All Aboard!

“Going somewhere nice ma'am?” a stallion in a neat uniform asked as he watched the mare approach his ticket booth at Canterlot’s grand train station.

Spitfire nodded as she let go of her suitcase for a moment and looked up to the stallion. “Yes, in fact I am, one ticket to Fillydelphia please,” she said happily, pushing her fedora styled hat up so she could see the stallion better.

The ticket operator smiled and passed a ticket through the slot in the thick glass that separated them both. “That’ll be one hundred bits please.”

Spitfire smirked. “I hope this train will go faster than I can fly for this many bits,” she said as she turned around to her saddlebags and quickly opened them to find some money.

The stallion nodded. “Only a Wonderbolt would be able to fly faster than this train ma’am,” he replied confidently.

“Well,” Spitfire started, taking the bits out of her saddlebags and putting them on the small metal tray in front of the ticket booth, “let’s just hope I don’t get called back to my job on the train then,” she said as she took the ticket in her hoof before picking up her suitcase and trotting over towards the platform. The stallion wasn’t sure what the mare meant until he spotted her cutie mark. His eyes widened as he looked over to the mare who flashed him a smug grin as she trotted away.

Spitfire sighed happily as she began trotting through the decorative building, which housed the largest train station in Equestria. The marble flooring was shown throughout the hall where the sound of conversation echoed off the large walls that surrounded the station. The glass ceiling created the little light that shone down onto the floor and the large waterfall feature that was the centerpiece of the complex.

Spitfire smiled as her eyes traveled over the large paintings that lined some of the hallways and the statues that gave the building a more royal figure. The signs that hung from the ceilings gave ponies a general direction to the platforms and other places around the large structure. Spitfire found the sign which pointed her in the direction of platform eight as she made her way past a few ponies in the main center square of the building, a few giving her the odd glance as she trotted by. She pulled her hat a little lower so no pony could make eye contact with her. It wasn’t really something she was interested to do today. She was much more interested in her holiday and finding a nice place to relax for the next few weeks, but now she was also more inclined to spend it with a certain mare. Spitfire smiled at the thought as she followed the general direction until she came up to a small tunnel that led to the platform.

As she made her way through the small tunnel which led her out into the open, wooden platform that was number eight, she found a conductor looking at his golden pocket watch as he waited for a train to arrive. There was a slightly disappointed look on his face as he kept glancing at the silent tracks in front of him. She quickly took a glance around the platform and saw only a few other ponies trotting around the area with slightly bored looks on their faces. She made her way over to the conductor as she spoke up. “Excuse me, but shouldn't the train be here by now?” she asked curiously.

The conductor nodded. “Yeah, it’s running late, apparently a hold up because of some cattle on the line,” he said formally. “Please take a seat, it might be another few moments,” he said kindly.

Spitfire nodded and made her way over to a free spot on the platform. Putting her suitcase down, she proceeded to sit on the cushioned surface and put her forehooves either side of the bag to support her back. She smiled as she looked out over the morning sky, the cool wind brushing over her ears that poked out of her hat. However, now that she was here, her mind was focused on the other pony who she wanted to join her on this holiday.

”I-I’ll think on it, and if I wanna go I’ll meet you at the train station next week.”

The voice rang in Spitfire’s head a few times as she waited, her eyes travelling to the small tunnel that she’d came from every now and then in hope that she’d see the rainbow mare trot out with a suitcase of her own. She’d been planning the holiday for quite a while. Why she’d not discussed it with any other pony surprised her slightly, probably because she’d always wanted to be able to go on a holiday and not have to be pressured with any contracts or advertisement or anything like that. However, there was something that she’d always liked about Rainbow; the two could get on very well as friends and had a lot in common with one another. Not to mention the mare hadn’t been able to see a lot of her and they’d needed to catch up for some time.

Before Spitfire could go any further in her thoughts, suddenly the tracks started to vibrate slightly in front of the platform, making a sound which caught everyone's attention. Spitfire could see a few little fillies and their slightly worried parents run towards the edge of the wooden structure to try and catch a glimpse of the incoming train. Suddenly the tale-tell signs of the loud whistle and chug from the engine could be heard as the train finally came into view of the station. The conductor smiled as he shouted, “Ladies and Gentlecolts, this is the late train for Fillydelphia, please mind the gap when alighting this train!”

Spitfire smiled as she watched the large locomotive pull into the station. She turned around to pick up her suitcase when she spotted a certain mare trotting over to her with a smug grin on her face. She held a dark blue suitcase with her own set of saddlebags. “Well, I didn’t expect you to show up,” Spitfire said as she saw the mare flick her rainbow mane.

“Well I thought it’d be pretty cool, so I decided to give your already awesome status an extra twenty percent,” Rainbow Dash said confidently as she looked at her friend.

Spitfire chuckled as she got up and took her suitcase. She then proceeded to trot towards the train while looking at Rainbow. “I’m glad you did decide to come. It’s pretty good that I’ve got a buddy to come with me,” she replied with a grin.

Dash too took her suitcase as she followed the mare into the train. “It’s cool. So, how long’s the train ride then?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Spitfire shrugged. “A few hours, which gives us some time to get to know each other even more,” she said with a smirk, the two mares heading into one of the many carriages of the train. Spitfire trotted down the carriage and put her suitcase on one of the racks above before sitting on a seat close by as Dash did the same. The two sat across from one another, a small wooden table separating them. Spitfire smiled as she leaned back on the cushioned seat, looking towards Dash opposite her. “So, how you been this past week?” she asked.

Rainbow smirked at the Wonderbolt. “Not much, just been kicking clouds and generally being awesome around Ponyville. I will say though, your offer was on my mind a lot,” she replied.

Spitfire nodded. “So what made you say yes?” she asked.

“Well, I haven’t seen my dad in a while, and knowing him he’ll probably want to see me at some point. Then it’s spending time with a Wonderbolt which is pretty cool,” Rainbow said happily.

“Is that really it? I thought you’d gotten sour at me slightly after Rainbow Falls,” Spitfire asked cautiously, still happy the mare liked her. She hoped it was slightly more than just a like too.

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, I still like you Spitfire... I mean as a friend, I mean-”

Dash was cut off by Spitfire’s laughter as the mare tried to correct herself. “It’s fine Dash, I’m glad you're all cool about the whole thing. Besides, I guess this is more or less a thank you for making me and Fleet see sense that day,” she replied, knowing it was a little more of a thank you she wanted to give.

Dash rubbed the back of her neck as she looked away slightly. “It was nothin’,” she said with a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

Spitfire grinned. “I’m making you blush already? Jeez, and I was about to thank you for saving my life again too,” she said with a slight giggle.

Dash’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah, the young flyers competition... it was nothing too,” she said casually, trying her hardest to stop her blush from going any further.

Spitfire shook her head playfully with a slight giggle. “Rainbow, you can be a little too modest sometimes.”

Rainbow smiled. “Well you were... or are one of my idols, being the captain of the ‘Bolts and all, so I wasn’t not gonna help you,” she said happily.

Spitfire nodded. “Well... okay, you’ve got me there I guess,” she said with a smile before getting up. “I’ll be back in just a sec, I need to use the little fillies room.”

Dash felt another smile reach her lips as she watched the mare leave; this was her dream. Going on holiday with one of her top idols was something she’d dreamed of as a filly, and it wasn’t an opportunity she was going to miss for anything. However, she liked Spitfire more than most ponies she idolized, because she was the only pony who had become her friend and someone she wasn’t afraid to speak to in a normal way. She also loved the way Spitfire looked. She was, in her eyes, what she wanted to become in a few years time. Even though she would hate to say it, Spitfire was Dash’s definition of awesome. The mare was gorgeous and had a stunning flight career, and any pony would be lucky to have her. However, if she and Spitfire did like one another, could that mean…

Dash snapped herself out of the thought straight away, there was no evidence that Spitfire even liked her in that way, not to mention the mare wasn’t even looking in Dash’s direction. She was way out of her league. Rainbow then suddenly realised why she was thinking this, what was bringing all of this on?

As the blue mare let her mind swim, Spitfire’s was doing the same. As the Wonderbolt trotted up to the toilet door her mind was buzzing with different things, mostly excitement that she had a friend on this holiday. She couldn’t wait for them to arrive in Filly, but mostly because it was Rainbow Dash who was with the mare. In true honesty, Spitfire had felt more of a special connection towards the mare ever since she saved her life. As she kept thinking, she just hoped that Rainbow liked her as much as she did. She also hoped she could pay the mare back for all she's done for her in the past. A smirk formed on her lips as she glanced back down the carriage to see the mare. She wanted to give her the holiday she'd never forget.