Return to the beach

“How long?”
“Not that long, Câlin. Just be patient and keep walking, then we’ll be there in no time, you’ll see.”
Of course, Câlin was unsatisfied with that answer. The girl had been asking about Madash for two days now, ever since Twinkle Star had made the mistake to announce they were really close, now. Yet today she was sure they were really, really close. The landscape was changing; small hills made of sand and tall grass were appearing, and on the horizon Twinkle Star could see the dunes. Were they inside the borders of Madash already?

She wasn’t sure. To be honest, she wasn’t even sure where they were right now. She knew at some point she had taken a different direction from her previous journey. Everything had been fine until they had left the little town where once, she and Crystal had met Jiro. It had been awkward to be there again. It had been very quiet this time, not at all like she remembered it, because the last time she had been there, there had been a festival, but now it was just another quiet village.

But when they had set out from there, a week or something ago now, things were different. She had recognised some parts, as long as she had followed the old river. Then the road had split at some point, and she had decided to take the road that would take them away from the river, like she remembered it from the last time. But she was severely doubting that decision now, because she hadn’t recognised anything at all afterwards. She probably should have stayed close to the river… But there was nothing to do about it now. She didn’t really want to admit to Câlin that they had taken a detour, and besides, the beach was very close now.

The journey had been quite uneventful, Twinkle Star had to admit. They had hardly met any ponies for the last few days, only a few houses here and there reminded them of the fact that there did live ponies in this area. But those houses had also prevented them from flying. The most exciting thing that had happened ever since they had left the village was a big gap they had had to cross flying because the bridge looked so old and rotten Twinkle Star wouldn’t have send out a mouse to cross it. No, nothing had happened, and they definitely hadn’t met any peculiar ponies. Twinkle Star wasn’t sure what she had hoped for, but she felt slightly disappointed now that they had reached the beach without anything really happening. She could understand Câlins impatience in that respect; it would be nice to meet something new for a change.

“The landscape is changing…” Câlin commented when they advanced on the road.
Indeed, it was. The tall grass was becoming more plentiful, and the large trees made way for smaller bushes. The road was going upwards now, as well, even though Twinkle Star could see more hills on the horizon; they weren’t at the beach yet, but they were definitely almost there. She was confident now, that they would reach the shore before sunset.
“It is, Câlin. I told you, we’re almost there.” The little girl smiled now, Twinkle Star noticed. She couldn’t help but smile, too. They would reach the capital of Madash in a few days, and she could finally sleep in a nice bed again. And now that she had gotten closer, she was looking forward to meet the Queen and her husband, and their daughter Lenna as well.

They walked on, the road leading them up at some points, and down at other points. The breeze that came from the direction they were headed was refreshingly cool, and Twinkle Star was sure she could already taste the salt in the air. The sky was like a pure blue blanket above them, only interrupted by the burning light of the sun, something she had enjoyed when they still had plenty of shade from the trees but which was now increasingly becoming a burden. She regretted not buying a hat for the two of them now, but she promised herself it would be the first thing she would do in Madash.

When they were on top of the third hill, Twinkle Star paused briefly to check out their surroundings. A dune landscape stretched as far as she could see. The largest dune in front of them was no doubt the last one that stood between them and the sea, but they still had quite a way to go before they would reach it. Other than that, nothing had changed… She could see a house in the distance, but they would never come close to it if they followed the path that stretched out before them. Other than that, the dunes were pretty much untouched by ponies. Or so she thought, until something caught her eye. She looked down in the small valley below them and noticed an unnaturally shaped rock. It was too far to see how it was shaped exactly, but she was sure that the rock did not belong there.

She continued to walk down, but it didn’t take long for Câlin to noticed Twinkle Stars increased speed.
“Are we almost there?”  She asked anxiously, but Twinkle star had to disappoint her.
“No… Well, yes, but there’s something down the road that I want to see first. It’ll only take a minute, okay?”
Câlin didn’t agree with this, of course, but she didn’t say anything. As they got closer to the place where she had seen the strange rock, Twinkle Star realised it was still quite far from the road.

She left the road at some point, and continued through the high grass. She hadn’t realised how strong and stubborn this grass was, nor how tall it was. The rock, which looked more and more like a strange statue, became hardly visible through the tall grass as Twinkle Star walked towards it, Câlin struggling behind her.

When she reached it, she didn’t know what to think of it at first. It looked indeed like an oddly shaped rock, but she knew there was something more to it than that. To her surprise, Twinkle Star noticed that below the surface of the earth, the rock must be a lot larger still. There was hardly any grass, and the ground felt much more solid than it did a few meters before.
“What’s this?” Câlin asked when she had caught up with Twinkle Star, but it was a question Twinkle Star couldn’t answer yet.

She observed the rock, or whatever it was, for a while. It was old, that much was certain, and it was heavily damaged by the sand and the wind. She was looking at something that didn’t even possess a little bit of it’s former glory. The bottom of the rock was smaller than the top part, and on the top a part stood out from the rest, pointing forward.
“This looks like a unicorn.” Câlin observed, and Twinkle Star had to admit that she was right. It did look like a horn, and what was more, the part behind it looked more and more like a pony the more she stared at it. The only thing that didn’t make sense was that the horn was more than three times as large as it should be.

But it didn’t make sense. Why would anyone make a statue, or whatever, about a unicorn? They were rare, sure, but not even in the Friendship Lands did anyone ever do such a thing. She tried to remember, anything she had ever learned about the past… But it was a long time ago, and Twinkle Star had almost decided her memory was failing her, when she remembered something.

“This can’t be…” She whispered, and she summoned her wings.
“What?”  Câlin asked, but Twinkle Star had already lifted herself from the ground. When she was a few meters in the air, her thoughts were confirmed. She could see the outline of a pentagon of rock surrounding the statue, with the statue exactly in the centre. She returned to the ground, and she realised she had to give Câlin an explanation.
“I’m not sure, Câlin, but I think we ran into something quite rare here.”
“Really, what is it?” Câlin asked, her curiosity awakened.

“Well… I remember, one day… When I was young, and I lived in the old Friendship Lands, I was taught many things about the country, like all princesses were. Including those lessons, were, of course, history lessons. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the legend of the guardians?”
 Câlin shook her head.
“Well, to put it simply, the legend says that a long time ago, there were guardians out there, spirits… that would protect us and guide us. For most ponies this is but a legend, but there once was a group of ponies that took this legend quite serious. They build shrines all over the continent, where they could pray to the guardians and ask for their help and support. The shrines were all shaped like a pentagon, to represent the number 5, which is usually linked to the guardian legend. This here… it’s a pentagon shaped building below. I think this statue here used to stand on top of the shrine.”

Câlin was silent for a few moments before she spoke.
“You think the guardians were unicorns?”
“I don’t know… I don’t think they have ever existed, to be honest. They’re just a legend… Made up by someone, and taken too serious by others.” Twinkle Star inspected the statue a bit more, and she had to admit once again it did look like a unicorn, but it was so old and worn, it could have easily been shaped like this by the wind. After a few moments though, Twinkle Star realised there was nothing she would find out about the shrine, if that was really what it was, just by standing there. She would do better by remembering the spot and return with others later.

“Shall we go on?” She asked Câlin, who nodded happily. They returned to the road through the high grass with some effort, and from there continued the journey on the road, that became more and more sandy. Twinkle Star was surprised that there was nothing growing on the road. It must be used still, then, she thought, or it would have faded a long time ago, but she saw no one travelling on it.

Some time later they were standing at the foot of the highest hill so far, and Twinkle Star was sure she could already hear the sound of the waves from the other side.
“Well… How about who’s up there first? And don’t use your wings!” she challenged Câlin, who had already begun to run up the hill.
Twinkle Star followed her, trying to show she was giving her best, but of course she was letting the girl win. When Câlin reached the top, she stood still immediately. When Twinkle Star reached her, she had to gasp, too. She felt like she had forgotten… the magnificence of the ocean. The endless blue, like a field with no end, a river with only one bank…

“It’s beautiful…” Câlin managed to say, and Twinkle Star had to agree. It was beautiful, and a lot more peaceful than when she had been there last fall. The sun was touching the water, making it glitter like a large blue diamond. Sea birds were flying above them, as if greeting them to the beach. They walked down slowly, and Twinkle Star noticed the beach was completely deserted. No beach houses, no tracks of other ponies, nothing. But she decided she would worry about that later. First, she would enjoy the beautiful beach, and the even more beautiful ocean with Câlin. They  deserved it, after such a long journey, to finally take it easy.
“Who reaches the water first, okay?” Câlin challenged her, and Twinkle Star happily accepted the challenge.