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

by shysage

Ch.20, Bleacher Girls Giving / Locking the Door Behind Me

Since Fluttershy, Shyna and I were going to the Equestria Girls world tonight, I headed to the Castle at around dinner time. I guess this was 'force of habit'; that's what Sum...

Well, it turns out that everypony was at the Castle for dinner, and I realized they were waiting for me, too. I was glad I came when I did...

Before we headed to dinner, Princess Twilight pulled me aside, and asked me quietly if I thought they could all come.

I just sighed... This would be hard too... I tried to explain...

"Princess, as long as it took for the Equestria Girls to return, I have real concerns about the Portal's ability to function. I think taking Shyna there for Twin Time is important, but I don't feel we should take any further chances..."

Princess started weeping softly as soon as I was done.

This was just so unfair... And this wasn't Princess Twilight's fault either. She didn't need to be the carrier of bad news right now...

Everypony was sitting together in the Library, and I spoke quietly.

"Girls, I need to let you know that just Fluttershy, Shyna and I will be going through the Portal tonight. I realize that you would all love a little 'Twin Time', especially under the circumstances. But the Portal is having serious problems, and there is concern with just us three going. I don't know what else to do..."

This was not good news, and was received that way...

Dinner was quiet; well most were weeping softly. I understood why.

Still, we hugged together tightly and quietly for the rest of the evening...

We lost Summer, but we still had this...

When we thought it was midnight, Fluttershy went through first. It took forever before Shyna could even go through. I didn't have to explain any more. I think everypony realized from this that there was a problem.

I went through last, and, after way too long, the three of us were in the Equestria Girls world.

---

When I finally arrived in the Equestria Girls world, Futtershy was giving Equestria pony Shyna a crash course on walking. Shyna mastered this pretty quickly.

I just stood and watched. Neither Shyna ceased to amaze me. Though 'cast off' by their worlds, both were amazing, and really could now blossom. That 'silver lining'...

Well, it was around one in the afternoon here. It was also cold. I gave Fluttershy my sweatshirt, and we walked slowly over to the bleachers, and sat down. The bleachers were cold too.

It was clear Shyna and Fluttershy were talking with their Twins.

Principal Celestia soon came out to get us. The Principal hugged Shyna tightly, and welcomed her to the Equestria Girls world, and to her School.

Evidently, the girls were all meeting in the bleachers in the Gym now, because it was pretty cold outside. Principal led us there, and fairly soon, Equestria Girls Fluttershy and Shyna joined us; the Shyna's were immediately hugging and crying together. Well, ok, the Fluttershy Twins did the same thing.

I suspected, again, these girls were probably pulled out of class, just for this...

Vice Principal Luna walked into the Gym, and the three of us were hugging. Shynas and Fluttershys were already Soul-Linked, but only because the Gym was otherwise empty. Watching them, I really hurt for the ponies we had to leave behind. Soul-linking with their Twins would probably have helped a lot, right about now...

I wanted to just sit in a corner until it was time to leave...

Lu's Twin asked if I could look at a computer problem. I said 'sure', and then found out it was Principal Celestia's computer. Fixing it was pretty easy, actually, and I was soon back in the Gym on the bleachers.

I talked to Principal and Vice Principal briefly. There really wasn't a lot to say. They did mention that this was pretty hard on the girls. But evidently only Summer's Twin had missed any school.

I calmly said that was not surprising at all. She probably needed that... Well, I was with family, and I corrected this. I just said simply that Summer's Stallion was the only one who could help Summer right now. I knew this was true.

It was maybe an hour and a half before school was done, and I asked if Lu or Cel's Twin might stay with the Fluttershys and Shynas while I ran a quick errand. Vice-Principal Luna said she could stay.

I walked quickly outside, and headed across the grass. My destination was my cubical. I didn't get very far.

When the Twin Link was active, well, my Twin and his Mare were crying together in bed. I think I startled my Twin. I stopped, of course, but said quietly "Twin, it's ok -- your Mare needs you now, take care of her." Then I walked quickly out of range, and back to the Gym.

Now I really just wanted to sit in a corner until time to go home...

---

The last bell rang; it was really loud here in the Gym. Amazing ponies soon crowded around us, hugging... I answered the question before it was asked. I was the bearer of bad news again... Still, better me than...

"Girls, there is something wrong with the Portal, it is taking way to long to cross. I'm afraid that I need to ask that nopony uses it until somepony comes from Equestria and says it is ok again..."

The girls just wept softly at this, even Equestria pony Fluttershy and Shyna...

What more could go wrong...

...but very soon, the Equestria Girls were surrounded by a much larger group of loving, concerned friends. I actually sat back in amazement...

'Ponies from a different land' had been reaching out, loving, and crying with many of the girls in this school for months. The girls... this larger group was returning the favor, and loving their hurting friends...

I guess I needed to see that...

...because a group of guys soon formed in the bleachers on the other side of the Gym. It looked like they were waiting... And I doubted my Twin would come, and I didn't feel at all like...

True friendship means putting...

I joined the group of guys, and explained that I doubted my Twin would come. The guys didn't really know what was going on. I doubted I could tell them much without collapsing under that avalanche.

I guess I did ok though... Some of them cried too, which just made it harder for me not too...

I had already told these guys that five minutes with the right woman would erase a lot of pain. But losing that... I couldn't finish that thought, though, and wondered if I shouldn't have said it... I tried to recover by saying "Well, true friend will take ca--", then stopped. I didn't know how much they knew about this, and didn't want to presume...

Well, I hoped it was true anyway. I had little else to hope...

But one of the guys said quietly "That's ok, your Twin says that occasionally. We should ask him about that..."

Anyway, after hearing the short verion of my story, I think they all realized that I was 'shot'. They would end their time together early for my sake, and I appreciated that. Still, we all hugged together in a circle. That is very rare, for guys, anyway...

Before they left, I asked quietly that they be patient with my Twin; his Summer was taking this very hard, and she needed him right now. They assured me they would wait.

As they walked out the door, I was still amazed... And I did feel 'shot'...

I just sat there in the bleachers, across the Gym from the girls. I was trying not to cry, but was deeply thankful for the love, the true friendship surrounding, really enfolding, the Equestria Girls. They needed this...

Principal and Vice-Principal soon joined me, and were also weeping softly, watching the same thing I was. True friends loving true friends... I realized this probably made it easier for the Equestria Girls...

Maybe sometimes true friends don't surface until you need them, I don't know...

And watching maybe 80 girls group-hug the Equestria Girls was very moving... It was hard to keep...

Still, they ended early too, and the ponies from a different land came over to the three of us.

Dinner at the Cake's was next, after we all first walked over to Fluttershy's apartment to get sweatshirts for Equestria Ponies Fluttershy and Shyna. It was pretty chilly here, and the girls had already made provision for their Equestria friends.

Dinner at the Cake's was quiet and subdued.

Well, Equestria Girls Fluttershy and Summer's mom came in, very upset, and cried with me for a little while. I am sure she understood some of what I was feeling. This just made it harder for me to...

A little while after she left, I asked Pinkie Pie if I could use her compy briefly. She said that was fine, and we headed up to her room. My goal was to quickly scan a mountain of emails so I could close the account. I had headed over to my cubical earlier for this same reason...

I think mentally, the only reason I had kept a number of things like this active in the Equestria Girls world was because of Summer... And I had absolutely no motivation now, to fix my other Mustang...

It took me a while to remember my username and password for this account; I had a computer in my cubical just for this... And Scanning a mountain of email is not the fastest task, especially if a lot of it was junk.

But one email quickly caught my eye, and I opened it. "Hi Bro, strange to not see you at her memorial. Things happen though, I guess--" I stopped reading this and closed it. Four plus years, and this is the only email communication from anyone... This news seemed so anti-climactic anyway...

I closed everything, and thanked Pinkie for letting me use her computer.

Pinkie hugged me, and said quietly "Shysage, It's ok. Everything will work out."

I said quietly "Thanks, I hope so." We hugged again then headed back downstairs.

I think I concluded though, that Pinkie may have been in error, and this would be her first time. Equestria Girls Summer Rain had 'come back to life', because she was in Equestria the whole time, ultimately rescued by Dawn's persistant friendship. My mare was crushed under 200 tons of Obsidian. I couldn't see how that could ever 'work out'...

Still, I knew love and concern when I saw it, and these, Summer's amazing friends here, were concerned.

At maybe nine on the Lobby clock, we were all standing in a tight circle in front of the Portal wall, hugging, weeping softly.

We sent Fluttershy through, then waited a few minutes, then sent Shyna through, then waited a few more minutes, then I went through.

But I think everypony realized that the Portal was having 'issues'.

And I did feel so bad... Like I was locking the door as I left...

---

Princess Twilight and Filia and Fiona were waiting for us in the Library in Equestria. I'm sure she again noted that the Portal was working very slowly.

Each of us bowed to our Princess as we came through.

Fluttershy was already talking to Princess about our visit when I finally made it back to Equestria. And I am positive she had a lot more to say than I would have.

Fluttershy had also noted the girls from the High School loving and caring for the hurting Equestria Girls, and this made Princess cry. I think the main reason she cried was that 'her girls' here (our... pony friends) really needed that too...

I thought to myself 'We just have each other, and that would need to do.'

The six of us hugged tightly for a while. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, then Rainbow Dash somehow soon joined us. I think we were all holding on to each other for dear life...

We all decided on dinner together at the Castle tonight, then we said what we usually say together, then we hugged a little more.

Applejack said quietly that she was glad she and her Twin had gotten so much done. It seemed all she could do any more was wander in the fields...

And Rainbow Dash just said it honestly, for the rest "I just can't believe I lost such a good friend..."

We all just cried together a while longer. Then everypony wandered off to see what they could do.

I guess secretly, I was hoping somepony would need help with something. On a daily basis, I gave Summer so much, and now that was gone...

I went home, and did some more Canterlot Recorder stuff. Well, recording how life can unravel in such a painful way... I don't know... I was just trying to get 'caught up'... And I honestly wondered how much longer I could even do this...

It was like everywhere I looked, I kept seeing more and more dead-ends. And then there was that 'looming cloud' drawing closer...

The only thing I could do to help, was try and help Princess Twilight and her ponies cope with the unthinkable... I didn't know how good a job I was doing at that...

And I felt so... Holding back a growing avalanche of searing pain was taking it's toll. I felt like I was an accident waiting for a place to happen... That wouldn't help anyone...

It was cold, but I spent a little while on that little hill talking to true friend. I apologized, but I explained that my friends and I needed so much, I didn't know where to start...

Dinner at the Castle was ok, but hugging together afterwards seemed increasingly like a necessity, for all of us...

Then I went home, and put sleep off as long as I could...

Doze, hurt, wake up, fight to push back the truth,

Start the cycle again...

I still wouldn't call that sleep...

But I still had to get used to it...