Author's Notes:

Who wants some lunch? I don't, because I already did and it's nearly dinner time as I wrote this Author's Note. :)

The chapter starts off mid-conversation. If the chapter seems rushed or poorly worded, sorry. D:

Time will skip either after this or the next chapter. Because nothing interesting happens during those days; it's almost a repeat of this chapter, just like Metallica is every album. Roasted? Totes, m8. 3roasty5u.

Another quick thing, this chapter will start off the retcon I'm planning. Instead of all of Equestria being affected, it's only Manehattan and perhaps another city. Also, that means Luna's alive, whoop :v

"...Nothing?"

I told Lilly everything. We were in the middle of eating lunch. It was nothing special - but the moment he went off to the bathroom, I had to start talking. She was going to ask otherwise.

And there was more than he knew that I needed to say alone.

It was funny how much I could spurt out of my mouth in a few minutes when I least expect it or don't think about it.

But this was something I couldn't forget - even if I wanted to.

With a nod of my head, Lilly looked on with a concerned expression on her face. She truly felt bad for the stallion, even if she hardly knew him. Hell, he practically saved her future.

Well...sort of.

She looked back to me.

"When did this happen?"

I thought I told her...apparently, I hadn't.

"Three months ago...the night you left."

Her mouth lay open just a bit. Her face was frozen in shock. But then there seemed to be that sign of guilt on it, like there was something on her mind that left her completely-...

"Is it my fault?"

...Speechless.

I responded quickly.

"No! No. No, it's not your fault, how could it-"

But she went on to explain, calmer...I think.

"He was the one who went out of his way to help me get my purse back; he was the...he helped me. If he didn't-..."

"-Then it would've been someone else. Right?"

She didn't verbally reply to my question, she only nodded. I wasn't trying in any way to make her feel worse than she already did. I tried to help.

"Lilly...it's not your fault. Anyone could've stepped in and could've gotten the same thing or worse...!"

Lilly looked at me.

That look told me that I wasn't helping.

I sighed and held a hoof out to hold her own. She slowly but surely held out hers.

"It happened. It was always going to happen...no matter what, no matter who...and it happened to him. And he's alive, despite that. He survived, he woke up, and he's here...back home, with his friends and family. That's what matters. That's what always matters."

It was funny to think that three months ago, I wouldn't have thought I would be comforting someone so much.

"And I know you'll help him every step of the way."

And here I am.

Lilly sighed for a moment. She was definitely nervous; I could feel her hoof practically shaking in mine. She seemed unsure, or it very well looked like it.

But when she looked back up to me, she had a smile formed on her face - and she nodded.

She nodded, assuring me that I was right - that I at least said that right.

I still hardly knew Lilly all that much, so it was a wonder if she actually felt confident now or if she was only putting up a facade so I wouldn't feel bad or terrible or anxious that I made her feel worse or...

My mind blanked. I let it. I had to let it, or I would've started feeling anxious myself.

Maybe it was because it was all moving fast? She went from nervous to hopeful to nervous again and hopeful again in such a short time.

I looked at her face again. Her eyes were telling me that she was still definitely unsure - but all at the same time, they told me that she was okay, or was going to be okay.

I had to ask her something.

"Lilly..."

She looked up at me when I said her name. At first, I was hesitant.

I told her everything.

Including the things I had said and done.

And yet, she hardly reacted the way I expected anypony to react. The folks here - the way they look at me, the things they said to me, the way they simply reacted to me...

Then there was Lilly.

I asked her.

"Am I a bad pony?"

And she looked at me for a moment. The way she looked, it was like she didn't know what to say or was trying to understand what I meant. She seemed confused or sad.

Or maybe it was both.

She opened her mouth slightly, because I knew she was going to answer.

But he came back and her mouth closed.

We were quick to fake it.

And we were good at it.

"Hey," he said to us as he sat down. "Sorry, it took a bit longer to find the bathrooms."

"Sorry," I replied, "Should've told you."

"No, it's okay, I found them." He laughed a little.

I smiled just a bit. I couldn't blame him, really. There were times that even I couldn't find the bathrooms, and I knew the layout of Ponyville like the back of my hoof.

I might have to fly around more often.

A few minutes of fresh conversation passed, and soon enough, the past left Rainbow's mind for the time, and they were well into jokes and town tales. Some of the jokes were new and funny. Others - not so much, but they still brought out some chuckles.

As for town tales, it usually consisted of things that went on in town in the past. The Parasprite invasion, Pinkie's clones, Cheese Sandwich - the list went on. Not only did it add something to talk about, but it helped Rainbow's friend 'learn' some new things about the town itself.

Things he knew once.

"Wait," he started, "All of them?"

Rainbow nodded.

"What for?"

Lilly piped in. "Yeah, I heard about the whole thing when it happened. Didn't pay much attention to it, though. Why dress up as superheroes?"

Mare-Do-Well was something that, while she wasn't ashamed of it, Rainbow wanted to forget - to an extent.

The mare blushed and gave an awkward chuckle.

"I...tend to get a bit...cocky when it comes to fame, that's all."

"How so?" Lilly asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rainbow looked off into the distance, just a bit, as the memories of those days flooded back into her mind.

"Well..."

And so she spent the next few minutes detailing the whole debacle between her and the others. It was nonetheless embarrassing to talk about - but at the same time, it just...felt so nice to get it all out, off her shoulders, from time to time, something that wasn't very close together when it came to moments such as that.

Still - it remained an important lesson, even today.

"You do look like the kind of cocky girl, now that you mention it," the stallion mentioned. "I guess it's just the way you look and all."

Dash looked towards him with a tilted head, curious on what that meant. She wasn't offended in any way - but just her reaction alone gave him the indication.

"I-I mean...I'm not calling you ugly or anything! Like...I don't know, you just kind of...you have that...sleekness about you."

Rainbow saw it as a sort of compliment. Definitely not the way he intended for it to go - but he wasn't the first.

And it didn't fail to make her blush, even if it was very faint.

"Uh...thanks."

The stallion took a sip of his drink and looked around at the other nearby folk. Rainbow found it a little amusing, if not a little...cute.

She wondered if that was the right word for it. It was definitely a part of him that she never focused too much on before - for obvious reasons - but now that she sees him in a different light.

It was a little cute, after all.

Eventually, the conversation changed directions into something more current.

"So," Rainbow asked her friend, "How do you feel right now? Anything...different?"

He stopped sipping his drink and looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...is the pill working at all? Any change? Maybe you're remembering anything, by chance?'

Rainbow knew, of course, that the pills didn't work that way, but anything to change the subject.

At first, the stallion looked around again, not answering the question right away. Perhaps it was to give a better consensus, or maybe he didn't have a clear answer in mind.

After a few moments, he looked back towards Dash, and with a shrug, simply said, "I feel fine, I guess."

The answer seemed to pique Lilly's interests.

"Do you feel anything odd? Do you feel a kind of 'lightweight' feeling?"

Again, he didn't respond right away - instead, he shifted in his seat, as if trying to make himself comfortable or get a better feel. He looked around their setting again. He took a look at the residents that passed by, towards and away from him; the houses and the shops that make the infrastructure of Ponyville.

And just as Lilly had described it, that 'lightweight' feeling was there. It felt strange for a moment, putting the stallion off just a tad. But he knew quickly that it was definitely the pill.

It felt...nice.

"A bit - yeah."

Lilly nodded. "Okay, that means it's working. As long as it doesn't get anymore than that, you should be just fine."

He smiled, "Okay."

The rest of the hour was of them chatting about whatever came off the top of their heads while finishing off their lunch. When the time came, Dash agreed to pay the bill with the bits she had, and they were off exploring the town again. For a few minutes, Dash tried to settle on where they should go next, but in the end, it was probably best to ask him.

"Hey," she started to him.

With a turn back, he answered. "Yeah?"

"Where do you want to go next?"

He stopped for a second, trying to think of the places he only just saw, but none of them seemed to interest him too much.

But when he noticed the giant tree house standing not too far from them, he grew curious.

"Whose house is that?" he asked them.

Dash saw where he pointed and answered, "That's Twilight's house."

He briefly nodded for a second.

"You don't...mind if we go see her, do you?"

The mare looked on at her friend and smiled with a nod.

"Not at all."

Dash had some sense that he would have eventually wanted to see her. It was no surprise that before, he was almost like a second brother to Twilight. Every time she was in a struggle, he was there to help her out, and vice versa. She was just as worried during those months as Rainbow.

She probably needed to see him again soon enough.

Everyone did.

So on they went, to the princess' home. Nopony stared as much as before, but there were some lurkers who watched as they walked on. They still said nothing.

They stopped doing that a long time ago.

What would he do if they did?

Twilight had tuckered herself out. She laid on her bed, all alone. Cobalt had work to do for now. She probably wouldn't see him again until nightfall.

She didn't mind - he had a job to do.

Meanwhile, the unicorn had looked through nearly every book she had, hoping to find a better resolution, perhaps a quicker way to bring him up to speed without the consequences that could follow. Every hopeful path she found was met with dead ends all around her. Nothing seemed to pique her interest.

That was not to say that Twilight wasn't a patient pony. She knew that his memories were likely to come back in time. At this point, it was no more about bringing them back straight away.

Right now, she was a bit worried about when they come back. The night everything went wrong, Rainbow essentially said directly in his face that she wished he'd never come back.

If he decides to run away tonight...good riddance.

I wish you would just run away and never come back.

Equestria is better off without you.

That last one.

That one pierced him. It hurt him, broke him a bit maybe.

She could see it in his eyes.

It was no doubt that she wasn't thinking straight.

After what she knew...

But what would he think of her if those memories start springing back to him now? After everything they had all gone through, after everything she had gone though...

What would he think of her then-?

Just then, she could hear the echoing knock of the front door.

Someone was here.

I wasn't expecting any company today, she thought to herself.

Curious to see who it was, she got up from the bed, albeit somewhat reluctant. The sound of her hooves touching the marble floors of the castle echoed all around her as she walked down the massive hallways. While she did miss the quiet, wooden smallness of her old home, this one was just as homey now.

Just having others along made it all the more so.

After a few moments, she reached the door, and on the other side, could immediately make out the sound of Rainbow talking - though it wasn't to her. It was somepony else.

Who is that?

With a few turns of locks, she twisted the knob and pulled the door open.

And looking right back at her - him.

With that kind smile of his.

She didn't hesitate to embrace him in a warm hug. Seeing him finally up and about...

"Hey," she said.

Twilight could feel him smile back. He embraced her too.

"Hey."

They hugged for a while.

It was always nice.

After enough time, they all had a short break in the main living room, engaging in whatever talk they could come up with.

"Medical school, hmm?" the unicorn asked as she looked onto Lilly with a curious smile. She was easily just as thrilled to see her again, and on sudden notice.

And now as a nurse.

Lilly nodded. "Yeah. After what happened in Manehattan, I just...wanted to help out. Couldn't bear to just let those innocent ponies suffer." She took a brief sip of her tea before adding, "I bet it must be harder for you...having to make all of those decisions, trying to do your duty here and helping out there. It must get to you sometimes."

Twilight gave her own nod. "It's a bit challenging. But I'm not always alone for it. Sometimes, if they can, Celestia or Luna is there to help me out. Cadance even volunteered to come with me to Baltimare last week."

"I've been listening to the news," Lilly laughed a bit. "I think you're doing fine."

The princess smiled. "Thank you." Twilight then looked on over to the stallion, who seemed to be looking all around him, as if getting a good lay of the land, so to speak.

"So," she began to him, "You're still mesmerized by the castle, aren't you?"

The stallion blushed only slightly, knowing he had probably been looking about a bit too long. Twilight could only giggle at it.

"Um...a bit. I mean...it's...nice and all, but..."

"Yeah?"

He looked around again, though briefly. She knew what he wanted to say, or close enough to what she thought he was going to say. He then turned to her again.

"It seems a bit..."

"Empty?" she answered for him.

But he shook his head - it was close.

"Lonely."

He wasn't wrong. Everyone who ever said that was never wrong.

"You live here, in this...giant castle...by yourself?"

"Not by myself," Twilight responded before taking a sip of tea herself. "I've got Spike, and...well...Cobalt."

They all noticed her blush. Even though the truth had long since come out, she still felt embarrassed a bit talking about it, even just a little. Rainbow laughed slightly.

"Why not just move into a smaller house?"

"I did have a small house."

"What happened to it?"

She cleared her throat.

"It got blown up."

He cocked his head.

And so the discussion of Tirek had begun. The discussion was not only new to him, but new to Lilly too. She had, of course, heard of Tirek's rampage through the radio and the relief effort that came following it. But to the stallion - for him, it was the first time hearing it all over again. As Twilight and Rainbow went on explaining how the whole situation went down, he found himself surprised that he was actually involved in the effort to stop him.

"The way you dodged that beam was awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed telling of the way he only briefly helped distract the massive centaur-esque creature.

Of course, that hint of bravery only lasted for a short time before he was caught. It helped in the end.

But they couldn't blame him if he started to feel a little bit like a hero at that time. Heck - Rainbow even mentioned feeling like a hero every time she helped somepony out. Potentially sacrificing your life was an act to justify.

The talk of Tirek lasted for a while. Then it went on to other topics - the Crystal Empire, Discord, Nightmare Moon. On and on, whatever came to mind - old and talked of already, to new and unheard of - the stallion listened on and put his own thoughts into the situation.

What really surprised him was the fact that all of it, every single event and near-cataclysm that happened to them, all happened within the past few years. He initially figured it would have been more than a decade ago, but in the past four or so years?

It baffled him. At the same time, he found himself amazed.

By the time they had started to run out of topics for the time, the sun was already beginning to dip below the horizon.

"Wow," Twilight said with surprise as she looked out the window, "It's almost dark already?"

The others looked out the window along, only to garner the same reactions.

"Time flies, I guess," Rainbow said. "Come to think of it, I'm already feeling starved. Guess a daffodil sandwich wasn't enough."

"Better than the hospital food," the stallion mentioned, laughing a tiny bit.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Rainbow remarked with her own giggles.

Twilight turned back to the others with a smile. "Why don't you guys stay over for dinner? Spike's making tacos, if you guys like those."

Rainbow's eyes quickly lit up with sheer excitement. "You kidding? Tacos beat everything I've ever eaten!"

"Sounds pretty good," Lilly added. "I haven't had tacos in years."

They all seemed to agree on the choice of dinner.

And then the stallion piped up.

"Um...What are tacos?"

Rainbow turned to him; the face she was able to make only screamed, "Are you kidding me?" in a bit of a joking, but somewhat serious manner. Of course, it died down when she remembered.

Right.

The Pegasus turned to Twilight.

"Hey, Twi?"

"Yeah?"

"When exactly are those tacos gonna be done? I kinda wanna stuff his face right now."

After an hour of preparing and cooking, Twilight and Spike finished making the tacos and set them out on the table. The pot of taco beef - artificial, of course - was as big as two pony heads. It was practically a meal for more than just five; more like twenty, at best.

There was no complaining, though. The more, the merrier.

Rainbow lived up to her promise - to an extent - of stuffing her friend's face with a prepared taco. He tried not to laugh with his mouth full, but he was able to chew and swallow a decent chunk.

He didn't exclaim his love for the food, but he definitely had more than enough to leave him full for a while.

As they ate, the topics started to come back, fresh. This time, it wasn't just the adventures they all had together, but even the adventures from before they met. Twilight mentioned the day of her magic exam - the day she earned her cutie mark. She only just resisted the urge to start hopping about as she did that day.

Lilly started to talk about the day she first moved to Manehattan.

"So," she began, "I was in the middle of carrying all of my stuff in. I had just finished getting all of the small things in and was bringing in the bigger things. Paintings, the couch, whatever big things I had.

"And as I'm bringing in a box full of vases, this one stallion just comes straight out of nowhere and bumps right into me. The box falls right out of my hooves and I could hear every single vase inside smashing to bits against each other."

Twilight visibly cringed. She knew that experience more than once, definitely.

"Did he even help out?" the unicorn asked, only for Lilly to shake her head.

"Just said 'sorry' and walked off."

Rainbow's eyes opened a bit, and she gave off this seemingly disappointed sigh.

"Wow," she started, "What a jerk."

Lilly shook her head again.

"To be fair, he...did look like he was in a hurry. If it wasn't for the suit, I wouldn't have let it go so easily. Then again, ponies in that city are always in a hurry."

"No kidding," Rainbow agreed, giving off a chuckle.

"When did you move there?" Twilight asked with a curious tone.

"About...seven years ago. I was about seventeen, or just turned seventeen."

Dash turned to her with a surprised look. "Seventeen? Did you even go to school?"

"Well, of course I did," Lilly answered with a simple laugh. "I didn't just drop out. I moved out of my parents' house and wanted to move into the big city. Didn't mean I didn't have to go to school."

The stallion seemed curious about Lilly's endeavors. "I bet you were lonely."

She nodded. "I was. For a little while, I didn't know anypony there. I was actually a bit nervous and even considered moving back home." The mare then took a bite of her taco and swallowed before finishing.

"But I still got through it."

Twilight wondered, "What made you want to leave?"

Lilly could only shrug her shoulders and answer, "Guess I got fed up with the folks there, really."

Rainbow perked up a bit and smiled.

"At least you moved out when you did...huh?"

Lilly took that into account. While she smiled back, she tended to zone out for a moment.

"Yeah...but to...to think..." She looked up at them. "...If I left just a couple months later...I'd..."

She stopped there, being quick to compose herself. She didn't want to make it awkward. Looking up to Rainbow, she started, "So, Dash - where'd you go to high school?"

For a moment, Dash hesitated just a bit. It wasn't enough for Lilly to notice - but Twilight could see right through it, the moment those two words came out.

High school.

"Uh...Cloudsdale High."

"What was it like?"

Dash was attempting to come up with an answer, but she was closer to zoning out herself.

Twilight knew why.

Oh, she could only imagine.

Rainbow answered.

"It was trash," she answered with a fake, but passable chuckle.

"Why?"

Dash was already feeling uncomfortable. The chuckling stopped.

"Uh...can we...change the subject...please?" she asked as she shifted in her seat.

Lilly was starting to catch on.

"Oh...I'm...sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Rainbow gave a comforting smile.

"It's okay."

The topic of school of any kind stopped right there. Luckily, that bit of awkwardness didn't last too long, and soon enough, the group was having fun and getting more shares of tacos from the pot.

It was a weird experience, for Twilight and Dash mainly. For the first time in such a long time, things felt...normal.

Dash liked it.

Better yet - she loved it.

But now she was thinking of those old days.

It brought her down for the while, but - she refused to show it.

For now, at least.

It had been an hour since the dinner and the talking died down, but you were still having an okay time. Getting to know more of Twilight and Dash and even Lilly was all the more welcoming. Spike hardly talked much, but whenever he did, it was nice. He seemed like a really cool dragon to hang out with.

You wondered if there were more like him - nice, that is.

For a while, you relaxed in the living room with the others and had further conversations. It was mostly either about the news - or whatever you heard in the news for the time being - or other silly or stories of past adventures that you or they had. Twilight had given more insight on the wedding of Princess Cadance. It brought the whole thing to life more.

Who knew you were so adventurous?

And risky?

But at some point during the chatting and the laughing, Rainbow excused herself and stepped out.

That was at least twenty minutes ago, and she hadn't been back since. Was she okay?

You had to at least check on her.

"Hey, guys," you say to the others, "I'll be right back."

Twilight gave you a brief smile, like she knew a bit. "Okay."

You got up from the couch and made your way into the hallway, where you last saw Dash go. You quickly had forgotten just how wide and long the hallways were. It was a good thing you had a keen enough memory, or else you would have forgotten where you were going.

...

A keen memory. Ha.

You peeked through the doorways of every open room, just to see if Dash perhaps was in there. Every path was nothing more than a dead end. Curiosity even led you to the bathroom, which you were surprised to stumble across, only to find that she wasn't in there either.

Had she gone home? Why all of a sudden? That wouldn't make sense.

Then again, you still had more to know about her.

As you continued to wander around the halls of the massive castle, you stumbled across what appeared to be another living room. It was a bit smaller than the one that the others were in, but it was still pretty roomy. On the opposite side of the room was an open door to a balcony.

And sitting on that balcony - there she was. The girl with the rainbow hair, looking out into the darkness.

She seemed lonely, but you couldn't see her face.

You decided to walk over to her. You wanted to know what was wrong.

She could hear your steps and turned to notice you.

There was a faint smile on her lips.

"Hey," she answered before turning back to the open.

You were standing beside her now, and she had been sitting upright, her legs in between the pillars of the railing, hanging down. It wasn't a far drop down, but it was still a bit steep. Positioning yourself right, you scooch close to her and sit down yourself, putting your legs in between the pillars like her.

And you just looked at her for a moment - looked at her face. She wasn't staring back at you, she was just...staring. And it didn't appear to be that of a thousand yards.

But it was still distant.

You had to ask her.

"Are you okay?"

She answered quickly.

"Of course I am."

But you had a feeling it was only a lie.

You leaned towards her line of sight so she could see you.

"Are you sure?"

She looked at you with a calmness that you had seen before, but not as often - even if it had only been a day since you woke up, you still memorized whatever you could. And the face she was giving...

You could tell she was lying. And she knew it too.

The smile faded, and she looked away, and back through the pillars and out into the darkness.

"No."

You saw her face again.

She seemed sad.

So sad, but at the same time, it was like she didn't want to show it.

You gently tapped her shoulder, and she looked back to you.

"You can tell me," you say to her in a caring tone, and you weren't lying. You wanted to be there if and when possible. Make up for lost time, so to speak.

And she could tell that you were true to that. She gave you a kind-hearted smile, but she still seemed so sad, like she wanted to stay quiet, like she didn't want to tell you anything - or maybe she was too afraid to do so.

What could she be so afraid to say?

But regardless of her expressions, she eventually opened up, if just a small bit. She took a look at your eyes, and tried to make you out, it seemed. Back and forth, left and right, she took a good long look from eye to eye, you to her.

"You're just so different."

You cocked your head just slightly.

"What do you mean?"

And you honestly wanted to know. You weren't offended - you were only curious.

What did she mean?

She seemed sadder now, but still wanted to tell.

So she did.

"When I looked at you before, you were...different. You talked different, you laughed different, you acted different in every single way. You stood out to everyone, to me."

You didn't stop her. She continued.

"And when I look at you now, it..."

A brief pause from her, it seemed that she tried to find the right words; and she never took her eyes off of yours.

"...It's like you're a whole new pony. Whole new everything. It's like you're someone else. The way you look at me, the way you...talk to me...it's so...

"...It's so different now...And I...I don't mean that as a bad thing at all, but...you're just...it's all so...

"...So..."

She tried and tried to find that right word.

But she couldn't.

With a defeated sigh, she turned away from you, and looked back to the darkness. Her face seemed sad again, perhaps even sadder.

You knew.

It seemed so more clear now.

Dash couldn't seem to bear to look at you again. Maybe she was too embarrassed or too...sad to do it.

You wanted to help her, maybe let her know.

Remind her even.

So you did just that, and you didn't hesitate.

You leaned up to her, turned her head just right, and kissed her.

Holding her chin carefully with your hoof and just sitting there as your lips touched and brushed against each other, your eyes closed gently, and you felt yourself get lost into the kiss quickly.

Dash moved just a bit. You could hear her hoof move around just a bit before it rested on your own, though you weren't sure if she meant that.

But you didn't move away.

You continued to kiss the girl.

And she didn't move away either.

For what felt like a minute, the two of you were frozen in the darkness of the night, letting the fabric of your lips comfort her own. She let out a comforting sigh.

Or was that just a quiet moan?

Did she used to do that with you before?

Did you like it?

Did she?

Finally, after what felt like an apparent eternity, you parted your lips from hers, and you opened your eyes. She opened her eyes too, and you could notice the quickly appearing blush on her cheeks. She didn't seem as sad as she was a minute before. More so, she seemed to be stunned.

It must have been a while since the two of you have done that.

Before she can speak, you do first.

"Look," you begin, "...I know that it's been a long time...and I...know that - you don't see the same old me as you did before."

You look into her eyes again.

"But whoever I was before...I...I'll try my hardest to be that pony again, be...yours again."

She continued to be silent, so you continued.

"You won't lose me again. Whatever I did before to end up in that bed, I swear...nothing like that's gonna happen ever again. You're not gonna lose me."

You lifted a hoof to gently brush her cheek; and you smiled.

"You won't."

For a few moments, Dash doesn't seem to respond. She's looking at your eyes again, and the blush stays plastered on her cheeks. She seemed speechless. You wondered if you said something you shouldn't have.

Or worse - did.

"U...Uhm..."

That was when she held your hoof with hers.

She held a smile on her face, but it was a different smile.

It was more of a...shy type, and you wondered why.

And then she spoke.

"W-...We...weren't what you...think we were."

...Wh-

Wait...you mean...?

You just...?

And...?

Your eyes went wide, and you immediately pulled away, covering your mouth with your hooves.

"Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry! I-"

You were rambling for a moment; your own cheeks were red as tomatoes, and your eyes were closed.

"I thought you meant we were...! I thought that...! I'm so-"

She laughed a bit at your reaction.

"Hey," she said mid-chuckle, "It's okay!"

Regardless, you let out an embarrassed, heavy sigh, refusing to look at her. Dash only continued to laugh just a bit, but you could tell that she still seemed a bit awkward herself. You put your hooves down and sigh again, quieter this time.

"Hey."

Reluctantly, for a moment, you look back to her. She had this comforting smile faintly on her face.

"It's okay. Really. I just..." She held her breath for a moment. "I just wasn't expecting that. You know, I...never really had my...you know...first kiss."

You groan with guilt. "That just makes me feel worse...gosh...I'm sorry, I thought-"

"Hey," she said again, holding your shoulder with a hoof. "It's okay. Really. It's not your fault. I could've...maybe, put more context into what I said, that's all. It's not the end of the world."

You turn away again and look out to the darkness like she had done. The town was faintly in the distance, and the mountains were silhouetted across the night sky.

But this still overlapped that all.

She could tell you were still not convinced.

"Look," she began with that still kind smile, "If it helps, I...I liked it."

And she was right. You still had some doubt.

"Are you saying that to make me feel...less guilty, or...?"

You looked at her, to which she shook her head.

"I did like it. Really. It was...nice. Just...maybe not something you'd expect from a friend who's been in a coma for three months."

The statement alone made you laugh a little. And it did make you feel better, if just a bit.

"Maybe, uh...maybe we should wait until we're further down the road before...you know, trying that again - okay?"

You let out another brief, but quiet laugh as you look up to her. She's smiling and giggling along.

"Okay."

By now, the blush is gone from her face, and slowly fading from yours. You started to feel better, and she could tell. She gave your shoulder another comforting rub.

"Come on," she leaned her head towards the house, "We should get back to the others."

You nodded along with her. The two of you got up from the balcony floor and made your way back into the warmth of the castle. You met again with the other three, and you were all caught up on what you missed.

Which, luckily, wasn't very much.

Night had fallen just enough for you all to realize it was best to get some shuteye. Twilight, with a sleeping Spike on her back, escorted you out the front door and waved to you as you gave your goodbyes for the night.

The walk back to your house wasn't too long or too far. You were surprised how close it was to a castle like Twilight's. To think, you were living next to a princess. You knew this was normal for most folk, but you couldn't help but be surprised, even just a little bit.

As you, Rainbow, and Lilly stopped in front of your house, Rainbow said, "I think it's time I head home myself."

"You want me to walk you home? You know, just in case?" you remarked. After what you heard on the radios, you had some cautions for the night. It was a general caring.

But the rainbow-maned pegasus just smirked faintly at you and asked, "Do you know where my house is?"

...

Right.

You laughed a little in embarrassment, but you didn't let it show. Perhaps it was before, or maybe you were really that awkward. You should it off quickly, but retained a smile.

"Well...um..." You weren't sure what to say next.

Saying 'I love you' was out of the question.

"Um...goodnight."

You figured it was best to say that and make it less awkward.

Dash laughed again. "Come here." She took you by surprised as she enveloped you into a gentle hug. At first, you didn't know what was happening, but your mind quickly caught up. You smiled and wrapped your arms around her as she did.

The hug lasted for a few moments, but you didn't want it to end too soon. Sadly, it was bound to happen.

Rainbow pulled away from you with a smile on her face, to which it brought a smile to yours. She turned to Lilly and went, "Make sure he gets to his room?"

Lilly giggled. "I will."

Then suddenly, a thought came to mind - you also turned to Lilly.

"Um...where are you gonna sleep?"

"Guest bedroom," she remarked, "I noticed it earlier today."

You nodded simply to it. A bit of a relief; you didn't want her sleeping on the couch.

Lilly looked back to Dash, "I guess we'll see you tomorrow, then?" to which the pegasus nodded.

"Have a good night," she remarked to the both of you, before she unfurled her wings and flew off into the darkness.

And just like that - she was gone.

You looked up into the night sky for another moment, trying to see if you could notice her. But she really was gone. It was fast, you didn't expect her to disappear so quickly.

Your stares caught Lilly's attention.

"You alright?" she asked you.

It broke you away from the sky, and you looked to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...looking."

She knew that was a simple lie.

"She'll be okay. I don't know her too much, but I know she can handle herself." Lilly smiled at you and motioned you to come inside.

With a nod, you headed into your home.

The living room looked just the same as it was earlier today. The lights had been left on, illuminating the place just right. Even the light in the hallway upstairs was left on to make it easier. The two of you started making it up the stairs, and you found yourself looking at the pictures on the walls. But they weren't pictures of mountains or oceans.

They were pictures of you and your friends. One picture had you and Rainbow in front of the camera. You had an arm briefly held around her, and both of you were making funny faces. She looked so much happier and...colorful in the picture than she did today.

You didn't have to guess why.

Another picture on the wall was of all of you standing together, bunched up, and smiling at the camera with true smiles. A simple look at the photo showed that it was no more than a couple of years ago.

You wondered how things were then. Were they joyful? Or was it all a façade?

You turned away. It was best to assume the former.

Moving through the hallway, Lilly walked her way into the guest bedroom. You took a quick peek in and saw that the room looked pretty average for a bedroom. It had drawers, a mirror, lovely curtains, and a large king-sized bed.

She noticed you peaking in and smiled, before pointing to your left. "Your bedroom's at the end."

You gave her your own smile. "Thank you."

Lilly then waved to you briefly. "Good night."

You waved back. "Good night."

Gently, you closed her door and made your way to the end of the hallway. With a gentle push, you opened the door and walked into your bedroom.

The room itself wasn't all too unique. It resembled, more so, the guest bedroom, but it had some difference. Some of the pictures hanging on the wall, for example, were also pictures of you and your friends. However, one seemed to stand out from all the rest.

You didn't take it down, but you took a good look at it.

It appeared to be a picture taken at a wedding of sorts, but neither Twilight or any of the others were in it. Were these other friends? Old ones, perhaps?

The photograph contained you, with your arms on the shoulders of two other stallions. The three of you were smiling and grinning at the camera like you were the best of friends - and it may have been true. The other participants in the picture were all grinning and smiling, either holding what appeared to be a bottle of wine or a glass full of wine.

But one thing you noticed was the bride. She was standing in the background, looking at the camera like she had been in the middle of rolling her eyes.

"She seems nice," you say as you chuckle to yourself.

Turning away from the photos, you look over and around the rest of your bedroom. You looked inside drawers, only to reveal sets of clothes. You found it odd, considering nopony seemed to wear clothes today.

Was it a special day?

As you closed the drawers, you let out a yawn, and not long after that, a sigh.

You were tired, even more so now that you were in a bedroom.

It was probably best to go to sleep. Everything would be here tomorrow.

Slowly, you walked over to your bed and lifted the blankets, just enough for you to crawl in and envelop yourself in its warmth.

Hoooh...this feels nice, you think as the thick blanket covers your body.

You moved out just enough, however, to shut off the lamp, drowning the room out in the darkness of the night.

With a blowing sigh, you closed your eyes and tried to focus on falling asleep. For a while, it seemed to work fine and all you could think about was counting sheep.

You felt at peace again, gently. Slowly.

Bliss.