//------------------------------// // Part 4 History Enchanted // Story: Adventures in the TARDIS // by Scroll //------------------------------// “Well,” Stern Wing comments as she exits Madam Pinkie Pie's tent. “That was both predictable and surprising at the same time.” She looks back as she watches her friends exit the tent as well. She focuses her next question at Derpy in particular. “Is that normal for that mare?” “Pretty much,” Derpy confirms with a casual shrug. “Pretty much all the time,” Time Turner confirms more firmly. “But all of us who grew up in this town with her are used to that. I may not personally understand or approve of how easily she breaks the laws of physics, but if there is one thing I most definitely can say in that mare's favor, it's that she's really good at her job. Lifting the spirits of all those in Ponyville is a personal mission for her.” “OH SHOOT!” Derpy gasps in unpleasant shock which momentarily puts her friends on edge. “I forgot to tell her to bring muffins to the party.” Derpy slaps her face with a hoof. “How could I be such a feather brain about this?” Derpy spins about to face the entrance/exit of the tent behind them. “Excuse me for a moment.” Derpy was about to enter back into the tent but her face gets shoved right back outside not only because of a very extended pink hoof but a muffin that is carried on top of it. “Here you go,” the largely unseen Pinkie offers from beyond the tent entrance/exit. “For you, and don't worry! I know what to bring to a party to make sure all my friends smile! That's another Pinkie Promise.” “Oh goodie! Thank you!” Derpy squees as she accepts the offered muffin with both of her wings. She then brings it immediately to her mouth and scarfs down a large bite. Magical, floating bubbles appear around Derpy's head as a visual gag to show how much Derpy's mind is now floating in pure bliss. The underside of her eyes blush red as an additional sign of that. “Okie-dokey-lokey!” the still unseen Pinkie cheers as she withdraws her pink hoof back into her tent. “See you all tonight! Please look forward to it. You won't be disappointed.” The whole TARDIS crew, plus Time Turner, is suddenly silent for four seconds before they all erupt in a mirthful laugh. Some of them don't even consciously know why they did that at that moment and would later categorize it as a brief moment of temporary insanity, although there is no doubt that Pinkie would personally interpret that as a personal badge of honor. “Well,” Time Turner says as he starts to calm down again and wipe a happy tear away. “Now that that brief moment of insanity is over, do you all care to resume the tour?” “You all go ahead. There is something else I want to check out myself,” Feather expresses. “Sweet Apple Acres?” Stern guesses wisely. “Bingo,” Feather confirms with a proud nod to his foalhood friend. “Well, we can make that the next destination for us all,” Time Turner offers. “No,” Stern Wing objects as she looks back at Time Turner. “I think he wants to be more alone on this one. I've noticed that crowds, like this,” she uses her face to gesture around them, “eventually starts to overwhelm him. I think he just wants to withdraw to someplace quieter.” She looks at Feather. “And familiar.” “True that,” Time Turner says as if he just realized something. “This whole town is very new to the four of you time travelers.” A passing mare by the name of Carrot Top pauses in her trot for a second as she gives Time Turner a curious look for that comment. “Aren't we all traveling through time?” Time Turner explains to Carrot Top to help explain his earlier comment. “Time waits for no pony and all that.” Carrot Top blinks at Time Turner then shrugs carelessly before casually proceeding on with her day. “You should probably keep comments like that on the down low while we're all in public,” Stern Wing sternly and quietly advises Time Turner. “Point taken,” Time Turner agrees while he fidgets nervously with his green bow tie. “Do you think you can even find Sweet Apple Acres?” Derpy asks Feather in concern. “Don't worry. I'll ask the wind,” Feather assures. “I'm sure there is some world and timeline out there where a comment like that makes sense,” Time Turner says as he lifts an eyebrow at Feather Wind. “Just in case, I'll go with you,” Derpy offers then suddenly gets shy as she amends, “if . . . if you don't mind, that is.” Feather shakes his head as he says, “I don't mind at all. I'm perfectly comfortable, and even elated, for you to join me.” He gives a casual smile at Derpy then follows that up by looking at Stern Wing, but that smile dims a bit when he notices a look of concern in Stern's eyes. “Something wrong?” he checks with Stern. “Um . . . no. I'm sure you two will be fine,” Stern reassures but she continues to hold a guarded expression on her face. “You two be careful. Don't drop your guard too much even around here.” “Ah . . . sure,” Feather says with a mystified and slightly disturbed blink. Stern Wing steps forward then kisses the top of Feather Wind's mane before she steps back and says, “I'm sure you two will be fine, as I said. Just be careful, and I'll see you two later.” “Well. Shall we?” Derpy offers as she gestures in the correct direction with a wing. “Sure. Let's go,” Feather accepts as he trots in the indicated direction. As they proceed, Derpy shortly later asks, “Also didn't you say earlier that you didn't want to run into any of the Apple family at this time? Especially Granny Smith?” “I'm not planning on visiting the Apple family and especially Granny Smith,” Feather explains to Derpy as he continues. “I just want to visit the farm itself and see how much it has changed, or hasn't changed as the case may be.” Feather pauses for a brief moment when the wind brushes up against his head and a whisper is carried with it. “The reason I advised caution is because we were being followed by some cloaked pony,” Feather hears Stern's whisper in the wind. “Perhaps we still are. Somepony was tailing us earlier. I'm still sure you two will be fine as long as you remain on your guard. However, if your status changes then let me know via the wind if able.” This is the first time Feather heard anything about this and he didn't notice this himself. For a brief moment he wonders privately why Stern kept this to herself until now, but then he figures she wanted the others to enjoy themselves and not panic while she secretly remained alert for this possible threat. For as long as Stern kept this to herself, the one following them shouldn't be tipped off about the guard pony being alert about this either. However, since the party is now being split up a bit, Stern finally fessed up and stealthily offered this tip to at least Feather Wind. “Thanks for the tip. I promise I'll remain alert,” Feather Wind whispers then allows the wind to carry that message back to Stern. Along the way to Sweet Apple Acres, Feather Wind doesn't notice anypony tailing after them. That doesn't mean there isn't anypony there. There are a lot of trees to hide behind in this area. Indeed. A lot. Far more than Feather is accustomed to. This farm has obviously expanded across these one hundred years significantly. Last time he checked, this family just had a few orchards immediately around the Orchard's new home. Now their orchards sprawl across many hilltops all across this landscape. “Are you serious?!” Feather Wind asks in shock when Derpy informs him how many Apple family members live at this farm permanently. “Just four ponies are living at this farm? And two of them being so old and young that they can't help buck any of the apples down from all these trees?! So what you're really telling me is only two farmers are left to buck all of these trees?” “Apple Bloom and Granny Smith both help out on the farm in their own way,” Derpy assures. “Chores and quality assurance and all that.” Feather squints an eye at Derpy as he asks her, “Didn't Time Turner say earlier that the Apple family is very large?” “Yes,” Derpy confirms. “If you don't believe me, time travel to one of their family reunions. “However, that family is spread out a lot all across Equestria. They are mixed up in all kinds of things now, but they come back to the farm about once a year. Sometimes more, but it also depends upon what else they're caught up in. The bond of this family is still very strong, though. That promise to come back once in a while drags them from all corners of Equestria. This farm is still their focal point.” Feather looks down as he thinks back. He remembers when the Orchard family got chased off their original farm by a small hoard of goblins. If it was only their house and barn that got burned down, they could have recovered. However the goblins poisoned the land as well, and a strategy like that was way beyond the normally dim-witted and kind of insane little buggers. It was only later that Feather learned that the attack was driven by Puppet Master which was Feather's first, albeit distant, encounter with that insane sociopath. Years later Feather further learned that the whole thing might have been secretly masterminded by King Sombra. What followed after that tragedy was something that Feather never forgot, though, nor would he wish to. Despite the loss the Orchards had suffered, there was something heroically endearing about how they stuck together and cheered each other up. It was so hard to smile back then, but they kept on trotting and they kept on singing. While Feather's younger self temporarily joined them just to make sure they remain in the clear about that which attacked them earlier, the Orchard's insisted he was part of the family during their initial trek. As such, they insisted that he join their songs. As far as Feather knows, Granny Smith is the last pony left who remembers that initial trek besides Feather Wind himself. What he observed about earth ponies back then dramatically shifted his perspective and gave him a healthy respect for the culture. They were so strong both inwardly and outwardly. To imagine family roots like that taking root here in Ponyville and then growing into all of this! A proud tear trails down Feather's face and chokes up his breathing a bit. “You okay?” Derpy timidly but also kindly asks beside him. “Yeah. I'm fine,” Feather assures as he bends his head and wipes the tear away with his bent left knee. He then gazes upon that tear for a second before trotting on. “It's just that . . . being here, at this farm, is bringing back a lot of memories for me. Some of them are good, and some of them are bad. Mostly all of this reminds me how strong and loyal this family is to each other. How much they care for one another. I was not entirely alienated from this kind of culture during my upbringing but you can imagine how different it can get among Canterlot elite even during my time.” Derpy remains quiet for that comment because she doesn't know what to say. There are many things in this world that go way, way above her head. She is sympathetic to Feather even if she doesn't fully understand where he's coming from. “Strong family. Strong roots,” Feather goes on. “Strong enough to help forge all of this.” He looks around the giant orchard, almost in awe. Derpy has a feeling, though, that Feather meant far more than just the farm. After all, she just told him that this family has spread out all across Equestria. That means this family's influence upon this world has spread just as far. So many amazing stories are out there because of it, and all of it started here on this humble little farm in Ponyville. In thinking of that, Derpy's own eyes start to tear up since she's beginning to understand the sheer magnitude of what happened here. There is a lot about this that she used to take for granted, but now she's beginning to feel the weight of it by traveling beside another pony who was a part of this history. It's all connected. “I love this future, Derpy,” Feather says with a proud smile and tears glazing his own eyes. “I'm so glad to see how brightly things turned out here, and I promise I'll do whatever I can to make sure that this world is forged from my own little corner of it. I won't take any of it for granted. I can't. It's just too important.” “Listening to you say that about my home, the world I grew up in, I . . . I'm so moved, Feather,” Derpy expresses to Feather very emotionally. Mostly happily. “Everywhere I look, I see a story begging to be told,” Feather goes on. “A poem waiting to be born. A history as alive and as rich as the trees that are all around us. Savor it, Derpy. It's all so meaningful, alive, and special.” At that moment, as if on cue, the wind suddenly picks up. It is potentially caused by the blue stallion beside her, but he isn't acting like it. He does, however, seem to expect it, for he pauses in place, closes his eyes, and breathes it in deeply as the wind passes the two of them. As requested, Derpy closes her eyes and spreads her wings just a bit as she savors the wind that passes through them. Like Ponyville and its history, the wind is something else she used to take for granted. However, ever since she started traveling with another pony who has such a deep connection to it, her own appreciation for it takes on a whole new dimension of depth in her soul. It feels like rediscovering something deeper about a thing she previously overlooked. That certainly makes this moment feel magical and special to her. The wind blows through her mane and ruffles through the gray feathers on her wings. All around her, she hears the sizzling sound of the wind drifting through the many branches of the apple trees. Because of that, she can also smell the apples in the breeze. It feels like a gift to her. A sacred gift. It's like a reward for simply being alive at this moment. Derpy slowly opens her wet walleyes. She feels so enchanted at this moment that it almost makes her dizzy. “I love how you view the world, Feather,” Derpy expresses quietly but very emotionally. “You're almost as enchanting to me as the Doctor in your own way. He helped to open my eyes to many possibilities and impossibilities spread out in all of time and space. It feels incredible even though it also makes me feel smaller and smaller. “But you help to remind me how sacred my own roots are. How much joy is waiting to be noticed in my own home. I almost feel ungrateful for not noticing it before.” She frowns as she looks down. “Too busy moping over the others teasing me about my crazy eyes or my lack of balance, I suppose. I wasted so much time feeling sorry for myself.” Now it's Feather's turn to remain quiet but also very present beside Derpy. He just stands there and listens to her, watches her, and cares for her very deeply. “You have very kind eyes, Feather,” Derpy says as she looks at him with a smile. “The gentle soul behind them feels almost otherworldly. Thank you for being my friend and for just being you.” “To you as well, Derpy,” Feather replies. “Right back at you.” A sudden whimsical thought snaps into Derpy's mind. It entails an opportunity that she just now realizes she should have taken advantage of a long time ago. “Feather Wind . . . let's go for a fly!” Derpy cheers in an enchanted voice. “I just realized we've never done that together yet. The very thing that is most dear and sacred to you is something we haven't shared yet.” “You sure?” Feather checks with that same kind and gentle eyes, but it is brighter now with elation. “I'm a pegasus, yet you make me feel like I never truly understood the sky before,” Derpy expresses then shakes her head. “At least, not to the degree that you have. I want to see it for myself. A true glimpse into the depth of your world.” “You've always been welcome to join it, Derpy,” Feather says with a soft and gentle smile. “Yeah, but now I finally noticed that. I acknowledge it,” Derpy returns. “With you, a flight probably feels ten times more enchanting. I want to experience that at least once in my life. It's on my bucket list now, and we already have an opportunity to cross it out.” “Then let's fly, Derpy!” Feather expresses brightly as the winds suddenly pick up again. “To the skies above and even the stars beyond. May no gravity, or any limitation, ever impede our unlimited freedom.” “Yes!” Derpy cheers. “Let's.” Derpy spreads her wings as Feather Wind floats his Mist Cloak out of his saddlebag. He floats the opening in the hood through his horn and tucks each of his hooves into four corner pockets of the Mist Cloak. Once he does that, he yanks the magical cloud cloak tot while lightening this body weight. The wind catches within his cloak and propels him to sail up like a kite except he isn't tethered by a string. Together they fly free in the skies above Ponyville. The whole landscape sprawls around them from this much higher bird's eye view. This affords them a much broader perspective, but they also savor their view at the level of the sky. Playfully they dance and swirl around other clouds in the sky. The wind coils around those clouds and twists them into a higher column. Sometimes they also plunge into it like sinking into cotton candy or just lift a hoof as they fly under it. Doing so causes bits of clouds to spiral behind them as they fly onward. Down below and hidden among the various trees of Sweet Apple Acres, the mysterious cloaked figure continues to watch them.