Chapters It was another ordinary morning like any other in Ponyville. The bright and beautiful golden sunlight was shining, the dew on the grass sparkled like glitter, the bright sunlight beamed upon all the houses and buildings. Even the window of little Dinky Hooves. She was a very light purple filly unicorn with beautiful, brilliant eyes yellow as the cute little buttercup flowers that grew upon her yard every spring after the sparkling snow melted every winter. Dinky also had blonde hair like her mother but had a darker shade on one side and lighter on the other. The filly slept in her bed silently, she was having another dream about her father again who disappeared a year ago. Her mother seemed to be the only one who knew about his disappearance, but she wouldn't tell nor talk about it ever because all it did was upset her even more every time she thought about it. Dinky's dream was of her and her family together like old times until she saw her father disappearing and screaming something she couldn't make out which suddenly jolted her up from her slumber and brought Dinky downstairs to the table with her sister Sparkler and her mother Derpy. Sparkler had a pinkish- purple like color to her body and dark and darker purple in her mane and tail, she too like her younger sister Dinky was a unicorn. She already had her cutie mark while Dinky did not. Sparkler's cutie mark was three diamonds close together neatly, two of the diamonds lined together on the top and the one i the middle but on the bottom. Dinky and Sparkler's mother Derpy was a light grey mare with yellow eyes just like her daughter Dinky. She had shiny blonde hair that glistened in the sunlight and moonlight and upon her flank were bubbles as her cutie mark which represented her ditsy and some may call it a bubbly personality. The only thing that was missing was their father... Where could he be? How did he just disappear like that? Why did he disappear? There were some many questions running through the little fillies head that today she was determined to get answers from her mother.
Dinky was sitting at the wooden kitchen breakfast table in a chair that matched of course because her parents liked it when stuff of theirs matched, because in their eyes it was proper to have matching things. As she looked at her mother's back turned making breakfast she decided to ask now for the answers she had waited a long time for but never did, regarding how upset it seemed to make her but today she was going to speak about it.
"M-mom?" Dinky stuttered a bit trying to search for the right words to her questions.
"Yes my little muffin?" Derpy replied, her voice sounding full of joy. "What is it honey?"
Suddenly Dinky had a feeling about backing down and not asking. NO! She wanted to know. She needed to know. And if she didn't ask now she maybe wouldn't get another chance at asking about her and her big sister's father and her family would feel incomplete forever...
"I um... I wanted to know... er something..." She finally said back to her mother
Derpy's left ear twitched as she kept cooking but still was listening. "What do you want to know darling?" She asked turning around finally, her strange eyes that no other pony had were looking at Dinky. It may not have seemed it but Dinky knew.
"W- what happened to dad?" Dinky blurted out nervously
Derpy turned around and her voice went from joyful; to upset. She could even hear the shakiness in her mothers voice
"Oh uh... your father..." She looked down to the floor and leaned against the marble kitchen counter for support like she was going to fall like a freshly cut maple tree in yard. "He....." Derpy stopped cooking and dug her face into the counter and her own hooves. Dinky could hear a muffled sob coming from her hidden mother, she felt bad that she had asked and got down from the wooden chair that her flank did sit upon moments ago; she walked over to her mother and hugged Derpy's legs tightly.
"I'm sorry mommy... I didn't mean to upset you... I'm sorry..." Dinky kept saying i'm sorry over and over again like a broken scratched up record on an old record player machine. Her mother placed her hoof on Dinky's head gently and stroked her daughters mane and told Dinky, "It's okay... don't be sorry..." She said as Sparkler was quiet for a while, she joined her little sister and mother too so no one would feel awful.
Where is dad? Why hasn't he come home? Is he dead? Did something important come up? My daddy is and always will be known as "The Doctor"
As the day dragged on longer and longer till DInky wanted nothing more but to fall asleep and start a new day. Too bad she would be in school tomorrow though; Dinky felt she had no time to go since she was trying to figure out why her father had missed out on a year with them. That night Dinky lied awake in her bed. She looked at the ceiling and still was puzzled why her mother was keeping secrets from her and maybe even Sparkler knew about their father while she did not. She uncovered herself from the safety of her warm blanket and walked out of her room downstairs to the living room. The fireplace was filled with pictures of what was once a happy family. These pictures contained herself of course and her older sister Sparkler, her beloved mother Derpy and the brown stallion with the hourglass cutie mark and the blue glittering eyes; Whooves, who is also known as "The Doctor" which is what her mother used to call him. Some of the pictures were also school pictures of her big sister and herself and some best moment pictures, etc...
"If mommy seems so upset when she is reminded of daddy... then why does she still have pictures of him?" Dinky quietly thought to herself so she wouldn't wake any pony up from their deep slumber. Dinky grabbed the family picture with her light purple hooves and sighed sorrowfully.
Derpy woke up the next morning so she could wake up her two gorgeous unicorn daughters so that they both could get ready for another boring, exhausting day in school. She knocked on Sparkler's door and heard her yell she would be down in a minute, then their mother went to Dinky's room and looked in seeing that her daughter wasn't there.
"Dinky?!" Derpy called out with concern. She went downstairs and immediately saw the little unicorn sleeping on the couch while snuggling the family picture that Dinky grabbed off the shelf last night. Dinky twitched in her sleep as if she were having a nightmare, she jolted awake and looked at her mother with frightened eyes.
"S- something terrible must have happened to daddy!" She said out of nowhere
Derpy gave her a scornful look, "Honey... I know you miss him and all but I don't want you speaking of him..." She replied sadly
"NO! MOM!!! Listen to me!!!! Dad must be in trouble!!! He's..." Her mother put her hoof on Dinky's snout
"Yes I know... I love him too... but he's changed. GONE! EVERYTHING!!!" Derpy finished as she cried
Dinky's mind was racing for what to say to her mother about what she just heard, there was no way that her own father could have changed! She closed her eyes and saw nothing but darkness under her eyelids... something wasn't right and Dinky didn't like it.
At school Dinky was sitting at her desk bored to death and getting antsy about the questions again. What was it that her mother wasn't telling her? She didn't really bother to pay attention to what Miss Cheerilee was trying to say due to the continuance of unknown answers gnawing at her hooves. When the final bell of the day rang Dinky got up and as always was the last pony out except it was longer this time. Miss Cheerilee had concerns with Dinky and needed to talk to her mother which took 10 minutes; it seemed like forever to Dinky herself. Derpy finally came out and looked her daughter; she said nothing and walked home with Sparkler and little Dinky trailing behind looking more miserable then her mother was this morning when she reminded her about someone certain... As the family of three made it through the door of their simple white colored house with a blue roof and beautiful flowers and other plants in the yard; Sparkler went upstairs but stopped at her door and yelled down to her mother "Mom! Call me down for dinner!" She waited for her mother's nod of approval and walked into her room.
Dinky looked down at the floor knowing what this was all about.
"Dinky... this is the 4th time this year already that Cheerilee is worrying about your emotions and actions your making lately." Derpy paused for a bit as she trotted over and sat on the red and white striped couch to left of Dinky. "She has advised me that you should talk to the counselor at the school to maybe help get you back on track." Dinky's mother addressed to her gently.
Dinky shook her head, "Tell her I don't need help... I'll be fine mom...," She walked up to her room and closed to door behind her and flopped onto her bed.
As the tables turn I'm nowhere near... at the end of the rainbow there is always fear.... How far will I go to unravel the truth?
At the dinner table Dinky sat there picking at her food trying her best to not show how annoyed she was. Sparkler stared at her younger sister with sorrow and a glint of compassion for trying to get answers. She pushed her plate away: her stomach wasn't in the mood for hay-loaf and poppy seed bread; it was in the mood for answers to her questions. Derpy looked at her youngest daughter who wasn't eating.
"Dinky please eat your dinner." Her mother said to her
"First.. You tell me what your hiding about dad! And maybe I will eat!" Dinky yelled to her across the table.
Derpy said nothing for a few minutes then tapped her right hoof on the table and replied back, "I told you not to speak of him! You realize that I don't want to maybe because he caused me pain and suffering!!!!" Derpy got so upset that she ran up to her room and slammed the door.
"Dinky that wasn't very nice." Sparkler said to her little sister.
Dinky felt a pain of guilt gnawing at her belly. She decided to go up to her room and go to bed....
Dinky sat on her bed and thought long and hard about what she did at the dinner table. She was just so desperate to know... Was it wrong to want to know? Or maybe it was all a huge mistake... Dinky didn't know anymore... Around 2 'o clock in the morning Dinky came up with a crazy idea! It might have been so crazy that she would get grounded for life, killed or worse! She was going to run away from home for a while and search her father for all the answers she needed. Dinky went to her closet quietly and took out her saddle bag. She then packed up a small pillow and blanket with food packed safely inside. After she double checked that she had enough; Dinky grabbed her pouch that contained 250 bits inside. It would be useful for on the road emergencies like food shortages and other things that would maybe be needed on the way. As dinky walked down the stairs carefully and quiet she heard her sister's door open. She almost had a heart attack right on the spot and just froze in the middle of the stairway hoping Sparkler would be too tired to notice what Dinky was doing at 2 in the morning with a saddle bag filled with all sorts of stuff. Sparkler walked past the stairs not bothering to see Dinky. She breathed with a sigh and trotted down to the front door not seeing that her older sister thought she saw Dinky and looked back from where she walked past.
The front door opened slowly and as Dinky walked out it was so quiet. All of Ponyville was asleep and swallowed by the moonlight which seemed brighter tonight. "Luna seems to be guiding wondering ponies tonight very well." Dinky whispered to herself in the night.
They say the Doctor has gone mad... Does that make me mad like him? If so why am I not yet?!
Dinky traveled along the lonely and deserted paths of Ponyville; she found the exit of the town and walked outside of the town. As she walked Dinky had no idea of the area and didn't know where she was going, but she knew the only way to find her father on her own was to follow her heart, mind and voice. The path got more and more dirt then cobblestone as she kept moving; after a while Dinky came across a sign one that pointed forward and said:
WARNING: Everfree Forest! Enter at own risk!
The other sign seemed to be crossed out by some pony's knife or whatever sharp object they had just to be a jerk. It didn't seem to be her problem so she followed the sign into the Everfree Forest regarding what the sign said; she was ready to die searching if she had to. Nothing was going to stop her no matter what! While she walked among the forest she heard a twig crack; which of course made her turn her body around to see if anyone was out there. After she told herself it was nothing she turned back around and kept going.... that is until... she bumped into something. Dinky looked up at the silhouetted figure whose eyes glowed at her with such interest that is freaked Dinky out and made her run back the other way. She didn't seem to care where she was running, just as long as she got away from what ever that was! When she thought she had lost the figure she looked behind but then smacked the right side of her face into a tree she didn't notice and blacked out...
Dinky groaned as she felt a wet cloth wipe the blood from her right side of her little filly face along with a warm body that accidentally and occasionally pressed against her when the mysterious helper had to tend to her wound. A while later she felt something covering her right eye that was cold and seemed to keep the throbbing pain and swelling from becoming worse. The warmth of the helper then placed what felt like a hoof onto the worst spot of her wound. She squirmed and whined in alarm while the cold ice pack that was on her eye fell to the floor and it seemed that this mysterious pony was not be pleased by this sudden reaction to Dinky. She could tell by sound this mare or stallion made who then spoke to Dinky."
"Could you please hold still?! It's not helping when your moving around you know!"
She flicked her ears hearing that it was a mare definitely! Dinky didn't dare to move nor open her eyes at the stranger. Who was this new strange mare and why was she helping a filly like her? Dinky had no idea but didn't object at all....
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The mysterious Dentist and the Time Traveler
As the new mare trotted a few hoof steps away from her; Dinky was wondering still who this mare was... "E- excuse me... M-miss.. Where am I?" The small filly asked as she heard the stranger drop something metal like and groaned in annoyance
"In my dentist office!" The mare replied uncovering Dinky's eyes. The filly strained to open them as they seemed to hurt very much to her content but as she opened them she saw a toothpaste colored unicorn staring at her with their simple dark blue eyes.
"Hi there little one... my name is Colgate! You took quite a hit out in the forest." She said placing a hoof on Dinky's chest lightly "Your lucky I was out there looking for someone and I came across you." As the mare turned around Dinky noticed she had an hourglass cutie mark that looked just like her father's.
"Colgate.. is that right? Um.. I noticed you have a cutie mark that's an hourglass.." The filly pointed out to Colgate
Colgate blinked and looked at her flank where her cutie mark was "Oh! That. Yeah what about it?"
Dinky hesitated for a bit and finally spoke, "I'm searching for my father! And he has the same exact cutie mark as you! Have you seen him?"
"Him?! Oh no..." Colgate said placing her hoof on her face, "Minuette and I were afraid this would happen..."
Dinky tilted her head curious, "Then why were you acting like you never met me before?"
Colgate said nothing and flicked her blue and white toothpaste colored tail in a worried manner while pacing her self, "Dinky! Stay away from him! He's nothing but trouble..." The mare finally said staring at the wounded filly.
"How do you know my name?!" Dinky asked freaked out at the mare with wide eyes but she squeaked in pain and closed her eyes again "Now going back to this Minuette mare... Who is she?"
Colgate stared at the filly and smiled, "Minuette is my assistant but she does mostly task stuff." The mare replied in a not a big deal tone.
As his Discorded manner keeps getting worse by the minute.... his distance to his past keeps coming back to haunt him.....
Dinky got up and squinted her painful eyes and trotted carefully over to the exit door. As Colgate walked over in front of the small unicorn she looked down at Dinky, "Where are you going little filly?" She asked with concern
"To finish my search! Now please get out of my way!" Dinky said trying to get past the dentist mare
Colgate sighed and shook her head as her blue and white hair moved slightly with the head shake. "Not in this state your not!" She protested, picking up the filly with her unicorn magic and placing her back on the resting bed, "I couldn't live with myself if I let you go and get wounded even more!" Dinky huffed and sighed, "Fine... If you truly care that much..." The filly grew tired and fell asleep instantly. The dentist mare smiled as she laid down next to the filly, she said quietly to herself, "She must not remember who each and every pony with this cutie mark is? I think it's safer to not remind her of the time lords..." The dentist mare sighed and drifted off into her dream world.
As Dinky woke up her eyes widened, they didn't seem to hurt as much which was a start to her recovery as well as the gash that was on her face which was stitched up to her surprise, "Did that mare.. stitch it up?" She wondered as she noticed the mare sleeping next to her. "I think i'm fit and well enough to travel again..." Dinky said carefully crawling over the sleeping Colgate and quietly walking upon the hard floor of the mare's dentist office. Just as Dinky was about to walk out the door Minuette came in singing happily and prancing which startled the filly.
"Oh Colgate!!! I'm back from Zecora's!" She said walking inside the room and noticing the filly. "Colgate never told me she was foal sitting!" Minuette said cheerfully, "What's your name?"
Dinky's eyes widened as she stared at the crystal pony mare with confusion in her eyes This mare seems like an air head... She said in her mind as she shook her head and spoke finally, "I'm Dinky! Dinky Hooves! The daughter of the mail mare Derpy Hooves!" Dinky said smiling politely, "You must be Minuette! Correct?!"
The crystal pony nodded and gushed, "You are right! Why do I have the feeling we've met before?" Minuette said circling the filly and examining every angle and strand of hair that Dinky had.
As they stand before me I cannot tell.... why they would say my father's going to hell...
Dinky's right ear flicked as she had a bored expression upon her face as she sighed, "That's because you have... It all comes back to me now! Your all time lords right?" The filly said hoping she was right as Colgate came in and looked nervous, "Oh you silly little filly... what ever do you mean?! Time lords?! Ahahahaha.." The dentist mare's eyes shifted as she said that and her tone of voice seemed shaky and off.
"Your're lying aren't you..." Dinky's eyes glistened in disappointment. "You don't have to hide the truth from me.. not like any pony around the area is gonna believe it anyway.. right?" The filly looked down at the floor and grew interested in something. The toothpaste colored unicorn mare sighed, "I knew it all!!! I wish the Doctor never got involved with others... No pony would understand!"
"But yet I understand..." Dinky informed looking back up at the two mares "And you could have warned him before.. but then again you all were separated. Am I right?" Minuette stared over at Colgate who seemed to be having trouble skipping the subject, this filly didn't seem to stop.
Colgate turned her back at the filly and shook her head, "Ugh.. YES! Your right... now please skip the subject... a time lord has to keep a secret.." Colgate covered her mouth and stamped on the floor.
Dinky smiled and giggled, "So you do admit it! You guys truly are!"
The dentist mare rolled her eyes, "Don't you have somewhere to be?!" She said pushing Dinky out of the door and closing it momentarily without a word. A few seconds later the door opened again and her saddle bag was tossed out and the door slammed once again but louder this time. "Sheesh some pony is grumpy.." Dinky said as she put back on her saddle bag and trotted down the path of ponyville once more but instead in the broad daylight where every pony came to life from their slumber to bustle about the town as little Dinky Hooves walked by herself not caring who laid their eyes on her for any reason what so ever... Dinky's adventure ventured on till she returned back at the Everfree forest...
As Derpy slept a little bit longer she was awoken by a loud thump downstairs, causing the blonde mare to jolt awake.
"W-what was that?!" She exclaimed curiously as she made her way down the stairs carefully and slowly only to find it was her daughter Sparkler who had fallen and tripped over the lamp wires.
"Hi mom! Sorry I woke you up." Sparkler said seeing her mother as she got up and fixed her mane. Derpy giggled a little and sighed, "Dear.. Have you seen Dinky this morning yet?"
"I don't think I have mom.. Maybe she's sleeping in?" The magenta colored unicorn replied to her mother with a calming tone, "Why? Do you need her?"
The golden eyed mare nodded and without a word she walked up the stairs again towards her younger daughters room. Right when she opened the door she gasped and began to sob causing her other daughter Sparkler to run upstairs and hug her mother.
"Mom! What happene.. Oh..." Sparkler said staring into her sister's room and seeing she wasn't there. Where could she have gone? Thought Sparkler curiously before speaking again to her sobbing mother, "Mom.. if it makes you feel any better.. I could go and find her for you. I promise if I do I'll be extra careful!"
As I feel that I'm getting closer to the end of a journey.. I know it's only just the beginning...
As Dinky entered the cold and dark Everfree forest once more she shivered a little and hoped that the same thing wouldn't happen again. She still wondered what that figure was before but she decided to push it aside. It wasn't really the most important subject; what she was more interested in was where the hell was her father? And she was determined to stop at nothing to find him, even if a timber wolf...
"Huh?" Dinky suddenly said as her ears perked at a growling noise. She turned her attention to a pair of dark purple eyes glaring back at her causing her hair to stand on end; her heart rate went up higher then ever as her eyes widened in fright.
"Oh crap!" She said out loud, Dinky wanted to run but her body was frozen to the ground in shock. The filly didn't expect to run into the vain creature but like everypony says... things happen that we cannot prevent!
As the filly stood there the creature came closer and closer until it creeped slowly behind her, breathing down her neck making her tail puff up and sending shivers down her spine like no tomorrow. Just as the timber wolf was about to slash at her something bashed into the huge creature sending them self and the timber wolf into a tree.
She surprisingly turned around and ran towards the fight and it looked like timber wolf was fractured pretty badly. Dinky suddenly screamed and chucked a rock at the cracked parts of the timber wolf with her unicorn magic and bolted away as fast as she could before the creature had it's chance to pounce on her and end her life. The filly ran past the trees dodging them carefully with full speed as she came upon a bush, Dinky fell into the bush and tried her best to calm her heart rate before it got any worse then it already had gotten.
Without a single slow breath she had fallen onto her left side and passed out from all the shock and fear she had experienced that afternoon.
Little Dinky Hooves woke up in the pitch black darkness and tried her best to make the best of her surroundings before she solemnly decided to just light up her horn with a golden aura around it to make her path visible. As she remembered what had happened she was worried about the one who saved her and walked back to the scene only to find broken sticks and a very bloody figure that looked passed out; or maybe even dead!!
The filly walked closer and couldn't make the best of who it was so she decided to lay down next to the bleeding figure and wait till the morning emerged.
When she awoke she yawned, then got up and stretched before looking over at the figure from last night before gasping.
"D-dad?!" She said aloud before covering her mouth and broke into tears a little before wiping them away. Dinky examined the bleeding body and looked around for anything she could use to maybe clean the blood off so she could wrap the wounds as she spoke to herself quietly, "At least I'll know the truth now... well soon I guess.."
A while later as she was back in the bush with her knocked out father she waited forever and decided to walk out of the bush to get water and maybe a little snack; after all she wanted to save her food in her saddle bag that she had with her back in the bush. When the filly had returned she noticed that her father was gone and the only thing that was left behind was a huge puddle of blood.
Dinky popped her head out and searched high and low, left and right until she saw a trail of blood that maybe dripped off the stallion as he trailed away from the bush.
Drat!! I was this close!! Maybe I can keep moving!! She thought to herself. The hunt has begun...