Pinkie Pie's eyes had never beheld such a magnificent culinary creation before! Just looking at the cake the Cakes had made was enough to fill her with wonder. It was truly a sight to behold! "The Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness," She briefly licked her lips before remembering this cake was not to be eaten (at least, not yet). "You've really outdone yourselves this time, Mr. and Mrs. Cake! This is sure to be the winning entry of this year's national dessert competition! No other dessert's gonna stand a chance against this!"
Mrs. Cake smiled. "Oh, thank you for your confidence in us, Pinkie!"
Mr. Cake added. "And thanks for agreeing to transport it to Canterlot for the competition for us. We'd go ourselves, but the twins have been keeping us very busy and you deserve a break."
Pinkie nodded in agreement. "Absolutely! You watch Pound and Pumpkin Cake, and I'll see to it that this cake takes first prize like it should! It's my honor to-"
But Applejack interrupted. "Beg pardon, but uh... can we get a move on? That there cake's a might heavy to move. Right, Big Mac?" She asked her brother.
Big Macintosh was currently balancing the very tall (and very heavy) cake with pink frosting around the edge on a large tray. He hadn't even left Sugarcube Corner with it and it was already taking every ounce of strength he had just to keep it balanced. "Eeyup...!" He groaned under the weight. Even a pony as strong as him had his limits.
Pinkie Pie quickly realized the severity of the situation, so she rushed to slap on a hat with a bright red flashing light. Then she moved out in front of Big Macintosh and declared. "Alrighty then, Big Mac! To the train depot!"
Pinkie led the convoy consisting of herself, Big Mac and finally Applejack (with the Cakes following close behind the procession) as they exited the bakery. It was only a short walk to the train station, but right now it seemed like it was going to take forever. It didn't help that Big Macintosh was moving very slowly to make sure the cake didn't slide right off the tray. Still, she tried to provide encouragement. "Okay. That's it, Big Mac, take it nice and slow. After all, that's precious cargo you're carrying."
"Oh yes," Mr. Cake nervously commented. "It took months of planning and testing to get it just right."
And as if to tempt fate, Mrs. Cake then declared. "I'd sure hate for it to-"
Suddenly, Big Macintosh seemed to lose his balance! It looked like the cake was about to topple over! But fortunately, the mighty stallion saved himself and the cake at the last second!
The close call prompted Pinkie to make an addition to her escorting convoy as she gave a whistle. "Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, a little pegassistance please?"
The two pegasi were promptly pressed into service, flying on either side of the cake (while Applejack was behind with a trampoline just in case) to try to balance it more delicately.
Pinkie Pie, meanwhile, told the Cakes. "Don't worry! I'll get it there safely, you'll see!"
Mrs. Cake gave a nervous laugh as beads of sweat started to trickle down her face (and the same was happening to her husband, who was starting to breath in and out quite rapidly). "Oh... of course, Pinkie. Of course."
"Yes," Mr. Cake nervously nodded. "We never doubted you."
But then the pink party pony happened to spot Twilight and called. "Twilight, can I see you for a second? Or maybe two?"
Twilight ended up being pressed into service to cast a protective bubble around the cake, adding another layer of security on top of the measures already in place.
Even Pinkie Pie couldn't help but nervously laugh. "Just a nice, little protective spell as extra insurance. I mean, after all, better safe than sorry," And then she added. "Rarity, you mind lending Applejack or Twilight a hoof? You know, just in case?"
Rarity obeyed, alternating between helping Twilight with the protective spell bubble and Applejack with the trampoline. The train station was finally starting to come into view!
"That's it! That's it!" Pinkie Pie excitedly declared as they all slowly made their way up the station ramp. The train to Canterlot was already there, waiting to take them to the competition. "Come on, everypony! We're in the home stretch! We got this!"
The last few steps seemed to take forever, especially in the minds of the Cakes. Even the birth of their twin children had not been this stressing and mentally taxing. One little slip would be all that was needed to undo all the progress.
Thankfully, that never happened. The tall and heavy cake finally made it onto the station platform, ready to be loaded into one of the train cars!
The pink party pony promptly proclaimed. "See, Mr. and Mrs. Cake? Nothing to worry about. I got it here without a hitch! So now all we have to do," She turned to her friends. "Is get it..." But then she saw there was one problem she hadn't accounted for: The door to the train car was much too small for the cake to fit through. "Oh dear. This might be a bit of a problem."
Poor Mr. Cake couldn't take it anymore. He fainted right on the spot in front of everypony!
It was going to take some creative and truly outside the box thinking to get the cake loaded into the train car without it falling over and being ruined. Yet getting onto the train was soon not going to be the only problem. Not only were there other desserts waiting to compete against the cake, but the cake itself would suffer an unfortunate problem that would lead to a most unusual set of mysteries. All of them taking place on the train ride to Canterlot itself.
Ultimately, the solution to the problem of getting the huge cake onto the car was solved in a most unusual way: Big Macintosh ended up having to take the entire side of the car apart so the cake could be loaded onto it. Then he put the side back up and nailed it shut.
Pinkie Pie could rest a bit easier now, the cake had made it to the train station and onto the train itself with no problems. "Thanks again for helping with the cake," Pinkie Pie told all her friends. "Your brother especially, Applejack. Without his quick thinking we wouldn't have been able to get this cake onto the car in the first place."
"No problem, that's just what he likes to do," Applejack replied. "Kind of find it strange he didn't wanna tag along for this and wanted Spike to come over to Sweet Apple Acres."
Twilight only said to Applejack in response. "I think you're overthinking it. Desserts aren't for everyone. But we'll be sure to bring them home something from the National Dessert Competition in Canterlot tomorrow."
"Make sure you get the prize winning tastiest treat of them all!" Pinkie proudly declared. "And I know for a fact it'll be The Cakes' very own Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness," Licking her lips she eyed the triple laired cake while describing it in delicious detail. "All that rich creamy goodness of the marzipan, combined with the tart tanginess of the mascarpone, blended perfectly with the smooth, silky sweetness of the meringue! That's why I call it 'The MMMM' for short!"
"A very fitting name if you ask me," Rarity commented. "I'm sorely tempted to take a bite of it now."
"Me too!" Fluttershy eagerly agreed.
But Pinkie stood in front of the cake and protested. "Sorry, no free samples allowed! Mr. and Mrs. Cake gave me strict orders not to let anypony touch it until the contest tomorrow."
"Really? Not even just one little bite?" Rainbow Dash questioned. "You know, just to make sure it hasn't been poisoned or anything?"
The pink party pony protested. "Nope. Besides, who would ever do something like that?" Then she proudly boasted. "A cake like this is so great, I guarantee it'll beat out every dessert within a hundred miles! The rest of the competition might as well pack it up now, they'll never stand a chance against The MMMM!"
However, a haughty voice proclaimed at that very moment. "Zis is not so," Onto the train car stepped a grey feathered, green coated griffon with a long black mustache. His eyes had a golden tint to them, and he proudly wore a chef's hat while holding his own dish. He quickly identified himself as he declared. "I am Gustave le Grand, and I do hereby put your crude cake on notice! It is it that best 'pack it up now', for it is no match against my exceptionally Exquisite Éclairs!" He briefly held up a light to make his culinary creation look even brighter than it already did, then he twirled his mustache with a claw. "Once the judges have a taste of my éclairs, they will undoubtedly declare me le champion!"
"Ha! Not a chance, le Grand! Or should I say 'le Loser'?!" A somewhat arrogant voice interrupted. And a voice that was vaguely familiar to the ponies at that. A moment later, making his way onto the train car was a unicorn stallion with a light amber coat. His mane and tail were short in style and a moderate organish-brown in color. His eyes were a modest sap green, and his cutie mark was a donut. He happened to be wearing a white button vest and a matching hat, and it seemed his back half was hitched to the harness of a wagon.
Twilight recognized the stallion! It had been his shop that she and her friends had visited during the last Grand Galloping Gala. "Donut Joe?!" She exclaimed in surprise! "But you're not from here! Why are you in Ponyville?!"
"Had to make an unscheduled stop to pick up the secret ingredient for my contest entry," Donut Joe explained as he wheeled a massive wagon onto the train car. It was an entire city made of different donuts. "Donutopia!" He proceeded to pour a batch of sprinkles all over them, making it briefly look like it was snowing on his donut city. "And these super sprinkles are the key to my success. Just my luck I couldn't get 'em delivered, but they were worth the expense. My city of donuts is gonna defeat those other desserts, declaring me the winner! And with the publicity, my donut shop will be known throughout all of Equestria, maybe even beyond!"
But a polite female voice protested. "Beg your pardon, Donut Joe. But once you see my entry, I think you'll find your donuts are not up to par. And the same holds true for any other dessert that dares to challenge mine." Then a huge, chocolate mousse (made to look like an actual moose) was pushed onto the train car. From behind the mousse then emerged a pale, light grayish-brown coated mule. She had a curly black mane, moderate arctic blue eyes and bluish-green beads around her ears. Beneath her eyes, she also had a few wrinkles.
Gustav was the one to identify this arrival. "Zo, Mulia Mild, you finally decide to show yourself in my great presence."
Mulia giggled. "Of course. After all, I have spent months perfecting my Chocolate Mousse Moose. It will trample all the other desserts, win me first prize and make me the greatest chef in all of Equestria. Certainly better than you two pretenders!"
Gustav snarled. "You dare call I, the great Gustav le Grand a pretender?! I traveled to Equestria from my native land with not a bit to my name, yet slowly but surely I have risen to the top! You and your mousse moose are mistaken if you believe you stand any chance against me and my éclairs."
Donut Joe stomped a hoof down as he narrowed his eyes. "Your silly éclairs are no match for my donuts, Gustav. I know the Canterlot sweet scene like the back of my hoof."
And Pinkie Pie spoke up in defense of what was her entry in a sense. "The Cakes' Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness is going to win! I spent months foalsitting so the Cakes could craft a cake with no equal, and now their efforts are going to pay off!"
Just then the train whistle sounded, and the train car lurched forward as it departed the station in Ponyville, bound for Canterlot.
It looked as if a fight might be about to break out between the four bitter bakers in the center of the dessert car. Each of them seemed so certain their own dessert was the best and that all the others were certain to lose. Each eyed the other bakers and their carefully crated culinary creations with cautious looks of concern.
Fortunately, Twilight Sparkle moved to break up the tension as she trotted in between the bakers. "Alright, that's quite enough," She insisted with a sincere smile. "You've each got a dessert to be proud of. But the National Dessert Competition isn't until tomorrow, and that's a long train ride away from now. So let's all just call it a night and get some rest. We'll let the judges decide who's really the best."
The bakers all seemed to agree as they all more or less muttered in agreement and went their separate ways, each retreating to their own room at the other end of the car. And each shut the door to their room tight with a slam.
Twilight and the rest of the ponies then decided to check on Pinkie Pie in her room. It was rare that she got upset or angry, and they could well remember what had happened the last time they'd witnessed such behavior in her during the whole 'surprise birthday party' incident (as well as Applejack mentioning the little 'argument' she'd had with Pinkie Pie the first time she foalsat the Cake Twins).
But much to the surprise of the five mares, Pinkie seemed to be in an almost completely cheerful mood. Any earlier signs of hostility appeared to have left her.
"You okay, sugarcube?" Applejack was the first one to ask her fellow earth pony.
The pink party pony smiled. "Never better!"
"Really? You're not worried about The MMMM?" Fluttershy questioned Pinkie.
Pinkie shook her head and seemed to laugh. "Of course not? Why would I be when I'm gonna be standing guard over it tonight?"
Everypony in the room was surprised to hear the news, but Twilight was the most surprised of them all! "What?! Standing guard?! Pinkie, that hardly seems necessary. It's just a cake."
"But I just know one of the other bakers is going to sabotage it!" The energetic earth pony exclaimed as her eyes looked ready to expand! "The MMMM is the best! I know it and they have to know it too! So there's only one thing they can do to avoid a humiliating defeat in the contest tomorrow, eliminate the competition! But as long as I'm standing guard over it, that won't happen!"
Applejack was the first to realize the seriousness in Pinkie's tone of voice as she reluctantly asked. "I don't suppose there's any point tryin' to talk you out of it, is there, sugarcube?"
"Nosirooni!" Pinkie firmly stated for the record. "You're all welcome to take turns standing guard with me if you'd like. I won't be offended. If I didn't have a stake in the contest, I'd probably be tempted to eat The MMMM myself. So if even I know how good it is, then you must realize how serious it is that the cake be protected."
Rainbow Dash yawned in response. "Well, we'll see about it. But personally, I think you're way overthinking this, Pinkie. You're starting to remind me of Twilight when she was freaking out about not having a friendship report to send."
"Don't go there!" Twilight warned in a low growl. She still didn't like being reminded of that incident, or the fact that she'd brainwashed half of Ponyville with an old doll (which she still had yet to retrieve from Big Macintosh).
So it was that Pinkie Pie kept a silent vigil over the cake that night, even after everyone else had gone to bed. She marched back and forth in front of the cake, keeping one eye on it at all times while the other kept watch for any signs of anything suspicious.
The minutes passed slowly, or at least that's the way it seemed to the pink party pony. "Why'd the usual way to Canterlot have to be blocked off for repairs now?!" She grumbled to herself! "Couldn't they have waited until ponies like me didn't have to be standing guard over cake?!"
"Who are you talkin' to, Pinkie?" The familiar voice of Applejack questioned as she slowly made her way out into the middle of the dessert cart and yawned a bit. "For pete's sake, you're really gonna stay up all night watchin' The MMMM?!"
"Of course I am!" Pinkie huffed! "If I let that cake get devoured or at all tainted, I'll have let Mr. and Mrs. Cake down. And I'll NEVER let that happen!"
Applejack yawned some more. "What, now you don't even trust your own friends to keep watch over for it ya? We can all take turns just like we offered."
"Well... nothing's happened yet...," Pinkie commented in realization. And she was just about to consider maybe going back to her car for some sleep, when suddenly there was a faint whooshing noise as something (or someone) ran right past her! "Hey!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs and sprang into action! "Applejack, don't move a muscle from that cake! I'm gonna chase down that no good, would-be saboteur!" And without waiting for a response, she took off running!
Pinkie Pie followed the shadow that made the whooshing noise all the way through the train, until finally reaching the last car. She was confident that the figure couldn't get away now! "Now I gotcha!" She exclaimed and rushed forward! But the door leading out to the rear-view balcony suddenly swung open, and she only just skidded to a halt before she would've tumbled over the railing and onto the tracks!
The mare looked all around but saw nothing. "Curses!" She muttered to herself. The figure had somehow managed to give her the slip. But at least they'd been thwarted in their effort to sabotage The MMMM.
The now properly paranoid pink party pony pouted and pranced back to the dessert car. Was it her imagination, or did Applejack suddenly look as if she'd seen a ghost?
Before Pinkie had a chance to ask what was wrong, though, she spotted another shadowy figure at the other end of the dessert car. "Hey you!" She hollered, causing the figure to turn and run away! "You're not getting away!" She growled and chased the figure all the way through the train, right up to the locomotive!
But when the party pony pushed open the door to the locomotive, she could only see the engineer sitting at the throttle while another pony appeared to be shoveling coal into the firebox. "Excuse me," She called to the two. "Have you seen anyone suspicious by any chance?"
"'Fraid not," The engineer answered without moving or looking back. "It's just been me and the firepony up here all day and all night. We're takin' turns restin' so one of us is awake in case of an emergency."
"Well, thanks anyway." Pinkie Pie declared even though she could've sworn the firepony looked awfully familiar for some reason.
Again, the pink party pony pranced back to the dessert car. And again, it seemed like Applejack seemed to be afraid of something. Pinkie didn't blame her, though. How could anypony not be just the slightest bit unnerved after two suspicious figures had tried to help themselves to The MMMM in order to sabotage it?
Pinkie just took her place in front of the cake again as she declared. "Thank Celestia it's still okay!"
"Er... about that..." Applejack tried to say. But before she could finish, the blinds in the dessert car suddenly seemed to snap shut of their own accord! The car's interior plunged into darkness!
"Hey, who turned out the moon?!" Pinkie Pie screamed and then gasped! "Thief! Don't go near that cake!" She rose to her hooves and tried to pursue the thief in the darkness! "Stop, thief!"
Then there came a clang as someone bumped into something!
"Are you okay, thief?" The party pony questioned but received no reply as the blinds were suddenly flung open again. She spotted a crooked painting near one of the train car doors (the one nearest the moose). She inspected it but saw nothing out of the ordinary as she returned it to its proper position. She then stormed back to her earlier position while glaring at Applejack! "I told you one of the other bakers would try to sabotage The MMMM, but you didn't believe me!"
Applejack nervously stuttered. "I-I-I I d-d-didn't say that, s-s-sugarcube!"
"Whatever," Pinkie huffed in response. "I'm just gonna continue to keep a close eye on The MMMM, no matter what!" But mere seconds after saying that, her blue eyes grew heavy and she fell asleep right where she was standing. She didn't wake up until she heard the crow of the rooster the next morning. "Huh, what?" She slowly stumbled awake after scratching her ear not unlike a dog, returning to a standing position even though she didn't remember laying down for more than a few seconds.
Applejack was no longer standing guard next to the cake, though. Twilight seemed to have taken the farm mare's place, and the expression conveyed by her eyes was one of worry. "You're not gonna like this, Pinkie." Was all she had to say.
Pinkie Pie was about to ask what the studious unicorn meant, right before she was shown a trio of three rather large bite marks on the side of The MMMM normally hidden from view! The horrified party pony let out a shriek, which woke up the rest of the dessert car's occupants!
"Goodness, what a scream," Rarity remarked (while strangely appearing to wear her mane so that it covered her left eye for some reason). "And they say I'm the dramatic one."
"What's the matter?" Rainbow Dash sleepily inquired while rubbing her eyes a bit.
Holding back sobs for a bit, Pinkie Pie explained. "It's The Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, it's been mauled and mutilated!" But her sorrow was soon replaced by one of serious determination as she declared. "Now I just need to find out who done it."
Twilight cleared her throat and spoke up. "Well, having read many mystery novels, I know that the only way to discover the culprit or culprits is to investigate. But we don't have a detective."
"Not to worry," Pinkie Pie proudly proclaimed as she produced a blue and white checkered detective hat and a bubble pipe. "I always wanted to be a detective. And luckily, I always carry these detective hats around in case of detective emergencies."
Nervously, Applejack inquired. "You're gonna be investigatin'?"
"Exactly!" Pinkie declared with an exceptionally bright smile. "And Twilight here shall be my lowly assistant who always asks silly questions with obvious answers." She proceeded to put a plain black detective hat on Twilight's head, even covering up her horn.
Twilight was anything but amused with the role bestowed so unceremoniously upon her. However, she did her best to hide her discontent as she sighed. "Fine, Detective Pinkie. So, I assume we're to start looking for clues, then?"
Pinkie blew on the bubble pipe for a bit before declaring in a somewhat posh and elegant tone of voice. "A silly question indeed, assistant. Because the answer is obvious."
"Yes?" Twilight asked as she tried to resist rolling her eyes. It was so obvious she was sure even Pinkie Pie would've known that.
But the party pony just adjusted her detective's hat as she replied. "Normally, you'd be right. But not this time, assistant. I don't need to look for clues, because I'm the detective and you're the assistant. Besides, I already know who did it. It's so obvious."
"What?!" Twilight gasped in disbelief (as did all the other occupants in the dessert car). "That's impossible! How could you already know, Pinkie?!"
"How could I possibly not know?" Pinkie replied. "A feather left at the scene of the crime is all the proof I need. Another baker wanted to sabotage The MMMM, and last night they seized their opportunity to do so! This dastardly deed was done by the baker who knew their dessert could not measure up to the mastery of The Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness," Then she made her accusation as her eyes narrowed. "I guess you feared your éclairs lacked flair, eh, Gustave!"
"W-what?!" Gustave seemed to be intimidated by the accusation! "Zis is outrageous!"
"Oh, it's outrageous, alright," Pinkie Pie growled. "Now it all makes sense. I not only know why you did it, but I know how you did it," And she turned to Twilight. "Allow me to explain, my dear assistant."
The story Pinkie Pie told about Gustave's guilt went a little something like this:
Gustave was clad in a really long cape and a matching hat. Silently, he stalked his prey: The MMMM. When he thought no one was looking, he reached out a claw to grab it. But Pinkie swatted his claw away as soon as she spotted it!
"Keep your claws off that cake, you cur!" Pinkie had shouted and chased after the would-be cake thief!
However, that was just what Gustave wanted. He lured Pinkie Pie to the back of the train and then flew up to the ceiling in the last car to avoid detection. When Pinkie stumbled out onto the rear view balcony, he seized his opportunity! He swooped down, snatched her up and then flew out ahead of the train.
Poor Pinkie was tied down on the train track with some rope, right as the train was approaching at full speed! "Oh goodness!" She exclaimed and shut her eyes!
Meanwhile, Gustave returned to the dessert car with a wicked laugh. He proceeded to activate a saw blade on a nearby table and sent the cake straight towards it, getting his beak and mustache splattered with cake frosting when the deed was done.
As for the captive bound pink party pony, she managed to wiggle free of her restraints and hop off the track with the rope still hugging her body. She stumbled back to the dessert car only to find that she was too late, the MMMM had been destroyed and Gustave had fled the scene!
"Thus, with his dastardly deed, Gustave destroyed the cake and the Cakes' chance of winning the National Dessert Competition," The party pony turned detective explained as she finished her story. "What do you have to say for yourself now, Gustave?!"
"Zat is not possible! I do not kidnap ponies!" Gustave proclaimed as he puffed out his wings!
"But only you could've left a feather behind!" Pinkie snapped back. "How very careless of you."
Twilight Sparkle, however, saw fit to question the abrupt accusation. "That doesn't make sense, Pinkie."
Pinkie spun around and looked at Twilight. "What do you mean, assistant? I'm the detective here."
The "assistant" just explained. "If you came back here with a rope, how come there's no rope to be seen? And wouldn't the engineer have seen you tied down to the tracks and tried to stop the train?"
"Okay, so maybe that didn't happen." The party pony reluctantly agreed.
Twilight nodded. "Plus, the cake hasn't been sliced apart by a saw blade. It's been clearly bitten. And I hate to tell you this, but none of the bite marks I see could've been made with a beak. Also, Gustav is not the only passenger who could've shed a feather. That alone isn't enough to prove he did it."
Pinkie Pie processed the new information while blowing on her bubble pipe a little more. "Hm... You're right, my fine fellow filly. Gustave le Grand is clearly in the clear," She took the bubble pipe out of her mouth and took a deep breath. "However, that just means The MMMM's destruction was done by another baker. After all, a tuft of hair was left at the scene. And I know it was left by a different baker. A baker who's donuts are do-nots," She pointed a hoof and accused. "That's right! It was you, Donut Joe! And you thought you could get away with it by pinning the blame on Gustave!"
"Whaddya mean?!" Donut Joe growled! "Why would I try to frame Gustave or destroy your cake?"
The detective simply narrowed her eyes. "Because you're not really Donut Joe. That's just a codename you gave yourself. In the spy world, they call you Mane. Con Mane."
Now Pinkie Pie told a different story, this one intending to prove that Donut Joe (acting under his true name of Con Mane) was the true culprit.
Donut Joe had changed out of his baker's disguise and was now wearing a finely pressed tuxedo. He was currently enjoying a milkshake in another train car while chatting with two mares.
Suddenly, a hi-tech wrist mounted watch informed the undercover agent that it was time for him to carry out his assignment: The destruction of The MMMM. Excusing himself, the spy stallion slipped away to the dessert car. When he got close, he used a special gadget to cut a small hole in the glass of the back door window. Then he used his magic to toss a small pellet into the car.
Pinkie heard a noise and turned to look. But before she could see who it was, the pellet released its load of sleeping gas. She passed out right on the spot!
The spy waited for the gas to disperse before slipping into the dessert car, taking care to plant the feather where he knew somepony would find it. As he got close, he could see that the cake was guarded by a laser security grid. But that was easily thwarted with the use of a mirror, slicing the cake apart by redirecting the laser beams.
His job complete, Con Mane posed for victory as the two mares he'd been entertaining earlier looked up to him with admiration. They both wished he could be theirs and theirs alone.
"It was Con Mane who crushed the Cakes' chances to win!" Pinkie Pie declared when the story was finished. "You have quite a way with the ladies, Mr. Mane. But your charms won't work on me!"
Donut Joe whimpered. "Con Mane's just a movie, everypony knows that!"
The earth pony mare only snorted. "That's what you want me to think."
Twilight quickly spoke up in protest. "Your story's flawed, Pinkie. There's no laser security grid or hole in the glass. And not only does Con Mane not actually exist, but Donut Joe couldn't possibly be him. He's big, gruff, and messy!"
"Although, you'd look absolutely dapper in a tuxedo." Rarity pointed out.
Pinkie let out an unhappy sigh as she seemed to glare at Twilight. "I suppose you may be right, lowly assistant."
"What do you mean may be?" Twilight Sparkle questioned.
The self-appointed detective didn't answer her "assistant". Instead, she was turning her attention to another dessert. "Now that I'm taking a closer look at these here desserts, I see that one simply cannot look me in the eye."
Twilight noticed Pinkie taking an unusual interest in Mulia Mild's chocolate mousse. "Pinkie, it's just a mousse made to look like a moose!"
"Exactly!" Pinkie Pie insisted before turning her attention to the baker behind the mousse. "And the mule behind that moose panicked when she saw the mastery of The MMMM. She thought she could throw me off with those other clues, but a little something she left behind proves it was really her: An eyelash!"
Even though she needn't have asked, Twilight still asked anyway. "So you're saying the culprit is..."
Pinkie nodded. "Indeed. Mulia Mild! The eyelash is the proof!"
Just like with Gustave le Grande and Donut Joe, the party pony turned detective saw fit to explain "how" the crime was committed.
Mulia had actually been a ninja, wearing a black stealth suit. She perched atop the train cars and jumped from one roof to the next, taking care to make no noise as she did so.
Pinkie kept patrolling back and forth in front of The MMMM the whole time, unaware that she was being watched from above.
Suddenly, as the blinds flapped shut, Mulia saw her chance to strike! She crept up behind Pinkie Pie and whacked her in the head with a frying pan! The pink party pony fell to the ground!
Then, Mulia locked eyes with her target: The MMMM. She took out a sword that had been tucked into the side of her uniform and leaped into the air, swinging the sword rapidly and slashing at the cake! She landed and held the sword out in front of her, waiting and watching as the cake crumpled behind her.
"So it was that Mulia was the one to put an end to the Cakes' dreams of taking first prize in the contest," Pinkie explained as she finished her story. "You must've thought you were clever, throwing me off by trying to frame the other bakers. But even a master ninja like yourself was no match for a master detective like me!" And she then turned to Twilight. "Well, assistant? Care to tell me I'm wrong this time?"
Twilight had heard enough. She threw down her assistant's hat and protested! "Now you're just being completely ridiculous, Pinkie! You can't accuse others on a whim! That's not what being a detective is all about!" Then she insisted. "Just look at Mulia! Does she look like she could've possibly done those crazy ninja things you say she did? Does she look like she could've framed Gustave and Donut Joe?"
Pinkie Pie turned to look at the mule, and saw how easily she cowered in fright. Now that the party pony looked more carefully, she could see that Mulia couldn't possibly be a ninja, or a cake thief for that matter. "Fine," She sighed, realizing her mistake. "I guess Mulia couldn't have done it either. But I know it wasn't me! I was so sure it was one of the other bakers here. After all, why else would The MMMM be destroyed while all these other delicious desserts weren't?"
"I was wondering that too," Twilight pointed out. "If they'd all been eaten I would've thought you would be the most likely suspect," She then quickly added. "No offense, Pinkie."
Pinkie shrugged off the comment. "None taken, Twilight. I'm glad you're seeing things my way now," And she explained in exquisite detail about the other desserts. "I mean, just look around you: Donut Joe's Donutopia is a spectacular city of donutty delight, topped temptingly in sprinklicious sprinkles. And Gustave's exquisite éclairs look incredibly edible, with their glistening glaziness. And of course there's Mulia Mild's Mousse Moose. This mouth-wateringly marvelous mousse moose tempts the taste buds of all with its silky, smooth, yummy-nummy chocolateyness."
The studious unicorn felt her stomach start to grumble a little. "Pinkie, you're making me hungry!"
"Sorry, Twilight," The party pony apologized. "But I just don't get it. How could the thief have helped themselves to The MMMM while leaving this trio of tasty treats untouched? It doesn't make sense!"
Just then, the train entered into a dark tunnel. A rather long one at that. And while it was in that tunnel, there came the sound of desperate munching, followed by screaming! When at last the train had exited the tunnel, the other desserts had also been devoured.
The trio of tainted treats added a whole new level to the mystery Pinkie (and Twilight) had been trying to solve. "Maybe I spoke too soon," The pink party pony commented. "Whoever the thief was, they must've just been waiting for the right time to help themselves to the other desserts."
Twilight had noticed that detail as well. "Well, one thing's for sure," She turned to her mystery solving companion. "We're not gonna get anywhere with you just throwing out wild accusations. If we're going to get to the bottom of this mystery, we'll need facts," She proceeded to swap hats with Pinkie Pie and then ordered. "The rest of you go back to your rooms. Pinkie and I will carry out an investigation and find this dessert devourer!"
The rest of the passengers obeyed without question, giving Twilight an opportunity to wipe off the bubble pipe with a rag. Then, she turned her attention to her new assistant and questioned. "Now then, you're sure you were at the scene of the crime all night?"
"What?! I thought you said you weren't accusing me?!" Pinkie Pie gasped! "I didn't eat the other desserts if that's what you're thinking!"
Twilight explained. "I'm not accusing you, Pinkie. I know how much The MMMM meant to you. However, I need to know where you found those clues and when. Maybe you saw something that'll help us find out who did do it."
The pink party pony put a hoof to her chin. "Well, I was just standing by the cake when Applejack came by to help me. But soon after she arrived, I saw a strange figure in the moonlight! So I chased after them!"
The studious unicorn smiled. "Good. Let's retrace your steps." But she was a little bit annoyed when her partner took that quite literally, walking backwards for a while.
Eventually, the two reached the last car on the train as Pinkie explained to Twilight. "When I got here, I tumbled out on the rear-view balcony. But the culprit was gone! It was like they'd just vanished."
"And that's when you found the feather, wasn't it?" Twilight inquired and received a confirming nod. "May I see it?"
Pinkie obeyed, hoofing over the feather she'd been keeping stashed in her mane. "It was right around here, just laying on the ground."
Twilight examined the feather carefully, taking notice of the color of it. She then placed it into an envelope for safe keeping. "I think I know who might have done it," She declared with what sounded like confidence. "However, I'll need more evidence to be sure. That's how being a detective really works, Pinkie. It's about studying a crime scene and interviewing suspects, not just making guesses," Then she questioned. "So, what happened next?"
Pinkie Pie raced back to the dessert car as she recalled. "I returned here, and Applejack was still just standing there. I didn't get a chance to ask her if she saw anything, though. Because that's when I spotted another suspicious figure, and chased them up to the front!" She proceeded to bring Twilight to the locomotive. "However, when I got here, there was only the engineer and the firepony. And the firepony was shoveling coal. They told me they didn't see anything."
"Was this when you found that hair?" Twilight asked.
"I think so. It was right around here." Pinkie agreed as she dug into her mane and retrieved it.
Just like with the feather, Twilight Sparkle studied it closely and carefully. And then she stored in another envelope. "Well, this changes things," She said to herself. "What else, Pinkie?"
"I went back to the dessert car," Pinkie Pie recalled, retracing her steps again. "And that's when the blinds mysteriously closed all by themselves."
"And what happened then?" Twilight questioned.
The pink party pony recalled. "I heard hoofsteps, a loud thud, and then they were gone! Applejack was there the whole time, but I knew she couldn't have seen anything with how dark it was," Then she remembered something else. "Although, when I opened the blinds, I noticed that portrait by the door was all crooked, so I straightened it out. And yes, that's when I found the eyelash." Like with the feather and the hair, she pulled it out of her mane and hoofed it to Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle looked over the eyelash with the same level of thoroughness that she had devoted to the other clues. Then, after placing the eyelash into an envelope, she questioned her assistant one more time. "Then what, Pinkie Pie? Anything else? Anything at all?"
The earth pony mare turned assistant readily replied. "Nope. After that, I stood here and guarded the cake with Applejack for the rest of the night," However, when Twilight shot her a most suspicious and skeptical look she confessed. "I mean, I fell asleep by the cake. And when I woke up this morning, you were there. The cake had already been eaten," She unhappily sighed. "How am I gonna tell the Cakes I not only let The MMMM be ruined, but I also didn't catch the one who did it?"
"You won't have to, because I know who did it!" Twilight firmly declared as her eyes began to glow! "Come on, Pinkie. Let's call everyone back to the crime scene. We have a cunning cake culprit to catch."
Soon afterward, all the other passengers were brought back to the dessert car as Twilight and Pinkie stood before them. Twilight smiled while blowing on the bubble pipe, before taking it out of her mouth to say. "I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here today."
"Wow, she's good!" Donut Joe exclaimed! "I was just about to ask that myself."
The studious unicorn turned detective giggled. "Exactly," But then her voice took on a more serious tone as she declared. "Pinkie Pie and I have discovered the true culprit of this cake carnage," She proceeded to explain. "You see, when committing a crime, it's crucial that one never leaves behind clues. Especially not a clue as obvious as this one!" She pulled out the feather and held it up with her magic!
Everyone in the car gasped (except for Twilight)! "That's right, a blue feather," Twilight declared. "And that can only belong to one pony! Rainbow Dash!"
"What?! But I don't even like cake!" Rainbow nervously protested.
Twilight shook her head. "Nice try, but the feather proves you were there. Pinkie Pie told me how she chased what she thought was a cake thief through the train, only for the thief to mysteriously disappear," She then pointed out. "Except they didn't really disappear, they just flew up and hid in the ceiling. But the culprit did leave a little something behind."
Pinkie Pie snorted, turning to her pegasus friend! "So it was you all along, Rainbow Dash! How sneaky of you! But you weren't sneaky enough to avoid Twilight! The case is closed!"
Twilight Sparkle knew it wasn't. "Not quite, Pinkie. Rainbow Dash isn't the only culprit in this case. There were others involved too," And she explained. "Remember when you chased another thief up to the locomotive, and you saw the firepony shoveling coal? Well, that wasn't really the firepony. It was somepony pretending to be the firepony. And that somepony left a pink colored hair on the floor."
"But Rainbow Dash doesn't have pink hair," Pinkie protested. "Unless... she was wearing a wig!" And she pulled on Rainbow Dash's rainbow mane, hoping to expose said wig!
Rainbow groaned! "Ow! Pinkie, I'm not wearing a wig! Why would I ever do that?!"
Twilight immediately shut down Pinkie's interrogation efforts. "Pinkie, stop! Rainbow Dash wasn't the one trying to disguise themselves as the firepony," And she pointed out. "The pink hair means it could've only been one pony: Fluttershy! She too took a bite of the cake, doing so while you were busy chasing Rainbow Dash and Applejack was distracted."
Fluttershy gulped and shrank from the harsh gaze Pinkie gave her. "Oh my! I... I didn't mean to."
Pinkie Pie just growled! "How could you?! Don't you know how hard the Cakes worked on that cake?! You're going down, Fluttershy!" She prepared to pounce on the pegasus.
Twilight intervened before a fight could break out. "Leave Fluttershy alone, Pinkie. After all, there's still one more thing we haven't solved yet," And she declared. "Remember when you said the blinds suddenly slammed shut on their own? That wasn't a mystery, that was magic."
"You mean..." Pinkie began as she slowly realized where the conversation was going.
The studious unicorn nodded. "When the thief tried to make their great escape, they left a little addition to the portrait. That was when you found the eyelash," She then added. "By the way, haven't you noticed yet that Rarity seems to be wearing her mane a little bit differently today?"
Rarity protested as all eyes fell upon her. "What? Is it a crime to change one's style now and again? Why, I think it's a crime not to."
Twilight shook her head. "It may not be a crime, but it's not something you'd just do on a whim. Unless of course, you were trying to hide something!" She used her magic to pull back Rarity's mane, revealing a noticeable bald spot above one eye where there should've been something!
The fashionista realized then and there that she'd been caught! "Alright, fine! I'm guilty!" She confessed! "I wear false eyelashes!" Upon realizing what else her missing eyelash implicated her in, she admitted. "Oh, and I'm afraid I took a bite of the cake as well. Normally I wouldn't do it, but I couldn't resist."
"Neither could I." Fluttershy confessed.
And Rainbow Dash confessed. "Same here. You just made it sound so delicious."
"Well, the Cakes will have to know about this," Pinkie Pie said to her trio of guilty friends. "But at least the mystery is finally solved."
However, Applejack then spoke up. "Not quite, sugarcubes. You didn't realize there was another suspect."
"What?!" Twilight nearly jumped in surprise! "But that can't be! I examined the crime scene carefully! There were only three bite marks, and none of the clues implicated anyone else!"
But Applejack willingly confessed. "Haven't you figured it out yet? I took a bite of the cake too! I did it whenever Pinkie Pie was busy chasin' one of the other thieves. Unlike them, I was careful not to leave anythin' behind. But Pinkie made that cake sound so darn temptin', I just had to have some for myself!"
Pinkie couldn't help but grin a little. "Guess maybe even a detective like you could miss something, Twilight."
Twilight Sparkle reluctantly agreed. "Applejack's behavior did have me concerned. But without any clues, I had no reason to suspect she was involved," Then she cautioned. "But we only solved the mystery with The MMMM. We still don't know who devoured the other desserts."
"You're right, Twilight! And that means there's only one thing to do!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed. And she turned her blues eyes towards the detective hat and bubble pipe. "May I?" She offered.
Twilight agreed to swap hats again (and also gave Pinkie back the bubble pipe, after wiping it down of course). "Go ahead."
The pink party pony smiled, delighted to be a detective again! She proceeded to conduct a very thorough inspection of the entire dessert car and everyone in it. No detail was too small to be overlooked. And after only a little bit of inspecting, she proudly announced. "I know who did it!"
"You do?" Twilight asked in uncertainty, only to receive a rather confident nod.
Pinkie grinned. "Elementary, my dear Twilight. For you see, it was none other than:" She paused briefly to build up dramatic tension and then pointed a hoof! "The bakers themselves! 'How do I know this?' You ask? Simple:" She approached the other bakers and pointed out with each one what had given them away. "Gustave has mousse in his moustache! Joe has éclair in his hair! And Mulia has sprinkles in her wrinkles!"
There was a long and uncomfortable silence in the dessert car as all eyes now fell upon the three bakers, each now implicated directly in the destruction of a competitor's dessert. For a while, none of them knew what to say and no one else dared to speak.
At last, however, the silence was broken as one by one each of the bakers confessed and apologized to each other. Gustave Le Grande being the first to do so. "Oh, I am so very sorry, Mulia, but Pinkie made your mousse moose sound... très magnifique. I could not help myself."
"And Pinkie's description of your éclairs really did make 'em sound scrumptious, Le Grande. And they were too." Donut Joe admitted.
"And the way she spoke of your Donutopia, ohh, was too delectable to resist, Joe," Mulia confessed. "A shame I had to tarnish such beauty for the sake of my curiosity."
As the confessions ended, the train screeched to a halt as all realized that they had arrived at their destination in Canterlot. The competition was to begin shortly.
Twilight smiled in satisfaction. "Well, at least the mysteries have finally been solved."
Gustave looked around the dessert car and came to a glum realization. "Yes, but now we don't have any desserts to enter into ze contest! Whatever are we going to do?!"
Pinkie Pie winked and smiled. "I have to make it up to you all for accusing you without proof. Come on, I think I know of a way to fix this. It'll take some real baking magic, but I think together we can pull it off!"
A while later, the national dessert competition officially got underway. The judges were more than a little bit surprised to see that instead of four different entries as they had been expecting, remnants of them had all been combined into one all encompassing cake!
Pinkie was all too happy to share first prize with the other three bakers. "I never should've accused you guys the way I did," She said to them as the first prize blue ribbon was awarded. "It wasn't right of me. I should've known better."
"Seems like a very important lesson to have learned. Might even be good enough for a friendship letter, wouldn't you agree?" A familiar elegant voice asked. And then who should come trotting up on the scene but Princess Celestia herself in all her glory?
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed with surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Princess Celestia giggled. "It's okay, Twilight. A princess can have a sweet tooth."
"Well in that case," The studious unicorn offered. "Care for a bite?"
Pinkie Pie then declared. "Don't mind if I do! I'm starving!" And before anyone could stop her, she jumped up and devoured the whole cake in one giant gulp!
All of Pinkie's friends laughed, though Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all wondered what the Cakes would have to say when Pinkie told them about what had happened on the train ride to Canterlot. Would Mr. and Mrs. Cake be as forgiving?