Chapter 5: At The End of it All

…Ten years later…

A long time has passed since Harmonic and Atmospheric disappeared. The day Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash left that empty house behind, a new force began to stir within the orange filly; a force of incredible emotion and creativity. When she wasn't at school, she was in her room drawing, writing, or making music. Now that she was a fully grown mare, she'd gained a reputation around Cloudsdale and Ponyville. Her emotional style of creativity appealed to many who'd been experiencing tough times. It gave them someone to relate to and a way to escape from whatever was troubling them. Scootaloo had produced several demos in her room during the first few years with Rainbow Dash. Most of them were produced in the hardcore and early metalcore styles, but a couple of her very early ones saw experimentation with slower tempos and a thicker, doomier type of sound. Her drawings contained dark backgrounds and characters that often appeared to be low in spirits. After her skills had matured, she drew portraits of Atmospheric and Harmonic, so she could have something else to remember them by. Her writings often pertained to personal struggle. In her teen years, she deviated from those types of writings a bit and got involved with romantic literature. However, after she graduated high school, she compared the relatability of her romantic writing with her introspective writing and left the romance genre behind to fully pursue writing about internal conflict. Currently, she was focused on recording a full-length hardcore album.

"Like a feral animal, I'm placed into a cage! I'll save myself from death's grip! My will will never fail me! I just don't die! For them I live! Find the magic in everyday life!

I'M NOT GOING TO DIE!

The will to live, I give myself! I will not fear!

I WILL NOT FALTER!"

*knock knock knock*

Scootaloo stopped recording and opened her bedroom door.

"Hey Scootaloo. You okay?"

"Yeah Rainbow Dash, I'm fine."

"You sounded pretty good."

"Thanks. "

"Can I ask you to do me a favor?"

"Sure thing."

"I have to go to the market to pick up a few things, but I'm not really feeling up to it. Can you go instead?"

"Yeah. I could probably use a little time out of the house anyway."

"Guess it's a win-win then."

Rainbow Dash handed Scootaloo a list of things to purchase from town.

"Milk, eggs, and tomatoes are on the list, huh?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No. It just reminded me of when I first met Harmonic. He was a killer comedian. He used to pretend toast was an anti-spell shield."

"Sounds like he had a knack for it."

"He did. It's because of him that I've spent so much time in here working."

"He did the same thing, didn't he?"

"Yeah. The more I think about it, the more it seems like his heart was breaking every day. I just never noticed I guess."

"Don't think too much about it Scootaloo. It'll just lead to your own heartache."

"You going soft on me, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said in a joking manner.

"I guess I was never as tough as I thought. He somehow saw right through me."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He knew me so well it was scary."

"To tell you the truth, I picked up that same ability when I got a little older. All that emotion I put into my work sort of spilled over into my everyday being, and I was able to tell what someone was like by talking to them."

"He'd be proud of you."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Anyway, you should get moving. The store's only open so late."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll see you when I get home."

Scootaloo left her house. She pulled two earbuds from her hoodie and placed them into her ears, and then she spread her wings and flew below Cloudsdale at top speed. Ponyville hadn't changed much over the last ten years, at least in terms of the structures that occupied it, but the ponies that lived there possessed a new fighting spirit. There hadn't been any attacks on the town since the last attempt all those years ago. The inhabitants had swiftly dealt with the situation and sealed away the one responsible.

"Okay, finally here. This won't take long."

Scootaloo shopped around for about fifteen minutes before purchasing the items she needed.

"Alright, time to go home."

"Not without saying hi to a couple old friends."

Scootaloo turned to the direction of the voice. Her jaw practically dropped when she saw who it was.

"Dad? Atmospheric? Is it really you?"

"I promised you didn't I? I told you we'd be back."

Scootaloo couldn't find the words to say. After all this time, they were finally back.

"You just gonna' stand there, or are you gonna' give your old man a hug?"

Scootaloo ran up to Harmonic and embraced him. His black jacket was as warm as she remembered.

"Where have you guys been? I was worried sick about you."

"To be completely honest, we don't know what happened either. After we left, we blacked out. Next thing we know, we're back in town and ten years have already come and gone."

"Wait, you mean you haven't even been aware of anything until now?"

"That's right," Atmospheric said.

"How's that even possible? Were you in a coma or something?"

"That's the only thing that makes sense," Harmonic replied, "but it's really strange. We didn't wake up in a hospital or anything. We were outside."

"Like how you found me?"

"Something like that, except we weren't in an alley. We were out in the open."

"That's pretty weird."

"I agree."

"You've made a name for yourself while we've been away," Atmospheric stated.

"That's right," Harmonic said, "We asked around about you, and we found out you've been quite the busy beaver."

"What can I say? I learned from you, didn't I?"

"That's true."

"Hey, can you guys wait here for a minute? I want to get Rainbow Dash."

"Sure thing."

Scootaloo turned towards the direction of Cloudsdale and flew off with her groceries. It wasn't long before she got home.

"Rainbow Dash."

"You're back already? That was quick."

"Two ponies are waiting for us back at the market."

"What?"

"You'll recognize them when you see them."

Rainbow Dash was confused for a minute, but then it hit her.

"It's them!?"

Scootaloo nodded.

"No way! I thought they were gone for good!"

"So did I, but he kept his promise after all."

"That's right. He said they'd find a way back in that song, didn't he?"

"Yeah. They were apparently in some weird type of coma or something."

"A coma? Are you serious?"

"Yep."

"Okay, this is freaky. We need to go see them now."

Scootaloo nodded and both of them flew out the door. After a few minutes, they were back at the market.

"So it IS you guys. Where the heck have you been?"

"It's like we told Scootaloo. We have no idea what happened. We just opened our eyes and we were back here."

"That's crazy."

"Tell me about it. Anyway, what's been up with you? You look stronger than ever."

"Guess you haven't heard I've become a wonderbolt yet, huh?"

"I knew you had it in you."

"Oh really?"

"And what's that supposed to mean," Harmonic said in a joking tone.

"Nothing. Just talking about your freaky psychic thing."

"Yeah, I so have mystical abilities," He replied as he laughed.

"Why don't we take a walk," Atmospheric suggested.

"I'm down with that," Harmonic replied.

The four began walking away from the store.

"Dad?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I've been trying to figure out why I changed so much. I didn't even know the types of creations that I make existed until you showed me. After you left, I made them all the time. Can you tell me why?"

"You found the real you, the version of yourself that wasn't limited by the restraints of blind optimism. You realized that it was okay to feel sad and angry as long as you knew how to properly manage those feelings. Your creations are the result of that realization, just like mine."

"It's been kind of scary."

"I know, but it's okay. Just like I promised you I would be back, I promise you now that I will never let anything bad happen to you. This time, I believe I'm here for good."

The determination of the stallion she called her father brought a smile to Scootaloo's face and a warmth to her heart. Now she could rest easy. The pain was all over.

The End…