#151
Spring. Day 166. Late Afternoon. Clackerton.

Another day of worry. Detrimental worry. I've been thinking myself in circles ever since I got home from Zecora's. I'm just so darned frustrated with myself over the issue. Should I consult father, I thought. No, he's busy with mayoral duties and Busy is still at the post office, if there's anything left of it.

In the months I've been gone, half the town has undergone reconstruction. It's jarring seeing practically every home and shop half old and half new. Tied together by bars and planks of wood and a good lot of familiar shops still closed. I have a feeling that their owners were victims of the bombings. It's all a bit tragically nostalgic. All I can say is the house feels empty without mother. I wonder how Busy and father are handling this.

Still, I need to tell her what I've done. I don't want to lose her too. Guess I'll just have make my way over and tell her. Apricot, I mean. I'm sure she'll be devastated at least. Beyond that, I don't know what will happen and I won't find out until I tell her. I should rest more, but I'll do is worry myself sick

#152
Spring. Day 166. Late Evening. Clackerton.

I found myself before Apricot's home again, traversing new streets and getting lost several times over. I've had to guess my direction by what I could see of the clock tower. Upon finding myself at her door, I knocked thrice. In the short time I waited, I saw Yukon, peering down from the roof. “You're as big as ever.” I called out. He hopped down without a flap and glared at me. He grew alright, bigger than Celestia, even. He lowered his head and sniffed, feeling the air shift around me as he did. He gave me a small coo and nudging his head into mine. “Easy there.” I smiled, petting his in return.

Not hearing the door, “So you've gone injured yourself again? Don't you remember our conversation before you left?” Apricot said, a slight smile on her face. Poorly hiding the weariness in her eyes.

“I have.” I stopped. “And I have more than that to say. May I come in?”

“Yes, of course. Yukon, back to the roof.” The bird hopped back up. Houses must be like branches to him. Wonder if I could use him for my job. Shaking the thought, I let Apricot lead me in. “Take a seat in the dining room, I have something to take care of real quick.”

It was plain what she wanted to take care of, she wanted to clean herself off. Get the smell of animals and rid the bags out from under under her eyes. Still, even if she was tired, she was pretty, and that's one of many reasons I love her. And now, after the bombings, she seems rather delicate but her eyes hold more confidence than they used too.

She came back down, poured glasses of water and took a seat across from me. “Well, tell me. The last letter I got from you was when you got into Hestan. You didn't mention anything about your wings then, said they healed. Still look a little broken to me.”

I cleared my throat. “I got caught up in the affairs of Hestan royalty. The princess, Ginger, had a brother she wanted to oust off the throne because he wasn't treating the citizens well. He also imprisoned the king and poisoned the queen. I wound up fighting him to the death. However, he had used magic to throw Ginger and the king out of the tower.”

I paused, her face slightly twitched at the fact. “The former prince had ensnared me as well so I broke a wing and grabbed my flight equipment. Then I jumped out the window and saved the king and Ginger.” Taking another gulp of water, I continued, “But, that lead me crashing through a tower and landing in the fields nearby.”

“That's quite the story, Letter.” Apricot answered. “Something tells me that's not all of what happened.” My eyes found the floorboards more interesting. Apricot's voice lowered and trembled. “Is it? Letter, please tell me.”

“I- I... I got married. To Ginger-”

“You what!?” she cried in disbelief. “You better have a good reason for this.” I could feel her fragile heart begin to crack.

“I didn't know. She said it was a ceremony and it's tradition is far different than what we have here. It clicked well after it was over. Although, she didn't have it recorded into the records and the only witness was the king.”

Devastation still rung her and shrunk back in her chair. “Did... did you two still... have sex?” she blushed. Her usual innocence wouldn't have her asking this question. I nodded. “Give me some time, Letter. I need to sort this all out.”

“How much time?”

“I don't know.” she got up and took to the stairs. “Go see your family, Letter. They need to see you.”

I looked at the glasses, she had emptied hers, mine was still half full. I watched the water sit there a while. Mind empty as a dried and dusty well. I went outside and looked to the roof again, Yukon was still there, watching over the house like a guardian. “Yukon, let me know if something happens.”

He let out another coo.

I ran for the post office, surely Busy was still there. She would have to be, as hard as she worked before she would be working harder now. I found the post office much like I found Apricot's house, lost and confused. To my surprise, Busy was asleep at the front desk. Some nefarious part of me queued up then. I took several stacks of envelopes and began placing them around her head. Careful not to nudge, she's only a heavy sleeper to noise, but not pushing and shoving.

After managing to construct a bridge over her head, I tapped her horn. She jumped and shrieked while I sat there and stared. “Who did that? Who – OH, Letter!” She leaped over the table only to slip and match her face to the floor. I smiled, enjoying my brief prank. She fumbled trying to get back up. “Brother! What a fiendish thing to do. How was your trip? You must – what happened to your wings?”

“I can talk about it later, at dinner. Is dad going to be around by then?”

“Yes.” She hugged my tightly, yet cautiously. “I'm glad you're home. I'll give you a week or two off to rest. You've earned it, I'm sure.”

“How have things been going around here?”

“Some folks are still having trouble adjusting, sadly. Some families had their homes entirely redone. We've had to cut down more forest in such short order that the lumberjacks got exhausted. The construction crew had more problems, getting every blueprint in order and expanding the town further up the mountain. Your friends you made over in Ponyville and Canterlot were a big help.”

“Really?”

“Yup.” she answered, taking care of the mess of envelopes. “It was a pleasure to talk to such astute royalty, you know. Celestia, boy I wonder why she hasn't married yet. She's such a gorgeous mare. Same goes for Luna and Twilight too. Though, Twilight is far younger and inexperienced than the both of them.”

“That much is obvious, Busy.”

“True. Did you already visit Apricot? She's been worried sick about you, you know.”

Lowly, I answered, “Yeah, I did.”

She gasped, “Oh, if you did what I think you did...” She glanced around the floor, two other ponies were chatting to one another, working out new routes over a table. “In the office, now.” If Rarity gave me scolding, then Busy would easily roast me. I followed her into the office. A room she had earned as her own after the previous postmaster had retired. She locked the door, closed the blinds, and casted a spell to seal away sound. “What happened, I want it clear and to the point. This is about family and friends and not work. This will not affect your job as an extended courier..” that's new. “but it will affect my thinking of you.”

Taking a breath, staring into her eyes a moment, then exhaling, “I was wedded into royalty without prior knowledge.”

“What was the purpose and how far did it go?”

“I helped the princess take the throne back from her bad brother and the imprisoned king, with his daughter's consent, married the two of us. Gave me a mansion to my name and a few acres of land along with it. The extent of the relationship between his daughter and I has gone to, well, intercourse.” I shied.

“I would say congratulations, Letter. I won't blame you for being young and not knowing about the marriage arrangement. But you should have restrained yourself. The brother I know has always been reserved and helpful and not given to temptations. Especially when it comes to something like this. I should fire you, Letter. Our code of conduct clearly states that we are not to directly interfere with matters of the government. You've violated that rule and Apricot's trust.” She flared.

She calmed herself, closing her eyes and taking long breaths. She was right, I had violated the code of conduct. And I did more than break Apricot's trust, I broke her heart. And perhaps even my own. “However, you weren't on a job. Though you may have delivered a few letters while you were there, that is not on us. Adding the fact that most things that occurred were beyond your control and thus likely forced to make decisions and actions that would normally be deemed as a violation, you are cleared of any strikes against your record.”

“You've done your homework.”

“Wouldn't be here if I didn't.” She quipped. “I would give you a thrashing if this was more blatant and debauched. For your sake, I hope that princess can hold her own. What did Apricot do when you told her?”

“She said she needed some time to think about things.”

She leaned over me, I'd forgotten how tall she still is. “Go back and see her, she needs you. She may not have said it but she does. You have to let her know that you can still be there for her. Fragile hearts are prone to more than just breaking, Letter. They can be burned and swept away, never to come back. Now get, ya hear!”

So I ran. The night began to fall. Yukon met just outside the post office doors. My heart sank. Without a second thought he carried me off in the clutch of talons. Yukon dropped me off on the roof and smashed open one of the windows to Apricot's room. “No...no no no no.” She hung there from a rope. I cut the rope and gently lowered her down. She was still faintly breathing. I recalled a few of health class lessons together and began pressing down against her chest repeatedly. “Come on, Apri, breathe right, dammit.”

Her breath only failed further. “Shit!” I whined, beginning to panic. Desperate I increased my repetitions. No luck. I tore the band off my ear and controlled the newly released wisps without speaking a word of magic. I could already feel the magic drain me. I thought back to our health classes again, remembering anatomy. I plugged her nose and sucked the air from her mouth. I hoped to use the wisps to repair what had been lost. I lifted my head up to exhale and saw the wisps find their way into her body. I concentrated on the memory and kept my repetitions precise. Press, lift, press, lift, press, lift, breathe, listen, repeat.

I don't remember how long I was there but she came through with a heavy cough and a daze. “Letter?”

“Easy now,” I said with a tearful smile. “Could you lease not do that, ever again?” I held her close, “Please.” I was beginning to realize what Idol had said to me, being in love for so long that you don't notice it. She joined me in crying. It was bitter and yet it was warming. It was a wake up call for the both of us. We should've discussed things further instead of walking away from each other.

“I saw something, Letter. Some sort of monolith.”

“Relax, Apricot. We'll discuss it a bit later. I want you to rest a bit, first. Okay dear? Let's get you to bed.” She agreed under a breath. Yukon peaked in from the broken window, curiosity and worry in his eyes. I gave him a letter to deliver to my father and a copy to deliver to Apricot's parents, wherever they might be.

#153
Spring. Day 167. Early Morning. Clackerton.

“Apricot, are you still with me?” I whispered. She nodded gently. I sighed deeply, “Good. Listen, my dad came by a bit ago, I asked him to get Dream Seer.” She had described the monolith in full. An altar platform before a buried construct of something ancient that glowed like the moon. That alone was enough to flag the story Dream told me last fall. I've been up all night, watching over Apricot, making sure she got what she needed. The rope had nearly collapsed her wind pipe, making it harder for her to eat and drink. If I was any later, she probably would've died.

It's my fault that she went through this. If I could have just controlled myself a bit more and not let my lust of love consume me, I- we wouldn't be in this situation. I'm happy she's still alive, truly I am. I'm not sure how my mind would fair if I were to lose her too. She's been a part of me my entire life, after all. We took all our classes together, played together, and sometimes we even ate dinner together with both our families at the table. If passing came to be, then that would all be gone.

It's new, this feeling of conflicting happiness and sadness. There's a word for it I'm sure, but I can't be bothered with that right now. There is one part that is angry, mostly at myself.

“Apricot.” I called out to her, hushed, pushing down the sadness. “I still love you.”

She peered over with lifeless eyes, “You ran off, got married, and had sex with another mare. You expect me to still love you after that?” I had never heard her voice spit so many nails.

“No,” I said after some thought. “I want you to know where my feelings lie. I want to know where the two of stand.”

“I already told you.”

“You told me to give you time and I found you strung up by rope.” My suppressed anger creaked through. “Suicide isn't a very good answer, you know that.”

“What answer would you like then, because I've searched my heart and I've found nothing.” tears rolled from her eyes. I never saw her this furious before. “Nothing is all I've ever found.”

I held her close again, she held me tight. “Maybe it's best to do nothing, Apri. We can make it through this, trust me.”

“Letter,” she choked. “Don't you ever do it again, otherwise there will be no 'us' or 'we'. I will rag on you about this later. And after this whole deal with your mother is over, you'll introduce me to this Ginger Snow.”

“I'd hate to break up a happy moment between you and Apricot, son, but you've a guest.” My father was always patient about things. Never really got angry at Busy and I unless we did something bad. When he was home, we were always excited to see him. And he was happy to see us. A typical thing, I've learned but ever since mother had gone, he's hardened and his new position as mayor has tired him out. I wonder how he's truly holding up. “Dream, come in.”

“You wished to see me, Letter?” It was strange not seeing Apparition at her side.

I took to the chair again and faced her, “You have some explaining to do before Apricot tells you what she saw. How did Prince Nutmeg know about you and my family?”

“Prince Nutmeg merely promised me to help look for my home. I came to him as a pony who could read dreams. When I saw his dreams, I saw death by your hoof. Every night he had nightmares of it. He always said he would be happy once it finally ended. I found out about you and your mother through your uncle, who had brought me flowers one day in exchange for a telling of his own. Went on about how great a nephew you were to him. Then I found you here as a young colt.”

“Then you went back to Nutmeg and came back here again?”

“Good assumption but not quite. I helped him for years trying to decipher that script. The volumes I have were from there. I came back to find you as the last piece of the puzzle, Letter.”

Suddenly I felt kind of bad for offing the prince. “Did he help you find your home, at all?”

“Nary a thing. He had only given me a set of numbers. Neither of us could figure them out.”

“Were they already translated?” Dream nodded. “I have an idea. Bring me those numbers, my mom had some written down in the volume she gave to me before she left.”

“I have the numbers memorized.” I reached for my journal and flipped to the proper pages. She closed her eyes, even if she is already blind. The numbers matched perfectly, a small set of them did. Now I only had to wait for Pipsqueak to get back in contact with me to see what he made of them.

“There's a match, but I haven't figured out the numbers either. My guess is that it's something simple and we're clearly missing it. Other side of the coin says we'll never figure it out.”

“I'll come with you, Letter.” Dream said. “I'd love to go back home.”

“I know. I gave a friend of mine a cop y of these numbers before I got back. He's a sailor, says they look similar to something on one of his old maps he found. Hopefully it will give us enough of a lead to go off of.”

“When will he be contacting you?” Father brokered. “Can we trust him?”

“Once he's figured out the numbers and we can trust him because he's servant to Princess Luna.”

“Good. I'll take leave here, I have another town hall meeting to attend. Bloody frauds still have their hooves in places I have yet to consider. It's amazing the town didn't run off their money.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Only when they're bickering mindlessly.” he quipped. “I'll hear your story when you get back again.”

“I'll see you then.”

#154
Spring. Day 167. Evening. En Route to Canterlot.

“I want to go with you, Letter.”

“You're safer here, Apricot. Besides, you have a pet care center to run. It wouldn't be wise to keep you away from it.”

“I can have Fluttershy take care of them. I could even hire a few ponies in town to help out too. You know that I'm not the only one willing to take care of the animals.” she wheezed out her voice, still sore as before.”

“You can come, but when trouble comes around, don't get caught in the middle of it. Okay?”

“I promise, unless your life is in danger.”

“Don't go losing yourself doing it, then.”

Apricot was up and about, though her breath was still short. Still seems a bit shaken about what she tried to do though. I can see it in her eyes despite her face trying to hide it. Not sure I've seen something so heart wrenching.

We traveled to the docks, meeting my family just behind Flight Gears home. Apricot's parents were nowhere to be found. Left Yukon to take care of my family. I had to tell Flight about the demise of his flight equipment and gave him what few shards of it I had left. He was sad to see his work meet such an end but he was glad that it helped me out. It gave him more inspiration toward the version of the equipment. He was positive he could make something even with my broken wings.

To my surprise, both Apricot and Dream didn't pack as much as I thought they would. Dream said that most of what she had was better off here aside from a few books. Not to mention that Apparition helps with most of her problems. Apricot found all she needed were a few things for hygiene and crafting small jewelry. Plus a cloak to keep her from the weather.

Busy said she would keep my position open for me while I'm away. I thanked her and said my goodbyes before helping Apricot to the airship. Pipsqueak rode in on a Chebec, a sea-faring vessel with a levitation spell casted on it. The ship had a long and narrow hull made of wood with windows for both cannons and oars. Three masts having triangular sails, taller than the masts and positioned more like a slope than a pyramid. It was strange to see and awe-inspiring to know that engineering like this was possible. Class taught me that these vessels weren't used that often because sea storms could easily sink them.

Pip had a small crew for the ship, just enough to get the sails together and control the few cannons he had. He'd designed the pattern of the smallest sail towards the rear after Luna's cutie mark. Kind of funny to see. I wonder if he got around around to proposing to her yet. Perhaps he was too busy with the numbers to remember. Speaking of which, he found them to be coordinates, not just for sea-faring but for land travel as well. So he and Luna mapped the world with a grid and took their time marking every intersection of lines. Remarkable, really, considering it only took a day or two.

We're currently en route to Canterlot for basic supplies: food, water, extra wood, cloaks, and spare tools. Pip took the liberty of introducing us to his crew of five. Stone Wall, a hulk of stallion, gray and blocky, an earth pony with short a mane and tail. Naphtha, a darkly colored pegasus whose fetlocks curled, his mane and tail imitated the oily look. Green Leek was another earth pony, tall and lanky and also the ship's chef. Verdigris, a copper coated and mossy cyan freckled, is the unicorn that maintained all of the ship's parts. His mane and tail though, are more of a shiny bronze flecked with silver. Brier was the last one he introduced, a younger earth pony with a stubbed foreleg he had recently picked up from a nasty forest. He has a bed-head mane, covered his eyes and his ears and his tail was a knotted mess. Still had a few briers in it, even. Looked like a moving mound of dirt with legs.

They were all pretty welcoming aside from Brier, he was the shier one of the batch. Pip seemed to be something of an idol for him, which was good. I suppose there's a story there. Though, Naphtha did try to flirt with Apricot a bit, she shot him a look of disapproval. He reeled back and apologized. Stone Wall was quiet and seemed to have some sort of military background. Noting from several scars and his straight-necked posture. Green Leek is the more cheery bunch of the group aside from Pip and Verdigris appears old and worn. His eyes heavily wrinkled and bruised looking.

#154
Spring. Day 167. Evening. En route from Canterlot to Topazi Lazulia

It seems that Topazi Lazulia isn't all that far away from Eidolon. We wind up stopping there for more supplies if we need to. I doubt we'll run out between that quickly. I'm interested in seeing the town there. Centuries old from what I remember. Well known for its mines of Topaz and Lazuli stones. Funny that they didn't come up with a more creative name. I guess they weren't to concerned about it at the time. Maybe I'll even see the home of the folk hero that I loved to read about when I was younger. The one that vanished with the last storm he vanquished.

Aside from my anxiousness, Apricot had trouble sleeping last night. Her dreams quickly turn to nightmares and Dream keeps having to calm her down. Every time its something about the monolith she saw before and some massive surge of magic that winds up running through it. Nearly blinds her until I yank her away and the two of us escape the caves. Says she heard a voice before the monolith erupts into a phantasm of colored lights, “It is time.” Dream was perturbed by it all.

#155
Spring. Day 168. Afternoon. Topazi Lazulia.

We arrived at the docks of Topazi early this morning. Place is a ghost town. We searched every house after finding that it was practically abandoned. For a place that was prosperous, for the citizens to get up and just leave is strange. Pip and his crew looked through a good portion of the papers left behind. Apparently ghosts were beginning to come up from the sea and from the entrance of a collapsed cave. Every fourth night they showed up, bringing with them howls of pain and with their leave, the happiness of the citizens. Which involved old artifacts and placing loved ones in a permanent state of sleep. There were a couple homes we found old corpses in, skeletons of those once beloved. A shame, honestly.

After scouting out the town for awhile, we went back to the ship to discuss what we should report and what the next step would be. Pip would discuss the towns condition with Luna later tonight, then head into the caves. According to the papers, it was at least a quarter day's walk. We opted to simply drive the ship further up the coast instead. It can fly, after all. We're venturing there before dinner and spending the night there before going into the cave. Mostly to observe and see if the ghosts will appear tonight.

#156
Spring. Day 169. Early Morning. North of Topazi Lazulia.

We camped the night out on the ship, which I came to learn only today that Pip called it Purple Moon. Yet another thing he dedicated to the Princess of the Night. Speaking of her, she did come along last night and discuss things over with Pip. He woke me up to have me join the discussion. I idly listened to what the two of them had to say and to my surprise, it wasn't much. More getting her approval then talking to her about other unrelated topics.

I kept away from it, keeping my head rested on the deck railing, toward the cave. The collapse had created quite a crevice in the ground above, a tiny valley, really. The lapping waves and brisk air made things a bit relaxing. My problems felt lessened and my shoulders seemed a little lighter. Such a liberating feeling. Then the cliff wall began to bleed green and hordes of ghosts began to seep through like syrup.

I called out to Pip and Luna, who both became dumbstruck by the sight. Pip quickly snapped to and told Luna to put up a barrier around the ship. She did so in a flash. However, the ghosts paid no mind to it and continued on down the shore line, as if they were preordained to take that direction. But as quickly as they appeared, they began to vanish one by one. All of them replaying the way in which they had died. Drowning, stabbed, starvation, old age, to name a few. The disturbing thing was that we could hear them. Luna cut the noise too.

Dream came up from the cabins and pulled me down to see Apricot. When I came into the room, I saw Apricot crying with a pillow held over her ears. “Make it stop!” she howled, over and over again. I asked Dream where Apparition was, said he had to hide from the ghosts, otherwise they would find him. I muttered a swear and told Dream to leave, locking the door behind her.

I hopped on the bed and held Apricot as close as I could. Telling her to focus on my voice and try to ignore the dying ghosts. Strange that she was able to hear them after Luna cut out the sound. Maybe it was her close encounter with death that is causing her this trouble. She eventually calmed down but I can't help but remember how badly she was shaking at the time. I don't blame her for being scared, really.

As things are now, we've set up a small camp just outside the cave. After breakfast, Pip, Dream, Stone Wall, Apricot, and I will be heading into the cave. Just as soon as Verdigris and Stone finish clearing the entry way. Can't say how long that will take. Still no guess on where Apparition is hiding, can't really help but feel that he's actually up to no good. Maybe it's just natural distrust that formed after Nutmeg had told me that Dream was a spy.

Seems the cave is just about done being cleared up, aside from a few snags. Good thing Naphtha knew a thing or two about digging through something like this. We'll be heading in as soon as the two of them know that it's clear up ahead. Other than the ghosts, there's no telling what else may have taken residence in those caves. What we do know is the smell from the cave is rather irritating. Didn't smell like rotting though, more like a pack of wet dogs.

Regardless, we carried on through the bowels of the winding caving, passing a few skeletons and managed our footing across slick moss covered stone. From what Dream said, the cave hadn't changed much, she could see in here too. Her eyes were more adjusted to the dark now that I recall. The first sprite of daylight on the day she escaped from here clouded her sight. After some time a breeze filled the cave with a deathly chill. Pip wondered if night had fallen, his pocket watch disproved the thought. The chill continued the further we progressed and by the time the single torch to our rear burned out, we were greeted by a massive opening.

The place found stone eroded by wind. Stone once carved by hammer and chisel and worked cautiously to avoid collapse. To support the more dangerous parts, large pillars of quartz darted up and through. Some were more elaborate, creating archways for passages or forming a bridge over a deep ravine. At the other end, slow moving fog coasted beneath a thin, pulsing stream of white light. Broken apart by branch-like stone. Eidolon, I thought.

A dull hum found its way to our ears like a blanket. “I can hear them...” Apricot whispered. “... they're calling to me. They want me to join them.”

“You're not going to.” I assured.

Dream moved forward and for a moment I saw Apparition flicker by her side. As if something here had been interfering with his presence. “We're almost there. I apologize, Captain, I must continue on with only Letter and Apricot. No trouble.”

“Very well. I'll keep my crew here and stay guard. Do what you need to and come back. This place has given quite an odd itch.” Pip replied, concern tweaking his voice.

The three of us approached the fog and worked our way through it. The stone here was moist and faintly the sound of a distant waterfall trickled into our ears. While it was comforting, it didn't help the haunting mood. The humming became a little bit louder and the pulsing lights drew closer. The fog grew thicker than a brier bush. Apricot steadily closed in on me as it did and a single glance told me her mind was full of fear. She could hear the dead speak, and they wanted her. She'd been thrown in a cage full of vicious animals and escaped. I wondered, why would the dead be so hungry?? Certainly there had to be kinder souls amongst them. If that's even a thing.

We broke through the fog, nearly out of breath, as if it had taken ours. What greeted us on the other side was a massive crystal pillar, quartz, like the ones before. Only, the light was more vibrant, and brighter. Yet, it felt as if that light was dying. The light was ensnared by branching stones, webbed around like an incomplete cocoon. At the base was the altar that Dream told me about before, caked in dust and untouched by the ages. Beside the altar was something of an arced door, recessed into the crystal.

Dream reached out to the altar, touching the centerpiece, gold in color. Drew a short breath and spoke words that sounded strikingly familiar but I was unable to place my tongue on it. When she lowered her hoof, the altar began to have its engravings traced over in a glowing green light. “Do you remember what I told you, Letter? About the altar?” I nodded, vaguely recalling the fact. “Then it is time.”

The ground rumbled beneath us. A boom resounded through the cavern walls and the Eidolon flared up in a flurry of glowing colors. The shapes of ghosts swam through it all, screaming in terror, pulled apart by the rushing tide of lights. Apricot huddled to the ground and plugged her ears. The fog vanished too, absorbed by the tide and taken by Eidolon. From the recessed doorway, came Apparition in all of his ghostly features. “Ah, fresh as the morning sun.” he stretched. “Only, there's a piece missing. A piece that escaped my grasp only a few days ago. Brought back by a fool who's played games with death.”

“A fool? What are you on-?”

“You know what. You brought Apricot back from the dead. She was supposed to be claimed then. But no, you refused to let her die. Thanks to Dream, I can claim what is rightfully mine.” he threatened as Dream retreated behind the altar.

I placed myself before Apricot. “No.” I held my head high. He sported disapproval but something in his eyes said something else. A chill sprang out from beneath me, a cold I had felt once before. “Aeron.” Apparition reared and a dozen ghosts poured out his back like the tentacles of an octopus. In a flurry of silver-green sparks, the ghosts bounced away and faded away.

“Thought it might be a good idea, following you around.” Aeron jested. “Designer was looking for this fellow for quite some time. Not often I get to protect the living, Letter.” He turned to Apparition in all his white glory. “Say, when one plays a game, it is fair that the rules be laid out beforehand. Both sides knowing what advantages they can obtain and how they can use them. To keep the ground even, the host must also play fair and mustn't be allowed to rig the game at hand. Tell me, Apparition, what kind of game were you trying to play? I would love to hear it.”

Apparition gave no reply and struck again, flailing his ghosts about. I could see it now, fear, though he hid it, it was there. Rising like a trapped rat but he wasn't cornered either. Aeron faked a yawn and continued his chatter-boxing, “For having the personality of a butler, you sure are short tempered. I imagine the lives you claimed are having quite the fit, being trapped in there. You can hear them, can't you Apricot?”

I turned to her as she steadily got back on her hooves, “Yes, I can. More clearly than before too. They.. they want to be free.” I turned back to Aeron. Even looking at the back of his head, I could see his face crease into a smile. “But how?”

“The perfect question, deary.” He blocked another blow. “You must simply recite the same words that Dream spoke a second ago. She can tell you them, just ask nicely, just change the last word to the first word. This game of cards will end quite shortly, I assure you. A trump may not even be required.” Another ghostly head came barreling toward us, Aeron clutched it tightly and snapped it like a whip. With enough force to throw Apparition off his hooves. I thought ghosts didn't have to worry about such an earthly thing like balance and footing. “Now do the thing, you little love birds.” He darted off after him, quick as a hummingbird.

Words I haven't heard in awhile, certainly. I took Apricot, red-faced, by the hoof and pulled her closer to the alter. I looked around it and found Dream shaking and crying. “I'm sorry, I didn't know- ”

“Don't worry about it right now, Dream. Recite the words again and have Apricot repeat them.”

“Very well.” She got to her hooves and wiped away the tears. “Once this starts, we cannot stop, otherwise, death.” She had Apricot stand before the altar and place her hoof where she had hers. And they began the process. I could hear the magic pulse faster and faster as they recited the words. Slowly ascending to a higher note.

A crash rang out as Aeron tossed Apparition across the cave again. Was he ever a ghost, I wondered. I watched the fight as Aeron merely danced through the striking heads. I realized that this was a battle between light and dark. Odd considering their positions and stranger still to silently cheer on a personification of death. Aeron smashed a hoof across Apparition's face, throwing him to the ground once more. I could nearly hear a crack, like bone shattering.

Familiar words began reaching my ears again and a pause came before the last one. Apricot spoke the first word without Dream's needing to speak. Eidolon suddenly lost its glow and luster. “What happened?” Apricot whispered. Part of the surface began to shift. Higher up another recessed door began to form, only larger and deeper. The web of stone shifted to frame it perfectly.

Apparition came flying toward it but halted by a web of ghostly arms. Aeron followed, pushing him back with magic of his own. His smile faded to a frown, “We could've been friends still, you know. Shame really, the Designer advised you against this too, you know.”

“The Designer is mad. Crazy, even. We could've won the war if it weren't for him. He went and locked us all up! Kept us from his secrets.”

“He had his reasons and I've heard them and you're one of several. He took away greed because he knew exactly what would become of this world if it continued like it did.”

“Greed always comes back. It's stubborn and burns deep. You know that all to well.” He menaced.

“I know.” With a final thrust of his magic, Aeron forced him into the recess. When the two touched, another explosion of light occurred followed by a resounding boom. He lowered himself to the ground and sighed, “Can you hear them still, Apricot?” She shook her head. “Good.”

“So what gives, Aeron?”

He smiled distantly, “A lot, Letter. A heck of a lot.”