The Four Broken Souls Of Atera.

by Sylif Daring Doo

End of an Era.

______*The city of Atera, five months later.*______

The Coastal City of Atera, part of the Equestrian nation and home to a large variety of culture, species and individuals, this city is renowned far and wide as a home for those who need a second chance, after all, many who live here were given a clean slate when they came to live in the city.

There are three main districts in the city of Atera, the renamed Noble District, the Merchant District, and the rebuilding Slums, the noble district is home to the rich and the politicians of the city, the Merchant district is home to the middle class citizens and many refugees from the Slums.

The Slums themselves are the home to many poor residents and used to be very cheaply made, but in stark contrast with the rest of the city, the Slums were also known as the Jewel of Atera by those who used to live there, it's people may not have been extremely wealthy, but they were a community that stuck together and mourned together when any of their friends died, they also took great pride and care of their park which was the center of the Slums.

A breeze blew through the city and brushed along the leg of a brown furred rabbit female, she wore light gray pants, a gray tee shirt and had a silver band on her right arm, the rabbits name was Alice, or as she used to be known, the Hooded Maniac, the rabbit was standing atop a tall building in the Merchant district, looking out to the Slums as they were being rebuilt.

"What brings you up here?" Asked a male voice behind Alice, she looked over her shoulder and saw her boyfriend, a black and white wolf with green eyes walked over, he wore a dark red shirt and black pants, he had a silver band on his left arm. "Hey Shade, I just wanted to look at my old home." Alice said to the Night Wolf before looking back out at the Slums.

Shade's hand rested on Alice's shoulder and he looked at his old home with her. "I miss it too, but we have a new life here, I think we should let the Slums go and leave it to the next generations, besides, we have somewhere to be today, somewhere important." He reminded the rabbit.

Alice looked at Shade and saw his smile, she returned it and nodded while grabbing his hand. "Yea, let's go." She said, walking with him to the roof entrance so they could leave the building.

While they headed down the stairs, Shade spoke. "How are you feeling? you nervous?" He asked with curiosity.

"Yea, I am." Alice replied. "I know i shouldn't be, but I am, I'm happy and nervous at the same time, is this normal?" She asked, she was uncertain when she spoke.

Shade looked at Alice when they stepped off the stairs. "I think so, but I'm no expert on it, come on, let's go." He said before leading his girlfriend out of the building.

It took about six minutes for the two to leave the building, which was actually an apartment building with open roof access, and when they got out onto the streets they walked side by side, Shade put his hands in his pockets and Alice mimicked him. "You know, things will never be the same." Alice said as they walked together.

Shade nodded and breathed in the salt air of the city, he let his breath out and looked at her. "I know, for one thing I don't think Seth is going to make it easy, knowing her she's come up with dozens of ways to torture us with practical jokes or worse." He said with a small smirk.

Alice playfully nudged Shade on his arm and kept on walking. "Your not still bitter about the itching powder are you?" She asked with an amused smile.

"Considering it led to me burning a lot of my favorite clothes? I have the right to be bitter." The Night Wolf replied firmly.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Yea right, those clothes had mold on them on you just want to blame her." She countered with amusement in her tone.

Shade grunted as they turned the corner to the street belonging to the Atera health institute, there weren't many people on this street today, and it was known that many former inhabitants of the Slums were going home, while the rest made new lives somewhere else, he didn't really mind though, as much as he grew to love the Slums when he lived there, he also fell in love with the Merchant district.

So as the two walked to the detox center, he found himself reminiscing a little about the Slums, he remembered his first day, how he arrived from the train and walked to the apartments, he remembered meeting Seth in apartment 192 and soon meeting Syrin and Karak, he remembered the day he went out with Seth for laundry and having a treat at Hiran's, he remembered going to the Watering Hole and working at the Waterfall, he found himself smiling at the memories and looked at Alice as they walked. "What?" The rabbit asked curiously.

He remembered when they first met, she was indifferent to him, and he to her, it stayed like that until the night the Slums burned, when they first moved into Firefly's home the rabbit had thanked him and Karak for saving her from a crazy kangaroo, and they hit it off from there, he chuckled and looked down at the sidewalk, he kicked a small pebble that was by his feet. "Are you ok?" Alice asked, her voice now had a hint of concern.

Shade looked up and then looked at his girlfriend. "Yea, I'm just reminiscing is all, you ready for this?" He asked as they entered the grounds of the Atera health institute.

Alice nodded. "Yea, I am." She said as they walked to the building, it remained the same through the months, and over time many patients came and went, and while it was hard to see Seth there, they had grown to like seeing the place, because it reminded them that the people there just wanted to help, they also knew that Seth was safe there, and now as they approached, Alice smiled and looked at Shade, who looked straight ahead at the building.

Shade walked up the steps leading to the main entrance and he opened the door, he let Alice walk inside first and he followed her in, the lobby was the same as always, there weren't any others in today, and there was only the lion and a yellow earth pony stallion with a brown mane behind the counter, the stallion looked up and nodded at them, motioning to the chairs to wait.

Shade walked over to the chairs and sat down, he closed his eyes and waited, he heard Alice sit down next to him, it was amazing, the two of them visited Seth whenever they were all available, thanks to Doctor Terrance who kept them informed, he and Alice had gotten to know most of the staff in the institute, or at least the ones that worked the desk and in the actual detox center, most of them were great people, some were more quiet or indifferent to the world, it those were the doctors, because seeing so many others fall apart mentally took its toll, so thankfully they at least were civil in their talks.

They soon heard a door open and a familiar voice was heard. "See you guys, it's been great but for my sake I hope I don't have to come back." Shade opened his eyes and saw the all too familiar face of a grinning rabbit looking at him and Alice.

Alice got up off the chair and walked over to her sister, she hugged her tightly and let go a moment later. "So sis, you ready to see the world again?" She asked with a smile.

Seth nodded and looked at Shade, he got up and walked over, as he did, he couldn't help but look her over, not in a bad way of course.

The older rabbit had obviously gotten better, and if it weren't for the difference in eye color and a now slight height difference, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart, Seth's blue eyes now seemed far more alive than ever, her burn scar was still there but her fur seemed much more clean, she wore a pair of stringless light purple track pants and wore a light blue sleeveless shirt with music notes on the front, she did not have her usual shackles on because she sent them home with Alice.

Seth carried her stuff in a brown duffle bag with the strap over her shoulder. "Can we go now? if we stay they might make me stay another few months." She said, it was clear she was joking, but her tone indicated that she just wanted to go outside.

Shade nodded and Alice opened the door to the outside and letting her sister go out first, Seth walked to the threshold and took a deep breath, she stepped outside and was followed by Shade and Alice, who closed the door behind them.

Alice watched as her sister walked down the steps and took in the fresh salt air of Atera. "It's good to be free again." The rabbit said before looking at Shade and Alice. "You coming or not?" She asked.

Shade walked down the stairs and headed to Seth, closely followed by Alice, the three headed for the gate to leave the grounds of the Institute. "So, what do you guys want to do today? I say we go and bother Wes and Alecia, it's been way too long since I saw them anyway." She asked.

"I have no objection to it." Alice said, she then looked at Shade who nodded at her. "Before we do though, there is something i.......WE need to tell you." She said as they neared a bench.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "What is it? is it private?" She asked out of curiosity.

"I think a pavilion is open, come on." Shade said, leading them down a small stone path, they reached the pavilion and once they were sure they were alone, Seth spoke. "What's going on you two?" She asked with annoyance in her tone.

Shade took a deep breath. "Well, you see I uh, well......thing is." He struggled to find the right words.

Alice sighed and put a calming hand on Shade's shoulder, she smiled at him and then looked at Seth. "We're getting married." She announced.

Seth's eyes widened until she couldn't make them any wider, she then stood up and stared at her sister and future brother-in-law, she said nothing which concerned the two. "Seth? are you alright?" Shade asked out of worry.

Seth blinked and took a few steps over to Alice, she placed a hand on her shoulder, her expression was one of shock but her voice betrayed her expression. "I......" She quickly hugged her younger sister and closed her eyes. "I'm happy for you, as much of an idiot Shade can be-" She remarked.

"I'm right here you know." The Night Wolf pointed out.

Seth stuck her tongue out at him. "-I'd be happy to call him brother." She added with a approving tone.

Alice returned the hug and smiled. "Thanks sis." She replied quietly. "That means a lot to me." She added.

Seth grinned. "Just be sure to let me take bets on what the kids will be." She joked.

"And with that, I have discovered that you have a gambling problem." Shade commented.

"I do NOT having a gambling problem!" Seth stated adamantly. "I am aware of what gambling is and i have NEVER had a problem doing it!" She added, ruining the second long image of being a much more responsible adult.

Seth looked at the two. "Have you told anyone else yet?" She asked.

Shade shook his head. "No, we felt that you deserved to be the first to know." He replied.

"Technically the third to know, so anyway let's get going, I want to get away from this place and experience some normal life again." The rabbit stated before walking out and away from the pavilion.

Shade and Alice followed Seth to the main gate and when they reached it the older sister looked back at the institute for a few moments, as though silently saying goodbye, she then sighed and walked out onto the streets of Atera for the first time in months.

Alice walked up to her sister and walked side by side with her. "Is there anywhere you want to go? or do you just want to go home?" She asked curiously.

Seth chuckled and looked up at the sky. "Home......that sounds nice." She replied easily, without even thinking about it.

With that, the three walked back to Firefly's house, the trip was quiet and Seth didn't start a single conversation on the way, but Alice simply chalked it up to her thinking of what to do next.

Shade was also quiet on the way back, it seemed like he didn't have anything to say and just wanted to respect Seth's privacy right now.

The three reached Firefly's home twenty minutes later, and Seth took a deep breath as Shade tried the knob, it was unlocked, he looked back at the sisters and nodde before opening the door. "We're back!" He declared to the household while walking in.

Alice followed close behind him, she looked back at her older sister and smiled at her, nudging her head toward the door. "You coming?" She asked.

Seth took another deep breath and followed her sister inside, and when she stepped inside she saw Shade heading for the bathroom, and Syrin and Karak sitting in the living room, playing blackjack, they looked over and saw her standing just inside the house and the demon smiled. "Welcome back Sethy." He said, and while he used the rabbits annoying nickname, there was no teasing involved.

Syrin smirked at her friend and her horn lit up, the door closed behind Seth. "Get in here will ya? your acting like you don't belong here or something." She said with some amusement.

Alice watched as Seth's expression slowly went from surprise to confusion and then to mirth. "Of course I don't, I've been away from you nut-jobs for months, I feel horrible." She looked at Alice. "So where's Ren at? she still live here?" She asked.

"Yep, hold on." Karak said. "REN! package for you!" He called out. "One moment." He added, he then returned to his game, an amused smirk on his face.

The door door the hall opened and a grumpy yet familiar voice was heard. "Karak, you call me like that one more time, and I will seriously hurt......you." Ren trailed off as she looked up and saw Seth looking at her.

Ren had a tired expression on her face that quickly changed to surprise and happiness, she had dark circles under her eyes and she had bed fur, she wore a pair of red pajama pants and an unbuttoned pajama shirt, she blinked and rubbed her tired eyes and did a double take before quickly running up to Seth and wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug, nearly tackling Seth in the process.

The rabbit in question returned the hug softly and spoke in a strained voice. "Ren......hard. to. breathe!" She said between breaths.

Ren loosened her grip but didn't let go, she moved her head and looked Seth right in the eye, she then released the hug and gave the rabbit a slap with her left hand. "I deserve that." Seth said.

A second slap came and Seth spoke. "Not sure if I deserved that-mmmm!." The rabbit said, cut off as Ren kissed her passionately, surprising Seth and making Alice roll her eyes. "Gee, I totally didn't miss seeing that, thanks a lot." She said.

Seth pulled out of the kiss and rested her head on the foxes shoulder and side of head. "Come on Ren, take it down a notch will you? I just got back after all." She whispered before moving her head and looking at the fox. "So Alice, do you want to tell everyone the good news?" She asked her sister.

Alice shrugged. "It should wait until Shade is back and Firefly is out here." She replied, having already looked around for either of them.

"Why do I need to be put here?" Firefly asked, leaving her room just after Alice looked. "Did something happen?" She asked, the Pegasus was showing obvious signs of pregnancy, he belly was much larger now and she was moving slowly just in case.

Alice shook her head and Shade walked in. "Well then........I just want this to be out in the open so.........." She looked at Shade who rolled her eyes. "Me and Alice are getting married." He declared.

The whole room turned silent for a moment before Karak smiled. "Congratulations you two." He said, simply yet sincerely.

"That's amazing, I had a good feeling about you two." Syrin said, nodding at the fiancées, she silently hoped they knew what they were doing, but she had a feeling they didn't.

Ren happily congratulated the two and returned to paying attention to her girlfriend, Seth was obviously different, that much was made clear just by looking at her.

But whatever was truly different about the rabbit, it didn't compare to how Ren felt, and she decided to simply enjoy having Seth back.

_______*a few months later, Atera Merchant District hospital 1:00 PM.*_______

It was finally time, Firefly had finally given birth, Karak, Seth, Ren, Shade, Syrin and Alice were all waiting in the hospital room with the Pegasus, who fell unconscious a few minutes after giving birth, but waking up before they got in, and now they waited for the doctor to return.

"So, I am genuinely curious as to what your child came out as." Syrin said. "Not counting the running bet of course." She added for clarity.

Seth nodded. "Yea, I can't wait, this actually has me excited to find out." She stated.

"Seriously though, let's not cause a big fuss until we are out of the hospital, the last thing we need is to get riled up in here." Karak said from his chair next to the bed.

Soon enough, the door opened and the doctor walked in with a nurse, the doctor was an older looking unicorn stallion and the nurse was a young tiger holding two bundles. "Congratulations miss Firefly, you have two beautiful fillies." The doctor said, the tiger walked over and gave the Pegasus one, while giving the other to Karak.

The two then left the group in the room for a while and Firefly looked at her little filly, she had pink fur and had a purple mane, she opened her eyes revealing them to be orange, she looked at her child's side and saw two little wings, the filly also had two wolf like ears instead of an equines, she smiled and looked at Seth. 'She called it, if not for the eyes and wolf ears, she would have called it perfectly.'

After a while, Karak and Firefly swapped fillies so that they could each look at them, the one that Firefly now held was almost exactly as Seth called it, a unicorn filly with white fur and a pink mane, her left eye was magenta and her right eye was red, she smiled at her child. 'None of us were right about you, but you are my little fillies, and I love you all the same.' Firefly's smile grew when her filly gave her a happy expression.

"Oooh......come on, don't keep us in suspense, let us see!" Seth said eagerly, which made Karak chuckle. "Alright little girl, want to meet Angel?" He said, with some humor.

Seth sighed at the nickname but didn't complain as she took the little filly from Karak, she smiled happily and the others leaned in the get a closer look.

The whole process took quite a while, introducing everyone to the fillies and then finally coming up with names for them, which took a while considering they had three practical jokers in the room.

But eventually they came up with names for the fillies, they called the pegasus Sunset Hjarta, mixing in an old language to find a name was Syrin's idea, and the unicorn was now called Lilith Rose, named after Karak's deceased sister and Firefly's godmother. [1]

That night, as Firefly and Karak put their fillies to bed, the demon could not help but let out a long overdue sigh of relief, he joined his mate in bed and closed his eyes with a smile, one that grew a little when Firefly cuddled up to him.

And as the demon drifted off into sleep, he could not help but let five words drift through his mind. 'Thank you Seth, for everything.'

The end.

Author's Note:

[1] Hjarta means 'heart'

Okay, I'll admit this right now, I know it seems like I lied through my teeth a few chapters ago, but I can't deny it, I was out of ideas to keep this story going, and while I easily could have gone into detail about what Syrin or Ren for instance were up to for a while, I literally could NOT bring myself to drag this story on any longer, so I figured it would be best to end it now.

This story was fun to write for a while, but like all good things, they have to come to an end at some point, and this one grew stale to write unfortunately, I am sorry to those who wanted at least a few more chapters, and I'm sorry for ending this so suddenly.

Thanks for reading.