Summer of 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.