//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 10 -- Ariel Dawn // by shysage //------------------------------// Waking up next to Shysage, in our own home... It was still Winter, so we slept in front of the fireplace. We both really love doing that. Well, we don't like the cold, but since it has to be cold, this is about as good as it gets. It didn't seem either early or late, and we both woke up at about the same time. It was cool in our home, so Shysage got up, changed into a people, and was going to put some more wood on the fire. He realized we had no wood left in the house, so he went out back long enough to grab more wood out of the shed along the back side of our home. He didn't leave the back door open long when he did this; he opened the door just far enough to slip out, then back in. It was very cold outside. And he mentioned the storm last night had left maybe an inch of snow on the ground. I cringed... Shysage was a people, outside, without a sweatshirt on even... He was probably very cold. And every time he opened the door, we heard what sounded like other ponies talking. Well, it was morning, we didn't pay any attention. Shysage quickly loaded up the wood stack, and put two logs on the fire. Tending a fire is so much easier as a people, or as a Unicorn too, I guess. Shysage changed back into a pony, and we just hugged in front of the fire for a while. I knew he was cold though. We were on our bellies next to each other, and I tried to help warm him up. It was so calm and peaceful... With more wood, the fire grew, and our house warmed nicely. Shysage rolled over on his side, and I enthusiastically climbed up under his front legs, and he pulled me up to his chest and neck. I just sighed a few times. "Summer, I really love you..." he said quietly. "Shysage, I could stay here all day..." I really felt that way. I love my Stallion... I was falling back asleep... ... Bang... Bang... Bang... A ponies' hoof was kicking our front door really hard, maybe breaking it, I don't know. It was loud... Shysage and I were jarred awake quickly, and I rolled out from under his legs, and we got up at the same time. I looked at Shysage, and he just shrugged. Still, we both walked slowly to the door, and Shysage opened it. Outside, we found twenty or more other ponies, mostly stallions, mostly Unicorns. They were carrying signs of various sizes. All the signs had the same thing, the crude picture of a ponies' hind-quarters, not a very nice gesture. And they were all painted sloppily in bright Red... When Shysage and I walked out, the crowd was suddenly quiet, and just stared at us... And I saw the snow... And we were both freezing... "Can I help you?" Shysage asked quietly. They began yelling right away, well yelling together "No more... No more... No more..." That was loud too. And a dreadfully familiar tune lept loudly into the background(1)... Monster music... Shysage and I were both confused. "Can we talk about this? Can somepony let me know what this is all about?" Shysage asked, again calmly. The yelling just got louder... The ponies were crowding closer... "So you are all mad at me, but you won't tell me why..." Shysage asked again, still calm. I was outside too, now slowly backing away from everypony. Nopony needed to tell me... "Ya, we will give you an answer!" One of the stallions said this, then brought his sign down hard and fast... Shysage dodged just in time, then yelled "Summer, go get Princess Twilight..." I was quickly in the air and flew fast. I doubted I could ever use my Phantom Alicorn powers against ordinary ponies... But I knew Shysage needed help... It was very cold outside. Neither Shysage nor I had time to put our coats on... The blanket of snow that had settled over Ponyville sometime last night, it looked beautiful from above, but that didn't even matter... Still, my flight to the Castle was painful... I was soon inside, but Princess Twilight wasn't in the Library. After hunting frantically, I found Filia, and she said she and Princess Twilight had stayed up late reading. I knocked on Princess' bedroom door, and waited a few minutes... I knocked on her door again and waited a few more minutes... I was about to knock a third time, when Princess Twilight opened the door slowly, and then yawned. "Oh, hi Summer, how can I help--" Princess said slowly. "Princess, I'm sorry... An angry group of ponies is attacking Shysage..." I know I was crying as I said this. Princess walked quickly to the hall leading to the front entrance to the Castle, and she used her magic to put her coat on as she walked past it. Even inside the Castle, I could now hear the angry crowd. They were very close... I followed Princess outside... The yelling crowd was at the bottom of the stairs in front of the Castle... ...still yelling "No more..." over and over again... And I quickly realized Shysage was curled up on that bottom step... He was covered with blood, as they continued to hit him with their signs... Princess Twilight was furious... "STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" she yelled... Well, they stopped hitting Shysage, anyway. Princess wasn't done, and yelled again "IS THIS THE KIND OF EQUESTRIA YOU REALLY WANT?" ... It was instantly quiet. I don't know what anypony in that angry crowd said... ...because at that exact moment, Equestria... Our present faded from view... True friend, the Portal, and now maybe the Keeper... I have learned to trust that, when the Portal moved us, everything would work out fine. But, as I noticed our present fading away... I knew right away what was happening. And honestly, my first thought was that I would be outraged if Shysage was left there... ...If I had to leave Shysage... ...now of all times...