The first thing Pinkie noticed, as she steadied herself on the TARDIS doorframe, was the cold. The Doctor took a step out and breathed deeply. "Ah, smell that good old British air."

Pinkie sniffed and scrunched up her nose as a particularly pungent smell burned her nostrils. "Smells like Berry Punch's house. I love it," she beamed.

They stepped out of the alley onto the main street. It was midday, and it was packed. People of all different backgrounds were walking this way and that. The smell of food hit Pinkie's nostrils, reminding her that she hadn't actually eaten since the night before.

Hearing the sound of Pinkie's stomach, The Doctor looked over at her with an amused smirk. "I was going to ask what you wanted to do first, but I guess there's no need." Pinkie blushed sheepishly as The Doctor let out a hearty laugh. "I know just the place."

The Doctor took Pinkie's hand and led her through the bustling street.

**********

They had been walking for around 15 minutes when The Doctor led her into a cosy little café on a street corner. Inside, an old couple eyeballed Pinkie with surprise. Pinkie figured she must have looked pretty strange. After all, she had not seen a human with pink hair in the last 15 minutes. She smiled at them, and they looked back down awkwardly. Pinkie frowned but didn't say anything.

They approached the glass counter, with shelves adorned with all sorts of pastries. She could see some that had meat on them, but she didn't mind; she had looked after the carnivores Fluttershy kept before. A little girl, around ten or eleven years old, though Pinkie was only guessing, sat behind the counter, scribbling in a sketchbook. She looked at them and yelled into the back, "DAD! CUSTOMERS!"

"COMING, COMING," a shout came from the back. A short, plump man with a receding hairline came scurrying out. He had to stand on a stool to peek over the counter. "Ah. What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Jones, you may not recognize me, but it's The Doctor."

Mr. Jones pulled a pair of glasses from his breast pocket and squinted. "Blimey, you've cut your hair." Pinkie saw the girl smirk at that comment.

The Doctor winked at Pinkie and grinned at the man. "That I did. What do you think?" He took off his hat and, with a flourish of his cape, bowed.

"Not bad, not bad." He chuckled, "I'm guessing you'll be wanting your usual. Two chocolate croissants and a tea with extra sugar?"

"Oh, you know me too well."

"And what will it be for the lady?" Mr. Jones turned his attention to Pinkie.

Pinkie put a finger to her lips as she examined the display, there were cakes, cookies, pies, and all sorts of pastries. "I think I'll go for that delicious-looking éclair, ooh ooh, or that pizza, and maybe that Danish, and and-"

"Ahem." The Doctor cleared his throat and looked at Pinkie with an amused smirk.

Pinkie grinned with a blush of embarrassment.

Mr. Jones adjusted his glasses and let out a laugh. "I must say, Doctor, this girl is certainly a lively one."

Pinkie had decided she liked this man. Mr. Jones took their order, and The Doctor pulled out a small plastic card which he placed against a contraption she'd never seen before. It beeped, and The Doctor placed the card back into his inside pocket.

They walked to a table by the window and sat down. "Hey, Doctor." The Doctor nodded, signaling her to continue. "What was that card thing?"

"Oh, this?" He produced the card again, "It's similar to a debit card, they let you make purchases without physical cash. This one is special, unlimited money. Bit naughty, so don't tell anyone."

Pinkie chuckled but said no more.

"So. You've done it again." A youthful voice sounded. The girl that was behind the counter had pulled a chair up to the table.

The Doctor smiled, "Yep. What do you think, Serena?"

"What's with the hat?"

"Don't knock the hat. It's the height of fashion in some points of history." The Doctor straightened in his chair and fixed his bowler hat indignantly.

"Not this point."

"Oy!"

The little girl, Serena, laughed, brushing her red hair out of her face. "In all seriousness though, I liked the one with that long scarf."

"A lot of people did."

"This one's not too bad though?"

"I'm trying not to be offended here," The Doctor retorted, but his joking smile showed he wasn't serious. "Anyway, Serena, how long has it been?"

"About a year." Serena shrugged. She then turned to Pinkie. "You look funny," she stated without a hint of malice.

Just then, Mr. Jones came walking up with two trays of pastries. "Now, Serena, what have we talked about?"

Serena rolled her eyes but smiled. She waved goodbye before returning behind the counter.

"I'm sorry about that," apologized Mr. Jones, "she just speaks her mind. It's gotten her into a lot of trouble."

Pinkie smiled, "I don't mind."

Mr. Jones gave a grateful smile before setting down the trays.

**********

The Doctor and Pinkie finished their visit and bid farewell to Mr. Jones and Serena. They strolled from store to store, the bustle of the city all around them. Pinkie was amazed; even Manehattan wasn't this busy.

Using his card, the Doctor purchased anything Pinkie picked out. Her choices were mostly souvenirs for her friends: a human history book for Twilight, a fancy brooch for Rarity, a book on something called "NASCAR" for Rainbow Dash, a model tractor for Applejack, a National Geographic book for Fluttershy, and a figurine of a character dressed as bat for Spike.

As the sun began to set, the Doctor turned to Pinkie. "Well, Pinkie, how about we return to the TARDIS?"

Balancing bags precariously, with one gripped in her mouth, Pinkie nodded and muffled a, "Hmm."

**********

Mr. Jones wiped the sweat from his brow as he finished closing up. He pulled the shutters down and headed upstairs.

Serena, his daughter, was already supposed to be asleep. From her bedroom door, she watched as her father picked up a photo of her mother, looked at it, and broke down.

Quietly, she closed her door to give him space. Serena had never really known her mother, who had passed away when she was very young, leaving her with no memories. However, it tore her up inside to see that even after ten years, the loss still devastated her father.

In public, he played the jovial baker, but only she knew just how broken he was.

She lowered herself into bed and realized she was crying. "I thought I was okay with this," she whispered to herself.

'I have to be strong for Dad. It'll only make him feel worse if he sees me crying. I can't let him see me cry,' she thought, her mind racing. 'I wish Mum was still alive.'

Suddenly, her TV switched itself on, flooding the room with a blinding light. Serena shot up in fright. She reached for the remote and tried to turn the TV off, but nothing happened.

"Poor Serena," a monotone voice echoed in her head. "Such a strong girl. Forcing yourself to grow up quickly to save your father. But why deny yourself a childhood?"

"W-what...who is this? Who's speaking?" she screamed, hoping her father had heard.

"A friend," it responded matter-of-factly. "My masters wish to help. We can fix your family. Would you like that? A chance to have a proper childhood. All you need do is say yes."

She heard her father fumbling with the doorknob, her mind was racing. Without thinking, she screamed, "YES!"

Just then, her father threw open her door, relief crossing his face for a moment, but it was short-lived as he looked at the screen. "SERENA!"

The light grew brighter as two arms, composed of static, emerged from the screen. One grabbed her father, and the other grasped her. An intense pain shot through her, she thought she heard her father say something, but she couldn't focus on his words.

As quickly as it started, the pain stopped, and she lost consciousness.