The Beach

The sun was nearing the end of its journey when the stallion arrived at the beach. He was an old earth pony, his mane no longer displaying the colors of life and youth. His gait was slow and steady with his bones silently cracking every time he took a step. Wrinkles covered most of his face and muzzle intermixing with the various scars that were etched upon his features.

But despite the frailty of his appearance, he still walked with determinations. A blast of cold sea air hit him, causing the uniform he wore to flap wildly in its wake. It was blue, with gold lining the edges. Various medals of varying sizes clung to it and jangled as he walked. In his youth, the stallion dreamed of wearing this uniform and basking in the glory in entails. When he finally accomplished his dreams, pride swelled in him, perhaps a bit of vanity.

However, now it felt foreign to him, and perhaps a bit of a burden.

The old stallion stopped near the center of the beach. It was eerily silent, save for the sound of waves gently lapping the sand and his own labored breathing. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the salty stench of the ocean filling his nostrils. He had grown accustomed to this smell and smiled as it brought back faint memories of his time at sea.

Slowly, he began to sit down on his haunches, grunting as his bones continued to crack and crackle due to his exertion. Briefly, he cursed his aging body under his breath before lying down completely on his back.

The sand under him felt soft and comfortable, almost as if he were lying on his own bed. In his life, he had traveled to many faraway coasts, but none could ever compare to how wonderful his homeland's sand felt. It was warm, yet not too hot to be uncomfortable and it was cool, though not freezing.

The wind blew against him; a gentle caress that calmed him even more. The old stallion closed his eyes slowly. It had not been mere coincidence or chance that he came to this particular beach. For him, this place held more than sand, trees and water. This beach held so many memories, some good, others not so good.

As he lay there, the aged pony began to reminisce.

She sat there under the small umbrella, oblivious to his presence. He approached her slowly, the sand muffling the sound of his hoof steps. Devious thoughts ran through his head, thoughts that made him smile a crooked and dastardly smile. He was close to her now; his forelegs reaching out to her, intent on accomplishing his dastardly scheme.

"Got you," he whispered before wrapping his legs around her.

She screamed, but it was not a scream of terror or fear.

"Oh no!" she squealed in fake distress, "The evil pirate captain has captured me! What shall I do now?"

He laughed at her corny acting; "I do believe acting is not your strongest talent," he teased with smug smile.

She pouted at his little joke, causing to chuckle. She always had the cutest little pout than any other mare in the kingdom. "That's not very nice," she whined, which only served to make him laugh harder. He was so engrossed in his laughter that he was unable to avoid the mare that had just tackled him into a ground.

He promptly ceased his merriment as he stared at the sparkling green eyes above him. He smiled again, but not a teasing smile. His smile was one of love, love for the mare that was on top of him. She smiled back, her previous ire leaving her face. She lowered her face, and the young stallion felt her lips press upon his.

The events that followed were hazy at best, but nevertheless, they brought a smile to the old stallion's face.

As they laid there under umbrella, safe from the sun's oppressive heat, he turned towards his love. She was staring at him, but he saw pain and sadness in that beautiful face.

"Is something troubling you, my love?" he asked, afraid that something terrible had happened.

She sighed sadly; "You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?" she returned. He grimaced as those words left her mouth. The stallion had hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with this, but the powers that be had other intentions that conflicted with his own.

He let out his own sight. "Yes, I am." He answered honestly, knowing that no amount of sugarcoating would resolve the situation.

"Why?" she pleaded. That question alone made his heart sink even lower.

"I must go. The zebras need these provisions to survive and…" His explanation was stopped when the mare began to cry softly. He held her tighter, gently caressing her soft mane. She continued weeping into his chest until there were no more tears left to shed. He pulled her head so that she was directly facing his. Her eyes were red and puffy, a sight that almost brought him to tears as well.

He muttered something to her in a low voice, but she still heard it. It was a single sentence that calmed her down and gave them both hope.

"By my honor, I will return."

He had kept his promise, but it seemed it was all for naught.

As the wrinkled pony opened his eyes, he saw that the sun had finally set and that Luna's moon had finally listened. In the darkness of the night, he made out the sounds of hoof steps trotting upon the sand. It was hard to hear them through the crashing of the waves, but past experiences had sharpened his hearing to a fine point. He did not move an inch, even as the sounds came closer and closer.

A low, gruff voice pierced the silence; "Cap'n?" It asked.

He immediately recognized the voice, the voice of his first mate. "Mr. Sea Salt." He moved his head slightly towards the pony next to him. He was a large pony, with muscles that had been toned by years of serving on a ship. "How is the crew?" the captain asked.

"Restin', the lot of them," he grunted, "some a them 'ave passed out from the grog". His voice sounded as if he had swallowed a bottle of glass, but the captain understood him perfectly.

"And what of the cargo?"

Mr. Sea Salt cleared his throat. "In the hold sir. 'Ad a bit of trouble gettin' the big stuff in 'der."

"And the ship?"

"She'll be ready to go at first light."

The captain sighed; "Very well, thank you. I suggest you rest yourself, the voyage will be long," he said.

The muscly pony nodded; "Will ye be 'right 'ere?" he asked.

The old stallion looked up at his first mate and smiled. "Yes of course. I'll be at the inn in a moment."

Satisfied that his captain will be fine, Sea Salt headed back the way he came. The captain listened closely as his hoof steps became quieter and quieter until they faded away.

He stood up on his legs again, making sure to brush off the sand that clung to his uniform. He turned towards the road that led to the town, but steeled himself as his eyes fell upon something.

It was a tree, a seemingly simple tree that swayed softly in the wind. But, the stallion knew this tree all the well. He trotted towards it, his legs slowly recovering from inactivity. He soon reached his destination and looked at it with longing.

It was still there, even after all these years. He stared up and down the tree, still as brown as it was. But, it wasn't the tree itself that interested him.

His eyes fell upon a certain spot on the trunk. It looked like something had been carved into the bark; a rather crude interpretation of a heart. Inside the heart, there was a simple message that made him smile. He traced the figure with his hoof and began to read the message aloud to himself.

Together Forever
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