My Little Sisterby ShaslanChaptersChapter 1: Watching through a windowChapter 2: Nightmare nightChapter 3: The haunted houseChapter 4: Trapped!Chapter 5: EscapismChapter 6: A Nightmare Night miracleChapter 7: The last goodbyeChapter 1: Watching through a windowSparkler was used to being second-best. She had been the second-best sprinter in school. Always coming in right behind Roseluck, who had the earth pony endurance to put her a nose-length ahead by the end of the race. She had been the second-best unicorn on the buckball team, always relegated to the bench. She had always been the second-best gemstone miner in Ponyville. Even though gems were her special talent, the thing her cutie mark had promised she would always beat everypony at. She was the only one down there in the mines, all day, every day. Her gem-hunting spell was weak but trustworthy, leading her to reliable little clusters day after day — only to be blown out of the water by the obscene hoards that wretched white unicorn could generate in just one afternoon of hunting. She had even been the second-best daughter; abandoned by her father when he got some pegasus mare pregnant. He had left Sparkler and her mother without even a thought, in favour of his shiny new family. She had spent the better part of two years of trying to win him back. Foalish, hopeful attempts to regain his affections, longing to have him hug her once more, or ruffle her mane and call her ‘kiddo’. All those hours wasted on trying to excel in school and on the sports field, only to leave the schoolhouse and see him swinging his new daughter in the air, pushing her pram, cuddling her ugly cross-eyed mother close. Choosing the baby, and not Sparkler. And then he left his new family too, forsaking both of his daughters as well as the town they all called home. Sparkler’s focus had shifted to her little sister, the toddler with the lilac coat almost reminiscent of her father’s. No longer an object of envy — there was no longer anything to fight about — Sparkler’s feelings had tipped towards pity. Her sister had been abandoned just as she had. But Dinky was even younger than Sparkler had been, with nopony to rely on but her mother. And just one pony could not be enough family for anypony. Certainly Sparkler’s own oppressively small family, just her and Mum, crowded and claustrophobic in their studio flat, was not enough for her. She saw the siblings at school playing together, looking out for one another. Slowly, her distaste for her baby sister changed. When under enormous pressure, even a rock can change and shift into a diamond. So Sparkler reached out the hoof of friendship and sisterhood. But to her dismay, she found that even now, she was still second-best. The second-best family. Where her father had been welcomed in, Sparkler was shoved away. It wasn’t fair. She was Dinky's blood just as much as her wall-eyed mother. But the grey pegasus had been let down once too often by a purple-coated unicorn with Sparkler's own magenta eyes, and wanted nothing more to do with his daughter. So…just like before, Sparkler was still shut out. Left outside in the cold, as second-rate a pony as she had ever been. A shiver ran across her fur, and she shuffled her hooves in a futile attempt to warm herself. The autumn air was cold and bitter. Though the yellow harvest moon was beautiful, all Sparkler could feel was the chill of the promised snow. She moved a little closer to the window, leaves crunching as she walked, and pressed her muzzle against the icy window pane. Inside the little house, all was busy and warm. Pumpkins crowded on every surface, each carved with a unique grimace and glowing with its own candlelight. Artful wreaths woven of orange and red leaves adorned the hearth and doorways. Woollen blankets sprawled across the sofa, and tucked underneath them, looking into the blazing fire, were the two ponies Sparkler had been watching. Derpy Hooves, her off-kilter eyes gleaming with excitement, bent over her daughter. She held scissors ready in one wing, waiting to cut the thread. And there, festooned in blankets and alight with anticipation, was Sparkler's little sister. All that remained of her father. Her costume was cradled in both forehooves, and she bent close to the green fabric to push the needle in her teeth through once more. Derpy Hooves and Sparkler both leaned with her, almost unconsciously, their eyes following her every move. Dinky pulled the needle free with a flourish and presented the thread to her mother to be cut. Derpy clapped her hooves with delight and snipped the thread. Dinky shook out the folds of green fabric and beamed at what she had made. Sparkler tilted her head a little to better see. She knew exactly what the costume was; of course. She had watched her sister every night this week. The darkening evenings of autumn were always a good time for ponies who wished to be unseen. All Sparkler had to do was wait until the sun set, and then she could finally escape the crushing silence of her own mother, who lay every evening without change in their single bed, a bottle of the Apples’ hardest cider close to hoof. Sparkler would wait for the first shadows to wrap Ponyville in their gentle embrace, and then she could slam that hated door behind her, and gallop into another world. A world of loving family and soft embraces, board games and laughter. The world her sister lived in. A world Sparkler herself was forever barred from. Dinky Doo jumped up from the settee, and slipped both forelegs into the green tunic she had made. Derpy rummaged in the blankets and produced a brown leather belt to cinch the folds of fabric at Dinky’s waist. The finishing touch was a forest-green hat and a small bow. The bow was a real one; Sparkler had followed her sister to the archery field often enough, and seen countless arrows thud into the butts. But the only arrows in Dinky’s quiver tonight were blunted and harmless. A very passable rendition of Robbin’ Hooves, bandit king of the Everfree Forest. Sparkler wasn’t surprised in the least. Dinky was so talented at archery was so easy to see that Sparkler had been expecting for months to see an archery cutie mark appear. All the costume was missing was that one final ingredient. A red phoenix feather for Robbin’s hat, to commemorate when he had saved one of the majestic birds from a manticore. Sparkler’s hoof drifted to her saddlebag, where a crow-feather rested, lovingly painted red and adorned with golden sparkles. She still had a chance. All she had to do was find a way past the mother lion to get to the cub. Chapter 2: Nightmare nightSparkler fidgeted impatiently through the school day, itching to be away. She had planned every moment of the evening down to the finest detail. She was slow, methodical. Clever. She approached every problem as though it were her last. It was a technique that served her well in the mines, and worked just as well in the wider world. Usually Sparkler was glad that the secondary school was separate from Cheerilee’s class of littler foals. After all, nopony wanted to be constantly tripping over the babies all the time. But today, she kept casting glances out the window of the schoolhouse at the path that led to the infants’ school. Hoping and also dreading that she would see her sister’s blonde mane bouncing past. The painted phoenix feather burned in her bag as though it were a real one. Her own costume was wrapped around it. With no mother to help her sew it, no firelight or candles, Sparkler knew that her costume was not as wonderful as Dinky’s, but if her sister were half the pony she believed her to be, it would all be alright. She just had to get to her. The plan was a simple one, but Sparkler ran over it again as the bell rang for the end of the day. Rather than going straight to the gem caves as she usually did, she was heading for Dinky’s street. Parents always let their foals go out alone on Nightmare Night. The children liked to go trick-or-treating in groups, or enjoy the festivities in the town square together. For once, Derpy Hooves would not be hovering over Dinky. All Sparkler had to do was get rid of any friends who might be tagging along, and then finally, she would have a whole evening with her sister all to herself. It was a strange thrill to be walking towards Dinky’s house in the daylight. Usually she didn’t dare risk coming this way until after dark had fallen. Ponies in costume were already out in dribs and drabs; not the throngs that would come out after the sunset, but they would arrive soon enough. Sparkler didn’t risk getting closer to Dinky’s cottage than the end of the street, and she made sure to lurk by the side of a building with wide eaves. She didn’t want to be visible from the air; heaven only knew what direction Derpy would fly in from. She waited there, pressed against the cold brick wall, and time slowed to a crawl. Sparkler kept her gaze on the front door of the little cottage. Ponies passed in front of her, and a few even said hello, but she hardly registered them. At length, the sun’s last orange rays slid below the thatched rooves, and Sparkler opened her schoolbag. It was time to don her own costume. A simple brown cassock unfurled in her hooves, and she shrugged it on. A bit of hessian rope around her waist, a Celestial Church prayerbook hanging from it, and her costume was complete. Friar Buck, or as accurate a rendition of him as Sparkler could manage. The perfect counterpoint to Dinky’s Robbin’ Hooves. She waited again, shifting uncomfortably now from hoof to hoof as her nerves grew. Skeleton ponies and zombie ponies were everywhere now, and a vampire bat in such a realistic costume that it almost looked genuine. Foals screamed with excitement and galloped in every conceivable direction. Candy spilled from buckets and apples bobbed in barrels. Nightmare Night was beginning in earnest. Finally, a Frankenpony moved his vast green bulk aside, and Sparkler saw the brown door swing open. Derpy Hooves was framed in the light, and Sparkler bit her lip. Please don’t come outside! Derpy slid to one side to let Dinky’s brightly garbed form pass, and waved a fond farewell. Sparkler sagged in relief when Derpy shut the door once more. Then she pulled herself back up and hastened out from her hiding place. Time to introduce herself. Her heart was thudding. Months of hiding, waiting and watching. Trying to find the opportunity, a moment when Derpy’s back would be turned. But the pegasus was an almost omnipresent mother. Every time Sparkler had been within a hoof’s reach of her sister, that disjointed golden glare had found her, sending her skittering back into hiding. But not anymore. Tonight was the night they would finally be reunited. Dinky was trotting eagerly down the centre of the road, her eyes gleaming as she drank in one spooky sight after another. Sparkler sucked in a deep breath, and then stepped squarely into Dinky’s path. Dinky barely slowed, and skipped neatly around the edge of Sparkler’s robe. Sparkler’s eyes widened and she reached out a hoof. “Wait!” Dinky didn’t seem to hear her. Sparkler tried once more. “Hey, Dinky Doo!” That did the trick. Dinky stopped short and turned around, and her eyes widened when she saw Sparkler. Sparkler smiled in grim satisfaction. So Dinky recognised her, at least. “Hi there,” she said, trying to school her face into a more winning smile. “How-how’re you doing?” Dinky shifted her hooves a little and levitated her bow a little closer to her body. “Fine, I guess.” “I like your Robbin’ Hooves costume,” Sparkler said, and she meant it. She had liked it as soon as she had seen Dinky pointing excitedly at the illustration of the green stallion in her storybook two weeks ago. “Oh,” Dinky said, seeming a little surprised. “Thanks. You’re Sparkler, aren’t you?” Her eyes flicked over Sparkler’s costume. “And you’re…?” Disappointment rose in Sparkler’s throat, but she quickly pushed it down. Stay in the moment, Sparkler. “Friar Buck,” she said brightly, twisting to one side so that Dinky could see her prayerbook. “What a coincidence, right?” Dinky’s expression brightened as she understood. “Yeah! Cool!” Sparkler’s pulse picked up. Now was the crucial moment, the crux of her masterplan on which it all rested. “Wanna go trick or treating together? Since we have matching costumes?” “Hmm.” Dinky thought about that for a minute. “Mummy says I'm not allowed to talk to you.” Sparkler didn’t let the grimace show on her face. “But you already are,” she pointed out. She attempted a mischievous grin. To her delight, Dinky returned it. “I guess I am.” “Did…did your mum tell you that I’m your sister, too?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sparkler wished she had left them unsaid. It was too soon, too heavy a topic. Dinky shrugged. “She did. But she said not all family is family. Family are the ones who are there for you, not just ponies who are related to you. Like my Dad. And you, I guess.” It was like a kick to the stomach, and Sparkler’s breath caught. To be lumped in with him! “I’m not like him!” Dinky’s brows raised at the vitriol in her tone. “Okay!” Anger coursed through Sparkler’s body. Those who are there for you? How dare that snotty little pegasus tell her sister that Sparkler hadn’t been there for her? All Sparkler had done with her life was be there for her sister. Always watching, always waiting. Always shut out by Derpy Hooves. But she couldn’t show her fury. She couldn’t alienate her sister, not now that she finally had an inning. “I’ve tried to be there for you,” was all she said, keeping her voice carefully soft. There was a pause. “So…can I come trick-or-treating with you?” Sparkler asked once more. Dinky Doo bit her lip as she thought it over. “Why aren’t you going with the older foals?” “I wanted to go with my sister.” Dinky nodded slowly, and then more firmly. Sparkler, biting her tongue to keep from bursting into song right then and there, fell in beside her. After a few minutes, Sparkler finally decided that the time was right. “And guess what else?” “What?” Dinky’s amber eyes were huge. With her magic, Sparkler opened the flap of her satchel and levitated the feather out from her bag. “I was coming out of my house today and I found this on the path!” Dinky seized on it. “No way!” Sparkler laughed and relinquished the feather to her sister’s grip. “This is exactly what I needed.” Dinky beamed as she settled the feather into her cap. Sparkler shrugged, careful not to smile too wide. “I guess it was fate.” Dinky beamed. “I know a cool place we could go,” Sparkler offered, as they trotted side by side down the street. “Where?” Sparkler pitched her voice a little lower and tried to inject a spooky timbre to it. “A haunted house.” Dinky’s eyes lit up. “Really?” “Really!” Sparkler’s step had a little bounce to it now. It was all going just as she had planned. Chapter 3: The haunted house“So where’s the haunted house?” Dinky’s voice, repeating the question for the third time, now held an edge of plaintiveness. She had followed Sparkler willingly enough for the first few minutes, but as Sparkler led her further from the crowds in the town square and the candy-dispensing ponies on their doorsteps, her eagerness had begun to wane. “I told you,” Sparkler answered, her playful grin a genuine one. “On the edge of town. But it’ll be worth it, I swear.” She skipped a little closer to Dinky, and gave her a playful nudge. Dinky laughed, and Sparkler’s heart swelled. This was everything she had ever hoped. An adventure with her little sister. Time alone with Dinky Doo was as brilliant as she had daydreamed it would be. They were laughing together. This could be the beginning: a real family of her own. Sparkler’s relationship with her parents had sputtered and failed like a dying fire, but her sister could be different. She would be different. Sparkler would make sure of it. She picked up her pace a little, and the sisters trotted side by side down one dark alley after another. Sparkler knew the route like the back of her hoof, and she didn’t hesitate for a moment. She had been planning this first meeting for weeks, and was confident she had picked the perfect location. Isolated, so it would be just the two of them. A little scary, to help them bond. Exciting, to make Dinky want to hang out with her cool older sister again. The tumbledown house on the outskirts of Ponyville, made much creepier by the darkness and the time of year, was absolutely ideal. She had heard rumours about it from a couple of the younger colts at school. Apparently some old mare had lived there alone for years, and nopony had wanted the house after she died. So the house had fallen into disrepair, and there were even whispers that somepony had seen the old mare’s ghost wandering the garden. It sounded just scary enough to be a fun Nightmare Night trip. She had wanted something that would really impress Dinky — nopony else would take her to a haunted house with a real ghost. Certainly not her strait-laced, boring mother. They rounded another corner, Sparkler’s cassock swishing on the cobblestones, and they both stopped. The street ahead of them tilted down a slight hill, running straight through a crowd of houses and on out into the countryside beyond. Just beyond the edge of Ponyville’s borders, squatting like a bullfrog on a bend in the road, was the house. In its inhabited days, it would have been a simple, homely place. Just two floors, two windows on either side of a peeling door. The ivy might once have been a charming accentuation of the cottage’s simple appeal. But now, the red-tiled roof had caved in, with roof-timbers bared to the dark sky like a ribcage. And the ivy crawled over everything, choking, strangling the house, making it into a strange, malformed beast that rustled in the night breeze with an unmistakable air of menace. The moonlight glinted off shards of the shattered windowpanes. Looking down at its hunched shape, Sparkler felt a shiver of delicious fear run down her spine. She looked sideways at Dinky. Her eyes were wide and white in the dark. “Wow,” she breathed. “Creepy.” Sparkler’s fear turned to pride. She had been right; this was the place. “Told you it would be,” she said lightly. “Always trust your big sister.” Saying the words for the first time gave her a thrill like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She looked down again at the foal beside her, and traced the shape of her own horn, her muzzle, her father’s ears, all on another pony. Was this what it felt like, to belong to a family? She turned and led the way down the road, towards the house. “Let’s go.” The gate creaked as they nudged it open. The garden was riddled with weeds; it was clear that nopony had tended this sorry little patch of soil for a long time. Swinging loose from a single hinge, the door banged quietly against the frame. Though she had seen and explored this place in the daylight to make sure it was safe enough to bring her little sister too, Sparkler felt the first twinges of unease. That dark aperture yawned before them like a mouth, ready and waiting to consume them. Dinky, though, clearly felt no such twinges. A spring in her step, she trotted brightly forward and nudged the door open. Sparkler was left with no choice but to follow. The first room they entered was large and bare, with only a few broken sticks of furniture and large patches of mildew creeping up the walls. The moon shone its wan light in through the broken window pane, and Sparkler swallowed. Dinky turned to look at her, golden eyes gleaming, and beckoned her onwards. Hastening forward, Sparkler tried to take the lead. After all, this was her haunted house. Her treat for Dinky. “Hey,” she whispered, keeping her voice low so as not to break the atmosphere. “There’s a cellar over this way. It’s really creepy down there; want to come?” Dinky’s expression lit up and she nodded furiously. “Yes!” Moving cautiously, Sparkler led the way through the forsaken living room, where a single rotten sofa still mouldered, and opened the small door beneath the staircase. A series of stone steps awaited them, each one descending a little further into shadow, until they were lost from view. “Wow.” Dinky let out a breath. “This place is so cool. Just like in one of my books.” “Come on!” Relieved to be back in the role of guide, Sparkler took point as they went down the stairs. The cellar was almost entirely pitch black. Even the pale threads of moonlight that illuminated the ground floor could not penetrate down here, and if she hadn’t known better Sparkler could have believed that any number of monsters lurked in the shadows, just waiting for unsuspecting fillies to wander down here. Of course, Sparkler reminded herself firmly, she did know better. She was the big sister here. It was her job to keep a level head. As always, thinking of herself as a sister gave her a little boost. It was such a strange and sweet sensation, to have family other than her mother. “Look over here,” she hissed to Dinky, tugging on her tunic sleeve to pull her over to a spot where she had seen some rusted iron railings on her previous visit. “There’s a cage in this corner, where the old witch used to keep the foals she ate.” She guided Dinky’s hoof over to the railings and felt the smaller foal shudder. “See, you can touch them.” “Oh my goodness.” Dinky let out a whoosh of air. “Was there really a witch here?” “You bet. A really evil one, too.” Even as she spoke the words, Sparkler thought she heard a hoof step up above. Immediately, her ears swivelled towards the sound. It was nothing, of course — rationally, she knew it must be nothing — but she could have sworn she had heard a noise. Slowly, she turned back to face the stairwell and looked up to the lighter patch of darkness where the doorway was. Then she saw them — two little figures, black on black, looking down at them, eyes glimmering with malice. Her mouth opened to shout a protest, but she caught only a glimpse of a muzzle split into a wicked grin before the door slammed shut. The lock clunked, and the sisters were plunged into absolute darkness. Chapter 4: Trapped!Dinky gasped, and Sparkler hurtled into action. This hadn’t been part of her plan! She stumbled up the stairs, and hammered her hooves against the door. “Hey! Who’s there?” The only answer was laughter. Sparkler reared up to batter the door again. “Let us out, you little monsters!” Behind her, Dinky’s horn spluttered into pale, wavering light, just enough to see Dinky’s frightened expression. Hastily, Sparkler beckoned her up. Foals got scared often, she knew that. Foals that hadn’t spent every night of their lives cold and alone became afraid when they were trapped in the dark. Sparkler needed to comfort Dinky. “It’ll be alright,” she said, her voice uncertain though her words were reassuring. Unless their mysterious captors took pity on them, she had no idea how she could get them out of this. Still, she could at least provide a little more illumination. She sent her own pink magic spiralling out to join Dinky’s yellow light, and the cellar became that little bit less creepy. This time a voice answered from behind the door, just a whisper. “Diamond, do you think we should—?” “No!” the second stranger hissed immediately. “Shut up! You’ll ruin the prank, Silver Spoon!” “We can hear you!” Sparkler snapped. “Now unlock this door!” There was a pause. Then — “No,” answered the second voice. “It’s Nightmare Night; trick or treat. And you just got tricked.” “Diamond!” implored the first speaker. “We can’t just leave them here!” “Can so!” retorted Diamond, who Sparkler recognised at last as that odious little foal in Dinky’s class. “And I’m going right now. You can either come with me to the party in town, or stay here with them. What’s it going to be, Silver Spoon?” “For Celestia’s sake!” swore Sparkler, shocking all the younger foals into silence. “Let us out right now!” Malicious giggles and the sound of fleeing hooves was her only answer. Fruitlessly, Sparkler slammed herself against the door again and again, anger flooding white-hot through her. She had planned it all so meticulously, and suddenly the rug had been pulled from under her hooves. Dinky would never want to hang out with her again if they spent the night trapped in a cellar. Panting hard, Sparkler paused, and looked down at her sister. Lit up by the golden glow of her own magic, Dinky looked pale and shaken. As they made eye contact, Dinky flinched slightly, and Sparkler realised to her horror that Dinky’s nervousness stemmed not from their situation, but from Sparkler herself. At once, Sparkler forced herself into stillness. “Um — sorry,” she said uncertainly. “I didn’t mean to — I wasn’t really angry.” “Th-that’s okay,” answered Dinky anxiously. “I know them both; Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They’re jerks. You get used to it.” Sparkler gave a strained laugh. “Yeah.” She shut her eyes for a moment and took a breath. She needed to be the big sister. A role she was still horribly new to. But she had to fill it. There was no other option. A plan formed, and her eyes snapped open again. “Okay. I bet we can find an exit if we try hard enough. A window at ground level, maybe.” Basements often had those, didn’t they? “Good idea!” Dinky’s enthusiasm returned, and she bounded back down the stairs, hooves loud on the wooden planks. A thorough search of the basement ensued. While it was deliciously creepy and full of cobwebs, and would have fulfilled Sparkler’s original plan for the evening perfectly, there was not a window to be found. Only damp corners and half-rotted broomsticks. There was no way out. Chapter 5: EscapismThe two fillies slumped against the wall, hooves grey with the dust of decades. Sparkler felt close to tears. She had failed her sister. Their first meeting, and it was a travesty. Who knew how long it would be till those little trash-heap foals remembered to tell an adult what they had done, or a passerby heard them shouting? They might be stuck here till morning. Reminded now that they hadn’t yet tried shouting for help, Sparkler experimentally let out a few yells. “Hello? Can anypony hear me? We’re stuck down here! Help!” “I don’t think they’ll hear you outside,” Dinky said helpfully. “There’s loads of music.” Sparkler sighed. “I know.” “Can we try one of my ideas now?” Dinky asked, her tone still bright. Sparkler looked up a little more hopefully. So long as Dinky was having some semblance of fun, the night was still serving its purpose. She injected a little optimism into her voice. “Yeah, of course! What’s the plan?” “Well,” Dinky narrowed her eyes, “I read in a Daring Do book once where she and Professor Sparkflare were trapped in a prison cell with water rising, and Professor Sparklight used his magic to pick the lock.” Eyes widening with inspiration, Sparkler leapt to her hooves. “I bet we could do that!” Dinky flushed. “Well — I can try. I’m not so good at things I can’t see. I only learned to levitate a couple of months ago.” This was not news to Sparkler, who had been watching from the bushes the night it happened. “Still, that’s a great first step!” She scraped her hoof against the ground, suddenly uncertain of her own capabilities. “I’m not sure how I’ll do — but I can give it a shot.” The light at the end of the tunnel restored, they hurtled back up the staircase, and skidded to a halt beside the cellar door. Sparkler clenched her eyes shut and pressed her forehead against the lock. She let her light spell wink out, and Dinky made a little strained noise as she forced more light into her own magic. Trying to push her senses outwards, Sparkler let her consciousness quest toward the lock. She could almost feel it; the rust, the corroded surface. No — wait, that was the feel of it against her skin. She pulled her head back and tried to sense it with her magic. She could feel the barrier of the door, but nothing more than that. She squished her face into a grimace and tried harder, forcing her magic out until she could feel the veins bulging on her forehead. It wasn’t like hunting for gems; rubies and sapphires were full of energy and pulsed with their own little lifeforces. But this door was a flat dead surface, and she couldn’t make head nor tail of its energy signature. “Sparkler?” Dinky’s tentative question was an unwelcome intrusion. “You’ve gone…uh, even more purple than usual. Maybe you should breathe?” Her eyes flicking open, Sparkler let out the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. “Oh.” Dinky gave the door a tug. “No luck then?” Sparkler shook her head. “None.” Dinky sighed. “Oh.” Slowly, she slid down against the door until her rear was on the ground. “I guess we’d better settle in then. Shame we didn’t go trick or treating before we came in here. I’m Sparklerving.” “Sorry,” Sparkler said guiltily. “I just wanted to show it to you quickly, and then go get some candy with you. I wanted…to spend a bit of time together.” “That’s okay.” Dinky’s tone was magnanimous. “I’m glad I’m not here on my own, really. Having a sister isn’t all bad.” As banal as the words were, they still sent a thrill through Sparkler. “I’m really glad you think that.” She paused. “All I’ve ever wanted…is to have a family. To be a family with you.” Dinky’s expression changed to one of uncertainty. “Well, I don’t know. My Mommy is my family. She says we don’t need anypony else.” Swallowing her bitter retort, Sparkler forced her tone to remain lighthearted. “But couldn’t there be room for me, too?” Her ears tipping back, Dinky began to stammer. “I— I don’t know. Mommy — she says — well, she always tells me that my Daddy was a bad stallion. He didn’t stay with us.” “He left me, too,” Sparkler said, softly. “He didn’t want either of us. But…does that mean you and me have to leave each other, too?” “I…I suppose not,” answered Dinky slowly. “If he left you, too.” It was progress. Sparkler’s heart lifted, just a little, and she looked down at Dinky’s big, sad eyes. They shouldn’t dwell on this too long. A dark, dank cellar was no place to have miserable conversations. It was time to inject a little fun back into the proceedings. Sparkler clambered back to her feet and offered a hoof to Dinky. “I have an idea!” Like a balloon suddenly inflating with air, Dinky perked up. “What is it?” “I’m Friar Buck, right?” “Yeah…” the answer was cautious. “And you’re Robbin’ Hooves.” Sparkler offered her sister a grin. Dinky gave a little skip of excitement. “Right!” “Exactly! So—” Sparkler lowered her voice to a whisper, full of suspense. “The evil Sheriff of Trottingham has imprisoned us in this dark, horrible dungeon. But we’re not going to let that keep us down, are we, Robbin’?” Her chest puffed out, Dinky postured and levitated her bow high. “No, Friar Buck, we’re not. We’re going to sing folk songs and…uh, bear our captivity bravely. Yeah! We’ll be fine. The Sheriff can’t stop us rebelling against her evil rule.” “Yeah!” Sparkler reared up and sent a pulse of purple light out across the room and Dinky cheered. “Now, how about a bit of target practise?” “Awesome!” Dinky pounded down the stairs to grab a dilapidated chair. “This can be the target!” “You can do it, Robbin’!” cheered Sparkler, and Dinky shut one eye to take aim. “You can win the golden apple!” Chapter 6: A Nightmare Night miracleAfter the third and final arrow from Dinky’s quiver thudded into the rotten upholstery for the umpteenth time, Sparkler’s cries of exultation were wearing thin. Dinky, too, was beginning to tire. Sparkler couldn’t guess what time it would be outside, but they must have been in here for at least a few hours. Clearly Diamond Tiara had not relented. Where were the pangs of a guilty conscience when you needed them? When Dinky suggested firing her arrows at the wooden door instead, Sparkler was happy to oblige. Anything that provided a little variation was welcome. They passed a few minutes in using some rusty nails to gouge a target shape into the wood of the door. Another few revealed that Dinky’s little wooden arrows with their blunted tips were strong enough to embed themselves into the old chair, but not into the sturdy planks of the door. “Pity it’s not rotten, really,” Sparkler commented, as she set about sharpening one of the arrows to a point. “Would have made it a lot easier to kick our way through it.” “Or tunnel through it, like Robbin’ Hooves’ escape from Trottingham Jail!” suggested Dinky cheerfully, her magic wrapped around one of the rusty nails as she whittled at the second arrow. “Careful you don’t poke your eye out with that!” Sparkler cautioned her. Looking out for her little sibling felt…good. She was doing what a big sister should. Dinky laughed and rolled her eyes. “You sound like Mom.” That shut Sparkler up. Derpy Hooves, the hated force that had kept the two of them apart for years. Sparkler would rather lose one of her own eyes to the wooden arrows than be like her. Working quickly, Star finished the first arrow and moved on to the last one. Once Dinky’s own arrow was pointy enough, she joined Star, leaning close over her shoulder to watch. With a final few scraps of the nail, Sparkler held it up proudly. “I think that’s it!” “Yay!” cried Dinky, clopping her hooves together in excitement, her green cloak fluttering with each movement. Solemnly, Sparkler handed over the arrow, and Dinky nocked it to her bow. She swung the arrow point around, her face tight with concentration, and Sparkler made a show of gasping and whimpering when the tip of it passed over her. Dinky suppressed a smile and pointed the bow up at the door, her magic sending little yellow sparks shooting away from the bow like arrows in miniature. With one last intake of breath, she lined it up and let the arrow fly. The bowstring twanged, and the arrow clattered against the stairs. “Ugh, no!” Dinky stomped one little purple-grey hoof. “I can’t get the angle right with the steps in the way.” “Hey, it’s alright.” Sparkler scrambled to find a solution. “How about this? You stand on my back to shoot the arrow. That way you’ll get a bit more height. It might be enough to make the difference.” Dinky’s face cleared. “Good idea!” She trotted over to Sparkler, who knelt to allow her to clamber on. Holding herself steady while Dinky climbed aboard, Sparkler could feel the warmth of the younger foal through her sackcloth robe. It was…nice. Sparkler so rarely had contact with other ponies. Unsteadily, Dinky got to her hooves, and Sparkler took a few uncertain steps, trying to compensate for her shifting load. “Over to the door,” Dinky commanded, and Sparkler laughed at the imperiousness of her tone. “Yes, sir, Robbin’!” She positioned herself at the foot of the stairs, and Dinky took aim again. The bow floated right beside her face, one eye shut, the other narrowed to a slit. She leaned back, and Sparkler hastily edged in the same direction to ensure that Dinky wouldn’t fall off. Then Dinky reared onto her hind legs, muttering something under her breath. “Just a little more height…I think I can…make it…” Wincing at the sharp hooves on her neck, Sparkler half-shut her eyes, trying to feel which way Dinky was leaning so that she could anticipate the movements she would need to take. Then there came the whizzing sound of Dinky’s bow releasing, and the rush of the arrow through the air. Then, suddenly, a blaze of golden light so shocking that Sparkler yelped and sprang away, half-expecting to see a firework in the cellar with them. Dazzled by the brilliant golden light that flooded everything, Sparkler flung her forelegs out to catch Dinky, but her little sister did not fall. Sparkler waited one heartbeat, two, three, with her legs outstretched, before she leant forward again, raising a leg to shield her eyes against the glare. In the white-hot epicentre of the glow was a slightly dimmer shape — almost equine. Could that be — surely not — it was Dinky. The little grey unicorn hung in the air like a pegasus, her green cloak billowing behind her, her mane as full of magic as an alicorn’s. Her bow was still floating in her magic, and in that moment she truly did look like some ancient hero, bursting out from the pages of a storybook and into real life. Sparkler stared agog as her little sister slowly floated back to earth, her glow dimming and fading bit by bit, until the only radiance left was emanating from the tiny bow and arrow now etched onto her side. As she took in that last detail, Sparkler’s breath caught. Five seconds ago, Dinky’s flank had been blank. “Dinky!” she gasped. “Your — your cutie mark!” Dinky’s eyes fluttered open, and it took her a moment to absorb Sparkler’s words. “Wha—?” Then her head swung, and her magic yanked the green fabric out of the way so that she could see for herself. Her breath rushed out from her lungs, and then she gave a loud squeal of excitement. “Oh my goodness! Sparkler! Sparkler! I got my cutie mark!” “You got your cutie mark!” Sparkler squealed too, throwing her forelegs wide again. Dinky hurled herself into them, and they hugged and danced and hugged until they couldn’t move. Laughing, sobbing, weak with tears and happiness, Sparkler held her little sister close. “I’m so proud of you, Dinky!” “It was the bow and arrows,” Dinky said wonderingly. “Shooting the arrows. Sparkler, I think I’m going to be an archer when I grow up.” Sparkler beamed. “Just like Robbin’ Hood.” Forget the cellar, forget the disaster she thought had taken place. This had been the best first meeting — no, the best day of her entire life. She had seen her little sister earn her cutie mark; had helped her earn it. She had been the first one Dinky turned to. Not Derpy Hooves, with her strange eyes and her stranger hatred of Sparkler. She hadn’t been the one to share this magical, irreplaceable moment with Dinky. It had been Sparkler herself. No matter what happened after tonight, nopony could ever take that away from her. Dinky’s voice broke into her thoughts again. “Sparkler, quick, look at the door! I did it! I aimed right!” Hastily, Sparkler released her sister and the two of them raced back up the stairs to inspect the door. The rusted metal lock was shattered, destroyed on impact by Dinky’s little wooden arrow, that lay embedded deep within it. The door handle had fallen off, but it didn’t matter. The door to the cellar now stood ajar. Dinky’s arrow had freed them. “Oh, wow,” Sparkler breathed. “Dinky, you’re right. You are going to be an archer. You’re going to be one heck of an archer.” But Dinky was already surging out through the doorway, back towards the exit. “I wonder if we’ll still be in time to get some trick-or-treating done—” Her words cut off abruptly, and Sparkler hurried after her to see what was the matter. Side by side, the two of them gazed out at the darkened town. No longer bustling with revellers and excited foals, it felt as quiet as the cellar they had emerged from. Dinky shifted a little closer to Sparkler, and Sparkler felt the chill of the real world set in. Their magical, private, shared moment was over. They had been gone for hours. Sparkler’s own mother wouldn’t notice. But Dinky’s mother…Sparkler shivered. “We’d better get you home, Dinky.” Chapter 7: The last goodbye“Mommy won’t be happy to know that we’ve been together,” Dinky said dubiously. “Are you sure I shouldn’t go in alone?” “Yes,” Sparkler said stubbornly. “She needs to know. I — it was me who kept you safe, and bought you home. I want her to see that she can trust me. And that it was me who helped you with your cutie mark.” “That’s true.” Dinky wiggled her rump proudly. “I can’t believe it finally came!” “I just…I don’t want her to tell you that you can’t see me again,” Sparkler said, a little desperately. It was horrible, having to drag Dinky down again from her euphoric high, but what other option did she have? If she didn’t get Dinky on her side, they might never get another chance to see each other. Dinky’s expression sobered. “I don’t want that either.” She raised her eyes to her sister’s. “I really like you, Sparkler.” Her heart swelling, Sparkler drank those words in like a mare fresh from the desert. “Really?” “Yes.” Dinky node firmly. “You’re my big sister. I can’t believe it’s taken this long for us to meet each other properly.” She reached up to Sparkler’s shoulder, and patted her firmly, like she was the big sister. “Don’t worry. I’ll help Mommy to understand that you are our family.” Though the reversal of roles was strange, Sparkler revelled in the moment, trying to embed it firmly in her memory. “Thank you, Dinky.” She sniffed, and tried to find a bright side for her little sister. “Maybe…maybe next time, I could help you make some targets. We could make the garden at the haunted house into a little shooting range for you.” “Ooh, really?” Dinky seized on the idea. “That would be amazing! And maybe you could make me some arrowheads?” “Arrowheads?” Sparkler was taken aback. “I’m not very good with flint.” Dinky swatted at her leg. “Not flint, silly! I was thinking like…amethyst, maybe, like your cutie mark?” A smile spread across Sparkler’s face. “Really? Yeah, I could do that! Or diamond, for hardness!” “Yeah, that would be great!” Dinky enthused. “Fashionable and functional! It’ll be awesome. You can carve while I shoot. It’ll be our special place.” Sparkler sniffed back another tear. Her sister…cared about her. Somepony cared. Dinky wanted to see her again. “I’d really love that.” They turned back to the door, strangely grey in the darkness. Dinky raised her hoof to knock. At once, the door was torn open, and Derpy burst through, her expression frantic. As her eyes fixed on Dinky, she gasped. “Dinky! You’re safe!” She threw her forelegs and wings alike around Dinky, enfolding the foal in one of those soft, safe motherly embraces that Sparkler had watched and envied so often. “I’m alright, Mommy!” But then Derpy’s eyes moved over her daughter’s shoulder to Sparkler, hovering nervously on the doorstep, and her expression darkened. Immediately, she straightened, and spread one wing protectively in front of Dinky. Something in Sparkler’s chest twisted. As if she would ever hurt her baby sister. She tried to force a smile. “Miss Hooves, I—” But Derpy was speaking, and not to her. “Dinky, I told you that you weren’t to see her!” Bravely, Dinky tried to struggle past the “I know, Mommy, but she’s not like you said. We spent all night together, and she helped me—” Her mother was no longer listening. Derpy was advancing on Sparkler, wings flared and voice raised. “Did you kidnap my baby?” Sparkler cringed away. “I — no, no! There were these other foals, and they—” Tugging at her mother’s tail, Dinky tried to defend her. “—It was Diamond Tiara, Mommy! Not Sparkler. Sparkler helped me — I got my cutie mark!” That finally halted the wall-eyed onslaught. Derpy jerked back to face her daughter. “You did what?” “Look!” Dinky brandished her brand-new mark. “A bow and arrow! Just like Robbin’ Hood!” With a gasp, Derpy grabbed her daughter again. “Oh my goodness, baby! I’m so proud of you!” “And it was Sparkler who helped me!” Frozen again, Derpy looked back at the outsider. She shook her head and blinked her mismatched eyes. “Dinky, you know that I didn’t want you to talk to her.” She stood and tried to usher Dinky back inside. “Come on, let’s go get some hot chocolate. Something like your cutie mark…well, that needs celebrating! And then maybe we can start planning your Cuteceneara?” Reluctantly, Dinky let herself be pushed inside, looking back at where Sparkler still lingered. “But…” “Go on, no buts.” Derpy spoke firmly, and Dinky finally obeyed. “Please,” Sparkler tried, just one last time. “She’s my sister.” Derpy’s face crumpled a little, but she still began to shut the door. Shutting Sparkler out. “She’s my daughter. And you…you look just like him.” Her throat tight, Sparkler looked away. “I…never wanted to.” Her voice was just a whisper in the night. “He left all of us behind.” The door clicked shut. Defeated, Sparkler hung her head and turned away. Derpy Hooves was right. There was no place for her here. As she plodded down the street, she pictured what awaited her at home. Her mother would be drunk. She always was. She’d probably be asleep — she might not have even noticed that Sparkler was gone. Sparkler would have to choke back her tears and slink into bed beside her mother. Gembright would stink, and her coat would be matted with vomit, but Sparkler didn’t care anymore. It was always the same. She had become desensitised to it. She would wriggle onto the only corner of the bed not occupied by sprawling purple limbs, and curl herself up as small as she could. She would shut her eyes, and conjure up for herself again the image of two fillies, side by side. One larger with a scruffy purple mane, and one small and lavender and blonde. Her mother’s night terrors seemed to get worse every month, and often she did not even want Sparkler on the edge of the bed. Sparkler might awake to a hoof in the ribs, and the sight of her mother twitching and shaking. “Get out of my house,” she would snarl at her invisible adversary, her limbs quivering. “I’ll kill you. Get out!” Sparkler would sleep on the floor and imagine Dinky’s golden eyes again. She knew full well that the next time darkness came, bringing its brief respite from the pain that was her life, it would find her back outside Dinky’s window, watching her and wishing that it could be her life, too. “Sparkler — wait.” The voice from behind her was not loud, but it was enough to halt Sparkler in her tracks. She turned back, to see Derpy Hooves standing in the street, Dinky beside her, still robed in green. Derpy looked down at her daughter, and sighed. “Sparkler…I think you’d better come inside. Would you…like some hot chocolate?” Slowly, a tremulous smile spread over Sparkler’s muzzle.
Chapter 1: Watching through a windowSparkler was used to being second-best. She had been the second-best sprinter in school. Always coming in right behind Roseluck, who had the earth pony endurance to put her a nose-length ahead by the end of the race. She had been the second-best unicorn on the buckball team, always relegated to the bench. She had always been the second-best gemstone miner in Ponyville. Even though gems were her special talent, the thing her cutie mark had promised she would always beat everypony at. She was the only one down there in the mines, all day, every day. Her gem-hunting spell was weak but trustworthy, leading her to reliable little clusters day after day — only to be blown out of the water by the obscene hoards that wretched white unicorn could generate in just one afternoon of hunting. She had even been the second-best daughter; abandoned by her father when he got some pegasus mare pregnant. He had left Sparkler and her mother without even a thought, in favour of his shiny new family. She had spent the better part of two years of trying to win him back. Foalish, hopeful attempts to regain his affections, longing to have him hug her once more, or ruffle her mane and call her ‘kiddo’. All those hours wasted on trying to excel in school and on the sports field, only to leave the schoolhouse and see him swinging his new daughter in the air, pushing her pram, cuddling her ugly cross-eyed mother close. Choosing the baby, and not Sparkler. And then he left his new family too, forsaking both of his daughters as well as the town they all called home. Sparkler’s focus had shifted to her little sister, the toddler with the lilac coat almost reminiscent of her father’s. No longer an object of envy — there was no longer anything to fight about — Sparkler’s feelings had tipped towards pity. Her sister had been abandoned just as she had. But Dinky was even younger than Sparkler had been, with nopony to rely on but her mother. And just one pony could not be enough family for anypony. Certainly Sparkler’s own oppressively small family, just her and Mum, crowded and claustrophobic in their studio flat, was not enough for her. She saw the siblings at school playing together, looking out for one another. Slowly, her distaste for her baby sister changed. When under enormous pressure, even a rock can change and shift into a diamond. So Sparkler reached out the hoof of friendship and sisterhood. But to her dismay, she found that even now, she was still second-best. The second-best family. Where her father had been welcomed in, Sparkler was shoved away. It wasn’t fair. She was Dinky's blood just as much as her wall-eyed mother. But the grey pegasus had been let down once too often by a purple-coated unicorn with Sparkler's own magenta eyes, and wanted nothing more to do with his daughter. So…just like before, Sparkler was still shut out. Left outside in the cold, as second-rate a pony as she had ever been. A shiver ran across her fur, and she shuffled her hooves in a futile attempt to warm herself. The autumn air was cold and bitter. Though the yellow harvest moon was beautiful, all Sparkler could feel was the chill of the promised snow. She moved a little closer to the window, leaves crunching as she walked, and pressed her muzzle against the icy window pane. Inside the little house, all was busy and warm. Pumpkins crowded on every surface, each carved with a unique grimace and glowing with its own candlelight. Artful wreaths woven of orange and red leaves adorned the hearth and doorways. Woollen blankets sprawled across the sofa, and tucked underneath them, looking into the blazing fire, were the two ponies Sparkler had been watching. Derpy Hooves, her off-kilter eyes gleaming with excitement, bent over her daughter. She held scissors ready in one wing, waiting to cut the thread. And there, festooned in blankets and alight with anticipation, was Sparkler's little sister. All that remained of her father. Her costume was cradled in both forehooves, and she bent close to the green fabric to push the needle in her teeth through once more. Derpy Hooves and Sparkler both leaned with her, almost unconsciously, their eyes following her every move. Dinky pulled the needle free with a flourish and presented the thread to her mother to be cut. Derpy clapped her hooves with delight and snipped the thread. Dinky shook out the folds of green fabric and beamed at what she had made. Sparkler tilted her head a little to better see. She knew exactly what the costume was; of course. She had watched her sister every night this week. The darkening evenings of autumn were always a good time for ponies who wished to be unseen. All Sparkler had to do was wait until the sun set, and then she could finally escape the crushing silence of her own mother, who lay every evening without change in their single bed, a bottle of the Apples’ hardest cider close to hoof. Sparkler would wait for the first shadows to wrap Ponyville in their gentle embrace, and then she could slam that hated door behind her, and gallop into another world. A world of loving family and soft embraces, board games and laughter. The world her sister lived in. A world Sparkler herself was forever barred from. Dinky Doo jumped up from the settee, and slipped both forelegs into the green tunic she had made. Derpy rummaged in the blankets and produced a brown leather belt to cinch the folds of fabric at Dinky’s waist. The finishing touch was a forest-green hat and a small bow. The bow was a real one; Sparkler had followed her sister to the archery field often enough, and seen countless arrows thud into the butts. But the only arrows in Dinky’s quiver tonight were blunted and harmless. A very passable rendition of Robbin’ Hooves, bandit king of the Everfree Forest. Sparkler wasn’t surprised in the least. Dinky was so talented at archery was so easy to see that Sparkler had been expecting for months to see an archery cutie mark appear. All the costume was missing was that one final ingredient. A red phoenix feather for Robbin’s hat, to commemorate when he had saved one of the majestic birds from a manticore. Sparkler’s hoof drifted to her saddlebag, where a crow-feather rested, lovingly painted red and adorned with golden sparkles. She still had a chance. All she had to do was find a way past the mother lion to get to the cub.
Chapter 2: Nightmare nightSparkler fidgeted impatiently through the school day, itching to be away. She had planned every moment of the evening down to the finest detail. She was slow, methodical. Clever. She approached every problem as though it were her last. It was a technique that served her well in the mines, and worked just as well in the wider world. Usually Sparkler was glad that the secondary school was separate from Cheerilee’s class of littler foals. After all, nopony wanted to be constantly tripping over the babies all the time. But today, she kept casting glances out the window of the schoolhouse at the path that led to the infants’ school. Hoping and also dreading that she would see her sister’s blonde mane bouncing past. The painted phoenix feather burned in her bag as though it were a real one. Her own costume was wrapped around it. With no mother to help her sew it, no firelight or candles, Sparkler knew that her costume was not as wonderful as Dinky’s, but if her sister were half the pony she believed her to be, it would all be alright. She just had to get to her. The plan was a simple one, but Sparkler ran over it again as the bell rang for the end of the day. Rather than going straight to the gem caves as she usually did, she was heading for Dinky’s street. Parents always let their foals go out alone on Nightmare Night. The children liked to go trick-or-treating in groups, or enjoy the festivities in the town square together. For once, Derpy Hooves would not be hovering over Dinky. All Sparkler had to do was get rid of any friends who might be tagging along, and then finally, she would have a whole evening with her sister all to herself. It was a strange thrill to be walking towards Dinky’s house in the daylight. Usually she didn’t dare risk coming this way until after dark had fallen. Ponies in costume were already out in dribs and drabs; not the throngs that would come out after the sunset, but they would arrive soon enough. Sparkler didn’t risk getting closer to Dinky’s cottage than the end of the street, and she made sure to lurk by the side of a building with wide eaves. She didn’t want to be visible from the air; heaven only knew what direction Derpy would fly in from. She waited there, pressed against the cold brick wall, and time slowed to a crawl. Sparkler kept her gaze on the front door of the little cottage. Ponies passed in front of her, and a few even said hello, but she hardly registered them. At length, the sun’s last orange rays slid below the thatched rooves, and Sparkler opened her schoolbag. It was time to don her own costume. A simple brown cassock unfurled in her hooves, and she shrugged it on. A bit of hessian rope around her waist, a Celestial Church prayerbook hanging from it, and her costume was complete. Friar Buck, or as accurate a rendition of him as Sparkler could manage. The perfect counterpoint to Dinky’s Robbin’ Hooves. She waited again, shifting uncomfortably now from hoof to hoof as her nerves grew. Skeleton ponies and zombie ponies were everywhere now, and a vampire bat in such a realistic costume that it almost looked genuine. Foals screamed with excitement and galloped in every conceivable direction. Candy spilled from buckets and apples bobbed in barrels. Nightmare Night was beginning in earnest. Finally, a Frankenpony moved his vast green bulk aside, and Sparkler saw the brown door swing open. Derpy Hooves was framed in the light, and Sparkler bit her lip. Please don’t come outside! Derpy slid to one side to let Dinky’s brightly garbed form pass, and waved a fond farewell. Sparkler sagged in relief when Derpy shut the door once more. Then she pulled herself back up and hastened out from her hiding place. Time to introduce herself. Her heart was thudding. Months of hiding, waiting and watching. Trying to find the opportunity, a moment when Derpy’s back would be turned. But the pegasus was an almost omnipresent mother. Every time Sparkler had been within a hoof’s reach of her sister, that disjointed golden glare had found her, sending her skittering back into hiding. But not anymore. Tonight was the night they would finally be reunited. Dinky was trotting eagerly down the centre of the road, her eyes gleaming as she drank in one spooky sight after another. Sparkler sucked in a deep breath, and then stepped squarely into Dinky’s path. Dinky barely slowed, and skipped neatly around the edge of Sparkler’s robe. Sparkler’s eyes widened and she reached out a hoof. “Wait!” Dinky didn’t seem to hear her. Sparkler tried once more. “Hey, Dinky Doo!” That did the trick. Dinky stopped short and turned around, and her eyes widened when she saw Sparkler. Sparkler smiled in grim satisfaction. So Dinky recognised her, at least. “Hi there,” she said, trying to school her face into a more winning smile. “How-how’re you doing?” Dinky shifted her hooves a little and levitated her bow a little closer to her body. “Fine, I guess.” “I like your Robbin’ Hooves costume,” Sparkler said, and she meant it. She had liked it as soon as she had seen Dinky pointing excitedly at the illustration of the green stallion in her storybook two weeks ago. “Oh,” Dinky said, seeming a little surprised. “Thanks. You’re Sparkler, aren’t you?” Her eyes flicked over Sparkler’s costume. “And you’re…?” Disappointment rose in Sparkler’s throat, but she quickly pushed it down. Stay in the moment, Sparkler. “Friar Buck,” she said brightly, twisting to one side so that Dinky could see her prayerbook. “What a coincidence, right?” Dinky’s expression brightened as she understood. “Yeah! Cool!” Sparkler’s pulse picked up. Now was the crucial moment, the crux of her masterplan on which it all rested. “Wanna go trick or treating together? Since we have matching costumes?” “Hmm.” Dinky thought about that for a minute. “Mummy says I'm not allowed to talk to you.” Sparkler didn’t let the grimace show on her face. “But you already are,” she pointed out. She attempted a mischievous grin. To her delight, Dinky returned it. “I guess I am.” “Did…did your mum tell you that I’m your sister, too?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sparkler wished she had left them unsaid. It was too soon, too heavy a topic. Dinky shrugged. “She did. But she said not all family is family. Family are the ones who are there for you, not just ponies who are related to you. Like my Dad. And you, I guess.” It was like a kick to the stomach, and Sparkler’s breath caught. To be lumped in with him! “I’m not like him!” Dinky’s brows raised at the vitriol in her tone. “Okay!” Anger coursed through Sparkler’s body. Those who are there for you? How dare that snotty little pegasus tell her sister that Sparkler hadn’t been there for her? All Sparkler had done with her life was be there for her sister. Always watching, always waiting. Always shut out by Derpy Hooves. But she couldn’t show her fury. She couldn’t alienate her sister, not now that she finally had an inning. “I’ve tried to be there for you,” was all she said, keeping her voice carefully soft. There was a pause. “So…can I come trick-or-treating with you?” Sparkler asked once more. Dinky Doo bit her lip as she thought it over. “Why aren’t you going with the older foals?” “I wanted to go with my sister.” Dinky nodded slowly, and then more firmly. Sparkler, biting her tongue to keep from bursting into song right then and there, fell in beside her. After a few minutes, Sparkler finally decided that the time was right. “And guess what else?” “What?” Dinky’s amber eyes were huge. With her magic, Sparkler opened the flap of her satchel and levitated the feather out from her bag. “I was coming out of my house today and I found this on the path!” Dinky seized on it. “No way!” Sparkler laughed and relinquished the feather to her sister’s grip. “This is exactly what I needed.” Dinky beamed as she settled the feather into her cap. Sparkler shrugged, careful not to smile too wide. “I guess it was fate.” Dinky beamed. “I know a cool place we could go,” Sparkler offered, as they trotted side by side down the street. “Where?” Sparkler pitched her voice a little lower and tried to inject a spooky timbre to it. “A haunted house.” Dinky’s eyes lit up. “Really?” “Really!” Sparkler’s step had a little bounce to it now. It was all going just as she had planned.
Chapter 3: The haunted house“So where’s the haunted house?” Dinky’s voice, repeating the question for the third time, now held an edge of plaintiveness. She had followed Sparkler willingly enough for the first few minutes, but as Sparkler led her further from the crowds in the town square and the candy-dispensing ponies on their doorsteps, her eagerness had begun to wane. “I told you,” Sparkler answered, her playful grin a genuine one. “On the edge of town. But it’ll be worth it, I swear.” She skipped a little closer to Dinky, and gave her a playful nudge. Dinky laughed, and Sparkler’s heart swelled. This was everything she had ever hoped. An adventure with her little sister. Time alone with Dinky Doo was as brilliant as she had daydreamed it would be. They were laughing together. This could be the beginning: a real family of her own. Sparkler’s relationship with her parents had sputtered and failed like a dying fire, but her sister could be different. She would be different. Sparkler would make sure of it. She picked up her pace a little, and the sisters trotted side by side down one dark alley after another. Sparkler knew the route like the back of her hoof, and she didn’t hesitate for a moment. She had been planning this first meeting for weeks, and was confident she had picked the perfect location. Isolated, so it would be just the two of them. A little scary, to help them bond. Exciting, to make Dinky want to hang out with her cool older sister again. The tumbledown house on the outskirts of Ponyville, made much creepier by the darkness and the time of year, was absolutely ideal. She had heard rumours about it from a couple of the younger colts at school. Apparently some old mare had lived there alone for years, and nopony had wanted the house after she died. So the house had fallen into disrepair, and there were even whispers that somepony had seen the old mare’s ghost wandering the garden. It sounded just scary enough to be a fun Nightmare Night trip. She had wanted something that would really impress Dinky — nopony else would take her to a haunted house with a real ghost. Certainly not her strait-laced, boring mother. They rounded another corner, Sparkler’s cassock swishing on the cobblestones, and they both stopped. The street ahead of them tilted down a slight hill, running straight through a crowd of houses and on out into the countryside beyond. Just beyond the edge of Ponyville’s borders, squatting like a bullfrog on a bend in the road, was the house. In its inhabited days, it would have been a simple, homely place. Just two floors, two windows on either side of a peeling door. The ivy might once have been a charming accentuation of the cottage’s simple appeal. But now, the red-tiled roof had caved in, with roof-timbers bared to the dark sky like a ribcage. And the ivy crawled over everything, choking, strangling the house, making it into a strange, malformed beast that rustled in the night breeze with an unmistakable air of menace. The moonlight glinted off shards of the shattered windowpanes. Looking down at its hunched shape, Sparkler felt a shiver of delicious fear run down her spine. She looked sideways at Dinky. Her eyes were wide and white in the dark. “Wow,” she breathed. “Creepy.” Sparkler’s fear turned to pride. She had been right; this was the place. “Told you it would be,” she said lightly. “Always trust your big sister.” Saying the words for the first time gave her a thrill like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She looked down again at the foal beside her, and traced the shape of her own horn, her muzzle, her father’s ears, all on another pony. Was this what it felt like, to belong to a family? She turned and led the way down the road, towards the house. “Let’s go.” The gate creaked as they nudged it open. The garden was riddled with weeds; it was clear that nopony had tended this sorry little patch of soil for a long time. Swinging loose from a single hinge, the door banged quietly against the frame. Though she had seen and explored this place in the daylight to make sure it was safe enough to bring her little sister too, Sparkler felt the first twinges of unease. That dark aperture yawned before them like a mouth, ready and waiting to consume them. Dinky, though, clearly felt no such twinges. A spring in her step, she trotted brightly forward and nudged the door open. Sparkler was left with no choice but to follow. The first room they entered was large and bare, with only a few broken sticks of furniture and large patches of mildew creeping up the walls. The moon shone its wan light in through the broken window pane, and Sparkler swallowed. Dinky turned to look at her, golden eyes gleaming, and beckoned her onwards. Hastening forward, Sparkler tried to take the lead. After all, this was her haunted house. Her treat for Dinky. “Hey,” she whispered, keeping her voice low so as not to break the atmosphere. “There’s a cellar over this way. It’s really creepy down there; want to come?” Dinky’s expression lit up and she nodded furiously. “Yes!” Moving cautiously, Sparkler led the way through the forsaken living room, where a single rotten sofa still mouldered, and opened the small door beneath the staircase. A series of stone steps awaited them, each one descending a little further into shadow, until they were lost from view. “Wow.” Dinky let out a breath. “This place is so cool. Just like in one of my books.” “Come on!” Relieved to be back in the role of guide, Sparkler took point as they went down the stairs. The cellar was almost entirely pitch black. Even the pale threads of moonlight that illuminated the ground floor could not penetrate down here, and if she hadn’t known better Sparkler could have believed that any number of monsters lurked in the shadows, just waiting for unsuspecting fillies to wander down here. Of course, Sparkler reminded herself firmly, she did know better. She was the big sister here. It was her job to keep a level head. As always, thinking of herself as a sister gave her a little boost. It was such a strange and sweet sensation, to have family other than her mother. “Look over here,” she hissed to Dinky, tugging on her tunic sleeve to pull her over to a spot where she had seen some rusted iron railings on her previous visit. “There’s a cage in this corner, where the old witch used to keep the foals she ate.” She guided Dinky’s hoof over to the railings and felt the smaller foal shudder. “See, you can touch them.” “Oh my goodness.” Dinky let out a whoosh of air. “Was there really a witch here?” “You bet. A really evil one, too.” Even as she spoke the words, Sparkler thought she heard a hoof step up above. Immediately, her ears swivelled towards the sound. It was nothing, of course — rationally, she knew it must be nothing — but she could have sworn she had heard a noise. Slowly, she turned back to face the stairwell and looked up to the lighter patch of darkness where the doorway was. Then she saw them — two little figures, black on black, looking down at them, eyes glimmering with malice. Her mouth opened to shout a protest, but she caught only a glimpse of a muzzle split into a wicked grin before the door slammed shut. The lock clunked, and the sisters were plunged into absolute darkness.
Chapter 4: Trapped!Dinky gasped, and Sparkler hurtled into action. This hadn’t been part of her plan! She stumbled up the stairs, and hammered her hooves against the door. “Hey! Who’s there?” The only answer was laughter. Sparkler reared up to batter the door again. “Let us out, you little monsters!” Behind her, Dinky’s horn spluttered into pale, wavering light, just enough to see Dinky’s frightened expression. Hastily, Sparkler beckoned her up. Foals got scared often, she knew that. Foals that hadn’t spent every night of their lives cold and alone became afraid when they were trapped in the dark. Sparkler needed to comfort Dinky. “It’ll be alright,” she said, her voice uncertain though her words were reassuring. Unless their mysterious captors took pity on them, she had no idea how she could get them out of this. Still, she could at least provide a little more illumination. She sent her own pink magic spiralling out to join Dinky’s yellow light, and the cellar became that little bit less creepy. This time a voice answered from behind the door, just a whisper. “Diamond, do you think we should—?” “No!” the second stranger hissed immediately. “Shut up! You’ll ruin the prank, Silver Spoon!” “We can hear you!” Sparkler snapped. “Now unlock this door!” There was a pause. Then — “No,” answered the second voice. “It’s Nightmare Night; trick or treat. And you just got tricked.” “Diamond!” implored the first speaker. “We can’t just leave them here!” “Can so!” retorted Diamond, who Sparkler recognised at last as that odious little foal in Dinky’s class. “And I’m going right now. You can either come with me to the party in town, or stay here with them. What’s it going to be, Silver Spoon?” “For Celestia’s sake!” swore Sparkler, shocking all the younger foals into silence. “Let us out right now!” Malicious giggles and the sound of fleeing hooves was her only answer. Fruitlessly, Sparkler slammed herself against the door again and again, anger flooding white-hot through her. She had planned it all so meticulously, and suddenly the rug had been pulled from under her hooves. Dinky would never want to hang out with her again if they spent the night trapped in a cellar. Panting hard, Sparkler paused, and looked down at her sister. Lit up by the golden glow of her own magic, Dinky looked pale and shaken. As they made eye contact, Dinky flinched slightly, and Sparkler realised to her horror that Dinky’s nervousness stemmed not from their situation, but from Sparkler herself. At once, Sparkler forced herself into stillness. “Um — sorry,” she said uncertainly. “I didn’t mean to — I wasn’t really angry.” “Th-that’s okay,” answered Dinky anxiously. “I know them both; Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They’re jerks. You get used to it.” Sparkler gave a strained laugh. “Yeah.” She shut her eyes for a moment and took a breath. She needed to be the big sister. A role she was still horribly new to. But she had to fill it. There was no other option. A plan formed, and her eyes snapped open again. “Okay. I bet we can find an exit if we try hard enough. A window at ground level, maybe.” Basements often had those, didn’t they? “Good idea!” Dinky’s enthusiasm returned, and she bounded back down the stairs, hooves loud on the wooden planks. A thorough search of the basement ensued. While it was deliciously creepy and full of cobwebs, and would have fulfilled Sparkler’s original plan for the evening perfectly, there was not a window to be found. Only damp corners and half-rotted broomsticks. There was no way out.
Chapter 5: EscapismThe two fillies slumped against the wall, hooves grey with the dust of decades. Sparkler felt close to tears. She had failed her sister. Their first meeting, and it was a travesty. Who knew how long it would be till those little trash-heap foals remembered to tell an adult what they had done, or a passerby heard them shouting? They might be stuck here till morning. Reminded now that they hadn’t yet tried shouting for help, Sparkler experimentally let out a few yells. “Hello? Can anypony hear me? We’re stuck down here! Help!” “I don’t think they’ll hear you outside,” Dinky said helpfully. “There’s loads of music.” Sparkler sighed. “I know.” “Can we try one of my ideas now?” Dinky asked, her tone still bright. Sparkler looked up a little more hopefully. So long as Dinky was having some semblance of fun, the night was still serving its purpose. She injected a little optimism into her voice. “Yeah, of course! What’s the plan?” “Well,” Dinky narrowed her eyes, “I read in a Daring Do book once where she and Professor Sparkflare were trapped in a prison cell with water rising, and Professor Sparklight used his magic to pick the lock.” Eyes widening with inspiration, Sparkler leapt to her hooves. “I bet we could do that!” Dinky flushed. “Well — I can try. I’m not so good at things I can’t see. I only learned to levitate a couple of months ago.” This was not news to Sparkler, who had been watching from the bushes the night it happened. “Still, that’s a great first step!” She scraped her hoof against the ground, suddenly uncertain of her own capabilities. “I’m not sure how I’ll do — but I can give it a shot.” The light at the end of the tunnel restored, they hurtled back up the staircase, and skidded to a halt beside the cellar door. Sparkler clenched her eyes shut and pressed her forehead against the lock. She let her light spell wink out, and Dinky made a little strained noise as she forced more light into her own magic. Trying to push her senses outwards, Sparkler let her consciousness quest toward the lock. She could almost feel it; the rust, the corroded surface. No — wait, that was the feel of it against her skin. She pulled her head back and tried to sense it with her magic. She could feel the barrier of the door, but nothing more than that. She squished her face into a grimace and tried harder, forcing her magic out until she could feel the veins bulging on her forehead. It wasn’t like hunting for gems; rubies and sapphires were full of energy and pulsed with their own little lifeforces. But this door was a flat dead surface, and she couldn’t make head nor tail of its energy signature. “Sparkler?” Dinky’s tentative question was an unwelcome intrusion. “You’ve gone…uh, even more purple than usual. Maybe you should breathe?” Her eyes flicking open, Sparkler let out the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. “Oh.” Dinky gave the door a tug. “No luck then?” Sparkler shook her head. “None.” Dinky sighed. “Oh.” Slowly, she slid down against the door until her rear was on the ground. “I guess we’d better settle in then. Shame we didn’t go trick or treating before we came in here. I’m Sparklerving.” “Sorry,” Sparkler said guiltily. “I just wanted to show it to you quickly, and then go get some candy with you. I wanted…to spend a bit of time together.” “That’s okay.” Dinky’s tone was magnanimous. “I’m glad I’m not here on my own, really. Having a sister isn’t all bad.” As banal as the words were, they still sent a thrill through Sparkler. “I’m really glad you think that.” She paused. “All I’ve ever wanted…is to have a family. To be a family with you.” Dinky’s expression changed to one of uncertainty. “Well, I don’t know. My Mommy is my family. She says we don’t need anypony else.” Swallowing her bitter retort, Sparkler forced her tone to remain lighthearted. “But couldn’t there be room for me, too?” Her ears tipping back, Dinky began to stammer. “I— I don’t know. Mommy — she says — well, she always tells me that my Daddy was a bad stallion. He didn’t stay with us.” “He left me, too,” Sparkler said, softly. “He didn’t want either of us. But…does that mean you and me have to leave each other, too?” “I…I suppose not,” answered Dinky slowly. “If he left you, too.” It was progress. Sparkler’s heart lifted, just a little, and she looked down at Dinky’s big, sad eyes. They shouldn’t dwell on this too long. A dark, dank cellar was no place to have miserable conversations. It was time to inject a little fun back into the proceedings. Sparkler clambered back to her feet and offered a hoof to Dinky. “I have an idea!” Like a balloon suddenly inflating with air, Dinky perked up. “What is it?” “I’m Friar Buck, right?” “Yeah…” the answer was cautious. “And you’re Robbin’ Hooves.” Sparkler offered her sister a grin. Dinky gave a little skip of excitement. “Right!” “Exactly! So—” Sparkler lowered her voice to a whisper, full of suspense. “The evil Sheriff of Trottingham has imprisoned us in this dark, horrible dungeon. But we’re not going to let that keep us down, are we, Robbin’?” Her chest puffed out, Dinky postured and levitated her bow high. “No, Friar Buck, we’re not. We’re going to sing folk songs and…uh, bear our captivity bravely. Yeah! We’ll be fine. The Sheriff can’t stop us rebelling against her evil rule.” “Yeah!” Sparkler reared up and sent a pulse of purple light out across the room and Dinky cheered. “Now, how about a bit of target practise?” “Awesome!” Dinky pounded down the stairs to grab a dilapidated chair. “This can be the target!” “You can do it, Robbin’!” cheered Sparkler, and Dinky shut one eye to take aim. “You can win the golden apple!”
Chapter 6: A Nightmare Night miracleAfter the third and final arrow from Dinky’s quiver thudded into the rotten upholstery for the umpteenth time, Sparkler’s cries of exultation were wearing thin. Dinky, too, was beginning to tire. Sparkler couldn’t guess what time it would be outside, but they must have been in here for at least a few hours. Clearly Diamond Tiara had not relented. Where were the pangs of a guilty conscience when you needed them? When Dinky suggested firing her arrows at the wooden door instead, Sparkler was happy to oblige. Anything that provided a little variation was welcome. They passed a few minutes in using some rusty nails to gouge a target shape into the wood of the door. Another few revealed that Dinky’s little wooden arrows with their blunted tips were strong enough to embed themselves into the old chair, but not into the sturdy planks of the door. “Pity it’s not rotten, really,” Sparkler commented, as she set about sharpening one of the arrows to a point. “Would have made it a lot easier to kick our way through it.” “Or tunnel through it, like Robbin’ Hooves’ escape from Trottingham Jail!” suggested Dinky cheerfully, her magic wrapped around one of the rusty nails as she whittled at the second arrow. “Careful you don’t poke your eye out with that!” Sparkler cautioned her. Looking out for her little sibling felt…good. She was doing what a big sister should. Dinky laughed and rolled her eyes. “You sound like Mom.” That shut Sparkler up. Derpy Hooves, the hated force that had kept the two of them apart for years. Sparkler would rather lose one of her own eyes to the wooden arrows than be like her. Working quickly, Star finished the first arrow and moved on to the last one. Once Dinky’s own arrow was pointy enough, she joined Star, leaning close over her shoulder to watch. With a final few scraps of the nail, Sparkler held it up proudly. “I think that’s it!” “Yay!” cried Dinky, clopping her hooves together in excitement, her green cloak fluttering with each movement. Solemnly, Sparkler handed over the arrow, and Dinky nocked it to her bow. She swung the arrow point around, her face tight with concentration, and Sparkler made a show of gasping and whimpering when the tip of it passed over her. Dinky suppressed a smile and pointed the bow up at the door, her magic sending little yellow sparks shooting away from the bow like arrows in miniature. With one last intake of breath, she lined it up and let the arrow fly. The bowstring twanged, and the arrow clattered against the stairs. “Ugh, no!” Dinky stomped one little purple-grey hoof. “I can’t get the angle right with the steps in the way.” “Hey, it’s alright.” Sparkler scrambled to find a solution. “How about this? You stand on my back to shoot the arrow. That way you’ll get a bit more height. It might be enough to make the difference.” Dinky’s face cleared. “Good idea!” She trotted over to Sparkler, who knelt to allow her to clamber on. Holding herself steady while Dinky climbed aboard, Sparkler could feel the warmth of the younger foal through her sackcloth robe. It was…nice. Sparkler so rarely had contact with other ponies. Unsteadily, Dinky got to her hooves, and Sparkler took a few uncertain steps, trying to compensate for her shifting load. “Over to the door,” Dinky commanded, and Sparkler laughed at the imperiousness of her tone. “Yes, sir, Robbin’!” She positioned herself at the foot of the stairs, and Dinky took aim again. The bow floated right beside her face, one eye shut, the other narrowed to a slit. She leaned back, and Sparkler hastily edged in the same direction to ensure that Dinky wouldn’t fall off. Then Dinky reared onto her hind legs, muttering something under her breath. “Just a little more height…I think I can…make it…” Wincing at the sharp hooves on her neck, Sparkler half-shut her eyes, trying to feel which way Dinky was leaning so that she could anticipate the movements she would need to take. Then there came the whizzing sound of Dinky’s bow releasing, and the rush of the arrow through the air. Then, suddenly, a blaze of golden light so shocking that Sparkler yelped and sprang away, half-expecting to see a firework in the cellar with them. Dazzled by the brilliant golden light that flooded everything, Sparkler flung her forelegs out to catch Dinky, but her little sister did not fall. Sparkler waited one heartbeat, two, three, with her legs outstretched, before she leant forward again, raising a leg to shield her eyes against the glare. In the white-hot epicentre of the glow was a slightly dimmer shape — almost equine. Could that be — surely not — it was Dinky. The little grey unicorn hung in the air like a pegasus, her green cloak billowing behind her, her mane as full of magic as an alicorn’s. Her bow was still floating in her magic, and in that moment she truly did look like some ancient hero, bursting out from the pages of a storybook and into real life. Sparkler stared agog as her little sister slowly floated back to earth, her glow dimming and fading bit by bit, until the only radiance left was emanating from the tiny bow and arrow now etched onto her side. As she took in that last detail, Sparkler’s breath caught. Five seconds ago, Dinky’s flank had been blank. “Dinky!” she gasped. “Your — your cutie mark!” Dinky’s eyes fluttered open, and it took her a moment to absorb Sparkler’s words. “Wha—?” Then her head swung, and her magic yanked the green fabric out of the way so that she could see for herself. Her breath rushed out from her lungs, and then she gave a loud squeal of excitement. “Oh my goodness! Sparkler! Sparkler! I got my cutie mark!” “You got your cutie mark!” Sparkler squealed too, throwing her forelegs wide again. Dinky hurled herself into them, and they hugged and danced and hugged until they couldn’t move. Laughing, sobbing, weak with tears and happiness, Sparkler held her little sister close. “I’m so proud of you, Dinky!” “It was the bow and arrows,” Dinky said wonderingly. “Shooting the arrows. Sparkler, I think I’m going to be an archer when I grow up.” Sparkler beamed. “Just like Robbin’ Hood.” Forget the cellar, forget the disaster she thought had taken place. This had been the best first meeting — no, the best day of her entire life. She had seen her little sister earn her cutie mark; had helped her earn it. She had been the first one Dinky turned to. Not Derpy Hooves, with her strange eyes and her stranger hatred of Sparkler. She hadn’t been the one to share this magical, irreplaceable moment with Dinky. It had been Sparkler herself. No matter what happened after tonight, nopony could ever take that away from her. Dinky’s voice broke into her thoughts again. “Sparkler, quick, look at the door! I did it! I aimed right!” Hastily, Sparkler released her sister and the two of them raced back up the stairs to inspect the door. The rusted metal lock was shattered, destroyed on impact by Dinky’s little wooden arrow, that lay embedded deep within it. The door handle had fallen off, but it didn’t matter. The door to the cellar now stood ajar. Dinky’s arrow had freed them. “Oh, wow,” Sparkler breathed. “Dinky, you’re right. You are going to be an archer. You’re going to be one heck of an archer.” But Dinky was already surging out through the doorway, back towards the exit. “I wonder if we’ll still be in time to get some trick-or-treating done—” Her words cut off abruptly, and Sparkler hurried after her to see what was the matter. Side by side, the two of them gazed out at the darkened town. No longer bustling with revellers and excited foals, it felt as quiet as the cellar they had emerged from. Dinky shifted a little closer to Sparkler, and Sparkler felt the chill of the real world set in. Their magical, private, shared moment was over. They had been gone for hours. Sparkler’s own mother wouldn’t notice. But Dinky’s mother…Sparkler shivered. “We’d better get you home, Dinky.”
Chapter 7: The last goodbye“Mommy won’t be happy to know that we’ve been together,” Dinky said dubiously. “Are you sure I shouldn’t go in alone?” “Yes,” Sparkler said stubbornly. “She needs to know. I — it was me who kept you safe, and bought you home. I want her to see that she can trust me. And that it was me who helped you with your cutie mark.” “That’s true.” Dinky wiggled her rump proudly. “I can’t believe it finally came!” “I just…I don’t want her to tell you that you can’t see me again,” Sparkler said, a little desperately. It was horrible, having to drag Dinky down again from her euphoric high, but what other option did she have? If she didn’t get Dinky on her side, they might never get another chance to see each other. Dinky’s expression sobered. “I don’t want that either.” She raised her eyes to her sister’s. “I really like you, Sparkler.” Her heart swelling, Sparkler drank those words in like a mare fresh from the desert. “Really?” “Yes.” Dinky node firmly. “You’re my big sister. I can’t believe it’s taken this long for us to meet each other properly.” She reached up to Sparkler’s shoulder, and patted her firmly, like she was the big sister. “Don’t worry. I’ll help Mommy to understand that you are our family.” Though the reversal of roles was strange, Sparkler revelled in the moment, trying to embed it firmly in her memory. “Thank you, Dinky.” She sniffed, and tried to find a bright side for her little sister. “Maybe…maybe next time, I could help you make some targets. We could make the garden at the haunted house into a little shooting range for you.” “Ooh, really?” Dinky seized on the idea. “That would be amazing! And maybe you could make me some arrowheads?” “Arrowheads?” Sparkler was taken aback. “I’m not very good with flint.” Dinky swatted at her leg. “Not flint, silly! I was thinking like…amethyst, maybe, like your cutie mark?” A smile spread across Sparkler’s face. “Really? Yeah, I could do that! Or diamond, for hardness!” “Yeah, that would be great!” Dinky enthused. “Fashionable and functional! It’ll be awesome. You can carve while I shoot. It’ll be our special place.” Sparkler sniffed back another tear. Her sister…cared about her. Somepony cared. Dinky wanted to see her again. “I’d really love that.” They turned back to the door, strangely grey in the darkness. Dinky raised her hoof to knock. At once, the door was torn open, and Derpy burst through, her expression frantic. As her eyes fixed on Dinky, she gasped. “Dinky! You’re safe!” She threw her forelegs and wings alike around Dinky, enfolding the foal in one of those soft, safe motherly embraces that Sparkler had watched and envied so often. “I’m alright, Mommy!” But then Derpy’s eyes moved over her daughter’s shoulder to Sparkler, hovering nervously on the doorstep, and her expression darkened. Immediately, she straightened, and spread one wing protectively in front of Dinky. Something in Sparkler’s chest twisted. As if she would ever hurt her baby sister. She tried to force a smile. “Miss Hooves, I—” But Derpy was speaking, and not to her. “Dinky, I told you that you weren’t to see her!” Bravely, Dinky tried to struggle past the “I know, Mommy, but she’s not like you said. We spent all night together, and she helped me—” Her mother was no longer listening. Derpy was advancing on Sparkler, wings flared and voice raised. “Did you kidnap my baby?” Sparkler cringed away. “I — no, no! There were these other foals, and they—” Tugging at her mother’s tail, Dinky tried to defend her. “—It was Diamond Tiara, Mommy! Not Sparkler. Sparkler helped me — I got my cutie mark!” That finally halted the wall-eyed onslaught. Derpy jerked back to face her daughter. “You did what?” “Look!” Dinky brandished her brand-new mark. “A bow and arrow! Just like Robbin’ Hood!” With a gasp, Derpy grabbed her daughter again. “Oh my goodness, baby! I’m so proud of you!” “And it was Sparkler who helped me!” Frozen again, Derpy looked back at the outsider. She shook her head and blinked her mismatched eyes. “Dinky, you know that I didn’t want you to talk to her.” She stood and tried to usher Dinky back inside. “Come on, let’s go get some hot chocolate. Something like your cutie mark…well, that needs celebrating! And then maybe we can start planning your Cuteceneara?” Reluctantly, Dinky let herself be pushed inside, looking back at where Sparkler still lingered. “But…” “Go on, no buts.” Derpy spoke firmly, and Dinky finally obeyed. “Please,” Sparkler tried, just one last time. “She’s my sister.” Derpy’s face crumpled a little, but she still began to shut the door. Shutting Sparkler out. “She’s my daughter. And you…you look just like him.” Her throat tight, Sparkler looked away. “I…never wanted to.” Her voice was just a whisper in the night. “He left all of us behind.” The door clicked shut. Defeated, Sparkler hung her head and turned away. Derpy Hooves was right. There was no place for her here. As she plodded down the street, she pictured what awaited her at home. Her mother would be drunk. She always was. She’d probably be asleep — she might not have even noticed that Sparkler was gone. Sparkler would have to choke back her tears and slink into bed beside her mother. Gembright would stink, and her coat would be matted with vomit, but Sparkler didn’t care anymore. It was always the same. She had become desensitised to it. She would wriggle onto the only corner of the bed not occupied by sprawling purple limbs, and curl herself up as small as she could. She would shut her eyes, and conjure up for herself again the image of two fillies, side by side. One larger with a scruffy purple mane, and one small and lavender and blonde. Her mother’s night terrors seemed to get worse every month, and often she did not even want Sparkler on the edge of the bed. Sparkler might awake to a hoof in the ribs, and the sight of her mother twitching and shaking. “Get out of my house,” she would snarl at her invisible adversary, her limbs quivering. “I’ll kill you. Get out!” Sparkler would sleep on the floor and imagine Dinky’s golden eyes again. She knew full well that the next time darkness came, bringing its brief respite from the pain that was her life, it would find her back outside Dinky’s window, watching her and wishing that it could be her life, too. “Sparkler — wait.” The voice from behind her was not loud, but it was enough to halt Sparkler in her tracks. She turned back, to see Derpy Hooves standing in the street, Dinky beside her, still robed in green. Derpy looked down at her daughter, and sighed. “Sparkler…I think you’d better come inside. Would you…like some hot chocolate?” Slowly, a tremulous smile spread over Sparkler’s muzzle.
