//------------------------------//
// Chapter 23 - A train full of mysteries 
// Story: Dusk Shine in pursuit of Happiness II 
// by bigsnusnu 
//------------------------------//

A train full of mysteries

Spike was in the basement of the library in the secret corner that Dusk Shine had arranged to use as a small laboratory. He was wearing a white coat and protective goggles. The little dragon went to a lever and pulled it.  A small magic generator activated, shooting small lights and electric beams at two small pillars. Then, all that electrical current rushed towards a metal bed that was in the center of the room. One that covered 'something' under a large white sheet. As soon as the electricity touched the bed, that 'something' under the sheet groaned and began to slowly get up.

"It’s alive…! It’s alive!! Mwahahaha!” Spike laughed ominously as the electrical bolts from the magical generator lit up the room.

"Of course I'm alive, enough of the crazy references!" Dusk Shine said suddenly, taking off the sheet that had been covering him. His mane bristled due to the electric current that had run through his body. "It wasn't enough electricity to hurt me, I just felt a tingle." Dusk added, flattening his bristly mane so that it would return to its place.

After combing his mane, Dusk looked at his side to see his cutie mark, which still hadn't returned to normal. Then he sighed exhausted, levitated a long list with his magic and crossed out a box on the last line he had written.

"Experiment number 49: electric current... My cutie mark remains unchanged." Dusk Shine noted in defeat.

After discovering that one of the stars on his cutie mark had changed color, Dusk Shine focused all his attention on trying to find out the cause. He spent days locked up in his little lab with Spike, testing different magics and substances on his body to see if he could replicate what had caused it, or at least reverse it. However, nothing he had tried had worked so far.

While Dusk wrote down the conclusions of his latest experiment, Spike stared at his brother with a look full of suspicion. Ever since he discovered the change in Dusk's cutie mark, Spike was as worried as his brother. So when Dusk investigated and found nothing about it in his books, Spike gladly offered to help him with his experiments. However, after days of being there without leaving the house, Spike began to suspect that there could be another reason why Dusk was conducting so many experiments.

“Maybe… it’s time to ask Princess Celestia.” Spike tried to suggest casually. 

"Uh? Oh! Yes... I guess... that would be a good option..." Dusk answered with an insecure look. "Although with all about the Canterlot invasion, I don't know if it's a good idea to ask her this kind of thing right now." Dusk added, with a nervous smile.

"Too bad, because I already asked her." Spike said with a mischievous grin and showed Dusk the scroll that had arrived that morning. "I already read it. She says that the change in a cutie mark is something very unusual, and that it’s best that you go to Canterlot to talk to her.”

“Go… to Canterlot?” Dusk said with a slightly nervous look. “Hmm… Maybe we could ask HER to come over here. I mean, here we have the lab, and-"

"Aha! I knew it!" Spike proclaimed victoriously. “This is all just because you don't want to leave the house. You're still nervous about meeting Applejack and the others again."  The lavander colt merely deflated at the statement.

"Huff... I guess you're right... I can't keep hiding forever..." Dusk said with a melancholy look. After a few seconds of thought, he looked a little more determined and headed over to the stair.  “Yeah, you’re right, Spike.  It’s time I stop hiding and go interact with my friends like a normal pony!”

"Well said!" Spike said happily, running behind his brother as he left the main hall and approached the library door.

"I can’t be afraid." Dusk said and opened the door. Finally, he breathed in the fresh air after almost two weeks of lockdown. Fresh air that was clouded by a sudden sweet taste, when suddenly a cream pie hit his face squarely.

With cream reaching the bottom of his nose, after having inhaled strongly to breathe fresh air, Dusk slowly raised his hoof and began to wipe the cream off his face.

"Hi Dusk! Did you like my pie-invitation?” Pinkie Pie said with a big smile. "It's a sweet new way I invented to deliver messages."

"Of course... It had to be you, Pinkie Pie..." Dusk sighed in slight annoyance as he blew to remove the cream that got into his nose. Although the truth was that a part of Dusk was glad for the strange situation. Since in his isolated time, he had missed his friend's craziness a lot. "And what's this about a pie-invitation?"

“Huh? It’s a pie with a written message!  Didn’t you read it?” Pinkie Pie asked with a cute tilt of her head.

“How was I going to read it if you threw it in my face!?” Dusk snarked back.

“Oh… I guess you're right. My bad." Pinkie Pie said with a thoughtful look. She pulled out another cream pie behind her and showed it to Dusk.

After finishing cleaning all the cream off his face, Dusk leaned towards Pinkie Pie to see the cream pie she was holding. There he could see that on top of that cake, it was written in caramel: 'Do you want to go to the dessert competition with me?'.

“Dessert competition?” Dusk asked.

"Yepperoni! Today’s the National Dessert Competition in Canterlot.” Pinkie Pie said, very excited. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake baked a huge cake with the best ingredients in all of Ponyville. I'm sure they'll win this year's award, but since they're taking care of the foals, they asked me to-"

"Foals!? What foals?" Dusk asked, very surprised and confused.

"Well, the twins, Pumpkin and Pound Cake." Pinkie Pie replied, shrugging her shoulders at the obvious response. Then she stared at Dusk worriedly. “Mrs. Cake gave birth to the twins on the day of the wedding. We all went to visit them after they were born… Gosh! I knew you hadn't wanted to leave the library, but I didn't think you were that uninformed." Pinkie added, scolding Dusk with her eyes.

At that moment, Dusk gave a look of surprise and then lowered his gaze with guilt. What Pinkie Pie said was true. He had been so absorbed in his own grief that he had completely forgotten that the world was still moving on, even if he didn't see it. To think that his friends had gone to visit Mr. and Mrs. Cake at that important moment and that he hadn’t been there.

“I… I'm sorry.” Dusk said sadly.

“Hmm…By the way, you already read the message on the pie-invitation, right?” Pinkie Pie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh? Yes, why do you ask?” Dusk managed to answer, before Pinkie Pie raised her hoof and crushed that other pie against Dusk's face again.

"What was that for!?" Dusk shouted, red with shame and annoyance, with his face again covered in cream.

“You already read the message, so I had to give you a pie face. How is a pie-invitation going to be if I don't give you a pie face? What madness!” Pinkie said, sticking out her tongue playfully and winking at Dusk. Then she suddenly looked at Dusk with a more serious expression. "Besides... You deserve it for leaving us alone for so many days." Pinkie Pie added, looking Dusk straight in the eye.

All of the annoyance in Dusk’s system was instantly replaced by guilt. Then he looked to his side and saw that Spike had run a finger over his face to taste the cream pie, and he made a face of enjoyment at how sweet it was.

"I told you." Spike said with a small smile, enjoying not only the cream of the pie, but also knowing that he had been right, telling Dusk that it was time to leave the library.

“Okay… You were right, I admit it.” Dusk said, leooking at Spike with a small smile, and then looking back at his friend. Knowing that this was Pinkie Pie's way of punishing him for not seeing her for so many days.

At that moment, from the train station, two rapid whistles were heard, indicating that the train was about to leave.

"It’s late! You're coming with me, right?" Pinkie Pie said in a hurry. Quickly taking Dusk by the hoof, without waiting for him to give her an answer, and just quickly pulling him at a super speed that only Pinkie Pie could have. A movement so fast that only Dusk's dust silhouette remained next to the pieces of pie that flew out of his face.

While Pinkie and Dusk ran, Spike managed to catch the pieces of pie that flew out of Dusk's face, and began to eat them as he said goodbye to both of them. Meanwhile, Dusk and Pinkie managed to reach the train station just as the train started to leave.

"Huff... Seriously, sometimes I don't know who's faster, you or Rainbow Dash." Dusk said, recovering his breath. Still impressed with how fast Pinkie Pie had run with him.

"Well, when desserts are involved, nopony beats me." Pinkie Pie said smiling proudly and got into a running position, mimicking a bit of Rainbow Dash.

"Hmm... Where is Mrs. Cake's cake?" Dusk looked around and seeing that in the car where they were, there were only passengers.

“It's in the last car. It's a huge cake, so it didn't fit here." Pinkie Pie said, signaling to Dusk to move towards the next car. "I even needed help getting it from Sugarcube Corner to here."

"Who did you ask for help?" Dusk asked, opening the door of the next car. In doing so, he found himself face to face with the pony who just opened the door from the other side: Applejack.

Both former lovers had not seen each other in days. The last thing Dusk remembered about Applejack was seeing her running away in tears after she broke up with him at the wedding dance. Even though they both returned to Ponyville on the same train, Dusk found it impossible to look at Applejack sitting at the other end of the train car. Something very similar to what Applejack remembered, because she hadn't seen Dusk since that night either. Although the last thing the orange mare remembered was looking at the handsome stallion one last time after they returned to Ponyville. That time, Applejack saw how Dusk was walking taciturnly towards the library at night, seeing how his gaze was lost and hurt. Seeing him suffer like this made Applejack's heart even more broken, knowing that she had been the cause of that pain.

Both ponies were frozen and had no idea what to say or what to do. They both knew they would eventually see each other again, and they both thought they were over their breakup as a couple. However, now that they saw each other face to face, they both felt how hundreds of feelings overwhelmed them. 

"Wow... ~Awkwaaaard~" Pinkie Pie said in a singsong voice. 

It was Pinkie's words that finally made Dusk and Applejack come out of their shock and look away, embarrassed and nervous.

"H-Hi Applejack... You... W-What are you doing here?" Dusk tried to ask casually, although it was very obvious that he was nervous.

"Uh... Pinkie asked me for help carrying the Cake’s dessert for the Canterlot competition..." Applejack answered, just as nervous as Dusk. “I was going to leave, but Pinkie invited me to come with her. And since the Cakes' dessert has apple jam from the farm, I thought…” Applejack added, glancing at Pinkie Pie.

Seeing that Applejack was looking at Pinkie Pie, Dusk also stared seriously at his pink friend. Only then did they both understand that Pinkie Pie had made them both go with her, without telling them at any time that the other was also going to be on the train, so that they would both find themselves there by surprise. It had all been Pinkie Pie's plan!

"What's wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked with a big, innocent smile.

Faced with that question, both Dusk and Applejack blushed and looked away. It was obvious that the whole situation was awkward, but they couldn't tell. It was assumed that both were fine, that both had passed their grieving stage and that both had accepted that everything was fine between them. Neither of them could admit that they felt nervous being with their former partner.

“N-No, it’s nothing. R-Right?" Dusk forced himself to look at Applejack and gave her a nervous smile.

“S-Sure, hehe…” Applejack said with the same nervous smile as Dusk.

"Okey-dokey-lokey! Now let's see that cake!" Pinkie Pie cheered and headed to the next car. After Pinkie walked past them, Dusk and Applejack took one last fleeting look at each other. Then they both looked away and hurried after Pinkie Pie.

As they moved through the cars, Dusk and Applejack stayed behind Pinkie, walking side by side but without being too close to each other. 

"Applejack is still my friend. I… I know I shouldn't be acting like this, but I can't help it!" Dusk thought as he walked. "I don't know how I should look at her from now on. And I don't know what she's thinking of me. Maybe... Maybe she thinks I asked Pinkie Pie to get us together!?" 

As they made their way through the train, Pinkie glanced sideways at her friends, who seemed lost in their own thoughts with concerned looks. The bubbly mare looked a little worried at how tense the ponies were.

Dusk and Applejack finally came out of their thoughts when Pinkie Pie forcefully opened the door of the last car, which seemed to be slightly rustier than the other doors, making an annoying creaking noise when it opened. Upon entering that train wagon, Dusk understood why the door was different, as it was a cargo car. There were three other passengers there: A gray griffin in a red scarf, a chef's hat; as well as having a long thin black mustache. The second passenger was a plump unicorn with cream-colored fur and a pink donut as cutie mark; who wore a white suit and baker's hat. And finally, the third passenger was an old mule who wore a necklace of blue pearls and looked suspiciously at the other two who accompanied her. The three creatures were all hiding something under a tablecloth next to them.

“Donut Joe? What are you doing here?" Dusk asked the owner of Princess Celestia's 'secret' favorite donut shop.

The unicorn perked up at seeing somepony familiar. “Well, if it ain’t little Dusk! I came to Ponyville because I needed some special color sprinkles for my dessert, or rather, my masterpiece.” Donut Joe replied with a huge smile.

"Are you also participating in the National Dessert Competition?" Dusk asked in surprise.

“Well, the competition is just a formality. In fact, that trophy is practically mine.” Donut Joe replied, looking askance at the other chefs and with a smile full of pride.

"Oh, yeah? What makes you so sure that you’ll win!?” The mule next to him accused.

"Well, it just so happens that Princess Celestia is one of the judges for the competition, and for years she has enjoyed my delicious donuts." Donut Joe said, full of pride. Putting a hoof on the tablecloth next to him to finally show everyone his secret weapon, with which he would win the contest. “If the Princess loved my donuts, she’ll definitely love my DONUTOPIA!” He yelled excitedly, revealing his special dessert to everyone.  Under his tablecloth, Donut Joe had hidden a splendid replica of a city, all made of donuts of different sizes and colors adorned with the beautiful touch of bright colored sprinkles, which made that great dessert look like a true big city, full of bright lights.

Dusk and the other two mares gazed at the city-shaped dessert with great amazement. “Wow! It really looks very delicious..."

“Hmph! That's nothing." Suddenly the mule said. Then she too walked over to the tablecloth beside her and revealed her dessert. “The prize will go to me, Mulia Mild, with my great and delicious: Chocolate Mousse Moose!” A life-size replica of a huge moose made entirely of chocolate mousse was revealed from under the cloth. It was so soft, yet firm, that it wobbled with the swaying of the train. Which gave an idea of how fluffy that delicious chocolate mousse must be.

"Mmm... Chocolate..." Pinkie Pie droned with huge eyes and her tongue hanging out.

“Only chocolate? How absurd! True flavor is achieved by combining flavors!” The griffin suddenly joined the discussion. “Take a look and be amazed at my 'exceptionally Exquisite Éclairs', from the best chef in Griffonstone: Gustave Le Grand!” The griffin yelled, revealing that under his tablecloth was a huge tray with a dozen huge eclairs. Dough, cream and chocolate delights, with frosting so bright they almost seemed to shine on their own.

"Not only do they look good, they also smell great..." Applejack said, almost wiping the drool from her mouth as she smelled the delicious eclairs. "So, all of y’ll are competing in the Canterlot competition?" Applejack asked the three chefs. The three nodded with great pride for their desserts.

"Wow, looks like they’ll be a lot of delicious options for the competition." Dusk said, with an indecisive look.

"Yeah, yeah... They all look delicious..." Pinkie Pie said with a mischievous little smile, approaching the end of the car where there was a fourth table with a large tablecloth covering something very tall. Then Pinkie Pie took the tablecloth and revealed the dessert that she would bring to the competition. “…But no one will beat the Cakes' Marzipan, Mascarpone, Meringue, Madness, or 'MMMM' to abbreviate." Pinkie Pie added after revealing the huge three-tiered cake that Mr. and Mrs. Cake had prepared for the competition. “The most delicious cake ever created, made with the best ingredients in all of Ponyville! All that rich, creamy texture of marzipan, combined with the flavor of mascarpone, blended perfectly with the silky smooth sweetness of meringue…” Pinkie Pie added, describing in graphic words how delicious that cake was.

With Pinkie Pie's sweet explanation, Dusk, Applejack, and even the three chefs stared in wonder at the great work of art by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. All with their mouths open, drooling at the thought of how delicious that cake must be.

"What I wouldn’t give for one little bite..." Dusk thought before snapping out of it and wiping the drool away. “Gosh! Just looking at that huge cake was enough to make me crave it, but with Pinkie's description, I can't stop thinking about taking a bite!”

At that moment, Dusk turned around and saw that the three chefs were also wiping the drool from their mouths. And as soon as they noticed that the colt was looking at them, they looked away in embarrassment.

"Perhaps... we could just give it a little taste." Applejack said sheepishly.

"No, no, no, no, no…" Pinkie Pie said quickly and started pushing everyone out of the wagon.

"Hey! Why are you pushing us out!?” Gustave the gryphon asked as Pinkie closed the noisy door.

"Don't you get smart with me. I know very well how everyone looked at the MMMM. If I left you there, I'm sure you'll eat it." Pinkie Pie glaring at the griffin and the other chefs menacingly, even towards her two friends. "When we brought the 'MMMM' with Applejack, I asked the driver for the key to this car." Pinkie Pie said, pulling a golden key from her mane and locking the door. "No one will go near Mr. and Mrs. Cake' dessert until we reach Canterlot."

Seeing Pinkie Pie's serious look, the other chefs felt insulted. Deep down, however, they knew that they had indeed been about to sample a bit of Pinkie Pie's cake. So finally, the three just snorted indignantly and retreated to the next car.

Pinkie Pie stared at them menacingly until they left the car. Then she turned around and looked at her two friends with the same look.

"That goes for you two too." Pinkie Pie said, widening her eyes and getting closer to the faces of her friends. "I know you can imagine how delicious MMMM is, but I can't let you eat it."

"Hehe, don't worry. We wouldn't be able to ruin Mr. and Mrs. Cake's dessert." Applejack said with a small smile and looked away.

"Yes, and even if we wanted to, we couldn't since you locked the car." Dusk chimed in, as well.

At that moment, Dusk and Applejack's gazes met. For a second, they both saw each other as they always had, as great friends. However, in just an instant, they remembered everything about their courtship and subsequent breakup. And in doing so, they both averted their gazes uncomfortably.  Pinkie Pie immediately noticed this and put on a sad look, realizing that her friends still hadn't gotten over their breakup.

Suddenly everything went dark as the train passed through a tunnel.

"Huh? Was the tunnel always this long?" Dusk said while the darkness continued in the car.

"Didn't you notice? The train is moving slower so the desserts don't fall out when it goes around the curves of the tracks." Pinkie Pie answered in the dark. "Hehe! Let’s pretend that it’s a haunted train, full of ghosts… Boooo… Boo-Hmpf!" Pinkie Pie said, mimicking a ghost moan. For some reason, she suddenly shut up, as if her mouth was covered.

"What's wrong? Are you imitating a mute ghost now?" Applejack asked in the dark, noticing that Pinkie Pie kept making sounds with her mouth covered. "Don't tell me you're doing charades.  You know we can’t see you, right?”

In that instant, several noises were heard besides the sound of Pinkie’s muffled voice, such as hoovesteps and a small 'click'. That seemed very strange to Dusk, unsure if this was another one of the pink mare’s pranks. For an instant, the unicorn thought of lighting his horn to see better, however, he saw through the window that the darkness was beginning to clear up, a sign that they were about to finally exit the tunnel. So Dusk finally chose not to use his magic, just when the train finally came out of the tunnel and the light illuminated everything again.

As soon as Dusk and Applejack could see again, their eyes immediately focused on where Pinkie Pie should be, to see if their crazy friend had indeed been imitating a ghost in the dark. However, they both widened their eyes when they saw that Pinkie had a mail bag on her head. 

Dusk quickly approached his friend and took the bag off her head.

"Pinkie! What happened!?" Dusk asked, scared and confused.

"I-I don't know..." Pinkie Pie scratched her head after getting a breath of fresh air. "I was pretending to a ghost in the dark, when all of a sudden someone put this bag over my head, and-" At which point Pinkie Pie suddenly fell silent and gave a startled look. Then, without saying anything, she jumped up and ran to the back door to the last wagon.

"Didn't Pinkie lock the door?" Applejack thought out loud as the pink mare opened the noisy door without unlocking first.

“AAAHHH!!” Pinkie Pie yelled in horror from the last car. Dusk and Applejack quickly ran to go to the last car as well. However, just as they were about to enter, Pinkie Pie came out of the car with a furious look on her face. “Someone took a bite out of the MMMM!”

"What!? How is that possible?" Dusk questioned until he opened his eyes in surprise when he understood everything. That 'click' that he heard in the dark, was someone opening the lock on the door! In the middle of the darkness of the tunnel, someone put a bag on Pinkie Pie's head, stolen her key and had entered the last car to bite into Mr. and Mrs. Cake's dessert.

"Hurry hurry hurry! The culprit can't be far!" Pinkie Pie declared and ran into the next car.

Seeing how determined Pinkie Pie was with the serious situation, Dusk and Applejack hurried to go after their friend. Pinkie opened the door to the next car and saw the other three chefs from the competition.

“One of you is to blame! One of you took a bite out of the MMMM!!” Pinkie Pie accused, pointing her hoof at whoever she thought was the culprit behind the culinary attack.

"What? What are you talking about?" Gustave asked.

"Someone attacked Pinkie Pie and took a bite out of her cake." Dusk answered, looking suspiciously at the griffin.

"Yes! It was you!" Pinkie Pie rushed to the griffin and shock him by the shoulders.

Wait, that can’t be right.  No one left this car.” Donut Joe interjected before looking a little unsure. “Well, I think no one left.  It was pitch black for a while.”

“That's right… And you helped him! You’re his accomplice!” Pinkie said, letting go of Gustave and this time grabbing and shaking Donut Joe. "You know too much!"

“Hmph! Those two always seemed very suspicious to me.” Mulia Mild said, glancing at Gustave and Donut Joe.

"That's true, though... That's what the real culprit would say!" Pinkie Pie said, this time shaking a very scared Mulia by the shoulders. "You want to divert attention so no one will suspect you!"

"Pinkie! Enough!" Applejack said, stopping her friend before she continued shaking the three frightened chefs. "It could be any of them.  But before we accuse anyone, we need evidence."

"Or maybe it wasn't any of them." Dusk said with a thoughtful look. "The culprit had to go through this car, but we can't be sure that the culprit didn’t continue to another of the front cars in the cover of darkness..."

"Oh my gosh, that’s true!" Pinkie Pie said with a look of surprise. Then she ran quickly to the next car. "I'll catch you; you cake nibbling fiend!”

Dusk and Applejack accompanied every step their pink friend took. In each wagon, Pinkie repeated the same routine: she went crazy grabbing the other passengers by the shoulders, shaking them to make them confess the crime without having any evidence; and after questioning them, she would run to the next car and repeat the routine. However, it seemed that none of the passengers had any idea of the crime. All of this caused Dusk and Applejack to start looking at each other with insecure looks, realizing that her pink friend looked like she was just looking for random culprits.

Finally, the three ponies reached the other end of the train to the driver's car. The only pony there was the train conductor next to the engine and a huge pile of coal.

"AHA! I knew it! All clues led us to you! You’re the guilty one!" Pinkie Pie said with a big smile of triumph.

“What clues? All she did was accuse everypony she came across!” Applejack whispered in confusion at Dusk.

"I know." Dusk whispered back with the same insecure look as his friend. He then approached Pinkie Pie and lowered her accusing hoof, before she jumped back to question and shake another pony. “Pinkie, I think we did this all wrong. Maybe we should have looked for clues before we started accusing others.”

“Hmph! That's what the culprit would say!" Pinkie Pie said, this time accusing Dusk with her hoof. Only then did Pinkie Pie widen her eyes in surprise and realize what she was doing. “Oh! I'm sorry… Maybe you're right.” .

With the party mare calmed down, the three went back to the last car of the train, where all the chefs' desserts were. Upon arrival, Dusk was surprised to see that the other three chefs were also there. All standing together at their respective desserts, with very worried looks. 

"What are you doing here?" Dusk asked curiously, looking at the chefs.

“W-Well… You told us that someone had ruined one of the desserts, so we came to take care of our own desserts.” Donut Joe said nervously.

"Yes! There's another tunnel on the way to Canterlot, so the culprit might try to take a bite out of my chocolate moose this time." Mulia said, averting her nervous gaze.

Understanding the fear of the other chefs, Dusk approached the MMMM to see for himself the bite in the cake and thus look for some clue of the culprit. He surprised to see that there was indeed no way to fix that cake, since the culprit had not left only a small bite as he expected. Although the cake looked fine when looking at it from the front, in the back there were several bites, in the three floors of the cake. Dusk got even closer to see the type of bite the culprit had left, however, after a couple of seconds, he got distracted when he heard Pinkie Pie start crying next to him.

“Waaaah! The cake is ruined!” Pinkie Pie cried her eyes out. “I didn't want this… I… I failed Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Waaahhh!”

Dusk looked at his pink friend with a sad look, thinking that finally her anger had given way to sadness, finally taking the weight that the cake that was in her care was ruined. Then Dusk looked at the other chefs, who looked sadly at Pinkie Pie and averted their eyes with great sorrow.

At that precise moment everything went dark again. As the other chefs said, the train had to go through another tunnel before reaching Canterlot. It was then that Dusk thought quickly and put up a magical shield around him, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and what was left of the MMMM. At the same time, it also illuminated their portion of the car so that the three of them could see.

"Why did you put up a shield?" Applejack asked.

"Just for precaution. The culprit could come back to finish the job.” Dusk replied and blushed a little as he realized he was looking at the cake bite like it was a real crime scene.

The three ponies widened their eyes in surprise and pricked up their ears as they heard noises and shouts around them. At that moment, Dusk undid his magical shield, just as the train finished passing through the tunnel and the light returned to the car.

"Noooo!" Mulia yelled between tears, seeing her chocolate moose.

"Whyyyy!?" Donut Joe yelled, falling to his knees at the sight of his Donutopia.

“Sacrebleu!” Gustave Le Grand cursed in another language, seeing his precious eclairs.

The three desserts had suffered the same fate as the MMMM, with multiple bites taken out of them.

“The culprit struck again!?” Applejack shouted and looked to Pinkie, who also looked astonished at what had happened to the other desserts.

"I know what Applejack is thinking, but it couldn't have been Pinkie Pie." Dusk thought, looking askance at Pinkie Pie.  She, him and Applejack all had solid alibis. "The first suspect would be Pinkie Pie as revenge to the other chefs, but my shield wouldn't have let Pinkie Pie slip away from our side without me noticing." 

Dusk looked at the other chefs, expecting them to start blaming Pinkie. However, none of the chefs approached them to blame them. In fact, all they did was wail, all in tears seeing their beautiful and delicious creations destroyed. Apparently, unlike Pinkie Pie, all of them had been affected more by grief than anger.

"Have any of you heard anything?" Dusk asked, turning to see his friends. However, as he did, he saw that only Applejack was behind him. Turning around again, Dusk saw that Pinkie Pie had approached the other chefs, and to his surprise, the four had hugged each other and were crying together.

"I understand... The four of them put everything into their desserts for the competition, and now all that effort has gone to waste..." Dusk thought with a sad look. 

"I don't understand, this time I paid close attention to see if I could distinguish the steps of a pony, a griffin or a mule in the dark." Applejack muttered out loud. "But I didn't hear any!"

"Perhaps someone flew in?" Dusk suggested and followed the country mare’s logic of relying on what they heard. "There are some passenger pegasi on the train. But do any of them have the ability to fly in the dark inside a train? And without making noise?" 

Sampling the desserts without permission seemed like a silly crime, but there was a true and complex mystery behind that crime, which made Dusk very interested in that case. That made him think he was in a real mystery novel. Then Dusk looked up and saw that Pinkie and the other chefs were still crying, hugging each other looking at their beloved desserts. The colt put on a thoughtful look and activated his magic. Instantly, a small detective hat appeared on Dusk's head.

"We must return to the other cars." Dusk said to Applejack. "This time we must search for clues."

Applejack widened her eyes and then returned Dusk’s serious look. They both knew that Pinkie Pie was too upset to investigate, so it was up to the two of them to find the real culprit.

After opening the noisy car door, Dusk and Applejack looked for clues in the next car, knowing that the culprit must have entered and fled through that car. They were both surprised to find a black stone in the corner of the car.

"Is that coal?" Applejack asked as she took that pebble. "Why is it here? You don’t think…"

"That the conductor is to blame..." Dusk said with a thoughtful look. "I don't know, but it's the only clue we have... We should keep looking at the other cars."

Going to the next car, in which initially only the other three chefs had been, Dusk and Applejack found other clues again: Blue and purple colored hair from the manes of ponies that shouldn’t have stepped on that car.

"In the fourth car there is a mare with a purple mane and in the fifth car a colt with a blue mane." Applejack said, remembering when they had gone looking for culprits with Pinkie Pie.

"Maybe it was them, but I still don't understand how they did it... Are they accomplices with the conductor?" Dusk pondered and opened the door to the next car with his magic. "Let's keep looking for clues." 

Dusk and Applejack continued to advance through the cars, and the same thing happened to them in each car. They both found pony hair that shouldn't be in those cars. It was as if there was evidence that each pony had been in another car that did not correspond. That contradicted what Dusk thought he would find when he began his investigation. At first, he thought it would be difficult to find evidence, but the opposite happened, what he had in his hoof was an avalanche of evidence, which made it impossible for him to find a single culprit. Was everyone on the train guilty!? 

"I've talked to every pony in every car." Applejack said, noticing Dusk's confused look and guessing what he was thinking. “They can't all be guilty. They all told me they didn't get out of their cars, and none of them have lied to me, that much I can tell." Applejack added, who functioned as a walking lie detector.

Dusk and Applejack finally reached the engine, where they began looking for clues again, until under a pile of coal, Dusk was surprised to finally find something he had been looking for since he began his investigation: the key to the last car, the one that had been stolen from Pinkie Pie.

“It's the key that Pinkie Pie had! That means the conductor must be the culprit!” Applejack whispered so that the stallion would hear them as he shoveled coal.

"I'm not sure..." Dusk replied, lowering his gaze thoughtfully.

"The only real clue we have is what we heard in the dark..." Dusk thought, remembering what he had thought after the second attack on the desserts. "But maybe the real clue... It's what we DIDN’T hear in the attacks!" He thought, opening his eyes wide upon discovering something important.

Dusk finally put together all the clues he needed, but the answer he found was not what he had expected. If his theory was correct, he had inadvertently been partly to blame for what had happened.

“We should head back to the car.” Dusk said with a sad smile that confused Applejack.

Back in the last car, Pinkie Pie and the chefs stopped hugging when the noisy car door opened and Dusk and Applejack arrived. By this time, Pinkie and the chefs seemed calmer now, but they kept their sad eyes. 

"Did you find any clues? Did you find the culprit?" Pinkie Pie asked Dusk and Applejack with a sad look.

"Actually, there’s more than one culprit." Dusk said to Pinkie and the chefs. “We found hair from different ponies in all the cars. That makes it look like none of the ponies stayed in their own wagons. That would be proof that all of them could have come here in the dark and snacked on the desserts.”

“Everyone on the train is a suspect!?” Pinkie Pie asked in surprise.

“It would seem so, but there is other evidence that also exonerates all of them.” Dusk said and opened and closed the door. "The door of this car is very noisy when opening and closing."

"And what's important about that?" Mulia Mild asked.

"Well, during each blackout, we heard various noises, but the noise we never heard was this loud door opening." Dusk said, staring at Mulia and the other chefs. “That means no matter how hard the culprit tried to create false evidence, to make us believe that the ponies in the other wagons came out of their own wagons. In reality, no one moved from their cars, and no one entered this car to sabotage the desserts.”

“How come no one entered the car? Aren't you seeing the bites!? Someone must be to blame!” Donut Joe said with a nervous look.

“Of course there is a culprit. Like I said, more than one.” Dusk said, raising his hoof to point at the chefs. “You were the ones who ate the desserts.”

"What!? Y-You guys ate my delicious eclairs!?” Gustave LeGrand said, looking nervously at Mulia and Donut Joe. Then, the griffin got distracted when he felt that Dusk approached and touched the tip of his mustache.

"Actually, it was you yourself who took a bite out of your own dessert." Dusk said, showing his hoof so that everyone could see that what Gustave had éclair cream on the tip of his mustache. “That's why we didn't hear the noisy car door open. When the train went through the second tunnel, each of you three sabotaged your own desserts.”

"What!? Why would they do that!?” Applejack exclaimed and looked to the ashamed chefs.

"Guilt... They were the ones who bit into the MMMM." Dusk said, looking at Applejack and then back at the chefs. “None of them did it out of malice.  With the sweet description Pinkie Pie gave, none of them resisted the temptation when they saw the cake unattended, so the three of them decided to give it a little bite. At that time, they couldn't control themselves, but after committing the crime, they felt very guilty, especially after seeing Pinkie Pie cry. So when we went through the second tunnel, the guilt got the better of them and they sabotaged their own desserts.”

"But... That doesn't make sense." Applejack said, scratching her head. “We didn’t hear the car door open during the first tunnel.  So how could they had gotten to the cake then?”

"It's because that wasn't when they committed their crime." Dusk said, looking at his country friend. “After we got through the first tunnel, you, me and Pinkie Pie went to the next cars looking for the culprit. It was there that we left the MMMM unattended, and the three chefs committed the crime.”

The orange mare was still lost. "What!? But then who attacked Pinkie Pie? Also, the cake had already been eaten before we got out of the car.” 

"Think about it. Neither of us saw that the cake had been ruined, not before coming back here after going all the way through the train. All we did was take Pinkie Pie's word for it." Dusk said, this time looking seriously at his pink friend. “It was one of Pinkie’s pranks. What she didn't expect, however, was that by leaving the dessert car unlocked, the other chefs would take the opportunity to take a bite out of the MMMM. That's why she started crying ONLY when we came back to this car for the second time. She knew that the three chefs were to blame, but she couldn't say so or she would have to admit that she lied to us in the first place. However, when we passed the second tunnel and she understood that the other chefs sabotaged their own desserts out of guilt, they all hugged and cried together. It was their way of apologizing to everyone.”

“It was all faked!?” Applejack said, understanding what had really happened. She looked at Pinkie Pie in amazement. "Now I understand. When we went looking for the culprit, you grabbed all the ponies and shook them up. That's how you pulled out some of their hairs. And when we got back here, you dropped them, just like you dropped the key on the driver's car. But… I don't understand. Why? What was Pinkie Pie getting out of all this?” 

Dusk gave his pretty country friend an embarrassed smile. "She made it possible for us to speak normally again... She put together this whole mystery, so that we could return to the way we were before." Dusk explained, making Applejack open her eyes in surprise and blush slightly.

What Dusk said was true. Without him or Applejack realizing it, they had gone back to talking to each other as they always did. They hadn’t felt any discomfort or shame when they looked and talked to each other since they were so immersed in the mystery.  They were just two good friends trying to help their pink friend.

“Mwahahaha! And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you two meddling ponies!" Pinkie Pie said with a fake villain laugh. Then Pinkie Pie stopped her act and looked at her two dear friends with a sweet smile. “It makes me happy that you two remember that no matter what happens, you will always be friends.” 

Although Pinkie Pie's plan was a success, there was something that had gone out of her calculations: the appetite of the other chefs. Then Pinkie Pie glanced at the bitten MMMM, and she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when she saw that Mr. and Mrs. Cake's effort had been destroyed by her little detective game.

"I'm so sorry, Mademoiselle Pie." Gustave Le Grand bowed to Pinkie Pie in apology. "Your cake was so delicious; I couldn't take even a small bite." Gustave added, as Mulia and Donut Joe also bowed their heads guiltily.

"D-Don't worry..." Pinkie Pie said with a nervous smile. Making it impossible for her to be mad at those three chefs seeing them so repentant. Then she looked at the other desserts and gave a small sigh. “Huff… It's a real shame that all four desserts are ruined. I wish everyone in Canterlot had tasted even a little bit of these delicious desserts…”

"Don't give up yet, y’all!" Applejack suddenly said to Pinkie Pie and the other chefs. “I've been to a lot of competitions, and you should never give up until it’s over. There's still time before we get to Canterlot! You can still fix your desserts!”

"It's true!" Dusk said, approaching Applejack to look firmly at the chefs as well. “You are the best pastry chefs in Equestria, aren't you? You can achieve the impossible!”

With words of encouragement from Dusk and Applejack, Pinkie Pie and the three chefs looked at each other, and then they smiled determinedly. Pinkie Pie then pulled a spatula and wire whisk out of her mane; Gustave pulled out a pastry bag from under his hat; Donut Joe took from the pockets of his suit two glass jars filled with color sprinkles; and Mulia Mild a large rolling pin from her purse. Then the four of them made strange poses, which together looked funny, but at the same time, quite cool, as if they were posing with large-caliber weapons.

Pinkie Pie and the other chefs gathered up their leftover dessert plates and began working together to fix them. For their part, Dusk and Applejack decided to get out of the car so as not to disturb them. Once outside, Dusk and Applejack sat on the seats of the car, but unlike that sad night when they returned from the Canterlot wedding, they both sat together.

"It's crazy, right?" Dusk said looking up at the ceiling with a small smile. "How easily we fell for Pinkie Pie's plan without realizing it."

"Hehe, yeah. I've always said that she's a little crazy, but she's pretty smart." Applejack laughed, also looking up at the ceiling. Then she lowered her head and looked directly at Dusk. "But we needed Pinkie Pie to do that for us to go back to talking like we always did."

"Yeah..." Dusk said with a sad smile, lowering his head. Then he, too, turned to look Applejack in the eye. “I'm sorry I acted weird and didn't come out of the library for so many days. I… I was very confused. I felt so many things, I wasn't sure how to react. And what scared me the most... was thinking that maybe you didn't want to see me anymore."

"Don't be silly, Dusk. I would never want you out of my life." Applejack said with a sad smile. “I also felt horrible after what I did at the wedding. The only thing I thought about was that I wanted to be alone because I was also afraid of seeing you again. And when I saw that you didn't want to leave the library, I felt even more guilty." At that moment Applejack lowered her eyes and gave a great sigh. “Dusk, when I saw you today on the train, I felt my heart stop and then it would start beating like crazy again. I… I know we're not dating anymore, but I want you to know that my feelings for you haven't changed, and never will. You’re a part of my life, and I don't want that to change!" Applejack added, looking at Dusk with a tender and shy smile.

"I don't want you out of my life either." Dusk said, also lovingly looking at Applejack with a tender smile. He then lowered his gaze and averted his eyes with a sad smile. “We should have done this a long time ago. So much trouble thinking that one might hate the other… Huff … I guess the way we ended up wasn't right. It was too abrupt.”

"Yeah..." Applejack agreed and lowered her gaze. She had a worried look and couldn’t at Dusk at that moment. “Perhaps that breakup…was a mistake.” Applejack added in a low voice.

Dusk gave a surprised look, staring at her while she just kept looking at the floor.

“Did she mean that it was a mistake THE WAY we broke up? Or maybe… She says it's a mistake that we broke up at all?” Dusk thought, not sure what her friend was referring to.

Before Dusk could speak, the train whistle blew and it began to stop. At that precise moment, the noisy door of the last car opened, and Pinkie Pie came out.

“Huff! We finished just in time!” Pinkie Pie said, wiping sweat from her forehead and looked out the window. "Come on guys, we need your help carrying our dessert." 

"'Our' dessert? Whatcha mean by that?" Applejack asked as she got out of her seat.

The pink mare giggled. “Hehehe, it’s a surprise!”

While her two friends went back to the last car, Dusk Shine stayed behind for a moment, still thinking about the last words his ex-girlfriend had said to him. 

After everyone gathered in the last car, Pinkie, Dusk, Applejack and the three chefs took it upon themselves to get their new masterpiece off the train, a dessert that apparently they had managed to make in such a short time and that was now hidden under a large tablecloth. But due to the height and width of that hidden dessert, Dusk could guess that it was a larger dessert than any of the other four that Pinkie Pie and the others had previously had.

Thus, the six of them finally arrived at the competition venue at one of the outer gardens of the Canterlot Palace. Once there, Pinkie and the chefs finally revealed their masterpiece. The four of them had decided to put their egos aside and simply merge their creations into one, because what really mattered to them was not winning the prize, but rather that the other ponies taste their delicious creations and enjoy them. So it was that this new dessert was based on the three floors of the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, but a whole part of it had been cleverly cut and filled with cream and parts of Gustave's eclairs. Also, the first two floors had been decked out with the sparkly donuts from Donutopia. All to finally put Mulia's chocolate moose head on the top of the cake. Everything had been put together very harmoniously to make it look like a very complex and elaborate layered dessert.

As soon as Pinkie Pie and the three chefs' dessert wonder was revealed, all the ponies around immediately came over and stared at the dessert wonder in amazement. They smelled the mixture of sweet aromas and drooled as they wanted to give that culinary masterpiece a taste.

“Wow… If it tastes as good as it looks, I think we definitely have a winner.” A female voice suddenly said next to Dusk Shine.

"Princess Celestia!" Dusk said happily, turning around upon immediately recognizing his mentor. "What are you doing here?" 

"Well, who do you think organized this national dessert competition?" Celestia responded with a small smile. “Huff … It's so exhausting having to do these contests. But it’s my duty as a princess to attend and be a judge at these important events.” Celestia added, faking an exhausted look.

"Hmm... I think you could easily have another pony on the jury." Dusk raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "I remember that you were never a judge for the national soup and salad contests, which were also organized here." Dusk added with a small mischievous smile.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you think I'm here only because I forced the organizers to put me as a judge?" Celestia pretended to be outraged as she levitated a piece of strawberry shortcake and ate it. "Nom-nom... That wouldn't be worthy of a princess." Celestia added, enjoying her cake and giving her beloved student an amused little smile.

While Dusk looked at her with a smile, Celestia's gaze went to Dusk's side where she verified what Spike had informed her in a letter the day before. The alicorn saw with her own eyes that one of the white stars of Dusk's cutie mark was now reddish pink, similar to the central star of his cutie mark. Celestia's eyes widened in astonishment and quickly returned to normal.

"Dusk, I think it would be important for us to talk for a moment, after the competition." Celestia said with a small smile.

For his part, after having lived so many years near Celestia, Dusk immediately noticed that something had caught his teacher's attention. It was only then that Dusk remembered about his cutie mark, he looked at his flank out of the corner of his eye and then he put on a more serious look. “Yes, I think it is necessary.” 

"Besides, that's not the only question that needs answers..." Dusk thought seriously, remembering that there were some things that he wanted to ask his teacher since his brother's wedding, but with everything that happened with Applejack, he had put it aside.

After saying goodbye, Dusk smiled at his teacher and went back to meet with his friends. While Celestia continued on her way to continue her work as a judge, examining the other desserts in the competition. However, before continuing, she took one last fleeting look at her student, where she saw that he was smiling normally and chatting happily with his friends.

"Dusk seems to be the same as always... I guess I can take it a bit calmly." Celestia thought in relief.

After returning with his friends, Dusk saw that the three chefs were happy, receiving compliments for their great culinary creation. Then they realized that someone important was missing, so they called Pinkie Pie to come with them and share the credit as well. That left Applejack and Dusk alone, who smiled happily when they saw how Pinkie Pie was surrounded by ponies congratulating her.

"I'm glad to see Pinkie Pie smiling like always again." Dusk said. “We really made her uncomfortable with all of that tension between us, didn’t we?”

“Yeah… that's how Pinkie Pie is. She always gets worried when she sees that someone isn’t smiling.” Applejack said before suddenly she remembered something and her smile faded. “She always… wants to see us smile. Even at the cost of her own smile…” Applejack whispered in surprise, as she looked at her friend.

"Huh?" Dusk didn’t catch was the mare whispered. 

"This isn't the first time Pinkie Pie has helped us. Do you remember when I saw my Grandpa Pear and ended up mad at you?" Applejack said with a small smile. "It was Pinkie Pie who helped get the ingredients for my pie, and it was her who found out that you and I had argued and brought you to me so we could cook together."

"You're right..." Dusk said, turning to look at his pink friend and smiling warmly. He reminisced how kind, concerned and affectionate Pinkie Pie was always with everyone, especially with her friends.

“Pinkie Pie has many smiles, but there is one smile in particular that I like the most and the least at the same time.” Applejack explained. "Pinkie Pie's biggest smile is the one she puts on when YOU are with her, Dusk. That smile disgusted me, because my jealousy made me uncomfortable seeing how happy she could be with the stallion I love. But that smile is also my favorite..." She added, turning to look tenderly at Dusk. “…It's my favorite smile because just next to you, she has such a warm and loving smile.”

Dusk widened his eyes in surprise, then he turned to look at Pinkie Pie again. What Applejack said was very true, but only now did he realize it. Being friends with Pinkie Pie, he also noticed the subtle differences in all of Pinkie Pie's smiles which showed her different moods. But there was a smile that he had missed and that he hadn't seen on Pinkie Pie since he became Applejack's coltfriend... That loving smile that she put on when they two were alone together.

Just when Dusk and Applejack had focused their eyes on Pinkie Pie, something alerted them both. Her pink friend was still smiling while chatting with certain ponies, but that smile she had now was different from her normal smile. It was…. awkward. That made Dusk and Applejack get a little closer and raise their ears well to hear what the ponies were talking about in front of Pinkie Pie.

“Yes, now I remember! You were that mare that made everyone in the ballroom dance to help with that love confession!” A sharply dressed stallion said.

"Oh, yeah! At the Grand Galloping Gala! It was kind of fun, although I have to admit that I would never do something that ridiculous again, hohoho!” The mare partner of the stallion laughed elegantly. “So you're not just a party entertainer, you're also a pastry chef? Magnificent!" The mare started to look around.  “By the way, how did that confession go for you, dear?  Is your new coltfriend around here?

"N-No, he... he couldn't come." Pinkie Pie said with a nervous smile. “Actually… The confession didn't work. He… He didn't want to be my boyfriend, hahaha!” Pinkie Pie laughed.

"Really? hohoho! How ridiculous!" The elegant mare and the rest of the ponies present laughed, believing that it was no big deal since Pinkie was laughing about it. "Sorry dear, it's his loss."

“So that dance was for nothing? Hohoho!" The stallion with the elegant mare also laughed. "If the dance was already ridiculous, I feel even more foolish knowing that the confession resulted in a failure, Hohoho!"

"Yeah! It was all for nothing, hahaha! But at least it was fun, hehe!” Pinkie Pie laughed with a big smile. The same smile that gave the ponies around her confidence to start laughing... The same smile that only Dusk and Applejack noticed that it wasn't really a smile of joy, but a smile of nerves, shame and... pity.

At that moment, Dusk prepared to approach Pinkie to get her out of that awkward situation, however, he hesitated for a second. There was something still holding him back.

“You know… just like Pinkie, I want to see my friends smile too. And for that… I think we both know what we have to do.” Applejack said with a small, sad smile, lowering her hat slightly to hide her guilty look. The mare knew that it was HER who was stopping Dusk from getting close to Pinkie Pie. The lavender stallion looked at the mare and she sighed, raised her head and looked Dusk in the eye. "Dusk, maybe I'm not your marefriend anymore, but there are two things that will never change. I’ll never stop loving you, and I’ll always be there for you when you need me." 





“I get it… This… This is the real ending.” Dusk thought, realizing what Applejack meant. However, unlike when she broke up with him at the wedding, this time Dusk didn't feel pain. This time, he felt inner peace. Knowing that the mare who broke up with him did it out of love. Not for the love of her coltfriend, but for the love of her friends. The same love that he also felt for each of his dear friends.  With a smile full of determination, Dusk nodded and turned around again to go to where Pinkie Pie was.

"You know, I have a very handsome nephew I could introduce you to." The elegant mare said to Pinkie Pie, thinking she was helping when really she was just hitting a nerve. “You’re a great dessert chef, I think you two could make a cute couple. Though you should put aside those weird dances of yours, darling. Hohoho!"

"Hehe, yeah..." Pinkie Pie said, finding it increasingly difficult to keep her smile. Deep down, she felt sadder and sadder. "I... I don't know if I could-"

"I’m afraid that will be impossible." Dusk Shine said suddenly. The colt walked right up next to the mare and gave her a smile as sweet as her desserts. “I love Pinkie Pie's crazy dances. In fact, I love everything about her.” The pink mare in question was in complete shock.

"And… who are you?" The elegant mare asked.

"Me?  Well, I'm Pinkie Pie's coltfriend, of course." Dusk responded with a big smile.

"Come again!?" The mare asked in surprise. "Oh wait! Now I remember you! You are the colt she confessed to!  So we did help them in the end!” The mare added, looking excitedly at her husband.

"Well, at least it's a relief to know we made a fool of ourselves for a good cause." The elegant stallion answered. At the time that everyone around him began to chat animatedly with each other.

For a few seconds, all the ponies present forgot about the dessert competition and began asking for details about the dance that Pinkie Pie had organized at the Grand Galloping Gala. With several mares surprised by that romantic gesture, and others surprised that the simple pink mare had managed to convince so many ponies to make a 'flashmob' in the castle. For his part, Dusk animatedly answered the questions of those present, always highlighting how surprising and romantic all this was. Whereas Pinkie Pie, for some reason, froze. She just stopped smiling and stared at the floor as if in shock.

At that moment, the train whistle was heard from afar at the station, announcing that the next train was about to leave. It was that whistle that seemed to finally snap Pinkie Pie back to reality.

"I-I just remembered, there's something I have to do in Ponyville." Pinkie Pie said, raising her head high and making a break for the train. "Sorry, I have to go, bye!" Pinkie Pie quickly added with a big smile and ran at high speed to go to the train station.

That surprising exit shocked everyone, especially Dusk. Who didn't understand at all why Pinkie Pie suddenly ran away. Then Dusk looked at the chefs, seeing that they oversaw the dessert in competition, and then he looked at Applejack, who simply smiled and nodded. 

"I know I'm leaving Applejack alone to take care of the cake, and that I'm also missing my meet with the Princess...But now, my first duty is to Pinkie Pie. With my marefriend.” Dusk thought as he began to run, still thinking it was a tad strange to think of Pinkie as his marefriend.  He realized that he could never be able to catch up with Pinkie at her ludicrous speeds, so he decided to teleport on to the train once it was in sight just as it was leaving the station.  Of course, the train conductor was hardly happy about this and made the colt pay a small fine. 

Once on the train, Dusk began to advance through the cars until he was finally relieved when he recognized his friend's thick pink mane in one of the last seats of one of the cars. For her part, Pinkie Pie didn’t realize that Dusk was approaching since her gaze was lost looking out the window of the train. It was only when she felt someone sit next to her that she turned her head.

“Dusk!? What are you doing here?" Pinkie Pie asked in shock.

“When you ran out of the competition, I followed you here.” Dusk responded with a worried look. “Pinkie, is something wrong? Did you… Did you run away because I said I was your coltfriend?”

Faced with Dusk's question, Pinkie Pie gave a nervous look and just looked away without saying anything.

"I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you." Dusk said with a sad look. "I shouldn't have said that we were a couple without consulting you first."

"Why would you consult me? My feelings for you haven't changed. I’ve always wanted you to be my coltfriend." Pinkie Pie said, looking at Dusk with a nervous smile and a worried look. An answer that left Dusk even more confused.

"I… I don't understand. If you didn't mind that, why did you run away?" Dusk asked. Pinkie sighed and looked away again with more concern etched on her face.

"Dusk, I always wanted you to be my coltfriend... but not like this." Pinkie Pie finally said sadly to the floor. Then she raised her head and looked scared at the lavender stallion. "Dusk... Did you say you were my coltfriend out of pity?"  The question made Dusk open his eyes very wide in surprise. 

"N-No, of course not!" Dusk said very nervous. Then he closed his eyes and put a hoof on his face in anguish. Only now did he realize his big mistake. When he said he was Pinkie Pie's coltfriend, she thought he was doing it to help her. But now he realized that it was actually the worst way to ask Pinkie Pie to be his marefriend. “Pinkie, I now realize that the time wasn’t right. I swear I didn't mean to hurt you."

Pinkie Pie only responded with a sad smile. Then they both fell into very awkward silence.

"Pinkie... Do you want me to go?" Dusk asked sadly, thinking that maybe Pinkie was too hurt with him at the moment. For her part, Pinkie stared at Dusk indecisively for a few seconds, seeing how distressed and sad he was.

"I guess... I don't need to be with a friend right now." Pinkie finally answered and turned to look out the window again.

With Pinkie's response, Dusk sadly lowered his head and went to get up from the seat and leave. However, as soon as he moved his body, he froze, realizing something important. He then settled back in his seat instead of getting up.

"Pinkie doesn't want to be with a friend right now. But I don't want to be sitting next to her like a friend. I… I really want to be sitting next to her… as her coltfriend!" Dusk thought with a look full of determination, deciding to stay there even though Pinkie Pie wanted to be alone.

Pinkie Pie saw through the reflection of the window that Dusk remained seated. That made her put on a small smile when she saw that he had understood the true meaning of what she had said. That had been a test that she did, because she needed to see the truth. She needed to know if Dusk really wanted to be her coltfriend or had he only said that in the competition to help her.

Despite that small victory, Pinkie Pie quickly erased that small smile, sighed, and kept looking at the distant landscape through the window.

When the five friends had made the deal to be all Dusk's marefriends, there were several things they had never thought about. Various problems were encountered by Applejack as she was Dusk's first lover. Difficulties that Applejack and Dusk were able to overcome. And now, it was Pinkie Pie's turn to discover yet another new problem they never thought they would have.

“Dusk isn’t Applejack’s coltfriend anymore. He wants to be my coltfriend now, but… How can I know this is real?” Pinkie Pie thought with anguish. “Did Dusk ask to be my coltfriend out of pity? He just does it to fulfill our deal? Will he still have feelings for Applejack while pretending to have them for me? I… I… HOW CAN I KNOW IF HE REALLY LOVES ME!?” 

End of chapter 23