"When commiting a crime, it is crucial that one never leaves behind clues. Especially an obvious clue like this." Twilight explained, pulling out a blue feather. Everyone gasped.
"So, it was you after all, Gustave!" Pinkie Pie accused.
"Pinkie! Gustave doesn't have blue feathers." Twilight said, shooting down Pinkie's logic.
"That's because he's been dieing them!" Pinkie Pie said, pushing Gustave's feathers up his neck.
"Pinkie, stop!" Twilight said "Remember when you chased the thief to the rear of the train, only to have them disappear? That's because they flew away. But the thief did leave something behind. Didn't you, Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash gulped as everyone turned their eyes to her. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even like cake." Rainbow Dash said "Besides, I can explain."
"You can?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. I didn't take a bite out of that cake. I was tempted, but I stopped myself." Rainbow Dash said.
"Well then, what were you doing in the diner car in the middle of the night?" Twilight asked.
"I heard strange noises, and they woke me from my sleep. I went to investigate. But I didn't see anything. Then suddenly Pinkie Pie started chasing me. I just barely managed to lose her. When I came back the cake had already been bitten once." Rainbow Dash explained.
"And?" Twilight asked.
"That's it, really." Rainbow Dash said "I went back to bed, and woke up to Pinkie Pie screaming her head off."
"How do we know you're not making this up?" Twilight asked.
"If the cake was really that good, then don't you think I would've snuck in a bite a lot sooner?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"That is a good point. Now that I think about it, the bite marks don't really look like they belong to you." Twilight said "Which brings me to my next clue. Pinkie Pie, do you remember when you chased a pony up to the engine? And you thought you saw the firepony shovelling coal?"
"Yes." Pinkie Pie said.
"Well I looked into the firepony's hat, and I found this." Twilight said, pulling out a strand of pink hair. The hair was obviously from a mane. And there was only one pony present who had a pink mane.
"Oh my." Fluttershy gulped.
"Oh my indeed Fluttershy." Twilight said "Because this means YOU were the firepony. And the reason why you dressed up like him was because you were hiding from Pinkie Pie. The only reason why you would do that is if you were at the scene of the crime."
"How could you do this to me?! You're going down Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie said, glaring at Fluttershy, and preparing to strike.
"But I didn't do it!" Fluttershy insisted "I might have been near the cake, but I didn't actually eat it."
"And why should we believe you?" Twilight asked.
"Because I bumped into her." Fluttershy said, pointing towards Rarity.
"Funny you should mention that. Because if I'm not mistaken Pinkie Pie told me that at one point, when she was standing guard, the curtains suddenly shut themselves. But that wasn't a coincedence, that was magic." Twilight said "And I found something on the painting that the thief accidentally left behind in the inky darkness. Anyone else notice Rarity is wearing her mane a little differently this morning?"
Now all eyes were on Rarity as well as Fluttershy. "Is it a crime to change one's style every now and then?" Rarity asked defensively. Clearly she was hiding something. "I think not."
"It's not a crime, but it's certainly not something a mare like you would do." Twilight said "That is, unless you were hiding something. Like say, this!" And with that she used her magic to pull back Rarity's mane, revealing a very intresting sight.
"Fine! I'm guilty! I WEAR FALSE EYELASHES!" Rarity confessed "Oh, and I also ran into Fluttershy. But we didn't touch the cake. I'll admit Pinkie Pie did make it sound delicious, but I've been trying to watch my weight. And that cake would've ruined my diet."
"That may be, but just what were the two of you doing that late at night?" Twilight asked.
"I heard a strange noise." Fluttershy said.
"And so did I." Rarity said.
"I thought I saw something. But then suddenly Pinkie Pie chased me, and I had to fool her by wearing that hat." Fluttershy explained "On my way back I bumped into Rarity."
"I didn't know at first that I had bumped into her, so my horn developed a mind of its own. So to speak." Rarity continued "I was trying to help guide Fluttershy back to her room, but I couldn't see where I was going. I wanted to stop when I bumped into that painting, but I didn't want Pinkie Pie to start chasing me as well. Not once did I see anything. By that point the cake was probably already bitten."
"You weren't the only ones who heard all those weird noises." Applejack said "I could hear them in my room as well. I did a little investigating of my own, and saw Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity. But I saw hide nor hair of the thief."
"You wouldn't by any chance be the thief? Would you?" Twilight asked.
"Don't be so daft!" Applejack snorted "Of course I ain't the thief! You think I have no self control or something?! I know that there cake is delicious. But when Pinkie Pie started guarding it I knew sampling wasn't allowed."
"Well, I guess that it's then. Those were the only clues I could find." Twilight said "And I know I didn't commit this crime. I was asleep in my bed the whole night. I heard the strange noises, but I didn't think they meant anything."
"So, looks like our little dessert devourer is still on the loose." Rainbow Dash said.
"Sure looks that way." Donut Joe said.
"Whoever zis thief is, he or she is quite clever." Gustave Le Grande said.
"What a shame. And to think that this investigation seemed like it was going somewhere." Mulia Mild said.
"Sorry Pinkie." Twilight said somberly. "I know this contest was really important to you and the Cakes. And I'm sure you wanted to know who could've done this. But we've crossed off all the suspects. I doubt the conductor, the engineer, or the firepony could've done this."
Pinkie Pie looked pretty upest. But for some reason, it seemed to Twilight that she wasn't upset that the dessert thief hadn't been caught.
"Are you okay Pinkie?" Twilight asked nervously "You wouldn't by any chance know something about who really did it? Is there anything else you saw while you were guarding the cake?"
"You're accussing me?" Pinkie Pie asked. Strangely enough she didn't sound upset about it. In fact she sounded more surprised.
"No." Twilight said.
"Then you're a fool!" Pinkie Pie shouted "I was so certain you of all ponies would've figured out."
"What are you talking about Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Pinkie Pie said "I confess! The real culprit is right here! It's me! Me, I tell you!"
There was an extremely akward silence. Everyone else's mouths hung open in shock. No one could think of a single thing to say. They could hardly believe what they'd just heard.
"Don't you get it? ME!" Pinkie Pie said furiously.
"Okay Pinkie Pie, the joke's over." Rainbow Dash said "You really had us going there for a minute. You? Eating your own dessert? Even you're not that crazy!"
"But I am. I'm serious." Pinkie Pie said, tears suddenly forming in her eyes "I'm telling the truth. It wasn't Gustave, Joe, Mulia, or anyone else. I'm the one who made those marks on the MMM. I did it when I thought nopony was looking." Upon finishing that sentence she began to cry.
"Why in the wide world of Equestria would you do that darling?" Rarity asked "And for that matter, why would you confess to doing so? You could've gotten away with it, and we would've never known."
"Because I couldn't keep lying to all of you." Pinkie Pie said in between sobs "Sooner or later the truth would've come out. And I didn't just stop with the MMM. I ate all of the other entries as well. I knew I wasn't suppose to, but I couldn't help myself."
"So that explains those weird noises from last night. That was you eating the MMM." Twilight said "But you've got to be bluffing. If you ate the cake, or the other entries, we would've seen the evidence on your cheeks."
"Not if I wiped them off when no one was looking." Pinkie Pie explained "I'm a horrible, horrible pony. You're all probably ashamed of me for what I've done. Heck. I'm ashamed of myself. And all because I didn't want to believe I'd actually done it. Even though I knew the truth the whole time. You all must hate me."
"No we're not Pinkie. You told the turth, and that took a lot of guts." Applejack said "Besides, we don't blame you. We know you didn't do it on purpose."
"But I shouldn't have done it at all. And now, thanks to me, this dessert contest is ruined." Pinkie Pie said.
"I don't know about that. The contest doesn't start for a while yet. We're not even in Canterlot." Twilight said.
"We will be soon though." Pinkie Pie said "The mystery may be solved. But I've caused enough damage."
"I'll say." Rainbow Dash said. Rarity and Applejack gave her a dirty look "Oops. I mean, it's okay Pinkie Pie. We all make mistakes."
"Not ones like this. How will I ever explain to the Cakes that I ruined their futures, just because I couldn't control myself?" Pinkie Pie said sadly "They'll hate me forever for what I've done."
"Stuff and nonsense!" Twilight said "You're like family to the Cakes Pinkie. They'll understand."
"Not this time Twilight." Pinkie Pie said. A moment later the train stopped at the station in Canterlot. Pinkie Pie headed for the exit, while the others chefs, and ponies, tried to make the best of a bad situation.
"Where are you going Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked.
"Somewhere." Pinkie Pie said.
"Where is 'somewhere'?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Any place where I'll never again cause trouble because of my appetite. Who knows? Maybe I'll go back to working on my family's rock farm. They'll probably still need me." Pinkie Pie said and got off the train.
"Wait! Pinkie!" Twilight shouted. She wanted to race after her, but Applejack stopped her.
"Just let her go Twilight. She needs some time alone right now." Applejack said "Besides, our help is needed elsewhere."
"Yes. For although Pinkie Pie confessed it does not change ze the fact that we don't have any entries for ze contest." Gustave Le Grande said.
"Yeah, we'll all be disqualified. Ain't that a kick in the flank?" Donut Joe said.
"It is quite a pity. But what can we do?" Mulia Mild asked.
"I have an idea that might just work." Applejack said "But we'll have to work fast. Gather around everyone, here's what we're gonna do."
For several hours Pinkie Pie wandered around Canterlot. She didn't bother going anywhere near the castle, where she knew the dessert competetion was being held. Why bother when she knew that four entries were already all but disqualified.
As she moped around, feeling sorry for herself, her mood did not improve. A few ponies she bumped into asked what was up with her long face. But she simply told them she was beyond help, and continued on her way like she'd never seen them. No sense getting them involved in her own problems.
Maybe someday, if she felt brave enough, she could show her face in Ponyville again. Preferably after the Cakes had forgotten about her. After all, the instant they learned what Pinkie Pie had done they were sure to be upset. And they would be perfectly entitled to kick her out. She cost them their future, so it was only fair she suffer the consequences.
So why go through all that hassle? They could just move on without her, and she would never bother them again. Sure the Cake Twins would miss her, but they were just foals. They'd forget about her when they grew older and she wasn't around.
For a while Pinkie Pie contemplated living in Canterlot. But quickly dismissed the idea. Here she was all but certain to bump into her friends again, and potentially even the Cakes. And she wanted to be as far away from all of them as possible. Least she wreck something else that was important to them. Who knows? Maybe they'd find somepony less hyper to wield the Element of Laughter. Surely there was somepony out there more qualified then her to wield the element. Especailly after what she did.
Manehattan was also a big no, as Applejack had mentioned once that she relatives who lived there. Plus Manehattan was a city of opportunity. A city that would almost certainly attract her friends, or the Cakes. Or even one of the other bakers.
Los Pegasus, Baltimare, Fillydelphia. All of those were places that would almost certainly bring her back into contact with either her friends, the Cakes, or the other bakers. And she wanted nothing more to then be as far away from them as possible. It was for their own good, even if they didn't think so.
"There she is! I see here!" a familiar voice called out.
"Oh no! Didn't they get the message?! I can't be trusted to be around them! I'll only ruin everything!" Pinkie Pie thought to herself. She promptly tried to race away, and lose them.
"No you don't!" another familiar voice called out. A moment later a lasso was thrown tightly around her. Tripping her, and preventing her from escaping.
"What you do guys want from me?" Pinkie Pie asked stubbornly "Come to make me feel worse?!"
"No. We came here to bring you back home." Twilight said "Look Pinkie, what happened was an honest mistake. You fessed up, you apologized, and you feel sorry for it. So let go of it already, and stop being so moopy."
"It might have been a mistake, but it still cost the Cakes, and the other bakers their futures." Pinkie Pie said "And there's no way I could ever make up for that."
"It's just one dessert contest Pinkie. There will be others. One failure doesn't mean the end." Applejack said.
"But this contest is the most important one of all for any baker worth their sugar." Pinkie Pie said.
"Look Pinkie, we didn't come all the way here to argue with you over who's at fault!" Rainbow Dash said "So quit playing the pity card! The other bakers don't hate you, and neither do we."
"The Cakes most certainly will. Besides you're only saying stuff like that to make me feel better." Pinkie Pie said.
"You know that's not true." Fluttershy said "Without you we'd be missing a vital part of our group."
"You girls don't need me. You're probably better off without me. You certainly don't need a pony who can't even be trusted to guard a cake, and not eat it." Pinkie Pie said sadly "Nothing you say or do can make up for how badly I messed up."
"Pinkie, the Cakes will be more upset if we return without you. Rather then if you just come back with us and explain what happened. They'll understand." Twilight said.
"Twilight is right darling." Rarity said.
"I'm sorry girls, but I can't be trusted. My mistake cost the Cakes, Gustave, Joe, and Mulia, their chance at winning. And it's all because I couldn't keep my appetite in check for one day!" Pinkie Pie said "Not to mention I tried to frame innocent ponies, griffons, and mules, for a crime they didn't commit."
"That was pretty rotton, but you confessed. No one blames you." Rarity said.
"But I blame myself. And for good reason. I should've known better, I shouldn't have done such a thing. And yet I did. It wasn't bad enough that I betrayed the Cakes trust. No! I had to try and pin the blame on someone else." Pinkie Pie said.
"Pinkie Pie, we can do this the easy way. Or we can do this the hard way." Applejack said with a glare "And I'm warning you now that you're making the hard way seem might inviting."
"Go ahead, just try and take me back. You won't succeed." Pinkie Pie said stubbornly "I am not going. And you can't make me."
"Oh you're going alright." Applejack said "Don't say I didn't warn you." She promptly began to pull on the lasso, and dragged Pinkie Pie closer to her. Once she was certain Pinkie Pie was close enough Applejack led the other ponies to the castle. Twilight kept a close eye on Pinkie Pie. Ensuring that she couldn't escape. Pinkie Pie, for her part, refused to give in. And shouted protests the entire way. "Here we are." Applejack said as they reached the castle. "Don't bother trying to escape sugarcube. You go right in there, and see for yourself what's gone on since you just up and left."
"I'll do it. But after that I am out of here, and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" Pinkie Pie said.
"You might just change your tune when you see THIS!" Applejack said, and led Pinkie Pie to the location of the dessert contest.
Pinkie Pie gasped at what she saw. The judges had just awarded first prize to a cake that consisted of bits of what appeared to be the entries she had ruined. But there was no way that could be possible. Right?
"Ah, there she is." Gustave said.
"Glad to see you've had a change of heart Pinkie. This is your victory too after all." Mulia Mild said.
"Yeah. I am a bit bummed that I couldn't enter Donutopia in the contest. But at least this way I can put the remaints of it to good use." Donut Joe said.
"But-but, how is this possible?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"We had help from your friend." Mulia said.
"Yeah, it was her idea to combine all the desserts into one." Donut Joe said.
"I must say, you are quite lucky to have a pony like Applejack for a friend." Gustave said "Without her help none of zis would be possible."
"That's right. It wasn't easy, but with some help I was able to combine what remained of the three ruined entries, with much of the MMM. Creating a new entry that could be entered in place of the ruined ones." Applejack explained "The judges allowed it. And it looks like they enjoyed it. Now what was that you were saying about the future of these bakers being ruined?"
Pinkie Pie was silent for a long time. No one knew if this was a good sign, or a bad sign. At last Pinkie Pie's mood seemed to brighten a little as she said "I guess I was wrong about that. But I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for what I did. It was very rude of me, and I should've known better."
"How many times do we have to say it Pinkie? We don't hate you for what you did." Twilight said "Look around you. We've already forgiven you. So it's time you did the same for yourself. It's for the best."
"I-I" Pinkie Pie said.
"Won't you please do it? For us?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah. What Fluttershy said." Rainbow Dash said.
Pinkie Pie sighed "Oh, alright. If it will really make you girls feel better."
"Good." Applejack said "Now that's the Pinkie Pie we all know and love."
"Yup. I'm back." Pinkie Pie said "But are you sure you girls don't hate me, even the slightest bit, for what I did?"
"Of course not Pinkie Pie. You're a good friend, and friends are always willing to forgive." Twilight said.
"You're the best friends a pony could ask for." Pinkie Pie said happily, as she embraced them all in a hug.
On the train ride back to Ponyville Twilight insisted that Pinkie Pie wright a friendship report to Princess Celestia about what she had learned. The letter went something like this:
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that nopony's perfect. We all make mistakes. Some of them big. Some of them not so big. But what matters is how we deal with them.
Just recently I made a big mistake, and it almost cost me dearly. I tried to lie and throw everyone off, but I realized that wasn't the right response.
Then I felt really sorry for myself. But my friends helped me to realize that when you make a mistake what's most important is that you fess up. And learn from your mistakes.
You should also strive to, if possible, put right what you made wrong. Because feeling sorry for yourself won't help others, and it won't help you. Not in the immediate future, and not in the extremly distant future.
I also learned that true friends stick by each other no matter. And help each other when they need it most.
Your faithful subject,
Pinkie Pie
Pinkie Pie explained everything to the Cakes. And just as Twilight had predicted they were more then understand, and easily forgave Pinkie Pie for what she did. After all, at least to them, she was like a daughter. And that was what was truly important.
Author's Note
Just look at her. The poor thing clearly needs a hug. She's been through a lot.
Seriously though, why hasn't anyone made a fic of Pinkie Pie being the true culprit? It seems like something she might do by mistake.
