Summer of Endless Rainfallby MellowSoulChaptersThe Coldest Year...Communication......And the Rain Kept Pouring...Moving Onward...Empathy's Beginnings...Clean Slate...From Darkness to Darkness...Happiness...Change of Heart...The Joy and Melancholy of Summer's Endless RainfallBonus Chapter #1: The End of Summer's RainfallBonus Chapter #2 (Final Chapter): A Better Future...Somber Shores...When All Truth Has Been Spoken...The Coldest Year...It was surprisingly chilly for summer in the little town of Ponyville. Cold rain had begun pouring several days earlier, around the transition of the season. There was an intense atmosphere of gloom, and it was made worse by the fact that one of the residents was living on the streets without a single soul knowing. To add insult to injury, she was just a child. ...Her name...Was Scootaloo... Scootaloo, the usually cheery and confident member of the town's mischievous adventurers, the cutie mark crusaders, had been alone her entire life. Sure, she had her friends to keep her company most of the time, but there was no family; no home for her to return to. She didn't know her mother or father, let alone if they were even alive at this point. Now, with the rain pouring ever so viciously, there was no one but herself, tucked away in an alley somewhere in town. All she could do was pray for the release of sleep. Curling into a ball, she relaxed her muscles. After between fifteen and thirty minutes, she finally drifted off, temporarily released from the pain and loneliness until the next time her eyes opened... A black stallion with a long, blonde mane and a black streak was taking a leisurely stroll through the rain. He was young, somewhere in his early to mid-20s. Unlike most residents around the area, rain never bothered him. In fact, it was soothing. After a while, he stumbled upon an alleyway. He noticed something between the walls. At first, it looked liked an orange or a large, inexplicably discarded stack of Cheetos. However, upon closer inspection, he realized it was something far less humorous; a sleeping child. "She's just a little girl...Why is she here...?" When he got a better look at her face, he could see she was crying in her sleep. "A nightmare...? No...something is definitely wrong here..." The stallion looked around. Searching for help would be pointless right now. There was only one thing he could do. Without hesitating, he placed the sleeping child on his back and galloped off. "Don't worry...I won't let you suffer anymore..." Communication...Harmonic and Scootaloo were eating at the table in the middle of the house. There was a feeling of uneasiness in the air. "Sorry I yelled at you..." "Don't worry about it. From what I saw, you had every right to be angry." "..." "What's your name?" "...Scootaloo." "Can you tell me why you were out there by yourself?" "I don't have anywhere to go." "You don't have any family?" "No. I've been alone my whole life. I have a few friends, but they don't know what's going on." "I guess that explains how you ended up there." "Yeah..." "You and I have a lot in common." Scootaloo looked up at Harmonic with wide eyes. "I never really knew my family either. I was left to fend for myself when I was little; just like you." "How did you get through it?" "It was hard. I screamed my lungs out more than a few times." "Why did they leave you?" "It took me a long time to figure that out. When I was 15, I found out there were two families involved in an experiment; an experiment to test the limits of emotion, but the experiment was cancelled, and nobody ever came back for me." "What about the other family?" "There was a little girl in that family; a white Pegasus named Atmospheric. I tracked her down when I was 19. She was attending an event in one of the towns I visited. We just kind of settled down here later on to get away from everything." "How long have you been here?" "About six years. What about you?" "I've been here since I was born, I think." "Do you go to school?" "Yeah. We're off for summer break right now." "So you've been by yourself all these years without anyone noticing?" "Mhm." "Do you know why you're family isn't around?" Scootaloo shook her head. "Did you ever try to find out?" "No." "..." "What's wrong." "Nevermind." Harmonic got up and began to head to a little table in a corner of the house. That's when Scootaloo noticed something strange. "Hey, you don't have a cutie mark." "I never really searched for my special skill. I just kind of stayed inside and kept quiet." "I thought they were important." "They just tell you things you already know. It's kind of a mean-spirited joke, actually." "Really?" "That's how I always thought about it." Harmonic turned on a radio on the table. A form of rock music started playing at low volume. "You like rock, too," Scootaloo asked. "Yeah. This is a style of rock called melodic hardcore I think. I've heard this band a few times." "His voice sounds funny." "He's using screamed vocals." "I had no idea anyone's voice could sound like that." "You're funny." "Why?" "When I talk to you, sometimes I feel like I'm talking to an adult. When you start talking about regular stuff though, I'm reminded that I'm talking to a kid." "Hey, what's that mean!?" "There's just a lot of things you haven't been exposed to yet is all. You'll figure it out later." The two finished their meal without saying much else. Harmonic looked outside the window next to the bed to see the still-pouring waters of the sky fall to the earth. "Hey, I need to run an errand. Do you want to come with me?" "Where are we going?" "To a clothing store. You need a jacket for this weather." Scootaloo realized he was right. It was cold as death. "It's settled, then. Come on. Let's get going." "Okay." "Hold on. Almost forgot something." Harmonic parted his bangs and placed them behind his ears. It was the first time Scootaloo had seen his eyes. They were a deep, dark blue. "Alright. We're set. Let's move out." Scootaloo nodded, and they opened the door and left. ...And the Rain Kept Pouring..."You've probably figured it out by now, but we see the world a bit differently than others," Harmonic told Scootaloo as they walked through the rain. "Yeah, but why?" "Unlike us, they deny their frustration. They never open up and talk about it. They just bottle it up inside, and it gets worse over time." "How come?" "There's a false belief that anyone who cracks is weak. That's a really bad way to look at it. Without admitting anything is wrong, resentment grows and eventually consumes the mind. That can lead to some pretty bad consequences." "Like what?" "Angry outbursts like throwing a rock and accidentally breaking something. It's not the worst example, but it's a good way to describe it." "Oh. I get it. I've seen some pretty scary stuff like that before." "What happened?" "My older friends had something called a 'meltdown'. They started acting really weird, and it crept me out for a while." "That was a nice way of describing a psychotic break. They literally went crazy from something that was bothering them." "So that's what it was..." "Did they ever recover from that?" "Yeah." "They were lucky. Most psychotic breaks like that usually last a lifetime." "So if they'd talked about, it would've helped?" "Yeah. Somebody could've tried to help them." "I was pretty scared." "Believe me, I would've been too." "I used to think adults couldn't get scared." "I guess you found out otherwise, huh?" "My friend Rainbow Dash told me when I almost fell off a cliff..." "She almost died...?" "What's wrong?" "Nothing. Could you tell me about your friends?" "My two best friends are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The older girls are Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkamena. We just call her Pinkie for short. She actually works at the bakery in town." "Is she the pink one with a curled mane?" "Yeah. Do you know her?" "I've seen her a couple times. I think she said her name at least once or twice. I don't really like talking to others unless I know them." "Do you know anyone at the place we're going to?" "Yeah, actually. I know a lot of the regular customers there and the guy who works at the register. He owns the store." "What's his name?" "He doesn't really tell anyone his name. We just call him by his initials, T.C." "What kind of stuff do they sell there?" "It's mostly clothes, but there are a few other things, like CDs and other music stuff. Do you know anything about heavy metal?" "I've heard about it a couple times." "That's just a general term for it. There are a lot of different styles. Most of the clothes he sells have metal band logos on them." "So you're really into metal?" "I love it. There's a lot of metal songs that talk about stuff we've been through. I think you'd actually really like it once you've listened to a few records. He'll likely be playing some when we get there." "Metal deals with that kind of stuff?" "A lot of it does. Anyway, we need to figure out what we're gonna' do about a place for you to go. You should probably tell your friends what's going on." "I dunno'. They're usually always busy..." "Well, it's at least a starting point." "I guess..." "Don't worry. Everything will work itself out." The pair ended their conversation and continued walking. Heavy thoughts were weighing down on Harmonic's mind. "She's so devoid of hope...Just like I used to be. I can't let her go down that path." Moving Onward..."We're here," Harmonic said as they stopped near a small building in the middle of town. The inside was rather dimly lit. "I think I've passed by this place before." "You probably have. It's not very popular, but there a few customers that show up every now and again." "It looks kind of spooky." "He just has a strange taste in lighting. Don't worry about it. He's a nice guy. I've been coming here for years, so I know him pretty well." "If you say so." "Come on. Let's head in." "Right." The pair opened the doors to the store. When they got inside, a vast assortment of clothing and accessories met Scootaloo's eyes. "Hey, T.C., you here!?" "Hang on broski, I'm coming!" After a few minutes, a brown Pegasus emerged from the back of the store. "Whatchu' need, my man?" "I have some company with me today." T.C. noticed the young pegasus standing next to Harmonic. "Hey kid. Name's T.C. I own the place." "Hello. I'm Scootaloo." "Mind if I call you Scoots?" "Sure..." "We're looking to buy some jackets or hoodies, man. I'm introducing her to metal for the first time. Your place was the best for that." "A newbie metalhead? That's pretty sweet." "We're gonna' look around for a bit. She's had kind of a bad day, dude. You got any good power metal that might boost her spirits?" "How about some Sabaton?" "Cool. We'll let you know when we're ready." "Alrighty. I'll leave you to it." T.C. returned to the back of the store.Within about thirty seconds, fast rock started playing over the speakers. "Come on. I'll show you where everything is." Scootaloo nodded and followed Harmonic. "The hoodies and jackets are here at the back. Take a look and see if there's anything you like." "You guys really like black, don't you?" "It's just another metalhead thing. Black clothes actually absorb and trap heat better if I remember correctly, so you should be pretty warm in these." "Why is it so cold during summer anyway?" "The clouds and rain most likely. When the sun is blocked out, the temperature drops, and the rain releases the water vapor that was stored in the clouds, so we have at least two forces causing the temperature to lower at the same time." "I don't like it. It feels weird." "Can I tell you something a little strange?" "What?" "I've always believed the planet was it's own type of living being. It's not exactly like us, but it can feel things like we can. It can be sad, angry, or happy." "That's kind of cool, actually. I never really thought about it that way." "You see anything you like?" "This one looks good, but I can't read cursive very well." "It says 'The Automata'." "There's something else I can't read. It's hard to see." "It's the name of the album. It says 'Through the Bandage Seeps A Whisper'." "How did you know?" "The Automata is a band I listened to a lot in my teenage years, and it's still one of my favorites. As far as I know, this was the only full-length album they ever made." "Where are the ponies who made it?" "They're not alive anymore. This stuff is a lot older than anyone who's still living right now. Metal and other types of music are so old that we don't even know where they came from." "Oh..." "Don't overthink it. There are plenty of metal bands making stuff right now. This town is small and secluded. It's not surprising this stuff is new to you, especially because of what you went through." "Right..." "So you like it?" "Yeah." "Okay. Pick out a couple more." Scootaloo decided on three hoodies. Her and Harmonic were purchasing them from T.C. at the register. "So, how do you like the store kid?" "It's neat." "You seem to like a lot of the Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore stuff like my buddy here." "Is that what the bands on these are?" "Yep. The bands on those actually mix the two genres." "How many kinds of metal are there?" "I have no idea." "Wow. There must be a lot." "Oh yes. There are." "Hey, Scootaloo, you should probably put one of those on before we go back out there." Scootaloo nodded and put on the hoodie that said "EVERLAST" on it. "Harmonic, you seem kind of down in the dumps today. What's wrong, man?" "It's a long story. I'll tell you later. There's somebody I have to see." "Alright. Just give me a call later, then." "I will." Harmonic and Scootaloo left the store. Scootaloo had the hood pulled over her head to protect herself from the rain. "That looks good on you. It's really mysterious." "Thanks." "There's somebody I want you to meet. Do you mind if we make one more stop before we go home?" "Sure." "She's a really good friend of mine." "Is it the one you told me about earlier; Atmospheric?" "You're perceptive. She's the one." "Why do you want me to meet her?" "She cares a lot. Let's just leave it at that for now." "Will she help me find somewhere to stay?" "She might come with us, but right now I just think talking to her might do us some good." "Okay." "Let's get a move on. I don't like it out here." Both of them began walking away from the store. They needed insight and comfort now more than ever. Empathy's Beginnings...A white Pegasus in a white zip-up hoodie was sitting in her chair drinking a cup of cocoa when she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it," she asked in a soft, sweet voice. "Atmospheric, we have a situation." "Harmonic?" "Yeah. "Come in." A weary-looking and disheveled Harmonic opened the door. Next to him was an orange filly. She looked no older than ten years of age. "Harmonic...What's going on...?" "We need help." "...Come inside. I'll get both of you something to drink." "Thanks..." Harmonic and Scootaloo had settled in. Atmospheric brought them two cups of cocoa to help keep them warm. "Start from the beginning." "I was out for a walk a few hours ago when I found her tucked away in an alley. She was crying in her sleep." Atmospheric turned to the young child. "What's your name, sweetheart?" "Scootaloo." "Why were you alone?" "I don't have a home..." "Oh my god..." "..." Atmospheric veered in Harmonic's direction. "We have to do something." "She told me she has a few friends. I think we should try talking to them in the morning." "Good idea." Atmospheric returned her attention to Scootaloo. "How are you holding up?" "I'm a little more tired than usual, but other than that okay, I guess." "I'm not surprised. You've been through a lot." "...What about you guys?" "What do you mean?" "Harmonic told me about what happened to you guys when you were younger." "...It was hard, but we made it through somehow. Don't worry about us. We're in a better place now." "Sounds like something a ghost would say." "His grim sense of humour is already rubbing off on you." "Actually, I haven't made any jokes today." "So that was...From her...?" Harmonic nodded in response. All traces of optimism left Atmospheric's face. "Harmonic...You told her our story, but you should tell her about what happened to you." "No! I swore I would never talk about it after I finished therapy!" "There's no other choice. We already knew something like this could happen someday." "...You're right..." Harmonic motioned for Scootaloo. She sat next to him. "Sweetie, there's something I need to tell you; something bad." "What's wrong?" "A little while before we came here, there was a town not too far away. There was a little girl about the same age as you. She...Was really sad, and nobody knew. She hid it from everyone. Over time, it just got worse." "...What happened?" "She hurt herself...And..." Harmonic started to cry. "She didn't make it..." The flow of tears from the stallion's eyes increased. "I found her only half an hour after she passed away..." "Harmonic..." Harmonic was gritting his teeth at this point trying to resist the urge to run outside and fly into an uncontrollable rage. "I still have nightmares! It plays in my mind over and over, and I just want it to stop! If only I could've done something!" Scootaloo couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed onto Harmonic's jacket, and the tears began to flow. Atmospheric couldn't tell how much time had passed, nor did she care. Harmonic and Scootaloo had collapsed in each other's embrace after what seemed like hours of sobbing and weeping. She had thrown a blanket over them once the sad sounds had ceased. "What did I bear witness to tonight...?" Clean Slate...Harmonic woke up the next morning still feeling exhausted from the previous night's events. Scootaloo was fast asleep on his chest. Atmospheric walked into the room shortly after his eyes had opened. "Are you okay, honey," she whispered inquisitively. "Not really, but I'm alive." "What are you going to do now?" Harmonic looked at the sleeping child. "I'll let her rest. She needs it; probably more than I do." "For what it's worth, I think you'd be a good dad." "Where did that come from?" "Ever since that day, you've looked out for everyone's well-being. You knew even children were susceptible to the evils of the world. You took what you learned and opened up to those who were suffering. I think you've really made a difference in other's lives." "You have too." "Not to the same extent you have." "Stop doubting yourself. You're just as important as anyone else, and even more so to me." "So are you." "I love you, Atmospheric. Don't ever think what you do doesn't matter. Your gentle and caring nature touches lives in a way my darkness never can." "I won't, and you don't forget what your darkness can do. You cared for me when nobody else even knew what happened." "I'm sorry it had to be that way." "Don't be. There was nothing we could've done." "Thank you for everything you've done for me." "And you for me." "Can I ask you something?" "What?" "If I were to become a father, would you be their mother?" Atmospheric moved closer and kissed him. "I'd be honored." "Mm..." "Looks like she's waking up. You two should get a move on soon." "Yeah. You're right." Atmospheric left the room so the two of them could talk without any distractions. Scootaloo slowly opened her eyes. She saw Harmonic at eye level. "Morning, kiddo." "Morning..." Harmonic rubbed her back slowly to comfort her. Last night was taxing on both of them. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. It's almost over..." From Darkness to Darkness...Harmonic was lying in his bed listening to the radio. The feelings of gloom that encompassed him were so thick, one could swear there was a visible shadow. He drifted in and out of sleep, sometimes for five minutes, others for half an hour. Later on, at dusk, he heard a knock at the door. "Hold on. I'm coming." When he opened the door, he saw a familiar face. "...Scootaloo...?" "They didn't help..." "What?" "They didn't help." "...Come inside." "Tell me what happened." "They didn't give me any reasons, but I could see the looks in their eyes. They were scared of me." "Scared of you?" "Don't ask me why. I don't know either." "None of them were willing to help?" "Looking back on it, I should've known Rainbow Dash wouldn't. I guess I believed in her too much." "Don't be too hard on her. Obviously she had some kind of reason." "The only thing I can come up with is that what I know now changed me more than I thought. Maybe they knew that." "You mean everything I told you?" "...Yeah..." "The truth isn't an easy thing to face." "I guess not." "They'll come around eventually. Just give them time." "What about now?" "If you want, you can stay with me for a while. This place isn't much, but it's quiet and peaceful for the most part." "Can I tell you something?" "What?" "I'm mad at you." "You have a right to be. I had to change you so you could carry on knowing what the world was really like, and how to deal with it." "Is it okay if I don't talk to you for a while if I stay here?" "Yeah. Take all the time you need." Scootaloo nodded in response. "I'll tell you something though, and listen close; you don't have to be miserable all the time. Fight to protect the things you cherish, even if that means fighting against yourself for your own happiness." Scootaloo stared at Harmonic with a determination in her eyes. "I will." "Good. I'll make a place to sleep later. You can have the bed." "...Thanks." Happiness...Two or three weeks passed without a word between Harmonic and Scootaloo. They couldn't really tell how long it had been. Atmospheric stopped by a few times. When she heard what had happened, she was just as devastated as they were. The light at the end of the tunnel seemed like nothing but a pipe dream; that is, until the day Scootaloo spoke. "Harmonic..." "!?" "Can I ask you something?" "Yeah. Sure." "What makes you happy?" "Huh?" "What makes you happy?" "Being around Atmospheric, I guess. Why?" "I don't want to lose my friends because of what happened to me. I want to talk to them. They make me happy." "That's what i was hoping to hear. You're ready to fight for your purpose. Go. See them. Tell them what's on your mind." "Will you come with me?" "I can't. This is up to you." "...Alright." "Let me know what happens. We'll figure things out from there." Scootaloo nodded and opened the door. "Hey, you want to play the instruments upstairs when you get back?" Scootaloo smiled at Harmonic as the cold wind blew through her mane. "Yeah. I'd like that." Change of Heart...Rarity was doing her usual work in the boutique when she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" "Hey, Rarity. It's me, Scootaloo." "Is everything alright, darling?" "Not yet." "Come in, dear. The door's open." Scootaloo entered the workplace and home of the white unicorn. "What's the matter?" "I need you to call everyone over here; Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom too." "Whatever for?" "We need to talk about what happened." "Dear, I don't know if this is a good time..." "It's okay, Rarity. I'm not upset. Yeah, i was hurt, but there was obviously something about me that scared you. I just want the truth. That's all." "...I can't fool you can I?" "You don't have to. Just get everyone here so it can all come out." "...Alright." After a little while had gone by, everyone had amassed at the boutique. Rarity had changed the sign to closed so they could talk without any interruptions. Even Pinkie wasn't her usual self. She was taciturn while waiting for the conversation to begin. "Listen guys, I'm not really sure what happened a few weeks ago. I just want you to tell me." At first, everyone was reluctant to say anything. Then, finally, Rarity began speaking. "When you came to us, we noticed something was very strange. Your attitude and look were different than anything we've ever seen from you before. We were wary of this change. What's even stranger is the way you talk now. Aside from Sweetie and Apple Bloom, you're half all our ages, but you speak about things in a way someone older and wiser than us would. What you told us was very disturbing. We've known you our whole lives, and we never knew you didn't have a place to call home." "That's what was bothering you?" "Well, yes." "There are two reasons for that." "What are they?" "I picked up a lot of words around town, and the guy I'm staying with right now helped me understand how to use some of them better. I look like this because he bought me some clothes for colder weather. I'm pretty sure you've noticed how rainy and cold it is." "It wasn't the design that bothered us so much as the color." "The color black bothers you guys?" "Yes." "Why?" "Well...That color is commonly associated with...Death..." "You were scared my clothes had something to do with death?" Rarity nodded. "Well, you're sort of right, but not in the way you think." Rarity gave her a confused look. "Black is a color metalheads wear a lot." "Metalheads, dear?" "Metalheads are ponies and other creatures that listen to a type of music called heavy metal. There are lots of styles of metal. The hoodie i'm wearing right now is designed after a band that mixes two of those styles; Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore." "So that's what you meant. Now I understand. What about actual death, though?" "The color has nothing to do with it. I'm not sure why you think that. It's kind of silly." "To be honest, we're not sure either. It's a superstition, and I guess we fell victim to it." "Do you guys feel better, now?" Rarity stared at her friends. Their expressions turned to smiles. "Yes. thank you for explaining. You're welcome here anytime." "Thanks, and listen, I know you guys are starting to feel new things you haven't before. If you need to talk about it, just come to us." "Aren't you going to stay with one of us, darling?" "No. The guy I'm with right now needs my help. He's in pretty bad shape." "Is he hurt?" "No. He's in a really bad place in his head right now. He had to bring up some bad memories to help me out. Now I have to help him and someone else; a friend that went to school with me, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom." "Okay. we understand." "You want to hang out soon, Scoots," Apple Bloom asked. "Yeah. We miss you," Sweetie Belle concurred. "We can hang out anytime. I'm in the last house on the edge of town. I miss you guys too." Scootaloo hugged her two closest friends. "You should probably go home. You don't want him to get worried," Rarity told her. "Yeah." "You want me to walk you home, kid," Rainbow Dash asked. "No. He doesn't really like talking to ponies he doesn't know. Besides..." Scootaloo began flapping her wings slowly, and she started to lift off the ground. "I learned a new trick." "You never cease to amaze me." "I learned from the best." Rainbow smiled at the remark. "Bye, guys. I'll see you later." Everyone said their goodbyes, and Scootaloo was off. "Hey, kiddo. How'd it go?" "Pretty good. I'm going to see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom soon. We haven't really hung out much since break started." "Are you gonna' stay with any of them?" "No." "Why?" "Because someone needs me. I can't let him down." "Who's that?" "You haven't figured it out? He's standing right in front of me." "Wait...You mean..." Scootaloo nodded. "...Woah..." "You were right. This world can be mean and cruel. That's why there's us, right?" "I don't really know what to say. It means a lot that you care enough to stick around." "You would do the same for me, wouldn't you?" "...Yeah...Yeah, I would..." Scootaloo went up to Harmonic and hugged him. She closed her eyes. "You helped me. Now it's my turn." "It could take our whole lives before I get better. Do you think you're up for it?" "I know I am." "I think you are too." "I'm a little sleepy." "Hold on for a minute. I'll get the bed ready for you." Harmonic let go of the weary child. "Scootaloo." "Hm?" "Thank you...For everything..." "Yeah...You too..." The Joy and Melancholy of Summer's Endless Rainfall"Hey, sweetheart, wake up." Scootaloo groaned and yawned. "What time is it," she asked groggily "It's eight in the morning. You slept for a good sixteen hours." "Was I really that tired?" "You could barely keep your eyes open. Fighting for your reason to live takes a lot out of you." Scootaloo smelled a sweet aroma in the air. "Are you making breakfast?" "Yeah. Pancakes. I'm making the last few right now. I've been up for a while." "Smells good." "You don't get by without picking up a few skills," Harmonic said as he smiled. "True." "After breakfast, there's something I want to show you. Atmospheric will meet us there." "What is it?" "You'll see." After breakfast, Harmonic and Scootaloo left the house. The rain was still pouring as it had been on the day they met. "You've come a long way." "Huh?" "When I found you, you were lost and confused. Now you have a sense of purpose and a strong heart. You're always finding a way to surprise me." "How?" "When you were angry with me, you told me instead of lashing out, and you came back because you knew I needed someone to help me through the tough times. A normal kid wouldn't have done those things the way you did." "Well, I wasn't hanging around normal ponies, was I?" "That's not entirely true. You were just hanging around ones who were honest with you. We told you our own hardships and experiences. I don't think anyone else ever did, did they?" "I guess not." "If I'm being entirely truthful, I knew you weren't normal from the second I saw you." "What do you mean?" "There was this sense of inner strength that I'd never felt before. I don't know where it came from or why it was there, but it was, and watching you change into who you've already become proved that I was right." "...I still feel sad though." "I placed a huge burden on your shoulders. You had to learn about a lot of really bad things. I'm sorry for doing that to you." "Well, what's been done can't be undone, right? there's no point in getting upset over it." "Amazing..." After walking outside of town for some time, Atmospheric came into view. She was standing next to a large tree on a cliff. Below the cliff was a peaceful, soothing ocean... "You made it." Harmonic nodded. "Scootaloo" he told her, "along the edge of this cliff is where I found her; the girl who hurt herself. It spans for several miles. Ever since we came here, I've lied under this tree many times. Whenever I start thinking about everything I've been through, I come here. Every time I fall asleep, I dream about a happier world. I want you to be a part of that now." "Can I ask you something?" "Of course." "Why do we talk and think about sleep so much now?" "Life is hard and exhausting. We need time away from the sadness of it all. Sleep gives us the one truly safe place in the world; our dreams." "Do you think I'll have the same dream?" "Atmospheric did." "...Okay. I'm still tired anyway." The three of them gathered under the tree. Harmonic drifted off first, then Atmospheric, and finally, Scootaloo. That cold, rainy summer day, she dreamt of the future; a future where her, Harmonic, Atmospheric, and all of her friends played together and were truly happy for once in the world. It was a future she could one day look forward to; one she could hope for. Bonus Chapter #1: The End of Summer's RainfallSix months after Scootaloo began living permanently with Harmonic, her, Harmonic, and Atmospheric grew close. She considered them the family she never had. Despite all the hardships of the early days, better things had finally started to come around. The three of them started a band called "Summer of Endless Rainfall". It was a blend of melodic death metal and metalcore. They later recruited Dinky as the second guitarist after Scootaloo started hanging out with her more. Scootaloo was playing in the snow with all of her friends during Christmas break while Harmonic and Atmospheric worked on mixing their first demo. It was on that day that Twilight had some unexpected news. "Hey, Scootaloo," Twilight called out. "Hey, Twi! What's up!?" "Hold on!" Twilight galloped over to where Scootaloo was. "Look!" She handed Scootaloo a piece of paper. Despite the fact that Scootaloo's mane was now longer and that she wore it straight down in front of her eyes like Harmonic, she was able to read through the strands. "Woah! Are you serious!?" "Yeah! The princesses want you guys to be Canterlot's first live metal band! Even Vinyl and Octavia will be there!" "I've gotta' get home and tell Mom and Dad! I'll be back soon!" "Okay! We'll be looking forward to the show!" Scootaloo flew off towards her home. "Guys, I've got awesome news!" "What is it, sweetheart," Atmospheric asked. "Look!" Scootaloo handed the paper to them. "What's it say," Harmonic asked. "We've been invited by the princesses to play in Canterlot on the 29th for the entire day. I guess they think it'd be a nice Christmas event." "Guess they haven't heard metal before. Think we should do it?" "I don't see why we shouldn't. Besides, it'd be a good way to get our message out." "Okay. I guess we'll talk to Dinky's family and see what they think." Scootaloo was ecstatic. Ever since they started the band, she'd wanted to perform for a crowd; not to impress them, but to show them the power of personal thought. Although, she had to admit, seeing them in awe would be fun. All the arrangements had been made, and on the day of the 29th, everyone departed for Canterlot. The train ride was filled with excitement. Scootaloo, Harmonic, Atmospheric, and Dinky were all wearing hoodies with the hoods themselves pulled over their heads. They wanted to go with something mysterious. Nobody in Canterlot knew them, and it was going to be revealed near the end of the night who they were. Scootaloo could already imagine the crowd's faces when they found out the intense screams were coming from a filly. "Hey kid, you should fly when you're performing," rainbow Dash told Scootaloo. "Maybe during a breakdown or really melodic part. I want to save the dramatic stuff for the right time." "Rarity thinks every time is the right time," Applejack snickered. "Drama is poetic, darling. A country pony like yourself wouldn't understand." "Cool it, guys," Rainbow said, "This is their day. Don't ruin it with your arguing." "It's just how we show our friendship," Rarity proclaimed. "Remember who called me an egghead, by the way," Twilight said smugly. "Okay, I get it," Rainbow replied. "Anyway, Scootaloo, I've actually heard a little bit of metal before. I think it was called power metal. What kind are you guys playing," Twilight asked. "It's a fusion genre that mixes melodic death metal and metalcore. It's about more personal stuff. I'm not really sure you guys are gonna' like it much though. The vocals are angry screams." "We might surprise you," Twilight insinuated. "Think you can outsurprise the surpriser?" "And I thought I was the smug one." "You're more spooky, miss meltdown." "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" "Hey, you scared the three of us to death." "I thought I was going to be sent back to magical kindergarten, okay? I'm over twenty years old. That would've been embarrassing." "For a smartypants, you have some weird thoughts." "Tell me about it." "Um...I like that kind of metal, actually...," Fluttershy said softly. Everyone stopped and stared for a minute. There was a short silence, then everyone began talking again as if she hadn't said anything. "Anyway, who's going to be doing what," Twilight inquired. "I'm doing lead guitar and vocals, dad's playing drums, mom's playing bass and doing backup vocals, and Dinky's on rhythm guitar." "You're doing the screaming?" "Most of it." "I guess I can see that." "Hey Pinkie," Rainbow said, "You haven't been as talkative today." "I'm gonna' need all my energy for this one," Pinkie responded happily. "Is it really gonna' be that crazy?" "Maybe." "You're so cryptic, ya' know that?" "Thank you!" "Ugh, never mind." After the discourse ended, Scootaloo yawned. "...It's happening again, isn't it," Twilight asked. "...Yeah..." "Alright. Just get some rest. I'll let you know when we're there." "Okay." Scootaloo settled in next to Harmonic, who hadn't so much as moved ever since they got on the train. Twilight left the car with a tear in her eye. She was very aware by now that Harmonic, Scootaloo, and Atmospheric were victims of major depressive disorder. Scootaloo was the medium for communicating these things to her friends since Harmonic and Atmospheric didn't talk to them. It wasn't a matter of rudeness so much as a feeling that they shouldn't communicate with them. Harmonic and Atmospheric already didn't like making their presence known to Dinky's family, but they needed Dinky. She was a living embodiment of the band's cause just as much as the rest of them were. After a couple hours on the train, everyone arrived at Canterlot. Harmonic and Atmospheric were setting everything up on the outdoor stage the princesses had prepared for them. Meanwhile, Scootaloo and Dinky were hanging around the base of the stage, and Twilight was talking to Shining, who'd made it there earlier to spend the day with his sister. "These guys look intense. I noticed two of them were just kids. What's with that?" "They've all been through a lot, Shining. They needed an outlet." "What about the older ones? They're practically mute." "They don't like talking to anyone they don't know." "I guess that makes sense. Still, they're freaking me out. They're all hiding their faces." "It's part of their gimmick. They like the dark and mysterious thing." "Looks more like the creepy crew if you ask me." "You can be intimidating too, ya' know." "Ya' got me there." "They won't be ready for at least another half hour. You want to get something to eat?" "Sure. I skipped breakfast so I could make it on time, anyway." "You really shouldn't do that." "I know, mom." "You wanna' play the sass game?" "No. You always win." "Good move." Twilight and Shining walked off together. Everyone else was attending to their own tasks. Harmonic, Atmospheric, Scootaloo, and Dinky all worked in silence. They were really only here for one reason, and nobody was going to forget what that reason was. "Hey guys," Scootaloo said into the microphone as the crowd began to grow, "We're not really gonna' talk much right now, but before we start, we just want to give you guys an idea of what we do. We play music with a cause. Our cause is to prevent ponies around the world from doing something hurtful to themselves. We're an anti-depression and anti-suicide group, and our name is Summer of Endless Rainfall. This is our first time here, so let's make it count!" The calm, melodic music in the background suddenly became loud and energetic. "This song is called 'The Light at the End of the Road". LET'S GO!" Scootaloo began screaming as the music picked up in intensity. "LIFE IS AT ITS END! SO MANY NIGHTS, I'VE SLEPT IN THE DARK! ONLY THE SOUND OF THE WIND SERVED AS COMFORT! MY BREATHING SLOWS, AND MY HEART STOPS! I NO LONGER SEE THE CLOUDS OF GRAY THAT HAUNTED MY DAYS! ALL I THINK ABOUT IS THE EMPTINESS I FELT IN THOSE HOURS!" The instruments slowed and started making an even louder sound. "THE SKY CAME CRASHING DOWN THAT DAY! THE DEAFENING SILENCE CRUMBLED MY RESOLVE!" The instruments picked up speed once more. "THERE IS A LIGHT HERE THAT I CAN BARELY SEE, BUT I'M NOT DONE!" Scootaloo stopped screaming for a brief moment and exchanged the sound for the spoken word. "We only have one life, and we can't let it be washed away by the sadness of the rain! MY HEART IS CRUSHED! CRUSHED!!! BUT I STILL REFUSE TO LET IT BE THE END! I WILL SAVE MYSELF!" The song ended on a breakdown. Many of the Canterlot residents were staring on in shock. This music was so different from the classical stuff they usually listened to. For some, it was painful to listen to; for others, especially teenagers, it was liberating to hear. Their thoughts and feelings about death were no longer confined to their minds. Someone was actually saying something, and it felt good for them to have the subject acknowledged. After a few songs, the group ran out of their own material. They spent the rest of the day covering some of their favorite tracks from older bands. Later on in the night, they were about to wrap things up with one last song. Scootaloo spoke into the microphone one more time. "We'll be ending the show soon, but we wanted to play one last song for you guys." Scootaloo, Harmonic, Atmospheric, and Dinky took of their hoods. "We wanted to stay hidden until this one. This song is called 'Inner Reprisal'. It was written by one of our favorite bands, Renounced." The instruments began again. "WATCHING DEMONS CONTROL YOU; WATCHING WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO YOU! THEY'RE REPLACING THE PERSON AS THEY'RE CLOSING OFF TO CONVICTION! I CAN FEEL YOUR LONELINESS! I UNDERSTAND YOUR TURMOIL! EVERY MORNING, A RECKONING, YOU SAY! I WRITE THIS NOT KNOWING YOU ANYMORE! YOU'RE JUST A GHOST THAT HAUNTS MY PAST; A FACE, LIKE SUMMER INTO WINTER!!! IN THIS DISSONANCE, I REFUSE TO FALL!!! COMING DAYS, FOREVER SILENT AS WE BOTH LIE IN THIS BLACK HOLE! THIS IS MY INNER REPRISAL!!! I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN! IN THIS DISSONANCE, I REFUSE TO FALL!!! IN THIS UNDERTOW, I REFUSE TO SINK!!! IN THIS LIFE, I REFUSE TO FAIL AGAIN!!! THIS IS MY INNER REPRISAL!!! IN THIS DISSONANCE, I REFUSE TO FALL! IN THIS UNDERTOW, I REFUSE TO SINK! INNER REPRISAL!!!" When the song ended, all of them were trying to catch their breath. They'd put everything they had into it. "Thank you guys for coming out to see us! You were all amazing! We were honored to be here tonight!" After the crowd cheered, they left the stage. The princesses were waiting for them. Both of them had sad looks in their eyes. "Princess Luna, what's going on," Scootaloo asked. "We're sorry, child," Luna responded softly. "My sister and I never really knew how much our subjects were suffering in their personal lives. Please understand, we were trying not to invade their privacy." "You know what we were trying to say?" "Yes," Celestia responded, "Now we want to help in any way we can." "Dad taught me how to look out for those kind of ponies. Just look at their faces and body language. If you notice anything weird, talk to them. If something's going on, get them help." "I see," Luna said, "Is this your father," she inquired as she pointed to Harmonic. "Yeah." "You've raised a fine young filly." "Not really. I just told her what she needed to know," Harmonic replied. The fact that he spoke shocked Dinky and his family. "What do you mean," Celestia asked. "I found her alone in a dark alleyway. She was devastated beyond belief." "You're not her birth father," Luna asked. "No. She was originally supposed to stay with her friends, but they couldn't face her for a while, so she ended up with me and Atmospheric." "Do you know where her birth parents are?" "No, and to be honest, I don't want to. They don't deserve to see her." This was a new side to Harmonic Scootaloo and Dinky had never seen before. He was actually angry. "Goodness! That's a bit harsh, isn't it," Ceslestia responded. "I don't think so." "Why? Do you know why they left?" "Do I have to know to feel like it was wrong?" This question stunned the royal sisters. "No...I suppose not." "I have to go. I've already overstayed my welcome. We need to pack up and find a place to spend the night anyway." "Harmonic, you're being rude," Atmospheric told him. "There' no way I can't be in this situation. I'm sorry that upsets you, but there's nothing else I can do." "It's alright," Celestia said, "We understand. It's been a long night." "I'm really sorry," Atmospheric apologized. "Fear not. He has a right to be upset," Luna assured her. "Dad, let's go. I don't think we should be here anymore." "Yeah. You're right." The four of them left the princesses where they stood. "We're entering a new era, sister. I'm frightened. What dark truths have not been been brought into the light yet?" "Don't worry, Luna. I believe everything will turn out fine." "Are you sure?" "As long as that kind of compassion exists, there is hope." "Perhaps you're right." The ride home the next day was endowed with strange feelings. Celestia revealed the previous night's conversation to Twilight. She couldn't say she was happy, but she couldn't be angry either. Downtrodden would have probably been the best word to describe her feelings at that time. When they reached home, everyone went their separate ways. Not much was said, but there were many sad expressions. That day would be ingrained in everyone's mind for a long time to come. Bonus Chapter #2 (Final Chapter): A Better Future...Ten years went by without much incident. However, as Scootaloo grew older, she smiled less and less. She graduated high school with a decent GPA. She spent less time around her friends and more at home polishing her skills on her instruments and other artistic crafts. Over the years, Summer of Endless Rainfall recorded two demos and five full-length albums. The anti-depression and anti-suicide movements were beginning to gain momentum around Equestria. With the reality of life setting in, Scootaloo distanced herself from everyone except her family. Harmonic and Atmospheric were eventually married and had two children; a boy Pegasus and a girl earthling. After graduation, Dinky left the band to focus on her life at home. Scootaloo was the only remaining member. Without much left to lose, she threw herself into writing and recording material for a sixth album. However, slowly succumbing to the realization that she didn't know the world anymore, she would find herself getting exhausted easily, even if she hadn't done much that day. One afternoon, while she was recording, Atmospheric went upstairs to check on her. "Hey." "Hey mom." "Are you okay?" "Not really..." "What's the matter, sweetie?" "I dunno'. Everything just seems so gray now." "A lot's changed since you were little." "I know, but sometimes, I don't like it. It's scary to face the truth, ya' know?" "Yeah...Yeah, I do..." There was a sad silence in the air. Then, out of the blue, Atmospheric had an idea. "Hey, why don't you take your brother and sister and go visit your old friends?" "It'll feel weird. I haven't talked to some of them in five years." "Why not catch up? Go somewhere and have some fun." "I think I should just stay home and work. We still have a cause to fight for, don't we?" "We had a cause. You shouldn't try to take that on by yourself. It will hurt you more than help." "I think it already has..." "Then don't let it hurt you anymore." "How?" "End the project. Summer of Endless Rainfall played our part. It's time to let the younger generation take over." "Do you think anyone will keep the sound we had?" "They already are." "Really?" Atmospheric nodded. "As long as there's a reason for something to exist, it will. Besides, our lives aren't over yet. If we need to come back and continue what we started, we can. Right now, just focus on yourself. Go to college or learn a new skill; something that will make you happy." "...You're right. Thanks mom." "Anytime. Come on. Let's go see what your father and the kids are up to." "Alright." Scootaloo and Atmospheric headed downstairs. The snowy sky was waiting for them, and they weren't about to disappoint it. Somber Shores...Scootaloo awoke to a strange feeling. Everything was hazy at first, but became clear as day once she began to fully regain consciousness. She remembered falling asleep underneath an awning in an alley, but when she looked around, she saw a bed and a table with an envelope on it. This was so bizzare, and a little bit frightening. When she found the strength to move, she slid off the bed and onto her hooves. With no understanding of what was happening, she approached the table. The white envelope intrigued her the most. Was it left for her? Disregarding any other possibilities, she opened it. There was a note inside. "Hey. I know you're probably confused and scared right now, but trust me when I say I mean you no harm. Come outside when you're feeling up to it. We'll talk face to face." Who was this mysterious letter writer? Scootaloo grew more and more curious by the second. With little reason left to procrastinate, she headed towards the door. Upon opening it, she realized it was still raining. "Hey. You feeling better?" The deep yet soft voice startled Scootaloo. She checked around the door, and quickly discovered a black stallion sitting next to it. "W-who are you?" "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." "Where am I?" "It's okay. Relax. Everything's alright. My name's Harmonic." "Why am I here?" "I brought you here. You were passed out in the rain. I couldn't just leave you there." "Where are we?" "This is my home." Scootaloo started to ease up a little. "You looked devestated out there. What happened? Why were you there all alone?" It was then Scootaloo recalled everything that had led up to this point; every trial and hardship. Her alertness was soon replaced by somberness. "...I don't wanna' talk about it..." "Listen, you can't go through whatever it is alone. I've already seen that look on your face twice today. You need to open up before whatever's eating away at you destroys you completely." "Shut up! Why do you care, anyway!?" Scootaloo began to cry. Her sobs were quiet, but intense. She felt something embrace her in a tight hug. "...You really have been through a lot...Haven't you...?" Scootaloo said nothing, but continued to sob into his jacket. It was warm and comforting. "...Hey, let's go inside. It's cold out here." Harmonic let go of Scootaloo, and she dried her tears. "Are you hungry?" "Y-yeah...," was all she could manage. "Don't cry. everything's going to work itself, okay?" Scootaloo nodded, and the pair headed back into the house. "Just rest up while I get the food ready." "Alright." When All Truth Has Been Spoken...Atmospheric, Harmonic, and Scootaloo had breakfast that morning. Afterwards, Harmonic and Scootaloo left. They were beginning their search for a new home for Scootaloo. The rain continued pouring like a distorted and spaced-out ocean. "There's still one thing I didn't tell you last night..." "Hm?" "When I found her; the girl I was talking about last night, it messed me up pretty bad. I tried to hurt myself because of it." "I don't want to talk about that anymore..." "I know, but it's important. I need you to hear this for both of our sakes." "Why me?" "Because you're the only one we can trust to use this information for a good cause." "What cause?" "Have you ever seen any kids in your school look the way I described?" That's when it started clicking in Scootaloo's mind. "Yeah, actually...There's a girl named Dinky. Everyone always picks on her because her mom's eyes aren't normal." "Kids can be cruel. That's a sad fact of life. It doesn't mean you can't change that though." "You want me to help her, right?" "Her and anyone else who's hurting. There's one thing you need to know though." "What's that?" "It's not always easy to know who's suffering. Do you know why I hide my eyes sometimes?" Scootaloo shook her head. "So nobody can tell what I'm thinking. Even I'm not sure why." "How can I tell what's going on, then?" "Just talk to them. Read their body language and listen to their voices." "Okay. I understand." "It looks like we're here." "Yeah. This is Rarity's place." "I guess this is where we part ways..." "Goodbye..." "Use what I've told you to make this life better for others, and don't be a stranger. You can stop by anytime." Scootaloo nodded, and her and Harmonic slowly began to grow in distance. There was a dark look on Scootaloo's partially-hidden face. Something told her this wasn't over yet...
The Coldest Year...It was surprisingly chilly for summer in the little town of Ponyville. Cold rain had begun pouring several days earlier, around the transition of the season. There was an intense atmosphere of gloom, and it was made worse by the fact that one of the residents was living on the streets without a single soul knowing. To add insult to injury, she was just a child. ...Her name...Was Scootaloo... Scootaloo, the usually cheery and confident member of the town's mischievous adventurers, the cutie mark crusaders, had been alone her entire life. Sure, she had her friends to keep her company most of the time, but there was no family; no home for her to return to. She didn't know her mother or father, let alone if they were even alive at this point. Now, with the rain pouring ever so viciously, there was no one but herself, tucked away in an alley somewhere in town. All she could do was pray for the release of sleep. Curling into a ball, she relaxed her muscles. After between fifteen and thirty minutes, she finally drifted off, temporarily released from the pain and loneliness until the next time her eyes opened... A black stallion with a long, blonde mane and a black streak was taking a leisurely stroll through the rain. He was young, somewhere in his early to mid-20s. Unlike most residents around the area, rain never bothered him. In fact, it was soothing. After a while, he stumbled upon an alleyway. He noticed something between the walls. At first, it looked liked an orange or a large, inexplicably discarded stack of Cheetos. However, upon closer inspection, he realized it was something far less humorous; a sleeping child. "She's just a little girl...Why is she here...?" When he got a better look at her face, he could see she was crying in her sleep. "A nightmare...? No...something is definitely wrong here..." The stallion looked around. Searching for help would be pointless right now. There was only one thing he could do. Without hesitating, he placed the sleeping child on his back and galloped off. "Don't worry...I won't let you suffer anymore..."
Communication...Harmonic and Scootaloo were eating at the table in the middle of the house. There was a feeling of uneasiness in the air. "Sorry I yelled at you..." "Don't worry about it. From what I saw, you had every right to be angry." "..." "What's your name?" "...Scootaloo." "Can you tell me why you were out there by yourself?" "I don't have anywhere to go." "You don't have any family?" "No. I've been alone my whole life. I have a few friends, but they don't know what's going on." "I guess that explains how you ended up there." "Yeah..." "You and I have a lot in common." Scootaloo looked up at Harmonic with wide eyes. "I never really knew my family either. I was left to fend for myself when I was little; just like you." "How did you get through it?" "It was hard. I screamed my lungs out more than a few times." "Why did they leave you?" "It took me a long time to figure that out. When I was 15, I found out there were two families involved in an experiment; an experiment to test the limits of emotion, but the experiment was cancelled, and nobody ever came back for me." "What about the other family?" "There was a little girl in that family; a white Pegasus named Atmospheric. I tracked her down when I was 19. She was attending an event in one of the towns I visited. We just kind of settled down here later on to get away from everything." "How long have you been here?" "About six years. What about you?" "I've been here since I was born, I think." "Do you go to school?" "Yeah. We're off for summer break right now." "So you've been by yourself all these years without anyone noticing?" "Mhm." "Do you know why you're family isn't around?" Scootaloo shook her head. "Did you ever try to find out?" "No." "..." "What's wrong." "Nevermind." Harmonic got up and began to head to a little table in a corner of the house. That's when Scootaloo noticed something strange. "Hey, you don't have a cutie mark." "I never really searched for my special skill. I just kind of stayed inside and kept quiet." "I thought they were important." "They just tell you things you already know. It's kind of a mean-spirited joke, actually." "Really?" "That's how I always thought about it." Harmonic turned on a radio on the table. A form of rock music started playing at low volume. "You like rock, too," Scootaloo asked. "Yeah. This is a style of rock called melodic hardcore I think. I've heard this band a few times." "His voice sounds funny." "He's using screamed vocals." "I had no idea anyone's voice could sound like that." "You're funny." "Why?" "When I talk to you, sometimes I feel like I'm talking to an adult. When you start talking about regular stuff though, I'm reminded that I'm talking to a kid." "Hey, what's that mean!?" "There's just a lot of things you haven't been exposed to yet is all. You'll figure it out later." The two finished their meal without saying much else. Harmonic looked outside the window next to the bed to see the still-pouring waters of the sky fall to the earth. "Hey, I need to run an errand. Do you want to come with me?" "Where are we going?" "To a clothing store. You need a jacket for this weather." Scootaloo realized he was right. It was cold as death. "It's settled, then. Come on. Let's get going." "Okay." "Hold on. Almost forgot something." Harmonic parted his bangs and placed them behind his ears. It was the first time Scootaloo had seen his eyes. They were a deep, dark blue. "Alright. We're set. Let's move out." Scootaloo nodded, and they opened the door and left.
...And the Rain Kept Pouring..."You've probably figured it out by now, but we see the world a bit differently than others," Harmonic told Scootaloo as they walked through the rain. "Yeah, but why?" "Unlike us, they deny their frustration. They never open up and talk about it. They just bottle it up inside, and it gets worse over time." "How come?" "There's a false belief that anyone who cracks is weak. That's a really bad way to look at it. Without admitting anything is wrong, resentment grows and eventually consumes the mind. That can lead to some pretty bad consequences." "Like what?" "Angry outbursts like throwing a rock and accidentally breaking something. It's not the worst example, but it's a good way to describe it." "Oh. I get it. I've seen some pretty scary stuff like that before." "What happened?" "My older friends had something called a 'meltdown'. They started acting really weird, and it crept me out for a while." "That was a nice way of describing a psychotic break. They literally went crazy from something that was bothering them." "So that's what it was..." "Did they ever recover from that?" "Yeah." "They were lucky. Most psychotic breaks like that usually last a lifetime." "So if they'd talked about, it would've helped?" "Yeah. Somebody could've tried to help them." "I was pretty scared." "Believe me, I would've been too." "I used to think adults couldn't get scared." "I guess you found out otherwise, huh?" "My friend Rainbow Dash told me when I almost fell off a cliff..." "She almost died...?" "What's wrong?" "Nothing. Could you tell me about your friends?" "My two best friends are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The older girls are Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkamena. We just call her Pinkie for short. She actually works at the bakery in town." "Is she the pink one with a curled mane?" "Yeah. Do you know her?" "I've seen her a couple times. I think she said her name at least once or twice. I don't really like talking to others unless I know them." "Do you know anyone at the place we're going to?" "Yeah, actually. I know a lot of the regular customers there and the guy who works at the register. He owns the store." "What's his name?" "He doesn't really tell anyone his name. We just call him by his initials, T.C." "What kind of stuff do they sell there?" "It's mostly clothes, but there are a few other things, like CDs and other music stuff. Do you know anything about heavy metal?" "I've heard about it a couple times." "That's just a general term for it. There are a lot of different styles. Most of the clothes he sells have metal band logos on them." "So you're really into metal?" "I love it. There's a lot of metal songs that talk about stuff we've been through. I think you'd actually really like it once you've listened to a few records. He'll likely be playing some when we get there." "Metal deals with that kind of stuff?" "A lot of it does. Anyway, we need to figure out what we're gonna' do about a place for you to go. You should probably tell your friends what's going on." "I dunno'. They're usually always busy..." "Well, it's at least a starting point." "I guess..." "Don't worry. Everything will work itself out." The pair ended their conversation and continued walking. Heavy thoughts were weighing down on Harmonic's mind. "She's so devoid of hope...Just like I used to be. I can't let her go down that path."
Moving Onward..."We're here," Harmonic said as they stopped near a small building in the middle of town. The inside was rather dimly lit. "I think I've passed by this place before." "You probably have. It's not very popular, but there a few customers that show up every now and again." "It looks kind of spooky." "He just has a strange taste in lighting. Don't worry about it. He's a nice guy. I've been coming here for years, so I know him pretty well." "If you say so." "Come on. Let's head in." "Right." The pair opened the doors to the store. When they got inside, a vast assortment of clothing and accessories met Scootaloo's eyes. "Hey, T.C., you here!?" "Hang on broski, I'm coming!" After a few minutes, a brown Pegasus emerged from the back of the store. "Whatchu' need, my man?" "I have some company with me today." T.C. noticed the young pegasus standing next to Harmonic. "Hey kid. Name's T.C. I own the place." "Hello. I'm Scootaloo." "Mind if I call you Scoots?" "Sure..." "We're looking to buy some jackets or hoodies, man. I'm introducing her to metal for the first time. Your place was the best for that." "A newbie metalhead? That's pretty sweet." "We're gonna' look around for a bit. She's had kind of a bad day, dude. You got any good power metal that might boost her spirits?" "How about some Sabaton?" "Cool. We'll let you know when we're ready." "Alrighty. I'll leave you to it." T.C. returned to the back of the store.Within about thirty seconds, fast rock started playing over the speakers. "Come on. I'll show you where everything is." Scootaloo nodded and followed Harmonic. "The hoodies and jackets are here at the back. Take a look and see if there's anything you like." "You guys really like black, don't you?" "It's just another metalhead thing. Black clothes actually absorb and trap heat better if I remember correctly, so you should be pretty warm in these." "Why is it so cold during summer anyway?" "The clouds and rain most likely. When the sun is blocked out, the temperature drops, and the rain releases the water vapor that was stored in the clouds, so we have at least two forces causing the temperature to lower at the same time." "I don't like it. It feels weird." "Can I tell you something a little strange?" "What?" "I've always believed the planet was it's own type of living being. It's not exactly like us, but it can feel things like we can. It can be sad, angry, or happy." "That's kind of cool, actually. I never really thought about it that way." "You see anything you like?" "This one looks good, but I can't read cursive very well." "It says 'The Automata'." "There's something else I can't read. It's hard to see." "It's the name of the album. It says 'Through the Bandage Seeps A Whisper'." "How did you know?" "The Automata is a band I listened to a lot in my teenage years, and it's still one of my favorites. As far as I know, this was the only full-length album they ever made." "Where are the ponies who made it?" "They're not alive anymore. This stuff is a lot older than anyone who's still living right now. Metal and other types of music are so old that we don't even know where they came from." "Oh..." "Don't overthink it. There are plenty of metal bands making stuff right now. This town is small and secluded. It's not surprising this stuff is new to you, especially because of what you went through." "Right..." "So you like it?" "Yeah." "Okay. Pick out a couple more." Scootaloo decided on three hoodies. Her and Harmonic were purchasing them from T.C. at the register. "So, how do you like the store kid?" "It's neat." "You seem to like a lot of the Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore stuff like my buddy here." "Is that what the bands on these are?" "Yep. The bands on those actually mix the two genres." "How many kinds of metal are there?" "I have no idea." "Wow. There must be a lot." "Oh yes. There are." "Hey, Scootaloo, you should probably put one of those on before we go back out there." Scootaloo nodded and put on the hoodie that said "EVERLAST" on it. "Harmonic, you seem kind of down in the dumps today. What's wrong, man?" "It's a long story. I'll tell you later. There's somebody I have to see." "Alright. Just give me a call later, then." "I will." Harmonic and Scootaloo left the store. Scootaloo had the hood pulled over her head to protect herself from the rain. "That looks good on you. It's really mysterious." "Thanks." "There's somebody I want you to meet. Do you mind if we make one more stop before we go home?" "Sure." "She's a really good friend of mine." "Is it the one you told me about earlier; Atmospheric?" "You're perceptive. She's the one." "Why do you want me to meet her?" "She cares a lot. Let's just leave it at that for now." "Will she help me find somewhere to stay?" "She might come with us, but right now I just think talking to her might do us some good." "Okay." "Let's get a move on. I don't like it out here." Both of them began walking away from the store. They needed insight and comfort now more than ever.
Empathy's Beginnings...A white Pegasus in a white zip-up hoodie was sitting in her chair drinking a cup of cocoa when she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it," she asked in a soft, sweet voice. "Atmospheric, we have a situation." "Harmonic?" "Yeah. "Come in." A weary-looking and disheveled Harmonic opened the door. Next to him was an orange filly. She looked no older than ten years of age. "Harmonic...What's going on...?" "We need help." "...Come inside. I'll get both of you something to drink." "Thanks..." Harmonic and Scootaloo had settled in. Atmospheric brought them two cups of cocoa to help keep them warm. "Start from the beginning." "I was out for a walk a few hours ago when I found her tucked away in an alley. She was crying in her sleep." Atmospheric turned to the young child. "What's your name, sweetheart?" "Scootaloo." "Why were you alone?" "I don't have a home..." "Oh my god..." "..." Atmospheric veered in Harmonic's direction. "We have to do something." "She told me she has a few friends. I think we should try talking to them in the morning." "Good idea." Atmospheric returned her attention to Scootaloo. "How are you holding up?" "I'm a little more tired than usual, but other than that okay, I guess." "I'm not surprised. You've been through a lot." "...What about you guys?" "What do you mean?" "Harmonic told me about what happened to you guys when you were younger." "...It was hard, but we made it through somehow. Don't worry about us. We're in a better place now." "Sounds like something a ghost would say." "His grim sense of humour is already rubbing off on you." "Actually, I haven't made any jokes today." "So that was...From her...?" Harmonic nodded in response. All traces of optimism left Atmospheric's face. "Harmonic...You told her our story, but you should tell her about what happened to you." "No! I swore I would never talk about it after I finished therapy!" "There's no other choice. We already knew something like this could happen someday." "...You're right..." Harmonic motioned for Scootaloo. She sat next to him. "Sweetie, there's something I need to tell you; something bad." "What's wrong?" "A little while before we came here, there was a town not too far away. There was a little girl about the same age as you. She...Was really sad, and nobody knew. She hid it from everyone. Over time, it just got worse." "...What happened?" "She hurt herself...And..." Harmonic started to cry. "She didn't make it..." The flow of tears from the stallion's eyes increased. "I found her only half an hour after she passed away..." "Harmonic..." Harmonic was gritting his teeth at this point trying to resist the urge to run outside and fly into an uncontrollable rage. "I still have nightmares! It plays in my mind over and over, and I just want it to stop! If only I could've done something!" Scootaloo couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed onto Harmonic's jacket, and the tears began to flow. Atmospheric couldn't tell how much time had passed, nor did she care. Harmonic and Scootaloo had collapsed in each other's embrace after what seemed like hours of sobbing and weeping. She had thrown a blanket over them once the sad sounds had ceased. "What did I bear witness to tonight...?"
Clean Slate...Harmonic woke up the next morning still feeling exhausted from the previous night's events. Scootaloo was fast asleep on his chest. Atmospheric walked into the room shortly after his eyes had opened. "Are you okay, honey," she whispered inquisitively. "Not really, but I'm alive." "What are you going to do now?" Harmonic looked at the sleeping child. "I'll let her rest. She needs it; probably more than I do." "For what it's worth, I think you'd be a good dad." "Where did that come from?" "Ever since that day, you've looked out for everyone's well-being. You knew even children were susceptible to the evils of the world. You took what you learned and opened up to those who were suffering. I think you've really made a difference in other's lives." "You have too." "Not to the same extent you have." "Stop doubting yourself. You're just as important as anyone else, and even more so to me." "So are you." "I love you, Atmospheric. Don't ever think what you do doesn't matter. Your gentle and caring nature touches lives in a way my darkness never can." "I won't, and you don't forget what your darkness can do. You cared for me when nobody else even knew what happened." "I'm sorry it had to be that way." "Don't be. There was nothing we could've done." "Thank you for everything you've done for me." "And you for me." "Can I ask you something?" "What?" "If I were to become a father, would you be their mother?" Atmospheric moved closer and kissed him. "I'd be honored." "Mm..." "Looks like she's waking up. You two should get a move on soon." "Yeah. You're right." Atmospheric left the room so the two of them could talk without any distractions. Scootaloo slowly opened her eyes. She saw Harmonic at eye level. "Morning, kiddo." "Morning..." Harmonic rubbed her back slowly to comfort her. Last night was taxing on both of them. "Don't worry, Sweetheart. It's almost over..."
From Darkness to Darkness...Harmonic was lying in his bed listening to the radio. The feelings of gloom that encompassed him were so thick, one could swear there was a visible shadow. He drifted in and out of sleep, sometimes for five minutes, others for half an hour. Later on, at dusk, he heard a knock at the door. "Hold on. I'm coming." When he opened the door, he saw a familiar face. "...Scootaloo...?" "They didn't help..." "What?" "They didn't help." "...Come inside." "Tell me what happened." "They didn't give me any reasons, but I could see the looks in their eyes. They were scared of me." "Scared of you?" "Don't ask me why. I don't know either." "None of them were willing to help?" "Looking back on it, I should've known Rainbow Dash wouldn't. I guess I believed in her too much." "Don't be too hard on her. Obviously she had some kind of reason." "The only thing I can come up with is that what I know now changed me more than I thought. Maybe they knew that." "You mean everything I told you?" "...Yeah..." "The truth isn't an easy thing to face." "I guess not." "They'll come around eventually. Just give them time." "What about now?" "If you want, you can stay with me for a while. This place isn't much, but it's quiet and peaceful for the most part." "Can I tell you something?" "What?" "I'm mad at you." "You have a right to be. I had to change you so you could carry on knowing what the world was really like, and how to deal with it." "Is it okay if I don't talk to you for a while if I stay here?" "Yeah. Take all the time you need." Scootaloo nodded in response. "I'll tell you something though, and listen close; you don't have to be miserable all the time. Fight to protect the things you cherish, even if that means fighting against yourself for your own happiness." Scootaloo stared at Harmonic with a determination in her eyes. "I will." "Good. I'll make a place to sleep later. You can have the bed." "...Thanks."
Happiness...Two or three weeks passed without a word between Harmonic and Scootaloo. They couldn't really tell how long it had been. Atmospheric stopped by a few times. When she heard what had happened, she was just as devastated as they were. The light at the end of the tunnel seemed like nothing but a pipe dream; that is, until the day Scootaloo spoke. "Harmonic..." "!?" "Can I ask you something?" "Yeah. Sure." "What makes you happy?" "Huh?" "What makes you happy?" "Being around Atmospheric, I guess. Why?" "I don't want to lose my friends because of what happened to me. I want to talk to them. They make me happy." "That's what i was hoping to hear. You're ready to fight for your purpose. Go. See them. Tell them what's on your mind." "Will you come with me?" "I can't. This is up to you." "...Alright." "Let me know what happens. We'll figure things out from there." Scootaloo nodded and opened the door. "Hey, you want to play the instruments upstairs when you get back?" Scootaloo smiled at Harmonic as the cold wind blew through her mane. "Yeah. I'd like that."
Change of Heart...Rarity was doing her usual work in the boutique when she heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" "Hey, Rarity. It's me, Scootaloo." "Is everything alright, darling?" "Not yet." "Come in, dear. The door's open." Scootaloo entered the workplace and home of the white unicorn. "What's the matter?" "I need you to call everyone over here; Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom too." "Whatever for?" "We need to talk about what happened." "Dear, I don't know if this is a good time..." "It's okay, Rarity. I'm not upset. Yeah, i was hurt, but there was obviously something about me that scared you. I just want the truth. That's all." "...I can't fool you can I?" "You don't have to. Just get everyone here so it can all come out." "...Alright." After a little while had gone by, everyone had amassed at the boutique. Rarity had changed the sign to closed so they could talk without any interruptions. Even Pinkie wasn't her usual self. She was taciturn while waiting for the conversation to begin. "Listen guys, I'm not really sure what happened a few weeks ago. I just want you to tell me." At first, everyone was reluctant to say anything. Then, finally, Rarity began speaking. "When you came to us, we noticed something was very strange. Your attitude and look were different than anything we've ever seen from you before. We were wary of this change. What's even stranger is the way you talk now. Aside from Sweetie and Apple Bloom, you're half all our ages, but you speak about things in a way someone older and wiser than us would. What you told us was very disturbing. We've known you our whole lives, and we never knew you didn't have a place to call home." "That's what was bothering you?" "Well, yes." "There are two reasons for that." "What are they?" "I picked up a lot of words around town, and the guy I'm staying with right now helped me understand how to use some of them better. I look like this because he bought me some clothes for colder weather. I'm pretty sure you've noticed how rainy and cold it is." "It wasn't the design that bothered us so much as the color." "The color black bothers you guys?" "Yes." "Why?" "Well...That color is commonly associated with...Death..." "You were scared my clothes had something to do with death?" Rarity nodded. "Well, you're sort of right, but not in the way you think." Rarity gave her a confused look. "Black is a color metalheads wear a lot." "Metalheads, dear?" "Metalheads are ponies and other creatures that listen to a type of music called heavy metal. There are lots of styles of metal. The hoodie i'm wearing right now is designed after a band that mixes two of those styles; Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore." "So that's what you meant. Now I understand. What about actual death, though?" "The color has nothing to do with it. I'm not sure why you think that. It's kind of silly." "To be honest, we're not sure either. It's a superstition, and I guess we fell victim to it." "Do you guys feel better, now?" Rarity stared at her friends. Their expressions turned to smiles. "Yes. thank you for explaining. You're welcome here anytime." "Thanks, and listen, I know you guys are starting to feel new things you haven't before. If you need to talk about it, just come to us." "Aren't you going to stay with one of us, darling?" "No. The guy I'm with right now needs my help. He's in pretty bad shape." "Is he hurt?" "No. He's in a really bad place in his head right now. He had to bring up some bad memories to help me out. Now I have to help him and someone else; a friend that went to school with me, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom." "Okay. we understand." "You want to hang out soon, Scoots," Apple Bloom asked. "Yeah. We miss you," Sweetie Belle concurred. "We can hang out anytime. I'm in the last house on the edge of town. I miss you guys too." Scootaloo hugged her two closest friends. "You should probably go home. You don't want him to get worried," Rarity told her. "Yeah." "You want me to walk you home, kid," Rainbow Dash asked. "No. He doesn't really like talking to ponies he doesn't know. Besides..." Scootaloo began flapping her wings slowly, and she started to lift off the ground. "I learned a new trick." "You never cease to amaze me." "I learned from the best." Rainbow smiled at the remark. "Bye, guys. I'll see you later." Everyone said their goodbyes, and Scootaloo was off. "Hey, kiddo. How'd it go?" "Pretty good. I'm going to see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom soon. We haven't really hung out much since break started." "Are you gonna' stay with any of them?" "No." "Why?" "Because someone needs me. I can't let him down." "Who's that?" "You haven't figured it out? He's standing right in front of me." "Wait...You mean..." Scootaloo nodded. "...Woah..." "You were right. This world can be mean and cruel. That's why there's us, right?" "I don't really know what to say. It means a lot that you care enough to stick around." "You would do the same for me, wouldn't you?" "...Yeah...Yeah, I would..." Scootaloo went up to Harmonic and hugged him. She closed her eyes. "You helped me. Now it's my turn." "It could take our whole lives before I get better. Do you think you're up for it?" "I know I am." "I think you are too." "I'm a little sleepy." "Hold on for a minute. I'll get the bed ready for you." Harmonic let go of the weary child. "Scootaloo." "Hm?" "Thank you...For everything..." "Yeah...You too..."
The Joy and Melancholy of Summer's Endless Rainfall"Hey, sweetheart, wake up." Scootaloo groaned and yawned. "What time is it," she asked groggily "It's eight in the morning. You slept for a good sixteen hours." "Was I really that tired?" "You could barely keep your eyes open. Fighting for your reason to live takes a lot out of you." Scootaloo smelled a sweet aroma in the air. "Are you making breakfast?" "Yeah. Pancakes. I'm making the last few right now. I've been up for a while." "Smells good." "You don't get by without picking up a few skills," Harmonic said as he smiled. "True." "After breakfast, there's something I want to show you. Atmospheric will meet us there." "What is it?" "You'll see." After breakfast, Harmonic and Scootaloo left the house. The rain was still pouring as it had been on the day they met. "You've come a long way." "Huh?" "When I found you, you were lost and confused. Now you have a sense of purpose and a strong heart. You're always finding a way to surprise me." "How?" "When you were angry with me, you told me instead of lashing out, and you came back because you knew I needed someone to help me through the tough times. A normal kid wouldn't have done those things the way you did." "Well, I wasn't hanging around normal ponies, was I?" "That's not entirely true. You were just hanging around ones who were honest with you. We told you our own hardships and experiences. I don't think anyone else ever did, did they?" "I guess not." "If I'm being entirely truthful, I knew you weren't normal from the second I saw you." "What do you mean?" "There was this sense of inner strength that I'd never felt before. I don't know where it came from or why it was there, but it was, and watching you change into who you've already become proved that I was right." "...I still feel sad though." "I placed a huge burden on your shoulders. You had to learn about a lot of really bad things. I'm sorry for doing that to you." "Well, what's been done can't be undone, right? there's no point in getting upset over it." "Amazing..." After walking outside of town for some time, Atmospheric came into view. She was standing next to a large tree on a cliff. Below the cliff was a peaceful, soothing ocean... "You made it." Harmonic nodded. "Scootaloo" he told her, "along the edge of this cliff is where I found her; the girl who hurt herself. It spans for several miles. Ever since we came here, I've lied under this tree many times. Whenever I start thinking about everything I've been through, I come here. Every time I fall asleep, I dream about a happier world. I want you to be a part of that now." "Can I ask you something?" "Of course." "Why do we talk and think about sleep so much now?" "Life is hard and exhausting. We need time away from the sadness of it all. Sleep gives us the one truly safe place in the world; our dreams." "Do you think I'll have the same dream?" "Atmospheric did." "...Okay. I'm still tired anyway." The three of them gathered under the tree. Harmonic drifted off first, then Atmospheric, and finally, Scootaloo. That cold, rainy summer day, she dreamt of the future; a future where her, Harmonic, Atmospheric, and all of her friends played together and were truly happy for once in the world. It was a future she could one day look forward to; one she could hope for.
Bonus Chapter #1: The End of Summer's RainfallSix months after Scootaloo began living permanently with Harmonic, her, Harmonic, and Atmospheric grew close. She considered them the family she never had. Despite all the hardships of the early days, better things had finally started to come around. The three of them started a band called "Summer of Endless Rainfall". It was a blend of melodic death metal and metalcore. They later recruited Dinky as the second guitarist after Scootaloo started hanging out with her more. Scootaloo was playing in the snow with all of her friends during Christmas break while Harmonic and Atmospheric worked on mixing their first demo. It was on that day that Twilight had some unexpected news. "Hey, Scootaloo," Twilight called out. "Hey, Twi! What's up!?" "Hold on!" Twilight galloped over to where Scootaloo was. "Look!" She handed Scootaloo a piece of paper. Despite the fact that Scootaloo's mane was now longer and that she wore it straight down in front of her eyes like Harmonic, she was able to read through the strands. "Woah! Are you serious!?" "Yeah! The princesses want you guys to be Canterlot's first live metal band! Even Vinyl and Octavia will be there!" "I've gotta' get home and tell Mom and Dad! I'll be back soon!" "Okay! We'll be looking forward to the show!" Scootaloo flew off towards her home. "Guys, I've got awesome news!" "What is it, sweetheart," Atmospheric asked. "Look!" Scootaloo handed the paper to them. "What's it say," Harmonic asked. "We've been invited by the princesses to play in Canterlot on the 29th for the entire day. I guess they think it'd be a nice Christmas event." "Guess they haven't heard metal before. Think we should do it?" "I don't see why we shouldn't. Besides, it'd be a good way to get our message out." "Okay. I guess we'll talk to Dinky's family and see what they think." Scootaloo was ecstatic. Ever since they started the band, she'd wanted to perform for a crowd; not to impress them, but to show them the power of personal thought. Although, she had to admit, seeing them in awe would be fun. All the arrangements had been made, and on the day of the 29th, everyone departed for Canterlot. The train ride was filled with excitement. Scootaloo, Harmonic, Atmospheric, and Dinky were all wearing hoodies with the hoods themselves pulled over their heads. They wanted to go with something mysterious. Nobody in Canterlot knew them, and it was going to be revealed near the end of the night who they were. Scootaloo could already imagine the crowd's faces when they found out the intense screams were coming from a filly. "Hey kid, you should fly when you're performing," rainbow Dash told Scootaloo. "Maybe during a breakdown or really melodic part. I want to save the dramatic stuff for the right time." "Rarity thinks every time is the right time," Applejack snickered. "Drama is poetic, darling. A country pony like yourself wouldn't understand." "Cool it, guys," Rainbow said, "This is their day. Don't ruin it with your arguing." "It's just how we show our friendship," Rarity proclaimed. "Remember who called me an egghead, by the way," Twilight said smugly. "Okay, I get it," Rainbow replied. "Anyway, Scootaloo, I've actually heard a little bit of metal before. I think it was called power metal. What kind are you guys playing," Twilight asked. "It's a fusion genre that mixes melodic death metal and metalcore. It's about more personal stuff. I'm not really sure you guys are gonna' like it much though. The vocals are angry screams." "We might surprise you," Twilight insinuated. "Think you can outsurprise the surpriser?" "And I thought I was the smug one." "You're more spooky, miss meltdown." "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" "Hey, you scared the three of us to death." "I thought I was going to be sent back to magical kindergarten, okay? I'm over twenty years old. That would've been embarrassing." "For a smartypants, you have some weird thoughts." "Tell me about it." "Um...I like that kind of metal, actually...," Fluttershy said softly. Everyone stopped and stared for a minute. There was a short silence, then everyone began talking again as if she hadn't said anything. "Anyway, who's going to be doing what," Twilight inquired. "I'm doing lead guitar and vocals, dad's playing drums, mom's playing bass and doing backup vocals, and Dinky's on rhythm guitar." "You're doing the screaming?" "Most of it." "I guess I can see that." "Hey Pinkie," Rainbow said, "You haven't been as talkative today." "I'm gonna' need all my energy for this one," Pinkie responded happily. "Is it really gonna' be that crazy?" "Maybe." "You're so cryptic, ya' know that?" "Thank you!" "Ugh, never mind." After the discourse ended, Scootaloo yawned. "...It's happening again, isn't it," Twilight asked. "...Yeah..." "Alright. Just get some rest. I'll let you know when we're there." "Okay." Scootaloo settled in next to Harmonic, who hadn't so much as moved ever since they got on the train. Twilight left the car with a tear in her eye. She was very aware by now that Harmonic, Scootaloo, and Atmospheric were victims of major depressive disorder. Scootaloo was the medium for communicating these things to her friends since Harmonic and Atmospheric didn't talk to them. It wasn't a matter of rudeness so much as a feeling that they shouldn't communicate with them. Harmonic and Atmospheric already didn't like making their presence known to Dinky's family, but they needed Dinky. She was a living embodiment of the band's cause just as much as the rest of them were. After a couple hours on the train, everyone arrived at Canterlot. Harmonic and Atmospheric were setting everything up on the outdoor stage the princesses had prepared for them. Meanwhile, Scootaloo and Dinky were hanging around the base of the stage, and Twilight was talking to Shining, who'd made it there earlier to spend the day with his sister. "These guys look intense. I noticed two of them were just kids. What's with that?" "They've all been through a lot, Shining. They needed an outlet." "What about the older ones? They're practically mute." "They don't like talking to anyone they don't know." "I guess that makes sense. Still, they're freaking me out. They're all hiding their faces." "It's part of their gimmick. They like the dark and mysterious thing." "Looks more like the creepy crew if you ask me." "You can be intimidating too, ya' know." "Ya' got me there." "They won't be ready for at least another half hour. You want to get something to eat?" "Sure. I skipped breakfast so I could make it on time, anyway." "You really shouldn't do that." "I know, mom." "You wanna' play the sass game?" "No. You always win." "Good move." Twilight and Shining walked off together. Everyone else was attending to their own tasks. Harmonic, Atmospheric, Scootaloo, and Dinky all worked in silence. They were really only here for one reason, and nobody was going to forget what that reason was. "Hey guys," Scootaloo said into the microphone as the crowd began to grow, "We're not really gonna' talk much right now, but before we start, we just want to give you guys an idea of what we do. We play music with a cause. Our cause is to prevent ponies around the world from doing something hurtful to themselves. We're an anti-depression and anti-suicide group, and our name is Summer of Endless Rainfall. This is our first time here, so let's make it count!" The calm, melodic music in the background suddenly became loud and energetic. "This song is called 'The Light at the End of the Road". LET'S GO!" Scootaloo began screaming as the music picked up in intensity. "LIFE IS AT ITS END! SO MANY NIGHTS, I'VE SLEPT IN THE DARK! ONLY THE SOUND OF THE WIND SERVED AS COMFORT! MY BREATHING SLOWS, AND MY HEART STOPS! I NO LONGER SEE THE CLOUDS OF GRAY THAT HAUNTED MY DAYS! ALL I THINK ABOUT IS THE EMPTINESS I FELT IN THOSE HOURS!" The instruments slowed and started making an even louder sound. "THE SKY CAME CRASHING DOWN THAT DAY! THE DEAFENING SILENCE CRUMBLED MY RESOLVE!" The instruments picked up speed once more. "THERE IS A LIGHT HERE THAT I CAN BARELY SEE, BUT I'M NOT DONE!" Scootaloo stopped screaming for a brief moment and exchanged the sound for the spoken word. "We only have one life, and we can't let it be washed away by the sadness of the rain! MY HEART IS CRUSHED! CRUSHED!!! BUT I STILL REFUSE TO LET IT BE THE END! I WILL SAVE MYSELF!" The song ended on a breakdown. Many of the Canterlot residents were staring on in shock. This music was so different from the classical stuff they usually listened to. For some, it was painful to listen to; for others, especially teenagers, it was liberating to hear. Their thoughts and feelings about death were no longer confined to their minds. Someone was actually saying something, and it felt good for them to have the subject acknowledged. After a few songs, the group ran out of their own material. They spent the rest of the day covering some of their favorite tracks from older bands. Later on in the night, they were about to wrap things up with one last song. Scootaloo spoke into the microphone one more time. "We'll be ending the show soon, but we wanted to play one last song for you guys." Scootaloo, Harmonic, Atmospheric, and Dinky took of their hoods. "We wanted to stay hidden until this one. This song is called 'Inner Reprisal'. It was written by one of our favorite bands, Renounced." The instruments began again. "WATCHING DEMONS CONTROL YOU; WATCHING WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO YOU! THEY'RE REPLACING THE PERSON AS THEY'RE CLOSING OFF TO CONVICTION! I CAN FEEL YOUR LONELINESS! I UNDERSTAND YOUR TURMOIL! EVERY MORNING, A RECKONING, YOU SAY! I WRITE THIS NOT KNOWING YOU ANYMORE! YOU'RE JUST A GHOST THAT HAUNTS MY PAST; A FACE, LIKE SUMMER INTO WINTER!!! IN THIS DISSONANCE, I REFUSE TO FALL!!! COMING DAYS, FOREVER SILENT AS WE BOTH LIE IN THIS BLACK HOLE! THIS IS MY INNER REPRISAL!!! I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN! IN THIS DISSONANCE, I REFUSE TO FALL!!! IN THIS UNDERTOW, I REFUSE TO SINK!!! IN THIS LIFE, I REFUSE TO FAIL AGAIN!!! THIS IS MY INNER REPRISAL!!! IN THIS DISSONANCE, I REFUSE TO FALL! IN THIS UNDERTOW, I REFUSE TO SINK! INNER REPRISAL!!!" When the song ended, all of them were trying to catch their breath. They'd put everything they had into it. "Thank you guys for coming out to see us! You were all amazing! We were honored to be here tonight!" After the crowd cheered, they left the stage. The princesses were waiting for them. Both of them had sad looks in their eyes. "Princess Luna, what's going on," Scootaloo asked. "We're sorry, child," Luna responded softly. "My sister and I never really knew how much our subjects were suffering in their personal lives. Please understand, we were trying not to invade their privacy." "You know what we were trying to say?" "Yes," Celestia responded, "Now we want to help in any way we can." "Dad taught me how to look out for those kind of ponies. Just look at their faces and body language. If you notice anything weird, talk to them. If something's going on, get them help." "I see," Luna said, "Is this your father," she inquired as she pointed to Harmonic. "Yeah." "You've raised a fine young filly." "Not really. I just told her what she needed to know," Harmonic replied. The fact that he spoke shocked Dinky and his family. "What do you mean," Celestia asked. "I found her alone in a dark alleyway. She was devastated beyond belief." "You're not her birth father," Luna asked. "No. She was originally supposed to stay with her friends, but they couldn't face her for a while, so she ended up with me and Atmospheric." "Do you know where her birth parents are?" "No, and to be honest, I don't want to. They don't deserve to see her." This was a new side to Harmonic Scootaloo and Dinky had never seen before. He was actually angry. "Goodness! That's a bit harsh, isn't it," Ceslestia responded. "I don't think so." "Why? Do you know why they left?" "Do I have to know to feel like it was wrong?" This question stunned the royal sisters. "No...I suppose not." "I have to go. I've already overstayed my welcome. We need to pack up and find a place to spend the night anyway." "Harmonic, you're being rude," Atmospheric told him. "There' no way I can't be in this situation. I'm sorry that upsets you, but there's nothing else I can do." "It's alright," Celestia said, "We understand. It's been a long night." "I'm really sorry," Atmospheric apologized. "Fear not. He has a right to be upset," Luna assured her. "Dad, let's go. I don't think we should be here anymore." "Yeah. You're right." The four of them left the princesses where they stood. "We're entering a new era, sister. I'm frightened. What dark truths have not been been brought into the light yet?" "Don't worry, Luna. I believe everything will turn out fine." "Are you sure?" "As long as that kind of compassion exists, there is hope." "Perhaps you're right." The ride home the next day was endowed with strange feelings. Celestia revealed the previous night's conversation to Twilight. She couldn't say she was happy, but she couldn't be angry either. Downtrodden would have probably been the best word to describe her feelings at that time. When they reached home, everyone went their separate ways. Not much was said, but there were many sad expressions. That day would be ingrained in everyone's mind for a long time to come.
Bonus Chapter #2 (Final Chapter): A Better Future...Ten years went by without much incident. However, as Scootaloo grew older, she smiled less and less. She graduated high school with a decent GPA. She spent less time around her friends and more at home polishing her skills on her instruments and other artistic crafts. Over the years, Summer of Endless Rainfall recorded two demos and five full-length albums. The anti-depression and anti-suicide movements were beginning to gain momentum around Equestria. With the reality of life setting in, Scootaloo distanced herself from everyone except her family. Harmonic and Atmospheric were eventually married and had two children; a boy Pegasus and a girl earthling. After graduation, Dinky left the band to focus on her life at home. Scootaloo was the only remaining member. Without much left to lose, she threw herself into writing and recording material for a sixth album. However, slowly succumbing to the realization that she didn't know the world anymore, she would find herself getting exhausted easily, even if she hadn't done much that day. One afternoon, while she was recording, Atmospheric went upstairs to check on her. "Hey." "Hey mom." "Are you okay?" "Not really..." "What's the matter, sweetie?" "I dunno'. Everything just seems so gray now." "A lot's changed since you were little." "I know, but sometimes, I don't like it. It's scary to face the truth, ya' know?" "Yeah...Yeah, I do..." There was a sad silence in the air. Then, out of the blue, Atmospheric had an idea. "Hey, why don't you take your brother and sister and go visit your old friends?" "It'll feel weird. I haven't talked to some of them in five years." "Why not catch up? Go somewhere and have some fun." "I think I should just stay home and work. We still have a cause to fight for, don't we?" "We had a cause. You shouldn't try to take that on by yourself. It will hurt you more than help." "I think it already has..." "Then don't let it hurt you anymore." "How?" "End the project. Summer of Endless Rainfall played our part. It's time to let the younger generation take over." "Do you think anyone will keep the sound we had?" "They already are." "Really?" Atmospheric nodded. "As long as there's a reason for something to exist, it will. Besides, our lives aren't over yet. If we need to come back and continue what we started, we can. Right now, just focus on yourself. Go to college or learn a new skill; something that will make you happy." "...You're right. Thanks mom." "Anytime. Come on. Let's go see what your father and the kids are up to." "Alright." Scootaloo and Atmospheric headed downstairs. The snowy sky was waiting for them, and they weren't about to disappoint it.
Somber Shores...Scootaloo awoke to a strange feeling. Everything was hazy at first, but became clear as day once she began to fully regain consciousness. She remembered falling asleep underneath an awning in an alley, but when she looked around, she saw a bed and a table with an envelope on it. This was so bizzare, and a little bit frightening. When she found the strength to move, she slid off the bed and onto her hooves. With no understanding of what was happening, she approached the table. The white envelope intrigued her the most. Was it left for her? Disregarding any other possibilities, she opened it. There was a note inside. "Hey. I know you're probably confused and scared right now, but trust me when I say I mean you no harm. Come outside when you're feeling up to it. We'll talk face to face." Who was this mysterious letter writer? Scootaloo grew more and more curious by the second. With little reason left to procrastinate, she headed towards the door. Upon opening it, she realized it was still raining. "Hey. You feeling better?" The deep yet soft voice startled Scootaloo. She checked around the door, and quickly discovered a black stallion sitting next to it. "W-who are you?" "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." "Where am I?" "It's okay. Relax. Everything's alright. My name's Harmonic." "Why am I here?" "I brought you here. You were passed out in the rain. I couldn't just leave you there." "Where are we?" "This is my home." Scootaloo started to ease up a little. "You looked devestated out there. What happened? Why were you there all alone?" It was then Scootaloo recalled everything that had led up to this point; every trial and hardship. Her alertness was soon replaced by somberness. "...I don't wanna' talk about it..." "Listen, you can't go through whatever it is alone. I've already seen that look on your face twice today. You need to open up before whatever's eating away at you destroys you completely." "Shut up! Why do you care, anyway!?" Scootaloo began to cry. Her sobs were quiet, but intense. She felt something embrace her in a tight hug. "...You really have been through a lot...Haven't you...?" Scootaloo said nothing, but continued to sob into his jacket. It was warm and comforting. "...Hey, let's go inside. It's cold out here." Harmonic let go of Scootaloo, and she dried her tears. "Are you hungry?" "Y-yeah...," was all she could manage. "Don't cry. everything's going to work itself, okay?" Scootaloo nodded, and the pair headed back into the house. "Just rest up while I get the food ready." "Alright."
When All Truth Has Been Spoken...Atmospheric, Harmonic, and Scootaloo had breakfast that morning. Afterwards, Harmonic and Scootaloo left. They were beginning their search for a new home for Scootaloo. The rain continued pouring like a distorted and spaced-out ocean. "There's still one thing I didn't tell you last night..." "Hm?" "When I found her; the girl I was talking about last night, it messed me up pretty bad. I tried to hurt myself because of it." "I don't want to talk about that anymore..." "I know, but it's important. I need you to hear this for both of our sakes." "Why me?" "Because you're the only one we can trust to use this information for a good cause." "What cause?" "Have you ever seen any kids in your school look the way I described?" That's when it started clicking in Scootaloo's mind. "Yeah, actually...There's a girl named Dinky. Everyone always picks on her because her mom's eyes aren't normal." "Kids can be cruel. That's a sad fact of life. It doesn't mean you can't change that though." "You want me to help her, right?" "Her and anyone else who's hurting. There's one thing you need to know though." "What's that?" "It's not always easy to know who's suffering. Do you know why I hide my eyes sometimes?" Scootaloo shook her head. "So nobody can tell what I'm thinking. Even I'm not sure why." "How can I tell what's going on, then?" "Just talk to them. Read their body language and listen to their voices." "Okay. I understand." "It looks like we're here." "Yeah. This is Rarity's place." "I guess this is where we part ways..." "Goodbye..." "Use what I've told you to make this life better for others, and don't be a stranger. You can stop by anytime." Scootaloo nodded, and her and Harmonic slowly began to grow in distance. There was a dark look on Scootaloo's partially-hidden face. Something told her this wasn't over yet...
