FanFic Graphic violence and not much else
Cupcakes is a fanfic that has managed to worm it's way into the minds of bronies and pegasisters everywhere because of it's graphic and brutal content.
The plot of the story is a simple one Rainbow Dash has been invited by Pinkie Pie to Sugarcube Corner so they can do something fun together what exactly this fun is isn't elaborated on till late in the story.Once there Pinkie reveals that the two will be baking cupcakes together much to Rainbow Dash's dismay.Pinkie Pie comforts her friend by saying she will be doing most of the work. Rainbow Dash is then offered a cupcake Pinkie Pie had made earlier.Eagerly biting into it she realizes too late that the baked good has been drugged and promptly falls unconscious.
Upon regaining consciousness Rainbow Dash finds herself in the basement of Sugarcube Corner which has been decorated for a party only with a more macabre flourish.Internal organs have been blown up as balloons,Severed pony heads wearing party hats are sitting on table cloth's made of skin with chairs and tables made of bones.And suspended above the room is a banner with the words Life is a Party written on it in blood.Rainbow Dash then turns her attention to Pinkie Pie who is now wearing a dress made of cutie marks and pegasi wings with a necklace of unicorn horns.Pinkie begins explaining to Rainbow Dash that she has killed many ponies and that Dash's number has come up.With that said Pinkie begins mutilating and eventually killing Rainbow Dash.
Cupcakes as stated above has engrained itself in the minds of its readers because of it's graphic content however a closer examination of the fic quickly reveals its flaws.It has quite a few spelling errors and all canon characterization is completely disregarded in favor of portraying Pinkie Pie as a cannibalistic serial killer.In conclusion Cupcakes was meant to shock and disgust and in those categories it suceeds however readers wanting grimdark with a little more depth will probably be better off looking somewhere else.5/10
FanFic Not for anyone who plans on sleeping.
I'm gonna be honest with you....I went through three pairs of underwear. This isn't for anyone who doesn't want their childhood tarnished forever, or for people who get squeamish around blood, or anybody who is/has plans to become a pastry chef. This is major Guilty Pleasure material, and for anyone who finds they have an unusual fascination with internal organs and medical horror, this might actually change your mind. Don't read it, you'll seriously regret it.
Fanfic Gore, and Nothing Else
This is a work that has had a profound influence on the fan community, and I would only recommend it to someone interest in exploring it as such—and even then I would recommend the version that has been edited for spelling and grammar.
The story is vivid and gory, but there's really nothing to take away from it. Pinkie Pie is wildly out-of-character—obviously—and there is nothing to be learned about Rainbow Dash, who simply exists in this story to be a torture victim. Perhaps some of that could be excused if there were some insight into the characters, their relationship, or their motivations; but there is none to be found in Cupcakes.
Having no substance, the story should only be read recreationally by fans who can consume fan works without those works having an effect their view of the actual show and its characters.
Fanfic Poorly written shock garbage that cannot be taken seriously
The concept of cupcakes is absolutely horrifying and the fic itself might be capable of being scary, were it no so wildly out of character and implausible that it falls apart the instant you examine it seriously. But then the fic isn't about litery merit, its about gorn and attention seeking, like every other half assed shock fic out there. Its only earnt its fame because 1) People like to spread it around 2) The concept is genuinely horrifying 3) Its one of the first pony shock fics out there, which gives it value in the sense that someone mindless posting FIRST! has any value. Overall it isn't worth reading unless you just can't get the idea out of your head and you need a concentrated dose of narm and gorn
Fanfic It's stupid. Fun, but stupid.
I think the Nostalgia Chick and Brentalfloss put it best in the crossover review of Moulin Rouge with The Nostalgia Critic: "guilty pleasures, everybody has a few. Guilty pleasures, you and me and me and you!"
MAJOR guilty pleasure material. Yes, the original material is fairly benign (I say 'fairly' because of Discord, Lesson Zero Twilight and Pinkamena) and aside from those three, there really isn't any indication that a character would do something like this (although Pinkamina strikes me more as the type to be rocking in a corner humming to herself with the lights off than actually being a serial killer) and as such it's easy to make that disconnect between the characters in Cupcakes and the characters in the show. Sure Pinkie Pie sounds like Pinkie Pie for the most part but she's essentially an OC with Pinkie Pie's voice, giddy temperament, and body. Rainbow Dash doesn't really do anything except play the victim and as such, she doesn't really have a character. Neither of them do, really. The two of them are at their most interesting when they're talking rather than when Pinkie is cutting up Rainbow Dash. When the latter is going on, it's just descriptors and screaming and isn't interesting.
Of course, one must take into account intent (if only briefly). Sgt. Sprinkles clearly wasn't going for much and expecting less in terms of reaction. He didn't think he was making a good story and that reflects in the material. It's as famous for its spelling and grammar errors as much as its classic lines such as "Why do they call it a hacksaw?"
Overall, read it if you like this kind of thing, don't if you don't. Don't take it too seriously at any rate and don't think of it as something to get worked up over. It really isn't. It's just kind of fun if you like this sort of story.
8/10