The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 12 -- Sweep of Time

by shysage

Chapter 1, Snow Pony

Well, it was the middle of winter and very cold. I mean very cold. It had snowed a lot the night before. Shysage and I had spent a little while outside that night watching the snow fall. The hushed quiet... Snow flakes make almost no noise as they settle into the already fallen snow. That blanket of endless white, and with the moon peeking through the clouds... It was very beautiful, so serenely quiet and calm(1). But it was also very cold. I think I said that. Neither Shysage nor I like the cold, the winter. We tolerate it, and make do as best as we can, waiting until we can fly again in the spring, I guess.

Ariel had spent the night at Fluttershy's. This happened often. Shyna was Ariel's best friend after all, and Shyna was Fluttershy's adopted sister, and both Ariel and Shyna knew old pony, and well, that was all fine. That left Shysage and I together and alone last night. It was cold, but we snuggled together on the rug in front of the fireplace, soaking up the warmth of the fire, and just enjoyed our time together. Well, it was a full moon last night. The cold didn't make too much difference.

I think Shysage and I slept in the next morning, but we were both awake. Shysage had just gotten up and turned into a people long enough to throw some more wood on the low fire, then he got his "pony coat back on" he said, as he turned back into a pony, and he was back next to me facing the fire again. We were just relaxing together, waiting for our house to warm up some as the fire built back up. As my Stallion returned to his spot right next to me, I was marvelling again that our love, our devotion to each other was just growing over time. Based on what I saw around me, that didn't seem normal. Still, I didn't want what we shared to ever end. I love Shysage so much... I laid my head back against his, sighed, then told him that.

We could have relaxed there on the rug in front of the fire all day. It was so nice and warm... And our Canterlot Recorder tasks were all caught up. And it was too cold for any outside chores. Shysage chuckled and said quietly, lovingly "Well, Mare, it looks like you are stuck with me under foot today." I smiled and just sighed. That was never a problem for me, for us. We were seldom even apart unless something was seriously wrong. But I was thinking about making us some breakfast. I had been practicing, but I was still not very good at this cooking thing. Oat stew was the easiest to make. Shysage never complained, and always said it was very good. I would probably make that, which would get us back here, together on this rug, fairly quickly. But I was in no hurry to even get up. Like a nice warm blanket that you didn't ever want to leave, I just snuggled more closely to my world, my life... my Stallion...

...

It sounded like a hoof knocked loudly against the front door a few times. I don't think it startled either of us. Although, I did think "Now what..." Shysage took his time, got up, climbed under his pony coat, then opened the front door.

It was Camille, our neighbor Dawn Flower's daughter. Camille was grinning ear to ear. In her melodiously squeaky voice, she said very quickly "Shysage, Shysage, quick, you gotta come... I want to make my mom a Snow Pony as a surprise. Can you and Summer come help me? Pleeeaaaassseee?" Camille is so cute. At maybe three years old she is full grown, but she is still so much a kid at heart. After getting this much out, she jumped up and down excitedly, turning a complete circle as she did. And with her magic she was holding up her special stick -- it moved around and went everywhere that she did.

Shysage quickly said what we both felt "Camille, Summer and I will be out in a minute." I was already climbing under my coat. Still, this would not be the easiest of tasks, especially for Shysage. He would probably be a people the whole time, and our Equestria Girls clothing was not really intended to handle the deep of winter. Shysage kept meaning to ask Equestria Girls Rarity for a Parka, he called it, just for times like this. Well, his white sweatshirt would have to do today.

Shysage tried to describe a Snow Man to me once. They sound so pudgy, so... like blobs stacked on blobs. Snow Ponies are so much different. Well, it is usually just Unicorns that can make them anyway. Carving snow with a hoof is not very effective. Here in Equestria, most ponies roll snow together until you get a huge roll that is big enough to contain the overall size of the pony, then you start carving, shaping. Shysage handles it differently, mainly because he wants to accelerate the process so he doesn't get frost-bite, whatever that is. He actually builds the basic pony body up using smaller chunks of snow. It is still trickly, and it is not uncommon for the whole thing to crash to the ground. Camille laughs wildly when that happens. I just cringe. I wish Shysage had gloves at least. Yes, we had helped Camille do this before. It was sort of a winter tradition, Shysage called it.

Maybe an hour later, the roughed-in pony body was built, and Camille stepped forward with her favorite stick. The bulk of Shysage's work was done, and he stood next to me, hands in his pockets trying to thaw out, he said. He was shivering. At least it wasn't windy; it was cold, but the sun was shining nicely.

Camille quickly got to work with her stick, carving, shaping... Occasionally she needed snow added to a spot, and Shysage would carefully take care of that. What makes this so amazing... This is one of Camille's gifts. Shysage said that in the Equestria Girls world she could make a very good living doing sculptures(?). Camille is really that good. The Snow Pony took shape smoothly, quickly, almost effortlessly. Camille worked from nose to tail with that stick, and we could always tell those areas she had not yet worked. Chunky snow to articulate, detailed pony, we could always tell exactly where she was in her work. And the finished Snow Pony looked exactly like Camille's mom Dawn Flower... Actually watching Camille at work doing this is breathtaking... From a rough pony shape to an exquisitely detailed sculpture of her mom, in maybe 20 minutes... Granted, it was snow, but still. It was amazing...

The first time we built a Snow Pony, Camille was very young, and we found her outside, frolicing in the snow. Shysage suggested the Snow Pony, built it, then did some crude forming. Camille was amazed, and ran in to get her mom. The next winter, Camille grabbed a stick with her magic and took over...

Since then, we could always tell when Camille was done. She pranced around her Snow Pony yelling "Mommy... Mommy..." Dawn came out and just cried. Dawn's gift is making the most amazing, beautiful flower arrangements out of just about anything, so I think she had some idea of her daughter's artistic abilities. It was just not clear how to translate that into Equestria. It doesn't snow all the time. Dawn knew Camille's Snow Pony looked amazingly, exactly like Dawn herself. But it would melt... Dawn and Camille hugged and cried together. Camille broke away long enough to run over and get hugs from Shysage (as a people) and me, still a pony. Camille whispered "Thank you sooooo much!" We left Dawn and Camille crying and hugging in front of their Snow Pony.

Shysage and I went back into the Canterlot Recorder's house. Shysage threw more wood on the fire, then turned back into a pony, and was on his belly on the rug. I laid right next to him, hoping to help warm him up. Between me and the fire, his shivering soon subsided. We just relaxed together there on the rug for a while.

...

We heard what sounded like a hoof on the door again. We weren't startled; Shysage was pretty sure Camille wanted a little more help. He got up, and changed into a people right away, then he walked over to the door and opened it. I was not even up yet.

Shysage found himself looking slightly down at two of the guards from Princess Twilight's Castle. Both guards looked up at him, stunned. When they recovered, one of them said tersely "We are looking for Shysage and Summer Rain." Shysage smiled, said "just a moment", then he closed the front door. "I think they want us, Summer" he said quietly, then he threw himself forward and turned back into a pony. The music in the background changed immediately(2)...

Shysage and I walked together to the door to see what they wanted, and Shysage opened it. Shysage said quietly "Can I help you?"

"Are you Shysage and Summer Rain?" the question came tersely back from one of the guards.

"Yes?" Shysage answered for both of us.

"Come with us" he said gruffly. We followed the one doing the talking, but the one behind us -- he had his spear drawn!

"Shysage, what..." I tried to say.

"SILENCE!" the guard behind us quickly yelled.

Snow on the ground, Shysage was concerned "Can we get our coats--"

"MOVE!" the one at the back with the spear yelled.

Six other guards soon joined us, three more in front, and three more spears behind us.

We walked calmly through town. Four guards in front of us, and four spears behind us. "Stand clear" they kept yelling, not that anypony even wanted... Most of the ponies we passed gasped loudly. It might have been Rarity that ran quickly away, I don't know. At first we weren't too concerned. It must be some kind of mistake. Our precious Princess Twilight would take care of it.

We headed towards Princess Twilight's Castle, but we didn't go in. And nopony came out. Four more guards joined us; two of them pulled their spears and were behind us. Twelve of Equestria's guards escorted us to a waiting Air Coach, and all their spears came out once we were there...

"GET IN" one of the guards yelled roughly.

We got in.

The Air Coach took quickly off, and headed away... from... Ponyville...

The flight was cold... very cold... And we didn't have our coats... As he had done in the past, Shysage got out of his harness and moved in front of me to try to block the flow of the icy wind blowing past. The pulling Pegasi yelled at him to move back, but Shysage ignored them. They couldn't do anything about it anyway, and didn't seem to care that we were both freezing.

"Shysage, what--" I tried to ask Shysage again.

"SILENCE!" came the quick reply...

We were both almost frozen when the Air Coach landed in the commons lawn in Canterlot. Eight more guards this time, four with spears drawn behind us. I didn't know we were so dangerous... Off in the distance, Shining Armor watched all this then turned and walked off.

But I also thought I saw Orbsah Tnuoc, the Keeper of Equestria, towards the center of the commons lawn as we landed. Standing there, aloof, then he closed his eyes, turned his head away... He was quickly gone. I don't know...

Soon walking towards the Audience Hall, I thought "Surely Cel and..." But we didn't go in, and nopony came out. Minutes later, we were in a jail cell in the jail block under the back end of the Audience Hall. They didn't throw us in, but it felt like they wanted to. The door shut with a loud bang, and was quickly locked. After that, the eight guards walked down the jail block hall and were gone. It was quiet.

"Shysage, what is going on?" I asked quietly, and I couldn't stop the tears that were flowing.

Shysage hugged me tightly and as close as he could. "I have no idea..."

All we could do was wait...

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Author's Note:

(1) 'The Divine' from the 'Forever Today' OST Add-on for the 'Seakers of Adoulin' expansion for FFXI, everything copyright by Square Enix. This tune plays quietly in the snowbound Kahmir Drifts zone.
(2) 'Faded Memories' from the OST for the 'Chains of Promethia' expansion for FFXI, everything copyright by Square Enix.