//------------------------------// // On a Thestral's Wings // Story: Titanic // by Imperator Chiashi Zane //------------------------------// Several blocks from the dock, the whistle echoed out, shaking the window of a un-down pub, crowded with dock-workers and crews of various ships. Just inside, a poker game was just wrapping up. Four stallions sat around the table, an Earth pony, a Thestral, A moose, and a Pegasus, all dressed in tattered vests and floppy hats. The Thestral, Ratchet Jack Darkson, glanced at his friend, a dark furred Earth Pony named Fierce Honor. Across the table, the other two argued loudly in Swedish. Jack ran a wingtip through his long, unkempt brown mane, his hoof scratching at the gray fur on the bottom of his chin, “Hey, Honor, what do you think they’re arguing about?” Fierce Honor smiled, “Those crisp tickets.” “Hit me again Sven,” Jack took the card and slipped it into his hoof. Not even a flicker of expression from his face, or his wings. He had a great deal of skill at bluffing, and it was going to come to a head now, since he couldn’t lose anyway if he tried. Honor refused a card, but slid another bit into the pile. The pile was huge, containing bits from several countries, topped by the crisp white tickets. The whistle howls out again. The final warning, “Moment of truth boys. Someponies life is about to change.” All but Jack lower their cards to the table. “Alright, Honor’s got niente. Olaf, you’ve got squat. Sven, uh oh…Two pair. Hmm,” he turned to his friend, “Sorry Honor.” Fierce Honor spluttered, “What sorry! What you got? You lose my money? Ma va fa'n culo testa di cazzo—“ Jack smiled, “Sorry, you’re not gonna see your mama again for a long time…” He lets a full house hit the table with a loud slap, a mad grin crossing his face, “’Cause you’re goin’ to America! Full house boys!” “Forca Madonna! Yeeaaaa!” Honor whooped with joy as the two across the table from them started bickering. Jack started raking the pile into his saddle-bags, tucking the tickets under his hat and securing the ratty fabric to his head. “Sorry boys. Three of a kind and a pair. I’m high, and you’re dry, and,” he turned to his friend, “We’re going to…” Together the two chorused “AMERICA!” Olaf raised his meaty hoof, moving forward like he was going to clock Jack, only to spin and instead deck Sven in the muzzle, sending the moose backwards through the window, his broad antlers taking the criss-crossed wooden frame with them. Not even bothering to get back up, Sven’s drooping face just fell further. Olaf didn’t even help him up, instead going into a tirade in Swedish, shouting at his cousin. Jack finished filling his saddle-bags, and Fierce Honor’s, before withdrawing the tickets from his hat with a flourish, kissing them, and leaping on his friend’s back, riding him around the pub like they had just won the lottery. “We’re going home! To the land of the free and the home of the real hot-dogs! On the Titanic! We’re riding in high style now buddy. We’re practically Celestia-damned royalty, Ragazzo Mio!” “You see? Is my destinio! Like I told you, I go to America! To be a millionaire!” He ran over to the pub-keeper, “Capito?? I go to America!” “No mate,” the stallion behind the counter smiled back, “Titanic go to America. In five minutes,” he gestured out the window at the great ship, five blocks away. Jack snapped to attention, diving for the pair of saddlebags on the floor by the table, “Shit! Come on Honor!” He swooped under his own bag, scooping the other up in his teeth as he secured the strap on his bags with his hooves, “Mmph Umph!” He dropped the bag on Honor’s back and paused dramatically in the doorway, “It’s been grand, farewell!” The two darted out the door, galloping as fast as Honor’s legs would take him. Jack flapped overhead, powerful strokes of his large wings propelling him forward in spite of the extra weight of the loot in his bags. Carrying everything they owned, the two darted up the pier, right up to the back of the crowds. Security Pegasi floated over the crowds, obviously watching for anyone who might try to board without a ticket. Jack couldn’t see a path through the masses for his friend, Not that it meant much. He was plenty strong enough. He grabbed Honor under the arms and flapped hard, drawing both into the air as he floated quickly forward. Reaching the side of the massive vessel, Jack almost dropped his friend, “It’s incredible." To the two of them, it was truly a monster, a floating mansion. More wealth existed before their eyes than they had ever seen before in their combined lives, and doubtless would ever see again. Honor urged Jack forward to the boarding ramp, where they set down and moved up to board at the rearmost gangway, Third Class E-Deck. The unicorn officer at the top was just removing the pins that held the gangway on as they arrived, preparing for the cast-off. It began to droop, supported by unicorns on shore as Jack started up it, waving the two tickets, “Wait! We’re passengers!” The sprint had pushed him to his limit, and he let his tongue roll out of his mouth as he leaned on the railing of the gangplank. “Have you been through the inspection queue?” “Of course,” Jack bluffed happily, the words slipping across his flat teeth like truth, despite the blatant falsehood, “Anyway, we don’t have lice. We’re Americans.” A glance at Honor, whose distinctive muzzle shape was not common to the northern Americas, brought pause to the stallion. “Both of us.” “Right then,” the officer sputtered as he pulled the gangway back into place, “Come aboard.” He took the tickets and looked at them, scanning through the names on the two pieces of paper. A passenger manifest hung on the wall, glowing in his magic as he checked for the names on the tickets. “Gundersen. And…” He stared at the Thestral for a long moment, “Gundersen.” “Come along Olaf,” Jack grabbed his friend’s shoulder and hoofed down the hall, speeding past ponies of all shapes and sizes, as well as a few Pegasi, Thestrals, a couple of Zebras, and even a few Minotaurs. Both came to rest several dozen strides down the corridor, grinning ear to ear, “We are the luckiest sons of bitches in the world!” __ The mooring lines, as thick as a stallion’s barrel, fell into the water and a cheer rose from the pier. Seven powerful tugboats dragged on the other side of the ship, guiding it down the path, away from the quay. __ The two darted through a door onto the aft well-deck. Quickly, Jack took to the air, pointing towards the stairs up to the poop deck as he shifted direction and shot out the side of the ship, redirecting smoothly onto the deck, where a couple rear hooves on the railing held him in place. Honor reached the railing a few moments later, to see Jack yelling and waving to the crowd below. “You know somebody?” “Of course not. That’s not the point!” Jack hardly paused in his wild gesturing, some of it potentially offensive, “Goodbye, Goodbye, I’ll miss you!” Honor joined in, laughing as he called out excitedly, “Goodbye, I will never forget you! Farewell my friend!” He almost cracked from his joyful reverie when he heard Jack holler out, “Goodbye, you tow-headed moose! Thanks for the tickets!” A glance at the departing quay showed the Moose and Earth pony Sven and Olaf standing angrily, waving obscene gestures at the ship. Honor replied with his own laugh, “Ey! There’s foals watching this!” __ The crowd of well-wishers waved heartily around the two offended ex-passengers as the massive walls of black metal rushed past, seeming to be moving impossibly slow, because its length made its speed still unable to draw the stern past the leading edge in a feasible time. Before the ship, the last two tugs were dwarfed by the raw size of the great vessel. They would remain attached until it reached the end of the river, in order to keep it from plowing into the shore. The Equestrian Channel yawned before them. The waves crashed against the sides of the ship as it rolled onto the channel, shaking it softly as it was redirected into the appropriate path. __ Jack and Honor returned to the interior, making their way down the corridor to the room number listed on their tickets. It was chaos, ponies arguing and shouting in numerous languages, or wandering the halls in confusion. Even a few couples trying to translate the signs through a phrase-book. Finally, they found their room. The white door was exactly like every other door, and it was only because of Jack’s need to float over everyone’s heads that had even allowed him to spot the brass number above the door. Not that everyone thought that was good, and he had a number of hooves tugging at his tail, trying to make him stop flapping and creating gusts in the hallway. He set down deftly, balancing on two hooves on Honor’s back, “Right, my friend. We are nearly there. A little further, one more door, And turn!” The cubicle was painted a stark white with four bunks and exposed piping in the ceiling. Jack glanced in and made his way for a top bunk, right underneath a sweating pipe. The two Moose on the other side stared at them, “Where is Sven?” Jack smiled as he sat down, head just missing the pipe, kicking his rear hooves just in front of Honor’s face, “Lost a card game,” he flashed the tickets, barely giving a second thought to why they didn’t act surprised that Olaf hadn’t made the ship.