//------------------------------//
// A Family Friend 
// Story: The Toymaker 
// by AtomicMuffin 
//------------------------------//

Mom's wings beat a soft rhythm against the darkening sky. Finally she dipped slightly and brought us in for a landing right onto the front porch. I stumbled off of her back -still half asleep- and let out a yawn. Checking behind me I saw that Patchwork had survived the flight inside mom's saddlebag. I wanted to hold my new friend all the way home, but mom insisted that I have my hooves free in case of another crash landing. 

Mom smiled at me and reached into her bag. She playfully placed Patchwork right on top of my head and chuckled as I tried to keep my balance. She walked over to the door and waited for me to come inside, but then she stopped and stood very still. Her ears shifted rapidly and her eyes widened. With the biggest grin she rushed off the porch and tore around the corner in a grey and yellow blur. Utterly confused I followed her as quickly as my small legs could manage. Rounding the corner I called, "Mom, what's going on?"

And then I heard it. A strange whirring sound echoed through the gathering night and it sounded like it was coming from the garden in the back. The gate was open, so mom must have gone that way. As I galloped through the wooden gate, I saw mom in the garden jumping up and down in barely contained excitement. The whirring noise kept getting louder.

I covered my ears and shouted, "Mom, what's going on?!" She just kept jumping around and fluttering her wings. She looked so happy, which was possibly the only reason that I wasn't completely terrified. I was only mostly terrified. 

Mom gasped in surprise and I followed her gaze to rest on the stone patio. It was just a simple stone slab nestled between two blueberry bushes, but right before my eyes a blue box started to materialize in front of us. It just showed up... out of THIN AIR! And the whole time the whirring kept getting louder. Eventually the noise started to fade and the box came into full view. It was a simple wooden box, painted blue, with a sign reading "Pony Box" fixed just above the door. It had a strange blue light on top that quickly went out as soon as the world was silent again. 

Mom still couldn't tear her eyes away from the box and she also started chanting "yes, yes, yes yes, YES!" As the wooden door opened with a creak, she bolted forward screaming "DOCTOR!" and plowed straight through the open door. A loud series of bangs and crashes reverberated through the open door along with some explosions and very choice words spoken in an accent that reminded me of my friend Pipsqueak. A thin stream of smoke crawled lazily out the door.

I rushed to the open door and tried to call out to my mom, but what I saw took my breath away. The inside of the box was absolutely massive. There was no way that it could have fit! Large metal beams supported an enormous spherical room. In the center was a grated platform with a huge and complex looking machine, and leaning up against the machine was my mom tightly hugging an earth pony with a dusky amber coat, spiky dark brown mane, and a red necktie. All around them was a mess of broken glass and other things that I really can't describe. Mom squeezed even tighter until the stranger's face was turning from amber to purple. He choked, "Dit... zy... can't... breathe... air..." 

Mom jumped back sheepishly and muttered, "Sorry."

The stranger took a few deep breaths and managed to get back onto his wobbly hooves. He mumbled something like, "Never get used to being quadruped" and beamed. 

"Hello, Ditzy! How long has it been? Really can't tell from my end, but it feels like ages! By the way, remind me to tell Twilight about the giant crabs. They are going to be a real nuisance one day. And don't get me started about the manti- Well hello there! Who might you be?" 

He turned his beaming smile upon me as I stood in the doorway, and for the first time since this all started, mom remembered that I was still there. She rushed forward to pick me up in her forelegs. She gently drifted out of the box and back into our small garden. I was breathing very fast and my heart pounded so hard it hurt. She laid me down on the soft grass and started to try to calm me down.  

"It's okay, hun. This is a friend of mine, and I'm sure he wants to be friends with you too. I know all of this is a lot to take in, but I want you to trust me. Can you do that?"

I looked into her soft, loving eyes and nodded slowly. Of course I trusted her. I breathed in one last large gulp of air and then forced myself to start breathing normally. Letting out a relieved breath, mom said, "Alright, I think she's ready for a proper introduction." 

The stranger trotted happily up to us, keeping that cocky smile on his muzzle the whole time. At least he looks like a nice pony, I thought to myself. Getting back to my hooves I cautiously walked to meet him. More timidly than I would have liked, I said, "H-Hi...I'm Dinky."

Unexpectedly, he grimaced and clutched a hoof to his chest as he doubled over in pain. Worried that he was hurt I ran over and yelled, "Mister! Are you okay!" He nodded and threw me a sly wink.

"Sorry about that, sweetheart. You are just so cute that I thought my heart would give out. Can't be too cautious now can we?"

Mom chuckled and said, "Well it's sure a good thing you have two hearts, right Doctor?"

"You know, sometimes I forget about those. But I digress." His cocky, know-it-all smile returned. "Anyway, nice to meet you Dinky. I'm the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you Doctor." I offered him my hoof in greeting.

His ears drooped and the smile was wiped from his face but he bumped hooves with me anyway. "Aren't you going to ask me what my name is?"

"No. You already told me. You're the Doctor."

"Blast. Well this is no fun." He shook his head sadly, but quickly perked up and let out a sharp laugh. It was so infectious that mom and I joined in as well. I decided right then that I like him. 

"Well Doctor, if you couldn't tell, Dinky is my daughter. I hope you were planning on staying with us for a little while."

The Doctor started and looked over me more intently. "Well would you look at that? And such a pretty young filly she is. Smart too I'll wager. Just like her mum." Scratch that, I REALLY like him. "I guess I can stay for a while. Especially with the TARDIS *cough* temporarily out of commission." As if on cue, there was a high pitched whistle and a small explosion coming from the blue box he arrived in. Smoke poured out even thicker and the Doctor urgently took off into the smoking box screaming, "No, no, no. This is NOT good!"

Looking suitably embarrassed, mom turned to me, "Well Dinky? What do you think of mom's old friend?"

I gave her a big smile and said, "He's kinda wierd, but in a good way. He's really silly and he looks really nice. I'm still not sure how he got here or what you meant when you said he had two hearts, but I like him."

She nodded knowingly. "I knew you would." 

"One thing though. Why does he call you Ditzy, mom?"

"That's a name I went by a long time ago and in a place very far away. Just know that here and now I am your mom and I will love you no matter what." A far away look crept into her eyes. "Ditzy Doo is gone, but now Derpy Hooves is here to stay... and I wouldn't have it any other way." 

We walked side through the back door and started to prepare dinner for three. Something that hadn't happened in a long time. The night started to wind down and I gave mom a quick peck on the cheek and the Doctor a warm hug before heading to bed. Crawling under the covers I held Patchwork close and whispered, "Three new friends in one day Patchwork. Things are going to get lively for both of us." With one last sigh and a quick squeeze, sleep caught me in its warm embrace.