The Chronicles of Summer Rain

by shysage

Chapter 6, Friends in Need

The last thing seen of Summer Rain was one of her hind hooves passing through the mirror, and the bright flash that followed.

Four princesses, and five close friends were all silent, heads bowed down for about a minute. Princess Luna then walked over to the mirror and said "Good speed dear one. We await your return." Having said this, she brushed away a few tears.

Princess Celestia spoke softly next. "I have made provision for you Princess Twilight, and your five friends to be returned, each to your homes when you are all ready. Just let Shining Armor know."

With this, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia walked out to the balcony and flew off into the dark, back to Canterlot.

Princess Cadence walked over, hugged Princess Twilight, then both she and Shining Armor headed for the big door to the room. "I'll be right outside when you ponies are ready" Shining Armor said solemnly, and the door was shut.

All formality removed, Fluttershy fell to the floor and started weeping quietly, and soon wasn't the only one. For a while they all just held each other close.

In her mind, Twilight was amazed she felt this way about Summer leaving; it had only been four moons after all. She admitted she needed this just as much as the rest of them. In fact, they needed each other more than they all realized. In just a short time, Summer Rain had become such an integral part of all of their lives. Yes, Summer's absence would be deeply felt in Twilight's circle.

Princess Twilight knew that this was probably the hardest on Fluttershy, Summer Rain's sister. Strangers for the longest time, joyfully re-united, then to lose all that, at least for an extended time. Twilight couldn't even imagine. Twilight would keep her promise to Summer Rain.

When she felt it was appropriate, Princess Twilight said "Girls, lets go home." Twilight walked over to the door, opened it, and let Shining Armor know they were ready. Shining Armor broke formality long enough to give his sister a big hug, then softly spoke some orders to the guards.

Very soon after, Twilight and her five friends were each in their own Air Coaches headed for their own homes. They were all quickly home. It wasn't midnight yet but it was very late.

All the lights were out in the Library when Twilight got there. She realized Spike would surely be asleep.

Twilight quietly closed the front door, headed up the stairs, used her magic to place her crown on the night-stand, and literally fell into her bed. She pulled her covers around her, curled up into a ball, and quickly settled into a fitful, restless slumber.

---

Princess Twilight awoke early and groggily to some strange noises coming from outside her bedroom window. It was sort of a muted "boing" sound, but Twilight couldn't tell. After a few more "boings", Twilight was startled as Pinkie Pie flew up into view outside Twilight's window.

"Morning Princess" Pinkie called out as she quickly disappeared down out of view again. After a few more seconds she returned, and yelled "Ponyville is broken" and then again disappeared below. A few more seconds later, Pinkie again appeared, and simply yelled "Just sayin" and disappeared below again. The sounds went away at this point, and Twilight figured Pinkie was on her way.

After a fitful nights sleep Princess Twilight was very groggy. After a few minutes the message finally sunk in, and Twilight literally bolted out of bed. She said quickly "Oh no..." and ran down the stairs, not quite falling, but it was pretty awkward since she just got up.

Twilight knew the only thing that had changed in the last day was that Summer Rain was gone. Could the whole town feel the way she did about Summer's departure? How could they know?

"Pinkie wait" Twilight yelled even before reaching the door. She wanted to catch Pinkie before she left, but figured it was surely too late for that. Anyway she tried, quickly opening the door with magic.

Pinkie Pie was standing right there. "Yes Twilight?" she calmly said.

Twilight smiled, took a deep breath and hugged Pinkie and said "Thank you so much. Can you gather the rest of the girls to Summer's Tree? Not Fluttershy though, I think I should handle that."

"Of course Princess" Pinkie said with a smile, and then she "boinged" down the road to find Rainbow Dash.

Twilight at least brushed her mane and tail, and grabbed her crown before she left, and was soon out the door herself, leaving Spike still sleeping.

---

Princess Twilight took to the air unsteadily and flew the fairly short distance to Fluttershy's cottage. It wasn't pretty, and Twilight was glad nopony was watching, but she landed outside Fluttershy's cottage with little difficulty.

She lifted a hoof to knock on the door, but the door opened easily. Twilight walked in, and gently said "Fluttershy, are you awake?" Twilight tried this a few times, with slightly different wording, as she worked her way up the stairs to Fluttershy's bedroom. The door was slightly open there too, and she pushed it open, and found an empty bed.

Twilight was now scared, and was yelling a little louder "Fluttershy, where are you?" Twilight quickly searched the whole house and found no trace of Fluttershy. She ran back to the front door, ready to panic, and then noticed Summer Rain's cottage out of the corner of her eye.

She sighed, and walked slowly and quietly to the door. It was likewise open some, so she pushed it the rest of the way open without even knocking. Summer's cottage was very small, and her bed could be easily seen from the front door. Fluttershy was laying in Summer's bed softly weeping, and probably had been for a while.

Twilight just did what a true friend would do. She quickly sat next to the bed, put her front leg around Fluttershy's neck and just held her. There was really nothing else she could do except just 'be there'. Before long, Twilight was crying herself.

After a while, they both calmed down together, and after a few sniffles, it was quiet. Twilight said to Fluttershy "Are you gonna be ok?"

"Ya" Fluttershy replied. "I guess I missed my sister more before than I realized, and to have her back then for her to leave... It is just going to be hard for a while. As much as I wanted her to stay, there really was no other pony who could do what she needs to do, and I will need to learn to live with that."

Twilight gave Fluttershy another hug and then said quietly "We will be here to help you Fluttershy."

After a brief pause, Twilight continued. "We need to meet with the rest of the girls. I think the whole town feels about Summer like we do, and we need to figure out how to address that."

Fluttershy sighed at this, then got up and quickly brushed her mane and tail using Summer's brush, and then they flew off together to Summer's tree.

---

Twilight and her special friends lay on their bellies on the grass in a tight circle facing each other. At first, nopony said anything. Twilight looked around the circle at the faces of her dear friends, and realized that, to varying degrees, they all felt the same as she did.

Princess Twilight took a deep breath and started talking.

"Before Summer Rain came, I considered you all very close, true friends, and still do, believe me. I don't ever want to leave you special ponies.

"But Summer was in our daily lives for the space of four short moons, and we are all deeply hurt that she is not here now. I think that, for the sake of our friendships together, it is crucial that we understand why this is.

"I think what Summer did was give of herself, fully and completely, on a daily basis, to each of us. She was there for each of us, even if in very minor details. She cared for us individually, and was always ready to help each of us.

"And we are hurting now, because we needed that, and it's go.. its not here right now." (Twilight changed that last phrase for Fluttershy's sake.) "It's not like we didn't do this before, it just wasn't much, certainly not to the extent Summer was... ...simply our friend.

"And this is the lesson for me at least. There is a huge difference between being a friend, and making the effort to get involved in your friends lives on a daily basis, doing whatever you can to help them. Summer Rain was an amazing example of this.

"From this point on, we need to do for each other exactly what Summer did for each of us. Our friendships together are certainly worth this. I know now more than I have ever known, or felt; I need each of you so very much. You are all, each of you, worth my every effort to do anything I can to help you.

"Friendship is magic", and you are all my dear friends, but Summer Rain showed us that as true friends we must invest, deeply and sensitively, in each other's lives on a daily basis. So now, we need to pick up where Summer Rain left off in each other's lives. I think that is the only solution to the pain we feel.

Princess Twilight paused, then asked "Am I making any sense?"

It was silent for a little while, then Pinkie Pie spoke up, a little more subdued than her usual self, but not by much.

"Princess Twilight, you just told us that we all need to get up off our tails and get involved in each other's lives; like true friends really should, like Fluttershy's sister did. Right?"

Rainbow Dash was next. "I'm really gonna miss Summer. We did a lot of cool, awesome things together. But this only happened because Summer went out of her way to find cool, awesome stuff we could do together to begin with. She taught me that I really need to pick up my game and treat you guys like the true friends you are."

Nodding around the circle pretty much confirmed that these were everyponies' thoughts.

But Pinkie wasn't done. "Twilight, you will probably need to say all this again, because Ponyville needs to hear it too. Just sayin." Pinkie said with a smile.

"Pinkie you are amazing. You are all amazing." Princess Twilight said with a smile as she looked around the circle. The smiles she saw in return were what she needed to see.

"Group Hug" Pinkie yelled, and it was so.

---

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna landed quietly next to this small group of friends.

The group hug stopped as all 6 ponies bowed in respect.

Princess Celestia gently raised Princess Twilight immediately, and softly said "Princess Twilight Sparkle, you need no longer bow at my presence. Ever." This pronouncement was followed by an approving smile, and Princess Celestia's star pupil returned it with a small nod.

Princess Luna spoke next. "The impact of a ponies' life on other ponies, for better or worse, is generally not seen during the day. It is during the night that the true impact of a pony on those around is clearly seen, and most honestly felt.

"Based on this simple truth, I have to say that Fluttershy's sister, Summer Rain, has had a profound, even amazing beneficial effect on the lives of many ponies in Ponyville. It is clear to me she will be sorely missed, and many already suspect her absence."

Princess Celestia then concluded. "We have sent members of the royal guard to gather the ponies of Ponyville to the Town Hall, so we can let them know what is happening. They are awaiting us even now."

The walk to Ponyville was quick. Twilight suggested to her girls that they find places wherever they could in the hall, mainly to help gauge what was going on.

The three Princesses walked through the door, up the center aisle, and up to the stage. Princess Celestia approached the podium, as Princess Luna and Princess Twilight stood each behind her and to the side.

The ponies in the hall were hushed, even before the arrival of the Princesses. By the time they were on the stage, you could hear a feather drop.

Princess Celestia smiled regally, and began to speak.

"Ponies of Ponyville, I would like to inform you that Summer Rain has left Ponyville for an extended period--"

Princess Celestia got this far, and there was a collective gasp from the townsponies, and a very pronounced moan. Princess Celestia tried to comtinue.

"Summer Rain is actually outside Equestria on an important mission sanctioned by--"

Princess Celestia stopped with surprise as a number of ponies began to cry at this point.

Through tears one pony said "my only friend...", and another said "What am I going to do now?"

Princess Luna had misgivings about her sister's full grasp of the situation to begin with, and decided she needed to intervene, so she began to say "Sister..."

Princess Twilight was even more forward, and stepped up and said "Princess Celestia, if I may please."

The teacher wisely stepped back, bowed slightly, said "of course", and stood back by her sister.

Princess Luna laid her head on her sister's neck briefly and whispered "Thank you."

Princess Twilight Sparkle took to the podium and began using an appropriately somber tone.

"Ponies of Ponyville, Summer Rain has been sent on a mission sanctioned by Canterlot, to a possibly dangerous place far away for an unknown length of time."

Well this was a lot worse than the townsponies initially thought, and the response grew in kind.

Someponies were crying openly, many were shaking their heads back and forth in disbelief. One or two of the younger ponies were crying loudly.

Twilight paused briefly then continued. "Ponies of Ponyville do you hear this?

"Summer Rain was in our town four short moons. While here, she lived out true friendship, and gave of herself, and so indelibly touched the lives of many ponies in our town. She simply went out of her way to meet other ponies' needs.

"Many ponies in this hall now realize they have lost, for a while anyway, a very crucial part of their lives, someone who helped them make it from one day to the next in some cases.

"The results of their pain you can now hear. I cried too, a lot.

"But Summer's example taught me that there's a big difference between just being a friend, and living out true friendship on a daily basis in the lives of your friends.

"My dear friends, as a town, we all have to pick up where Summer Rain left off. If you know of somepony that Summer Rain was helping, step in and take Summer's place. If you see somepony here, and you know things are difficult for them, be their special friend, and help them make it through, just like Summer would. There are probably more ponies around you that could 'use a hand'. Be that 'friend in need' following Summer's amazing example.

"In such a short time, one special pony helped so many other ponies here. Can you imagine what can happen to Ponyville if we all pitch in and live like true friends? Count me in!"

Most of the ponies in the hall started stomping their front hooves in agreement at this point.

Over the noise Twilight yelled "Pinkie Pie, you know what to do!"

Almost before Twilight was done speaking, Pinkies' party cannon had gone of, and Pinky jumped up high and yelled "True Friend like Summer Party!!!!"

And it was so.