Its Finally Overby serebiiChapterschapter 1Rolling DiceSnake Eyeschapter 1It was a very sunny afternoon, the sky was filled with clouds and the sun was starting to go down. Derpy and the Doctor had just come back from one of their many adventures. "Wow, I can't believe we're back! We've been gone for so long, I wonder what's changed since we've been gone." Derpy said, happy to be back home. "Well I would say we've been gone for about two hours." The Doctor said with a smile as he leaned against the Tardis. "Really, only two hours? It seems like I've been gone for years..." Derpy exhaled. "I have to get some things from home and I'll be ready, be right back." She said as she flew away. The Doctor walked back into the Tardis. It was quiet as he looked at the screen. Suddenly without warning the Tardis started moving on its own. "What's going on? Why can't I stop this!? Sexy what are you doing, no no no no no!" He shouted; holding onto the rail as the Tardis moved back and forth. After a while it stopped; he had landed. He slowly got up and walked over to the door, he looked outside to see that everything was the same, but something felt off. He decided to check on Derpy. When he arrived at her house he knocked on the door. "Hey honey, you back already?" Derpy asked as she kissed him on the lips. As soon as their lips touched he pulled away as fast as he could. "What are you doing, Derpy?!" He exclaimed as he backed up to keep a distance between them. "I’m kissing you silly” she said with a playful smile, "By the way, where are the groceries?" "What groceries, what are you- Look I like you, but I’m not looking for a relationship. Sorry.” "What are you talking about? We've been married for years now, we have two kids: Dinky and Sparkler, remember?" She asked, surprised by his obliviousness, "Wait, this isn't some kind of timelord joke is it, because it's not funny.” She said irritatedly crossing her hooves together, a frown now plastered on her face. "What, married? kids? But that's not possible!" The Doctor said, shaking his head. None of this was making sense, Derpy was his companion, not his wife. Who were these ponies known as Sparkler and Dinky that Derpy claimed where their kids? Suddenly a small filly came trotting to the door, "Daddy welcome home, I’m ready when you are!" she chirped, hoping up in down with a wide smile across her face. Dinky had been waiting all day for his return. “Give your dad a moment to get ready sweetie, he just got home. You'll have all day to learn how to drive." Derpy said to Dinky, trying to calm the young filly down. “Ready for what? What am I teaching her?” he asked, now even more confused than when Derpy had kissed him. "Don’t tell me you forgot, dad. You promised you’d show me how to fly the Tardis!" Dinky whined. "I said what! Look I'm sorry but you must have the wrong Doctor. That's it, the wrong Doctor of course, I'm soo stupid. I must be in a different universe! But where are the cracks... can I come in Derpy?" "You know you live here right." Derpy said still unsure of what was going on. The Doctor walked in and began looking around trying to find a crack somewhere in the house. "What's dad looking for?” Sparkler asked as she sat down on the couch eating an apple. "I’m looking for a crack in time because I’m not in my universe, but why can't I find a crack." He asked, searching the house but unable to find anything. "That's because this is your universe," Sparkler said as she finished her apple. She got up and slowly walked to get a closer look at him, "Yup you're definitely not our dad, but this is the same universe; just a different timeline. How the tardis let this happen is a mystery." "How do you know that?" he asked with a bewildered expression. "I’m part Timelord remember, and my dad- well you- did this before when he was teaching me how to fly the Tardis. The question is, where is our dad?" Sometime Earlier That Day "I'm going out to to the market to get some things I need." The Doctor said as he walked to the door. "Ok but don't forget what you promised Dinky today." Derpy yelled from inside the kitchen. "I won't forget; she been asking me all week. I still don't think she's ready for this though. I think we should give her one more year at least, just to be sure." The Doctor said with a worried tone. "But this is around the same time you started teaching Sparkler and she did fine." Derpy said, trying to reassure him. "I guess you're right," he conceded as he walked out the door, "Well I'll be back soon." Walking into town he was deep in thought. So many things could go wrong while teaching Dinky how to drive the Tardis, she was not the same as Sparkler. She felt much more powerful than Sparkler; he didn't know how the Tardis would react to Dinky driving her. When he reached the market he started buying everything he needed and decided to just wait and see how the driving lesson went. After all what was the worst that could happen; he and Sparkler only ended up in Maresico instead of Mustangia, not something he couldn't easily fix. On his way home he started to notice something he did not notice before, "But what..." he asked himself. Maybe I should scan the area just in case, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning, "There's a trace of something new in town not native to it." His readings led him to a lavender Pegasus mare with a giant bow in her mint colored hair. “Well that can't be right," he said smacking the sonic screwdriver a few times before walking up to the Pegasus. "Hello there, I'm the Doctor." He said while putting away the sonic screwdriver. "Hello I'm Flitter, nice to meet you." She said shaking his hoof. "So Flitter have you seen anything weird lately, anything at all?" he asked. "N-no wh-whats makes you say that?" She stuttered, avoiding his gaze. "Well I just have a feeling something’s wrong, are you sure that you haven't see anything off lately?" he asked. As he took a closer look he could tell something was clearly off about this mare. "Nope nothing at all! Um, I think I hear my sister calling, got to go it was nice meeting you Doctor" she said, about to take off when he stopped her. "Ok maybe you didn't understand me, I was trying to be nice and let you tell me but now I’m going to have to force you. I don't know who or what you are but you are not Flitter, are you?” he stared at her, trying to get her to talk. "I- um look we can't talk here, too many ponies. Follow me and I'll tell you everything.” The Doctor smiled to himself as the lavender pony caved in. He was finally going to get some answers. "Lead the way." The purple Pegasus led him into the Everfree forest, where they could talk without anypony around to hear them. It did not take long before there were at the entrance of the Everfree Forest. The doctor made sure to remember how to get back to the entrance just in case he had to run from whatever she was. 'Flitter' led him deep into the heart of the forest before she finally stopped in a small clearing. She scanned the surrounding area; making sure that nopony had followed them. She turned and faced him, "Ok this should be good, everypony in town is too scared to come to this far into the Everfree forest. You're right, I'm not a pony," she confessed, "but I can't let anyone in ponyville know." Suddenly a black flame flew around her body. The Doctor watched in shock as the pony known as Flitter changed before his eyes. As the flames died down something that looked like a black unicorn with paper thin green wings and holes dotting it's entire body appeared before him. "I'm a changeling." It declared. "Wow a changeling I've read all about your kind. My my my, you are beautiful" he murmured as he looked over the changeling. "You think I'm beautiful?" the changeling asked, surprised and confused at his reaction. Most ponies would attempt to run away, but he was just standing there gawking at her. "Of course I do, you are a marvelous specimen. Now if I'm not mistaken Changelings feed off the love one has for another individual, can change into any form, and they can take the memory of whoever they've changed into; it's simply marvelous how you're able to do all that!" The Doctor said excitedly, "There is just one problem though," "And what is that?" the Changeling asked, now more worried than confused. How did this individual know so much about them, he had to be taken care of. "My book says that Changelings travel in numbers, swarms, but here you are; on your own. My books also said you need to keep your host alive: to keep their memories. You know Flitter has a sister, and you are feeding off the love she has for her!" The Doctor glared at the changeling, and with a stern voice he made it clear that it was not welcome, "This is your only warning: leave Flitter and her sister alone, and I will forget all of this. You can still walk away, but if you decide to keep leaching of the two sisters love for each other I can't, and will not, guarantee your safety." "You are in no position to tell me what to do" she said angrily as she shot a green beam of light out of her horn, an evil smile on her face. "What was that?! What you just did with your horn!?" the Doctor shouted. The changeling giggled, "Well Doctor I'm not sure what you can do, but when I take your memories I'll find out!" She tipped her head back and let out a shrill cry. A few moments later the few rays of sunlight that managed to break through the thick foliage were dotted out as scores of changelings emerged from the forest. The Doctor was soon surrounded, there was no where he could run. As the swarm closed in on him he remembered he still had his Sonic Screwdriver. Quickly pulling it out he sent out a signal before a changeling knocked him out cold. The changeling that brought the Doctor into the forest smiled cruelly as she changed back into Flitter. As she smoothed out her mane one of the changelings approached her, "What should we do with him?" it asked, pointing towards the unconscious Doctor. "Bring him back to the cave so we can take his memories. He knew I wasn't a pony, so he must have some use. I can't have the town suspecting anything yet, we need more time to execute our plan. Keep him alive, for now." She said coldly. "Understood." Rolling DiceAn hour later, the sun had set and the moon was just starting to peek over the horizon. Inside the Hooves household,the Doctor and Sparkler had just finished explaining to Derpy and Dinky what they know. “Ok, I think I understand... but it doesn't explain where are Doctor is. He should've been back by now,he just went into town for a few things, it shouldn't take him that long…” Derpy murmured, her worry increasing as the time passed on. “You're right, he should have been home a while ago?” Sparkler eyed the Doctor, still not sure what to think of him. “Should we go look for him?” Dinky asked hopefully. Sparkler shook her head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We should try to find a way to send this Doctor back to his own timeline before time starts to fall apart.” She leaned on the couch and rested her head on her hoof, “I’m not sure what part of the timeline he’s form, but this is his future. Nothing seems to be happening and we’re all still here, but we can’t take any risks: he can't see himself or change anything that happens from this point forward, he already knows too much about us. The best thing for him, us, and the universe is to get him back to the Tardis and keep him there ‘till were able to send him back.” Sparkler replied Derpy shuffled her hooves as the weight of the situation sunk in, “Thats all good, but it doesn’t explain where this timeline’s Doctor is now.” “What Sparkler said is true, I didn’t do anything to the tardis so it’s entirely possible that your Doctor could have found my tardis and stayed away from all the places I would go to in my universe to prevent a paradox, and return only once my tardis left.” The Doctor said, trying to think on the brightside. “If thats true then all we have to do is take you back to your tardis then, right?” Dinky gasped, “Maybe if we hurry fast enough, Dad and I will have enough time for at least one driving lesson!” Derpy raised an eyebrow at her daughter; now wasn’t the time to worry about driving lessons. Sparkler rolled her eyes, “Right, so mom, take this Doctor back to his Tardis, be careful not to run into Dad, and make sure that he doesn’t do anything here. Dinky and I will stay here just in case Dad comes back”. “That sounds like the best course of action, the sooner the better. Come on Derpy, lets go.” The Doctor said trotting out of the house. “Wait for me!” ~ The moon was climbing higher in the sky as they walked back to the big blue box.There were a few ponies heading home, some gave a friendly greeting as they passed by. As Derpy and the Doctor neared the Tardis they saw a purple pegasus with a pale cerulean mane flitting about the indigo sky, she appeared to be searching for something. The mare spotted the duo walking and approached, she landed softly on the grass next to them. “Hey Derpy” she said cheerfully, betraying the worry clouding her eyes. “Hey Cloud Chaser, what have you been up to?” Derpy asked. “I've been looking for Flitter all day. You haven’t seen her, have you?" When Derpy shook her head she turned to the Doctor, "Earlier today I saw you two talking in the market then walking off. I was going to follow you but I lost track of you in the crowd. I would’ve flown to try and catch up but there just wasn’t any room for me to spread my wings. Where did you two go off to anyway?” The Doctor bit his lip and looked to his right trying to think of an answer, but Derpy cut him off; granting him a few seconds to think, but he felt that wasn’t her only reason for interrupting. "Wait! You saw th- I mean- my husband and Flitter earlier today?” Derpy asked; wings drooping slightly. Cloud Chaser’s eyes widened, regretting what was too late to take back, “Er, yeah... h-he was just talking to her about something and then they left-” “-to go to the library!” the Doctor smiled awkwardly, “and um, after we got there she said she had something to do so she flew away and thats the last I saw of her”. Derpy stood there dumbfounded by how good he was at lying. Derpy quickly regained her composure, “Well its been fun talking to you, but we have somewhere we need to be and we’re running late soo let’s get going Doctor” she said briskly. Derpy slowly started to walk away but began to quicken her pace until she was basically running away from Cloud Chaser; the Doctor not to far behind. “See you... later?” Cloud Chaser half-heartedly waved at the retreating couple, “I hope I didn’t just ruin…” she couldn’t bear to think about it. Cloud Chaser sorrowfully looked at the horizon before resuming her search for her beloved sister. “I’ll find you. It’ll all be ok…” ~ Derpy and the Doctor didn’t stop running until they were sure Cloud Chaser was no longer within sight or hearing range. Derpy panted, “That was close Doctor, it was a good thing you could come up with something believable quickly. But… since you’re technically not supposed to do anything, wouldn’t that mean you can’t-” He shook his head, “No, not exactly. I can't act on my decisions or make anypony do something different then they would. All I can really do is just stand and watch,” “Watch and just let what happens, happen.” Derpy finished, then looked away as she whispered, “I know.” The Doctor was taken aback by her tone and attempted to change the subject, “Hey, at least we know where your Doctor has been, the only mystery left is where he is now.” He tried to think of reasons why he would go somewhere with Flitter, but nothing came to mind. After a lengthy pause, “I guess that makes sense… I just hope he’s ok.” Derpy said as she walked towards the Tardis. She was about to open the door when she noticed that the Doctor wasn’t behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she saw him looking into the night sky; lost in thought. Derpy watched him as he stared at the stars, as if wishing they’d give him an answer, it was a while before she finally spoke. “Doctor, what's wrong? If you're worried about my Doctor I’m sure he's fine” Derpy reassured him, giving him a slightly forced smile. The Doctor looked at Derpy wistfully, “That’s not it Derpy.” “Then what's wrong?” “Its just that-” he sighed heavily, “I found out today that I have a family. A family. It's a lot to take in. I didn’t want to say anything when we were with the kids, but I need to know... how did this happen. When did it start? I just want answers.” he looked at Derpy, begging her to answer him, and as much as it hurt her to see him so lost, so desperate, she was painfully aware of what she could, and could not tell him. “Doctor, I wish I could tell you that story. Its a story that I love, and hate at the same time. We can't change the past, you know that, and I would never want to if I could. This is my life and I would never change it. All I can say is, that day we lost someone close to us but that’s also the day we became a family. The only way you're going to get answers is if you get back to your own timeline and wait for it to happen, and when it does you’ll understand everything. I know how much you hate waiting, you're a pony of action, which is one of the reasons I fell in love with you, but you just have to let things happen. Everything will work out, you’ll see.” “Thanks Derpy, but I'm not sure I'm ready to start a family.” Derpy got closer and gave the Doctor a hug. “When the time comes, you will be ready.” She hugged him tighter. Neither of them broke the silence that followed, they just embraced, neither wanting to be the one to end it. As comforting as it felt, Derpy and the Doctor knew the moment had to end. They unwrapped their arms from each other and Derpy gave the Doctor a big smile and nodded. The Doctor walked up to the Tardis and placed a hoof on the door, he looked back once more at Derpy and smiled warmly before opening the Tardis and walking in, and closing the door behind him firmly. He climbed up the stairs and began to check his monitor when he noticed something flashing on the far right of the monitor. The Doctor inspected the blinking signal curiously, “No…” he murmured, “but then, that means-” He quickly crossed over to the door and yanked it open, he saw Derpy already at the base of the hill. He called out for her to wait, and ran after her. Hearing her name called, Derpy turned and saw the Doctor running down the slope. He skidded to a halt next to her, panting hard. After taking a moment to collect himself he managed to say, “Derpy, you need to see this.” “What is it, Doctor?” Derpy asked as they made their way back to the Tardis. “You have to see this” Upon entering the Tardis, the blinking signal was now emitting a shrill beeping noise, the Doctor desperately tried to find a way to shut it off. “Uh Doctor,” Derpy said worriedly, “why’s the Tardis beeping?” “It’s a call for help only the Sonic Screwdriver can signal, and the only other ponies with a Sonic are…?” “My Doctor and Sparkler” Derpy said as she nervously shuffled her hooves and rustled her wings. The Doctor nodded then ducked his head under the counter. Moments later,the piercing alarm finally died down. Derpy and the Doctor both rubbed their sore ears, trying to get the lingering buzz to fade. The Doctor looked at Derpy as she she held her nose and took a deep breath in an attempt to pop her ears, once she was done he said, “Well, it looks like I'm going to be staying a little longer than we planned.” “Wha- what! Y-you can't do that Doctor, you’re not allowed to change anything, remember?” “Yes I know, but I can watch and help from afar. I'll be right back!” the Doctor said while walking to the other side of the Tardis. He leaned over and looked under the scanner, after a few minutes of searching and moving things around the Doctor finally found what he was looking for: an old box covered in cobwebs and dust. He brushed his hoof over the box, scattering dust, causing him and Derpy to cough. Once the air cleared, they could clearly see the word ‘gifts’ inscribed upon the box. The Doctor opened it and began to rifle through it. “No... nope... wow I still have this?” The Doctor started pulling things out of the box when he was unable to find what he was looking by just pushing them aside. Derpy looked over his shoulder, curiously eyeing the assortment of things strewn around him. “Doctor, what are you looking for?” “I'm looking for glasses, Derpy. Glasses for you”. Derpy gave him a funny look, “Glasses? Doctor you know glasses won’t do anything for my eyes”. The Doctor barely heard her, “Come on, I could’ve sworn they were- Found them!” With a look of triumph he pulled out an odd pair of glasses, taking a second to wipe the lenses on a rag, he put them on, “Well would you look at that... 2000 years and they still work.” “Doctor can you please tell me what you doing.” “Well Derpy, I can't do anything because I can’t mess with my own timeline, but what I can do, is stay in the Tardis and make sure you and your family are safe. These glasses have a an earpiece on the right side, so you’ll be able to hear me even from inside the Tardis. On the left lense there’s a small camera that lets me see what you’re seeing. Now I can help you without the risk of seeing myself.” The Doctor gave a small smile as he passed the glasses to Derpy. Derpy examined the glasses, holding them up to the light and looking at them from different angles before finally placing them on her face. “This is a great idea!” Derpy exclaimed, causing her glasses to tilt to the right. The Doctor moved them back in place and adjusted the earpiece to fit comfortably. “Doctor, will it be possible for us to pinpoint where the signal is coming from?” “I’m sorry Derpy, we can't, not just yet. The tardis is weak from making the trip here, she should be ready by morning; we can start searching then, it’s too dark to now anyway. The best thing you can do right now is go home, and get some rest. You need it.” Derpy nodded and began walking to the tardis door. The Doctor walked with her to the doorway. “Derpy,” he said, placing his hoof on her shoulder, “stay safe.” “I'll be fine as long as I wear these glasses. If anything happens, you'll know.” “I know, I just- don't want anything to happen to you.” Derpy smiled from ear to ear and hugged him lightly around his neck, “Thank you Doctor.” A second later, she dropped back down to all fours and walked out the Tardis. The Doctor leaned against the doorway, he placed a hoof on the opposite side of the Tardis and gave her a gentle pat, “Don’t worry sexy, I don’t blame you for getting us stranded here.” Derpy looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, amused at what she saw. She shook her head lightly and quipped, “Still wishing, huh Doctor?” He jumped, a small blush creeping across his cheeks, “W-what did you say?!” Derpy giggled, and continued walking down the hill, “Nothing Doctor, nothing at all.” Snake EyesBack at the Hooves household, Sparkler and Dinky were occupying themselves while they waited for their mother to come home. Sparkler was sitting in the living room reading a magazine, while Dinky was upstairs doing Celestia knows what. Sparkler was about to go and check up on Dinky and see why she was making such a racket when the filly shouted from the top of the stairs, “Sparkler! Can you come up here and help me with something.” Sighing, she tossed her magazine onto the table and walked up the stairs to Dinky room. It was a disaster area: toys were everywhere, books and papers were strewn about, and her bed was unmade. Sparkler looked at her sister and wondered how such a little filly could make such a big mess by herself. “Dinky, you didn't call me up here to help you clean your room, did you?” “Noo, I called you up here so you could help me use magic to clean my room. I can’t do it no matter how hard I try.” Dinky’s horn sparked pitifully, as she strained to do magic, before fizzling out completely. She flopped onto the floor, groaning in frustration, “How do you know how to do magic anyway? Mom and Dad aren't unicorns.” Sparkler had been watching Dinky’s weak attempts at magic with concern; she choose her words carefully before answering, “You're right… they aren't. Dad tried to get me a teacher but then-” “Really who?” Dinky interrupted, “Do I know them? Do they live in Ponyville?” she asked jumping up with excitement. “Yeah, you know her. She used to live in Ponyville. But before I tell you who she is,” Sparklers eyes narrowed, “you have to answer my one question.” Dinky nodded vigorously. “Why are you trying to learn magic now? Its never come up before, and you've never asked about it.” Dinky’s excitement was extinguished faster than a fire doused with water. Her smile disappeared, and her bouncing ceased. She turned and walked to her bed with her back turned to Sparkler. “Dinky…” She fiddled with the bedsheets. “Dinky?” Dinky let out a shaky sigh, and mumbled just loud enough for her sister to hear, “You wouldn't understand.” Sparkler walked up to her, and with one hoof placed gently under Dinky’s chin she pushed her head up until she could clearly see her face. Tears stained Dinky’s lavender coat. Before Sparkler could say anything, Dinky pulled away and rubbed her eyes. Sparkler gave her a moment to calm herself, but when she heard another sniffle and a stifled sob she pulled Dinky into her lap. Dinky allowed herself to be held. Sparkler enveloped the small filly in a warm hug; holding her tightly against her body, she rested her chin on her sister’s head. Dinky whimpered as she cried i, “I c-c-can’t do anything!” she sobbed“It’s ok Dinky. Shh, don’t cry, don’t cry.” She whispered as she rocked her back and forth. A few minutes passed before Dinky loosened her grip on Sparkler. She didn't slide off of her lap, but instead rested her head on her sister’s chest. Sparkler stroked her hair, gently untangling the knots that had formed throughout the day, “Dinky you can tell me anything. I'm your big sister, you can trust me, I will always be here for you. You're right, I can't understand everything that happens to you, but you have to at least let me try to help you.” Dinky sniffled, “I-its just that... you, Mom, and Dad, can all do so much and I can’t! I just feel so useless... If I had magic I could help out more. With everything going on right now I hate the fact that I can't do anything.” Dinky sighed in frustration, but finally saying everything on her mind made her feel better, like a weight had been lifted off her chest. “Dinky, I completely understand.” “You do?” She nodded and pulled Dinky closer to her, “When I was around your age I used to feel that way all the time.” Sparkler frowned, “My friends found out I couldn't use magic and that mom and dad weren't unicorns. They teased me a lot, but I figured it was all in good fun. After all they were my friends, friends tease each other. I didn't realize that they only kept me around just so they could make fun of me and make me do things for them. I was always the one taking school projects home to “finish” for them and “editing” their homework. But, once they all learned how to levitate stuff they didn't want to have me around anymore; they could get what they wanted without having to get up.” Sparkler paused and hugged Dinky closer to her body, her voice cracked, “Dinky, never do what I did ok. I- I was stupid. I just wanted the other foals to like me.” “But, Sparkler… what- what happened next?” “One day the teacher told us to get into groups. I wanted to work with my friends, except…” Sparklers voice hitched, “they didn't want to work with me anymore. They said they didn't need some dumb unicorn who couldn't even do simple magic. They said they would never want to work with me, a useless unicorn. I worked alone… and well, it wasn't fun. I thought maybe if they thought I was special then they’d want to be my friends again- “What’d you do? You didn't tell them that Daddy was a Timelord right? Mom and Dad would've been super mad!” “No, no… I didn't even know what Dad was back then… but I had seen the Tardis. The first time I ever saw the Tardis I was told it was just a box that Dad liked to keep, but I remember seeing it disappear before. I figured all I had to do was somehow convince my friends it was a magic box. I asked Mom if I could show my friends the magic box, but she wouldn't let me. I tried telling her that I needed to show them the magic box, or else I’d just be stupid nobody. She told me that I should focus on my school work and that if they were really my friends that they’d think I was special without some magic box. I couldn't believe it; I thought mom wanted me to be a loser. Then I thought all I really needed was magic. So I did what you’re trying to do right now: ask Mom and Dad for a magic teacher. Mom would have been fine with any magic teacher, but Dad wanted the best for me!” “Really, who? Who!?” “I’ll give you a hint, she used to live in Ponyville when you were a little younger, but she had to leave after she proved what Dad already knew was true.” Dinky furrowed her eyebrows as she thought hard, she never was that good at riddles. When nothing came to mind, Sparkler finally revealed just who she was talking about. “Your magic teacher was Princess Twilight Sparkle!?” Dinky shrieked. Sparkler chuckled, “Well… not exactly. Dad would've liked for me to be taught by Princess Twilight herself (she was just Twilight back then).” Dinky was lost, “But Sparkler,” she started, “why would Dad want Twilight Sparkle to be your teacher when you’re as old as she is? Wouldn't she have been a baby?” “Do you think Dad thought time was an issue? For the first time in my life Dad let me into that blue box, it’s so hard to describe that feeling walking into the Tardis and seeing what was inside.” “Daddy time traveled to Twilight? To when she was a princess? Did you get to see her as a Princess, Sparkler?” Sparkler smiled, “No, we didn't go that far, but I’m pretty sure Dad knew what she was capable of. She was pretty excited to see Dad, it had been awhile since they-” “Wait what?” Dinky’s eyes were wide open, “I thought only Mom knew Daddy was a time traveler! ¿How long were they partners, who’d he like better?, well he had to like Mommy better right he married her after all!” Sparkler pushed her hoof against her mouth, “I’m pretty sure Dad appreciated both Mom and Twilight’s help as his companions,” she said, then giving Dinky a look she removed her hoof from her mouth, “now if you’ll stop interrupting, I’d like to get to the end of this story, it’s waaay past your bedtime.” Dinky pouted, but kept her mouth shut despite having a million questions to ask, she’d ask Mommy when she came back. “Right so, Dad asked if Twilight would like to teach me, but she said she couldn't.” Dinky gasped, but held true to her word and remained silent. “Twilight told Dad that she didn't have the time to teach me, she had her advanced studies to focus on. However, she did suggest that Dad enroll me in the school she was attending-” “Celestia’s School for Gifted unicorns.” they said in unison. Sparkler smiled. Dinky caught on fast, she really was a bright unicorn, a lot sharper than Sparkler was at her age at least. She wondered why Dinky was having such difficulty with magic, perhaps a quick trip to the library for a lesson book would help. Sparkler glanced at the clock, a quarter past eight, to late to be visiting the library, but when did time ever stop anyone. A mischievous smile flitted across her face. “Hey Dinky, how about we take the Tardis for a little drive?” Dinky smiled with glee, and with a giggle followed Sparkler down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. She could barely contain herself as Sparkler opened the door to the Tardis. Once inside she was dumbstruck, she couldn't believe how immense it really was. Sure she heard from her Dad, but there were just no words to prepare her for what lay before her. “It-it’s so…” “Big.” Sparkler chuckled as Dinky just nodded, still completely blown away. “Dinky you might wanna close your mouth though, wouldn't want a fly to fly in.” Dinky blinked and shook her head, she gave the Tardis another look before trotting up to Sparkler, who was fiddling with some of the controls. “Wait so Sparkler… where exactly are we going?” “Well Dinky,” Sparkler replied, moving to the other side of the core, “it depends on one thing… are you still up for learning some magic?” she popped out on the other side of the core and grabbed Dinky. Dinky squeaked in surprise but started to giggle as Sparkler lightly tickled her. Between fits of laughter Dinky managed to say yes. Satisfied, Sparkler set her down and began to punch in their destination. Dinky reared up and tried to see what her sister was doing, but her eyes barely peared over the edge of the console. Sparkler grinned as she pulled one final lever, “And we’re set to… Go!” The Tardis started to shake and shimmer in and out of view. “Dinky grab onto something-” Sparkler had barely finished warning Dinky when she felt her small hooves wrap around her front leg. She looked down and saw her pressing her face against her, she was about to comfort her when she heard something strange. Sparkler looked up at the Tardis’ core and saw electricity crackling over the panels and up the center. Dinky whimpered, “Sparkler…. is it supposed to do that?” “I- uh, I don’t think so,” She rushed to the panel, with Dinky still attached to her leg. This wasn't good, the Tardis was shaking uncontrollably now, the lights were flickering, and, she felt herself lose her equilibrium, starting to spin. She ducked underneath the console and held Dinky tightly as she braced herself for the inevitable crash.
chapter 1It was a very sunny afternoon, the sky was filled with clouds and the sun was starting to go down. Derpy and the Doctor had just come back from one of their many adventures. "Wow, I can't believe we're back! We've been gone for so long, I wonder what's changed since we've been gone." Derpy said, happy to be back home. "Well I would say we've been gone for about two hours." The Doctor said with a smile as he leaned against the Tardis. "Really, only two hours? It seems like I've been gone for years..." Derpy exhaled. "I have to get some things from home and I'll be ready, be right back." She said as she flew away. The Doctor walked back into the Tardis. It was quiet as he looked at the screen. Suddenly without warning the Tardis started moving on its own. "What's going on? Why can't I stop this!? Sexy what are you doing, no no no no no!" He shouted; holding onto the rail as the Tardis moved back and forth. After a while it stopped; he had landed. He slowly got up and walked over to the door, he looked outside to see that everything was the same, but something felt off. He decided to check on Derpy. When he arrived at her house he knocked on the door. "Hey honey, you back already?" Derpy asked as she kissed him on the lips. As soon as their lips touched he pulled away as fast as he could. "What are you doing, Derpy?!" He exclaimed as he backed up to keep a distance between them. "I’m kissing you silly” she said with a playful smile, "By the way, where are the groceries?" "What groceries, what are you- Look I like you, but I’m not looking for a relationship. Sorry.” "What are you talking about? We've been married for years now, we have two kids: Dinky and Sparkler, remember?" She asked, surprised by his obliviousness, "Wait, this isn't some kind of timelord joke is it, because it's not funny.” She said irritatedly crossing her hooves together, a frown now plastered on her face. "What, married? kids? But that's not possible!" The Doctor said, shaking his head. None of this was making sense, Derpy was his companion, not his wife. Who were these ponies known as Sparkler and Dinky that Derpy claimed where their kids? Suddenly a small filly came trotting to the door, "Daddy welcome home, I’m ready when you are!" she chirped, hoping up in down with a wide smile across her face. Dinky had been waiting all day for his return. “Give your dad a moment to get ready sweetie, he just got home. You'll have all day to learn how to drive." Derpy said to Dinky, trying to calm the young filly down. “Ready for what? What am I teaching her?” he asked, now even more confused than when Derpy had kissed him. "Don’t tell me you forgot, dad. You promised you’d show me how to fly the Tardis!" Dinky whined. "I said what! Look I'm sorry but you must have the wrong Doctor. That's it, the wrong Doctor of course, I'm soo stupid. I must be in a different universe! But where are the cracks... can I come in Derpy?" "You know you live here right." Derpy said still unsure of what was going on. The Doctor walked in and began looking around trying to find a crack somewhere in the house. "What's dad looking for?” Sparkler asked as she sat down on the couch eating an apple. "I’m looking for a crack in time because I’m not in my universe, but why can't I find a crack." He asked, searching the house but unable to find anything. "That's because this is your universe," Sparkler said as she finished her apple. She got up and slowly walked to get a closer look at him, "Yup you're definitely not our dad, but this is the same universe; just a different timeline. How the tardis let this happen is a mystery." "How do you know that?" he asked with a bewildered expression. "I’m part Timelord remember, and my dad- well you- did this before when he was teaching me how to fly the Tardis. The question is, where is our dad?" Sometime Earlier That Day "I'm going out to to the market to get some things I need." The Doctor said as he walked to the door. "Ok but don't forget what you promised Dinky today." Derpy yelled from inside the kitchen. "I won't forget; she been asking me all week. I still don't think she's ready for this though. I think we should give her one more year at least, just to be sure." The Doctor said with a worried tone. "But this is around the same time you started teaching Sparkler and she did fine." Derpy said, trying to reassure him. "I guess you're right," he conceded as he walked out the door, "Well I'll be back soon." Walking into town he was deep in thought. So many things could go wrong while teaching Dinky how to drive the Tardis, she was not the same as Sparkler. She felt much more powerful than Sparkler; he didn't know how the Tardis would react to Dinky driving her. When he reached the market he started buying everything he needed and decided to just wait and see how the driving lesson went. After all what was the worst that could happen; he and Sparkler only ended up in Maresico instead of Mustangia, not something he couldn't easily fix. On his way home he started to notice something he did not notice before, "But what..." he asked himself. Maybe I should scan the area just in case, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began scanning, "There's a trace of something new in town not native to it." His readings led him to a lavender Pegasus mare with a giant bow in her mint colored hair. “Well that can't be right," he said smacking the sonic screwdriver a few times before walking up to the Pegasus. "Hello there, I'm the Doctor." He said while putting away the sonic screwdriver. "Hello I'm Flitter, nice to meet you." She said shaking his hoof. "So Flitter have you seen anything weird lately, anything at all?" he asked. "N-no wh-whats makes you say that?" She stuttered, avoiding his gaze. "Well I just have a feeling something’s wrong, are you sure that you haven't see anything off lately?" he asked. As he took a closer look he could tell something was clearly off about this mare. "Nope nothing at all! Um, I think I hear my sister calling, got to go it was nice meeting you Doctor" she said, about to take off when he stopped her. "Ok maybe you didn't understand me, I was trying to be nice and let you tell me but now I’m going to have to force you. I don't know who or what you are but you are not Flitter, are you?” he stared at her, trying to get her to talk. "I- um look we can't talk here, too many ponies. Follow me and I'll tell you everything.” The Doctor smiled to himself as the lavender pony caved in. He was finally going to get some answers. "Lead the way." The purple Pegasus led him into the Everfree forest, where they could talk without anypony around to hear them. It did not take long before there were at the entrance of the Everfree Forest. The doctor made sure to remember how to get back to the entrance just in case he had to run from whatever she was. 'Flitter' led him deep into the heart of the forest before she finally stopped in a small clearing. She scanned the surrounding area; making sure that nopony had followed them. She turned and faced him, "Ok this should be good, everypony in town is too scared to come to this far into the Everfree forest. You're right, I'm not a pony," she confessed, "but I can't let anyone in ponyville know." Suddenly a black flame flew around her body. The Doctor watched in shock as the pony known as Flitter changed before his eyes. As the flames died down something that looked like a black unicorn with paper thin green wings and holes dotting it's entire body appeared before him. "I'm a changeling." It declared. "Wow a changeling I've read all about your kind. My my my, you are beautiful" he murmured as he looked over the changeling. "You think I'm beautiful?" the changeling asked, surprised and confused at his reaction. Most ponies would attempt to run away, but he was just standing there gawking at her. "Of course I do, you are a marvelous specimen. Now if I'm not mistaken Changelings feed off the love one has for another individual, can change into any form, and they can take the memory of whoever they've changed into; it's simply marvelous how you're able to do all that!" The Doctor said excitedly, "There is just one problem though," "And what is that?" the Changeling asked, now more worried than confused. How did this individual know so much about them, he had to be taken care of. "My book says that Changelings travel in numbers, swarms, but here you are; on your own. My books also said you need to keep your host alive: to keep their memories. You know Flitter has a sister, and you are feeding off the love she has for her!" The Doctor glared at the changeling, and with a stern voice he made it clear that it was not welcome, "This is your only warning: leave Flitter and her sister alone, and I will forget all of this. You can still walk away, but if you decide to keep leaching of the two sisters love for each other I can't, and will not, guarantee your safety." "You are in no position to tell me what to do" she said angrily as she shot a green beam of light out of her horn, an evil smile on her face. "What was that?! What you just did with your horn!?" the Doctor shouted. The changeling giggled, "Well Doctor I'm not sure what you can do, but when I take your memories I'll find out!" She tipped her head back and let out a shrill cry. A few moments later the few rays of sunlight that managed to break through the thick foliage were dotted out as scores of changelings emerged from the forest. The Doctor was soon surrounded, there was no where he could run. As the swarm closed in on him he remembered he still had his Sonic Screwdriver. Quickly pulling it out he sent out a signal before a changeling knocked him out cold. The changeling that brought the Doctor into the forest smiled cruelly as she changed back into Flitter. As she smoothed out her mane one of the changelings approached her, "What should we do with him?" it asked, pointing towards the unconscious Doctor. "Bring him back to the cave so we can take his memories. He knew I wasn't a pony, so he must have some use. I can't have the town suspecting anything yet, we need more time to execute our plan. Keep him alive, for now." She said coldly. "Understood."
Rolling DiceAn hour later, the sun had set and the moon was just starting to peek over the horizon. Inside the Hooves household,the Doctor and Sparkler had just finished explaining to Derpy and Dinky what they know. “Ok, I think I understand... but it doesn't explain where are Doctor is. He should've been back by now,he just went into town for a few things, it shouldn't take him that long…” Derpy murmured, her worry increasing as the time passed on. “You're right, he should have been home a while ago?” Sparkler eyed the Doctor, still not sure what to think of him. “Should we go look for him?” Dinky asked hopefully. Sparkler shook her head, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We should try to find a way to send this Doctor back to his own timeline before time starts to fall apart.” She leaned on the couch and rested her head on her hoof, “I’m not sure what part of the timeline he’s form, but this is his future. Nothing seems to be happening and we’re all still here, but we can’t take any risks: he can't see himself or change anything that happens from this point forward, he already knows too much about us. The best thing for him, us, and the universe is to get him back to the Tardis and keep him there ‘till were able to send him back.” Sparkler replied Derpy shuffled her hooves as the weight of the situation sunk in, “Thats all good, but it doesn’t explain where this timeline’s Doctor is now.” “What Sparkler said is true, I didn’t do anything to the tardis so it’s entirely possible that your Doctor could have found my tardis and stayed away from all the places I would go to in my universe to prevent a paradox, and return only once my tardis left.” The Doctor said, trying to think on the brightside. “If thats true then all we have to do is take you back to your tardis then, right?” Dinky gasped, “Maybe if we hurry fast enough, Dad and I will have enough time for at least one driving lesson!” Derpy raised an eyebrow at her daughter; now wasn’t the time to worry about driving lessons. Sparkler rolled her eyes, “Right, so mom, take this Doctor back to his Tardis, be careful not to run into Dad, and make sure that he doesn’t do anything here. Dinky and I will stay here just in case Dad comes back”. “That sounds like the best course of action, the sooner the better. Come on Derpy, lets go.” The Doctor said trotting out of the house. “Wait for me!” ~ The moon was climbing higher in the sky as they walked back to the big blue box.There were a few ponies heading home, some gave a friendly greeting as they passed by. As Derpy and the Doctor neared the Tardis they saw a purple pegasus with a pale cerulean mane flitting about the indigo sky, she appeared to be searching for something. The mare spotted the duo walking and approached, she landed softly on the grass next to them. “Hey Derpy” she said cheerfully, betraying the worry clouding her eyes. “Hey Cloud Chaser, what have you been up to?” Derpy asked. “I've been looking for Flitter all day. You haven’t seen her, have you?" When Derpy shook her head she turned to the Doctor, "Earlier today I saw you two talking in the market then walking off. I was going to follow you but I lost track of you in the crowd. I would’ve flown to try and catch up but there just wasn’t any room for me to spread my wings. Where did you two go off to anyway?” The Doctor bit his lip and looked to his right trying to think of an answer, but Derpy cut him off; granting him a few seconds to think, but he felt that wasn’t her only reason for interrupting. "Wait! You saw th- I mean- my husband and Flitter earlier today?” Derpy asked; wings drooping slightly. Cloud Chaser’s eyes widened, regretting what was too late to take back, “Er, yeah... h-he was just talking to her about something and then they left-” “-to go to the library!” the Doctor smiled awkwardly, “and um, after we got there she said she had something to do so she flew away and thats the last I saw of her”. Derpy stood there dumbfounded by how good he was at lying. Derpy quickly regained her composure, “Well its been fun talking to you, but we have somewhere we need to be and we’re running late soo let’s get going Doctor” she said briskly. Derpy slowly started to walk away but began to quicken her pace until she was basically running away from Cloud Chaser; the Doctor not to far behind. “See you... later?” Cloud Chaser half-heartedly waved at the retreating couple, “I hope I didn’t just ruin…” she couldn’t bear to think about it. Cloud Chaser sorrowfully looked at the horizon before resuming her search for her beloved sister. “I’ll find you. It’ll all be ok…” ~ Derpy and the Doctor didn’t stop running until they were sure Cloud Chaser was no longer within sight or hearing range. Derpy panted, “That was close Doctor, it was a good thing you could come up with something believable quickly. But… since you’re technically not supposed to do anything, wouldn’t that mean you can’t-” He shook his head, “No, not exactly. I can't act on my decisions or make anypony do something different then they would. All I can really do is just stand and watch,” “Watch and just let what happens, happen.” Derpy finished, then looked away as she whispered, “I know.” The Doctor was taken aback by her tone and attempted to change the subject, “Hey, at least we know where your Doctor has been, the only mystery left is where he is now.” He tried to think of reasons why he would go somewhere with Flitter, but nothing came to mind. After a lengthy pause, “I guess that makes sense… I just hope he’s ok.” Derpy said as she walked towards the Tardis. She was about to open the door when she noticed that the Doctor wasn’t behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she saw him looking into the night sky; lost in thought. Derpy watched him as he stared at the stars, as if wishing they’d give him an answer, it was a while before she finally spoke. “Doctor, what's wrong? If you're worried about my Doctor I’m sure he's fine” Derpy reassured him, giving him a slightly forced smile. The Doctor looked at Derpy wistfully, “That’s not it Derpy.” “Then what's wrong?” “Its just that-” he sighed heavily, “I found out today that I have a family. A family. It's a lot to take in. I didn’t want to say anything when we were with the kids, but I need to know... how did this happen. When did it start? I just want answers.” he looked at Derpy, begging her to answer him, and as much as it hurt her to see him so lost, so desperate, she was painfully aware of what she could, and could not tell him. “Doctor, I wish I could tell you that story. Its a story that I love, and hate at the same time. We can't change the past, you know that, and I would never want to if I could. This is my life and I would never change it. All I can say is, that day we lost someone close to us but that’s also the day we became a family. The only way you're going to get answers is if you get back to your own timeline and wait for it to happen, and when it does you’ll understand everything. I know how much you hate waiting, you're a pony of action, which is one of the reasons I fell in love with you, but you just have to let things happen. Everything will work out, you’ll see.” “Thanks Derpy, but I'm not sure I'm ready to start a family.” Derpy got closer and gave the Doctor a hug. “When the time comes, you will be ready.” She hugged him tighter. Neither of them broke the silence that followed, they just embraced, neither wanting to be the one to end it. As comforting as it felt, Derpy and the Doctor knew the moment had to end. They unwrapped their arms from each other and Derpy gave the Doctor a big smile and nodded. The Doctor walked up to the Tardis and placed a hoof on the door, he looked back once more at Derpy and smiled warmly before opening the Tardis and walking in, and closing the door behind him firmly. He climbed up the stairs and began to check his monitor when he noticed something flashing on the far right of the monitor. The Doctor inspected the blinking signal curiously, “No…” he murmured, “but then, that means-” He quickly crossed over to the door and yanked it open, he saw Derpy already at the base of the hill. He called out for her to wait, and ran after her. Hearing her name called, Derpy turned and saw the Doctor running down the slope. He skidded to a halt next to her, panting hard. After taking a moment to collect himself he managed to say, “Derpy, you need to see this.” “What is it, Doctor?” Derpy asked as they made their way back to the Tardis. “You have to see this” Upon entering the Tardis, the blinking signal was now emitting a shrill beeping noise, the Doctor desperately tried to find a way to shut it off. “Uh Doctor,” Derpy said worriedly, “why’s the Tardis beeping?” “It’s a call for help only the Sonic Screwdriver can signal, and the only other ponies with a Sonic are…?” “My Doctor and Sparkler” Derpy said as she nervously shuffled her hooves and rustled her wings. The Doctor nodded then ducked his head under the counter. Moments later,the piercing alarm finally died down. Derpy and the Doctor both rubbed their sore ears, trying to get the lingering buzz to fade. The Doctor looked at Derpy as she she held her nose and took a deep breath in an attempt to pop her ears, once she was done he said, “Well, it looks like I'm going to be staying a little longer than we planned.” “Wha- what! Y-you can't do that Doctor, you’re not allowed to change anything, remember?” “Yes I know, but I can watch and help from afar. I'll be right back!” the Doctor said while walking to the other side of the Tardis. He leaned over and looked under the scanner, after a few minutes of searching and moving things around the Doctor finally found what he was looking for: an old box covered in cobwebs and dust. He brushed his hoof over the box, scattering dust, causing him and Derpy to cough. Once the air cleared, they could clearly see the word ‘gifts’ inscribed upon the box. The Doctor opened it and began to rifle through it. “No... nope... wow I still have this?” The Doctor started pulling things out of the box when he was unable to find what he was looking by just pushing them aside. Derpy looked over his shoulder, curiously eyeing the assortment of things strewn around him. “Doctor, what are you looking for?” “I'm looking for glasses, Derpy. Glasses for you”. Derpy gave him a funny look, “Glasses? Doctor you know glasses won’t do anything for my eyes”. The Doctor barely heard her, “Come on, I could’ve sworn they were- Found them!” With a look of triumph he pulled out an odd pair of glasses, taking a second to wipe the lenses on a rag, he put them on, “Well would you look at that... 2000 years and they still work.” “Doctor can you please tell me what you doing.” “Well Derpy, I can't do anything because I can’t mess with my own timeline, but what I can do, is stay in the Tardis and make sure you and your family are safe. These glasses have a an earpiece on the right side, so you’ll be able to hear me even from inside the Tardis. On the left lense there’s a small camera that lets me see what you’re seeing. Now I can help you without the risk of seeing myself.” The Doctor gave a small smile as he passed the glasses to Derpy. Derpy examined the glasses, holding them up to the light and looking at them from different angles before finally placing them on her face. “This is a great idea!” Derpy exclaimed, causing her glasses to tilt to the right. The Doctor moved them back in place and adjusted the earpiece to fit comfortably. “Doctor, will it be possible for us to pinpoint where the signal is coming from?” “I’m sorry Derpy, we can't, not just yet. The tardis is weak from making the trip here, she should be ready by morning; we can start searching then, it’s too dark to now anyway. The best thing you can do right now is go home, and get some rest. You need it.” Derpy nodded and began walking to the tardis door. The Doctor walked with her to the doorway. “Derpy,” he said, placing his hoof on her shoulder, “stay safe.” “I'll be fine as long as I wear these glasses. If anything happens, you'll know.” “I know, I just- don't want anything to happen to you.” Derpy smiled from ear to ear and hugged him lightly around his neck, “Thank you Doctor.” A second later, she dropped back down to all fours and walked out the Tardis. The Doctor leaned against the doorway, he placed a hoof on the opposite side of the Tardis and gave her a gentle pat, “Don’t worry sexy, I don’t blame you for getting us stranded here.” Derpy looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, amused at what she saw. She shook her head lightly and quipped, “Still wishing, huh Doctor?” He jumped, a small blush creeping across his cheeks, “W-what did you say?!” Derpy giggled, and continued walking down the hill, “Nothing Doctor, nothing at all.”
Snake EyesBack at the Hooves household, Sparkler and Dinky were occupying themselves while they waited for their mother to come home. Sparkler was sitting in the living room reading a magazine, while Dinky was upstairs doing Celestia knows what. Sparkler was about to go and check up on Dinky and see why she was making such a racket when the filly shouted from the top of the stairs, “Sparkler! Can you come up here and help me with something.” Sighing, she tossed her magazine onto the table and walked up the stairs to Dinky room. It was a disaster area: toys were everywhere, books and papers were strewn about, and her bed was unmade. Sparkler looked at her sister and wondered how such a little filly could make such a big mess by herself. “Dinky, you didn't call me up here to help you clean your room, did you?” “Noo, I called you up here so you could help me use magic to clean my room. I can’t do it no matter how hard I try.” Dinky’s horn sparked pitifully, as she strained to do magic, before fizzling out completely. She flopped onto the floor, groaning in frustration, “How do you know how to do magic anyway? Mom and Dad aren't unicorns.” Sparkler had been watching Dinky’s weak attempts at magic with concern; she choose her words carefully before answering, “You're right… they aren't. Dad tried to get me a teacher but then-” “Really who?” Dinky interrupted, “Do I know them? Do they live in Ponyville?” she asked jumping up with excitement. “Yeah, you know her. She used to live in Ponyville. But before I tell you who she is,” Sparklers eyes narrowed, “you have to answer my one question.” Dinky nodded vigorously. “Why are you trying to learn magic now? Its never come up before, and you've never asked about it.” Dinky’s excitement was extinguished faster than a fire doused with water. Her smile disappeared, and her bouncing ceased. She turned and walked to her bed with her back turned to Sparkler. “Dinky…” She fiddled with the bedsheets. “Dinky?” Dinky let out a shaky sigh, and mumbled just loud enough for her sister to hear, “You wouldn't understand.” Sparkler walked up to her, and with one hoof placed gently under Dinky’s chin she pushed her head up until she could clearly see her face. Tears stained Dinky’s lavender coat. Before Sparkler could say anything, Dinky pulled away and rubbed her eyes. Sparkler gave her a moment to calm herself, but when she heard another sniffle and a stifled sob she pulled Dinky into her lap. Dinky allowed herself to be held. Sparkler enveloped the small filly in a warm hug; holding her tightly against her body, she rested her chin on her sister’s head. Dinky whimpered as she cried i, “I c-c-can’t do anything!” she sobbed“It’s ok Dinky. Shh, don’t cry, don’t cry.” She whispered as she rocked her back and forth. A few minutes passed before Dinky loosened her grip on Sparkler. She didn't slide off of her lap, but instead rested her head on her sister’s chest. Sparkler stroked her hair, gently untangling the knots that had formed throughout the day, “Dinky you can tell me anything. I'm your big sister, you can trust me, I will always be here for you. You're right, I can't understand everything that happens to you, but you have to at least let me try to help you.” Dinky sniffled, “I-its just that... you, Mom, and Dad, can all do so much and I can’t! I just feel so useless... If I had magic I could help out more. With everything going on right now I hate the fact that I can't do anything.” Dinky sighed in frustration, but finally saying everything on her mind made her feel better, like a weight had been lifted off her chest. “Dinky, I completely understand.” “You do?” She nodded and pulled Dinky closer to her, “When I was around your age I used to feel that way all the time.” Sparkler frowned, “My friends found out I couldn't use magic and that mom and dad weren't unicorns. They teased me a lot, but I figured it was all in good fun. After all they were my friends, friends tease each other. I didn't realize that they only kept me around just so they could make fun of me and make me do things for them. I was always the one taking school projects home to “finish” for them and “editing” their homework. But, once they all learned how to levitate stuff they didn't want to have me around anymore; they could get what they wanted without having to get up.” Sparkler paused and hugged Dinky closer to her body, her voice cracked, “Dinky, never do what I did ok. I- I was stupid. I just wanted the other foals to like me.” “But, Sparkler… what- what happened next?” “One day the teacher told us to get into groups. I wanted to work with my friends, except…” Sparklers voice hitched, “they didn't want to work with me anymore. They said they didn't need some dumb unicorn who couldn't even do simple magic. They said they would never want to work with me, a useless unicorn. I worked alone… and well, it wasn't fun. I thought maybe if they thought I was special then they’d want to be my friends again- “What’d you do? You didn't tell them that Daddy was a Timelord right? Mom and Dad would've been super mad!” “No, no… I didn't even know what Dad was back then… but I had seen the Tardis. The first time I ever saw the Tardis I was told it was just a box that Dad liked to keep, but I remember seeing it disappear before. I figured all I had to do was somehow convince my friends it was a magic box. I asked Mom if I could show my friends the magic box, but she wouldn't let me. I tried telling her that I needed to show them the magic box, or else I’d just be stupid nobody. She told me that I should focus on my school work and that if they were really my friends that they’d think I was special without some magic box. I couldn't believe it; I thought mom wanted me to be a loser. Then I thought all I really needed was magic. So I did what you’re trying to do right now: ask Mom and Dad for a magic teacher. Mom would have been fine with any magic teacher, but Dad wanted the best for me!” “Really, who? Who!?” “I’ll give you a hint, she used to live in Ponyville when you were a little younger, but she had to leave after she proved what Dad already knew was true.” Dinky furrowed her eyebrows as she thought hard, she never was that good at riddles. When nothing came to mind, Sparkler finally revealed just who she was talking about. “Your magic teacher was Princess Twilight Sparkle!?” Dinky shrieked. Sparkler chuckled, “Well… not exactly. Dad would've liked for me to be taught by Princess Twilight herself (she was just Twilight back then).” Dinky was lost, “But Sparkler,” she started, “why would Dad want Twilight Sparkle to be your teacher when you’re as old as she is? Wouldn't she have been a baby?” “Do you think Dad thought time was an issue? For the first time in my life Dad let me into that blue box, it’s so hard to describe that feeling walking into the Tardis and seeing what was inside.” “Daddy time traveled to Twilight? To when she was a princess? Did you get to see her as a Princess, Sparkler?” Sparkler smiled, “No, we didn't go that far, but I’m pretty sure Dad knew what she was capable of. She was pretty excited to see Dad, it had been awhile since they-” “Wait what?” Dinky’s eyes were wide open, “I thought only Mom knew Daddy was a time traveler! ¿How long were they partners, who’d he like better?, well he had to like Mommy better right he married her after all!” Sparkler pushed her hoof against her mouth, “I’m pretty sure Dad appreciated both Mom and Twilight’s help as his companions,” she said, then giving Dinky a look she removed her hoof from her mouth, “now if you’ll stop interrupting, I’d like to get to the end of this story, it’s waaay past your bedtime.” Dinky pouted, but kept her mouth shut despite having a million questions to ask, she’d ask Mommy when she came back. “Right so, Dad asked if Twilight would like to teach me, but she said she couldn't.” Dinky gasped, but held true to her word and remained silent. “Twilight told Dad that she didn't have the time to teach me, she had her advanced studies to focus on. However, she did suggest that Dad enroll me in the school she was attending-” “Celestia’s School for Gifted unicorns.” they said in unison. Sparkler smiled. Dinky caught on fast, she really was a bright unicorn, a lot sharper than Sparkler was at her age at least. She wondered why Dinky was having such difficulty with magic, perhaps a quick trip to the library for a lesson book would help. Sparkler glanced at the clock, a quarter past eight, to late to be visiting the library, but when did time ever stop anyone. A mischievous smile flitted across her face. “Hey Dinky, how about we take the Tardis for a little drive?” Dinky smiled with glee, and with a giggle followed Sparkler down the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door. She could barely contain herself as Sparkler opened the door to the Tardis. Once inside she was dumbstruck, she couldn't believe how immense it really was. Sure she heard from her Dad, but there were just no words to prepare her for what lay before her. “It-it’s so…” “Big.” Sparkler chuckled as Dinky just nodded, still completely blown away. “Dinky you might wanna close your mouth though, wouldn't want a fly to fly in.” Dinky blinked and shook her head, she gave the Tardis another look before trotting up to Sparkler, who was fiddling with some of the controls. “Wait so Sparkler… where exactly are we going?” “Well Dinky,” Sparkler replied, moving to the other side of the core, “it depends on one thing… are you still up for learning some magic?” she popped out on the other side of the core and grabbed Dinky. Dinky squeaked in surprise but started to giggle as Sparkler lightly tickled her. Between fits of laughter Dinky managed to say yes. Satisfied, Sparkler set her down and began to punch in their destination. Dinky reared up and tried to see what her sister was doing, but her eyes barely peared over the edge of the console. Sparkler grinned as she pulled one final lever, “And we’re set to… Go!” The Tardis started to shake and shimmer in and out of view. “Dinky grab onto something-” Sparkler had barely finished warning Dinky when she felt her small hooves wrap around her front leg. She looked down and saw her pressing her face against her, she was about to comfort her when she heard something strange. Sparkler looked up at the Tardis’ core and saw electricity crackling over the panels and up the center. Dinky whimpered, “Sparkler…. is it supposed to do that?” “I- uh, I don’t think so,” She rushed to the panel, with Dinky still attached to her leg. This wasn't good, the Tardis was shaking uncontrollably now, the lights were flickering, and, she felt herself lose her equilibrium, starting to spin. She ducked underneath the console and held Dinky tightly as she braced herself for the inevitable crash.
