//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Set In Motion // Story: Always There // by LuigiBoy781 //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Set In Motion The sun shone furiously as ponies walked through Ponyville's smoothly paved streets. It seemed like any other day in Ponyville, but today was different. Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity were at Sugar Cube Corner, preparing for Rainbow Dash's secretly planned surprise birthday. Everypony was there, including Aden and his siblings, except for his younger sister, Jade. She was probably crusading with her friends, trying their hooves at some other crazy antic to get their cutie marks. Each pony had to play their part by performing a variety of tedious tasks. The tasks ranged from decorating Sugarcube Corner with various banners, streamers and balloons to sorting Applejacks tantalizing apple themed sweets across the several tables lined up inside. Each one of them eventually finished up their jobs, they all started to relax as they all lounged around the lower floor of the bakery, the tempting smell of fresh made apple sweets still lingering in the air. But despite the intoxicating aroma, Aden remembered his big part of the plan. Having to go and retrieve Rainbow Dash from her house and back to Sugar Cube Corner. "Okay, I'm gonna go and get Rainbow now, so make sure everypony's ready when I come back," Aden said, before he closed the door leaping into the air as he flew, becoming a blue blur speeding through the skies in a matter of seconds. The door closed with an almost silent click, leaving the five mares alone with Aden's two older siblings. Now, it was time to go to work. Stepping up to her friends, Twilight silently whispered to them, eluding to attract the attention of the ponies in front of her. "Hey girls, should I ask them now that Aden's gone?" Her friends all looked to each other as they soon quietly nodded back to Twilight. Twilight cleared her throat before she began to say, "Do you mind if I ask you all a question?" The two looked to her, listening intently. His older sister being the first one to speak. "Well sure, but whatever for?" Ruby said as she turned to Twilight. Twilight practically pawed at the wooden floor as she bit her lower lip, becoming filled with anxiety. "Well I wanted to ask," she began, before looking to her friends for assistance, only to find them telling her to continue. "Does Aden have a crush on Rainbow Dash?" Twilight quickly blurted, the room grew quiet as Aden's siblings gave each other awkward stares. Lucent repeated the question to make sure he heard Twilight right. "So you're asking if Aden has a crush on Rainbow Dash?" Twilight only nodded slowly in response. He stood in the middle of the floor, eyes roaming around the shop, looking for any one who might be eavesdropping, but found that they were the only ones there. He finally looked back to the four ponies who sat in front of him, giving them their awaited response. "I'm pretty sure Aden does like her, but you-" he was cut off as Pinkie suddenly jumped in front of them, yelling in excitement. "This is perfect! Dashie likes him back, and if she knew that he liked her back, she could finally stop worrying about it," Pinkie exclaimed as Twilight smacked her hoof onto her face, while her friends glared at her, their mouths agape at Pinkie's sudden outburst. "Pinkie Pie! We weren't suppose to tell anyone!" her friends yelled as Pinkie fell to the floor with a thud, just now realizing her terrible mistake. "Oops, my bad." "You can't tell anypony what you just heard, especially Aden," Twilight pleading to the the two. "Cause if she finds out that we told anypony, she'll kill us!" "Well then you can't tell Rainbow, cause I'm pretty sure Aden would do the same," Lucent replied quickly. "So we all have to Pinkie promise on this," Lcent stated before they all looked toward another agreement as they soon recited Ponyville's famous promise. The room silenced as they finished. Twilight stepped forwards in front of her friends before she spoke, breaking the silence in the. "So everypony get this straight," all of them lining up in front of her before she continued. "We're all bound to this promise, so we can't tell anyone about Aden's or Rainbow's crush on one another, cause from what I've learned, losing a friends trust is the fastest way to lose a friend" "FOR-E-VER!" Pinkie intervened before she sprang up from behind Twilight, almost scaring her to death in the process. Bewildered, Twilight looked to where the pink pony once stood, then glanced bak to where she was now. "H-How did you?" Twilight asked as Pinkie Pie became distracted by a dust particle drifting by in the cool breeze that came from a nearby window. "Ugh, never mind, after all its Pinkie logic," Twilight mused, rolling her eyes as Pinkie Pie approached the small window, still following the tiny particle of dust. But her interest in the dust soon faded as she saw Aden, with Rainbow Dash in toll, the both of them slowly approaching the front door as he chatted with her. In a fright, Pinkie started to trot in place frantically, not knowing what to say or do. Pinkie trotted right next to Twilight, who was still conversing with the others. "Um, Twilight?" Pinkie said shakily as she grew even more worried. "Yes?" Twilight egged her on as her curiosity grew even more. "Aden and Rainbow are coming!" Pinkie screamed as she leaped into the air, flailing her hooves wildly. Everypony started to panic, trying to find their hiding place, screaming and bumping into each other as they did so. This went on for a matter of seconds, all of them practically jumping behind the tables as Rainbow and Aden grew closer to the front door. Choosing to hide next to the door, Lucent anticipated Aden's arrival, his hoof on the light switch. And with a small push the door slowly swung open, only to reveal a dark room. Rainbow was the first to enter, the light from the outside world shining through the entry way only let her see vague outlines of tables and balloons. Looking around in confusion Rainbow suspicions soared as she tried to interpret what was going on. "What's going on?" Rainbow Dash questioned as she looked for something that would put her suspicions at ease. But was soon given unwanted clarity. "Surprise!" They yelled, jumping out of their hiding places as Rainbow to jumped in fright. Rainbow swiftly scooted herself right next to Aden by pure instinct, making him blush. She soon noticed his body was against her own and stepped away, looking nervously at the wall in embarrassment. Both of them trotted in, gazing at the decorations scattered around the room in amazement. All of the arranged neatly across the table tops. And step by step Rainbow slowly moved forward, her eyes turning to her friends as she thanked them. "Thanks guys, I don't know what to say." "Well I know what to say!" Pinkie stated before raised a hoof into the air. "Gee I wonder..." Aden said, a small grin appearing on his face. Pinkie quickly grabbed her party cannon and aimed to the air above. "Let's get this party started!" And with that she pulled the lever on its side, blasting confetti a streamers into the air. They all soon found themselves moving along to the music that echoed across the room. Each one helped themselves to several of the baked goods on the table, laughing and chatting as they enjoyed the festivities. This continued on for the course of an hour, having as much fun as possible as they did so. After the music stopped, they all took their time to talk, letting their weary bodies rest. Rainbow Dash approached Pinkie Pie, with one question in mind. "Hey Pinkie, where's everypony else? I thought more ponies would be here," Rainbow commented, the pink mare turning around with a cupcake in her hoof. "Don't worry! I got DJ PON3 to liven up the party, so by the time she comes here, everypony else will too!" Pinkie said, filling her mouth with the cupcake. "Wow, thanks Pinkie," she said as a smile grew upon her face. "So when is she coming?" Rainbow asked. Pinkie held her hoof up while she finished the cupcake ever so slowly. Rainbow rolled her eyes and waited patiently for Pinkie to speak again. Finally she swallowed it, clearing her throat shortly after. "She's probably setting up her equipment right now so we should go outside now," Pinkie said cheerfully as they all exited through the doorway. As they walked through the door, birds chirped and the wind blew softly across the sky, accompanied by the sound of several ponies nearby. All of them waiting for Vinyl to set up her equipment. Everyone's mind seemed to be in a state of serenity, nothing to interrupt their thoughts as they waited patiently talking, about their daily lives. But that time of peace was soon broken, a familiar pony with a blue coat trotting down the road. Aden took notice of his appearance and looked to him as his eyes grew wide before they soon became narrow. Soarin! he thought to himself before walking over to him with silent rage. Aden stopped in front of him and they both looked to each other, not saying a word to one another as they stood there motionless. "What are you doing here?" Aden asked, his suspicions rising every second. Soarin looked over to the party before returning his attention back to Aden. "I'm just here to enjoy the party," Soarin paused, shortly taking a glance at Rainbow Dash before he continued. "Besides, I'm also here to see how my Rainbow's been doing," he said with a smug look, making Aden's temper grow higher. "She doesn't belong with you, especially not after what you did to her!" Aden shouted, stomping his hoof on the ground as Rainbow noticed Aden's sudden outburst, genuinely concerned of his well being. Not noticing the pony who stood several feet away from him. "Is everything okay Aden?" She asked as Aden just stared at Soarin. Rainbow shifted her gaze to the source of Aden's attention, only to find herself standing there saying nothing as ponies nearby casually walked, not noticing the little scene that was going on. Soarin smirked before walked over to her, closing the gap between them with every single step he took. "Hey Rainbow, how have you been? I missed you," he said throwing a hoof around her shoulder, as if nothing ever happened between them. Rainbow quickly smacked his his hoof off of her shoulder in disgust. "Get away from me you creep!" she screamed, backing away from him as she moved closer to Aden's side, like he was some sort of protective shield. Soarin looked to her, baffled by her choice of action. "What! I'm I not good enough for you anymore?" Soarin yelled, moving closer the two. Rainbow also took a step forward, quickly responding as she did so. "You were never good enough for me! And you never will be!" Soarin glared at her in pure anger. "Fine, be known as the mare who blew it with a Wonderbolt! Get rid of the best thing thats happened to you!" Soarin said trying to discourage Rainbow dash, but his plan soon backfired. "You were the best thing that happened to me, but after you and I split, I found something better," Rainbow said as she moved even closer to Aden, wrapping her hoof around his own, still glaring at Soarin. Aden blushed slightly, looking to her as soon as he felt Rainbow's touch. This action made him calm, but simultaneously threw his mind into a state a serenity and curiosity. Is she talking about me!? he questioned himself, trying to decrypt her hidden message. Soarin acted by turning around before he looked back to the two, his eyes burning in intense rage. "I'm out of here!" Soarin walked off leaving the two of them standing there. While Rainbows hoof still intertwined with Aden's, as Soarin looked back, the sight making his anger spike to overwhelming limits. But kept his anger caged as a devilish smile came upon his face, evil thoughts now flowing through his mind. And just out of earshot he said this to himself, "When my plan comes into action, I'll make you regret that you ever messed with me in the first place! So enjoy it while it lasts, Aden!!" Aden stood there, still pondering on Rainbow's meaning, the sky becoming filled with a soft orange glow as he did so. But as always his thoughts were cut short as Rainbow tugged slightly at his hoof. "Vinyl just got done setting up her things, do you wanna go over there now?" Rainbow looked into his eyes, awaiting for an answer. "Let's," he said as they let go of each others hoof, and started to walk down toward the giant assortment of stereos. There they regrouped with the rest of their friends all waiting patiently for to start. But their wait was short as Vinyl stepped up to the mic, "All right! Who's ready to party?" Ponies burst into screams and cheers. "Then let's party!" she said, snaking her hoof down onto a button, releasing several waves of music. Everypony danced to the music, once again giving into the music's rhythm. After several songs played, with eveypony enjoying each one. The music soon came to a halt, and Vinyl approached the microphone again. "Okay, so I got something a little different tonight so please don't be mad," Vinyl said, looking to the crowds of ponies as they waited for her response. "I have a request from somepony, and they say it's a friends birthday, and they wanted this specific dance dedicated to them, so everypony find a partner or get off the dance floor." Aden lost track of her, looking around to the group of ponies for his rainbow haired friend. But she had only left his sight to consult her friends about the dedicated request. All of them sat at a table relatively close to the dance floor. All of them were sitting at a table, laughing and giggling at some inside joke, with Rainbow slowly approaching them. Twilight looked over to her, and excused herself from the table, walking up to her, both of them closing the gap between them. "Hey Rainbow, aren't you supposed to be out there, dancing with him?" Twilight teased, making Rainbow Dash embarrassed by the thought. "Twilight, I swear if this is some sort of plan to get me and Aden to dance together, I am gonna-" Twilight saw that the song was about to play and spun Rainbow around, making her face the swarm of ponies, before she shoved her into it, giving her one last piece of advice. "He's out there looking for you. Good luck!" Ponies darted through the crowd, trying to find their partner, both Aden and Rainbow Dash were separated amongst the group of ponies, not knowing what to do in this little coincidence. Both found themselves being shoved and pushed by other ponies, and soon found each other in the center of the swarm, face to face. "Um, hi?" "Hi." They both stood there silently avoiding eye contact with one another. Other ponies still separating into pairs while Aden and Rainbow just stood there, not knowing what to do. C'mon Aden, this is your chance! Aden thought, trying to make some sort of game plan. "I guess we have no choice but to dance," Aden chuckled slightly as the two finally made eye contact once again. "Yeah, it seems that way," Rainbow replied sheepishly. Okay, now just ask her. "Do you.... wanna dance?" "Well, there's one problem," Rainbow replied, "I can dance to any other type of music, but I don't know how to dance like this." Rainbow looked to the ground in embarrassment, a blush evident on her face. Aden stepped up to Rainbow, grabbing her hoof. "Rainbow," He paused as Rainbow looked back to him, "If you taught me how to fly, I can to teach you to dance." And with that, they danced as he song began The Hardest Thing by Joaftheloaf (For the feels, please listen while reading) Aden stepped up to Rainbow Dash and wordlessly showed her what to do. They reared up, both unsteady on their hooves, until they smashed into each other, Aden gingerly placing a forehoof around Rainbow’s waist while his other touched hers. “Like this?” she asked, all of her senses attuned to the colt not a hair’s breadth from him. “Yeah, it’s perfect,” he sighed as they wobbled in a quick circle. The music’s slow tempo and soothing melody played through the air around them, reverberating through their very hearts. Again and again they stepped and twisted, slowly falling into the rhythm of the dance. "Aden, Have you done this before?" She asked, in a slight teasing manner. A small smile escaped Aden's lips. "I've done this plenty of times," Aden pulled her even closer, their faces mere inches away from each other, "Just never with the right person or pony. But, I don't think I can say that when I'm with you," Aden said, and shortly after, Aden felt Rainbow nuzzle him, his cheeks now were burning red. They continued to dance harmoniously with one another, moving together in perfect synch, guiding her every movement. What was just a few minutes felt like hours to Aden as he danced with the mare of his dreams, only focusing on the one he held close. (Note: Wait for the song to end) The song came to a close as they stood there silently, engaged in their thoughts. Everything seemed perfect, still embracing one another under the falling sun, staring into each others eyes. Finally, he looked to the sky above, it's waves of golden light shimmering. "I have something to show you," he said as they finally let go of each other. *** "Okay, keep you eyes closed Rainbow," Aden said as they slowly walked along a walkway. "Um, Aden? Where are we going?" Rainbow asked, her eyes closed as Aden guided her every step. "Don't worry we're close." They approached a small hill not to far from Sugar Cube Corner with a small path that was surrounded by a field of flowers as they gently swayed back in forth in the warm summer breeze. Slowing down, Aden positioned Rainbow Dash in the hills very peak, the blindfold still covering her vision. And ever so slowly, Aden untied the blindfold, "Okay, now you can look." Rainbow blinked a couple times, trying to adjust to the blinding light of the sun before she found what awaited her. She stood there motionless as she gazed upon a field of flowers, their radiant colors surrounding them left her in pure awe. "I didn't know what to get for you, so for your birthday I thought that we could share this moment, ya know, just the two of us." Rainbow blushed lightly as she looked to him. "T-thanks Aden, this is so thoughtful of you," she said demurely, but a strong gust a wind swiftly whisked by, carriying multiple flower petals into the air. Both of them followed the petals with their eyes, only to find a sky filled with a variety of overwhelming colors that were similar to those of a rainbow. The sight left them breathless as they stared at its overwhelming beauty. "Wow, its so beautiful," Rainbow held her eyes locked on the sky above, the petals slowly drifting by whilst Aden turned to her. The light catching her coat as it practically glimmered in it's soothing rays and her mane flowing in the cool breeze as he stared, he was infatuated by the sight of her. Yes you are Aden thought as he sighed. He stepped closer to her, sucking in all of his doubt, he decided that it was the right time. "Rainbow," he paused as she turned to him. "Ever since I came here to Equestria, you've always been there for me, and you've done so many things that I can't even describe them in words. You always make me smile, seeing you each morning makes my day." Rainbow continued to stare at the floor, her face erupting with shades of red. "But that doesn't compare to how great you are," Aden paused as collected all of his courage, "What I think I'm trying to say is that I love..." but before he could even say it, he stopped. The same eyes from that fateful day, staring into his own. Their eyes instantly locked with the other, almost by instinct as they drew closer and closer with each passing second. Time itself seemed to slow down as they pulled each other closer and everything seemed perfect. Am I dreaming? Am I really going to kiss her? Aden thought, his mind was racing as their lips were just a few centimeters away, until someone called out to them unexpectedly. "Rainbow Dash, Aden!" Both of them jumped simultaneously at the sound of the voice. It had come from Twilight who was signaling the two to join them. "Okay, we'll be there soon!" Rainbow yelled back to her friend before turning back to a nervous looking Aden. She stared at him wondering what to do next, both of them silently waiting for the other to speak up. "Well thanks Aden for the present," she paused looking back to the multicolored sky above. "We should get back to the others now, so.......this is all that I can give you for now" She said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and started to trot away, humming happily to herself as his heart melted away. She had left Aden with a new torrent of feelings that he couldn't comprehend, he felt like his whole brain had shutdown on him, not being able to process anything at all. He stared blankly at the spot where Rainbow had once stood, a very noticeable shade of red present on his face. As he watched her leave he lifted a hoof to where she had kissed him, smiling gleefully. He soon started to walk where his friends and family awaited, a new sense of hope burning within him. He quietly said to himself, "I feel that things are going to be better from now on." *** Soarin walked down the streets of Canterlot, approaching a bustling group of pegasi that were chatting about the Wonderbolt's latest performance. He approached them as they noticed his presence and quickly ran to him, asking for autographs and such, but he quickly denied their requests. "Do you guys want some work to do?" Soarin asked. The eight ponies looked to each other, all of them confused by his sudden question. "What would you, a member of the Wonderbolts want us to do?" one of them asked as Soarin smirked in response. "You see, I'm trying to get rid of somepony that's getting on my nerves," he said simply as another pony stepped up. "Sorry, but we don't do that kind of thing. Come on guys, were out of here!' And with that they started to leave before Soarin's smirk grew even bigger. "Fine go ahead, but did I tell you that if you helped me, you'd get a chance at becoming......a Wonderbolt?" The group of ponies turned around, all of them now interested in his scheme. "So who's the guy that we gotta take down?" "His name," he paused dramatically, looking to the ponies that were going to help him take his revenge once and for all. "Is Aden Sky."