Starswirl the Bearded smiled as he looked around. He was surrounded by the other Pillars of Equestria, at least most of them. A few of his old comrades in arms passed before him, though not many as he was the oldest. His thoughts flitted to his newer friends. The new saviors of Equestria, and the newest Alicorn of the country. Though not as close as his old friends he had become friends with many of them, and others in the new Equestria. He was not sad to go, per say, but he knew he would have enjoyed seeing a bit more of the world, most people did, though everyone had to go in their appointed time, and this was his. Starswirl closed his eyes, and leaned back into the pillows, he had said his goodbyes to those he could. There were many he couldn't but he was at peace with that. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing that he could do. He was at peace.
Starswirl opened his eyes again, a little surprised as he opened his eyes again. He was... Standing. Standing next to his body, and his friends. Though it was different now. He could see his friends, see their grief, crying, comforting each other, one even wailing. But it was, distant now. He wasn't sure why, he felt compassion for his friends, but now that he was on the other side it was different. He wouldn't wish it on his friends, but they were fearing the journey he was on, and he was on the journey. They wouldn't, no, they couldn't understand, but they would when their time came, and they caught up to him.
Smiling, Starswirl turned, and made his way out of his room, out of his house, and then, looking up, out of his town. He followed a light, a distant light. He chuckled as he thought of the old "light at the end of the tunnel" saying. Though this was no tunnel, the light also wasn't overwhelming, it was a little spot up on the hill. He wasn't sure why it was different from the rest of the light, but it was, it seemed... More real somehow. Like how he had been disconnected from his friends emotions, he was disconnected from his house, from the town, from all the lights in the town. But this light, it was real, it was of, the next world, and so he hiked up towards it, and was met with a most unusual sight.
It was pretty unicorn mare sitting next to a lantern, up on a snow swept hill, waiting for him. He grinned a little as he bowed his head to the other. "If you had a post for that I'd have thought I just walked into a storybook."
The unicorn shook her head, grinning. "Nope, nothing like that, you can still meet the allegory lion though. I'm Minuette by the way."
Starswirl bowed his head slightly. "Greetings Minuette. I think I've seen you before, did you recently pass on?"
Minuette shook her head. "No, I'm more... Of a greeter."
Starswirl tilted his head to the side. "Greeter? Not guide?"
"No, not guide. You won't need a guide, you know the road well." At the smile, and bow of Starswirl's head Minuette smiled. "Any requests, before you walk on?"
Motioning behind him, to the city. "My other friends, my new ones, I am concerned they..."
Even before he finished his statement Minuette was shaking her head. "They knew, and don't worry, your friends will carry word to them, they will know, and they will mourn for you.
At that Starswirl chuckled. "Well, if they could know that we'll meet again..."
Minuette nodded. "Many do, some don't, but that is up to them to decide, we cannot decide for them." She looked over the city.
Starswirl looked onwards, over Minuette's shoulder. "Is it... Wrong to grieve?"
Minuette shook her head, smiling. "No, it's part of who you are. But just remember, you have so much more ahead of you." She snickered after a moment. "Well, not you specifically, of course."
After a moments hesitating Starswirl motioned with his head back towards the town. "Is... Is there anything I can do for them? Or maybe, you can tell them that I'm ok over here?"
Minuette again shook her head. "No, that is not within my purview. But sometimes people do get... Nudges, it all depends on what they need."
Starswirl nodded, starting forward before stopping, pausing for a moment before looking sideways at the unicorn. "I know, I know for a fact I messed up, and could have done some things better, and now I can never fix them. Why don't I feel regret?"
Minuette smiled. "We can't have the world having veto power over your final reward, can we? Everything you did you chose to do, right or wrong. Regret is part of time, where you had to think and doubt what you had done in the past. You have passed beyond the gates of time, welcome to eternity."
Starswirl gave a bow of his head. "Thank you. Oh, and don't worry, I've heard the stories, I won't look back."
As Starswirl walked past he heard Minuette's giggle, and response. "I promise, you won't even want to."
Starswirl walked past the lantern, and onwards, over the hill. Over the lip, in the valley, was a city, a town, a village, he couldn't describe it. It was all of those things, all of them, and more. It was the village of his youth, it was the city of Canterlot in it's prime, it was the town of Ponyville, it was every best moment of everywhere he had ever been. It was so beautiful that it would scar the heart, if the heart wasn't strengthened by beholding such beauty. He walked on, to the city, looking to the gates that opened before him. And it was true, he didn't, even for a moment, want to look back.
