Today was the day. The funeral would be taking place tomorrow by Canterlot. They would ride there today and stay at a hotel for tomorrow. At first, Twilight wasn't entirely sure if she was ready. But then one look at her new marefriend made all her worries go away. Rainbow Dash would be there for her and she would never leave her side. Knowing this, Twilight smiled.
Twilight, along with her other five friends, were walking to the train station. While Twilight said that they did not need to come, they insisted and wanted to be there for Twilight. Rainbow was right - she did have good friends. And she was thankful. As they paced themselves towards the station, Rainbow walked besides her, wings almost touching, but with just enough distance apart so it's not suspicious or anything. After all, Twilight wasn't entirely ready to share her love life with her friends, especially Rarity, who would just go on and on about romance and they would never hear the end of it. Rainbow too wanted to keep things quiet. She wanted to keep her image up at least for now. They would eventually tell their friends, of course, as they would not be able to hide it for too long, and they didn't want them to find out from someone that isn't them.
Rainbow was to bring her guitar with her, and thankfully Twilight had a spell to conceal it in one of her saddlebags. It wasn't too heavy, although Rainbow's bag did weigh an entire guitar plus her toiletries she had brought with herself. The basic stuff. A toothbrush, soap - that kind of thing. Being an athlete had it's benefits, as she showed no signs of being slowed down by the excessive weight on her back.
When they drew near the station, Applejack nudged Rainbow. "Ya know, I've never seen ya two so close before."
Rainbow blushed slightly.
"Ahm glad you took care ah Twilight. Got her out ah that little shell ah hers," Applejack gave a thankful smile. "Ah don't know how ya did it, but it worked. Now ya two are so close, if ah didn't know any better, I'd reckon ya two were together."
Dash's cheek went multiple shades redder. She chuckled sheepishly, "Heheh... yeah. I guess you could say that," she rubbed the back of her neck. "Ya know I never leave my friends hanging."
"Okay, girls. We're here," Twilight announced as they arrived at the train station. They walked up to one of the trains. "Don't worry, I already have our tickets." She pulled out the tickets and handed one to each of them. "You guys are going into cart one. I'm technically royalty, so I'm going to a separate cart." She sighed. "I would go with you guys if I could."
"Ah, that's alright sugarcube. You'll be fine. You've been through worse, ah've seen it myself," Applejack reassured.
"I hope you're right, Applejack," Twilight said, head hung low before slowly walking towards her cart. "I'll see you guys there, then?" Rainbow frowned. There's no way she was leaving her like this.
"Hey Twilight? Do you think I could go with ya? I'm sure they can make an acceptation," Rainbow smirked. "Plus, if they say no, you're a princess, and I don't think they can just deny you."
Twilight looked back and pondered a bit. "Well, I wouldn't like to abuse my power like that Rainbow."
"Come oooooon, Twi! Just this once?" Rainbow gave her puppy eyes.
Twilight's heart practically melted. How could she say no to that face? "Fine. Come along, Dashie."
"Yes!" Rainbow rushed to her side and waved goodbye to the others before promptly following Twilight. She wrapped a wing around her. "Thanks for letting me come, Twi."
Twilight was burning up. "Well how can I refuse those eyes of yours?" She stared into Dash's face and nearly kissed her, but then remembered that they were still in public.
Rainbow was taken aback. Her eyes wide in mocking surprise. "Is the princess flirting with me? How flattering!" Twilight giggled. They arrived at the cart and stepped aboard. A guard stopped them.
"Halt. Tickets please?" Twilight handed their tickets over. "Ah. Princess Twilight, a pleasure to see you. I hope you enjoy your ride. I assume she is riding with you?" he pointed at Dash.
"Yes, we are riding together. It won't be too much of a problem, right?"
"No problem at all. Your room is over to the left when you are ready, your Highness," he waved his hoof to their left.
"Thank you. Also, just Twilight is fine."
"Well then, Twilight, your room is A-102 when you're ready," he pointed at the second door to the right side of the hall.
Twilight nodded and they entered their room. It was quite luxurious. The frames were made of gold and the seats themselves of silk. They had their own table that could be pulled out from the side of the wall. Overall, the room was really spacious, providing enough room for a group of five to sleep there comfortably.
Rainbow whistled. "Dang, this place is nice. First class, am I right?" Twilight sighed.
"Dash, you know I don't like being treated as if I'm higher than everyone else. I'm just a normal pony. Just like any other normal mare out there. I shouldn't be treated as better than them just because I wear a crown on my head," Twilight groaned.
Rainbow's ears fell flat. "Oh, sorry about that, Twi. I get you." She sat down on one side of the chair. "These seats are pretty comfy, though." She sunk into the chair and closed her eyes. "Ah..."
Twilight chuckled before sitting down on the other side, sinking in as well. "You're right. These are pretty comfy." They relaxed there for a good few minutes.
"I'm not gonna lie, this stuff is pretty addicting. Almost as comfortable as a perfect cloud. Almost," Rainbow commented. "I probably shouldn't sleep, though. It'll mess up my schedule." She sat upright and looked out the window.
"We are now departing. Make sure you stay seated until the train has come to a comfortable cruise," a voice over the speaker announced. "Have a nice ride," the voice finished.
Rainbow looked outside and watched as the plants besides them started to move. Slowly inching away from her before eventually flying past her window in an instant. The mountains in the background moved slowly as the train finally entered into cruising speed, which the captain announced.
"Yo, Twi? How long is this flight?" Rainbow asked and looked over to Twilight, who was reading one of the books she packed.
Twilight looked up at Rainbow and replied, "It'll be around three hours. Did you bring anything to pass the time?" Rainbow shrugged.
"Just an old Daring Do book an my guitar. Nothin' else, really," Rainbow replied. Twilight rolled her eyes.
"You want to play something? No one will hear us, the walls are magically sound-proofed," Twilight offered.
Rainbow thought about it and then shrugged again. "Why not?" she said and then reached into her saddlebag. She brought out her acoustic from the bag. How it managed to fit in the bag, Rainbow would never know. Just that it was some spell Twilight casted. The guitar basically enlarged as she slowly pulled it out like King Arthur pulling out Excalibur. Her eyes widened as it seemed to keep on going forever before eventually reaching full size and resting in her hooves like nothing unusual ever happened to it.
"How in the name of Celestia- you know what? I'm just not gonna question it," Rainbow muttered to herself. She set the guitar on her lap and tuned it up, twisting the tuning knobs at the head, plucking each string individually, harmonics ringing out of tune before eventually joining to be the same sound with no more wobbles. Eventually, it was all tuned and she was ready to play.
She thought of what song to play and quickly came up with a song.
Wayfaring Stranger (Ashley Johnson's Version)
"Ya know this one, Twi?" Rainbow asked as she started to play a soft tone. Twilight listened for a bit before nodding. "I'll go first," Rainbow said softly before starting to sing.
I'm just a poor, wayfaring stranger
Traveling through this world of woes
There is no sickness, no toil, no danger
In that bright land to which I go
Rainbow finished her verse and motioned to Twilight that it was her turn. She nodded and sang her part, her voice filled with raw emotion. Emotion from her worries. Worried about how she was going to handle the funeral. Worried about how Rainbow was going to handle it.
I'm going there to see my mother
She said she'd meet me when I come
Their voices joined together to sing the chorus. They looked out the window and saw the trees and bushes passing by. The clouds hovering over the flat plains.
I'm just a-goin' over Jordan
I'm just a-goin' over home
Twilight continued on with her verse. She reflected on her journey to get to this point. Her rough recovery and the things life threw at her. How Rainbow managed to help her, like she always did.
I know dark clouds will gather 'round me
I know my way is rough and steep
But beauteous fields lie just before me
Where gods redeemed their vigils keep
Rainbow sung her part of the verse. Her voice also filled with just as much raw emotion as Twilight's.
I'm going there to see my father
I'm going there, no more to roam
Twilight heard Rainbow's sudden increase in raw emotion, and it made her slightly concerned.
I'm just a-goin' over Jordan
I'm just a-goin' over home
Rainbow played lighter, her voice growing quieter as she sang her part. Her mind grew distance as she thought of the funeral and the events that led to this point. She was worried, too.
I'll soon be free from earthly trials
This body rests in the old churchyard
I'll drop this cross of self-denial
And go singing home to God
She heard herself trembling a little. She thought of Twilight. She didn't want to lose what they had together. She just wanted to be by her side and make sure everything was alright. Her eyes teared up a little, but nothing dropped.
I'm going there to see my savior
I'm going there, no more to roam
Now Twilight was concerned. She looked at Rainbow with a look of worry. When Rainbow looked up, their eyes met. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before realizing that they both had similar worries. Suddenly, it felt as if a weight was lifted off of their shoulders. Right in that moment, they knew they could have each other's backs and that there was nothing to worry about. Their worries faded into dust and they joined together again to sing the final chorus.
I'm just a-goin' over Jordan
I'm just a-goin' over home
I'm just a-goin' over Jordan
I'm just a-goin over home
I'm just a-goin'
When the song ended, they made eye contact again. Rainbow smiled softly and wiped a tear from her eye. Twilight got up and sat besides Rainbow, snuggling up to her, putting her own wings around her and giving her a comforting hug. Rainbow returned the warm embrace with one of her own, wrapping her wings around her partner, too, setting her guitar down on the floor. Rainbow nuzzled Twilight's neck affectionately.
Twilight used her hoof to push Dash's chin up where their eyes met again. She leaned forwards and kissed Rainbow, putting all her weight into her. They fell into a laying position, where their tongues wrestled. Eventually, they broke apart to catch their breath, saliva dripping from their mouths. Rainbow took this as an opportunity and swept Twilight's legs from underneath her and landed on top of her, leaning in again for a kiss. Twilight moaned and they closed their eyes, focusing on the moment, not wanting it to end.
When they broke apart again, Twilight whispered, "I love you."
Rainbow smiled. "I love you more."