When Discord Ends His Reign

"Now where do you live?" He trotted down the shining roads of the Crystal Empire. The building glistened in the afternoon sun.

"Over there!" She pointed mid-jump before landing and running to the door.

"Okay. We just need to test your family's genetics to see what you are." She smiled as he knocked on the door.

A purple unicorn with a yellow mane stood in the door way. "Yes, what is... GET OUT!" She snarled at him.

"D-Dinky?!"

"Why are YOU here?"

"I have your, er, daughter?"

"Twister?! Why are you with him?" Dinky grabbed Twister's hoof and pulled her away from The Doctor.

"Mom, he's nice! He saved-"

Dinky looked back to Doctor. "Why are you trying to help again? Haven't you helped enough?"

Doctor cleared his throat. "Well, you see, your daughter is being targeted by a race of dangerous cyberponies plotting to destroy the pony race."

Dinky glared at him. "And you expect me to believe you?" She glared at him while Twister sat quietly to the side.

"I... I..."

"Mom!" Time Twister jumped in the way of the stare-down and snarled at her mother before slipping on the dirt road. The Doctor grabbed her with his hoof and pulled her back up. She shuck her head again before continuing to stare at her mother.

"Time Twister, I don't think you know who he is. Let me take care of it." Dinky stared her young daughter calmly and motioned her to sit back down next to her.

"No mom! He's nice!" The Doctor's shocked expression melted into a smile.

"Twister, you don't know him like I-"

"Mom, he saved my life!" Dinky's calm face turned shocked as she looked up at the gray stallion, his coat now a bright brown. She looked back to Time Twister.

"He, he what?"

"Saved my life!" She looked back to the Doctor.

"I thought you were done with helping." He stopped smiling at the small filly and looked back to Dinky.

"Guess I was wrong." Dinky eyes darted to her daughter then back to The Doctor.

"Come inside, it's getting dark." He followed the purple unicorn into her house. As he looked back down to the filly, she turned and smiled at him. He couldn't help but smile back.

As he walked into the living-room a white and brown spotted unicorn trotted into the room. The unicorn turned to Time Twister.

"Hey kid! How's it going?" He kneeled down to the small filly.

"Great! I got my cutie mark!" She jumped in the air and giggled.

"Awesome!" He smiled at her.

The Doctor watched the two quietly. "Dinky, who's that?"

"Oh, that's her brother, Bismarck. Hey you two! Come over here!" Twister hopped on her brother's back as he mimicked a soldier and marched over to their mother. "Bismarck this is The Doctor. You two can talk while I make some tea." Dinky walked to the kitchen as Time Twister hopped off of her brother's back and jumped to the couch.

"Nice to meet you, sir!" Bismarck stood up taller to meet The Doctor's gaze.

"Nice to meet you too. You're Twister's brother?"

"Half-brother. But pretty much the same thing."

"Half-brother? So, you two have different dads?"

"Yep!" He smiled at The Doctor.

"Is Dinky married?"

"Yeah, to my dad." Time Twister jetted past, chasing after a ball that she had dropped.

"So, how old are you?"

"18." He walked over and grabbed a small book and pencil from a shelf before handing it to his sister. "Here, I don't want you to make mom mad." She nodded and grabbed the book and pencil before sitting on the couch again.

"What book is that?"

"Physics workbook. She finds it fascinating." The Doctor's jaw dropped to the floor.

"How old is she?!"

"8."

"What?!"

"Yeah, that's usually the reaction. I don't know, she's just always been so far ahead of her classmates. Don't tell her, but she got pulled out of school today."

"Why?"

"Her IQ was registered at genius level, and she knows all that the basic school can give her. Either advanced school or no school."

"Well that's quite interesting." He looked back at the filly, who was quietly filling out the workbook. "So, where do you work?"

"Oh, I'm a royal guard positioned in the Empire. I'm on vacation currently though."

Dinky walked back into the room holding a tray of teacups in her magic. "Here you go, Bismarck." She levitated a teacup over to him as he grabbed it in his own magic. "Do you drink tea, Doctor?"

He was surprised by her sudden change of mood. "No thank you. I'm fine."

Time Twister hopped off of the couch, leaving the workbook and pencil on the couch.

"I almost forgot! Mom, I got my cutie mark!"

"That's great sweetie! Show me!" Time Twister turned to show her mom her new cutie mark. Dinky smiled and pulled her filly into a hug. "Great sweetie! I can sew some hourglasses onto your saddlebag if you want!"

"Okay!" Dinky turned back to The Doctor.

"Okay, Doctor. I've thought about it. You have one chance. I will forget everything you've done. Only one chance."

He jumped up and hugged Dinky. "Thank you!"

"Just one chance Doctor. One chance."