> TITANIC SINKING IN REAL TIME THE FULL NOVEL > by Sunny Meadows > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > CHAPTER 1 THE HOLIDAY > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Titanic Sinking in Real Time The full Novel By Sunny Meadows My name is Amber Spark. I was on the Titanic that night when it sank. It was being touted as the most luxurious ship in the world. They called her practically unsinkable. My daughter, Evening Breeze and I were excited about our upcoming journey but were also travelling for unfortunate reasons. My husband had recently fallen ill and we were on our way to see him. Despite my concerns, I was still excited at the prospect of being aboard such a magnificent ship - I no idea however that I was walking into a nightmare. Not long after the ship set off, I entered my cabin to get settled in. The Titanic was much larger than I had anticipated – 100 feet longer than the Lusitania! I found the opulence rather intimidating but was keen to have the chance to get used to it. My daughter had been a little restless over the change in her usual routine but I tended to her fussiness as best I could. The time went by at a leisurely pace and all the other passengers seemed just as excited as we to be experiencing such an exciting ride. On the night of April 10, 1912, I changed Evening Breeze’s clothing and we settled into an evening of relaxation. Whilst letting Evening Breeze toddle about, I had closed my eyes for only moment when I heard her cry out. My attempts to calm her were falling on deaf ears and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. “Oh Evening Breeze,” I said quietly, as I patted her back soothingly. “What happened? Can you tell Mum?” She explained to me that she had tripped over a piece of coal. “Oh you don’t have to be afraid of a little piece of coal but I know it hurts…I know…here, I’ll put a healing spell on you,” I said. I cast the spell and she felt better immediately. I was thankful that her crying had now ceased. On April 11, Evening Breeze was crying again but this time it was due to her missing her Father. The stress of travelling alone with a little one and the contents worry I had about my husband was becoming too much. I relayed my exhausted feelings to one of the ship's officers and he suggested I visit the ships bar. He agreedto look after little Evening Breeze and reassured me that he would treat her well, in just the same way that I do. I said thank you to the kind stallion and tried to push out the worry that I had regarding my husband. I knew this journey would be a tough one. That's the whole reason I decided to take Titanic – if I had to travel toward potential heartache, at least I could do it in style. I had a few drinks at the bar to relaxed my muscles and ease my weary mind but I soon knew it was time to get back to Evening Breeze. I thanked the officer for watching my little one and mentioned that she seemed content…almost happy…but in a strange way she also seemed sad at the same time. She wasn’t crying, she just seemed contemplative. The Officer explained that Evening Breeze had been sharing cute stories about her Father and I was touched that the officer had taken the time to listen. Later that night, Evening Breeze slept in her bed for a few a short hours before suddenly crying out. “Muuum…!” I had been dozing for a few minutes myself and came to with a start. “Huh? Yes Evening Breeze?” “I had a nightmare,” she exclaimed in a tiny voice. “Ohhh, ohhh Evening Breeze…you can come and sleep beside me if you want.” “Really Mum?” “Of course you can, my little Evening Breeze. Mwah,” I gave her a kiss on the cheek and both of us fell asleep once more. On the morning of April 12 I fetched Evening Breeze a few pancakes and treated myself to something that most other ponies dislike…fish. I love eating fish – not fish rings – not calamari - just plain old fish. “I swear, this fish is absolutely magnificent,” I declared. “Ewww…I hate fish,” Evening Breeze announced with a disgusted look on her face. “Oh Evening Breeze, you’ll learn someday," I told her, not realising that someday would be sooner than both she and I thought. I then asked the waiter for a second serving and a another little pancake for Evening Breeze. For a little two year old pony, she sure could put 'em away! My mind went back to when I gave birth to this little baby girl. I named her Evening Breeze because it was the most eventual evening of my life and there had been such a gentle breeze that night. I would be absolutely bereft if anything happened to my little one. At around 7:30pm, it was time for bed. Evening Breeze accepted this without her usual moaning. “Goodnight Mum…I love you…” she whispered tiredly. This made me cry a little. Evening Breeze had never said ‘I love you’ so clearly before. On April 13, whilst we were having the usual for breakfast, I noticed that Evening Breeze seemed to be developing a little cold. Although normally of the mind that it's better to just ride these things out, I decided I would heal her at bedtime when she wasn’t even realising it. I wanted our journey to go ahead as planned without the added drama of illness. If only my spells worked as well on grown adult ponies, I thought, as my mind drifted back to my husband. To take my mind of my worries, I decided to fill the day with activities. I went in search of the kind Officer from the night before - maybe he could suggest some activities. To my surprise, he need up offering me a job! "Oh Miss Amber, I actually need your help.” "Oh? How so?” I replied. “One of our coal workers has, well, unfortunately fallen ill.” I felt myself feel a fleeting pull of sadness for the poor pony. "Oh no! So how can I help? Do you need assistance finding a replacement?” “Well...how about you take on the job?” “Me? But I’m a mare…I'm not in the habit of getting my hooves dirty.” “C’mon. I think it’s time that you did.” “Okay…maybe you're right! I used to quite like mucking about in the mud as young pony.” “Did you?” “When I was younger yes. But that was before my Mum laid down the 'no mud' rule.’” I didn’t often listen to my Mother as a younger pony but I wasn't about to tell him that. He would have thought twice about hiring me if I did. Turns out it was actually quite fun working as a coalman because I cheated a little and used magic! Heck, it didn't hurt to bend the rules a little. I was helping them out after all. I spent a few hours with the coalmen, even making friends with one of the workers that reminded me a little of my husband - this made me quite sad and I despaired once more over what may be waiting for us at the end of this journey. On the night of April 13, the Officer that had been looking after Evening Breeze informed me that I could got back relaxing with my daughter. “You can go now Miss Amber, we found a more permanent replacement.” “Mmm,” I said. “Alright, I was actually quite enjoying myself….” “Oh... you can do it for longer if you want to.” I paused and looked about the room, a sudden shudder enveloping my body. "Actually, no its okay - thanks though. It's the strangest thing - but I suddenly feel quite unsafe down here.” The Officer just shrugged as I returned to the upper decks. As I as walking out, I found myself imagining something horrible – water was flooding into the Titanic's compartments and the faint sound of screaming merponies was filling my head. I shrugged off the disturbing thoughts as nothing more than an odd delusion – being a magical pony, my mind was known to sometimes play tricks on me every now and again. I returned to our room and settled in for the night. “Goodnight Evening Breeze,” I spoke gently as I lay her down to sleep. “Hehe, Night Mum.” She fell fast asleep a few minutes later but I found myself lying awake for almost an hour. As I finally drifted off, the strange vision from earlier turned into a nightmare…I was now slap bang in the middle of it: getting sucked up and taken away into the water, straight down into the depths of the sea…it was so terrifying that I jerked back awake and it took hours to fall asleep again. The next morning of April 14, I’d had hardly any sleep at all. My daughter asked me why I was so tired but I just told her that I didn’t get enough rest. “Then go back to bed Mum,” she suggested. “No Evening Breeze, I’m fine. I got at least four hours sleep. I think that’s enough for me.” “But Mum…” “No buts Evening Breeze,” I told her. “Uh,” and then she said, “Alright.” I told her that I was glad that she thought twice before finishing that sentence. The sleep deprivation was making me irritable. By around 9am – many hours before the tragedy – Evening Breeze was sick again with that cough. It was getting worse and worse. I had to tap into my full power to heal her for good. But it paled in comparison to what I was forced to do for her later that night. Come lunchtime I was exhausted. I asked the stallion to look after Evening Breeze again as she rested, whilst I attended the ship's bar. “Maybe you should stop going to the bars too often - too much of a good thing can do bad stuff to you.” “Don’t worry," I said. " I’m not an over-drinker.” I then kissed him on the cheek. To my surprise, he fainted. I had to ‘magic’ him back to consciousness. “What happened?" he spluttered out. “You fainted,” I told him with a chuckle. “Really? Did I? Oh, of what?” I felt embarrassed for the poor stallion so pretended it was something else. “Um…ahhh…by smelling a bad smell?” “Oh, yeah...right. Of course,” he said sheepishly. "I think little Miss here needs to visit a restroom. If you're good to watch her for a bit I’ll be back in a couple of hours to put her down for her afternoon nap. Okay?” “Alright," he agreed. "Go on Miss Amber." I then went in search of the bar – ordering myself a small glass of Coke - maybe the caffeine hit would give me the energy I needed.....but for what? There's that strange premonition feeling again. Another pony joined me and insisted I have a 'real' drink - remembering the stallion's warning, I decided to only have a little bit of alcohol and then I drank no more. More ponies arrived however and urged for me to have more. I just said ‘no’ every single time. A couple of them were so persistent that I had to hypnotise them into leaving me alone. It was just a short term effect so that they'd get off my back. Heck, if they'd shown more manners and been kind ponies, it wouldn't have been necessary. The time soon came for me to return to my little daughter, Evening Breeze. At around 1pm I sat Evening Breeze down to read a book with her. We chose a story about Saddle Whippers. This made me think of Discord, who was an imaginary friend from my philly years. He was based on a statue I'd seen in Canterlot Gardens many years ago during the early 1900s. Discord didn’t really like Saddle Whippers but my daughter seemed to be enjoying it. Why my mind was going back to my childhood and imaginary friends, I couldn't say. Not even to this day. Meanwhile, Evening Breeze and I were playing a game with each other. We were playing a game that she had invented all by herself called Magic Ball. By now her magic was a little bit advanced but not to the point of my power – just enough so that she could levitate a ball off the ground….huh….strange…I couldn’t levitate a ball until I was about four. I sometimes wonder, is she going to be twice as powerful as me in the future? The rules of the game are as follows: the one who holds the ball the longest – wins! Easy! I won of course…and she cried. I then asked to play the game again but on the third try, she won! I was completely shocked at this! Maybe it was time for me to retire...hee...hee. I am getting old after all. By 2pm, Evening Breeze wanted to play games again but I was getting a little bit tired because I hadn’t gotten much sleep from the night before. I played with her anyway, just to keep her happy and to not ruin this voyage for the both of us. Little did we know what was to come..... As the time passed by, I could feel my nerves begin to rise. But why? Why did I feel my nerves rise? Wasn't this supposed to be a calm voyage to ease the pain of seeing my husband unwell? Not to mention the fact that the sea was calm, flat and still. What would possibly go wrong on the world's most unsinkable ship? At around 2:30pm, Evening Breeze wanted to play hockey with me. I was still exhausted and in no way up for a game but I agreed on one exception: that she would go to bed on time tonight. "Mm mm - yes Mum," Evening Breeze replied in agreement. > CHAPTER 2 THE SINKING > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was surprised when Evening Breeze agreed to go to bed on time. Usually she wouldn’t say that. Maybe she had matured since the last time I offered her something equally valuable…ha…but still, by then we were just happy with each other playing hockey until about 3pm, at which point I pleaded exhaustion and told Evening Breeze that I had to lay down for a bit. I experienced a bout of dizziness and then must of fallen unconscious for a couple of minutes. Evening Breeze yelled out for help and by the time I woke up I was in the Titanic's sick bay. “Oh, what happened?” I asked. “Mum, you fainted!” “Did I? I…I can’t seem to remember.” “Oh Mum, are you feeling okay?” “Yes I feel okay Evening Breeze. Maybe it’s because I didn’t get enough sleep. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry.” “That’s alright Mum.” “What time is it now?” “It’s around 4pm.” I was shocked. I had slept for over an hour? That wasn’t like me to sleep in the middle of the day. I stayed in the small room to rest until around 6pm. I felt strong enough to return to my cabin by around seven thirty. Evening Breeze and I had talked for about an hour or so and then she went to bed without any arguments. She wasn’t even faking it, she genuinely went straight to sleep. This made me happy. I fell asleep soon after and felt a satisfying sense of peacefulness. At around 10pm however I suddenly woke up. Feeling restless, I thought a nice warm bath would make me feel better. Luckily for me, I was in first class and I could have the bath all to myself. I sank under the warm water and meditated quietly. It felt natural being in the water. Like it was my home….I wondered briefly what it would feel like to sink further under and swim amongst the other sea creatures that lived deep in the ocean. I shrugged the thought off and noted that it was getting late. It struck 11pm and I thought I'd stay in the bath a little bit longer before going to bed. I yawned and worried I'd fall asleep in the bath. I cast a small spell to make sure that I would stay awake until bed time. I concentrated on my breathing and begun to meditate again. I could meditate in water – but only for a time. This time I meditated for a few minutes, which turned into tens of minutes which turned into twenties of minutes and then it was 11:25pm. I thought I had better get myself dry and go to bed. I fell asleep straight away. Then it happened….boom, smash, creeeeeeeak! I was jolted out of my very peaceful sleep literally five minutes later. “Oh! Huh? Oh, no what was that?!” I thought. I heard a loud screeching noise, like metal against metal. This woke Evening Breeze up too. She was crying. “Mum! What is happening? Is this a nightmare?” She was getting so anxious that I had to calm her down with my magic. “I’ll go and ask the officers what’s wrong,” I told her. I left our room in search of someone in charge. I found Captain Smith soon after. “What the heck is going on here?” I asked him anxiously. “Just go back to your room," he replied sternly. "I don't have time to speak right now. I need to discuss something with my workers." “But don’t you remember me? I’m Amber Spark! I helped you with the coal. Don’t you remember?” “Oh right, you helped us with the coal…huh…” “What’s wrong with the ship?” “I don’t know…I can’t say anymore for now. But maybe later we will know what’s wrong. If you'll agree, I'd like to ask for your help again Amber Spark. You proved yourself to be a reliable worker and we may need all hands on deck, so to speak.” “Well…what is going to happen to me now?” “Consider yourself a Second Officer,” Captain Smith said decidedly. “Thank You!” “You’re welcome.” “What the blazes is going on here?!” a voice came from further down the corridor. Captain Smith and I looked back to see Andrews approaching and he asked the same question again. “What the hell is going on here? What’s wrong with the ship? It sounded like we struck something. How quickly can we assess if there's been any damage?” “I don’t know,” Captain Smith replied. “Neither do I!” I added. “What are you doing here? Oh…you’re that pony that…” Andrews stammered. “The one that helped with the coal...” I finished for him. “Yes, that's right...," Andrews said, looking about distractedly. " We need to know how bad this situation is.” “You're right,” Captain Smith agreed. Andrews and I made our way down to boiler room to make a brief assessment. “Do you need to see any more?” somepony I'd never met before asked. “No…we don’t. I’ve seen enough," I said fretfully, wanting to return to my daughter. “Ok, let's head back up.” I levitated myself up off the ground and arrived back onto the bridge. I told the Captain that the first five compartments were flooding. Andrews backed me up. “Is she going to sink?” I asked. “Mmm…I’m afraid it looks she will.” “Well she can’t sink!” I declared. “She’s unsinkable!” “She can’t float,” Andrews said. “The pumps are keeping the water down in this boiler room but the first five compartments are flooding!” “So? What’s the answer? Can she float or not?” “She’s only designed to withstand the first four compartments flooding – not five!” “Look,” Andrews went on, “the compartments don’t go higher than ‘E’ deck. So as The Titanic sinks, the water will flood into the compartment and then when it gets to the fifth, it flows into the sixth and the sixth into the seventh and seventh into eighth and so on as she gets lower.” “How long will she last?” “I'm just trying to work that out now. She took on around fourteen feet of water inside the keel within the first ten minutes after the collision…that’s not very fast…not very fast at all actually. I thought it was a wider gash but maybe it’s not." “So…what’s going to happen to us?” “We have to get every single passenger off of the ship immediately.” “An evacuation?” “Yes.” “Abandon ship!" Captain Smith suddenly shouted out. "She's gonna sink!” “But can’t we just use some bed mattresses to...” I spluttered out, scrambling for ideas. “She’s made of iron Amber! I assure you, she can sink and she will.” “I’ve got to go and prepare Evening Breeze to abandon ship!” I cried out. “Wait…you don’t want to stay here?” “No…I want my daughter to be prepared for the evacuation…what's the plan with that? How are we going to go about this?” “Women and children first of course,” Andrews replied. “Good thing I don’t have a husband here,” I quipped. I ran off to find Evening Breeze in our cabin. “Evening Breeze! Are you alright?” I asked worriedly. “Yes Mum. I’ve been waiting for you this whole time.” “Listen, don't be alarmed but I have some bad news. The ship has been struck and she's going to sink.” “What?! But she can’t sink - you told me she’s unsinkable!” “Well she can’t float Evening Breeze! She can only handle four compartments flooded – not five.” “Oh no…” my daughter said in dismay. “We have to abandon ship. Come with me to a lifeboat. You understand?” “Mmm hmm.” We teleported to the lifeboats. My swift use of magic meant we were one of the first to get on. “Okay. This is the lifeboat....in you get - we can just rest in here for a while.” Evening Breeze cradled herself into my lap and fell asleep, despite the commotion around us. I let my mind drift into a meditative state and was alarmed to suddenly find ourselves back on board the ship. Somepony had plucked us out one of the only remaining lifeboats to take it for themselves! “Hey!" I cried after them. "Come back!” I pushed toward the edge of the ship. “Keep back I say!” yelled an Officer named Will as our life boat floated away. The ship was now half sunk underwater and was a lot lower than before. “How dare they?” Amber Spark wept at the Officer. “It was women and children first!” “C’mon Amber Spark,” replied Officer Will. “There's nothing to be done about it now.” “That was our only chance of survival” I moaned. "What about that other lifeboat?" I looked at him pleadingly as I pointed at a boat that was situated further along the side of the ship. “I’m afraid that one is full…go on with you now.” “What? But I can only see twelve ponies in there!” “Yes. But we are afraid that at their full capacity, the boats will buckle.” “Ah…that’s why it's called full capacity,” I sighed. "What am I supposed to do then?” “Go to the other side of the ship - there may be more boats,” Captain Smith instructed. “Try to keep away from the water as much as possible.” “This is going to be bad isn’t it?” I cried. “I’m afraid it is. If I get off this ship, I’ll send word to your husband.” “Ohhhh…no…” “I’m sorry, but I must follow Captain’s orders.” “But the orders were women and children first!” I reminded him. “Go to a lifeboat that isn’t full.” “Alright then, I will…surely there can’t be…” My words were interrupted by the sound of screaming. “Ahhhhhhh! My god!!” “Keep back I say!” yelled Officer Will, in an effort to regain some control. The sound of gunfire rung out as he shot a bullet into the sky. “Oh no…there's no escape,” I said fearfully. “Oh no wait. I need to get back down to my cabin to get something.” “But Mum!” “I’ll be back in a millisecond Evening Breeze,” I promised as I teleported away. I was back as promised with my treasured necklace that I needed. “Told you I’d be back.” “Oh good Mum,” Evening Breeze exhaled in relief. “Very good.” > CHAPTER 3 THE EXPERIENCE > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “What are we going to do now?” Evening Breeze asked nervously. “They're going to try and stop the flooding in the fifth compartment and direct the water outside by using the pumps,” I assured her. “That’s a good idea Mum!” “We’re going to have to help them Evening Breeze. Let’s teleport down together.” “Huh?” Knowing Evening Breeze couldn’t teleport on her own yet, I grabbed a hold of her hoof and we took off together. Water spilled into the compartment. “Oh my god, the water is worse than I expected. It’s at least eight feet high. Oh my lord. This is madness! We have to work the pumps. Oh no, the pumps aren’t working! They’re soaked.” It seemed the pumps were clogged with coal. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I spat out in frustration. “Help me Evening Breeze!” “Yes Mum!” She tried to help me but she couldn’t. I eventually said that this was useless and we teleported back into our cabin which hadn’t flooded as yet. “Evening Breeze, we will stay here until our cabin floods, then we’ll go to the upper deck.” “Okay Mum.” At around 12:30am we could see another lifeboat being lowered and we watched as the view from our porthole was being taken over by water. It occurred to me that this would be a magnificent sight if the circumstances weren’t so dire. “Geezus Christ stallion…Geezus Christ ponies…why couldn’t you let me and my daughter onto the lifeboat?” Still, I pushed on. “Evening Breeze…maybe we could go back to the top deck and see how things are going.” “Okay Mum. I think that's a good idea because I can see a little bit of water coming in…” “Oh crap! You’re right!” “Hee hee Mummy said a baddie word!” “Oh c’mon Evening Breeze…tsk tsk…” We teleported up to the top deck and again it was worse than I thought. The front of the bow was completely under water. I was horrified to see the stern rising up. I climbed further up the top deck but somepony blocked me. “Get back! We need this!” the strange pony yelled. “But we need it too!” I cried as I fell back down. I quickly teleported whilst grabbing Evening Breeze’s hoof to interrupt the fall. We then found ourselves back onto a lower part of the ship. “Why you little….!” I shouted, feeling frustrated that my efforts to reach the upper deck had failed. “Hey!” the other pony yelled down from above. “I’m a unicorn too but I’m far more powerful than you!” “Eek…we’ll stay here then…” I whimpered fearfully. “Hmph,” the stallion unicorn responded grumpily. I cried hard as I stared through a little porthole. So much so that I probably helped toward the flooding of The Titanic – albiet by a slim margin. Of course my tears were nothing compared to the real flooding of the ship. Wait a minute! Water! That’s it! I thought to myself . A swimming pool! “We’re not going to go into the water as such but just to the swimming pool area.” I told my daughter. “Okay Mum, “ Evening Breeze replied in her agreeable way. “We’ll teleport in…one…two…three!” Whoosh! Off we went. “Noooooo!” the other stallion yelled out. We arrived at the poolside and saw that the water was rising by a slim margin but we were still safe. “Well, Evening Breeze we’ll be safe here for a little bit. Until things inevitably go from bad to worse.” “Okay Mama…” she said. By now the water had flooded most of the compartments. Things were getting so bad that I was extremely worried for the both of us that night…the horrible night that changed everything. I’ve never been the same since: for one, my nerves are shot and Evening Breeze’s sweet personality has never been the same either. Evening Breeze slept for a while before I realised that water was seeping through the cracks of the ceiling and walls. I teleported the both of us out of there. “We have to get out of here!” I cried, waking her up. The water was pouring through the ceiling and I knew it was going to collapse at any moment. By the time I lit my horn and teleported us out of there, the water was crashing into the pool, filling it up to its absolute breaking point. I was in absolute shock and horror when we arrived back up to the deck at the sight of ponies screaming and pleading for help. Everypony was jumping off the back of the ship and screaming for their lives. One of the ponies asked me for help during the chaos but I lied and said that I wasn’t powerful enough. I ‘proved’ this by attempting to cast a spell which didn’t work. In reality, it did help her but I was afraid of being noticed and stampeded by multiple ponies craving my magic. I told her to go into a lifeboat and that I wished her good luck and survival. The pony nodded silently and left. I saw other ponies leaning on the stern as I went up to the bridge to check on Captain Smith. “Aren’t you going to make a run for it Captain Smith?” I asked him. “No,” he replied. “I will go down with this ship if it comes to it.” “But…Captain…you don’t have to do this.” “Of course I do. This is for all the ponies that I failed. Amber Spark, here’s a life jacket….now go!” “Okay...” I made a run for it as I teared up and had another cry but I never looked back. I told Evening Breeze to never look back either. “He wants to go down with the ship…” I explained. “But Mum…” “He doesn't want to come with us." Even if The Captain wanted to save himself, he no doubt knew that it would forever be a black mark against his career. It occurred to me that we could just knock him unconscious and take him with us I guess…thereby saving his life…but then I'm not too sure he even wants to be saved. > CHAPTER 4 THE PLAN TO SURVIVE LONGER > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the Titanic continued to sink, things went from bad to worse. The water was now crowding into the sixth compartment. We would have teleported to the seventh but…oh no wait! That’s it! “Evening Breeze, we’re going to the eighth compartment,” I said. “Okay Mum…” I teleported both of us to the eighth compartment where I knew we would be safe for a bit…until IT happened. But still, I knew that the water would be filling into the compartments one by one – but we would be teleporting into the compartments two by two. It was around 12:30am by now – the water hadn’t reached the eighth compartment yet. I could still hear the water from far away smashing into other compartments. It was getting louder as they got closer. I made a last ditch effort to teleport into the ninth compartment and I told Evening Breeze where we were. “All right then Mama,” she replied, with fear in her eyes. Despite the faith she had in me, I could tell she was truly frightened. Sensing the fear behind her attempt at being brave, I tried my best to reassure her. “I’ll get us out of this – you know your old Mum – I never give up.” Evening Breeze chuckled. “Oh Mum – you really are a funny one.” I teared up at this and cried a little into my coat. It was good to hear a little humour in her voice. My mind drifted back to two nights ago when we were unaware of the terror about to unfold. Evening Breeze had been so grateful for the adventure they we were embarking on. She had told me she loved me as I was giving her a kiss goodnight in the bed that would no doubt be now underwater – completely ruined by this unfolding disaster. I sighed and shifted my focus back to the task at hoof. I found a car in compartment nine and sat in it for a little bit – imagining myself as something else. It was creepy in a little way. I think I was…well…I don’t know what I was…I had absolutely no idea who or what I was picturing…oh well…must be just another version of me or something…it turns out I would look back on this moment as a small premonition of the future – an occurrence that would save all of our lives. As the eighth compartment flooded, Evening Breeze asked what the time was. I had a watch in my horn and was horrified at how much time had gone by. It was now 1am – I estimated that the Titanic would have about an hour or so left maybe…just maybe…but who knows, I could be wrong. Anyway, as for Evening Breeze and I – we were stuck in the ninth compartment until I began to hear the water rise again. We then tried to teleport two compartments ahead into the eleventh compartment. However, that one was locked indefinitely – impervious even to my magic for unknown reasons. “So much for being touted as unsinkable!” I said in disgust. I resigned myself to the knowledge that at least we were in the tenth compartment, even though this safe spot would soon be compromised in a hour or so. We will have to go back above deck soon,” I told Evening Breeze. “Yeah – and survive Mum.” I knew that timing was everything at this moment – I had to cast a specific spell at exactly the right time – just before the Titanic sinks. A spell I had looked into when I was just a philly. Whilst we were in the tenth compartment, we played games together in a vein attempt at normality. Who knows if this would be the last few moments we could play together on four legs. I knew it too – I knew what was coming. That’s why tears were silently streaming down my face as I attempted to be brave. My mind drifted once again to my husband who was dying. This whole trip was arranged because of him. If we didn’t make it to New York….Evening Breeze was unaware of how serious her Father’s condition was and thought he was just in hospital with the flu. By the time she realises that they may escape this horror, it would be too late. My mind drifted back to why this ship was built with iron and not nano tubes which would have been more structurally sound. It would have been able to withstand colliding with the iceberg. It was now 1:10am and I had no idea that the Titanic had less than an hour and 12 minutes until it was below sea level. I knew that it sinking was inevitable but I didn’t know at this moment how long we had….mmm time…I thought. I’m powerful but I can’t change time…could I? Could I reverse the effects? I tried but I only managed to reverse it for just a second before it overpowered me. My magic was no match for the powerful flooding of the water. I couldn’t prevent the ship sinking. By now the whole bow was underwater. I was horrified – absolutely horrified. How had this trip, despite the sad reason we were travelling, turn into such a nightmare? The one bright side of the whole journey was experiencing the Titanic’s opulent luxury – but we were in a living hell. My awe for the luxury liner was swiftly turning into hatred. Despite this, for now, I was aware it was the only home we currently had….would it become our home forever? I looked at the time again and it was 1:20am. I heard a big noise – the big ship crumbling against itself. A deafening sound exploded all around us. “That really hurt my ears!” I exclaimed loudly. “What the hell was that? It must of been the ship struggling to stay together.” That’s when we heard the creaking again and I became extremely nervous. More nervous than I had ever been in my life. I realised that the Titanic would eventually split in two. That was when I would have no choice but to strike with the spell that would save our lives. We waited in that tenth compartment and I was trembling at the realisation that it would split between funnels 2 and 3. Still, I was hoping that I was wrong. I was no expert after all. Whatever the eventual outcome I knew we would face it head on – we weren’t the type to cower with our tails between our legs. Tails being the operative word. As Evening Breeze and I waited, I heard the sound again for the third time. It was louder and more violent than ever before. It was now 1:30am. Damn flaming Titanic, don’t you dare split in two! I thought fretfully. As for Evening Breeze, she was becoming more and more nervous. “We’re in the tenth compartment and well….I don’t know how to say this but I feel trapped in here even if it isten times my size – if not more!” she cried. “Oh Evening Breeze – we can make do for now in here.” “Oh thank you Mum…but…I just…I want to go home…” “We are going to go home,” I reassured her – not knowing at the time that our new home was closer than we thought. “Yeah – but our home is way back in South Hampton Mum. How can you say that?” “Well…I don’t know. I know you feel hopeless. But there is always room for hope. Isn’t there my Darling – even if it’s small?” “Okay Mum…” she replied. As the Titanic continued to get lower, lower and lower still, the ship began to list to port by 9 degrees. Ten more minutes had gone by. Unbeknown to me at the time – the great Titanic, which took three years to build, took less than three hours to sink. My body was shaking in horror at what we were experiencing. And although I was devastated by the fact that my only daughter was with me on the ship, one small part of me was glad that I wasn’t alone. I recalled that when I gave birth to Evening Breeze, I made a solemn promise that I would never let anything bad happen to her. I was feeling guilty that I was breaking that promise this night. She reminded me of my words that day – us ponies have extremely good memory recall, even from birth. “You broke your promise Mum!” Evening Breeze cried out suddenly. “Oh Evening Breeze...I’m sorry….but….” “Mum! You promised you would always protect me!” she interrupted. “You remember that, don’t you…” I replied softly. “I do…I do…I really, really do.” ‘Evening Breeze – juts calm down…please…” “No Mum! I won’t calm down. Not until all of this is over! Not until I get out of here alive!” “I’m really sorry….” “Alright fine Mum – I’m still really angry at you,” she spat out unreasonably. Evening Breeze then shoved me out of the way and walked to the other end of the compartment, grumpily sitting down on her haunches. At that moment another sound could be heard coming from above. “Is that more water?” I whispered fearfully. I tapped into my full power and teleported us both onto the upper deck. I then assessed the situation and decided to teleport again to the sixteenth compartment. But…huh…that turned out to be a mistake. Thankfully, a mistake that was ironically the one thing that saved out lives. This may sound contradictory but you’ll see what I mean. I got my leg caught in the engine turbine and it broke in two. I know this sounds bad but I managed to heal it with magic. Evening Breeze had witnessed my pain but I downplayed it and told her it was just a sprained ankle that I had healed and that it was only causing me a little pain. “Alright then Mum, that makes sense,” she replied, still looking confused. I still bear a scar from that to this day. My attention was caught by the sound of screaming ponies above. It was now 1:55am. “Oh no!” I exclaimed. “the Titanic can’t possibly have much time left!” “Mum, what are we gonna do when the sixteenth compartment floods?” “I will warn you when it’s time Evening Breeze.” I shared with my daughter my fears of the great ship splitting in two. “You know those creaking noises you heard earlier?” I said. ‘Yeah?” Evening Breeze replied. “Well – that was the Titanic struggling to stay together – or stretching apart if you will…” “So it will eventually break in two?” “Maybe in half an hour or so…” “Let’s make a bet then,” Evening Breeze suggested, in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Okay, let’s bet then.” I said. “I bet that it will happen at 2:19am,” my daughter said. “If you win, I’ll eat those dreaded scrambled eggs for a week. But if I win, you’ll have to eat your least favourite food.” “I accept,” I agreed, humouring this silly conversation. It had now been hours since the collision. I recalled that Thomas Andrew, the designer of the ship, had said earlier that it only took ten minutes for 14 feet of water to rise above the keel. According to my calculations, this seemed a bit off. If what he’d said was correct then the ship should have sunk much earlier. Maybe for some reason it slowed by a mere margin. Or maybe he was just making it up as he went along. As Evening Breeze began to feel the back of the ship rise, she screamed. “Mum! Help me!” I grabbed her with my magic and levitated her up to a safer height. I then cast a magnetic spell to the bottom of our hooves which enabled us to grip the metal of the ship without falling. I was now waiting for the perfect moment to cast the final spell that would save our lives. If cast too soon, it would result in our deaths. Timing was of utmost importance. Now what was this plan I keep alluding to? Merponies. Merponies can breathe and survive underwater. They could not however breath the air of a regular pony. The only Merpony that could defy these laws would be my future Granddaughter, Sunny Meadows. As the ship creeped, groaned and whined under the pressure, I waited for my moment. I was afraid for my life, despite my plan. What if something went wrong? I decided not to ponder on the 'what ifs' and checked my watch. It was now 2am. “Not much longer…surely…” I mumbled to myself. Huh, it’s funny isn’t it - that so many years later I can remember it like it was yesterday. The whole experience was so scarring – mentally and physically. Although my daughter was hopeful throughout most of the ordeal, I had known it was a disaster from the moment of impact. My only regret is that I had been unable to save more lives – including that of the Captain. As I bade my time, I implored Evening Breeze to remain calm. I watched the minute hand tick over as another loud crack reached our ears. I knew it wouldn’t be much longer. “Everything will be okay,” I reassured her. “Do you mean it Mum?” “Yes I do…I certainly do…” “You’re such a kind Mum…and the most powerful.” 2:02am 2:03am 2:04am The wait was excruciating and I decided to take a break from obsessing over every literal minute. I levitated a small ball that was laying on the floor of the compartment and playfully suggested that we play ‘Magic ball’. I was desperate for anything that could break the unrelenting tension and fear of this moment.Evening Breeze agreed. The distraction worked too well and I was suddenly horrified to see that it was now 2:10am. By the time I regained my senses the ball had slammed into my face. “Oh Mum! Are you alright?!” Evening Breeze called out. “It’s fine Sweetie…I’m okay.” “I’m sorry….” “Accidents happen.” 2:15am The lights flickered on and off. 2:18am The other ponies surrounding us were screaming each time we were plunged into darkness. One of them desperately tried to mess with the electricity box and they were instantly electrocuted. The lights were now out for good. 2:19am I heard screams from above. A few seconds later the Titanic made its final split in two – just as predicted. The sound of crashing water was all around us and I immediately knew that the stern would rise again from the force of the split. “Prepare to swim!” I instructed my daughter. “But Mum! I can’t swim!” “You can’t now but you will!! I promise!” “I don’t understand what that means!” Evening Breeze screamed back. “Hold your breath on three!” I instructed. “One…Two…Three!” It was time. I summoned up all of my magic and turned both of us into Merponies. Evening Breeze looked confused. “Help Mum! I’m drowning!” she spluttered. As she opened her mouth wide she suddenly realised something strange was happening. ‘How am I talking underwater?” she spoke, looking utterly perplexed. “Hee hee…” I chuckled. “Evening Breeze – take a look at yourself.” “Huh?” she responded in exasperation. “What the…? Noooo….hang on….wait a minute. I’m a Merpony??? I thought those were just legends! Yippeeeeee! Oh, wait a minute. Does that mean we can be captured by a colossal squid?” “Hee hee. No Evening breeze. Not anytime soon.” “But wait Mum…will we be like this forever? Will I ever get to see my Father again?” “Ah…oh…I’m afraid not Evening Breeze,” I told her regretfully. “Nooo!” she yelled out. “I really wanted to see him again.” “It was either this or passing away. It was the only way we could survive.” I explained. “Oh….I understand Mum,” she said sadly. “C’mon…lets go and live in the Titanic which is now making its way to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.” We heard a sudden thud from below. “I think I just heard a crash from the bottom of the ocean floor.” I exclaimed. “Let’s teleport to our new home.” One, two three – and off we went. “Mmm, this place could do with a bit of re-furbishing,” I quipped. “And repairing,” Evening Breeze added. "Well, we've got the rest of our lives to work on it," I told her. One minute later, I summoned up a bit more of my powerful magic - returning the great ship to its former glory. It was no longer split in two and looked as beautiful as the day we had boarded, albeit now filled with water. It was now our new home and would be for many, many years to come. Now if only Evening Breeze could tell this story from her point of view….maybe she will one day. > CHAPTER 5 EVENING BREEZE'S POINT OF VIEW > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The experience was difficult. We were trapped in the sixteenth compartment. “Evening Breeze, c’mon we’re leaving.” “Mum, why?” I asked her. “Because I think it’s about to collapse…” “Ahh!” “Mum!” We found each other. The sounds of screaming ponies was deafening. “My gosh Evening Breeze, that pony just died a gruesome death. Oh my gosh!” my Mother cried out. “Oh my ponyness!” It was quite simply disgusting how that pony died. All of it was disturbing, the ponies death, the sinking of the supposedly unsinkable ship, all of it. “C’mon Evening Breeze, there isn’t much time left,” my Mother told me. “Mum? What do you mean?” “Hold my hoof and wait until the count of three!” I shut my eyes tight and then held on for dear life. When I opened them, I was shocked to find myself underwater. “Help Mum! I’m drowning!” I spluttered out. How on earth am I talking underwater? I thought feeling bewildered. My Mother was looking at me with an amused expression on her face. “Evening Breeze – take a look at yourself,” she instructed. I looked toward where my hind legs should to be. I was filled with wonder and confusion to see a tail swishing to and fro. “Huh?” I mumbled to myself. “What the…? Noooo….hang on….wait a minute. I’m a Merpony??? I thought those were just legends!” My mind was flipping back and forth between joy and concern. “Yippeeeeee! Oh, wait a minute. Does that mean we can be captured by a colossal squid?” I asked fearfully. “Hee hee. No Evening breeze. Not anytime soon,” my Mother said reassuringly. “But wait Mum…will we be like this forever? Will I ever get to see my Father again?” This whole trip had been about making our way over to see him. I know he’d been unwell but how can we make sure he’s okay if we’re stuck under the ocean? “Ah…oh…I’m afraid not Evening Breeze,” my Mother said quietly. “Dammit!” I yelled out. “I really wanted to see him again.” “It was either this or passing away. It was the only way we could survive,” she explained. “Oh….I understand Mum,” I said sadly. “C’mon…lets go and live in the Titanic which is now making its way to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.” We heard a thud come from below. “I think I just heard a crash from the bottom of the ocean floor,” my Mother exclaimed. “Let’s teleport to our new home.” One, two three – and off we went. “Mmm, this place could do with a bit of re-furbishing,” she quipped. “And repairing,” I added. I watched in delight as the ship seemingly started to repair herself. I looked over at my Mum and noticed that she was the one making the changes. Suddenly the great ship was no longer split in two and looked as beautiful as the day we had boarded, albeit now filled with water. It was now our new home and would be for many, many years to come. Many years later I still wish that I could have done something that night to save every single pony. I also find myself wondering about what would have happened if we had made it out on a lifeboat that night. It would have changed everything. I would have been able to see my Father again – even if it hadn’t been for very long. I would have had the chance to say Goodbye and to attend a funeral. I was never given the opportunity to properly mourn him. Seeing as we’re making wishes, I guess ultimately my biggest wish is that the Titanic never collided with that iceberg in the first place! Now isn’t the time for ‘what ifs’ however. At least that is what my Mum keeps telling me. She says now is the time to focus on the future. Our past had been all about our wealth. Many ponies had been jealous of our privileged existence. At least, now, although assumed dead by everypony else, my Mother says this is a chance to start afresh. Being permanently surrounded by water however has taken some getting used to. I’ve been finding it hard to escape the memories from that night and I was feeling extremely homesick. Even now, many years later, I still find myself longing for our old lives – even if they were challenging. I even find myself missing the ponies that had been envious of Mum and I. Life was difficult but it was all I had known. Life underwater hadn’t been all bad however. The biggest highlight had been the birth of my daughter Sunny Meadows. By then, the year was 1936. She even gifted me with Granddaughters by 1963 - 65 – Summer Sky being the youngest - but I digress. I guess another positive thing, is that even though I don’t know what my future would have held, at least in this reality, my beloved Mother Amber Spark got to be a Grandmother too….and a Great-Grandmother! I still struggle however to focus on such positives and find myself feeling regret that we hadn’t done more that night. Mother always reminds me that we must learn to forgive ourselves. Otherwise, how can we ever truly move on. Despite her wise words, I still quite often find myself thinking about our past. Today, as I’m swimming aimlessly around the sunken Titanic, my mind drifts back to the day my Mother and I were seemingly enjoying an innocent day trip to Belfast. It was on that train however that I first learnt we would be boarding The Titanic. We boarded one month after that train ride because when the Olympic collided with the HMS hark back in 1911, the Titanic had to give up one of it’s propellers. This delayed the Titanic being completed. By the time we arrived in Belfast she knew her schedule had been blown but there had been no turning back once her mind had been made up. We boarded the train on March 13th, 1912. Mother had been engrossed in a local newspaper article about a new ship named The Titanic. “Mum? What is that ship pictured on your newspaper?” I had asked, pointing toward the front page. “Oh it’s The Titanic Sweetheart. Apparently, it’s the most luxurious ship in the world.” “Tell me more Mum,” I encouraged her. “It’s 100 feet longer than the Lusitania…” My Mother’s words were interrupted by a loud sneeze. Her allergies quite often played up during our outings. Having a large display of decorative flowers wasn’t helping. The mark one coaches had all been decorated with massive arrangements of colourful blooms right above the passenger’s heads. It wasn’t a danger to everypony else – except for those who had a tendency to sneeze rather frequently over the pollen in the air. “Bless you!” I said to Mother lovingly. “Oh…thank…you…Evening Breeze, “she spluttered between sniffs. “I think I need some water.” I watched as my Mother used her magic to levitate a small bottle of water. She carefully poured it into a small glass. She gulped it down in one go. As yet, she didn’t have a spell to take away her sneezes. “As I was saying, “my Mother continued. “It’s the largest ship in the world and practically unsinkable!” She had asked me what could go wrong. Yeah what could go wrong Mum, I agree with you hah. I had been so young. After we paid for the tickets, we had had to wait one month before boarding. We stayed in Belfast whilst we waited to make our trip and Mum prepared me for the reason that we were going. I was sad that my Father was ill but I recall being happy about seeing him. Well, we now what happened and how plans somehow never end up as we expect. After my mum repaired the Titanic to it's former glory, she said that she needed my help to make a shield so that we would be safe in our new home. I was scared. "But Mum," I'd said fretfully. "My magic powers are still in their infancy." "Yes I know Evening Breeze," she'd agreed. "But every ounce counts. Take my hoof." I did as I was told and together we made a shield . For added security, the shield was designed in a way that only merponies can access what is behind it. We thought this would keep us safe forever...but, huh...forever isn't always a given. For almost twenty five years later - something happened to Mother. > CHAPTER 6 EVENING BREEZE BRAKES THE RULES FOR LOVE > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Mother had been twenty-six when the Titanic sank, by the time I reached that age myself, I met the future Father of my daughter. One of the main rules that was established after we became Merponies was that I could never go above sea level again. I disobeyed this rule and it changed my future forever. One day I told my Mum I’d be back soon after hunting for fish for our dinner. Our stocks were running low and this was one of my chores. It was a big haul and it wasn’t unusual for me to be gone for day on end. I told her not to expect me back for at least ten days or so. I justified this lie by reminding myself that we did indeed need some more fish but if I’m completely honest, I had ulterior motives for this outing. “That’s a good idea Evening Breeze,” my Mother coughed. “I so appreciate you going on these food runs. I’m getting much too old for such chores. Go and bring us back as much fish as you can.” “You know Mum, remember when I said that I hated fish?” “Yes, I recall it was never your favourite.” “Well, ever since I became a merpony I’ve been loving it. Sorry I ever doubted you about that. You were right all along. Fish are delicious.” “Oh! Thank you Evening Breeze!” she said in surprise. Her body shook as she was caught up in another coughing fit. “I’ll be back after ten days. Now just lie down and rest,” I instructed her. “Thanks Evening Breeze.” “A good meal will do wonders for your health. Hopefully it will help with that nasty cough of yours.” “I just hope you make it back before it’s too late. I really don’t feel good at all,” my mother said tiredly. “Oh no Mum,” I replied, feeling concerned. “I’ll do my best to be back swiftly – maybe even a day or two earlier.” My Mother wished me well on my journey and drifted off to sleep. I swam away to the sound of her snoring softly. After I was far enough away, I started to swim up instead of across. I cast a spell to change my tail back to hind legs and I teleported myself to the shores of a sandy beach. “Ahh…it’s good to be a pony again,” I said quietly. I had taught myself this spell in secret but had made it so that it would only last for nine days. I knew how strong the temptation would be to permanently remain on the land and I didn’t want to get so caught up in being a pony again that I forgot my cherished Mother. She would never survive if left alone. I had calculated that any more than ten days alone would be risky in regards to my Mother’s health. Nine days means that I’ll be sure to make it back to her on time. As I walked along the beach I realised I wasn’t alone. A beautiful Stallion was trotting along the coastline. Not yet being used to having four legs again, I accidently bumped into him. “Oh! Oops…sorry,” I said bashfully. “Hee hee, that’s alright,” the stallion replied kindly. My necklace had fallen off my neck and lay upon the sand. As I bent down to retrieve it the stallion got to it at the same time. Our hooves touched one another. We giggled over the shared moment and looked at one another’s faces. “I guess this now makes us friends,” he said flirtatiously. “I guess it does,” I replied back happily. The stallion laughed and smiled. He told me of a small and warm pool of water that was a little further along the beach. I agreed to go with him for a while. What followed was a nine day love affair that was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. We laughed, we cried, we stayed up late talking every night. The two of us soon fell deeply in love. I held back however when it came to truth about who I really was. My Mother would be devastated if I ever revealed our secret and I would never betray her like that. On the eighth night, my stallion took me to his favourite restaurant. Having been so caught up in our love affair, I had spent my whole time focusing on myself. As I tucked into a delicious lobster, it occurred to me how much my Mother would love such a delicacy. Feeling panicked, I quickly counted up the days in my head and realised that tomorrow I must return to the sea. “My stallion,” I said with a tremble in my voice. “I’m afraid that this will have to be our last night together.” “But why?” he said in surprise, a hurt look flashing across his face. “There’s just somewhere else I have to be,” I said regretfully. My next words almost got stuck in my throat. “I’m sorry to say that we will probably never get to see each other again.” “But I don’t understand! Are you unwell?” “No…no…it’s nothing like that. I just have ponies that need me…I have to return to my home.” The stallion looked appalled and his next question almost broke my heart. “Are you married?” he spluttered out. “Oh no! Of course not! I have never felt like this about anypony!” I assured him. “Okay, I see…” he replied, looking relieved but still confused. “I’m so sorry,” I told him sadly. Then we kissed. The emotions between us were so overwhelming that I quickly teleported away before he saw my tears. I arrived back onto the beach, to the spot where we first met. I took one last look around me and jumped back into the sea. It felt uncomfortably cold. I cast the merpony spell and then teleported myself toward the location of the iceberg. The exact iceberg that brought down The Titanic over twenty-three years ago. After I got my bearings, I looked down toward where my hind legs had been and was surprised to find myself feeling happy that my tail was back. As I swam back toward home, I attempted to collect nine days worth of fish along the way. This was no mean feat! I felt bad that my rush to collect fish was to hide the fact that I had lied to my mother – but at least she’d still enjoy a good feed. After I returned to the ship, I went in search for my Mother and found her in our cabin. “Mum! Mum I’m back!” “Evening Breeze?” my Mother said groggily, awakening from a nap. “Aren’t you back a day early?” “I wanted to be a day early to ensure that I wouldn’t arrive back too late,” I explained. “Oh Thank you Evening Breeze.” “I bought you some fish!” I announced proudly. “And lots of them too.” I showed her the huge pile that I had collected and she asked if she could have some straight away. “Of course you can!” I stated happily. We set about preparing our meal and I fried up a generous portion for her to devour. I was hopeful that the fish would make her stronger. “There you go Mum.” She thanked me appreciatively and tucked into her meal. Between bites, she declared them the most scrumptious fish that she’d eaten in years. “That was so good,” she announced after she’d had her fill. “You should have some yourself.” “Ha…thanks Mum,” I replied and gratefully finishing the leftovers. “These are extremely tasty. Even I do say so myself!” I felt relieved that I had gotten away with my little lie. My Mother remained unaware of my deceit. Until two months later… One day, whilst relaxing in the grand ballroom, my Mother looked at me with confusion. “Evening Breeze,” she said tentatively. “You are looking a little different recently. Are you feeling okay?” “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” I said blushing. I had been daydreaming about the stallion and I wondered if this was showing on my face. “You’ve been acting differently for over a month. In fact, ever since you came back from that large fish haul.” I recalled the lie I had told her back then and ironically that lie turned into another. I had been keeping an even bigger secret for weeks now. Not long after saying Goodbye to my love, I had been surprised to discover that our affair may have resulted in my becoming pregnant. I hadn’t been sure but just that morning I had noticed the change in my body. I was wondering if my Mother had noticed it to. It was time to come clean. “Youre right Mother,” I told her gently. “In fact, there’s somting you should know. There’s a reason why I look and feel different. “What do you mean?” she replied in confusion. “Do you remember how you felt when you were carrying me?” I asked nervously. My Mother’s expression changed from absolute bafflement to sudden comprehension. “What? No…” she spluttered, the shock of what I was saying taking over. “How is this even possible?” I just looked at her speechless. “You’ve been to the surface haven’t you Evening Breeze!” “Wait Mum, wait…I can explain…” I stuttered, worried that she was angry. “It’s okay, I’m listening Evening breeze, you naughty little mare.” Her face was expressing shock bit I also detected a hint of happiness. “Oh Mum…I met a wonderfully kind stallion when I went above. He had been walking along the beach and we bumped into one another.” “Go on…” my Mother encouraged me. “Alright…well after we met, we spent every moment together for almost nine days. But don’t worry, I never told him of my true identity. It seems our love produced a little miracle however,” I said, placing my hooves on my belly. “Alright Evening Breeze, as long as you didn’t tell him about us.” She then asked me about the spell I had used and I promised that it was only that one time. I thanked her for her understanding and was happy that she did not seem mad at me. I wanted to talk more about my pregnancy but my Mum noted that we were once again running low on food. “I need time to process all of this Evening Breeze. These last few weeks with the last bounty you collected have left me well fed and feeling much stronger. How about we both go off to collect some more fish together so that we can both be alone with our thoughts.” I agreed and we each left separately. After we returned, my Mother enveloped me in a hug and told me she was excited about the up and coming arrival. I returned to our cabin that night as I left my Mother to take care of the fish. I placed my hooves once again on my belly and suddenly knew what I would call my little one. Sunny Meadows. “Don’t worry Sunny Meadows, you will arrive safely into this world. That I can promise you…forever.” I pictured her little body developing in my own and felt true peace. > CHAPTER 7 THE BIRTH OF SUNNY MEADOWS > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- By my eleventh month, as I was sleeping soundly in our cabin, I suddenly woke up and turned toward my Mother. “Um…Mum…I think she’s coming,” I told her quietly. “Oh..ah…who? Who are you talking about?” “The baby!” “The baby?!” my Mother cried out, waking up completely. “Are you serious Evening Breeze? Are you sure she’s not just kicking?” “No! Ow! Ahhh! What are we going to do? I thought I could do this on my own without any Doctors or a hospital- but I’m scared.” “Don’t worry Evening Breeze. I’ll help you. I gave birth to you and I’m sure nature knows what it’s doing. We’ll get through this together.” My Mother teleported us to the Titanic’s medical rooms. The ship was equipped with medical facilities that were comparable to a small state of the art hospital that you could find on land. “Don’t panic Evening Breeze. Just breathe my love….in…and out.” I listened to my Mother’s calming voice as contraction after contraction ripped through my body. After a few hours, it came time to start pushing. “Okay, it’s time! You can push now! That’s it…keep pushing…” Suddenly the sound of a baby’s cry rung out. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. It was my daughter. “I’m naming her Sunny Meadows,” I told my Mother. “That’s perfect,” she said, gazing down at her Granddaughter’s face. “Here, let me lay her down in her bed.” My Mother checked me over and tended to my exhausted body. I felt myself drift in and out of consciousness as I tried to recover from my long labour. I didn’t know it at the time but my Mum had had to cast a small healing spell on me, straight after Sunny’s arrival. She did such a good job that I was almost back to normal by the time I woke up again. “Evening Breeze…how are you feeling now?” “I feel surprisingly good thanks Mum. Where’s Sunny?” “She’s right here Evening Breeze.” I swam towards her cot and cradled her in my hooves. Her small cries were music to my ears. Her whimpers subsided however as soon as I approached her. “I’m a Grandmother,” my Mother said beside me. “This is the most wonderful gift Evening Breeze.” “I know Mum – I know. Isn’t she gorgeous?” “Look at our little Unicorn Merpony.” “Actually…ah…Mum?” My Mother spoke of how happy the future would be with their little Unicorn swimming around and learning spells. She was full of wonder about what Sunny’s life would be like. “She has so much to learn and we can teach her all the spells we know. That’s a way off I know, it’s like she can cast spells as a little newborn baby but how magnificent would that be? Squeee!” Sunny giggled, obviously sensing her Grandmother’s excitement. Then she did something that stunned us both. “Oh my gosh!” my Mother suddenly exclaimed. A framed family portrait had astonishingly appeared between her hooves. It was a picture of this very moment. Three generations of Merponies: myself, my Mother and my darling daughter. Sunny laughed at our shocked expressions. “Wait a minute,” my Mother said in surprise. “Sunnydid this? But how? Surely she’s not old enough yet to cast spells.” “I think I know what this means Mum. She’s a…oh dear! Oh dear!” Sunny giggled again and spread out her majestic wings. “Ahhhh! She’s an alicorn?” my Mother asked in shock. “What have you not told me about her Father?” “Um…he was a Pegasus Mum…” “Oh dear…what if she turns on us?” “She won’t Mum. She’s one of us and we’ll take such good care of her.” “You’re right….I was being silly.” I was so overcome with joy and contentment I even felt an overwhelming rush of love toward this place that had become my home. “This day has been so amazing,” I spoke out loud. “I love you Mum, I love my daughter, I love the Titanic….oh…hang on…” I felt embarrassed by what I had said. I love the Titanic?? This ship had that taken over our lives and destroyed so many others? “I know what you mean Evening Breeze…but shhh. I think she’s asleep.” Sunny gurgled contentedly in her sleep. “Let’s get her back to our cabin,” I suggested. “You don’t want to stay in this bland and uncomfortable hospital room?” my Mother asked. “Huh? Why Mum?” “Just kidding. You and bubs are in perfect health. Let’s go,” she chuckled. It was good to see my Mother in such high spirits. It had been years since I had seen her in a jokey mood and I told her as such. “I know. This child has been such a blessing. My heart is filled with joy.” “Okay let’s go,” I said quietly. We returned to our cabin and I worried if it was big enough to fit all three of us. It had been an unspoken understanding that despite the many rooms to choose from, Mother and I had always felt better together. We’d make it work. I was nervous about the challenges ahead. This was uncharted territory – a Merpony raising an Alicorn. To my surprise and delight however, Sunny was a pleasure to raise and the best Granddaughter to my Mother. I just love it when things turn out better than I could ever have imagined. > CHAPTER 8 TIME TO SAY GOOD BYE TO A OLD FIREND > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My years mothering Sunny were the best of my life. I protected her throughout her toddler years, guided her as a teen and was now proud to see her fully grown. One subject that had never come up however, was the topic of her parentage. In her twenty-sixth year she asked me a question that had no doubt been in her mind for all of her life. “Hey Mum – there’s something I’ve often wondered about over the years.” “Yes?” I prompted her. “Why did you have me alone – without my Father around?” My mood plummeted and I began to stutter. “Oh…well…of course…you do have a Father. I just…” “Well, where is he? And what about my lineage? Do I have any Grandparents besides Grandma Amber?” I found myself regretting that I had educated my daughter so well. My Mother and I had given her all the knowledge that we had between us. She knew as much as any other child that had attended school. As I looked at my smart, curious and mature daughter, I couldn’t help but feel proud – albeit scared of her many questions. “On the night your Father and I met, he told me all about his family and regretfully, both of his parents had died many years ago from the same illness that eventually took my own Father’s life.” I looked at her sad expression and felt sorry for her. “I’m so sorry that you didn’t get to meet any of them Sunny Meadows. When my own Father died, I was such a young philly.” “Oh Mum…I’m sorry you lost your Father so young.” We hugged and shed a few tears. As painful as it was to lose my Dad, at least I got to know him for a few years. Poor Sunny never got to meet her Father at all – and now she’s learning that she’ll never know her Grandparents either. “Why didn’t you stay with my Father?” she asked. “I wanted to but it’s hard to explain….Grandma Amber was very sick and I was fearful that she’d pass on whilst I was away. Thankfully that didn’t happen but I never returned to your Father again.” “Why not?” “He was much older than me Sunny and lives in a place that requires magic to visit. It’s my understanding and assumption that he’s long gone.” Sunny looked sad about this and expressed shock and dismay that she almost lost her Grandma. She was thankful however that I had put her health before my love affair with her Dad. “Well I have another question,” Sunny Meadows said. “Go ahead.” “Will I ever get to meet my own Stallion? Will I ever get to experience that kind of love?” “I understand Sunny…but we’re all alone down here and this is something that I should probably discuss with your Grandmother.” “What is there to discuss?” she countered. “Grandmother let you go to this magic place. Why can’t I?” I told my daughter the story of my deception. How I had feigned a fishing trip and had instead cast a spell that produced two hind legs enabling me to go onto the land above the sea. “It was during that trip that I met your Father,” I told her. “But why lie? Why don’t we just tell her I’m going up?” “She’s old Sunny – and very over-protective. She forgave me my small lie after I returned. I’m sure she’ll forgive you to.” Sunny winked and started to swim in search of her Grandma. I followed and looked back as I overtook her. “Follow my lead,” I said with a smile. “Will do…” she replied. Amber Spark was now seventy-six years old and quite often took naps in the afternoon. We found her in her cabin and waited for her to awaken. “Hey Mum,” I said softly as I saw her eyes open. “Ah, yes Evening Breeze?” she croaked out, belying her age. “What do you need?” “Sunny Meadows and I are just heading out to get some fish,” I told her. “And how is my Granddaughter doing today?” “She’s great – as am I Mum.” “Okay – go off on your trip. Just be sure to be back within eight days.” As we turned to leave, my Mother groaned and suddenly asked for help. “Grandma?!” Sunny Meadows cried out. My Mother rolled over and fell fast asleep once more. “Just go on Sunny,” I said under my breath. “I’ll stay with Grandma. You’re an alicorn, you have the power to cast the spell yourself.” I whispered the spell which would grant her the use of her hind legs into her ear. I then told her to swim as far as the iceberg and then veer up toward the surface. I expressed the importance of casting the spell at the exact right moment and reminded her to be back on the seventh day. After I watched my daughter leave, I took great care of my ailing Mother. When she awoke she was disoriented and confused. “I thought you were going off to fish?” she said. “I was worried about you two. Where’s Sunny?” I encouraged her to lay back down and asked how she was feeling. Before I could tell her where Sunny had gone, my Mother collapsed into a coughing fit. “I haven’t felt this unwell since…since…Evening Breeze…can I tell you something?” “Yes Mum?” “I don’t think I’m going to last much longer. I don’t think I can last until Sunny gets back.” “No!” I cried. “And I know where she has gone. I know what you’ve done. Did you tell her to be back within seven days?” She then sent me away, pleading exhaustion. I agreed to leave and left quietly. I then summoned up my communication spell to send word through the ocean up onto the land. My message found Sunny not long after. My daughter sent word back that she had met a stallion named Jumbo. I replied that although I was happy to hear that, I had some bad news. Her Grandmother was deathly ill and she had to promise to get back on time. She had six days. Up above, Jumbo was watching Sunny as she received these telepathic messages from a loved one. “Um…Sunny? Are you okay?” he asked in a concerned manner “Ah…um, I’m fine,” Sunny stammered. “Nothing’s wrong at all.” She was hesitant about sharing too much. Her Mother had always told her that it was important to keep merponies a secret. “But what’s going on? There is something wrong. I overheard your side of the conversation.” Sunny made an important decision. She thought back on all the years that she had known her Mother. Although sensing much love and happiness from Amber Spark, she still knew deep down that something had been missing from her life. She didn’t want to end up in the same boat (or ship…lol) as her Mother – forever being without a loving spouse by her side. Her next words sealed her fate. “Okay – I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told anypony before. You have to promise me that you’ll never tell another pony about this.” “I swear to keep your secret,” Jumbo stated. “Cross my heart and hope to die.” “Figuratively?” Sunny quipped. “Figuratively,” Jumbo smirked back. “I’m not really just a pony. I’m not a unicorn either. I’m a Alicorn crossed with a Merpony and my identity must be kept secret.” Jumbo was shocked. “You’re a what?” he said, looking baffled. “Do you remember the Titanic tragedy?” “Yes..” “Well my Grandmother Amber Spark and my Mother Evening Breeze, had only one choice as the great ship sunk. She turned them both into merponies so that they could live.” She waited a beat for Jumbo to process this. “And is that how you came to be? Did your Mother do as you have done?” “Yes she did. My Father was a Pegasus that lived on the land. I was a product of their great love. My Mother however, never told my Father the truth and she lived her life a single mother.” I waited as I wondered how to broach my next move. “Now that I’ve told you this – I have a proposition for you,” Sunny said nervously. “Which is?” Jumbo asked. “Will you come back with me? Back to the Titanic?” “Wait, what?” “If you do, you’ll have to live the remaining part of your life as a Merpony. And there’s one more catch. We have to leave within five days.” “Five days?” he said thoughtfully, mulling this over. “Why wait?” His words surprised her. “We can leave now? You’d be happy to leave all this behind, right now?” “If it means being with you and leaving my old stressed out life behind me, then yes…I’d love nothing more.” They teleported into the ocean and the cold temperatures stunned Jumbo immensely. “You’ll feel warm within moments Jumbo,” Sunny reassured him. Sunny was happy to have her tail back and instructed Jumbo to look down at where his own legs used to be. “Waa! I can’t breathe….wait…how foolish of me…I’m a merpony!” I recalled my own Mother’s stories at the shock of becoming a merpony. This made me think of my Grandmother and I started to panic. “Quick! We must hurry….my Grandmother isn’t well!” “I’m right behind you,” said Jumbo. The shield gave way as we swam toward home. Now as I, Evening Breeze, watched out for my daughter’s return – I saw the shield start to shimmer and open as my daughter swam back towards home. But wait! What was this? “Sunny!” I cried out fearfully. “Why did you bring Jumbo back with you?” “We’ll talk about that later Mum. Where is Grandma?” “Back there in her cabin aboard the Titanic.” “Is she still alive?” Sunny squeaked out. “She is…for now…” We all entered my Mother’s cabin and crowded around her bed. “Who is that?” my Mother spat out anxiously. “Don’t worry Mother, this is Jumbo – Sunny’s new beau.” I turned toward Jumbo pleadingly. “Can you help us? Do you know how to treat my Mother?” “No…I’m afraid not. Do you have any medical facilities? We could make her more comfortable and I know a few basics.” I told Jumbo about the amazing mini hospital that was available. “Okay – let’s get her moved there immediately.” I teleported us all to the hospital and used my magic to make the monitoring machines work underwater. Jumbo asked why my magic couldn’t just heal my Grandmother and I explained that although to could be used for small ailments nopony was powerful enough to take on death. Not yet anyway… We listened to the slow beat of the heart monitor as we held back tears. For five days and nights we never left her bedside. On the sixth day she was lucid enough to speak a few words. “Evening Breeze…?” “Mum! Yes? What is it?” “Make sure to look after Sunny Meadows for me…” she spoke softly, as her words were interrupted by a hacking cough. “No Mum…don’t say that. We’ll get some more fried fish! It’s going to be okay!” I said fretfully, denying what was happening right in front of me. “You know it isn’t…but that’s alright. It’s time for me to go Evening Breeze.” I sobbed uncontrollably as I struggled to face the situation. I watched as my Mother started coughing again. Her breathing was also slowing down. “Goodbye my beautiful Evening Breeze,” she said quietly. “Where’s Sunny? I want to speak to my Granddaughter one last time.” “Grandma, I’m here…please don’t go…please!” “Sunny…it’s okay. It’s the circle of life. It happens to all of us. What’s important is how you live whilst you still have the chance.” Sunny hugged her Grandmother tight, and sobbed into the blanket. I saw a tear slip from my Mother’s eye but I resisted going to her as I knew that Sunny needed this moment to hug her Grandma for the last time. Jumbo, who was watching from the sidelines, saw my internal struggle and approached me quietly. As he placed his arm across my shoulders, I was truly grateful that he was there. We all listened as my Mother took her final breath. Beep Beep Beep Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep “Nooooo!” Sunny cried out and we shared in her grief. “I’m so sorry Sunny,” Jumbo said soothingly. “Thank you Jumbo,” Sunny sniffed. A memorial was held for my Mum – giving us all a proper chance to pay our respects and say one final goodbye. Sunny was struggling with the loss and cried by her graveside for hours. I expressed regret in regards to any mistakes that I may have made over the years and how I wish I could take away all of this sorry. We cannot have light without the dark however and I reminded my darling daughter that we still had each other. THE END > CHAPTER 9 AFTERWORDS > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Amber Spark and Evening Breeze survived the terrifying night of April 14th, 1912. This tragic incident is what inspired Titanic Sinking In Real Time The Full Novel. I, Sunny Meadows will always miss my Grandmother Amber Spark. Although this tale has a sad and tragic ending, it is also the story of how I became the Infinite Great Grandmother of God of Equestria forever.