Doctor?
Celestia's newly-risen sun shone intensely through Ditzy's window. The pegasus lightly groaned and pulled the bed sheet over her eyes. She forgot to close the curtains before going to sleep.
Ditzy rolled over to face the wall opposite from the window and took a sleepy look at the clock on her side table. It was about 7 in the morning. Five hours of sleep wasn't enough for her. Ditzy curled up in a ball and attempted to fall back into a deep sleep.
The attempt was pointless. Ditzy's door burst open.
"Momma!" cried a happy and squeaky voice. A tiny clatter of hooves echoed on the floor before a small filly jumped up on Ditzy's bed. The pegasus pulled the blankets from her head and looked to see her little daughter, Dinky, looking back at her with a gleaming smile.
"Momma, Momma, you're home!" chanted Dinky. She jumped on top of her mother and threw her hooves around her neck. Ditzy held her child.
"Of course I'm home, I'd never stay away from you too long, muffin," she laughed. Suddenly, Ditzy had new energy in her body to wake up.
"Yeah, you were gone for hours!" exclaimed Dinky, pulling back and looking at Ditzy.
"More like a week, actually. You know how time-travel is."
"Did ya miss me?" Ditzy chuckled and ruffled Dinky's light-blonde mane.
"Of course I did," she said. "How'd you know I was back?"
"I saw the box-ship in the living room," said Dinky. "Is Doctor here too?"
"He should be," said Ditzy. "He's probably in his 'box-ship' keeping himself busy." The pegasus patted the little unicorn's lavender nose and then began to get out of bed.
"Where's Amethyst?" Ditzy asked, referring to her other unicorn daughter.
"She's still asleep," replied Dinky. "She stayed up late last night...again." The little filly bound out of the room, Ditzy following behind while rubbing her eyes and sighing. She was worried about her daughter Amethyst Star. For some reason, the young mare had an irrational fear that her mother wouldn't return from an adventure with the Doctor some day, and so stayed up until midnight many nights, waiting for Ditzy to return. She was a little less enthusiastic than Dinky was about the time-pony, and Ditzy always made sure that upon returning that she would reassure Amethyst thoroughly.
"Momma, c'mon!" called Dinky from down the hallway as Ditzy left her room.
"In a minute, Dinky!" replied Ditzy. "Let me see your sister first." She walked further down the hallway to the room on the end, Amethyst's room. Ditzy opened the door softly, greeted by the unicorn's slightly messy room that was hiding the morning sun with window blinds. The mother trotted over to Amethyst's bed that was in the corner of the room.
"Amy," Ditzy whispered as she gently tugged at Amethyst's shoulder. The young mare stirred gradually, and eventually, forced open an eye to see Ditzy standing over her.
"Mom," she whispered while giving a soft smile. "You're back."
"Of course I am," said Ditzy. "I always come back."
"I know."
"I'm going to be back for a while too."
"You are?"
"Yes."
"Okay," said Amethyst, Ditzy noticing relief sweeping over her face. "Is the Doctor here too?"
"Yes."
"Alright," Amethyst said briefly.
"You should get more rest," said Ditzy. "You sister told me you were up last night."
"I was just...waiting for you," Amethyst yawned, showing a notion of wanting to go back to sleep again.
"It's alright, Amy," said Ditzy. "You shouldn't worry about me."
"I'm not," retorted Amethyst.
"Okay. Just...go back to sleep. I'll be out in the kitchen making breakfast. Come whenever you'd like, Amy." And just like that, Amethyst turned over and entered sleep-mode again. Slowly, and slightly unsure, Ditzy then left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
In the kitchen, Dinky was waiting for her mother.
"Where's sis, Momma?" she asked.
"Asleep," replied Ditzy.
"Oh. Where's Doctor?"
"Probably in his TARDIS," said Ditzy. "Why don't we make breakfast since it's just us two right now?"
"Yeah!" jumped Dinky.
"What kind, muffin?" asked Ditzy as she began taking out various ingredients such as flour, sugar, eggs, etc. Ditzy always made muffins, her favorite breakfast.
"Um, let's see..." thought the little filly.
"Should we make Dinky muffins?" laughed Ditzy as she tickled her little pony. "I could gobble you up for breakfast!" Ditzy tickled her chin under Dinky's.
"No! Momma!" Dinky breathed between giggles. "No Dinky muffins!"
"Okay then," settled Ditzy, still smiling at her daughter. "Blueberry it is."
Dinky sat on the sofa in the living room, tummy full of breakfast. She stared at the blue police box that sat oddly across the room.
"Momma, when's Doctor gonna wake up?" she asked. Ditzy exited the kitchen, finished from cleaning some bowls and dishes.
"I don't know," said Ditzy, a little confused on why the Doctor hadn't appeared for an hour. It wasn't like him to sit in his TARDIS all day.
"Doctor?" called Ditzy as she knocked on the TARDIS door. However, there was just the hollow knock, no reply.
"Is he sick?" asked Dinky.
"No," paused Ditzy. Now she was very confused. "Here, let me see what's going on." From her pocket, Ditzy drew the second TARDIS key that the Doctor had given her since they had met. She inserted it into the lock and twisted it until it clicked. The TARDIS opened.
"Stay here, Dinky, I'll be right back," said Ditzy.
"Okay," replied the filly. Ditzy took a couple steps into the TARDIS, still lit the exact way it was when she left earlier that night. The lights weren't what caught the mare's attention though.
Faintly, but still prevalent, the cloister bells were ringing, setting off their slow, low, and melancholy DONG in the expanse of the TARDIS. Ditzy became alarmed.
"Doctor? DOCTOR?! Are you here?" she called frantically.
"What's wrong, Momma?" asked Dinky.
"Stay put," directed the mother. She then ran frantically throughout the nearby rooms, scanned the whole console area. The Doctor was gone. Ditzy rushed out of the TARDIS and shut the doors.
"Is something the matter?" asked Dinky, sitting innocently on the sofa.
"The Doctor's not here," said Ditzy, who was trying to stay calm for her young daughter. "Dinky, are you sure you haven't seen him this morning?"
"I'm sure," she replied. "It was just quiet when I got up."
"Oh dear," breathed Ditzy.
"It's okay, Momma, I'm sure he'll come back," said Dinky, who was always trying to give positive words to her mother. "Maybe he took a walk."
"Maybe," said Ditzy. She took a deep breath. Although the chances of that were unlikely, she had to remain composed for Dinky. "I'm going to look for him, then. Will you do me a favor, though?"
"Yep," Dinky perked.
"Can you watch the Doctor's 'box-ship' while I go out and look for him?" asked Ditzy. "I won't be out long, I promise."
"Of course!" smiled Dinky. "I'll watch it like a hawk!"
"That's my girl," grinned Ditzy. "Now, Amethyst might not wake up for a while, but if she does, just tell her I'm out for a walk too. I don't want her to be worried about anything."
"Okay Momma," said Dinky. Ditzy, relieved to have a wonderful daughter as Dinky was, then strolled out the door and began her search for the Doctor.
"Amy! Amy! Wake up! Wake up!" Dinky bounced up and down on Amethyst's bed. Her sister groaned.
"Get off, Dinky," she said, hiding deeper in her pillow. "I want to sleep."
"I know," said Dinky, "but I have a question."
"Go ask mom."
"Momma's...busy. So's Doctor."
"Ugh, can't it wait?"
"Nope!" said a determined Dinky. "I need an answer, and I know you're smart!"
"Grr..."
"Please?!"
"Fine," grumbled Amethyst. "What is it?"
"What does 'Ehdrike' mean?" asked Dinky, stumbling over the strange word she was asking the definition to.
"What?" questioned her sister.
"Eh...eh...."
"Wait, stop. How do you spell it?"
"Um, I forgot."
"Ugh. Where'd you see it, in a book?" asked Amethyst.
"Nope," said Dinky. "On the box-ship." Amethyst stopped cold.
"What?"
"On the box-ship," repeated Dinky.
"You mean the 'TARDIS'," corrected her sister, a little annoyed that her younger sibling never used the proper term. "Why is there a weird word on it? Doesn't the Doctor know?"
"Um..." stuttered Dinky. She struggled to follow her mother's instructions. "He's sort of out on a walk...with Momma..."
"Ugh, of course," complained Amethyst. "Fine, I'll come and see it." The strange word that was somehow on the TARDIS was the only drive that led Amethyst out of bed. After all, until she checked it out, Dinky would never stop bothering her.
The elder sister followed the little filly out to the living room, trudging her hooves on the floor. She squinted at the TARDIS.
"I don't see anything," she muttered.
"It's not here, Amy," stated Dinky. "It's on the back side." Amethyst followed her sister across the room and behind the TARDIS. There, in the blue paint, was a word painted in grey. It was a strange word that Amethyst hadn't seen before, but it certainly looked easier to pronounce than how Dinky's under-developed tongue put it.
"See," said Dinky, pointing at the side. "'Ehdrike',"
"I'm pretty sure that's not how you say it," said Amethyst.
"Oh. How do you pronounce it?"
"I don't know," said the young mare, staring and trying to comprehend the word. She didn't want to have a stab at it, and anyways, at the same time, she didn't really care.
"Just ask mom or the Doctor when they get back," said Amethyst lazily. "I'm sure one of them will know what it means."