"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.