Chapter 1 – Music for the Hungry

/watch?v=2unltS3XgGo

(Doctor's PoV)

-Brinnnnnnnnng-

"Morning already?" The Doctor asked with a yawn as his wife lazily shut off the alarm clock. "Alright Derpy time to get up."

"Gime five more minutes…" She whispered sleepily as he got up and stretched before checking the time.

"Come on Derpy, we've got to get ready for the day." He sighed as he blinked several times to wake himself up.

"Alright…" She sighed as she too yawned and got out of bed.

They got out of bed inside the Tardis and went to their daughter's room to wake them up.

"Oh Sparkler, Dinky…" He whispered quietly as he opened the door to Sparkler's.

He saw Sparkler covered up in the large red and gold blanket of her bed, and next to her, sleeping soundly in her hooves was Dinky. Dinky was sleeping quite peacefully without Sparkler ever knowing she had snuck in there in the middle of the night.

He smiled as he watched them sleeping so peacefully, Sparkler unaware who had snuck in to sleep with her.

"They look so peaceful; do we really have to wake them up Doctor?" Derpy asked as she looked into the room with them.

"I know Derpy, but we might as well get them up now for breakfast." He said as he went over to wake up Sparkler.

They woke up Sparkler and Dinky, Sparkler a little more than amused as to who had wrapped her hooves around them, and went to the kitchen to prepare for breakfast. However instead of preparing breakfast there was already somepony preparing breakfast for them.

The sweet smell of Celestia's personal chef and his above five star restaurant standard cooking wafted through the kitchen as they approached. The Doctor could smell the wonderful scent of spices, herbs, and all sorts of other delicious mixtures that were being worked with, that his mouth was watering at the mere thought of what Celestia's chef was making. Sure he enjoyed his wife's cooking, even if their daughter and he himself had to help her out sometimes, but the thought of tasting something besides muffins with every meal, he just couldn't wait for breakfast.

So with an empty stomach and an eager mouth, he led his family into the kitchen and looked at the elaborate meal that Celestia's chef was putting the finishing touches to. There was a pile of small pancakes topped with raspberry's dipped in olive oil and served with toasted walnuts. To complement the pancakes was garlic toast with a grape flavored butter spread with a splash of blueberry yogurt. For a drink there was a mouthwatering nonalcoholic wine for the adults, and a small bottle of freshly squeezed lemonade, flavored with just a dash of sugared lime. For a small after breakfast desert, there was a freshly baked Bay Leaf Pound Cake, sliced into five pieces, a smaller portion for Dinky and a larger one clearly for Celestia.

"Oh that smells so good!" Sparkler whispered as she took a very deep breath.

"Yummy!" Dinky said as she looked at the cake.

"Yes it is indeed a breakfast fit for any royalty!" Celestia's chef said proudly as he put the pound cake on the table and started arranging the silverware. "However as is proper, not a bite will be had until her majesty has had first taste! It is tradition that Princess Celestia and Luna both have their morning meal before any other servant in the palace."

"Awww!" Dinky complained as she looked the cake hungrily.

"Ya know now that you mention her, where is Tia?" The Doctor asked as Derpy helped Dinky into her chair while Sparkler sat down as well.

(Celestia's PoV)

This morning was special for Celestia, and each morning would be special this particular week.

The first reason why they would be special was because she did not have to worry if her sister had raised the sun on time. The second was that, because she did not have to wake up to raise the sun, as she normally would have, she could do two things that she had NEVER been able to do before.

The first, was sleep in.

The second, because she was finally able to sleep in, away from her sister and the servants of her palace, she was able to do one thing that her subjects did all the time. However because of her station and position, and being a figure to look up to for every one of her subjects, she couldn't allow herself to be seen doing this one simple act.

She could actually snore, for once.

-Vacations are so worth it!- She thought as she let out a loud snore.

A while ago she had snuck out to make sure that the sun had been raised on time, and sure enough it rose without her needing to do anything. Right after she saw it she went back to bed and right back to sleep.

-I am so glad I took this vacation where I did; oh I missed my bed here aboard his Tardis.- She thought as she felt the warm blankets that seemed to melt around her, making her feel so comfortable as she slept. -No matter how well designed we make beds, the ones aboard The Doctor's Tardis are always the best! I could sleep here all day and all night for the rest of the week."

*Knock Knock Knock*

"Uh… Princess Celestia, breakfast is ready." Ditzy's voice called through her door. "I know you probably want to sleep, but your chef says that it's only respectful that you get first bite for breakfast. So he won't let us eat until you join us."

-He's lucky he's a good chef and that I'm a nice pony, because if we were at the palace right now, Luna would have him fired for this little stunt.- Celestia thought as she blinked slowly and woke herself back up.

"Inform him I'm on my way!" She said loudly as she used her magic to remake her bed.

Five minutes later she entered the dining room which also connected to the Tardis' kitchen. The Hooves family was already seated with her chef pouring them their respected and age appropriate drinks. A very soft looking chair with a specially designed pillow was empty, clearly telling her where she could sit. The moment she entered her chef, Ditzy, and Sparkler went into a short bow, Dinky followed their sister's example soon after. Only The Doctor had dispensed with the formalities of proper etiquette when she or her sister entered a room.

"There's no need to bow to me every time I enter a room." Celestia said as she took her seat at the table and watched her chef hastily prepare her plate for her. "Also, despite what my chef may say, you do not have to wait for me to sit down before you can eat a meal he prepares for us. When it's time to eat, go right ahead and dig in without me. Just leave some for me at least."

"But your majesty!" Her chef declared. "Proper etiquette dictates that you must always be present and have first taste before every meal!"

"This is my vacation, and I decide how I wish to spend it." She said gently to her chef as he poured her drink into her personal glass. "I woke up much later then the Hooves did, so by all right they should have been fed and done by now. Don't ever make our hosts wait to eat a meal because I chose to sleep a little later then they did."

"As you wish your majesty." He said, very embarrassed at being told down.

They dug into her chef's magnificent cooking, Ditzy only taking a few pieces of toast and one slice of pancake before having to leave for work. The Doctor had time to finish some more but he too had to get to work repairing Dinky's destroyed toys as well as replacing the toys that were lost. This left her with the daughters Sparkler and Dinky for the rest of breakfast while her chef started cleaning all the pots, pans, silverware and kitchen equipment he had used.

"So tell me you two, how is my chef's cooking?" She asked the two daughters of the Time Lord.

"Delicious Princess." Sparkler said as she finished her pancakes and took a slice of cake for herself, and put the smallest one for Dinky's plate.

"That's good; I pay him quite a bit to cook mine and my sister's meals." She said as she took her own piece, wishing her chef would stop playing favorites just because she was the Princess.

"Well he definitely deserves his pay!" Sparkler said as Dinky all but finished her piece of cake.

She never was able to have the chance to speak to the Hooves Family this way before, mostly because she had to keep her distance as Ruler of Equestria and to keep their father's secret. Now that she was in the safety of the Tardis, and away from the ears of her servants and subjects, she could do something else that she never could before outside of this amazing piece of technology.

Talk like a normal pony, instead of her usual self.

After they finished breakfast Celestia, no longer feeling tired, decided to join Sparkler and Dinky in exploring the Tardis until it was time for Lunch. They refrained from going to see The Doctor in his workshop because Dinky wanted him to finish repairing her toys as quickly as he could. So instead they explored the rooms that the Tardis had.

Unfortunately they just ended up getting lost for the better part of four hours. Most of the rooms they ended up finding were storage rooms full of strange odds and ends, and most of these doors were locked. One thing they never seemed to stop finding were dead ends, whenever they went too far or went in one direction for too long, they found yet another one.

"It's like a maze down here." Celestia said as they walked down one corridor, and ended up at yet another dead end.

"It seemed so easy and so much faster to get around when that mare showed us." Sparkler said as they turned around and tried to retrace their steps.

"What mare?" She asked.

"There was this mare who called herself The Tardis that we met here." Sparkler said as they walked back toward a staircase. "She was very friendly, real pretty as well, knew everything and all of us. She was also very nice, gave us a full tour of my dad's Tardis… or herself… or something. It's very weird talking about it now."

"Well how did you meet her?" Celestia asked curiously, wanting to know something about a friendlier version of that stallion they met in The Professor's Tardis that said the same thing about himself.

"Well that nice mare played a lovely song to guide us!" Dinky said helpfully.

/watch?v=sDbNPMJPENo

The moment Dinky described to Celestia how she met this mysterious mare; a beautiful song could be heard just loud enough for them to hear.

"Something like that?" Celestia asked, turning her head to try and figure out where it was coming from.

"Exactly!" Dinky said happily as they listened to the beautiful music being played.

"That sounds awfully close!" Sparkler said excitedly as she took the lead. "It's coming from this direction!"

Sparkler led the way as they followed the music, and just as she said it was very close. They turned the corner and saw that the music was coming from an open door that they had overlooked. Peaking inside Celestia saw that it looked like some kind of performance hall, with a small stage that had several instruments ranging from Cellos to a Piano. But it was the source of that beautiful music, which captured all of their attention.

Sitting on a pillow, and playing a harp made of gold and looking like she had not a care in the world, was a mare with a blue coat, a light blue mane with yellow lines around her golden colored eyes. As she played the Harp in the center of the stage, wonderful feelings of being relaxed and at peace filled Celestia to the core of her heart. When she glanced at Sparkler and Dinky she saw similar reactions as Sparkler went from being excited, to being calm and relaxed. Dinky though looked sleepy as the music played.

Celestia noticed that in front of them were three soft, fluffy blue pillows for them to sit on. They did so and, feeling no hurry to interrupt this mare as she played her song, simply waited for the music to end.

I have no idea why, but this music is so calming and peaceful that I feel like all my worries and cares are just floating away from me! She thought quietly as the music continued to play. Those officials that bring me problems and issues every day, worrying if Luna is doing alright on her own, even that accursed Professor still being at large, this music makes me almost forget them for the moment.

Finally the music stopped and as the blue mare with no cutie mark finished, Celestia, Sparkler, and Dinky all clapped their hooves in applause.

"Wonderful!" Sparkler said.

"Incredible!" Dinky whispered.

"That was amazing!" Celestia said, wishing she had a flower to throw for this amazing performance.

"Thank you." She said gently as she turned to look at them, and Celestia felt a shiver of joy course through her.

"It's you again miss nice mare?" Dinky asked, wanting to be sure.

"Indeed it is me, daughter of time and space as well as magic and science." The mare said. "I am the Tardis, and I thank you all for your wonderful praise at my little number. I've been practicing it for when you had a moment to yourselves."

She looked into this mare's eyes and instantly Celestia could see the resemblance between her and the other Tardis stallion. This mare's eyes had that sense of youth and old age, of wisdom and ignorant, cruel and kind, and powerful and weak in equal measures. She was not to be poked fun at, but also not to be taken too seriously. She was nothing like that other stallion who called himself the Tardis.

"So why are you down here all alone?" Celestia asked. "Why not let The Doctor in on this amazing show you're performing?"

The Tardis Mare smiled, and once again Celestia felt a sense of pleasure and mischief this time course through her. "I like to keep to myself, that's all. He doesn't need me to reveal my true self to know that I am talking to him. Our relationship as it is now is for the best, and it works the best as it is now. As for why am I down her all alone, like I said I keep to myself. Besides this performance hall is rarely visited, The Doctor doesn't realize it exists yet, so I figured why let this room go to waste? Play these instruments and let their notes be heard before a live audience at last."

"So you knew we would be here?" Sparkler asked curiously, but as the mare smiled again she shook her head and answered her own question. "Never mind, you obviously knew we would be coming down here. So why the music, why not just appear before us and show us around again?"

"Because you all were so interested in exploring these corridors and hallways, I figured you'd like to find out things on your own." The mare said with a hint of amusement. "Well now that the song is done and your all so relaxed, is there anything you'd like to do now?"

"Play more music!" Dinky chirped happily, and both Sparkler and Celestia nodded in agreement.

/watch?v=V5PArwaVj2w

With a nod, the mare returned to her previous position and resumed playing her music. For the next two hours they listened to the wonderful notes of the Tardis' Harp. Celestia simply enjoyed the music going in and out of her ears. It was soothing to listen to, and gave her wonderful thoughts of forests with little fairies floating this way and that.

What a fairy was however she didn't know, nor did she understand why the thought of fairies flying around was such a pleasant thought.

Once it was time for Lunch they quickly went up, the mare telling them to go eat, but saying that she would remain there if they wanted to hear more music.

They ate lunch, Celestia wasting no time in laughing and talking about silly things that The Doctor had done while fixing up some of Dinky's toys. Then she told her chef off, telling him to stop playing favorites by giving her bigger shares of the meals. Afterwards they went back down to the performance hall deep down below, and listened to the beautiful music of that golden Harp.

They repeated it again for Dinner, but they had to cut short so Dinky could go to bed on time. After they left the performance hall once again, Celestia turned to ask if the mare would be there again tomorrow. However she had vanished, without a trace and without a sound.

The day ended with Celestia listening to the music she had heard that day playing in her head over and over. She lay down in bed, and started drifting off to sleep, even now hearing the soothing notes of that harp. She only realized at the last second that there WAS music being played in her room.

She opened her eyes and looked over to find that mare, playing a small harp next to her bed.

"Just for you, because you need it most." The mare whispered as she continued to play it.

Celestia nodded, whispered a thank you, and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.