//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Answers Are Found // Story: Always There // by LuigiBoy781 //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Answers Are Found Black, it was the only thing in sight. Aden looked all around him, and saw nothing but a black, empty void. He heard nothing but his own breathing and the ominous silence. "What happened? And why is it black everywhere?" Aden said, looking towards the blackness in confusion. He thought to himself for a moment, analyzing the events that had happened recently. "I was trying to save Rainbow Dash, and then I took the impact when we crash landed. After that, everything went bla-" Aden went silent, and lowered his head. "Oh..." Aden stood there for a moment in dead silence. There was one possibility. The realization of it all hit harder than the grill of a train. "A-Am I... Dead?" He raised his head and tried to find a way out of the black void, but there was no source of light or escape route, he was trapped. Gazing at the black walls that enclosed him, Aden began to think aloud. "So, this is the afterlife, It's darker then I imagined." Aden stated bluntly. He thought back to the moment before he blacked out and remembered. "Rainbow Dash, she was still breathing, so that means I did save her." Aden sighed in relief. Suddenly, memories started to come together, and reminded him of his whole life. Images of his family, especially his mother, began floating around his mind. Then, there was Thunderlane and the others. These thoughts brought him on the edge of tears, but luckily he kept his cool. Then, he thought about Rainbow Dash, and that's when he couldn't hold it any longer. His hooves started to shake as tears started to form, shortly falling one by one after. "I-I should've told her before. Why didn't I do it? All the things we did, every moment we shared, was it all a waste?" Aden continued to sob softly, each tear cascaded down his cheek until it fell to the floor. "No, it wasn't a waste. I-I saved her, I changed her, I comforted her in her time of need." He paused for a moment, and it hit him. "I kept my promise to her all this time. I was always there for her." Aden said simply, staring blankly into the void of darkness that was now his home. He smiled as he began to think of what everyone back in Ponyville. He saw brief images of his brother, and Twilight re-shelving the library. He saw his sister sitting at a table with Rarity. He pictured his younger sister with the CMC, trying to attain her cutie mark. Everypony probably was still living out their life without him. Then, there came Rainbow Dash. He thought that she would fly the skies like she'd always done, except without him. Aden smiled softly, thinking of her. "I had a pretty good life, but I guess it's all over now. But I'll miss them, and I'm sure they'll miss me too. Especially you, Rainbow," He closed his eyes and kept them closed, reminiscing about memories of his life Beep... Beep... Beep. "What was that?" Aden asked. He turned around, trying to find the source of the noise. Beep... Beep... Beep This time it was louder. Aden looked behind him and found a small shimmering light. He stared at it for a moment, and started to walk towards it. With every step the sound became louder, and he saw something through the light. It looked like a item of some sort. Aden then began to take flight, closing the gap between him and the light. He felt a small rush of air flow past him, and it felt real. He flapped his wings and flew at top speed, he now knew what that light was. It was home. He continued to zoom down the dark void, the light of home getting closer with each flap. Aden felt heavy and his vision started to fail him. Due to the sudden fatigue, Aden crashed onto the ground, sliding on his side. He stared at the light for a moment, and noticed one thing. The light began to shrink, and the noise slowly became faster. He got up onto his hooves, and tried to reach it. Every step made him weaker, and within a couple steps, he collapsed onto the floor. His body felt like it was being pushed down and stomped on. The light was right in front of him, floating idly above him. This was his last chance, his only window to real world, and it was disappearing before his eyes. I have a chance to set things right, I have to make it back! The light was in front of him, and it was as tiny as a dot. So he stretched out a hoof out to grab it. And when he touched it, white flashed in his eyes. *** When his senses had returned to him, his head felt dizzy, and his body immobilized. The awful and familiar smell of a hospital filled the room. Aden opened his eyes, but lifted a hoof to cover the light that pierced his eyes. He squinted and searched the room. There was a window to his right, and a door in the right corner. He sat up and noticed that he had been placed in a bed. When he moved again, Aden saw a figure to his left, and they looked towards his direction. They were wearing a nurses uniform, and they approached quickly. "Dear Celestia, you're awake!" The unknown pony said. The voice sounded very feminine, so they had to be a mare. Aden groaned in pain by the ache in his back. Then, his vision cleared, and saw a navy blue mare with a golden mane. "Where am I? When did I get here?" He asked the nurse who had been standing in his room. "You don't know? Well, you're in Ponyville hospital, you took quite the fall. You looked like a train wreck when you came in," she responded. It all came clear to Aden, he had survived miraculously from his dangerous feat. But one thing still roamed in his mind. "Was there somepony else that came in with me?" The nurse's ears perked up as she walked closer to his bedside. "Why, yes, there was another pony with you. She had a rainbow mane, and apparently the ponies who brought you in said that you saved her." Aden once again tried to exit the bed, worried about Rainbow. "Where is she? I've gotta-" Just then, a sharp pain coursed through his body, causing him to scream and fall back onto the bed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, go easy on yourself. They already checked her out, she's fine," The mare said in an attempt to get Aden to rest. He then slumped down in his bed and took deep breaths. "Good," Aden replied. He clenched at his side to help ease the pain and stared out the window. Currently, it was daytime, and Pony was in sight. He thought of everyone else and sat there, his mind focused solemnly on the window. "How long have I been out?" Aden asked, turning his head back to the blue mare. She raised a hoof to her chin, and tried to remember. "I think you've been here for about three weeks." Aden was surprised. What could've possibly made him stay there for three weeks? "What happened to me when they brought me in?" The golden haired mare then grabbed a clipboard from the side table and scanned the paper for about a minute, then she set it back down. "You were diagnosed with a comma," she said simply. "Oh..." It was the only word that could leave his mouth. "How much longer do I have to stay here until I'm able to leave?" She thought for a moment then looked to him with a rather happy expression. "You only have to stay here for a couple more days," she said with a smile. Aden gave a smile back in response. "Oh, thanks." She then turned back to Aden and and remembered something. "Oh, sorry! I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Guardian Angel, but you can just call me Angel. I was assigned to care for you while you were out." "Nice to meet you Angel, I'm Aden," he said with a smile. "There's no need to tell me who you are, you're that human that came here to Equestria. Almost everypony in Ponyville knows about you," Angel said, walking closer to Aden's bed. She sat on the chair beside his bed, and before Aden could do anything, she looked towards him. "You know that Rainbow haired pony that you were talking about before? What's your story with her?" Aden looked surprised by her sudden question, but she seemed pretty eager cause she was leaning closer to him. But nonetheless, he was happy to oblige. "Well, first of all, her name is Rainbow Dash. She's the one who taught me how to use my wings, and she's my best friend. But now, she might be something more than that," Aden stated sheepishly. Angel looked to him with a genuine smile, and put a hoof onto his shoulder. "Have you told her that yet?" "No, I haven't. I've gotten a hint that she may like me back, but I don't know if she just likes me as a friend, or if she really does love me." Aden rested his head on the frame of the bed, looking blankly towards the ceiling. Angel gave a small grin. "I'll tell you something. I can tell that she likes you." In response, Aden tilted his head in her direction with eyes wide open. "How can you tell?" Aden asked. "The day she was able to move she went straight to you, she walked in with a little limp, but she didn't care. Every opportunity she got, she would come to visit you. And sometimes, she'd talk to you," Angel paused. "I would listen through the door, and she'd say the sweetest things. She'd read you a book, she'd tell you about what was happening back in Ponyville." Angel then rose from the chair and headed towards the door, and as she reached it, she swung it open and looked back. "A pony would only act like that if they really cared, and she seems to care a lot. There's your answer." Aden was paralyzed. Rainbow did all of that for me? He raised his to stare at Angel, who had still been waiting for a response as she stood underneath the doorway. "How are you so good at this type of thing?" Aden said. All that Angel could do was grin. "My name's Guardian Angel, it's what I do." After she said that she closed the door, a silent click following shortly afterwards. Aden sat there in the bed, staring at the place where Angel once stood. He then shifted his gaze to the right, a small table with several cards was placed there. There was one from Thunderlane, one from his siblings, and one from the girls. He smiled as he read the cards, reading what each one of them had to say. But out of them all, Rainbow's message was the biggest in size. Get well soon, and I'm sorry about all that happened with Soarin. There are some things that we need to talk about once you get out... I miss you, we all do. Love, your friend, Rainbow Dash P.S (This time, I really meant to use the word "love") Aden simply smiled at the note, it gave him hope for a brighter future. So it's decided, when I get out of here I'm gonna tell her how I feel, Aden told himself. After a minute or so, Aden thought back to what Angel had said earlier. "My name's Guardian Angel, it's what I do." Damn, that's good.