Secretive Doughnut

Chapter 7: Unhelpful

                 Shimmer barged into her twin's room. "Twinkle, we have a problem."

                       "You're telling me, you didn't knock." Twinkle exclaimed as she turned to her sister.

                                 "Sorry, but this is important." Shimmer said. "Suffer took blood out of Popsicle."

                                          "Uh, huh." Twinkle said, only half paying attention.

                                                  Shimmer stomped her foot. "Twinkle, this is serious. Popsicle said Suffer is gonna make a clone of him."

                                                 Twinkle's eyes widened. "What?"

               "See? This is a problem." Shimmer said with her arms outstretched. "So, what do we do?"

    Twinkle stared at the purple star shaped rug on her floor. "There's nothing we can do about it."

                         "Fine." Shimmer exclaimed as her hair deflated. "Don't help me."

                           "Shimmer, I'd help if I could." Twinkle said as she looked up and stared into her blue eyes. "But we can't stop Suffer from cloning Popsicle, I'm sorry."

                                    Shimmer sighed. "Are you sure?"

                                             Twinkle nodded in response.

                                              "I'm gonna go check on Popsicle." Shimmer said as she left the room.

                                                 Moments later, she was in her own room. "Popsicle, how ya feeling?"

                                                  "Still a little sore but I can walk without hobbling, now." Popsicle replied with a small smile. He looked closer at her and noticed her hair was straight. "Are you ok?"

                                                  "Twinkle said we can't stop Suffer from making a clone of you." Shimmer replied as tears formed in her eyes.

                                                "Shimmer, it's ok." Popsicle said, trying to cheer her up.

                "No, it's not!" Shimmer cried as she ran to him and buried her face in his chest. "Now there's gonna be three of those things, running loose."

               Popsicle thought back to Suffer mentioning her twin sister, Torture. "I didn't see Torture."

                                  Shimmer looked up at him with wide eyes. "You know about, Torture. How?"

                                            "Suffer mentioned her." Popsicle replied. "Where is she?"

                                                    "No one knows." Shimmer replied. "I don't think even Suffer does."

                                                "Probably why she's making a clone of me." Popsicle suggested, much to Shimmer's confusion. "Think of it this way, she lives in a cave in the middle of a forest with no one to talk to except her pet fox."

                                      "Hmm." Shimmer mused. "You have a point that sounds pretty lonely."

                              Popsicle's phone went off just then. He pulled out and looked at it. "I gotta go."

                                   "What for?" Shimmer asked as he stood up and headed for the door.

                                        "Kingly training." Popsicle replied as he stopped at turned to her. "I didn't go to the last one."

                                             "Why?" Shimmer asked curiously.

                                                          "Cheese and I switched places for a day." Popsicle replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, he went instead of me."

                                                 "Hmm." Shimmer mused. "I can't come this time, I'm guessing."

                                                  "You still can, if you want." Popsicle assured.

                                                   Shimmer stood up and approached. "Let's go, then."

                                            Popsicle smiled and nodded as he held the door open for her.

                          Shimmer giggled as she strode out of her room, Popsicle following close behind.

                                         They left the castle and walked to the beach.

                                                                ~Time Skip~

                    Shimmer looked around for humans and there was some. She stomped the ground in annoyance.

                     "Guess the beach is open, today." Popsicle commented as he also looked around.

                                                  Shimmer turned and glared at him. "Not helping."

                             "Sorry." Popsicle said, rubbing the back of his neck. "What do we do, now?"

                                           "Hmm." Shimmer mused as she thought of a plan. "We can get to Sweetestria from my lab."

                                            Popsicle eyes widened in realization. "The hatch."

                                                  Shimmer put a finger to her mouth. "Shh. It's suppose to be a secret."

                                        "Sorry, again." Popsicle said as he followed Shimmer back to the castle.

                                                           ~Time Skip~

                                                Shimmer scoured the hallway bookshelf for the book that opened the secret passageway. After a few moments of searching, she found it. She smiled and pulled on it. Just the same as it always does, the bookshelf opened revealing a staircase leading down. She turned to Popsicle, who had been watching her. "Come on. You don't wanna be late."

                                                    Popsicle nodded as he followed her down.

            Once they were both a little ways down the steps, the bookshelf closed behind them.