//------------------------------//
// 1. Baking 
// Story: Cupcakes Redux 
// by Flexico 
//------------------------------//

Sugarcube corner looks so much like it's actually made of candy, you could just about get a cavity if you stare at it too long. Living there would certainly be detrimental to anypony who was forced to adhere to the traditional laws of physics.

But then there was Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash shook herself from her thoughts as she circled down to the front door of the aforementioned establishment, answering a call from the aforementioned inhabitant.

"OK, Pinkie, I'm here. What --"

"DASHIE!" Pinkie had somehow appeared right behind her, possibly hovering in midair, but Rainbow was too busy jumping in the air, losing her balance, and crashing into a chair to see for sure. She now lay on her back on the floor, wings all askew and hind legs propped up against said chair.

"Oh sorry Dashie! Didn't mean to scare you!" Pinkie bounced over to help her up.

"Yeah I'm sure," RD muttered. "Anywhooves, what'd you want me here for? I'm missing some epic cloud-napping, the weather is AWESOME today."

"We're baking cupcakes!" Pinkie cried cheerily.

Rainbow cocked her ears away in an attempt to decrease any hearing damage caused by Pinkie's voice. "That's ... that's it? You bake cupcakes all the time!"

"But I wanted to bake them with you! We haven't hung out for a while and I ... I thought ... " Pinkie's voice trailed off, her gaze fell to the foor, and she began tracing small circles on the floor with her hoof. It is also worth noting that her hair drooped slightly.

Oh Celestia, thought Rainbow Dash, She's not gonna start talking to buckets of turnips again, is she?!

"OK, Pinkie Pie, I'd be happy to bake cupcakes with y--"

"YAAAAAAYYY!" Pinkie's shriek once again made RD's ears ring, but at least she was staying sane now ... well, relatively speaking.

=============

"♪♫ ... Add it to the mix! ♪♫"

Rainbow Dash was finally getting into a rhythm of mixing, pouring and baking alongside the frizzy bundle of energy that buzzed around her. She remembered Twilight saying something about science stuff that was only solid when you looked at it ... she didn't remember all the details, but she wouldn't have been surprised if it aplied to Pinkie as well.

The cupcakes were more than twice the size of traditional ones, and Pinkie was baking batch after batch of them until they covered most of the counter space in te kitchen. And thet's saying something, considering it's the kitchen of a bake shop.

"Wow, Pinkie, this is a lot of cupcakes. Are you planning on throwing a party for all of Ponyville?"

"Nah, I just have a few ... special guests coming, who will need ... some extra feeding."

Rainbow Dash processed this for a few moments and decided it was best no to ask.

=============

The last bit of frosting was smeared onto the last cupcake of the last stack on the last table.

Both ponies wiped their brows and gazed up at the fruits of their hard work.

"That is a lot of cupcakes," Rainbow said.

"Eeyup!" Pinkie agreed.

"Well, I better be off then. It was fun, Pinkie! Really, it was." She jabbed Pinkie's shoulder with her hoof.

"Oh! Wait! I have one more surprise for you!" She disappeared around a corner in a blur.

"Oh! Uh ... all right."

The pegasus let her eyes wander around the kitchen, taking in the display of sugary, fattening goodness. She now realized she was feeling quite hungry from all the hard work she'd done all afternoon. Surely one cupcake wouldn't be missed. After all, there were so many ...

Just as the tip of her hoof touched the side of one of the confections, something hard and flat slammed against the top of her head, sending her vision swirling for a few moments before she lost consciousness.


~*~