Eventually, after a number of days—weeks?—since descending from the snowy foothills of her mountainous home and then treading through the wintry winds, the blue mare finds the ground leveling beneath her cloven hooves, and the snow eventually thinning to icy patches. Time has become lost in itself since she had left the Aurora Basin; she is not exactly sure how long she’s been gone, only that Frostfall still holds its bitter bite on Helovia, sequestering its inhabitants in a cold and icy grip. Tiamat shivers against the frigid breeze, her slender body far from accustomed to weather such as this.

But even as her muscles grow weary and her bones heavy from travelling, something pushes her forward. Perhaps it is the unconscious knowledge of the salt that begins to tinge the air, not yet noticeable to her awareness, reaching out to the more instinctive part of her senses. Tiamat listens to the wind as it guides her forward, whistling through the carved hollows of her horn—speaking, singing a song of nature that is for her, for her soul.

It isn’t long after when the blue mare begins to recognize it—the saltiness, the dull rushing of waves that tickles her ears and lights her eyes, and her heart leaps joyously in her chest. All exhaustion is forgotten as she bounds forward, her body moving over the shoreline like rain moves over rocks, flowing and connected. The ripples that lace her body glisten beneath the sun’s vibrant light, much like currents of water and adding to the illusion of fluidity. She runs—growing more anxious every moment that passes without his embrace—until at last the vast blue expanse opens to her.

“Papa!” Tiamat cries breathlessly, leaping into the arms of her father’s waves. “Oh how I’ve missed you, Papa! I have so much to tell you,” she laughs delightedly at his foamy sprays, unbothered by the cold chill of the water, far too happy to worry about such things. “I did it! I’ve found my way home!” The blue mare beams, and precedes to tell her father all about the exciting adventures she’s had since returning to Helovia. She plays in his embrace, lowering her head and splashing into the briny water, the length of her tail swishing through the whitecaps that rise to cradle her.

As she tosses her head to the side, the ornamented mass of her mane dancing wildly about, Tiamat notices something—or rather, someone. She watches the figure for a short moment, dark against the pearly white of the snow-patched sands, before lowering to brush her muzzle against her father’s wave and kicking up her heels to leap energetically towards the stranger. The blue mare canters briskly, her steps light and buoyant as if carried by the wind along the shore. This is a joyous time, to be reunited with her beloved father at last, and her spirits are far too high to suppress her desire to share her delight.

“Hello, friend!” The ocean mare calls out to the other unicorn mare, slowing her pace as the distance between them dwindles. Tiamat offers a friendly smile, her white eyes bright and sparkling beneath the light of the sun. “I hope you wouldn’t mind some company?” She asks hopefully, her dainty ears pricking forwards and her lips still softened with a welcoming smile. The rhythmic, strong crashing of the ocean’s waves rumbles through the air behind her, soothing his daughter and filling her breast with something wonderful.

And at last I see the light.