Author's Note

This chapter is dedicated to my Aunt, who recently passed.

See my mom left my dad, for my dad's cousin that was raised like my dad's sister. So in truth she was my step mom.

We called her "Auntie" because it was more socially acceptable, in the 90s, for lovers to tell people they were "Aunts" instead.

I can't make this shit up, my life is a soap opera!!!

Regardless, in this idealized version of my life, without My abusive Bio-mom, my step mom is still around. Still my mom, and definitely not romantic with her cousin. Cuz that's a level of weird I'm not willing to get into (shudders). And I don't think my dad would appreciate me shipping him with his cousin.

Little Smart Mouth just has an unorthodox family.

Ch1, First of Many pt1: 1st Time Leaving Home

Series:
My Little Galaxy

Saga 1:
TARDIS Academy for Gifted Tots

Chapter 1:
First of Many

Part 1:
1st Time Leaving Home

The Smart Manor had been a mess of busy-ness. While Daddy was herding the other children, Auntie was forcibly double checking Mouthy's luggage... which she had already done, last night.

Mouthy wanted to huff, to pout, but he dare not... for Auntie could be all kinds of scary.

She checked all the slots of the Colt kit's trunk, one final time, before nodding firmly.

Closing it up, before pushing a button on the side. Making the trunk shrink to pocket sized. Then quickly handing it over to Mouthy.

To which the little boy ignored the trunk, and squeezed his Auntie into a hug.

"I..." the little colt kit tried to find the words. This was important. He would be leaving for the better part of a year. "I love you." he insisted, with all his soul.

"I love you to, Sweetie." Auntie promised, though clearly she was confused what was going on... she thought the boy was eager to go study under the Doctor.

"You..." The boy tried to say, "You mean the world to me. You're the closest thing to a mom I ever had." he forced out.

The bat pony mare, stiffened. "No, that's not right." she broke the hug. Before guiding the little boy's chin with her hoof. So that they were looking deeply into each other's eyes. "I AM your mom." She said firmly, "Just as much as your father is father to my children."

"Even if you aren't married?" Mouthy asked.

Auntie smiled, "You're being weird again." she teased. "Trust me, when your mature enough to understand, you'll be thankful I'm not incestual with my cousin."

The boy tilted his head.

"Romance isn't what binds family. It's not even blood. I love you as my own, regardless of my relationship, or lack there of, to your father. Do you understand?" Auntie... Mom, smiled down at me.

"I think so..." The boy lied. This was all very confusing. But he trusted his mother's word. She was the one who taught him social norms... something he greatly struggled with. His half demon brain, always did have trouble grasping such things. He relied a lot on this mare, for that.

• Meanwile:

Street Smart left his new house, within his family compound. This... was strange. In a thousand years, the bat pony colonies had always stuck together. But ever since Luna returned to her moon, the Thestrals had scattered to the winds. Those that didn't join Luna, were slowly parting from each other.

Street Smart might have moved out of his mother's house... but he still lived in the new compound... Regardless, that didn't stop others from leaving all together. Even his young cousin.

Lunar foals didn't normally leave the colony, not even for schooling. As There were once teachers within the colony... now... there weren't.

The teachers had left with most of the other Thestrals. Then... the family that stayed behind began to part ways...

Even his Cousin was leaving. For all Streets life, the eternal 7 year old had been a constant... following him around, getting into his comic books... and now...

Street sighed, too many things were changing. It was a large enough stress to fall back into his salt addiction. But he had been sober for 5 years now. He didn't need it. He was stronger then that...

Shaking his head, Street walked through the estate of cloud and stone. He needed to tell Mouthy goodbye, and remember it wasn't forever. He would see the colt this weekend... everything was going to be fine.

The day finally came for the kids to journey to the Doctor's school. The school year was ready to begin. Smart Mouth’s family, along with everyone else, found themselves journeying to the nearest ‘Portal Port' by way of the train.

Mouthy found himself with his father, brother, Auntie, her sons and niece, and Finally his younger sister. Quite the big family. They had gotten their own private car, on the train. Even if the ride was only a few hours, they would be arriving in the early morning. The Lunar ponies would need to take a nap to get through the day.

Mouthy was looking out the window, never having seen the sun before. Not the real sun. That is, without a filter. The sky was so bright, it hurt the boy's eyes, but the little boy refused to look away. Most of his family was sleeping.

Mouthy's eagerness, at the sight of the painful sky, had him wiggling in his chair. He couldn't stop fidgeting. It was even worse then usual. “Are we there yet?”

His brother, who didn't trust Mouthy to resist getting into some kind of mischief, looked up from his book. He had chosen to stay up, with Mouthy... although he was already getting tired. “Almost. We just passed The Pie Rock Farm, so we are approaching the edge of Ponyville's borders."

Mouthy sighed not being particularly happy with that answer. Book Smarts picked up the slack. Needing something to distract Mouthy. “I spy with my little eye, a crab.”

Mouthy looked out the window. There wasn’t any water out there. “I don’t see it.”

“See, up there,” Book Smarts pointed up at a vaguely crab shaped cloud.

“I don’t see it.”

“It’s obviously a crab.”

“You’re crazy!" Mouthy huffed and just went back to looking out the window, trying to see the crab. While wondering why it be in the sky, above a wasteland.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, until they pulled into the station. The train parked right in front of a large building, looking much like one of the "airports" on Pathfinder.

This particular "Portal Port" had been set up by the Yokai when the ponies entered the space age, as a way to connect all the planets of the Equus system. There were a few of these stations all over the planet, in between major cities, similar to the set up of the other planets of the System.

Unlike Pathfinder's airports, instead of planes, each of these gates led to a different portal (hundreds of portals) connected to other gates throughout the system. Mouthy just needed to walk right through in order to get somewhere else... the notion shouldn't be so scary.

All that was required was a cheap ticket purchase, to cover the upkeep of the enchantments. Twilight wanted to have it covered by taxes, like the train, but individuals didn't use these portals near enough to justify raising taxes for that.

The entryway to the Portal Port was much like any Airport. There was one large ticket counter in the back of an open-air atrium. The windows to the outside were bigger than any Mouthy had ever seen before.

There were lots of ponies out here, as well as a bunch of creatures Mouthy didn't recognize. They were waiting for rides or making calls from payphones.

A few meters from the Station was a cell tower, one of many which projected the wifi enchantment across the system. The cell tower was near the station that way the signal could extend through the portals. That way their was total coverage in the system, even in the space between planets.

Some of the more advanced civilizations used buoys in between star systems, that effectively provided wifi to all surrounding systems. The residents of the Equus System knew the buoys existed, thanks to the Yokai, but didn't know how to access their signal.

"Keep up Mouthy," called Daddy as he trotted over to the ticket counter. "It would be awkward if we went to the Doctor without you." he teased.

Mouthy pouted, but quickly ran over. His little legs having trouble keeping up with the grownups long strides.

Mouthy's daddy bought a ticket to the Rift, having Mouthy show his passport to the nice... armed snake (as in a snake with arms and a torso).

Though most of his family wasn’t sure why the school had to be in the Rift. Sure it was the center of trade, and a nice neutral location for the school, but it was a pain to navigate without a ship. Obviously the Doctor had the TARDIS, and Mouthy’s imagination went wild with what it would really look like in person, but from what he heard the TARDIS was grounded, so how did the Doctor plan to get them across the rift?

Regardless of the little boy's worries, his family soon found themselves at the stellar checkpoint. The yokai didn’t frisk people for weapons or contraband, but they did keep an eye out for interstellar criminals passing through the Equus system. A rather mean looking Kitsune stared down Mouthy’s family. They didn’t know he had a magic eye for seeing through disguises.

As Mouthy passed by, the Kitsune sneered out, under his breath but loud enough for Mouthy to hear, "Mangy half breed." Mouthy looked to his dad, expecting the Stallion to defend his honor, but the pony didn't hear him. Mouthy assumed that meant his daddy agreed with the mean Kitsune.

They managed to get through without an incident and picked up their pace once they were actually in the building. “C’mon buddy, the gate’s this way.” Down the path they went.

Thankfully Auntie was able to keep the large family together. There were thousands of creatures walking the halls. So it was definitely a challenge to keep curious little boys from wandering off, and getting lost.

By some miracle they found their gate. There were a lot of other fillies and colts, along with their families, here too. All were in various states of goodbye. Some more tearful than others.

The Doctor really had found a whole school of students. There was a whole class here of various races and breeds. All were saying goodbye and sending their kids through the portal. On the other side Mouthy could plainly see the Doctor standing and getting a headcount of his students.

Smart Mouth could see his destination on the other side. It was a little scary. The portal almost seemed unstable. Not like the portals Koto Sensei could make at all. It flickered every so often and was held in place by two large pylons.

Obviously it was safe, since it was a well developed magical enchantment, but tell that to anyone who had never traveled that way before. Just like how it’s scary to get on your first airplane ride? It was kind of like that, except this would probably take a lot less long.

Daddy gently put a hoof on his son’s shoulder. “Okay buddy. No cold feet now. Remember we’ll be here if you need us. We’re just a call away. We’ll see you every week too.”

Book Smarts nodded. “It’s not forever. We’ll see you again!”

All his family gave similar good byes, even his little sister.

Smart Mouth looked up at his family and then back at the gate. "I'll... I'll see you all real soon... don't forget to come on family day." Mouthy practically begged. The adults chuckled and promised they wouldn't.

Mouthy turned to face the portal, getting in line and showing the lady (at least he thought it was a lady) at the counter his ticket. She scanned it and typed some things on her computer before sending him forward.

Pushing his Saddle bags onto his back, and clutching the trunk, in his pocket, he slowly stepped over to it. For a moment he stopped and looked back. “I’ll miss you. See you again soon.”

“Don’t worry son! Knock’em dead!”

Book Smarts cheered too. “You can do it!”

Mouthy nodded. It felt good to have his family cheering him on. He trotted up to the portal and looked slightly concerned at how it worked. Was this safe? The Doctor was clearly on the other side, with a few other students, getting things ready.

Before he could really think, someone bumped into him. “Oops, sorry.” It was a grey Pegasus. Little Rumble. “This is my first time doing this. You ready?”

“Yes…”

“Okay…” Both of them weren’t really ready but they decided that since someone else was doing it...It must be okay. Rumble closed his eyes and walked to the other side. He ended up bumping into the Doctor once through. Opening his eyes, he saw the Doctor's smiling face as the Stallion just ruffled the colt's mane.

That settled it in Mouthy’s head. He took a brave step through. It felt weird, as if he was pushing through a bubble. Even so, he found himself on the other side in the same amount of time it had taken to step through. Guess it must have been okay…

Mouthy looked back at the portal, but this time he couldn’t see his family. The portal just looked like a swirling vortex. The Doctor would later explain that multiple portals connected to this spot, so it wasn’t possible to see all the exits. It also made the portal a one way trip. So if they wanted to go home they would have to go back to the Portal Port.

Mouthy sighed, now feeling brave enough to continue. He trotted up to the Doctor to be counted.