Shining Armor's Voyage

          Through his dream, Shining swore he could hear thunder sound every time Cadence opened her mouth. Despite this, the good and innocent nature of his lucid dream, he decided to ignore it. However, Octavia and Vinyl were wide awake. Each of them knowing how deadly a storm could potentially be. For example, a stray lightning bolt could strike The Sea Pegasus and burn it down. The couple traded nods and then galloped to the top deck.

          What they felt first was the biting cold, it bit through to their very bones, passing through their coats and clothes. Shivering vigorously, the pair found themselves in a familiar position, they huddled closely to each other for warmth. They battled the icy wind head on, determined to insure the safety of the crew and The Sea Pegasus. Next came the soaking rain. It forced them to skid across the soaked wooden floor and lose their balance. As soon as they exited the final shelter of the doorframe, it was as if the couple had spent an hour long soak in an ice filled lake. Their manes drooped down, burdened with the extra weight the rain provided them. Like the cherry on a cake, the humongous waves were the master piece of the ocean bound storm. Each wave that could be seen was easily over seventy feet. Luckily the waves near the boat weren't nearly as big, but were still at least thirty feet. Every time a wave inevitably collided with the ship, a couple feet of the freezing salt water flooded across the top deck like an over filled teacup onto a miniature saucer. Every few seconds they could see a close flash of light instantly followed by a deafening crack of thunder. It wasn't long before their fears became reality, when a lightning bolt struck true upon the top of the main mast, setting the Equestrian flag ablaze instantly. It was spreading and the musicians knew it. A grey muzzle appeared from behind a soaked charcoal black mane.

"I'll do this, be back shortly."

The cellist started a long climb on the rigging at a break neck pace. Faster than any Pegasus could fly up there. From behind the amethyst tinted goggles, Vinyl stared at Octavia with concern.

"Be careful! We don't want a repeat of Appleoosa!"

"I swear that airship was faulty and you know it!"

The couple, despite being apart, chuckled simultaneously. Fond memories of a former danger rushed through their minds. The white unicorn mare felt the boat tremor once again and realised that no-pony was steering.

          The unicorn galloped towards the wheel. She battled gravity, the rain and the sheer force of the waves crashing down as she climbed the steep water damaged stairs. She wobbled from side-to-side in an attempt to keep her balance. Once her hooves were on the wheel, Vinyl realised that she had no sense of direction and therefore no clue as to where to turn the boat. With her brain kicked into maximum overdrive, the DJ remembered that she could find Spitfire's compass in the navigation room just below her. With the sensible sense of urgency, Vinyl galloped to the staircase and leapt. Landing on her fore-hooves and muzzle, the white unicorn groaned slightly as she got herself up. She hurried inside the Navigation room, her ruby red eyes skimmed throughout the entire room searching for the compass. Fortunately, she found it seconds and immediately telekinetically made it fly across the room and land in her hoof. Once another battle against the stairs, proving successful, the DJ found that her hooves where once again at the wheel. She stared at the compass, the needle pointed towards the south-east, heading back towards the south of Equestria. After three and a half-turns of the wheel, The Sea Pegasus was sailing towards their destination. Feeling accomplished and having the wheel in a firm grasp, she wondered what her mare-friend was doing.

          Despite having no magic and no wings, Octavia was doing somewhat brilliantly. By the time she had reached the top of the mast, even above the crow's nest, the fire had gone out-of-control. Conflict was deep in the cellist's amethyst eyes as she wondered the best course of action to extinguish the miniature raging inferno. The ice cold winds and the freezing rain would swiftly become unbearable and possibly fatal if she didn't have her clothes on, but if she could put the fire out very quickly. The rain wasn't going to extinguish it in a hurry and the wind just made its tongue fly in various directions. It was when the cellist could feel its fiery breath running down her spine that she started stripping, whilst keeping her gadgets on. She shivered from the cold, Octavia's mind however was thrown back to the DJ she was proud to call mare-friend. Why wasn't she helping? Can she not see her dilemma? What could be more important than the safety of her mare-friend? As coincidence would have it, she felt the ship heavily sway to her left, almost knocking her off. The fire flapped about as if it was a fish bound to the land. Grasping her completely soaked clothes in her mouth, the grey earth pony swung it against the flaming mast, making the flame spurt about. She swung it again and again and again and again. Eventually the fire was extinguished, the warm embers smoked and no flame could be seen. With the moderate warmth that fire previously provided now expired, it was the fatal cold that Octavia feared. She couldn't physically refrain herself from shivering and she felt as if she'll never be dry again. Her joints ached, her muscles pained and she longed to be back home, curled in ball next to her warm and toasty lover. She attempted to move but she couldn't, it was too painful. After what seemed like an eternity, her grasp of consciousness faded. The world spun around her and she fell. The last thing that Octavia saw was a white and blue blob-ish figure popping up from the rigging. A wordless voice yelled. She blacked out.

          Vinyl Scratch, DJ PON3, was on the verge of panic. She managed to steer The Sea Pegasus out from the worst of the storm and went to see how her mare-friend was faring. However, when she arrived, Octavia was shaking uncontrollably, her lips were as blue as her own mane and the cellist's coat and mane were soaking wet and freezing. Her clothes were in a limp pile just a couple feet from the grey pony's hooves. Stumbling back into reality, Vinyl grabbed her mare-friend and used a teleportation spell to their bunk. There she laid the freezing cold Octavia and covered her with every spare blanket, rag and clothing, leaving her muzzle poking out. Her sky blue lips quivered in desperation for more heat, an offer Vinyl couldn't refuse. The DJ kissed the freezing lips of her mare-friend, her hot and heavy breathe a complete contrast of the cold and light breathing her mare-friend insisted on giving.

"What's all this commotion about?"

Spitfire looked over at the panicking DJ and a pile of rags that was apparently attractive to Vinyl. Vinyl stared at the military athlete with a look of anger and disapproval. Tears welled up in the DJ's eyes and a lump formed in her throat. She couldn't reply. Spitfire was very confused. She was kissing a pile of rags and that just isn't normal. When she looked harder at the pile of rags, she noticed a slight movement as if somepony was under there. Then she saw the sky blue lips on a grey muzzle.

"Is that Octavia?

A lump managed to find itself lodged in the pegasus' throat, thinking of all the things that could've been the cause to this. Swallowing hard, Vinyl spoke solemnly, still staring at her mare-friend.

"She needs heat, the more the better."

"I'll go boil some water, that'd heat her up."

Vinyl nodded, her ruby red eyes locked on the unmoving body of a certain cellist.