Derpy had just dropped Dinky off at school. There was still another hour before her shift began, so she decided to go to Clockwork’s and check up on Turner. She was pretty certain he had gotten over his mood from yesterday, but she still wanted to know for sure.
She made her way to the shop and knocked on the door. “I’m downstairs,” she heard Turner say. It was still just a little startling that he always knew who was where in his house, thanks to the camera technology he installed. Derpy got over her small shock (she was getting better at that) and walked inside.
She went through the door leading to the basement and heard the usual construction sounds coming from the TARDIS. “Well, it looks like you’re back in the swing of things,” she noted.
“After all that I went through yesterday, going back to this is like a vacation,” Turner replied.
Derpy paused for a second and said, “So, um, how are you feeling?” She was now close to the TARDIS doors and could actually see Turner using a socket wrench on the console.
“Much better. That party was the best idea you’ve ever had.”
“I don’t know about ‘best,’” Derpy admitted slowly, “but yeah, I think it all worked out okay.” She stepped into the TARDIS proper. “But I do have one more question: did you really think I hated you?”
Turner stopped working and, after an uncomfortably long pause, he sighed. “Derpy, when we met, I was already haunted by all the friends I’d lost or let down. That kind of thinking doesn’t go away because I let friendship into my hearts once more. So when I almost hurt you, that feeling returned. It was small at first, but when you were avoiding me, I let my emotions get the better of me. Nopony, not even a Time Lord, is immune to personal feelings and how they affect one’s thought processes.”
“To be fair, I could have handled that better,” Derpy pointed out. “Hey, you know what? Let’s not worry about the past. It’s making the both of us a little blue.”
Turner chuckled. “A Time Lord that doesn’t think about the past. The biggest oxymoron in the universe.”
“Hey! Are you calling me a moron?”
“No, oxymoron,” Turner defended. “It means…” He stopped when he heard giggling. “You knew what I meant, didn’t you?”
“Just because I don’t have your vocabulary doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.”
Turner couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Well, if we’re going to think about the future, I think this will be a strong start.” He walked up to one of the levers on the console and pulled.
Suddenly, the room lit up, not with sparks, but with actual lights. Going section by section, the TARDIS interior became much brighter than Derpy had thought possible. When it was over, she was able to see more details for the entire room from where she stood than she ever did before. She could see every button and lever on the console. She could see every dent and imperfection on the walls from the ship’s years of use. She could even see, for the first time, she noticed, entrances to hallways in the back of the room, meaning the box was even bigger than she initially realized.
“Derpy Hooves,” Turner said, breaking her out of her amazement, “may I formally introduce to you… the TARDIS.”
“You actually got it working,” Derpy said in awe.
“After the party,” Turner said, “I was able to clear my head and focus better on what happened. Turns out I crossed the wrong wires. After I fixed that, the rest was foal’s play.”
“Congratulations, Turner,” Derpy said. She went up to him and gave him a hug.
While Turner did return it, he said, “Don’t congratulate me just yet. There’s still quite a lot to do.”
“Just know that I’m always right here,” Derpy said encouragingly. After a bit longer, she let go of Turner and said, “Well, I gotta get ready for work. See you later?”
“Of course.” Derpy smiled and went to the basement door. Turner was about to head out as well, but he turned back to the console for a brief moment and said, “Welcome back, baby.” Although there was no response, he could feel the TARDIS offer its own greeting.
Fin.