BiE 80: World Tour.


                                            =BiE 80=


                                            >Year 1086 in Equestria.

                                            >You stood on the bridge as you watched Canterlot approach in the distance, silhouetted against the setting sun.

                                            >It had grown since you had been away.

                                            >You remember when it was just a city sitting on the side of a mountain, now it encircled it entirely.

                                            >Your helmsman grunted as he steered. "Blasted Griffins taking up all the food flight paths..."

                                            >"Simmer down Sky Streak, just take us in." Your first officer says.

                                            >He trots up to you. "How long has it been, sir?"

                                            >You sigh and think back. "About two hundred years? It's been a while, Kunta."

                                            >Kunta looks out the main window with you. "Excited to be back?"

                                            >You chuckle. "I've got a few friends to see, how bout yourself?"

                                            >He sighs. "I have never been to Canterlot before, I can already tell that it is very different from Zevera."

                                            >He had that right. "It's different in more ways they you can imagine, but the core is the same."

                                            >You turn to him. "I think you're going to like it here." You say with a smile.

                                            >Kunta chuckles. "If not, you owe me a ride down south." He says.

                                            >Kunta turns back to the bridge. "Alright, let's not have a repeat of Dromedor! Take us in nice and easy."

                                            >You hear your radio technician begin to speak. "This is airship Delphinus requesting permission to dock in the Southern harbor."

                                            >Home sweet home...


                                            >You can see him before you even get off the ship.

                                            >You step down the off ramp and see a familiar shape standing cross armed on one of the mooring hitches.

                                            >"Did you stand there the entire time?" You ask.

                                            >Mous turns and grins at you. "No. Sometimes I sat."

                                            >He jumps off the hitch and spreads his arms.

                                            >You drop your bag and follow suit.

                                            >The two of you embrace on the dock as your crewmembers disembark. "Oooohhh, it's good to have you back, buddy."

                                            >Mous leans back and begins to look you over. "Lemme get a good look at you, make sure you're eating right."

                                            >You strike a pose as Mous orbits you. "What do they serve on that boat? Grass?"

                                            >You cross your arms. "I got some meat along the way."

                                            >Mous laughs. "Guy spends almost two centuries exploring the world and doesn't pack enough food for the trip."

                                            >"Lucky for me there were so many stupid animals on the ground, huh?" You say as you pick your bag up and head down the pier.

                                            >Mous catches up with you. "So, how about we get a decent meal in you and then call it a movie night? Just like old times."

                                            >Fuck.

                                            >"I..uh...got an engagement later tonight, tomorrow?"

                                            >Mous extends his lower lip. "Aw, who could be more important than me?"

                                            >Shit, uh...

                                            >Mous just smiles. "Stupid Casanova..."

                                            >He waves you on. "Come on, we can just grab a meal together."


                                            >The two of you are seated in a small cafe in Canterlot.

                                            >You're amazed when they bring a pair of steaks out. "I taught 'em how to do that."

                                            >You're in shock. "But-How di-"

                                            >Mous giggles. "I figure you've seen all the Griffins around?"

                                            >You silently nod. You had seen them walking around the city.

                                            >Mous leans back. "About twenty or so years after you left, the whole Griffin Kingdom government just kinda imploded on itself."

                                            >Whoa..."Damn."

                                            >Mous nods. "Some Jarl died and about a half dozen lesser ones tried to fight for the throne. Turned into this big ass civil war, Gryphus ended up razed."

                                            >Shit. "So, what happened."

                                            >Mous takes a sip of his drink. "We'd been getting refugees from the fighting since it started. After Gryphus, Celestia and Luna stepped in and just annexed the Griffin Kingdoms into Equestria. Couldn't stand by and let the Griffins suffer, ya know?"

                                            >"Was there opposition?"

                                            >"Some, but you can imagine what lack of trade does for one's food supply. Most of the cries for "Griffin Independence." Died out about thirty or forty years ago."

                                            >You take a bite out of your steak. "Were you there?"

                                            >"Hmm?"

                                            >"At Gryphus."


                                            >Mous leans back in his chair. "Not for the initial landing, but I was there shortly thereafter."

                                            >He stares off into space for a bit. "It was a bad scene...lotta dead Griffins, lotta burning hatcheries."

                                            >You swallow your food. "They torched their own hatcheries?"

                                            >Mous swirls his drink in its bottle. "We captured a Legionnaire when we got there, he kept spouting on wanting to cleanse the impurities from the griffin gene who dared ask for P0ny help."

                                            >"Damn..."

                                            >"Mhmm...But now, the Griffins are all over Equestria. Living in peace and all that."

                                            >"Is it still called Equestria now?"

                                            >"It's a better name the "Quadropedia"."

                                            >You chuckle at the thought. "So, what else changed while I was away?"

                                            >Mous digs back into his food. "Got a new Grand Magister after Dream Charmer passed."

                                            >You remember Dream...she had a great mane.

                                            >"New guy is pretty good at the job, bit weird though. Keeps talking about the need to chronicle everything."

                                            >You sip your drink. "The job has a way of getting to you."


                                            >"So how bout you mister world explorer? Any interesting tales?"

                                            >You sighed. Where to begin. "Well, for one, you were right. Gallopfrey makes for a beautiful corpse."

                                            >"Told ya."

                                            >"What else?" You ask as you stab at the remains of your dinner. "Saw the Kingdom of Haven. Flew over Boardor. Traced the leylines all the way up to and past The Breach."

                                            >"You should be either dead or insane after that."

                                            >"It's not all that bad, just a lot of weird sounds."

                                            >You finish your meal and look at the clock. Should probably be going...

                                            >"I gotta jet, think you can pay for this and I'll get back to you?"

                                            >Mous grins. "It's not like you've had a job for two hundred years."

                                            >"You're a bro." You say as you walk down the street.

                                            >"Don't be commin' round here with no foals!" Mous cries behind you.


                                            >It was late now. Well past midnight.

                                            >You sat at the edge of the bed and scanned around on the floor. "Have you seen my shir-"

                                            >You look back to see Luna with your shirt on looking in her mirror.

                                            >"I suppose you have."

                                            >Luna made faces in the mirror. "I...don't think these are for me." She says, her wings trying to rise from underneath the garment.

                                            >You and Luna had always been...close.

                                            >You had worked together with Twilight on a few things and again when you were Grand Magister.

                                            >For a while, the two of you had considered making something of it.

                                            >That...didn't work.

                                            >So you fell into a different routine.

                                            >If the..."opportunity" arose and neither of you were tied down, you'd get together and spend some time with one another.

                                            >It normally didn't end in a bedroom, but two hundred years is a long time to not see someone.

                                            >You helped Luna get the shirt off her and slipped it on.

                                            >She trots up to you and smiles. "Anon, you ruined the view."

                                            >"Oh? Well...perhaps I could be persuaded into another showing."

                                            >Luna begins to rub her nose on your stomach. "I'll bet."

                                            >You get on your knees and wrap Luna in your arms, letting your hands slide down her back.

                                            >A contented sigh escapes Luna's lips as you move down to her wings.

                                            >A sigh that gives way to a sharp intake of air. "A-Anon..."

                                            >Shit!


                                            >You throw your hands off her wings and pull back.

                                            >Luna has her head low and shaking, her eyes the size of pinpricks. "Hey, hey it's alright." You say.

                                            >You wrap your arms around Luna and let her hitch into your shoulder. "Sshhh...It's alright. Everything is fine."

                                            >"I-I'm sorry Anon...t-this is stupid."

                                            >"Hey, don't talk like that. It's fine."

                                            >"I-I should be able to move past this. I'm sorry."

                                            >"There's nothing to be sorry for, it doesn't bother me." You whisper into her ear.

                                            >You spend a few minutes helping calm Luna down before you take a seat on the floor with her.

                                            >Luna looks up at a picture she had on her desk. "I miss him so much..."

                                            >"He was a good kid."

                                            >You remembered Pip from when you lived in P0nyville. Him and Thunderstrike had been good friends.

                                            >"H-he was the first one to not be afraid of me on Nightmare Night."

                                            >Pip had LOVED Nightmare Night. "I'd say it paid off for him." You said.

                                            >Luna laughs. "Shut up."'

                                            >"Hey, he got to make friends with a Princess, eventually married her. I'd say he made out pretty well."


                                            >Luna turns back and looks at the floor. "Do you ever miss Rainbow?"

                                            >You lean back against the bed. "All the time...and Dream Charmer, And Winter Withers, Lightning, Tip-Top, even Sugar Heart for all the crap she put me through."

                                            >Luna looks up at you. "How do you get past them? All that death..."

                                            >The million bit question...Mous had asked you that after Lotus had passed. "I guess...I'd just been ready for it. I mourned them when they left, but I don't think any of them would want me to let it dominate my life."

                                            >You chuckle. "Hell, Rainbow would probably kick my ass for it."

                                            >Luna giggles.

                                            >"I guess it's just a part of having an eternal life, huh?"

                                            >Luna is silent for a minute. "...Yes it is."

                                            >You turn to her and give your best smile. "Do you need me to stick around? Help you through the night?"

                                            >Luna gives you a peck on the cheek. "Sweet of you. But I think I'm fine."

                                            >You rise to your feet and give a small bow. "Your Highness..."

                                            >Luna stands and walks back to her bed. She flicks out a wing and extends a single feather in the center of it at you.

                                            >"Heh. Looks like we've been spending too much time together..."