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Chapter 5: Confrontation
Dinky sat in her comfy chair, legs dangling down loosely, an open book in her lap. Arms placed on the chair's rests, she let a deep sigh emerge from her throat as she turned the page with her magic. Her eyes moved over the lines and letters, a dull, bored expression in them.
It knocked on the door. Dinky ignored it, just like the first knock seconds earlier, and kept reading with a straight face.
She liked reading. A lot even. Right now it was not a joy, though. This kind of entertainment forced on her currently, it could not excite the young unicorn.
Another knock. As Dinky once more did not react, eyes fixated on the book, the handle of the door moved down and the door got opened. Millie entered the room, a ridiculous amount of worry on her face, only to get replaced by relief a moment later.
“Oh, Dinky, dear, thank goodness you are okay! I was very worried when you didn't answer my knocks, but now I see that you are just buried nose-deep into a book!” A warm smile crept on her face. “Now, isn't this just as exciting as playing those damaging games was?”
Dinky did not answer her aunt's question, but the darker shade her face seemed to take on showed how she was thinking about this suggestion.
Interpreting the non-existent reaction of her niece as a sign of defiance, Millie ignored it demonstratively, a smug-like expression on her face, and continued to talk about the reason she came here.
“It is time for dinner, Dinky. The table is set, please come down with me to the kitchen.”
Dinky kept reading, ignoring her aunt as demonstratively as she did with her before.
Now it was for Millie's face to take on a darker shade. “Young lady.....” Her voice grew threatening and cold. “Don't show me such an impolite behavior. Set your book aside and come with me.”
No answer came from Dinky, only her face turned into a deep frown now.
Vigorously, Millie stepped at the side of her chair and grabbed the book from her lap swiftly, then putting it on the table left from her.
Dinky huffed. “I'm not hungry,” she said monotonously, but with assertiveness. She wrapped the book into her magic and pulled it back into her lap, then continued reading where she was interrupted, face resting on one of her hooves now. A slight pout was on it.
Finally, Millie got the clue. She sighed. “I know why you are upset with me, Dinky. But you are young and there are a lot of things you don't understand yet.”
Fire appeared in Dinky's eyes and she bit her lip, but did not say anything.
“Removing those games was the best for you, Dinky, and one day you will understand how they harmed you.” She waited for a few moments to see if Dinky would give her another answer, but as none came, she trotted back to the door, where she turned around. “I expect you downstairs in five minutes, Dinky.” Her voice had returned to her strict tone. “Don't tempt fate too much while I'm here. I don't know what it takes to make a refined filly out of you, but I am going to find out.” Without another word, she closed the door behind her, letting the words linger in the air.
For a few moments, Dinky just sat there, trying to continue her reading and to ignore her pounding heart and the loud steps of Aunt Millie on the stairs. As they had faded away, Dinky shut the book and, her teeth bared and her eyes showing an aggressive look, she took it into her hooves and threw it against the door with full force. It hit it with a thunderous bang, then fell down on the floor, cover facing down. Dinky eyed the door, teeth still bared, breathing in and out heavily. As the anger slowly ebbed away, she sank back into her chair again.
A helpless look in her eyes, she leaned her head to the side, her cheek in close contact with the fabric of the chair and then, as if matters couldn't become worse, her grumbling stomach reminded Dinky on it that she was lying earlier. The thought of eating one of the blueberry muffins in her drawer entered her mind, but Dinky shoved it away, instinctively feeling that she would still need this muffin later. Her lips trembled slightly, then another huff escaped her.
Finally, she got up and motioned towards the door, her legs feeling wobbly. Her hesitation strong, she put a hoof on the handle and pulled it down slowly, then slipped out of the opened door. Without turning back, she trudged her way to the stairs, down on them, then to the left and into the kitchen, her mind feeling cloudy and every cell in her body struggling against the movement, but the last words of her aunt kept her trotting.
Having arrived in the kitchen, Millie, who already sat at the table, pointed at the seat opposite of her. “Sit down, Dinky,” she said taut, her voice not allowing for any backtalk.
A sharp answer was on Dinky's tongue, but she swallowed it down and took seat on the chair.
An approving nod came from Millie, then she averted her gaze from Dinky and directed it to the plate in front of her. Dinky followed it and her mouth gaped open in shock.
There were muffins on the plate, a whole bunch of them! For a moment, Dinky's heart jumped from joy, but then she remembered her aunt's words from a few hours earlier. Menacingly, they sounded through her head.
Oh, don't worry, Derpy dear, I will bake new food for her. I brought my recipe book with me, so there won't be any shortage for my little niece. There is nothing wrong about muffins per se, but you need to make the right ones for her and I'm going to bake Dinky some muffins that won't endanger her health.
A second later, the stench of the pastry in front of her wafted into Dinky's nostrils. She sniffed and sucked it in, then her stomach began to turn around. The pungent smell let her nose burn and her eyes watered a little. Dinky stifled a retch but it was audible enough for Millie to look up. Her mouth currently full with one of the muffins, she left it at a deprecating stare, then continued chewing. Disbelief began to spread in Dinky as she watched her aunt eating.
“How can she eat this?” she wondered in thought. “The smell alone could kill a pony.”
She lowered her eyes and looked at the stack of muffins on the plate. They were of a bright brown, the surface unusually flat for muffins and here and there, tiny, white or green bits of..... something poked out of the surface. Dinky grimaced, then she took one of the muffins from the plate and inspected it more closely, disgust in her face.
“What is in those muffins?” she asked Millie, her voice making clear that it was not simple curiosity that caused her to ask, but mere consternation.
Millie swallowed a piece of her muffin, then spoke. The answer turned Dinky's hooves inwards and her stomach began to rebel again.
“Asparagus. There are also apples and yoghurt in it, but Asparagus is the main ingredient. It consists to 94% of water, almost no fat and sugar and it is very easy to digest. Just the right thing for a young filly like you, Dinky. It will help you grow.”
“Probably more like letting me shrink,” Dinky replied deadpan, speaking out the thought in her mind, now unable to control her aversion against the food in front of her. If another pony had told her that muffins like this would help her grow, she would have deemed it as a joke. But coming from her aunt, Dinky did not doubt that she was convinced of this for even just a second.
Millie shook her head. “Stop looking like this now.” Her voice sounded a little insulted. “They aren't as bad as you think, so start eating. I know you are hungry.”
Dinky gulped. The stench still threatened her to retch, but the grumbling in her stomach was a force on its own. With the biggest reluctance, she took a small bite of the muffin. She was sure she would have to spit it out again the minute it touched her tongue, but the reaction did not happen. To Dinky's surprise, the muffin tasted better than she had feared, at least better than the stench let her suspect.
Carefully, she started chewing. The familiar taste of apples flooded her buds, which was good and by some miracle, it seemed to drown out the asparagus flavour. She could live of those muffins until her mom was back, she realized relieved. They did not cause her to vomit, yet saying that Dinky was satisfied with them would have still been exaggerated greatly. The only redeeming thing about them were the apple pieces, but the rest tasted dull and boring, not much better than cardboard. If it weren't for the apples, even this would have been tastier than those muffins, she figured.
Dinky swallowed the piece in her mouth, then took another one and started chewing on that too, still wearing a sceptical expression on her face. Millie's face radiated satisfaction.
As Dinky had finished the muffin, her stomach was still grumbling, yet the filly decided that it was enough. There was a better flavour waiting for her, up in her room, so something else would serve as the rest of her dinner. Yet, Dinky did not leave right away. There was something else. Something that needed to get addressed and the fierce determination in Dinky's eyes showed that she was willing to fight.
She breathed in deeply, calming her pounding heart. Her mom was not here right now and Sparkler was still at work, so she needed to stand up for herself. A certain phrase entered her mind, giving her confidence.
Don't be a pushover! If anyone tries to shove you around, push back! It's one-on-one, with a fiery finish for the loser!
“And fiery shall your finish be,” Dinky thought poetically. Then she looked Millie straight into the face, fire in her eyes. “I want my videogames back,” she said, demanding strictness ringing in her voice.
“Not under any circumstances,” came the counter from her aunt, her own voice feeling to Dinky like she just got hit by a massive rock.
Dinky narrowed her eyes. “They don't belong to you, they are mine. You have no right to steal them from me and you know it.”
Millie was not impressed, she only appeared slightly annoyed instead. “We already went over this enough, Dinky. We won't repeat it. You know very well how much these games hurt your development and–“
“SHUT UP!” Dinky got up and, standing on her chair, slammed her forehooves on the kitchen table, shooting a hateful glare at her aunt.
Millie sat there motionless, her mouth open and her eyes bulging, not able to produce a reply for once. “I don't care for your paranoid crap! Give me back my games and do it now, or.....” With the last bit of self-control Dinky had left in her fury, she stopped herself from finishing that sentence. The rest of it ringing in her mind, she felt a little ashamed for what she almost said, but considering the circumstances, also not sorry enough to regret anything.
Seconds passed, then Millie finally found her speech again. Her face was pale now.
“Dinky..... I am very disappointed. You are really not the filly I knew anymore and it breaks my heart to see you acting like this. What in Equestria happened?”
“Give me back my games.” Dinky gnarled as she repeated her demand.
Then the disappointment and slight sadness in Millie's face vanished and was replaced by cold disapproval and authority.
“Go to your room, Dinky. Dinner is cancelled for you now, maybe sleeping with a hungry stomach for this display will teach you something.”
Dinky did not budge. “I'm not going anywhere before you didn't give me back my games.” She lifted one of her hooves and slammed in on the table again, to underline what she said. Her resolve washed over Millie, but the mare's reaction was stonecold.
“This is too late anyway now. I went outside and sold them immediately after I left your room.” A slight glee was in Millie's voice now. “Your friend Button Mash is enjoying them now. I was hesitant about selling them at first and just wanted to throw them away, but this colt can't be saved anymore anyway, he's playing those games for way too long already. And of course I will give the money to your mom, then she can invest it in something that is good for you. At least the money can be used to rescue you from the same fate that way.”
During Millie's whole speech, Dinky felt her heart sliding down into her stomach more and more and the expression in her face gradually turned from an angry one to one of shock and disbelief. And Dinky did not believe it.
“Y-You're lying,” she stuttered. “I know you do. You're just saying this as an excuse so that you don't have to give them back to me.” In her face, insecurity and conviction were fighting with each other.
Silently, Millie shook her head, the seriousness in the movement scaring Dinky.
“No. It's all true,” she said taut. Millie snatched up her wallet from the table and opened it, then placed a number of bills on it. Seeing the bill on top and how thick the pile of bills was, Dinky guessed it had to be about two-hundred bits that lied there in front of her. “Not as much as I thought they would bring, but it should be enough for a few nice things.”
Dinky felt her conviction breaking away. “Y-You really sold them.....”
Again, Millie nodded, then she returned the bills into her wallet and put it back to where it was. “Now go to sleep, it's almost time,” she said then, which caused another glimmer of protest to flare up inside of Dinky, but the unicorn filly was now too weak to fight back.
“You will go to bed at eight as long as I am here and I will tell your mom to send you to bed at the same time. Staying up past eight is much too long for a ten year old filly like you.”
Dinky just stared in shock over what she had just heard. Then one of her hooves reached out for the plate with the muffins.
“And hooves away from the muffins,” Millie said strict as she noticed. “You are not getting any more to eat today as punishment for your behavior.”
Millie had interpreted Dinky's movement wrong, though. As Dinky's hoof had reached the plate, it began to tremble, and her face got distorted by anger again. With violent force, she moved her hoof under the side of the plate and threw it into the air, causing the muffins to rain down on the table, some of them landing on Millie, followed by the plate shattering to pieces on the table's surface.
“I DON'T CARE!” Dinky screamed at her aunt now. “YOUR MUFFINS TASTE LIKE NOTHING ANYWAY!”
Then she jumped off the chair and galloped away, out of the kitchen. Millie looked after her niece as she entered the stairs, her face showing deep concern. She shook her head in bewilderment.
“This behavior..... I really wonder from where she got it.” Millie sighed, then she made herself to pick up the muffins and to collect the shards of the plate.
Upstairs, Dinky clattered through the short corridor to her bedroom, many thoughts rushing through her head now; from the ridiculousness of it that she should go to bed now, even though her usual bedtime was not earlier than ten, to the fate of her beloved videogames. She sniffed as she thought about the latter. “I hate her.....” she whispered.
In her room, she smashed the door shut behind her, then locked it by turning the key around two times. Dinky cursed herself for not having done this earlier. Then she jumped into her armchair, where she slumped into the soft fabric. A few tears glistened in her eyes as she stared at the table that was now empty, save for her TV. It was more from anger than desperation.
A strange, cold feeling flooding through her body, she crossed her arms and closed her eyes, then leaned to the side and nestled her cheek into the chair. Feeling like nothing mattered anymore now, she let herself drift away into a restless sleep.
A cold shiver went through Dinky's body as she heard a creaking sound and her eyes shot open. Swiftly, she sat up, a feeling of fear spreading out in her chest, and looked around, confused about where the sound came from. But she couldn't see anything.
“Why is it so dark suddenly?” she said groggy, then sat up more and rubbed her eyes. Slowly, the cold feeling of fear subsided and her memories returned. Dinky's eyes began to burn as she thought on the fate of her videogames again.
Shaky, she got up on her hooves and groped her way to the light switch. An incidental glance at the clock on her nightstand told her the time. It was 9 PM, as the illuminated numbers told her, meaning she had only slept for about an hour after she passed out in her distraught state. But it was enough for the sun to have been set by now, as her room was pitch-black.
Dinky shook her head. It had only been an hour, yet her dreams were filled with the weirdest things, most of which she couldn't even fathom in their meaning as absurd as they had been. Luckily, only fragments of these dreams remained in her memory now that she was awake again, but those haunted her all the more.
For one, there was her mom saying goodbye to her earlier on this day, while Dinky could just stand there, frozen on the spot, and watching how her beloved mom flew further and further away from her, in slow-motion to boot. The second fragment was just Millie entering her room, a happy smile on her face and a tone of utmost optimism in her voice as she talked to her. “You are staying with me now, Dinky!” she had said. Dinky shuddered at the memory and stopped in her tracks for a moment, the feeling of fear returning. Her eyes felt squishy and a whimper escaped her throat. It was only a dream, but it had seemed all too real.
Shaking away the thought with force, Dinky finally did the last step to the switch and turned the lights on. Blinded, she held a hoof in front of her eyes, then she turned around. Feeling rejuvenated by the bright light, the fog in her mind slowly cleared, and then Dinky realized what had caused the sound that woke her up.
Feeling some joy flashing up in her heart, she turned around again, aiming for the door this time. Carefully and without making too much sound, she turned the key around twice, then slowly opened it. She peeked outside into the corridor and found it dark, as dark as her room had been just moments earlier. Millie was nowhere in sight and when Dinky looked to her right and into the direction the door of the guestroom had to be, she could hear faint rustling from the room, indicating that Millie was inside of it.
Tiphoofing, Dinky slipped out of her room and closed the door behind her with her magic. She twitched as the door got shut with a clicking sound. Ready to retreat into her room again if Millie should show up, Dinky observed the door of the guestroom, her eyes having grown wide in anxiety.
As no steps could be heard coming from inside Millie's room, Dinky held a hoof at her chest and breathed out in relief, then she turned to the left, continuing to tiphoof, and went down the corridor over the short distance to the room that was right beside hers.
Standing in front of it, Dinky did a careful glance over her shoulder, almost expecting to see Millie at her side suddenly, but she was still alone in the corridor.
She turned back to face the door and lifted her hoof. As quietly as she could, Dinky knocked on her sister's door. “Sparks?” she whispered, leaning her head in closely. Her voice sounded longing.
Sounds from behind the door entered her ears; clanging could be heard, followed by hoofsteps that approached the door quickly. It got opened widely and Sparkler looked down on her sister, a wide smile on her face.
“Hey, Dinks!” she greeted her, loud and cheerful. Sparkler stretched out a hoof to ruffle her little sister's mane, but before she could reach it, Dinky put a hoof to her mouth.
“Psst!” she whispered, then did another look over her shoulder, a strenous expression on her face. Noticing that everything was still quiet in the corridor, she motioned towards the entrance, pushing Sparkler to the inside. She turned around and peeked into the corridor again, then quietly shut the door with her magic.
As Dinky turned around to her sister again, Sparkler already awaited her with a knowing expression. “She sent you to bed early, right?”
Sadly, Dinky nodded, pain in her eyes.
“Well, I don't care,” Sparkler replied, her voice brash now. “I allow you to stay up longer and I have the last say about this as long as mom isn't here.”
Having caused her sister's face to light up, Sparkler turned around and motioned towards a small table in the middle of her room. “Come, sit down and let's talk!” she said carefree, then took seat on the nearest chair.
Dinky followed her older sister's steps and took seat at her side on another chair. It was only now that she sat at the table, that Dinky noticed the plate of muffins in the middle of it. Eagerly, her face lit up even more.
Smirking, Sparkler ignited her horn and let one of the delicious treats hover into Dinky's hooves, who bit into it greedily, a squeal of happiness leaving her mouth. Finally, Sparkler could ruffle her sister's mane. “So, how bad was it so far, Dinks?” Sparkler came right to the point as she leaned back again and reached out for one of the muffins herself.
Dinky swallowed the piece of her own muffin, then her ears flattened a little and she began to tell her big sister about the events of the day. She was very thorough with it, so she began at the morning, with the things that happened between her and Derpy right after Sparkler had left for work. She told her how she almost slammed the door into their mom's face, how she met Lily, about her return home and Millie's arrival, what Millie did with their muffins and finally, about the disaster of Millie taking her videogames away from her and even selling them. As Dinky had finished, her eyes began to glisten and she took another bite out of her muffin. As she was chewing on it, she wiped a few tears out of her eyes.
Sparkler's expression formed an angry frown as soon as she had heard the full retelling of the events. Immediately, she reached out with her left hoof, put it around Dinky's shoulder and pulled her closer to her. Then she sighed audibly.
“I knew she would mess you up again..... I swear, this mare is worse than Tirek and Chrysalis combined.” Still the angry glare in her eyes, she lifted the muffin to her mouth and took a strong bite out of it herself.
At her side, Dinky just nodded quietly, lost in thoughts while eating her own muffin.
“But now that she took your games, she went too far. I'm getting your stuff back, Dinks, and I will have some serious talk with her about all of this.”
Still wearing a sad expression, but also some hope glimmering in her eyes now, Dinky looked up and into her sister's eyes. “Can you do this, Sparks?”
Sparkler answered her look and nodded. “Sure!” She rubbed over Dinky's left shoulder comfortingly. “The games don't belong to her and she never asked you or me or mom if she can sell them, so the sale wasn't legal. It will be easy.” She moved her hoof up and ruffled through Dinky's mane once more. “Leave it up to me, I get your games back in no time, Dinks!”
A broad and very relieved smile started to build on Dinky's lips and she fell around her sister's chest, hugging her tightly. Sparkler put a hoof around her little sister, rubbing her shoulder some more.
Suddenly, Dinky stirred. She could feel it, there was something gently nudging her left backhoof, followed by a very quiet snort.
Confused, she released the hug with Sparkler and looked down the chair. As she saw who had touched her hoof, her eyeballs grew in size and her mouth turned into a huge grin, her white teeth shining down on the small creature on the floor.
“Twee!” she said happily and bent down to lift up the little tortoise. She set him down on her chest and gave him a soft nuzzle, which he answered by snuggling up against her neck and resting his head there.
Dinky giggled. “I almost forgot about him because of Aunt Millie! I didn't even notice that he wasn't in my room anymore when I came home from school.” Slight regret was ringing in her voice. Ever since the Ponyville Pet Center Fundraiser a while ago, Dinky and Twee were the closest of friends. Even though it was clearly Millie's fault, Dinky felt guilty for forgetting about him.
Holding Twee tightly, Dinky looked around in Sparkler's room until her eyes fell on a familiar terrarium in the corner. Then she looked up to her sister. “What is he doing here, Sparkler?”
Sparkler smiled down at her knowingly, relief over the better condition of her little sister in her eyes. “Mom and me figured it would be better for him to stay here in my room until Millie has left again. You know how she thinks about animals. If she would find him in your room, she would do only Celestia knows what.”
Fear flashed up in Dinky's eyes and she nodded sternly. “Is he really safe here, Sparkler?” She stroke with her hoof over Twee's shell affectionately.
Reassuringly, Sparkler nodded. “She would have to come in here and you know that I banned her from my room the last time she was here. And I'm locking the door every time I leave and take the key with me. Twee is completely safe from that scarecrow.” She grinned mischievously.
Dinky grinned as well, feeling impressed how carefree Sparkler dared to talk about their aunt. A second later, both sisters broke out in loud laughter.
“I wonder what she would say about Twee,” Dinky wondered as their fits had subsided and gave her pet turtle a gentle kiss on the head.
“About a tortoise? Hmm.....” Sparkler put a hoof at her chin and pondered Dinky's question, until her face lit up. She cleared her throat, then looked down at her sister and Twee, giving them both a convincing glare. Sparkler disguised her voice.
“Dinky, dear, what do I have to see?” she asked as exaggerated as she could. “Is this.....” She trailed off intentionally and bent down close to Twee and Dinky, making the latter feel slightly uncomfortable. “Is this a tortoise sitting on your chest?! Oh dear, by Celestia! Dinky, do you not know how dangerous tortoises are? They deliver all sorts of infectious diseases!” Sparkler slightly touched Twee's shell, a pretended look of disgust on her face. “This tortoise here..... It will make you sick, Dinky, you will see. Just wait, very soon he will infect you with salmonellosis and then you will die in your bed a few days later, when the bacteria have sucked your life out of your young body!”
While Dinky's face was slightly frightened at the beginning, feeling reminded on the mare who would indeed be serious about saying such things, she now just grinned at her big sister, barely able to resist another laughing fit. The look in Sparkler's face showed Dinky that she was feeling the same.
Sparkler's performance made Dinky feel more confident. Cheekily, she stuck out her tongue at Sparkler. “I don't care! I rather die happy than becoming a scared and paranoid killjoy like you, Millie!”
Astonishment flitted across Sparkler's face for a moment. And as if he wanted to emphasize Dinky's words, Twee suddenly turned his head at Sparkler, inched a little closer and huddled his head against her right check.
As the two sisters saw this, they couldn't hold onto themselves anymore. Simultaneously, they erupted into another laughing fit, even louder than the one before. Driven over the edge by Twee's reaction, both sisters just sat there, laughing like nothing else in Equestria was important anymore, until their sides began to hurt and slowly forced them to stop.
They calmed down, still slightly giggling, while wiping the tears of laughter out of their eyes. Before they could continue to talk, though, somepony else was preventing their upcoming conversation.
“I'm flattered that you know me so well to make this convincing display of myself possible, Sparkler.” Millie's voice sounded over to them coldly, drenched with sarcasm.
In all their silliness, they had not noticed that Millie had entered the room and silently watched them all the time. Eyeballs shrunk, both the older and the younger sister winced and turned around.
“And I'm very happy that you spoke out what I was thinking already, Sparkler. Now I don't have to explain it anymore.” Her very real glare of disgust rested on Twee, who was still sitting on Dinky's chest. “I don't understand how you and your mom can allow this. And that even though you know about all the risks.”
Sparkler's shock did not last long. She rolled her eyes at Millie's criticism, then sighed.
“Well, look who came to join us.....” she said, the annoyance clearly audible in her voice. “Here to make more trouble, Millie?” Sparkler didn't make any effort to hide her hostility.
“Apparently, there is no need for this anymore,” Millie countered. She looked at Twee again, then at the muffins, then at the clock in Sparkler's room, before she returned her eyes to Sparkler herself. “You're already doing all the trouble yourself. A dangerous, sick animal sitting right there on my niece's chest, unhealthy food on the table and it's even way past Dinky's bedtime. I'm disheartened to see all of this, you are a very bad sister, Sparkler.”
And with this statement, something snapped in Sparkler. In a swift movement, she shot an intimidating glare at Millie.
“A 'bad sister'?” she asked, her face distorted in fury now.
Millie did not budge and neither did her eyes show any signs of fear or weakness.
“Worse than an aunt who makes my little sister unhappy by forbidding her everything that is fun because of her ridiculous, overprotective attitude? Shut up and mind your own business first, Millie!”
Now Millie's face turned dark. “You.....” She began to stammer. “Y-You have the worst manners I've ever seen, Sparkler. Now I know why Dinky is treating me with so little respect. Did you know what she said to me today while you were gone? She called me 'paranoid' and almost threatened me. And she was even screaming at me!” Millie held a hoof to her face. It looked more theatrical than concerned. “I can't believe what a bad influence you have on your young sister, Sparkler. There are so many things I have to talk about with your mom once she is back. This whole family is falling apart without me, it seems.”
Sparkler looked at Millie, impressed. “Oh, did she?” she asked, half astounded, half cynical. She looked over at Dinky, who eyed Millie nervously, and smiled at her with pride. Then she redirected her attention at Millie. “Then you deserve it!” she said right into her face.
Millie gasped in shock. But before she could reply anything, Sparkler snubbed her.
“Do you know what Dinky told me? She told me about it how you took away her videogames today and maybe even broke her console and how you were not even batting an eye about it! She said you were selling them, without her agreement, and she was crying because of it, right here in front of me! You made her sad and unhappy, how's that for 'bad'?!”
With every new word, Sparkler talked herself more into rage. She stopped, catching her breath.
Now bewildered, Millie began to address what Sparkler said. “Sparkler, I did all of this because–“
“Just can it, Millie, I don't care for your nonsense!” Sparkler spat the words into Millie's face and interrupted her. “The games you sold weren't yours and you can be happy about it that I don't turn you in for this.” She paused for a moment, to give her words more effect.
Millie was quiet now, just looking at her disconcerted.
Sparkler continued. “Tomorrow, I will go and get Dinky's games back. If they disappear again, I will hold you accountable for it, Millie.” The expression of the purple unicorn left no doubt about the sincerity of her words.
Millie opened her mouth and closed it again a few times, clearly preparing more counters, but she didn't manage it to produce one single word. Dinky couldn't help but comparing her with a fish in an aquarium and had to giggle.
Eventually, Millie gave up her attempts. She huffed and nodded. “Okay. Do whatever you believe is right, Sparkler. But you are ruining your little sister with this.” Then she went out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Sparkler and Dinky could hear her hoofsteps in the corridor and how she opened the door of her own room, followed by a loud bang that made Dinky twitch.
The peacefulness having returned to the room, Sparkler looked at her sister again. “There, done,” she said in an optimistic tone. “Wasn't so hard, right?”
Dinky began to smile and nodded, her eyes glistening in admiration now.
Sparkler answered the smile, then ignited her horn again and hovered another muffin into Dinky's hooves. “And now let's eat some more. I bet you're still starving for some real food after those ugly muffins.”
This wasn't something she needed to tell her sister twice. With greed, Dinky bit into the muffin and munched on it happily, then Sparkler took one for herself.
After another conversation and one more round of muffins, Sparkler looked over to her clock, noticing that the display jumped to 10 PM. Dinky's actual bedtime had come.
Together, the two unicorn sisters left Sparkler's room and entered Dinky's bedroom. The corridor was quiet while they trotted down it, not even from Millie's room came any sounds. Apparently, the obnoxious aunt had gone to sleep as well.
Sparkler pushed the door open. Inside, Dinky went straight for her bed, now feeling actually tired after the stressful day. She hovered Twee off her back and set him down on the pillow, then removed the blanket, climbed into her bed and lied down on the sheets, her head placed at Twee's side.
“Can you tuck me in?” Dinky asked her big sister.
Sparkler chuckled slightly. “Aren't you too old for this, Dinks?” Her voice sounded teasing.
Dinky's face turned red, but she shook her head. “Not tonight.” There was still a slight bit of insecurity in her voice, clearly a result of what had happened today.
Understanding, Sparkler took Dinky's blanket between her hooves and spread it over her little sister. Finished with the task, she ruffled a last time through Dinky's mane.
“Night, Dinks,” she said. “And don't forget to lock the door because of Twee.”
Dinky nodded. “Good night, Sparkler!” She looked at her big sister, still love and admiration in her eyes.
Sparkler winked at her, then she switched off the light and went outside.
Now alone with Twee in the dark room, Dinky focused her magic into the direction where she suspected the key to be and, as she had finally located it, turned it around twice.
Having locked the door, she nestled closer to Twee. She kissed his head. “Good night, Twee!”
Dinky gave her pet turtle a last nuzzle as he reciprocated with his own, gentle gesture, then she closed her eyes, awaiting sleep to carry her away.....