The next morning, Veil arrived at work before Pinkie Pie. "Wow, you're here early," she said cheerfully as she came in.

"Yep," Veil said.

Pinkie stood silent for a moment, wondering if Veil was going to apologize for stealing from her, but of course he didn't. "Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said finally. "Well, we'd better get to work. We've got a long day ahead of us!"

As Veil hurried over to the stove, Pinkie noticed that he had already made one tray of muffins. She was glad that he had gotten a jump on productivity. Maybe this ferret wasn't so bad after all.

The first wave of customers arrived as Pinkie Pie took her position at the counter, bringing the muffins with her.

"Sugarcube Corner is open for business!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed proudly.

"Muffins!" Derpy Hooves ejaculated, the first customer in line.

The muffins were selling like hotcakes when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna arrived with Twilight Sparkle. "Hello, princesses!" said Pinkie. "How was your trip here? Was it marvelsplendidly wonderific?"

"Yes," said Celestia. "Are those fresh baked muffins?"

"Sure are! Veil baked 'em this morning. Want one? No charge for princesses!"

"Yes, thank you," said Celestia. But Twilight and Luna didn't have muffins, they just had cupcakes or something I don't know it's not important.

After they finished eating, Twilight and the royal sisters left Sugarcube Corner and headed for Rarity's Boutique.

"Things have been going along great here, Your Majesties," said Twilight as they walked through Ponyville. "There haven't been any vermin or other evil creatures sighted in town since Sunflash left."

But then suddenly Celestia started to groan. Twilight was concerned. "What's the matter, Princess?"

"I don't know," Celestia gasped. "I feel a pain in my stomach."

Then Fluttershy and Applejack ran up urgently. "Twilight! You've got to come back to Sugarcube Corner! Pinkie Pie says a bunch of ponies are sick!"

Twilight questioned the pair. "Sick? What's the matter with them?"

Applejack spread her hooves, mystified. "Ah don't know. First they're a-tummypainin', then groanin' an' a-moanin' somethin' awful."

"Celestia is sick too," Twilight said.

"I will bring my sister to the hospital," said Luna. "Twilight, you go back there and get to the bottom of this."

Pinkie was wringing her hooves helplessly when they arrived. Customers lay doubled up on the floor, shivering, and pony paramedics were carting them away to the hospital.

"It must have been something I ate," Derpy moaned. "Probably the potato I ate for breakfast," she added as she took another bite out of her muffin.

Cheerilee was decidedly pale, and greenish around her lips. "Ooooohhh! The pain, the agony!" she wept.

Veil came out of the kitchen. He looked puzzled. "What's all the fuss about?" he asked.

Twilight inspected one of the victims, feeling her brow, sniffing her breath. "Looks like poison to me," she announced.

A look of horror passed over Fluttershy's face. "Poison?"

Veil sat down in disbelief. "Poisoned? But why?" He grasped Fluttershy's hoof, his lip quivering. "Who would do such a thing?"

Fluttershy watched tears pop out onto the young ferret's cheek. She hugged him, glad that he could show such tender feelings. "There, there, they never said anypony did it, perhaps it was just an accident, something got into the cupcakes or muffins somehow, who knows?"

The Pegasus felt sympathy for Veil, he looked so upset.

"I guess we'll have to close for the rest of the day," Pinkie sighed. "Fluttershy, you can take Veil home."

As Fluttershy and Veil left, Twilight said, "It couldn't have been the cupcakes. I had one of those, and I feel fine. Celestia is sick too, and she had a muffin. What was in the muffins?"

"I don't know!" Pinkie cried. "I didn't make the muffins, Veil did."

"Should have figured," Twilight said. "Are there any of those muffins left?"

"Why do you want one? If you eat it, you'll get sick too!"

"I'm not going to eat it," Twilight explained. "I'm gonna take it back to my house and see if I can figure out what the poison was."

"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie said sadly. "Better hurry."