//------------------------------// // Chapter three: the overly romantic ship, a.k.a. the sappy ship // Story: The ‘Ship’ in ‘Shipping’ // by Elkia Deerling //------------------------------// On the evening of the third day at sea, a great ball was organized onboard the S.S. Ocean’s Embrace. It was supposed to be a masked ball for some reason, with live music and cocktails and dancing set in the most beautiful ballroom ever to sail the sea. Red velvet adorned the seats, whilst intricate wooden carvings of ships and sea creatures could be admired everywhere, from the roof to the stage. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a warm, homely glow over the entire hall. It was at least twenty percent more beautiful than any ballroom on land, I daresay. Anypony who thought of him or herself as rich and/or important had joined in on the festivities. Rumors had spread among the ship that even the captain and his wife would attend. Naturally, Rarity was there too. But it seemed she was not enjoying herself as much as the others. She sat alone at a table tucked away in the corner. Her friends hadn’t joined her, unfortunately. They all wanted to do something different, so they had decided to split up. Rainbow was with her husband, as could be expected, Pinkie and Applejack went to a pub quiz, Twilight and Starlight visited a museum about nautical stuff and things, and poor Fluttershy was still nowhere to be seen. So Rarity just sat there, lonely, a glass of wine her only company. It was only half-empty, because Rarity wasn’t in the mood for drinking; she was in the mood for dancing. With a bored look in her eyes and more than a little envy burning in her heart, she watched the dancefloor. There were quite a lot of handsome, sharply-dressed stallions around, but unfortunately they already held a mare in their hooves while they danced to the slow, romantic waltzes that were being played by the chamber music ensemble. Sometimes even a stallion, because we’re living in a modern age, after all. It was a heartbreaking scene. Suddenly, she perked up. A mare in brilliant blue dress, as blue as the ocean reflecting the stars in diamonds, caught her attention. ‘What a beautiful dress…’ she mumbled out loud. But something was wrong with it. It wasn’t out of style or something silly like that, it was just… ‘Hey, that’s my dress!’ She had hoof-crafted it all by herself. How could anypony else have gotten it?! Impossible, unless she had a doppelganger somewhere, like Pinkie often does. She got a fairly big clue as soon as she focused on the mare wearing it. The dress covered her tail, yes, but a lock of rainbow-colored mane hung out of her silk scarf, swinging with the rhythm of the dance, which instantly gave the dress-thief away. ‘Rainbow Dash,’ Rarity hissed through clenched teeth. Indeed, Dash was dancing with Soarin, ignoring the fact that she never danced waltzes and looked utterly ridiculous trying. Rarity hadn’t recognized Soarin because she could never tell those Wonderbolt ponies apart, and barely even knew who were the mares and who were the stallions. Both ponies wore masks which only covered their eyes, so they could stop and smooch now and then during the interludes. That was enough motivation for Rarity to stand up. Cooking with rage, she marched towards them with the speed of a steam train. She was so focused on her goal that she didn’t notice a new pony appearing in the scene out of nowhere–or simply ignored him. It was a good thing they didn’t carry any drinks, as they slammed into each other. Rarity fell down and the stallion stumbled a bit. ‘My, oh my, I am so sorry,’ he said, immediately reaching out a hoof to help her up. Rarity snorted and her eyes shot up. But that irritated glance instantly melted away like an iceberg under the sun when she saw who was standing right in front of her. He was tall and well-built, exactly the same age as Rarity. His tuxedo with matching bowtie seemed to change color, very, very subtly, or that could also have been a trick of the moonlight through the windows. When Rarity took his hoof, a sparkling sensation went through her entire body. It was a feeling that was not altogether unpleasant. Even though he wore a slim, graceful black mask, Rarity was sure he had the most beautiful eyes of them all. The stallion smiled a perfect, toothpaste-white smile and winked at her. ‘N-n-no I am the one who is s-s-sorry,’ Rarity said. Why was she stuttering? She never experienced any difficulties talking to stallions. But then again, this was not just any stallion. But she wasn’t Fluttershy. With a flick of her head she tossed a few locks of her lustrous, purple mane out of her eyes. Instantly, she regained her confident poise, and fluttered her eyelashes. The stallion showed only a subtle hint of impression, visible by the widening of his smile. ‘Whom do I have the honor to bump into on this beautiful night?’ ‘Rarity Belle,’ Rarity said, making a formal bow. ‘And the honor is all mine. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name too?’ ‘But of course. My name is… Swing Step,’ the stallion said, hesitating only for a split-second. Rarity tilted her head slightly. After adjusting his bowtie, Swing Step quickly smiled his sparkling smile again. ‘Yes, yes, I know. You don’t have to say anything. I should really work on my dance skills, but that is quite hard to do all on your own.’ ‘I understand what you mean.’ Swing Step chuckled, a smooth, rolling chuckle. ‘I highly doubt that. Surely a mare like you would get the stallions swarming around her the moment she stepped on the dancefloor, am I right?’ ‘Actually…’ Rarity looked down and fiddled with a frill on her dress. ‘Oh no!’ Swing Step said, looking as startled as if he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. Of course, this was all part of the plan. ‘I apologize for making you uncomfortable, Miss Rarity.’ He pretended to think. ‘Let me make it up to you by offering you a dance. I know it is hardly any form of consolation, but—’ Rarity veered up. ’I’ll take it! I mean… that would certainly make me feel better.’ ‘Then let’s swing!’ Swing Step guided Rarity to the dancefloor, and together they danced. The two ponies turned out to be equally good dancers. Swing Step led like the true gentlecolt he was, and Rarity followed. They spun and twirled gracefully on the rhythm of the music, slowly melting together as one. One two three, one two three, one two three. Their eyes were always gazing at each other, and Rarity kept wondering what was behind that mask. Slowly, anticipation to a great reveal filled her up. ‘Oh my! You dance heavenly,’ Rarity said. ‘I was thinking the same thing about you,’ Swing Step replied. ‘It feels as if you have clouds underneath your hooves, as if you are used to flying through the air, but you’re a unicorn. How could that be?’ Swing Step seemed to think, but didn’t miss a beat. ‘I dream a lot about flying. However, I am certain that after tonight, the only dreams I will have will be about you.’ Rarity blushed, but also kept the rhythm. ‘Why thank you. Such a charmer you are.’ ‘No I mean it. I was looking out into the night sky for a long time before I came in, wondering what was wrong with it. Now I realize what the problem was.’ ‘What was it?’ Rarity said, expecting something really romantic to be said. ‘Obviously, a star was missing, but I am glad I found it again.’ He grinned. Her blush intensified. She closed her eyes and giggled. ‘Well you are as poetic as a writer, and as romantic as a prince. I am quite certain you are secretly of royal blood.’ Now it was Swing Step’s turn to chuckle. ‘I’m afraid not, but I do feel like a prince when I am in your presence, Rarity Belle.’ ‘Don’t be silly.’ ‘But I’m very serious. Your eyes are the jewels in Princess Celestia’s crown, and your dress is like the reflection of a thousand moons in the endless surface of the ocean. You made it yourself, didn’t you?’ That was the most colorful compliment she had ever received on her work. ‘I did. How did you guess?’ Swing Step let the fabric of the dress glide through his hooves. ‘Because I can see the creativity and passion and dedication shining right through it, blinding my heart. Only a true goddess could create something as heavenly as this dress.’ ‘Well you have a fine taste yourself, Mister Step,’ Rarity said, patting his shoulder. ‘Just something I bought last minute,’ Swing Step said. ‘It wasn’t cheap, but with you in my hooves, I realize it is already worth every Bit.’ ‘Really? I still think your attire is so unique, colorful, vibrant, intense, grandiose, probably exactly reflecting the personality of the pony wearing it,’ Rarity said. ‘I couldn’t have expected a better compliment from a pony with such an eye for detail and style.’ Rarity shuffled on her hooves. ‘Oh, it’s nothing, just years of experience in fashion.’ ‘And years of experience in love, I’m sure,’ Swing Step added. They kept dancing until the evening came close to an end. But neither one of them noticed the time, lost as they were in love at first sight. Now they were pressed together more tightly than ever before, and they could feel each other’s breath on their cheeks. As in response, the waltzes grew slower and sappier with every passing hour, but that could also have been because the musicians were getting tired. Swing Step, however, danced even slower than that. Rarity took notice. ‘Swing Step, is something the matter? Do you need to rest?’ ‘Actually it’s the other way around,’ Swing Step said. ‘Don’t get me wrong, meeting you has already made this night the best one I have ever experienced in my life, but I feel like it can use a little more… pizzazz.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Love can be slow and graceful, but also fast and passionate. It’s hard to explain, but love always is. It’s about telling, not showing. I don’t know how to tell you, exactly, but I think I have an idea how to show you instead.’ And after a mysterious wink, Swing Step promptly let go of Rarity and headed towards the stage. Utterly flabbergasted, Rarity watched him go. He waited until the piece was over, and then marched right to the middle of the stage. His horn started to shimmer. When he glanced at Octavia, her cello transformed into a double bass. Then he looked at Lyra, and her harp changed into a trumpet. Under a chorus of sparkles and tingling magic, random musicians started disappearing, only to reappear a second later with completely different musical instruments in their hooves. Apparently they all knew how to play their new toys, or maybe it was Swing Step’s magic that made them move. The drums laid down a beat, accompanied by the saxophones to create a mysterious, longing, atmosphere. Slowly more instruments, trumpets, a piano, even a clarinet, joined in. The jazz song grew and grew, building towards a climax, but instead of it, the sounds dwindled away to make room for Swing Step, accompanied solely by the tenor saxes and a rapid piano. How deep is the ocean? How high is the sun? Nights don’t last forever So let’s have some fun How deep is the ocean? How high is the moon? How far can we take this? Two ponies, one room? How much passion do we share? Is it more than I can bear? May this cruise last forevermore With you in my hooves it will never be a bore I think I go blind ‘cause my eyes only see The beautiful lady Rarity One thing I know, the fact we will be Together for all eternity His voice was low, soothing, inviting, as it drifted towards Rarity’s ears, stroking and caressing them. It spoke of a hundred compliments, and a thousand expressions of love in a million languages. She stood by, mouth open in a silent gasp, much like everypony else. Nopony had expected this. Then the song changed completely. All the musical instruments returned, in an over-the-top explosion of sound. The drums went mad, the trumpets screeched. Octavia almost dropped her bass as she tried to keep up with the rest, her hooves plucking the strings insanely fast. Everypony clutched their loves firmly in their hooves and went footloose. Only Rarity stood frozen as a lighthouse in a storm, but not for long. Swing Step jumped off the stage and approached Rarity. He danced all around her. ‘Come on, Rarity. Let’s dance once again.’ ‘But… I don’t know how to dance to—’ she began hesitantly. ‘Here, let me inspire you.’ And with that, Swing Step twirled around, wrapped his hooves around Rarity’s shoulders, and let their horns touch. The entire move took less than a second, but the effect was instantaneous. The wild magic coursed through her body, filling her with energy from her nose to the tip of her tail. It startled her and felt strange, somehow familiar, as if she had been exposed to it before. Yet, it felt good at the same time, like the first touches of a revitalizing massage. She felt her own magic connect with Swing’s. Her legs started moving as if they had a life of their own. An eyeblink later, they were dancing once more, swinging it out on the dancefloor. They hopped, skipped, jumped, slid, shook their flanks and smiled widely, letting the energy out. ‘Your singing was amazing,’ Rarity said. Swing Step smiled his signature smile. ‘Thank you. Jazz is my secret passion. It’s so rowdy, so danceable, so… chaotic. But my singing is nothing compared to your dancing.’ ‘I learned from the best,’ Rarity said. ‘Actually, I didn’t do anything. Everything you do comes from your heart.’ He tapped her chest and then waved his hoof around in a fluent dance move. ‘I have a wild side, these ponies here have a wild side… Even you have a wild side, and I must say, it is beyond ecstatic.’ Rarity paused in shock, but her legs didn’t let her. She noticed Swing Step’s subtle transformation, but strangely enough, she liked it a lot. Her wild side awakened from deep inside of her. It was a wild side she knew she possessed, but always hid with ladylike calm, striking poses, and good manners. But tonight, none of that seemed to matter. Only Swing Step mattered. He suddenly grabbed her, made her twirl around. When the last chord blew from the trumpets, Rarity was in his hooves, looking as if she had fallen but her savior had caught her in time. There they stood like the most romantic statue in Equestria, surrounded by a ring of ponies, who all let out a tremendous applause. ‘This is… magical, truly magical,’ Rarity whispered. ‘You are magical,’ Swing Step whispered back. Their muzzles were inches apart. Slowly, Rarity craned her neck and pouted her lips. The romantic scene was almost complete. A kiss would be the finishing touch. She closed her eyes, waiting for their lips to meet… But then fell to the ground. Rarity let out a squeak, more in surprise and shock than in pain. Flashing her eyes open, she turned around frantically. The music started again. A familiar waltz. Ponies were dancing. Everything was just too sudden. Rarity scrambled to her hooves, still gazing in every direction. She couldn’t spot Swing Step anywhere. And so she spent the rest of the night’s anticlimax asking ponies if they had seen Swing Step leave. But every time she did, she gained questioning stares. Stranger still, nopnony seemed to recognize him when she described how he looked, or seemed to remember the jazzy intermission. At last she had to admit he was gone. The question of how and why was the only legacy he left behind, but it was not enough to fill the hole in her heart. * * Tada! That is how Rarity’s night got saved by the handsome, smooth, attractive, handsome, suave, impressive, passionate, stylish, romantic, handsome, mysterious, and handsome stranger. Yes, of course there was a tiny little disappointment at the end, but she will get over that, I’m sure. Rarity is born to handle drama.