I sighed as I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the cigar cylinder that Ray had given me. I popped off the top and the metal lid fluttered to the water far below. I offered the cigar to Elijah and he smiled as he removed the cigar, placed it in his mouth and lit a match.

“Death of champions huh?” He asked through a puff of the cigar. The fumes from the cigar filled the air around us as he sucked back on the cigar, inhaling rather than puffing which was rather difficult to do with a cigar.

The boat’s unleveled tipping became more obvious. “You know… I always hated water. A mare talked me into going.” I chuckled and Elijah shared my laugh.

“Marefriend?” He asked and I shook my head.

“Nope… just some mare that joined my group the day before.” I informed him and he laughed.

“And she talked you into going?” He asked then wheezed as cigar fumes filled his lungs. I nodded and he laughed harder. “Well I’ll be damned.” He chuckled.

“Hello Ranger… long time no see.” A voice called to me. I turned around to see an old but familiar face.

“Reese.” I said while I gritted my teeth. It would figure that even though the ship is sinking he comes to settle business. “Guess you’re here to settle things.” I commented and he nodded.

“Indeed. You will not die from the water… but by my blades, like it was always meant to be.” He stated as he stood to his hindlegs and pulled out his twin katanas. I let out an irritated sigh.

“Elijah… take Bear somewhere safe… safer… away from me and him.” I told him, constantly having to correct myself. Where’s safe on a sinking boat with not enough lifeboats for every-pony?

Elijah trotted away with Bear, the cigar hanging off his lip as he continued to smoke it with pride. After Elijah was gone I looked back to Reese and he tilted his head to one side. “What’s wrong Ranger? Not gonna try and draw a gun on me?” He asked and I shook my head.

“I know what you’d do… and besides, we’re dead anyways.” I told him and he shook his head.

“No… not me anyway. I chained up a lifeboat for myself. Number 20, right over there. The one that ponies are still trying to get. Only my katanas will be able to cut through those chains and after I kill you then I’ll make my escape.” He informed me and I gritted my teeth.

“Well… in that case you better hurry up. The ship is about to sink.” I hissed and he charged at me. His first swing was with his left katana and aimed high. I leaned my upper body back and missed the swing though I could hear it wisp the air by my face.

The second swing was lower and aimed for my stomach. I tucked my lower body in and arched my back backwards to miss the blade. He swung high again and I dodged it in a similar fashion to his first swing.

His forth swing went low at my hindleg ankles. I jumped into the air, over the blade, front flipped in the air and landed behind him. We both spun to face each other.

“Hearth has taught you well. I’m surprised you still remember her teachings… do you practice much?” Reese asked tauntingly. I simply gave him a disgruntled and sour look. “Well, in that case, it will be a question that I’ll never solve.” He sneered then propelled himself at me again.

I jumped back and over the railing onto the lower floor of the deck. He followed and it became a scene of him swinging the deadly, razor sharp blades at me while I dodged them. Ponies screamed from the scene as we got closer to them. I could feel the swish of air each time I dodged a blade swing. If I wasn’t precise with every single movement then he’d cut me in half like a wedge of butter.

He swung his right katana low again and I lept backwards through the air, doing a back flip then landing on my hind hooves before rolling to the right as he lept at me with both swords extended.

As his body passed mine I reached out with my left hoof and grabbed him by the wrist before slamming an elbow into the back of his head with my right foreleg. His grip around the katana in his left hoof loosened and I snatched it before releasing him.

He stumbled forwards but didn’t turn to face me. “Impressive Ranger. I never thought a gunslinger like yourself would be so talented.” He commented.

“I do what I must.” I replied and I heard him laugh.

“You can try.” He laughed before leaping into the air at an incredible height and doing a back flip, twisting his body so that he’d face me when he landed, then finally landed on his hindlegs and swung his katana at me.

We began to swing our katanas at each other in a blur of motion. He took to the offensive and I took defensive. He mostly did upper swings and the swords would clang every time the blades connected.

He spun around in a 360 as he swung his sword in a low sweep and I tilted the blade diagonally to intercept his swing. The blades clanged together as he continued to swipe at me.

His offensive was forcing me to step back to avoid being cut. He cocked his blade up and to his right then swung it down on me with great force on a diagonal swing. I brought my own blade up on a horizontal block then cocked it vertically as I intercepted his swing but was forced into a 360 spin to avoid him from simply grinding his blade up mine and cutting off my hoof.

I backpedalled as I spun around and intercepted a heavy swing from his blade. He brought the blade up and over his head then brought it bashing down towards my head. I brought my own blade up to intercept the swing and sparks emitted off the grinding swords as they collided.

He tried to slide his blade down mine and cut my hoof off but I was again forced to 360 spin and avoid his cut. He swung low and at my side but as I blocked he pivoted his motion in a counter clockwise spin then swung heavy at my head.

I blocked it but soon realized that I was at the safety railing. I was forced to stand my ground and block all his attacks for the moment. As he took a heavy high swing I got my moment of opportunity and sidestepped to the left. I began to circle him as we continued to clash swords.

Suddenly he kicked me with his left hindleg then his horn flared up and I was tossed further along the deck of the sinking ship. I back flipped through the air and landed on my hooves as he lept the distance in a single jump. Bastard was using his magic to his advantage.

He forced me back with a fury of swings that made the blade a simple blur of motion. I did my best to block every attack but was still being pushed back. Ponies screamed and rushed away from our path as we continued towards the balcony.

I was forced into another 360 spin and Reese tried to chop at me with a quick swing. I cocked the blade over my head and held it tip facing down in a vertical stance. His swing was blocked and I finished my spin then chopped at him but he blocked it then swung back at me.

As we continued towards the balcony I tried to hold my ground, not wanting to get closer to the sinking end of the ship. He began to twirl his sword in a fury of motion as I blocked each attack. We both took an offensive attack that clashed together then both spun, our backs rolling against each other before we locked blades again.

He took a step back as he twirled his sword then chopped at me. I was forced under the balcony roof. The passageway was tight and our blades would constantly cut slices out of the walls of the ship.

The mirror polished blades reflected the moon’s light and made them a blur of shinning motion as we fought our way through the balcony of the ship. Several sparks chipped off the walls as our blades would clip them after a swing.

As we exited the balcony part of the ship I took a 360 spin to get a glance at the water. We were closer than I expected. I only had another 50 feet of backpedalling before I was into the water.

I took a heavy swing at him and spun off his body to get on the other side of him. As he swung low I deflected his blow then lept up to a window ceil, pushed off the window then landed on the balcony roof. He followed with one simple leap, obviously being assisted by his magic.

We continued battle along the topside of the balcony roof, this time instead of swinging he’d just twirl his blades in a fury of motion. I was forced to backpedal again as he continued his assault.

As we continued along we reached the end of the balcony roof but rather than leap down I hopped up onto the roof of hallways. We now battled on the first leveled roof of the ship, cutting away at each other.

I kicked him back to try and get some room to maneuver but he recovered quickly and kicked me back. I gave an ‘Oomph’ as I was propelled back. He tried to take advantage of my lack of balance and attack but I simply lept backwards, did a back flip then landed on my hooves again. Adrenaline was coursing through my veins and without it I doubt I would be able to do all these acrobatics.

He lept at me again and we began to swing at each other in another fury of motion.

As I stepped back I lept through the air in a backwards motion and to the deck below. He followed and no sooner did he land, he began swinging. More sparks emitted off our blades but then the ship began to tip too steep for us to keep our footing. Ponies all around began to slide down the steep incline of the ship while they screamed in absolute horror. Both Reese and I took a last second breath, waited several moments until the ship was tilted enough then lept through the air.

We were airborne for several seconds before landing against a steel mast. We stood on opposite sides of the mast while we listened for a second. The air was filled with the screams and cries of ponies that either fell into the water or lept off the side of the ship and into the deathly cold water below.

As the ship continued to tilt, Reese rolled off his side of the mast and attacked me. We began to engage in blade combat but soon found it too difficult.

We lept again and landed on another larger steel mast. We balanced our footing and Reese took an unbalanced swing which I deflected then we both wobbled as we tried to regain our balance that was lost from the brief attack.

Soon the ship was nearly on a 90 degree angle. Lights hummed and flickered before soon dying out, leaving only the moon to illuminate the catastrophe still going on. Reese cut one of the support lines, then another, and another, until the mast whined with the rest of the ship. I realized what he was doing and grabbed a steel cable just as the mast finally gave way, snapping and falling to the icy cold depths of the ocean.

I swung with the steel cable as Reese also swung in a different direction. I finally reached the end of my swing momentum then began to fall back towards Reese as he too fell towards me. In mid-air we collided our blades in a single swing that emitted sparks.

We reached the end of yet another swing and fell back towards each other and clashed blades for a second time. As we reached the end of our third swing I heard the ship’s hull groan in stress. Multiple support cables snapped and lashed about violently.

After a very loud groan, the ship’s hull began to snap. The bottom half of the ship continued to sink but the upper half that Reese and I were on snapped off and began to splash down level again.

I swung in a large arc then landed on all fours, setting hoof on the deck floor. Reese landed close behind and we continued in our violent sword battle. Sparks flashed about in the night air and our swords clanged.

We began to reach the bow of the ship as it began to capsize again. We both disengaged our battle and rushed for some more leveled ground. I slipped but managed to grab a steel cable. Reese saw me, grabbed a steel cable of his own then swung down towards me.

We clashed swords but I lept down onto a leveled part of the bow. He swung back down towards me then lept down also. I had nowhere to backpedal, nowhere to retreat. I was going to have to hold my ground.

“This is the end for you Ranger.” Reese said in a deep tone then levitated over a piece of paper. “It’s for Dodge Junction. Black wanted me to give it to you.” Reese told me as the ship continued to sink.

“I guess this is the end.” I commented and Reese charged. We both stood there for several moments and swung our blades at each other in a fury of motions.

He attempted a 360 spin swing and I lept over him in a front flip, deflected his swing at my back with a vertical, over the head, block. I spun around then swung at his waistline. He deflected the swing but as he swung up for a heavy swing I saw my moment of opportunity.

I brought the blade up on a horizontal angle and deflected it but took and aggressive step forwards. I knew he’d try to spin swing.

He did.

Reese spun in a clockwise 360 motion. I brought the katana blade up and over my head and swung left to right but he deflected the swing. I used the momentum of the blow back caused from the block to swing the blade back up and around my head and swung right to left.

The blade him in the waist and he gasped suddenly then grunted. I stepped back as his face became expressionless as he fell back. His body separated where I had struck him and his body split into two halves as he fell to the cold depths of the ocean.

I spotted Elijah holding onto a guardrail with Bear lopped up on his shoulder, still smoking that cigar I gave him. I looked to see that lifeboat 20, the one Reese had chained up, was still chained up.

I grabbed a steel cable and rushed outwards then lept through the air. I swung on a large arc then extended my hindlegs and collided them with the wall of the ship. Holding the cable in my left hoof, I chopped away at the steel chains with the katana in my right hoof and soon the lifeboat was free.

I lept into the lifeboat and cut the pulley ropes just as the back end of the boat was touching water. The lifeboat slid down and splashed into the water. I grabbed a paddle and quickly paddled over to Elijah and Bear.

“ELIJAH!” I yelled and he looked down to me. As the ship sank and he got closer, he lept from about six feet and landed in the boat. It rocked a little and I chuckled. “Damn… don’t sink us now.” I laughed and he breathed deeply.

He set Bear down then grabbed me tightly with his forelegs, giving me a strong hug. “Thank you… friend. I would surely be dead if it weren’t for you.”

I heard screaming from the point tip of the bow and looked up to see Extravagant and his wife trying to stay above water.

I pointed them out to Elijah and we paddled over so that they’d be able to jump when they got close enough.

“Hey Extravagant!” I yelled and he looked down to me.

“By the name of Celestia!” He gasped and I rolled my eyes.

“Decided to stay on the ship a bit longer eh? I can’t blame you but uhm… want a lift?” I asked. As the ship sank to the very tip of the bow he helped lower his wife down into the lifeboat then he too hopped in.

As the final tip of the great cruise liner sank I gulped. “There she goes… the unsinkable ship… sinks into the vast abyss of the ocean. Goddess dammit.” I muttered then looked around to see the graveyard of bodies around us.

No-pony was alive, at least not that I could tell. The freezing temperature of the water probably killed them in less than a few minutes. “Celestia’s name…” Extravagant muttered and I nodded.

I saw a ripple in the water and pointed it out. We paddled over to see a freezing mare in the water. “Ma’am, let me help you up!” I exclaimed but she shook her head and slowly lifted up a foal in wet cloth. I gasped. She had probably stayed alive by will power alone to keep her foal alive.

I picked up the foal. “Take… care of… her.” The mare said through chattering teeth as a tear trickled down her face. I nodded then looked to the light green mare. I heard May Rose begin to sob and looked back to see the mare sinking below the depths of the water.

She had stayed alive by pure willpower… just to make sure her foal survived. I quickly came to my senses and realized that the foal wouldn’t live long if I left it in the cold cloth it was wrapped in. I quickly discarded the wet cloth and took off my duster coat before wrapping it in the somewhat warm coat.

With all the body heat I had been giving off the coat was like a small furnace compared to the cold temperature outside. The baby foal, who could be no more than seven months old cooed and snuggled into my coat as I bundled it up.

Bear came over and licked the foal’s face. “Bear… what are yah doing?” I asked as the dog nudged the foal’s face affectionately with his wet nose. That’s when I noticed a small pendant around the foal’s neck.

I took the pendant into my hoof and looked at it. It popped open much like a pendant watch. Inside was two pieces of writing. The left side read ‘Our little miracle, we love you’ the other side read ‘Heartstrings’. I came to the quick conclusion that Heartstrings was the foal’s name.

I looked to the other occupants of the lifeboat and prayed that Billy and Brixie had gotten on a lifeboat safely. Then it struck me hard. I looked to the others. “Where do we go now?” I asked.

Author's Notes:

Ahh, the cliff-hanger of the night that's going to drive me nuts. This is about where my dream ended because my alarm clock went off. Well that's all for today.