Lunaverse Season 1

by Sunset JJ

Set in a different universe. where Princess Luna sealed her sister Celestia who became Corona and tried to bring the eternal day.

6. Family Matters Part 2

Lunaverse Episode 6- Family Matters Part 2

"Dinky," Ditzy Doo said, breaking the silence that had lingered between the two of them for the past hour, ever since her mother had returned to their apartment and given her mailbags to another pony to finish her route, promising to make up for it later. "What were you doing at Amethyst Star's?"

Dinky didn't look up from where she'd been sitting, on the cushions of the living room's couch, staring at her hooves and trying to figure out what had happened. On the floor was her school bag, still laden with the hundred bits. She did blink a few times at the question, though, unsure how to answer it. Was everything ruined? Her surprise? A year of hard work, gone, just like that? Surely her mother had seen Sparkler scoop up all of the bits and put them in Dinky's bag…but the question was phrased as though she hadn't noticed that.

That meant there was still some way to salvage this. Somehow. "I…it was a new store," she lied. It tasted like bile was filling up her throat and mouth even as she did, but she continued anyway. "I wanted to check it out."

Dinky didn't look to her mother. She didn't have to; she knew that her mother's wings would be sagging, her face a look of resigned sadness. Ditzy Doo always knew when her daughter was lying to her. Dinky had never lied about something so big before, though, and never in such an outright way. Until now, her worst 'lie' was that she was spending the money that Fluttershy was giving her every week on candy or toys, and even then that was technically still true, just not the whole truth, and Ditzy had never questioned it before.

Dinky heard movement, and a few moments later she felt her mother sitting down on the couch next to her, though she seemed almost careful not to touch Dinky. "I have tomorrow off," Ditzy said. Her mother was forcing her voice to be bright. "We…we should do something. Go to a play, maybe. Or Cloudsdale is nearby this time of year! You've always wanted to go, right? I could take you there! We could go to the Cloudiseum and see – "

"I have school."

"You could skip it. One day won't hurt. I'm sure Miss Cheerilee will understand."

"I can't fly."

"I could carry you. I don't mind – "

"You knew Sparkler," Dinky interrupted, as she felt something rising inside of her. It was hot and bright and yet somehow cold and dark at the same time, and Dinky didn't like it very much but didn't stop herself from letting it rise. "You knew Sparkler! How come Sparkler hates you, momma? What happened?"

Dinky spun around to face her mother. Ditzy Doo had recoiled at her daughter's outburst, wings raised high in surprise. She had previously had only one eye focused on Dinky, the right one, but at Dinky's outburst, both had come into focus. After a few moments of silence, she looked away from her daughter, closing her eyes tightly, wings sagging.

"I…Dinky, I'll tell you. I swear to Luna, I'll tell you, tomorrow. Just give me one more day, Dinky. Please. Please."

Dinky opened her mouth to shout again but faltered at the state of her mother, who once more looked like she was on the verge of tears. It was all Dinky could do to stop herself from throwing herself at her mother, hugging her and promising her a million more days of not knowing if she'd just cry.

But she didn't. "But I know something's wrong, momma," she said. "If we do go to the Cloudiseum or a play or whatever I won't be able to have fun, 'cause I know something's wrong. And you know something's wrong too."

Ditzy Doo closed her eyes. "I…I know," she said softly. "I know…okay." She took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly, focusing herself, though the focus was ruined as soon as she looked at her daughter again. She steeled herself anyway. "This…this has to do with your father."

Dinky blinked several times at that, eyes widening. Dinky Doo knew, of course, that she had a father, or at least had possessed one at some point. She'd asked her mother about him a few times, but she'd always told Dinky that she'd tell her when she was older. "Does Sparkler know him too?" Dinky asked.

Ditzy nodded. Her wings were twitching slightly in agitation and discomfort, but she pressed on. "Amethyst Star – Sparkler – is the daughter of a unicorn named Castor Cut. And…and so are you."

The unicorn filly looked down, taking this in. "My father's name is Castor Cut," she said. "And…Sparkler…Sparkler my sister? But then why – "

"Half-sister," Ditzy interrupted. "Castor Cut is your father and Sparkler's, but I'm not Sparkler's mother – she's only a few years younger than me. Sparkler's mother is named May Bell. Castor Cut's wife."

Dinky considered this, trying to fit the pieces together in her head. Her mother was giving her time, at least. It almost felt like a math problem, one where there was something that wasn't adding up. "But…but why would Sparkler hate you?"

Ditzy Doo looked like somepony was hitting her every time Dinky asked a question. She looked down, away from her daughter again. "When I first met your father," she explained, "I was barely more than a filly. I mean, I was almost a full-grown mare, in another few months, it was going to be my birthday…but I didn't really act like it. I just went to parties, came home late, and didn't do my homework, I was a superficial, stupid pony."

"What does superficial mean?"

"Um…shallow. Anyway…when I first met your father, it was at a bar in Fillydelphia. He'd been fighting with his wife and just wanted to relax and unwind, and I was in heat so I also wanted to relax."

Dinky nodded a little. She'd yet to have what being in heat meant explained to her in detail. All Dinky knew was that every autumn for about a week, her mother would get agitated and moody, often needed to take time off of work, and alternated between not wanting to be around any stallions, and wanting very much to be around them. She'd had only the bare bones basics of it explained to her – that being in heat meant that her mother's body was very receptive to becoming pregnant, but nopony would explain to her how that happened yet. Her questions were always answered with a very awkward 'when you're older' no matter who she asked.

"So we talked," Ditzy Doo explained. "We danced, and we…we had fun together. Adult kinds of fun."

Again with not tell her what that meant. "I don't get it, momma," she said flatly. "What's so bad about that?"

Ditzy bit her lip. "It…it wouldn't have been so bad, Dinky if it had just been for a single night, and then forgotten about. Bad, but not so bad. But like I said, Dinky, Castor Cut was married, and…and what we were doing, it's only supposed to go on between two married ponies, or at least two ponies who are very much in love and who aren't married to some other ponies, like my friends Lyra and BonBon."

Dinky thought for a moment. "Okay…" she said. She didn't have a lot to go on – she had frustratingly little, in fact – but she accepted that her mother didn't want to go into the details of whatever it was Castor Cut and she were doing. Dinky didn't understand why, though.

"I kept seeing Castor Cut for months, and he kept seeing me. But we had to do it in secret. We didn't want Castor Cut's wife finding out, or his daughter. Because, Dinky, he still loved May Bell, he just…hadn't been getting along with her."

"So you were helping, then!" Dinky exclaimed. "If you were helping him relax and – "

Ditzy shook her head. "No. No, I was making things worse. Because rather than talking with May Bell and trying to work through his problems, or else divorcing her because the two just couldn't get along, he'd just come and see me. It was really the worst possible choice he could have made…but I let him do it. I even encouraged it."

Dinky stared, uncomprehendingly. Her mother…the kindest, sweetest mare in the whole world, the Element of Kindness – had been acting like that? "Wh…why, momma?" Dinky asked in a small voice.

Ditzy's lip was trembling. "I…I was selfish. I wanted your father all to myself. But I didn't want to have to deal with the fallout from him getting a divorce, even though that was not my choice. I thought it was because I loved him, but it was really only because he made me feel good and I was being selfish. It's not the same thing. But then something unexpected happened. Something that meant that Castor Cut had to choose between either me or his wife."

"Me," Dinky surmised.

Ditzy blinked. "Y…yes," she said, unnerved by her daughter's leap of logic. "I became pregnant with you…I'd actually been pregnant with you since just shortly after Castor Cut and I had met but didn't realize it until about three months later. And… that's when Castor Cut told me that we weren't going to see each other anymore. He had to choose between his wife and daughter, or me and you. He chose his family."

"But…" Dinky objected to that. She felt tears stinging her eyes. "But…but I'm his family too! Aren't I?"

Ditzy just looked sad. She didn't have tears in her eyes, though, as she moved over on the couch, sitting closer to Dinky and putting a wing around her daughter, holding her close. To her infinite relief, Dinky pressed herself tightly against her mother, eyes wide as she tried to understand what her mother was telling her. "Your father," Ditzy said, "wanted to…to just ignore that he and I had ever been together. Find a reset button and just push it. And I didn't have the courage to try and stop him…but, well, Dinky, pregnancy isn't exactly something you can hide. My parents found out, and they found out who had gotten me pregnant…the next month or two was just a disaster for me, for Castor Cut…my parents tried to make Castor Cut take responsibility, dragged me to his front door - his wife and his daughter watching the whole thing - and put me in display and were going to bring him to court, but I didn't want to see him ever again, so I packed up my things and took my savings and moved to Ponyville. I don't know what happened to Castor Cut, but it wouldn't surprise me if he and May Bell got a divorce."

Dinky was staring at her hooves. Tears still stung in her eyes, but she wasn't really crying…the tears just came and fell as she tried to understand what her mother had explained. "S…so that's why Sparkler hates you," Dinky surmised.

Ditzy nodded.

"And…and that means that I'm a mistake. That I shouldn't have ever been born – "

"Don't say that," Ditzy interrupted fiercely. "Don't you ever even think that, Dinky Doo. You are not a mistake. You weren't expected. You were a surprise. But I have never thought of you as a mistake, Dinky, and I never will, and you never should either. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me. You're sweet, you're kind, you're hard-working, you're smart…you're everything anypony could ever want from a daughter. I don't deserve you."

Dinky looked to her mother in disbelief. "Yeah you do!" she exclaimed. "You're the best momma ever! You work real hard and teach me how to do things and you saved me and everypony else from Corona…"

"Dinky, that's just what's expected of mothers. That's how they're supposed to act, what they're supposed to do, for their daughters."

"Maybe," Dinky said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "But you do it better, momma. It doesn't matter what you used to be like." She fixed her mother with a pointed stare. "So don't ever even think that, momma. I learned to be sweet and kind and hard-working and smart from you."

Ditzy stared at her daughter for a few moments, before her lip began to tremble. She drew Dinky into a tighter hug with her wing, and leaned down, nuzzling her daughter. "Not your smarts," she insisted. "You didn't get that from me. Not your father, either. That's all you, Dinky."

Dinky began to respond to that, but after a moment decided against it – words would only cheapen the moment, she knew. Instead, she leaned into her mother's nuzzle, and let silence reign between the two of them.

Internally, however, Dinky felt determination come over her. I need that necklace, she told herself in no uncertain terms. If momma really doesn't think that she deserves me, I need to show her how much she's wrong…but Sparkler won't sell it to me. I need to find some way to trick her into not knowing that she's selling it to me…

Dinky had to keep herself from reacting as she hit upon an idea. Of course! I know exactly who could help me out! But… I have to hurry. Dinky glanced at the clock on their living room wall. It was just past three PM. If Sparkler's jewelry store was anything like every other shop in town, then she'd be closing at five, and Dinky wasn't sure if she'd have time until her mother's birthday. She needed to act fast. But…but that meant she'd have to…

Dinky closed her eyes, simultaneously steeling herself and fully thinking through everything she had to say so that she wasn't making things up on the spot. "Momma?" Dinky asked.

"Yes, muffin?"

"I need to go over to Scootaloo's house," Dinky lied. "She needs help with her homework. We have to write a paper on early Equestrian history."

Ditzy looked her daughter over, eyeing her. Despite the gravity of their previous conversation, she seemed to switch gears easily. "And?" she asked expectantly.

How does she do that? Dinky asked herself. The lie was ninety percent true and her mother still knew something was up. But that was why Dinky had held back a little. She looked away, feeling some genuine embarrassment. "It's…um, it's because in history class today, me and her…we weren't paying attention. So Miss Cheerilee gave us a paper, and I said I'd meet her at her house."

The gray pegasus ruffled her wings a little. "Not paying attention in class?" Ditzy asked, her voice full of maternal concern.

"Um…yeah."

Ditzy Doo sighed, looking at the clock. "Alright. But be back by five. I think we should have dinner together…and plan what to do tomorrow."

"Okay!" Dinky promised, as she grabbed her school bag telekinetically, then retrieved her winter cape and hat, heading towards the door of their apartment, though not before sparing a moment to plant a firm kiss on her mother's cheek, lest she start to suspect anything.

Dinky did not like all the lies she'd been having to do recently – surprise or no surprise, it was beginning to weigh on her conscience, and she didn't like that she was starting to make choices based on trying to sell her lies – most of all to her mother. But it would all be worth it. She was certain of it.

If there was one pony she could count on to help her out – one pony who would be able to put on an act of buying a necklace for herself but secretly actually buying it for Dinky Doo, and not let Sparkler know, one pony she could trust to want to help her – then that one pony was the Representative of the Night Court of Luna, Miss Trixie Lulamoon.

Fortunately, Scootaloo's house and Trixie's home were in the same direction, so Dinky didn't need to worry about her mother watching out the window. As Dinky approached the iron fence that surrounded the Residency – only chest-high on an adult pony, but one which towered over the unicorn filly – she took note of the fact that it had been fixed up nicely. After the Longest Night, the Residency had been a complete disaster from ponies who were very mad at Trixie for reasons that Dinky didn't fully understand, but all the damage seemed to have been repaired, making the place good as new – especially the front window that looked into Trixie's office, which had needed to be replaced a second time afterward when the replacement furniture had arrived and somehow a couch had ended up going through it.

Dinky passed through the front gate and felt herself smiling. This would be easy –

The door to the Residency flew open, Trixie dashed out of it, then closed it behind her, horn glowing brightly as a cerulean aura surrounded her door. Something banged into it from the other side, hard.

"That sounded like it hurt," Trixie noted. She was wearing her hat, but not her cape, and clutched in her telekinetic grip was a book stuffed full of notes written in hurried script.

"BonBon?" a voice, with no owner that Dinky could see, asked. It sounded like Lyra Heartstrings, one of Trixie's and Ditzy Doo's friends, and the Element of Loyalty, but something was…off…about it. "You okay, sweetie?"

"She's fine. Earth pony," Trixie said, glancing straight up as she turned around, and noticed Dinky for the first time. Her eyes widened a little. "Oh! Dinky!" she exclaimed, blinking a few times. There was a notable pause before she added "hi!"

"Hi, Dinky," Lyra's disembodied voice added, from next to Trixie.

Dinky stared. "Hi," she responded, slowly creeping forward and looking to where Trixie kept talking. "Miss Heartstrings?"

"You can just call me Lyra," the voice said.

Dinky jumped in surprise at the sound of a voice from nowhere. "That's…it's really weird talking to nothing…"

Trixie's brow furrowed at that, and her horn glowed as she waved a hoof. In front of Dinky, Lyra seemed to materialize from nothing, a bright grin on her features.

"My horn is not that short," Lyra said – without moving her mouth. Dinky looked to Trixie in confusion.

"Illusion," Trixie explained to the filly, before looking back to the image of Lyra – or rather, some point in space above the image of Lyra. "And yes it is. And we don't have time to argue right now."

"Did…did you turn Lyra invisible and now can't make her not invisible, and only you can see her?" Dinky asked as she mulled over the information in front of her. "And make her giant, since you keep looking up to talk to her?"

There was a pause, as Trixie looked to her side, and presumably, Lyra looked back. "Sure," Trixie said after a moment. "That's what happened."

Dinky-eyed Trixie. "No it isn't," she objected to the obviously transparent lie.

"No it isn't," Trixie echoed, as she began walking towards the front gate, Dinky following and the illusion of Lyra keeping pace, trotting along normally, though her bright grin didn't move and her movements were exaggerated, more like a puppet moving than a pony. Trixie opened the book in front of her, looking it over. "Look, we've narrowed it down to just these three, all we need to do is – "

"The last ritual took half an hour and it didn't even do anything!" Lyra exclaimed. "The train leaves in fifteen minutes!" There was a pause. "And my hooves are freezing! Or whatever these things are called!"

Trixie glared at Lyra again – the real Lyra – but then stopped walking and frowned. "I feel I'm forgetting something – "

Crash.

Dinky turned around at the sound of glass and wood breaking and saw a cream-colored, blue-and-pink maned earth pony rising from the garden in front of the Residency. Before Dinky could react, BonBon – Lyra's mare-friend – had cleared the iron gate and landed almost on top of Dinky Doo, a look of pure rage on her face – but a look which was, fortunately, not directed at the filly, instead focused first to her left, then her right, as though she was looking around for prey.

Dinky, for her part, was confused at the earth pony confectioner's actions, though after a moment she saw why the earth pony was looking around rather than taking her anger out on somepony – Trixie and the illusion of Lyra had disappeared.

"Where'd she go?" BonBon demanded. She looked down at Dinky, her gaze softening a little. "Dinky Doo? Sugar? Where did Trixie go? I'll give you free candy for a month if you tell me."

Dinky knew that it was wrong to lie. She also knew that it was wrong to be an accessory to murder.

"That way," she told BonBon, pointing down the street. In a flash, BonBon was off.

Dinky wasn't surprised when, as soon as BonBon was out of sight, Trixie seemed to bleed back into reality, the invisibility glamor she'd woven over herself falling off of her in a blue mist that quickly dissipated into nothingness. She didn't re-create the Lyra figment, instead looking to Dinky. "Thanks," she said. "I owe you, kiddo."

"She is going to be so mad at me…" Lyra's voice mourned.

Dinky looked to Trixie. "I…I actually came needing a favor," she said. "See, there's this new jewelry store, and I need to get something there today for my momma but my momma can't know or else – "

"We don't have time," Lyra's voice interrupted.

The blue unicorn looked to the invisible Lyra, then back to Dinky. "We don't," Trixie said, a pained tone to her voice. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I really am, but me and Lyra need to hoof it…leg it…whatever…to the train station. She has a show in Canterlot she can't miss."

Dinky stared, wide-eyed. "But…" she objected. "But, I need – "

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Trixie said, as she turned and began galloping off towards Ponyville's train station. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

Dinky tried to object again, but it was too late, as the unicorn mare was already off, presumably with the invisible, giant Lyra in tow. "But…" Dinky tried, though, unlike Trixie, she really was speaking to empty air. "But…what am I supposed to do now…?"

"Are you him?" The blue-coated, yellow-maned stallion of the three pegasi that were standing at the front door demanded of her father. He wasn't particularly large, even compared to Castor Cut, but there was a cold fury in his eyes that terrified Sparkler. Standing near him was a pegasus mare, with a lime green coat and dark green hair, who was matching the stallion's gaze evenly. Standing between the two, looking down, was a gray-coated, blonde pegasus mare, though she looked only a few years older than Sparkler at most. Her eyes were yellow, but not aligned correctly – one was glancing upwards of its own volition, while the other remained focused downwards. Sparkler had only a glimpse of them, though, before the young mare squeezed her eyes shut. From the looks of things, they were a family.

"No, wait – " Castor Cut begged, as Sparkler watched from the hallway, her mother coming up alongside her. They had been having lunch, but the banging on the door had interrupted them.

"Dad, I don't – " the young pegasus tried.

"Ditzy, be quiet," the stallion ordered, though he didn't take his gaze off of Sparkler's dad. "Are you him? Are you the reason my Ditzy Doo is pregnant?"

"Castor?" Sparkler's mother, May Bell, asked, rushing forward at the stallion's words. Sparkler could only stand in shock at the accusation. "What is he on about?"

Castor Cut looked to the blonde pegasus mare, then to his wife, and back to Sparkler, mouth opening and closing, trying to work. "N-no, I – "

"Don't deny it!" The older mare shouted. "Don't you even dare! She's barely more than a filly, you sick – "

"Castor?" May Bell asked. "Is…is this…?"

"It is, ma'am," the pegasus said, jabbing a hoof at Castor Cut. "Your husband was sleeping with my daughter, and now she's pregnant and he is trying to shirk responsibility – "

"How – what?" May Bell demanded, "Shut up. Just shut up! You're lying!"

"Don't you call my daughter a liar!" the green mare cried.

The gray-coated, pregnant pegasus was looking between her parents "Mom, please, I don't want to do this – "

"Shut up, you, you little…Castor, how could you? We're married, for Star's sake!"

"May Bell, I didn't ever mean – "

"Didn't mean? What? Was it an accident that you were sleeping with my Ditzy for three months? She's barely more than a filly, she's disabled – "

"I'm not disabled, dad! It's just my eyes! I knew what I was doing – "

"This isn't happening. This isn't happening – "

"Your husband is going to support my daughter. He's going to support her foal. He's going – "

"He is going to do no such thing for that harlot!"

"Don't you dare call my daughter that!"

"I'll call her what she is! Castor, how – how could you do this to me? To Sparkler? Don't you love us?"

Sparkler couldn't look away as her family fell apart.

"I – "

"No! Shut up! I – I don't want to hear you. I don't want to see you anymore! I thought we were getting better, but I…I want a divorce!"

"May Bell – "

"I'm taking Sparkler and we're going to my sister's in Canterlot. I don't ever want to see you again!"

Amethyst Star blinked a few times and realized that she'd run out of paper on the ledger she was writing on several moments ago, and she was now writing on a display case, covering it in black ink. She scowled at it, grabbing a cloth and cleaning it off. Memories of that day – of what her father had done – of the several years in Canterlot that had followed – were exactly what moving to Ponyville was supposed to be helping her escape from.

The worst part of it all was that it was remembered advice from her father that made Sparkler keep soldiering on through the day. She couldn't remember the exact words, but it was something to the effect of, everypony falls down, but nopony ever accomplished anything by staying down.

Moon and stars, she hated her father all the more for that. She had his eyes, his cutie mark, and now she had his voice in her head? "That's a recipe for a healthy pony," Sparkler noted aloud, to the empty store.

In spite of it all, though, it was good advice, and thankfully nopony who came into her brand-new store after her run-in with Ditzy Doo seemed intent on asking her what had happened. She was able to keep her temper surprisingly under control as she went about her business for the day, even managing to hit her sales estimate as she closed up her shop at five o'clock, just as the sun was beginning to touch the horizon, heralding the safe – if chilly – the arrival of the night. It took longer than expected, though – she'd probably have to look into getting an assistant.

"Tomorrow will be better," Sparkler stated simply after she had finished gathering up all the jewelry in the display cases and putting it into her store's safe, along with the money she'd made for the day, wondering all the while how she'd gotten into this mess. All she'd wanted was to get away from everything, get away from her father and her mother and the drama created by that – that home-wrecker – and try and start fresh. Ponyville had seemed ideal.

Of course, apparently, it had seemed ideal to a certain gray-coated pegasus as well. Sparkler hadn't known that, not until two months ago – not until all the lease papers had been signed and the inventory ordered, not until after she'd reached what amounted to the point of no return.

Not until Corona had escaped from the sun, and Ditzy Doo had somehow managed to become an Element of Harmony. Sparkler had hoped that she would have been able to go longer without running into Ditzy Doo and had certainly not expected to learn about Dinky Doo, and everything that her existence implied…yes, she'd known that Ditzy Doo had been pregnant, but to actually see the little filly in front of her – to have talked to her…

But Sparkler wasn't going to focus on that. No. She was going to go upstairs, into her new home, and put on a record of something loud and mind-numbing, and plunge herself into a book or magazine or some such, and just forget everything that had happened today. She just had to double-check the lock on the front door. Before she could, however, there was a knock at it. Sparkler frowned at the sound as she approached it, as she could see nopony on the other side through the door's small window…

Opening the door, Sparkler gasped slightly at the chill that rushed to greet her – between simply closing her shop, and actually doing everything to clear up the shop for the night, the sun had set, and this night was looking like it was shaping up to be a cold one indeed.

But her gasp grew to a shout of surprise when she saw who had knocked on the door, and she recoiled as though the filly unicorn who had done so was a snake rearing up and ready to strike.

Dinky Doo leaped backward a few feet as well at Sparkler's reaction, but no further, and quickly recovered – far faster than Sparkler herself. The two unicorns were silent for several long moments after that, just staring at each other.

Sparkler broke the silence first. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. She tried to keep her voice calm and collected, and to her own ears, it sounded like she'd nearly – nearly – succeeded.

Dinky stared a moment more before answering. "I want to buy that necklace."

"You can't," Sparkler answered immediately, without thinking.

Dinky Doo took a step forward. "But it's my momma's birthday in just a few days," she said. "I've saved up all year and please Sparkler – "

"Amethyst Star. My name is Amethyst Star."

Dinky paused at that, then took another step forward. "Please, Amethyst Star. I saved up all year for my momma."

Sparkler had actually begun to shiver from the chill seeping into her store with the door open, but at the mention of Dinky Doo's mother, a hot rage boiled through her. "No," she stated firmly, still trying to remain calm despite her anger. "I'm not – not to that – look, I don't know how much you know about your mom – "

"My momma told me everything today," Dinky stated.

Sparkler stared. "Yeah. I'm sure. Her side. What, did she say, dad – my dad – took advantage of her?"

Dinky shook her head, which surprised Sparkler. "Momma said that what she did was wrong, and that it's her fault, and that she shouldn't of done it and she's sorry and it wasn't fair to you or your mom – "

Sparkler bristled at that. "She doesn't get to apologize!" she exclaimed, whickering and stamping her hooves in anger. "I don't want her to apologize! I want that whore to go to the sun and burn!"

Dinky stared wide-eyed at Sparkler's proclamation. "That's a horrible thing to say," the filly stated.

Sparkler blinked at that. She – will, she hadn't been thinking when she'd said that. But even if she had been, she wouldn't of expected such a measured response from Dinky Doo. Amethyst Star closed her eyes. "Go away. Leave me alone. Find something else for your mother."

"No. I want that necklace!"

Sparkler sneered despite herself, using magic to start closing the door. Dinky leaped, though, and the older unicorn was only barely able to stop the door from slamming into the filly as she placed herself firmly on the door's threshold. She didn't seem to care that she'd very nearly caused Sparkler to injure her. "You're not getting it!" Sparkler shouted in spite of herself. Some part of her couldn't believe that she was seriously attempting to chew out this little filly.

Dinky matched her glare. "But it's perfect for my momma and I saved up all year! I didn't do anything wrong, there's no reason to – "

"Store's closed."

"I'll give you all hundred bits. Keep the change!"

"No. You're not getting it! She's not getting it!"

"I have friends. They'll buy it for me!"

"I just won't sell to little fillies and colts, then."

"Not them," Dinky stated. "I have adult friends. Miss Trixie or Miss Cheerilee or Miss BonBon could buy it for me and you don't know who they are or maybe Miss – "

"I do now since you told me their names." Sparkler observed. At the moment, she was too angry to dwell on the name 'Trixie,' other than to let out a slight mental groan and make a note to make sure her store was insured against flooding.

Dinky's mouth clamped shut at Sparkler's point, and her glare switched to look almost mollified. Sparkler had to fight hard to stop a burst of laughter at seeing such a rapid change of attitude. "I have other adult friends, too," Dinky stated firmly.

"Then I'll take the necklace down. I won't sell it to anypony. What then, huh?"

Dinky thought for a moment. "I'll get something else," she decided. "I saved up for a whole year! I can save up longer! If I have to miss my momma's birthday, then fine, I'll get her something else, but I'm gonna buy something nice for her to show her how great she is! Unless you don't want to sell anything to anypony, you'll have to let me – "

"Okay, that's it," Sparkler stated, glancing behind her, towards her own deep blue, hooded winter cloak. She grasped it magically and brought it over to her, wrapping it around herself, before looking back to Dinky and grasping her telekinetically as well. Dinky yelped as she was hefted into the air, and Sparkler stomped out of her shop and into the night, carrying Dinky behind her. "We are going to the town hall and somepony is going to – "

"Sparkler!"

"I told you to call me Amethyst – "

"Ow! Miss Star! You're hurting me!"

Sparkler's eyes widened at that, as she released her telekinetic hold on Dinky and turned around rapidly, hoping the damage wasn't too great. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sometimes I grab things too hard, I didn't mean – hey!"

Dinky, as soon as she'd been set back down and was free from Sparkler's lavender aura, had dashed into her store, letting out a slight squeal of triumph. The older unicorn followed as quickly as she could, horn glowing as she chased the filly in. Dinky had run up to the display cases, not noticing that they were empty until she'd come right up to where the necklace she wanted was normally kept and she found it devoid of any jewelry. Before Sparkler could grab the filly with her hooves or teeth – she wasn't trusting her telekinesis right now, just in case Dinky hadn't been lying about Sparkler accidentally hurting her – she had dashed off to the left, causing Sparkler to stumble and land on the floor.

"Get back here, you little – !" Sparkler exclaimed as she stood up in time to see Dinky dashing behind the display cases. Sparkler gave chase, but the filly was an agile thing despite having much shorter legs, easily avoiding Sparkler's clumsy grab attempts.

"I chase chickens every weekend! You can't catch me!" Dinky said as she ran to the back of Sparkler's store, and right up to the safe. Unfortunately, she now found herself in a small room, an office, with the only means of exit being the way she had come in. On realizing this, she turned around, wide-eyed she realized that the door was blocked.

Sparkler was panting despite her chase being only a brief one. Dinky, for her part, didn't seem out of breath at all, but then she was a little filly. Bursts of energy were second nature to her. "Alright, you little reprobate," Sparkler said. "I've got you. We're going to the town hall. Somepony there is going to get in contact with your mother and she's going to come and pick you up and, hopefully, ground you for the rest of your life."

"No!" Dinky exclaimed tears in her eyes. "If you do that then momma will know about the hundred bits and she'll want to know why I came back, that it was for the necklace! That'll ruin the surprise! I saved up all year for my momma, kept it all secret from my momma even though I hate lying to her, and I don't want it to be for nothing!"

Sparkler blinked at the sight of Dinky Doo breaking down into tears. Where before the filly had shown a remarkable amount of stoicism, her inner reserve of maturity had apparently, at last, run its course. The filly was bawling now, openly and without shame in the way that only foals and the truly broken could, having fallen back onto her haunches and just letting her tears fall.

"I…I just…I just want my momma to be happy!" Dinky sobbed. "She works so hard and she's so kind to everypony, and…and ponies make fun of her for her eyes and she just laughs it off and she saved the whole world…and then you came along and ruined everything!"

Sparkler took a step back at that, as her eyes narrowed. "I ruined everything?" the older unicorn demanded. "Your mom's the one who – "

"Momma was happy before she saw you and I didn't know about my father but it didn't matter 'cause I had my momma but now you're here and my momma's not gonna be happy anymore because she made a mistake and you won't forgive her even though she's sorry, and you're supposed to forgive somepony when they're sorry, Scootaloo forgave me when I called Rainbow Dash lazy and stupid after I said I was sorry and now we're friends!"

"I don't want – "

Whatever Sparkler didn't want was drowned out by Dinky's tears. The filly had run out of words by this point, was just crying her eyes out, somehow convinced that it was Sparkler's fault, even though Sparkler was the victim here, she was the one who'd had her family torn apart by Ditzy Doo. All she was doing was not selling a single necklace to this filly! It wasn't like she was purposefully trying to make Ditzy Doo's life miserable! She would have been perfectly content to have simply never interacted with the pegasus beyond hateful glares whenever they saw each other…

…but none of that changed that there was a wailing filly in her office.

Sparkler grit her teeth, then closed her eyes. "Fine. Fine! Fine! Just – just stop crying!" Sparkler stomped past Dinky Doo, going up to her safe and using her horn to turn the two combination locks. Dinky didn't stop crying entirely, but she did tone things down as she watched Sparkler open her safe and start flinging jewelry around as she dug through it, before finding the necklace and taking it out. By the time she did, Dinky was already struggling to open her school bag, sniffling as she poured out her bits.

"Fine!" Sparkler exclaimed again, tossing the necklace to the floor at Dinky's hooves. "Here! Do you want this? Take it! And I'll take these," she used her telekinesis to scoop up a hundred bits that Dinky had poured onto the floor, "And I'll keep the change because of all the trouble you caused. There! You have the stupid necklace! Happy?"

Dinky blinked, staring at the silver chain and yellow gem that lay before her, lip still trembling, a confused look on her face. "N…no…" she said softly.

"Well, why in Luna's name not?" Sparkler asked. "Oh, what, did you suddenly realize that breaking into my store is a bad thing? Are you feeling bad about calling me mean? I'm not the mean one! I'm the victim! S-so are you! You should hate your mom as much as I hate my dad!" Sparkler stomped a hoof. "H…he cheated on my mother! They'd been married for years and years and I was his daughter and I looked up to him so much, I became a jeweler because he was, and he just forgot about all of that and went out and slept with some ten-bit whore and didn't think at all about what it was going to do to his marriage! And then you were born! My dad cheated on my mom and abandoned you! And your mom, she…she…"

Dinky stared at Sparkler, as the older unicorn realized that her breaths were coming in short, quick gasps, hyperventilating with rage – or so she thought until she felt wetness on her snout. Her legs gave out at the sensation, as did her telekinesis holding the coins aloft, and the unicorn fell to her knees, head hanging as she, unlike Dinky, fought against her tears while it rained silver all around her.

"It's not fair," Sparkler cried hoarsely. "I didn't do anything wrong…I was a good daughter…I loved him…it's not fair…it's not fair…"

Sparkler heard hoof-steps and glanced up to see Dinky approaching her. The filly leaned in, nuzzling Sparkler. Despite herself, the older unicorn leaned into it, and it was then that any control she had over her emotions just slipped.

She cried, and cried, and cried. She cried more tears than she knew she had. Every few minutes, just as she was about to finish, just as she thought she had a hoof on things, she'd start again, sometimes because she remembered a happy time with her father – often for no reason at all. Occasionally a word or phrase, such as 'daddy' or 'it's not fair,' would slip out, but more often than not all her throat could produce was sobs.

"I just…" Sparkler said at length, when at last the tears seemed to ebb, "I…I just want my family again…I want my mom…and my dad…I want them in the same room without shouting at each other…without it being a courtroom…"

"Maybe that'll happen someday," Dinky offered, as the filly continued to nuzzle Sparkler.

Sparkler shook her head. "N-no it won't. They hate each other now…" the older unicorn leaned back, looking Dinky over. She really did look like a miniature, wingless, horned version of Ditzy Doo, at a glance…but up close, Sparkler could see a slight purple tinge to the filly's coat – a legacy from her father. A connection to Sparkler. This filly, no matter what Sparkler wanted, was her half-sister. Was her family. Sparkler wasn't sure what that meant, what that was supposed to mean...but maybe, she was supposed to find out.

Slowly, her legs shaking, Sparkler got to her hooves. "C-come on," she intoned, wiping tears from her eyes. "L…let's get that necklace wrapped up."

"Happy birthday, Ditzy Doo!" Everypony else exclaimed.

"Happy birthday, momma!" Dinky instead shouted, as her mother blew out the candles on her birthday cake, which had been baked in the shape of, and with frosting dolled up on it in such a way as to suggest a blueberry muffin. There was a cheer as the candles flared and died.

Ditzy Doo was not normally one for parties, but after the shock she'd received earlier in the week, she was for once perfectly willing to just let herself go in the collective will of everypony present, each of whom seemed determined to make this her best day ever. The gathering was relatively small, at least – in addition to Dinky, there was Lyra and her mare friend BonBon; Trixie, who was doing her best to remain on the other side of the table from BonBon at all times for some reason; Carrot Top, Raindrops, and Cheerilee, who together rounded out the Elements of Harmony; and Silver Script, the postmaster of Ponyville. They were all gathered in the party room of Sugarcube Corner. Against all odds, Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's Party Pony Par Excellence, was not present, Ditzy's friends having somehow arranged things with the Cakes to have her be occupied somewhere else in Ponyville for the day. This suited Ditzy Doo fine – Pinkie's perpetually positive attitude could become grating very quickly.

"What'd you wish for?" Silver Script asked as Trixie used her magic to grasp a knife and began cutting into the cake, though not before looking at it thoughtfully for a moment.

"What could I wish for?" Ditzy asked, a bright smile on her face as she looked around the room. "I have everything I want right here."

"Ow, momma!" Dinky said, smiling brightly as though she had finally figured out a particularly vexing math problem. "Toothache!"

Ditzy laughed at that, even as the cake and the slices were moved aside for the moment while Trixie worked on them – still pondering the knife a bit too closely for Ditzy to be entirely comfortable with the situation, but Raindrops seemed to be keeping an eye on her – and instead, everypony got their gifts ready.

"Okay, this one first," Ditzy said, taking out a long, thin package. "From…Silver Script?" Ditzy unwrapped it with hooves and teeth and found it to be a plain brown cardboard tube, closed at both ends. Opening one, she took out a large sheet of paper – a map of Ponyville in exacting detail, with a multitude of lines drawn across it in various colors, numbered one through thirty-three.

Raindrops, who had come up behind Ditzy Doo, looked it over. "I bet it's what you've always wanted," she observed in a dry voice.

"It is!" Ditzy exclaimed as she looked over the map, then glanced at Silver Script. "New routes? When do they start?"

"Next Monday," Silver Script answered proudly. "You will not believe how much the Postmaster-General didn't want the routes in Ponyville re-organized – I have no idea why, it's not like she has to deal with them – a bit I convinced her in the end. Your routes are in green."

Ditzy looked over the map again. The new routes were, more-or-less, now all of roughly the same length, and could be split nearly evenly amongst the seven mares and stallions who delivered the mail in Ponyville. It would take a little bit to commit them all to memory, but this, at least, meant no more stupidly long trips – and the green routes even all had, as their endpoint, Fluttershy's cottage.

"Thanks," Ditzy said, rolling up the map and sliding it back into its case, then passing it over to Silver Script. "What's next…" the package she held was small, wrapped up in bright purple, star-studded paper, and… "is…is it glowing?"

"Oh! Mine!" Trixie said, setting down the knife and coming over to the collective of ponies. "And yes, I made the paper glow. Just a little."

Ditzy considered asking why, but then again she suspected she knew the answer – even in wrapping gifts, Trixie, without even realizing it, saw it as a competition: it was just who she was. The mare resisted shaking her head and chuckling knowingly, instead opening the present and finding herself looking at a paperback book, entitled De Ditionibus. She looked to Trixie, asking the question with her eyes.

"Of Sovereignties," Trixie translated. "Don't worry, it's just the title that's in Old Unicorn, the rest of the book is in modern Equestrian. And you probably know it better by the title The Sovereign."

Ditzy was silent for another moment. "Um…no, actually, I don't."

Trixie blinked several times for that. "Really? By Silver Raventongue? Never heard of it?"

"I have," Lyra stated, casting a slight glare at Trixie.

"So have I," Cheerilee noted, then looked to Ditzy Doo. "Trixie, why would you think that Ditzy would want a book on power-politics? Especially this one?"

Trixie whickered. "I like it. It's my second-favorite book after Don Rocinante."

"Explains a lot," BonBon noted under her breath.

Trixie didn't hear her, instead looking at Ditzy Doo. "It's a great read, even if you're not going into the Night Court or any kind of politics. It's not just one of my favorites, it's one of Princess Luna's, too. And look!" she used her horn to open the book to a random page. "Large print!"

Ditzy offered a slight smile. Being afflicted by strabismus as she was, reading the small text size of most books was difficult for her to do, at least for a prolonged period. The large print at least showed that Trixie's heart was in the right place. "I'll read it, I promise," she said. "Thank-you…"

Ditzy's voice trailed off when she heard the door to Sugarcube Corner open, and looked up out of curiosity – several ponies had come and gone already, of course, given that the Cakes still had a business to run, but despite being in a separate room of the bakery, from where Ditzy was sitting, she could clearly see the entrance and countertop. It was mostly just to see if it was anypony she recognized. And, as it turned out, it was.

Amethyst Star, wearing a deep blue winter cloak, stared at Ditzy Doo. Ditzy Doo stared back, her eyes coming into focus as she did.

Everyone else gathered noticed the change of atmosphere immediately, looking to the unicorn that had entered, then back to their friend. Ditzy realized that she hadn't told anypony what had happened earlier in the week.

This was bad. This was going to be very bad. There were only a couple of things that Amethyst Star could do right now, and absolutely none of them would end well for Ditzy. Not that it was anything less than what she deserved. Ditzy braced herself for the inevitable –

"Sparkler!" Dinky exclaimed happily, bounding on over to the older unicorn. Amethyst Star's gaze was torn away from Ditzy Doo's at the exclamation, as she watched the filly come up to her. "What are you doing here?"

Amethyst Star did something then that Ditzy would never of, in a million years, anticipated – she smiled down at Dinky. It wasn't much of a smile, but it was an honest one as she leaned down so that she was looking the filly in the eyes. "Are you kidding?" she asked in a soft voice. "After everything that happened? I want to see how this goes as much as you."

Ditzy realized that she was standing, wings slightly flared, only when Amethyst Star looked back to her, gaze lingering for a moment before she looked over everypony else as well. "Um…hi," she said. "My name's Amethyst Star, I just opened a jewelry shop a few blocks from here. I…I won't be long, I'll be out of your manes in a few minutes."

"You'll be out a lot sooner than that," Raindrops said, taking a few steps forward, muscles tense as she looked between Amethyst Star and Ditzy Doo. "I don't think Ditzy wants you here."

Amethyst Star's eye twitched slightly at that, and she opened her mouth to say something – probably something pejorative – but then a filly whose sense of self-preservation was apparently on the ebb positioned herself between her and Raindrops.

"Just a few minutes, Miss Raindrops?" Dinky asked as she closed her eyes and her horn glowed. From the collection of presents waiting for Ditzy, a small, rectangular one came out, decked in floral-pattern wrapping. With effort – she was doing this from a further distance than she was used to – she levitated the gift over to her mother. "Sparkler helped me with momma's present."

"She what?" Ditzy asked, eyes wide in shock and confusion. "But…I…what?"

Amethyst Star just waited, as did Dinky. At length, Ditzy took the present in her hooves – eliciting a slight sigh of relief from Dinky as she released the present from her grip – and slowly opened it, cautiously, like there was a ticking time bomb inside. Instead, all she saw was a black case, though emblazoned with a silver, stylized A.S. Jewelers on it. Opening the case, Ditzy found herself staring at a yellow gemstone, the color of which matched her eyes, set into a light silver pendant, with a matching thin chain. She took it out delicately with one hoof, blinking and still confused.

"Wait," Carrot Top objected, looking over the necklace. "That's from Dinky?"

"How?" Silver Script asked, looking to the foal.

Dinky smiled brightly. "I saved up all year!" she explained. "I help out Miss Fluttershy every weekend, and she gives me three bits, and so I spend one and saved two, and so then I had – "

"Wait," Ditzy interrupted. "Wait, wait, wait. The bits you were saving up? Under the floorboard?"

Dinky stared at her mother in shock. "You knew?" she demanded.

"I clean your room, Dinky, of course, I knew. I didn't know what you were saving up, for, though. Not…not for me, I didn't think you were…" Ditzy hung the necklace on one of her wing's feathers as she came up to her daughter, drawing the unicorn filly into a deep, tight hug. "That's…that's so…Dinky, why would you go through all that effort for me?"

Dinky pulled away from her mother, looking her in the eyes. "Because I love you, momma," she said, as though she were stating a basic fact of existence, like water being wet. "I didn't know what I was gonna get you at first, but then I heard that Sparkler's jewelry store was opening and I know you didn't have any jewelry so I thought I'd get you something from there, and – oh!" she exclaimed, putting her front hooves to her mouth. "Momma, I'm sorry for lying about why I was in Sparkler's, but it was supposed to be a surprise so I couldn't tell you and I've lied to you all year about what I was spending my money on, too, and I'm sorry, and then I lied about going to Scootaloo's 'cause I needed to talk to Sparkler and I'm sorry – "

"It's okay, it's alright," Ditzy assured her daughter, drawing her into another hug. "I just…" she looked to Amethyst Star, still utterly confused.

The pink unicorn was watching, again with a slight smile on her face. "Okay, then," she said. "I…I guess I better go. Leave you to your party. I guess…happy birthday?"

After pausing for a moment more – as if unsure as to whether or not leaving things on that note was enough – the unicorn turned around, heading for the door of Surgarcube Corner. She was halfway out before Ditzy Doo managed to speak. "Wait!" she exclaimed. Amethyst Star paused, looking back over her shoulder at Ditzy. The pegasus' mouth opened and closed a few times before she was able to say something intelligent. "Can…can I talk to you? For a few moments? Outside?" Amethyst Star nodded, stepping outside but leaving the door open as Ditzy stood up, looking back to her friends. "Just – just wait here, I won't be long."

"Wait!" Dinky exclaimed before her mother could go outside. Ditzy did so, and Dinky again closed her eyes, concentrating hard as she took her mother's necklace from where she had it suspended on a wing, undid the delicate clasp at the back, and strung it around Ditzy Doo's neck, before last closing it again. Upon doing so, the filly let out a long breath, wobbling back and forth slightly at having performed such fine manipulation with her nascent telekinesis. She nevertheless offered a bright grin as she looked up to her mother. "Happy birthday, momma!"

Ditzy forced a smile – the intent was genuine enough, but somehow she just couldn't summon up the emotion for a real smile right now, not with Amethyst Star sitting just outside. Dinky didn't seem to notice, however. "I'll be right back, muffin," she promised, heading outside.

The silence that stretched between Ditzy Doo and Amethyst Star was palpable enough to of been cut by a knife, and not even a particularly sharp one at that. Ditzy had, between where she'd been standing and the door, come up with a million ways to begin the conversation, but all of them fled her mind the moment she stepped outside and set her eyes on Amethyst Star. The unicorn was, for her part, looking at everything other than Ditzy Doo, right front hoof scuffing the dirt and lingering snow beneath her as the awkward moment stretched and stretched.

"I'm sorry," Ditzy finally blurted. Amethyst Star jumped slightly at the sudden break in their silence and finally looked directly at Ditzy Doo. Like most ponies, she saw the pegasus' strabismus, tried to look at Ditzy like a normal pony, and failed by overcompensating, staring intently at just one eye. Ditzy didn't let that bother her, though, as she pressed on. "I'm sorry for what I did, Amethyst Star. I…I was young, and I was stupid, but that doesn't excuse anything. It's my fault, and I'm sorry."

Amethyst Star's face remained neutral for several moments, before looking away. "I…" she began, then closed her eyes. "I talked to Dinky. We've actually talked a lot over the past week…she told me you're sorry. Told me I should forgive you. But I can't. I just can't."

Ditzy nodded. "I don't blame you. What I did to you and your mother can't ever be forgiven – "

"I didn't say that," Amethyst Star interrupted. Ditzy started at that, blinking several times, as the unicorn looked back to her. "I can't right now. But maybe one day." She glanced at Sugarcube Corner, into its window, where she could see Dinky Doo. "I haven't talked to my dad in years…and I'm not too big a fan of my mom, either. She wasn't exactly blameless in driving my dad away. It'd be nice to have some kind of family in Ponyville…even if it was just a half-sister. If that's alright," she added quickly, looking back to Ditzy Doo. "I mean…I'd like to get to know her better. And…and you, I guess. She loves you more than anything, so you'd kind of have to be part of the equation."

Ditzy Doo's mouth was hanging open slightly. After a moment, she shook her head, grasping that she had actually heard everything Amethyst Star had just said, that it hadn't been a hallucination. "Of…of course," she said. "Of course. Dinky seems to like you…that's enough for me."

Amethyst Star nodded. "Okay," she said. "Okay. Let's just leave it at that, then – "

"Momma!" Dinky Doo exclaimed. The two older mares nearly jumped out of their coats at the sound, as they both turned and saw Dinky standing at the door to Sugarcube Corner, eyes wide. "Momma! Miss Trixie was telling Miss Carrot Top that for the Even time she wanted to put on a magic show as she did for the Longest Night, only this time without Corona interrupting, and she was thinking of doing something really cool and complicated and she says she'd need an assistant and then I reminded her that she owes me a favor and now she wants me to be her assistant! Can I, momma? Please? Please?"

Amethyst Star couldn't stop herself from letting out a long groan. "Trixie…" she moaned. "Stars, I really picked this town well, didn't I?"

Dinky's look of jubilation turned to one of concern and exasperation. "Do I have to try and make things better between you and Miss Trixie too?" she asked.

Amethyst Star and Ditzy Doo both burst out laughing at that, as well as the look on Dinky's face. The filly smiled brightly at the sight. "It's a…well, not a long story," Amethyst Star said. "But…well, I guess in hindsight, it's kind of funny, actually. Trixie probably wouldn't think so, though."

"Can I hear?" Dinky asked. "You could come in and tell me. We have cake in here! Well, Miss Raindrops was saying that she might eat it all if we wait too much longer." Dinky's eyes widened. "You two have to come inside quick before she does! It's your birthday cake, momma!"

Ditzy laughed again at that, trotting into Sugarcube Corner and nuzzling her daughter as she did. "I'll stop her. And I'll make sure she saves a piece for everypony." She paused a moment, looking to the older unicorn. "And…if you wanted, Amethyst Star, you could come in. I'm kind of curious about that Trixie story myself."

Amethyst Star was still a moment, considering Ditzy, and Dinky. "Cake," Dinky intoned in a serious voice, as though that was the only convincing that the older unicorn needed. At length, she smiled. "Call me Sparkler," she said, as she trotted into Sugarcube, closing the door behind her. "And as for what happened with Trixie, well, it was about a month before the Longest Night, at an ice palace…"