The flits of shadow and mist were becoming clearer now, bolder. Recognizable shapes took form in the corners of her vision. Aryel gulped as she picked out a head, hooves, pale white sightless eyes staring at her for a heartbeat before melting away into the indistinct fog again. Speaking of the fog, it was growing thicker, the failing light helping to reduce her vision. She stopped, looking in nervously. She was lost, there was no denying it now. Oh, wonderful, now I'm gonna die in he-

What was that?

As she watched in dread, three shapes materialized out of the gloom, holding their forms instead of melting away like the others. A unicorn, a pegasus, and an equine.

Ghosts. They were real ghosts.

Aryel had never given much thought to ghosts before, but now, standing in an undeniably haunted swamp facing three specters, she was forced to accept that they really did exist. She nearly bolted in terror, but the remaining spark of logic in her mind prevented her from doing so. Hadn't she come here to be frightened? Hadn't she come here to test herself? Facing down three ghosts would just be another test. She took a breath, willed her knees to stop knocking, and waited for the ghosts to approach. Their three echoing voices in unison startled her, causing her to stutter for a moment before replying. "Aryel," she said, then fell silent again as the ghosts spoke one after the other.

A fortune, a gift, or a haunting. This was certainly turning interesting.

She stood for a moment, mulling their words over. Still overwhelmed, she needed a way to stall for a few minutes until she could gather her thoughts. "May I ask a few questions first?" she asked as they demanded something in return for their actions. She took them all in as she asked her first question. "I-if I do decide to ask for something, what could I give in return?" She regretted not bringing along one of her three amulets, for fear it would be lost if she took a slip into the muck. Her next question was directed at the equine in particular. "And why would I want to be haunted?" She dared a bit of cheek. "I think there's a trick to your words."

(Well, Aryel is getting her magic in another thread, so if you planned that for a gift, we might need to think of something else. She's also getting a small item, a feather, and silver markings on her wings, but I was originally going to do those without a thread. Maybe the markings could be the gift? Or, I could just not have her ask for it. Anything works for me.)

Walk walk walk walk.
"Talk talk talk talk."