Let The Chaos Continue

Red Paint and Animus Objects

After returning to the Kingdom of the Sand, Dawn found herself trailing after her mother as Firefly scanned the newest scroll in the local library for something new to read.

"How's Stream doing?" Firefly asked gently. 

"I think it can be properly summarized by a faceplant to the floor," Dawn replied. "So awful, which is awful, and Thistle isn't any better. Worse, even. He doesn't say a word."

"Well the wound is still fresh in their minds, Dawn, it'll take time."

"I know," Dawn sighed. "I just wished there was something I could do to make it easier for them. I mean, they never even got to say goodbye to Willow. It happened so suddenly, and that just hurts my heart." Firefly paused, glancing back at her.

"Do you think letting them see Willow again would help?" 

"I don't know, maybe? Sometimes Umber makes dragons suffering from grief write letters to their loved ones. We burn them in a special fire and tell them that it lets their words find that dragon in the afterlife so that they'll know how you feel. It makes them feel better, or, at least, it helps ease their regret about all the things they never got to say." Firefly thought for a moment.

"Go back to the Sea Kingdom," She suggested. "Go ask Stream and Thistle if they want to see Willow again. Ask Adobe and the others too while you're at it. If anyone says yes, take them to the rainforest. I'll write a letter to Joy about it."

"Why would I bring them to the rainforest? I don't think Willow even liked it there?" Firefly sighed.

"A long time ago, I enchanted something," She explained. "An emerald I deemed 'The Last Goodbye'. It has the ability to draw a dragon from the afterlife, just for a little while, so you can talk to them one more time. They usually can't stay for long, but maybe it'll be enough for Willow's family to get the closure they desire."

"W-why didn't I know this existed until now?" Dawn questioned. That emerald could've helped so many dragons settle old scores... Maybe even herself. Firefly shrugged.

"When I first enchanted it, we let the word out and dragons came for miles to use it. After awhile, they stop coming and no one needed it anymore, so Glory put it away. I think dragons have mostly forgotten about it now."

"You let Glory keep an animus object you enchanted?" Dawn raised an eyebrow. Firefly nodded.

"She was a very trustworthy queen; I trusted her with it more than I trusted myself. I suppose Joy has control of it now. But it's not something like a dreamvisitor that can be easily manipulated and used for bad, nor are you going to raise the dead with it. It's sole purpose is for dragons to be able to connect with their loved ones again."

"Something tells me Stream will want to use it."

"Maybe," Firefly made a face. "Sometimes it's a good thing to get closure, Dawn, but sometimes it's just better to leave things untouched as they are. A lot of dragons have used animus objects to find answers that they didn't want to know. It doesn't always end well."

"I understand."

*****

While Dawn and her mother talked, Ember and Apple were currently fighting over a tube of paint.

"You got the red LAST TIME!" Apple objected. "So now it's MINE, and besides, I need it more!"

"You always say you need it more!" Ember said. "There's not even red on your canvas, whereas I just need it to finish this!"

"There's not red on my canvas because YOU'RE A PAINT HOGGER!" Ember fake gasped and grabbed at the tube of red paint. Apple grabbed the other end, and they pulled on it until the tube broke apart, splattering them both with red.

They stared at each other for a moment, and then burst out laughing. 

Prism poked her head in the room and grinned.

"Good! You're in a good mood," She commented, slyly walking over.

"What do you want?" Apple questioned, knowing the look on her daughter's face. 

"I was wondering if MAYBE, potentially, POSSIBLY, I could go and maybe potentially go visitAspenintheSeaKingdom?" She asked, speeding up her words in an attempt to get them to blindly agree. But Apple and Ember were sharp.

"You want to go visit Aspen in the Sea Kingdom," Ember raised his eyebrows. "By yourself?"

"Well techinically Turtle and Kinkajou are there too!" She added.

"And how exactly are you getting there?" Apple asked.

"I was gonna fly..."

"By yourself?"

"Hey, I'm a big girl, I can handle it," Ember snorted.

"I see your family's sass is starting to rub off on her," He commented. Apple flicked paint at him in response.

"I don't want you flying that whole way by yourself," Apple declared. "If Aspen will meet you at the edge of the forest and fly with you the rest of the way, it's fine by me." Prism's face lit up.

"But you have no problem with the two of them flying unsupervised all over the ocean?" Ember questioned. Apple thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"Nope! Fine by me."

"So I can go?" Prism said hopefully.

"Well-" Ember started.

"Yep," Apple confirmed, trumping her husband. 

"YES! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!" Prism ran out of the room, and Ember turned to look at Apple, an offended expression on his face.

"Don't look at me like that, you would've given in." She commented.

"Well, yeah, but I don't like the idea of her and Aspen doing who knows what on some island by themselves!"

"Well too bad, I've got ships to sail." Apple grinned.

"You ship our daughter with Aspen."

"Yeah- don't you?"

"Yes, but that's not the point."

"Who cares, let's just go get more red paint." Ember sighed.

"Fine.... BUT I GET TO USE IT FIRST!" 

"Oh NO YOU DON'T!"