The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 11 -- A Wing and a Prayer

by shysage

Chapter 2, Confession

This is Princess Twilight again.

I am really not sure how I managed to get to sleep that night. I do know that the actual casting of that long and highly complex spell, well that absolutely drained me. Then I found out that Dark Melvain had authored it, and that he tried to carefully conceal this fact by throwing out a magical challenge to other Unicorns. That whole thing infuriated me. I remember laying down on the floor of the Library, and crying for a while. I don't remember much else. But I do know that I somehow ended up in my bed that night, because thats where I was when I woke up the next morning. I had a number of scary dreams that night, but none of them woke me up. And I couldn't remember a thing about any of them...

The first thing I do remember that next morning was that I was laying on my bed, barely awake, carefully analyzing the magic in that spell. I was half asleep, but I guess that didn't stop the magical side of my brain. At one of the apex points of that spell, where a lot of magical power was abruptly brought out then re-directed, I gasped loudly with alarm. I think I gasped at the same point while actually casting the spell the night before. That gasp woke me fully up, and I bolted quickly up in my bed, then promptly fell over. Well, I was awake after that, but I absolutely could not remember the apex point, what it did, what the magic was, or anything else that my brain had discovered while analyzing. I was drawing a complete blank.

I rolled over on my side, and just laid there for a few minutes, trying to relax. Maybe I had been reading too many mystery novels lately. "Easy, girl, don't get all worked up. Dark Melvain was not the brightest Unicorn, and you made a few symbol changes. Don't over-think this... Just relax, everything is probably fine." I sighed deeply after this.

Well, ok. I worked on slowing my breathing back down to a good resting rate. That wasn't magic, anypony can do that. Calm, slow, deep breathing works wonders. Fluttershy told me that! I started to fall back asleep, but then forced myself back awake. Judging by the light beaming through my window, it was mid-morning at least. I tried to remember from my schedule if I had any appointments or Princess tasks to do today. Well, I didn't remember any, so I sighed, then rested a little more. "Maybe I could start reading my new book" I thought to myself, then I smiled. Then I remembered my messy desk. That would have to happen first. Well, after I got some breakfast, maybe. My stomach was growling; I was hungry.

I used my magic to brush my hair, then properly place my crown. I stand in front of the mirror to do that. I am a Princess, and I want to try and look the part. Still, I stumbled a little heading for the door of my bedroom. Still waking up, I headed down the hall, into the dining area, and had the cooks make me my special breakfast. Dried oats, of course, but mixed with some other stuff, formed into little rings, then baked that way. Add some milk, and then, voila! (Whatever that means.) A meal fit for a Princess! I saw this in the Equestria Girls World somewhere, I just don't remember where. The spoon that I use to eat it is...

After breakfast, I headed out the door and down the hall to the Library. I wanted to find Spike first thing. Well, he met me in the hall, and joined me as I headed towards the Library. Spike said quietly "Uhm, Twilight..."

He couldn't say anything more because I had already started in on an overview of the first task for the day, cleaning my messy desk.

"Spike, I think our first task needs to be cleaning up my desk. And I think we will find while doing that, I probably need more quills, more paper and such. Maybe we should then do a complete inventory... of... all..."

I was almost to the Library at that point, and my discussion slowed to a crawl, then stopped. A terrible smell was wafting through the air. I wanted to block my nose from that smell. Instead, I said loudly, maybe a little more loudly than I should have "Spike, what is that awful smell? What have you done?"

Spike shot an angry glare my way, then softened immediately. "Twilight, it's Shysage, he's over on the rug next to the Portal..."

...

The smell didn't matter any more. I walked quickly into the Library, and over to Shysage. He was laying on his belly on the thick rug next to the Portal, trying unbearably hard to not cry. I gasped as I got close, even though... The hair on one side of his pony coat had been singed, burned badly. I didn't see any deep burns or anything, but he was evidently close enough to... something... very... hot...

In my head, I said slowly "Oh, no...", then I froze briefly.

Someponies' nightmare...

"Shysage, what..." Honestly, that was all I could get out.

After maybe a minute, Shysage spoke slowly and with great difficulty... "Princess, can you tell Princess Celestia that a large hole in the roof of the Canterlot Recorder's home needs to be repaired? And a replacement for that nice carpet would..." That was all Shysage could say. Then he did cry, deeply... Listening to that really hurt. Stallions don't cry, and I guess aren't supposed to cry, but when they do... It was hard to listen to...

I walked away, but I was soon crying too. Spike followed me of course, and heard me say softly "Spike, what have I done..."

With the sound of Shysage crying in the background, I had Spike bring over a few pieces of paper, a full jar of ink and a quill. I had him take down a rather long note for Princess Celestia. Trying to keep it as short as I could, I told her everything; about the magical fragments, about the last one and how I handled it, my working through that complex spell, my anger at finding out it was a goaded trap from Dark Melvain, and that I angrily disposed of maybe the only magic that could help us unravel... And then Shysage this morning... Evidently the Phantom Alicorn really was the target of that spell...

Spike and I were both crying softly as I had him send the long note off to Princess Celestia. Then I just sat down, and gazed quietly across the Library, away from the Portal. I didn't know anything... what that magic spell had done, or worse, how to reverse it... I had jumped right into Dark Melvain's trap...

"...Oh, Summer... I'm so sorry..." I said this quietly to myself a few times.

Maybe magic kindergarten was next...

A reply from Princess Celestia came back fairly quickly.

Dearest Princess Twilight,

While the outcome of this task is regrettable, Dark Melvain is the real culprit. He knew pony nature well, and did not hesitate to exploit it at every turn. He always did that. Please help Shysage any way you can. The next note will be for him.

Lovingly, Princess Celestia

I didn't move. I just sighed after reading it. I kept staring off across the Library. If I could only remember something... anything about that spell...

The next note came a while later. It was brief, and the phrasing was uncharacteristically awkward, not the flowing prose I am used to seeing from Equestria's Princess...

Canterlot Recorder,

Don't worry about the roof or the rug, these are easily repaired.

We can send an Air Coach for Ariel if you feel that would be best, just have Princess Twilight let me know.

Locating the Phantom Alicorn is your only priority.

Have Princess Twilight keep us posted, and have her let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

Wow, that was it. I guessed both Equestria's Princesses were reeling...

I could have just given this letter to Shysage and let him read it. My conscience would never let me get away with that. I knew I had to tell him all about what happened last night. I had caused this mess... And he needed to know as much as possible to try and find out... what...

I walked back over to Shysage, and I think Spike realized... He headed out of the Library and disappeared. It might have been nap time, I don't know.

Shysage was still crying, and I said softly "Shysage, I need you to listen..."

A few minutes later, he had calmed down enough to listen to my confession. "Shysage, I did this..." I said quietly, sniffling myself... Then I told him everything I could remember about last night, omitting no detail. I also told him I could remember none of the details from the page that held the spell, and that, in anger, I had destroyed that page. Then I told him about the letter I sent to Princess Celestia this morning, and let him read both responses.

An occasional tear fell from his face as he listened to my explanation. As I mentioned Dark Melvain, Shysage sighed deeply. "Not again..." he said quietly. After he read the two notes, he was quickly deep in thought.

But, by the time I was done with my confession, I was sobbing deeply, crying buckets... "Summer, I'm so sorry..." I said over and over again.

Shysage got up, then hugged me a minute maybe. "Princess, its ok, it will work out." Shysage didn't sound real convinced himself as he said this, but I calmed down. Shysage went back and laid down on the rug next to the Portal.

Fluttershy, Shyna and Ariel walked quickly into the library at that point. Fluttershy was already weeping softly, and Ariel had the look of alarm etched across her face. Ariel had not even laid down next to Shysage before she said loudly "Dad, where is mom?" Well, she wasn't here... Ariel and I both burst into tears at the same time.

Fluttershy said quietly "I just want my sssissss....." and could say no more.

Shysage was trying to not cry himself. "Ari, Dark Melvain did something to mom. We are not sure what..." That was all Shysage could say. Shysage hugged his daughter, and we all cried together for a little while. Applejack wandered into the Library at some point, and quickly joined us as we cried. Applejack asked nothing, and just hugged me and cried with us. I don't know, but I really appreciated having her near.

When it was a little quieter, Shysage asked haltingly "Princess, can you send for Pinkie Pie?" I don't know how, but this made me smile a little inside. "True friends to the rescue" I thought to myself.

Applejack volunteered right away. "I'll go get Pinkie" and she was quickly running, out of the Library, down the hall, gone.

It was quiet. Shysage was hugging Ariel, kissing her head occasionally. Leaning up against her dad, still crying softly, Ariel said quietly "Daddy, I'm scared... I read that volume about Dark Melvain last week, and I'm sure, if he ever got mom again..." Shysage didn't answer. There was no answer. We just didn't know...

We wept quietly together until Applejack returned. She brought Pinkie Pie, and also Rarity, Filia and Fiona, and Rainbow Dash. We would all face this together. I sighed. Having my girls near, this made me feel a lot better.

Still, again, I briefly explained to everypony, really confessing what I had done last night, and what had happened as a result. A few gasps, then we all cried together some more. It just didn't look good.

It was quiet for a few minutes.

Still, Shysage was deep in thought. He asked quietly, without even looking up. "Pinkie, is Summer alive?"

Pinkie looked off into the distance briefly, then said quietly "I think so..." Well, I was sensing the same thing from Equestria. And if Shysage had not found any remains... This thought still made me cry softly again.

It was quiet for a few more minutes.

"Pinkie is Summer in Equestria present?"

Brief pause for Pinkie Sense...

"No..."

"Is Summer here but in the Past?"

"No..."

"What about the future?"

"No... Shysage, I don't think she is in Equestria...."

Shysage sighed, looked down and shook his head slowly... Then he said quietly "Equestria Girls world... I was afraid..."

Ariel was quickly crying pretty hard. "Daddy, I want mom... I want to help... But not there... That place is so scary... so huge... If I got lost... Oh, daddy, please don't make me come..."

Honestly, I felt exactly the same way about the Equestria Girls world. It was nice to visit, and spend amazing time with Twins, bleacher girls and such... But the visits to Canterlot High School are all to a carefully controlled environment, a mostly peaceful oasis, in the midst of a sometimes dark and hostile world. We could probably thank Principal and Vice-Principal for the safety we enjoy at CHS. But in that world? alone? I absolutely knew I wouldn't survive... I understood exactly how Ariel felt...

Shysage hugged his daughter tightly as she cried for a while. After she calmed down some, Shysage said quietly "Ariel, its ok. I honestly don't even want you there... I want you safe, here..." Fluttershy and Shyna moved, and both hugged Ariel. Since Shysage and Summer had brought their daughter Ariel back from the Past, Ariel had spent a lot of time at Fluttershy's Cottage. They were close. And there was always Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; they would watch over their Foal-sitter from the distant Past in a heart-beat...

So for a little while... Fluttershy, Shyna and Ariel hugged tightly and cried softly together... Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Filia, Fiona and I wept softly together, also hugging. With my girls all nearby, I could relax. I needed them... all of them... each of them... If I had learned anything in the last five years, it was that...

Shysage was by himself on the rug in front of the Portal, with a disgusted frown on his face... He was actually born in the Equestria Girls world, and had run away from it, for good, he thought. He said once that the Equestria Girls world is bigger than a thousand Equestrias... And reading some of Summer's Chronicles, it seems there is a lot of, well, evil there. And not like some big, bad monster; the darkness there seems to stalk and wander, easily through so many lives. Some of the stories I've heard from other girls at CHS...

Just then, Shysage said quietly to himself "It will take a miracle..."

Well, that triggered something in my memory, and I said out loud, but softly "A wing and a prayer..."

Applejack was right next to me and said "What, Princess?"

I tried again. "Shysage... The only thing I can remember from that spell last night is this phrase: a wing and a prayer..."

Shysage heard me, and thought briefly. Then he sighed deeply and said slowly "Thank you Princess. But if that was a part of the spell... It will still take a miracle..."

...

I could not even guess what might lay ahead, for Shysage the Canterlot Recorder, on the other side of the Portal behind him...

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