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

by shysage

Ch.28, Under the Spotlight

Early the next morning, Summer and I were both awakened by Cel, well, Princess Celestia, as she barged into our jail cell.

Before the cell door was even unlocked, Cel was almost shouting...

"What is the meaning of this? No stallion can just push their way in, and force 'favors' from a mare in my kingdom, let alone in my own jail... This is Equestria... We won't stand for this!"

The Princess of Equestria was quickly in our jail cell, and four armed guards followed her in.

Summer was sleeping up against my chest where I put her a few hours ago, and she woke up with a start, and quickly rolled out and sat up, but put her head down, and looked at the ground.

I got up quickly and sat right next to her.

Cel immediately knew it was me...

And I knew this looked very bad...

"Dad..." Cel said, sounding pretty dismayed. Well, maybe she was very dismayed...

...

I just said calmly "Cel, look into her eyes."

It was all I really had to say...

...

Cel slowly looked the mare over, then looked in her eyes... Cel gasped LOUDLY, and began to cry... Well, my girl was trying very hard to NOT cry...

With great difficulty, tears streaming from her eyes, Cel tried to say "And we thought..."

I gently shook my head side to side a little (meaning 'no') and Cel stopped talking.

Summer's head was down still, and, without even looking up, she worked on apologizing about the apples.

Cel didn't know what to say, so she said nothing... Cel was still trying hard not to cry...

Then Cel tried to slowly ask "Should you be rel--"

I again shook my head side to side, just a little.

It was clear my girl couldn't talk... This was just too good to be true...

After a minute, maybe, Cel got this much out...

"Well, mare we will keep you longer until we decide how to handle this"

Cel said this, trying to sound as official as she could, after just finding out that her dead mom was still alive... Blue now, but alive...

Nopony moved for another minute, and it was quiet in our jail cell.

Still looking down, Summer spoke up and said quietly "Princess, last night, this stallion proposed to me, and I accepted, and we even had, uhm, relations together. That means we are married now, right?"

Cel was momentarily stunned, but quickly figured this all out, and smiled very briefly. And I guessed Cel was looking for an opportunity to do this.

"Shysage did you propose to this mare?" Cel asked.

"Yes" I softly said, then put one of my front legs around her neck.

"Summer, did you accept his proposal?" Cel asked.

"Summer looked into my eyes, then said "Yes, this stallion is amazing, and I haven't even known him for a day yet..."

Cel again had a really hard time and almost started crying. But she said softly "Summer, you are right... This stallion is very amazing..."

Picking up her royal tone, as much as she could, she pronounced "Based on the laws of the realm of Equestria, and your mutual acceptance of this proposal, and barring any other, I now pronounce you Stallion and Mare."

Summer and I smiled and rubbed noses for a minute maybe.

"Shysage, can we talk in the hall briefly?" Cel asked quietly.

"Summer, I will be right back" I said softly.

"You had better be, Stallion" Summer replied with some concern.

Cel stopped, then walked back into the jail cell. I think she almost hugged her mom, but didn't, and was again choking back tears....

Still, Cel said quietly "Summer, he will be right back, we just need to discuss your affairs briefy."

Summer calmed down at this, and said "Thank you, Princess."

---

Out in the hall, I spoke slowly and quietly to Cel.

"I know it's mom... voice, eyes, bump near the left edge of her mouth, everything...

"I don't know why she is Blue, and she has no memory beyond two months ago..."

It was quiet for a minute, I was trying not to cry too...

"I am pretty sure the Portal used all it's resources to pull her from under that rock, and put her back together, and that's why the Portal is so slow. But her memory is just... gone..."

I paused briefly, still trying to not cry, myself, then continued "I will stay with her as long as that takes... We should really stay fed, but locked up for now."

Cel broke down and we hugged and cried softly together for a few minutes. Even this was excruciating for both of us... And I deeply loved my girl... Yet, even with no memory, and Blue, Summer, alive, was just so unthinkably amazing to both of us...

And I had to quietly add this, too... "Cel, I think Fluttershy needs to know about her sister, but she will probably cry buckets for hours at this news..."

Cel was still working hard to choke back her tears too, and said simply "Dad, we will cry buckets together, then..."

[Fluttershy told me later that's exactly what they did...]

I walked back into the cell, and over to Summer, and rubbed her nose. Cel followed me.

But Summer pulled away, and said crossly "You're leaving, aren't you?"

I sighed and answered calmly and slowly "Summer, I will never leave you... I could never leave you... I will die without you..."

'Princess Celestia' just had to add "and if he ever does, I will throw him back in here personally."

Cel said this last part pretty sternly, but I realized that Summer would now know that Princess Celestia was on her side, and this was good.

Still keeping the same stern tone, Cel said "Guards, feed these two well, but they are to stay locked inside for now."

Then Cel walked out with the rest of the guards.

But I also knew that, before too long, our battered family would be mending together from this terrible nightmare, starting here in the Past...

---

"Wow Stallion, you were serious about not leaving me..." Summer said softly. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

I walked over to Summer, put my head up against hers, and hugged her tightly, and was quickly crying... "Summer, I have nowhere else to go, and there is simply nopony else for me..."

Summer was quiet for a minute maybe, as she felt some. Then she said "I know Stallion, I know."

We had both been up most of last night, so I walked over near the wall below the window, which was the darkest spot in the cell during the day.

I laid down, then rolled over on my side, and Summer enthusiastically climbed back up under my front legs, and I pulled her to my chest. She sighed, just like she had so many times...

I had to fight the urge to cry again...

Summer must have sensed this. "I really love you too, Stallion" she said quietly.

We were both soon asleep again.

...

We woke up, probably late afternoon.

Summer didn't move, and just sighed a few times.

While hugging my Mare, I was thinking through what I needed to try and do. I quickly realized that I had absolutely no clue. I asked true friend for help.

Summer must have seen food, and was very hungry, so she quickly got up.

Still, she turned and looked at me with a questioning look on her face, and I calmly told her to eat as much as she wanted.

I sat up at this point, near the corner along the back wall with the window in it.

She ate most of the food, then said it was my turn.

I explained to her that I wasn't really hungry. I mentioned that life was just very difficult for me right now, and I didn't eat much as a result. Well, maybe it was less difficult now...

---

Summer finished the food, then came and sat facing me, and we rubbed noses for a little while. She said she really enjoyed that... Well, I didn't want to stop either.

I didn't realize this, but she was silently searching my soul... This Mare... Summer could still 'read' me so well, and so deep.

After quite a while rubbing noses, she pulled away and said "You are my Stallion now, and I am your Mare, right?"

I quickly sighed, then said "I have to be the luckiest Stallion in Equestria... Yes."

She smiled, then blushed a little, but I still knew she had something on her mind. She didn't leave me wondering.

"Stallion, you are hurting immensely inside, and you haven't yet told me why. I am your Mare, and I want to know everything."

I was stunned, but realized she deserved to know whatever she wanted to know. I also realized at this point, I probably could tell her nothing that would affect us; this was precisely the reason I carried so much pain.

I also realized that I could not just 'turn a fire hose' on her; I needed to explain things slowly, and over time, so I didn't overwhelm her.

I also guessed I might end up crying, but that didn't really matter.

I just gave her the honest, 'big picture' truth, as calmly and quietly as I could.

"Summer, You have been my Mare for years now. Through a tragic accident, I thought you had died, and that ripped me apart inside. It seems a miracle to me that I even found you alive, but your memory of events beyond two months ago, when this tragedy happened, has been disconnected or something.

"I am pretty sure you love me now, and that means more to me than you can know. I can never love anypony else, ever... But the life and love we shared before two months ago has been lost for now. That hurts deeply... Everything hurts deeply, and I don't know what to do about it..."

I stopped there. I knew she was feeling, sensing, checking.

That was ok, I was trying not to cry...

She sat quietly for a few minutes, almost motionless, looking into my eyes, probably much deeper.

I was not prepared for her next question.

"Stallion, why did you start loving me in the first place?" she asked quietly, neither smiling or crying.

I realized that, from this point on, I would tell her whatever she asked. As my new Mare, she deserved that, and I would never do anything less for my Mare previously anyway.

Still, I knew this would be hard...

"Summer, True Friendship means putting others first...

"I committed my life to living out true friendship years ago, even though this seemed so unpopular with those around me. I met you soon after you made that same comittment yourself.

"It seemed circumstances beyond both our control threw us together... And I quickly realized we were 'kindred spirits', and I was increasingly drawn to you. As a true friend you were, are just amazing to be around.

"In you, I found not only a true friend, but an amazing mare that was like me in so many ways...

Well, this was as far as I got... I started crying at this point, and couldn't keep going, and really couldn't help it.

Summer moved, and sat next to me, and put one of her front legs around my neck and hugged me. I can't describe how good that felt...

And I suspected that her head was right next to mine so she could keep feeling inside me. At this point, I wanted her to see everything in there. I wanted her back so badly...

She wasn't done asking questions though.

"Stallion, it seems clear to me that neither of us fit in among the rest of the ponies around us. Why is that?"

I knew I had to be careful here.

"Summer, I am going to answer your question, but you need to realize that this needs to be kept just between us. Can you agree to that? I asked.

"Yes, Stallion" she quickly replied.

"Summer, our home is around 1000 years in the future from this point in Equestria's history. But as I said, nopony should know that. Since we are from the future, it is very easy for us to do the wrong thing, change our future, and simply disappear. That is very scary to me. My future is you, and I don't want that to disappear. I don't want you to disappear. I don't want to lose you ag--"

I slowly 'lost it' as I explained this, too. Lost memory or no, this was a very real concern.

I was crying softly.

She was quiet, she was checking.

I knew all this would sound like a 'whale's tale', but it was all true. I also knew that my Mare could tell in a heartbeat if I was lying.

"Stallion, Princess Celestia called you 'dad'. Why is that?" she asked next.

I stayed crying... This was just hard...

"Summer, you and I rescued Princess Celestia when she was a young foal, without even knowing who she was or what she would become. You and I raised her as our own for two years...

"That was around 350 years ago now. You were her mom, and I was her dad. We called her Cel... And by the way, she almost started crying when she realized you were still alive..."

Well, I was still crying, and had to stop again...

Summer was thinking. This delay was quite a bit longer. And again, I don't know where this question came from, but I sought to answer it honestly.

"Shysage, what happened to my Cutie Mark thing? Everypony else here has one..."

I really hadn't even noticed. But I could tell from her voice, this was really hurting her.

I got up, then asked her to step out into the center of the room because there was more light there.

I walked slowly around her, and carefully checked. There was absolutely no trace of her Phantom Alicorn Cutie Mark any more. Well, and she was Blue now...

Still, I gently licked where her Cutie Mark used to be. And before saying anything, I said softly "Summer I love you whether you have a Cutie Mark or not..."

"But you need to agree to keep this between just us for now though, is that ok?"

Summer said quietly "Yes..."

"Summer, your Cutie Mark set you apart as the rarest and most powerful Alicorn known to Equestria, and I have seen your magic in action, and it is very great. And I think you were killed by an evil being for that very reason..."

Summer broke in here. I had to wonder if she was looking for a 'fatal flaw' in my story. "Come on, Stallion, I'm still alive..." She said quickly.

I started to cry fiercely, and moved to sit right next to her, and moved my head up against her head, like she had done before. I wanted her to verify this.

"Summer, the last time I saw you before I saw you yesterday, you were cru--... crushed under a huge block of Obsidian... You were magically pulled out, and put back together. Whether you actually died or not, I don't know. But no other pony could have survived that.

I couldn't talk any more for a while... For me to have to watch that terrible nightmare actually become reality... It devastated me just thinking about it...

I was soon laying on the floor, crying loudly.

Still, we both knew I hadn't finished answering her question. So, I picked my head up and tried. I was still crying a lot.

"Summer, I think the magical force that rescued you, also changed your coat color and removed your Cutie Mark for your protection..."

I just cried for a little while, then I said this next. I don't know where it came from.

"Summer, I want you to remember the life we had. But more importantly I think Princess Celestia needs your Alicorn magic, and she and Equestria are very vulnerable right now..."

I got this out then just cried...

Summer came and laid on the floor next to me, and I tried to calm down.

After a few minutes, Summer said quietly "Stallion, I know for a fact that you have not lied to me once... I also know that I want... I need my memory back... I don't know how to do that though..."

We just cried together on the floor in the middle of that cell for a while. I didn't know either...

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