Dinky sat on the steps of the school waiting for her mother to come pick her up. On any other day this would not have been a big deal, but today was supposed to be different. After most of the other kids had left, a grey mare with blonde hair walked up to Dinkie.
“Sorry I’m late Muffin, there was a lot of mail that had to be delivered today. Are you ready to go home,” Derpy asked her daughter.
“I guess so,” Dinky responded halfheartedly.
“What’s wrong Muffin?” Dinky didn't respond and Derpy was about to ask again until she picked up on her surroundings. “Oh no! No no no no no! Parent’s day was today, wasn't it,” Derpy said with a defeated groan. “I’m sorry Dinky. I got so caught up with work that it completely slipped my mind. You must be furious with me.”
Dinky looked at her mom and gave her a weak smile, “No, I’m not mad at you. I know you are very busy.” Dinky turned back to facing forward and continued walking back home. She wasn't lying to her mother; she wasn't mad and understood her mother was working hard. Dinky wasn’t talking to her mother because she was mulling over how to ask a question that was plaguing her mind all day at school. They both walked silently for a couple of minutes until Dinky couldn’t think of any better way to ask the question. She spun around and stared at her mother. She could see Derpy bracing herself for a torrent of yelling, but all Dinkie did was take a deep breath and asked her question, “Where’s my daddy?”
Derpy shot straight up with surprise with the question. “What?”
“Where is my daddy? Everypony in class had both a mommy and a daddy there, but all I have is you.” Dinky thought about how she just said that and added, “Not that there is anything wrong with that. I love you mommy very much. I’m just curious about who my daddy is and where he went.”
Derpy closed her eyes and sighed, “I expected you to ask this eventually, I just didn’t think so soon.” Derpy looked off into the distance, “Let’s head over to Sugarcube Corner, we can talk about this over some sweets.”
Dinky gave her mother a wide smile, “Ok!” Not only was she getting the answers she wanted, but she can get the muffin of the month that she wanted since it was advertised earlier this week.
They both went in and took a seat in the back, far enough where they could talk privately. Soon after they sat down, a familiar pink mare bounced over to them. “Afternoon you two, what can I get ya,” said Pinkie Pie with her usual upbeat behavior.
“I’ll take an apple cider muffin with extra glazing,” Derpy told Pinkie.
“Rough day, huh?”
“You could say that.” Derpy turned towards Dinky, “What would you like?”
Dinky raised her right hoof in the air and placed the other on her hip, “The Mysterious Mare-do-well Marmalade Muffin!”
“Excellent choice,” exclaimed Pinkie, “and excellent execution of that tongue twister. Mysterious mare-do-well marmalade muffin, mysterious mare-do-well marmawaith fuflin.” Pinkie looked down and saw her tongue tired up in a knot, “Thuse may, I’ll fe fack with or orer.”
Dinky and Derpy chuckled as Pinkie walked back to the kitchen. They settled down and looked back at each other. Derpy cleared her throat and started in, “So, you want to know about your father?” Dinky responded with a succession of excited nods. “Well, the thing is, I don’t know what happened to your father. In fact,” Derpy paused for a bit, “I don’t even know who your father is?”
This made Dinky give her mother a confused look, “How can that be? Doesn't there have to be a mommy and a daddy to have a baby?”
“That is true…and possibly another talk for later,” said Derpy shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
“So if you’re my mommy, you had to meet somepony that would be my daddy.”
Derpy stared intently at her daughter, “How much do you know about this?” Derpy waved her hooves in front of her face, “Never mind, off topic; plus I’m not ready to go into that just yet.” Derpy let out a big sigh and sat there for what seemed like hours. Derpy lifted her head and looked her daughter square in her eyes, “Muffin, you know I love you and nothing would ever change that right?”
Dinky wasn't sure how to respond to that question except for a hesitated, “Yes.” She wasn't sure if she should be confused or worried about what her mother was about to say next.
Derpy continued without ever breaking eye contact with Dinky, “I say that because what I’m about to tell you is hard for me to say because I don’t know how to tell you, and I don’t know how you’ll take it. The reason I don’t know who your daddy is, is because I don’t know who your real mother is. You were not my foal to begin with; I adopted you.”
Dinky sat their wide eyed looking at her mother. She couldn’t even process what her mother just told her. How could Derpy not be her mother? She had known her mother, or who she thought was her mother, for as long as she could remember. They sat there quietly staring at each other until Pinkie came back with their food.
“Here are your…muf-fins,” Pinkie’s voice trailed off as she saw the two looking at each other with anything but happy expressions. “Is everything alright?”
Derpy snapped out of the staring contest to address Pinkie. “Oh, um, yes; everything is ok. We are just sharing some personal history,” Derpy said while giving slight head gestures towards Dinky.
“Oh…OOOOH,” Pinkie said while catching on to the conversation. Most of ponyville knew of the real story behind Derpy and Dinky. It was big news since a foal showed up with no one in town ever being pregnant. “I’ll leave you two to talk them,” she said calmly. Pinkie turned and walk towards the front door to greet incoming patrons.
Derpy turned back to Dinky who was still staring in shock at her mother. “Please say something Muffin,” pleaded Derpy.
“What do you mean that I was adopted,” asked Dinky. She knew of the term because a friend of hers in class was also adopted. She tried remembering the discussions they had so she could make sense of the news of her new family origins.
“Well,” started Derpy weakly, “It all happened a couple of years ago when I was coming back from getting a snack at Sugarcube Corner after work. I was walking past the alleyway near the orphanage when I heard crying coming from the back alley. When I went to investigate, I found a little filly in a basket by the back entrance. That filly was you, Muffin,” Derpy said with a smile. “I knocked on the door till somepony answered. Ms. Sunshine, the head pony of the orphanage, was the one to answer and was in just as much shock as I was to find out you were at the back door. I tried to give you to her so that she could take you in, but every time I tried, you would scream as loud as your tiny lungs could muster. We weren't sure what to do at that point. I put you back down on the step so we could figure it out, and one of the muffins I had in my bag fell out and landed in your basket. You grabbed ahold of that muffin and nuzzled tightly. You were the happiest filly hugging that muffin; that’s actually how I came up with your nickname. After that moment, I fell in love with you and didn’t want to let you go. So we all went inside and I signed the adoption papers on the spot, and it was one of the happiest days of my life.” Derpy looked at Dinky hoping for a response, but Dinky just sat there blinking. “I’m so sorry I never told you this earlier. I just didn’t know how to tell you and was waiting for the right time.” Derpy waited again for a response and still got nothing. Derpy hung her head trying to hide the tears coming up. “Because no records were left with you, I have no idea who your original parents are; though if you want, I will help you in tracking them down so you can meet them.”
“No.”
This caused Derpy to raise her head quickly, “What?”
“No, I don’t need to find my real mommy and daddy. Sure, it’d be cool to have a daddy, but I don’t need a daddy, and I don’t need to find the mommy that made me. I already have my real mommy and she’s the bestest mommy in all of Equestria,” boasted Dinky gleefully.
Derpy reached over the table, grabbed her daughter, and locked her in the tightest hug she could give. Their embrace was quickly interrupted from a wailing voice a couple feet away.
“That’s so beautiful!” cried Pinkie Pie, a waterfall of tears pouring from her eyes.
Derpy and Dinky both rolled their eyes with a smile and went back to lovingly hugging each other.
“Alright, enough of this lovey-dovey stuff,” said Dinky giving a playful push off, “I’m starving,” and with that, she took a giant bite out of her muffin.
Dinky leaned back in her seat and grabbed her belly. “That was some good muffin,” she exclaimed. She heard a small burp come from her mother across the table.
“Excuse me,” Derpy said between giggles. “You said it Dinky.”
Pinkie took their plates away and they remained sitting there letting everything digest. Dinky broke the silence by asking her mother a question stemming from the previous discussion, “Have you ever looked for a special somepony for you that could be a daddy to me?”
“Not really,” responded Derpy. “Not to say I haven’t gone out with a couple of ponies, they just turned out to be better as friends. Besides, I have you and that’s all I’ve needed.”
Dinky put a hoof to her chin and pondered for a bit, and then she came up with a brilliant idea. “What about the pony you hang out with from time to time, the one you call Doctor.”
“DOCTOR!? WHERE!?” Derpy sat straight up scanning the room.
“He’s not here,” Dinky said stifling a laugh, “at least, not that I can see. I just know you spend a lot of time with him and I thought you might like him. I like the times I’ve joined you in hanging out with him; he’s funny.”
“Well…you see…he…that is…,” Derpy sighed dejectedly and laid her head on her hoof, “he’s, just a friend. It’s not like I haven’t tried,” Derpy grumbled the last part to herself.
“Um, mom,” Dinky interjected pointing for Derpy to turn around. Her mother turned around and went as white as the friend her mother talks about from time to time, Bulk Biceps I think Dinky thought to herself.
“D…D…Doctor! What are you doing here!?”
“I just stopped in to pick up some English muffins I usually get every Friday,” stated Doctor Whooves. “I was just on my way out when I spotted you two and thought I’d say hi.”
“English muffins,” Derpy hissed. “I will never understand why you buy those traitorous things to the muffin kind.”
“They’re not all that bad, plus I’m not the only one that gets them. That grey mare that plays the cello and the white mare with the sunglasses buy them all the time, though from her expression I think the one with sunglasses is just there to get them for the cellist.”
“Another enemy to the muffin kingdom,” Derpy said under her breath.
“So what brings you two to the shop?”
Dinky came up with the answer before her mother could come up with something, “Muffins, family, and love.” She wasn’t lying, but she did that more for the benefit of getting a reaction out of her mother. It worked perfectly because her mother’s face turned scarlet and she started to sink under the table.
“Oh, so this is that thing I keep hearing about; mare talk is it? I’ll just leave you two to it then. I’ll see you around Dinky.”
“Ok,” she said joyfully.
“And you as well Derpy.”
“Ok,” Derpy squeaked.
The Doctor looked at the top of Derpy’s head for and bit, shrugged, and headed out the door.
Derpy did not rise until she was sure that The Doctor had let the eatery. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you,” Derpy asked with a playful, hurt expression, using the joking demeanor to hide her slowly diminishing embarrassment. Dinky responded with nothing more than a smile stretching from ear to ear. Derpy looked down at the now empty table, “I guess since were finished, we should probably start heading back home.”
“Actually,” Dinky interjected, “I was wondering if I could stop by the library first.”
“Sure, Muffin, I guess we can stop by there on our way back home.”
“I was actually wondering if I could go by myself,” Dinky said. After seeing the downtrodden look on her mother’s face, Dinky added, “It’s just that I am meeting some friends there and I don’t know how long I’ll be, and I know you’ve been working hard today and would like to get some rest.”
“Oh, I see,” Derpy responded, her face showing an understanding look. “I guess that is alright. The library isn’t far from home, and Twilight is there if you run into any trouble.”
Dinky jumped gleefully out of her seat and hugged her mother, “Thank you mommy.”
“Just don’t stay out too late. I want you home before dark.”
“I will,” and with that, Dinky bolted out the door. She was glad that her mother let her go, especially by herself, because the real reason she wanted to go to the library was actually for her mother. She also hated lying to her mother, but the ends justified the means. Besides, she knew some of her friends sometimes were at the library, so she may not end up lying after all. She just hoped Twilight was there instead of running another errand for the princess. In no time at all Dinky was standing at the library’s door step, slightly out of breath from running all the way there. She took a moment to catch her breath before knocking on the door. It was the library, but it was still a private residence.
“Just a minute,” came a voice from the inside. The door creaked open and there stood a small purple dragon not much bigger than Dinky. “Oh hey Dinky,” greeted Spike. “What brings you here today? Come to check out the new fantasy stories that came in today?”
“Maybe some other time,” Dinky responded. “Is Ms. Sparkle home?”
“Ya, she’s downstairs running tests on…” Spike tried to remember the science lecture Twilight gave him. When he couldn’t think of it, he finished with, “…stuff. Come on in and I’ll get her for you.” Dinky followed Spike in and sat down at the table in the center of the room while Spike headed downstairs to fetch Twilight. It wasn’t long till Spike returned accompanied by the purple unicorn.
“Hello Dinky, how are you today,” Twilight greeted Dinky in her usual chipper tone.
“I am fine Ms. Sparkle, and you?” Dinky responded.
“I’m fine, and you can just call me Twilight. The formality just makes me feel old,” Twilight chuckled. “Spike said that you needed to see me; is there something that I can help you with?”
“Yes, I was wondering if you would be able to help me send a letter to somepony.”
Twilight gave Dinky a puzzled look, “I guess I can, but wouldn’t you want to ask your mother to help you with that. She does work for the post office after all.”
“No, I can’t do that. The letter I need to send is actually a surprise for my mother.”
“I see, but still, why me? Not to say I won’t help, I just don’t know how I can help.”
“I need to send the letter to Princess Cadence and I thought you could help since you know her personally.”
“Oh, then we would be happy to help you, wouldn’t we Spike?”
Twilight and Dinky both turned to look at the purple dragon with parchment in one hand and a quill in the other, “Right!”
Dinky smiled and cleared her throat, “Dear Princess Cadence, my name is Dinky Hooves and I live in Ponyville. I was wondering if you could help me find a very special somepony for my mommy.”
Dinky was interrupted by a gasp from a smiling unicorn. “Sorry,” apologized Twilight, “continue.”
Dinky turned back to Spike, “I already have somepony in mind. It is a friend of my mommy’s that I have seen her show interest in. His name is Doctor Whooves.” Dinky tried to ignore the elated squeal from across the room. “I don’t know if he feels the same way, but he does enjoy spending lots of time with my mommy. I was wondering if you could use you special talent to help my mommy and Mr. Whooves fall in love with each other. Thank you. Dinky Hooves.”
Spike rolled up the piece of parchment, sealed it, and sent it off in a brilliant flash of green fire.
Twilight looked back at Dinky, “Her response should be back her very quickly, you are welcome to stay here and wait.”
“Thank you,” Dinky replied. “Maybe I’ll look at those books Spike mentioned earlier.”
“Right this way,” waved Spike as he guided her to the section they were stacked.
Dinky grabbed one of the new ones, Rise of the Alicorn, and took it to a pillow in the corner. It was a book more geared towards older ponies because of the more advanced words and concepts, but the author still kept it somewhat simple for younger audiences to follow. This one was about a young unicorn that was given her role as an alicorn early in her life and was told to lead her village. With no tutoring, she didn’t know where to start and her village desperately needed a leader to pull them out of dark times. Dinky had almost finished with the first chapter when she heard a loud belch accompanied by a flash of emerald light. She looked up and saw a parchment in Spikes hand held together by a seal with a heart and wings on it. That was the seal of Princess Cadence.
“I believe this is for you,” Spike said as he handed the letter to Dinky.
Dinky set the letter on the floor, tore off the seal, and unrolled it to reveal the message inside. Dinky was about to start reading when she felt an odd presence behind her. She looked back to see Spike and Twilight hovering over her trying to read the message. They both gave Dinky an embarrassed look and slowly back away. Dinky turned back to the letter with a giggle and began to read.
Dear Ms. Dinky Hooves,
I have read your letter and I would be more than happy to help find that very special somepony for your mother. From what you told me, I have some good news and some, while not bad, slightly unhelpful news. The good news is that this might be very easy to do because it sounds like they already love each other; they just haven’t told it to each other yet. The unhelpful news, however, is my special talent won’t be of any use in this situation. My talent helps those ponies that are sad or angry at each other see beyond their problems to once again see the love they have for each other. Using my talent on your mom and Mr. Whooves would be like adding a drop of water to an ocean. What I can do for you is give you some tips that require no magic, but still might help them express the love they have for each other; plus they’re the same tactics that helped me find my special somepony so I’m sure they should work. First, you need to find what they are interested in and find things that are similar between them. Then, you need to find a place they both can relax and talk to each other, and when I mean talk, I’m not talking about simple friendly talk that you and your friends would do at school. I’m talking about them actually coming out and telling each other how they feel. So try and make the location have a romantic feel like a walk through the park or out star gazing. Beyond that, it’s all up to the two of them to decide if they will continue or not. I hope that helps, and do tell me how it goes.
Sincerely,
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.
P.S. Do say hi to Twilight for me and her BBBFF.
Dinky rolled up the letter with a dejected but satisfied look.
“Did you get the help you wanted,” Twilight asked.
“Yes and no,” responded Dinky. “It wasn’t the exact help I was looking for, but Princess Cadence did give me some things I can do myself to try and do the same thing.”
“Well, I’m glad she could give you some help with the matter. Now, you should probably get back home soon. Celestia is about to lower the sun and I don’t want you mom getting worried.”
“Ok, thank you,” Dinky said. She was almost out the door when she stopped and turned back to Twilight, “Oh ya, Princess Cadence wanted me to tell you hi from her and your…,” Dinky unrolled the bottom of the letter to read the end again, “…BBBFF.”
Twilight smiled and thanked Dinky.
With that, Dinky rushed out the door and off back to her house. She needed to get there before dark or her mother might ground her. Luckily, her home wasn’t too far from the library, and she made it back before Celestia’s sun was replaced by Luna’s moon. Dinky rushed into the house and made a beeline for her room when she was stopped by a voice in the living room.
“Is that you Muffin,” asked Derpy.
“Yes mommy,” Replied Dinky.
“Did you find what you needed?”
“Most of it.”
“Well that’s good. Now go wash up and get ready for bed. I already drew the bath and the water should still be warm.”
Dinky agreed and continued on to her room. She put the letter in her room where her mother wouldn’t find it, and head off to the bathroom. While sitting in the bath, Dinky pondered on what she could do to get her mom and The Doctor together. Finding out things about her mother was covered because she knew nearly everything about her, and her mother has already told her everything she loves about The Doctor. Now she would just have to find a way to talk to The Doctor and find out what he likes and if he likes anything about her mother. Since there was no school tomorrow, she could go visit him and talk. She knew where he lived, she just never actually seen his house. Her mother always said it looked like a phone booth. It was an odd way for a house to be described, but Dinky knew her mother had an odd way of explaining things. Then, after she has figured out all she needs to know about The Doctor, Dinky had to find a way to get them together and confess their love for each other. That was going to be the hard part, because Dinky could only get as far as getting them together; the rest is all up to the two of them. Dinky had not notice how long she had been thinking until her mother came in to check on her.
“What is taking you so long Dinky?”
Dinky snapped out of her trance only to now realize the warm water was now ice cold. “Sorry mommy, I was just thinking and lost track of time.”
“Is that so, and what seems to be on your mind.”
Dinky couldn’t tell her mom about her plans, so she had to come up with something fast and that wasn’t a lie, “Nothing much, just trying to figure out what I’ll do tomorrow. I remember earlier this week you said you had to cover another pony’s shift and I didn’t want to sit around the house all day.”
“Well that’s good to hear,” Derpy said as she dried off Dinky. “There, now off to bed. You don’t want to be too tired and end up ruining your plans.”
“Ok,” agreed Dinky. She headed off to bed while Derpy tucked her in. Derpy shut off the light and shut the door behind her. Dinky laid there in her bed trying to fall asleep, but found it difficult with the anticipation of the events that lay before her for the next day.
The sun rose to greet the waking ponies, and the already bustling Dinky. She got some sleep, but still not as much as she had wanted knowing the length of day she would be dealing with. She had already gone to the bathroom to brush her teeth and her mane, made her bed, and was now just waiting for her mom to wake so that she could leave. Her mother always told her that if Dinky ever left, she needed to tell her when and where. Dinky already said the where, kind of, but still had to fulfill the when. Dinky could hear the door down the hall click open and hooves walking past her door. Dinky made one last check to make sure her room was in decent order and made her way out to the kitchen where her mother was pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee. “Morning mommy,” Dinky beamed cheerfully.
Derpy looked at her daughter with a groggy expression with a just as groggy, “Morning Muffin.”
“Now that I’m up can-,” Dinky was interrupted by an extended hoof from her mother as she gulped down a few mouthfuls of coffee.
After finishing half the cup she dropped her hoof and looked at her daughter with a more attentive gaze, “Ok, now I’m awake enough to talk.”
Dinky giggled knowing this side of her mother. “I was saying, now that I’m up, can I take off now.”
Derpy cocked one of her eyebrows at Dinky, “I don’t think any other filly, including your friends, are even up at this hour. Most don’t share the same amount of energy that you seem to possess.” Derpy looked at her now empty coffee cup, “Care to share some of that with me?”
Dinky just laughed, unsure how to respond to that. Getting back to the discussion, “So, can I?”
Derpy sighed, “I guess so, just don’t make too much noise while leaving. Some ponies are still trying to sleep.”
“Ok,” replied Dinky as she opened the door and walked outside. She looked around and noticed she was the only pony out. “Gee, mommy wasn’t kidding.” Dinky had never really been out this early. She was always sleeping in like everyone else, but she never had a mission that got her motivated. She lightly trotted with a pep in her step towards the edge of town. She never understood why The Doctor lived so far out of town. Dinky had thought maybe it was because of the work he does, but that was when she realized she didn’t know what he did. Her and her mother talked about him a lot, and from time to time they would hang out in town, but not much beyond his name and his craving for English muffins and tea was all she knew about him.
On her way there, she was surprised to see that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were out this early, and they looked very tired. “Hey girls,” Dinky said, “what brings you out this early in the morning?”
All three looked up at Dinky with tired and dishearten looks on their faces. Applebloom was the first to reply, “We were trying to get cutie marks in star gazing.”
“Oh,” Dinky replied, “and how did that go?” Dinky was answered with nothing more than a synchronized sigh from the trio. “I guess not so well.”
“Now I just want to go home and get some beauty sleep,” stated Sweetie Bell.
“We know,” interjected Scootaloo. “You’ve made that well aware to us for hours.”
Sweetie Bell responded to the remark with a stuck out tongue. She turned to direct the subject to Dinky, “What brings you out here? Were you trying to get a star gazing cutie mark too? We could have brought you along.”
Dinky shook her head, “No, I actually woke up about an hour ago. I’m actually out to go see The Doctor.”
A worried Applebloom took a few steps towards Dinky till she was inches from her face, “Are you sick? Do we need to go get your mother?”
“No no, wrong doctor. I meant Doctor Whooves.”
“Why do want to go see him,” asked Scootaloo.
“Well,” Dinky thought on how to answer that, “I am going to go talk to him about my mommy.” The CMC stood staring at Dinky with the same quizzical look. Apparently there was no beating around the bush. “I am going to see him to ask him things about what he likes and what he likes about my mommy.”
At this, the CMC perked up like they each consumed a bag of sugar. “You’re playing match maker,” Sweetie Bell exclaimed excitedly.
“Maybe we can help,” added Applebloom.
“Ya, let’s do this,” chimed in Scootaloo.
“Match making cutie marks,” cheered the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” interrupted Dinky.
“But why,” the three fillies groaned in unison, giving the Dinky the saddest puppy dog eyes.
“Do you three not remember the last time you meddled with love?” Dinky was referring to the time the CMC gave a love poison to Big Mac and Cheerilee.
“Right, we almost forgot about that,” said Scootaloo said embarrassed.
“My sister sure hasn’t,” added Sweetie Bell remembering the giant hole Cheerilee left in the shop wall.
“Tell you what,” Dinky offered, “I have most of this covered, but if I need any help, you three will be the first to know. Deal?”
“CMC huddle,” announced Applebloom. The three huddled around each other, speaking in nothing more than whispers. Every now and then one would poke their head up and look at Dinky. Not long after they started, they broke the huddle and looked at Dinky serious looks at first that soon turned into smiles. “Deal,” they all agreed.
“For now though,” interjected Sweetie Bell, “I’m still up for trying to earn a sleeping cutie mark.”
With that, the CMC and Dinky parted ways and she continued on to where she was heading. It wasn’t long till she was out of town and into what she could only call the middle of nowhere. The only thing now was to find a place that looked like…a phone booth. She shakes her head every time she thinks or says that. “Of all things to describe a house, why would she call it-,” Dinky is interrupted by hitting a hard metallic object followed by a thud when she fell to the ground. She shook her head and looked up and saw a tall blue object with a couple of windows near the top and the words “Police Box” written on the top, “-a phone booth,” Dinky finished. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. It was a phone booth, just like her mom had described it, in an area outside the town, once again like her mom had said. Dinky walked around the box trying to figure out how anyone could live in it. It was no bigger than her bed and actually shorter than her room. She went to the door and gave it a hard knock. “What am I doing?” She turned to walk away when she heard the door open up and a familiar voice ring out.
“Dinky? What are you doing out here?”
Dinky turned around and looked up to see Doctor Whooves looking down at her. “But…how,” Dinky asked with her mouth wide open is shock.
The Doctor knew what she was getting at and stepped out so he could close the door. “So what brings you out here,” The Doctor asked again. “Is your mother with you?”
“No,” answered Dinky recovering from her trance. “I am here by myself, but mom knows I went out so it’s fine. I was wondering if I could talk with you, maybe hang out for a bit?”
Doctor Whooves pondered over the request before he could answer, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt, but you have to promise me if you can keep a secret.”
Dinky shook her head and moved her hoof across her lips as if zipping it up.
The Doctor looked around to see if anyone else was around, looked back at Dinky with a smile, and opened the doors to the phone booth.
Dinky looked inside and couldn’t believe her eyes. What looked like a tiny booth on the outside instantly became a place that was as big as Carousel Boutique on the inside. “What is this place?”
“I call it the Time and Relative Dimension in Space,” The Doctor said to Dinky. When he saw the shocked but slightly confused look on her face he added, “Or TARDIS for short. It’s a machine that allows me to travel between time and space, but it also doubles as my home.”
Dinky looked around for a bit and turned to The Doctor, “Has my mommy seen this place?”
“Oh yes, many times. We have actually been on a couple of trips in it.”
“So I’m guessing this is where my mommy goes when she says she goes on vacations with friends.”
“Most likely.” The Doctor looked at Dinky as she took in all of the TARDIS until he felt it was long enough, “So, would you like some tea? I just made a fresh pot.”
“Yes please.” Dinky wasn’t fond of tea, but she was thirsty and didn’t want to be rude.
The Doctor went over to what Dinky could only believe was the kitchen and returned with a tray containing a kettle and two small cups. He set them down on the table and proceeded to fill both cups. “Sugar,” he asked Dinky. She shook her head no and The Doctor put the kettle down and took a sip. “So, you said you came to ask me something?”
Dinky sat and tried to figure out how she was going to ask the questions. She had it all planned out last night, but the overwhelming sight of this place made her lose track of everything. The only thing she could think of was, “What are your interests?”
The Doctor looked back at Dinky over his cup. “My interest? Well, I have more than I can think of off the top of my head. Is there any topic that you’d like my answer more geared to?”
“I don’t know. What hobbies do you have, what do you like to do, who do you like?” Dinky realized what she said and clamed up. She looked at The Doctor and saw a wide eyed expression on his face.
“Dinky,” The Doctor said after composing himself, “what exactly are you are you trying to get at?” Dinky started to shift uncomfortably in her seat trying to hide her uneasiness. “Does this have anything to do with your mother?”
Dinky grabbed her cup and finished her tea in a rush, “I’m sorry for wasting your time. I appreciate you seeing me, offering me some tea, and showing me this. I swear your secret is safe with me.” With that, Dinky stood up and headed for the door.
“Wait,” The Doctor exclaimed. He stood up and stopped her before she could leave. “Please, have a seat. I’d love to answer any questions you have.”
“No, it’s alright. Besides, I didn’t realize how long it would take me to get here and I have stuff to do anyways.”
“What about dinner later, you can even invite your mother. I’ve been meaning to talk to her too.”
Dinky stopped in her tracks. This was it. This was how she could do the second part Princess Cadence had mentioned, and it will work out a bit better than what just took place. “Sure, dinner would be good. I’ll even let my mommy know. She doesn’t get off work till 3 though.”
“Then let’s make it 4:30. It gives your mother some time to get ready. Does The Gardens sound good to you?”
Wow, Dinky thought, that is a fancy place…perfect. “The Gardens sound like an excellent idea.”
“Very good then; I’ll make a reservation there for 4:30. I’ll make it the reservation under Whooves.”
“Ok, we’ll see you then. Thank you for the tea.” They both nodded to each other and Dinky left. “Well, that could have gone better,” Dinky grumbled to herself, “but it’s not over yet.” Dinky took off in almost a sprint back to her home so she could plan this one better. As soon as she got home, she grabbed a notepad and began to scribble a message for her mother.
Dear Mommy,
A friend of mine has invited us to dinner at The Gardens. A reservation has already been made for 4:30 tonight. I came by to leave this note for you because I still have some plans with some friends. I will meet you there. The name that it is under is…
Dinky knew if she put Whooves then her mother would never come out. Luckily, their names, though spelt differently, sound exactly alike.
…Hooves so that it would be easy for us to remember.
-Muffin
Now that that is taken care of, she had to make another stop or two before tonight. Dinky looked at the clock that read 9 am, “Though I may have to wait, odds are they are still asleep.
*****
Dinky waited till a little past noon when she decided to leave to make her stops. She stopped by Carousel Boutique first since it was the closest. She knocked on the door and was greeted by a white unicorn with a dark purple mane.
“Dinky darling, it’s nice to see you,” said Rarity with her usual elegant tone. “What brings you around here?”
“Hello Ms. Rarity, is Sweetie Bell home?”
“I’m afraid not dear, you just missed her. She left with Applebloom and Scootaloo, so you might want to check the clubhouse.”
“Thank you,” responded Dinky. She turned to leave with Rarity closing the door behind her. Before she closed the door, Dinky could hear yelling inside the shop.
“STOP, OPAL! THAT SPOOL OF THREAD IS NOT A PLAY THING!”
Dinky made it to the CMC clubhouse and could hear them talking inside. She ran up the ramp and was met by the three fillies staring at her in the doorway. Dinky looked at them and grinned, “How would you like to get your spying cutie marks?” The CMC responded with bright wide grins.
*****
“What are we doing here again,” asked Scootaloo.
“We’re here to make sure that my mommy and Doctor Whooves does well on their date and finally confess to each other that they love each other,” responded Dinky. Applebloom and Sweetie Bell both gave a look of elation while Scootaloo gagged in disgust.
“Whatever, I’m just here for the cutie mark.” Scootaloo was met with furious glares from Applebloom and Sweetie Bell, “And for moral support,” added Scootaloo sheepishly.
Dinky just shrugged it off. She knew Scootaloo wasn’t into all the mushy stuff, mainly because she was trying so much to be like her idol Rainbow Dash. Dinky looked back at the restaurant and saw Doctor Whooves sitting at an outside table waiting for the rest of the party.
“Here she comes,” pointed Applebloom. They all looked over to where she was pointing and saw Derpy being led to the table. They also saw her stop dead in her tracks when she laid eyes on The Doctor. The Doctor just waved to Derpy as she slowly made the rest of the way to the table and sat down.
“I wish we could hear what was going on,” groaned Sweetie Bell. “Why did the only hiding spot have to be so far away?”
As she said that, a headset was placed on each of their heads. They looked around and saw Pinkie Pie sitting next to them with a headset of her own and what seemed to be a dish on a stick. She put a hoof to her lips telling them to be quite and pointed at the table. That’s when they could hear voices coming out of the speakers. Apparently the device Pinkie had was something used to hear sounds at a distance. They looked back and began to listen to the conversation.
“Hello Doctor,” greeted Derpy.
“Hello Derpy,” replied The Doctor, exchanging pleasantries.
“So I guess you’re the friend that Dinky said invited us?”
“I hope that is alright?”
“Of course, I’m just wondering what the occasion is?”
“Well, Dinky stopped by my place today and-“
“She what,” interrupted Derpy.
“She stopped by my place,” reiterated The Doctor hesitantly. “She told me you knew she was out and I assumed you knew it was to see me.”
“No, I was under the impression that she was out with her friends. Don’t get me wrong, you are a friend, but I was expecting somepony a little younger.”
Pinkie and the CMC looked at Dinky who began to sink lower into the ground, realizing that she may get in trouble over this. Pinkie put a hoof on Dinky’s shoulder, smiled, and whispered, “But it’s worth it in the end.” Dinky agreed with a nod and went back to the task at hand.
“Again, I’m sorry,” apologized The Doctor. “I knew I should have talked to you when she came in.”
“Wait, she went in. As in,” She trailed off without finishing the sentence.
“Yes, I invited her in the TARDIS; but we didn’t go anywhere, and she said she’d keep it a secret.”
Again, Pinkie and the CMC looked at Dinky. Dinky shook her head no, “A promise is a promise.”
They nodded and again went back to watching.
Derpy put her head in her hooves, “That filly; I’m going to have a talk with her.”
“Please, don’t be mad at her,” The Doctor said. “She meant well, and had a good reason for coming. The reason why she came might be the same reason why she isn’t here now.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Derpy leaned back and bellowed, “My eye is lazy not blind Dinky Hooves!” She turned to where they were hiding and added, “And assorted guest!”
“The jig is up! Cheese it!” Pinkie grabbed the listening device and was gone in a blink of an eye.
“Who’s up for following Pinkie,” hastily asked Applebloom.
All four fillies raised their hooves. Three of them made it out, but Dinky was held back by a pair of grey wings. Dinky looked up and stared into the eyes of her irritated mother. Her eyes may not always face the right way, but certain emotions, like anger, caused them to focus in the same direction. With Dinky unable to get away, all she could do was smile in her defense.
“Not…this…time,” Derpy punctuated her words. She nudged Dinky towards the table and made her sit in between her and The Doctor. “Now, care to explain what’s going on here?”
“I think I might-,” The Doctor tried to answer but was cut off by a forceful hoof from Derpy.
As she knew there was no weaseling out of this, Dinky decided it was time to explain. “Well, this all started during our conversation at Sugar Cube Corner.”
Derpy became a little uneasy at the mention of that conversation being linked to this, “Dinky, I believe your intentions are good, but this isn’t something a little filly should be meddling with.”
Dinky thought about what her mother just said and shook her head, “No, you have it wrong. This isn’t to find a daddy, this is to find you a special somepony. The Doctor becoming my daddy would just be a bonus.”
Derpy turn towards The Doctor who was sitting wide eyed mid-sip of his tea. “Well,” The Doctor stated, “this went a little farther than was expected.” The Doctor set down his cup and looked at Dinky. “Dinky, I see where you are going, and your intentions are good; but it just won’t work out.”
“Why not?”
Rather hearing this from Dinky, The Doctor looked at Derpy who was staring at him with questioning eyes.
“Why won’t it work Doctor?” Derpy showed a side of her that neither Dinky nor The Doctor had seen around him. Instead of stumbling over her own words, she was showing a more confident and serious demeanor.
“Derpy, I told you about this before.”
“You told me a lot of things, but none of it was a definitive answer.”
The Doctor looked around and lowered his voice, “I’m…different. You know I am a Time Lord and every so often-“
“And every so often you change forms and move on, living a new life dealing with new adventures. I get that, but what you don’t seem to get is I live more in the now,” Derpy turned to Dinky and smiled, “and so does my daughter.” Dinky just smiled back. Derpy turned back to The Doctor and continued, “This is why no matter what you tell me about your past or future lives, my love for you will never change. Whether I go first or you, I want to spend every single moment with you.” Derpy began to tear up the more she spoke.
“And so do I,” added Dinky.
The Doctor looked between Derpy and Dinky, closed his eyes, and gave a relieved sigh accompanied with a smile, “Alright.”
Derpy and Dinky both gave a synchronized “What?”
“Alright,” The Doctor repeated. “I don’t know how long I will remain here in Ponyville, or even in this form, but for as long as I remain this way I will never leave either of your sides. Ever since being here, you two have brought a joy to my life hat I rarely ever get to experience, and an adventure that I never tire of. I may not show it, Derpy, but having you as my assistant has not only helped me in my travels, but has also caused me to grow quite fond of you. I just never acted upon my feelings because I never wanted to hurt another ever again.”
Derpy leaned in and gave The Doctor a kiss on the cheek, “Let me worry about that.”
“Thank you Derpy,” The Doctor replied. He then turned to Dinky, “I may not be what you would call a typical father, but I would like to try if you would let me.”
Dinky jumped up and gave The Doctor the tightest hug she could, “I think you’ll be perfect.”
