Princess Sweetheart and the Bitter Witchby supersaiyanmikitoChaptersPrincess SweetheartA Heated BeginningSign of Things to ComePrincess SweetheartOnce upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a magic kingdom. A kingdom made entirely of candy. "Ooooh..." More candy than you could even dream of. Lollipops, Candy Canes, Suckers! Everything was sugary sweet. Light posts were made of Candy Canes. The roads were gingerbread. The doors were gram crackers. The ponds were chocolate. Even the locals were sweet. Everypony knew one another and they were all a really close nit family but nopony was sweeter or more well known then the ruler of the Sugar Kingdom, Princess Sweetheart. She ruled the kingdom with a kind and loving heart. She loved to spread joy everywhere she went, making even the snobbiest of snobs happy. "What did she look like?" "Oh! Well, she was bright young filly. She had a beautiful coat as pink as bubble gum." "Mmm, yummy!" "And a mane as pink and plushy as cotton candy." *Giggle* For years, this kingdom lived in peace and harmony. The young Princess loved everyone and everyone loved her... But there was one who did not... The Bitter Witch. "Grrr!" She growled. "Curse that Princess Sweetheart, she's had it all from the start!" The Bitter Witch was old mare with a dark green coat and an aging gray mane. The Witch hated the Princess. Her parents never let her eat sweets. "Not everyone is so fine and dandy, my parents never let me have candy!" She stood tall on a cliff overlooking the Kingdom. "If I can't have sweets, NOPONY WILL! HAHAHAHA!" "I don't like the Witch..." The Witch stirred her magic cauldron. "All I need are a few ingredients." The witch wickedly rubbed her chin. "Ah yes of course!" She pulled out a magic chest and set it down next to the cauldron. "Firstly, a cut of Broccoli." She dropped the broccoli in turning in turning it a sickly green. "Next thing we need, is a blade of seaweed." The undersea veggie turned the potion into a deep-sea blue. "Last but not least, a not-so-nice feast!" She dropped in a stinky bag into the Cauldron. The potion was now a mix of blue and green. "Now that the potion is complete, it's time for the Princess to be obsolete!" She began to wave hoofs above the cauldron. "Magic forces from beyond yon hither, torment them and make everything gross and bitter!" The cauldron exploded with a sickly green ooze forming out of the top. "Yes! YES!" The ooze rose until the sky making the clouds black and stormy. The dark clouds loomed overhead and started to rain. A rain of gross green ooze. Nopony could have known what the Bitter Witch could have done. *CHOMP*, a stallion bit out of a street post. His eyes widened with disgust. "BLEH!" He spat. "This candy cane is bitter!" *CHOMP*, a nearby mare had taken a bite out of her door. "UGH! GROSS!" She yelled. "It's stale!" Soon, the entire kingdom was in a panic! "All the candy has gone bitter!" "My foals won't stop crying!" "Somepony, alert the Princess!" They quickly informed the Princess on what had become of the Sugar Kingdom. "It is the Bitter Witch! She is jealous of our sugary sweets and put a curse on the Kingdom!" Everypony was yelling and complaining. "What will you do!" "Please stop the witch!" She stepped down off her throne and motioned to her guard. "Captain, grab your best men and follow me! That Bitter Witch won't be leaving our kingdom as bitter as her." "Ooh, here comes the good part!" It wasn't long before the Princess had gathered her best guards and confronted the Witch within the forest. "Bitter Witch! Stop this at once!" The Princess commanded. "NEVER!" The Witch screamed. "No matter what I cannot lose, my cauldron will continue to ooze!" "Then I will have to stop you!" The Princess reached back and pulled out her magic scepter. Using her magic, she fired at the Witch. The witch attacked with her own magic, countering the Princess. "The Sugar Kingdom is a place of love and happiness. Your bitterness has no place here!" "Is that so my little filly? I think you are being rather silly!" The two used all their power but they were evenly matched. "You can't stop me, I'm all powerful! You will learn, I am just awful!" The Witch's magic began to overtake the Princess. "No! I can't lose now!" The princess called. Then, one by one, her ponies stepped forward. "You won't beat the Princess!" "You can't stop the Sugar Kingdom" "You will never extinguish our happiness!" Suddenly, the beam lunged forward, pushing the Witch back. "Now is the time!" Holding the scepter in both her hooves, she started to chant. "Gods of sweets and sugar alike, give me power to remove this unlike. The Sugar Kingdom you have aided so long, help us send this wicked witch to where she BELONG!" The Princess lunged the scepter forward, firing a beam of light towards the Witch. The beam impacted the Witch. She yelled and screamed, trying to break free but to no avail. She was slowly overtaken as her legs turned into hard candy. The Princess struggled as she maintained the spell. The others all watched in awe. Soon, the Witch's whole body had been transformed into a large dark green candy statue. The Sugar Kingdom ponies laughed and cheered at their victory. A parade was held in the kingdom to congratulate the Princess. The curse had been lifted and the Sugar Kingdom returned to its sugary sweet state. The Witch's statue remains in the center of the Kingdom Plaza as a reminder that Princess Sweetheart was always watching over them... "The End..." "That was a great story! Thank you, Granny." "Your welcome sweetie. Now get some sleep. We are going to Ponyville tomorrow." "Granny?" "Yes?" "You think the ponies there will like me?" "Of course, they will. Why wouldn't they?" "I'm just scared they won't like me... Won't like me because I'm different..." "Don't worry dear, I'm sure they will love you just as much as I do. You are who you are. Nothing can change that that." "Goodnight Granny..." "Goodnight Pinkie..." A Heated Beginning"-as a reminder that Princess Sweetheart was always watching over them. The End…" Pinkie Pie closed the small pink book and looked down at the now-sleeping Cake foals. She has always wanted to read that story to children of her own but the Cake Twins will have to do for now. She let out a quiet sigh and set the book down on the table next to the crib. Princess Sweetheart was a story that pretty much any filly had heard at one time or another but to Pinkie, it was everything to her. Granny has told her the story many times and she loved her for it. The pink pony headed downstairs to meet up with Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Who were packing several bags. "The babies are asleep Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" "Wow that was fast. You're getting good at handling them Pinkie." Mrs. Cake was carefully setting a few clothes in her own bag. "I'm so thankful you agreed to watch over the twins while we are gone. This is a big opportunity for us and I'd hate to miss it." "This business deal will may finally put us on the map." Mr. Cake added. "It will only be two days so we will be back right in time for your birthday." "Hehe, yeah… And I'll make sure to not forget this time. Don't want a repeat of last year." Pinkie jumped behind the store counter rising up with an apron she got out of nowhere. "And don't you worry about the store. I'll make sure to keep business going while you're gone." She gave them a military salute. Mrs. Cake finally finished putting away her clothes in the suitcase and closed it. "Ok, we are all set. Ready to go?" "All packed up honey." Mr. Cake lifted a couple saddlebags over his back. "See you two days, Pinkie." "See yah!" Pinkie waved to the Cakes as they were about to leave when another pony came in. He watched the Cakes walk away waving. "Hello, is this Sugar Cube Corner?" He was a unicorn with a darkish red coat and a black mane spiked backward and a flaming ball as a cutie mark. Pinkie suddenly jumped over the counter and came right up to the nervous pony's face. "Ohmygosh! I've never seen you around here before! Ooh, now I need to set up a welcome party for the new pony!" "Woh, slow down there." He held his hooves up defensively. "I'm only passing through town…" "But I can still throw you a party. I do for every new pony that comes to Ponyville." "Well, I guess that is fine. So, do you run this place?" "Naw, the owners were just leaving on a business trip as you were coming in. Were you hoping to talk to them?" "Kind of... You see, my name is Fire Tongue. I design and craft my own sweets then I go around to different shops and sell them my recipe to produce." Pinkie was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Ooh, what kind of candy!?" "Hot stuff, you know, candy that would set your tongue ablaze if you so much as touched it." He reached into his saddle bags and pulled out a couple bright red spherical pieces of candy. "Want to try one?" Pinkie quickly swiped every piece from his hoof and shoved them into her mouth. "Oh no, wait!" She chewed them all at once spreading out her cheeks. "Hmm, delicious. Not as spicy as I thought though…" Fire Tongue was speechless. His bottom jaw nearly touched the floor. "That's… Impossible… A normal pony would have burst into flames eating so much at once. You must have one heck of an appetite for hot foods." "Well, I do put hot sauce on everything. Even cupcakes." The unicorn rubbed his shin. "Hmm, I wonder…?" Fire Tongue reached into his bags again and pulled out a gumball wrapped in fancy rainbow wrapping. "This is an experimental product of mine, the absolute spiciest thing I have ever created. So spicy in fact that only those who crave the pinnacle of heat can even taste its otherworldly flavor." Pinkie's eyes went wider than they ever had before. She slowly unwrapped the rainbow ball, placed it on her tongue and pulled it into her mouth. She chewed it slowly for a few seconds before her eyes shot eyes shot with psychedelic rainbows in her eyes. "HOLY MOLY THAT IS DELICIOUS! I HAVE NEVER TASTED CANDY SO AMAZING IN MY LIFE!" "Incredible… Out of every pony I have ever given that to, you are only the second to successfully taste its flavor as intended." "Who's the first?" Pinkie spoke through the gum, before blowing a bubble. "It was years ago and I was just starting out. She actually inspired me to make this a full-time career." "Do you think I can get the recipe? I'd love to make more of these in the future." "Sure, I'll pick up my recipe book from the room I'm staying in. I wasn't planning on staying here long but you have enticed me to extend my stay a bit." "Great! Tomorrow we can hold your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and then you can come to my birthday the next day!" "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Just then, Pinkie's friends all came in through the door. "Hiya Pinkie." Rainbow called out. "We ran into the Cakes and they told us what's happening so we thought we would help you run the shop." "Thanks girls, you would be a lot of help." Fire Tongue scratched the back of his head. "Well, I should probably be going now. Was nice meeting you Pinkie. See you soon." He turned to the door and left quietly. "Who was that?" Twilight asked. "Oh, that was Fire Tongue. He is a Traveling Salespony." "Tell me he is not like those annoying Flim Flam Brothers…" Applejack asked. "Oh no, he was quite nice. I'm going to throw him a party tomorrow. I know he isn't staying long but everypony deserves a Pinkie Party at least once in their lives." "Sounds good to me. So, what are we going to do first?" "Let's make some CUPCAKES!" Later that night over at Canterlot, Luna's night guards were all stationed outside the castle keeping watch. Two unicorn guards in particular were doing their routines as usual when… *CRASH* "What was that!?" "That sounded like glass." The two guards ran towards the source of the crash. It sounded like it had come from the castle's royal treasury. It was a standalone building where the Princesses kept all the magical objects in their possession, aside from the Elements of Harmony. The guards entered through the door to see shattered glass on the floor with a rock close by. "You think somepony broken in?" They looked around but found nothing. Aside from the window, the glass casings around all the artifacts appeared to be untouched. After some patrolling for a while, they seemingly couldn't find anything. "Must have been some kid pulling a prank…" "I don't know… I'm going to make one more loop around…" The other guard agreed to stand by the entrance while he looked around. His patrol led to a large pony sized glass case. As he was about to turn back, something caught his attention. He snuffed a few times. "That's odd…" Continuing to sniff, he started to follow a strange smell. "Smells like…" It led him over to an old statue of Princess Celestia in the corner, where the smell was the strongest. After a moment to prepare himself, he quickly jumped behind it. "Gotcha!" But there was nothing… He scratched his head in confusion, not seeing the dark figure behind him. Near the entrance, the other guard suddenly heard a loud crash in the back. "What was that!?" He quickly ran to the back and was shocked to see his partner unconscious on the floor. "Intruder! Intru-" A pair of hooves suddenly wrapped around his neck and quickly forced a wet cloth over his muzzle. Within seconds, the guard was also out cold on the floor. Satisfied with his work, the intruder approached the large display sized glass case in the center of the room. Inside was a mannequin commonly used by designers wearing an elegant blue dress with long sleeves on the front hooves. The intruder could only give off an evil smirk. Author's Note I know this isn't much but I thought I would at least move the story along and show I am in fact continuing this. Sign of Things to ComePinkie Pie awoke the next morning stretching her from hooves into the air. She looked over at the clock. She didn't normally wake up this early but the Cakes put her in charge so she wanted to get up bright and early. First thing she did was walk down the hallway and check on the foals. She peered into the room to see they were still sound asleep so she slowly closed the door making sure to not wake them. After that, she went down to the first floor and into the kitchen. Every morning, Pinkie would bake a fresh batch of muffins. Whenever the shop opened, she would place to new batch near the front door and put a fan behind it to blow out the smell and attract customers. Of course, her first customer every morning was her favorite grey pegasus. "Hey Derpy, every morning at 8 like usual." Pinkie greeted. "Never go to work on an empty stomach I always say." The pegasus replied. "I say that too!" "Well, I have to go, can't be late to work." "Ok, see yah around!" Once the pegasus was gone, Pinkie came out from behind the counter. "I should probably go wake up the foals now." As she was about to start going up the stairs, she heard a knock on the front door. She turned back to see the new pony from yesterday standing in the doorway. "Hey Fire Tongue, how are you today?" "Pretty good… Oh hey, I brought the recipe for the Gumball like you wanted." Fire Tongue reached into his saddle bags and pulled out a piece and paper and handed it to Pinkie. She looked at it for a moment in question. The paper was really worn out and tattered. "Like I said, I invented it years ago. "Why didn't you just copy it onto another piece of paper? It doesn't seem right to give me the original recipe." "Forget about it. Somehow, I feel it belongs with you anyway. So, what are doing?" "I was about to go wake up the Cake's foals, want to see them?" "Sure." The two ponies went upstairs and into the foal's room. Pinkie Pie leaned in close to the tiny ponies. "Wakey Wakey Pound and Pumpkin…" The two foals started to slowly wake up, making very soft yawning sounds. As Pinkie was picking them up, Fire Tongue noticed the book on table besides the crib. He picked it up and looked through it. "Hey, you like Princess Sweetheart too?" He jumped a little at her interruption. "Uh yeah, my parents told me this story a lot as a kid. This story is kind of the reason I started making sweets. I wanted to bring ponies together by testing the limits of every pony's tastes." Fire Tongue continued to flip through the book, and then he noticed something odd. "Hey, Pinkie Pie?" "Yes?" "What's all this writing in the back?" He revealed the back to show that there was some kind of writing on the inside of the back cover. "I'm not sure exactly what it says, looks like it's written in some foreign language." "Granny Pie told me it's some kind of nursery rhyme she found when she a little filly. Not exactly sure what it means though, she never told me." "Hmm… Odd…" He set the book back down. "So, Pinkie, when did you say your birthday was again?" "Tomorrow silly! I kind of want to introduce you to my friends before then. Would you mind coming back later tonight to meet them? I have some things I need to do first." "Sounds good to me." Fire Tongue turned back and nearly left the room before looking back at Pinkie Pie giving her a smile. Pinkie couldn't help but blush as he closed the door. After the previous night's theft, many guards were now stationed all around the royal treasury. Princess Luna was the first on the scene this morning talking with the other guards. "Do you have any idea what the criminals were after?" The Princess asked. "As far as we can tell, only one item was stolen. Everything else is completely untouched." The guard replied calmly. Luna rubbed her chin. "That's odd… Why would somepony who had just broken into a treasury filled with some of the most dangerous items in Equestria only steal one item? What exactly was stolen?" The guard looked down at his clipboard. "I don't know the details; the stolen artifact, codenamed SWT-001 is almost entirely redacted. There is not much known about the object as it was supposedly recovered by Princess Celestia herself approximately 15 years ago and she hasn't spoken a word about it." Luna nodded. "Anything else to report?" "Yes actually, come look at this…" The guard led her inside to where the theft had taken place. At the end of the hall was a glass display case with a dresser's mannequin in the center. It looked like a hole had been melted through the glass. "The object inside this case was what was stolen. As for how they got through we are still figuring out. This case was enchanted with extremely powerful magic, a barrier spell your sister casted personally. It couldn't have been broken physically or magically. At least in theory…" Luna inspected the melted hole in glass, looking at all the edges. She rubbed her hoof along the edges to find a clue. Finally, she looked down and noticed some sort of white powder on the ground. She wiped it up with her hoof and sniffed it. "Hmm… Run a sample of this substance at the lab. It looks like we may be dealing with an alchemist." "Yes ma'am." The unicorn guard pulled out a clear plastic bag and lifted a small amount of the unknown substance and put it in the bag. Just then, another guard approached Luna. "Princess Luna, your sister has arrived and wants to know the situation." "Thanks for the information." Luna quietly left the building avoiding all the guards. When she got outside, she saw her sister. "Luna, what happened here last night?" She asked. "Sister, it would appear a thief broke in and stole something from the treasury. My night guards heard the noise and came to investigate but they were ambushed and knocked out. Afterward, the intruder uses some sort of chemical to melt through the glass protecting one of the artifacts and then stole it. Considering the nature of this attack, I have reason to believe we might be dealing with a potion maker or alchemist." "What exactly was stolen?" "They couldn't give me the details but they claimed it was an artifact you would be familiar with. Codename: SWT-001." At that moment, Luna saw her sister completely freeze up. Celestia's face was frozen at a state of pure terror. "SWT… 001?" "Sis?" It was rare for Luna to see her sister make the kind of face she was, and it only meant one thing… "GUARDS!" Celestia screamed. All the guards suddenly stop to look at her. "Place Canterlot on maximum alert and send a platoon to Ponyville immediately! I want eyes and ears on the Element of Harmony bearers at all times!" "Yes, Princess!" They all shouted. All the guards scrambled to get things into place but Luna was confused. "Sister, what's going on?" "That item they stole was not just some random artifact. It's something I picked up while visiting a land outside Equestria." She held up her hoof and it starting shaking. "I wanted so desperately to destroy it but I was told not to because it's a precious object and a holy symbol where it came from." "Then why did you take it if it's so special to them?" "Because it's only one piece to something greater and it needs the other pieces to work. After much discussion, we agreed to split all the pieces up between our kingdoms to keep them safe. They got half and we got half." "And the Elements of Harmony?" "Twilight and her friends are very much involved in this, even if they don't know it. They are one of the pieces to this puzzle and the one we put the most care into hiding. However even if the thief knows they are involved, it won't exactly do them much good unless they know how to use them." "So, what exactly do all these pieces do?" "If all the pieces fall into the wrong hooves, it could mean breaking a promise I made many years ago…"
Princess SweetheartOnce upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a magic kingdom. A kingdom made entirely of candy. "Ooooh..." More candy than you could even dream of. Lollipops, Candy Canes, Suckers! Everything was sugary sweet. Light posts were made of Candy Canes. The roads were gingerbread. The doors were gram crackers. The ponds were chocolate. Even the locals were sweet. Everypony knew one another and they were all a really close nit family but nopony was sweeter or more well known then the ruler of the Sugar Kingdom, Princess Sweetheart. She ruled the kingdom with a kind and loving heart. She loved to spread joy everywhere she went, making even the snobbiest of snobs happy. "What did she look like?" "Oh! Well, she was bright young filly. She had a beautiful coat as pink as bubble gum." "Mmm, yummy!" "And a mane as pink and plushy as cotton candy." *Giggle* For years, this kingdom lived in peace and harmony. The young Princess loved everyone and everyone loved her... But there was one who did not... The Bitter Witch. "Grrr!" She growled. "Curse that Princess Sweetheart, she's had it all from the start!" The Bitter Witch was old mare with a dark green coat and an aging gray mane. The Witch hated the Princess. Her parents never let her eat sweets. "Not everyone is so fine and dandy, my parents never let me have candy!" She stood tall on a cliff overlooking the Kingdom. "If I can't have sweets, NOPONY WILL! HAHAHAHA!" "I don't like the Witch..." The Witch stirred her magic cauldron. "All I need are a few ingredients." The witch wickedly rubbed her chin. "Ah yes of course!" She pulled out a magic chest and set it down next to the cauldron. "Firstly, a cut of Broccoli." She dropped the broccoli in turning in turning it a sickly green. "Next thing we need, is a blade of seaweed." The undersea veggie turned the potion into a deep-sea blue. "Last but not least, a not-so-nice feast!" She dropped in a stinky bag into the Cauldron. The potion was now a mix of blue and green. "Now that the potion is complete, it's time for the Princess to be obsolete!" She began to wave hoofs above the cauldron. "Magic forces from beyond yon hither, torment them and make everything gross and bitter!" The cauldron exploded with a sickly green ooze forming out of the top. "Yes! YES!" The ooze rose until the sky making the clouds black and stormy. The dark clouds loomed overhead and started to rain. A rain of gross green ooze. Nopony could have known what the Bitter Witch could have done. *CHOMP*, a stallion bit out of a street post. His eyes widened with disgust. "BLEH!" He spat. "This candy cane is bitter!" *CHOMP*, a nearby mare had taken a bite out of her door. "UGH! GROSS!" She yelled. "It's stale!" Soon, the entire kingdom was in a panic! "All the candy has gone bitter!" "My foals won't stop crying!" "Somepony, alert the Princess!" They quickly informed the Princess on what had become of the Sugar Kingdom. "It is the Bitter Witch! She is jealous of our sugary sweets and put a curse on the Kingdom!" Everypony was yelling and complaining. "What will you do!" "Please stop the witch!" She stepped down off her throne and motioned to her guard. "Captain, grab your best men and follow me! That Bitter Witch won't be leaving our kingdom as bitter as her." "Ooh, here comes the good part!" It wasn't long before the Princess had gathered her best guards and confronted the Witch within the forest. "Bitter Witch! Stop this at once!" The Princess commanded. "NEVER!" The Witch screamed. "No matter what I cannot lose, my cauldron will continue to ooze!" "Then I will have to stop you!" The Princess reached back and pulled out her magic scepter. Using her magic, she fired at the Witch. The witch attacked with her own magic, countering the Princess. "The Sugar Kingdom is a place of love and happiness. Your bitterness has no place here!" "Is that so my little filly? I think you are being rather silly!" The two used all their power but they were evenly matched. "You can't stop me, I'm all powerful! You will learn, I am just awful!" The Witch's magic began to overtake the Princess. "No! I can't lose now!" The princess called. Then, one by one, her ponies stepped forward. "You won't beat the Princess!" "You can't stop the Sugar Kingdom" "You will never extinguish our happiness!" Suddenly, the beam lunged forward, pushing the Witch back. "Now is the time!" Holding the scepter in both her hooves, she started to chant. "Gods of sweets and sugar alike, give me power to remove this unlike. The Sugar Kingdom you have aided so long, help us send this wicked witch to where she BELONG!" The Princess lunged the scepter forward, firing a beam of light towards the Witch. The beam impacted the Witch. She yelled and screamed, trying to break free but to no avail. She was slowly overtaken as her legs turned into hard candy. The Princess struggled as she maintained the spell. The others all watched in awe. Soon, the Witch's whole body had been transformed into a large dark green candy statue. The Sugar Kingdom ponies laughed and cheered at their victory. A parade was held in the kingdom to congratulate the Princess. The curse had been lifted and the Sugar Kingdom returned to its sugary sweet state. The Witch's statue remains in the center of the Kingdom Plaza as a reminder that Princess Sweetheart was always watching over them... "The End..." "That was a great story! Thank you, Granny." "Your welcome sweetie. Now get some sleep. We are going to Ponyville tomorrow." "Granny?" "Yes?" "You think the ponies there will like me?" "Of course, they will. Why wouldn't they?" "I'm just scared they won't like me... Won't like me because I'm different..." "Don't worry dear, I'm sure they will love you just as much as I do. You are who you are. Nothing can change that that." "Goodnight Granny..." "Goodnight Pinkie..."
A Heated Beginning"-as a reminder that Princess Sweetheart was always watching over them. The End…" Pinkie Pie closed the small pink book and looked down at the now-sleeping Cake foals. She has always wanted to read that story to children of her own but the Cake Twins will have to do for now. She let out a quiet sigh and set the book down on the table next to the crib. Princess Sweetheart was a story that pretty much any filly had heard at one time or another but to Pinkie, it was everything to her. Granny has told her the story many times and she loved her for it. The pink pony headed downstairs to meet up with Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Who were packing several bags. "The babies are asleep Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" "Wow that was fast. You're getting good at handling them Pinkie." Mrs. Cake was carefully setting a few clothes in her own bag. "I'm so thankful you agreed to watch over the twins while we are gone. This is a big opportunity for us and I'd hate to miss it." "This business deal will may finally put us on the map." Mr. Cake added. "It will only be two days so we will be back right in time for your birthday." "Hehe, yeah… And I'll make sure to not forget this time. Don't want a repeat of last year." Pinkie jumped behind the store counter rising up with an apron she got out of nowhere. "And don't you worry about the store. I'll make sure to keep business going while you're gone." She gave them a military salute. Mrs. Cake finally finished putting away her clothes in the suitcase and closed it. "Ok, we are all set. Ready to go?" "All packed up honey." Mr. Cake lifted a couple saddlebags over his back. "See you two days, Pinkie." "See yah!" Pinkie waved to the Cakes as they were about to leave when another pony came in. He watched the Cakes walk away waving. "Hello, is this Sugar Cube Corner?" He was a unicorn with a darkish red coat and a black mane spiked backward and a flaming ball as a cutie mark. Pinkie suddenly jumped over the counter and came right up to the nervous pony's face. "Ohmygosh! I've never seen you around here before! Ooh, now I need to set up a welcome party for the new pony!" "Woh, slow down there." He held his hooves up defensively. "I'm only passing through town…" "But I can still throw you a party. I do for every new pony that comes to Ponyville." "Well, I guess that is fine. So, do you run this place?" "Naw, the owners were just leaving on a business trip as you were coming in. Were you hoping to talk to them?" "Kind of... You see, my name is Fire Tongue. I design and craft my own sweets then I go around to different shops and sell them my recipe to produce." Pinkie was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Ooh, what kind of candy!?" "Hot stuff, you know, candy that would set your tongue ablaze if you so much as touched it." He reached into his saddle bags and pulled out a couple bright red spherical pieces of candy. "Want to try one?" Pinkie quickly swiped every piece from his hoof and shoved them into her mouth. "Oh no, wait!" She chewed them all at once spreading out her cheeks. "Hmm, delicious. Not as spicy as I thought though…" Fire Tongue was speechless. His bottom jaw nearly touched the floor. "That's… Impossible… A normal pony would have burst into flames eating so much at once. You must have one heck of an appetite for hot foods." "Well, I do put hot sauce on everything. Even cupcakes." The unicorn rubbed his shin. "Hmm, I wonder…?" Fire Tongue reached into his bags again and pulled out a gumball wrapped in fancy rainbow wrapping. "This is an experimental product of mine, the absolute spiciest thing I have ever created. So spicy in fact that only those who crave the pinnacle of heat can even taste its otherworldly flavor." Pinkie's eyes went wider than they ever had before. She slowly unwrapped the rainbow ball, placed it on her tongue and pulled it into her mouth. She chewed it slowly for a few seconds before her eyes shot eyes shot with psychedelic rainbows in her eyes. "HOLY MOLY THAT IS DELICIOUS! I HAVE NEVER TASTED CANDY SO AMAZING IN MY LIFE!" "Incredible… Out of every pony I have ever given that to, you are only the second to successfully taste its flavor as intended." "Who's the first?" Pinkie spoke through the gum, before blowing a bubble. "It was years ago and I was just starting out. She actually inspired me to make this a full-time career." "Do you think I can get the recipe? I'd love to make more of these in the future." "Sure, I'll pick up my recipe book from the room I'm staying in. I wasn't planning on staying here long but you have enticed me to extend my stay a bit." "Great! Tomorrow we can hold your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and then you can come to my birthday the next day!" "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Just then, Pinkie's friends all came in through the door. "Hiya Pinkie." Rainbow called out. "We ran into the Cakes and they told us what's happening so we thought we would help you run the shop." "Thanks girls, you would be a lot of help." Fire Tongue scratched the back of his head. "Well, I should probably be going now. Was nice meeting you Pinkie. See you soon." He turned to the door and left quietly. "Who was that?" Twilight asked. "Oh, that was Fire Tongue. He is a Traveling Salespony." "Tell me he is not like those annoying Flim Flam Brothers…" Applejack asked. "Oh no, he was quite nice. I'm going to throw him a party tomorrow. I know he isn't staying long but everypony deserves a Pinkie Party at least once in their lives." "Sounds good to me. So, what are we going to do first?" "Let's make some CUPCAKES!" Later that night over at Canterlot, Luna's night guards were all stationed outside the castle keeping watch. Two unicorn guards in particular were doing their routines as usual when… *CRASH* "What was that!?" "That sounded like glass." The two guards ran towards the source of the crash. It sounded like it had come from the castle's royal treasury. It was a standalone building where the Princesses kept all the magical objects in their possession, aside from the Elements of Harmony. The guards entered through the door to see shattered glass on the floor with a rock close by. "You think somepony broken in?" They looked around but found nothing. Aside from the window, the glass casings around all the artifacts appeared to be untouched. After some patrolling for a while, they seemingly couldn't find anything. "Must have been some kid pulling a prank…" "I don't know… I'm going to make one more loop around…" The other guard agreed to stand by the entrance while he looked around. His patrol led to a large pony sized glass case. As he was about to turn back, something caught his attention. He snuffed a few times. "That's odd…" Continuing to sniff, he started to follow a strange smell. "Smells like…" It led him over to an old statue of Princess Celestia in the corner, where the smell was the strongest. After a moment to prepare himself, he quickly jumped behind it. "Gotcha!" But there was nothing… He scratched his head in confusion, not seeing the dark figure behind him. Near the entrance, the other guard suddenly heard a loud crash in the back. "What was that!?" He quickly ran to the back and was shocked to see his partner unconscious on the floor. "Intruder! Intru-" A pair of hooves suddenly wrapped around his neck and quickly forced a wet cloth over his muzzle. Within seconds, the guard was also out cold on the floor. Satisfied with his work, the intruder approached the large display sized glass case in the center of the room. Inside was a mannequin commonly used by designers wearing an elegant blue dress with long sleeves on the front hooves. The intruder could only give off an evil smirk. Author's Note I know this isn't much but I thought I would at least move the story along and show I am in fact continuing this.
Sign of Things to ComePinkie Pie awoke the next morning stretching her from hooves into the air. She looked over at the clock. She didn't normally wake up this early but the Cakes put her in charge so she wanted to get up bright and early. First thing she did was walk down the hallway and check on the foals. She peered into the room to see they were still sound asleep so she slowly closed the door making sure to not wake them. After that, she went down to the first floor and into the kitchen. Every morning, Pinkie would bake a fresh batch of muffins. Whenever the shop opened, she would place to new batch near the front door and put a fan behind it to blow out the smell and attract customers. Of course, her first customer every morning was her favorite grey pegasus. "Hey Derpy, every morning at 8 like usual." Pinkie greeted. "Never go to work on an empty stomach I always say." The pegasus replied. "I say that too!" "Well, I have to go, can't be late to work." "Ok, see yah around!" Once the pegasus was gone, Pinkie came out from behind the counter. "I should probably go wake up the foals now." As she was about to start going up the stairs, she heard a knock on the front door. She turned back to see the new pony from yesterday standing in the doorway. "Hey Fire Tongue, how are you today?" "Pretty good… Oh hey, I brought the recipe for the Gumball like you wanted." Fire Tongue reached into his saddle bags and pulled out a piece and paper and handed it to Pinkie. She looked at it for a moment in question. The paper was really worn out and tattered. "Like I said, I invented it years ago. "Why didn't you just copy it onto another piece of paper? It doesn't seem right to give me the original recipe." "Forget about it. Somehow, I feel it belongs with you anyway. So, what are doing?" "I was about to go wake up the Cake's foals, want to see them?" "Sure." The two ponies went upstairs and into the foal's room. Pinkie Pie leaned in close to the tiny ponies. "Wakey Wakey Pound and Pumpkin…" The two foals started to slowly wake up, making very soft yawning sounds. As Pinkie was picking them up, Fire Tongue noticed the book on table besides the crib. He picked it up and looked through it. "Hey, you like Princess Sweetheart too?" He jumped a little at her interruption. "Uh yeah, my parents told me this story a lot as a kid. This story is kind of the reason I started making sweets. I wanted to bring ponies together by testing the limits of every pony's tastes." Fire Tongue continued to flip through the book, and then he noticed something odd. "Hey, Pinkie Pie?" "Yes?" "What's all this writing in the back?" He revealed the back to show that there was some kind of writing on the inside of the back cover. "I'm not sure exactly what it says, looks like it's written in some foreign language." "Granny Pie told me it's some kind of nursery rhyme she found when she a little filly. Not exactly sure what it means though, she never told me." "Hmm… Odd…" He set the book back down. "So, Pinkie, when did you say your birthday was again?" "Tomorrow silly! I kind of want to introduce you to my friends before then. Would you mind coming back later tonight to meet them? I have some things I need to do first." "Sounds good to me." Fire Tongue turned back and nearly left the room before looking back at Pinkie Pie giving her a smile. Pinkie couldn't help but blush as he closed the door. After the previous night's theft, many guards were now stationed all around the royal treasury. Princess Luna was the first on the scene this morning talking with the other guards. "Do you have any idea what the criminals were after?" The Princess asked. "As far as we can tell, only one item was stolen. Everything else is completely untouched." The guard replied calmly. Luna rubbed her chin. "That's odd… Why would somepony who had just broken into a treasury filled with some of the most dangerous items in Equestria only steal one item? What exactly was stolen?" The guard looked down at his clipboard. "I don't know the details; the stolen artifact, codenamed SWT-001 is almost entirely redacted. There is not much known about the object as it was supposedly recovered by Princess Celestia herself approximately 15 years ago and she hasn't spoken a word about it." Luna nodded. "Anything else to report?" "Yes actually, come look at this…" The guard led her inside to where the theft had taken place. At the end of the hall was a glass display case with a dresser's mannequin in the center. It looked like a hole had been melted through the glass. "The object inside this case was what was stolen. As for how they got through we are still figuring out. This case was enchanted with extremely powerful magic, a barrier spell your sister casted personally. It couldn't have been broken physically or magically. At least in theory…" Luna inspected the melted hole in glass, looking at all the edges. She rubbed her hoof along the edges to find a clue. Finally, she looked down and noticed some sort of white powder on the ground. She wiped it up with her hoof and sniffed it. "Hmm… Run a sample of this substance at the lab. It looks like we may be dealing with an alchemist." "Yes ma'am." The unicorn guard pulled out a clear plastic bag and lifted a small amount of the unknown substance and put it in the bag. Just then, another guard approached Luna. "Princess Luna, your sister has arrived and wants to know the situation." "Thanks for the information." Luna quietly left the building avoiding all the guards. When she got outside, she saw her sister. "Luna, what happened here last night?" She asked. "Sister, it would appear a thief broke in and stole something from the treasury. My night guards heard the noise and came to investigate but they were ambushed and knocked out. Afterward, the intruder uses some sort of chemical to melt through the glass protecting one of the artifacts and then stole it. Considering the nature of this attack, I have reason to believe we might be dealing with a potion maker or alchemist." "What exactly was stolen?" "They couldn't give me the details but they claimed it was an artifact you would be familiar with. Codename: SWT-001." At that moment, Luna saw her sister completely freeze up. Celestia's face was frozen at a state of pure terror. "SWT… 001?" "Sis?" It was rare for Luna to see her sister make the kind of face she was, and it only meant one thing… "GUARDS!" Celestia screamed. All the guards suddenly stop to look at her. "Place Canterlot on maximum alert and send a platoon to Ponyville immediately! I want eyes and ears on the Element of Harmony bearers at all times!" "Yes, Princess!" They all shouted. All the guards scrambled to get things into place but Luna was confused. "Sister, what's going on?" "That item they stole was not just some random artifact. It's something I picked up while visiting a land outside Equestria." She held up her hoof and it starting shaking. "I wanted so desperately to destroy it but I was told not to because it's a precious object and a holy symbol where it came from." "Then why did you take it if it's so special to them?" "Because it's only one piece to something greater and it needs the other pieces to work. After much discussion, we agreed to split all the pieces up between our kingdoms to keep them safe. They got half and we got half." "And the Elements of Harmony?" "Twilight and her friends are very much involved in this, even if they don't know it. They are one of the pieces to this puzzle and the one we put the most care into hiding. However even if the thief knows they are involved, it won't exactly do them much good unless they know how to use them." "So, what exactly do all these pieces do?" "If all the pieces fall into the wrong hooves, it could mean breaking a promise I made many years ago…"
