//------------------------------// // Chapter 5, Awakening, Part 2 // Story: The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 5 -- Faded Memories // by shysage //------------------------------// As Shysage squeezed the rim of the Portal in the past, he realized he really needed to be a pony when he want back to find Equestria Girls Summer Rain. Shysage quickly asked true friend, and hoped for the best. He arrived in the Crystal Palace as a 'people', but then quickly changed to a pony. He didn't even bother looking for the guard. Shysage ran to the Balcony, and jumped. He quickly flared his wings, and landed softly. Shysage was apprehensive, he had probably spent almost three hours in the past. But he was relieved as he saw Equestria Girls Summer Rain (his Mare's Twin) still sitting there waiting. Shysage suspected that the Portal had been mildly 'folding' time for their benefit quite a bit. They needed that... Shysage walked quickly up to Equestria Girls Summer. "Wow, that was fast, stallion. Ok, let's get cozy!" She said. Shysage thought fast, then said "Well, you need to come with me, I have a surprise for you." Then Shysage, hating himself, again rubbed her nose briefly. Shysage then walked quickly back to the area under the balcony in the Portal room. Equestria Girls Summer was just as quickly at his side. Shysage looked up at the balcony, and said softly "Your surprise is up there." Summer said quickly "Ok, lets go!" Shysage flew up immediately, and Summer quickly followed. Still, Shysage was thinking as he worked through all this. Once on the balcony, Shysage walked over in front of the Portal. "Summer, come over here, and let's have a look at you in this mirror." Shysage was testing. "My surprise is a mirror?" Summer said incredulously. Shysage tried to smile. "It's a special mirror." Summer was soon standing right next to him. "It doesn't look special to me..." Then Shysage body-tackled Equestria Girls Summer through the Portal, and they were both gone. Shysage arrived in the Equestria Girls world underneath Equestria Girls Summer... Shysage started crying immediately... Summer got up quickly and said "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh... Shysage, we need to get to Fluttershys right now..." Shysage felt terrible, but he got up and followed her to Fluttershy's apartment. Fluttershy was beside herself... She did not like being alone... And she was concerned about her sister... Evidently Summer had been gone a few days. The three of them cried together for a while. This was just tough all the way around... Soon, everypony else showed up, the rest of the Equestria Girls -- Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Before going any further, Shysage apologized profusely to Equestria Girls Summer for the way he treated her... Shysage felt awful... Summer just said quietly "Shysage, it's fine. You did what you needed to do, in order to get me back through the Portal, and it took that to rescue me. Still, you need to tell us what has happened, and what we need to do next." Shysage described what he knew about what had happened. He explained that somepony had cast a spell on Equestria causing everypony to forget everything that was important to them. The same spell was cast on the Portal too, but Shysage got that fixed. Shysage needed to find his Mare before he could do anything else, and he wondered if he could even do that... And he needed Equestria Girls Summer to come back with him to help him find his Mare with the Twin Link... Shysage suspected that, after he had Summer back, he and Summer would take the Equestria Girls to Equestria, one at a time, and they would try to get the rest of the Twins back through the Portal, also finding them using the 'Twin Link'. This would be similar to what happened in Summer's Dream. Shysage said he didn't know much more... Except that the Principal sisters would be needed for this too... It was quiet for a minute. Twilight Sparkle said softly "Shysage do you want to get some sleep before you and Summer go back?" Shysage answered right away "No, I want my Mare back..." Everypony else understood. They all walked Shysage and Equestria Girls Summer over to the Portal. On the way over, they decided that Pinkie Pie would stay with Fluttershy until her sister was back. Summer hugged Pinkie, and thanked her for that. Summer hugged her sister tightly, then Shysage did too. Well, they all hugged together. First Summer, than Shysage went through the Portal back to Equestria... ...and, once in Equestria, they were both immediately arrested... Well, if you want to call it that... There was only one fairly large stallion there. He was gruff, and said "You both are under arrest, come with me." The guard walked them down to an Air Coach waiting outside, and they were quickly in the air, heading to Canterlot. Equestria Girls Summer was crying... Shysage noticed something on the floor of the Air Coach, and said to Summer "I think we are on the right track." He changed into a people, and carefully picked up his Mare's Shield Necklace. He could tell it was hers because of a small nick on one side. He carefully re-tied the strap, and put it around his own neck. Then, without thinking, he changed back to being a pony... ...And only then realized what he had just been able to do... Another large stallion met them in Canterlot. Well, Shysage recognized him, but with no memory, that made no difference. This stallion marched them quickly to cell blocks deep under the palace. Summer and Shysage were placed in different cells, separated by one cell, the doors shut, then the guard left. Equestria Girls Summer was crying immediately... "Shysage, she is very close... And Shysage... Inside, she has been beat up real bad... I can't tell about the outside though..." "My precious Mare..." Shysage said to himself... "Is she responding to you at all?" Shysage asked. "Not yet..." Equestria Girls Summer was still crying... "Now what..." Shysage said. He sat down, and began to cry himself... Maybe five minutes later, all the cell doors of the block were opened up, one at a time. The big stallion then dumped a huge bucket of water into each cell, probably to help keep them clean, Shysage didn't know. The big stallion soon left. Shysage could tell because he heard the outer gate shut. All the cell doors were left open though... ...And Shysage was quickly in Summer's cell. She was just sitting there... head down... eyes closed... Shysage hugged her quickly, noticing the healing bruises on her face and head... Summer didn't seem to respond... Her Twin was quickly inside her cell too, still crying... Shysage hugged his Mare, and just cried... The big stallion suddenly walked quickly in... Shysage thought "That's it... We are done here... At least I'm with my Mare again... I don't now how long--" "Shysage, how can I help you..." the guard asked quietly... ... Shysage couldn't believe his ears, but asked quickly... "Do you know what happened to my Mare..." The big stallion sighed... "She was sexually assaulted, then physic--" This must have clicked something in Summer's mind... Shysage's Mare began to talk... ...head down and eyes still closed... "I didn't... I didn't let her... touch... I said... I was Shysage's Mare... She got mad... "She wanted me to... But I just... I just couldn't... Because I'm... I'm Shysage's Mare... She didn't like that... She hit me... It hurt a lot... Summer's voice was higher, reflecting a lot of pain... Her head was still down, and her eyes closed... Shysage gently raised his Mare' head with one of his front legs. "Summer, open your eyes please" Shysage asked, and she did slowly. Then Shysage immediately looked into her eyes. "Summer, who are you?" Shysage asked quietly. Summer responded slowly "I'm... Shysage's... Mare..." Shysage gently licked Summer's nose. He knew this was a huge risk, after what Summer had been through, but Shysage felt he had to... After licking her nose, Shysage asked "Summer, who am I?" Summer looked into Shysage's eyes, and began to cry... She was quickly crying on his shoulders... "She said you wouldn't want me any more... And when you didn't come..." Summer answered weakly. "Oh, Summer... Please look at me again..." Shysage said softly. She did, still crying... "Summer, I have never wanted you more than I want you right now..." Shysage said, then he licked her nose again... They were soon hugging tightly again... "Oh, Shysage, I love you... Still, a lot hurts, inside too..." Summer said quietly. "Summer, I know, but I will take care of you." Shysage said softly. Shysage looked up at the guard. "Can you give us an hour?" "Yes, but I need to lock you in for your protection. Here's a key. Shysage had a key, well, it was on the ground, and the big guard was gone. Shysage hugged his Mare... Summer cried on his shoulder... As time passed, her crying got deeper, but this was progress. Summer was soon sobbing deeply on Shysage's shoulder... Shysage just cried with her... Well her Twin did too... Shysage was holding his Mare again... Not much else mattered...