PrologueView OnlineSeeping WhispersPrologueA 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."
The AfternoonView OnlineSeeping WhispersThe AfternoonFour P.M. rolled around on the clock. Harmonic and Atmospheric watched the twins play from a nearby bench. The sky was mostly clear, though some stray clouds floated by here and there. The sun showered the world in a warm glow. A gentle breeze caused the grass to sway and dance in a wavelike pattern. Over the horizon, Osiris and Jet appeared. Harmonic and Atmospheric called them over to the playground. "Hey, little dude," Jet greeted Hard Core, "Sorry about yesterday. I was in a bad mood." "I know," the colt replied, "Daddy told me." Jet gazed at Harmonic and Atmospheric. "I brought an old Frisbee from home. You guys mind if I play with them for a bit while you're talking?" "Not at all." Harmonic assured. "Cool." Jet broke the ice with Melodic while Harmonic and Atmospheric led Osiris back to the bench. "How are you holding up?" Harmonic questioned sincerely. "Not too well," Osiris admitted, "I barely got any sleep last night." "We won't keep you too long." "Can you tell us what happened to her?" Atmospheric asked. "I don't really know," Osiris stated, "I was told her parents found her covered in her own blood. That's about it." "That would be terrifying for any parent to go through," Harmonic said, "Losing a child is probably the worst thing that can happen to someone in general. That's why it's ironic you called us out here." "I don't follow." Osiris verbalized in confusion. "I've been to this park with Hard Core every day for over a year because...Well...A filly was murdered here..." "You're kidding!" "She was only seven or eight. Hard Core found her body floating under one of the bridges further in. Her throat was cut. She was stuffed into a bag and left to decompose." "That's fucked up! Did they ever catch the dude that did it!?" "That's why we've been coming here. If he comes back, I'm gonna kill him." "Don't do it," Osiris reasoned. He sounded more mature than before, "You've got a family, dude. What good's it gonna do 'em if you're behind bars?" "I'm not doing it because of my own anger at the situation. Hard Core asked me to." "Does he know his old man's gonna rot in a prison cell somewhere if you do?" "Yes. He's very aware of that fact. He still wants me to do it." "Just let the cops handle it. He'll screw up sooner or later." "It's been a year already. When enough time elapses, people start to lose hope that justice will be served." "So you're just gonna throw everything away for some piece of shit who isn't even worthy of your shoe?" "What else can I do? What's to stop him from killing again if he comes back?" "I'll tell you what: us." "Come again?" "I just lost the most important person in my life. I'm not about to let that happen to anyone else. If he comes back, Jet and I'll help you take him down. I only have one condition: don't kill him. If we find him, we'll beat the ever-loving fuck out of him and turn him in." "You think your family wants you in jail any more than mine does?" "My parents are decent people who would probably do the same thing. A few nights in the slammer and community service are a whole hell of a lot more preferable than a life sentence." "One conviction is all it takes to ruin someone's future. My family's taken care of. What about yours?" "You think anyone's gonna care if some scumbag child killer gets his teeth kicked in? As long as we show at least some restraint, they'll grant us clemency. They're gonna know it was premeditated anyway. We may as well not make a bad situation worse." "Maybe we should listen to him," Atmospheric relented, "I don't mind waiting for you to serve a shorter sentence, but a lifetime...A lifetime would be hell..." Harmonic glanced at his wife before staring back at Osiris. "...All right," the stallion finally agreed. "Thank you," Osiris vocalized with exasperation, "Finally, some damn sense!" "I'll show you where our place is. Meet us there when you get out of school tomorrow so we can start training." On their way home, Osiris told Jet about he and Harmonic's plan to catch the killer. "Are you nuts, dude!?" "This could be my only chance to make up for what happened. The dude's a dad with three kids. If the roles were reversed, I'd be in his shoes. I can't just sit back and watch someone else's life be destroyed. That's not what she wanted for me." Jet sighed. "All right. You win. I guess it'll give us street cred at school anyway." "I'm not doing this for popularity. To hell with school. This is more important than some stupid rat race that won't even matter when we're takin' a dirt nap six feet under." "Okay, I get it. I'll be a good little Samaritan this one time, but I'm only doing this so you'll stop beatin' yourself up. Got it?" "Fine. Whatever." "It's gettin' dark. Let's hurry before we get shot out here."
RespiteView OnlineSeeping WhispersRespiteJet and Osiris strolled behind Harmonic and Atmospheric's home. Vast woodlands covered the remaining landscape, barely separated from the structure by a small patch of grass. They found the couple waiting with their children in tow. Atmospheric whispered into her husband's ear. "He's in no condition to fight..." "I know..." When the teens were within earshot, Harmonic directly confronted Osiris. "What kind of training are we doing exactly?" the adolescent questioned. "For you? None. Not today." "Then why did I bother coming here?" "Look at yourself, man. You're not eating, you're not sleeping: in your condition, you couldn't fight a cold, let alone a hardened murderer." "My girlfriend just died! How the fuck am I supposed to feel!?" "Nobody's telling you to feel anything, but what about her? How would she feel if she saw you like this?" "You know what? Fuck this. I didn't come here for a lecture. I'm outta here." Osiris turned around to walk away. A gentle hoof pressed against his shoulder. "Please," Atmospheric pleaded, "stay with us, just for this one night." The softness of her tone...It frightened him somehow. With pained eyes and clenched teeth, he jerked his head. He began to cry. Atmospheric wrapped her free leg around him. With the other, she cradled Shadow between them... Harmonic and Atmospheric began preparing dinner. When Harmonic reached a point where he could handle the rest on his own, Atmospheric returned to Osiris's side. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked, drawing their attention to the sleeping infant in her foreleg. Osiris nodded. He retrieved Shadow from her mother's grasp. "It's funny," the adolescent spoke, "I never really gave the idea of a family much thought. I was so focused on college the rest just kind of escaped me." "You wanted to spend your life with her, didn't you?" "I did." "You have a good heart. She saw it, too." "It's nothing compared to your son's." Atmospheric took the seat across from Osiris. She put her hooves together in a contemplative manner. "Jet's probably noticed already his personality starkly contrasts his sisters'." she began. "Fuck yeah, I did," Jet confirmed, "What kind of kid asks his parents the meaning of life at six years old? He's smart, like...Scary smart." "Harmonic and Hard Core are extremely deep thinkers," the angel continued, "They're believers in the power of cognition and perception. What you think, the things you feel: those are what determine your path in life. For them, they see the world from an existential point of view. They believe that suffering is pointless and unnecessary. What they desire above all else is a utopian world guided by compassion." "No wonder I couldn't faze him. He brushed me off like I was nothing." "I wish they could've met her..." Osiris uttered sadly. "..." "..." Jet began his training while Osiris caught up on sleep. For the first time in almost a week, he was able to shut his eyes and let himself drift off. The next morning, the group laid out their plans. "I just don't get it...," Osiris said, "Why would someone do that to a kid...?" "It's par for the course , unfortunately." Harmonic replied. "What was his motive? Was it personal?" "Not that we could tell. I think it's a lot more simple than that. There wasn't any evidence of sexual assault, and her family was questioned by police. What's one of the most common questions you hear in homicide cases?" "Whether they had any enemies." "It's more likely we're dealing with a tried and true misanthrope." "A rage killing!?" "Think about it. The way he killed her was quick, but brutal. This suggests two things: one, the perpetrator is male, and two, he clearly isn't concerned with the legal implications. God knows how many people he's killed already." "Plenty of people I know identify as misanthropes. Why haven't they gone on killing sprees yet?" "Most who claim the title are really just nihilists. A true misanthrope doesn't give a rat's ass about following social protocol." "His body count could already be in the hundreds..." Jet pointed out. "Why do you think he'll come back?" Osiris questioned. "I don't know," Harmonic replied honestly, "Just a gut feeling." "So we're acting on nothing more than a hunch? Great..." "Sometimes killers return to crime scenes. Wouldn't it be better to be ready if he does?" "I guess." "Right now you should focus on getting your strength back. We'll get him." "Yeah..." Osiris finished packing and headed for the door. Jet attempted to follow him. "Jet, can you stay behind for a moment," Atmospheric requested, "We'd like to talk to you in private." "I really gotta get goin'." the teen protested nervously. "It won't take long. Osiris can wait outside." Jet gazed at his friend. "You mind?" he asked. "Sure." Osiris agreed. Osiris shut the door behind him, leaving Jet to speak with the unusual pair. "You're scared." Atmospheric stated. Her tone was gentle; soothing. "We barely met you guys three days ago. Now we're helping you hunt down a serial killer. How am I supposed to wrap my mind around all this?" "The second you told me Osiris's story, you became part of our family," Harmonic revealed, "I'll tell you the same thing I told him. In this world, everyone has to look out for each other. We're all we've got in this lifetime." "I know..." Jet replied. "I want you to be honest with me," the older stallion spoke, "Do you suspect us?" Jet wanted to lie and say he didn't, but he couldn't hide his true feelings. "You know a lot about these kind of crimes." "That's true. I've been studying criminal behavior for a long time. It's a lot more nuanced and complex than crime shows make it look." "I assume the reason you're asking is because you want to prove your innocence." "Bingo." "How can you?" "Wait here." Harmonic left the room. He returned moments later with his son. "Show him, bud." Harmonic told the child. Hard Core removed his jacket and the t-shirt below. "Dude, your kid's fucking ripped!" Jet yelped. "I've been training with him and Melodic since they were old enough to speak. Just recently, I taught them how to calm their minds through meditation. That's what he was doing last night when it looked like he was watching us." "Holy shit..." "I lied to you the other day. We're not the ones who are gonna bring this scumbag down..." Atmospheric approached Jet. She whispered into his ear before showing him her wings. In the blink of an eye, his whole world changed.