//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: Derp Eyed Ponies 
// by Perfect Prime 
//------------------------------//


Epilogue


With a letter in her teeth and the orange mare trailing behind her, Dinky rushed through the park without sparing a single moment to appreciate the colourful flowers, the soothing breeze or the playful cries of the colts and fillies playing around with their parents. Soon, Dinky found the table she was looking for and sure enough, just like they had arranged, a mare was sitting there waiting for her. 

“Hi mom!” cried Dinky as she spat out the letter, slammed it on the table and threw her hooves around Derpy’s neck. 

“Hi Dinky!” she cried back, tired and happy. “You’ve gotten taller again!” 

“Thanks mom,” mumbled Dinky as she dug her muzzle into her mother’s dry, prickly mane. 

With a shaky grin, Derpy carefully stroked her daughter’s mane and rubbed her back with a hoof. Dinky could hear hoofsteps approach her from behind, and turning around she saw Carrot grin at the sight of her and her mother in each other’s hooves again. 

“Hello Derpy,” started Carrot, extending the grin to her. “It’s nice to see you again.” 

“Hi Carrot, it’s nice to see you again too!” chimed Derpy, letting of Dinky. 

“Mom! Look at this!” Derpy saw the plain white envelope addressed to a Ms. Dinky held in her daughter’s hooves. 

Taking the envelope from her exuberant daughter, Derpy opened it and looked at the letter. As she read the words, sentences and paragraphs, Derpy could feel her prideful smile grow wider and brighter, despite her fatigue. When she finished reading it, she put it down and looked at her daughter, who grinned madly at her. 

“I got accepted into Canterlot University!” she cheered, punching the air with her hooves in triumphant joy. 

“Congratulations muffin!” Derpy clapped her hooves to the rhythm of Dinky’s cries and exultations. 

“Come on, let’s go celebrate!” declared Dinky, pulling on her mother’s hoof. “My treat!” 
Gladly, the mailmare followed closely behind her, though before long the distance between them increased, and Carrot had to help support her as she trotted. 

“Are you OK?” she asked. “You look really tired.” Her eyes were filled with concern. 

“I’m fine,” reassured Derpy, determined to keep going. “I am tired, but I’m fine.” 

They continued their futile attempt to catch up to the lively young mare that ran off in front of them, but eventually, they couldn’t even see Dinky anymore, and they only had a vague idea of where she was headed. 

“How’s everything going with you?” asked Carrot, letting Derpy trot on her own. 

“Fine. The debts are almost all gone.” replied Derpy. 

“That’s good to hear...” 

“Yeah, it is...” mumbled Derpy, staring off into the distance. 

“Come on!” cried Dinky, coming back into sight for a moment. “Let’s go!” Dinky ran off again and disappeared from sight once more. 

“Thanks for taking care of her for so long,” muttered Derpy, smiling up at the clouds. 

“There’s no need to thank me, I didn’t do that much anyway. She’s an independant pony, and she’s pretty hard-headed too. A little bit like somepony else I know...” Carrot nudged Derpy and the two shared their laughter as they continued along the dew-covered grass. 

Closing her eyes for a moment, Derpy thought back to her hug with Dinky and how great it felt. Though she herself was overcome with fatigue, Dinky was the embodiment of energy, and when Derpy stroked her mane during their embrace, she could feel the silky strands of gold flow around her hooves. With a tear hanging, Derpy stretched out her smile and let her eyes go off at obtuse angles before she bit down on her lip. She knew she was about to cry again, but she could do that when she was alone. Today, they were going to be happy. For Dinky.