MMMystery on the Friendship Express

MMMystery on the Friendship Express is the twenty-fourth episode of the second season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and the fiftieth episode overall. After a cake Pinkie had been guarding is ruined on the way to Canterlot, she starts out an investigation to find out the culprit. The title is a reference to the 1934 crime novel Murder on the Orient Express, written by Agatha Christie.

The cake and its transport
The episode begins with Pinkie Pie commenting on a large cake that Mr. and Mrs. Cake have made for the National Dessert Competition in Canterlot. Mr. Cake reveals that Pinkie Pie is in charge of transporting it to Canterlot. While Pinkie Pie is expressing her happiness in being in charge of transporting the cake, Applejack interrupts, pointing out that Big Macintosh is becoming tired holding the cake on his back.

Pinkie then puts on a hardhat with a flashing light, and guides Big Macintosh out the door, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Outside, the street has been blocked off so that the cake can be moved safely. After Big Macintosh slips under the weight of the cake and only just manages to keep it upright, Mr. Cake faints. Pinkie Pie spots Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who help Big Macintosh on her request by holding the cake up with ropes. After the cake slips once again, and Mr. Cake faints once again, Pinkie asks Twilight if she can help her, and she does so by casting a magical bubble around the cake. Still uneasy at the possibility of the cake being destroyed, Pinkie Pie asks Applejack and Rarity to help by holding a trampoline behind the cake.

All Aboard!
Big Mac closes one of the trains doors closed and starts hammering it back on. Pinkie Pie thanks her friends for helping to get the cake to and aboard the train, and Twilight Sparkle thanks her for letting the group come to the National Desert Competition. Rarity states how much the festivities will be while Applejack states how good all the treats will taste and reaches her hoof out to the Marzipan cake, while Pinkie Pie smacks it aside. Pinkie then goes on about the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness and (or as she nicknames it: the "MMMM") because of it's deliciousness and how it will win first prize, but is interrupted by someone. A Griffon with a French accent named Gustav Le Grand boards the train, stating that he will win first prize with his éclairs. He is also interrupted by another competitor, Doughnut Joe, a unicorn stallion with a Brooklyn accent whom Twilight appears to recognize. Joe enters the competition with his "Doughnutopia", a small city made out of donuts and sprinkles. Someone else boards with a large, literally, Chocolate Moose. This competitor is revealed to be a mule named Mulia Mild, bragging how winning will make her the greatest chef in Equestria. The four entrants argue among each other as the train starts up. Twilight then recommends that everyone gets rest, Gustav, Joe, and Miles then head to their rooms. The group heads to their rooms only to be stopped by Pinkie, who states that the group needs to guard "MMMM" from the other chefs, who she claims, wants to sabotage it. Twilight states that they are over-reacting and the group finally goes into their rooms. But Pinkie Pie decides to spend the night guarding "MMMM".

Midnight Watch
Pinkie Pie stays up keeping a close eye on the cake, and almost falls asleep while doing so, but a shadow figure zooms past behind her, and Pinkie Pie chases the figure throughout the train cars, finally reaching the back of the train, only to notice that the figure is no where to be found. Pinkie Pie heads back and notices the shadow figure again, once again chasing it until they reach the coal room, where someone is loading up coal into the furnace. Pinkie Pie returns to the desert room to resume guarding the cake, but the lights go out and the 'thief' hits a painting, and then leaves the room. Pinkie Pie then literally keeps a close eye on the cake, only to fall asleep.

The Usual Suspects
Pinkie Pie wakes up and notices that the cake is fine, Twilight Sparkle comes in the room and notices large bite marks on the side of the cake, showing Pinkie, Pinkie Pie screams and awakes the rest of the train. Pinkie puts on a hat, and gives Twilight a bowlers cap. Pinkie first states that she knows who "dun' did it" and accuses Gustav of ruining the "MMMM". It then flashes into a old black and white picture film with Gustav playing a cheesy villain who battles Pinkie, classically, Gustav grabs Pinkie and ties her to train tracks, with an oncoming train coming towards her. It then flashes to a conveyor belt where "MMMM" is placed in-front of a buzz saw, which cuts the cake clean in half. Twilight points out the flaws in Pinkie's story. Pinkie then states that it was Doughnut Joe who did it, and it then flashes into a James Bond parody with Doughnut Joe being named a spy called Con Mane. Con Mane then gases Pinkie, knocking her out, and reveals lasers guarding "MMMM" and uses a mirror to make the lasers cut the cake in-pieces. Twilight then points out the flaws in her second story, making Pinkie blame everything on Mulia Mild. It then flashes to the moving train with Mulia Mild being a ninja on top of it. Mild sneaks behind Pinkie and knocks her out with a frying pan. Mild pulls out a sword and slices the cake into pieces. The allusion ends and Pinkie deeply frightens Mulia. Twilight, again, proves Pinkie's stories wrong. Pinkie then goes on about how good the other chef's deserts look. The train goes into a pitch dark cave and screams are then heard. The other chef's deserts are near destroyed also. Twilight then sends everyone but Pinkie to their cars.

Solving the Crime
Twilight swaps hats with Pinkie Pie and the two then retrace Pinkie's step when she was watching the cake. Twilight gets a clue and Pinkie tells her the rest of the story. The Two go to the conductors room and back to the desert room. Twilight notices the painting and grabs more evidence. Everyone then goes back into the desert room and Twilight reveals a blue feather, revealed to be Rainbow Dash's. Twilight explains that she flew away when Pinkie almost got the shadow figure. Twilight then reveals a strain of Pink hair, and reveals that the figure shoveling coal was really Fluttershy. Twilight explains that Rarity made the room go out dark with magic and slammed her head into the painting, leaving a fake eyelash on it. Rarity then admits that she wears fake eyelashes and that she took a bite of the cake. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash admit it along with her. The three culprits ask Pinkie for her forgiveness, and Pinkie does forgive them. Pinkie looks for clues to solve who devoured the other baker's deserts.Pinkie reveals that it was the bakers all along who ate each other's goods. Revealing that the bakers all have parts of their goods on them. The baker's then all forgive each other, only to see that the train has finally reached Canterlot. Pinkie then has an idea how they can all enter with their goods.

The resolution
Pinkie and the group head up to the competition with their newly made desert, and reveal that it is a combination of all the baker's dishes. Everyone then celebrates their success and team work with a piece of cake, which Pinkie turns down for the entire cake.

Quotes

 * Pinkie Pie: Well the tastiest treat of all is sure to be the Cakes Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness. All that rich, creamy goodness of the marzipan combined with the tart and tanginess of the mascarpone, blended perfectly with the smooth silky sweetness of the meringue. That's why I call the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness the MMMM!
 * All: MMMM!


 * Pinkie Pie: Now I just need to find who done it.
 * Twilight Sparkle: You mean, who did it.
 * Pinkie Pie: Exactly! Who did-done-dood it.


 * Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie, stop! This is ridiculous! Look at her!
 * Mulia Mild: [shivering]
 * Pinkie Pie: [sigh] I guess you're right.
 * Twilight Sparkle: Thank you.
 * Pinkie Pie: But I was so sure it was one of the other bitter bakers that destroyed the MMMM. That way, their delicious dessert would reign supreme. I mean, just look at Joe's Doughnutopia! It's a spectacular city of doughnutty delight topped temptingly with sprinklelicious sprinkles. And Gustav's eclairs look incredibly edible, glistening glaziness. But then there's Mulia Mild's mousse moose. Huh. Why this mouth-wateringly marvelous mousse moose tempts the taste buds with the silky smooth yummy nummy chocolatiness. So why did this criminal devour the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness while leaving this trio of tasty treats untouched?
 * [screaming]
 * Pinkie Pie: Huh? Now I have no idea who do doned it!


 * Pinkie Pie: This mystery gets more mysterious every minute.


 * Rarity: What? Is it a crime to change one's style now and again? Why, I think it's a crime not to.
 * Twilight Sparkle: Really?
 * Rarity: Fine, I'm guilty! I wear false eyelashes! Oh, and I took a bite of the cake.


 * Twilight Sparkle: Well, Pinkie, did you find the devourer of the desserts?
 * Pinkie Pie: I most certainly did. It was none other than...the bakers! First of all, Gustav has mousse in his moustache! And Joe has eclair in his hair! And Mulia has sprinkles in her wrinkles!

Gallery

 * MMMystery on the Friendship Express image gallery