Nothing is Sweeter

(A companion piece to Cupcakes)

By Coolio Maid

Ripped flesh and torn sinew lay splattered across the cold dungeon floor, it was a fine night for baking.

Pinkie Pie removed the protective mask from her mouth, the smell of a freshly carved pony still got her. It was a night like any other, a number was pulled, a pony was taken, and a batch of fresh and gruesome cupcakes was made. It would have been so if not for an uninvited guest sneaking their way into Pinkie's private dungeon.

There she stood, in all her glory, Princess Celestia. Her eternal power and magnificence shone even in the dank, dark, bloody undergrounds of the dungeon.

"So this is where every pony's favourite baker has been hiding, hm?"

Pinkie couldn't speak, she was horrified. The Princess had found her and among all the death and carnage she had brought upon Pony Ville, and even then the Princess' eternal smile still gleamed as kind and gentle as ever.

"I should have known this would happen, you were always so unstable… Oh Pinkie…"

Pinkies slowly edged backwards hoping to escape somehow, if Celestia would banish her own sister to the moon, and encase a mad beast hell bent on creating eternal chaos in stone, her acts of murder and cannibalism would find no pity.

Pinkie knew this to be her final hours; she would die just as she lived, alone and without a friend to care for her.

Pinkie imagined all the ponies she had slaughtered, they all had families, friends, ponies who cared. Pinkie knew that when her final breath drew thin… no pony would mourn her death.

Pinkie huddled in a mass, her hooves covering her face. As she awaited death she slowly and sobbingly begged forgiveness for all the ponies she killed.

"I'm ready Princess… please let all the ponies know it was me…"

The princess drew closer to Pinkie, with stunning grace and a proper posture she stood over Pinkie as the powerful force she was. She lowered her horn to Pinkie's throat. Pinkie could hold back tears no longer, she let out a cry that could have been heard across Equestria if not for the fact she had made this room padded enough to let it be unheard.

The warmth of Princess Celestia ran across Pinkies body, through the tears she could at least feel the warmth of a Royal in all her glory.

"Pinkamina Diane Pie"

The princess lifted Pinkie's head upwards with her horn.

"I wish to make a special order"

Princess Celestia let down Pinkie's head and lifted Pinkie to her hooves.

Pinkie looked to her surroundings in awe, she was alive, the sworn protector of Equestria, the bringer of night and dawn, had let her live.

"B-b-but Princess!" Stuttered Pinkie, "Ah ah!" paused Celestia "I insist! I could only ask for such a thing in private, my sweet little pony"

"but… why? This… I-I thought for all these years I had gone against your will!"

Celestia chuckled elegantly "Oh Pinkie, there is something you must know"

The princess drew open the curtains to reveal the night sky.

"You see, Pinkie…" Celestia's smile faded "You know that I am a Princess correct? Meaning of course that My Father and Mother both hold reign upon the Universe. My father rules the Universe with an iron fist, creating sorrow and pleasure as he sees fit. My mother… Creates the orbit of the solar system and chooses which planets may grow life. As you can Imagine Pinkie, I was raised among all of this… For over the longest of millennia I had witnessed the death of entire beings, the creation of evil, and the destruction of hope… simply to… even that my parent could not tell me."

Celestia then turned to Pinkie with a look not ever seen on the Princess' face, sadness.

"Pinkie… this world was given to me by my Father and My mother, a world that would turn on its own and with a cycle of light and darkness that I could keep in check. But as I saw this world turn I saw also the fall of my sister, jealousy and hate controlled her and created something I never wanted to see again, an ending to light and hope.

Oh Pinkie… I don't expect you to understand bu-"

"I understand" Said Pinkie, the Princess looked at her with confusion yet saw only honesty in her face.

"I always thought I'd smile forever, I thought I'd live in a world where I could love a pony and they would love me back… yet I found that there was nothing but lies and anger, they never cared. I wasn't someone they loved… I was someone they tolerated.

I knew there would never be another rainbow, I knew there would never be another song, another pony, and there would never be another sunny day… Princess I draw ponies by number but tonight I will make an exeption"

The Princess closed her eyes and, relieved, drew a deep breath "Oh Pinkie that's so splendid! I'll bring her in at once"

Pinkie readied her bed and tools, she couldn't explain the sensation, it felt to far from happiness yet not anywhere near sorrow. She felt a piece closer to being complete again. Then Pinkie turned from her tool cabinet to see an all to familiar face. Pinkie had misunderstood the Princess, she wasn't relating to Pinkie or her life, she was introducing her victim, it was Luna, unconscious and beaten harshly.

"Oh god Princess! I thought you were rehabilitating her!"

The Princess shook her head

"Pinkie… when she promised eternal darkness, she never meant the night sky. She brought darkness the to elements of harmony, you and your… other elements"

Pinkie couldn't understand, it made no sense, how could this happen?

Princess Celestia's face grew dark.

"Pinkie… she made you the pony you are today, she made you lose you friends to this madness"

It all became clear now, Pinkie finally had a reason to care about something, the mare in the moon had taken everything from her: her friends, her life, her sanity… her sunshine.

It took Pinkie from the night to the dawn but she had finally found a reason to try again, she had truly ended Luna's curse, she felt she had atoned for her friends murder.

Pinkie opened the oven and the waft of warm air sent curls through her mane once again.

"Okie Dokie Lokie Princess! Try them! They're my best and final batch!"

The Princess looked at the pan, there were a dozen perfect cupcakes, a dozen, blue, fluffy, bloody, chunky cupcakes. She took a bite of the plumpest, the love of disgust was fully noted by Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie I must tell you something… I lied… Luna never cursed you"

Pinkie giggled "Oh Princess, that's not funny! I worked hard on these!"

The Princess said nothing, she showed herself to the door, there was nothing left to say.

"Pr-princess? I-is this a joke? You're pulling my hoof. I just killed your sister, cut her into food and you're going to walk out and expect me to live with this?"

"Oh Pinkie you silly filly, you've done this many a ti-"

"I though you'd make me better! I thought I'd be happy again! You said you understood! You said that you wanted to return hope to us!"

Pinkie slumped to the floor, though this time she knew that the Princess wouldn't kill her, she wouldn't be given the pleasure of having it be over. Instead the Princess swept to Pinkie's side if only to whisper one final utterance.

"Come now my sweet filly, you've more cupcakes to make"

Pinkie looked up, once again the image of a broken soul.

"But you hate my cupcakes"

"Oh but my dear Pinkie Pie!"

The Princess chuckled but without any hint of grace.

"Nothing is sweeter"