Author's Notes:

At the time I'm writing this author's note, the story has 62 likes and 11 dislikes. I'm hoping I don't screw up and have the dislikes rule over.

But to be honest, the story's only been out for three days---as I'm writing this---and it's already gotten over 60 likes. Regret didn't get that much until a couple weeks of progress. So far, so good!

The last chapter was supposed to include what's in this one, but it would have taken a bit too long for just one chapter. Chapter 7 will be the last chapter of Act 1. :D

Enjoy!

Sorry for cheesy chapter ending. D:

It didn't take long for mayor Warden to approve of the idea.

What did take long was not only getting the train workers to agree to add extra cars to every train in the city, but furnish it to proper requirement.

By sundown of that day, Warding approved the idea. The next day, he discussed with workers about the idea. Some thought no, others thought yes. And the day after that, the amount of ponies who agreed got straight to work, and it became news in papers and on the local radios. Old, slightly broken down train cars were taken, rebuilt entirely, and completely furnished to contain the usual hospital set-up, including first-aid kits, IV bags, hospital beds, proper heating and cooling, and all the things that made it feel like a hospital.

It took three whole days for every train in Manehattan to be added an extra car. Two experienced doctors or nurses from several hospitals across the city and in suburbs were hired or took the job of working in one of these cars. And during those three days, the cars were evaluated to be sure that not only did they fit the requirements, but they were stable enough. A couple of cars were well over twenty years old.

Despite the reconstruction, some workers were slightly afraid that patients would be transported in them, afraid that they would fall apart mid travel and crash in the desert somewhere. But the evaluations confirmed that the cars were rebuilt and furnished to perfection; fit to travel the country, if possible.

When three days passed, it had now been a week since it happened.

And now---it was time to go home.

Twilight had reserved a spot for the three of them in one of the first cars to be completed. When they were aware of the time it would depart, they made their way back to the hotel to pack their things. Even if they had spent seven days in the hospital, they were still guests in the hotel.

The unicorn could have gone back to the hotel any time she wanted to take a shower or sleep in a warm, cozy bed.

But if Rainbow could sleep in semi-cushion chairs, then so could she.

Somewhat.

Packing up took less than twenty minutes, but with the train leaving five hours from then, they caught up on what they needed to do, such as showering and sleeping in a bed again, even for a few hours.

By the time they woke from their naps, the train would leave in a little under an hour.

Luckily, they had planned ahead.

Grabbing their luggage, they left the room and went down to the lobby. After a brief exchange of bits to pay for the stay, the front mare gave her some of them back. Before Twilight could ask the reason for it, the mare wished her friend a speedy recovery. She even suggested using those bits for a recovery gift.

Bidding her farewell, the two mares left the hotel and immediately made their way to the train station. Cobalt had already promised Twilight that he and a few of the other doctors would transport them while they prepared. If she was correct, he's been there for at least a couple of hours.

Easing her slightest of anxiety, they continued their way on.

The way to the train station was not long; just like when they first entered the city, and just like when they walked Aqua Lilly, they went along the same path, along the same sidewalk, always as they had only twice. And today would be the final time they had to walk alongside it.

At least, until everything was over.

As they trotted through the semi-crowded streets of Manehattan, they saw things that only brought them back two weeks in memory.

There was the doughnut shop, Blazin' and Glazin'. It was the first place they stopped at after they entered the city. They had to have been there for at least an hour, talking about anything they could think of, all while eating their doughnuts.

And the whole time there, he never said a thing.

Then again, neither did Dash. Twilight wondered if anything happened between them while the rest 'gossiped'.

In the brief glimpse that Twilight had through the windows of the shop, if she looked close enough, she could see a sign, a chalkboard attached behind the very table they had sat at.

When she stopped for just a moment to see what the board had written on it, she saw four words, big and bold.

PRINCESS TWILIGHT
WAS HERE

She wanted to laugh, maybe giggle really. She had been a princess for well over a year now, and everypony still saw her like she was a famous celebrity.

Well---she was, but rather, how they saw her even after all this time. Sure, ponies still bowed and praised Celestia whenever she met them face to face, but they also treated her with dignity and normality, like an actual pony.

Twilight didn't mind the fame all too much if it was once in a while, but-...

Well, after what's happened in the past week, more publicity to her was the last thing she wanted on her right now.

She moved on and away from the shop.

Away from what brought them a day when things were a bit less worrisome.

Twenty minutes of walking later, and the two finally reach the train station. The train was still there, still filling with a few passengers here and there, and it was nearly full to the brim; but the train still had at least ten to fifteen minutes left before it would take off.

Giving the conductors their tickets, they make their way inside the initial car, the last seating car. Like the other cars, it was very packed, ponies in nearly every seat. There wasn't enough space for the two of them or their luggage.

Conductors would never let passengers on trains that were already full. Perhaps he did it simply because of Twilight and he just didn't realize?

There was no way they were leaving this train, especially with him already on board, so they pondered for a few moments over whether or not they should spend the entirety of the trip on the floor.

But before any of them could decide, the back door of the car slid open, and a pony called out:

"Princess Twilight?"

The voice was a holler over the constant chat over everypony else, enough for Twilight to turn her head. Looking to the rear end, she noticed the sight of a mare, a nurse, standing in the doorway, calling her to follow.

The two mares did so and followed the nurse into the next car, which was the dining area. For the moment, nopony riding was in here---as it wasn't time to eat just yet; past lunch, but before dinner.

Next were the bedding areas, two cars with fourteen beds each. Dash could remember the time when her and her friends rode to Appleoosa in a bedding car for the first time. It had been at least a year before he came to Ponyville, so he clearly didn't remember it. In each of these cars, a couple ponies or even a single pony were getting settled in, some more so than others---sleeping, of course.

And when the two of them finally walked into the medical car, the experience was---surreal, new...alien, in a way.

Up until only a few days ago, hospital cars were a thought that ponies never really put into action, and Twilight or Dash seeing one for the first time was really something.

This train's hospital car had a much more different look to it than the cars in front of it. It looked more or less like a room in a hospital, stocked with tons of hospital supplies, hospital shelves, lighting, windowing, flooring, and bedding.

It was just like walking into a hospital, only it had been compacted into a single train car.

A well done effort.

The beds were taken straight from the hospital, including their heart monitors, IVs---and even the patients (of course).

Including him.

At the far end of the car, past two other beds that housed injured patients---all of which who could speak or simply nod in reply---he laid, unable to speak or nod or do anything at all.

All he could do was be alive.

The two mares walked to the end of the car, each walking to the same sides as they had in the hospital; Dash on his left, Twilight his right.

"Hey," Dash whispered to him, almost as if he could have heard her.

She wanted to think he could hear her speaking---but what were the chances, the odds?

But she continued to believe it. She liked it.

His set up was the same as it had been in the hospital; according to the nurses, they never even got him out of bed, they just transported it. Of course, it would make sense, but doing so required a small generator that could have kept him breathing and alive. It was possible that he could have breathed on his own, but they didn't sense to take a risk.

At first, she didn't notice it, but when Twilight looked about the car, there were three beds in total, but only two staff---a doctor and a nurse---were in the room, treating the other two patients; who was going to be watching him? She never had experience when it came to treating patients, and Dash never would have a chance, regardless of her care.

Getting up, she went over and asked the doctor if there were any other staff on board. He nodded and mentioned that the third one was gathering a few more supplies for his patient before he left.

Thanking him, she went back to her friends and took a chair, as had Dash, and sat down. Breathing in slowly, she let it out with a gentle but great exhale, bending her foreleg and holding it out as she had done every now and again.

Back to Dash, to her misfortune, there was no clock to tell the time but the sun itself. She was never good when it came to using the sun as a clock, but she knew that the train would leave pretty soon---twenty minutes, most likely---and maybe an hour before it would be dark out.

She didn't care if it was dark outside as long as it meant getting out of the city.

Getting away from Swift and his group of men and the danger of death at every corner.

As long as she was away from him, she wouldn't have cared if it was dark of if she went blind.

For nearly twenty minutes, the two mares sat beside the bed, occasionally looking out the window or listening to the radio that played from the ceiling loudspeakers. It was an interesting addition to the trains in recent months, Twilight thought. She loved listening to any kind of music as long as it wasn't shooting racial slurs or talking about killing. The radio settings in every car were set specifically so a passenger could turn it off for the whole car, if they didn't feel like listening to anything at the time.

Twilight was fine with what played.

Dash preferred Rock over Classic any day.

Eventually, the train's operator spoke over the speakers that the train would depart in less than five minutes. Twilight wondered for a moment if the doctor would miss the train; would the other doctor and the nurse care for him?

Wait---of course they would, the unicorn thought, very slightly shaking her head and assuring herself that he would be in good hooves.

A few minutes later, the train was about ready to depart.

But then, in the slimmest of time, the third doctor arrived, having entered the train car in an exhausted and tiresome manner. It was as if he had run the whole way here without stopping.

At first, from the dimly lit doorway, it was hard to tell what the doctor looked like. Clearly, however, it had the appearance of a stallion and a doctor's coat. He sat at the doorway for at least ten to twenty seconds, breathing in and out, just trying to catch his breath.

It was hard to tell who it was.

Then a doctor spoke out.

"You alright, Cobalt?"

Twilight's eyes went wide. Cobalt!

The now-familiar doctor lifted a hoof tiredly and weakly, stating as best he could:

"I---hah---am not as yo---hah---young as I used---huh---to be."

Sucking in air for a brief moment, he got enough strength to say a single sentence after he breathed out.

"---Hah!---I'm forty-two and I feel like I'm seventy."

The other doctor chuckled.

"Maybe you should jog your way to work," he stated in a semi-joking fashion. "It'd probably help more than just walking."

Cobalt laughed.

"That's true---hah---maybe."

A minute at the doorway, and he felt somewhat better, though he still breathed in and out a bit more heavily and fast than normal. It wasn't until he started walking towards his patient's bed that he noticed the mares looking right back at him.

While Rainbow wasn't too too surprised to see him coming in---seeing as he was the one taking care of him the most---Twilight's eyes were still wide as saucers, a faint little blush on her cheeks, but barely noticeable.

"C-Cobalt?" she stammered slightly. "What are you doing here?"

The doctor took note of her reaction and chuckled.

"I volunteered to provide long term care for your friend. I know of his condition the most, so that was why I came along."

"Long term?" Rainbow questioned. "You mean...?"

Another smile, he remarked:

"When the train stops in town, I'll be getting off as well. I'll be his main doctor until he fully recovers."

Rainbow smiled back. Cobalt was a nice pony to be around with and an excellent doctor, clearly by the fact that he had saved his life. Of course, she thanked the other doctors and nurses for providing him with the care of feeding and changing him, but at the same time, saving his life was the only reason.

But she laughed a little, knowing that Twilight would be around him for a longer time than she thought.

Of course---when was that ever a bad thing?

A couple minutes later, the train departed from the station. Twenty minutes later, the city of Manehattan disappeared from the horizon, the light that it polluted off still showing, however, in the skies. An hour passed---six o'clock---and that too soon disappeared. At this point in time, the sun barely edged on the horizon, ready to dip below and turn in for the night, with the moon patrolling over the land.

For that hour, the train wasn't as bumpy as some citizens, passengers, or even the mayor had assumed. Every once in a while, they would occasionally have a slight 'bump', but it was rarely, if ever, noticeable.

Twilight, once she stopped blushing, eventually opened up to conversation with Cobalt, who seemingly started it. He asked her simple questions; how it was like being a princess, what the workload is like, the choices that have to be made.

Those were his initial questions, to which Twilight was fine with responding to. The answers ranged from a varied workload to the easiest of choices. She even looked back to the streaking incident.

That was an awkward time.

Eventually, dinner began. Of course, while most passengers were not able to be seated in the dining car---mainly the rich and 'back-room' ponies were allowed---the food was delivered to each passenger throughout the train. Many weren't hungry at the time, but others were completely starving.

Being a princess, Twilight was allowed into the dining car, Dash and Cobalt granted permission alongside. As they dined on tonight's wheat dogs and hay steak, the unicorn and the doctor continued to talk; occasionally, the conversation would vary from serious topics---him or Swift, for example---to jokes and simply uplifting talk. The serious topics, however, were quite rare. It wasn't something the two were really wanting to talk about over food.

They actually wanted to eat and have a good time, not be depressed again.

Dash occasionally added in conversation whenever something peaked her interests. She wasn't afraid about leaving him alone this time. He was in the care of another doctor and a nurse for the time being. If anything happened, they would take care of him.

Finally, she was able to relax and be calm for the first time in a week. The stress, even when she was sleeping peacefully and showering, was killing her strength. She feared anything worse if she continued to go the path she went.

They stayed in the dining car for an hour, talking and laughing or giggling or telling jokes. The other ponies that sat around them acted like the posh and proper citizens back in Manehattan or in Canterlot. They didn't pay any mind to them, but Dash wished they could at least learn from the three of them so dinner wasn't as boring.

They preferred symphonies.

She preferred rock.

Was it that hard to just learn something new?

Regardless, when dinner ended, they went back to the hospital car. The doctors and nurses were keeping him company as well as their own. When Cobalt walked in, they smiled, waved at him, and went back to fully maintaining their patients.

But other than feeding him and checking if he needed a change in diapers, Cobalt had no other task to do for him except be sure he was fed and clean for the whole trip, which wouldn't arrive in town until morning. Of course, this was because of the train having taken a new path, according to the train's conductor. Had they gone the same path as when they first arrived to the city, they wouldn't be back in town until at least three to four o'clock in the afternoon.

Even when she knew things would still be the same somewhat when they got home, Dash knew things were also going to be much different. Not only would she have the struggles of him being in a coma for possibly the rest of his life, but there was also dealing with her job, her payments, her bills.

And then there were the ponies from the party. Sure, some of them agreed with what she said---as much as she now regretted it.

But now she had those who didn't agree with her. Who knows what they'll be thinking when they get back home? Will they think she did it? Led to it? If she was lying that she ever felt bad or sorry for him?

Not even she knew what would come. But that was the unfortunate thing about it.

She had to wait and see.

And she didn't like what she saw.

Hours would pass before Twilight and Dash were off to bed. They had already reserved a set of beds for the both of them. As for Cobalt, he'd be tending to his patient throughout the night. The doctors and nurses would occasionally let one of them sleep in an extra bed within the hospital car, and every once in a while throughout the night, wake them up and switch. That way, they'd all get their proper sleep. If the other two patients besides him were satisfied, more than one of the doctors or the nurse could sleep.

Cobalt's job, however, was a bit more complex, especially since his patient was completely comatose. He would need much more care than the rest. But he didn't mind. He cared deeply for every patient he had, and he would be sure this one was no different from the rest.

But while Cobalt would spend the night tending to his new but familiar patient, Twilight and Dash would be sleeping in the next car over. The lights in the car had been turned off well over an hour ago, encasing the entire car in near pitch black, had it not been for the moon.

It didn't take long for both mares to fall asleep. The thought of going home in the morning and him being able to come along with them put them at great ease. Twilight fell asleep with a smile on her face for the first time in a while.

Rainbow did too.

But then she woke up after an hour, her mind stressed and troubled.

Could it have been from a nightmare? Perhaps, to one, it might have been. Or maybe it could have been her mind thinking away at the real world while she tried to create her own in a dream. Whatever the reason, it was enough to keep her awake.

With her thoughts corrupted with tension and unease, she began that constant thinking process. Of what?

Of the future.

What was the future going to hold not only for him, but for her too? It wasn't a form of selfishness or caring more about her own future. She only wondered what would become of her to everyone, especially after something as tragic as this.

It would, of course, be a common sight that ponies would doubt her truthfulness whenever she says she cares or regrets what she did. One day, she hates him---she leaves for a week, comes back, and cares about him. Anyone would doubt it or believe it as a lie.

But other than the stigma that would come from such an event, there was her future, her mental future. Something like this could only be seen as a traumatic experience. She looked at Spike the days he was there before they went home. He was shocked, he was angry, and then---

...And then he was just...confused. The day they left, he was almost entirely spaced out, like he was always in deep thought or heavily confused or didn't know what was going on. It was no surprise to anyone that he would have been affected just as much as him. She didn't even need to think about it.

They tried to rape him. They tried to use him like a doll and most likely kill him after to prevent him from talking. If Spike not had done that, not use those flames...

If he didn't kill those two stallions---would he even be alive right now, or would they have let him go after they were done with him?

Dash stopped thinking about it.

Now there was him.

What would he do when he woke up?

The first thing that came to her mind was that he would most likely berate and hate her, maybe accuse her being in the whole mess to begin with, which was only slightly true. The tables would turn and he would be the one to talk behind her back, yell at her, prevent her from trying to help---hate her.

Or maybe that was going too far. For all she knew, he would still care for her, say he was sorry, try to make amends.

But what about him mentally or physically?

From what Cobalt had told her, the only major damage was in his head. Swelled his brain and that was the reason he was even in a coma to begin with. When that ends, will he be different mentally? Will he be kinder than he was before? Smarter? Dumber? Or would he be a cruel pony to everyone he encountered, even if he didn't mean it? Would that be common until his dying breath?

There were so many questions that raced in Rainbow's mind, she could never keep track of them all. She just wanted to yell 'STOP' and hope they would all screech to a halt. But the questions were essential. She wanted him to be okay, because she wasn't and never would be ready for him to not be.

Who could be ready to face something like that?

Not Rainbow. A surprise, not even Rainbow 'Danger' Dash could be or would be able to handle something like that.

But was it really a surprise?

She didn't even know.

Did she want to?

No.

She didn't.

And then, like that, she told her mind to stop. And it did. Like that, every single one of those thoughts that plagued her, told her to think this and to think that, to think good and to think bad, right or wrong---they all stopped and settled in the deep layers of her brain, to relax until she told otherwise.

She felt relaxed, but not enough to yet fall asleep. So rather than spend an hour or two trying to go back to bed, and rather than 'please' herself in hopes that would succeed again---

She simply decided to look outside.

She loved looking outside.

Ever since she was a filly, despite her determination to succeed, to be the fastest or the strongest in whatever life could throw at her---she was always a sucker for the night sky. Billions of stars and billions of galaxies to look at, even if a majority of them were not possible to see from where her little planet stood. It didn't phase her, though. The night sky was always a sight, always putting her mind at ease.

Though, living in such populated towns like Ponyville or Cloudsdale, the light that shone from houses and buildings and schools and factories would cripple the light that the stars gave off, at least from her perspective. On a clear night in a town like Ponyville, she would have only seen a fourth of the universe.

But tonight, with the train in the middle of a freezing desert and with most of the train's car lights gone dark or dim---the universe was hers, to watch in awestruck amazement at the amount of constellations she could point out, how many meteors she could see zip across the sky in a minute's time, and the best part---the galactic center. So calm from so far away, yet a constant clash of energy and life up close.

It reminded her of the things that had happened in the past 2 weeks. From far away, the situation was small and not as big as one would think. Up close, words and slurs are thrown at each other, feelings are hurt, lives are changed forever.

But unlike that---unlike her life and her problems and his problems and the crippled future they would have together...

The universe was beautiful.

The universe was an inspiration.

The universe was a wonder.

The mare couldn't remember when she even dozed off. All she could remember was looking up into the sky, looking at every individual star, and the next moment, Twilight was waking her up for breakfast. There was no fade or cut to black, just an immediate "Wake up" from Twilight.

Nonetheless, the mare yawned and got up from her bed.

Despite the dining car being for the more fancier ponies at dinner, it became a place for 'normal' folk in the mornings. When she first entered the car, she noticed regular unicorns or regular pegasi and earth ponies sitting at tables, occasionally sipping on orange juice and eating eggs, every once in a while talking or laughing quietly---as it was still very early in the morning.

Twilight had already saved a seat for Dash at another table.

And yes, Cobalt was there too. Again.

Dash didn't mind. She loved his company as much as Twilight's or any other pony's.

While Cobalt and Twilight ate their eggs and drank milk or juice, Dash kindly but tiredly requested a simple set of oats for cereal. To her happiness, they returned with a bowl, a small carton of milk, and a small box of Cinnamon Oat Squares.

She always loved that cereal.

Pouring the cereal in, she added the milk and grabbed a spoon, not wasting time to fill her stomach for the morning. Every once in a while, the milk in the bowl would gently ripple whenever the train hit a slight bump, but it wasn't enough for it to make a splash.

Within a minute or two, she had finished her cereal and gulped down the milk like it was going out of style.

"Hungry, I see?" Cobalt asked with a smile, jokingly.

Rainbow blushed only a little in slight embarrassment, nodding in reply. Embarrassed, though, she didn't deny her hunger.

When she put the bowl, the spoon, and the empty carton and box where they needed to go, she decided to engage in conversation, not every once in a while, but like ponies would normally do.

Like yesterday and the days before, the conversations would range from princess duties to historical facts or data, or even about the apocalypse---in fiction, of course.

At some point, Cobalt did mention that his wife also had a great interest in post-apocalyptic novels, specifically when it came to romantic tragedies. He felt more open about talking about his wife this time around. Not as frowned as before, but more of an uplifting tale about her once interests.

When the other two had finished their breakfasts, they proceeded to the back of the train, back to the hospital car. They had to be more quiet, however, as the other two patients were still sleeping, despite it being sometime around seven or eight o'clock. At least, that's what Dash assumed the time was, judging by the sun.

As they sneaked their way over to his bed, Dash smiled. As soon as she was near enough to him, she grabbed one of his hooves, still warm, and kissed it gently.

"Good morning," she whispered. He likely wouldn't hear her, but at this point, she didn't expect him to.

For a good hour, they sat in their respectable spots, and eventually Twilight and Cobalt engaged in further conversation, while Rainbow continued to read the next chapter of her book. She had learned to control her pacing. There were at least twelve chapters left to read out of the twenty-four in total. She had already begun to read the twelfth chapter, and soon enough, she would be done with that too. If she read four chapters in a single month, she'd finish the book by the time it publicly releases.

She didn't want to request having the book signed until then, especially when it hasn't even come out yet.

After ten or so pages into the chapter, Rainbow stopped and asked Twilight how much longer they would be.

She wasn't expecting Twilight to say, "Within an hour."

It was quite a surprise to her. To think---sometime in the next hour, they'd be stepping off the train and they would finally be home again. Being home meant there was less of a risk being hunted down by Swift or any of his men. Here, in the comfort of his friends and nearer to the City of Canterlot---and with the chance that Royal Guards would also be patrolling the town too---he was safer than he ever had been in Manehattan.

She couldn't wait to get home. She wanted the time to come so fast. What would she do for another hour? Read some more? Talk with the others? Sleep some more? Hell, why not all three?

So she did. The first thing she decided to do was to continue reading up to the point that she wanted, then stop and read the next pages tomorrow and the day after that. The second thing done was talk a bit more with the others, casual conversation. The unfortunate part of it all was that there was almost not a single thing they haven't talked about.

Unsuccessful in finding anything to talk about, Dash eventually settled to skipping to the third thing. Putting the book back in the satchel, she laid back in her chair and closed her eyes, letting out a gentle sigh with it.

It felt like hours to her, but it was only for a little over a half hour that she slept. Again, as she had done this morning, Twilight was the one to wake her up. In a short daze and yawning heavily, despite only a half hour's rest, she asked sluggishly if they were there yet.

But then Twilight pointed out the window. On the horizon, there lay Ponyville, vibrant, colorful, and just as alive as she had last seen it. At first, it started off small. Then as the train kept rolling, it got bigger and bigger, closer and closer.

And then finally, the train slowed down, hissed as its wheels ground against the tracks---and finally stopped.

When Dash looked outside the window, she could see the train station filled with passengers, ready to board the train or simply standing about, waiting for others---family members, friends, or other importance.

Some of the ponies had actually stared in amazement when they noticed the hospital car. They had heard about it, and it would be at least another week or two before Ponyville would get its required car, so they could only see it as a preview for now.

As the doors in between every car opened up, ponies came flowing out of the train like a flood. It had to have been at least thirty seconds by the time the trains were empty enough for ponies to begin entering. At this point, the doctors and nurse had begun preparing their patients for transport.

But with Twilight at their side, hopefully the trip would be easier to make---or at least quicker when it came to her magic.

Unlike the other cars that had exits on both ends, the hospital car contained an exit on the side facing the station, in its direct center. This construction was mainly useful in transporting bedded patients in and out of the cars when needed, rather than struggling to get them through a narrow end and accidentally have them stuck.

The first patient to be taken out of the car, of course, was him. As the crowd made way for the patients in their beds, they noticed, recognized, and sympathized for the pony lying in the first one. When they saw the rainbow mare walking alongside him, some cast expressions of doubt, anger, and even sorrow.

Just like what they did to him that night, it came right back at her in the end.

She ignored them for now.

For a good couple of minutes, the trip to the hospital that grew ever so slowly in the distance was moving along averagely. Every once in a while, ponies would take glimpses or stare at the patients in the beds or the ponies who walked beside them.

Most of the glimpses were to Dash and mainly her.

She knew why.

Just thinking about it made her cringe. She didn't know why she cringed, but she did. Maybe she expected someone to throw a brick at her or punch her or try to gather up a mob and run her out of town 'for nearly getting him killed'.

But were they right about that? Even if it was just a little?

Ten minutes pass. The hospital stands in front of them, and they stand in front of the hospital.

Upon entering, Dash had to take a moment to remember and get used to the layout of this hospital. She had taken those two weeks to get used to that particular hospital. But who knows if she would ever return there to remember?

She only hoped she wouldn't have to go back there.

When they entered the lobby, good old Doctor Stable was there to welcome Twilight and Rainbow back home. He even greeted and welcomed Cobalt and the other doctor and nurse to Ponyville. When everything was set and planned, all three patients and their doctors were guided and directed to their own separate rooms. Stable led Cobalt and his patient---and his patient's friends---to their own room.

Luckily, the room was set on the first floor rather than the second or the third. All they had to do was walk to the left, down the hall, and walk into the last door on the left---not the right.

The layout of the room was very similar to the hospital room in Manehattan, though its design was mirrored, the bathroom door was more towards the door than the window, and speaking of windows, there were two of them this time! The designs and the decor of the room was also very different from what they had seen in the city room. Somewhat the same, but oh so very different.

It took no more than five minutes to settle the patient in his room. After that, Stable left Cobalt and the mares alone. At a point, Cobalt mentioned that he needed to see if the hospital had what he needed. Twilight---at first, Rainbow thought she wanted to follow him---mentioned she was going to go get breakfast at the cafeteria, hoping her stomach would stop growling, despite the eggs she had eaten a few hours ago.

When the door clicked shut---Dash was alone again.

Alone with him.

As soon as things went quiet, she sighed. She was tense still, stressed even, but she listened to the monitor. It was always beeping everywhere it went, and every time she listened, she was as better as she could have been.

She tried taking it in. Yesterday, she was saying goodbye to Manehattan, and today, she was saying hello to Ponyville. Two weeks ago, they entered Manehattan for the first time in a year.

A week ago---he nearly-...

Dash stopped.

It wasn't the time for that.

She sighed again. After a few moments, she resorted to once again holding his hoof in hers. Holding it always made her feel just a little bit better, kept her at ease, kept her from panicking or overthinking things.

Of course, she knew it wouldn't work forever. One day, that comfort would run out and she would need to face it head on.

Was she ready for something like that?

No, and neither was Twilight or Cobalt or Pinkie or Fluttershy-...

Nopony was ready for something like this.

And they still aren't.

But for now, Rainbow took the past week as a sign of luck. She had it better---hell, he had it better---than any of Swift's other victims.

He got off easy.

So she continued to believe it.

Continued to feel lucky.

She knew it was running out.

It was only a matter of time.

Only a matter of time.