//------------------------------// // Chapter 37, monsters // Story: The Chronicles of Summer Rain // by shysage //------------------------------// Summer woke up with a start, her head was pounding. It was either dawn or dusk, and she quickly realized she was in the back of a 'pickup truck'. This was bad. She also quickly remembered two men carrying her before she passed out. This was probably bad too, in either world. The truck seemed to be bouncing slowly down some road. Summer looked out the back of the truck and saw there were no other cars near, it looked pretty deserted. This was probably bad too. She also noticed she still had clothing on, it just wasn't what she was wearing before. This was probably bad too... Still, as soon as this truck stopped, she was out of here. She didn't have to wait long. The truck was going very slow, and had not even stopped yet. Summer was up over the side and running away as fast as she could. She was a long distance away before they even realized she was gone. She was in a field full of rocks stones and sand, and she had to be careful. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, and she just kept running. Summer heard a couple of loud "bang" sounds, and heard what sounded like bees flying high above her. She instinctively ran behind a huge boulder, larger than her, and simply kept running. Her head hurt, but it didn't matter. Summer heard a few more of the 'bang' sounds, but no other noises. She ran much further, crept down behind a large boulder, and peered slowly around the side. Two men were just standing there talking among themselves. Summer could not hear what they said but they sounded angry. Just then, Summer noticed another large, dark colored car slowly driving towards the pickup from the left, it's headlights blazing brightly. The two men who were after Summer immediately ran back to the truck, and jumped in, started the motor, and took off, tearing past the car pulling in from the left. The truck was quickly out of sight. It was slowly getting brighter, it must have been dawn. At this, Summer remembered her friend Dawn, then the Equestria Girls, and began to cry. It all seemed so unfair... She had faced two powerful monsters in Equestria... Now she was out in the middle of nowhere in the Equestria Girls world... ...alone... And Summer knew her precious friends were beside themselves, Fluttershy especially... She was soon sobbing... Through her tears, Summer looked up again, it was getting even brighter. She realized that a man was outside the second car that had just pulled in. He was just standing there, leaning against the front of the car, looking down... His clothes were medium blue maybe, and he was wearing a white coat or something... Even so, Summer knew that if he came this way at all, she would run... ...even though she did not know where she would be running. He wasn't coming after her so Summer relaxed a little. If only she had a 'cell phone'... Summer's crying trailed off, and she tried to relax more. It was helping her head hurt less. Summer stopped crying and tried to relax even more. It was very quiet, there was no wind, it was very still... ...and she thought she heard her name... Maybe her mind was playing tricks... ...she heard it again... Summer looked until she found another large boulder, one that was closer to the second car, and tried to run carefully to it. She failed miserably and fell, but quickly got up and was soon behind it. It was clearly her name she had heard, but now she could hear everything. Every minute or so, this man said without even looking up "Summer please come back..." After hearing this a few more times, Summer slowly got up and walked cautiously towards this car, towards this man calling out for her. Half way there, she placed the voice, it was Shysage. She began to run... Summer was quickly at his side, clinging tightly to the only piece of Equestria she knew for hundreds of miles around... She was sobbing deeply. Shysage just held her, and she soon calmed down. "We need to leave soon when you are ready" he said quietly. "I'm ready now, please get me out of here." Summer said quickly. Shysage opened the door of the car, helped Summer in, and fastened her belt for her, then closed the door. Summer noticed that the inside of this car was much more comfortable. The seats reminded her of Fluttershy's couch. Also, the belt, and the solidness of this large car felt much safer than Big Mac's truck. Shysage started the car, and was soon driving back down the road, away from that desolate place. Summer had also noticed a familiar piece of equipment in the back seat when she got in, it was Shysage's 'scope' thing. Summer realized that this strange instrument was probably the only reason she wasn't dead now. "You followed me with the 'scope' didn't you." Summer said calmly. Shysage paused briefly then said "I had to... Equestria's next Pri--" then he stopped abruptly. After a minute's silence, Summer said "Thank you Shysage, you probably saved my life. "I'm glad I found you alive, and not a de--" Shysage said and could speak no more, he was fighting back tears. After about ten minutes, Shysage pulled the car over. They were on another, different deserted road. Shysage said softly "There is a change of clothes in the back seat. I am going to walk maybe 100 feet in front of the car and stay there, and won't turn around until you are done." Shysage was a gentleman, no mistake about that. Summer was soon done, and she called Shysage back. Shysage came back to the car, and said simply "I don't like this world... He opened the back door of the car, and pulled out something similar to Pinkie's Compy. He opened it up and turned it on. Then he placed it carefully in Summer's lap and got back in the car himself, put his belt on and started the car. They were soon on what Shysage called the 'freeway', going pretty fast, but this big car seemed to float along, and the ride was very nice. "Summer, we need to let Pinkie know. There is a small picture that says 'Facebook' below it, can you open it?" Shysage asked. Summer gave him a blank look, so Shysage explained to her how to use the 'mouse-pad' to move the 'pointer' and press the buttons. He was also driving after all. The main Facebook page was soon open. "Ok find the 'search' area and type in 'Pinkie Pie' " Shysage directed. "You will probably find a ton of results, you just need to look until you find Pinkie's picture. You should recognize it right away." Summer had to wade through a lot of pages. "Wow, this 'MLP' stuff must be really popular" she was thinking out loud. Summer finally found Pinkie's page, and Shysage walked her though opening an IM session. At Shysage's direction, Summer typed in 'Hi Pinkie' Pinkie responded immediately 'Hi. Our best friend was abducted last night, and we are hoping for some word, so please keep it short :( ' Shysage just said "Tell her Summer..." Summer typed in 'Its me, summer' Pinkie replied immediately 'SUMMER!!!!' Then 'WHERE ARE YOU?' Summer began to cry softly. But she typed 'Shysage found me and is bringing me home. I think he saved my life... Tell Flutershy I'm ok and that I love her. I love all of you...' It was a while before Pinkie replied. Summer knew they were all crying together now. Summer asked Shysage then typed in 'We will be at Fluttershy's apartment in about six hours'. After a little more delay Pinkie sent back 'We wI ll be thEre' and closed the session. Summer was right, her five precious friends were crying like babies. They all suspected what had happened, but were simply glad Summer was alive. They hugged and cried together for maybe 30 minutes. School would start soon, but noone had any intention of going to school today. Pinkie set her alarm, and said "Let's try and sleep some" and they all crashed for a few hours. It had been a long night. Six hours was a long time for Summer to wait to see her friends. Still, she watched the desert scenery drift by, it was pretty. It was quiet for a few minutes. The compy was still in her lap, and Shysage walked Summer through opening a specific file. The beginning of the file was soon showing on the compy. 'Chapter 2, Friendship's Magic' What followed was Shysage's observations about what was probably one of the most important days in Summer's life, and she teared up quickly as she realized this. It was the day she first came to Ponyville to talk to her Princess about experiencing the friendship her sister and the others shared, with the hope of being able to spread that gem to others. It was an amazing day. Shysage probably used his 'scope' to watch, and had just recorded what he saw, and what he heard, along with making some amazingly accurate guesses at some details along the way. Summer liked the title Shysage had given this chapter. Shysage said quietly at this point "Summer, write your story" and he smiled. Summer did just that. She started typing what came to her mind, tracking the events as they unfolded. Summer quickly found that she loved writing as much as she loved reading. Besides, with her fingers in this world, writing was so much easier than in Equestria. Summer was soon immersed in the task. Even so, Shysage showed her how to save her work, and kept reminding her to do it, which she appreciated. It was coming out amazing. At one point, she told Shysage that she wanted to move an entire block of text around, and asked if that was possible. Shysage asked her to save her work to this point, then he slowly walked her through the 'block move' process as he drove. Summer needed little additional help. By the time Summer was done with the chapter, she was crying. "It's like I'm living that amazing day all over again..." she said through her tears. "Good writing does that" Shysage said with a smile. "Can you read it to me?" She did, and was again crying by the end of the chapter. "Wow, you're a natural" Shysage said, trying not to cry himself. Summer gave him a blank look while still sniffling. "Your writing skills are very good" was all he could say. It was silent for a few minutes, and Summer just watched the scenery. It was getting greener. "Ok, so it took you about an hour and a half for that chapter, that's very good." Shysage said. Summer paused a minute and asked "You called this chapter 2. What is chapter 1?" "I think we should start with a panoramic introduction, pulling in aspects from the rest of the account" he said quietly "If that is ok with you anyway. The goal is to get readers interested in reading on." "That's an amazing idea. Have you started that yet?" Summer asked. Shysage looked over at Summer briefly, and smiled. "Yes, but Summer your story isn't done yet." Shysage paused, then said "...But I need to eat, so we are stopping soon. We, uhm, you can work on the next chapter after that" Summer realized that Shysage was probably up all night after all. And at this she was quiet. She was soon weeping softly. Shysage seemed to know why, and simply put his hand on her shoulder. Summer laid her head down on it and began to cry. Through her tears, Summer said "Shysage why did they do that to me..." Shysage clenched his jaw, he was immediately visibly upset. Then he replied very slowly. "Well aside from the obvious... Inappropriate pictures of you are probably for sale now on the Internet... ...utterly disgusting... ...and they were probably going to kill you too... ...and all for a handful of dollars... ...monsters..." He could not say any more... Summer's crying tapered off. They were soon at an out of the way restaurant that reminded Summer of the Cake's. Their first stop was the rest-rooms, and Shysage instructed Summer to scream if anything happened she didn't like. He also indicated he would wait for Summer to come out before heading to a table. Based on what she had just endured, she very much appreciated his consideration. The meal was good, and refreshing, Summer felt a lot better after eating. She was still trying to be careful about how much she ate however. Shysage had the same idea, and simply ordered one meal, and they split it. Even though it was a risk, Shysage walked Summer through the last few minutes before she passed out. She left her soda unattended, and that was all it took. She must never do that again. After stopping to get some fuel for the car, they were soon back on the freeway, heading for Summer's special friends. Shysage said they may be half way there. Summer didn't like how long it was taking, but was again glad she was still alive. Shysage helped Summer pull in Chapter 3. Shysage called it 'Making Progress', but Summer looked at what the chapter was about and changed the title to "A Work in Progress", and started into the chapter. Summer quickly remembered the 3 moons evaluation she had done that day, and realized that Shysage had pulled a bunch of different events he had recorded during those 3 moons, and merged them into the events of the day. Summer had said a bunch of stuff out loud, but the rest of her thoughts Shysage could not see. Still, Summer had a good starting framework, and began through it. She also brought in even more events that she could remember. Shysage had included the incident alone at the Cake's shop. While he knew Summer's mind was working after this, Shysage had no clue what she was thinking, and just noted that. Summer filled it in. After doing this, she read it to Shysage, and asked him what he thought. Shysage didn't say anything, and it became clear he was battling with his emotions at this point. Summer guessed what she said is what he faced, and said simply "I'm sorry..." Shysage was thinking, trying to put sentences together himself. He spoke very slowly, pausing sometimes minutes between each sentence... Summer could tell this was very hard for him. "There are usually two sides to difficult marriages, so I can only answer for myself. I am pretty sure my wife considers it my fault. "It is difficult to discuss anything if the other person blows up if they hear something they don't like, even if the kids are around. I was battered into silence and then trampled for decades. "It seems clear to me that she has rejected putting others first, even though she knew I treasured that. "In this dark world, people simply get a divorce and find someone else. But as a true friend, I can't just walk away from a promise. "And if I broke that promise, no other woman would have any grounds to be able to trust me ever again." Shysage said nothing more for a while, and Summer knew there was nothing more to say. She knew he was trapped by his convictions, but with no intention of running away. All he could do was wait... ...and hurt... Summer watched the scenery a while, then was back writing. Summer added a lot of stuff to this already long chapter. She knew it would not be the easiest chapter for others to read, but it did lay crucial groundwork for coming events. Besides, Summer realized that Shysage's view of this chapter was to try to show the intensely practical nature of true friendship, and she agreed with that. Summer also appreciated how Shysage worked Rainbow Dash's two entrances into the chapter, it had really worked that way after all. She missed Equestria pony Rainbow, and the rest... She missed Equestria... Friday could not come soon enough. Anyway, after maybe 30 minutes of constant work, Shysage asked Summer to take a break and just watch the scenery. He explained 'Car Sickness' to her while she just watched the countryside drift by. Summer started back in when Shysage said it was ok. After maybe another 45 minutes, Summer had most of it together, and went through the chapter one more time to fix any problems. Summer read it for Shysage, and he thought she did an amazing job. It just made Summer homesick. Summer saved her work, and Shysage told her how to turn the computer off, and had her slide it under her seat for now. He asked Summer to just relax, they would be at Fluttershy's in about 30 minutes. After some silence, Summer looked at Shysage and said "I have only known you for a few days, but you have proven yourself every bit a true friend. Thank you Shysage, for everything." Shysage just looked at Summer briefly and smiled, then said "I would do it all again in a heart-beat if I had to Summer." Summer answered quickly "I know you would." Shysage finished his thought "I will be glad when we are back in Equestria though. I will probably be watching carefully until then, but try to not be alone any more. That's very dangerous in this world..." Shysage paused a moment, then continued "And by the way, your work on the two chapters is amazing. It is your story after all." Summer was thinking a minute, and wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure how, so she just asked "Shysage, can you come meet the girls? ...when we get there? I just realized they have no clue who you are." "Well, I don't know. As a Canterlot Recorder, I'm supposed to record events, not become a part of them. I've already had to bend that rule a lot today." Shysage answered. "Well, they may not give you the choice." Summer replied slowly. As Shysage eased the car to a stop in front of Fluttershy's apartment, everypony quickly spilled out the front door, crying, and surrounded Summer as soon as she got out of the car. Shysage noted that this had probably been a nightmare for all of them, perhaps worse even than Discord and Sunset Shimmer. They had resources in Equestria. This was much harsher, they could only wait... ...and hope... Summer quickly explained Shysage's role as a Canterlot Recorder, who was actually from this world, and they all insisted on giving him a hug for rescuing Summer. Shysage then drove off and was soon on his way to his 'shack' in the Equestria Girls world. Summer and the girls soon headed into Fluttershy's small apartment. Everyone was crying, together, but their crying soon trialed off as they just held their friend. Just having her back seemed like a dream come true. After a minute of silence, Summer started crying again. But it was a distinctly different cry, and everyone sensed this. It wasn't tears of joy. They were tears of deep emotional wounding... monsters had carelessly and brutally bent Summer's heart harshly in the wrong direction... It still hurt... The rest of the girls immediately realized this, and just lovingly held Summer as she cried... They couldn't change what had happened. But they did everything they could to let Summer know they cared deeply about her. They were true friends. They all knew their dear friend would feel this wound for a while, and nopony knew of any magic to fix it... Summer cried on Fluttershy's shoulder for maybe 20 minutes, and everyone stayed close, and held her hands or placed their hands on her shoulders. As soon as Summer calmed down, Rainbow said sternly what everyone else surely felt "Summer from now on we are not leaving you alone by yourself... Ever..." And Summer thanked them.