.
‘This will be the third time I’ve had to get those colts to fix that thing.’
Drip, drip, drip.
“No, it’s time to get up, get dressed.” Rarity sleepily yawned, opening her eyes. She noticed it was so dark she could hardly see a hoof in front of her. She looked down at her bedsheet. “That’s strange, this doesn’t feel like a bed sheet.” It took Rarity a few moments to notice that she was actually sleeping on a pile of her dresses. She looked up, and saw a large hole with light coming through it. Suddenly, a head popped out.
“Hi Rarity! Looks like you’re finally awake!” a high pitched voice squeaked from the edge of the pit.
“Pinkie, is that you?” Rarity probed.
“Yep! Looks like you hit that one right on the nose, or should I say horn? Hee hee!”
Rarity slowly pulled her hoof to her head, and felt a wet spot, but no horn. “Pinkie? Wh- what did you do?” she stammered. Hearing Pinkie Pie snickering mischievously, she looked back at her hoof in the light to find that it was stained with dark red, contrasting with her white coat. The dripping she had heard was coming from her wound. She began to scream in shock and despair.
Pinkie spoke over her cries, “Wah, wah, wah, just like a baby. Twist didn’t cry this much. Well, I’d have to say, you are quite a lucky filly. When your number came up, my first thought was cupcakes, but then I remembered it was fashion designer Rarity I was talking about. I think that after all those dresses, you deserve to be served one. No wait, I mean served as one. Hee hee hee hee! Well, I can’t talk forever, orders to fill and whatnot. Bye!”
Rarity shook her head, trying to convince herself this wasn’t happening. ‘Pinkie’s my friend, this is probably all some practical joke,’ she thought. She called out nervously, “Ha ha, Pinkie, you have surely fooled me into fright, what with the well and the ironic death and all. But I must say, how did you pull off such an impressive missing horn illusion?”
Pinkie laughed and retorted as she was trotting off, “Who said that was an illusion, silly?”
Chapter 3 - It's A Bad Apple:
Twilight had woken up the next day in a cold sweat after having terrible nightmares the night previous. She had shaken her feeling of dread with some difficulty as she prepared to begin the hunt for Pinkie Pie.
She was standing apprehensively outside of Sugarcube Corner. Behind her were several of the legendary pegasi of Celestia’s Royal Guard. After some time of preparation, they stormed in, prepared for the worst. Upon entering, however, they noticed the store was empty, save for a plate of cupcakes on the table. As the pegasi tore the place up, Twilight used her magic to spot a loose floor board. She pried it aside, revealing a button. When she pressed it, an oven swung open. Twilight approached it, but a guard pushed her aside and started walking toward the entrance.
“Lady, if what you’ve told me about her is true, then I want to be the guy who catches that monster.” The guard took one step into the newly opened passageway. The one step happened to land on a bear trap. The sharp metal teeth dove into his leg, splintering the bone and producing a horrible crunching sound. The guard’s bravado immediately ended, replaced by blubbering and screaming. “My leg! It’s got my leg!” he yelled. The more he writhed in pain, the deeper the trap’s fangs sunk into his leg.
“For Celestia’s sake, get him outta there!” Another guard piped up. He rushed to the injured guard and began pulling apart the trap, but as he eased the pressure, a blood vessel decided to rupture, sending a spurt of blood into his eye. His hooves slipped, and the trap came down again, this time all but severing the unfortunate guard’s leg, leaving it connected by just a small piece of skin. The guard was finally pulled out of the trap, and put on a stretcher.
As he passed by Twilight, he looked in her eyes solemnly and said “I hope it’s worth it to you.”
Twilight lit the path up, finding and springing the rest of the traps. There were seven, one for each guard she had brought with her. As she and the remaining guards went down the narrow stone stairway, Twilight noticed a certain smell getting stronger and stronger, a smell that reminded her of the dissections they had done in magic class. She’d always pretended to be sick on those days. Twilight knew she knew what it was, but she couldn’t quite place it.
They arrived at the bottom of the staircase, which emptied out into a dark room. The lights went on, revealing what had to be the single most sickening thing Twilight had ever seen. The room was decorated in a disturbing yet light-hearted manner. Lungs and hearts filled with helium floated at the corners of the room like party balloons. Two skinned ponies sat at a table covered in hide on chairs made of bone. Intestines hung from rafters like streamers. Mounted on the wall at the back was a banner saying ‘Happy birthday, Twilight’ written in blood. Twilight finally remembered what that smell was - formaldehyde. Pinkie had used it to preserve the corpses.
Twilight noticed a note nailed to one of the ‘streamers’. She ripped it off and started reading.
Hi Twilight!
You’re probably so wrapped up in this investigation that you forgot that today is your birthday! Well, I went ahead and planned this whole thing JUST FOR YOU! I hope you like it, because I went ahead and got you a present! Use it well!
P.S. Behind you.
As Twilight turned, one of the Guards spoke up. “Twilight, I think you need to see this.” In a dark corner of the room, a different, fouler stench filled the air. In a rust covered cage, surrounded by the bleached skulls of foals was a small, dark shape. Upon closer inspection, Twilight discovered it was Apple Bloom.
“Get her to a doctor, it looks like she’s alive,” called Twilight.
As the guards forced open the cage and grabbed her, she sprung and bit viciously into the face of the one that freed her. "Get her offa me!" he yelped as she clung on, her teeth digging deeper into his flesh. It took two guards to restrain her, and another to fit a muzzle onto her snarling face.
Chapter 4 - No, Not the Mayor!:
wilight sighed, asking herself when this torture was to end, and crept up the stairs. When she reached the kitchen upstairs, she noticed a calendar. “Hey, what do you know, Twilight dolefully said to herself. “Today is my birthday. Thanks for the present.”
Twilight walked towards the mayor’s house, her mind swirling with unanswered questions. She opened the door and called out, “Mayor? I have a lot of questions for you. Pinkie wasn’t there, so if you could provide some information, that would certainly be helpful.” No one answered. Twilight walked down the hallway, when she noticed she stepped in something wet next to a doorway. She opened the door and went inside the unlit room. Just as she did, the lights turned on to reveal the mayor, hung from her front hooves, her stomach cut open, and her organs hanging out.
“Please,” a raspy voice whispered. “Please make the pain go away.” Over the mayor’s head was scrawled a familiar phrase:
Losing a friend’s trust is the fastest way to lose a friend.
The rest of the walls were covered in the word ‘forever’. Twilight closed her eyes. She wanted out, but there was no escape. She knew what she had to do. She knew she had to face Pinkamena Diane Pie.
Chapter 5 - Interviewing Apple Bloom:
“She’s getting up.”
“Good, Ah thought she was in a coma or something.”
“Actually, Ah almost hoped that would be the case.”
“Oh Big Macintosh, what in the world are we gonna do now?”
“We live, Applejack. We’ll get her to be alright in the head, we’ll give her her life back. We’ll take back what Pinkie has taken from us. But right now, she just needs to rest.”
“Hi bro and sis! Whatcha talkin’ about?" Apple Bloom piped up, shooting down Big Mac’s suggestion.
“Apple Bloom! What happened in there? What did she do to you?” Applejack half-cried, hoping her sister hadn’t been too traumatized.
“Oh, nuthin’, just some arts and crafts, a bit of paintin’, and a lot of cupcake makin’.”
Applejack blinked. “You helped her? But…” She couldn’t bring herself to think of her sister becoming like Pinkie Pie.
“Oh, it’s no big deal, I was just playin’ with my friends. Pinkie Pie did most of the work; I just helped a little every now and then. Now why am I in this funny-lookin’ glass stable?”
“The doctors s-said that you w-weren’t right in the head, Apple Bloom. That Pinkie did some terrible things to ya. That you’re a d-danger to yourself and everypony around you.”
“Pinkie said that this was a special way of playing,” Apple Bloom continued, ignoring that her question had been answered. “A way that would bond us as friends forever. She even said that since Rarity loved making dresses so much, she’ll make Rarity a special dress! Or was that make Rarity into a special dress?”
Applejack reeled in horror and disgust. Her own sister had been transformed, had been changed from the sweet little filly she knew into a broken-down monster.
As Applejack numbly trotted into the kitchen to grab a drink, Twilight let herself into the room. “Applejack, I need to speak to you about Apple Bloom!” she shouted. “I’m here on Princess Celestia’s behalf.”
Applejack looked at Twilight and slowly said through her teeth, “What do you wanna know, Twilight?”
“I need to interview Apple Bloom. She’s vital to this case.”
“Sorry, no can do,” Applejack replied. “But, seeing as that was more of a statement than a question, Ah can assume you’re going to anyway.”
“Well, yes…”
“Come with me." Applejack led her down the long twisting hallways of the farmhouse. “The doctors said to not to get close to the glass. Items may be exchanged through the sliding metal tray, but do not give her anything sharp.”
“That’s all?” Twilight asked.
“One more thing. Do not, do not let your guard down. She’s been, ahem, trained by Pinkie Pie.”
“Can do,” Twilight said confidently, but internally mortified at what she might hear or see in that stable. As she approached the stable, she saw a stool, and quickly sat.
“Why so quick to relax, Twilight?” Apple Bloom asked coolly. “Didn’t Applejack tell you not to let your guard down?”
“You let that guard down, Apple Bloom. He’s still receiving treatment. Doctors say that they might not be able to recover his right cheek.” Twilight paused, glaring at the filly in the stable. “Why did you do it?”
“I ate his cheek, and had some fava beans later on the side. Pinkie always told me that the cheeks were the tastiest part of any creature. She also left me in there with no food for six days. I can imagine that’s what’s happening with poor little Rarity right now.”
Twilight froze. She realized it all now.
“You see,” Apple Bloom continued, “Rarity might not be dead yet. Pinkie kept talkin’ about it, how one needs to starve a pony for a few days. Loosens the skin. And then-”
“Pinkie’s going to make a dress out of Rarity?” Twilight interjected, horrified by this revelation.
“Yep! She’s been talkin’ about it for a while now. Ah don’t know how far she’s gotten, but if she’s doin’ that, then you’ve definitely got some time before she kills her.”
Twilight was taken aback by the filly’s excitement for Rarity’s death, but relieved that her friend was still alive. “Do you know where she’s hiding, Apple Bloom?”
“Well, this has to end sometime. But Ah can’t help you with that, Twilight. Ah’ve never been with Miss Pinkie to the hideout. All Ah know is it’s somewhere in Manehattan. She’d been makin’ cupcakes there too, but that place had been just a temporary holdout.”
“Why are you helping me like this, Apple Bloom? Aren’t you Pinkie’s helper?” Twilight choked on the last word. Unlike Applejack, she simply could not see Apple Bloom as a monster.
“She forgot about me, Twilight. Ah was her faithful student, Ah had screamed for days on end for her to release me, but she never did. She acted like Ah wasn’t even there. She ignored me.”
“How did you end up there in the first place? What did she do to you?” Twilight hurriedly started questioning Apple Bloom.
“Well, Ah can’t share that story with you right now.”
“Why not? Is the pain too much to bear?”
“No,” Apple Bloom replied with a smile. “Because my sister is right behind you.”
“Come on, Twilight,” Applejack said wearily. “My poor sister has been through enough, it’s time for you to move them hooves outta here. Little Apple Bloom needs her rest.”
“I’ll be back soon, Applejack. I hope you know that.” Twilight said sternly.
“Oh, Ah know that,” Applejack whispered, mostly to herself.
“Twilight!” Apple Bloom yelled. “Remember! Rarity still has time. She still has…”
Chapter 4 - Rarity
“…Time to check up on my favorite little pony!” Pinkie Pie gleefully shouted as she hopped across dimly-lit the room towards the pit.
Rarity had dressed her wound with the fabric from her dresses. She’d been there for two days now. The pain medication had worn off though, so it had been burning in her forehead. She had been enduring it for hours, too afraid of her fate to sleep. The searing pain in her forehead had made every other limb in her body ache. She had grown very weak.
“Soiled yourself again, Rarity?” Pinkie mocked her. “That isn’t very ladylike.”
“Pinkie, how could you? I thought we were friends!” Rarity sobbed. It was true, there had simply been no place to go to the bathroom, and either way, she was too weak to move.
“Well, that won’t do, we can’t have your coat and mane getting all dirty.” Pinkie hopped away, and quickly returned with a large hose.
“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Rarity asked, trying to delay the inevitable.
“Washing you, silly!” Pinkie turned on the water and it rushed out of the hose onto Rarity, chilling her to the bone and nearly drowning her. Pinkie shut the water off, and Rarity just sat there, shivering and coughing, looking down at the ground and wondering how this was actually happening.
Her eyes were quickly caught by a basket that was being lowered down. It had a towel and a small light on it. As soon as it arrived, she took out the towel and dried herself off, then set it aside. Then she noticed a small bottle that said ‘special lotion’.
“Take that rag of your head,” Pinkie called down to her captive. “It looks silly.”
Rarity reluctantly complied, slowly peeling her makeshift bandage off and wincing at the feeling of the fabric coming off. The spot where her horn had been had gotten infected, and there was a steady stream of yellow pus flowing out from one of the smaller sores that had formed, some of it leaking down into Rarity’s eye.
“Oh no, that won’t do. Well, like Granny Pie always said, ‘It puts the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose again.’” Her alligator, Gummy, scurried up and waggled his tail. “Yes she will, Gummy, she will get the hose.” Pinkie said in a childish tone to her scaly friend. Again, Rarity complied, squeezing out a bit of the off-white mixture and putting it on the infected area. It stung unlike anything Rarity had ever felt before. Her head reeled back from the pain, but she ground her teeth and continued applying it. She knew that Pinkie was keeping her alive, and that there was a chance someone was looking for her.
“Now it puts the lotion back in the basket!” Pinkie said.
“Please Pinkie,” Rarity sobbed. “I want to go home!”
“Funny, that’s what Rainbow Dash said. And Twist. And Gilda. But that’s beside the point. It puts the lotion back in the basket!” Pinkie repeated, this time more forcefully.
“Please-” Rarity began, only to be interrupted by Pinkie.
“Put the lotion back in the basket!”
Rarity put it back, and as the basket rose, its light revealed several bloody scratch marks on the walls of the pit, and in between two pieces of cobble, a broken piece of hoof. Rarity backed up, hunched over, and began to scream.
Pinkie just looked down and started mocking her again.
Chapter 5 - Shy Fluttershy:
Rain dripped loudly against the window of Twilight’s library. She was trying to sleep, but couldn’t. She knew that Pinkie knew where she was. She also knew that even with the Royal Guard’s protection, she was exposed. She tried to calm herself down, but nothing seemed to work. She had read books about the subject of psychology, and knew what she was suffering from, but that didn’t help her cope with it at all.
Her fearful reverie was interrupted by three muffled knocks that rang through the house. Twilight sat up with a jolt. She paused, waiting for something to happen. ‘Must be my imagination,’ Twilight said to herself as she laid her head back down on the pillow. Then the sound came again, three more quiet knocks. “Is someone there?” Twilight called, walking towards the door.
“Twilight? Can I talk with you?” A soft voice spoke through the door. Twilight was already sure who it was, but she still wasn’t taking any chances. She looked through the peephole and saw a drenched, shivering Fluttershy standing outside.
“For Celestia’s sake, get in here!” Twilight said as she undid the deadbolt and chain. “Fluttershy, why would you need to see me at an hour like this?”
“I’d like to help you, but I can’t risk getting caught; I don’t want anyone to know.” Fluttershy spoke softly but clearly.
Twilight wore a puzzled look for a moment, then shook it off and said, “I’m sorry Fluttershy, but this is too-”
Fluttershy interrupted. “Too scary? Too gruesome? I’ve seen far worse than anything Pinkie Pie could do, and after what happened, I don’t think I could live with myself if I let another one of my friends die.”
“What do you mean, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
“The winter before you came here, during Winter Wrap-Up, since we were so unorganized, the pegasus ponies, they-” Fluttershy stopped, choking up.
“They melted the snow too early, didn’t they?”
“Yes. Oh, how those poor little woodland creatures wailed and screamed. The birds could fly, and I was glad they were safe, but all the others, there were simply too many to save.” Small tears ran down Fluttershy’s pained face. “I figured if could save just one, I would be happy. That’s how I got Angel.”
“You just wanted them to stop screaming, didn’t you… You just wanted silence.” Twilight said with a strong, solemn look.
“Please Twilight, if there’s anything I can help you with, I’d be honored to.”
“Well, there is one thing. I’m positively stumped as to the whereabouts of her hideout. I got a map of Manehattan, and a list of where the ponies that had gone missing were last seen, but I can’t figure out where she’s doing this from.”
“Well, Twilight, I can’t seem to pull anything from this either.”
“That’s okay, I’ll talk with Apple Bloom tomorrow, and I’ll start investigating the neighborhood, starting with this house.” Twilight marked a house down.
“Hm. Okay, see you later.” Fluttershy said as she walked out into the night.
Chapter 6 - Apple Bloom's Confession:
The next morning, Twilight headed for Sweet Apple Acres, ready for a torrent of protest from Applejack. She was willing to put up with it. She knew that she had to speak with Apple Bloom again.
“You know Ah don’t like it when you come over here to stress my sister.” Applejack complained.
“I’m sorry Applejack, but this is too important to worry about staying within your comfort zone.” Twilight retorted.
“Oh, so it’s like that, huh?” Applejack said, stomping her hooves in protest. “You think just because you got special permission and whatnot you can come in here and make the house yours? Ah’m telling you Twilight, when this is over, we’re going to need to have a serious talk.”
“I’d love to. When this is over, of course.” Twilight replied with finality as she approached the glass stable.
“Hi Twilight!” Apple Bloom greeted Twilight almost cheerfully. Then she noticed a small saddlebag draped across Twilight’s side. “What’s in the bag?”
“Apple Bloom, I need you to help me find where Pinkie is.”
“Really? Well, show me what’s in the bag then.”
Twilight pulled out a map of Manehattan, which was covered in dots, and slid it through to Apple Bloom. “I need you to use this to help me find her.” Twilight said.
Apple Bloom stared blankly at the map for a moment, then turned back to Twilight. “Tell me Twilight, are you afraid of losing somepony else? Pinkie told me all about it, about the, uh, abso- absolution in a pony’s eyes as they’re about to die. But she lied to me about one thing: That she could actually care for anypony. She said that Ah was her favorite, that Ah was too good for cupcakes… But she forgot about me.”
Twilight tried to think of something to say, but she could only let her mouth hang open dumbly. She stared into Apple Bloom’s eyes, seeing the tortured soul trapped inside.
Apple Bloom started again. “Ah’ll help you Twilight, but promise me this: You find the real thing that keeps pulling you along, the real reason you haven’t just passed this on to somepony else.”
With that, Twilight got up and left. She thought about what Apple Bloom said; she knew why she was doing this, but she couldn’t express it.
Twilight spent that entire night with her spare map, trying to figure out where Pinkie was hiding, but all the disappearances seemed random. She eventually got an idea that Pinkie could have hidden at the rock farm by the town, the one she had grown up on. Twilight didn’t have a search warrant, however, so she decided to continue her investigation in Manehattan. She sent a letter to Princess Celestia outlining her suspicions, and quickly got her reply:
My faithful student, Twilight:
We have had the same suspicions, and are now on route to capture Pinkie Pie. I guess great minds think alike. Hope to see you soon.
Soon after Twilight had left to check on the first house on her list, Fluttershy passed by the library and saw a small stack of papers on Twilight’s front porch. She decided glanced over them, and saw that they were some of Twilight’s case files. ‘Why would she leave them here?’ Fluttershy wondered as she started sifting through them. She stopped at the map. ‘Twilight, doesn’t this random assortment of disappearances seem a bit strange?’ She thought about it as she scanned the map. She froze when she noticed that each disappearance was along one route that lead back to one house in Manehattan.
“Oh, no.” She said aloud.
Chapter 7 - Beauty and Grace can be cannibalistic:
Wakey wakey, rise and shakey!” Pinkie sang. “Today, I have a special surprise for you! Cupcakes! I thought I was all out of my very special ingredient, but I guess I still had some left! Now eat it.” Pinkie lowered a cupcake down the pit on a string.
Rarity opened her eyes. She had not eaten anything for days. Her whole body ached and wobbled as she crawled over to the cupcake. She ate it without a thought, cramming it in her mouth and taking most of the string along with it.
“Wow, Miss Piggy, aren’t you?” Pinkie mocked her prisoner. “I guess beauty and grace does fade. Well, here, since you liked it so much, I may as well just give you some more of the special ingredient.” Pinkie threw a blood-soaked strip of flesh onto Rarity’s face.
“Pinkie,” Rarity said weakly. “What is this?”
“Do you remember that friend of ours, the one who like to, erm, dash?” Pinkie giggled sadistically.
“No, not Rainbow, why?”
“Her number came up, just like yours. She was weak, weaker than most ponies actually. I only got to play with her for fifty minutes. Well, at least I got to play with you for much longer. And I think you’ll make a great dress; that’s what’s important.”
As Pinkie turned and left, Rarity had a million thoughts racing through her head. She was stuck in a pit. She was going to be made into a dress. She had just eaten Rainbow Dash.
Chapter 8 - Rarity's Attempt:
Pinkie was in a room by herself. The walls were covered in missing pony notices. The bed was dressed in dyed-pink hide. Near the door was a mirror surrounded by light bulbs, but only a few were still working. She reached her hoof over to a record player and started it up. Pinkie sat looking into the mirror as she retrieved a small vial of blood and smeared it on her lips. “Do you want be my friend?” she spoke to her reflection. “I’d like to be your friend. I’d be your friend forever and ever.” She backed up and started putting on her ‘special dress’ made from a patchwork of colorful pony hides and cutie marks emblazoned across the sides. “Ooh!” She lit up as the song on the record changed. “This is my jam!” She started to dance and sing along, creating her own lyrics.
Meanwhile, Rarity had managed to concoct an escape plan. She tied a piece of string over the chunk of Rainbow Dash, and threw it up to the edge of the pit. “Here, Gummy,” Rarity called out for the crocodile. “Come over here, boy!”
The crocodile waddled towards the piece of meat, wearing his usual half-perplexed look.
“Come on, you carnivorous little ruffian, eat the meat.”
Gummy looked down at her, then turned and started ambling away.
“No, no, oh, no, come on you horrible little creature!” Rarity called out, trying to restrain the utter hatred she felt towards quite literally everything at the moment.
Pinkie Pie set up a camera in front of herself. “Now introducing Ponyville’s finest. It took so long to make, but I think it adds just the right touch, don’t you?” As she was dancing, she heard a tug and a whimpering cry. Pinkie Pie rushed over to the hole.
Rarity looked up at Pinkie with mad determination on her face. “I have Gummy, Pinkie Pie! He broke his tail on the way down here; he needs to go to the hospital!”
“Gimme back my alligator!” Pinkie yelled in a childish tone.
“I’ll kill him, I swear I will, I’ll snap his neck!” Rarity called back shrilly.
Chapter 9 - End of the Horrow?:
Pinkie gave a harrumph, then rushed back to her room and snatched up a crossbow. Just then, she heard a loud knock. “Visitors!” she happily squealed, and rushed up the stairway to the door, quickly donning a disguise on the way.
“Hello, is anyone there?” a voice spoke. There was no response.
“Just a second,” Pinkie said, taking on a deeper tone.
“Hello there. I’m Twilight Sparkle, here to investigate a series of disappearances. Would you mind if I took a look around?”
“No, not at all,” Pinkie replied, yielding to her ‘friend’. The upper part of the house seemed to be done up hastily. Most of the surfaces were very dusty. The whole place seemed to lack a certain quality that a house has when someone lives in it. Everything seemed to be brand new, but neglected. The floor was unpolished, and the walls were white.
“Just moved into town, I see.” Twilight said.
“Nope, been living here all my life,” Pinkie said, in her fake voice.
“This house could use a little more, erm, life, don’t you think?” Twilight asked.
“Well, that’s your opinion,” Pinkie retorted. She paused before adding, “So, these disappearances, they found what caused them yet?”
“Yeah, this pony named Pinkamena Diane Pie, we’ve tracked her down to a rock farm outside of town. Well, it looks like there’s nothing suspicious in this house, so I’ll leave you be.” Twilight said, walking towards the door.
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said in her regular voice.
Twilight quickly turned around.
“Oops.” Pinkie stared at Twilight for several moments, then bolted into the basement.
Twilight followed her, but Pinkie had already ducked into one of the many winding hallways. The basement was dimly lit and damp, and reminded Twilight of a dungeon. “Pinkie Pie, you are under arrest!” She yelled as she ran down one of the hallways. She looked through a doorway and saw Pinkie’s room. She noticed a sewing machine and the dried skin of some unfortunate pony. She gagged at the sight, but pressed forward. She kept running until she heard a voice.
“Twilight? Is that you? Oh, Twilight, please save me!”
She raced towards the pit to find Rarity glaring pitifully up at her. “Hold on Rarity, I need to find Pinkie, just hang tight.”
“Twilight! Twilight, come back here! Don’t leave me alone, please!”
Twilight backed into a corner, horn at the ready. Suddenly, all the lights in the basement shut off.
Pinkie Pie could smell Twilight. She knew her house by heart and could smell out exactly where Twilight was. She got close to Twilight as she was fumbling around in the dark, but as she pulled the drawstring on the crossbow, Twilight heard it creak, swung around, and pinned Pinkie in place with magic. Pinkie thrashed and strained against it, but to no avail. Twilight lit up the rest of the room, then stood where she was, panting, exhausted but relieved that her ordeal was over.
Twilight watched several guard pegasi carrying Pinkie away in a straightjacket. “How did you know I was here?” she asked one of the guards.
“Somepony named Fluffershy or something sent a message that Pinkie was here.”
Chapter 10 - A Happy Ending:
As the pegasi pulled Rarity up out of the hole, Twilight went outside, and was surprised to find Spike waiting for her. “I had to come out here and see it for myself,” he said. “Thank you so much for saving Rarity.”
“You’re welcome Spike, now take a letter to the Princess.”
“Yes, Ma’am!” he replied enthusiastically.
“That won’t be necessary, Spike,” a voice said from behind them. Twilight and Spike turned to see Celestia walking towards them. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, you have served Equestria well. We are finally past the horror that was Pinkie Pie.” She paused. “You have something to say, don’t you? Go ahead.”
Twilight saw that the Princess was acknowledging her in front of the crowd that had been forming outside Pinkie’s hideout. “Princess Celestia, I do have something to say. Over the past few days my friends and I have seen some of the most horrid crimes committed in pony history. They were atrocities beyond comprehension, but they showed that even in times of hardship, the power of true friendship never fades.”
Celestia looked at Twilight solemnly. “That is all we needed to hear, Twilight Sparkle. For your actions, you will be receiving the Honorary Pony Award!”
The entire crowd burst into fevered applause, but Twilight looked sullen. She was relieved that this was finally behind her, but she couldn’t ignore that she had just lost two of her closest friends.
Chapter 11 - A Happy Ending Gone Wrong:
The air in Ponyville was chilly, its sky dark and cloudy, in stark contrast to the usual sunny weather. The entire town looked like its color palette had been muted for the day. Twilight’s voice rang out over the town square. “We will never forget those lost in this massacre. Seeing as Rainbow Dash was the only pony who was completely recovered, she will be commended to the clouds.”
Rainbow Dash’s hideously taxidermied body was raised up onto a cloud by a single grey pegasus. A signal was given, and the cloud was set ablaze and fired into the heavens. The crowd was overcome with hushed whispers and soft crying as the burning cloud winked out in the horizon. Some said that on that day, as Rainbow Dash rocketed away, that they could hear a faint ‘boom’ and see a tiny, multicolored circle in the sky.
The rest of the procession went on as planned, and afterwards, Twilight, Spike, and Applejack went to see Rarity in the hospital. “You’re looking better already,” said Applejack.
“Oh stop, just stop! I look terrible! This scar is simply revolting.” Rarity complained.
“At least you got your horn back,” Twilight reminded her. “Those doctors are amazing.”
“And I still think you look beautiful, Rarity,” Spike said softly.
“Girls, come quick!” Fluttershy burst in, half yelling and half whispering.
“Fluttershy! You were supposed to come here with us, weren’t ya?” Applejack asked irritatedly.
“Well, yes I was, but somepony stopped me on the way and told me to bring you this.” Fluttershy dropped a note in front of her friends and started reading:
Dear Friends:
Hi! Looks like we had lots of fun that time, didn’t we? Good thing you didn’t just kill me on the spot, because Apple Bloom was clueless on how to get out of that asylum you sent us to. But no hard feelings. Anyway, I think you’re just too good for me, Twilight. So I’ve decided to take a separate way, to separate ponies limb from limb. Hee hee hee!
Your friend, Pinkamena Diane Pie.
P.S. You’re welcome.
As if on cue, there came a knock at the door. “Room service!” a voice outside the door called out. Twilight cautiously approached the peephole.
“Twilight, no!” Applejack pleaded quietly.
Twilight peered through and saw that the pony outside holding a tray was not Pinkie. “Uh, hello? Anypony there?” he asked again. Twilight let him through. As he entered, he felt an array of stares fixated on him. “S-somepony se-sent these up here. I don’t know who though.”
“If you ever get that figured out, give us a call.” Applejack said.
“What’s on the tray?” Spike asked after the pony had left. Twilight slowly picked up the cover. Everypony was expecting the worst, but all that was on the plate was a single blue cupcake.
THE END
CUPCAKES: VOLUME 2:
Chapter 1 - No, Not Pinkie Pie!:
It had been a week since Rainbow Dash had left. Pinkie had told everypony that she had gone off to be with the Wonderbolts, and had shunned all the others.
"Well tarnation!" Applejack had exclaimed. "Who needed her anyway?"
But Twilight was skeptical. She went back to the library to mull things over. ‘First Apple Bloom, then Twist, and now Rainbow Dash. Why is everypony in such a hurry to leave Ponyville? And why do they keep leaving exactly once a week?’
Suddenly, a horn sounded. The town had called a meeting. The mayor came up and made the announcement. "Rarity has left a note at my door stating that she will be leaving Ponyville to design dresses for Photo Finish in Manehattan. She will be leaving her Boutique to Twilight Sparkle.”
“Just yesterday Rarity told me that she would meet me in the spa”, a tiny, timid voice sounded from within the crowd. A tiny, timid voice that could only belong to Fluttershy. “She would never back down from a promise like that without telling me.”
A loud southern drawl rang out from the crowd next. “They’re all a buncha flakes is what they are!” Applejack yelled. “Rarity, Dash, and the rest of them. Y’all shouldn’t be surprised over them.”
Fluttershy protested, “But Appleja-”
“But nothin’. Rarity had her own thing to do, and figured us ponies were in the way.” Applejack paused, then turned to Twilight and spoke in a less irritated voice. “You take that Boutique and make something nice out of it.” Twilight said nothing as they slowly walked towards the building.
Twilight poked her head inside and opened the door. Everything was gone. The pony mannequins were bare, and the rolls of fabric were gone. The store rooms were dry and bare. All that was left was one roll of gold silk.
“That’s strange,” Twilight mused. “Fluttershy told me that Rarity wouldn’t stop talking about this stuff. Why wouldn’t she take it?” As she was leaving the closet, out of the corner of her eye she caught a small card. Twilight lifted it up. It was a business card that read ‘Photo Finish Complete Gallery’, and had an address on the back. Twilight sent a letter to the address inquiring about Rarity, and got one back saying that they had never spoken with her. ‘Okay, now I’m worried. Where is Rarity?’ Twilight wondered.
The next day, Twilight confronted the mayor of Ponyville. Twilight approached the large wooden door of her house, and knocked three times. On the third knock the door slowly creaked open. Twilight poked her head in and decided to announce her presence. “Hello? Is anypony here? Um, I’m just gonna let myself in, if that’s oka- AUGH!” Twilight’s train fo thought was derailed by the sight of a shivering, frightened Mayor rolled up in a blanket.
“Mayor? Are you alright?” Twilight inquired.
“Yes, yes, perfectly fine!” the Mayor nervously announced. “Now! Why don’t you trot on out of here before somepony gets hurt?”
“I’m not leaving until I know what really happened to Rarity,” Twilight asserted.
The mayor turned to reveal that she was wearing a headdress of knives and a look of absolute terror. Their gazes locked on each other for a moment, then the mayor charged at Twilight. Twilight levitated her up and pressed her against the wall. The headdress came off and turned on the mayor as Twilight calmly and forcefully stated, “The royal court will find you guilty of attempted murder, Mayor. You could spend your whole life in the dungeon. But, if you tell me what really happened to Rarity, I might forget this horri-”
Twilight was interrupted again by the mayor’s frantic sobbing. “It’s not me, it’s her!”
“Who? Tell me!” Twilight yelled.
“Pinkamena Diane Pie,” the mayor bitterly stated. “She said I would get a higher number, that I would be the last to go if I kept my jaw tight. I can’t even look at myself, most days I’m in here like this.”
“This isn’t making any sense, give me an answer. Where is Rarity?” Twilight pressed.
“I don’t know, alright?!” the mayor cried.
“You know. Tell me or I’ll notify the Royal Guard.” Twilight threatened.
“No! Okay! Pinkie she, er, has taken Rarity. Her number came up. It’s Pinkie’s standard procedure. Perhaps too standard. She’s gotten lazy, but she said she needed at least one a week. Too many orders, too little cupcakes. Tomorrow, go to Sugarcube Corner. She will probably have something planned for you. Get the guard, get her behind bars. It’s going to take a lot of horsepower to take her down.” The mayor explained, sighing. “She’ll find out I told you… I’m as good as dead.”
“If you think that’s the case, I’ll have the Guards give you protection.” Twilight responded.
The mayor looked down sullenly. “I hope that will be enough.”
Chapter 2 - Dress-up Time!:
Drip, drip, drip.
Rarity tossed and turned, eyes closed. ‘Is the roof leaking again?’ She wondered.
Drip, drip ,drip.
‘This will be the third time I’ve had to get those colts to fix that thing.’
Drip, drip, drip.
“No, it’s time to get up, get dressed.” Rarity sleepily yawned, opening her eyes. She noticed it was so dark she could hardly see a hoof in front of her. She looked down at her bedsheet. “That’s strange, this doesn’t feel like a bed sheet.” It took Rarity a few moments to notice that she was actually sleeping on a pile of her dresses. She looked up, and saw a large hole with light coming through it. Suddenly, a head popped out.
“Hi Rarity! Looks like you’re finally awake!” a high pitched voice squeaked from the edge of the pit.
“Pinkie, is that you?” Rarity probed.
“Yep! Looks like you hit that one right on the nose, or should I say horn? Hee hee!”
Rarity slowly pulled her hoof to her head, and felt a wet spot, but no horn. “Pinkie? Wh- what did you do?” she stammered. Hearing Pinkie Pie snickering mischievously, she looked back at her hoof in the light to find that it was stained with dark red, contrasting with her white coat. The dripping she had heard was coming from her wound. She began to scream in shock and despair.
Pinkie spoke over her cries, “Wah, wah, wah, just like a baby. Twist didn’t cry this much. Well, I’d have to say, you are quite a lucky filly. When your number came up, my first thought was cupcakes, but then I remembered it was fashion designer Rarity I was talking about. I think that after all those dresses, you deserve to be served one. No wait, I mean served as one. Hee hee hee hee! Well, I can’t talk forever, orders to fill and whatnot. Bye!”
Rarity shook her head, trying to convince herself this wasn’t happening. ‘Pinkie’s my friend, this is probably all some practical joke,’ she thought. She called out nervously, “Ha ha, Pinkie, you have surely fooled me into fright, what with the well and the ironic death and all. But I must say, how did you pull off such an impressive missing horn illusion?”
Pinkie laughed and retorted as she was trotting off, “Who said that was an illusion, silly?”
Chapter 3 - It's A Bad Apple:
Twilight had woken up the next day in a cold sweat after having terrible nightmares the night previous. She had shaken her feeling of dread with some difficulty as she prepared to begin the hunt for Pinkie Pie.
She was standing apprehensively outside of Sugarcube Corner. Behind her were several of the legendary pegasi of Celestia’s Royal Guard. After some time of preparation, they stormed in, prepared for the worst. Upon entering, however, they noticed the store was empty, save for a plate of cupcakes on the table. As the pegasi tore the place up, Twilight used her magic to spot a loose floor board. She pried it aside, revealing a button. When she pressed it, an oven swung open. Twilight approached it, but a guard pushed her aside and started walking toward the entrance.
“Lady, if what you’ve told me about her is true, then I want to be the guy who catches that monster.” The guard took one step into the newly opened passageway. The one step happened to land on a bear trap. The sharp metal teeth dove into his leg, splintering the bone and producing a horrible crunching sound. The guard’s bravado immediately ended, replaced by blubbering and screaming. “My leg! It’s got my leg!” he yelled. The more he writhed in pain, the deeper the trap’s fangs sunk into his leg.
“For Celestia’s sake, get him outta there!” Another guard piped up. He rushed to the injured guard and began pulling apart the trap, but as he eased the pressure, a blood vessel decided to rupture, sending a spurt of blood into his eye. His hooves slipped, and the trap came down again, this time all but severing the unfortunate guard’s leg, leaving it connected by just a small piece of skin. The guard was finally pulled out of the trap, and put on a stretcher.
As he passed by Twilight, he looked in her eyes solemnly and said “I hope it’s worth it to you.”
Twilight lit the path up, finding and springing the rest of the traps. There were seven, one for each guard she had brought with her. As she and the remaining guards went down the narrow stone stairway, Twilight noticed a certain smell getting stronger and stronger, a smell that reminded her of the dissections they had done in magic class. She’d always pretended to be sick on those days. Twilight knew she knew what it was, but she couldn’t quite place it.
They arrived at the bottom of the staircase, which emptied out into a dark room. The lights went on, revealing what had to be the single most sickening thing Twilight had ever seen. The room was decorated in a disturbing yet light-hearted manner. Lungs and hearts filled with helium floated at the corners of the room like party balloons. Two skinned ponies sat at a table covered in hide on chairs made of bone. Intestines hung from rafters like streamers. Mounted on the wall at the back was a banner saying ‘Happy birthday, Twilight’ written in blood. Twilight finally remembered what that smell was - formaldehyde. Pinkie had used it to preserve the corpses.
Twilight noticed a note nailed to one of the ‘streamers’. She ripped it off and started reading.
Hi Twilight!
You’re probably so wrapped up in this investigation that you forgot that today is your birthday! Well, I went ahead and planned this whole thing JUST FOR YOU! I hope you like it, because I went ahead and got you a present! Use it well!
P.S. Behind you.
As Twilight turned, one of the Guards spoke up. “Twilight, I think you need to see this.” In a dark corner of the room, a different, fouler stench filled the air. In a rust covered cage, surrounded by the bleached skulls of foals was a small, dark shape. Upon closer inspection, Twilight discovered it was Apple Bloom.
“Get her to a doctor, it looks like she’s alive,” called Twilight.
As the guards forced open the cage and grabbed her, she sprung and bit viciously into the face of the one that freed her. "Get her offa me!" he yelped as she clung on, her teeth digging deeper into his flesh. It took two guards to restrain her, and another to fit a muzzle onto her snarling face.
Chapter 4 - No, Not the Mayor!:
wilight sighed, asking herself when this torture was to end, and crept up the stairs. When she reached the kitchen upstairs, she noticed a calendar. “Hey, what do you know, Twilight dolefully said to herself. “Today is my birthday. Thanks for the present.”
Twilight walked towards the mayor’s house, her mind swirling with unanswered questions. She opened the door and called out, “Mayor? I have a lot of questions for you. Pinkie wasn’t there, so if you could provide some information, that would certainly be helpful.” No one answered. Twilight walked down the hallway, when she noticed she stepped in something wet next to a doorway. She opened the door and went inside the unlit room. Just as she did, the lights turned on to reveal the mayor, hung from her front hooves, her stomach cut open, and her organs hanging out.
“Please,” a raspy voice whispered. “Please make the pain go away.” Over the mayor’s head was scrawled a familiar phrase:
Losing a friend’s trust is the fastest way to lose a friend.
The rest of the walls were covered in the word ‘forever’. Twilight closed her eyes. She wanted out, but there was no escape. She knew what she had to do. She knew she had to face Pinkamena Diane Pie.
Chapter 5 - Interviewing Apple Bloom:
“She’s getting up.”
“Good, Ah thought she was in a coma or something.”
“Actually, Ah almost hoped that would be the case.”
“Oh Big Macintosh, what in the world are we gonna do now?”
“We live, Applejack. We’ll get her to be alright in the head, we’ll give her her life back. We’ll take back what Pinkie has taken from us. But right now, she just needs to rest.”
“Hi bro and sis! Whatcha talkin’ about?" Apple Bloom piped up, shooting down Big Mac’s suggestion.
“Apple Bloom! What happened in there? What did she do to you?” Applejack half-cried, hoping her sister hadn’t been too traumatized.
“Oh, nuthin’, just some arts and crafts, a bit of paintin’, and a lot of cupcake makin’.”
Applejack blinked. “You helped her? But…” She couldn’t bring herself to think of her sister becoming like Pinkie Pie.
“Oh, it’s no big deal, I was just playin’ with my friends. Pinkie Pie did most of the work; I just helped a little every now and then. Now why am I in this funny-lookin’ glass stable?”
“The doctors s-said that you w-weren’t right in the head, Apple Bloom. That Pinkie did some terrible things to ya. That you’re a d-danger to yourself and everypony around you.”
“Pinkie said that this was a special way of playing,” Apple Bloom continued, ignoring that her question had been answered. “A way that would bond us as friends forever. She even said that since Rarity loved making dresses so much, she’ll make Rarity a special dress! Or was that make Rarity into a special dress?”
Applejack reeled in horror and disgust. Her own sister had been transformed, had been changed from the sweet little filly she knew into a broken-down monster.
As Applejack numbly trotted into the kitchen to grab a drink, Twilight let herself into the room. “Applejack, I need to speak to you about Apple Bloom!” she shouted. “I’m here on Princess Celestia’s behalf.”
Applejack looked at Twilight and slowly said through her teeth, “What do you wanna know, Twilight?”
“I need to interview Apple Bloom. She’s vital to this case.”
“Sorry, no can do,” Applejack replied. “But, seeing as that was more of a statement than a question, Ah can assume you’re going to anyway.”
“Well, yes…”
“Come with me." Applejack led her down the long twisting hallways of the farmhouse. “The doctors said to not to get close to the glass. Items may be exchanged through the sliding metal tray, but do not give her anything sharp.”
“That’s all?” Twilight asked.
“One more thing. Do not, do not let your guard down. She’s been, ahem, trained by Pinkie Pie.”
“Can do,” Twilight said confidently, but internally mortified at what she might hear or see in that stable. As she approached the stable, she saw a stool, and quickly sat.
“Why so quick to relax, Twilight?” Apple Bloom asked coolly. “Didn’t Applejack tell you not to let your guard down?”
“You let that guard down, Apple Bloom. He’s still receiving treatment. Doctors say that they might not be able to recover his right cheek.” Twilight paused, glaring at the filly in the stable. “Why did you do it?”
“I ate his cheek, and had some fava beans later on the side. Pinkie always told me that the cheeks were the tastiest part of any creature. She also left me in there with no food for six days. I can imagine that’s what’s happening with poor little Rarity right now.”
Twilight froze. She realized it all now.
“You see,” Apple Bloom continued, “Rarity might not be dead yet. Pinkie kept talkin’ about it, how one needs to starve a pony for a few days. Loosens the skin. And then-”
“Pinkie’s going to make a dress out of Rarity?” Twilight interjected, horrified by this revelation.
“Yep! She’s been talkin’ about it for a while now. Ah don’t know how far she’s gotten, but if she’s doin’ that, then you’ve definitely got some time before she kills her.”
Twilight was taken aback by the filly’s excitement for Rarity’s death, but relieved that her friend was still alive. “Do you know where she’s hiding, Apple Bloom?”
“Well, this has to end sometime. But Ah can’t help you with that, Twilight. Ah’ve never been with Miss Pinkie to the hideout. All Ah know is it’s somewhere in Manehattan. She’d been makin’ cupcakes there too, but that place had been just a temporary holdout.”
“Why are you helping me like this, Apple Bloom? Aren’t you Pinkie’s helper?” Twilight choked on the last word. Unlike Applejack, she simply could not see Apple Bloom as a monster.
“She forgot about me, Twilight. Ah was her faithful student, Ah had screamed for days on end for her to release me, but she never did. She acted like Ah wasn’t even there. She ignored me.”
“How did you end up there in the first place? What did she do to you?” Twilight hurriedly started questioning Apple Bloom.
“Well, Ah can’t share that story with you right now.”
“Why not? Is the pain too much to bear?”
“No,” Apple Bloom replied with a smile. “Because my sister is right behind you.”
“Come on, Twilight,” Applejack said wearily. “My poor sister has been through enough, it’s time for you to move them hooves outta here. Little Apple Bloom needs her rest.”
“I’ll be back soon, Applejack. I hope you know that.” Twilight said sternly.
“Oh, Ah know that,” Applejack whispered, mostly to herself.
“Twilight!” Apple Bloom yelled. “Remember! Rarity still has time. She still has…”
Chapter 4 - Rarity
“…Time to check up on my favorite little pony!” Pinkie Pie gleefully shouted as she hopped across dimly-lit the room towards the pit.
Rarity had dressed her wound with the fabric from her dresses. She’d been there for two days now. The pain medication had worn off though, so it had been burning in her forehead. She had been enduring it for hours, too afraid of her fate to sleep. The searing pain in her forehead had made every other limb in her body ache. She had grown very weak.
“Soiled yourself again, Rarity?” Pinkie mocked her. “That isn’t very ladylike.”
“Pinkie, how could you? I thought we were friends!” Rarity sobbed. It was true, there had simply been no place to go to the bathroom, and either way, she was too weak to move.
“Well, that won’t do, we can’t have your coat and mane getting all dirty.” Pinkie hopped away, and quickly returned with a large hose.
“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Rarity asked, trying to delay the inevitable.
“Washing you, silly!” Pinkie turned on the water and it rushed out of the hose onto Rarity, chilling her to the bone and nearly drowning her. Pinkie shut the water off, and Rarity just sat there, shivering and coughing, looking down at the ground and wondering how this was actually happening.
Her eyes were quickly caught by a basket that was being lowered down. It had a towel and a small light on it. As soon as it arrived, she took out the towel and dried herself off, then set it aside. Then she noticed a small bottle that said ‘special lotion’.
“Take that rag of your head,” Pinkie called down to her captive. “It looks silly.”
Rarity reluctantly complied, slowly peeling her makeshift bandage off and wincing at the feeling of the fabric coming off. The spot where her horn had been had gotten infected, and there was a steady stream of yellow pus flowing out from one of the smaller sores that had formed, some of it leaking down into Rarity’s eye.
“Oh no, that won’t do. Well, like Granny Pie always said, ‘It puts the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose again.’” Her alligator, Gummy, scurried up and waggled his tail. “Yes she will, Gummy, she will get the hose.” Pinkie said in a childish tone to her scaly friend. Again, Rarity complied, squeezing out a bit of the off-white mixture and putting it on the infected area. It stung unlike anything Rarity had ever felt before. Her head reeled back from the pain, but she ground her teeth and continued applying it. She knew that Pinkie was keeping her alive, and that there was a chance someone was looking for her.
“Now it puts the lotion back in the basket!” Pinkie said.
“Please Pinkie,” Rarity sobbed. “I want to go home!”
“Funny, that’s what Rainbow Dash said. And Twist. And Gilda. But that’s beside the point. It puts the lotion back in the basket!” Pinkie repeated, this time more forcefully.
“Please-” Rarity began, only to be interrupted by Pinkie.
“Put the lotion back in the basket!”
Rarity put it back, and as the basket rose, its light revealed several bloody scratch marks on the walls of the pit, and in between two pieces of cobble, a broken piece of hoof. Rarity backed up, hunched over, and began to scream.
Pinkie just looked down and started mocking her again.
Chapter 5 - Shy Fluttershy:
Rain dripped loudly against the window of Twilight’s library. She was trying to sleep, but couldn’t. She knew that Pinkie knew where she was. She also knew that even with the Royal Guard’s protection, she was exposed. She tried to calm herself down, but nothing seemed to work. She had read books about the subject of psychology, and knew what she was suffering from, but that didn’t help her cope with it at all.
Her fearful reverie was interrupted by three muffled knocks that rang through the house. Twilight sat up with a jolt. She paused, waiting for something to happen. ‘Must be my imagination,’ Twilight said to herself as she laid her head back down on the pillow. Then the sound came again, three more quiet knocks. “Is someone there?” Twilight called, walking towards the door.
“Twilight? Can I talk with you?” A soft voice spoke through the door. Twilight was already sure who it was, but she still wasn’t taking any chances. She looked through the peephole and saw a drenched, shivering Fluttershy standing outside.
“For Celestia’s sake, get in here!” Twilight said as she undid the deadbolt and chain. “Fluttershy, why would you need to see me at an hour like this?”
“I’d like to help you, but I can’t risk getting caught; I don’t want anyone to know.” Fluttershy spoke softly but clearly.
Twilight wore a puzzled look for a moment, then shook it off and said, “I’m sorry Fluttershy, but this is too-”
Fluttershy interrupted. “Too scary? Too gruesome? I’ve seen far worse than anything Pinkie Pie could do, and after what happened, I don’t think I could live with myself if I let another one of my friends die.”
“What do you mean, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
“The winter before you came here, during Winter Wrap-Up, since we were so unorganized, the pegasus ponies, they-” Fluttershy stopped, choking up.
“They melted the snow too early, didn’t they?”
“Yes. Oh, how those poor little woodland creatures wailed and screamed. The birds could fly, and I was glad they were safe, but all the others, there were simply too many to save.” Small tears ran down Fluttershy’s pained face. “I figured if could save just one, I would be happy. That’s how I got Angel.”
“You just wanted them to stop screaming, didn’t you… You just wanted silence.” Twilight said with a strong, solemn look.
“Please Twilight, if there’s anything I can help you with, I’d be honored to.”
“Well, there is one thing. I’m positively stumped as to the whereabouts of her hideout. I got a map of Manehattan, and a list of where the ponies that had gone missing were last seen, but I can’t figure out where she’s doing this from.”
“Well, Twilight, I can’t seem to pull anything from this either.”
“That’s okay, I’ll talk with Apple Bloom tomorrow, and I’ll start investigating the neighborhood, starting with this house.” Twilight marked a house down.
“Hm. Okay, see you later.” Fluttershy said as she walked out into the night.
Chapter 6 - Apple Bloom's Confession:
The next morning, Twilight headed for Sweet Apple Acres, ready for a torrent of protest from Applejack. She was willing to put up with it. She knew that she had to speak with Apple Bloom again.
“You know Ah don’t like it when you come over here to stress my sister.” Applejack complained.
“I’m sorry Applejack, but this is too important to worry about staying within your comfort zone.” Twilight retorted.
“Oh, so it’s like that, huh?” Applejack said, stomping her hooves in protest. “You think just because you got special permission and whatnot you can come in here and make the house yours? Ah’m telling you Twilight, when this is over, we’re going to need to have a serious talk.”
“I’d love to. When this is over, of course.” Twilight replied with finality as she approached the glass stable.
“Hi Twilight!” Apple Bloom greeted Twilight almost cheerfully. Then she noticed a small saddlebag draped across Twilight’s side. “What’s in the bag?”
“Apple Bloom, I need you to help me find where Pinkie is.”
“Really? Well, show me what’s in the bag then.”
Twilight pulled out a map of Manehattan, which was covered in dots, and slid it through to Apple Bloom. “I need you to use this to help me find her.” Twilight said.
Apple Bloom stared blankly at the map for a moment, then turned back to Twilight. “Tell me Twilight, are you afraid of losing somepony else? Pinkie told me all about it, about the, uh, abso- absolution in a pony’s eyes as they’re about to die. But she lied to me about one thing: That she could actually care for anypony. She said that Ah was her favorite, that Ah was too good for cupcakes… But she forgot about me.”
Twilight tried to think of something to say, but she could only let her mouth hang open dumbly. She stared into Apple Bloom’s eyes, seeing the tortured soul trapped inside.
Apple Bloom started again. “Ah’ll help you Twilight, but promise me this: You find the real thing that keeps pulling you along, the real reason you haven’t just passed this on to somepony else.”
With that, Twilight got up and left. She thought about what Apple Bloom said; she knew why she was doing this, but she couldn’t express it.
Twilight spent that entire night with her spare map, trying to figure out where Pinkie was hiding, but all the disappearances seemed random. She eventually got an idea that Pinkie could have hidden at the rock farm by the town, the one she had grown up on. Twilight didn’t have a search warrant, however, so she decided to continue her investigation in Manehattan. She sent a letter to Princess Celestia outlining her suspicions, and quickly got her reply:
My faithful student, Twilight:
We have had the same suspicions, and are now on route to capture Pinkie Pie. I guess great minds think alike. Hope to see you soon.
Soon after Twilight had left to check on the first house on her list, Fluttershy passed by the library and saw a small stack of papers on Twilight’s front porch. She decided glanced over them, and saw that they were some of Twilight’s case files. ‘Why would she leave them here?’ Fluttershy wondered as she started sifting through them. She stopped at the map. ‘Twilight, doesn’t this random assortment of disappearances seem a bit strange?’ She thought about it as she scanned the map. She froze when she noticed that each disappearance was along one route that lead back to one house in Manehattan.
“Oh, no.” She said aloud.
Chapter 7 - Beauty and Grace can be cannibalistic:
Wakey wakey, rise and shakey!” Pinkie sang. “Today, I have a special surprise for you! Cupcakes! I thought I was all out of my very special ingredient, but I guess I still had some left! Now eat it.” Pinkie lowered a cupcake down the pit on a string.
Rarity opened her eyes. She had not eaten anything for days. Her whole body ached and wobbled as she crawled over to the cupcake. She ate it without a thought, cramming it in her mouth and taking most of the string along with it.
“Wow, Miss Piggy, aren’t you?” Pinkie mocked her prisoner. “I guess beauty and grace does fade. Well, here, since you liked it so much, I may as well just give you some more of the special ingredient.” Pinkie threw a blood-soaked strip of flesh onto Rarity’s face.
“Pinkie,” Rarity said weakly. “What is this?”
“Do you remember that friend of ours, the one who like to, erm, dash?” Pinkie giggled sadistically.
“No, not Rainbow, why?”
“Her number came up, just like yours. She was weak, weaker than most ponies actually. I only got to play with her for fifty minutes. Well, at least I got to play with you for much longer. And I think you’ll make a great dress; that’s what’s important.”
As Pinkie turned and left, Rarity had a million thoughts racing through her head. She was stuck in a pit. She was going to be made into a dress. She had just eaten Rainbow Dash.
Chapter 8 - Rarity's Attempt:
Pinkie was in a room by herself. The walls were covered in missing pony notices. The bed was dressed in dyed-pink hide. Near the door was a mirror surrounded by light bulbs, but only a few were still working. She reached her hoof over to a record player and started it up. Pinkie sat looking into the mirror as she retrieved a small vial of blood and smeared it on her lips. “Do you want be my friend?” she spoke to her reflection. “I’d like to be your friend. I’d be your friend forever and ever.” She backed up and started putting on her ‘special dress’ made from a patchwork of colorful pony hides and cutie marks emblazoned across the sides. “Ooh!” She lit up as the song on the record changed. “This is my jam!” She started to dance and sing along, creating her own lyrics.
Meanwhile, Rarity had managed to concoct an escape plan. She tied a piece of string over the chunk of Rainbow Dash, and threw it up to the edge of the pit. “Here, Gummy,” Rarity called out for the crocodile. “Come over here, boy!”
The crocodile waddled towards the piece of meat, wearing his usual half-perplexed look.
“Come on, you carnivorous little ruffian, eat the meat.”
Gummy looked down at her, then turned and started ambling away.
“No, no, oh, no, come on you horrible little creature!” Rarity called out, trying to restrain the utter hatred she felt towards quite literally everything at the moment.
Pinkie Pie set up a camera in front of herself. “Now introducing Ponyville’s finest. It took so long to make, but I think it adds just the right touch, don’t you?” As she was dancing, she heard a tug and a whimpering cry. Pinkie Pie rushed over to the hole.
Rarity looked up at Pinkie with mad determination on her face. “I have Gummy, Pinkie Pie! He broke his tail on the way down here; he needs to go to the hospital!”
“Gimme back my alligator!” Pinkie yelled in a childish tone.
“I’ll kill him, I swear I will, I’ll snap his neck!” Rarity called back shrilly.
Chapter 9 - End of the Horrow?:
Pinkie gave a harrumph, then rushed back to her room and snatched up a crossbow. Just then, she heard a loud knock. “Visitors!” she happily squealed, and rushed up the stairway to the door, quickly donning a disguise on the way.
“Hello, is anyone there?” a voice spoke. There was no response.
“Just a second,” Pinkie said, taking on a deeper tone.
“Hello there. I’m Twilight Sparkle, here to investigate a series of disappearances. Would you mind if I took a look around?”
“No, not at all,” Pinkie replied, yielding to her ‘friend’. The upper part of the house seemed to be done up hastily. Most of the surfaces were very dusty. The whole place seemed to lack a certain quality that a house has when someone lives in it. Everything seemed to be brand new, but neglected. The floor was unpolished, and the walls were white.
“Just moved into town, I see.” Twilight said.
“Nope, been living here all my life,” Pinkie said, in her fake voice.
“This house could use a little more, erm, life, don’t you think?” Twilight asked.
“Well, that’s your opinion,” Pinkie retorted. She paused before adding, “So, these disappearances, they found what caused them yet?”
“Yeah, this pony named Pinkamena Diane Pie, we’ve tracked her down to a rock farm outside of town. Well, it looks like there’s nothing suspicious in this house, so I’ll leave you be.” Twilight said, walking towards the door.
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie said in her regular voice.
Twilight quickly turned around.
“Oops.” Pinkie stared at Twilight for several moments, then bolted into the basement.
Twilight followed her, but Pinkie had already ducked into one of the many winding hallways. The basement was dimly lit and damp, and reminded Twilight of a dungeon. “Pinkie Pie, you are under arrest!” She yelled as she ran down one of the hallways. She looked through a doorway and saw Pinkie’s room. She noticed a sewing machine and the dried skin of some unfortunate pony. She gagged at the sight, but pressed forward. She kept running until she heard a voice.
“Twilight? Is that you? Oh, Twilight, please save me!”
She raced towards the pit to find Rarity glaring pitifully up at her. “Hold on Rarity, I need to find Pinkie, just hang tight.”
“Twilight! Twilight, come back here! Don’t leave me alone, please!”
Twilight backed into a corner, horn at the ready. Suddenly, all the lights in the basement shut off.
Pinkie Pie could smell Twilight. She knew her house by heart and could smell out exactly where Twilight was. She got close to Twilight as she was fumbling around in the dark, but as she pulled the drawstring on the crossbow, Twilight heard it creak, swung around, and pinned Pinkie in place with magic. Pinkie thrashed and strained against it, but to no avail. Twilight lit up the rest of the room, then stood where she was, panting, exhausted but relieved that her ordeal was over.
Twilight watched several guard pegasi carrying Pinkie away in a straightjacket. “How did you know I was here?” she asked one of the guards.
“Somepony named Fluffershy or something sent a message that Pinkie was here.”
Chapter 10 - A Happy Ending:
As the pegasi pulled Rarity up out of the hole, Twilight went outside, and was surprised to find Spike waiting for her. “I had to come out here and see it for myself,” he said. “Thank you so much for saving Rarity.”
“You’re welcome Spike, now take a letter to the Princess.”
“Yes, Ma’am!” he replied enthusiastically.
“That won’t be necessary, Spike,” a voice said from behind them. Twilight and Spike turned to see Celestia walking towards them. “Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student, you have served Equestria well. We are finally past the horror that was Pinkie Pie.” She paused. “You have something to say, don’t you? Go ahead.”
Twilight saw that the Princess was acknowledging her in front of the crowd that had been forming outside Pinkie’s hideout. “Princess Celestia, I do have something to say. Over the past few days my friends and I have seen some of the most horrid crimes committed in pony history. They were atrocities beyond comprehension, but they showed that even in times of hardship, the power of true friendship never fades.”
Celestia looked at Twilight solemnly. “That is all we needed to hear, Twilight Sparkle. For your actions, you will be receiving the Honorary Pony Award!”
The entire crowd burst into fevered applause, but Twilight looked sullen. She was relieved that this was finally behind her, but she couldn’t ignore that she had just lost two of her closest friends.
Chapter 11 - A Happy Ending Gone Wrong:
The air in Ponyville was chilly, its sky dark and cloudy, in stark contrast to the usual sunny weather. The entire town looked like its color palette had been muted for the day. Twilight’s voice rang out over the town square. “We will never forget those lost in this massacre. Seeing as Rainbow Dash was the only pony who was completely recovered, she will be commended to the clouds.”
Rainbow Dash’s hideously taxidermied body was raised up onto a cloud by a single grey pegasus. A signal was given, and the cloud was set ablaze and fired into the heavens. The crowd was overcome with hushed whispers and soft crying as the burning cloud winked out in the horizon. Some said that on that day, as Rainbow Dash rocketed away, that they could hear a faint ‘boom’ and see a tiny, multicolored circle in the sky.
The rest of the procession went on as planned, and afterwards, Twilight, Spike, and Applejack went to see Rarity in the hospital. “You’re looking better already,” said Applejack.
“Oh stop, just stop! I look terrible! This scar is simply revolting.” Rarity complained.
“At least you got your horn back,” Twilight reminded her. “Those doctors are amazing.”
“And I still think you look beautiful, Rarity,” Spike said softly.
“Girls, come quick!” Fluttershy burst in, half yelling and half whispering.
“Fluttershy! You were supposed to come here with us, weren’t ya?” Applejack asked irritatedly.
“Well, yes I was, but somepony stopped me on the way and told me to bring you this.” Fluttershy dropped a note in front of her friends and started reading:
Dear Friends:
Hi! Looks like we had lots of fun that time, didn’t we? Good thing you didn’t just kill me on the spot, because Apple Bloom was clueless on how to get out of that asylum you sent us to. But no hard feelings. Anyway, I think you’re just too good for me, Twilight. So I’ve decided to take a separate way, to separate ponies limb from limb. Hee hee hee!
Your friend, Pinkamena Diane Pie.
P.S. You’re welcome.
As if on cue, there came a knock at the door. “Room service!” a voice outside the door called out. Twilight cautiously approached the peephole.
“Twilight, no!” Applejack pleaded quietly.
Twilight peered through and saw that the pony outside holding a tray was not Pinkie. “Uh, hello? Anypony there?” he asked again. Twilight let him through. As he entered, he felt an array of stares fixated on him. “S-somepony se-sent these up here. I don’t know who though.”
“If you ever get that figured out, give us a call.” Applejack said.
“What’s on the tray?” Spike asked after the pony had left. Twilight slowly picked up the cover. Everypony was expecting the worst, but all that was on the plate was a single blue cupcake.
THE END
