Chapter 13: Showdown
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Chapter 13: Showdown
Friday had been a quiet day. Dinky woke up in the morning and readied herself for school. She had been a little tireder than usually after awakening, as it had gotten a bit late the night before with the movie they watched, but her spirits were lifted again, so she felt well. The small amount of tiredness had been nothing compared to the stress Millie had put her through and so, Dinky had been looking forward to the day ahead of her.
She had attended school again and met Lily there. Dinky had to solve tasks from her teacher and recess had been spent by talking with Lily and Noi. On the afternoon, she had taken care of her homework with help from her big sister and the rest of the day, Sparkler and Dinky were playing games together or just talking. Dinky's life had returned to normalcy. Now it was Saturday and there was only one element in Dinky's life missing to make it the perfect life she knew again.
Dinky was outside, sitting before the front door, and her eyes were scanning the sky for the one pony her heart was longing for. It was close to noon, so it was close to her mom's return as well.
“Dinks?” her sister suddenly called out for her.
Dinky heard it, but did not turn around. She kept her eyes fixated on the sky. “Yeah?” she shouted her answer.
Sparkler came down the stairs, her glance falling on Dinky and how she was sitting there, constantly looking up. A smile played around her lips. “Is the kitchen ready?” she asked her little sister.
“The table is laid and prepared!” Dinky shouted back, still not turning around.
“Awesome! I'll take care of the rest, Dinks!” She motioned towards the kitchen.
“Mhm,” Dinky replied, her voice sounding dreamily. By now, her surroundings had become blurred out for the young unicorn. All she could see was the sky. More than that, even, all her eyes detected right now was that small patch of the sky visible between two houses in the not so far distance and in which direction Canterlot was located. The route her mom would be most likely taking on the way back to their house. And to her, of course.
Dinky opened her mouth for a smile. In her imagination, her mom was already here. She saw her appearing between the houses in front of her mind's eye, saw her flying towards their own house, hovering in the air for a moment..... then starting to land. The sun was in her back and the rays that surrounded her made her look like an angel. An angel heralding the end of the worst week she had ever experienced in her ten years of life. Gracefully, the cross-eyed angel landed in front of her. It smiled warmly.
Dinky's smile turned into a broad grin and her eyeballs seemingly grew in size as she opened her eyes wide. They glistened and sparkled as she felt the joy spreading out inside of her. Overwhelmed, she spread her arms and hunched forward to hug the angel. It was an awkward sight for a pony, because, of course, Dinky was only hugging the air. Perplexed, the pony gave her a poke. “Uh..... Are you alright, Dinky?”
And with that poke, Dinky's bubble burst. The angel disappeared. Dinky blinked in confusion as she suddenly only saw the street in front of her and the buildings in the distance anymore. She looked to the side, from where the poke had come from, and her face turned dumbfounded. She blinked again as she found herself staring into the face of Derpy, her mom.
The grey pegasus mare was looking at her, cross-eyed and puzzled. Around her neck was her trademark mailbag adorned with a muffin and on her back was a large box that looked heavy.
Dinky's mouth opened slowly, but she did not say anything and kept sitting still in her position. Silently, she stared at her mom.
“Dinky.....?” came it again from Derpy. She poked her daughter once more. “Are you daydreaming?”
Dinky swallowed, then shook her head. No, she wasn't daydreaming. This was definitely not a dream. The realization slowly settling in her mind, Dinky's eyes became watery.
“Mom?” she whispered, her voice sounding absent.
Unsure what to answer, Derpy scraped a hoof at the ground. “It's me, Dinky,” she stated the obvious.
Dinky swallowed a second time, then her eyes moved up and down, looking from Derpy's face down to her hooves and back up again. “Mom.....” the filly said again. Then, finally, her face cleared and her mouth formed another smile. “Mom!” she cheered, then turned around and inched forward, flinging her arms around her mother's neck.
It almost made Derpy lose balance. “Careful, Dinky, I have muffins on my back!” she said and chuckled.
Holding her mom tight in the embrace, Dinky buried her face into the fur on her neck, soaking it with her joy-filled tears. She whimpered and sobbed as the relief of seeing her beloved mom again washed over her completely.
Derpy lifted both of her forelegs and wrapped them around her daughter's back. Her voice was joyful, but concern was ringing in it as well. “Why are you crying so much, Dinks?”
“Because I missed you, of course!” Dinky's answer came promptly. The crying made her voice sound very high-pitched. She tightened the grip arount her mom. “Aunt Millie was awful!” was all she explained for now.
Well, this didn't come as surprise to the pegasus. Derpy's face turned slightly grim and her daughter's emotional reaction made her already think that asking Millie for help was a mistake, completely without explanation about what happened exactly.
“Is Aunt Millie still here?” she asked her weeping filly.
Dinky wagged her head. “N-No. Only Sparkler is here.” Her answers were concise, she didn't care for explaining much right now.
“She went through a lot,” another voice rang out to Derpy. The mare looked to the left and saw Sparkler standing in the doorframe. “Hey, mom.”
“Sparkler..... Was it really so bad this time?” Derpy's face was sad now.
“It's a long story, a lot happened. Let us go inside first.” Sparkler hovered the box full of muffins down from Derpy's back, so she could let Dinky lay on her back. The filly kept clinging tightly to her mom's neck, soaking it more while she cried for joy.
Derpy followed her oldest daughter inside and closed the door behind her. Quietly, except for Dinky's sobbing, the two mares trotted into the kitchen.
Already before entering, Derpy was greeted with the sight of a fully laid table. Cups, spoons and plates were neatly arranged on it and in the middle, two pots filled with steaming hot coffee and cocoa had been placed. A bowl of sugar was there too and between them was a larger plate and muffins were stacked on it. A blue cloth had been spread over the table.
Derpy gasped. “You prepared so much for my return?” She was flabbergasted.
Sparkler turned around and grinned. “Sure, mom! With all that happened, it's a bigger reason to celebrate than you imagine.”
The arrangements gave Derpy another big indication for how much she had been missed over the past five days. Mouth still open, she sat down on one of the chairs, gently putting Dinky down from her back and placing her in an own chair to her left. Dinky's tears were still streaming, but at the same time, her mouth was one, huge smile. It was a heartwarming sight of happiness.
And finally, Dinky wiped a hoof over her eyes and brushed the tears away. “You can't imagine how happy I am that you're back, mom!” she addressed her mother, than gave her another hug.
Derpy kissed her head, then chuckled. “I can now, Dinky.”
Dinky released the hug and looked at her mom, a sheepish grin on her face. Then, like on command, both mother and daughter turned to the mufffins on the table.
Noticing the reaction, Sparkler commented on the muffins. “Now Dinks and me bought so many muffins at Sugarcube Corner and you brought so many with you, too.”
“Hehe..... There weren't any muffins at the headquarter and the bakeries in Canterlot were always sold out on them so fast, I didn't get to buy any there!” She rubbed over her head and laughed, a little embarrassed.
Dinky gasped over the announcement. “You survived a whole week without muffins?!” The word she used would have been an exaggeration in many cases, but for the muffin-obsessed mare, it was accurate. “At least that's something I didn't have to endure this week.....” Dinky then said, suddenly sounding modest, but having her ears laid back.
Derpy's answer on the question did not get expressed by words, instead, she lunged with her hoof at the big plate and grabbed a muffin, then bit into it in the same movement.
Simultaneously, Dinky and Sparkler broke out in laughter. Then Dinky grabbed a muffin on her own and bit into it, not any less greedy than her mom. Following the example, Sparkler sat down as well and hovered a muffin over to her.
The first three muffins the small family bit into after Derpy's return were enjoyed in silence. Only as they had been consumed, Derpy picked up the conversation again.
Dinky faced her mom in excitement, eagerly to hear everything about her staff training. It wasn't very exciting. After settling in on the first day post-arrival – which included moving into a middle class hotel room and getting shown around in the building where the training should take place – the other four days were filled with dragging meetings and boring recitals. All of the unexciting aspects of Derpy's job. Worst of all, much the pegasus mare had heard wasn't of any use for her. For a mailpony of Ponyville, it just wasn't really necessary to know about advanced delivery methods or new standards for mailboxes. If the latter ever changed at all in Ponyville, then it would be years down the road. Change always took a long time to arrive in the small countryside town. Nonetheless, the attendance of mailponies from all over Equestria was mandatory, so Derpy had no choice to spend the week there.
Though, even with as boring Derpy's report was, Dinky was hanging on every word that came over her mother's lips. To her, it felt like her mom had just been on the most epic adventure a pony could imagine. Her eyes were sparkling while she bit into another muffin almost without noticing it.
“And that's all,” Derpy concluded her report. “I checked out of the hotel after a last meeting and flew right to Ponyville, bought some muffins and then I got here and found Dinky sitting in front of the house.” She chuckled and booped her daughter, which was reciprocated with hearty giggling by the filly.
Finished now, Derpy reached for the can of coffee and poured it into her cup, then equipped Dinky with some cocoa, causing her to grin. Sparkler filled her own cup with coffee in the meanwhile. After all three of them had added sugar to their hot beverages, it was Sparkler who continued.
“So, in other words, it was a completely boring week,” Sparkler stated.
Derpy gave her a confirming nod. “It was, but at least there was a nice incentive payment for having to attend the training.” She took a sip from her coffee. “But I guess my week was better then the 'exciting' week you two had to go through,” Derpy said then, remembering Dinky's initial reaction right after her return.
Like on command, Dinky's ears flattened and Sparkler's face turned dark. It was very much recognizeable that none of them wanted to relive the moments. But of course they wanted let their mom know.
“Was it really that bad?” Derpy repeated her question from earlier, as none of her daughters began to explain what happened.
Sighing, Dinky finally took the floor. “It was,” she said. “Every single day she was here. She demanded that I go to bed at eight and forced me to eat her ugly muffins!” Dinky stuck out her tongue. Feeling reminded on the taste again, she dropped the remaints of the muffin she was holding into her mouth.
Having swallowed it, she continued. “And she was taking all of my videogames and my Neightendo and sold them! Right on the first day!” Her face was filled with anger.
Derpy gasped. “Even the games I bought for your birthdays?”
Dinky nodded sternly. “All of them!”
“But I bought them back,” Sparkler clarified, easing her mother.
“And my console almost didn't work anymore, because Millie just ripped the plug out of the socket without turning it off! And then she insulted Twee.....” Her face one big frown, Dinky stopped for a moment, taking a sip from her cocoa, then reaching for her third muffin.
Sparkler continued for her. “It was nuts. She really thought Twee would infect Dinky with a disease. Even had the nerve to call me a 'bad sister' when I called her out on that.” She bit off the top of another muffin.
Derpy had listened to the report in consternation and was shaking her head now. “Millie really hasn't changed. I have hoped she could be less worse this time because Dinky is older than at her last visit.” She looked at her daughter, remorsefully. Gently, she moved a hoof over her right cheek. “But she was still belitting you so much.....”
Feeling moved, Dinky hovered the half-eaten muffin out of her hooves and gave her mom a hug. Having pulled away again, she let her shoulders hang. “And this wasn't even all she did.....”
“Just the start of it, unfortunately,” Sparkler added.
Dinky nodded, another sigh leaving her throat. “She even decided for me what I should spend my pocket money on..... I just bought a comic that is a little scary and she took it and exchanged it for some stupid pre-school foal comic.” Dinky shuddered at the memory. While she was taking another sip from her cocoa, just to calm herself, Sparkler chimed in once again.
“Dinky had already nightmares because of Millie after she had been here for just two days. I almost didn't recognize her anymore when she woke up on Wednesday and knocked on my door, with all the bags under her eyes. And what happened on the playground then.....” Sparkler's voice trailed off. She wasn't completely sure how to put the event into words.
It was Dinky's turn again. “First she forced me to sit on some plastic mat, just because I was in the sandpit. Then she called Lily a monster because of her strength and pushed and hurt her!” Dinky's face became darkened by hatred.
Derpy's eyes almost popped out of their holes. “She did what?!” she asked, in complete disbelief.
Sparkler nodded. “That crazy mare thinks that Lily's strength makes her a bad influence for Dinky. Called her a freak with a big strength and everything.”
“It's true,” Dinky confirmed as well, gravely. “And she made me so angry, I.....” Now the filly shrunk a little in her seat. “I called her a bitch,” she whispered. Ears laid back again, she lowered her eyes and just stared at the tabletop. For the first time since the playground incident, she felt shame for the outburst.
Derpy held a hoot at her mouth. “Oh, Dinks.....” she said, her voice soft, but with the shock clearly audible in it. She reached out and pulled her daughter over and into her lap, where she embraced her. Dinky rested her head on her mom's chest, her eyes expressing sadness now. Derpy squeezed her. “You never talk like this. That she made you use such a word.....” Her voice was ripe with disgust for her older sister.
Dinky said nothing, just nodded grimly.
“And Millie got her into such a crying fit that I was worried she would never calm down. She even locked her inside her room because she wanted to prevent her from seeing me, so I had to break the lock of the door open with my magic.”
“Has she done anything else?” Derpy asked, now sounding deeply concerned.
“Mhm,” Dinky answered. “She covered my ears and even touched the back of my flank and pushed me around, just because she heard Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash saying the word 'peeved'.” She sniffed, just a bit. “I didn't allow her to touch me there.....”
Derpy's eyes became slits and she gritted her teeth. “I hate her,” she said, voice completely cold. “I knew my sister is awful, but this is just too much.....”
Dinky spoke again while Derpy's mind tried to process what she just heard. “And then she called me a 'bad filly' all the time. But I'm not.....” This last sentence opened the floodgates. Having recounted her days with Millie and told her mom each of Millie's horrible deeds, it was like a dam breaking inside of her and she began to cry into her mother's chest.
Derpy began to hold her tighter. “I never let her come back. This has just gone too far.....”
Having watched the whole scene unfold, Sparkler nodded approvingly. “It's time for that,” she said then. “You finally need to stand up to her, mom.”
Derpy looked over to her oldest daughter. “She will never enter our house again, Sparkler. Millie won't get an opportunity to make it necessary for me to stand up to her.”
And, having spoken those words, it suddenly was like fate had been listening. The words had barely left Derpy's lips as it knocked on the door. Dinky gasped as she heard the knocks and she looked up, her tears suddenly drying up. She looked over to the door.
“Is this Millie?” she asked. Her face was in equal parts fearful and focused.
“Who else would sneak to the sidedoor?” Derpy answered rhetorically, gritting her teeth.
Sparkler nodded quietly, face stern.
They waited a moment, to see if the knocking would stop, but it continued.
“I will go and see who it is,” Derpy announced, having become unsure if the arrival was really her unwanted sister.
Dinky climbed back onto her own chair, unwillingly. She looked at her mother with concern. “Be careful, mom.”
“Don't worry, Dinks. If Millie is outside, I won't allow her to do more harm.”
It knocked again. Not dragging the moment out any longer, Derpy did the few steps to the sidedoor and pulled it open. And her eyes narrowed, as she saw exactly the pony she had expected to see.
“Millie.....” she hissed. “What are you still doing here? After all you did, you–”
In her typical fashion, Millie interrupted her little sister. “Before you say anything, Derpy, hear me out!” There was a strange tone in Millie's voice, awareness that Derpy knew everything by now mixed in with something that almost sounded like Millie was trying to do an attempt to reconciliate. Derpy didn't buy it.
“It's too late,” Derpy answered stiffly, her eyes drilling through her sister. Her face showed that she wasn't susceptible for any of Millie's attempts. Yet, there was a thought flashing up in her mind, a thought that made her surprised about herself.
“Too late, fine,” Millie said, still using the sympathetic tone. “I don't expect you to forgive me, Derpy. But let me come inside and listen to what I have to say, just for a moment.”
Derpy raised an eyebrow, but something in the sentence had piqued her curiosity. Staring at her older sister wordlessly for a few seconds, she suddenly stepped aside. “Come in,” she said dryly, pointing with her hoof into the kitchen in a welcoming gesture.
“Mom?” Sparkler asked her uncertainly, putting a half-eaten muffin back on her plate. Opposite of her, Dinky looked similar confused and concerned.
“Thank you, sister.” A sirupy smile appeared on Millie's face and she trotted through the door inside.
Derpy turned after her and followed her to the table, not bothering to close the door. Standing in front of the kitchen table, Millie turned around to her sister. For a few moments, she stared at her expectantly, but as Derpy didn't offer her a seat, she got down to business. Ignoring the glares by Dinky and Sparkler, she began to explain her visit.
“Derpy, first, I want to apologize for calling you a bad mother and for saying that you are incompetent.”
The deep frown that now appeared on Derpy's face made clear that bringing this up was a mistake by Millie. Derpy looked over to Sparkler, surprise mixed into her frown. “I guess you didn't tell me all the details.....”
“Most of them,” Sparkler answered, sounding a little sheepish. “Thanks to the knock on the door we didn't come this far, but” – Sparkler looked at Millie satisfiedly – “luckily Millie let you know how she called you.”
The comment made Millie's face twitch just a little, but the mare stayed under control.
Derpy looked back at Millie. “It isn't me you should apologize to,” she corrected her.
Unphased by the rejection, Millie tried it again. “I'm sorry, my dear, a lot of the things I said went too far.”
Derpy raised an eyebrow again over the ambigious answer.
“I know how hard it is to raise a foal properly,” Millie continued. “I shouldn't have said any of it. And I'm here to offer you something, so that we can be peaceful with each other again.”
Derpy kept her scepticism, but her face softened a tiny bit. “I give you three minutes, Millie,” she said strictly. “Not one more.”
“I will only need one, if you really hear me out, Derpy. Come over here, my dear.” She waved Derpy over and pointed at the table, then turned around.
Derpy came closer, hesitantly, not saying a word. There was something on Millie's back, sheets of paper that she only now noticed. And exactly those sheets of paper were grabbed by Millie and put onto the table now. Sparkler and Dinky could see them first and both their mouths gaped open in shock and disbelief as they saw them.
Millie looked over her shoulder and waved at Derpy again. “Come, this is what I want to show you, sister.”
Derpy arrived at the table and, as her eyes fell on the sheet that lied on top of the papers, her eyes shrunk and she breathed in deeply.
“Kingdom of Equestria. Certificate of Adoption. This is a permanent record – Please print only.” she read the first three lines on top of the document. Consternated, she looked into her sister's face. “Adoption?” she asked.
Millie nodded.“I know, there are some more formalities we will have to go through, but if you fill out the form and sign it, we have a legal agreement. There will be a few check-ups and talks with me by the child protective services, but just leave this up to me, Derpy.”
“Y-You want to adopt Dinky?” Derpy's face was full of shock.
Now the sirupy smile returned into Millie's face. “Yes, Derpy. I know you have challenges with raising your daughter. I'm not blaming you for this anymore, as I said, raising a foal is hard. But if Dinky lives with me, I will raise her into a prim and proper young mare. And of course you and Sparkler can visit her as often as you want, as long as I am at home.” Her voice was full of confidence. “What do you say, Derpy? Trust me, it is for the best for Dinky.”
Derpy reached for the papers and lifted them up with shaking hooves. Her head felt empty, the shock over the offer had driven all thoughts out of it.
Millie put a hoof on Derpy's shoulder. “Derpy, dear, I promise Dinky will have it good in my house. And I know you want this too. I always noticed that you have difficulties with Dinky, even when I just saw the two of you outside together. And the last days in your house have made me more sure about this.”
Demonstratively, she looked at Dinky, who didn't answer her glance, but instead stared at her mom with worry all over her face.
“Mom.....” she said, unsure. “Just throw them away.”
At the opposite side of the table, Sparkler nodded. “Don't listen to any of her words, mom. You always did a great job with me and you do a great job with Dinky too.”
The warnings that were implied in her daughters' words were justified, Derpy knew this. The sugary words of her sister played around her from shock numb mind, stroking the chords in her that she knew how to stroke since they had been fillies, the chords that made her confidence wither.
“Derpy, please do it, it's the best,” Millie continued to drill into her sister's mind. “When I took care of Dinky, I saw how disrespectful she can be and I bet if I would go through her games, I would find more than one that has exactly this language I heard your daughter using the last few days. And have you never noticed how angry and unhappy Dinky often appears to be?”
She pointed at Dinky and Derpy followed her outstretched hoof. Her head moved strangely mechanical, giving her daughters the creeps. And indeed, Dinky did seem unhappy, now that Derpy looked at her. There was a sad expression in her eyes.
“I can tell you why this is,” Millie continued. “She might not seem like it, but she is not really happy with the way you're raising her.
“Dinky..... Are you unhappy here?” Derpy asked her young daughter, seeking confirmation to disprove Millie's words.
Horror came over Dinky's face. “What? Mom? No, no I'm not..... Why?” Dinky shot questions at her mother, bewildered.
“Can you see how upset she is, Derpy? Deep inside of her, Dinky knows it too. You made mistakes, Derpy, but it's not too late. If you let me adopt her, I can still rectify those mistakes.”
Now Sparkler let a hoof come down on the table, at the end of her patience. She jumped up from her chair. “Finally stop brainwashing her with your nonsense or it's me who will kick you out, Millie!” Her voice was aggressive.
This time, Millie did not even pay attention to her. More outraged by the ignorance of her aunt, Sparkler turned to Derpy again.
“Mom, give me those!” She reached out for the document in Derpy's hooves, but Derpy lifted them up and did a few steps backwards, letting Sparkler only grasp the air. Sparkler wrapped the adoption papers into her magic, but her mom's grip around them was tight. She could not pull them out of her hooves. After a few tries, she had to give up.
In the meantime, Derpy had found her ability to think back, although it was now into the direction her sister wanted her to think. A thousand questions rushed through her mind. The dominating one was:
“What if Millie is right?”
All her thoughts began to circle around this main question. Dinky said she was happy here..... But what did she know?
“She never knew anything other than my education.....” Derpy pondered. “What if I wasn't right? Sparkler grew up just fine, but she's a mare now, maybe she just grew out of what I taught her after getting a job. And I have never given Dinky into the care of somepony else, so she never saw a different perspective. Except for Millie's.....”
A gruesome suspicion crept its way to the surface of her mind. She turned her head to the left. “Do you think..... Do you think Dinky just reacted to you like this because she isn't used to your methods, Millie?” she asked her sister. Her face showed that her question was sincere. “I'm allowing Dinky so many things, maybe I made her become spoiled.....”
Millie smiled more. “Now you're understanding it, Derpy. I didn't want to put it so harsh, it's good you came to the conclusion yourself. Yes, Dinky is spoiled. This is why she reacts in such a way at everything I'm doing.”
Derpy nodded. “Maybe you're–”
A painful tug at her right wing interrupted her sentence. “MOM!” Dinky's voice cried into her ear.
It distracted Derpy from Millie and she looked down at her daughter. Dinky stared at her, her face wrinkled and her eyes shimmering with tears. It stung in Derpy's heart seeing her daughter like this. She moved a hoof away from the documents, holding them only with the left hoof anymore, and ruffled through Dinky's mane with the other one.
“Dinks.....” Derpy's face was sad. “Maybe I really did something wrong..... Maybe staying with Millie would be better for you.”
“No, mom!” Dinky whined. “You didn't do anything wrong. You did everything right!”
“I-I don't think so, Dinky.....” Derpy lowered her head and stared at the floor with half-lidded eyes. Tears gathered in them as well now. “I-I probably let you get away with too many things, Dinks. And I don't think I can do better.....”
Now Sparkler was at her side too. She gave her mother a strong pat on the back. “Snap out of it, mom! You know what she says isn't right!” But it did nothing to change the expression in Derpy's face.
Millie still stood at the table, not saying anything anymore now, but smiling over the fact she had convinced her sister.
Derpy turned around fully to Dinky and bent down at her daughter. She was kneeing in front of Dinky now, forelegs tucked under her body, where she fixated the adoption papers. She unfolded her right wing and stroke over Dinky's back with it. She smiled at her little daughter. “Dinks..... I think you should go with Aunt Millie and stay with her.” The expression in her eyes was distant, even though she directly looked at Dinky.
Sparkler held a hoof at her mouth. “Mom..... You don't mean this. She's playing with you, can't you see it? You told us so often how she bossed you around and commanded you since you were fillies. It's just the same now. Don't listen to her.” She pleaded to her mom, but somehow, the words didn't really reach her.
Dinky's reaction was more extreme. Tears ran down her face in streams. “N-No, mommy. I-I shouldn't!” She had become completely distraught now.
Derpy moved her wings towards Dinky's head. She ruffled through her mane with it, right above her horn, then gently stroke her cheek.
She gave her a reassuring smile. “But we could still see us, Dinks. You heard what Aunt Millie said. Sparkler and I can visit you as often as we want. You don't have to leave us completely.”
Dinky sniffed. The seriousness in her mom's face and voice let her heart race. She choked. “B-But..... B-But..... this isn't enough, mom.” Dinky did a step forward and wrapped her hooves around her mother. “Please don't send me to her!” she pleaded, then pressed her face into her mom's neck.
“But, Dinks.....” Derpy unfolded the other wing too now and wrapped both of them around her daughter. “I always allowed you too many things and I never set you enough limits..... You don't understand it, but after you lived with Millie for a while, you will see what I mean.”
Dinky sobbed, then tried to gather strength. “B-But, that's not t-true, mom!”
Seeing another chance, Sparkler's face lit up. She poked her mom from behind. “Listen to her, Dinky's right!”
“Don't you remember anymore, mom? How you grounded me for a week after you found out that I snuck into the living room to watch 'The Trotting Dead' at night? You were so mad.....” Dinky sobbed again, her strength used up for now.
Millie furrowed her brow, but did not say anything.
Derpy's eyes became a little clearer over the reminder. “I remember, Dinks, but..... I.....”
Millie did a step towards them now. “This was too late, Derpy. After she had seen it, the damage had already been done. You should have prevented it before it happened.”
Derpy nodded, but did not turn around. “Did you hear, Dinks? It wasn't enough.....”
Stubborn, Dinky ignored her. “And the training..... Do you remember?”
“The staff training?” Derpy asked, confused.
“No..... T-The gym course. Y-You signed me up for it, mom. You said i-it's good for me. Why did you do it? Do you remember?”
Derpy smiled warmly at the old memory. “I just wanted you to stay fit, Dinks. You eat a lot of muffins and–” Derpy interrupted herself as she gasped in surprise. Then she gave her daughter a kiss on the head. “I guess this is the only thing I did really right.....”
Millie grew a bit more uncomfortable and she did another step towards the mom and her daughter. “Derpy, it's still in the veins and arteries. The fat on the inside doesn't disappear because of some training, believe me.”
This time Derpy ignored her, the surprise she just had still in full effect.
“And the videogames.....” Dinky continued between her sniffles and sobs. “We always choose them together, mom.”
“I know, Dinks, but–”
“And you always told me I shouldn't play them before I've done my homework, so I finish it first.”
Another gasp from Derpy, then a smile played around her lips again. A strange, cold feeling spread out in her head, like something was clearing inside of it.
“That's true, Dinks. I did. Did I forget this?” Derpy asked, now feeling light.
“Just for a moment!” Dinky answered, her voice becoming more optimistic. “Mom, you did so many things right!”
Behind Dinky and Derpy, Sparkler laughed out loud. She got into Millie's way before the older mare could do another step forward.
“Sparkler, would you please step aside?” Millie asked, still in her sympathetic voice.
“No way,” Sparkler answered, ignoring her otherwise. “Don't forget about Twee, Dinks!” she called over her shoulder then.
“Right!” Dinky pulled away from her mom and looked her into the face, hooves still resting on her neck. “Mom, you didn't even let me touch Twee before you had made sure he has gotten all the necessary vaccinations in the Ponyville Pet Center!”
Right in front of her, her mother's eyes cleared even more, losing the hazy look they had taken on since Millie made her awful offer.
“And the comics! You explained me how the rating system works, so I won't buy anything I shouldn't see!”
That last sentence still clinging in her ears, Derpy shifted a bit, then removed her wings from Dinky and got up slowly. The adoption papers were in her hoof again.
Dinky looked up at her, making an unsure face, while a few, last tears still trickled out of her eyes. “Mom?” she asked.
Derpy folded in her wings, face full of clarity. “Thank you, Dinky,” she said and pulled her daughter closer for a short embrace, during which she placed another kiss on her head. Then she turned around at the spot and trotted towards the other end of the kitchen. “Sparkler, please get out of the way. I want to talk with Millie.” Her eyes narrowed at Millie as Sparkler did as she was asked, a grin on her face.
“Millie,” Derpy said as she stepped in front of her.
Her sister still smiled, although with a nervous twitch in the corners of her lips now. “Derpy, dear, you know she's just saying all those things so she can stay here, right?”
“I know,” Derpy said, eyeing Millie with confidence.
“That's good. Now let's sign this and you have taken care of a better future for your daughter.”
“This?” Derpy asked, lifting the adoption papers in front of Millie's face. “You still want to adopt Dinky?” Her eyes narrowed again, now anger appearing in them.
“Y-Yes, Derpy. It is for the best and–”
Before she could finish her sentence, Derpy had ripped the papers in half. Furiously, she teared them apart with her hooves, until only tiny shreds were left. They formed a pile in front of Millie's hooves.
Millie opened her mouth and stared in disbelief. “I-If you need time to think about it, then it's okay, we can get new papers anytime. But Derpy, dear, please make the right deci–”
Derpy reached into the pile of shreds and took a bunch of them on her hoof. She blew them into her sister's face.
“Buck off, Millie,” she hissed at her.
Millie gasped, the “bad” language shocking her more than the paper that had been blown into her face. She was opening and closing her mouth like a fish on dry land that desperately tried to breath.
“Out,” Derpy just whispered, her eyes showing a dangerous level of fury.
“Derpy, you–” The moment Millie had spoken the first syllables of a new sentence, Derpy just grabbed her by the neck and dragged her to the still open door. With a powerful push, she sent her outside.
“Never show up again, sister!” Derpy shouted after her. Her voice sounded almost like a roar.
Millie lost her balance and hit the ground outside. Face forward, she fell into the dirt.
In the last moment, Lily, who had just approached the house, jumped out of the way. She yelped in surprise. Close behind her was Noi, who pursed her lips and let out a whistle at the sight, having noticed the one responsible for Millie's ungentle flight.
Derpy breathed out heavily, her face easing.
Behind her, Dinky and Sparkler grinned at each other, then exchanged a hoofbump.
“And I will send you a bill for the repair of the lock on Dinky's door!” Derpy huffed a last time at Millie's form on the ground, then she noticed Lily and Noi as they came close to the door.
“What happened here?” Lily asked, confusion written all over her face.
Derpy smiled. “I defeated a witch.” Then she waved the two fillies inside.
They followed the invite and behind them, Derpy closed the door, cutting them off of the sight of the beaten mare.
Derpy turned around. “Now, who wants muffins?” She grinned.
Nopony objected. They all got back at the table, with their new guests following the example. Derpy brought cups, spoons and plates for the two of them and served them with cocoa, then refilled the cups of herself, Sparkler and Dinky. A moment later and a muffin was on each of the five plates.
Dinky dangled her legs down the chair cheerfully, happy that the week that had started so awful, was ending on such a great note now. She lifted her muffin to bite into it, but before she could do so, a realization came over her. Dinky stopped and put the muffin back on the plate. The unicorn filly raised an eyebrow.
“Isn't it weird that, as the whole thing with Millie started, we were sitting here and ate muffins and that, now that everything is over, we're doing the same thing again?”
Both Derpy and Sparkler, who had starting eating already, paused to think, puzzled expressions on their faces.
“What a weird coincidence,” Sparkler commented on Dinky's obversation, dumbfounded.
“But the best weird coincidence that is possible!” Derpy added. She pulled Dinky closer to her, embracing her daughter with her left arm.
“Everything should start and end with muffins!”
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Haha! Freaking fantastic and brilliant! At first, I really thought Derpy gives in and I was like
But you made the perfect tension and climax. And given how Derpy loves muffins, impressive that she could made it without them. Looking foward the sequel
is it really over? aren't we missing the legal ramifications for her actions?
Damn, you really had us going there. At first I thought Derpy was actually believing Millie, or I was expecting her to chew her out entirely, but you came up with something so much better than anything I expected.
Millie, here's the door. Don't hurt yourself on the way out... Actually, please do. You deserve it you bitch. Fluttercheer, you went above and beyond with this story! Good show mate, good show.
8082875
THANK YOU!
When I had this in my head initially, while mapping out the fic after "Flutter Brutter" aired, it looked a lot less epic. I'm happy I managed to write this the way I did and to give it the epic conclusion it deserved!
8082964 You're welcome, keep up the good work.
8082908
"Aunt Millie" is over..... What happens to Millie after all of this? This will get explained in the sequel.
8082915
You're not the only one. I came up with something much better than I expected myself..... This whole scene looked a lot less epic in my head. But everything came together in the end and I just kept writing and writing, to give this fic the epic end it deserves.
I'm happy I managed to write this chapter the way I did!
I was sleep-depraved while writing this, but I just kept going.
Thank you for all the compliments, the applause and the praise!
Way to go Derpy!
8082971 I still want to see a "Millie Reacts" type of fic, maybe presented by Discord, and our OCs as a gameshow type thing.
8082966
I will! The reactions I get here, seeing that people really like what I write, is motivating me beyond comprehension right now.
8082991
I want to see this fic too!
I will definitely keep this idea in mind!
8083000 As I said, I look forward it. Good luck!
8083004
Thank you!
While it IS nice to see Millie get owned by Derpy, I feel there should have been a scene involving Lily's parents and Princess Twilight.
Other than that, this was a great piece inspired by just a few seconds of screentime.
8083055
Thanks! Getting such an insight into Dinky's life with this moment was simply wonderful, so this fic means a lot to me!
Now, now..... We don't want to rob the sequel off of potential, now, want we?
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF YOUR DOWNFALL MILLIE
Take that Millie!
8083144
If only you would know how much right you are with this.....
Thanks for reading!
I loved the ride through this fic with everyone who came back reading the newest chapter!
Run away Millie, run away and never return!
8083047 you're welcome
WOOOOOOOOT YOU TEACH THAT LITTLE BUCKER WHAT'S WHAT!!!
I'm still gonna kill her. At least after I give her some scars,mental and physical
*maniacal giggle*
8084413
DON'T!
I need her alive for the sequel.
8084618 very well... But she'll be free game after that sequel right?
8084856
You may do as you please then.
8089142 YAY!!!!
8114600
I'm not very good at math, Dinky sure is better than me, and it was not the intent that Dinky got it wrong. So I went over this with a calculator two times now.
The calculations are actually right. Dinky did not forget the entry fee and neither did I.
Word takes time to go around, even in a small town. But I bet everypony knows now, especially after Rarity heard about it.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the fic thus far and that you will enjoy the last chapter too!
8308717
It would probably be a funny idea to lock her into a room with Discord and see who gets insane first.
Thank you for reading it!
Millie is really nasty she's only marginally better than Spoiled Rich if at all.
8084618
sequel?
10120761
Yes, I have a sequel in mind.^^ A sequel was already talked about during writing "Aunt Millie" and ever since the story is finished, I have plans for one. Due to some events from 2017 that affected my writing skill in a negative way, I have not yet dared touching a sequel for it, but the plan still exists.
And now that my writing skill is almost completely where it once was before these events and I'm also having more time and energy to write again and get more organized, I am thinking about the sequel more again. I want to start writing it sometime this year.
7803600
Speaking as a Brit, I'd say Imelda Staunton would be the obvious choice. She was Dolores Umbridge, after all.
How did Millie get hold of the adoption papers anyway? I'd have thought Social services would have heard about her injuring Lily through the grapevine. Unless she was able to bluff her way through, forged them, or simply swiped them when nopony was looking.
7803600 10303988
Millie's voice contains a lot of pretension, accusation, arrogance and condescension. She speaks in a very pronounced way, emphasizing not just single words like ponies usually do if they want to highlight something, but everything she says. Her speech pattern is very pronounced all the time, in the same way as when somepony is holding a speech and emphasizes their words for effect's sake.
But unlike a pony who holds a speech, Millie's voice doesn't sound positive, optimistic and uplifting, it sounds very unpleasant because of the aforementioned pretension, accusation, arrogance and condescension that is in it. And Millie is also not purposely putting that emphasis into her voice to convince Derpy that she is raising Dinky the wrong way or to convince Dinky that she is doing something dangerous or unhealthy, her voice just sounds like this.
For the basic tone of Millie's voice, it is rather deep, but not as deep that it sounds scratchy or scrubbing. It sounds like the average voice of a mature female, who is in their early or mid thirties (which I think is around Millie's age), not scratchy or scrubbing, but ripened.
When Millie criticizes Derpy or Dinky, a genuine, slight anger gets added to her voice, because she truly believes that Derpy raises Dinky wrong and that Dinky does dangerous/unhealthy things. That anger in her voice has, as you could read, gotten a lot stronger when Sparkler challenged Millie and gave her a talk, which happened partially because Sparkler's strong intervention increased Millie's concern that Dinky is being raised in an unhealthy way and partially because Millie felt offended and insulted by Sparkler's words.
When Millie is being met with resistance, like Dinky did it several times and like Derpy attempted to do at the beginning, her voice also becomes insistent, which increases her natural emphasis further. It also slips into derogation then, starting to sound disparaging, which is stronger when Dinky resists her than when Derpy attempts to resist her.
So, to sum it up, Millie has a typical, deep and ripened voice of a 30 - 35 years old mare and her voice is a mix of pretension, accusation, arrogance and condescension, which sounds slightly angry when she is criticizing because of genuine concern for Dinky's wellbeing, does become a lot more angry if Millie's concern increases significantly and becomes insistent and derogatory if she is being met with resistance, and Millie speaks with a constant emphasis of her words, an emphasis that becomes stronger if she talks down resistance.
Dolores Umbridge's voice comes close to Millie's, but is not completely there. The speech pattern is the same, Dolores Umbridge speaks in the same highly pronounced, constantly emphasized way as Millie does. But her voice is higher than Millie's voice. And there is sick sweetness in Dolores Umbridge's voice, something that Millie does not have. Millie speaks with a harder, stronger tone, straightforward instead of purposely appearing as harmless and sweet like Dolores Umbridge does it, and her voice is deeper than hers.
Millie also does not speak in a menacing, threatening tone when being challenged or when she is being met with resistance like Dolores Umbridge did it here. Threatening someone with merely the tone in one's voice is a very subtle and subdued thing and that is how Dolores Umbridge does it. But Millie is very offensive in such a moment and her voice raises accordingly. She does not make herself sound menacing or threatening to intimidate someone, she talks someone down with all the force she has in a very direct way.
Comparing how Dolores Umbridge shrieks "Enough!" at the end of that scene to Millie is difficult for me right now. In "Aunt Millie", Millie hasn't been in a situation where she desperately and nervously tried to keep a truth concealed after someone pointed it out, especially not a truth that is of global importance or that is being concealed for political reasons. I need to explore Millie more before I can tell if she would shriek like that in a similar situation or if her voice would remain just as strong and offensive as we know it from her.
The indignant tone in Dolores Umbridge's voice after being criticized by Gonagall that you can hear in this scene, however, is almost exactly Millie's voice. Millie speaks a bit stronger, but otherwise, it is just how Millie's voice sounds in such a moment.
Dolores Umbridge's voice also shares the pretension, arrogance and condescension with Millie's voice, but not the accusation.
The voice of Dolores Umbridge comes close, she shares the emphasized speech pattern and the indignant tone when being offended with Millie, but the differences are that Millie has a deeper voice, that she doesn't make her voice sound threatening when someone resists her, but instead talks someone who resists her down in a loud, offensive and confident voice, and that Dolores Umbridge lacks the accusation in her voice.
It's a close call, but to voice Millie properly, Dolores Umbridge's actor would have to be able to change her voice in a few aspects.
10305216
Wow, that's a very detailed analysis. I thought of it as being a more high-pitched "I-know-best" style.
That probably explains how she obtained the papers too; by loudly and offensively talking the relevant pony into submission.
10121182
I look forward to it, as Millie certainly doesn't come across as the type to accept defeat, especially not at the hooves of Derpy.
Given what we've seen of her, it wouldn't surprise me if she's willing to resort to filing a false report with social services if she gets that desperate. I also fear that she's probably a keen believer in physical chastisement.
I enjoyed this fic, too (it's actually the second time I've read it.) It takes a lot of skill to write such a loathsome character without falling into the trap of making them predictable. Every time I thought "There's no way she can exceed that" the next scene/chapter showed that she could and she would.
10311853
Oh HELL NO! Derpy (Being a Mama Bear) will make Millie REGRET IT!
And this is why derpy is best pony.
10305558
The way I can see it, I think that adoption works a lot easier and faster in Equestria and much less bureaucratic. Child abuse rarely happens in Equestria, as there is a higher standard in raising children than on Earth and because Equestria is overall a better, friendlier and more moral society. If child abuse happens, then it is the rare exception, like what we have seen with Spoiled Rich or what you can see with Millie in the story here.
Because of that, there are no child services in Equestria. Orphanages do exist, I think, but no organizations that specifically dedicate themselves to protect children or to check parents whether they are capable of raising children.
If the abuse of a foal does happen and it comes to light, which is easy because ponies look out for each other and an abused foal usually always finds somepony who will listen and help, then the mayor of a town and the princesses have authority to step in and end it and to bring the foal either into an orphanage or to foster/adoptive parents.
And since the raising of children is on such a high standard in Equestria, this also makes a complicated and longwinded adoption process unnecessary. Since child abuse rarely happens, parents who want to adopt a foal will nearly always be just as much good parents as the previous parents of the foal were.
If, for some reason, parents want to part with their foal(s) and not raise them anymore and there is another family who wants to take the foal(s) in, it is as easy as the two families meeting each other, talking about the adoption plans, coming to an agreement and then signing the adoption papers. After this, the adoption will be legal and the foal(s) live(s) with different parents.
The only thing I am unsure about and cannot see clearly is what part the foals themselves play in that kind of decision-making, whether they get a say about to which family they want to belong and live with or what happens if the parents and the foal(s) don't agree with parting ways, but the general process of adoption is very easy in Equestria.
And a reversal is just as easy. Temporary adoptions are also possible in Equestria, if parents need some space from their foal(s) for a while or have somehow become unable to raise their foal(s) and it's better for the foal(s) to live with another family until the problems are fixed, that can happen.
A simple agreement and a quick signature by the original parents and the new parents and an adoption in Equestria is legal.
That's why it was so easy for Millie to bring adoption papers and to prompt Derpy to sign them. Millie did not have to shout or talk down an intimidated office worker to get the papers. Adoption papers can simply be obtained by going to the place that has them laid out and take them with you.
Hence why Dinky and Sparkler were in such a panic at the end of the story. If Derpy would have signed the adoption papers, then Millie would have gotten legal power to demand that Dinky comes with her and lives with her. Dinky would have been left with no choice than to go with Millie, unless she wants to risk a lawsuit that Derpy would likely lose. Not to mention that, if Millie's brainwashing had worked, Derpy would have openly agreed to it that Dinky lives with Millie, which would have erased all the possibilities of taking legal action against Millie.
So you can see, this was a very grave and serious situation at the end of the story.
10311853
The way last year developed has unfortunately jumbled my writing plans, which meant that I simply could not start writing the sequel as I intended. The plans are not off the table, though. I am basically seeing a repeat of my plans that I made for the early year in 2020 at the moment, after the delays that last year has brought with it, which means, we maybe look at a release of the sequel in June or July.
This is not a promise yet, as it depends on it when "Dreamwalker Dash" is finished, but there is a strong possibility this story will be finished by the middle of June, which would mean that the sequel for "Aunt Millie" can take its writing slot.
10504033
Millie would not let Dinky listen to this music. And neither let her watch any giant robot anime. The violence would get Millie's disapproval.
I can imagine, the only thing that Millie would let Dinky listen to if she lived with her, is classical music.
This fic honestly resonates with me. My father is pretty much a carbon copy of Millie in the demeaning way she talks and treats children.
11196073
The person who called herself my "mother" has been the same way. Some of the things Millie does are exactly what she did. Millie and her are very similar.
Thank you, I'm glad this story resonates with you. I always hoped that what I wrote here creates some awareness for child abuse through patronization of children.
That was a good story. I hope Millie finds her lost straight jacket she really needs one.
11309716
Thank you and thank you for favouriting "Aunt Millie"!
Maybe she will find it..... The future will tell.
One visit to the Gendarme later...
"And then she assaulted my person Officer! I was barely able to make it out alive."
"So... you've spent last week here harrassing and haranguing all and sundry then proceeded to strong arm your sister into your care, which Im fairly is a prosecutable offense in of itself never mind the fact Ponyville just straight up doesn't like your overtly, and have spent the previous seven day have been here informing me of your behavior."
"You're point,"
"Ma'am, my sincere apologies you barely having had a cow lick on that shitty mane do has been put out of place has put you into such a state of apoplexy, but at the same time I don't give a fuck. Bugger off."
11598020
Close. We are going to see what certain authorities have to say to Millie.
Thank you for reading!