As it got dark and cold, Camille fed us all some very nice Oat Pies for dinner. Of course, this made me wince. My Twin, Equestria Girls Summer Rain was called Corn, when she first came to Equestria, and she was very good at making these Oat Pies. She had probably taught Dawn the elder her secrets.
This much didn't make me wince. But in my dream, I found out that my Twin had died in the Equestria Girls world years earlier. I... I simply could not deal with that right now. I needed Shysage near to be able to handle that. At least, I hoped he was here. Finding that out was tomorrow's task, maybe... I hoped...
After dinner, the four of us were back on our bellies next to each other near the fire. It was a pretty cold evening.
There wasn't much reminiscing. I suspected that the harsh reality of the last few decades here had erased most of that.
Well, I also quickly realized I had to skirt a question about where we had been all these years. I softly said "I don't know", and that was the truth. Still, this prospect scared me.
I asked my friends what they knew about the present state of Equestria though, and we talked some about that.
Dawn the elder remembered Equestria falling apart for some reason. Law and order in the kingdom suddenly evaporated, and chaos took over. A few years later, the big Black Bear, Eschate Zumulus, and his daughter Phantasma came into Equestria and took over the kingdom. Evidently, there wasn't even a fight.
But that just made me mad. I didn't say anything, but Princess Twilight had summoned him forth, and she and her girls had killed him years ago. That an evil being could come back again, that seemed so unfair.
I just sighed. At least I had some idea how to deal with him.
Camille also quickly surfaced the fear of saying good words. This just reminded me that I didn't like this monster.
I hadn't thought on this long when I realized that, from my dream, Cel and Lu were somehow grafted into Phantasma. I was suddenly very scared for our girls.
Like I said, this was no dream. But it seemed like aspects of that dream were now reality. I don't know... There was still a lot that I didn't know. A lot I wouldn't know until I found out.
Well, I think we all had enough of that by this point. We hugged tightly and cried softly together for a little while, and were soon asleep.
I think we all slept in the next day. I was exhausted, but I think my three friends were very relieved that I was here, and I think they slept better as a result. I guess I couldn't blame them. And I honestly think our amazing neighbor (Dawn the elder) had actually fought to stay alive until I came. That meant a lot to me.
Camille got the fire going, then we had yummie Oat Pies again, maybe mid-morning.
Still, I mentioned that I needed to leave and see what I could find out. I promised that I would be back at some point.
We all hugged together for a little while.
I asked Camille if she had a coat I could wear. Dawn the elder said hers was still in the closet, and she was happy for me to use it. And one of her little card things fell out as I got it on. I don't know...
On the way to the door to leave, I noticed two things that I felt I should have.
First, there was a thick book on a small table near the door. By the color, the binding, I recognized it right away. It was one of Princess Celestia's commentaries about the Magic of Friendship in Princess Twilight and her girl's lives. According to the text on the spine, it was volume 3.
I asked Camille if I could have it. Camille said quietly "Yes, but we would like it back at some point."
Camille used her magic to help me get the book into one of the big pockets of the coat.
...
And hanging on a small stick poked in the wood frame around the door, maybe half way between the floor and the top, I found something painfully familiar. It was a shield necklace.
TF
MPOF
True friendship means putting others first
I knew what the other side said, too.
"Camille, can I borrow this?" I asked quietly.
Dawn the elder burst into tears...
Camille helped me take the pony coat back off, and I laid on my belly next to my old friend. We cried together a little while.
Dawn soon calmed down, and explained, still crying softly.
"Summer, that belongs to you...
"We found it in your house after the roof caved in...
"We were hoping you would come back, but still..."
Dawn cried a little more, but it was clear she wasn't done.
"Summer, we tried to live by that every day, for decades. That is why we put it right next to the door. We saw it a lot. We tried to live that way..." Dawn was done talking, and just cried. I cried with her.
As Equestria tore itself up, then was taken over by this terrible monster... Three generations, these three brave mares in this room... through scars and wounds... had sought to live out True Friendship. They tried every day to put others first.
I knew Shysage and I had been through a lot together, but would we still treasure true friendship after decades? And I could slap monsters around, I guess. Still, I know that Equestria usually set everything up for me, and I needed that.
But this simple, quiet... It was far more impressive... Living out that simple committment, day after day... for decades... tucked away in some forgotten corner of an abandoned kingdom...
I was overwhelmed... I was so amazed, so deeply humbled... Dawn and I cried together for a while, and I cried pretty hard. And I said a few times while crying "Dawn, you and your girls are so amazing..." I really meant that.
And I realized that it was so fitting... These amazing mares were waiting for this... The resurrection of Equestria was starting here. I felt so honored to be a part of that. I was so honored to be a part of what they chose to stand for, and I told true friend that a bunch...
...
After I managed to calm down, I just hugged Dawn for a minute maybe. Then I said quietly "Thank you, Dawn. Out of everything Shysage and I own... This is our treasure." We cried together for a little while more.
Well, Dawn's cryptic comment about us not coming back did scare me. But I was from the Past, and I really didn't know what Shysage and my future held. It was just a little scary.
After we calmed down again, I hugged Dawn the elder tightly, then got up, and Camille helped me get my Shield Necklace on, then the coat.
I was soon out the door.
It was close to noon, but still pretty cold. It was not near as cold as yesterday, but still. The Sun heated Dawn's Black coat nicely, when I was in the Sun anyway. But I couldn't fly; it was still too cold for that.
I walked past Rarity's boutique and the Cake's Shop, and saw no sign of anypony. I didn't even bother checking Fluttershy's Cottage again, and I headed for Princess' Castle instead.
I walked slowly towards it, and immediately saw the shield around the Castle. I pushed on it, and quickly found out I could go no further. But the Castle looked fine.
I sighed.
I walked slowly out to Sweet Apple Acres.
...
I was very scared. This more than anything else would tell me how close my dream came to reality.
Well, my dream aside, in reality I needed my Shysage. I knew that. I didn't think I could do much alone; I felt I was already slipping. I asked true friend to help me find my family quite a few times as I walked. Honestly, I didn't know whether to run forward or walk slowly away crying. I just didn't know what I'd find. But I thought I would find out soon...
I walked up the hill to the barn, and didn't even bother to look inside. I walked quickly through the gate, and headed down the path to the slight hill. This WAS the spot Rainbow had taught Equestria Girls Shyna how to fly. Well, this was also the spot I had found Shysage in my dream.
The path was pretty rutted, and I thought it looked freshly used.
Still, when I crested the bluff, and saw the small hill below me...
There was nopony there...
I sat down right there, and looked at the small hill in disbelief...
I shouted "NO!"...
After that I think I quickly lost it, and felt like my worst fears were confirmed. I started crying, and was soon sobbing. I just sat there, crying loudly.
I did not like the prospect of trying to face this mess alone. I would if I had to but... And I had absolutely no idea how to even try to find Shysage. Even if he was here in this same time, he could be anywhere in Equestria. I was pretty sure I was crying harder each passing minute.
...
The next thing I felt... Shysage's leg around my neck, as he pulled me close. As long as I have been around him, I just knew it was him...
I was already crying, but I just melted... Crying, melted, it felt amazing...
Shysage said "Oh, Summer..." and burst into tears himself.
We cried together like that for a while...
...
Maybe an hour later, Shysage said we needed to head to the barn. Well, I didn't know why, but honestly, I would follow him anywhere now. Being back next to him...
And I have no idea how we both made it back to the barn, but once there, we collapsed on the hay right next to each other, and burst into tears again, at the same time. My Shysage hugged me tightly as we cried together, really sobbing, my head right next to his...
Shysage was hurting a lot, and he cried a long time. I was a mess too, and cried with him. You wouldn't think I had been away from him for only a day maybe... We cried, sobbed together for a few hours. I love him. I really needed him. He really needed me too...
Late afternoon, Shysage suggested we eat some before the Sun went down, and it got cold. We tried to calm down. Well, again, I would follow him anywhere at this point. We were soon in the valley eating Oats together. Of course, I never left his side.
He mentioned in passing that he had been here for six months, and he stopped and cried after saying that, and I hugged him tightly, and wept softly.
Well, I also remembered something else about the dream, hugging Shysage like that, right there.
I sat down right where I was, and started yelling Fluttershy's name, very loud. It wasn't real loud, because I can't yell very loud. But I did the best I could. I was quickly crying. I wanted my sister, too. While Shysage sat next to me, I just kept calling Sis...
After maybe ten minutes, Shysage saw Fluttershy far off across the fields, pointed her out, and I stopped calling her. Shysage told me her cats would not hurt us. I didn't care, I just wanted Fluttershy. It seemed like it took forever for her to get to us... I was quickly hugging my sister and crying on her shoulder.
I needed Fluttershy. I needed Shysage.
Equestria needed my help, but I needed my family.
The three of us cried together for quite a while there in the valley. Fluttershy's cats just sat around us; they were protecting us. They were pretty big!
Still, with the last light of evening left, Shysage led us back up into the barn.
Once we were in the barn, my amazing sister took some time hugging each of her girls (thats what she called her cats!); she talked so lovingly to them. She is so amazing with animals.
Then she, Shysage and I cried together for a while more. Fluttershy's cats crowded around us, and helped us stay warm. This was good, it was a pretty cold night.
Still, with Fluttershy on one side, and Shysage on the other, I thought maybe we could accomplish whatever it was that Equestria needed us to do.
Still, It seemed it would take a miracle...