//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6, Visitors 
// Story: The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 9 -- Future Perfect 
// by shysage 
//------------------------------//

Very early Spring, well or late Winter, I had a visitor.  Well, I had five of them.

It was dusk, and still cold.  I was shivering in the barn, trying not to cry, hoping I could fall asleep.  I heard a growl, woke up immediately, and saw the faint reflection of many sets of eyes looking in at me.

It was quiet for a minute, and the growling continued.  There was nothing I could do except be afraid.  They were peering in the only door...

Then I heard a familiar voice say quietly "Oh, girls, hush."

It was Fluttershy, of course.  Well, Equestria pony Fluttershy.

Her girls were four Black Panthers.  Each Panther was huge, much bigger that Fluttershy, but they were her girls.  That made tons more sense than it sounded like.

Fluttershy and I hugged and cried together.  Well, I cried for a while, and Fluttershy cried with me.  I was pretty sure she didn't need to be told about the pain I felt inside.  Crying with my adopted sister; I did feel better.  I was with family again.

After a few hours, Fluttershy laid her girls down in the hay for the night, and we laid on our bellies facing each other and talked.  Fluttershy had a coat on, but it did not look familiar to me at all.

"Shysage, how long have you been here?" Fluttershy asked calmly. These were the first words we had exchanged.

And I knew I had to be careful; I didn't want to say too much.

This could be the Fluttershy that Summer and I were talking with when I disappeared from Equestria Present.  And if that was the case, she would not know very much about Equestria 'now' either.

But it could also be the Fluttershy who had lived 37 years (in theory) up to this point.  She would know most everything, maybe far more than I even wanted to know.  The Portal had brought us from the Present to here.  What Summer and I had been doing all that time...  I didn't want to go there.

Fluttershy still wore that amazing ankle band, a gift from Cel in the Past.  That told me nothing, that would be there either way.

I answered quietly "Too long...  You?"  This was the best I could come up with, but honestly, I felt that way.

Fluttershy could never lie.  "Two weeks, maybe.  We saw you across the fields yesterday."

Ok, so Fluttershy had been brought here like I did.  She was just moved to a time months beyond when I came.  I have no clue why.  And I reminded myself to remember that Summer's Dream was just a dream.

Still, I smiled and said quietly "It didn't take you long to find your girls."

Fluttershy smiled too, and looked lovingly at her new friends, and gently ran her hoof across the head of the one closest, and they all began to purr at the same time.  It was loud.  Fluttershy got up and fussed over each one, then came and laid on her belly facing me again.

"Well, I have always wanted animal friends like this.  They are amazing.  And I guess I needed their help anyway.  The Everfree Forest can be a dangerous place."

I realized it wasn't a dangerous place for Fluttershy, not any more.

I sighed at this point.

"Fluttershy, I have been here almost six months, and so far, besides you and I, everypony else here has lived through whatever happened until now.  And I have no clue why the Portal brought us here."

Fluttershy thought a minute, then said quietly "Ok."

And I knew I had to tell her about this.

"Fluttershy, both Shynas visited me for just a day, late last Summer.  I am pretty sure neither has seen you for a long time.  I think they will come ba--"

I had to stop, and I just hugged Fluttershy as she cried, and I ended up crying with her.  Present or Future, Fluttershy cared deeply for both Shynas.  I was also pretty sure this aspect blind-sided Fluttershy; she had just not thought about it yet.  I said more than once "Sis, I'm sure they miss you a lot..."  It was clear from their visit that they both did.

...

After Fluttershy calmed down, it was clear she was trying to make sense of all this.  She asked some questions, and of course, she deserved to know.

"So, everypony here besides you and me, so far, has lived through all this time?" she asked quietly.

"Yes" I answered.

Fluttershy thought a minute, then asked "And Summer isn't here yet, right?"

Trying to not cry, I said quietly "No, but I honestly expect her soon.  At least I hope..."  Well, I couldn't finish this.  Fluttershy just put her hoof over mine as I cried briefly.

"So, do you think we are living Summer's Dream?" she asked next.

"Fluttershy, I don't know...  This clearly isn't a dream, and everything that we've been through hasn't followed that dream.  But I think her dream might be a helpful guide..."

I stopped here in thought, then continued.  "I am sure the Portal had a reason for bringing us here.  We just need to try to find out what that is, without getting killed in the process, I guess..."

Fluttershy smiled, and petted the cat nearest to her, and they all purred loudly again, and she got up and fussed over each one again, then she came back and laid on her belly.

I thought some more, then added this.  "Remember that the big problem from Summer's Dream was that Black bear, and saying anything..."  I stopped there.

Fluttershy just nodded.  "I remember that part" she said quietly.  "I don't think my girls like him either."

It was quiet for a few minutes.  Fluttershy was thinking.  "I'm living in a tree in the Everfree Forest right now.  From what I remember, Princess Twilight is not too far from me.  Should we go visit her?"

I sighed and answered honestly.  "Fluttershy, I don't think we should try to do anything to fix this mess until Summer is here.  I think anything else will just get us killed."

Fluttershy smiled.  "Well, I agree.  I think we all need my sister."

I tried to not cry.  I knew I needed Summer.  We were all soon asleep.





Waking up the next morning was, well, strange.

I was warm, and so I slept very well.  But when I woke up, I realized why.  I had a big Panther sleeping on either side of me.  Only one of them could have eaten me easily.  I guess they knew I was Fluttershy's family, so they kept me warm instead.  Fluttershy had trained these Panthers well; she had one on either side of her also.

When Fluttershy saw I was awake, she woke her girls up, and again spent a while petting, scratching and talking to each one.  Fluttershy clearly and thoroughly enjoyed these animal friends, and they just as clearly adored her.  This was Fluttershy in her natural habitat; it just didn't matter what year it was.

After the Sun rose above most of the trees, I led us to the Oat stand down in the valley.  Fluttershy and I ate and drank some, as the girls ran off, and did some foraging of their own, and came back, contented, a while later.  I guess it didn't bother Fluttershy, her girls had to eat too, and they probably didn't like Oats.

After everypony was done eating, Fluttershy called her girls, almost singing to them, and they all gathered around her.

"Shysage, my sister will come, just be patient.  There is really no reason for us to be here otherwise" Fluttershy said thoughtfully.

We hugged some more, then Fluttershy led her four Black Panthers, each one substantially bigger than she was, off to their new home.

...

I walked slowly back to the barn, got out that flat piece of wood, and recorded the last day or so.  I was hoping I would have enough paper for whatever else happened.  Or maybe I hoped that I would remember what all my cryptic notes meant.  Maybe both.

I headed out to the little hill on the slope, laid on my belly and waited.  I agreed with Fluttershy that Summer had to come.  And I really wanted this.  I was pretty sure that Fluttershy was completely correct that there was really no point in the Portal just bringing she and I here.

All I could do was wait.  So I talked to true friend some, and just waited.

Well, I still cried a lot.  I really missed her...  "Summer, please come back..."