//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: Doctor Whoof: Time of the Hourglass 
// by Muleicous 
//------------------------------//


Epilogue
	Pinkie Pie ran to the TARDIS as quickly as she could, her hooves barely making a sound as she left the town square through a dark alleyway. Once back at the big blue box, the party pony quickly pushed the doors open and jumped inside. Pinkie then pulled off her mask, revealing the fake horn River had strapped on her head. Then she literally jumped out of her costume, which was modified to have a set of working mechanical wings. Rarity had been trying to find a way to get an idea like that to work without magic, but The Doctor’s weird machines seemed to be a type of magic all by themselves.
“Fluttershy?” Pinkie called out, “Are you there?” Slowly, a cloaked figure slinked out of the medical ward and walked up to the pink pony. Zecora smiled, and lead her friend to the yellow pegasus’ bed, where Fluttershy was happily reading an eye chart.
“All is well, friendly baking pony.” the zebra said to Pinkie, “A salve of berries was needed, and that only. As for Twilight, I’m happy to say, she has made a full recovery today.” On the other side of the room, Twilight Sparkle was already telling Spike to write a letter to Princess Celestia on today’s events. After a while, River Song and The Doctor rejoined the small group, and traveling right behind them was Derpy and Rarity. The two mares where chatting about how exciting it was to see action like that... But then laughed as if they had told a good joke. 
The time colt turned to face his grey pegasus friend, an apologetic frown on his face. “Derpy... I’m sorry I...”
The mare placed one of her grey hooves on her friends lips, and smiled happily. “I understand... You didn’t want me or Dinky hurt.” Derpy smiled softly, and kissed him on the cheek. The Doctor blushed a deep red, then quickly turned to his wife and smiled awkwardly.
“Ri... River, you know that I... And I didn’t... Just let me...” Once again, the Doctor was silenced by a kiss, this time one from his beloved River Song. She smiled at him, the time lord who saved her once, then watched as he passed out on the floor.
Derpy turned to River, as Zecora and Pinkie helped The Doctor to a bed, and asked, “Does that happen often?”
“More then you know.” Professor Song winked at the grey pegasus, and the two of them started to laugh.

***

A few hours later...	“So...” The Doctor began, a bandage on the side of his head, “You found her... And knocked her out. Then you pulled her here, with Big Macintosh’s help?”
“Yup.” Apple Bloom smiled happily, her sister standing next to her.
“She thought it was the best thing to do at the moment...” Applejack replied, then took off her Stetson to show the time colt the large bump the farm filly had given her. All The Doctor and his friends could do was laugh, and even Big Mac joined in. However, as the group was clutching their sides, The Doctor took River Song by the hoof and pulled her out of the TARDIS and into the forest. 
“I know what you’re going to say...” River began, her eyes starting to fill with tears, “And you’re right.”	
“I’m sorry River,” the time colt said, his eyes looking deep into his wife’s, “but you know what’ll happen if you and I are here too long.”
“Yes... A time paradox. The end of time... Not here, but in our dimension... Just like old times, huh sweetie?”
“Yeah...” The Doctor then stood on his hind legs and walked over to River, hugging her tight as she cried, “I’ll come back as soon as I can... I promise.”
“I know...” the chestnut brown pegasus smiled sadly, then stepped away from her beloved and adjusted the watch on her right, front hoof. “Allons-y.” She said softly as she disappeared thought time.
The Doctor stood, staring at the spot for the longest time. Then, he started to walk back to the TARDIS... The sounds of his hooves covering his falling tears.

***

13 years later...	River Song rematerialized in a large glass room, her hooves a bit shaky from this dimension’s version of quick time travel. The time mare quickly left the room, entering a large, military-like base with only a few ponies inside. A white unicorn mare with purple and white hair walked up to the pegasus, the unicorn’s cutie mark was a small silver bell with a long blue handle. 
“Are you ok River? Do you need a drink?” Sweetie Bell asked.
“No thank you Sweetie, I’m fine.” she answered back, she took a step but was greeted by another pony. This one was an orange pegasus with a ruffled purple mane, her cutie mark was a rainbow colored cloud with a purple lightning bolt coming from it.
“How did it work? Did I get all the bugs out?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes wide as she looked at the watch on River’s hoof.
“Not quiet Scoot... Almost, but the landing was wobbly.” River Song then turned to the third member of the trio, a pale yellow earth pony with a long red mane. On the top of her head was a Stetson, and on her flank was an apple surrounded by the white flower petals. “You where right AB, you did knock her out.”
“Told ya!” Apple Bloom replied, adjusting her sister’s hat. “So everything’s fine now, right?”
“Absolutely, time line’s all fixed. You should tell your boss...” the brown pegasus  told the trio, who still called themselves The Cutie Mark Crusaders.  Quickly, Apple Bloom ran up a large flight of spiral stairs to another glass room, but this one was filled with television monitors and had a long table with couches around it. Laying on one of the couches was the commander of a secret agency in Equestria that the princesses themselves had made, but only a select few ponies knew about it. These ponies included Agents Scootaloo (the inventor and one of the fastest flyers in Equestria), Sweetie Bell (the agent tasked with keeping full knowledge of the agency’s field records), and Apple Bloom (a field agent and medic when times needed, mostly armed with old family remedies).
Other ponies knew of the group of course, among them the six who recommended the members of it now, as well as the spirit of chaos and the pony in the blue box (well, he would know after his return home). At the head of this agency was their leader, one who had been the smallest of them all at one point. The gray-ish purple unicorn watched the monitors, her eyes never blinking as she scratched her blonde mane with her hoof. 
“It’s done Dinky,” Apple Bloom said, smiling, “River’s back and we’re getting ready to send her home.”
“Good,” Dinky Hooves said as she stood, her muffin cutie mark showing until she pulled on her dark blue trench coat. “AB... Make sure to tell Spike to send off that letter, ok?”
“Which one boss?” the yellow mare asked.
“The one that says ‘Torchwhoof is back in business’.”
Doctor Whoof will return... In The Iron Horse...