• Published 17th Jan 2018
  • 2,545 Views, 211 Comments

Hidden Hands - David Silver



Time Turner has a secret that he does his best to hide while keeping time and working on his mechanical wonders. He's not a bad pony. He hasn't broken any laws, at least, none formally written anywhere.

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10 - The Mail Must Go Through

Derpy "Muffins" Hooves huffed softly as she flapped. "Nopony said this line was so long..." Despite her complaint, she could see the town coming up ahead and some of the fatigue fled her. "Finally!" With an excited squeal, she pushed herself just a little faster.

She came in for a gentle landing, or she tried. Fatigue conspired against her and she crash/flopped across the train platform, huffing and wheezing, but in one piece.

The stallion that sat behind the stall at the train station raised a brow at the sudden visitor. "Miss," he called out across the platform. "No reason to rush. There won't be another train fer at least a few hours." But Derpy was sprawled, not moving. "Miss? You alright?"

He shook his head and slowly emerged from the stall through a side door. "Ma'am? You al--"

Just as he reached her side, she flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Tell me this is Appleloosa!"

He jumped back, but weighed down by the clinging Derpy, he crashed to the ground with her. "Oof! Yes, ma'am, this here's Appleloosa Station. Could--"

Derpy had already released him and sat up. "Oh thank goodness." She wiped off her brow with a fetlock. "This place is even farther than Canterlot, and that's already far enough. Have you seen Bon Bon?"

"I'm not familiar with the name," confessed the train pony with some uncertainty as he rolled back up on his haunches. "Miss, you alright?"

"I'm alright." She smiled brightly at him and lifted into the air on her slightly rested wings. "I have to find her though."

The stallion watched her flutter off into the city. He picked up his hat from where it had fallen and popped it back on his head. "And they said this job would be nice and reliable, no surprises."


Later, that same evening, Time Turner sank against the door of the restroom until he felt the cool touch of the dirt against his bare legs. The sensation made him jump. He was naked, really naked, in an outhouse.

He laughed nervously to himself, hysterics leaking through. He just had to calm down and wait. Once he had himself back in order, he could put the human away and go back to being a regular pony and just walk home. No big deal, right?

He sank down, sitting on the one available seat in the whole place. He almost fell through the hole for his efforts. Pony outhouses were made for ponies, which meant big holes. He slid over to the side a bit and perched himself a little awkwardly, but he wasn't tumbling into filthy pits at last.

A soft knocking came from outside. "Excuse me?"

Turner tensed. That was a voice he knew. "Muffins?"

A female gasp sounded through the door. "Who's in there?" She knocked once more. "Um, sorry, but I really have to..."

Turner glanced left and right. He was trapped between a rock and a stinky place. "Um, pardon, miss. I'll be a little while..."

"Doctor?"

Turner clenched his omnivorous teeth. "No?"

"Doctor!" She vaulted up onto the roof, announced with the thud of her hooves up there. "I found you! I wasn't even looking for you, but I found you! This is the best day ever!"

He could hear her tip-tapping in a happy dance over his head. "That's... good, Derpy, but, why are you here?"

"What?" He heard a thump and imagined she bumped her head against the roof. "Oh! I'm looking for Bon Bon, have you seen her?"

"She's in town, actually," he said, thinking back on their meeting, their awkward meeting. "Um, Muffin..." He heard her sigh softly. She really liked that nickname, especially when he said it, or so he had learned. "Muffin, I'm in an outhouse."

"You sure are." He heard her land beside the outhouse and her clip-clop as she moved around it. "Are you almost done? I really gotta go!"

Turner got a sudden idea. "Derpy, I need a favor, a delivery. I can only trust an experienced mailmare for the task." He couldn't see it, but he could imagine Derpy snapping to attention. He heard her hooves clicking together. "Ask around for where my store it, go there, get a blanket, and bring it to me, as quickly as you can. While you're there, there is an indoor toilet inside you can use."

"You got it!" He heard her wings give a powerful flap, and things grew quiet.

He flopped back against the wall, letting out a heavy breath. He was fairly sure she was gone, and would hopefully return with what he needed to escape the situation.

A knocking of a hoof brought his attention back to the present. A stern male voice spoke from outside, "You alright, Doc? You've been stuck in there an awful long time, and there's a bit of a line..."

Turner looked down at one of his hands and willed it to be a hoof. "Please please please," he whispered to himself. He felt some change coming, and he fell forward. He was a pony! He looked back over himself and realized it hadn't gone quite right. He was naked. He was a pony that had never grown a stitch of fur. Ungainly and unnatural looking, he squeaked.

"Doc?"

Time Turner took a slow breath. "Y-yes, I'm fine. I must have had an allergic reaction to something or other, I'm afraid. I've sent Miss Hooves to fetch me a blanket."

"It can't be that bad." He heard something being done to the door of the outhouse. "We're here fer ya, promise."

Turner cringed as the door opened, allowing the light of the party to spill in. One of the town stallions gawked at him, stunned at the sight.

"That's... some reaction. Y'allright?" He flipped his head, knocking off his own hat and catching it in his teeth. Without delay, he plopped it down on Turner's head as if it was covering enough. "C'mon, let's get yah home."

The moment he was extracted from the outhouse, ponies came from all sides, murmuring soft words of worry and helping to heft him up and started hauling him away. He felt the urge to go into full panic stirring in him. He was being pony-handled by what felt like a dozen helpful souls, male and female.

With great will, he forced himself to ignore the situation. He had to. He had to remain calm and quiet. "Miss Hooves should be coming."

As if summoned by her name, Derpy came soaring towards the group, blanket flapping wildly from where it was wrapped around her. "Doctor!"

A stallion raised a hoof. "Don't you worry none, miss. We got him."

Derpy was quick to grab the blanket, though its billowing length was too much and she plummeted from the air in a pile, fighting her way free with little squeaks. She won her freedom and held up the blanket to the stallion. "This is for Time Turner!"

"Oh, that's jus' the ticket." He grabbed the blanket in his teeth and gave a mighty toss of his head. The blanket landed lightly over Time Turner, allowing him some measure of privacy and warmth against the chilling night air. "Mighty thoughtful of ya, miss."

Derpy saluted sharply. "The mail always goes through! Usually..." She glanced left and right before looking up at Time Turner as he was being carried away. "Hey, wait!" She lifted into the air and hovered after him. "What happened? Are you alright?"

He smiled awkwardly at her as she followed. "I'm fine, Miss Hooves. You did a great job... Um, so... You were..." He pulled the blanket in all the tighter, using it as a shield from the outside world. "Looking for Bon Bon?"

One of the ponies under Time Turned peeked up. "What? She's staying at my saloon with some adorable little filly."

"Oh, see, now you can find her." Turner smiled as convincingly as he could, sure that it looked off on his hairless face.

"Yeah... But it's late, so... maybe first thing in the morning?" Derpy flew in a little closer. "I'm so happy you're here! Have you been alright? I mean, I guess... not... but besides the hair loss thing!"

The crowd lowered Time Turner to the ground in front of his shop. "Thanks kindly fer the assist," spoke one mare with a tip of her hat.

"Too right. We'll have to get to farmin' extra hard." A stallion sighed gently, looking towards the fields. "But we'll do it, and now we can do it, so, thanks."

They began to disperse, leaving Time Turner and Derpy alone in front of the shot. Turner scooted towards the door, creeping as stealthily as he could.

He wasn't nearly sneaky enough. Derpy trotted beside him. "I've missed you so much... I didn't tell anypony about... that..."

Time Turner felt a fresh wave of nausea swirl through him. "Why are you... here? I'm a monster, Miss Hooves."

She circled around him quickly, blocking the way into the store. "You are Time Turner, the doctor, my doctor." She raised a hoof to her chest. "You are a friend, a good one, and just because..." She glanced around sharply, her wall-eyed orbs seeming to move at semi-random sweeps independent of one another. "Just because you lose your hair sometimes doesn't change that!"

Turner smiled awkwardly. "It's normally a bit more than fur loss, but... I suppose it's exactly that right now. I'm... sorry."

"For what?" She tilted her head at him, eyes shining with confusion and want. "Turner... You are a good pony."

Turner laughed at that, reaching out a hoof, naked as it was, and hugging Derpy. "I'm not even entirely a pony. Come on, let's go inside."

Derpy smiled brightly at the show of affection and scooted out of the way to let him head in, following shortly behind. "This is, uh, a nice place." She looked from one gizmo to the next. "Not as many things as your old place though..."

"I'm still... It's in the back," he sighed out, pointing towards the back even as he moved for it on his other three legs. "Derpy... Muffins, you... You ran last time you saw... that."

Derpy began to blush across her entire face. "I was a stupid dummy head! You surprised me..."

"Was it just surprise?" He flicked on the light in the back room, dispelling the gloom under bright bulbs.

Derpy let out a loud gasp, looking over the plentiful array of interesting devices that hid in the back of the store. "Now this is more like it, Doc. It doesn't feel like your home without more things I don't know the name of than I can count." She clopped her hooves gently, sitting on her haunches. "Now, uh... how do you get your fur back?"

Time Turner glanced away. "I just need to relax. A good night's rest should address this nicely." A thought tickled at him. "Muffins, where are you staying?"

Derpy went rigid. "Oh, um... Oh..." She sank. "I'll have to rent a room I guess."

Time Turner fidgeted on his naked hooves. He knew Derpy was not poor, but she was far from rich too. A sudden expense was nothing to ignore. "Would you--"

"Yes!" she blurted out before he finished the question. "Thank you, Turner!" She jumped at him and squeezed him tightly even as they crashed to the ground under the force of her impact. They ended up on the ground in a pile.

It was refreshingly familiar to Turner. He was pinned by a mare he cared for dearly. "I'll sleep in here. You can use my bed."

Derpy sat up with a frown. "No way! You're all... naked. You must be cold. I won't let you sleep on the cold ground." She tapped at the hard floor with a few distinct clops. "Nuh uh. Sometimes you try to be too smart, Doc. You're going to bed and I'm taking you there."

Author's Note:

Derpy has set her eyes on her target. You'd think she'd have a hard time locking on, but she sure seems focused on Turner. I asked her to go over the chapter for typos and she assures me they're all fixed. I will relax confidently.

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