Chapters The waves sound odd this morning.
That was Sunny’s first thought as she woke up.
Usually, it was “What should I make for breakfast” or “Maybe today will be the day I meet a unicorn… or a pegasus!”
For a few months now, “I miss Dad” had been the uncontested champion.
All things considered, “The waves sound odd” was a new one.
Sunny rolled out of bed, untroubled by her wild morning mane, nor the mess of sheets tangled around her legs.
After being reminded that the latter did need addressing at the cost of her chin getting intimately acquainted with the floor, Sunny thundered up the stairs to the lighthouse’s lantern room and pressed her muzzle against the glass for a good look at the sea.
The sun was only just rising, but the sea glittered like the night sky had sunk below the waves. Could it be a unicorn ship? A flight of pegasi? This had to be a sign of something.
Her eyes lit up like the waves had, and she stood there, mesmerized beyond action. She had only one word to describe the phenomenon:
“Wow.”
By the time Sunny had brushed and tied her mane, grabbed her saddlebag, and erupted out the front door, the sea was back to normal.
Of course, Maretime Bay being Maretime Bay, just about everypony else had slept through the event. This included good old Sprout who, being on night watch duty, should obviously have been awake.
As usual, Hitch and the townsfolk dismissed her testimony: “Maybe you dreamt it.” “Let me guess, seaponies this time?” “Are you sure you’re feeling okay, dear? If things are getting difficult alone in the lighthouse, you know you’re always welcome to drop by.”
Well, then, she’d have to take matters into her own hooves. If something—or somepony—interesting had washed up, she wanted to be the first to find them.
Mystery Beach, here I come!
She’d expected the beach to be quiet, but was surprised to find it completely deserted. Admittedly, it was still early in the day—was the sand always this cold in the morning?—but it was a surprise, if a welcome one, to have the whole coast to herself. All the better to go beachcombing for washed-up treasures.
That sparkly tide had to mean something. It just had to. The thought drove Sunny forward as she began perusing the beach a little bit at a time.
“Seashell. Flat rock. Seash—whoa! Hermit crab. Sorry for bothering you! Ooo! That… is just driftwood.”
Eventually, though, something caught her attention. Half-buried in the sand nearby, there looked to be a small disk, or, upon further investigation, the wooden screw-on lid of a cosmetics jar.
Applied on polished faux-mahogany was a waterlogged label portraying a grinning mustachioed apple in a boater hat flamboyantly brandishing a cane at some truly extravagant text.
🍎 Flim and Flam’s Magnificent Mustache Miracle Mousse 🍎
Sunny giggled to herself and tucked the lid away. Hitch would have had a fit if he’d found litter like this on the beach. Who had even come up with a brand like this?
It looked like that was about the last of it, though. To her great disappointment, it didn’t seem like the unusual tide had brought anything of interest. Nothing by the seaside, nothing under the trees, and nothing by…
Splash! “Oof!”
Sunny leaped to attention. “Hello? Is everything okay? Who said that?”
There was no one around. The beach was quiet.
“Aw man, my board!”
That time, she’d heard it. Faintly. Somewhere amidst the tall grass and bushes right by the coast, a stallion sounded like they’d had quite the spill. Whoever that was, he sounded just a little like Hitch.
Sunny quickly swept the plants aside. This didn’t sound like anypony in town. Maybe. Just maybe. Probably not, but just possibly maybe this was definitely a unicorn or a pegasus. Who else would suddenly turn up on a beach like this, right?
Bingo! The entrance to a small cave made itself known to her. Slick with moss, a low-to-the-ground entrance opened up onto a small cave dominated in its center by a circular tide pool, isolated from the nearby sea. Likely, this cave had caught some shallow waters from when the tide rose, then trapped it when the tide fell back.
The cave itself was dimly lit, allowing in only a little bit of light from Sunny’s makeshift entranceway and a hole through the roof casting sunlight directly onto the pool. The whole place was covered in moss from floor to ceiling, with the pool at its sole exception.
That pool, of course, was what had caught Sunny’s attention first. The water within faintly reflected the same starlight she’d seen in the tide that morning, but it also held something a lot more interesting.
A young stallion, about her own age, was looking back from within the reflection. Judging by the raised eyebrow, he was as puzzled as her, but what a sight to behold!
His mane was a little messy, but in an “I’m relaxed”way, not in an “I don’t care” way. Sunny struggled to tell if he really was this strikingly green, or if the cave lighting was fooling her eyes. His jaw was stunningly strong for a teenage colt, and if Sunny’s imagination was anything to go by, she bet those emerald eyes of his were lovely when they weren’t so puzzled.
Judging by his necklace, a simple piece of string holding a small crystalline seashell, he even knew how to accessorize.
It was undeniable. On the other side of the pool’s reflection, there was a very cute stallion curiously looking around the cave while holding a mildly scratched-up surfboard.
What there wasn’t on the other side of the pool was her reflection staring back at her.
Wait. Waaaaaait. Wait a minute.
Why was there even another side?
Why was there somepony on that other side?
“Hello?” Sunny called out.
“Huh,” The stallion snapped out of his fascination. He turned towards her general direction.
“Hello?!” Sunny called out louder. “Can you see me? Can you hear me?”
“Glowy water. Weird,” He carefully placed the surfboard on his back and made his way out of the cave. He hadn’t been looking at her.
“Wait! Hey! You! Green mane! With the surfboard! Please don’t go! I can see you! I can hear you!”
He’d left. He hadn’t noticed her. Sunny was alone with her thoughts once more.
She sat in that cave watching that pool for an unreasonably long time.
On the other side, she could see the same cave she was in, though it looked very different. The hole in the roof was similarly formed, but it let in starlight rather than sunlight. The walls were aligned the same, but there was no moss to be found, save for the very rim of the tide pool.
And, of course, there was no Sunny on that side looking back at her.
The water slowly trickled away until the pool dried off, but no more signs of the surfer colt made themselves known.
Who was that pony? Where was that pony?
She had so many questions she wanted to ask him.
Sunny couldn’t put the encounter out of her mind.
She knew from Dad’s stories that Equestria used to be a lot more magical. Earth ponies were in touch with nature and could grow miraculous plants and perform incredible feats of strength and endurance. With the unicorns and pegasi around as well, pony magic was everywhere.
This, though… This was something else, and it was happening to her.
That colt. She had to know more. She had to see him again. She had to speak to him.
“Who are you, mystery stallion?” Sunny muttered to herself as she did the dishes after lunch.
“You can’t be all in my mind. I know for sure I saw you in that pool. I have the silly mustache mousse lid to prove it,” she assured herself as she roller-skated around doing odd jobs here and there. She’d hung on to it. Just in case.
“I’m going back tomorrow,” she promised herself that night as she went to bed early.
On the off chance he’d be there again, she had to make absolutely sure she didn’t miss him.
The next morning came as usual, and along came the Glittering Tide. That was what she’d very creatively called it. She’d have to think of something better once she found out what it was all about.
Bingo.
Rollerskates? Check.
Notebook and pen? Check.
Phone? Check.—Too bad the sun right across from the beach made taking decent photos of the tide a no-can-do.
She’d made sure to go out a bit earlier this morning and get an idea of what the glittering looked like from ground level, but it was much harder to make out without a view from on high. No wonder no one else had noticed it!
Hang on to your surfboard, ocean colt, I’m not giving up on you yet!
Before long, Sunny had rolled down the paved path to the beach and tucked away her skates. Determination carried her into a clumsy gallop through the sand, leaving a deep streak across the beach.
The cave was as she’d left it yesterday, minus one detail: The pool was full again, and she could see the other cave, minus the mysterious pony.
“He’s not here. Did I miss him? Did he just… not come back?”
Sunny checked the clock on her phone and reviewed her notes for the hundredth time. It was right about the same time she’d seen him yesterday. He wasn’t there now.
~~Proximity activated projection?~~
That was one theory down. She had plenty more to cross off her list.
~~Alternate universe self?~~
Couldn't be. No version of her would have missed a chance to investigate a pool of glowy water.
Sunny thoroughly inspected the pool. The water was surprisingly chilly, but her investigation proved conclusive. It was a shallow tide pool, and if there was anything odd, it was with the water itself. No secret underwater passages.
~~Seapony trickery?~~
She just had to wait here. To hope he would return.
Fortunately, hoping proved to be enough.
His voice rang from outside of his cave. “Huh? Who said that?”
Sunny shot back up to her full height, ears perked and at attention.
Wait, I haven’t said anything.
Leaves and ferns rustled as yesterday’s mystery stallion crept through the cave entrance on the other side of the reflection.
Yes! A second chance.
“You! Green colt! C-can you see me?”
He looked around the cave, puzzled. “Hello?”
“Hello?” Sunny echoed back. Not this again!
Then, he turned to the pool, and he looked directly… one and a half hooves to her left.
“Huh! Hey! I see you! I hear you!”
Yes! “You can?! Th-that’s amazing! What’s your name? What’s going on with this cave? I have so many questions.”
“Huh?” He tilted his head in confusion. “I haven’t gone anywhere. Wait. Surfboard? But… I don’t have my surfboard with me. I had it…”
Wait. But I didn’t ask about his surfboard… Wait… It couldn’t be… Could it? I did ask about it…
“... yesterday, ” they concluded in temporally-displaced unison.
They were a day apart. He was reacting to what she’d said yesterday. Yet, as fate would have it, the answer had dawned on both of them at the very same time.
“I think I understand,” the mystery colt said. “You’re a day ahead of me. Or maybe I’m getting you a day late. You get the idea. If you’re hearing this, girl in the tide pool, come back tomorrow.”
Yes! A day’s delay wasn’t ideal, but at least they could talk.
“Yes, yes, I’ll definitely-” Sunny exclaimed, only to be cut off as he continued to talk.
Right. He couldn’t hear her right now.
“My name is Sandbar, and I… and I… Wait a minute…” Sandbar—At least, she had a name for him now—stumbled back from the pool, with wide eyes and a frightened snort. “... How do I know you’re not one of those changelings playing a trick on me?”
Huh.
“Okay, look. I’ll come back tomorrow, but when I do, I need you to convince me you’re not a changeling. I’ve been told they’re up to all kinds of tricks and making a mess all around! I’ll… I’ll get the town guard if I have to, okay!?”
Sandbar—Did he have a last name?—carefully backed away, and all but vanished out of the cave before she caught her bearings.
This was escalating quickly. She had to think fast. Whatever these changelings were, she had to prove she wasn’t one of them right now so he could see it tomorrow.
“I, but… What’s a changeling? Anyway, look! I swear I’m a pony, and I’ve got the pictures to prove it!”
Sunny snatched her phone out of its holster, flipped it open, and frantically pulled up the photo gallery.
“My name is Sunny Starscout. I live here in Maretime Bay with… Well, I used to live with my father, Argyle Starshine. I don’t know what would prove it to you but… look! Baby! Filly! Goofy selfie! Birthday party!” Sunny chuckled nervously, desperately trying to hang on to any little scrap of composure she could still muster. “Please! Believe me!”
Would this convince him? Sunny didn’t even know what a changeling was. What if they could fake pictures? Would he believe her? He’d looked really frightened.
Would he even come back?
The pool slowly emptied, and Sunny left to think about all of this. Life still had to go on, and she had obligations.
Please, Sandbar… I really, really need you to believe me.
Sunny had tossed and turned all night. She couldn’t put that colt out of her mind.
She’d been waiting for something special to happen all her life, and there he was. He wasn’t what she’d expected, of course—no wings and no horn—but she wouldn’t turn her back on a mysterious time-displaced pony on the other side of a tide pool over so little. Unless, of course, a pegasus or unicorn turned up. Then, she’d have some very difficult choices to make.
Until that happened, though, Sandbar had her full attention.
Perhaps a bit too much of her full attention. The whole deal was keeping her from sleeping.
Sunny tossed and turned. She tried reading the thickest and most boring encyclopedia in her dad’s old collection. Added an extra blanket. Removed the extra blanket. Removed the regular blanket. Put back the regular blanket.
She even broke out some of her old plushies, on the off chance that would help. It didn’t.
Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, her body told her overzealous brain to take a hike. Fixation stopped keeping exhaustion at bay, and Sunny fell asleep at last..
Bright sunlight. Bright sunlight right in her eyes. She really had to get better curtains.
Was it already dawn? Worse than dawn, the sun was fully up!
She had to hurry up, else she’d miss Sandbar, and who knows how long it’d take to get him to say it again, if he even would.
Oh, sorry, I overslept and missed our meeting involving this probably once-in-a-lifetime series of magical—does this count as magical? I’m pretty sure it does—events. Silly me!
Mane brush. Saddlebag. Notebook. Phone. Roller skates. Knock at the door.
Wait…
Knock at the door? What now?!
“Sunny, are you there?”
Hitch? She didn’t have time for him right now!
“Oh!” Sunny exclaimed with all the false nonchalance a mare late on her way to meet a stallion across a magic tide pool could muster. She opened the door, all smiles, standing in the doorway. “Hi, Hitch! Nice of you to drop by, but as you can see, I was just about to head out!”
Hitch nodded, motioning for her to pass by. “I’ll walk with you, if you like, I wanted to ask you something.”
Sunny edged past him and closed the door, quietly inching further and further on her wheels. “No, no, no, I shouldn’t take up your time like that. Wanna meet up for lunch later? We can talk all about it.”
“It’s no problem,” Hitch said, following her rolling one slow step at a time. “I’ve got some time before my next patrol.”
“Yeah, but you know…” Sunny looked to her watch-less right foreleg, lifting it for a better visual. “Oh! Would you look at the time? It’s already hoof past seven! I’d better be on my way!”
Hitch cocked his head to the side as she readied herself to dash away. He slowly lifted a hoof and held it out expectantly.
… That’s low, Hitch Trailblazer. That’s real low.
Sunny rose back up to a stable position and sighed. “Fine, if you’re not giving me a choice in the matter…”
Up high, down low, hitch it to a post! Flip it sunny-side up and on a piece of toast!
She couldn’t resist a little giggle. “Alright, alright, you can walk with me for a little bit, but you might have to trot a bit, I really am in a hurry.”
“Fine with me! I could use the workout.” Hitch said, picking up the pace as they got moving. “Where are you headed, anyway?”
“Oh, you know…” Sunny playfully twirled on her skates.
Hitch rolled his eyes. “I don’t. That’s why I asked.”
Sunny grumbled a little. “Fine, fine. Not like I could hide it from you, anyway. I’m headed to the beach.”
“Again?” Hitch shot her a doubting glance as they passed by the big fountain at the center of town. “What’s going on with you, Sunny?” Doubt turned to concern as he continued. “That’s two days now I’ve seen you rushing to the beach and then barely got a glimpse of you all day, and now here we are on day three.”
Should I shove him into the fountain and make a getaway? … Nah, It’d work for now, but I’d have even more explaining to do later, plus he’d chase me down to the beach. I’d better make something up.
It would have been really funny, though.
“Well… uh… you see…” C’mon, Sunny! Think fast! “So I found these notes by my dad I’d never noticed before, and…”
“Uh-huh? And…?” Hitch nodded.
“And…” Sunny paused for dramatic effect, and absolutely not because she was stalling to think of something. “Seaponies!”
Hitch drew back, incredulous. “What?” He asked, flatly.
“That’s right! Seaponies! Remember that glittery tide I dreamed about the other day? Between that and my dad’s notes, I’m sure it’s them! There’s a bunch of legends about them, you know?” Sunny spun around to face Hitch head-on, skating backwards as she continued gushing excitedly. “Shiny scales, tails like those little critters at the aquarium,” she made a spiraling gesture with the tip of her right skate, “and they sing all the time!”
Hitch stopped in his tracks, leaving Sunny rolling away awkwardly. “... Have you been getting too much sun?”
“I know you’ve heard the stories too!” she insisted. “Shoo-be-doo! Shoo-shoo-be-doo! ” She twirled around to her own little melody, swooping back to his side.
“Riiiiight, and you found those notes just now, months later, despite spending days on end checking every last little cranny of the lighthouse for days a long time ago.”
“Uh-huh!” Sunny nodded, all smiles.
“Uh-huh.” Hitch nodded, all doubt.
Sunny’s grin slowly melted into a pout, and she slumped on her wheels. “Fine. It was worth a shot,“ she muttered. “It’s not seaponies, and it’s not about dad’s notes. It’s just… I found something, two days ago. That something is becoming very important to me, but… I’m not ready to talk about it yet.” Sunny lowered her head. “I need to figure some things out first. This is something I need to do by myself for now.”
“Sunny… If you knew what you put me through, sometimes, I swear…” Hitch took a deep breath. “Promise nothing bad’s going on? Nothing dangerous?”
She nodded. “I promise. I’m pretty sure it’s safe, too.”
“Encouraging,” Hitch half-smiled. “You won’t do anything stupid?”
“Nothing too stupid, no,” Sunny assured and clarified.
Hitch rubbed at his temple. “Okay, I’ll let you do your thing, whatever it is. Just… I’ll be around if you need someone to talk to, okay? Town’s not been the same without your dad, and I imagine it has to be even harder for you. You don’t have to be alone, you know?”
Sunny’s lips quivered as Hitch extended his hoof for a quick hoof bump.
She drew him into a tight hug instead.
“Thanks.” Sunny smiled. “I’m glad to have you around… Wait, what time is it?” She glanced at the clock tower over his shoulder. “Oops!”
Sunny shoved herself off of Hitch, tipping him onto his rear end. “Gotta go! See you later!”
“Hey!” Hitch exclaimed, half amused, half outraged as he leaped back to his hooves. He drew his sheriff’s whistle and blew a shrill warning. “Speed limit, Sunny! Watch the speed limit!”
Please don’t be too late! Please don’t be too late!
Sunny tripped over her own hooves on her way down the cave path. After a clumsy stumble forward, she came to a stop at the edge of the tide pool, just sort of getting an impromptu bath.
“Um, hi?” she asked, her words exactly as steady as her steps.
Across the pool, Sandbar looked mesmerized by whatever he was seeing.
Sunny braced herself for his reaction. This was the moment of truth. Just what was he looking at?
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sandbar suddenly erupted, motioning with a hoof for yesterday’s Sunny to slow down.
He, too, was just getting used to the one-day delay. She’d really been frantic, hadn’t she? What would that even look like to him?
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he cooed to what must have been her distraught image. “I don’t think a changeling would have reacted like that, and those pictures are really impressive, too. I believe you.”
He offered a cute little smile and adopted what Sunny assumed was an intentionally relaxed posture. “Sunny Starscout, right? I’m sorry, I… I was scared. I didn’t want to upset you like this.”
Sunny breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh… Thank you, Sandbar. “
Delay. Right. Good thing he was taking a deep breath and she could keep going.
“I’m so happy you believed me yesterday,” she clarified. He’d need the context.
Sandbar stood up straight, probably steeling himself for what was to come.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sunny. Is it okay if I call you Sunny? My name is Sandbar. Just Sandbar. I live near the beach outside this cave, in Summertide Bay. I have a small apartment attached to my family’s house. Needed a little space, you know?”
Sunny sat down. He clearly had a lot to say. She’d have to ask about his hometown. After all, Maritime Bay was right around the corner. If there was another town so close, there’s no way she would never have heard of it.
Note to self: add that new piece of potential evidence for ‘alternate universe’ in my notebook.
“Changelings, well, they’re these mean pony-like bug creatures who impersonate ponies. I hear Canterlot dealt with most of them, but there’s still a few of them out in the wild making problems.”
Sandbar paced back and forth as he talked, and his cutie mark caught Sunny’s eye. Three turtles. She’d never seen a mark like that. Another question for the notebook.
“A few months ago, one of my aunts had a run-in with a suitor who turned out to be a changeling, and my dad had to get the guard involved. I think that’s why I was so worried.”
Canterlot? Pony-impersonating bugs? Every answer raised even more questions.
“I have a few questions I’d like to ask, too. That… that little flippy box with the photos. I’ve never seen one like that. What’s that? It’s smaller than any camera I’ve ever seen, and yet you can just… store photos in there? How’s that work?”
Huh? Had he never seen a cellphone? Wherever Summertide Bay was, it had to be very, very remote.
“Also…” Sandbar paused for a moment, flicking his head to the side to clear a wayward strand of mane out of his eyes while nervously tapping his seashell necklace. “I’m sorry if this is a touchy subject. It’s just… I’ve never seen somepony like you.”
Sunny tilted her head in confusion.
Sandbar scraped at the cave floor with a forehoof.
“Y-your Cutie Mark. It’s only on one side, isn’t it? What’s up with that?”
A couple of days went on. They continued to meet in the mornings. As it turned out, Sandbar was just as curious as she was about this whole phenomenon. On his side, the tide was glowy, rather than glittery. He said it came every day at sunset.
That first day, he’d been trying to take a shortcut home after surfing, he’d accidentally fallen into that cave through the hole in the roof while distracted by the glowing tide.
They were getting used to dealing with the delay. They’d make sure to remind each other of their questions from the previous day. They were careful to allow each other to speak before the tide pool drained for the day.
Sandbar insisted Summertide Bay was just around the corner. He insisted even harder that he’d never heard of Maretime Bay. He and Sunny were still figuring that part out.
She explained about her ‘little flippy picture box’. That seemed to confuse him more than anything. Wherever he was, they had no concept of a portable phone. He said phones stood on the tables of rich ponies and you called other houses with buttons or dials, not on a pocket device.
Everypony he’d met had cutie marks on both flanks once they got theirs. Wherever he was, it had to be a very different place.
Were there different kinds of earth ponies and she didn’t know? After all, if there could be three tribes, why not more? How exciting!
They discussed a few of her theories.
There were too many differences for them to be alternate universe selves.
He knew things she didn’t, things that held up to serious amounts of scrutiny, so he couldn’t be a figment of her imagination.
Also, it had to be the same world, since he also knew about Twilight Sparkle. “Isn’t she that new alicorn?” he’d said. “News travel pretty slowly here. I’ll let you know if I hear more.”
“I shouldn’t be keeping you from your friends like this,” Sandbar said one morning. “We don’t even know where each of us is. For all we know, we might never be able to meet.”
“I don’t mind,” Sunny answered. “Truth be told… I didn’t have a lot going on before I found, well, all of this. And you, especially you. I don’t know what it’s like over there, but I’ve been kind of alone since… well… anyway. I don’t want to give up until you and I can determine what’s going on.
Finally, one morning, Sunny worked up the courage. She was going to admit to Sandbar she was trying to find unicorns and pegasi. She’d been afraid to bring it up, afraid he would judge her for it like everypony else. It needed to come out. Maybe he’d heard something. Maybe he knew something. Maybe he’d seen something.
Before she could figure out how she’d ask, he stormed into the cave wearing some blue saddlebags and brandishing a big old book full of worn pages.
He excitedly muffled her name and half of a frantic sentence through a mouthful of book before realizing the futility of that and setting it down.
Thanks to very bold lettering, Sunny was able to make out the tome’s title.
Lesser-Known Magical Phenomena and Theory of Equestrian Thaumic Events
Yeesh, heavy title. How’d Sandbar even find that? He didn’t seem like the bookish type. Just how much time had he spent digging answers?
“Sunny! I-I-I found something at the library! I think, no, I know what’s going on.”
Sunny watched with bated breath as Sandbar nosed through the pages. Her mind raced with possibilities
“Just a second…” Sandbar muttered, “It was somewhere around… Aha! Here! Got it! It’s a bit involved, so I’ll read it out for you...”
Sunny sat down and made herself as comfortable as she could on the mossy ground. Judging by Sandbar doing the same, minus the moss, it looked like this was going to be a bit of a read.
Temporal Tide
First observed in Côte-Du-Percheron, Prance, following the defeat of the Chaos Lord Discord in what would become Year 1 of the Diarchic Age, temporal tides are known to occur in times of great magical upheaval.
Sufficiently intense thaumic surges are known to cause fluctuations in the flow of time. In the case of islands and coastal cities, the resulting disruption can cause the course of chronal thaums—the magical components of time—to align with that of nearby aqueous thaums—the magical components of water. This alignment typically causes the course of time in a limited area to align with the flow of water.
At least, that was what Sunny was getting so far. Sandbar had tripped over some of the more complex words, but all in all, she’d been able to follow.
She wished she could know more about magic. Maybe if she could figure out where he was—or when, because that was a possibility now—she’d be able to do some reading and investigation of her own.
“You know…” Sunny smiled while Sandbar paused for a breath. “...you have a very nice voice for reading.”
Then, she buried her face in her hooves, blushing copiously.
… I can’t believe I just said that.
Thankfully, he couldn’t hear her now.
Unfortunately, he’d definitely hear tomorrow.
Temporal tides typically have two components, referred to as the Wave and the Tide:
The Tide is the more easily observed effect, which the phenomenon was named for. Typically coming between twice a day to once every three days, a visually anomalous tide will come to the coast. These visual anomalies have been theorized to stem from luminous thaums and ordinary minor debris being washed off to sea. Tides are not believed to present significant risk. The resulting disruption is not of sufficient magnitude to carry more than small debris, and the simple factors of dispersion and environment make the propagation of pathogens—disease and bacteria—all but impossible.
The Wave, however, is another matter entirely. Temporal waves, either preceded—Retrograde Temporal Tide—or followed—Anterograde Temporal Tide—by temporal tides are at the very core of the phenomenon, provoked directly by the initial impetus. Due to the risks involved and the rarity of the event, such waves have only been observed incidentally and from a distance. It is theorized by expert chronologists that their effects would be similar to their precursor or successor tides but to a much greater effect.
It is believed that the Early Andalusian monuments located near the coasts of Old Manehattan in Year 432—Diarchic Age…
“Wait, wait, wait,” she interrupted, losing track for a moment. “Diarchic Age?”
She’d never even heard of a Diarchic Age. It was just the Sisters’ age, then the Union Age, the Great Upheaval—that word again—, and finally the Earth Age, right?
Sunny shook her head, desperate to straighten her ideas out.
“Sandbar, what year is it for you?”
She’d have to wait tomorrow for the answer.
Sandbar closed the book and slumped a bit. “So… Hopefully you caught all that. I’m not too sure what some of this means, but if I’m understanding correctly, something big happened—or will happen—that’s making water and time flow together around this beach and cave.”
It was by far the best explanation Sunny had gotten, and judging by a little something she had in her bag, it was looking more and more credible.
“About this whole tide,” Sunny asked while he was putting the book away and catching his breath. She produced the Mustache Mousse lid out of her bag and made sure to hold it out between her hooves for Sandbar to see clearly. “Do you know anything about this? I found it on the beach on the first day I saw you, and it really doesn’t look like any brand I’ve ever heard of.”
“I have to leave a bit early today,” Sandbar replied. Yesterday. Because he couldn’t hear her right now. Oops. “It’s my little sister’s birthday and I have to help with the party. I’ll have more time tomorrow, so I’ll bring back this book and a few others I found. If you have some questions, feel free to ask, and I’ll answer them as best as I can. I’m pretty sure you’re wondering the same thing I am, so… It’s Year 1003 of the Celestial Age, though Canterlot—That’s where the Princesses are, if you don’t know—is talking about calling it year 3 of the Sisters Age.”
He looked down to his hooves, then nervously back at her. Did he dread her answer? “What year is it for you? Are you before, or after me? You’ve mentioned some stuff I’ve never heard of… but it seems like there’s not a lot of magic where you are. Is ‘where’ even right? When you are? Wow, that’s weird to say.”
Still pondering that conundrum, he gave a hesitant little hoof wave and left the cave. “See you tomorrow, Sunny.”
“Sandbar… You’re… In the Sisters’ Age? But that’s…” It was a Rockhoovian task just to think about it, never mind speaking it out loud. “That’s over six hundred years ago!”
That’s… that’s amazing. Think of all the things we can learn about back then! Maybe… Maybe…
Sunny briefly considered the possibility that they might be able to prevent the tribes from splitting up in the first place, but… The simple idea of it was so staggering it shut itself out of her mind.
Probably best to avoid mentioning the tribes splitting for now. If he truly was that far in the past, he didn’t need that looming over him, plus she was a little bit afraid of messing things up by saying too much. Could any of this change the flow of history? What would that even do?
She had questions. She had so many questions. Yet, faced with the opportunity to have any of them answered, there was a single front-runner to that race.
“Sandbar, would you read more history to me tomorrow? I don’t even know where to begin asking. Pick whatever you feel is most important. Anything you’re comfortable with. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, but it would mean a lot to me if you’d keep going.”
Slowly, Sunny recovered from the shock of it all.
She had to get going, the day was still waiting for her, but…
Everything else was going to feel so mundane in contrast.
Maybe this once, just this once, she should take a break. She was still pretty sleepy.
Sunny unclasped her saddlebag and allowed it to roll off her side, before laying her head on it and tucking her forelegs under herself. The mossy floor wasn’t the comfiest thing, but the ocean’s song—the waves, the wind, the occasional seagull—was nice and soothing.
She hoped he’d agree to read to her again tomorrow. He had such a nice voice. It was calm and soothing, just like the sea. She bet he was all cool and collected when he wasn’t dealing with a once-in-a-lifetime magical occurrence. His was a voice that said “don’t worry”.
So she didn’t. There would be time for worries later. Right now, it was time for a nap.
It had been a long day. After that morning’s harrowing exchange, she felt like she’d had enough emotions for a month, but an upsurge in deliveries had made sure no nap could stop her body from being as exhausted as her mind.
Just one more job to do, and she was done for the day. Puff Sugarsnack, the local baker, had received a very large order from the Canterlogic factory. Something about providing a morale boost to workers doing some much-needed overtime.
Of course, making a special delivery to the Canterlogic factory this late in the day meant dealing with one more issue...
Two ponies were waiting at the pristine reception office. Sunny waved to Toots, the rotund administrative assistant, who was desperately juggling several ledgers, an adding machine, and two phones. He couldn’t spare a hoof, but nodded back.
Alongside him, of course, was the source of the aforementioned issue, calmly filing the edge of her left forehoof. She looked at Sunny nonchalantly over the rim of her glasses.
“Sunny dearie, can I have a word with you?”
Phyllis Cloverleaf; sweet as sugar, and just as cloying.
Here we go again. Time to put on my best deliverypony face, I wouldn’t want to give Mr. Sugarsnack any issues.
“Of course, Mrs. Cloverleaf,” Sunny nodded with her best fake smile. “Just give me a moment to bring this to-”
“Oh, no, no, no, that won’t be necessary.” Phyllis shook her head. “Toots, would you bring these to the break room? Oh, and make sure there’s enough to go around, would you?”
Toots sighed. Awkwardly balancing a cordless phone against his ear and desperately trying to maintain his conversation with some assembly-line forepony, he slowly shuffled the cart out of the room, looking pitiful as ever.
Poor Toots… I hope she pays him enough to justify everything she puts him through.
“Now then!” Phyllis punctuated herself with a quick tap of her hoof, drawing Sunny’s baffled attention back to her. “Would you please join me in my office? You can call me Phyllis, you know? Your father and I go way back.”
Sunny needed to collect payment for the pastries, and she knew full well Phyllis would stall that until she’d gotten her spiel in.
Might as well get it out of the way now…
Phyllis’s office was a lot like its occupant: The lace doilies, potted plants, and framed pictures of a young Sprout put forth a welcoming image of a kindly middle-aged mother, while endless coldly-calculated files identified that as a shrewd businessmare’s approachable facade.
Sunny sat across the solid oak desk, facing Phyllis’s plush throne of an office chair.
Having shut the door so they ‘wouldn’t be bothered’, Phyllis sat down, then swiveled to face her.
“If this is about offering me a job again, Phyllis, you already know what I’m going to say.” Sunny leaned forward, stern but outwardly polite. “I’m not going to disrespect my father’s memory just for some wages.”
“Yes, yes, I know, I know,” Phylis waved a dismissive hoof. “This isn’t what this is about, though the offer stands if you decide you’re ready to move on from fairy tales. Canterlogic could use a sharp mind like yours if it weren’t so busy with follies.”
Sunny’s hoof pressed hard against the desk surface. Her foreleg trembled.
“In any case, dear, despite my… let’s say… differences with your father, I did always have great respect for Argyle’s well-meaning heart and clear head. His delusions about the other tribes aside, he was a pillar of our community, and I feel like I owe it to him, at least a little, to keep an eye out for you. Somepony has to make sure you’re not getting in trouble, that kind of thing. It’s not fair that a filly your age is having to fend for herself just like that.”
Sunny nodded impassively.
If you cared so much about other ponies, you wouldn’t be creating defenses against most of them.
Phyllis removed her glasses and gently wiped a smudge off of them with a pink lacy handkerchief. “It’s been brought to my attention that you’ve been making a lot less of a ruckus about your father’s ideas lately. According to Sprout, he and Hitch hardly ever see you around town anymore. Is everything okay, Sunny? You haven’t been getting involved in anything… nefarious, have you?”
Okay, Sunny, big smile. You can do this.
“Thanks for your concern, Ma’am, but I assure you I’m doing just fine. I’ve been busy with some personal matters, but it’s nothing you and Sprout need to concern yourselves with, I promise.”
Phyllis nodded with a smile of her own and a single satisfied clap of her hooves.
“Excellent. I’m happy to hear that, but please, Sunny, really do consider my offer. It’s not healthy for a mare to be gallivanting off chasing after imaginary friends.”
Sunny’s eyes grew wide. Her artificial smile collapsed into a genuine scowl, and she rose out of her chair, leaning over the desk.
You rotten old…!
“You take that back! He’s not imagina-”
Wait, wait, nonono! Backpedal! Backpedal!
She cut herself short, and took a deep stabilizing breath, forcing herself back into a neutral expression and straightening back up, away from Phyllis.
“What I mean to say is that my father wasn’t just imagining things. He had very good reasons to believe what he did, and made that very clear to all of us. I know you don’t agree, but that doesn’t mean you get to insult him!”
Phyllis gave no real sign of remorse, instead maintaining a cocky little smile. “Oh, I’m so sorry, dearie. That must be a sore spot, and I got a little carried away. Well, in any case, I suppose I’ve held you up long enough.”
She unlocked a drawer and counted out the necessary payment.
“Now, you’d best be going. I can’t have Puff waiting; Canterlogic has a reputation to maintain.”
Sunny snatched up the bills and tucked them away into her bag, glaring daggers. “It sure does,” she muttered under her breath while fumbling with the door handle.
“Stay out of trouble, now!” Phyllis waved her off, all smiles. “And Sunny, don’t forget! To be scared is …”
Sunny rolled her eyes and saw herself out, doing all she could to resist the urge to slam the door. “... to be safe . I know, I know…”
“Now you’re getting it!” Phyllis giggled sweetly.
Sunny hummed to herself and danced her way into the tide pool cave. Today was a nice bright morning. She wasn’t going to let Phyllis get her down so easily, especially with her favorite part of the day right around the corner.
“Hi Sandbar!” she called out cheerfully before setting down her saddlebag. She’d brought a few books, just in case. She wasn’t sure what she should—or even just could—tell her bestie in the pastie, but it never hurt to be prepared just in case. “How was your day?”
It’s nice we finally have a better idea what’s going on… I hope Sandbar takes the news okay.
Sunny waited a little.
She waited a little longer.
“... Um…”
Sunny giggled.
“This must look really weird to you when you’re watching this. I was expecting today’s —yesterday’s?—you to come in any minute now. You know what I mean, right? Well, I guess while I’m waiting… I had some time to think, and I wanted to ask, what’s it like, living with pegasi and unicorns ar-”
Sandbar’s cheerful voice piped up out of the water as the image of the young stallion trotted in, lugging what looked like some fairly sizeable saddlebags. “Hey Sunny! Good morning! I brought some camping gear to spend the night!”
“Oh! There you are! Wow, good mood, too! But yeah, what is it like with unicorns and pegasi around? Maretide Bay is out of the way, so it’s basically just us Earth Ponies around here.”
She wasn’t ready to tell him yet about the Great Upheaval. It was way after his time; she couldn’t do that to him. Right now, it was much too early to matter for him and much too late to matter for her. Until she finally got the chance to undo it by befriending unicorns and pegasi, of course.
Sandbar chuckled. “You should see how you looked this time yesterday. You’re listening so intensely, it’s kinda cute.”
Sunny blushed. “Yeah? Well, what mare wouldn’t be at rapt attention when such a handsome stallion is reading to her about an old mystery!”
“You just asked what year it is here. Didn’t I answer that yesterday? Oh, right. I must have said it after you asked. Yep, 1003 Celestial, though it might be Sisters 3 by your time.”
Sunny nodded. Yep, like he’d said yesterday. If he was answering that, though, that meant…
Oh, please take it well, please take it well…
She watched with bated breath as Sandbar’s expression slowly went from curiosity to confusion to bafflement. “H-h-how many years? Six hundred!?”
His eyes lit up like the sun at a beach party. “That’s amazing! I bet you have all kinds of cool technology! I can’t even imagine! It's got to be like those Star Trot comics all over!”
Sandbar held his hoof to his ear like he was using a tiny phone. “Beam me up, Shetland!”
Huh! Dad’s favorite space show goes way back.
Sunny couldn’t help but giggle at his excitement. “About the technology, we have nothing as crazy as Star Trot yet, I think, but we do have some cool things. I’ll bring some to show you tomorrow, but for now, I bet you’ll love the Walkmare I have in my bag…”
“But yeah…” The recorded image of Sandbar interrupted, turning a little somber. “That really is a big difference, though… I guess this kind of exchange is all we’re getting together, huh?”
Both of them fell silent, and the ocean outside the cave sighed in their place.
“I… guess so, yeah. About exchanges like this being the best we’re likely to get.” Sunny nodded. “I’m still happy to see you every day like this, though! I don’t know if there’s ever going to be more to it than this, but I want to continue meeting up, even if this is all there ever is.”
“Sorry,” Sandbar said, shaking off his glumness. “I bet that kind of soured the mood, there.” He filed. It looked a little forced, but Sunny appreciated the effort regardless. “And sure, I’d love to read to you some more. I think I have just the thing right here.
While he rummaged through the bag he’d brought for a certain book, Sunny took a deep breath to herself, and pushed the somber thoughts aside for now.
There’ll be time for worrying later.
Sunny sat down and got comfortable while Sandbar opened his book. That one looked well-worn and lacked a title on the cover. “Yes! Thanks, Sandbar! Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about stuff in my time. Anything you’d like to know?”
“This is probably the most famous story of my time,” he said. “There’s a bunch of titles for it, but I’ll just go ahead and let you find out.”
Sandbar cleared his throat and began to read without hesitation. There was no fumbling of words this time; it was like he’d heard this story a million times before.
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and…
There was no way Sunny could worry in a situation like this. The greatest history lesson she could ever imagine, delivered by a handsome colt from hundreds of years ago. At that moment, she couldn’t have imagined it any better, barring the ability to reach out and lean against his shoulder.
“...and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.“ Sandbar concluded sometime later, rousing Sunny out of her trance. “Of course, since that was written,” he said, closing the book, “Princess Luna—the alicorn of the night—came back from the moon and was redeemed by some pony heroes. I think that new alicorn, Twilight Sparkle, was one of them?”
Sunny nodded. “That’s so cool! I wonder…” Wait, I can’t tell him there are no princesses here, can I? “I wonder how they managed to make her feel better.” Maybe it can help us make peace with the other tribes.
When she turned her focus back to him, Sandbar was looking through the pool with a bit of a dopey smile. “Sunny, I hope you don’t mind, but the Sunny I’m seeing here went for a nap after I had to leave yesterday, and right now, I want nothing more than to roll out my camping gear and have a little sleepover with you. Has anyone ever told you your snoring is very cute?”
To describe Sunny as blushing would be an understatement, though she couldn’t blame him. After he’d lulled her off to sleep last night, she couldn’t possibly begrudge him that.
Much as she would have loved to stay and nap with him, her day was just starting out, and she had to get going.
Good night, Sandbar. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Sunny still had some time to kill before she had to get going on her deliveries, so she rifled around her saddlebags for something to do. She snuck a glance at the young stallion who, true to his word, had rolled out a makeshift camp bed and was settling down for the night.
When she turned back to her bag, Sunny’s attention zeroed in on her notebook and pencils.
Perhaps she’d draw an earth pony, for a change. Who could pass on such a model?
Sunny sketched away for a time, with the gentle roar of the ocean and Sandbar’s relaxed breathing bringing her peace. As she finished up a strand of the sketch’s wild mane, her ears flicked at a gentle mumble from the sleeping colt.
“Mmh… Sunny… Yessss…”
Eyes wide in shock, she slowly lifted her head from the page to look at him.
Laid on his back with his legs sprawled out every which way, Sandbar was well and clearly asleep.
Most of him was, at least.
An intimate part of Sandbar was very, very awake.
Oh.
Oh my.
Sunny blushed copiously, but that didn’t stop a lascivious little smirk from slowly tracing itself onto her face. “Did I do that to you, you naughty colt?”
She caught herself staring. Studying. Sketching.
That wasn’t a very nice thing to do to him, Sunny reasoned. Maybe she’d make amends by giving him a little show of her own.
If she was lucky, he’d reciprocate the next day.
Sunny crashed down the beach, hit her head against the cave entrance on the way in, and galloped down to the tide pool.
Rain and grey sky be darned, she’d missed her surfer stallion these last few days, and there was so much to catch up on. She hoped he hadn’t worried too much.
Between Izzy coming to town, visiting Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood, helping reunite the tribes, and bringing magic back to the world, It had been a complete whirlwind of an adventure.
Sunny was panicked. She was amazed. She was worried. She was frantic. She was beside herself with worry, and beside that Sunny with excitement.
“Sandbar! Sandbar! I’m so sorry I’ve been gone these last few days! You won’t believe everything that happened!”
There was no answer.
The cave didn’t react to her exuberant entrance.
The moss didn’t react to her exuberant entrance.
Sandbar didn’t react to her exuberant entrance.
The tide pool was empty.
No!
That couldn’t be right. It was morning. The tide had to have come in by now.
No! No! No!
Her hooves crashed against the empty tide pool. Maybe something was obstructing the water.
“Sandbar!”
Sunny slammed her forehooves into the empty pool. Nothing happened.
“Sandbar! Please! Do you hear me!?”
She spun herself around. Her hind legs were stronger. She stomped at the rocking ground repeatedly.
Nothing.
“Please! Where are you!? What’s going on!?”
The rain outside was growing louder and heavier.
It couldn’t be over, could it?
No. No! It doesn’t make sense. Magic just got stronger! The pool should have grown stronger too!
Sunny frantically searched the cave from end to end, from side to side, from top to bottom. Maybe the water had leaked out elsewhere. She had to find it.
C’mon, c’mon! It has to be somewhere. He has to be somewhere!
Thunder roared outside.
It was a good thing Sunny had brought a flashlight. With the sky growing increasingly overcast, the cave was getting dark.
Rainwater gathered in the tide pool, but it quickly drained away, flowing down into the depths of the earth and taking Sunny’s hopes along with it.
Retrograde.
The thought hit Sunny like a runaway delivery cart.
How did we miss that?
All this time, she’d been assuming that the tides were rippling forward from the past. That something big in Sandbar’s time had flowed forward. Nightmare Moon’s defeat, maybe? Discord’s return or his defeat? Tirek being forced to return Equestria’s magic?
No! No! No!
All this time, it was rippling backwards.
Equestria’s magic had just returned. That was the cause of the Temporal Tide.
What they’d been seeing weren’t aftershocks. They were before shocks.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
Sunny slipped against the cave’s mossy floor and slumped to the ground. She pounded an impotent forehoof down as her eyes welled with tears.
Oh… Sandbar, what should I do? I’m so sorry!
Would the tide pool come back? Could there be tides after the wave?
Sunny tried to will herself upright. Tried to gather any remaining little hope. She tried to lift herself off the ground. The moss was slippery with rain, her hooves slipped apart. She tripped back down, desperately reaching for the cave wall for support, only to find it surprisingly slippery. Her hoof scraped right down, taking a streak of moss with it.
Still wobbling, Sunny slowly, gently picked herself up, one gentle move at a time, careful not to slip again. Doing her best to suppress the desire to cry with a sniffle, she resolved to make her way home. She needed to be alone. She was getting soaked to the bone.
As she took the first deliberate step back to the lighthouse, however, something caught her eye.
There, where her hoof had scraped the moss off the wall.
… since the last … … didn’t come …
Faint lettering, scratched onto the stone, almost, but not quite, illegible.
Had that been there all along?
Intrigued, Sunny hurriedly scraped more moss off, uncovering the words.
Dear Sunny, it’s been two nights since the last time I saw you. Today, for the first time since that first day, the tide pool hasn’t filled in. The glowy tide didn’t come tonight. I hope you’re okay. I’ll continue checking. -Sandbar.
Oh.
Sunny sighed. He hadn’t given up on her.
Is there more?
The storm was getting violent. Heavy winds rushed through the cave.
Sunny kept scraping. Her hooves were starting to hurt, but she had to know more.
Dear Sunny. It’s been a week since my last message. There was a big storm and a huge wave in the evening after I wrote that one. I guess it was the Temporal Wave after all.
I’ll keep checking every few days, just in case.
I miss you.
Sandbar.
She was pretty sure one of her frogs was bleeding, but she kept scraping anyway.
Dear Sunny,
It’s been a month. I don’t want you to have to wait the way I have.
The tide pool doesn’t come back.
I’m sorry.
I won’t forget you.
Sandbar hadn’t signed that one. Judging by the writing, he’d struggled to finish it.
He was running out of wall, too.
That time, she couldn’t hold back her tears.
The last length of flat stone looked to have been much more deliberately carved like someone had taken a sculptor’s chisel to it rather than a sharp rock.
The letter had been waiting there for her to see it, centuries later, lurking under the moss for the time to be right.
All this time, all this hope, all just for her.
Dear Sunny, it’s been a little over half a year since we first met.
I miss you.
I hope whatever caused the Temporal Wave didn’t hurt you.
I hope you’re still doing okay.
It’s been a strange six months since we last spoke.
I can’t stay in Summertide Bay anymore. I need to go out and make something out of myself.
I think I figured it out. What you couldn’t tell me.
I realized everyone you mentioned was an Earth Pony. Your dad, your childhood friend. Your other childhood not quite friend. That nag at the factory. The ponies you deliver for.
Even the most remote earth pony towns here have weather teams or unicorn specialists.
The tribes have split, haven’t they?
I remember something you told me like it was yesterday. About how you thought it was important to keep reaching for what you think is right even if no one else will hear you out.
I’ve been thinking about that.
Thinking about leaving town.
About a week ago, someone very special flew into Summertide Bay. Her name is Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. Some of the turtles here were very sick, and she came to help us locals get them feeling better.
I think she understood how I felt, how I needed to move on from my little town.
She invited me to come and study at Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship. They’re trying to bolster good relationships between the many species of Equestria.
I want to do my part.
Until a few months ago, I’d have thought it wasn’t my place.
That I was just some little town pony who knows nothing.
You showed me otherwise, Sunny. You showed me I could matter to someone.
You taught me to follow what I think is best.
I don’t know if I can stop the tribes from splitting, but I know I want to do what I can to help everypony everycreature be happy.
I’m going to be leaving Summertide Bay next week, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.
I’m leaving something here for you. I hope it makes it all the way to you.
I won’t forget you. Please don’t forget me.
Keep dreaming big, little seapony.
-Sandbar.
P.S. I never got to say it, and it probably doesn’t matter now, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t get it off my chest.
Sunny Starscout, I love you.
A particularly deep-carved arrow crept its way down to the foot of the wall, where Sunny noticed a glint of light. After uncovering a small recess, she found a familiar crystal seashell necklace, barely tarnished by the ages. Its string, of course, was worse for wear and snapped almost immediately after she pulled the shell from the wall, but that could be re-strung.
Sandbar’s necklace.
Somberly, Sunny tucked the shell away into her saddlebag, and re-read his final letter.
He’d been okay.
She read the letter again.
He’d found his way.
She read the letter again.
He’d gone on to meet the legendary heroes and Princess Twilight Sparkle.
She felt herself swell with pride, and read the letter again.
He’d loved her.
She’d loved him.
They’d never gotten to say it.
Sunny sullenly walked out of the cave. Overloaded by a cacophony of conflicting feelings, her heart had collapsed into a cold silence.
There was a loud crack of thunder, and she barely reacted. Her sopping wet coat and mane hardly slowed down her mindless walk.
During her extended time in the cave, the storm had roused itself to a frenzy and the ocean had grown deeply agitated.
In the distance, heavy waves laden with starlight crashed and roared.
It was here. The Temporal Wave. It was growing and, soon, it would wash off to Sandbar’s time.
This all had started at the beach, with her looking through the sand for answers, and it would end at the beach, as she watched the distant waves. She was powerless to stop any of it.
Sunny recalled the mustache mousse. It had washed up from the past, hadn’t it?
Then maybe, just maybe…
Sunny whipped her wet mane over her right shoulder and tugged her scrunchie free.
It was green, just like his eyes.
Without a word, she whipped her head towards the ocean and let the band fly free, releasing it to the wild currents Her drenched mane, wild and undone, smacked her in the face. She barely noticed.
Paradoxes be damned, if the tide had brought something from the past, maybe, just maybe, it could bring something back to Sandbar. A gift of her own for him to remember her by.
Sunny watched her memento slowly float away until it was swept up by the welling of a great wave.
It was a lovely storm to behold. So mysterious and full of possibilities.
She thought of Sandbar.
The time they’d shared.
The joys and the frustrations.
The cute pet names.
Sunny watched the ocean churn about for a while. She was cold. She was tired.
It was time to go home, she told herself.
She turned tail to the ocean and took one step forward, then a second, then a third.
As she was very deliberately taking the fourth, a low wave crashed against the beach, and the ocean lapped at her rear hooves.
Sunny stopped in her tracks.
She took another look at the star-filled waves.
Another chance to hope for a glimpse of Sandbar.
Another moment to think about going for a swim.
The days were marching on with no sign of trouble. Sunny continued trekking to the tide pool cave each day to meet with Sandbar. As far as she could tell, her friends and neighbors were none the wiser about her situation. If anypony suspected anything, they’d likely discarded it as “Sunny being Sunny.”
Now and then, she considered letting Hitch in on her secret, just in case something went wrong, but she could never quite push herself to do it. In the morning, she would resolve to tell him, but then she would walk out of the beach cave sometime later, wanting to learn just one more thing first.
Though Sunny and Sandbar had been brought together by curiosity, they had found kinship beyond it. Maybe it was because of how unfathomably far he was, or maybe it was just how reassured he made her feel, but she felt like there was nothing they couldn’t tell each other about.
She’d vented to him about her frustration with the townsfolk rejecting her ideas of friendship, and their distrust of outsiders.
He had spoken about his feelings of stagnation, of amounting to nothing in his little town, just waiting for the next wave to surf on or the next turtle migration to assist.
She’d told him about her father, shared childhood memories and future worries, and how much she missed having family around.
He’d confessed that as much as he loved his recently-born little sister, he found himself resenting how his parents never seemed to have time for him anymore.
Sometimes, just for a moment, they dared to forget the unfathomable gap between them.
“Well hey there, little seapony,” Sandbar would tease. “You’re looking awfully cute here, and I bet you’re even cuter on your end.”
“Shoo be doo~ ” Sunny would croon back the next day, drinking up his compliments. “You’re looking pretty handsome yourself, surf stallion.”
For lack of a better option, kisses would be blown and caught back and forth.
Other days, of course, weren’t so easy.
“I really wish you’d tell me about those other ponies your neighbors don’t like, Sunny. I know you’re worried about changing history and that thing about a pair of ducks I still don’t get, but…”
“This again,” Sunny would sigh. “I know, I know. I’ll think about it, Sandbar. I promise. Maybe I’m supposed to tell you, but… What if I’m not supposed to? What if that causes all kinds of weird problems?”
He’d lower his head and his mane would droop down, hiding his eyes away. “I’ll try and let it go, but please, think about it.”
“... aaand you just told me to think about it. Like I said five seconds ago.” Sunny slumped in impotent frustration. “This delay is so annoying. I wish we could talk face to face.”
Still, they were enjoying exploring the differences in their respective societies. Sunny was fascinated by Sandbar’s strength and his affinity for marine wildlife. It reminded her of Hitch and his birds, a little.
Sandbar, in turn, was astounded by the sheer wealth of technology her bag could hold, from tiny radios to digital clocks. By far the biggest shock and awe had been when she’d snuck in the refrigerated smoothie delivery cart from the day’s first job.
“You mean that little box just… makes stuff cold? Like, without ice?”
They were so far, and yet they were so close.
“I’m worried about this, Sandbar,” Sunny confessed one morning. It had been a slow day for them, and she found herself unable to put it off any longer.
“Worried about us. That book said temporal tides come before—or after—powerful magical disruptions, right? Whichever one it is, before or after, we know this isn’t going to last forever. What then? I don’t want to lose you. I… I’m scared. What if tomorrow, or the day after, we come back to this cave and there’s nothing in the pool? What if we don’t get to say goodbye?”
The next morning, Sandbar listened attentively. He stood there, poking at his seashell necklace with one hoof, looking at the ground.
“I don’t know, Sunny. It’s a good point but… I guess I hadn’t thought about it until now. I want to enjoy this while it lasts. I want to enjoy us while I still can. I promise I’ll think about it. I hate to admit it, but you’re probably right…”
He didn’t bring it up again. Maybe he forgot. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it either. Sunny didn’t press the issue. It was probably best to enjoy us while they still could.
Want it or not, it sometimes came back to haunt her. She loved her time with Sandbar as much as she loved the stallion himself. She didn’t want to see it end, and yet… What could she do?
One particularly somber evening, Sunny stepped out for air. She couldn’t stand to be alone with her thoughts… but she couldn’t bear the thought of sharing them either.
There was one pony she could tell. Just one. They were somepony she could talk to about anything. Somepony she trusted beyond anything else.
Under bright moonlight, Sunny made her way downhill from the lighthouse, towards a small grove on the very edge of town.
The narrow path’s cobblestones clipped and clopped gently under her hooves. It wouldn’t have been appropriate to roller skate to where she was headed.
Her path led her to enter through the side of the lot, near the middle of its length. To her right, progressively larger trees marked each row. To her left, incrementally smaller ones.
Sunny followed the left path down to the correct row. There was a bit more work to do for today.
A small rowan tree was waiting for her, its branches extended to offer shelter from rain and sun alike.
Sunny smiled through her concerns and sadness.
It was a routine she found peace in, lately.
Pull the new weeds. Check for pests—good, nothing’s here. The birds are doing a good job. Better make sure the soil is nice and damp.
It all just took a few minutes. Now, she was ready to pour her heart out.
Sunny sat down carefully and got herself comfortable.
She gently ran her hoof against the bronze marker sitting at the foot of the tree, re-reading its inscription for the millionth time.
It was still hard to truly believe what was written there.
There was not a noise around. The animals were asleep. Ponies were at home. Even the wind had turned in for the evening.
There was nopony around to hear Sunny murmur.
Nopony except him, of course.
Sunny took a deep breath. It never got any easier.
“Hi, Dad. There’s a pony I’d like to tell you about.”
Nopony replied, of course, but that had never been the point.
Nothing lasts forever.
Good things, bad things, all eventually must come to an end.
Time and tide, as they say, wait for no mare.
One early afternoon, true to that principle, the mysterious tide pool would temporarily find itself only the second most astounding thing in Sunny’s life.
The first? Had just casually trotted down Maretime Bay’s main thoroughfare with an enthusiastic grin and a shiny horn sticking out from her forehead.
“Hi, new friend! My name’s Izzy!”
Author's Note
It is on , folks!
I hope you've been enjoying the story so far.
Tune in next week for the grand finale!
