Sinking

A Life of Love

Sinking

“This is awesome!” Rainbow cheered, launching into the air and doing a brief flip before landing on the polished wood floor beneath her.

Twilight looked up from her position on her lawn chair beside the excited pegasus, raising an eyebrow behind her large, dark sunglasses. “Were you expecting it to be anything else?”

“No... But still! I can't believe Celestia sent us on a cruise for our honeymoon!” Rainbow said, hopping from hoof to hoof energetically as she looked out across the top deck of the large ship. As a reward for saving the country more times than anypony truly knew, Celestia had arranged for them to go on a two week cruise right after their wedding. Today was the first official day; just an hour nefore they'd waved goodbye to their friends at the port and set out for the sparkling blue depths of the ocean. The ship's route was easy enough; following the coastline down to the more tropical parts of Equestria, close to the Zebra homelands, where it would be sunny and warm all day every day. The coastline was kept just out of sight of the naked eye, though, giving the impression of being out in the middle of nowhere; something many ponies on the ship appreciated.

“It is a surprise, isn't it?” Twilight asked, looking up at the clear blue sky with an amused smirk. “Especially with how she reacted when I told her about us. Remember that?”

Rainbow laughed, nodding her head. “Yeah... seriously though; we're going to be out here for two weeks, in the best room on the ship, perfect weather all day and night. It's gonna be awesome, Twi!”

Twilight simply smiled in response, extending her magic and reaching out into the saddlebags resting next to her chair. After a few moments of rummaging around she found what she was looking for and extracted a large, hard-cover book. Rainbow has no doubt about what it was when she realized she couldn't even pronounce the title, let alone understand it.

“Seriously? We're not only on a cruise ship, but also our honeymoon, and you want to read about... magical... thingies?” She asked, though not exactly that surprised as her wife simply shrugged.

“A honeymoon is for relaxing, and reading is relaxing for me. I brought a few books you like as well, if you're interested,” Twilight replied as she cracked open her book. “Oh, and it's advanced mathematical theories, not magic,” she corrected.

“Science, math and magic are all the same to me; you know that,” Rainbow scoffed, “But the point is that you are not going to be reading the entire time we're out here.”

“Well obviously not all the time,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “I do need to sleep and eat.”

Rainbow Dash grunted in annoyance, looking down at the book her unicorn partner was focused on. Hard cover, fairly new looking, fairly thick. Not a single wrinkled or discoloured page... Twilight could get a new one. In a quick motion she leaned down, snatching the book in her teeth, before flinging her head back and yanking it from Twilight's magical grasp.

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted, snapping her head around to see the pegasus running across the deck towards the side of the ship, with her book in tow. “Don't you dare!” She screeched, jumping out of her chair and giving chase as fast as her legs would carry her.

It wasn't enough; Rainbow was more athletic and easily kept ahead of the unicorn. However, she took care not to get too far ahead, and kept her hooves on the floor, her wings held close to her sides.

“Do you hear me?” Twilight shouted, panting lightly as she remembered why she never won any of their races unless Rainbow specifically let her win for one reason or another. “I will make you pay for this!”

“What's that?” Rainbow called back around the book in her mouth, not even breathing heavily as she mocked the unicorn chasing her across the ship. She noticed a few of the other ponies on board giving them odd looks, but ignored it as she lead Twilight closer and closer to the edge, and the crystal clear waters far beneath the gargantuan ship.

“RAINBOW DASH!” Twilight screamed, the pegasus finally making use of her wings and jumping into the air, her rainbow tail waving tauntingly in front of Twilight's face. With a firm kick off of her hind hooves Twilight launched herself into the air, extending her hooves in an attempt to tackle the pegasus mid-air. When her hooves fell uselessly past the pegasus's own rear legs, just barely remaining out of her reach, she looked down in defeat to gauge her landing, just in time to see the edge railing of the ship pass by beneath her.

“RAINBOW!” Twilight screamed again, though this time in fear instead of anger as she felt gravity take over and start pulling her down to the water blow. Had she been thinking straight, she'd have teleported back to safety, but the concentration she needed was shattered by the suddenly very real possibility of falling into the ocean. She'd never given it much thought before, but the waves from this high up looked huge; giant hills of rolling water, engulfing anything and everything, and she was about to be their next victim. She scrunched her eye shut in fear.

Her hooves flailed uselessly in the air, searching for purchase where none could be found, as she started falling, faster and faster, towards the bright blue water below. Just as she was about to open her mouth and scream in the hope of somepony on the ship hearing and saving her, she felt the very familiar feeling of strong, well-muscled hooves wrapping around her and tensing, stopping her fall before it had even really started.

Twilight opened her eyes to the see her pegasus spouse grinning mischievously around the book still help in her jaw. The fear of falling was replaced by her previous anger, this time burning a little hotter after this particular little stunt. She glared harshly at the pegasus holding her in the air. With a flash of magic she teleported her book from Rainbow's mouth and back to the safety of her saddlebags.

With her mouth free, Rainbow said, “You didn't think I'd let you fall, did you?”

Twilight answered her question with a strangled, frustrated grunt. “Just get us back on the ship.”

“Aw come on; lighten' up,” Rainbow complained as she started flying them both towards the ship they'd jumped from, returning to many confused, and some worried, looks. Neither of them payed any attention.

“I'll get back at you for that, I hope you realize,” Twilight threatened darkly.

“I wouldn't have married you if you wouldn't,” Rainbow laughed, grinning at Twilight's clearly forced frown. Through the cracks in her angry facade Rainbow could see the smile trying to break free at the mention of them being married.

Twilight sighed heavily, her anger melting as a pleased smile grew on her face. “You know that won't work forever, right? Once I get used to it you'll have to find another way to get out of trouble,” she advised.

Rainbow shrugged. “I'm sure I'll manage. It's either that or stop annoying you.”

“Celestia forbid,” Twilight muttered.

“Aw, it wouldn't any fun if I stopped,” Rainbow said, flashing a cocky grin down at the mare in her arms.

“I'm not so sure,” Twilight replied. A second later and they were back on the ship as Rainbow lowered Twilight back onto the deck.

“C'mon egghead; no reading,” Dash commanded, changing the subject as she started walking back across the deck, “They have a pool up here, ya know...”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but followed anyway. “Why we have water on a ship in the middle of the ocean I will never understand,” she noted under her breath. If Rainbow heard her she didn't question it as she continued towards the top-deck pool.

-_-_-_-

Rainbow Dash was startled awake, shooting upright from her bed and flinging the blankets off her body. It wasn't hard to discover what had awoken her; it was either the howling wind outside her room, the near-constant cracks of thunder rolling through, or the loud, high-pitched alarm bell. At first she was confused, until she noticed the odd angle her room was at; tilted, with the far wall dipping down and her bed much higher. Panic alarms went of in her head as she realized what was happening.

She looked around frantically for the unicorn that was supposed to be sharing a bed with her. When Twilight was nowhere to be found in the room, true panic began to set in as she jumped out of bed, stumbling against the steep angle of the floor as she struggled to make her way to the door. As she approached she could hear frightened screaming from the rest of the ship as ponies all over the massive boat woke to find themselves in a very similar situation.

Shoving the other ponies from her mind, she pushed her way through the door. “Twilight?” She called over the sound of the alarm ringing through the hall. Much to her surprise the hallway was completely empty. Assuming most of the upper-class ponies had already been awoken and put on lifeboats, Rainbow made her way frantically up the steep incline of the floor. She burst through the door leading to the top deck, and found that her fears were, indeed, correct.

The ship was sinking.

Fast. The lower quarter of the ship was almost completely swallowed by the raging ocean beneath her.

“Twilight?” She called again, scanning the barren deck for any sign of the unicorn she was looking for. The screams from the deck below could be heard clearly now as Rainbow fought against the howling wind and pounding rain. The floor swayed back and forth and side to side under her hooves as waves and wind alike bombarded the ship. The sky was black with storm clouds, clouds that had formed in nature for the express purposes of sinking this boat, it seemed.

Lightning cracked and thunder roared, splitting the sky in two with each deadly bolt, arcing down and touch the surface of the water seemingly inches from the side of the ship.

“TWILIGHT!?” She screamed as loud as her lungs would allow, running across the deck to the side of the ship where ponies would be boarding the lifeboats still remaining. With no answer and still no sight of her wife, Rainbow leaned out over the edge of the vessel, scanning the crowd of ponies below for the distinct lavender hue. However, there wasn't a crowd of ponies desperate the get on lifeboats. There were neither ponies, nor lifeboats on the ship at all. She could still hear the screams, but could not find where they were coming from.

Had the boats already left? Was Twilight on one of them? Had she been abandoned?

No... no; Twilight wouldn't do that to her. They must have just been on the other side of the ship. With a firm nod of reassurance, Rainbow once again forced herself across the slanted deck to the other side of the ship. She could feel herself sinking, the boat being swallowed by the insatiable waters below. The angle grew greater and greater, passing 45 degrees as the front of the ship continued to rise, the lower part disappearing in calm and clear depths turned viscous and dark.

The screams were fading now, being drowned out by the pounding rain and defining wind. Not even the alarm, still going off inside the ship, could be heard above the raging storm.

Fear gripped her heart in its icy talons as she saw why the screams were fading; from her position, she could see lifeboats in the distance, sailing away from the ship. Panic once again set in as she raced to the other side of the ship faster than before. She might be able to fly, but she couldn't in this weather, nor could even she fly long enough to get to the coast, miles and miles away. Her only hope were the lifeboats sailing away from the ship. Lifeboats she hoped Twilight was on.

As she reached the other side of the ship and leaned over the railing her fears were once again confirmed; not a single pony or lifeboat remained. She was left, abandoned on a sinking ship. The wind blew her mane around wildly as she sat back on her haunches in defeat, tears streaming down her cheeks and being washed away by the rain as she watched the boats disappear into the distance. Flying in this weather would be a death sentence more so than sinking on the ship, and she had no desire to rush the end. She could only hope Twilight made it back to land safely.

“Rainbow?”

Rainbow snapped her head around, eyes wide and full of fear as she saw the last pony she wanted to see on this ship.

“T-twilight? What are you doing here!?” Rainbow ran over to her wife, who had just emerged from the hallway leading deeper into the ship.

“No time; we need to get on a lifeboat on the lower deck; there aren't any left up here,” Twilight advised, motioning for Rainbow to follow her. When the pegasus didn't move, she gave her a concerned look. “Rainbow?”

“They're all gone, Twi,” Rainbow admitted weakly, unable to meet the unicorn's eyes.

Twilight looked at her incredulously. “What? What do you mean they're all gone?”

Rainbow chocked up, tears streaming faster down her cheeks as she struggled to explain herself. “T-the boats... the lifeboats... they're all g-gone already...”

Twilight's jaw dropped in shock, fear dancing in her eye. “They can't be! We're still here!” She cried, running over to the side of the ship to confirm the information. Rainbow watched with saddened eyes as the unicorn got to the side of the ship, leaning over the edge and gasping as she saw the lack of boats.

“All of them,” Rainbow repeated as Twilight began running to the other side of the ship, refusing to believe they'd been left behind.

“They can't be...” Twilight trailed off, knowing it was true but still refusing to admit it as she neared the edge. Just as she was about to reach the railing a large wave hit the other side of the ship, making it heave to the side. The sudden change in angle caused Twilight to lose her footing but keep her momentum as she tumbled forward over the railing that was now much lower than her.

“TWILIGHT!” Rainbow screamed as Twilight disappeared over the edge of the ship. She could hear the unicorn screaming as she fell. Rainbow bolted as fast as she could over to the edge, looking over just in time to see her hit the water many stories down, instantly being swallowed by a wave. Without thinking Rainbow launched herself off the ship, streamlining her body as she rocketed towards the water.

“TWILIGHT!” She screamed again as the water came closer. The unicorn still hadn't resurfaced.

“TWILIGHT!” Rainbow screamed one final time, bolting upright in her bed. Her eyes were wide as she scanned the unfamiliar territory. She was back in her room, back in her bed, back on the ship. This time, the ship wasn't sinking. There was no screaming or alarm or storm. The floor wasn't even slanted. Only the gentle motions of the calm ocean could be felt in her room. She was covered in an icy sweat and her eyes were wet with tears. Her heart pounded in her chest and her was breathing erratic as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened.

A dream; that's all it had been. A nightmare, one of the worse she'd ever had, but it wasn't real.

“Rainbow? What's wrong?” Twilight asked tiredly, shifting in the bed beside the pegasus.

Twilight was still there, right next to her. The ship wasn't sinking. There was no storm. They hadn't been left behind. “Nothing, Twi,” Rainbow lied.

“That didn't sound like nothing,” Twilight said knowingly, forcing her mind to wake up as she saw the look on her wife's face. Fear was still evident in her eyes as she struggled to control her breathing. “What happened?”

Rainbow breathed deeply, finally in control of her own lungs as she laid back down in the bed. “Nothing, Twi. Just a dream, that's all.”

“Want to talk about it? It usually helps get back to sleep,” Twilight offered, rolling onto her side and facing Rainbow.

“Well...” Rainbow fidget nervously, a little embarrassed she'd had a nightmare, and was now supposed to talk about it. Not to mention a little sliver of fear still remained from it.

“Come on, Dash; you know you can talk to me. Besides, it'll help both of us get back to sleep faster,” Twilight prodded encouragingly.

Rainbow relented with a sigh, retelling the tail of her dream to her wife. All the while Twilight listened intently, a small frown on her face as Rainbow told her story.

“.. after that, I woke up,” she finished with a sigh, shaking lightly from the vivid memory.

Twilight nodded slowly. “Well I can assure you there won't be any storms like that where we're going, and even if there were they wouldn't leave until they'd made sure everypony was on a lifeboat,” she comforted with a smile.

“I know all that but... it just felt so real...” Rainbow trailed of, a shiver running down her spine.

Twilight frowned deeply, trying to think of a way to ease the pegasus's fear. When she thought of something, she draped her hoof across Rainbow chest, pulling herself closer and resting her head on the mare's cyan shoulder. “Did it feel as real as this?”

Rainbow blushed as she felt Twilight’s breath against her cheek. How Twilight still managed to get her to blush she would never understand. “No, this feels a lot more real.”

“Then this is what's real, not the dream. As long as this feels real, then you have nothing to worry about; I'm not going anywhere,” Twilight assured quietly, feeling a yawn trying to push out of her mouth.

“Thanks, Twi,” Rainbow said, lifting her own hooves and grabbing the on resting on her chest. She sat I silence for a few moments, before saying, “I think I'll be fine.”

“Good,” Twilight said happily, pausing to yawn. “Because we have two weeks on this ship and you do not need to be worrying about that the entire time.”

Rainbow rolled over onto her side, coming face to face with her bed mate. Leaning in, she kissed her lightly on the muzzle. “I won't. Good night, Twi. I love you.”

“Mm. Love you too Dashie,” Twilight groaned, already feeling sleep trying to take hold of her again.