Chapter 2: The Ship of Dreams
"Sweet Celestia," Rarity breathed. "It's magnificent."
Beside her, the others could only nod. Bearing down upon them, in all of it's glory, was the RMS Titanic. In the papers, they had simply described the ship as 'a lean, mean sailing machine'. Whoever wrote that article, thought Rarity, left a few details out. Though she had heard that the Titanic was the largest ship ever built, she hadn't expected this. The ship rose out of the water, and towered over the six mares as they approached the loading dock. From their viewpoint, the ship took on the appearance of a giant black ax-head. It was streamlined, and the deck towered 50+ feet above them. Not much else could be seen from her viewpoint, however, and Rarity resigned herself to wait for their tickets to be excepted and to be boarded onto the ship.
Applejack waved to the taxis that had brought them there. "Thanks fer lettin' me and mah friends stay with ya, Auntie Orange! Ah'll make sure ta write!" An orange-maned mare waved from inside the taxi before it sped off back towards the city streets.
Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down with excitement, looking between the ponies lined up at the docks to see the ship off. "Ohboyohboyohboyohboyohboy! It's finally today! We're gonna have sooooo much fun! Right, Dashie?" She turned to her rainbow-maned friend, who was staring up at the prow of the ship. She mumbled something under her breath and shook her head in frustration. She turned to the pink mare. "Yeah, if we ever get on the ship!" She turned to Twilight, who had been reading a brochure on the cruise the entire time. "How long until we get on?"
The purple unicorn didn't look up from her brochure as she answered. "Rainbow, I already told you. The ship's crew will start boarding as soon as it's convenient. They're probably checking the ships engines for any faults." She started walking towards the loading dock, magically pulling her luggage behind her. It appeared as though she had brought half of her library with her, as most of her luggage had the label "Books" on them. No one bothered to point out how unnecessary it was to do so, as they knew how important Twilight's books were to her.
Rainbow Dash sighed impatiently. "They don't need to check the engines," she droned. "If the engines had any chance of failing, then the ship wouldn't be allowed to sail, would it?" Twilight looked up from her brochure, first at the ship, then at Rainbow Dash. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but decided against it, and instead gestured to the docks. "Let's check if they're ready to board." She started walking again, leaving her luggage behind.
"Er, Twilight?" Applejack said. "Aren't y'all fergettin' somethin'?" Twilight turned and sighed angrily. "I keep forgetting that Spike isn't helping me with my luggage!" In the weeks that followed Twilight's tea party, Spike had grown distant with his friends. He stayed locked up in his room for hours at a time, only coming out to grab a book or a random object. Twilight had also caught him sneaking out at night more than a few times, and each time he was caught he seemed more and more annoyed at her than before. Though he had agreed to come to Manehatten the night before the ship sailed, he declined as politely as he could when Twilight asked if he would see them off at the docks. "Sorry, Twilight," he said, chewing on a ruby at dinner that night, "but I've got something really important to do tomorrow." He had gotten up from the table, run up to his room, and come back down with a small bag slung over his shoulder. "I'll see you when you get back." Before Twilight could say anything, Spike had opened the door and stepped outside shutting the door behind him.
The next morning, he was gone. A note he had left explained that he was needed back in Ponyville, though none of them knew what he meant by that. Twilight had assumed that he was still angry about not being able to come with them on the cruise, and that the note was an excuse not to face them when they left.
How odd, thought Rarity as she moved her own luggage towards the loading area. Admittedly, she, like Twilight, had taken her passion with her, bringing an entire wardrobe in several heavy trunks. Rainbow Dash had described it as 'A Busboy's Nightmare', which had sent Pinkie into a fit of giggles. Rarity had responded with a simple reason. "You never know what the evening may call for." However, what she would be wearing for dinner that night was far from being the biggest thing on her mind. For the second time, she found herself unable to stop thinking about Spike. Is he angry at me? Did he hear what I had said at Twilight's house? Or is he simply jealous of our good fortune?
The questions were driven from her mind as the sound of a foghorn blasted through the air. A large, burly earth pony trotted over to a ticket booth, and began to speak.
"FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! IT IS MY GREAT PLEASURE TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE RMS TITANIC IS NOW READY TO BE BOARDED!" He paused to allow the surge of cheering to pass over him. "WE WILL BE ACCEPTING FIRST-CLASS PASSENGERS NOW. ALL PONIES WITH A FIRST-CLASS BOARDING PASS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE LOADING DOCK. FIRST-CLASS, PLEASE." He set down the megaphone and trotted over to a large green platform surrounded by railing. Closing the gateway he had walked through, he pulled a lever to the side. The platform rose up slowly, making its way to the prow of the ship.
Wow! thought Twilight as she and her friends made their way through the surging crowd towards the boarding area. What an inventive way of transporting ponies and their luggage! They must have made that specially for the Titanic! Of all the things she had looked up about the ship, she was most interested in how it would pass through the reported ice floes passing through their cruise route. Looking at the bow of the ship, she noted that the streamlined design of the ship would allow it to maneuver through the floes. Besides, she thought to herself, the ship has been guaranteed to be 'unsinkable'. The captain would never let that name be tarnished! She slowed as she arrived at the ticket check. The mare checking the tickets was staring with distaste at a ticket, a nervous looking unicorn sitting off to the side, sweating profusely.
Twilight was about to get the ticket checker's attention when she suddenly flung the ticket at the sweating unicorn in a flurry of anger "GUARDS!" she shouted. "WE HAVE A FALSE TICKET HERE!" The unicorn flew into a panic as two large pegusi appeared out of the crowd and began to reach for him. "No! Wait!" he started babbling about being framed and having been given the ticket by a stranger as he was hauled of to Celestia knew where.
"Huh," Twilight mumbled. "Tough security." Turning around, she saw her friends all staring intensely at their tickets, trying to find something that looked out of place. Rolling her eyes, she stepped up to the ticket checker. "Hello," she said, pulling put her ticket. "My friends and I have several rooms reserved." The ticket checker looked at the ticket, scanning it for any apparent flaws as accurately as before. For a few seconds, she din't move, and Twilight imagined being carted of to a jail cell for falsifying a ticket. Then the ticket checker smiled, tore a stub of the ticket off, and handed it back to Twilight. "That all seems to be in order. Welcome aboard the Titanic. Please wait with your luggage on the raising platform.
Twilight sighed with relief as she moved past the gate towards the once again lowered green platform. She stepped onto it and looked back. Fluttershy was having her ticket examined, and was hiding partly behind Rarity, who was to lost in thought to notice. Looking around the platform, Twilight noticed that there were hardly any ponies on the platform. Wow! We're going to be the first passengers on board the ship! What an honor! I wonder if we get to meet the captain? Her thoughts were interrupted as she noticed a beige unicorn standing in the corner of the platform. He had a short, red mane, and his cutie mark was a cube made out of three interlocked gears. He had a camera around his neck, and was holding a pad and pencil up with his magic. He had been staring at her with wide, teal eyes, but when Twilight looked over at him, he jumped and dropped the notepad. His pencil rolled over to Twilight, and she giggled. The unicorn blushed, but didn't budge, instead looking over at the false ticket unicorn, who was still being dragged around by the two guards. He jumped again when he noticed that Twilight had picked up his pencil and notepad and brought it to him.
"Here. I think you dropped this. Sorry about scaring you."
A silent nod, and he took the pencil from her.
"Are you reporting about the ship? I'm-"
"I know exactly who you are, Twilight Sparkle." The sudden volume change in the unicorn's voice startled Twilight, and she took a step back when he stepped forward. "My team and I have covered you and your friends for a while now." His previous nervousness had completely vanished as he stuck out a hoof. "I'm Sethisto, chief editor of The Equestria Daily. You can call me Seth, though."
"Oh," was all Twilight could say as a wave of relief passed over her. He hasn't been stalking me, he's just a newscolt. And a handsome one at that. The thought had just passed through her head before she realized she was staring at his flank. No! Bad eyes! She quickly looked up at him and shook his hoof, hoping her stare had gone unnoticed. It apparently had, and Seth turned to his luggage and put away his notepad. Tucking the pencil behind his ear, he floated the camera up to his eyes. "You wouldn't mind a picture, would you? It would be great for the papers. 'The Element of Magic, First On Board!' How abou-" He stopped. His camera fell back around his neck, and he stared past Twilight.
Turning, Twilight saw her friends stepping onto the platform. Waving to them, they came over to her, leaving their luggage where it was.
"That ticket lady had it out for me, I tell ya!" Rainbow Dash's complaints were being pushed into the ears of an unwilling Applejack, who seemed ready to buck her like an apple tree. Rarity turned to Dash, a look of annoyance on her face. "Of course it seemed that way," she said. "The way you were acting probably made her wonder how anyone let you have a ticket for the ship at all, let alone a first-class ticket! " She turned to Twilight. "Sorry for the wait, darling. Rainbow here decided to have a nice chat with the ticket checker, and we had to keep her from tearing of her wings. I hope-" She stopped, noticing Sethisto for the first time. The news reporter's jaw had dropped, and he was staring at them like a little filly looking at at pile of birthday presents. He stuttered. "T-they're all h-here..."
Twilight turned to him, realizing she had forgotten about him. "Oh, I'm sorry! Rarity, this is Sethisto! He's a reporter here to write about the ship!" Rarity held out a hoof, and, unlike with Twilight, leaned down and kissed her hoof. Rarity blushed, and Twilight went wide-eyed. What was that? she almost screamed it out loud. Why Rarity? What made her so special? Why not me? She stopped when she realized what she was thinking. Why do I care?
While lost in her thoughts, Twilight hadn't noticed that Sethisto had begun conversing with the other five mares as the platform was filled with more ponies and their luggage. She came back to reality as the platform jolted and began rising up to the deck of the ship. Pinkie began bouncing again, bumping against several other ponies in doing so.
"Oh boy oh boy! Here we go! Off on our grand adventure!"
"Uh, Pinkie? You know the ship isn't sailing yet, right?"
---------------------------
"My goodness! Look at these rooms!"
Twilight stared at the luxurious suite before her. The walls were a deep ruby red, with golden patterns covering them from floor to ceiling. The ceiling itself followed this pattern, with small light fixtures hanging down from the corners. In the center of the room stood a large oak table, preset with what appeared to be a complete breakfast. A chandelier hung over the main table, crystals hanging down by the hundreds. A chest of drawers stood at the far end of the room, with paintings and small sculptures adorning the top. The silken rug looked like something out of a ninth century Neighponese throne room.
Stepping inside, Twilight and Rarity tried to take in everything at once, finding it all but impossible. Trotting over to a door, Twilight looked in and found the bedroom to be even more luxurious than the main room. Two large canopy beds stood facing each other from other sides of the room. Another, larger rug lay in the center of the room, a large decorated disk resting in front of a massive fireplace. A mirror stood above it, reflecting the entrance the the washroom. Twilight was speechless.
Rarity appeared beside her. "Oh Twilight, aren't they wonderful? These are the most comfortable looking rooms I've ever seen! I already feel at home!" She was giggling and acting extremely unlike herself. I guess this is would be the kind of thing to get her excited. Twilight strolled over to the far bed, and placed her suitcase on top of it. "Don't you find it strange," she said, opening the suitcase and removing a hair brush, "that our room is not only next to Pinkie and Dash's, and Fluttershy and AJ's room, but that Seth is staying across the hall from us?"
The white unicorn chuckled. After the platform had taken them up to the deck of the ship, Sethisto had left (after several shots of the girls, just the unicorns, Twilight by herself, Rarity and Applejack, more, more, more!), only to meet up with them when they had found their rooms. "It seems to me, dear Twilight," Rarity clucked, turning to her violet roommate, "that you were the one who seemed the happiest of all of us that dear Seth was staying across from us. In fact," she tapped her chin, pretending to be thinking deeply. "I do believe it was because of this development that you chose the room directly across from him." She looked at Twilight, a smug smile appearing on her face at the sight of Twilight' blush. She trotted over to her and took Twilight up in her forelegs. "Oh, I knew it! From the moment I saw your face after he kissed my hoof, I knew that you liked him! You're head over hooves for him, aren't you?"
Twilight twisted out of Rarity's grasp and turned back towards the bed. She was desperately trying to hide her growing blush, and began unpacking herclothes, pretending to search for a closet at the same time. "I'm sorry, Rarity," she knew she couldn't pull it off, but she tried anyway. "but I don't know what you mean." She realized her mistake too late as she felt a pair of hooves pull her from the bad and turn her to stare into two deep pools of azure. She could feel Rarity probing inside her head as they stared into each others' eyes. She managed to push herself away, leaving a frustrated Rarity behind her.
"Twilight Sparkle! If there is anything I know other than the art of the dress, it is when a pony has found love! And if you think that you can make me believe that you have not fallen in love with Sethisto," Rarity walked over to Twilight and grabbed her again, this time moving Twilight's head close to her own. "You. Are. Mistaken." She punctuated each word by moving her face that much closer to Twilight's.
She gave in. With an angry sigh, Twilight let herself fall back onto the bed. "All right! All right! I'll say it! I think Seth is... is..." She paused, looking up at the underside of the canopy. Rarity leaned over her and raised an eyebrow. Twilight rolled over, avoiding her gaze. "... I think he's sexy!" She grabbed a pillow and began yelling into it.
Rarity squealed and jumped on the bed next to Twilight. "Oh Twilight! I knew there was somepony out there for you! Somepony who could take your mind off books and studying and-" She was taken aback by the sight of Twilight lifting her head off her pillow, tears forming in her eyes. She started to cry as she spoke again.
"B-but that's just it! I can't th-think of anything but him! I h-haven't been able to f-focus on anything since he k-kissed your hoof..."
Rarity wrapped her forelegs around her friend's waist and pulled Twilight into a hug. "There there," she comforted Twilight as best as she could. "This really is your first time feeling this way, isn't it?" She looked Twilight in the eye, and when she nodded, Rarity sighed and got off the bed. "Tell me everything you're feeling right now. Yes, everything," she said, answering Twilight's questioning look.
Twilight sniffled, then laid down on the bed again. "There's nothing else that'll work, is there?" Seeing Rarity shake her head, Twilight sighed and looked up at the canopy. "Fine. When I first saw him, he didn't leave any mark on me. He was nervous, and I had to coax him into taking his pencil back. But then when I tried to introduce myself to him, it was like he had changed into a completely different pony. He was nice, social, and apparently a huge fan of me. Me. Then I found myself staring at his flank, and when he kissed your hoof, I just wanted to push you off of the platform. I... I... I really am attracted to him. And it isn't just sex, if that's what you're thinking." She looked up at Rarity, who was rubbing her chin, lost in thought. Looking at Twilight, she said, "I never thought that, dear. Continue," and shut her eyes again.
Twilight did so. "I guess this is how Fluttershy feels whenever she's around Big Macintosh. It's like suddenly the only pony who's opinion matters is his and I need to hear it and feel it and-and taste it..." she stopped and let out a long sigh. Twilight felt at peace. Rarity was right, she thought. This is the only way to relieve the stress of it all. Sitting up, she wiped the remaining tears off of her face. Rarity opened her eyes and smiled. "There," she said, heading towards the bedroom door. "I bet you feel much better now, don't you?" Twilight nodded.
"Good." Rarity moved into the main room and began moving her many suitcases around, opening them and setting up their contents around the room. "Now, to tell him." Twilight, who had followed Rarity into the room, stopped and stared at her in disbelief.
"Rarity, I can't just go over and tell him!"
"Of course not, dear."
"Then what do you mean, 'tell him'?"
"At the ball."
"The ball?"
"Don't tell me you've forgotten!" Rarity pulled out dress after dress, tying to find a specific one for the masquerade ball that was to be held that night. She had spent a full 24 hours on the dress designs for that night only, trying the most mysterious, most alluring designs she could think of. In the end, they had come out as perfectly as she could imagine. She turned to Twilight, still sorting the dresses. "Did you?"
Twilight laughed. "Of course not! I just don't think that-"
"Good," Rarity said, turning back to the dresses. "You aren't supposed to think when you're in love."
Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but something in the back of her head told her not to. Instead, she hung her head and said, "Alright. At the ball. Should I go get the dress for it?"
Rarity turned to her. "That's an excellent idea, Twilight. I may have to make some adjustments if you really want to 'wow' Seth. Bring it here."
Twilight sighed, resigning herself to a higher power (if Rarity could be called that) and went back into the bedroom to find her ball gown.
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Rainbow Dash was panicking. She was holding onto Pinkie Pie as tightly as she could. Though she hated to admit it, she had developed a fear of being crushed after her attempt to find the perfect pet for herself. In the final test, she had trapped herself under a boulder, and had become traumatized from the experience. She had returned unscathed physically, but the mental and emotional toll had left her with a crippling fear of tight spots. At the moment, the large crowd that had gathered on the ship's railing was not assisting her in forgetting the experience. The only thing that kept her sane was the comfort of holding onto her pink friend as they made their way through the crowd to the bow of the ship.
"Pinkie?" Her voice was no more than a squeak. "Why are we doing this? The ship doesn't need us to be here for it to sail." She was pulled up to a railing, and looked out at the pier below.
"There," said Pinkie Pie, appearing beside Dash. "That's why."
Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her eyes. This ship really is the biggest thing talked about! Displayed before her was an enormous crowd of ponies, all waving to the passengers. Some had cameras, others had signs with messages on them (HI STEVE!; MAZELTOV!; GIVE ME BACK MY TICKET, 'SCOTCH!), and still more were simply screaming up at them, as if expecting their shouts to be heard by the passengers. Rainbow turned to Pinkie. "Okay,' she admitted. "This was worth it." Pinkie grinned at her.
They both jumped when the sound of the ship's foghorns blasted out across the pier, signaling that the ship was ready to depart. The world around them exploded into cheers as the sound of the engines starting alerted the crowd of the coming spray from the propellers. Dash's fear suddenly resurfaced as a surge of ponies pushed her up against the railings. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh noooo-" Her panicked breaths were pushed out of her as she felt her boy weight shift. Something behind her was lifting her over the edge. It was at that moment that she lost control of herself. "NOOOOOO!" She tried flapping her wings, but they wouldn't listen to her. She was falling, falling over the edge towards the propellers below...
Then a hoof was grabbing hers, and the falling stopped. Rainbow looked up into two frightened blue eyes. Pinkie Pie pulled Rainbow Dash back up the side of the ship. Dash came flying over the side, landing on top of Pinkie Pie. She simply laid there on top of Pinkie, staring into her eyes. Pinkie was on the verge of tears. "Dashie..." Dash couldn't even call it whispering. "I'm so sorry..." Her forelegs rested around Dash's neck, and suddenly she realized. Oh Celestia, no. Not now.
Not now.
She couldn't take it. Shutting her eyes to avoid Pinkie's, Dash pulled herself off of Pinkie Pie and flew out of the crowd, trying desperately to get to a safe place.
"Dashie, wait!" Pinkie ran through the crowd, following the rainbow trail as the ship began to pull out of the harbor. Looking back at the crowd, she saw no turned heads. No one had noticed anything.
Rainbow Dash flew through the hallways, not caring if she hit anyone. Fly. Fly. Find the room, get in bed and hide under the covers. She knew she had to apologize, but she dreaded the thought of talking with Pinkie Pie after the moment they had just shared. Ruined it. Gone and ruined it. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She found her room and dashed inside. Rushing to the bedroom, she pounced on the bed and started to cry into a pillow.
The door opened again.
No.
Closed again.
No.
The sound of hoofsteps.
Please.
A breathing on her neck. A voice in her ear.
"Dash. We need to talk."
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"Uh, Rarity?"
"Yes, Twilight?"
"I don't think I'm gonna be able to find Seth here."
Looking out at the party before them, Rarity almost agreed with her. Apparently, this was the only event on the cruise that allowed passengers from all classes to come together for. It seemed that the entire ship had been stuffed onto one part of the deck, and it appeared that ponies were threatening to spill over the sides of the ship. The waters were calm, but the ship was tilted from the concentration of weight at the bow of the ship. Turning to Twilight, Rarity gave her a reassuring smile. "Twilight, I can tell that you're nervous. I'm certain that I would be too, if I had fallen for somepony."
But it isn't and it won't be.
She led Twilight down the steps to the main area of the ball. Speaking to Twilight again, Rarity calmly reassured her that Sethisto would be 'charmed out of his mind'. Twilight didn't seem any more reassured by that. Eventually, Rarity stopped trying to keep her calm, and let her snatch up a glass or two of wine. She herself began enjoying a glass of champagne when she noticed a familiar face in the crowd. Turning Twilight's head, she whispered in her ear. "Looks like he found us."
Trotting over to the drink table Seth was located at, Twilight and Rarity were both surprised by his unflattering getup. Sethisto was wearing only a dark red cloak, a black top hat, and a pair of glasses that changed his eyes. Rarity found herself wondering what Twilight had ever seen in him. Twilight, however, didn't seem to care, or even notice, simply walking right up next to him.
"Sethisto, darling! How good to see you! I must say your mask looks quite dashing on you!" She ignored the poisonous look from Twilight, and walked to the other side of him. Her distaste with his outfit was hidden by the cheery greeting, and he grinned. "I think you two are missing yours." He levitated over a pair of masks, appropriately violet and sapphire colored to match there eyes. Handing a mask to Rarity, he laid Twilight's directly over her eyes, adjusting them himself. "Perfect," he said, making final adjustments with his hoof. Twilight was blushing madly, and Rarity knew she couldn't mess up her chances. Sipping her champagne nonchalantly, she sidled off to the side, leaving the unicorns to talk. They didn't even notice her leave.
Rarity giggled as she made her way through the crowd. Oh Twilight, she said to herself. Don't mess this one up. You need him. She suddenly stopped, and turned. She felt as though something was off, that somepony was watching her, or Twilight, or following them. She began to study the faces around her. All of them were covered by some form of mask, some small, some large, some fanciful, some plain. She was about to begin backtracking when a voice called out to her.
"Rarity? Is that you?"
Turning, she spotted the source of the voice. Oh thank goodness, she thanked Celestia in her head. Someone I can talk with whom I know. She walked over to the stallion, who had begun walking towards her himself. His pristine white coat clashed with his dashing black suit, and his hat (Top hats must be in this time of year, thought Rarity) hid his mane well. But it was his cutie mark, and unmistakable trio of crowns, that gave his identity away.
"Dear Rarity!" Fancy Pants threw a foreleg around her neck as they met, holding a glass of wine in the other. "It's so good to see you again! You haven't written or visited in weeks! We simply must chat! Come along now."
Rarity blushed. "I'm terribly sorry, Fancy Pants. I've been extremely busy these past few weeks. Had to make a whole wardrobe for five of my friends after I learned that we would all be taking a little vacation here on the ship. Weeks can go by so quickly when you're working. You know how it is." Fancy Pants nodded as he brought her over to a table with three other ponies with her. "Oh, of course," he said, sitting her down across from him.
Fancy Pants straightened himself up in his seat. "Well," he said. "I do believe introductions are in order. Rarity, you're already acquainted with my darling Fleur." The dreamy-eyed unicorn sitting next to him waved a hoof at her and smiled. Rarity nodded back at her. Fancy Pants turned to the unicorn next to him. "This young fellow is my old friend, Tuxmond Gold." The unicorn nodded, and reached out a hoof. Rarity took it reluctantly, finding herself put off by his eyes. They were a shade of yellow that reminded her of Discord's. He shook her hand roughly, speaking in a hardy, deep voice. "Ms. Rarity. I've heard so much from Pantsy about you."
Fancy Pants turned to Gold. "I told you not to use that name anymore, Tux. My college days are over. I am a man of respectable quality now." Rarity had a hard time imagining Fancy Pants as a college party colt, but still, it would not be the strangest thing to hear all night.
Now Fancy Pants had turned to the last one, another unicorn who sat next to Rarity. "Now this handsome fellow here, he's a rare one. Young stallions these days are spoiled by their looks, but he's been gifted with the most charming of personalities. Why, I only met him today, and I feel like I've known him all my life. Oh, but I still haven't introduced him. Rarity," he said, flourishing a hoof for dramatic effect, "this is Jack."
Turning to him, Rarity was shocked. Unlike the other stallions at the table, this one had kept his mask on, a brilliant ruby-red display of flames that sparkled in the candle light. The mask clashed with his deep blue coat (The same as my eyes, she noted), and reflected beads of red light onto the tablecloth. His eyes shone out from behind the mask, only the pupils showing from behind it. He was staring intensely at her, and when she extended an uneasy hoof towards him, he took it in his own and kissed it, never breaking eye contact. Rarity was taken aback by his forwardness, not unlike Sethsito's, but she found his to be more... alluring. He released her hoof, not breaking his gaze into her eyes. He tipped his hat, revealing a flash of a dark green mane.
"Milady." His voice was lighter than the others, and Rarity was stunned by the gentleness of it. He sounded like a close friend, somepony she had known for years, and yet he was so alien to her. Jack did not break eye contact, and Rarity found herself unable to take her eyes from him herself. This did not go unnoticed by Fancy Pants, and he slowly broke into a smile. "Aha!" His outburst forced Rarity's head to snap back to him, though she could still feel Jack's gaze falling on her.
Fancy Pants continued to smile. "I knew it! I knew I had met someone perfect for you, Jack! I told you, didn't I? I just needed to remember her name. It must be fate to have met here, on the Ship of Dreams. You simply must dance together!"
Jack mumbled something, then suddenly snapped back to reality, finally taking his gaze off of Rarity. "You know what?" his voice seemed to have changed to a more energetic, 'Pinkie Pie-ish' tone, surprising Rarity. "That sounds wonderful." He turned to Rarity adn extended his own hoof. "Would you care to dance, Miss Rarity?"
Taken aback, Rarity paused for a few seconds. Warning lights had gone off in her head, telling her to say no. But something was making her ignore the lights, pushing them back to the far reaches of her head. Just this once, she thought, and, smiling, accepted his hoof and said, "I would love to, Mr...?" She waited.
He laughed. "Just Jack, please." He took her hoof and moved out onto the ballroom floor (if the deck of the ship could be called a ballroom), leaving a beaming Fancy Pants and an uncomfortable-looking Tuxmond Gold behind. Fancy Pants sighed, and leaned against Fleur de Lis. "Did you recognize it, darling? The look in their eyes?" He turned and pecked her on the cheek. "Just like us, all those years ago." Fleur nodded, and nuzzled against her husband lovingly.
Rarity felt like she was underwater as she trotted along with Jack. She felt the same as she did in her dreams of Prince Blueblood before the dream had come crashing down on her. This time, however, she showed no signs of waking up. Jack stepped into place, rearing up on his hind legs expertly, and pulling Rarity up with him. He placed his head near her ear and whispered, "Just follow my lead."
She had not even heard. Her legs moved with his, and he wrapped his forelegs around her waist as they settled into a comfortable step, moving with the music. Stay calm, Rarity. He'll turn out like Blueblood. Using his looks to try and steal a kiss from me. Or worse. But Rarity did not trust herself anymore. She was not sure of anything around her, and she thought she could hear music in the back of her head.
Then their eyes met again, and suddenly she couldn't move. Her legs locked up, and Jack was now dragging her around the dance floor. losing her balance,she let Jack hold her weight, and it sent them both onto the ground. Rarity's mask fell off, adn she was suddeny wishing that anything except that had fallen off. She could feel every pony on the ship with their eyes on her and the stallion she was lying on. Whispers traveled to her ears:
"Poor boy. Picking up a drunk like that."
"Somepony had one too many."
"You'd think they wouldn't allow drunkards like them on board."
She got up and, without looking at Jack, Fancy Pants, or any of the other ponies there, ran up the stairs and out towards the rear of the ship. A dazed Jack got up, looked down at the mask, and, swearing under his breath, ran after her.
Looking at him run off to find her, Twilight looked about to go after her. Sethisto stopped her. "I think he's got it handled." Looking at him, Twilight smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I do hope she's OK, though. I don't want the cruise to be ruined for her on the first night."
Seth laughed. "Rarity? The Rarity that talked your dragon friend out of a greed-growth problem? I think she'll be fine." He lloked around. "Say, aren't your other friends here, too?"
Twilight gasped. "You're right! I haven't seen them at all since the ship set sail! I know Applejack and Fluttershy are supposed to be here, but I don't know if Pinkie and Dash were coming! I haven't heard from them since we boarded! I thought I heard Dash crying earlier, but it stopped as soon as I heard it."
Seth shrugged. "Hey, if they don't want to show, that's fine. They can deal with it themselves. I'm sure they'll have plenty of fun all by themselves." He chuckled. "Now then," He turned to Twilight and offered a hoof. "Would you care to dance?"
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The fire roared in the fireplace, illuminating the dark room. On the rug, two figures disentangled themselves and sat up, nuzzling next to each other. Rainbow Dash sighed, inhaling the scent of Pinkie Pie's mane as listened to the crackle of the flames.
Pinkie stroked Dash's mane. She giggled when she felt Rainbow's breath on her neck. "Do you feel better, Dashie?"
Dash pressed her face into Pinkie's mane. "Mmmmmmm." She brought her eyes up to meet Pinkie's. "Take a guess."
Pinkie's eyes widened. "Oooh, I love guessing games. OK, ummmmm, let me think, uhhh-" Her deep thoughts were interrupted by the touch of Rainbow's lips on her own. Pinkie closed her eyes, settling into the kiss and laying down again. She wrapped her arms around Rainbow Dash, and rested a hoof on her cutie mark.
Dash moaned softly. Her kiss became more heated and passionate, pressing into Pinkie harder. Her tongue ran across Pinkie's lips for a second before a softly giggling Pinkie let in to explore her mouth. The taste of cotton candy overwhelmed her senses, and Rainbow moaned louder than before. Her tongue and Pinkie's fought inside Pinkie's mouth, each wanting full access to the moist realm of the other's mouth. Hours, it seemed, passed before Rainbow finally pulled away, panting with arousal. Pinkie Pie was still giggling, and got up. Shaking her flank in Dash's face, Pinkie trotted over to the bed nearest the fireplace. She slipped under the sheets, still giggling.
"I think we're missing the welcome party, Dashie."
Rainbow Dash laughed, and strolled over to where Pinkie was waiting. She pulled back the covers and slid on top of the giggling pink mare. "Let them have their fun," she said, stroking Pinkie's mane, "and we can have ours." She pressed her body against Pinkie's, her hoof moving lower, caressing her chest, her stomach, her hips, her flank, her flank, her flank...
And still her hoof went lower...
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And now, a note from the author.
Whew! Practically doubled the chapter length! Thought it would be shorter, but I just couldn't find a good place to stop the chapter until now.
When I started the story, I didn't expect a five star rating in the first hour. Of course, that was the average from only six ratings, so it may not be as great as people say it is. From what I can tell from the comments, you probably thought that Spike would be the Jack of the story. Nope! Sorry! I'm afraid Jack is the Jack of the story. And it's not just going to be Rarity who gets shipped, as if you didn't already know. Already I've paired up the best non-canon ship ever (ooh! Who could it be?) and I'm just getting started. I plan on shipping all of the Mane 6 at least a little bit (well, maybe not Fluttershy).
I really hope I didn't f**k up the ship's departure scene. I know this wasn't in the movie, but not everything is going to play out like it did. That scene was to take place of the attempted suicide scene (watch the movie). I don't think I did well, but I couldn't think of any other way to pair up my favorite F/F couple. So there's that.
To Sethisto (if you go on this site and bother to check out stories): PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlease pleeeease don't sue me for this. I know that I didn't exactly pair you up with your dream mare, but I promise it get's better. If you don't want me to use your persona, just let me know, and I will get rid of him immediately in the next chapter. I had planned on Seth being an easter egg, but he sort of grew into something more.
Thanks to the bronies out there for their praise and ratings. I would not have continued without you. See you next chapter!
Oh, and please don't try convincing me to kill off a certain character when the inevitable happens.