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

by shysage

Ch.49, (To The Past) More Pain / Better Bait

Like a slowly encroaching nightmare, 'sometime' in Equestria Past came into view, and that same foreboding music again rose in the background(1). It seemed louder than I remember though.

I was still laying on my belly, just like I was when I was on that hill in the East meadow...

...and everything still hurt a lot...

I was facing the Portal, but the platform was gone, and the floor was different. I realized it was a different room altogether...

...

...

...

"HEY!!! YOU!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE???"

A guard yelled this, then walked over quickly, and kicked me...

"GET UP..."

Well, I tried, but I guess I took too long. He kicked me again, and I immediately fell to the ground. This wasn't helping the healing process at all...

I did my best to get up quickly, then I turned around as fast as I could.

Four angry guards evidently did not like me in here... I tried to explain...

"Sirs, I'm sorry, can I speak with Princ--"

I got this far, and the same guard kicked me again, and I fell down. I am not a slow learner, and I tried to quickly get back up. It hurt fiercely...

"HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?" the guard yelled again.

Well, I really couldn't say that I came here from the Future courtesy of the Portal. Though most likely, it was still my only theory.

"Sirs, I really need to talk to Prince--"

Again, I got this far, then got kicked again, and quickly fell over.

I got back up as quickly as I could, but this was just getting harder...

"Sir, what should we do with him?" one of the other guards asked the head guard (evidently).

"We just need to get rid of him, I think. I don't know how he got in here, but it will look bad for us if..."

There was a brief pause...

"SEE THAT DOOR, WORTHLESS PEGASUS? YOU HAD BETTER BE THROUGH IT AND FAST..."

Well, I hobbled as fast as I could. I guess it wasn't fast enough, because I felt two sharp spear points tear into my hind legs.

"COME ON, MOVE IT..."

---

Maybe 20 more spear pokes later, and a LOT of pain, I was facing the cave on the back side of the top deck of Canterlot. It was the one with the small pond next to it. In Equestria Present, the train would actually come through here. Right now, It was just a deep cave.

The head guard kicked me again, from behind, and I promptly fell forward, 'face planted' and fell on my side... Everything hurt worse now...

It was quiet for a minute maybe, I couldn't move anyway.

"Hey sir, watch this. Somepony sit on him" one of the other guards said.

That was quickly done. It hurt a lot, and I couldn't move, and could barely breath.

Next, an obviously Unicorn guard grabbed his spear, and used his magic, and all I felt was a minute of searing pain... This Unicorn was repeatedly poking the tip of his spear into my flank...

Well, at least the new pain stopped when he was done...

The head guard evidently looked the results over, and couldn't make heads or tails of it...

"What is that..." he said incredulously.

"Sir, it's an 'S', you know, for your name, 'Stormwalk'..." the other guard said with a sigh.

"Oh, nice..." the head guard replied after some thought.

Then the four of them laughed, and walked slowly away talking together.

"I didn't see anything, did any of you?" the head guard said.

"See what?" one of the other guards answered, laughing...

They were soon gone.

...

...

...

Well, everything just hurt even worse now... As I brushed away tears, I thought it would be a while before I could even get up. But when I did, I needed to head to the Audience Hall. I didn't think Cel would treat me like that. Maybe she would help me...

I just sighed. Well, I was crying, if you want to call it that. My eyes were leaking a lot, but it hurt to breath deep, so I don't know...

I had no idea why I was here.

And I didn't even know 'when' I was here... At least it wasn't freezing cold...

And I just wanted Summer... "We're not even in the same time zone any more..." I thought to myself... Trying to not cry hard stopped working. It hurt a lot...

'What more could go wrong...' I thought to myself...

...

...

...

---

"WELL, WELL, WELL... WHAT HAVE WE HERE..."

I would never forget that voice...

...

He walked slowly out of the depths of the cave...

Eight other Black Unicorns followed him out...

He was huge, and began slowly walking around me.

I couldn't get up anyway...

Right away, he laughed...

"EQUESTRIA'S FINEST; THEY REALLY TOOK CARE OF YOU, DIDN'T THEY!!!"

He laughed loudly after this, and then I think he headed away, out of the cave.

...

In the midst of his laughter, he stopped dead in his tracks, and stopped laughing... He turned around, walked back over, and looked at me...

"WAIT A MINUTE..."

It was quiet for a minute, then he said simply

"CHANGE OF PLANS..."

It was quiet for another minute, then he started walking slowly around me again. But the next time he spoke, there was anger in his voice...

"If I am not mistaken...

"EVERY TIME that this Phantom Alicorn has slapped me hard..."

He paused briefly here, then yelled angrily

"YOU WERE WITH HER..."

He stopped walking where I could see him, and he looked at me with eyes full of both anger and disdain...

"How do you think that makes me feel about you?"

After a brief pause, he 'answered' by kicking me across the cave into the wall with one of his huge hooves. I just crumpled back to the ground... Well, now everything hurt a lot worse, and I couldn't even wipe tears away...

He paused here and laughed loudly, then continued.

"I was actually after Princess Celestia, but you..."

There was another pause here too.

"Yes... YES!!!

"I think the Phantom Alicorn's 'Consort' will make...

"...MUCH BETTER BAIT !!!"

...

He laughed loudly for quite a while...

"Noghtmor, pick him up and carry him..." he bellowed.

"But why me, my magic can't--" Noghtmor began to protest.

"CAN IT, WORM, AND DON'T DROP HIM..."

Dark Melvain again laughed loud and long...

---

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Author's Note:

1. The tune is the BGM for the 'Outer Ra'Kaznar' level in Final Fantasy XI, and the music, the zone and the game are c2014 by Square Enix. This tune has a name and is available now. The tune is called 'The Serpentine Labyrinth' and it is available on the 'Forever Today' add-on for the OST for the Seekers of Adoulin expansion for FFXI and is c2014 by Square Enix.