Chapter 5: The Ship of Nightmares
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The world around Fluttershy made no sense.
Her time on the ship had not been the best, admittedly. While all of her friends were finding some way to stay entertained, Fluttershy had been left to her own devices. She missed her pet rabbit, Angel. Now, though, she was glad that he had not come along.
She regretted not asking Applejack to go for a walk with her. The time she'd spent on that walk had led to her becoming severely depressed about the whole situation she was in. Of course, she couldn't bother her friends with her issues. That would be selfish of her. Still, she felt bad about withholding her feelings from them. As a result, she'd not gone back to her room until early next morning, where she'd found an even more depressed Applejack slouching in her bed. Unable to cope with the negative energy given off by herself along with Applejack, she decided to send her to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, with the hopes that they would be able to help her. After sending her off, though, she realized that she was once again alone. The only solution she could think of was to go on another walk around the ship. She'd wandered through the interior of the ship, admiring the artwork hung around the Grand Staircase, and chatted with a few ponies lounging in nearby chairs. Many of them recognized her from her modeling days with Photo Finish, and they'd asked her why she'd quit. To avoid being shunned, she'd made up a lie about her pay check, and her audience had lapped the story up.
After hours of looking at the various pieces of artwork, Fluttershy decided she wanted to find Rarity. She was certain that a day at the spa with Rarity would bring her out of the gloom she'd felt on the trip. This is supposed to be a vacation. I'm supposed to be relaxing right now. She was disappointed to find that Rarity had not been seen since the day before, and she had left Twilight's room depressed, not even bothering to ask why Trixie was at the table eating a sandwich. She'd gone to the spa anyway, and by the time she was done with her treatment the sun had already set.
After that, Fluttershy had given up on her friends. They obviously have more important things to do than listen to my worries. She'd found a restaurant to eat at, a gloriously over-priced eatery called the A La Carte. The food had been fantastic, and with a full stomach Fluttershy had left feeling better than she had in weeks. Maybe I was just grumpy because I needed some food. She'd gone out to the bow of the ship, where she sat and looked out at the unnaturally calm waters of the sea. That was when everything had gone wrong.
Looking out across the black waters of the nighttime ocean, Fluttershy had seen a large, intimidating shape moving towards the ship at a quick pace. She'd immediately flown up to the main controls of the ship and tried to warn the crew member at the wheel of the impending danger.
"Excuse me?" Even Fluttershy could not tell if she was actually speaking over the sound of the crew members yelling at each other. Apparently, one of the Second Officers had thrown away an important message from one of the other nearby ships, which had put the ship at risk of some unknown disaster. The Officer in question was being shouted at by a large colt in an official-looking uniform. When none of her attempts to get their attention had worked, Fluttershy had finally lost her temper.
"HEY!" she shouted. The two colts looked over at her. She shrank back down, and quietly said, "Thank you. There's something I need to say."
The larger crew member walked over to her. "And who exactly are you?" he said, not bothering to hide the frustration in his voice. Fluttershy shrank down a bit more, and she whimpered out, "Fluttershy, sir. There's something heading towards the ship, and I thought you'd like to know."
The two ponies had pressed against the viewing glass that showed them the ocean from their station. "Sweet Celestia! This is what the Jacalifornian warned us about! It's an iceberg!" He spun on his heel back to Fluttershy. "Thank you for telling us, Miss Fluttershy. You may have just saved the ship. We'll take it from here." She smiled, and had walked back out to the prow of the ship. Looking up at the control room, she couldn't help but grin. Saved the ship, huh? I guess that beats a spa day with Rarity any day. She turned, and began walking back towards her room, when she stopped in her tracks.
The iceberg towered over her, too close to not hit the ship. With a fearful shiver, she realized that she had been too late to do anything about the ship. She hadn't saved it, only warned the crew of the inevitable disaster. Turning around, she screamed, and managed to run about five paces before she heard the sound of the iceberg crashing into the Titanic.
Fluttershy was thrown off her hooves, and she only managed to avoid face-planting on the deck of the ship by using her wings to balance herself in the air. Without looking back, already knowing that the damage was done, she raced towards the First-Class cabins. Her thoughts had shifted to whether or not her friends had heard the collision, and she felt tears coming to her eyes as the words of the crew member echoed in her head.
You may have just saved the ship.
No I didn't.
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Applejack ran along the side of the ship, keeping up pace with North Star. She and the captain had felt the collision, and now North Star was rushing to where he thought he'd heard it. Applejack only wished that whatever they'd heard was not as bad as she believed.
Rushing past a pair of unicorns who had fallen in the shock of the crash, Applejack noticed that one of them was Rarity. She almost stopped, but decided against it, instead choosing to continue running after North Star. Once he slowed down, Applejack ran up beside him, panting slightly and wishing he wasn't so fit, even for her. She looked up, and was shocked by what she saw.
Chunks of ice were scattered across the deck, sliding along the bent parts of the area that had been crushed by whatever had crashed into the Titanic. From beyond the ship, Applejack could see s smear of red paint on what looked like the remains of an iceberg. Oh Celestia, no. She began to walk closer to the edge of the ship, now unprotected by railing, and stopped when she felt North Star's hoof on her shoulder.
"Applejack, my dear, don't get near the edge. The ice is very slippery, and the waters are too cold for anypony to be able to survive in." She turned back to the captain, and saw a great look of sadness on his face. "Well, how're we gonna figure out the collateral damage?" She sounded hopeful, and hoped she had a reason to sound that way. But North Star shook his head, and said with a terrible finality, "I'm afraid it doesn't matter how much damage has been done, my dear. It is enough."
Applejack looked at North Star like he was an alien. "B-but North Star, ya'll can't mean-" She was silenced by his look, and when he spoke to her she knew exactly what he meant.
"The Titanic is going to sink, whether we like it or not."
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Twilight Sparkle opened the door to her suite. Looking down on the floor, she saw a crumpled Fluttershy laid out before her. The yellow pegasus was rubbing her head in pain, and when her eyes made contact with Twilight's she sprung up from the ground like a flower. She began speaking rapidly in a high-pitched tone that almost hurt Twilight's ears.
"TwilightthankgoodnessIfoundyouApplejackisn'thereandPinkieandRarinbowwon'tanswerwhenIknockontheirdoorthere'saproblemtheshipisgonnasinkwe-" Twilight stuffed a hoof in Fluttershy's mouth, rubbing her forehead with another. She spoke in a surprisingly calm voice when she answered Fluttershy. "Okay, Shy, what is it you're trying to get across? Trixie and I were studying together, and we were just about to-" Her hoof was dislodged from Fluttershy's mouth, and the mare went rushing into Twilight's bedroom, pulling an angry and disbelieving Trixie out several seconds later. Trailing behind the blue unicorn were several book pages, and Trixie was desperately trying to collect them all.
"Insolent fool!" At the moment, Trixie didn't care that Fluttershy was one of her lover's best friends, and began to buck her hind legs, hoping to make contact with some part of the pegasus' body. Fluttershy, however, managed to avoid all of Trixie's throws at her, and dragged her in front of Twilight. Dropping her, Fluttershy came back down to the ground and began speaking again, this time slower and more understandable.
"I was taking a walk along the side of the ship, okay? Then I get to the front of the ship, and I saw something terrible! It was an iceberg! And so I went to the crew members at the main control room and warned them. But when I got back, the iceberg was already here, and it crashed into the ship and now it's gonna sink!" She took a deep breath, trying to gather herself. Then she continued: "I tried to warn Applejack, but she wasn't in the room when I got there. When I tried to get Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, they wouldn't come to the door, even though I definitely heard them in the room. I couldn't make out what they were saying..." She pondered a bit, and her eyes widened in horror. "Ohmygosh! What if they got hurt when the collision happened? We have to go help them! Come on!" She dragged Twilight out of her room, leaving behind a still hurting and still very-much angry Trixie behind.
Twilight didn't know what to say. Her brain had shut down, and he was only moving on Fluttershy's whim. The ship's going to sink? But it's unsinkable! That's what all of the construction workers said! And how could they be wrong? Her faith in science had told her that the Titanic's maiden voyage would be perfectly safe, and now science had betrayed her again. She snapped back to reality at the sound of Fluttershy pounding against the door to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash's room. She sighed, frustrated, and turned back to Twilight. "Can you open the door?"
Twilight stalled for a moment, then slowly nodded her head. Her horn glowed, and she heard the door's lock click. Fluttershy grabbed the door handle and threw the door open. Rushing inside, she searched frantically for her two friends. After a minute of looking through the main room, she went up to the bedroom door and kicked it in. Twilight was about to try and calm Fluttershy down when she heard three screams.
The first came from Pinkie Pie. She was laying on one of the beds in the room, her face pressed into the mattress. The scream had been one of ecstasy, and Twilight realized what they had done too late.
The second scream came from Rainbow Dash. She had been sitting up when Fluttershy had barged in, and she covered up her exposed areas that were for Pinkie's eyes only. Her shout had been one of shock and disbelief that Fluttershy had just flown in on her having sex. Her face was redder than a beet, and her expression quickly changed from one of shock to one of rage.
The third scream, of course, had been Fluttershy's. She covered her eyes, and fell backwards into Twilight, sending the purple unicorn rolling into the table nearby. Looking up, she saw only two things: a door slamming shut, and a very angry pegasus staring down at her, flames shooting from her ears. In a dangerously calm voice, Dash asked her, "What exactly do you think you're doing?" When Fluttershy meeped and hid behind her hair, Dash pulled her up by it, and pushed her into a chair. Twilight, meanwhile, had scooted out of sight behind the wall separating the main room from the kitchen, and was now observing the conflict between the two pegusi.
Rainbow Dash put her face millimeters from Fluttershy's before asking her again. "Why did you think it was okay to break into our room?" She knew she was being harsh on Fluttershy, but a line had been crossed, and she wouldn't be satisfied with a "sorry". Fluttershy's answered squeaked out from between her lips. "Th-there's an emergency, and I-I thought you got hurt."
Dash reared back and laughed. "Is that really your best excuse?" she said, taunting her slightly with her over-inflated voice. "What's the emergency? Angel sneaked on board the ship, and now you can't find him? Is your favorite plant missing? Is-" Her monologue was interrupted by Twilight. A purple glow surrounded her horn, and suddenly Dash's mouth clamped shut. She couldn't speak.
Twilight cleared her throat, drawing Rainbow Dash's attention. "She's telling the truth, Rainbow Dash. There is an emergency. A serious emergency." She walked up to Dash and released the spell. "The ship is going to sink," she said, and let it sink in for Rainbow Dash even as she herself accepted it. She shut her eyes, and said, "The Titanic is not unsinkable. It ran into an iceberg, and according to Fluttershy, the damage is too great for the ship to be helped. It's going to sink, and we need to get out of here now."
Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight for a second, disbelieving and skeptical. Then she turned back to the bedroom door, where Pinkie Pie was waiting for her. If she's telling the truth, then I have to... Oh gosh. She threw open the bedroom door and zipped inside, grabbing the most valuable things she'd brought and packing them in a small saddlebag. Then she went to the bed, leaned down, and whispered the news to Pinkie Pie.
The cotton candy-colored mare shot straight up in the air, holding still for a few seconds. Then she blazed around the room, snatching things up so fast they seemed to be vanishing. She appeared in front of Twilight, and raised a hoof in salute. "Pinkie Pie, reporting for duty! What's the plan, Captain Twilight?" A confused Rainbow Dash came out of the room several seconds later, her eyes spinning in her head. Twilight paused, once again pondering just how Pinkie managed to become the mare she was. Then, shaking her head clear of these thoughts, she said, "There isn't exactly a plan, but I guess the first thing we should do is find Rarity and Applejack. Then we can get to a lifeboat, and we'll be alright. We should-"
She never finished her sentence. With a great shudder, the faint sound of the engines faded away. The Titanic was no longer moving. Then they heard a groan, and suddenly the ship began to tilt, slowly at first, then more rapidly. The four mares panicked, and ran out of Rainbow Dash's room, hearing the sound of china sliding off the kitchen counter and shattering on the floor. They ran up the hallway, towards what they hoped was an exit. Twilight stopped suddenly, remembering that she'd left Trixie behind, and turned around to go back for her. To her relief, she saw the unicorn in question running towards them, her own saddlebag draped over her back. Trixie caught up with them, and the five mares ran towards the exit, hoping to get above deck and find their friends before it was too late.
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Rarity was aware of only two things at the moment. The first was that Jack was trying desperately to keep her from fainting from shock. The second was that something very cold was rubbing against her flank, and it was making her shiver.
The crash they had felt earlier threw them both onto the ground, and now Jack was trying to get himself and Rarity up on their hooves. This was harder than imagined, as large pieces of ice were now sliding around the deck of the ship. He pulled her over to a corner, and propped her up against the wall. "Rarity, are you alright?" Looking at him, Rarity had never seen somepony look so worried about her before. She nodded, and he sighed with relief. Turning back towards the source of the crash, Jack saw a smashed part of the ship near the front of the prow. The sound of the ship's engines could no longer be heard, and Jack was certain that the Titanic had broken down. This meant they were stuck in place. At least, the unicorns and earth ponies are, he thought, watching several pegusi who had been above deck when the iceberg collided with the ship flying away into the darkness. He was almost sure that they had no idea what direction the nearest shore was, but at the moment that didn't matter to him. Turning back to Rarity, he said, "We need to get to the lifeboats. Can you walk?"
Rarity took a deep breath, and answered, "Please, I need a minute. I think I'm in shock." She wrapped her forelegs around Jack and tried to calm down. The soft feel of his fur and the surprisingly even pattern of his breathing comforted her, and after a moment she got up and began to walk out onto the deck of the ship. She turned to Jack, and said, "I'll go to lifeboats once I find my friends. You go along, and I'll be right behind you." To her surprise, Jack's face seemed to twist into an expression of frustration. He trotted up to her, and said, "I don't think so. Leaving you here would be wrong, both morally and socially. Now please, Rarity, if you would be so kind, let's begin looking for your friends." He gestured towards the First-Class cabins. "Shall we?"
Rarity nodded, a smile coming back to her face. The two unicorns began to gallop towards the cabins when the ship suddenly shifted. Rarity was thrown off balance as the ship began tilting forward. She landed hard, and yelped in pain as Jack rushed over to her. He pulled her up, trying to see what was wrong, but Rarity shrugged off the pain and continued towards the cabins, ignoring the slight limp she now carried. Jack rushed after her.
Rarity hoped that her friends had heard the sound of the collision, or at least felt it. Making her way over to the First-Class cabins, she was relieved to see Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash making their way up above deck. As a fifth mare came up top, Rarity was disappointed to see that it was not Applejack, but Trixie who was traveling alongside her companions. Then where's Applejack, if not with you? She galloped over to the five mares, calling out their names,
Twilight turned her head, her face lighting up when she saw Rarity running toward them. She met her halfway, and said, "I'm so glad you're safe! You know what's happening, right?" Rarity nodded, and Twilight smiled as best as she could. She noticed that Applejack was still not present among their group, and she asked Rarity if she'd seen Applejack recently. Rarity thought a second, scratching her forehead. Then she turned, and began running in the opposite direction, rushing past Jack just as he joined the group of mares. She shouted back to them. "She's at the prow of the ship! She had somepony with her! I'm not sure who it was, but they were probably going to investigate the damage. Come on!" The other six ponies stared at her retreating form for a moment, then went racing after her, desperate to help their friend.
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Applejack and North Star made their way to the main control room of the Titanic. Once there, North Star sprang into action, becoming the official-sounding and demanding captain that the newspapers had spoken of.
"First Officer Murclop! What's happened to the ship? Is the damage repairable?" The large, beige earth pony at the front of the wheel had his head in is hooves, and he turned to North Star with a look of despair on his face. "I'm afraid it would be pointless to try and fix the damages, sir. Five of the sixteen compartments in the lower decks. I'm afraid the ship cannot be saved. We had best order the lifeboats to be uncovered and used." He trotted over to the door and began to leave when North Star stopped him. "How did you not manage to see the iceberg before it struck?" A cold rage was building up in his voice, and Applejack was afraid she would see the intimidating beast she had first met the day before.
Murclop looked over at the other colt in the room, who was staring at the floor with a traumatized look on his face. Applejack recognized him as Second Officer Loud Mouth, the colt who had hit her the day before. "We were supposed to get a warning from one of the nearby ships, the Jacalifornian." said Murclop, still staring at Loud Mouth in disgust. "At first, when no message came through, I thought that we were in the clear. Then I learned that Second Officer Loud Mouth over there threw out the message from the Jacalifornian without reading it."
Loud Mouth finally looked up at North Star, and mumbled something about being off duty. North Star slowly trotted over to him, and stood over the colt for a second. Then he violently grabbed him, lifting him up by his uniform and slamming him against the wall. He looked Loud Mouth in the eye, and whispered quietly, "Is this true? Has this really happened because of your foolishness?" The Second Officer said nothing, only staring distantly into the captain's eyes. North Star threw him to the ground, and said, "Get out. Get out and man the lifeboats, or so help me Celestia, I will throw you into the waters that are surely flooding the hull of the ship as we speak!" He towered over the shrinking colt, and Loud Mouth dashed out of the room, past the already leaving Murclop and leaving it silent except for the heavy breathing of North Star. After a moment, Applejack finally spoke. "North Star? You alright?" He turned, and saw the scared look on her face. His expression softened, and he trotted up to the orange earth pony. "Applejack, I'm sorry that you had to see me that way again. I was aware of how it frightened you when we first met, and I hate to have done it again."
Applejack shrugged. "Hey, ah just wanted to know if ya'll were okay. Ah don't mind you gettin' mad at that foal. He made a mistake that cost ya'll yer ship, and you were right ta yell at him." She looked up at him, and grinned wryly. "Besides. If ya'll hadn't done that, ah'm pretty sure ah would have instead." North Star smiled back at her, and looked out at the prow of the ship, which he could see was slowly dipping into the ocean. His smile disappeared, and he sat down in front of the wheel of the ship. He lowered his head, and said, "I'm sorry, Applejack. This was not my intent. I want you to forgive me."
Applejack was confused. "But," she stammered out. "Ya'll just said that Loud Mouth character was the one behind it all, not you. What do ya mean forgive ya?" North Star shook his head, and Applejack saw a tear run down his cheek. "Miss Applejack," he said, his voice filled with sorrow. "I am very sorry to have brought you into this. If I had known it would end this way, I would not have gone after you. But now it is too late." He felt a hoof on his shoulder, and he turned to meet Applejack's gaze. She stared into his eyes for a minute, two minutes, more, and then she leaned in and kissed him.
North Star was shocked at first. Does she not realize what I mean when I say that? Why would she do this? Then after several seconds of being lost in his thoughts, he closed his eyes, and the taste of apples overwhelmed his senses. He wrapped a foreleg around Applejack, and she pressed her forehooves against his chest. They held themselves in that position for hours, it seemed, until another groan was heard from the ship.
Applejack pulled away from him, and looked out at the bow of the ship, which was now almost submerged in the icy cold blackness of the sea. North Star got up, and pointed a hoof at the door. "Applejack, you have to go now. I have to finish some business here before I join you." She looked up at him, not able to tell if he was lying or not. Then she turned towards the door, walking outside. Before North Star could shut the door, though, she turned to him, and gave him a warning. "Ya'll had better show up at the lifeboats, or else. Ya got that?" He chuckled and nodded. "Of course, my dear. Farewell."
He turned back to the controls lining the wall, and began to turn off any unnecessary functions on the ship. Then he heard Applejack's voice, very quiet now.
"Ah love you."
He paused, waiting for her to say more. When he turned, she had left. Sighing, North Star shut the door to the control room and locked it. Then he turned back to the control panel, recalling something his mentor had said to him, long ago.
"When your time comes, and it will, you must remember this: If you are a captain, you must go down with the ship. It is the honorable thing to do."
North Star sighed again. His mentor had died the year after, when his ship, the Peking, had gone under just outside of Trottingham. Now he resigned himself to fate, and sat down to wait for the inevitable to happen.
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Applejack met up with her friends when she'd run from North Star. She held back her tears, and spoke with them calmly, trying to understand the full story behind the collision and what would happen next. She was told everything the others knew, and agreed that they should head toward the lifeboats.
Rarity coughed. When the others turned to her, she shuffled her hooves nervously. "I don't suppose..." she said, almost as shyly as Fluttershy spoke. "Could we go back to the room? To get some of my things?" Applejack gritted her teeth, but before she could tell Rarity off, Twilight stopped her. "Yes, I think that'll be alright. You and AJ both haven't gotten a saddlebag, and you probably brought something special along with you. The lifeboats will be available for a while, just hurry up!" She, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy trotted off to find the lifeboats, leaving Jack, Rarity and Applejack alone.
Applejack turned to Rarity. "Are ya'll jokin'? Ya'll think that some silly possession is more important than yer own life?" Rarity turned her head up at this, only infuriating Applejack further. She turned, and began walking towards the cabins, with a distraught Jack in tow. Applejack groaned openly, and ran after them, deciding that if they didn't make it to the lifeboats because of this, Rarity would be her raft for the journey home. It was 12:05.
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Jack was not a very well-exercised pony. In the few minutes of running up and down the ship with Rarity, he'd become exhausted. Now Rarity stayed three steps ahead of him at all times. He panted, and felt sweat running down his back. He heard distant hoofsteps behind him, but he paid them no mind. All that mattered now was protecting the unicorn rushing ahead of him. He found this almost impossible, though, as his spirit finally broke, and he slowed to a trot, letting Rarity get further and further away from him. He watched her turn a corner, and tried to catch up to her. He was discouraged to hear the sound of her hoofsteps fading away, and sped up despite his body screaming at him not to.
"Rarity! Wait!" He knew she could not hear him, but he knew where she was headed. The sound of hoofsteps behind him made his head turn again, and again he saw nothing to identify with the noise. He kept moving, and made his way to where he believed Rarity's room was. He saw no one, though, and began trying to retrace his steps. He ran back around the corner, and was met instantly with an impact on the head. Falling to the ground, Jack looked up to see Tuxmond Gold smirking down at him
"Well, well, well." Unlike their last meeting, Gold was now adorned in a smart-looking tuxedo, his hair neat and orderly underneath a top hat. He had an artistically styled cane in his hoof, and Jack assumed that was what had struck him. Gold discarded the cane, and pulled Jack to his hooves. "It appears fate has given me another chance," said Gold, and Jack recognized his tone of voice. "I do hope you understand that when this ship sinks, you are going down with it." With these words, Gold pounded a hoof into Jack's stomach, and suddenly he could not breathe. He leaned forward, and Gold caught him. Gold began dragging the injured unicorn towards the staircase that lead to the lower decks. There was nothing Jack could do, as Gold was holding him in a grip using his magic. He shut his eyes, giving in to the demented unicorn dragging him, and began to fall unconscious. Then he heard a shout.
"NOT MY COLTFRIEND, YOU BASTARD!" Rarity had appeared from around the corner, and was now charging at Gold, her horn already aglow with furious power. A nearby vase shot towards Gold, and he easily sent it flying back at Rarity. She dodged, and leaped into the air, coming down onto Gold's back. He gasped in pain, and his grip on Jack weakened. Then he turned, and shot a beam of magic into Rarity's chest. She grunted as she was flung into the wall, and Gold charged towards the stairs. He began his descent, Jack in tow, and Rarity caught sight of his eyes for a moment, before they disappeared beneath the deck. She tried to get up, but Gold had hurt her badly. She lay there, and found herself sobbing into the carpet of the hall. I couldn't help him. It's my fault.
She looked up when she heard the sound of approaching hoofsteps. Applejack came rushing around the corner, and gasped when she saw Rarity lying crumpled on the floor. She rushed up to her broken friend, and managed to pull her up with some difficulty. Checking Rarity's injuries, she winced at the growing red welt on her stomach. Rarity thanked her for her help, and slowly trotted over to the staircase that Gold had gone down. I'll find you, Jack. And when I do, Tuxmond Gold is a dead pony. She began to descend when Applejack stopped her.
"Hey, why're ya'll goin' down? We gotta get back up to the main deck, remember?" Rarity turned to the orange mare she called her friend, and said in a dangerously serious voice, "I have some business to finish up down there. Please don't follow me. I wouldn't want you getting hurt." Then she turned, and continued down the staircase until Applejack couldn't see her anymore. She stared at the spot Rarity had been standing at. Then, after a minute of contemplating whether or not she should follow Rarity down the stairs, she turned, and rushed back to where her friends were to tell them where a certain white unicorn had gone.
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The sound of dripping water filled Jack's ears. Gold had dragged him down the staircase, and through several corridors he knew were meant to keep anypony else from finding them. Surprisingly, the hallways of Second Class had been almost silent. Jack guessed that the passengers were either still asleep or already above deck, filling up the few lifeboats the ship had. Then Gold had pressed down on the back of his neck, and Jack had lost consciousness.
When he woke up, he found himself somewhere in the depths of the ship, below even the Third Class area. Gold had walked along the metallic, heated walls, and Jack deduced that he had been brought to the boiler rooms. Then Gold had found what he was looking for.
Jack felt Gold's magic shove him into a heated wall, and he heard his flesh sizzle. The gold unicorn towered over him, and brought out a chain with a strange lock on it. Jack was fastened to a pipe on the wall, and Gold rammed him in the stomach again. Then he leaned down and whispered in his ear, "I'll enjoy throwing your two-bit whore off the stern of the ship." Jack struggled against his bonds, and Gold laughed at the sight. "You idiot. You can't break that chain yourself. And don't try opening the lock, either. Only the key can do that. Cheerio." Then he slammed the metal door to the boiling hot room, and Jack listened as his hoofsteps faded.
Jack studied the room he was in. It was small, for one, and had no windows or doors save the one his captor had just exited out of. Everything in it seemed to be made out of metal, and was attached into the wall. Jack could see nothing to use to get the chains off of him. He only hoped that Rarity would be able to avoid Gold until she was safely on a lifeboat. He shut his eyes, and tried to ignore the sound of water flowing freely somewhere nearby. It was 12:15.
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Rarity raced through the corridors of the Second Class cabins. She noticed many of the stewards running from cabin to cabin, awakening the remaining passengers and warning them of the imminent disaster. Some laughed, believing it was a joke, and shut their doors, leaving the steward standing in front of it frustrated. Rarity shook her head, and focused on the task at hoof. All other needs had been shoved to the side, replaced by one, driving cause.
Find Jack.
She looked throughout the Second Class area, asking stewards if they'd seen Gold or Jack anywhere. Only one of them gave her any help: a minute or so earlier, the steward had seen a gold unicorn in a tuxedo come up from a stairwell that led down to the boiler rooms, down at the very bottom of the ship. Rarity thanked the steward, and rushed to the staircase he'd described, and began to rush down. She only made it halfway down the stairs before the boilers exploded.
Rarity felt the shock of the explosion, and she felt the stair beneath her disappear. Suddenly she was flying down the staircase, and her magic was the only thing that kept her from smashing into the grated platform at the bottom of the stairs. As she tried to regain her balance, the sound of the steam escaping the boilers filled her ears. It sounded as though 20 locomotives were blowing off steam in a low key. She covered her ears, and tried to get a grip on the moment. After a minute, when the shrill whistling did not let up, she uncovered her ears and made her way down towards the boiler rooms. Then she had a sudden realization. Jack was down there. If Gold had left him in one of the boiler rooms...
Rarity began sprinting down the corridor, screaming Jack's name. She tried to listen for his voice, but she heard nothing but the whistle of the boilers. She doubted that Jack could hear her at all, and she began throwing open every door she passed, checking briefly to see if her lover was somewhere inside. After two of the rooms gave her nothing, she began to fear the worst. Oh Celestia, please let him be alive. Don't let him die. She continued searching, and started to see the damage the explosion had done. Some of the doors were blown off their hinges, and others had destroyed handles, as the force of the blow had done enough to ruin the locks on the door. It was in one of these rooms that she found Jack.
When Rarity first saw him, she thought that she was too late. Jack lay on the ground, a busted pipe spewing steam over him. Then she heard him groan, and she rushed to his side, assessing his current state to see if he was hurt anywhere. Looking him over, the only visible problem she could see were the indents around his chest where he had been chained to the pipe that had burst on him. Gold, you bastard. You had better hope we don't find you before the ship sinks. Her face lit up when he opened his eyes, and she hugged him.
"Thank goodness you're alright." She buried her face into his shoulder, and he groaned again. "Rarity?" He asked her, as though she were not really there, that there was a chance it was not her. “I thought Gold had gotten to you." She moved her face in front of his, and shook her head. "I'm afraid Mr. Gold didn't make an appointment with me." He laughed, and she helped him onto his hooves. "Well," she said, pointing towards the blown up door. "Shall we hurry over to the lifeboats? All of our friends are probably wondering where we are right now."
Jack nodded, and trotted out into the hallway. He looked left and right, and then left again. His eyes widened and he shouted, "Rarity! We need to go now!" Peeking out of the room, Rarity was shocked when she saw what had frightened Jack. Coming toward them in a rush were several waves of water. It had been spilling in for only 50 minutes.
Rarity shrieked, almost more worried that her coat would get wet than the fact that the water was rushing in too fast. She began galloping in the opposite direction, calling back to Jack. "Well, what are you staring at!? We have to run!" Jack snapped out of his trance, and turned on his heel to follow Rarity. It was 12:30.
The two unicorns rushed past several confused firecolts, only able to shout the briefest explanations to them as they ran past. The sound of their shouts of surprise along with the growing sound of rushing water only gave them the spirit to run faster. Now Rarity was the one becoming tired, as the combined effects of her coat and the boiler room were causing her to overheat. Seeing this, Jack acted instinctively, grabbing the coat with his teeth and pulling it off of her. Before she could react, he threw it behind them, where it was caught up in the rushing waters of the invading sea.
Rarity was almost furious with Jack. "Why in Equestria would you do that?" she yelled at him, expecting him to apologize for his rude actions. Instead, Jack simply said, "You were hot. That coat was heavy, and getting rid of it got rid of the excess weight." She huffed, and turned her head back towards the staircase that had just come into view several yards away. She and Jack made their way to the stairs, and soon found themselves on the Third Class level. Seeing that the rest of the staircase had been blocked off because of the rapidly rising water, the two made their way through the slightly less luxurious Third Class cabins. To Rarity's horror, she saw nopony trying to warn the Third Class passengers about the ship's collision, In fact, it appeared that the entire Third Class had been abandoned by the attendants of the ship. She didn't pause, however, instead deciding it would be safer to try and find a way above deck first.
This task, however, proved to be more difficult than the white mare had thought it would be. The Third Class was made up of twisting hallways and identical corridors. Rarity could not tell if they had run down a corridor before, and the two soon found themselves lost. Rarity paced in a circle, trying to think. Then, as her mind never failed to do, she had an idea. She looked down at the floor, checking to see which way the ship was tilted. Seeing that it was pointing up in the opposite direction they had been running, she turned and began galloping down the hall. Jack hurried after her, wishing there were directories for the different sections. She reached the end of the hall, and soon found that while she had been heading in the direction she'd wanted to, it was not the correct one. The exit stairwell was located nowhere near where Rarity and Jack were.
Rarity felt herself start to hyperventilate when she realized they were taking too long to get off of the ship. She felt Jack wrap a hoof around her neck. He comforted her, and she began to sob into his chest. "I-I" She could only stutter, sniffling in between each word. "I caused this m-mess. If I hadn't w-wanted to go back f-for my s-stupid possessions, w-we would be on a lifeboat already. I-I'm s-sorry." He patted her back, and whispered, "We will make it out of this, regardless of whose fault it is we're in this mess. I promise." She looked up at him, and was reassured by his smile. Then they began searching for some exit, marking places they'd gone through with magical bolts. They moved quickly, and found the exit just as they noticed water flooding in from two hallways over. Scrambling up the stairs, Jack turned to magic a shield over the doorway to prevent water getting through. Then he realized that the passengers might not be able to get out if he did that. Hearing the sounds of doors opening and ponies shouting, he turned back to Rarity and made his way up the stairs with her.
Now at the Second Class area, Rarity could hear distant music coming from somewhere to the right. Ah yes. The restaurants. I'd say it's wrong that they leave them open, but that's their choice. She headed in the direction of the music, and Jack followed. They found the restaurant, and asked for directions to the nearest staircase. The waiter on duty gave them directions to the Grand Staircase, then went back to cleaning tables, apparently unaware of the danger he was in. They left, Rarity with a troubled look on her face, Jack with a worried one. They began navigating through the hallways of the Second Class area. It was 12:45.
Now Jack was worried. Passing a clock on their way through the halls, he was almost certain the crew had begun loading lifeboats, if not lowering them. He did not know how many there were on the Titanic, but he knew there would not be enough. The ship was not prepared to be sunk on its maiden voyage, or any voyage, for that matter. The crew was unprepared to handle the situation as well, and Jack wanted to make sure that Rarity at least would be able to get on a lifeboat. If not her, then who? Me? Gold? No, I have to get her on a boat. They made their way along the corridors, dodging the occasional panicked passenger. Seeing the entrance to the Grand Staircase, they looked at each other and smiled, becoming more convinced that they were going to get above deck. Entering the room, however, they discovered two things that made them think twice. The first was the fact that water was already rushing into the room, and was almost up to their ankles by the time they'd made their way to the head of the stairs. The second was the presence of Tuxmond Gold at the top of the first set of stairs.
For a second, Gold had a look of surprise on his face. Then he saw Rarity standing beside him, and he smiled down at them. "Why, Jack," he said, and his undermining tone infuriated Rarity. "It appears you have a guardian angel." It was 12:55.
-----------------
Twilight had not been sure of very many things since the iceberg had struck. At this point, however, she was 100% sure of exactly two things. One: Rarity was pushing it while taking her time gathering her things, and Two: she herself was panicking.
The last 40 minutes had gone by in a panicked and relatively chaotic blur. After she'd sent Applejack, Rarity, and Jack to go retrieve their most precious possessions, she'd immediately realized her mistake: to Rarity, her most valuable possessions meant everything she'd brought on the ship. After ten minutes of waiting, she began to head towards their living areas, when a confused-looking Applejack had come up from below deck. The orange mare had said something about Rarity going further below deck to "finish up some business". If those words had had any special meaning, Applejack had not picked up on it.
Twilight had been furious, almost setting her hair on fire again. After several breathing exercises, which Fluttershy had been happy to teach to the lavender unicorn, she had begun asking where Jack was. Applejack had not seen him when she'd spoken with Rarity, and Twilight's first guess had been that they'd both gone below the deck to "roll in the hay", as Applejack so called it. She immediately disproved her own theory, as she was sure they knew of the speedily rising water level, and would not have gone lower without a very important reason. She'd spent the next ten minutes pacing in a circle, pondering what would have driven Rarity to go below the First Class area. Then the lifeboats had begun loading.
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had immediately zipped over to the first one, pleading to get on. The crew member loading the boat had settled them into it, and the two mares began signaling wildly to the rest of their friends to get on the lifeboat with them. Applejack and Twilight, however, refused to get on: Twilight didn't want to leave any friend behind, and Applejack was waiting for the captain to show up. The apple farmer and Dash had had a brief exchange about who the real Element of Loyalty was, and Rainbow Dash got out of the lifeboat, telling Pinkie to stay inside. Pinkie Pie had been hesitant, but in the end she agreed, and Rainbow Dash and AJ headed off to find North Star.
Fluttershy had been quietly sitting on a nearby bench, looking up at the night sky with a somber expression on her face. Twilight sat down next to her, and they'd discussed what would happen after they got back from the disaster.
"If we get back," Fluttershy had said, and she'd burst into tears when she'd finished her sentence. Twilight tried to comfort her, but the possibility of not all of them making it back to Ponyville had scared her as well. She had soon found herself crying on Fluttershy's shoulder at the thought of Spike getting the news that she hadn't gotten off the ship in time. When Applejack and Rainbow Dash returned, Applejack was crying. Rainbow Dash was hugging her, and slowly escorted her onto the lifeboat with Pinkie Pie and several other ponies who had boarded the boat in the time they had been gone. Twilight had stopped crying, along with Fluttershy, and asked Rainbow Dash what had happened. Rainbow Dash didn't answer. Instead she'd lowered herself to the floor and curled up in a ball next to Trixie, who decided that she was done waiting and went to board the lifeboat.
And still Rarity did not show up.
After 15 minutes of waiting, things suddenly became chaotic as a rush of passengers came up above deck and headed towards any open lifeboat they could. They quickly filled up, and Rainbow Dash tried to fly down to Pinkie Pie when her lifeboat was lowered into the water. The attendant had stopped her with his magic, and scolded her for being so brash.
By 12:55, Twilight had given up on Rarity. She imagined Spike's face when she brought the news to him, and felt tears burning at her eyelids again. She and Fluttershy had found a lifeboat, but Rainbow Dash did not move when they told her Rarity was not going to show up any time soon.
"Fine!" the blue pegasus yelled. "If you want to leave your friend to die, that's fine! But I'm the Element of Loyalty for a reason, and I'm not going to let Applejack yell at me for this!" Apparently Applejack's speech had profoundly changed Dash, and she proceeded to fly over the ship, heading off to who-knew-where to find Rarity.
Now Twilight sat in a lifeboat, and she stared up at the magnificent ship that had been their home for two days. She saw the area where the iceberg had struck, and was shocked to see how far the prow of the ship had sunk in the hour and fifteen minutes since the collision had occurred. Fluttershy turned to her, and said quietly, "I hope they're alright."
Twilight nodded, and said, "They have to be, Fluttershy. They have to." Fluttershy yawned and rested her head on Twilight's shoulder, and closed her eyes to try and catch a little sleep. Twilight nuzzled up to the yellow pegasus, and continued to stare at the Titanic, wondering where Rarity and Jack and Rainbow Dash were. It was 1:10.
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Jack stared up at the calmly insane colt that had tried to kill both him and Rarity in the last two days. For a moment, none of the three ponies in the room moved. Then Rarity took a step up the stairs, and Jack resisted the urge to try and stop her. Instead, he followed her, taking a very slow step, then another, then another. He and Rarity made their way slowly up the steps, and stopped halfway up the stairs. Rarity looked back, and saw that the water level had gone up two steps of the staircase since they'd begun climbing. At this rate, they would all be drowned if they didn't hurry. She turned back to Gold, who was still smiling evilly down at them, and said, "As much as I want to, Mr. Gold, I can't get you back yet for what you've done to Jack and myself in the past few days. I must ask you to move and-" She'd spoken too long.
Gold pounced down the stairs, extending his forelegs in front of him, and rammed into Rarity. With a yelp, the two fell down the Grand Staircase, landing thankfully in the waterlogged area of the room. She gripped his neck, and held him in place as Jack came down the stairs and shoved Gold off of her. The golden colt rose up again quickly, and dove at Jack, striking him in the chest and clamping his teeth down on his neck. Now it was Rarity's turn to do something.
Rarity ran at Gold, who paid her no mind, and she levitated a picture from one of the side alcoves. With a tremendous grunt, she slammed the picture down on Gold's head. He turned, and Rarity saw blood on his lips. He charged at her, no longer the charming-gentlecolt they'd both met two days ago. Now he was a savage, grunting beast, and he tried to ram her again. This time, however, Rarity ducked, and Gold went soaring over her back. She raised herself up before he could make it over her, and felt his foothold snatch and loosen in the same second. A dull thud was heard, and Rarity collected Jack and began to run back up the Grand Staircase. She heard Gold fidgeting, and ran as fast as she could.
When she reached the end of the staircase, she was relieved to see the next one directly in front of her. She galloped towards it, even as she heard Gold scream out her name. She rushed to the stairwell, and hid behind it, in a little room that was used as a storage cupboard. Once inside, she looked at Jack's neck. A part of it looked like it had been used as chewing tobacco, and Jack groaned in pain when she touched it. She looked frantically for a first aid kit, then remembered she kept one in her saddlebag at all times. Opening the soggy bag, she pulled out the kit and hastily applied gauze to his neck, and when she gave him painkillers he sighed with relief. He showed that he was good to go, and Rarity threw open the door to the cupboard, ready for anything. Tuxmond Gold was waiting for her.
He looked disgusting. His hair was died orange with what Rarity assumed was his blood, and one of his teeth was missing. There were bruises covering the visible parts of his body, and he grinned down maniacally at them. "Got any more bandages?" he asked, his voice a deadly whisper. Rarity answered by slamming the first aid kit in his face, and she and Jack ran up the staircase before he could regain his focus.
The two unicorns burst out onto the deck of the ship in time to be swept up in a crowd of panicking passengers. They sighed with relief when they could no longer see Gold, and they moved along with the crowd. When they were finally able to break off from the group, they looked around again to see if they were truly safe. Then Rarity jumped onto of Jack and kissed him. He eagerly returned her affection, and for a minute they simply stood in place, locked in each other's embrace and kissing frantically. Then they separated, and Rarity shivered again. Jack found himself regretting not keeping her coat with him, and made due with giving her his dinner jacket. She blushed at the gentlemanly gesture, and they set off to find a lifeboat.
Turning the corner at one of the superstructures, Rarity paused. "Th-this is..." she stammered out, and gripped Jack's foreleg with her own. He looked at the alley they had turned into, and in a second recognized it as the place that Gold had first revealed is true character. He looked down at her, and said, "There is nopony here. We can walk straight through here without being harmed, and-" He was interrupted by her shriek.
Pointing to the other end of the alley, Rarity began shaking as another pony turned into the alley. Not wanting to take any chances, Jack pulled Rarity by the hoof and began to dash away from the stranger. Rarity was trying not to go into shock. He can't have known, he can't have! There's no way that that could be Gold! She didn't dare turn around, instead running alongside Jack until they saw a lifeboat loading up. They silently cheered, and made their way over to the lifeboat.
The attendant there eyed Jack's bandages, and Rarity quickly diverted his attention to her. "Excuse me, sir? We'd like to board the lifeboat." The attendant laughed, and said, "Yep. I bet you do. And you can. Him, however," he gestured to Jack. "He's gotta wait for women and children to board first."
Rarity's eyes went wide, and she put her face directly into the attendants. "As you can see, kind sir, there is nopony else around the area that is trying to board the lifeboat, so why don't you let my companion here board with me?" Again the attendant laughed, and shook his head. "Captain's orders. No men allowed on board the lifeboats."
Rarity stared at him for another few moments, before she was pulled away from him by Jack. "Rarity," he said. "I want you to board the lifeboat. I promise-"
"No."
Jack blinked. Rarity stared defiantly at him. She walked away from the attendant, and after a confusing second Jack ran after her. When he caught up to her, he asked, "What do you mean 'No'?" When Rarity turned to him, she had the slightest grin on her face. "You ask me, after I save your life twice in one day, to abandon you on an enormous sinking ship? I don't think so. I'm going to stay with you until we can both be put in a lifeboat safely." She looked down at her hooves and added in a mumbled, "Or otherwise."
She turned back around, and began walking towards the other side of the ship again. Jack stared after her a few seconds, before she turned around and told him, "Besides, we still have a debt to repay for dear old Mr. Gold." Then she continued on, and this time Jack ran after her, not wanting to leave her alone with Gold still on the boat. It was now 1:35.
---------------
Twilight wished she hadn't Pinkie promised not to use magic on the cruise. She had worried the moment Pinkie Pie had shown up at her house the day before the cruise to ask her the favor. Though she warned Pinkie that it could be dangerous to not use magic, Pinkie had assured her that nothing could go wrong. Pinkamina Diane Pie, you owe me five bits.
Staring across the black waters she was now floating above, she saw the lifeboat in which Pinkie and Trixie were put into. If she stared hard enough, she could make out Pinkie Pie's head poking above the others, staring out at Twilight's lifeboat. Twilight could almost hear her voice over the wind.
"Forever!"
She sighed, glad she had come up with something to keep her entertained, if only for a mere moment. Then she remembered that Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Jack were still on board the ship. She looked back at the ship, and gasped. In the 40 minutes she had been in the lifeboat, the ship had dipped at a relatively slow rate, and the prow was not yet submerged in the water. But that was not what had made Twilight gasp.
Looking at one of the loading stations, Twilight could see a riot of ponies rushing at one of the lifeboats as it began to lower into the ocean. Twilight shut her eyes and turned away at the sight of a unicorn being pushed over the railing of the ship into the dark waters below. Then she heard the gunshots.
Looking back up at the ship, she saw one of the officers on the ship holding a gun, which was pointed up at the sky and firing rapidly. To Twilight's relief, the shots stopped the rioting ponies from jumping into the lifeboats, or worse, into the ocean itself. She sighed and leaned back in the lifeboat. There was nothing Twilight wanted to do more than curl up and sleep the disaster away. But the recurring nightmarish thoughts of what could have happened to Rarity, Jack and Rainbow Dash kept her from closing her eyes. Instead, she continued to observe the ship, stroking the mane of the slumbering yellow mare cuddled up next to her. The time was 1:45.
--------------
Besides the fact that Rarity was furious at the lifeboat attendant had not let Jack board the lifeboat, Rarity was not sure what was keeping her going. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally (and perhaps a bit mentally exhausted as well), her coat was a mess, her dress and saddlebag were both soaking wet, she was out in 0-degree weather, the ship she was on was sinking, and somepony was trying to find and kill herself and her lover. Yet still, she trudged onward, not complaining to Jack once. This must be how Applejack feels all the time, she thought, and laughed once. Jack turned his head to look at her, and said, "You're not thinking of what we're going to do if we meet up with Gold, are you?"
Rarity giggled again, and said, "No, but if I was, it would be the right thing to do. We need to know what to do if we find him." She looked up at him hopefully, as if to ask for him to help her plan Gold's demise. Jack was about to answer back when a voice came out from the shadows next to them.
"I think she meant to say when I find you."
They both spun. Tuxmond Gold entered the arena once again, this time not bothering to hide the insanity that lay behind his sparkling eyes. He took a ragged step forward, and Rarity saw that he had torn his clothes to pieces to keep from freezing above deck. He licked his lips, and said in a weary voice, "Do you know," and here he paused, taking another step towards them, "how much of an ANNOYING PIECE OF SHIT YOU'VE BEEN!!?" He screamed the last words, and pointed a hoof at Jack. "I have been trying all my life to find someone as beautiful as HER," Now he pointed at Rarity. "to come along so that I may sweep her off her hooves. And YOU," Back to Jack. "just haaaad to come and mess with her little head." He took another step towards the two, and Rarity suddenly felt like she was in a cage with a wild animal. Gold's head was twitching, and he laughed like a hyena. Rarity bristled, and to Jack's surprise did what appeared to be a pirouette, coming back to the same spot she'd been at before. She studied the maddened pony snarling at them, and nodded to nopony in particular.
Gold laughed again, and spoke through his giggles. "Soooooooooo. You think you can dance your way out? Okay then. Let us dance." And with that, Gold pounced.
In one quick motion, Rarity yanked on Jack's mane and yelled a "Prepare yourself!" to him. The colt did so, and shielded his face from the raging pony coming at him. Their bodies made contact, and Rarity forced Jack forward, making his strike as strong as Gold's. The two colts sprawled out onto the ground, and Rarity took advantage with his struggle to grab the broom she'd spotted when she'd spun around. First: Examine the environment.
She swung the broom, and it snapped over Gold's head. He shrieked, then shoved Jack aside to face Rarity. She smirked at the anger on his face, but was worried about his sudden increase in strength. Second: Examine opponent's skills/weaknesses.
Gold grabbed her neck in one fluid motion, and Rarity knew she had done something wrong. Dammit, Rarity! You spent two years memorizing every technique used in every Sherclop Holmes story ever written! I thought you had this down! There was a sudden pressure on the back of her neck, and everything went black. The last thing Rarity saw was a grinning madcolt looking down at her with a look of triumph.
When Rarity awoke, it was to the feel of an ice cold railing hit her back. She didn't dare open her eyes. She felt the tilt in the ship rising, and deduced he'd taken her to the stern of the ship. Oh no, how long was I out? She was terrified, and began screaming at the top of her lungs. Gold forced a hoof in her mouth, and she gagged on it. Then, very slowly, he began bending her neck back. She began to feel the strain on her neck, and felt tears burn her cheeks. Gold's voice floated into her ear, and whispered, "Which would you prefer? Broken neck? Or falling to your death?"
Rarity couldn't answer, and she knew that it didn't matter. She was going to die, and Jack was too late to help her. With what she believed would be her last breath, Rarity began to tilt her body backwards over the edge. Gold began laughing, and Rarity thought out her goodbyes for everypony. Goodbye, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie. Goodbye, Sweetie Belle. At least none of you will know what really happened to me. Everypony except Jack-
*KLANG!*
Gold suddenly let go of Rarity, and the white unicorn dove to the ground and began kissing it, rubbing her now aching neck while doing so. She looked up just in time to see Jack getting struck down by Gold, making him drop the metal object he'd been carrying. Gold moved back over to her, and slapped her in the face. "Get up, you pathetic mule!"
That tore it.
Rarity's face turned bright red, not with embarrassment but with rage. She stood up, and raised herself up on her hind legs. She shoved Gold into the railing, and she held him in place and stared into his eyes. She saw his fear, and that made her smile. She pushed him further over the rail, and he tried to get a grip on it. The icy rails made it impossible. Rarity whispered into his ear. "You can hurt me. You can destroy my possessions. You can mock me in any way, but if you EVER call me a mule," and now she turned and held him in place with her hind legs. "I will destroy you." And she pushed him over the edge.
She waited for the scream, but it never came. Oh no. She cautiously looked over the rails. Gold was clinging on to one using his magic. She stared down at him, bitter rage seeping through her stare. Gold looked back at her with an equally angry stare. He smiled, and began lifting himself up. Then Jack woke up.
He walked over to where Rarity was, confused that Gold was apparently not there anymore. then he peered over the railing, and dove backwards instinctively. He stared at the rails for a second, before turning to Rarity. He was breathing heavily, and asked her, "Did you...?" She nodded, and his eyes widened. Then they widened more as he spotted a raged hoof make its way over the edge of the stern and grab on to Rarity's tight-fitting shoes.
Rarity screamed, fell over, and began to slide towards the edge of the ship. Jack rushed over to help her, and he began to try and pull off Rarity's shoe. Gold, meanwhile, had drawn something out of his only remaining jacket pocket. It was a pistol. Jack' mind went blank, and for a second time stood still. The guards. He took a pistol from one of the guards. Oh Celestia, how determined is he to kill us? He continued fiddling with Rarity's incredibly tight shoe, while Rarity herself was biting onto the railing to keep from being pulled off. Jack could hear her screaming through gritted teeth, and knew he didn't have much time. Gold had pointed the gun directly at his head, and as he heard the trigger pull back, he desperately punched the shoe as hard as he could.
The fastener broke.
The look of shock on Tuxmond Gold's face as he dropped soundlessly into the waters of the cold, uncaring ocean below would stay burnt into Jack's memory for the rest of his life. The golden unicorn fell, and he dropped his pistol in shock. Jack heard the gun clang against one of the propellers, and then another, duller clang as Gold's body struck another propeller, ricocheted him over the other one and into the sea.
Jack pulled Rarity away from the edge of the ship, and for a minute he stared over the edge of the ship at the spot Gold had hit the water. Looking at the propeller Gold had struck, Jack could see a small splotch of red. Rarity regained her footing, and walked over to him. He stood up, and immediately went back down on his knees and vomited over the railing. Rarity jumped back a bit, and when she was sure he was done, she rested a hoof on his back and patted it. He looked up at her, his face somewhere between shock and despair. Rarity met his eyes, and said, "We should go." He nodded.
Rarity kept Jack from falling over as the two made their way down the length of the ship. Rarity was still rubbing her neck where Gold had bent it back, and Jack was trying to find a grip on the moment. I just killed a pony, he thought.
And he was going to kill you.
I killed a pony.
You killed a criminal.
He didn't deserve it.
He was going to kill Rarity.
The azure-coated unicorn slowly managed to regain his composure, and the two made their way back to where the lifeboats were. Rarity rubbed up against him, trying to calm him down. It was not working, and Jack could still hear his heart pounding in his head. She knew that he was in danger of having a panic attack, and she wasn't going to let him get more hurt than he already was. She tried harder, nuzzling his neck. He looked down at her, and when their eyes met she saw how traumatized he was. She sighed, and said, "Jack, I know you wouldn't have let him go if you had a choice, but his time-"
"This time?" His eyes were already wide, and Rarity instantly realized her mistake. She shook her head, and said, "Jack, please don't get upset, you know what I meant. You didn't have a choice. You chose me over him, and I'm eternally grateful for that." She leaned in to kiss him, and he didn't move. Their lips met for a split-second before Rarity pulled away, spluttering and spitting on the ground. Jack, surprisingly enough, laughed at the reaction. "Guess you should have remembered I threw up, right?" She turned back to him, and punched him on the shoulder. She stared at him for a minute, awaiting an apology from him. Then, without warning, they were both laughing, and continued on their way back towards the lifeboats.
When Rarity began to recognize where the areas around them, she sped up, desperate to find a lifeboat they could climb into. I only hope that Twilight and the rest made it onto the boats already. Spotting one, she grinned, and turned to Jack. "Found one!" He brightened at the sight of it, but frowned a second later. Rarity's expression turned from one of delight to one of confusion, and she turned back to the lifeboat she'd spotted. To her horror, she watched as it began lowering, and rushed towards it, shouting for them to wait. But it was too late. The lifeboat sank beneath the edge of the ship, and Rarity stopped, halfway between Jack and the loading dock.
She looked left and right, trying to find anypony who could help them get a lifeboat. She searched and searched, finding only panicking ponies running back and forth. She and Jack went to where each of the loading docks had been, finding nothing. Rarity began to panic as well, and Jack sat her down on a bench nearby. Turning to another bench several yards away, Rarity spotted an elderly couple sitting on a bench, each one comforting the other and holding them tightly. She saw this, and suddenly knew what frightened her. Tears formed in her eyes, and she breathed the answer out.
"We missed the lifeboats."
Jack stared at her. She began to sob into her hooves, which were pressed firmly against her face. He sat down next to her, and hugged her. She cried into his chest, and he felt her tears begin to soak through his shirt. He let her cry for a minute, simply holding onto her so that she would not fall away from him. It was 2:05.
When Rarity was finished crying, she pulled away from Jack. Looking towards the prow of the ship, she saw the water level rising. Crowds of panicking ponies were shoving past one another, and some were being swept out into the sea. She looked up at Jack, and said quietly, "Would you like to take a walk?" He nodded, and they began to head back towards the stern. They passed the old couple, and Rarity couldn't help but smile at the two elderly ponies comforting each other, happy and loved in the face of death. She leaned into Jack, and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled, and let herself accept how things were. I am going to die. But I will die with the one I love. She sighed, accepting her fate completely, and nuzzled Jack's neck again.
They'd been walking for several minutes when the sound of music drifted along the deck. Turning, the two unicorns saw the Titanic's band playing a song, though at this point the band had been reduced to five string players. The song they played was different from the others she had heard over the course of her stay. Instead of bright, cheery music, as she'd heard all throughout the cruise, this song was somber, and slightly calming. Even as she and Jack watched, many of the ponies nearby stopped running around frantically and simply watched the five musicians perform. The song was overwhelming, and Rarity felt herself start to cry. "They...they-" she choked on her words, and Jack was there to comfort her again. The music drifted throughout the ship, and Jack knew it was to calm the remaining passengers. He could already feel Rarity's sobs dying down, and he moved her back and forth with the music in a sort of awkward dance. She sighed into his coat, and shifted her head to his shoulder. The song ended, and Jack watched the musicians thank one another and separate, leaving a small crowd of solemnly clapping ponies.
Rarity looked up at Jack, and gave him a look that told him to come closer. He obliged, and she brought his lips to hers, and savored every moment of their kiss, wanting to make the last minutes they had together last. She kissed harder, and he began to push her backwards. She eagerly let him control her movements, and felt a wall appear between them, and she was being lifted up onto her hind legs. They pressed against each other, and before their kiss could become any more heated she felt something hard press against her chest. Without breaking their kiss, Rarity pulled the Fire Ruby out from under her dress.
Suddenly she realized that she couldn't die. Not if I have this. She had to find somepony who could take it back to Spike, or she would have to find a way to survive long enough to reach Twilight, in one of the lifeboats she saw glimmering out on the surface of the water. She pushed Jack away and started to look around for a pegasus to fly it to her. Jack, who at the moment was somewhere between anger and confusion, walked up to her. "Why did you do that?" he asked, and Rarity looked apologetically at him. "Jack, I'm so sorry, but I have to get this back to my friend. It's the most important thing I can do right now." He looked at her for a second, and began to speak, "Rarity, I..."
A sudden increase in the angle of the ship sent him sliding down the deck. Rarity gasped, and grabbed onto him with her magic. Looking back towards the prow of the ship, Rarity saw what appeared to be an enormous wave of water heading up the forward deck of the boat. Many of the ponies who had been rushing around the deck earlier were now being pulled out to sea. The wave was climbing up the deck of the ship, and Rarity could feel the ship's angle into the ocean increasing as she dragged Jack back towards her. The time was 2:15.
The ship was going to sink soon.
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Twilight was terrified now. She had not been able to spot any of her friends boarding any of the lifeboats, and now all of them had been sent out. Again, the image of Spike's face when she broke the news to him flashed in her mind, and she held back a tear. No. Rarity can't be a goner. Rainbow Dash must have found her. Please, please let Dash have found her! Watching the ship, she'd seen the sudden increase of the Titanic's angle in the water. It had also begun to rotate, the stern turning in the direction of most of the lifeboats. The ship also seemed to be moving forward in the water, ever so slightly. The ship had begun to slide into the water, at an angle that Twilight had estimated to be about fifteen degrees, though the angle was still steadily increasing. In the confusion, Twilight thought she'd seen a pony fall off the ship from the stern, striking a propeller and falling into the sea. She'd dismissed the sight as a fear-induced hallucination, and had kept looking for any sign of her missing friends. She didn't have the time to.
Suddenly, without so much as a warning, the lights on the ship went out. It was 2:16.
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Jack and Rarity ran as fast as they could. The angle of the ship was increasing, and soon it would be impossible to move up to the stern. Water was rushing at them quickly, and though the stern was in sight, Rarity was not sure she would be able to make it. She had run out of energy long ago, and was now running on pure adrenaline, and the effects were now taking their toll on her body. She was panting heavily, and Jack was trying to keep her going as well.
Jack shouted over the sound of rushing water. "Rarity! You have to keep going! Please!" The pearly mare behind him stared desperately ahead, as if the stern would come closer if she stared hard enough. She stumbled once, and Jack panicked. He rushed behind her and prepared to keep her from falling. In the darkness, all he could see was a ghostly figure that he knew was his lover. He stared directly ahead, and watched her falter once, twice, and straighten again. He sighed with relief as the railings became focused in his vision. He sped forward, pushing Rarity with him and ramming them into the rails.
Rarity groaned when she made contact with the frozen metal pole. A warm glow enveloped her, and she felt herself being lifted up by Jack. Turning in midair, she saw Jack attempting to grasp the bar with his teeth. But the ship's angle had increased too much. He slid back every time he stopped putting all of his willpower into running his heart out. Now he could not move up anymore, only staying in place when he ran. In a last effort to grab the rail, he leaped into the air, hoping it would provide him with the force he needed to get to the railing. His heart dropped when he saw that he had merely jumped straight up in the air, and he shut his eyes, awaiting the feel of his dress shirt sliding against the deck.
When nothing happened, he opened his eyes, and found himself in a pearl-white glow. Rarity looked down at him, a relieved smile on her face. Then she brought him over to the rails, which he wrapped his forelegs around. He reached out to Rarity, and she took his hoof. As the stern reached its peak height, Jack and Rarity stared down at the groups of ponies falling off the ship, some near where they were, some still by the prow of the ship. Jack looked over at Rarity and shouted over the noise, "Don't let go of my hoof!"
The white unicorn shut her eyes and sidled up next to Jack. She pressed her head into his shoulder, and wrapped her tail around his. She looked into the twin emeralds that showed her so much care, and said, "I will never let go."
It was 2:18.
An ear-splitting crack sounded from somewhere below. Jack squinted, trying to make out what the source of the noise was. Then he saw the funnels that capped the ship falling into the sea. With a shout, he wrapped Rarity in an aura of magic, and braced himself as the entire ship broke into two pieces. The stern fell downwards, and Rarity screamed as she felt herself slipping out of Jack's grasp. But he held on, and kept her from sliding out of his grip. The front of the ship disappeared into the dark waters, and the iceberg's goal was half completed. Jack felt the stern begin to rise again, and he gripped Rarity tighter as the stern rose into the air, almost vertical by the time the front half of the ship had completely disappeared into the sea. He could see small pieces of debris floating around the rest of the ships. Looking out, he could see the lifeboats, which had been drifting away from the ship the entire time. He saw that one of them, one that looked well under-packed, was drifting back towards the ship. They would never be able to come back for them before they froze to death.
Looking to Rarity, he felt more helpless than he'd ever felt before. There was nothing he could do but wait for the stern to sink into the sea. And then...
Rarity pressed against Jack, and they kissed in the glow of Jack's warming aura. They felt the stern begin to sink, and held onto each other as tightly as they could. Then they waited for the inevitable to happen. Jack felt tears drop off his cheeks and fall down the long, terrifying drop to the deadly waters that held the same fate for them that had occurred to the hundreds of ponies who were already on their way to the sea bed. Rarity cried with him, and they prayed for a miracle.
It was 2:20.
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Well, look! We got ourselves a mighty fine Note From the Author!
Jeez! How did I do that? Two freakin' chapters in one freakin' week? I treat you guys too well!
Well, that's not entirely why I got this chapter done. The two main reasons I could get this to you guys only three days after my last chapter was One: I have had the flu for the last four days, and as much as it sucks, I've been able to get much more writing done; and Two: I LOVED writing this chapter. The action! The romance! The cliffhangers! The cliff-faller-offers (take that, Gold!)!
To those of you who noticed the fall in words per chapter: You've discovered my secret! As the story comes to a close, you get less! There will probably be only 10,000 words next chapter! Nyehahahahaha!
If the Universe loves me, I will probably be able to rush out the last chapter tomorrow. And the next day, perhaps an epilogue! See what happens after the excitement of the shipwreck! Maybe.
We're almost at the end, folks! Be here for the final, fantastic, absutively, posalutely most fantabulous chapter of them all (it probably won't be): the final one! After which I will never be heard from again!
I was lying. I actually have a really big story I want to Ponify, if possible (that's the term for anything that I or any of you may want me to change to a MLP version). So far, everything's crystal clear in my head, but when I try and write it down, I'll probably develop Parkinson's again.
So, looks like I've covered everything. I guess I'll be hitting the Dusty Trail. Later, pwnies!