Technically, Cel's Cutie Mark was late. Still, they couldn't be sure who their girls were until their marks arrived.
This happened early that second Winter.
It was late in the evening, and Summer and Shysage were just enjoying being next to each other.
Cel and Lu were already asleep, they could tell from their breathing.
While rubbing noses, Summer and Shysage both heard a very strange noise, like a log hitting a rock or something.
They both looked at the girls, and, at the same time, they both immediately stood up.
'Their girls', Cel and Lu, were now Celestia and Luna... Even by the light of a single candle, they could tell...
Lu's mane and tail were now a darker, but still light night-mist Blue... Her coat was half way between Blue and Purple, and her new Unicorn horn was the same color. Lu's Cutie Mark was Princess Luna's, a White crescent Moon on a black background.
Cel's mane and tail were still very flowing, just now a very pastel rainbow of colors with sparkles mixed in. Her coat was still white, but so was her large Unicorn horn. Princess Celestia's bright 'blazing Sun' Cutie Mark was hard to miss.
How could these two simple foals, that Summer and Shysage rescued from oblivion, while running from Cougars...
There was no question now who they were, not any more...
Their 'nagging suspicion' had become their reality...
Summer and Shysage didn't yet know who the two princesses belonged to, but it was clear they had just spent the last two years protecting... caring for... raising... loving... ...the two most important Princesses in Equestria's history...
They both started weeping softly...
It would be very scary now. Summer and Shysage knew they had to be extremely careful from here on out...
Shysage would also, a few times, discretely remind his Mare that they must not try to defuse the 'Nightmare Moon' incident, or they WOULD disappear. Everything they had done up to this point would evaporate if they tried to change that. They didn't... It was just hard... ...for both of them...
But they were both crying, because 'mom' and 'dad' now KNEW they HAD to give 'their girls' away. That would hurt... ...a lot...
Shysage and his Mare cried themselves to sleep hugging tightly that night...
They would do that a lot...
Shysage and his mare decided the night before, to use the same names, Cel and Lu. They would explain the significance of the fact that they were Alicorns now, but would let their real father handle the names, which included being Princesses too...
The next morning was very difficult for mom and dad. Every day would be difficult for a while.
Summer and Shysage did finally get to sleep late in the night, only to be awakened early the next morning by two very excited mares.
(It was very hard for Summer and Shysage to call them 'their girls' any more...)
Summer just started weeping softly...
Shysage felt like doing the same thing...
Shysage lay on his belly, trying to stay calm. He explained to the girls that they were both now extremely rare 'Alicorns'. While trying not to cry, he mentioned that both he and Summer were amazingly proud at what the girls had become, over night. This was a great honor.
Also, with the presence of their Unicorn horns, they could now both learn magic. Shysage explained that He and Summer were both Pegasi, and so would be of limited use for this. While even talking, Shysage decided, then said, that they would focus mostly on 'Levitation', the magic used to move and manipulate phyical objects around them.
To give he and Summer a little breathing room, Shysage pointed to the 'hair brushes' he had made from pine cones, which were on the ground near the bench. He asked each of the girls to carefully kick one of them into their rooms. Each should work on moving that pine cone, ultimately with the goal of picking it up.
Shysage explained that, even though it could be very frustrating, the girls just needed to try to discover the connection between their thoughts and their magic that would give them that control. He asked them to be very patient with this 'trial and error' approach, since that was the best that he and Summer could offer right now.
Shysage also mentioned that they should feel free to work together on this, since they both needed to work through this same basic process. He stressed that they each absolutely NEEDED to stay friends through this process. Then he stopped there; he could have said more about this, and might have said too much already.
At least he didn't disappear...
The girls were soon in their rooms, together trying to move their pine cone hair brushes.
Shysage put his head down next to his Mare, and wept softly with her a while.
It was very cold that morning, they couldn't even think about going outside; that would have allowed them to at least talk together...
Shysage and his Mare were laying on their bellies next to each other, to stay warm. They had been up late crying, and were soon asleep again.
When they woke up a few hours later, Cel and Lu were using their magic, and their pine cone brushes, to gently brush Summer and Shysage's mane. It was clear that they had already brushed their own mane and tail.
Summer and Shysage were quickly weeping softly again... Both realized this would be hard for the girls too...
After the girls were done, Shysage had Summer turn him into a 'people' long enough for him to carefully make two pieces of paper from one of the broad leaves. Even so, as Shysage did this, he realized they would probably need to go back and get more...
Shysage explained to the girls, that they should each get a quill, and some berries, make some ink, and work on doing some writing using their magic. Shysage explained that this would be far easier than his 'clip' idea.
The girls were soon laying down in their room practicing their 'magical writing'.
Even so, Shysage realized that they were progressing very rapidly in their magic skills. Maybe it was easier for Alicorns.
While the girls worked on this, Shysage just hugged his Mare. They both realized at this point, that they would probably have very little time to talk between themselves during the day.
Summer really said it, softly, for both of them "Stallion, I really need you now..."
Shysage looked into her amazing blue eyes, and said slowly "I really need you too..."
By the middle of the day, Cel and Lu were writing sentences on their papers, which were now completely full.
Shysage asked to be a 'people' again, and carefully trimmed out three more pieces of paper. He stayed a 'people' for a few minutes.
First, he explained to the girls how to play 'tic-tac-toe'. He indicated that they should make the lines small so they could get a lot of games in on their paper. The girls realized they could probably use the first two papers for this. Shysage hoped he didn't disappear for this.
Shysage also explained Poetry to the girls. His goal was to allow them to express themselves in writing, and Poetry required more thought and used less paper space than simply writing.
He asked them to sit patiently for a few minutes, while he thought up and wrote the following poem:
If I could fly from East to West, in search of loving beauty,
I'd never find another near, the Mare that now comes too me.
Cel actually read it out loud as Shysage thought it through and wrote it, and mom was quickly crying on Shysage's back, as he was sitting, thinking and writing (they were both 'people' still). He loved her so...
Still, Shysage showed the girls the way poetry was put together, both the meter of the words, as well as the use of rhyming (he explained both concepts).
Shysage also mentioned that Cel and Lu knew a lot of words, but that mom and dad could help them get the spelling right.
Then he 'sent them to their rooms' together to work on poetry, and mom and dad sat on the bench hugging and kissing for a while; they cried some too.
Summer and Shysage were soon back to being ponies, but still spent the rest of the afternoon as Cel and Lu's dictionary while they just hugged.
They did speak quietly and briefly. Summer said what they both realized "Shysage, from the girl's perspective, an entirely NEW WORLD has just opened up to them, and we will be here to help them through, like we have up to this point."
There was enough 'new' in the day, that it went very quickly. As the amount of sunlight sneaking around their door began to diminish, Shysage said "Girls, please eat seven Oat heads, then we will go get a drink quick.
Cel said "Mom, dad, are you having any?"
Summer said quietly "Just three for us please."
Cel used her magic to quickly put six down in front of mom and dad.
Shysage said "Unicorns have it so much easier..."
The girls just laughed.
After a little while, they all headed out into the cold long enough to drink some, and they went on a very short walk. It was fairly cold, and they were soon snug, back inside their house.
Shysage and Summer were people sitting on the bench, and the girls eagerly came over. Dealing with the presence of Unicorn horns was an issue at first, but everypony got used to it.
Shysage realized that it probably felt very good to the girls to get scratched around the base of their horns, and he was right. He quickly showed Summer too.
It seemed that, almost at the same time, Shysage and Summer both hugged the girls heads tightly and said softly "I love you..."
Cel stepped up on the bench and hugged dad again. "I love you too, dad" she said. And she didn't let go right away, either.
Lu tried this too, and it worked well, and she was soon hugging her mom. Lu started crying at being able to hug her mom like that... Summer cried too...
The girls were quickly back in their rooms working on poetry.
Summer said to Shysage "I don't know whether to smile or cry, Shysage..."
She turned them back into ponies, and Shysage said quietly "Probably, both..."
Summer and Shysage were soon sleeping next to each other. The girls stayed up a little later, then they too were fast asleep.
The next day was a little calmer. Maybe everypony was getting used to the two new Alicorns in the house.
Shysage reminded himself there were really three Alicorns around him, but he didn't need to say anything. He already had no idea what he had ever done to deserve Summer as his Mare... He just shook his head at that thought... He loved her so...
Shysage had already decided they needed to head back to the South meadow to get more berries and paper leaves today.
It still had not rained much yet, so now was a good time. It was a cool day, but warmer than yesterday.
Before they left the house, Shysage asked the girls that they keep their magic to themselves while outside or near the road, and especially around other ponies. Once they were in the meadow, he expected them to work with their magic, however. They needed this practice. Shysage pointed out that their Uncorn horns meant that magic was an important part of who they are.
Shysage checked the candle, then took the bucket of water down near the river, and dumped it out. Then he asked Cel if she would carry it, and she said that was fine. She was stronger than Shysage after all.
They walked to the meadow to the South, and actually had time to eat some more Oats while there.
Everypony waited and watched as Cel and Lu used their magic to fill the bucket with berries. Their Alicorn mares were getting much better with their magic. And this was only the second day...
They walked to the broad leaf plants, and Cel just began pulling them out with her magic, then placed them carefully on Shysage's back.
He pretended like it was a really heavy load, and the girls just laughed.
Shysage asked Cel to stop, and allow Lu to finish the job, and Lu did, with no problems.
They were soon on their way back to the house with more berries and more paper leaves.
The afternoon sun through Cel's mane was amazing... Shysage had spent quite a bit if time around Princess Celestia, and this mare was indeed Princess Celestia; well she would become Princess Celestia. This was just a far different perspective.
Well, Lu's mane was amazing too. Both girls were stunningly regal, no question about it.
Back at the house, Cel easily picked up the entire load of leaves using her magic, and carefully added them to the stack in the house.
With Cel's permission, Lu pulled the bucket from her sister's neck, added the berries to the pile in the house, then walked the bucket down to the river, rinsed it out good, and filled it with water, then carefully placed it back in it's spot against the wall.
The family sat outside for a while before it got too cold. Summer and Shysage were near the door, and the girls were down by the river, again talking together.
Shysage hugged his Mare, and pulled her close. Then they just rubbed noses for a while. They did that more now. Maybe they needed to.
"Shysage, I really love these girls..." Summer said softly.
Shysage shook his head slightly then sighed, and said softly "I do too... They really are amazing girls."
A cold breeze gusted past them, and Summer shivered. Shysage hugged her close. "I really love you too, Mare..."
Summer just replied softly "Oh, Shysage... Please don't ever leave me..."
"I think I'd die without you, Summer..." Shysage replied quietly.
When it got too cold, they headed inside.
Shysage checked the candle, then closed the door for the night.
Shysage had a discussion with the girls about 'unintended consequences'. They were getting better at manipulating their surroundings with their magic, but it was even more important that they carefully think through the potential results of their magic use.
Shysage's example was moving a rock that was holding up a bunch of other rocks. The bottom rock would be easy to move, but the consequence of the rest of the rocks crashing down needed to also be thought through, hopefully ahead of time.
In other words, they needed to carefully think through the results of their magic use before they used it.
The girls both understood this.
A little later, the girls wanted to brush Summer and Shysage's mane and tail. This was again deeply moving for both of them, and they were soon both weeping softly. They had been doing this for the girls for almost two years, and the girls were now lovingly returning the favor.
After this was done, Summer and Shysage sat on the bench, as 'people', and loved the girls back. Everypony was soon weeping softly now too.
Summer and Shysage were 'hands on' parents after all.
The girls retreated to their rooms to play with their magic some more before they slept.
Since it wasn't very cold, Summer slept up against Shysage's chest and neck. Still, they both again were weeping softly, and were soon asleep.
That second Winter was a Winter of Magic. And the rest of that Winter was a lot like this second day. The girl's magic made a lot of tasks much easier. Still, a number of realizations surfaced repeatedly.
The girls were their two Princesses, and that was often a very humbling realization.
The girls were both very grown-up, and talking to them now was a lot like talking to their Princesses in Equestria present.
The girls still had plenty to learn, and mom and dad patiently helped them as they could.
The girls still loved mom and dad deeply. Well, in Shysage's home, everyponies' devotion was out in the open.
The girls advanced rapidly in their use of magic, and could soon move very heavy objects. Shysage reminded them again, that moving things like other ponies, which both could probably now do, also meant that they had to accept responsibility for that ponies' safety. That was a sobering realization for the girls.
Shysage and his Mare would often smile, and sometimes laugh with the girls during the day, they really were amazing.
However, the nights were often very difficult because all they could feel was that they would have to give these girls away to their real father at some point.
Shysage suspected part of this was just parent's pain at 'letting go of their kids' to a certain degree. What he and Summer faced was more harsh however. At an unknown day in the future, the girls would just be gone.
And even so, explaining pain doesn't always make it go away. Well it didn't for Summer and Shysage. They were both Fluttershys.
Sometimes in the process of parenting, one or both parents are given a warning, out of the blue, to pay very close attention to what is going on. This happened on one specific occasion that second Winter.
Summer and Shysage were laying on their bellies next to each other, rubbing noses.
'All of a sudden', they both looked over at Cel and Lu, and what they were doing.
Each of the girls had chosen a pine cone, and they were using their magic to push their pine cones up against the other's pine cone. The direct result of this contest was who had the strongest magic. Cel was handling it fine, but Lu was upset.
Almost that the exact same time, Summer and Shysage looked at each other and whispered "Don't..." Both realized they had to let this play out, and mom and dad just watched.
After a minute maybe, Lu was very mad, and Cel made both pine cones shoot straight up into the air, then she laughed. Lu wasn't laughing.
A few minutes after the contest was over, mom and dad were people sitting on the bench, and loved their girls, hoping to ease the tension, which it did. The girls were soon back on friendly terms with each other.
It was only later that night, and whispering very quietly, that Summer and Shysage discussed this.
Lu's anger at the contest showed a very bad problem in Lu. In Equestria present, Summer and Shysage agreed they would have stopped it and addressed this problem.
Both knew this same attitude would probably result in the Nightmare Moon incident. This is the closest they probably ever came to being able to erase their future, and they did not.
Shysage pointed out however, that Cel's response showed a lot of maturity. The effect her rage had on her mom, really HAD changed her for life, and this would be a part of the Nightmare Moon incident as well.
Even so, they both wept together after discussing this... It was just scary...
One night late in the Winter, Summer woke with a start and a gasp, and it woke Shysage up too. Summer was soon weeping softly.
Trying to avoid waking the girls, they both got up quietly, and headed for the door.
They were soon outside, sitting down, shivering in the fresh snow. It was glistening in the moonlight.
They both had their coats on, but it was still very cold.
Summer began, softly. Shysage could quickly tell this was hard for her.
"Shysage do you remember when we visited the King over a year ago? He seemed pre-occupied with the picture behind him, and didn't even turn around... He kept going on about the two 'appointed ones' being dead or something...
Summer paused here, and cried a little louder.
"Shysage, our two girls, Cel and Lu, are the two in that
picture...
"These two girls, that we rescued, and raised from foals, are his two 'appointed ones'...
"They are the King's daughters, Shysage...
"We need to take them back to him, and this will probably put everything back together...
Summer was sobbing...
"But that means for sure that we need to give these girls up..."
Summer just kept crying as Shysage held her. Shysage was crying too...
Summer was right. This was the last piece of the puzzle. Summer and Shysage knew who would get 'their girls' now.
They both knew exactly what they needed to do now, and they both knew it would be hard... ...very hard...
They both cried together for a while in the snow that night...
From here on out, they would spend many nights crying...
[The next two sections also deal with the physical side of Summer and Shysage's relationship. Again, I have tried to avoid graphic details. Feel free to skip the next two sections if this offends you. -- Shysage]
Another night late in that second Winter turned out far differently. It was hard to say if this was a good thing, or just added stress.
One of the aspects of watching over the family, that took place in Shysage's home, had to do with two nuisance issues -- Tics and cuts.
Tics needed to be removed as soon as possible. This was usually only a problem during the Spring and Summer though.
Cuts just needed to be licked soon after they were found. Saliva would help dis-infect the cut and minimize infection.
Usually once a week, Summer would carefully check the girls for these two problems. Summer and Shysage would check each other about as often. Well, if anypony got a cut, that was frequently taken care of as soon as it was noticed.
(opt:btm3b)
Also, late in that Winter, Shysage made a 'conditional' promise to his Mare.
This was all predicated on them having time to do this after taking Cel and Lu to the king, but before they found the Portal, so they would have to see. Although, they really had no clue if there even was a Portal. They just didn't know.
Shysage carefully explained all this to his Mare, he did not generally like surprising her.
They would spend the night up on the clouds that would one day be Cloudsdale.
Once there, Shysage would take the time to help his Mare feel like she really deserved to feel. In order to avoid a foal, Shysage would have to bail out at the last minute, and so the plan was fraught with peril, and even if this all went according to plan, Summer could still end up with a foal. But Shysage was convinced that he would try to give this gift to his amazing Mare.
Part of this was that he hoped to give his Mare something to look forward to, as their world was literally collapsing with the immanent loss of the girls. Another part was that, back in Equestria present, they both knew that such an act would not be possible. They both knew, and accepted that their options were more limited there.
After explaining all of this to his Mare, it was clear to Summer that Shysage was committed to doing this if he could. She would not fight him on this. She truly wanted what he intended to give her.
She just cried as she hugged him tightly... She loved him so...
He just cried with her...
Time would only tell...
A lot happened that second Winter. But for Summer and Shysage, they clearly saw that it was simply a matter of time before they both had to give 'their' precious girls away.
It hurt already, and would only get worse. Through mounting pain, they just kept giving. They were true friends...