Titanic

by Imperator Chiashi Zane

Dinner, Part 2

The salad arrived, and Jack looked at it for a long moment, then glanced around at the Unicorns, who were using their magic to precisely portion dressing onto their piles of lettuce and carrots. No meat anywhere, save the chicken on top of the Griffon, Guggenheim’s plate, and on Jack’s own. The waiter had looked slightly ill at Jack’s request for the chicken salad, but had fulfilled it at least.
The pegasi were using their delicate feather-tips to pour the dressing, from what he saw around the room, so that was what he did, pinching the handle between his wing-talons and pouring almost the entire bottle in a thick layer across the plate. Frowns met him, then, he reached for the middle fork on the side of his plate. A gentle pressure of magic guided his hoof instead to the salad fork, just above the plate.
“So, you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?”
“Well,” Jack poked the fork into the salad, using his hoof to twirl it around, “It’s a big world, and I want to see it all before I go. My father was always talking about going to see the ocean. He died in the town he was born it, and never did see it. You can’t wait around, because you never know what hand you’ll get dealt next. See, my folks died in a fire when I was fifteen, and I’ve been on the road since. Something like that teaches you to take life as it comes at you. To make each day count.”
Mossy Brown raised her glass and held it forward in a salute, “Well said Jack.”
The griffon raised his glass as well, “Hear, Hear.”
Rose joined in, her wine-glass floating delicately into the air, “To making it count.”
Truth scowled, annoyed at his triumph, though brief, and pressed further, “How is it that you have the means to travel, Mr. Darkson?”
“I work my way from place to place. Tramp steamers and such. If I get really desperate, I’ll grab a cloud and just ride the wind. I won my ticket to Titanic here, in a lucky hand at poker,” a glance at Rose, “A very lucky hand.”
“Isn’t all life a game of luck?” The griffon smiled.
Kale scowled, “A real stallion makes his own luck.”
Jack paused his salad halfway to his mouth, “And a smart one take what he’s given. Luna watches over her children still.”
Kale sputtered, “That villain hasn’t done anyone any good since before Celestia banished her to the moon.”
Jack felt a hoof on his chest, holding him in his seat. Mossy Brown may have been rich now, but she was still a very broad Earth Pony, he couldn’t get up if he wanted to. No matter how his anger wanted him to bash Kale’s face into the table until it stopped bleeding.
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Rose was distracted from the altercation by Shipsmith working on something in his ever-present little notebook, completely ignoring the conversation, “Mr. Shipsmith, what are you doing? I see you everywhere writing in that little book,” a quick hoof, and she began to read the book aloud, “Increase number of screws in hat hooks from two to three…Mr. Shipsmith, you build the largest ship in the world, and this preoccupies you?” He smiled sheepishly before holding his hoof out for the book.
Bright Island patted his friend on the shoulder, “He knows every rivet in her, don’t you Tom?”
“All three million of them,” his voice filled with fatherly pride as he said those words. This ship was truly his child.
“His blood and soul are in this ship. She may be mine on paper, but in the eyes of Celestia, she belongs to Tom Shipsmith.”
“This ship truly is a wonder, Mr. Shipsmith. Truly.”
“Thank you, Rose.” He joined the growing number of stallions completely enthralled with Rose.
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Dessert arrived. Iced cream, and cigars. Unicorn stallions began floating cigars, while the griffon pinched one out of the humidor.
“Next it’ll be brandy in the Smoking room,” Rose nudged Jack.
The griffon waved at Jack, Well, join me for Brandy gentle-stallions?”
“Now they retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each-other on being masters of the universe.”
“Joining us Darkson? You don’t want to stay out here with the mares, do you?”
He did. He really, really did, but… “No thank you. I must be getting back, before my bunk-mate starts wondering where I am.”
“Probably best. It’ll just be all business and politics, that sort of thing. Wouldn’t interest you. Good of you to join us tonight though,” Kale followed the other stallions out of the room.
“Jack, must you leave?” Rose held a hoof to his back, right beside his wing-root.
He looked back sadly, and took her hoof in his, “I am sorry, milady. It’s time for my coach to turn back into a pumpkin.” He tucked a tiny slip of paper into her hoof and released her with a flourish, “Madame Brown, I appreciate the help tonight, and will have your husband’s suit returned by breakfast on the morrow.”
Rose peeked at the note, unfolding it with her magic and reading quickly, ‘Make it count. Meet me at the clock.’ “Mother, I have to go to the ladies room, may I be excused for a moment?”
Truth nodded, engrossed in her conversation as the young mare hurried out of the room.
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Rose moved quickly across the foyer, looking for the broad winged Thestral. A quick pan around the room showed nothing, until she heard a soft flapping sound and looked up. Hovering overhead, an expression of delight on his face, was Jack, broad wings showing their dyed markings as he stroked them through the air. She smiled up at him.
“Want to go to a real party?”
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A Griffon strummed loudly on a guitar, surrounded by laughter and shouting. He was the leader of an ad hoc band consisting of two Pegasi, an Earth pony mare hammering on a pair of trash-can drums, and two Unicorns strumming improvised harps held upright by a Minotaur.
Fiddles, accordions, tambourines, harps, and drums thudded out music that would not have been out of place in the streets of Equestria. Ponies of all ages and shapes danced, drank, smoked, and laughed. A few were even drunkenly brawling.
A stallion handed Rose a pint of something yellow, and she looked at it for a moment before downing the entire thing in a gulp and watching Jack dance around with the little filly from before, her father watching approvingly as the artist danced, the filly hanging off his fore-hooves, hind hooves barely touching his knees.
Rose cut in sweetly, “May I have this dance, miss?”
The filly nodded and scampered off. Jack smiled at the filly, and called after her, “You’re still my best filly, Cora!”
As the filly hurried over to her father, Rose raised a hoof, pressing it to Jack’s own upraised hoof. His wing curled around her back gently, and pulled her up so they were almost touching. “I don’t know the steps.”
Jack’s smile held her up, “Just move with me. Don’t think,” it was a little awkward at first, her not knowing what to do, and him knowing exactly what moves to make. She started to move faster as she began to get the moves, and slipped into the rhythm of the piece.
A minute in, she stopped him, “Jack, hold on a moment,” He look at her as she kicked out of her dress shoes and flung them to Jack’s friend, who caught them deftly in his hooves. Quickly, she grabbed Jack and shoved him back into the dance, moving faster and faster as the music began to speed up.
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The room was chaos, rowdy and messy. A table lay broken on the floor, a drunk griffon lounging across it, face down, where he had landed when he tripped in his drunken stagger. Still in center stage, Jack and Rose whirled around, stockings scraping against the wooden deck, and caressing Jack’s back as they spun. They moved rapidly, panting with exertion. There was a circle of empty space spreading around them, ponies sitting back and clapping. The band played faster, ignoring that they would sometimes miss a beat in the heat of the moment. Nopony else noticed either.
Fierce Honor had joined in, dancing with the Moose girl, realizing just how much stronger she was than him, as his spinning her around, ended with her spinning him around. His eyes went wide, but he didn’t actually stop dancing.
The band sped up to an almost unfollowable pace, before cutting off abruptly, leaving Jack and Rose panting in the center of the circle. As they recovered, Jack took two steps back, and swept his wings out in a broad bow, allowing Rose to take center-stage with a ballet move he had seen on stage, at some point. She pulled it off perfectly. Laughter rose from the crowd, every-pony applauding the lady who chose to party with them. They slid down into a table, where Honor and his Moose-friend were already seated. Rose grabbed the stallion’s cigarette and sucked on it, coughing slightly at the acrid taste of the inexpensive smokes. Her face didn’t give away her dislike of the cigarette though, as she shoved it back into the Earth pony’s mouth, almost knocking him over. The Moose-filly held him up, and he smiled.
“How you two doin’?” Jack waved his hooves at the two of them.
Honor nodded to her, “I don’ know what she’s sayin’. She don’ know what I’s sayin’. So we get along just fine.”
The stallion who had caught Rose’s shoes walked up to the table, first depositing the shoes at Rose’s hooves, then sliding a quartet of pints onto the table. Rose grabbed one in her magic and downed it in a fast gulp. Showing off, “What, you think a First Class mare can’t drink?”
Jack laughs and gulps his down as well, as more ponies get up and start dancing, or staggering, depending on just how sloshed they were. A moose, one of Jack’s room-mates, the elder Gundersen, crashed into Jack’s friend, splashing his drink all over Rose. She giggled, too inebriated to care at this point, but the stallion jerked back and spun around. He grabbed the significantly taller Moose by the shoulder and spun him around, “You stupid bastard!”
The Moose wheeled, hooves rising for a fight, but Jack leapt into the middle, pressing a wingtip against each, and forcing them apart, sharp wing-talons encouraging them to not press the issue, “Colts, colts! Did I ever tell you the one about the Swede and the Irish-stallion goin’ to the whorehouse?”
The stallion huffed, and tried to puff out his chest for a moment, wing-talon discouraging it, before moving around and clapping the moose on the shoulder.
Oh, you think you’re such tough stallions? Let’s see you do,” Rose stood on her hind hooves, then pushed herself up, standing on the very tips of her hooves, smile on her face, “THIS!” Every-pony cheered at her incredible control. She lowered herself back to full-hoof, then dropped and stumbled into Jack’s hooves. Gasping, she leaned into the Thestral’s waiting arms, “Oww. I haven’t done that in years!” Everyone cracked up.
The door opened slightly, and Lovejoy peered through it. Kale had sent him to follow the young mare around, make sure she didn’t get in too much trouble. Through the gap, he saw Jack holding on to Rose, laughing. He very much wasn’t. He closed the door and stalked away.

Author's Note:

And they danced.