//------------------------------// // A foal Basket // Story: Age Turned // by Pen Brush //------------------------------// The Doctor pushed open the bakery door, the bell above him rang as he entered. The full force of the freshly made pastry scents from the kitchen instantly grabbed his attention as the smell entered his nose. He forgot about what had happened before going into Sugarcube Corner as he stood in the open doorway, enjoying the heavenly smells in peace. The quiet peace he felt was quickly broken when the pink baker appeared out of nowhere right in front of him, speaking a mile a minute, the smell of cotton candy and other sweets becoming more prominent when she got closer. She disappeared as fast as she had come back to the kitchen while the Doctor watched her go, Hmmm, I wonder what that was all about. he mused, shaking his head, No matter, I’m here now, and I should have thought this through a bit more. I left my bits in the TARDIS so I cant buy anything. I suppose window shopping is just as good, and smelling the food is nearly as good as eating them. The language barrier would also have been a problem even if I did have bits... while he looked around the bakery, he noticed three fillies were walking over to him. He tilted his head, Those fillies look to be a bit taller then me, perhaps this body is younger then i had first assumed it to be? The pegasus doesn't look too happy about something and the unicorn is staring at me, which is a little bit unnerving honestly...Oh! They seem to be waiting for something from me, did they ask me a question? Must have missed it...No use letting them wait I suppose, I’ll just nod. he thought, nodding his head quickly. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle got to the colt first while Scootaloo was still trudging over to them. They waited for her before they turned to look at the colt in front of them, whose eyes seemed to be a bit hazy and glazed over as he stood frozen in place. While Scootaloo glared at the ground and Sweetie stared back at the colt, Applebloom spoke, “Hiya, ahm Applebloom an this is Sweetie Belle an Scootaloo. Were tha cutie mark crusaders an we were wonderin ifn ya would like ta join in our search ta git our marks? Do ya wanna?” she asked excitedly. The girls waited in silence for a few minutes, waiting for a response from the unresponsive colt. When Scootaloo was about to say she was right about him not joining, the colt nodded his head quickly. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom smiled while Scootaloo rolled her eyes and walked back to their table. “Tha’s great! Welcome to tha Cutie Mark Crusaders as tha first colt ta join!” Applebloom said, wrapping him and Sweetie Belle into a hug. Applebloom let go after a few seconds and poked Sweetie’s side, “Come on, lets go so we can git im over ta tha clubhouse tomorrow ta initiate im in.” she said. Sweeties cheeks grew red through her fur as she let the colt go, “Right, we still need to fix that ritual after last time anyway.” she replied. Applebloom nodded, “Yeah, we needa shortin it ta a page, les go, well see ya later!” she exclaimed, waving at the colt as she grabbed Sweetie and pulled her back over to their table, leaving the colt alone at the door again. The Doctor watched bewildered as the fillies left, having just given him a surprise hug. He tilted his head. I wonder what I agreed to that made them excited...ah no matter! Probably isn't important. he shrugged and looked around the bakery as his stomach growled loudly, he sighed, Shame I cant buy any of these though. He turned around to leave, but before he could take a step forward, the pink mare from before ran in front of him with a straw basket in her mouth. She dropped it in front of him and smiled brightly as she hugged him and walked away. The Doctor stared at the basket, noting it was a few inches taller them him, as well as incredible wide for what it was supposed to be, before he turned to watch the mare leave, He frowned, “Alright then...” he muttered, tilting his head as he looked at the contents of the basket. The inside of the straw container was full to the brim with cookies and muffins of all shapes, sizes, and variants of ingredients known to ponykind, including chocolate, banana, and blueberry. He sniffed, letting the smell of the still freshly made goods enter his senses and make him feel toasty. His eyes lit up as he smiled, “I suppose...I could take these, it would be rude after all not to after being given it.” he said, grabbing the handle in his mouth. He lifted his head up high so that the basket wouldn't drag on the ground and happily hopped out of the bakery into the fading dusk of the Ponyville streets. He was halfway back to the TARDIS when he stopped dead in the middle of the street and dropped the basket, “What am I doing...” he asked aloud, worry etched in his face as he looked around, before he grabbed the basket and ran for the TARDIS. By the time The Doctor had gotten back to the TARDIS, the sun had begun getting lower in preparation for the night. He dropped the basket down beside the TARDIS and started pacing in front of it. “This means nothing. I’m a colt, but that changes absolutely nothing at all. I just have to find out how to fix this small issue and get back to normal. After all, I’m able to stop myself from these silly little colt outbursts, they can't distract me!” he exclaimed, stomping a hoof on the ground in an effort to convince himself. He stopped walking and looked longingly at the basket, “Although...they do look quite good...perhaps just one to sate my hunger.” he walked closer and quickly slapped himself in the face before he could reach the basket, shaking his head, “No, bad Doctor! You're not a colt, don't act like one and give into the things you want. No eating any of these until you can properly pay for what you took.” he said, turning away. The fresh smell of the baked goods hadn't quite disappeared yet, but had actually strengthened as the aroma again assaulted his nose. His ears dropped flat against his head and he frowned as his stomach once again betrayed him by reminding him of his hunger. He sighed and turned back towards the basket, “Fine, you win, I hope you're happy.” he muttered defeatedly, “I guess I could have one or two...” he went over to the basket and sat down, looking over his choices of muffin carefully. He eventually decided on a soft, chocolate chip muffin that smelled really sweet and bit into it, the soft fluffyness of it overtaking his mouth as he smiled happily. He picked up a blueberry muffin with a hoof once he had finished and devoured that one, while the sun soon disappeared below the trees. It hadn't even taken The Doctor ten minutes to eat all the contents of the basket after the taste of the blueberry left him wanting more. The cookies were eaten much quicker then he had eaten the muffins, so that when night came, it found him curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly inside the basket, his belly warm and full, and a content smile on his crumb filled muzzle. He was so tired and stuffed after eating everything, that he had climbed in there directly after he finished eating, to groggy to even think about it.