//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Caramel Boutique 
// by PinkiePicubed 
//------------------------------//

The streets of ponyville reflected the warm sunshine as every pony headed towards Sugarcube corner. The cakes were having a sale, 60% off all sweet delicacies, and of course everypony in town wanted in on the action.

Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike all entered the clustered store. Many the sweet items of food were on offer, and they did indeed all look most delectable. Spike rushed away from the three to spend his thirty bits well. Twilight bought herself an eclair and ate it greedily, savouring the flavour.
"honestly, Twilight I don't see why you like all these... Sweets. They are simply awful for ones teeth!"
Rarity complained. Twilight giggled.
"come on, Rarity. Having something sweet is fine every now and then! Why don't you just try a bite" Twilight pressed, buying a cupcake and bringing it to Rarity's mouth. 

Rarity looked lovingly at the cupcake, and went to eat it, but refrained. "I'm sorry Twilight but I will simply not bring myself to such... Unhealthy mannerisms. Thank you for the offer." 
Twilight stared at Rarity, confused as to why she had denied the sweet treat. 
"I do not like sugary things, and I never will. They're all... Sticky and sickle. I prefer cuisine of a much higher standard." Rarity huffed, turning away.
Pinkie zoomed into perspective, seemingly from nowhere. "WHAT!? Rarity how can you not like cupcakes, they're the most scrumalicious tasty treats ever!!" Pinkie cried ramming the cupcake into Rarity's mouth.

Suddenly it hit her, the taste- so fine, so smooth! She had never experienced such delight in all her life. She gladly consumed the delicacy and moaned in pleasure. She then looked at Pinkie and Twilight in realisation. "I... I suppose that was alright... but still... I don't like such sweet foods, and… and I need to be getting back to the carousel boutique- I have… uh… a project to begin work on..." Rarity said anxiously, galloping out of the shop and back to her home.
"what was up with her?" Twilight inquired, staring into the doorway. 
"probably just couldn't handle the sweet yummy scrummy immense taste of my cupcakes!" Pinkie announced.


~



Rarity lifted the fabrics and applied them to her newest model, she had been working on this for ages.
"oh, Opal, I feel so... so gluttonous!" Rarity said glum fully to her cat.
"I had a cupcake at Sugarcube corner, and… and I liked it! Oh, Rarity, what have you become!?" Rarity said to herself, down spirited.

"and what's worse is... is I want more..." 
Rarity looked around the room, in hope of finding something sweet to appease her tastebuds. She rushed to the kitchen, where there was more of a chance of her finding something sweet. 
She rapidly opened all the drawers and cupboards, until eventually... BINGO!
The jar was dusty, but there was no mistaking- it was full of candy! 
Rarity grabbed greedily at the jar, and opened it. 
A wave of dust flew out into the room, but this didn't matter; Rarity had finally found something sweet! She recalled the heavenly taste of the cupcake at sugarcube corner earlier, and she buzzed with anticipation and delight.
She opened one of the candies, and popped it into her mouth.

Then, it hit her. It was as if someone had charged a pulse of electricity through her mouth, the sweet and fruity taste had Rarity in wonder as she consumed more and more of the candy.
However, in her naive actions, Rarity was unaware that the candy she was eating was out of date, very out of date.

In a wonderful trance, Rarity waltzed back into the main room, where she got back to designing her new dress. "oh, Opal, I haven't had something quite as nice in... In years!" Rarity announced to her oblivious cat, her mind wandering back to her youth, her mother giving her heaps and heaps of candy, the taste of that candy was so amazing, and Rarity could almost taste it in a nostalgic wonderment.

She shook herself from her memories and got back to working on the dress.


~



Twilight was worried about Rarity, as she said to herself "I haven't seen Rarity since she ran out of Sugarcube corner the other day... I hope she's ok. I... better pop by the boutique and check..." 
Twilight trotted up to the entrance of the Carousel Boutique, and quietly knocked on the door.
A few seconds later it opened to reveal a rather scruffy looking Rarity; her hair was messed up, she had bloodshot eyes, and she was grinding her teeth.
"Its done! Finally done! Son fini!" she said with a giggle. 

Twilight looked back at Rarity, anxious and confused. "What's done?" 
Rarity smiled creepily back at Twilight. "Why, my new dress, of course!" Rarity said proudly opening the door to reveal a dress covered in all sorts of candies, cupcakes, and sprinkles.
"Why is it... Covered in sweets?" Twilight asked, confused.
"I have seen the light, Twilight! I was blind but now I see! After that cupcake at Sugarcube corner earlier, I realised how much I just love sweet things! Wait... Who said sweet? Do you have candy Twilight? Huh!? NO FAIR ITS MINE AND I WANT IT!"

Twilight merely blinked, and shook her head. "Rarity... that cupcake at Sugarcube corner wasn't earlier, it was three days ago..."
"really? Funny how time flies, isn't it?"

Twilight walked into the boutique and took a closer look at the dress. "Rarity that has real cake on it, you can't sell that!" 
"What?! Are you suggesting my dresses aren't fit for a pony? How dare you, Twilight, HOW DARE YOU!" Rarity cried, her ear twitching.
"Its part of my new range!" 
"new… range?"
"yes, this is only the start. I want to make more dresses like this, with more candy, more cake, MORE SPRINKLES!" 
Rarity was breathless with excitement as she stood in the doorway grinning.
"Right... Well, I have some spells to practice, so... I'll just be going now..." Twilight said hesitantly as she backed out of the boutique.



~



"So the dress had... Candy on it?" Applejack asked, confused. 
"yes. And cakes and sprinkles! I really am worried about Rarity, she's gone crazy and its all my fault!" 
Twilight sunk her head in the ground and covered it with her head. Applejack looked around at the three other ponies and smiled sympathetically, patting Twilight on the back. 
"its not your fault. Its ok. We just need to get Rarity away from anything sweet, then she'll surely return to normal!"
Twilight looked up, and smiled.
"thats it! I have the perfect idea! We all should work together to host a dinner party, but not just any dinner party- the finest savoury snacks in the whole of Equestria! I'm sure that as soon as Rarity realises how nice savoury food is she's sure to be herself again!"

"did somepony say PARTY!?" Pinkie bounced next to Twilight smiling. 
Fluttershy smiled "I like that idea. Me and my woodland friends can make amazing salads!" 
Rainbow dash landed quickly on the ground "and I can whip up some awesome sandwiches!" 
"and I can make us some hay fries, me and Big Macintosh know how to make the finest in ponyville!" Applejack said cheerfully.

Twilight grinned at her friends. 
"so its settled, we all meet in the library at 4pm, where the dinner party shall take place!"
The ponies each rushed off, all to prepare for this attempt to bring their friend back to her normal ways.







~








"Twilight there had better be cake at this party, I haven't eaten something sweet in four minutes. FOUR whole minutes!" 
Rarity had been blabbering on the whole way to the library, and Twilight was getting bored of it, but finally they were here, and it looked great! Everypony was gathered around the table, which upon it held a huge variety of savoury cuisine, it all looked so delicious. 
"What? Where are the cakes? Where is the candy!?" 
Rarity rushed around in hope of finding something to please her needs. 

"there are no cakes, and there is no candy. Just savoury food. Care for a daisy sandwich?"  Twilight said, pointing to the table. 
Rarity looked in disgust at the food, but decided to try a bite. She hovered a sandwich to her mouth, and took a bite.
The other ponies watched, hopefully and nervously at their friend as she sat there, face blank.

"girls, this sandwich... its..." 
Rarity still stood there, face blank, the ponies moved in, hoping and wishing she would like it.
"HORRIBLE! How could you eat this food? I'm going back to the Carousel boutique, where I can get something sweet!"




~





Rarity waltzed into the Carousel Boutique, and returned to her dress, pulling a bon bon from it and popping it in her mouth. She smiled as she looked round, and her smile faded. 
The picture was one of her and her friends, sitting together and smiling. A tear welled in Rarity's eye, and she spat out the candy, looking sad.

"oh, Rarity you've really done it now! How could a piece of... Sugar come between you and your friendship!? I have made a mistake, a terrible, terrible mistake! Oh, woe is me!" Rarity cried putting her head in her hoof. She looked up. "well I started this madness, so I need to stop it!" 

Rarity ran to the dress and tore the sweet items from it, throwing them out the window. At this moment Sweetie Belle was outside, on her way back from school, and the candy-covered dress flew right in front of her. She stared at the dress, then up at the window.

Twilight was sitting in the library, eating the leftovers of the food they had prepared. She was sad, and Spike was trying to cheer her up.
Rarity burst into the room, smashing through the door. "TWILIGHT?" she asked in a serious and dominant tone, "get me a sandwich!" 








~







Spike readied the quill to the scroll, smiling at Rarity. "Ready, Spike?" she asked him. He nodded.
"Dear Princess Celestia," she began, Spike writing as she spoke. "I have learned that its ok to like something or someone, but that you must not obsess over it or them. You need to moderate the amount of time you spend on things as well as the amount of time you spend with friends. If you don't, then it can drive you crazy! Literally... 
Yours faithfully,
Rarity."

Spike rolled up the letter and sent it off, looking back at Rarity. Pinkie pie burst into the room, holding a freshly baked batch of cupcakes. "hey guys, just baked these cupcakes and they smell delicious, want some?!" 
Rarity nodded, looking lustfully at the cupcakes, then looked back at Spike, who was shaking his head.
"Actually, Pinkie, I think I'll pass." 
Rarity said in response with a laugh.