BiE 82: Gift Wrapped.

=BiE 82=

 

>Year 1486 in Equestria.

>It was also Mous's birthday.

>You were standing outside on the main deck as the ship slowly sailed through the sky.

>The deckhands around you were more than a bit nervous.

>You couldn't blame them, The Breach was a fairly un-routine place.

>The sound was what did most p0nies in, that faint singing sound echoing in the wind.

>Some thought it was sirens, or some sort of magical resonance from The Breach.

>It sounded like a church choir to you.

>You walked over to the edge of the deck next to a particularly edgy deckhand. "Nervous, son?"

>He snaps to attention as he sees you. "Sir! I...guess you could say that."

>He looked off the edge of the ship. "You hear the stories about this place, p0nies telling you that you're mad for coming this far...seeing it I start to think they're not far off."

>You look over the edge of the ship with him.

>The Breach was the place in Equestria where science went to go fuck itself.

>Your view was dominated by floating landmasses and continents.

>Off in the horizon you could see the pink glow from all of Equestria's leylines coming together a little past your destination.

>The water underneath you rippled away from itself from the tear in the world at the sea floor.

>You turn back to the deckhand. "Don't worry. The Breach puts on a big show, but I came through here years ago without even a scent of trouble."

>He looks a bit more relaxed at your words. "Nothing, huh?"

>You shake your head. "Not a damn thing."

>He grows a small smile. "Schway."

>Your brain cracks a bit at his words. "Schway"?"

>The boy smiles. "Yeah, the Logician has been saying it all voyage. I guess it caught on."

>He didn't...

>"Excuse me, son."

 

>You stomped down the corridor of your ship and threw open the door to Mous's room.

>"Yeah, don't knock or anything. Not like I could be-"

>"SCHWAY?"

>A devilish grin immediately grows on his face. "Which one was it?"

>"ONE OF MY DECKHANDS."

>Mous jumps up from his set. "Oh good! I'll have to give him a bit for using it."

>"What are you doing?" You ask disbelievingly.

>"Making a trend!" He says with a smile. "I figure I can get all of Canterlot saying it within the next five or so years."

>You bury your face in your palm. "Mous, this is..."

>Stupid.

>Inane.

>Fetishistic.

>"Schway?"

>You look up and glare at him. "It's schwarbage."

>"It's been a thousand years! About time we got some new slang terms."

>"Not from a cartoon."

>Mous walks to his chair. "Oh, you're no fun."

>"Besides, I don't know what you expected me to do, you've kept me on this boat for a week. Why do we need to go all the fuck the way out here for a birthday present?" He says.

>He'd change his tune...

>"It only works here." You say.

>Mous brings a hand to his chin. "Is it a spaceship?"

>"No."

>"A robot?"

>"No, dude."

>"A spaceship robot?"

>You give him a deadpan look. "I promise that your gift will be wonderful and excellent and that you won't be able to guess it."

>Mous leans back. "Well that's no fun."

>"Not for you, anyway."

>"How much longer until we get there, anyway?"

>You do some math in your head. "At current speed and where I figure we are, I'd say about a half hour."

>Mous pouts. "Bet you didn't even wrap it."

 

-Mous PoV-

>You and Anon disembarked the ship alone.

>He had said you wouldn't need the deckhands.

>The two of you stood in a rather unassuming field of grass.

>Apart from the fact that this continent was at the literal edge of the world and a stone's throw away from the source of all magic, it looked pretty normal.

>"Where are we?"

>Anon looks around with a smile. "Eden: The Original Landmass. Hidden up at the tip of the world and spawning every other landmass on the planet from its fertile shores."

>You looked around. Pretty normal trees, normal mountains, normal lake way off in the distance.

>"It looks like Montana."

>You turn to Anon.

>"So, why drag me all the way out here for my fifteen hundredth and third?"

>Anon smiled and produced a small pulsating crystal from his pocket. "I've been working on something for a while...talking to some colleagues, working out the details, figuring out just what to do to make this work."

>He smiles at you, that warm smile that was probably responsible for his last four spouses. "Well, I finished it. And I can't think of someone I would rather give it to then you."

>"Anon...what the fuck are you talking about?"

>Anon smirks and tosses the crystal past you.

>An explosion of bring light and a wall of sound rushes past you as the crystal releases it's magics.

>In the direction of the light, you can hear the sound of hooves clopping towards you.

>"...Mous?"

 

-Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vCKFeO3nNs-

>No way...

>That voice...

>You look towards the light, more gentle and benevolent now then when it first came into being.

>You dropped to your knees at the sight.

>Same hair...same coat...just as you remembered...

>She trots up to you and nuzzles your face with hers. "Hey, you..."

>You wrap your arms around her.

>"H-hey pretty pony..."

>You can feel tears welling up in your eyes.

>She was back. Lotus was back.

>"Oh my god, oh my god..."

>You kiss her neck as the tears fall down your face.

>"H-how are you here?"

>She rests her head on your shoulder, just like she used to. "I was told someone wanted to see me..."

>She was...how-

>You turn back to Anon.

>"How long?"

>Anon smiles at you. "Few minutes?"

>You turn back and embrace Lotus again. It would do.

>"I missed you."

>"I missed you too."

>This was...

>"What's it like up there?" You ask.

>Lotus rocks in your arms a bit. "Big, happy. You have a lot of old friends up there..."

>You look down at the bracelet you were wearing.

>"Your dad mad at me for taking so long?"

>Lotus pulls away from you and smiles, she was still wearing her necklace.

>"How could he be mad at his favorite son-in-law?" She says before giving you a peck on the lips.

>That wasn't enough. You pulled Lotus back to your lips and let her embrace take away all the heartache you had in you once again.

 

>Lotus pulls away from you and places her forehead against yours. "I think our time together is almost up again..."

>"That's fine..."

>She sniffs. "I wish I could see you again."

>"You will."

>Lotus looks into your eyes in confusion.

>"Take a message to your boss, landlord, whatever. Tell them that when I eventually...go, that I'm gonna want in. No Pearly Gate's gonna stop me."

>Lotus lets loose a small laugh through her own tears. "You'd break into Elysium on your own?"

>You smirk.

>"Of course. Who the hell do you think I am?"

>Lotus laughs harder this time and wraps her hooves around your neck. "You're my completely mad husband...and I love you."

>You bring your lips together one last time.

>"I love you too."

>Lotus turns back the way she came in response to some voice only she can hear.

>She turns back to you with a tearful smile. "See you again?"

>You reluctantly release her from your arms.

>"Count on it, pretty pony."

>Lotus smiles and trots back to the portal.

>She stops at its edge and sends one more wave to the two of you.

>This was...good.

>You knew you would see her again.

>You promised.

>As Lotus finished waving, she stepped through the portal just in time for it to swallow itself.

 

-Anon PoV-

>Mous got off his knees as the portal shut itself.

>He begins to walk over to you with his head down. "So, did you enj-"

>"Shut the fuck up, Anon." He says as he wraps his arms around you.

>This was...new.

>Very new.

>"Thank you...I don't know how you did it and I don't know how I could repay you, but thank you." He says.

>You pat him on the back. "Don't thank me man, it was your birthday. What else was I supposed to do?"

>He pulls away from you, his arms still on your shoulders. "Use it yourself? You have just as much use for it as me..."

>You had considered that for a moment.

>You shake your head. "This trick only works once, dude. I guess I could have seen Rainbow, or Thunder..."

>His head droops a bit. "But I finished this and thought. "Who do I know that could use a visit from an old flame?", I really couldn't see myself using it any other way."

>Mous chuckles. "You're a real bastard, ya know?"

>He looks up at you. "Here I am trying to be the best friend ever and you go on and blow me out of the water like this."

>You grin at him. "You do pretty well, yourself."

>Mous lets go of you with the biggest genuine smile you've seen from him in a while. "Thanks man...for everything."

>You give him a slap on the shoulder. "Any time."

>The Delphinus floats in the air a ways away. "Ready to head back home?"

>Mous wipes his eye and looks out with that smile. "Yeah, let's go."

>"I have to get to work on the statue of you I have to make now, anyway." He says.