//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 - Dinner 
// Story: They're Ponies! And they Talk! A Whole Planet, with Talking Ponies! 
// by MrPengu1n 
//------------------------------//

The Doctor flung open the back door, stepping inside. Ditzy followed him warily, because he had on his business face; one brow raised above the other and an intense look in his eyes. Normally she'd be excited for seeing it, expecting the Doctor to put some poor fellow in his place with alien authority.

However, he was about to do it to her parents.

"Dreary, Delphi," he began forcefully, "I need to know where you got th-"

He was immediately cut off as a spoonful of Delphi's trademark Daisy Stew™ abruptly filled his muzzle, "Do try some of this, dear!" Delphi offered politely and enthusiastically, "It's an old family recipe!"

Ditzy watched the Doctor stifle some gags and swallow the stew. "Lovely," he sputtered, wiping at his eyes and face, "A-as I was saying-"

He was cut off again as a shrill bell began rattling away violently in the other room. "Oh!" Delphie cheered, clinking her hooves together excitedly, "The roast is done!"

The Doctor's eyes widened, and Ditzy could've sworn he saw him lick his lips, "Did you say roast?"

Delphi nodded affirmatively as she stepped into the kitchen.

The Doctor quickly spun to face Ditzy and whispered fervently, "I thought you said ponies were herbivores?"

Ditzy's jaw dropped, "Doctor she chastised, "Of course we are! Roasted Elephant Squash?" she elaborated obviously.

The Doctor's face fell the distance between here and the Griffin empire. He noted the look Ditzy was giving him and said, "Stop looking at me like that. I can't help it if my species are omnivorous."

Ditzy rolled her eyes every which way and walked into the kitchen, slightly amused.

The Doctor followed her, still pleading his case, "It's more common in the universe than you might think!" he said truthfully, "have I ever told you about a planet called Earth?"

"And what do they eat on Earth?"

"What don't they eat on Earth?" the Doctor corrected, taking a seat at the table as his plate was filled with browned slices of squash. "Thanks," the Doctor nodded to Delphi, "Now, Delphi, Dr-, Mr Do, I need to know, where did you get those two statues out there?"

"Oh! Are you interested in having some for your own garden?" Delphi assumed excitedly, "They're quite fascinating, aren't they? Such strange creatures, to walk on only two legs!"

"I can fathom," the Doctor nodded dismissively, "Where did you get them?"

"Some seedy looking shop in Canterlot," Dreary answered curtly, flipping nonchalantly through a newspaper, "I didn't want to go inside, but, eh, Delphi saw the statues in the window and fell in love, 'guess."

Delphi smiled at him, then held up a hoof to her mouth and mouthed, 'He loved them'.

The Doctor nodded knowingly, "Right, ah...who as running this shop, then?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, that fellow was so strange!" Delphi explained cheerfully, "The way he walked, it was like watching one of those clockwork toys that the nice stallion down the road makes!" she giggled at the memory, "Oh, and he was wearing a box on his head."

The Doctor's brow furrowed in confusion. "That raises more questions than it answers," he observed quietly.

"You get used to it," Dreary promised, flipping the page of his newspaper. Delphi smiled at him.

The Doctor shook his head, "In any case, I would advise you to get rid of those statues," he said with a touch of concern in his voice, "They present a danger to you and this whole planet that you can't possibly fathom!" he warned.

Delphi giggled politely, "They're just statues," she reminded gently, "do have some squash, dear!"

Ditzy looked from her parents to the Doctor. "Doctor, it's okay for now," she whispered to him, "You set up those mirrors! Those'll hold them, right?"

"Not if they can't see," the Doctor warned, "how much longer do we have until sunset?"

Dreary glanced up at the window, "Look's like it won't be long now."

The Doctor looked out and shook his head, "What do you mean? The sun looks plenty high in the sky," he observed, and it was true.

Ditzy looked at him, "Oh, have I never explained the solar cycles on Equus?" she suddenly realized, "I remember you showing me sunsets on other planets being so gradual, but it's not like that here."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.

"The princesses control the sunrises and sunsets here," she explained gladly, somewhat pleased to know something the Doctor didn't. "They raise the sun in the sky in the mornings and pull it down at night. It sort of happens...all at once. It's pretty beautiful, I should show you sometime!"

"All at once...?" the Doctor repeated questioningly.

Dreary rose an eyebrow, befuddled at his daughter's curious conversation, "Where exactly are you from, Smith?" he asked suspiciously.

"Trottingham," Ditzy answered for him.

The Doctor's eyes widened, and he mouthed disbelievingly, 'Trottingham'?

Ditzy nodded to him, and he whispered back, "What's next, Mane-hattan?"

Ditzy looked at him. "Yes!" she whispered back.

The Doctor shook his head, "No matter - Mr and Mrs Do, I'm serious when I say, I need to get you two as far away from those statues as possible,"

"And I say you're a nut," Dreary said, much to his own amusement as he coughed out several hyucks of laughter.

"Ooh, look!" Delphi cheered, "The sun is setting!"

"Already?" the Doctor asked, looking out the window. He watched in confusion as the sun descended in the sky much faster than seemed should be possible, causing the sky to transition between several colors spectacularly. The sun didn't slow until it was well below the horizon, and a soft cobalt color had filled the sky. "Oh..." he breathed, unsure of what just happened. Shaking his head, he thought quickly, "It doesn't look too terribly dark outside; as long as the mirrors stay where they are, we should be safe."

"Mirrors?" Dreary repeated, "I brought those back inside before dinner started. They were gonna get dirty out there, city colt."

The Doctor's eyes widened, "How?" he nearly shouted, "We went directly from outside to dinner, where did you-? When did you-?"

"Dad can be very quick on his hooves when you're not watching," Ditzy said with amusement. "He's like a phantom."

The Doctor looked at her, opened his mouth, and said nothing. He suddenly dashed from the table and shoved the curtains aside, peering out the window to the corner of the yard.

The Angels were gone.