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“You DON’T LIKE GRAPE CANDY!?” Pinkie was aghast.
“Not at all,” Twilight responded for the third time.
“HOW can you NOT LIKE grape candy!?”
Pinkie had tried to offer Twilight a rock candy necklace, grape flavored to match her coat. Twilight had refused. It should’ve ended there, but it didn’t.
“I don’t like grape flavored anything. It tastes like cough medicine.”
“But grapes are like, nature’s candy!”
“Yeah, but ‘grape flavor’ doesn’t taste anything like grapes. It tastes like methyl anthranilate. It doesn’t taste like fruit at all! It just tastes all chemical-y.”
Pinkie Pie reached down under the counter and pulled out a bottle.
“But- what about grape soda?”
“Nope.”
Now she had a pack of gum.
“Grape flavored gum?
“Nuh uh.”
“Grape popsicles!?”
“No.”
“But Twilight!”
“Pinkie! I don’t get it, it’s not like I’m saying I don’t like candy. I like tons of other flavors; Banana, cherry, coconut- okay, I don’t really like coconut either, but-”
“You don’t like coconut either!?”
“I just-”
“RAAARITYYYYYYYYYYY!!!”
With that, Pinkie was gone. And by the time Twilight had closed her mouth, she was back, with a very startled looking Rarity who’d suddenly found herself in Sugarcube Corner instead of wherever she’d just been.
“Twilight doesn’t like coconut OR grape flavored anything!”
“Pinkie, come on, it’s not that-”
“Wait, Twilight, you don’t like grape?” Rarity was puzzled.
“No! And I really don’t get why it’s such a big deal!”
“She says it’s ‘cause it tastes like methano-whatever,” Pinkie interjected.
“It does taste like methyl anthranilate, because that’s what it is. And it tastes nothing like grapes!”
“Cherry stuff doesn’t taste like real cherries either!”
"No, but at least benzaldehyde tastes good.”
Rarity just blinked at Twilight, so Twilight added, “That’s what they use for cherry flavoring. Methyl anthranilate is grape flavoring.”
“And you don’t like methlam- grape?” Rarity asked.
“Methyl anthranilate,” Twilight rolled her eyes, “And no.”
“But- but-”
“But what!?”
“But you’re purple!”
Now it was Twilight’s turn to blink in confusion, “What does that have to do with anything!?”
“Well, it’s just- you like the smell of lavender, and-”
“My preference for flowers and candy have nothing to do with each other,” Twilight stared, unamused.
“I thought it just made sense,” Rarity mumbled quietly.
Outside, there was screaming; a high pitched voice called Rarity’s name over and over. Then, Sweetie Belle burst into Sugarcube Corner, only to be immediately accosted by Pinkie.
“Sweetie Belle! Twilight doesn’t like grape candy or grape gum or grape popsicles or grape soda or grape ANYTHING!”
Twilight glowered, “Pinkie, seriously!”
The horrified look on Sweetie’s face vanished, replaced by a betrayed confusion, “Really, Princess Twilight?”
Twilight let out a long, exasperated groan, “Yes. Really. So what?”
“I just thought, I dunno, since you’re purple and all…”
The princess shook her head and opened her mouth, then stopped and asked, “Why were you screaming for Rarity?”
Sweetie’s face paled in fear, and a moment later, so did Rarity’s.
“Rarity?” Twilight waved a hoof in front of the mare’s frozen face, “Rarity, what were you doing before Pinkie brought you here?”
“Why, darling, I was cooking breakfast for myself and Sweetie, of course,” Rarity said in a voice far too calm for her expression.
Twilight’s heart dropped into her stomach. Pinkie caught on next, gulping loudly. Slowly, the mares and the filly stepped out into the streets of Ponyville and looked down toward Rarity’s boutique.
“Ah,” said Rarity.
“Oh,” said Twilight.
“Oops,” said Pinkie.
Brilliant orange flames ate away at the curtains and licked at the glass of the windows. Dirty black smoke escaped through unseen cracks in the walls and ceiling. In the distance, the sound of wood snapping could be heard.
Carousel Boutique was on fire.
For a long, terrible moment, nobody said anything. It was Pinkie Pie who broke the silence.
“This is Twilight’s fault.”
“WHAT!?”
“Agreed,” Sweetie Belle seconded.
“Absolutely,” Rarity chimed in.
Twilight stood, jaw agape, watching the boutique burn down the street.
She should’ve just taken the necklace.