Author's Note

Hey guys. Before you start reading, I just wanted to let you know that this story would be dealing with some very serious topics. There are a few mentions of suicide, mental illness, and a mention of domestic abuse later on (not between my characters). The only reason I'm bringing these things up in this story is to reveal Harmonic and Atmospheric's mental states. Whatever you read, please do not idealize the characters or their situations. The end result of this story is more of the exception than the rule. The romantic themes in this story only work because of Harmonic and Atmospheric's personal thoughts and beliefs. Relationships are extremely complicated. Other characters could respond completely differently to the same situation depending on what the writer wanted. Real relationships work in a similar fashion. One couple could have their bond strengthened by unfortunate circumstances while those same circumstances could cause another relationship to completely dissolve. I just want you guys to be aware that this could be really upsetting for some people to read if they are survivors or have lost loved ones to these types of things. Thank you for taking the time to read this note, and if you decide to read beyond this point, I hope these themes don't offend or hurt anyone. That's not my intention, and I hope you can potentially take something away from this that may benefit you in the future.

The Suffering Begins...

Two and a half decades ago, a dark colt was brought into the world on December 3rd. His mane was a blinding shade of blonde with one partial streak of black casting a shadow over the left side of his face. Still unknown to him in the present day, his birth was the result of a controlled environment. The same situation applies to another being as well; a white mare Pegasus who was born close to two years later on October 12th. Her mane was long and sported a dark shade of brown. Neither of them remember anything about this time in their lives. It would become the least of their concerns. Shortly after the mare was born, both of them were abandoned in separate locations. Any explanation would've sounded like gibberish to them at the ages they were. Just as unfortunate, they wouldn't remember each other. However, there was one thing both of them possessed; a photograph of the two families. This would be the key to altering their futures, but first, there was a long, hard road ahead.

Harmonic Thrash spent most of his early years alone, surviving on grass and water. He was always frightened of ponies he didn't know. Being around strangers filled him with anxiety, but after a certain amount of time had passed, he became used to it by doing odd jobs for money. The abandonment caused him severe emotional distress. As a result, his mind went to a dark place, and it stayed there for the next thirteen years while he traveled the continent.

Atmospheric Doom fared far better on a psychological level because of her decision to maintain permanent residence in the nearest town she found. She was able to build a solid support system and had her own place. In terms of the abandonment, she believed maybe her family would come back one day. Thirteen years would go by before her childhood friend found her.

The town Atmospheric stayed in held a public event every year for mingling. She attended later on when her general motor skills and vocabulary improved. The year she met Harmonic, he was passing through town and was preparing to stay for the night. When he noticed the event going on, he became curious and entered town hall to investigate. At first, nothing really stood out, but when his eyes landed on a familiar face...

"Is that...?"

He quickly grabbed the photograph from his hoodie pocket. Coming to the realization his theory was correct, he had to stop himself from making a scene. He made his way over to her as quickly as he could without drawing too much attention.

Atmospheric felt a faint tap on her shoulder. She turned her attention to what was causing the sensation.

"Long time no see."

"Do I know you?"

Harmonic handed her the photograph.

"I don't ge-."

She examined it closer. On the left side of the picture, there was a dark earth colt. On the right, there was a sleeping baby Pegasus.

"You're...!?"

"In the flesh."

Atmospheric was at a loss for words.

"It's been a long time."

"..."

"Listen, I don't want to spoil your night. We'll talk tomorrow. I'm tired."

Harmonic started gaining distance between himself and Atmospheric. She was too preoccupied to stop him. All she could think to do was prepare herself for a serving of whatever answers he had. Her muscles hardly moved for the remainder of the event.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Atmospheric admitted.

"Neither did I."

The fountain in the middle of town was soothing to their restless minds.

"Where were you all this time?"

"Pretty much just going from place to place, drifting through life."

"Did you ever find out what happened to our families?"

"I didn't wanna' know. They did what they did, and I feel better not knowing why. It wouldn't change anything anyway."

"I guess that's true."

"How've you been holding up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you happy with how things turned out?"

"It didn't bother me as much as I thought."

"That's good."

"What about you?"

"I lived. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?"

"What do we do now?"

"It's up to you. I think you should stay here though. It's safer."

"Do you have anywhere to go?"

"No."

"Then...Maybe you could stay with me."

"Are you sure? You don't have to put yourself through any trouble."

"I want to get to know you the right way this time. You were one of my original companions."

"Yeah..."

"Come on. Let's go home."

"This is a pretty nice place."

"Thanks. You can put your stuff on the bed. I think we should go get something to eat. I was too stunned to do much of anything last night."

"I can understand that, but you need to take care of yourself."

"I know."

Harmonic placed his bag on Atmospheric's bed.

"What do you have in there, anyway?"

"A few metal records and some money."

"Metal records?"

"It's a loud type of music with a bunch of different styles. Sometimes I use it to help me sleep."

"Isn't that kind of counterproductive?"

"Not for me at least."

"Can I give one a listen while we're on our way?"

"Sure."

Harmonic pulled some of his own money out of the bag and placed it in his pocket. He then proceeded to remove a compact disc from the bag as well.

"This one is called Shadowtorned World by Blasphemist. It's got a lot of melody in it. The style is actually called melodic death metal if I remember right. You can borrow my CD player if you don't have one."

"Alright."

"Well, shall we go?"

"Yeah."

The walk to the restaurant was more relaxed than expected. To Harmonic's surprise, Atmospheric seemed to enjoy what she heard of the record.

"I had no idea stuff like that even existed."

"It's pretty hard to come by. There's not really a high demand for it."

"Really? That's too bad."

"By the way, I never asked you what you were up to these days."

"Not much. I mostly stay at home and play games or draw."

"That's cool."

"Hey, I noticed you're wearing a jacket. Isn't it a bit warm?"

"It's more about feeling comfortable in my own skin really. I don't talk to anyone else much, and I don't like attention, so I try to obscure myself as much as possible."

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense. The design is really cool."

"It's the art from another record I have called 'This is Love, This is Murderous' by Bleeding Through. It's one of my personal favorites."

"Sounds pretty hardcore."

"You're half right, actually. I think it mixes a style called hardcore punk with metal. I might've even heard it referred to as metalcore once or twice."

"Has a nice ring to it. I'll have to listen when we get back."

"So, what kind of games are you into?"

"A lot of horror and rpgs. I've got Resident Evil, Shadow Hearts, Koudelka, and Parasite Eve to name a few."

"I'll have to play a few."

"How about we make a night out of it? I'll listen to a couple records and help you if you get stuck on a puzzle."

"Sounds like fun."

"I also wanna' see if we can find a hoodie like yours in my style before we go home. That whole dark and mysterious thing you've got going on is really interesting to me."

"Well, your eyes are covered like mine, so you're already halfway there."

"Wanna' see what color my eyes are?"

"Let me guess first; either hazel or brown."

"Good guess."

Atmospheric moved her mane. Her eyes were a medium shade of brown that complemented the slightly darker look of her mane.

"Take a guess what color my eyes are."

"Gray?"

"Nope."

Harmonic moved his mane as well. His eyes were a piercing, deep blue color.

"They remind me of the lower ocean," Atmospheric commented.

"Yeah. I've heard a few statements like that in passing."

Atmospheric giggled. It almost sounded like he was calling her response generic, but it wasn't insulting, just a little bit funny. The two continued to talk for a while and remake each other's acquaintance.