Dinky hummed a cheerful little tune to herself, bouncing up and down in time to its cheerful rhythm known only to her. Today was truly a good day. Scratch that, a PERFECT day! For the first time in what seemed like forever, she was going to spend an entire day with her parents. Both her parents.
Her mother, Derpy, was often around and loved Dinky very much. But her father was Time Turner, and it was anypony's guess when (if ever) he'd be around. Sometimes he'd disappear for weeks or months on end without ever telling anyone where he'd been. Every time Dinky asked her mother would simply say tell her that her father was away due to work, and that it was top secret. She suspected there were more to it than that, but Dinky was not a filly who liked to pry.
Today, however, her dad was home. And he had agreed to go on a family picnic at the park to enjoy the pleasant Spring day. To Dinky, that was all that mattered. So what if her parents had a reputation for being odd? As long as they loved her she didn't care what other ponies thought of them. It just meant that her parents were unique and special, something no other ponies could ever lay claim to.
Derpy just smiled as she looked down at the filly who in many ways was not unlike the spitting image of the pegasus mare herself (except for the horn instead of wings, and the lack of a cutie mark). She always affectionately referred to Dinky as her "Little Muffin", because to her the young filly was more precious than anything in the entire wide world of Equestria. And she was certain many mothers could attest to a similar level of attachment to their children.
Time Turner wasn't far behind, the wicker basket clutched firmly in his teeth as he trotted along. It was nice to have a quiet moment for a change. Just working with clocks and hourglasses was enough to drive him crazy, and that didn't even begin to cover his "other" line of work. It involved top secret experiments hidden under the guise of a mad scientist obsessed with time itself. Anything to keep ponies from guessing about his real line of work. If they knew they would surely freak out.
Fortunately, Derpy and Dinky readily accepted him for who he was. And Derpy was perfectly happy to cover for him. The stallion was just glad to have something other than the occasional companion. He could truly claim to have a family and share a bond with them.
At last the happy family reached the park. Lots of ponies young and old alike were there today, enjoying the fine weather. Some foals were playing with a frisbee, laughing as they ran back and forth, tossing it to each other. Some older aged ponies were standing on the bridge, casting their lines into the small stream below. And several others were either relaxing in the sun, or enjoying ice cream.
"Good thing we planned ahead and picked out a spot," Derpy smiled to her husband as they approached an unoccupied space next to the welcoming shade of a tree. "I'll get the blanket set up. You take care of the food," Then she turned to Dinky. "Don't wander off now, my little muffin. You stay where Mom can see you." She proceeded to ruffle Dinky's mane with a hoof.
Dinky beamed a bright smile. "Don't worry, I won't. I'm just gonna go see what the Cutie Mark Crusaders are up to. They said they were gonna be here in the park today." She bounced away, still humming that cheerful little tune to herself.
Time Turner set the basket down and released his mouth's hold on it. As he sat down next to the trunk of the tree, he smiled as he saw Dinky meeting up with the trio of fillies that were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "You've raised a wonderful filly, Derpy. She's just like you, only much cuter." He commented.
A faint blush formed on Derpy's cheeks. "Oh stop it, you," After composing herself she added. "It wasn't easy raising her all by myself. I wish I could remember who her birth father was. He left before I think he even realized I was pregnant."
Time Turner simply put a hoof around Derpy's shoulders. "I don't think she really cares. She's known me as her father for a long time now, and come to accept me."
Derpy smiled. "True. And I'm grateful to you for all you've done since you came into our lives. For somepony who's never had a family before, you've done a fantastic job being a parent. Now come on, let's get the picnic set up. I'm starving."
The two grown-ups set to work on preparing the picnic lunch, including the paper plates and cups for food and drink. Dinky, meanwhile, entertained herself with a variety of activities. Whether it was skipping stones across the pond beneath the bridge, playing shadow tag with the CMC, or stopping to play fetch with somepony's dog.
At last, the picnic was ready, and Derpy gave a whistle to call her little filly back to her. Dinky obeyed without question.
The picnic lunch consisted of Hooves family staples: Peanut Butter and Zap Apple Jam sandwiches (with the crusts cut off because Dinky did not like crusts), a salad, some hayfries, an apple pie for dessert, and of course homemade muffins. With apple juice to drink (Derpy wouldn't let Dinky have any cider).
Dinky saved the muffins for last. She knew her mom always made the best muffins. She tried her best to eat as neatly as possible, but a few crumbs and smears still got on her mouth and cheeks by the time she was all done.
Derpy didn't mind in the slightest, she just retrieve a rag and wiped Dinky's face clean. Then all three ponies worked together to clean up, putting the plates and cups into bags, and tossing any leftover crumbs into a nearby trash can.
After that, they spent the afternoon together playing games. Hide and seek, tag, even a little bit of touch hoofball. Dinky won all the games, of course. The only thing she loved more than winning was being with her family.
Eventually, however, Celestia's sun began to set, casting an orange glow over the evening landscape. "Okay, Dinky," Derpy called. "It's time to go home, it's getting late."
Dinky sighed but obeyed. Even if today had been nice, she knew it couldn't last forever. Tomorrow she'd have to go back to school, and Mom and Dad would have to go back to work (Mom worked at the post office. She was pretty much the only pony who never wanted to quit the job).
Still, today had been enjoyable. If only more days could be like this one. Days where both her parents were around to be with her, and she was free to do as she pleased within reason. Perhaps it was because these kinds of days didn't come around all that often for her, that the times when they did were special.