//------------------------------//
// Cotton Candy Cupcakes  
// Story: Discordant Feelings 
// by cartuneslover19 
//------------------------------//

"Dear Princess Celestia..." Twilight said quietly as her magic moved the quill on a blank piece of paper. "This message displays much concern. Concern that I've been feeling since...well, since the day we defeated a certain Spirit of Disharmony..."

The unicorn stopped her writing and gazed at the words. It sounded so much better in her head...

Sighing in exasperation, Twilight pushed on and furiously wrote more. "No, it's not that he escaped or anything like that, obviously..." She tried to chuckle. "I'm just sending you this message regarding my thoughts on the whole encounter, from first meeting him to turning him back into stone. I only ask for a private meeting with you in hopes that maybe we can reach a decision about-"

She stopped in mid-sentence as she gazed at what she had written. She was going to send this to the princess?

"No!" Twilight cried out angrily before dropping the quill, spilling a little ink on her message. She quickly grabbed the paper and folded it up. She didn't want to roll it up and throw it in the garbage on account of there would be a chance Spike could find it. And she couldn't bare to tear it into pieces for some reason.

Instead, she slipped the folded message into her journal, safe with her personal thoughts and feelings regarding a certain mix-matched creature. Using her magic to slip her journal under the pillow of her bed, Twilight slowly put her writing material away using her hooves. She walked away from her desk, moping for the moment while Spike was out running errands.

She just couldn't get that Discord out of her head. She almost thought he had placed some sort of chaotic magic on her before they turned him into stone. But that would be impossible. Her friends would have received the same as well...unless Discord wanted to mess with Twilight only, as he had done before when they first met.

The unicorn shivered a bit, recalling that memory of his lion paw running down her cheek while he was all creepy. Soft...but creepy...

Twilight gazed out the window of her library house. Seeing as it was such a beautiful day, the unicorn decided that a walk through Ponyville would help clear her mind of him. Perhaps it would take some time to really remove himself from her mind. It had only been-

"One week, one day, four hours, and twenty-eight minutes..." She muttered to herself. She had quickly grown to accept the fact that she, surprisingly, could count the days since that last encounter.

Why am I acting like I miss him? She thought bitterly before stepping outside her door and into the sunshine air.

"Okay, maybe a little..." She muttered under her breath as she slowly walked down the dirt road toward the center of Ponyville. "He did look scared, and that would trigger some feelings of guilt that could lead to the tiny need to see h-oh, please..." She immediately shook her head, feeling like a fool for talking to herself this way.

She immediately shut her mouth as she walked toward the center of town, her head held high. Putting those thoughts at the back of her head, the unicorn approached a familiar shop that she loved to visit almost every day.

The door of Sugarcube Corner opened and Twilight casually trotted in. In a matter of seconds, she was greeted by a fast, pink ball of laughter that immediately came to her side.

"Hi, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie greeted.

"Hi, Pinkie," Twilight greeted, trying to smile her best despite recently feeling disheartened. "What's on the menu today? Anything worth eating?"

"Silly!" Pinkie giggled. "Everything in Sugarcube Corner is worth eating! Well, except the tables, the walls, the doors-"

"Yeah, I get it," Twilight chuckled. "So, did the Cakes make anything new today?"

"Oh, sorry, dear." Both turned to see Mrs. Cake emerge from within the doorway leading to the kitchen. Dangling from her mouth was a brightly wrapped box of baked goods. "We're running a delivery right now. Perhaps we could bake later."

"Honeycomb, remember," Mr. Cake said as he carried a few boxes on his head. "They asked for muffins and brownies. The small box is the cupcakes."

"Right, sweetie," Mrs. Cake nodded before placing the small box atop the register table. She turned to Pinkie Pie. "Now, Pinkie, you sure you'll be able to watch the store while we make our deliveries?"

"No problem!" The pink pony giggled, giving a salute.

"Right," Mrs. Cake chuckled nervously, "I still remember the last time we did and Applejack had put some bad ingredients into our muffins and-"

"So they were baked bads," Pinkie giggled. "Oh, well! It won't happen again, I promise!"

"I'll be happy to watch the store with her," Twilight offered.

"Really?" Mr. Cake said. "Well, maybe we could use a little magic in watching this place. Maybe you could could assist Pinkie in making some new treats."

"Oh, I'd love to," Twilight smiled. "Been a while since I baked."

"Well, that settles it then," Mrs. Cake said as she and Mr. Cake gathered their orders and proceeded out the door. "Bye, girls. Take care."

After they left, Pinkie Pie led Twilight into the kitchen where various ingredients were waiting to be used. As Twilight walked over to look at one of the cook books, Pinkie Pie opened the fridge.

"What are you looking for?" Twilight asked, using her magic to turn pages. "Do we need extra chocolate chips for our super chocolate muffins?"

"Nope," Pinkie Pie said happily before she removed a huge box from the fridge. "I just wanted a snack!"

"Snack?" Twilight asked before turning to her. "What do you have there? Leftover cake from your last party?"

"Silly, I already finished the leftover cake!" The pink pony giggled before she placed the box on the table beside her. "No, this was something I've been saving for a while now!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow before stepping closer to the box. "Well, what is it? Cookies? Cupcakes? Donuts?"

"Not even close," Pinkie laughed before gently removing the lid of the box. "It's..."

Twilight's eyes widened in disbelief as she was greeted by the sight of something pink and fluffy.

"Cotton candy?" Her voice drew out in a small gasp, unable to tear her eyes away from the substance.

"I know, it's so delicious, isn't it?" Pinkie Pie smiled before ripping off a piece and shoving it into her mouth. "Mmm! So good!" She licked her lips happily. "Want some?"

Twilight didn't budge. Her eyes were completely mesmerized by the pink, gooey stuff. "W...where did you get this?" She had almost been afraid to ask.

If Pinkie Pie found that cotton candy just recently, then Twilight definitely needed to message Princess Celestia. If it was just cotton candy saved during those horrible events, Twilight would feel the need to gag.

"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Cake brought it from their last delivery," the pink pony smiled. "They came across some vendor who was selling this stuff. And they know how much I love cotton candy. Aren't the Cakes swell?"

The unicorn let out a sudden sigh of relief, much to Pinkie Pie raising an eyebrow in confusion. But the pink pony just shrugged and continued savoring her treat. As she ate, Twilight went back over to the cook book and opened it again, searching for a recipe she and Pinkie Pie could make.

As hard as she tried to concentrate on her reading, Pinkie Pie's little surprise had her mind flashing with yet another memory.

Cotton candy clouds...

"How is it possible that this could become coincidental?" Twilight asked herself quietly, using her magic to turn the page.

As she tried to read, Twilight recalled the first time she had seen those cotton candy clouds. Her mane was getting ruined because of the chocolate rain that poured from those little disruptions of order.

That Discord claimed he was being generous in showering Equestria with his 'gifts'. Even though Pinkie Pie enjoyed such a thing, Twilight stood her ground, refusing to even crack a smile out of politeness for the Spirit of Disharmony.

Twilight turned from her reading to see that Pinkie had left her cotton candy snack to work, cracking eggs and pouring flour into a bowl before mixing. The unicorn smiled.

Though Pinkie Pie was just as worried for Equestria as Twilight and the others were, she had been the only one to enjoy the chaos Discord had planted on their home. The unicorn stifled a laugh as she remembered Pinkie Pie sticking her tongue out to catch drops of chocolate rain into her mouth before taking a huge bite out of those cotton candy clouds. She was just so easy to please. After they defeated Discord, Twilight did feel a little sorry for her when Pinkie Pie confessed she would miss those cotton candy clouds. But the pink pony insisted that she would miss her friends even more if they had not defeated that mischievous Draconequus.

Yes, definitely mischievous. Yet there were so many other words Twilight used to describe such a creature like him.

"So, Twilight," Pinkie Pie called. "What do you suggest we put into our recipe, whatever it is?"

"Mmm?" Twilight's thoughts were so fogged up that she barely comprehended what exactly Pinkie Pie was saying. "Oh, a little dark, maybe some tiny bits of pure evil, perhaps with a hint of childishness combined with a dash of humor..."

Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow as she regarded the unicorn in confusion. "Huh?" She asked. "A dash of humor? What's that?"

"What?" Twilight immediately shook her head, clearing her thoughts before looking at Pinkie Pie. "Wait, what? What did I say?" Her cheeks became a tint pink.

"I think you might need glasses, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said. "Because I never heard of 'a little dark' being added into a recipe." She giggled.

"Oh, uh..." Twilight chuckled nervously. "Sorry, my mind was drifting elsewhere..."

"It's okay," Pinkie Pie laughed, "just tell me a recipe and we'll-" Suddenly, she turned toward the clock. She gasped.

"What is it, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

"I just remembered!" The pink pony cried. "Gummy's got a pet grooming appointment!"

"Pet grooming appointment?" Twilight couldn't help but laugh. "What's there to groom? He doesn't even have fur!"

Pinkie Pie didn't even hear her as she raced toward the door. "Sorry, Twilight, but you're going to have to bake without me!"

Before Twilight could say anything, Pinkie Pie was out the door. The unicorn rolled her eyes as she placed down the cookbook. She turned and spotted the opened box of leftover cotton candy. She cringed a bit, unable to believe that a sweet substance could suddenly bring a sickening feeling to her.

Well, of course. It reminded her of Discord and his little cotton candy clouds.

The unicorn came over and stood beside the box of cotton candy, resting her chin against a hoof as she simply stared at it. It looked gooey, sticky, and above all poofy.

"Discord made these look better..." She told herself nonchalantly.

Her eyes widened in horror before shaking her head. She tapped her forehead with a hoof, baring her teeth in frustration.

"No, no, no!" She told herself desperately. "They were not better! He didn't make anything better with his chaos!"

After trying to knock some sense into her intellectual mind, Twilight brought over a chair and sat herself down, sighing as she placed her head against the table. She simply stared at the box of cotton candy, not sure whether to put it back in the fridge or just leave it there for Pinkie Pie to find when she came back.

Twilight had to admit. The cotton candy did look delicious...

Twilight lowered her eyes, finding slight interest with the color of the table as she became deep in her thoughts once more.

"I wonder what would it would have been like if I did take a small taste of those clouds..." She couldn't help but say to herself. A small smile formed on her lips, imagining the thought.

During the events involving Discord, Twilight had always been annoyed whenever he summoned those cotton candy clouds of his, and her temper rose when chocolate milk rained down on her. And Discord laughed, finding her annoyance to his amusement. She just wanted to charge at him, cease his laughing, grab a nearby cotton candy cloud and slap it against his Draconequus face...

Yet...a little part of her wondered if his cotton candy cloud was as delicious as Pinkie Pie said it was...

That sounded ridiculous, she knew. But she had skipped lunch when she first noticed 'changes' in Ponyville. Seeing all of Fluttershy's animals, as well as Pinkie Pie, eat through the cotton candy cloud Applejack lassoed to the ground...Twilight practically drooled at the sight. But she didn't want to look 'Pinkie-esque', so she simply watched the animals eat while trying to fight off her hunger.

The quest in the labyrinth made her even more hungry. How angry her stomach was as she searched for her friends. And when she assisted a changed Rarity with her so-called 'diamond', Twilight's hunger had made her a little weak, but she was willing to assist Rarity, even though the other unicorn still didn't trust her with 'Tom'.

"I should have at least eaten a few daisies before we went to the princess..." Twilight rolled her eyes.

Even a few daisies seemed too little a meal compared to a big portion of cotton candy.

But her hunger ceased when she drew in another quest, rounding up her changed friends as they went to Ponyville. When they found the elements, the only thing she hungered for was victory..and maybe a daisy sandwich. Yes, it was ridiculous to think of food at a time like that, but Twilight's stomach was aching for something!

Hunger had been the last thing on her mind when the elements failed to defeat Discord and her friends deserted her. Twilight couldn't believe what she had said when her friends left her alone.

With friend likes you, who needs...enemies.

Though she couldn't feel it, Discord's chaotic magic had made its way through her entire body, making her as gray as her friends. The tears she shed when she realized how alone she was...and later not caring at all. She didn't care about the chaos around Ponyville as she moped around, nose down as her element crown dangled from her head.

She felt so completely miserable. So alone and depressed as well as heartbroken...And a certain cotton candy cloud that rained chocolate milk down on her added weight to the whole ordeal. Her tears mixed with the chocolate milk.

The unicorn's eyes glistened, her lip quivering as she remembered that sad event during Discord's reign. She had been so alone, wishing for at least a little company...

She wished she didn't wish that when Discord popped by her side, laughing hysterically at the work he had done to her home. What more did he want from her now that he ruined Equestria as well as her friendship? A shared laugh?

Of course, he tried to make her laugh when he showed her another trick he came up with. He was tearing up from so much laughter. But Twilight kept her head down, allowing the chocolate rain to pour down her pathetic self. Though she didn't look at him, she thought she felt him looking at her.

She thought she felt something else from him. Something like slight...remorse.

No...her mind thought sadly as she continued gazing at the box of cotton candy in front of her, he was just a little surprised by me, nothing more.

Yet a little part of her had wondered if he did feel kind of bad for what he had done. For what he had done to her. Had he noticed her tears? Did he even care if he made her cry? Did he even care at all?

She just wanted to get away from him, so she just kept walking. When he popped in front of her, he tried to coax her into finding the positive side of her situation. When she finally looked up at him, she could find no assurance in that snaggletooth smile of his. She just wanted to cry more, not caring if he noticed or not.

Twilight sighed, she felt slightly fresh from that event for some reason. "I guess he likes it when ponies cry..." Her voice felt thick, as if she could cry right now.

No. That was the past, and she had her friends back. Equestria was fine and peaceful again. And Discord was back in that stone prison and such-

"But for that one moment..." Twilight told herself softly as she slowly raised her head from the table. "That one moment..."

Her mind quickly sped to the scene where Discord removed the cotton candy cloud off her. The unicorn had to admit, that was the only act of kindness he ever performed. And she had seen a little bit of concern on his face as he did that...she hoped that was concern. If not, she could only imagine what she wanted to believe.

The unicorn smiled sadly to herself, tapping a hoof against the table as she replayed that scene in her head.

"That was kind of sweet of him..." Twilight said softly. Then her smile became an irritated frown. "But he still acted like a jerk!" She exclaimed harshly.

A sweet jerk...

Then she recalled Discord eating the cotton candy cloud he removed from her sight. Despite being so miserable, Twilight still felt herself hungry as she watched him smack his lips, the pink, gooey substance all over his face.

She had to admit, he did look kind of funny with cotton candy on his cheeks...

Suddenly, Twilight's stomach growled. She rolled her eyes. Seemed it was getting close to lunch time. She gazed around the kitchen, wondering if there was something she could sample to appease her hunger. Then she turned to the box of cotton candy.

"Well, it has been a while since I had this," she told herself before reaching a hoof into the box.

The cotton candy felt sticky on her hoof as she inched it toward her lips. She could smell the sugar right off it, and her mouth began to water. Finally, she stuck out her tongue and licked it.

"Mmm..." The unicorn moaned with satisfaction before she opened her mouth and engulfed her portion.

She could see why Pinkie Pie savored it so much. It was truly delicious, and she chewed slowly, the gooey substance becoming moist in her mouth. She reached over and grabbed herself another piece before shoving it into her mouth, bits of cotton candy sticking to her face as she licked her lips.

Swallowing with satisfaction, Twilight smiled to herself. Then she peered over at her reflection on a nearby toaster. She looked like she wore lipstick made out of cotton candy. As ridiculous as she looked, the unicorn had to laugh. She probably looked as funny as Discord had.

Suddenly, her eyes widened before turning back to the cookbook.

"Oh, gosh!" She cried. "I got to think of something to bake now!" She summoned the book and looked over various pages she read earlier. "This all seems so hard without Pinkie Pie! If only I could create a simple recipe!" She continued flipping pages. "If Discord could create cotton candy clouds, couldn't he have made it rain cupcakes instead?"

She stopped flipping pages. Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized something. Closing the book, she turned back to the box of cotton candy. Pinkie Pie had stored a lot of it.

The unicorn gasped as an idea popped into her head. Tossing the book aside, she used her magic to summon a nearby apron and wrapped it around her body.

"Well, I may not be able to make cotton candy clouds," she said with a determined smile. "But I can make something even better!"
_

"Are you sure leaving Twilight to bake was such a good idea?" Mrs. Cake asked as she and her husband followed behind Pinkie Pie as they neared Sugarcube Corner.

"Twilight may read a lot," Pinkie Pie giggled as she Gummy stood atop her poofy mane, "but I know she's a good baker."

"Still, maybe you shouldn't have left her to do so much work," Mr. Cake said as she opened the door.

"Even if she hadn't baked that much, I'm sure we can continue where she left off," Pinkie Pie insisted as they entered the shop.

Suddenly, a heavenly aroma sifted through the air as their noses rose up in surprise. The scent smelled amazing, so warm and sweet...

"I smell cupcakes!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed happily before bouncing into the kitchen, Gummy clinging to her head.

Twilight hummed softly as she carefully removed a tray of freshly-baked goods from the oven. Her hair had been tied back in a simple bun and her face was a bit caked with flour. She smiled to herself as she sniffed her work.

"Just as I had hoped," she said happily.

"Twilight?" The unicorn turned and smiled as Pinkie Pie and the Cakes stared at her in disbelief.

"Hi, guys," the unicorn greeted cheerfully before showing off her baked goods. "I'm making cupcakes."

"It smells wonderful, Twilight," Mr. Cake said with awe as he came closer to gaze at her fine work. "And it looks so delicious."

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie added, gazing hungrily at the cupcakes. "It looks so yummy!"

"I'm just glad I was able to help," Twilight said, blushing with embarrassment.

"Well, we're really grateful for it, dear," Mrs. Cake smiled. She gazed at the fresh-baked cupcakes. "Call me crazy, but do these cupcakes look a little...pink?"

"Oh, yeah," Twilight beamed. "I used a special ingredient to make these."

"Really?" Pinkie Pie cocked her head curiously. "What?"

Twilight smiled as she used her magic to summon the spoon she used to mix her ingredients.

"Cotton candy," she said before giving the spoon a lick.
_

Ponies began lining up outside Sugarcube Corner as the smell of Twilight's cotton candy cupcakes sifted through the air all over Ponyville.

"My, would you look at those customers!" Mrs. Cake exclaimed excitedly as she and her husband gazed out the window of their shop. She turned to see Twilight prepare the cupcakes. "Are you almost done, dear?"

"Almost," Twilight said as she placed icing on her work, "this cupcake just needs a little more icing to match the others..."

"Come on, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie urged. "Everypony wants a cupcake now!"

"Okay, okay!" Twilight laughed before she finished icing. "There." She smiled to the Cake couple. "Bring them in!"

As soon as the door opened, ponies galloped into the shop, all lining up in front of the cash register, gazing hungrily at Twilight's cupcakes. As Mrs. Cake took orders while Mr. Cake prepared takeout bags and boxes, Pinkie Pie took this chance to sneak a sample.

The cupcake looked so delicious. Its pink cake interior simply looked divine, especially with the pink frosting Twilight added. Taking a bite, Pinkie Pie chewed slowly, taking in the newfound taste.

Her blue eyes widened and they sparkled as a smile formed on her lips, which she licked happily.

"Delicious!" The pink pony cried out with joy. She turned to Twilight, her eyes sparkling. "Twilight! These cupcakes are amazing!"

"They sure are," Spike said as he took a bite into his purchased cupcake. He smiled at Twilight, licking his lips. "Man! These are even better than chocolate!"

"I'm glad you like them, Spike," Twilight smiled.

Suddenly, she realized that Spike's presence reminded her of that message she left in her journal back at home. Maybe she could send Princess Celestia that message she was too afraid to send? She didn't have to tell Spike exactly what was in her message, just tell him to use his fire breath to send it quickly to the princess...

"Uh, Spike..." She began, shifting her hooves nervously.

"Yeah?" He responded with a mouthful of cupcake.

"I, um..." Twilight bit her lip as she averted her eyes. "I, uh, I got a message for the princess."

"You learned about friendship through making cupcakes?" He questioned with surprise.

"No, no," Twilight chuckled nervously. "Actually, this message is a bit more...um, different."

"Different?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, um, it's a very surprising message, actually..." Sweat poured down the side of her head as she smiled nervously.

"Really?" He asked. "Well, what is it, exactly?"

Twilight regarded the baby dragon, feeling a lump in her throat.

I have a message regarding Discord, she wanted to say.

"I have a message regarding my cupcakes!" She said instead.

She just couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. Everypony was happy right now; she didn't want to ruin the moment. She was just so unprepared right now...

Spike looked at her for a few moments. Then a big grin spread on his face. "Hey, that is a good message. Boy, the princess would probably fly over here once she learns what an awesome baker you are!" Taking out a quill and scroll, he furiously wrote down a message before wrapping it up and used his fire breathe to disintegrate it.

Twilight watched as the burnt pieces of the message flew out the window of the shop. Though she was happy to think that the princess would arrive to sample her cupcakes, she wished she had the courage to tell her teacher the real truth.

Turning away from the others, Twilight looked at her cupcakes on the table. She couldn't have been able to make them if...

Sighing a bit, Twilight reached over and picked up a cupcake, deciding to finally sample her work which everypony adored. She sank her teeth into the cushy goodness.

She smiled a bit, amazed she had created such a taste. Chewing softly, Twilight gazed down at her bite mark, having bitten through the pink icing and through the spongey bread she made with her own hooves.

Had Discord ever thought of making cotton candy cupcakes? If he were still around, would he have liked to try hers? Or would he just be his mischievous self and use his chaos to prevent her from creating the delicious goods she made?

She took another bite and savored her work. She smiled a bit, the sweetness of the cupcake working a bit to settle her slightly gloomy mood.

She turned to see Pinkie Pie giggling at her. "What?"

"You have a cotton candy cupcake mustache!" The pink pony laughed.

Twilight looked at her reflection at a nearby mirror on one of the walls. Bits of icing spread across her cheeks and she had bits of cupcake above her upper lip. The unicorn laughed before licking her lips.

If Discord was here right now, perhaps he would have laughed along with her. Or at her. She wouldn't mind. He would have had a cupcake beard that would have been funnier than her cupcake mustache.

Thinking about the Draconequus, Twilight wondered if...if she could maybe...maybe save a cupcake. For him. Though it was beyond impossible that something unexpected could happen, she could at least store one cupcake and save it...

"Last cupcake!" Twilight turned toward the plate where dozens of cupcakes used to be. One last cupcake remained.

"Going to eat that?" Pinkie Pie asked. Before Twilight could reply, the pink pony reached over and grabbed the last cupcake before shoving it into her mouth.

The unicorn watched with a sigh as Pinkie Pie chewed happily.

Even if something unexpected were to happen, he probably wouldn't have wanted it anyway...
_