Twilight carefully pushed to door open, peering into the cage within. She spotted the creature reclining against the far wall and entered the room. Her steps were hesitant as she reconsidered the intellect in going to see the being. Eventually, curiosity won out and she approached Author with a surety in her step that had been absent a few moments prior. He didn’t seem to be paying attention, additionally a pair of objects in his ears made it so he couldn’t hear anything. Floating alongside the unicorn was a flask filled with a tropical punch, she wasn’t quite sure if he would enjoy it but it seemed a fair bet.
Circling around Twilight noticed that his eyes were closed, she thought for a moment that he was asleep, but his eyes seemed to be tearing up. Politely, Twilight coughed to get his attention, after a moment his eyes opened. They settled on Twilight Sparkle and a sad smile covered his face. He took the things out of his ears and leaned forward, waiting for Twilight to start.
“Hello,” she began. He nodded and waited for her to continue. Slowly, the unicorn passed the flask through the bars, which the man took. Without hesitation he drank the liquid within and his smile changed to one of cheer. Twilight pondered briefly on the blind trust he had put to her, she had handed him a flask and, not knowing its contents, had drank it down without fear or worry. As she pondered on this oddity, the creature built up the courage to speak.
“Did Rainbow Dash ever make it into the wonderbolts?” He asked bluntly, looking towards the ground.
Caught off guard, it took Twilight a moment to answer. “Yes, she passed the entrance exam with flying colors.”
“And I assume the Cutie Mark Crusaders got their Cutie Marks.” Twilight made to answer but he continued on without pause. “Pumpkin and Pound Cake are probably old enough to start looking for their cutie marks now. Heck, they might even have them already. I hope Fluttershy is doing okay, she was always very shy. Though I imagine she’s gotten better at standing up for herself. And Pinkie Pie, she’s doing okay yea? Still as cheerful as ever I hope. Spike and Rarity ever actually become a couple? Spike hasn’t gone all dragon-y again has he? I doubt it, he seems like he can take care of himself.”
Twilight stood in awe as the creature blathered. Author not only knew her and her friends, he knew about who they were, what they wanted. He seemed preoccupied as he talked, as if he forgot that she was even there to begin with. He continued listing off questions, not waiting for the answers. He even touched lightly on some ponies that Twilight had met only in passing. Lyra, Vinyl, Fancy Pants, even Photo Finish received a few words. Her mind was still whirring from the impossibility of him knowing so much about the world when he fell silent.
Eventually, Twilight caught on and looked worriedly towards Author. He was looking down to the flask in his hand. “I’m... sorry.” He stated finally. “I didn’t mean to...” He didn’t finish. An all consuming silence echoed silently through the still air of the air without sound so much so that if the silence could rule it would have done so silently. A small beeping filled the air, and Twilight glanced towards a small bell that hung from her hair.
“Ah,” she said as she remembered. “I forgot about the picnic that I scheduled.”
“That’s very unlike you Twilight. Something on your mind recently?” Came the reply. Worriedly Twilight looked toward Author who simply remained staring at the flask. Something had indeed come up, a special assignment from Celestia. After a solid week of working she had been granted a few days of rest. Though granted really is the wrong word, she had been kicked out of her laboratory forcefully and had not been permitted to enter again until the days had past.
As she looked towards the man she let her horn lit up for a moment. Carefully, she tapped into his emotions, to feel what he felt. She was forced out by a crushing feeling of despair and emptiness. Uncertain, Twilight looked between Author and the door. “Would you...” His gaze rose to look at the unicorn as she spoke. “Would you like to come to the picnic with me and my friends? Pinkie always makes too much anyway.” She said, a smile slowly crossing her face.
“Though I appreciate the gesture, I think I’ll decline. I’d rather not make such a bad impression on your friends. Doing it to you was already bad enough.” He smiled a fake smile and stood from the ground. “I would like to go to the area where the picnic is, though. If only to see how everyone’s grown up.” Twilight nodded in response and they both left the room, heading towards the garden.
Author slouched as he walked, drinking from the flask occasionally to keep the taste on his tongue. Twilight walked alongside him and slightly ahead. Every now and then she would dare to glance towards him, as if that alone would sate her curiosity. Guards would stare at the duo as the passed, nodding to Twilight while staring uneasily at Author. Author didn’t mind the attention, he didn’t even seem to acknowledge it as they passed.
Eventually they came to the gardens and Twilight bid a farewell to the man, who remained at the threshold. She found her friends and began a joyful reunion with them, they talked about what had taken place since they last met and upcoming events. Once in awhile, Twilight would look to the archway and see the man leaning against the wall, a sad smile on his face, but it wouldn’t be long before her attention would be grabbed by her friends once again.
Silently, Luna stepped up next to the man. She was preparing to apologize to him when his voice met her ears. “You really shouldn’t feel guilty Luna, it’s unbecoming for a princess.” Author said, as if stating fact.
“How, how did you?” She hadn’t sensed any magic from the man. He smiled in return.
“Do you know what a blue mage is?”
“No, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of such a thing before.”
A heavy sigh came from the man. “Oh well, it’s not important anyway.”