Harmonic lied back on his and Atmospheric's bed, resting his eyes. Atmospheric lied next to him, her foreleg draped across his chest. A cold, gray sky cast a foreboding shadow over their home. For a while, they remained as they were, with only the sound of silence to lull them in and out of consciousness. Some time after noon, Harmonic's phone alerted him to the presence of a message. He turned on the device's screen light.
"Who is it," Atmospheric questioned curiously.
"Daniel...?"
"Daniel?"
"He's one of my best friends. I haven't talked to him in ages. He's been like a brother to me over the years."
"You guys are close?"
"Yeah. He really helped me out when I was going through a hard time."
"I'm surprised I haven't heard of him before."
"After I stopped going online as much to focus on personal stuff, we didn't talk as often."
"You gonna' talk to him?"
"I should."
Harmonic sat up. He began typing on his phone's keyboard.
"Hey, man. Been a long time. How are you doin'?"
The response icon displayed. Daniel was messaging back.
"Same old shit, man. How about you?"
"Chilling with the wife."
"You got married? Damn, dude. That's awesome. Am I interrupting anything?"
"Nah. We're just kicking it right now."
"Is it just you guys?"
"No. The kids are playing video games in the living room."
"Are they die-hard metal munchkins like their pops? Speaking of which, find any new bands lately?"
"Of course, and I'm always finding new stuff."
"Excellent. How's everything else?"
"Pretty great, man. Working on a new book now. Shouldn't take me too long to finish, provided I don't procrastinate too much."
"Very nice. Just don't overdo it. Sometimes you gotta' slow down and take it easy."
"I hear ya'. Same goes for you."
"I know it."
Atmospheric read over their conversation. It nearly brought her to tears.
"He sounds like he really cares about you."
"He went through some really rough stuff growing up. He listened to a lot of my problems and did everything he could to guide me past them."
"What happened with you?"
"I was in a really dark place a few years ago. This was before we started dating. I was planning to off myself around my 22nd birthday, but I knew that wasn't what I really wanted. I told him about it, and that's when he told me something."
"What did he say?"
"He kept me assured that what I was going through was just a bad phase and would pass in time if I just kept living. I was skeptical, but I desperately wanted to believe him, so I did what he said. I went through each day and took his words to heart. He believed in me when I felt like very few people did. I owe him my life, just like I owe you and John."
"He sounds like a great guy."
"He is. He's always fought for the little guys when we couldn't fight for ourselves."
"He reminds me a lot of you."
"I'll never be near his level."
"How much you want to bet he would disagree?"
"Maybe."
"I'm gonna' check on the kids. I'll let you guys catch up."
"Thanks. I love you."
"I love you, too."
The two shared an emotional kiss before Atmospheric strolled away.
Atmospheric waited patiently for Harmonic to fall asleep. Later, during the night, she silently slid next to him, reaching for his phone on the lamp desk. She went into the hall, so as not to disturb her husband. With just a few button presses, she was ready to record a video message.
"Hey, Daniel. This is Atmospheric - Harmonic's wife. He's sleeping right now, but I wanted to record this to say thank you for saving him. He's been so wonderful to me and the kids since we've been together. He really cares a lot about everybody, and he thinks more highly of you as a friend than you can ever possibly imagine. I'd really like to speak with you more regularly one of these days. His family is my family, and from the lessons he's taught me, family means everything, blood or no blood. I hope Melodic and Hard Core can grow up with someone like you to look up to - someone who's not afraid to rally against injustice and suffering. Thank you again, and wherever you are, I hope life goes well for you. Goodnight. Sweet dreams..."
Harmonic woke up the next morning feeling exceptionally well-rested. He checked his phone to see if he had gotten any notifications. Sure enough, there was another message from Daniel. He opened it.
"You have no idea how much it means to hear you say those words. Life dealt both of us some pretty bad cards, but that doesn't mean you can't play your hand to your advantage. It's all a matter of perspective. I'll always watch out for him, because that's what needs to happen in times like these. Everybody needs to look out for each other. Life is hard enough already, but it doesn't have to stay like that forever. Blessed be your family. Say hi to the little ones for me."
Harmonic watched the video message his wife had sent the previous evening. He was stunned by how powerfully her words resonated with him. The gentleness and kindness she showed was greater than anything he had ever witnessed before. He looked over to where she soundly slept. He couldn't think of a single word he could say to describe how he felt at that point in time. In the span of one day, two of his closest allies had converged their efforts not only to protect him, but his children as well.
Harmonic gazed on during breakfast as his children played. Melodic laughed and giggled away, occasionally playfully shoving her younger brother. Hard Core didn't seem to mind his sister's rambunctious antics. Harmonic suspected somewhere deep in his son's heart, the young boy was just as content as his older sibling.
"Thank you, Daniel..."
"Hon, are you alright," the stallion heard his spouse ask. He smiled in response.
"Yeah...Never better..."
