“Pinkie, would you be a dear and deliver this batch of cupcakes to Rarity’s Boutique? They're for a fashion show she’s having later today,” Mr. Cake asked, placing a large boxful of cupcakes on the counter. “There’s another box in the back, so wait here while I get it. There’s a few extra in each box, so feel free to help yourself to one while you wait,” he added. Pinkie smiled and opened the box, extracting a single perfect cupcake.

She stared for a moment, admiring the delicious looking blue frosting on the puffy white pastry, and then threw it in the air in an arc towards her mouth, closing her eyes and preparing to catch it. Twelve seconds later, she opened her eyes. The cupcake hadn’t landed. “What? I never miss!” she shouted, then looked around with shifty eyes. Surely nopony would notice if she took a second one. After all, there were so many.

Pinkie Pie reached into the box and took out another cupcake, making sure there was zero chance of her missing this time by cramming it immediately into her mouth. She chewed happily for several seconds before realizing she was chewing on her hoof with no trace of cupcake.

“What’s going on?” she asked in frustration. “Is somepony stealing my cupcakes?” She glanced over behind the counter. Mr. Cake was still busy packing the box. She would get away with another. “Alright Pinkie, get it right this time. No more lost cupcakes,” she said, standing on the counter and dipping her face into the box, searching with her tongue. But as her mouth neared the first cupcake, it vanished before her eyes.

“What?! I’ll eat you, I swear!” Pinkie shouted into the box, diving inside and targeting cupcakes like mad. But like the others, as each cupcake neared her mouth, it simply vanished.

“Alright, here’s the other box. Whew. Took us all morning to bake these… Pinkie?” Mr. Cake asked, setting the other box on the counter. “Did you… eat all of the cupcakes?” Pinkie Pie sprang out of the empty box with frosting on her mane.

“I don’t even know anymore!” Pinkie shouted, grabbing the box of cupcakes from Mr. Cake and galloping out of the door. Discord turned away from the window he was watching from, nonchalantly munching on a blue-frosted cupcake.

“My my, Pinkie Pie. What an odd reaction. All I did was help you with your chores,” he said, setting a platter full of cupcakes on the ground. “You know where you need to go,” he said to the platter, which barked like a dog and ran after Pinkie Pie to the Carousel Boutique.

“Rarity! You have to help me! I can’t eat cupcakes!” Pinkie shouted, pounding on the door. “Oh and your delivery is here.”

Rarity opened the door. “What do you mean, you can’t eat… cupcakes? Oh! My order, that’s right! I was so wrapped up in the fashion show that I completely forgot. Give my thanks to Sugarcube corner for providing the snacks. Um… I think I ordered a few more?”

“I was going to bring more but then when I ate the first one it disappeared so I had to eat another one but that disappeared and then I dove into the box and all the cupcakes disappeared and so when Mr. Cake came out with the second box I ran over here as fast as I could before they would disappear so I’m sorry there’s not enough I really am I all really wanted was a cupcake and I couldn’t even eat that!” Pinkie rattled off her story in a matter of seconds, confusing Rarity further as she tried to process the information.

“Why are the other ones on a platter behind you?” Rarity asked, pointing with her hoof. Pinkie turned around and gasped.

“My cupcakes! I mean your cupcakes! They’re still here! I mean there!” Pinkie squealed, hugging Rarity.

“Would you like one?” Rarity asked, staring as the pink pony bounced up and down with joy.  

“Funny story really, I was just about to have one a little while ago and then it disappeared and…”Pinkie Pie trailed off as Rarity shoved a cupcake into Pinkie Pie’s hooves and closed the door. “Okay, see you later, Rarity!”

Pinkie smiled at the cupcake in her hooves, opened her mouth wide, and bit down hard on her bare hooves. “What?! I thought we were past this!” She screamed, spying the cupcake on the ground a few feet away. She dove into the ground mouthfirst, chomping down on dry dirt as the cupcake vanished and reappeared another few feet away. “Get in my mouth!” she screamed, chasing the cupcake as Rarity watched from the window.

“I’ll never understand what that pony is up to,” she murmured, setting up the refreshments stand for her fashion show.

As she left, Discord’s face appeared in the punch bowl. “How convenient, for a prank to lead directly into another,” he smiled.  

Next Chapter: Rarity's Fashion Show Hallucinations Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 54 Minutes