//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Answers 
// by cheesecow123 
//------------------------------//

The room was dead silent. Derpy's amber eyes filled with tears, and she refused to look anyone in the eye. Sparkler's smug expression slipped slipped slightly as she realized that what she said may not have been very funny at all.
Dinky sat statue still on the couch, mouth hanging wide open in disbelief. She stared at the stallion sitting next to her. Her... father? He didn't look anything like her! He was brown, and an Earth pony, and, and.... her father? The shock of finding out finally hit Dinky like a tsunami crashing on a distant shore. This was her father. A kooky Earth pony. It just didn't make any sense! Dinky shook her head, trying to make sense of her situation. The sound of the rain pitter-pattered steadily in the background.
The stallion cleared his throat awkwardly. He cursed himself inwardly, wishing he hadn't set the TARDIS to adventure mode. The TARDIS was too smart. She knew about Derpy, and she knew that he was avoiding her. She knew that he was too cowardly, too weak to face her after what he had done. She had brought him here, and it was all his fault. He turned around to inspect the purple filly (daughter?) sitting net to him. Their eyes met. Piercing icy blue met deep, honest gold. After one of the most awkward milliseconds the stallion had experienced in over 900 years, they both glanced away, staring at their hooves.
Sparkler's mind was spinning. She had screwed up before, many many times, but never like this. She had just created a deep, deep canyon of chaos and awkwardness in her family. The weight of what she had done hit Sparkler square in the face, and her amethyst eyes darted around the room. She could practically see the tension in the air. Her eyes fell upon her mother, and she almost whimpered at what she saw. 
Derpy wished she could melt away and disappear into the floor. No, that wouldn't be enough. She would have to erase all her family's memories of her. Fat tears dropped steadily to the floor, and quiet, almost inaudible sniffles could be heard from time to time. She wished she could have told the Doctor sooner. No, she wished she was brave enough to tell him sooner. He would hate her for this. He would never forgive her for trapping him, tying him down like this. Guilt overwhelmed Derpy, and she ran to her room, avoiding all eye contact. She collapsed on her bed, and for the first time in many years, she cried.