Seeping Whispers

A life dictated by suffering often yields powerful results. Hard Core's story, short as it may be, is one such example. Born to a seraph mother and a mortal father, by the age of six, he was a pure force of nature. At his side were two sisters: his elder twin, Melodic, and their one-year-old sibling, Shadow. What truly separated him from his feminine counterparts was his existential worldview. His philosophy regarding life and love rivaled that of an elderly stallion nearing the end of his life. He knew as he grew older that the friends he made would fade away, and so would his family. Eventually, he would lose everything he held dear. This knowledge did not dissuade him. When emotion fought against him in its attempts to take over, he would remember his father's words.

"Just because you'll suffer doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Strength is determined by how much pain a person can endure. One day, you'll be stronger than I ever was."

The lessons Hard Core learned from his mother and father would soon shape his destiny.

It was a warm spring day. Hard Core was out grocery shopping with his father, Harmonic, his mother, Atmospheric, and his sisters. The white tile that constructed the floor reminded him of his fur. While the others progressed, he followed behind.

*sniffle*

The child's ears perked. He stopped walking and looked to his side. Down the aisle where the snacks and soft drinks were, two stallions no older than their teens were locked in a tight embrace. The one he could see had beige fur and and a black mane styled in an "emo" fashion popular among the youth. The other's face was turned in the opposite direction. All Hard Core could decipher was a similar fur color and a spiked, dark chocolate mane.

"I'm sorry, man..." he heard the first stallion say.

The second adolescent revealed himself to be the source of the sniffling. He was crying, but why? Hard Core shifted direction and motioned toward the two boys.

"Are you okay?" the six-year-old asked.

"Go away, kid," the first stallion spat, "It's none of your business."

"Why is he crying?"

"Because your face is stupid."

"Care to repeat that, you little prick?" Harmonic's voice emanated. He approached Hard Core with the rest of their family. The teen went silent, "Thought so."

Harmonic turned his attention to his son. He nuzzled the colt.

"You shouldn't wander off like that, buddy. You scared us."

"He was crying, daddy," Hard Core told his father. He pointed to the second adolescent.

"Go with mommy. I'll talk to him."

"Okay."

Hard Core left the aisle with the rest of his family.

"What's going on, fellas?" his father asked in a serious tone.

"If you have to know, old man, his girlfriend fucking killed herself." the first teen responded.

"I figured something was up. I know you're angry dude, but you can't be takin' it out on people's kids. He was just trying to help."

The second teen faced Harmonic. His eyes were a medium hazel hue.

"Sorry." he apologized. His voice was somewhere in the middle of the tenor spectrum, "It's been a shitty few days, man."

"Trust me, I understand. I lost my best friend when I was fourteen."

"What happened?"

"Heart attack."

"Jesus..."

"Listen, I have to finish picking some stuff up, and I can tell you're obviously stressed out right now, but if you need to talk to somebody later, feel free to hit us up."

Harmonic exchanged contact information with the boy. He discovered his name was Osiris. The other's was Jet.

"You guys should get out of here and cool off for a bit," Harmonic advised, "I imagine you must be exhausted."

"Sorry about your kid." Jet conceded.

"Don't sweat it. Just doing what dads do and all that."

The three stallions parted ways.

Around three the next morning, Harmonic's phone rang. He quickly answered despite his hypnogogic state.

"Hey, man. What's up?" he asked.

"Who is it?" Atmospheric groaned.

"Osiris." Harmonic told his wife.

"Hey," Osiris replied, "I wanted to apologize again for Jet's behavior yesterday. We both felt like shit."

"I bet."

"I really loved her, man..."

"You don't have to tell me, man. God forbid something happened to Atmospheric or the kids, I'd be just as pissed off and heartbroken."

"I just don't understand why she did it. She was always happy when I saw her."

"Everybody's got their demons. Was she having any problems at school, maybe something going on at home?"

"Nothing I know of."

"Did she have a history of self-harm or suicidal tendencies?"

"No."

"No wonder you're feeling so fucked up right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Suicide is already terrifying when the warning signs are there, but when someone acts totally normal and it comes out of the blue, you're left wondering what the extent of their suffering really was."

"Did someone you know kill themselves too?"

"My mom knew somebody who did. He shot himself in the head."

"Holy shit. Sounds like you guys have had it pretty rough too."

"I'll tell you what I told Hard Core a while back. Everybody talks about being the best version of yourself, but they never tell you what that means. What they should be saying is, become the strongest version of yourself. Strength is determined by how much suffering a person can take before they snap. Your girlfriend never had the opportunity to develop that strength because she suffered in silence. She might not have even known she was depressed to begin with. I didn't for a long time."

"How did you do it?"

"I don't know, man. Dumb luck, I guess. Part of me fucking hates the fact I'm still breathing right now."

"Why?"

"When I was seven, a girl my age was killed in a car crash. The older I got, the less motivated I was to make anything of my life. I started to wonder if the wrong person died that day."

"Damn, dude."

"People need to look out for each other, man, especially these days. This world sucks on so many levels. Least we can do is try to make it suck a little bit less."

"Amen to that."

"You should talk to your parents and let them know how you're feeling: build up your support system."

"I will. Can you do me a favor though?"

"Sure."

"Can you guys meet us at the park after school? I want to talk a bit more in person."

"Yeah. No problem."

"Thanks."

"Night."

"Night."