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

by shysage

Ch.62, Another Wedding Present (Bleacher Girls!)

Princess Twilight said that dinner tonight was at the Castle. She wanted everypony there. We all got our coats on, then spread out to find everypony else.

Fluttershy and Shyna headed into town to find Rarity and Fiona, and hopefully Pinke Pie. Shysage and I took the longer walk to Sweet Apple Acres, and found both Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Dinner all together was so nice. I think I looked around the table a few times, and tried not to cry. Such amazing friends...

Shysage had something on his mind though, so he just threw it out there (his words). He said he would really like to get two sections of accounts done today, covering maybe 7 or so chapters. He said it would really be handy to have two compys, but this would require a trip to the Equestria Girls world.

He said it would be a short trip, just for the day. And he mentioned that if everypony was busy, they would just come back to Equestria. He had not planned this ahead of time, so everything was up in the air.

Princess Twilight said a day trip would be fine, but then sighed and added that she, Rarity and Filia and Fiona already had plans, so couldn't come.

And Applejack said "Awww... The Winter harvest is always harsh because of the weather, and Rainbow was gonna help me with that today..."

Princess Twilight quickly added "Girls, if I understood Twilight correctly, I think all the Twins are coming here for the weekend at the end of their break thing. So whoever can't go today, you won't have to wait long."

It was quiet for a minute, then my Stallion said "Pinkie, do you want to come? I suspect--"

Pinkie just yelled "Yippeee..." and that was answer enough. I think this was for the better. I think Shysage was hoping to use her Twin's compy for this task, if that was ok.

And, of course, my sisters were both coming.

After dinner, we all gathered in the Library and had a good hug and some cry time together. And somepony also started what we usually say. We don't always have to say it, and that makes it more relaxed. But when somepony starts it, we all jump right in. We love each other, and we love our amazing Princess.

Shysage ran to our home briefly, and was soon back with what he wanted.

We helped Applejack and Rainbow get their coats back on, and they headed off to a day of apples.

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Shyna, Shysage and I walked over to the Portal.

Princess said quietly "Please be careful, and stay with Shysage at all times. I want you all back safe!"

We hugged her again, and started going through the Portal. Shysage and I went last and together.

---

Time check, it was 7:03 in the Equestria Girls world. It was early morning and cold.

Fluttershy said her Twin Link went active right away, and Shyna also was immediately talking happily to her Twin. I would learn Shysage and my Twins were still on their 'honeymoon', and that was fine. Still, Twin time today for those that could, this would be amazing.

It was VERY cold, so we walked quickly over to Fluttershy's apartment. We were soon inside, and it was nice and warm in her apartment. I don't know how, she doesn't have a fireplace.

Fluttershys and Shynas were quickly hugging together and crying some.

Pinkie quickly asked for Fluttershy's cell phone. I guess she knows how to use it. I watched her though, she sent just one word to her Twin, it was the word 'Yippeeee' she had shouted over dinner.

Five minutes later, the Pinkie Pie Twins were hugging and crying together, too. Well, both Pinkies were amazingly happy, so I don't know how the tears fit in!

And Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie had brought her compy with her as well. Pinkie Sense is amazing...

Seeing Pinkie's compy, Fluttershy quickly got out her sister's compy. Very soon, two compys were up and running at opposite ends of that 'coffee table'. We didn't have any coffee, so I don't know. I guess there is a lot about this place I still don't understand.

Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie said she could do the typing for me on her compy. Shysage said that the section should cover what happened in the days following our return from the Past, and after everypony had emotionally recovered from that ordeal, well, mostly recovered.

And Shysage asked that all the girls help me. He was doing a few chapters that started when he was kicked across the Library Lobby for 'trying to make sense' I think he said, through the next day when the Portal took him into the Past, where he was promptly tattooed and thrown into a cave by the Portal guards, then almost immediately taken by Dark Melvain, and physically dragged the entire distance to his Bastion.

I knew this would be hard for Shysage, and I sighed again that he was trying to spare the rest of us from this. I also knew he would need me later.

Well, us girls got right to it! I... We had so much fun together doing this. Well, for a few short sections, I had Pinkie insert two 'brackets', I think they are called. I would add this more personal stuff later.

The part about Shyna finding Mildred after we had engine trouble on the way to Canterlot made both Shynas cry (again). And I had to explain who Mildred was, and how significant finding her had become. We were all crying after that!

I think we all cried some more too. We couldn't just 'come back to Ponyville and get going'. We spent a few nights together at the Castle with our Princess. I think we had to.

And we ALL remembered Pinkie Pies' epic party!

The stuff us girls did ended up over four chapters. Well, Shysage had Pinkie move stuff from the end of the fourth chapter into a new chapter, since that was the day Shysage got attacked in the Library in Canterlot, and what he had written would go in there. He knows how to fit stuff together better than I do, I think.

It took until lunch time, but us girls all had a blast doing it. It was such amazing fun, and with the Twins helping... It was an amazing time, and Twin fun too.

Shysage had finished the chapters he was working on quite a bit earlier. Glancing occasionally at him as he wrote, I knew the chapters he had done were hard for him.

He finished, turned my Twin's compy off, then just sat there for a while, probably calming down. Then he just relaxed there on the far end of the couch as a bunch of crazy girls (his words) had fun together. He was right about that! Wait...

Still, by lunch time, we had everything done and proofed, and safely saved on Shysage's USB Drive, whatever that is. Well, that thing is so tiny, I can't see how so many words could fit. I dont know.

Us girls were still laughing and crying at the same time, and we ended up all hugging together, just where we were. Our morning together was so fun...

---

Lunch was at the Cake's, of course. And it wasn't so cold for our walk there. And all eight of us fit around a large table.

Equestria Girls Fluttershy laughed, and said that her dad had just opened an account here. Everypony else laughed, except us Equestria ponies. Shysage explained it though, then we laughed too. I guess opening a charge account for food is not normally done. Still, Fluttershy's mom and dad take such good care of this group...

The food was good, Shysage and I shared a 'hamburger'. It was very tasty! Still, he smiled, then whispered in my ear "Don't ask what it's made of, we will talk about that later." Shysage and I shared a soda too.

After lunch, the Pinkie Pie Twins headed up to Pinkie's room. Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie promised that she and her Twin would only be either there or they would come back to Fluttershy's apartment.

The rest of us headed outside, and walked slowly back to the apartment. It wasn't too cold, and it wasn't windy at all. We had to keep our sweatshirts on, but were very comfortable otherwise.

Near the School, Shysage asked if Equestria Girls Fluttershy could take her Twin and the Shyna Twins to the apartment, and wait for us. We were just going to sit at the bleachers for a little while.

---

They headed off, and we were soon sitting in the bleachers. We were the only ones there of course. It was Winter and School was not going because of that break thing.

At first little was said. We were just enjoying being together and alone. I smiled, and told Shysage we were allowed to do that now, and we both laughed.

I also think, after working on what he did this morning, he probably just needed me close. The Sun warmed us nicely, and I just sat as close to him as I could.

"My amazing Mare... I love you so much..." Shysage said softly, then he kissed my head.

We just sat there for a little while. Then I said quietly "Who would have thought that true friendship would make so great a difference... Shysage, I don't know where that came from, but now over three years ago, it is still so true..."

It was quiet for a minute, and I noticed that Shysage was wiping away tears. "Summer, I was looking at you when those words came to me..." Shysage got this much out, then started crying. But he tried to finish his thought. "The first time I really looked at you, those words just came..."

We just cried together for a few minutes.

After we calmed down, I just said softly "Well, like we have written, true friendship got us where we are now, and we are not about to stop.

...

Less than a minute later, (probably) one of the girls from the High School quickly mounted the bleachers, and literally fell at my side.

She was quickly crying on my shoulder. I hugged her of course, and was soon crying with her. What else could I do.

She cried pretty hard for maybe five minutes. Once she began to calm down, I nudged her back a little, and said "Precious girl, what is your name?"

"I'm Julia, and I have seen you a lot..." She started crying again, but through tears, she got these short statements out...

"I just started here... at the High School..."

"I have been with the girls here a bunch, they are all so nice...

"I... I have cried with you before too...

"You and your Twin are amazing..."

"I have watched you and... Shysage... You are both so caring... Never angry with..."

Julia cried pretty hard, and got this out "I want what you both have... I want it so bad..."

This is what Julia wanted. This is what was hurting her right now. This is why she was here. She and I just cried together a while longer.

And I knew Shysage and I were both asking true friend for help. We both needed it.

Shysage spoke first, and gently. "Julia, the core of Summer and my relationship is the exact same core of what makes the girls that meet here so amazing; it is true friendship, the simple committment to put others first. It is important that you know that this is the basis of what you are seeking."

Julia calmed down, sighed, and answered "I think I understand that. Well, I think each day I understand it more. And I want that too. I am trying anyway. Twilight said it is a learning process, and she was right, I can see that."

Shysage continued though. "Julia finding the right person can take a while, and you just need to be patient. I know from experience that the pain caused by jumping into something with the wrong person is far greater than the pain of simply waiting for the right one. And once you do find your amazing true friend, the pain of waiting will quickly disappear."

Julia was quiet for over a minute. She was clearly deep in thought. Then she admitted slowly "Well, noone on TV, the Internet or in the movies ever says that. But that makes far more sense than anything I've ever heard..."

It was quiet a minute, then I said softly "Julia, I know there is a lot of pressure on you, especially from your peers. And dating isn't near the priority your friends want it to be. Just focus on being friends, real friends with the other students around you. Learn more about true friendship. Learn how to be a true friend. It won't be easy, but this alone will prepare you for meeting a special true friend down the road."

Julia was again quiet, and clearly thinking. Then she said "Ok, you are telling me to be patient, and to spend the time learning how to be a true friend. Then I will be ready when my special true friend comes along. Did I get that right?"

"Well, yes" I quickly answered. "But just remember, the sacrifices you make for your friends, THAT needs to be reason enough for what you do. As you focus on others, helping them and bringing them joy, this needs to be your motive. Your special true friend will come at the perfect time, probably when you least expect it."

It was quiet for a minute. Julia said softly "Summer, Fluttershy's mom was right about you..."

Julia and I hugged tightly, for a minute maybe. While hugging, I just said softly "Julia, you are amazing... You deserve the best, patiently wait for it, and be a true friend to others and do what you can for them for now." Well, she cried some after that, as we hugged.

...

"Julia, I would like to make you an offer. And this is really up to you with no pressure at all. From what I can tell, you are the sweetest person at this School..."

None of us had noticed that one of the guys from the School was now sitting next to Shysage. It was Rick, one of the first guys that Shysage had talked with here in these very same bleachers, maybe six months ago. He was a regular in that group now.

Still, we didn't know how much of Julia's story he had heard, but evidently he caught most of it.

After shaking Shysage's hand, Rick continued, talking mostly to Julia.

"I've been listening to this stallion for a while now. From day 1, he basically told me what he and his mare just told you. This is right, I know it.

"And I can't stress enough, how important true friendship has become to me. It is not rocket science, nothing else we hear will really work.

"But I think I have reached the point where I need someone specifically to be able to practice true friendship with, and no this is not some corny gimmick."

Well, it was quiet a minute, both were thinking. Rick started again.

"What I would like to offer is that we could just agree to try and learn more about this amazing true friendship together.

"I think we should try to keep things as casual as possible, and honestly, I have already ditched the whole dating thing anyway. Just knowing how we are wired, I think we should really keep physical contact at a minimum, too. Shysage has told me numerous times that sexuality can easily destroy a good relationship. Based on what I have seen all around me, I know this is right too."

Well, there was a pause here, and it was clear Rick was fighting back tears. Still, he honestly spoke his heart, just like Julia had.

"I want this true friendship too. Shysage said this once, and I will never forget it... I don't just want a woman I can jump in bed with... I want a woman that I can wake up to... I want a woman I can enjoy living with..."

Shysage and I both cried here. I knew this is exactly how he felt. He told me later that he cried here because he was convinced that he had found that in me. We cried then too.

Amazingly, Rick continued.

"Julia, I am not saying you are that woman. But finding out more about true firendship together, as friends, can help us both find what we are seeking."

Well, we all stopped crying, and it was quiet for a minute or two.

Julia said quietly "I don't even know your name yet, but that is the most sensible thing I have ever heard a guy at this School say. I would really appreciate it if we could talk about this more over a soda, though."

The two of them were soon walking off across the grass towards the Cakes, talking.

Shysage and I sat in silence for a minute or two.

"Shysage, I really hurt for her, she is so much like me... She even looks like me..." I said this quietly, again on the verge of tears.

Shysage sighed, then answered "Rick is a good man. If they focus on true friendship, they will be good for each other.

It was quiet for another minute. Then I said softly "Shysage, that was really amazing though..."

---

I really love Shysage, and suddenly felt so amazed and thankful at the way he has taken such amazing care of me these last few years. I really wanted to hug Shysage and kiss him right now...

...but noticed then that a group of about ten bleacher girls were walking quickly towards us.

Shysage whispered "wedding present" in my ear, kissed my cheek, then got up and moved to the end of the bleachers where the guys usually sit.

In less than 15 minutes, there were over thirty girls huddled around me as we talked and visited. This was amazing!

And the group grew as the Pinkie, Fluttershy and Shyna Twins came a few minutes later, followed by Twilight and Rarity, with Filia and Fiona. I don't know where all these girls were coming from.

Before too long, There were guys crowded around Shysage too. I thought it was break or something, but word must travel fast here. Julia and Rick both came back together too.

Well, the afternoon was amazing, and I could not think of a better wedding present...

...

At one point I was visiting with a girl named Dora. "Hey, I came in at the end, and everyone was crying. You were crying too, but you were holding a pony or something. Can you tell us some more about that?"

I think all the girls nearby heard this, and everyone turned around.

Well, I started crying right away, but realized these amazing friends deserved to know this. They were the reason...

Pinkie got up right away, and asked Shysage to bring the guys over. She just knew...

Well, I cried the whole time, but I basically told them about almost losing Shysage. I cautioned them that this all needed to stay within this group, since it mostly happened in my world.

It was really hard to even talk, and I skipped some details that they didn't need to know, but at least they all understood 'that pony' was Shysage, and that he was basically beat up so bad that he was not breathing as I cried with him on the grass in front of the School that afternoon. Then they all came...

Well I was sobbing again, and thankfully Shysage was now right behind me, and he just hugged me. He was crying too, that was just hard for both of us.

Still, I said a number of times "Girls, I can't thank you enough..." I was so delighted that I got the opportunity to thank them like that...

We all cried together for a while.

...

Far too soon for me, everyone was shivering. I hugged as many as I could (including Julia and Rick), as they all wandered off to their homes. The Equestria Girls and ponies walked rather quickly back to Fluttershy's warm apartment.

It was tight, but we all found a place to sit. Equestria Girls Fluttershy ordered pizza for the group. It was good, but us ponies knew we had to leave soon.

It was already pretty cold outside, so we tried to do as much hugging as we could before we left. This didn't work, we all had to hug some more at the Portal. We were all shivering again.

Our brief visit here had gone far beyond anything we could have even imagined. It was amazing...

Trying to not cry, us ponies started heading through the Portal. Shysage and I went through last and together, and we were all soon back in Equestria.

---

---

Comments

[whizzball1]

So I noticed that this had updated. I looked at this chapter, and I have to say, you've really improved as to usage of quotation marks. There were only two errors on that front: you put "honeymoon" and "coffee table" in quotations. Although, the other places you use single quotation marks would probably be better with double quotation marks, because they're quoting people. "Hamburger": she's quoting what someone said they were called. "Trying to make sense": She's quoting what the pony who was kicked out said. Also, "... and get going" (I can't remember exactly what it said) and "brackets" should use double quotation marks, too.

You're growing. I like this.

P.S. Use the double arrow button so I can see if you reply, please. I might forget to check this.