//------------------------------// // Twisting the Knife // Story: Pinkie's Secret // by Winter_Solstice //------------------------------// Present Night Pinkie now ran through the streets of Canterlot. Fortune Manor was just ahead, and somewhere inside was just one of the ponies she sought. She didn’t foresee much problem with getting inside, as manors in Canterlot seldom had guards. And as for locked doors and windows...hah! Those were TOO easy. She took a moment as she stood before the gates, allowing her Pinkie sense to wash over her. Scaling up and over the obstructions, she instinctively went for the left wing of the mansion, where she could possibly force open a window. A large expanse of green lawn dotted with elms, now faded to grey in the moonlight, spread before her. If anypony happened to look out one of the windows facing her, all they might have seen was a dark shadow that passed from tree to tree. They would have blinked, perhaps rubbed their eyes, but they would have simply dismissed what they saw. Now she was against the mansion wall, where there were many windows within her reach. Testing each one, she found one that was unlocked and she slowly eased it up and let herself in. She doubted they’d be this lax again after tonight, but that was a problem for another day. Before her was a hallway lined with mahogany paneling. The floor was made of the same rich red wood, with tapestried carpet runners down the middle. Crystal sconces that held carved electric bulbs, now muted, were spaced evenly along each side of the walls. Pinkie inhaled quietly, and could detect a faint aroma of sandalwood. Though the Pies were quite wealthy, and she was an heiress to the Pie rock farm, the Pies never flaunted their riches in this manner. Even so, she’d visited many mansions with her parents and had a good idea of the general layout. Moving quickly but quietly she searched for Spencer’s room. This place is probably crawling with servants in the daytime, Pinkie thought to herself, so finding Spencer’s room shouldn’t be that hard now. She figured his room would be the second best elaborate next to his father’s, so she examined each door until she found the one she needed. Easing it open, she peered inside. There he was, sitting at a desk. The only light was a lamp on the desk beside him. Closing the door, it gave a creak that probably wouldn’t have been noticed during the day, but now in the stillness of the night it rang out like a shot. “Wha…Porter? Is that you? Spencer said with irritation. “I told you I don’t have the money yet.” “It’s not Porter,” said Pinkie. Jumping to his feet he cried out, “Who ARE you?! Dad….!” but he was quickly tackled and a surprisingly strong hoof was placed over his mouth. With his eyes as wide as dinner plates he stared up at his assailant, and frantically shook his head ‘no!’ “Be QUIET!” she hissed at him. One more loud noise out of you and I’ll make you regret it. Understand?” He nodded as she slowly removed her hoof. “Who-who are you?” he quavered. She looked down at him without pity. “Let’s just say I’m a pony who’s had enough of you and ponies like you.” Here he visibly relaxed and said with bitterness, “Then you hate me as much as my Dad.” This was not the answer she was expecting at all. “What do you mean?” she asked as she let him go. “What do you care? Beat me up, kill me, it doesn’t matter anymore.” She paused. “I’m not here to kill you,” she said slowly. “Then what are you here for? Nothing you can do to me is worse than what’s already happened.” He remained on the floor and started to weep angry tears. Moved despite herself, she asked, “What has happened? I thought you’d just been banished from Ponyville.” “Don’t you know? Of course not, how could you?” He raised himself to a sitting position, wiped his face and looked her in the eyes.Taking a deep breath, he explained. “I just wanted to have fun. I had two ponies willing to do anything to make me laugh, just for a place to sleep and some food. Everything was going great until I ran into that “Princess” Twilight. She humiliated me in front of other ponies, and I thought getting revenge on her was important.” Here he gave a hollow laugh. “It turns out she is Princess Celestia’s personal student! I couldn’t have picked a worse pony to mess with than her. Once my father found out, he ordered me back here, stripped me of everything and confined me to the mansion. I can’t even leave this ROOM without his permission! But that’s not all,” he continued, “my father lost his seat on the city council, and from what I hear we may become bankrupt over this!” “But you want to hear the funny part? I really was going to give some money to that orphanage, but those two tricked me and took it all! If I could prove to my father my intentions, he might relent, but I can’t do anything without that letter!” “What letter?” she asked. “The one I wrote to him while I was in Ponyville. The one where I explained I just needed some funds to play a trick on a pony, but I was going to give half away to a good cause.” Here he laughed again. “The one letter I don’t have, because those two won’t give it to me unless I pay them!” Pinkie sat and thought. Then she said, “I don’t understand why you just don’t write him another letter.” He smiled and said, “Because it was written and dated on the Ponyville Inn stationary. If I tried to pass off a fake latter to my father, there’s no telling what he’d do. Besides,” he continued, “as bad as other ponies perceive me to be, I’ve never lied to my Dad. That I can’t do. But he doesn’t believe me. He thinks I have ALL the money hidden away somewhere, so I can’t go anywhere or do anything until I tell him where it is.” Pinkie sat quietly, thinking. Finally she said, “It seems to me you got yourself into your predicament, first treating those two the way you did, then trying to trick Twilight. You’re confined to a mansion, and that’s a bad thing? I’ve known ponies who would give anything to be able to sleep underneath one of your trees, let alone stay in a room such as this.” She paused again, then said, “But it seems to me you weren’t the worse one in this whole mess. Porter and Spindle have a lot to answer for, even if they were just looking out for themselves. So maybe we can help each other.” “How?” “You thought I was Porter, so obviously you’re expecting them to show up.” “Yes, but I never know when that will be. It could be tonight, it could be next week. Either way it doesn’t matter; I don’t have access to any money and they don’t believe me. Nopony believes me.” Pinkie hesitated, then slowly removed her hood. “I believe you.” “YOU! I know you…you’re that pink pony that gave us that party in Ponyville! What’s your name again?” “Pinkie Pie.” “That’s right! And wait…I remember reading about you. I’ve had a lot of time to catch up on things I should have known before I went to Ponyville. You’re…one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. ‘Kindness’, correct? “No, ‘Laughter’.” Spencer looked at her. “You don’t seem very happy.” “‘Laughter’ isn’t happiness, it’s ‘optimism’. And no, I don’t feel very much like laughing right now.” She paused again, then said, “But I do think it’s time I met your Dad.”