I open my eyes and blink the sleep out of them. If I am right it's about two or three in the afternoon... If so, then I am early... If not, then I'm most likely late. I roll off of the couch lazily and my face comes into contact with something hard, something that I didn't put there. I jump back in slight pain and rub my face with my front left hoof; I look at whatever it is that hurt me. It's a clock, upon closer inspection it looks like the clock from my room... My clock? I take another look around the room and pause on a gray and yellow figure in the distance. Mom. I smile at that; she predicted that I'd do that.
"Did you sleep well muffin?" She asks in the most innocent voice she can muster without laughing. She was flying low inside the kitchen, putting away the groceries from the market. I hear her wingbeats as I look back to the clock in front of me, it's not even noon yet... I shrug and stand up, stretching each leg individually as I do. I had slept for about three hours, but I am not going back to sleep; my little sister is going to be in a play at her school at around four and I won't be late to that.
I nod to Mom and yawn. "Yeah, Mom, I actually slept pretty well..." I walk over to her to help her with the groceries, being a unicorn I am better at these sort of things than Mom. I grip a multitude of items with my magic and put them into their respective places; muffins and cereal in the pantry, lemonade in the fridge, peanut butter? Oh Celestia, why does she always get peanut butter? Doesn't she know that I'll get fat if she keeps getting it? I place it on my head and furrow my brow toward her. "Again?"
She giggles, "Oh Sparkler, you know you can stop eating it any time you want!" Her eyes unfocus, something that is more than normal for her.
"But Mom!" I whine, "You know I don't want to stop! It's too good!" Actually, that's not quite it... I'm addicted to it, kind of... When I get bored I eat, and peanut butter is normally what I eat since it's the only thing Mom will let me take... She rolls her eyes, which actually kind of surprises me, I never thought she could. She lands and walks up to me. "I guess I'll just take it then..." She grabs the jar off of my head with a hoof and places it in her saddlebag. I heavily resist grabbing it back. It's a good thing, I tell myself, She is doing the right thing for me! Mom smiles to me and asks "Hey, what time is Dinky's play again?"
"In about four hours." I tell her. "Y'know, if you forget she'll never forgive you" I stretch and yawn suddenly, it would seem that I'm still waking up... I take a quick whiff of myself and wrinkle my nose at the slight pungent smell I'm getting. I turn around after putting the eggs away and start to walk toward the hallway. "Mom! I'm going to take a shower, if you're going anywhere don't forget! Four o' clock!"
I think I hear her say something, but I can't really tell.
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I look up at the sky, I can see a few stars peeking their way into view and the sun is beginning to be brought down by Princess Celestia. There is one or two clouds in the sky and they are turning the slightest shade of reddish-pink. It is almost four and I am walking across the Ponyville Elementary Playground toward the stage. I'm early! I'm really early! I feel as giddy as I did when I was first able to lift things with magic. That is pretty giddy indeed.
I scan the horizon to see if Mom was here yet, but I don't even catch the slightest glimpse of her yellow mane or see anything broken nearby. I take a deep sigh, she isn't here yet... But I cheer myself up I'm early, she must still be on her way! I reassure myself. Mom would never miss a play that Dinky is in, not for her life!
"Hey! Sparky!" A voice from behind me surprises me back to the present, I swing around to greet the owner of the voice before getting the words caught in my throat. It was my closest friend that I haven't seen in about two years: Colgate, Before saying anything I hug her tightly with my front legs.
"Colgate!" I let go of her and feel one of the biggest smiles I've ever worn in my life develop on my lips. "How have you been?" She laughs as soon as she notices how excited I am, I roll my eyes in return. "Stop laughing so much, you're making yourself seem more stupid than you are." I am still smiling.
Colgate puffs up her cheeks and squints, looking at my mouth for a minute or two. "I'm guessing it's been about two or three days since you brushed?" I blush and look away. "No, wait, more, four?" She is taken aback. "No matter how many! Going a single day without brushing is bad for you! By Celestia Sparky, what is wrong with you?" Colgate does this, she is an oral hygiene nut!
It was true, five days without brushing... But I don't let her know that; I inhale deeply before changing the subject, "So, Colgate, why are you here? You don't have any siblings that go here, do you?"
"Nope, not a single one!"
"But, then, why?"
"I wanted to feel nostalgic, y'know, of our foalhood here together?"
I shake my head and look directly to her. "Yeah, fun times... Sorry, we'll catch up more later, I need to find a place where I can watch, I want to be as close to the stage as possible."
"For your little sister I presume? Alright, how's about we meet at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow at noon?"
"Sounds like a plan. See you then!" I turn to walk away and wave goodbye to my friend. I make my way to the stage and find a spot surprisingly fast. I am standing practically center stage minus being in the second row of the crowd. The curtains are about to open in a few seconds... Dinky has a large role in the play and will be the first to appear after the introductory spiel. I can imagine how excited she is, this is the first time she has done anything on an actual stage, all of her previous performances being on the ground in pretty much a sandbox.
The curtains open and the voice of who I believe is Diamond Tiara comes from the speakers hidden at the back of the stage. She is telling us this epic tale of knights and dragons in a long forgotten kingdom. After a minute or two out comes Dinky, dressed in the dress that I sew together from fabric that Mom bought from Rarity; she is playing the princess that gets abducted by the dragon. She looked great! I see her scanning the crowd and she smiles as soon as she sees me but... Oh no. I turn around and look through the crowd myself... No yellow, nothing's broken.
I turn back to the stage to see my sister's lower lip trembling, she is about to cry. Mom, where are you? I try as hard as I can to find a way to get Dinky not to cry and continue on with the play, but I get nothing. I brace myself for what's about to happen next, I don't want to look at the stage, but I have to. I see tears roll down her cheeks as she sniffles before running off the stage, bawling. I feel as if I am going to cry too, but I can't, not now. I follow after her as soon as she's off the stage.
After three minutes of running I realize what path she's taking, she's running home.
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"Dinky, there must've been a reason Mom wasn't there." I whisper into my sister's ear, trying to soothe her. "I mean, she would be early for anything to do with you unless she had a very good reason."
Her tears are still coming as strong as before. "You're lying! Mom hates me, that's why she wasn't there!" We are in her room and she is laying on her bed, which is now a mess.
"No, you're just saying that, she doesn't hate you." I reach out with my magic to the other side of the room and grab her teddy bear. I bring it in next to her. "Come now, do you think Mr. Snugbear would want to see you crying?" She loves her bear, it comforts her when she makes Mom and me leave her alone.
"No..."
"Good, then what are you going to do?"
"Not cry?"
"Right!" I push the bear against her playfully and do a mock voice for it. "Dinky, Mommy is a good mommy, she wouldn't ever hate you! You got that?"
She smiles and hugs it. "Yes sir Mr. Snugbear!"
I smile too, I'm glad that I got her to stop crying. "Alright, Dinky, do you want anything to eat?"
"I want a banana nut muffin!"
I nod and open the door. "Alright, I'll be right back." I walk out the door, keeping it open as I walk to the kitchen. When I enter the kitchen a slip of paper on the table catches my eye, I pick it up magically and move it to my face. It's from Mom! It reads:
To my muffins:
Sorry I couldn't make Dinky's play, but I got called out for work at the last minute... I'm going to be gone for two weeks and three days in Manehattan, they are having problems with postage, so I need to go. I'm so sorry...
Sparkler, you are in charge until I get back, okay?
I love you both!
-Mom
I start to process what I had just read; I put the note back on the table and call out "Dinky! I told you Mom had a good reason!"
"What is it?"
"Come read it yourself!"
