Four Ponies & A Time Machine

by SkelePone

Chapter VI: Roseluck Takes Manehattan

“Know that love is truly timeless.”
― Mary M. Ricksen

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Derpy Hooves has always loved Time Turner. She's been lonely after all these years, even with all her friends in Ponyville. She's adopted and raised little Dinky Hooves since she was but a newborn. But she had still been lonely. Then she had seen him.

A handsome brown stallion wearing a green tie. He had been galloping out of a grocery store, carrying a bag of food on his back. She had been walking home with Dinky, and all of time seemed to have stopped when she saw him. She knew instantly he was the one. And she would do anything to make him hers. Dinky, bless her heart, had seen her mother's reaction.

"Oh! Mommy, that's Doctor Time Turner! He came to my school today! He's an inventor from Canterlot!" Then Dinky ran up to the stallion, hurriedly introducing him to her.

"Hi Mister Doctor Time Turner! It's me, Dinky! Remember me?"
The stallion had chuckled, and Derpy felt her heart almost leap out of her mouth.
"How could I forget the adorable little filly who asked all the funniest questions? And who is this, your mother?"
He reached out a hoof to shake.
She touched his, shaking it lightly with a squeak.
"Mister Doctor Time Turner, this is Mommy. Mommy, this is Mister Doctor Time Turner."
Time Turner had chuckled again. "Well, Missus, I hope you don't mind me asking your full name?"

"Derpy. Derpy Hooves." She squeaked.
"Well, Missus Hooves. Your husband's a lucky stallion. Such a beautiful mare and a loving mother, too!"
"Oh, Mommy's not married."
"Oh?" The Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.
"She's adopted," Derpy said, trying not to sound so tense.
"Ahhh haha, very well then. I suppose I'll see you around then, Miss Hooves."
"Please, call me Derpy."

With that, they had parted ways, and Dinky questioned her mother about her encounter with Time Turner.

"Didn't you like Doctor Time Turner, Mommy?"
"Oh Dinky... I love him."

---

Roseluck looked about the city with eyes full of wonder. She had been to Manehattan before, but this Manehattan was so much more (and yet less).

She looked back at the two stallions and the pegasus mare floating between them. She wasn't sure what she felt about them. Rose had been trying to get the Doctor's affections since she learned of his Canterlotian heritage. Derpy had seemed like just another obstacle for getting into the Canterlotian high society. Carnegie Porter had just seemed like a drunk. But after Porter's motivational speech to those deer, she suddenly felt different.

That was a stallion who could be a true gentlestallion and a dashingly good-looking one at that. He was handsome when he did himself up like he had. Even now, she thought, he was kind of cute in the tipsy jokey kind of way.

And Derpy? Roseluck began to see her less of a rival and more like a friend. After all, if Carnegie proved to be more coltfriend material than Time Turner, Derpy could have the Doctor. Roseluck felt a pang of guilt as she remembered her cruel words to the pegasus.

She quickly shook away her guilt as she glanced over at Carnegie, who was flirting with a few haughty looking unicorn mares. Now she felt a pang of jealousy. Why? She didn't know. But she switched directions and made a beeline for Porter and the trio of unicorns.

"Oye, did I ever tell ya ya got the prettiest eyes I ever seen on a mare?" Carnegie slurred. Rose didn't know what she was doing. She didn't care about what she was doing. She slapped Carnegie Porter across his smug drunken face. He blinked at her in surprise, raising a hoof to touch his reddening cheek. Roseluck realized what she had done, and she reacted quickly.

"Get a hold of yourself, Porter. We're in public. Come on." She used a hoof to steer him away from the unicorns, who stared at them with amused smiles. Let them laugh, Roseluck thought, he's MINE.

Roseluck looked about the trading square where the TROTIS was parked. Derpy and Time Turner were nowhere to be seen. She began to lead Carnegie towards the time machine when she heard snoring. The oaf had gone and fallen asleep, standing up. Roseluck led him towards the open machine and shoved him into the carriage. Panting, she lay down beside him. She let out an 'eep!' as she felt the sleeping drunk nuzzle her neck. He was humming in his sleep as well, probably just some pub song.

Rose lay beside him, enjoying his humming. She too began to fall asleep.

---

Derpy had never been happier. She was alone, walking the streets of a Pre-Classical Manehattan, taking in the sights of both the young city and of the stallion beside her. She was boldly walking a little bit closer to him than usual, signalling to everypony else that he was hers, and to back off. She had managed to correct her walleyes somewhat, and she desperately hoped that he would look and see how beautiful she was with normal eyes.

Her stomach grumbled rather loudly, and he suggested they find some food before continuing their search for oil. She had agreed, grateful.

They found a pub, a small little shack with a bar and a few tables. They sat at one, and both ordered tea and hay fries.

"We should've brought Carnegie," Time Turner remarked, looking over at the bar's scratched menu, "there's alcohol I've never even heard of here."

The waitress, a fat pegasus with teeny wings, returned with their tea. It looked like black clumps of turd in water. Derpy merely looked at hers. Time Turner sipped his casually. Then he said it, what she had been waiting for!

"I say, Derpy, what happened to your eyes?"
She tried her best not to squeal as she mimicked Roseluck's cooing tones.
"I've been practicing looking normal. Like it, Doctor?" She batted her eyes at him, showing off the somewhat strained eyes looking in the same direction. They were beginning to hurt.
"Derpy... they're not normal. What they usually are is normal. With all of their googly wonderfulness."
She blushed and looked away, letting her eyes roll away from each other once again.
"There," he breathed, "much better. Your eyes are one of the many reasons why I love you."
What? She held her breath, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"You... love me?"
"Of course! We're friends aren't we? Best friends at that. Ah look! The hay fries are here."

Derpy sighed and went back to playing with her strange tea.

---

Roseluck opened her eyes as Carnegie shifted beside her.

"Ohhh blimey. How long've I been out?"
"About two hours," Roseluck answered, "you snore when you sleep."
Carnegie raised a bushy eyebrow at her. He grunted irritably.
"Well, usually I don't have anypony listenin'. Anythin' else her Majesty wishes to complain about?"
"Well, you could do with brushing your mane again. And a dash of deodorant wouldn't kill you."
"Oh yea? Well, Miss Rose, I'd like ta point out tha' you could use a bit of whiskey. Calm those feisty nerves of yours. I may have been drunk, but I still remember ya slappin' me 'cross me face."
"You need to file those hooves!"
"Ya need ta learn a bit o' manners!"
"You need to clean your tail!"
"Ya need ta clean yer attitude!"
They were nose to nose now, arguing back and forth in the middle of the carriage's chamber.
"YOU need to stop drinking so much!"
"Ya need ta drink a bit more!"
"You need to stop burping all the time!"
"Ya need to mind yer-"

They were kissing.

Roseluck wasn't sure how it happened. She wasn't sure if it was her who had kissed him first, or he who kissed her first. But she didn't care.
He honestly didn't smell that bad, and his lips had the taste of liquor and salt on them. He smelled nice, like the honey mead he had served her when they had first met. She let her eyes close, enjoying the kiss and the warmth of Carnegie.
She felt his hoof touch her mane. She put her hoof on his shoulder.

Then the carriage door opened. They pulled away from each other, gasping for air. Derpy and Time Turner looked to them, with wide eyes. Carnegie and Rose both looked to each other. They were both lying on their back, having flung each other away after being startled. Both were bright red with blush.

"Well... ah... should we close the door again?" Derpy whispered innocently.
Time Turner face-hoofed.

Comments

[StarHorder]

Awwwww yeah!