• Published 12th May 2012
  • 6,009 Views, 70 Comments

Little Sugar Shop of Horrors - Pen Stroke



When the bakery is about to be run out of business, Pinkie finds a plant that's more than it appears

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Flower Power

Pinkie Pie made her way down the stairs, well rested and ready for the day. The dinner with Bottom Line the previous evening had gone better than she would have expected. He treated them to a meal, hoping to convince Mr. and Mrs. Cake to sell Sugarcube Corner. She was happy when the Cakes politely told him no, but unlike Mogul, Bottom Line didn’t press the issue. He just accepted their answer and they spent the rest of the evening having a pleasant meal. He even let her order two desserts.

The desserts, however, hadn’t tasted as good as Pinkie Pie hopped. Their flavor was soured by her own writhing guilt. Bottom Line wasn’t a bad pony like Mogul, and neither were any of the ponies at Star Buck’s. Yet, she had stolen from them. She had broken the window and taken every pastry and sweet, just so she could feed Sweet Tooth and get a good night’s sleep in the same evening. She was tempted to admit her guilt right there, but fears of jail and being separated from her friends, the Cakes, Sweet Tooth, and Gummy all made her keep the secret.

At the very least, Pinkie Pie swore to herself she’d never steal anything ever again, and so far Sweet Tooth hadn’t tried to convince her to break that vow. The previous evening Sweet Tooth was surprisingly content with the day’s leftovers. Maybe it was a sign that Sweet Tooth’s appetite was finally dying down, something that she could only hope for.

“Good Morning Mr. and Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie Pie greeted when she reached the bottom of the stairs. The Cakes were already working to get the shop ready for the day, filling the displays with freshly baked treats and making sure the floor was clean.

“Morning, Pinkie Pie,” Mrs. Cake replied. “Did you sleep well?

“Yep,” Pinkie Pie said with a nod. She did have one bad dream about ponies finding out she was a pastry thief, but that wasn’t something she could tell the Cakes.

“That’s good to hear,” Mrs. Cake said. “We need to be on the tip of our hooves today. We got a couple big orders to fill, and there’s already a pony outside waiting to be let in. So, Pinkie Pie, could you please unlock the door and then start working on the orders? I’ve left the list out on the kitchen counter for you.”

“You got it!” Pinkie Pie said with a playful salute. She bounced to the door, unlocked it, and turned the sign from “Closed” to “Open”. She then pulled on the handle, putting on a warm smile to greet the first customer of the day. It was a smile that faltered when she saw Mogul Magnate standing on the shop’s front step.

“Oh...h-hello,” Pinkie Pie stuttered a little, straining to keep a smile on her face. Coming face to face with the pony she had arguably stolen from made guilt flare up in her chest. She, however, managed to stop herself blurting out the truth and stepped to the side. “Please, c-come in.”

Mogul gave a courteous nod of his head and stepped into the bakery. “Thank you. I was wondering if I could have a word with the Cakes.”

Mr. and Mrs. Cake perked up at the sound of their name. The paused from what they were doing and walked up to Mogul. “Oh, Mr. Magnate,” Mr. Cake said. “It’s a surprised to see you here this early.”

“Yes, I do hope you don’t mind the intrusion. I wanted to speak with you about something,” Mogul said. He lifted a hoof to adjust his tie as well as ensure the bright red flower in the chest pocket of his jacket was standing perfectly upright.

“If this is about us selling-” Mrs. Cake wearily began, her patience for Mogul’s badgering running short.

“It is not,” Mogul interrupted her. “I just wanted to say that I’m very impressed by how much of a fight your little shop has put up. Between my Star Buck’s and my generous offer, I would have expected this place to become my most recent acquisition. Still, since that is not the case, I’m here to admit defeat.”

“Excuse me?” Mr. Cake asked, not quite understanding where Mogul was going.

“I wanted you two to know that I’m closing the Ponyville Star Buck’s branch indefinitely. You have proven to be the superior business, and to the victor goes the spoils.”

Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked at each other before Mrs. Cake looked back at Mogul. “Oh, well, we’re sorry to hear that. We never wanted to run your store out of business, Mr. Magnate. We just didn’t want to lose our own.”

Mr. Cake nodded. “Yes, and we didn’t want to make anypony lose their job either. We know some of the ponies that your shop employed, and they liked working there. They even felt guilty when we were having trouble. We knew it was nothing personal, of course, but they were still very apologetic.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about any of the ponies that worked there,” Mogul said with a reassuring grin. “I know how devastating it must be to lose a job, so I’ve given them all very generous severance packages. I’m sure it’ll be enough to keep them afloat until they’ve found work elsewhere.”

Mogul winced, reached under his coat and scratched at a spot, as if he had just been nipped by a bug. He then shook his head and regained his strong smile, as if his sudden itch never happened. Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn’t seem to think much about it but Pinkie Pie felt her Pinkie Sense acting up. It was a sensation she wasn’t familiar with, but she knew it was there.

Yet, before Pinkie Pie could get a proper gauge on what had caused her Pinkie Sense to flare, it was gone. Mogul was heading to the door, and the Cakes were following a few steps behind. “Now, I’m afraid I have to go,” Mogul said. “After all, you have your quaint bakery to run and I have my corporate empire.”

Mogul reached the door, and was about to leave when he turned and looked at the Cakes over his shoulder. “Oh, but before I go, I hope you don’t mind if if give you some advice. If I were you, I would suggest giving some of those flowers from that plant to customers.”

“It does seem to have a surplus of flowers, doesn’t it?” Mrs. Cake commented.

“Yes,” Mr. Mogul confirmed. He stepped out of the bakery and began walking towards the nearby, waiting chariot. “Nothing makes customers happier than getting something for free.”

~~~

Pinkie Pie found herself in front of the cash register a few hours later. She worked quickly to exchange the customer’s bits with the desired baked goods. Star Buck’s closure had made things busier than ever before. The bakery was packed to capacity and a line snaked around the interior and stretched out the front door. At the rate ponies were buying food, Sugarcube Corner would be sold out by early afternoon.

The concern of running out of food wasn’t at the front of Pinkie Pie’s mind. In fact, she was kind of looking forward to it. She hadn’t enjoyed a real day off since she found Sweet Tooth. No, the thing that worried her was that every customer who came up to the cash register had a flower tucked behind their ear, in their mane, in their tail, or looped around their wrist like a bracelet.

The Cakes had thought about Mogul’s suggestion, and decided to take it. They enlisted the help of Lily, Roseluck, and Daisy, and now the three flower ponies were seated on the far side of the room, next to Sweet Tooth. They trimmed blossoms from Sweet Tooth’s vines and, with a happy smile, presented every customer in line with a flower.

Pinkie Pie was worried that all the snipping was going to hurt Sweet Tooth, but the giant plant had yet to protest. Blossom after blossom was being snipped from her vines, yet Sweet Tooth was growing the flowers back as quickly as they were being removed. The new flowers also seemed to be grown just for the ponies in line. Sweet Tooth always seemed to have at least one flower that was a perfect match for a customer’s coat, hair, or saddlebags.

“Um... excuse me.”

Pinkie Pie shook her head, realizing she had once again gotten distracted. She turned her attention to the customer who was standing by the cash register. It was Fluttershy, and she was wearing a gentle smile. Like everypony else, she had one of Sweet Tooth’s blossoms tucked into her mane. It was a big, teal flower that went with her eyes perfectly.

“Hey Fluttershy. What can I getcha?” Pinkie Pie asked, pushing her concerns to the back of her mind.

“Oh, I’d just like a small sugar cookie please, and a bit of carrot cake for Angel,” Fluttershy answered quietly. She deposited the exact amount of bits for the purchase onto the counter.

“Sure, just let me grab them for you,” Pinkie Pie replied. With well practiced speed and efficiency, she fetched the two treats and placed them into a small bag. She then nudged the bag towards Fluttershy before scooping the bits of the counter. “There you go. I hope Angel likes the carrot cake.”

Fluttershy sniffed at the bag, smiling at the sweet aroma. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll love it. Though, um...”

“What is it, Fluttershy?’

“I just,” Fluttershy began. She looked over at Sweet Tooth. “Would it be okay if I asked for another flower? I know we’re only supposed to get one, but I saw this little, itty-bitty flower that would just look so cute on Angel. Still, if you say no, I’ll understand. I know a lot of ponies want flowers and-”

Pinkie Pie pushed the cash register’s door shut, cutting Fluttershy off. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. No ponies going to mind if you ask for another flower, especially if it’s just a small one.”

“Oh wonderful,” Fluttershy cheered in her own quiet way. She turned to leave, paused to scratch at her mane, and then turned back to Pinkie Pie with the sparkle of an idea in her eyes. “Oh, do you think I could get a little flower for all my animal friends too?”

Pinkie Pie’s smile weakened. “Well, that’s a lot of flowers to be cutting of Sweet Tooth... but I suppose you could ask Roseluck. If she thinks it’s okay-”

Fluttershy hopped into the air happily. “Oh, I hope she says yes. All my little animals would look just so cute if they each had their own little flower.” With that Fluttershy grabbed up the bag containing her purchased treats. She fluttered into the air, and flew over to where Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy were working.

~~~

Pinkie Pie stood back, watching as Rarity flitted about the room. Papers, pencils, fabric samples, and other seamstress tools floated in the air, suspended by magic as she worked at a feverish pace.

For Rarity, this was nothing nothing out of the ordinary. Pinkie Pie had seen her friend go on similar creative binges when she was struck with inspiration, managing to multi-task like no other pony in Equestria. It was just how she got when she was having a lot of fun planning a party. She’d just bounce around putting up decorations so quickly, the party would be ready before she even knew it.

The oddity of the situation, however, was the location. Rarity had set herself up in Sugarcube Corner after closing time, taking over the front of the shop. In the few days since the Cakes began giving out Sweet Tooth's blossoms, flowers had became the latest hip trend of Ponyville. The ponies who possessed a flower never went anywhere without it, and the sight of the colorful buds was inspiring other ponies to come by the bakery and get their own.

For Rarity, it was a golden opportunity. She saw flowers being the next big fashion trend in Equestria, and was eager to be the one to kick it off. Over the course of a few hours of work, she had sketchd out a few dozen designs in different color palettes. She also wasn’t showing any sign of slowing down.

Plucking another flower from Sweet Tooth's vines, Rarity levitated it over to the dress maker form she had brought over to Sugarcube Corner. She placed the flower behind the mannequin's ear, and then used her magic to change the mannequin's color. The white fabric shifted into a spectrum of colors, Rarity taking very detailed notes of which colors seemed to go well with the blossom.

“It's so amazing. I don't know why flower fashion didn't catch on sooner. Yes, there is the issue that cut flowers tend to wilt after a few days, but Sweet Tooth's buds are just so resilient.” Rarity lifted a hoof to touch the white flower that was placed elegantly in her mane. “I've had mine for almost a week now and it’s still as beautiful as the day I got it. It's just astounding.

“Don't you agree, Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked. She looked over at her friend, who smiled back.

“Yep, that's my Sweet Tooth. She's a tough little plant.”

“Tough, yes, but I wouldn't quite say little,” Rarity mused. She turned to Sweet Tooth and titled her head back. The plant now dominated the whole corner of the shop, its pod scrapping the roof while its vines covered the nearby walls and flower. “I dare say, Pinkie Pie, that you may need to consider moving Sweet Tooth outside.”

Pinkie Pie walked up beside Rarity. “I don't know. Sweet Tooth might like it outside, but what happens when winter comes? I wouldn't want Sweet Tooth to freeze.”

“Hmm, a valid point. Oh well, it was just a-” Rarity tossed her head and crinkled her nose, like she was suffering a horrible ice cream headache. She then looked back at Pinkie Pie, fresh inspiration flashing in her eyes. “Wait a minute, I just had a wonderful idea.”

“Oh, what was it? Is it that peanut butter and chocolate really go well together?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Uh... no,” Rarity said flatly. “What I was thinking was how much good Sweet Tooth did for Sugarcube Corner, and how much good it could do for the whole town. What if we moved it to the town hall, and opened it up so anypony in could come and see Sweet Tooth? We’ll make her like a tourist attraction.”

Rarity's smile widened, her mind continuing down the inspirational train of thought. “Oh yes, now that's an even better idea. Just think about it, Pinkie Pie. Ponies from across Equestria would come to see Sweet Tooth, especially if it keeps getting bigger. It will be a boost in business not only for Sugarcube Corner, but for the entire town. Tourism means more business, and more business means a better economy, and before you know it our little town would be booming. There would be new ponies, new homes, new business.”

Pinkie Pie looked at the ceiling and thought about the idea. “Well, I do love throwing welcome parties for new ponies, and you're right, Sweet Tooth is getting too big for the bakery. Still, do you really think the mayor will want to put Sweet Tooth in the town hall?”

“Oh, I'm positive she'll absolutely love the idea. In fact, I'm going to run right off to discuss it with her.” Rarity turned to leave, but paused a moment to pick one of Sweet Tooth's flowers.

“What's that for?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Oh, just a little something for the mayor, just in case she hasn't gotten one. I think it will help me convince her this is a good idea,” Rarity answered as she trotted towards the door. “Now, be a dear and watch my things until I come back.”

“Sure, I'll keep an eye on everything, Rarity,” Pinkie Pie called just before Rarity trotted out the door. Once Rarity was gone, Pinkie Pie walked over beside Sweet Tooth. “So, did you hear all that?”

Sweet Tooth bent her pod down and nodded. “I sure did.”

“And are you okay with it?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I mean, you've been here in Sugarcube Corner almost your entire life, and I know what it's like to move away from your home. It was really hard when I left my family's rock farm, and I want you to know you don't have to leave if you don't want to.”

Sweet Tooth smiled and bent her pod down near Pinkie Pie. “Oh, that's sweet of you, but you don't have to worry about me. Your friend is right. I'm just getting too big for this little shop. If I keep growing, I'd break right through the roof. That town hall, though, that place has plenty of room for me to spread out my vines.”

Pinkie Pie smiled, moving up to and nuzzling one of Sweet Tooth's vines. “Oh, my little Sweet Tooth is all grown up and ready to move out of the bakery and help the whole town. I'm so proud.”

“And I couldn't have done it without you, Pinkie Pie,” Sweet Tooth said. She drew a couple of her flowering vines near Pinkie Pie, plucking one of her own flowers and placing it in Pinkie's mane. “But don't you worry. I'm sure I'll love living at the town hall, and you're always welcome to come by, as long as you bring a treat.”

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Uh oh, sounds like someone is hungry. Don't worry, I'll go grab you something to snack on before Rarity comes back.” Pinkie Pie turned to leave, and lifted a hoof to the flower Sweet Tooth just had put in her mane. She was just going to make sure it was securely in place, but when she felt the flower she quickly drew it out of her curls. It had already wilted and lost a number of its petals.

“Huh... I wonder what's wrong with my flower.”

Sweet Tooth took the wilted flower from Pinkie Pie and tossed it away. “I'm sure it was just a bad blossom. Once I get moved into the town hall I'll get to work growing a very special flower, just for you. One that won't ever wilt. You'd like that, wouldn't you, Pinkie Pie?”

“Of course I would!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Now, how about I make you those frosting squares you love so much?”

Sweet Tooth liked her lips. “Oh, such a sinful delight. Whichever pony decided to just put frosting between two graham crackers was a genius. So quick, so simple, but so good.”

Pinkie Pie bounced into the kitchen. “Well then, two dozen frosting squares coming right up.”

Sweet Tooth kept smiling until she was sure Pinkie Pie wasn't coming back out the kitchen. It was then she let her smile turn into a frown. She looked down at the wilted flower, and tapped one of her vines against the ground.

~~~

Pinkie Pie stood in the front room of Sugarcube Corner, looking at the empty corner where Sweet Tooth used to sit. A week had gone by since Rarity had her idea to move Sweet Tooth to the town hall, and it had been a few days since the move had actually occurred. Rarity was right; the mayor jumped at the idea of using Sweet Tooth as a tourist attraction for the town.

Banners and posters were already going up around town advertising Sweet Tooth's presence. “Come see Sweet Tooth, the most amazing plant in Equestria.” “Only in Ponyville, the Astounding Sweet Tooth. Free flower for every visitor.” “Get your picture taken with Sweet Tooth!” From what Pinkie Pie had heard, similar advertising were also going up in several of Equestria’s bigger cities.

Sweet Tooth had also taken to the move well. Once she was out of her cramped corner of the bakery, she underwent a growth spurt. Now, she was easily as twice as tall as Celestia, with most of that height coming from her huge pod. Her vines spread out all across the floor of the town hall, and were already crawling up the walls.

Pinkie Pie was happy to see Sweet Tooth doing so well, but she kind of missed having her little Sweet Tooth around. She wouldn't deny, it had been rough in a couple places. She had committed a pastry burglary to keep Sweet Tooth satisfied, and it was something she regretted. She did not, however, regret doing what she could to keep Sweet Tooth alive and keep Sugarcube Corner open.

Moving to the corner, Pinkie Pie scrapped her hoof at some of the trailing bits of dirt and dead leaves that lingered where Sweet Tooth once stood. She knew she could visit Sweet Tooth whenever she wanted. She was just down the street, after all. A smile crept onto her face. She resolved to go see Sweet Tooth the next day, and to take her favorite little plant a huge plate of cookies.

Still, that would have to wait for the morning. After sneaking a few leftover cookies for herself from the kitchen, Pinkie Pie went upstairs to her bedroom. She brushed her teeth, tucked Gummy into his basket, and then leapt dramatically into her own bed. She giggled, bounced on the mattress, and snuggled beneath the covers.

She looked out her window, and began thinking of all the ponies that Sweet Tooth would bring to town, both tourists and new residents. She couldn't wait to throw all those welcome parties.

~~~

Pinkie Pie groggily opened her eyes a few hours later. She sat up in bed, checked her clock, and saw it was a little after midnight. She didn't know why she had woken up until she felt a tingle run up her spine and her mouth turn sour. She dismissed the sensation at first, but when it repeated she paid more attention. It was her Pinkie Sense, a combo she had never experienced before. Yet, whatever was happening, it was happening outside.

Getting out of her bed, Pinkie Pie made her way to her bedroom window and stuck her head out into the night air. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, but when they did she saw that the streets of Ponyville, which should have been empty, were full of ponies. They were all marching towards the center of town, and many of them were carrying plates covered with cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and other desserts.

In almost an instant, the lingering cobwebs of sleep that clung to Pinkie Pie's mind were blown away. Her blue eyes widened with excitement and she bounded away from her window. There was only one reason ponies would be taking so many sugary treats towards the center of town so late at night.

They were going to have a party!

Not wanting to miss out, Pinkie Pie slipped downstairs and quickly whipped up a few dozen s’mores. She then bounced right out of Sugarcube Corner with the tray of treats balanced on her head and joined the crowd. It didn't take Pinkie Pie long to spot one of her friends.

“Oh, hey Applejack!” Pinkie Pie called out. She bounded up beside her friend, who was pulling a cart full of apple tarts and pies. “Why didn't anypony tell me we were having a party tonight? I would have so totally decorated! Oh, what's the party for? No, wait, let me guess. It's somepony's birthday, isn't it? No, wait, I change my answer. It's a wedding! Wait... wait, that doesn't make sense either. Ponies aren't usually supposed to bring food of their own to a wedding.”

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Oh, I don't know, and that's what makes it so fun! Okay, I give up. What's the party for, Applejack?”

“Sweet Tooth,” Applejack answered, though her tone was flat and her accent was weaker than usual.

“Oh, really? You're all throwing this big party for Sweet Tooth? That's so amazing! I know everypony really liked the flowers they've been picking off of Sweet Tooth, and I know that she's going to be helping out the town a lot. Still, I didn't think ponies would want to throw her a party this soon. I wish somepony would have told me. I would have baked such a huge cake. It would have been chocolate and would have had frosting and sprinkles and strawberries and candles and...”

Pinkie Pie trailed off when she and Applejack reached the town hall. She expected the room to be decorated. She expected to hear music and see ponies laughing and having a great time. She even kind of hoped to see Sweet Tooth dancing and talking to other ponies, since up to that point Sweet Tooth had only ever spoken to her.

What was going on in the town hall, however, was far from what Pinkie Pie would have considered a party. The ponies arriving from outside were forming a line in front of Sweet Tooth. There, two pegasi went back and forth, taking the freshly delivered sweets and dropping them into Sweet Tooth's waiting maw. Then, once the ponies delivered their treats, they either left the town hall or went on to another task. There were ponies using files to sharpen Sweet Tooth's thorns. Others were messaging Sweet Tooth's vines. One pony was even painting Sweet Tooth's portrait.

“Hey... what's going on? This doesn't look like a party.” Pinkie Pie nudged Applejack, trying to get her attention. “Uh, Applejack, helllloooo. I asked what's going on.”

Applejack didn't even turn her head in Pinkie Pie direction. She just moved with the line of ponies heading up to deliver sweets to Sweet Tooth. Not sure why Applejack was ignoring her, Pinkie Pie looked around the room and caught sight of Rarity and Fluttershy. The pair were working with a pair of sewing machines on one of the town hall's balcony.

“Hey, Rarity, Fluttershy, can you tell me what's going on?” Pinkie Pie asked once she had bounced over to her friends. They, however, were just as silent as Applejack. They remained focused on their work, stitching new banners for the town hall which were embroidered with a simple rendition of Sweet Tooth's pod and vines.

“You-hoo, girls, can you hear me?” Pinkie Pie asked. She waved a hoof in front of Rarity, but the fashion designer didn't so much as blink. She would have continued to try and press those two for information, but her eyes were drawn by a familiar chromatic blur.

“Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash, can you tell me what's going on?” Pinkie Pie asked. Rainbow Dash had just flown by with a cloud. She positioned it right above Sweet Tooth, jumped onto the top of the cloud, and began to trot in place. The gentle strikes caused the cloud to release a fine mist, which fell onto and refreshed Sweet Tooth's leaves.

Pinkie Pie furrowed her eyebrows at being ignored for a fourth time. She hunkered herself down, twisted her tail in the air, and then sprung off the balcony where Rarity and Fluttershy were working. She wasn't able to jump far enough to reach Rainbow Dash's cloud, but she did get far enough to snatch Rainbow's tail in her teeth.

With the sudden additional weight of Pinkie Pie hanging off her tail, Rainbow Dash fell off her cloud and the pair crashed to the floor. There, Pinkie Pie quickly helped Rainbow back to her hooves. “I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but everypony is acting so weird and I just want to know what kind of party this is.”

Rainbow Dash paused, as if she was going to answer Pinkie Pie's question. She instead turned and bucked. The only thing that kept Pinkie Pie from getting a hoof to the chest was her Pinkie Sense, which gave her enough warning to duck beneath Rainbow Dash's hooves. Then, without a word of apology or explanation, Rainbow Dash flew away. She resumed trotting in place on the cloud, misting Sweet Tooth, as if nothing had happened.

“Rainbow Dash...” Pinkie Pie trailed, confused why her friend would try and buck her.

“Oh, Pinkie Pie, what’s wrong? Why the long face?”

Pinkie Pie got up off the ground and looked in Sweet Tooth's direction. The plant paused from her glutinous feast, and smiled down at Pinkie Pie.

“Sweet Tooth, what's going on? Why is everypony feeding you and sharpening your thorns and making banners for you? Why aren't any of my friends talking to me? What kind of party is this?”

“They're feeding me because because I told them to,” Sweet Tooth answered before giving her vine a flick. One of the nearby pegasi swooped down, grabbed a half dozen pies from Applejack's cart, and dropped all of them in Sweet Tooth's mouth

“But when did you ask them to do this? The only pony you've ever spoken to is me, and I think my friends would have said something if they were going to bake you treats.”

“Oh no, Pinkie Pie, you don't understand,” Sweet Tooth said through her chewing and smacking lips. “I didn't ask your friends to make me these sweets. I told them to.” Sweet Tooth reached out a vine and stroked the side of Applejack's face. “And they obeyed like the sweet little servants they are.”

“But they aren't your servants,” Pinkie Pie snapped, not liking the tone in Sweet Tooth's voice. “They're ponies and my friends.”

“About all you got right there is that they're ponies,” Sweet Tooth retorted. “Despite what you may think, they are my servants and they sure as sugar aren't your friends anymore.”

Sweet Tooth flicked her vine again, beckoning a pegasus to dump a small mountain of brownies into her mouth. “You see, Pinkie Pie, I'm a Sweet Trap. I eat sweets. The bigger I am the more sweets I need, and the more sweets I eat the bigger I get. It's a wonderful little cycle that continues until I’m fully grown. Then, I just eat sweets because I want to. Now, I’ll admit that, for a while, I was satisfied with those little snacks you were giving me at Sugarcube Corner.

“But then I got bigger, got hungrier, and you just weren't cutting it any more.” Sweet Tooth explained. She paused to pick a stray pie tin out of her teeth and toss it across the room. “I was sure my hunger was going to get the best of me and I would have to do something drastic, but I got lucky. Mogul Magnate came into Sugarcube Corner to try and cut me down at the stem. Normally, anypony that takes a swing at me doesn't get to see the sunrise. Yet, just when I was about to give him a proper introduction to my thorns, I had a thought. Mogul is a business pony that the Cakes respect, and he was in my vines. A pony that, with the proper influence, would be able to make a single, little suggestion.”

Pinkie Pie's eyes went wide. She remembered what Mogul suggested the morning he announced he was closing Star Buck's. He suggested that the Cakes give out Sweet Tooth's flowers. She could also remember that Mogul had a red flower in his suit's chest pocket: one of Sweet Tooth's flowers.

Sweet Tooth grinned devilishly at the shocked look on Pinkie Pie's face. “Looks like somepony finally put two and two together. Took you long enough.”

“So... so this entire time, this has been your plan.”

“Well, not this specifically,” Sweet Tooth admitted. She leaned her pod on some of her vines while she waved another nonchalantly in the air. “I had the gist going, of course. First, I eat sugary foods and get bigger. Second, I convince some ponies to give me more food and get bigger. Third, I take over a few ponies' minds with my flowers, eat sweets, and get bigger. You know, it was a rough plan, but you and Mogul helped out so much.”

“But the flowers, how are they-?”

“Look, do you really care how it works?” Sweet Tooth snapped, her patience in the conversation was running out. “All you need to know is that when I put one of my flowers near a pony, it takes over. I’ll even admit that it took me a little while to get a feel for how a pony’s mind works. I was only able to implant ideas at first. I gave Fluttershy the idea to get flowers for all her animal friends, and Rarity wanting to move me here to town hall? That was me too.”

“But why? Why would you do all this?” Pinkie Pie asked. She took a step towards Sweet Tooth, a few flickers of hope flashing in her eyes. “Were things so bad at the bakery? We were all so happy then. I fed you treats, and you brought in customers to keep the bakery open. You were my little Sweet Tooth and I loved you.”

Sweet Tooth reached out a vine and pinched Pinkie Pie’s cheek. “Oh, isn’t that just so adorable? Little Pinkie Pie actually thought I cared about her and that shop of hers. Well, tough cookies kid, but all you and the Cakes were to me was a meal ticket.

“Now I don’t need you any more.” Sweet Tooth flared her vines, wrapping around several dozen ponies and drawing them into something of a hug. “Now I've got all these ponies doing whatever I want, whenever I want. They’re my little mules, and they live to serve me, their sweet trap queen.”

“They are not mules!” Pinkie Pie barked with a bounce. “They’re my friends and I won’t let you do this to them!”

Sweet Tooth reached out a vine and poked at Pinkie Pie’s chest. “Oh yeah, well what are you going to do about it, Pinkamena?”

Gritting her teeth, Pinkie Pie swatted away Sweet Tooth’s vine. She focused a harsh gaze and pointed a hoof at the plant. “I know exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Yeah?” Sweet Tooth taunted. “Well, I know exactly how to stop you. Grab her!”

Before Pinkie Pie knew it, her hooves were pinned to the ground. She looked around, and saw that Rarity and Twilight were standing nearby. Their horns were glowing, and her hooves were wrapped in a similar glow.

“Hey! Let me go! Twilight, Rarity, don’t do what she says! You can fight it!”

“Uh, no, they can’t,” Sweet Tooth corrected. She stretched her vines around Pinkie Pie, encircling her with threatening thorns. “And soon, neither will you.”

Pinkie Pie took notice as one of Sweet Tooth’s vines was moving in the direction of her head, carrying a massive flower. That one bright pink blossom was three times as large as the flowers being worn by any of the other ponies.

“I don’t know how you killed that flower I put in your mane back at the bakery,” Sweet Tooth said. She used some of her other vines to hold Pinkie Pie’s head still as she brought the gigantic blossom closer. “But I’m not taking any chances. This beauty will put you so far under my influence, you’ll practically be an extension of my vines. Your mind will be buried so deeply beneath my will, you won’t even know your own name. Doesn’t that sound fun?

“No! It doesn’t!” Pinkie Pie shouted. She continued to struggle against Sweet Tooth’s vines, but they were simply overpowering her. She couldn’t get loose.

“Well, maybe not for you, but it will be fun for me,” Sweet Tooth commented. She placed the flower in Pinkie Pie’s mane, and almost instantly, Pinkie Pie felt a strange sensation wash over her. Yet, at the same time, Sweet Tooth reared back. Her vines flailed, releasing Pinkie Pie and knocking a few by-standing ponies off their hooves. With a cry of pain Sweet Tooth held her pod.

“Get... get it out! Get it out of her mane!” Sweet Tooth shouted in desperation. The flower controlled Twilight was the first to jump to the plant’s aid. Her magic riped the extra large flower out of Pinkie Pie’s curly hair and tossed it across the room.

The moment the flower was away from Pinkie Pie, Sweet Tooth’s vines went limp. She panted, and turned her pod in Pinkie Pie’s direction. “What is wrong with you?”

Pinkie Pie shook her hooves to ensure they were no longer magically pinned before returning a glare at Sweet Tooth. “What do you mean ‘what’s wrong with me’?”

“I mean what is wrong with your head, girl!” Sweet Tooth shouted back. “How can you even function with so much static? You’ve got random thoughts bouncing around in there like rubber balls, and your train of thought is a train wreck! I was connected to you for two seconds, and you managed to give me a pounding headache!”

Pinkie Pie smiled. “And that means you can’t control me like you’re controlling everypony else. And do you know what that means? That means you can’t stop me or my plan.”

“Plan?” Sweet Tooth echoed.

“Yes, my ultimate plan. The plan that will let me save all my friends and teach you not to be such a big mean bean.”

“What... what are you going to do?” Sweet Tooth shakily asked. The serious tone of Pinkie Pie’s voice and the peek Sweet Tooth had just gotten into the pony’s mind made her believe that Pinkie Pie could easily have a plan to do just what she was promising.

“Oh, you want to know what I’m going to do?” Pinkie Pie asked. She was smiling devilishly. “You really want to know? Well... I’ll tell ya.” She began walked towards Sweet Tooth, causing the plant to pull back her vines in attempt to keep her distance from the threatening pony.

“I’m going,” Pinkie Pie began. She then pointed an accusing hoof at Sweet Tooth. “To tell on you!”

Sweet Tooth froze up for a few moments, the two simply staring at one another. She then broke out into a roaring laughter. She held her pod with one vine, and waved a few others. At her beckoning call, all the other ponies in the room began to laugh as well. It was a scene that made old memories of Discord bubble up in Pinkie Pie’s mind.

“Hey, what’s so funny!?” Pinkie Pie demanded.

“You are!” Sweet Tooth answered through her giggles. She waved a few vines near her face, fanning herself. She then changed her mind, gave her pod a toss, and had a few pegasi fly up and use their wings to do the fanning. “Oh, you really had me going there, Pinkie Pie! I thought you actually had a plan, but you were just bluffing.”

“I’m not bluffing! I’m going to tell on you!”

“Tell who?” Sweet Tooth asked. “Princess Celestia?”

Pinkie Pie gave a confirming nod. “Yes, I’m going to tell Princess Celestia. Then she’s going to fly down here, save everypony, and teach you not to be such a bad plant.”

“And just how you going to do that?”

“I’m going to go and find Spike and-”

Sweet Tooth cut off Pinkie Pie’s explanation with another laugh. She brought a vine close to Pinkie Pie’s face, and pointed to a corner of the room. When Pinkie Pie turned to look, she saw a few ponies were using Spike’s dragon fire to roast marshmallows and flash cook other treats. He had one of Sweet Tooth’s flowers secured around his wrist like a bracelet.

“Give me some credit, Pinkie Pie,” Sweet Tooth said as several dozen of the dragon-flame roasted s’mores were delivered to her by Rainbow Dash. Rainbow dumped the whole batch into Sweet Tooth’s mouth, and she continued to speak while she chewed. “I wouldn’t dare make my move unless I knew that little dragon was being controlled by one of my flowers. And... hmmmm, s’mores tastes so much better when cooked with dragon fire. It tastes so magical. You want to try one?”

“No, I don’t, and I don’t need Spike to tell Princess Celestia what you’re doing!” Pinkie Pie spat. She turned, and began walking towards the door. “I can just go tell her myself.”

Before Pinkie Pie could reach the town hall doors, a pair of ponies sprinted forward and slammed them shut. Pinkie Pie, not to be deterred, started bouncing for one of the smaller entrances, but they were blocked by other mind-controlled ponies. Sweet Tooth even used the pegasi she had under her power to block the windows. There was no escape.

Smiling, Sweet Tooth flicked her vines. Twilight Sparkle snapped to attention and turned her magic on some of the carts and dishes ponies had used to deliver the treats Sweet Tooth had desired. With a small pop, the many items became instruments, and ponies around the room took them up. They began a beat, and Sweet Tooth began to sway along with it.

Pinkie Pie looked over her shoulder. “You aren’t?”

“Oh, I am.” Sweet Tooth replied. She reached out with her vines, and spun Pinkie Pie around so they were facing one another. “Now just wait a minute. Let’s not act in haste. Don’t make me kill you. It be such a waste.” She poked Pinkie Pie in the chest, hard enough that it made Pinkie wince. “Let me spell it out, girl. You’re up against a wall. We’re gonna do things my way, or we won’t do things at all!

“You don’t know what you’re messing with. You have no idea!” Sweet Tooth sang. “You don’t know what you’re looking at, when you’re looking here. You don’t know what you’re up against, no, no way, no how. You don’t know what you’re messing with, but I’m going to tell you now.”

Ponies around the room began to join the song, their voices forming a frightening chorus as they encircled Pinkie Pie. Their intent was clear: they were going to try and pin Pinkie Pie. Still, just as all the ponies leapt forward to grab her, Pinkie Pie bounced clear and began galloping around the room, looking for a way out.

Sweet Tooth laughed, and motioned with her vines so that most of the ponies in the rooms, except those playing the music, were chasing after Pinkie Pie. “Yeah, get this straight! I’m just a mean green sweet trap from a far off place and I’m queen.”

“Big Green Queen!” The ponies in the room sang out, some diving at Pinkie Pie only for her Pinkie Sense to allow her to slip away, uncaught.

“I’m just a mean green sweet trap from a far off place and my court’s going to convene. I’m just a mean green sweet trap you should embrace, because you know what, I own this place.

“Yeah, I’m mean and green, and I am queen,” Sweet Tooth sang with the ponies about the room. Her flower-controlled minions had cornered Pinkie Pie against a wall. Her normally energetic blue eyes were filled with panic. She looked for a way to escape, but found none. It was a sight that made Sweet Tooth smile and lean her pod in close.

“Want to save your skin, girl? Then let me lay the law. Want to see tomorrow, you better shut your maw,” Sweet Tooth lectured. “You should fall in line, girl, and join my merry herd. You cook me some sweet treats, or prepare your final word!

Sweet Tooth brought out her vines, trying to snatch Pinkie Pie. She, however, jumped at just the right time, dodging the vines. She then landed on top Sweet Tooth’s vines, and used them as a ramp to gallop up to the town hall balconies.

“You don’t know what you’re messing with, no you never did,” Sweet Tooth sang. She watched as Pinkie Pie bounded between the balconies, dodging the swooping attacks of the pegasi in the room. “You don’t know what you’re looking at. Well, that’s tough cookies, kid. The lion don’t sleep tonight, and if you pull his tail he roars. You say that’s not fair, you say that’s not nice. You know what I say, up y-”

“HEY!” Pinkie Pie shouted, interrupting the song. She came to a stop on a balcony, and was glaring at Sweet Tooth. “You can be mean, but you can’t say things like that!”

Sweet Tooth just chuckled, and pointed with a vine. Pinkie Pie looked in the direction of the point just in time to see Rainbow Dash barreling at her. There was no time to dodge as Rainbow tackled Pinkie Pie and the pair crashed into the ground floor of the town hall. Sweet Tooth was laughing her pod off as Pinkie Pie struggled to escape from Rainbow Dash’s hooves.

“I’m just a mean green sweet trap from a far off place, and I’m queen. I’m just a mean green sweet trap, with royal grace, and you’ve got a new routine. I’m just a mean green sweet trap, from a far off place, so do what I say or there’ll be no trace. Cause I’m mean and green, and I am queen.”

Sweet Tooth grabbed Pinkie Pie out of Rainbow Dash’s grip, and suspended her mid air. She brought her pod within a few inches of the party pony, letting her sharp teeth slide into place. “Don’t talk to me about Nightmare Moon, I’ve got more bite than that old loon. Forget them all, Discord too. Upset about it? Well boo-hoo-hoo.”

Pinkie Pie struggled to try and free herself from Sweet Tooth’s vines, but all it did was elicit a laugh from the plant. She brought more vines up close to Pinkie Pie, showing off her freshly sharpened thorns. “I got killer barbs, a power stem, nasty thorns, and I’m using them. So you better step in line. Nature Rules! You get the point? You’re all my mules.”

“But why are you doing this, Sweet Tooth?” Pinkie Pie asked. She was making no effort to sing along with the song.

“Why?” Sweet Tooth echoed, “Because I’m mean and green.”

“She’s a mean green sweet trap from a far off place,” the ponies around the room sang in chorus, forming a large crowd beneath where Sweet Tooth was holding Pinkie Pie in the air.

“Oh yeah, I’m mean and green.”

“She’s a mean green sweet trap from a far off place.”

“I’m mean and green, and I... Am... Queen!” Sweet Tooth sang before letting a roaring laugh escape her throat. “Game over, Pinkie Pie.”

With that the ponies who had been given the instruments finished the music, and everypony in the room began to applaud. Sweet Tooth smiled, and bowed a few times to the applause.

“Hey, you’re making them cheer for you!” Pinkie Pie accused. She continued to struggle to free herself from Sweet Tooth’s vines.

“So what if I am?” Sweet Tooth asked. She soaked up the applause for a few more moments before turning her attention entirely onto Pinkie Pie. “Now, while that was fun, it’s time to get down to business.”

“Oh, and what business is that?” Pinkie Pie asked. She glared at Sweet Tooth and crossed her hooves. “Being a big bully?!”

“No, it’s the business of making sure you know how things are going to work around here,” Sweet Tooth answered. She snapped her vines, and in a flash Pinkie’s five friends snapped to attention and formed a line near Sweet Tooth’s pot. She lowered herself down, letting her pod drift just above the heads of the five mares. “After all, you wouldn’t want something to happen to your friends.”

“Leave them alone!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

Sweet Tooth brought her vines in close to Applejack, pressing one of the thorns against the pony’s neck. “I will, if you do what I say, or maybe I need to give you an example? Maybe you need to see just how serious I am?”

Pinkie Pie shook her head furiously, real fear flashing in her eyes. “No, don’t! I’ll do whatever you want!”

Sweet Tooth lowered her vines from Applejack. “That’s a good pony. You play along and don’t cause any trouble, and your friends will be fine. You try to tell anypony what’s going on here, anypony at all, and the next party you’ll attend will be a funeral. Now, go back to Sugarcube Corner and start baking me some treats. Your queen is starving.”

~~~

“You get six hours, then it’s back to work.”

Pinkie Pie didn’t have the energy even to nod her head. She barley had enough energy to climb the last few steps. Behind her, the door to her bedroom was shut and locked. Pegasi fluttered outside her windows, on a constant guard. She was a prisoner in her own home.

Still, at the moment, Pinkie Pie was just too tired to care. To keep her friends safe, she had spent the last twelve hours working in the Sugarcube Corner kitchen. She baked up everything from Almond Cookies to Zecora’s Everfree Tart recipe without a moment’s rest all while being under constant watch.

Flopping down onto her bed, Pinkie Pie struggled to keep her eyes open. She wanted to sleep, wanted to recover from the twelve hour cooking spree, but she couldn’t just go to sleep. She had to think of something. She had to think of a way to free her friends and stop Sweet Tooth before she took over everypony in Equestria, including the princesses.

The problem was she wasn’t that good at plans. Her friends were always the ones that came up with ways to solve things. The times when she did have solutions, they just come to her randomly. That was how she was. She’d have a random idea or two, and she’d just roll with it. She could be thinking about anything. How blue the sky was, or how many times Gummy had beaten her at a staring contest, and then she’d just have-

Pinkie Pie bolted up in the bed, her blue eyes flashing with fresh energy as a single random idea popped to the top of her mind.

~~~

Sweet Tooth chuckled to herself and leaned against the nearby wall. After only half a day, the town hall was decorated from ceiling to floor with banners featuring what Sweet Tooth considered her royal emblem. Ponies were tending to every one of her vines, constantly polishing her thorns and caring for her many flowers. Two particular flowers were getting a great deal of attention: one a summer white while the other was a midnight blue.

While her every need was catered to by the rest of the town, Sweet Tooth was whiling away the afternoon by entertaining herself with Pinkie Pie’s friends. The five mares were in the center of the room, dressed in ridiculous costumes and were attempting to perform a play. The play itself was a classic, but it had been reduced to a laughing stock as the five mares were forced to play all twenty roles in the story, including the stallion characters.

The performance was just about to reach the climatic scene, and Sweet Tooth was snickering to herself. Rainbow Dash strode into the center of the room dressed like a fine, high class mare and was striding away from Applejack, who was dressed to look like some rough, debonair pirate.

“You do not know what you ask of me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She distanced herself from Applejack, and put a hoof against her forehead dramatically. “Would you have me forsake my home, my family, my very country?”

“I would do no less for you,” Applejack answered, speaking in a deeper tone than her natural voice. “If it would let us be together, I would forsake the wild seas and the only life I’ve known. Yet, if I do these things, you know what will happen. I would stand trial, be found guilty of the crime of piracy, and you know what punishment I would face.”

“But I... I cannot. I am not a mare of the sea. I cannot lead a life like yours. I’m... not strong enough.”

Applejack walked around to Rainbow Dash, and put a hoof to the pegasus’s face. “Then it seems that while our paths in this life have become intertwined, they are not yet ready to merge. There is nothing left but farewell, my precious Sky Wind, but know that I shall always care for you. Should you ever find the strength to face the sea and her woes, then seek me out. There will always be a place for you by my side.”

“Oh Jolly Roger,” Rainbow Dash whispered. The pair began to lean in, and Sweet Tooth began to grin at the sultry kiss she was about to force Rainbow Dash and Applejack to share. She was debating lifting her control of the two ponies once the kiss began, to see their reaction when they discovered they were swapping saliva. It was such a devilishly tempting idea, and Sweet Tooth leaned in as she prepared to lift her mind control. The moment was about to begin; Applejack and Rainbow Dash were about to kiss.

“Hey everypony, who’s ready to party!”

Sweet Tooth and everypony in the room turned their head towards the far wall of the room. A deep rumbling shook the town hall, forcing every pony on the floor to stumble while Sweet Tooth struggled to keep her pod level. Then, in a cascading rain of splintering wood, something blew the far wall of the town hall to pieces, creating a massive hole.

Sweet Tooth quickly grabbed up Pinkie Pie’s friends and held them at thorn-point. The voice that had called out was Pinkie’s, and the plant wasn’t about to take any chances. “Pinkie Pie, you better explain yourself or your going to find your friends-”

“Oh, don’t worry, Sweet Tooth! I’m not going to hurt you!” Pinkie Pie called out from the cloud of dust and confetti that lingered in the hole in the wall. From the cloud, a large dark silhouette began to take shape. It was accompanied by the rumbling of wheels and the clanking of a steam engine.

The monstrosity rolled into the town hall, breaking free of the concealing dust. It was a cake: a cake that was equal parts confectionery delight and spectacle. It rolled into the room on wooden treads, and filled the space with the richest smelling chocolate aroma Sweet Tooth had ever smelled.

Every inch of the building-sized cake was dotted with hundreds of strawberries resting on small cushions of sweet whipped cream and frosting flowers, and the whole dessert was sprinkled with white chocolate shavings. Peppermint cannon barrels stuck out from the sides, and were launching bursts of powdered sugar in time with music. The whole thing was driven by a steam engine attached to the back, which looked as if it was yanked out of a locomotive.

Pinkie Pie was at the very top of the cake, dancing in time with the music as it rolled into place in front of Sweet Tooth, who was watching with jaw hanging open.

“What... what is...”

“Do you like it?” Pinkie Pie asked as the peppermint cane cannons continued to launch off clouds of powdered sugar. “I just came up with it. It’s my Party Tank! It’s like my Party Cannon, but not only does this bring the party wherever it goes, but it’s totally and completely edible!”

Sweet Tooth visibly shook. She dropped Pinkie Pie’s friends and began reaching out for the dessert, which was bigger than she was. She was visibly salivating, and was just about to take a bite out of the cake when she forced herself back.

“N- no!” Sweet Tooth forced out, trying to regain control of herself. “This... this is a trick. You’re... you’re planning something. This cake... you poisoned it or something.”

“Now why would I go and ruin such a scrumptious cake with something yucky like poison?” Pinkie Pie asked. She used her hoof to scoop up some of the cake she was standing on, and she stuffed the whole chunk into her mouth at once. Her cheeks bulged from the sheer amount of sugary goodness, and she slurped and chewed noisily. “Hmmm... quintuple chocolate cake.”

“Q-q-quintuple?” Sweet Tooth merely echoed, her voice weak.

“Yep,” Pinkie Pie said through her mouthful of cake. “Chocolate cake made with chocolate chips and fudge bits, and the frosting is chocolate with chocolate marshmallows. I’m not even supposed to make this cake any more, not after I sent my dad to the hospital from chocolate overdose.”

Sweet Tooth reached out for the cake, but once again caught herself. She turned her pod away, and held her vines up to shield herself from the sight of the behemoth of a cake. “No... no, get it out of here. Get it out of here now or your friends are toast.”

The music from the back of the cake died, and Pinkie Pie frowned. “Aw... you don’t want any? I made it for you.”

“Do I look like I was planted yesterday?!” Sweet Tooth bellowed. She refused to turn her pod in the direction of the cake. “You made it to get rid of me! I know your games, Pinkie Pie! You’ve got something planned.”

“No I don’t,” Pinkie Pie said as she happily bounced down the cake, her hooves leaving deep impressions in the frosting. “I just thought that, with so many ponies hanging around the bakery not doing anything, I’d make the biggest cake ever.”

Sweet Tooth lowered her vines. “You... you got the ponies I put to guard you to help?”

Pinkie Pie nodded. She reached the bottom of the cake and bounded off onto the wooden platform that was supporting it. “Yep. They were like ‘we’re just here to guard you’. But then I was like, ‘but don’t you want to make Sweet Tooth the happiest plant in the world’? Then they were like ‘Yes, but-’ and then they didn’t say much after that because I each gave them something to do. Then, while they were mixing the batter, I went and grabbed everypony I could find to help. We must have been using every oven in Ponyville. Do you know how many cake bricks it took to make this? Honestly, I don’t know either, but it sure was a lot.”

Licking her lips, Sweet Tooth allowed herself to lean into the cake. She drew in the sweet scent, and almost collapsed. She was getting hungry, and she had been wondering why there weren’t any fresh deliveries of sweets. Pinkie Pie must have recruited everypony in Ponyville, excluding those at the town hall.

Sweet Tooth drew a vine across the surface, scooping up a sample of the frosting and placing it in her mouth. She smacked her lips, and then curled her vines. “Oh... oh that is good! Really good!”

“Try the best thing in Equestria!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Nothing beats my Quintuple Chocolate Cake.”

“But... why would you make this?” Sweet Tooth asked. She lowered her pod down by Pinkie Pie. “I’ve threatened your friends, I’m planning to enslave all of Equestria. Why would you bake me something like this?”

“Well, I can’t beat you. If I try, you’ll hurt my friends. Still, instead of just being grumpy about it I decided to just make the best of it. Just because everypony’s a mindless flower slave doesn’t mean we still can’t have parties, and as long as I can throw parties I’m a happy Pinkie Pie,” She commented energetically, like a child explaining a simple truth to an adult.

Sweet Tooth laughed, and wrapped a vine around Pinkie Pie’s shoulder. “You know what? I like you. You’re a random scatter brain who’s just looking for a good time, which is something I can use. How about after I finish of this little treat you get to work baking me something the size of Canterlot? A whole cake city for me to eat.”

Pinkie Pie sprang into the air, unable to contain her excitement. “That sounds like so much fun! I’ll use sugar glass for windows, and graham crackers for the doors. It will be just like making a gingerbread house, but it will be a city!”

Sweet Tooth patted Pinkie Pie condescendingly on the head. “That’s exactly what it will be. Now, why don’t you get started on that while I enjoy this little confection?”

“Oh, wait, I forgot something!” Pinkie Pie shouted. She zipped to the back of the cart, and then began bounding up to the very top of the cake. Once there, she placed a single candle very delicately into the frosting and lit it. “It wouldn’t be a Party Tank without at least one candle.”

“Of course,” Sweet Tooth said, willing to put up with Pinkie Pie’s antics considering the sugary feast she was about to enjoy. She let Pinkie Pie bounce down from the cake, and then she took a moment to blow out the little candle. Then, releasing all restraint, Sweet Tooth dove into the cake. With slurping and greedy giggles she swallowed down the cake.

A groaning sound filled the room, and soon Sweet Tooth’s roots had burst out of their pot, a bulge swelling up to accommodate the massive intake of food. Sweet Tooth, however, took no notice and continued to eat. She began swallowing hunks of the cake whole, not even bothering to chew.

All the while Pinkie Pie stood back and watched with a happy smile as her Party Tank was destroyed by Sweet Tooth. It only took a few minutes for Sweet Tooth’s massive mouth to devour most of the cake, and within fifteen minutes she was licking the wooden platform that had supported the cake clean.

“Oh... oh yes... oh, that was good,” Sweet Tooth swooned to herself. She slurped up a few trailing bits of frosting from her vines. She leaned back against the wall of the town hall. “You keep baking things like that, Pinkie Pie, and I may just let you play with your little friends once in a while. Maybe every other weekend. Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Yeah, but do you know what sounds even more fun?” Pinkie Pie threw her hooves into the air, and cheered at the top of her lungs. “Blast Off!” She looked up at Sweet Tooth expectantly, and for a time nothing happened. Pinkie Pie began to glance anxiously about, and even tapped her hoof a few times, as if waiting for something. It was an act that lead Sweet Tooth to tilt her pod in confusion.

“Blast off? What do you mean by blast-”

In that moment, a resounding boom filled the room as Sweet Tooth burst apart. The earth-shaking explosion covered every inch of the town hall’s interior in plant bits, chocolate cake, and powdered sugar, leaving almost nothing left of Sweet Tooth.

All the ponies in the room were thrown back by the explosion, either to be plastered against the wall or thrown out the hole created by Pinkie Pie’s Party Tank. The only pony who managed to stay standing was Pinkie Pie, who lowered her hooves to the ground and pouted.

“Aw, my timing was off.”

~~~

“So then I jumped to the top of the cake to light the candle, but when I lit that candle I also lit a fuse I hid inside the cake. Then, all I had to do was let Sweet Tooth eat the cake and my peppermint, powdered sugar cannons. I was kind of afraid cannon three wouldn’t go off, because it was being a little fussy when I put it in. Still, they all went off inside Sweet Tooth and blew her to pieces, and that’s how I saved all of you.”

Pinkie Pie finished her very long winded explanation with a bright, full smile, one that wasn’t shared by the ponies she was speaking with. In front of her, still in their costumes from Sweet Tooth’s play and drenched in a mixture of chocolate cake and gooey plant bits, was her five friends. Standing just behind them was Princess Celestia and Luna.

The explosion that marked Sweet Tooth’s demise had been audible all the way in Canterlot, striking with the same bang of a loud firework going off. It was enough to draw the attention of not only the royal guard, but the princesses as well. Fearing not only for the town but for the mares that were the current wielders of the Elements of Harmony, Luna and Celestia lead the group of royal guard that was dispatched to Ponyville. None of them, however, were ready for what they would find.

“That... is a very interesting story,” Princess Luna commented. She looked over her shoulder at the Ponyville town hall, where the end results of Pinkie Pie’s plan were still clearly visible. “It certainly does explain why the interior of that building is coated in a concoction of chocolate cake and what looks like mashed alfalfa. Though, I am puzzled just where such a plant could have come from. There certainly weren’t any such sugar-eating monstrosities a thousand years ago.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a lingering trick of Discord’s,” Princess Celestia commented, her gaze hardening at the thought of the draconequus. “I would not put the creation of such an abomination past him.” After a pause, Celestia let her expression soften to a smile. “Still, no matter the plant’s origins, I am happy to hear that you found a way to deal with the situation, Pinkie Pie.”

“I’m happy too. After all, I can’t think of anypony that would like to live in a place where everypony is controlled by a mean bean plant.”

Celestia chuckled. “Neither can I. Still, since the situation seems to be under control here, I believe it is time Luna and I departed. We do, after all, need to stop by Manehatten and make sure Mogul Magnate is also free of the plant’s control. I also feel it may be good if the three of us sat down and discussed his business practices, if only to ensure he keeps the Ponyville Star Buck’s closed.”

“Okie Dokie Loki,” Pinkie Pie chimed, waving a hoof as the princesses took off. She then put her hooves to the side of her face and shouted, “Oh, and be sure to come back! Once we clean up all this I’m going to throw a party to celebrate everypony getting back to normal, and it would be so fun if you could come!”

The princesses paused mid-air, nodding their heads at Pinkie Pie’s shouted invitation before they resumed soaring off in the direction of Manehatten. Pinkie Pie watched them fly away for a few moments before turning back to her friends, who were still trying to wrap their minds around what happened.

“So, let me be sure I have this straight,” Rainbow Dash said. “That plant you found could talk, and it was controlling all of us using its flowers?”

Pinkie Pie nodded her head. “Yep, and she was making you all do so many crazy things. She made Fluttershy and Rarity make all those banners, and she made you trot on top of a cloud to make a mist.”

“Yeah, yeah, you told us all that, but how did you beat it again?”

“I tricked her into eating my powder-sugar cannons and then they went off inside her belly... or inside her. Do plants even have bellies? Did she even have eyes? How was she able to see without eyes? Oh, maybe-”

“Now hold your horses there, I got one more question,” Applejack said. “Now, I get all that what happened, and I get how you saved us, but how in tarnation did you get Sweet Tooth to actually eat that cake? From the way you told it, it sure don’t sound like she trusted you at first.”

“Oh, that was easy. I just acted like how she thought I was,” Pinkie Pie explained.

Applejack wearily nodded her head, and then looked over at Twilight. “You mind eleboratin’ on that, Sugarcube? Cause that made as much sense as orange apple.”

Twilight paused to wipe some of the green and chocolate muck from her face before answering. “I think what Pinkie Pie is trying to say is that Sweet Tooth thought she was just a random pony, so Pinkie Pie acted like that. She acted silly and made herself look like a fool. That way, Sweet Tooth wouldn’t suspect she was capable of anything. It’s actually a very cunning plan.”

“Oh, thanks, Twilight! That means a lot coming from you,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Still, I think it’s time we got to the truly important question,” Rarity interrupted. “Why in Equestria are we wearing such tacky clothes?”

“Oh, those are costumes,” Pinkie Pie explained before she dove into another long-winded tangent. “You see, Sweet Tooth was having you all put on a play just before I rolled my Party Tank in. I almost decided to wait to because I wanted to see the end. It was a really good play, and you were all playing your parts so well. Twilight was a general, and Rarity was a baroness. Applejack was a pirate captain, and Rainbow Dash was a the daughter of the baroness. It was the big climax too. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were about to kiss, and I wanted to see what would happen before I brought the tank in. But then-”

“Pinkie Pie!” a voice called, drawing her attention. The mayor was standing near the wooden, steam-powered platform Pinkie Pie had used to roll her Party Tank into the town hall.

“Yeah?” Pinkie Pie shouted back.

“Can you move this out of the way? We need to check underneath to see if any part of the plant is still alive”

“Oh, sure, be right there,” Pinkie Pie answered. She began to bounce in that direction, leaving her five friends stunned in her wake. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy turned their heads to look at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who both stood with their mouths hanging open, their pupils the size of pinheads.

“Did... did she just say we were about to-” Rainbow Dash began to ask, only for Applejack to cut her off.

“Yes, she did.”

“And do you think we?”

“I don’t know.”

Rainbow Dash nodded her head and then, without further warning, sprinted off. Applejack was a few steps behind, and they both shouted at the top of their lungs “Pinkie Pie! Did we kiss!?”

Author's Note:

Comments ( 47 )

Finally! I'm first in a Pen Stroke story!
Anyway, I LOVE this story!
Any ideas on when Creeping Darkness will make an appearance on this site?

Little Shop of Horrors. Very nice. Not my cup of coffee though. :trollestia:

Aww, I was going to guess musical numbers, but you spoiled it for me in the description :fluttercry:

Huh. I either didn't notice or forgot who wrote this when I read it before. It's one of my favorites. Great to finally see it here.

BRILLIANT. LSOH was one of my favorite musicals. And now it has ponies. :rainbowkiss:

You've got to be kidding me.... I started writing a little shop story 5 days ago called "Little Cottage of Horrors".... :applecry:

579415

Well, now I fell sheepish. Sitll, thanks for pointing that out. It's been fixed.

579505
No problem, but you could have easily said it was a new candy, or, ummm, the name of the plant. Authors fabricating stuff is perfectly normal. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra.png And my only response could have been something along the lines of "Hell yeah dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Fluttershy_lolface.png ."

by gosh you get my undying love for the premise alone. A fic that has horror in the title dealing with pinkie that has nothing to do with cupcakes...:pinkiegasp: It can be done...
I will read this for sure and be prepared for a full review, be warned Ill probably read most musical numbers while humming the music from the movie:pinkiehappy::pinkiehappy::pinkiehappy:

579691
If you are humming, sir, then I believe you will enjoy the story. This was, in part, an experiment for me of working equestria's common musical numbers into a fiction story.

Pen Stoke is back, more popular then ever. whath out. here comes a real writer. still waiting for the ess in his stories. namly Past Sins

579526 Quick question, where did you get the Lyra icon? :duck:

Aww my guess was gonna be the ravenous plant. The idea was that pinkie would fall in love with a greedy corporate baron and the two would sing musical numbers.

581966 Sorry to be a keeps-on-talking-and-never-ever-stops-pony (as :pinkiehappy: Pinkie puts it), but I use Windows, not Chrome or Firefox, so do I just get the Chrome one? Or do I have to start using Chrome whenever I comment on FiMFiction? :fluttershyouch:

Wow that was good...

584645
Let us move this conversation to private messages so as to not annoy Pen Stroke and his readers as much. :twilightsmile:

XD i would really like to see that play
other than that decent....no ITS SUPER AWESOME AMAZING 20% COOLER STORY

Maybe there is a protagonist colt
But I liked this a lot

And it doesn't have a portal gun
But I prefer this one

With a plant that can grin
And ponies that start to sing
That distracts me from damn pee-hach-pee
I think this is a win

I can't put down my hoof
On why they don't give more luv
To the Little Sweet Tooth
Shoop-be-doob

Our school did a production of Little Shop of Horrors, it was great but the actual script has a horrible plot (hehehe I said plot :twilightblush:)
Anyway I might give this a go if I find that the language and character development makes up for that

nice choice of backup singers. thought you were going to use the cmc for a moment, but you've done well with this.

And yes, I sang along to the linked music - little shop is awesome.

That was so AWESOME! You are quite a writer!:raritywink:

I knew I was right to favourite this.

Oh god i remember this movie from when i was a kid, probably one of the first i saw.

...then they all die at the end... like in the musical play

This was a wonderful story, and I loved it very very much. :pinkiehappy:

I had to read this one, The Little Shop of Horrors is one of my favourite movies of all time.

I really enjoyed this story, it was very fun to read, I think you blended both worlds perfectly.

Very good job :pinkiehappy:

Glad I finally got around to reading this, it was wonderful. :pinkiehappy:

That actually worked incredibly well, a musical fanfic! Admittedly, I'd only heard the 'dentist' song before, but that's what Youtube is for.

"I'm a mean pink mother from outer space!"

Pen Stroke? Writing an MLP crossover of one of my favorite movies of all time? Oh boy...

EDIT: Eh, it was okay. The lyrics could've been a little more creative.

:pinkiehappy: This was absolutely AMAZING! When I first found it, I was a little sceptic, because I am a HUGE fan of the musical(not the move, sorry, but Rick Moranis CANNOT sing with Ellen Grene). But, then again, this story was written by the amazing Pen Stroke, mastermind behind the Nyx saga! But, this worked perfectly!

BEST FANFIC EVER! I love mlp and the little shop of horrors and this is the best thing ever!:pinkiehappy: oh and the ending let me reinact it with pictures. :applejackunsure::rainbowderp: :pinkiehappy:
Nopony messes with pinkie pie.

Comment posted by salmoncolor deleted Jul 21st, 2014

I can't wait to read this! Little Shop of Horrors is one my favorite movies/musicals ever!

This was a very brilliant story, adding just enough of "little shop of horrors" while keeping the story both innocent and non-gore as if it was an episode that yet to be aired.

er bit cheek but could i have a try at making this a grimdark

4901735 yup now where did i put my weed whacker oh right i dont have one i got a fire sword

Fun story, nothing else needs to be said/

I'm only in the fiction's front page and am in love how the summary looks! Little Shop of Horrors is one of my favorite movies in these trying times. I'm definitely gonna read this now.

I love the story but I did notice part of it was spelled wrong I think. I'm not sure but:

Others were messaging Sweet Tooth's vines.

I'm not sure if you meant messaging or massaging but I just put this out there just in case.

Wow, I can't believe there hasn't been a fresh comment on this story in over four and a half years. This is such a fun story! Sure, I prefer the original LSoH, which ISN'T a musical, but I love this story.
64.media.tumblr.com/38b4f29ecee1f6a6e299e138a2e0f51a/tumblr_ninycp8bNA1ttuosro1_500.gifv

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