This is a story, a story which tells of one human and his siblings sent to Equestria, and the many complications of love.
A human named Aden Sky and his siblings are sent to Equestria as ponies, and they soon grow accustomed to their new home. Having been transformed into a pegasus, he is taught how to fly by one of his closest friends: Rainbow Dash. All seems perfect as he grows closer to her everyday ever since he moved to Equestria. But all isn't what it seems as he takes on a life changing experience to win her heart.
The sun rose from its slumber as a certain pony lay peacefully in bed. Aden slept in his bed with the covers over his face. Minutes later, his bedside clock rang with a familiar sound, causing his eyes to burst open. He raised his hoof slowly as he turned off his clock. Soon the young stallion rose from his bed with a yawn.
"Hmm, wasn't I supposed to go somewhere?" the blue pony asked to himself.
But then he remembered. "Oh no! I have to meet up with Rainbow Dash at the park!" he screamed as he flung his bed sheets in the air. He ran into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. In the mirror he saw a young sixteen year old stallion with a navy blue coat, and a dark blue mane with a maroon colored streak.
Do I look good? he asked himself as he fixed his hair frantically. Then, when he was ready he burst out of his house and into the sky as he unfurled his wings.
He glided through the air as he left his airborne home. "I can't believe I overslept!" he said to himself as he landed on the ground and started galloping down the roads of Ponyville. But then he heard two familiar voices in the distance.
"Okay I have to go," the young stallion said to the purple mare.
"I'll see you when you get back" said the purple mare while walking back into her home.
That purple mare was none other than Ponyville's Twilight Sparkle, and the one next to her was Aden's eight-teen year old brother, Lucent. He was not only his big brother, but he was also an apprentice to Twilight. He was one of Aden's three siblings that were sent to Equestria with him. He was a unicorn with a sliver coat, and a turquoise colored mane. Aden decided to approach his brother to see what was going on.
"Hey, Lucent! Are you going somewhere?" Aden asked in curious tone.
"Oh! Hey Aden, I'm just running some errands for Twilight while she finishes up some important work from Princess Celestia," he said as he strapped on his saddlebags. "Where are you going?" Lucent asked. Aden hadn't realized that he was still on his way to meet Rainbow Dash.
"I'm on my way to meet Rainbow, she's waiting at the park right now," Aden said with a happy expression on his face.
"Ah, I see your on a date with Rainbow. I knew you were going to ask her soon," Lucent teased with a sly smile. Just then Aden's faced grew red with a crimson glow.
"I-It's not a date, Lucent!" Aden yelled as he raised his voice, causing him to get the attention of other ponies that walked by.
"Fine, I get it. Calm down already," Lucent said.
Then Aden breathed in slowly and exhaled shortly after in an effort to calm himself. "Yeah I have to go now or else I'll be late, and you know how Rainbow is when somebody's late," he said with an impatient look.
"Okay see you later... and have fun with your date," Lucent said in a teasing manner as walked away, holding a hoof up to his mouth as he snickered.
"Ugh, whatever," Aden said while continuing his way to the park. But it would be nice if this was date, he thought to himself. Just then Rainbow Dash came into mind as he walked. Aden's face burned bright red every time he thought of her. She's so beautiful with her gorgeous rainbow mane, and her light blue coat. I would give anything just to be by her side.
Ugh, what are you thinking? She's the first friend that you made here, and has always been there for you. She even taught you how to fly! Aden exclaimed in his mind as he walked.
But I have been hanging out with her most of the time. Plus, she's the one who usually invites me.
"I'll just think about this later," he said groaning.
Just then his thoughts were interrupted, while he walked past Carousel boutique. There he was greeted by his two sisters that also came to this world with him. First of all there was Aden's little sister, Melody. She was little unicorn with a shimmering blue coat with an emerald mane. She was just about the age of the notorious Cutie Mark Crusaders, somewhere around the age of ten. Ever since she came to this world, she's been crusading with her three best friends: Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.
Then there was Aden's older sister, Ruby. She was an earth pony with a white coat, and a stylish red mane. When she came to this world, she helped out Rarity with her fashion designs. Since then, her designs have been selling better than usual. His sister was talking to Rarity but soon noticed her brother walking by. "Good morning Aden, lovely weather we're having," his sister said with her usual upbeat attitude.
"Good morning to you too, and yes, this is lovely weather," Aden replied to his sister. Aden then looked at the clock on a nearby tower as his little sister was telling him about one her crazy adventures. The clock tower read 1:55 p.m.
"Oh...um, sorry to cut this short, but I need to go now. I have to meet somepony in the park at 2:30, and I have to meet up with someone for advice on a couple of stunts before I meet her," Aden said interrupting his younger sister.
The three stopped what they were doing and looked at him with a rather incredulous gaze. "Who's her?" the three asked almost simultaneously, making Aden flinch slightly.
Man, why is everypony freaking out today, he complained to himself. "Um... Rainbow Dash?" he said nervously while backing up a bit.
"You're having a date in the park! Oh that is just absolutely marvelous, and not to mention romantic," Rarity said with excitement as she butt in. But then she just realized the name of her friend.
"You're taking Rainbow on a date! Aden Sky, you're quite the charmer," Rarity said with an impressed look on her face.
"Think whatever you want, but this is not a date! Besides, she's already taken, remember? She's with Soarin," Aden said bluntly as he started trotting off to town. Soon Aden walked into the bustling markets of Ponyville. With all types of ponies all sporting different variations of colors.
Gosh there are so many ponies here today, I guess this just the daily rush hour. Aden thought as he made his way past the crowd and approached Ponyville Cafe, a usual hangout for his friends. There his friend Thunderlane was waiting. He sat at his usual table while he waited for Aden.
"In 3...2...1... and now," Thunderlane said as Aden approached the table.
"Hey Thunderlane" Aden said while taking his seat.
"Right on time, as usual," Thunderlane said, mocking him a bit while keeping a friendly tone.
"Okay, so I was wondering how to-" Aden began to speak before he was interrupted.
"Aden, there's something I really need to tell you, I can help you with other things later" Thunderlane said cutting Aden off mid-sentence as Aden's curiosity rose.
"W-What's wrong?" Aden asked as he raised from his seat, and his voice full of concern.
"Its Soarin, last time I talked to him he told me that he..." Thunderlane said with insecurity.
"He..." Aden said trying to encourage him to move on.
Aden grew impatient with Thunderlane and edged him further, trying to make him tell reveal what was wrong. "He what!" Thunderlane was shocked as he witnessed his friend raise his voice. After finally forcing himself to say it, he told him.
"He told me that he slept with one of his fans last performance, and that he's planning on ditching Rainbow, like, for good." Aden's mind went blank as he processed the information in his mind.
"What!" Aden said in shock. H-How could he do this to her. They've been together for so long. I just don't see what would make him purposely want to cheat on Rainbow Dash!
"Yeah, this is the honest truth, Aden. He says he's not interested in her anymore." Aden paused and thought of what to say next.
"Does... Rainbow know yet?" Aden asked with fear on is face.
"N-No thats why I came to you, so you can break it down to her. You know, since you're one of her best friends,"
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Aden said with confusion.
"So are you going to tell her?" Thunderlane asked.
"I don't know." Aden then looked at the clock. He had to be down at the park in five minutes. "Well, I guess I should be going, I cant keep Rainbow waiting forever" Aden said.
"Y-Yeah it's been nice talking to you too. And if you do tell her about Soarin, she'll need someone." Thunderlane said.
Aden then turned around as he asked in curiosity, "Huh?" Thunderlane quickly smacked himself in the face before he replied to his question.
"She'll need someone to be there for her when she's sad, to keep her happy, and willing to do anything for her. To help soothe the pain, someone... like you," He said while looking into Aden's maroon colored eyes.
"Why would she need me?" Aden quickly replied.
"Well, you said you did like her right?" Thunderlane asked unsure of Aden's answer.
"Of course I Do!" he exclaimed.
"Then that would be your opportunity to be with her. To get her to like you," Thunderlane suggested.
Aden thought of the idea and his mind pondered on it for a while before he spoke again, "That sounds like a good idea but-"
"Just think about it," Thunderlane said as he started walking home.
Great, now your stuck with a job to break someone's heart.
"Well, I should get going now or I'll really be late" Aden said as he walked down the dirt roads of Ponyville with the park entrance in view.
Once he finally approached the gate, he stopped as he imagined Rainbow's reaction. No going back now, I have to tell her. Aden said to himself, stopping the thought as he entered through the parks gate, not knowing that his life would be changed forever.
Aden walked through the park as he searched for a certain pony, aptly named, Rainbow Dash. After scanning just about everypony he saw, Aden decided to wait at their usual meeting spot, under a big oak tree. It was the ideal spot to relax, and was coincidently placed right next to an open field which was the perfect area for flying. Aden started to approach the oak tree expecting to see Rainbow either sleeping or just simply waiting for him. But once he finally approached he didn't see Rainbow anywhere. So thinking she was on the other side he slowly crept around the tree, then "BOO!" he yelled. But nopony was there, so he went out from under the tree to look for her.
Where is she, Rainbow's never late for a hangout, Aden said as he searched the empty fields of the park. He stood there thinking where Rainbow could've gone to.
Oh this is going to be sweet. Rainbow thought with a sly look. She soon bucked the dark cloud as hard as she could. "CRASH!" the cloud boomed releasing lightning right next to him.
"AH!" Aden screamed in terror as the sound made him jump. But was soon given a sign of relief as he saw a familiar pegasus with her arms flailing uncontrollably in the air as she laughed.
"I got you so good. You should've seen the look on your face" Rainbow said while laughing.
Aden gave her a serious look, but couldn't help but laugh with her.
"So are we just going stand here and do nothing or are we gonna start flying?" Rainbow asked as she slowly floated to the ground.
"Only if up for it" Aden replied with a competitive grin, they both took that as the starting pistol, Rainbow Dash took off with Aden right behind her, making the leaves of the oak tree shake violently. Rainbow Dash and Aden were flying around the open air showing each other their own stunts. Groups of ponies that were amazed by their stunts stayed to watch as if they were real performers. Group after group they soon had a bid crowd of ponies watching them awe. Looking to the bunch of ponies on the ground Aden's face brightened as he had an idea in mind.
"Looks like we got ourselves a crowd, Rainbow." He said while pointing to the now growing group of ponies.
"Wow." Rainbow said in amazement as she now noticed the huge audience below.
"I have an idea." Aden said to Rainbow as he flew closer to the ground. "Do you guys want to see a real a show?" he yelled at the group as he looked back at an awestruck Rainbow Dash. He then heard screams and shouts from the crowd.
"All right! Now if you'll give me a moment." He flew back to Rainbow with a face of accomplishment.
"What the HAY was that for Aden!" She yelled in disbelief of what he just did.
"Oh, just taking a beautiful opportunity to show them our stuff. You did say you wanted to do this." Aden said with a smirk.
"Yeah! With the Wonderbolts! Besides we don't even have a routine." Rainbow complained.
"Just let your body go with the wind, and you'll find something amazing happen." Aden said re-stating what Rainbow Dash had told him, all those months before.
"Besides if you mess up I'll be there for you." Aden said sincerely.
Rainbow smiled at Aden, and soon they took off zooming through the air as the re-perform their stunts in a routine like matter. They did all kinds of tricks, from loop de loops to the craziest of nosedives. The crowd screamed and cheered their as they performed. Approaching to what seemed like the finale, Aden gave rainbow a sign of approval.
Rainbow and Aden then turned around speeding in the direction of the other. The crowd watched in anticipation as they continued on their collision course. Then at the last moment, "BOOOM!" The sound echoed as the crowd became blinded by the incredible light that spread across the sky. As the wave of light spread Aden and Rainbow Dash sped back to the ground as they left a picture in the sky. It was a capital "A" for Aden, and Rainbow's trademark lightning bolt behind the A. As the audience regained their vision they saw them with their icons behind them with a still spreading rainbow wave. The ponies cheered and screamed as the show ending with Aden and Rainbow waving to their viewers.
"Thank you everypony for coming. We hope to see you again soon." Rainbow said with a triumphant smile. Both Rainbow and Aden turned around to congratulate each other, but stopped as their noses touched. Their faces inches away from each other, they gazed into each others eyes as if in a trance.
"Oh,um sorry about that" Aden reacted by looking down into the ground in embarrassment.
"N-no that was my mistake...um" they backed up while apologizing to one another as their faces grew red. H-He was so close to my face. Rainbow said nervously in deep thought.
Aden tried thinking of what to do next. Okay what do you do next Aden. He thought while Rainbow was still looking away. Come on Rainbow, say something, do something! Rainbow screamed in her mind. But was soon as Aden decided to make the first move.
"Well," Aden started as the group of ponies dispersed. "good job Rainbow." He said trying to lighten up the mood.
Rainbow was caught off guard. "Y-Yeah," she said as her thoughts were interrupted.
"I guess were done for today." Aden said as him and Rainbow started to walk down the dirt road.
As they walked down the empty roads of Ponyville, Rainbow decided to start a conversation to get her mind off the recent event.
"Hey Aden?" Rainbow said as she continued to walk.
"Yeah?" Aden replied turning around.
"How did you and your siblings come to Equestria?" Thinking back he tried to recall if he ever told her the story.
"I never told you that story?" Aden asked to see if she knew anything about it.
"Well, Twilight told me a little, but I want to know the full story." Rainbow asked as the sun started to set, casting a radiant orange glow off of her coat.
"Fine, I'll tell you." Aden gave in as he let her beauty get the best of him. With a smile they kept walking as Aden told the story.
"My family was a happy one, just like any other family." Aden started as he thought of his childhood memories. Seeing him and his siblings all playing together, the thought made him smile.
But that smile soon disappeared as he remembered the terrible things in his life. "But the world we lived in was harsh, cruel, and unforgiving," Aden continued as Rainbow gave him a concerned look. "Everyday was a struggle, we tried to make the good times last." Aden said as he started to shake.
"Soon my parent got a divorce due to money issues." Aden continued. "But as we were facing the fact that we would be kicked out of our own home." Aden said as he looked to the ground. "H-he had to leave us." Aden said as a tear fell on the ground.
Worried, Rainbow asked. "W-Who left you." Recalling the hated memories of his once beloved father, Aden simply looked away from her, trying to hide his pain before responding. "My dad." Rainbow's face filled with shock at the news. "HE left us to find someone who would make him happy! He though that he could just leave us, thinking that we would be okay without him!" He yelled in his fit of rage, Rainbow did nothing, letting him vent his anger as she stood there listening intently
He paused to catch his breath. "That inconsiderate bastard!" Aden yelled as he picked up rock in his hoof and threw it.
"Aden...I-" Rainbow tried to comfort him, but was cut off by Aden as he continued his tale.
"We were left on the streets, all of our possessions were gone, stolen from us. They gave us nothing." Aden said angrily. "We stayed at our relative's house, with our cousins." He said bluntly. "They were moving out of state next month, so we couldn't stay long." Aden said with a frown.
"Our mom got sick, really sick and we knew we couldn't afford to take her to the hospital." His eyes starting to form tears. "Within a couple weeks, she... died." Aden shed another tear as he fought the urge to cry.
"We never told Jade yet. You know my younger sister," Aden said making sure Rainbow knew who he was talking about.
"So there we were , left with no one else to take care of us," he said with a blank expression.
"We were all dying slowly of starvation and sickness, but just before we suffered from death," Aden said, looking to the orange filled sky.
"We saw someone reach out for us. She asked me if I wanted our lives changed, to be different. Of course I said yes, and soon she carried us through the light and we blacked out. But the last thing I hear was...." Aden's paused and looked into the sky as it faded from the darkest orange to the brightest shade of yellow
"That we all have a purpose here." Aden told Rainbow, a blank expression on his face.
"Then, we woke up at Canterlot Castle as ponies. We met Princess Celestia in person. She then told us to come here, to Ponyville..." Aden said simply.
"And thats how we met all of you." Aden said turning to Rainbow as they finally made it to the crossroads that led the two ponies home.
"Wow, I didn't know your story was so sad." Rainbow said with guilt.
"I feel so guilty for asking in the first place... I'm sorry Aden," lowering her head in shame. Surprised, Aden walked over to Rainbow and lifted her head up.
"Rainbow, although I've been through so many struggles in life…" Aden paused, looking towards Rainbow Dash's direction.
"I think its all worth it. Because, I met the most awesome, greatest, beautiful mare I ever laid eyes on." He said as Rainbow and him locked eyes once more.
"Who's that?" Rainbow asked still not getting the message.
"I met you,"Aden said, making Rainbow blush madly. She tried to hide her blush by looking away from him.
"T-Thanks Aden for the compliment," Rainbow said as the sun came down. Both of them were soon covered by the soft light of the moon as Rainbow and Aden stood there.
"So, are you going to tell her." Thundelane's voice echoed throughout his mind.
Thats right! I have to tell Rainbow about Soarin, Aden reminded himself as he looked at Rainbow still looking away blushing. I have to, It's for the best. She doesn't deserve him! Aden thought as he encouraged himself.
"Rainbow there's something that I need to tell you." Just give it to her straight, you can do this.
"Yeah? What is it?" Rainbow replied nonchalantly. Is he going to say what I think he's going to say?
"Its Soarin," Aden said, Rainbows face turned from a look of disappointment into one filled with fear.
"What happened?" She demanded, forgetting completely of what had happened before.
Aden looked to the ground as he thought to himself. Now just tell her.
"Soarin has been cheating on you," Aden said unwillingly.
"He cheated on you with a fan he met last performance." Aden explained as Rainbow's face became filled with disbelief. "He says that he's done with you and doesn't want to be with you anymore," Aden said truthfully.
"Thunderlane and I met at the cafe. Thats where he told me everything, Soarin said so himself to Thundelane last time they met!" Aden explained as Rainbow stepped back in disgust.
"You're lying!" Rainbow yelled as Aden face became filled with shock.
"I'm not! I would never lie, especially to you." Aden exclaimed.
Rainbow paused for a moment, then, the thought hit her. "Oh, I get it, your jealous aren't you?" Rainbow scoffed.
"What! Why would I be jealous of that backstabber!" Aden screamed.
"Because he's something you're not, he's famous, rich-" Rainbow said before being interrupted by Aden.
"Is that all! He's rich and famous, well I don't give a flying feather about what he is," Aden retorted, his voice reaching a louder volume.
"I've been there for you so long, and this is how you treat me. When I'm protecting you from that jerk you call a coltfriend," Aden said with a tear running down his cheek.
"I already said it, Aden! I wont believe you, no matter what you say!" Rainbow said while turning away.
"Fine, go and ask him yourself. Then you'll see that I'm right," Aden said with his eyes full of anger and poison.
"You just know that he's better than you!" Rainbow said walking away from him.
Just then, Aden snapped. Then, he said something he would regret for the rest of his life.
"Oh yeah, he's something you'll never be," Aden said as his voice became shaky because of his anger. He made sure she heard the last two words loud and clear, "… a Wonderbolt."
Rainbow's body froze like ice before she turned around with tears building up in her eyes. Realizing what he just did, Aden tried to apologize.
"Rainbow, I-I didn't mean to-" but was cut off as Rainbow started galloping away down the opposite path. "Wait!" Aden cried as she ran off.
"I'm sorry." He said as his eyes also started to tear up. Leaving him alone in the dark, desolate streets of Ponyville.
Great job, you just had to say that didn't you! He said in his mind. You did it now Aden, cause now she's gone!
Things like this never last! He scolded himself while walking back to his home in the clouds.
Minutes later, he arrived at his front door. Aden then walked over to his bed and laid down. Staring blankly into the night until he fell asleep under the moon's soft, comforting glow.
About an hour later, while still in bed he heard something. Knock knock knock. "Ugh, who knocks at someone's door at 12:30 at midnight," he said groggily as he got up and walked to the door. When he opened it revealed a pony with a recognizable rainbow mane. She looked down avoiding eye contact with her friend. Shocked to see her, Aden could only say her name in astonishment.
Aden stood there speechless as she stood at his door. "R-Rainbow I'm so sorry for what I said earlier you know I didn't mean to say that to you," Rainbow embraced him as tears went down her cheek. "Are you okay, Rainbow?" Aden asked as she continued to cry.
"You were right Aden, I'm sorry," she apologized as she released Aden from her embrace.
"Wait, know what?" Aden asked not knowing what she meant.
"After we had our argument. I went to ask Soarin if it was all true," Rainbow sighed.
Realizing what happened he took her hoof into his own. "Here, lets talk this out on the couch. Besides, its cold out there." Aden said with a smile as he wiped the tears off of her face. Both of them sat down on the cloud made couch.
"Okay, tell me how it happened." Rainbow's mind replayed the events in her own head as she told her story.
***
Rainbow ran away with tears cascading down her face as she ran through the dark streets of Ponyville. She stopped at a pond out in a field near her house.
Going back to Aden's last words before she sprinted away left her in disbelief.
"I-I can't believe h-he said that." Rainbow said with her head in down as she laid at the edge of the pond.
Rainbow Dash stood up with new determination, "No! I need to know the truth." She soon ascended into the air, and she had one place in mind, the place where Soarin was to have an after show party, Canterlot. With that one thought she sped her way to Canterlot as fast as she could, arriving within minutes at the entryway for the party.
"Sorry miss but you aren't allowed here, this party is for Wonderbolts and ponies on the VIP list," The guard said blocking the entrance to the back of the stage with his spear
"Excuse me but I'm Rainbow Dash. Soarin's marefriend to be exact." Rainbow said striking her trademark pose.
The guard removed the spear that was blocking the door. "Sorry miss Dash, please go on through." With a triumphant smile she walked through the door, eyes scanning the room for Soarin. Rainbow finally stopped as she saw Spitfire near the shiny locker room door.
"Hey guys." Rainbow said approaching the group.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Rainbow Dash, what are you here for?" Spitfire said while taking a sip of her drink from the table.
"I'm looking for Soarin. Have you seen him?" Rainbow asked searching the room as ponies danced under the strobe lights.
"He's probably in the room down the hall." Spitfire pointed to the direction of the room. "Thanks." Rainbow said walking down the hall.
From outside the room she heard somepony. As if there were two of them inside, Rainbow took immediate action as she kicked open the door to find Soarin with another mare. Both of them were kissing passionately towards another as they were sprawled across the bed.
"Soarin!" Rainbow screamed as Soarin turned with a surprised look.
"Who's she?" The mare demanded with a sassy tone.
Rainbow snapped as she threw the drunk mare off of the bed and out the door before she tuned back to Soarin. "What are you doing!" Rainbow screamed at Soarin, who had a rather unsurprised look.
"Relax Rainbow it's not like we were going to have sex," he said sarcastically.
"I can't believe you Soarin, that you would just throw me aside like!" Rainbow said with tears forming.
"Well, it's not me, I'm tired of how our relationship is. The way we never talk to each other." Soarin blurted as he almost tripped and fell onto the rock hard surface of the floor.
"You don't like me anymore?" Rainbow said in pure shock as her facial expression became blank.
"Yeah! So go hang out with that other guy, uh, um, whatever his name is," Soarin said, mocking her.
Rainbow's face contorted with anger. "HIs name is Aden, and he's a much better friend than you could ever be!"
"What is this guy to you?Did you just forget about me and decide to make Aden your new coltfriend?" Soarin said as his voice raised.
"I forgot about you? I'm not the one who wanted to just backstab his marefriend by bucking some other pony," Rainbow replied as her voice also started to raise.
"He's someone who's always there for me, he'll back me up when I need him to. Oh! And yes, he would be a better coltfriend, a better coltfriend than you could ever be," Rainbow said as Soarin reached his limit.
"Well, fine if thats how it's gonna be. Then we're through" Soarin said without thinking and Rainbow stood there dead silent.
Rainbow hid her tears as she exited out of the room galloping towards the door. Spitfire took notice of Rainbow and followed after her out of the room. Stopping at the place where she landed she unfurled her wings ready to take off.
"Rainbow wait, slow down!" Spitfire cried as Rainbow turned around with her face covered in tears.
"What happened in there?" Spitfire demanded. Rainbow stood wanting to go home and forget everything she had experienced that day, but she relented as her wings folded once again.
Soon Rainbow and Spitfire took a seat at a nearby bench. Rainbow told her of the events starting with her day with Aden, to the moment where she had fought with Soarin.
"Wow kid thats pretty rough." Spitfire said in an astonished tone.
"I didn't know you're going through so much," Spitfire putting her hoof on her shoulder to comfort her.
"I don't know who else to turn to now." Rainbow said revealing her true feeling as she started to shake.
"What about Aden? He's a nice kid, and I met him myself. Besides I think he's got the hots for you, judging by the way he's always with you." Spitfire joked trying to lighten up the mood.
Rainbow Dash's cheeks became covered in red as she thought of Spitfires last comment. Her mind became engulfed with many embarrassing thoughts of her and Aden.
"It's not like that! Were just friends" Rainbow tried to hide her red stained cheeks but the effort was futile as Spitfire caught on.
"Well, he is the pony you seem most comfortable with. Why is that?" Spitfire tried to make Rainbow confess her feeling for Aden.
"I-I don't know he's just so loving, caring, funny," Rainbow said as a smile came upon her before she continued. "And always there to make smile when I'm down, he the one who always thinks about me before himself. Its like he really cares about me." Rainbow continued as she started to daydream.
"And not to mention irresistibly cute." Spitfire added, making Rainbow laugh.
Spitfire had a sly smile on her face. "Well, he certainly does care for you, I mean he would always hang out with you, and he actually told you about Soarin knowing the possibilities of what might happen."
"And if I were him, I would be wanting to see you... badly," Spitfire encouraged Rainbow.
Spitfire sighed as she stood up from the bench. "Don't you get it, he completes you." Spitfire looked into her magenta eyes as she too stood up.
"You're right I have to go see him." Rainbow stated with her new found revelation.
Shaking her hoof one last time, Rainbow Dash zoomed her way through the night sky. Leaving Spitfire to watch her speed back to the little town of Ponyville.
"Ah, young love. It never comes easily," Spitfire said while walking back to the party as the stars shot through the sky leaving behind beautiful trails of stardust.
***
"And then that's when I flew over here." Rainbow finished her story as both of them sat silently for what seemed like hours. Both of them wondering what to say to the other.
"Look Rainbow I just wanted to tell you that I had no right to treat you so horribly back there I-" Aden was interrupted by Rainbow Dash as she turned to him.
"I should be the one who's sorry," Rainbow lowered her head in shame as she continued. "If had just believed you. We wouldn't be in this mess." Aden took action as he lifted her head gently with his hoof.
"At least we made it out alive Rainbow." He said chuckling a bit.
"Aden, I-I was so scared, that I had no one left to turn to." She pulled Aden into an embrace, and Aden accepted it as he hugged back.
"Didn't I already tell you this?" Aden said with a warm smile. "What?" Rainbow Dash questioned with a curious ton as she pulled away from Aden's hold. "I told you that I'd always be there. To make you happy when you're sad, and willing to do anything for you, no matter what the consequence." Rainbow's blushed at the statement and took the opportunity.
"I'm hanging out with Scoots and her classmates this saturday. Miss Cheerilee had this thing when the children get together to just play and relax, to get them to be more active, and I can't handle a whole class on my own." She had a sheepish smile on her face as she was at the door with Aden following behind her.
"Oh, I'll come for sure." Aden replied as Rainbow opened the door.
"Well, were both tired here so I guess this is good night." He said as faced Rainbow, both of them looking into each others eyes.
"Good night Aden, I'll see you saturday," Rainbow said while taking one last glance at Aden as she jumped from the airborne mass of clouds, and into the air.
"Good night, Rainbow," Aden said while shutting the door as he trotted to his room and went under his soft, silky bed sheets. I'll see her soon. Aden thought as he slept peacefully in bed, letting his mind drift away under the moons radiant glow.
Two days have passed since Aden and Rainbow have forgiven one another after their fight. The days flew by, and the nights were short. But after those awkward events, Aden rest sound asleep, sprawled across the bed with his covers over his body as he snored loudly. The sun now making its appearance as its warm rays shone on Aden's face, causing him to cover his face from the blinding light with his hoof.
I should really get some curtains, Aden thought as he rose from his bed and yawned, still adjusting his eyes to the sun's glaring light.
His alarm clock rang endlessly as he awoke, but was soon intervened by Aden as he raised his hoof and tapped the small button on top. Aden groaned as crawled out of bed, his body tired and aching. But one specific reason made the pain of getting up and out of his bed all worth it. Today's the day you get to see her again, and this time you can win her heart, he reminded himself as he took flight leaving a Blue trail with a red line behind him.
He soared through the air as he approached Ponyville. Well Thunderlane and I haven't been able to catch up. So I guess I'll go see him first, Aden thought as he landed with a flip and started trotting off to Ponyville cafe, excited to share his good news to Thunderlane.
But just a couple blocks down was Sugarcube Corner, where Rainbow Dash had been doing the same with her friends. Telling them all of the events that took place only two days ago.
"And before I left, he told me, that he'd always be there for me, to make me happy and would be willing to do anything for me no matter what the consequence." Rainbow sighed, her facial expression seemed to be locked as she started to daydream.
Applejack started to walk over to Rainbow. "Well, ah reckon that you like this here friend of yours," she said as Rainbow snapped back into reality.
"You think that I'm in love, w-with Aden? You've got to be kidding!" Rainbow said, her face lighting up with embarrassment. Being the Bearer of The Element of Honesty, Applejack knew that Rainbow Dash was lying. But decided to say nothing about it as her friends started to laugh simultaneously while Rainbow Dash just glared at them. The laughter died down as Rarity stepped up in front of them all.
"Oh darling! There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, being in love is a magnificent feeling. And eventually in some point in life, a girl will meet the one that they are destined to be with," Rarity stated. "But when they do, its up to them to realize that they are the one for them." Rainbow's mind pondered on those words, but Rarity soon broke Rainbow's deep concentration as she spoke again, "I think Aden is the one for you, Rainbow, all of us think so." Rarity stepped aside as her friends all gave a warm smile. Rainbow's cheeks burned red at Rarity's statement, her blush soon dissipated wholly as she denied the fact, looking to the ground.
"Besides, Aden seems like a nice guy," Twilight stopped and looked out the window to see Aden's older brother,Lucent talking to Spike. Twilight was lost in a trance by the thoughts that were processing in her mind. "But his brother is something else," she sighed as her mind floated away into deep thought. Applejack took notice of Twilight's behavior and became curious of the change of subject.
"So are you saying you're in love, Twilight?" Applejack raised an eyebrow catching on to what was happening. Twilight quickly responded turning around to her friend.
"Don't turn this on me by changing the subject! Besides were talking about Rainbow Dash here" Twilight exclaimed. Applejack apologized to her, tipping her hat.
"Ooh, and another thing is that he's awesome, and a great flyer just like you Dashie. And since it's your birthday tomorrow he might even give you a birthday kiss!" Pinkie teased, jumping all around Rainbow with her pink mane bouncing up and down with her. Rainbow smiled sheepishly as the heat of her previous embarrassment returned almost naturallly
"Yeah, I mean to become a great flyer within a year or two is just unbelievable. It would take the average pegasi a lifetime to get where he's at!" Twilight exclaimed in pure astonishment.
"Well, he was trained by the best flyer in all of Equestria!" Rainbow smirked as she struck a pose.
"I think this a good experience for you to go through Rainbow, because it'll help you get in touch with your inner feelings." Fluttershy suggested trying to encourage her friend. Rainbow looked at the clock above the counter and took notice of the time.
"Well, sorry guys I have to leave now to the school, its been great talking to you," Rainbow said picking up her saddle bags as she approached the door. "Oh, and another thing....." She said turning to her friends with a confident grin. "I'm so not in love." Rainbow said denying the fact once again as she walked out the door.
The door closed shut leaving the five ponies deep in thought. "She's so in love," Applejack said teasingly with a sly smile as her friends began to laugh again.
***
With the sun burning brightly across Ponyville, Aden walked nonchalantly to the cafe, a place where ponies would relax or catch up with friends. Aden planned to inform Thunderlane of the events that took place two days ago. He soon found himself at his table with Thunderlane, who sat at the edge of his seat eagerly waiting for Aden to begin. Aden sat there idly as he devised on what he would tell his friend. "So? How'd it go Aden?" Thunderlane asked, his blank expression changing into a smirk. Aden told him of all of the events that he missed while he was working, leaving him flabbergasted at his story.
"Wow Aden thats pretty cool," Aden stuck his chest out with pride. "So all of that happened and you haven't kissed her yet?" Thunderlane asked.
Aden looked to him as he responded, "I'm not trying to just kiss her then be done with it. I want to tell her how I feel, but I need to know if she actually has feeling for me." Aden complained as Thunderlane's face brightened.
"Well, I personally think she's into you man," Thunderlane said as he pointed to him from across the circular wooden table, cleverly sugarcoating his true meaning. Aden's curiosity soared to knew heights, his mind trying to find poosibilities of what his friend was saying.
"What makes you think that?" Aden questioned as Thunderlane grinned in reponse.
"Dude! Your the only thing she talks about."
Besides the Wonderbolts, Aden added, rolling his eyes.
"But this doesn't mean you should get your hopes up," Thunderlane added in a teasingly manner. Aden rose from his seat as he and Thunderlane started to go their separate ways.
"Well, I got to go now, see you later Thunderlane." Aden said waving as he trotted away. The school was in sight as his mind drifted elsewhere. I wonder if I really will kiss her someday, he thought to himself
Aden finally arrived at the school. There all the little fillies and colts were waiting as they talked to each other, all of them eager to start. "Okay we have Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond tiara, Silver Spoon, Twist, Dinky, Featherweight, Rumble, Pip, and Snips and Snails." Aden counted as he checked off each of the names on his checklist. While Rainbow checked up on the kids. Rainbow and Aden met up at the school where all of the little fillies and colts were waiting.
"Okay everypony may I have your attention?" They all turned to Aden, all of them listened with undivided attention. "I'm sorry buy MIss Cheerilee wasn't able to make it today" the group of fillies and colts groaned in depression.
In an attempt to cheer them up, Rainbow Dash spoke, "All right you guys, are you ready to have some fun?"
The kids jumped and cheered as they all started to run around in an intense game of tag. Soon, all of them, including Rainbow Dash and Aden, were running around the school's fields. They all played in the schools small playground as they all laughed and screamed. The game was long and tiring, but at the end of it all they were all laughing together. They played games such as hide and go seek, freeze tag, dodgeball, and even had a jump rope contest. But as they played, time passed by and the sun drew closer to the horizon. Panting from all of the galloping Rainbow said as she paused in between words to breathe,"Okay guys I thinks its about time we take a break," Aden looked to her also panting and breathing heavily.
"You think?" He said jokingly to her as he laughed a bit.
They all took their break as Aden and Rainbow sat at different parts of the field, taking their own gender group along. Nearby, Aden looked to all of the colts talking to each other, but one stood out. It was Featherweight, who was staring out into the distance as if he were distracted by something. Aden took notice and stood behind him without Featherweight knowing about his presence. He angled his eyes in the direction he was looking, only to find it was angled towards a familiar orange filly
For somepony who seems really smart, he's pretty bad at keeping his feelings hidden, Aden thought as he moved closer to the beige colt. "You're looking at her, aren't you?" Featherweight turned around quickly as he snapped out of his trance.
"H-How do you know I was looking at Scootaloo?" Featherweight asked as he shook in fear. Aden's smile widened as he placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"You just told me."
Featherweight felt like slapping himself as he realized his mistake. But was stopped as Aden sat down with him. "I know what you're going through kid," Aden said with reassuring smile as Featherweight calmed down, both of then now relaxing as they sat in the grass.
"So... you know I like Scootaloo, right?" Featherweight turned towards Aden nervously.
"Well, now I know," he said chuckling as Featherweight's cheeks became covered with a crimson hue.
Featherweight recalled about what Aden said before. "You're in love? But with who?" Aden then tapped his shoulder and directed his sight to the other side of the field, his eyes were directed towards Rainbow Dash. Who sat next to Scootaloo as they laughed loudly together. "You like... Rainbow Dash?" Featherweight asked as Aden nodded slowly in response. "So were both trying to get the girl we like, to like us back?" Featherweight stated as they looked to both Rainbow and Scootaloo.
"Seems like it," Aden replied as he looked toward Featherweight. "So, how close are you with Scootaloo?" He asked the beige colored colt. It only took a moment for Featherweight to think as he put a hoof to his chin. "Well, there would always be these moments to where I would almost tell her my feelings. But before I do, I freeze up and can't do anything at all. I just need some sort of sign to see if she feels the same way about me." Featherweight looked down to the floor in worry. Aden walked slowly towards the depressed colt as he patted him on the shoulder.
"You just have to wait for that perfect moment to when you tell her how much you care for her, but not revealing your true feelings." Featherweight lifted his head eagerly waiting as Aden explained. "Then thats the opportunity where you tell her how you truly feel, to show that you love her. And if she does like you back she'll reveal her feelings to you. I mean I've had situations where I would just let myself say whatever I want, but when it come to saying that I love her, I cant do anything at all. You've just gotta wait for that perfect moment, that's all." Featherweight's face filled with joy and new hope as he smiled. Aden and Featherweight continued chatting about other non-romantic subjects as Rainbow's own conversation brought up the same familiar subject.
On the other side of the field were Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, both of them sitting down quietly enjoying the view of the azure sky above. "Rainbow Dash?" The orange filly asked as Rainbow turned towards her.
"What's up Scoots?" Scootaloo looked around nervously as her face became covered with a bright red hue.
"D-Do you know anything about...." Scootaloo paused looking down to the floor nervously as Rainbow waited in anticipation. "... love?" She whispered to Rainbow, her blush fully materialized.
"Yeah, what about it?" Rainbow said simply, Scootaloo's face brightened.
"Well, there's this one pony I like, his name is Featherweight. But I'm I don't know how to tell him how I feel." Rainbow grinned as she put her hoof on her shoulder.
"Well, looks like were in the same boat Scoots," She said, still wearing her grin. Scootaloo looked to her in amazement as her lavender eyes widened.
"You, in love? But...your Rainbow Dash, the greatest and most awesome flyer in all of Equestria!" Scootaloo said in pure awe as she looked to her in wonder.
"Just because I'm unbelievably amazing doesn't mean I can't fall in love," Rainbow pointed out. Now coming back to Scootaloo's previous question, she finally gave her some needed advice. "Well, one thing I've learned is that you've got to spend a lot of time with him, to get him to notice you" Scootaloo sat down and listened as Rainbow continued. "You gotta make him realize that you're the one for him," Rainbow said.
"Thanks Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo hugged her as Rainbow Dash returned it with a warm smile. The two released from the embrace, the warm breeze flowing as the grass waved back and forth harmoniously with the wind. But soon their attention turned towards the leaving groups of foals, Rainbow and Scootaloo looked to each other.
"I guess its time to go," Rainbow said looking back to the leaving groups of fillies and colts. Scootaloo left running after her friends as she said her goodbyes.
"I'll see you soon Rainbow Dash." Rainbow waved back, ready to leave as she too began walking. But she soon stopped where she was as her attention was captured by Aden as he started to leave the school grounds. Rainbow put her hoof to her chinas she tried to remember what she wanted to do. Then it struck her, she had forgotten to show Aden something very important, and with that she spread her wings desperately trying to catch up to him.
Rainbow flew towards him at an alarming rate. "Aden, wait up!" she cried out as Aden stopped in his tracks, turning to Rainbow.
"What is it?" Aden asked as Rainbow came to a halt as her hooves skidded along the grass.
"There's something I want to show you. Come with me" Rainbow gestured to Aden as they took off into the sky. They flew towards a solitary cloud, Rainbow leading the way as Aden lingered behind her. I don't know where the heck we're going but this is pretty high up, Aden thought while looking to the ground below. Rainbow soon sat down on the cloud looking off into the distant sunset as Aden took a seat next to her.
Aden sat there, confused and didn't know what to do, so he tried to break the silence with a simple question, "What did you want to show me again?" Rainbow Dash still continued to look to the horizon, leaving Aden waiting for a reply.
"This spot is special to me. Here, you can see everything from all of Ponyville to Canterlot, and more" Rainbow pointed to all that was around them as Aden gazed in awe. Rainbow continued, causing Aden to turn his attention back to her. "I come here whenever I feel down or sad, just to watch the sunset." Aden and her both looked toward the sunset. "I-it's just that sunsets would always make me feel, you know? Calm." Rainbow continued as she recalled old memories. "I remember my mom would always watch sunsets' with me everyday, well that is...... when she was here." Rainbow looked away from him as she remembered those haunting thoughts. Aden looked to Rainbow with concern as he attempted to comfort her, but at those words, he too remembered. They both sat there, reflecting on memories of those they held dear. Aden shook the thoughts away as he moved closer to Rainbow, placing a hoof around her, Rainbow's body tensed up in response.
"Don't worry, I know exactly how you feel." Aden said, making rainbow feel at ease. Rainbow recalled back to more soothing memories, but she remembered one specific memory.
"Every time we watched the sunset, my mom would always sing to me my favorite lullaby," Rainbow looked back to the sun as it slowly descended.
"Are you going to show me what the lullaby is?" Aden asked as Rainbow became nervous at the thought.
"Um, no, besides I'm a terrible singer" Rainbow lied, making circle in the white puffy cloud.
"Thats a bunch of horse-apples! I'm sure you're an awesome singer" Aden complimented, her face being visited once again by a soft red glow. Rainbow turned her head away nervously as she debated in her mind.
You can do this Rainbow, its just one song. Rainbow looked back to the sun as she closed her eyes, and began to sing.
(This song is a pony-fied version of Baby mine by Allison Krauss.)
(For those who want to hear it themselves, press the link/green letters)
Aden stared at Rainbow, mouth agape as she finished her song. Rainbow's eyes once again opened only to find Aden in amazement, she chuckled at the sight. "Now that, was amazing!" Aden exclaimed. Rainbow reacted by smiling demurely as she looked toward setting sun.
After admiring the sight above a little longer, Aden arose from his cushiony seat among the clouds. "Oh, it's getting dark, we should really go home now." Aden said. Wanting to make sure she got home safe, he decided to take this opportunity . "I can walk you home if you want."
Rainbow nodded as they soon were walking down the still teeming streets of Ponyville. As they were walking Rainbow moved closer to Aden, their body's now touching. The warm feeling of her body against his made his cheeks grow red.
"Oh girls, look! Aren't they such a cute couple?" a mare from a group ponies said as her pals giggled at the sight, causing Aden's cheeks to grow into a noticeable shade of red. This continued as they finally reached Rainbow Dash's cloud home, Rainbow looked to her home then bak to Aden expecting some sort of goodbye.
"Well, Rainbow, this was fun, and thanks for inviting-" he was cut off mid-sentence as he took notice of her gaze. They both stood there, their eyes locked on one another as Aden stood perfectly still, letting the gap between them grew smaller, and smaller.
Aden knew what was happening, but didn't do anything about it. In fact, a small part of him wanted it to happen.
Soon their faces were mere inches away as they both closed their eyes. But then, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and realized what she was doing. She quickly backed away as she bit her lip, blushing madly.
It was then that Aden opened his eyes as well, leaving a very awkward silence between them both.
"Well, gotta go bye."Rainbow Dash quickly flew into the air and into her house, slamming the door behind her, leaving Aden on the ground.
"Y-yeah, bye." he stood there, flabbergasted. He soon walked away from her home, relishing in the thought that he almost kissed her.
But as he walked away, Rainbow Dash slumped onto her bed, looking at the ceiling blankly as she tried to find the solution to these newfound feelings that had been bothering her ever since that eventful night. Just then, as she processed all of the mixed feelings into one, she had a revelation.
She laid there as she said to herself, "I'm in love."
***
Soarin stood there as he looked out the window of Canterlot's stadium, his face filled with anger. "You stole her away from me, And now, I'm going to get her back," he paused as he looked to the group of cheering fans with an evil, malicious grin. "… the only way I know how."
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.
Rainbow Dash's party had lasted until the moon made itself visible in the midst of night, leaving everypony weary as they all said their farewells. Drinking cider before they departed made it even harder for them to walk straight, especially for Aden. Rainbow had dared him to chug three whole glasses of Applejack's so called hardcore cider in less than a minute.
Of course he was going to refuse to such an oblivious challenge, but how could he say no to those adorable eye's?
And so he did, making Rainbow become extremely happy as she congratulated him. Aden felt glad when he pleased her, his reward was just a single hoof bump, but he couldn't have been any happier.
Well, that was until the effects of the cider kicked in. Having to walk through town with the effects of dizziness, and an unbearable headache wasn't an easy task. Apparently, Rainbow Dash and the others decided to spend the night at Twilights house, whilst the others returned to the safety of their homes.
And that's where Aden was headed. He walked down the silent streets of Ponyville, the lights from a nearby window lit up the streets with a soft glow of gold.
He continued his struggle to get home, his eyesight blurred, and his legs begging him to stop and rest. But he had to get home before he could do that. But Aden didn't notice the sound of a door opening nearby, causing him to gaze into the blinding light until a figure emerged from it.
"Aden, is that you?" It was Thunderlane, and apparently he noticed him from his bedside window. So he came
"Oh, hey Thunderlane," Aden said as his hooves wobbled beneath him, not able to support his weight anymore. Thunderlane noticed this and decided to help him in this time of need.
"You look tired, wanna come in?" He asked. Aden nodded groggily in response, attempting to hide his weakness as he limped through the doorway. They casually entered through the front door, and as they entered Aden noticed other ponies sitting down on the furniture.
"Who are they?" He pointed to the three ponies who were sitting idly.
"These are a couple of friends of mine from the Weather team, and they're spending the night here at my place," Thunderlane said as Aden and him took a seat.
"This is Blue Bolt, Jet Stream, and Sky Crasher," Thunderlane gestured to his three friends, receiving a small wave from the three.
"Well, nice to meet you guys, I'm Aden."
Thunderlane slowly leaned inward toward his four friends. "Okay, since now that we got introductions out of the way," Thunderlane paused, setting his gaze on Aden. "We were just about to play Truth or Dare, wanna join us?" His friends awaited for Aden to give his response.
Aden pondered on the thought for a moment, but quickly came up with a simple answer. "Sure, why not?"
The five began to play Truth or Dare. Each one of Thunderlane's friends and himself were dared to do indescribable dares that put their sanity on the line. Time passed quickly as they laughed at each others misery, but each of them got their share of humiliation, and now It was Aden's turn again to choose either truth or dare. Each dare seemed to become even more cruel and harsh every time they chose, so not wanting to end up like one of them, Aden went with his only other option.
"I choose truth."
Thunderlane thought of a question to ask Aden, and after a minute or so, he finally thought of one. A small, evil grin became evident on his face. This made Aden worry a little, but he just ignored it and waited for the inevitable.
I shouldn't worry about this, it's just one question. How bad can it be? Aden thought as Thunderlane spoke up.
"How did you fall in love with Rainbow Dash?"
Oh...that bad.
Aden put a hoof up to his chin, trying to think of some easy way to tell him without making a fool of himself.
"Well, when I came here, I met Rainbow Dash and the others. Then, she became my teacher," Aden stated. "And I guess over time I started to like her more and more, and eventually I fell head over hooves for her."
Thunderlane looked over to the others, their faces clearly indicating that they were eager to know more of Aden's tale. "I remember that one day, you said that you were going to practice flying with Rainbow. So I know that something happened between you two somewhere along the line, because what ever happened to you made you talk about her nonstop the very next day."
"Yeah, I guess I did do that," Aden sheepishly stated. But before he could even reply, he noticed the clock hanging above, and it was almost midnight.
Man, I've been here a while. I should really get home! Aden said to himself.
"Sorry guys, but it's getting late, I gotta get home to get some rest," Aden replied. "Maybe next time I'll tell you."
So Aden left as the four waved goodbye to him, leaving them with a new topic to talk about. And that short rest at Thunderlane's place helped Aden recover his strength, but still he was tired overall. After walking through Ponyville in the midst of the night, he found himself at his front door. He gave the door a gentle push the door to his cloud home, the soft fluffy clouds underneath his hooves as he walked towards his room.
Approaching his bed, he plopped down, the soft mattress cushioning his landing. To his right, there stood a picture of both him and Rainbow, making him reminisce about the old days. The memories slowly replaying in his mind as he drifted off into the sweet embrace of sleep.
***
Aden walked through the bustling crowd of ponies, moving his hooves in a steady rhythm as he passed each one of them. Beyond, he reached a small park-like glade right on the town’s edge filled with a few tall trees and some artfully placed bushes. He slowly approached an open field where he practiced his flight skills, but no student ever practices without some sort of teacher. In this situation, that pony was, one of his best friends and his flight tutor.
Aden was excited, this was the day he looked forward to every week. He loved to practice his skills ever since he started, training almost every day before this day came around. He would take this day as a challenge, to see if he had improved or not. And not to mention he would spend time with one of his best friends. He couldn't ask for anything better, right? But he didn't realize that there was more to this friendship than he thought. Every time he was near her, he would barely pay attention to her and would be at a loss for words when she said something to him, making himself look like a complete idiot. Although, Rainbow Dash never really told him that she found that little feature about him somewhat cute. But still, he couldn't describe the torrent of emotions that bugged him endlessly, it was like his heart was trying to tell him something that he couldn't comprehend.
The answer seemed clear that he may harbor some feelings for her, but he would usually toss them aside and continue on with his day, not wanting to ruin the friendship that he and Rainbow shared. So with those thoughts still lingering in depths of mind as he approached her. Rainbow lifted her head, giving Aden a warm smile before she trotted over to him with a playful grin.
"Hey Aden, looks like I beat you here...again," Rainbow said boastfully.
"Good morning to you too, Rainbow Dash," he replied, rolling his eyes as he did so. "So, what are we doing today?"
"The usual, so you know what to do," Rainbow replied as she walked off to a distant cloud and laid down on it, leaving Aden on his own.
Sure, go sleep on a cloud and leave me to do one-hundred wing ups, and ten laps around Ponyville, Aden sighed before he put on a confident grin. Well, I better get started
So Aden began by doing his wing ups, but even though Aden was in the midst of training, his mind wandered else where. He thought of what happened over the past few years, thinking back to the very first day he set foot (or hoof) into Equestria. He remembered how confused he and his siblings were when they arrived, but then they were soon greeted by Celestia herself who told them all about what had happened to them. And once they all understood what was happening, Celestia decided to introduce Aden and the others to Ponyville to help them get use to their world.
That is where Aden first met Rainbow Dash and the others. While Aden and his three siblings stayed in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash and Aden discovered that they had many similarities and became the best of friends. Over time, Rainbow learned that Aden still didn't know how to fly, so that was when she decided to teach him herself.
Then months later, here they are again, doing the same thing that they've done every day. He smiled as the memories played in his mind as he counted his final wing up.
"Now I just have to do ten laps," Aden said as he stretched his wings before he took to the sky. His surroundings whisked pass him as he shot across the open air. His thoughts kept him busy as he raced around Ponyville over and over again as the time went by. But then, something captivated his attention, making his eyes widen and threw his mind into a state of confusion. It was Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow, What are you doing here? I thought you were sleeping."
"Well, I was sleeping until I got bored, so I decided to wake myself up by flying, and I eventually met up with you here," she said simply, not showing any sign of weariness from awakening minutes ago.
Rainbow and Aden slowly crossed the sky as everything became quiet, giving Rainbow Dash to think of something to break the silence, but then something rather interesting idea came to mind.
"Hey, Aden!" Rainbow said, causing Aden to flinch as his thoughts were once again thrown out of proportion. "Since you're on your last lap, I thought we should see how much you've improved from last time. So let's see who can make it back first to where we met up."
Aden nodded in agreement, so the two of them stopped in the air and prepped themselves, ready to take off into the open blue.
"All right, in 3..2..1...," Rainbow paused for a short while, causing Aden to look over in her direction to see if something happened. But by the time that Aden glanced over, she was gone. Aden looked back to what was in front of him and saw that she had got a late start.
"Very funny Rainbow Dash," Aden said with a grin before he shot towards his friend at an alarming speed, desperately trying to catch up. Rainbow noticed that Aden had found out about her little ruse. So she started flapping her wings harder, trying to gain some distance between herself and Aden. But eventually they were neck and neck, trying to overtake one another as they sailed through the sky like streams of light.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't outmatch each other. It seemed like that they were evenly skilled, but there was one thing that Aden forgot.
A noticeable cone started to appear around Rainbow as she closed her eyes in pure concentration. He took action, falling a little behind as he used this position to gain more speed. The cone grew more narrow with every second, while Aden slowly came up to her side, as he too became engulfed in the cone.
The two were to busy concentrating to notice the cone around them at her side. The sound barrier shattered as it left behind the sound of thunder. Aden desperately hung on for his life as they both zoomed cross their makeshift finish line, slowly coming to a stop as they landed safely onto the silklike .
They looked back behind them to see a multicolored wave of light spreading across the setting sky. Both of them took their time to gaze at it's the explosion of colors as it soon disappeared into nothing. Looking back to Rainbow, Aden struggled to breathe as his head was spinning, moving at such a high speed was a new experience to him. But although he couldn't really focus, he managed to speak without falling over.
"So, who won?"
Rainbow turned to him, in a rather calm manner. "That doesn't really matter, but you were actually pretty good out there, I've never really had a draw before. It's actually nice to have somepony who can go as fast as me."
"But I thought Rainbow Dash was supposed to be unbeatable and have no equals," Aden teased.
"That is true," Rainbow paused. "But...you're the exception."
Aden started to chuckled and Rainbow soon joined him. A short while after, the laughter died and it became quiet, both of them silently thought of what to say next. Then Aden looked up to Rainbow Dash, making him lose all focus. He stared at her as the sun set behind her, the way that the sun reflected off of her made it seem like she was some sort of goddess who descended from the heavens.
"Wow, you look beautiful!" Aden blurted, regretting it soon afterwards. Why did I say that!
Almost instantly, Rainbow's cheeks flamed from within. "Thanks, but I'm not as pretty as Rarity or the others," she said, trying to conceal her distress as she put on a fake smile.
Aden took immediate action and spoke his mind to his friend who stood in front of him. "What do mean? You're just as beautiful as Rarity or any other pony I've met," he declared.
"Thanks Aden, nopony has really ever said that to me before," Rainbow said, and shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't care about what others had to say about her appearance. But on the inside, it did bother her a bit.
"Wait, nopony has ever told you that? What about Soarin?" Aden asked.
Aden could've sworn he saw Rainbow flinch when he said those words. She turned away from him and stood quietly. The only thing that they could hear was the gentle summer breeze as it peacefully moved the clouds above them.
Then, she finally broke the silence as she spoke up. "He used to tell me that every time we were together... but he hasn't said anything like that to me in a long time. You see, Soarin and I don't talk much anymore because of him being a Wonderbolt, and whenever I talk with him, he seems... different. It feels like I'm losing him, and I don't know what to do, Aden."
Um, what do I say, what do I say? Aden bit his lip, trying come up with something to comfort his friend. "This is just something that eveypony goes through when they're in a relationship, so just know that deep inside, Soarin loves you with all of his heart and that will never change. Well, if he didn't love you, then he would have called it off with you a long time ago, right?" Aden said, throwing a hoof around her shoulder. Rainbow felt more secure with Aden by her side, she felt a weird tingly sensation that she couldn't describe as he held her.
Aden took his arm off of Rainbow, startling her in the process. "I bet a good flight will cheer you up, come on, let's go!"
He ascended into the night sky, signaling her to come join him with his hoof. Rainbow was about to join him, but suddenly stopped and thought to herself for a brief moment, making notice of the darkness that surrounded them.
"Aden, you do know that its pitch black out here, right?" Rainbow gestured to the darkened sky around them.
Aden only smiled at Rainbow's statement. "You're always looking around, but you never bother to look up." Rainbow didn't know what he meant, but when she shifted her attention skyward, she couldn't believe what she saw.
There were bright little lights scattered across the moonlit sky, causing a soft glow of light that illuminated the area around her. As Rainbow stared into the sky with her mouth agape, Aden slowly crept up behind her, not wanting to give away his position. Then as he finally made his way behind her, he gently tapped her on the shoulder. Rainbow broke free from her thoughts as she felt the tap, and turned to face him.
"Tag, you're it," Aden said, whilst Rainbow became confused. Aden rolled his eyes in annoyance before he spoke again. "Are you going to chase me, or just stand there?"
"Well, I always accept a challenge," she stated looking directly into his eyes.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Before Rainbow could react, Aden leaped into the air, speeding away to the shimmering skies above. Rainbow thought to herself for a moment as she stood firmly on the cloud. Well, if you can't beat em , join em.
So with new determination and a confident grin on her face, Rainbow Dash propelled herself and chased after Aden. They playfully laughed together as they swiftly maneuvered past the clouds, moving at a rather calm and steady speed. The moons radiant light reflecting off the wide lakes below made this whole situation all the more serene. Aden did his very best to avoid contact with the electric blue pegasus, whether it be hiding behind a cloud or trying to fake her out. Even though Aden was in the heat of competition, he seemed to enjoyed this as much as she did. So they continued to soar through the sky in what seemed like perfect unison.
From their vantage point, the entire land stretched out before them, a collection of lights and lakes that all waved under a canopy of brilliant stars. The shining jewel of the event, though, was not the radiating stars nor the breathtaking scenery around them, but this one single moment that Aden and Rainbow shared. Smiling happily and giggling with each other, signs of joy and peace and love that abounded that night. All of it was accompanied by the constant sound of the world around them. This seemed like a moment reserved for fairy tales, because everything seemed absolutely perfect.
After a tedious continuation flying, Aden began to lose focus as he began to tire out, running out of breathe as Rainbow continued to approached. But as Rainbow sped towards him, she lost track of her speed and rammed straight into him, causing them both to hurdle into a nearby cloud.
They rolled onto the cloud, and unexpectedly, both Aden and Rainbow coincidentally landed right next to each other. They laughed away as they laid on their backs, and as time passed, their laughter died down. They both took their time to observe the stars as they twinkled brightly. Both of them felt a sudden spark of emotion that neither of then understood, but whatever it was, it made them feel at peace. Aden continued to gaze upon the stars above before Rainbow decided to speak.
"These stars kinda remind me of the Starlight Dance back at flight academy, it's a really fun event when everypony would take somepony else to go with them and they would dance together under the stars."
Without thinking, Aden just said the first thing that came to mind. "Who took you to the dance?"
Rainbow Dash froze, immediately turning her face away from him. “I-I... I um,” she stumbled over her words, her voice breaking at every pause. "I didn't really have anyone to take me to the dance, so I just went by myself."
"If I was there, I would've taken you," he said in an attempt to lift her spirits and apparently, it worked. Rainbow gave him a warm smile, a sheer redness appearing on her face as she did so.
"Thanks," she said, putting a hoof up to her mouth as she yawned.
And once again, there was another silence, both of them still laid across the soft, velvety cloud. He too also felt the effects of drowsiness take over him as he felt his eyelids go heavy. Man, I'm getting tired. Maybe its time to turn in, Aden told himself before turning his head towards rainbow's direction.
"Hey, shouldn't we go-" he stopped as he saw that Rainbow was fast asleep. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
"And... you're asleep." Aden stared at her as she slept away before he got up on his hooves and picked her up with his two front hooves as if she were a baby. He carried her all the way across the sleeping town of Ponyville with a snoring Rainbow Dash in tow. Aden made his way through the town, Luna's moon illuminating the streets as he continued to carry her. Rainbow would occasionally squirm around in Aden's hooves to get in a more comfortable position, all Aden could do was smile ear to ear at the cute display. After walking through the darkness of the night, Aden finally reached Rainbow Dash's air-borne home.
He slowly pushed open the front door to avoid waking Rainbow Dash from her slumber. He soon found himself in her room, where he gently placed her down on her bed and quietly tucked her inside the covers. Aden watched her as she rested, asking himself what he should do next. Then, he noticed picture that was placed by her bedside, it was a picture of him and Rainbow Dash. He smiled at the picture before turning his attention back to Rainbow.
"Goodnight Rainbow Dash, sweet dreams." And before he did anything else, he gave Rainbow Dash a light kiss on her forehead. Rainbow snuggled deeper into the covers, smiling softly before she said something that made Aden speechless.
"I love you too."
Aden stood still as questions started to rush in his mind. Was she awake? Was she sleeping? Is this some kind of joke? Or... did she really mean to say that? HIs mind raced back and forth as he tried to regain his composure.
If she really does love me, and if there's a chance of us being together, then there's only one question that matters, Aden thought as he stood right out of Rainbow's bedroom. He looked back to her one last time before he asked himself, Do I love her?
He seemed to space out for a brief moment, staring blankly at Rainbow Dash. But just as he began to think, Rainbow moved in her sleep, causing Aden to snap back into reality. So with one thing in mind, he left the cloud home to return to his own. The flight home only seemed like mere seconds to Aden as his house came into view. Aden entered his home, and went straight to bed. He looked to where the pictures of his family and friends stood, but out of them all, there was that had new meaning to him. It was the same picture that Rainbow Dash had near her bedside. He laid in the covers of his bed as he thought deeply about how he felt about Rainbow, and after looking back to the picture of them together, Aden finally found the answer he was searching for.
I can't deny the fact that I love her, and I can't tell her that I do when she's happy with somepony else. But If anything goes wrong, and if she ever needs me, I'll always be there for her. So with newfound emotions, Aden thought of Rainbow Dash one last time before he fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.
The little town of Ponyville was bustling and teeming with ponies going about their daily lives, whether it be shopping at the market, enjoying a nice morning breakfast, or doing some other thing to start the day off. But nonetheless, it was like any other day. Everypony went about their casual routine as they did their daily jobs, and for Rainbow Dash, that's exactly how it went for her.
Rainbow Dash would wake up and prepare to go to work as the weather teams leader, but that didn't mean that she would just bark out commands to the others, she too had to do her portion of work. So that's exactly what she did. Rainbow was cloud busting with one part of the team while the other did the same. The team would divide itself based on gender, so that girls can be girls, and boys could be boys.
She hit a cloud with her hoof, causing it to poof away in a white like vapor. She looked to her sides to find the ponies who accompanied her. To her right were Blossomforth, and Cloud Kicker, and on her left were Cloud Chaser, and Flitter. For most of the week, they would try to get Rainbow to confess her feelings to Aden. But, This effort would usually end with Rainbow Dash refusing before they even got the chance to persuade her. And even though their end result never faltered, they tried again anyway.
Blossomforth gave a nod of approval for someone to make the first move, and as if on cue, Cloud Kicker glided to the cloud next to Rainbow. She effortlessly smacked the cloud before she spoke up in her usual cherry tone, "So, how are you doing today?"
hook...
Rainbow Dash looked over to her with an irritated look, guessing that this was another one of their daily attepmts. But she couldn't refuse to answer a simple question. "I'm doing fine Kicker," she replied, not trying to sound annoyed. She flew to another cloud, only to be intercepted by Cloud Chaser.
"Did you get any cool gifts for your birthday?" Rainbow Dash could've sworn that she sounded like a filly who had just woken up on Hearth's Warimng Eve.
line...
"Um... yeah, I guess they were pretty cool. All except for one special gift that I got," Rainbow said plainly as she remembered what had happened at her birthday. The dance that she had with Aden, the colorful sky that appeared before them, and the moment when she kissed him on his cheek. It was like a little piece of heaven.
Shaking of the thought, she tried again to fly towards the cloud to continue her job. She tried to withhold her temper, cause if somepony bought up a certain name, she knew that things were only to get more stressful. And as if the world wanted to mess with her, as soon as she set hoof onto the cloud, Flitter approached her.
"Let me guess, was that special gift from Aden?"
and sinker...
And at that moment, Flitter could've sworn she saw Rainbow flinch as her eye twitched slightly. Rainbow let out a sigh, rolling her eyes shortly afterwards. "Yes, it was from Aden," Rainbow said, her tone unchanging.
While on the other hand, Flitter squee'd in delight. "It must have been really romantic. I'm so jealous of you right now, Rainbow!"
Rainbow thought about Aden once again, the thought of almost stealing a kiss from him made her cheeks flame from within. "It wasn't that romantic, I mean, all I did was just give him a kiss on the cheek," she quickly retorted, trying not to sound embarrassed. She realized what she just said,and silently scolded herself.
With her eyes wide open and mouth agape, Blossomforth zoomed next to her side. "Wait, so you kissed him on the cheek, but you didn't tell him how you felt about him!" She asked frantically, invading Rainbow's personal space just a tad bit.
Rainbow backed away a bit to collect her thoughts. "Well, no, I haven't yet. And besides I was kinda scared to tell him. I don't even know if he likes me back," Rainbow replied, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.
With a soft smile, Blossomforth went to her side and patted gently on her back. "Rainbow, do you remember the time when you injured yourself when doing one of your stunts?"
Rainbow looked over to her in confusion by her sudden question. "Yeah, why?"
Blossomforth gave a small smirk before speaking again, "Who carried you for miles just to get you to the hospital?"
Rainbow stood absolutely still, looking to the soft cloud below her. "That was Aden..."
Just then, Cloud Kicker came in with another question. "During last cider season, they ran out before you even got to the front of the line. But who willingly gave up their first and only cup of cider ever, just to see you smile?"
"Aden..."
Cloud Chaser took a step towards Rainbow, standing in front of her as she too gave a comforting smile. "Who spent months trying to raise enough money to take you to see the Wonderbolt's for your birthday last year?" she said, raising her brow.
"That was also Aden..." Rainbow Dash said as she rubbed the back of her head.
Blossomforth gently nudged her, making her flinch. "And from what I heard from Thunderlane, Aden thinks that pet name of yours is really cute. Hmm... What was it again? Dashie, wasn't it?" At that moment, Rainbow's blush became uncontrollable, she tried her best to suppress it, but her efforts were futile.
"H-He knows about that?" Rainbow said, looking away in complete, and utter embarrassment. Her heart was racing as it beat at a rapid rate.
In an attempt to comfort her, Blossomforth slung a hoof around her shoulder, making her heart slow down to a steady rhythm. "That's not the point. Why do you think Aden did all those things for you?"
The only thing Rainbow could do was think to herself deeply, and now that she thought of it, she realized just how many things he's done for her. She tried to respond, but she couldn't move, it was as if her body went into a temporary lockdown.
Blossomforth rolled her eyes as she took her hoof off of Rainbow. "Don't you see? He obviously cares about you, otherwise he wouldn't have done those things for you."
And that's when it hit her...
"You're right," Rainbow paused as she shifted her gaze to Ponyville. "It's about time that I did something about this. So this week, I'm gonna tell him."
Rainbow continued to stare towards Ponyville before a familiar voice came form behind. "Um, shouldn't we get back to work? We have a lot of clouds to bust."
She looked back to the massive number of clouds that drifted idly. And from that moment, she knew that she had a long day ahead of her.
***
After a long day, Aden leisurely trotted through Ponyville, observing his nearby surroundings. A pair of blue jays whisked by him, flying together in synchronization. The wondrous display had caught his attention completely. And somehow, It made him think back to the night when he first fell in love with Rainbow Dash.
I remember that day, Aden thought.
Aden was so distracted by his own thoughts that he didn't even realize that he arrived at his own house. So with one, effortless pulse of his wings he flew skyward. He landed softly on the clouds as he folded his wings. He approached the door, and with a and with a yawn he pushed it.
Inside was the same home he saw everyday, starting with the couch, fridge, kitchen, bathroom, the letter on the table, and-
Wait, why is there a letter on my table? he said to himself, picking the letter with his hooves. Aden found a piece of paper inside, so he took it out and began to read.
Dear Aden,
Hey, how's it going? I've been doing pretty well lately, although I have to do extra shifts due to my co-workers being sick. Sorry that we haven't talked in a while, it's just that I'm too busy with work. But, I'm getting a day off this saturday, so I was wondering if you wanted to come spend the day with me. Plus, I have something important to tell you. And if you're wondering why I'm not there to tell you myself, it's because I'm too tired from work. So if you want to know what I have to say, please meet me at the hill near Sugarcube Corner. See you there!
From, Rainbow Dash
Aden set the letter down onto the table, analyzing what he just read. Did she invite him to go on a date? The thought made Aden's heart skip a beat. He looked to the calendar hanging on the wall nearby. It was currently Thursday, so If this was going to be a date, Aden had a lot of preparing to do. So he scurried off to his room, prepping for the new challenges ahead.
***
Rarity stood in her work room, humming a soft tune as she continued to work on a dress from a client. And by looking to the window, she knew that it was already sunset. The sun casting a warm radiant glow, making Rarity feel at peace. But out of nowhere, she heard somepony knocking at the front door. So she hurried over to the door, and turned the knob with her magic. Behind the door she found Rainbow Dash waiting patiently for her to answer the door.
"Oh, hey Rainbow Dash, what brings you here at this hour?" Rarity asked out of curiosity.
"I-um, I have something to say to you," Rainbow said shakily as she drew circles on the ground below.
Rarity simply rose her eye brow in suspicion. "All right then, come on in."
They both trotted over to the two couches in the living room and took a seat across from each other. There was a brief moment of silence as the two sat, waiting for the other to say something. Rainbow was about to speak, but was quickly intercepted by Rarity. "So, what is it that you wanted to say?"
Rainbow Dash took a deep breathe and hoped that Rarity wouldn't freak out to what she had to say.
Rainbow Dash trotted her way towards Sugar Cube Corner, excited to meet up with the others. She hummed a soft tune as she passed by Ponyville's shops. Rainbow remembered Rarity's reaction after she broke the news to her.
"I'd like to commission a dress."
Rarity sat still for a moment with her mouth hanging down, and eyes wide. She remained like this for a matter of seconds until she spoke up. "So you want to order... a dress?" Rainbow simply nodded in response.
"Out of all the ponies here in Ponyville, why do you want to order a dress?" Rarity questioned.
Rainbow took a moment to relax, preparing for what was coming ahead. "I-I'm going on date," she stated. In response, Rarity smiled gleefully.
"Who's the lucky stallion?" Rarity asked in a teasingly manner as she raised her brow.
Rainbow Dash gulped, bracing herself for Rarity to have one of her freak outs. "Aden."
Rarity looked to her in awe, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Then, it clicked. "A-Are you going confess to him?"
Rainbow Dash knew what was coming, and she was ready for it. "Yes. Yes I am." And just a second later, it came.
"Oh my stars, you're finally going to confess to him! This is absolutely marvelous!" Rarity screamed as she jumped up and down around Rainbow's chair. She grabbed Rainbow on the shoulders and pulled up onto her hooves. "We simply must tell the others."
Rainbow shook her head to set her mind straight only to be interrupted by Rarity again. "Meet me tomorrow at Sugar Cube Corner. I'll tell the girls to meet us there," Rarity said, pushing Rainbow to the door.
"Um, sure sounds like a plan."
"Perfect! Now rest up, you have a big day ahead of you." And before she could even respond she was outside, the door quickly shutting behind her. She stared back at the door, asking herself what just happened. But all she knew is that she had some explaining to do.
She continued her way towards her destination, walking by familiar parts of the town. And just down the street was Sugar Cube Corner. She made it to the front of the store and looked to the door. She trotted up the stairs and took a deep breath. And with a push the door opened. She looked around the shop, in search of her friends. Rainbow found them in their usual spot as they chatted away. This was it, it was time to tell them the big news.
So Rainbow Dash sucked up all of her doubt, and walked towards the table. Rarity smiled softly as she approached, she signaled Rainbow to stand next to her, and cleared her throat. "All right girls, may I have your attention please?" Rarity said as the others looked towards Rarity. "I, or Rainbow Dash, has an announcement to make." She stepped aside and let Rainbow stand alone in the center of the room. Rainbow Dash took a moment to calm her mind, and took a deep breath.
"After I got off work yesterday, I gave Aden a note, I wanted to meet him at a hill near Sugar Cube Corner." The others exchanged awkward stares in confusion, but continued to listen. "He might think that this is just another hangout or something. But, the whole reason of meeting him is that I decided that it was time to tell him." Everyone else except for Rarity wondered what she was trying to say. And after a while, they all looked to her in bewilderment.
Applejack was the first amongst the group to step forward. "So from what I just heard, you're gonna-"
"Yes, I'm finally gonna confess to him," Rainbow finished.
It took them a moment to absorb the info they just heard, and when they finally realized, they all rushed towards Rainbow. "Oh my gosh, you're actually gonna tell him!" Pinkie shouted as she jumped around the room.
"I'm so glad for you, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, pulling her into a hug.
Twilight gave her a pat on the back, while Rarity just congratulated her from the sideline. Rainbow Dash backed away from her friends and looked to all of them. "Well you see, this is where you guys come in. I need help to prepare for tomorrow, cause I have no experience in dating," Rainbow stated, rubbing the back of her head.
"Well, that's why you have us," Rarity said as she gave Rainbow Dash a pat on the back.
Rainbow looked back to the others who were ready to get started. "All right girls, the date's tomorrow. So I don't a lot time to learn about dating," Rainbow exclaimed as Rarity pulled out a list form her saddlebag.
"This was originally made for Sweetie Belle for when she begins to date other ponies, but this should do." Rarity said, unfurling the scroll to reveal many topics.
"Proper manners, what to say, appearance..." Rainbow read aloud. "Do I really have to learn all of this?"
Rarity gasped and rushed over to her cyan friend. "Why of course Rainbow, these type of things are vital to dating."
"Well, we better get started," Rainbow sighed. So she began to work her way down the long list as she preparedfor the worst.
***
Aden sat at the table of his home as he conversed with Thunderlane, who had personally volunteered to help him prepare for his date with Rainbow Dash.
"All right! One thing that you need to do, is to tell her how you feel in a way that doesn't make you look like an idiot." Thunderlane said, trotting back and forth.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Aden shrugged.
Thunderlane stopped right in front of him and stared at him before putting his hoof to his chest. "You need to say something that doesn't sound pathetic or too cheesy."
Aden raised a brow in confusion. "Okay, how about this," Aden paused as he took a deep breath. "Rainbow, I know that we've been friends for a while and I've wanted to tell you this for a while. I... love you," he whispered those last words in embarrassment.
And all that Thunderlane could do was smack his hoof to his face. "That sounded weak, try again, make it a little more cheesy. But not to the level to where it sounds like it came from a movie," he demanded.
Round two, Aden told himself as he took another deep breath. "Rainbow Dash, I never thought that I would fall in love with my best friend, but I did," he stopped himself as he pictured Rainbow in front of him, her mane styled and had a beautiful dress to go along with it. "I've always thought that I would fall in love with somepony and start a new life with them. But the one thing that I realized, was that you wouldn't be by my side. The best thing about coming here to Equestria, was finding you. I love you, Rainbow Dash," he finished with a smile, still lost in his own fantasy. But the sound of a soft sob brought him back into reality.
"Are you crying, Thunderlane?" Aden asked in disbelief.
"Don't worry about that. It seems that you don't need help with confessing to her, let's move on." Thunderlane said, wiping the tears off of his cheeks.
Aden chuckled slightly at his friends display. "Is there anything else that we should cover?"
Thunderlane took a moment to think, putting a hoof up to his chin. "I don't think so, we pretty much covered everything, but let's look at the list one more time," he said as he began to read the list aloud, silently mumbling to himself.
As Thunderlane continued to read the list, Aden gazed over to the picture that sat on the table. It was the same one of him and Rainbow Dash that he had placed near his bedside. But after reorganizing, the picture found it's way onto the kitchen table. He smiled softly at the photo as he reminisced of the past. Aden thought of all the moments he shared with Rainbow, and all the things that happened between them.
Aden let out a small sigh as stared at the photo. Rainbow Dash and I have come so close in such a short time. But, does she only think of me as a friend, or something more? He then looked at the lower right corner of the photo, setting his eyes on the small letters written down. "Love, your friend, RD," it said. Aden chuckled slightly, remembering how embarrassed she was when she found out she had written 'Love' instead of 'From'. He continued to stare at the picture, letting his mind roam free.
Thunderlane took his eyes off the list and looked over to Aden, who was still staring at the same photo. His face was greeted with a small smirk as he trotted beside him. "It looks like Aden has finally grown up," he paused. "You're going on your first date with Dashie," Thunderlane continued to tease, putting extra emphasis on the word 'Dashie'. Aden could do nothing but to feel embarrassed, and his face said it all. "What's this? You're blushing, Aden."
"I'm not embarrassed about the date, Thunderlane," Aden quickly retorted. "It's just whenever you say that damn nickname."
Thunderlane's smirk had got even wider upon hearing those words. "You like that name, don't you?"
Aden slowly nodded back in response with a small blush.
"I can see it now, the way you'll hold her in your hooves. Then you'll say, 'Oh Dashie I love you' and then you'll take her home with you and live happily ever after." Thunderlane said, trying to sound as cheesy as possible. Aden blushed even more then before.
"Thunderlane!"
"Don't worry, I'm just joking with you." Thunderlane explained.
Thunderlane then perked up as he remembered. "Oh, we should be moving on to the next list cause they're still some things that we need to discuss." As he finished he rolled out a smaller list, but it still ended up touching the floor below.
"Come on, I only have a hours left before I have to go someplace else."
Aden sighed, looking at the list from top to bottom. And to think that this is only the beginning.
***
"Okay, thanks guys for helping," Rainbow said exiting the front door of Sugar Cube Corner. "I'm sure that I'll do fine on my date." She gave a small wave before trotting down the small steps in front of her. With the sun hanging low in the sky, she traveled down the roads of Ponyville, passing by all the familiar shops and houses that she saw almost everyday. And as she passed a small restaurant, something interesting caught her eye.
Two ponies sat across from each other at a small table. Of course it wasn't that suprising at first, but when she took a closer look, one of them was a stallion, and the other was a mare. They had a certain look in their eyes that seemed to to grab the attention of the rainbow haired mare. As Rainbow Dash looked even closer, she then remembered. It was the same look that Aden had before she almost...
She shook the thought off, turning her attention back to the two ponies.
"T-There's something that I've been wanting to say to you for a while," the colt said, nervously looking to the mare in front of him. The mare gave a reassuring smile and nodded softly. "Ever since we were young I've always felt this weird connection between us, and I never knew what it was until now," he stated. "But because of you, now I know, I love you."
And just then, the mare leaned in and pulled him into a deep kiss. The stallion recoiled a bit at the sudden movement, but then closed his eyes and pulled the mare even closer to him. Rainbow Dash stood there motionlessly, watching intently at this beautiful scene that took place right before her very eyes. Soon the two broke the kiss and stared back at each other.
"I love you too, I always have," the mare said as she nuzzled him.
Rainbow Dash watched the two walk out of the restaurant, still in a state of wonder. It took her some time to absorb all that had happened. And as she walked back to her humble abode, it was that she could think of.
Is that how love is?, she wondered. Before she even realized it, she had made her below her own home. She sighed and flew up to the cloud homes entrance. Rainbow pushed open the door and closed it behind her, making an almost silent click as it finally closed. Rainbow walked into her room and sat on her bed, staring at her bedside table. On it, she found her collection of Daring Do books, her exclusive Wonderbolts clock, and her favorite photo of her and Aden. Every time she looked at it she felt flustered on the inside, like her heart was leaping with joy and other emotions that she couldn't make out.
Rainbow then looked at her clock, noting the time, she climbed into bed. When she finally made her way into the sheets, she looked back to the photo. If love really is like a fairy tale, then the date should go jut fine, Rainbow thought, snuggling even deeper into her bed covers. And taking one last glance at the photo, she whispered, "Good night, Aden. I'll see you tomorrow." Upon saying that, she fell asleep in the moonlight's embrace.
A new sun dawned over Ponyville, showering the small town in warm rays of sunlight. Aden was up and about his home, getting prepared for his upcoming date with Rainbow Dash. Aden looked into the mirror, searching for any thing that looked out of the ordinary.
"All right, everything looks fine to me," Aden said exiting his bathroom, and out the door. He leaped off the clouds and casually glided towards the streets of Ponyville. As soon as he landed, he made his way to the restaurant that he suppose to meet Rainbow Dash at. With every step he took, his heart started to beat faster, and his mind flooded with anxiety.Aden finally reached the hill near Sugar Cube Corner, he stopped and took a moment to get himself together. Then, when he was ready, he began to walk up the hill expecting to see Rainbow Dash waiting for him. But upon reaching the top, he found that she was nowhere to be seen.
Well, this is odd. Where could she be?, he wondered. Maybe she's running late.
Aden decided to wait for a bit, and walked back and forth on top of the hill. Minutes passed, and he still continued to wait. Even more time passed and he still kept waiting. About thirty minutes had passed, and Aden couldn't wait any longer.
Maybe this just wasn't meant to be, Aden said, head hung low as he began to walk back. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. There were two ponies flying towards the clouds above, but they were holding something.
And it looked a lot like Rainbow Dash. Scratch that... It was Rainbow Dash, and she wasn't moving.
Without thought, Aden took flight, headed towards the two ponies. One of them took notice of their pursuer, and motioned the other that it was time to get of there. They made a beeline for the floor of clouds that floated above.
"Oh no you don't. Get back here!" Aden screamed, flapping his wings as hard as he possibly could.
When he made it to the cloudy layer, he looked all around him, in search of his rainbow haired friend. "Where are you, Rainbow Dash?" he said with worry. He landed on a nearby cloud and continued his search. Aden soon heard something from behind and turned around... only to be punched right in the gut. He groaned in pain and clenched at his chest, but then his hooves were held outward, like he was being restrained. He now stood on his hindlegs, restrained by random strangers, and his stomach hurt like a son a-. You get the idea.
Aden had his head hung low, trying to fight the pain. He tried to break free of the ponies embrace, but it futile, their grip was too strong. As he tried to find out what was happening, a figure entered his sight. Aden raised his head to see who it was, and could nothing but a silhouette that walked slowly towards him.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here," the shadowy figure said. The voice sounded so familiar, but Aden couldn't quite make it out due to the throbbing pain in his stomach. Then, the two ponies that were carrying Rainbow Dash came and set her down on the cloud.
"Who are you?" Aden asked.
The figure smirked and stepped forward, revealing his true identity.
Soarin! Aden yelled to himself, his mind becoming filled with anger and hatred. He looked over to Rainbow in worry, "Rainbow Dash. What did you do to her?"
Soarin started to laugh. "Isn't this sweet? You wanna protect your girlfriend," he mocked, which made Aden even more furious. "Let me tell you something, Aden."
"Love is cruel, Aden. That's why by the end of all this, she'll be mine."
With that, Soarin turned around and raised his hoof in the air. The last thing Aden saw was Soarin throwing a punch to his face before everything became black.
***
Aden groaned upon awakening, and his body felt heavy. He couldn't muster the strength to fly, like his energy had been drained from his body. Looking at his surroundings, Aden found that he was still in the sky. He got up to his hooves, and heard a voice from behind.
"Looks like you finally woke up."
Aden turned to the the voice, only to find Soarin smiling malevolently. "Where's Rainbow, and what did you do to her?" Aden said, not breaking eye contact. Soarin responded by pointing to where she lay. She was resting on the same mass of cloud that he was on, and her wings too had been tied down. In an instant, he rushed over to her in worry.
Aden kneeled at her side and put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. He shook her gently in hopes that she would wake up, and it seemed to do the trick. Rainbow rose to her hooves as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Where am I?" she said, looking around in confusion. But the thought was shattered when Aden pulled her into a hug. "Aden! What's going on?" Rainbow said as Aden pulled away from the embrace.
"Rainbow my dear, this is called revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge," Soarin stated. "You know, I thought that this was actually gonna be hard, but I was wrong."
Aden suspicions spiked, and he wanted to know as in to what was going on. "What do you mean by that?"
Soarin let out a laugh, making Aden even more confused then he already was. "Oh yes, that reminds me, getting you wasn't as easy as Rainbow. In fact, we didn't even have to do anything, she did the work for us."
"What does he mean, Rainbow?" Aden said, looking to Rainbow Dash in worry. All the while, Rainbow did nothing but stare at the cloud below with shock written on her face.
She knew what was happening. The truth was about to be revealed, with Aden right next to her.
With a grin on his face, Soarin decided to give Aden the answers he so desperately wanted. "You didn't know? Rainbow wanted to meet up with you to confess her feelings, I found out about this so called date when I captured her, and she went on and on about how you'd come to save her." Soarin paused. "She even ordered a dress, just for you! So when she came to Sugar Cube Corner, all I had to do was snatch her."
All Aden could do was stare back to Rainbow, who looked to him with an innocent gaze. "Aden I-" she was cut off as Soarin grabbed Aden, and started dragging him towards the ledge. He struggle against his grip and tried to break free, but his strength failed him.
Soarin then threw Aden, sending him over the edge. But luckily, he grabbed on to the side of the cloud before plummeting down. He looked down to ground, and if he were to let go, it would be a long way down. "And don't even think about using your wings, those drugs that I gave you earlier should make them paralyzed. And it's the same for you too!" Soarin said, pointing a hoof to Rainbow Dash. "Now Rainbow, say goodbye to Aden."
Before Soaring grabbed Aden, Rainbow stood up, and with all her might grabbed onto Soarin. "What do you think you're doing?" Soarin questioned.
Doubling her efforts, she tighted her grip even more. "I'm saving my friend!" she retorted. Rainbow gave a good jap to the face, and he collapsed onto the cloud. Remembering the task at hand , she galloped to assist Aden. She found him still hanging on for dear life, and without thought, extended a hoof.
"Thanks Rainbow for helping," Aden said, giving her a warm smile, and she gladly returned it.
As he moved his hoof to grab Rainbow's hoof, the light that reflected off of her, making her shine. In fact, her whole body was shining. He then saw what was behind her. It was Soarin, he seemed o have recovered from his ruse with Rainbow. And he decided to bring a thundercloud with him.
"Rainbow, behind you!" Aden blurted. She turned around, and tried to dodge. but it was too late. As Soarin. struck the thundercloud, a flash of light came hammering down, and hit the side of Rainbow Dash's left wing. She shrieked in agonizing pain, and fell off the side. Aden extended a hoof to try and catch her. Time slowed as he looked to her, she was in pain and scared, her eyes said it all. His hoof came close to her, and tried to grasp it. he felt the touch of her hoof briefly before it was gone. He missed.
With his mouth agape, Aden stared at Rainbow as she fell, then back to Soarin. Soarin had a triumphant smile, and was breathing heavily. This level of altitude was too much for him to handle, and so he flew off as quickly as he could leaving Aden hanging on the cloud. He had multiple choices: Let the the girl that he loved fall to her death, or try to save Rainbow and die along with her. The first choice was oblivious so now he had only one option. The things you do for love...
Aden let go of the cloud and started to plunge downward towards his falling friend, he flapped his wings as hard as he possibly could, but started to feel pain and flying felt more harder than usual. Then it hit him. "And don't even think about using your wings, those drugs that I gave you earlier should make them paralyzed." Soarin's words were true, his wings were weakened, making it even harder for him to flap his wings. But he had to save her, so he pushed on.
Rainbow Dash was in his sight, and she was close. If only these drugs weren't in effect he would've caught her by now. He was just a few feet away, but he couldn't go any faster. He reached terminal velocity. With every flap of his wings he plummeted downwards, desperately reaching his hooves out to catch her, but it wasn't enough. His wings burned and screamed at him to stop, but he couldn't. A couple tears started to fall from his eyes from the immense pain.
The ground closer and closer with every second, and Aden still hadn't gotten any closer. W-What if... What if I don't catch her? He asked himself. Random memories started to flash through his mind, all the good moments that they shared. He saw one in particular that made him forget of all the pain that coursed through his wings, it was the day of her birthday. The memory passed by like a silent film, only showing what he saw through his own eyes. It was almost like he was reliving it. Just then, as if out of nowhere, the sound came back on.
"You were the best thing that happened to me, but after you and I split, I found something better." He remembered how he felt when she wrapped her hoof around his own. The warm feeling that he felt was so familiar. But what did she mean by that? Aden thought. And at that moment, it all became clear. She does have feelings for me, why didn't I see it before! Aden exclaimed. His senses returned to him as he sped downward towards the ground.
If only I knew before, I would've told her everything, I would've said it. Rainbw Dash was in his reach, she was so close. Something sparked in Aden's mind, giving him a new boost of energy. And that's why I need to save her. So I can tell her that I love her, Aden thought. He put forth all of his energy into his wings, and carried on. With every passing second, he got closer, and closer. It was actually working. But the ground was right below them, he had to catch her now. With all of his strength, he reached out for Rainbow's hoof again. He had to close his eyes as he used all of power in one, single movement. He felt something warm around his hoof, Aden had caught her. She seemed to have been knocked out due to the lightning bolt. Aden grabbed her body and pulled her closer to his, feeling her beat in a gentle rhythm. She was still alive.
His gaze then turned to the ground, and they were about to crash. Aden tried to maneuver out of the way, but he was moving too fast to pull upwards. They really were about to crash. He had another decision to make. Aden had to decide on whether who would take the impact. Rainbow Dash was already injured, so it would have to be him. Tightening his grip around Rainbow's waist, Aden turned his back towards the rough ground to protect her. He first felt a ripping feeling along his back and screamed in pain. He skidded along the ground until they came to a stop, with Rainbow Dash still in his hold.
Everything became a blur to Aden. Rainbow Dash lay at his side breathing softly on his chest with her eyes closed. His vision slowly started to fade away with each passing moment. "If I die now, I just want you to know this," Aden paused as he lifted a hoof to caress her mane. "Rainbow, I love... you," his grew weaker and weaker with each word that left his mouth. The last thing he saw was Rainbow Dash smiling at his touch, before everything became dark. Then, the world became silent.
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."
When the sun came up from beyond the horizon, it pierced through the window and had landed gently onto Aden's face. It felt warm This was a very familiar feeling. He would wake up everyday in his bed and prepare to take on the day. But when he sat up and opened his eyes, all he saw was the green paint of the hospital's walls. Aden sighed, looking down to sheets below. He missed his home, he missed his friends, he missed Rainbow Dash.
This reminded him of the time that Rainbow had to stay in the hospital, but this time there was nothing to help quench his thirst for entertainment. Rainbow was right, this place is pretty boring when you have nothing to do, Aden thought.
He then looked out the window, setting his sights on the clear, blue sky above. The desire to take flight and spread his wings was almost unbearable, but at the same time it was natural, especially when grounded. The window had been left opened ajar from yesterday, sending small gusts of wind to Aden. Just the feeling of fresh air was enough make him miss the outside world.
By closing his eyes, he embraced this moment, feeling the wind rush past him. Aden relished in the coolness of the wind, and helped him relax more in the small room. After a brief moment, he heard the door click. And from behind it, was his assigned nurse: Guardian Angel.
She entered the room with a smile and approached the bed. "Hey Aden, how are you holding up?"
At least she's here to keep me company. Aden thought. "I'm doing fine thanks to you."
Angel smiled at the remark as she set down a glass of water. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she saw Aden looking out the window. Ever since he woke up, she noticed that he had been acting a bit strange and it worried her.
"Is something bothering you, Aden? You've been looking out that window ever since waking up," Angel said, turning towards him.
Aden let out a deep sigh and then looked to the outside world once again. "I guess you could say that I just miss my friends," Aden said softly. "I just want to see if she's okay."
The room remained still, nothing but the wind flowing through the room. Angel then moved in a little closer and looked to him in concern. "You're still worried about Rainbow Dash, aren't you?"
Aden hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.
Angel then took seat next to the bed and gave him a comforting smile. "You seem to miss this Rainbow Dash girl a lot, would like to talk about her?"
Her words seemed to make him shift from his depressed state, his ears perking up as soon she spoke. "Sure, but where should I start?"
***
As Twilight walked into the hospital, the pony at the front counter gave her smile, and used his horn to grab a pen. "Ah miss Twilight, you're here to see Aden again, correct?"
Twilight responded with a small nod.
"Well, you know where his room is, you can go right ahead," he said pointing towards the direction of her room.
Twilight then began to walk to Aden's room. She wanted to deliver some cards that the others made for him. She finally made it to the floor that Aden's room was located, and walked up to the door. She was about to use her magic to open turn the knob, but the sound of voices filled her ears.
As she pressed an ear against the door, she heard a voice, it was Aden's! But there was another voice, apparently there was somepony else in there with him. So she listened closely to hear the conversation.
"Did you know that the first time that I met Rainbow, we started arguing about who name was weirder, we went on for what seemed like hours. Oh, and there was this other time when we pranked Applejack at the farm. We took a bunch of barrels filled with apples and hid them, her expression was priceless," Aden said wiping a tear from his eye.
"And when she woke up next morning, we put them back, and she was so confused, she though that she was going insane." Aden said, reciting memories as if they happened yesterday. All the while, Angel was clutching at her side as she laughed at Aden's ridiculous stories.
Angel took some time to recover from her laughter and tried to control her breathing. "These stories are ridiculous! I think you two would make a great couple."
Twilight's eyes widened, now this was getting interesting.
"Yeah, I know. She's a great mare, and an even better friend. I actually plan to tell her that I like her when I get out of here," Aden said sheepishly.
Now this was really interesting. She leaned even closer to hear the muffled sounds of voices.
"You really plan to tell her once you get out of here," Angel asked, a surprised look plastered on her face.
Aden could only nod in response.
"Well you're not getting out today. You remember what happened when you tried to get up before the first day you awoke, don't you?" she said playfully.
He really tried that? Twilight questioned herself.
Aden rolled his eyes at her remark. "I understand. She's just somepony that changed my life entirely," he paused, looking out the window to see rainbow stretching across the sky. "And she's just as beautiful and colorful as the rainbows that I see in the sky."
Both Twilight and Angel were taken aback by the simultaneously squeaked, "That's adorable!"
After recovering from the sheer cuteness, Angel gazed over to the clock and noticed that it was time for her to leave. "Well, I hope it works out between you two." And with that, Angel began walking out of the room.
Twilight heard her hoof steps and bolted down the hallway as quietly as she could. As she exited the hospital she stopped to think to herself. After pacing outside of the hospital for a minute or so, she had devised a plan.
"Rainbow, looks like I'll be seeing you tomorrow cause there's some things you've gotta know."
***
Rainbow Dash shifted in her sleep, causing the covers to become messy. She lifted her eyelids to see her bed, and sat up. It had been at least six days ever since she had awoken at the hospital. Rainbow heard of her injuries, luckily when she got hit with by the lightning bolt, it had only nipped her on her wing. And if it had been a direct hit, that wing would've been gone. When Aden took the impact from their crash, she had taken minimal damage.
For some reason, her heart felt heavier than usual, and it bothered her. Aden's injuries happened because of her, and she felt terrible. How could she not take the blame? If only she had done something before, all of this could've been prevented. But that was only just weight she carried, there was more. The thing that just killed her the most was Aden's recovery. Would he be perfectly fine, or will he never be able to fly again? There were so many possibilities, but there could be only one outcome. And the only thing that she could do was wait.
But no matter what she thought, she had to wait for the final results. So Rainbow Dash, along with everypony else, had to live on until they got some clarification about his condition.
She arose from the soft confines of her bed, and headed out the door and flew straight to Ponyville. Ever since she was released form the hospital, just about everypony that sees her would ask if she's okay. It was nice of them to ask, but although it was annoying, she did feel a little disturbed about this whole thing. The one pony that she might possibly be in love with just risked his life trying to save her, and he his condition is unknown. Overall, It wasn't really the best thing to think about.
Despite the mental war raging in her mind, she continued onward towards her destination: Golden Oaks Library. Twilight had invited her over to chat since she wasn't busy, and Spike ran off to help Rarity with some. She approached the door, and paused right in front of it. Rainbow knocked softly on the door, awaiting for the purple unicorn to answer. And in few seconds, the door opened.
"Oh, hey Rainbow Dash! I didn't think that you'd actually knock on the door, usually you'd just barge in," Twilight exclaimed jokingly.
"At least it's better than crashing through your window, right?" They shared a brief moment of laughter before entering through the door and into the guest room.
As they walked into the unused room Twilight held the door for Rainbow. "I don't use this room a lot, but it does has its uses," she said.
"I never even knew that this room existed, but still, what did you wanna talk about?" Rainbow asked, looking back to her friend.
Twilight looked around nervously for a brief second. "Why don't we sit down first, then we can talk," she said, gesturing towards the couch.
They both took their seat on the soft cushions of the sofa, and not a word was said. A few seconds passed by before Rainbow shifted on the seat.
"So what'd you wanna talk, Twi?" Rainbow said breaking the silence that filled the room.
"I just wanted to know something," she replied back.
Rainbow leaned in just a tiny bit closer to Twilight, indicating that she was all ears. The purple mare looked her straight in the eye, and let the words fall out of her mouth.
"Are you bothered about the whole incident with Aden?"
It seemed that she had struck a chord, for Rainbow remained completely silent in her seat. "Why are you even asking me this question?" Rainbow said, her face turned away from Twilight.
"Um, I just wanted-"
"To know if I'm doing okay? Does it look like I'm okay, Twilight?" Rainbow screamed, turning to her friend with tears cascading down her face.
Twilight was taken aback by the anger in her voice. But at the same it was filled with... sorrow. "Rainbow..." she tried to comfort her but Rainbow continued to speak
"I'm scared Twilight, I don't know what's going to happen. Aden's gonna hate me after all this," she said, her tears dropping to the floor below. "I'm afraid that my friendship with Aden's over, along with any chance of romance. What if he never liked me from the start?"
Twilight looked to her in worry. Never had she seen Rainbow react so abruptly, and Twilight knew that she was in pain. "Don't think like that, Rainbow," she paused, placing a hoof onto her shoulder. "If he risked his own life to save you, then he must think of you as something more."
Rainbow smiled at her words, causing her crying coming to a stop. Twilight then gave a small grin, removing her hoof from Rainbow's shoulder. "Let me tell you something," Twilight said, gesturing for her to come closer. Rainbow obliged, leaning closer to hear her friend. "I heard Aden in his room yesterday, and he said some things. He was talking to somepony about something, specifically you."
Twilight looked out the window. "He was telling them how you two knew each other, and just about everything you've ever done together. By the way that he was rambling, he misses you a lot, Rainbow." She looked towards her again, smiling. "I also heard that the first thing he did when he woke up was to try to look for you. The way I see it, he's liked you for a long time."
"Your a good friend, you know that?" Rainbow said softly, still wiping the tears off of her face.
"It's what friends do." Twilight responded.
Once again the room was filled with silence, and after a few minutes, all was still. The sat there for moment, letting time pass them by. Then a loud banging noise came from the front door. Whoever it was, they continued to bang on the door. Twilight stood from her seat and walked towards it. She swung it open, only to be greeted by a rather tire looking Applejack and Fluttershy.
They looked around the room for their rainbow haired friend, and seconds later, she had entered the room.
"Oh there you are, Rainbow! We've been looking all over Ponyville for you." Fluttershy said while breathing heavily.
What could this super important thing have to do with me? Rainbow thought. "Why were you looking for me?"
Flutters by raised her hoof to speak, but then lowered it back to the ground. Applejack cleared her throat, and began to speak. Applejack seemed to be hiding something, and Rainbow could've sworn that Fluttershy had just suppressed a smile.
What the buck was going on?
"Its time, Rainbow," she said smoothly, tipping her stetson.
"Time for what?" Rainbow asked in confusion, but as soon as asked, it all became clear.
"Aden's finally checking out, Rainbow," Applejack paused. "He's getting out in about two hours from now."
Rainbow stood still with no response. She seemed to be in shock, but the grin on her face said otherwise. "You guys go on without me, there's something I've gotta do," Rainbow said firmly as she walked out of the door.
"But don't you want to see Aden?" Twilight asked, concern evident in her voice.
Rainbow stopped suddenly, then turned to her with a small grin "Just tell him to meet me, he'll know where to find me," she said, taking off into air. Twilight gave a nod to the others, and they were off to see Aden. As Rainbow took to the skies, she looked towards Ponyville hospital. She was determined to make sure that this last encounter was worth all of the years of doubt.
"Aden, I'm gonna fix this once and for all," Rainbow Dash stated, flying towards the one place where she would set things right. She knew that this would be the last encounter.
"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?"
