Word of Dexter’s departure from Tinuvel somehow made it to the Lagoon. Mercury had already left, so Synder could only hope her sister wasn’t welcomed too horribly in the Bay. Synder herself was only relieved; she knew her mother, Claire, was not a fan of the cold, so she would certainly have left the winter island if Dexter wasn’t there anymore. Synder could only guess where she’d go after that, however; Atlantis came to mind, the warmest island of them all, so she decided to start there. She left the Lagoon immediately; even though she had grown a bit fond of the bachelor territory, she was immensely relieved that she had a chance to track down and visit her mother without having to deal with the cold or her father.

Avoiding as many stallions as she was able (she was not entirely sure her adventure was allowed to take place) Synder slipped straight from the Lagoon to the ocean, avoiding the Crossing altogether. Fear worked its way into her head as the sand dropped from her hooves and her head bobbed above the waves; she hadn’t made a journey like this since she was a yearling. For a few desperate moments she struggled to stay afloat before catching on to the rhythmic movements of swimming, and from there it was easy enough. Synder was fit enough that for a while she didn’t grow tired.

It did happen eventually, though. The sun reached its peak in the sky and the black mare’s breathing became labored. Another hour and her muscles were aching. She strongly suspected her sweat was mixing with the water, but at least she wasn’t overheating.

At long last, the jagged silhouette of Atlantis swelled before her, its mass reaching for the sun that hung just above its crest. It had taken Synder a good chunk of the day to make it here, as the sun was barely setting now and she had left mid morning. The mare rose gratefully from the waves and trudged a short distance through the pale sand.

Unable to announce her arrival with a vocal call, Synder wasn’t entirely disappointed to resort to sitting and waiting for someone to find her. Knees buckling, she lowered her dark body into the sand to rest and catch her breath.