Cupcake Killers

Frostinilla awoke, staring up at the blinding sunlight that shone through the space between parted clouds. She rose her hand to shelter her eyes from the damaging beams. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was staring at. It wasn’t a hoof. She didn’t know what it was. She sat upright, feeling that the action was oddly easy. She was able to sit up on her flank without the odd sensation of lost balance. Still, something was most definitely lost.

She extended her new arm out before her, turning it this way and that as she examined it. It was thin. Too thin for her liking. She wriggled the thin appendages at the end. She had never in her lifetime, seen a hand up close. She examined her pale skin. It was pale to the point that any human seeing her would assume that she was sick. It would be perceived as beautiful, but only after getting over the mild concern of such pale complexion. Frostinilla however, only perceived it with disgust. She didn't understand how anything so fur-less could be considered attractive in any sense. She felt naked.

At the moment of that thought, she jumped up and felt around her stomach, making sure that she wasn't. She wasn't sure why, but she felt uncomfortable. Luckily, she was still in the dress. It was the dress she was wearing at the Gala but, somehow, it was different. It had changed during her own transformation, and now fit snugly against her newly shapen body, hugging her curves but falling away in waves below her waist.

She looked down at her feet. She was standing on only two legs without a problem, and that scared her. She grabbed a handful of the white material and pulled the dress up to examine what was beneath. She stared at her legs in horror. They were much longer than her arms. Flashes of the creatures that broke into her home ran through her thoughts. Bile rose at the back of her mouth as she realized what she had become.

“Frostinilla?” The voice broke into the once pony’s concentration.

Frostinilla turned to see that her friend had also changed. Lemon Drop was standing feet away from her. Her complexion was similar to Frostinilla’s, but not nearly as white. Her yellow eyes were now small. Her yellow hair was still in a bun, but it was falling out. Strands fell to the side of the girls round face. The dress she wore was covered in dirt. Frostinilla took in the image but her stomach was screaming to throw it back out, so she did.

Lemon Drop ran to Frostinilla’s side as she bent over, throwing up. She didn’t think she’d ever eaten enough to let out as much as she did. Lemon Drop tentatively patted her friend on the back. She was hesitant, as if she was afraid that she might break either one of them. Frostinilla finally stopped and clutched her stomach, grimacing at the feel of her own fingers digging into her belly.

Another wave escaped and Frostinilla bend forward once more. Lemon Drop was now stroking her long white hair and pulling it away. Frostinilla’s palms were against the hard ground, and her fingers dug into the dirt. She panted heavily, pulling in the fresh air and hoping that it was over. She wanted it all to be over. She wanted to be back in Canterlot, back to her own self, but she didn’t dare sit back up.

“Are you alright?” Lemon Drop asked, her voice gentle. She hand’t stopped stroking her friends hair.

Frostinilla nodded. She clenched her eyes shut and wiped the remaining residue away with the back of her hand. Her arms were beginning to shake and her throat was now burning. Everything about that moment was completely off. She didn’t understand what had happened or how it happened. She couldn’t remember a thing about passing through that mirror.

“We need to find you some water,” Lemon Drop said.

“I’m fine,” Frostinilla finally managed to spurt. She took in another gulp of air before asking, “Where are the others?”

“Chippy Chocolate is right here,” Lemon Drop said, picking up the white mask that had been lying near Frostinilla the entire time.

Frostinilla looked up past Lemon Drop and for the first time, realized that Chippy Chocolate was behind her. Her dark brown hair had fallen out its ties. Her hair framed her thin face and fell messily around her shoulders. Tears spilled from her eyes and streaked her mocha colored skin. Her dress had been ripped at the bottom and at her waist. She was holding the other three masks and picking at the edges.

“What happened?” Frostinilla asked.

Lemon Drop lowered her voice to a whisper. “When she tried to wake Cinnamon Twist, she got attacked.”

“By what?!” Frostinilla asked in shock. She had been so caught up in the aggressive changes that she hadn’t even considered the fact that they might be in possible danger.

Lemon Drop put an arm around Frostinilla. “By Cinnamon Twist.”

Frostinilla froze and looked into Lemon Drops eyes. Concern was clear. “What do you mean?” Frostinilla asked as she averted her gaze to Chippy Chocolate.

“The minute Cinnamon Twist saw Chippy Chocolate in this form, she attacked her.”

Frostinilla was speachless. She felt horrible for Chippy Chocolate but at the same time, she wasn’t sure if she could blame Cinnamon Twist. She had experienced first hoof what Cinnamon Twist’s night terrors could bring out of her. The fact that she woke to see, well, to see what her friend was, had no chance of setting her off in any good way. Cinnamon Twist wouldn’t have known what she was doing, or that this thing was Chippy Chocolate.

Chippy Chocolate was wiping tears away from her eyes with a clenched fist. She looked so young to Frostinilla. She looked vulnerable. Frostinilla wasn’t quite sure what young did or didn’t look like in these new forms but Chippy Chocolate looked lost. When Chippy Chocolate finally cleared the tears away, she gave a small half hearted smile. Frostinilla jumped to her feet to give her a hug, tripping forward and almost knocking her friend down.

Chippy Chocolate let out a laugh. The cheerful sound lifted Frostinilla’s spirits for a brief moment and she smiled as she clutched her friend. This new form made the simple gesture feel oddly intimate. She stepped away to see that Chippy Chocolate’s face brightened slightly. Frostinilla smiled before turning to Lemon Drop.

“So where is Cinnamon Twist,” she asked.

Lemon Drop pointed, with all of her fingers outstretched, towards the side. There were a few trees. Frostinilla spotted someone sitting at the bottom of one. She headed over to check on Cinnamon Twist.

Cinnamon Twist was sitting with her back against the trunk of a tree and her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms were resting on them and her face was hidden. Her long brown hair fell to the sides. She still had her sparkly white streaks. Her skin was tanned, but as far as Frostinilla knew, it was simply a tone somewhere between Chippy Chocolate's and her own.

Frostinilla stat on her knees at Cinnamon Twist’s side, feeling more sorrow than she expected to. She could see that Cinnamon Twist was shaking. Frostinilla reached out to pat her back, but retreated. She didn’t want to startle her, and she didn’t think she would like being touched by anyone in this form. Out of all the grudges the Cupcakes held against these creatures they were yet to learn about, Cinnamon Twist’s dug the deepest.

“Are-” Frostinilla trailed off.

Cinnamon Twist looked up at Frostinilla. Her hate filled eyes pouring with what Frostinilla could only assume to be frustration. Frostinilla didn’t dare move as Cinnamon Twist bared her teeth. It was an odd expression now. The teeth were so small and in no way threatening but it was never Cinnamon Twist’s teeth that instilled fear; It was her eyes. The eyes that held an endless pool of hatred, and revealed an unnatural willingness to find her revenge. Frostinilla never fully understood what it was that made her like this, but it scared her.

Frostinilla waited for Cinnamon Twist to finally ease down. Cinnamon Twist burried her head in her arms once again. Frostinilla stood, wondering if she should stay or go. Cinnamon Twist obviously didn’t want company, but Frostinilla felt that she still might need it. She looked back at Lemon Drop in hopes of some sort of suggestion but her and Chippy Chocolate had kept their distance.

Frostinilla looked back down at Cinnamon Twist. “Are you alright?” she forced out.

Cinnamon Twist didn’t bother looking up. She just shook her head. Frostinilla bent down and placed a hand on Cinnamon Twist’s shoulder. Her body went stiff but she didn’t react otherwise. Frostinilla patted her back, wishing she could help but knowing that she coudn’t. She was powerless.

Cinamon Twist lifted her head and looked to Frostinilla again. Tears still streaked her face but this time the anger was gone. Frostinilla didn’t know how to respond. She froze up. Cinnamon Twist pushed Frostinilla’s hand away and curled up again.

“You guys we should probably find somewhere safe to hide.”

Frostinilla turned her head to see that Lemon Drop had approached them. “Where would we go?” Frostinilla asked.

“I don’t know, but I doubt staying put is a good idea.” Lemon Drop looked worried. “We have no idea where those other,” Lemon Drop trailed off. She didn’t know what they were and settled with, “things went.”

Frostinilla hadn’t thought about that. Even so, she still had no idea where they could go. She looked around. There was nothing but trees and empty grassland, but farther down she noticed something. Tall structures stood in the distance. Frostinilla had no idea what they were for, but had a feeling that life would be found there and where there is life, there is sustenance.

“We should head that way.” Frostinilla pointed with an outstretched arm.

“We don’t know what those are,” Cinnamon Twist said.

“Well we can’t exactly say heading over there is any worse than staying here. What would we eat? Where would we sleep? What if it get’s cold or starts raining?” Frostinilla looked at Cinnamon Twist as if waiting for answers but knowing she wouldn’t be able to give any.

Cinnamon Twist sighed. “I can’t see anything dangerous here,” she pointed out.

“Can’t see anywhere to hide if something dangerous shows up either.”

Cinnamon Twist glared at Frostinilla. She wasn’t sure if she was upset by the idea of heading right to the unknown, or having Frostinilla take over some sort of leadership.

“I think we should go,” Lemon Drop put in.

Cinnamon Twist’s gaze shifted to Lemon Drop, who took a reflexive step back.

“Sorry,” she said. “I just think we need to hurry.” Her gaze was behind Cinnamon Twist, who turned around. The sun was setting behind them. “We really should find somewhere to hide before it’s dark.”

Cinnamon Twist gave in. “Alright,” she said, brushing past Frostinilla and taking the lead.

The other three followed her through the grass fields. The shadows of the trees they past seemed to stretch toward them, as if wanting to grab them. Chippy Chocolate seemed particularly frightened during the walk. She had been clinging onto Lemon Drop’s arm with both of her own. Lemon Drop had tried taking the masks from her, trying to make it easier on Chippy Chocolate, but for some reason, Chippy Chocolate refused to part with them

Frostinilla was too worried over other things to care for the surroundings. All she could think about was the scared pony that was taken off. The scream of the young mare was almost as clear as the scream of her mother. The two voices together would haunt her for countless nights to come.

She wondered if Cinnamon Twist was thinking of Sprinkles as well. She had been the one to chase after her through the mirror. Frostinilla thought the act was admirable but wasn’t so sure about the intentions. She wasn’t sure if Cinnamon Twist was driven to save the stranger or simply to get revenge. Frostinilla watched Cinnamon Twist ahead of them. She was silent during the hike, walking at a fast and keeping her arms crossed at her chest.

They walked in silence until the finally reached the outskirts of a huge city. The sounds escaping it put all of them on edge. Cinnamon Twist looked back at Frostinilla.

“Any more bright ideas?” she asked.

Frostinilla didn’t say anything. She was staring ahead of her. They hadn’t even reached the buildings but they looked huge. Many of them seemed to be made of mirror. The darkened sky and grey clouds reflected magnificently off of the glass surfaces, but not everything was pretty. Machine like carriages were whizzing around at what Frostinilla was sure to be an unsafe speed. How had anyone been able to survive this?

Not only were they rushing through the city and past each other, but they were also letting out smoke. The larger the carriage, the more smoke it had to give off. Some of them, the ones that were obviously meant for transporting large amounts of goods or perhaps just large goods, gave out thick black smoke. Frostinila hoped she would never have to breath that in directly. Frostinilla found herself wondering if those fumes were poisonous or harmful. Either way, she didn’t want to have to breath any in.

“So what do we do now?” Cinnamon Twist snapped.

“I-” Frostinilla tried taking it all in, feeling like it might try coming back out again but she held it back this time. “I don’t know.” She didn’t understand any of it. “Maybe we should see what others are doing?”

“Maybe we should go back,” Cinnamon Twist said flatly. She still had her arms crossed.

“I think we should just check it out,” Chippy Chocolate said. “I mean,” she looked at her feet, “we do look like them, don’t we? We’d fit in.”

“We don’t know that we would,” Cinnamon Twist said.

Lemon Drop decided to take a different approach. “I thought you were always one for risk. If it’s for the greater good, why not?”

Cinnamon Twist’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

“And let’s not forget we all followed you here,” Lemon Drop added.

“I was following-”

“We know!” Frostinilla interjected before Cinnamon Twist got too out of hand. “That’s not important right now! Right now, we just need to get out of here. We have to find someplace to sleep, where we will be warm and safe for the night. Can we all just agree on that for now?”

Frostinilla had surprised herself with her firmness. She had apparently surprised the others as well. They had all gone silent, including Cinnamon Twist. Frostinilla stratched the back of her head, feeling nervous. The others were now watching her, waiting for something more. She wasn’t sure that she liked it and wasn’t at all comfortable with it.

“So what do you want us to do?” Chippy Chocolate asked, putting a voice to the question that had been hanging in the air.

“We should-” Frostinilla looked towards the city. She didn’t want to lead any of them into danger. Those carriages didn’t look safe in the slightest. “We should avoid those paths.”

“So now that we know what we aren’t doing,” Cinnamon Twist chirped, amused at Frostinilla’s inability to give an order, “what is it that we are going to do?”

Frostinilla didn’t say anything. She just didn’t know what to tell them. She wasn’t a leader. She was a lost mare, on new lands and in a new body. She couldn't handle more than herself. She could barely handle herself at all in this state. She scratched at her arms as the others looked at her expectantly. Her nails dug into her skin. The sensation was odd. Painful, but in a way that somehow calmed her.

Lemon Drop finally broke her gaze from Frostinilla, realizing that she really wasn’t sure. Lemon Drop didn’t want to put her under pressure. She looked back at Frostinilla, apologetically. Chippy Chocolate let out a sigh as she realized the same as Lemon Drop. She wasn’t as subtle in her disappointment.

A knowing smirk crossed Cinnamon Twist’s face, but it vanished in an instant. She had gotten over her illogical arguments against Frostinilla, but she was still determined to reinforce her leadership. With her arms still crossed, she began walking towards a busy road at the edge of the city.

Frostinilla wasn’t sure about the idea, but the other two followed immediately. With a sigh, Frostinilla ran after them. She didn’t see any other options. The best bet they had was to stick together. For now, Frostinilla could just hope that they would be able to find a way to survive. Cinnamon Twist may have been too gutsy for her own good, but she had a better chance of getting them all through the situation.

They hadn’t quite reached the road when they made a turn and walked alongside it. Chippy Chocolate had once again linked herself to Lemon Drop. They found themselves walking near a sidewalk. Crowds of people made their way along the roadside. The Cupcakes had stopped, feet away from the sidewalk.

Chippy Chocolate had begun shaking. Cinnamon Twist stood, frozen. Lemon Drop’s face showed a mixture of fear and the pain of having her arm so tightly gripped. Frostinilla’s stomach churned and she clutched it with her hands. Lemon Drop rested her free hand on Frostinilla’s shoulder for comfort. Frostinilal gave her a smile of thanks.

Cinnamon Twist shot forward. The others watched her leave. Frostinilla wondered, for a second, if it would be alright to split up but that wasn’t an option. They ran after her before she reached the sidewalk. The tall creatures were walking in herds. It looked near impossible to get through. Lemon Drop had grabbed Frostinilla’s hand as they neared the sidewalk. Frostinilla understood the reasoning and immediately and tried to take Cinnamon Twist’s. Cinnamon Twist just shrugged her away and kept walking.

She was swallowed by the crowd and Frostinilal struggled to keep up. People were walking this way and that, pushing anyone in their way. Someone had even walked between Frostinilla and Lemon Drop, breaking their link. Frostinilla piveted around on one foot, looking for her friend. Luckily, the bright yellow hair stood out from the crowd. There were a few blondes, but no one had hair as bright as Lemon Drop.

Frostinilla ran back and grabbed her arm. She pulled her friend in the direction she had seen Cinnamon Twist head off to, but she wasn’t quite sure anymore. Everything was so hectic. How did such a large herd fit on such a small pathway?
Suddenly something grabbed Frostinilla and she let out a startled shriek. A hand clasped over her mouth and Lemon Drop tripped forward as Frostinilla yanked on her hand. Chippy Chocolate just stood watching them, and after a brief moment, she laughed.

“You guys are impossible,” Cinnamon Twist said as she let Frostinilla go. She crossed her arms again and shook her head.

She had dragged them into an entirely cement building. There were no walls on the sides, but there was a roof over their head. A few of the mechanical carriages were scattered across the otherwise empty area. A glass room stood at the center, and past the glass door, Fristinilla noticed a stairway as well as a metal doorway.

“Where are we?” Frostinilla asked.

“Shelter,” Cinnamon Twist said simply.

“Are you sure?” Lemon Drop asked.

“Where would you suggest we go?” Cinnamon Twist asked, looking right at Lemon Drop.

Lemon Drop held her tongue.

“How about we check over there?” Frostinilla asked, already walking towards the glass room.

She sped up to a jog and examined the door. The knob was strange. She tried pushing it open, but it didn’t work. She tried pulling on the circular handle, but that also didn’t work. She gave up and walked around the glass walls, looking for another way out. By the time she made a full circle, Lemon Drop was holding the doorway open.

“You had to turn it,” she said.

The four took the stairway up two stories, where they found arrows pointing in multiple directions. One of the arrows had “food court” written at the end of it.

“Oh!” Chippy Chocolate hopped. “Theirs food!”

“Well, that’s,” Lemon Drop said hesitantly, “good?”

Chippy Chocolate was skipping in the direction of the arrow before anyone had a chance to add any more input. Cinnamon Twist rolled her eyes as she strode after the her, but all they came to was a door. On the other side were multiple rooms and rows of tables, but it was deserted, and the lights were all off. Frostinilla tried turning the handle like Lemon Drop said to, but it woudln’t budge.

“You should try,” she told Lemon Drop.

Lemon Drop tried, and got the same results. She tried applying more pressure, but it didn’t make much difference.

“Why won’t it work?” She kept fidgeting with the handle and even tried kicking the door. She shook the door and tried turning it again. Frostinilla could tell that she was putting a lot of force into it.

Slowly, Lemon Drops hand began to glow. She herself didn’t seem to notice, but the others were backing away. The doorknob slowly turned red, and Lemon Drop finally realized that something was wrong. She stepped away from the door. The handle that she had been trying so hard to turn, was now melting. As it did, a soft click was heard.

Lemon Drop gazed down at her hands. The light had faded, but there was still a soft yellow glow. Within a couple of minutes, they were back to normal. None of them said a word. They just looked down at Lemon Drop’s hands, as if they expected them to glow again.

Chippy Chocolate was the first to break away and try the door again. The mishappen handle gave in to her grip and the door opened.

“Huh.” Cinnamon Twist looked genuinely impressed.

Frostinilla, however, was beginning to worry. If Lemon Drop could do something like that, what could the others do? Once again, her thoughts were broken off. Chippy Chocolate had grabbed her wrist and pulled her into what seemed to be an indoor market. The only problem was that everything was closed. She wasn’t at all surprised considering it had been getting late.

“Should we look for food?” Chippy Chocolate asked.

“I don’t know,” Lemon Drop said. “Shouldn’t we wait until everything is open? We shouldn’t steal.”

“Are you really concerned about stealing from the very beings that took our lives away from us?” Cinnamon Twist asked in a harsh tone.

“Well-”

“That doesn’t matter,” Frostinilla said. Cinnamon Twist glared at her and lemon Drop gave her a questioning look.

“Well, even if we did wait, we wouldn’t be able to pay.”

Cinnamon Twist’s expression changed to an approving look. “So, lets look for some food.”

“Hey, look what I found!” Chippy Chocolate exclaimed. She had a large purse wrapped around her shoulder. She was fitting the masks into it as she walked back over to them.

“Where did you find that?” Lemon Drop sounded concerned.

“It was just hanging on a chair over there.” She was searching through the purse and pulled out a wallet. Inside she found green paper and a few coins. “I think we might be able to pay, but I’m not sure. We should eat now just in case!”

Chippy Chocolate ran off. She found a sandwich shop and hopped over the counter. Within minutes she had piles of breads and ingredients on the counter in front of her. The others joined her in putting together a dinner. They made the most of the night, finding what they could and filling up the bag with food. Cinnamon Twist had found a larger bag with two straps under a table. She had to take out a large rectangular device, which all they found when they investigated it was buttons with letters and numbers, to make room for more food.

After the night passed, they left the shops and went back outside. They decided staying anywhere near the area wouldn’t have been a good idea. They left quite a mess and wouldn't’ want to be found sleeping too close to what they had broken into. They managed to find a large empty shed behind a larger house that had been left unlocked. Chippy Chocolate fit herself into a wheelbarrow, Lemon Drop hid under a wooden table, and Cinnamon Twist and Frostinilla settled for the floor. They would find something cozier later, but for the meantime, they were safe.