Author's Notes:

I was gonna make a Russia and Turkey uplifting joke, but I didn't want to offend anyone. Who, exactly? No one will know.

But here's the chapter. Enjoy it! The story will go into a short week long 'haitus' while I complete the remaining chapters for this act! When they're finished, they will continue to be published at two day intervals. :D

I apologize if the proposal made in this story is rushed.

Rainbow slept in for the first time in a while. It was something that came to her as a shock. Since they entered the hospital, she had been waking up every morning at seven or eight o'clock.

Today, she woke up at eleven.

She remembered the days when she woke up during or after lunch, at some times, even by dinner. She wanted to miss those days, but she thought of the times when she nearly lost her job because of it. Spitfire could put up with her at most times, but the last thing she wanted was to go to work and realize she was let go.

Coming to Manehattan wasn't her idea, nor was giving her the day off Spitfire's choice either.

Twilight herself had convinced her to give Dash time off, maybe thinking that her 'outburst' was simply from stress, that she needed a week off at best. She wasn't wrong, but at the time, she wanted to hit Spitfire or even Twilight for even discussing that, to keep her away from her work.

But now, she was glad it didn't come to that.

But other than the fact that he is still alive and she finally turned around---in a way---she wished there were other reasons to be glad she was here.

She knew of the original intentions of coming to the city; Twilight wanted everyone to relax, have some fun, maybe drink a little. But at the same time, she knew of the other reason. She wanted Dash to apologize, make up to him, he'd accept, and maybe they would get to know each other all over again while they took walks in the park or went flying together.

Then, when the time was right, they'd go back to the hotel, and the girls---and Spike---would take their time elsewhere, while the two of them flung to the bed, grabbing their manes, pulling their tails, and-...

...Well---that's what Twilight saw.

As she woke herself up, Dash's sight zipped to the door as it opened, revealing a more proper and more awake Twilight, levitating a couple of boxes with her.

Did she go shopping or something?, Rainbow thought.

The unicorn noticed her friend was awake.

"Hey," she said, to which Rainbow greeted her back the same way.

Twilight closed the door behind her and began to walk over to her seat. Rainbow was a slight bit hesitant when it came to asking about the boxes, but Twilight didn't mind at all.

Opening up the boxes which, up close, now looked like food boxes, it was revealed that it was just food.

"I had a feeling you were gonna be sleeping in," Twilight began, "So I just brought up some food from the cafeteria."

Floating them over to Rainbow, the pegasus took a look at the two boxes that now lay in her lap. Both of them held what must have been four or five stacks of pancakes, hay sausages, hay bacon, and even some apple crisps.

...

"Some?" Rainbow said in a surprised manner as she stared at Twilight.

Twilight smirked a little, but blushed too.

"...Okay, it's a lot of food, but...I didn't know how hungry you were gonna be. Plus, you eat like an elephant."

She wasn't wrong on that. She could eat enough food to feed a whole family if she wanted. Sure, she would be full to the point where she would think her stomach would literally burst, but damn if the food wasn't delicious.

Already taking a fork in her hoof, she cut off a piece of a pancake and dipped it in an open cup of syrup.

"Careful, it's still-"

Too late.

A single bite, and Rainbow dropped the fork into the box.

"-Hot."

She started sucking in cold air to calm down her screaming nerves. Even when they were cool, they still stung. She should've guessed they were still that fresh.

Then again, maybe Twilight could have kept them heated this whole time.

Sometimes, she wished she herself was a unicorn.

But a pegasus was better off.

Dash waited a few more minutes before picking the fork up again, occasionally blowing on the still smoking pancakes. After at least two minutes of constant blowing, she picked the fork up again and gently took a bite.

Cool enough, warm enough.

She dug in. Almost immediately, she let out a tasteful moan. Pancakes were always her favorite food, hospital or not. Each bite she took was better than the last; the syrup only made it better.

While the food here at the hospital wasn't 'delicious' by a long shot, at the same time, it was better than what was originally served when they first arrived. It was nothing but recooked leftover food from the day or days prior. Who would eat that?

Even Dash had standards; unfortunately, she had no choice.

She wondered if they decided to 'freshen' up their food because of the fact that Twilight was here, what with her being a royal princess.

Regardless of the reason, she hoped it would stay this way until he got better or at least opened his eyes.

However long that might take.

But that in itself made her think. If he really does take possibly years to wake up, what will her and Twilight even do? Long term? Surely they can't stay in this hospital like it's a house for years. They'd never allow that. Wasting their lives in here, their friends forced to spend their money to come and visit all the time? She didn't want that. Even with the jobs they had, Dash wanted them to save their money for the moments as they came, not waste it on weekly or monthly trips.

And Twilight was a princess.

A damn princess. She had her own things to worry about, regardless if one of her friends was a vegetable on a bed. That was the least of her problems. Right beside Celestia and Luna, she had a whole damn country to worry about! Millions of ponies to look after, help in any way she could. Then there was the whole issue with Swift Shadow, whatever he could be up to at the very moment. Ponies were slowly becoming on edge, some demanding explanations and answers and security, while others wanted to live their lives-...

She was a princess.

And then there was her, Rainbow Dash.

What did Rainbow Dash have that was more important than a friend who might never wake up?

There was her job at the Academy. Salary to keep her going. Friends that missed her like she missed them. Her house---even if it was a cloud home, things could be repossessed without the money. What if she came back after six months and her stuff was gone, taken away, never to be seen again? Then she'd have to work harder to get the money needed to get that stuff back, and who knows how long that would take?

Years?

Just a guess.

Could be fact.

She thought this all while gouging down on her pancakes. Twilight noticed after some time and asked what was the matter. For a moment, Dash didn't answer, too busy up in her thoughts to even hear her. But a second say of her name got her to look at her friend.

Twilight asked again.

"What's wrong?"

She knew, but she didn't know.

She knew exactly what was wrong, what was plaguing her, what was going through her mind, what she wanted to do.

She didn't know what to say or how to say it.

Twilight noticed her slight trouble, though she didn't know what the trouble was about. But she figured to just wait and see what she were to say, how she would say it.

Even if it took until the end of her breakfast.

But Dash didn't want that much time to think of a few measly words and carry on the rest of the day.

She wanted to say something right here, right now, before she forgot the things to say.

So with another swallow of a piece of pancakes, another drink of milk, another sigh of breath out to the world, Rainbow thought of her words carefully and slowly.

And with a clearer pace of mind this morning---she answered Twilight after what must have been fifteen seconds of pure silence.

And the tears came just in time too.

"...I wanna go home."

The single statement hit Twilight hard, and already, thoughts were going through her head. Since she first said so, Rainbow was determined, not caring, not wanting to go home unless he was able to also. She was willing to stay here for months, maybe years at a time, if she so willed.

She was confident enough to risk losing everything back home just to get him back, just to tell him she was sorry.

But that confidence seemed to be gone now. Even with a full stomach, even with a warm shower, Rainbow finally started to realize just how much of her life she would waste---staying cooped up in this small little hospital room or that small little cafeteria. Sure, she could leave and go roam the city if she so chose. The worry of him dying the moment she left was not as apparent as it was early on.

But then there was Swift. It didn't matter how angry she was at him or how much she wanted to rip his head from his shoulders. Just by being here for him, she was automatically a target to whoever worked for Swift.

And who was working for him, exactly?

Anyone, of course. Somepony walking on the street, through the park, flying through the air. For all she knew, there could be one here, right in this very hospital, waiting to pounce at the right moment, right when the guards weren't looking.

They could strike and slit both their throats, then simply unplug him, and that would be it.

No one would ever know.

But it wasn't just the worries about life back home or Swift's men that had Rainbow all fussed up and depressed so suddenly this morning.

It was Swift himself.

That bastard worried her for once. Of course, she had so much time to worry since that night. That was a red flag that didn't pick up to her.

He came into this building with bruises, cuts, stab wounds, and swelling.

They destroyed him.

And they'll likely wish to do the same, just like they had to several others.

Like they tried with him.

It was like the early days all over again. The time when she was afraid, it came back. She didn't want to be that afraid mare when she first saw him die on that table. She wanted to be strong, she wanted to be confident, sure that everything was going to be just fine.

But being in this city, being in Manehattan---

It was making it hard to believe that.

She wanted to go home, go away, stay away from the city and go back home to Ponyville, to comfort, to knowing that she was safer there with all of her friends.

Knowing that he was safer there.

But there was that question again.

How would they get him home? As far as we know, trains don't transport patients, and certainly not patients with this much of a severe case. There was no word of what could happen. Of course, there was the clearer thought that nothing at all would happen, but there was always the worry.

Would they even convince the train operators to allow him on board?

Would Twilight convince them?

Could she?

As thoughts rang in her head, the door opened, and a pony walked in. First assumed to be one of the guards outside, it turned out only to be Cobalt again.

It was nice to see a familiar face.

There was the greet from Twilight and the greet from Dash. Cobalt greeted back and asked for a minute of their time. There was no need to leave the room; they could sit in their chairs if they wished.

All he needed was more blood samples and more x-rays.

Rainbow never understood why exactly they needed his blood. What was the point when all they needed to look at was his brain? Maybe to take a look at the blow flow, perhaps?

She didn't know, but she didn't care. She let him go ahead, as always.

The needle went into his arm, and it stayed there for twenty minutes. The city's form of blood samples was a tad bit more different from how other cities or other towns took blood samples. It wasn't so much as taking samples, but recording them.

Then again---that could very well be taking them.

Anyways, the needle stayed in his arm for a total of twenty minutes while it recorded the flow, the thickness, the overall status of his blood. As it did so, Cobalt chatted with the two mares, as he had begun to do so once they decided to stay. Their chats were nothing so special. How was your day? What did you eat? Did you hear about-?

That was early on. In the recent two days, Dash had noticed something about Cobalt---specifically, the way he talked to Twilight more so than Dash. Of course, the pegasus didn't mind, but she wondered if something was already starting between the two.

Wouldn't be such a surprise if Cobalt wasn't in his early forties.

Twilight was only a year older than Dash.

Quite an age gap, but in honesty, when has that ever stopped anypony? Cheerilee is in her late thirties while Big Macintosh is in his early twenties, and there's already rumors going around that they might be married soon.

Good for them.

When the twenty minutes were up, Cobalt took the needle out of their patient's arm and started taking x-ray photographs, which would take at least another five minutes. Five more minutes of discussion.

Rainbow didn't mind that the two talked. In a way, she found it cute.

Click after slow, focused, and eventual click, the x-rays were taken; some from the side of his head to the front.

Five minutes came and went, but it didn't stop the two.

Once everything was all set and ready for examination, Cobalt readied himself to leave the room. As he began to bid the two goodbye, Twilight 'volunteered' to walk with him, continuing their discussion as they walked wherever he needed to go.

Not surprisingly, he didn't object.

"Of course," he began.

Twilight asked Dash if she was going to be fine while she was gone.

With a faint chuckle, Dash replied, "I'm not a kid, Twilight."

The unicorn apologized slightly, but the pegasus remarked that it was fine, to 'go with her boyfriend.'

At first, she assumed that Twilight would deny it and become defensive. But instead, she simply blushed and followed Cobalt---who was already just outside---out of the room, the blush remaining on her cheeks and her mouth left in a scrunch.

Rainbow saw this as she disappeared behind the glass windows that stood beside the door, and it left her with a small chuckle and a big smile.

And then she sighed.

She was alone again. Not in a physical sense, but more of a mental state of mind. A stallion lay in the room just beside her, yet could not speak or even lift an eye.

Mentally alone.

But she didn't mind.

He was still here.

So she grabbed her Daring Do book.

And she read on.

"Her journey would be a long and harsh one..."

While Rainbow spent her time beside her patient reading away, Twilight and Doctor Cobalt would spend time in a staff lounge, talking, laughing, and eating away at their lunch, a set of daffodil sandwiches. Just like Rainbow, she didn't mind the food in the cafeteria, but she only wished they at least had something as good as daffodil sandwiches.

For a good hour, they sat at one of the few tables in the lounge---even if they were the only ones in there at the time---and talked about whatever came to their minds, not just a 'how was your day' or 'you look nice.' Of course, that was their initial conversation, but as time skipped on, Cobalt asked a question that only now had come to him.

"Sorry if I'm a bit curious, but---what...made you come to Manehattan in the first place?"

The question did come as a surprise to Twilight, having been so sudden, but she didn't mind telling about the trip pre-hospital.

"It's fine," she said before she began to explain.

"Well---a little over a week ago, it was Rainbow's birthday..."

"Really?" Cobalt interjected for a moment. "Well---happy late birthday to her!"

It brought a smile to Twilight's face. "I'll let her know for you."

She continued. And for a good ten minutes, she began to explain all of the events that she had known, from the day of the party to that very night. And as she continued on, her smile faded, and soon enough, she wasn't shy on the details; she told him exactly what Rainbow had told him, how he reacted, what he did during his time here---how he saved Aqua Lilly's purse---and the remaining events that led to Spike calling them that night---the dinner, the shouting, and the leaving.

That night was the last time she had ever talked to him.

She hoped it wouldn't be that way.

When she concluded, Cobalt was left with his mouth only partially opened and his eyes heavily widened, blinking every so often. He seemed like he had wanted to say 'wow' or be more explicit in his language, but the words couldn't seem to get out.

But Twilight only seemed to leave out the part about Rainbow---why she acted the way she had. She preferred to keep things only between Dash and herself.

"So..." Twilight added, "...that's that."

It took a few moments for Cobalt to fully open his mouth, but he was eventually able to speak.

"I-...I'm sorry. I had no idea."

Twilight wanted to cry just a little, but she was stronger today. So she let out a gentle sniffle and said:

"It's okay. R...Really."

Cobalt saw through her lie. So he got up from his chair and walked a few hooves over to her. He wrapped his arms around and hugged her again for the first time in days.

Twilight felt how warm he was and embraced it well. Already, she was feeling better. After a few moments, she too wrapped her arms around him, and the two kept that way for a good minute.

But they continued their conversation, but in a briefer pace.

"I'm glad she's turned around."

Another sniffle from Twilight, but a smile came around again. He noticed even when her face was hidden.

"Yeah."

It was silent again for another few moments, roughly five to ten seconds in time.

She spoke again. Her voice cracked gently.

"She wants to go home, though. Back to Ponyville---...but she doesn't want to leave him here, and...sigh...I don't know what to do."

It wasn't a lie. It didn't matter if she was a princess or even Celestia's student. She had no idea how she was going to get her friends home, both of them. She wasn't going to go to the mayor or whoever had control over the trains and threaten or bribe them.

It wasn't being a princess.

It was just being corrupt.

So what the hell was she to do?

There was no way she was going to leave Rainbow by herself, even with the doctors and the nurses and the Guard at her side. Swift would always find a way.

But then right there, Cobalt made a promise to Twilight.

"I'll find a way."

He never said how he would or what he would do, but it was a promise that he didn't plan on breaking. Twilight had been told of Cobalt's previous promises to his late wife---every promise he made, either to her or to him, fulfilled.

Twilight could trust him on this one. She was sure of it.

The two sat there for a little while longer, just hugging to Twilight's kind demand.

Cobalt didn't object.

So hug they did.

"She pushed on, through the darkness; she knew that sooner or later, the light would find her. And so it did."

End of the chapter. Rainbow closed the book and put it back into the satchel, planning to read the next chapter soon enough, give or take a few days. Her initial plan was to read the book slowly, a few pages every few days, and finish around the time the book came out to the public, or very well at least a few days after.

But in honesty, the book was too good not to read a few chapters every so often. It had only been a few days since she started to read it, and she was almost halfway finished with it. She wanted to finish the rest over the next few days, but at the same time, she didn't want to rush herself and risk reading the ending, only to realize the book was still months from releasing and that she would have to wait---for all she knew---another year for the next book to come out.

She hated him for getting it early.

But at the same time, she couldn't help but love him.

...

Love.

That word played in her mind for a second. What did she really mean when she thought that word? Love goes many ways, the way you feel for a relative or an animal or even on a friendlier term when it came to friendships.

But then there was the love that ponies showed for one another, when they really cared for each other. So many kinds of love, so many ways to show it, and only from one single word.

How did she think it?

She didn't know. She knew him for a long time, hated him for the most of it, but she didn't know him all that much. Even after what she had done to him, what he had done, what had happened to everyone over a single week, could she even consider to love him?

Would it even work, considering...?

She believed it. It could work.

But would he like it, or agree to it, considering...?

She only had to wait and see.

Perhaps, if the time came to be right, it could work, but right now? It wouldn't. What if he were to wake up and hate her straight away? Blame her for being in that cursed bed, unable to think straight or---worse---move?

He would never forgive her.

He would never love her.

Did she even love him?

She stopped thinking about it for now and laid in the two connected chairs, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the monitor beep and echo again and again. She had gotten so used to it; it would have driven others mad, but she considered it a part of her life for now.

For an hour, she lay in the chairs. By one o'clock, she noticed Twilight was still gone.

Where could she be?

She assumed she was still eating lunch or just having an over-extended chat with Cobalt.

Or perhaps having some 'coffee'.

She didn't pay any attention to it. If they were interested in each other, then the time would come to show it. The signs seemed to be there to Rainbow, but she didn't want to blatantly say it in fears that her assumptions were wrong.

Shrugging the thought away, she got up from her resting position and started to walk around, stretching as she did so, listening to her back and bones as they cracked in different spots all over her body, putting her at ease, so much that she wanted to go lay back down and just sleep.

But staying awake was probably a better idea for the time being.

After a moment of stretching, she walked over to the window and looked outside again, as she had done several times in several days. Each time she looked, the sky was different; sunny one day, cloudy the next, rainy after that, then sunny again. But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't seem to see any pegasi flying about, moving clouds from spot to spot.

Perhaps the city's weather moved on its own? A strange thought, especially when every other city in Equestria followed the ideas of the pegasi moving the weather to their liking or to the demands of their bosses. It had been that way for centuries. Seeing clouds move on their own was a new concept to Rainbow.

But she hoped other areas wouldn't be inspired.

She would lose her job straight away, along with millions of others across the country who moved the weather. Moved summer. Moved fall. Moved winter. Moved spring.

It was like they moved the world itself just by moving the clouds.

Imagine how many of the unemployed would be employed if Manehattan hired workers to change the weather when needed.

But the clouds weren't too much of her interest.

The true interest fell to Twilight and Cobalt, as she watched them walk alongside the road just a couple blocks away, heading further downtown.

Matter of time, she began, chuckling with a faint smirk.

She wondered, though, where they were going. The park was the other way, and the downtown area was always bustling with ponies of all kinds, shapes, and sizes.

Unless they were going to a big party, of course.

But Twilight? At a fancy party?

Rainbow giggled.

The reality was quite different.

Twilight and Cobalt were not going for a simple walk or trotting along through the park. The park was not their main objective, but rather, it was the city hall.

Before they left for it, Cobalt had mentioned making a proposal to the mayor when it came to patients who were home away from home, Twilight's friend a prime example. He stated that he could only hope to convince the mayor to follow through.

It was a simple idea that wouldn't cost as much as anyone could possibly think, not even the mayor.

But only hope could drive him to the goal.

The city hall was not so far from the hospital as Twilight had initially thought, only a few blocks away, enough to walk to and fro in less than twenty minutes---if she wasn't planning on staying longer.

From a distance, the city hall looked small to a pony's eye, but up close, it was colossal. Certainly not as big as any of the other buildings that surrounded it, but it was still quite big, from the great foundation that it sat upon to the massive doors that made its front entrance.

Despite the doors' size, it wasn't a challenge opening them. Once they were inside, they were greeted with a set of statue heads and paintings side-by-side on nearly every wall, chandeliers in every room, all belonging to one pony.

It was clear to Twilight that the mayor of Manehattan was very much as rich as the rest of the ponies living here.

But the building wasn't vacant in the least. Several ponies, all different colors and forms, walked all around the two ponies, all wearing business attire. Obviously, the city hall wasn't just the mayor's home, but an office like everywhere else.

It took a few tries to reach the mayor, but they were put on hold, sometimes for a few minutes, other times for nearly twenty minutes.

But before the next callmare could finish her sentence of an hour of wait-time, the mayor came in, stating that another wait wasn't necessary.

Cobalt greeted the mayor with open arms, almost as if he had already known the guy.

And mainly because he did.

Warding Law, the city's mayor, was an old friend of Cobalt back in the early days of elementary and middle school. Ever since they were colts, they had different goals; one was to be a doctor, and the other to be a mayor one day. The ideas led them different ways, but it wasn't until a little less than a decade ago when Warding had been sworn in as the city mayor. The two reconciled for a day and had met up every once in a while ever since.

But today was not for another friendly cup of coffee, and when the hugging stopped, Cobalt mentioned it.

"Well, what could possibly bring you by city hall, then?" he began. "I take you didn't come to admire the paintings."

Cobalt laughed a little.

But the smile dropped as soon as he spoke.

"No, unfortunately---it's something...more than that. Do you...mind if we talk in your office?"

"Not at all," Warding replied with a small chuckle, "Please, come, come!"

At first, Warding motioned Cobalt to follow him to his office, but as soon as he saw Twilight, he stopped. He wasn't familiar with her looks at all, and before he could think, he asked.

"Is this your wife?"

Almost instantly, Twilight's face went red, flustering greatly. Even Cobalt did the same, but he was quick to dissolve the embarrassment.

"N-No, no! This is Twilight Sparkle. A-A princess from Canterlot!"

Warding was the one to go red; he wanted to be ashamed that he called a princess his friend's wife.

Though, he thought, He would have had great taste.

Nonetheless, he apologized to the unicorn, asking for forgiveness. Even through her blush, Twilight remarked that it was okay, nothing too serious to make a deal of---especially when there was another deal to speak about that was important.

Remembering immediately, Warding led them on through the halls, the workers, the decorations.

Then they reached his office.

It was different from what Twilight had expected. She expected more statues, more paintings, more everything, like he would have shown off.

But it was the opposite, very much so. It wasn't bland, per say, but rather dull when it came to the decorations.

Not that she minded it. She loved art and statues, but there was such a thing as 'too much'.

Once the three ponies were inside the main office, Warding shut the door and kindly urged them to sit so the discussion could begin. As he requested, Cobalt and Twilight sat in the two chairs that stood just in front of the mayor's desk. It was very reminiscent to that of a school's principle office, though not as dull.

Warding walked over to his desk and sat down in the seat behind it. As comfortable as he could be, he looked to Cobalt and smile.

"Now then," he started, "What was it that you wanted to discuss?"

Cobalt had the idea in his mind. It was a simple task to say it in a simple way. But how should he say it? Should he just come out and say it? Explain the reason to it? What?

Twilight saw the discomfort, his troubles just from the way he fidgeted only slightly. She rested a hoof on his shoulder for a brief moment, as a way of mentally telling him, "One at a time."

It wasn't long before he was calm again and could think again, properly this time.

He decided to start off with the patient, his name, his condition, and how something such as said condition even happened---and that included mentioning Swift Shadow. And like a light bulb had gone off in his head, Warding quickly recognized the incident, even doing so much as expressing and giving his sincere sorrow for her friend, hoping for him to make the best recovery.

Twilight thanked him with a kind smile.

Warding turned to Cobalt and asked, "Does this tie in with your proposal?"

It wasn't a rude question or in any sense 'greedy.' Until Cobalt began to explain, he was unsure what he was getting at.

So explain he did.

"W-Well---the patient isn't from Manehattan; he was only here to visit for at least a week. But then the---incident...happened, and...well, he had no choice but to remain here until his injuries heal over. But---being in a coma---it's only a question of how long he could remain here.

"What I'm trying to get at is...is-..."

"We want to bring him back home," she interjected, finishing Cobalt's explanation.

He smiled and nodded, confirming her statement.

Warding smiled, but at the same time, he had a small frown of uncertainty. Before they could wonder why, he asked them how they would, exactly, bring him home; he joked around with it, such as having pegasi carry him home or put him in the cargo of a train.

But the moment he mentioned the train, Cobalt interjected.

"Well, that's where the proposal comes in. You see, for a while, I have---well, come up with a suggestion regarding the train."

"Which is?"

"What if---what if we add an additional section to the train? A hospital car, if you will. I've noticed some ponies here complain of a lack of medical care on the trains whenever they lead from here to everywhere else, and vice-versa. Not only would a hospital car help when it comes to whatever injuries that could possibly happen on the train...but in turn---we could also help some patients get home that can't on their own...or without assistance."

A brief sigh, and Cobalt relaxed in his chair and waited.

For nearly half a minute, Warding thought it over, even as he got out of his chair and walked to the window---as if that wasn't generic enough.

Trains coming in and out of the city already have a total of twelve cars to them: Nine for seating, one for dining, and two for bedding---should any passengers be on there from a farther distance. He knew that a thirteenth car wouldn't have any negative effect on the safety of any passengers---of course, being a hospital car, it'd rather improve it.

But carrying immobile patients on bumpy, rigid trains---would it hurt them in anyway?

He wanted to be sure first.

"Will these patients---will they be getting the proper care on the train?"

"Yes," Cobalt was quick to reply, "A few doctors at my hospital have considered pitching in on such a job if it were to...come to fruition. If we can get other hospitals and their staff on board, we can supply other trains, as well."

Some best doctors would be with them; that was good.

"What about costs?" Warding was curious. "This won't cost too much, I assume?"

"Of course not. I made sure of it. Each additional car to a train would be at least...a thousand bits, maybe two-thousand."

For a mayor of an entire city of nearly nine million ponies, two-thousand was not such a big deal---of course, that was only for a single train. At least twenty trains come in and out of the city every day, at best. Two-thousand each would be at least twenty-thousand bits.

But Cobalt did say it was also likely to be a mere thousand, halving the amount. Had the idea been millions of bits, it would most likely not have happened at all; Warding might have even blatantly said, "No," regardless if the doctor was his friend.

One or two-thousand was enough several times over; not enough for the mayor to fret.

With a turn away from the window, Warding nodded towards the ponies, now knowing everything he needed and wanted to know. He walked towards them and held out a hoof to Cobalt; before the doctor could say anything, Warding finally said:

"I'll see what I can do."

Cobalt smiled greatly, Twilight even more so. The doctor shook the mayor's hoof.

"Thanks, bud."

It was a little odd to Twilight; she had seen Cobalt as a professional, mature doctor---a stallion well into his forties and not as young as everypony else around him. Hearing him say "bud" to another stallion as old as him simply made her realize that ponies didn't change the moment they turned thirty or forty.

Of course, it was just a word, but she never heard it whenever she was around older stallions.

Once the two shook hooves, they hugged briefly before Warding shook Twilight's hoof, who gladly shook back. After a brief and thankful goodbye, the two left the office and made their way back outside the city hall.

And that was when Twilight's giddyness couldn't hold itself in any further.

Taking him by surprise, the mare latched herself against Cobalt, pulling him into a tearful hug. She smiled greatly into his shoulder, but shook and sniffled from tears all the same.

"Thank you." Her words were muffled, but enough for him to hear.

When Cobalt knew what was going on, he too smiled and hugged back. He did notice several ponies looking at the two as they walked by them---it was a common thing to do.

But he paid them no mind.

As he hugged her back, he said to her, "You're welcome," his voice not as muffled as hers.

They hugged for only a few more seconds before they parted, lest they had ponies start whispering. When they composed themselves, Cobalt suggested going back to the hospital.

But Twilight wanted to something else---something that didn't include being cooped up in the hospital---it had been days since she went outside.

When the doctor asked what she wanted to do, she pondered for a bit.

Then it came to her like a train.

"I want burgers. Real burgers." Her mouth literally drooled the instant the thought hit her.

It made Cobalt smile, even laugh at how normal she was. Sure, she was a princess; she was one of the most powerful ponies to ever walk beside civilization.

But she was a pony too.

Agreeing with her---as he too thought the food at the hospital was poor in texture---they decided to go to a fast food joint, or rather any place where they could hang out and just---relax.

Vanilla Sky seemed like a good place.

Two o'clock. Twilight and Cobalt weren't back yet.

Rainbow didn't worry for the moment. It was still bright out, and if Swift was smart, he wouldn't let his men be stupid enough to do something stupid such as kill during the day.

Especially to somepony as powerful as Twilight.

Especially to Twilight.

Dash stopped looking out the window, laying back in her chair-bed and listening to the constant beeping of the monitor, over and over again. She even, at one point, made a faint tune out of it, though she didn't sing words of any sort, just hummed random pitches and sounds.

This lasted for at least ten minutes before Rainbow got bored of it. She continued to lay in the chairs for another hour, nearly dozing off every five minutes until her stomach began to grumble and gurgle, begging for lunch.

As her routine had led her, she kissed him on the forehead and went off to eat. It was macaroni and cheese, but surprisingly not leftover. Packaged, heated, and delivered in bowls to patients and visitors---short and long-term.

Relieved, Dash wasn't hesitant to gulf down at least two bowls of the stuff. There was enough in a single bowl to make her stomach bloat just a little. Two bowls and she wanted to explode.

But at least it would calm her stomach down for the time being.

Even after she finished her second bowl, she stayed in the cafeteria for a few more minutes. As she looked up to the clock, she read three-fifteen. It was around this time nearly every day that a couple of nurses would come to the room and change him. Sometime after the initial coma diagnosis, they place him in an adult diaper---obviously as he wouldn't be able to go to a bathroom.

One day, she did walk in mid-change. The smell was somewhat bearable, but it was weird for that brief glimpse for Dash to see a grown stallion be wearing a diaper and being changed.

Not that he had a choice.

She wondered if he would be embarrassed about the diapers when he woke up.

If.

Twenty past three, she sighed and went back to the room. Walk to the elevator, press a button, doors close, elevator moves, doors open, walk out. A routine that became common for days now. She would have gone up and down the stairs if she wanted---but in honesty, going in and out of an elevator was less of a headache for the time being.

She'll be walking on a treadmill when she gets home.

If.

When she got back to the room, the two guards still stood there, against each side of the door, not moving unless needed to. As long as Rainbow was near enough to them, she was safe enough.

He was the main asset to protect---according to the mare, even more important than her.

She passed them and opened the door, walking through the doorway. Once she was in the room, she closed the door behind her and turned back to her friend.

Still asleep.

The chairs were moved slightly from where she last had them; it helped her know they were here.

She looked under the covers.

New 'diaper,' judging from the texture. She was glad at the fact that they made adult diapers look more like they were for adults rather than foals. It would have made it a bit---awkward, despite their use.

Putting the covers back down, she placed the chairs back beside the bed and laid back down in them. Dash continued to stare at the ceiling for another twenty or so minutes, letting her food digest and relax properly. The sound and gentle rumbling of digestion nearly put her to sleep.

And then she heard the click of a door, and barely lifting her head, she saw Twilight walk in. A small, but quite noticeable, smile was plastered on her face, even after she closed the door and walked to her side of the bed.

With a gentle open of her mouth, the pegasus greeted the unicorn in a semi-tired fashion. It took a tad bit longer for Twilight to reply with her own greeting, but she greeted back nonetheless.

It was silent between the two for a few seemingly long moments. Twilight sat in her sit with the smile still stuck to her. It wasn't a complete 'I'm thrilled!' kind of smile, but more of one that said 'I'm relieved, I'm glad.'

She wanted to ask what she was so happy about, but she most likely it was the doctor.

Of course.

So instead, she asked a different question.

"Where have you been?"

The unicorn, again, didn't reply straight away, but pondered on a specific thought in her mind. Rainbow could only guess or assume what exactly she had been thinking about. But she was still smiling, so it was something.

She answered soon enough.

"Out."

Rainbow knew what it meant. Judging from the consistent smile, the half lidded eyes---a generic form of a mare---and the daydreamy stare that she held in her looks, Dash knew exactly what she meant.

Oh.

Of course.