The next day, we knew we had a lot of ground to cover. Fluttershy, Shysage and I had talked and already decided to head to Dodge City to see who we could find.
We also agreed that Princess Twilight's four other pony girls, they could really be anywhere in Equestria. Dodge City came up in my dream, so we decided to give that a try. We really had no choice, we had to start somewhere.
Shysage felt it was maybe 2-3 days journey walking, just to get there, but he admitted that was a guess. And us finding a functioning train in my dream was purely fiction. Shysage mentioned quietly that this would be even worse than Twin Fishing...
Still, Camille had us all up and fed fairly early. I hugged Dawn the elder for a few minutes, then we all hugged Camille and her daughter out front a few minutes more.
Well, it was early, and already a warmish day. Camille said it was Spring after all, and she expected at least a few more warm days like this. That's what she had seen in the past anyway. Our coats stayed at Dawns.
Of course, Fluttershy's girls came with us. That was a given, and we really saw no harm in that. Fluttershy fussed with her girls a little while. Well, Shysage and I helped. Then we were all on our way.
...
Our path was simple. We needed to head back to the Ponyville Train Station, and walk along the tracks in the opposite direction from the Crystal Palace. Well, this was clearly marked by a sign anyway. Still, both the building and the platform of the Train Station were in bad shape.
Of course, there was no Train. I had to wonder why there was a train here and waiting, in my dream, after Equestria had fallen apart over two decades earlier. Well, sometimes dreams include stuff just to make everything work out. I guess this just reminded me again that we weren't in a dream this time.
Still, walking together, like we were, this felt really nice. We could have flown some, and we left that option open. But Fluttershy didn't want to strand her girls, so we just walked. We tried to walk fast at first, but that soon wore off. We tried to keep a pretty good pace though. We were on a mission after all.
As we set out, Shysage, Fluttershy and I walked up front, and the girls walked behind us. This didn't last. As the cats realized we would be walking this way for a while, they were soon up front, well, up ahead. They played, they ran. they jumped... They worked on enjoying this road trip too. Shysage called it that.
I was walking... Shysage on one side, and Sis on the other... What more could I want? Well, Cel and Lu, Princess Twilight and her girls... Maybe the Equestria Girls too, but that... I enjoyed the trip as much as I dared. We felt there was really a lot at stake in us finding the rest of Princess' pony girls as quickly as possible. We were taking what we felt was the best path to accomplishing that.
Still, Shysage walked right next to me. He would occasionally touch my nose with his as we walked. He didn't have to. It was his way of letting me know he was thinking of me. I appreciated that. I occasionally did that to him too.
We didn't talk much. I think we were just enjoying being together. I never need an excuse to enjoy time with my sister. And with my Stallion here too...
In the middle of the afternoon, we realized that Fluttershy's cats had run off. Fluttershy wasn't worried, and said they were probably finding something to eat. She expected them to return when they were done. That's exactly what happened.
But, after the girls came back, we talked together. We decided to try to get as far as we could tonight, and only stop briefly for food if we found a lake near the tracks. And with Fluttershy's girls with us, we didn't think it would be a problem if we slept wherever we could.
We didn't find a lake, but near dusk, we found a tunnel that the train tracks ran through. We tried to walk through the tunnel, but we found it was blocked off with a huge pile of rocks.
We decided to spend the night in that blocked off tunnel. With the little light left from the Sun, we could see that the tunnel was otherwise empty. And it wasn't cold tonight, so everything seemed to work out.
We all spent some time fussing over our animal friends. Well, Alyssa preferred Shysage, and I scratched Rose around her ears. She really likes that. Fluttershy said she didn't mind the help. She didn't want any of her girls to feel left out.
As it got dark, Shysage, Fluttershy and I laid on our bellies on a flat spot inside the tunnel but away from the train tracks, and Fluttershy's girls were soon spread around us.
Well, I had been thinking about something for most of the afternoon. I was not sure if I should wait until Fluttershy was not with us. But I realized that there were really no secrets among the three of us. We were all family, and my sister knew me better than, well, anypony. So, once we were all settled down for the night, I asked Shysage what was on my mind.
"Shysage, from my dream, on our train trip back to Ponyville from Dodge City, you and I had a quiet discussion together. And I actually remembered that part of the dream pretty clearly. I just wondered how you thought about that. I don't remember us having talked about it... Still, I felt like that was a section other ponies really didn't like."
It was quiet for more than a minute. I knew my Stallion was deep in thought. Or maybe he was remembering. Maybe both. And it was clear that Shysage was choosing his words carefully for Fluttershy's sake.
"Summer, I don't... I am not sure how your dream captured so clearly how I felt about that whole discussion. But I think that, even at that early stage, you probably knew inside how I would respond, so I don't know."
Shysage was quiet a little longer, then said quietly, clearly near tears...
"The pursuit of pleasure gives nopony the right to violate another pony, just to take what they want. Doing that is appalling. And nopony who claims to hold to Friendship being Magic should ever even consider such a thing... So much damage is being done, on both sides of the Portal, by ponies, people, just like that..."
I had to choke back tears too. I... Everywhere I went, ponies, people seemed to be turning a blind eye to this growing ocean of pain...
This delay wasn't as long, and Shysage spoke with a much more, well, disgusted tone...
"But if a pony does not really care about Friendship being Magic, and has no problem taking advantage of others just to satisfy themselves... I can easily see these ponies getting upset, and resent that discussion. And they can get angry, but history clearly shows that societies that tolerate behavior like that, they don't last very long. I guess I hope better for Equestria."
Well, Shysage said this much, then together, we realized that we had spent the day walking down an abandoned train track in an abandoned Equestria. The three of us burst into tears, and cried for a while... The shape of Equestria right now made us very sad...
However, it was clear Shysage wasn't done, and after we calmed down, he continued.
"I am puzzled however, that, according to your dream, I said I knew that such violations were the cause of the break-up of Princess Twilight's girls. Whether that is true or not now, I have no idea. Still, it seems that something really did drive our amazing friends apart, and we don't know what that is. But, honestly, finding that out will become a crucial task at some point."
Well, it was quiet for a few minutes. I understood what Shysage had said, and I fully agreed with everything. And I had seen that damage first-hand in the hearts and lives of the bleacher girls, well, and here in Equestria too.
But his comment about what happened here, in the real future, between Princess Twilight and her girls, that was just scary. And not only that... The actual break-up, and whatever caused it, might be maybe less than five years from our 'present'...
But Shysage was right... Here and now, sorting out what happened would be very important, probably sooner than later.
After a few more minutes of silence, Fluttershy added softly...
"It is absolutely true that some of us are hurt much more easily than others..."
Well, she would know.
Nothing more was said, but the three of us sat up, and hugged tightly together for a few minutes, and wept softly. Then we laid back down on our bellies. Sis was on one side of me, and Shysage was on the other.
...
Shysage was right next to me, and he carefully moved his head so it was right next to mine. We both really treasure that. I just sighed deeply.
What I really wanted though, was for him to ever so slightly lick my nose, just that, nothing more. But even as I thought this, I quickly realized that I would probably shiver violently if he did that.
And I also realized next that, if Shysage did anything to me, my sister on the other side of me would surely sense that. And I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable at all.
Well, as all these thoughts swirled around in my head, it hit me...
Intimacy has to be maybe the most amazing thing in the world... But it can also cause the most gut-wrenching agony when it is abused...
I almost started crying... Shysage had shielded me from so much of that... He was a true friend from day one... He has consistently put me first, no matter what it cost him...
I think he was reading my mind...
"Summer, I love you..." He said this quietly and softly.
Well, Fluttershy added too "Sis, I love you too."
I just cried...
We were soon asleep.
Fluttershy nudged me awake, maybe in the middle of the night. I touched Shysage's nose with mine, and he woke up too.
Fluttershy's girls were lined up in a row, near us, but between us and the entrance of the cave. The moon was up, and though not full, it gave us some light to see.
The cats were all, well, yowling, I guess, I don't know. They didn't seem angry, and so weren't growling. They were sitting too, and so I guessed they didn't feel threatened.
Fluttershy spoke softly "There is a boy Panther out there. I need to have the girls send him away, but I want you both awake, just in case."
Well, we could see him now, also sitting, very close to the entrance of the tunnel. He wasn't very far inside. And he was making the same, low yowling sound too.
Fluttershy let the yowling continue for a few more minutes. Then Fluttershy said firmly "Girls, that boy Panther will just cause problems. He needs to go away."
I have no clue how Fluttershy could even communicate with these animals. But evidently...
Her girl's voices changed immediately, and did sound more agressive, to me, anyway.
A few minutes later, the boy cat ran off into the night.
Fluttershy's girls returned to us, and Fluttershy immediately began fussing with her girls. They had done what she asked, and she wanted them to know that was good. Shysage and I helped.
We were all soon back asleep.
Well, I think Shysage, Fluttershy and I were anxious to find whatever we would find in Dodge City. And we didn't really know how much longer it would be until we got there. We were up pretty early. We walked over the top of the tunnel, picked the tracks back up on the other side, and were soon walking along the tracks again, towards Dodge City.
It did seem a little dryer where we were now, but it wasn't Summer, so it was harder to tell.
After we had been walking maybe an hour, Fluttershy's girls headed off to find breakfast. Fluttershy somehow knew right away. She called them back and told them sternly again to not eat anything big, especially ponies. I guess... Fluttershy pointed to me and Shysage. Yes, please girls, don't eat us!
The girls came back after a while, and seemed contented. They froliced around in the grass ahead of us again. Every once in a while, it looked to me like they were playing tag or something. Wow they ran fast! It seemed they were enjoying this trip, which was good.
Mid-morning, we found a lake near the tracks, and so Shysage, Fluttershy and I ate some breakfast and drank some water.
And Camille was right, it was turning into another nice day. It wasn't cold at all.
Maybe around noon, we headed into another tunnel. We could see through to the other end of this one. It wasn't blocked, but it did seem pretty long. We just kept walking, following the tracks.
It was clear that the girls didn't like the confined area of the tunnel. Fluttershy called the cats to her side, and Shysage and I called our two, and we soon had cats walking next to each of us. Even I could tell that this was helping our animal friends relax. It still took a while to make it through the tunnel.
...
We had not walked past the end of the tunnel for more than five minutes, when some sort of shadow passed quickly overhead. I looked up, and realized it was another Pegasus, and he or she was flying away from us, along the track towards Dodge City.
Before I could do anything, Fluttershy was already in the air, after the pony. I heard Fluttershy yell, just once...
"SHYNA!!!"
Still, it wasn't very loud. Sis and I can't really do anything loud. But that was all it took, the other flying pony turned around, and they both landed up ahead, some distance away.
Shysage had tears in his eyes, as he said that Fluttershy and her other sister were probably hugging and crying.
Still, Fluttershy had left us with her girls. I quickly decided that Fluttershy needed to come back before these animal friends met new ponies. I explained this to Shysage, and he agreed.
Shysage called Alyssa, and I called Rose. Of course, all four came to us. We took turns fussing with all four of them, then Shysage and I just sat down, and the Panthers sat next to us. This was scary, but all we could do was wait here. If the Panthers got up, we would need to call them again and fuss with them some more, and try to get them to sit down again. I felt very out of my comfort zone!
Well, we did have to fuss with them one more time, and it was maybe half an hour before Fluttershy came back to her girls. Then she fussed with them all for a little while.
Still, it was clear to me she had been crying, but I didn't ask anything about it.
The only thing Fluttershy said was "The rest will be here in a few minutes." Sis said this in the middle of fussing, so I don't know. Fluttershy was back to take care of her girls, and Shysage and I were so relieved. Shysage and I helped Fluttershy with her girls, but evidently we were waiting again.
Half an hour later, four more ponies walked slowly up. Well, both Shynas, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. They stopped close, and Fluttershy lined the girls (four huge Panthers) up in a line. One at a time, Fluttershy called one of our pony friends over, and she introduced them to each of her girls. Fluttershy had arranged this ahead of time. She didn't want anything bad to happen.
It was only after each pony had met each of Fluttershy's girls, that we all hugged and cried together. And it was clear to us that the Shyna Twins, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were hurting a lot. Well, Fluttershy was crying loudly with both Shynas. I think she felt their pain especially. And they were family. Well, crying with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, I had to admit we all were family now.
We all cried together for over an hour, and I was sure these precious ponies could have probably cried a lot longer. I guessed that time would come at some point.
Still, Equestria pony Shyna said quietly "Filia and Fiona left ahead of us, but the six of us is all I could find."
Shysage burst into tears... As he cried, he said that the Shyna Twins were the reason for this... Since they met him six months ago, they had been rounding up everypony they could find... He cried while hugging both Shynas for a little while.
Still, this would save us a LOT of time. And, if Filia and Fiona were on their way, that left only Rainbow Dash and Rarity for us to find. No wonder my Stallion was crying...
Well, I was silently thanking true friend, and I think Shysage was too... This was really amazing...
After everyponies' crying tapered off, it was quiet for a few minutes.
"Wait, were you ponies following the tracks?" Equestria pony Shyna asked.
"Well, yes, why?" I replied.
"Twin, let's go" Equestria pony Shyna said, and both were quickly in the air, flying fast, back along the tracks, towards Ponyville, the way we had just come.
After they were out of sight, Applejack explained. "Filia and Fiona went ahead of us, and were just following the tracks. We woke up a bear in the first tunnel outside Dodge, so we always went around the tunnels. Those two are probably not far ahead."
Both Shynas quickly returned. Filia and Fiona were at the far end of the Tunnel we had just come through. They were waiting for the rest. We were to walk back through the tunnel and meet them there.
Fluttershy sent everypony else up ahead, and told them to wait for us. And she asked Applejack to mention to Filia and Fiona that they needed to meet these animal friends first thing. Once the rest of our group were a good distance ahead, Fluttershy, Shysage and I started into the tunnel with four huge Panthers, Fluttershy's girls.
The girls must have been fast learners. Alyssa nosed her way up next to Shysage right away, and Rose ran up to my side. We walked back through the tunnel same way we had come.
And Applejack had moved everypony beyond the end of the tunnel. When we got out of the tunnel, we all fussed with the girls for a little while. Then Fluttershy lined the girls up again, and called to Filia, then Fiona to come meet them.
Then we all cried together some more for a while.
Still, we had to decide what to do next. Shysage mentioned it was four hours to the tunnel we had spent last night in, and there was a nice spot for food along the way. Or, we could just stay here.
I think we were all anxious to get back to Ponyville, so we set out again.
Shysage jumped in pretty quickly and said that we should still avoid good words for now. Having to fight at night was just not a good idea. Everypony else understood.
And I just added softly... "Girls, I am just so thrilled to see you all, and I think there is a lot we need to work on, but now is just not the time yet..." I knew I didn't phrase that very well, but we all wept softly together for a little while, then we were on our way. I think everypony understood what I meant.
It was clear that the cats didn't mind all of their Fluttershy's new friends. And even with a bunch more ponies, the girls spent the rest of the afternoon running and jumping up ahead. Well, they did disappear for a while to find some food, then they returned. And it didn't seem like the girls had any problem finding Fluttershy, or Shysage or me either.
We stopped near dusk, at the lake where we ate breakfast earlier in the day, and we all ate some and drank from the lake.
We were soon on our way again, but it was dusk now, and quickly getting darker. We knew the way; we just had to follow the tracks. It was just harder in the dark.
Filia and Fiona solved that problem by taking turns using their magic to put a brilliant light at the top of their Unicorn horns; this gave us plenty of light for travelling. Shysage mentioned we only had maybe two hours left to the next tunnel.
We kept going. Well, Fluttershy brought the girls to the back with Shysage and I. The cats felt a lot better about this. That was important.
Maybe an hour later, everypony ahead of us abruptly stopped.
What I heard... "What... A pony with lights? Who are you guys?"
Fluttershy stopped her girls, and called them all to herself.
Next I heard... "Wait... Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy's girls began to growl.
"Girls, stop that. Ponies are our friends" Fluttershy said sternly.
Still, I placed the voice immediately, it was Rainbow Dash. Maybe night time was the only safe time to fly in Equestria any more...
Well, Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were already crying together with Filia and Fiona.
We let them cry together for a little while. Then, with light from Filia and Fiona, Rainbow Dash met Fluttershy's girls.
After that it was quiet for a minute.
Applejack said slowly "Rainbow, we're goin to Ponyville, to try and clean this mess up, I think."
Rainbow sniffled briefly then said "Count me in..."
Our walk to the next tunnel resumed. Filia and Fiona led the way, with Applejack and Rainbow on one side, and Pinkie Pie on the other.
Well, Rainbow said at one point "Wait... Summer, you had a dream about this..."
Nopony really needed to answer.
Once we got to the next tunnel, Filia and Fiona led us all around, over the top, to the other side of the tunnel. Then they both went into the tunnel first, to check to make sure it was safe.
Once inside, Shysage said quietly "Filia and Fiona, you can probably combine your magic to start one of these wood things under the track on fire."
That worked well, and the fire burned all night and supplied light. Applejack and Rainbow took turns keeping watch. Well, they talked quietly together all night. And they did fall asleep early in the morning, but that was probably fine.
Fluttershy, Shysage and I slept with the girls, further in the tunnel, which the girls seemed to appreciate. The rest slept together. Still, there was occasional weeping through the course of the night. I guessed everypony else was beat up pretty bad. It sounded like it.
Well, I don't know what would happen, but, honestly, with Princess Twilight and her girls, I had no clue where to even start...
I just sighed. That wasn't tonight's problem anyway.
I woke up the next morning, nose to nose with Shysage, and surrounded by four huge Panthers. Fluttershy was nearby with a Shyna on either side. The three of them were crying softly. I knew my sister felt their pain...
I woke Shysage up, and we just rubbed noses briefly and talked quietly together. We would resume our road trip, Shysage called it, and probably get to Ponyville tonight. Still, he mentioned that we didn't even make it to Dodge City, but the only pony who wasn't with us was Rarity. Shysage declared this a complete miracle. Then we both thanked true friend together, and quietly.
We all gathered together and group hugged (most cried quietly) for a few minutes, then we were on our way.
I had to try to understand what I was feeling. I knew Princess' girls were all hurting a lot. But I also sensed maybe a tiny bit of animosity at times, I don't know. Well, at one point in the past they all scattered. Something caused that. Still, I had absolutely no clue how to deal with that. I guessed, I hoped that wasn't a part of what I needed to do. I wouldn't know what to say, what to even try...
...
Maybe mid-morning, from our places in the back, we heard a loud growl. Fluttershy, Shysage and I QUICKLY looked around and located all four girls next to us. It wasn't them.
We soon saw... Rainbow and Applejack, leading the way, were frozen, face to face with an angry Cougar...
Almost like four streaks, Fluttershy's girls jumped nimbly between ponies, and would have landed right on top of that Cougar, should he have chosen to stay there.
The Cougar realized he had better run... He ran like mad, directly into the overgrown forest along the side of the train tracks. Fluttershy's girls were angry now, and quickly pursued the Cougar.
Far off, there were brief sounds of a fight, then it was quiet.
Fluttershy smiled, then said "I think my girls are having breakfast. They will be along in a while."
We resumed our trip, they could easily catch up. They did.
I don't know if anypony had resented the presence of Fluttershy's girls with us on this trip. It had certainly slowed down us welcoming each of our amazing friends.
But I think there was now a full realization that their presence was extremely helpful. As the Phantom Alicorn, I could take care of monsters. But a small Cougar... It would be very difficult for me to defend ponies against that without hurting other ponies in the process.
I hugged Rose when she came back. Shysage and Fluttershy did the same thing.
...
The rest of the trip was uneventful; just a long walk together saying little. We all knew... Some stuff had to wait. And other stuff could quickly draw a big monster....
That was ok, at least we were together.
In this Equestria, that was a miracle.
Maybe we made better time, even though it was mildly up hill. Maybe we actually left earlier. Maybe we were all anxious to get home to Ponyville. Maybe all three...
We made it back to town probably late in the afternoon.
Rather than head straight to Dawn's, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Filia and Fiona wanted to walk around Ponyville some before it got dark. We did this, even though we knew it would just make everypony cry. It did. A shattered Ponyville was very sad...
At one point, Fluttershy's girls ran off. We didn't think much, maybe they were hungry again.
Later, Fluttershy got this alarmed look on her face. "Summer, it has been too long. Can you and Shysage come with me to help me find the girls?"
We asked the five other ponies to head to Town Square and wait for us there.
Fluttershy, Shysage and I took to the air, flying in a slowly larger circle around Ponyville.
In the air a little while, we quickly spotted all four of Fluttershy's girls.
They were bunched around another pony right next to the train tracks from the Crystal Palace.
Just then, Fluttershy said loudly (for Fluttershy)
"Oh, my goodness... My Twin!"