“We’ll talk about it later?” Soundwave asked?
“Not a chance! We were worried sick!” Duskfall responded.
The trio looked at eachother with exhaustion. Everything that had happened to them within the day had already tired them out. Acidic being extremely drained. The winds that he had flown in during the gorge escapade during that last hour pushed his body to its limits. He didn’t tell the others of course, however it was blatantly obvious when, out of nowhere, he fainted. The five around him immediately panicked. Sour and Sweet tried to shake him awake; to not avail. “Get somepony, Anypony!” Sour shouted out as his voice echoed through the train station entrance. Duskfall and Dawnrise looked at eachother before then turning to Soundwave. “Wavey, you help Sweet and Sour take Acidic to the nearby hospital. Use your wings to fly up and guide them! We’ll go to the street our parents live on. Meet us there once you’re done” Duskfall instructed Soundwave. Soundwave, nodding to his husband, then turned to Sour and Sweet. “Right, let’s get going! He’s probably just exhausted, but even still it’s better to be safe than sorry!” he then said as he flapped his wings and took off into the air; Sweet using his magic to put Acidic on Sour’s back.
“It’s a pity those three won’t be able to join us, but even still, you have me and Soundwave, Dusk” Dawnrise then said to Duskfall as the other four headed off to the hospital at an immensely fast pace. “Yeah, well, let’s get going. This isn’t going to happen on its own. Come on” Duskfall then responded as the pair began galloping in another direction to the quartet. The quartet vanishing in the distance as the other two trotted off. Feelings tense and anticipation for a good outcome high in Duskfall’s mind.
Whilst the pair of brother made their way toward the street that Duskfall’s parents lived at, the quartet heading for the hospital were fast in their approach. About ten minutes flew by as Soundwave managed to guide them to the hospital they were headed to. When they finally got there, they saw that the sign spelled out “GULFMANE HOSPITAL” with a brick-laden building behind them; with glass doors leading inside. The four rushed to the reception as they disturbed a sleeping mare at the reception. She jumped up with a screech before taking a moment to look at Acidic; who was knocked out on Sour’s back. Immediately, she said “Take a seat over there, I’ll get somepony to help” before getting up herself and galloping off. After a few moments, two ponies emerged; alongside the receptionist. “Looks like you two will be okay now. I have to head off to catch up with Duskfall and Dawnrise. We’ll come back here after…” Soundwave paused in his sentence. He knew it probably wasn’t going to end well. “Look, you go, and good luck” Sour responded. Soundwave, looking at the pair, nodded in understanding before galloping out and flying off. The duo in the hospital focusing their attention toward Acidic as he almost fell off of Sour from turning in his sleep.
Duskfall and Dawnrise meanwhile, were one street away from the one they were headed for. Dawnrise looked around, simply saying “brings back… Memories” as he looked toward a more wooded area. The wooded area housing several birds that chirped as they flew both out and inside of the woods they lived in. A path, as derelict as it looked, seemed to also lead inside. “Mind if we take a small detour? It’s not far, but I’d love to see our old treehouse… If it’s still there” Dawnrise asked as he looked at Duskfall. Duskfall took a moment before responding. His mind being conflicted. On one hoof, he could distract himself from the situation momentarily. On the other however, he didn’t want to accidentally sabotage himself in terms of losing the confidence to do what he was going to do. “Come on, you and I both know it’ll be better to have a tiny break from the worrying” Dawnrise then told Duskfall as the two stared at eachother. Relenting, Duskfall nodded, and the pair trotted into the woods.
The pair trotted for a little bit as the nature around them almost made the pair forget about the fact they were in a city. The leaves were blowing in wind and the river near the path the two were trotting down was trickling. It was a much needed and welcome break and wind-down from what was to come; much to Duskfall’s surprise. Dawnrise trotted on ahead a little bit as Duskfall looked around. Flashes of his past appearing in his mind. In one flash, he saw his younger self with Dawnrise as they playfully galloped through the path ahead. “Wait for me Dawn!” he heard his younger self shout out to the visage of his brother’s younger form. It only lasted a few more moments, but he felt pure happiness at the reminiscing. The moments were cut short however, when Dawnrise tapped him on the back. “What?” Duskfall asked in shock as he quickly turned around. “I found it! Come on it’s still mostly intact!” Dawnrise responded as he grabbed Duskfall’s hoof. Together, they both headed toward the treehouse.
It only took a moment or so as they trotted onto a small path that led up to a clearing in the woods. In the middle of the clearing, an oak tree stood. The leaves crowding around the treehouse working with the tree to accommodate for the treehouse. Although it clearly hadn’t been used in years, and the colours were faded, the roof still held a purple hue. The wood for the main structure of the treehouse held a faded, almost camouflage look to the paintwork on the walls. Clearly being from the leaves sheltering the treehouse from storms and rain that had happened prior to their visit. “Can’t believe it’s still here… I wonder if any of the neighborhood colts and fillies use it” Duskfall said to himself. “They probably do. I saw a desk in there that definitely wasn’t ours” Dawnrise responded, some sadness in his voice. “Well, look at it this way, our favourite childhood spot hasn’t been destroyed. It’s being respected by the next generation. As young as we are” Duskfall chuckled as he finished his sentence. Dawnrise looked at him, a smile coming to his face somewhat as he responded. “Now if only everypony respected their surroundings. Maybe the park near Cluttered’s wouldn’t be so ruined huh” he then responded.
“Yeah… That would be nice” Duskfall responded as they both stared at the treehouse, taking the time to sit. Memories wisped by the pair of them in unison as they both saw themselves playing in the treehouse. Minutes felt like hours as they both just stared longingly at the memories they knew they could never experience again. Duskfall almost shed a tear when Dawnrise turned to him, speaking after what seemed to be a good ten minutes of silence. “You all right?” he asked in a comforting tone. “Yeah… I’ll be fine. Come on, Soundwave is probably freaking out about where we are” Duskfall responded, taking a deep breath and sighing with inner peace; even if that peace would only last around twenty minutes more.
Meanwhile, Soundwave was scouring the skies. His head darting in all directions below as he had a few run-ins with green ponies he mistook as either of the brothers from afar. Many apologies were dealt out as he accidentally bumped into them from behind. His eyes were shifting constantly trying to scan the area for the pair of brothers. He couldn’t understand where they could’ve gone! That was, until, he found two greenish-purple figures down below him; exiting a wooded area next to a relatively nice little street. He soared down as he went to check the two out and, sure enough, it was the pair of brothers. With a crashing torrent of wind accompanying him, he managed to almost blow the pair away as he looked at them; realizing that he had almost made a windstorm. “Sorry” he began as he dusted his landing spot. “Winds above were incredibly strong. Carrying that wind with me resulted in what you saw; although you knew that I bet Dawnrise” he then finished. He looked at Dawnrise expecting an answer of understanding, but all he saw were the pair almost coughing their lungs up from the debris that had flown their way.
“Whoops! Sorry!” Soundwave then added on as he used his wings to blow the debris away from the three of them. “I-it’s fine” Dawnrise responded through his decreasing coughing. “This is the street we were meant to meet at. So, it’s good you were flying around” Duskfall then said as he looked onward. Ahead of them, they all looked to a fork in the street. The fork in the street leading to another street. The one the three of them ended up trotting over to. There, they saw a row of houses and a cul-de-sac housing five houses at the end. One of the houses looking different from the others. Whilst the others had relatively new look to them, with the colours being nice and lively, one did not. The odd house of the five looked very dull. Grey even. Though not completely devoid of colour, it was clear the colour that was used, was almost lifeless. It almost looked like the house lacked happiness. It also looked as if it was stuck in times long gone as well; with the front door and windows being stuck in an almost older decade compared to the rest of the houses around it. Soundwave was the first to comment on this, saying “Wow, could use an update to fit in with the rest of these huh” before he looked at Duskfall. Duskfall ignored the comment as he slowly trotted up to the front yard.
“Wait for us!” Dawnrise then added on as he began to trot up the path. Soundwave however, seemed to also stay silent. He didn’t know how to feel. It was clear that his feelings were in a complicated rut as he seemed more distant than usual. Duskfall, who turned around to look at him as a final confirmation of what he was about to do, caught on. “Wavey, I know how you feel. It’s how I felt this morning. We have to do this. For ourselves. We can’t keep hiding and running from everypony who hates who we are. We have to stand our ground” Duskfall said to Soundwave, trotting up to him and hugging him. Soundwave embraced the hug as he began tearing up, which didn’t shock either of the brothers. “I guess… I guess I just wish that my parents were at least alive. At least then, if this goes like we all think, you’d at least have somepony other than eachother or me” Soundwave then explained as he used his wing to wipe the tears from his eyes. Duskfall broke from the hug, looking at Dawnrise before Dawnrise then responded. “If this goes wrong, we have Sour, Sweet and Acidic. We have Cluttered and the six of us can help eachother through whatever happens. Although I will say…” Dawnrise began.
“That honestly, after today, we should all promise to just outwardly be ourselves. You two have always been supportive of eachother and everypony around you. That’s what I think your special powers are together. Cluttered… Well, we can help him find his gift and as for the three in the hospital right now, they have a gift for timing and giving ponies hope. At least, from what I’ve seen” Dawnrise then ended off as he trotted up to the pair and pointed his wing at the house. “Now, let’s get this part over with” he then added on as he trotted up to the door and rung the partially rusted bell on the door; Duskfall and Soundwave trotting up next to him as they all waited. Which is when the door finally opened; albeit very hesitantly. With a light gasp from the one opening the door.
When the door fully opened, the three stallions stared at a mare. The mare having a deep, dark purple to her mane and tail whilst having a very pastel cyan coloured coat. Her eyes looked almost sea green, but with a blue tint, as her wings politely and delicately sat on her sides. The mare looked the two brothers up and down as if she’d seen a ghost from her past as she whispered in shock. “D-Duskfall… D-Dawnrise…” is what she whispered before a stallion trotted from behind her. This stallion was almost the direct contrast to the mare as his coat was a reddish vermillion hue. His eyes screamed a deep and vivid purple as his mane and tail were flooded with a rose-red colour. Without wings, or a horn, the stallion stared. Instead of being shocked, the stallion simply gave a malicious grin as he spoke. “Finally came crawling back did you?” he asked, almost in a mocking tone. Duskfall was frozen on the spot as flashed of the stallion and his younger self flooded his mind. The memories of that day, the day he ran away, flooded back to him. Dawnrise however, spoke up. “We need to talk with you both. Duskfall has something he wants to tell you” Dawnrise said as he eyed the stallion with silent anger in his eyes.
Soundwave, however, almost wasn’t noticed by the mare and stallion until they took their eyes off of the brothers. Both looked at eachother until Dawnrise added on “He’s here because it relates to what Duskfall wants to tell you” as he then tapped Duskfall. Duskfall, who was wildly in his memories snapped back to the present. He shook his head as the mare and stallion inside the house stepped aside. “You know where the kitchen is” the stallion simply muttered as the three entered the house. The house itself resembled the outside heavily. The colour inside of the house being completely void and even more depressive and oppressive than the exterior. Completely grey and lifeless. The house, of course, was clean. Though it looked as if time itself had frozen completely as Duskfall and Dawnrise looked around. It hadn’t changed from when they were younger at all. The air seemed still, almost too much so. The three remained silent as they headed to the kitchen. The kitchen, looking almost a century old in style, held a distinct nineteen-twenties feel. It also felt like a sort of farmhouse kitchen; with the oven looking almost vintage and the fridge almost looking made out of wood. It would’ve looked great in colour which was where the prevalent issue made itself once again clear, however. The gray did not spare the kitchen as the lack of colour made it seem as if one were moving through a true memory. A flash of the past frozen and captured in the house indefinitely.
“Well sit down” the Earthpony then said with aggression as the two brothers sat down; the mare and stallion following. Soundwave, opting to stand, stood beside Duskfall as the four sat down stared across at one another. It was almost like a visible rift as all four of the ponies sitting down seemed to radiate a distinct distaste for one another. Dawnrise being the most reserved but clearly angry internally. Soundwave decided to break the silence after a few moments as he spoke. “So, I never asked your names Sir and Ma’am” he said as he tried to start a conversation. He may not have enjoyed being in their company, but if he could make sure this visit wasn’t as destructive as it was going to get, he’d go that extra mile to try. To his happy surprise, it did break the ice as the stallion responded with “I’m Firelight, this here is their mother and my wife; Misty Night” as he darted his eyes from their sons to who they considered the outsider.
“So, what do you want to tell us? Is it about how you’re sorry for running off? How we’re right and you’re wrong? About-“ but before Firelight could even finish the rest of his words, Dawnrise interjected. “Actually, dad, no we’re not here for that. If you want that go back to being delusional. The levels of arrogance you seem to have will help with that easily” he responded. This got his father to glare daggers at Dawnrise as he said “Well OUT with it then colt” through angered, gritted teeth. Duskfall looked at Dawnrise, and then to Soundwave as the three of them knew it was time. With a delayed and deep breath, he finally told them the inevitable.
“I’m married. To a stallion. The one I brought here with us today in fact. His name is Soundwave”.
The two parents darted shocked and, for the first time since they entered the house, Misty spoke. “You… You married a stallion? Are you ill? Oh what has that city done to you!” she cried out as she got out of her chair and galloped up the stairs with trails of tears leaving her eyes. Firelight on the other hand, looked as though he was about to explode. His voice immediately increased in decibels as he bellowed “YOU WHAT!? YOU MARRIED HIM!? THAT’S HORRIBLE!” across the table. Duskfall looked pale as he sat back in his chair; wordless. Dawnrise was the one to respond however, himself shouting out in equal anger but at his father. “HE CAME HERE TO TELL YOU THIS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT YOU HAD THE RIGHT TO KNOW! THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS NOT ECHO ANGER AT HIM! AND YOU WONDER WHY HE AND I RAN AWAY!” is what Dawnrise shouted back. At this point, Firelight looked as if he only saw fury as he bellowed back at Dawnrise once again. “YES BECAUSE IT’S OUR FAULT THAT YOU DECIDED TO RUN OFF AFTER YOU TOLD US YOU THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO BE A MARE! IT’S NOT MY FAULT YOU’RE A FREAK! A STAIN ON OUR FAMILY, BOTH OF YOU!” he boomed out. Soundwave however, cut in. “Is it a crime to want to live as we want to? Without fear? With support from those who mean the most to us?” Soundwave asked. Firelight however immediately responded with “DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME, YOU FILTHY, HORRIBLE, DISGUSTING STALLION! YOU’VE CORRUPTED MY SON!”. Duskfall, after hearing this, finally got up out of his seat. He was not about to relive that day. The day he ran away. He spoke, with a cold anger. “My husband did not corrupt me…” he began. He took a silent second to contemplate what he was about to say next, and then ended his sentence.
“You did. Both of you. You hurt me. You hurt Dawnrise”
Soundwave looked at the brothers as he let the moment settle in. Firelight looked confused in his anger. “WE HURT YOU!? YOU HURT US! WE RAISED YOU RIGHT, WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN’T DO THIS! HOW COULD YOU WASTE ALL THAT TIME DOING THIS?!” he bellowed out. But Duskfall didn’t respond as he headed straight for the front door. Soundwave followed as Dawnrise quickly flew out past the pair toward the woods. Duskfall knew immediately where he was headed as he took one look at Firelight before saying “You lost two sons and possibly a daughter in the span of an hour… You should be ashamed of yourselves” as both Soundwave and Duskfall exited. Firelight didn’t wait for the pair to leave however, as he slammed the door; physically batting the pair out of the house. The pair landed on the lawn as Duskfall rubbed his head. “Are you alright Dusky?” Soundwave asked. “I’m fine. It’s not like we expected anything else…” Duskfall responded as he began galloping toward the forest. Soundwave followed as he flew beside Duskfall. Duskfall intent on making sure they reached Dawnrise. It being clear to the pair of them that what Firelight had said, had struck a particular wound. One that he hadn’t even known about.
It took only five minutes before the pair found Dawnrise again. This time, Dawnrise wasn’t outside of the treehouse, however. Instead, Dawnrise was inside. Soundwave flew up to the entrance as Duskfall climbed up, and once the pair were there, they sat next to Dawnrise, who stared off at the distant woods. “Dawnrise…” Duskfall began. “I… I never knew… That day you left, I never-“ but before Duskfall could finish, Dawnrise turned to him. Tears had stained their face as they spoke. “Look, I know you were at school when it happened… Truth be told I should’ve told you… I just didn’t know if I’d lose you too…” they said through their tears that had started up again. “You’d never lose me, or Soundwave” Duskfall responded. “I know I just-“ Dawnrise began. They cut themselves off however as they took a deep breath and ended their sentence. “I was afraid. I tried to be strong for you… I know how much you were affected by the pair of them”. Duskfall and Soundwave looked at eachother, before Soundwave responded. “Look, we’re the last stallions to come hounding at you for being who you are. You were obviously hurt by them as well… I think all three of us can relate to one another. You two moreso than me but still” he said as Dawnrise slightly smiled; with a melancholic look in their eyes.
“I just wish I had said it sooner…” they said as they then stared back out to the woods. Duskfall and Soundwave sat with Dawnrise. For about ten minutes the three sat in silence. Soundwave leaning on Duskfall who had been looking at Dawnrise occasionally. Dawnrise slightly sniffling as they wiped their tears away every now and again. Duskfall, after he realized that the day was becoming night, simply asked “So, instead of a brother I have a sister then” as he looked at Dawnrise. Dawnrise, who seemed to have recovered mostly, smiled at the pair. “Yeah… I guess I’d go with just, Dawn, for now” they then responded as the other two nodded. “Right, let’s go find the other three. They’re very likely to still be at the hospital” Dawnrise then added as, slowly, the three of them got up. The hurt had come. The hurt still affected the three of them, but slowly, they’d all recover. Slowly, they would make their lives truly magical. Slowly, they’d all find true joy. As Duskfall climbed down from the treehouse and the two pegasi flew down to the ground, Duskfall and Dawn took one final look at the treehouse. Their memories of the treehouse playing infront of them in their own minds. With a turn of their heads, those memories disappeared. For presumably the last time.
After about an hour of trotting the hospital, they finally arrived. However, Sour, Sweet and Acidic weren’t in the actual building. Instead, The three of them were outside. This made the three approaching ponies confused. That was, until Sour spoke. “Now I KNOW what you’re thinking. They signed us out because Acidic managed to wake up. He said he felt fine and they just… Let us go I guess!” Sour said as he looked at Sweet and Acidic. The pair of them rolled their eyes as Acidic asked “So, how’d it go?” as the three of them then stared at the three others. Duskfall responded with “It went about how we imagined… Dawn, do you want to-“ but before he could finish his question, she answered. “Yeah, let’s explain when we get to an inn, there're a few nearby." she then said, with a happier tone for the first time in a little bit that day.
“Come on you three! Let’s go!” Duskfall then shouted out as the trio caught up and began trotting through the town. The events of the day weighing on their minds much less so than before they happened. The damage was great, the adventure was striking, but for now, the six of them just wanted to get to a place to stay for the night. Their minds and bodies exhausted.