*Alternate POV* A Hooves' Day Out
Scootaloo and Dinky were in their bedroom, lying on their bellies on the floor with scattered sheets of paper and crayons before them. The former was sketching a crude representation of what looked like a sizeable slingshot, if the ponies and stick figure drawn near it were to scale. Scrawled on the top were the words ‘cuTiE MARk cRusADERs skEET sHooTERs’. The latter was poring over notes, a blank sheet before her, her brow furrowed.
“Just think, Dinks,” said Scootaloo, “once we get everything set up, we’ll have skeet shooting cutie marks in no time! It’s gonna be awesome! Heck, we might even make it into the Equestria Games when they roll around, if they have a Junior Division this time. I dunno if Mom ever mentioned.”
Dinky sighed, making Scootaloo look up from her work.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“I’m having a lot of trouble with this essay,” said Dinky. “Miss Cheerilee wants five paragraphs on Equestrian rock farming, how it developed. I should have taken better notes,” she added, glumly. “I didn’t think we were going to seriously be tested about rock farming.”
Scootaloo well remembered Dinky telling her about Cheerilee’s lesson devoted to, of all things, rock farming. She thought the last time she would ever hear about that was from Pinkie Pie, when she told them how she’d gotten their cutie mark, and then claimed it was how Equestria was made. That had been a trying day on all accounts. However, remembering the crazy but lovable mare suddenly gave Scootaloo an idea.
“You could always ask Pinkie Pie,” she said. “She grew up on a rock farm, after all. It’s where she got her cutie mark.”
Dinky’s eyes widened, and an eager smile came across her face.
“Good idea!” she said, springing to her hooves. “I’ll go ask her!”
Gathering up her notes as best she could, she sped off from the bedroom, while Scootaloo remained behind, still working on her drawing.
“Knowing Pinkie,” she said to herself, “she’ll give her more than five paragraphs’ worth.”
***
“Sure, Dinky! I can tell you all about rock farming!”
Dinky had dashed all the way to Sugarcube Corner, barely remembering to put on her snow gear, and clutching her notes in her teeth. She found Pinkie behind the counter, a bright smile on her face, as always, and even more delighted to hear that the little filly was interested in hearing about her family’s trade.
“Dad always said it was a crying shame nopony else seems interested in it. Where would Equestria be without it? I’m glad Cheerilee appreciates it enough to make it part of her lesson.”
“Thank you so much, Pinkie Pie!” said Dinky, relieved. “Scoot told me you were the perfect pony to ask.”
“Oh, shucks,” said Pinkie, waving her hoof modestly, before suddenly becoming more business-like. “But before I can let you in on the secrets of rock farming...I need something in return.”
Dinky’s smile faded a little. Pinkie wasn’t normally a ‘tit-for-tat’ kind of pony.
“What kind of something?” she asked.
“I know your dad’s really good at fixing things,” said Pinkie.
“Yeah, he is,” said Dinky, knowing full well how much time her father devoted to tinkering in his lab, but not sure where Pinkie was going with this.
“Well, I need him to fix up my cannon!”
She wheeled out, from behind the counter, her prized party cannon, despite there being no indication of it being there in the first place. Dinky’s eyes roved over its gleaming, polished muzzle and freshly-painted wheels.
“It looks fine to me,” she said.
“Of course it does, silly,” said Pinkie. “The problem’s on the inside, not the outside, like a caramel apple with a worm still inside it!”
“Eww,” said Dinky. “So, what’s wrong with it, then?”
“It’s not firing like it’s supposed to. Watch!”
She pressed down on the fuse. Dinky instinctively covered her ears, but instead of the usual blast of confetti and streamers, there was a weak, spluttering cough, and a few stray pieces of colorful paper fluttered out. Pinkie glared hard at her weapon of mass euphoria.
“Something’s gotta be clogging it up,” she said. “I’ve tried cleaning it myself, but whatever it is, it’s way too far back, and I’m having a hard time getting in far enough to get at it.”
As though to demonstrate, she began climbing inside the cannon itself, to Dinky’s bemusement. Unfortunately, though Pinkie had, in the past, proven able to fire herself from her cannon, she must have put on a little weight over the holidays, as she found herself eventually brought to a halt by her doughy belly. After a few seconds of trying to push her way inside, she braced her back legs against the cannon and tugged hard backwards. There was a rubbery *pop*, and Pinkie re-emerged, a stray streamer in her mane.
“See what I mean?” she said, brushing it out. “I need your dad to fix it! I dunno what I’ll do if my cannon stays out of whack like this! When he’s done, I’ll give you the dirt on rock farming! That sounds fair, right?” she added, beaming.
“Umm...I guess it is,” said Dinky, slowly.
“So you’ll ask him?”
“Yeah, I can ask him. I’m sure he won’t mind.”
“Yay!” squealed Pinkie, grabbing the little filly into a hug. “Thanks, Dinky! When’s your paper due, by the way?”
“Friday,” said Dinky, who couldn’t help smiling at being on the receiving end of a Pinkie hug.
“That’s plenty of time!” said Pinkie. “Today’s Wednesday, and your dad’s really good at this kind of thing. Tell ya what: we’ll go to your house together, and I’ll bring my cannon with. The sooner he fixes the cannon, the sooner you’ll get all the rock farming info you could ever want! And that’s why you should go with southern-grown rocks, rather than northern, cuz southern Pie rocks are the hottest around!”
She concluded this with an affectionate noogie on Dinky’s head, making the little filly giggle, despite Pinkie’s odd change of subject. After hollering to the Cakes to say she’d be out for a little while, Pinkie and Dinky left Sugarcube Corner, the former wheeling her cannon before her.
***
“I can’t thank you enough for this, Doc!”
“Think nothing of it, Pinkie Pie. A faulty cannon is not something to leave idle. I’ll have it running smoothly again in no time, mark my words.”
“Okey-dokey-lokey! I’ll have the muffins ready when it’s done! See ya later!”
Pinkie bounced off, leaving widely-spaced gaps in the snow. Doc closed the door behind him and Dinky as they moved back inside, bringing the party cannon with them.
“I’ve always wanted to have a closer look at this beauty,” said Doc, with interest. “I’ve seen my fair share of party-related armaments, but I’ve never seen a model like this! A self-made party cannon! Similar to the Birthday Boomer Model 5, but it’s just possible to see where the differences are in the caliber. Great whickering stallions! I don’t know how that Pinkie Pie does it.”
“So, can you fix it, Daddy?” asked Dinky.
“Certainly, my dear,” said Doc, “but I hear Miss Pie has made you strike a bargain with her.”
“Uh-huh. If she got her cannon fixed, she’d tell me everything she knew about rock farming for my homework. Miss Cheerilee said every aspect of history, no matter how small, is important, and that nopony in her class should mess around with it. She said that was her opinion, anyway.”
Doc didn’t say anything at first. He just rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. Then, slowly, a smile came across his muzzle.
“I know what to do,” he said, finally. “Dinky, run upstairs, get Scootaloo, and bring her to the garage. We’re going on a little trip.”
Dinky blinked, puzzled. Possibly, she hadn’t heard her father right.
“A trip, Daddy? But what about the cannon?”
“Don’t fret, darling, it’ll be taken care of,” said Doc. “We’ll be back before you know it. Off you go, then.”
Dinky hesitated for a second, then, reasoning that he must know best, scampered upstairs to fetch Scootaloo. Doc watched her go, the spark of adventure glinting in his eye.
“After all,” he muttered to himself, “there’s nothing wrong with a second opinion.”
***
“You’re seriously taking us along in your time machine thingy, Dad?!”
The three Hooves’ were standing in their garage, cluttered with some of Doc’s finished projects, and one very special something. Scootaloo was bouncing on her hooves in excitement as they stood before the sleek, shiny blue box that was her adoptive father’s technological pride and joy. Dinky was looking unrestrainedly gleeful.
“Ah-ah-ah,” said Doc, holding up a hoof. “It’s not merely a time machine, Scootaloo. A time machine only goes to different timelines. The TARDIS isn’t limited to chronological excursions alone.”
“Oh, er, right,” said Scootaloo, scratching her head awkwardly. “But you’re actually bringing us with this time?” she asked, returning to her eager attitude.
“Yes,” said Doc, beaming, “but we can’t dilly-dally. I’d rather not have your mother or Sparkler find out I took you two along. They might think taking you two back in time is ‘too dangerous’. What rubbish!” he added, with a snort. “All we’re doing is taking an educational trip. Really, they ought to be thanking me for having my children’s best interests at heart.”
“Educational?” asked Scootaloo, skeptically.
“For my homework, silly,” said Dinky. “Daddy’s gonna show me how rock farming started!”
“Precisely,” said Doc. “I have no doubt that Pinkie Pie has a wealth of authentic knowledge about her family’s rock farming trade, but there may be certain nuggets of information and history even she is not privy to. Therefore, I feel it only right that we gather as much from as many sources as we can. It’s not a question of trust, but of thoroughness. You see?”
Scootaloo nodded, though it was doubtful whether she really understood or not.
“Well, time’s a-wasting,” said Doc, opening the door to the TARDIS. “Hop in, girls! Hop in!”
“Won’t it be cramped in there?” asked Scootaloo. “I mean, it doesn’t look that big for three ponies.”
“Just wait and see,” said Dinky, with an excited giggle. “This thing’s full of surprises!”
Scootaloo gave the TARDIS a dubious look, shrugged, then followed her father and sister inside. As she did, her mouth fell open as she witnessed the expansive exterior, much larger than she would have guessed from the outside.
“No...way!”
“Surprised?” asked Doc, looking down at her. “You’re not the first. I’ve only been able to show Dinky the inside because of your mother and Sparkler, and it was all I could do to pick her jaw up off the ground.”
He chuckled at his own joke, then led the two fillies, Scootaloo still looking dumbfounded, into the main control room.
“Now, I’d like you two to give me a hoof with the controls. It’s all very delicate, timey-wimey circuitry, but I trust you.”
Scootaloo and Dinky reared up to reach the controls better, looking excited at the prospect. As he started inputting the coordinates for their destination, Doc’s ear perked, and his brow furrowed, as though someone were saying something disagreeable to him.
“I know they’re only children, but they’re my children, and I trust them. ...Yes, even to keep quiet about all this. They have for this long, and that should be good enough…”
Scootaloo looked puzzled at this odd behavior, but her father didn’t seem about to explain.
“He does that sometimes,” Dinky said, casually.
“That should do it, then,” he added, finishing inputting the necessary data. “Just press or pull or turn what I ask you to, girls, when we’re underway. Well, here we go! Allons-y!”
Doc gave the lever a hearty push, and with its characteristic sound, the TARDIS faded away from the garage, taking its three passengers with it.
***
“This is so cool!” Scootaloo gushed, as the TARDIS began its journey. “We’re actually going back in time, Dinky! Can you believe it? How awesome is that?!”
“Really awesome!” said Dinky, beaming, and earning a big smile from their father.
“Just give that lever a tug, Dinky,” he said, and Dinky complied.
“Wouldn’t it be even better if we could go ahead and see what kind of cutie marks we get?” asked Scootaloo, eagerly. “Then we’d know how to get them!”
“That’d be neat!” said Dinky.
“I’m afraid I can’t condone that, Scootaloo,” said Doc, firmly. “A cutie mark is a quest of self-discovery, and should be attained through its natural course (give that button a push, would you? Thank you.) You two will get there in the end, don’t worry.”
Scootaloo nodded, though she looked a bit sulky. Dinky merely looked faintly disappointed.
“Aha!” said Doc, after a time. “We’ve arrived at the correct date! Now I’ll set the TARDIS to autopilot...there. Come to the main door, and you both can have a nice view of what the first rock farming landscape looked like.”
Scootaloo and Dinky followed their father to the TARDIS’ entrance. Doc opened it up, and both fillies flinched as a gust of wind whipped their manes and tails.
“Careful, now,” Doc warned. “Don’t get too close, but have a look.”
Squinting slightly from the wind, Dinky and Scootaloo edged forward and peeked out. Below them, a barren, rocky landscape spread out before them, a sea of dull color. It wasn’t exactly the most noteworthy spot, unless one had a great fascination in dirt and rocks. Then again, why else would they have decided to start a rock farm if not for that reason?
“I don’t see anything,” said Scootaloo, her voice raised over the roar of the wind. “It’s just a bunch of rocks.”
“Correct,” said Doc. “This is where the first rock farm originated. You wouldn’t know by looking at it, but the soil is extremely rich in minerals. It’s not just a perfect spot for farming rocks, but for mining for ore.”
Dinky and Scootaloo’s eyes lit up at this, though Dinky’s strayed to one spot in particular.
“Daddy, what’s that down there?”
“Hmm?”
He followed Dinky’s pointing hoof, and spied, far below, what looked like a cluster of cement-gray objects, just visible from their vantage.
“Those rocks are all the same size, and they’re all bunched together,” said Dinky. “How come?”
Doc rubbed his chin in thought, before an idea struck him.
“Stay here, kids,” he said. “I’ll bring us in for a closer look.”
He disappeared into the control room again, and before the two fillies knew what was happening, the TARDIS began to descend towards the cluster. They backed quickly away from the door, lest they should tumble out, and within a few minutes, Doc reappeared beside them, gazing down at Dinky’s discovery. Now that they’d gotten closer, they could see that the ‘stones’ were very large and ovular in shape, and seemed to be sitting in an enormous bed of black rock, raised around the edges like a bowl. Doc’s eyes widened.
“Great whickering stallions!” he breathed. “Dinky, Scootaloo, do you know what this is?”
Scootaloo leaned forward and squinted hard.
“It kinda looks like a nest,” she said.
“That’s right,” said Doc. “And not just any nest. That, my dears, is the nest of a dragon, and those are dragon’s eggs. Very big ones, at that.”
Scootaloo and Dinky looked up at their father, aghast.
“A d-dragon?!” spluttered Scootaloo.
“Yes, and not the small, friendly type that Spike is, I’m afraid,” said Doc.
“But if that’s the nest,” said Dinky, “then where’s the mom?”
“A question that gives me great concern,” murmured Doc. “For all we know, the mother could be lurking about as we speak, ready to strike at anything that poses a threat to her unhatched young.”
Before Dinky or Scootaloo could do more than gulp nervously at this, there was an unearthly sound: a loud, screeching roar that seemed to make the walls of the formidable TARDIS shudder. Doc’s face went pale, and he pulled the fillies further back with him, shielding them with his forelegs. Something enormous soared past, something jet-black with great, leathery wings and a long, spiny tail. It was making straight for the nest of dragon eggs.
“Is that the mom?” asked Dinky, trembling.
Doc was about to answer, but the dragon didn’t land in the nest. Instead, it bared its hind claws, reached out, and snatched one of the eggs in the nest. With another roar, it took flight with its prize, sweeping past the TARDIS as if it didn’t even consider it worth its notice.
“No, that was not the mother,” said Doc. “That was a draconis oviraptor, an egg thief. Rare to find in the present, as most dragons eat gemstones. Not a development I was expecting.”
Dinky and Scootaloo sat in silence, huddled together and shivering. On a normal day, Scootaloo would have boasted about approaching a live, full-grown dragon without fear. The truth was, however, that being so used to Spike, and never having seen a full-grown dragon before, except from far off during the last migration, made her boast nothing but hot air. Seeing the reality right before her eyes had let much of it out in one go.
Before anypony could say or do anything else, there was another terrible roar, and another enormous figure came into sight, even larger than the first. It was another dragon, but more of a dark-gray, like the eggs, with long, yellowish spikes running down its spine. Doc gulped.
“That would be the mother,” he said, quietly. “A draconis gigantis, one of the largest dragon species to ever exist, and particularly vicious.”
Sure enough, the dragon no sooner got a good look at her egg cluster, and no doubt realized one had been taken, then she let out an earth-shaking roar of rage, making all three ponies cover their ears. She turned her great, ugly head straight towards the TARDIS, her slit-pupiled eyes narrowing as they focused on it. She bared her fangs, flexing her great claws.
“Oh, dear,” muttered Doc. “Girls, I don’t want to alarm you, but if I were a gambling stallion, that dragon believes we’re responsible for the loss of her egg.”
Scootaloo and Dinky said nothing, but merely took shelter behind their father, terrified. The next second, the dragon opened her mouth wide and spewed forth a great jet of flame, straight for them. Doc lunged forward and wrenched the door shut, just in time, as the fire washed over the surface of the TARDIS. Inside, the three Hooveses could feel the intense heat from behind the door.
“I’m scared, Daddy!” squeaked Dinky.
“What do we do?” asked Scootaloo, who was clinging onto her little sister for dear life.
“The only thing we can do,” said Doc, resolutely. “Try to lose it. Hold tight, kids: we’re in for a wild ride.”
He hurried past them and into the control room, as they climbed onto a lounge couch, huddling together once more. There, he took back the controls and worked at them feverishly. The TARDIS swept around, away from the dragon, and sped off in the opposite direction. The dragon roared and swept after them, beating its giant wings.
Doc kept his eyes glued to the view screen, searching feverishly for something that might divert the beast, but he kept half an eye on the rear view, determined not to let her surprise him. To his disconcertion, she seemed to be gaining on them by little and little. She shot another flame at the TARDIS, and he pitched sharply to the right to avoid it, causing the two fillies to roll about on the couch, yelping in alarm.
“Come on, come on…” Doc muttered, looking this way and that. “There has to be something…”
And then he saw it: a formation of jagged rocks rising out of the ground, almost like a great forest of stone, the tops curving inward to form a kind of barrier above.
“Perfect!” he said. “I just hope it’s big enough for the TARDIS, and not for ‘Mummy’. Allons-y!”
He gave a hard push to the throttle, and the TARDIS sped toward the formation, the dragon hot on its tail. Faster and faster the two sped, intent upon their respective targets. As the dragon realized what her prey was trying to do, she opened her jaws wide, flames kindling at the back of her throat. However, at that instant, Doc found what he was looking for: a gap in the formation, just large enough for the TARDIS, but not for the dragon.
“Here we go!”
Like a rocket, the little blue box shot through the gap, straight into the protective rock cage, just as the dragon fired, the flames washing against the jagged surface of the stone. With a roar of frustration, she lashed out at the rock wall, slashing at it with her claws, slamming it with her spiky tail, all to no effect; the stone was firm and resolute.
Inside, Doc brought the TARDIS into a smooth hover, switched to autopilot, then rushed out to check on the girls. Both had been tossed about by the fast chase, their manes and tails wild and windswept, but both seemed to be fine otherwise.
“Are you two alright?” asked Doc, pulling them in close, where they clung protectively to him.
“U-Uh-huh,” said Dinky, still trembling.
“I-I think so,” stammered Scootaloo. “One thing’s for sure: I’m not getting a cutie mark in dragon hunting.”
Doc gave a weak chuckle at this, tousling Scootaloo’s mane.
“Don’t worry, girls,” he said. “We simply have to wait for that dragon to grow tired of trying to get at us, and then we can continue our observations from a different vantage.”
There was nothing else for it but to wait it out. They could hear the dragon’s rampage, magnified by the interior of the protective rock cage, going on for what seemed like hours. In that time, the three ponies stayed right where they were, huddled together, the two fillies clinging onto each other as their father held them in his forelegs.
At long last, the noise ceased. Slowly, Doc got up and walked to the door, opening it and peering out. Through the gaps in the rock, he could see nothing that indicated that the dragon was still there.
“Is she gone?” asked Scootaloo.
“It appears so,” said Doc, “but I can’t be sure. She may be lying in wait for us to come out again.”
“But what do we do?” asked Dinky. “If she sees us, she’ll just chase us again.”
“If only that stupid ‘oval raptor’ dragon didn’t steal that egg,” mumbled Scootaloo in frustration. “It messed up everything…”
Now, it just so happened that Doc was looking down at the bottom of the ‘cage’ as Scootaloo said this, and his eyes fell upon something: a great, egg-shaped stone, colored almost identically to the dragon’s eggs. A smile slowly worked its way across his muzzle.
“Scootaloo,” he said, slowly, “you’ve just given me an idea…”
***
“We’re so very sorry for all of the trouble, my good dragon, but there was a slight mix-up. We’re putting it back, safe and sound, see. No need for any more violence.”
It was a marvel that they had been able to gather up the enormous boulder in the first place, but to bring it with them out of the rock formation and back into the open was another thing entirely. As Doc had surmised, the dragon had been waiting for them to appear, and had begun to attack again, but at the sight of the TARDIS bearing what looked like her lost egg, she held off, for fear of damaging it. Skeptical, she followed the little blue box bearing its load back to her nest, and watched as it deposited it within it, next to her remaining eggs. This act appeared to mollify her, and she allowed the TARDIS to leave untroubled, as she settled down over her clutch of eggs, looking much more peaceable than she ever had.
“Wow,” breathed Scootaloo. “I can’t believe that worked.”
“Me neither,” said Dinky. “Good thinking, Daddy!”
“Oh, I can’t take all the credit,” said Doc. “Scootaloo did gave me the idea.”
“But how long until it realizes that’s just a boulder?” asked Scootaloo.
“Hopefully long enough for us to make our escape,” said Doc. “With better luck, that egg stolen by that other dragon might have been a dud. Of course, I can’t be certain. I can only hope. In any case, I think we’ve had enough adventure for one day, don’t you?”
The two fillies fervently nodded.
“Then let’s do what we probably should have done from the start,” said Doc, slightly abashed, “and simply ask Pinkie’s father for what he can tell us about rock farming. Not as exciting, but much safer. Of course, that means you two will have to stay inside the TARDIS, so as not to compromise yourselves and create a paradox. Understand?”
“Yes, Dad,” said Scootaloo.
“Yes, Daddy,” said Dinky.
“Good! Then, let’s be off!”
And within a few minutes, with its usual roar, the TARDIS vanished from sight, off once more.
***
“I’m very much obliged, Mr. Pie. This is an absolute wealth of knowledge. I never would have believed it myself.”
Doc had just finished speaking with Igneous Rock Pie, and had filled almost an entire notebook on the long-winded but well-spoken mass of rock-farming history that the venerable Pie patriarch had obliged in relating. Behind him, young Marble and Limestone toiled away, moving rocks into the proper piles, chancing glances at Doc from time to time.
“Thou art surely a strange fellow,” said Igneous, “but I greatly appreciate your honest interest in the Pie family trade. There are not many nowadays who give it the serious merit it doth deserve.”
“Oh, unquestionably,” said Doc. “I especially find that enormous boulder there fascinating. What did you say it was called again?”
“Holder’s Boulder,” said Igneous, “without which, our humble farm wouldst not exist. I must ask, however, that you keep your distance from it, lest my eldest daughter, Limestone, bestow her aggression upon thee.”
He glanced over at the purplish mare with the white mane, who, at that precise moment, shot a hostile glance towards Doc, who flinched.
“Er, yes, that won’t be necessary,” he said, hastily. “I believe I have enough to go on. Good day, my good Pie. Happy farming.”
Igneous inclined his head politely, and Doc took his leave, disappearing from sight behind a cluster of boulders. This particular cluster was just where the TARDIS had been stationed, and he stepped inside, breathing a sigh of relief. Dinky and Scootaloo had gone off to the TARDIS’ playroom, and he felt no desire in disturbing them until they had gotten home.
“Well, then,” said Doc, as he went back to the controls, “I hope Pinkie Pie won’t mind my doing more than merely fixing up her party cannon.”
***
As Doc had said, he, Dinky, and Scootaloo arrived back in the Hooves family garage immediately after they had left, and to all appearances, they hadn’t been anywhere at all, so Derpy and Sparkler were none the wiser. With the plethora of notes Doc had gotten from Igneous Rock Pie, Dinky was able to start a rough draft on her essay, while Scootaloo made more plans for their skeet shooting enterprise. Dinky decided to wait until she heard from Pinkie to make her final draft, in case she had anything new or interesting to add to what she already had, which was very probable.
In the meantime, Doc immediately got to work on Pinkie’s party cannon, managing to reach the blockage, consisting of a backup of old confetti and streamers. It was a particularly stubborn clump to remove entirely, but under his skillful ministrations, the clog was removed, and the cannon was in perfect working condition in next to no time.
Pinkie was summoned to fetch it that very evening, and she promptly arrived with a basket full of Sugarcube Corner muffins. As it was a late hour when she arrived, the pudgy pink pony was invited to stay for dinner, which she readily accepted, and spent the whole evening alternating between eating and giving Dinky everything she knew about her family’s livelihood. She was in an especially good mood from having her party cannon fixed up, which was saying something, as Pinkie was normally always in a good mood.
At last, Pinkie decided to take her leave, her belly full of Derpy’s delicious cooking, and her throat tired from so much talking about rock farming.
“Thanks again, Pinkie Pie,” said Dinky, throwing her little hooves around Pinkie’s paunch as best she could.
“Anytime, Dinky,” said Pinkie, hugging her in return. “And thank you for getting your dad to help fix my cannon! Last time I asked him for cannon help, I wound up with Maud.”
“Oh, it was no trouble at all,” said Doc, giving her a strange look. “A simple procedure, nothing more than that. Hopefully, it’ll continue running smoothly.”
“I hope so too,” said Pinkie. “Welp, I hate to leave, but time flies. It’s funny that way. I’ve got big plans with Davie set up, and I’m picking the right day to surprise him with them. See ya!”
“Good night, Pinkie Pie,” said Derpy. “Are you sure you won’t take any muffins with you?”
“No thanks, Derpy, I’m good,” said Pinkie. “Any more, and I’ll have to do a double Pinkie-cise session to work off this tummy.”
With that, she gathered up her cannon and wheeled it ahead of her out the front door, Sparkler closing it behind her.
“Well, that was awfully nice of her, helping Dinky with her homework,” said Sparkler.
“Oh, yes,” said Derpy, before turning to Dinky. “I want to hear that you did a good job on this essay, Dinky, after Pinkie gave you so much to work with.”
“Don’t worry, Mama,” said Dinky. “I’ve learned more about rock farming than I ever thought I would today.”
And, unseen by her mother or eldest sister, she exchanged a wink with Scootaloo, and they in turn exchanged one with their father.
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Now we want to know what the timeline alteration was to create Maud, and her canon rocks.
What happened to the timeline?
I threw it.
thanks for the update!!
lol Loved this chapter. Well done.:D
Oh, Doctor. What would we ever do without you and your beautiful TARDIS? Probably wither away in mundane life, that's what.
*raises mug* To the Doctor!
Jus' iignore th' lad. He's had a bit o' rough night. He'll be right as rain in th' morn. But learnin' tha' th' Doctor an' th' girls are th' Ponies responsible fer Holder's Boulder... heh heh... Time sure is a finicky Lass.
Huh. This kind of chapter could even be a short story of it's own. Nice :P
What happened to the cover picture?
6808952
Whoa. That is weird. I have no idea what happened. It looks fine when I click it for full size, though. Bizarre...
I saw this updated in my 'read later' tab and am a bit excited to have a new chapter to read, but am I the only one to get a screwed up cover picture, (even after refreshing the page) but when I click it it comes up fine on the new page?
6809756 No, I'm getting it too. I have no idea what's going on
6809798 Wierd.
6809249
Darn you Blazewing, now I want to go back and read everything to find out what you changed.
6810137 Heh, sorry. Mostly, it brought the Pies to their canon names and personalities, as well as put the farm where the show canonized it. I found everything I could, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's one or two things I missed.
An interesting little history lesson! So that's how Holder's Boulder came to be. Who would've thought it would've been because of two fillies and their father flying around inside of a blue, high-tech Police Box?
It was good to get to see Dr. Whooves bond with his two daughters. True, it would've been easier to just go and ask Mr. Pie for the notes Dinky needed, but at least they had an unforgettable adventure, right? I also think it wise that he put his hoof down on traveling into the future. He's right: cutie marks are a discovery, especially when they're going to be so amazing.
I can't wait to see what Pinkie Pie's cooking up for Dave! Also, what Cheerilee said is true:
I wonder how that will apply in the present for Dave. . . .
Thanks for the update, and good luck on the next chapter!
One question, though. What did Pinkie mean when she said, "I wound up with Maud"?
6811712 if you remember in "Cutie Mark Chronicles" there was no Holder's Boulder and no Maud. Then in S4 Maud was retconned into the show in "Pinkie Pride" so what Pinkie is saying is that before this time traveling excursion he went back in time and something he did back then resulted in Maud being born.
Now on another note I feel bad for the mother dragon and her unborn son\daughter
I see what you did there...
6874929 I knew there was part I missed. Thanks for pointing that out.
searching feverishly for something that might divert the beast,
Why not just lead the mother to the egg thief?
Oh, unquestionably,” said Doc. “I especially find that enormous boulder there fascinating. What did you say it was called again?”
Was it the same boulder they put in the nest?
...and that's how Scootaloo got a cutie mark that looked like a Tardis.