//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: By Your Side // Story: Always There // by LuigiBoy781 //------------------------------// Chapter 12: By Your Side "Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. So, you're the ponies that the princess was speaking of," she said, eyeing the four ponies that stood in front of her. "I never thought that something like this was possible. Four random beings are mysteriously sent here of all places, its quite the predicament, isn't it?" Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof, the situation before her causing her to think deeply. "Oh, I was rambling, wasn't I? Sorry about that, now tell me, what are your names?" From the group, a pony with a white coat and crimson mane stepped forward. "My name is Ruby, and these are my three siblings: Lucent Star, Melody, and Aden." Twilight smiled at Ruby, her well behaved personality making a good first impression. "So if I'm correct, you were all human before coming here to Equestria, right?" "Well, we were, before we became... you know," she said awkwardly, gesturing to her new pony body. In response, Twilight giggled. "I guess you're right on that one. We should head off to Ponyville to meet the others, I'm pretty sure that they'd like to meet all of you. But first, tell me about yourselves. It sure sounds like in interesting story." In response, Ruby smiled awkwardly. "Heh, you have no idea..." *** Once again, another day dawned over Ponyville, the sky shifting into a soft blue color. The sun would come up, and they would carry out their day. It seemed like an everyday routine for the town's citizens. It seemed that they were just living another normal day. But for Aden, today was anything but normal. Sure, nothing super life threatening or strange was occurring, but nonetheless, it was still pretty exciting. After all, this was the day that he was finally getting out. Aden waited in anticipation for the moment that both Angel, and the doctor would come through the door. Then he'd be checked out of the hospital and finally get to see his friends again. He silently sat in bed with excitement. But his unbearable excitement soon was pushed aside when he thought about Rainbow Dash. The tension between them both worried him. Was she okay? Was she mad? Those questions could only be answered when the time came. Now all that Aden needed now was a plan, a plan to help him talk to her without getting yelled at, or a punch to the face. If I'm going to talk to her about how I feel, then what's my game plan? How do I tell her? The thought was making his brain run miles. He took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. He pondered for a moment and began to remember the somewhat helpful training that Thunderlane had given him. "All I have to do is stay calm, It's not that hard, right?" Aden mumbled to himself. He then continued to make mental notes as the minutes passed by. Then after some time, the sound of a door knob twisting entered Aden's ears. Aden immediately shifted his gaze to the door as it was pushed ever so slowly. After it finally opened, both the doctor, and Angel entered the room. The doctor stepped forward, and gave him a small grin "Mister Sky, we think that you've made a full recovery, and that you are free to leave. That is, if you want to, of course." The doctor said, marking something on his clipboard. Aden got out of the bed with a small smile plastered on his face. He tried to contain his excitement, but he just couldn't help himself. "Lead the way." Everything remained silent as the three trotted down the hallway and after for what seemed like an eternity, he finally made it to the lobby. Aden was so close to open world, he could feel a soft, cool, gentle breeze whisk past him. "All right, I think I'll let Nurse Angel do the rest, good day to you." The doctor then trotted away into the hospital halls. Both Aden and Angel stood alone in the main lobby, a brief silence filling the room. Out of the two, Angel was the first to speak. "So... this is it then. You're finally gonna leave this place, huh?" "Yep, I'm just glad that I'm out of rehab." Aden replied. Angel turned her head to the door, gazing towards Ponyville. "I hope that Rainbow Dash feels the same way about you," Angel said, her voice soft and gentle. Aden chuckled to himself for a moment before extending his hoof outwards to the mare in front of him. "I hope so too," he said She smiled and returned the gesture. They shook hooves before Aden turned towards the front door, and began walking. His hoof rested on the knob of the door, his hoof about to twist it open. But before he could, Angel's voice came from behind. "You know, when you were first brought in here, you were a real mess. With your injuries, we didn't think that we could heal you…" Angel said, her voice soft, and soothing. "After your friend woke up, she found you in that bed… and the look on her face was devastating. She kept begging the doctor and I to do something, but I just couldn't tell her that you would never wake up again." Aden returned his eyes back to Angel, and just stared. The room was so quiet, that they could hear a pin drop. "Even our best wasn't enough, Aden. Yet, you still fought against death, and in the end, you still woke up... Why did you fight?" Angel said. Aden stood at the entrance, thinking of the right words to say. After a brief moment, he began to speak. "I don't really know. I guess I just loved her that much... And besides, I had a promise that I made to her, and I can't just stand it when I break a promise, especially if it's to her." In response, she smiled, a small tear falling down her face, but she turned away before he could see it. "You should go now, you have a girl to find." He nodded to her, and with that, he exited through the door, glancing back at Angel one last time before she disappeared behind the wooden doors of the building. With the doors finally closed, Angel started to walk back into the empty hallways of the hospital. "Your son has grown so much, hasn't he, Celia?" *** "All right, were here! This is Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville's greatest bakery," Twilight exclaimed. "My friends should all be inside, so let's not keep them waiting." The five of them entered through the door to bakery, the sweet alluring scent of baked goods rushing past them. "Wow, what is that? It smells delicious!" Harmony declared. Twilight smiled, the young filly's cheer taking a positive effect on her. "That would be the treats made by Mrs. Cake and Mr. Cake, they own this place after all," she explained. "But those treats would have to wait for now, my friends are just upstairs." They continued their way up the staircase and started to slowly approach a wooden door at the end the hallway. The light leaked out of the door, making it look more ominous than welcoming. Aden looked over to his brother and leaned closer to him, whispering lightly so the others couldn't hear. "Hey Lucent, are you nervous about meeting Twilight's friends?" The sudden question threw off his train of thought, but it was worth thinking about. "Well, Twilight seems like a nice enough girl, or mare in this case. So how bad can her friends be?" Lucent replied, continuing to walk down the hallway nonchalantly. Just then, an idea came to mind. "You think Twilight's really nice, don't you Lucent?" Aden said, a small, devious grin on his face. When Lucent thought about it, his cheeks began to flush. "Shut up, Aden! You're making me think of things that I shouldn't be thinking of!" Lucent said in a harsh whisper, his eyes glaring deeply into his. Aden could only respond by chuckling. "Geez Lucent, it's been our first few days here and you're already getting interested in a girl... You're looking at her flank. aren't you?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he was hit in the shoulder. His brother's facial expression said everything he needed to know, and he tried to stifle a giggle, so he wouldn't attract the other's attention. But as if on time, they had reached the end of the hall. "All right, my friends should be in here." Twilight pushed the door open, and the light from the room caused Aden to cover his eyes for a few brief seconds, until the light revealed five differently colored ponies But to Aden, there was only one of the five that seemed to stand out of the most. She had a coat as blue as the sky, and a shimmering rainbow mane. *** As the doors closed behind him, Aden stood motionless. He had one thing in mind: his friends should be here , and so would Rainbow Dash. With the thoughts of his friends in mind, he began to trot towards the houses of Ponyville. The excitement that had been with him this morning had returned with him, growing more with every step he took. And just within of eyesight, he could see all his friends waiting for him, including his siblings. He began to trot faster and faster as he slowly but surely approached them. Among them all Rarity was the first to spot him. "There he is everyone, look!" They all turned their heads to see Aden coming towards them, and they all began to rush to him. Once they met him halfway, they all welcomed his return. "Oh, its nice to see that you're okay," Fluttershy stated as Applejack nodded in response. "We were all so worried about you," Twilight added Just as she finished, Aden was pulled into a big bear hug. " I missed you little brother, how have you been?" Lucent said, releasing Aden form his bone crushing bear hug, Aden coughed briefly before he began to talk. "I'm doing just fine." "I just knew you'd be okay!" Ruby said with glee, punching him in the side softly. Before he could speak, he then felt something warm on his leg. Aden looked to the ground to find his younger sister hugging him. "I missed you so much!" He could do nothing but smile at Melody's display of affection. Aden then looked at all of them, trying to find the pony that he wanted to see the most, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Hey , um, where's Rainbow Dash? I need to talk to her about something," Aden asked. Twilight stepped out from the group, remembering what Rainbow had told her before she left. "She didn't say where she went off to, but all that she told me was that you'd know where to find her," Twilight said. "Ooh! Is this hide n' seek? I love that game!" Pinkie cheered happily, bouncing up and down rapidly. Twilight sighed softly. "No, it's not hide n' seek, Pinkie Pie." Pinkie stopped mid-bounce, leaving her suspended in the air before she slowly drifting back to the ground. The gravity defying movement made Twilight silent, her mind in a state of confusion. "What? That was-" She tried to speak, but the feeling of a hoof on her shoulder distracted her. As she looked to see who it was, she found Lucent next to her, his hoof still placed on her shoulder. "Just don't worry about her, that's what she does," he said, trying to keep her on task. For some apparent reason, Twilight felt her cheeks become warmer. Whilst the others were conversing amongst themselves, Aden tried to think to where Rainbow Dash could've gone off to. If I were her where would I go? He tried to think of somewhere she had been to before, a place where she felt safe. It had to be someplace that probably held good memories In an attempt to help, Melody went up to her brother and poked his leg. "Is there a place that she likes to go to when she wants to be alone, or a place that's at least memorable ?" Melody said, looking up to Aden as she waited for a response. Aden opened his mind to speak, but no sound came, the question leaving him stumped. "Come on, Aden! There has to be at least one place that you know, maybe it's one where you and her shared a special memory," Ruby suggested. A special memory, Aden thought, beginning to think of every moment they shared together. Maybe at the park? No, she couldn't be there, that's too simple. Oh, maybe at the one spot in the sky that she liked! No, her wings must be pretty banged up, so I doubt that she'd be able to get up there. Ugh, where could she be!? The last thing I can think of is at Rainbow's birthday party when we were on the hill, and we almost... That was it. He had found his answer. "Guys! I know where she is!" Aden stated suddenly, almost scaring the living daylight out of them. "Where is she?" Lucent asked. "She's at that field near Sugarcube Corner!" Aden replied. Applejacks ears perked up in curiosity. "Why in the wide, wide, world of Equestria would she want to meet you there?" The others seemed pretty interested, and waited for Aden to give a reply. "That is, um..." He tried to speak, but that day was rather... personal. "You guys don't really need to know, besides, I can always tell you later," Aden said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head. The others just exchanged a few glances. Amidst the awkward silence, Twilight looked to the sky as the sun slowly began to descend. "You said that you needed to find her, as in today, right?" Aden cocked his head in confusion. "Um, yeah, why?" "Well, the sun is already going down," Twilight stated. The realization had struck Aden, making him panic. "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry guys, but I've gotta go now if I wanna find her in time." "Good luck Aden!" Lucent said, waving a hoof goodbye. And as he kept waving, Twilight came closer to him, a small grin on her face. "We're all going to follow him, aren't we?" Twilight said knowingly Lucent turned to Twilight and gave a nod. "Of course we are! There's no way we'd want to miss this." *** Aden looked up into the sky and gazed upon the blue canvas of the world. It just sat there, and well... existed. What was it supposed to do anyway? Flying… why do I have to learn how to anyway? , Aden thought to himself as he laid on a soft puffy cloud that drifted aimlessly. His opinion about flying was something that bugged him ever since arriving in this magical pony land. Its not that he ever had a problem with it, but it never looked appealing to him. To him it was nothing but mode of transport. But he couldn't complain now. Here in Equestria, flying helped you get into the sky. And it was always barren of any form of distraction. It was a place where he could relax, and where it was always silent. "Hey, what do you think you're doing!" Well, it was sometimes always silent. Aden looked up to the where the voice had originated from, and to no surprise, there was an irritated Rainbow Dash glaring down upon him with a fairly annoyed look. "I tell you to meet me here so I can teach you to use your new wings, and I find you dozing off on a cloud! At least try to show some interest about this, Aden!" Rainbow complained. But as she prepared to scold him again, something came to mind. "Wait... how did you get up here anyway? We're like, really high up in the air," she said as she too took a seat on the cloud, a confused look on her face. "I flew up here, well kind of, it wasn't easy." Aden replied back. Rainbow Dash took a few seconds to take it in, but she just couldn't comprehend it. The fact that he possibly could've flown up this high made her quite surprised, "And to think that you just got those a couple days ago! I didn't expect you to fly this high up." The comment made Aden a bit flustered, causing him to rub his fore-hoof. His small achievement wasn't that mind-blowing, was it? "But, it makes my job a little easier, so all is good... Now, lets get you started, we're losing time here!" Rainbow said gesturing him to join her on a much bigger cloud. Well, lets get this over with, Aden thought as he floated over to the nearby cloud. It was difficult for him to fly such a short distance, but he could manage. As soon as he awkwardly landed, Rainbow Dash giggled, using her hoof to muffle the sound. "What's so funny? I thought you're suppose to be supportive!" Aden grumbled. Rainbow caught her breath, and smiled. "Its just the way that you fly. You're trying to hard, Aden. Here, just do what I do." She then began to slowly flap her wings, making sure that Aden could imitate her exact movement. After a few seconds or so, Aden tried to mimic her, his wings ascending before they pointed towards the ground. As he continued the motion, he groaned slightly, trying to move his wings forcefully. "No, no, you're still trying too hard," Rainbow said, walking right in front of Aden. "You've just gotta relax and take a deep breath, that's all. Here, let me help you." She started to move Aden's wings into the right position, and since she was in front of him, she had to lean towards his side a bit. Her face was extremely close to Aden's, he could practically smell the alluring scent of her multicolored hair, and it made him light up like a flame. This situation was awkward for him, but it was oddly relaxing. He had never been so close to her before, and he wanted to say something about his personal space, but decided not to say anything. Being this close to her actually feels kinda nice... Wait, what? Aden thought. As his emotions stirred, he tried to focus on the position of his wings. But after a few adjustments, Rainbow finally finished, then backed away. "There! Now remember the way your wings are right now, It'll help you later on. Try to flap them now." Once again, Aden flapped his wings and tried to lift off from clouds surface, reminding himself to relax. And in after a few seconds, he felt nothing beneath his hooves. He looked down, and the cloud began to grow further away... He was flying. "You did it! Now try moving in different directions," Rainbow instructed him. Aden did as he was told. Swiftly, Aden moved in all directions in the slightest of ease. It was like he was born to fly. "Man, you're a natural at this!" Rainbow exclaimed. Aden continued to master his movements for a mere ten minutes, making sure that he could execute them in a seconds notice, but he was stopped when Rainbow Dash raised her voice to speak to him. "All right, that's enough. You're finished for today." With an over dramatic yawn, Aden fell on to his back, the soft, plushy clouds cushioning his fall. After a deep sigh, Aden looked towards Rainbow, only to find a smile plastered across her face. "When I said enough, I meant enough training. Now I'm gonna test you," she said. Aden sat up in the cloud's cushiony pillows, and stared at her quizzically. "Um, how? "With a race!" Rainbow exclaimed, her excitement making her louder than she usually is. "B-But I just learned-" Aden began to speak, but he stopped himself. He knew that he couldn't stop her now. Not when she's like this. I just can't decline, now can I? Besides, she's cute when she smiles like that... Aden told himself. "Fine, we'll race." Rainbow Dash's smile grew even more at his words. "Sweet, lets get started then," Rainbow said as she started to postion herself on the cloud. Yet something was still lurking in Aden's mind, and he had to know. "Hey, Rainbow, can I ask you a question?" His question caused Rainbow to break out of her competitive stance, and she turned to him. "Yeah, what's up?" Aden looked towards the ground, then back at Rainbow Dash. With a soft wind blowing in the sky, it relaxed his nerves and gave him the courage to ask, despite the awkwardness. "Why do you like flying? It's fun for sure, but I just don't understand what you see in it?" After those words left his mouth, Rainbow did a double take. Her jaw dropped straight down to the floor, and she looked like she was ready to have some sort of stroke. With Rainbow's, Aden began to grow worrisome at her. "What? Was it something I said?" Aden said, seeming pretty sure that Rainbow was about to tackle him... like, very hard. "Yes, it was. And how could you even say that? You're a pegasus for crying out loud!" Rainbow yelled, making the cloud to meekly shake under her voice. "Thank you very much for reminding me, but I've only been one for a week," he replied. "B-But I'm surprised that..." "What'd you expect from me? Did you expect that I would love the sky as much as you do? Well, I don't, so that's why I wanted to know why you like it so much," Aden told her. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke, the soft wind blowing in the breeze awaited for one of them to break the silence around them. This time around, Rainbow was the one to do so. "I guess you don't understand yet, do you?" Rainbow gently spoke whilst Aden stared at her, confused by her words. "To most pegasus ponies, the sky means almost everything to them. It's what makes us who we are, without our capability to to fly, life would never be the same," she declared, her voice sincere and calm. Rainbow turned back Aden, and as she did so, Aden noticed something. There was a fire in her eyes, but it was different than what he usually saw. This flame was not one that raged with the desire for competition, and glory... It burned with hope and an undying passion for something greater. As Rainbow began to speak again, Aden looked to her, and listened intently. "Besides the intense speed, and excitement that flying brings, the feeling of the wind flowing through your mane is the best feeling ever. The sky is here for us, and us alone. It's here so that we can be free, and not give a damn about anything," Rainbow Dash paused. "In the sky, I feel like I could do anything, and be anything!" She took off to the boundless sky, twirling and looping gracefully. When she stopped in front of Aden, she gave him a gleeful grin" You wanted to know what I see in it? It's freedom." After she had finished her somewhat dramatic speech, Rainbow looked out towards the barren sky once more, bearing a smile once more. "The sky brings every pegasus something in their life, Aden. You just need to find out what that is." Once again, no pony said anything, leaving the wind to howl through the space between them. A brief moment passed, and Aden found himself walking towards her, with a newfound sense of understanding. He stood next to her as they both faced towards the setting sun in front of them, it light fading ever so slowly. "Well then, it looks like I have a lot to learn then…" Aden confessed with a sigh, catching Rainbow's attention. And when she gazed over to him, he was now sporting a small competitive grin. "So… how about that race?" His wings were already up, and ready to go. Rainbow Dash simply smiled to him in return. "You didn't think I'd forget now, did you?" Rainbow responded as she prepared to take off. Aden did the same, crouching low and preparing to push himself into the sky. "Didn't doubt it for a second." Rainbow chuckled at the remark. "First one to the entryway of Sugar Cube Corner wins." "Loser buys both of us dinner," Aden suggested. Now… things just got real. "Deal." "When I say go," she said, a smug smile joining her eagerness. Aden couldn't help but smile at her. Her brash, cocky, egotistical attitude had always made him grin ear to ear. And it seemed to have brush off on him. But behind the tough act, she was a kind, softhearted girl... Well, only when she wanted too. "Ready?" You know what? I guess this isn't so bad after all… I could get used to this. Aden thought, smiling to himself. "Set…" As the last number was approaching, he glanced over to the mare beside him. There were some pretty breathtaking rainbows here in Equestria, all of them shimmering with their own brilliance. But the 'Rainbow' beside him... She would definitely take the cake. Someday... I'll thank you. "Go!" *** Aden galloped as hard as he possibly could as the air whisked pass him. The sun was almost beyond the horizon now, it's bright orange streaks disappearing into the darkness that overtook the night. I have to hurry. Those words have rushed in his mind for the past few minutes, screaming at him to run even harder with each passing second. The lights of Ponyville shone into the sky, replacing the once radiant beams of Celestia's sun. And soon he found himself running through the night, the small glowing windows along with the light of the moon guiding him. He frantically searched for the gingerbread roof of Sugar Cube Corner, and after a few moments of sprinting through the town, the building finally came into sight. Aden breathed a sigh of relief as he slowed his pace down a notch, slowly walking past the bakery's front door. "Why, hello there, Aden." A voice greeted him. With once turn of his head, he saw that Mrs. Cake was at the doorstep. "Hey! What you doing up at this hour, Mrs. Cake? Aren't you supposed to be in bed by now?" Aden asked out of curiosity. The light cerulean mare chuckled at his response. "I was about to ask you the same thing." Aden was just about to reply, but she spoke before he did. "I already know what you're doing, dearie," she said knowingly. "And before you ask, she's waiting at the hill just east of here." Mrs. Cake cld threw Aden off guard, but yet, it spiked his interest. "How do you know that I was looking for Rainbow Dash?" She cracked a smile, and giggled. "Pinkie Pie always likes to talk about the two of you, and she's told me quite a lot actually.To be honest, I knew this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time before one of you tried to confess to the other, so I thought I'd give you a heads up." Aden smiled with gratitude. "Wow, you know a lot about this kind of thing do you?" Aden questioned, still amazed at her knowledge. "Remember, I was young once too you know," she responded as she started to walk back inside. "Good luck, Aden!" The door swung shut and the lights turned off. He was pretty sure that she had stayed up just to help, if her baggy eyes weren't a clue. He wanted to say something to thank her, but that would have to wait for another day, he had some business to take care of. So he followed her directions and continued eastward, slowly approaching the secluded hill. Aden was close now, and even though he had prepared for this beforehand, he began to feel anxious. The thing that worried him most was not what he was going to say, it was what Rainbow Dash had to say. So as he trotted, he started to think of what would happen. But as soon as he had started, he found that he was a at the bottom of the hill already. She had called him here to talk, so it had to be important. And there was a fifty-fifty chance of this going to end badly. He looked up to the peak of the hill and moved forward. With every step he took , the peak of the hill revealed some pony sitting on top, bit by bit. It was her, rainbow mane and everything. Her back was turned towards him, and she was looking above. He had noticed that her left wing was wrapped tight in bandages. Aden didn't know what to do, so as he silently approached, he took a spot next to her. No words were said within the next few minutes, but as he expected, she was always the first one to start conversations. Aden was mentally prepared for the flurry of shouts that was about to come, so he closed his eyes, and braced himself… "This reminds me of the night we went flying in the sky, remember that, Aden?" What? Aden opened his eyes, and looked to her. But she didn't make eye contact. She just stared continuously at the sky, all the stars hanging above as they burned brightly like candles in the dark. Does she want me to respond? Aden asked himself. "Y-Yeah , I remember. It was dark out there, we couldn't see a thing." "And then that was when you told me to look up, and I remember how awe-struck I was. It was like nothing I've ever seen." Rainbow said her voice smooth and gentle. To Aden, something seemed wrong. It was then that he saw her shake. "After that, we chased each other through sky…" Rainbow said, her voice beginning to sound hesitant Aden grew worrisome. "Rainbow?" He knew what was happening, but never once I his life had he ever seen her like this. "We… We laughed, and we had so much fun." Her voice grew shaky, and Aden noticed that her eyes were swelling up with tears. "I never want those days to end..." Aden moved closer to her and tried to put a hoof around her, but Rainbow had other plans. She moved towards Aden, pulled him into an embrace, and that's when the dam broke. She bawled into Aden like a newborn baby, tears falling freely from her eyes. Her sobbing had surprised Aden, it was something he never really got see. Now, he was pretty sure that he didn't want to see it anymore. To try and comfort her, Aden ran a hoof along the back of her mane, slightly pulling her closer. Rainbow just kept crying away into his shoulder. This is the second time that she's cried into me like this. She must be pretty shaken up about this... After Rainbow had calmed down a bit, and her sobs at a halt, they released each other from their hug. But Rainbow sill sat close to him, their bodies against each other. As they sat there, Rainbow seemed to have leaned onto Aden with every passing minute, and to his surprise, he liked it. So he too leaned onto her. After a while, Aden began to speak. "How long did you wait for me?" Aden asked, not even bothering to turn to her, the feeling of her against his side was too relaxing for him to do so. At first, there was no reply, and Rainbow just continued to lean into him. Then, she finally spoke. "Five weeks... I waited five weeks, Aden." Rainbow said to him as she turned to him. The warm feeling that had been at Aden's side had vanished and he turned to her. "Well, I'm here now, so let's just forget about it It's not like-" Aden tried to say, but he was unexpectedly interrupted. "You don't know how much it hurt!" A yell came from the cyan mare. Her emotions had seem to come back, but in a much more aggressive manner. "Those five weeks were the most painful days of my life, Aden!" Tears once again threatened to stain her cheeks, but she held them in. The helpless, crying mare that she was a few minutes ago had disappeared, and she looked more disgruntled than ever before. "The day that I recovered, I went to see you. And what do I find after being worried about you? I see you covered in medical bandages, and all those machines connected to you. It looked like you were already dead!" Rainbow continued to scream as she stood up. Aden was taken aback at Rainbow's fury. "They told me that you had a 5% chance of waking up from that hospital bed, and if you did, they also said that you'd never be the same!" Rainbow's words boomed through the night as she shouted. "I had to continue living for five weeks knowing that one of my best friends would probably never come bak to me, and here you are perfectly fine and you're saying that I should just forget about it!?" She had started to pant, her angry ranting finally taking a toll on her. Rainbow had taken the time to wipe her watery eyes and control her breathing. And after she did, she looked to his eyes. "You know that I don't like to lose, damn it!" Rainbow exclaimed. Wait, what? "Since when did this become a competition?" Aden questioned, slightly confused. His response only seemed to have made Rainbow Dash angrier. "That's not what I mean by losing!" He was completely lost now. "Then what are trying to say then?" Aden replied. At that moment, Rainbow became silent, and she started to look down to the ground. The anger and fury in her voice had all but vanished. "I've already gone this far, I might as well..." Rainbow whispered under her breath. She let out a sigh and looked back to him. "When I say that I don't like to lose, I don't just mean in competitions. I can't stand losing anything in general." With those words, everything seemed to have calmed down. Rainbow seemed to have vented her anger and was starting to get a hold of herself again. She seemed more relaxed than she was before. "That fact also applies to friends too, Aden." Rainbow stated, her voice beginning to soften. Aden could do nothing but sit there, dumbfounded as Rainbow's emotions continued to be poured out. "I-I was afraid, Aden… I already lost my mom, so… I didn't want to lose you too. Y-you mean a lot to me." With that, Aden's eyes widened just a little bit. Rainbow's usual insensitive, and rough demeanor was nowhere to be seen, leaving Aden with just the image of a girl who had trouble showing her true feelings. So that's what she meant, Aden thought. "You've been like, the best friend that I could ever ask for. You're the only one that can fly with me and keep up, and you've put up with more of my antics than all the others have put together," Rainbow said, a small smile arising. Aden felt strange. Something about her felt different from her usual self, like if her regular, straightforward attitude wavered a bit. He didn't have time to ponder on it though, as Rainbow Dash continued. "We've spent so much time together that I can't even remember half of the days that we did. But I do remember the important ones. Like when I injured myself, and you rushed me to the hospital as fast as you could," Rainbow paused, thinking of a different event. "Or, when you took me to that one Wonderbolts show because I didn't have enough bits to buy a ticket. And of course, I remember when you helped me after Soarin and I broke up." Aden began to reminisce, thinking of all of the things that she had mentioned. He felt a grin beginning to take shape, and felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside of his chest. "Yeah, those days are some that I can never forget." Aden replied. Rainbow and Aden smiled at each other, the feelings of nostalgia filling the air around then. "All of those days had something in common, and that's the fact that you were there with me. You've always helped me whenever you could, Aden, no matter what it was. And after I broke up with Soarin, I finally realized that. Even though you've helped me a lot, I haven't done much for you in return, so I feel kinda bad about it. I know that it's been long over due, but, I just wanted to say…" She stopped suddenly. Aden was confused as to what happened, but he then began to notice something. Rainbow was unusually fidgety, keeping her eyes away from Aden with an odd air of bashfulness, while drawing circles into the velvety grass below with her hoof. If someone as laid back as her is nervous about this, then whatever she has to say must be important, Aden thought to himself. "Aden…" After a small moment of silence, Rainbow took a deep breath, finally gathering the resolve to speak her mind. "I… wanted to thank you, Aden." "…!" Aden felt his heart make a small jump inside of his chest. "Without you, I don't think that I could live the same way that I did before you came here. Since then, It feels like that everyday has become exciting, and memorable in a way. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't appreciate the time that I've spent with you, and that's true. I enjoyed every day, and every minute, even now, I'm glad that you're here with me. I may be the Element of Loyalty, but what happens when I don't have someone to count on and to depend on?" Rainbow just gave him a cheerful smile and continued. "Well, I don't have to worry about that… I have you." "Rainbow, I…" Her heart touching words had left him at a loss for words "Remember what you said back then? You told me that you'd always be there, to make me happy when I'm sad, and willing to do anything for me, no matter what the consequence." Rainbow reminded him. "Aden… you're always reminding me of how thankful you are, but this time, I'm the one thanking you. You do you remember that I had something important to say to you, right? Everything that I've said up until now has been leading up to it." "Oh yeah, I remember that. So… what did you want to say?" Aden inaudibly gulped, the suspense starting to build up in his head. He found himself in a state of shock and that his breathing had quickened. Based on everything that she's said so far, the thing that she wanted to say couldn't be bad, could it? Rainbow seems pretty positive, so, maybe I'm just overreacting. A small bead of sweat ran down his head, and the cool breeze of the night whisked by him. The noises of midnight resounded in the distance as the two stood motionless on the small secluded hill. "I know that I've been talking for a while now, but I promise you, this is the last bit of it. So, just listen to it please…" Standing under the soft, serene glow of the moon, Rainbow's semblance seemed to beam with a light of her own, like if Aden was being able to get a dear glimpse of her true self for the first time since they've met. She was opening up the inner thoughts of her mind and soul, and the smile upon her face was the thing that set that thought in stone. As he saw her smile, his mind began to feel at ease. This hidden side of Rainbow Dash was so gentle, and sincere that it seemed to bring a sense of calmness just by the sight of it. It definitely was rare to see, even though it usually hid itself under the image of the rough & tough Rainbow Dash that every pony had come to known her for. With that one, calming smile, she began to speak. It was time to see what was so important. "I wanted to bring you here, so it could be just the two of us. And I know that I've already said it, but, I really am thankful for everything you've done. Over the years, I knew that you were just doing them because you were my friend and that it was the right thing to do. But, we started hanging out a lot and there wasn't a week when we didn't. Even though it's just been two years, I feel like that you've cared for me more than anyone else has in my entire life. I remember how excited I would be when I went to go see you, and I didn't know why, but now I do." Rainbow's expression conveyed the seriousness of her words, and she just continued to smile sweetly at him. "Aden…" She stopped herself and stared deeply into his eyes. This situation seemed too familiar for the two of them. The two of them were alone, looking into each others eyes, and standing on this hill face to face. Yeah, this was way too familiar. And just like that one time before, time slowed. "I think what I'm trying to say is… I love-" Before she finished, Aden reacted. He pulled her close to him, and their lips finally met. He had closed his eyes, and everything that was around him seemed to have disappeared, and he only felt a warm, lovely feeling on his lips. For some strange reason, she tasted like berries , but right now, that didn't matter. He continued for a few more seconds , and the next thing he knew was that he had pulled back, and he had opened his eyes… only to find Rainbow Dash staring blankly at him. Aden then realized what he had just done. "O-Oh my gosh, I'm s-so sorry!" He stuttered as he backed away, and put a hoof over his mouth. "I-I reacted on an impulse, I was in the heat of the moment, and before I knew it, I did it anyway!" Rainbow continued to stand there with the same lifeless, blank expression on her face. Oh, I gone and done it now! Aden screamed internally. Aden looked away from her and tried to cover his embarrassment. "Look, Rainbow. I know that you're probably mad at me for doing something so suddenly, but, please just-" "You're such an idiot…" In response, Aden looked back at her, expecting her to be furious. But when he did, she seemed calm. It was as nothing happened. But, he looked at her closely and saw that the tiniest of smiles was trying to escape. "Rainbow?" Aden called out to her in confusion. She ignored it, and walked up to him. Rainbow Dash was standing right in front of him, and they were unexpectedly face to face once again. The smile that was hiding itself before had come out of it's hiding spot, and now, Rainbow Dash was absolutely beaming. "You're such an idiot…" She said as a small, girly chuckle accompanied it. "But that's why I love you." This time, the roles had reversed. Suddenly, Rainbow had planted her hooves onto Aden's cheeks and kissed him. In complete and and utter shock, Aden's eyes widened and found that he couldn't move. His mind shut down at the sensation of her lips pressing against his. That familiar, yet lovely taste of berries was still there. This time, however, it was amplified as she pushed into the kiss with copious amounts of passion. Her functioning wing flapped slowly as she leaned into him ever so slowly, and she pulled Aden closer. After a moment, Aden finally gained a bit of control of his body as he pushed back into her, further deepening the kiss as he closed his eyes. The soft, extravagant feeling of her lips etched itself into his mind so that he would never forget it. After several seconds, they pulled away from each other. Aden felt tingles running through his body. Rainbow Dash gazed into his eyes lovingly without pulling herself any farther away. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that," Rainbow said. Aden simply responded to her. "How long have you been waiting?" "Ever since my birthday party… You?" She grinned. In response, he smiled in return. "I was going to say the same thing." The two of them began to laugh, the sound of their joyous moment resounded through the night. It quickly died, and they sat down. Just then, Aden remembered something, or more specifically, a certain someone. "Hey, whatever happened to Soarin? I haven't heard what anything about him yet." Aden questioned, looking at Rainbow with curiosity. "Oh, him. They said that he would just be under strict supervision until you got out of the hospital, they said that they wanted the both of us to be there to do that stuff. But he did apologize, and I could tell that he felt really bad about it." She replied. "Well, I guess we'll handle him when the time comes." Aden sighed. Suddenly, Rainbow perked up, like she had remembered something important. "Oh, well, there is one thing that I know about Soarin…" Aden arched an eyebrow in confusion. "What is it?" Rainbow seemed to smile widely and turned to him excitedly. "After the whole incident, Spitfire talked to him. I don't know what happened in detail, but now they're dating!" "Wow… Looks like both sides win in the end… Well, sort of." Aden rubbed the backside of his head. "Yeah, pretty cool, isn't it?" Aden nodded in agreement. Afterwards, Aden looked to her, and she did the same. They just stared lovingly at one another as the peace of night soothed their minds and hearts, the starlight shimmering in their eyes. "You know, I never thought that this would happen." Rainbow said. "What do you mean?" Aden looked at her quizzically. "I never thought that ALL of this would happen. Having to have met you, Soarin breaking up with me, nearly getting killed, and falling in love with you. It seems crazy, doesn't it?" She said, . "I know what you mean. If you told me that I would try to save you from falling because I was in love with you when we first met , I'd call you insane!" Aden replied, laughing a little bit as he did so. Rainbow couldn't help but laugh also. "But, it happened, and here we are now. We're together now, like, a couple together." "Yeah, we are." Aden and Rainbow continued to stargaze together on the small grassy hill, letting the cool breeze whisk by them. Almost naturally, they grasped each other's hooves, causing them meet eyes once again. The two both blushed furiously, but they didn't try to hide it. "I love you, Rainbow." "I love you too." Rainbow leaned into him, and rested her head on his shoulder, and Aden leaned into her also. After a few minutes, Aden's body began to feel weary. "I think we should head home now, don't you think?" He asked. Rainbow nodded slowly. It looked like sleep was on her mind also. Aden gave her a small peck on the cheek, and she smiled at him. Standing up on their hooves, they began to walk down to the bottom of the hill. They eventually reached the base of the hill, and passed some nearby bushes, when suddenly... *Rustle, rustle* The bushes shook. "Well, aren't you two adorable?" Said a familiar voice. Aden and Rainbow both, stopped in their tracks, turning to where the sound had originated from. "Y-you? What are you guys doing here!?" The both said in unison. It was then that they saw them. It was everyone else: Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Lucent, and Ruby. All of them we're here. "Now that... was amazing!" Lucent said, pointing a hoof at Aden. "That's my little brother, I knew you could do it!" "That was quite the spectacle to behold if I do say so myself." Twilight chimed. Both Aden and Rainbow were still in shock, and could barely make a response. "You… You saw everything, did you?" They said together. Pinkie Pie jumped in front of them, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Yep, from the moment that Aden sat down with you until now, so we saw everything!" "It was worth watching though. I didn't know that you could act so mushy like that, Rainbow. You said some things that I'd never expect you to say." Applejack teased, smiling coyly at Rainbow. Rainbow blushed intensely, and her cheeks burned like a fire that had gasoline dumped on it. "U-Um… I-I-" She stammered, the embarrassment was too much for her to speak clearly. Applejack's smirk grew, she knew that she had hit a nerve. "To be completely honest though, I found it really entertaininng. What about you Rarity?" "Me? Well, first of all, I didn't like being in that bush," Rarity stated. "But, I think that it was the most romantic thing that I've ever seen. It's even more romantic than any story that I've read in my entire life. The emotion, the passion, it just makes my heart soar!" Rarity spoke excitedly. "I mean, it felt like I was watching a scene from a movie, but it was real! I wasn't the only one, right Fluttershy?" Rarity asked as she grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders. "Yes, I felt like that too." She nodded her head in agreement. Aden just stood there in awe of what was happening right now, his mouth slightly agape. "Why though?" It was all that he say at the moment. "Why?" Lucent questioned. "There''s no friggin way that I'd want to miss this, this is like, a momentous occasion!" He threw his hooves in the air for effect Twilight stood by him, giving Aden a Rainbow a sincere, genuine smile. "We're all glad that you two finally got together, really. You know, I can still kinda feel that love in the air, what about you, Lucent?" She said, moving a bit closer and leaning towards his side slightly, smiling sweetly at him all the while. There was a tiny blush on her cheeks too. Aden and Rainbow looked to each other in confusion. Just what was happening? "Huh? What was that? I wasn't listening…" He deadpanned. It was like he had just come back from spacing out. Twilight's face filled with shock before she scowled at him, her blush intensifying though her frustration. "Y-you… You're such a dunce! Ugh, you can't even take a hint!" She yelled as she began trotting away. "Wait, what did I do? Whatever I did, I'm innocent, don't be mad!" Lucent said chasing after her. Everyone else broke into laughter at the sight. Applejack was laughing so hard that she almost started to shed tears. Then, Ruby spoke up. "That's my brother, all right! Twilight will just have to get used to it." Soon enough, all of them began to walk towards the main streets of Ponyville. Aden and Rainbow Dash were in the back of the group, and the trotted side by side, watching intently as their friends talked to one another. "You just can't get enough of them," Rainbow stated. "Ain't that the truth," Aden replied. "Now that we're together, I wonder what will happen next. What do you think will happen next?" "I don't really know…" Rainbow sighed. "But, I do know that whatever happens, we'll handle it together!" She exclaimed, a confident grin appearing on her face as she did so. "No matter what, I'll always be there, and I'll always love you…" Aden said. He looked to her and saw that her cheeks had flushed pink. Just then, he was punched in the shoulder. "Ow, what was that for?" Rainbow resumed to grin at him, the small blush still evident on her. "Don't act all mushy whenever you want now, you hear? Just because we're a thing doesn't mean that you just do it. Only do it around my friends, and when it's just the two of us, but nowhere else!" Rainbow demanded. "Fine, whatever you say, Dashie…" He chuckled, knowing that he had just hit one her major buttons. "…! Damnit Aden, I'll get you back for that!" She growled. But even though she was mad, she was still smiling. Aden looked up to the sky, gazing at the stars as they all entered into the the main roads of Ponyville. Everyone else soon departed. Ruby went back with Rarity, and Lucent went back with Twilight… May Celestia have mercy on that poor colt's soul. So, it was just Aden and Rainbow again, and they continued to walk. Aden then felt a sudden gust of wind blow by him. "Aden…" Said a soothing, feminine voice. His eyes widened and he looked around to see where it had come from, but it had seemed to have come from no one. Rainbow looked at him in worry. "Is something wrong?" Aden turned to her and spoke. "Did you hear something?" "No, why?" Rainbow tilted her head quizzically. "Nevermind, it was probably my mind playing tricks on me." He shook his head. Rainbow perked up, and unfurled her wings. "That's why you need to get some sleep! Come over and spend the night at my place, it's closer to us anyway." "Thanks a lot, Rainbow." With that, she took off into the sky. Aden spread his wings and was about to take off, but suddenly, it happened again. "I'm so proud of you, Aden…" The strange, feminine voice said to him. This time he knew that some pony had just spoke to him. But the more that he thought about it, he felt strange warmth in his chest. The voice sounded so soothing, so gentle, so... familiar. He held a hoof up to his chest and smiled. Aden then looked back to the sky, seeing Rainbow Dash waiting for him. "What's keeping you? Hurry up already!" She yelled. With one, strong pulse of his wings, he sent himself skyward. His future was waiting in from of him, she was waiting for him. He couldn't keep her waiting. So with a new burst of speed, he rocketed across the starry night sky. It reminded him of that one night. That one, life-changing night. So, with a smile, he flew to the mare of his dreams, he flew to his future. When they final made it to Rainbow's front door, she opened it it and stepped inside. But for some reason, she stopped midway and turned to him. "I know that I've already said it before, but… I love you." She said demurely. Aden stepped in front of her, and in one quick movement, he had kissed her. It didn't last as long as the others, and he pulled back. "And I love you…" She smiled at him happily, and stepped inside the house. Before he did anything, Aden looked at sky once more, taking one last glance at the shimmering lights above. "I've come a long way…" He started to reminisce of everything that had happened, and it made him smile from ear to ear. "If things were this crazy, I wonder what'll happen next." Aden muttered to himself. "I shouldn't think about that right now. It's time to sleep." He walked in and into Rainbow's room, and saw that there was a lamp on a bedside table illuminating the room. Rainbow Dash was already in bed, and she had made some room for him. "We're gonna have to share a bed if that's all right with you." Rainbow patted to the spot next to her. Aden waved a hoof dismissively at her. "Sure, I'm fine with that." That said, he slipped into the bed right next to her. After finally settling in, he was face to face with her. They took a moment and gazed at each other, before Rainbow placed a hoof on the lamp. "Love you, goodnight." Rainbow said, looking to him lovingly, her eyes reflecting the light from the moon. Her beauty shined like a burning star, and had presented itself one, final time to him. "Good night, I love you too, Rainbow." With that, Rainbow Dash had clicked the button on the lamp, and the lights turned off. *** Somewhere far away from Ponyville, a mare standing on top of a rock looked down to the necklace that was in her hoof. It was a simple chain necklace with a locket embedded with a diamond, and the initials A.S. engraved onto the backside of it. The mare opened the locket, and on the inside was a picture of two ponies standing next to each other. One looked like a colt, and the other a filly. She sighed and held it close to her. "I've already come this far, and he shouldn't have noticed that I've left yet…" She said to herself. The mare looked to the colt in the picture again. "If he says that you're here… That you've finally come back… I've gotta see you again. After all, I still need to return your necklace, right, Aden?"