Author's Note

This chapter delves a bit into dark subject matter, but the ending's a lot more hopeful. Read at your own discretion.

The first Grains

Atmospheric continued assisting Harmonic with schoolwork over the course of the week. She used any opportunity available to get close to him, fawning over him as he continued to grow and improve academically.

"He's so cute when he's concentrating. Am I...falling in love with him all over again...?"

Her heart began to beat faster. The white in her face was replaced by a deep crimson.

"So this was how Yuri felt about Alice...I'm his Dark Seraphim..."

During the bus ride home on Friday, Atmospheric tracked the brothers down. She flew above the bus to avoid detection by the other students, landing just outside the back of their house. She waited outside for a while, finishing her homework to pass the time. Once she was sure Harmonic wouldn't notice, she knocked on the door.

"Wassup, stalker?" Ian cracked.

Atmospheric chuckled, though admittedly she felt uneasy about having to take such extreme measures.

"I wasn't paying attention to the bus route the other day. Sorry."

"Gotcha."

"Can we talk?"

"I kinda gotta help with Harmonic's homework right now."

"It won't take long."

"Guess I can spare a few minutes."

"Thanks."

Ian settled beside Atmospheric on the swing set in the front yard. He was admittedly curious to hear what she had to say.

"Lucky we were the only ones here right now. Mom would've flipped if you showed up without calling first."

"So I've heard."

"What'd you wanna talk about?"

"You were curious, weren't you? About the letter?"

"Now that you mention it."

"There's so much to unpack I'm not even sure where to start."

"Start with whatever you think is best."

"Do you know why I wanted to find him early?"

"Not a clue."

"Once you left, he was completely alone for the better part of eight years. All he had was your mother, and they weren't as close as I wished they could've been."

"Why'd I leave?"

"You became a father not long before you finished high school. It led to a lot of tension between you and your mom. You walked out after an argument on your eighteenth birthday."

"Jesus..."

"You have to know, Harmonic never blamed you for what happened. It was just the wrong place at the wrong time under the wrong circumstance."

"I already figured that. He never struck me as the type to hold a grudge."

"He loved you more than you could ever possibly know. Once you were gone, he was completely lost. He couldn't relate to the kids at school, nor could he relate to the adults who were teaching him in the harshest possible ways. He was left to come to his own conclusions about the meaning of life. Those conclusions nearly led him to a self-imposed execution."

"I had no idea..."

"When I met him, he was teetering on the edge of death's door. All he needed was someone to listen with an open heart and an open mind."

"Can you give me specific examples of what happened?"

"Two of your friends molested him between the ages of five and six."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Why would I lie about something like that?"

Ian sighed.

"Oh, my god..."

"The perpetrators were more methodical than your typical blunt force cases. They used to trickery and deceit to get what they after. To make matters worse, one of them tried to bribe him into assaulting a girl who was visiting at the time."

"I'm afraid to ask."

"He didn't fall for it."

"I knew you had it in you, bro..."

"Your brother has a strong moral compass, even if it's hard to maintain sometimes. I believe me being here will make it easier for him in the long run."

"Considering you could probably break every bone in those dicks' bodies in a fraction of a second, I'd say he's definitely in good hands...I mean hooves...Whatever."

"He confessed to me before he passed that he enjoyed the sensations during the time the molestation was going on. It was a source of great shame for him for a long time."

"I'm glad you told me. Now I can make sure it doesn't happen again."

"We."

"Right. We."

"To tell you the truth, I was worried about changing history while waiting for him to be reborn, but I don't care anymore. Even if the world were to burn to ashes around us, as long I have him, I couldn't care less."

"You're the real deal, ain't ya?"

Ian rose from the swing, stretching his legs and back.

"I'm sure there's more to the story, but I think I have enough to go on for now. I should get back inside."

"Give him a hug for me. He needs to know we're looking out for him now more than ever."

"You don't gotta tell me twice."

"I'll come back soon so we can all spend some time together."

"Don't forget about ma."

"I won't."

"Later."

"Godspeed."

The ponies saluted each other before parting their separate ways.