The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 8 -- Dark Melvain

by shysage

Ch.17, Dark Melvain / Baited Trap / True Friend to the End

Especially since this hideous bully (Dark Melvain) had Equestria Girls Shyna's Twin, Summer and I felt some urgency to set out quickly, and see if we could rescue her. We took Shyna with us as well, against Cel's wishes, because we might need the Twin Link to locate her Twin. We just didn't know. But we didn't want to explain that to Cel (Princess Celestia).

It was late morning in Equestria Past anyway, and Cel said it was a six hour journey in the air to the Bastion

The directions were pretty clear. Head down to the river that flows past our old home in the tree. Head upstream until we came to a very dark looking rock ridge. This should take about an hour. Follow that 'dark ridge' for five hours or so, and Dark Melvain's Bastion would be lodged in one of the valleys on the left side, near the top of the dark ridge.

We were quickly on our way. We wondered about having to slow down, and maybe take two days for this trip, because of Shyna. She basically only had two days on her wings, after all. But she did amazing, and could have probably flown faster and further. Rainbow Dash really was the 'master of wings', and Shyna was evidently in good shape physically, too. Well, she was a gifted Pegasus...

We found the 'dark ridge' easy enough, then followed it. Five hours is a long time, and we stopped once to eat some and get a drink.

We talked little during the trip. I think Summer was pretty fed up with this Dark Melvain. I also think we were all really concerned about Equestria pony Shyna. Nothing was said, but I suspect Summer hoped like I did, that Shyna's Twin was still alive... Dark Melvain was not just a mean bully, but clearly a brutal murderer...

At the five hour mark, we started looking for the high ridge valley holding the Bastion. It took a little while, and some back-tracking, but we were soon heading for it.

---

It looked like the only ground entrance was a massive gate complex in the center of a long, high wall that closed off the down-hill side of the valley near the top of the ridge. And it looked like the wall and the entire gate complex were made of jet-Black Obsidian. It is difficult to find this much naturally occurring Obsidian, so it was probably magically forged.

The gate was open, but we just flew slowly over it, then landed. We didn't encounter any guards along that wall.

Summer changed into a people, spun up her Cutie Mark, and led us slowly towards what looked like some sort of fort, also made completely of Obsidian. It looked like four large towers, and three high walls between the towers. The side facing us was open (no wall), and we could soon see an Obsidian paved inner 'courtyard'.

We walked slowly closer, and saw what looked like a huge cube of solid Obsidian, maybe 50 feet on a side. It probably weighed in at 200 tons; it was huge and took up a lot of the inner courtyard.

Well, we soon saw Dark Melvain too, standing in front of the Obsidian cube, quietly watching us.

The closer we got, I realized that the huge cube of Obsidian was standing up on four very THIN columns, each maybe six feet tall, also made of Obsidian. It was clear these four thin pillers only barely held up the massive weight of that huge Obsidian cube. It looked very dangerous...

Equestria Girls Shyna shrieked right away, Equestria pony Shyna was either unconcious or asleep, under the center of that 200 ton cube of Obsidian...

Dark Melvain started laughing with scorn immediately after Shyna shrieked...

I had a terrible nightmare maybe a month ago while we were in the Equestria Girls world... It was short, it was terrifying...

That same nightmare, now very real, picked up right here, with Dark Melvain laughing... The next few minutes played out exactly as I had dreamed it...

Just as I yelled "Summer, no..."

Summer ran quickly up to the cube, batted Dark Melvain aside, and was just as quickly under the cube picking Shyna's limp body up.

Out of nowhere, eight Unicorns un-cloaked, and used some fire spell to instantly shatter the four spindly legs holding the 200 ton cube of Obsidian up. The legs exploded with a loud bang, and the Obsidian began to fall...

Equestria pony Shyna shot out quickly from under the cube; Shyna hit both Equestria Girls Shyna and I, knocking us both over, but we broke her fall too.

I turned as quickly as I could, only to watch 200 tons of Obsidian imbed itself maybe a foot into the floor of the inner courtyard...

I...

No...

Both Shynas and I were quickly back up...

Dark Melvain laughed mockingly...

Then he looked at us with disdain...

"You three had better leave me... ...before I change my mind and kill you weaklings too..."

He picked up one of his front legs, and drew an imaginary line across the yard between he and us, and flames shot up along that line, twenty feet into the air, high above us.

We had to run, or the fur on our coats would catch fire...

The three of us ran quickly towards the main gate... We were running for our lives...

The wall of fire followed us just as quickly...

The three of us were quickly running through the thick gate complex, and two iron gates fell loudly shut, in rapid succession, right after we passed under them...

The fire stopped at the gate, but we kept running, the rest of the way down the valley, into the forest below...

We kept running for maybe ten more minutes... I didn't want Dark Melvain to change his mind, and come find us...

But after ten minutes, Equestria pony Shyna had to stop and eat... She was absolutely starved... She had found some very good grass, and was eating quickly...

I just sat down, and looked back to where we had just come from. I couldn't see the Bastion; this forest was pretty thick.

But still, I just stared back up there...

---

It had all happened so fast...

I lost everyth...

No...

...

...

...

I decided right then, that I absolutely had to completely ignore what I had just seen...

...

...

...

...or I would die...

...

...

...

This...

Ponies around me even now needed me... Cel in the Past would need me... A lot of ponies in Equestria Present would need me...

In order to survive, in order to be able to help, I had to deny what I had just seen...

---

I only slowly became aware that Equestria Girls Shyna was sitting right next to me, sobbing...

"Shysage, what just happened..." she said through her tears... I think she said it a few times...

I spoke slowly...

"Shyna, that trap was for Summer... Still, she gave her life to rescue your Twin. Even if I would have been successful in stopping her, she would have never been able to live another day with herself if your Twin had died in her place... She was a true friend to the end."

Both Shynas were listening at this point, then we all cried together for a little while.

I knew that sleeping would be impossible now. In fact, with each passing second, I felt a growing urgency just to get these Twins back to safety, back to Equestria Present. These two Shynas didn't deserve any more of this bully's torture...

I asked Equestria pony Shyna if she could fly very well. She just said quietly "Yes..." Well I had already noticed her Cutie Mark matched her Twin's exactly...

The three of us were quickly in the air...

And flying away from... I felt ripped in half... Every mile we could put between us and that bully made us safer...

...

But I left without my... everything...

...

We had a nearly full moon, and soon found the ridge, and worked our way backwards towards Canterlot. We stopped once to eat some and take a break, but it was clear to me that both Shynas could easily have flown the whole way.

Well, it probably took us a little longer, since I was tired.

But as the Sun was up behind Canterlot, I guided the Shynas to a landing in the Commons lawn in front of the Audience Hall.

Guards quickly surrounded all of us, and were menacingly harsh. I changed into a 'people', and they calmed quickly down.

I said quietly "Please summon Princess Celestia."

Cel ran quickly out, and was just as quickly crying on both Shyna's shoulders. I don't think she could tell them apart.

As soon as the Guards backed off, I changed back into a pony.

I had to interrupt this, and ask that we move inside the Audience Hall. It was only after we were inside, that Cel asked...

"Dad, where's mom?"

I sighed, sat down, looked down and spoke slowly...

"Your Shyna was the bait for a trap for Summer... Still, she gave her life to rescue your Shyna. Even if I would have been successful in stopping her, she would have never been able to live another day with herself if your Shyna had died in her place... She was a true friend to the end."

Cel burst into tears immediately...

I was barely able to get Cel into her room... This was just very hard for her, especially with Lu banished...

The Shyna Twins came with us into Cel's room. I left Cel crying on the floor long enough to get the Shyna Twins 'Soul-Linked', and they stayed that way for a long time. Their aura was Bronze...

I hugged Cel as she cried, most of the rest of the day... I cried a lot, but only because I knew Cel was hurting deeply. Mom was gone...

At one point, Mildred came in, and I left Cel alone again, long enough to try to explain what had happened. I had a hard time with this, but I think Mildred understood that a very close friend of the family, who was like a mother to Cel, had suddenly died. I suggested that Cel would probably have a hard time with this for a while, and that Mildred needed to let the rest know. Mildred stared at both Shynas briefly, then left.

Early afternoon, Cel's crying changed -- it was distinctly different... This was fear now... There was simply nopony left who could stand between this terrible bully Dark Melvain and Equestria any more... Her ponies would soon...

By nightfall, my precious girl had pretty much cried herself out.

We just sat together, staring off into the distance...

"Cel, I love you..." I said quietly.

Cel hugged me tightly and said quietly "Dad, you are all I have left now..."

It was quiet for a minute.

"Did you have plans for my Shyna?" she asked quietly.

"Cel, it is really up to you, but if we take her with us, she will have a very loving 'big sister' to take care of her." I said quietly.

"Ok, that is probably best. At least one of us will live..."

Cel cried a bit more as I hugged her.

It was quiet again, then I spoke.

"Cel, I think I should take the girls home soon. Remember you can use the Portal Beacon to call me, but..." I got this much out, and couldn't finish. I love Cel deeply, but I have no powers to bring to the table, and I knew this... I wouldn't... I couldn't be much help...

Cel and I hugged for a while longer, then Cel hugged the Shyna Twins for a while too.

Then we walked to the Portal room.

On the way, I was a little concerned... I knew Summer could change ponies into people by touching them. But I didn't know if I could.

The four of us hugged tightly a little while longer.

It was time to go...

We tried this as ponies...

It was awkward, but with legs wrapped around legs, I pressed on the right spot on the Portal rim. It was very slow, but the three of us soon left the Past, and were back in Equestria Present.

The music in the background faded away at this point too...