Zeke walked quietly, only the sound from his hooves was filling the else very quiet night. In his mouth, he held a few white and red roses. It was quiet and empty at the graveyard, one of the reasons why he almost always visited around this time. To be alone, to not have others around and to get the time he wanted with them.

Reaching the two specific graves he always went for, he lowered his head slowly. Stretching a little as he dropped half of the roses on one grave and half on the others. Ears flickering as his head moved to touch his muzzle to both graves once. ’’Evening, mother and father. I hope you both had a great and fun day today’’ he said with a low tone before stepping back a few steps. Carefully, he adjusted to get down to his knees, front legs first then back legs. There was a thud as he came down on the ground, tail settling around him and ears flickering back some. He lowered his head more to rest against the grass between his front legs. ’’Day here has been hectic, a lot of stuff to be done. But I got a moment free to come and say hi’’ he continued and blinked, not for the first time wishing they’d be able to answer him while he was rambling to them. ’’I miss you..’’, he finally said before his eyes shut.

// Few hours later //

Eyes opening slowly, blinking several times as tears rolled down his cheeks. His eyes flickering around, so did his ears, in the search for something or someone. His head then lifted abruptly, nose trills flaring as he blew out a cloud of air from them. The night had gotten chiller for sure, but there, under some of the trees at the graveyard, stood two see-through shapes that he knew way to well. He stood up quickly, a little too quick as he swayed before he found his ground. Shaking his body, his fur, and his heart raced in his chest.

Then he moved quickly to approach the two shapes as he just got more and more sure which two ghost-like shapes these were.’’Mother, father.." he said with a strained hoarse voice. He was about to say more, but didn’t manage before the mare, his mother, let out a low echoing neigh to greet him and his whole body trembled. He had missed that sound, so so much. Then he saw how they turned for him, how they approached him. Despite being what he suspected ghosts, his mother still put her head over his neck, into his fur and he could feel it, somehow she was solid in a weird way. He then felt another head over his back, ears coming back, head turning seeing his father there, hearing another echoing neigh from him. It didn’t help the tears that already betrayed him, not at all, just increasing them and right there and then, he wanted to be with them, not cry like a child and waste time.

’’I miss you both so so much. There is so much you both have missed, so much I want to tell you both. I have a partner, we have our own place, he has taught me alot, helps me to understand more.. You both would like him, I’m sure on that..’’. His own head moving, his own muzzle touching each horses, wanting to feel what he could of them. He felt their hugs back with their head, the presses to his neck and side and his whole body trembled, his head lowering and he inhaled deeply.

’’We’re proud of you, son’’ he heard from a cold echoing woman's voice and his head flew up. Looking at the mare, his mother, eyes slightly bigger as ears flickered, tail moving slowly behind him. "Mother?"* he questioned, having hard to believe it. ’’Yes, son, it’s me. Or, a part of me. We wanted to say we’re extremely proud of you, you done so well’’

His tears welled again, a lump in his throat, his tail hanging low, slightly tucked against his hind legs. ’’Thank you, both.. But, why are you here? Are you stuck in between the two worlds? Does it hurt? How can I help?’’ his voice and tone were desperate, wanting to know how to help them, why they were here. What had gone wrong, they had done it in all possible ways ever, they had done it correctly and with respect. Yet, did they do something wrong? He felt a nudge to his shoulder looking towards his dad. Ears dropped down, a sadness in his expression. ’’We are not stuck, nor does it hurt. We wanted to come meet you, you have been so sad, we have seen it. It was obvious for us to come to meet you, to tell you how proud we are of you, that we always will be right there with you’’. A slight fanged smile came to Zeke’s face and he nudged both of his parents back. ’’Again, thank you, both’’ he repeated before an idea came to his mind. The tail started to snap back and forth quicker, ears peeking up and he backed a little. ’’Want to take a run? I have a spot I want to show you both.. If you can leave this place that is?’’.

He didn’t need more than the nudges and nods from his parents before he neighed out in excitement. Throwing his head to the side he moved to lead the way. Starting in a walk, that soon went to a trot and very soon a canter. Hearing the soft hooves behind him, they didn’t thud like his did against the ground, they more, echoed? It gave him chills, but not scary uncomfortable ones, no. They were warm, welcoming.

It did take between half an hour to an hour before they had reached the hill he wanted to bring them too. He slowed down to a trot when they got close before he broke off to a walk. Making it all the way up the hill to the edge and there, he stepped to the side to show them the view, the beautiful view over the meadows. With careful and curious eyes, he watched as his parents looked on the view, smiling. ’’It’s beautiful son’’ he heard his dad say and he threw his head a little in excitement again, a sound that confirmed his feelings. ’’Me and my partner found it, we like to look out over here. It shows a lot, and sunset and sunrise is very beautiful from here’’.

Zeke felt a nudge to his side, his head turning to look at his mother. ’’We are happy to hear you have found a partner, someone to share all the pretty things in the world with. But, son, you should sleep. It was a wonderful run and talk. But you do need your sleep. I promise we will be back to talk to you sooner than later. We will sleep with you, guard you till the sun rise’’. He didn’t like the sound of that, of sleeping and losing them. ’’It’s too soon, I don’t want to say bye already..’’ a murmur, not happy about the suggestion even if he knew it was logical.

Another nudge, someone standing in the way of his legs when he stumbled and soon he was forced to lie down. Feeling how his mother and father settled around him, putting their heads over his neck and back. Like he was a stubborn child that didn’t go to sleep during his bedtime. A chuckle left him, before he settled, even if he was tense and eyes sad, the tears starting up again. ’’It’s not good bye, son, it’s a, see you soon’’ his father said calmly. Zeke couldn’t get out a word, he couldn’t say anything, just silent tears rolling down his cheeks, in his fur. Eyes closing, hearing the hummings his parents started to do. The tune they often did for him when he was to fall asleep as a kid. It was comforting, it was calming, it was… ’’I love you, both of you..’’ tone broken, shaky, but he tried to keep it together before the exhaustment took him. They hadn’t been wrong, it was late, very late. ’’We love you to son’’ both of them echoed and that together with the humming tone, was the last thing he remembered before the world blackened out.