Author's Notes:

DISCLAIMER:

Chapters 7 and 8 of Act 1 will be rewritten, as major plot points are retconned later down the line.

-The original story got amazing support. I hope this story will be even better for you.

-Sorry that Writer's Block is making me its bitch.

-Thank Crowley, Darf, TheCamel and more for inspiring me to make stories.

-This story has sex. Patience is key, however.

-Rainbow will sometimes be referred to as 'the girl' and 'the mare' and possibly in later chapters. It sounds nice, for some reason.

Finally, since this will obviously be better here than in the story itself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXl5pxIBq00

-I'll put that in the description---maybe.

-Enjoy the story.

Mornings in Manehattan---given the occasion---can be rather lovely. It's a time before the city begins to bustle with life, and at that time, you can listen to the sounds of the birds chirping, the gentle howling of the wind in your ears, or the sound of the ocean crashing against the concrete walls of the island itself.

To some---a city without the sounds of civilization lurking about...

It sounds lovely.

But the only sound Rainbow Dash woke up to was the sound of a heart monitor, beeping away into her ears.

To some ponies, that particular sound would have driven them mad with insanity, and of course, it too pestered the young mare.

But she took it less as an annoyance...and more of a good sign. Because it told her that her friend was still with the world.

With Applejack. With Twilight. With Pinkie. With her.

She was glad that he was still with her.

As the mare woke up from her slumber, she felt a bit of hope for the new day. She hoped that her male friend would have been just as awake as she was, waiting for her to awaken and cry with joy.

But the reality that appeared before her was far from what she had hoped.

Though she did cry, she cried for a while.

But they were anything but tears of joy.

She couldn't even remember how long she cried for, but by the time she stopped, the sun started to shine through the only window in the room. It did take quite a while however before she felt the warmness of the distant star beaming across her body.

Eventually, the girl lifted her head up, watching as the sun began to shine between a few of the distant buildings, reflecting over the distant ocean waters.

She sniffled and began to wipe the wet tears off her face. She decided to leave alone the dry ones; she would just wash her face later.

To her, it was a good thing she never wore makeup. It was less of a hassle to wash her face, unlike her friend Rarity, who would usually have spent more than ten minutes to wash her face, as opposed to Rainbow having taken less than thirty seconds.

Just thinking about it, even for that little moment, made Rainbow chuckle only slightly, and it seemed that just the littlest thoughts seemed to brighten her mood---only slightly, but enough to get her moving.

Rainbow looked at her friend, still bedridden as he was yesterday and the day before, and could be for tomorrow and the day after and the day after and...

...Well...you know.

The stallion still looked the same visually---bruised and cut up slightly, but alive nonetheless. Just seeing his chest slowly expand and contract as it did made her feel a constant moment of relief, knowing that he was still fighting for life.

Raising a hoof, the girl brushed his mane. It was slightly tattered, but it seemed that the doctors had tried to fix it. Of course, it was never as proper as, say, Rarity's mane. In fact, it was just as messy as hers sometimes.

But it made a part of him in a way.

As Rainbow brushed his mane, she noticed some of the little cuts hidden beneath, as well as a couple of scars. The scars were from a long time ago, rather than recent, but it still seemed surprising to her.

She gently touched his face as she felt the other tiny cuts on it beneath his warm fur, but was careful around the massive bruise from the...from the bat.

Even after already two days---she still couldn't get over it. It seemed so unreal, and yet, it was real.

The fact that somepony in the world took the time out of their lives to try and kill one stallion...

What kind of pony-no....What kind of monster would go out of their way to do something like that?

...

Well...she didn't care about that pony.

Not right now.

She had more important things to worry about right now than some bastard coward.

As the clock hanging on the wall chimed 8 AM, a time she rarely woke up to, Dash felt her stomach begin to growl, a sign that it begged to be fed.

She hadn't eaten since 5 PM yesterday. It seemed more like that since this. Before all of this, she would pig out on food and snacks.

But after two nights ago, she seemed hungry less and less.

She wanted to take that as a good thing, and so she did. The last thing he probably would want was to wake up to her being a fat slob.

The mare let out another chuckle at her own thought. There was nothing wrong with making fun of yourself every now and again.

She probably deserved it, anyway.

Getting up from the set of chairs she had slept on, she sorely walked her way towards the bathroom. It wasn't anything special from hers; a toilet, a sink, a mirror, and dim lights. The occasional hospital setup.

Why are hospital rooms so dull? she thought to herself as she made her way to the sink.

Running both knobs, she waited patiently for the water to change the way she liked: Not too hot, not too cold.

Just right.

When the temperature seemed good enough, the mare splashed a good chunk of water into her face, rubbing it against her matted fur and washing away any dry tears that appeared overnight and only recently.

As the water made its way into her mouth, she tasted the faint saltiness of her tears as they mixed with the sink water. She cringed slightly and spit it out whenever she could, almost gagging.

She hated tasting tears.

When her face felt as clean as it could be, she turned off the sink and looked into the mirror.

Her face was wet with water and messy, seeming a lot fluffier than usual as she dried it off with a towel. It didn't take long for her to smooth her fur again.

And as she stared into the mirror, while her body looked normal as it had just a few days ago, her eyes were quite...different. It wasn't just the fact that they were still red from the tears, but...

To her---and maybe others---they seemed...

Sad.

Faded.

Dim.

While they still held the pink brightness that always showed off to her friends and anyone else, to Rainbow, that color today was a lot less than the day before.

And the day before.

The mare tried to ignore the sight, blocking it from her mind, and left the bathroom, shutting the light off and closing the door behind her. As it shut, she felt her stomach growling again, demanding the nutrients it needed.

She didn't ignore it. She was really hungry.

She checked the clock again. Two past eight.

Eat and then come back up, Dash thought as she stared at the slowly ticking hands. Shouldn't take too long.

Nodding to herself, she started to make her way back over to the bed, looking once more over her friend. His heart monitor continued steadily, his breathing the same.

Even with how normal he seemed---she still couldn't shake the worry of something happening while she was away. It wasn't out of the ordinary to be worried for someone who was close to death.

A part of her felt that he could die at any moment, and if she was away, no one would ever know.

But another part of her told her to stop worrying every single second. It told her that he would be okay, that he would still be here when she got back.

And she had no other choice but to listen to it.

It was right, after all.

Or rather---she was right, after all.

Hovering over her friend's body, she got close to his ear, as if she felt that he would hear her better. With a calm-as-could-be voice, she whispered:

"I'll be right back...okay?"

And with that, she gave her friend a gentle kiss on the forehead.

It may not have been the kiss he wanted.

But to Rainbow, it was just a kiss that he needed.

With another gentle brush of his mane, the mare stood back on all fours. Turning around, she made her way to the door. As she reached the door, she felt the knob in her hoof for a couple of seconds before opening the door.

But before she left, she took one last look at her friend.

Unchanged.

She wanted to tell herself to stop assuming he would be awake at the turn of her head.

But there was nothing wrong with hope.

With a sigh, she left her friend alone again.

Alone to satisfy her own needs.

The walk to the elevator wasn't too far, just on the other side of the building. To some, yes, that would seem a bit far with how big a hospital usually is, but the mare already became familiar with the shortest twists and turns to get to the elevator or stairs, if she so desired.

But along the way through the familiar hallway, she came across a familiar face; one of the nurses that stood alongside Doctor Cobalt the day before had been walking in the direction opposite her, carrying on her back what appeared to be some form of food bag.

As the nurse got closer to Rainbow, she seemed to recognize the mare almost immediately, stopping and bidding her a good morning, and even asking how she was feeling so far.

"A little hungry," Rainbow began with a faint smile, "but I'm okay."

"That's good," the nurse replied with her own smile, before adding, "The cafeteria's open right now; you should eat."

"I was headed there, anyway," Rainbow chuckled. The nurse apologized slightly, but the mare said it was no problem.

But before the nurse could go any further, Rainbow asked what the bag on her back was for. The nurse simply stated that it was time to feed her friend, adding that comatose patients can't eat solid foods, and therefore, need to eat food that has been liquidized in order to be fed or hydrated.

Rainbow never "drank" food before, and the thought of doing so made her a bit queezy. Sure, it was understandable why it was liquid, but she had the thought that the mixture of all kinds of food into one large "drink" was enough to make one hurl.

Well....unless they're in a coma, of course.

After another moment of brief talking, the two mares eventually bid each other farewell for now. Rainbow felt somewhat better, knowing that, if anything were to happen, at least someone would be there.

Right now, all she needed was some food herself.

Because a solid breakfast sounds really good right now.

Breakfast today was different from breakfast yesterday.

In many ways, it was very different.

Sure, the food tasted better in a way, and she could actually get it down her throat.

But that wasn't the main thing bothering her.

Today---breakfast was...

It was lonely.

Yesterday, Rainbow had breakfast with Twilight and Applejack, two of her best friends, and through it, they kept her as positive as they could.

But today, there was nopony sitting in front of her or beside her.

She was all alone.

Of course, she knew Applejack wouldn't be here, especially after what happened last night. Yes, she was mad at her. Of course she was mad at her! Even as she forgave her, she still had a grudge on her.

But she could never think of laying a single hoof on her best friend---a friend that she knew even before Twilight came to Ponyville.

No matter how angry she could ever be at that mare...

She would never hit her.

Shaking her head, she let out a somewhat frustrated sigh and decided to dig into her meal. At least the pancakes were actually edible.

But not more than a couple of bites in, she heard somepony sit just opposite of her. Looking up from her tray, she noticed Twilight, with her own tray of pancakes, looking right back at her.

At first, the two were silent, only looking into each other's eyes for a few brief moments, all while the life of the cafeteria filled the silence.

It remained silent for a little while longer, before Twilight became the first to speak.

"...Hey," she began.

At first, Rainbow didn't reply, still looking at the unicorn with a neutral attitude. With a silent but short sigh, she looked back down towards her food.

"Hey," she quietly replied back, enough for Twilight to hear.

Twilight knew Rainbow was upset. Of course, it wasn't too much of a surprise, considering the past couple of days.

For about half a minute, it became silent between the two again. Twilight started to eat her pancakes normally, while Rainbow ate hers slowly.

As she ate, however, Rainbow could hear the sound of individual conversations all around her; it was a perk she always had. Even if she wasn't paying attention directly, she was always paying attention.

To her left, a few tables down, she could hear two stallions talking about the recent hit in the Griffon Kingdom's stock market. At a table behind her, she could hear an old couple, roughly thirty years older than her, playfully arguing about their hospital bill. Why they would playfully argue about hundreds of bits worth of payment, she could never understand.

But to her right---she could hear a couple of nurses talking about the recent coma patient. The name of the patient immediately gave away the question as to who it was.

"Did you hear about the new patient? What happened to him?"

"Yeah, I did. Coma patient, right?"

"Yeah. I couldn't get a good look at him because they rushed him to the ER as quick as they could. But from what I heard, someone stabbed him and smashed his face in."

"Sweet Celestia. And he's still alive?"

"Surprisingly, yes. From what most of the doctors were saying, he's in a coma, but he's still holding on. The other night, when he first came in, he apparently flat-lined during the surgery. They spent several minutes trying to restart his heart. Eventually, only one doctor kept trying. The rest were all getting ready to log in the time."

"Just one doctor?"

"Yes. But what I also heard is...apparently the patient's friends were all there, watching through the window, watching it all go down."

"Really?"

"Yeah. One of his friends apparently broke down in the middle of the hall and started screaming through it."

The conversation would have gone further, but Twilight had decided to cut it there.

"Excuse me, ladies," she called to them from afar. Almost immediately, they all turned in the direction of the two of them.

Their eyes widened only slightly when they realized who they were looking at, but the nurse who had been telling the story found her eyes locking with Rainbow. She could see the nurse's eyes quickly flood with regret, as if she recognized her right away.

Twilight added, "Can you please take that conversation somewhere else, please?"

There was no objection or protest. The nurses quickly nodded, apologized to "Princess Twilight" and grabbed their trays as they trotted away as quick as they could to another table.

Twilight looked back to Rainbow, who didn't seem to have shown any type of emotion or negativity toward the mares' words, only growing slight worry within the unicorn.

But before she could ask if her friend was okay, Rainbow was the first to ask, seeming frustrated with Twilight's decision.

"Why did you do that?" she asked with an annoyed tone, "I was listening!"

Almost immediately, Twilight replied, "Because the last thing you need is to hear anything else and make yourself worse."

The response seemed to perk one of Rainbow's eyebrows up, seeming as if she was confused of her friend's answer.

"What are you talking about?"

Twilight's slightly stern look seemed to fade near instantly after Rainbow asked the question, replaced with a look of worry and sadness. Dash could see it in her friend's eyes---yet she didn't say a thing. She wanted to hear what she had to say.

With a sad sigh, Twilight took a look up and down Rainbow's body for only a second before answering.

"...Look at you."

At first, the mare hesitated, but complying, she started to take a look at her own body.

Her hooves were still clean after they had been washed, and she was sure her face was clean also.

But the rest of her body...

That was a different story.

Parts of her fur were matted, dirty and uncleaned. If she focused enough, she could even smell herself---to her, it wasn't as bad as the smell Twilight could smell.

Of course, the last time she showered was the day of the...the incident....so it wouldn't be a surprise that she smelled bad.

And every detail that she saw and took note of---Twilight told her right off the bat, even complaining about Rainbow's "baggy eyes" and that she looked like she stayed up all night. Of course, Rainbow did sleep, but the unicorn argued that it looked like she only slept a couple hours.

"When, exactly, did you go to sleep last night?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow pondered at the thought for a few moments, but when coming up with an answer, she could only shrug and give a guess.

"Uh...I-I don't know...after Midnight, I guess."

With a small shake of her head, Twilight opened her mouth and discouraged it.

"Rainbow, that's not good at all. You need your sleep."

"I don't need sleep, Twilight. I'm fine."

"Yes, you do. Don't argue with me."

The slight and sudden tension caused the two to go silent for a moment, their eyes catching each other, unable to break away. Rainbow saw Twilight in a more stern manner, almost like a mother to her child. But Twilight saw Rainbow's eyes almost in the same way, the only difference being the other way around.

But as the silence lingered on, the unicorn saw her friend's frustrated look simmer slowly, returning almost to its original look of fear and worry---the kind of look that she hadn't seen since she left only a night ago.

Twilight wanted to ask what was wrong...but she couldn't seem to get the words to fit where they needed to in her head. Even after a full night's rest, everything she-...everything they got through troubled her greatly.

Unable to properly talk, Twilight stayed silent for several more moments, but eventually, it was Dash who initially spoke up.

At first having her head looking down, Rainbow lifted it up again and looked back at Twilight.

To some, the words that came out of her mouth would sound like nothing but excuse after excuse.

But to Twilight, the words only worried her more.

"W..Wha...What if I fall asleep...and something happens while I'm sleeping, what if he..."

Rainbow lifted a hoof towards her mouth, almost as if to gently bite on the tip of it, before setting it back down to the table, clearly having trouble herself trying to talk.

But she continued regardless.

"...You know how I'm a heavy sleeper...right?"

The question having been directed to Twilight, the unicorn didn't hesitate all that much in nodding gently, prompting further talk from the pegasus.

"...Well...What if I'm sleeping in the middle of the night...and his...his heart or...or something stops and his body just...just...shuts down?

"He would be dying and I would be sleeping all comfy in those...damn chairs...and by the time I wake up in the morning, he'd...

"...He'd be long gone."

The cyan mare looked at her friend for several more seconds before she looked away from her, resting her head on her hooves and looking to the side, her shaking leg causing her whole body to quake along.

To anypony looking, they'd think Rainbow was acting like nothing more than a severe drug addict who hasn't gotten their fix.

But all Twilight could see was her best friend literally breaking down by the minute.

And she knew exactly why.

Suddenly, Rainbow looked back to Twilight.

Her eyes---they looked different.

She didn't know why.

"He would be dead...

"...And all because I fell asleep."

Twilight couldn't answer.

How would she answer?

How could she answer?

For now---the only way was not at all.

Rainbow stared again at her for a few more seconds. Eventually, she rested her chin on her hooves and turned away once more, looking down the far end of the table, shaking her leg again.

Even after Rainbow looked away, Twilight couldn't stop staring at her friend.

Couldn't stop staring at the way she acted.

After the initial situation settled in, the other girls, even Spike, managed to keep themselves calm and somewhat collected.

But Dash...

...Dash was a completely different story.

Twilight knew her as a strong, collective and determined pony. Even in the worst of situations, she was always able to keep herself together.

But in just the past few days...

Twilight knows it's her...

But it's like looking at a completely different pony.

...

But of course...

Twilight couldn't blame her.

Not even now.

So the unicorn didn't say a thing to her friend, lest she made anything worse.

Breakfast passed in relative silence, even as the sounds of life walked and talked all around them.

It was so quiet.

It was so very...very...

Quiet.

Breakfast came and went. Despite the tastiness of the food, there was always that bitter flavor, one that crept into each and every bite, filling the surroundings with awkwardness and depressed tension.

It made Rainbow's stomach uneasy.

Once the food was eaten and the trays put away, Twilight and Dash got up and left the cafeteria together. As they walked through the halls, Rainbow asked Twilight why she was here, especially so early in the morning.

Twilight replied with a kidful smile, "Well, he's my friend too, remember?"

Rainbow felt a small chuckle come on and let it come. But the smile that appeared on her face vanished as quick as it came; the mare apologetically told her friend to forget she even asked.

Twilight's smile also faded, but she didn't let herself get down. Gently putting a hoof on her friend's shoulder, she said:

"You don't need to apologize, you know?"

The smile, though very faint, returned on Rainbow's face. Her body shook a tiny bit from a little chuckle that croaked from her throat.

With a nod, she said, "...I know...I'm just..."

But she never really could explain it. She paused at first as if it was all thought out in her head, but when her mouth opened, she couldn't finish, nor tell.

Twilight could see this, see the trouble her friend was feeling, but she didn't push any further on Dash and just let it go.

The unicorn gently patted her friend's shoulder and continued walking forward, staying closer to the mare in a way of support, should she need any more.

Walking back to their friend's room didn't seem to take as long. It was the same distance as yesterday, the same time to walk to it as yesterday...

But today just seemed...

...faster.

Twilight simply shrugged the feeling off. It wasn't too important anyway. It was a thing.

Rainbow took it as a good thing.

A faster day was always a good thing.

As they stepped in front of the elevator, Twilight pressed the button that would bring them where they needed to go. Even though it was several floors below them, they could hear the elevator hum to life, the sound of its mechanisms whirring and twisting. They could hear the elevator get closer and closer as it climbed higher, floor after floor.

When they heard the ding! the elevator doors slowly slid open. Nopony was inside.

Casually, the two mares stepped into the metal box and turned around to face the doorway. Twilight pressed one of the many buttons on the wall, the button with a 17 above it.

As she pushed the button, it started to illuminate a faint yellow. The elevator doors then slowly slid shut, and almost immediately, the elevator started to climb upward.

Just like the walk to it, the trip from the cafeteria to the 17th floor was silent and still. The mares didn't move, nor did they talk.

But while Rainbow sat still, seeming to stare at her own disfigured reflection in the doors---Twilight seemed to take glances at Rainbow every now and again. They were more or less calm glances, even though each one did hold some pint of worry.

But she knew Rainbow, even now, was as calm, collective and determined as she has always been.

Arrogant too.

Even that was a good thing.

...Sometimes.

As the massive metal box suddenly came to a stop, the metal reflective doors slowly slid open once again, revealing the familiar outlook of the 17th floor. It wasn't as awake or active as the cafeteria's floor, but it still had its fair share of doctors, nurses and patients trotting or walking about.

Or---carried about.

Already having recognized with the designs, it didn't take them long to find their friend's room. Much less time than yesterday, that was definite.

When they found the room and stepped inside, they noticed a nurse standing next to the bedridden stallion. It was the same nurse Rainbow spoke to earlier in the morning.

She noticed the two walk into the room and greeted them with a kind but faint smile. As she greeted Rainbow, she asked her how breakfast was.

With her own faint smile, Rainbow replied, "It was..."

She stopped for a moment, looking at Twilight briefly. For a second, what she could call a smile faded, not in a disappointed way, but more or less an embarrassed way.

"...alright," she finished as she turned back to the nurse, her smile returning, though more faded than before.

While the nurse noticed Rainbow's...off change in tone, she paid no mind to it for the time being.

"That's good," she replied, looking once more to the food bag that had been hooked up to the stallion's feeding tube.

Both mares knew exactly what it was, but Twilight was curious as to how long he was going to be fed like this.

"Until he wakes up, Princess, this is the only way he'll be able to eat."

"What is it, exactly?" Rainbow asked, curious about the food contents in it.

"It's a mixture of mainly vegetables and bits of hay. There is enough protein in each food bag to keep a comatose patient fed for a full day, sometimes even two."

"Really?" Twilight asked, rather surprised, "Just from bits of vegetables and hay?"

With a slight tilt of her head, the nurse calmly corrected the princess.

"Well---actually, the food is somewhat enhanced by unicorn magic to properly keep a comatose patient well hydrated and fed. Some effects mainly vary in each bag, but the enhancements can prevent the patient from gaining too little or too much protein."

Twilight seemed to understand the nurse's explanation, though she felt a bit curious.

"...But---I thought the doctors said he was the first coma patient you've ever had."

"He is---but there have been other coma patients throughout Equestria. They aren't common, but they aren't rare, either. The scientists who enhanced these bags have tested them on the patients. The first ones didn't have all that much of an effect."

The nurse then turned around and picked up another food bag that had been lying on the table behind her. Holding it in one of her hooves, she held it towards the mares and explained.

"But we were one of the hospitals in the country to get the newest test set."

"*Test*?"

"Yes," the nurse nodded, "The set of coma bags are really still in development. From what we've heard, each new set is more successful than the last. We've heard news from Los Pegasus that their set was very effective."

"And they have the same bags as you guys," Rainbow added in, "Right?"

"Yes. Your friend should get the same amount of protein as the other patients."

"Good," Rainbow said, though she hesitantly added, "Real...real good."

Both Twilight and the nurse did notice her slight hesitance, but they didn't act upon it. At this point, it was a common thing to Twilight. The nurse, however, had more experience with this kind of behavior.

To her, it was honestly best to let the emotions come naturally rather than tamper with them.

And in a way, Twilight felt it too.

For a few more minutes, the three mares continued to talk until the patient had fully consumed the bag's contents. When that was done, it was unhooked from his IV. Bidding the two farewell, the nurse saw herself out of the room, leaving the two mares alone with their friend again.

Twilight stood on the side of the bed nearest to the window, while Rainbow took her side from before, nearest to the door.

For a short while, the both of them didn't talk to each other much. There was a sentence or two, but never a full-on conversation. There were even occasional glances at the clock.

8:34 in the morning, it read.

It had only been half an hour since they left, and only minutes since they came back.

Then Dash looked away once, and when she turned back to it, it was five minutes to nine.

A whole near half hour had passed, and it didn't even feel like it.

But still---there was never a complete discussion.

The two continue to look tiredly around the room, listen to the ticking of the clock or the beeping of the monitor. Rainbow mainly looked at her male friend, still expecting him to open his eyes at any moment.

She wanted to stop hoping for it, but at the same time, she didn't.

So she kept hoping.

It was the only thing keeping her going right now, that was for sure.

For several more minutes, way past nine o'clock, Rainbow kept her eyes fixed on the stallion, while Twilight peaked glances at him and her occasionally.

But as the time passed forward, Twilight notice Rainbow's face warp slightly. It wasn't like something out of a dream of the sort, but more or less emotionally.

She would wince slightly, as if thinking of an awkward or awful thought, and she would silently curse herself under her own breath.

But it didn't take long for her to realize what she was going on about.

When Rainbow looked up and notice Twilight looking right back, she quickly looked back down to the stallion and stopped muttering.

But the unicorn already heard.

So she spoke.

"...Applejack told me about what happened."

Rainbow's ears----originally having been down----perked up at the sound of the cow-mare's name. And while she didn't exactly show a face of sadness or anger, she did portray some slight frustration.

With a sigh, the mare looked up to Twilight and said:

"...Did she?"

A brief silence in between, but the unicorn nodded, to which the pegasus shook her head, closing her eyes momentarily.

She sighed again.

Again, quietness brewed in the room, broken by every beep and every tick.

And it stayed that way---for several moments, not a word or loud breath came from the two.

They didn't even make eye contact for the same length.

But soon enough, the length was broken, and Rainbow turned her head towards Twilight, looking into her eyes.

Twilight could see the emotion swirling about in those pink saucers of hers.

"....I...I-I didn't do it...you know? ...I ne....I never hi-"

"I know," Twilight stopped her from finishing, "...I know."

Rainbow continued to look at the unicorn for a bit longer, trying to hold back whatever tears began to form. She managed to keep the majority back, but only a tear or two succeeded down her cheeks.

It was quiet again for a few seconds, but Twilight added with a question to break the silence.

"...She's sorry, you know."

With a sniffle of her nose, Rainbow nodded her head slowly and gently.

"...I know."

The two once more fell silent, Rainbow looking back to her stallion friend, while Twilight continued to stare at the pegasus.

Wordless, they let the clock and the monitor do the talking.

And endless chatter, it sounded like.

*Beep!*

*Tick.*

*Beep!*

*Tick.*

*Beep!*

*Tick.*

Gently but slowly, Rainbow lifted her hoof and rested it on his own.

Still warm.

Still soft.

...Still limp.

She sighed.

It didn't take long for Twilight to fall asleep. Even with enough magic to keep a unicorn preoccupied for days, she still was out of options or anything to do---well, except rest, of course.

So as she slept on the seats she had slept on the day before, Rainbow continued to sit at her friend's bedside, not at all feeling as tired as Twilight.

She sat on the seat and stared at her friend's hoof for what felt like nearly an hour, the ticking, the beeping and a unicorn snoring to keep her company.

An hour passed before she took another look at the clock, now reading 10:21.

To think, I'll be having lunch in three hours already, she thought to herself, even letting out a faint chuckle.

And the smile stayed there a little while too.

She liked that.

But just before the clocked ticked to eleven, Rainbow's ears perked upward as she heard the sound of the door clicking open.

Turning her head towards it, she mainly expected it to be the nurse from earlier or even Cobalt with more information.

But it was just as good, if not better.

Her friends stood at the door, all five of them.

Yes---even Spike decided to come back.

Of course...why wouldn't he?

As they entered, one after one, the pegasus noticed them looking better than the last time she saw them---more than a day ago.

Rarity's mane, then frazzled, was now fixed and proper.

Pinkie's mane, having been deflated---as usual at times when she had been depressed or saddened---was in a mixture of deflated and poofy, but she generally physically looked better than yesterday.

She even brought a smile with her. How nice.

Fluttershy, though nothing had been changed too much, looked much more awake, the bags beneath her eyes---even though Rainbow hardly noticed them then---now gone, even though the timid mare would yawn every now and again.

Applejack...

Applejack looked the same. She wasn't tired, her mane wasn't frazzled.

She looked the same as the last time Rainbow saw her---just like the others.

But there was the big difference.

She wasn't angry this time.

She was---more or less---apologetic.

Just like Twilight said.

And then came Spike.

Spike looked the same as usual: Small baby dragon, scaly back, hungry for gems...

The Spike everyone knew.

But then there were his eyes.

There was something...something rather...

...off.

She saw Spike's eyes all the time with a confident and fierce attribute to them---with a bit of love too.

But when she looked into his eyes now...

Those were all gone.

And all that she could see in his now-always-wide eyes were...

...It was like he was always...shocked. Not just that---but confused too, like he wasn't too sure what was currently going on around him.

It was like he was always asking himself something, and there was never a true answer.

Even when he looked up to her, the anger from a day ago was now entirely absent. He recognized her---but he wasn't angry with her.

He was just...

...confused.

The greeting from Rarity snapped Rainbow out of her contact with the young dragon, forcing her to snap her head up at Rarity. The sudden turn of her head seemed to have startled the white unicorn, who stepped back slightly with a shocked look plastered onto her face.

"Sorry if I startled you, darling," she said to the pegasus, taking one step back forward.

Realizing the situation, Rainbow nodded her head, shook a hoof and replied:

"No no no---It's okay, I'm fine," with a smile to assure her.

But Rarity wasn't entirely convinced.

"Are you sure?"

Another nod from Rainbow and the continuous---but faint---smile of hers prevented another question peaking from Rarity...for the moment, at least.

"What're you guys doing here?" Rainbow asked all of them.

Fluttershy was the first to respond.

"We wanted to see how you and him were doing."

Rainbow understood the second part, but not the first.

"Wait," she interrupted, pointing a hoof at herself, "Me?"

"Why yes, Darling. You haven't been back to the hotel since the cab ride. You must feel awful right now!"

That brought out a chuckle from the pegasus.

"Not as bad as you think."

Rarity rolled her eyes in a non-playful, but serious manner.

"Still, even without a clean mane, you've been sleeping on nothing but wooden chairs for nearly two days. The least you could do is come back and get some rest in a proper bed."

Even with the situation they faced, Rainbow wasn't entirely changed. Still ignorant.

Shaking her head, she said, "The chairs are just fine."

Eyes half open in a frustrated manner, she gave up on convincing the mare to leave.

Applejack noticed her frustration and gently placed a hoof on her shoulder as a way to calm her down. Rarity turned to her, noticing the gesture, and took the silent advice, calming down quite quick.

The cow-mare nodded to her, then turned back to Rainbow, her eyes showing a sign of concern.

"How's he doin'?" she asked Rainbow, "Any changes?"

Rainbow never answered vocally, but she did turn towards them. But to everyone's sadness---she still shook her head.

Applejack closed her eyes a bit tighter than normal, putting her head down and letting out a depressed and frustrated sigh, as did Rarity. Pinkie and Fluttershy's eyes were just as sad, but they remained quiet.

Fluttershy did her best not to cry for the moment.

Pinkie took only second-long glances as the stallion before turning away for a minute at a time.

And Spike still stared.

Still confused.

When Rarity lifted her own head, she turned her head and noticed Twilight sleeping on one of the chairs---snoring with a faint smile on her face.

It must be a good dream, Rarity thought as she observed the unicorn's chest slowly expand then slowly contract.

Turning towards Rainbow, she asked, "How long has she been sleeping for?"

The mare immediately knew who she was referring to, though she did still hover an eye in her direction. Eyeing the clock again, she saw the time.

Two minutes had only passed. 10:23.

Not exactly knowing, Rainbow shrugged her shoulders and guessed an hour, at most.

They didn't ask any further, nor did they try to wake the unicorn.

She needed a good dream.

Hell...a good anything.

The others made themselves welcome within the small hospitable quarters. Chairs, the floor, even against the wall, they all found a spot---whatever they found comfortable for the time being.

And they began to wait.

They weren't sure what to wait for.

Wait for him to wake up, wait for the doctor to give more good or bad news, wait for the sun to go down again and let the moon shine...

There were so many things they could wait for---but nothing to really wait for.

So they just simply chose to wait for anything.

The time passed slowly at first, slow as a slug or a snail from one side of a room to the next. Just seemed to linger on about. Had it not been for the constant beeping of the heart monitor that only showed endless good news, the full hour they waited would have been remarkably silent.

Remarkable even in Pinkie's case. They saw her as the girl who was always hopping to and fro---the girl who would always laugh and smile at everything around her---the girl who just lived when everyone else tried.

Today, and the days before---she didn't laugh. She didn't hop. She didn't live.

Today, she was not Pinkie Pie.

And when she wasn't Pinkie Pie---the rest were not who they were.

They were all stagnant. To someone, it would be like they all shared the same personality: They were all sad, they were all silent, they were all...uncertain.

They were all one pony.

The only two that could be differed from the six of them were Twilight---in her happy-go-lucky sleeping pose---and the stallion laying in front of them, the one that could suddenly die at any time if he so chose.

Or maybe he just simply chooses to never open his eyes again.

Nothing was certain to them. It very much didn't feel certain.

The hour passed in semi-silence. Beep, beep, beep the monitor went, over and over again. Tick, tock, tick, tock the clock went, over and over again.

In, out, in, out all of their chests went---over and over again.

Lather---rinse---repeat.

When the hour passed, the silence began to lift, slowly but surely.

It first started with Applejack, sitting on the floor against the wall holding the window, lifting herself up from her spot and walking over to the bed, the same side Rainbow sat on.

At first, she walked at the regular walking pace, but as she got closer and closer to the mare, she found herself slowing down all of a sudden, not like she was afraid to go near her, but more that she wasn't certain of her reaction.

Nonetheless, she neared her, and when she was close enough, she sat down right next to the pegasus, who didn't turn around or even glance towards the farm mare.

She only shifted, but just a little, to the left, as if to get a better hearing.

For the first few moments, it was relatively silent. Not a word, not a peep, came from any of them. Even their breathing was quieter than it was normally.

Very quiet.

Applejack, from time to time, would look at Rainbow, then look to the stallion, then back to her, then back again, and again and again and again, like it was a chore.

She wanted to say something, she really did---but nothing felt or seemed right to say. At first, she just wanted to get back up and go lay beneath the window again.

But it would have been a waste of potential, of time.

So rather than waste her time all for nothing...

She spoke.

"...Ah'm so-"

Before she comprehended it, she was cut off. It wasn't an act of violence or of anger.

It was an act of comfort, as the rainbow colored mare quickly turned towards her friend and gripped her body, wrapping her forelegs tightly around her, but not so tight as to cause any form of discomfort.

Just tight enough.

Applejack was somewhat taken aback by the sudden gesture, taking a few seconds to realize what had happened.

But when she did realize, she didn't protest, didn't push her friend away.

She hugged right back.

Their bodies, held close together, felt warm pressed against each other, but in a comfortable manner.

Slowly, Applejack could feel Rainbow's chin, rested on her shoulder, move slowly to form a smile. It wasn't big or wide, but just enough to tell.

"I forgive you," she says after moments of silence.

That alone let Applejack smile along too, but bigger and wider.

Pressing herself further into her friend's body, she gripped Rainbow, willfully trapped in a hug that seemed to last forever.

But 'forever' was a big word.

It was almost noon. Small talk returned to the group; it happened slowly, but sure enough, conversation began to flow. It did pain them to see their friend not be able to respond back or join in, but him just being...there was enough to keep their spirits up for the day.

Spike and the girls talked about whatever came to their mind: The weather, the landscape, the newest video game---much to Rainbow's interest, rather---or even the next movie or next book that was coming out in recent days or months.

Speaking of books, once it came to her interest, Rainbow gently parted herself from the group, sitting back down right next to the stallion. Reaching into the satchel that still lay in the same spot as it had since it was first placed there, she took out the Daring Do book, already nearly a fourth into the story. Opening up the covers and removing the makeshift bookmark, she began to read once again, inching herself closer to the bed, as if he would've been reading along too.

As the rest of the group continued to talk to each other, all bunched up, Twilight found herself catching a glimpse over to the bed, watching as the mare read away, another faint smile plastered onto her face.

But some feeling made Rainbow look up, noticing the unicorn staring right back at her. At first, her smile faded into more of a neutral look, neither sad nor happy.

But after a few seconds, Twilight smiled, gently lifting a hoof and waving it a little towards her.

The mare's smile returned, a bit wider than before. Lifting her own hoof, she waved back, and she did so for a few more seconds, before turning away and going back to her book, the smile staying.

Twilight's smile stayed too. She turned back to the group, who didn't seem to really notice the little thing between her and Dash.

Not that it would have made a big difference if it did, otherwise.

A few minutes after noon, Doctor Cobalt came into the room. It wasn't really news, more or less simply checking and rechecking the patient's vitals. They didn't hinder his progress, but went back to conversation, even as he did his work.

When he got close to the bed, Rainbow looked up from her book, now a fourth finished, and noticed him standing on the opposite side, stethoscope in hoof and ears.

As he steadied it, Cobalt noticed Dash staring at him with a smile.

"Hello," he began. "How are you today so far?"

A simple nod, she replied, "Good---so far."

"That's good."

He looked down for a moment and grabbed the resonator, readying it against the stallion's chest. To him, the metal of the small object was warm from holding it many times, but for any patient, it would have been cold to the touch against their chest.

As he focused it more along where the heart regularly was, he looked up faintly to Dash, noticing that she was still looking at him, while occasionally glancing at the book she had been holding, which even peaked his interest.

But when Cobalt read the cover, even looking at how it look, the interest grew even more, his eyes somewhat widening with surprise.

"That's a new Daring Do book?" he asks. "I thought that wasn't supposed to be out for at least a few more months. How did you manage to get an early copy?"

Dash placed the makeshift mark into the page she stopped on and closed the book. Looking up to the doctor, she smiled and said:

"It was given to me---as a gift."

"Really? By who, the author herself? You two close somehow?"

"We're close. Good friends, actually. But---"

Leaning her head to the right, towards her friend in the bed, she added:

"---He was the one who got it for me. He took the time out of his day---his life---just to get me something I liked...He could've waited a few months to get it for me, but---but he didn't."

Cobalt smiled, chuckling under his breath, though she noticed.

"I did the same thing for my wife---years ago, before we got married."

Looking back to Cobalt, Rainbow asked, "You're married?"

Cobalt's smile faded as he looked back down to the patient.

A second of silence later, he replied:

"...Was."

It was clear what he meant by that. Rainbow apologized, but the doctor said it was nothing to worry about, his smile returning slowly.

Silence returned between the two---despite the others in their own conversations---for a few more moments.

Soon enough, however, Cobalt continued.

"Her and I met during college...straight out of high school. She was a...a big fan of this...fantasy series; Ring Kings, I think it was called.

"Anyway, one of the books in the series was delayed...multiple times. Delayed by a week, delayed by a month, two months, four months, six months. The author kept saying he kept finding errors and had to fix them, sometimes even fixing errors that weren't there.

"He did finish the book...eventually...but it had to be revised, which would take a month, mainly because of its size.

"My wife---girlfriend at the time---she said, 'I don't think I'll last another week.'

"And then, for...for some reason, I said, 'Don't worry...I could get it for you.' And even though I joked about it a little, I was pretty serious too.

"She laughed; couldn't seem to take me seriously.

"But I wasn't going to give up right there and then. I was gonna get that book, no matter what happened."

Cobalt stopped for a second, trying to catch his breath and steady himself, while also continuing to listen to the patient's heart. Noticing no irregular beats or issues, he checked another place of his chest for any irregularities.

And as he did so, he continued his story when ready.

"So I...at first, I started writing letters...well, trying to write letters to the author, requesting a copy of the book. But...every time I tried to send it out, the post office refused to send it."

Gently interrupting, Rainbow asked, "Why?"

Cobalt shrugged.

"I don't remember," he said. "Either it was at the request of the author, not to get any letters for the time being, or...

"...or they really hated me."

"Why would they hate you?" she asked, confused.

Cobalt chuckled again.

"I was a bit of a prankster growing up. A lot of ponies got sick of it and...well...they didn't like me as much."

"What about your wife? Did she know that?"

Another chuckle.

"Yeah...actually, it was...it was how we met. You couldn't believe it, but she...loved to pull pranks too. Not as much as I did, but...well...you know."

Rainbow chuckled herself.

Cobalt continued his original story before he could end up going any further off topic.

"Anyway...after the letters didn't work out, I decided to grab some money and hitch a ride to Vanhoover."

"From where?"

"Baltimare."

Rainbow's eyes widened, unable to believe it.

"So you're saying you traveled across the entire country just to get a...book?"

Cobalt smiled again at her look of surprise.

"When you're in love with someone---sometimes you don't care what you're doing. You just do it."

And for an odd reason, that statement alone made Rainbow think about her friend. He had traveled all the way to Daring's house, through a large forest, with the risk of her enemies swooning in and nabbing him---though he likely didn't know that, nor would he probably have cared, either---just to get a book that was months away from becoming visible to the public.

And it even made her wonder what else he would have done for her.

Maybe, when---...if---he wakes up, she can tell him to rest, and see if he does as she says or tries to walk. She never saw him as the stubborn type, but...

But after this, after those clunks to the head...? To his brain...?

...You never really know.

"When I got to the guy's house, it was guarded at the front, a couple of ponies talking back and forth, so it would've been hard getting in that way."

"And let me guess...you distracted them somehow?"

"Blew a couple of firecrackers at the front gate."

Dash couldn't help but laugh at how well and how easily his plan had worked. Cobalt smiled, but continued.

"I sneaked in through the front and got inside. It was a mansion, so...it did take a little while to find the room where he wrote his stories.

"But when I did find it, I found an extra copy, fully finished, cover and everything.

"And...then I got caught before I could even touch it."

Rainbow asked, eyes slightly wide, "By who?"

"The author himself. Pretty cliche, isn't it?"

The mare smiled and nodded. At this point, Cobalt was already beginning to finish his checkup, but even when he did, he continued to tell the rest of the story.

"I thought he was gonna beat me, throw me down the stairs, arrest me, whatever he could.

"Instead, he laughed and complimented me on my "little show" downstairs."

"...He wasn't mad at you?"

"He was a bit concerned about me trespassing, but he wasn't really angry, no. He was actually calm about it.

"When I explained myself to him and what I was doing in Vanhoover, he simply said, 'You're pretty damn crazy, kid. But---at least you did it for a good reason, I'll give you that.'

"And rather than turn me in to the police---he actually gave me the copy of the book and some money for the trip home. But even after that, we still talked for at least another half hour before I left."

"He seems like a pretty cool guy."

Cobalt smiled, though it was much fainter.

Head tilted, he added:

"Yeah...he was. We stayed in contact for years after that, visited on the holidays, wrote letters; we even wrote a book together, co-signed it."

"Wow," Rainbow added, stunned and amazed at how luck had managed to play in his favor. "What about your wife? What happened when you gave her the book?"

At first, Cobalt seemed that he was ready to answer, but after a few moments, Rainbow could see a small blush forming on his cheeks.

Before she could say anything, he answered her questions.

"Let's...just say that I got quite the welcoming gift when I came back."

He winked at her.

It didn't take long for her to realize what he was getting at. She blushed back.

But regardless, she laughed at how the story had ended. It made her feel happy.

Of course, that wasn't all, but it's already said.

After a couple moments, Cobalt got up from the floor and stated that her friend's vitals are functioning properly, and to call out if anything were to happen, good or bad. Rainbow nodded and bid the doctor farewell. Cobalt waved them all goodbye and walked out of the room.

Twilight briefly asked Rainbow what he had been talking about to her.

Thinking for a second whether or not to tell, Rainbow smiled, chuckled briefly, then answered:

"He was just telling me how he did the same thing as him when he was young."

For a few moments, Twilight wasn't sure what she meant by that, but when Rainbow explained the story to her, she laughed along. She then explained it again to the others and they laughed along too. Spike did laugh somewhat, though it wasn't as much as the others.

It was more...

...confused.

Or rather...still confused.

For another half hour after Cobalt left, Rainbow continued to read her book just a bit longer, while the others returned to their conversation. Applejack, at some point, mentioned the kind of stories the other doctors and nurses could have that were like Cobalt's: Adventurous, stupid, but funny regardless.

Rarity, rather than scold her for thinking about invading others' privacy---as Applejack would've guessed---agreed, even giggling about the potential "stupid funny" memories that one could share.

Even a lady loves a little gossip.

Well...as long as it wasn't about her.

After small talk and questions between each other, the six of them decided to share their own memories, but only a couple of them had anything worth sharing.

Twilight was the first to start, mentioning her brother Shining Armor, a jar of cookies, and flour.

Lots and lots of messy flour.

Everyone laughed, still unable to believe how something like that was even possible.

The next one to speak up was Applejack about Apple Bloom, who managed to nearly burn down their house when she wasn't even two years old yet. It wasn't as funny, but the way it was played out, how the foal managed to nearly accomplish such a task, did bring out some laughs.

But before anyone could add onto the conversation, the radio that had been turned on a short while ago began to play familiar music.

Before the group could say anything about it, they listened as the radio host spoke up.

"So a few days ago, I went to the Dark Horse symphony in Manehattan, and I gotta say: I absolutely loved it! All of it! So much that I even stayed for the encore! When that was all done, a couple of the symphony players seemed to recognize me; a few of them were actually my old friends.

"They were honored for me to have watched the show that they even gave me a CD full of the entire symphony! This CD won't be out for at least a few more months, so for those who couldn't make it a few days ago, you're in luck, because I'll be playing the whole symphony, right here, right now!

"But only once will I be playing it; after that, you won't hear it until the CD comes out, after which I'll play it commonly! But for now, I'll shut up and you can enjoy this experience, maybe even as much as I did. Enjoy."

Almost immediately, the music resumed playing on the radio, the tone of it clearly that of classical, soothing and relaxing, a mixture of depressing and even joyful.

For a good thirty seconds, the group remained silent as they listened to the music. A few days ago, it would have sounded amazing---not to say that it didn't.

But listening to it after all that's happened...?

...It's more chilling and discomforting than the former.

Then calmly, almost in a monotone manner, far from her positive attitude just minutes ago, Rarity spoke up.

"...We were supposed to go there."

And as she spoke, everything around her seemed to stop, not all at once, but one by one. Whatever whispers of conversation existed faded away, as every pony's attention---even Rainbow's---fell onto her.

For a moment, a couple of the mares looked confused, as if they weren't sure what she meant by it. But just a moment of listening to the sounds of the symphony playing on the radio, and they knew exactly what she was referring to.

Sadness filled their minds as they were reminded by that day, even worse on Rainbow's.

But Rarity didn't seem to mind, as if her monotone face was any indication.

She didn't care.

She continued.

"It was...supposed to be a fun night...a night of...entertainment...laughter...joy.

"...It was supposed to be one of the best nights of our lives."

The music played on as the group watched Rarity in silence, all waiting for her to continue on.

Or waiting for her to stop.

"...Now here we are," she finished.

The group didn't move or blink any differently than they had. They still had the same looks of sadness on their face---the same uncertainty.

But Rainbow could only feel guilt building up inside of her.

She knew she was the reason he left that night.

The reason he was here to begin with.

And it made her think.

What would happen if they all left together? If they all left for the concert? Would that Swift stallion ever have tried to lay a hoof on him? Perhaps bring more henchmen to keep her and the others at bay while he bashed his skull in with a bat, leaving him to-

No, Rainbow thought. What happened happened.

"Rarity," Twilight spoke up after another second of silence. "That's enough."

At first, Rarity didn't flinch. Her expression remained the same, blank, though you could see the faintest hint of frustration and anger if you were to look close enough.

One could think she blamed Rainbow for it. Or maybe the leader who hurt her friend.

Or maybe---maybe she blamed herself.

But as soon as Twilight said her name a second time, she stopped pretending.

She broke down.

Head resting in hooves, the fashionista burst into an uncontrollable sob, heaving and coughing as thick tears flowed down her face. Her body shook and quivered, while her mouth tried to let something out, like it said "I'm sorry," though the sound was quiet and barely audible amongst her crying.

Twilight and the one closest, Applejack, came to her and held her as she fell to the floor. She cried into Applejack's chest while gripping Twilight's hooves, shaking heavily as she continued to cry.

The princess wanted to say something, anything to calm her friend, but she feared that she would only make things worse.

So she said nothing.

And then---Applejack was there to calm her down. Shush her, talk her down, even sing to her---something she only ever did with her sister.

She had her doubts that it would actually work on someone like Rarity, regardless of the situation.

But within half an hour, she had calmed down and was out cold, head in Applejack's lap, on the floor.

Her snores filled the room among the near silence. Every once in a while, she would shiver---even if it was warm---and would try to subconsciously cover her body as an attempt to warm herself. Twilight eventually found a blanket on a shelf and levitated it over to her. Soon enough, Rarity's whimpers and frown turned into relieved sighs and a warm smile.

But---...

But if only it was enough to make them smile too.

For a short while, nopony talked. It wasn't so much as from awkwardness---It was just that no one wanted to talk.

The while mainly consisted of most of them looking around the room, Rainbow staring at her bedded stallion, or Twilight looking out the window, into the streets below.

By one-thirty, Twilight's ears perked up, even when there was no sound to interest them. Her eyes widened, though she saw nothing that interested them either.

When she turned to the group, she didn't yell or shout anything. She didn't act surprised or angry.

Not even so worried.

She was only curious, not like the emotion was too gone, but enough that she couldn't seem so anxious.

The girls all seemed to notice her, looking directly to her face as if to listen and read what she had to say.

With a lift of her mouth, she asked them one---and only one---question.

"How are we gonna bring him home?"

She put a great emphasis into the question. It was a question that she didn't want ignored.

And it made them all think, just like she asked.

And she had a point.

How were they going to bring him back?

"...Especially like..." She paused, pointing to him---more specifically, what he had been hooked up to.

"...Like that?"

They noticed her face when she said it. They knew she wanted to cry.

She knew it herself.

But she held it in.

Not yet.

They all wanted to think. They all wanted him to come back with them too.

However, at one point, Fluttershy questioned why she brought up the topic so suddenly. Even a couple of the others had questioned it.

And then---for the first time since they saw him altogether...

Spike spoke.

"We're supposed to leave today."

It wasn't so much of an important, jaw-dropping sudden say of words.

But at the same time, it was.

They never realized how the time had gotten away from them. But of course, the things that they had faced since that night---it was all unexpected; the thought of having to plan for such a tragedy never had to cross their mind, they thought.

But it happened.

And they were not ready.

How could they have been?

"We can't move him, can we?" Applejack asked, a worrisome look on her face. "Ah mean---what if it makes him...worse?"

With a shake of her head and a sigh of her breath, Twilight simply said:

"I don't know....But we can't just leave him here."

"And we can't afford to stay here any longer...can we?" Fluttershy added.

Another shake of Twilight's head gave the others nothing more than grief and misery. A few of them shook their own heads. Applejack rested her head in her hoof, staring blankly at the floor. Anyone could see the hopelessness in her eyes.

In all of their eyes.

They all felt they were at an impasse. No known way to bring him home, and no known way to stay here any longer. Regardless of the fact that he would have doctors and nurses taking care of him every step of the way---

They didn't want to say goodbye---even if it wasn't goodbye.

"I'll stay."

The voice came sharply into the quietness.

They all turned to the source of it.

Rainbow looked back to all of them, her face just as serious as her words.

"What?" Applejack asked.

She turned to her.

"I said I'll stay. Stay here with him."

Twilight wasn't slow to intervene.

"Dash, you don't have any money. It's all in the bank in town. And even if you did manage to get it, how are you sure he'll wake up before you run out?"

The pegasus shook her head, shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't."

Twilight wanted to say more, opening her mouth and prompted to do so, but she couldn't think of what to say. So again, she said nothing and let things unfold on their own.

Rainbow looked away from the group and back to the stallion, still motionless on the bed.

"I'm the reason he's where he is.

"It's the least I could do for him."

"But still," Twilight decided to rebut, "If he doesn't wake up soon, by the time he does, you're going to be completely broke. No money, and most of all, if you can't pay for it, no house. I know he's important to you, but that's not worth losing everything you have just to wait for him to wake up or-"

She stopped herself, not daring to finish.

For both of their sake.

Rainbow didn't phase or look towards her in anger.

She simply look on.

And then she spoke.

"A week ago---I told him...in his face...in front of...everyone in that town---that the world would be better off if he was dead.

"I...I told him to die."

She paused.

She continued.

"I continued to ridicule and put him down every chance I got---until he left.

"And when I finally realize what I had been doing that whole time...I find out someone tried to kill him---and that he may never wake up again...because of it.

"...And all that's because we came here.

"...And we came here because of what I said.

"What I did."

They all looked to her in worry, but said nothing.

"If I just kept my mouth shut, he'd be okay.

"He never would have gotten stabbed or beaten.

"He never would have met that son of a bitch.

"And he never would have had a reason to come here."

They wanted to stop her, wanted to tell her that she was wrong about it all.

But she wasn't wrong. Not at all.

She was right.

They all knew it too.

The room sniffed of silence for a solid ten seconds, the monitor beep beep beeping away in the background, the sound of individual breaths taken, the sound of doctors and nurses clip-clopping just outside the door.

And yet, so silent.

When the time was up, Rainbow told them, she wanted them---not forcefully, though---to say their goodbyes and to catch the train. Rarity had read the schedule the day they arrived in the city. The train would leave at three o'clock.

She looked up at the clock. One thirty-four. That gave them an hour and a half to pack up and get to the train station. Of course, considering how it took them less than twenty minutes to unpack everything, it should take the same amount of time to pack.

But of course...that was unpacking.

The group didn't seem to protest to her wanting them to say goodbye or her staying. Besides, they thought, she was right. They had families to go home to, to look after.

All he had right now was Dash, no one else.

One by one, the girls went up to the bed, next to their friend, to say goodbye. None of them knew if this would be the final time they would see him or if he would be back on his hooves in a week or a month or a year. At this point, his life was nothing more than a guessing game to them. Applejack had awoken Rarity to inform her briefly and let her say goodbye too.

Their goodbyes consisted of careful hugs or kisses on the cheek or forehead. Applejack had an urge to kiss him on the lips, and they all knew it, but he wasn't hers.

At least, she didn't think anymore.

Or maybe he was.

Regardless, she kiss his forehead and bid him a tearful goodbye.

"For now."

She walked away from the group, leaning against the wall and burying her face into a hoof, trying but failing to compose herself; this time, Rarity was the one to console her.

The only two exceptions who stayed behind were Twilight and Spike; they had their reasons, one known and one not. When asked to say goodbye, Spike didn't reply nor look to the group. He just stared at his best friend, unsure of what exactly he was seeing.

Or maybe he was.

Either way, he said nothing, but instead he walked out of the room, a blank state on his face, his mind seemingly in deep thought. Even when the girls called him to come back, it was almost as if he didn't hear them at all---or he simply didn't care to listen.

Twilight eventually told them to let him go, leave him to his thoughts, only to tell someone to be sure he didn't wander too far off. Fluttershy left the room while Pinkie said her goodbyes.

Her goodbyes tended to be in a bit more cheerful manner than the rest, a bit more hopeful. Rather than give a kiss to the forehead and say goodbye, she instead took out a set of balloons and blew them up. She attached strings to them, to which she attached the strings to a hook just behind the bed.

A hopeful grin came to her face, barely revealing her shiny white teeth, showing that it wasn't the grin she always wore proudly wherever she went. In fact---it was the first actual true smile she gave in days.

But like everything else, even that didn't last.

It deflated, along with her mane, into a depressing frown. A single tear slid down her left cheek as she gave the stallion a gentle hug.

And even if he wouldn't hear her, she still gave him a single request. Her voice was shaky and cracked.

"...Just wake up soon, okay?"

No response.

She expected it, anyway.

Pushing herself away from the bed, she hugged the two mares tightly, wished them to come back when they can, and walked out of the room with the rest of the girls, all of whom said their goodbyes to both the stallion and the two mares.

The door closed and it became silent again.

*BEEP----BEEP----BEEP*

Well---almost silent.

Rainbow didn't need to turn around to realize Twilight was standing there still. Just listening to her not-silent breathing was more than enough.

"You're still here," she said, now making it audibly apparent.

Twilight didn't answer at first.

"Yeah," she said a few seconds after. "You're not going to make it long here on your own."

Dash took a bit longer to reply, giving Twilight enough time to walk over and sit down with the pegasus, who only then asked her a question as she sat down.

"What makes you think you could make a difference?"

She never meant to ask it in any rude form or tone---not that she did---and Twilight could tell how honest she was asking it. The mare pondered on her response for a few moments before she answered.

"I'm a princess," she began, "How could I not make a difference?"

Rainbow turned to Twilight, with a shameful look.

"You're not going to bend ponies to your will just so I can eat and sleep tonight."

"I never said-"

She stopped mid sentence. Looking to the floor, she let out a sigh, then turned again to her friend.

"I just---don't want you to struggle just to stay here for him."

Rainbow sighed too, staring back at her stallion friend's face. Her head lay rested on the soft hospital mattress.

"I know."

And like that, it was silent again. The two said nothing to each other for a good ten minutes, doing nothing but either staring at the stallion that lay before them or looking at the clock as it slowly ticked minute by minute, second by second. This was always the problem; when it was only let down to no more than two ponies with the audacity to talk, there was almost nothing to talk about.

The conversation died down when the music started to play.

Then Rainbow's ears perked up at the thought of something.

She turned to Twilight and asked her:

"What about Canterlot? Can't they help us?"

Almost as if she knew she would ask that, Twilight nearly immediately answered:

"I already talked to Celestia about it."

"What did she say?"

Rather than simply answer her question, Twilight's horn illuminated, and a scroll appeared in front of them. Rather than look brand new and untouched, the scroll already showed signs of having been opened. She levitated the already opened scroll to Dash.

"It's for you."

Rainbow took the scroll in her hooves and unfolded it. It began with the common introductory greeting.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

Allow me to firstly say how sorry I am for this terrible tragedy. Your friend, our friend, doesn't deserve to be where he is now. It breaks my heart to see one of my little ponies in such a state. But we must all be grateful that his life was not lost. This, in turn, gives us the upper advantage to discover further information regarding this Swift Shadow figure in the events that he awakens.

Also as a result of this event, I, alongside Twilight, have discussed and begun plans to dispatch several Royal Guard soldiers across the city in an attempt to flush out the perpetrator and his criminal companions. This type of violence I will not allow to happen ever again.

And as you may also know at this point, Twilight has volunteered to stay alongside you while your friend's injuries recover. As a result, we have considered and decided to dispatch two soldiers to assist and defend your friend until the suspect is found or your friend is fully recovered.

This tragedy is on the near level of terror, and if this Swift figure has really murdered innocent lives to keep his namesake hidden, then it is a much more serious matter than anypony can comprehend.

If you plan to stay long-term, never go out into the city at night---for your and Twilight's safety.

~Princess Celestia

Rainbow wanted to turn the scroll over in case there was a P.S or anything else, but when she did, there was nothing. So she rolled the scroll back up and hoofed it over to Twilight, who set it aside on the nearby stand.

As the princess looked back to Rainbow, she noticed her face; very faint irritation, but more so of worry.

Always with the worry.

She decided to settle that first.

"He'll be okay," she began to her. "As long as they're watching him, nothing bad will ever come through that door."

"Duh," Rainbow mumbled through the bed-sheet, her mouth covered by it, though she still smiled a little bit. She wasn't stupid when it came to the understanding the ferocity of even a single Royal Guard soldier.

But the smile didn't last long, fading once again into a frown, only this time, her irritation was more apparent. Twilight decided not to ask the mare what was wrong; was it really that hard to guess?

It seemed that Swift Shadow had been on her mind ever since Spike first said his name, said of the things he had done not only to other ponies, but to her friends too.

Rainbow herself was beyond angry than what Twilight could see. If she had the courage and the stupidity, she would have searched the whole city for him, and when she found him, she would buck him in the throat until he couldn't breathe anymore, and just watch him choke.

But she wasn't that stupid, and she wasn't courageous to the point that she would risk getting herself killed.

Especially after what happened with him.

But at some point, Rainbow's anger slowly began to subside, pushed over by emotions of depression and pure sadness. It wasn't long before the tears started to form.

When they began to fall down her face, she buried her face into her forearms. In a normal situation, she would have originally held it in.

But she deserved to cry like this, as she has since that night. She didn't care if her friend or friends watched her dry her eyes out until nothing was left.

Twilight leaned against her friend, wrapped a foreleg around her waist, and shushed her gently. And that was the odd thing when it came to her way of comfort. She could comfort Rainbow without the least of her worries, but she feared that doing so would make Rarity only worse if she tried to calm her.

But she had to be only honest with herself; she was never the best at calming the mare down, and she wanted to feel guilty for that. But that was something to improve in time. Right now, Rainbow needed it the most. So as the monitor beeped on and the clock ticked on, Rainbow cried on.

And Twilight cared on.