Shines the Sun

To gain a better understanding of Atmospheric's side of things, she allowed Harmonic to speak first. He started with his early upbringing and continued from there.

"The town I grew up in was littered with some of the worst people you could possibly imagine: child molesters, woman beaters, you name it. People I went to school with either ended up in abusive relationships or hooked on narcotics because there was nothing else to do. It was a tragedy in the truest sense of the word. The fact I didn't end up going that route is nothing short of a miracle, and I mean that literally. Without her to set me straight, I would've been in trouble."

"What was your home life like?" Cadance inquired.

"I wasn't particularly close with anyone except my brother. He was the only one I shared any common interests with. When we weren't at school, we were watching anime and playing games. From time to time, I would go to work with my mom and younger sister. That's how I discovered rock and metal. There'd always be something interesting on the radio."

"It sounds like you couldn't really relate to the people around you. It's possible you had an undiagnosed attachment disorder."

"It's not that I wasn't appreciative of what they did for me. I just couldn't find a meaningful way to articulate it. I tried to be especially careful with my mother. After high school, I found out she'd been abused by my grandfather. I always wondered why I never met my grandparents. Turned out he was a hardcore pedophile who assaulted numerous girls in the community."

"Sounds like you all went through a lot."

"As things stand, I'm the first male in four generations not to have been arrested for some kind of violent crime. Aside from Atmospheric, I put a lot of pressure on myself to avoid going down that road. In conjunction with everything else, I fell into a depression that lasted over a decade. I cut myself off from the outside world completely. Most days I was either extremely irritable or suicidal. Needless to say, I was an unpleasant person to be around."

"The important thing is you can acknowledge that now. Tell me about when you met Atmospheric."

"Not much to say. I was training in the woods when a huge column of light parted the clouds. It was exactly how I imagined something like that happening, actually. You pretty much know what went down from there."

"Sounds like she knew you better than you realized."

"These days I'm sure she knows me better than I know myself."

"I'm still the only one who knows his kinks." the angel cut in.

Harmonic shrank back into his coat. Even though sexuality had become somewhat less taboo in recent years, he was still embarrassed to speak about it openly.

"Sorry," he apologized, "We're usually a lot more dignified than this."

"Don't apologize," Cadance comforted, "You're not the first couple with a passionate sex life. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"It just feels weird to talk about after everything I said, ya know?"

"Child abuse happens whether we talk about it or not. All we can do is make people aware and teach them to protect themselves."

"Yeah. You're right."

"Looks like our time's up. Atmospheric, do you have any objections holding off until our next session?"

"Not at all. I figured you were probably swamped."

"I expect your story to be the most interesting I'll ever hear. This should give you time to collect your thoughts."

"I'll try not to disappoint."

"Looking at you now, I'm actually kind of jealous. Shining was never one for public affection. In a way, I'm thankful he became more reclusive as he got older. It gave us more time to be together as husband and wife."

"I'm sure he wanted to be closer to you, but you know men. They always have to look tough in front of their guy friends."

"When you put it like that, I have to question some things about his orientation."

"We all know men are secretly bi. It's just common knowledge."

"It's news to me."

The mares laughed, causing Harmonic to join in with a light chuckle. Somehow, he already felt closer to his seraphic bride than before...