The Cupcake Killer, Prologue

The Cupcake Killer
A 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' Fanfiction
by milesprower06, in collaboration with Ace2401

A/N: Please note that this is a sequel to my last fic "A Precious Rainbow", which in turn was an alternate ending to "Cupcakes" by Sgt. Sprinkles. If you've read those, awesome. If not, time to do a little backtracking and then return here. Thanks!

I also want to give a huge hats off to my collaborator for this sequel, Ace2401, who shared a very similar vision of how I wanted this storyline to continue, and together, through hundreds of messages and discussion, we have crafted this work. So thank him as much as you do me!

Prologue
A Guilty Conscience

SWEET APPLE ACRES
ONE WEEK AFTER RUNNING OF THE LEAVES
12:30 AM

Rainbow Dash sat on the porch of the Apple Family Farmhouse, under the canopy as a midnight autumn shower moved across the Ponyville area. The wingless Pegasus had a somber look about her tonight. Rain didn't usually make her sad, but combined with the thoughts present in her mind tonight, the weather certainly wasn't helping.

"Hey there, Sugarcube. Can't sleep?" asked a friendly voice from behind, as the screen door quietly squeaked open, tapping shut as Applejack came up next to her recent house guest, and it looked more and more like it would become permanent resident, if Rainbow had made her mind up about staying on the farm.

"Nope. I've been tossing and turning for three hours." Rainbow answered her friend, not taking her gaze off of the hazy shower. Applejack took a sitting position next to the rainbow-maned pony, subtly looking her over.

She was almost entirely healed from her traumatic, torturous experience a few weeks ago. The scars were still apparent, and one of her back hooves was a bit sore, but other than that, she was quite anxious to start work around the farm and get her mind off what had happened.

"So what's on your mind, hun?"

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the pelting rain on the roof.

"Pinkie."

Applejack thought back to their former friend. Due to her central role in the horrific murders in the past months, most of Ponyville had come to call her 'The Cupcake Killer.'

When she had come looking for Rainbow after she missed a date for pie, Applejack stumbled upon the basement of Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie was committing these atrocities. And there had hung Rainbow, at death's door. Applejack knocked Pinkie back in self-defense, giving her a blow to the chin so hard that her neck had snapped when she collided with a table.

Acting as quickly as she could, she rushed Rainbow to Ponyville Urgent Care, and it would turn out that she did so just in time. Sadly, Rainbow's wings could not be saved, and it was a loss that Rainbow was having trouble coping with. After spending a couple nights in the hospital, Rainbow was released, and after a restless half-night alone, she made her way to Applejack's farm, where she had been staying for most of her recovery.

And now her mind was on Pinkie. Applejack wasn't sure how to view the whole situation yet. That night she found Rainbow was a shock, and helping her through her recovery, she hadn't really gone back to think about it.

"Oh? What about her?" Applejack asked.

"I...I can't help but wonder if we're to blame for what she did."

Applejack put her arm around her friend.

"Sugar, we all heard the conclusion Princess Luna came to, but that doesn't mean-"

"No, Applejack." Rainbow began, tears pricking her eyes.

"Maybe you don't get it. What she did to me, I will remember for the rest of my life. And she did it to at least a dozen other poor ponies...and...and..."

She got choked up as tears ran down her cheeks.

"...and if what we did had anything to do with it..."

"Rainbow, if you keep thinking like that, you'll never sleep at night."

"You can? You don't think for one second that our surprise party might've been the cause of this?"

"What you went through, hun, I don't want to put into words. And the last thing you need right now is a guilty conscience."

"So...what do I do?" Rainbow asked her with teary eyes.

"Whatever you have to do to clear your mind." Applejack said, giving her a reassuring squeeze around the shoulders.

"Because Pinkie is gone, her victims are gone, and nothing will change that or bring them back."

A/N: What I had done in Precious Rainbow was group 2-3 chapters into a bundled part. I won't be doing that here. Cupcake Killer will be shorter offerings and an ultimately shorter story, as of now. I don't want to milk it to the point where it bores you, or the story suffers. Hope you will enjoy this expansion as much as you did Precious Rainbow!