Two months came and went since Manehattan.

Security was still just as on its hoof-tips as it was a month ago and the month before. Life continued in fear and uncertainty in the big city. Ponyville and Canterlot's citizens found no worries for miles-away conflicts that, as one had said, "Aren't really conflicts, just Hide-and-Seek."

A month following Manehattan, there came the announcement of Big Macintosh and Cheerilee's imminent marriage. A month later, the wedding happened.

Just about everyone in town had attended the ceremony; to many, it reminded them of Cranky Doodle's wedding, who---speaking of---was sitting in the front row, alongside Pinkie and her friends.

Applejack sat alongside the rest of them, her hat in her hooves, as she looked up to the podium and smiled with tears of joy running down her face. Sure, the mare cried on the inside most of the time, but there were only special occasions when it came to letting them flow.

The time from bride Cheerilee walking up to the podium---to her and her groom kissing and declaring themselves husband and wife---lasted no more than three minutes. Spike, who decided to be the ring-bearer, gifted them with the two massive rings, big enough to fit well on a hoof.

They put them on each other's hooves, the mayor made her statement, and like that, the two were wed at last.

After the cheering and the stomping of hooves in celebration died down, the newly married couple and all who came went to the reception. To nopony's surprise, it was hosted at Sugarcube Corner, but no one minded, either. For essentially every occasion, the shop was always the place to go, always the place to party. Even the DJ, Vinyl Scratch, who hosted at the nearby nightclub, would be the DJ for the parties. Depending on the setup, it was either dubstep, classic, or simple romantic settings.

For an hour of the reception, it mainly consisted of the songs that were usually heard nearly half a century ago, the more upbeat, dance-worthy type of songs. Everyone was down in the center of the main room, "getting their groove on".

For the remaining hour, there was nothing more but slow dancing, holding their lovers---even friends---close to them and letting the gentle rhythm move them side to side across the floor.

Dash and Twilight watched with a smile as they saw the groom and bride doing the same with everyone else. Cheerilee had the biggest smile on her face; it was clear to anyone that she was as happy as she could be.

Of course---why wouldn't she?

Unwilling to dance, Dash decided against doing so.

Not knowing how to dance, Twilight sat beside her, watching everyone else dance. Most of them had already left, but those who remained were all on the dance floor.

"They look so happy," Twilight remarked on the wedding couple as they continued to rock back and forth in bliss.

Rainbow couldn't help in agreeing.

"Yeah."

She smiled. She never expected the day to ever come. It felt like just yesterday that those three kids got them going, even if it was just a spell. And now---seeing them there on the dance floor, dress and tuxedo at the ready, swirling and turning to the gentle hums of the music...

Hard to believe it. Gone from friends to husband and wife.

She didn't complain. She was more than happy for them.

Dash took a slight glimpse at Twilight, and through the dimness of the lights, she could still see her frown. She wasn't frowning a minute ago.

But the mare had a hunch as to why.

"It's sad he couldn't make it."

Her hunch was right. Whenever her friend or even she had a frown on any of their faces, her first thought went to him, and most of the time, she thought right.

As always---she never blamed her.

"...Yeah," she responded after a moment or two.

Wanting to lighten the mood between the two of them a bit, she gently bumped Twilight's shoulder with her own and let out a chuckle. She didn't know if it was fake or not, but she chuckled still.

"Heh, at least it'll give him a bit of a surprise once he's up, huh?"

Even the attempt made her chuckle for real, and it even made Twilight smile, chuckling along.

But it lasted for a short moment. The frown returned, but there was still the faintness of a smile.

A gentle nod, and she adds:

"...Yeah."

Rainbow's smile faded along with hers. She turned back to the crowd.

A couple of the ponies---two of which were drunk---were already leaving, a couple with bottles of beer still in their hooves. Pinkie had been passed out on an empty spot of the dessert table for no more than an hour. The rest were either dancing with randoms or close friends, some closer than the two mares had thought.

Applejack sat on one of the stair-steps, all by herself. She looked on as her brother danced with his new wife. She smiled at times, but her frown stood out more. Every now and again, she would take a sip of cider, straight from the bottle.

Dash felt terrible for her. After everything that had happened, even when the good of things come to cheer her up, she found more comfort and hope in a bottle of alcohol than with her brother's marriage or the simple fact that he wasn't dead yet.

Hell---his near death was the reason she was even drinking like that to begin with.

Or maybe the fact that she and he---...

She looked away from the mare and back to said mare's dancing brother. She wanted to smile again, but that one look at her best friend took it away. It wasn't her fault, either.

No one's fault but Swift.

For the next hour, Rainbow talked to Twilight about several things. Some of those things were merely how the day had turned out, or how the bride had felt prior to the altar---Twilight was one of the mares tending to her, assuring her that things would be okay.

Then Rainbow asked, "What's gonna happen now?"

That gave Twilight a smile. Hopeful, Rainbow assumed.

The unicorn shrugged and answered, "I'm not sure. Who knows what they're gonna do once they find a place to live or...settle down until they find a place.

"But this is just the start of a whole new..."

She paused for a moment, trying to come up with the appropriate word to say. When she pondered long enough, she finished.

"...world."

It was cheesy, yes, but she wasn't in the wrong. Big Mac was the shy, quiet, collective farm-boy everyone saw him as. He only worked on the farm and rarely made a wage on his own, Applejack mainly paying for everything---to her consent, of course.

But now he was married, with a wife, so what if he wasn't going to be the farm-boy anymore? What if he was going to become a business-pony, boss of a new apple company, or the pony who was going to make his family millionaires?

Yes, the thoughts were a bit over-exaggerated, but this night alone started a whole new chapter in their lives.

Both of theirs.

"And for all we know, we might even see the baby before the year's out."

All three of theirs.

The two of them went silent again, looking on at the dancers, each of them trying to come up with at least something to ask the other, just so the rest of their company wouldn't stay so awkward.

Giving another glance at the wedding couple sparked a simple thought in Twilight. The thought alone was enough to make her sigh a little; there was a faint smile on her face, and the sigh sounded almost...

Lovely.

"I hope I get married someday."

It was a very surprising statement to Dash, having come from a pony bookworm like Twilight. Of course, the topic wasn't wrong to talk about---why would it be?---but she really wasn't expecting her to simply come out and say it.

Nonetheless, Rainbow still smiled, glad that her friend even had hopes and ambitions for something like that.

She could only wonder what she'd be like at the altar: completely collective and scientific, or an awkward mess.

And she meant that in a good way.

Deciding to joke around on her topic, Rainbow nudged the princess's shoulder and said with a smug smile:

"I can already guess who the groom'll be."

It was more of a playful tease to Twilight, one that she wasn't expecting to make her feel bad or anything else. And luckily, it didn't.

But she blushed heavily, very well aware of who Rainbow was somewhat referring to.

She smiled through her blush and shrugged, somewhat in a "maybe" type of way.

It certainly widened the pegasus' eyes a bit, but she had a feeling that the response was coming regardless. Even if she never spent much time with them when they were around each other, Rainbow could still see some form of chemistry between the two. Every time he came by, they always sparked a conversation, and always at that time, Twilight would smile---and Rainbow would notice the littlest blush on her face.

The idea of them together was cute, in its own little way. Age didn't matter. If they were happy, who was to say otherwise?

For a few short moments, the two of them stand silent again, looking on.

Then Twilight spoke.

"Who......Who do you want to marry?"

The question came as a sudden shock to the girl. She didn't look to Twilight, nor did she look to the couple. She simply stared to the floor, stuck in thought. It wasn't something she was hoping to be asked.

And it wasn't something she was hoping to answer for a long time.

So she answered now.

"...I don't know."

It could have been a lie. It could have been truth. Not even she was sure of it.

It was clear that he loved her. Ever since the day he first came to town, he had his eyes on her, even as she told him off in gentle ways or talked behind his back.

Even after the party, he still didn't give up.

She was sure, after this, that he would still try.

But then came the thought of him and her being...together. Being happy around him, as he is around her. It was cheesy, yes---but she couldn't stop thinking of the possibilities they could be gifted with.

But would it work out?

Would it falter?

Then there was the one question that time would ask.

The question.

Will you marry me?

Her answer would change their futures, seal their fates.

And time again would tell her what would come of it.

But for now, she settled with that same answer.

"I don't know."

Truth---lie---nothing more than uncertainty.

Time would tell.

The reception was over, the time well past sundown, roughly ten o'clock, perhaps later. Most of the ponies were too drunk to know, and those that were sober were too tired to care.

Dash rarely drank cider, especially since Manehattan. Even though he was in the best of care, the last thing she wanted was to be completely wasted, should he ever awaken.

The night sky was nearly black, little specs of white touching here and there. The sight never got old, even behind all that light pollution. It was on the darkest of nights that the mare snuggled up in giddiness every time she could see entire constellations.

Those were the best nights. Never came often, sadly.

At least, not in this town.

Once she said goodbye to Twilight and all of the others who were only then leaving, Rainbow started walking off further into town. Other ponies followed her, up until they reached their houses. Rainbow would hear the clicking and clacking of keys hitting doors lazily before they finally clicked in. On some occasions, she'd even hear giggling, a sign that there were two residents.

Who knew a wedding would heat up so many ponies?

Of course, at that time, not everyone was at the reception. Rainbow would every so often see certain citizens walking about, having a nightly stroll or having a contest in the town square. It would only be around midnight that the town would die down and call it a night.

However, the mare had no need for contests or strolls. The party had completely worn her out; she wasn't tired enough to drop out cold to the ground, but she wasn't awake enough to fly or clip-clop a rhythm.

She was beat for today.

All she wanted to do was to go to bed.

But before she could do that, she had one thing left to do.

Say goodnight.

It was common for her to do so before she went home for the day, a way of 'good luck,' and a kiss on the forehead. Of course, that was mainly around eight or nine o'clock, when visiting hours would be over.

It was far past ten at this point---but the staff had known the mare so much, so well---hopefully, they'd make an exception. It wasn't as if there would be a wedding every day.

Unless, of course, Twilight were to...

Rainbow nodded her head and laughed. For a short while after the whole 'marriage' discussion, Twilight spent some time talking about Cobalt. It wasn't so much as a "Oh, he's so cute" conversation, but more of that of his work, his dedication. Sure, she did have a crush on him, but she didn't let that get in his way of his work.

The pegasus never spent too much time with any of them, so she was nonetheless glad to listen to her friend ramble on about the doctor, and all without blushing.

Much.

Keeping from trailing off, Dash kept focus to the path leading to the hospital. Walking from Sugarcube to the hospital and vice-versa was, as always, not too long. Had she not been exhausted, she would have flown there minutes ago.

Nonetheless, it was still nice to at least get somewhat of an exercise. Since Manehattan, the mare had been eating a tad bit more than she usually had, and two months worth had already begun to show. Her firm belly was becoming slightly pudgy.

She hated pudgy.

And for all she knew, he hated it too.

Walking was good for her body. She made a vow that she would keep her body firm; however, she had made the vow quite some time ago, and every time she wanted to contribute to it, she simply couldn't.

She was happy on many occasions.

But she just couldn't.

Not that it would stop her from trying, of course.

After a few minutes of trotting along, the mare finally reached the hospital. Even so late at night, a majority of the lights still shone out. The hospital never truly slept.

When doctors went home, others went to work.

Dash opened the front doors and greeted the nurse at the entrance desk, a kind smile on her tired face and a semi-sluggish wave to her. The nurse only smiled akin to that of an "I can relate" manner.

The hospital, despite still being quite active at night, was also very empty, to an extent. Several doctors and nurses would be walking to and fro, checking on each individual patient when or if needed. By nighttime, she was see no more than five or six at a time, some of which were the same nurse or doctor she had seen a minute ago, in the opposite direction.

Working night shifts were much more of a hassle, especially when you were one of few still awake.

There were times like this when Rainbow was glad she didn't become a nurse or a doctor after Manehattan.

Going down the first hallway, past the counter, walking by room after room, doctor after nurse, she reached the end and took a left, not stopping. Already, she could see his door from here.

For a moment, she wondered how long she would stay here for. There were times when she promised herself to stay for at least a couple of minutes, only for it to turn into a couple of hours.

Even if that were to become the case, at least she had a chair to pass out in.

But as the girl got further and further to the end of the hall, the world around her seemingly got quieter.

The voices of doctors or patients slowly went dim.

And the clip-clop of her hooves on the marble floor seemed to---

Echo.

Was it her own imagination, her ears playing mere tricks on her? Was it a way of saying that it was time to sleep?

She wasn't sure. Already, she was feeling more tired than when she first entered the hospital. Perhaps she'll stay here for the night. Not worth flying halfway to her house and passing out in the middle of nowhere.

As she got closer to the door, sound started to come back to ears. She could hear noises, buzzing of fans, voices of doctors, nurses, their patients, visitors, anyone she could.

But one voice stuck out among the rest.

A whisper.

It was too quiet for her to understand what came of it.

But it sounded frustrated.

Angry.

Pitiful, maybe.

And it came from his room, past his door.

His cracked-open door.

Dash only needed to tap it to open it. It never made a squeak, just slid open.

The lights were off, making it dark and almost impossible to see. The only visible light was that of the monitor, beeping away, beep after relentless beep. The outside of the window was visible, along with the blowing of the curtains, giving away that they had been opened. But tonight was cold, so why would the doctors leave it open on such a night?

Dash looked for the light switch. Familiar enough with the panel, she flipped the third one.

Immediately, the room came to life.

And the mare's eyes met with a complete stranger standing over her friend.

For the moment, the mare didn't know what she was looking at. Who was the stallion? Why was he here? Those questions were the initial ones to ring in her mind.

Then she saw the knife.

A knife perfectly lodged against his throat.

She didn't have to say or do a thing for the stallion to notice her. Their eyes met, looking at each other like deer in a wagon-light.

She stopped breathing.

He stopped breathing.

The air went dead.

And then he slit her friend's throat.

Then the world caught up with her and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The stallion started to run in the opposite direction, to the window. The mare ran to her friend. She didn't care if the bastard ran off; she needed to act.

She sprinted to the bedside and all she could see was red.

Red.

Red.

Red.

Immediately, she started to put pressure on the neck, hoping it would help stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down. It wasn't long before her hooves became drenched in the redness, like they had been dipped in a thick puddle.

She started to breathe in and out.

He started to choke.

HELP!" she screamed. "SOMEPONY B-FUCKING HELP!"

The monitor started to beep rapidly. He started to tremble, shake, panic.

And he never even knew it.

At this point, the mare didn't even try to say a word. She just screamed in an incoherent manner, not caring if it was a word or rambling. Her tears kept her from doing so, anyway.

She didn't care.

She never cared.

"Stay with me," that's all she could say. "Stay with me."

"STAY WITH ME."

"STAY WITH ME!"

"DON'T LEAVE ME, PLEASE!"

Then the doctors came in, only to see a patient drowning in a puddle of his own blood, his best friend trying to keep him alive---and a stranger lying on the floor. They didn't dare ask a damn thing. Immediately, they got to work, already as frantic as the mare before them.

But she needed to go first. A nurse, instructed to do so, immediately headed over and tried to pull her away from the patient.

"Get away!" she yelled as she attempted to push the nurse away with her bloodied hoof. A mark lay on the nurse's fur.

A second nurse helped the first. They grabbed Rainbow together, and almost instantly, the mare started to flail in their grasp, kicking and waving her arms about like a child in a tantrum, yelling, "Let me go, please!"

It was as if she didn't realize they were trying to help.

Nonetheless, despite her constant kicking and screaming, they were able to drag her out of the room. They quickly got her seated in a chair. She calmed down slightly.

They could hear the sound of doctors and nurses working inside and shouting, "We need help over here!"

One of the nurses outside ran into the room, leaving Dash and the other alone. Immediately, the door closed and they could both hear the sound of something scraping against the floor and lodging itself in front of the door.

At the chance, Rainbow freed herself from the nurse's clutches and started to bang on the door. The still wet blood began to smear itself on the glass and the wood as she started to bang on the door, begging them to let her in.

Then she started calling his name, yelling, "Wake up!" over and over again.

The nurse pulled her away from the door and started speaking to her, trying to calm her down.

"Ms. Dash?" she began. Dash was a common visitor, so it wasn't a surprise that she knew her.

For a moment, Dash didn't bother to listen to her tone, her words. She kept her from him. Letting him die, perhaps?

"They're doing everything they can to help him...but they need to be focused...okay?"

Her words were slow. They were paced out, calming, assuring to the best of her abilities.

It worked. The girl didn't say a thing---she only nodded, blinking quickly as she did so. She was still breathing heavily and shaking terribly, and a part of her wanted to try and break the door down and scream again.

But she listened to the nurse, even when the sounds of flatlines and beeps were heard just behind the wall.

Death, life, death, life, death, life.

With the common face of concern, the nurse looked to the mare and said, "Come on...let's get you cleaned off."

Despite being shaken up and still in pure shock, she agreed.

She didn't dare look down at her wet, thick hooves.

Letting the nurse's soft hoof rest on her back, she walked with her to a washroom.

Each step was a squish of red on the floor.

Squish.

Squish.

Squish.

Author's Notes:

To explain the time-jumps, literally nothing important would happen over the time that passes. It's pretty much the same thing.

More things were going to happen in this chapter, but I decided to end the chapter where it was because Christmastime fucked me good like the little walrus bitch I am really screwed with me. So I ended it there---hope you don't hit me.

I'll be taking a tiny break until I can get my ass back into the game (which is totally not Fallout 4). The story will be on a haitus of a few weeks or so. Don't hit me. :C

Patience is key, so put down your damn pitchforks and love me like America loves Trump and totally doesn't want his head on a platter. :D