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

by shysage

Ch.26, Out of the Blue

It was late, and Cel (Princess Celestia) led me to a small guestroom, fairly near her room. It really looked like a big closet. It's main item was a large rug in the center of the floor, but I said that was fine.

Cel mentioned she wouldn't think twice about having me sleep in her room, since I was her dad, but that she would have a hard time explaining that to her 'court', since that was many years ago now. Two months ago, Summer was with us, and that was fine. But now...

We all had to stop and cry for a few minutes. So many reminders...

But Cel insisted that Fluttershy stay with her in her bedroom though, and that was fine with me. For me to sleep alone next to Fluttershy would be awkward anyway, and I was sure Fluttershy needed family close right now.

Even so, I did ask Fluttershy if she would be ok with sleeping in Cel's room, and Fluttershy just smiled. Well, Cel and Fluttershy looked at each other, then smiled. For both of them, that really was progress.

I assured Cel the small guest room would be fine for me. My life was shattered, and it was hard to be around anypony else for very long anyway, even though I had been around hurting friends for days...

I was not even sure why we were here; it seemed like a 'false alarm' from the Portal. Well, that wasn't totally right. It was clear Cel and Fluttershy were really helping each other a lot now...

The girls left together, already talking quietly again.

After they were gone, and the door was shut... I thought to myself 'Well, maybe Fluttershy can help Cel by taking... Summer's... pl--'

I couldn't finish this, and I was quickly crying pretty hard... It took a while, but I managed to choke these tears off, and get everything shoved back... this time... But I realized that propping up that avalanche was getting excruciatingly harder... I wasn't sure how much longer I could put this off...

Even worse... For days now, this would be my first night alone... I was suddenly aware that me being alone may not be good for me any more...

And secretly, I was hoping true friend wasn't broken like the Portal. Immense pain has a habit of bringing a lot of 'certain' things into question. Still, I knew true friend clearly understood my pain. I knew little else though.

I guessed that this would be a bad night... Well, maybe terrible...

---

It took forever to get to sleep, as usual, and I was back to jolting awake every 30 minutes or so, trying to pull myself out of a dream of a memory about Summer... I tried not to cry much, but sleeping was tough too.

I am not sure why, but the 'apple thief' also popped into my head a lot that night, too. That just didn't make sense to me.

On the surface, I deeply missed Summer, but I thought I was working hard to put that behind me now. Even if I was denying what I had seen over two weeks ago... In the back of my mind, I still knew I had to move on.

But why should I care about the 'apple thief' anyway? The look on her face told the story. She was guilty. Stealing is bad. She would have to 'face the music' for that...

I tried to go back to sleep.

The apple thief kept coming back... into my thoughts... into my dreams... I had to force myself awake from one or two that weren't very nice... I was dreaming about Summer less and less...

Hours after midnight, I sighed, then I sat up.

Maybe it was true friend, and this pony did just need a helping hand. I didn't ever want to discount that possibility. Helping others is what got Summer and I... I had to stop that thought...

Still, I just sighed again. I realized I couldn't sleep, and so just needed to find out what I could. While it might look bad, it probably wouldn't otherwise do much harm. Sleeping wasn't working anyway... I had little to lose... I felt like I had nothing...

It was the middle of the night, and I didn't want to wake Cel or Fluttershy.

I wandered through the Audience Hall in the dark, until I found the big doors that lead to the Commons lawn, and I was soon outside...

...and was just as quickly accosted by a guard at spear point. Well, two spears...

"State your name and your business" came the harsh, abrupt command.

"Easy guard, I'm just a harmless, visiting dignitary out for a stroll" I said quietly. I didn't actually want to get thrown into jail.

"Oh, ok." he said a little more calmly.

"Can you direct me to the dungeon?" I asked quietly.

The guard led me to some stairs behind the Audience Hall.

"Down a flight, left turn, down another flight" he said. Then he added "But I doubt they will let you in..."

Well, I headed down the stairs slowly, and had to fight with myself on the way. I was very lonely... The hole Summer had left was huge... But that wasn't the reason, I told myself.

Still, I would love to help some mare feel like a princess... I didn't let this thought stay long.

But I did realize that I invested so much time and effort on a daily basis taking care of Summer, putting her first, and rightly so...

But it had been over two weeks now, and being able to give at all like that had been totally cut off... I was starved of giving... Maybe other ways too...

"I really should just go back to my room" I thought to myself... "...before I do something stupid..." But I kept going...

I was soon knocking on the outer door of the dungeon. I had to knock a few times, I knew it was the middle of the night. Each time I got no response, I warned myself to just go back to sleep...

A barely awake Guard finally asked through the door "Who goes there?"

"Just a harmless, visiting dignitary" I said again. "Please let me in."

I knew this was a stretch. If he said no, I would need to wait until morning, anyway. In my current frame of mind, maybe that was best...

But he opened the door, still waking up.

"So tell me about the prisoners you have in here tonight" I asked as calmly as I could. I was nervous. I felt like this was uncharted waters... Maybe I really wanted... I really didn't know what...

"Two stallions, and a mare caught steal--" he started to say.

"Fine, take me to the mare's cell" I said in as 'matter of fact' way as I could. I scared myself saying this... But I really just wanted to help...

He quickly led me to the door to her jail cell.

"Ok, let me in" I said.

"But sir, why..." he asked, confused and still half asleep.

"Guard, come on, I'm a stallion... Seriously?" I said, trying to sound as offended as I could. I guess I wasn't turning back... But...

It was quiet a minute, then he started unlocking the cell door.

"Well, ok. At least you aren't after Princess Celestia. We have had to put a number of 'visiting dignitaries' in here for that..." He said this with clear disdain.

I walked through the door into the jail cell, almost ready to walk out again. What on earth am I doing here...

As soon as I was part way into the cell, the guard abruptly slammed the cell door shut behind me, locked it, then he walked quickly off. I looked back at the cell door in disbelief. This wasn't what I had in mind... I dont think...

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness in that jail cell, I sat down...

...and soon found myself staring across the cell at the Blue 'apple thief'...

"Now what..." I thought to myself.

I sensed she was scared and upset. I fully understood why.

Blue coat aside, with what little light there was, I quickly realized she was a beautiful mare. But then I was just as quickly furious with myself for even thinking this...

"This will not end well..." I thought to myself...

I looked down and shook my head at this point, and realized I needed to try to recover from this... somehow...

My soul was hemmoraging... I was hurting deeply and felt very, very alone... I was daily shoving away a rapidly growing avalanche of searing pain... My last task seemed to be to isolate friends that needed each other so much... And I had just 'accidently' left my home time in the Present, seemingly right before some huge fight broke out, that just might kill...

But a 'one night stand' is something I would NEVER, EVER stoop too... EVER... I had come this close, but realized that I could not, I would not go on...

---

I only had one course left... I had to tell this mare the truth...

We both started to talk at the same time.

What I said, quietly, went like this: "Miss, I'm sorry, I don't belong in here. I will--

The mare talked louder; she was both indignant and scared...

She asked bluntly "Mister, why are you in here?"

I was stunned... I couldn't talk...

The 'apple thief' quickly, and more forcefully asked again, almost yelling "Mister, what do you want from me?"

...

...

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I...

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...

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This...

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It...

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It was Summer...

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