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// Chapter 1: The Bad News 
// Story: Aunt Millie 
// by Fluttercheer 
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Aunt Millie


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Chapter 1: The Bad News


It was Monday in Ponyville, the beginning of a new week, and it was an ordinary morning for Dinky Hooves. The little unicorn sat at the table in the kitchen of her home, legs dangling down the chair, while she quietly hummed the newest hit of Sapphire Shores.
Together with her in the kitchen were her mother Derpy and her big sister Sparkler. The latter was sitting opposite of Dinky, reading the newspaper that was just delivered to them by the paperfilly, her expression switching from happy, to concerned, to shocked, depending on what article she had set her eyes on right now.
Derpy stood at the kitchen unit, busy with preparing breakfast for herself and her two daughters. A delicious smell came out of the oven and wafted right into Dinky's nostrils. She stopped dangling her legs and turned around to the oven, behind its door she could see a fresh batch of muffins in the light of the oven's lamp that were slowly getting baked.
Of course this batch wasn't for the breakfast they were about to have. As always, the muffins would need a while to cool off and Derpy was merely baking them now so that they would be ready for the breakfast tomorrow morning. Which was not fully to Dinky's approval, the muffins that were in the oven right now were her favourite ones, blueberry muffins, and if it wouldn't have meant to burn her tongue, she would bite into them immediately once they were baked completely.
While Dinky was busy with imagining to eat one of the yummy treats and to have the delicious fruity taste on her buds, she didn't notice that Sparkler had started talking to her.
“Hey, Equus at Dinky! The blueberry aliens don't attack today, it's time to come back down on the planet's surface!”
Confused by this weird statement, Dinky's eyes became clear again suddenly and she turned round to her big sister and gave her a puzzled look. “What?” she asked her, her face showing a completely clueless expression now.
Sparkler laughed. “You're really forgetting everything around you if you have your favourite food in front of your nose, Dinks!”
Dinky blushed a little and showed an awkward smile, then laughed too as Sparkler reached out with one hoof and ruffled through her mane.
“Aaaaaaanyway” – Sparkler stretched the word intentionally long, which caused a giggle by Dinky – “what I wanted to ask you is, will you be fine today?”
Now the puzzled expression returned into Dinky's face. “Fine? What do you mean? Is anything special happening today, Sparkler?”
Realizing that she has forgotten something, Derpy turned around and looked with her crossed eyes at her older daughter, a strained expression on her face, while simultaneously signaling her with her hooves to cut it out behind Dinky's back.
Getting hit by a realization on her own, Sparkler's face became pale and her mind raced to find an unsuspecting way to answer Dinky's question. “Uhm, no, Dinks! It's just.....” A lightbulb went on in Sparkler's head. “Didn't you say you have an important test today?” Sparkler hoped that Dinky wouldn't notice the sweat on her forehead and the nervous tone in her voice.
“No, that's tomorrow! We don't have any tests today,” Dinky answered, understanding appearing on her face now.
“Phew, that's good! I already thought–“ Sparkler began, but cut herself off in the last moment.
Dinky narrowed her eyes at her sis. “Thought, what?” she asked suspiciously.
Having calmed down from the realization of the mistake she had made, Sparkler was now able to set up a pokerface and give her little sister a skillfully constructed answer to hide what she knew. “I already thought” – her face turned into a smirk – “that you will fail at a test today because all that you write on the paper will be 'blueberry muffins'.”
Dinky shot her a glare. “I have better grades at school than you did, Sparkler.” Her reply was taut and full of disapproval. Not leaving her big sister out of sight, she slowly stretched out a hoof and gave Sparkler a strong boop on the nose as punishment for the remark.
Now Sparkler's eyes emanated a playful glare. She stretched a hoof forward herself and gave Dinky a only slightly weaker boop on her own nose. “You better feel lucky that we're sitting on the table right now and that I have to leave for the Carousel Boutique soon, otherwise I would tickle you now until you're out of breath, Dinks.”
“You wouldn't dare,” Dinky replied, a slight hunch of aggressiveness in her voice.
“Try me,” Sparkler answered unimpressed.
Dinky wanted to reply something else as Derpy joined them at the table, carrying a tray in her hooves. On it were a can of coffee, two empty cups, a cup of steaming hot cocoa for Dinky, a plate with muffins, a smaller can with milk and a bowl of sugar.
“Stop bickering now, girls!” she said sternly, yet still with a lot of her trademark ditziness sounding in her voice. She put the tray down and arranged its contents on the table; the cup with cocoa in front of Dinky, the other two cups in front of her and Sparkler and the plate with the muffins in the middle, with the cans and the sugar bowl set down to its right. Then she took seat at Dinky's side, who had stopped her attempt of giving her big sister another contra upon her mom's intervention.
Having given up the small fight as well, Sparkler activated her horn, hovered the can with the coffee over to her and poured some of the warm, black liquid into it, followed by adding a generous amount of sugar. It had just the right temperature, so Sparkler gulped down the contents of the cup in one swoop. Soon, she felt the revitalizing effects of the coffee kick in. She put down the cup and eagerly directed the levitation spell back to the can.
As she attempted to fill her cup a second time, Derpy and Dinky reached out to the muffins, each of them taking one into their hooves and biting greedily into it, both mother and daughter doing these movements simultaneously and with an equal eagerness.
Sparkler stopped in her movement, the can of coffee hovering at her side, and her face displayed disbelief, before she erupted into snickering, which caused slight blushes in the faces of her mom and sister, but both just kept eating. If there wouldn't be similarities in their looks, Sparkler thought to herself, everypony would still notice that Derpy and Dinky are mother and daughter with ease, unlike with her, who came a lot more after her dad, both in look and personality.
She snickered again, then she proceeded with her task. As she had once more filled her cup with coffee and sugar, she gulped down half of it and then she finally reached for a muffin herself.
In the meantime, Dinky had reached the center of her muffin. As she did another bite, her face scrunched in surprise as a very familiar taste spread out on her tongue. She carefully chewed the bit to not let anything of the deliciousness escape and gulped it down, then she looked surprised over to her mother. “Blueberry muffins? But I thought you made chocolate chip muffins yesterday, mom.” Dinky did a scrutinizing look at the oven to see if the blueberry muffins were still in it and as it was confirmed to her, she looked back at her mother, confusion on her face.
Derpy swallowed a piece of mufffin she had in her mouth too, then she faced her younger daughter and nodded. “That's right, Dinky, but I made another batch yesterday night after you were asleep.”
“Why?” Dinky asked her. “We don't need so many muffins for us. Have you invited a guest, mom?”
A caught expression appeared on Derpy's face. Instead of answering Dinky, she looked over to Sparkler, giving her a stern look.
Sparkler took the cue and answered to her mother with a knowing glance. Hastily, she drank the rest of the coffee, then she turned her attention towards Dinky. “I need to go now, Dinks! We have lots of work to do and I can't let Rarity wait with this!” She hovered the rest of her muffin up from the table and lifted another one up from the plate. Hovering the two muffins in front of her, she got up from her seat and went at Dinky's side, where she wrapped her little sister in a strong hug. “Take care today, sis, and keep your head up!” She stroke Dinky's mane, then she released her and hurried for the door.
All of this just irritated Dinky even more. She turned around to the exit of the kitchen. “Keeping my head up, why? Sparks, is something wrong?”
But Sparkler didn't hear her anymore. She had already left the house before Dinky had finished her question. Now Dinky turned her attention back to her mom. Mixed into the irritation in her face was an expression of worry now. “Mom?”
As Derpy didn't answer, Dinky began to ponder what could have happened that caused the strange behavior of her mom and sister. She had figured out by now that something was up, why else should her mother have stayed up extra late last night to bake a batch of her favourite muffins for her? It was suspicious and Dinky also knew this scenario from the past already. It was usually a strategy to appease her with her favourite food when something was coming up that she didn't like. What would it be today? Dinky recalled the last time when it happened. This was when.....
Suddenly, her eyes shrunk and she looked at Derpy with a frantic expression. “No!” was all she could say at first. “You didn't invite her, did you?” she continued after taking a few breaths.
Derpy eyed her with a guilty and somewhat empty expression. “I'm sorry, Dinky,” she then said remorsefully.
“But mom! You know how much I hate her! Why have you done this?!” Angry, Dinky threw a hoof on the table.
Derpy twitched. For a few seconds, she just stared into the angry eyes of her daughter, then she sighed and began to explain everything. “I must leave Ponyville, Dinky. I was called for a staff training event at the headquarter of the Equestrian Mail Service in Canterlot a few weeks ago and it's starting today.”
Dinky felt her heart sink. “Does this mean.....” She didn't dare to end the sentence as the realization hit her.
Derpy could practically see what turmoil was about to start on the inside of Dinky and regret began to spread on her face. “Mhm. She's arriving this afternoon, Dinky. I'm sorry, but I had to call Auntie Millie. I need somepony to take care of you while I'm out of town and she was the only one who could jump in.”
“But..... But what about Sparkler? Why can't she do it like all the other times when you had to travel away?”
Derpy shook her head sadly. “I'm so sorry, Dinky, but Sparkler is too busy this week. She is helping Rarity with a very big order of gem dresses. She even works overtime already. There's just no way she could do it.”
Dinky's pupils had grown smaller and smaller in size while Derpy was explaining the situation and now, terror rose in her heart. She sank back into her chair. Suddenly, Dinky felt like somepony had pulled away the ground underneath her. If there was anything worse than being locked up in Tartarus, then it was spending time with her aunt Millie.
Dinky turned her gaze away from her mom and let her head hang, eyeing her muffin with a sad expression that almost broke Derpy's heart.
Carefully, her mom stretched out a wing and put it over Dinky's shoulders. “I know it's hard, Dinks. I don't like Auntie Millie either, but I can't leave you alone here during the day.”
Dinky didn't answer. Apathetic, she reached out with her hoof and took the rest of the muffin into her mouth, swallowing it almost instantly, then she used her magic and hovered over a new one from the plate. She let it drop into her hooves and bit off almost half of it. Dinky began to chew on it so concentrated that it seemed it was the only thing that could bring her happiness now.
“When do you have to leave?” she asked in a sad tone as she had almost finished the muffin.
“At 02:00 PM,” Derpy answered. “I can still see you when you come home from school and welcome your aunt.” The word “welcome” sounded like Derpy had huge problems to let it roll off her tongue.
Dinky nodded, but gave no answer. She ate up the rest of her muffin, then she hovered over her cup of cocoa and drank it empty without putting it down. It was only then that she looked at Derpy again.
“Mom..... Can you please tell her not to do all those things again?” Unhappiness distorted Dinky's face now.
Derpy's face took on a similar expression, with a tinge of nervousness added into the mix. She eyed the tabletop. “I'm trying, Dinky.”
Now, Dinky looked at her mom more pleadingly. “Promise me that you won't let her be like this again, mom! Please!”
Derpy looked at her daughter again and seeing those pleading eyes of her was something that cut into her heart. She sighed deeply. “I promise, Dinky,” she said. Derpy knew that she would probably have to break this promise, but she was unable to say no upon seeing how stressed Dinky already was.
A few seconds of silence between them followed, then Derpy spoke again. “It's time to go to school now, Dinky. You're getting late if you don't leave now.”
Dinky weakly nodded, then she put the cup back on the table with her magic and slid down the chair. Derpy got up too and bent down on the floor to take Dinky's saddle bag, that the filly had already placed there in preparation, into her mouth. She put it gently onto Dinky's back. Dinky looked up to her mom and gave her a thankful smile. Her face was still full with concern and a bit of terror, though.
“Buck up, Dinks!” Derpy said then, trying to sound as motivating and positive as possible. “You met Auntie Millie before and you made it. I'm sure you will make it through this week!” She bent down again and gave her daughter a gentle, but intense hug, which the little unicorn reciprocated quickly, burying her face into her mother's mane.
“I hope it,” she breathed into it, her voice sounding sorrowful now. The filly and the mare stayed like this for a few seconds, then both released their respective embraces and Dinky trotted a few steps away from her mom.
Noticing that there was still nervousness in her face, Derpy asked Dinky “Should I bring you to school today, Dinks?” She already expected a yes from her daughter, but Dinky shook her head slowly.
“No, it's okay,” she said in a resignated tone.
“Are you sure?”
“Mhm.” Without saying anymore, Dinky trotted past Derpy and left the kitchen. Thoughts circled around in her head as she made her way through the small foyer of their home. The more she was thinking about what would await her today and during the whole week, the more angry the little unicorn became. She set down her hooves louder and more forceful with every step she got closer to the entrance door.
Derpy followed her and, as Dinky stood in front of the door, opened it for her daughter. Dinky went through the open door, not paying attention to her mom anymore. As she was outside, Derpy called after her, her voice shaking a little. “Until later, Dinks! Have fun at school!” But the only answer she received was Dinky's yellow aura and a slam of the door in front of her face.
Derpy let her head hang for a few moments and just followed the texture of the wooden floor absentmindedly, until a smell from the kitchen reminded her on the muffins in the oven. Reluctantly, she turned away from the door and headed towards the kitchen, the burnt stench of Dinky's favourite muffins getting stronger with every step.
Derpy entered the kitchen, approached the oven and opened its lid. As she had expected, the muffins were already black on the top. The pegasus mare shook her head. How long did she stand in front of the door? It only seemed like seconds to her, but the burnt muffins were telling another story.
Derpy put a glove into her mouth and took the baking plate with the burnt pastries out of the oven. She let them slide into the bin, then she made herself at work to bake another batch of blueberry muffins for Dinky.
The trials had only just begun.