MMMystery on the Friendship Express
Pony's Log Number 224:Who knew being a detective could be so...mmmmmm...delicious...
Fillies and Gentlecolts.
Sugarcube Corner proudly presents their greatest creation.
"Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness," said Pinkie as she admired a tall multi-layered cake decorated with an apple and orange garnish on top, followed by layers of cake frosted and decorated in meringue, pink fondant and flowers on the sides of each layer with some more fruits at the bottom.
"You've really outdone yourselves, Mr. and Mrs. Cake," Pinkie continued, "This is sure to be the winning entry of this year's national dessert competition!"
"Oh thank you, Pinkie!" said Mrs. Cake with a smile.
"And thanks for transporting it all the way to Canterlot for us," said Mr. Cake to Pinkie, who smiled.
"Absolutely," Pinkie replied, "It's my honor and I-"
"Uh, beg pardon," Applejack interrupted, "but could we maybe move things along? This here cake's a mite heavy. Right, Big Macintosh?" Applejack pointed toward her big brother, who was struggling to stand with the large cake on his back.
"Eeyup...!" Big Mac grunted.
"Alrighty then, Big Mac," said Pinkie as she put on a headlight hard hat and stood before the now heavily sweating stallion, "To the train depot!"
"That's it, Big Mac, nice and slow. This is precious cargo you're carrying," said Pinkie as she guided Big Mac walking backwards. The entrance to Sugarcube Corner had been blocked up as other ponies stood watching and quietly cheering for the cakes as Big Mac left the shop with the giant cake on his back. Mr. and Mrs. Cake slowly followed a short distance from behind. While they did trust Pinkie, they didn't hide the fact that they were nervous watching Big Mac carry their cake down the street.
"Yes it took months of planning and testing," said Mr. Cake.
"I would hate for it to-" Mrs. Cake then was interrupted when Big Mac lost his footing and the cake wobbled dangerously on his back.
"Fall!" Mr. and Mrs. Cake said together as everypony froze as Big Mac finally managed to get the cake balanced again. Mr. Cake was so worried that he passed out.
"Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Cake," said Pinkie when she saw two familiar Pegasi flying in her direction, "Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, a little Pegassistance?" It wasn't long before Rainbow and Fluttershy was holding the sides of the cake with ropes to keep it from tilting as they hovered just behind it. Mr. and Mrs. Cake's nerves hadn't settled one bit. It didn't help that the cake did tilt a bit but Rainbow managed to pull her rope to get the cake balanced again.
"I'll get it there safely, you'll see!" said Pinkie.
"Ahahah, oh...oh course, Pinkie," said Mrs. Cake nervously.
"We never doubted you," Mr. Caked added, but their stressed faces and stuttering tones said otherwise. It was then the cake tilted again, but it was tilting so much that Fluttershy was struggling to center it as she pulled her end. Rainbow had to fly over and pull on Fluttershy's side to get the cake balanced again. Mrs. Cake felt like her heart had stopped and poor Mr. Cake passed out again. Pinkie cringed at such a close call before she saw a familiar purple unicorn sitting and reading a book with her saddle bag on her left and a hayshake on her right.
"Twilight, can I see you a second?" Pinkie Pie asked. Soon Twilight was standing behind the cake using her magic to place a barrier around the cake.
"A nice protective spell as extra insurance," said Pinkie with a laugh, "Better safe than sorry." Twilight took noticed that the Cakes kept switching between watching the cake and glaring at her, making Twilight feel rather uneasy. Pinkie was aware of this.
"AJ, Rarity, one last thing?" said Pinkie as the two ponies were now standing behind the cake holding a trampoline to catch it with Twilight behind them and the Cakes behind the three ponies.
"All right, everypony," said Pinkie as she looked behind herself and saw the train depot was just a short distance away, "We're in the home stretch here." Mr. Cake started hyperventilating and Mrs. Cake was looking more tense than ever. Pinkie then hopped onto the train platform and opened the door to the dessert car as everypony else arrived on the station platform.
"See, Mr. and Mrs. Cake?" said Pinkie, "I got it here without a hitch!" It was just then Mario arrived with a TOOT-TOOT.
"There you are!" said Mario, "I was looking everywhere for you guys!"
"What for Mario?" Twilight asked.
"I was supposed to help Pinkie transport the cake to the train," said Mario as he tilted his head towards a large flat car behind him. Everypony gave Pinkie dirty looks. Using the flat car would have made everypony's job much easier.
"Heh...I...uh...guess I forgot I had asked for his help," said Pinkie sheepishly before recomposing herself, " Now all we have to do is get it...in?" Pinkie then realized that with the shield and the fact the cake was still on Big Mac's back that there was no way they could even fit the cake in the door. Mr. and Mrs. Cake just looked dumbfounded until Mr. Cake passed out...again...
Pinkie was just glad Mario let her keep a healthy stash of green and white mushrooms with her at all times.
(Main Theme)
With some help from both Big Mac and Mario, they removed the entire wall on the side of the train car to get the cake inside of the dessert car. Then they got to work hammering the wall back into place before the train had to leave the station. Once they were finished and Mario had climbed aboard with the six girls waiting inside, Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you all for helping me get the cake safely on the dessert car," Pinkie told everypony.
"Thank you for inviting us all to go with you to Canterlot for the National Dessert Competition," said Twilight excitedly.
"I'm sure the festivities will be just lovely," said Rarity.
"Phooey on the festivities!" said Applejack as she gave Rarity a hard nudge to her shoulders, "I can't wait to try all those tasty treats!" Applejack walked up to the cake and goes to stick a fore-hoof at it, when Pinkie swatted the hoof away. Mario chuckled.
"It's been a long time since I've been to the National Dessert Competition," said Mario, "I used to attend with Mom all the time before starting Magic School."
"Did you ever try competing?" Fluttershy asked.
"Only twice," said Mario, "but the competition is always pretty fierce. My first entry, Winter Wonderland Mint Frosted White Chocolate Brownies, only got an honorable mention. The second time was for my Triple Chocolate Salted Peanut Butter Paradise Cake. That actually got third place."
"Oh that second one sounds so good!" Rainbow said, her mouth watering.
"I'll say," said Mario, "despite not winning, it was practically devoured in minutes by everypony else. I never did get to have a slice of it myself..." Mario sighed.
"Well, the tastiest treat of all is sure to be the Cakes' Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness," said Pinkie as she stood before the cake with her fore-hooves on the table, "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." As Pinkie described the sparkling cake, it literally shined in the center of Pinkie's eyes. Applejack was literally drooling as her tongue hung out of her mouth and even Rainbow was licking her lips. Mario looked entranced, eager to dive in and gobble the cake up that very second.
BONK!
"Ow!" Mario muttered as he rubbed his head. Fluttershy had smacked the back of his head.
"Self-control, big brother," Fluttershy warned with a smirk on her face. Mario just rolled his eyes.
"That's why I call the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness the "MMMM"," Pinkie finished.
"MMMM"," the rest of the ponies all said in agreement.
"Exactly," Pinkie replied as she hopped onto the table and stood next to the cake, "It's the most delicious delectable delightful de-lovely cake in Equestria, and it's sure to win first prize." Pinkie stood on her hind legs to present the cake proudly. Applejack was still staring at the cake with her tongue hanging out, Rainbow was licking her lips again, and Mario was just smiling excitedly, though he did gave a stern glare at Fluttershy to make she didn't hit him again.
"Zis is not so," said a voice with a French accent, startling the ponies and making Fluttershy crouch nervously. There at the entrance was a two-toned grey griffin wearing a red ascot, chef's hat, and an overly sized but thin curly mustache on his beak, "for I, Gustave le Grand, do challenge your crude cake to a duel of delectable delicacies against my exceptionally Exquisite Éclairs!" Gustave then presented a plate of shiny éclairs before the ponies, which many of them had to look away due to how shiny they appeared. But that was also because Gustave was holding a bright light against them, which he quickly turned off and tossed aside.
"They will undoubtedly strike down all ze competition, winning first prize and crowning me le champion," Gustave boasted as he set the pastries on the table and tweaked his mustache.
"Not a chance, le Grand," said another voice that entered the dessert car as they turned their heads to see a light tanish-brown unicorn stallion with light brown hair. Twilight and Mario recognized him instantly.
"Donut Joe!" said Twilight and Mario together.
"What are you doing in Ponyville?" Twilight asked.
"Picking up the final all-important ingredient for my contest entry, Donutopia!" Donut Joe replied as he presented a city made entirely of sparkly donuts, "and with these super-sprinkles, my donuts are going to dunk all the other lousy desserts, steal first prize, and make my donut shop famous forever!" Donut Joe then applied a large dose of sprinkles over his donut city and then laughed manically. Mario chuckled inwardly.
"Oh yeah, this certainly brings back memories," Mario said to himself as the other ponies just looked at him.
"Oh Joe..." said another voice as they laughed and walked inside. Before them was a female mule wearing a blue beaded necklace and matching earrings, "Your dippy donuts could never out-rival me!" The mule laughed. Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity just look stunned as Fluttershy trembled fearfully at the mule and her creation behind her.
"Hello," said Pinkie in a casual but confident voice, "What's your name?"
"I'm Mulia Mild," said the mule as she presented what appeared to be a dark brown sculpture of a moose, "Behold, my Chocolate Mousse Moose! It will trample all of your treats, be given first prize and make me the greatest chef in Equestria."
"I honestly think it's missing a flying squirrel," Mario whispered to Twilight with a dorky voice. Twilight giggled. There used to be a popular newspaper series featuring a moose and squirrel who would solve crimes and mysteries while never fully realizing what was going on. Mario and Twilight used to enjoy reading the daily stories together until they were cancelled several years ago. Gustave looked annoyed as Donut Joe glared at her. Pinkie just looked rather stunned as Applejack and Rainbow watched the tension unfold behind the pink pony.
"Madame Mild," said Gustave, "you and your mousse moose are mistaken."
"Your frou-frou éclairs will never defeat my donuts!" Donut Joe retorted indignantly.
"The Cake's Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness is going to win!" Pinkie Pie shot back.
"Your simple cake could never take my moose," Mulia Mild replied when she gasped as hearing the sound of a whistle as the train pulled out of the station and started making its way to Canterlot. Gustave, Donut Joe, Pinkie, and Mulia continued to stare each other down.
"Oh yeah," Mario remarked, "the competition is still as fierce as ever."
"Well, it sure looks like we're in for a delicious competition tomorrow," Twilight interjected to ease the tension in the train car, "Maybe we should all settle in for a good night's sleep."
"Umm...the sun is still out," Mario pointed out, but no one paid much attention as the three chefs left for their sleeping rooms.
"Hmph," Donut Joe retorted.
"Nyahh," Mulia remarked.
"Huh!" Gustave added before they all slammed their doors closed, leaving only the seven ponies inside the dessert car.
"Do you know the other chefs?" Twilight asked Mario, "I mean we obviously know Joe."
"Indeed," said Mario, "Gustave is well known for his culinary expertise in pastries. Mulia is a well-known chocolate sculptor. I'm a big fan of her work since you know how much I love chocolate. If she's got the right amount of artistic merit as well as the perfect blend of chocolate taste and creamy texture. She's got a fighting chance. Same with Gustave if he's got the perfect ratio of puffed pasty to cream to even the right amount of chocolate glaze."
"You said you enjoyed Mulia's sculptures," said Rarity, "and you are certainly artistically talented. Have you ever considered making a chocolate sculpture yourself?"
"I was inspired to try making a chocolate sculpture once," Mario answered, "but...it didn't end too well. Sculpting with chocolate requires steady hooves and with my anxiety...I had trouble making it structurally sound."
"So, let me guess," Rainbow interjected, "You tried make a sculpture of Twilight didn't you?" Mario blushed and rolled his eyes, despite Twilight glaring at Rainbow indignantly. Rainbow laughed.
"I can see it now," said Rainbow as she hovered over Rarity and Applejack as she snickered, "Mario crafting it, saying: "Oh Twilight, how much I love thee! Will you be my special somepony?" (snicker) Then the head comes falling right off!" Rainbow laughed harder as she fell into her back as Applejack, Rarity, and even Fluttershy were laughing. Mario growled inwardly as his face got a darker shade of red. Twilight looked rather annoyed.
"You mean that really did..." Rainbow then laughed even harder as she slapped the floor with her fore-hoof and was now in tears, "...HAHA...too funny...hahahaha...can't breathe..."
"Oh I'll make you stop breathing!" Mario warned in irritation and embarrassment.
"Leave him alone!" Twilight snapped, "I think it was very sweet of him to try something like that, even if it did fall apart." Rainbow and Applejack just looked at Twilight stunned as Fluttershy and Rarity giggled to each other. Pinkie wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation as Rainbow just yawned.
"I gotta admit I'm pretty beat," said Rainbow.
"Yeah, I'm gonna hit the hay myself," Applejack nodded.
"Hey! What happened to our Monopoly night?" said Mario,
"I'm just too tuckered out, Mario," Applejack replied.
"Yeah, I...uhh...don't feel like losing to you," Rainbow added, but her response made Mario rather suspicious.
"Yeah, I...rather tired myself," Fluttershy added.
"Same here, maybe next time we take a train overnight," Rarity replied.
"Aww...okay," said Mario, clearly disappointed but also puzzled. It was then Pinkie stood before the front door and blocked their exit.
"Wait!" Pinkie exclaimed, "Didn't you hear those chefs? We have to protect "MMMM"."
"MMMM?" Rarity replied puzzled.
"Mmm-hmmm," Pinkie answered, "I know for sure that "MMMM" is the best dessert in all Equestria, and I know they know it too." The others just gave Pinkie a mix of annoyed, funny, and worried looks.
"So..." Rainbow says skeptically.
"So...one of them is going to sabotage the Cakes' cake tonight!" Pinkie told them, "You have to help me stand guard!"
"Pinkie...you're overreacting," said Twilight.
"I don't know," said Mario, "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
"Don't encourage her, Pony Wan-Kenobi," Twilight retorted as Mario gave her a raspberry.
"Yeah, those chefs aren't going to do your cake any harm," said Applejack assuredly.
"But they are!" said Pinkie worried as she grabbed Applejack's face by the cheeks and sticks her face in it, "I just know it."
"Fine!" said Rainbow, "If you want to stand guard, go for it. We're going to bed." Rainbow then quickly zoomed over Pinkie, leaving an indent in Pinkie's mane as the rest of the ponies walked around her to get their sleeping rooms. It was after they all left that Pinkie's mane went back into shape as she sat on the floor looking worried.
"I'll show them," said Pinkie as she jumped on the table with the cake and stood before it while standing on her hind legs and fore-legs stretched out protectively, "I'll stay up all night and protect you. Nothing and nopony will stop me from keeping you safe." Pinkie then jumped off the table and walked backwards so she could watch the cake. Mario just watched Pinkie from the window of the door between the two cars when Twilight stood next to him.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," said Twilight gently.
"I don't know, Twi," said Mario worried, "Something just feels off. I mean...even if Rainbow hadn't taken Pinkie's worries seriously. The fact she up and took off like that seemed...unusual."
"Now that you mention it," said Twilight, "she did seem in a bit of a hurry to leave...why don't you go and stand guard with Pinkie?"
"Okay," said Mario, "I'll see you in the morning." Twilight nodded, giving Mario a hug goodnight, as Mario headed back into the dessert car. Pinkie was more than welcome for Mario's extra help as the two divided the car for all-night patrol duty.
Later that night, Pinkie and Mario were sternly pacing back and forth in front of the cake. Mario then noticed that Pinkie was having a literal staring contest with the cake and rolled his eyes at her. As time passed, Pinkie felt herself becoming exhausted. Even Mario sat next to her to make sure the pink pony stayed awake. It was then something zipped by the two of them from behind, which made Pinkie wake up instantly.
"Huh?" Pinkie exclaimed and then saw a shadow closing the door to the car, "Stop, you saboteur!" Pinkie then took off to open the door and looked around. Mario was slowly walking up to her when another shadow figure sneaked up on him and grabbed him by putting their fore-leg over his mouth.
"MMMMMMMMMM!" Mario tried to scream but his voice was muffled as he was suddenly pulled back. It was then Pinkie saw the shadowed figure she had seen take off full speed down from one train car to the next. She slowly followed, not realizing that Mario had been captured and wasn't even following her. Two silhouettes could be seen as they made their way toward the back of the train. Pinkie picked up her pace as she found the shadow trying to out-pace her.
"I have you now!" Pinkie shouted as she opened a door, "Wha?" Pinkie quickly brought herself to a stop to prevent herself from falling off the back of the train. She worriedly looked around before heading back to the dessert car. She quickly looked around and saw Mario, a beanie hat tucked on his head with it covering his eyes, a piece of tape over his mouth, and tied up by all four of his legs, squirming on the floor.
"Mario, what happened?" Pinkie asked.
"Mm mmm mmm-mmmm-mmm!" Mario muttered loudly, unable to speak with the tape over his mouth.
"What?" Pinkie asked puzzled as she ripped off the tape from Mario's mouth.
"YE-OW!" Mario yelped, "I said somepony sneak attacked me from behind." It was then Pinkie saw a shadow appear on the other side of the other door exiting the dessert car, "There they are! Don't move, Mario. I'll be back!" Mario glared indignantly, despite not being able to see.
"Pinkie!" Mario shouted, "Get back here and untie...MMMMMM!" Then another shadowed figure grabbed him by the mouth and dragged him away again. Pinkie sternly opened the door and gave chase as the shadowed figure made a run for the front of the train.
"A-ha!" Pinkie exclaimed, "Ahh?" Pinkie didn't see anypony other than the engineer shoveling coal into the train's firebox. Pinkie quickly looked around before heading back to the dessert car. Mario was just sitting on the floor again with a dazed expression on his face.
"Oh! Thank Celestia you're okay!" said Pinkie as Mario shook his head to recover his senses, making the beanie hat come off.
"I'll be okay, just need to..." Mario didn't finish as he saw Pinkie was talking to the cake, not him.
"But one of those bakers is mixing up something bad," said Pinkie as she sat down and started staring at the cake, "so I'm not leaving you again no matter what!" Mario just rolled his eyes as he broke himself free of the ropes, and rubbed his now sore head. It was then the blinds suddenly closed on their own.
"Oh no you-!" Mario did a 180 since he had detected something behind him when...
POW!
Mario saw dozens of stars, heard the sound of a cuckoo-clock going off before everything went black. For Pinkie, all she could see was black darkness, but was still conscious.
"Huh? Who turned out the moon?" Pinkie interjected, "Don't go near that cake, thief!" Pinkie heard the sound of somepony galloping away.
"Stop, thief!" Pinkie shouted as she found the blinds and opened them. It was then a loud clang was heard.
"Oh, are you okay, thief?" Pinkie asked as she opened the car door again and growled as she peeked about. When Pinkie saw nothing, she turned around to go back inside. It was then she noticed that the painting on the side of the wall was crooked. Pinkie simply fixed it before heading back to the cake. From her view, no harm had been done.
"Huh...Overreacting, my hoof," said Pinkie as she out her fore-legs on the table and glared at the cake, "I knew I was going to have to keep a close eye on you, and that's just what I'm gonna do!" It was about two seconds later that Pinkie fell asleep...instantly. By the time Pinkie started to wake up, it was morning.
"Huh? What?" Pinkie snorted, scratching herself with her hind leg, and then gasped, "The cake!" Pinkie stood up and examined the cake once again. From her point of view, the cake still looked unharmed.
"Oh, MMMM, you look mmmm-marvelous!" said Pinkie. It was then Twilight entered the dessert car. She was still feeling half-asleep as she rubbed her sleepy eyes and then her eyes widened in shock.
"Whoa!" Twilight exclaimed.
"I know," said Pinkie, feeling proud of herself, "I think some congratulations are in order for a job well done!" Twilight walked up to the cake and examined it from top to bottom with her facial expression agape.
"Oww-hoo-hoo-hoooo..." somepony groaned loudly as Twilight looked down and saw she had stepped on a familiar orange colored tail. She quickly walked off the tail and lifted the table cloth underneath the cake and gasped. There under the table was Mario curled up under it with a blackened right eye.
"Um, you better hold off on giving yourself an award just yet Pinkie," said Twilight as Mario slowly crawled out from under the table since his body was stiff from being curled up too long.
"Look at what?" said Pinkie as she saw Mario and gasped, "what happened to you?" Mario held his head with a fore-hoof and before he could answer, Twilight rotated the other side of the cake so Pinkie could see it.
"Huh?" said Pinkie puzzled until she gasped in horror. On that side of the cake, parts of it had been damaged as if somepony had bitten into it. Pinkie looked at the damage dramatically.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Pinkie gave a very loud scream as everypony rushed into the dessert car.
"What is it?" Applejack asked worried.
"What happened?" Rainbow asked as she hovered inside.
"It's the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness," Pinkie said sadly as she showed the damage to everypony, "it's been mutilated!" Pinkie began to cry.
"GASP!" everypony gasped dramatically.
"Not only that," Twilight added, "but somepony had the nerve to hit Mario in the eye and knock him out! Nopony hurts my precious stallion!"
"Did you just call me your precious stallion?" Mario asked as Twilight then blushed and looked at him sheepishly as she used her magic to hand him a cloth after putting some medicine on it. Ironically, she had found the items inside of Mario's discarded saddle bag.
"Yes," said Twilight timidly, "now put this over your eye okay?" Mario just nodded and did as he was told, letting the incident go as Pinkie got everypony's attention.
"Now we just need to find out who done it," said Pinkie with determination.
"You mean, who did it," Twilight corrected as Mario stood beside her holding the cloth to his eye.
"Exactly. Who did-done-dood it," said Pinkie.
"Well, having read many mystery novels, alone and with Mario," said Twilight, "I know that the only way to discover the culprit is to investigate."
"Exactly," said Pinkie as she leaned against Twilight and put on a detective's hat and had a bubble pipe in her mouth. She blew a bubble at Twilight, which snared her head before it popped, stunning the purple pony for a moment.
"And as chief detective, that's exactly what I'm gonna do," said Pinkie.
"Hey, you're not doing this alone," said Mario as he zipped away and reappeared wearing a grey trench coat and a matching fedora hat on his head. His black eye had somehow already miraculously healed already, "As I looked about the room, I saw plenty of ponies eyeballing the destruction of what could possibly be one of the greatest dessert creations of pony-kind. I took another look at the surrounding crowd. They looked at me as if I knew something, maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Only I could decide that. My partner didn't seem too amused at me giving a monologue about what she already knew. My girl, such a beauty she was, looked at me like I was insane. Well, she knew what she was getting into when she started dating me. I always was a few sprinkles short of a cupcake..." Mario blinked. Rainbow and Applejack bit their lips to avoid laughing.
"I did not just say that..." Mario groaned as he face-hoofed himself.
"You did," said Twilight and Pinkie together annoyingly.
"Excuse me for getting into character," Mario remarked as he tapped his hat and made a mechanical fore-hoof appeared holding a magnifying glass, "but enough of the monologue. Let's get down to business."
"Uh, you're investigatin'?" Applejack asked.
"Hey just because I tripped over my words doesn't-" Mario protested.
"Yes!" Pinkie interrupted, "Mario is my secondary detective..."
"Excellent," said Mario with a nod.
"...and Twilight shall be my lowly assistant who asks silly questions with obvious answers," Pinkie finished as she put a boiler hat on Twilight's head, who just looked at Pinkie skeptically.
"Fine, Pinkie," Twilight conceded reluctantly and bluntly asks, "Should we start looking for clues?"
"Perfect silly question, my dear Twilight," said Pinkie as she cleaned out her bubble pipe, "because the obvious answer is..."
"Yes?" Twilight guessed.
"No!" Pinkie answered, "'Cause I know who did it." Everypony gasped dramatically as Twilight shook her head about.
"Pinkie, how could you possibly know?" Twilight asked her.
"Yeah, Pinks," said Mario, "You haven't even taken any time for clue searching or dipped into my knowledge of what I know or remember from last night."
"I don't have to, my secondary detective," said Pinkie, "You and me, we share the same mind and thoughts." Mario's eyes shrunk.
"Please don't ever say that again," Mario said meekly.
"How could I possibly not know?" said Pinkie as she walked about the dessert car and the others just watched her. The other ponies looked rather worried, Mulia remained calm while Gustave looked rather snooty, "Clearly 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. I guess you feared your éclairs lacked flair, Gustave!" Pinkie then got into the griffon's face.
Cue 1920s silent picture montage and music:
Gustave is now wearing a dastardly cape and top hat as he slithered up to Pinkie. He quickly reached out one of his claws to touch the cake. Pinkie noticed and slaped the claw away.
"Ouch!"
Pinkie then yelled at Gustave.
"Get your claws off that cake you cur!"
Gustave then grabbed Pinkie and tied her down to the railroad tracks. The griffon then laughed. Pinkie screamed in terror as the train approached.
"Oh goodness!"
Gustave's claw then appeared on screen as the cake went down a conveyor belt with a buzz saw at the end of it. Gustave smiled triumphantly as he watched the cake approached the buzz saw.
"Muhu ha ha!"
The cake then went SPLAT and frosting covered Gustave's face.
End silent picture montage and music.
Pinkie was still glaring into the griffon's face, making him very uncomfortable.
"Thus, destroying the cake and the Cakes' chance of winning the National Desert Competition," Pinkie interjected as she stuck her face further into Gustave's face, making his eyes bulge out.
"But it makes no sense!" Twilight protested with a shoulder shrug.
"I agree!" Mario added as he nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean my secondary detective and lowly assistant?" Pinkie asked.
"Well, first, if you were tied to the train tracks, how are you here now?" Twilight pointed out.
"Huh...Guess that isn't a totally silly question," Pinkie remarked bluntly as she blew some more bubbles from her pipe.
"And second, the cake hasn't been sliced," said Twilight, "It's been bitten. Just look at the teeth marks!"
"It would have been more obvious by Gustave's...jaw..." Mario added, considering "beak" might be taken the wrong way by the griffin, "if he had eaten the cake. And to add to that. Your silent picture montage said nothing about me and why I was found passed out with a black eye!"
"Hm...You're right, my fine fellows," said Pinkie as she examined the bite marks on the cake and made her way past some of the others, "Gustave's le Grand is clearly in the clear, which means the "MMMM" was destroyed by another baker." Pinkie then sat down to ponder before looking over at a particular unicorn stallion. Umm...the one with the donut cutie mark, not the star cutie mark, "A baker who's donuts are do-nots. That's right, it was Joe!" Pinkie then pointed a fore-hoof at him, making him blink in surprise.
Cue James Bond parody.
"Or as he's known in the spy world, Mane, Con Mane," Pinkie said as a voiceover. A row of donuts that appeared and faded across the screen from left to right. Then a giant donut appeared with Donut Joe in the center of it, wearing a tux as he raised a jelly donut and took a bite, the jelly then splattered and covered the screen...
Excuse me, I need to get some wipes...be right back...
...
Okay...all clean...
The view than shifted to the train chugging along the track late one night. Donut Joe is just enjoying a shake and the company of three mares, who just giggled to themselves in a fan-girl fashion. It was then he received a message on his fore-leg wrist communicator. An LED style screen showed himself next to the cake and using a bomb to make the cake explode. He then put his shake on the head of one mare while he ushered the other mare aside before leaving on his mission. Inside of the dessert room, Pinkie is standing guard over the cake wearing a police cap on her head. Donut Joe stood on his hind legs as he leaned against the wall and placed a automatic glass cuter on the window to cut a hole out of it. He then tossed a polka dot ball at Pinkie, who examined the ball as it gave off gas. The gas knocked Pinkie out as Donut Joe approached the cake. Using a his bow tie to make it rotate like a mini-fan, he exposed a laser defense system surrounding the cake. He then grabbed a hoof-held mirror to redirect the lasers through the cake, slicing it into pieces. He then posed next to the destroyed cake as the two mares clung to him like fan-girls.
End James Bond montage and music.
"Crushing the Cakes' chances to win!" Pinkie finished as she got into Donut Joe's face.
"Pinkie! There is no laser beam security system!" Twilight exclaimed, making her boiler hat fly into the air and back on her head.
"Though I could have set up one if anypony had asked me too," Mario pondered.
"Mario!" Twilight exclaimed.
"What? You know I have lots of gadgets!" said Mario, "check out my hoof-wrist identity scanner!" Mario used his magic to make the gadget appear but instead some roller skates appeared on his hooves.
"No, I wanted my identity scanner," Mario complained as he lost his balance, "W-w-wowsers! Yeee-ow-owww!" Mario then rolled away and crashed into a wall out of view. Twilight just rolled her eyes as Mario came stumbling back.
"Getting back on topic here," said Twilight annoyingly as she approached Donut Joe, "And Joe is not sleek, stealthy Con Mane. He's big, gruff, and messy!" Twilight ruffled his mane to prove her point. Donut Joe felt rather embarassed as Gustave glared at him.
"Hey!" Donut Joe remarked, taking offense at Twilight's remark and her messing with his mane.
"Although, you would look rather dapper in a tuxedo," said Rarity, making Donut Joe feeling better about himself.
"And let's not add that, once again," said Mario, "Your montage excluded what happened to me during the heist! Only that Pinkie was the only one knocked unconscious!"
"Huh...You may be right, second detective and lowly assistant," said Pinkie.
"May be?" said Twilight and Mario together indignantly.
"Now that I'm taking a closer look at these desserts, I see one that cannot look me in the eye!" said Pinkie as she stuck her face into the face of the chocolate moose, making it wobble a bit but not enough to damage it.
"Pinkie...that moose is a mousse!" Twilight pointed out.
"And it's not alive either!" Mario added.
"Yes, the mule behind the moose panicked when she saw the mastery of the "MMMM"," said Pinkie.
"So you're saying the culprit is..." Twilight asked her slowly.
"Mulia Mild!" Pinkie exclaimed as she got into her face of the mule, making her cower back.
And now we cue an old school ninja movie montage.
Mulia, now wearing a black ninja outfit, firmly landed on the top the train as it chugged down the track during the night. She quickly spin jumped from one car to the next as she made her way inside. Once again, Pinkie was on guard of the cake wearing her police hat. Just as Pinkie walked away from the cake, Mulia appeared right behind her. A tri-split screen appeared showing Pinkie, Mulia, and the frying pan the mule was holding in her fore-hoof. With a loud CLANG, the frying pan hit Pinkie in the back of her head, knocking her out. Mulia quickly dropped the pan as she ran over to the cake. Using a ninja sword, she rotated the blade so the cake was mirrored in it, then with several lightning fast slashes, she landed on the foreground with the cake in the background as it broke apart into pieces. She glared at it one last time as a gong was heard in the background.
End Ninja movie montage.
"Putting an end to the Cakes' dreams of taking first prize," Pinkie interjected as she got into Mulia's face, making the mule feel overwhelmed as she quivered nervously.
"Pinkie, stop!" Twilight snapped, "This is ridiculous! Look at her!" Twilight pointed at the poor mule who was still shaking and trembling nervously as she gave a whimper.
"Professional ninjas stay cool under pressure," said Mario, "and, once again, you exclude the fact about what happened to me! Look, if I don't matter to this case. Then I guess I'll leave."
"Please do," Rainbow said dismissively as Fluttershy pointed a fore-hoof to the door. Mario glared.
"Very suspicious..." Mario pondered as he stayed put as Pinkie sighed.
"I guess you're right, both of you," said Pinkie, "And I mean about Mulia not being right and that Mario is being excluded here."
"Thank you," said Twilight and Mario in exasperation.
"I was so sure that it was one of the other bitter bakers that destroyed the "MMMM"," said Pinkie, "That way, their precious dessert would reign supreme."
"But what if it was Mario?" Fluttershy exclaimed, "he wasn't exactly with you all night!"
"How do we know he didn't destroy the "MMMM"?" Rarity added. Mario was taken aback when Twilight got in front of him.
"How could he?" said Twilight, "He was out cold when I found him under the table with a black eye!"
"Somepony attacked me, three times to be precise," said Mario, "The first attack I was tied up, blinded, and somepony stuck a piece of tape over my mouth."
"Ouch...removing that must've hurt," Twilight remarked.
"It did," Mario replied before continuing, "The second attack they grabbed me from behind, covered my mouth and bonked the top of my head, leaving me dizzy. The third time the room went black and somepony bucked me in the face hard."
"Whoever damaged the cake seemed to enjoy roughing you up," Pinkie with a sigh, "I'm sorry Mario. I've been so focused on the cake that I didn't even think about how you got hurt trying to help protect it."
"It's okay, Pinkie," said Mario, "Not your fault I failed to protect it."
"It's not your fault, Mario," said Pinkie, "but I just don't understand why only the "MMMM" was damaged and nopony else's. I mean, just look at Joe's Donutopia. It's spectacular city of donutty delight, topped temptingly in sprinklicious sprinkles." As she described Donut Joe's dessert, Mulia smiled as Rainbow licked her lips, and Applejack eyeballed them hungrily.
"And Gustave's éclairs look incredibly edible, with glistening glaziness," said Pinkie as she held the plate of shiny éclairs with her fore-hoof, which Rarity and Fluttershy smile at the sight, "But then there's Mulia Mild's Mousse Moose." Pinkie sighed as the moose shined and sparkled in the sunlight as she side hugged it, "Why, this mouth-wateringly marvelous mousse moose tempts the taste buds with its silky, smooth, yummy-nummy, chocolateyness." Gustave was now drooling as Donut Joe eyed the moose excitedly. Rainbow and Applejack were also eyeballing the treats hungrily.
GROWL!
Everypony turned their heads when they saw Mario's stomach rumbled loudly.
"Wowsers..." Mario said sheepishly as he blushed, "...guess that'll teach me to take a case on an empty stomach..." The others snickered.
"So why did this criminal devour the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness while leaving this trio of tasty treats untouched?" Pinkie pondered aloud as Fluttershy and Rarity stood behind her in the background.
Suddenly the train went down a dark tunnel, making the entire room go black.
"WOWSERS! Not again!"
"Don't anypony hit my stallion!"
MUNCH-MUNCH-MUNCH
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
As the train came out of the tunnel and everypony could see again, they all gasped. The Donutopia, the éclairs, and chocolate mousse moose had been destroyed. Pinkie gasped again.
"Now I have no idea who do-doned it!" said Pinkie sadly.
"I bet it was Monsieur Mario!" Gustave accused.
"His stomach growled before we went into the tunnel," Donut Joe added.
"And I know a pony who loves his chocolate when I see one!" Mulia replied in agreement.
GROWL!
Before Mario could even reply, his stomach gave another loud growl, making him blush once again.
"Yeah, Mario ate all your desserts and still had room to spare," said Twilight sarcastically, "Wake up everypony! Clearly Mario didn't do it if his stomach is growling that loudly!" The three chefs backed down right away.
"This mystery gets more mysterious every minute," Pinkie pondered to herself.
"Well, you have to stop the wild accusations and get to the truth," said Twilight, "Everypony go back to your cars while the three of us do a little investigating." Rainbow and Fluttershy quickly flew out of the dessert car. Gustave tried to follow but got a dirty look from Mulia before the chefs and ponies so only Mario, Twilight, and Pinkie were left. Twilight then switched the hats so she was now wearing the detective's hat and took the bubble pipe from Pinkie.
"Mario already gave us his testimony that he was attacked during the night three times," said Twilight as she wiped the mouthpiece of the bubble pipe to blow bubbles from it.
"Indeed, but the great Inspector has a few more observations to present to the table if he is allowed to finally speak," Mario said importantly.
"Please do," said Twilight with a smile as she and Mario leaned in close.
"I couldn't help but notice that Rainbow and Applejack seemed to be the most mesmerized by Pinkie's description of the desserts," Mario pointed out, talking softly so Pinkie couldn't hear them, "Plus Rainbow's behavior has felt a little off since we got on the train. She was quick to leave the dessert car last night and she is the only pony besides me who could outrun Pinkie in a chase...mostly. And she was quick to accuse me for destroying the cake and left in a hurry when we asked everypony to leave. Fluttershy left just as quickly as well..."
"Interesting observations," Twilight remarked as Pinkie tried to hear what was going on, but didn't hear anything. It was then the two ponies pulled apart, "Okay, Pinkie, in order to really solve this mystery, we're going to have to find clues. We know Mario was here. Now you were here at the scene of the crime all night, too." Twilight started walking away as Pinkie looked at her in shock.
"Huh!" Pinkie exclaimed, "You're not accusing me, are you?"
"No!" said Twilight as she turned around to face her, blowing some bubbles, "but since Mario was getting beaten up and his eyes were covered up during the crime, maybe you saw something that will help us."
"Time to get serious," said Mario as he used his horn to summon his mechanical magnifying glass, but a extendable fore-leg holding a bouquet of flowers appeared instead. Twilight glared.
"I gotta get these gadgets of mine fixed," said Mario as he pushed the mechanical fore-leg back inside the hat, smacked it hard against the floor before putting the hat back on and used his magic again, this time the mechanical fore-leg was holding a magnifying glass in front of his eye. Twilight just rolled her eyes.
"I saw a silhouette in the moonlight!" Pinkie pointed out.
"Good...let's retrace your steps," said Twilight as Pinkie literally started walking backwards to retrace her steps. Twilight just lowered her head down in annoyance and followed with Mario right beside her. It wasn't long before they reached the caboose.
"And then I chased the culprit down the train towards the caboose," Pinkie explained as the three ponies headed inside of it, "but when I got there, he was gone." Twilight and Mario then looked around when Twilight suddenly blinked.
"Hm...A-ha!" said Twilight as she saw something, "Our first clue." Mario pondered before he used his horn to make a mini propeller appear from his hat. Mario slowly rose into the air as he looked around the ceiling. He then noticed something floating around the current of his propeller and quickly grabbed it with his magic before landing beside Twilight.
"Another clue!" Mario whispered to Twilight as she hummed and tucked both items into a small envelope. Pinkie watched with interest but was unable to catch sight of what Mario and Twilight had found.
"I think I know who did it, Pinkie," said Twilight confidently.
"Already?" said Pinkie in surprise.
"Yes, but Mario and I need more evidence to confirm," said Twilight, "Tell us what happened next?"
"I went back to the dessert car and found Mario all tied up, but I only managed to get the tape off of his mouth. It was then I heard somepony else in the dessert car and chased them up to the engine," said Pinkie as she rubbed her chin and pondered as they headed to the front of the train, "but when I got there, all I saw was the conductor shoveling coal."
"Don't you mean the engineer or firepony?" Mario corrected.
"No time to be technically correct," said Pinkie. Mario just glared.
"The conductor, huh?" said Twilight as she looked around.
"Engineer!" Mario corrected.
"Whatever!" Twilight and Pinkie snapped as Twilight grabbed the "engineer's" hat with her magic and looked inside of it and gasped.
"But that doesn't make any sense," said Twilight when Mario approached her.
"I just spoke to the engineer," Mario whispered, "he said somepony offered him a break from his duties last night and that "she" was in a big hurry. Even borrowed his spare overalls and his hat for the job."
"I see..." said Twilight as she scooped up the clue into the envelope. Pinkie tried to see what it was but was unable to do so. She glared at Twilight and Mario, though neither pony seemed to notice as Twilight set the engineer's hat back on his head.
"What happened next, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
"Well...I went back to the dessert car," said Pinkie, "and...I noticed that Mario looked rather dizzy but didn't ask if he was okay as he untied himself."
"O-kay...?" Twilight asked, hoping for more information.
"The curtains mysteriously closed, all on their own," Pinkie remembered as she quickly swapped her hat with Twilight's and zoomed back to the dessert car. Pinkie began to quickly examine the car with her own magnifying glass. She then stopped looking around when Twilight and Mario glared at her. Pinkie just looked at them nervously before giving the detective's hat back to Twilight. Pinkie didn't resist pouting as the assistant's hat was placed back on her head.
"Interesting," said Twilight as she rubbed her chin, "anything else?"
"I heard hoofsteps, a loud thud..." Pinkie continued as she walked into the back door and landed on her flank.
"The thud could have been when I was bucked in the face," Mario pointed out.
"...No, no, no," said Pinkie, "This thud I heard was right before I found where the curtains were and then they were gone! When I opened the curtains, I saw the portrait by the door was all crooked." Twilight and Mario then examined the portrait.
"Oh my, what is that?" Twilight exclaimed.
"Another clue," said Mario as he whispered something to Twilight as she scooped something off the portrait with the envelope. Once again, Pinkie tried to see what was being picked up but was unable to. She squatted down before them and growled. The sound of a teapot whistling showing that Pinkie was getting tired of being excluded from the clues.
"What next Pinkie?" Twilight asked and Pinkie shifted her mood from angry to happy instantly.
"That's it," said Pinkie, "I was here guarding the cake the rest of the night." Twilight and Mario gave her skeptical looks.
"I mean...I slept by the cake the rest of the night," Pinkie confessed.
"And when you woke up," said Twilight, "half the cake was gone?"
"Exactly," Pinkie confirmed.
"By Jove, I think I've got it," said Twilight.
"Same here," said Mario, "Detective Twilight and Inspector Mario are ready to close this case!"
"Call everypony back," said Twilight to Pinkie, "We have a cake culprit to catch." Pinkie narrowed her eyes in agreement before leaving to get the others. It wasn't long before the ponies and chefs were all in the dessert car again.
"Why are we all here again?" Mulia stuttered. It was then Twilight and Mario entered inside. They had stepped out to gather their thoughts before making their case.
"I bet you're wondering why you're all here again," Twilight said boldly as she walked between the ponies and chefs and Pinkie was behind them.
"She's good," Donut Joe remarked as Mulia nodded in agreement.
"We have discovered the true culprit of this cake carnage," said Twilight as Pinkie nodded in agreement before picking up her pace so she was standing closer to Twilight and Mario.
"When two brilliant minds think alike, the truth can be easily discovered," Mario added, Pinkie glared at the fact Mario had only meant him and Twilight and not her.
"Considering Professor Gizmo was on the case, I doubt what they found will be anything legit," Rainbow whispered to Fluttershy.
"I'd take him more seriously if his voice had more nasal in it and he was calling us all mad agents," Fluttershy added as they snickered to each other.
"But how?" Gustave asked curiously.
"Well, you see," Twilight explained, "when committing a crime, it's crucial that one never leaves behind clues."
"Or should they be behaving in a manner that is unusual for them," Mario added as he looked at Rainbow and Fluttershy.
"While unusual behaviors can incriminate the suspect," said Twilight, "so do obvious clues like...this." Twilight then opened the envelope and pulled out a large blue feather and a piece of rainbow colored hair. Everypony dramatically gasped as Rainbow cringed.
"A-ha! A blue feather!" said Pinkie as she walked up to Rainbow, but then turned and got into the face of the griffon, "I knew it was you, Gustave le Grand!"
"Pinkie, Gustave doesn't have blue feathers," Twilight pointed out.
"No, 'cause he's been dyeing them!" said Pinkie as she pulled up the feathers from the griffon's neck.
"You dodo," Mario groaned.
"No, Pinkie," Twilight corrected, glaring at the pink pony, "Remember how when you chased the suspect to the caboose, they suddenly disappeared? That's because they flew away. But the thief did leave a little something behind, didn't you? Rainbow Dash?" As Twilight spoke, Pinkie was seen nearly running off the back of the train. She was then shown looking around the caboose but walked away once she saw nothing. Rainbow Dash was hovering above her with a smirk on her face. As the flashback ended, Rainbow was sweating heavily.
"I-I don't even like cake!" Rainbow objected.
"Another lie," said Mario, "When Pinkie was describing the cake, you were literally licking your lips the entire time. In addition, you flew out of here rather quickly when Pinkie asked for help guarding the cake and when Twilight and I began our investigation! I've gotten to know Fluttershy rather well and I've learned what a Pegasus flies a certain way when they are up to something or are aware that they are in deep trouble!" Rainbow whimpered.
"So Rainbow Dash did it!" said Pinkie, "and I bet she was the one who roughed up Mario too! Case solved!"
"Case not solved!" said Twilight, "because when we went to the engine, I saw the conductor's..."
"Engineer's," Mario corrected.
"Whatever!" Twilight snapped, "his hat, and inside the hat was...this." Twilight then pulled out a strand of pink hair as Fluttershy went agape. Rainbow just smirked at the her friend's expense.
"So it was you!" said Pinkie as she got into Rainbow's face, "That pink hair came from your rainbow-colored mane!" Pinkie began searching Rainbow's mane for the hair.
"I don't have pink in my mane, Pinkie!" Rainbow retorted indignantly as she slapped Pinkie away.
"So you're wearing a wig?" Pinkie remarked as she tugged Rainbow's mane with her teeth...hard.
"Ow! Cut it out!" Rainbow complained.
"Pinkie, remember?" said Twilight, "You chased a pony to the engine room, where you thought you saw the conductor, and don't you correct me, Mario, shoveling coal, but that wasn't the conductor at all. It was...Fluttershy!" Another flashback showed Pinkie arriving at the front of the train where she saw the "engineer" shoveling coal. As Pinkie closed the door and left, the light revealed the yellow Pegasus wearing the engineer's outfit and hat, breathing a sigh of relief as she removed the hat from her head. Once the flashback ended, Fluttershy was cowering nervously.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy gasped.
"And I spoke to the engineer," Mario added, emphasizing the word to Twilight, "and he said that a yellow Pegasus had rushed him into taking a break and borrow his spare outfit and his hat."
"I really dislike you right now," Fluttershy remarked with a glare.
"Considering what happened to me, Flutters," said Mario firmly, "I don't like you very much right now either!" Fluttershy's glare softened but then she tensed up as Pinkie got into her face.
"You're going down, Fluttershy!" said Pinkie angrily as she jumped onto the air to pounce the yellow Pegasus. Fluttershy squatted down to the floor fearfully.
"Pinkie!" Twilight called out, making Pinkie stop in mid-air and return to the ground next to Fluttershy, as Twilight turned away and headed toward the curtains, "But then another clue confounded my suspicions. You were guarding the cake when the curtains mysteriously closed. But that's no mystery, that's magic. But when the thief tried to make their great escape, they left a little addition to the portrait." A flashback was seen of the curtains closed on their own with Pinkie between them. Pinkie struggled to see where she is going as a horn glows in the dark and gave a hard buck at something behind her before making a run for it. As the figure tried to make their exit, they smacked face first into the portrait, leaving behind an eyelash on the portrait. As the flashback ended, Twilight held the fake eyelash in her fore-hoof for everypony to see. Twilight and Mario smirked.
"Has anypony else noticed that Rarity is wearing her hair rather differently today?" said Twilight. The purple pony pointed out that Rarity's main curl was dangling over her right eye.
"Rarity never likes having her mane over both her eyes," said Mario, "She enjoys ponies being able to see her pretty face in its entirety, but not today for some reason..." Rarity gasped.
"What? Is it a crime to change one's style now and again?" Rarity retorted defensively, "Why I think it's a crime not too."
"Really?" said Twilight with a smirk as Pinkie glared at her. Twilight used her magic to lift Rarity's bang curl and showed that her right eye was missing its eyelash.
"Fine, I'm guilty!" Rarity exclaimed as she crouched down and cried, "I wear false eyelashes! Oh, and I took a bite out of the cake." Rarity pointed at the cake.
"So did I," Fluttershy confessed as well.
"Aw nuts, so did I," Rainbow added as well dejectedly.
"You just made it sound so delectable," said Rarity to Pinkie.
"So tasty," said Fluttershy.
"And boy was it!" Rainbow added.
"I only meant to take a little, lady-like bite," said Rarity.
"And, I just dove right in!" said Rainbow.
"But I'm really, really sorry," said Fluttershy.
"Terribly sorry," said Rarity.
"Sorry, Pinkie," said Rainbow. The three just lowered their heads in shame before the pink. They expected her to be angry with them, but she wasn't."
"That's okay," said Pinkie, "but I think you three owe somepony else an apology through." The three ponies lifted their heads to see Mario just looking at them angrily.
"I guess I shouldn't have grabbed you and tied you down while Rainbow got some cake," said Fluttershy sadly.
"And I shouldn't have bopped you on the head so Fluttershy could get some too," Rainbow added. They looked at Rarity, who very ashamed as her eyes watered.
"I didn't mean to buck you in the face," said Rarity sadly as a tear slowly left her eye, "I heard you shout and I was so startled that I bucked my hind legs on instinct. I was so frightened when I saw I had hurt you so badly that I panicked. I thought I could tuck you under the table so nopony would notice, get some cake, and then ran off."
"We're very sorry," the three ponies said together sadly. Mario saw how sad they looked and couldn't stay angry with them.
"I forgive you," said Mario, "Just next time, don't beat me up just because you have no self-control." The three ponies laughed as they shared a group hug with him.
"We love you, Mario," the three girls cooed and then laughed. Twilight just glared, even though she knew that they only loved him as their friend and brother.
"At least the mystery is finally solved," said Pinkie.
"But it isn't," Twilight pointed out, "We figured out who ate the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness, and who attacked Mario, but we still don't know who devoured the other bakers' goods."
"You're right, Twilight," said Pinkie, "You know what we have to do?"
"Well...yes, I do," said Twilight with some uncertainty in her tone, "Do you?"
"Look for clues!" said Pinkie as she held a magnifying glass in her fore-hoof. Twilight smiled as she gave Pinkie the detective's hat. Pinkie then quickly moved about the dessert car, climbing over Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow and then climbed over the three chefs as she sniffled and scurried about.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh," said Pinkie to herself.
"Well, Pinkie," Twilight asked, "Did you find the devourer of the desserts?"
"I most certainly did," said Pinkie as she blew some bubbles out of the bubble pipe, "It was none other than...the bakers!" Everypony minus Mario did a dramatic gasp.
"How is that so?" Mario asked her curiously.
"First of all," said Pinkie as she pulled on the griffon's mustache, "Gustave has mousse in his moustache!" Pinkie showed bits of chocolate in Gustave's mustache hairs before letting go, making his mustache recoil.
"And Joe has éclair in his hair!" said Pinkie as she pointed to the stallions mane where some cream and glaze was present.
"And Mulia has sprinkles in her wrinkles," said Pinkie as she pulled one of Mulia's cheeks and shook it to make sprinkles come out of it. Unfortunately, her cheek seem to remain stretched out even after Pinkie let go of it.
"What do you say bakers?" Twilight asked as Mario smirked as he stood beside her.
"Oh, I am so sorry, Mulia," said Gustave, "but Pinkie made your mousse moose sound...tres magnifique."
"And Pinkie's description of your éclairs really did make 'em sound scrumptious," said Donut Joe.
"And the way she spoke of your Donutopia, ohh, was too delectable to resist," said Mulia. It was just then the train pulled into Canterlot station.
"Well, everypony," said Twilight, "we finally have the mystery solved."
"Yes, but now we don't have any desserts to enter into ze contest," Gustave pointed out as he and the other chefs held their destroyed creations.
"I think we can fix that," said Pinkie, "come on!" Pinkie then bounced out of the train car as Twilight, Mario, and the rest of the chefs followed her.
"Dear Princess Celestia," Pinkie recited,
"Today I learned that it is not good to jump to conclusions. You have to find out all the facts before saying somepony did something. If you don't, you could end up blaming somepony for something they never did. This could hurt their feelings, and it can make you look really foolish. So from now on, I will always make sure to get all the facts." As Pinkie said her letter, the three chefs, Twilight, and Pinkie arrived at the gardens where the National Dessert Competition would take place. Their new entry was hidden under a cloth as they placed it on a table. Once the dessert was ready, they removed the cloth. The three chefs and Pinkie had combined their entries to create one very unique and exquisite dessert made of the cake, the uneaten éclairs, donuts, and the head of the chocolate mousse moose. The judges were so amazed that they gave the dessert first prize. The rest of the mane seven admired the creation as Princess Celestia arrived.
"How that's for a lesson, Princess Celestia?" Pinkie asked, but then realized the Princess wasn't listening. She was too mesmerized by the winning dessert and licking her lips hungrily.
"Care for a bite?" Twilight asked as she offered Princess Celestia a slice.
"I don't mind if I do," said Pinkie as she jumped high into the air and devoured the entire dessert in one bite.
"Mmmmm," said Pinkie as she reclined in the table with a rather large tummy. Mario just sighed as his stomach growled once more.
"Just like last time," said Mario sadly, "I never got a piece..."
Everypony laughed and so did Mario.
It had definitely been a very delicious adventure.
Even if Mario never got to taste it.
Well I hope you enjoyed Mario's tribute to a more competent Inspector Gadget. I was torn between making Mario a victim versus a detective. So I found a way for him to play both.
If you're wondering about where he got the gadgets, that's another story...
The Canterlot Wedding is upon us. Many of you have proposed your ideas and speculations on what I could do for Mario and my battle plan is just about set. So until next time...
Peace Pony Fans!