The Old Bones Creak · 4:34am Mar 15th, 2023
The pegasus' eyes fluttered open blearily. How long had it been since they closed? Weeks? Months? His coat felt uneven and unkempt, his mane was longer than he remembered, and thick with tangles he could feel without even moving yet. When his eyes adjusted to the low light around him, the dusk seeping in through a boarded up window; everything he had known was coated in moss and lichen. Vines crept over his furniture. Mold and insects had conquered the last meal he prepared, leaving a small grey mound that barely took up any of the plate.
"Maybe..." his voice croaked hoarsely, more with disuse than age. He looked at the blank papers underneath his cheek, and started to rise. Stiff joints popped into place, sending waves of relief and rejuvenation through his limbs. He stretched out his back and his wings, loud cracks echoing through the empty room as moss fell from the unused body. He glanced at the calendar.
It had been years.
"Maybe it's time, for the hiatus to end." He grunted, relaxing his body as life flowed through it again. A pink light flickered to life immediately, stirring his glance to the mechanical mare beside him. She remained as polished as she ever was, and was currently occupied with sweeping away what must have been months of dust. Her eyes acted like spotlights in the darkened room, their expression smiling in the absence of a mouth.
*Back to writing, sir?* Her mechanical tone was chipper, giddy even as the stallion shook his head, pulling a withered quill out of his beard.
"Soon, but not quite yet." He sighed, examining the feather pen in his hooves aimlessly. "Need to flex those muscles... lost track of my passion for too long. Left too hastily."
*I'm sure a few have stuck around, hoping you'd come back.*
"Heh," the laugh was more of a cough than anything else, a bitter sound devoid of mirth. "Maybe, but I don't want to let them down again."
*Then don't.* The android paused her sweeping, looking around at the disrepair. *Besides... you have gone on quite the character arc during your little nap.*
The pegasus stood up slowly, smiling ruefully. He turned, stumbling with sleepy legs towards the door. He pushed the rotten wood open, a loud creaking echoing in the front lawn. He could still see the three hundred chairs set up, but the setting sun glinting over the horizon prevented him from seeing how many were still filled. He smiled, and waved into the yard regardless of who was still watching.
"Hello, everypony! If you'll still have me, I think I might be... well, albeit with time..."
"... I might be coming back."
Yay! Amethyst is back!
Yay! Welcome back my friend!
