//------------------------------// // Our Cupcakes Will Drive You Crazy! // Story: Ponyville Row // by RobynneHood //------------------------------// Twilight again clutched the side of her seat as Rainbow Dash shot them through Ponyville Row in her car. “Good idea leaving the kid behind, if Pinkie's in a bad mood, this could turn sour.” Twilight grimaced. “His name is Spike. He isn't allowed near any violence, he's too young. Though I am hoping there isn't any violence. Could you drive slower, maybe?” Rainbow braked quickly, jolting Twilight against her seat belt. “Jesus, not that much!” “Sorry, I like to drive fast. And we're here.” Rainbow pulled the car up to a small bakery on a street corner. The words “Sugarcube Corner” adorned the sign above the window. The window was filled with cakes, their icing a million different colours. Twilight had to admit, they looked delicious. “Come on, we'll see if she's in. She's not always on the shop floor.” The two women walked into the bakery, their nostrils filled with the mouth watering smell of warm cake and bread. It was late in the day, and so there was only one customer. A plump woman stood behind the counter, chatting animatedly with her customer, pointing to cakes in a book. “Hey Mrs Cake!” Rainbow smiled at the woman, heading to the counter. “Is Pinkie in?” Mrs Cake looked up, smiling at the familiar face. “Two seconds deary,” she said quietly to her customer. “Hi Rainbow! Erm, she's in...but she's in one of her moods. She had a bad visitor today. I'd take protection with you. Um, who's your friend?” Mrs Cake nodded in Twilight's direction. “I'm Twilight Sparkle miss, nice to meet you. Your wares look delicious, I may have to buy one on my way out.” Twilight blasted her with her best smile. Mrs Cake seemed nice enough, and it was best not to ruin relations with local businesses with unnecessary coldness. Rainbow beckoned Twilight to follow her through to the back of the shop. Once they had left the shop floor and were out of site of Mrs Cake and her customer, Rainbow pulled out a gun from the holster on her leg. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I thought this Pinkie was your friend?” “It's a tazer, not a gun. If Pinkie's in a bad mood, we might need it. Sometimes she gets a bit violent, and I don't particularly want to kill her by shooting her.” Twilight nodded suspiciously, and stood behind Rainbow. If this girl was violent, she'd rather the person with a weapon was ahead. The two walked cautiously up the stairs until they reached a pink door. Rainbow knocked quietly and spoke through the door. “Hey Pinkie, it's Rainbow! Can I come in?” Twilight heard shuffling behind the door and a chain being moved. The door opened a fraction, and a bright blue eye emerged through the crack. It looked to Rainbow, then found Twilight. “Who's she?” The voice was high, but emotionless. “This is Twilight. She'd like to talk to you.” “Yeah, what about?” Twilight coughed and addressed the eye. “Ahem. I'm a member of the Solar Flares, from Canterlot.” Twilight lifted up her right arm to reveal the sun tattooed on her wrist. “I'd like to talk to you about joining us.” The eye widened in terror, and the door was shut immediately. “She's from a gang! How could you Rainbow?!” A lot of banging was heard behind the door, and Rainbow stepped back, forcing Twilight down a step. “Get back. I don't know what she's going to do, but it doesn't sound good.” Twilight stepped back down a few more steps, Rainbow following her slowly. They looked back as they heard the door creaking. In the door frame was a young woman, her dark skin stretched over her gaunt face. Her wide blue eyes were blazing with fury. Her pink hair was poker straight, covering parts of her face. Worn clothes hung loosely off her frame, her t-shirt ripped in places, barely covering her chest. Her arms were covered with long, blue arm warmers, and in her hands was a shotgun. “Shit! Come on!” Rainbow pushed Twilight, urging her to run. “Run run as fast as you will, Pinkie Pie will catch you still!” Pinkie wasn't far behind them. The first shot missed, sailing over Rainbows head. “Traitorous bitch!” The two gangsters ran down the stairs, Rainbow occasionally turning to fire the tazer at Pinkie. Each time she missed, both of them moving too much to get a clear shot. “Fuck this.” Twilight stopped and turned, putting a hand inside her blazer, reaching for the gun she kept there. Instead, her fingers close on hard corners, soft pages. Her heart sank as she realised that she'd put the book from her apartment there instead. She heard the shot, saw Pinkie laugh and then fall as the tazer hit her. Twilight fell backwards, numb. Rainbow caught her and dragged her away from Pinkie's twitching body, down the stairs. The injured woman looked down and saw blood blossoming from the side of her stomach. Twilight had never been shot before. It didn't hurt as much as she thought, she pondered. But maybe that was just the shock numbing her to it. She heard footsteps behind them, and a deep voice. “Rainbow? I heard a gun! Is Pinkie all right?” “Pinkie is fucking insane! She's at the top of the stairs knocked out, but Twilight's been shot, help me get her to the car!” “No, let's call an ambulance, they'll get you there quicker than you driving.” Rainbow laughed nervously. “Faster than me? Bullshit. And we can't go to the hospital, now come on Mr Cake!” Twilight felt her legs being lifted, and her head span as the bright colours of the bakery swam in front of her vision. Suddenly she was through the door, and the cool air was hitting her. Then she was lying on soft leather, her head touching a car door. “Come on Twilight, hang in there. I'm gonna get you to safety.” Rainbow shut the door and swore softly. “Thanks Mr Cake.” “Just get her away and safe. I'll go check on Pinkie, she'll need locked up for the night. Probably hopped up on something, she'll need to get it out of her system. I'm so sorry about this Rainbow, but you know better than to mess with her when she's like that.” “Whatever. Just make sure she doesn't get away. I need to get Twilight fixed up. See ya. And tell Pinkie I'll come around soon to talk to her about this.” Rainbow opened the car door and slid in. “Hold on there Twilight, I know somewhere we can get you fixed up. Just, don't, die on me. Please. Oh God...” She slammed her foot on the pedal, and zoomed away from the bakery. Twilight tried to cling to conciousness, but slipped, just catching Rainbow whispering to herself. “Please, please, please be in Fluttershy...”