//------------------------------// // Pinkie Pie -- Receives From -- Diamond Tiara // Story: Collab Cage Mini-Monthly December -- Secret Santa Hooves // by The Collab Cage //------------------------------// Written by: Masterweaver Stealth. She’d heard about it. To shift into the shadows, to slow the breath till it was one with the breeze, to step so daintily that not a mote of dust was disturbed. Legend held that a big fat reindeer in bright red clothes managed to prance all across Equestria around this time of year without leaving a hoofprint in the snow. So, obviously, it was incredibly easy to be stealthy, right? Maybe a bit easier if you were a unicorn, but magic was totally cheating. Her eyes shifted left and right behind the latex mask as she approached her target. It was the dead of night, in theory. The moon was out and, while some of the lights in houses were on, most of Ponyville was subjected to shadow and dark. Any other night, she’d be at home, snoozing away in thick warm sheets, and part of her wondered why she was compelled this night, of all nights. Actually, all of her wondered that. This entire venture was ludicrous, the skin-tight suit did NOTHING to protect against the cold, and it wasn’t like she was ever going to get any form of payoff. So why couldn’t she get to sleep until this was done? No time to consider. Her target came into view. Gripping her package, she rolled across the street, leaving no hoofprints, just a small trench that could have come from a wheel. In the middle of the night. That made sense. Front door: locked. Side door: locked. Back door: locked. Other side door: locked. Basement door.... locked. She snorted in frustration as she completed her circuit of the building. For all the number of doors this place had, it was tighter than a bank vault when it came to security. Her gaze traveled up to the windows of the building, and she nodded as a plan formed in her head. It was a bit of a hassle, climbing the wooden support frame while ensuring her package remained on her back, but she eventually got to one of the glass panes. She worked the hinges carefully, swinging them this way and that; eventually she managed to pry the aperture open with a squeal of protest. Unfortunately, that squeal was soon followed by a pair of wailing cries, awoken from their slumber. The filly winced. She should have remembered the twins! Her thoughts went wild as she scrambled higher up the outer wall, crouching on the roof in desperate hope of remaining unseen. Below her, the light went on as a familiar voice went to comfort the screaming foals. “Pound? Pumpkin... oh, did that window open? Here, let Auntie Pinkie shut it.” A protesting squeal and the click of a latch signaled the closure of her first planned route. She almost said a bad word... before snapping her eyes wide. If Pinkie Pie was down there... then she wasn’t in her room! And her room had a balcony door! The filly took a moment to ensure the baker was busy putting the twins to sleep before moving swiftly across the roof. Well, kind of swiftly, if you called causing a sudden snowfall from the roof and scrambling for purchase fast. At the very least, it provided another distraction for the party pony while the stealthy filly clung to the cupcake tower. Hoofholds were hidden in its wall, a remnant of settlement days where Sugarcube corner had served as a lighthouse to pegasi delivering supplies. She clambered up the secret ladder, clutching her package with her tail. The balcony door, thankfully, didn’t have a lock. She pushed it open, taking slow exaggerated steps inside before carefully pushing it back closed. In the dark, the various party equipment seemed strange and eldritch in form; the filly knew it was only a matter of time before Pinkie returned to her bedroom. Rushing quickly down the balcony stairs, the filly began to search for the entrance to the store proper. “Where is it... where is it?” Her hooves padded desperately in the dark, rapping the boards as she tried to find the elusive hidden hatch. “It’s got to be here somewhere--EEEEP!” She let out a small shriek as she felt something latch onto her hock, jumping and trying to shake it off. Her neck snapped round and she beheld a pair of eldritch heliotrope eyes staring into her soul. The filly flailed blindly in the dark, desperately trying to get away from whatever creature had decided to grab her. Oh princesses, was it Krampus?! It had to be Krampus--! Without any warning she fell head over hooves down the steps into Sugarcube Corner. She stood and shook her head, cursing under breath as she realized how much noise she had just made. Her gaze wandered up the stairs; silhouetted in the moonlight was Pinkie’s freaky lizard with its weird heliotrope eyes. “Oh.” The filly snorted. “Krampus. Yeah, right. Keep it together.” Her ears flicked at the sound of hooves coming down the hall. Her eyes roved round desperately searching for someplace to hide. Mere seconds later, Pinkie trotted to the staircase with a sleepy smile. “I guess Old Holly Hooves musta woke up the twins when he couldn’t decide which chimney to take. Well, the stockings are filled now, anyway.” She climbed up to her bedroom, oblivious to the small filly pressed in an arc over her doorway. It was with quick and precise reflexes that the stealthy gift giver dropped down and ran into the hallway. The stairs to the lower floor, she was almost home free! “What was that noise?” No. No no no, not when she was so close! With one final desperate jump, she cleared... half of the stairs. Her tumble down the rest was much louder than she intended; it took her a moment to recover. “Who’s there?” Pinkie was approaching, curiosity in her voice. “Santa? Is that you?” She could see the tree, but there was no way she could get there before the baker caught sight of her. Unless.... The filly flung the gift through the air, leaping behind the counter and rolling to the other side. Her blue eyes slid right ever so slightly, a grin forming under her mask as she saw the package land under the tree. Mere seconds later, Pinkie Pie appeared, examining the room with a cautious gaze. “...that’s a new present.” The filly snapped against the counter. Her ears twitched as she tracked the clip clop of Pinkie’s hooves; she crawled around, making sure the confectionery display was between her and the baker at all times. Thankfully, Pinkie seemed to be absorbed in examining the gift. “Hmmm. ‘To Pinkie Pie...’” The kitchen was right in front of her. She made her way quietly but quickly into it. “‘...From somepony who thinks...’” Various eldritch devices, presumably for baking, hung in the shadows cast by the Hearth’s Warming tree. Stealthily she creeped toward the door to the outside world... “‘...you take time to make her feel special.’” Her blue eyes locked onto the latch. Her hoof reached out. “Awwww, that’s so sweet! Thanks, Diamond Tiara!” The filly froze. Pinkie turned around, walking into the kitchen with a grin. “I mean, I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure you put a lot of thought into it and....” Her words petered off when she realized the other pony was quivering, ever so slightly, in mortal terror. For a moment, there was silence. Then the filly sighed, pulling her mask back. “...how’d you know it was me?” “Because you do this every year,” Pinkie replied simply. “But... but you’ve never caught me before!” “Well no, but when you find a gift from a mysterious benefactor every year you get kinda curious, and when you get curious, you investigate, and when you investigate you find details! I didn’t figure it out until last year though, because before that I’d just walk around with the present and say, 'Thank You!' really really loud and hope somepony would say, 'You’re Welcome!' before they realized what they were saying, but after that whole fiasco with the MMMM I figured I should look for evidence, so last year I made sure to examine the wrapping and it was REALLY expensive, so I looked around to find rich ponies that were tired from staying out all night and the only one that fit the bill was you!” Diamond Tiara stared at Pinkie Pie. “...You make a lot more sense when you’re sleep deprived. It’s scary.” “Would it help if I said a lot of random words that all began with Q?” The filly shook her head. “I... I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell anypony? I mean you’re not going to tell anypony right?” “Well why would I tell anypony?” Pinkie leaned in. “The question is, why didn’t you want anypony to know?” “Daddy would say it’s a waste of money. He just gives me a new toy every year.” Diamond Tiara huffed. “I want... other things. Books, pencils, socks, whatever. I’m not a little filly anymore... but he doesn’t know that.” “Really?” “No... he’s too busy making me happy to... well, to understand me.” The filly rolled her eyes. “Tragic, right?” They stood there in the light of the tree for a few seconds. “...actually, yes.” Pinkie wrapped a hoof around her. “Yes, it is. But he loves you, doesn’t he?” “Maybe.” Diamond shrugged. “Or maybe he just loves playing with me. I don’t know, at least you always give me exactly what I want when I come in.” She blinked, rubbing her blue eyes with a hoof. “Look, just don’t tell anypony about this. I can’t look weak. Please?” “...Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” “...thanks.” The filly unlocked the door. “And one more thing, I know you’re friends with those blank flank’s sisters, so... could you, I don’t know, make sure they keep away from me tomorrow?” The baker rolled her eyes. “That I can’t promise. Night and... and may the fires of Friendship keep your hearth warm.” Diamond Tiara paused. Then she walked out the door. Behind her, Pinkie Pie shook her head with a small smile. “So close... and yet so far.”