=BiE 88=

>Year 2562 in Equestria.
>It has been eight months since the death of the Princesses.
>You sat at your dining room table in silence.
>You had done nothing since they died.
>No projects, no teaching, hardly any leaving the city. Nothing.
>You had seen ponies died before...hundreds of times.
>Spouses, children, grand children, and more. You had been there every time one of them had passed.
>But watching a pair of seemingly all powerful Princesses go...
>It really hammered home the reality of what an unending life would mean for you.
>An eternity of death with fleeting moments in between to punctuate it.
>Your mind had been changed over the last two thousand years.
>To an outsider, your courtship with Luna had lasted lifetimes.
>But you remembered every rendezvous, every lunch in the Arcanium, and every night together goofing off.
>You laughed inwardly.
>Here you were, an eternity later and with a Princess-Goddess going through the same motions you did with Dash when you first came here.

>You fiddled with the crystal on the table for the hundredth time today.
>A spell cooked up millennia ago...One you never thought you'd be considering using.
>One that you had thought about using every day for the last six months.
>As with every other time you were here, you attempted to rationalize a reason to get excited for something.
>And with every other time, you came up empty.
>You had traveled the world and seen every city under the sun.
>You had reached into the depths of the planet and pulled the magic trapped inside back together.
>You had subverted science at every turn, making matter out of nothing and creating objects that should not be able to exist.
>You had even taken the heavens themselves and made them run on time.
>You drop your head onto the table, once again frustrated that you could think of nothing to do.
>You once again considered your potential new monarchs.
>The media had gone into a craze after word broke of the Princesses and the apparent new heirs to the Equestrian throne.
>Mous had stepped in after having a word with you about it, declaring that the foals would be off limits to the tampering of anyp0ny, both civilian of royalty, until they were ready to take the throne.
>The two of you had both agreed that the children needed to live their own lives before they had to worry about everyp0ny else's.
>Your mind races as you think try to think of one thing that could excite you out of this rut.
>Well...There was That.

>You stepped into the castle proper and made your way to the Vault of Harmony.
>After the girls had gone, each of their Elements was placed in the vault to prepare them to be passed down to the next pony to hold them.
>The Acolytes had told you that the Elements would only choose their next wielders in times of extraordinary crisis.
>With that in mind, you had drummed up a rudimentary scrying tool that could locate the ponies required.
>You're a bit embarrassed at the simplicity of the device when you find it in the vault.
>Oh how moronic you were in your two hundreds.
>You open the chest the Elements were kept in and slot the tiara one into the device, might as well start with the big one.
>...Nothing.
>Damn.
>Okay, how about the next one?
>You swap out the tiara for one of the necklaces.
>...Still nothing.
>You continue to swap out each necklace into the device in the hope that one of them will light up, letting you know that there was something still out there.
>You felt your hopes shatter with each negative result.
>After you checked each Element for the third time, you let out a deep sigh.
>That was it then...
>There was nothing left to do in this world.
>You place the Elements back in their chest and lock up the vault before you head upstairs.
>You needed to talk with someone...

>Mous had practically moved in to the office at the top of the castle, he said he liked to be able to look out over the city.
>You found him standing over his desk scribbling his signature on some papers, a forest green cloak wrapped around his shoulders.
>"Nice shower curtain."
>Mous continues to sift through the papers. "I'm Lord of the city now, Lords wear capes."
>"Of course they do..."
>"You wore a robe once, Mister Grand Magister."
>Your memory takes you back to that unbelievably gaudy get up the had you wear.
>Rarity would have passed out.
>"I did, didn't I..."
>"So what can I do you for today, man?"
>"Can I...talk to you about something?" You say as you take a seat in front of his desk. "It's important."
>Mous's eyes drift up to you. "Big bro alert."
>He clears the papers and takes a seat behind his desk. "What's up, man?"
>You wring your hands together as you try to figure out how to play this.
>"I really don't know how to say this, so I guess I'll just do it..."
>You meet his eyes pleadingly.
>"I want to leave."
>Mous arches an eyebrow. "Like, another trip?"
>You shake your head. "No man..."
>"I want to leave Equestria."

>Mous stares at you in silence, his face one of confusion. "What? We can't leave..."
>He gets out of his chair and walks to the window. 
>"Why would you want to anyway?" He asks.
>You shake your head. "We've been here too long, man. We've seen and done too much."
>Mous waves a dismissive hand at you. "Just go off and see the world again."
>"That won't work."
>He turns back to look at you.
>"I spent two hundred years exploring the world, Mous. I've seen every city, lake, mountain and wonder the world has, hell I probably have a story about something that happened there."
>"There's nothing left to see... Just the same tired old sights."
>Mous paces to the other side of the room. "Then go teach some kids, or something."
>You shake your head. "The kids here are probably smarter than I am, they'll learn nothing from me." 
>"We've been here too long. The world is leaving us behind." You say.
>Mous leans against the wall. "Why are we even having this conversation? It's not like we can just up and leave the planet."
>You reach into your pocket. "That's...not true."
>You place the small silver crystal in the palm of your hand and show Mous. "What is that?" He asks.
>You turn the crystal over in your hand. "An old spell..."
>"Did you know that Twilight and I were working on a spell to send us home?"
>Mous looks at you like he'd seen a ghost. "We shelved it after a breakthrough we made right before all that Cult crap..."
>"Ever since then, I've been researching and tweaking the spell in my spare time. Just as a side project to see if I could."
>You hold the crystal up. "Mous, this spell will open a Waygate, one that could take us off Equestria."

>Mous is staring daggers at you.
>Daggers that are on fire and made of pure anger.
>"So that's it, huh? You've seen and done everything you can think of, so it's time to go?" He spits.
>"Mous it's not-"
>"We have responsibilities here Anon! We promised to take care of this Kingdom for Celestia and Luna!"
>Ouch...
>"Mous, look outside." You say as you point to the city.
>Canterlot looked like a utopia. Glistening spires, towers of arcane magic, and happy citizens.
>"Crime is next to nothing on both the upper and lower cities, the entire kingdom is enjoying peace and prosperity, and every other kingdom on the planet is enjoying those same rewards."
>You point to the two of you. "We did that. We helped them up and made them something great..."
>Your voice trails off. "And they don't need us anymore."
>Mous sweeps the papers off his desk and slams his hands down on it. "THAT'S NO REASON TO ABANDON THEM AFTER THEIR MONARCHS HAVE DIED!"
>"Have you seen the citizens!?" You shout.

>You point out the window again. "When we announced that Celestia and Luna had died, the press went nuts and they still did nothing! They're content to wait for the new foals to take the throne when they're ready!" 
>"We did that! We did it by working our asses off for this city for the past two thousand years! It makes perfect sense that they wouldn't need us anymore!"
>"Don't need us!? We have to protect them, Anon!" Mous shouts.
>You're practically pleading with him now. "Mous, this city isn't some kid who you picked up off the playground! It's grown up! They don't need our protection anymore!"
>Mous pushes off the desk and stomps to the window. "We can't abandon the only home we've had for two millennia just because we're bored!"
>"Well we can't stay in a place that we've overstayed out time in and call it a home worth having, either!"

-Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xRCjjiTR7I-
>The room stayed silent for what seemed like hours.
>You were left standing after your argument while Mous simply stood looking out the window.
>"Leave."
>What?
>"What did you say?" You ask.
>Mous turns to you, his eyes cold and distant. "I said leave. You want to go so bad, you want to grow up and be on your own? Do it."
>You take a step back as his words cut through you.
>This wasn't like with the cult, you could tell...
>This was real.
>"Mous...please..."
>"I have to protect the city, Anon. It's my job..."
>You take a step towards him. "Mous, please. This city doesn't need our help anymore..."
>Mous refuses to meet your eyes. "Get out of my office..."
>Your head falls as you hear those words.
>"Then I guess this is it, then..."
>You pause as you step through the door.
>You have to try, at least this once.
>"I wasn't asking permission to go...I'm gathering my things and taking a train to Ponyville today..."
>Mous is silent.
>"I'll be gone by sundown."
>Mous's eyes shift to you for a second before he turns his back to the door.
>Your eyes fall as you step out, the door clicking shut behind you.

-Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DzrAbLp3WE-
>You walked back to your apartment in a state of shock.
>It was over...
>After a trip to another dimension and over two thousand years, it was over...
>Oh well...
>One more reason you can't stay.
>You grabbed two of your magical pouches.
>One inlaid with the forth dimensional spell you had first made as a prison, you could fit practically your entire house in there.
>You threw some things inside it. Clothes, food, water, your marriage necklaces from every spouse you'd had, as well as a few texts on science and magic.
>The other was the perfected version of your duplication spell, ensuring that you'd never run out of supplies.
>You dumped a couple crystals into that one, you'd probably need them.
>Wherever you were headed...
>You secured those and several other pouches on your belt and left your home unlocked as you left. There wasn't anything particularly valuable in there anyway
>Mous was right about one thing, though. You had a responsibility that needed seeing to.
>You made your way to the Arcanium and jotted down some instructions on the operation of the Orbital Tether.
>The machine had never been too much of a hassle, but it was best to ensure that it would stay that way.
>Your Opus taken care of and your letter of resignation to the University sent, you make your way to the train station.
>It had been here...two and a half thousand years ago that you had first arrived at Canterlot...
>Back with Twilight and Dash...and Mous...
>You looked back at the city, taking it in one last time.
>You sigh and make your way to the ticket stand. "One for Ponyville...
>You pause at the last hurdle, wanting desperately for things to go back to how they were.
>But they can't...not here.
>"One way."

-Mous PoV-
>You watched the train pull away.
>The 1:15 to Ponyville, right on the second every day.
>That had been hard...
>You could move the heavens, but getting trains to run on time was a feat.
>You left your office for a walk around the castle, there being too much anger in there.
>You weren't mad.
He wants to go? Fine.
>If he wants to abandon you, that's his fucking choice.
Never mind the fact that we had fought for him in school.
>And taken on that Manticore, Discord, the Diamond Dogs, and a whole shit ton of other stuff.
>But no, this was a great fucking way to repay you.
>Not that you were mad.
>You blew past castle workers and guards alike as you weaved through the castle.
>Anon was banking on you being too scared to let him go.
>But you weren't scared.
>You weren't.
>You felt the grass crush underneath your boots as you kept walking.
>It was fine losing your best friend.
>You could do all this yourself.
You could do even more by yourself!
>Think of all the stuff Anon held us back from doing.
All those scumbags we let off easy.
>We could actually do all those things we wanted to do...
>Screw what other people said.
>You stop on your tirade as you walk through the garden.
>Before you stand two headstones. One with a single lotus petal on it, and the other with a small brown feather.
>Eitri had always wanted to be closer to her...
>Your wife and your son.
>The two people you knew would always be straight with you...
>Apart from Anon...
>You feel your legs give out underneath you as you drop to your knees in front of the graves.
>"Hey Pretty Pony...hey Featherhead..."
>"I need some advice..."

>Anyp0ny walking by might think you're nuts, but you could give a damn.
>"I don't know what to do, guys."
>"I have responsibilities to Canterlot, to...all the ponies who live here."
>It was true, you were bored of Equestria.
>You had been bored of Equestria since your last friend died eight months ago.
>But that didn't excuse you from your job.
>"All my life I've been looking out for people. Protecting those who couldn't do it themselves."
>You look up at the towers sprouting over the garden walls.
>"And now I've got an entire city to look out for..."
>You thought back to what Anon had said.
>"I...A-anon was right about a few things. We've made life good for the p0nies who live here..."
>You look up at the graves with blurring vision.
>"But if I were to leave here...I might not get back in time to see you both again..."
>You felt a pang in your chest as you remembered the promise you made at Eden so long ago.
>"I don't want Anon to go away...but..."
>He had said that the city had grown up and didn't need a protector anymore.
>But what about him?
>Had Anon grown up?
>He had become Grand Magister, traveled to world, made it so you could see Lotus one more time, set the moon and the sun to his watch, and gotten a Princess to fall for him.
>He had come a long way from that scared little kid you knew back home
>He had probably gone farther then you did...

>Did Anon deserve to be on his own?
>Make his life what he wanted of it without others mucking it up?
>You...You'd be alone then.
>The only human in a world of colorful ponies...
>Not aging, not dying, just watching as everything moved along.
>On your own.
>You shudder the thought out of your mind and look to the gravestones.
>What would they say here?
>You close your eyes and try to remember what they talked like.
>You can almost hear Lotus, full of fire and spunk. "The man I fell in love with wouldn't be dwelling on this when there was something he needed to do."
>In the other ear, you heard Eitri. His voice full of the bravado and pride he showed as he got older. "My dad would have smacked me upside the head if he saw me worrying about something this obvious."
>Dammit, you just wanted all of this to stop.
>You hadn't changed that much...had you?
>You decide to level with your hallucinations and try to remember what you were like when you first came to Ponyville, and before that even, on Earth.
>What you find are a bunch of inspirational words you shouted to get people moving.
>"Never let anyone tell you what you can't have."
>"No stopping. Not while you have a heart left beating."
>"Force your way down a path you choose to take."
>You sit there on your legs as you consider past-you's words.
>A path YOU choose to take...

-Anon PoV-
>You stepped off the train into Ponyville.
>You knocked your feet on the station floor. 
>Still wood...
>Stepping outside the station, you see that while the town had expanded, it still had its rustic charm.
>Hay roofs...
>Unpaved roads...
>Happy p0nies trotting to and fro.
>You decided to walk through town a bit before you left.
>There was the old Sugarcube Corner building, now turned into a townhome..
>Town Hall had been moved, in its place was now a fountain almost as tall.
>In front of it still stood the overgrown monument to the Diamond Dog victims.
>You stepped inside an all too familiar building constructed inside a hollow tree.
>"Still a Library..." You muttered.
>An elderly librarian shushed you after you said that, reminding you of this places old owner.
>You walked around and glanced at the shelves you had spent so long organizing.
>Your eyes stung as you remembered all the good times you had here. From your first night in Equestria to all those hours as Twilight's assistant.
>You left before the room got to you, making your way to your old house.
>Along the way, a shadow falls over you as something blots out the sun.
>Something with purple scales.

>You had seen dragons in the interim after you moved to Canterlot, but Spike put them all to shame.
>"Hey there, Spikey Wikey." You say.
>Spike snorts as he lands in the field next to you. "Anon, you know I haven't gone by that name in ages."
>You walk up and rub his gargantuan snout. "Yeah, well, I was there when it was still cool. I'd say I'm entitled to it."
>A sound escapes Spike's throat that sounded like a chuckle. "So, why are you hear?"
>You released a sigh. "I'm...leaving Spike. This world has... gotten too small for me."
>Spike's eyes wavered. "Leave? How?"
>Your hand dug into your pocket. "A last gift...from an old friend of ours."
>Spike's eyes widened as you brought up his old caretaker. 
>You place a hand on his snout before he gets too emotional. "Take care of this place for me, will ya Spike?"
>You look into his great eye. "I left it as best I can for you."
>"I..." Spike starts before his face hardens. "You can count on me, Anon."
>Atta boy...

>You head down the old road you used to take into Ponyville every day.
>The area your house had landed in had been turned into a park.
>You got a few odd looks from families enjoying their day, but none of them bothered you.
>It wasn't long before you saw it.
>The old brick and mortar house had come a long way from getting ripped out of the universe and flung into a different one.
>You for some reason began to wonder about your downstairs neighbors face when you left...
>You step up to the front porch and look in.
>The door had probably fallen off ages ago, leaving a clear view inside.
>You take a few steps in and look around.
>It was all here...
>The old kitchen, the living room...
>You step into your old empty room.
>If you shut your eyes, you could almost feel the presence of the old furniture.
>The smell of someone cooking dinner.
>The feeling of hooves wrapping around your neck...
>You're pulled back to reality all too quickly by a bird calling in the distance.
>You shake your head and proceed to walk out of the apartment, being sure not to look inside Mous's old room as you left.

>You stood on a hill a bit away from the old house.
>Welp...time to go...
>Best place as any, in the sight of the way you came in.
>You reach into your pocket and grab one of the Waygate crystals you made.
>You kiss the crystal for luck as you toss it on the ground.
>The crystal shatters and releases the spell trapped inside.
>Space ripples and bucks in front of you until a translucent portal stands before you.
>Looks stable.
>You stand on that hill for a while, just staring into the rippling portal in front of you.
>Time to go...
>You look back behind you, taking one last look at the kingdom you called home for the last two dozen lifetimes.
>Maybe you'll come back one day...
>Off in the distance, you see the mountain encircling city of Canterlot.
>You turn back to the portal.
>"Later, buddy..."
>You begin to walk to the portal.
>...
>"Wait."

-Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfPKwxflDeg-
>"Wait up." A voice called.
>You turned around to see someone you never intended to see again.
>"Mous?"
>He trudged up the hill to you, his cape billowing behind him. "Sorry I'm late, chariot was a bit slow."
>He walked up next to you. "This it?"
>You look to the portal and nod. "Yeah."
>"Where to?"
>"Some other universe, I don't know which one."
>Mous glances to you. "You know, going through that could age you instantly."
>"I also might not be able to breathe."
>"It could let you out in the center of a sun."
>You look at him. "It could do all that and more but...I have to do it. I can't stay here."
>Mous's eyes shift between you and the portal. "We'll go together." He says.
>With that, Mous breaks the chain on his cape and lets it fall to the ground.
>"Whoa what? What about all that that happened back there? What about Canterlot?"
>Mous adjusts his knife on the back of his belt. "Anon, we can disagree and argue and fight, we can call each other names and scream..."
>He looks you in the eye with a small smile. "But I don't call you my bro because I think we're secretly related."
>You smile as he speaks. "Your problems are mine, and my problems are yours. That's how we roll."
>You extend your arms and embrace your brother on top of the hill.
>The two of you break away and look down the hill at all the p0nies below.
>"You ready to go [spoiler]Al[/spoiler]?" Mous says.
>You grin. "Let's go, [spoiler]Tom[/spoiler].
>With that the two of you step through the portal, content that wherever it lead you, it would lead you together.

-Epilogue-
Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN_HVup9oOg

>Over the years in Equestria, there have been many legends.
>The Rise of Chaos.
>The Setting of the Moon.
>The Return of Harmony.
>However, on that day, a new legend was told.
>A legend of two beings from across the stars.
>They had started as men, fighting the beasts of the wild.
>They moved on to be champions, guarding Equestria from the forces of Chaos.
>They rose to become heroes, defending a city against legions of the darkest warriors.
>And then they transcended into legends, by dragging the world towards a better tomorrow on their own backs.
>On that day, a new legend was told.
>The Scholar and the Fighter.
>The Mage and the Trickster.
>The Mind and the Soul.
>The tale of The Two Brothers.

-The End.