Warm water rushed up from the bottom of the tub and engulfed Fluttershy’s aching body. The mare let out a long, heavy sigh and shut off the faucet. The steady, low beat of raindrops on the roof above her soothed her tired nerves. It was times like these, resting after a long day taking care of the animals, when she felt satisfied with life. Working with wildlife was rewarding in itself, but time off was always a nice bonus. Eating a nice, calm dinner and then soaking in the bathroom; it was sort of like the spa trips she was fond of taking with Rarity. She closed her eyes to the low lights and began to drift off...
A loud knocking at the front of the cottage rang through the dull patter of rain. She was alert at once; looking around she couldn’t tell whether any time had passed at all in the dark room. In any case, Fluttershy knew that anypony or anything coming to her at this hour had to be in some sort of trouble. With a disappointed moan, she unstopped the bath and stepped out, drying herself roughly with a quick wing shake and towel swipe. Walking through rooms quickly, she stopped to turn on some lights and check the clock. Past midnight; she’d only been inside for an hour or so. She looked through her front window but could see nothing through the rain.
She unlocked the door. Opening it with a slow creaking noise, she peeked out into the dark. Nopony was there. She looked from side to side, with no better results. Hm. She closed the door and locked it again. Maybe it was just her im-
Clanging noises and hoofsteps interrupted her thoughts. They were coming from behind her. Fluttershy spun around to see shadows at the back of the cottage, somepony moving around in the dark. They were in her house! A frantic fear raced in her heart; who or what would sneak into her cottage in the dead of night? She was paralyzed with terror, standing in front of the door while her mind raced uncontrollably. Maybe it was a robber, or a murderer, or something even worse... Doors opened and shut in the shadows and behind walls. Then she heard thumping on the stairs. It was going upstairs!
She slowly and quietly moved to the back of the cottage. The window over the tub was hanging open; how could she have forgotten to lock it? She could hear movement upstairs, opening and closing bedroom doors, lights flicking on... A part of her wanted to run, to get help, but another, even more frightened part of her was too shocked to even think straight. The noises started moving above her head, back towards the stairs. She was suddenly gripped in indecision and fear, and her heart beat faster and faster as the unknown intruder came closer and closer, down the stairs, around the last landing and into the light-
“Fluttershy!”
“EEEEEEK!” The scared pegasus dropped to her knees and cowered. She knew this was bad, she was going to die-
“Fluttershy, it’s me, Dash. Where have you been? What’s the matter?” Rainbow Dash bent down to examine her friend. Even for her, this was sort of unusual...
Fluttershy gradually stopped shivering and then opened her eyes a little to assure herself it was really the familiar blue flier. Her nerves calmed. Standing up, she felt herself blush at being so silly and overreacting. Rainbow would probably laugh at her, maybe wouldn’t want to come over anymore, maybe-
“Come on, Fluttershy. You didn’t answer and the front door was locked. Why are you so upset?” Rainbow Dash was still looking at her.
“I, I was just scared. You came in through the bathroom window and all... I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad. I won’t be scared anymore, I promise.”
“Well, I’m not mad. It’s alright. I just wanted to see if you were ready to go in the morning.”
Fluttershy’s ears perked up. “In the morning? What’s happening?”
“We’re taking a trip, duh. Everypony but you, apparently, has been excited all week. Wait... Did you really forget? Oh, that’s just too funny!” She began to chuckle.
“Just wait until the others hear about this! You, forgetting, the vacation that was your idea in the first place, oh man.” Rainbow Dash’s laughter was painful to the other mare’s already low self-esteem. She blushed more deeply than before.
“I thought that... I thought it was next week,” she squeaked.
“Didn’t anybody tell you? We moved it up because Big Mac’s birthday is the week after next. Now hurry up and start packing, we only have a few more hours until we have to leave!”
Twilight was being Twilight again. While the minutes ticked by she paced back and forth at the departure platform, checking the time and staring into town with a frown. The sun was already up. It was getting late. The train was going to leave with or without them, and she for one wanted to start out their trip on schedule. Why, oh why had they not made plans to meet up the night before? Spike should be able to watch everything while they’re gone, right? Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were both running behind, Celestia knew what for. It had been all laid out, everypony else was ready-
“Hey! Look, there they are!” Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted out behind her.
Twilight turned to see the pegasi making top speed towards the depot, flying straight across town. Fluttershy was hauling a lot more luggage than Dash; that mare had never been one to pull her own weight! As the two landed, one somewhat more precariously than the other, she felt relieved. It looked like they would be making it after all.
That’s when the whistle blew and the Manehattan Express began to pull out of the station.
“Buck! Why are they leaving?! Hey, HEY!” Twilight took off in the direction of the locomotive, leaving her bags behind. The others exchanged surprised glances and then galloped after her.
Steam blew and tracks clattered. The Express was on full thrust. How could they leave without them? It would only have taken a minute or so to board. Twilight could see the conductor watch her through a window, shrugging. How dare he! She could see the wooden platform’s edge a few yards ahead; she only needed to go a little faster to be able to jump onto one of the cars! She breathed heavily, her legs pounded hard, but she just couldn’t build up enough speed, and a few seconds later she flew right off the edge and into the dirt. As the platform fell out under their hooves, the other mares came to a sudden stop at the edge of the station.
Twilight pulled her face out of the ground, expression furious. No rogue train was going to keep her from this vacation! She concentrated intensely, and her horn began to glow with a passion. She was enveloped in a blinding purple light and then suddenly vanished.
She materialized in the middle of first class and immediately crashed into the back of the car. Startled ponies watched, mouths agape, as she slowly and unsteadily climbed to her feet. Rubbing her forehead, she turned around and stumbled off, heading for the front of the train. More than a few tea trays smashed on the floor as she half-walked, half-jumped her way through the aisle.
“Sorry. Oh, sorry. Excuse- Oh, I’m so sorry.” Twilight muttered to the confused occupants of the car over the sound of breaking china.
How could she be so stupid, forgetting the difference between her momentum and the train’s? The throbbing pain in her head didn’t help her situation; it was hard to keep everything in focus. She found herself facing the door of the car. Grimacing, she opened it and stepped into the space between cars. Her hair flew around in the wind, obscuring her view of the gap in front of her; she took a couple of steps forward, wobbling dangerously. Taking a leap of faith, she managed to cross the space without falling. She leaned heavily on the rails of the new car while catching her breath.
Twilight had no idea how far she was from the locomotive. First class stretched for about five or six cars, and she could be anywhere from one car away to five. She might not make it before somepony caught her without a ticket to ride. But she had to try.
Calming her heaving lungs and massaging her temples, she entered the car.
“And you persuaded the conductor to stop and turn around, just like that?” Pinkie Pie asked incredulously.
It was actually less persuasion and more intimidation, but what her friends didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. “Just like that,” Twilight confirmed.
They were all sitting in first class with their luggage. Twilight’s head and horn were lightly bandaged up, and she wasn’t going to be using lots of magic for a day or two. Still, it had been worth it. This vacation had been in the works for a month, and everypony deserved it after all the hijinks they had been through lately.
“Wow! Twilight, you are so awesome! You were even willing to crash into the train for us! You know what this calls for? A PARTY!” Pinkie reached into her bag.
Oh no...
The rolling countryside of Equestria ambled past in the window. It was a long ride to Manehattan, even on the Express. Applejack had only walked to the city before, and the train was definitely much more comfortable. She wondered how much the Big Apple had changed since she was a filly.
She wouldn’t be lonely on this trip. Not with all her friends. She smiled at the sleeping mares lying about the car. Confetti and deflated balloons were strewn all around them, and more than one face was covered in chocolate cake. Rarity would probably freak out when she woke up to discover all the icing on her pretty little snout... Applejack chuckled quietly. Though they might be wild every now and then, her friends were always dependable. Looking out the window again, she noticed that buildings and roads were beginning to appear.
Everypony awoke at once when the conductor began to talk on the intercom, his voice trembling slightly. “Attention passengers, we are almost to Manehattan terminal. Please prepare for departure.”
“Wha- What happened?” Fluttershy rubbed her eyes.
“Don’t ya’ll worry. Everypony just fell asleep after the party, that’s all.”
“YAY! We’re here!” Pinkie rebounded off the floor with a vengeance. You could have sworn she hadn’t been sleeping just a moment before.
They all began to gather their bags and clean up. The train slowed noticeably; passengers in the car behind them were moving around. Squeals issued from below as the brakes kicked in, and a platform came into view in the window. When the train came to a stop just a few minutes after the announcement, Applejack dragged her suitcase to the door and pushed it open.
Blinding noon light flashed in her eyes. She blinked a couple times before stepping out; the others filed out after her. They all looked around at the tall buildings and busy arrivals near the station, with ponies milling about and plasticine porters rolling luggage in every direction.
“Ah, well, isn’t this nice?” Rarity exclaimed. “It looks like we’re in for a fun while on the big town!”
“Well, ah, sweetie, ya see that clock up there?”
“Why, yes. What does that have to do with anything?”
“It’s past noon. Our ship leaves in thirty minutes.”
Everypony looked alarmed at Applejack’s announcement. “But- The train was supposed get us here by ten!” Twilight looked like she might pop.
“We were late, and ya’ll made the conductor turn around, remember?” Applejack gently rebuked.
Rainbow Dash flexed her wings. “Let’s go then. The port is only on the other side of town.”
The country pony rolled her eyes. “It’s a big town, R.D. And not all of us have wings!”
“Look! Look! Cabs! We can take a cab!”
They turned their heads in unison the way Pinkie was pointing. Yellow carriages and rickshaws were indeed lined up on the street.
Applejack looked into her bag. “Anypony got some bits?”
The carriage careened on a corner of the sidewalk, knocking over a fruit stand and several pedestrians. Applejack felt sick to her stomach. Driving a carriage at this speed was one thing, but jostling around in the back of one while an insane cabbie crashed them through every obstacle on the narrow city roads was another.
“Feeling good back there?!” the driver yelled.
She said nothing.
“Yeah!” Rainbow answered.
Who would have guessed that Dash was a cab gal? Applejack could have been sure that all that flying meant she didn’t feel good on the ground. But there she was, sticking her head out the window and enjoying the breeze. She for one needed to stick her head out for an entirely different reason...
“Hey, AJ, you ok?” Pinkie looked concerned as she pulled back into the carriage.
Applejack’s face was an interesting shade of green. “For now...”
In the rear window, she could see the two rickshaws carrying the rest of the gang. They all looked fine, even at the breakneck pace everypony was going. One of the drivers barely managed to hold her vehicle together as it bowled over a mailbox. Thank Celestia they weren’t sticking around for long; the damages they were incurring, never mind the speeding, could put them all back a few hundred bits.
“There’s the port ahead!” The driver gestured with his one free hoof.
Huge ships and loading docks loomed down the street, framed by brick buildings on either side. Applejack’s nausea subsided for a moment. None of the boats seemed to be leaving.
She turned to Pinkie. “Well, looks like your quick thinkin’ got us out of this hitch.”
“Hitch? No, silly, this is a carriage. And we’re still in it!”
“Never mind.”
The driver jerked back on the reins suddenly, bringing them screeching to a sideways stop just outside the port. She clutched onto her seat for a minute, and then jumped out of the carriage and onto firm, sweet ground. Dash hurriedly paid the cabbie, with a generous tip, and grabbed her bags. Pinkie Pie patted AJ’s shoulder sympathetically while at the same time gushing about the exciting ride. Her hyper personality obviously fit in well with the big city rush. The shaken country mare, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to get on the boat.
“What do you mean, there’s no more room on board?!”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Dash, but we simply cannot berth any more passengers,” the sailor explained. “Captain’s orders.”
Rainbow Dash gave a quick, angry look back at the others, who were mouthing to her their agreement with the crewmember. No. She would not back down after they had come all this way. They were getting on that boat.
She turned back to the sailor, her expression softening a bit. “Look, we just want to take our trip. What if...” She saw their large pile of luggage in the corner of her eye.
“What if we leave some of our bags behind?” She ignored the surprised noises behind her.
“Well... I suppose, I would have to talk with the captain...”
Rainbow pulled out a handful of bits. “And we give a little extra fare?”
The sailor took a short glance around, then scooped the money out of her hand. “Welcome aboard, ma’am.”
Giving a triumphant look behind her, and picking up her small toiletries bag, she stepped onto the deck of the Sea Stripes. The cruise ship filled mostly with middle-aged ponies and a few giggling adolescents, as far as she could tell.
Her friends joined her on deck, some grumbling about losing their luggage more than others. She knew that were secretly admiring her though, amazed at her smoothness at negotiation and epic skills. She’d like to see one of them get them past a bind like that!
A voice came on over the loudspeakers. “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlecolts, this your captain speaking. We are almost ready to embark on our cruise; please make your way belowdeck so that we may undock.”
Ah. This was the life. Relaxing in the sunshine, sipping a nice cool drink, enjoying a well-deserved hooficure... Rarity was made for this. She had needed a vacation for so long, what with all the work she did. Twilight was enjoying the same ministrations she was; they were both sitting on the luxury deck and making idle conversation about what they would do upon their arrival at Canteroon.
“I can’t wait to hear the music,” Twilight sighed. “It’s supposed to be very interesting.”
“And the cuisine! It’s to die for!”
“Mm-hm. Oh, only a few more days... It’ll be the best vacation ever!”
Rarity lowered her sunglasses for a moment to watch Pinkie score an incredible power spike against Fluttershy. That mare really knew her volleyball. Settling back into her seat, she wondered what Applejack and Dash were doing belowdeck...
When the hooficurists finished, they lay in the sunshine for a few more minutes before Rarity became bored. There really wasn’t much to do on the cruise, other than relax, talk, play deck sports, or take advantage of the endless buffet. She’d heard both Twilight and Rainbow complain of not having their books to read; it was ironic that Rainbow had been the one to make them leave their bags behind. What she really needed was to work on something...
“Hey, Twilight-”
“...” Her friend’s eyes were closed and she was making low snoring sounds.
She decided to go explore the ship on her own. Leaving the others to enjoy the last few minutes of daytime, she made her way belowdeck and wandered around the crew area. Here were bunks, the kitchen, the storerooms- Aha! The captain’s quarters. Lights were on inside the small room, so she quietly stepped up and laid her ear to the door.
“-size, Captain. We’ve thrown over as much weight as we can, but in the past few hours the situation in the bilge has grown worse. She’s sitting very low in the water and there’s a storm coming.”
“I don’t understand. How could this happen? I know we’ve taken on a large amount of passengers, but we were within the load-”
Rarity made a small, frightened sound and immediately covered her mouth.
“... Did you hear that?”
She ran.
Everypony was gathered around Rarity; the gang was all sitting in their suite. Worried looks and expressions of disbelief were on all their faces. They were quiet for a moment.
“Are you sure, Rarity?” Twilight whispered.
“Positive. They sounded scared. I only heard a bit, but we’re definitely in trouble.”
Rainbow hung her head. “This is all my fault. If I had just listened to you all and we had stayed in Manehattan-”
“Now, Rainbow, don’t be so hard on yourself,” Fluttershy assured her. “We’re going to get through this.”
Applejack looked resigned. “I guess we’ll have to abandon ship, then. For the good of everypony else.”
Her words resounded in their minds. It was an inevitable conclusion.
“There’s lifeboats on deck. Maybe we can take one of those!” Pinkie Pie suggested.
“That sounds like a plan. Any other ideas?” inquired Twilight.
Nopony answered.
“It’s set then,” Twilight wore an expression of determination. “Let’s go steal a lifeboat.”
“Hey!” Rainbow hissed at nopony in particular. “Watch it!”
“Sorry,” Applejack and Fluttershy said at once.
They were all crowded in the lifeboat, holding on to the rails and their supplies. Pinkie made one last mental check, making sure everything was ready. Her candy, blanket, balloons...
“Everypony okay? Ready?” Twilight repeated.
This time they all agreed. “Yes!”
Twilight unfastened the rope with her magic and they immediately fell. Pinkie felt her stomach lurch upwards, and everything blurred for a moment while her ears were filled with screams. Then they hit the water, hard, and then everything was quiet. The ship drifted away through the night, apparently oblivious of their departure. The lifeboat sailed on, moving up and down on the waves. They all watched as an oncoming storm bore down from the sky.
“Well, what do we do now?” Rainbow asked.
Pinkie felt a smug smile creep onto her face. “Let’s party.”
The End
