Derpy's Daughters

Chapters

A Blue Box Special
Angels and Gifts
Home Part 1
Home Part 2
The Marks We Leave
Epilogue

A Blue Box Special

It was a day that began like any other.

Like every morning I wake up early and get Dinky ready for school. As I’m Ponyville’s resident mailmare, I need to be in before the sun rises to be able to receive, sort and deliver the day’s mail. I have an assistant, but she only works there part time, and usually minds the office while I’m out on delivery.

We both cleaned up and I helped Dinky comb her mane. She’s getting to an age where she’s getting an independent streak. It makes me kind of sad in a way, but I know eventually she won’t be my little pony anymore. She’ll be a full grown mare out on her own like her sister. That empty room still saddens me sometimes just a little.

We walk down to the kitchen and get ready for breakfast.

“What would you like for breakfast this morning?” I ask her as she yawns a bit, knocking the sleep from her eyes.

“Muffins!” her favorite food. My little filly does love her muffins. Amethyst liked them okay, but I think we all liked them better because my girls and I would make them together. They bring back fond memories for us all.

“Why don’t you get the mix and the big bowl and I’ll get the eggs and milk,” I say to her. She tries to lift the big bowl with her magic, but it proves a bit of a task for her. She manages it, but not without some difficulty.

“Got it!” she shouts with glee and I give her a hug.

“Now don’t push yourself too hard,” I hoof her the mix to pour into the bowl as I measure the milk. I have to close one eye to measure, but I manage it well.

“I’m almost a big pony now Mom. I can handle it,” she cracks the eggs and I mix things together.

“Well, my almost big pony, why don’t you pour the batter into the tin and I will get the oven ready.” I let her pour the batter as I set the temperature in the oven.

“Here you go,” she gives me the tin and I place it in the oven.

As we wait, we go over her spelling words. She’s quite the clever one. Her father loves teaching her about this and that. It’s almost magical to watch those two interact. He’s out on a business trip at the moment, but a piece of him is always with me in that little scrunched face she gets when she’s thinking hard about something. It’s quite adorable.

We eat breakfast and grab our things. Dinky follows me to work and hangs out in the customer waiting area of the building as I receive the overnight mail and sort it into the stacks for delivery. Ponyville isn’t a big town, so the mail load is light enough that I can usually fit it all in one set of saddlebags. She usually has a book to read while we wait or sometimes I give her a little bubble wrap to pop as she watches me sort or looks out at the shop owners opening for the day.

Leaving the office, we stroll down to the school. I love that my job lets me walk her to school every morning on the way out to Sweet Apple Acres. Not a lot of ponies know this, but the Apple family donated the schoolhouse grounds to the town.

At any rate, as we made our way down to the school house she nudged me slightly.

“Mom”

“Yes?” we stopped before the river.

“Can I… walk by myself from here to school?” she seemed slightly embarrassed. “It isn’t like I don’t love you, but all the other fillies are walking themselves to school and I don’t want to be left behind and get called a baby,” she scratched the ground with her hoof.

“Well…,” I raised my hoof to my chin, “I don’t suppose that it would do any harm for you to walk on your own from the bridge…”

Her smile tripled in size.

“You’re growing up so fast… I’ll blink again and you’ll be off on your own…” I tousled her mane and brought her in for a hug.

“Mom… don’t blink,” she said so plainly that it both warmed my heart and chilled my spine.

“Mom?” she looked at me curiously.

“Oh… it’s nothing sweetie,” I kissed her forehead and she started to trot off.

“Oh, and don’t listen to those mean ponies. They don’t know what they’re talking about.” I yelled to her.

“I won’t!” she gleefully bucked up her legs and chased down some friends of hers. One of them was a little white coated unicorn she has playdates with every so often. Her parents are very nice and have tutored Dinky a bit with magic. Her father and I can only do so much with no magic of our own.

With that, I set off to deliver the mail, securely tugging my cap down. Taking flight, I noticed how beautiful the weather was. A perfect day to soar over the acres. The smell of apple pie lingered through the air as I landed.

“Hey Derpy,” an orange coated earth pony called to me.

“Hi Applejack, I’ve got a letter from Manehatten for little Apple Bloom.” I gave it to her.

“She’s going to be pleased as punch about this when she gets home. She and her cousin just became pen pals and this is her first letter from Babs,”she smiled.

“Always glad to be the bearer of good news. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got more deliveries to make,” I said with a smile.

“See ya later” she walked inside to place the letter safely away.

Off I flew and landed at my next destination. I usually prefer to deliver packages first because it means I have less to carry weight wise. Knocking at the door, a flustered white unicorn burst forth and seized me by the shoulders.

“THANK GOODNESS,” she hugged me with some force.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I opened my bag and withdrew a package.

“Yes, I’m just in dire need of my package. It contains the fabric I need for a short order dress and you couldn’t have come at a better time.” she seized it with her magic and disappeared back inside.

Sometimes you arrive just in time. Sometimes they wish you had never come. I adjusted my uniform and moved onto my next stop.

I approached the house as usual, but something told me that this express letter somebody wished had been put on normal post. As I neared the mailbox, I saw two ghastly eyes peer over tear stained cheeks from a doorway cracked open just enough for that purpose. It was a dagger I was putting in her mailbox, not a letter. It would find its target in due time. All I can do for them is tip my cap and move along.

With a heavy heart I decided to check in on my assistant at the office before I made my way to the other side of town for deliveries.

“How’s it going Penny?” I ask as there don’t seem to be any customers at the moment. A copper coated Pegasus with a pitch black mane peeks up from what doodle she’s working on. Her full name is Penny Black and she aspires to be a stamp artist. Her drawings are quite good, but she hasn’t quite got her hoof in the door with the powers that be. She did win second place in a contest last year, so she might be on her way sooner than I think.

“Oh, the usual,” she held up the crate we use to collect mail as it comes in. It seems about normal.

“How’s the art coming?” I asked, leaning on the counter.

“I’ve got a new idea, but I haven’t quite figured out all the details yet. I’m thinking something about small town family life in Equestria,” she showed me the stamp design border she came up with.

“I’ve got the series borders figured out, but now I just need to find some family activities to work with. Luckily, this job lets me pony watch all day…. Speaking of which, have you seen Amethyst’s coltfriend today? He seemed really agitated and kept mumbling to himself about something or other and pacing back and forth.” she imitated him a little.

“No, I haven’t. I hope everything is okay. Time has really taken a shine to him and Amethyst seems to be head over hooves with him.” a tinge of concern crossed my brow.

“Oh, I’m sure they’re fine. I’ve never seen Altair as happy as he is around her. Amethyst hasn’t mentioned anything to me about them having any problems.” Penny waved her hoof to dismiss the idea.

“Well, I might pop by and see if I can figure it out. I know it’s a bit nosy, but I can’t help it.” I adjusted my bags to finish my deliveries.

“Well, that is what moms do,” she laughed and I left for deliveries.

I clipped along to deliver the last stack of letters. I had just a few left and I spotted Altair talking with some friends at an outdoor café. I ducked around a corner and peeked out.

“Come on, please,” he pleaded with his hooves.

“You know it would put ideas in my marefriend’s head,” a blue unicorn dismissed him.

“How am I supposed to do it then? She’s the only one who works there. She’d see right through any disguise or pretense I put up.” He rubbed his mane into a frenzy.

“Tough to be you,” a cream colored earth pony laughed.

“Not… Helping…” he almost growled.

“Why don’t you travel to the next town over?” a purple unicorn sipped a soda.

“Then, I’d be buying from the competition. That wouldn’t sit right with her either. I’d have to go all the way to Canterlot to buy from the main branch and the Mr. Hay has been calling her up randomly for training lately with her taking over the store.” he bit viciously into his lunch.

“I couldn’t stand it any longer,” I giggled and stood out from behind the wall.

“Miss… Misses Hooves,” he stood in shock.

“How much did you hear?” he nearly knocked over his drink.

“Enough…” I smiled a bit mischievously.

“I...I..” he fumbled with his words nervously.

“It’s alright. I’m happy for you two and I know Time will be happy too.” I assuaged his fear.

“Phew,” he wiped his forehead, “but you understand the problem don’t you? How can I go buy a ring when she’s the only one running a shop in town,” he asked, calming down a bit.

“Hmm, I’ve got an idea,” I rubbed my chin with a hoof.

“Come by tonight for dinner and bring your bits. Time should be home and I think he may just be able to help you with your little problem,” I thought myself clever and smirked just a bit.

“Little problem?” he seemed to be confused and dismayed by my relaxed attitude.

“Trust me,” I patted him on the shoulder and finished my deliveries.

My stomach started to growl, so I went back to the house for lunch. It wasn’t far from the café and I felt like some leftovers from last night. The beauty of being a small town mailmare is that my job finishes up in time for me to have most of the afternoon off. Penny would sort the afternoon mail and close up shop for the day. I hung up my uniform and settled in for a nap before I left to pick up Dinky from school. I had just snuggled onto the couch when I heard that old familiar sound filter down from the attic.

“Hello dear,” I casually called from the couch, watching his coat flutter a bit as he descended.

“Hello love,” he said followed by a kiss as passionate as a sailor long at sea. His hoof drifted down my mane.

“Not yet dear. I have to go pick up Dinky soon,” I smiled and pecked his cheek.

“Isn’t that just the way,” he laughed.

“How was your trip?” I started to stand up.

“Oh, usual stuff. You know, saving the universe and all that. Met Starswirl,” he hung his coat and inspected himself in the mirror.

“Oh, how was he?” I asked as I straightened his tie a bit.

“Old codger, he was mean as badger on Tuesday,” he quipped.

“Why Tuesday?” I asked as I gazed at one of my favorite faces in the universe.

“Well, any day will do for a badger to be grumpy. Tuesday’s as good as any.” he laughed.

“I suppose,” I giggled.

“Did you know why Starswirl’s hat had bells on it?” he dug inside his coat pocket.

“I’m not sure anyone really knows. Even historians don’t know some things. The royal sisters never say much about him.” I peered at his moving hoof.

“It’s because I stole his hat,” he produced a magician’s hat.

“That may explain the grumpiness…” I laughed a bit.

“He was grumpy before that. I simply explained to him that I needed to prevent a paradox by a couple of rogue time travelers and that he needed to come with me. He called me crazy, so I stole his hat and ran off dragging him along. Ended up working, but he sure wasn’t happy about it,” he tossed the hat upon his head.

“I wear magician hats now, magician hats are cool,” he said dryly

“Not this again…” I tapped it off his head and ran for it.

He managed to catch up to me and pounce.

I looked up at him with a smile. Our eyes locked as I looked up at him over me. Well, one of them did and the other caught a glimpse of the clock.

“I hate to break up our little fun here, but Dinky is about to get out and I need to rush over to pick her up as it is. Rain check?” I got to my feet and nuzzled my beloved time pony.

“Rain check.” he seemed so happy.

I stepped outside and took off with a mighty flap.

Landing, I noticed Cookie Crumbles and Sweetie Belle standing around with Dinky.

“Oh, here she is,” Cookie said as they gave me a little extra space to land.

“Mom, can I have a sleepover at Sweetie Belle’s house?” Dinky asked.

“I don’t have a problem with it, but your father just got home from his trip and he probably wants to see his little muffin for a bit. After that, it’s up to Sweetie Belle’s mother,” I said as I mussed her little mane lovingly.

“Dad’s home?” she seemed to really perk up, slightly embarrassed at the little muffin comment.

“Yes, not too long ago,” I pointed back at the house.

“What do you think?” I turned toward the pair of white unicorns.

“It’s just great with me,” Cookie said, followed by a whispered, “She’s so calm compared to her other friends don’t cha know.”

“Well, then I guess it’s settled unless your father has plans. We’ll take you home and get you packed. You can hang out with your dad for a bit and then you can head over there.” With that you’d think she just won the lottery. She hugged me and dragged me along by the wing.

“We’ll see you later,” I waved.

“Oh, don’t worry about feeding her. We’re having little pizzas and Rarity had to cancel on us. Something about a big opportunity for her boutique.” She waved and Sweetie seemed rather pleased with the whole situation.

“I appreciate it,” I waved again.

“Hey Mom?” she looked up at me.

“What is it?”

“Race you!?” she got in a runner’s stance.

“You’re on!” I looked around. The streets were pretty empty.

We ran like our tails were on fire to the house. I went easy on her. Her legs aren’t quite as long as mine yet, but she’s still pretty quick. I arranged our little tie and the Doctor met us at the front porch. Our little filly leapt into his hooves.

“How was my little muffin while I was away?” he stroked her little mane.

A thought pierced my heart. How much longer will I get to see such beautiful things? How many more times will it be before she floats off on her own? I’m going to miss these halcyon days. She’s growing so much now…

“Mom?” she calls to me.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” I hugged them both.

“Almost forgot, I’ve got a little present for you Dinky,” he withdrew the hat from earlier from behind him and plopped it on her head. It slipped a tad, but she propped it on her horn

“Thanks Dad! I can’t wait to show Sweetie Belle tonight,” she hugged him, causing her to readjust her new hat.

“Tonight?” he asked and looked at me.

“She wanted to sleep over and Cookie said yes. Unless you have plans, I was thinking she could spend some time with you and then head over there.” I sat next to him.

“I don’t suppose I do,” he scratched his chin.

“Besides, you could redeem that rain check.” I whispered in his ear.

“Uh…” his face got a little red.

“Dad?” she looked up at him.

“Nothing…” he readjusted his tie needlessly.

“You two are acting awful weird…” her eyes peered at us.

“It’s nothing dear. Oh, but I also need to talk with you about Altair.”

“What about the young lad? Is he alright?”

“Oh, he’s fine. First,” I looked over toward my youngest, “Dinky what we’re about to talk about you must not breathe a word to your sister about. Understand?” I put on a stern face.

“Absolutely!” she zipped her lip and mimed hitting herself in the eye with a cupcake.

“He wants to go shopping for a certain something, so I invited him to dinner and I was hoping you could help him.” I tried to be as indirect as possible even with Dinky’s promise.

“Buy what?” he seemed confused.

“A ring,” I whispered in his ear

“Ohhhh. Yeah, that might be difficult around here finding that.” He contorted his face a bit curiously.

“Well, I suppose that wouldn’t be too much trouble,” he laughed.

“Good,” I pecked him on the cheek.

“Why did I have to promise? I didn’t even hear anything good. Why does he need jewelry…” Dinky huffed, but realized what was going on. Her ears are sharper than I thought.

“You and your sister are very bright and with even a word out of place she might figure out what’s going on and ruin the surprise. We wouldn’t want that would we?”

“Nope!” she tapped her little hooves on the ground in anticipation.

“That’s alright. It won’t be long anyway, dear one.”

After a time, Dinky scooted on down to her sleepover and after a bit of research the Doctor and I settled into the kitchen as we worked on dinner together. He’s actually quite the cook, but he does have a thing about soufflés that I can’t for the life of me figure out. Perhaps an old flame or something that reminds him of home. Dinner was almost set to cook when I heard a knock at the back door.

“I’ll get it,” he said with a smile, clipping the last bits of celery into the pot.

“Hello Altair. Come on in. How’ve you been?” he waved the young stallion in.

“Just fine, sir” he sheepishly crept in, a bit wary of a dinner alone with his future in-laws.

The simmering pot of vegetables permeated the room with the scent of hearth and home. As he walked in, his eyes scanned the room, fleeting from one happy family memory picture to another in humble wooden frames dangling from the creamy yellow wallpaper. His steps were light as if entering a holy place that was defiled by his very presence despite the warm smiles of the new mother and father he would soon gain.

“Now that won’t do. Relax and have a seat.” My brown coated stallion motioned towards the seat across from his usual spot.

“Yes sir,” he found a seat, but shifted a little.

“We’re not going to bite.” I said as I set aside the apron I had been wearing while finishing the preparations and joined them at the table.

“Don’t fret, you have our blessing, so long as you promise me one thing.” The Doctor gained a more serious air as he is want to do when the situation warrants.

“What’s that?” the young pony looked a bit frightened.

“Never be cruel or cowardly. Never give up and never give in.”

“I will,” he matched his seriousness.

“That’s my colt! Right then, when are you going to ask her?” he stood up and slapped him on the back, circling the table to do so.

“Well, that’s the thing. I’m not sure how I could buy her engagement ring without her figuring it out. I really want to surprise her.” He scratched at his chin.

“Oh yes, my lovely wife told me. It’s a pretty trivial matter. I looked into it earlier. We’ll handle it after supper, which should be finished right… about… now.” At the moment the last word sprung from his lips the buzzer rang out indicating the same.

“You are really a master of time. You didn’t even look at it the whole time we were talking. No wonder your mark is an hourglass.”

“Oh, I would never call myself a master,” to which I softly giggled.

“Altair, would you be a dear and put out one of the hot pads. They’re in the top drawer over there.” I walked over and conveyed the soup towards the table.

“Yes, Mrs. Hooves,” he did as instructed.

“Now now, you don’t have to be so formal. You can just call me ‘Mom’ now,” I placed it down and began ladling.

“Yes…Mom,” he was a little embarrassed.

Dinner went rather smoothly and afterward we sat well stuffed with a good meal.

“So… You said it would be a trivial matter?”

“Oh, yes. Come along,” the Doctor excitedly trotted from the table.

“Uh… okay,” the young stallion joined him.

I followed quickly after as my husband seemed a bit giddy. I reached the attic to that familiar blue box shortly after them.

“I’m… confused” the unicorn cocked his head to the side.

“Ah, understandable,” the Doctor clicked his hoof on the floor with a mischievous grin. The doors flew open and the wonders within glimmered.

“But... how…” dumbfounded he could only be mesmerized by it.

“Yes yes, it’s bigger on the inside. Allons-y. Let’s go!” he dashed in.

“Come along. You’ll catch flies that way.” I dashed by him into the TARDIS, to which he came to his senses and followed us in.

Whizzing around the control panel, the Doctor flipped dials and raised switches.

“What’s he doing?” Altair leaned over to ask me.

“He’s piloting this ship. She’s called the TARDIS. Essentially, she can take us to anywhere or anywhen, though not always perfectly reliably…”

“Yeah, but we always end up somewhere interesting…” he grinned as a little horn sounded.

“Well, his idea of fun is being chased at full gallop by a monster that’s about to engulf half of Equestria…”

“Don’t act so high and mighty. You love our adventures as much as I do. Frankly, Amethyst might not have been born if we hadn’t run into those…” He was muffled by my hoof.

“I think you’ve proven your point dear…” I blushed as red as a tomato.

“So how did you make this? I’ve never seen anything like it.” He wandered around the circular control panels.

“Don’t touch that. Besides, she wasn’t made as much as she was grown.” He flipped a last switch and relaxed a bit as the TARDIS moved through time, making that familiar grinding whine.

“Grown… Are… are you two aliens? My girlfriend is an alien?!” he started to gasp a bit.

“Well, half alien I suppose. Her mother is a genuine home grown pegasus.” To which I flapped my wings in demonstration.

“As for me… Well, I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the Constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old, and I'm about to be your father-in-law… Are you alright?” he began with gusto, but ended in concern.

“I… I think so.”

“Alright then. Off we go.” The Doctor pushed open the doors and the glaring sun of a midsummer Canterlot day made us all squint.

As we walked out, the scents and sounds of a bustling market filled the air. Judging by the fashion and the décor we must have been fifty years in the past.

“Right this way,” the Doctor slipped through the crowd, his coat flapping in the breeze.

It wasn’t long before we reached a jeweler who couldn’t be very long out of training. His fresh face beamed with optimism.

“Here’s the one I was talking to you about,” The Doctor stopped abruptly.

“Well, what brings you to my humble stand? A ring for your girlfriend?” he stood up and winked slyly.

“Oh no, we’re already married, but our young friend here has saved up to buy an engagement ring,” he talked with a light hearted laugh in his voice.

“Well, you’re in luck. This is my finest work yet.” He plucked a very beautiful and ornate ring made in an antique style from a box.

“That’s…” our “friend” was a bit shocked at what he saw.

“Yes, it’s very nice,” the Doctor winked.

“How much sir?” he withdrew the bits from his bag.

“Two-hundred bits. I won’t take a bit less,” he tapped his hoof on the table with a bit of force.

“Sure!” The young fiancé-to-be gladly doled out the bits.

“Uh… Okay,” the jeweler scratched his head, accepted the payment and delivered the ring.

“Thank you,” the young stallion said as the jeweler rattled from the force of his hoofshake.

“Oh by the way, I think you ought to know that this sale should let me finally open my own full-fledged store. Send your friends my way if you get a chance!” he waved.

“What’s the name going to be?”

“Hay Jewelers”

“I’ll have to remember that!”

“Inflation sure is a thing, isn’t it?” the Doctor nudged him a bit.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to show her” the stallion tucked it away.

We headed home and the TARDIS was cooperative again. We landed just when we needed to. I’m starting to think that she has a bit of a romantic side to her.

Altair left soon after to go home. As we waved goodbye that husband of mine leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“Are you ready to be Granny Hooves?” the realization dawned on me.

“If you’re ready to be Grampa Turner,” I put my hoof on his chest and give him a peck.

“I’m always the Doctor… always the Doctor…” he stuttered a bit.

“Well, shall we play then?” I tickled his chin with my wing and gave him a smirk. It drives him crazy.

“I’m no pony’s grampa, yet,” he chased after me as I raced up to our favorite spot, that magical blue box that brought us together so many years ago…

Author's Note

Well, so it begins. I also have stabismus, though my eyes aren't nearly as exaggerated as Derpy's. I actually use the technique of closing one eye to help me measure. I hope you enjoyed.

Angels and Gifts

Now that I’ve talked a bit about the present, I think it behooves me to go back and tell you about the circumstances around when we met. I had just come back from postal service training in Canterlot. Luckily for me, the old mailpony was close to retirement and there weren’t too many pegasi interested in the job. My love of the clear blue empty sky made for a perfect match with my bubble wrap delivery cutie mark. Up there, you don’t have a thing to run into. Up there, no one calls you clumsy. The sky is clear and boundless, save for the soft bouncy fluffs of clouds that dot the cerulean sheet.

For the first month I had been taking on various apprenticeships to learn the trade and all the rules. Let me tell you that the overnight express runs were terrible on my sleep patterns; the trainees called it the skeleton run, but I enjoyed the majesty of the night and how crisp and clear it was. This day was my first day back home as apprentice to the pony I would soon be replacing, Tawny Fry. He was an old, but jovial gentlecolt who demanded speed above anything else. He was one of the first express riders who took mail at high speed from Canterlot to Ponyville. His stories were that of legend and he would gladly talk your ear off about them if you let him.

I got up early that morning to a clear and beautiful dawn. My uniform was tightened and straightened to within an inch of its life. I closed one eye and then the other making sure I had everything perfect for my premiere. I galloped down to the postal service having eaten only a bit because my stomach was turning with nervousness. I reached the mail office fifteen minutes before I was supposed to and found that Tawny was already there waiting for me. His hat was tipped down over his eyes as he leaned a worn wooden chair against the sheet metal of the building. The only light was from a faintly flickering lantern peering down on top of him from its extended holder. His tan coat contrasted heavily with his now gray and ragged mane.

“Excuse me” I called to him, wrestling him from his slumber with a start.

“Good, I like to see a prompt mailpony. You’ll do just fine here Miss Hooves,” he lifted himself up raggedly from the chair, adjusting his cap to its proper place. He fumbled with his keys and opened the old rusty door with a creak.

“Thank you sir” I saluted, much to his laughter.

“Relax kid, no need to wind yourself so tight. Come on in and have a seat.” He closed the door behind us and showed me to a chair around his sorting station. The office had a metal shell, but inside it was wood framed. The smell of pine wafted from a newly patched bit of a wall as the wooden floor creaked beneath our hooves.

“You’ve landed yourself a plum assignment there Miss. Not too much mail comes in or out of this town.” He pointed to a weathered but sturdy set of saddlebags set aside in the corner.

“I took the opportunity to make up your saddlebags before I closed up shop yesterday. I figure you don’t need me to tell you where to go, but I put a map with it as well just in case. This place will be yours in whole soon, so get used to it. I’ll watch the fort while you get to the deliveries for the next few weeks, but you’ll take over from there.” He kicked up his hooves at the front desk as he absentmindedly cleared his teeth with a toothpick.

“I won’t let you down sir.”

“I know you won’t kid. You remind me of myself at that age, rearing to go and full of energy. Reminds me of the time I…” He was cut off by a knock at the door. I started towards it but he waved me off, signaling to have a seat. Opening the door, a golden pegasus mare dropped her weary load and picked up an outgoing one with little fanfare or conversation.

“Oh, one thing before you go Goldie, this is the new mailpony for the town,” he introduced me and the pegasus turned halfway.

“Nice to meet ya,” she waved and took off.

“That was quick,” I said, confused at her abruptness.

“Mailponies should be quick as lightning, no matter the load. You never know how precious time can be for the letters you carry. I want you to remember that for so long as you remain in service to this humble little burg.” He lifted his cap and scratched through his mane as he slipped the letters into my saddlebag and loaded it onto my back for me.

“I’m off!” I flew out of the office like a gray flash with the purple and orange sunrise to my rounds.

“Be careful!” he laughed and hacked a bit.

I flew as hard and fast as my little wings would take me. My last assignment was running the express, so they were no stranger to the strain of flight. I would flit between houses like a hummingbird, delivering the mail as if it was the single most important thing I’d ever done. How little did I know back then…

Taking to the skies once more I hit the business district and the droves of shopkeepers greeted me with a friendly smile as they opened for the day. I felt for the first time in a long time that I really belonged and was appreciated for what I did. Reaching one last time into my bag I found a letter I’d missed. I zipped down the back alleys and the shortcuts I used to take as a filly. This town was my oyster and I took full advantage of every little bit of knowledge that swam through my brain as I made the way to the last stop. Dropping the letter in their box, I looked around and did a little celebratory dance, pumping my hooves. The sun had cleared the horizon, but most ponies were still fast asleep or just waking up. I had delivered my first day of mail and it wasn’t even half past eight yet.

Feeling pretty pleased with myself I decided to dart my way back to the office. Tawny would be so impressed by my speed and diligence. I flew through the streets at a breakneck pace when something blue materialized in front of me and pulled open the door. A few last whiffs of smoke billowed from the door as the stallion who would change my life forever stepped into the light, coughing and hacking. It was already too late and all I could do was try to slow down and brace for impact. I bowled him over and we rolled in a pony ball until we reached the back of the room. Opening our eyes we found each other nose to nose with me on top.

“Well, hello…” he said with a laugh.

“I’m so sorry…” I shuffled back from on top of him, looking for the door. I finally realized that I was standing in a gigantic room that hadn’t existed less than a minute before. I was entranced.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” he got to his hooves and began to inspect me much to my alarm.

“Well, I’m quite flattered, but…”

“No, I mean the ship… Not that you aren’t. I’m sure you’re very pretty for a pony. Never seen a talking one before. That’s new…” he seemed to gab away a bit nervously.

“Have you never looked in the mirror?” I said and he quickly turned toward the nearest reflective surface.

“Oh dear, I’m an equine. That’s new,” he adjusted his jaw left and right. “Still not ginger.” He combed his mane a bit.

“What?” I stood there baffled by this pony before me.

“Regeneration and cross dimensional travel don’t mix…” he seemed to marvel at his form.

“Are you some sort of crazy pony?” I asked bewildered.

“You might say that,” he rushed over to the hub of controls in the middle of the room.

I stepped back a few paces toward the door.

“What luck! I landed smack dab on top of a rift. Ooh she likes the taste of this universe. She should be able to move immediately.” He flew around from panel to panel.

“A rift?” I looked around.

“Yes, a rift in space and time. Think of it like a big gas station for this ship, spewing out Artron energy left and right, which means... I should be able to get back to my dimension quickly. I only hope I land back in Cardiff.” He seemed incensed with the controls.

“This thing moves?” I looked around.

“Through time and space. Also, she’s not an it. She’s alive. Now, I suggest if you want to stay in your universe you step outside and never tell a soul about what you’ve seen” He flipped a switch and it began to creak and whine.

“Okay…” I started toward the door, but it slammed shut, almost pinching my nose in the gap. The noise grew louder and almost seemed to wheeze.

“No no no no…. What are you doing?” he slapped at all the switches he could.

“Doesn’t seem she wants to listen.” I turned back towards the feverish technician.

“Yes she’s a bit temperamental at the moment, but I’ll fix that soon enough.” He flipped a couple more gizmos and I found myself walking closer to him. My fear was trumped by a twinge of curiosity.

“Who are you?” I asked finally.

“I’m the Doctor.” He replied as he finally seemed to surrender to the will of his ship.

“Doctor what?”

“Just the Doctor.” He swung around nearer to me.

“That’s an odd name.” I said, realizing how silly it was to fuss about a name in this situation.

“I rather like it. Now, if you would hold onto that lever we might not go careening out of control and hit the Andromeda galaxy.” I obeyed and the ship seemed to stabilize and after a time felt as if it had landed somewhere. The room was now still and the Doctor looked up from his panel with a smile and what seemed like surprise.

“You’ve got wings, that’s fantastic!” He no longer seemed preoccupied with the controls and turned his attention back to me.

“Well, I am a pegasus pony. It isn’t that weird.” I fluffed my wings a bit.

“Do I have wings?” He looked back and found none.

“You seem to be an Earth pony. No wings or horn.” I looked over at him almost as curiously as he looked at me.

“There are unicorns?” he grabbed me by the shoulders.

“Well, yes…” I answered him. His hoof glowed just slightly.

“This universe gets better by the minute!” He laughed heartily as if he’d found a pot of gold, spinning in a bit of ecstacy.

“Why is your hoof glowing?” I pointed it out.

“Oh, just a bit of leftover regeneration energy,” he shook his hoof and the energy dissipated.

“Regeneration?”

“Yeah, little trick my species uses to cheat death. Comes with a new body, new face and a bit of a different personality.”

“You’re some sort of alien?”

“Well yes, I’m a Time Lord. Are you scared?” he seemed to gain a bit of a serious expression.

“No.” I buried what remained of my fear deep down.

“Good,” he regained his energetic disposition, “let’s go!” He threw open the doors to an open field. The smell of wet grass wafted up from the morning dew.

“Where are we?”

“Same place, though we do seem to have traveled to the past. Seems the spatial displacement is still a bit fussy.” He pulled a metallic looking pen from his coat and waved it around as it hummed.

“This must have been generations ago,” I looked around in wonder at the nearby hills and valleys bereft of any pony to mention.

“There seems to be some sort of life in this direction,” he looked back toward the Everfree Forest.

“You don’t want to go in there. There are terrifying creatures who live in there.” I tried to stop him.

“More terrifying than you know… I detect signs of weeping angels afoot.” A grim look spread across his face.

“What’s a weeping angel?” I asked, growing a bit afraid.

“They’re a quantum locked species. They can’t move while they are being observed and turn to stone. They’re quicker than you can imagine and twice as vicious. If you see one, don’t blink. As long as you don’t blink they can’t move.” He peered into the fog that had rolled in from the forest.

“Are you really going to go in there with those things?” I asked a bit concerned for my new found friend.

“I have to. I can’t leave those things here to unduly influence the time stream. You might not exist otherwise. We can’t have that now can we?” He seemed to almost revel in the danger. It was almost hypnotizing, this pony who couldn’t be scared or maybe he just couldn’t show that fear to others. Either way, he always has had a way of making you want to follow him even into the pits of Tartarus itself.

“You say they can’t move while they’re being observed?” I asked as a smug little grin crossed my lips. I don’t know why I was so intent on impressing him, but I just couldn’t help myself.

“Well, yes.” He looked at me ponderously.

“Do you have a musical instrument in that ship of yours?” I looked back toward the open door.

“I believe I do.” He seemed to run back into an impossibly far corner of the ship with a clang and clatter that made me wince. A few moments later he popped out with a recorder and a long tan jacket.

“What do you think?” he made a bit of a triumphant twirl with a smile.

“It’ll do.” I smiled.

“Why do we need a musical instrument?” he asked while taking a hoof at playing the recorder, to which he could only play a few notes due to the cumbersomeness of hooves.

“I have an idea,” I explained to him the plan and we struck out through the fog and set about our mischievous work. The preparations were easy enough for the pied piper despite our need to be vigilant for both our predator and our prey.

We set our trap not far from the TARDIS in case things got hairy. Satisfied with our progress we made our way into the forest.

“Do you think it’ll work?’ I asked, a bit concerned.

“Only one way to find out... Oi, weeping angels!” he began to yell.

“Hey weeping angels!” We both yelled and hooped and hollered until in the distance a stone figure emerged from the fog with its grotesque figure in full display. A slight gust of wind revealed more in the distance.

“It’s a whole colony of them. They must have been here for decades starving to get in this condition. There’s a veritable buffet here with this rift; how did they become so decrepit?” he scratched his chin.

“Enough contemplating! Let’s go!” I yelled and laughing we both ran off towards the trap. We leapt into some nearby bushes and lifted the cover on the bale of parasprites we’d caught earlier using the music of the Doctor. The weeping angels were ensnared in the gaze of a hundred parasprites glimmering in a rainbow of colors. I hurled a half dozen apples towards the statues who were then swarmed by the little ones.

“Ready?” the Doctor grabbed a plank and I followed suit.

“You bet,” I yelled back through a plank in my teeth and we turned the angels towards one another. Caught in each other’s gaze as the flood of cute little bobble beasties peeled away for their homes, the angels could do nothing but stare infinitely into one another. Their vicious stance was forever stranded in the tranquility of eternity.

“Well, that’s that…” he wiped his head of sweat.

I nearly collapsed and had to lay down.

“Are you okay,” genuine concern beamed from those clear blue eyes as his face drew closer to mine.

“I’m just scared half to death. I’ve never done anything like that. I don’t know how I managed it.” I looked up at him.

“Yeah, but it was worth it,” peering out into the distance you could see the first pioneers just crossing into the area.

“We did that…” I looked out at the ponies peacefully singing a happy travelling tune.

“Yes we did, thanks to you,” he sat beside me. My eyes drifted towards his and found two spheres which seemed to hold the universe in a glance. The Doctor was young, but his eyes were so old, so full of dark and happy days. I was mesmerized by them, a captive at a glance.

“Wait, what if something happens to them and they get loose,” I shot up at a start.

“That would be a bother,” he scratched at his chin as he is want to do. He seemed to ponder deeply.

I sat and watched him for a time until a stroke of thought snatched his eyes out of their pensive stare.

“I’ll create a perception filter for them!” He strode hard and fast back into the TARDIS as I clipped not far behind him.

“What’s a perception filter?” I asked taking in gulps of breath.

“It makes anyone not want to see the thing it’s on. The TARDIS has one as well. It makes it to where no one notices a big blue box in the middle of the city. Quite a handy bit of technology if you ask me.” He strode inside and came out with a net and a few clanky bits of metal. Hammering away until he seemed satisfied we dashed off towards the angels once more.

Tossing the net over the angels and fiddling with a few settings the Doctor finally stood fully upright and smiled at me.

“Is it always this dangerous with you?” I asked him as we looked over our work, the grim spectre of the angels so mollified by our teamwork reflecting in his eyes.

“Usually… I won’t lie to you,” he seemed to be getting a bit pensive again.

“You’re gonna need a companion to guide you through the world of ponies,” he seemed to turn his head my way, but only slightly.

“You don’t have to come. I’ve lost friends and companions before…” his eyes seemed distant as if looking at a grave of an old friend.

Then I did something bold. I did something neither of us expected… I kissed the Doctor. His eyes carried a weight of affection and fear in them that I did not appreciate at the time.

“Like I’m going to let you get away…” I galloped towards the TARDIS with the Doctor giving chase.

“I never got your name,” he yelled after me.

“The name’s Derpy… Derpy Hooves, mailmare extraordinaire,” I said to him slyly as I peered back at him from the doorway of the TARDIS. He followed me inside and with a whir of the engine we were back off.

As time passed we grew closer and after a run-in with some Daleks… well our passions began to run high. My parents were as surprised as the Doctor to find out I was carrying his foal. He thought he was incapable of having foals and so wasn’t particularly worried about it before. We were married not long after and our wedding was attended by the princesses themselves. I don’t know what we’ve done or are going to do in the future, being the wife of a time traveler leads to some funny things, to earn such an honor, but they were entirely insistent upon it and made sure we had a nice place to live and raise our children in Ponyville. The Doctor took on the name Time Turner and set to working on watches and clocks for an occupation, though between my mailmare duties and the stipend the royal sisters gave us we didn’t want for anything.

The day Amethyst was born was one of the happiest days of my life. She was so beautiful and clever from the start. Everyone always thought it strange that an earth pony and a pegasus had a unicorn, but the Doctor always chalked it up to the influence of being in the TARDIS so much while I was carrying her. She outpaced her friends in almost anything she tried, much to their teasing and jeering. As a result, she became strong and independent. The Doctor had a habit of calling her Amy for short, but it always brought a little mist to his eyes; he would never really talk about it, but I knew it had to have some deeper meaning for him. She’s always had a knack with gems and spent six months studying under a master jeweler who thought it would take years to master what she had learned so quickly. She became a rising star in the artisan world, but always had her hooves firmly planted on the ground, firmly planted in our hometown of Ponyville.

That brings us back to the present, and from which our story will continue. Perhaps another time I’ll tell the story of Dinky, but for now I think we should get back to the matters at hoof.

The morning after came with the sun filtering in through the blinds. Sunday mornings were a peaceful time for us. The Doctor and I would snuggle in bed until Dinky woke us with her poorly concealed clamor. These are times I really appreciated how for the most part he had decided to stay chained to a linear timeline with us. It seems a shame to cage such a beautiful bird, but I don’t think he’s ever resented us though. He said we were a welcome rest after “a long stretch of running”.

Dinky wasn’t home this morning, so we slept in much later than usual. I woke first, but decided to just snuggle in closer to my husband. I listened to the complicated heartbeat that drummed out beneath his chest. This was the same heartbeat that resonated in our foals, an inheritance from the stars.

“Derpy,” he groggily stirred,” you awake?”

“Yep,” I rubbed my neck against his and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Good morning” he said looking down at me.

“Good morning,” I replied in kind.

At that moment there was a knock at the front door that sent us both to scrambling out of bed and tripping over ourselves and the sheets. We promptly smoothed our coats and manes and headed down to the door.

Disheveled as we might have looked, we opened the door to see Amethyst standing there, half annoyed and half embarrassed.

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?” she sneered a bit.

“No no, we’re just uh…” the Doctor stymied for once.

“Sleeping in,” I said nudging my husband back inside.

“Sheesh, Dinky leaves for one night and you two,” she shuddered.

“It’s perfectly healthy for a married couple,” the Doctor said with a smile.

“Not helping dear,” I put my hoof over my face. Amethyst just shook her head and had a seat.

“What?” he seemed to be confused.

“Anyway… what brings you by?” I sat on the couch and motioned for my husband to join me.

“I have some great news!” she clapped her hooves together.

“Really?” I asked and we both looked at each other wondering if Altair hadn’t jumped the gun already.

“Mr. Hay is going to make me a partner in the company. He’s already decided that I will be in charge of the Ponyville branch permanently. This means that I’ll have some say in not only my branch, but how the company is run long-term. Isn’t that great?” She seemed to beam with pride.

“That’s great! My daughter is a proper businessmare. I knew you had potential,” the Doctor hugged her.

“What did you think I was going to say?” she seemed suspicious.

“Oh…” I began, a bit stymied by that quick wit of hers.

“Don’t tell me. I want to be surprised… I don’t want to be spoiled on the future.” She waved her hooves in front of her.

No sooner had she said that, but there was a knock at the door. I made my way to the door to find Cookie Crumbles standing there with two playing fillies chasing each other around behind her.

“Nice to see you again. How was she?” I asked from the doorway.

“Oh, they had a grand old time. You’d swear they were sisters,” she looked over at the two with me.

“I’m glad to hear that. With both their sisters out of the house and on their own it can get lonely for a little filly.” we stifled a laugh as Dinky and Sweetie Belle tripped into a rotating ball of pony.

“You’re right. She has other friends, but they are always so mischievous. It’s nice to know I can turn my back on those two and they aren’t going to get into anything,” she tipped a light tan sun hat back a bit.

“Well, I certainly appreciate you looking after her for me. We’ll have to return the favor for you and Hondo someday soon.”

“That sounds like a plan if I ever did hear one,” she motioned for Sweetie Belle to come to her side.

“Come along Dinky, your sister is here!,” to which a light purple flash blinked past me into the room.

“Amy!” she hugged her sister tight.

“Hey Dinkster. How are ya?” she hugged her and gave her a little rub on the head.

“Well, looks like you’re having a bit of a get together, so we’re gonna scoot on home. See you later” She waved to all inside and Sweetie Belle followed suit.

“Have a nice day.” I closed the door behind them.

“Oh, Mom!” Dinky looked up from her seat with her sister.

“What is it?” I asked, sitting back down.

“I think I’m some sort of superhero!” she seemed endlessly excited.

“Why is that dear?” I tried to humor her.

“Last night as were getting ready for bed I decided to read a story and I read it in like a minute!” she mimed flipping through a book.

“I guess you are getting better at reading. What kind of book was it?”

“It was one of those big books like you and Daddy read. It didn’t have any pictures and was kinda boring. I thought a book called War and Peace would be more exciting.” she grumbled. The Doctor and I both looked at one another with a bit of dread.

“Dinky, what have you done with that watch I gave you?” the Doctor leaned in and even Amethyst seemed to have a concerned look on her face.

“Nothing. See, it’s in my saddlebags,” she leapt down and after a bit of digging procured a silver fob watch.

“I told you to leave that at home,” his voice grew a bit more stern.

“Nothing happened to it. See?” she held it up, but the cover danced ajar a bit.

“Come here Dinky,” she obeyed and he listened to her chest intently.

“What’s wrong Daddy? Why is everyone so serious? Am I hurt? Am I gonna die?” She seemed very frightened.

“No, you’re perfectly healthy my child.” he stroked her little mane and kissed her forehead carefully.

“Then why are you all so serious? Why were you listening to my heart? Why does my heart feel weird?” she still seemed a bit scared.

“We have much to discuss my child…” he told a very nervous little unicorn.

Author's Note

This meandering memoir continues. I do hope you enjoy it. Comments are welcome and I do read them. Thank you to those couple of posters for your words of encouragement. I'm considering employing a pre-reader to help me sort out the bits that are a bit clanky, so if you have an interest I'd like to hear from you.

Home Part 1

"How do I begin to explain to you..."

"Why don't you begin with a name. Giving it a name could put her at ease." Amethyst replied as she removed a thin ring from her ear.

"Dinky, you're what's called a Time Lady. Your sister and I are the same.” he stroked her little mane.

“You’re a Time Lady?” Dinky laughs.

“No silly, I’m a stallion so I’m called a Time Lord”

“What about Mommy?” she looked over at me.

“I’m just a plain old pegasus” I waved my hoof at her.

“Please… Mom, if even half the stories Dad told me are true you are more than just a regular Pegasus.” Amethyst laughed.

“What did you tell her, dear?” I peered suspiciously at the Doctor.

“Nothing too crazy, my lovely sweet dearest lovely most caring loving wife…” he veered a little, sweating a bit and adjusting his tie.

“You used lovely twice, dear.”

“You’re just that lovely dear...” he was saved by his daughter tugging on his tie.

“What’s a Time Lady?” the little one dragged the conversation back to the subject at hoof.

“Well, the Time Lords are my ponies. Our home planet was Galliphrey… Just beautiful… They used to call it the shining world of the seven systems. Under a burnt orange sky my ponies watched over time itself.” he grew a bit misty eyed.

“Can we go there Daddy? Do you have a space ship?” Dinky’s eyes grew as big as saucers.

“No, my dear sweet child… My ponies are gone. They were all lost in one terrible event. We three are the only ones left” he hugged her as one would a security blanket.

“Like Miss Cheerilee told us about the dinosaurs?” she asked innocently.

“Yes… like the dinosaurs,” he laughed half broken hearted.

“Why is my chest all extra thumpy now?” she put a hoof to her chest as he relaxed his hold.

“You’ve got two hearts for extra kindness. Your Mom has one big enough to more than make up for it.” He poked her little hoof.

“That explains a lot… but why couldn’t I feel it before?”

“You know that watch I gave you? Well, it hides what you are. I wanted you to have an easier time of it than your sister.”

“I got bullied a bit because of how smart and athletic I was…” Amethyst seemed to take a little embarrassment from it.

Just as the family was really getting down to business a knock came at the door.

“I’ll get it.” I stood up and opened the door to some oddly dressed ponies. Their clothes were mismatched from several decades in a vain attempt to blend in, which only resulted in standing out even more.

“Is the residence of the Doctor?” The left asked, raising his cheap pitch black sunglasses. The other scanned around with what looked like an antique sonic screwdriver about as subtly as hammer to the head.

“Yes, who’s asking?” The Doctor flipped out his sonic and scanned the two to his astonishment, gently pushing me back towards our fillies.

“You are requested on Gallophrey by the High Council.” The two said with utmost sincerity.

“But… That’s not possible… Gallifrey burned in the Time War,” The Doctor backed up as if they were ghosts.

“What are you talking about Doctor?” the two looked at one another.

“The Time War with the Daleks? Using all the forbidden weapons? Any of this ringing a bell for you?” The Doctor seemed incensed by their amnesia.

“No, there was an uprising, but it was put down pretty swiftly with your assistance…” the crimson stallion answered.

“My assistance?” The Doctor became as pale as a sheet.

“I think you need to come with us to Gallophrey. I trust you remember how to get there.” he handed him a summons covered in wheel writing, which he told me later was the popular writing system in the time prior to the Time War.

“Oh, and bring your children. I trust the Council will want to meet them too.” The two slipped into a tree and it faded from existence.

“Why doesn’t theirs make that weird wheezing sound like yours Dad,” Amethyst asked quizzically.

“Wait, that weird sound you kept telling me was just the wind through the attic was your spaceship?!?!” Dinky shouted.

“Your father likes to leave the parking brake on,” I poked a little fun at him, though I half regretted it. He seemed so lost, like his world had been pulled out from under him...It seemed to bring him back to this world.

“But I like that noise…” he laughed and clambered up toward the attic.

“As your father might say, ‘Allons-y’.” I waved them up to follow.

“Mom speaks Fancy?” Dinky asked Amy.

“That’s what you’re thinking about at a time like this?” she answered and rushed her sister on.

We rushed into the room as The Doctor feverishly whipped around the console. Lights and sounds to dazzle filled the room. Dinky had to sit and watch as so much new information bewildered her young mind. Amy took to assisting her father with the controls as I consoled my youngest.

“Gallifrey, here we come!” he threw the last lever and the sound of the whining picked up, colored by a cheerful little chirp.

“If this was there the entire time, why didn’t I get to go on a trip with Daddy?” Dinky asked, looking up at me.

“Daddy’s trips tend to get a little… dicey. Hopefully since this is his home it will be nice and safe.” I brought her in under my wing and scooched her close to me on the little couch.

“Mommy?”

“Yes?”

“I wanted to grow up, but not this fast,” she clung to me.

“It’s okay. I’m sure everything will be just fine my little muffin,” I stroked her mane. The TARDIS shifted from side to side a bit as we travelled the vortex. Amethyst helped her father steady our favorite little blue box.

“Alright, looks like we’ve made it.” The Doctor threw open the door to reveal the council chamber. Strolling out, he found the council in full session. We followed behind him, a bit concerned. The hall erupted in a standing ovation from all directions as the platform rose. The cheers died down as another platform joined us with the high council calling for quiet with a tapping of a large staff.

“Time Lords and Ladies of the Council, after a long time The Doctor has returned to us. We’ve been searching for so long, it is my great honor to welcome you and your family back home.” the Lady President announced raising her staff to applause. The council was draped in the most beautiful red my eyes have ever seen and numbered in the hundreds.

“I hope you will stay with us for a while dear Doctor. You have been much missed.” a smile beamed from her face.

“I suppose we could stay for a little while,” he shuffled his hooves a bit with an uncertain look on his face.

“Why are they cheering so much Mommy?” Dinky whispered to me.

“Your father is a very good stallion, much more than you know” I whispered back.

“Like a superhero?” Dinky asked.

“I suppose you could call him that…” I looked over at the Doctor who by now was given a velvet cape to wear of the brightest red. He reluctantly slipped it on and waved to the crowd. The Lady President whispered something to him and he waved for us to join him on the other platform. Together we descended to the brilliant marble floor of the hall. Following the High Council down a short hall to a rather large antechamber, we gazed in awe at the millenia old building and all of its archaic art and decoration that I haven’t seen the like of before or since. Gathering into a group, the guards that had flanked us from the hall opened the massive brass and exotic wood door to the more intimate Council Chamber.

“Derpy” The Doctor called to me.

“Yes” I approached as the group parted for us.

“I want you to keep Amy and Dinky out here. I’m not sure of all this yet, so I want you to keep your eyes peeled for anything strange.” he whispered to me with an air of scarcely withheld dread. I nodded subtly and motioned for my fillies to join me on a couch near the door. The rest of the group followed into the main chamber.

“What’s going on Mom?” Amy was the first to speak up as we sat on a plush red couch outside.

“Just keep your eyes peeled and your ears open,” I whispered to her. She nodded and we sat tensely listening to the sounds of the meeting buffeting through the gaps in the doors.

“Doctor, thank you for coming to see us so willingly. After the Dalek uprising you disappeared from us so suddenly we thought you were lost to us.” a male voice said. The guards outside seemed steeped half in awe and half in concern at our tense postures.

“Well you know me, I like to wander a bit, harder to kill than a cockroach.” I could almost see him twirling his screwdriver or something with that smug smile he gets when he wants to look confident, whether he is or not.

“True enough, but I think we should get back to the matter at hoof here,” the President said.

“Fair enough, what brings me to Gallifrey?” his sense of humor shone through.

“We’ve wondered where you’ve been for some time now. The opening of the chameleon arc gave us our final plotting point to find you. Why have you been hiding from us?” she seemed concerned.

“This regeneration likes privacy. That and I thought that Gallifrey had burned in the Time War.” he said half jokingly to test the waters.

“What Time War?” the High Council seemed shocked.

“When we fought the Daleks.” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Oh, the uprising? You put that down by disabling their weapons through that wavelength generator of yours. From there we shepherded them back to Skaro and sealed the whole planet in a slice of time.”

“We didn’t kill any of them?” he seemed stymied by his own cleverness.

“Of course not. You were quite adamant on that point. Are you okay? Have you suffered some problem in regeneration?”

“You could say that. I actually came from a different universe where The Moment had to be used.” At this, the Council gasped in shock.

“Yeah, my counterpart in this universe must have been more clever than me.” he tapped the table edge gently.

“Before we continue, we must assess your travels in this dimension and determine our next course of action.” The grizzled council member to the far right spoke up.

“I think it prudent as well. Guards, bring forth The Doctor’s TARDIS.” she ordered a couple of red draped men in the corner that were of a menacing size and a sour disposition.

I watched them run out to the forum and bring back that familiar blue box straining and stressing themselves to haul it around and drag it into the room. I tried to maintain my composure, but I think my fillies saw through my best poker face.

“It’ll be okay, Ma. If these guys are anything like Dad, I can’t imagine them finding anything wrong with anything he’s done.” Amethyst tried to reassure me.

“You’re probably right. I just can’t shake this feeling...” I looked back at the menacing door.

Back inside, I could hear some whirring and clanging.

“Interesting…” they must have been looking over his history.

“Anything of concern in there?” The Doctor seemed inquisitive.

“Nothing we would sanction you for… I see some infractions, but they’re only for cheap tricks, so I suppose we can let those slide.” The elder council member seemed satisfied with the scan.

“You are definitely alike our Doctor.” The Lady President seemed to be concerned.

“The people want their hero. Why don’t we let them have it? It doesn’t have to leave this room that he isn’t our dimension’s Doctor.” Somepony on the left muttered.

“That’s some dangerous thinking there young fellow. I’ll admit that this Doctor does a lot of the same things ours did, but entrusting him with that seems a bit rash.” The same grizzled pony on the right shared his concern.

“Still, the Time Academy needs a dean…” the young stallion on the left clapped his hoof on the table.

“And we gave that job to our Doctor and he refused and disappeared.” The elder pony on the other end stamped his hoof as well.

“That Doctor didn’t have a family though. Perhaps our new Doctor will see the stability of such a position as one of safety and security. Not only that, this is a great opportunity for his children to have a fine education.”

“Order! Order!” the Lady President slammed a gavel.

Low grumbling echoed in the chamber.

“Why don’t we simply ask him instead of arguing back and forth?” The Lady President opened the floor to the Doctor.

“That is quite the honor… You’re right, being stuck in one place has never been my strong suit….but I might consider staying…. I need to talk to my family first.” He seemed concerned.

“Of course. In the mean time, please stay and let your family see if they want to stay. It might not be a bad idea to take them to the medical quarter as well. I doubt they’ve ever had a check-up by an expert.”

“I’ll be sure to let you know when we’ve made a decision.” he answered and backed toward the door.

“Oh, speaking of check ups, you should have your TARDIS get a look over at the repair shop while you’re here. I’ll have the treasurer draw up a stipend for your use.”

“That’s very generous of you Lady President.”

“Fare the well Doctor. I hope to hear from you soon. We shall return the TARDIS to the Council Antechamber for your use.” she dismissed him and the doors finally creaked open.His eyes were half buried in thought, but he seemed happy. They were the eyes of a traveler long at sea that had glimpsed home for the first time in ages and could but think it was a mirage.

I ran up and gave him a hug as the rest of the family gathered around.

“Well, seems like we’ve got a family vacation if nothing else.” his smile betrayed an unsure feeling beneath the surface.

“Are we gonna live here Dad?” Dinky asked.

“How about we take a tour and decide afterward? This big of a move affects all of us, so I want everyone’s input before we decide.” The Doctor leaned down, his voice growing strong again. He seemed like a kid again.

“Where to first Mr. Tour Guide?” I asked him with a salute. Amethyst seemed terribly torn about something, so I tried to lighten her mood a bit, but I knew full well what was on her mind.

“Hmm… Let’s drop the TARDIS off at the repair shop first.” He pushed the door open.

“All aboard” I called. Dinky gleefully skipped inside while my eldest dragged her hooves a bit.

We reached the repair shop in no time. Stepping outside, a half dozen mechanics stood outside with their mouths agape.

“That’s….”

“There’s no mistaking it...”

“Hello gents. How about you give my other wife here a quick look over?” The Doctor rubbed the side of his blue box as we stepped out.

“Yes sir!” The mechanics swarmed to touch the blue box.

“It really is an old type 40...” One of the elder appearing mechanics scanned it over.

“Just give her a nutrient bath and replace anything that’s broken or missing.” He waved to them as we stepped off toward the city at large.

“Yes, sir!” The group saluted.

“Oh, and stop saluting. Not a big fan of that… Oh, and if she makes it clear she doesn’t want you to touch something leave it alone.” He turned back for one last comment.

“Now where to Daddy?” Dinky seemed to be losing her fear.

“Let’s go to the medical quarter.”

“Does that mean we’re going to the doctor?” She seemed disappointed.

“Yes, I want to make sure my little fillies are in good shape. These guys are the best in the universe.”

“Aww”

“Tell you what. I know a great little place that ought to be near the office. We’ll go there afterward, how’s that?” He laughed a little bit.

“Okay” she followed alongside him while I kept an eye on Amy.

“We’ll figure something out” I nudged her out of her thoughts.

“Uh… Oh… Um… yeah,” her face regained most of its lost luster.

“Right this way!” The Doctor started into a gallop with Dinky at his side.

“Come on slowpokes!” Dinky yelled. We rushed on to catch up as we climbed a set of stairs to an air tram.

The tram car was not unlike the rest of this new world. It looked as if it would crack at the slightest breeze, but somehow seemed eternal. The car was like a large spun glass egg adorned with silvery metal that carried what appeared to be an engine as it glowed in response to the closing of the door.

“Medical quarter the scenic route,” The Doctor ordered and we ascended into the air with the hum of an engine. The citadel was a gleaming jewel set in what looked like a snowglobe. The beauty was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The burnt orange sky and the glittering silver leaves cascading light down the nearby mountains were simply breathtaking. Looking back at the city itself, it made Manehatten look like Ponyville with such elegance and beauty that I can not do it justice in words.

After a time of having our noses pressed against the glass, we landed at a large pristine white building. Entering through the automatic doors, we were greeted and ushered back to a small practice in the back of the building. Even the waiting room was beautiful. The walls were lined with rich red cushions that you could get lost in if you weren’t careful.

“Just a moment and we’ll be with you.” A slender, but clever looking teal mare peaked out of an examination room.

“I’ll go in with Dinky too if you’re okay Amy,” The Doctor asked.

“I’ll be fine,” she grabbed a nearby magazine and settled in.

“I’ll see you now.” the teal mare peaked her head out. A yellow stallion passed by and went into the other exam room.

We marched in and I helped Dinky onto a large exam table. The room had that tell tale smell of disinfectant and wasn’t much indistinguishable from one back home aside from some of the equipment lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling.

“Dinky is it?” the teal mare asked with a smile as she finished scrolling on an electronic tablet.

“Yep” she seemed to be a little nervous.

“Well, this exam won’t take long. We’ll have you in and out in a jiffy.” she brought down a gray rectangular device mounted on a swivel.

“What’s that?” Dinky asked.

“This is my scanner. It helps me see if there’s anything wrong with you so we can fix you up.” she pointed out the shiny black streak across the front and swiveled it back and forth, demonstrating its range of motion.

“Will it hurt?”

“Not a bit.” The physician smirked a little slyly.

“Okay, I’m ready.” Dinky braced herself.

“You can relax. I already did it” The physician giggled a little.

“Woah, I didn’t feel that at all.” she gasped.

“That’s the idea kiddo. Now, let’s see what the scan says.” The teal mare looked seriously at the pad and scrolled up and down.

I hugged my little one while we waited.

“Hmm… Couple things I need to steady, but otherwise she is in excellent condition.” The physician loaded a couple of injectors.

“That’s good.” The Doctor hugged our little one and winked at the physician who stepped behind him.

“This one is to get your vaccines up to date, and this one is a booster to solidify your regeneration energy that’s a bit unsteady right now. We wouldn’t want you blowing up the house now would we?” she smiled.

“Okay,” she braced for it, but looked back to realize that the injectors were empty already.

“Part of being a good pediatrician is to be part magician. I thank you kindly my clever assistant.” The Doctor bowed. He had hidden the injectors between his foreleg and body as he hugged her and she had injected one while explaining the other.

“It’s over already?” She seemed confused.

“Yep, though I would like to see you in a week or two to make sure the treatment went well.” She clicked around on her pad.

“That wasn’t so bad now was it?” I ruffled her mane.

“Nope, I like Daddy’s doctors better than the ones back home.” she laughed.

“Physician Bolt is ready in the next room for Amethyst.” She smiled and showed us out.

“Thank you”

“My pleasure. Don’t forget to pick up your lollipop on the way out.” She booped Dinky lightly on the nose.

“Amy, let’s head in.” I waved for her. The Doctor stayed with Dinky and was settled in reading a magazine with her.

“They’re ready for me?” she set down her magazine and followed me in.

We caught the bold colored stallion in the midst of adjusting the scanner and setting the injectors aside.

“Come have a seat please.” He made a small adjustment with the scanner.

“Okay,” she sat upon the exam table.

“Well, let’s get the initial scan done.” He flicked a switch and Amy half braced for something that never seemed to come.

“There we are.” He turned the switch back off and waited on the results.

I held her hoof as the stallion dragged back and forth, eyeing this and that.

“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that because it has been left untreated for so long the instability in your regeneration energy is a bit more severe than your sister.”

“Is it treatable?” I asked, hugging her.

“Mom!” she squirmed a bit.

“I’m sorry, but no matter how big you get you’ll always be my filly.” I loosened my grip.

“Yes, but it will require that you take a course of medication for the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, you are a completely healthy young lady. I’ll have the dispensary draw up a vial of pills for you. Take one with breakfast for the next couple of weeks and you’ll be right as rain.”

“That’s a relief” I wiped my brow.

“One last thing and we’ll be finished here. You need to be vaccinated against common ailments.” He drew up the same sort of injector as Dinky had and injected her with no fuss.

“Alright, that would seem to do it. I want to see you in two weeks to ensure everything has gone well.” He smiled and showed us the door.

Outside, The Doctor and Dinky were curled up and Dinky was sucking gleefully on a lollipop as my husband showed her a travel magazine for Gallifrey.

“How’d it go?” he looked up.

“I’ve got the same thing Dinky has, but I have to take pills for the next couple of weeks to cure it.” She clipped over to him.

“I’m sure it’ll work out just fine.”

"Dad?"

“Yes Dinky?”

“What is regner…” she stumbled a bit, “energy and why would I blow up?” she seemed deeply concerned.

The group shuffled its collective hooves as the little one was the last in the dark about the subject.

“Well… It’s like a big ball of…”

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoyed and would love some feedback.

Home Part 2

“Dad…” Amethyst interrupted.

“The regeneration energy is bound…” The Doctor continued to try to explain.

“Dad...” she interrupted again.

“What is it?” He seemed a bit confused and a little irritated.

“If this is the same talk that you tried to give me, it’ll just confuse her.” She put her hoof on his shoulder.

“But…”

“Please Dad.”

Dinky looked side to side.

“Sure,” he patted her on the back with a subtle smile.

“You know those arcade games where if you character dies you get another chance?” She sat down with Dinky.

“Yeah, sometimes when we go to the market I watch Button play.” Dinky scratched her head.

“Well, it’s almost the same with us. If we aren’t hurt too badly or grow very old... Time Ladies have very long lives by the way... We can use up one of our lives and we’ll be restored to a healthy younger version of ourselves.”

“How young?” she looked down at her hoof.

“That’s the thing, it’s kinda random. You don’t know quite what you’re going to get. You’ll still be the same pony at your core, but almost anything else can change. Your personality can shift a little and you’ll probably look different too. It’s quite a big deal so you don’t want to waste them. You only get twelve.”

“Wow,” Dinky looked down at her chest.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know.” She hugged her.

“Well, that’s enough talk of that. You said you knew of a place around here?” I clapped my hooves, trying to rescue the sullen mood.

“Oh, yes” the Doctor waved us to follow. We stopped by the dispensary and picked up Amy’s medicine and were on our way.

We wandered through the streets of the medical quarter for a bit. Most of the ponies seemed more interested in their own conditions to notice us. The air was much sweeter smelling than I expected for such a large city. That sky was still all too alien to me with that burnt orange hue.

“There it is!” he yelled and we all dashed after him.

“Equestrian Food,” we all gazed up in wonder at the little open air shop.

“Yeah, I’m not the only Time Lord who has visited Earth over time.” He pulled up a stool and we all followed suit. I gave Dinky a hoof up.

“How can I help… you… Doctor,” a portly gray stallion started, but his tongue was snared by what he beheld before him.

“I think I’ll have the special.” He said in reply. I looked over at it and the special was a synthetic hayburger that had been enriched with additional nutrients and some fried vegetable I couldn’t pronounce. Amy and I puzzled over the menu.

“Have the special. Trust me. They won’t come out for a couple centuries, but ponies will go absolutely mad for them.” He gave us that reassuring smile and snagged Dinky’s stool who had up to this point been spinning on it while she stared up at the sky and the towering buildings.

“Four specials I guess.” I told the stallion.

“C..c.coming right up.” The stallion whipped around and proceeded to throw together our meals.

“So how do you like it so far?” He asked all of us, but seemed most interested in Amy’s answer.

“I like it! I’m gonna miss my friends if we move here, but this place is soooo cool even if it is a little scary learning all this new stuff.” Dinky wiggled on her chair as she answered.

“Home is where the heart is. I’ll be happy wherever you are. It’s a lot to leave behind, but what is life without adventure? Besides, we can always go back if we really want to visit.” I answered to give Amy a little time to think as she was obviously deeply steeped in thought.

“Amy…” he uttered after a pause as he lost a little luster in his voice. The cook gingerly slid our food before us. Dinky began eating wholeheartedly.

“I don’t want to leave Altair.” She pawed at what looked like fries on her plate as she stared down.

“I understand.” He took a bite.

“Dinky definitely needs you, so wherever you guys go she has to go too, but I’m out on my own. We live a long time. I could come back after well… you know… and I’d still be really young by Time Lord standards.” She nibbled on one of the fries. I handed Dinky a napkin for her very messy face.

“Well, we’ll miss you, but your happiness is what’s important. If that’s what you want to do, I’m sure we can work around it. Just promise me one thing…” I nibbled a bite of burger.

“What’s that?” She looked up from her plate.

“Take good care of yourself and if we can manage it, please write your dear old mother.” I feigned an elderly voice that drew a stifled snicker from my eldest.

“I think we can manage it.” My husband finished a bite.

“Wait! Amy is staying back in Ponyville?” Dinky looked over at us with a bit of shock.

“Yeah squirt, but I’ll write and you guys can come visit when you can.” She laughed.

“I’m going to miss you sis.”

“I’ll miss you too,” she answered with a half smile.

“We’ll need to find someone to look after the house.” The Doctor said with a smirk, tossing a fry up and catching it.

“That’s, well… That’s very generous of you.”

“Why? We can’t use it.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“What if you decide to return to Ponyville?”

“We’ll figure it out when we get there. Besides, wouldn’t be the first time I started clean slate.” He sipped a bit of his water and we shared a loving glance.

The little open air eatery became quiet. All but the sounds of distant hoofbeats and the occasional smacking of Dinky’s less than refined eating habits had evaporated with an awkward, but content silence. A reminder now and then with a nudge got Dinky back on track.

“I’m going to miss Miss Cheerilee too. She’s a nice teacher. Are the teachers nice here too?” Dinky asked as she twirled the last of her fries between her hoof and plate.

“Well, you’ll be studying a lot more than your friends in Ponyville, but nothing you can’t handle... Then again, you’ll still have a year or so until you start going.”

“What?!” Dinky’s eyes went wide.

“Yes, ponies here don’t start school until they’re eight, so you’ll have plenty of time to get used to things before you have to go. I have a lot to teach you before you get there though.”

“Like what?”

“Like how to read and write my language. Just a whole lot of fun stuff.” He seemed almost giddy about it.

“Now Dad, don’t go throwing too much at her.” Amethyst started.

“I wouldn’t! I’m an excellent teacher.” He dusted his chest professorially.

“Who was it that tried to teach me quantum mechanics when I was three?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, to be fair I thought you could handle it. You were very bright.” He ran a hoof against his mane.

“I’ll keep both eyes on them.” I patted Amy on the back.

“Thanks Mom.” she laughed.

We finished our meals and got up from the stools.

“How much do I owe you?”

“For you, no charge. It’s not everyday you get a legend at your counter.” The stallion wiped down the counter as a couple of customers walked up.

“Let’s get going…” The Doctor whispered as the two mares started to look our way.

“Was that…?” The taller one asked as she fluffed her mane.

“Eeyup”

“Wow,” the two looked at each other with a bit of surprise.

We decided to take a walk along the buildings of the city. The season here was fall, so a slight nip was present in the air, even in the bubble. We strolled around to what looked like that big square in Manehatten. There were big screens rolling advertisements for this and that. As we marvelled again at a new foreign experience, a few familiar faces popped up. We looked around and realized that the news had caught up to us.

A flotilla of those little glass bubbles started appearing and ponies flooded the street, choking pretty much any ground based traffic to a stop. We turned left and right and realized that there was no where to run. A mob of young mares and stallions were piling out and around us. I could fly Dinky out, but I wouldn’t be able to bring anyone else out without leaving Dinky alone.

Just when we were looking pretty nervous a retinue of rather stern and muscular guard ponies jumped out and a white hoof waved us in to a glass covered building. Without options, we rushed inside.

Breathing heavily, we emerged from the storm into a stark white lobby with circular designs pressed into the walls. The furniture was of simple primary colors and coarse cloth. Vases, figurines and other various little adornments of similar colors stood on thick glass shelves propped up in the circles.

The mare who waved us in stood before us with the look of a cat who had just eaten the canary. The look scared Dinky a little and she tucked in close to my side. I extended my wing to comfort her. Her hair was a brilliant red color that matched the rims of her short glasses that dangled a chain behind them around her neck. Her left cheek had a mole and her lips were painted a brilliant green to match her eyes. It was quite the look.

“So nice of you to join us, Doctor.” Her voice carried a high formality and restrained excitement I had only heard from nobility in Canterlot.

The Doctor’s face contorted for a second as he thought of the best way to deal with the situation.

“Five minute interview. My family stays out of shot and there will be transport available on the roof at our disposal at the end of it.” He tapped his hoof on the tile.

“Done.” She tapped the floor in response.

The Doctor seemed relieved that she had accepted the terms so easily.

“Make up!” She called and a half dozen ponies descended on my poor husband and set to prepping him. One of them tried to slick his mane down, but found his mane a bit too resilient for him and ended up just straightening the straight up look. Dinky giggled a bit becoming a little less afraid.

As quickly as they had come, they dispersed and we followed the journalist to her studio.

Dozens of ponies flew around the studio, operating cameras and adjusting lights. It looked like they had assembled a whole new furniture set for the interview. The room was surrounded with a dark black background and equipped with blue plush fabric chairs and a glass topped metal coffee table.

We were settled into a set of director’s chairs behind the cameras.

“Anything I can get you?” A young pimply looking assistant approached us.

“No thank you, we just ate.” I smiled.

“Yes, ma’am” He scuttled off to do some other task on his clipboard.

Dinky was mesmerized by all the whirring of equipment.

The lights dimmed and a few new ones lit up the interview area. That same stallion pushed a button and started a countdown timer.

“Good afternoon Doctor,” that plastic smile was sickening.

“Good afternoon,” he said as he crossed his hooves.

“How has your visit been so far?” She shifted a few papers on the coffee table and looked up at him.

“A bit more publicity than I’d like, but otherwise it has been very nice. I didn’t expect such a response to my moving around. I suppose I’ll have to be more discreet about my movements in the future.” He tried to remain cheerful, but it was clear to anyone who knew him that this wasn’t his idea of a good time.

“Has your family enjoyed the stay?”

“It seems so.” He feigned drinking from an empty mug.

“I’m sure everyone is curious. What made you disappear from us like that and hide on that forsaken rock?” She spoke as if our home was some hovel in a barren volcanic husk of a world.

“First, I’ll thank you not to disparage my wife’s home. We have a lot of friends back there. They may not be as technologically advanced as Gallifrey, but they are good ponies. That said, partly out of privacy, but mostly out of love for my wife and our wonderful foals. I guess my name hasn’t cooled in the ears of this world yet.” He finished with a small laugh.

“I apologize.“ She strained out her apology through her teeth.

“All is forgiven.” His smirk returned.

“Moving on… Do you approve of the way the Council has been ruling? Do you have ambitions for a Council position of your own, Doctor?” She tipped her glasses up.

“Well, to be fair I haven’t been here nearly long enough to make those sorts of judgements and besides I really have no political aspirations.” He crossed his hooves again.

“Mommy?” Dinky tugged at my wing.

“What is it?’ I asked in a whisper.

“Why does everyone keep calling Daddy a Doctor?” She asked.

“Well, it’s sort of like his superhero name.”

“Ohhh… And his real name is Time Turner?” She looked up at me with an air of curiosity.

“Not exactly. That was his name while he was in Equestria.”

“What’s his real name?”

“I don’t know. He said it was very dangerous to know his name, and I trust he keeps it from us to protect us.” I smiled and gave her a little hug.

During our little conversation, the interview continued. The interviewer had become quite irritated, though she tried to hide it. It seems The Doctor had dodged the traps that had been set and done it with his usual civility.

“It has been lovely speaking with you Doctor.” The mare said with almost gritted teeth.

“My pleasure.” He made a face so smug I would have given him an earful if he had ever used it with me, but to be honest it did make my heart thump just a little bit harder. It reminded me of our early days zooming around in that blue box.

“Mom?” Amy had noticed my distraction with her father.

“Hm..Wh...What?” I came back to my senses.

“I think we’re done” She laughed and Dinky followed suit.

“Well…. yes, of course. They did agree for five minutes.” I straightened myself up.

We rejoined The Doctor off stage.

“Save those eyes for me tonight, my love.” he whispered in my ear to which I couldn’t help but blush and ruffle my feathers a bit.

“You love me and you can’t help it…” he sang teasingly, but quietly to embarrass Amy and make Dinky roll with laughter.

“Oh yeah?” An equally mischievous grin crossed my lips as I leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss.

Coming up for air, It would be fair to say that he was speechless at least for once in his long life.

“Mom, not you too?” Amy covered her face with her hoof.

“Yep, you’re going to just have to deal with the fact that your father and I are deeply, madly in love with one another.” I stuck my tongue out at her and motioned The Doctor that we should stop playing around and make our way out to the transport.

Begrudgingly, we were escorted to the roof and hopped in another crystal transport.

“Time capsule repair please.” He uttered into the microphone.

“What’s that?” Dinky pointed out a particularly ornate skyscraper.

“That’s the finest hotel in the citadel, but we have an even better place to stay.” He pointed at the building in question.

“Really?” She turned towards him.

“Yep,” he grinned.

“Where?”

“It’s a surprise.” he laughed and winked at me.

We arrived at the mechanic’s and let the transport return to its duty.

“How is she?” The Doctor asked.

“Tip top shape for such an old model. We couldn’t get the chameleon circuit working though.” He scratched his head with a wrench.

“That’s because there’s nothing wrong with it. I fixed it years ago, but by then she was so used to it that she wouldn’t take on any other form. Besides, I’ve grown to like this form too.” He rubbed the side of the TARDIS lovingly.

“I suppose they do have a mind of their own.” the mechanic wiped his brow.

“Thank you for all your work, sir” He shook hooves with the mechanic.

“It was my pleasure. I’ll send the bill to expensing.”

“Alright, well we’ll be on our way. Everyone in.” He waved us inside and we all piled into the TARDIS.

Upon closing the door, The Doctor turned around and scanned the ship intensely, wandering from side to side until it seems he found what he was looking for.

“Ah ha! Sneaky little fellows.” He pulled off a panel and disabled a small piece of equipment attached to a couple cables.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Tracking device, I don’t really blame them. I’ve just disabled it for the moment.” He replaced the panel and turned back to us with a big grin on his face.

“First, things first. Let’s get out of these gentlemen’s way.” He flipped a couple switches and the TARDIS leapt with a smoothness I hadn’t felt before. We alighted on the roof of a nearby tall building.

“And now, your rooms.” We followed him as he raced out of the control room. We passed the pool, the library, the kitchen and a croquet court before we reached a hallway with several rooms.

“Dad sure has a lot of stuff in here.” Dinky looked up at her sister.

“You haven’t seen the half of it.” she smirked.

“I set up these rooms in case we ever had to move in a hurry we’d have somewhere to stay.” He pushed open the first door.

“Wow,” Dinky looked around inside.

“It’s just like your room at home. I tried to keep them fairly similar.” He smiled.

“Everything seems... bigger,” she puzzled.

“Yeah, I gave you a little more space than you had at home.”

“Thanks Dad!” She flopped and rolled on the bed.

“I know where mine is.” Amy waved and slipped into her own room.

“And now, our room.” He nuzzled my muzzle lovingly.

We made our way to the end of the little hallway. Well, little by comparison. We were greeted by a large oak door. with brass accessories.

Pushing it open he revealed the new room.

“You painted.” I noticed the walls were now a lovely muted shade of red.

“Yes, and I fixed up the old bed that we used when we were first starting out.”

“Oh, those were fun times.” I ran my hoof along the smooth wood surface.

“Yes, they were,” we had a happy little moment remembering all our adventures when we first met. It was a magic moment. This big little box had seen us through a lot and until we’d found a place to live it was our home.

“Just between you and me, what do you really think? Are you really okay with all this?” He turned away from me and ran and tapped his hoof on the opposing corner of the bed post.

“I mean every word I said. Is something the matter?” I sidled up to him.

“That tracking device worries me. It could be harmless enough, but I don’t know them well enough to make that presumption.” He stared off into the distance.

“Well, if you think it’s more innocent than insidious then we’ll stay. If you think it’s the other way around we’ll leave. It’s simple as that.” I tried to comfort him.

“If only I knew that.” He seemed a bit frustrated and slightly distant.

“Why don’t we stay until you can figure it out? We haven’t had any major problems so far.” I rubbed his shoulder.

“What if I get it wrong?” He looked down at his hoof.

“You won’t. There’s nopony I know as clever as you.” I nudged him with my elbow.

“Are you really okay with that much risk?” He looked me in the eyes.

“These ponies love you very much. I doubt they’d let anything come to harm our hero.” I hugged his neck.

“True enough,” he replied with a smirk.

“I’m sorry, the door was open.” Amy caught us hugging and was about to cover her eyes and dart out of the room.

“It’s not what you think.” I called to her.

“There’s someone at the door. Says he’s an old friend of yours.” She refused to lower her hoof.

“I’ll be there in a moment.” The Doctor replied.

“Who would that be?” I asked him.

“I don’t know.” The Doctor replied with a look of concern and curiosity...

The Marks We Leave

We approached and the Doctor creaked open the door. Before us in the nighttime glow of the citadel stood a pony that neither of us recognized.

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember you. Is the face new?” The Doctor asked the strange pony.

The pony that stood in front of us was older in appearance. His short mane and gruff beard were as white as snow, contrasting with the deep chocolate brown of his fur. Draped around him was a cloak that reminded me of a stage magician’s cape. His face bore witness to decades; his eyes, millennia.

“Have I grown so forgetful in my old age?” He tossed his cloak on the console as if it was his home.

“I remember all of my faces and I don’t remember that one.” the Doctor said sternly.

“I really remember all of my faces and I don’t remember that one. Have my brains gone to pudding in old age?” The other stallion looked him over from mane to hoof.

Both stallions drew their screwdrivers cautiously.

“You’re not...” the two seemed to say simultaneously.

The new pony licked a hoof and lifted it in the air as if to feel the wind. Bringing it down, he gave it a small taste.

“You’ve got too much lime to be me, and yet you are.” He puzzled himself.

“Let’s just say that this world is my home, and it isn’t.” My husband solved the machinations in this new pony’s mind.

“Of course!” He stamped his hoof in sudden realization.

“So you’re this universe’s…” the Doctor began.

“Yes, I am and might I add your universe tastes awful.” He seemed to wipe his tongue of the taste.

“Maybe you’ve just lost your sense of taste? A little citrus never hurt anyone. Well, aside from that one time in the...” the Doctor retorted, trailing off.

The two seemed ready to get in an argument when I interjected.

“Umm… Who is this?” I asked.

“Well. he’s me… and not me.” the Doctor replied.

“I’m this universe’s proper Doctor, madam.” The chocolate Doctor lifted and kissed my hoof.

“That’s my wife, you know.” My darling husband gave him a subtle stare.

“Ah, so that’s how it is.” he looked between us and around at my girls with a knowing smirk.

“Yeah,” my Doctor eyed him with a little annoyance.

“You could have just taken them to your universe.” The other Doctor said with a slightly quizzical tone wandering to and fro.

“I looked into it, but my TARDIS wouldn’t get a proper lock onto my universe to return. She can be temperamental that way. Even if she did cooperate, my universe is not equine in nature.”

“Not equine you say?” The other Doctor’s curiosity was peaked.

“Yes, bipedal tetrapods are the norm for the dominant species.”

“Interesting,” he rubbed his chin.

“Are you thinking what I am?” the Doctor grinned.

“Switch places?” They said simultaneously.

From there a flurry of commands, cables and arguments flew between the two time ships. Occasionally they seemed to agree on things with but a look.

“You’ll want one of these!” The Doctor flung a banana to the other ship.

“Really?” The older looking Doctor looked confused.

“Trust me! Always bring a banana to a party.” my Doctor called back.

“I’ll have to thank you for taking the dean job for me. They’ve been trying to track me down for centuries to fill that post. These old bones still have far too much adventure in them.” The other Doctor said as he brought a last box of miscellaneous knick knacks to our door.

“Oh, there’s plenty of that!.” My Doctor handed him a few gizmos.

“That should do it.” The older looking Doctor stroked his beard.

“How do you plan to get across the dimensional rift?”

“I’ve got an old friend in universe gate management.”

“Anybody I’d know?” My Doctor asked storing away the gifted gizmos.

“Does your universe have a Koschei?” The other Doctor asked curiously.

“Yes, but I fear that he won’t be the same man that you knew. He’s lost his way and I’ve been chasing him for years. He took the name Master, but she’s going by Missy now. It’s all in the notes.” My Doctor responded somberly and with a tinge of regret, cutting short his own description.

“What’s a man?” The older looking Doctor peered curiously.

“Nevermind that. Have you got everything on your end?” My husband called back.

“Oh yes, it nearly slipped my mind.” The other Doctor plucked a letter from his coat and hoofed it over.

“A reunion?” My husband turned it over in his hooves.

“The House of Lungbarrow has it every year. I usually skip it because they can’t find me, but coming back looking for you led one of them to tape it to the door of my TARDIS.” The other Doctor conveyed a sense of annoyance at the whole affair.

“Wait, so we have relatives here, Dad?” Dinky pranced about with great excitement.

“It would seem so.” my Doctor pecked our youngest on the top of the head. Some powerful emotions welled up in my husband by the look in his eyes.

“Too many of them. They took far too great an advantage of the end of Pythias’ curse if you ask me.” The elder looking Doctor scoffed, but tempered it with a bit of compassion in his voice for my husband.

“Can we go Dad?” Dinky piped up.

“Yes, I think so.” the Doctor replied looking down at her pleading expression.

“Be my guest.” The other Doctor bowed politely and turned to leave.

“Take good care of my universe would you?” My husband called to him.
“Don’t worry. I’ve watched you for a long time. Where do you think I got the crazy idea to end the Time War?” The other Doctor laughed and scampered off to his TARDIS like a child to an amusement park.

“Now then, let’s go and meet the Lungbarrows!” My Doctor didn’t miss a beat, fidgeting with this control and that while Amy smoothed out the ride from the auxiliary control panels.

“Now, who could that be?” I heard a voice calling from just outside the door as we whirred to a stop.

“Hello everyone!” The Doctor clipped forward out of the TARDIS, attempting to hide his joy. The day was sunny and the leaves shone with all their silvery glory.

“Look who finally decided to pull himself away and make an appearance!” The older stallion yelled to the crowd.

“You left the invitation on my door and I thought I might drop in and let the tots finally meet their relatives.” The Doctor replied.

“No we didn’t. We gave up doing that ages ago.” The stallion scratched his mane.

“Then who…” The Doctor had barely uttered those words when a large blue sphere appeared at his hooves.

The sphere ticked and a red light blinked faster and faster.

“No, no, no” My dearest Doctor yelled.

“A little party favor to welcome you back, Theta Sigma.” An aggressive voice escaped the speaker on the sphere, the last words chewing their way out of his mouth.

A flash of light encapsulated the sphere and it vanished from sight.

“What?” The Doctor looked confused.

“Duck!” My youngest yelled and a few seconds later, the ball of light reappeared miles above us with an explosion that echoed around the mountains.

“How?! Wait, what?” How did you…” I asked her.

“I don’t know! I just got really scared and wanted the thing to go away and it did. It was like I could feel this weird fabric with my horn and just sort of pushed it away .” Dinky shook violently and cried. I grabbed on to her tight and gave her a hug.

“It’s okay now sweetheart. We’re all safe and sound my sweet little magician.” I stroked her mane like I did when she was small enough I could easily carry her in my hooves. Looking down I noticed that though the explosion hadn’t hurt any of us, the events had left their mark.

“My sweet little muffin is growing up so fast.” I wiped the tears gently from her confused face and pointed at her new cutie mark. Her mark looked like a bit of light green widely spaced mesh that was dented in by something both heavy and invisible sitting on it.

She smiled and cried at the same time, not knowing which emotion to express between her fear and joy.

“Mom!” She hugged me as if I would float away like a balloon.

“Dad!” She looked over at a nervous looking Doctor who was frantically scanning what remained of the bomb.

“Huh?” He looked over from his readings.

“I got my mark!” She chirped.

“That’s fantastic!” He came in for a hug as well. Amy tried to play it cool, but I gave her a look and she joined us..

“What was that?” I asked as we calmed down and separated a bit.

“Sontaran bomb, crude but effective. Somebody helped them though.” He seemed puzzled.

“Yes, they are quite dense.” A new visitor cast aside a detonator casually as he slid down the hill. “I suppose you wouldn’t have recognized the voice of your old pal Magnus.”

“War Chief” The Doctor snarled and stepped between us and the new Time Lord in our midst.

“Must we be so formal before I kill you Theta Sigma?” He produced an energy weapon of some sort, while the Doctor pointed his screwdriver in his direction like a magic wand.

“Really, Doctor? Have you gone senile?” The War Chief pulled the trigger, but the weapon whirred violently and overheated, nearly singeing his hoof before he tossed it away.

“Don’t underestimate a sonic screwdriver.” He laughed confidently, snapping it closed again. I always loved that smirk. It was so... disarming.

“Your little fireworks show is going to have the authorities here any moment, so just give up and save everyone a lot of trouble.” He hoped for a peaceful resolution.

“Well, I suppose that means I’ll have to do this the quick, old fashioned way.” The War Chief drew a dagger.

He took a slash at the Doctor, but found only air. As he tried to regain his balance, the Doctor pushed him into a rock where he tripped and fell flat on his face.

The stallion barely moved, his breathing was labored, and his eyes were wide with fear.

“Magnus?” The Doctor rolled him over carefully. A small bleeding cut on his shoulder was the only sign of injury. The dagger had struck its owner as he fell.

The Doctor scanned the dagger and a look of shock crossed his face.

“Concentrated Judas tree poison?! Why Magnus, why?” The Doctor was frantic.

“You were right, Doctor..” Magnus coughed.

“I used them up far too quickly. I have no more left, so I wasn’t worried, but now...” The War Chief half smiled.

“Any other poison… “ He shook him slightly in anger and frustration.

“The sky seems so orange today...” The War Chief looked up wistfully.

“Stay with me… Somebody call medical.” The Doctor shouted.

“You know as well as I do that that won’t do anything… I’m already…” The War Chief drifted off.

“Not again. Not again.” The Doctor tried to hide his tears, but I saw right through him. I rushed up and wrapped my forelimbs around him. He struggled for a bit, but soon calmed down, though his breathing was rather ragged with tears.

“Why don’t we head home for now. We can come back later once you've had time to process all this.” I said as his breathing became more regular.

“We’ll be back later. He’s going to need time to rest and process this.” I yelled to the group as I ushered him into the TARDIS. The group waved and the authorities arrived to recover the body.

“Mom, are you afraid of death?” My youngest asked me as i tucked her in for the night. She’d been shunning this old routine lately, but with what had gone on today, she needed a bit of comforting.

“I suppose we’re all afraid to die. It’s natural.” I sat down by her bedside.

“How do you not get so scared?” Her eyes showed in her the grim realization of the final fact of life.

“Oh my little muffin, If we give in to that fear all the time, we’ll do nothing but cower in the corner all our lives and miss out on the truly wonderful things life has to offer.” I tried my best to bolster her spirit.

“So you never get scared, like Dad?”

“Oh, your father gets scared too. We all do. It’s what we do with that fear that helps make us who we are. Your father is a very brave pony, but he knows when to face his fear and when it’s smart to run away.”

“Dad runs away?”

“Oh yes he does. Seriously, there’s an outrageous amount of running involved.” We giggled.

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“I think you’re a brave pony too.” She said with a smile.

I gave her a peck on the forehead carefully and turned out her bedside lamp.

“Goodnight, my dear. I love you and I’m very proud of you.” I closed the door softly.

“How is she?” My dear husband asked quietly.

“She was a little shaken up by today, but I think she’ll be fine.” I nuzzled against his shoulder and he wrapped his foreleg around me gently.

“She’s a tough little tot.” He smiled.

“Not surprising, she is your daughter after all.” I laughed softly.

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re the bravest pony I’ve ever met.” He replied and I blushed a little as we moved up the hallway.

“How’s Amy?” I asked.

“She’s holding up alright. I had a talk with her earlier.” He seemed mostly confident in his answer.

“And how are you holding up?” I looked him square in the eye.

“I’ll be alright.” He tried to look away, but I flitted in front of him again.

“It hurts. The Time Lord lives a very long time, so to see a true death is rare. Even if he was my enemy today, I still remember when we were school chums at the academy. I just… wish I could have done something.” His gaze turned toward the floor.

“You’re not all powerful and you’re not all knowing. You can’t expect to save everyone.” I rubbed his shoulder and gave him a smile.

“I know. I’m an idiot.” He scraped at the floor with his hoof.

“No, you’re my idiot… with a box and a screwdriver who helps out the best he can wherever he goes. You’re a good stallion. You know that, don’t you?” I gave him a hug.

“I needed that.” He replied, the pain softening in his eyes.

The next weeks went by without much of note. Amy went back and accepted Altair’s proposal. I haven’t seen her this excited since she was a filly. Dinky has started sleeping less, so we managed to get her on her father’s schedule. She goes to bed when I do, wakes up with him in the middle of the night and then takes another nap as the morning approaches so that we all wake up and go to sleep together. He’s been using the extra time while he’s been settling into his office to teach her this or that. Her eyes always seem so bright when she runs up to me in the morning babbling about something she learned overnight. I don’t understand it all, but I’m pleased she’s so happy.

Then the day of the wedding approached. Amy and Altair were both absolutely, as Pinkie might put it, nervous-cited.

They chose the most beautiful spot in all of Ponyville. The small ceremony took place on a hill overlooking the town at just before sunset. It was a beautiful wedding.

“Amy! Dinky!” I called to them from around a corner as the reception wore on.

“What is it Mom?” Amy asked, resetting her veil as she approached.
“Your mother and I have come up with a little surprise for you. While you and Altair are off on your honeymoon and Dinky comes back with me, Your mother is going to spend a week here in Ponyville.”

“Why?” Dinky asked curiously.

“Well, you and I both know that you two will far and away outlive me. That’s how it should be, but I thought it might be comforting for both of you if you got to still see me every once in a while.” I said.

“So, we got you these.” the Doctor produced two matching pocket watches.

“This isn’t like that one from before, is it?” Dinky asked.

“Oh, no no no. This reminds you to go see your mother every one hundred years. That way you’ll be able to see her safely until you’re eight hundred years old!”

“Isn’t it dangerous for ponies to know too much about their own timeline, Dad?” Amy asked, a bit concerned.

“At the end of it, your father will erase my memory of the week, that way you can say whatever you like to me.” I responded.

“Are you really okay with this Mom?” Her concern grew.

“Give up a week for my babies? In a heartbeat.” I laughed happily.

“I don’t know what to say Mom…” Amy clung to me, crying a little.

“Just promise me you won’t forget.” I said stroking her back.

“Never.”

I smiled.

“Enough of all this seriousness! This is a party right?” My Doctor ran off to the dance floor and performed something I can only describe as the wanderings of a giraffe with an inner ear problem.

The party ended and everyone left. I don’t remember anything about the next week, but the Doctor said when he arrived back that I was the happiest he’d ever seen me.

Epilogue

Further towards the end of the diary of Derpy Hooves.

I stare up at the drop ceiling hanging above me. It’s strange how all hospitals seem the same in that way. I look over at my nightstand through the translucent pod and the various tubes and spy these old memoirs. Perhaps it’s time for me to pen their final chapter. This old tome has seen the fires of Tartarus and the Elysian Fields all the same. It’s worn binding is etched with time and the scribbles of the wheel Gallifreyan my dear husband has taught me over these many years. So much of him is bound between those covers that it almost isn’t my story. I slip away from my topic again though. I find I’m doing that a lot more lately.

“Derpy?” my husband calls from the door.

“Yes dear,” I try to sit up but he places his hoof on my shoulder.

Looking at his face again with these old eyes I can see the first signs of his aging. His once solid brown mane is now flecked with silver. Age will come to him eventually, but long after I’ve gone and long after more faces fill his story. He’ll regenerate and long outlast maybe even the memory of this book.

“How are you today?” He looks over this wrinkled face he’s seen too many times to count with a straining passion to grab hold of me but knowing that this is one thing he is powerless against.

“Oh, same as yesterday you silly old colt. You worry too much. You’ll get wrinkles that way.” I adjust myself and clear my throat.

He laughs a bit. These days they come softer and more infrequent than they used to.

“How’s your book coming?” He asks tilting it in his hoof back and forth as he peers at it through his bifocals. He’s taken to wearing them these days and says that it makes him look distinguished. I think his vision is going a little. That’s the price of being nostalgic for an old face, that old sentimental foal. Not that I’m complaining.

“The last page isn’t written yet.” I calmly answer with a smirk.

He almost tears up at that.

“How are Dinky and Amy?” I ask trying to draw his attention away. I rub my hoof over his.

“Dinky is doing just fine. They’ve sent her to look after the Sol sector. She seems happy and pops by Ponyville occasionally to check in on things. Amy seems like she’s finally getting over Altair’s passing. She’s really thrown herself into her work with white point stars. It worries me sometimes that she’s pushing herself too hard, but I’m sure in time she’ll calm down and settle in.” He rubs his other hoof over mine.

“Keep an eye on her for me will you?” I clear my throat again.

“Don’t worry about a thing. Just get some rest. I’ll keep a close eye on her.” He smiles to reassure me. That smile has always brought me peace, even if I had to walk through Tartarus to get it.

“Doctor, visiting hours are ending.” A nurse pops her head in.

“I’ll be going in just a moment.” He calls back and she keeps moving along.

“Goodbye, my dearest love. Take good care of yourself.” I tell him as he starts to find his hooves.

“Not goodbye, see you tomorrow.” He corrects me as he does most days.

“See you tomorrow.” I correct myself and manage a weak smile.

“See you tomorrow my love.” he replies. He reluctantly drags himself to the door.

I lean back and gaze at the beautiful sunset crest over the hill. It is so beautiful, another wondrous sight for these old eyes that was never meant for such a humble little pegasus.

Turning back, I pick up my book and quill. The nurses will turn off the lights soon, so I need to jot these moments down before I lose my light.

The words flow freely today. My mind is clearer today than it has been recently. These new meds must be helping. They are definitely doing their best to prop up this old body of mine against time.

My last line is written down as the sun sinks below the horizon. The fire of trees is extinguished and the darkness creeps over the world. I look up at the ceiling one more time. I wonder if this is what I saw on the day I was born? I close my eyes and the world fades…

“To my husband, the old soul and lively foal, please love again. You never know… I might just reincarnate and follow you all over again… and again never regret a single moment!”

Author's Note

Sorry for leaving you alone for so long. Writing about the seven days wouldn't really fit within the diary framing device. I doubt I'll ever get around to writing it up, so feel free to fill in that or any other gap that strikes your fancy.