"Cupcakes—so sweet and tasty
Cupcakes—don't be too hasty..."
Sugarcube Corner had no room for a jukebox, so Pinkie Pie's work-songs, echoing from the kitchen, had to suffice. About half were her own composition, but for variety she interspersed them with earth-pony folk songs. Pinkie would even take requests, for the fee of a genuine smile and a "please."
The three mares at the best window-table had no requests, as they were more familiar than most with Pinkie's repertoire of impromptu ditties. Their attention was variously upon their teas and a copy of the Foal Free Press, at which one of the trio was now wrinkling her snout in clear disgust.
"To be quite honest," Rarity said, "that Truffle Shuffle should have stuck to food criticism. As Editor, he's let the Press slide into being a showcase for bubblegum fluff and freelance columns from cranks. Why, just look—" She pointed to the leftmost column. "'Giant Two-Legged Skeleton Found in Tar Pit.'" She turned the page. "'Star Swirl Was Mare in Disguise.' And worst of all..." She pointed to the top of the second page. "'Seeking Legends: Krastos the Glue Maker, Part 3.'"
From the next table over, somepony made a loud "shushing" noise, and the three turned to see a wide-eyed Roseluck sitting alone. "You shouldn't say that name!" she whispered loudly.
"For heaven's sake, Roseluck," Rarity said. "Don't tell me they've got you thinking Krastos is real too!"
Roseluck glared, dropped a few bits on her table, and stood to leave, abandoning a half-eaten banana split.
With a "hmph," Rarity tossed the paper onto her own table's unoccupied middle and gestured dismissively with one hoof. "'Glue Maker,' indeed. How trite!"
"Yeah," Fluttershy said, staring straight through her tea. "Really trite."
"Who's on the byline?" said Twilight between sips.
"It says it's by one Gumshoe Intrigue," Rarity said.
"Weird." Twilight looked up and away. "Somepony was in the library last month, reading about this Krastos. Maybe it was him. I've never heard anypony talk about a 'Glue Maker' legend. If Gumshoe is a pen name, maybe I should write a letter to the editor..."
"And if it is," Rarity said, "it's not a terribly creative one. Why, it's almost as bad as..."
A jangle of chimes cut Rarity's thought short, and into the Corner trotted the Ponyville chapter of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, all bustling against one another to get through the door. There followed hurried greetings—"Hi-Rarity-hi-Twilight-hi-Fluttershy!"—as they trotted to the counter, where Mrs. Cake stood ready to take orders. As they each bought a small ice cream bowl and proceeded to the table across the main floor, Pinkie launched into another song: "Three blind mice. Three blind mice..."
"Hey, can I have that?" Twilight said, indicating the paper.
"By all means." Rarity pushed it across the table. "Though I cannot imagine why, unless you have a secret love of crackpot theories."
"See how they run. See how they run..."
"Well, all old stories have a little truth behind them," Twilight said. "And sometimes a lot, actually."
"They all ran after the farmer's wife..."
"All right, all right." Rarity looked away and made a fending-off motion with one hoof. "Nightmare Moon, the Crystal Empire, and Tirek were all real..."
"And Discord," Fluttershy said, still staring at her tea leaves as though trying to read them.
"Who cut off their tails with a carving knife..."
"Right. Those were all possible, as improbable as they seemed before. But this 'Krastos the Glue Maker...'"
From the table opposite came a loud squeal, and the three mares turned to see Scootaloo looking at them—but only for a fraction of a second before she pressed a hoof to her temple and grimaced.
"Did you ever see such a sight in your life..."
"Ow!" She sucked a short breath through gritted teeth. "Brain freeze!"
"... As three blind mice?"
"As I was saying..." Rarity tossed her mane flippantly. "It's not just Roseluck. I've overheard ponies around town talking about 'Krastos' as if it were at all plausible! And it isn't just a few; I can hardly walk the streets without hearing the name. All these ancient monsters coming back to Equestria have gotten everypony looking out for the next one!"
Twilight tapped her chin. "The encyclopedia entry said Krastos was from zebra folklore, so if it were real, it wouldn't appear in Equestria anyway."
Behind her, the doorchimes jangled again as three fillies scampered out of the Corner.
Twilight turned to stuff the newspaper into the saddlebag that lay beside her seat. "Still, it will be interesting to ask Zecora about it when she's back from wherever she's been off to. Starlight will be back from the Empire next week, so maybe I can finally introduce them. Fluttershy?"
The latter gave a start at the sound of her name, nearly spilling the dregs of her tea. "Y-yes?" Fluttershy met Twilight's gaze with wide, dilated eyes.
Twilight looked at her sidelong. "Uh, I was going to ask you to tell me if you saw Zecora. Are you all right?"
"Fine! Fine." Fluttershy glanced quickly from one pair if questioning eyes to the other. There was a long pause.
"Dear, dear Fluttershy." Rarity made to extend a comforting hoof, but her friend was a little too far away. "Surely you aren't frightened by all this talk of a Glue Maker."
"No... well, yes." Fluttershy lowered her gaze. "It's just, these things turn out to be real more often than they should. But..." She took a long breath, puffing out her chest a little. "You're right: It probably doesn't exist, and if it did, it would be far away from here." She stood up. "Sorry, but I have to go; it's time to feed the silkworms. Twilight, if I see Zecora, I'll let her know you want to talk. Excuse me."
She turned and trotted out, a little too quickly to seem nonchalant. Behind her, Twilight half-stood, as if thinking of following, but paused, shook her head, and returned to her seat.
"Maybe a good night's sleep will clear her head," Twilight said.