The Ones We Leave Behind
An MLP:FiM OC Fanfiction by moonsong168/Liquid_Flames
The wind tugged and teased at her mane, sending shivers down her spine. You’d think two hours on the highway would be enough to get used to it, but it was just as enchanting as her very first day on the road.
She would never be able to forget the day when her parents gave her the convertible; it might as well have been the day before yesterday.
“Come on, love. We've got something for you...” Her mother smiled, and draped a wing over her back. “This way.”
Sea Breeze skipped down the hallway after her mother, completely ecstatic. She had just gotten her driver’s licence, and had been accepted into a prestigious college three years before finishing high school.
Her father stood at the door, and covered her eyes with his wing. She heard it creak open, and they led her down the steps. His wing dropped from her eyes, and she gasped with delight.
The convertible was brand new, and looked incredibly out of place in the dingy old garage. It was light green, the same color as her cutie mark and eyes.
“Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!” She squealed. “It’s PERFECT!” Her mother laughed.
“Do you want to take it for a spin, honey?”
Nine years later, aside from a few scrapes in the paint, the car was as good as new. Her heart ached to think of the time her parents had spent trying to make enough money to get it for her; she had stumbled on the receipt while looking through their things after their passing.
Several miles away, on the Santa Ponica Pier, a young stallion took a sip of his smoothie. His surfboard, identical to his cutie mark beneath his swim shorts, sat calling to him. The waves crashed on the beach and in his head until he could resist them no more. He shook three bits from the canister around his neck, and left the empty smoothie glass on the bar.
Then, he hit the waves.
The convertible rolled into a motel parking lot, and the mare stepped out. The sun sat on the golden horizon, signaling the end of the day. She rolled up the top of her beloved car, and pulled her bags from the trunk. Her long yellow mane whipped around her in the soft evening wind, and tickled her nose. She paused for a moment and blinked, resisting the urge to sneeze. Then, she pulled her bags to the front desk of the motel.
A bored looking mare greeted her. “You fixin’ to spend the night?” she asked, surveying her hoof. It wasn't hard to tell that she would rather be somewhere else.
“I... Um...”
“Well, are you or aren't you?” The mare’s bad mood seemed to be getting worse by the second.
“Is there any vacancy...?” She croaked.
“Listen, lady, if there was no vacancy I wouldn't have offered to let you stay the night.”
“Okay. A small room, for one night please.”
“I’m going to need your name. Oh, and payment is up front.”
“Sea Breeze. My name is Sea Breeze.”
The stallion rode the waves until his limbs were sore. Then, he went three more times. His only true love was the sea, and there was nothing that could drag him away from it.
When night fell, he dragged his surfboard up to the top of the shore. He positioned an abandoned umbrella over top of it, and wandered the beach for a while. Tourists were careless, and left all kinds of things behind. By the time he trotted back to his board, he had collected three new books, a blanket and a walkmare.
He set the blanket down on the sand, and began to dig a small, shallow hole big enough for a pony. He crawled in, and dragged the blanket over himself.
Then, he fell into a deep and peaceful slumber.
Sea Breeze stretched her wings, and trudged up the steps to her room. The mare at the desk had watched her warily until she got outside. She didn't blame her—after all, she was just a washed-up mare working night shifts in a desperate attempt to pay the bills.
Living in Santa Ponica wasn't cheap, after all.
The hotel room was adequate. It consisted of a single bed, a small bathroom, a desk and a dresser. She placed her suitcase on the dresser, and popped open the latch. Then, she rifled through it until she found what she was looking for; a small box filled with assorted paints and brushes. Those she place on the desk.
The moon was bright, and she could hear the ocean. So, she decided to take a walk. The receptionist was asleep at her desk, softly snoring. Sea Breeze walked down the driveway until she hit the road. Then, she walked along the sidewalk.
Within a few blocks, she had reached the beach. Her hooves hit the sand, and she felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She glided down to the water, and splashed a little in the shallows. The waves crept up to kiss her hooves before receding and she giggled.
Then, she hunted. Night was always the best time to find them- less clumsy tourists to pick them up and take them away.
She spotted one glinting a few feet away. She tensed up, and leapt at it, grasping it between her hooves. Then, she flipped the... seashell onto her wing.
He walked along the shoreline, a young colt with blank flanks. Faceless ponies waded in the water and frolicked on the beach. His family stood somewhere behind him. Something was calling him, but he wasn't sure what. Then, he saw it. A lonely, rundown shack planted halfway between the dunes and the water. He could see the surfboards leaning against the shack, in particular the pale purple one with a hot pink inlay.
He approached slowly. Was the place even open? Celestia knew. Only one way to find out; he walked up and pushed open the door.
Inside, he found a grizzled old mule sitting at a card table.
“Hello?” The colt called out, curiously.
“Ah, greetings young one. I take it you want to learn to surf?”
“I... What?”
