Cupcakes 2: Chapter 1- Twilight Sparkle

Cupcakes 2: Silence of the Hares
By Vladnuke
Edited by The Color Twelve

Chapter 1: Twilight Sparkle

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."



To Be Continued