It's me, Fluttershy... This is my chapter too...
After bringing the Brush Ponies out, Rosa was waiting for Summer as she landed, but Shysage and I were too. Summer and Shysage cried together for a little while, Summer as a people, kneeling and tightly hugging Shysage's pony neck. Things like this affected both of them, and Shysage really is Summer's shield. It is hard to even understand how desparately close this Stallion and Mare are bonded together... And, I guess Princess Arianna and Prince Ma-gane stopped the Brush Ponies as Summer cried with Shysage. This seemed only right. And Summer motioned for me... The three of us, the Hey-su-key-os (me) the Prow-tase (Summer), and the Therion (Shysage) from Lady Grace's dream, we hugged and cried together for a little while. The Brush Ponies were free...
Summer told Princess Arianna we should go, so we all started walking again, heading East, away from the Brush Pony's prison of fear and terror. Most of the Brush Ponies were crying softly, too. What had just happened; what we, what Summer had just done... That meant a lot to them. They were free. Soon they would be under Equestria's protection, too.
My Panther friend was back at my side, and walked next to me. Summer was between Rosa and Shysage. She was just a people now, and had an arm around the neck of both as they walked together. And I felt bad right away... Summer's people clothes were so worn, with rips and tears... We really should get our Equestria Girls friends to see if... Wait... Nevermind... Well, Panthers, Brush Ponies; they wouldn't even notice, or care. But, I just felt bad...
The rest of the Panthers were spread out around the Brush Ponies as they walked behind their Prince and Princess. There was no wandering off, no eating... I think everypony just wanted away. And maybe I felt... The Brush Ponies just wanted safety, to be able to live without fear, not having to fear for their lives, for their foal's lives... After all they had been through, hopefully Equestria would guarantee them that.
We walked straight East, at a pretty good walk, all that afternoon, and well into the evening. Then Prince Ma-gane stopped the Brush Ponies, and had them lay down right where they were. Panthers spread carefully around us; that is how we slept that night. Well, the Brush Ponies cried softly together for hours. Summer only then changed back into a pony, and slept on her belly with me on one side, and Shysage on her other side, with two huge Panthers next to us. Well, that was just nice...
Princess Arianna woke us ponies up the next morning, and I think maybe Summer had some idea right away. The Brush Ponies and Panthers were all up, and probably waiting for us. But Lady Grace was standing next to Princess Arianna. Summer began to weep softly, and changed immediately into a people, then into the Shila. While Princess Arianna was still trying to decide how to say what she wanted, the Shila and Lady Grace were already hugging, crying...
Princess Arianna said quietly "Panther clan... stop... here..." I understood right away too. This was at about the same spot I started to hear the Panthers yesterday. Evidently, they would come no further, no closer to Equestria. That made me cry with my Panther friend, too. But I guess the rest of the Panthers were making the same mmew crying sound, too.
Still crying, now with both Lady Grace and Rosa, Summer asked Princess Arianna to find out how much longer before the Panthers could come into Equestria. That was a very good question, and Lady Grace's answer, through Princess Arianna was... just... sobering...
"eight... ten moons... hard times... Pony land... Panthers come..."
We cried together some more... Then... as quickly as they had come to us at first... our Panther friends disappeared into the brush and grass, and were gone...
Princess Arianna, Summer and I hugged and cried together a while longer, then we began walking East again. Prince Ma-gane and Princess Arianna were up front, and the Brush Ponies followed their leaders as we resumed our journey. Summer (having changed back into a pony) was next to Princess Arianna, and I walked next to Summer. Shysage walked next to Prince Ma-gane. I think they might have talked some on the way. And Summer and Princess Arianna talked some too. I guess Dodge City was our next destination. From there we would need to get word to Princess Twilight about Equestria's leadership meeting somewhere with the whole Brush Pony tribe, and arranging for the Brush Ponies to settle in Equestria. I have no idea what all that might involve. Still, I smiled at that. Maybe Summer, Shysage and I could fly... Maybe such a trip would give me some more time with my Sis... We weren't supposed to be... Well, I could hope... These last few days, though filled with tension and turmoil, with Summer close... I enjoyed being with my Sis a lot...
I had not even finished that thought... Princess Arianna and Prince Ma-gane, stopped abruptly. Their ears went quickly up, and they looked intently straight ahead. Princess Arianna said something, and the Brush Ponies all stopped. Then she said quietly "Many... animals... ahead..." I think Summer felt all that immediately. The last thing we needed now was more Cougars, even a small handful... And without our Panther friends... Summer was quickly a people with her Cutie Mark spun up. The Shila was ready. She took to the air, and flew ahead to see what it was.
Summer didn't fly very far. Maybe 100 feet ahead, she stopped, slowly landed, turned back into her markless, Blue pony form, and sat down, then hung her head. She quietly called Shysage, who asked the Brush Ponies to stay here for now. I think he guessed...
And, the very minute Summer landed, that tune that had followed us in the background, since the Brush Ponies first came, it abruptly stopped...
The "many animals" was a large force of Equestria's Guards, led by Shining Armor of course. Those at the front formed a long line, over a hundred feet across. They were walking towards us, but stopped when they saw Summer land. Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight were in the middle of that long line of Guards.
What I saw next, made me cry loudly... Summer and Shysage, as ponies, crawled slowly to within 100 feet of Princess Celestia. They were both crying too... And, by the way, crawling as a pony is excruciating... But I heard Summer say this...
"We are sorry... We are sorry for what... what we may have done... what ponies... said... What we... We are just... sorry..."
That was all my sister could say, then she and Shysage, still crying, turned and crawled to the left, slowly, along the front line of Equestria's Guards, off into the brush, and disappeared. They kept crawling; it was a little while before I could not hear them crying... Well, I was crying too, and hard, like I said... This seemed so... Trying to do the right thing... Trying to be real friends... Actually treasuring the magic of friendship... Then this... For a while, all I could do was cry...