//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: A Storm of Chaos: A Doctor Whooves Adventure 
// by Shotoman 
//------------------------------//


Epilogue


"I don't believe it. It looks brand new!"

The Doctor smiled as his favorite customer excitedly scrutinized her newly repaired clock. "Well, Miss Sparkle, when you hire the Doctor you hire the best."

Twilight Sparkle cast the Doctor a wry grin. "And so modest, too."

"You and I both know there's nothing immodest about stating fact," the Doctor replied with a grin of his own.

Twilight chuckled as she gave the clock one more quick but thorough look over. "Well, there's no denying the quality of your work," she admitted before stowing the clock in her saddlebag and producing the Doctor's modest fee (Naturally and to the Doctors amusement, she counted out exact change.). The Doctor stored the coins away without any real thought--truly he had no real use for money, but it was all part of being a "normal" pony.

"Thank you again Doctor Whooves," she said with a smile as she left the store.

"It's the Doctor," he replied quickly. "Just... oh, never mind." Smiling slightly, the Doctor locked up his register and strolled outside himself. He smirked at the last little bits of conversation between Miss Sparkle and her assistant that drifted his way.

"Okay, Spike, what's the next item on the agenda?"

"Twilight, you know what's next. You went over the list a hundred times already. You could probably read it back to me in your sleep."

"Spike..."

"Fine. Next up is Fluttershy's place. She needs an extra set of hooves to help with some sick field mice..."

The Doctor chuckled to himself. Hero of Equestria multiple times over, and Twilight Sparkle was going to spend the day tending to some field mice with her friend. He personally knew ponies who would never believe that the legendary Princess of Harmony, she who freed Princess Luna from the Nightmare, defeated Discord, and defender of the Crystal Empire, would ever have stooped to such mundane chores. Ponies were funny like that. Tended to forget that legends were ponies, too.

Inhaling a deep breath, the Doctor turned to look at the rest of the marketplace. Thanks to the efforts of the local pegasi and Little Celestia (one day, the Doctor vowed, he would learn how she and her sister affected the sky the way they did) it was a typically beautiful Ponyville day, just like it always was this time of year. The Doctor nodded politely at the stallion who was currently unlocking the Quill and Sofa next door. Across the way Carrot Top and Applejack had set up their carrot and apple stands respectively and began the day with their customary glares at each other (not that they had anyone fooled, everyone knew they were each others' last customer of the day). The Doctor watched as Lyra and BonBon entered the marketplace from further down the road, the minty green unicorn easily standing on her hind legs for a second as she used her forelegs to emphasize some point or other to the cream colored earth pony. In short it was a very typical, very normal day in Ponyville, just like they all had been this last week since the Doctor returned from his latest adventure.

So why wasn't he bored?

Back when he and Derpy first saved the town from invading Autons, he couldn't wait to leave. Given the way she leaped into the TARDIS when he offered, he thought she felt the same way. But to his surprise, after the next trip or two, she asked if he could take her back. He did so, and she bounded out with the same enthusiasm and said "It's good to be home." She surprised him further by turning back to him and asked, "Same time next week?" The Doctor had never encountered that before--a companion willing to live both in the mundane every day and the fantastic box travel.

It was a few years and a new face later when he decided to stick around, and that was more for her sake than anything. Even still he tended to lose patience at living life in the correct order. But now... here he was sitting on a porch in front of his own shop on a normal, everyday morning, and he was happy to do it. It was particularly strange given the what happened this time--learning he was not the last, being reminded why it was better that he was, and then being reduced to the the last once again. How would he have reacted if he were still just out there with no fixed abode? He cast a look at the sign above his door--an image of his cutie mark of course--and remembered Wordsmith's words from the beginning of it all.

Doctor, you've gone domestic.

He'd never admit it, but she was right. He had gone domestic. But why, though? What was it about this town that made him feel more at home than he ever did on Gallopfrey? It's historical importance made for a fun visit every now and then, but it was just so... so... normal the rest of the time. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft object bouncing off his head. He caught it offhoofedly and grinned as he saw it. A bran muffin. Looking up with a smile, the Doctor waved at Derpy and Dinky as they flew off to drop the latter off at school. That's one thing, isn't it? he thought with a smile. It didn't really matter why, the Doctor decided. The fact was that, for now at least, he was at home here. For now that would be good enough.


~THE ENBOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!


With a start, the Doctor spun to look at his shop. Smoke was pouring out of the windows and the door, and he could smell fire somewhere within. He cast a few glances around and sighed in relief that no one was looking. For better or worse, explosions in his shop had also become commonplace. The low level perception filter helped. He stopped short as he heard several ponies coughing and sputtering from within.

"Was that supposed to happen?" a female with a Scoltish accent asked.

"Supposed to happen?" another voice asked, this one a male from Trottingham. "Of course that wasn't supposed to happen. When is that ever supposed to happen?"

"And yet somehow it does," a third voice--another Trottingham male--spoke up, his tone suggesting a long standing exasperation.

"Oh shut up you. Go outside for now, let me deal with the fires."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed as two ponies stumbled into view, still coughing up smoke. The young mare was white with a long, straight mane and tail of red, and her cutie mark was an apple with a smile cut into it. The stallion was tall an lanky with a slightly over sized snout, blue eyes, brown coat, and messy mane. His cutie mark was a blue cross juxtaposed atop a royal guard's sword. Now that was interesting.

The two caught sight of him almost instantly and the mare rolled her eyes. "Oi, Raggedy Colt! We got a pony out here!"

"Yes, the owner of the shop probably," the voice called back from within. "It's a clock shop, apparently. Oh, isn't that nostalgic? Well you wouldn't know it's nostalgic, I don't speak of the Ponyville days. But nostalgic it is. Keep him busy while I put this last fire out."

The two ponies rolled their eyes and shared a look. That look. The look his companions shared when they thought he wasn't looking. The Doctor's blood began to run cold. He didn't recognize the ponies, but he sure did recognize the scene. It played often enough.

Finally, the third pony exited the shop. He was grey with a shaggy black mane and tail. He was wearing a tweed jacket and a bow tie, though the bullet ridden stetson hat took the ensemble from simply out of date to out and out ridiculous. The Doctor didn't even need to look to confirm his cutie mark was an hourglass.

"Hello there," the newcomer said distractedly. "Sorry for the mess. Our ride is giving us a bit of trouble. The fires are out but I wouldn't go in yet if I were you. Don't worry, though. I just need to see where the hiccup is get her fixed. We'll make sure the place is clean when we leave, you won't even know we were here. Oh, right. Introductions. This is Mr. and Mrs. Ripple Pond and I am the Doctaaah!"

Upon actually looking at the Doctor's face, the newcomer quickly withdrew the hoof he was about to offer and jumped back a couple of hooves, his companions shooting him odd looks. He narrowed his green eyes as the smile vanished from his face. "Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait. You are..." then he looked at the shop behind him. "So this is...?" With a look of panic he began to search the sky. "And she is...?" Turning back to the Doctor, a look of pain and confusion on his face, he asked. "What?"

The Doctor couldn't help but smirk. A normal day in Ponyville indeed.


~THE END~