"Muffin, it's time for bed!"
Dinky Hooves let go of the blocks to face the kitchen door and whined, "But Mommy, I want to play some moooore!"
Derpy Hooves came out the door, smiling at the heart attack-inducing frown on Dinky's face. "Now muffin, good foals who sleep early get to play longer tomorrow. Come on now, let's get to you warm and comfy bed."
Dinky stopped frowning to think about it. Now that her Mommy mentioned it, the bed DOES sound good right now.......
"Alright, mommy.....", Dinky said, before letting loose a yawn. They went up to their shared bedroom, and Derpy tucked Dinky in. But as Derpy was going out the door, she heard Dinky say "Mommy, can you tell me a bedtime story?"
Trotting to Dinky's bedside, she cleared her throat, and started to speak.
"Once upon a time, there was a brown pony, named The Doctor. Now, he isn't like a doctor in the hospital. He was just called The Doctor. He has this big blue box. He always goes on adventures with the help of this box. He goes inside of it ALWAYS, it's like he lives there! That is just a testament for his hunger for adventure. Now, in this box, he has all this weird buttons and levers. He uses them all in such a way that will make your head whirl. Then, the box..... DISAPPEARS! But, he and the big blue box always suddenly comes back. Somehow, this big blue box travels through time and space itself! He goes to other worlds, exploring every nook and cranny of the universe. Some say he's just a kooky adventurer. Some say he's a daredevil. But others? Others hail him as a HERO."
"Why do they call him a hero? Well, there is this kind of aliens. They are called... THE DALEKS. Moving metal monsters. They go from world to world, just like The Doctor, but what they do is very different. They don't just travel to see the sights. They take over ALL the planets they visit. They.... well.... umm...", Derpy stammered, thinking of another way to tell her foal what the Daleks do EXACTLY without scaring her. "Umm..uh...YES! They, uh, take away everybody's muffins!", emphasizing the imaginary threat by standing up on her hindlegs. "Noooo! Please don 't take my muffins! I love them SO much!", whimpered Dinky.
Derpy quickly comforted her filly. "Shh.... Shh.... It's OK. The Daleks won't get your muffins." "But... how can you be so SURE, Mom?", squeaked Dinky. "Well, remember The Doctor? He goes from planet to planet, on his everlasting mission: to defeat the Daleks, and to save the universe! His big blue box is FILLED with all sorts of tools: from the Rust-Sword, a gift of the Junk People, whose planet he saved, to his trusty Sonic Screwdriver, all with one purpose: to aid The Doctor in his quest. But, even he, is defeatable. Yet, he still arrives to save the day! How does he do that? Is he some sort of rock pony? Well, no, he isn't," said Derpy, embarrassed. "No, he possess the power, to always come back to life! Even if he falls in lava, or he drowns, or he simply got a cuteness overload, he always suddenly appears back in his big blue box. However, he changes. He might be an Earth Pony in one instant, but when he is defeated, he might become a Pegasus, a Unicorn, or some other creature entirely! And-" Derpy was suddenly cut off when she heard the soft snore of her foal. Smiling warmly, she tucks her in, and gives Dinky a good night kiss.
She slowly walks back to the door and exits the room. Walking down the stairs to the kitchen, she wonders if she shouldn't have told her that story. It was true, TOO true, to be just a story. At least, she knows it is. Suddenly, the door opens. A brown Earth Pony stallion enters the door. He says, "Good evening, my dear Derpy!" Derpy quickly said "Shh! She's asleep." The stallion quickly said, in a much quieter voice, "Oh, she is? I must have been out longer than I thought. What's for dinner, anyways? Would it be a nice, refreshing salad? Goodness knows I need one after that volcanic world. Or perhaps a daisy sandwich? I HAVE been short on bread in my diet....Or maybe some pie! Or, last, and the most, some of your well-renowned muffins, perhaps?", punctuating that last sentence with a large smile.
Derpy only laughs at this, and says, "Come on then, Doctor, let's get you some dinner."
While they were eating their hay fries and cucumber salad, Derpy debates internally with herself. Should I tell him? It's not like Dinky will believe it. The story is too far-fetched in it's own right for ANYPONY to believe in it. But, when she grows up, she'll have to go to school, then she'll notice the other foals' fathers, then she'll ask about her father, and then- "Is something wrong, honey?", The Doctor suddenly interjected, breaking her mental tirade. She quickly recomposed herself, taking deep breaths. "Doctor, I was just thinking, what if Dinky asks about you, her father?" The Doctor thinks about this. He thinks and he thinks. Finally, he takes a deep breath, and says, "We'll have to tell her that I always work late into the night and wake up far too early for her. Or maybe you can tell her that, well, I moved away. Maybe to work in Saddle Arabia, or because of another mare. We cannot, I repeat, WE CANNOT, tell her about my exploits, especially about the other things that come with my line of "work". I suggest telling it to her in the form of a foal's story, so that she knows about it, but doesn't believe in it." Derpy let loose a sigh of relief. "Thank you, my dear muffin. You always know what to do!" she said. "But of course!", replied The Doctor. "It's what I'm paid for, aren't I?"
At that, Derpy tilts her head in a confused expression.
"Wait, you are PAID FOR IT!?