//------------------------------// // Chapter 38, Promise // Story: The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 9 -- Future Perfect // by shysage //------------------------------// Shysage gave everypony the report on our last trip. We, well he only said what we had permission to say (mostly). It was very short; it took less than a minute. That was it... There was just nothing more we could say. We had to say nothing more, in order to preserve the amazing future we had just spent the last months helping to rebuild. We couldn't tell anypony that though. We couldn't say anything else, beside what Shysage told everypony. That was very hard, on everypony, I think. It sounded so ominous, so chilling... There was just nothing we could do, except cry softly together for a while. That's what we did. It was around noon when the second Air Coach arrived at Princess Twilight's Castle. The lead Air Coach stallion came in and mentioned to Princess Celestia that it had warmed up some, and a return trip to Canterlot in the afternoon (i.e. soon) would probably be best. It was the middle of Winter, after all! Shysage and I walked Cel and Lu (Princess Celestia and Princess Luna), and their Twins (Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna) outside to the Air Coaches. It was cold, but not near as cold as yesterday night, or even this morning. But it was very quiet, not much was said. We spent a little while hugging Cel and Lu, then they and their Twins climbed into the waiting Air Coaches, and were gone. Shysage and I still cried when they left... ... The two of us walked back up the stairs, down the hall, and into the Library. Conversation was lively; everypony had some thoughts about how we should respond to the one warning we had all received. My sister Fluttershy and her Twin said little, but that didn't surprise me. Anyway, I think Princess Twilight had asked for suggestions. Reading through Summer's Dream again... Well, that was a given, I just knew that would happen. This prospect didn't bother me too much. That dream... A lot came out right (which was amazing), and a lot did not, I don't know. It didn't really matter. Reading that would happen tonight, and Shysage needed to rustle up a copy to read. New Shield Necklaces... I really liked that idea. True friendship was the core of Shysage and my life, and having new necklaces; Of course, Shysage and I would put them on right away. True friendship means putting others first... Besides, the future was basically rebuilt on this simple truth. And Dawn... I guess I would need to wait and find out how one of ours would end up next to Dawn's door in the future. I thought this far, and began to cry... All of a sudden, I really wanted to visit our amazing neighbor. But I couldn't even tell her anything... I was sure I would just cry a lot around she and her amazing daughter, Camille... Anyway, it was just a little past noon, and Princess said the afternoon was Twin time, with dinner back at the Castle later. Princess reminded everypony they would need their coats, and motioned to two huge piles of coats on reading tables nearby. There was a lot of hugging as ponies slowly made their way off to their afternoons, Twin with Twin. Seeing both Applejacks in their coats made Shysage cry... Well, my Twin wanted to stay with me, and that made me cry... Shysage followed us Summers as we headed off to the Canterlot Recorder's home. I was sure it would be freezing cold in there. And I really hoped that I didn't run into Dawn on the way, or I would have to cry uncontrollably for a while as I hugged her. I was sort of glad; we noticed nopony outside Dawn's as we filed into Shysage and my home. Wow, it was warm in here... Our amazing neighbor Dawn... Camille heard we were back, and Dawn came over and got the fire going for us. She was still fooling with it. But our home was warming nicely. For a while, Dawn and I cried together, hugging tightly. I didn't expect anything different. I doubted she had any idea... And when Camille came over to be with her mom, I just pulled her into our hug and we cried together a while more. Still, it felt very good to see them both again. After a while, they headed back to tend to their own fire, so Dawn could work on some florals... Shysage worked on bringing up the compy. For a while, my Twin and I hugged tightly and wept softly in front of the quietly crackling fire. Hugging my Twin, that felt very good. I guess being warm felt nice too. Still, at one point... "Twin, why can't you say anything..." My Twin, Equestria Girls Summer Rain asked me this. All I could do was cry. Shysage had heard the question, evidently. Still a people, he came over and sat on the floor next to me. He said quietly to my Twin "Summer, do you remember when my Summer and I took trips back to the Past... We had to be very careful what we said while we were there. Do you remember why we had to do that?" My Twin thought a minute, then said "Because you didn't want to risk changing the future..." It was quiet briefly, then she said again "Oh, wow..." That was probably all Shysage should or could say. Judging from my Twin's response, that was probably enough, though. I love my Stallion... He bent slowly over, and kissed his Mare's pony nose (I was still a pony). "I love my Mare" he said. I stopped crying, and just melted, as he got slowly up and went back to work at the compy. Well, after this, my Twin and I were back to chatting happily. She filled me in on what was going on with the bleacher girls. There is always tons to share. Twin talked a while about a new girl named Ann... She bonded with the group so quickly... I just sighed... Those bleacher girls... The magic of friendship flowing... I guess that is one part of the Equestria Girls world that I really miss... At one point though, still talking about Ann, my Twin got very quiet, and almost whispered this... "Twin, you gotta hear this... Futtershy and I were sitting in front of the Portal wall out in front of the School, one afternoon last week. Fluttershy was passing out flyers for a work day at the animal shelter. Ann came over to join us, and she accidently tripped over Fluttershy and fell. "Well, I caught her, but her arm hit the Portal wall. Summer, it actually went in... I could see her front leg and hoof right before she quickly pulled it out... She sat down laughing. I don't think she even saw or realized... I just answered quietly "Twin, there's no rush; there are others at Canterlot High that have Twins here. Let's just play that by ear." We were quickly talking again, and about other amazing girls too. Still, it was cold outside in the Equestria Girls world now too, so the bleachers in the Gym were where the girls met. I remembered that. There was still no jogging afterwards though... Shysage had to run to the Castle and see if Princess Twilight had volume 2 of the chronicles. He doubted his raspy printer would survive typing it all out. He was soon back, and he did have to run! Princess did have that volume. Shysage shut the compy down, put another log on the fire, adjusted some pillows, then laid on his back (as a people) on our nice couch. He was soon asleep. Twin and I talked about how she and her Shysage were doing. I didn't really need to ask -- they are just so totally... so completely devoted to each other... Just like us... And Twin said again that it was really a miracle she wasn't pregnant yet. Well, I told her I could relate to that. She laughed, and said she wasn't surprised. We hugged tightly for a few minutes after that. We are so much alike... Still, Twin said a baby wouldn't be a huge problem, they were married now and all. Still, raising a foal, well a child, in my Stallion's cubical there in the Equestria Girls world... I couldn't imagine... But I absolutely knew my amazing Twin could make that work! The Fluttershys and Shynas joined us soon after that discussion. We all hugged and cried softly together a little while, then we all laid on our bellies facing the fire, and just talked. My family... I had to work hard to not cry. Maybe I wasn't the only one. It was soon time to go back to the Castle. I got up, and gently kissed my sleeping Stallion. He was a people, and I was a pony. But I am getting the hang of kissing as a pony. Just a gentle kiss; it is not as easy as one would think. It woke him up anyway! Besides, I would have changed to a people otherwise, but surrounded by family... Still a people, Shysage checked the fire, then helped us girls each get our coats on. Then he changed back into a pony, climbed under his coat, and we all walked quickly back to the Castle. It was getting very cold already! ... We weren't the only ponies heading into the Castle. It seemed like, all at once, a bunch of Twins arrived at about the same time! Everypony seemed happy enough. Maybe, just maybe I could do this without crying tonight. I was doing pretty good... ...until the Rarity Twins worked their way around the group in the Library, and helped everypony put on new Shield Necklaces... I just cried... TF MPOF... Past, present or future... Equestria or Equestria Girls world... We all needed that... We went from there to dinner. It was good, of course, and I guess I was hungry. I still kept looking for Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake though... Both are a little young for that just yet. We all ended up back in the Library. I guessed the reading would happen in here. I sat on the rug next to the Portal. Shysage changed into a people, picked up Volume 2 of the chronicles from a nearby table, and sat next to me. I realized it would be a lot easier for him to manage the book as a people. Hands do that so well... Still, I was a little concerned. There were some chapters that, well... I quietly asked Shysage. I had not even finished trying to explain, when Shysage smiled, then said quietly "I have my orders. Princess put it this way. This dream was a warning to this group, the only one we will get. She didn't think we should skip any of it." But that wasn't my real concern. For Shysage, Fluttershy and I, we were actually there... We knew how all this worked out; well, how it would work out, off in the distant future. I was pretty sure Fluttershy and I would have a lot of trouble even hearing this. Well, I guessed we would find out soon. When everypony and their Twin were comfortably on their bellies facing Shysage, Princess said this quietly and slowly "Girls, this may not be easy. But if it is the only warning we get, we need to pay attention." Princess paused briefly, then said "Shysage, please..." Shysage opened Volume 2 of the chronicles, and started reading from the beginning. Shysage told me later that Princess told him to read up through chapter 15. The first 15 chapters cover a vivid dream I had one night. Shysage and I worked at recording that dream, over a week maybe, as we fell more and more in love. Early on, my recollection was very vivid. Towards the end, I think we were trying to arrange details that I remembered as little pieces at a time. That aspect couldn't be helped. There was just so much... I haven't told anypony this before, but my Stallion increasingly occupied more and more of my thoughts as that week passed. It was just... That dream literally threw us together... We really couldn't not bond... I was pretty sure he realized this, and probably felt the same way. And neither of us would ever trade that... Chapter 1 made all the Equestria Girls cry. And I have to say... My memory of this chapter was so vivid... But the expanded way this all unfolded in the real future; I could not say anything about that... But it was so clear Equestria was at work in BOTH Twilight's lives... I cried too... Chapter 2 made Shysage cry, just like the last time he read this. Neither of us like being away from the other. And in the real future, Shysage still had to wait maybe 6 months for me, not the 37 years in my dream. I know just six months was hard on him. Chapter 3 made me cry some. I had to choke back a lot of those tears... Seeing Dawn, very old but still alive, in the real future... And I saw her earlier today, too... That just... The chapter where I found Shysage there in the future (4) was next. And he proposed to me in that chapter. He and I having to originally record that; that was awkward! But now... Shysage wrapped one of his arms around my neck as he read. Neither of us cried. Both Twilights hugged tightly and cried softly as Shysage read chapter 5. In a dream, or in the future, this was not our Princess at her best... My Twin came up next to me as Shysage read chapter 6. We cried buckets together... In my dream, my Twin had died years earlier in the Equestria Girls world... Even though a dream, the spectre of losing a Twin... It was just very hard... In my dream, the train trip to Dodge City finding Equestria ponies Pinkie Pie and Applejack; this was recorded in two chapters (7 and 8). This trip included both Shysage's record about the decay of both Equestria and Princess' circle, as well as me reading part of Shysage's rather personal thoughts about it. Like last time, it was very quiet as he read these chapters. Still, Shysage didn't flinch, and clearly read everything, even the stuff about abusing intimacy. I think he still feels strongly that taking advantage of another pony, for any reason; this is just so blatanty disgusting. True friends don't do that, only monsters do that. I agree with him. The next chapter (9) covered our first encounter with Eschate Zumulus. Everypony cried because our Princess Twilight died... It took the tears of devotion to amazingly bring her back... I think we all love our Princess... Chapter 10 covered the process of coming clean, from the viewpoint of my dream. A bunch of us still cried. I cried a lot, and I think Fluttershy did too; the fractures between the relationships of the ponies even now in this room... In the future, the problems were so much deeper... That part was just scary to me... And that all seemed inevitable... Chapter 11 covered everypony returning, together, back to Ponyville. Fluttershy and I were the only ones who cried. We had seen this really happen... The next 3 chapters (12-14) covered the slow rebuilding of Ponyville. Shysage and I were officially married early on in that record, and I couldn't not cry at that. My sister Fluttershy wept softly while Shysage read about Desert Spring. I was pretty sure she wept because she knew he was waiting for her... And after Shysage had read about Big and Beau... Equestria pony Rarity said quietly "Shysage, can you please stop a minute?" Shysage stopped, then Rarity looked at me and said "Summer, in the real future..." I guess Rare realized I couldn't, shouldn't answer that question, and so she stopped there. "Oh, never mind..." But I knew exactly where she was heading, and even before I knew what I was doing, the hugest grin washed quickly across my face. I quickly looked down, and started weeping softly. I shouldn't have done that... But I could not have stopped it... I guess both Raritys saw enough though, and both smiled, then sighed, at the same time, in the same way... I hoped... Surely such an innocent mistake couldn't erase... "Summer, dear, there were aspects of your dream I rather like, you know." Equestria pony Rarity said this... Wait... What??? Chapter 15 was where my dream ended, at the exact moment as I killed Phantasma and Cel (Princess Celestia), in order to preserve the rest of Equestria. The night I had that dream, I woke up screaming, right at that point. I cried buckets as Shysage read this chapter; NOT because I had killed Cel, I knew this didn't, wouldn't really happen. I cried buckets because my brave Rose would give her life for Equestria... I couldn't say anything, although Fluttershy probably knew. Losing Rose, that was only maybe two weeks ago for me. It still hurt... Shysage stopped reading at the end of Chapter 15, and closed the book. Very quickly... A bunch of ponies, both Twilights included, said quickly but gently, something like "Shysage, please..." Everypony wanted us to read the rest. Shysage picked up the book, opened it to chapter 16, and kept reading. That chapter started out with me waking up from that dream, and at the most terrible spot (having to kill Princess Celestia)... Like I said, I woke up screaming... Dawn and Shysage tried to calm me down, but I think I already knew we had to record as much of my dream as possible. I really felt that urgency, I don't know. This chapter covered Shysage and my efforts to record that dream. And, again, that whole process threw he and I together. Some of the more personal sections of that chapter revealed the tip of that iceberg. With each passing day, I just knew... I knew I needed him more than life itself, maybe. I am sure he felt the same way. I think we both still feel that way about each other! The chapter about Princess Twilight connecting with Equestria (17) made all of us cry. Maybe it is easy for us all to forget that special bond she possesses with the realm. We all love our Princess. And it really was uncanny that Applejack had basically the same dream I did, just from Applejack's perspective. And Princess Twilight knew that without even being told... And the next short chapter (18)... Our Princess just knew how to deal with Eschate Zumulus. Well, Equestria told her, so... I am glad nopony tried to find out if we had to kill him again in the future. I still think it seems so unfair that we had to. In her own way, Princess Twilight sought to try to make sure that everypony was, well, devoted to each other. Princess did this via the group link, which she pursued until the devotion of these amazing ponies was restored. At that time, just a few years ago now, it didn't take much (chapter 19). And we have done the same thing a few times since. Chapter 20 still amazes me. Our amazing Princess Twilight... She actually goaded Eschate Zumulus and Phantasma to a confrontation! I guess Macabre (in the future) alluded to this early failure... My Twin had been right next to me since chapter 6. Well, as Shysage read chapter 21, both us Summers cried buckets together. We had both been viciously abused sexually, and it took a good look, deep inside my Stallion's honest heart for both of us to see we were precious beyond words. This is what it took to undo the lies the monster's actions flooded into both our souls. And this is really amazing... It was the Group Link that allowed this. And Princess Twilight actually orchestrated this whole thing! I mean, Princess Twilight found out about the Group Link from my dream, and assumed (or just knew) it was real, and worked with us until it happened! Our Princess Twilight is amazing... And the second time through, there was also a pathway home (chapter 22). And, our precious Equestria Girls Twins learned that once they came to Equestria, they would no longer age. Shysage and I called this whole volume "Homecoming"; Our Equestria Girls could someday come home to Equestria, for good, and start over. Well, three of us had actually seen that play out, and couldn't stop crying... Chapters 23 and 24 covered amazing Twin Time, well and a rather personal discussion about how steeply Shysage had paid for being able to rescue me from monsters who abused me, years ago now... These Twin chapters also included us all getting amazing Shield Necklaces! They were just like the new ones we got today... Neither Shysage nor I could read the last chapter (25), so my Twin did. It covered a brief trip to the Equestria Girls world so all us Twins could say our goodbyes there. When everypony else came back to Equestria, Shysage and I didn't return to Equestria Present. He and I, we were sent deep into the past, and within less than 2 minutes, we had rescued Cel and Lu from certain death. Only we didn't know who these two girls were then... Shysage and I cried together for a little while after my Twin read that short chapter. After the reading of Volume 2 was done, it was quiet for a little while, and those of us still crying, we tried to calm down. It was late, but Princess Twilight had all us girls circle up, Twin next to Twin (Shysage sat this out). And, besides Princess Twilight and her five girls (Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and my sister Fluttershy), and us two Summers, we now had the Filia, Fiona and Shyna Twins. It was a big group! Still, over the course of an hour, we worked at reestablishing our devotion. It wasn't easy; some apologies had to be made. Still, the Group Link was Princess' goal. I felt bad, but I was pretty sure I absolutely could not be a part of that. I broke the circle, and us Summers backed out as soon as the Group Link went active. Staying linked, everypony else could easily see everything... Us Summers hugged tightly and wept softly together as everypony else melted into the Group Link. Still, they didn't stay Group Linked very long. Even so, being able to all link like that; devotion was restored, and that was evidently Princess' goal. After that, Princess had us Summers turn the rest of the girls into people (which took a little while), and we all stood in a circle, as people, there in the Library, weeping softly, hugging tightly. Of course, somepony started what we often say... We are deeply devoted to each other... We are true friends, and committed to true friendship... We are... ...Equestria... And Princess managed to say her part. And I am only a Princess with you all at my side. I think we all cried more after that... ... Well, it was very late by now. After changing back into ponies in as organized a way as possible, everypony was soon fast asleep on the floor in the Library, Twin with Twin, of course. Well, us Summers, the Fluttershys and Shysage, we weren't sleepy, and so the five of us moved some distance away from the rest, laid on our bellies together, and just talked quietly. Sounding as dejected as I felt, I said quietly, and to nopony in particular "I think today just erased everything..." My amazing sis, Fluttershy, she almost didn't let me finish. "Aww, Summer, relax... My Twin now knows everything, but that was inevitable. And re-reading your dream, we knew that would certainly happen, too." Fluttershy stopped briefly, and looked off across the Library. "Besides, Orbsah Tnuoc made a promise to us. We have tried to stay within the bounderies he mentioned. I'm sure he will take care of the rest." Nopony said anything for a few minutes, then Fluttershy quietly said this... "And 35 years from now, that is a very long time... A lot can happen..." We were all soon asleep together.