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

by shysage

Ch.54 (Back Home) Protecting the Future

I cried with Shysage in my arms next to the Portal for ten minutes maybe (Fluttershy thought). I acknowledged nothing or anypony else, especially after Shysage started crying with me. But I guess my Twin, both Fluttershys and both Shynas were right next to me the whole time. I love my family.

But after that ten minutes, I was shivering violently and very cold. We had all been outside in a cold, steady rain for some time. I never noticed. Everypony else was soaked, and shivering too.

I was still mush, but my Twin was such a help...

She and the Equestria Girls gently slid their arms under Shysage, held hands, picked him up, and carefully moved him up the steps and laid him back down on the floor just inside the School Lobby. Wow, it was a lot warmer in here...

Everypony else just packed into the Lobby too, out of the rain. Most were still crying some, I think. I wanted so much, just to tightly hug every single one. I just couldn't, though, not now...

I just held Shysage tightly, there on the floor, and cried more... I could have stayed there all day, crying with him. He was my life... It had to have been a miracle...

But after thirty minutes maybe, both Pinkie Pie's knelt down next to me and said quietly "Summer, Shysage needs to go through the Portal again, very soon."

I wasn't about to argue. Pinkie Sense is never wrong.

I asked Shysage if he felt he could walk, and he said quietly "Not very far."

My Twin called the Equestria Girls over, and they quickly had Shysage back in their arms, and carried him down the steps to the Portal.

Crying fiercely, I asked my Twin to make sure and thank all the girls for us. I couldn't say much more... But I knew I could never thank them enough...

The Equestria Girls carefully rolled Shysage over and gently stood him up right in front of the Portal, and steadied him. He took two steps into the Portal and was gone.

I quickly followed him through.

...

I felt bad though, I really wanted to hug everypony. I think I already said that... As far as I could tell, my Shysage was alive, thanks to a sea of true friends...

---

Both of us were soon back in the Library in the Castle in Ponyville. That big, thick rug in front of the Portal was so comfortable, and it was nice and warm in the Library too.

I turned into a people long enough to gently pull Shysage off to the side by pulling carefully on his legs, one at a time. I took this part pretty slow. Still, he said 'ow' and groaned a lot for this.

Shysage's body was still covered with a lot of nasty bruises of various sizes, although most of them had scabbed over now and were dry. Well, and it looked like he had a bunch of pretty deep looking 'pokes' around his backside. It looked like some of them formed the letter 's', I don't know. It made me cry, just looking at him like this.

After I had moved him off to the side, Shysage asked me to help him up on his belly. Still a people, I helped him up. Then I changed back into a pony, and laid on my belly right next to him. That rug is so nice, it was very comfortable, and Shysage was soon breathing easily and relaxing next to me.

I can't explain how amazing that felt. I was soon crying softly myself.

It was quiet for a minute.

I put my head right up next to his. "I love you, Shysage" I said quietly, still crying.

It was quiet for another minute.

Shysage said slowly and quietly "You are my Shila..."

We just cried together there for a while.

I didn't want to move; I didn't want to be away from Shysage for even a minute right now. I knew it was painful for Shysage to move, too. We could stay here for a long time. Being next to him felt like heaven for me.

Still I think that, finally being in a still place, with Shysage at my side... It was like it all finally got real for me, and I burst into tears. The last 12 hours or so literally burst open inside me. I put my head down between Shysage's front legs, and just sobbed. Shysage cried with me.

---

Maybe an hour later, Shysage and I were still crying as ponies started coming through the Portal, so I tried to calm down. I was glad I had moved Shysage so far away; everypony had plenty of room.

Everypony else was crying though, and they just joined us. As each new pony came through, they crowded around Shysage and I, and kept crying. Lu, Cel and Fluttershy came through last, and everypony made room.

Evidently, Fluttershy explained to the rest of the Twins exactly what had happened in the Past before we came back. I guess now everypony knew just how bad it really was.

And Fluttershy told me later that, as she started explaining what happened, Cel quickly remembered the whole thing, started crying, and helped Fluttershy tell the story. That was just amazing.

Well, we also found out that Fluttershy and I really had been 'gone' from Equestria Present for only a short time. Less than a minute maybe, after Fluttershy and I left, we came back, and they watched in horror as Fluttershy and I worked on getting Shysage's limp body through the Portal.

Of course, they quickly followed us through.

And I guess the timing was such that it was early afternoon in the Equestria Girls world; classes were still going. As soon as Twins sensed Twins, everypony came running. And Principal Celestia quickly jumped on the 'PA' thing and called all the 'bleacher girls' to the front of the School, too. I guess they knew who they were. And a bunch of the guys also came. This was all so amazing...

How could I ever...

Still, I quietly asked Pinkie Pie if I needed to do anything else for Shysage.

Pinkie just smiled and said "Nah, he will be fine."

I just burst into tears again. Well, maybe we all did.

Well, we all cried together a bunch there for a while.

It was the middle of the night, and soon everypony else was sound asleep. Well, I was exhausted, and quickly fell asleep too.

---

I must have been really tired. When I actually woke up the next morning, it felt like it was close to noon, I don't know.

Shysage was still next to me though, and that felt so nice. It was clear he was awake, so I rubbed my head up against his right away.

Still, he nodded for me to watch what was going on.

The rest of the girls were up, and over in a group in the center of the Library, sitting together, talking quietly. I just kept watching.

I soon realized that they were all looking at some sort of bracelet thing on Fluttershy's leg.

It was a nice looking band, and it went all the way around her leg, and was hanging loosely, just above her hoof. It was small enough in diameter that I didn't think it would ever come off. It didn't look tight though.

And it looked like it was White with a Gold edge and Gold lettering or something on it. I couldn't really tell.

I just shrugged, neither my sister nor I were ever much into stuff like that, I don't know.

I heard Cel (Princess Celestia) talking though.

"The letters 'yoe' stand for year of Equestria, and we put those on the summer of year 583 from the founding of Equestria. I think dad can tell us how long ago that was."

Cel started crying, but continued.

"It had been a while since anypony had come to the Past via the Portal, and I was really concerned that anypony that did come through would not be well received by the guards. I had already planned out these bands...

"But, I really didn't know how to warn the guards ahead of time. And evidently, dad came through, and the guards..."

Cel stopped and cried some. Then she tried to finish.

"... the guards threw dad outside the Portal building, into that cave behind Canterlot..."

Evidently everypony already knew the story from here, and a few just wept softly, and it was quiet.

Shysage should have been crying, that was maybe only 24 hours ago for him. But he whispered to me quietly "I think yours is the most beautiful."

I just gasped, and quickly looked at my hind leg; I had the same band too. What I could see, it probably read 'Princess Celestia YOE 583'. The band was beautiful Gold, with White 'overfill' (Shysage called it that) and Gold letters.

Well, it really was beautiful, and I started crying right away. Cel and Lu came over, and we just hugged and cried a little while.

Shysage said quietly "I don't think anypony will lose us anymore."

Everypony else just laughed.

Shysage had one too.

---

Well, Cel felt really bad, and was quickly hugging dad, apologizing for what her own guards, no less, had done to him. The results of this was still clearly visible on Shysage's rump and thigh. And Cel evidently still felt the pain, even though it was many years ago for her. We thought Cel had felt bad about this for a long time.

Shysage nudged the Princess of Equestria away long enough to say quietly "Cel, it's ok, that's all in the past now."

Cel worked on calming down, and said quietly "I know, but not for you. And Stormwalk did pay dearl--"

Cel stopped abruptly; she must have finally seen the 's' on dad's rump, made with a string of spear pokes... "Did he do that too?"

Cel was crying again, hugging dad.

Shysage tried to comfort her again "Cel, it's ok, it doesn't hurt as bad now."

I understood what Shysage was trying to accomplish, but I thought it probably still hurt a lot...

We all cried a little while longer with the Princess of Equestria.

...

After crying a little while, Cel abruptly stopped crying, then she got up, moved, and sat down right next to dad (Shysage). Then she asked for everyponies' attention. I was still on my belly next to Shysage, but everypony else was mostly sitting facing us.

Cel began to speak, and we could all tell right away that some sort of official announcement was coming.

The Princess of Equestria didn't turn, but quietly asked Shysage "Dad, when Dark Melvain took you, did he say who he was after?"

Shysage sighed, then said, also quietly, "He was originally after you, Cel. But when he found me..."

Cel was fighting back tears at this point, but she continued.

"We had an informant at Dark Melvain's Bastion, and he told us the same thing right before he was forced to flee for his life. Our informant warned us that Dark Melvain planned on using me as bait for another trap for the Phantom Alicorn.

"I didn't really know what to do, and we didn't know when, how soon he would come. I had no idea when I should activate the Portal Beacon, so I never did.

"But I knew that I would never survive Dark Melvain taking me prisoner; I would quickly be killed in the most horrible way possible."

Continuing was hard as Cel cried. She spoke quietly though.

"This will probably never be widely known beyond this group. But when Dark Melvain found Shysage, and took him in my place...

"Dad... You saved my life..."

Shysage burst into tears at this point, and he and his girl were quickly crying together, and I'll bet crying like that hurt him a lot too. And Shysage couldn't move, but Cel hugged him with one of her legs as they cried together.

We were all crying too.

I don't think Shysage ever thought he would be given the opportunity to sacrifice himself for his girl. But that's what he did...

And Shysage explained later that this whole thing had really been tough for him; he felt like true friend had abandoned him, and the Portal had taken him back into the Past when he was already in intense pain, just so he could die at Dark Melvain's hands.

But when Cel said that... This put everything into perspective for my amazing Stallion.

While crying with Cel, Shysage said repeatedly "Cel, you know I'll help you any way I can..."

Well, he had just shown this was true...

I love him so much...

...

I know there are ponies that don't like Shysage, and maybe even cringe when they see his name...

I heard one of the Equestria Girls use this phrase once, and I think it fits here; talk is cheap...

It takes a lot more guts to try to protect the future, than it does to carelessly tear it down.

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