A tiny filly stared up at the stars through a parting in the trees, yet it wasn't night. They were in the Rift, surrounded by floating islands, in a housing district only a few miles away from the school.

Houses of all kinds and construction were everywhere, even a few appartment complexes on the Bigger islands.

The Doctor had teleported their home from Ponyville over to here, with the Yokai's permission of course. He had to, in order to not disturb the delicate balance of gravity in the Rift... that kept the islands from bumping into each other.

The Doctor even managed to preserve Ditzy's garden in the move. Dinky was grateful for that. She had a secret place, tucked away in the underbrush of a few small fruit trees and berry bushes. A small little clearing, surrounded by nature. Dinky liked to just lay here, looking up through the large gaps in the leaves. At the stars and other islands above them, floating in the distance.

“Dinky Hooves!” Came a call on the wind.

She sighed and rolled over, clearly wanting to stay in the peace a little longer. She slowly found her way out of the bushes and down the brick path towards her mother. Off in the distance she could see their house. The shingles of the roof and the wooden door were painted TARDIS Blue.

She trotted through the gate into the garden. Their garden was so neat and beautiful. The soil was a dark, fertile brown with the bright greens of nature exploding out of them. The plants used some kind of Time Lord magical engineering so that they always had ripe fruit, ready to pick. Plants like this would put many Earth ponies out of work so The Doctor hoarded the knowledge. Ditzy used the plants to make her yummy meals.

“Ya Mum?” Dinky spoke with an odd mix of a Pony and British Humanoid accent.

Ditzy Do smiled at her daughter and kicked over a box of granny smith apples, freshly picked. “Here, these are for you, kiddo.”

Dinky Hooves gaped and immediately hoofed at them; they were her favorite fruit! “Oh my Celestia, thank you!” She hummed in pleasure as she took a bite. The apples were a little tart and sour this time of year, but she liked that. “Where did we get apples? We don’t have an apple tree in the garden.”

“I dunno.” Ditzy Do looked over at the new voice. Just in time for her to spy someone coming over from the back door of the house. “They must have mysteriously appeared or something.” The Doctor smiled quietly.

“Daddy!!!” Dinky Hooves eagerly trotted over to give him a hug, which he was all too happy to oblige.

Dinky rolled her eyes, "Big Mac was kind enough to give me a sample of this month's harvest. A thank you for sharing that apple cinnamon muffin recipe. It's selling well."

Big Mac was paying her a percentage of the profits as well but he was kind to his business partners. Big Mac inherited Sweet Apple Acres after Granny passed. While Applejack was declared the Matriarch of the entire Apple family in the will.

"Nope, appeared by magic." The Doctor insisted, "Happens all the time on the TARDIS!" to emphasize his point he picked up his Daughter, with his mouth, and deposited her onto his back. "Who's up for Time Adventures!!!" and began mimicking the wheezing groaning of his time machines engines.

He trotted up to Ditzy Do. “Sorry honey, I can’t give you a ride. Dinky’s got dibs.”

Ditzy Do laughed and shook her head. “It’s alright. You’ve taken me on enough rides around the universe for me to get enough of it.” She kissed The Doctor’s cheek.

Dinky giggled and stuck her tongue out at the display of affection. “Icky kissies!”

“Oh you want one too?” The Doctor turned a bit so Ditzy could get a wet one on her cheek. “Mwah!”

Dinky laughed and icked, pretending not to like that. “Noooo!”

“I’ve got more if you want them.”

“Noooo! Daddy quick, engage escape thrusters!”

“We’re blasting off!!!” The Doctor wooshed away around the garden again. Eventually he wooshed into the house and in a circle on the tiles of the kitchen. The kitchen had a rather old looking oven, a sink, and an old refrigerator whose compressor sometimes buzzed late at night. Despite their age they were far more advanced then anything any of the races of the Equus system had. Covering much of this room was drawings that Dinky had made, tacked right onto the walls.

Ditzy Do walked in carrying a box of fresh vegetables for a stew on her back. She played along. “Doctor watch out, we’re stuck in a Cybermine field. If you’re not careful you’ll blow us all up.”

“Not to worry dears! The TARDIS knows how to get around the mines!” The Doctor carefully tip-hoofed around the kitchen into the main room as Ditzy got started on dinner. The main room had lamps in two corners and a big, blue, extremely comfy couch in the center. There was a big window looking out at the void of space. Behind this couch was a staircase that went upstairs and a door to the basement--Better known as Daddy’s lab. It was a comfortable little house for a tiny, happy family.

The Doctor wooshed again and eeked. “Oh no Dinky! You seem to have inherited my piloting skills! Not even the TARDIS can compensate! We hit a mine! Hold on!” Dinky held on tight as The Doctor teetered and tottered around the room. “The TARDIS is losing power, hold on, we’re crashing on a nearby planet!” The Doctor gently threw Dinky off his back onto the big comfy couch.

She giggled as she touched down. “Ahhh! Oh nooo!” She bounced up and down on the couch. “This planet has funny gravity!”

The Doctor flopped on his back onto the couch. “Oh no! I took a hit Dinky. I’m not gonna make it.” He pretended to die on the couch.

“No! Daddy! Nooooo!” She crawled over and gently hoofed at his side. “Wake up!”

“Okay I’ve regenerated...But oh no! I’ve turned into a tickle monster from Death's Deal!” The Doctor pulled Dinky over and gently tickled her sides.

The little filly giggled and giggled and cried. “Oh no!!! Not Death Deal!” Dinky gave a squeal as she tried to fight against the tickles... although admittedly she wasn't trying as hard as she could.

Death's Deal was known as the deadliest planet in the universe. It was an ocean world with a landmass made of pure coral. With deadly creatures of all kinds crawling over the surface. While under the surface was filled with deadly crystals that destroyed all organic matter that touched it. However, as far as Dinky was aware, it was a planet of tickle monsters.

Eventually, the tickle monster let up and they laid on the couch together, father and daughter sharing a quiet, sleepy moment together. They didn’t want to sleep so they both just looked out the window as the gentle, windless breeze, rolled across the lush grass of their island. They both gave a content sigh and the room felt like it was supposed to be that way for a little while.

The Doctor tried not to remember things that had happened in the past while sharing this moment. He’d had times like this before. It made him sad to think about people that had come and gone in his life--His children, grandchildren, partners, friends, relatives, all cast to the wind about the universe.

When he thought about all those things, Ditzy Do’s voice came to his head. “Stay with me, Doctor.” Ditzy Do had taught him a little bit about living in the moment. She would always tell him that right now mattered a lot more than what did or could happen. This family made him remember to focus on the present. That’s what his companions always did.

Dinky Hooves was just happy in general. Her life was always so gentle and easygoing. Contentment was around every corner. For what it’s worth, the Doctor had made a loving father so far. He always held her close in his hearts. There was something she was a little worried about though. “Daddy?”

“Yes dear?”

“Am I going to school soon?”

“Yes you are. You’ve been my first student, but there are a lot more people across this system I have to teach.” He sighed remembering what he had seen. It was momentarily painful, but dripped with hope. “The future is coming, dear. We have to be ready.”

“The kids at preschool think I’m weird.”

“Don’t worry too much about them, dear. When you go to my school you’ll fit in fine.” He ran a hoof through Dinky’s mane. “Everyone there will be powerful, just like you are.”

“I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be. I’ll be there if you get scared."

“You promise?”

“I promise, I’ll always be there to help you if you need it, dear.” The Doctor had broken countless promises, making many just to get people to stop arguing and do as he says... with no intention of keeping the promise itself. However, in all his years, he had never broken a promise to his children. “But when you go to my school, you’ll be so strong that you won’t need little ol’ me anymore.”

Dinky smiled quietly and felt better. “I'll always need my Daddy."

The Doctor rested a hoof on Dinky and they both sighed happily again. They were finally ready for a nap so they both slipped away on that lazy afternoon.

###

Ditzy Do gently shook the pair back to the waking world. “C’mon you two. Dinner’s ready!”

The Doctor yawned and helped his daughter back to her hooves. “I smell it! I’m hungry already.”

Dinky skipped over to the table in the kitchen. Her mother and father doled out some delicious looking vegetable stew. It had carrots, celery, potatoes, and pea pods in a garlic infused vegetable broth. It tasted like those vegetables had grown in a gentle breeze on a sunny day. There was a lot of love put into the dish; the love from a mother to her adoring family. It tasted like happy times and easy days.

Ditzy smiled as her daughter just about upended the bowl into her muzzle finishing it off. “Gee, you sure were hungry." Ditzy commented as Dinky got herself seconds, "I hope Daddy's school has a good food budget.”

The Doctor waved a hoof. “Only the best. Interdimensional engineering keeps the kitchen stock full at all times. I kept telling you, you don't need to go grocery shopping."

Ditzy side stepped right passed that. "Kids need somepony to make sure they eat right. You can't just point them at the Kitchen and expect them to fix themselves some grub."

"Didn't Bon Bon tell you?" The Doctor blinked. "She's going to be the lunch lady."

Ditzy blinked, "Really?"

"I had to explain to her about all the various creatures' dietary needs," The Doctor shrugged. "Especially about how too much sugar is bad for most creatures, and how salt doesn't affect the metabolism of most creatures as it does ponies and is considered a necessary seasoning to most. It actually came down to me having to calling in renown dietitians of various planets in the system before she believed me! It's like she thought I was lying to her!!! ME!!! Can you imagine!"

"Aren't you the god of lies?" Dinky absentmindedly shovelled some stew into her mouth.

The Doctor gasped, "Lying is a horrible and damaging affair... which is why it should be left to the professionals!" he puffed up his chest, all proud of himself.

Ditzy sighed in exacerbation, "Honestly Doctor. Imagine, creatures from all over the system are trusting their children to you."

Dinky rolled her eyes, just a little, while smiling. “I’ll be okay mom. Really.”

“Don't worry Derpy," the Doctor assured, "I am taking this very seriously. When I do things, I do them right.” The Doctor suddenly gave her a suspicious eye and a pout. “Or did you expect me to just sort of throw it together last minute?”

Ditzy gave the Doctor a cockeyed look that clearly said ‘I really thought you would based on our adventures together’ but did not vocalize this feeling based on the fact that her daughter was present. “Well, obviously not…”

“Of course daddy is going to take care of things! He knows everything!” Dinky giggled.

The Doctor almost blushed. “Only the vast secrets of the universe, but not even I know their secrets.” The family laughed at that.

###

Eventually Dinky got tired. It was getting close to bedtime anyway. Ditzy and the Doctor walked their tired kiddo to their room for bed. The Doctor gently tucked her into bed. “There you go, love!” He kissed her head. “Dream well, okay?”

“Daddy? Mummy?” Dinky was a little shy to ask this question. “What happens if the other kids don’t like me?”

Ditzy awwed at her daughter. “Honey, I’m sure everyone will love you. We sure do!”

“But I dunno anyone… It’s gonna be scary.”

“Don’t worry, love. It’ll be okay.” The Doctor patted his daughter’s shoulder with a hoof. “All you have to do is be confident. Just like fighting Krafayis, you have to approach the situation with confidence!”

“I guess…” Dinky sighed. “I just wish I knew how it was going to go.”

The Doctor looked at Ditzy quietly then back at Dinky. “Not even a Time Agent can see into their own future. Even I can't see more then a glimpse now and then. Besides, if you really knew what was coming, it would take all the fun out of it."

“I guess…” Dinky nodded. “Thanks Dad.”

“No problem kiddo. Now, sleep well.”

###

Ditzy Do and the Doctor went back to their room and started getting ready for bed. They laid down together and sighed after the day. Ditzy looked out into the room. “Doctor, do you really think Dinky is going to be okay?”

“Yes I do.” The Doctor nodded. “She’s a strong girl.” The Doctor brushed a hoof against his partner. “And she will do great.”

“Do you really see her as a Spacer someday?”

"Like I said. I only get glimpses, vague impressions, when it comes to my future. All I really know is that Dinky will help make it so their is a future. If she chooses."

"She has a choice?" Ditzy looked surprised.

"We all have a choice. Although I would love it if she joined the Equus Interplanetary Fleet... it's ultimately her decision. My problem with Metagamer is that I never gave him a choice... he wanted to be like me... and instead of training him for it, preparing him... I sheltered him. With Dinky I will do my duty as a parent. I will prepare her for the infinite possibilities of her life... then... I will let her choose her own path."

###

Ditzy fell asleep but the Doctor did not. He gently pushed Ditzy’s head back to a pillow and got out of bed. Down to the basement workshop he went. In it's former spot, the TARDIS was no longer their. He had moved it and anchored it to an Island in the Rift some months ago. Putting his hoof on the clean square of the concrete floor... the Doctor spoke to his old friend as if she was still their.

Even if she wasn't physically here, he knew she could hear him. She heard all throughout the universe, every cry and plea. She could hear him, and although they were far, he could feel her.

“I hope work on the school is going well.” He walked up to his workbench and looked down at the paperwork he had been collecting. When the school grounds were finished he’d create a portal that led from his workshop directly to his office. How convenient. “Imagine that.” He sighed. “Me with an office.”

The paperwork seemed so disheveled; the pages were out of order. “I guess it’s a new era for me indeed.” He shook his head. “I never thought I’d just… Build something like this...” He told his TARDIS. “I always wanted to see the universe. I dreamed of it since childhood... it's all I ever wanted... What better way to spend an eternity than adventuring through it?”

The Doctor ruffled the papers gently and sighed. “Am I really cut out for being a teacher?” He looked back at the empty spot that once held the TARDIS. “I know I gave it a try before, a few times actually... and there was always something fulfilling about it." He shook his head. “I just… Never expected this is how it would go for me. A life of Domestic bliss, complete with a real job. Imagine me! A working joe! Helping shape the future, not through adventures, but in a way that really matters. By educating the young... I hope I can do it."

He arranged the paperwork in the way it was best for filing and use. The first day of school would be soon. He felt a little overwhelmed, but at the same time hopeful. He loved this world so much. It would be such a shame to see it fade away. He wasn’t going to let that happen. “I hope we’re ready for this.” He stared up at the stars out the basement window. “I hope the world is ready.”

###

Dinky fell into a deep sleep and found herself appearing in a scattered realm. Geometric shapes floated in the distance and she found herself on a blue pathway, surrounded by an empty void. The world randomly phased in and out, wavering like pebbles thrown in a pond.

Dinky decided to follow this pathway to wherever it might go. It was kind of nice, maybe even a little silly. She continued and eventually got to the end of the road. There she saw another pony, a purplish pink Earth Filly. Just a filly her own age.

“Uh... Hello?” Dinky said approaching. She felt it must be a dream pony of some kind. It was always obvious you were dreaming when somepony else entered your dreams... Dinky had experience with Luna helping her with nightmares (as the former Princess did everypony).

The other pony turned her head. It had swirly eyes. The odd filly immediately backed away a bit, before standing her ground with fierce determination, “Oh, crap! Not again!"

Dinky turned her head slightly. “What’s wrong?”

"Wrong? Wrong? Why would you possibly ask that of a superior lifeform!" The swirling eyes glared... but Dinky could see the hurt in those eyes... they were like her father's eyes... eyes that had seen far too much. "You best stay away from me or I'll smite you with the full force of a god!!!"

"Your a god to?"

The odd filly stopped. Her strange eyes widened in shock the moment Filly said "to". The filly bit her lip but recovered quickly, her mask immediately back in place. "I am a Demigod! So you better-"

"YOUR HALF GOD TO!!!" Dinky grinned running the rest of the way to the filly. "My dad is a lower god, so technically I'm only half Celestial and not a full blown Demigod."

Screwball blinked, "R-really?"

Dinky grinned, "Yep. Dad's a bonafide Celestial, so a 'lower' deity."

"Oh... I suppose that is fine then... just so long as you aren't a pony!"

"What's wrong with ponies?" Dinky blinked, "My mom is a pony!"

Screwball looked away, "Mortals... are not kind... they tried to kill me the very day I was born. I've been hiding out in the Chaos Dimension ever since.... But sometimes my sleeping mind wanders back to this realm. The ponies aren't kind here either... they don't like me 'invading' their dreams. Like I have a choice."

It certainly explained those sad eyes, but the dream walker seemed to have dropped her guard now that she knew Dinky wasn't mortal. The filly honestly seemed kind scared of regular of people, hence the tough attitude.

“Well...I’m sorry I accidentally invaded your dreams.” The spiral eyes looked bashful now.

“Well.” Dinky shrugged. “You don’t seem like an evil demigod so I guess it's cool."

“I should probably just leave. I know I’m not welcome anywhere.”

“No don’t.” Dinky was really curious about this pony. “Tell me your name.”

“It’s…” The pony sighed. “It’s Screwball. I’m really just passing through.”

“You seem nice. I always wanted a friend.” Dinky sighed. “My weird powers make people a bit scared of me.

Screwball raised a brow. “More then 'a bit' in my experience. Normal ponies are pretty easy to scare."

“Well… I'm not exactly normal either." Dinky shuffled her hooves.

Screwball nodded in understanding.

"I would trust you if I met you on the street.”

“Well...Thanks. It would be better if I could control my powers a little better.” Screwball sighed. “I’m really bad at it. They’re so random too. People don’t like it when I screw up something they worked hard to get just perfect.” Screwball waved a hoof and one of the floating diamond shapes turned into a cloud of guitars, floating aimlessly and randomly playing songs. “I wanted it to become a rain of chocolate milk… See it’s just...random.”

“I dunno, I like it.” Dinky giggled and danced a bit to the random music. “You should visit my dreams more! We can play together.”

“I really can’t control which dreams I invade. Tomorrow I might invade some random alien’s dreams. People dream such weird things.”

“Like what?”

Screwball opened her stance a bit and sat down. Maybe she was a little more comfortable now. “Well… One time I invaded some guy’s dream that had nothing but clocks that had snakes for cuckoo birds.” Screwball shrugged. “Something about running out of time or something. He was terrified of it.”

Dinky laughed. “That’s so weird!” She smirked. “I’m not afraid of time. Bring it on!”

Screwball smiled weakly. She wasn’t really as afraid of creatures in their dreams because she knew they usually wouldn’t remember her. They couldn’t hurt her here. This was really the first person that hadn’t been super afraid of her either. “One time I entered some white filly’s dream that did nothing but cut and manage dresses. I ended up turning the dresses into bats and they all flew away. She fell to the ground and rolled around crying for a few minutes. I guess it was a bit of a nightmare for her.”

Dinky giggled like crazy. “Sounds like you have a lot of fun here.” Dinky looked out at her dream world. “Sorry my dream isn’t as interesting for you.”

“I dunno. I kinda like it.” Screwball shrugged. “It’s bigger on the inside.” Screwball noticed all of a sudden a generic schoolhouse appear in the distance. “What’s up with that?”

“Oh… I have to start school soon. I dunno if I’ll fit in.”

“I do too. It’s scary… I feel like everybody's gonna hate me.”

Dinky raised a brow. “Do demigods even go to school?”

"You're part god to, and you have to go to school." Screwball snorted. "Besides it's sorta a special school for powerful entities. It's supposed to teach me control."

"I'm doing something similar at my new school." Dinky admitted. "I dunno how it’s gonna work.” They didn’t quite know that this was going to come up again.

Screwball sighed. “I know we had some fun but it’s sad I’ll probably never meet you again.”

“Aww… Can you... not just come back?”

Screwball shook her head. “It’s random. So when it’s over, it's over. Then tomorrow I’ll probably go somewhere else where the creature hates me.”

“Aww… I wish I knew you in the real world…” Dinky sighed. “You know, if I ever met you there I’d be your friend.”

“Do you really mean that?”

“I do.” Dinky smiled. “So keep an eye out for me… My name is Dinky Hooves.”

“I’ll remember that…” Screwball sighed. “Thanks. I dunno if I’d be brave enough to be your friend… But if we ever meet in dreams again, we’ll definitely play.”

“I’d like that.” Dinky realized that she was slowly disappearing. “Goodbye, Screwball!”

Screwball waved. “Bye bye.”

Dinky woke up in the real world and held her head. It ached gently. Was that real? Probably not. It left her with a feeling that she might actually be able to make friends someday. That felt… Good.

###

Spring drew near. Soon the end of year break would be over and school would begin. Not that you could tell by the lack of weather here in the Rift.

Dinky wondered what might happen. Was she ready? She hoped it would be an amazing journey for her. Maybe it would.

Maybe it would...

Author's Notes:

End of Act 1,
Next chapter will start Act 2.
When the kids are actually at school