Jack rolled silently across the deck, stopping out of sight behind one of the First Class deck cranes. A quick glance around, and a silent prayer to Luna to watch him, even during the day, and he darted across the deck. His hooves touched down for a split second as he reached a bench with a bowler hat and coat on it. Ducking into the coat, he grabbed the hat in his teeth and zipped back out of sight. The Thestral propped the hat atop his head at a slight angle, just enough to make his long mane appear shorter, more noble in cut. From a distance, anyway. A glance at the sky, and he nodded to the unseen queen of the night, “Danke.”
__
Harried Sparks, a young stallion, and the Junior Wireless Operator on watch, rushed into the bridge, holding a wad of paper in his mouth. Curving around the tour group being led by Mr. Shipsmith, he stopped in front of the captain. Captain Smith reached out a wing and grabbed the piece of paper, very precisely unfolding it with his wing-tips, and staring at it.
“Another ice warning. This one from the ‘Balto’.”
Smith nodded, and placed the sheet atop the nearest desk surface, “Thank you, Sparks,” his eyes moved back to the tour group as the young stallion darted back out of the bridge. “Not to worry, it is quite normal for this time of the year,” he spoke with years of experience, “In fact, we are speeding up now. I’ve just ordered the last boilers lit.” Shipsmith scowled before motioning the group towards the door. As they exited, one-by-one, Rose glanced at the note. She couldn’t really understand the list of numbers and dashes on it, but to a trained navigator, it was as good as a map of where the icebergs were expected to be. One of those numbered pairs was right in the path, though the time estimate said it should be clear with a small course correction.
As soon as she was gone, Second officer Light-foot trotted in from the chart-room, “Officer Merdock, did we ever find those binoculars for the look-outs?”
The other Unicorn shrugged, “Sorry. Haven’t seen them since Southampton. We’ve got Pegasi up there though, right now. We shouldn’t have a problem.”
__
As the group continued along the deck, Rose moved forward, up to Shipsmith’s side, “Mr. Shipsmith, I did the math in my head, and with the number of life-boats, and the capacities you mentioned…” she glanced up at the row of boats hanging from the davits beside them, “Forgive, me, but it seems there are not enough for everyone on board.”
“About half, actually, Rose,” he nodded, “You miss nothing, do you? In fact, I put in these new type davits, which can take an extra row of boats, here,” he gestured to the stretch of empty deck, “But it was thought…by some…” he glared at Island for a moment, unnoticed by most, “that it made the deck look too cluttered. So I was overruled.”
Kale slapped the side of one of the boats, “Waste of deck space as it is,” he looked at Island, “On an unsinkable ship!”
Nodding, Shipsmith looked at Rose again, “Sleep soundly, Brilliant Rose. I have built you a good ship, strong and true. She’s all the lifeboat you’ll need.” As he turned his attention back to the rest of the group, a stallion came up behind Rose and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned abruptly, and realized exactly who the dignified stallion was, Jack. His wings completely hidden under the coat, and unkempt mane tucked beneath the borrowed hat. With a gesture, he indicated a nearby door that his wing snaked out and pushed open. The two ducked through the doorway, and Jack closed the door silently behind him. His borrowed hat slid off, and he ran a hoof through his mane.
“Jack, this is impossible. I can’t see you.”
He placed his wingtips on her shoulders, “Rose, you’re no picnic…You’re a spoiled little brat even, but underneath all that, you’re a strong pure heart, and,” he smiled, “You’re the most amazingly astounding filly I’ve ever had the pleasure of know…”
“Jack, I…”
“No, wait. Let me try to get this out. You’re amazing…and I know I have nothing to offer you, Rose. I know that. But I’m involved now. You jump, I jump, remember?” his hoof traced down her upper arm, “I can’t turn away without knowin’ that you’re gonna be alright. I can’t.”
Tears formed in Rose’s eyes, matching the wetness in Jack’s. He was more open than anyone she knew, more real, “Quit making this so hard. I’ll be fine, really.”
“I don’t think so, Rose. They’ve got you in a glass jar, like some butterfly, and you’re gonna die if you don’t break out. Maybe not right away, ‘cause you’re strong. But sooner or later,” he sighed, “That fire in you, it’s gonna go out.”
“It’s not up to you to save me Jack,” she let a little disappointment creep into her voice. He was starting to act like Kale, like she needed a stallion to do everything for her.
Jack seemed to understand though, “You’re right. Only you can do that.”
“I have to get back, they’ll miss me. Please, Jack, for both of our sakes, leave me alone,” she punctuated her statement by darting out the door and galloping to catch up to the group.
Prompted for an explanation, and with her mother’s disapproval weighing on her, as ‘a lady does not gallop’, she explained that she had slipped out to use the facilities.
__
Rose lounged on a couch, surrounded by other noble mares, all enjoying tea in the dining hall. Despite the animated movements and speech of her companions; Companions, never friends; she didn’t move. As silent and still as the porcelain doll she saw sitting on a nearby table, she let the conversation wash over her.
“Of course, the invitations had to be sent back to the printers twice. And the bridesmare’s dresses! Let me tell you what an odyssey that has been…”
Rose tuned her mother out, and let her eyes wander, skipping right past the table in front of her. Her gaze brushed over a white Unicorn filly struggling to levitate a cup of tea, while her mother gently corrected her posture. The filly was trying so hard to please her mother, her expression entirely serious, and Rose saw herself there. Relentless conditioning, the struggles, the pain to become a noble Unicorn, one worthy of her mother’s status. No joy though. Only the filly had a smile. A real one. Not one other smile in the room was genuine. Her ears picked up gossip, slander, everything she had been trained to listen for, but all she heard was her mother’s voice. Repetitive, dull, constantly berating her for poor manners. She closed her eyes, and calmly tipped her tea-cup into her fore-legs, staining the white sleeves of her dress a bright green.
“Oh dear. Look what I’ve done.”
Not even a glance from the other ladies, though Rose suspected that it was more out of her mother not wanting to discuss Rose’s recent actions than out of lack of concern. The tea was, after all, still quite hot, and Rose hurried out, magicking the heat from the stained sleeves as she moved away from the gossip. How long would it take for them to realize she had left? Minutes, hours, Days maybe?
She galloped towards the bow, jumping over a few railing on the way there, as the fore-most part of the deck was generally closed to First Class.
__
Jack half-stood, eyes closed, with both rear hooves on the deck, both fore-hooves in the air, and his wings outstretched, curling slightly in the onrushing breeze. It was an amazing feeling, one he wished he could show Fierce Honor, since, the Earth pony had no idea why Jack loved flying fast. His silent reverie was interrupted by a voice breaking through the wind rushing around his ears, “Hello, Jack.”
He snapped his hooves down to the deck and collapsed his wings quickly, “Rose?”
“I changed my mind,” she smiled at him, and he smiled back, admiring the way her mane whipped in the wind, how the cool Atlantic air made her cheeks just slightly rosy. How her ears folded back out of the onslaught of the wind, “Honor said you might be up…
He interrupted her with a hoof, pressed gently to her lips, “Shh. C’mere.” He placed his other fore-hoof on her side, and the two stood, faces so close they were almost touching muzzles, “Close your eyes.”
She blinked at him, then obediently closed her eyes. He turned her to face into the wind, and pressed her gently against the rail, holding her upright. His hooves slid down the length of her arms, raising them into the air. His hooves lowered again, leaving hers upraised, like wings…
Gently, he wrapped his fore-hooves around her waist, and lifted her so her hooves weren’t quite touching the deck. Rose giggled as the wind abruptly sped up, “Ok, Rose, open them.” Her eyes opened, and she looked forward. There was nothing to see but water. No ship, and she couldn’t feel it beneath her hooves. Just the two of them, and the ocean, twenty meters below, painted copper by the setting sun, “Now look down!” She wanted to joke that it would ruin the illusion to see the ship, but her words caught in her throat when she saw, below her, nothing. Nothing but the ocean.
“I…I’m flying…”
Jack rolled, his powerful wings flipping smoothly from a full stroke to a back-stroke that settled Rose on his barrel, “Come Josephine in my flying machine…”
Rose closed her eyes, feeling her own weight pushing down on Jack, and floating alternately as his wings beat out a steady cadence. Her face turned up towards the sun, and she settled into him. He released her waist and slid his hooves back out along her arms, gently wrapping his hooves around hers. His head leaned forward, nuzzling her neck through her blowing hair, then further up, lips brushing past her ear. His hot breath stayed smooth, like he wasn’t even trying. His cheek brushed hers, and she turned to look, then rolled over on his chest, arms entwined with his, legs around his belly. She leaned in and took his mouth in hers.
The power that washed through her was incredible, and she hardly noticed the wind stopping. The constant rushing of the ship tearing through the wind, then of Jack tearing through it faster, gave way to complete silence. Neither noticed, floating high on their emotions.
Up above the two, sitting in the crow’s nest, two Pegasi stared, “Hey, Reggie, I wish we had those bleedin’ binoculars.”
The other nodded and nudged his buddy, “Think we should go down there and tell them they’re getting too low?”
“Nah. They’ll figure it out.”
Rose lifted her muzzle from Jack’s after a long minute, to find that the smokestack guy-lines were passing them, “Jack?”
Jack opened his eyes, looked up, and flapped his wings once, flipping them around and coming to a perfect three-point landing on the deck, fore-hooves wrapped around Rose, holding her to his barrel as one rear hoof supported her legs and tail. The other pushed down on the deck, forming the third point of the triangle his wings outlined on the deck.