//------------------------------// // Chapter 23, Tough Night // Story: The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 9 -- Future Perfect // by shysage //------------------------------// Phantasma was dead. Equestria was alive, and could come back to life now. Hopefully the few Sonic Rainbooms earlier would start the process of tens of thousands of ponies streaming back into the cities of Equestria. This was all very amazing. ... Rose, a 200+ pound Black Panther was injured badly as she helped us rescue our Princesses. Rose wanted me near. Well, I wanted her near me. I was her friend. I think Cel (Princess Celestia) would probably recover fine with Shysage nearby. It had always been that way. But Lu (Princess Luna)... 30+ years grafted onto a monster... Emotionally, she had just shut down. I suspected she would need me a lot... Honestly, I felt so torn. I think we all cried together for a while. Being able to rescue our Princesses... As the Sun sank behind the trees, Princess Twilight realized we needed to make arrangements for tonight. The Fluttershys said that moving Rose into the Castle was just not a good idea, for a number of reasons. But Princess said smiling that she didn't think I would leave Rose tonight. She was right. And it didn't seem like the night would be cold; this would be very helpful. The problem was that we were in a meadow near the Castle, but far enough away that it would soon be very dark where we were. The Fluttershys said this was a bad idea with a hurting Panther. Moving Cel and Lu was easy enough, but moving Rose... Princess had her doubts about this. And Rose didn't even want to try to move, by herself. Evidently, her leg hurt a lot. And Rose cried more when I even looked away from her. Camille and her daughter Dawn had watched the whole fight. They cried with us afterwards. They also overheard our discussion. "Summer, we still have one of your old blankets, maybe you could move her on that?" Camille offered. Starting to cry a little she added "We borrowed it from your house, one cold Winter night, for mom, and I guess we kept it, because you never came..." "My old pony blanket Summer, it should be pretty strong" Shysage said quietly. Camille and her daughter were quickly back with Shysage's old blanket. Princess Twilight and her girls were working on getting Cel and Lu moved back over to the grass in front of the Castle. Cel smiled and laid upright on her belly after she was moved. Lu was still laying on her side, completely unresponsive. She was alive, at least. I would have suggested that Cel and Lu be moved to the Library... But I realized I was staying outside with Rose tonight, and I would want Lu close as well. I also realized that everypony else would probably want to stay outside with Equestria's Princesses tonight anyway. As it started to get dark, the blanket was folded in half, laying on the grass alongside Rose. Coaxing Rose over onto the blanket by herself was a lost cause. The Fluttershys even tried. "She's hurting too much" Sis said. We were all weeping softly with Rose, our brave animal friend... The Fluttershys directed everypony away, even me. Rose was not happy at all, and growled as both Twilights gently moved her onto the blanket. Well, the first time, they actually got the blanket, and dragged it along. Levitation magic is not as easy as it looks, I guess. After the second try, Rose was laying on her side, on that thick blanket, very upset. I ran in quickly, and she soon calmed down. Everypony else stayed away until the Fluttershys said it was safe. I decided it would take eight other people to move the blanket that Rose was on. And I absolutely had to stay with Rose, right next to her head for this. Shysage turned into a people, and soon had eight volunteers, as people, along the sides of the blanket. We wanted strong people, and this meant the Shyna, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack Twins. Both Pinkie Pies jumped in to help as well. Twisting wrenches or toting rocks, both Pinkies were still pretty strong. Moving Rose was scary, I won't lie. I knew it hurt her some, as eight people walked unevenly across the field, and the walk wasn't short. And Rose did get upset, and I worked hard to keep her calmed down. At least she didn't bite me. I was still a people, and would not have fared well if she did. By now it was almost dark though, and the magic lights on the Castle shone brightly. Rose calmed down quite a bit when we got her back in the light, back where she could see better. And once we had her back down on the grass, her other Panther friends quickly laid on their bellies around to her. I think they were talking to each other. The Fluttershys suggested this. I don't know. Still a people, I stayed at Rose's head, and sat down when they put the blanket down. Rose was soon calmed down again, and we were all relieved at that. Camille brought another blanket, to put over Rose, and Rose didn't mind that at all. Still, it was clear Rose was not calm unless I was right next to her, and gently rubbing her head with my fingers. I... This was so hard... I had to keep Rose calmed down. The only way I could do that was to rub her head and scratch around her ears with my fingers. Rose would start crying if I didn't keep doing that. She was hurting a lot. The Twilights moved Lu right next to me (which Princess said was very scary), and I started doing the same thing with Lu. I knew Lu... I knew she needed to feel me close. I rubbed her head and talked quietly to her too. The next hour was agony, as I slowly realized that I physically could not do this for very long, let alone all night. I wanted to make Lu a priority, but I had to make Rose a priority. And it was almost impossible to do both. And I... I was still a people, and both my arms were rapidly becoming so tired... I had to rest more and more often, I knew I was losing ground with this... Shysage saw and knew what was happening. He was still a people too, and he moved so he was on the other side of Lu, and Cel was moved next to him again. Cel and Shysage cried together, hugging, for a while, then Cel fell asleep. At that point, Shysage took over stroking Lu's head with his fingers, and he talked quietly to her as well. Lu absolutely needed to feel we were near. While trying to keep Rose calm, I tried to talk more to Lu, too. Still, I was not sure how good a job I was doing with either of them... ... I knew my Stallion was trying to comfort me... Shysage softly said this to me... If I could fly from East to West in search of loving beauty, I'd never find another near, the Mare that now comes to me. A Ruby kiss, a heart of Gold, and hands that yearn to serve me, A love so strong, always my song, your Stallion, forever I will be. Shysage started this amazing poem while we raised Cel and Lu over a thousand years back in the Past, and he has added to and changed it a few times. I really love him... And when I heard these words, I just melted... But when Lu heard them, she screamed loudly... "Mommy... Mommy... Where are you?" Lu cried this over and over again... I kept saying softly "Lu, I'm right here..." ... I couldn't look away from Lu, not now. More than any time in our lives together, Lu needed me. She really needed me... Rose was getting upset... My sister, well Equestria pony Fluttershy came over quickly, squeezed in right next to me, which turned her into a people, too. It didn't matter. Fluttershy spoke to Rose like, maybe nopony else ever could. Softly, Sis was almost singing... Rose calmed down immediately. ... "Mommy... Mommy... Where are you?" Lu cried this over and over again... She increasingly sounded heartbroken. A parents worst nightmare... For their foal to cry out like this... And hear no answer... And everything I said or did... No matter how hard I tried... "Mommy... Mommy... Please... Where are you?" Lu was almost hysterical... I guess I was too... ... But I think Shysage quickly realized what to do... Follow the Equestrium tells more about this, but when Cel and Lu were very young, Shysage and I rescued them, within seconds of their death, on a day buried deep in the Past. We were quickly flying in a strong current as these precious foals were tied to our backs. They quickly fell asleep. When we finally landed near dusk, we all ate and drank some. Finally settling in for the night together, the girls said their names were Sue and Lee. That's what we called them when Lu was very young... That's the name Lu needed to hear right now... ... Shysage moved his head down next to Lu's ear... "Lee, mommy and I are right here..." Lu's eyes blinked open wide right away, and she looked up at Shysage... He was crying too... "Daddy, where's mommy?" Lu almost yelled this. I did exactly what Shysage just did; I moved my head down next to Lu's head, and spoke quietly in Lu's ear... "Lee, I'm right here..." Lu spun her head around quickly, looking wildly for me. I gently grabbed her pony head in my hands, stared into her eyes, and, crying myself, I said softly "Lee honey, it's ok. I'm right here..." Lu collapsed into tears in my lap and just cried... Well, we both collapsed into tears together. Lu actually worked on climbing up into my lap, moving her front legs up to me too, and I helped her with that. Then I wrapped both arms around my little girl, and I hugged her tightly, just like I had a thousand times in the Past... Lu and I, we were sobbing together... Everything... Everypony else,... It all melted away as I hugged her... "Mommy, I'm so scared..." Lu said a few times. "Lee, I'm right here. It's ok." Through my tears, I softly said this each time. Lu slowly started to calm down. Our whole family, Shysage, Cel, Lu and I, we were sobbing together now. Cel and Lu's Twins quickly followed, and, well, I guess everypony else was crying with us, too. I think we all cried together for hours... Everypony around us... Cel and Lu's family... Lu never moved from my lap. And I realized that Cel had climbed up into Shysage's lap, and he too had wrapped both his arms around her, hugging her tightly, crying... In the wee hours of the morning, our precious girls, Cel and Lu, now Equestria's Princesses, they both fell asleep. Shysage and I, we couldn't, we wouldn't dare move, our girls were sleeping soundly in our laps. That meant so much to us... Shysage reached one hand out and held one of mine. Holding hands like that, we cried together quietly until the Sun came up. For our girls, it had been a horrible nightmare... But they were both safe now, calmly asleep in mommy and daddy's laps. That meant more to Shysage and I than anyone could ever know... We couldn't not cry... ... Cel woke up soon after the Sun came up. She felt Shysage near, saw Lu and I, smiled, then wept softly in Shysage's arms. An hour later, Lu woke up. I... Honestly, I was scared... Lu was clearly trying to look at me, so I moved my head down and around, so she could see me. She smiled at me, then started crying softly right away. I hugged her tightly with both arms again. "Sister, that was really hard..." Lu said quietly. After a brief silence, Cel answered quietly "Yes... Yes, it was..." I couldn't talk... Shysage tried... "Girls, we are just glad--" Mom and dad were sobbing again...