The Call of the Waves

by Mystic Mind

Part 1

The day had finally arrived. After many months of planning, gathering of supplies, and saving up the bits to travel, Sandbar was ready to embark on his most epic adventure yet.

“Rise and shine, sleepy heads!” he declared as he leapt out of bed. Drawing back the curtains, he opened the windows of his hotel room and took a long, deep breath. The morning air was cool and crisp, and the sparkling blue waters that splashed along the Baltimare coast were even more beautiful than the postcards depicted.

Internally, he was giggling like a school filly on Hearth’s Warming Eve; only this time, the presents were not stored in fancy-wrapped boxes. Rather, his gifts were two of the most important creatures in his life.

“Ugh, Yona not awake,” she grumbled, burying her face in her pillow.

“Good timing!” Silverstream chirped, sitting up and stretching their arms. “Five minutes before the alarm, just as I wanted.”

“Did you have a good sleep?” Sandbar asked with a smile that gave Celestia’s sun a run for its money. “As much as I’m itching to sail, I won’t risk setting off with a sleep-deprived navigator.”

“Then Yona has five more minutes?”

“I’ll admit, I was up for a while after lights out.” Reaching over to their bedside table, Silverstream put on their pearl-shard pendant and kicked off the covers. “But I’ve always been a light sleeper. So, I’m as fresh as I can be.”

“That mean Yona has to get up?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Sandbar trotted over to his partner’s side and gave her a small peck on the cheek. “But, once we’re on the boat, the cabin’s all yours. Sounds good?”

Slowly, Yona turned on her back, blowing her messy bangs from her eyes. “Alright, Yona agree,” she said groggily. “But it be a while before Yona come out.”

“What, is she non-binary, too?” For a moment, Silverstream’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, then the penny dropped. “Oh. Wrong coming out, sorry.”

“It’s quite alright,” Sandbar chuckled, sitting down at the window-side desk and picking up his hairbrush in his hooves. “I’m gonna freshen up a little. If you want to explore the city, now’s your best chance.”

“I’ll be back before breakfast!” Clapping their Talons together, Silverstream hopped out of bed and pranced toward the door. “Oh, I can’t wait to get a taste of the local donuts!”

Silverstream gently closed the door behind them with an audible click…

…to then be followed by the heavy thump of Yona rolling off the bed and onto the floor.

“You okay there, love?” Sandbar’s brow furrowed.

“Yona be fine,” she groaned, stiffly pulling herself to her hooves. “Yona not morning Yak.”

“I’m sorry, love.” Putting down the brush, Sandbar knelt beside Yona and gave her a nuzzle. “Take as much time as you need. I know oceans are… not your strong point.”

“Sandbar can say that again,” Yona sighed, a heavy shiver rippling through her body. “Yona not want to think about big water. Not when bottom not visible.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” he pressed his hooves against Yona’s cheeks, making eye contact. “I’m happy you’re coming with me. I don’t expect you to swim or anything, so just relax and enjoy the ride however you can.”

Yona bit her lip.

“Yona… not holding Sandbar back?”

“Absolutely not,” he gave Yona another kiss on the cheek. “That’s why I have Silverstream to help me, both with research and navigation. Honestly, I’m proud of you for coming along at all!”

“Sandbar mean that?”

“You know I do. You mean the world to me, Yona.”

Energized by his words, Yona tackled Sandbar to the ground, wrapping her hooves around him and giving him a long, passionate kiss on the lips.

“Steady, Yona!” Sandbar said the moment he could come up for air. “I just finished combing my mane.”

“Oh, Yona sorry,” she eased off, letting him get up. “May Yona help you tie Sandbar’s bows?”

“Yes please!” he rapidly clopped his hooves together. He never missed a chance to get dolled up by his favourite yak.

---

With breakfast done, the three could at last begin their long walk down to Horseshoe Bay. As he left the hotel, tail wrapped around Yona’s, he felt an odd sense of nostalgia wash over him. Some of his best memories were of visiting his cousins in Baltimare, but that was all before he’d transitioned, back when ponies still thought of him as a girl.

So much about this city he loved: the warm climate, the steep hills he’d race down on his scooter, and especially the long sandy beaches where he would spend hours collecting shells. Yet on the flip side, each of these memories was stained by the constant misgendering he faced daily.

No fault rested with his family for this. After all, they had no knowledge of what being transgender meant, and it wasn’t as if he could articulate it at such a young age. Sandbar was just himself, always carrying an undercurrent of wrongness about who he was that he could never quite place.

But now, strolling down those same streets toward the sea front, he finally felt at peace – thanks largely to the special girl in his life, Yona. If he had learnt anything from his Hearth’s Warming at Yakyakistan two years prior, it was that she cared not one bit how he expressed himself.

Sandbar was almost old enough to be a stallion, and he would present his love for the cute, pastel femininity as openly as his undying love for her. This was their final year at Friendship School, and he could think of no better activity to commemorate their growth than with an epic sea voyage.

“Thank you, Yona,” Sandbar said.

“What for?” Yona tilted her head.

“For dating me, and for agreeing to this vacation. You’re a special yak to me, Yona, and there’s nothing in Equestria or beyond that I’d trade our relationship for,” Sandbar raised Yona’s hoof and kissed it. “I love you.”

“Yona loves Sandbar, too,” she said, returning the kiss. “Sandbar always make Yona feel safe. Sandbar is great like that.”

“Oh, my gosh,” Silverstream squealed, flying a short distance behind Sandbar. “You two are just the cutest! I am so jealous.”

“Silver,” Sandbar looked back at the bubbly hippogryph with a slight frown, his tone somewhere between admonishment and humorous ribbing. “What did we say about fawning over me and Yona?”

“Tone it down a shade?” they answered with a bashful smile, holding their talons behind their back. “Sorry. You two are like, my ideal relationship goal, so it’s hard to resist, y’know?.”

“Does Silverstream not have crush on Gallus?” Yona asked, rubbing the back of her head.

Silverstream’s expression dropped. Only slightly, but it was enough for Yona to realise she’d touched on a personal matter.

“Silver not answer if they not want.”

“No, no, it’s fine, really,” they waved their talons rapidly. “We didn’t really… what’s the word? Click, I guess. Besides, Gallus isn’t even sure he’s into non-binary mares. Or, well, mares in general, so there’s that.”

“Seems we’re, uh, all still figuring out ourselves, huh?” Sandbar quickly turned his attention back to the beach. “So, this is where I grew up…”

---

For the journey’s remainder, Sandbar and Silverstream made idle chatter while they walked, discussing the ins and outs of sailing, among other topics of nautical nerdery. Yona, however, remained silent. Just the thought of stepping hoof on a boat filled her with intense dread.

She knew she’d have to confront her fears eventually. That was a given, by virtue of dating Sandbar. She’d been given plenty of opportunities to withdraw consent, but she didn’t.

She couldn’t.

Sailing was far too important to Sandbar. His cutie mark was that of a sea turtle, for Celestia’s sake! What kind of romantic partner would she be if she brought him all the way to Yakyakistan, confronted his fears of transphobia, and then refused to return the favour?

Sandbar would always give her a choice, but in her heart, she knew there was none. This did nothing to lessen the deep anxiety that was busy tying her stomach in knots. Yaks weren’t meant to sail. They were mountain creatures, built to withstand high altitudes and steep slopes, not bobbing along helplessly in the water. How many other Yak had ever been sailing before?

This sense of wrongness was compounded only by how utterly opposite the experience was. Yes, there were deep gorges around Yakyakistan, but those could easily be bridged, creating a link between two solid surfaces. For the ocean, the boat was the only solid surface. If the worst were to happen, then that was it. She’d be done for.

“Yona?”

Sandbar’s voice broke her from her trance.

“Are you okay, Yona?”

“Yes, Yona fine,” she forced a smile. “Yona… just not know what to expect. Sandbar knows Yona’s never taken boat across ocean before.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve not forgotten,” he leant over and gave Yona a small nuzzle. “The dock’s just ahead of us. Do you need more adjustment time?”

Yona shook her head vigorously.

“No, Yona want this. Yona never going to conquer fear if Yona avoids it.”

“That’s great to hear!” Sandbar trotted on the spot, unable to contain his excitement any longer. Grabbing Yona’s hoof, he raced to catch up with Silverstream, who was already at the dock.

“Good timing,” said Silverstream. “The shipwright just finished their inspection. Luna’s Wonder is ready to go whenever we are.”

“Aye, that she is,” the shipwright hopped onto the pier and took a small bow. They were a masculine looking unicorn, with an emerald-green coat and a short, red mane covered by their long, hooded cloak. “Built her with me own magic, I did. She’s a fine vessel, and I hope she serves ye well.”

One look at the pristine white wood of the yacht was enough to make Sandbar squeal with delight. The edges of the folded sail rippled in the wind, waiting for the chance to unfurl to their fullest span and glide the ship across the water.

“She looks just like I imagined!” Sandbar exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you so much… um, sorry, what did you say your name was again?”

“Worry ye not,” said the green pony with a small chuckle. “My name is M—”

At that very moment, a larger ship decided it was an appropriate time to bellow its foghorn, alerting every pony to its arrival.

“Well, looks like it’s time for me next job,” said the green pony, and before Sandbar could ask for his name again, they teleported away. He glanced between Yona and Silverstream, hoping that either of them had caught what they said. Alas, they just shrugged and shook their heads.

Trotting down the pier, Sandbar and Silverstream hopped onto the deck without skipping a beat. Yona, however, lingered for a few moments longer.

“You can do this, Yona,” Sandbar turned around and held his hoof out to help.

For him, standing on a boat was as natural as any other flat surface, his sense of balance ignoring how it bobbed around in the water. Though the movement was minimal, it didn’t stop Yona’s anxiety from ringing as many alarm bells as it could get its hooves on.

A thousand different scenarios flooded her mind. She was too heavy; the boat would flip over. Her horns would get caught in the sails, tearing it apart. She could lose her balance, fall into the water and get eaten by sharks, or Celestia-knows what else was lurking down there.

None of these were rational. She was smart enough to know better. But neither would her imagination slow down, even if the voyage went without a hitch. She still had an out, but she knew it’d do no good. Either she faced her fears, here and now, or it would never go away.

So, gulping hard, she jumped, landing with a heavy thud on top of Sandbar.

“Um, Sandbar,” Silverstream cringed. “Are you okay?”

“I… think I’ll be fine,” he wheezed, caught somewhere between the pain of the impact and the comfort of Yona’s thick fur. “Yona, I love you, but can you get off, please?”

“Oh, sorry,” Yona stood up tentatively, wobbling on her hooves as she orientated herself to the boat’s natural movements. She bit her lip, tensing herself as she tried to reign in her rapid breathing. “Can Yona go down to Cabin, now?”

“Of course, sweetie,” Sandbar rolled to his hooves, stood up, and kissed Yona on the cheek, all in one motion. “You take it easy. Silverstream and I will get us moving in no time at all.”

“Yona thanks Sandbar,” she gave her coltfriend a weary smile. “But where is Cabin? Yona not know anything about boats.”

“Right this way,” Sandbar took her hoof and led her down a small flight of stairs to the lower deck. It was all he could do not to skip as he began a long infodump about all the different features of Luna’s Wonder. If nothing else, the unrestrained enthusiasm of Sandbar gave Yona a warm sense of pride. One way or another, she was going to enjoy this adventure.

---

With Yona settled below deck, her face comfortably buried amongst a pile of pillows, Sandbar set himself the task of casting off. While he cranked up the anchor, Silverstream used their more dexterous claws to untie the mooring rope. Strictly speaking, only one of the two was necessary to keep the boat in place, but Sandbar knew from experience that one could never be too careful.

Now that it was floating free, he grabbed the mast rope in his teeth, yanking the main sail open just in time to catch a strong gust blowing in from the south. As Silverstream set about unfurling the secondary head sail, Sandbar decided now was the perfect time to show off his piloting skills.

Rearing up against the wheel, he slapped it into a spin with the back of his hoof; to which the vessel responded in kind, deflecting its rudder and pushing its stern hard to starboard. With his lucky bronze compass clicked into place on the cabin’s roof, Sandbar reversed the turn with expert precision, setting the course of Luna’s Wonder straight forward on a north-westerly heading.

“Onward!” Sandbar proclaimed, before busting out into a fit of giggles. Oh, how he’d missed this. He could barely begin to describe the feeling of returning to the ocean, after all these years. “To the Great Atoll Novo Reef!”

“Yay, go Sandbar!” Yona croaked from below deck. It warmed Sandbar’s heart to see her attempts at optimism, despite her anxiety.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Yona has thalassophobia. She cannot swim, and her fear of the ocean is as crippling as it is deep seeded.

I blame Rainbow Dash and Applejack. ...What? Yona almost drowned because of those two nitwits.

[Mystic Mind]

10882893
Funnily enough, I wasn't thinking about that episode when writing this. It was only after the fact that I realised Yona's Thalassophobia was canon XD.