> The Chronicles of Summer Rain
>  by shysage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1, Introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This amazing story...

If you want to quickly get to the first 'story' chapter, then jump to Chapter 2 right now.  Summer's (my) story begins there.  I never would have thought...

The background for this story is the first three volumes of Princess Celestia's commentaries on Princess Twilight's adventures in friendship.  Oh, and Princess Twilight's weird trip to the Equestria Girls world had happened very recently.  'Sisters', 'Pinkieness times Two' and 'Destinies' can also be read before starting through my story (/cry).  Again, my story begins in the next chapter.

What follows is what Shysage calls a 'Cinematic overview', whatever that is.  Except that he wrote this before even finishing Chapter 8 of this first volume, I don't know...  And my Shysage added some important notes at the bottom of this page.

...my story...  Who would have thought that true friendship would make so great a difference...  (/cry...)








I think I remember seeing this.  Whether in a dream or not I cannot tell.

As the scene slowly brightened into view, I initially saw a seemingly endless field of green grass, seen from an angle, and maybe 50 feet in the air.

The view then slowly zoomed in to reveal a small child sitting on a log in the middle of the sea of grass.  I could have noticed that her long hair had a pink sheen, but quickly realized the child was very upset, and may have been crying.  This young girl was just sitting there, frowning, staring at the ground.

A second, older but still young girl slowly walked into view.  Her left hand was holding something, and her right hand was concealing it from view.  As she got closer to the first girl, the first girl looked up, her face still etched with pain.  The second girl very carefully moved her right hand away to reveal a large yellow butterfly.

The first girl's eyes grew instantly huge, and she stared at it with wonder while her mouth opened wide in amazement.

The butterfly slowly opened and closed it's paper thin wings a few times then flew abruptly up into the air.

Both young girls then squealed with delight as they tried to catch it again, laughing and jumping and yelling and laughing some more.  They chased the butterfly for the next 10 minutes before it flew very high, and was carried far away by the wind.





Even before the chase was over, all color drained from my view and then it grew very dim.  I next got the impression that I was moving very quickly straight away from the two girls, as they shrank smaller and smaller until they could no longer be seen.  At this, it appeared that I passed under a large, dark 'arch-way' of some sort, and then the view faded to pitch black.

A very low faint rumbling became barely audible at this point.

As frequently happens in dreams, through the blackness, I caught momentary glimpses of objects.  I don't even know if they were relevant or not.

Seemingly floating in the air, my eyes discerned three small 'water drop' shapes forming a triangle.  They were sun yellow at the top, fading to aquamarine, the color of water at the bottom.

After showing briefly, all three turned blazing white, and merged together into something, and I really couldn't tell what it was.  But while trying to figure it out, the blackness immediately returned.

I next saw what looked like a large brown paper bag wadded into a small ball.  This was confusing because it seemed to have black and white patches on it as well.  I was not confused long however, the image quickly disappeared.

The next image flashed brightly, but was only visible for a mercifully brief instant.  It looked like Fluttershy's hide had been stretched out across a huge boulder some 3 stories high.  I had to look away.

But I heard what sounded like the evil laugh of Discord.  In anger, I quickly looked back but the blackness had returned.

I saw what looked like a simple 'dog-tag', with the chain for wearing around the neck.

The lettering used a very regal font, white with gold trim.  The background was two darker colors that I really couldn't discern.  The letters 'TF' were largest across the bulk of the tag.  The smaller letters 'MPOF' were added along the bottom.

This image also wasn't visible for very long, so my efforts to figure it out quickly failed.

The next image was of a terrible monster.  Action images flashed only momentarily in staccato fashion, but together showed an enormous, angry beast of some sort.  It's terrible roar raised the hair on the back of my neck.  Suddenly it was gone and the blackness returned.

After perhaps a minute of blank darkness, the rumbling sound faded away, and my view began to return, faintly, and I seemed to be traveling towards something at a very high rate of speed.  I again passed what looked like the large arch-way, and my view began to brighten out again, and slow down.

As the color returned, I saw an endless sea of puffy white clouds identifying the city of Cloudsdale.  Slowing down, my view again headed closer to a fairly large expanse of clouds, dotted with just a few buildings.





My view stopped at about the same 50 foot high angle view and showed a mostly clear expanse of the endless cloud-bank that is Cloudsdale.

Zooming in again, my view homed in on a very young, light yellow Pegasus with pink hair named Fluttershy.  As my view got closer, it was clear she was very upset, and may have been crying.  Fluttershy was just sitting there, frowning, staring down.

After about a minute, an older, but also young pony walked up.  This was Fluttershy's older sister Summer Rain, with a light tan coat, blue eyes, and faded gold mane and tail.  As Summer moved closer to her sister, Fluttershy looked up, her face still etched with pain.  Summer Rain walked slowly up to her sad sister, and sat down.  Summer pulled some sort of object from her bag, placed it carefully on the cloud-top in front of Fluttershy.  Next, Summer carefully pulled away the top and sides of the object to reveal a large yellow butterfly.

Fluttershy's eyes grew instantly huge, and she stared at it with wonder while her mouth opened wide in amazement.

The butterfly slowly opened and closed its paper thin wings a few times then abruptly flew up into the air.

Fluttershy and her sister then squealed with delight as they darted around trying to hover as close to it as they could, laughing and darting and yelling and laughing some more.  After about 10 minutes of this, the butterfly dove over the edge of Cloudsdale, and fluttered back to it's home below.  Both ponies sat down at the edge trying to catch their breath, as the butterfly faded into the distance below.





The Chronicles of Summer Rain.

Who would have thought that true friendship would make so great a difference.











> Chapter 2, Friendship's Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Rain had been walking for a while.  She had recently left Cloudsdale, and was on her way to Ponyville.  She could have easily flown the distance in short order, but she was walking at a leisurely pace so she could have more time to think.

As she stopped for a snack, the gentle morning breeze made her faded gold mane and tail dance.  Summer turned, looked at them and sighed.  She remembered them being much brighter when she was younger.  At least her light tan coat seemed unchanged for as long as she could remember.

Summer's eyes caught her Cutie Mark, and she quickly looked away.  Three small water droplets, golden yellow at the top, fading to aquamarine, the color of water, at the bottom.  And this meant "What?" she said out loud to herself.

For most ponies, their Cutie Mark came at a particular time, or clearly related to a particular talent or ability.  Summer Rain's simply appeared out of nowhere late one evening.  The other ponies at school made great sport of what it meant, but no pony, not even Summer herself had any idea.  Just another enigma.

Attempting to leave the past behind, Summer resumed her journey.

Summer Rain was really not sure what awaited her in Ponyville, and this uncertainty constantly worked to drain her resolve, and slow her steps.  In fact, the closer she got to town, the more slowly she walked.  But Summer knew clearly where she needed to go.

Her sister was there too, somewhere, and that scared her, but that was not her real goal.

As Summer walked, she entered a great meadow near the outskirts of Ponyville.  The grass was standing tall, waving gently in the breeze.  This endless sea of grass was punctuated with green Oak trees of various sizes.

Summer Rain wandered until she found a fairly large tree, walked under its branches, and sat down.  She knew which direction Ponyville actually was, but sat down facing away from town, underscoring her apprehension.

Summer Rain was here.  She was afraid.  She had no idea how to accomplish what she felt she must.  It was all very unsettling.  She just sat there, gazing off into the distance across the meadow.

How could Summer Rain live beyond her past she wondered.

From the time she decided she was 'grown up' until very recently, her life had been a wreck.  She had hated other ponies, and other ponies hated her.  She was hard to be around, and so found few who wanted to be around her.  Finding less and less coming her way, Summer spent even more energy trying to take, but this just made everything else worse.  It was a rapidly shrinking, constantly sinking spiral.  

"But that was the old Summer" she thought to herself, hoping she was right.

She could say that it was Cloudsdale's fault, but this was surely only partially a factor.  Almost on cue, another Pegasus flashed far too rapidly across the sky leaving a rainbow trail, and a lot of painful memories flooded in.

Almost from the time she could fly, Summer wanted to be the fastest pony.  Ever.  In spite of her slight frame, it became an obsession, only fueled by an endless stream of 5th, 6th, 11th place finishes in countless races.  No matter how hard she practiced and trained, she couldn't even get close to the front runners, a fact many of her peers constantly pointed out, with laughter of course.

It became a fight really, and the more Summer tried, the more she focused, the more she trained, the more she pushed; 8th place, 9th place, and so on.  Summer Rain hung her head in shame, remembering again the sense of defeat she was so accustomed to, along the jeers that usually resulted.

She had become a mean, bitter, defeated pony, oblivious that her pursuit was ruining her.

Beginning to feel her old anger flare, Summer lifted her head, and shook herself out of that nightmare, shaking away some tears too.  She paused and said to herself quietly and calmly "I was that way, but I have decided to follow a better path.  I will not go back to that."

This brought Summer a small amount of peace, so she again simply gazed across the meadow as the grass rustled quietly in the wind.

Summer Rain really was different, and she had just been in Cloudsdale trying to apologize to as many as she could; she had hurt a lot of ponies there.  Most just shrugged her apology off.  Some laughed and walked away.  She did what she felt she could, and yet suspected that it probably wouldn't make much difference.  She did it anyway.

Now Summer was where she wanted to be, where she had chosen to be.  She just wasn't sure what lay ahead, or what she needed to do.





Princess Twilight Sparkle headed out the door of the library, using magic both to open the door as well as shut it after she was out.  Even so, she reminded herself that her body needed the exercise from even the smallest of tasks, something she read recently.

"It really was a nice day in Ponyville" Twilight thought as she left the Library, inhaling deeply.  The new Princess had no real plans for the day, and so simply headed into town.

It was by no means 'the crack of dawn', Ponyville was already buzzing with activity.  No wonder, Twilight had been up half the night reading, and so got up late.  After brushing her mane and tail, and a quick breakfast, she was on her way.

Up in the sky Twilight caught a rainbow colored streak followed by a disappearing cloud, and she knew Rainbow Dash was enjoying her day.

Twilight wandered into town, but it was still a bit awkward, to say the least.  Her crown and wings were hard to hide, and many ponies in Ponyville still had a little difficulty adjusting to Twilight being a princess now, even though Twilight felt mostly the same.

The general approach for everyday encounters still seemed to be bowing in silence followed by Twilight reassuring them that they could relax and were all her dear friends.

It just wasn't comfortable, except when Pinkie Pie literally walked straight into Twilight.  Pinkie was carefully balancing an almost full tray of cupcakes she had just made, and was eating, on her head while blindfolded.  Twilight's magic saved the cupcakes as Twilight and Pinkie tumbled to the ground laughing.

Cupcakes and laughter lightened everypony up, everypony around anyway.  "I guess we all need more time to adjust to this" she thought to herself.

Twilight headed down one of the many roads leading out of Ponyville.  She knew which ones led to her good friends homes, but deliberately chose a different one.  Today she just wanted some time alone to think.

She loved the ponies in Ponyville, but needed to think more about how to adjust her new-found princess-ness to allow her to still enjoy her many new friends.  She knew from experience the difference between princess-ness and the royal egotism so common in Canterlot.  Princess Celestia had shown that she could manage that divide, and Twilight made up her mind she would too.  "I hope" she said out loud to herself.

It was a very nice day, now around noon, with a warm gentle breeze.

The road out of town Twilight chose led into a large grassy meadow, dotted with big trees.  After wandering aimlessly across the meadow for a while, she simply stopped, closed her eyes, and smelled the air.  It was all amazing, and Twilight was so glad that she did not have to leave Ponyville, at least for now.

After some time, Twilight opened her eyes, squinting at how bright the sun was.  As her eyes began to work again, she noticed that there was a large tree ahead in the distance, and she began walking slowly towards it.  As she drew nearer to the tree, she noticed a form under the shade of the tree.  It was another pony.  This was not too strange, since she were still not far from town.

Twilight was still pretty far away, and the pony was facing away from her.  Twilight's first inclination was to backtrack, and wander somewhere else.  She hadn't pondered this thought very long before she saw Pinkie Pie's stern face in her mind, scolding her for avoiding the amazing opportunity to make a new friend, and she knew Pinkie was right after all.  So Princess Twilight slowly made her way to the tree.

"What do we have" she thought to herself.  "Light tan coat, with a faded yellow mane and tail, definitely a mare.  Folded back wings clearly indicate a Pegasus."  She was sitting, gazing off into the distance away from Twilight.  "And what's this?  A fairly large book open in front of her!"  Twilight's eyes widened at this, and she thought to herself "...oooooooo!  Yes Pinkie, you were right.  Thank you."

Princess Twilight knew sooner than later this new pony would hear her steps, and she hoped not to alarm the poor mare.  She had no idea.

At the sound of Twilight's approach, the pony slowly rose to all 4 and began to turn around, and they soon made eye contact, and Twilight smiled warmly.  In a friendly return, the new pony smiled and gently began "Hi, I'm Summer R--" and stopped right there, eyes suddenly growing very wide.  Summer tried to continue "You are Twilight Sparkle!  Oh, no wait, you are a Princess now".

Summer realized it was too late for much more, and slowly knelt down on her front legs, bowing in respect.  "I'm so sorry" she whispered.

At this point, in her mind, Twilight may have begun to resent this Princess thing.  "I can't even talk to a pony I don't know?"  she thought to herself in dismay.

Quickly brushing this thought aside, she determined not to lose this new Friend, especially a reader of books.  "Please, you may call me Twilight" she said softly.  "Please arise, and lets get to know each other better."  Twilight couldn't think of anything better to say, but was still glad for how it came out.

Summer Rain slowly rose to her hooves again, and really couldn't think of anything to say.  Twilight looked into Summer's deep blue eyes, and they smiled at each other.  "So you know me, but what was your name?  Summer?" Twilight began.

Quietly, Summer said "I am Summer Rain, and I am pleased to finally get to meet you."

Twilight quickly skipped over this last part.  "Well Summer Rain, I am pleased to meet you as well." Twilight responded, along with a genuine smile, which was also warmly returned.

Secretly, Twilight Sparkle's real desire was to find out what book Summer was reading, because this could help her find out a lot about this new friend.  The Princess knew it would be awkward if she just used her magic, grabbed it, and opened it in front of her like she always did with her own books.  Instead she just asked "So, what are you reading?"

Summer Rain's words became very fragmented at this point.  "This book... I want to..." she stopped talking and tried to pick the book up, but this was very difficult, since she was a Pegasus, and could not use magic.

After fumbling around some, Twilight gently asked "May I?"

"Yes, please" Summer Rain quietly replied.

Using her magic, Twilight gently pulled a single piece of grass up, and laid it carefully in the book to mark Summer Rain's spot.  After this, the book was closed, and quickly before Twilight.

The cover was a sturdy brown, clearly imprinted with the title in gold.  Within seconds, Twilight recognized which book this was, and then she really DID wish that she had back-tracked, and wandered elsewhere in the meadow.

"Quests in Friendship -- A narration of the experiences of Twilight Sparkle and her dear friends in Ponyville and all over Equestria -- Collected and edited by Princess Celestia of Canterlot -- Vol. 3"  

Twilight Sparkle had received all three volumes just two days ago, delivered via courier from Princess Celestia herself.  Evidently the Princess had enlisted both Spike and her other friends over the last few seasons, to get all the details right (an observation that Spike be-grudgingly confirmed).

Princess Twilight liked reading books, but this set wasn't exactly on her 'good read' list.

She realized very quickly that she was the main character in these books.  This wasn't especially bad, except that Twilight was a modest pony Princess, and didn't even give a second thought to elevating herself above the others in her own mind.  Besides, all that had happened in she and her friends lives was as much a product of their character and contributions as it was hers.

She did not for a second fault Princess Celestia for these books, she just had little inclination to read them herself, and feared the dangers involved.

So now Twilight's problem became how to continue to build her friendship with this new pony, who was reading a book about Twilight herself.

"Ugh...  Now what do I do?" she thought to herself.

After what seemed like hours, Twilight simply said "I have this set too, just haven't read them much though."  This was true, but Twilight knew it did sound weird, but it was the best she could do.

Summer Rain began to speak, timidly and again very haltingly.  "Princess, please..  I have read these books...  a lot... and they have... well... changed my life...  And I was thinking... I would really like to... uhm, you know, get to know..."  Summer Rain was looking down at the ground at this point.  "Uhm, you and your friends better... and maybe be... well, be better at telling other ponies..."

Summer Rain was painfully aware she was in the presence of a very special pony, and this growing awareness pretty much brought her words to a halt at this point.

Twilight was honestly listening, and what Summer Rain was saying was rather disjointed and awkward.

Twilight certainly didn't mind welcoming more friends into her life, not now, but from what she could tell, this sounded like a little more than that.  And telling others about Twilight and her friends left her wondering.  After all, just the other day, Snips had asked Twilight if he could sell back-scratchers with her picture on them, seriously?

Trying not to hurt her feelings, Twilight said genuinely "Well I do hope to get to know you better Summer Rain, and I hope to meet you again in Ponyville soon."

Summer Rain pulled up a faltering smile, and bowed as Princess Twilight used her magic to gently return the book to the exact spot she had moved it from, and then slowly turned, and headed off to Ponyville.

Frozen until Twilight was a good distance away, Summer Rain watched the Princess walk off.   "Of course, this was dumb" Summer Rain thought to herself.  "How could she know..."

Summer began to sniffle quietly, and brushed away a few tears as she lay down in the grass, and slid her books back into her bag.  But it was no use, she was soon crying, quietly but bitterly, hoping nopony would hear.





Princess Twilight didn't feel right about her encounter with Summer Rain.  She felt she had good reason to leave, and had genuinely left the door open for a friendship.  Still, a nagging voice in the back of her mind said there was a problem, something that needed to be addressed, something she didn't quite understand, and just couldn't put her finger on.

She guessed that most of her girls would just say that she should give it some time.  "Hmm, all but one" she thought to herself.  So she decided to pay Fluttershy a visit, just to run the afternoon's events past another close, very sensitive friend.  The road to Fluttershy's cottage wasn't far, so Twilight headed there.

Twilight didn't worry about her special friends and the awkward bowing everypony else seemed to still be having trouble with.  The new Princess very clearly told 'her girls' that they did not need to bow at her arrival, unless the situation or circumstances made it appropriate, such as a public gathering, or Twilight's presence to address some issue.

They all understood, and caught on fairly quickly, so Twilight didn't feel she had to worry about that, even from Fluttershy.  Twilight didn't expect any trouble here.

But as Twilight headed up the hill to the cottage, she was suddenly startled by Fluttershy running down the hill as fast as she could, almost knocking Twilight over.  Fluttershy was specifically looking for Twilight, and was visibly upset.  From past experience, Twilight knew one of her beloved animal friends must be in serious trouble.

"Oh thank goodness you are here Twilight" Fluttershy gasped.

Twilight said quickly "Fluttershy what is it?"

"oh" "oh" "oh"... "It's Angel" (her pet rabbit),  "He's stuck" "oh" "oh" "up in a tree.  He's so scared!  You have to help me please Twilight." "oh" "oh"  "Hurry, this way!"

Fluttershy quickly led Twilight to a large tree behind the cottage.  Angel WAS stuck up VERY high, and COULDN'T get down, and so he WAS very scared.

Fluttershy lay down in the grass on her belly, and could only go "oh" "oh" "oh" and cover her head with her front legs, only peeking occasionally at Angel.

Twilight still wasn't very good at flying, but she had plenty of magic, and this was still her automatic response.  She quickly enclosed Angel in a small purple aura, lowered him down, and carefully set him down in front of Fluttershy, who quickly scooped Angel up and held him close.  

"I hope you learned a less...  Oh Angel please don't do that again!" (said of course as only Fluttershy could.)

Twilight thought to ask Fluttershy why she didn't just fly up and get Angel, but she knew there was probably a reason, and it didn't matter anyway.  Angel was safe, and all was well once again at Fluttershy's cottage, and so Twilight simply laid down on her belly in the grass facing Fluttershy, who was recovering from the ordeal.

"Such a sensitive soul" Twilight thought to herself admiringly.

A little timidly at first, Fluttershy said "Twilight,  I've wanted to tell you something for a while.  I usually don't say much,  but" (Fluttershy paused briefly then continued)  "I, I want you to know that I really love and appreciate you.  You have done so much for all of us really, thank you."

Coming from both the quietest and most sensitive pony Twilight knew, this was quite a compliment, and Princess Twilight tried to return it in kind.  "Fluttershy I appreciate you in so many ways.  All of you, my dear friends, have as much a part in who I am as I may have been to you.  Thank you!"

Twilight thought to herself that maybe, just maybe, she could get a handle on this Princess stuff after all.  With close friends like this...

Princess Twilight remembered Summer Rain at this point.  "Fluttershy I need to talk to you about something that happened to me this afternoon.  It has been bugging me, and I would like to run it past you to see if you have any advice."

"Gosh Twilight, I'd be happy to help any way I can." Fluttershy said quickly and enthusiastically.

Twilight began "I was walking in the meadow near here earlier today, and I met a new friend, a nice mare named Summer R--"

Fluttershy's eyes instantly grew huge at this and she quickly said the name again, finishing it for Twilight "Summer Rain"?  Fluttershy was momentarily stunned with wild-eyed amazement, or was it concern, or both?

"That's my sister Twilight!  Where did you see her?  Is she still here, I mean in Ponyville?  Twilight, we gotta go see if we can find her please!"

Twilight didn't fault Fluttershy for tumbling Angel to the ground as she quickly got up.

"Twilight, where do you think she is?  We have to go find her.  Where Twilight, which direction?  Oh please hurry Twilight."

At this point there were tears in Fluttershy's eyes.

Twilight didn't argue, but simply said "This way" as they ran off together towards the meadow.

Twilight had this sinking thought that Summer Rain may not even be there anymore.  This would surely crush Fluttershy by the looks of it.  Twilight could only hope.





Summer Rain hadn't moved.  She cried for the longest time, then got out one of her books, and started reading.

Summer Rain knew she was where she needed to be.  She had nowhere else to go, and really wasn't sure what to do next.  Her chance, first meeting with the pony she came here to talk to, had taken Summer completely by surprise, and was a dismal failure.

Twilight and Fluttershy ran towards the road that led out to the meadow.  During that time, and between breaths, Fluttershy shared her sister's story with Twilight.

Fluttershy and Summer Rain grew up together (being sisters) and played together incessantly.  As an example, Fluttershy hurriedly described their favorite game, having to do with numbers, and tickling or something, which Twilight didn't even try to understand.  However, she gathered that Fluttershy and Summer Rain were very close.

When Summer Rain got older though, she changed, a lot.  She became a very selfish, mean pony, hard for Fluttershy to even be around.

Soon after, Fluttershy fell from Cloudsdale, discovered both her woodland creatures and her Cutie Mark, and has been in her cottage in Ponyville ever since.

She rarely saw her sister, and only heard a few bad rumors about failed friendships and a lot of pain and anger.  Fluttershy said she hurt for her sister, a lot, but it hurt to be around her too.

They weren't far from the shady tree, when Twilight remarked that this didn't sound at all like the pony Twilight had met mere hours before.





As they approached the tree, Princess Twilight realized that Summer Rain was not there.  Twilight's heart sank, and her mind was immediately racing, trying to figure out how to handle Fluttershy's sorrow, until she realized that this was the wrong tree, much too small.

Twilight quickly apologized "Sorry, wrong tree."

A very large tree was off in the distance, so they headed towards it.  There were a lot of trees in this meadow, and Twilight hoped they didn't have to search long.

Fluttershy saw her sister long before Twilight did, and beckoned Twilight to a stop, still a good distance away.  Fluttershy looked sternly at Princess Twilight and said "Twilight, I know you are a very wise pony, and I respect you a lot.  However, this is my sister, please let me handle this."

Twilight quickly realized from the seriousness of Fluttershy's tone that she meant it, and that Twilight would probably taste 'the stare' if she didn't comply.  Twilight however fully trusted Fluttershy's judgment at this point and so quickly said "Ok. What should we do now?"

"Walk along with me, and stop when I stop, and let me do the rest." Fluttershy directed.

"I will" Twilight replied softly, and they both walked slowly towards Fluttershy's sister.

As soon as Summer Rain heard them, she got up quickly and turned around, and recognized both of them instantly.  Summer Rain clearly had absolutely no idea what to say or what to do.  The two most important ponies in her life were heading towards her, together, and she had no clue how to respond.  Summer couldn't respond at all.  As a result she simply stood there, frozen, bowing her head towards the ground.

Fluttershy and Twilight walked slowly up to Summer Rain, and then Fluttershy sat down, and Twilight quickly followed.

After tense silence, Summer Rain timidly began. "Sis, I--"

Summer Rain got this far, and Fluttershy quickly raised her right hoof as if to signal Summer Rain to stop (she did), and then Fluttershy quickly closed her eyes, and turned her head far to the left, away from Summer Rain, suggesting, of course, that she had no interest in what Summer Rain was about to say, and also scaring Twilight to death.

Fluttershy raised her voice (well, for Fluttershy anyway), and said curtly "I have just one thing to say to you sister."

Twilight thought she was going to pass out, and wondered if letting Fluttershy handle this was a good idea after all.

Fluttershy simply said the number "3".

Immediately, Summer Rain smiled broadly, and in the space of about a second, Summer Rain bounded up into the air and pounced on Fluttershy, who just as quickly arched her back, and spun sideways and jumped, turning a full 180 degrees in the air, landing on all 4, so that Summer Rain landed on the grass with a thud.

After just a few seconds, both Summer Rain and Fluttershy were laughing loudly.  In mid-laugh, Summer Rain shouted "16", and Fluttershy lunged through the air at her sister on the ground.  Summer Rain just as quickly rolled to the side, and so Fluttershy landed in the grass this time.

"Something has changed Summer Rain" Twilight observed in her thoughts.  "Whatever it was, it was very good!"  Fluttershy and her sister were laughing hysterically, "probably just like they used to" Twilight thought to herself.

Even though the numbers made no sense to Twilight, both Fluttershy and her sister were thoroughly enjoying themselves.  After one or two more numbers, Twilight decided she should at least be friendly and join the fun, so she said, sort of questioningly "7?"

Summer Rain would not dare pounce on Princess Twilight Sparkle, but Fluttershy obligingly expanded their game, and quickly jumped on Twilight, who remembered to tuck her wings close as she fell, but lost track of her crown as it flew off into the meadow.

Laughing loudly, she fell to the grass.  On the way down she shouted the number "11", which she thought was cheating, only to watch Summer Rain fly through the air and knock Fluttershy into the grass next to Twilight.  Everyone was laughing and giggling.

Out of nowhere (surprising no-one), Pinkie Pie jumped up and shouted "300", only to be mobbed by both Summer Rain and Fluttershy.  Rainbow Dash, passing overhead and seeing the fun, quickly gathered Rarity and Applejack from town, and before long, close pony friends were bouncing all over, laughing and having the time of their lives, it seemed.

Spike walked up with Twilight's crown in his claw, stood at a distance, shrugged, and said "girl stuff", rolling his eyes.





This went on for a little while, then Princess Twilight instantly sensed something was wrong, very wrong.  She hushed the girls to a complete stop.  It was Summer Rain.  She was over by her book bag, sitting, sobbing quietly.

Fluttershy ran over, sat next to her sister, put one of her front legs around Summer Rain's neck and hugged her.  "Summer, what's wrong?" Fluttershy said, asking really for all of them.

It is very hard to talk while you are sobbing deeply, but Summer Rain tried.

Between tears, gasps and sobs she blurted out "Its, Its just not fair.  You are all so close, such close, true friends, and so capable of enjoying each other's company.  It's just not fair.  What about the rest of us?"  Summer Rain continued sobbing.

After an awkward silence, punctuated by Summer Rain's sobbing, Twilight walked over, and gently said "Summer, you were playing with us though."

Summer quickly replied "I know, and that meant more to me than you will ever know." Summer Rain had to stop briefly at this point and cried some more.  Then she tried to continue.

"But that's not the point.  You six ponies freely enjoy a friendship that, that the rest of us can only dream of.  But you are keeping it all to yourselves.  What about the rest of us?"  Summer Rain's tears stopped her again briefly.

"The thousands of ponies scattered all over Equestria, what about them?"  Summer Rain stopped even trying to talk with this and continued crying.

Fluttershy, silent thus far, simply said softly "Gosh Twilight, she's right."

Twilight was stunned.

Summer's crying slowly subsided, she sniffled a time or two and then began speaking more slowly.  "This isn't how I pictured this happening, I'm sorry.  I tried to ask you earlier, but the words, they didn't come out right."  Summer Rain shook her head briefly, then continued.

"Princess Twilight, just reading about the quests for true friendship between you and your friends, my life has been amazingly transformed."

Summer walked up to Twilight, put her head down, and said calmly and quietly "Please Princess, I want to experience the magic of you and your friends 'friendship' first-hand, and learn all I can about this gem you have found, so I can try to share it with the rest of Ponyville, and maybe beyond.  The rest of us need this." (and Summer Rain choked back more tears.)

Summer remained there, silent and motionless, head bowed, waiting for Princess Twilight's response.

Indeed, they were all waiting to hear what their new Princess would say.

After but a moment, Twilight quickly used her magic to retrieve her crown from Spike, and place it properly on her head.  Next Twilight used her front foreleg to gently lift Summer Rain's head.

"Summer, I am sorry that this has been so hard for you.  I guess in a lot of ways we are all still learning.  Thank you for your amazing insight and compassion.  I think I speak on behalf of your sister and the rest of these special ponies, as we gladly welcome you into our circle, to learn along side us, with the understanding that your true purpose is to carry this 'Magic of Friendship' as far as you can."

Then Twilight used the same foreleg and hugged Summer Rain tightly, and quietly said "thank you" to her.





A slight glow, multiple gasps, the quiet thud of hooves landing on the ground, followed by the hushed sound of ponies bowing in the grass, all marked Princess Celestia's sudden appearance behind Twilight.

Twilight knew who it was right away, stopped hugging Summer Rain, walked around to Summer's side opposite Fluttershy, and bowed down as everyone else was.

Princess Celestia gently raised Twilight back up, and began speaking.

Her eyes were wide, not with fear, but with amazement.

"I think I understand now" she said.

Princess Celestia exhaled deeply, and began.  "Every Princess wants what is best for her subjects."  Princess Celestia dropped her head at this point, then continued.

"For eons, I have sought diligently for any sort of magic that would, well, enrich my ponies, and for just as long have found little.  Helping them, protecting them was one thing, and magic has usefulness for such things.

"But helping my ponies find happiness, joy, fulfillment; I despaired for just as long finding magic for that.  And I wasn't alone, Starswirl and others invested lifetimes, and we could find nothing."

Princess Celestia lifted her head.

"I realize that Princess Cadence has the unique ability to bring love to ponies in a particular situation, and that has its place.  But that ability is only temporary, and seems dwarfed by the needs of all Equestria.  Besides, I think what is needed must be chosen, and not in any way coerced after all."

Princess Celestia next looked quizzically, straight at Twilight.

"But Twilight you were different.  Very gifted magically, yes, yet you inadvertently at first, and later wisely cultivated the power of friendships, and used that to augment your magic, which has now become so very strong, easily stronger than such a sage as Starswirl the Bearded."

At this point, Princess Celestia tenderly worked around the circle, 'raising ponies up' as she spoke.

"But Twilight Sparkle, your magic isn't your real gem.  You and your friend's common 'friendship' have brought you all a deep joy and happiness the rest of Equestria can only dream about, as Summer Rain clearly realized."  

Full circle, she looked at Summer Rain.

"And Summer Rain, I am amazed at your concern for the happiness of your fellow ponies, in spite of all you have been through.  You are right, what about the rest of us.  Like you, I too deeply yearn for this same joy for all my subjects."

Princess Celestia gazed off into the early evening sky above Summer Rain.

"I had been looking for some sort of magic, but the answer was much simpler.  The account of Hearth's Warming Eve should have led me in the right direction.

"As far as I can tell, your rich friendships are built on simply this: the commitment to think of each other ahead of yourself.  This 'change in thinking' lies at the core of the very gem you six experience daily.  There is no magic for this, its just a simple, sustained decision to put other ponies first.  And any pony can do this, although I realize that not all will want to."

Princess Celestia sighed contentedly, as if a huge weight had been lifted.

She looked approvingly at Twilight, then after a brief pause, said quietly. "Friendship IS magic, and you special ponies have certainly proved it's power.

"But the 'Magic of Friendship', the very heart-beat of Friendship is simply this, the commitment to put others first.  Lived out, the results can be amazing and deeply fulfilling, as your lives and experiences prove.  With all my heart, I deeply yearn that all the ponies in Equestria would at least have the chance to experience this for themselves."

Regaining a more regal tone, Princess Celestia continued.

"However, I am embarrassed to say that I do not know much more about this.  It does seem that the three young Phillies who call themselves the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' are already finding their way.  And Pinkie Pie's affect on the ponies in Ponyville is nothing short of amazing.  But I just don't know much more."

"Summer Rain" Princess Celestia continued, looking again directly at Summer, "Your sensitivity and concern for your fellow ponies have brought us to this wide open door of amazing possibilities for my subjects.  Princess Twilight's wise acceptance of you into this circle is the only first step I can see as well.  And by the way, you will not need magic for this task.  The court of Canterlot will officially take care of your needs, and you will report directly to me with your findings.  I am assigning a high priority to this undertaking."

Princess Celestia stopped speaking at this point, and walked up very close to Summer Rain, and spoke softly.

"As the ruler of Equestria, I could command it, but instead I ask you, will you help us?"

"I will" Summer quickly replied as she bowed.
> Chapter 3, A Work in Progress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three moons had passed, and Summer Rain was sitting quietly under 'her tree'.  She actually came here often when she wanted to just think through all that was happening, and there really was a lot to think through.

Princess Twilight and these special ponies had welcomed Summer Rain unreservedly, and Summer was happier now than she could ever remember.  Summer knew she was right to want this, but was still very concerned that this amazing gift of Friendship be made available to everypony.

Princess Celestia had made good on her promise to support Summer Rain.  At Fluttershy's insistence, a cottage was built for Summer near hers.  It was small but very comfortable, much more than Summer felt she deserved.  It allowed Summer to spend a lot of time with her sister, which was a welcome treat.

But underneath this Oak tree in the meadow on the outskirts of Ponyville was where this had all started.  This particular spot had rapidly become the second place to look for Summer if you needed or wanted her.

Todays mental task was pretty significant.  Right on the three moon mark, Summer was looking carefully at all that had happened.

Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight both had really given Summer two tasks to pursue.  The first task was to 'get integrated' into this circle of special ponies.  Some would think this an easy task knowing even a little about Twilight and her five friends, and they would be right.

However, up to that day three moons ago, Summer only knew what she had read about them in Princess Celestia's commentaries.  Getting to actually know these ponies was nothing short of amazing.





Rainbow Dash was probably the only tough pony for Summer Rain to be around, at least at first.  Rainbow was hugely driven, like Summer used to be, and was also blazingly fast, like Summer wanted to be.

Rainbow was everything that Summer had used to want, everything she had ardently pursued, everything that Summer had now turned away from, once she realized it was ruining her life.  Rainbow Dash was unknowingly a painful reminder of Summer's previous failure.  This made it rather difficult for Summer to be around her, let alone smile.

But the day following Summer's 'commissioning' (she could think of no other name for it) Twilight needed Summer to come, and so sent Rainbow to get her.  Summer was trying hard, but still wasn't exactly jovial, and Rainbow picked up on this, so Rainbow tried to 'lighten things up'.

Perhaps secretly also wanting to see just how fast this new Pegasus was, Rainbow proposed a short race.  She picked a landmark, approximately a mile away, and they were to race there and back.  Rainbow didn't know the back story, and so didn't think it would be a problem.

Well of course, Rainbow Dash beat Summer by a good, uhm, three seconds (not by much really), and was then completely bewildered when Summer Rain quickly landed, lay down in the grass, and started crying.

Part of the problem was that Summer had a hunch she had lost to Rainbow before, but she was also upset with herself that this even mattered.

"Hey, hey" Rainbow Dash said after she quickly landed and sat next to Summer.  "It was just a friendly challenge.  Applejack and I do this kind of stuff all the time."

Through her tears Summer blurted out "but I've NEVER won..." and then after a few more sobs, she finished the thought "...but this shouldn't matter, I'm trying to leave this behind."

It is hard to say exactly where Rainbow got the idea for this.

"Summer, sit up" Rainbow Dash said gently but firmly. Rainbow continued, "look here" pointing to a set of muscles below Summer's wing with her front hoof, "and look here", another muscle, "and here too".

Rainbow then put her front leg around Summer's neck, looked in her eyes and said gently "your body isn't built for the kind of speed you want from it, but that's ok Summer.  You are who you are, and I think you're awesome."

From this brief interchange, Summer let go of something, and finally accepted what she had fought for many seasons.  Her crying trailed off, and Summer was thoughtfully quiet for a minute.  Then she looked back into Rainbow's eyes and said "Thank you.  I think you are right."

After a brief pause, Summer continued.  "I wish I had a friend who cared enough to tell me that a long time ago."  Rainbow hugged Summer and said "Well you have one now".

As they resumed their flight to the Library (somewhat late of course), Rainbow said "I'll tell you though, for what you got, you are blazing fast", and they both laughed together.

From this point on, Rainbow was generally the one to come get Summer should the need arise, and they devised all sorts of flying games for the way back.

Their favorite was that they would choose a leader, and the other Pegasus would have to shadow the leader's every move.

As leader once, Summer flew into a cloud, then stopped, while Rainbow kept flying.  Summer then watched Rainbow race around looking for her, when she realized she lost the leader.  Summer accidentally sneezed, blowing up the cloud, and then started laughing.  Rainbow did too once she realized what happened.

They generally didn't play that game if they were in a hurry.





The steps of an approaching pony jarred Summer Rain's thoughts back to the day.  Summer got up and turned around.

"Hi, my name is Sunny Rays, and Princess Twilight said I could probably find you here.  I hope I'm not disturbing you?" she queried.

"No, please, what can I do for you?" Summer said reassuringly.

"Well, I just wanted to thank you again for your kindness the other day.  I really don't know many other ponyfolk who would take the time to help another pony like you helped me.  You saved me a lot of heartache, and I was having a tough week to begin with, and your kindness brought me a welcomed twinkle of hope and comfort.

"I wish I could return the favor somehow, but I'm thinking I will try to spread the same helpfulness to others, just like you did for me.

"Thank you again" Sunny Rays said as she turned and walked back to Ponyville.

Well, this is what happened the "other day".

Summer Rain was at a shop on the far side of town when Rainbow Dash came to get her, and they both were quickly high in the air and headed for the Library.

Near the center of town, Summer noticed, on the road far below, a mare trying to hurry with a substantial load of packages on her back.  Summer noticed that the top-most, small package was bouncing along, and slowly working its way towards the back of the pile.  Just as this pony was almost out of Summer's view, the small package fell off.

Summer made a quick turn, and flew all the way back to the far side of town and landed at the box.  Picking it up and stuffing it in her book bag, she was again airborne looking for the pony with the big load of packages.

Rainbow Dash wasn't real pleased and kept saying "Summer, come on, we gotta go."

It took a few more minutes to find the pony that lost the box.  She had just left the Post Office, and was clearly searching frantically for something.  The look in her eyes told Summer all she needed to know.

Summer landed in front of her, and pulled out her lost box.

The pony threw both legs around Summer's neck and said "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Summer explained what she saw and did, and the appreciative pony headed back across town with her box.

Rainbow Dash was clearly agitated, and Summer rejoined the flight quickly.

Even so, when they got to the Library, others were still on the way, so they were not late or anything.

That was the other day.

As Sunny Rays walked off, Summer thought to herself.  "Make a mental note, friendship can spread from friendly deeds even when you are not trying to.  I suppose the reverse is true as well however."

Summer sighed, and resumed today's mental task.





"Ah, that's right, my sister" Summer thought to herself with a broad smile.

Summer didn't need to find a reason to spend time with Fluttershy, and they were both ecstatic to have each other 'back'.  They didn't make special times to be together, it just happened over the course of their day.

Summer Rain would often help her sister with her various chores and tasks around her cottage, and was amazed at Fluttershy's insight and understanding of her animal friends, and quickly realized this extended to her pony friends as well.  Easily the quietest of the group, Summer realized her sister saw and felt what most did not.

And she was a big help to Summer 'fitting in'.

Summer Rain had her sister back, and Summer's sister was now her close friend.  What more could she want.





Rarity was every bit the gem Summer Rain figured she would be.  

Always the fashion expert, Rarity seemed to keep all of Ponyville and beyond, dressed in the finest of accessories.  In other words, she was usually extremely busy.  But soon after Summer's welcoming, Rarity took a morning out of her busy schedule and had Summer over.

Rarity designed and made Summer the most amazing book bag, replacing one so worn out that it threatened to drop her books on the ground.  Rarity threw the old one out her side window and never looked back.  

Rarity's new creation was done in stunning white with gold highlights, and it made Summer's coat and mane really stand out.  The added touch of a copy of Summer's Cutie Mark on both side flaps was a nice detail, although Summer still had no idea what it meant.  Summer wasn't too concerned about this any more.

The new book bag was durable but oh so stylish, and even bigger than her old one.  The flaps were widely overlapped to keep the rain out, but also very easy to get open.  Summer instantly fell in love with it, and that seemed payment enough for Rarity.

Rarity actually adored the color of Summer's mane, and made a few suggestions which made it look even better.

"Summer, I know you have been through a lot, but you are with us now, and we will take care of you" Rarity said at one point, and Summer had no doubt it was true.





Summer Rain actually spent quite a bit of time out at Sweet Apple Acres.  When the need arose, Summer would help Applejack around the farm, and really was very capable, and a big help.

The other reason was that Summer could frequently find Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo there ('the Cutie Mark Crusaders' or just CMC for short), and Princess Celestia specifically mentioned them.

Being new to the CMC, Summer was not yet able to spend a lot of time with the group yet, but she watched them when she could.  However, Summer Rain did get to spend some time with Apple Bloom, and was in the process of getting to know her better.

After just a few weeks, and at the end of a full day helping Applejack harvest apples, Applejack sat down and said "Whoooeee that was a hard days work if I've ever seen one!"

Leaning closer to Summer, who was sitting next to her, she said quietly "Thanks for your help, don't know how we would have finished without you."

Big Mac immediately piped up and said "eeyyyyup".

Granny Smith must have heard too.  "Youngin' you fit in just fine here, just like family."

Applejack looked at Summer and smiled, then whispered "I think you just got adopted!





Summer Rain found Pinkie Pie just plain fun to be around.  Summer dropped by the Cake's shop as often as she could, since that's where Pinkie usually was.  Pinkie welcomed Summer as a true friend; Pinkie welcomed everyone.

Besides, if the CMC weren't at Sweet Apple Acres, they were frequently at the shop.  And if not, the shop was centrally located in Ponyville, and the CMC were often seen passing by at high speed.

Summer soon found out that Pinkie had a profound sense of "something different" as she responded in every day conversation.  Summer tried constantly to do the same thing, or at least try to view things differently, just to see how Pinkie would handle it. 

"Pinkie its more fun being around you than it is reading about you" Summer said at one point.

Pinkie quickly replied "Awww that's ok, ponies need to smile while they are reading too right?"

Can't argue with that.

Summer Rain had read about the 'Pinkie Sense' and hoped to see it in action at some point.  She saw it closer to home than she ever expected.

Pinkie and Summer were sitting outside the Cake's shop eating cupcakes, just chatting.  Suddenly, Pinkie got this very serious look on her face, then began to scan around, looking here, then there.  Then she stopped, looked right at Summer and said "Wow Summer, someponies really need you!"

After a brief pause, she laughed, returned to normal, and said "but I don't know who they are, sorry" as she reached for another cupcake.

Summer often pondered what that might mean, and knew better than to simply discount it.





Princess Twilight Sparkle had brought Summer Rain into this group, and clearly had every intention of following through.  The very next day after Summer's commissioning, Twilight had Rainbow Dash bring Summer to the Library for the morning.

Twilight prepared a simple meal which they ate together.  Then Twilight showed Summer around the Library, and wanted her to know that she could come here any time she wanted, and read any of the books as she pleased.  Twilight surmised that Summer had little interest in the many books on magic, but wanted her to feel welcome just the same.

Summer Rain found Twilight to be very much a 'young phillie' (which she liked), but also observed that she was picking up on 'princess-sense' very quickly.

Princess Twilight was also very big on organization, something they quickly realized that they shared.

They also discussed some things about when and when not Summer would be integrated into the activities these special ponies would likely be involved with, and Summer assured Princess Twilight that she would trust the Princess' judgment.  Summer had no 'Element of Harmony', and so fully agreed she should remain in the background.  This was fine, Summer didn't relish the 'lime-light', not any more.

Twilight walked Summer to the door, they hugged, and Summer was on her way.

Later that afternoon, Rainbow Dash explained to Twilight what had happened with the race, and what followed.

Princess Twilight quickly decided that the 'back-story' needed to be told.

The very next, next day, in the cool of the morning, Summer, Twilight, and 'the girls' gathered under this same tree in the field, close to each other, close to Summer (her sister at her side of course), as Summer told her story.  She didn't leave anything out.  They cried together, they laughed together.  When the morning was done, they all knew Summer a LOT better.

Summer cried when she realized they all still wanted her as part of their group.  Summer wiped a tear from her eye just remembering that special morning.

Together, they all admired Summer.  In spite of what she had been through, they realized she was driven.  Driven to understand and experience what they so often took for granted, and to be able to carry that to ponies all over Equestria if possible.  That was certainly very different.

Since that morning, Summer Rain visited the Princess at least once every day, just to check in, and see if there was anything Summer could do to help Twilight.

Summer would frequently help by flying messages to other ponies as the need arose.  Summer's book bag was also handy to pick stuff up and make deliveries for the Princess.  Summer gave Spike a few rides too, and he had a blast.





Princess Celestia's observations about exactly what 'friendship's magic' really is, had been very helpful; Summer kept rolling them around in her mind as she experienced life with these ponies.

She thought out loud to herself at this point.

"Hmm.  I suspected from my reading, and know now even more clearly, that for any of these special six to put themselves above the rest would certainly bring their friendships crashing down, as the evil Discord had proven.

"But since the Elements of Harmony fuel the magic Twilight uses to help protect Equestria, any such fracture in their circle could have devastating and far-reaching consequences.

"And yet, even Discord chose to accept the voluntary limitations of a friendship offered when another pony put her own wants aside, putting Discord first.  This is what friends do.  And this is what makes being around them so special, so enjoyable, even if Discord 'doesn't do windows'.

"However," Summer realized "being around such a friendship generally makes demands of the new-comer, to either adopt this way of life (putting others first), or reject it.

"And, rejecting it has its cost, as friendship generally cannot be sustained long as a one-way path.

"And ponies generally try and avoid somepony who focuses on themselves."

At this point, she looked towards the ground, and shook her head back and forth.  Then she thought to herself "this all sounds nice, but the minute I think I understand, it flies away like a bird."

Summer had enlisted Spike's help in sending a few letters to Princess Celestia, trying to explain what things she could wrap her hoof around, and usually ended up apologizing that she didn't have more to mention.

The responses from the Princess were always fully supportive, as it seemed this was different subject-matter for both of them.

At any rate, Summer Rain's pondering continued.  "Ok, so who do we see with this Friendship, besides Twilight and her friends?"

The CMC came quickly to mind, "What little I have seen of them, in their own ways, they seem to increasingly be putting the good of their group ahead of themselves.  They are still young phillies, but this is an encouraging thing to see.

"As they continue to grow though, they will no doubt each get their Cutie Marks.  I wonder if they will stay together after this happens."

Summer's brain hurt at this point, so she took a mental break, and gazed quietly across the meadow, enjoying the sights, sounds and scents of the moment.

"Life is amazing" she thought to herself.





What Summer did not initially see was that Rainbow Dash had very carefully landed behind Summer and was slowly, gently and quietly sneaking up behind her.  Summer cocked her head slightly to the side.  "Hi Rainbow Dash" Summer said without even turning around.

"Aww, there's just no sneaking up on you is there" Rainbow said with a frown.

"I guess not, at least not today" Summer said laughing.  "Maybe I've been around Pinkie too much" Summer said with a chuckle.

"Let me guess" Rainbow said, "You are sitting here talking to yourself for hours and hours about what is going on in your life, trying to figure everything out."

"Yes, sorry" Summer replied.  "You are welcome to stay but it might be boring."

"Pass" Rainbow shouted as she got ready to fly off.

"Rainbow, wait" Summer shouted back.  "Come back later and we will find something fun to do."

"Sounds good" Rainbow shouted again, and was off.





Back on track, the other task that both Princesses had given Summer Rain was to explore practical ways to help other ponies find this Friendship.

Summer's welcoming into the circle of friendship with Princess Twilight and her girls was and continued to be nothing short of amazing.

However Summer's day to day experiences with the Ponies of Ponyville, trying to understand how to even communicate their need for this gem, well the results so far had been, "uhm, interesting?"

Summer actually said these last few words out loud.





Summer Rain ran into a rather strange pony named "Snips".

Almost as soon as Summer got within earshot, Snips called to her and said "Hey you, new pony, do you wanna buy a back scratcher with Princess Twilight Sparkle's picture on it?  Only 2 bits."

Summer walked over to Snips, pondered this a minute, then she decided she would try to at least plant some sort of seed in his thinking.  "My name is Summer Rain, what is yours?"

"They call me Snips, but seriously, do you want this or not?" Snips said impatiently.

"Snips, do you know Princess Twilight and her friends very well?" Summer ventured.

"Well, ya, sorta, doesn't everypony? Snips answered a little more calmly.

"Well does it seem like they really enjoy their friendship with each other?" Summer said, realizing this might be a long-shot for this pony.

Snips thought for a minute then replied "Well, ya, they do seem to have a lot of fun together, well when they are not out saving the town."

"Snips, would you like to have friends like that?" Summer ventured again.

"Aww I don't know."  Snips paused briefly in thought, then continued "Because then I'd have to share my bits.  Anyway come on now, do you want this or not?" Snips quickly replied.

Summer bought the back-scratcher with Princess Twilight's picture on it, but not to scratch her back.  This would be very difficult without magic.

No, Summer bought it because it would work perfectly to hold the pages of her book down while reading on a breezy day.

Besides, she considered the Princess a very close friend, and didn't mind the reminder.

Snips took his bits and literally ran off to find another customer.

"I guess friendship does have its price" Summer remembered thinking to herself





There was a run-down shop on the far edge of town, and within the first week, Summer Rain had stopped in to see what it was.  The shop was run by a mare about Summer's age, whose name was Dawn Flower.

Once inside, Summer could see that Dawn made flower arrangements.  The building was shabby at best, but Dawn's artistry with simple flowers was amazing, and Summer told her so.

Dawn was a Unicorn, and made good use of the basic magic she had command of.

On Summer's second visit, she met Dawn's foal Camille, who was almost as soft-spoken as her mom.  Almost without thinking, Summer said "So where's your stallion, I'd like to meet him."

Dawn looked at the ground, and slowly said "I have no stallion."  Then after a brief pause, she continued "I would tell you the story, but it wouldn't make any difference, it's just us two."

Summer thought for a minute, then said "I'm sorry, I didn't know.  But you know what, that's ok, you have an awesome family."

This sort of thing was not exactly un-heard of in Equestria, but it was a very difficult path, and most ponies agreed it was not the best for very young ponies.  But it happened.

As Summer got to know Dawn better, she learned that caring for Camille took a lot of Dawn's time, and so business was slow, and her shop showed it.  

"But at least we are not starving" Dawn mentioned with a sigh.

It didn't take long for Summer to realize that hearing about friendship would not make much sense to Dawn.  She just needed a friend.  She needed someone to come along side and help her, and cheer her up when things were tough, and a lot of other things besides.

Summer Rain stopped by when she could, and would pick a bunch of flowers out in the meadow beforehand and 'fly them in' for Dawn to use in her creations.  This saved Dawn a lot of time.  Summer would also play with Camille, and sometimes take the little one for walks while Dawn got some work done.  This was a big help, and Dawn's business slowly picked up.

Summer and Dawn quickly became good friends, but Summer knew she needed to do more to help Dawn.  On one of her visits, Summer Rain asked Dawn if she could borrow one of her arrangements.

Dawn shrugged, and said "sure" not really having any idea why Summer would want to "borrow" it.

Summer Rain carefully carried it into town to Rarity's boutique.  Rarity instantly recognized the talent behind the arrangement; the colors, the hues, the balance, and said almost apologetically "Yo... You didn't make this did you?"

Summer was not offended at the inference, and laughed loudly, and then said "heavens no, but I think you should meet the artist that did."

Rarity and Dawn shared a lot in common artistically, and became good friends as well.  Rarity took great pride in including Dawn's work when she could, and this reflected well on Dawn's business.

A few weeks later, when she knew Dawn would be out of town, Summer Rain brought Applejack to Dawn's shop to look it over.

Applejack realized the need, and jumped in with all four.  Applejack called the shots as she, Summer and, after a while, Rainbow Dash and Big Mac, all worked through the day.  The results were amazing, and a fitting tribute to the beautiful flower arrangements seen through the windows.

Dawn almost didn't recognize her shop when she returned, and through tears thanked everyone who helped.  Dawn volunteered to pay them something, but of course was turned down.

Summer Rain figured some would call it "the right connections".  In reality, it was just friends doing what friends do, giving of themselves for the benefit of each other.  Summer, Rarity and Applejack also realized they could not take Dawn's place on her path, but together they did what they could to make Dawn's way a little easier.  Friends do that.





Summer Rain met Derpy that first week as well.

Everypony in town said they liked Derpy, but they kept their distance from her it seemed.  Summer visited Derpy at her home.

Aside from the things Derpy's eyes did, it seemed like Derpy could only talk about the same subject for no more than three or four sentences, and then had to change the subject.  And beyond that, Derpy had to leave around five minutes after Summer came by to visit.

Later that day, Summer asked Pinkie Pie about Derpy, and what Summer had encountered at her house.

"Oh Summer, that's just Derpy, and I love her.  Derpy is different, but so what, so are you!"

They both started laughing at this.

The next time Summer visited Derpy, she simply tried to attentively follow Derpy's conversation where ever it went, and even tried sneaking in a quick change in topic herself.  In short, she tried to simply meet Derpy where Derpy was.  This must have been the right approach, their visits slowly got longer and longer.

During one visit she simply asked Derpy about her eyes.  "Derpy, why do your eyes do that?"

Derpy immediately frowned, looked at the ground, and started into what must have been a carefully rehearsed apology that surely had been given a hundred times.

Summer quickly stopped her and said "no, wait."  Summer put her nose right next to Derpy's, then looked her in the eye.  Then Summer did her hardest to move her eyes the way Derpy usually moved hers.  After about a minute of grunting and trying, she managed to do it a little.  Summer exhaled and said "Wow Derpy what you do with your eyes is very difficult; its amazing that you can do that!

Derpy acted like a great weight had been lifted, threw her hooves around Summer's neck, hugged her and said "Oh thank you for being so understanding.  Most ponies back away like I have "pony-pox" or something."

Their visits got longer.  Summer learned that Derpy was crazy insane good at Checkers.





One afternoon Summer Rain was at the Cake's shop with Pinkie Pie.  After a few minutes, Pinkie realized she needed to leave, a full 30 seconds before Rainbow Dash arrived to get her.  Off they went, leaving Summer in the shop, with just Mr. and Mrs. Cake busy around her.

Thinking half out loud, Summer said "I don't understand it.  Friendship can be so rewarding, even if it does mean that you limit yourself some in the process.  But the benefits seem to so far out-weigh the investment.  I would think that more ponies would jump at such a thing."

Mr. Cake stopped what he was doing, got this thoughtful look on his face, then walked over and gently rubbed his nose up against Mrs. Cakes nose.  Mrs. Cake was a little bit embarrassed because Summer was there, but she smiled warmly at her stallion, then they both went back to work.

"Hmm, well hopefully ponies and their mates will be true friends." Summer thought to herself.  "Still, I know those that are not, and it isn't very happy."





The Cake's shop was centrally located, and so proved to be a very nice place to relax and meet ponies.

One morning, Summer was sitting on the grass out front waiting for Pinkie Pie.

A mare walked up to the yard, and sat her colt down while she went in for some goodies.  The colt didn't stay put (of course) and walked over and sat next to Summer.

The colt said "My name is Quizical (said sort of slurred together as youngsters often do), what is your name?

Summer probably should have thought more, but said "Hi I'm Summer Rain. And by the way your name is very, uhm, different."

Quizical quickly responded "That's OK ma'am, you are stranger than me, you have purple hair!" and he giggled a little.

Summer had forgotten about that.  The day before, Summer was at Rarity's boutique helping her out.  Rarity was trying to create a way to change a ponies' hair color, and wanted someone besides the main six to test her experiment on.  Summer gladly offered her hair, and Rarity did only try a short end section of a small bunch of hair from Summer's mane.

Rarity frowned soon after she removed Summer's mane from her concoction.

Summer assured Rarity it didn't matter what color her hair was, even if it was bright purple (Summer laughed as she said this to Rarity).

Rarity sighed with relief, and said "well good, because that's what color it is now", and handed Summer a mirror.

Summer looked at her patch of purple hair and smiled, and said "Sorry Rare, back to the drawing board I guess."

"I think next time I try this, I will cut a small amount of hair off, and test it that way." Rarity was thinking out loud.

What did happen with Quizical however, is that from that 'purple hair' day on, whenever they would meet, they would exchange the strangest things they could think of about the other, never mean, always in good fun.

Just a few days ago, they met in town, and Quizical said "Hey, this is so strange, you are going to a different planet! (and he kind of slurred this last word too like it was new to him).

"Whoa, wait a minute" Summer replied, "do you mean like the Moon where Princess Luna was?"

Quizical just laughed and said "I don't know, I'm just a colt!"





"Ok" Summer started out loud again, "what about the weird.  And why do I always end up thinking through the weird stuff last?"

Summer thought for a while, and concluded that no, there was nothing in the weird category, nothing that she could remember anyway.  Summer Rain concluded (accompanied by a broad smile), that this shouldn't be unexpected, since she found herself far more contented than she had ever been.

"Oh wait a minute" Summer again said with a frown, "Princess Twilight's dream.  That was WAAAYYY weird."

Just last week the Princess had Rainbow Dash bring Summer Rain to the Library.

After the usual updates about how everything was going, Twilight started this off saying "I'm sorry, but I need to tell you this.  And you can't tell anypony else."

Twilight described some sort of alternate world, a lot like Equestria, but a lot NOT like Equestria.  There, ponies walked on their hind legs, and had spindly spider leg like things coming out of their hooves.

Twilight mentioned finding Ponies, er 'People' there with the same names as Twilight's five friends, and they even helped her in some way.

It was just so weird, but Twilight said it really happened, and the Princess was not prone to even trying to make stuff like this up.

Summer Rain decided it was at least a dream, but couldn't do much else with the information that flooded in so fast.  It just didn't seem to fit anywhere in Summer's mental filing system.

"Yup, it was just weird" Summer thought to herself.  "I hope I don't get tested on it" she thought with a chuckle.





Rainbow Dash came back again, only this time she was a little more 'assertive'.  Rainbow came down very fast, and landed, in almost the perfect sitting position right in front of Summer Rain, a new move she had been practicing.  Rainbow said simply "Hey", hoping she would startle Summer back to reality.

"Think I'm done for now" Summer Rain said sighing.  "At least I think I need to do something different for a while."

"Town Square?" Rainbow suggested.

"Sure, lets go!" Summer said with a grin.

Rainbow and Summer flew off in opposite directions and soon disappeared.  They both liked this game.

They started by flying away from each other leaving town between them.  They then needed to sneak into town and get to Town Square first, before being spotted by the other.  And it wasn't just flying.  

They talked Princess Twilight into playing this once, and were amazed that she beat them both.  Although neither Pegasus was sure their Princess didn't use a little magic on the way, it was still great fun.
> Chapter 4, Passing it On
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawn Flower was sitting in her shop in Ponyville.  She and her foal Camille were in the back where they lived.

They were both sharing their favorite meal, called Oat Pie.  This meal was easy to make, just gather a bunch of wild Oats with the stems still attached, add some water and flour, form it into a circle and bake. Dawn didn't consider herself a cook by any means, but could usually manage to make these easily enough.

"Camille we are going on a trip tomorrow, so after we eat, I need to make a few more of these" Dawn said gently.

Camille thought briefly, then said "Mommy, where are we going?"

"The Crystal Empire!  I've heard that place is so beautiful!" Dawn replied enthusiastically.  "Mommy wants to go there just to look around, and maybe get some new ideas for my work" Dawn added.

After a brief delay, Camille said "I'm coming too, right?"

Dawn walked around the table and hugged her daughter.  "Of course you are!  I would never leave you here by yourself" Dawn said.

"Are we gonna walk there?" Camille asked.

"No, we will need to take the train, and this will be your first time for that.  It should be a lot of fun, so many sights to see" Dawn said.

Camille smiled and said "That does sound fun!"





As Dawn made a few more Oat Pies, she spent most of the time just thinking.

Dawn's new friend Summer had been a big help.  Because of a lot of the things Summer had helped with, even very little things, Dawn's floral business was really doing very well.  Besides, Summer just seemed to be there when Dawn needed someone, and that was a big comfort too.

Summer had also introduced Dawn to Rarity who was a very important pony in Ponyville and beyond.  Rarity was also an artistically minded Unicorn, and evidently quickly fell in love with Dawn's work, and included it with hers when she thought it appropriate.

Both of these ponies had given just a little of their time to Dawn, and it had made such a huge difference.  And there seemed no pay-back for either of them.  Summer said that's just what true friends do.

Dawn didn't understand this, but was happy for their generosity, and smiled to herself thinking about these two new friends especially.  Dawn hoped she could be like that too some day, but her past had left her pretty 'needy', and she suspected Summer knew this.

It was Rarity who suggested Dawn take a 'breather' to a beautiful place just for 'artistic inspiration' as she put it.

Dawn easily had the bits for this trip, but every time she walked through the front door of her shop, it literally screamed out for repairs.  The roof leaked too.

Fixing her shop up was finally possible, but Rarity felt the trip should also be a high priority.  How did Rarity say it?  "Sometimes creativity needs to be fed with different, inspirational surroundings".

Dawn looked out into the showroom and thought "Fixing it up will happen soon, I hope."

Dawn and Camille went to bed early, tomorrow would be a long day.





The first train to the Crystal Empire left almost at sun-up, and Camille wasn't very awake at this point.  Dawn loved her daughter and was very patient, they both quickly ate, and they barely made it to the station in time.  They were soon in their car, and Dawn settled in for the trip as Camille quickly fell back to sleep.

Just watching the scenery flowing past the train was extremely relaxing, a feeling that Dawn couldn't remember feeling recently.  Dawn was amazed at the variety, the colors, everything.  She just watched, almost entranced, as the living pictures kept coming past.

After a while, Camille woke up.  "Mommy will we be there soon?" she said.

"I think so, but I have never been this way before" Dawn answered gently.

Camille laid her head on her mom and finished waking up.  Dawn looked lovingly at her daughter. "I love you Camille."

"I know mommy" Camille gently replied.

After a while longer, the Crystal Palace station call came through, and the train began to slow down.  As the train pulled to a halt at the platform, the Crystal Empire was outside Dawn's window, and the huge spire of the Crystal Palace was clearly visible, and the sight of it took her breath away.





They were soon walking along the wide main street leading straight through the Crystal Empire.  Looking at the way the street went off seemingly forever into the distance, under the Crystal Palace and long past it, Dawn realized they would get to see little of this amazing place.  

But this didn't matter, Dawn had no goal beyond just seeing what she could see before they had to catch the train home.  They began simply wandering down the broad street in this amazing place.

This stretch of the street was lined with a seemingly endless line of shops along the side.  Rarity had warned Dawn about them, evidently their prices were far too high.

Camille would occasionally stop Dawn and ask her a question.  The whole of Equestria, and life itself was all amazing to Camille at her age.  Dawn realized that, while Camille may not remember much of this place, this experience may have a long-lasting impact on her daughter.  Dawn put her head down briefly and thought "Thank you Rarity."

There were not a lot of flowers this close to the city, but everything else was simply beautiful.  If only Dawn could come up with a way to work rocks like this.

Camille interrupted her thoughts "Mommy I'm hungry, can I have some of an Oat Pie?"

Dawn instantly realized her mistake, they were at home in the kitchen.  "Dawn honey, I left them at home.  Let's see if we can find some in one of these shops" she said.

This part of their trip became a chore.

Most of the shops sold no food, and the few that did wanted a full 10 bits for a single Oat Pie.  This was more than Dawn had brought.  This price was simply ridiculous.

For quite a while, they looked and found nothing.  Out of the corner of her eye, Dawn caught a sign "Oat Pie, 2 Bits".  This was a lot, but far more reasonable than 10.  Dawn and Camille headed towards the sign.

The shop was actually on a quiet side street that headed off from this main street.  The small, very weathered simple stand reminded Dawn of her own shop, even though Dawn's shop was much larger.

The Pegasus running the shop was very dirty, and Dawn hoped the Oat Pies were fit to eat.

"I'll take one please" Dawn said politely.

"2 Bits" was the surly response.

Camille had watched her mom smell flowers, and so smelled one of the Oat Pies down low.

"Hey lady, get your kpony away from the goods" the owner yelled.  (At least that's what it sounded like she said to Dawn.)

Camille quickly backed off at the owner's tone and lowered her head.  Dawn was angered at this interchange, but was still cordial.  "I will take that one too please" Dawn said.

"Fine, 2 bits" was the surly response again.

Dawn rushed her daughter away from the shop, and quickly apologized to her for what had happened.  Out into the main street, Camille started crying, and Dawn just held her close.  "Honey, it's not your fault, sometimes ponies are just mad a lot" Dawn said, trying to explain.  "But here, have some Oat Pie." she added.

In spite of the way they were treated, the Oat Pie was very good.

Still, Dawn only had just enough bits for the return to Ponyville, and hoped for no more surprises.  It would be a long walk with a Foal otherwise.





After they both finished the Oat Pie, Dawn sighed, and they resumed their journey.

Dawn looked up towards the sun.  "When it is directly overhead, we need to head back to the train station." Dawn thought to herself.

They were again wandering, looking, appreciating, and enjoying the beauty of this place.  Camille saw some pretty birds.

While they would not make it all the way to the Crystal Palace, it was still a huge structure that commanded most of the view to the west.

At noon they turned around and simply wandered back the way they came.

Later in the afternoon, Camille asked for some food, but Dawn said they would wait and eat in the Train.  This comment prompted Dawn to remember the shop, and so maybe she would keep an eye out for the sign, and steer clear.

They were soon at the intersection, and the sign was gone, but Dawn recognized the road.  Dawn heard what sounded like a pony crying, very faint, and it sounded like it was coming from the direction of the shop with the surly owner.





Dawn's first inclination was to walk quickly away.  Dawn remembered that "Summer said that's just what true friends do."  Dawn inhaled deeply, then they both headed for the crying sound.

They found the surly shop owner, sitting, facing the corner next to her run-down shop crying.  As they approached she got up.  "What do you want" was the surly response as she wiped away tears.

Dawn wasn't really sure how to handle this, and she did want to protect Camille.  "Ma'am can we please have a calm conversation for my daughter's sake?" Dawn said quietly.

"Ya sure" the other pony said more quietly, but still surly.

"And I'm sorry I yelled at your colt" the other pony said still quieter, but even still surly.

"This is my daughter Camille" Dawn said.

Camille spoke up "An I forgive you for yelling ma'am, mom said sometimes ponies are mad a lot, and that's ok"

Dawn wasn't sure how this would set.

"Camille, I wish I wasn't like this.  I'm really sorry I yelled at you." the other pony said.

"What is your name?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know, they call me Corn.  It's my hair, comes in the color of corn, and people make fun of it, so I try to keep it trimmed off.

"Corn, why were you crying?" Dawn queried.

After a brief pause Corn spoke "My life isn't exactly going well.  I will spare you the details, but nothing is working out.  Selling Oat Pies for a living, what a laugh.  You were my only customer today.  Everypony here calls me a freak.  And I yell at little ponies for no reason.  Maybe you should run away while you still can."

Dawn could tell from her own life exactly what was going on.

Dawn chose to try and help, the way others had done for her, even though this particular pony would probably need a lot.  Dawn hoped that maybe others in Ponyville would also get involved should the situation present itself.

"Corn I want to be your friend, I want to help you, but I need to head back to Ponyville tonight."

Rarity had Dawn make up some little signs for shows, that included the following:

Dawn Flower
Floral Arrangements
Ponyville

Dawn took one out at this point, and gave it to Corn.

"Here take this.  If you are ever in Ponyville, come visit me." Dawn said.

Corn was really touched by this.  "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Because my story was similar to yours recently, and ponies just trying to be my friend made all the difference.  You deserve friends like that too" Dawn said with a smile.  "I wish I could do more now though."

"Thank you Dawn and Camille from Ponyville" Corn said, still a little surly.





Dawn and her foal had to rush to make the last train to Ponyville, and were soon enjoying the Oat Pie together before the sun went down.  The return trip was a lot more boring after the sun went down.

After arriving in Ponyville, Dawn and Camille walked slowly to Dawn's shop exhausted, and almost couldn't find it... ...because... ...it... ...looked... ...AMAZING!
> Chapter 5, A Change of Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Rain woke up shivering on the floor of her cottage.  Evidently she had fallen out of bed during the night, and didn't wake up.

It was still early, with the sun just coming up.  Summer couldn't sleep any more, so she just got up, and took her time brushing her tail and mane.

"Wow, right on four moons today, I hope the rest of the day isn't like this" she thought to herself.

Summer was hungry, so she headed out the door to Fluttershy's cottage; Fluttershy always had plenty of food.  It would probably be too early for Fluttershy to be up so Summer reminded herself to try to be quiet.

As Summer went to open the door, it opened by itself, and Fluttershy almost ran Summer over heading out the door.  Fluttershy stopped, and they hugged.

"So where are you headed at this early hour?" Summer asked cheerfully, almost jokingly.

Fluttershy did not immediately respond, and when she did it made little sense.  "I'm, uhm...  well going..."

Summer knew this was turning into a problem for her gentle sister.  "Sis, it's ok" she said calmly.

After a pause, Fluttershy said "I can't tell you Summer, I'm so sorry.  Oh please don't be angry with me."

Summer immediately responded "Fluttershy!  I could never be angry with you, not any more.  Hey, I know sometimes Twilight and her team does things that nopony else is supposed to know about.  It's ok Fluttershy."

Summer again gave her sister a big hug, and realized from Fluttershy's eyes that she may have been crying, but it was hard to tell.

"Take care of... er, wait... neverm.."  Fluttershy's voice trailed off at this point.

"Dear sister, pretense is not one of your skills.  Its ok sis -- I love you very much.  Go and do whatever you and the girls need to do.  And be sure to send Rainbow Dash if I can help." Summer said trying to reassure her sister.

Fluttershy said "I love you too..." and flew off towards the Library.

After Fluttershy was out of sight, Summer Rain just stood there for a while in silence looking out across the morning landscape.  "What was that all about" she thought to herself.





It was still early, so to pass some time, Summer Rain did some cleaning in Fluttershy's cottage, then her own.  She headed into town after the sun was fully up over the trees.  Ponyville was starting to wake up for the day at this point, and Summer briefly chatted with a few ponies as she wandered towards the Cake's shop.

Summer Rain had seen no sign of Princess Twilight or any of her girls, and really didn't expect too, but stopped by the Cake's shop anyway.

"Oh no, Pinkie left early this morning I think" Mrs. Cake offered, then she had to run back and save something from the oven.

Summer didn't really know what to think.  Fluttershy was acting very strange this morning.  However, Summer also knew from her reading that Princess Twilight and her friends did sometimes have to face formidable foes.  This had not happened since Summer arrived, so maybe that was what was going on.

Summer Rain had a sudden twinge of concern for her sister, but then realized the magic they wielded had preserved them this far in the face of many perils.  Summer could only hope everything went well.

Summer left the Cake's shop and headed back to Fluttershy's cottage, chatting with more ponies as she walked.  She passed Quizical and his mom, but it must have been too early for the young colt, he simply smiled and kept walking.

Summer Rain passed her sister's cottage, and headed for the meadow outside town.  After wandering aimlessly for a while, she found herself at 'her tree'.  "Wow so much has happened here" she thought to herself.





It was almost lunch time.  "Ok, today is the four moon mark.  What do we have." Summer thought to herself.

Summer was soon drawing a blank, and she even tried to re-focus a few times.  Every time she tried to think through the events of the past moon, she ended up thinking about her sister.  Summer had missed Fluttershy more than she realized.  Summer didn't want to lose her sister again.

But the four moon evaluation wasn't working.  Nothing was working.  So without making any progress, she sighed and then floated back to simply staring across the meadow.

In her head, Summer started going back over her brief conversation with Fluttershy earlier this morning.  "That just didn't make sense" she said out load.

Summer replayed the conversation a few more times in her head then sighed again, and thought "I don't think the four moon evaluation is going to happen today.  I guess it can wait until tomorrow, maybe then I will know more."

For the longest time, Summer Rain just stared off into the distance thinking about her sister, Twilight and the other girls, and Summer's many new friends in Ponyville.

Out of nowhere, Summer said to herself "Something is up.  This day feels different.  Ponyville feels different."  It wasn't defeat that Summer Rain felt, she knew that feeling well.  No, it was the auguring, biting feeling of the unknown, of the un-accounted for.  Summer would just have to wait and see, and sometimes the waiting was the hardest part of all.

Her stomach reminded Summer it was lunch time, so she headed back into town to get a bite to eat.

She ran into Dawn Flower on the way.  Dawn and her foal were headed to the meadow to collect some flowers.  "Rarity asked me to make some florals for her.  She said she probably wouldn't be back until tomorrow though.  We are getting a jump on the project today, wish us luck!"

Summer did, then thought to herself "Ok, so maybe I will know more by tomorrow then."





Summer Rain had just finished lunch, and was sitting there, enjoying watching the ponies of Ponyville. "Such a calm place" she thought to herself.

Almost out of nowhere, and over the course of a minute, the rumbling of a number of big ponies headed into town.  A few ponies of Ponyville had to run to keep out of their path.

Once they got very close, Summer realized from their attire that they were from Canterlot, it was a royal Air Coach.  Pulled quickly aloft by four powerful Pegasi, they traveled fast.

Summer was sure they would keep going, but they strangely pulled to a quick stop in front of the Cake's shop.  The lead Pegasus, in full guard gear, quickly bucked the harness and walked smartly over to Summer Rain.  She then realized how big he was.

"Are you Summer Rain?" he said quickly and forcefully.

"Yes I am" Summer replied sheepishly.

"Princess Celestia of Canterlot requires your presence.  Please step into the coach and harness up" was his matter of fact, almost surly response.  Summer did so, and the townsponies that were present watched as if frozen.  The lead Pegasus quickly re-attached his harness, gave some orders, and the Air Coach was quickly in the air, and really quickly on its way back to Canterlot.

"Oh no...  Oh no....  Oh no..." was all Summer Rain could think to herself.





The trip went fast, and Summer Rain really didn't have much time to think about anything else.  She knew the view was spectacular since she had flown this route herself a number of times.  But not now.  She didn't even bother looking.

Before very long, Summer Rain was waiting outside the huge doors that led to the audience hall in Canterlot, wishing she really had done the four moon evaluation.  After a few short minutes, Summer was motioned into the hall by one of the royal attendants.  The hall really was huge, and now largely empty.

Princess Celestia was standing at the top of the stairs, and Summer knew she must walk to the bottom of the stairs, and then bow out of respect,  She did this.

"Summer Rain please come join me up here so we can talk" Princess Celestia said, and the Princess sat down.  Summer Rain slowly climbed the stairs to the platform, and Princess Celestia motioned for Summer to sit facing her.

"Summer Rain, I have received your carefully written progress reports, thank you.

"But I would like for you to tell me some of the things you have done and learned, and some of the ponies you have met in the last four moons.  Focus on the ponies of Ponyville, and what you have experienced with them."

For the next 20 minutes or so, Summer Rain slowly told about some of her experiences in Ponyville.  Summer had fortunately remembered most of the three moon evaluation, and also added some experiences that happened more recently.

Princess Celestia seemed like she was being attentive to what Summer was saying, and did ask a few simple questions at various points.  But it just seemed to Summer that the Princesses' thoughts may have been elsewhere, or that some other issue was also on her mind.

When the 20 minutes was over, Summer thought to herself, that this didn't seem like very much.  In fact, Summer could easily understand why Princess Celestia might want to cancel the whole project all together.  Summer Rain concluded her description, feeling very much like a completely unprepared student, then lowered her head slightly.

After a brief minutes silence deep in thought, Princess Celestia broke the silence and said "Well Summer Rain, we appreciate what you have done, but I think a change of plans is in order."

After another brief pause, Summer spoke up sheepishly, without even raising her head.  "Yes, you are right, I suppose I could get a job in Ponyville and support myself, and maybe pay for the beautiful cottage you had built for me."

At this, a very puzzled look swept Princess Celestia's face, and she said "I'm sorry, I didn't understand, could you repeat that?"

Summer Rain tried again at this point and said "I apologize Princess, it seemed like such a good idea four moons ago, and I wouldn't blame you if you decided the project had served its purpose."

Princess Celestia sighed at this point and said "Dear child, you misunderstand my intentions.

"Princess Luna and I have talked not only to Princess Twilight and her friends, but also to a number of the ponies of Ponyville, and we can gladly report that your explorations in the spreading of friendship have greatly exceeded our expectations.

"It is clear that, at least at this point, you know more about the inner workings of 'true friendship' than just about anypony else in Equestria."

With this, Princess Celestia walked over and hugged Summer Rain reassuringly and said "We are all so pleased with what you have done.  But it is precisely for this reason, that we need your help with a new, far more important task.

"Everypony else is already at the Crystal Palace waiting for us, and we must leave at once." the Princess said.

She called in an attendant.  "Is the Air Coach ready?"   After receiving the answer she expected, she said "Excellent, we will leave immediately."





Like Summer's earlier ride, the Air Coach trip was fast, and she and Princess Celestia were quickly at the main arch-way of the Crystal Palace.

This is the closest Summer had ever been to this beautiful palace, but at this point, this offered her little enjoyment, not now.

Princess Celestia said very little during the trip.  Summer knew that the Princess' words back in the hall were sincere, Summer just had absolutely no idea what was going on.  Summer suspected that she would know soon however.

Princess Celestia and Summer Rain were greeted at the Crystal Palace main gate by Princess Cadence (whom summer had obviously never met) and the Captain of the Crystal Palace guard.  They were both glad to meet Summer, but things just seemed too subdued.

Besides Summer Rain wasn't 'royalty' in any form or fashion, why should they care past common decency about her?

And everypony around her, even Princess Cadence, was bigger than Summer was.  Summer did feel a little intimidated at this.

The four of them walked together for quite a while.  Every guard they passed saluted heartily to their Captain.  Summer guessed they were around the back, and fairly high up in the palace, but this was just a guess.

At the end of their walk they were standing in front of a large door which was flanked on each side by four, fully geared guards.  Summer Rain could only briefly consider what important things must be behind these doors.

At the guard Captains command the door was quickly opened, and the two princesses, the Palace Guard Captain, and Summer Rain headed inside.





Summer Rain and the two princesses were quickly through as the wide doors swung open.

Princess Twilight was at the far side of the room facing her, along with 'her girls', including Fluttershy.  Fluttershy's head was slightly down, and she was looking at the ground, and it looked again like she had been crying.

Almost without thinking, Summer Rain walked quickly towards her sister, towards Princess Twilight and Summer's other close friends.  Summer would have run to the safety of her true friends if she could, but simply walked quickly to where she considered her place should be.  Summer felt like she needed her friends at this point.

Halfway across this distance, her eye caught something off to the right that she should remember, and it stopped Summer Rain dead in her tracks.  She turned slowly to face the object and froze instantly.

The border was that of a large horse-shoe, in brown, made of thick wood.  In the center was a mirror, except that she could only faintly see her own reflection.

Summer Rain instantly made the connection with what she considered to be Princess Twilight's 'nightmare'.  This was the portal Twilight had used to pass to an alternate world to retrieve her crown.  It was real.  It was all real.

Summer Rain wished she had taken better notes of that discussion.

"But why am I here" she quickly thought to herself.

Soon after, she quickly thought "Oh no..."

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had now taken up positions on either side of the Mirror, as Summer Rain was now transfixed directly in front of it.

Princess Celestria spoke first.

"This Portal leads to an 'alternate world' from our own.  It is a very different world in a lot of ways.  The inhabitants call themselves 'people' and actually stand and walk on their hind legs."

Summer Rain did remember her 'spider legs' thought at this point.

Princess Celestia continued.

"However, there are also some very important similarities.

"I understand that Twilight has at some point briefly discussed her experiences there.  And I fully understand that much of what she mentioned would be extremely hard for you to take in."

Princess Celestia took a deep breath and then continued.

"While Princess Twilight was on the other side of this mirror, she found five 'people' with the exact same names, and with the exact same general characteristics as Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

"The similarities were so strong that Princess Twilight was able to quickly secure their mutual cooperation, and use the Magic of Friendship, based on the common contributions of these five po.."

Princess Celestia realized her mistake at this point and quickly corrected it.

"...with the help of these five people, Princess Twilight's magic assumed a form powerful enough to easily defeat Sunset Shimmer as she sought to usurp it.  And Princess Twilight was able to thus defeat Sunset Shimmer even without her crown, and the Element of Harmony it holds.  Indeed, none of the others had a physical Element of Harmony either.

"Clearly the magic that Princess Twilight used that night drew from the latent abilities and character of these five inhabitants of this parallel world.  And we simply cannot ignore this.  We simply do not know what interaction our two worlds might otherwise share.  And we need to do what we can to find out.

"Since Princess Twilight's return, there has been a lot of discussion among Equestria's leaders about exactly how to accomplish this.

"Princess Twilight was willing to return, but that is unthinkable.  Given her pivotal role in the magic she and her friends wield to protect Equestria, we and our ponies would be extremely vulnerable were she to leave again.

"And honestly, your presence among us gave us a real ray of hope as you so quickly integrated with, hmm, no befriended Princess Twilight and her five friends.  You have given us all hope, and I think we all agree that sending you there would be by far the best option available.  Out of all the ponies in Equestria, you are uniquely qualified for this task.

"However, we also all agreed that there was no rush, since it was still many moons before the portal opened back up."

Princess Celestia sighed, put her head down, and continued. speaking a little more quietly.

"Sunset Shimmer's sudden return through this portal two days ago has changed all that.  She was of course immediately arrested, and put under both physical and magical guard.  She seems truly penitent, and has shown no signs of magical activity, but we will deal with that carefully and slowly."

Princess Luna spoke at this point.

"Our understanding had been that the portal is active every 30 moons for a period of 3 days.  Sunset Shimmer's sudden return, much earlier than we had expected suggests that we really don't know exactly when the portal is active.  I think it is likely that her use of the Portal has reset the 30 moon interval.  However, we really have no guarantee when the portal will again allow you to return."

Summer Rain heard Fluttershy quietly gasp at this point, and this didn't help any.

Princess Celestia spoke softly at this point.

"While we are not really sure on the timing, the portal will probably be active for at most 3 days from Sunset Shimmer's return.  In other words, there is not much time.

"Everypony in this room agrees that we simply don't know what hazards await you in this parallel world.  And as you have heard, we also have no idea how long it will be before you can return.

"Nopony here would blame you for walking away from this task.  However, please realize that you are probably our only hope.  The rulers of Equestria agree together that sending anypony else there, would result in a dismal failure or worse.

"I think I speak for everypony in this room, based on what we have seen, that you are so perfectly, uniquely suited for these two tasks; resurfacing the power of Friendship in Twilight's five friends, and researching what links there might be between our worlds as a result.

"We also all know how great a sacrifice we may be asking you to make.

"I ask you again, will you please help us?"





Each of Princess Celestia's statements piled more weight on Summer Rain's soul.  Summer's first thought was "They can't be serious..."

When Princess Celestia was done speaking, Summer's mind was racing with fragmented thoughts.

"How could they...  And for who knows how long?  ...Surely there's somepony else...  But my sister..."

Summer was also slowly but surely inching back away from the Portal.  A small step here, a little slide there.

For what seemed like a long time, nopony said or did anything.

Princess Twilight then walked up to Summer, hugged her then spoke softly to her new friend.

"Summer, sending you was my idea, made after knowing you for only three days.  I knew from that point that you could make this work, and have seen nothing to change that.  In fact, I am more sure now that you are the only pony out of all Equestria who can make this work.

"We are asking you to take my place in the lives of five people on the other side of that Portal, to teach them the friendship that you enjoy here.  I would not ask that just anypony take my place anywhere.  But you are a special pony, and my dear friend.

"This is the reason I am asking you to go.  While I was there, I felt the true friendship of five amazing people there.  They gave of themselves, and gathered around me, they helped me, they chose to be my friend."

At this point, tears began to trickly down Princess Twilight Sparkle's face.

"Since my return, my heart has ached for these five people, and I desperately yearn to go there and help them find what I have here with your sister and the others.  But I cannot.

"In a way, I feel like they gave, and helped me, than I left, and abandoned them.

"Please, go to them, be my substitute, show them the way of true friendship, show them that I, that we care about them.  Please Summer Rain, do this for me, do this for them."





Pony wisdom has long held that, when a pony is faced with a life or death situation, their lives quickly flash before their eyes.  This did not exactly happen to Summer Rain, but something similar did.

As time seemed to stand still for the other ponies present, a song flowed through Summer's thoughts, accompanied by various memories she shared with ponies close to her.  There also seemed no plausible explanation for this either.

What follows is a faltering attempt to capture both of these stream currents mingling in Summer Rain's tortured mind.

Full block summary form is used, as each section of text, taken all together, describes a particular event coursing through Summer's thoughts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Summer and her sister were sitting calmly watching the sun set off in the distance.  Fluttershy gently lay her head against Summer's head, and Summer reached her leg around and hugged her sister just as the sun slipped over the tree line.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

If I never told you, well I always meant to say
That if I could I'd always try to help things go your way.
The needs you face, I chose as mine to carry as I may.
But now I see the mounting costs...  So great...
True Friends, for such a time as this...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Summer was sitting at a table in the Library reading a book.  Immersed in her reading, Summer slowly grew conscious of an increasingly noisy interchange between Princess Twilight and Spike.  Evidently they were both looking for a lost book, and were not very happy with each other that it could not be located.  Without looking up, Summer calmly asked if it was the book she was reading.  Both Twilight and Spike looked at it and laughed, then Twilight hugged Spike, and they were friends again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Quizical hesitantly reached his hoof towards Summer's patch of purple hair.  After touching it, he quickly pulled his hoof away in disgust, and made the most terrible face, as Summer and Quizical's mom burst into laughter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Summer had ditched a speeding Rainbow Dash by hiding in a cloud, then sneezed exploding it, then began laughing hysterically at the look on Rainbow's face as she realized she had been had.  Rainbow started laughing too.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The friendship that we savor now is built with serving heart.
The extra mile or two or three, I'll help you 'till we part.
No pretense here or inward goal, its just an honest choice
But what you ask me now seems harsh...  So hard...
True Friends, for such a time as this...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Summer dropped by Rarity's boutique.  Summer realized that Rarity just had a pretty tough day, and so suggested some time relaxing in the spa.  They were both soon in, and before long, Rarity started in on a ferocious and long rant, at just how, uhm, difficult a few of her customers were.  Summer became increasingly sheepish as Rarity ranted on, getting louder and making the most terrible faces in the process.  After a while, Rarity stopped, and said to Summer "I was ranting wasn't I?".  Summer nodded, then said "Do you feel better now Rare?"  Rarity simply smiled, nodded and gave Summer a big hug.  "Thank you Summer" she said with a sigh as she finally began to relax.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Applejack and Summer were calling it a day after collecting apples at the farm.  As they started walking away, another apple fell out of the tree.  Thinking nothing of it, Applejack simply added it to the closest bucket.  Again walking off, another apple fell, and Applejack put it in the bucket as well.  Applejack stopped and waited for a minute, then started to walk off.  Then another apple fell to the ground.  Applejack stared at it for a bit then quickly put it also in the bucket.  Applejack was ready to bolt off when two more apples dropped from the tree.  Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were hiding up in the tree and could not keep quiet any longer, and began laughing hysterically.  The CMC shouted "thanks Summer" to the guilty accomplice, as Applejack herself realized what had happened, and burst into laughter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The world had always taught me that I had to have my way
But shattered dreams and broken tears now around me lay
...
A giving heart... Until we part... this choice is here to stay


~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spike had pulled a bunch of trash papers out of the waste bucket in the Library, and fashioned them into a ball.  Spike and Summer then made a game of trying to kick the ball back into the bucket, and were having a lot of fun at failing to do so.  Princess Twilight watched this for a while, then asked if she could try.  She took one kick, and made it easily in, but a faint purple glow around the ball as it went in led Spike to glare at Twilight while Summer just said "disqualified" and laughed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Summer, Dawn and her foal were out in the meadow picking flowers.  Dawn used magic to carefully pick specific, individual flowers, and then both she and Summer were smelling them and appreciating their scent.  Dawn's foul found a Dandelion on the ground and tried to smell it, only to get a bunch of seeds in her nose, causing her to sneeze repeatedly for a few minutes.  Dawn the mom was just a little bit concerned and both she and Summer tried not to laugh too much to avoid hurting the little one's feelings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Princess Twilight and her special friends had just heard the story of Summer's life.  They promptly surrounded her in a group hug, and Summer was completely overwhelmed that they still wanted her as their friend.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I guess in truth I thought that it would never come to this
To own your pain, and risk it all, that threshold now I kiss
Its clear to me I can't refuse to carry this, your burden
Yes...   Just Yes....
True Friends, for such a time as this...






Princess Twilight had just said "Please, go to them, be my substitute, show them the way of friendship, show them that I, that we care about them.  Please Summer Rain, do this for me, do this for them."

Summer Rain knew she must go.  "I will go" she said quietly.

Summer Rain ran over and hugged her sister tightly for a little while, and soon Twilight and the girls were all holding Summer and each other really.  There were tears in everyponies eyes.

After a few minutes, Princess Luna said "I'm so sorry, but time is short..."

Summer looked at Princess Twilight, and said "Take care of my Sis please."

Then Summer walked back in front of the portal.

"I will go" she said, "because that's what true friends do."

And with this, she quickly turned her head to the side, shut her eyes tightly, and bolted for the mirror.

After a bright flash, Summer Rain was gone.
> Chapter 6, Friends in Need
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last thing seen of Summer Rain was one of her hind hooves passing through the mirror, and the bright flash that followed.

Four princesses, and five close friends were all silent, heads bowed down for about a minute.  Princess Luna then walked over to the mirror and said "Good speed dear one.  We await your return."  Having said this, she brushed away a few tears.

Princess Celestia spoke softly next.  "I have made provision for you Princess Twilight, and your five friends to be returned, each to your homes when you are all ready.  Just let Shining Armor know."

With this, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia walked out to the balcony and flew off into the dark, back to Canterlot.

Princess Cadence walked over, hugged Princess Twilight, then both she and Shining Armor headed for the big door to the room.  "I'll be right outside when you ponies are ready" Shining Armor said solemnly, and the door was shut.

All formality removed, Fluttershy fell to the floor and started weeping quietly, and soon wasn't the only one.  For a while they all just held each other close.

In her mind, Twilight was amazed she felt this way about Summer leaving; it had only been four moons after all.  She admitted she needed this just as much as the rest of them.  In fact, they needed each other more than they all realized.  In just a short time, Summer Rain had become such an integral part of all of their lives.  Yes, Summer's absence would be deeply felt in Twilight's circle.

Princess Twilight knew that this was probably the hardest on Fluttershy, Summer Rain's sister.  Strangers for the longest time, joyfully re-united, then to lose all that, at least for an extended time.  Twilight couldn't even imagine.  Twilight would keep her promise to Summer Rain.

When she felt it was appropriate, Princess Twilight said "Girls, lets go home."  Twilight walked over to the door, opened it, and let Shining Armor know they were ready.  Shining Armor broke formality long enough to give his sister a big hug, then softly spoke some orders to the guards.

Very soon after, Twilight and her five friends were each in their own Air Coaches headed for their own homes.   They were all quickly home.  It wasn't midnight yet but it was very late.

All the lights were out in the Library when Twilight got there.  She realized Spike would surely be asleep.

Twilight quietly closed the front door, headed up the stairs, used her magic to place her crown on the night-stand, and literally fell into her bed.  She pulled her covers around her, curled up into a ball, and quickly settled into a fitful, restless slumber.





Princess Twilight awoke early and groggily to some strange noises coming from outside her bedroom window.  It was sort of a muted "boing" sound, but Twilight couldn't tell.  After a few more "boings", Twilight was startled as Pinkie Pie flew up into view outside Twilight's window.

"Morning Princess" Pinkie called out as she quickly disappeared down out of view again.  After a few more seconds she returned, and yelled "Ponyville is broken" and then again disappeared below.  A few more seconds later, Pinkie again appeared, and simply yelled "Just sayin" and disappeared below again.  The sounds went away at this point, and Twilight figured Pinkie was on her way.

After a fitful nights sleep Princess Twilight was very groggy.  After a few minutes the message finally sunk in, and Twilight literally bolted out of bed.  She said quickly "Oh no..." and ran down the stairs, not quite falling, but it was pretty awkward since she just got up.

Twilight knew the only thing that had changed in the last day was that Summer Rain was gone.  Could the whole town feel the way she did about Summer's departure?  How could they know?

"Pinkie wait" Twilight yelled even before reaching the door.  She wanted to catch Pinkie before she left, but figured it was surely too late for that.  Anyway she tried, quickly opening the door with magic.

Pinkie Pie was standing right there.  "Yes Twilight?" she calmly said.

Twilight smiled, took a deep breath and hugged Pinkie and said "Thank you so much.  Can you gather the rest of the girls to Summer's Tree?  Not Fluttershy though, I think I should handle that."

"Of course Princess" Pinkie said with a smile, and then she "boinged" down the road to find Rainbow Dash.

Twilight at least brushed her mane and tail, and grabbed her crown before she left, and was soon out the door herself, leaving Spike still sleeping.





Princess Twilight took to the air unsteadily and flew the fairly short distance to Fluttershy's cottage.  It wasn't pretty, and Twilight was glad nopony was watching, but she landed outside Fluttershy's cottage with little difficulty.

She lifted a hoof to knock on the door, but the door opened easily.  Twilight walked in, and gently said "Fluttershy, are you awake?"  Twilight tried this a few times, with slightly different wording, as she worked her way up the stairs to Fluttershy's bedroom.  The door was slightly open there too, and she pushed it open, and found an empty bed.

Twilight was now scared, and was yelling a little louder "Fluttershy, where are you?"  Twilight quickly searched the whole house and found no trace of Fluttershy.  She ran back to the front door, ready to panic, and then noticed Summer Rain's cottage out of the corner of her eye.

She sighed, and walked slowly and quietly to the door.  It was likewise open some, so she pushed it the rest of the way open without even knocking.  Summer's cottage was very small, and her bed could be easily seen from the front door.  Fluttershy was laying in Summer's bed softly weeping, and probably had been for a while.

Twilight just did what a true friend would do.  She quickly sat next to the bed, put her front leg around Fluttershy's neck and just held her.  There was really nothing else she could do except just 'be there'.  Before long, Twilight was crying herself.

After a while, they both calmed down together, and after a few sniffles, it was quiet.  Twilight said to Fluttershy "Are you gonna be ok?"

"Ya" Fluttershy replied.  "I guess I missed my sister more before than I realized, and to have her back then for her to leave...  It is just going to be hard for a while.  As much as I wanted her to stay, there really was no other pony who could do what she needs to do, and I will need to learn to live with that."

Twilight gave Fluttershy another hug and then said quietly "We will be here to help you Fluttershy."

After a brief pause, Twilight continued.  "We need to meet with the rest of the girls.  I think the whole town feels about Summer like we do, and we need to figure out how to address that."

Fluttershy sighed at this, then got up and quickly brushed her mane and tail using Summer's brush, and then they flew off together to Summer's tree.





Twilight and her special friends lay on their bellies on the grass in a tight circle facing each other.  At first, nopony said anything.  Twilight looked around the circle at the faces of her dear friends, and realized that, to varying degrees, they all felt the same as she did.

Princess Twilight took a deep breath and started talking.

"Before Summer Rain came, I considered you all very close, true friends, and still do, believe me.  I don't ever want to leave you special ponies.

"But Summer was in our daily lives for the space of four short moons, and we are all deeply hurt that she is not here now.  I think that, for the sake of our friendships together, it is crucial that we understand why this is.

"I think what Summer did was give of herself, fully and completely, on a daily basis, to each of us.  She was there for each of us, even if in very minor details.  She cared for us individually, and was always ready to help each of us.

"And we are hurting now, because we needed that, and it's go.. its not here right now."  (Twilight changed that last phrase for Fluttershy's sake.)  "It's not like we didn't do this before, it just wasn't much, certainly not to the extent Summer was... ...simply our friend.

"And this is the lesson for me at least.  There is a huge difference between being a friend, and making the effort to get involved in your friends lives on a daily basis, doing whatever you can to help them.  Summer Rain was an amazing example of this.

"From this point on, we need to do for each other exactly what Summer did for each of us.  Our friendships together are certainly worth this.  I know now more than I have ever known, or felt; I need each of you so very much.  You are all, each of you, worth my every effort to do anything I can to help you.

"Friendship is magic", and you are all my dear friends, but Summer Rain showed us that as true friends we must invest, deeply and sensitively, in each other's lives on a daily basis.  So now, we need to pick up where Summer Rain left off in each other's lives.  I think that is the only solution to the pain we feel.

Princess Twilight paused, then asked "Am I making any sense?"

It was silent for a little while, then Pinkie Pie spoke up, a little more subdued than her usual self, but not by much.

"Princess Twilight, you just told us that we all need to get up off our tails and get involved in each other's lives; like true friends really should, like Fluttershy's sister did.  Right?"

Rainbow Dash was next.  "I'm really gonna miss Summer.  We did a lot of cool, awesome things together.  But this only happened because Summer went out of her way to find cool, awesome stuff we could do together to begin with.  She taught me that I really need to pick up my game and treat you guys like the true friends you are."

Nodding around the circle pretty much confirmed that these were everyponies' thoughts.

But Pinkie wasn't done.  "Twilight, you will probably need to say all this again, because Ponyville needs to hear it too.  Just sayin."  Pinkie said with a smile.

"Pinkie you are amazing.  You are all amazing." Princess Twilight said with a smile as she looked around the circle.  The smiles she saw in return were what she needed to see.

"Group Hug" Pinkie yelled, and it was so.





Princess Celestia and Princess Luna landed quietly next to this small group of friends.

The group hug stopped as all 6 ponies bowed in respect.

Princess Celestia gently raised Princess Twilight immediately, and softly said "Princess Twilight Sparkle, you need no longer bow at my presence.  Ever."  This pronouncement was followed by an approving smile, and Princess Celestia's star pupil returned it with a small nod.

Princess Luna spoke next.  "The impact of a ponies' life on other ponies, for better or worse, is generally not seen during the day.  It is during the night that the true impact of a pony on those around is clearly seen, and most honestly felt.

"Based on this simple truth, I have to say that Fluttershy's sister, Summer Rain, has had a profound, even amazing beneficial effect on the lives of many ponies in Ponyville.  It is clear to me she will be sorely missed, and many already suspect her absence."

Princess Celestia then concluded.  "We have sent members of the royal guard to gather the ponies of Ponyville to the Town Hall, so we can let them know what is happening.  They are awaiting us even now."

The walk to Ponyville was quick.  Twilight suggested to her girls that they find places wherever they could in the hall, mainly to help gauge what was going on.

The three Princesses walked through the door, up the center aisle, and up to the stage.  Princess Celestia approached the podium, as Princess Luna and Princess Twilight stood each behind her and to the side.

The ponies in the hall were hushed, even before the arrival of the Princesses.  By the time they were on the stage, you could hear a feather drop.

Princess Celestia smiled regally, and began to speak.

"Ponies of Ponyville, I would like to inform you that Summer Rain has left Ponyville for an extended period--"

Princess Celestia got this far, and there was a collective gasp from the townsponies, and a very pronounced moan.  Princess Celestia tried to comtinue.

"Summer Rain is actually outside Equestria on an important mission sanctioned by--"

Princess Celestia stopped with surprise as a number of ponies began to cry at this point.

Through tears one pony said "my only friend...", and another said "What am I going to do now?"

Princess Luna had misgivings about her sister's full grasp of the situation to begin with, and decided she needed to intervene, so she began to say "Sister..."

Princess Twilight was even more forward, and stepped up and said "Princess Celestia, if I may please."

The teacher wisely stepped back, bowed slightly, said "of course", and stood back by her sister.

Princess Luna laid her head on her sister's neck briefly and whispered "Thank you."

Princess Twilight Sparkle took to the podium and began using an appropriately somber tone.

"Ponies of Ponyville, Summer Rain has been sent on a mission sanctioned by Canterlot, to a possibly dangerous place far away for an unknown length of time."

Well this was a lot worse than the townsponies initially thought, and the response grew in kind.

Someponies were crying openly, many were shaking their heads back and forth in disbelief.  One or two of the younger ponies were crying loudly.

Twilight paused briefly then continued.  "Ponies of Ponyville do you hear this?

"Summer Rain was in our town four short moons.  While here, she lived out true friendship, and gave of herself, and so indelibly touched the lives of many ponies in our town.  She simply went out of her way to meet other ponies' needs.  

"Many ponies in this hall now realize they have lost, for a while anyway, a very crucial part of their lives, someone who helped them make it from one day to the next in some cases.

"The results of their pain you can now hear.  I cried too, a lot.

"But Summer's example taught me that there's a big difference between just being a friend, and living out true friendship on a daily basis in the lives of your friends.

"My dear friends, as a town, we all have to pick up where Summer Rain left off.  If you know of somepony that Summer Rain was helping, step in and take Summer's place.  If you see somepony here, and you know things are difficult for them, be their special friend, and help them make it through, just like Summer would.  There are probably more ponies around you that could 'use a hand'.  Be that 'friend in need' following Summer's amazing example.

"In such a short time, one special pony helped so many other ponies here.  Can you imagine what can happen to Ponyville if we all pitch in and live like true friends?  Count me in!"

Most of the ponies in the hall started stomping their front hooves in agreement at this point.

Over the noise Twilight yelled "Pinkie Pie, you know what to do!"

Almost before Twilight was done speaking, Pinkies' party cannon had gone of, and Pinky jumped up high and yelled "True Friend like Summer Party!!!!"

And it was so.
> Chapter 7, First Blush
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Rain traversed the portal quickly.  She realized that she was both moving and crying, and both would probably need some sort of attention after she came out at the other end.

Coming out the 'people' side of the portal she was still moving, just not near as fast as she surely was as she sprinted into the mirror.  Summer turned slightly to her left, and slid quickly to a stop on her right side in short grass.  She was amazed at how little sound this made.

The spider things where her hooves used to be were here to stay, and Summer quickly accepted that.  Summer used them to wipe tears from her new face.

Aside from being far thinner than she was as a pony, she felt ok, but knew sooner or later she would have to get up and walk like a people did.  That would be the real test.

The portal had supplied Summer with some sort of cloth coverings, which didn't look too bad as far as she could tell.  She remembered a little from Twilight's dream about this.  Summer just accepted that this was the way things were done here.

Oh, and her awesome book bag had been turned into something similar, now hanging from her shoulders?  Summer assumed from the weight that her books were still in it, they would just need to be smaller to fit.





Summer Rain quickly realized that she was not the only people on the grass here.  Summer had landed fairly close to another people.  This one was sitting up, curled almost in a ball, legs tucked up close.  She was resting her lower jaw on her legs like this, something a pony could never do.

This people was just staring off across the grass.  There were a bunch of small papers scattered on the ground around this people.

Without thinking much (enough) Summer Rain said "Hi" sort of questioningly.

The other people said calmly "If you are here to tease me please leave me alone."

Summer thought to herself. "Wait, that voice... light yellow coat, pink hair..."  Summer's eyes got very wide at this point.

"Fluttershy?" Summer said, again without thinking.

The other people looked over at Summer immediately, and her eyes likewise got very wide, and her mouth also got pretty big, well for a people.

"No, It can't be!" the other people said.  After a pause, the other people continued "Wh... Who are you?"

There were tears in the other people's eyes, and Summer could feel tears welling up in hers as well.

Suddenly there was a very loud noise, like a bell rang over and over very quickly.  The entire area was soon full of many people heading in many different directions.

No people paid any attention to Fluttershy or to this new people who probably couldnt even walk right now.  Both Summer and Fluttershy just sat there seemingly frozen for the longest time.





When it was quiet again, the other people tried again.  "Who are you?"

Summer was sure the other people was Fluttershy.

Summer sighed, realizing she needed more time to think this part through.  The parallel world Fluttershy was the last person Summer thought she would meet first.  But actually, Summer Rain decided this was probably the best people for her to begin with in this strange world.

"Fluttershy, I am not sure how to answer that.  Is there someplace we can go that's quiet so we can talk?" Summer tested.

Just like Summer's sister would, Fluttershy quickly accepted this.  Fluttershy said "Oh, ok, sure, my apartment is about a block away, we can walk there."  Fluttershy bent down and picked up the small papers scattered around her.

Summer sighed again and hoped for the best on this.  "Fluttershy, can you help me up?  I might have a little difficulty walking."

Fluttershy shrugged, then said "Sure", and tried to help Summer up.  It was awkward to say the least.  Summer still had muscles, the hard part was controlling them.  Summer's arm ended up around Fluttershy's neck, as they slowly made their way to Fluttershy's 'apartment', whatever that was.

The trip was un-eventful, except that some other people made a comment about "being drunk already" that neither of them appreciated much.  And the further they went, the more Summer could walk on her own.

Also on the way, Summer decided that she needed to make the connection with Princess Twilight early on.  This would help Fluttershy understand a lot, hopefully.

Fluttershy used a little stick thing to open the door to her 'apartment', and they both walked inside.  It reminded Summer a lot of her cottage, but had a lot of strange things in it.

Fluttershy motioned for Summer to sit on a long, soft bench.  While impossible for a pony, it was very comfortable now.

"Would you like something to drink?" Fluttershy asked

"Water would be fine S.."  Summer almost said 'Sis' out of habit, but caught herself.

Summer really didn't know how to handle this part.  If Fluttershy really had a sister on this side of the portal, then Summer couldn't really occupy that spot (though she wanted to).  It would get very complicated, very fast.

Fluttershy brought two cups of water, set them down on a low table near the bench, then sat down on the bench near Summer Rain.

Summer took a deep breath.





"Fluttershy, do you remember Princess Twilight?" Summer said hopefully.

Fluttershy replied immediately "Oh yes, she was here just a few weeks ago.  They are still rebuilding the front of the school where Sunset Shimmer tore it up.  Sunset Shimmer quickly disappeared, and the school is not happy having to pay for all the damage.  They got the hole filled in quickly enough and the lawn fixed, but the damage to the front of the school is pretty bad.

"That had to have been the strangest thing the school has ever seen, but it seems Princess Twilight saved the students from far worse.  We are all thankful, but then Princess Twilight disappeared almost as quickly as she arrived.

"People talked about it for a little while, but then it was like it never happened.  I thought she was really nice though."

Fluttershy paused for a minute in thought.  "Wait, how do you know Princess Twilight?"

At this point, Summer Rain remembered something Twilight said that Summer really should not have remembered, but she needed this, and was thankful for it.

"Do you remember what Pinkie Pie said about Princess Twilight in the boutique?" Summer asked.

"Hmm..."  Fluttershy again paused in thought, then said "I think Pinkie said that Princess Twilight was from a different world, and had to come here to get her crown back from Sunset Shimmer."

Confused, Fluttershy asked again "How would you know about that?"

Summer took a deep breath again.

"Fluttershy, Princess Twilight is a very close friend of mine, and specifically asked me to come help you and your friends."

"Then you are not..."  Fluttershy began.

"Fluttershy, I am from Princess Twilight's world Summer said quietly.

"The only reason that Princess Twilight was able to defeat Sunset Shimmer's magic was because you and your four friends chose to become Princess Twilight's friends, and do whatever you could to help her.

"Princess Twilight was able to root her magic in your common friendship and character on this world the same way she could in hers.  That makes you special pon.."  Summer had to stop herself again "you special people are very amazing.

"I don't know if you and the others felt that bond of friendship, but Princess Twilight certainly did feel that bond and has not forgotten it.  Her duties as a Princess would make a return here unthinkable, but she asked me to come in her place.

Fluttershy was quiet for a minute then said "She remembers, and she cares, thats amazing.  I really liked her.  And for a while she pulled me and my friends together.  I wish it lasted though."

Summer looked into Fluttershy's eyes, and calmly said "Fluttershy, thats why I'm here, to try to rebuild your friendships.  Thats why Princess Twilight asked me to come."

At this point a small picture frame thing on the table made a beeping noise.  Fluttershy picked it up, moved her spider legs on it a little, then put it down.  Then Fluttershy spoke quickly "Wait, we should tell the others, right?"

Summer sighed at this point and said "Wait Fluttershy, we need to do that, but I am still having difficulty even walking.  I think I need to learn a little more about this world first.  Will you be my teacher?" Summer asked Fluttershy quietly.

"Of course" Fluttershy said softly with a smile as Angel hopped up in her lap.

"I guess your world is very different from ours" Fluttershy added.

"And Fluttershy, I don't think it would be good for most people to find out that I am from another world." Summer cautioned.

Fluttershy replied somberly "Ya, you are probably right, but that might be difficult."
> Chapter 8, Fluttershy's Sister
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a brief pause, Fluttershy spoke up timidly "I promised that I would help you, but you haven't even told me your name.  That doesn't seem very fair."

Summer sighed, then said quietly "My name is Summer Rain."

At this Fluttershy burst into tears, and simply cried for a while.  Summer did what true friends do, she held Fluttershy, who quickly wrapped her front legs around Summer and held her tightly.

Soon they were both crying, but it was ok.  Summer knew she needed this, and Summer also thought of a couple of reasons why Fluttershy did too.

After a while, Fluttershy loosened her grip and settled down some.  They both sniffled for a few minutes, and it was quiet.

Summer took both of Fluttershy's spider leg things in hers, looked Fluttershy in the eyes and said quietly "Fluttershy, tell me about your sister."

Summer Rain didn't even know where that came from, but it made sense since a lot of the people in this world matched ponies back home.  Besides, Summer needed to know this.





Still sniffling a little, Fluttershy began to tell her sister's story.  "She was my big sister, and when we were younger we played together a lot.  People said we were inseparable, a big word we couldn't even pronounce for the longest time.  And we never seemed to run out of fun games to play together.  Even when we started school, we would play together after we got home, and at school as much as we could.  She was my only real friend.

"She changed in Junior High though.  Maybe she got too old for me, or maybe she just got too wrapped up in sports, Soccer especially.  I don't know."

Fluttershy paused here to think a minute, then continued.

"Sports, or maybe just competition, became all that mattered to Summer, but she was never the best at anything, and took a lot of teasing because of that.  Well she just tried harder, I guess, but it didn't seem to make any difference, she still could never catch the front runners, regardless of the sport.

"Junior High, High School, it was the same cycle; train hard, lose, get mad.  Summer became very mean, even to me.  She started teasing me a lot, I guess because she was getting teased a lot too.  But it really hurt me.  It was so bad I didn't even want to be around her anymore, but that hurt too.

"Then about a year ago..."

Fluttershy stopped at this point, and Summer guessed she couldn't go on.  Summer moved over next to Fluttershy, put her front leg around Fluttershy's neck, and said "Fluttershy, what happened to your sister?"

"She was mad... She was driving... She was drinking..."

As Fluttershy spelled this out, she began crying...

"They found her car...  ...at the bottom of a ravine...  ...it was burnt so bad they couldn't even identify the remains."

Fluttershy didn't even try to talk any more, and just cried on Summer's shoulder.

Summer Rain didn't understand the details, but it didn't matter.  In this world, Fluttershy's sister was dead, finally engulfed in the same destructive cycle that Summer herself was locked in, before she learned that it didn't have to be that way.

Summer herself was also soon crying.  Any life so horribly thrown away was a sad occasion.  Summer Rain also cried for her own sister, Summer guessed she had put her Fluttershy through a lot as well, and Summer made a mental note to apologize to her sister when she could.

As they were both sitting there crying, almost without thinking, Summer said to Fluttershy "I'm so sorry Sis...", and Fluttershy just squeezed Summer tighter.

After a while, both of their crying subsided, and they sat there sniffling, and were both soon calm again.





Wiping tears from her eyes Fluttershy timidly asked Summer Rain if she had a sister.  Fluttershy didn't yet understand how parallel their two worlds were.

Summer took a deep breath, then worked on answering this question.

"In my world, I have a younger sister.  And by the way, I might start crying again trying to tell you this."

Fluttershy reached out her spider things this time and simply held Summer's.

After a pause, Summer said calmly "Her name is Fluttershy."

Fluttershy gasped at this, then said "Oh my gosh, I would have never guessed..."

Summer continued.

"She is almost identical to you; hair color, coat color, temperment...

"And like you she is the most quiet, giving, perceptive pony, er people I know."

Fluttershy stopped her at this point.  "So your world is Ponies, just like there's people here, so your Fluttershy is just like me basically, except that she's a pony?"

Summer answered "Yes, but remember, I don't think the existance of my parallel world should be spread around much."

"Yes, but that explains a lot" Fluttershy answered.  "Summer used to call me 'Sis' all the time too.." and at this Fluttershy smiled at Summer."





Fluttershy was quiet for a moment, then she squeezed Summer's spider leg things and said "Please... tell me about yourself Summer."

Summer Rain sighed and started putting some sentences together.

"Aside from the differences between your world and mine, I was pretty much just as you described your sister.  When I was younger, Fluttershy and I played together constantly, but then I changed.  In my world I can fly, so I decided I had to be the best at flying, only I wasn't.  Ever."

Fluttershy interrupted Summer at this point.  "So when we helped Princess Twilight defeat Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow and I were flying, and had wings.  I am guessing they can fly in your world too?"

"Yes" Summer answered, then paused a minute, then continued "And to be honest, in my world, Rainbow Dash may have been one of the front runners I was chasing.  We are best friends now though-- "

Fluttershy interrupted again at this point "Same with my sister.  Rainbow Dash was younger than Summer, and part way through Rainbow's first year at Equestria High, Rainbow could easily beat my sister at just about every sport.  Summer wasn't real happy about this.  It didn't help that Rainbow was a part of our group of friends back then.  I heard a lot about that.

"I'm sorry, you can keep going." Fluttershy said a little embarrassed for interrupting.

Again out of habit Summer quickly responded "Sis its ok, the more I learn about this world, the better."

Fluttershy smiled, and read Summer's mind.  "It's ok I don't mind that at all.  It is kind of like I have my sister back."

Summer Rain was more concerned about what to say next than to deal with this now.  Putting her head down, Summer said quietly "I have no doubt that I would have ended up like your sister, and be dead now.  But I learned something that changed my life, and changed me a lot.  I learned that true friendship means putting others first.  I chose this path, and it probably saved my life.

"I guess I'm a real dummy.  I watched my sister live this way all her life, and never thought twice about it.  But Princess Twilight, and her amazing friends accomplished so much built on true friendship, and I couldn't ignore it.

"I read about Princess Twilight's.. wait no, the whole group's accomplishments in some books the ruler of Equestria wrote about them.  I decided that's what I really wanted, to enjoy friendships like that, and I changed.  I decided to change."

At this point Summer paused, and looked out the window at the setting sun.  Almost as if thinking to herself, Summer Rain said "A year ago, I was just like your sister, and headed the same way.  True friendship made all the difference.

"Now I'm here with the hope that I can bring you and four other special people back together, hoping that I can help them experience the true friendship that changed my life.  Princess Twilight and I both would dearly like to see this happen."

Fluttershy brought Summer back to the present, gently saying "Summer..."

Fluttershy looked into Summer Rain's eyes and said "I really want to help you."

"Thank you Fluttershy, I know I'll need it" Summer Rain replied.

"You mentioned before, that this is like having your sister back, and to a point that may be true.  But Fluttershy, there is no way I can replace your sister, and I won't even try.  But I will do everything I can to be the very best friend that you have ever had.  And if I call you 'Sis', I hope you will understand that I mean well."

They hugged briefly, and Fluttershy said "Thank you Summer Rain from Ponyville, I think I was beginning to dispair of ever having a friend again."

In her mind Summer winced at this, remembering her first mental picture of Fluttershy curled up in a ball surrounded by a mess of little papers, staring off into the distance.

"It is sad to think that you had to come from so far away to be my friend..." Fluttershy said hesitantly.

Summer Rain interrupted Fluttershy at this point.  "Wait Fluttershy, if I came all the way here, and you were the only true friend I made, I would consider the trip wildly successful and easily worth it."

Fluttershy smiled and said simply "I know."

Then Fluttershy said cheerfully "Tomorrow is Saturday, there's no school, and I usually spend mornings at the Animal Shelter helping out.  Are you interested?

"Fluttershy, if you go, I'm going!" Summer answered with a smile.





Fluttershy sighed and said "Its way past dinner time, are you hungry?"

Summer Rain replied "If that's the meaning of the slight pain I feel where I think my stomach is, then I guess so."

"I'll make us both a salad" Fluttershy said.  Fluttershy got up and went to where to food must have been.  Fluttershy's 'apartment' was small, so they could easily continue talking.

Fluttershy said "Summer, we do have another big problem though, what are we going to tell everyone else?  I understand that you don't want to tell everyone that you are from a different world."

"Yes, that would not go over well, and would cause a lot of problems I think" Summer answered.  "However, I do intend to tell Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack the whole story, but will want them to keep it under wraps."

"But that isn't the real problem" Fluttershy offered.  You look exactly like my sister, and I mean exactly, down to the colors, your voice, and everything else.  You even have the same name.  Most of the people at school will recognize you right away.  What do we tell them?"

"But thats not the scary part" Fluttershy continued.  "My parents simply will not believe that you are not their daughter, and they have gone through a lot already.  I just don't know what to do, and don't want them to hurt any more than they already have."

Summer Rain thought for a minute then asked "Is there a possibility they will come by in the next few days?"

"Well I will probably get a text or two, but they are out of town until later next week." Fluttershy said.

"Well, we will need to come up with a plan for both soon then" Summer said with a frown.  Just not tonight though, this has been a tough day for me" Summer said with a sigh.

Summer was quiet for a minute, then she sighed again.  "Fluttershy, can I stay here with you, at least for now?  I just realized I have no place to stay in this world."

Fluttershy put a bowl of leafy greens down in front of Summer, then smiled and said "Summer you can stay with me as long as you want, and I will enjoy every minute."

"Thanks Sis" Summer replied, and they both laughed.





Summer's 'crash course' about Fluttershy's world began right after dinner.

They both sat on the couch (the real name of the comfy bench), and talked for hours.

Fluttershy gave Summer a lot of the right words, and explained some of the peculiarities of this place -- bathrooms, toothbrushes, clothes, manners -- they talked until very late.

Fluttershy mentioned that the clothing area was very important, especially for Summer who came from a world where clothes were just occasional fashion accessories.  Summer Rain accepted this, and just decided to trust what her sister said in this area.

Fluttershy also made it clear that there were a lot of hazards in her world.  From electricity to cars, there were some things in this world that people would probably, and did frequently die if they did.

Summer told Fluttershy that she probably needed Fluttershy far more than she realized.  In her head, Summer noted that this world was far more complicated than Ponyville.

Overall, Summer dearly missed her wings, but very much liked her arms, hands and fingers.

After a few minutes talking about it, Summer told Fluttershy that learning about her 'Cell-phone' would need to wait, there was just too much to take in.

At this point, they were both very tired.  Fluttershy gave Summer a toothbrush, and showed her how to brush her teeth.

Next Fluttershy pulled her bed out of the closet and unfolded it.  She called it a 'cot'.  Fluttershy had two 'sleeping bags', and threw one on her cot, and the other at Summer, knocking her over onto the couch.

"You can sleep on the couch, I'll take the cot." she said.

Fluttershy checked to make sure all the doors and windows were locked, and the curtains were closed, then turned the lights off, and they were both soon cozy in their own beds.

"Thanks Sis" Summer said gently.

Fluttershy sighed, and said "It's been so long since a sister named Summer talked nice to me."

"You can count on more" Summer quickly replied.

Fluttershy quietly said "Thank you Summer Rain from Ponyville."
> Chapter 9, Rebuilding Bridges, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Rain awakened groggily to the sound of Fluttershy talking.

The sun was clearly up.  Summer Rain wasn't too suprised at this since she figured that she was up for almost two full days when she finally went to sleep yesterday

Summer was awake, and just laying still.  She rolled her head to the side, and realized that Fluttershy was sitting on her cot talking into her little picture frame thing she called a 'cell phone'.  

Fluttershy was evidently talking to someone.  Summer was asleep for the beginning of the conversation, but caught this much.

Summer decided there was dialogue because there was a substantial pause between each of Fluttershy's sentences.

"Oh, and just so you both know, I have a real sweet friend staying with me for a while."

"No dad its another girl.  You know I would never do that."

"Mom, I know her pretty well, and she's not the type to take advantage of me."

"We are going to the Animal Shelter together in a bit."

Fluttershy laughed at this point "Yes mom, she actually wants to come."

"Just an old friend I guess."

"Well, this is my concern... She looks a lot like Summer...  I just--"

There was a longer pause.

"Well ya, I understand that you are not ready for this yet.  I know you both don't need any more reminders."

"Yes it has been hard for all of us."

"How about this.  Call or text whenever you want to drop by, and we will take care of the rest."

"I love you both.  Angel says 'hi' too."

"Bye"





"Morning Summer" Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Fluttershy I hope you know that your smile is priceless to me" Summer replied.

"Aww..." Fluttershy said as she looked down embarrassed.

"I'm sorry if I slept too long, do we still have time for the Animal Shelter?" Summer said.

"Ya, it's only around 9."

Fluttershy threw a brush to Summer, and said "Let's have some granola, then we can go."

Summer quickly found that brushing her hair with hands and fingers is a LOT easier.  She did miss her tail though.

"Fluttershy, do you have something I can wrap around my hair to hold it all back?  It tickles my nose" Summer said.

"Sure just a sec, I'll put it up in a Pony Tail for you." Fluttershy said.

"A what?" Summer asked incredulously.

"Here, let me show you" Fluttershy said.

Fluttershy sat on the couch, and from behind, used the brush to gather together all of Summer's long blond hair near her head, than used some sort of stretchy band thing to hold it back like that.

"This hurts my head just a little" Summer mentioned.

"Oh, I'll fix that."  Fluttershy backed the band away from her head a little and it felt better.

"Seriously now, what is this called?" Summer said.

Fluttershy answered calmly "It's called a Pony Tail."

At this Summer Rain began laughing hysterically for a minute or two

Fluttershy just sat there smiling.

"Its just that" (laughter) "I actually have a real pony tail in Equestria" (more laughter) "and now I have two" (laughter).  Summer abruptly stopped laughing and then said "Well wait...  Now I just have one...  Wow which planet am I from?"

Fluttershy chuckled at this, then they both laughed together. 

Fluttershy motioned Summer to a small table with two chairs, and two bowls of what was probably Granola.

"Fluttershy can you show me please?" Summer asked.

Fluttershy poured some 'milk' in her bowl of granola, picked up a 'spoon' with her fingers, and started putting the granola in her mouth and chewing it up.

Summer Rain tried to do the same, and it worked out pretty well.

"Wow this is good!" Summer said.

After they were both done, Summer Rain said to Fluttershy "I think when we eat, I will just have what you have and as much as you have.  My new body doesn't look like it will tolorate eating too much very well."

"That's fine Sis" Fluttershy said reassuringly.

Summer found some of Fluttershy's clothes that fit reasonably well, and changed into them in the bathroom, and they were both soon ready to go.

Fluttershy picked up her backpack, and Angel hopped over expectantly.  Fluttershy paused as if in thought.  Then she put her backpack down and said "Angel I think you are staying home today.  The dogs usually scare you anyway."  Angel looked disappointed, then hopped over to the cot and climbed under the covers.

"Wait...  Where's my backpack!?  I can't even remember what I did with it"  Summer said suddenly.

"Relax Sis, it's at the end of the couch, and it feels like it's full of bricks" Fluttershy said with a chuckle.

Summer sighed with relief, then said "Well books, I hope, but we will check that later."

They were soon out the door, and Fluttershy again used her key to lock the door.  Fluttershy said the Animal Shelter was a few blocks away so they headed down the 'sidewalk'.





As they started walking towards the Animal Shelter, Fluttershy said "I think I gave us some time on one of the problems.  That was my parents I was talking too before on my cell."

"Ah ok I guessed as much" Summer said.

"I told them some about you and that you are staying with me.  I also told them that you looked a lot like Summer, their daughter, and they agreed that seeing you might be a problem.  So when they want to stop by, they will let me know, and you will need to find somewhere else to go for a while.  I hope thats ok" Fluttershy said anxiously.

"Of course, that's fine." Summer responded.

"And for what its worth" Fluttershy continued, "you do look different with your hair up like that, which could come in handy."

"Yes, two pony tails" Summer said grinning.

"Well, it probably won't help with my parents though, your face looks exactly like their daughter." Fluttershy said quietly.  "And your name is also exactly the same as their daughter, we can't just change that over night."

Summer Rain jumped in at this point.  "And as much as I like to call you 'Sis', this may not be a good idea either."

Summer and Fluttershy both sighed at the same time, then looked at each other and smiled.

"Like you, I really want to avoid hurting their feelings any more" Summer said.  "I can't even imagine how bad they must feel."

Fluttershy was quiet at this, and Summer put her arm around Fluttershy's neck and gave her a hug.

"Well we have some time on that one anyway" Fluttershy mentioned, "but what about school?"

After some thought, Summer Rain said "I have no idea."

Summer Rain and Fluttershy walked in silence for about a block, and they were almost to the Animal Shelter.

Fluttershy stopped suddenly, and Summer did too.

"Well this is a small detail" Fluttershy ventured quietly, "But what are we gonna tell the people at the shelter?  We have about a block to decide."

There was a large area of grass in front of an official looking building, the Post Office, and Summer walked over into the grass and sat down sighing.

Fluttershy was quickly sitting next to Summer.

Summer was lost in thought for a while then said "Sis..."

Fluttershy said "ya?"

"I can't NOT be Summer Rain.  It just won't work.  I AM Summer Rain, and any careful stories we weave will quickly unravel.  This means we need to be extremely carefully what we tell who, but it's the only way that will work.  And we will have to tell your parents at some point, probably most everything."

Summer Rain looked into Fluttershy's eyes and said slowly "Do you still want me in your house?"

Fluttershy quickly threw both arms around Summer's neck and said "Of course!" while giving her a hug. 

Fluttershy then said quietly "I said I wanted to help you, and I meant it.  It will be hard, but together we will make it."

Summer paused then said "Fluttershy, you are a true friend, thank you."

Summer continued "I don't think we should go around bragging about this, but when it comes up we need to carefully explain."

Summer Rain got up, and carefully pulled the strap out, and her blond hair tumbled down over her shoulders.

Summer shrugged, and said "I am Summer Rain, I really can't be someone else."

"Lets go pet some fluffies" Fluttershy said with a smile.





Fluttershy led Summer Rain into the shelter through the front door.  Fluttershy said "Hi Kathy" to a lady sitting at a table near the door.

Kathy looked up briefly from some papers she was reading, then said "Hi Fluttershy and Summer, nice to see you two on speaking terms again" and was quickly back to her papers as they walked further into the shelter.

"Dogs first or Cats?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sis I'm following you, lead on!" Summer said cheerfully.

After a brief pause, Fluttershy said "Dog kennels are over here, lets do them first because they will go crazy if they smell the cats."

They were soon outside in a small yard.  "Watch your step" Fluttershy cautioned.

Along the outside wall of the shelter were a number of large cages, most held a dog.  They all started barking and wagging when they saw Fluttershy.

Fluttershy pulled a rope thing, oops a 'leash' from the wall.  One at a time, she would open a cage, connect the leash to the dog's collar, then bring the dog out.  Fluttershy would pet the dog while talking to it, and usually brush the dog's fur.

If the dog was 'behaving" (Fluttershy's word), she would unhook the collar and let the dog run around the small yard.  Some dogs would bring anything loose they could find in the yard to Fluttershy, and then run like mad to get it when she threw it.

It was clear Summer's sister adored every animal.

"You two are so alike" Summer Rain thought to herself.

Summer didn't consider herself an "Animal person".  While helping her sister at the cottege with all her animals, Fluttershy never forced an animal into Summer's lap.  This Fluttershy was likewise just as considerate.

Still, Summer was enjoying every minute of this, both Fluttershy's were "extremely rare people, er ponies, oh whatever" Summer thought to herself.

Putting the last dog back in the cage, and a bit out of breath "Cats next" Fluttershy said as she led the way back inside.

They were soon in a smaller room that had stacked rows of cages along one wall where a number of cats were sitting or lying down.  Fluttershy said they were sulking.

One at a time, Fluttershy gently lifted a cat out of a cage, then sat on a rug on the floor with the cat in her lap.  She petted and scratched them.  She also brushed the fur on some of them.  Summer was again amazed at Fluttershy's tenderness and sensitivity with these animals.

While petting one of them, and thinking half out loud, Fluttershy said "If I could, I would move out into the country, build a house, and bring all these animals with me."

"I have no doubt" Summer said with a smile.

Cats done, Fluttershy and Summer Rain headed back out the front door.  "Thanks for coming you two, I'm sure the animals appreciated it." Kathy said without even looking up.

After the door was shut, Fluttershy sighed, and said half to herself "I really wish we could get more volunteers."

"I'm sorry Sis.  I know thats important to you" Summer said consolingly.





The walk back to Fluttershy's apartment didn't take too long, but they talked along the way just the same.

"So why did Kathy know who I was but not freak out like I was the walking dead or something?" Summer asked.

Fluttershy thought a minute then said "I don't know."

"My parents are not very outgoing, and aside from an article in the newspaper, the town didn't really hear a lot about it.

"Summer just stopped coming to school..."

Fluttershy stopped abruptly at this point, and there were tears welling up in her eyes.

Summer put her arm around her, and gave her a hug, and said "Lets drop that, I'm sorry."

They were at Fluttershy's apartment at this point, and Fluttershy let them both in.

Concerned, Summer said "You ok?"

"Ya, I'll be ok.  There were a lot of mean rumors around school...  And I couldn't handle much...  I don't think anyone there really knew exactly what happened."

There were a few moments of silence.

"Summer?"  Fluttershy said quietly.  "Thanks for being my friend."

They hugged for a little while.

"Ok, wheres my bricks, er, books?" Summer Rain said.

Fluttershy pointed to the end of the couch, "They are a little heavy for me, I'll let you..."

Summer had her 'Backpack' quickly in her lap.  It was still white with gold trim, with a small copy of Summer's Cutie Mark on the outer flap.  It was just a backpack now, and not a saddlebag like it used to be.  It still looked awesome.

It was quickly open, and Summer gave out a sigh of relief as she noted that all three of her books made it through the Portal intact, and without losing any words.  They looked a little smaller to Summer, but she realized they she might be bigger now, who knows.

"Can we read some out of one tomorrow?" Fluttershy asked.

Summer quickly repied "Sure Sis, but I'd like to do the first session together if you don't mind."

Summer put the books back in the backpack.

"What's this?" Fluttershy asked pointing to the three drops on the backpack that were a copy of Summer's Cutie Mark.

Summer had to stop and think about this a minute.  She doubted that this even came up when Princess Twilight was here.  In fact, she wasn't even sure she still had hers.

"Sis, hold that thought just for a minute" Summer said.

Summer went into the bathroom and checked, it was still there, halfway between her waist and her knee.  It looked smaller than she remembered, but it didn't matter.

She also remembered Fluttershy saying that this part of her body needed to stay covered up, and anything else just wasn't appropriate.

Summer was back out sitting next to her sister, and she talked a little about Cutie Marks.

"Well Fluttershy, Cutie Marks are a big deal in Equestria.  Everypony there gets one as they grow up.  A ponies' Cutie Mark is generally connected to some special talent or ability, or else actually becomes visible at a time connected with the meaning of the mark.  Frequently a ponies' Cutie Mark is a good indication of who they are, or what they can do, what they are good at.  Most young ponies can't wait until their marks appear, and they can be subject to a lot of teasing until then."

This was all correct, but in her mind Summer was trying to forget that practically none of this was true in Summer's case.

Fluttershy actually seemed to be taking this all in very quickly.

She pointed to the drops on Summer's backpack and said "Is this what your Cutie Mark looks like?

Summer sighed and said quietly "Yes, I just checked, it's still there."

Sensing the resignation in Summer's voice, Fluttershy said "Aww, whats wrong Summer?"

"Its just that" Summer said haltingly "a lot of what I just said about Cutie Marks is true for just about everypony, except me it seems.  My Cutie mark arrived without fanfare late one evening right before bedtime, and nopony, not even me, knows what it means or signifies.  I still don't know what my 'special ability' is."

After a minute of awkward silence, Fluttershy spoke up timidly "Sis, I think your special ability is being a friend."

"Thanks Fluttershy" Summer said with a smile.

After a few moments silence, Summer Rain continued her discourse.

"And if you had a Cutie Mark it would be--"

At this Fluttershy immediately used her hand to make sure her dress was down over her legs.  Summer understood instantly.

"Wait -- do you have one Sis?"

Fluttershy timidly looked at the ground and said "yes."

"Is it three small butterflies?" Summer queried

Fluttershy nodded yes.  "I'd show you but it isn't exactly in a nice spot.

Summer Rain smiled broadly and said "Sis that's amazing -- just like my Sister's--" and then stopped abruptly here.

"Wait... Most people here do NOT have them right?  How and when did you get yours?" Summer asked

"People can tattoo all sorts of marks on their bodies, but no one here gets Cutie Marks out of nowhere."  Fluttershy said with a sigh.

"I noticed it after Princess Twilight left.  Oh Summer, is it ok that I have one?  I haven't told anyone else about it.

"Sis don't be ashamed, that mark is a pulling together of who you are.  You are amazing with animals, and thats what yours means" Summer said a little too loud, but she was excited.

"Well I did tell Rarity one day.  Evidently all five of us got ours at the same time" Fluttershy said thoughtfully.

Summer stopped talking a minute to take this in.

"Wait... So you, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow all have Cutie Marks now?" Summer asked.

"Yes" Fluttershy said cautiously, "Is that ok?"

"Well it's definitely not bad, and might certainly indicate that you five need to stay together as friends." Summer mused.

"At any rate, I think that's awesome, you all have a little piece of Equestria now!"

"Not that you need to go bragging about that or anything, if you know what I mean" Summer quickly added.

After brief silence, Fluttershy was thinking out loud.  "Gosh, I have a Cutie Mark now.  I think it's beautiful, I really like it.  It's like I always have some special animal friends with me."

"It is as beautiful as you are Sis" Summer said with a smile.





Well it was getting late, and Summer was still tired from, uhm 'jet lag' Fluttershy called it.

Fluttershy again fixed a salad for them both, and they enjoyed a quiet meal together.

Fluttershy showed Summer how to work the shower, and brought  warm pajamas in for her to put on afterwards.  Summer remembered to brush her teeth before she came out.

They were both soon lying in their own beds with the lights out.

Summer Rain said "Fluttershy, I hope I can help you, Rainbow and the rest see true friendship for what it is, and want to pursue it together."

"Me too" Fluttershy said with a sigh.
> Chapter 10, The Edge of Forever
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight Sparkle TRIED to get up early anyway.  She did try to go to bed earlier, and so did wake up a little earlier.  So she really did get up earlier, well for this Princess anyway.

Yesterday was a long day, dealing with a town reeling from a single ponies' absence.  Princess Twilight was still amazed that one pony could have such a great impact on so many lives in such a short time, just by living out true friendship.

"Summer Rain you are amazing, I hope you know that, wherever you are" Twilight thought to herself.

The "True Friend like Summer Party" just yesterday afternoon and evening, had probably helped a lot, but the next few days and weeks would alone tell if the ponies of Ponyville really got the message.

Princess Twilight didn't need to look at her checklist for the day, she planned to spend most of the day with Fluttershy.  Summer asked Princess Twilight to take care of Fluttershy right before Summer jumped through the portal into the unknown, and Twilight would follow through.  Even though, had Summer not asked this, Princess Twilight thought she probably would have anyway.  Of all the ponies in Equestria, Fluttershy probably felt Summer's absence the most.





Princess Twilight quickly brushed her mane and tail, and gobbled down a small breakfast.

Spike was still asleep as she left and headed into Ponyville.

Twilight could have probably flown to Fluttershy's cottage.  But she didn't because she wanted to walk through town and 'get the feel' for how Ponyville might be doing.  Twilight knew she would still need to deal with awkward bowing, but that was part of her new role, so it was just something to embrace, and Twilight did that.

The first few ponies she met seemed to be doing ok.  The Princess was about to town hall, when Summer's friend Dawn Flower walked quickly up to Princess Twilight with her foal Camille.  She instructed Camille to bow, and then she did the same.

"Good morning Dawn and Camille.  How are you both doing?"  Twilight said in as regal a manner as she could muster.

Dawn got back up, and Camille followed.  Dawn had clearly been crying.  "Princess Twilight, Pinkie Pie said I could probably find you here."

"Thank you Pinkie!" Twilight thought to herself.

Dawn continued "Princess do you have any idea when Summer will be back?"

Twilight didn't need to hear any more, Dawn was clearly hurting at the loss of a close friend.  Thinking quickly, Twilight realized that the only pony who could help Dawn now would be...

"Oh Dawn, there you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Rarity exclaimed as she walked up to them both.

"Good morning Twilight" Rarity said to the Princess.

Recognizing Dawn's condition, Rarity quickly put her leg around Dawn's neck and gave her a big hug.

"Dawn, where are you headed?" Rarity asked.

Still sniffling, Dawn said "I was going to the meadow to collect some flowers."

"Dawn, would it be a problem if I came with you today?" Rarity asked.

"That would actually be nice Rare" Dawn replied.

Twilight noted that 'Rare' was Summer's nickname for Rarity, and Rarity loved it.

"I have cancelled all my appointments today just so we can wander together in the field and pick some amazing flowers." Rarity said  "Lets stop by the boutique and see if my sister can watch your kiddo, but it isn't a problem either way, she can come too."

Dawn bowed slightly to Twilight and turned to go with Rarity.

Rarity said "Bye Twilight" as the three of them walked off leaving Twilight behind.

Rarity started talking, and until Twilight could no longer hear, it went like this.  "Dawn, thank you so much for the Florals you did for me the other day, the customer loved the whole thing, your work is simply amazing.  I would like you to help me with some others now, and I was thinking..."

Princess Twilight smiled and thought "Good girl, Rare."

Walking a little further past the Town Hall, Princess Twilight saw Snips off in the distance, carying a heavy load of boxes... for Granny Smith?  "Thats an interesting change" Twilight thought to herself.





Picking up her pace, Princess Twilight was soon heading up the hill towards Fluttershy's cottage.

Fluttershy was already up and outside basking in the warm sunlight, and also surrounded by her beloved animals.  Fluttershy got up quickly at Twilight's approach, but then calmly sat back down.

Twilight walked over and simply sat down next to Fluttershy, and emjoyed a few minutes peace with her.  Then Twilight asked quietly "Fluttershy, can I spend the day with you?

"Sure Twilight" Fluttershy quickly responded.  "I think a little company would be nice."

"Well Fluttershy" Twilight began softly "I don't want my time here to be a burden, so don't feel like you need to entertain me or talk to me.  I can also help with any chores, but you may have to tell me what to do, and don't hesitate to have me just watch.  My goal is to simply enjoy your day with you, and not prevent you from enjoying it."

"Thank you Twilight, that sounds wonderful" Fluttershy said.  "And to be honest, Summer's help with the chores helped me a lot, and I wouldn't mind some help now.  I hope I'm not keeping you from anything else though."

"Today is yours Fluttershy" Twilight said, "Let's enjoy it together."





Princess Twilight's day with Fluttershy was indeed awesome.  They spent a lot of time just enjoying peace and quietness together.  They watched Fluttershy's friends, the animals, play together in the sun.

Twilight helped Fluttershy do some cleaning and tidying up inside the cottage, and they also cleared some brush away around it.  Twilight's magic came in handy for that.

Princess Twilight bought lunch for them both in town, and they had fun together doing that.  They went for a walk in the woods behind the cottage in the afternoon which was delightful.

They talked when it was good, and also enjoyed the calmness together.  As the sun settled towards the trees, Fluttershy made them both a very tasty Tea and Biscuits meal, and they simply chatted over dinner.

When dinner was done, Twilight looked out the window and frowned.  Twilight then got up from the table and said "Will it be ok if I head back to the Library now, and will you be ok tonite?  I can stay here if you think it will help."

Fluttershy answered softly "Princess Twilight, I really enjoyed having you here today, thank you."

And they hugged at this point.

"I think I will be ok tonite.  It's a big help knowing I have friends that care." Fluttershy said.  "Thank you Twilight."

They hugged again at the door, then Twilight walked down the hill from the Cottage.

At the bottom of the hill, Twilight unexpectedly met Princess Luna.

"The nights have been hard for your friend, but she will no doubt sleep better tonite.  Thank you Twilight Sparkle." Luna said seriously.

Twilight walked over and gave Luna a big hug too.  "I am so glad we have such a caring Princess watching over the night" Twilight said.

Twilight walked towards town, and then decided she did not want to walk the rest of the way to the Library.  Princess Twilight took unsteadily to the air.  She could barely see, but was soon flying towards the Library.  Her landing wouldn't win any awards, but she didn't fall either.





Twilight walked in the door of the Library.

Spike was up, doing some cleaning.  "You got a letter from Princess Celestia a little while ago" Spike mentioned.

"Can you read it to me?" Twilight asked.

"I thought you would never ask" Spike said with a grin. "Ahem" Spike began.

"Dear Princess Twilight,

I am sending an Air Coach to pick you up tomorrow morning to bring you to Canterlot.  I have a minor issue I want to update you on personally.  We can discuss anything else you wish as well.

Faithfully yours, Princess Celestia"

Twilight thought for a moment, then said "Ok, I'll be ready."

Spike started laughing, and said "well I guess you should skip staying up reading half the night again!"

"Well it won't be the first time" Twilight said with a sigh.  "Maybe Princesses aren't supposed to sleep in."

Spike smiled and said "Not this one anyway."

A look of concern swept across Princess Twilight's face.  "Oh Spike, things have been so hectic, and I really haven't been able to spend much time with you.  I'm so sorry."

"It's ok Twilight" Spike said.  "When you have time just fly me for a ride like Summer does."

"Well we can try that, but I'm not very good at even flying myself around yet" Princess Twilight said with a sigh.

"Just wait until I'm bigger, I will be flying you around!" Spike bragged.

"Well I hope I live that long" Twilight said jokingly.

"Today with Fluttershy was amazing, but I need some sleep.  This has been a tough few days." Twilight said.

"Ya me too" Spike said.

The lights in the Library were soon out.  The last thing Princess Twilight remembered thinking before nodding off to sleep was "Summer, I hope you are doing ok."





The next morning early (for Twilight anyway), the Air Coach arrived, and Twilight was soon in the Audience Hall with Princess Celestia.

After hugging, and some cheerful banter, Princess Celestia started their meeting.

"My main reason for bringing you here is to just update you on Sunset Shimmer.  After her abrupt return, she was immediately arrested and quarantined.  She is being watched and guarded carefully.

"I have talked to her a few times, and it does seem she is repentent for her actions.  However, the intention of bringing a foreign army into Equestria with the hope of taking it over is a very serious offense that we cannot simply ignore.

"I am not sure what to do about her yet.  If she remains cooperative, I may consider taking her back as a student, but that approach has serious concerns, and she will need to be watched carefully.

"And for your information, the worst case scenario would be that you and your friends would need to wield the Elements of Harmony to defeat her again should things get out of hand.

"Well thats what I know.  Do you have any suggestions?"

Princess Twilight thought a minute then added simply this.  "Well I think there is no reason to rush this.  Also, I would like her to be moved away from the Mirror Portal if possible."

"I agree with your first comment, and your second one is a very good idea, I will have Shining Armor to see to that soon" Princess Celestia said with approval.

"I just want to avoid having anything impede Summer's return when its time" Princess Twilight said quietly.

"My feelings as well Twilight" Princess Celestia added.

"Is there anything you need to tell me about Ponyville?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Well, let me answer that on a few levels" Princess Twilight began.

"Like I told the girls the day after Summer left, I learned that there is a big difference between calling yourself someone's friend, and actually acting like a friend and doing what you can to meet each other's needs.  Summer Rain's example was amazing in this regard, and I think our entire group learned from this.

"As far as the townsponies are concerned, I am seeing signs that some at least have taken true friendship to heart, and that is encouraging.  Nopony is forcing this on anypony else, and I know that this can't be and shouldn't be coerced, but I am seeing evidence that some may be adopting this approach, at least for the time being.

"I guess time will really tell how far it goes."

"Good observations" Princess Celestia said approvingly.





Their official business done, Princess Celestia said "How about some lunch?"

"That would be wonderful" Princess Twilight said with a smile.

Before long they were sitting down to a leisurely meal together at their favorite place.  They had a secluded table set aside for Princesses, and they were never bothered.  Of course the 8 guards posted nearby helped with that too.

They talked about a lot of things that afternoon.  Learning how to be a Princess was not an overnight thing for Twilight Sparkle.  However, Princess Celestia assured Twilight that she was doing very well, far beyond anypony's expectations.

At one point, Twilight looked off into the distance, deep in thought.  "I hope Summer Rain comes back soon" Twilight said with a sigh.

At this, Princess Celestia sighed as well.  "As am I.  My initial concern with this whole thing was the importance of your five friends in that parallel world.

"But like you and many other ponies, I am concerned for Summer Rain's safety.  We really don't know much about the hazards of that place."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Why do we even have that mirror"  Princess Twilight queried.  "It seems like it brings far more problems than it solves.  I would rather die than abandon Summer there, but when she returns, can't we destroy it?  Or maybe just disable it?"

At this question, Princess Celestia frowned, looked down, lost in thought.  After a brief pause, she answered "I don't think that is for either of us to decide.  She paused again then said "I guess it is time you learned this.  And by the way, you are sworn to secrecy on this information, even should your life be at stake.  Do you agree to this?"

Princess Twilight was stunned.  However she remembered that there may be 'hidden costs' associated with being a Princess, so she really had no choice.  Twilight wanted it to be like this.  She put her head down and said quietly "I do agree."

Princess Celestia called the nearest guard over, and spoke to him briefly.  The guards that were present then moved out and adopted a much wider perimeter, and none of them were even close to being within hearing distance of the two princesses.  But then, nopony else was either.

Princess Celestia looked out over the horizon and began.

"That mirror was fashioned eons ago, using pony magic that nopony can even remember.  It was fashioned as a Portal, a stable link between two worlds; our own, and another parallel world you experienced briefly.

"What little we have experienced with the beings in the parallel world suggests that over those eons, they have advanced rapidly. And nopony who has ever been there has stayed for very long.

"Sunset Shimmer was one exception, but she only stayed there long enough to lure you there with the hope of obtaining your crown.  She didn't realize that your power lay not just in your crown, but in your relationships with your friends, and their character.  Once this became clear, she returned to Equestria as well, and has shown absolutely no desire to go back.

"Summer Rain will be the other exception, and we can only hope she is faring well.  And the importance of her task may be greater than we know.  Only time will tell how all that works out."

Princess Twilight thought about this for some time then repeated "Well still, can we not disable, or destroy it, so that we can forever sever the link between our worlds?"

Princess Celestia sighed again, and said "Dear child... Anypony who goes through the Portal to that world, and returns to this world..."  Princess Celestia paused here before completing the sentence.

"...stops aging."

Princess Twilight was aghast, and her thoughts were confused as she tried to make sense out of this.  After what seemed like forever, Twilight said "So you..."

Princess Celestia completed the thought.  "Yes, I have passed through the Portal, but was there only briefly.  Princess Luna was there as well, and her stay was also very brief.  However, our extended lives can attest to the work of the Portal.

"This was evidently the intent of Ponies from long ago who built the Portal.  They were searching for a way to enhance the life-span of good leaders.

"However, as you can probably figure out, were this knowledge to fall into the wrong hands, Equestria could be, well...  could suffer a thousand terrible fates at the hands of an evil soul that never died.  This is why you must accept death yourself rather than divulge this information.  Hopefully you will never have to face this."

This was all so much for this new Princess to take in, but she tried.

She remained deeply in thought for a while.  Then she looked up at Princess Celestia and started "Then...  I..."

"Yes child.  You have passed through the Portal and returned.  You will no longer age."

"But my friends..."  Twilight quickly replied in both pain, and maybe a touch of anger.

Princess Celestia moved closer to Twilight, put her front leg around Twilight's neck and hugged her.  "Yes, you will probably easily outlive your friends.  However, I am not sure about that yet.  If their Elements of Harmony cannot be passed on to other worthy ponies, bringing your friends through the Portal may be required in order to support the magic they each contribute.

"And I need to underscore again, these concerns all focus on protecting Equestria, our world and the many ponies in it."

"Another cost..."  Princess Twilight thought to herself.  "So be it."  Twilight realized that she would probably have a long time to think this through.

Twilight was back to being a princess, and Princess Celestia returned to her spot at the table.  Twilight had more questions.  "Princess Cadence has been through and back correct?"

With a smile, Princess Celestia said  "Well, not yet.  I suspect she will, and maybe your brother too, but I think there may be a danger having too many leaders.  Besides, we don't know if there are any limits on the power of the Portal, and it has been used quite a bit of late."

"Well, what about Sunset Shimmer?"  Twilight asked frowning.

Princess Celestia scowled and said "That is a serious problem.  

"As I said, she is currently under heavy guard, and may end up back under my teaching, but she does not know that she will no longer age.  Worse yet, I have serious doubts about the purity of her heart and the selflessness of her motives.  I also do not know how extensive her natural magical ability is yet.  

"This is not a problem for today, but as I said, we may have to face her at some point in the future and defeat her magic again.  And she absolutely must not learn that she is not aging.

"All of this is another reason why preserving the Magic of Friendship wielded by you and your friends is such a great priority.  We may need it at its fullest sooner than we think."

Well this all was making more sense to Princess Twilight.  Being a Princess involved a lot of responsibilities, and Twilight thought to herself that she was really getting into "the thick of it" now.  But this was fine.  "And to think I was freaked out about going back to Magic Kindergarten" she thought to herself.

Princess Celestia interrupted her thoughts and began "Princess Twilight, I want you to know that I am thankful more than anyone will know that you are here, and that you will share keeping Equestria safe with my sister and I.  We love you so very much."

At this point, Princess Twilight ran and threw her front legs around Celestia's neck, and hugged her teacher for the longest time.  There were tears in both their eyes.

After a little while, Twilight returned to her spot at the table.  After a brief pause, Princess Twilight spoke softly and lovingly "What about Summer Rain?"

Princess Celestia again smiled.  "Summer Rain wasn't even a speck on the telescope five moons ago.  I am amazed at the tremendous good she has accomplished in the short time she was in Ponyville.  And she doesn't use magic, just Friendship's Magic, the true essence of being a friend.

"I am hoping she comes back, and at least gives us some news, but I suspect that Fluttershy's sister will spread true friendship wherever she goes.  But yes, when she returns, she will likewise no longer age.  I suspect it will be a delight to spend a long time with someone like her however.  And theres probably no rush in telling her this, so we need not worry about that now."

Princess Celestia looked at the sun sinking towards the horizon and said "I must be going soon."

"One last question if I may?" Twilight said.  "How will I die then?"

Princess Celestia chuckled and said "You are my best student!"

She quickly switched to a more somber tone and said simply "in battle.  Since we don't age, the only way for us to die is either by some freak, tragic accident, or, as is more often the case, we die fighting against evil.  And for the record, I honestly thought that time came for me when Chrysalis defeated my magic.  We are not invincable, we just don't age.  And sometimes evil is very strong.

"For my sister and I, the presence of you and your friends, and the great magical power that you wield, this is a welcome sight and a great comfort.  So don't worry about this too much."





Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight walked together back to the castle.  An Air Coach ride back to Ponyville was quickly arranged, and Twilight was soon heading through the front door of the Library.

Spike was asleep in his bed taking an all too common extended nap.

Twilight remembered that dragons are supposed to live a thousand years.  "I may yet be able to see you grow up" she said to herself with a smile.  "And I'll take that ride thank you!"
> Chapter 11, Rebuilding Bridges, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both Summer Rain and Fluttershy slept in the next morning.  The Sun was fully up before they decided to 'get going' as Fluttershy put it.  After the events of the last few days, sleeping in felt good to both of them, and they probably needed it anyway.

They took their time getting up, actually sitting in their beds while brushing their hair.  Still in pajamas, they talked again about life in this new world over a Granola breakfast.

Fluttershy talked about washers and dryers, blow dryers, Ice Cream, Computers and Printers (which still left Summer mystified), and more about cars and driving.

Fluttershy talked about the different types of driving things; cars, trucks, airplanes, boats, trains; this was all very new to Summer and she tried to take it in.

They talked more about electricity, and plugs on the wall especially.

While the electricity that 'outlets' supplied was helpful, they were very dangerous.

Summer told Fluttershy that she could take care of them for now.

However, Summer said she really appreciated electric lights, and not having to be confined to the rising and setting of the sun.  Summer did like to read after all.

Fluttershy then talked about other electric lights; street lights, car headlights and car taillights (which cracked Summer up), neon signs, billboards, airplane lights.

Summer decided the people in this world liked lights too.

After a while, Fluttershy was done talking.  "Tell me about your world" she said.

Summer thought for a minute, then said "Hmmm, would now be a good time to get one of my books out?"

"Oh yes" Fluttershy replied, "That would be very nice."





They both acted like sisters (enjoying every minute together), and sat down on the couch next to each other.

Summer Rain pulled Volume 1 of Princess Celestia's commentaries out of her backpack, and opened it to the first chapter.

The first two chapters talked about Princess Twilight actually meeting her five special friends, and was one of Summer's favorites.

Summer basically read the words while Fluttershy would occasionally stop Summer to ask a question or make a comment.

Summer reminded Fluttershy a few times that this wasn't just a story, it was real, and actually happened in Summer's world.

Fluttershy laughed, then quickly put her hand to her mouth when Princess Twilight said the ponies in Ponyville were crazy.  "My, she has changed a lot" was all Fluttershy could say.

Twilight's realization that she needed, even wanted these five new friends made a real impression on Fluttershy.  "That's like what happened when she came here, right?" she asked.

Summer had not thought of this before, but was almost stunned by this observation, because Fluttershy was right.

Fluttershy was amazed that the crystals which were called the 'Elements of Harmony' actually chose their new owners, based on specific characteristics in each of Twilight's five new friends.

"Wow they all had to have those five characteristics to begin with though right?" Fluttershy asked.

Summer Rain barely got a "Yes" out because this observation likewise had profound implications.

"Fluttershy, do you see this?" Summer began.  "To strengthen Princess Twilight's magic, the physical Elements of Harmony chose their 'carriers' based on characteristics already present in Twilight's five friends.

"When you five became Princess Twilight's true friends, that same magical power chose you five special people because all five of you ALREADY possessed those same five qualities.  And this all happened WITHOUT the crystals referred to as the Elements of Harmony.

"And now all five of you carry Equestria Cutie Marks.  I honestly don't know what significance all of this has for either world, but I seriously think your common friendships are certainly worth preserving.  It's like you five are being marked out for something, even though we don't know now what that is.

"To me this is all very amazing, and clearly makes the task of bringing you five back together a very important one."

"And you are here to help us do that, right?" Fluttershy said.

"Yes.  I am not completely sure what I need to do, but that's why I'm here." Summer said slowly.  Summer Rain really did feel dwarfed by the needs that she felt she had to address.

"Well, like I said, I'll help any way I can" Fluttershy said softly.

Summer put her hand on Fluttershy's hand and said "Thanks Sis."

Summer knew her sister very well, and she suspected that sitting down and reading through Princess Celestia's commentaries would work pretty well.

However, Summer had no idea how to approach this same process with the other four.  She suspected that Rainbow especially might have issues trying to sit for too long.  Summer hoped she could figure this out when the time came.





After they went through the first two chapters together and talked about them, Summer decided Fluttershy probably had enough to think about for a while.

They both took turns getting dressed in the bathroom, and Summer again found some of Fluttershy's clothes to wear.

Summer made it a point to ask Fluttershy if her 'outfit' (Fluttershy's word) looked ok just to make sure.

Summer next suggested that they tidy up the apartment some.

Fluttershy had even more involved ideas.  Fluttershy did not have a lot of furnature, just enough to make her small apartment comfortable and presentable.  However, with Summer living there, things were too cramped for Fluttershy, and she wanted to rearrange things to give them both a little more room.

Fluttershy moved her cot over next to the front window, and moved the small chair that was there into a little shed out behind the apartment.  The small table and lamp were moved to the end of the cot.  This basically opened up the center of the 'living room' somewhat, although they both thought the 'coffee table' should stay, at least for now.

After moving things around like this, and some light cleaning, both Summer and Fluttershy looked it over, and generally felt it was better.

Fluttershy mentioned that she wasn't wild about sleeping next to the window however, but said she would make it work.

Summer Rain didn't understand this, her sister loved fresh air as much as Summer did.  "Fluttershy, why do you not want to sleep next to the window?" she asked.

Fluttershy sighed, then took Summer by the hand, and led her back to the couch and they both sat down.

Fluttershy began to describe a very dark side of her world.  She spoke slowly, and had to search for words at times.  It was clear to Summer that Fluttershy wasn't even comfortable talking about this.  It was also clear that Fluttershy felt very vulnerable.

"Summer, there are many bad people in this world.

"I carefully lock my doors both when I'm inside, and when I leave, especially at night.

"I try to NEVER be outside alone at night.

"There are bad men in this city who would not think twice about 'breaking in' to my apartment, by breaking a window or something else.

"Sometimes they just want other people's money, or anything they have that might be valuable.

"Sometimes, they force women to do things that only married people should do."

It became clear to Summer that this whole thing horrified Fluttershy.

Fluttershy continued.

"The curtains on my windows are very thick.  The main reason is so that people cannot see in, especially at night.

"And we have talked about clothing; if women are not careful, their clothing can cause a bad man to do bad things, or cause bad men to follow them around until they can.

"This is not as much a problem at school, but has more to do with the rest of the city.

"And I haven't even talked about guns yet, they can kill you in a matter of seconds.

As Fluttershy haltingly described this, she was slowly gripping Summer's hand tighter and tighter.

Fluttershy was also edging closer and closer to Summer, as if seeking a place of safety.

"Fluttershy stop" Summer gently said.

Summer put her arm around Fluttershy and just held her, Fluttershy was shaking, probably with fear, and held Summer tightly.

These kind of things were not unheard of in Equestria, but each occurrance was dealt with very swiftly and severely.

Besides, compared to the vast openness of Equestria, there were so many of these 'people' living in such close quarters here, Summer could easily see how such problems could arise more often.

Summer's new body was smaller but still very capable.  In contrast, Fluttershy would probably be helpless should the un-thinkable happen.  And Fluttershy couldn't fly away like her sister could.

Friend or family, Summer gladly accepted that she would largely be responsible for Fluttershy's safety, while she was here anyway.

"Hey, hey, hey Fluttershy, it's ok, I'm here to protect you" Summer said calmly.

Fluttershy relaxed and wiped a few tears away and said "I know.  I just don't think you have any idea how thankful I am that you are here with me.  I don't think my parents even understand how hard this is for me."

"Well I do" Summer Rain said, "And I will do all I can to keep you safe."

After a brief silence, Summer said "Fluttershy, I'm sleeping in the cot under the window, and you are sleeping on the couch."

Fluttershy gave Summer a big hug and slowly said "Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you."





It was early afternoon, and Summer Rain realized that it might be helpful to do something fun about now.

She found a large brown piece of paper, shaped like a sack, in where the food was, and she carefully used her hands and squeezed it into a little ball like she watched Spike do one day.  Next, Summer found a small bucket thing, and set it up near the cot.  She then tried to kick the paper ball into the bucket.

Summer found that this was a LOT easier with the feet she had now, and also a lot more fun.  After making the ball into the bucket the second time, Summer asked Fluttershy if she wanted to try.

Fluttershy got this very strange smile on her face, and said "Maybe we should use a real ball."

Fluttershy opened the door to a small closet and after some digging, pulled out a much bigger ball.  It was made of some stiff but bouncy material, and alternately shaded with black and white shapes.

Fluttershy called it a 'Soccer ball'.  "We can't use it in here though, let's go to the school.  They have a Soccer field there."

Summer helped her sister get the house all locked up, and they were soon on their way.  Walking past the front of the school (still mostly boarded up), Fluttershy led Summer to a large grassy field behind the school.

Fluttershy pointed to a large frame with some sort of netting covering one side.  It was about 30 feet away, and Fluttershy said it was called the 'goal'.

"You score by kicking the ball into that net, into the goal" Fluttershy began.

"When you play Soccer, there is usually a 'goalie' guarding the goal, and also some other players trying to get the ball from you.

"You are usually part of a team though, and your other players help you.

"I'll play the goalie, and you can try to kick the ball into the goal.  But PLEASE be careful.  Summer used to kick the ball so hard it knocked me over, and then she would laugh when I couldn't breath."

"Fluttershy, I have never played this before remember?" Summer said with a grin.  "I'll be happy to even get it to you."

Summer Rain decided she really liked this game.  Her new body seemed pretty good at it, and she was having a lot of fun.  Summer also realized that if she took her time and tried to aim the ball, her sister didn't need to work as hard to retrieve the ball and kick it back.  Summer also realized that she could run and kick the ball while running, it was all very satisfying.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa.  If you're gonna play Soccer, at least play by the rules."  The voice came out of the blue.

"Hey Rainbow" Summer Rain said without even turning around.

This was all totally wrong in Summer's mind, she felt totally unprepared to meet any of the other four.  That didn't matter now, Rainbow Dash was here, and Summer would make the best of it,

"Hey Summer.  I haven't seen you for a while, but let's do it, one on one, just you and me, first to 5 wins." Rainbow suggested.

"Summer smiled and said "Sure Rainbow" then kicked the ball to her.

"Where is the other goal though" Summer asked.

Rainbow pointed to a matching goal some 100 feet away and said "Over there, duh, that's my goal, but I doubt we will spend much time over there" Rainbow said with a grin.

Rainbow kicked the ball over to her start position, and the game was on.

Fluttershy was very scared; such a challenge would have infuriated her sister, and she would have fought tooth and nail to win, and then would have been furious for days that she had lost, and would then make everyone else suffer with her.

Fluttershy was soon relaxing though, Summer Rain was laughing the whole time.

Sparing any of the details of the game, Summer Rain made three goals to Rainbow's five.

Summer didn't have the heart to tell Rainbow that she (Summer) had only been playing Soccer some 20 minutes before the match.  Besides this would have led to too many questions.  Summer didn't mind losing, not any more, and simply enjoyed the contest.

Somewhat out of breath, they both ran back to Fluttershy together.

"Nice game Summer, but you lost." Rainbow teased.

Summer started laughing and said "Losing to you is an honor Rainbow, because you are awesome!"

This response stopped Rainbow right there, and she was speechless for a minute.

Rainbow pulled out her own 'cell phone' thing, did something on it, then said "Summer you are different, but it is a good different.  Welcome back."





Rainbow was soon joined by Applejack and Pinkie Pie, and they both welcomed Summer.

Summer quickly asked Pinkie not to say anything yet.

Pinkie Pie just said "Ok" and smiled.

Applejack said "I wonder whats keeping Rarity.  Oh there she is."

Rarity was still walking across the field towards them, slowly, and she walked to within 100 feet of Summer and stopped.  Summer noted that she didn't seem very happy.

Rarity almost screamed out "YOU!"

And again "You _____ !"

This word made no sense to Summer, but Fluttershy understood, put her hand to her mouth, blushed, looked down, and said "Oh my, she is really mad."

Rarity started into a rant that distinctly reminded her of one day at her boutique in Ponyville.  Only this time, it seemed Rarity was talking to, and at Summer, and actually meant what she was saying.

"Summer Rain you are such a _____ !" (same word again)

"How dare you show your face around here, and after what you did to me!"

"Oh don't pretend to be so innocent.

"You ruined me.  You ruined me, do you hear?

"You insulted my fashion creations.

"You drove all my friends away from me.

"You spread lies around the school about me, all LIES!"

"Welcome you back?  Hah -- I Hate you.  I don't want anything to do with you.  Ever."

And with this Rarity turned around and began to slowly walk away.

Summer Rain's first impulse was to try to explain to Rarity that it wasn't her.  Summer realized Rarity would never believe this.  Summer realized that the only way to be a true friend here was to accept responsibility for Fluttershy's sister's past deeds, apologize for her, and seek forgiveness from Rarity.  Rarity would later realize the real situation, but her pain needed to be addressed first, and evidently Fluttershy's Sister had caused Rarity a lot of pain.

Summer quickly walked most of the distance to Rarity, leaving the rest far behind, and said quietly "Rare, can we talk?"

Rarity stopped, but didn't bother turning around.

Summer took a deep breath and began, softly and very slowly.

"Rarity, you are right.

"Everything you said is true.

"I'm sure I did everything you said, and probably more.

"I know I have hurt you a lot.

"And I'm sorry.

"I know that I can never take back what I have done or said.

"And I fully understand why you are furious with me.

"But I'm sorry.

"Tell me what I can do to be forgiven.

"Rare, I want to be your friend, because you are awesome.

"Please..."

Tears were streaming down Summer's cheeks.  Regardless of who did what to who, Summer desparately wanted to be Rarity's friend.  Summer was also crying over the huge chasm simple selfishness had created between two people.  Summer also knew that she had probably done similar thing to others.

What Rarity heard was probably the last thing she expected, but was also what she needed to hear.

Rarity turned around, and they hugged.

Rarity was soon crying as well.

Summer said while crying "Rare I'm so sorry..."

They just held each other for a little while.

After this Rarity spoke up "Summer Rain you are different.  I think I want to be your friend too."

As the group watched  this unfold, there were tears in Fluttershy's eyes.

"I like my new sister" Fluttershy said to herself, and then too late realized her mistake.

Applejack said "What?"

Pinkie said "Me too."

Rainbow Dash said "Summer Rain is very different, a very good different.

Arm in arm, Rarity and Summer walked slowly back to the others talking.





Once they were all back in a group, Applejack said "So why are we here.  Rainbow's text just said to welcome Fluttershy's sister back.

Summer Rain was stunned.  The five were all here, and they had no idea why.  Summer felt totally unprepared for this.  Summer had to tell them.  Now.  The whole focus of her trip away from Ponyville might even depend on the next 20-30 minutes, and what she would tell these precious people.  Summer was scared.  Running them off was the last thing she wanted to do.

She again took a deep breath, and asked that they all sit down in a small circle on the grass.  Fluttershy was to Summer's left and Rarity to her right.

"Do you all remember Princess Twilight?"  Summer began.

Applejack spoke up immediately.

"Wow yes, she was so nice, and brought us all back together.  I guess we found out that Sunset Shimmer was the one who drove us apart to begin with, and I felt bad that we all let that happen.

"Then Princess Twilight saved the rest of the school from this monster that Sunset Shimmer had become.  I think Princess Twilight used magic or something, and we all had a big part in that.

"Seems Princess Twilight's whole goal was to get her crown back after Sunset stole it, then she had to leave and go back to her world or something.  It all happened so quickly, then she was gone.

"Honestly, I kinda miss her too.  It just seems that she completed our circle of friends so well, I don't know."

Rainbow Dash jumped in at this point.  "Wait, how do you know about Princess Twilight?"

Summer Rain was a 'straight shooter' and simply played her cards.

"I am from Princess Twilight's world.  Princess Twilight specifically asked me to come to you."

Rainbow said "Seriously?  Then why are you here?"

Summer turned to Pinkie Pie, and said "Pinkie?"

It seems Pinkie Pie was waiting for the opportunity and knew a lot already.

"Summer Rain is from Princess Twilight's world, and came here through the same Portal that Princess Twilight used.  Summer is here to show us the way of true friendship, and to find out if our friendships are somehow related to her world.  There might be more, but that's the basics."

"Pinkie you are amazing" Summer said with a smile.

Rarity spoke up next, and said very slowly and carefully "If you are from Princess Twilight's world, where is Fluttershy's Sister?  I heard a lot of rumors, but none of them made any sense."

Summer Rain put her arm around Fluttershy, held her, then said "Tell them Fluttershy."

Fluttershy was already starting to sniffle at this point, and spoke slowly and haltingly as she dissolved into tears.

"This happened about a year ago.

"My sister was mad because she lost again.

"She had also been drinking a lot.

"She was driving, and probably going way too fast.

"She crashed down into a ravine.

"The car was burnt so bad they couldn't even find--"

Fluttershy could say no more at this point, and was crying loudly, and Summer just held her.

Soon they were all holding their close friend.

Rarity said "I'm so sorry Fluttershy, of all the people to lose--" and Rarity could go no further either.

They all cried together for a while, sharing Fluttershy's pain.

After several minutes, almost in unison, their crying trailed of, and after a few sniffles it was quiet again,

As the truth about Summer was dawning on Rarity, she reached over and took Summer's hand and said "Summer Rain if you are from Princess Twilight's world, then I was yelling at the wrong person before, wasn't I?"

And Rarity had to choke back tears again at this point.

Summer took both of Rarity's hands in hers, looked into her eyes, and said softly "Rare, it's ok, and for a number of reasons.  Sometime I can tell you my story, it matches Fluttershy's sister's story except in a different, parallel world.  If I didn't do that to you I am sure I did it to others.  But I realized that, in order to be your friend, I had to accept responsibility for Fluttershy's sister's actions, and seek to heal the wounds she had caused you.  That's what true friends do."

"I like my new sister" Fluttershy said again timidly.

Rarity spoke up quietly "Well if that's the kind of friend you are Summer Rain, then I really do want to be your friend."

Everyone else in the circle agreed quickly.

It was Summer Rain who had to choke back tears at this point, because she remembered six amazing ponies welcoming her into their circle even after hearing all that she had done.

But this wasn't why Summner was here, and she knew it.  Summer had to communicate the true reason WHY she was here, so she began.

"You girls are all so amazing, and I will cherish every moment we spend together.  But that is not the real reason I am here."

Choking back tears again, Summer had a hard time saying "I didn't come here for myself, I came here for my friend Princess Twilight.

"Princess Twilight told me you five people were very special, and I clearly see she was right.  I am not here just so that I can take Summer Rain's place, and enjoy you all.  I had to leave my world behind to come here, and I almost chose not to.

"But with tears in her eyes, Princess Twilight pleaded for me to come.  For you.  Because she deeply cares about each of you.

"Princess Twilight told me that she felt like you special people joined together and helped her, and then she just abandoned you because she had to leave.

"Given her responsibilities in her world, there is no way she could come again.  She specifically asked me to come in her place.

"Because Princess Twilight cares about you five special people, that's why I'm here.

"For her.

"For you."

Fluttershy summed it up for everyone saying quietly "She remembers...  She cares..."

This precipitated another group hug.
> Chapter 12, Pulling Together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group hug dissolved after a bit, and everyone was again just sitting together on the grass, and soon chatting.  Summer Rain just sat back and listened.  She was asked the occasional question, or would throw in a word here or there.  It sounded like they were catching up, and this was a good thing.

In Equestria, Summer would block out hours to just think through what was going on.  At least this early on, in this task, that probably wasn't going to happen.  But she took a few minutes for some mental evaluations at this point.

Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie were all painfully like their counterparts in Equestria.  Hmm, Summer realized that observation was from her perspective.  Summer deeply cared for them all.  Already.

At this point they all still got along.  They all remembered Princess Twilight fondly, it seems, and were still glad they could help her.  And they all really appreciated that Princess Twilight was still thinking about them.  They had also evidently accepted Summer as the Princess' substitute, at least for now.

And Summer had managed to communicate Princess' Twilights concern without running them off, and this was good.  But again, this was from Summer's perspective.

"Summer what are you doing" Rainbow asked out of the blue.

Summer sighed, as it grew instantly quiet.  She tried to explain.

"Princess Twilight asked me to come in her place.

"Our leaders basically gave me the two tasks that Pinkie mentioned earlier, to try to help you precious people enjoy the true friendship that your counterparts in Equestria enjoy, and to also see if there are any other links between our worlds.  I take that very seriously, and I am just thinking through how everything is going.

"It's sort of a mental inventory, to help me stay on track.  You girls are amazing, and I know I will enjoy every minute we are together, and that is a part of why I am here.  I just need to stay focused on why I am here though.  I want to do what my Princess asked.

"Oh, one more thing.  I also realized that I already care deeply about each and every one of you, and I doubt that will go away any time soon."

Summer paused here because she couldn't go on.  She finally was able to say "Does that make any sense?"

Rarity spoke up and said "Dear, I don't think Princess Twilight could have picked a better substitute."

It was quiet for a minute then Applejack spoke up.  "Summer, you are staying with Fluttershy right?"

Summer quickly replied "Yes, and I plan on keeping it that way if it's ok with the rest of you.  I don't want to hurt anypo... anyone's' feelings, but I think Fluttershy needs me there."

"That's easily understandable" Rarity said.

Rainbow said "Ya, that's probably best, and we can call or text Fluttershy's cell if we need anything.

Fluttershy was very timid, but spoke up at this point "Thank you all for understanding."





"A significant detail before we are done here" Summer said.

"I want to be your friend, but I also think I will also need your help too.  I will attend school tomorrow with Fluttershy, and I have absolutely no idea what needs that may present.  I suspect I will need a lot of help not making a total fool out of myself.

"I have only been here for three days, and I can't help the fact that I'm Fluttershy's sister.  I have no idea how this will all work out tomorrow, but I know I can't do this alone.

Rarity spoke up quickly "Well I do suggest a trip to my boutique.  I think I can work out some clothes that may better suit Summer Rain."

Fluttershy spoke up quickly "Oh thank you Rarity that would be so helpful; I don't think my clothes fit Summer very well."

"Well as long as you both approve, that's fine with me" Summer replied.  "This is a new area for me, and I know I need both of your input."

"Summer we will do what we can to cover for you tomorrow" Applejack said, and everyone else agreed.





They were all soon at Rarity's boutique.

Of course, Rarity knew exactly what Summer Rain should wear, but toned it down just a little at Fluttershy's request.  Even so, most of the group were taken aback when Rarity was done.  Summer Rain now looked almost exactly like they remembered.

Summer laughed as she asked Rarity to put her hair in a 'Pony Tail' just to try to blunt the resemblance, at least for now.  It didn't make much difference.  It was eerie.

Rarity gave Summer a few outfits to wear.  Rarity asked Summer if she needed a Backpack, and Summer grinned and said "Ill show you mine when I can, and tell you the story too."





After a minutes silence, Rainbow Dash said "I'm hungry"

Pinkie Pie said "Me too!"

And with this, they headed to the Cake's place for some food.  The group spent about an hour there and enjoyed dinner, and except for a few random stares, things went ok.

Then they went to Fluttershy's house and ate some Ice Cream, squeezing onto both the couch and cot as they ate.

They all just chatted, and were also careful to explain things to Summer if she got this blank look on her face.

At one point, Summer Rain found a pause in everyone's conversation and said slowly and quietly "Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and of course Fluttershy (who was seated next to Summer), I just gotta say this again.  We have been together for less than a day, but I want you to know that each of you are amazing, and I will cherish every moment we spend together."

There was a brief moments silence, then Summer said out of the blue "I just wish Princess Twilight could see you all here."

"Well, we could just take a picture" Applejack quickly said.  "But I'm not sure how we could get it there."

Summer Rain thought for a minute.  "Can you put a picture on a piece of paper for me?"

"Easy peasy" Pinkie Pie said.  "I'll show you how to take a picture with my cell, then I'll go back to the Cakes' and print it out on my compy."

Pinky showed Summer how to use her 'cell thing' and Princess Twilight's five friends huddled close for a group picture.  There really wasn't room for much else in Fluttershy's small apartment.  After a few attempts, the picture was taken.

Pinkie and Rainbow headed out to get the print and the rest remained behind, and simply chatted.  They were soon back with a huge picture of the group.

Fluttershy had some 'felt tipped markers', and so they drew a heart shape with the words 'we miss you Princess Twilight' on the back, and they all signed their names using their favorite color.

Summer grabbed the black one, and had Fluttershy write 'Sis I miss you' in small letters along the bottom.

Fluttershy didn't need to ask why, she knew.

As they were admiring their handiwork, Applejack asked "Summer, how are you going to get this to the Princess?"

Summer just smiled and said "I don't know if it will work, but I have an idea anyway.  I will let you know."





Well, it was getting late, and everyone had school tomorrow.

Everyone hugged everyone else, and then they were on their way home.  Applejack walked Rarity home, and Rainbow walked Pinkie to the Cakes'.

A little while after everyone had left, Summer said "Fluttershy will you lead me to the School for a few minutes?"

"It is late, but if you come we should be fine, so sure Sis, but why?" Fluttershy asked.

"I want to keep the entrance to the Portal as much of a secret as possible." Summer said.

"Well I already know where it is, and if the others remember Princess Twilight leaving, they will too."  Fluttershy said.

"Hmm, good point, but I think we should keep our activity around the portal to a minimum anyway."  Summer said.

"Besides, from what I know, the Portal should not even be active, but I want to try... I want to try to send this picture through the Portal, but I doubt I can just put the picture on the wall there."

After a minute of thinking, Fluttershy said "I have an idea."

She took the picture, and after making a few folds in it, she said "This is a paper airplane, we can try to fly it into the Portal."

Summer Rain just shrugged at the foreign object that resulted and said "Ok I guess."

They locked the house and headed to the front of the School.

Summer's heart sank as she pressed against the Portal and found herself pressing against a solid wall.

Fluttershy did not give up at this.  She stood in front of the Portal, held the object in her hand, and skillfully threw it straight at the Portal.  After a slight flash, it was gone.

Summer said "Thanks for not giving up Sis."

"I don't know, I just really really really wanted Princess Twilight to get that" Fluttershy said with a shrug.

The two sisters turned, and walked back to the Apartment.  They were both soon back in their apartment, and quickly in their beds.

"I'm scared about tomorrow Sis" Summer confided.

"I know Summer, it could be scary for all of us.  But at least we will be together" Fluttershy said softly.
> Chapter 13, Air Mail
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight actually got up fairly early this morning.  It probably helped that Fluttershy spent the night.  They did a lot of fun stuff together.

The sun was up past the treeline, and it looked like a nice day.

And it looked like Angel and Owlicious were playing hide-and-seek or something.

Spike was actually up to.

Twilight made a small breakfast for she and Fluttershy, and they were relaxing at the table just talking.

Rainbow Dash stopped by at this point.  Rainbow had taken over for Summer as the primary errand runner for Princess Twilight.  So Rainbow sat at the table too, and relaxed and talked with Twilight and Fluttershy.

After about 10 minutes of relaxed chatting, Pinkie Pie burst unexpectedly and dramatically through the front door.  "Princess Twilight!  Something amazing has happened at the Crystal Palace!"

Everyone got this anxious look on their face.

"Summer is back?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie thought for a moment, then said "I don't think it is that.  But it's something though.  Few doubted Pinkie's abilities at this point.

"Rainbow can you round up Rarity and Applejack?" Twilight asked quickly.

"I'm on it" Rainbow said as she bolted out the door and took to the sky.

"Well, ok, I guess we should expect a ride to the Palace soon then" Princess Twilight said thoughtfully.  Let's go wait outside.

Pinkie was quickly out the door.

Twilight noticed that Fluttershy hadn't moved yet.  Twilight walked around the table and sat down next to her.

"Are you ok?" Twilight asked.

"I think so" Fluttershy said.  "Everything was just getting back to normal."  (Fluttershy paused here, then tried to continue)  I really miss my sis--" she could go no further.

Twilight just held her for a little while, and her crying soon trailed off.

"Fluttershy," Twilight began softly, "I know it's been less than a week, but even hearing some news will be a good thing."

"You are right Twilight" Fluttershy said.  "I hope it's good news though."

"Me too" Princess Twilight said as she gave Fluttershy a hug.  "Lets go wait outside with the others.





The rest of the girls were waiting outside.

Before long, not one but two Air Coaches pulled to a stop outside the Library.  The lead captain looked both surprised and relieved that everyone he was sent for was already standing near him.

Still, he said curtly "Princess Celestia requires your presence at the Crystal Palace.  Three of you in each coach please, and harness up."

"Sir" Princess Twilight said, "can my baby dragon Spike come too?"

The captain mumbled something to the other lead and said "Yes, but put him in that coach with the 3 lightest ponies.

"Fluttershy and Pinkie please join me in the far coach, and Rainbow, Rarity and Applejack you can take this one" Twilight said quickly.

Except for Rainbow not wanting to put the harness on, the trip was uneventful, and they were all soon standing outside the Crystal Palace.





They were met by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, along with Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.

Twilight's friends still bowed out of respect, and Princess Celestia quickly and cheerfully nodded for them to stand.

"We called you here because some sort of item was found this morning in front of the Portal" Princess Celestia began.  "A guard noticed it, and Princess Cadence let me know.  I haven't seen it, but Princess Cadence said it looked like some sort of message from Summer."

"No-pony has touched or moved it, that will be your task Princess Twilight.  Let's go."

Twilight had forgotten how long the walk to the Portal room actually was, and the desire to hear some word from Summer made the trip seem to take forever.

On the way, Princess Celestia said quietly to Princess Twilight that Sunset Shimmer had been moved to Canterlot, and Princess Twilight nodded in approval.

They were soon standing outside the door to the Portal, and at Shining Armor's word the door was open.

"Girls wait" Princess Twilight said.

She turned and walked next to Fluttershy, and quietly asked "Are you ok?  Do you want to come in with us?"

"Ya I think so" was Fluttershy's timid response.

Twilight and her special friends were soon standing before the mirror, gazing at a very strange piece of what looked like paper.

"What do you suppose it is?" Twilight asked.

"It looks very strange" said Rainbow said.

"I hope it's not dangerous" Applejack added.

Spike recognized folded paper when he saw it, and he had heard enough.  "Wow, girls" he said as he muscled his way to the paper, and quickly had it unfolded, and smoothed against the ground.

"The Equestria girls!" Princess Twilight yelled out, and was soon crying with joy.

"Summer you did it, oh thank you thank you..."

"And just like I remembered them too" Twilight continued.  "This one is you Fluttershy, this one is you Rarity, and Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie, they are all here."

The 'persons' looked strange, but Twilight's five friends all understood that each of these 'persons' was the alternate world equivalent to each of them, and they were all amazed.

Rarity spoke up and said "Well I can tell that this other world also has someone deeply interested in good fashion!"

"And awesomeness too!" Rainbow quickly added.

"And fun!" Pinkie said with a smile.

"Boy howdy, look they are standing on their hind legs too" Applejack mentioned.

"Gosh, I think I see Angel" Fluttershy said quietly.

And Twilight was thrilled just to be able to see them again.

Pinkie spoke up at this point "Turn it over Twilight!"

She did, and was deeply moved, and just lay down on the ground and began weeping softly at this point."Thank you Summer" Twilight kept saying over and over as she cried.

Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie and Applejack were quickly at Twilight's side, crying with her to varying degrees.

Fluttershy was still standing, away from the group, looking at the floor.  Summer had at least brought the five 'Equestria girls' back together.  Still, Fluttershy had heard no other word about her sister.

It is clear that Princess Luna knew and saw a lot more than she usually got credit for.  She walked over next to Fluttershy and said "relax dear one".

At the Princess' command, Fluttershy sat where she was.

Princess Luna lay down on her belly next to Fluttershy, and motioned for Fluttershy to do the same.

Luna used her magic to retrieve the piece of paper, and showed Fluttershy the small words along the bottom.

Evidently Fluttershy needed to see this, and she too began to weep softly as Luna comforted her.





After a while, the crying mostly subsided.

Princess Twilight Sparkle, do you have anything to report?" Princess Celestia said cheerfully.

Princess Twilight didn't even try to get up, but answered the question while wiping tears from her reddened eyes.

"I think Summer has arrived safely.

"It also appears she was successful in re-uniting the 'Equestria girls'

"However, we really don't know the state of their mutual friendships yet.

"And there's no indication about any relationships between our two worlds.

"But this is still most encouraging."

"Excellent report, I will see that it gets logged properly.

During this interchange, Spike was over by the balcony examining the picture in the sun light.  "I wonder how they drew this.  It looks very detailed."

Spike mumbled a little more than said quietly "We should send something back."

"Spike!" Princess Twilight yelled "That's an amazing idea!"

Spike quickly had paper and quill in hand and was ready to write.  Twilight came up with most of the words, but it was still a group effort.

The final product read like this:

"Dear Summer and Precious Friends,

Thank you for the amazing note and picture, we will treasure it for a long time!  We are glad to see that Summer made it there safely, and that you are all doing well.

I wish I could come again, but deeply appreciate Summer Rain being my substitute, at least for now.

Each of the girls here send their greetings, especially to their oh so awesome counterparts in your world.

Lovingly, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Everyone agreed this was good, and when they were about to seal it, Princess Luna called Spike over.  Fluttershy was still next to her.

Princess Luna said quietly "Spike please add the words 'Sis I miss you too' along the bottom."

This done, the note was quickly rolled up and sealed with red wax.

Princess Twilight next tried to gently move the note into the mirror, but the mirror was solid at this point.  She tried pushing harder, but was soon afraid she would damage the paper or break the seal.

Disappointment spread rapidly through all present.

Except for Pinkie Pie.  "Twilight, let me try" she said.

Pinkie backed up away from the Portal, then did a somersault, jumped high in the air then gently tossed the note into the Portal from there.

A dull flash, and it was gone.

"That's one picky Portal!" Pinkie said laughing as everyone else let out a sigh of relief.

After the laughter subsided, Princess Celestia asked for everyone's attention. then began.

"You have all dealt with this portal a few times now, but please let me remind you that it's presence and what has happened today must not leave this room.  We do not want to risk anything that would jeopardize Summer Rain's ability to return when it is time.

"And Twilight, I'm sorry, but that note would probably best be left here."

"Yes, you are probably right" Princess Twilight agreed.





Arrangements were quickly made, and Princess Twilight and her friends were soon back in Ponyville.

On the trip home, Fluttershy decided to again spend the night at the Library with Twilight.

Chatting over dinner, Fluttershy said quietly "Twilight, you were right, it was good to hear some news about my sister."

Princess Twilight had been lost in thought for a while.  She simply replied "Fluttershy your sister is amazing."

"I know" Fluttershy said.

> Chapter 14, Rebuilding Bridges, Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

School meant getting up very early, and Summer Rain was still not very good at this here.  Summer felt like a little pony as Fluttershy patiently helped her get ready.  Showering, dressing, eating; everything seemed to take too long.  So much of it was still new to Summer, and she apologized a few times to her sister.

Summer grabbed her backpack and removed two of the three books in case she needed the room.  Fluttershy showed her how to wear it with just one loop over her shoulder.  She said it was easier to get on and off this way, and it was.

When they were ready to leave, Summer asked Fluttershy to check her outfit one more time just to make sure everything was ok.

"Just make sure the hem of your skirt stays low where it is; sometimes the top of the skirt will slowly move higher around your waist as you move around" she said.

Fluttershy paused a minute then said "Gosh, you look just like my sister."

"No escaping that Sis" Summer replied.

They were soon out the front door, after carefully making sure the apartment was locked up.

Walking to school didn't take long, and Fluttershy looked at her cell phone and said they were late, the first period classes had already started.

Summer apologized, but Fluttershy said it was ok, they had to go to the Principal's office anyway to get Summer back in class.  This sounded very scary to Summer, but she trusted Fluttershy to take care of everything.  Summer had no choice.

Walking past the wall where the Portal was, Summer noticed something way out of the ordinary on the ground, picked it up, and stuffed it in her backpack.  She would deal with it later.





Summer Rain and Fluttershy were soon sitting outside in the hall, next to the Principal's office.  The sign on the door read "Principal Celestia", and Summer tried to prepare herself mentally for the meeting.  She didn't think they bowed out of respect here.

Principal Celestia soon opened the door, and welcomed them both in.  She looked a lot like Princess Celestia, same colors, same voice, and evidently the same personality.  But she was a person and not a pony.

Principal Celestia began by saying "Summer Rain, nice to see you again" as she pulled a small folded paper thing from a large drawer along one wall.

Principal Celestia was reading some of the papers in this folder thing, and it was quiet for a minute or two.

Principal Celestia next pushed a little box on her desk and said "Vice-principal Luna can you join me in my office for a few minutes?"  She then turned on a small lamp in the corner, and turned the bright overhead lights off.

Vice-principal Luna came in and sat up straight in a third chair next to Summer Rain.  She likewise was Princess Luna in a person body.  This was all very eery.

Principal Celestia began speaking quietly.

"I need to ask you a question Summer, because I need to know.  However, this question is completely off the record, and I will deny ever asking you.  Are you from Equestria?"

Summer Rain quietly answered "Yes I am."

Principal Celestia looked over at Vice-principal Luna and smiled, then said "Thank you Vice-Principal".

Vice-principal Luna returned to her office, and the lights were again turned back on, hurting Summer's eyes.

"Well girls, I think everything is in order.  It will take a few days to come up with a class schedule for you Summer, so just attend classes with Fluttershy for now.  I think that's it"  the Principal said.  She walked them to the door, and then said "One more thing, don't hesitate to come talk to me should any needs arise."

Summer and her sister both thanked the Principal, then they headed to Fluttershy's first class, which was already half over.





Fluttershy led Summer to her first class.  The door was thankfully in the back with the teacher up front, and they were able to quickly take two empty seats in the back row.

The teacher appeared momentarily stunned by what he saw, but quickly resumed teaching.

Fluttershy called this class 'Geometry', and it made little sense to Summer, but that was ok.  Fluttershy could help her.

According to Fluttershy, the teacher stopped about a minute before the bell actually rang.  He smiled and said "Welcome back Summer" and the whole class turned around and looked.

Summer said "Thank you" as calmly as she could, and smiled.

The teacher then said "Class dismissed", and everyone headed out into the hall.  Then the bell rang, and the halls were soon packed.

Walking to Fluttershy's next class, Summer saw the same pattern repeated many times.  People would stare, then whisper among themselves.  Word about her was spreading.

As they both sat down in the next classroom, Summer leaned over next to Fluttershy and said quietly "Wow this isn't going to be easy."

Fluttershy was very reassuring "Just be yourself Summer" she said as she smiled at Summer.

Summer took a deep breath and said "Ok".

Class again, lectures not making much sense, stares and whispering, Summer was getting used to this now.

They were both soon out in the hall, heading for her sister's next class.  Stares and whispers.  A few people actually said "hi" to Summer, and she just smiled and said "hi" back. 

It occurred to Summer that part of the problem was that she should probably know more; more of the people here, and more about the people here.  Summer couldn't help that, but hoped she could address this at some point.  Who knows.

It also dawned on Summer at this point, and she thought to herself "Wow, a whole school to make friends with!"  That was an amazing thought.

Summer also began to notice that some of the looks she was getting were not friendly.  Remembering her first experience with Rarity, Summer could guess why.  Remembering as well what Summer herself used to be like, she knew why.

During the fourth period class, the teacher was sick.  A different teacher called a 'substitute' was there, and just showed a movie about 'the American Indians' which Summer found very interesting.  The class went quickly.

About five minutes before the bell rang, and interrupting the movie, Principal Celestia's voice boomed through-out the school.  She said "Good morning students.  We will be observing the Assembly Schedule for the rest of the day.  Thank you."

Fluttershy said that this meant there was a 30 minute assembly after lunch.  Summer supplied a blank look, and Fluttershy said the assembly is when the all the students gather in the gym for a meeting or presentation or something.  Fluttershy said that made the rest of the classes shorter, and so the day went faster.

Fluttershy also said that Lunch was next, and Summer was hungry, so this was good.





Summer Rain followed Fluttershy into a large room full of the nice aroma of different kinds of food.  Some she recognized, most she did not.  She and Fluttershy walked to the end of a long line.

There were a lot of people nearby, the closest this many had been to her, and she felt a little uncomfortable.  Summer also realized that now would probably not be the time to ask Fluttershy questions, so she just watched her sister and did the same.

One of the older women serving was certainly Granny Smith, and she actually said "Hi Summer, nice to see you back at school."

"Hi Granny, how's the farm doing?"  Summer answered.

"Pretty good considerin' I can't move around like I used to.  Big Mac and Applejack are doin' a good job of takin' care of things though so I can't complain" Granny answered.

"Well have a good day" Summer said as the line moved past her.

Summer soon had a tray full of whatever Fluttershy got, and they both headed away from the crowded line.  Fluttershy said she was looking for a table.

Summer was noticing more stares and whispers, some she knew were not very nice.  Summer put her tray down next to Fluttershy's tray just as a loud voice echoed from across the room.

"Hey Summer, did you learn how to play Soccer yet?"  The unidentified boy who said this and his whole table were laughing or snickering.

This would have infuriated the old Summer, and probably Fluttershy's sister as well.  Was that boy in for a surprise.  She looked him straight in the eye and said loud enough for everyone to hear "You know, I really like soccer, but I've realized that there are a lot more important things in life."

Summer paused to let this sink in.  She was about to continue, but Rainbow Dash had walked right up behind Summer and said it for her "Ya, like true friends! Hey Summer."

A bunch of people chuckled as Summer, Rainbow and Fluttershy sat down.  Someone said "Ewww, burn" in the background, which Summer figured was their way of agreeing with what Rainbow said.

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie soon joined them at the table, and for Summer, the sea of people in the room seemed to melt away.  Summer was with her true friends, and felt a lot more relaxed, and she told them so with a smile.

Summer watched Fluttershy eat her food, and tried to do what she did, and it worked pretty well.  Some of the food she liked, some she didn't, but that wasn't important.

Summer's friends wanted to know how her day was going, and she mentioned what she felt comfortable saying in this crowd.

Rarity mentioned that Summer had a mean streak that had left more than a few victims.  Rarity wasn't sure what the solution was though, short of knowing who they were and apologizing to each one.

Fluttershy took one of Summers hands and quietly said "Summer we know you've changed, and we are here for you." and everyone else at the table agreed.

"What would I do without these dear friends" Summer thought to herself.





With her friends nearby, the lunch period went by far too quickly.  The bell soon rang for the next class, and Fluttershy said they needed to go to the 'gym' instead.  They all went together since they all had to go anyway.

There were no chairs, and everyone just walked in and stood wherever they wanted.  Fluttershy suggested they stand near the back so they could get out faster when it was over, and the rest agreed.  However, it seemed like many others had the same idea, and so Summer and her friends ended up half way between the doors and the raised stage.

The program was evidently not some sort of stage production, the lights inside the gym weren't bright, but weren't dim either.

Principal Celestia walked up on the stage with some sort of thing in her hand and waited patiently for everyone to come in and find a place.  Fluttershy said the thing she was holding was a Microphone, and it made her voice louder.

When the Principal felt everyone was in and standing still, she held the microphone near her mouth and began speaking.  Her voice was a lot louder, but she didn't have to yell.

Bright lights on the stage were turned on at this point too.  Maybe it was some big production Summer thought to herself.

The Principal was cheerful, but short and to the point.  "Good afternoon students.  As many of you already know, one of our students has returned, and I thought I would have her come forward and say a few words.  Summer Rain, please come."

With this, Fluttershy gasped, and said "Summer she wants you to go up and say a few words."  And she sort of nudged Summer towards the stage.

Summer Rain took this in quickly, checked her skirt, and then headed to one of the steps leading up to the stage.  It seemed most of the students already knew who she was and easily cleared a path.  She did not know that Fluttershy and the rest of her friends followed Summer and stood, together, right below where Summer would be speaking.

In her head, Summer was terrified.  "Oh no, what am I supposed to say" she thought over and over.

She made it to where Principal Celestia was, and the Principal handed Summer the microphone, then stepped back.  She saw her true friends standing below, holding hands, and took a deep breath.





As time slowed to a crawl for the audience, Summer realized that she needed to have a conversation with herself.

Probably both old Summers would have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to both brag and show off, as well as throw in a few insults at her enemies.  Summer really was different, and she reminded herself that this wasn't going to happen ever again.

Summer realized that she couldn't change who she was, even if it wasn't Fluttershy's sister.  Even so, she decided she would not intentionally lie.

Summer also realized that, just like Rarity, Fluttershy's sister had hurt a lot of people.  Dealing with that was probably necessary before anyone would listen to what she had to say about true friendship.

Even with the bright lights on the , Summer could see most everyone in the audience.  She saw her five special friends again and relaxed.

Summer took another deep breath, smiled, held the 'mic' thing to her mouth, and started talking.  Summer talked very slowly and carefully, and intentionally paused between each sentence.

"Hi, it's me Summer.

"I can honestly say that I remember very little of what has happened the last few years here.

(The smile went away at this point.)

"But I do know that I have not been a very nice person.

"I have been cruel, mean, and very selfish, and usually angry.

"I also know that I did and said a lot of very bad things, and I hurt a lot of people, many in this room.

(Tears began to trickle down Summer's cheeks at this point.)

"If I said or did hurtful things to you, I'm deeply sorry.  I'm so sorry.

"I know I can't take back words said or awful things done.

"All I can do is apologize for what I did, and ask you to forgive me.

"For some of you that will not be anough, and I understand that.

"The road I was on lead me perilously close to death.

"But I learned that it didn't have to be that way.

"I learned that life is too short to waste it on myself.

"I learned that true friendship means putting others first.

"I decided that's what I really wanted.

"And I am a different person today because of this.

"Please don't think that I am trying to force my views on anyone else in this room.  We each choose our own path after all.

"But if you are hurting today, maybe theres a way out.  Maybe you need a good friend to come alongside you and help you through.  I know I did.

"Or if you know someone who is going through a tough time, or just having a bad day, maybe you can be a friend to them."

(Summer was trying to think of other things to say, then decided she had probably said enough, so she finished with this.)

"I probably would have been dead by now.

"True friendship made all the difference.

"Thanks."

Summer gave the mic back to Principal Celestia, and headed for the stairs, and especially for her special friends.  They immediately enveloped her in a group hug. as wild applause broke out in the audience.  It lasted for a little while.

Principal Celestia was evidently done speaking, so Vice Principal Luna came out holding the mic, and the bright stage lights were turned off.  When things had settled down enough, she said simply "Thank you Summer for sharing your heart.  I think we can all learn from this.  You are dismissed."

Few made it to the next class.  A lot of po. er, people, especially other girls, came up and cried with Summer, and thanked her for what she said.  A few guys did too, but they mostly shook her hand.  It didn't matter.

Summer knew she wasn't a great speaker.  What happened wasn't about Summer.  It's just that most everyone needs a good friend.  That's why she was here.  Summer was just amazed that she had a chance to talk about that before the whole school.





The last two classes with Fluttershy were a lot less stressful;  more smiling, and less whispering.  A few of the other girls in Fluttershy's classes came up and talked with Summer briefly.  What Summer had said about not remembering probably spared her from looking like a total idiot.  And Summer thoroughly enjoyed meeting new friends.

Even so, Summer was never far from Fluttershy.  She followed Fluttershy wherever she went.  If Summer was talking to someone, and Fluttershy needed to go, Summer excused herself and stayed with her sister.  Even though Fluttershy was not popular, or very comfortable in a group, Summer knew she was Fluttershy's sister first of all.

After school was out, Rainbow Dash had to run Soccer Practice, and so Summer, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack sat in things Fluttershy called 'bleachers', so they could watch Rainbow.  They all just chatted together.  Other girls (mostly) also wandered up and would chat for a while then leave.

One rather embarrassed guy walked up to the edge of the bleacher, and simply said "I don't care what anyone else says, you are still a knockout, welcome back Summer" and he turned and walked off.

After he was beyond hearing distance, Summer said to Fluttershy "Did he just tell me to get knocked out?  I think I'm missing something here."

Rarity spoke up "When he called you a 'knock-out' he was saying that you are very beautiful."

"Oh like you girls?" Summer asked "You are all amazingly beautiful."

Pinkie Pie jumped in and said "Oh Summer you are so nice!"

Summer was quiet for a minute then said "I really meant it though."

"That's because you are so sweet dear" Rarity said kindly.  "But if you ask the boys at this school, on a scale of 1 to 10, the rest of us are maybe in the 5-7 range I think.

Summer said quietly "That's disgusting, you are all amazing."

"Well these boys usually start looking at the outside anyway, and most don't seem too concerned about much else." Applejack said summing it up.

"Well that's backwards.  They should be looking for true friends first." Summer said dejectedly.

"My you really have changed Summer" Rarity said.  "A very good change I think."

"I feel like I'm from another planet" Summer began, then quickly added "Oh wait, I am..."

Everyone laughed.  However, they could tell Summer was really bugged about this.  "Group hug" Pinkie shouted, and it was so.

Rainbow Dash was done with practice at this point, and joined them up in the bleachers.  "I'm hungry, wanna go to the Cakes' for some food?" Rainbow asked.

Everyone liked the idea.

Summer spoke up and said "Sounds good, but can we go to Fluttershy's apartment afterwards and spend some time together, just us six?  I feel like I've talked to just about everyone else in the school today besides you precious people."





Dinner at the Cakes shop was interesting.  Mrs. Cake had to leave because their kids got sick, and Mr. Cake seemed overwhelmed.  Summer volunteered to help, and the rest of the girls jumped in as well.

A lot of the students from school got to watch Summer and her true friends wait on tables, which Summer hoped would at least get them to think about ways they can help others out.

They all arrived at Fluttershy's apartment far later than planned.  Summer had requested it so they all made sure it happened, even though they all had to get up early for school tomorrow.  Before long, everyone had found a place to sit and had a small bowl of ice cream to eat.

Summer did some talking at this point.

"Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow, you are all amazing friends, and I want to thank you for everything you did for me today.  I had no idea I would be speaking to the whole school, but I could only do that becuse you were all there with me.

"Princess Twilight asked me to come so I could help you learn about true friendship.  But today, you have all simply been my true friends, and I thank you all."

Summer got up at this point, and with tears in her eyes, she worked her way around the circle giving each one of her dear friends a well deserved hug.

"I do feel bad because it seems like everyone wanted to come talk to me today.  Maybe this is because I came back to school, or maybe there are other reasons, I don't know.  I just want you all to know that you five special ladies are the reason I am here, and I won't forget that."

Summer got up at this point and grabbed something out of her backpack.

"I think you might all be interested in this" Summer said.  It was a rolled up sheet of paper sealed with a red wax seal.  It looked smaller than Summer remembered, but this didn't matter.  Summer passed it to her sister so everyone could look at it.

"It is from Princess Twilight" Summer said simply

"Boy howdy, let's open it then! Applejack said.

Rainbow had it at the time, so she carefully broke the seal free and opened the paper up, then read the note.  It said:

"Dear Summer and Precious Friends,

Thank you for the amazing note and picture, we will treasure it for a long time!  We are glad to see Summer made it there safely, and that you are all doing well.

I wish I could come again, but deeply appreciate Summer Rain being my substitute, at least for now.

Each of the girls here send their greetings, especially to their oh so awesome counterparts in your world.

Lovingly, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

It also said "Sis I miss you too" along the bottom.

Summer couldn't speak, and Fluttershy put her arm around Summer's neck and hugged her close.

It was quiet for a little while.

"I hope we get to see Princess Twilight again at some point."  Rarity said, and they all agreed.

"And I want to see my oh so awesome counterpart!" Rainbow said with a smile.  Awesomeness times two!"

Everyone laughed, but this thought was shared by the rest of the circle as well.

Summer spoke softly at this point and simply said "I know each of you in both worlds, and you are all amazing."





Everyone hugged at the door, and Summer's friends were all soon on their way home.

Summer and Fluttershy were soon snug in their own beds and the doors locked and lights out.

Summer said "Today was amazing.  Tough but amazing. And I couldn't have done it without you Sis, and the rest either.  You are all amazing.

Fluttershy replied quietly "Rarity told me that she thought that in the course of 10 minutes of you talking, and acting like a true friend, you probably healed much of the pain my sister caused over many years.  That makes you pretty amazing too I think.  Thank you."

Summer got out of bed long enough to hug Fluttershy briefly at this point.  Summer was quickly back in her bed, and they were both soon fast asleep.
> Chapter 15, Rebuilding Bridges, Part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer had a much easier time getting ready for school this second morning.  Fluttershy said the day was 'Tuesday'.  Summer needed a little help from Fluttershy, but they were both ready to leave for school on time.

The outfits that Rarity had supplied were working well, but Summer still had her sister check everything before they left.

Summer and Fluttershy both worked together to quickly get the apartment locked up and they were on their way.

The walk there was simple enough, and a few people said 'hi' to them both.  Summer made it a point to look for strange objects on the ground next to the Portal wall, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

They were soon in the hall and on their way to Fluttershy's first class.  There was a boy waiting outside Fluttershy's classroom, and he stopped Summer as they were about to enter.

"Hey Summer, welcome back.  My name is Carl, and I was just wondering if you had any plans for Friday night.  Maybe we could do dinner and a Movie, I don't know."

"Carl, thanks, but I have plans already" Summer said slowly, and they left Carl there, and Summer hurried Fluttershy into the classroom.

"Fluttershy what was that?  He wanted to go on a date right?" Summer asked quietly.

Fluttershy sighed, then said "Ya.  He and Summer went out for a while.  He probably thinks you have forgotten."

"That's scary, I don't even know him." Summer replied.

"Well he knew my sister, so I don't know." Fluttershy answered.

After a minutes silence, Fluttershy said "Summer..."

"Yes Sis?" Summer said

"You might brace yourself, I doubt he will be the only boy who asks." Fluttershy said with a sigh.

"Thanks for the warning Sis" Summer said. "It's ok though, they will all get the same answer.  I plan on being with my friends whenever I can."

Class was quickly started, and still didn't make a whole lot of sense to Summer, but that was probably ok.

At the end of class, the bell rang, and Summer followed Fluttershy to her next class, only to be stopped in the hall by a completely different boy, who asked basically the same question.  Summer simply gave him the same answer and walked on to catch up with Fluttershy.

This next class made a little more sense, but there were two girls in the back who were talking constantly, and so it was hard to concentrate.  Summer wasn't too worried, she did the same thing in school too, and got in trouble for it though.

The bell rang again at the end of class, and Summer wondered if she could disappear and follow her sister like that.  Sure enough, she was stopped in the hall by another boy with the same general question.  This time Summer said simply "No thanks, I have plans."

By the time Summer was behind Fluttershy in the lunch line, 3 other boys had asked, and gotten the same answer.  Summer wasn't real happy about this, and realized that she would be answering the same question for weeks maybe if she didn't do something about it.

Summer waited until most everyone was in the lunchroom and sitting down eating.  By this time, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow and Applejack had joined she and Fluttershy at their table.

Summer stood up, took her spoon and knocked it against her cup a few times.  It was loud enough that everyone could hear it, and it was suddenly dead quiet in the lunchroom.

"Excuse me, a word or two if I may" Summer started.

"Since this morning, six boys have asked me out, and I suspect this would likely continue.  I don't mean to hurt these boy's feelings, I was flattered that they asked.  But it needs to stop, so please don't ask me if we can go out.

"You know, I don't think it is very fair that boys are just asking me.  I mean seriously, look around!  This school has so many amazing girls.  I think you would find that out if you would take the time just to be their friend and get to know them.  It simply doesn't seem fair to me that I'm getting all this attention.

"It also seems backwards to me to try to put together a long lasting relationship by just looking at the outside.  True friends are what they are because of what is on the inside, and you really should start there I think.  But this means that you actually need to get to know them as friends to begin with, but I think you will find that a rewarding, even amazing experience.

"For me, my main focus right now is my true friends, and how we can learn more about that together.  If you want to pursue long term friendships, you should probably start there as well.  Generally, in order to have good friends, you need to learn to be a good friend too.  And that is something we can all work towards.

"And remember Fluttershy would like more volunteers to help at the Animal Shelter, so let her know if you are interested.

"Thanks for listening, I'm done, enjoy your lunch" Summer concluded, then sat down.

Loud applause erupted at this point as just about all of the girls present seemed to resonate with what Summer had said.  But it was soon over, and everyone was again eating their lunch.  Summer hoped the boys listened anyway.

Once things calmed down, Rarity spoke up "Summer you are such a contradiction.  What you just did is so something Summer Rain would have done.  However, what you said is almost the exact opposite of what Summer would have said."

Summer was silent briefly then said quietly "I hope they listened Rare."





The rest of Summer's classes were quiet at least, with Summer understanding varying amounts of what was discussed.  No other boys asked her out, which she appreciated.  She was here for Princess Twilight's friends after all.

The afternoon went fairly calmly.  Summer, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack sat in the bleachers again as Rainbow ran soccer practice.

When soccer practice was almost done, Fluttershy received a text, gasped loudly and immediately turned ashen.

"Fluttershy what's wrong?"  Summer quickly asked.

Fluttershy was crying openly at this point.  Through her tears and she said "My parents are waiting in my apartment, and want to meet you..."

Fluttershy was beside herself and started saying very quickly "Oh Summer, what do I say, what do I do...  Where do I even start.  I don't know..."

Summer stepped in at this point.  She quickly moved up a row and sat next to her sister and looked into her eyes, and held both her hands, and said softly "Fluttershy stop a minute.  You are not saying anything.  I caused this problem, and I'm not about to just dump it on you.  I am your friend, and I will take care of you."

Fluttershy was still crying, and put her head on Summer's shoulder and tried to relax.  "I am very scared Summer."

"Fluttershy, we will tell them the truth.  That's all we can do."

Pinkie had gone down to the field to tell Rainbow, who simply closed practice.  It wasn't much longer to quitting time anyway.

"Fluttershy, let's go" Summer said, helping Fluttershy up.

Applejack spoke up at this point "I wanna come, would that be ok?  Actually we are all in this together."

Looking around at all her new, dear friends, Summer realized they all were coming regardless of what she said.  "You girls are all Fluttershy's true friends and I thank you.  I think for the most part you should wait outside however, if that is ok" Summer said.

They all walked together the short distance to Fluttershy's apartment.  Outside, Rarity said "Fluttershy dear, are you ok?"

Fluttershy said "No, I'm scared, but it really helps that my friends are with me."

Rarity gave Fluttershy a hug, and soon they all took their turn hugging Fluttershy outside the apartment door.

"Fluttershy, let's go" Summer said, as Summer led the way into the apartment.  Fluttershy's mom gasped as Summer walked throiugh the door, and Fluttershy's dad looked quickly at the floor.

Fluttershy's mom and dad were sitting on the couch, so Summer and Fluttershy walked over to the cot and sat down.

Summer Rain spoke up immediately but slowly.

"I know that you are both very special people.  I want you to know that your daughter is one of my true friends, and we all know she is extremely sensitive.  What is happening here is not her doing at all, it is mine, and I would hope our conversation would reflect that.

"Also, I will withhold no information from you, but it is crucial that some of what I say be kept strictly confidential.

"Finally, I want you to know that I can't even imagine the pain you both must have felt at the death of your daughter.  I want you both to know that I feel deeply for you, and want to avoid causing you any unnecessary pain."

After a brief pause, Fluttershy's mom spoke.  "You talked briefly at the High School yesterday, and I watched the video of it on the Internet.  While your appearance and voice is breathtakingly like our daughter, it is clear you are not her.  She would never have said those things, at least not recently.  I just want to know what is going on."

Summer Rain took a deep breath and began to explain.  Again she talked slowly, both to allow Fluttershy's parents to take things in, but also to allow Summer to pick her words carefully.

"I am from a parallel world.

"A bad person from our world stole the crown belonging to one of our leaders, and then fled here, forcing our leader to come here to retrieve her crown.  That bad person was Sunset Shimmer."

Fluttershy's mom cut in immediately with disdain "Figures... She had it out for my daughter."

Summer kept going.

"While our Princess was here to retrieve her crown, five dear people became her close friends and helped her, and actually assisted her in protecting the students and defeating Sunset Shimmer.  These five people were Fluttershy and her other four friends now standing outside.  These five people from your world helped our Princess, and she was able to return to my world with her crown.

"While I think the existence of my parallel world should be kept strictly confidential, your daughter and her four friends witnessed all of this, and can verify what happened.  Also, during the struggle, Sunset tore a large part of the front of the school away, and that damage is still clearly visible.

"What now follows is my story.  Friendship is a very important thing in our world, and our Princess felt absolutely terrible that she had essentially abandoned five special people in this world who gave of themselves, and helped her.

"My Princess could not return, and so asked me to come in her place, to try to help Fluttershy and her four friends to enjoy the true friendship that is so important in my world."

Summer stopped here and began to tear up, and Fluttershy knew instantly, and put her arm around Summer.  "I left my own Fluttershy behind to come here..."

After a brief delay and a few tears, Summer continued.

"But these five girls are amazing, and have become true friends in the deepest sense of the word, even though I am not sure how much of that is my doing."

Fluttershy's mom spoke up again "But your talk, you lied."

Summer was ready for this.

"I said that I couldn't remember what had happened here and that was correct, because I wasn't here.  I also realized that your daughter had caused a lot of pain, and as a true friend I needed to accept responsibility for that and seek to heal what I could before the others would be able to hear what I said about true friendship.  So I did that."

Fluttershy seemed to know what was coming now too, and took one of Summer's hands in hers.

Summer put her head down at this point and talked more slowly as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Our worlds are parallel in so many ways.  I was just like your daughter...  and headed down the exact same path...  But like I said, I learned that it didn't have to be that way, and I'm convinced true friendship saved my life.  And the other students needed to hear that."

After a brief pause, Summer continued.

"Fluttershy and I have already talked about this.  I know I can't bring back her sister, your daughter.  But I promised Fluttershy that while I was here, I would be the very best friend she has ever had.  I can only offer that same promise to you.  I wish I could do more."

There was a few moments silence.  Then Fluttershy spoke up and said quietly "I like my new sister."

There were tears in Fluttershy's mom's eyes at this point as she and Fluttershy's dad stood up, and Summer and Fluttershy followed.

Fluttershy's mom quietly said "Parallel world or no, you are Fluttershy's devoted sister, and every bit the Summer Rain I remember.  That makes you family.  Can I hug you?"

"Of course" Summer said, and they were quickly all hugging.  Fluttershy's mom cried for a while.  Summer felt bad for her and cried too as did Fluttershy.

When the hug was over, Fluttershy's mom again spoke.  "The well-being of Fluttershy is very important to us, and people seem to find it easy to take advantage of her.  I appreciate that you are also deeply concerned about taking care of her."

Summer took Fluttershy's hand and said "Your Fluttershy is just as amazing as mi..." and could go no further.

Fluttershy's mom and dad walked out the door of Fluttershy's apartment.  They both knew all of Fluttershy's friends, and spent a few minutes greeting each one together, before they got in their car and drove off.

"I hope we did ok Sis" Summer said quietly.

"We told the truth, and I think it worked out for the best." Fluttershy said softly.





This had all been draining on Summer, she really did feel Fluttershy's parent's pain.

After Fluttershy's parents left, Summer called all her dear friends together and simply hugged them all, well, and cried a little more too.

"You girls are all amazing" Summer said.

"You are too Summer!" Pinkie said and they all agreed.

"Dinner at the Cake's on me, lets go!" Rainbow said.

"As long as I can stay with you girls that's fine." Summer replied.

While walking to the Cake's, Summer said, almost thinking out loud "Why is it that wherever I go, I find true friends that I don't ever want to leave."

"Because, Summer, you are a true friend" Rarity quickly said, and everyone agreed.





Summer was beat, but still, they all helped Mr. Cake with the serving again.  It was really a lot of fun, and Summer and the girls had a blast.  Mr. Cake really appreciated it too.

It was late though, so they all hugged outside the shop and then everyone went in pairs to each of their homes for the night.

Summer and Fluttershy were soon in their beds with the doors and windows locked and the lights out.

Laying there in the darkness, Fluttershy said "Thanks Sis."

Summer softly replied "I love you Fluttershy."

A few minutes later Summer said quietly "I do wish I could bring your sister back though."

After a pause, Fluttershy said "I know, but unless she learns to be a true friend, it would just be very difficult to have her back, so I don't know.

Summer sighed and said "Well, we can't rewrite the past anyway."

And they both nodded off to sleep.
> Chapter 16, Settling In
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, 'Wednesday', was a good day.  Summer Rain and her sister made it to all their classes on time, and more girls were coming up and talking to Summer, giving her plenty of opportunities to make new friends, which she enjoyed.

Summer also made it a point to try to include Flutershy in their conversations.  Summer suspected that few people had even paid attention to Fluttershy up to this point, and Summer wasn't about to let that go on.

Still, she talked to Fluttershy about this, and Fluttershy said she didn't mind as long as Summer didn't pressure Fluttershy to say something.  They both agreed that Fluttershy should be free to talk when she wanted and stay quiet when she wanted.

Summer was again amazed that Fluttershy was both very sensitive to what might be going on, and also had some background knowledge of many of these girls, and she was a big help to Summer as she tried to just be a friend.  Summer would frequently talk to Fluttershy after a conversation was done, just to get things right.

Summer Rain was also making progress coming up to speed on some of her classes.  Geometry she began to understand, and English, but History was hopeless, Summer had not been in this world long enough to make any sense of it.

Lunch was very relaxing.  Summer talked briefly with Granny Smith again too.  She and her five special friends always sat together, and other girls she was getting to know better, would stop by and chat.

Making new friends was so very fun, as long as the girls were near.  Summer was so concerned that these five special girls knew clearly that they were her first priority, and she told them that frequently.

And she never 'abandoned' Fluttershy to talk to a new friend.  The word 'inseparable' kept coming into Summer's mind, and she aimed to make that happen as often as she could.

Summer still missed her sister however, and Fluttershy seemed to instinctively know when that happened, and how to help Summer through it.





The last three classes seemed to drag on as usual, but when done, they just got together and did things as a group.  There was no Soccer Practice for today, and Rarity was excited about something she wanted to show everyone, so they walked with Rarity to her shop.

Once there, she asked everyone to hold out their right hand and close their eyes.  Rarity went around the group and placed some sort of fashion item in each of their hands.  She put hers on quickly as well.  Then she had everyone open their eyes.

It was beautiful, of course, but Summer didn't know what it was, or how to wear it.  "Rare, can you help me with this?" Summer asked, and Rarity quickly gathered Summer's long blond hair and slipped the chain down over Summer's neck.

"It's called a 'Dog Tag' dear, they are all the rage." Rarity said.

Summer held hers and looked at it.  The letters 'TF' were largest across the tag, using very nice looking white lettering with shiny gold trim.  Summer had no idea how Rarity could have pulled that off, it was very intricate.  The background was a very beautiful alternating and wavy Lavender and Purple stripes.  The four letters "MPOF" using the same white letters but smaller were included lower across the tag.

"Rare, what do these letters mean?" Summer asked.

"Summer, it's from your talk on Monday.  'True Friendship means putting others first'."  Rarity looked at Summer and smiled.  "You did say that you know."

"And that's exactly what I meant too, thank you Rare, it's absolutely beautiful"  Summer said, and they all agreed.

"The White and Gold are your colors, and the alternating Purple and Lavender are Princess Twilight's colors" Rarity explained.

Summer and her five friends all had them on, and Summer doubted they would come off any time soon.  Her's wouldn't.

Applejack spoke up and said "Rarity what's this on the back?"

Rainbow said next "Ya, what does 'MLP' mean?  I can't figure that out. And who is this 'Hasbro'?"

Rarity explained.  "Well, I don't know.  I did the design and then emailed it to a local shop and they used 3D printing with plastic to make them.  Maybe that was left over from some other job, I don't know.  Anyway I brought them here and hand painted them, and they came out wonderful!"

"They really did Rare" Summer said softly.

Pinkie Pie spoke up and said "You might wanna make some more though Rarity, these are awesome, and others at school might want them too!"

Rarity had tears in her eyes because she knew her special friends adored what she made for them, and they each gave her a hug.  





[Hi, this is Shysage.  These two worlds are parallel but not identical.  However, in order to cover an event that occured at approximately the same time as the above, but in Ponyville, we need to shift our focus there briefly.  I know this could be jarring, and I apologize.]

It was early, but Rarity was very excited, and walked quickly to the Cake's shop to find Pinkie Pie.  She saw Rainbow overhead clearing clouds, but didn't think she could get her attention.

Pinkie was up, and Rarity explained quickly that she had a surprise for the group, and needed Rainbow to collect everyone and bring them to the Boutique.

Pinkie understood immediately, and in less than a minute, her Party Cannon had gone off, probably waking up most of Ponyville.  Rainbow heard, came down, and was quickly on her way fetching the group.

Before long Princess Twilight and her girls were all in the Boutique gathered around Rarity.

She asked everyone to close their eyes.  Rarity went around the group and used her magic to place some sort of fashion item around each of their necks.  She put hers on quickly as well.  Then she had everyone open their eyes.

They were beautiful, of course, but Princess Twilight didn't know exactly what it was.  "Rarity you are Equestria's fashion expert, so what exactly is this?

"It's called a 'Shield Necklace' dear, they are all the rage." Rarity said.

Princess Twilight held hers up with her magic and looked at it.  It was shaped like a small shield.  The letters 'TF' were largest across the shield, using very nice looking white lettering with shiny gold trim.  Twilight had no idea how Rarity could have pulled that off, it was very intricate.  The background was a very beautiful alternating and wavy Lavender and Purple stripes.  The four letters "MPOF" using the same white letters but smaller were included lower across the shield.

"Rarity, what do these letters mean?" Twilight asked.

"Summer's words Princess, 'True Friendship means putting others first'."  Rarity looked at Twilight and smiled.  "Summer says that a lot."

"And she is right.  Thank you Rare, it's absolutely beautiful"  Princess Twilight said, and they all agreed.

"The White and Gold are Summer's colors, and the alternating Purple and Lavender are your colors Princess." Rarity explained.

Princess Twilight and her five friends all had them on, and Twilight doubted they would come off any time soon.  Her's wouldn't.

Applejack and Rainbow were looking at each other's tags.

Applejack spoke up and said "Rarity what's this on the back?"

Rainbow said next "Ya, what does 'MLP' mean?  I can't figure that out."

Rarity explained.  "Well I don't know.  After I did the design, I did cut them out from a piece of leather that was left over from another project, maybe that's where it's from.  Anyway I used my design to hand paint them, and they came out wonderful!"

"They really did Rarity" Twilight said softly.

Pinkie Pie spoke up and said "You might wanna make some more though Rarity, these are awesome, and others in town might want them too!"

Rarity had tears in her eyes because she knew her special friends adored what she made for them, and they each gave her a hug.

[Ok, back to the Equestria Girls world.]





Summer and her friends stayed at Rarity's while they discussed what to do next.

Pinkie Pie suggested that they check to see if Mr. Cake needed them tonight.  Pinkie sent him a text, and he replied that their kids were better and Mrs. Cake was back on duty.  He also thanked them for helping out earlier in the week, and promised them free dinner tonite if they came.  They headed there of course.

When dinner was almost over, Summer Rain asked if they could all go over to Fluttershy's apartment and listen while Summer read out of one of her books from Equestria.  Even Rainbow was enthusiatic about this, so they were all soon sitting together in Fluttershy's tiny apartment eating Ice Cream cones, a present from Mrs. Cake.  Summer liked these, just like everyone else did.

Summer got out Volume 1, and read the two part section that detailed Princess Twilight's first experiences with her five special pony friends.  Summer read kind of fast to make it a little easier on Rainbow, and then they talked about what they heard for a while afterwards.

Fluttershy had heard it before but was again impressed by what she heard.

Everyone else laughed too when Twilight called the ponies of Ponyville 'crazy', but they also all agreed that she had changed a lot.

Like Fluttershy, everyone in the group was struck by the fact that the 'Elements of Harmony' had claimed their carriers based on their individual characteristics, and Summer this time actually reviewed what was specifically mentioned about these five ponies.

"Fluttershy, your element is Kindness
"Rainbow Dash, your element is Loyalty
"Applejack, your element is Honesty
"Pinkie Pie, your element is Laughter
"Rarity, your element is Generosity"

After saying this, Summer said "Listen girls.  This is so amazing.  The night you helped Princess Twilight, each one of you, with the exact same characteristics, supplied the substitute 'Elements of Harmony' that enabled Princess Twilight to use her magic to defeat Sunset Shimmer.

"That's why I named each of you as I reviewed the elements above.  The Elements themselves identified these same characteristics in each of you, and that identification formed the basis of Princess Twilight's ability to use her magic.  And you did this without the physical elements that Twilight and her friends in my world use.  I just can't get over that."

After a brief silence, Rainbow spoke up "Why were Fluttershy and I able to fly for a little while that night?"

Summer tried to answer.

"Rainbow I don't know.  In my world, both you Rainbow and my sister Fluttershy can fly.  It is like Twilight and/or her magic gave you all a little piece of Equestria that night.  And you all have Cutie Marks now, which I find amazing.

"Like I told Fluttershy, it is like you five have been marked out here together for something, only I don't have any idea what.  Magic doesn't seem real important for your world so I don't think it is that.  But I really don't know.  I think we will just have to wait and see, and maybe find out together."

"I like my Cutie Mark" Fluttershy said softly.

Everyone else loved theirs too.

"Lets do this" Summer suggested.  "There is an account in here about Cutie Marks, lets see if we can look at that tomorrow night."

"Awesome!" Rainbow said, and everyone agreed.

After a brief pause, Pinkie yawned and said "School tomorrow, its late"

"Can we all hug before we leave?  You girls constantly amaze me" Summer said softly.  It wasn't easy in Fluttershy's little apartment, but they did it.
> Chapter 17, Cutie Marks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday seemed like good day too, maybe just another school day.  So many new friends, and five close friends around her.  What more could Summer Rain want.

Laying in bed that morning, she noted mentally that she, well really they all, had at least been able to make good progress on one of her tasks.  Fluttershy and her other four friends were truly together and seemed to be growing in their committment to each other.  Summer had no clue about the other task though.

Summer and Fluttershy were up, fed, ready and out the door easily on time, and soon sitting in Fluttershy's first class.

Overall, Summer felt she was really getting a handle on this School thing; that is, until Principal Celestia called Summer to the office just to tell her that her new class schedule would be ready by Monday, and Summer would get a bunch of her own classes.

Principal Celestia did point out that she kept Summer in as many of Fluttershy's classes as she could, but at least one of her other friends were in each of the new classes.

Summer thanked the Principal and gave her a hug before she left.

Lunch was amazing since her five special friends were there, and she again talked briefly with Granny Smith in the lunch line.

While they were eating, Applejack mentioned they had to pick a bunch of apples this weekend at the farm.  Almost at the same time, everyone else said they wanted to come help, including Summer.  Applejack teared up, and thanked everyone.  It was a done deal, and everyone was looking forward to a fun weekend on the Farm helping Applejack.

A timid girl named Dawn also came up and introduced herself during lunch too, it was Dawn Flower.  Summer quickly stood up and gave her a big hug, althought Dawn didn't have any idea why.  Dawn was soon on her way.  Summer knew getting to know Dawn here would be awesome.

As usual, the last three classes seemed to drag so slowly.

After school, Summer and her friends again relaxed in the bleachers chatting, while Rainbow ran Soccer Practice.

Rainbow seemed very preoccupied, and after practice was done, they all found out why.

Rainbow walked up to the bleachers, and before saying anything else, said "Summer let me get this straight.  A few days ago when we welcomed you back, I played you a game of Soccer, remember?"

"Yes, it was very fun!" Summer replied with a smile.

"But wait, before then, how much Soccer had you played?" Rainbow asked again.

Summer saw where this was going, but really couldn't do anything about it.  Rainbow had finally realized the truth, and maybe just felt a little bad about it.  Summer took a little while to respond.

Fluttershy spoke up at this point and said softly "I had just told Summer how to play the game about 20 minutes before you showed up.  We were just doing goal practice."

Rainbow began to tear up at this point.  "That was so not fair..."

Summer took both of Rainbows hands in hers and said softly "Rainbow, you are awesome at sports and that is fine.  I enjoyed playing with you and that's what counts, because you are my friend.  It didn't matter to me who won, I was just having a blast playing a fun game with an amazing friend."

Summer gave Rainbow a hug, and looked around at her friends.  "You are all amazing" she added with a smile.





At this point, Summer said "I brought one of my books, let's just sit down on the grass and talk about Cutie Marks.  Will that work?"

The response was unanimous, so they moved to the grass, and sat down in a small circle.

Summer had Volume 1 with her, and turned to the chapter called 'the Cutie Mark Chronicles' and simply read it.  This chapter basically covered how Princess Twilight and her five friends all received their Cutie Marks at the exact same time.

The pursuit of the Cutie Mark Crusaders meant little to this group, but they were all deeply affected about the details surrounding how each of their counterparts got their Cutie Marks.  These five friends quickly identified with their counterparts in Equestria.  After a brief discussion, they decided to call their counterparts their 'twins'.

Summer also pointed out she was again amazed that, like Princess Twilight and her five friends, the five girls sitting with Summer all likewise got their Cutie Marks at the same time.

They sat there in silence for a minute or two.

Out of the blue, Pinkie Pie screamed "Incoming", and Summer felt it too.  At first she thought she was seeing double and was going to pass out, but it was Ponyville that she was seeing.

"Girls quickly, stand up and join hands." Summer said.

Summer's Cutie Mark was warm at this point, as was the top of her head for some reason.  Summer quickly assumed it was because Princess Twilight used her horn for magic.  The scene in Ponyville became a little brighter, and Summer thought she could see some of her friends, also in a circle.

"Girls, close your eyes, and focus on your marks, and your special element" Summer said slowly, not even understanding why she said that.

"Applejack, your element is Honesty
"Pinkie Pie, your element is Laughter
"Rarity, your element is Generosity
"Fluttershy, your element is Kindness
"Rainbow Dash, your element is Loyalty"

While she was saying this, she thought she heard Princess Twilight say 'try' or something similar.  And just as Summer finished reviewing the elements, Summer and her friends were all knocked apart, even though there was no sound or sign of force where Summer and her friends were.

What Summer was seeing stopped.

They were all sitting on the grass trying to catch their breath.  The force had knocked the wind out of them all.

"That was scary" Summer said when she could talk.

"I think I saw Princess Twilight" Applejack said.

"It was Rarity and Pinkie for me" Rainbow added.

"I saw Applejack I think" Pinkie said.

"I saw Rainbow too" Rarity said.

"Fluttershy did you see anyone?" Summer asked.

"I don't know..." Fluttershy said slowly.  "I think so but I'm not sure."

"Did all of your Cutie Marks feel warm?" Summer asked.

Everyone said yes except Fluttershy, and again she wasn't sure.

"Well what was that Summer?" Applejack asked.

"I think Princess Twilight was trying to tap our elements for her magic again" Pinkie Pie said, "but I don't know if it worked or not."

"Well, Pinkie would know" Summer said quietly.  "That was very weird though.

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Can we hug please?" Summer asked quietly.

They hugged for a while.

"I love you all, I hope you know that" Summer said, and they were soon all crying softly.

After a little while their crying trailed off.  Summer said "Girls, I know it's still early, but go home and try to relax the rest of the evening and get some sleep.  Maybe we will know more tomorrow."

After saying this, Summer Rain remembered thinking the exact same thing about a week ago.  She didn't like the looks of what she saw just now, but again would need to just wait and see.

Applejack walked Rarity home, and Rainbow walked Pinkie to the Cake's.





Summer Rain and Fluttershy were soon in the apartment.

"Fluttershy I'm hungry, but don't really want anything filling.  Do you have any suggestions?" Summer asked.

"Let's have a little Granola maybe" Fluttershy said.

They were both soon eating.

After they were done eating, they sat down on the couch together.

Fluttershy asked quietly "Summer tell me what you saw and felt back there.  Did you actually see ponies from Equestria?"

"Yes Fluttershy, it was very dim but I saw some of my Equestria friends."  Summer said quietly.

"And your Cutie Mark?" Fluttershy continued.

"It was very warm.  Not burning, but I surely felt it" Summer added.

Fluttershy responded very slowly.  "Neither of those two things happened to me..."

"I know Sis.  You would have noticed it if they had." Summer replied.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Fluttershy asked, worried that she had.

Summer was sitting on the couch next to Fluttershy, and she hugged Fluttershy and said "Oh Sis, you didn't do anything wrong."

After a brief delay, Fluttershy said slowly "What does it mean do you think?"

Summer got out Volume 3 of her books, and read the chapter named 'Keep Calm and Flutter On'.  Summer didn't say anything extra, she just read the text.

There was tense silence for a minute or two as Fluttershy thought about what she heard.

"Is Discord a bad person?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Well he was, and even tried to separate Princess Twilight and her friends at one point, that account is in another book.  But then, as we read, he finally accepted my sister's offer of friendship, which was a very good thing at the time." Summer said quietly.

"Could he turn bad again?" Fluttershy asked slowly.

"I don't know...  But if you made a promise to someone to win their friendship, would you break that promise?  Ever?" Summer asked.

Fluttershy quickly said "No, I would never--" and stopped right there, and Fluttershy's eyes grew instantly huge as she realized the problem.  "But... that would leave Equestria... defenseless..."

"I hope I'm wrong though Fluttershy." Summer said choking back tears.

They just held each other for a little while.  Then Summer said "Let's get some sleep Sis."





Summer Rain slept terrible.  The visions of what she had dimly seen kept repeating, and with new more frightening ones beside.  Summer tossed a lot, and couldn't really get to sleep for the longest time.

Summer finally did get to sleep, but then dreamed she heard Princess Twilight saying "Help me" over and over.  Then she heard Princess Twilight scream...

Summer sat up in her bed with a start, and yelled out "Aaahhh", and promptly fell on the floor.

This woke Fluttershy up, and while still groggy, she said "Summer is that you?  Are you ok?"

Summer was sitting up on the floor, and said "That was a terrible dream."  She was still shaking.

Fluttershy picked up her cell to see what time it was, and bolted upright quickly.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.  It wasn't a dream Summer, Pinkie is at the Portal and is beside herself.  She has already sent me 30 texts.  She wants us there right away!" Fluttershy said quickly.

Summer Rain and Fluttershy were quickly dressed and out the door, locking it behind them.  They were soon at the Portal.  Everyone else was already there, and crying softly.  Pinkie pointed to a piece of plain white paper on the ground below the Portal.  Definitely from Equestria, but not rolled up and no seal.

Just five words.

"Discord
Sunset Shimmer
Equestria Lost"
> Chapter 18, Ancient Pony Wisdom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, it's me, Shysage.

While studying ancient sayings in the restricted wing of the main Archives in Canterlot, with Princess Celestia's permission of course, I ran across the quotations below from the Ancients.  I thought they might prove helpful.


"Fareth not the loon evil, for he will eazy fall.  Whin evil gathers, fare that."
(unknown)


"Evil oft arise from within the gates"
Cpt. Dhea, Speech to troops, (time unknown)


"Vanity and pride has ben the fall of meny evil, till them not!"
Shila the Beautiful, XIIXLL


"I hared a great din in the Everfree, and dared seek it case (cause).  I come upon my teacher, Extopion.  He ly dyin of wunds, but had destroyed the great and terbil Arke Zumulus. He whispered hard 'the toch of a freind is strong majic, and the ters of a lovd on far stronger'  I cannut tell if he wantd me help, but I had no freinds. He zoon dyd, but I nver fergt he said."
Starswirl the Bearded, Musings 2308


"We ponyfolk manely knowst 3 loves.  The first carth not for any other's hurt, whethr great or smal, but takes what it wanth, and is rightly disgarded.  The second seeks to workth together for the good of both, and is the case of friendship.  The third carth not for itself but does what need the other pony, whethr great or smal, thus is the root and sum of true friendship."
(speaker unknown)
Exhortation #23, Winter Solstice Celebration, 1073





In addition to Equestria, I frequently roam the beautiful land of Vana'diel*, and was at present there, looking for a calm venue to sit and write.  I came upon a very foreboding place called 'Outer Ra'Kaznar'*, and had soon entered.  The fiends were deeper within, so I just sat near the entrance. and began writing.

I quickly realized that the tune drifting noisily through the labyrinth so completely captured the heart and soul of what was happening in Summer Rain's life at this point; I just sat there, mezmerized as I wrote.  "The artist behind this music is amazing" I thought to myself.  I realize that true friends gladly pay for what they enjoy, but alas, I found no way to purchase this tune.  I sighed to myself with the hope that this might change.  I spent a lot of time there writing however.

In truth, the ominous tunes I heard in the ever-changing maze of 'Nyzul'* or the void-edge land called 'Walk of Echoes'* would also do these events justice, just not as nicely.  Besides, I could do no writing in either of those places for fear of death.

I apologize for a little rambling.  Back to Summer's account.

* c2014 by Square Enix
> Chapter 19, Out of the Frying Pan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Rain stared at the words in disbelief.

"Discord
Sunset Shimmer
Equestria Lost"

Summer said "No... no..."  Then she fell to her knees and bent over and began crying loudly.

"I have to go back" she said over and over through her tears.

Fluttershy was quickly by her side, and soon they all huddled around Summer.  The rest were already crying.

Fluttershy said it first, but quietly "I'm coming with you Summer."

"No it will be way too dangerous..." Summer sobbed in reply.

But it didn't matter, both Rainbow and Applejack said they were coming too.  They all wanted to come.

"No, No, No, No, No...  You girls have no idea what what we may be up against...  We may die..." And Summer cried some more.

At this point, Pinkie Pie spoke up "Summer, wait a minute, answer me just one question.  Is Princess Twilight in any danger?"

After dead silence, except for Summer sniffling, Summer said simply "Very grave danger I think."

Pinkie then said very matter of factly "Then we are all going.  Twilight is our Princess too, and our dear friend, and we are coming to help you rescue her."

"Girls..." Summer said with a groan.

Rarity said again simply "Summer we are all coming.  Tell us what we need to do."

Summer tried again "Girls, just seven short days ago I came here, and have had to rely on your help so much of that time, and I appreciate it more than you will ever know.  I feel like you have already been true friends to me far more than I may have been able to even try to explain anything to you.  My whole country probably lies in ruins now, and I just can't--"

"Summer, we're coming."  Rainbow interrupted, saying it really for all of them.

After a minute's silence, Summer said softly "You girls really are Princess Twilight's true friends.  Thank you."





Summer stood up and said "We first need to even see if we can go, we can't turn the Portal on ourselves.  One at a time, each of you press your hand against the wall.  If your hand goes in some, then you can probably pass, but don't jump through yet, we need to get ready first.

Summer's five friend's hands went in deeply.  Summer was last.  She took a deep breath, and her hand passed in as well.

Summer Rain sighed with relief and said "Rarity, please take Rainbow and Applejack with you and make us some dark colored coats.  Nothing fancy, just dark colors, a hood, and a few buttons, down to the knees maybe.  Doing it quickly is more important than how it looks.

"I have just the pattern for that" Rarity said quietly.

"Pinkie and Fluttershy lets go back to Fluttershy's apartment, and you girls meet us there" Summer said.

Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity headed to the shop.

Summer picked up the paper, and then Summer, Pinkie and Fluttershy walked back to the apartment in silence.

Once inside, Summer said "I'm scared Sis.  I'm not sure we can do anything about this."  Fluttershy sat next to her and just held her.

Pinkie said "We may know more once we get there Summer."

Summer sighed and said "I hope so, and thank you Pinkie".





Rarity was very fast, and they were back at the apartment with six dark sturdy coats in around twenty minutes.  They were all big but Summer said that was perfect.  Rarity passed them all out, then they all sat down.

"Girls" Summer began.

"I have no idea if we can even do anything about what has happened.  And I seriously think us all dying is a good possibility.  This is our last chance.  There will be no turning back from this point o--"

Applejack interrupted Summer, and spoke up and said for everyone "Princess Twilight needs us again.  We're goin'."

Summer accepted this and said "Ok, a few very important things before we leave, please listen very carefully.  And while I'm talking, please take all your stuff out of your pockets, phones, keys, everything.  Everything but your coat and clothing needs to stay here.

"Pinkie we will rely on your input when we can but I want you to know that there will probably be nothing fun about this trip.  This will probably be the hardest on you, and so the rest of us will try to help you with that.

Summer stopped for a minute then said slowly.  "I suspect that a lot of sorrow may await us.  We will need to care for Fluttershy and Pinkie especially because of this.

"And girls listen.  Mentally prepare yourself for this.  On the other side of the Portal you will feel like you have no clothes on, but just accept that, everyo... everypony else will be the same way.  This is just going to be hard for you.  And don't for a second think you are ugly, I know you all on both sides of the Portal, and you will be just as beautiful in Equestria believe me.

"Also, you will need to walk on all four, you will find this far easier than trying to balance on your hind legs."

Summer paused in thought, but couldn't think of any other warnings.  So she just said "Any questions?"

Fluttershy said softly "Can we hug before we go?"

They did.  There were tears in everyone's eyes.  In the middle of their hug, Summer confessed "Thank you girls for coming.  I think if we have any chance of doing any rescuing, it will take each and every one of us.  I know I can't do this alone."

They were soon out the door.  Fluttershy used a hidden key to lock her apartment, and then re-hid it.

They walked to the Portal wall in front of the school and put their coats on.

"One last thing" Summer added.  Once you land on the other side of the Portal, get down on your hands and knees and don't make a sound for any reason."

Summer took a deep breath.  "Ok I'll go first then the rest of you come through about every 15 seconds, and once you are through, crawl to me."

With this Summer Rain simply walked into the Portal and was soon back in Equestria.





Summer Rain quickly passed the Portal and landed on her hooves.  She walked away, and to the side and waited.  Even under her coat, she could feel her wings again and was at least happy about that.

Every 15 seconds or so a new pony would arrive, and Summer quickly and quietly got them out of the way.  Summer's new friends were soon all in Equestria too.

Summer whispered quietly "Girls sit down like I am please, and no talking."

The portal had taken their clothing, but left the big coats which now fit very well, just as Summer had hoped.  The Portal had also let each of them keep their 'Dog Tags', and even though the chain was a little tighter, they fit fine.

"Pinkie, we need to know if either Discord or Sunset Shimmer are close" Summer whispered.

After a few seconds, Pinkie said simply "Discord".

Summer whispered "I figured as much.  This won't be easy."

At this point, the girls noticed two very large red eyes open about 20 feet from them, glowing faintly.  Summer saw them too, and tried to hush the fear they felt.  It looked like a big dragon, just staring at them.  It looked like the dragon was sitting on a huge pile of something, he wasn't on the ground.

After about a minute, the Dragon opened his mouth and said "Well ponies, looks like you picked the wrong Dragon to wake up!"

At this the girls were all terrified, and Summer knew she could not keep them quiet much longer.

Summer raised her voice a little and said "Spike, it's me Summer, stop being greedy, get little and come here, but don't make a sound."

In less than a minute 'normal' Spike was leaning up against Summer's front leg, shivering in fear.  "Spike we will talk soon, but Discord is near and we have to deal with that first.

"Spike please lead the girls over behind that pile you were on and girls wait there until I call you.  I need to try to find out what is going on, and Discord is the only one I can ask."

They were soon in hiding so Summer tried to call Discord.

"I must be insane" she thought to herself at this point.

"Discord" she said loudly

"Discord" she shouted.

Summer sighed with disgust, then softly said "Harmony."

With the sound of a thunder clap, Discord immediately appeared about 20 feet away from Summer, on the other side of the room from the pile.

He seemed angry, and shouted loudly "Who would dare use that forbidden word in my castl--"  And then he stopped right there and resumed his normal voice and said simply "Why hello Summer Rain, welcome back."

He next looked at the Portal, and said "Oh so that's where they put it.  More toys for daddy to play with" and he said this with glee.

Summer tried to put on her defenceless little girl voice at this point.

"Oh Discord, what has happened to Equestria?" She whined.

"Oh it seems that Sunset Shimmer has taken Equestria over, nasty business, that" Discord lamented.

Summer couldn't believe this, "But Princess Twilight and her friends, where are they, couldn't they stop her?" Summer said more afraid.

Discord was lost in thought briefly, then said "I think they are all stretched kinda' thin at the moment."

"But Discord, you're our friend, couldn't you help them stop her?" Summer whined again.

Discord got testy and said loudly "I helped her you idiot.  Like you said, true friendship has it's price, Sunset Shimmer just offered me a better price that's all.

"And your dear sister would never break her promise to me, and so I easily delivered the 'Elements of Harmony' to Sunset as agreed."

With a slight air of disdain, he continued "Bah, after I gave the elements to Sunset, she told me 'go, run along now' like I was her little puppie or something.  She said 'go find a comfortable spot, preferably as far away from me as you can'.  Just as well she's a real monster now too, no thanks."

Sighing with contentment he continued.  "I've always liked this castle, so here I am, snug in my new home.  Do you like it?"

Summer had heard enough and said "Girls I need you."

At Pinkie's leading they had already come forward and were very close anyway.

Discord said "Helpers?  Oh, Equestria Girls.  We should do a proper welcome then."  Next he raised his voice he shouted "And you will all die together!"

And with this Discord created a massive, growing, spinning vortex right at the spot where Summer was.

"Quickly Girls, hoof to hoof, quickly."  Summer said emphasizing 'quickly'.

All Summer knew at this point was that she had five dear friends with her, and she hoped she could access Princess Twilight's magic.  Against Discord this didn't seem like much.

The force of the Vortex was already making it hard to stand, it was increasing rapidly in intensity.  One of Spike's gems bounced off Summer's hoof, it hurt a lot.  Unless something changed, they would all die quickly.

Discord was laughing and said "This 'otta be good!"

The very second all hooves touched, completing the circle, two amazing things happened.

First, even as the roar of the wind rose to a deafening crecendo around them, Summer and her friends were insulated from it's effect.  It was a perfect calm where they were standing.

Second, Summer and her friends were instantly transformed back into their Equestria Girls form, and quickly stood up straight, and simply interlocked fingers.

They heard Discord say in disbelief "How..."

Summer knew she had to act fast.

"Girls close your eyes, and concentrate on your special character, just like we did the other day.

"Applejack, your element is Honesty
"Pinkie Pie, your element is Laughter
"Rarity, your element is Generosity
"Fluttershy, your element is Kindness
"Rainbow Dash, your element is Loyalty"

"You have chosen these as the very heart of your being, and no-one can take them away."

Summer's Cutie Mark was very warm again, as was a large area on the top of her head.

Summer said slowly, really pleaded, "Please... we... need... Twilight's... magic...  to turn Discord... to stone..."

Discord cried out "Not Agai--" and the faint cracking sound of hardening stone finished the job.  The Vortex quickly disappeared, and it was again calm in the room.

Summer said simply "Smile girls, you are awesome."

They all opened their eyes, immediately turned back into ponies and promptly fell in a pile helter-skelter on the floor laughing.

Summer smiled briefly then said somberly.  "That may be all the laughter we get for a while, I'm sorry..."

"And girls" Summer said quietly, then paused before continuing "I would be dead right now if you all would not have come.  I need you.  I need you all.  This will be our fight. Together."

As ponies, they sat in a tight circle and just held each other for a minute or two.

In the midst of this, Summer said what was dawning on her even now.

"Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow, you are my true friends.  But there's more.  Right now I have nothing left...  Nothing except you five friends.  I don't just want you, I NEED you.

"We read the story about how Princess Twilight first met her special ponies here in Equestria.  She was facing Nightmare Moon, and tried doing it alone.  She realized she had nothing at that point, and was so glad when she heard her true friends coming because she NEEDED them.

"Maybe this realization of need is part of what actually marks out True Friendship, I don't know.  And I don't know what we will meet on this dark journey, but it doesn't really matter.  I do know that you five special people are what I need now.  And I don't ever want to NOT need each of you."  Then she just cried some more.  Well they all did really.

After a few minutes, Summer remembered that Spike was waiting.

Wiping away some tears, Summer said "Ok girls, practice walking in here, but stay far away from Spike's gems."

"Spike come here please" Summer said softly.

Spike rushed over and started to cry

Summer Rain said "Spike I'm so sorry, not quite yet.  I need you to get big and greedy, and then carefully move Discord over against that far wall, into the corner, as far away from the Portal as possible."

Spike was soon very big again, and he yelled "Don't any of you ladies even think of touching my gems!"

Then he carefully nudged stone Discord into the corner away from the Portal, to the far side of the room.

"Spike you can get little again, but I need to talk to Discord first before we talk.  And girls, we are not done with Discord yet, but I will tell you what to do.





Summer walked over to the stone statue that was Discord, and spoke her mind.  Summer knew he could hear from her reading.  The rest of the girls watched and listened.

"I don't like calling people names, but Discord you are the idiot.  When I say that 'true friendship has it's price', it is a reminder that you first need to decide if you are willing to lay yourself aside to become a true friend to begin with, that you need to count the cost of true friendship beforehand.

"Your understanding that you can peddle your 'friendship' to the highest bidder is disgusting, and a vile affront to any friendship, and betrays your utterly selfish heart.  My sister was right to offer you a valuable concession so you would see she really wanted to be your friend.  For you to then trample her after this, is utterly appalling.

"If it were up to me, we would have killed you here and now, and you would never breath Equestria air again.  But I will spare you that for the time being.

"I don't know what other of your atrocities we will find in Ponyville, in Equestria, but we will wait until that final tally is in.

"Equestria treasures justice, even if you do not, so I will let the Council of Princesses decide your fate."

Then Summer turned and walked back to her friends.

"Girls, it would be terribly irresponsible to leave even the remotest chance of escape with Discord this close to the Portal.  We must ensure NOTHING can get to him" Summer said calmly, and they all agreed.

"Hoof to hoof please." Summer said simply.

Six Equestria girls quickly stood in a tight circle, fingers locked, eyes closed, focusing on their own inner character, their Cutie Marks warmed by the mysterious power available.

Summer said calmly but slowly "We need Princess Twilight's Magic.  Please encase Stone Discord in a Physical and Magical shield, both of which are completely impenatrable."

The crackling sound of pure crystal setting followed by a very faint buzzing sound, signaled that the shield was in place.

This done, the six Equestria Girls simply let go of each other's hands, rocked backwards while turning into Ponies, and sat back down in a circle.

"Girls you are amazing.  I think I will be saying that a lot.  We are all in this together, and I could not ask for any better friends" Summer said quietly.

Summer got up and said "Spike, I will pay you back for this."  Summer then used one of her front hooves to kick one of Spike's gems at Discord's new 'cell', and the gem vaporized instantly.  "I think that should do it" Summer said.

Summer walked back to the group and said "Girls, please lay down on your bellies, like this."  She showed them, and they found it very comfortable.





Summer hadn't forgotten; "Spike please come here now, I'm sorry this has taken so long."

Spike ran up and held Summer's neck tightly, shaking violently.  He just cried for a few minutes as Summer held him.

As soon as Spike's crying began to taper off, Summer said softly "Spike, when you are ready, we need you to tell us what you know about what has happened."

After another minute, Spike was ready.

"I don't know very much" he said slowly, still sniffling a little. "Discord came and got Twilight.  Discord was in a good mood, but he forced Twilight to come with him, and Twilight told me to stay at the Library.

"About an hour later, Princess Cadence flew to the Library, told me very bad things were happening, and flew me back to the Crystal Palace.

"They put me in this room with the Portal and all these gems.  Princess Cadence told me to get big and greedy, and to protect the Portal at all costs.  Shining Armor used his magic to seal the entrances, then they were gone.

"I didn't hear or see anything else until you came.

"Summer, I'm scared, I want to see Twilight", and he started to cry again.

Summer just held him a while.

"Ok girls, let me tell you what I suspect.  And Discord pretty much admitted this.

"Recently, in order to gain Discord's friendship, My Sister promised Discord she would never use her 'Element of Harmony' against him.

"Somehow, Sunset Shimmer talked Discord into getting the 'Elements of Harmony' for her, and Discord abandoned his friends to do that.

"Discord knew my sister wouldn't use her Element, which pretty much left Princess Twilight and her friends with no magic, and so completely defenseless.  Discord has already given the Elements to Sunset.

"I have no idea what Discord has done to the Equestria ponies, but I think we need to find them soon.  It seems we were able to access Twilight's magic, so maybe she is alive, but I don't know about my sister or the rest.  I hope we aren't too la--" and she could go no further.

At this point, Fluttershy had wrapped her hoof around Summer's neck, and was holding her.  "I'm so sorry Sis.  This is pretty much what you suspected earlier."

Rainbow spoke softly.  "Summer, we are your friends too, we will do whatever it takes to help you."

"Rainbow, girls, you are all true friends, thank you" Summer Rain said through her tears.
> Chapter 20, Dark Journey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Spike do you know if there is a way out of here?  I don't see the doors or balcony any more, like you said"  Summer Rain asked.

Spike thought for a moment then said slowly "I think they were hoping you would come back, there is a secret door on the floor under this pile of gems."

"Hmm.  Spike can you please get big and move your pile for us?" Summer asked again.

Spike turned big and menacing again, and said "Stand back ladies, they are all mine, ha ha!"  He next took a little while sweeping the gems towards the center of the room with his now large tail.  Once in a while, one of his gems would scoot too far across the floor, and Spike would quickly retrieve it, pick it up and gently kiss it, and then add it to his pile.

While Spike was moving his pile, Summer decided that Spike should probably stay here and guard the Portal.  He wouldn't like this, but it was probably for the best.  Summer had no idea what they would find in Ponyville.

With the pile moved, Spike simply climbed up on top of it and sat down.  The secret door was easy to see now, even as dim as it was.

"Spike, I'm sorry.  I need you little again, and please come here." she said.

'Normal' Spike soon ran over, and still clung to one of Summer's front legs.

"Spike I know you want to come, but we need you to stay here and guard the Portal" Summer said softly.

Spike was in no frame of mind to argue.  "Ok" he said slowly.

"Spike as soon as we are all through the door, you need to get big and greedy again.  Please immediately move your pile of gems back on top of the door, and guard the Portal.  It is essential that your pile of gems be moved back over the door" Summer directed.

The door appeared to open to one side, and it looked like someone had taken the trouble to add a rope that Summer could easily grab with her teeth.  The door opened easily, and was large enough for a pony to climb through.

Down below was what looked like large cubes made out of crystal simply piled randomly under the door in the ceiling.  It did not look intentional, but climbing down to the floor below wasn't too difficult either.

Summer was soon down in the next room, and then she called the girls down one at a time.

Rarity almost slipped and fell, but caught herself.

Rainbow Dash threw her coat down and came down last, and was trying out her new wings, and really didn't need the steps.  She was learning fast.

When they were all down, Summer yelled as loud as she dared "Spike close the door, get big, move your gems back and guard the Portal."  The door slammed shut, and the scraping of gems above told Summer that Spike was doing his job.





The door to this room was on the same side as it used to be in the room above it, so Summer knew that was the direction they needed to go.  She had been this way only once, and doubted she could remember the path exactly.  She didn't even try.

"Rainbow, you should probably put your coat back on." Summer said, and then helped Rainbow with it.  "Girls, are you ready?"

Applejack spoke up and said "Ok, so what is the plan now Summer?  Do we even know where we are?"

"Applejack you are right, I'm sorry." Summer answered.  "Girls sit down a minute, and I will explain where we are and where we are going.

"We are up above ground in the Crystal Palace right now, which is in the center of the Crystal Kingdom.  We need to get down to the ground floor, then get out of the palace.  Then we need to head East to the Train Station.  Since Equestria is a mess right now, the trains probably are not running, but we will need to follow the train tracks to Ponyville.

"I think our only concern might be any guards we meet on the way.  I think the coats may help us there.  Judging by the darkness of things here inside the palace, I would say it is always very dim outside.  But this much is all a guess, we will have to find out.

"And girls, we absolutely must stay together." Summer said quietly.

"We are with you Summer, lead on" Rarity said.

"Ok lets go"  Summer said as she pushed the door open and headed out.

Summer was terrified to see not one but two guards standing outside the door, but she kept walking, and her friends followed. The guards completely ignored them.

The halls all curved since the tower perimeter was round at this point.  Summer just headed the same direction as she started, and they took every stairs down they could find, even if it meant backtracking.  The last stairs they went down resulted in very little light at the bottom, meaning they were underground now.  They went back up those stairs, and then walked the rest of the circle looking for the large room at the entrance to the Palace.  It wasn't far.

They probably passed maybe 13 more guards all together, but they all likewise simply ignored these six dark ponies.  It was scary just slowly walking past them, but they finally came to the large entrance to the Palace.

Leaving the palace, they ended up on the broad avenue that ran east-west directly under the Crystal Palace.  They wanted to go east, and Summer simply had to guess.  She could not see far enough to tell which way was right.

Summer Rain also noted that it was perpetually dusk in Equestria now.  No morning or evening, just dusk.  When they got out from under the Palace, they all saw why.  A thick black cloud-layer was blocking out just about all light from above.  But it must have emitted a small amount of light at night, since it was never totally dark.

Summer guessed and said "this way", and they headed together down the broad avenue which was only dimly visible.  It was very eerie.

After a minute of walking, Summer had a sudden thought. "Stop a minute girls.  Pinkie is this the way to the Train Station?"  Summer asked.

"Hmm.  Train Station?  No." Pinkie said simply after a brief delay.

"Thank you Pinkie" Summer said as they turned around and headed in the opposite direction towards the Train Station.

Summer and the girls had carefully avoided looking at any of the guards.  However, on this road, they did see a few Crystal Ponies milling about.  Their eyes were a dim green.  Summer guessed that they no longer had control of themselves.  Whether because of Discord (maybe) or Sunset Shimmer (probably), that was disgusting.

While they were walking along, Summer thought about this tragedy briefly.  Summer remembered reading somewhere "If you want ponies to follow you, stand for something they want to follow".  And Summer insinctively knew that befriending ponies was closely bound up in your ability to lead them.

Sunset Shimmer's approach was evidently to just turn them all into heartless zombies and force them follow her.  This was a lot less work than befriending ponies individually, but running over their wills was just wrong.  Summer just shook her head at this thought.

Out of nowhere, a guard barked out "No smiling".  The voice was Sunset Shimmer's and this scared everyone, and they all froze.  The guard made no other movement, and said nothing else, so after a minute, Summer turned around and looked.

Rainbow had taken her coat off and lay it on Fluttershy's back for her to carry, while Rainbow was practicing her flying, and enjoying herself in the process.  Rainbow was back on the ground now, near tears.

Summer walked slowly back beside Rainbow, placed one of her front legs around Rainbow's neck and hugged her close, then said quietly "Rainbow I know you are going to be amazing at flying, and it is a lot of fun.  Just be patient."  Summer helped Rainbow get her coat back on.

Then Summer spoke up a little louder for all her friends to hear.  "Girls, we just learned that it is against the law to be happy here, so please don't smile.  We are here to try and fix this mess if we can, but we need to get to Ponyville and find Princess Twilight first."

Summer paused briefly.  "Oh, and by the way" Summer said softly "We are much further along than I would have gotten if you all had not come.  Thanks."

After a few more minutes of walking, Summer added "I think it is about 4 miles to the Train Station, lets walk together, stay close, and focus on just getting there."

"Sounds like a plan" Rainbow said quietly.





For what seemed like a very long time, they just walked, and Summer tried to think through what happened to Discord.  According to what she had read, he did seem genuinely interested in friendship previously, but now had simply sold his friends out.

The potential costs involved in friendship clearly need to be evaluated ahead of time.  But to embark on a friendship journey, then backtrack, and brutally trample the gound you had already walked, there seemed simply no remedy for that, regardless why it happened.

A song flowed through Summer Rain's mind as she tried to make sense of this.

This crushed and smoking wreckage,
Is that what you call friendship?
Razing paths we walked with joy,
Did my new friend just do this?

[Chorus]
Why would you...  After all I said and did
How could you...  After all I freely gave...  For you...

Excuse me if I ask this now,
What ever were you thinking?
To play the friend and feed me lies
Then stand and watch me sinking?

[Chorus]

To think of friendship bought or sold
A calloused heart, and lying bold


Summer knew it wasn't done, but she found herself so utterly disgusted that she had to stop, for now anyway.  Summer also knew it was an angry song too, but quickly realized she wasn't too happy about what they already knew Discord had done.

At least the time had passed quickly, the Train Station was now barely visible off in the distance.

Summer stopped abruptly, and turned around and looked at each of her friends.  They stopped too and looked back at Summer.  She did this initially to make sure everyone was still close, and they were.  But she also looked in their eyes to see how they were doing.

"Girls I hope you are all weathering this storm ok, please say something if you are having diffculty, we all are here to help each other.  This is important because I suspect things will just get worse."  Summer said softly.

After a brief silence, Fluttershy spoke up quietly and said "I think the sooner we find Princess Twilight the better."  Everyone else quickly agreed.

Summer mentally stopped and thought about this a minute.  On the other side of the Portal, Summer could tell that these five special girls really cared about Princess Twilight.  However, actually being in Equestria now, with each step they took towards her, their concern seemed to be growing rapidly.  They all wanted to see her rescued, this was clear.  But still, it was becoming more and more obvious they really yearned to be with their friend again.  Summer herself did too.





The rest of the walk was quiet.  Well, except for a lone mare that was crossing the avenue some distance in front of them, then mysteriously stopped, looked at them for a little while, then turned and walked on,  It made the hair on the back of Summer's mane stand up, it was creepy.

They were soon at the Train Station.  Summer knew they needed to turn right and follow the tracks to Ponyville.  The train was there, as Summer suspected, and even had a team of strong stallions hitched up, but Summer noted the Green eyes of the closest one, and dismissed the possibility of a ride.

"Girls, let's sit down a minute and rest" Summer said.  "These are the train tracks we need to follow to Ponyville.  I think it may be 20 miles or so, I just don't remember.  We should probably eat a snack in the field before--"

One of the train stallions interrupted her at this point.  "Miss, do you ladies need to go to Ponyville?"

Summer Rain quickly turned around and looked.  This Stallion did not have Green eyes.

"Sir, yes, but why are your eyes not Green like the rest?" Summer asked slowly.

"Well ma'am, I don't know, maybe I'm broke or something" he said laughing.

"Well, will the rest of the stallions help you?" Summer queried.

"Aww sure, they can't do anything themselves, but are easy enough to get to pull.  No pony wants rides now, and we need the exercise, we're gettin' outta practice.  I even threw some Oat hay in the cars for any travellers, even though I expected none" he said.

"Well it is very dark" Summer said sighing.

"Miss" the stallion said "We could run this at midnight!"

"We do need to get to Ponyville quickly, but I don't have any Bits to pay you with" Summer responded slowly.

Laughing, the lead stallion said "Bah, getting the exercise will be payment enough, climb aboard."

Summer wanted to check first.  "Pinkie, any flashing lights?"

Pinkie thought for a minute then said "Nah, besides, I'm tired of walking."

Moans from the rest made it unanimous.

"Ok girls, lets take a car near the front, and have a seat" Summer said.

Summer turned to the stallion and said "Sir, thank you very much.  We are heading to Ponyville to see if we can do anything about this mess, and I really appreciate your help."

The stallion bowed, and said "my pleasure".





They were soon on their way.

After about five minutes of riding, Summer noticed, through the dusk, a large pile of Oat hay near the front of the train car they were in.  Summer walked over and tried some, it was very good.

She looked up and said "Girls, I know you are hungry.  Please try this, it is very good, and will give you nourishment.  It's not what you are used to, but it is food here."

Applejack tried some and said "Wow this is good!"

Before long the rest were eating as well.  They took turns though, and everyone had their fill.

Summer just sat there, quiet, watching everypony eat.  After a little while, Fluttershy came and sat next to her.

Summer put her front leg around Fluttershy's neck and gave her a short hug, then said softly "Thanks for coming Sis.  This trip seems like a nightmare, and is definitely not the best way to experience Equestria.  But I am glad I am not alone.  I know this is not easy, but are you doing ok?"

"It's hard, and will probably get harder, but we are Princess' Twilight's true friends, and rescuing her, and maybe rescuing Equestria, is our first priority.  And we couldn't do it without you either."  Fluttershy said quietly.

Rainbow Dash was sitting behind Summer listening.  She spoke up at this point.  "Summer when do you think we will find our Twins?"

And with this, everyone else gathered around.  Summer Rain was sensing another growing concern among her friends at this point.

Summer said what she knew.  "I have no idea, we may know more once we find Princess Twilight though.  I am as anxious for you to each meet your Twins as it seems each of you are, but I would guess that in some way, we will need to rescue everyone.

"I think Princess Twilight's magic is essential, and so we need to start there."

Summer paused again, and then reminded them.  "I have no idea what we will find in Ponyville, and can only hope we are not too late.

It was silent for a few minutes.

"You mentioned before that you thought Princess Twilight was alive, since you were able to use her magic on Discord.  Does that help?" Rarity asked thoughtfully.

"Well Rare, I think so, but here in Equestria, only Unicorns like yourself can use magic.  I'm a Pegasas and can fly, but can't use magic, and so I know very little about it.  And ponies like Applejack are called Earth Ponies, and they can't use magic either.  I just don't know."  Summer answered.

"I think we are just going to have to wait and see" Summer said quietly.

"By the way, we probably have about two hours until we get to Ponyville.  If anyone wants to try and sleep a little you can.  I doubt there will be much time for sleep for a long time after we get there." Summer said with a sigh.

Before long, they were all asleep.





"Miss, we are in Ponyville" the lead stallion said again.

Summer woke up and bolted up immediately.  She quickly remembered, and said "Thank you, you have been a wonderful help."

After a brief pause, she asked "Sir, do you need to leave quickly?  I need to wake my friends up."

The stallion almost laughed "Take you time Ma'am, I doubt we will need to go anywhere any time soon."

"Thank you" Summer said again, and bowed.

She gently woke the rest up.  Summer knew it would be a little while befiore they were ready for whatever lay ahead.

They all just spent a few minutes relaxing, allowing themselves to become fully alert before leaving the train.

"Let me know when you are all ready" Summer said softly.

Another ten minutes, and they were ready to go.

"Can we hug?" Summer asked, and it was so.





"Girls, I don't know about you but I am really thirsty.  There is a big fountain near the center of town, lets stop there for some water, then we'll go find Princess Twilight" Summer suggested.

"Water sounds amazing about now" Applejack said.

They all left the train car, and Summer again thanked the lead stallion.

From there, they walked quickly beside Summer to the center of town.  They noticed a few guards around town, but like the ones in the Crystal Palace, they just left Summer and her friends alone.

Even in the perpetual dusk, the fountain was easy to find.  They all drank, but Summer cautioned them to just drink what they felt they needed, and no more.

While they were getting water, two Green eyed zombie mares from town walked up to drink as well, and stopped right next to Summer and began drinking.

Summer recognized them immediately, and began to cry.  It was Dawn Flower and Sunny Rays.

"Girls, these two mares are my friends" Summer said through her tears.

Rarity spoke up.  "Summer dear, lets get Princess Twilight, then we can probably rescue more."

Still crying, Summer said "Yes Rare, you are right, let's g--"

The mare closest to Summer was acting like a zombie pony of course, and accidentally bumped Summer while she was turning to go.

"The next thing Summer heard as she was walking away was her own name, and very loudly at that.

"Summer!"  It was Dawn Flower.  Dawn started crying.

Summer hushed Dawn immediately, and gave her a quick hug, accidently touching Sunny Rays in the process.  Summer heard her name again.

Summer hushed Sunny Rays as well, motioned them both near and spoke very quietly.

"Equestria has been taken over by Sunset Shimmer, and we are here to try and help.  Both of you PLEASE go to Dawn Flower's house, and Dawn please touch Camille and rescue her too.  Both of you STAY INSIDE.  The guards will get upset if you smile, so always act miserable.  Please, go now."  Summer said.

Dawn and Sunny were quickly on their way to Dawn's shop.

What Summer just did broke her heart.  Fluttershy somehow sensed this and was right next to her, and just put her head up against Summer's head, and moved one of her hooves over next to Summer's.

"Thank's Sis" Summer said still sniffling.

After a minute, Summer quietly said  "Well we have learned a temporary cure for the Green zombie pony eyes I think."
> Chapter 21, Pure Devotion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[It's me Shysage.  Please read this heart-rending chapter very slowly, and try to resist the urge to scan ahead as you read.  And please know that it was almost unbearably difficult for me to even record these events accurately as they unfolded.]

From the fountain in the center of town, Summer Rain and the Equestria Girls made it quickly to the Library.

On the way, Summer explained that Princess Twilight lived at the Library, and they needed to try to find her.  This all seemed simple enough, Summer just did not know what condition they would find her in, or if she was even there.  And it was very dark, and would be even darker inside.

They were all soon inside the Library trying to find their Princess.  The Equestria Girls had never been here before, and so it was all new to them, so they just wandered around.  But even with six of them looking, after fifteen minutes they had found nothing.

Summer thought to herself that their Princess really could be anywhere in Equestria.  This could take a long time; she just hoped they found her soon.

Pinkie Pie was standing at the top of the stairs, and, looking out the back window, said simply "there" and pointed.

It was dark, but Summer saw color, and they all ran quickly out back.

The Equestria Girls began weeping immediately.

They faced a huge slab of solid rock, in the shape of a tombstone. It was 3 stories high, and maybe 2 stories wide.

Princess Twilight's hide had been stretched flat across the bulk of the front face of the tombstone.

Summer Rain shouted "Discord..." paused briefly, then said quietly and slowly "How could you..."  Evidently her song wasn't near angry enough.

Summer began to shake, and walked slowly up to what was left of their Princess, and simply touched the part of her hind leg that she could reach.  Summer quickly looked away and closed her eyes tightly, but simply froze there, still touching her Princess' leg, as if holding her Princess for one last time.

"We are too late..." she said softly, and then she fell to the ground and began to cry.  Before long, she was crying loudly, wailing bitterly from the pain she felt.  The ground below her was wet with her tears.  The Equestria Girls stood there crying as well...

It seemed like pain and disappointment rapidly enveloped all of them.  There was simply nothing more they could do.

Just cry...

...

Pinkie stopped crying.

Then she said "Summer, back up a little."

There was a mild tremor in the gound, and the tombstone tilted slightly forward.

Summer got up quickly, and thought it would fall on them, so she looked up.

The tombstone then slowly melted into the ground, shrinking smaller and smaller in the process.  The pressure relieved, Princess Twilight was slowly returned to her normal size, and lowered to the ground.

Before her hind hooves even got near the ground, Princess Twilight finished the scream that Summer had heard the night before in her dream.  It was blood curdling.

Princess Twilight then simply fell forward, onto Summer Rain, who had already rocked back on her hind legs, and put both her front legs up to try and catch her Princess.

"Girls help" Summer said, but she didn't have to, they were already at her side, carefully balancing Twilight's body.  They were all holding her up.

Princess Twilight filled her lungs fully, and screamed again, much louder and longer than the first time.  This hurt Summer's ears a lot, but she didn't care.

Smmer thought that this would all be a lot easier if they could assume their Equestria Girls form, and it happened immediately.

Summer and the girls simply stood up like people, moved until there were three of them on each side of their Princess, held each other's hands across and underneath her, and held her up as she lay on her side in their arms.

Princess Twilight inhaled deeply and screamed again.  And then again.  Then she started crying loudly.  Summer decided this had all hurt her Princess a lot.

They just held her as she cried through a sea of pain.  With tears trickling down their cheeks, the Equestria Girls said nothing, made no sound, and simply held her.  They all adored their Princess, and nothing else mattered.

She was alive.

...

Five minutes...

Ten minutes...

Fifteen minutes...

Twenty minutes...

Princess Twilight was still crying loudly.

Summer Rain shook her long blond hair away from Princess Twilight, then lay her head down next to her Princess' head and said softly "Princess, I heard your cry for help, we are all here."

Summer began saying it over and over.  As long as Princess Twilight kept crying, Summer kept softly saying this to her.

"Princess, I heard your cry for help, we are all here... 

"Princess, I heard your cry for help, we are all here..."

Summer would keep this up as long as she needed too...

After about ten more minutes, Princess Twilight's crying abruptly stopped.  She opened her eyes and looked up, looked at Summer Rain and said "Summer?"

Barely able to control herself, Summer said it one more time.  "Princess, I heard your cry for help, we are all here," and then Summer burst into tears.  The Equestria Girls started crying openly at this point too.

Summer lay her head down on her Princess and just wept...

Princess Twilight was weeping too...

After a few minutes, Summer realized that there was a certain amount of Protocol that the Equestria Girls needed to learn.  Summer choked her tears off, and said softly "Princess can you sit up?"

"I think so" Princess Twilight said weakly.

"Girls, please carefully set her down on the ground so she is sitting, and steady her if she starts to fall."  Summer directed.

Princess Twilight was soon sitting comfortably.

Summer backed away a few steps and told the rest of the girls to come stand next to her.

At this point, Summer and the Equestria Girls assumed their Pony form, simply falling forward on their front hooves.

All of them except one.

The eyes of a guardian of fashion from another world had caught the sight of a thing of indescribable beauty, haplessly cast to the ground like garbage.

Rarity picked the object up, quickly tied a knot back in the torn neck strap, walked over to her Princess, and gently slipped the strap of the object over her Princess' head, and straightened it carefully around her neck.  She then gave her Princess a small kiss on the forehead, and only then walked back to the rest, throwing herself forward on all four as she too turned back into a pony.

Summer tried to speak and it was excruciating, she wanted to just cry, but the girls understood what she said.  "Girls, this is your Princess, and when you see your Princess, you need to bow like this."

Summer bowed down on her front legs, and the rest followed.  All heads were bowed to the ground with respect for their Princess.

Summer could no longer hold it in and was crying again.  They were all crying.

After a minute...

"Equestria Girls, please arise.

"And welcome to Equestria"

Princess Twilight simply said these words, and the Equestria Girls got up and ran quickly to her side and they all just hugged her, continuing to cry.  Princess Twilight was crying too.  Twilight had missed these girls just as immensely as they had missed her.

Summer stayed where she was, bowing before her Princess.  In her mind this was the Equestria Girls victory as much as hers, they too were utterly devoted to their Princess, and had yearned more deeply to be at her side with each step closer they took.  They had earned this.

Summer also noted that the Equestria Girls were actively taking turns hugging Twilight's neck.  One would hug briefly, then would move and let another.  True friends.

Summer just stayed where she was, bowing in respect, weeping softly, just glad her Princess was alive.

After about five minutes of hugging and crying, Princess Twilight asked the Equestria Girls to stop briefly, and to sit next to her facing Summer.

'Summer Rain" Princess Twilight began.

Summer immediatly sensed her regal tone.

"If you had not left to take care of the Equestria Girls at my request, Equestria would be..."

Princess paused here for a moment before continuing.

"Forever... lost..."

"On behalf of the realm of Equestria, thank you." she concluded softly.

It was Summer's turn, and she ran over to Twilight and just held her Princess, her true friend, and cried...  And cried...  And cried...

Fluttershy and the rest of the girls were crowded around too, everyone just holding everyone and crying.

Summer had safely brought the Equestria Girls to their true friend Princess Twilight.

And with little else besides pure devotion, they had succeeded in rescuing their Princess, maybe even bringing her back to life, who knows.

For Summer, nothing else mattered right now.
> Chapter 22, Saving Cadance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight, Summer Rain and the five Equestria Girls could have easily stayed there for a while, just hugging each other, and crying.  Some of them were smiling occasionally through their tears, this 'meeting of hearts' was an occasion of great joy after all.

It was for this reason that guards soon wandered over and yelled "No smiling".  As before, the voice was Sunset Shimmer's voice, and this scared Princess Twilight.

Summer and her friends would protect their Princess.

They quickly formed a line of ponies directly in front of Princess Twilight.  They were not sure what they could do against the large stallions the faced, but they weren't going to make it easy.

The guards just stood there, like the Green eyed zombie ponies that they were.

Then they heard their Princess gasp loudly.

WIthout even turning around, Summer Rain said quickly "What is it Princess?"

Princess Twilight said loudly "It's my brother..."

"Princess Twilight please TOUCH HIM" Summer said quickly.

"Girls please move around to the other side of this big Stallion" Summer directed, and they all moved around him.  He was a zombie pony, he didn't move.

Summer said it again "Princess Twilight please TOUCH HIM."

Twilight walked up to the large stallion timidly, and lifted her hoof slightly and touched his leg.

Shining Armor blinked twice, looked at Princess Twilight with a big smile and yelled "Twiley!"

The other guards quickly said "No Smiling", again with Sunset Shimmer's voice, but they didn't move.

Given the depth of his military training, Shining Armor very quickly came up to speed.  He quickly touched all three of the other guards, let them all blink twice, then immediately snapped them to attention.  They were silent and standing at attention before they could make a sound.  But they were back in action.

Shining Armor looked back at Princess Twilight, and immediately turned white as a ghost.

"Who...  ...rescued Princess Twilight?" he asked, but the answer was taking too long.  "WHO?" Shining Armor shouted again.

Summer spoke up timidly "We, well I did initially, but--"

"HOW DID YOU DO IT?" He shouted again.

"I held her, then I cried at the base--" Summer tried to explain.

Shining Armor stopped her immediately, barking out orders.  "Roderick come with me, you other two PROTECT THE PRINCESS AND HER FRIENDS."

Then Shining Armor immediately bolted off in a dead run with Roderick.

Summer Rain broke down into tears at this "I'm sorry...  What did I do wrong?" she wept...  Fluttershy was next to her too and hugged her.

"Summer Rain" Princess Twilight said gently.

"Yes Princess?" Summer replied, bowing her head deeply, and trying not to cry.

"That was Shining Armor, my brother, and Princess Cadance's Stallion.  Discord probably did to Princess Cadance the same thing he did to me.  I apologize for my brother's harshness, but he needed to know quickly, how you rescued me, so he could go try to rescue his Mare.  He is probably running to the Crystal Palace even now."





"20 miles to the Crystal Station Roderick, how fast can we do it?" Shining Armor yelled to his deputy.

"Sir, we should pace ourselves, and maybe make it in 2 hours." Roderick replied.

Shining Armor sighed, and said "Well, you are probably right, lets do that."

On the way Roderick brought up a good point. "Sir I don't know where Discord is, but what should we do if we see any more of our corps."

After thinking briefly Shinng Armor said "I want all Unicorn's rescued, and then anyone else that we can rescue without slowing down."

Shining Armor paused briefly before continuing.  "And Roderick, if we meet Discord, we are done, we just need to retreat"

"Understood Sir" Roderick replied.

They made it to the Crystal Palace station in an hour and a half.

Running down the broad avenue to the Crystal Palace, they rescued maybe twenty more of their corps, four of whom were Unicorns.

The run to the Portal room brought the Unicorn total to 8 with ten more guards.

Shining Armor's 38 guards crowded into the hall outside the Portal room, and he snapped them quickly to attention, and spoke to his troops.

"First, if we meet Discord, we are done, just retreat if you can."

"Second, I want ONLY UNICORNS in this room when I call them.  There is a 'need to know only' item in there and I want it to stay that way.  The rest of you stay right around here in the hall, and rescue any more guards you find.

"Third, we absolutely MUST find Princess Cadance."

"Understood?" Shining Armor concluded.

"Yes Sir" they responded in unison.

Shining Armor motioned to them to be quiet, then said to the Unicorns "replace the door please, and again, if Discord is in there just fall back."

The Unicorn's magic made quick work of replacing the door.

"Roderick, Vespian, come with me.  The rest of the Unicorns, stay out here, and listen for my call."

The three of them were soon inside the room, carefully shutting the door behind them.  "Vespian give us a little light please."  Unicorn magic made it much easier to see.

Shining Armor saw Spike on his gems.  He was watching their every move.

"Spike, please get little and come here, but say nothing" Shining Armor said quietly.

Spike was soon timidly standing beside the huge Unicorn that was Shining Armor.

"Spike if we survive this, those gems are all yours.  For now please go stand next to the door until we have checked the room." Shining Armor said softly.

Shining Armor saw the portal, and his eye caught a dull, new shape on the far end of the room to the left.  They approached it cautiously.

"Is it just me, or do I see Discord in that little room?" Shining Armor asked quietly.

"Affirmative on visual" Roderick said.

"Roderick, see what you can find out" Shining Armor said.

The Unicorn named Roderick began growing a very faint, red cone towards Discord, as he used his magic to try and find out what it was.  His beam extended to the edge of the crystal then stopped.

Roderick was instanty beside himself "Its...  Its...  coming back to me sir!  Get it off!  Get it off!"

Shining Armor quickly created a magic lance and severed Roderick's beam at a perfect right angle, and the retracing from the crystal stopped.

"Sir, I think you just saved my life." Roderick said still shaking.

"Well, if our magic can't get in, His can't get out.  Vespian a little more light please."  Shining Armor said.  Just a little more, and everyone could clearly see that Discord was turned to stone.

"Ok, let's get away from this.  You two open up the balcony, but give this thing a wide birth, it's dangerous."

Shining Armor went back to the hall at this point.

"Discord is contained."

"Shemblin" he called out.

"Sir" Shemblin replied.

"Take three other Pegasi and get quickly to Canterlot.  We need to locate Sunset Shimmer.  She is probably a monster by now.  Just get close enough to verify, then meet us in Ponyville." Shining Armor ordered.

"Yes Sir" Shemblin replied again.

"And Shemblin, be careful.  If you don't return, we will assume she is there" Shining Armor said quietly.

Shemblin and three other Pegasi were soon on their way.

Shining Armor walked over to Spike.  "Spike, thank you for protecting the Portal.  But do you have any idea who did this to Discord?"

Spike matter of factly answered "Summer Rain and the Equestria Girls.  They turned him to stone, then they had me get big and push him into that corner.  Summer talked to him a little, then they put that shield around him.  Watch."

Spike picked up a gem, threw it at Discord's jail cell, and it immediately vaporized.

"Summer said they were using Twilight's magic." Spike said, and was then instantly quiet.

Shining Armor looked in amazement, then carefully analyzed the statements.  Speaking half to himself, he said "I know Twilight's magic, and I seriously doubt even she could do this herself.  I've never seen anything li--"

Spike had begun sniffling, and said "When can I see Twilight..." 

Shining Armor stopped processing and answered gently "I saw her in Ponyville a couple hours ago.  We will take you to her when we can.  We nee--"

Shining Armor's men came back suddenly from the balcony, crying, and blubbered something about Princess Cadance...  "Above the balcony" was all they could say.





Shining Armor ignored these two and yelled "ALL UNICORNS IN HERE NOW."

"Spike get out on the balcony, and get as greedy as you can, and get as big as you can.  I need you to lift me up to Cadance, but don't look up for any reason" Shining Armor said with some urgency.

"Unicorns take positions right at the edge of the door to the balcony, but don't go out, and DO NOT LOOK UP"  Shining Armor yelled to the Unicorns.

Spike was huge on the balcony at this point, and Shining Armor simply climbed up on his back.

"Spike can you fly us up?" Shining Armor asked.

"I don't know, I've never tried" Spike replied.

"Well try, and see what you can do" Shining Armor said.

Then he shouted to the Unicorns "DON'T LET US FALL."

Spike did pretty good at flying...

But this was all quickly forgotten...

Discord had stretched Princess Cadance out across a huge square encompassing five floors, on the outside of the Crystal Palace.

Spike went up about two floors, and Shining Armor simply leaned against her leg...  And cried...

Spike almost lost it, but eight powerful Unicorn's simply held him up.

After a minute, there were four loud "snap" sounds. and Princess Cadance began to shrink back to her normal size.

Shining Armor held on to her leg tightly, and she simply shrank slowly back to him.  He was still crying.

Even before Cadance was back to her normal size, he shouted, through his tears, "GET US DOWN."

And Princess Cadance screamed...  Loud and long....

"GET CADANCE TO THE FLOOR" Shining Armor shouted, and Unicorn magic quicky had her laying on the crystal floor on her side inside the door to the balcony.  She was still screaming.

"Spike get little" Shining Armor yelled as he jumped from Spike's back.

'Normal' Spike almost fell, but Roderick quickly caught him and pulled him in.

"EVERYONE OUT" Shining Armor shouted.  "Spike you too, I'm sorry."





Princess Cadance was still screaming.

She was lying on her side.  Shining Armor lay on his belly facing her, and put his head down on hers, and just tried to speak to her, to calm her down.

She kept screaming.

All at once, she grew quiet and went limp.

Her breathing was shallow, but she was completely unresponsive.

Shining Armor knew this was not good.

Shining Armor had read up on using magic to probe some other ponies' mind.  He had never tried it though, because it would be such a personal experience.

He tried it now.  He had to.  He was losing his Mare.

Shining Armor laid his Unicorn horn up against Cadances' horn, tried to mentally prepare himself, and began to probe.

He passed a lot of things that would ordinarily be of interest, things about him, things about Cadance.  He simply and quickly passed them all now.  He was searching only for the reason Cadance gave up.  She would die soon if he didn't find it.

After a few minutes, he did find it, and was instantly enraged.

Discord had tortured his Mare for hours to find the location of the Portal.  The result was an ocean of pain that had flooded his Mare's soul, choking it to death even now.

Shining Armor had to act fast, but the only thing he could do was draw all that pain into his own soul.  He did it anyway.

He felt her pain.

He heard her screams.

He sensed her agony.

He almost lost consciousness, and so slowed the rate at which he was drawing the pain off slightly.

He kept going.

10 minutes...

20 minutes...

30 minutes...

There was still a lot left, but he could feel himself slowly "losing it" as her pain became his, and was flooding his soul now.  There was so much pain in there...

He completely lost track of time at this point.

Shining Armor would fight for his Mare, even if it killed him, which might not be too much longer...

All at once, Princess Cadance's soul sprang to life.

She didn't scream.

She sensed the nearness of her Stallion and relaxed.

As her awareness of what he was doing grew, she also realized that he was cleansing her soul at his expense.

Princess Cadance, the Princess of Love...

She could not heal her own pain, but she could easily erase the pain and anguish that was even now flooding her Stallion's soul.

She loved it away without even moving.

Cadance quickly cleared Shining Armor's soul from the pain that he had pulled out of hers.

Sensing this, Shining Armor just pulled agony from his Mare faster.

In a few minutes, the process was done.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance both stood up, and at this point they simply rubbed noses.

Shining Armor put his head down, and shook it back and forth, and said "You need to get to Ponyville as fast as you can.  They need you."

With this, Cadance ran to the balcony, took to the air, and was on her way.

Shining Armor looked at Stone Discord and said simply "If Summer Rain hadn't added that shield, you would be dead now."

Shining Armor walked slowly to the door and opened it, and gave orders to his men.

"Cadance is fine, and is on her way to Ponyville.  Spike and I will run there now as well.  The rest of you stay here, and don't rescue any more men.  We want to fight Sunset Shimmer where she is, and we don't want to draw her here.

"Roderick and Vespian stay inside and guard the Portal, and stay away from Discord.  The rest of you DO NOT go in for any reason.  And Unicorns, you must forget everything you saw in there.

"Understood?"

"Yes Sir!" came the response.

"Spike, hop on, let's go find your Princess" Shining Armor said.

Spike was quickly on, and Shining Armor headed down the hall.
> Chapter 23, Passing it On, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Summer Rain's direction, Dawn Flower and Sunny Rays were quickly inside Dawn's shop.

Of course, Dawn quickly 'rescued' Camille from the Green eyes.  Her colt didn't remember anything, except that she was very hungry, so Dawn gave her an Oat pie.

Dawn was prepared to just wait.

However, a new urgency began to surface in Dawn's mind.  It was Corn.

Surely Dawn could wait until everything was back to normal.

The urgency returned.  Dawn couldn't explain it.

Maybe if she waited some, it would subside.

It didn't.

"True friends..." Dawn thought to herself and sighed.

Dawn took Sunny out to the showroom while Camille was eating.

Dawn very quickly explained the whole situation.  Sunny thought such a trip would be very dangerous, but agreed to watch Camille until Dawn got back.  And Sunny stressed this, "You better come back!"

Dawn walked back to the kitchen to talk to her daughter.

"Camille, do you remember our new friend Corn?" Dawn asked.

"Yes mommy, she was not very nice to us, then she was nice to us." Camille answered while eating.

"Camille, I want to quickly go back to see if she is ok, would that be alright?" Dawn asked.

In Dawn's mind Camille's answer would decide if she went or not.  Camille had to be her first priority after all.

Camille got this worried look on her face and asked "Mommy who is going to stay with me?"

Sunny said softly "I will Camille, if that's ok."

After thinking a minute, Camille said "I guess that's ok mommy, tell Corn I said hi, and try to hurry.  I am tired, maybe you will be back after I sleep some."

Dawn said "Thank you Camille, and I will hurry honey."

Dawn hugged her daughter, then headed to the showroom, and pulled out a dark, hooded coat.

"I'll be back as soon as I can" she told Sunny, then was quickly on her way.





Dawn headed to the Train Station, not really expecting to find a train.  She would run there if she needed to.

But the train was there.

Dawn walked up to the platform and just stood there.  She only then realized she had no bits for the trip.

"Miss do you need a ride somewhere?" one of the train stallions said.

Dawn said "Sir, I wanted to go to the Crystal Station to check on a friend, she needs to be rescued from the Green eyes.  But I just realized that I have no bit--"

"Wait miss, can you rescue other ponies from that?" the stallion asked quickly.

"Well, my friend rescued me by just touching me.  I guess that's how it's done, but maybe you need to be their friend first, I don't know" Dawn offered.

"Wait sir." Dawn added quickly.  "My friend warned me that the guards will yell at you if you are happy or if you smile.  You may want to get out of town first, then try to rescue them."

"Ma'am hop in and lets go.  Pick a car and help yourself to the Oat hay" the stallion said.

"Sir, I haven't any bits..." Dawn said slowly looking down.

"No bother, tonight qualifies as a kingdom emergency, all rides are free.  Let's go."





They were quickly out of town, then the train stopped long enough for the stallion to rescue his buddies.  They were all glad to be "back".  The lead stallion quickly brought them up to speed, and they acted miserable while having a blast pulling the train.  They were going very fast.

They were soon pulling into the Crystal Empire station.

Dawn got out, and talked to the lead stallion again, hoping for the best.  "Sir, can you wait here a little while for me?  I just want to check on my friend quick."

"Take your time ma'am, we need to rest a bit and eat before we run back." the lead stallion said.

Dawn bowed, and said "Thank you so very much."

Even in the dark, Dawn was quickly to Corn's store, but she wasn't there.

Dawn sighed.  She had brought another one of her cards, and simply laid it on the front table of Corn's shop.

Dawn started walking back towards the main avenue, and turned left to head back to the station.

There was one random zombie pony across the avenue walking towards her, Green eyes and all.  The closer Dawn got to the pony, the more it looked like Corn, but it was very dark, and Dawn just wasn't sure.

It was creepy, but Dawn knew the only way she would know for sure would be to touch the pony.

Dawn walked up, and simply touched the Green eyed zombie pony as it walked.

Corn blinked twice, then smiled...

...Dawn said "Camille says--"

...and a guard nearby immediately said "no smiling" with Sunset Shimmer's voice.

...and Corn was gone, running west towards the Crystal Palace as fast as she could go, and was quickly out of sight.

Dawn just stood there for a minute, watching her shrink into the distance.

Then she sighed and headed back to the Train Station.  She had rescued Corn from the Green eyes at any rate, at least for now.

Dawn was quickly at the Train Station, and quietly asked for a ride again.

"Of course miss" the lead stallion said.  "It will be a few minutes before we leave though.  We're gettin a good workout tonite!"





Dawn ate some Oat hay, then sat down and just relaxed.

After a few minutes, a huge stallion ran quickly to the train.

Dawn did not recognize the stallion, except to note that he wore a Canterlot Guard uniform, he must be very important.

Dawn recognized Spike though.

The big stallion noted their eyes were clear, and said  "I need to get to Ponyville quickly, this is sort of a military emergency."

"Cap'n climb aboard, we can leave in a few minutes if that is ok" the lead stallion said.

"That's fine, and thank you" the big stallion said.  After a pause he added "You stallions deserve a medal for running tonight."

The big stallion climbed in the same car, rocking it some.

Spike jumped down and quickly said "Hi Dawn"

Dawn did not know if she should bow to this stallion, so she did it anyway.

Shining Armor said calmly "Ma'am you don't need to bow for me, thank you though.

Spike spoke up and said "This is Summer's friend Dawn."

Shining Armor said quietly "you shouldn't be out right now Dawn."

Dawn looked down, and with tears in her eyes said quietly "I know, but I had to rescue a friend from the Green eyes.  She is a new friend."

After a minute or two of silence, Dawn added "I will be happy to be home though."

The trian to Ponyville with three passengers, was soon on it's way.
> Chapter 24, Twins, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Hi, this is Shysage.

While Summer was trying to rescue her Princess, a different tune became clearly audible in the background.  I could not immediately place it, and I was admittedly overwhelmed by the events I was trying to record (Ch. 21).

However, for this extended section, with time crawling very slowly, and as life seemed to be snatched back from the void, I clearly placed the tune as it grew louder.  It was the "Faded Memories*" song from Promyvion* in Vana'diel*.  This doleful tune drifted hauntingly through the events in this entire chapter, and the next few as well.

*c 2014 by Square Enix

I apologize again for the interruption.]





After the incident with Shining Armor, it was quiet for a few minutes.  Summer Rain needed to say something, she just wasn't sure how to say it.  So she just said it.

"Princess Twilight, we have five special ponies to rescue."  At this, the Equestria Girls all gathered around.

Summer continued a little more softly "You are the Princess, and I want to respect your leadership.  I just--"

Princess Twilight jumped in immediately at this point.  "Summer Rain, I am delegating leadership over that task to you.  You are much better able to handle this than I am at present."

Summer bowed, and said "Yes Princess, I will.  Please do not hesitate to say something should you feel it helpful or necessary however."

"And Summer" Princess Twilight continued "We need to rescue Zecora too."  Twilight put her head down and said slowly "Sunset Shimmer has the Alicorn Amulet as well.  Discord tortured Zecora until she gave it to him."





Summer said "Applejack first" and so they headed to Sweet Apple Acres.

It was a bit if a walk, and Summer kept Applejack and Rainbow on either side of Princess Twilight in case she needed any help.

Summer soon realized she didn't need to do this, all the Equestria Girls never moved far from their Princess now.

Even so, Princess Twilight was slowly getting stronger.

Near the entrance to the barnyard, Summer called Applejack to her side.  "Applejack, I think you will nee--"

Applejack saw her Twin on her tombstone at this point and simply bolted off towards her.

"Girls come quickly please." Summer said as she galloped off after her.

Princess Twilight said "Go girls, Applejack needs you."

Applejack didn't need any coaching.  Usually very stoic, Equestria Girls Applejack immediately ran to her Twin, and held her, simply crying as she stood there.

The same process repeated itself in slow motion with some variation.

The tombstone teetered, then shrank into the ground.

Applejack shrank to her normal size and screamed, then simply fell into her Twin's arms crying.

These six ponies assumed their Equestria Girls form, and again just held Applejack up as she cried.

Equestria Girls Applejack was standing next to her Twin's head, and she leaned close, and simply comforted her, talking to her, helping her through her pain.

Equestria pony Applejack heard her own voice coaching her through her agony, back to the land of the living.  She wanted to know who this other Applejack was.

Equestria pony Applejack cried for a few minutes, then stopped.  Then she said "Man that hurt."

Then she looked up at Equestria Girls Applejack and said "Who are you?"  ...only to have her Twin burst into tears of joy, and the rest of the Equestria girls cried now as well.

After a few minutes, they set Applejack down on the ground, and the Equestria Girls all backed away 10 feet or so, turning back into ponies again...

...except for Rarity who repaired, then properly placed the Shield Necklace back around Applejack's neck, after which she threw herself down and turned back into a pony as well.

Then, Equestria Girls Applejack walked slowly up to her Twin, sat down in front of her and just hugged her.

They were both soon 'bawlin' like babies' as Applejack would say.

After a few minutes, Princess Twilight walked up, and Equestria Girls Applejack immediately sensed her presence, and backed away bowing.

Princess Twilight had tears in her eyes, and walked up to Applejack and just held her as they both cried together.

The friendship Princess Twilight had shared with these five special ponies in Equestria over many seasons, simply could not be replaced, and everyone, everypony knew that.

After maybe ten minutes, both Applejacks headed up the hill to rescue the Apple family.

"Land sakes, there's two of ya now" Granny Smith said.  "I can't tell ya apart no how."

Apple Bloom was smiling "I have two sisters!"

Applejack told her kin to stay put for now, then both Applejacks headed back down the hill.

While the Apples were being rescued, Summer took to the air and quickly located Rainbow's tombstone.  It was at Summer's tree.





Before moving to Rainbow's tombstone, Summer called all the girls together.

"Equestria Girls, I need to hear from you.  We haven't talked in a while, I need to know how you are doing in this nightmare."

After a slight pause, Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash said almost at the same time "I want my Twin back..."

Fluttershy was standing next to Summer and simply put her head on Summer's neck; they both wanted Summer's sister back.

Summer next said very quietly "Equestria Girls I have thanked you all for coming before...  I NEEDED you each to come.  But I think each of you are the ONLY ones that can raise your Twins.  And if you had not come, they would have been lo--" and Summer could go no further.

Princess Twilight finished for her, and said softly "Equestia Girls, these five ponies that we are rescuing now are at the heart of my being.  I could never live without even one of them.  Summer is probably correct that each of you dear girls alone can raise your 'Twins'.  From the bottom of my heart, you have my thanks for this."

Applejack was at Princess Twilight's side at this point, and the five Equestria Girls simply group hugged them both.

After a few minutes, Summer said softly "Rainbow's tombstone is at my tree, she's next.  Let's go."





On the way to 'Summer's Tree', Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash walked next to Summer and said quietly "Summer, I'm scared.  I can't just turn on crying like the others.  I just don't know how it will work."

Summer stopped, and put her leg around Rainbow, and hugged her close.  Then she said quietly "I think the others will help you.  But I know you need your Twin to help you be the awesome flyer I know you can be."

They were soon at Summer's Tree.  Rainbow Dash's tombstone was right in front of it.

Summer's eyes teared up because she realized that Rainbow must have been here when Discord found her...  ...maybe waiting for a rescue that never came...  ...until now.

True friends whose hearts beat as one don't always need to be told what to do.

Princess Twilight walked up and lay down on her belly at the base of Rainbow's tombstone, and wept bitterly, joined quickly by Equestria pony Applejack.  Summer joined them immediately.  The rest of the Equestria girls followed.

Rainbow walked over and touched her Twin.  And the flood gates broke open, and she wailed uncontrollably...

Forcing herself away, Summer got up and warned the Equestria Girls, saying simply "get ready girls".

They felt the tremor, and waited for the stone to rock forward slightly.  Rainbow backed up and quickly caught her screaming Twin, and Equestria pony Rainbow Dash was quickly in the arms of Summer and the Equestria Girls, who were standing up as people, holding her.

Having watched Applejack, Rainbow just talked quietly to her Twin, helping them all bring her back to life.

Rainbow cried an amazingly short time.  Then she flipped upright in their arms, looked at Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash and said "Are you my Twin?"

Equestria Girls Rainbow cried like a baby too at this point, and said "Yes" as best as she could.

Equestria pony Rainbow then lunged forward to get her legs around her Twin's neck to hug her, and knocked Equestria Girls Rainbow over, and the Equestria Girls all turned back into ponies, and fell in a pile, but quickly got up.

Rainbow and her Twin were sitting there hugging and crying.

Princess Twilight picked up the Shield Necklace, and used her magic to repair the broken strap.

After a few minutes she walked up to Equestria pony Rainbow Dash, and Equestria Girls Rainbow quickly backed off with a bow.

Princess Twilight placed the Shield Necklace back on Rainbow's neck, and they both cried together.  Equestria pony Applejack soon joined them, and they cried together for a little while.

Princess Twilight was getting her girls back.  And it seemed like for each of her girls they rescued, their Princess got a little stronger.





Skirting Fluttershy's cottage by a wide margin, they headed to Rarity's shop.  Rarity's tombstone was behind the shop so they went back there.

It was dead quiet, everyone knew what to do.

Rarity first pointed to the Shield Necklace and asked Twilight to hold it for her.  "Please let me put it around her neck though Princess" Rarity said with a bow.

Rarity was already crying.

Rarity walked up to the tombstone and held her Twin's leg, still crying profusely.

Rarity waited for the tremor and slight shift, then simply put up her legs and waited, still crying.

Equestria pony Rarity screamed, and it was gut wrenching.

Equestrial Girls Rarity caught her twin, who was also soon in the arms of Summer and the five Equestria Girls, who were standing up as people do.

Equestria pony Rarity kept screaming.  For five minutes or so, this continued.  Gut-wrenching screams too.  Then she stopped abruptly and started just weeping.

Equestria Girls Rarity began talking to her at this point, helping to bring her twin back.  Before long they were both simply weeping together, almost in unison.  It was eery.

Equestria pony Rarity stopped crying briefly, and looked at Equestria Girls Rarity and said calmly "You are my Twin aren't you."

Equestria Girls Rarity said simply "yes", and they just continued weeping together for a while longer.

Equestria Girls Rarity asked her friends to carefully put Rarity down.  They did, and then all turned back into Ponies...

...except for Rarity.

Equestria Girls Rarity walked over and took the Shield Necklace from Princess Twilight with a bow.  She then took her own Dog Tag off, and put the Shield Necklace around her own neck.  She then gently put her Dog Tag on Equestria pony Rarity, and kissed her forehead.

And only then threw herself forward and resumed her Pony form.

And then walked up and simply hugged her Twin, and they began weeping again.

Summer Rain realized they were honoring each other's fashion creations, and began weeping herself.

After maybe five minutes, Princess Twilight and the other two Equestria ponies Rainbow and Applejack walked up to their friend.

Equestria Girls Rarity backed away with a bow, and Princess Twilight and her friends simply hugged and cried together for a while.

Then Rarity and her Twin went inside the shop and rescued Sweetie Belle, who was likewise amazed that it seemed like she had two sisters now.

Summer suggested that they both quickly take Sweetie Belle to Dawn's shop, and they agreed.  Rarity was suprised to find just Sunny Rays there, but Camille was more than happy to have Sweetie Belle over, and Sunny assured them she expected Dawn any moment.

Summer had basically ignored the two guards that Shining Armor had left with them.  As she turned around now though, she gasped to see over 20 guards off in the distance spread around them.  No Green eyes though.

The ranking guard noted Summer's concern, and walked over and said calmly "No need for alarm miss, we are trying to stay out of your way.  Just let us know if you need anything.

Summer thanked him and he went back out to the perimeter.





The Cake's shop was not far from Rarity's shop.  Pinkie's tombstone was likewise out behind the shop.

Before heading there, Summer decided to talk to Pinkie to see if she was up to this.  Before she could even call her over, Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie said "Summer, I'm on it."

"Both Pinkies are amazing" Summer thought to herself.

Pinkie Pie walked over to her Twin and held her leg, crying buckets, and through her tears, she just about demanded that Pinkie come back.

"Equestria needs you Pinkie, come back!"  Pinkie said this three or four times.

Pinkie  caught her Twin, who also screamed a few times, but then just cried quietly.  Equestria Girls Pinkie was not crying at this point, but said carefully but clearly to her Twin "Pinkie, it is not time to celebrate yet, there is still work to do first.  But with you back it will be EPIC when it is time."

Indeed.

Equestria pony Pinkie Pie simply replied "Ok", and cried quietly a little more.  Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie cried with her too at this point.

Both Pinkie Pies were soon facing each other as ponies, crying softly on each other's shoulder.

Equestria Girls Rarity walked over in Equestria Girls form with the repaired Shield Necklace in her hand.

Both Pinkies said in unison "Rarity can you switch our necklaces too please?"

Rarity did this, and there were tears in Rarity and her Twin's eyes as well.

After a while, Princess Twilight walked over with the rest of her girls, except Fluttershy, and they all cried together.

This special bond...

Soon, both Pinkies went in and rescued the Cake's, who quickly rescued their foals who were very very hungry.  They appeared to be ok otherwise however.

This just underscored in Summer's mind that they had to end this nightmare as quickly as possible.  As is usually the case, the foals were suffering the most from this ordeal.  Zombie ponies don't care for their young.





One Equestria pony left, Summer Rain's own sister, Fluttershy.

Summer was terrified.
> Chapter 25, Saving Fluttershy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were soon on their way to Fluttershy's cottage.

Summer Rain could feel herself slipping into hysteria.  She seriously doubted they could do what they needed to do.  It would take a miracle...

Summer called Equestria Girls Fluttershy over and said "Do you know what to do?"

Equestria Girls Fluttershy quietly replied "I think so."

They were quickly up the hill.  Fluttershy's tombstone was right in front of her cottage.

When Summer saw it, she said, through her tears "We gotta' get her down..." then she ran up and wept uncontrollably at the base of her sister's tombstone.

Summer Rain could help no more.

Equestria Girls Fluttershy ran to join her new best friend, and Princess Twilight stopped her.

"Fluttershy come here please, I'm sorry.  All of you come here please, and listen carefully" she began.

"Summer fears that we will lose our Fluttershy, and not be able to bring her back.  This is why.

"Fluttershy made a promise to Discord to never use her 'Element of Harmony' against him, as a gesture of friendship.

"Discord trampled that friendship, took Fluttershy's element, and then easily took each our elements as well.  Fluttershy then had to watch in horror as the rest of us were...  ...left to die.

"She will surely blame herself for what happened to the rest of us, and simply choose NOT to come back.

"Our only hope is for the Equestria ponies to very quickly assure Fluttershy we are all ok.  I think Summer left her sister for last for this very reason."

Princess Twilight took a halting deep breath, as if staving off crying at this point, then said "And if this doesn't work...   ...probably nothing will...

"I also doubt Summer will be able to help us.  So don't even worry about holding Fluttershy up.  Get her down, and start talking to her as soon as you can."

Princess Twilight walked over to Equestria Girls Fluttershy and hugged her and said "I am so sorry that this has to fall on you, of all people...  But we need you...  Fluttershy needs you...  Summer needs you."

Equestria Girls Fluttershy was already crying.

She touched her Twin's leg.

The tombstone shifted a little, then slowly shrank in size.

Equestria pony Fluttershy screamed.

Equestria pony Fluttershy never did anything loudly.  Her scream was like a high pitched, quiet "eeeep", and when she and Summer were growing up together, if she did that, Summer knew she was hurt really bad.

So when Fluttershy screamed, like this, Summer did too, loud and long, then Summer yelled "Stop it!  Stop it!  Stop it!" and kept crying loudly.

They had Equestria pony Fluttershy quickly and gently to the grass, and Summer was instantly at her side, sobbing deeply.

Fluttershy screamed four more times, and each time Summer did too...

Princess Twilight said through her tears "Please talk to her girls..."

They all tried, really they did.

This was simply heart-wrenching.

After the last quiet scream, Fluttershy went limp.

Summer sensed this and said "No..." quietly at first, but louder each time after.

Summer then screamed hysterically "I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU FOREVER!!!"

Then she just wailed aloud from the pain she felt.

"Sis, don't leave me..." Summer said over and over.

There was simply nothing they could do...

...

A blinding, but small pink bolt lanced quickly into Equestria pony Fluttershy's heart.

Princess Cadance, instantly sensing the need, quickly connected five more links between Fluttershy, Princess Twilight, and Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie.

This was excruciating for Princess Cadance, she had never done this many links at once, she had just learned how to do this a few hours ago after all, and only with one pony.

But Princess Cadance knew one was still missing -- Fluttershy's sister, Summer Rain...

This last link was quickly made...  ...and all seven souls... ...connected.

Princess Cadance could only hold it about 15 seconds before she collapsed, unconscious in the grass.

True friends...

It was dead silent except for Summer sobbing and saying over and over "Sis, don't leave me..."

After a little while, both Pinkies said together softly "Here she comes..."

Fluttershy opened her eyes, looked at her sister, and said simply "Summer?"

Again, everything else simply melted away for Summer, as she and her sister clung to each other tightly, and just cried together...

Princess Twilight was immediately at Princess Cadance's side, to see if she was doing ok.  Princess Cadance quickly revived, and she said she was fine, what she did was just very difficult.

Princess Twilight could control her tears no longer, and simply joined Summer and Fluttershy on the ground, weeping.  Equestria Girls Fluttershy was there already.  The rest of the Equestria ponies quickly followed, then the rest of the Equestria Girls did as well.

Shining Armor ran up with Spike at this point and asked what was going on.  Princess Cadance explained that they had just barely saved Fluttershy, and then she too collapsed into tears on her Stallion's side.

Spike ran to Twilight, and he was soon crying too.

Forever is such a long time...





After some time, the Equestria Girls instinctively backed off, allowing their Princess and her girls time together.

As I wrote before, the friendship Princess Twilight had shared with these five special ponies in Equestria over many seasons, simply could not be replaced, and everyone, everypony knew that.

Princess Twilight had 'her girls' all back now.  Her circle was complete once again.  She could live...  She was crying, but knew they could make it, together.

The Equestria Girls sat together in a line away from their Princess and the Equestria ponies.

Summer noticed, and pulled herself away from her sister, and joined them.  She was sitting next to Equestria Girls Fluttershy, and was soon crying loudly again on her shoulder.  The Equestria Girls just gathered around Summer and cried with her.

After some more time, Princess Twilight said slowly "Girls, everypony please stop and come here."

Summer and the Equestria girls walked over, and laid on their bellies next to their Twins, and Summer got as close to her sister as she could.

"Fluttershy, please listen" Princess said softly.  She was looking into Fluttershy's eyes at this point.

"Fluttershy, when you promised Discord what you did, you did the right thing.  You promised him something significant and valuable to show him that you were serious about being his friend.  That's what true friends do."

There were tears in Princess Twilight's eyes at this point.  "What you did was right.  What Discord did after that was absolutely wrong, and...  ...horrifying.

"But what Discord chose to do was NOT your fault.  You need to hear this Fluttershy.  None of us here hold anything you have done against you, you have done nothing wrong.

"The problem, the responsibility is Discord's alone."

Princess Twilight began to cry and tried to say through her tears "Please don't carry this around with you, it's not your burden to carry..." and then their Princess could speak no more.

Fluttershy looked around at eleven true, loving friends, with tears in all their eyes, thought briefly, then said simply and quietly "ok...  ...and thank you."

Fluttershy just held her Princess at this point, and all twelve ponies were soon crying again.





Fluttershy cried for over an hour.

Discord had brutally abused the feelings of the most sensitive pony in Equestria, and they had come perilously close to losing her.  Princess Cadance's arrival supplied the miracle needed... 

Her true friends cried with Fluttershy as long as she needed to cry.





After a little while more, everypony's crying tapered off, and they were all just sitting there together quietly.

Equestria pony Rarity used her magic and carefully, gently placed Fluttershy's Shield Necklace, already repaired by Princess Twilight, around Fluttershy's neck.

Princess Twilight sighed then spoke up softly "Do we know where Discord is by the way?"

Both Summer Rain (sitting next to Fluttershy), and Shining Armor (now standing out towards the perimeter), said at the same time "He should be dead", and neither made any apology for the opinion.

Spike answered "He's turned to stone and locked up in the Portal room."

Summer spoke up apologetically "I used your magic for that, Princess, I hope that was ok."

Princess Twilight was thinking ahead, and missed this, but said "Ok.  Do we know where Sunset Shimmer is?"

Shining Armor walked a little closer and said quietly, with his head bowed a little "I sent four Pegasi to Canterlot to find her, and they haven't returned.  I'm guessing she's there."

"I'm sorry Shining Armor" Princess Twilight said quietly.  Then she added after a brief pause "Let's go rescue my friend Zecora, then we head to Canterlot."





It took a while between Princess Twilight and Shining Armor to decide exactly how to cover the journey into the Everfree forest.

Shining Armor explained that he had Pegasas guards constantly in the air flying a very large perimeter around Princess Twilight and her party.  He explained that should Sunset Shimmer arrive, they wanted plenty of warning.  And this was in addition to the large perimeter guarded by the ground troops.

Princess Twilight mentioned the 'Poison Joke' and other potential hazards, and indicated that the distance to Zecora's hut wasn't especially far.

Shining Armor decided that the Pegasas flights would be doubled, and follow Pincess Twilight and her party, but that the rest would remain at the entrance to the Everfree.





During this time, Summer Rain finished her song.  She thought it a little short, and did not feel it was angry enough, but decided to leave it alone.  She couldn't especially sing well, and certainly would be useless at putting a good tune to it, but it did reveal her heart.  It is all included here.

~~~~~

This crushed and smoking wreckage,
Is that what you call friendship?
Razing paths we walked with joy,
Did my new friend just do this?

Chorus:
Why would you...  After all I said and did
How could you...  After all I freely gave...  For you...

Excuse me if I ask this now,
What ever were you thinking?
To play the friend and feed me lies
Then stand and watch me sinking?

[Chorus]

To think of friendship bought or sold
A calloused heart, and lying bold

[Chorus]

My heart is laid bare...
Consumed with dispair...
Please never again...
Please never again...
Please never again...


~~~~~

Summer quickly made up a tune, and walked over to her sister, and, oblivious to the fact that there were ten other ponies around her, Summer simply sang the song softly and slowly for her.

Then Summer Rain simply lay down next to her sister, buried her head in the grass, and cried...  Her sister and the others quickly joined her.
> Chapter 26, Rescuing Zecora
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip to the edge of the Everfree Forest did take a while.

It would have been easy enough for Princess Twilight and the rest of the girls to just walk there, but Shining Armor knew he had to do all he could to keep them safe.  This meant moving maybe 50 ground guards in addition to the Pegasus patrol.

Once they reached their 'camp' at the edge of the forest, Spike found a comfortable spot, and was soon asleep, so Princess Twilight just left him there.

Longer than anyone thought it would take, Princess Twilight and her girls, along with Summer Rain and the Equestria Girls headed into the forest.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance led the way, with Princess Twilight's direction.  They needed light for this journey, and Shining Armor used his magic for that.

Summer had never been here, and she and the Equestria Girls simply followed Princess Twilight and her ponies.

On the way, Summer summarized the Poison Joke incident from her reading, for the Equestria Girls.  Ordinarily it would have been at least amusing, but not now.  There was nothing amusing about this journey.  They noted the hazard however, and steered clear of it when Princess Twilight pointed patches of the plant out.

Aside from the occasional steep embankment they needed to cross, they were all soon at the clearing in front of Zecora's hut.

Princess Twilight stopped, and began to cry.  She tried to explain that Discord had tortured Zecora by squeezing her into a number of objects.  Their Princess could not say more except that she didn't remember where Discord had left her.

Then she and the Equestria ponies all backtracked until they were away from the clearing and simply cried.  Evidently they all were forced to watch this.

Finding Zecora would be Summer and the Equestria Girl's job.

Still, Summer suspected that only Princess Twilight could bring her friend back.





Summer Rain explained to the Equestria Girls that Zecora was a Zebra, and would probably show up as white and black stripes.  Summer knew that this sounded absolutely horrible, but they all felt the urgency to find Princess Twilight's friend as soon as possible.

They asked Shining Armor to come into the hut, and they looked there first, with the help of the light he provided.

Zecora's hut was small, and they quickly concluded she wasn't in there.  They were soon outside, and Shining Armor gave them as much light as he could.  They found nothing.

"Pinkie where?" Summer asked out of the blue.

Equestria Girl Pinkie Pie thought for a minute and said simply "Table".

Summer ran back into the hut, and even before Shining Armor could come back in, she had the table cloth off of Zacora's work table...

Summer quickly bolted back to Princess Twilight, even in the dark, and said "Princess come quickly".

Everypony came, and soon they were all inside.

Discord had stuffed Zecora into her work table...

Princess Twilight knelt to the ground, then simply wrapped one of her legs around one of the table legs, which was also one of Zecora's legs, and simply cried for her dear friend...

Zecora soon crumpled out of the table onto the floor.  Shining Armor quickly threw the table clear.

Princess Twilight knelt down and put her head next to Zecora's head and cried softly.

Zecora had a low pitched voice , and it was doubtful she could scream.  After being freed from her table, she inhaled deeply and then said "Oh...  Oh...  Oh...  Oh...  Oh..." in her low voice.  Then she inhaled deeply and said this again.  It didn't matter, everypony knew she was hurting a lot.

"Oh...  Oh...  Oh...  Oh...  Oh..."  Zecora kept saying this, eyes shut tightly, working through the river of pain she felt.

Princess Twilight asked the Equestria Ponies to gather around closely, and they too were soon weeping.  Summer and the Equestria Girls gathered around the Equestria ponies, as close as they could.  Everyone was weeping for Princess Twilight's friend.

When Zecora was ready to open her eyes, Princess Twilight wanted to make sure her dear friends were there to welcome her back from the dead...

"Oh...  Oh...  Oh...  Oh...  Oh..." Zecora kept saying.

After about 40 minutes of this, Zecora stopped, inhaled deeply and was quiet.  Only then did she open here eyes, to be greeted by Princess Twilight's smile.

Princess Twilight said "Welcome back Zecora", and then her smile rapidly turned into tears of joy, and she wept deeply.

Princess Twilight's good friend Zecora was alive.

Zecora seldom showed much emotion, but after looking at the twelve or so pony friends around her, she cried as well.

After about fifteen more minutes, Zecora tried to get up, and the ponies quickly moved to give her room.  She worked her way slowly to her feet, and then inhaled deeply and said "Ahhhh..."

Zecora was as big as Shining Armor, and they probably could not have held her up even if they all worked together.  It didn't matter.

Princess Twilight spoke at this point.  "Zecora, I am deeply sorry you had to get involved in thi--"

"Princess Twilight, have no worry,
I'll be feeling better in a hurry!"  Zecora said.

Princess Twilight accepted this, then said "Well, do you need any help or anything?"

Zecora had already lit a few lights in her hut, and Shining Armor helped her move her table back where it belonged.

"I'll just make me a nice herbal brew.
I'll take it easy, and soon I'll be feeling better too."  Zacora said with a smile.

All the other ponies headed out of the hut, leaving just Princess Twilight and Summer.  Princess Twilight hugged her friend Zecora.  At the door, Princess Twilight stopped and said "Thank you for everything Zecora".

Zecora answered  "Princess Twilight, this your friend
I see magic without end!"

Summer just leaned her head up against Princess Twilight, and said softly "I agree, Princess Twilight is amazing."





Shining Armor quickly had the girls back to the entrance to the Everfree Forest, and to his troops, and he felt better about that.

While they were away in the forest, the remainder of Shemblin's team returned...  ...without Shemblin.  When Shining Armor returned, they quietly explained that Shemblin had sacrificed himself to give his team time to escape.

But they got visual of Sunset Shimmer.  She was a huge monster, evidently just sitting in the middle of the large commons area outside and below the main balcony of the Canterlot Audience Hall.

Shining Armor quickly sent two Pegasi to check to see if the Train was still in Ponyville, and to 'retain' the Train for their ride to Canterlot.  Otherwise it was a long walk.





Waiting for the patrol to return, Summer was just sitting at the edge of the forest staring into the darkness.

Summer just didn't understand why evil worked the way it did.

Were Sunset Shimmer to rule Equestria unchallenged, within a season, all the baby colts would be dead, and any colts born after that would also quickly die.  In just a generation, Equestria would have no inhabitants.  And Sunset wanted to rule over that?

Discord wasn't any better.  He was content to live in the Crystal Palace, just because he liked it.  He too was surrounded by zombie ponies, who would also be all dead in just a generation.  Discord didn't care.  It made no sense.

Summer got up in disgust and decided she had to find something better to think about.  Both were monsters, clearly enemies of true friendship.

Summer Rain turned around to join the others.  She took three steps, then stopped immediately.

Both Fluttershy's were sitting together, each facing her Twin, with one of their legs around the other's necks, and their heads against each other's.  They were just hugging while sitting, but motionless.  Summer saw a distinct Pink aura surrounding both Fluttershys.

"Pinkie" Summer called out.  Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie came immediately at Summer's call, and Summer asked quietly "What are they doing?"

Pinkie looked at the two Fluttershy's, paused briefly, sighed, then said quietly "Equestria Girls Fluttershy is...  ...sharing Equestria pony Fluttershys' pain, actually taking her Twin's pain into her own soul, and sharing it with her."

Then Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie said "Oh wait...", and then yelled "PINKIE!", and her twin ran up quickly.  Then they did exactly the same thing.

They sat facing each other, hugged, then Equestria Girls Pinkie asked Equestria pony Pinkie what it was like.  This simply started the process.  Their aura was Blue, the color of the balloons on their Cutie Marks.

Before long, they were all doing this.  Both Raritys had a Purple aura.  The Applejack Twins had an Orange aura.  Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash even jumped in and started the process with her Twin, and the Red aura resulted as the pain was being transferred.

Surrounded by five sets of loving, adoring, deeply committed 'true friend' Twins... 

Summer Rain was overwhelmed.  She lay down in the grass, curled up into a little ball, buried her nose in the grass, and began to cry...

The Equestria Girls were sharing the pain in the souls of the Equestria ponies...  Summer knew she simply didn't deserve to know such devoted, true friends...

Princess Twilight walked over.  "Summer what's wrong?" She asked quietly.

Summer tried to talk while crying.  "The Equestria Girls...  ...are sharing pain with their Equestria Pony Twins...  ...Actually transferring pain from their hurting Twin into their own souls...  I just can't..."

Summer cried for a bit.

Princess Twilight gently said "Summer you had a role in that, I'm--"

Summer Rain interrupted without thinking "Princess..."

Summer cried some...  

"When I arrived there, I found five amazing people who were already your true friends..."

Summer cried more...

"Once I helped them come together, they didn't really need any coaching..."

Summer cried more...

"And they just welcomed me as their true friend too..."

Summer cried more...

"And helped me so much more than I might have helped them..."

Summer cried more...

"And even though I explained they may die here, they still all demanded that they come with me to help rescue you..."

Summer cried more...

"And now, they are taking their Twin's pain away by making it their own..."

Summer cried more...

"I just...  I just...  ...don't deserve to know true friends like that..."

Summer put her head back down in the grass and kept crying.

Twilight Sparkle quickly laid down on the grass, put her head down against Summer Rain's head and just cried with her.  Twilight felt the same way...

Summer and Twilight cried together for maybe 10 minutes.

Then Summer quickly put her head up, still sniffling, and Twilight did too.

The Equestria Girls and the Equestria ponies were lined up in a row facing them, each sitting with their Twin.

Both Fluttershys were in the center of the line, and spoke up timidly, and almost couldn't finish, but together said slowly

"All of us want you both to know that we love each of you very very much."

Then they joined their Princess and Summer and cried softly with them in the grass, until Shining Armor walked up to say it was time to go...
> Chapter 27, Dark Journey, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Hi this is Shysage.

When Princess Twilight left Zecora's hut after bringing Zecora back, the music in the background immediately reverted back to the eerie tune from "Outer Ra'Kaznar*" in Vana'diel*.  * c2014 by Square Enix

I again apologize for the interruption.]





Princess Twilight and her party walked quickly to the Train Station in Ponyville.

The same stallions that had already made a number of trips to the Crystal Empire station and back, were more than willing to help Shining Armor.  They really had no choice, but that didn't matter.  They were eager to help any way they could.

The short term plan was to head back to the Crystal Station.  Shining Armor wanted his chain of command back, and would post a new, stronger guard in the Portal room.

From there, they would head to Canterlot.  They would make this entire trip slowly.  There would be guards both in front of and behind the train for this entire trip, in addition to a substantial Pegasus air perimeter.

In addition, a network of Pegasus guards took up positions in a direct line between the train and the last tunnel to Canterlot.  If Sunset Shimmer moved, they wanted to know quickly.

Shining Armor knew that Princess Twilight and her friend's magic would alone be their only hope against Sunset Shimmer, but he wanted no ambushes or suprise attacks before everyone was ready.

The Equestria Girls were in the same car as Summer, and Princess Twilight and her girls, along with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance and Spike, were in the next car forward to try and think through a coherent strategy, accommodating both winning and losing.

Well, Spike was asleep the whole trip.





As the train left Ponyville, Summer Rain just sat, looking out the window lost in thought.  There was nothing to see since it was still dusk all the time.

Fluttershy was quickly sitting next to her new best friend.  Instead of saying "Hi Sis", Summer Rain just hugged Equestria Girls Fluttershy.  "I'm so glad you came" Summer said with a smile.

"Summer do you know your smile is priceless to me?" Fluttershy asked quietly, an intentional reminder of the words Summer said to Fluttershy only 2 weeks ago...

"Are you scared Summer?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know."  Summer replied.  Than after a brief delay Summer added "I do hope our Princess doesn't get herself killed though."

At this comment, everypony else gathered around.

"Is Sunset Shimmer's magic very strong?"  Rarity asked.

"Well Sunset Shimmer has the physical 'Elements of Harmony' that Princess Twilight and her girls would normally use as the basis for their magic.  Princess Twilight was able to use her magic with you five people even without the elements, so maybe she is hoping for that.

"She also told me that the night you all helped her, the element in Princess Twilight's crown chose ultimately to work through her and not Sunset Shimmer even after Sunset Shimmer had put the crown on, so I don't know

"We will just have to wait and see how all this works out.  I can see Princess Twilight trying to get the 'Elements of Harmony' back that way, but that could be very dangerous.  I think we will need to be ready to quickly step in if Princess Twilight tries this and fails."

Summer was lost in thought a minute or so, then continued.

"But that isn't the real problem.  We have no idea what Sunset Shimmer's own magic ability is, and if she is stronger than Princess Twilight, we could have a problem.

"Worse yet, Sunset also has the 'Alicorn Amulet' which substantially boosts her magical ability.  It also carries the by-product of corrupting the wearer, which is why Zecora had hidden it.  I doubt Sunset Shimmer even cares about this part though.

Summer lowered her head and spoke softly "I warned you precious people that we may die here.  If it happens it will probably be as we help Princess Twilight face Sunset Shimmer."

After a minute's silence, Applejack spoke up "Well we're not leavin' until this job is done, whatever happens." and the rest quickly agreed.

"Well based on what amazing things I have already seen from you all, I'm not suprised, and thank you" Summer said.  "I think winning will require us all, and we will either stand or fall together."

After a few minutes of silence, Summer added "And by the way, mentally prepare yourselves.  I overheard some of the guards talking.  Sunset Shimmer is huge and loud.  Remember that her magic is probably the real problem though.

After another minute, Summer said "Bah, I'm just a Pegasus, what to I know about magic...  ...I just hope we win..."

And after yet another minute of silence, Summer said "Yes, Fluttershy, I think I'm scared."

Summer noticed fresh Oat hay at the front of the car, and said "Girls, maybe eat some of that hay, but only take what you need.  We may find water on the way but I doubt it."

The Equestria Girls were soon taking turns getting some food, and Summer ate a little when everypony else was done.

The train was just pulling away from the Crystal Station bound for Canterlot and was moving slowly.  This would take a while.

"Let's get some sleep too, while we can maybe."  She said when everypony was done eating.

They were all soon fast asleep.  Summer and the Equestria Girls had been up for a while, and were exhausted.





Summer Rain awoke many hours later to Princess Twilight quietly calling her name.

Summer raised her head, yawned, and said softly "Yes Princess?"

Princess just quietly said "look", and pointed behind Summer.

Summer turned to look.  All five sets of Twins were sleeping next to each other.  She wished she had Pinkie Pie's camera thing.

Princess Twilight next said "Can you come up to the front of the car?  I think we should talk briefly."

Summer was quickly sitting next to Princess Twilight facing the front of the car.  They spoke softly to avoid waking everypony else.

"Princess, do you know how you want to handle this battle?" Summer asked.

"Well, I think the Equestria ponies and I are going out first, to see if we can get our 'Elements of Harmony' back" Princess Twilight said.

"I was afraid of that" Summer said honestly, then added "But I understand."

"Well Summer, elements or no, this will not be a fair fight.  The Alicorn Amulet is extremely powerful.  Between us, I seriously have my doubts."

All five sets of Twins were now sitting directly behind their Princess and Summer, and heard most of this discussion.

Both Applejacks spoke up quickly.  Princess, we are not backing down.  The Rainbow's added "We are with you to the end Princess, one way or another."

Princess Twilight teared up and said "I know...  I could not ask for better friends.  Whatever happens, we will see this through together.

After silence, Summer spoke up.  "But we're not losing."

"I hope you are right" Princess Twilight said softly.

After a few minutes thinking, Summer asked "Twins, have you all traded necklaces?  If you haven't then please do so now.

The Twins looked around at each other.  Rarity said "we all have already Summer."

Summer said "Ok, well no more trading please.  We may nee--"

"Summer" Princess Twilight interrupted softly.

Summer put her head down and said "Yes Princess?"

"Can we please trade necklaces?" Twilight said simply.

"Of course" Summer said, choking back tears.

Princess Twilight used her magic to quickly trade their necklaces.

Summer just hugged her Princess briefly when she was done.

Princess Twilight next said quietly "Everypony, please find a spot and sit quietly with your Twin.  I honestly don't know if this will be your last chance together or not."

Summer was sitting next to Princess Twilight, and quickly put one of her front legs around her Princess' neck and hugged her the rest of the way to Canterlot.  The Twins did the same.

When the train pulled to a stop, that's exactly the way Shining Armor found them all when it was time to get them off the train.





The train pulled to a stop at the distant end of the last tunnel outside Canterlot.  The guards then helped the pulling stallions move the pulling rig to the other end of the train.

The plan was that, should Princess Twilight and her friends fall to Sunset Shimmer, Pegasus guards would immediately notify Shining Armor, and the train would head quickly away from Canterlot.  Spike didn't like it, but he would stay with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance.

The Canterlot Station was a mile down the tracks, and half that distance would be inside the tunnel.  The commons area was a few hundred yards past that.

Shining Armor correctly pointed out that any air presence or other guards would alert Sunset Shimmer of their approach.

Princess Twilight and her girls would walk from here to the Commons...  ...to Sunset Shimmer...  Alone...

Both Shining Armor and Princess Cadance hugged Princess Twilight, and wished her luck.

Princess Twilight said quietly "Thanks, but we will probably need more than that."

Then Princess Twilight and eleven other true friends headed to Canterlot, to confront Sunset Shimmer.
> Chapter 28, Sunset Shimmer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Facing the Beast...  The 'Hellriders'* tune from the locked-in 'Einherjar'* area of Vana'diel* blared loudly...  *c2014 Square Enix]

The walk to the end of the tunnel didn't take long.  And there was thankfully a small pond to the right at the end of the tunnel.

"Girls just drink what you need, and please just two or three drinking at a time" Summer Rain directed.

They were soon ready to move on.  Princess Twilight led them from there to the Commons.

Even before they could see her, Sunset Shimmer bellowed out "Come children!  ...to your doom!" and then she laughed...

This would be a continual pattern anytime Sunset Shimmer spoke.  She would talk like Sunset Shimmer, very loudly, then her voice would wind up into the most hideous and spine tingling, deafening roar.

They soon saw Sunset Shimmer...  She was a terrible Beast now...

The Beast was taller than the main audience balcony some three stories up.  She looked only remotely like the pony she was, but her grotesque body was patched with constantly moving squares of ice, water, fire, and other magical elements.  She was always reared back on her hind legs...

The Beast was standing maybe 75 fore-legs out and away from the Audience Hall balcony.  What little moving around she had done since taking Equestria over, had dug a pit in the ground where she stood.

"Come closer, I won't hurt you!" the Beast said laughing, followed by the usual deafening roar at the end.

Princess Twilight and her friends got as close as they dared.

Summer noted that it would be hard for the girls to hear what she said.

"Discord can't do anything right..." the Beast said next.  This turned straight into an angry hideous growl.

"Equestria Ponies, lets go" Princess Twilight yelled.

They walked maybe 30 more fore-legs towards the Beast, together, and it was clear that Princess Twilight was using her magic to try and call the 'Elements of Harmony' back.

Summer Rain yelled "Girls, get ready, and say when Pinkie."

"Bah, you are boring me already Princess..." the Beast said, followed again by the same hideous roar.

The Beast simply waved with one of her arms at Twilight, and a shock wave quickly knocked Princess Twilight and the Equestria ponies to the gound several feet back from where they stood.  They couldn't breath, it had knocked the wind out of them all.

"I've had enough of this...  I'm done with you.  Good bye." the Beast said, again followed with the hideous roar.

With her other arm, the Beast summoned a huge flaming ball, and simply threw it at Princess Twilight.

She and the Equestria Ponies couldn't yet breath, and couldn't move.  They couldn't even scream...  They could just wait to die...  "It would be quick anyway" Twilight thought to herself.

The fireball came straight at them, but splattered quickly away from them at the last minute.

Summer and the Equestria Girls had quickly stood around them, joined hooves, transformed instantly into their Equestria Girls form, and the resulting shell had simply deflected the fire harmlessly away.

"Oh, Equestria Girls!"  The Beast just laughed, then roared.

"Princess and Ponies, join the circle.  Girls get your Twin on your RIGHT SIDE!!!!" Summer quickly yelled.

With the circle broken, Summer knew they were very vulnerable at this point.  They could feel the heat from bushes burning around them.

The Beast was ignoring them, just talking, not paying much attention.  Sunset Shimmer knew she couldn't lose.

"Oh let me remember a minute...  Oh yes, Fluttershy's Sister, such a pity...  I didn't kill her, but...  ...maybe I helped!" followed by laughter trailing into her hideous roar....

This 'cheap shot' didn't have the intended effect.  The Beast didn't know the Equestria pony Summer, and didn't know that, devoted True Friend that she was, she had largely filled the vacuum created Fluttershy's sister's death anyway, at least for now.

Summer did note however that Fluttershy's mom was right about Sunset Shimmer's role in her daughter's death.

Everypony was back in the circle, and they joined hooves, but nothing happened.

Summer thought they could easily die right now.  Even so, both her Cutie Mark and Head were warm, Summer knew she wouldn't go out without a fight, whatever that meant.

Summer looked around the circle.  "Pinkies trade places.  Rainbows trade places." Summer shouted quickly.

"Oh yes, you simply must play Musical Chairs now!" the Beast jeered...  Laughter then hideous roaring.

This insult only made sense to the Equestria Girls, but it didn't matter.

The Beast actually turned slowly at this point to face the ponies, and sneered at them with disdain.

"Useless ponies...  'True Friends'?  Putting others first?  What a joke..." the Beast said mockingly.

Then the Beast let out a hair-raising, long, bellowing roar.

"I don't care, die together then" the Beast yelled loudly, followed by another vicious, angry growl.

The Beast then slowly raised both hands high above her head, formed a huge ball of charged thunder between them, arched back then threw it at the twelve ponies.

Just then, all hooves joined, and these same twelve ponies all assumed their Equestria Girls form, stood up, interlocked fingers, and the shield returned.

Aside from the protection the shield brought, it also substantially muffled Sunset's bellowing.

Summer said softly "Girls, please close your eyes, and concentrate on your special element.  You chose these even before the elements chose you.

Rarity, your element is Generosity
Pinkie Pie, your element is Laughter
Applejack, your element is Honesty
Rainbow Dash, your element is Loyalty
Fluttershy, your element is Kindness
And Princess, your element is just amazing

The elements chose these in you and nopony can take them away."

Shining Armor had sent two Pegasi guards to follow and watch the fight.  Shining Armor warned that they would be next to die if the ponies failed, but they volunteered to go anyway.

They said the new shield was maybe 40 fore-legs in diameter, composed of a rapidly moving, constantly changing plaid of Purple, Lavender and the brightest White.

The guards couldn't see inside.

Summer and her friends had no clue what was going on outside either.  It didn't matter.

This new shield instantly infuriated the Beast.  She screamed as only a hideous beast could, and then rapidly threw spell after spell at this small shield before her, intent only on killing the twelve ponies underneath.

The Pegasi guards had to retreat substantially as the Beast's spells tore up everything, including nearby buildings, around this small ball and those inside it.

For 10 minutes or more the spells kept coming in rapid succession, using every imaginable magical element and combination.  The shield didn't move.

Princess Twilight spoke up at this point "Girls, I can feel your power, your friendship really is magic.  I don't know how this will end, but with you all at my side, I think we can win.  Either way, I want you all to know that I will always love each and every one of you.  Only true friends would have followed me on this nightmare journey, and help me stand up to this monster."

Almost as one, all twelve moved arms around those next to them, drew closer, and simply hugged each other tightly.

Absolutely enraged, the Beast climbed from her pit and lumbered slowly over to the shield.  She lifted one arm high, and rapidly brought it crashing down on the shield.

The shield didn't budge.  In fact, the Pegasi watching said it looked like it may have seriously injured the monster, as the Beast recoiled seemingly in pain, and appeared to cry out with a roar.

Bellowing loudly, the Beast tried this again with the other arm, and with similar results.

The shield didn't change.  The shield didn't move.

The Beast lumbered slowly back to her pit, and the onslaught of spells began anew, much more quickly.

Summer Rain spoke softly at this point.

"Equestria Girls, just two days ago, we were sitting on the grass on the Soccer Field gasping for breath.  I honestly didn't think I would ever see my Equestria pony friends again.  You five precious, loyal people have made the difference.  Thank you."

After maybe a minute, Summer added softly "And please, we need Sunset Shimmer destroyed..."

At these words, the shield around the twelve ponies slowly unfolded, growing greater in diameter as the outer circumference moved slowly towards the Beast who Sunset Shimmer had become.

The onslaught of magic from the Beast continued, but Princess Twilight and the rest felt and heard very little.

As the shield was half-way between the girls and the Beast, the shield was a blazing wall, extending for miles both up in the sky and along both sides.

"Girls, please keep your eyes closed, and focus on your elements" Summer said softly.  Summer was watching their shield.

The Beast clearly realized the danger at this point, and out of desparation, threw everything she had at this wall that the shield had become.

Nothing hurt the shield as it slowly curled back down on the Beast, quickly containing her massive girth underneath it.

"Girls, please keep your eyes closed, and focus on your elements" Summer said again softly.

The shield kept slowly shrinking over the Beast, and so she rapidly formed one huge fireball, as a final attempt to destroy this shield...

...and simply incinerated herself, as she let out a hideous scream.

The shield shrank to the same 40 fore-leg size and hovered over the Beast's corpse as the flames she had summoned quickly consumed her monstrous body.  With nothing left to burn, the flames simply went out.

"Princess" Summer said softly.  "Sunset Shimmer is dead, thank you"

They all opened their eyes, and began to cry, hugging each other tightly.

[The tune that had been loud in the background up to this point, immediately faded away and it was quiet.]

Summer Rain and the five Equestria Girls had braved the Portal to the unknown, and stepped into a nightmare.

Now, Discord was contained, Summer's friends were alive, and Sunset Shimmer was destroyed.

Equestria would live to see another day.





Shining Armor was already there, and had 12 or so Unicorn's nearby.  They would eliminate what was left of Sunset Shimmer.

Princess Twilight and her circle were still in Equestria Girls form, hugging tightly, and crying.

The shield still remained over Sunset Shimmer's corpse.

Princess said quickly "Wait Shining Armor, don't do anything yet.

"Summer, don't do it yet, but tell me how we release that shield." Princess Twilight said next.

"Princess, as soon as our circle is broken, we will change back to ponies, and the shield will disappear" Summer said quietly.

"Ok, don't do it yet, but please listen everypony, especially Equestria ponies.  When the shield is released, I'm hoping our 'elements' will return to us.  We need to see how they come back."  Princess Twilight said.

"Shining Armor, please send a few Unicorn's over here, we need more light."

The circle was quickly bright, and Princess Twilight said "Ok, release the sheild."

Summer and the Equestria Girls backed up, and released the circle, nimbly sitting on the gound as ponies, and also catching their Twins as they too turned back into ponies.  All twelve ponies were sitting in a circle.

The shield disappeared, and Princess Twilight's and the Equestria ponies' 'Element of Harmony' crystals rapidly shot over to the ponies and hovered over the head of each of their chosen carriers briefly.  Then they embedded themselves into the Cutie Marks of their host ponies, and disappeared from view.

"Girls, congratulations.  Nopony will steal our Elements ever again" Princess Twilight said, breathing haltingly herself, she was ready to cry.

The Twins broke down at this point, hugged each other and just cried together.

"Shining Armor" Princess Twilight said "I'm sorry but you should really find the Alicorn Amulet personally in Sunset Shimmer's remains before they are disposed of.  And we need to find a safer place for it as well.  It is very dangerous."

Princess Twilight was still fighting back tears, but she couldn't find Summer Rain.

"Princess please come here" Summer called out.  It sounded like she was crying.

Summer was standing before what looked like two great statues, maybe 20 fore-legs past Sunset Shimmer's pit.

As Princess Twilight got close, she realized that Sunset Shimmer had turned both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna into these two huge hideous gargoyles.

They weren't done yet...
> Chapter 29, Two More Princesses
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset Shimmer had turned both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna into large Gargoyles...

Princess Twilight called the rest of the girls over, they were all soon weeping softly.  Princess Twilight tried touching both of them while crying...  Summer did too...  It didn't work.

At Princess' direction, various combinations of Twins touched one then the other...  They even tried touching both at the same time...  It didn't work...

Everything they tried simply did not work.

Princess Twilight was having a great deal of difficulty accepting the fact that this may be permament, but she didn't know what else to try.

They all sat there crying...  They all wanted their leaders back...

Princess was herself panicing, and a growing hysteria was gripping her...

"Girls we gotta' figure this out...  Try to think of something we haven't tried... Think hard...  THERE HAS TO BE A WAY..."

Summer said quietly "Princess..."

Summer said louder "Princess..."

Summer shouted "PRINCESS!"

Princess Twilight was getting worse...

Summer walked in front of her, put her leg around her Princess' neck, and put her head right up next to Twilight's head on the other side.  Princess Twilight was shaking...

Princess Twilight deeply loved both these Princesses.

But as Summer hugged her, Twilight stopped talking, and Summer hoped she would simply relax some.

After a few minutes silence, Summer tried again, without moving.

"Princess" Summer said.

Princess Twilight said as calmly as she could "Yes Summer."

"Ask Pinkie please..." Summer said softly.

Princess Twilight sighed, took a deep breath, and said "Of course..."

"Pinkie Pie, do you have any idea how we might be able to bring them back?"  Princess Twilight said this as calmly as she could.  She was still very scared.

Both Pinkies thought a moment, then looked at each other, then said together softly "Try turning them so they face each other."

Only then did Princess Twilight realize that Sunset Shimmer had placed them both with their backs to each other.  What a horrible way for sisters to spend forever...

Princess Twilight called her brother over and explained what they needed to do.

Shining Armor talked to his Unicorns and they decided to turn them facing each other one at a time.  They were very large, and nopony wanted them to fall over.

Eight powerful Unicorns worked on slowly turning the larger of the two statues, while the other four simply steadied it to prevent it from falling.

Even so, the statues were very heavy, and it took a few minutes just to turn one of them.

Once the larger of the two was turned to face the other, they began working on the other one.  This one was smaller, and they more quickly had it turned.

Shining Armor called the Unicorns clear as soon as the job was done.

Summer sat next to Princess Twilight and just held her, trying to calm her down.

After about two minutes, both statues tilted slightly towards the other, and then slowly receded into the ground.

These sisters simply fell into each other, and were soon laying down on their sides facing each other.

Then they both screamed.

Princess Twilight and the eleven other ponies simply split up and quickly surrounded both Princesses, attempting to comfort them back to the land of the living.

Princess Cadance had no intention of waiting.  She used the same small pink beam to quickly link the sister's hearts.  The screaming quickly changed to gentle weeping.  They felt each other's presence, and relaxed.

After about a minute, Princess Cadance could do no more, and fell to the ground, as the link stopped.  But it was enough.

Both Princesses cried together, also surrounded by loving friends, for about 20 minutes.

The sisters both opened their eyes at the same time, and everypony wept openly at this point.

They both slowly stood up as the ponies all gave them room.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna then hugged each other weeping for the next five minutes maybe.

Summer Rain instinctively moved next to Equestria Girls Fluttershy, and just held her.  Summer knew this had to be tough for her dear friend.  Summer's sister was already holding her twin.





Princess Celestia and Princess Luna then turned and stood next to each other, still sniffling.

All twelve ponies formed a ring in front of them and bowed, even Princess Twilight.

It was still dark.

"Where is Sunset Shimmer?" Princess Celestia asked quietly.

Princess Twilight spoke up "She is dead."

"And who are we to thank for that task?"  Princess Celestia asked again.

"These twelve ponies before you Princess" Twilight said quietly.

"And what of Discord?" Princess Celestia asked again.

"He is turned back to stone, and locked in a magical cell in the Portal room" Princess Twilight quietly said.

"And who are we to thank for that task?" Princess Celestia asked again.

"Summer Rain and the Equestrial Girls Princess" Twilight said quietly.

There was a brief delay, Princess Celestia was thinking.

"And who rescued you, Princess Twilight, and the rest of your pony friends from their tombstones?" Princess Celestia asked again.

"Summer Rain and the Equestria Girls Princess" Twilight said lovingly.  "Summer rescued me, and each of the Equestria Girls rescued their Twin.  This is probably the only way it ever could have been accomplished."

"Summer told Shining Armor how to do it, and he rescued Princess Cadance."

Princess Twilight had begun to cry as she said this, but she kept going.  "We almost lost Fluttershy bringing her back, but Princess Cadance arrived and saved her life."

Princess Twilight knew they deserved the recognition for what they had done after all.

Princess Celestia thought for a minute.

"Summer Rain" Princess Celestia said in as regal a tone as she could muster.

They were all still bowing.

Princess Celestia continued.

"When we sent you to the Equestria Girl's world, I never dreamed that you and these dear friends would be the sole and only possible means of rescuing our realm from evil, choas and death...

"On behalf of everypony in Equestria...  Thank you"

"And please arise all of you -- you have all done so very well."





Shining Armor walked up with the Alicorn Amulet at this point.

"Thank you Shining Armor, Princess Luna can you please take this?  We need to find a safer, more permanent destination for it."

Summer walked up to Princess Celestia, head bowed.

"Princess, a word if I may"  Summer said quietly.

"Of course Summer" Princess Celestia said kindly.

Summer explained her concern at this point.

"Sunset Shimmer cast a spell on everypony in the realm that turned them into Green eyed zombie ponies.

"Our experience indicates that the touch of a friend will erase the spell, and we have already rescued a number this way.

"Zombie ponies don't care for their young, and we will start to lose a lot of Foals if we don't quickly get this taken care of.

Princess Celestia had heard enough.

Shining Armor was still standing by.

"Shining Armor, do you understand the urgency of this task?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Yes Princess" Shining Armor said quickly.

"Shining Armor, get the guards in action, fan out over the realm, and quickly spread the word.  We must save as many Foals as we can, and use any means at your disposal.

Shining Armor was quickly off.  He ran up to the Unicorns around Sunset Shimmer's corpse and said simply "get rid of it".

There was soon absolutely nothing left of Sunset Shimmer.

Shining Armor then quickly barked out "I want every Pegasus here now.  The rest of you, fan out and rescue as many guards in Canterlot as you can, and send the Pegasi here.  Get going."
> Chapter 30, Awesomeness Times Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nopony had yet discussed how to take care of the permanent Dusk that shrouded Equestria.  It was clear Sunset Shimmer's magic was the cause, but her death didn't make it go away either.

Summer had an idea though, and she called the Twins over to discuss it.  She soon left them there, and walked over to Princess Twilight, who was still with her Princess.

"Princess Twilight can you come help us a minute?" Summer asked with her head down.

"Of course" Princess Twilight said, and walked over to the others.

Summer explained her plan, and Princess Twilight gave it her enthusiastic support.  It was worth a try anyway.

With the Rainbow Dash Twins in the center, the ten other ponies simply formed a circle while touching them, and instantly transformed into their Equestria Girls form, and simply all stood up and joined hands.

Both Rainbow's jumped up quickly and headed for the sky.  Both of them left a rainbow colored trail behind them, which formed a magical conduit, keeping the circle complete.  Everypony stayed in their Equestria Girls form.

Both Rainbow's quickly realized they could fly substantially faster as "people" as well, and they needed all the speed they could get.

The Rainbow Twins flew next to each other, and their path arched far to the right.  When they were up near the bottom of the thick layer of the Dusk cloud, they quickly reversed direction and simply flew up into the cloud until they were in the center of it's thickness.

It must be noted that, inside the dense cloud, the Rainbow Twins could see nothing.  This could only be done because they were true Twins and knew exactly what the other was doing.

The airborne Twins flew rapidly to the left, and then, at exactly the same time, split out of the clouds at a sharp angle.  Equestria pony Rainbow flew down, and Equestria Girls Rainbow flew up, still out of sight.

Suddenly, the Twins flew back into the cloud at a 45 degree angle, and accelerated madly towards each other.  The growing pressure wave in front of them indicated they were going very fast.

It is thought that a Sonic Rainboom is rooted in the vacuum caused by Rainbow Dash's sudden 90 degree turn.  At the apex of this turn, the air around this vacuum rushes in to fill it, and then explodes out radially from that point.  The resulting shock wave blasts out from that point, again radially, and with Rainbow colors.  This radial wave-front travels rapidly away, and a loud boom is heard as well.

In this case, both Rainbows accelerated madly towards each other, into the cloud.

At the very center of the cloud layer, they met and both rapidly pulled away at the 90 degree angle.  They said later that both of their feet actually touched, and they simply pushed off each other bringing even more acceleration, and so more vacuum, and etc.

This created a huge vacuum void that rapidly exploded radially outward, and also generated a huge, much larger 'boom'.

But the resulting radial shockwave wasn't Rainbow colors.  It was the purest White, fading to Lavender then Purple.  It was magic...

The magic in the shockwave set up a corresponding magical explosion across the entire depth of the Dusk cloud layer, immediately vaporizing it at the wave front.

The vaporizing of the Dusk cloud layer was accompanied by an almost deafening rapid popping sound as the magic reacted quickly with the cloud at the shock wave, dispersing the cloud.

The magical reaction simply accellerated the shockwave outward from the Sonic Rainboom and the reaction spread rapidly, radially outward from above the Commons of Canterlot.

Ponies that weren't zombies said they heard a deafening 'boom' followed by a deafening popping sound as the wave front raced past.

It was estimated that the shock wave covered the entire distance to the outermost edges of Equestria in around 1 minute.

As the wave-front blasted outward, the warm afternoon sun blazed down on Equestria in it's wake.

It was a

Blind,
Double Reverse,
Magical,
Sonic Rainboom.

This feat would probably never be duplicated in Equestria's history.  Ever.

Awesomeness times two!





In the Equestria Girls world, if you were watching something, and it was awesome, you clapped.

The four Equestria Girls were elated, and rapidly dropped hands and applauded madly.

The Circle was broken.

The Rainbow Twins turned back into Ponies.

Equestria pony Rainbow Dash simply kept going without missing a beat.

Equestria Girls Rainbow became immediately disoriented, and was soon spinning wildly, falling fast, screaming.

Summer herself was quickly in the air, and headed for a spot to intercept her fall.

Summer turned quickly into her Equestria Girls form, and flew even faster.  Both her Cutie Mark and head were warming.  She wasn't sure why, but would yank Rainbow's Twin from her death if she could.

She did not need to worry.

Equestria pony Rainbow immediately sensed her Twin's trouble and quickly dove rapidly into a slow arc that would allow her to intercept her falling Twin, and gently at that.

Raimbow eased under her twin, stopped her spin, and as she slowly glided up away from the ground, she gently launched her Twin up off her back and said "Flap your wings girl!"

They were both quickly off, flying together again.

Summer turned slowly away, back towards the Commons and just flew.  Summer loved flying.

Summer did a tripple barrel roll, and in the middle of the second one, she changed back into Equestria pony from, and then completed the rolls.

Both Rainbows were right behind her, side by side, shadowing her every move.

Summer didn't mind, she was just flying calmly because she loved to fly.  They just followed her for a while.  It was fun.

Flying over the Commons, she even saw both Fluttershy Twins up off the ground a little.

The other Twins were sitting together enjoying the show.

Summer landed, and sat with the other Twins and just watched.

Spike finally woke up, and ran up at this point, and hugged Princess Twilight, and was soon on her back where he belonged.





As real dusk began to settle over Equestria, Princess Celestia called Summer Rain and the Twins over.  Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia had been talking.

"Summer, how long have you and the Equestria Girls been in Equestria, do you think?" Princess Twilight asked.

Summer looked around at the Equestria Girls for a moment and said "Two days I think."

Princess Celestia gasped in disbelief...

"What committments will you face when you return?" Princess Twilight asked again.

"School..." Summer and the five Equestria Girls said at about the same time.

"Ugh, new class schedule for me too..." Summer added.

"Ok, well this is what we are thinking.  We agree that Equestria really needs to celebrate this amazing victory, but Equestria really needs cleaning up right now" Princess Twilight said.

"I also realize the Twins would really appreciate more time together before you six head to the Portal and return.

"Let's do this.  Let's plan on meeting at the Portal tomorrow at about this time.  We will then send you back to the Equestria Girls world.  After the next week of school, we want you to return, and we should be able to celebrate then.  From now until tomorrow evening, the Twins can spend time together.  How does this sound?"

Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash spoke up and said "I think we have a break after this next week of school anyway, so we should be able to stay for a while.  That sounds good."

The Twins were all very excited at this.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance stayed in Canterlot for the moment, managing the task of rescuing Equestria and it's foals from the Green eyed zombie pony parents.

"Ok, let's head to the Train Station, and see if we can get a ride to  Ponyville." Prncess Twilight said.

The same Train and stallions were there and ready, happy to return the pony warriors to Ponyville.

The Train was soon on it's way, and the Twins quickly fell asleep together as before.

Spike was quickly asleep too.

Princess Twilight and Summer were sitting together up front.

After silence for a while, Summer said softly "Thank you Princess...  for everything..."

Princess Twilight hugged Summer, and they both just cried softly together for a while.

Princess and Summer were soon fast asleep next to each other like the Twins.
> Chapter 31, One Pony Away
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Rain woke up the next morning after the sun had cleared the trees to the east of town.

The train car was empty, evidently she was the last one to wake up.

The Twins would all no doubt be with their Twins, and Summer knew they were all enjoying every minute.  Summer also suspected that Princess Twilight was probably already back into the affairs of the day.

Summer decided to do what she had made a mental note about doing before their sudden return.

Summer walked out of the train car and onto the platform, and was quickly in the air heading towards Cloudsdale.





Summer's Mom and Dad were up and were overjoyed to see Summer again.  She just held them both and they all just cried together a little while.

Summer's Dad said a couple of times "Summer we are so proud of you."

Soon, they just sat and talked.

Summer tried to apologize for all the grief she had put them through, but they quickly accepted her apology, and moved on.

Summer's Mom made a special point of saying how overjoyed they both were that Summer and Fluttershy were best friends again.

Mom and Dad spent a little while reminiscing about some of their experiences with their special ponies as they were growing up.  Summer was amazed.

Summer felt guilty at this point that she had not visited her parents for a while, they were clearly enjoying this time.  Summer promised herself she would do this more often.  Fluttershy should come as well.

Summer's parents clearly thought the world of their daughter now.  Well, Fluttershy too.  Her Mom and Dad simply could not find enough good words for both of them.

Summer's Dad said at one point "And thank you too for rescui--", and Mom stopped him with a gentle nudge.

Summer thought for a moment, then asked her parents "Do you both know what I have been doing here in Equestria these last three days?"

Summer knew her parents would never lie to her.

Mom spoke up, and said simply "Yes."

Summer was amazed, and ask "How could..."

Summer's Dad spoke up and said "You really need to talk to Shysage."

Summer knew she needed to head back to Ponyville soon anyway, so they walked her to the door, and they hugged for a little while.

"Shysage's house is that one down on the corner Summer, he's probably waiting for you" Summer's mom said with a smile.

"Thanks Mom and Dad, I will try to visit you both again soon, I really missed you" Summer said.

They hugged again, and Summer headed down the avenue to 'the house on the corner'.





The 'the house on the corner' was not small, but it wasn't huge either.  It was the customary white of Cloudsdale architecture.

The door was open, so Summer walked in and said "Hello, is Shysage here?"

After her eyes adjusted to the lower light level in the room, she noticed there was a stallion standing, facing her.

He said "Hello Summer Rain", and then bowed as if she was royalty or something.  He quickly got up however.

"Are you Shysage?" Summer asked, and then added "My parents said I should come talk to you."

"Yes I am, and your parents are amazing, and have two amazing daughters."

There was silence a moment as Shysage read Summer's mind.

"Summer do you have time to hear my story, the brief version?" Shysage asked.

Summer thought a moment, then said "Well, my parents seemed to know a lot about me, and maybe you do to, so yes, I'd like to hear it." 

Well, have a seat, I'll try to make it as brief as I can since you need to leav--" and he stopped right there and sighed.

Shysage told his story.

"I was actually born in the Equestria Girls world.  I am so very much like your sister that it hurts.  And I made the committment to True Friendship early in my life.  My wife and kids simply didn't understand me, and so took what they needed from me and went their own way.

"During the last 20 years before I came here, I simply gave and gave and gave, as true friends do, and received very little.  I was shattered inside.

"Dying of cancer, I passed out in front of a wall at the High School, and ended up in the Crystal Palace.  The cancer was gone at least.

"The guards were upset I was there, and showed me out of course.

"I didn't know where to go, and simply wandered around.

"I was a Pegasus, and ended up here in Cloudsdale.

"I quickly became interested in the history of my new world, and made a trip to Canterlot specifically to ask Princess Celestia for access to the Library there.

"She was very hospitable and walked me to the Library herself, just to let the guards know that I was allowed in, and had access to any area I wanted.

"As soon as I entered into the Library, my Cutie Mark appeared, Princess Celestia noticed immediately, and attached significance to this new stallion wanting access to the Library, and receiving his mark on the spot.

"She asked me if I would be interested in assisting her in recording the events that were taking place in Equestria.  This was a rather large load for her to carry herself.  I quickly agreed.

"I became a Canterlot Recorder from that point on, and Canterlot pays for my needs.

"I used my background from the Equestria Girls world to build this."

Shysage was pointing to a large, scary looking device on a table in one of the corners of his room.  Then he continued.

"I call this my 'scope', and it allows me to see, and in some cases to hear what is going on in various locations in Equestria.

"About this time, Princess Celestia sent Twilight Sparkle to Ponyville, and I was able to watch a lot of that unfold.

"Due to the nature of Princess Twilight's magic, I had to include her five friends as well.

"It was all amazing, and kept me really busy.

"Princess Celestia quickly realized that books should be commissioned about Twilight's life, and I helped...  well maybe more than that.

"Anyway, one day, I was watching Fluttershy on a rare day when she was being uncharacteristically pushy, and I was having trouble with the volume of the sound channel for the 'scope', it was too loud.

"Your parents were walking past, heard their daughter's voice, barged in and immedately wanted to know what was going on.  I told them of course, they got the full version though.

"Since then I have been giving your parents updates about what both of their daughters have been up to."

Shysage stopped at this point, he could see Summer was thinking.

"Have...  have...  ...you seen everything we have done the last few days?" Summer asked almost incredulously.

Shysage paused, then said simply "Yes."

Then he pointed to a tall stack of papers and said "This just covers the last 72 hours.  I think I have been sleeping less than you have.  And for the record, you are one brave mare."

Summer's mind was racing many different places, trying to understand the implications.

Shysage walked up to her at this point, and sat down right in front of her.  Then he quietly said "Summer..."

Summer sat down herself, parked her mind then said "Yes?"

Shysage initially said nothing as tears began to stream down his face.

Then he said slowly "72 hours ago, the ponies, the culture, the society, the entire realm of Equestria was exactly ONE PONY AWAY from TOTAL AND COMPLETE EXTINCTION.  That one pony was you, Summer...

"Equestria NEEDS to hear this.  Equestria needs to hear how perilously close they came to oblivion.  Equestria needs to hear how True Friendship played a crucial role in snatching them back from this horrible fate.

"Please help me write your story..." Shysage said, and bowed his head.

Summer started to cry at this point, and Shysage was concerned, and so put one of his legs around her neck to console her..

Her tears were tears of joy...

After a little while, she calmed down and said quietly "Shysage I would be honored if you would help me write my story."

Shysage sighed, backed away and said "Well, the story isn't over yet, you need to go soon."

Summer was thinking.  "Can your 'scope' reach the Equestria Girls world?" Summer asked quickly.

"Amazingly, yes, but just around the school, around the Portal, and those of the Equestria Girls homes that are close.  But not Applejack's farm.  I will probably bring the 'scope' there soon anyway" Shysage said.

"...and so you saw my talk at school?" Summer asked.

Shysage teared up again, and said "Yes, it was amazing.  Remember I am from that world, those kids needed to hear what you said."

Summer got up to go, then stopped next to the door.

"Shysage" Summer said quietly.  "My parents were right, I did need to come see you.  Thank you."

Shysage bowed his head, and Summer took quickly to the air.





Summer flew back to Ponyville.  She wasn't sure where to go, her mind was still spinning...  "One pony away..." she kept thinking to herself.

So she landed at 'her tree' in the field outside Ponyville.  The location of Rainbow's tombstone was clearly visible, there was no grass or anything where it had been, just dirt.

Summer lay down on her belly in the dirt and just cried...

She thought about actually getting up and doing some sort of mental inventory.  All she could think was "One pony away..."

"One pony away..." she actually said it through her tears this time...  "How could we let this happen?"

Summer just put her head back down in the dirt and cried...

10 minutes...

20 minutes...

30 minutes...

Summer sat up at this point, still crying, and screamed

"EQUESTRIA, 72 HOURS AGO, WE WERE ONE PONY AWAY FROM OBLIVION...  HOW COULD WE LET THIS HAPPEN???"

Then she lay down again and wept...

...

As Summer lay crying, she soon heard other ponies crying too...  Without even looking, she heard all the Twins...  Townsponies...  Princess Luna...  Princess Celestia even...

As soon as she heard Princess Twilight crying, Summer immediately jumped up turned around and ran to her Princess' side, burying her head in the grass next to her Princess' head and just cried...

They all cried together for a long time...

The Rainbow Twins had actually seen Summer earlier, crying in the dirt.  They quickly rounded up Princess Twilight and all the Twins, and many others came as well, quietly.

They wanted to surprise Summer Rain, but when she screamed what she did, everypony began crying...  She did not know they were there after all.

Almost as one, Ponyville mourned together for their perilous "harrowingly close brush" with extinction, and cried together for hours.

As the sun dipped over the treeline, five Air Coaches landed nearby to take Princess Twilight and 11 special ponies back to the Crystal Palace.

It was time to go.





Princess Twilight, Summer and the five Twins were all too quickly back in the Portal room in the Crystal Palace.

Even so, before ANYPONY had gone into the room, Shining Armor sternly warned everypony to keep completely away from Discord's 'cell' in the far corner, it would kill them on contact or any magic cast on it.  It was extremely dangerous.

Princess Twilight called all the Equestria Girls to her side, and hugged them for a while.  She was now even more deeply attached to each of them.

During this time, Summer's sister Fluttershy pulled Summer aside, and spoke quietly with Summer.

"Summer my Twin is hurting deeply at the loss of her sister" Equestria pony Fluttershy said quietly.

Summer started weeping at this, and said "I know...  What can I do...?"

Fluttershy just said calmly "Summer you have already made a huge difference, just stay close to her, and be her friend."

Fluttershy continued "It really hurt when you left two weeks ago, and I will miss you, but my Twin needs you more than I do, both then and now."

Still crying, Summer just held her sister tightly, and whispered in her ear "Sis, I love you, you are so amazing."

"I love you too Summer" Fluttershy said softly.

The Twins had all prepared this part ahead of time.  They called Summer and Princess Twilight to a spot in front of the Portal.  The five Twins then all kneeled for both of them.

Summer understood their intent immediately, and quickly threw one of her front legs around her Princess' neck, and she and her Princess just cried together.





The time to leave came way too quickly.  Summer went through the Portal first, followed by another Equestria Girl every 30 seconds or so.  Soon Summer and her five precious friends were back in the Equestria Girl's world.

It was dark out, and they walked quickly to Fluttershy's apartment, and were soon inside.

They squeezed onto both the couch and the cot, crying, while picking up their cell phones, keys and other stuff.

Then they just held hands and cried together.

Rainbow looked at her Cell before putting it in her pocket.

"Summer" Rainbow said quietly.  "It is around 3 am, Friday evening.  We have only been gone maybe 24 hours."

Summer thought a minute, then said "Girls, can we still go to Applejack's Farm this weekend?"

Everyone smiled, still sniffling.

"Let's all meet here at noon maybe?" Summer suggested.

Applejack said "I'll have Big Mac meet us here with his truck to take us to the farm."

Everyone stood at this point, and without even thinking, just all hugged, and cried softly.

Summer spoke up again and said "Girls I have said this before, but I think I will be crying quite a bit for a while.  You special people have given me my world back, and my friends back, seemingly against all odds.  Thank you."

The rest of the girls then headed off into the night. Applejack walked Rarity home, and Rainbow walked Pinkie to the Cakes'.

Summer and Fluttershy took turns showering and getting ready for bed, and both were soon snug in bed in warm pajamas.

Fluttershy said quietly "Thanks Sis, for everything."

Summer got out of bed, ran over, and hugged Fluttershy tightly, crying loudly...  "I wish I could do more..."

Fluttershy said softly "Summer you are already doing a lot, thank you."

After a minute or two, Summer returned to her bed and these two 'pony warriors' were soon fast asleep.

> Chapter 32, Picking Apples
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning (Saturday), everything was moving very slowly.  Equestria Girls Fluttershy said it was 'Equestria Lag', and she was partially right. 

The other part was that Summer Rain and her friends had just been through a harrowing three days, and Summer should have known better than jumping so quickly at this.

By maybe mid-afternoon, they were all climbing into the back of Big Mac's 'pickup truck' for the trip to Sweet Apple Farm.

Summer didn't like the prospect of sitting on this moving thing with seemingly so little protection, knowing that other 'cars' would also be speeding quickly around them.  However, she went along with the rest and hoped for the best.

For Summer's sake, Big Mac was taking it easy.  It didn't matter, after about 5 minutes of driving, Summer was as white as a ghost, clenching tightly to the side of the truck.

Everyone noticed immediately, and Big Mac quickly found a spot to pull over, and they just sat there for a few minutes, holding Summer as she slowly calmed down.

Summer and Applejack then moved into the 'cab', with Applejack next to the door, and Summer felt better.

They made the trip the rest of the way to the farm without any more difficulty.  Summer seemed back to her normal self by the time they got there, well, as normal as possible given the last four days of her life.

Summer decided she did not like 'cars' very well, and definitely didn't like 'pickup trucks'.





It was a little late for picking many apples, that task would wait until tomorrow.  Summer and her friends really didn't feel like picking apples anyway.

Summer just led them out into the middle of a large field nearby, and they sat down in the grass for a few hours.  It was mostly quiet, and they just enjoyed the sounds of nature -- birds, crickets, farm animals.

Often, one of the girls would start crying, and the rest would quickly gather around and just hold them.  At times they all cried together.

Summer realized there was a lot of deep emotion and pain packed into just a short period of time, they often didn't have much time to cry it through.  They all cried a lot during their dark journey, but it surely wasn't enough.

It was all coming out now, and really needed to.

As the sun passed over the trees, they all stood up together, and hugged tightly.

Summer said "I love you all so much..."

Then Rainbow said it too...

Then Rarity...

Then Fluttershy...

Then Applejack...

Then Pinkie...

Within this circle, everypony knew everypony meant it.





With the sun setting, Applejack led them back to the farm house.  Granny Smith was putting the finishing touches on an awesome meal, and both Big Mac and Apple Bloom joined them.

No one said anything about Equestria or what happened there, they decided to let Applejack take care of that however she decided to.  Dinner was kind of quiet as a result, but everyone was enjoying Granny's cooking.

After dinner, they all sat and talked a little around the table.  Granny had some pretty pronounced views about the politics of their rulers, and it made little sense to Summer.

Granny also talked some about when Applejack and Applebloom were younger, and everyone enjoyed that.

Granny Smith could tell the girls were all tired, and so had Applejack lead them to a large guest room with six sleeping bags and pillows, ready for their use.

Then everyone else went to bed.

Summer and her friends arranged their sleeping bags so they were in a circle, with their heads all near the center.  Summer then explained that if anypony had any bad dreams, to wake someone nearby up.  They were all in this together, even now.

This actually happened a few times in the night, and Summer and her friends were quick to help each other in this way.





Morning started early on the farm, and the girls did a pretty good job of getting up together.

Granny Smith made an amazing breakfast, and Applejack and her five helpers were quickly in the orchard picking apples.  Everyone was working hard to try to ease Applejack's load, and got most of the apples in by sundown.

Summer decided that this physically hard task was probably also a good way for she and her friends to put some distance between them and what had happened in Equestria.  All the girls seemed to be doing better.

After another awesome meal, everyone climbed into Big Mac's truck for the ride back.  Summer and Applejack were up front again.  Big Mac dropped everyone off where they needed to be.

Summer and Fluttershy were last, and they both hugged Applejack before she and Big Mac drove off.





After taking turns showering, brushing teeth and getting pajamas on, Summer and Fluttershy were quickly in bed.

Summer was not looking forward to tomorrow, but would do her best.

Summer again hugged Fluttershy tightly, and cried a little, before climbing into bed herself.

After a few minutes silence, Summer asked, half thinking out loud "I wonder if we will ever be the same after this?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment, then answered softly "I don't know, but I wouldn't do anything different if I had to do it again."

"Fluttershy, that's because you are amazing.  You are all amazing" Summer said with a smile.

After a few more minutes, Fluttershy spoke up softly again, and sort of timidly.

"Summer."

Summer answered softly as well "Yes sis?"

"I really love your sister..."

"Fluttershy, she really loves you too.  I think you both are the only two ponies on either side of the Portal that truly understand each other." Summer said quietly.

Summer paused a minute, then continued.

"That is probably true of the other 4 sets of 'Twins' as well.  It is just plain amazing how alike you all are to your Twin.  Each of you instantly became 'true friends' with each other.  I'm just amazed." Summer said quietly.

Another minute's silence...

"I'm sorry you don't have a twi--" Fluttershy said and burst into tears, and was sobbing deeply.

Summer got quickly out of bed, knelt down next to her new best friend, and just held her, and said "Oh Fluttershy..." and was quickly crying with her.

There was just nothing anypony could do about this, and they both knew it.

After a while, Fluttershy relaxed, and her sobbing tapered off.  While still sniffling, she said "I'm so glad you are here with me Summer, this is so hard...  I just don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you..."

Summer hugged Fluttershy tight, and said "Listen Fluttershy, I have two of the most amazing sisters I could ever ask for.  What more could I want?"

Fluttershy smiled at this.

Summer meant every word.

Summer looked in her eyes and said "Sis, I'm here for you.  If you are hurting, let me know and I will drop everything and run to your side."

"I know Summer, and that means more to me than you will ever know."  Fluttershy answered quietly.

Summer climbed back into her bed, and they were both soon sleeping soundly.
> Chapter 33, Cleaning Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even though it was only about two full days between Sunset Shimmer taking over, and her amazing defeat facing twelve brave mares, in just that short time, Equestria really was a mess.

It became very clear that both Discord and Sunset Shimmer hated Friendship, and so made it practically impossible to undo what their magic had done.

As Discord murdered Princess Twilight and her friends across three story tombstones, the options for rescuing them were astronomically slim.

Sunset Shimmer was no better.  She cast a spell on all ponies on the ground in Equestria that turned them into Green-eyed zombie ponies.

The spell thankfully didn't reach to Cloudsdale, but the permanent Dusk Cloud was magical, and turned anypony flying through it into a zombie.  Cloudsdale leadership actually sent a few Pegasi down through it, and they did not come back until many days later, after Equestria was liberated.

If Sunset Shimer had not fallen, the entire population of Cloudsdale would have died in a week or two from lack of food.

Sunset Shimmer made it so that the touch of a friend was the only way to reverse the zombie spell, and then promptly made sure that there were no more friends in Equestria.

Of course neither Discord nor Sunset Shimmer could have foreseen that Summer Rain and her five true friends, would alone have the means to quickly rescue the realm.

And they certainly did.

It was a miracle.

And Summer was right to be puzzled by the fact that, were these two monsters not toppled, their kingdom would be permanently empty in just one generation.  Only short-sighted, self-consumed evil would want such a thing.





Given the completeness of the coup, military casualties were limited.  Fifteen of the Canterlot Guards nearby when Sunset Shimmer blasted from her cell under her own magical power, were immediately killed.

Sunset Shimmer quickly embedded the 'Elements of Harmony' and Alicorn Amulet into her body, and became a true monster.

As a last stand, both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia tried first to reason with the Monster, and then tried to oppose her with their own magic, to no avail.  By this time, Sunset Shimmer had way too much magical power, concluding she was invincible.

Sunset Shimmer decided that death was too good for her teacher and her sister, and so turned them both into ugly statues facing away from each other.  This was good, it opened the door for their rescue.

The only other military casualty was the brave Pegasus Shemblin.  He led his squad quickly to Canterlot, then flew directly over Sunset Shimmer, and was soon vaporized.  But this allowed his men to get visual, and report back to Shining Armor.

He was a good soldier, and was accorded full military honors for his sacrifice.

And speaking of honor, the Train pulling stallions who were crucial to assisting needy ponies that dark night, and also taking part in the transport needs of Shining Armor and Princess Twilight's party, were honored for their heroism as well.  They deserved it.





Civilian casualties were limited, but heart-breaking.  In each major city except Cloudsdale, between ten and thirty of the youngest Foals died, as their zombie mothers simply stopped nursing them.

Even so, had Summer not surfaced this problem almost immediately after Sunset Shimmer's defeat, Equestria would have lost a lot more of their future.

Shining Armor sent Pegasi all over the realm, and the 'touch of friendship' quickly unraveled most of the zombie ponies.

Ponyville was by far the first city to come back alive.

The Rainbow Twins started the magical Rainboom that quickly dispersed the Dusk cloud.  As it went roaring past Ponyville, both Dawn and Sunny Rays ran joyfully outside crying, and touched everypony they saw.

Between Sunny Rays, Dawn, and the Cakes, at least one third of the town was rescued quickly from zombie-ness, and by the end of the day, only a handful of zombies were left in Ponyville, Snails included.

The process was much slower for most of the other cities, especially those furthest away from Canterlot.  Still, Shining Armor and his guards worked non-stop for almost two full days to rescue city after city.





The aftermath of this brief but harrowing nightmare held some interesting lessons.

Both Princess Celestia and Summer Rain were rightly careful that their views not be pushed on anypony.

However, after the process of rescuing by the 'touch of friendship' began, it became abundently clear that ponies who had rejected friendship in any form or fashion, were still zombies.  If they had no friends, they could not be rescued.

Neighbors took over the care of any of their foals, and they were just left alone as zombies.  Nopony really knew how long it would last.

What Summer Rain had screamed out on the very next day, inadvertanly allowed Ponyville to mourn together the terrible tragedy that almost befell Equestria.  It would be weeks or months before other towns learned the horrible truth.





All in all, the day after Sunset Shimmer's defeat, especially Ponyville was rapidly on the road to recovery.

Equestria leadership knew the importance of transportation, and the train system was back in operation all over Equestria by noon this next day.

For Princess Twilight and her friends, it was a different story...

The Twins had cushioned a lot of the blow, but it was still tough.

And for Princess Twilight, devoted as Summer and the five sets of Twins were to her, she still carried a lot with her...
> Chapter 34, Passing It On, Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dawn and her daughter Camille got up early.  Life in Ponyville was starting to get back to 'normal' to a great degree, and Dawn decided to head to the meadow and collect some flowers.  

Besides, doing something different but 'normal' like that would probably be good for Camille; the last few days had been hard for her.  Thankfully, Camille remembered very little about the 'Green eye' phase, as both she and Camille were both under the monster Sunset's influence.  Dawn shivered at this and decided to even avoid thinking about it.

Dawn was more thankful than words could ever say that Summer and her friends had come back and rescued her, well all Equestria really.  Summer was also the friend that brought Dawn out of Sunset's spell, and Dawn quickly rescued her daughter.  Dawn hugged Summer for the longest time and just cried on her shoulder.  Summer had to leave too soon it seemed however.

After a quick breakfast, Dawn and her daughter headed across town to the meadow.  Ponyville seemed pretty normal, even though she knew that some of the people around had no friends, and so were still 'Green eyed'.  Princess Twilight and her friends had paid dearly, and even though they were alive, they were still recovering.  Dawn saw Pinkie Pie outside the Cake's shop, but none of the others.  She was not suprised by this however.

Dawn was soon out in the meadow.  Looking around, it was like the events of the last week had never happened.  It was both restful and relaxing to wander around and pick some flowers.  Camille enjoyed the time as well.  Dawn realized that hopefully outings like this could help recent events fade more quickly into the past for her daughter.

In fact, Dawn brought an oat pie, and so they both wandered most of the day in that meadow.  Camille even took a nap under one of the trees, and Dawn just relaxed next to her and stared off into the distance.  She needed this more than she realized.

As the sun started to head towards the west, Dawn decided they should probably wander home.  They weren't in a big hurry, so took their time walking through town.  Again, Ponyville seemed subdued, but getting back to normal.

Dawn and Camille walked into Dawn's floral shop, through the showroom, then into the back rooms where they lived.  They both had been walking all day, and Dawn knew Camille would be exhausted.  Camille walked over to their bed, and literally fell onto it, and was soon fast asleep.

Dawn sat at the table they generally ate at, and thought for a while.  She could go make some arrangements to replace the wilted show pieces in the windows.  She could also make some oat pies, just to get ahead for the next few days.  She didn't feel like doing either however, and so just sat there for a while.

The days and weeks before the monster Sunset came seemed so far in the past.  And a few days ago, Equestria had come perilously close to oblivion.  The entire realm seemed to have suffered greatly from recent events, but Dawn knew they all had to keep going, and move the "near tragedy" into the past.

While musing on such things, there came a faint knock on the door.  The sun was setting, so Dawn lit another candle, and then headed to the door to see who it might be.

It was Corn.  She was still very dirty.  Her head was down though, and Dawn knew she was still needy.  While Dawn resented the fact that she was here, especially after what happened her last trip she had made to the Crystal Empire that dark night, Dawn had made a promise as a true friend that she intended to keep.

Corn didn't even try to say anything.

Dawn remembered what her friend Summer had taught her, and so graciously said "Corn please come in."

Soon they were both sitting at the table.  After a tense silence, Corn started.  "Hey look I'm sorry that I ran away from you last time.  That Sunset monster freaked me out, and my hair was growing back, and I just needed some time alone.

"I want you to know that I am so thankful that you rescued me though.  Many of the ponies I know are still Green-eyed.  If you hadn't showed me friendship, then I would be the same way.  Thank you.  Really."

Corn talked with the same surly voice Dawn remembered.  Corn was dirty, but she didn't smell at all.  Dawn walked around the table, put one of her legs around Corn's neck and hugged her.  This made Corn uncomfortable and she pulled away slightly, and Dawn returned to where she was sitting.

Even so, Corn said again "Why are you doing this?  I can't do anything for you.  I'm a freak and a nopony.  I have nothing to offer you in return."

The essence of true friendship was becoming more clear to Dawn even as she replied "Corn you are a pony going through hard times.  I want to help.  My friends taught me that true friendship means putting others first.  I want to help you the same way they helped me."

Corn thought about this for a minute, then said "Well I don't understand, but you told me if I was ever in Ponyville, I should visit you.  I don't think anyone planned on what that monster did.  But I am here, and have nowhere else to go.  I don't understand why you are doing this, but I hope you can help me."

Dawn thought for a moment then said "Corn, I will do what I can.  I am still 'needy' myself, but let's see what we can come up with for you.  Also, caring for Camille is a high priority for me, and her safety and well-being is my top concern.  If that becomes a problem, we will need to explore other arrangements."

Corn put her head down and said "Yes I understand.  I still feel really bad for yelling at her.  I will make sure that nothing like that happens again."  Corn spoke quietly, but still with the same surly tone.

Dawn led Corn over to a small storage room along the back wall of her shop.  The door opened into the shop, and the room was mostly empty,  Dawn didn't have a lot of stuff after all.  "This can be your room. And by the way, your Oat Pies were very good, maybe you can start selling those, I don't know.  I am guessing it will be a week or more before you have any customers anyway."

A thought occurred to Dawn at this point.  "Did you just now come to Ponyville?" she asked.

"Well I arrived this afternoon, but you weren't home.  But yes, I basically just got here" she answered.

"Well if you are hungry, I have an extra oat pie.  I can draw some water too" Dawn offered.

"That would be amazing" Corn said.

Dawn watched Corn eat, she really was very hungry.  She seemed refreshed afterwards, but Dawn knew Corn would be very tired.  Dawn herself had recently made the same trip after all.

"Oh and one more thing" Dawn mentioned.  "I will probably start having customers in the shop in the next few days, and I would like for you to stay here in the back when that happens.  My business helps meet our needs, and I would ask you to respect that."

"Yes I will" Corn slowly said, again with her head down.  "And thank you Dawn from Ponyville.  I know I don't deserve your kindness, and I don't seem like a very kind person, but I know I need your kindness right now.  Thank you."

Corn then walked into her new room, Shuffled some straw together into a bed, and was soon fast asleep.

Dawn went back to the table and sat down, lost in thought.  In her mind she kept going back and forth between Summer helping her, and now she trying to help Corn.  After a while, Dawn thought to herself "Summer I hope I am doing the right thing.  Corn seems to need a lot of help, but I guess so did I.  Thank you wherever you are."

Dawn next went into her room, lay down next to Camille, and then she too was soon fast asleep.





Dawn got up at her usual time, and she and Camille had a nice breakfast together.  Dawn next went into the showroom. and began making some flower arrangements for the windows of her shop.  She was using the flowers they had picked yesterday in the meadow.

Mid-morning, Rarity came in for a brief visit.  She looked terrible.  "Rare it looks like it was very hard on you, I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Dawn hugged Rairty, and she started crying on Dawn's neck.  Dawn guessed she didn't know the half of it.  Rarity cried for a while.

Dawn said softly "How can I help you Rare."

Rarity said quietly "You already are Dawn."

After a while more, Rarity's crying subsided, and she slowly said "And I came here to check on you.  Thank you Dawn, I feel a little better.  I think it will just take some time, it was all very scary."

"Rarity, lets go smell flowers later maybe.  The meadow still looks amazing" Dawn offered.

Rarity thought for a moment, then said "That does sound like a good idea.  Let me go close my shop and I will come with you.

Rarity left, and Dawn went to the back to get ready for the trip.

On the way back, Camille said "Mommy, why was Rarity crying?"

Dawn said simply "Honey, Rarity has just been through a very scary thing, and needs some time and friends to get better."

Corn was up, and had been listening to the whole conversation.  All Corn could say was "Who..."

"Corn that was one of the friends that went out of their way to help me in the past.  True friends do that.  Now, she has just been through a very rough time, and I am trying to be a true friend and help her." Dawn explained.

Tears welled up in Corn's eyes, but she clearly was choking her crying down.  "I wish I could be like that" she said very slowly.

"Corn you can be.  My friends say that you just need to choose to put others first.  It is certainly hard, but being a true friend around other true friends makes life amazing." Dawn explained again.  Dawn also noted that she was listening to herself as much as she was saying this to Corn.

Dawn was quiet for a minute then said "Corn, I hope I can help you learn to be a true friend.  I think life really isn't worth living any other way."





Dawn and Rarity were soon on their way to the meadow.  Sweetie Belle volunteered to watch Camille, and so Dawn and Rarity could have some time together.

They didn't pick many flowers.

Rarity spent a lot of time just sitting in the meadow staring off into the distance.  Dawn just sat by her side with her.  A few times, Rarity started to sniffle, and Dawn just hugged her as she cried.  Very little was said, and nothing really needed to be said.

Dawn was beginning to understand true friendship.

They headed back to town, and had a snack at the Cake's with Pinkie Pie, and Rarity seemed to be more and more her usual self with each passing hour.

Dawn and Pinkie walked Rarity to her boutique, and Dawn picked up Camille.  Camille had a wonderful time with Sweetie Belle, but was ready to go home.

As Dawn and Camille headed out the door, Rarity hugged Dawn tightly, and said "Thank you for today, I really needed it."

Dawn simply replied "That's what true friends do Rare.  Let me know if I can do anything else for you."

Pinkie left the boutique soon afterwards, and caught up with Dawn.  "Thanks Dawn, Rarity REALLY needed you today."

Dawn blushed and said "I know, I wish I could do more.  I hope the others have true friends along side them as well however."

Pinkie just said "I think that is happening.  Thanks again Dawn."





As Dawn walked into the front door of her shop, she heard a pony crying in the back of her shop.  Quickly heading back, Dawn found Corn crying in her new room.

"Camille, can you wait in our room until I'm done talking to Corn?" Dawn asked.

"Sure mommy, seems like a lot of people are crying today" Camille said.

"I know dear, a lot of people here have just gone through a very difficult time.  I will come get you when I am done." Dawn said.

Dawn went into Corn's room and really wasn't sure what to say or do.  Corn didn't even try to stop crying.  Dawn just lay down on her belly next to Corn and put her leg around her and held her.  Corn just cried more, but it was ok.

Corn cried for quite a while, and there were tears in Dawn's eyes as well.  Dawn remembered Camille waiting at this point, and said to Corn "I will be right back."

She went in to check on Camille.  She had just fallen asleep, and Dawn woke her back up.  Camille was still hungry, so Dawn got out an oat pie for her, which she began to eat.

When Dawn went back in to check on Corn, she was fast asleep, so Dawn pulled the door shut and went back to the table.  Dawn ate the rest of the oat pie when Camille was done.  She hugged Camille, and sent her to bed.

Dawn wondered what she was feeling.  She had just spent the better part of a day just being there for two hurting friends.  Rather than being irritated by the inconvenience, Dawn yearned to be able to do more to help both of these friends.  This was very different for Dawn, and she admitted it.  At this point she simply said "Thank you Summer."

Dawn was soon in bed next to Camille sleeping soundly.





The next morning, everypony was up at the same time it seemed.  Dawn got out the last oat pie and they all shared it.  Dawn and Camille talked a little, but Corn said nothing.

Corn smiled at something funny Camille did however, and this was a good change.  Her smile haunted Dawn however, but she thought nothing of it.

They were out of Oat pies, and Dawn asked Corn if she would be interested in making some more.  Dawn said again that the ones Corn made were very good.

Corn nodded yes, and Dawn explained that there was a large Oat stand in the field east of the shop.  Corn was soon on her way.

Dawn spent most of the day making Florals to replace the ones in her windows.  Camille wandered around and found odd things to play with.  Dawn wasn't especially in a hurry, and also spent time with Camille as well, talking to her, and playing some with her.

By late afternoon, Corn had come back, and had made seven Oat pies.  Corn's Oat pies even smelled better than Dawn's.

Dawn wrapped up the Floral she was working on, and as the sun slipped past the trees, she, Camille and Corn sat down to dinner.

The Oat pies tasted very good, Corn was good at this, and Dawn told her so.  Corn simply nodded.  Corn had not said a word all day, Dawn could only hope everything was all right.

In the middle of dinner, there was a knock at the front door to the shop.  Rarity had dropped by for a minute,  Dawn asked Camille to stay in the back, and really didn't feel it was a problem leaving her with Corn a few minutes.

Rarity hugged Dawn tightly and thanked her again for a wonderful 'rejuvinator' she called it, their trip to the meadow yesterday.  She was evidently feeling much better.  She mentioned a new project and they discussed it briefly.  Rarity was soon on her way, mostly recovered it seemed.

Dawn headed back to the kitchen only to hear Camille and Corn talking.  What she heard went like this.

"...and I am real sorry for yelling at you, that was really bad of me" Corn said.

"It's ok Corn, I forgive you.  My mommy said things are very hard for a lot of ponies." Camille said.

"Well I want you to know I've decided to change, and that will never happen again." Corn said.

Dawn could NOT listen any more.  The conversation didn't bother her, because it seemed like Corn was choosing to change before Dawn's eyes.  But Dawn's mind was literally exploding, screaming out something so extremely important that she couldn't yet discern.

"Wait..."

"That voice..."

"Belongs to..."

"SUMMER RAIN..."
> Chapter 35, A Day like Any Other
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

School came too early Monday morning for Summer Rain and her five friends.

Summer and Fluttershy were late for Fluttershy's first class, but Fluttershy still went with Summer to Principal Celestia's office.

Fluttershy had seen Princess Celestia, and so Summer knew this would seem strange now to her.  Fluttershy just took it in stride.

The Principal gave Summer her new class schedule, and a map, and told Summer to be sure to drop by if she had any questions.

Principal Celestia also suggested that Fluttershy simply follow Summer's new schedule with her for today, and that the office would take care of the paperwork.

Both of their absences last Friday didn't even come up.

Summer again hugged Principal Celestia as they left.

Summer's first class was the same one Fluttershy was in, and they just went in late, and sat in the back.

After what they had been through, this just seemed so surreal, so bizarre.  But this was their life now, and they made do.  And nopony wanted to do again what they had just done unless they had to...

The whole morning was just weird like that...

Summer had two new classes out of four, Rarity was in one, and Applejack was in the other.  Fluttershy was with them, and they all sat together.

Other girls would stop occasionally and chat with all of them.  Summer loved that.

Lunch tasted very good, and Granny Smith again thanked Summer and her friends for their help.  She mentioned that Big Mac would be able to take care of the rest of the apples this week.  They had all been a big help.

The afternoon dragged on as usual.  One new class with Rainbow Dash, and another with Fluttershy.





They watched Rainbow run Soccer practice as usual, just sitting in the bleachers.

Summer couldn't help it and started crying.  Fluttershy just held her a while.

Fluttershy remembered that Summer didn't have a Twin, and at this, Fluttershy started crying too.

Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie just sat next to them and did what true friends do.

Everypony soon calmed down.

After practice, Rainbow walked over and sat with the group, and they all just talked a while.

In a pause in the conversation, Summer asked carefully and quietly "How are you precious people doing?"

Applejack spoke up and said "That was very scary.  I would do it again if I needed to, but I would rather not otherwise.  I don't think I will ever complain about 'normal life' being boring ever again though.

Fluttershy spoke up softly and said simply "I really love my Twin..." and everyone else agreed

Rarity spoke up and said "I'm not wild about chasing magic monsters, but I much prefer Equestria to this world.  It seems life here includes way too many details that take up too much time."  Everyone agreed with this too.

'So are we agreed that Friday can't come soon enough?" Summer asked with a smile.

Summer's five friends all teared up at this, and Summer wasn't expecting that, so they just all hugged for a few minutes.





After the group hug, Rainbow said "Hey can we go to the Cakes for some food?  I'm starving.

They were all soon sitting in a booth eating.

Fluttershy was picking up the bill.  Evidently her parents loved Summer, and had increased Fluttershy's allowance to provide for both of them.

They were soon done, it was getting late.  As they stood to leave, Summer saw Dawn, and asked if she could visit with her for a little while.  Fluttershy agreed, and she and Pinkie simply headed upstairs to Pinkie's room.

Rainbow and Applejack walked Rarity home.

Summer sat in the booth with Dawn and her friends, suprising Dawn.  Dawn introduced Summer to two of her girlfriends.  They chatted for a few minutes.

Summer mentioned getting a little more soda, and quickly headed for the machine.

After getting some more soda, some guy intentionally jabbed Summer's arm sending soda all over the floor.  He just laughed and walked off.

Summer sighed, put her soda down, went to the cleaning closet, brought a mop out, cleaned up the mess, put the mop back, refilled her soda and returned to Dawn and her friends.

Three minutes later Summer's stomach felt very strange.  She asked to be excused, and headed to the Ladies Room.  She couldn't figure out what was going on, so she headed out to try and find one of her friends.  At this point, the room was spinning madly.

Summer sensed two guys carrying her, stumbling, out the back door, then she passed out.





Less than a minute later, Pinkie ran quickly down the stairs, found Dawn, and said "Where's Summer?"

Pinkie seemed alarmed, and Dawn said she headed to the Ladies room.

Pinkie stopped for a minute, got a blank look on her face, then picked up Summer's soda, smelled it and said "Oh no..."

Fluttershy was right behind Pinkie, and Pinkie said to Dawn "Dawn this isn't your fault, but I think Summer is in trouble."

Fluttershy began to sniffle immediately.

Pinkie got out her cell and quickly sent a text.  Then she dumped Summer's soda out at the machine, and quickly checked the Ladies Room.

Fluttershy was crying when Applejack, Rainbow and Rarity showed up.

Pinkie said to Rarity "Rarity, can you please take Fluttershy upstairs and help her..."

They were both quickly on their way up the stairs.

Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow then silently searched the whole building.

Outside the back door they found...  ...thrown on the ground like garbage...  ...Princess Twilight's 'Shield Necklace'...  The neck strap was broken.

Summer Rain was gone...





Dawn was crying, but Pinkie assured her it wasn't her fault.  Dawn gave Pinkie her cell number and told Pinkie to keep her posted.

Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow went upstairs.

Fluttershy was sitting on Pinkie's bed crying.

Rainbow said quickly "What are we going to do?"

Pinkie Pie spoke up solemnly.  "They won't take a missing persons report unless the person has been gone 24 hours.  And Summer is from Equestria, and  has no identification, not even an identity here."

Rarity said something similar.  "We could call the Police, and they would fill out a report.  Then they would tell us to contact them if we heard anything...  None of us saw the people who took her... or the car...  I don't know..."

Applejack had already called the police, then she went down and waited for them.  She also explained what had happened to the Cakes, and Mr. Cake mentioned they had some security cameras, and he would check them all tonite and forward any information to the Police.

The police came and took a report, but offered little hope.  Their department was running pretty thin due to budget cuts and such.  He gave Applejack his card, and quickly left.

Applejack came back up and explained this to the group.

Rainbow sat down next to Fluttershy and was soon crying herself.

"Well I'm not going anywhere.  This is just wrong...  After all we just came through in Equestria..." Rainbow said through her tears.

Rarity asked Pinkie if they could all stay, and Pinkie said of course.

In Equestria, even facing formidable foes, Summer was their strength.  Now she was gone, and they couldn't do anything...  ...except hope...  ...it didn't seem like much...

The only other thing they could do was wait.  It would be a long night.
> Chapter 36, Fluttershy's Sister, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Hi, this is Shysage.  If you appreciate background music, then please purchase the Original Soundtrack for the 'Chains of Promathia'* expansion for Final Fantasy XI*.  The tune will be track 20, 'The Celestia Capital -- Al'Taieu'*   It will be amazing for a coming chapter, and probably be useful for the next volume of The Chronicles of Summer Rain.  (*-c2014 by Square Enix)  Also, these chapters switch back and forth between Equestria and the Equestria Girls world in order to cover events leading up to the Equestria Girls return with Summer.  I apologize for the confusion, and this brief delay.]

Dawn walked quickly to the back of her shop to Corn, and was soon crying.  Camille was concerned, but Dawn walked over and hugged her daughter reassuringly while continuing to cry.

Corn said apologetically and very softly "I'm sorry if I did anything wrong", and she started crying too.

Dawn nodded no, and simply put one of her legs around Corn's neck and kept crying.  They both cried for a little while, then their crying tapered off.

Dawn said gently "Can we talk"

"Yes" Corn replied.  "And I want you to know that you have showed me nothing but kindness, and for no reason, so I will do what I can to answer your questions."

The surly tone was gone.

"Camille, mommy is not upset at you or anything, but I want you to not talk until I say so, is that ok?" Dawn asked her daughter.

"Yes mommy" Camille replied quietly.

"Corn what is your real name?" Dawn asked.

"Well, like I told you, I really don't know.  People, er ponies called me Corn, so I guess it stuck with me." Corn said slowly.

"You told me the first time we met that ponies called you a freak.  Do you know why that is?" Dawn asked next.

"You know that mark thing on the side of your leg?" Corn said pointing to Dawn's Cutie Mark.  "I don't have one of those, and I guess that is unheard of here, so I got teased a lot for that." Corn said.

"And that's why you are always dirty?" Dawn asked again.

"Yes, I decided to keep everything covered up with mud so people couldn't see I didn't have one.  I got teased a lot less that way.  I'm not doing that any more though, having to roll in the mud every day was disgusting." Corn answered.

"Corn, I think you are beautiful." Dawn said with a smile.

Corn blushed, paused, then said "Thank you.  It has been a while since I've heard that."

Camille could help herself no longer, and said out loud at this point "Mommy she's just like your friend Summer!"

The tears welling up in her mom's eyes told Camille she was right.

"Corn, I think I know what your real name is, and I have other friends who may be able to help you find out who you are." Dawn said.  "But I won't force this on you at all, it is your decision.  I just think the sooner we get this cleared up, the better."

Corn thought for a minute then said "All right, I think I want to find out too."





Dawn, Camille and Corn walked to Rarity's shop.  It was now early evening, and Dawn felt bad about the lateness of the hour, but felt this needed to be addressed.  On the way, Dawn asked Corn not to talk until she said so.  Corn shrugged, and said "Ok."

Rarity opened the door of her Boutique, and said "Well Dawn, what brings you here, and with a guest too.  Rarity quickly looked Corn over and saw dirt, but was still cordial.

"Rare, This is Corn.  She and I need to go talk to Princess Twilight, and I was wondering if Sweetie Belle could play with Camille until we are done" Dawn asked.

Sweetie Belle poked her head out around Rarity and said "Oooo Camille, lets go play!"  Camille was delighted and ran quickly inside.

"I want to go check up on Twilight too, can I come along?" Rarity asked.

"Sure Rare" Dawn replied.

The walk to Princess Twilight's was fairly short and very quiet.

Dawn got ready to knock on the door, but Rarity used her magic to open the door, and just walked in.

Spike was tidying up in the Library, and Rarity asked how Princess Twilight was doing.

Spike replied "She has good days, and bad days, like today.  I think she just needs time.  I think we all need time."

Dawn spoke up at this point.  "Spike, I'm sorry, I don't think this can wait.  We really need to talk to Princess Twilight."

Spike shrugged, said he would see what he could do, and headed up the stairs.





Princess Twilight was trying unsuccessfully to sleep, it just wasn't working.

She had almost died being a princess, and was still in a state of shock over the whole ordeal.

Fluttershy realized this, and, as their needs seemed reversed, Fluttershy was staying close to her Princess, just being there for her.  Princess Twilight had no Twin to help her work through this nightmare.

Fluttershy was laying down on a pillow on the floor past the end of Twilight's bed, very drowsy.  Princess Twilight had not been sleeping well.

So many needs, and so few resources.  Princess Twilight just felt so utterly and completely drained.  Mentally she decided a little good news wouldn't hurt, but realized things were pretty static for the time being, at least until Summer and the Twins came back.

At least she was alive.

Spike walked up the stairs, and said "uhm Twilight, Summer's friend Dawn has brought another pony here, and she says they really need to talk to you."

Twilight said "Thanks Spike.  I guess a Princess' job is never done.  Do you know where my Crown is?"

"Uhm right next to you?" Spike replied.

"Thank you Spike, I don't know what I'd do without you."

Spike went back down the stairs and said  "Princess Twilight will be down shortly."  Spike also said "Hi" to Rainbow Dash who had just dropped in, also to check on Princess Twilight.

Within the next minute, Pinkie Pie showed up with Applejack, and Dawn knew why.

There were tears welling up in Dawn's eyes at this point.  She knew that Princess Twilight and her friends needed to see this,  And maybe Corn needed them too.  And everypony was here except Fluttershy it seemed.

Princess Twilight walked unsteadily down the stairs and stopped in front of Dawn.

Dawn bowed, and asked Corn to do the same, and she did.

"Please arise Dawn and friend, how can I help you at this hour?" Twilight said feebly.

Dawn was choking back tears, and said very slowly "Princess Twilight, I would like to introduce you to a Pegasus who calls herself 'Corn', and has a light tan coat, blue eyes, a faded gold mane and tail, and no Cutie Mark."

Dawn began crying after she finished saying this, and the Princess could not figure out why.

Spike beat everyone else, and said "Summer?"

Everypony else in the room quickly gathered around Corn at this point.

Corn felt a little intimidated and said simply "No, my name is Corn, I told you that".  The voice was Summer's and everypony knew it.

Corn was completely bewildered when all the ponies around her either teared up or began crying at this point.

Corn couldn't fly very well, and it was dusk now, but Corn bolted for the door and took unsteadily to the air.

"Corn wait..." Dawn pleaded through her tears...

"Rainbow, please bring her back" Princess Twilight said slowly.





"Summer Wait" Rainbow Dash yelled, as she quickly caught up with Corn.

"I told you my name is Corn" Corn replied, still flying.

"Corn, please land so we can talk.  It is getting dark." Rainbow asked.

From the distant reaches of her mind, Corn felt threatened by this voice, even though she didn't know why.  Corn ignored Rainbow.

"Corn please" Rainbow said as she started to sniffle "I really wanna help you.  I really wanna be your friend because you are awesome." Rainbow said this last part softly as they flew together.

"Then tell me why everyone was crying back there." Corn said simply.

Rainbow told the truth, quietly "Because we all know who you are."

Corn landed, and Rainbow did too.

"Corn please.  We just want to help you." Rainbow said near tears.

Corn thought to herself at this point "Well Dawn said that too, and followed through.  And they are not teasing me."

"Ok Rainbow, is that right?  I'll follow you back." Corn said quietly.

Rainbow Dash gave Corn a hug before they took to the air.

These ponies must be her friends Corn thought; she had received more hugs in the last few days than she could ever remember.





As Rainbow headed out to get Corn, Princess Twilight had time to think.  She thought very slowly, but began to make the right connections.

It was clear she was Summer Rain.  But no Cutie Mark?  She could only be... Equestria Girls Fluttershy's 'dead' sister!

This last point struck like a thunderbolt, and Princess Twilight knew exactly what needed to happen, she just didn't have any idea how to do it.  Twilight just hoped Rainbow was able to bring Summer, er Corn back.

"Spike, Dawn and girls, try not to cry until Summer knows who she is please." Twilight directed.  "And by the way, this might be hard for Fluttershy, so keep that in mind, and help her if she needs it.

Twilight didn't realize this but Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Spike almost began crying on the spot because they knew their Princess and friend was "back".

Rainbow Dash soon came back with Corn, and Princess Twilight hugged Rainbow and thanked her, while observing that Rainbow's face was wet with tears.

Princess Twilight started talking very softly.

"Corn, more than anything else tonight, we just want to be your friends and help you.  Should we do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, please just say so, we are not trying to run you off.

"We think we know who you are, and can maybe explain a lot to you, but we won't force that information on you.

Corn answered "Well just don't tease me or make fun of me and I think we will be ok.  I would really like to know why I don't have that mark thing on my leg, because I really do feel like a freak here.  Everyone else here has one anyway."

Princess Twilight started with this first.  "Corn please tell me what you remember from as far back as you remember.

Corn started explaining.

"The first thing I remember is waking up outside the big palace in the Crystal Empire.  Everything hurt and I didn't know why.   I could barely walk.

"It is a crowded city, and immediately, other people started making fun of me because I didn't have that mark thing.  Anywhere I went I was teased.  I just wanted to get away, but for some reason I stayed there and I'm not sure why.

"I met Dawn and Camille one day, and they were nice to me even though I was mean to them.  Dawn offered to help me if I came here.  Dawn even made a special trip to the city to free me from Green eyes, and I ran off because my hair was growing back.

"I came to Dawn's shop a few days ago, and she took me in.  And I watched Dawn in amazement as she went out of her way to help other people, er ponies here.  I still don't understand how she could do that.  I guess you ponies call that 'true friendship' and it looked a lot better than what I had known up to this point.

"I want that..."

This was not exactly the information Twilight was after, but Corn was being honest about why she was here.

In her mind, Princess Twilight could only be amazed again at Summer's impact in Ponyville and beyond, as it expanded like ripples in a pond.  There were probably many other similar events that nopony else would ever know about.





Fluttershy thought she was dreaming, she was hearing her sister's voice.  But even after she was awake she still heard it.  She got up pretty quickly and was soon standing at the top of the stairs, and listened a while longer.

She quickly ran to the bottom of the stairs and said simply "Summer?"

Corn stared at this new Pony... that voice...  Corn said "Fluttershy?"

Equestria Girls Summer Rain's mind exploded at this point with a raging torrent of memories going back a long way.

Everypony else just stood there and watched as Summer's shattered mind slowly put itself back together.

Summer remembered the continual bitterness of Sunset Shimmer's incessant, brutal jeering.

She remembered her own anger, and drinking way too much that fateful night.

She remembered failing to make the curve, and her Mustang convertible careening over the side.

She remembered waking up very much in pain feeling the heat from the blazing inferno that had enveloped her burning car.

She remembered staggering back into town, ultimately to the school and leaning against a wall near the front of the school that immediately gave way.

She remembered waking up on the floor of a strange room in the form of a pony, and with no clothes on, and with no idea where she was or why.

She remembered four rough guards dragging her aching pony body out of the palace, and throwing her into a secluded grass area behind the palace.

The rest she hadn't forgotten.

But she now remembered her name.  Her new friends were right, it was Summer Rain.

Summer also remembered that, more than anything else, she just wanted her sister back.

After putting this all back together, Summer Rain put her head down, closed her eyes, and simply said "Sis..." and collapsed into tears on the floor.

Princess Twilight quickly said "Wait a minute girls" as she stopped Fluttershy briefly from joining Summer.

"Fluttershy, look at me please.  This is Equestria Girl Fluttershy's sister."

"I know Twilight, thanks." Fluttershy said, already crying herself.

Fluttershy's Twin would not be abandoned after all...

Fluttershy ran over and lay on her belly next to Summer and held her and they both cried together, and were soon joined by everypony else in the room except Spike, who was crying anyway.

Dawn was also sitting off by herself; she had simply continued to cry through this whole process.  Dawn had no idea that true friendship could accomplish so much.  Dawn was herself still learning about this gem.

Dawn kept saying over and over "Thank you Summer..."

Dawn soon felt the hug of a larger pony, it was Princess Luna.  Dawn held on tight and just cried.

Princess Luna said softly to Dawn "Dear one this is your victory as much as anypony elses'.  Thank you."

Princess Celestia lay on her belly and pulled Spike close, he was crying like a baby.
> Chapter 37, monsters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer woke up with a start, her head was pounding.

It was either dawn or dusk, and she quickly realized she was in the back of a 'pickup truck'.  This was bad.

She also quickly remembered two men carrying her before she passed out.  This was probably bad too, in either world.

The truck seemed to be bouncing slowly down some road.  Summer looked out the back of the truck and saw there were no other cars near, it looked pretty deserted.  This was probably bad too.

She also noticed she still had clothing on, it just wasn't what she was wearing before.  This was probably bad too...

Still, as soon as this truck stopped, she was out of here.

She didn't have to wait long.

The truck was going very slow, and had not even stopped yet.  Summer was up over the side and running away as fast as she could.  She was a long distance away before they even realized she was gone.

She was in a field full of rocks stones and sand, and she had to be careful.  Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, and she just kept running.

Summer heard a couple of loud "bang" sounds, and heard what sounded like bees flying high above her.  She instinctively ran behind a huge boulder, larger than her, and simply kept running.  Her head hurt, but it didn't matter.

Summer heard a few more of the 'bang' sounds, but no other noises.  She ran much further, crept down behind a large boulder, and peered slowly around the side.

Two men were just standing there talking among themselves.  Summer could not hear what they said but they sounded angry.

Just then, Summer noticed another large, dark colored car slowly driving towards the pickup from the left, it's headlights blazing brightly.

The two men who were after Summer immediately ran back to the truck, and jumped in, started the motor, and took off, tearing past the car pulling in from the left.  The truck was quickly out of sight.

It was slowly getting brighter, it must have been dawn.

At this, Summer remembered her friend Dawn, then the Equestria Girls, and began to cry.

It all seemed so unfair...  She had faced two powerful monsters in Equestria...  Now she was out in the middle of nowhere in the Equestria Girls world...  ...alone...

And Summer knew her precious friends were beside themselves, Fluttershy especially...

She was soon sobbing...

Through her tears, Summer looked up again, it was getting even brighter.  She realized that a man was outside the second car that had just pulled in.  He was just standing there, leaning against the front of the car, looking down...  His clothes were medium blue maybe, and he was wearing a white coat or something...

Even so, Summer knew that if he came this way at all, she would run...  ...even though she did not know where she would be running.

He wasn't coming after her so Summer relaxed a little.  If only she had a 'cell phone'...

Summer's crying trailed off, and she tried to relax more.  It was helping her head hurt less.

Summer stopped crying and tried to relax even more.  It was very quiet, there was no wind, it was very still...

...and she thought she heard her name...

Maybe her mind was playing tricks...

...she heard it again...

Summer looked until she found another large boulder, one that was closer to the second car, and tried to run carefully to it.  She failed miserably and fell, but quickly got up and was soon behind it.

It was clearly her name she had heard, but now she could hear everything.

Every minute or so, this man said without even looking up "Summer please come back..."

After hearing this a few more times, Summer slowly got up and walked cautiously towards this car, towards this man calling out for her.

Half way there, she placed the voice, it was Shysage.

She began to run...





Summer was quickly at his side, clinging tightly to the only piece of Equestria she knew for hundreds of miles around...  She was sobbing deeply.

Shysage just held her, and she soon calmed down.

"We need to leave soon when you are ready" he said quietly.

"I'm ready now, please get me out of here." Summer said quickly.

Shysage opened the door of the car, helped Summer in, and fastened her belt for her, then closed the door.

Summer noticed that the inside of this car was much more comfortable.  The seats reminded her of Fluttershy's couch.  Also, the belt, and the solidness of this large car felt much safer than Big Mac's truck.

Shysage started the car, and was soon driving back down the road, away from that desolate place.

Summer had also noticed a familiar piece of equipment in the back seat when she got in, it was Shysage's 'scope' thing.  Summer realized that this strange instrument was probably the only reason she wasn't dead now.

"You followed me with the 'scope' didn't you." Summer said calmly.

Shysage paused briefly then said "I had to...  Equestria's next Pri--" then he stopped abruptly.

After a minute's silence, Summer said "Thank you Shysage, you probably saved my life.

"I'm glad I found you alive, and not a de--" Shysage said and could speak no more, he was fighting back tears.

After about ten minutes, Shysage pulled the car over.  They were on another, different deserted road.  Shysage said softly "There is a change of clothes in the back seat.  I am going to walk maybe 100 feet in front of the car and stay there, and won't turn around until you are done."

Shysage was a gentleman, no mistake about that.

Summer was soon done, and she called Shysage back.

Shysage came back to the car, and said simply "I don't like this world...





He opened the back door of the car, and pulled out something similar to Pinkie's Compy.  He opened it up and turned it on.  Then he placed it carefully in Summer's lap and got back in the car himself, put his belt on and started the car.

They were soon on what Shysage called the 'freeway', going pretty fast, but this big car seemed to float along, and the ride was very nice.

"Summer, we need to let Pinkie know.  There is a small picture that says 'Facebook' below it, can you open it?"  Shysage asked.

Summer gave him a blank look, so Shysage explained to her how to use the 'mouse-pad' to move the 'pointer' and press the buttons.  He was also driving after all.  The main Facebook page was soon open.

"Ok find the 'search' area and type in 'Pinkie Pie' " Shysage directed.  "You will probably find a ton of results, you just need to look until you find Pinkie's picture.  You should recognize it right away."

Summer had to wade through a lot of pages.  "Wow, this 'MLP' stuff must be really popular" she was thinking out loud.

Summer finally found Pinkie's page, and Shysage walked her though opening an IM session.

At Shysage's direction, Summer typed in 'Hi Pinkie'

Pinkie responded immediately 'Hi.  Our best friend was abducted last night, and we are hoping for some word, so please keep it short :( '

Shysage just said "Tell her Summer..."

Summer typed in 'Its me, summer'

Pinkie replied immediately 'SUMMER!!!!'

Then 'WHERE ARE YOU?'

Summer began to cry softly.  But she typed 'Shysage found me and is bringing me home.  I think he saved my life...  Tell Flutershy I'm ok and that I love her.  I love all of you...'

It was a while before Pinkie replied.  Summer knew they were all crying together now.

Summer asked Shysage then typed in 'We will be at Fluttershy's apartment in about six hours'.

After a little more delay Pinkie sent back 'We wI ll be thEre' and closed the session.





Summer was right, her five precious friends were crying like babies.  They all suspected what had happened, but were simply glad Summer was alive.

They hugged and cried together for maybe 30 minutes.

School would start soon, but noone had any intention of going to school today.

Pinkie set her alarm, and said "Let's try and sleep some" and they all crashed for a few hours.  It had been a long night.





Six hours was a long time for Summer to wait to see her friends.

Still, she watched the desert scenery drift by, it was pretty.

It was quiet for a few minutes.

The compy was still in her lap, and Shysage walked Summer through opening a specific file.

The beginning of the file was soon showing on the compy.

'Chapter 2, Friendship's Magic'

What followed was Shysage's observations about what was probably one of the most important days in Summer's life, and she teared up quickly as she realized this.

It was the day she first came to Ponyville to talk to her Princess about experiencing the friendship her sister and the others shared, with the hope of being able to spread that gem to others.  It was an amazing day.

Shysage probably used his 'scope' to watch, and had just recorded what he saw, and what he heard, along with making some amazingly accurate guesses at some details along the way.

Summer liked the title Shysage had given this chapter.

Shysage said quietly at this point "Summer, write your story" and he smiled.

Summer did just that.  She started typing what came to her mind, tracking the events as they unfolded.

Summer quickly found that she loved writing as much as she loved reading.  Besides, with her fingers in this world, writing was so much easier than in Equestria.

Summer was soon immersed in the task.

Even so, Shysage showed her how to save her work, and kept reminding her to do it, which she appreciated.  It was coming out amazing.

At one point, she told Shysage that she wanted to move an entire block of text around, and asked if that was possible.

Shysage asked her to save her work to this point, then he slowly walked her through the 'block move' process as he drove.

Summer needed little additional help.

By the time Summer was done with the chapter, she was crying.  "It's like I'm living that amazing day all over again..." she said through her tears.

"Good writing does that" Shysage said with a smile.  "Can you read it to me?"

She did, and was again crying by the end of the chapter.

"Wow, you're a natural" Shysage said, trying not to cry himself.

Summer gave him a blank look while still sniffling.

"Your writing skills are very good" was all he could say.

It was silent for a few minutes, and Summer just watched the scenery.  It was getting greener.





"Ok, so it took you about an hour and a half for that chapter, that's very good." Shysage said.

Summer paused a minute and asked "You called this chapter 2.  What is chapter 1?"

"I think we should start with a panoramic introduction, pulling in aspects from the rest of the account" he said quietly "If that is ok with you anyway.  The goal is to get readers interested in reading on."

"That's an amazing idea.  Have you started that yet?" Summer asked.

Shysage looked over at Summer briefly, and smiled.  "Yes, but  Summer your story isn't done yet."

Shysage paused, then said "...But I need to eat, so we are stopping soon.  We, uhm, you can work on the next chapter after that"

Summer realized that Shysage was probably up all night after all.

And at this she was quiet.  She was soon weeping softly.

Shysage seemed to know why, and simply put his hand on her shoulder.  Summer laid her head down on it and began to cry.

Through her tears, Summer said "Shysage why did they do that to me..."

Shysage clenched his jaw, he was immediately visibly upset.  Then he replied very slowly.

"Well aside from the obvious...  Inappropriate pictures of you are probably for sale now on the Internet...  ...utterly disgusting...  ...and they were probably going to kill you too...  ...and all for a handful of dollars...  ...monsters..."

He could not say any more...

Summer's crying tapered off.

They were soon at an out of the way restaurant that reminded Summer of the Cake's.

Their first stop was the rest-rooms, and Shysage instructed Summer to scream if anything happened she didn't like.  He also indicated he would wait for Summer to come out before heading to a table.

Based on what she had just endured, she very much appreciated his consideration.

The meal was good, and refreshing, Summer felt a lot better after eating.  She was still trying to be careful about how much she ate however.  Shysage had the same idea, and simply ordered one meal, and they split it.

Even though it was a risk, Shysage walked Summer through the last few minutes before she passed out.  She left her soda unattended, and that was all it took.  She must never do that again.

After stopping to get some fuel for the car, they were soon back on the freeway, heading for Summer's special friends.  Shysage said they may be half way there.  Summer didn't like how long it was taking, but was again glad she was still alive.





Shysage helped Summer pull in Chapter 3.  Shysage called it 'Making Progress', but Summer looked at what the chapter was about and changed the title to "A Work in Progress", and started into the chapter.

Summer quickly remembered the 3 moons evaluation she had done that day, and realized that Shysage had pulled a bunch of different events he had recorded during those 3 moons, and merged them into the events of the day.

Summer had said a bunch of stuff out loud, but the rest of her thoughts Shysage could not see.

Still, Summer had a good starting framework, and began through it.  She also brought in even more events that she could remember.

Shysage had included the incident alone at the Cake's shop.  While he knew Summer's mind was working after this, Shysage had no clue what she was thinking, and just noted that.  Summer filled it in.

After doing this, she read it to Shysage, and asked him what he thought.

Shysage didn't say anything, and it became clear he was battling with his emotions at this point.

Summer guessed what she said is what he faced, and said simply "I'm sorry..."

Shysage was thinking, trying to put sentences together himself.  He spoke very slowly, pausing sometimes minutes between each sentence...  Summer could tell this was very hard for him.

"There are usually two sides to difficult marriages, so I can only answer for myself.  I am pretty sure my wife considers it my fault.

"It is difficult to discuss anything if the other person blows up if they hear something they don't like, even if the kids are around.  I was battered into silence and then trampled for decades.

"It seems clear to me that she has rejected putting others first, even though she knew I treasured that.

"In this dark world, people simply get a divorce and find someone else.  But as a true friend, I can't just walk away from a promise.

"And if I broke that promise, no other woman would have any grounds to be able to trust me ever again."

Shysage said nothing more for a while, and Summer knew there was nothing more to say.  She knew he was trapped by his convictions, but with no intention of running away.  All he could do was wait...   ...and hurt...





Summer watched the scenery a while, then was back writing.

Summer added a lot of stuff to this already long chapter.  She knew it would not be the easiest chapter for others to read, but it did lay crucial groundwork for coming events.

Besides, Summer realized that Shysage's view of this chapter was to try to show the intensely practical nature of true friendship, and she agreed with that.

Summer also appreciated how Shysage worked Rainbow Dash's two entrances into the chapter, it had really worked that way after all.  She missed Equestria pony Rainbow, and the rest...  She missed Equestria...  Friday could not come soon enough.

Anyway, after maybe 30 minutes of constant work, Shysage asked Summer to take a break and just watch the scenery.  He explained 'Car Sickness' to her while she just watched the countryside drift by.  Summer started back in when Shysage said it was ok.

After maybe another 45 minutes, Summer had most of it together, and went through the chapter one more time to fix any problems.

Summer read it for Shysage, and he thought she did an amazing job.  It just made Summer homesick.

Summer saved her work, and Shysage told her how to turn the computer off, and had her slide it under her seat for now.

He asked Summer to just relax, they would be at Fluttershy's in about 30 minutes.

After some silence, Summer looked at Shysage and said "I have only known you for a few days, but you have proven yourself every bit a true friend.  Thank you Shysage, for everything."

Shysage just looked at Summer briefly and smiled, then said "I would do it all again in a heart-beat if I had to Summer."

Summer answered quickly "I know you would."

Shysage finished his thought "I will be glad when we are back in Equestria though.  I will probably be watching carefully until then, but try to not be alone any more.  That's very dangerous in this world..."

Shysage paused a moment, then continued "And by the way, your work on the two chapters is amazing.  It is your story after all."

Summer was thinking a minute, and wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure how, so she just asked "Shysage, can you come meet the girls? ...when we get there?  I just realized they have no clue who you are."

"Well, I don't know.  As a Canterlot Recorder, I'm supposed to record events, not become a part of them.  I've already had to bend that rule a lot today." Shysage answered.

"Well, they may not give you the choice." Summer replied slowly.

As Shysage eased the car to a stop in front of Fluttershy's apartment, everypony quickly spilled out the front door, crying, and surrounded Summer as soon as she got out of the car.

Shysage noted that this had probably been a nightmare for all of them, perhaps worse even than Discord and Sunset Shimmer.  They had resources in Equestria.  This was much harsher, they could only wait...  ...and hope...

Summer quickly explained Shysage's role as a Canterlot Recorder, who was actually from this world, and they all insisted on giving him a hug for rescuing Summer.

Shysage then drove off and was soon on his way to his 'shack' in the Equestria Girls world.





Summer and the girls soon headed into Fluttershy's small apartment.

Everyone was crying, together, but their crying soon trialed off as they just held their friend.  Just having her back seemed like a dream come true.

After a minute of silence, Summer started crying again.  But it was a distinctly different cry, and everyone sensed this.  It wasn't tears of joy.  They were tears of deep emotional wounding...  monsters had carelessly and brutally bent Summer's heart harshly in the wrong direction...  It still hurt...

The rest of the girls immediately realized this, and just lovingly held Summer as she cried...  They couldn't change what had happened.  But they did everything they could to let Summer know they cared deeply about her.

They were true friends.

They all knew their dear friend would feel this wound for a while, and nopony knew of any magic to fix it...

Summer cried on Fluttershy's shoulder for maybe 20 minutes, and everyone stayed close, and held her hands or placed their hands on her shoulders.

As soon as Summer calmed down, Rainbow said sternly what everyone else surely felt "Summer from now on we are not leaving you alone by yourself...  Ever..."

And Summer thanked them.
> Chapter 38, Fluttershy's Sister, Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria Girls Summer Rain and Equestria pony Fluttershy cried together for a little while.  Fluttershy sensed that something needed to be set straight however, and asked everypony to stop for a few minutes.

She sat up facing Summer, and Summer sat up too.

Spending some time in thought first, Fluttershy started very sowly.

"Summer when you fell through the wall in front of the school, you actually fell through a Portal connecting your world with ours.  Your world has people, and our world has ponies."

Fluttershy paused briefly, then asked "Do you understand what I am saying?"

Summer replied "I think so.  I am still me, but I am in your world, so I am in a pony form, right?"

Fluttershy said with a smile "Yes."

Fluttershy paused again, then said slowly "Our two worlds are parallel, and both share a lot in common."

Fluttershy paused, took a deep breath, then continued.

"This is my world, and I have a sister named Summer Rain.  She lookes like you, she talks like you, she is very much the same as you, she is a pony though, and grew up in this world."

Summer thought a minute, then said "Where is your sister now?"

Fluttershy told the truth.  "Summer is in your world taking care of your sister and her friends."

Fluttershy's eyes teared up a little after saying this, she did miss her sister after all.

Summer noticed this then said softly  "When can I see my sister?"

"Summer do you remember the rest of your sister's friends?"  Fluttershy asked.

Summer responded "Oh you mean Pinkie Pie, Applejack and the others?"

Fluttershy said simply "Yes...  ... they will all be here in a few days, along with my sister."

Summer next looked around her, and said "Ok, so you are Rainbow Dash, you are Applejack, and of course Pinkie Pie, and...  ...Rarity."

They all bowed as she said their names.

Summer thought for a minute, then said "And so these ponies are mostly the same as my sister's four friends, but you all grew up here?"

"Yes" Fluttershy said quietly.

Summer was thinking some more, but Fluttershy interrupted her.

Tears were running down Fluttershy's face as she said this.

"Summer, your sister and I have spent a bunch of time together and are very close.  The only thing that was hurting your sister that I couldn't help her with, was that you were gone.  It means so much to us both that you are still alive..."

And with this Fluttershy just lay down on her belly and started crying all over again.  She was crying for her Twin...

Rarity spoke up at this point and said "Summer all five of us have spent time with our Twins in your world, and we are all very close to our Twins.  Fluttershy would know."

Rainbow walked up to Summer and said softly "Welcome to Equestria Summer", and hugged her tightly again.  Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity did as well.

Summer was moved.  "Why are you ponies doing this for me?  I just fell into your world, and seemed to mess everything up..."

Princess Twilight answered "Because you needed us Summer.  We want to be your friends and help you."

"Well you really have, thank you."  Summer said quietly.

"And Summer" Princess Twilight continued "Sunset Shimmer was from our world.  She came back and turned into a terrible monster, but she is dead now, thanks in part to your sister and her fr--" Princess Twilight could go no further, she was crying now too.

Rarity finished for Princess Twilight "Sunset Shimmer will never tease you again dear... ever."

Rarity quickly asked next "Summer, I know its late, but would you like to come to my boutique and get freshened up?"

Summer immediately lay down and started crying again...  Summer tried to say "Rarity, why are you being so nice to me, when I treated you terrible..."

Rarity used one of her forelegs to gently bring Summer back up to a sitting position.  Then she looked into her eyes and said "I know Summer.  I saw all that in my Twin.  But Fluttershy's sister helped Rarity work through that, and she has forgiven you.  And so I do."

Summer simply hugged Rarity tightly while crying.  "I'm so sorry Rare..." she said through her tears.

After a few minutes, Rarity said again "Dear, let's go get you cleaned up"

Princess Twilight's girls went with Equestria Girls Summer Rain, off to Rarity's boutique.





Princess Twilight walked over to Dawn and said softly "If Summer knew that you went to the Crystal Empire and back on that terrible night, I think she would be pretty upset.  But she will be overjoyed that your efforts at True Friendship were the only means to bring Fluttershy's sister back from the dead."

Princess Twilight hugged Dawn tightly and said "Thank you so much Dawn."

After crying softly together for a few minutes, Princess Twilight said gently  "Dawn, go get Camille, and get some sleep.  You deserve it."

Dawn was soon out the door.

Princess Twilight just stood there a few minutes, and said simply "Equestria needs more true friends like that I think."

Spike was sleeping next to Princess Celestia.

Princess Twilight used her magic and gently moved him to his bed, and pulled his blanket over him.

Twilight walked over to her princesses, and hugged them both, and said "Thank you both for being part of this.  Equestria Girls Fluttershy will--"  Princess Twilight was crying again.

"Yes that will be a grand day" Princess Celestia said, hugging Twilight as she cried.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were both soon out the door, and into the night.

Princess Twilight walked up the stairs, fell into her bed, and slept soundly for the first time since she could remember.
> Chapter 39, An Old Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was early Tuesday afternoon now, and Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash knew she had to lead Soccer Practice in a while.  Still, they all decided to head to school, and explain to Principal Celestia what had happened, and why they missed school.

Principal Celestia was truly saddened for Summer's sake, but was more than grateful that Summer survived the ordeal.  The Principal explained that she would excuse them all for today, and the next few days if they wanted to stay home.

Principal Celestia also asked about the previous Friday, when these same people were all absent.

Noone said anything for a minute, then Summer said quietly "We were in Equestria, Principal Celestia."

Principal Celestia said softly "I suspected as much, we can excuse that one as well."

Principal Celestia's next question shocked everyone.  "Is it likely we will see Sunset Shimmer return?" she asked, softly again.

Summer answered again simply "No ma'am, never again".

Principal Celestia smiled at this, then stood up and said "Well ladies everything looks to be in order.  Make sure you come talk to me if you have any questions."





They all made it out to the bleachers just in time for the last bell to ring.  Rainbow Dash was quickly at work with practice.

Summer and the rest of the girls sat in the bleachers for a while and talked.

Summer needed to cry at one point, but her friends quickly surrounded her and tried to comfort her.  Summer just clung to Fluttershy and cried for a little while.

Dawn came by too, and hugged Summer and cried with her a little.  Evidently a similar thing happened to Dawn, so she understood.

Summer actually asked Dawn if she had any children at this point; this was the first time she had the chance.  Dawn had a young daughter named Camille whom she loved dearly.  Dawn's mom watched her for Dawn when Dawn was at school or out with her friends.

Dawn offered to bring her daughter by, which she did.  Summer enjoyed every minute, and even got to hold Camille.  She was so cute.  Camille was just leaning to talk, and did sound a lot like her other friend Dawn's daughter.  That part was uncanny.

Dawn and Camille were soon on their way.

After Soccer practice was over, Rainbow joined everyone talking in the bleachers.

After a few minutes, Rainbow asked "Summer what sounds good for dinner?"

Summer was silent for a minute, then said "A nice salad in a quiet place with just you special people."

Pinkie said "Party in my room!" and everyone laughed, and quickly agreed.

Rarity spoke up and said "Why don't we all bring sleeping bags and just spend the night?  We could all be together that way.  Would that be ok Pinkie?"

Pinkie and Summer said at the same time "That would be amazing!"

Rarity also mentioned that she had some more clothes for Summer, and would bring them by.

Applejack left with Rarity for clothes and sleeping bags soon afterwards.

Rainbow talked to Fluttershy, and was soon on the way to the store to get Dinner stuff.

Pinkie, Summer and Fluttershy then walked to Fluttershy's house to get their sleeping bags, and were soon quickly heading up the stairs to Pinkie's room.

Entering the restaurant gave Summer the creeps, but she was quickly up the stairs and in Pinkie's room.

Summer sat down in the chair at Pinkie's desk.  Pinkie didn't have much furniture.  It would still be so nice to all be together.

Fluttershy headed into the bathroom, and Summer looked at Pinkie's compy.

"Can I mess with your Compy a little Pinkie?" Summer asked.

Pinkie said "Sure" and was then quickly busy making room for six people in her small room.

Summer wanted to pull up Facebook, but couldn't find the picture thing.

"Pinkie, how do you start Facebook on your compy?" Summer asked.

Pinkie stopped in the middle of sweeping the floor, walked over, and brought Facebook up on her Compy for Summer.  Then she asked "Who do you want to find?  I'll start it for you."

Summer said simply "Twilight Sparkle".

Pinkie bent down past Summer and started to type it in.  Before Pinkie finished typing this in, her face went immediately blank.

"Summer please move" Pinkie said very quickly.

Pinkie evidently was very familiar wirth Facebook, and was soon quickly scanning through pages very rapidly.

Summer suspected that her 'Pinkie Sense' was probably in high gear.

Fluttershy came out at this point, and asked what they were doing.  Summer said simply "Shhhh" and motioned Fluttershy over to watch.

As soon as she saw 'Twilight Sparkle' Fluttershy put her hand to her mouth and said "oh my" very quietly.

Pinkie quickly scanned through maybe 200 or more pages then abruptly stopped.  Pinkie looked at the profile and said simply "wow..."

She clicked on a link and it went to an index of stuff Twilight had written.  Pinkie opened the first one and said "what is this stuff?"

Summer recognized the event immediately.  She was describing the time Princess Twilight first found her special pony friends in Equestria.

"Pinkie close this and open another one" Summer asked quietly.

This one was about when Princess Twilight came back from the future and tried to warn herself.

"Ok Pinkie listen a minite please."  Summer said.

Summer stopped as Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity came up the stairs.

"OK listen everyone" Summer started.

"Pinkie has found Princess Twilight's Twin in your world.  Not only that, but evidently Princess' Twin has been seeing what Princess Twilight has been seeing, and has written accurate descriptions of what I know actually happened in Equestria."

"Summer" Fluttershy said softly, "Both Pinkie and I knew Twilight a few years ago.  I don't think she lives very far away."

Pinkie already had an IM request going.

"Hi Twilight, it's me, Pinkie" Pinkie typed in.

"PINKIE!!!!  How are you doing?" Twilight quickly typed back.

"Twilight, it has been WAAYYYYYY too long, can you come over and visit us tomorrow afternoon?" Pinkie quickly replied.

"Sure, I don't live very far -- Fluttershy's apartment maybe?" Twilight typed back quickly.

"Perfect, after school is out, we will be waiting." Pinkie typed back.

"Awesome, see you then!  Tell Fluttershy I said HI too :)" Twilight typed, and then she closed the IM.

Summer was crying...  "Princess Twilight's Twin..." she said through her tears.

Summer got up and hugged Pinkie, and said "Thank you..."

Pinkie looked into Summer's eyes and said simply "Summer it was your idea, and I can think of no better way of honoring our Princess."

"I love all of you, can we hug?" Summer asked, and they did.

Everypony was crying anyway, this would be such an amazing surprise for their special Princess...

"Pinkie, Fluttershy, can I come with you tomorrow to visit with Twilight?" Summer asked.

Fluttershy answered softly "Of course Summer, I'm not leaving you anywhere by yourself any more" and then she smiled at Summer.

"Thanks sis..." was all Summer could say.





Summer next hugged Rarity and thanked her for the clothes, and she went into the bathroom and changed quickly.

Summer loved them, and everyone else did too.

"Dear, they are a little less flashy than I think Summer would wear, but maybe that is a good thing, I don't know."

"They are perfect Rare, thank you." Summer said and hugged her again.

Rainbow brought stuff for both salad, as well as what she called 'grilled cheese sandwiches', along with Granola and milk for breakfast, and a bunch of water.  Rainbow also brought some bowls and spoons made of 'plastic' to keep things simple for Pinkie.

They were all soon sitting down eating salad and just talking.

Applejack said "Well it's not Oat hay, but this is good."

Rainbow added "I don't know, that Oat hay tasted pretty amazing in Equestria."

Summer said "Make sure you try an Oat Pie when we go back, they are pretty good too."

Summer tried half of the sandwich, it was good too.  Rainbow was a pretty good cook Summer thought.

They all helped clean up after dinner, then they took turns getting ready for bed, and were soon in a circle on the floor with their heads to the center, just like they did at the farm.

They talked the evening away together, then Pinkie set the alarm, turned on a small light, and said they should get some sleep.

Summer just had to say this...  "You are all such precious, true friends...  I feel so torn between these two worlds..."

They all just hugged her.

They were all soon fast asleep.

Summer woke up crying at one point, but Fluttershy and five other friends quickly woke up as well, and comforted her for a while, and she was soon back to sleep herself.





When the alarm went off in the morning, Summer woke up with a start, found Fluttershy, and hugged her tightly for a minute.  Five friends eased her worries again, and she was soon fine.

They all took turns getting ready for school, and eating some Granola, and Summer and her friends were soon walking together to School.

On the way, everyone looked at Summer's new schedule, and made arrangements that Fluttershy would not leave Summer until one of the others were there.  Summer really appreciated this, and the day went fine.

A few new friends came up and talked with Summer some, and Summer tried to stay focused, but as the day wore on, she kept thinking more and more about Twilight Sparkle, and what it would mean if they could bring her with them.

Summer knew this was Pinkie's goal, but Summer was mostly a spectator for that process, and could only hope everything worked out.  It really depended on whether or not Twilight wanted to go.  They would just have to wait and see.





After school was out, the good news was that Rainbow had asked someone else to run Soccer practice today, Rainbow loved Princess Twilight, and didn't want to miss this meeting.

However, Summer was concerned that they not overwhelm Twilight.  She thought a minute, then came up with this plan.

Pinkie, Fluttershy and Summer would wait for Twilight at Fluttershy's apartment.  The other girls would wait in the grass next to the bleachers.  They would then bring Twilight there to meet everyone.

Pinkie seemed to know Twilight the best at this point, and she thought it was a good idea.

So Pinkie, Fluttershy and Summer walked to Fluttershy's apartment, and Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow sat in the grass near the bleachers and waited.

Twilight Sparkle was waiting for them outside Fluttershy's apartment, and Pinkie led them up to her, and immediately gave Twilight a big hug.

Summer almost started crying on the spot.

Both Fluttershy and Summer hugged Twilight as well.

"Wow Summer and Fluttershy, glad to see you two back together again." Twilight said with a smile.

Fluttershy reached over and pulled Summer close with her arm, and put her head down on Summer and smiled.

They didn't even go in Fluttershy's apartment.

Pinkie next said this...

"Twilight, break is next week, and my friends and I are headed to the most awesome place in...  ...well, the whole world.  And we want you to come with us.  I promise that it will be an amazing time.  Please say yes!"

Twilight thought for a moment, then said "Well Pinkie, you seem to have a strange way of knowing, so OK, I'll come."

Pinkie jumped up and down then hugged Twilight and said "Yippiee!"

Twilight looked at Fluttershy and Summer, and said "Are you two coming as well?"

Fluttershy said softly "Oh yes, I can't wait!"

Summer was near tears, and croaked out a "yes" as best as she could.

Pinkie next said "C'mon Twilight, let's go meet the rest of the group!"

They walked together quickly to the other three in the grass, and everyone stood up.

Pinkie introduced Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and they each gave Twilight a big hug.

Twilight got this really dazed look on her face, and said simply "I know this is strange, but I feel like I know you all.  Weird."

Rarity spoke at this point "So Twilight dear, are you coming with us?"

Twilight answered and said "Yes I am.  Pinkie said it would be absolutely amazing, and I know she is usually right."

Twilight pulled out her cell, then said "I need to head to work, but where should we meet?"

Pinkie answered and said "Let's all meet at Fluttershy's apartment on Friday evening at around 5 pm."

"Awesome" Twilight said, then she hugged everyone again before she headed off to work.





The brief meeting with Twilight Sparkle changed something in Summer Rain.

Since Tuesday morning, she had felt so broken, and was increasingly acting that way.

Twilight Sparkle reminded Summer of her precious Princess.

Summer decided she was not going to let two monsters ruin her life, along with the lives of those around her.

Summer chose to continue to live.

Just then Rarity said "Summer dear, can you put your head down a minute please?"

She did, and Rarity then gently placed Princess Twilight's 'Shield Necklace' back around Summer's neck.

There were tears in Summer's eyes, everyone knew she loved her Princess.  Summer hugged Rarity tightly.

"Lets go have dinner at the Cakes', can we?"  Summer asked.

Fluttershy was fiercely protective of Summer, and spoke up immediatly "Are you sure that's a good idea Summer?"

Summer quickly gave Fluttershy a big hug.

"Yes Sis, it will be fine.  If we ever meet those monsters again, they will be sorry, and behind bars I hope...  Besides, I have five of the most awesome friends with me, what can go wrong?" Summer said reassuringly.

Everypony started crying as they stood there on the grass, they all saw the clear change in Summer's outlook.

They just all cried together for a few minutes.

Summer said it again "I love you all, I hope you know that."

Dinner at the Cake's went fine, and they just chatted.

Dawn brought Camille in, and they simply made more room around them, and welcomed her into their group.  Everyone took a turn holding Camille, and each of the girls quickly adored her.

Summer knew this time would be a lot more meaningful when they met Dawn and Camille in Equestria.

Dawn and Camille were soon on their way.

Summer could still go nowhere without one of the other girls with her, but Summer still appreciated that.

After dinner, they headed together to Fluttershy's apartment for some Ice Cream.  They just sat close together and talked.

Summer noted that more and more of their discussion involved their Twins and Equestria.  It would be amazing.  Summer knew her five precious friends could hardly wait.  Summer herself couldn't either.

While at Fluttershy's, they all decided to sleep in Pinkie's room again, so they headed there next.

They were soon fast asleep in their sleeping bags in a tight circle.





The next day was Thursday, and school was going fine.

A number of girls came up and talked with Summer and her friends, and Summer was again so amazed at the opportunity to make new friends.  Summer was also even more excited that some of the girls were not specifically coming up to her, but to Fluttershy, Rarity and the others as well.  This was totally awesome as far as Summer was concerned.

About half-way through lunch, Summer stood up, tapped her spoon on her cup, and it was instantly very quiet.

Summer said simply this.

"This last Monday, I was abducted, and uhm 'taken advantage of'.  I can probably count the intervention of a true friend as the only reason I am alive today.  Even so, this will probably haunt me for a long time."

Tears began to trickly down her face at this point.  She continued.

"I would just hope that none of the boys here would ever do such a terrible thing to one of us girls.  Each one of us are worth far more than to be treated like that.  Thank you."

Summer sat down.

Summer soon had to stand up again, as probably 40 other girls in the lunchroom quickly came up to Summer, crying.  Dawn was one of them.  Summer was crying herself, and tightly hugged each one, and cried with them.  Aside from Pinkie, the rest of Summer's true friends quickly stood up and helped console shattered lives.

Pinkie was standing back recording the whole thing on her phone.  Her 'Pinkie Sense' alerted her before Summer even stood up.  Pinkie thought that what Summer said was the important thing, but she kept recording.  Comforting the sea of hurting lives that had resulted from selfish monsters was the important thing.

Pinkie got 15 minutes of the beginning of this process that probably took over an hour.

Then Pinkie joined her friends comforting others.

True Friends...

Summer caught sight of Principal Luna watching this unfold.  There were tears in her eyes as well, and she soon joined Summer and her friends comforting the 'wounded'.

Summer and her friends missed most of their next class, but that didn't matter.

After school was over, Pinkie and Applejack want to Pinkie's room briefly.  Pinkie posted the video from lunch when she got to her room.  Pinkie said she hoped it would go 'Viral', even though Summer had no clue what that meant.

Summer and the rest again headed to the bleachers as Rainbow ran Soccer practice.

Even more girls came and cried with Summer and her friends there in the bleachers.  Evidently it was now well known where Summer Rain and her friends could be found after school.

Summer and her friends just all cried together with each of these hurting girls...

"What is wrong with this world" Summer thought to herself.  "How could they ignore this epidemic of treating girls this way, and the shattered lives that resulted..." 

Summer doubted she would ever get an answer to that question.





After Soccer practice was done, Rainbow joined the girls, crying.

"I so wanted to help you..." she said through her tears.

Summer answered quietly and lovingly "Rainbow, it's ok.  I know you would help if you could, and that is enough.  Thank you."  Then Summer hugged Rainbow tightly.

Well, they all did.

They were soon back at the Cakes' for dinner.

Dawn brought one of her friends to Summer, also crying... another victim...  Summer just cried with both of them.

Dinner was good, and otherwise quiet.

They again headed to Fluttershy's apartment for Ice Cream and time together alone.

Summer waited for a lull in conversation, then said slowly "less than 24 hours, and we will be back in Equestria."

It was very quiet for a minute or two, as everypony was fighting back tears.

Pinkie jumped up and said "Let's send them some airmail again, can we?"

Everyone knew this was an awesome idea.

Fluttershy brought out a piece of paper.

Rainbow shooed everyone back and wrote simply this.

"Less than 24 hours...
We can hardly wait...
Equestria Girls"

Fluttershy picked the paper up, and made a 'paper airplane' out of it.

They walked quickly to the Portal, it was dark out.

Fluttershy skillfully flew the 'airmail' into the Portal.  A brief flash, and it was gone.

They all decided to spend tonight at Fluttershy's apartment.  It would be tight, but they would make it work.

They all walked together to Pinkie's room at the Cakes', and got their stuff, and headed to Fluttershy's apartment.

The Cot was folded up and put away, and Summer insisted that Fluttershy sleep on the couch.

Five more sleeping bags fight tightly but comfortably on the floor.

They were soon filled with tired, close friends.  They insisted that Summer be in the middle.

With the lights out, it was quiet.  For a few minutes, noone said anything.  Then almost at the same time, they all said "I love you all..."

They were soon fast asleep.
> Chapter 40, Fluttershy's Sister, Part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As usual, Rarity knew exactly how Summer Rain should look, and within maybe 30 minutes, Equestria Girls Summer was cleaned up and took everyone's breath away at how close to their friend she actually was; they were Twins after all.  The only difference was that her mane was shorter.  Still, Rarity played with it some, and it looked great.

This done, they all lay on their bellies in a circle, and the girls told Summer about her Twin, and the terrible tragedy in Equestria she was able to narrowly stop.

They also explained the crucial role that each of the Equestria Girls played in rescuing their Twins from their respective tombstones.  Nopony could talk for a few minutes.

The girls also recounted the final battle against Sunset Shimmer, and the monster she had become.

Equestria Girls Summer was amazed, and kept saying "My sister helped with all this?"

Fluttershy said at one point, in response to this question, very quietly of course "Summer, your sister is my Twin, and I love her a lot..."  Fluttershy planned to say more, but could not talk for a few minutes.

Summer just hugged Fluttershy and cried with her.  Summer missed her own sister a lot more than she realized.

They also told her about their beloved Princess, and some of the amazing things that they had all done together in the last few years.

It was the middle of the night, and everypony decided to just sleep in the Boutique.  Nopony wanted to leave anyway.

The next morning, Princess Twilight woke up after a good night's sleep.  She felt a lot better.

She remembered that last night, Summer and the girls were all at Rarity's Boutique, so she grabbed her crown, and quickly headed there.

Princess Twilight opened the door slowly, they were all fast asleep, in a tight circle.  She walked up to them, quietly lay down on her belly, and was soon napping again herself.





After maybe half an hour, Princess Twilight awoke to noise around her.  Six ponies were before her in a half circle, kneeling in respect.

Princess Twilight said first "Oh girls..." then she realized that this was for Summer's benefit, she needed to learn this after all.

Twilight rose to a sitting position, raised her head just a little, then said softly "Please arise, loyal subjects", then started laughing, and worked her way around the circle hugging each pony individually and tightly.

When she got to Summer, she said quietly to her as they hugged "The fact that you are alive will bring amazing joy to some very special ponies.  I'm so glad you are here."

Summer realized that she would probably never be teased again in Equestria, and this brought tears to her eyes.

Princess Twilight then asked "Dear girls, what should we do together with Summer today?"

Rarity spoke up quickly, but a little timidly, and said "I have an idea, and it won't be amazing fun, but I think it needs to be done."

Pinkie next said softly "Rarity, you are amazing..."

Rarity quickly made everypony a small saddle bag that fit nicely over their backs, and had two small, well, sacks on either side.

Next, she led them to the meadow, and said simply "We are after wild-flower seeds.  Collect as many as you can in your sacks, and just mix them all together."

Even though Twilight and Rarity were able to collect more seeds than the others because they could use their magic, it didn't matter to anypony.

After about an hour, Rarity called everypony together, and checked how many seeds they all had. "I think we have enough" she said quietly, then asked everypony to follow her.

Rarity led them to the spot behind the Library where Princess Twilight's tombstone was.

Like Rainbow's tombstone out at Summer's Tree, it was just a large spot of bare dirt, half a story across by maybe 2 stories wide.

Summer was aghast...  The girls had told Summer about that terrible night...  It was all suddenly very real...

Nopony was smiling at this point, but that was ok.

Rarity quietly asked Princess Twilight to sit at the spot where she was when she woke up.

Princess Twilight was already crying softly.

"Girls, plant your seeds in this dirt" was all Rarity said.

Applejack helped Summer with her seeds.

When everyponies' seeds were planted, Rarity simply walked up to her Princess and bowed.  The rest soon joined her.

Crying, Rarity said through her tears "Girls, I don't ever want to forget how close we came to losing our precious Princess.  Hopefully the flowers here will remind us how priceless she is to us."

Everypony was crying at this point, even Summer.

Equestria Girls Summer didn't understand such devotion...

Up until she met Dawn, then these ponies, she had only been concerned for herself.  Even after she was dumped into Equestria, she resented that she was even here, and had still lived the same way that she did in her world -- for herself, caring only about herself.

Now, Summer was a part of this group, who were honoring their dear Princess, whom they held as more important than life itself.

Summer realized how disgusting her own self-centeredness actually seemed compared to everything she had experienced with these ponies in such a short time...  Summer saw how pointless it was to just think only about herself...  Summer realized that life held so much more for those who gave, who consistantly, intentionally put others first...

Summer vowed to live this way until she died.

Just like her Twin had.

Everypony was still bowing, and Summer felt she may have broken some kind of rule, but she flew up from the ground, and threw her leg around Princess Twilight's neck, and hugged her tightly, sobbing deeply.

Princess Twilight, suspecting the change, hugged her tightly back and cried with her.  "Oh Summer..." Princess said through her tears.

Fluttershy immediately sensed the change too, and everypony else quickly came to the same conclusion.

Twilight's girls soon crowded around them holding Summer, crying too.

Life from death...

Friendship is magic...

They cried together with Summer for half an hour maybe.

Summer stopped crying, pulled away from her Princess, bowed to the ground, and said softly "Princess Twilight, can we go visit Dawn"

Equestria Girls Summer Rain had changed before their very eyes.

This was simply amazing...

Rarity asked that they wait a few minutes first.  

Rarity led everypony a good distance around past the front of the Library.  Then she said "Rainbow dear, can you water our plants for us?"

Rainbow quickly said "Say no more", and took to the air.

After a few minutes, a raincloud rolled up, that Rainbow had dragged from who knows where, and it rained steadily for a few minutes on the freshly planted memorial garden, and the area around it too.

The girls caught a few sprinkles, but nopony minded.

Rainbow then dispersed the cloud and rejoined the group.

They walked together to Dawn's shop.

Summer didn't even bother knocking, she just walked in, and everypony quickly followed her.

Dawn was in her showroom, and Summer walked quickly up to her, already crying, and hugged her tightly, saying over and over again "Thank you Dawn..."

Dawn immediately sensed the change, and was holding Summer just as tight, and crying too.

Camille started sniffling, but Princess Twilight quickly pulled her close and hugged her.

Camille looked up at Princess Twilight, and said quietly "Is Corn happy?"

Princess Looked down into Camilles' eyes and said "Yes Camille, Corn is very happy.  And your mommy helped bring her back, and that makes us all very happy too."  There were tears in Twilight's eyes after all.

Summer was crying because she realized she had come perilously close to permanent 'Green eye' oblivion herself, and something as simple as Dawn reaching out and 'just being a friend' had truly rescued her from that.  Summer was also crying because she had found her way back to friendship, back to life itself, it seemed to her...

Well, there was no question in Dawn's mind any more either. 

"Corn, I hope I can help you learn to be a true friend.  I think life really isn't worth living any other way."

Dawn had told Corn, er Summer that just the other day.  This deep outpouring of thanks from Summer, this earth-shaking change that Dawn herself had helped bring about...  Dawn was just overwhelmed.  Dawn would never live any other way.

And Dawn didn't even know yet about Twins or Equestria Girls Fluttershy and the loss she was living with.

Friendship is magic...

An hour later, they left Dawn's shop, of course after everypony hugged Dawn tightly and thanked her.

Once outside, Princess Twilight stopped and said softly "Summer"

Summer bowed her head and said softly back "Yes Princess?"

"Summer, you need to know this.  You need to know that your Twin is simply amazing.  Among other things, it was your Twin who initially reached out to Dawn and was 'just a friend' to a nopony having a hard time.  Your Twin's friendship with Dawn is what paved the way for Dawn to reach out to you."

"I will thank my Twin then as well" Summer said softly.

Indeed.





It was way after noon at this point, and so Princess Twilight said "Can we go get some food?  I'm very hungry."

They all headed to the Cake's Shop.

Lunch was very good, and they all enjoyed being together.

After some discussion, they decided to plant memorial gardens at each of the other tombstone sites as well.  They would wait for the Equestria girls to return first however.

While they were discussing this, a rather official looking, and fairly large Pegasus landed in the center of town, and walked quickly over to Princess Twilight.

Princess Twilight soon had two pieces of paper in her hands.

One said 

"Less than 24 hours...
We can hardly wait...
Equestria Girls"

Everypony began to cry at this...

The other message read simply

"Air Coach
Library"

Princess told everypony "We need to get to the Library soon girls, so finish your lunch and lets go."

In about 3 hours, Princess Twilight, her five special ponies, and Equestria Girls Summer Rain were in the Portal room...

...anxiously awaiting...

...the unimaginable...
> Chapter 41, Twins, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[The only fitting background music for this chapter is the slow, understated elegance of 'The Celestial Capital - Al'Taieu'* from the 'Chains of Promethia'* expansion for Final Fantasy XI* (*c2014 by Square Enix)  And maybe try to avoid reading through this amazing chapter quickly.  I apologize again for the interruption -- Shysage.]





Friday morning was simply a blur for Equestria pony Summer Rain and the Equestria Girls.  Noone could concentrate on school.

A few more girls came up and cried with Summer, and she specifically stopped everything and cried with them.

Even so, School could not end soon enough.  The Equestria Girls were all so excited about seeing their Twins again, and Summer Rain couldn't blame them.

Having Equestria Girls Twilight Sparkle would be amazing, and Summer wanted to honor her Princess with this surprise.  All the Twins wanted to do this.  They loved Princess Twilight.

This trip should also be amazing for Twilight Sparkle, no doubt about it.

Still, they would wait in the bleachers while Rainbow took care of Soccer practice.  While they were waiting there, Twilight walked up, early, and gave both Pinkie and Fluttershy a hug, then sat with Pinkie and Fluttershy talking.

Twilight was getting a little apprehensive, but Pinkie quickly assured Twilight this would be awesome fun.  They had all been there before and come back, and simply couldn't wait to return.

Everyone could feel the excitement, the expectation in the air.

Summer broke in long enough to make sure that Pinkie Pie had mentioned to Twilight that she would be an adorable pony 'on the other side', and would simply need to get used to walking on 'all four', it would be the most natural anyway.

Twilight thought deeply for a minute then said "You know, I think I expect that from what I can remember."

Noone thought to ask Twilight about this.

Summer also mentioned that Twilight would not have any clothing on, but everypony else would be that way as well.  That's just the way things were where they were going.

Twilight remarked that she had done stranger things, and was trusting her old friends that this trip would be worth it.

The sun was starting to go down as Rainbow brought Soccer practice to a close.  Everyone headed to Fluttershy's apartment, and they were all soon inside.

Summer directed everyone to leave all Cells, keys and stuff on the cot or couch.  For Twilight's sake she mentioned that Fluttershy would use a hidden key to lock their stuff up, and it would be here on their return.

Before leaving, they all stood in a small circle and hugged for a minute or two.  Well they cried a little too.





All seven friends were soon standing in front of the Portal.

Summer sent Applejack, Rarity, then Rainbow, through the Portal, with maybe 30 seconds between each.

Pinkie Pie would be next.

Pinkie ran over to Twilight, hugged her tightly, and said "See you on the other side!" and jumped through the wall next.

This all seemed so surreal to Twilight Sparkle.  And she had seen some weird stuff.

Summer said "Twilight, please come through after me, and Fluttershy, wait about a minute, then you come too.

With this, Summer Rain entered the Portal, and was soon in Equestria.





Twilight Sparkle may have been working through some second thoughts.  She was glad Fluttershy was left, she knew Fluttershy would never lie to her.

"Fluttershy, is this for real?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy replied slowly and very quietly "Twilight this is very real."

Twilight thought for a minute, then asked her friend again "What will I find past this Portal?"

Fluttershy thought for a minute, looked into Twilight's eyes, then said softly "Your destiny..."

Twilight thought a minute, then said slowly...  "Wow..."

Fluttershy said nothing else.

Twilight Sparkle walked through the Portal and was herself, soon in Equestria.





Summer came through the Portal, and threw herself forward on the other side, and quickly walked next to her sister.  She hugged her sister quickly, then sat down next to her.  She noticed another mare on the other side of Fluttershy, but wasn't really thinking about that.

Summer was watching the Portal.

Equestria Girls Twilight Sparkle came through the Portal next, and promptly but gently fell over, facing away from everypony else.

Everypony in the room gasped immediately and loudly.

Princess Twilight stood up quickly...

Summer walked over, and helped her up, then turned her around.

Princess Twilight's mouth was open wide in amazement, and Summer noted that Equestria Girls Twilight did exactly the same thing.  Then they both started crying at the same time...

Equestria Girls Twilight said immediately, through her tears "...Everything I saw...  ...all these years...  ...it was ALL REAL...  ...all these years..."

Equestria Girls Twilight ran clumsily over to Princess Twilight, and they hugged tightly crying.

Princess Twilight said softly "Dear Twilight, there will be plenty of time for this, but we have a surprise too.  Sit next to me and let's wait."

She did, but they were both still crying softly, sometimes in unison.  Twins do that.





Fluttershy decided that having her come through last was a bad idea.  She was hurting.  She didn't want to go.

She loved her Twin deeply, and Summer too, but everytime she saw Summer, it just re-opened the same wound.  A wound that would never go away.

"I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU FOREVER!!!"

Summer had screamed this hysterically at the prospect of losing her precious sister...  But this was Fluttershy's destiny...  ...forever...  ...It hurt so much...

Summer was an amazing friend, and she really helped Fluttershy a lot in this world.  Summer was probably the reason Fluttershy had been able to cope these last weeks.  Fluttershy had almost given up.

But in Equestria, Fluttershy would see Summer with Summer's sister...  ...a lot...  ...and that would hurt Fluttershy...  ...a lot...

Fluttershy just didn't know what to do.  She started crying...

She knew everyone was waiting for her...  She just could not bring herself to go through.

Before long Fluttershy was sobbing uncontrollably, she could not help it.  She walked around to the side of the platform, leaned against the wall and just cried.

"It hurts...  Please make it stop..."  Fluttershy sobbed, but she knew it was no use.  Dead people don't come back in her world...

Fluttershy just cried...  She didn't move...  She could do nothing else.

...

Fluttershy felt the weight of the 'Shield Necklace' around her neck, as she sobbed deeply.

Still sobbing, she pulled it out and looked at it through her tears...

...True Friendship...

Fluttershy remembered that Summer and her sister had already done so much for Fluttershy...

...

Fluttershy was quickly sobbing again...  She sobbed there a minute or two more...

She brought the 'Shield Necklace' out again...

...True Friendship...  ...means putting others first...

Fluttershy's sobbing slowly tapered off...

Still sniffling, Fluttershy sighed.  After maybe a minute, she said softly "I will do this for Summer...  I will do this for my Twin..."

Her eyes still wet with tears, Fluttershy walked around to the Portal wall, and walked quickly through...  ...before she changed her mind...

Equestria Girls Fluttershy was soon back in Equestria.





Fluttershy fell coming out the other side of the Portal, just like Twilight did, and ended up gently on her side facing away from everypony.

There was another mare instantly next to her, sobbing deeply.  It wasn't Summer, she knew this, except it sounded like her.

This mare said through her tears "Fluttershy, it's me..."

Fluttershy looked again, hair was too short, and she saw Summer over by her Twin.  Still, she didn't want to hurt this mare's feelings.

Summer was just as bewildered as Equestria Girls Fluttershy was.  Summer had no clue who this mare was.

As quickly as this mare had run over to Fluttershy weeping, she realized Equestria Girls Fluttershy was not acknowledging her presence.  Crushed, this mare quickly got up, and ran back to Equestria pony Fluttershy and cried bitterly on her shoulder.

"She doesn't even remember me" she sobbed.

Equestria pony Fluttershy realized she needed to talk to her Twin so she asked Summer to help, and gently moved the sobbing mare over to Summer's shoulder.  Then Equestria pony Fluttershy walked over to her Twin and sat next to her.

At exactly the exact same moment...

...Summer looked down at this mare...

...and this mare looked up at Summer...

...And they saw...

...

...

...

...themselves...

...

...

...

It was Summer's Twin...

They both knew instantly, and neither of them could look away from the other.

Everyone in the room froze immediately.

Summer sat down, just like her Twin was.

At exactly the same time, they put their right fore-leg around the other's neck, and hugged tightly.  They each closed their eyes at the exact same time, and began weeping.

As the Summer Twins plunged into each other's souls, the purest white aura enveloped both of them...

...

...

...

At this point, Equestria Girls Fluttershy finally realized...

...who this new mare was...

...she was her 'dead' sister...

...and Equestria Girls Fluttershy wept uncontrollably...

...as her Twin held her and cried with her...

...a miracle of true friendship...

Equestria Girls Fluttershy's sister Summer Rain was alive...





The Summer Twins were catching up...

They both saw each other in most of their early years, along with the sisters they both adored so deeply...

They both watched each other pull away from their sisters while pursuing that which they would never, and could never attain...

Equestria Girls Summer watched in amazement as her Twin read some books that changed her life forever, along with her Princess and the close friends around her even now that made it possible...

Equestria pony Summer watched in horror, as Sunset Shimmer took her very damaged Twin and pushed her over the edge laughing...

Equestria pony Summer watched in anguish as Summer dragged her shattered body to the Portal, ended up in Equestria, and was promptly thrown out behind the palace by the guards.  She saw the merciless teasing by other ponies over an absent Cutie Mark as well...

Equestria pony Summer saw her friend Dawn as the only means of bringing her Twin back...  ...just through the simplest efforts of being a friend...

Equestria Girls Summer watched in amazement as True Friendship played itself out in her Twin's life...

She saw the meetings with Twilight and the amazing things her Twin did in Ponyville...

Equestria Girls Summer grieved with her Twin as Summer left her own sister to come to the Equestria Girls world, narrowly saving Equestria Girls Summer's own sister from giving up.  She cried as her Twin promised to be the best friend Fluttershy ever had...

Equestria Girls Summer watched the re-birth of Fluttershy's friend's circle, and the amazing things they all did together...

Equestria Girls Summer watched in horror as her Twin and the rest made the dangerous journey, containing Discord, rescuing the Equestria pony's Princess and friends from death, and ultimately facing and defeating Sunset Shimmer...

They both also found an unexpected, matching wound in each other's soul...  The dark spectre of abuse at the hands of monsters... Different situations, but the same wound...  They each eased what they could in the other...

Equestria pony Summer was overjoyed that her Twin had recently adopted true friendship as she had...

They were true Twins.  They each saw everything in the other, and eased what pain they could from their Twin in the process...

At this point, Equestria pony Summer found a huge hole in her Twin...  

...A huge wound...

...that she could not touch...

...and she knew instantly what it was...

Equestria pony Summer pulled away from her Twin, and said softly to her "Can you please go hug your sister for me?"

...

Re-united against seeming impossible odds...

Equestria Girls Fluttershy and her sister sobbed tears of joy, clinging tightly to each other...

Equestria pony Fluttershy and her sister were soon doing the same thing, at exactly the same time too...

...

After a little while, still crying, Equestria pony Summer got up and walked to an open area in the room, and asked her Twin to join her.  The Fluttershy Twins quickly joined them.

Summer called her Princess over, and Equestria Girls Twilight stayed by her side.

Summer bowed to her Princess, and asked her Twin to follow, saying through her tears "Summer this is your Princess, and when you see her you need to bow like this..."

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, the rest of the Twins, were immediately at Summer's side, bowing as well to their precious Princess Twilight.

Equestria Girls Twilight, was about to join them bowing, but Princess Twilight softly called her name "Twilight..."

They looked into each other's eyes, sat down at the same time, hugged tightly, closed their eyes, and wept softly and their souls joined.  Their Aura was Purple...

Equestria Girls Twilight was always considered a freak because of what she saw, and Princess Twilight grieved with her through that process, while amazed at her acceptance of visions she had no control over...

Equestria Girls Twilight was amazed as she watched Equestria pony Twilight rapidly change from a young book-worm, to a Princess with powerful magic, and a deepening longing for five other special ponies, then five other special girls in Equestria Girls Twilight's world.  And now even Twilight herself...

Equestria Girls Twilight watched in horror as Discord betrayed, tortured, then killed Twilight and her friends, and sobbed deeply as her true friends Summer Rain and the Equestria Girls brought she and the rest back from the dead.  Then the final confrontation...

Princess Twilight saw that her Twin had caught glimpses of all of this...  What a price to have to pay...

In the aftermath of that dark night, Princess Twilight had no Twin to ease the devastation she felt...  She had one now...





While watching the Twilight Twins catch up, and now having experienced her Twin herself, Equestria pony Summer recoiled in disgust at the thought that some might mis-construe this meeting of souls, and try to read nasty or primal aspects into it.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Summer had been there now.  She knew.

Summer started crying again as she thought this through.

The deeply rooted attraction between these 'Twins'...

...which Summer only now had experienced herself...

...was simply this...

...the realization of full, complete, unconditional acceptance...

They were more than twins, they were identical...  ...the same person/pony...  ...and there was simply no part of one that would cause the other to be guarded, to attack, or doubt, or complain, or to plot behind their backs, or hurt them in any way, this was simply not possible...

It was perfect peace, at the hands of someone you knew would never do you wrong or attack you.  On the contrary, Summer knew her Twin would do anything to help her any way she could.  And of course, Summer would do the same.

No wonder these Twins always wanted to be together...

Heaven should be just like this...





After a while longer, the Twilight Twins were done.

Princess Twilight noticed it first.

"Equestria Girls Summer, do you have a Cutie Mark?" Princess asked gently.

Answering right away, she looked down and said "No" softly without even looking.

Everypony else gasped.

Equestria Girls Summer's Cutie Mark was just like her Twin's, only it was one larger drop, and not the three that Summer had.  Even so, she cried that she had one now, and Summer cried with her.

Everypony immediately looked at Twilight Sparkle.  She was already hugging Princess Twilight.  Her's was the same as Princess' except the small stars were not included at the points of the big star.  It didn't matter.

Everypony present had their own little piece of Equestria, and nopony could take it away.





When the Equestria ponies started to arrive, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were all in the Portal room along with Princess Twilight, Equestria Girls Summer Rain and the Equestria ponies.

Once these events began to unfold, these three other Princesses just laid on their bellies near the door and cried softly.  This was all so much more than anyone had expected.  They knew they were just observers.

After the seven sets of Twins settled down, Shining Armor moved them to a different room.  He did not want Discord's cell to bring tragedy to this group.  Still, it was clear that Shining Armor had done his share of crying too.

Princess Twilight just hugged them all as they moved to the new room.

The plan was for the seven Twins to spend the night at the Crystal Palace.  They all stayed up and talked for hours, mostly with their Twins.  They were all soon asleep, next to their Twins of course.

The Council of Princesses was the next afternoon.
> Chapter 42, The Council of Princesses
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Equestria pony Summer Rain woke up the next morning, everypony else was up, including her Twin.

Equestria Girls Summer was laying on her belly facing Summer, with a Fluttershy on either side.  They were all waiting for Summer to wake up.

"Hi Summer" Equestria Girls Summer said with a smile.  Three special girls...  They all got a big hug.

Everypony else was already up, and mostly talking with their Twin.  Both Raritys and both Pinkies were in a group talking together.

Both Twilights were gone however.

Princess Cadance came in, and led them all to a nice breakfast in a different room.

Everypony enjoyed the meal, even the Equestria Girls.

After breakfast, Princess Cadance took everypony for a walk, that ended in a large meadow near the Crystal Palace.

They all spent the better part of the day wandering around, enjoying the calmness and beauty of this place, together.

At about noon, Princess Twilight and her Twin rejoined everypony else, and the Summer Twins hugged them both.

Summer spent most of the day with her Twin, and they talked a lot.  For a large part of that time, both Fluttershy's joined them.  It was an amazing treat.

Everypony laughed.  Everypony cried some too.

Time spent with Twins is priceless.





It was about mid-afternoon.

Equestria pony Summer wanted to write a song to try to capture just a glimpse of the 'Twins experience'.  She knew a 'glimpse' would be all she could accomplish, the amazing joy of being with your Twin was just so deep and complete.

Summer just leaned gently against her Twin, and Equestria Girls Summer seemed to amazingly, immediately, and effortlessly sense what was on her Twin's heart, that they needed to write a special song together.

Both Fluttershys were with them at this point as well.  They may have even sensed this too...  ...maybe because they were both incredibly sensitive...  ...maybe because they were the Summer's sisters...  ...maybe both, who knows.

The four of them found Princess Cadance, then asked if they could have some means to write with.  

Princess Twilight overheard what the Summers asked, and so she volunteered to write the words for the Summer Twins with her magic.

When the paper, ink and quill were ready, Princess Twilight then called everypony over.

They would do this as a group.

They would all stay in their pony form for this too.

Before long, all seven sets of Twins were laying on their bellies in a tight group...  ...crying...  ...helping with the words of the song...

This was a special song...

~~~~~

Twins Song (softly and breathy as only Fluttershy could)

Our two worlds mixed, where are you from?
How did I live without you?
Our destinies fixed, I saw you come...
I just could not look from you...

[Chorus]
I am your friend for the rest of your life,
and no one can take me away...
You are my friend for the rest of my life,
and no one can take you away...
I am you..

My hand in your hand, we fear no wrong,
you know I would never harm you
Whatever may come, our devotion is strong
and your best is all I long for you

[Chorus]

Our friendship is magic, I feel in my heart,
there simply is no explanation
This bond that we feel, so full and so real...
...sobbing deeply...  ..holding tightly...

[Chorus]

Through play and tears...
Through mounting years...
Come what may...
I will always say...

[Chorus]

[Chorus]

~~~~~

When they were done writing the words, Summer asked the two Fluttershys to make up a tune, and and sing it for them.

Fluttershys were normally much too timid for such a thing, but they both deeply loved every single pony in this group, and that seemed reason enough for them to truly want to sing.

After a few minutes, the tune was done, and they sat up and sang it together for the group.  It was absolutely beautiful.  It was hard too...  The Fluttershys were quickly choking back tears...  They had to stop twice and cry some before they could finish it...

This was ok, everypony else was crying too...

When they were done singing it together, everypony was hugging their Twin sobbing deeply...  The Fluttershy Twins just fell to the ground and did the same...

They all cried together for a while like this...

Well, it was just a 'glimpse' anyway...

The entire 'Twins' experience was so, just, 'out of the blue'.  Nopony had any idea that one pony, just making friends in a different world, would un-earth such an amazing Gem...





Later in the afternoon, Princess Cadance began rounding everypony up for the Council of Princesses.  

Before they all went back to the Portal room, Shining Armor addressed the group.  He spoke carefully and deliberately.

The goal of the council was to decide Discord's fate, specifically for his role in the events of the rebellion that placed Sunset Shimmer in power, along with his crimes against Princess Twilight and her friends.

The Council was made up of three Princesses; Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight.

Summer later learned that Princess Cadance had asked to be excused because she doubted her ability to remain objective.  Discord had tortured her for hours to find the location of the Portal.

Aside from the Princesses, Shining armor and the Military Magistrate, only the seven Twins would be in attendence.

Shining Armor soberly warned all present that a review of the timeline of the events leading up to the 'coup' was an important part of the proceedings.  He wanted everypony to be ready for that.

Shining Armor indicated that this would be a Military Tribunal, and that NOPONY should speak unless specifically addressed.

After this careful preparation, Shining Armor lead everypony back to the Portal room.

Princess Cadance, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were already there.





The Magistrate began the proceedings by admonishing everypony present that the truth was more important than anything else.  Regardless how they felt about Discord, justice demanded that they handle him fairly and justly.

As Shining Armor had warned, the Magistrate first reviewed the chain of events prior to and including all of Discord's actions which were his contribution to the coup.

Discord came to Ponyville, went to Fluttershy, then asked her to accompany him to the Library, then asked Princess Twilight to gather the other four.

After Princess Twilight and her five friends were all present, Discord then reminded Fluttershy about her promise to not use her 'Element of Harmony' against him, and she confirmed she would not.

Equestria pony Fluttershy wept, softly at first, for the rest of the council.  Her Twin just held her.

Discord then asked that Princess Twilight and the rest of her friends give him their 'Elements of Harmony" and they refused.

Standing together, without Fluttershy's 'element', they tried to fend off his magic, but quickly failed.

Discord then used his magic to knock them all over, and then he took Princess Twilight's crown, followed by the necklaces of the other four ponies, and then took he took Flyttershy's necklace as well.

Horrified, Fluttershy told Discord that he was not being friendly at all.  Discord just laughed and said "Yes I am, I just have a different, more powerful friend."

Discord used his magic to quickly strip the jewelry away, and simply mounted the six 'Elements of Harmony' as a crown on his head.

Discord then marched all six of them to Zecora's hut, and he asked for the Alicorn Amulet.  Zecora refused, so Discord squeezed this Zebra into successively smaller objects, until she finally told him where it was.

Once Discord had the Amulet, he quickly put it on saying that he "wanted to take it for a spin".

Discord forced Princess Twilight and her friends back to Ponyville, leaving Zecora squeezed into her own work table.

Starting with Applejack, Discord formed huge tombstones, and simply stretched each of the ponies, screaming, across each of their tombstones, alive, and left them to die.

Rainbow Dash flew off at this point.

After murdering both Rarity and Pinkie Pie like this, Discord found Rainbow Dash at a place called 'Summer's Tree', and placed her on her tombstone there.

Discord then murdered Princess Twilight on her tombstone behind the Library.

Discord then took the Alicorn Amulet off, and then murdered Fluttershy on the tombstone in front of her cottage.

Discord then translocated himself to Canterlot, outside Sunset Shimmer's cell.

Sunset Shimmer quickly blasted out, killed some Guards nearby, took the 'Elements of Harmony' and the Alicorn Amulet, magically embedded them in her body, and became a huge monster.

Discord then translocated himself back to the Crystal Palace.

Discord used his magic to remove the Green eye zombie spell from Princess Cadance and tortured her for hours to find the location of the Portal.  Making no headway, Discord finally stretched her alive, across five floors on the back side of the Crystal Palace.

All activity stopped at this point until Summer and the Equestria Girls arrived...  ...Probably less that 8 hours later...

The Magistrate was obviously reading this, and was not very familiar with a lot of the details.

Most of the ponies present had lived through this entire nightmare, and were weeping softly, some loudly...

After a brief pause to consult his paperwork, the Magistrate resumed.

"Discord's deeds were certainly terrible, but the main question of guilt rests on if there was any coercion involved."

"Fluttershy, was Sunset Shimmer present at any time as Discord carried out the events of that evening?" the Magistrate asked.

Equestria pony Fluttershy was a wreck, crying on her Twin's shoulder, and could say nothing.  But her Twin knew, as did both Pinkie Pies.  They all three said together "No sir."

The Magistrate accepted this and continued.  The next question focused on whether or not Discord's attitude reflected coercion, pressure or fear in any way.

"Fluttershy, when Discord first came to get you that evening, was his attitude out of character or reflecting external pressure in any way?" the Magistrate asked.

Again Fluttershy's Twin and both Pinkie Pies said "no sir."

The Magistrate next pointed out that Discord's comments, both the one about taking the Alicorn Amulet "for a spin", as well as his laughter at his own 'more powerful friend' comment, further reflected the fact that Discord was acting on his own, and not due to any coercion from any outside source or influence.

The Magistrate concluded that, according to Equestrian Law, void of any conclusive evidence of Coercion, the law would find Discord guilty.  It was ultimately up to the three Princess to agree or disagree with this finding.

The Magistrate then gave the three Princesses some brief time.  They could talk, they could discuss, they could ask any more questions.  At the conclusion of this brief period, he would ask for their verdict, one at a time.

It was silent in the Portal room for a few minutes, except for the weeping of a number of ponies.

All three Princesses sat motionless, said nothing, asked nothing.

"Princess Celestia, your verdict please" the Magistrate asked.

"Guilty."

Princess Luna, your verdict please" the Magistrate asked.

"Guilty."

Princess Twilight, you verdict please" the Magistrate asked.

"Guilty."

The Magistrate did some writing in the documents before him.  Then he said 'officially':

"The defendent has been found guilty by an honest and impartial council of three Princesses.  His crimes all commend the death sentence, and this is the resultant finding of this Council of Princesses.  This Council is now adjourned.





Very quickly, before anypony even moved, Princess Twilight asked that everypony remain seated.  Then she said to Equestria pony Summer Rain "Summer you have been strangely quiet.  Do you wish to add anything?"

Summer replied quietly with a bow "Yes Princess, if I may."

Princess Twilight said quietly "Summer, you may speak."

Summer slowly walked half the distance towards Discord's Cell.  Her words would be directed at him.

While walking slowly there, she threw herself back on her hind legs, and immediately stood up into her Equestria Girls form.

As she took the next step, her two wings materialized, substantially larger, extending from her back.  They were vaguely outlined in bright blue at first, but then quickly filled in as the light Tan of Summer's pony coat.

They next flattened straight outwards to the side and curved slightly forward...  menacingly...

Everypony saw that her Cutie Mark, though covered with clothing, was glowing brightly.

Everypony then gasped as a large, pure white Unicorn horn materialized on her head, again, first with bright blue outlines, then filled in with a pearl colored hardness.

Along with the horn came a very low, clearly discernable rumbling sound.  It was not loud, but in the confines of the Portal room, everypony could hear it, but more importantly, they could feel it in their stomach.

By now Summer's eyes were closed, her head was tilted up substantially and tears were streaming down her Equestria Girls face.

Summer stopped near Discord's Cell, and put her arms locked straight down at her side, with her knuckles outward in defiance.

"Discord..." she yelled...

It wasn't anger Summer was feeling, it was anguish.  Her voice was higher then normal, she was carrying the pain of others.

...

...

"How could you...

...

...

"The most sensitive pony in Equestria made a promise to you...

...

...

"My sister took a great risk, and promised you something very important, just to show you...  ...she just wanted to be your friend...

...

...

"You brutally forced that promise to be the basis of simply taking what you wanted from her...

...

...

"Then you forced Equestria's most sensitive pony to watch you torture and murder six of her friends...

...

...

"Then you brutally murdered her as well..."

...

...

Summer never opened her eyes during this, still crying...

After a longer pause Summer yelled...

"Please, never again..."

When Summer said the 'g' sound in 'again', she lifted her right heel to --

...

...

...

"Stop!"

It was Fluttershy...  She yelled as loud as she could, but it was otherwise quiet in the room, except for that low rumbling...  Summer would have recognized her sister's voice instantly, anyway...

Fluttershy knew Discord's destruction was coming, some time before she stopped her sister...

Summer had her back to her sister, and didn't see that, as Summer approached Discord, Fluttershy's eyes grew larger by the second...

...

Summer froze...  Her crying stopped immediately, and she opened her eyes and looked down, almost as if she was guessing what her sister wanted...

Without turning around, Summer slowly put her foot back down, but stayed ready...

...

For a minute nopony moved, and only the low rumbling could be heard.

"Yes, Sis?" Summer said quietly.

Fluttershy burst into tears at this point...  "I'm sorry Sis...  I just can't...  I want to know...  I want to hear from Discord before we..."  Then Fluttershy just cried...

For another minute nopony moved...

...

Summer next burst into tears herself...

She lifted her right hand and simply waved her hand at Discord's Cell...

The Magical Shield disappeared...

The Crystal Cacoon disappeared...

Discord was immediately changed from stone back to his normal form...

Summer changed back into a pony, and the rumbling went away...

Everyone gasped at her Cutie Mark though...

It was a large, rapidly rotating, pure white Pearl.  It was rotating slower and slower.  Summer didn't move for a minute, and it was rotating very slowly, then split out into the three drops of her normal mark, and they only then faded from pure white, to their normal colors as their rotation stopped.

Still crying, Summer lifted her head long enough to look at Discord briefly, then she bolted to the balcony, spreading her wings on the way, and was soon gone.

...

Magical beings can often feel their opponent actually charging the magic they would soon cast.

Discord had felt this from the 'people' that faced him, and realized his doom was certain, and the magic he faced was far beyond anything he thought even possible.

Discord was as White as a ghost...  He was scared to death...  His eyes were big, and he was speechless...  He couldn't say anything...  He couldn't move...

...

Princess Twilight spoke first.

"Discord, we know you can translocate, but please don't move.

"The most sensitive pony in Equestria...  The one pony who had the most to lose by offering you her friendship...  The one pony who suffered by far the most from your actions...

"...has gained you a temporary reprieve...

"And the pony that just left, has witnessed, first hand, the disgusting results of your atrocities.  I am convinced she could have killed you effortlessly, and would have in seconds. (Some ponies gasped at this.)

"Please stay right where you are."

...

The Magistrate spoke next, and quickly.

This is a military tribunal, and the verdict has been fully received, we can't just--"

Princess Celestia responded quickly herself.

"Thank you, Magistrate for reminding us if this crucial fact.  This particular situation has been deemed worthy of additional consideration, and we will revert back to the authority of the Military Tribunal when the facts are better known.  Please accept our apologies."

The Magistrate looked over at Shining Armor, who himself was scowling, but he simply nodded back.

"This Tribunal is temporarily recessed" the Magistrate said slowly.  Even as distant from the actual events as the Magistrate was, this did not seem right to him.

...

Princess Twilight said quietly to Princess Celestia "We really can't continue without Summer Rain..."

And Shining Armor walked quickly out the door...





Summer Rain flew quickly up to her 'jumping off' spot up in Cloudsdale, then sat down, and just sobbed...

"Oceans of pain caused by...  How could..."

Summer had already decided she would ignore everypony, she didn't want to talk to anypony...  Period...

...

"Summer..."

Summer opened her eyes...  It was Shysage...

She was quickly hugging him tightly and sobbing...  She didn't know him very well, except that the last stallion she had cried on was him...  And he was the one that had rescued her from monsters...  And he had taken such amazing care of her when she was the most vulnerable...  And he wanted her to help him write her story...

Summer felt like she was intruding, but simply couldn't help it.  In some strange way, she felt she needed him...  Out of all the ponies in Equestria, this is probably the only one she would even talk too right now...  And, Summer felt, he was the only one with answers right now too...

Shysage himself was surprised, and felt it a little awkward, not really knowing what to do.

He had watched all this on his 'scope' thing, and he knew exactly what had happened.  But then, he had also seen, first hand, the terrible atrocities that Discord had committed, that Summer had to face...  Shysage knew exactly what Summer was feeling...

Shysage was quickly crying with Summer, hugging her tightly...

Protective stallion that he was, he had wanted to do this all through her dark journey, but could only watch in horror...

After maybe ten minutes, Summer pulled herself away, and looked at Shysage...  She needed answers...  Still, they were both weeping softly.

"Shysage, you saw all that didn't you?" Summer asked.

"Yes..." Shysage replied softly.

"Shysage, what should I do?  This seems so wrong to me...  After all I had to go through because of him..." Summer cried...

Shysage paused for a minute, then said very quietly

"Summer, trust your sister..."

Summer's crying slowed, and she thought for a minute, then looked into Shysage's eyes long enough to know that he really meant what he was saying.  Well, maybe a little longer.

"You think that is right, even though you don't understand..." Summer said quietly...

Shysage was surprised that this mare could read him so easily...

"Yes..." Shysage again replied softly...

"Ok..." Summer said with a sigh...  "I don't understand either..."

Summer turned to go, then said softly "Shysage, I like you."

Shysage replied, also softly "I know of no other wom-- er, mare who is as committed to true friendship as you are...  I am honored..."

Summer took to the air, and headed back to the Crystal Palace.





Summer landed on the balcony in the Portal Room, maybe half an hour after she had abruptly left.

It looked like nopony had even moved, including Discord.

Well, Summer noticed that Princess Cadance was standing next to Shining Armor now...

Summer walked over to her sister, and started crying on the way...

Still, Summer managed to say "Sis, I will trust you..."

She cried on Fluttershy's shoulder a few minutes, then tried to calm down.  She walked over next to her Twin, and hugged her instead, and wept softly.  Well, they wept softly together.

Princess Twilight spoke next.

"Fluttershy, we want to understand what you want us to do at this point.  You had a reason for stopping whatever Summer was going to do.  What would you like us to do...

Fluttershy was immediately weeping softly.  She realized she was holding everything up.

Still, Fluttershy said "I think we need to hear from Discord...  I want to know why he did that...  I just want to hear his side first, before we--"  Fluttershy was crying and couldn't talk any more.

Princess Twilight turned and walked over to Discord at this point to speak.  The other four Equestria ponies, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie came up and stood next to Princess Twilight, two on each side, then they all sat down; they all faced him together.

Princess Twilight spoke again "Discord, you have heard what Fluttershy wants to know..."

Without pretense...  Without corny jokes or dumb disguises...  Without fanfare or a bad attitude...  Discord replied simply

"I'm so sorry...  Sunset Shimmer lied to me...  She used me to get what she wanted...

Rainbow Dash spoke up quickly "Come on, Discord, you were having a blast when you led us to our doom..."

Discord spoke again, quietly "Sunset Shimmer told me you ponies were just pretending to be my friends so you could master my magic...  Then she told me that the Alicorn Amulet would help me see your lies, and see the truth...  I wanted to know who I could trust, so I put the amulet on.  And I don't know that Sunset did not cast any of her spells on me, either...

Spreading lies to separate friends...  The Equestria Girls all knew that this is exactly what Sunset Shimmer had done to them too, as did Princess Twilight...

And Summer Rain knew, now, that Shysage was right, and her sister was too...

Applejack spoke at this point "Well Discord, what in tarnation are we supposed to do now...  You murdered all of us...

"Yes...  I can only apologize...  I never knew the amulet was so evil...  No one ever told me..."

Shining Armor could contain himself no longer...  He yelled "You tortured my Mare...  ...for hours..."  He stopped here because he had to, he was outraged...

"Yes, and that was so very wrong...  But still, Stallion, you are very handsome...  Would you like to trade bodies with me?  Look at me, I'm a, well, Sunset Shimmer said I looked like a 'Collection of Garbage', and that she couldn't bear to look at me.  She told me the Portal would fix my body, and sent me away to find it..."

Tears actually came to Discord's eyes at this point.

Discord further mentioned "But I doubt the Portal can do that...  And I think everything else Sunset Shimmer told me was a lie too..."

It was quiet for a few minutes.  Everypony knew what Discord had done was abominable.  But Equestria treasured justice, as Summer Rain herself had said.  Whether contrived or not, there was more than a little 'reasonable doubt' after hearing Discord's side...

Princess Twilight spoke next "Discord, what do you think we should do with you?"

Discord replied quickly "Just kill me...  And please do it fast.  I deserve nothing more..."

After a brief delay, Discord added simply "Fluttershy, I'm so sorry for what I put you through..."

Everypony in the room knew that Discord was the 'master of appearance', but still...

Princess Celestia was the one who originally felt Discord could be 'reformed', and she spoke up at this point.

"Magistrate, what are our options as far as some sort of probationary, temporary stay?

The Magistrate replied quickly.  Evidently what he heard had led him to have some doubts himself.

"Probationary Stay requires two components.  First, there needs to be punitive compensation, which basically means he has to work to address the damage he caused, however the leadership of Equestria feels this should be administered.

"Second, every single living, direct victim, and all presiding Princesses must agree to the probationary stay.  It must be unanimous..."

Princess Twilight said softly "Princess, I can answer for Zecora."

At this, the Magistrate made a notation on his documents.

Princess Celestia said quietly "Magistrate, we are ready to proceed."

The Magistrate looked at his documents for a minute or two, then he spoke.

"This Military Tribunal will now address the recommendation of a temporary, probationary stay to the death sentence rendered previously.

"I will call out the names of all of the direct victims and the presiding Princesses.  As I call your name, please either say 'Agree' or 'Disagree', and we will stop at the first 'Disagree' response we encounter.

"Princess Twilight and Zecora"

"Agree..."

Rainbow Dash"

"Bah, Agree..."

"Rarity"

"Agree..."

"Fluttershy"

"Agree..."

"Applejack"

"...Agree..."

"Pinkie Pie"

"Agree..."

"Princess Luna"

"Agree..."

"Princess Celestia"

"Agree..."

"Princess Cadance"

There was a brief delay here...

"Agree..."

"Wait, there's one more, I think, excuse me a minute."

Summer was already crying.  She knew what the answer would be but was still having a hard time with her 'dark journey'...

"Oh here it is, Summer Rain"

Still crying...  "Agree..."

The Magistrate again did some writing on the documents before him, then he spoke.

"The findings of this Military Tribunal have been amended to the recommendation of a 90 day probationary stay of the death sentence.  The accused is remanded to the care of the rulers of Equestria to administer the terms of the probation."

Then he looked at Discord and said sternly "Discord, note please that the guilty verdict is not rescinded, it is merely postponed for now.  Another Military Tribunal will be required at a later date to decide that.  It should be very clear that you must be on your best behavior."

"This Military Tribunal is concluded."





Before anypony had a chance to move, Summer Rain got up and walked slowly towards Discord.

While walking slowly there, she threw herself back on her hind legs, and immediately stood up into her Equestria Girls form.  The rest of the changes proceeded exactly as they had earlier...

As she took the next step, her two wings materialized, extending from her back.  They were vaguely outlined in bright blue at first, but then quickly filled in as the light Tan of Summer's pony coat.

They next flattened straight outwards to the side and curved slightly forward...  menacingly...

Everypony saw that her Cutie Mark, though covered with clothing, was glowing brightly.

Everyone then gasped again as a large, pure white Unicorn horn materialized on her head, again, first with bright blue outlines, then filled in with a pearl colored hardness.

Along with the horn came a very low, clearly discernable rumbling sound.  

By now Discord was again very frightened, almost cowering in fear.

Summer Rain spoke boldly, well as boldly as Fluttershy's sister could.  Still, everypony in the room could hear her.

"Discord, listen carefully..." Summer started.

"WHO you CHOOSE to listen to...

"will ultimately determine WHAT you become...

"Try to remember that..."

"I...  I will..." Discord replied faltering...

Summer then turned quickly away from him, and walked slowly back to her sister, changing back into a pony in the process.

Summer found her sister's shoulder and just cried, sobbing deeply.

She could only hope Discord never hurt her sister again...





Nopony moved in the room for maybe five minutes, as Summer cried on her sister's shoulder.

Without moving, Princess Twilight said "Summer Rain".

Summer quickly ran before her Princess, and bowed on her forelegs.

"Have you been using my Magic?" Princess Twilight asked.

Still bowing, Summer began to cry again "Yes, Princess, I'm sorry... I felt like I had to, like I didn't have any choice..."  Summer was sobbing again...

This was not the response Princess was after at all.  She marvelled to herself that this simple Pegasus mare before her, had no clue...

Twilight said softly "Summer..." and user her foreleg to raise Summer to a sitting position.  Summer was still crying though.

"Summer...  You were using your own magic."

Summer didn't move, but stopped crying, and looked up at her Princess in wonder...

Princess Twilight continued, softly.

"Twilight and I were at the Canterlot Library this morning doing some research.

"The magic that we Unicorns were seeing around you made no sense, it was clearly none of ours, and we would know.

"And no, you wouldn't be able to use my magic when I was dead.

"We didn't find much, but we found this.  Well, Twilight found it, someone had already marked the page in this ancient book.

"This is a copy of a tracing from a tombstone that probably dates back thousands of years."

Twilight used her magic to hold it up for everyone to see.  It was the outline of Summer's Cutie Mark.

Princess Twilight continued.

"The tombstone was for a mare named Shila the Beautiful, but that's not the important part.

"This ancient book is about Pony Magic, and catalogues the various types of magic historically known to exist in Equestria.  This is a book specifically about magic, and is very old.

"This page is at the very end of this book...

"There are some words on this page next to the tracing of the Cutie Mark.  It translates to just five words."

Princess Twilight was having a hard time not crying herself at this point.  She said them as best as she could.

...

...

...

"Phantom Alicorn

...

...

...

...

"Magical Power Unknown"

...

...

...

Princess Twilight was fighting back tears...  She loved Summer...  ...a lot...

...

...

...

"Summer, the night that Discord took away our gems, it wasn't me reaching out for magic, it was your magic trying to help us...

"It wasn't through the Portal either, your magic was trying to use the Twins in both worlds as the bridge between us...

...

...

...

"I felt the same magic as we faced Sunset Shimmer together...

...

...

...

"Summer, there is no magic known to Pony history that is stronger than yours...

...

...

...

"Summer..." Princess Twilight said softly and lovingly...  "This is who you are...  ...the rarest, and most powerful pony to ever walk...  ...to ever breath air in Equestria..."

...

...

...

Summer was still bowing before her Princess.  Shysage had accidentally prepared Summer for this

Through her tears, Princess Twilight started to say something, but Summer quickly interrupted, and spoke slowly and softly.

"Princess please....

"Please don't make me a Princess...

"I already have one Princess, you Princess Twilight...

"And I will love you and serve you until I die..."

Summer's Twin was already at Summer's side bowing, and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie -- the rest of the Twins, immediately joined them.

All Princess Twilight could do was cry...

Princess Twilight tried to hug them all, really she did, and they cried together for a while.

History in the making...  ...never felt so good...

After maybe 30 minutes, Summer stopped everypony and spoke softly to her Princess.

"Princess, can tomorrow be a 'just Twins' day with no other official business?" Summer asked, her head bowed in respect.

Princess Twilight smiled at this Phantom Alicorn and said "It might be hazardous to disagree with you, but that sounds fine."  Princess Twilight had a Twin now too after all.

And they all knew Summer would never do anything to hurt Princess Twilight.

Princess Celestia agreed.  "Tomorrow will be a day just for Twins to be together."





It was dusk now in Equestria, and Air Coaches were waiting outside to take all the Twins back to Ponyville.

Everypony followed Shining Armor and Princess Cadance through the halls down to the main door.  They were soon at the Coaches.

Summer said quickly "My Twin and I are going to Cloudsdale..."

One of the lead Air Coach stallions said "We can't go there miss, I'm sorry."

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna offered to accompany them to 'the city in the sky', it was not that far from the Crystal Palace, just high up in the clouds.  Summer thought her Equestria Girls Twin may need some help.

Summer and her Twin spent maybe five minutes crying on their sister's shoulders.  They each had missed their sisters dearly.

The Summer Twins were soon on the main avenue in Cloudsdale.

Once they landed, both Summers took the opportunity to bow to both these special Princesses.

Princess Celestia left both ponies bowing, and began to speak softly.

"Summer, it is clear that your pursuit of true friendship has rapidly expanded wildly, in amazing good, on both sides of the Portal.  And a lot of this nopony may ever know.  We are all speechless at your accomplishments, arrived at simply by being a friend.

"In addition, nopony could have guessed it would come to this ahead of time, but your pivotal, no, singular role in the rescue of Equestria cannot and will not be overlooked.  Everypony in the realm owes their very life to the compassion, bravery and devotion that you and your friends showed that dark night.

"This startling revelation that you are by far the rarest and most magically powerful pony in Equestria's history will also not be overlooked, although we will probably want to keep that information concealed.  The tactical value of the Phantom Alicorn is that she can appear out of nowhere, and that quality has significant military benefits when needed.

"It might be beneficial to help you learn to use you magic in a guided sort of way, but it is doubtful that any of the Unicorns in Equestria are competent for this task.  Your precious Princess may be the best person for that after all.

Princess Celestia stopped a minute in thought, then continued.

"Such amazing power wrapped in such true humility and amazing devotion...

"You really should be made a Princess, especially since none of the rest of the leaders of Equestria could ever stand against you.  More importantly, your qualities so amazingly, completely exemplify everything that a Princess should be.  But we will let your dear Princess decide that.

"For now, let me just thank you again."

Both princesses began to cry...

"My sister and I are alive because of you...  Our realm is alive because of you..."

Princess Celestia only then drew both Summers up with her leg, and then both Princesses took turns hugging each of them.

They then flew off into the dark, back to Canterlot.





This was the first time that Summer and her Twin were alone.

For a few minutes, they just hugged and cried together.

Euqestria Girls Summer said softly "You are amazing..."

Equestria pony Summer said softly back "I'm just a pony... committed to true friendship..."

Equestria Girls Summer said "...that's why you are amazing..."

Then they just hugged and cried together a while longer.

They were Twins...

Summer and her Twin then headed off down the avenue.

Equestria Girls Summer thought for a moment, then said softly "Shysage?"

Her Twin said simply "Yes."

They were soon walking into his dimly lit house.

He rose to greet them, but couldn't speak, still amazed at the events of the day, and still trying to fight his emotions and record them, what Princess Celestia had just said specifically.

Equestria pony Summer hugged him tightly for a minute, was soon weeping softly, then they left.

Shysage tried to go back to work.

Out the door, Summer's Twin said "mom and dad next?"

Summer replied "Wow Twin you are getting really good at this!"

Equestria pony Summer walked in first, and greeted her parents, and hugged them as they cried a little while.  Summer suspected that they already knew about the events of the last week.

Only then did her Twin come in, and they welcomed her warmly, hugging her as well.  This surprised Summer, evidently they already knew about this part too.

"Can we spend the night here mom?"  Summer asked.

"Sure dear" her mom quickly said.  "You can sleep in here if you want."

"Thanks mom, we will need to leave at Sun-up though." Summer said.

"Thats fine dear, we will be heading to bed shortly too." Mom said.

It was soon dark in Summer's parent's house in Cloudsdale.

Summer lay next to her Twin.

"So Tomorrow, Shysage again?  I don't know any more..."

Summer answered softly "We are going to do his job for him tomorrow, for Twins day, and take his place.  He has been up, probably almost non-stop for maybe two weeks.  He doesn't know it yet, but he is going to get some sleep."

Well, he knew it now.  This was good, he would be up most of the night anyway, still getting down all the details for the Twins Song,  the Council of Princesses, and the revelations that followed.

It had been another amazing day in Equestria, and Shysage had his hands full trying to record everything.
> Chapter 43, Twins, Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Just like the previous 'Twins' chapter, the only fitting background music for this chapter is the 'slow, understated elegance' of 'The Celestial Capital - Al'Taieu'* from the 'Chains of Promethia'* expansion for Final Fantasy XI* (*c2014 by Square Enix).  I apologize again for the interruption -- Shysage.]





Summer and her Twin were up pretty early, and Mom and Dad were too.  They all hugged and cried for a few minutes, then the Summer Twins headed out the door to "the house on the corner".

They were both quickly inside, and let their eyes adjust to the lower light level.

Shysage was still sitting at the 'scope' working.  However, he soon got up, and waited.  Equestria pony Summer gave him a hug then.  He could not tell them apart yet.

Shysage next said softly to Equestria Girls Summer Rain "Your amazing discovery can only be attributed to the simple friendship extended to you by Dawn Flower.  This is simply amazing.  I feel so honored to meet you."

She hugged Shysage tightly for that.

"I have set the 'scope' up for independent tracking of you and the six other Twins.  You will need to fill your parts in yourselves" Shysage said softly.

Shysage pointed to a few buttons labeled with each of the seven Euqestria ponies, and explained that their Twins would probably not be far.

"I have also opened a different text file for each Twin on the Compy so you can quickly switch targets and take notes.

"If you are really bored, I have also opened a single main text file that will ultimately include the entire text for this amazing chapter.

"And thank you Summer.  I am very tired." Shysage said softly.

With this, Shysage walked over to a corner away from the 'scope', curled up on the floor, and was soon fast asleep.





A few things happened within a few minutes of the Summer Twins taking over the record of this amazing day.

First, Summer found a large box thing, which she assumed was some sort of cover for the 'scope'.  She and her Twin simply flipped it over, and moved it up next to the 'scope' and compy.

Next, Summer extended her left fore-leg to her Twin, who immediately touched it with her right fore-leg.  Equestria pony Summer appeared to be the only one who could assume her Equestria Girls form at will, and she did that now.

Her Twin was touching her, and she too turned back into her Equestria Girls form as well.  They looked at each other and hugged tightly for a minute.  Holding hands, they walked up and sat on the box.  Then they interlocked their two adjacent arms so they stayed "people".  They would work this way the rest of the day.

Next, Equestria Girls Summer looked at Shysage's compy and said softly "I will have no problem operating this Summer."

Equestria pony Summer said "Awesome.  Please get rid of all the windows except the one for the final text."

Her Twin said softly, "I'll just 'minimize' them for now..."

Equestria pony Summer didn't understand, but it didn't matter.

Being Twins, they didn't need to talk much, usually only to clarify something pertaining to the difference between their two worlds.  They laughed a lot, and also cried a lot too.  They couldn't link at all until they were done, there would be plenty of time for that.

With Equestria Girls Summer at the Compy, and Equestria pony Summer guiding the 'scope' around from one set of Twins to another, the text of this chapter slowly but fluidly and amazingly took shape.

These Twins frequently thought of the exact same word choices for the phrases as Equestria Girls Summer typed them.  She was very fast at typing.

It also needs to be pointed out that the two Summer Twins were, this day, living out their committment to true friendship.  They sacrificed their day together to help out another, vastly over-worked friend, Shysage.  Even so, the Summer Twins enjoyed every minute together.

What follows is the fruits of their joyful labor.





The label 'Twins' was adopted first by the Equestria Girls to refer to their Equestria pony 'counterparts', even before they ever thought they would even be able to actually meet them.

The desperate journey back to Equestria to rescue the realm saw the permanent adoption of this terminology.  With the exception of Princess Twilight, it was the Equestria Girls alone who could 'rescue' their Twin from their respective tombstones.

Once rescued, each set of Twins would later perform the soul-link as the Equestria Girls sought to share the pain of their Twins by taking some of their Twin's pain into their own souls, easing the Equestria ponies' pain in the process.

The events of the previous day brought a completely unexpected, joyous capstone to the Twins experience, as both Summer and Princess Twilight were amazingly able to meet and experience their Twins.

It should be noted that they were not genetic Twins.  Far more, they were exact duplicates of the other, varying only in exposure on their home world.  This is how the word 'Twins' is used.

Today would be devoted specifically for time for Twins to just be together.  It appeared that, on both sides of the Portal, some precious ponies and people were increasingly looking expectantly to this very day, and more to follow.

The goal was simple.  Each of the Equestria Girls would spend the day, in Ponyville, with their Twin, living the day with their Twin.





Some interesting characteristics of Twins have already been encountered.

Twins frequently do the same things at exactly the same time, in exactly the same way.  This could include crying, sitting, laughing, talking, and so forth.  In addition, the voices of the Twins sound almost exactly the same.  Hearing the Twins both laugh and cry together, for example, could sound very eerie.

It needs to also be noted that the Twins somehow seem to frequently know instinctively and effortlessly what each other are doing or feeling.  This played out as the Rainbow Twins performed a double reverse magical Sonic Rainboom in the midst of a thick, dark cloud.

Since the Twins are from different worlds, what they have been exposed to is different, and the Twins generally respond differently when the subject matter is more known by one then the other.  The rest of the time, Twins usually say the same thing at the same time, and in the same manner.

Equestria pony Summer quickly noticed differences between the personality distinctives of the Equestria Girls compared to the Equestria ponies.

For example,  Equestria pony Fluttershy is extremely sensitive, and it does not take much to hurt her feelings.  She is just that sensitive.  Her Twin grew up in the Equestria Girls world, which involved substantially more pain and hardship in everyday life, and so she developed perhaps a "tougher skin", just because life in her world required it. 

In other words, the distinctives of the Equestria Girls were somewhat 'muted' when compared to their Equestria pony Twins.  Summer hoped that the time Twins spent together here in Equestria would help to minimize that difference somewhat.





Both Fluttershy's were up early, and outside enjoying both the warmth of the sun as well as being surrounded by beloved animals.

The animals seem overjoyed that there were two Fluttershys now.  Both Fluttershy's openly welcomed all of the animals, and none of them were afraid of either Fluttershy.  It appeared that Angel had trouble deciding which one was which, and he ran back and forth constantly.

Equestria Girls Fluttershy thought she was in heaven.  She would do this in her world if she could.  She just sat with her Twin and breathed it all in, enjoying every minute.

At times thoughout the course of the day, the Fluttershy Twins would hug and cry, and soul-link some too.  There was still so much to learn from each other.  All the Twins would do this.

The Fluttershy Twins would not do much talking.  Twins can often sense their Twin's thoughts, and these two incredibly sensative ponies needed to say even less.

They effortlessly enjoyed each other, and the amazing animals around them.

The Summer Twins cried a LOT watching their sisters in their 'element', and had to constantly fight the urge to join them.





Both Rarity Twins would spend the day creating amazing fashion items, for both worlds it seemed.  This happened in the course of Rarity dealing with some of her normal customers, as well as some spontaneous 'let's try this' experiments.

Equestria Girls Rarity quickly fell in love with the introduction of magic into the creative process that was Fashion.  In her world, she had to do everything manually, and it was slow.  She watched in amazement as her Twin used her magic to carefully schedule and automate the entire process of making clothing.  She was amazed.

Artistically they were in lock-step however, and often came up with the same designs at the same time.  The 'Shield Necklace' and 'Dog Tags' were an early indication.  The only difference was in materials used.

Sweetie Belle quickly fell in love with her sister's Twin.  She made Equestria Girls Rarity homesick for her little sister.

By the end of the day, Equestria Girls Rarity had made solid progress in the use of her own magic, she was a Unicorn too in Equestria after all.

Dawn brought Camille over for a while, and as Camille played with Sweetie Belle, Dawn just watched the Rarity Twins in awe...

Equestria Girls Rarity did try to explain "3D Printing" to her Twin.  The whole printing process eluded her, but she did understand that this process made it very easy to actually create the material used for the fashion item.  The 'Dog Tags' were made this way after all.

Even though customers kept the Rarity Twins busy, Equestria pony Rarity still closed up her shop early in the afternoon, and then just wandered in a nearby meadow with her Twin.  It was amazing.





The Twilight Twins were amazing fun to watch.

Princess Twilight was trying to teach Equestria Girls Twilight some basic magic; Twilight Sparkle was a Unicorn in Equestria as well.  They were both quickly surrounded with a huge pile of books on spells, and Twilight was making amazing progress.

It soon became apparent that the soul-link was the fastest way for them to communicate complicated magical details.  The Twilight Twins by far linked the most that day.  It showed, the Princess' new student was learning quickly.

It also became quickly evident that Princess Twilight was never far from the joy of actually experiencing her Twin.  She could not get over that, and was smiling and crying a lot around her Twin, and they hugged often.  It appeared Twilight Sparkle felt the same way.

Equestria Girls Twilight seemed also, inadvertantly, to be bringing the 'phillie' back in Princess Twilight.  Dying had chased that away, but Princess Twilight's Twin was coaxing it back.

Both Summer's cried watching all of this.

And it seemed that Fluttershy was right.  Equestria Girls Twilight had found her Destiny.  She had seen it from afar and dimly for so long.  It was all real now.  She wept a lot too.

Spike just stayed out of their way.





The Applejack Twins enjoyed a long day of hard work at Sweet Apple Acres.

Many of the tasks they did together, and did not need to talk much about what the other had to do, they just knew.

Equestria Girls Applejack knew that they used 'farm equipment' in her world, tractors and such.  While this allowed more to be done, the machines also added another layer of complexity and potential problems to the whole process.

The Apples seemed to accomplish almost as much in their own way here.  The various family members were much more important in Equestria though, everypony needed to help.

These Twins really did get a lot done, and enjoyed each other in the process.

Apple Bloom enjoyed both of her sisters as well.

Still, in the middle of the afternoon, the Applejack Twins took a walk together in the fields.  They cried together, linked some, and talked a lot.

At the end of the day, Granny Smith still did not know which was which.





Pinkie Pie is always in her element around other ponies.  So, having a Twin always at her side amplified the Pinkie-ness in both.

Everypony would always look twice the first time they saw two Pinkies, but would then be amazed that they both usually said the same thing, the same way, at the same time, and with the same huge smile.

The Townsponies warmly embraced both of them, and it was an amazing day of just 'being Pinkie' in Ponyville.  After the last two weeks, and the terrible things Equestria went through, having two Pinkies in town did amazing things for everypony in Ponyville.

Equestria Girls Pinkie was pretty good at Checkers, and almost beat Derpy.

While it didn't come up in this particular day, it does need to be noted that, as far as their 'Pinkie Sense' went, both Pinkies were identical in their abilities.  Their high energy level was the same as well.  They were Twins.

Still, overall, Equestria Girls Pinkie had been exposed to a lot more harshness in her world, and was probably better at enduring difficulty than her Twin.  That was a definite help during their Dark Journey, but it was not a problem now.

At the end of the day, only one Pinkie could call up the Party Canon however.  Maybe these Twins hoped that would change with time.





The Rainbow Dash Twins were either flying in the clouds, or resting on the branch of a tree together.

Equestria Girls Rainbow Dash was still new to flying, and not near as good as her Twin, even though she was improving at a rapid rate.

Equestria pony Rainbow calmly just toned everything down to match her Twin's abilities, just so they could have fun together.

Equestria pony Rainbow spent a lot of the day showing her Twin how she controlled the weather for Ponyville.

Just for fun, they both rounded up two small rainclouds from far away, and dragged them to Town Square to give Ponyville a 'little sprinkle'.  Two clouds might have been a bit much, but the warm sun afterwards quickly dried everypony out.

Equestria pony Rainbow explained some of the fun games she and Summer had devised.  That would have to wait for another day however.

Equestria Girls Rainbow tried to explain 'Soccer' to her Twin.  They actually linked at this point to help Rainbow understand better.  Equestria pony Rainbow said it looked like amazing fun, but she realized that neither could play that game very well as a pony.

Also, around mid-afternoon, the Rainbow Twins flew up to Cloudsdale, walked around a little, then tried to surprise the Summer Twins by waiting for them near Shysage's house.

The Summer Twins guessed Rainbow didn't know anything about the 'scope' and it's abilities.  Few ponies knew about this however.





As dusk approached, the Summer Twins wound down their activities.  Equestria Girls Summer proofed the full file quickly, then saved it, but left the window open.

Equestria pony Summer pressed the button with her name on it.  She planned on a fun return to Ponyville, and wanted Shysage to be able to record it.  She had a few other plans for the evening as well.

Both Summers then held hands, stood up, then hugged and cried softly.  Serving other friends made the day amazing no matter what.

Equestria pony Summer asked her Twin to hold her arm a minute.

This done, she bent over the Compy and at the end of the main chapter file, she typed in "I love you Shysage, you are amazing, I hope you know that."

Her Twin said simply "Oh Summer..."

Equestria pony Summer said slowly "You are right..." and then erased the line.

Then she pulled away from her Twin, and they both rolled forward on all four.

Equestria pony Summer simply walked over, and went to briefly put her nose up against Shysage's nose as he slept.  Summer got very close, but then backed off at the last minute...

They were both soon out the door walking down the Avenue as Dusk turned into night.

Equestria Girl Summer said softly "You know he will see that."

Equestria pony Summer said "I know..." and started crying.

Her Twin just held her as she cried, and Summer intentionally switched them both to their Equestria Girls form.

Through her tears, Equestria pony Summer said "I feel so bad for him Summer...  He could easily run, and cure his pain...  But he should not, and he knows it, and so will not...  All he can do is hurt...  It seems so unfair...  ...and nopony knows how it will all work out..."

They both just hugged and cried together in the dark for a few minutes.

Still crying, Equestria pony Summer said "I just wish I could do more to help him..."

"Just keep being his friend Summer" Equestria Girls Summer said softly.  "My Twin taught me that this is usually the best answer for a lot of things."

As Equestria Girls Summer held her crying Twin, she said "The most amazing thing is that he is from my world.  Men like that are very rare, and usually don't last very long there...

After a few more minutes of crying softly together, Equestria pony Summer calmed down.  She then touched her forehead up against her Twin's forehead.

Equestria Girls Summer said softly "I know...  If it comes to that, he will be worth waiting for...  Still, I hope I can find a man like that too."

Then they walked together, hand in hand, down to the 'jumping off spot'.





Both Summer's were most of the way to the edge of Cloudsdale, where they would leave for Ponyville.  The stars twinkled brightly overhead, it was a clear night, and Equestria pony Summer smiled at this.  She would need to see where they were going.

While walking, and without turning around, Equestria pony Summer said "Hi Rainbow" then started laughing.

"You have got to stop spending so much time with Pinkie!" Equestria pony Rainbow said disappointed.

"I am glad you are both here.  We are going to do something amazing together tonight" Equestria pony Summer said softly.

She directed Equestria Girls Rainbow to her right, then bent over, and used her empty right hand to grab Equestria Girls rainbow's left hoof, and then helped her up to a standing position as they held hands.

With the other Rainbow quickly standing on the other side, they were all in Equestria Girls form.

Hmm...  They needed their wings for this.

Summer's Cutie Mark was the only way she knew to do this, and after a minute, it was quickly glowing at her side.  Mysteriously, they all four had their wings now.

"Girls, whatever happens, DO NOT LET GO!" Summer said, "even after we land.

"We are going to fly up higher, then we are going to simply glide down in a slow curve to Ponyville.  I have done this before, it is amazing fun!"

They all jumped off together, and were soon climbing rapidly.  When Summer knew her Twin was reaching her limit, she guided them into level flying, then said "Ok girls, just hold your wings out straight, and let's settle together into an angle that allows us to lose altitude the slowest.

These four Equestria Girls Pegasi were soon simply gliding down slowly towards the ground.  Summer steered them carefully to Town Square in Ponyville.

Their descent was slow, and would take a while.

They were enjoying every minute doing this together.

What they did not yet see however, was that, since Summer's magic was active, they left behind them a pure white stripe, with dazzling, glowing rainbow edges on both sides, as they slowly glided down to Town Square.

It did not dissipate.

Many of the Townsponies were quickly outside to watch this line from the sky slowly work its way towards them.  It was amazing.  It was beautiful.

Princess Luna was 'on watch', and quickly noticed it, and came to Ponyville herself.

When the airborn Twins were near Ponyville, they were amazed to see many ponies outside at night watching.

Summer was good at this, they landed right at Town Square.  The Equestria Girls fliers were not used to landing in their Equestria Girls form, but they all helped each other land together, and they continued to hold hands.

Then they turned around, and saw what they had left in the sky...

..and just started crying together, hugging tightly.

After about five minutes, Summer said simply "get ready", and both unwound her Cutie Mark and released her hands from the rest.  They were soon back in pony form, and at this point, the stripe in the sky slowly dissipated.

Amazing...

Fun...

Together...

What more could a Twin want?





Everypony just talked there in Town Square for a while, and more of the Twins showed up.

The Fluttershy twins showed up, and sisters quickly and lovingly hugged.

This done, everypony all sat talking.

This was Equestria pony Summer's chance.

She simply did not know if she could actually surprise her Twin, but she tried.

Suddenly, she turned into her Equestria Girls form, and then rapidly grabbed the front hoof closest to her of both Equestria Girls Summer Rain and Equestria Girls Fluttershy, and helped them to their feet.

Equestria Girls Fluttershy and her sister Summer Rain immediately changed into their Equestria Girls form.

...Just like they looked in their own world...

...Equestria Girls Fluttershy and her sister Equestria Girls Summer Rain...

...were now face to face...

They quickly cried out in joy, threw their arms around each other, and hugged tightly, and sobbed deeply on each other's shoulders for half an hour...

They had missed each other...  ...a lot...

Equestria pony Fluttershy simply leaned against her sister, crying herself.  She was so happy for her Twin...

As she leaned against Summer, she also changed into her Equestria Girls form, and just stood up, and just put her arms loosly around her sister's neck from behind, crying quietly.

Well, Summer was crying too..

"If only Dawn were here..." Summer thought to herself. "She really needs to see this..."

Almost on cue, Dawn walked up...  Crying...

Summer was going to say something, but couldn't think of anything that would even remotely convey her feelings.

Timid Equestria pony Fluttershy also knew words wouldn't do.  She reached out and grabbed one of Dawn's front hooves, transforming her also to her Equestria Girls form, and helped her stand up.

Dawn was quickly standing next to the sisters she had helped re-unite.  Dawn was sobbing too...

...

Friendship is magic...
> Chapter 44, Day of Remembrance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Sunset Shimmer took Equestria over, it was like the entire realm quickly and simply went to sleep.

However, in less than 12 hours, Equestria pony Summer Rain and the five Equestria Girls came back, and in maybe 24 more hours, had amazingly rescued Equestria.  That was just two weeks ago.

Ponyville was the starting point for the actual 'resurrection', and the focus then shifted to Canterlot, as Sunset Shimmer was destroyed.

It would be up to two full days in some cases, for the rest of the cities in Equestria to actually be rescued from the Green eye zombie spell by 'the touch of a friend'.

Even after they were rescued, very few ponies in Equestria even knew ANY of the details of what had happened.  They knew nothing of the mere handful of brave mares that stood up between Sunset Shimmer and Equestria's extinction.

That would all change...  ...today...  ...by order of Princess Celestia herself.

There would be no parades, or royal ceremony, even though Princess Celestia would have preferred that for Summer and her friends.  They truly deserved this and more.

But Princess Celestia wanted everypony to know that Equestria was one pony away from oblivion.  It was that harrowingly close.





Ponyville was the initial focus of the rescue, and bounced back quickly as a result.  The energizing presence of seven amazing twins would simply accelerate that process.

The military presence in the Crystal Empire also rapidly restored the Crystal Ponies' home town, and they too were well on the road to recovery.

Under two Princess' direction, Canterlot, with all it's stuff and nonsense, was also rapidly coming back on line.

Cloudsdale was above the magic cloud of zombie-ism, but would have quickly suffered due to a lack of food.  Their food supply was rapidly restored.  Aside from some rationing, Cloudsdale was doing well.

But for the many other towns scattered across Equestria, it was a far grimmer picture.  It would still be a few weeks for the rest of the cities in Equestria to get even close to experiencing a 'normal' day.

Princess Celestia had committed Equestria's military to the oversight of this process.  Even so, the needs were great.

Ponyville lost no foals, thanks to Summer accidentally touching Dawn and Sunny Rays in the midst of the rescue.  After the Magical Rainboom, both these mares ran quickly through Ponyville, and most of this town was free of being zombies by that evening.

Sadly, most of the other cities were still grieving the loss of many precious foals, Equestria's future.  It was heart-breaking.





Already in the morning of this day, not yet knowing what the day would hold, Summer Rain enjoyed her first, and only, rather comical lesson on the use of her magic.  This account is recorded elsewhere ("On a clear day... Wait...")

The rest of this day would hold no humor.

At noon, a Military Pegasus arrived at each city in Equestria.  By royal decree, the evening for every city in the realm would go like this.

At dusk, the Rainbow Twins in Ponyville would perform a Double, Reverse Sonic Rainboom.  This would be seen and heard all over the realm.

Each city would then gather in their respective Town Halls, and the text for the "Day of Remembrance", exactly as written, without any additions or omissions, would be read aloud, by a pony chosen by the Mayor of each city.  Each Military Pegasus brought that text with them.

Any other activities, such as each city might decide on, could take place after this.





Soon after the arrival of the Military Pegasus, Princess Twilight gathered all seven sets of Twins to the Library.  They were all soon sitting, Twins next to each other, before her.  Twilight Sparkle was sitting at her Princess' side.

Princess explained the special purpose given to this day, and outlined the events of the evening, and the Rainbow Twins were both excited and humbled by the honor.

The Ponyville Mayor asked Princess Twilight to select someone to actually do the reading at tonight's ceremony.  Princess Twilight wanted Equestria pony Summer Rain to do this, and Summer simply bowed at the honor, and said softly "Of course..."

Princess Twilight said next that they would plant memorial gardens at the rest of the tombstone sites around Ponyville this afternoon.  Like Rarity said when they did the one for Princess Twilight, it wouldn't be fun, but it needed to be done.

Princess Twilight had mentioned the memorial gardens to the Mayor, and it seemed like half the town was already out in the meadows now, gathering seeds.  They didn't have to do this part.

As a few days ago, only the Twins would be doing any planting.

While weeping softly, Princess Twilight said that they would plant the memorial gardens in the order Summer and the Equestria Girls had actually rescued her precious friends.





At this point, the Mayor came in and said that the seeds were ready.

Princess Twilight and the seven sets of Twins led the way to Sweet Apple Acres.

The Twins all wanted to hold hands -- with their Twins, and with their friends.  They lined up with the two Twilights in the center, with the Rainbow Twins, then the Rarity Twins, then the Pinkie Pie Twins on one side of her, then the Applejack Twins, then the Fluttershy Twins with the Summer Twins on the outside.

Equestria pony Summer Rain transformed into her Equestria Girls form, then reached out and grasped the hoof of her Twin, then helped her to a standing position as she immediately switched forms herself.  This process was simply continued along the line until all seven Twins were standing up together in their Equestria Girls form and clothing...  ...arm in arm...  ...hugging tightly...  ...weeping softly...

They would walk from tombstone to tombstone like this, but would plant the gardens as ponies.





They were soon to the dirt area where Applejack's tombstone was.

A large crowd from Ponyville had followed, and they stood back, and just watched.

Equestria pony Summer knew that the Townsponies simply would not understand what the significance of this spot was, and without even having to ask, her Twin, Equestria Girls Summer Rain walked over to the crowd and addressed them.

"The night that Discord betrayed Equestria, he brutally murdered Princess Twilight and her five friends.  At each of these locations, he formed a large tombstone that rose three stories out of the gound, and was maybe 2 stories wide.

"Discord then simply stretched each pony, alive and screaming, across their tombstone, and left them to die."

Summer was having trouble continuing, but she knew the rest of the story was important too.

"Summer and the five Equestria Girls tenderly and amazingly rescued each of these ponies from their tombstone, and then simply held them, together, as first Princess Twilight, then each of Princess Twilight's friends cried through the rivers of pain they had endured, on their way back to life.

"This large patch of dirt marks the base of the tombstone that Applejack was murdered on..."

Summer could no longer speak, and was weeping loudly.  The Townsponies had heard enough though, and many of them were crying as well.  All the Twins were weeping and holding each other as well, they were here that terrible night two weeks ago.

Princess Twilight and her Twin, Twilight Sparkle, stood with Equestria pony Applejack and her Twin at the spot they actually held Applejack as she came back to life.

The rest of the Twins quietly planted the seeds in the dirt.

This done, the two Rainbow Twins flew off, brought a cloud back, and watered the freshly planted seeds.  Nopony minded the water.

The seven twins then formed back into their line, quickly transformed back into their Equestria Girls form by Summer Rain.

They next gathered in a tight circle, standing next to Applejack's garden and cried together for a few minutes...

As the line unfolded, they then walked to the spot in the meadow which was 'Summer's Tree'.

Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Cadance had joined the group as well, and simply walked in a line behind the seven Twins.  They were soon weeping softly as well.  They had still been dead for this part, except for Princess Cadance, who miraculously arrived just in time to save Fluttershy.

As before, Princess Twilight and her Twin stood with Rainbow and her Twin at the spot where they brought Rainbow back.

The rest of the Twins, as ponies, planted the seeds.

The Rainbow Twins had to water their own garden, but didn't seem to mind.

After that, the seven Twins were back into a circle in their Equestria Girls form, and wept softly next to Rainbow's garden. 

They moved next to Rarity's tombstone, and followed the same general pattern.  Rarity and her Twin wailed loudly the entire time.

After planting seeds, and watering them, they all gathered again in a circle near Rarity's garden and cried together softly.

More of the Townsponies were crying now too.  They had seen these patches in the gound for days, and only now found out why they were here.

Pinkie Pie's tombstone was next and close.  Equestria pony Pinkies' hair went straight while they did her tombstone, and her Twin just held her.

The Rainbows watered her garden, then the seven Twins gathered again in a tight circle, and cried softly for a few minutes.





On that dark night less than two weeks ago, they had to handle saving Fluttershy differently, for a lot of reasons.  This would be similar.

Even before they got to Fluttershy's tombstone, Equestria pony Summer Rain was quickly a wreck, and simply fell to the ground crying before they even got there, tumbling the Twins all to the ground as they changed back to pony form.

Summer had almost lost her precious sister Fluttershy, forever, on that terrible night.  She was almost as hysterical as she was then.

Her twin helped her get there at least.

Next, Fluttershy's Twin, Equestria Girls Fluttershy collapsed into tears next to Summer, as she realized she too had narrowly avoided losing her sister, forever...

Forever is such a long time...

Both Summers and both Fluttershys were laying on their bellies in a tight group weeping loudly, and stayed there the whole time.

Princess Twilight asked both Dawn Flower and Princess Cadance to join them, then the two Twilights did as well.  All eight of them cried together as the rest of the Twins planted the garden.

The Rainbow Twins brought the water, then the rest of the Twins simply joined the Fluttershy and Summer Twins crying...

It would be a while before the Fluttershy and Summer Twins would get back up...

This was the last garden though, this task was done.





After crying, then resting together at Fluttershy's garden for a few hours it was almost dusk.

Princess Twilight moved the seven Twins to Town Square.  Dusk quickly settled over Equestria, and it was time for the Sonic Rainboom.

Princess Twilight suggested that they do the Rainboom in their Equestria Girls form, and with the help of Summer's magic, to lend both speed and magic to the Rainboom, as they had done in Canterlot.

All of the Twins saw the Unicorn horn and felt the rumbling, and simply wondered why they had not noticed it that night.  Some of the Townsponies who were close, gasped and stared as well, but it didn't matter.

The Rainbow Twins performed flawlessly, the Sonic Rainboom was almost deafening, and flew quickly outward radially.  The wavefront was thick purple, followed by a brilliant rainbow section, followed by a white trailing edge.

The Rainboom traveled quickly to the outermost reaches of Equestria, as the Rainbow Twins came back down and landed.

The seven Twins were all soon back in their pony form for the reading.





Moving to Town Hall, the stage was lit, and ponies were already filling the hall.  Still they quickly bowed, then made room down front for the three Princesses, as well as Princess Twilight and the rest of the seven Twins.

Nopony had any idea why all of Equestria's leadership was present here for this.

It was clear there would be more ponies than room tonight.  Ponies just crowded around the doors and opened the windows so everypony could hear.

The Mayor made no official comments.  She told Summer the official text was already on the speaker's platform waiting, and that Summer should just go ahead up to the stage.  It was instantly quiet in the hall as she did this.

It was dark in the audience, but this didn't matter.

Summer realized that just a little over three weeks ago she was standing in the Gym at Equestria High talking to students about true friendship...

Equestria pony Summer Rain moved to the speakers platform, looked at the papers there, and just started reading the text as written.

"Fourteen evenings ago today, two powerful magical foes succeeded in overcoming Equestria's leadership, and took control of the entire realm of Equestria.  These foes were Discord, a strange magical being, and Sunset Shimmer, a Unicorn from Equestria.

"The details of the overthrow are really of secondary importance. However, understanding the results of their take-over is absolutely essential.

"Discord forceably pillaged specific magical 'emblems' from Princess Twilight and her friends.  He then in some cases tortured them, and then he murdered all of them in a disgustingly painful manner.

"This done, Discord supplied these same emblems to Sunset Shimmer in Canterlot, who killed the nearby guards, then quickly, magically embedded the emblems into her body, and became a huge pony monster over three stories high.  She then turned Princess Celestia and Princess Luna into statues.

"The monster that Sunset Shimmer had become, then cast a spell that turned every pony in the realm into Green eyed zombie ponies, barely able to even function on their own.

"In addition, Sunset Shimmer placed a magical, thick cloud up in the atmosphere that ensured that it was always Dusk in the realm.  This thick cloud cover also re-cast the zombie spell on anypony flying through it.

"And Equestria simply went to sleep...

"There was no-pony left in Equestria to rescue the realm...

"If left this way, all the young foals and the entire population of Cloudsdale would be dead in maybe two weeks.  In just one generation, Equestria would be empty...  Our culture, our history, our accomplishments, everything...  ...would simply be lost forever.

[Prescribed intentional pause here]

"Scarcely a week prior to this rebellion, the leadership of Equestria had quietly sent a lone Pegasus mare to a different, potentially dangerous world.  Nopony really knew how successful this mission would even be, and this mare made a great sacrifice to go in the first place.

"This mare found five amazing friends, beings who were amazingly parallel to Princess Twilight's friends in Ponyville.

"Having been in this different world for only seven days, the leadership of Equestria was able to get the following message to this mare, before they too succumbed to the zombie spell.

"The message read simply 'Discord, Sunset Shimmer, Equestria lost' "...

[Prescribed intentional pause here]

Summer had been doing fairly well with the reading up to this point, but that night, this note shook her to the very core of her being, and it did again.

Summer just backed maybe five steps back from the speaker's platform, lay down on her belly and started crying...

She could not go on.

All of the Equestria Girls were weeping softly at this point too.  They were there and read that note too...

After a few minutes of silence, Princess Twilight went up to the stage and tried to take over for Summer.

She found where Summer had stopped, and just continued reading from that point.

"This lone mare brought these five other friends, and as ponies, they all came back to Equestria.  These five friends insisted on coming, even though they had been warned that they very well may die.

"These six brave mares first confronted, then were amazingly able to contain Discord.

"They then made the journey to Ponyville on that dark night, and found the grisly discovery of first Princess Twilight then her five friends, each stretched out across huge tombstones.

"With little else besides just their pure devot--"

Princess Twilight remembered waking up in the Equestria Girls 'people' arms, hearing Summer's voice tenderly, repeatedly calling her back from the dead that night...  Princess was quickly crying...

She backed away, and just lay down next to Summer and joined her.  All the Equestria ponies were weeping now too.

It was silent in the hall for a few minutes except for the sound of ponies crying, ponies that had experienced that terrible night.

Princess Celestia was hoping to be able to just watch, and certainly wasn't expecting this, but she took to the platform, found where Princess Twilight had stopped, and continued reading.

"With little else besides just their pure devotion, these six brave mares succeeded in bringing Princess Twilight and all her five friends back, from the dead, it seemed.

"They were also able to rescue one of Princess Twilight's other friends, as well as the Captain of the Guard, who then rescued Princess Cadance.

"A growing group of military guards escorted Princess Twilight and this lone mare, along with 10 friends, to Canterlot to confront Sunset Shimmer.

"For the final confrontation with Sunset Shimmer, these twelve mares bravely approached the monster that Sunset Shimmer had become...  ...alone...

"Together, their magic was successful in destroying Sunset Shimmer.

"After her defeat, they made another grisly discovery.  Sunset Shimmer had turned both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna into huge statues facing aw--"

The prospect of forever facing away from her dear sister had destroyed this rock of a Princess that night, and only Princess Cadance' quick link had allowed them both to fight their way back.

Princess Celestia and her sister both cried a lot that night, and she was crying again.

Princess Celestia simply backed up, lay down next to her student, and wept softly.

Except for the sound of more weeping ponies, it was quiet in the hall.  There seemed no one left to come forward.

After maybe five minutes, a quiet stallion's voice could be heard in the darkness of the audience.  He started reading where Princess Celestia had stopped.

The audience didn't care who this stallion was, it didn't matter.  They all knew they needed to hear this.

"After Sunset Shimmer's defeat, they made another grisly discovery.  Sunset Shimmer had turned both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna into huge statues, facing away from each other.

"Once the statues were turned to face each other, Princess Cadance, Princess Twilight and these other mares were able to coax Equestria's leaders back from the dead.

And with this...

The monsters were vanquished...

Our leaders were rescued...

Equestria was rescued...

And as you can see, Equestria will live on...

"But it was a terrifying, horrifying night for six brave mares who came from a different world to rescue the realm.

"And only...  ...ONE...  ...of them was a pony from Equestria."

[Prescribed intentional pause here]

"On that dark night...

"Our world...

"Our culture...

"Our very lives...

"Equestria was just this one pony away from oblivion...

[Prescribed intentional pause here]

This one pony...

This mare who came back and rescued us...

It does not so much matter who this mare is, as much as it matters what she is.

She is deeply committed to Equestria, to her friends, to her Princess...  ...to true friendship...

She is a true friend...

That was one of the main reasons she was sent on the dangerous mission to a different world to begin with...

Ponies don't like to be told how to live, and that is not the goal here.

However, everypony in Equestria needs to hear that it was a simple mare, deeply committed to these things...

...that stood up one scary night...

...between Equestria and Forever...

[Prescribed intentional pause here]

Please leave quietly tonight, and be grateful beyond words that a mere handful of brave mares "stood in the gap"...  ...for you...  ...for those around you that you both love and hate...  ...and for Equestria...

Please reach out as well to those stallions and mares that have lost Foals, they need us all right now.  Our future will hurt for a while, they will be missed.

This reading is done.





Many ponies were weeping at this point, and the ponies in the hall began to get up and slowly leave.

They quickly heard a very important Princess say "Just a minute please."

Princess Celestia was at the Speaker's platform, still wiping tears away.

Everypony within earshot stopped where they were and bowed immediately.

Princess Celestia left everypony bowing.

Princess Celestia had cleared the text that Shysage had written.  However, in hindsight, she felt it a serious lack to not acknowledge the role Summer had played.

Princess Celestia had warned Shysage that the Phantom Alicorn aspect need to stay out.  Maybe that was why he had left the one pony anonymous.

Princess Celestia felt compelled to at least acknowledge that "on pony" now.

Princess Celestia assumed a very serious tone, and spoke, even fighting back tears as she did.

"I approved everything that Canterlot Recorder Shysage wrote, then partially read tonite.

"In restrospect however, failing to acknoledge Equestria's 'one pony' who rescued the realm, with the help of five other true friends, seems completely unfair to this brave mare, especially because she lives here in Ponyville.

"After we introduce to this mare, please arise at that point, and leave quietly as Shysage suggested.

"That one, brave mare, who 'stood in the gap between Equestria and Forever' was Fluttershy's sister, Summer Rain."

Some knew this, many just gasped...

Princess Celestia then walked from behind the platform to the edge of the stage and sat down.

Princess Twilight said to Summer "You need to at least join Princess Celestia", and she helped Summer up.

Summer was still crying, and Princes Twilight helped Summer over next to Princess Celestia, to a seating position, then loyally sat next to her friend, and was soon joined by Princess Luna, who sat next to Princess Twilight.

Summer could sit up no more, and quickly lay on her belly on the floor again, and continued to cry.  All three Princesses quickly joined her.

As soon as Summer lay down on the stage, the entire audience did too, wherever they were, and were soon weeping softly with Summer.

The rest of the Twins quickly joined Summer on the stage...

Someone turned the stage lights off at this point, but it didn't matter.

For almost two hours, Ponyville again mourned their close brush, but more importantly, simply cried with those that had even made 'today' possible.  That was Princess Celestia's goal.
> Chapter 45, Through a Foal's Eyes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the morning after the 'Day of Remembrance'.

Camille, Dawn Flower's foal, awoke in the morning after a good nights sleep, then yawned and stretched.

Before long, she noticed an alarming sound, she heard her mom crying.

Camille got up and walked quickly from their room to the larger room at the back of Dawn's Floral Shop where they lived.

Camille walked over to her mom, who was still crying, and started to tear up herself.

"Are you sad mommy?" Camille said, concerned.

Dawn pulled her daughter close with a hug, and said "No Camille honey, mommy is just so very, very happy..."

Camille looked up at her mommy, confused.

Dawn tried to calm down so she could try to explain.  In fact, she tried to even figure out how she would explain.

"Camille, you know my good friend Summer right?" Dawn asked.

"Yes mommy, but it looks like you have two good friends named Summer now, right?" Camille asked a little puzzled.

"Well yes, that's right" Dawn said with a smile, they really were both her good friends now.

Dawn then stopped and thought a minute.  This part was important.

"Camille, the second friend named Summer is from somewhere else" Dawn said, testing if Camille would understand this.

"Oh, so she is from another city maybe?" Camille replied.

"Yes, something like that" Dawn answered.  Dawn herself didn't know much about the Portal or what was beyond anyway.

Camille understood this much however, and Dawn realized that her daughter could probably grasp the rest.





The Fluttershy Twins and the Summer Twins were up in Cloudsdale this morning, visiting Equestria ponies Fluttershy and Summer's parents there.  They had taken the Balloon Taxi up, it is doubtful the Fluttershys could have made the flight themselves.

It was well worth it, the visit was amazing, and their parents cried seeing their two amazing girls together again.

They were more than welcoming of the Equestria Girls Fluttershy and Summer, but their focus was clearly on 'their girls', and that was fine.

After they left, Summer wanted to drop in and say hi to Shysage, of course.

As they all walked through the door, Summer quickly realized that Shysage was crying.

Summer didn't understand this stallion.  He seemed to cry almost as much as Summer herself did, which was very different, on either side of the Portal it seemed.

Shysage motioned Summer over to watch his 'scope' thing.  Then Summer realized why he was crying.  Her friend Dawn was talking to her foal Camille about Dawn's role in rescuing  'Corn', Equestria Girls Fluttershy's 'dead' sister.

As soon as Summer realized what was going on, she quickly hugged Shysage, then said "Girls, we need to get to Dawn's as fast as possible..."

Nopony asked any questions as they ran down to the edge of Cloudsdale nearest Ponyville.

The Rainbow Twins were there waiting.

"Summer what's up, both Pinkies told us to come here right away" both Rainbows said at once.

"Thank you Pinkie" Summer said out loud.

"Rainbow, I'm so glad you are here...  We need to get to Dawns shop right away.  We will need to glide down, and I think the two Fluttershy's will need help." Summer explained quickly.  "I would hug you all because you deserve it, but we need to do this fast."

It was Rainbow then Fluttershy on the edges with the two Summer's in the middle.  Summer had her Cutie Mark going, and they were all quickly in their Equestria Girls form and had their wings.

"Ok. lets go."

They jumped a little, flapped their wings, and were quickly on a slow glide down to Ponyville.

Both Fluttershy's shrieked immediately, but everyone just held hands tightly, and they were soon gliding with the rest.

Summer knew they were leaving and amazingly beautiful trail, but that didn't even matter right now.

The wind was behind them, so they were able to rapidly descend to Ponyville, and soon landed in fair form outside Dawn's shop.

Summer turned her Cutie Mark off, and they all turned back into ponies as they released hands.

Both Pinkies were already standing outside.  They both said quietly together "we will tell you when to go in."

Nopony moved or talked, this was an amazing opportunity.





"Camille, you know that our friend Summer has a Sister, right?" Dawn asked next.

"Yes, that's Fluttershy, she is very quiet, but very nice, I like her" Camille said.

"And you have seen both Fluttershy's, right?" Dawn asked again.

Camille thought a minute "I think so, but the other one is from a different city, right?"

"Yes Camille.  The problem was that this other Fluttershy had a sister, but they thought her sister had died." Dawn said.  She knew this may or may not make sense to her daughter.

"But Mommy, that would make her very sad, right?" Camille said as tears began to form in her eyes.

Dawn was stunned, her precious daughter understood far more than she realized.

Dawn was trying to decide where to go next, when both Fluttershy's walked in.  As her Twin stood against the back wall, Equestria Girls Fluttershy sat next to Camille.

"Camille, I was very sad..." Fluttershy said softly.  Fluttershy tried to say more, she had planned on saying more, but she started crying, and couldn't speak and really couldn't help it...

Both Summer's came in at this point.  Equestria Girls Summer walked over and sat next to her sister, as her Twin stood next to her sister against the wall.  Equestria Girls Summer so wanted to just hold her sister, and cry with her, but she knew what she had to do.

Equestria Girls Summer put on her 'surly' voice as best as she could, she was near tears.

"Camille, the first time we met, was I nice to you?" Corn/Summer asked with the old 'surly' voice.

Camille recoiled at this voice, and got up and backed up a little.

Camille said with a guarded tone "No, you were mean..."

Summer switched back to her normal voice and said quietly "Yes Camille, I was...

After a brief pause, still trying not to cry, Summer said softly.  "Camille do most ponies go back and talk to somepony that was mean to them?"

Camille quickly replied "No, I didn't want to go back, but my mommy did.  She heard you crying..."

Equestria Girls Summer could control herself no longer, and she hugged her sister, who was still crying...  They were both soon crying loudly...

Through her tears, Equestria Girls Summer said "Camille, if your mommy didn't come back and talk to this mean pony named Corn, I never would have found my sister..."

Neither of them could say any more, and just cried on each other's shoulders.  Their Twins were doing the same thing...

Dawn was also near tears, but she said to her precious daughter "Camille, if I didn't go back and be nice to a mean pony named Corn, Fluttershy would never have seen her sister again...

"...but we did go back and talk to her...

"...and so Fluttershy has her sister right next to her, right now...

"...and that makes me very very happy..."

Dawn was soon crying tears of joy with Equestria Girls Fluttershy and Summer Rain...

Camille thought a minute, then ran to her mommy's side, crying...

"That makes me happy too mommy..."
> Chapter 46, Thankful for What We Have
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Hi, it's me Shysage.  The next chapters all focus on the Twins.  As a result, if you can, please cue up 'The Capital City -- Al Taieu'* from the Chains of Promethia* expansion for Final Fantasy XI*, *=c2014 by Square Enix.]





Helping Dawn's Foal understand the way true friendship worked in her mom's simple efforts to befriend 'Corn', Summer's Twin, was just priceless...

After crying for a while, everypony wandered out into the street, just talking.  It was around noon, and a very nice day.  All the rest of the Twins soon left to have another fun day doing 'Twin' things together.  Summer couldn't blame them.  Summer was hugging her Twin at the moment too.

Summer noticed that a few stallions were working on the building next to Dawn's shop.  She had noticed this run-down building before; it had looked deserted.  It was not looking so run-down any more.

"Dawn do you know what is happening with this building?" Summer asked.

Dawn laughed, then said "Maybe you should ask that stallion behind you."

Summer turned around quickly, it was Shysage.  He read her mind, and replied quietly.

"Its my new house Summer.  I'm moving all my stuff down here.

"Princess Celestia felt that, since so much of what I am now recording is happening here in Ponyville, it would just be easier if I could be closer to everypony.

This really makes a lot of sense.  The addition of everyponies' Journals also means that I may occasionally need to double check, and just being here will save me a lot of time.

"And by the way, your story is also a sanctioned Canterlot work now, so I, er, we have a an important reason to finish it.

"They are adding an extra room for you, so we can work together on it, then you can sleep when you want to.  I don't think I'm allowed to sleep though.  Besides, Volume 4 of Princess Celestia's commentaries is also..."

Shysage just stopped and sighed...

Summer gave Shysage a hug, then said "Thank you Shysage.  I can't wait..."

Summer turned to her Twin next "Can we head to Twilights?  I have an errand to run.

Her Twin just said "necklace, check" and laughed, and they headed off across town for the Library.





Summer actually knocked at the Library first, and Princess Twilight quickly said "Come in please".

Everypony hugged everypony.  

Equestria pony Summer asked both Twilights to come sit facing her.

Summer then transformed into her Equestria Girls form.  Summer was soon weeping softly.

Summer gently took the 'Shield Necklace' from her own neck, and carefully placed it around Twilight Sparkle's neck.  Then she gently kissed Twilight Sparkle and then her Princess on the forehead.

Summer changed back into pony form, and then both Summers bowed...  weeping...

They both loved their Princess...

Then they both got up and walked quickly out the door.

Princess Twilight was soon weeping too, but she realized that Twilight Sparkle didn't understand the significance of this simple gesture.

"Twilight, the night we fought Sunset Shimmer, all the other Twins had already traded their necklaces with each other.  They loved each other dearly, even then, and were embracing each other's worlds...  and their pain too...

"Right before the battle, I stopped Summer, and we traded necklaces as well, because we just had not done it yet...  It was deeply moving...  She is so amazing...  I had her necklace, and she had mine...

Princess Twilight was crying now...

"And she just now gave you, the necklace that I gave to her that dark night...  ...just like the other Twins...  ...You now have my shield necklace..."

The Twilight Twins just cried together for a while...

In the midst of that, Princess Twilight said through her tears "Summer will give until she has nothing left..."

They cried a little more, then went back to work on magic.





"Get your wings out girl, lets go find Rainbow" Summer said.

They were soon in the air over Ponyville, and the Rainbow Twins quickly found them.

They landed at Summer's Tree.

"Lets play Shadow for a while maybe?" Summer suggested.

They all knew how to play by now, they were Twins.

"But no hiding in clouds" Rainbow said with a laugh.

They played this for the better part of the afternoon.  First, they played with only one leader, but it was too easy for the Twin to know what their Twin was doing.  For the rest of the afternoon, they just played this game two on two.  It was amazing fun.

They were about to play 'Town Square', but Princess Twilight found them and asked them to gather everypony to the Library.

Rainbows headed to Applejacks, and Summers headed to Fluttershys.

In Equestria Girls form, the Fluttershy and Summer Sisters walked together, hugging, back into town to find the Pinkies and Rarity's.

Everypony was soon back at the Library, and in pony form, sitting next to their Twin.

Princess Celestia was there as well.

For a brief minute, Equestria pony Summer was afraid they were going to make her a Princess, but the topic was even more serious.  It would be time to leave in a few days, and they needed to plan that part...

Princess Twilight handled the discussion with the Twins.

"If I understand correctly, your 'Spring Break' is just a week, well 9 days including both weekends, correct?"

The Twins all frowned, and the Equestria Girls all nodded yes.

Ok, well today is the fourth day you have been here, if I count correctly.  So, we have six days left, is that correct?

The Equestria Girls all nodded yes again.

"Princess..." Equestria pony Summer said.

"I...  I...  We would really like to play Soccer with Rainbow and the Twins.

"Also, I really should be present with my Twin for both Principal Celestia and Fluttershy's parents.

"I know it's dangerous, but can we all go back the day before School starts, and all be together in the Equestria Girls world for a day?  Then I can come back the next day maybe?  ...please..."

Summer was weeping softly at this point.  She couldn't help it...

Princess Twilight looked over at Princess Celestia, who simply nodded.

Princess Celestia spoke at this point.  "This will probably be fine.  I will insist that Shysage accompany you all however.  And Summer, you are to remain with him at all times."

Summer just bowed before Princess Celestia "Yes Princess... and thank you Princess..."

Princess Twilight then said in summary. "Ok, so the Twins have five more days here, not counting today, then another day in the Equestria Girls world.  Then we will have to return.

There was a brief pause, then Summer spoke up again, but timidly.  Princess Twilight, can we all spend the night here tonite?  The Equestria Girls and I did that the week before we came, and it was amazing to all be together like that.

"That does sound amazing Summer, lets do it" Princess Twilight said.  "And we have five nights left, we can stay at one of the Twins homes every night."

Princess Celestia quickly added "Canterlot will provide meals for your evenings as well.  The realm treasures each and every one of you."

Everypony was so excited at this.





After a break in talking, Princess Celestia broke in and said simply "Summer Rain."

Summer quickly ran over to Princess Celestia, and fell to her knees bowing.  Summer's Twin didn't know quite what to do, so she just followed her Twin and bowed before Princess Celestia.

"I do feel bad that the state of Equestria will prevent us from a more formal recognition of what you and five other brave mares did for Equestria.  The Day of Remembrance certainly helped everypony at least know what happened at any rate.  And the book you and Shysage will write, will make a lot of the details known.

"And please know that, if I have any say, you will be made a Princess.  It is not if, so much as it is when."

Summer tried to softly protest here "Princess please, I--"

Princess Twilight walked slowly up to Summer, and drew both of them to their feet.  Then she spoke softly.

"Summer turn around please, and look around this room.

"Do you know what I see?  I see eleven precious treasures...  I love all eleven of these special ponies, and I would die without even one of them, you know that.

"Summer, you brought them all back to me...

"Summer since that first day when we met at the tree...  you have been doing nothing but giving... ...everypony in this room...  ..half of Ponyville...  ...and now all of Equestria...  ...because you gave...

Well the Twins were all weeping softly in agreement.

Princess Twilight was crying, and trying to think...  It wasn't working...  She just walked up and hugged Summer tightly and started crying.  Summer was already crying.

"You are so amazing..." Princess Twilight said through her tears.

They both cried together for a few minutes.  Then Pincess Twilight pulled herself away, and said  "Girls, you have five more days to show Summer how much you appreciate her."

Princess Twilight directed Summer and her Twin to sit back with the rest of the Twins, and Princess Celestia left.

Princess Twilight spoke.  "Girls, I have a serious concern at this point, and I want to hear from you.

"The whole reason I sent Summer to the Equestria Girls in the first place, was to show the Equestria Girls that they were all close to my heart.  I...  I want to see what we can do to help you all stay close, to each other, to Equestria, to us.  I don't know how to do that.

"I think that once a day, for the next five days, we will all gather together and talk about this more, so please be thinking about that.

Princess Twilight then said softly "I hope you all know that I deeply love each and every one of you.  I so want us all to stay close, regardless which side of the Portal we are on."

After a minute of silence, Princess Twilight said 'Twin up' girls, lets go to the Cakes for dinner.

They were all soon on their way.

Summer and her Twin walked slowly, she needed to talk a minute, and the others were soon far ahead.

"Twin, I'm scared...  I feel like I have this growing hole inside me...  I'm not trying to make it grow, but it is anyway, and I'm not sure how to stop it.  I think the monsters started it but I don't know...  I just don't know what to do."  She was weeping softly at this point.

Equestria Girls Summer put her head up against her Twin's head...  Then she sighed.  "Well, Shysage needs to know, maybe he will know something.  But I think you will just need to wait and see..."

"I hope I can..." Summer said through her tears.





Dinner was very good, and they were soon back in the Library.  Summer noticed the patched hole in the wall, smiled, but said nothing.

Everypony was soon all laying together on the floor.  All the Twins were together, just talking softly.

Equestria pony Summer sighed, then slowly shook her head sideways and said softly "Five days is too short..."

Summer's sister and her Twin were next to them, and she heard this, and sighed herself, then said "Ya..."

Summer's Twin said softly "Well we should be thankful for the time we have."

"You are right" Summer said as she planted her head next to her Twin's head.  They were all soon fast asleep.
> Chapter 47, Equestria in our Hearts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Princess Twilight requested, all the girls met together for a while during each of their last five days in Equestria.  Their goal was to come up with a plan to help the Equestria Girls 'stay close', to their Twins, to Princess Twilight, to Equestria.

The Equestria Girls knew that the 'tyrany of the urgent' flew madly in their world.

They generally did this task late afternoon, since Summer indicated that was the time they had gathered together after school.  All the Twins now knew about the times Summer had gathered these girls together.

The first day they did this, Princess Twilight thought it might be good to actually break up into the two groups that would ultimately be split up after the last day.

This turned out to be a very bad idea.

The Equestria Girls met in the Library.  They decided on who their primary leader would be (both Twilight Sparkle and Summer Rain), but got nothing else done.

The Equestria ponies were in Rarity's Boutique, and pretty much just cried together the whole time.

When the Twin's all got back together, they quickly found out, then they cried too.

From that point on, they all met together.  They did everything together.





It was decided that the Equestria Girls would keep the first three volumes of Princess Celestia's commentaries that were in Fluttershy's apartment, and would read from them as they desired.  When both the fourth volume and Summer's story were available, that would be brought to the Equestria Girls as well.





'Summer Break' was a few months away, and they would plan a longer return visit at that time.  This would give everypony something to look forward too.





Every few weeks, a few ponies from Equestria (probably Summer, Shysage and somepony else maybe) would visit and see how everything was going.  Hopefully any problems would be able to be handled in this way.

Princess Twilight felt strongly that the Equestria ponies needed to take the initiative to 'stay close' to the precious Equestria Girls.





They all agreed that, should any issues arise, the Equestria Girls should feel free to send a note through the Portal as they had done in the past.

Princess Twilight would mention to Princess Cadance to specifically keep her eye out for such things.

The Equestria Girls likewise would keep an eye out for messages in the front of the Portal every morning as they headed into school.





Even so, while away, it was really up to the Equestria Girls to work together, and look out for one another.

Summer had done an amazing job bringing them back together, and everypony realized that it would be up to the Equestria Girls to keep this 'comraderie' going.

They should try to eat lunch together, and continue to meet together after school.





Princess Twilight cried as she said this.  She wanted each of the Equestria Girls to realize that her love for them didn't vary depending on which side of the Portal they were on.  She wanted the Equestria Girls to always try to rememeber that, and conduct themselves accordingly.





Remembering Summer's experience, the Equestria Girls must always stay by 'twos' at least, and more if possible.





Summer surfaced Fluttershy's special needs specifically.  Summer knew her Twin was already with her in this, but when Summer couldn't be with Fluttershy, the group needed to work out other arrangements.

Pinkie quickly volunteered to have Fluttershy stay with her, whenever she wanted to.  The others said the same thing.

Fluttershy very much appreciated that.





Everypony thought that it might be a good idea for the Equestria Girls to spend a weekend at Applejack's farm, sort of a 'retreat', whenever it seemed necessary, but probably once a month at least.





Overall, they all realized that they couldn't change what the Portal was or the separation it generally caused.  However, they fully appreciated what they had in each other, and just would have to find a way to make everything work.

It would be difficult.
> Chapter 48, Games Twins Play, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The time spent each day preparing the Equestria Girls for life back in their world was like a constant reminder of the approach of the inevitable.

However, the Twins had five days to enjoy each other, and to enjoy Equestria, and they tried.





The Rarity Twins made everypony a new 'book bag'.  They were modeled after the one Rarity made for Summer, but the colors varied for each set of Twins, and the Cutie Mark matched the Twins as well.  They all looked stunning.

Equestria Girls Rarity reminded the Equestria Girls that Summer's bookbag had simply been changed into a 'Backpack' by the Portal, and this should still work fine.





They played 'Town Square' a few days that week, usually in the mornings.  Twins had to stay together, and no magic was allowed.  It was simply amazing fun.  No set of Twin's emerged the consistent winner.  Even the Fluttershy Twins won once.





The Summer Twins had Rarity die a section of both their hair Purple, just like that one day three months ago now.  They then looked for Quizical.  He was first amazed that their were two Summers, but was soon laughing that they both had Purple hair.

Next, Summer said he was right, she did go to a different ''planet', but he just looked at her funny.

Both Summer's gave Quizical a big hug.

Quizical's Mom started crying when they were done talking with Quizical however.

It seems that Quizical's Mom was a friend of Sunny Rays, and also had a sister in Ponyville that had a colt two weeks before Sunset Shimmer took over.  After the Sonic Rainboom, Sunny found Quizical's Mom, who quickly rescued her sister.  The colt survived, but the following week was scary for them.  The colt pulled through.  Quizical's mom just cried...  It could have been a lot worse...





Summer and her Twin flew to the Crystal Empire for the morning of the fourth day.

There were still a number of ponies in every city that were Green eyed zombies.  The Equestria Guard fenced off special areas in each city for them.  They were fed and cared for, but unless a friend turned up, nopony knew how long they would stay zombies.

The other reason that they were all gathered together was so that ponies who thought they might be able to rescue one of them knew where to look.  They were all in one place.

Equestria Girls Summer Rain was convinced she could at least rescue a few from the Crystal Empire.  As 'Corn' she was treated poorly there, but she just hoped for the best.

Summer and her Twin actually gave up most of one of their remaining days together to do this.  That was fine, they were true friends, and this needed to be done.

Well, long story short, Equestria Girls Summer rescued half of the zombies in the Crystal Empire holding area.  The ones she rescued were amazed, at a lot of things, but listened intently as Equestria Girls Summer Rain explained true friendship to them, and described some of the things it had done in her life.  She encouraged them to seriously consider chosing the road she herself had chosen.

Maybe it did help that Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were watching the whole thing.  It was their city after all, and they were elated that fully half their remaining zombies had been rescued.

And they didn't have to fly back; Shining Armor had an Air Coach take them back to Ponyville.





Everypony spent the night at Rarity's boutique once, then back at the Library the remaining two nights.

Everypony loved everypony, but each new day brought the inevitable closer.  It was just hard...

The last of the five days, the Twins all just wandered off around Ponyville somewhere, and spent time with just their Twin.  The exception was the Summer and Fluttershy Twins, who spent the day at Fluttershy's cottage just being together.





The five days were done, all too quickly...

The evening of the fifth day, Air Coach rides got everypony to the Crystal Palace, and they were led back to the room across from the Portal room.

Nopony was smiling.

They spent that night there.

After joining Princess Cadance for breakfast, everypony was soon in the Portal Room.

One at a time, Princess Twilight and seven sets of Twins began heading through the Portal.
> Chapter 49, Twins, Part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All fourteen Twins quickly cleared the Portal, and were back in the Equestria Girl's world.

Most of the Equestria ponies almost fell, but those already through quickly helped them up and guided them out of the way.  However, since Summer Rain had repeatedly transformed all of these friends into their Equestria Girls form while they were in Equestria, nopony had any trouble walking, or soon running.

Even so, the Summer Twins came through last, followed by Shysage.  Equestria pony Summer kept constant track of where Shysage was from then on.  She stayed close to him if she could.  This world scared Summer, and for good reason.

They decided that Summer would lead the Equestria ponies out to the bleachers while the Equestria Girls went to Fluttershy's apartment to get their stuff.  They would then come to the bleachers as well.

All fourteen Twins were soon seated on the Bleachers next to the Soccer field, Twin with Twin.  There were some frowns in the group.  The day would end with separation, and everypony knew this.

Still, this was fun, and a very new experience for the Equestria ponies.  They were looking around quite a bit, just trying to take it all in.  It really was so different in a lot of ways.

Either they or the Portal had timed things correctly, maybe both; it was Sunday, maybe around noon.

As the Equestria Girls Fluttershy and Summer sisters returned to the bleachers and sat with their Twins, Equestria Girls Fluttershy mentioned that she had sent a text to her parents simply asking them to meet her at the Soccer field.  Equestria Girls Summer Rain began to weep softly.  As far as her parents knew, she was dead.

Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie asked her old friend Twilight if she felt the trip had been worth it.  Twilight simply put her head down on Princess Twilight's shoulders and cried.

They chatted for a few minutes, then Fluttershy said "they are here..."

Equestria pony Summer was crying now too, but she had her Twin sit on the bottom of the bleachers with the rest of the Twins in front of her.

Summer and Equestria Girls Fluttershy, both crying, approached Fluttershy's parents as they walked towards the group.

Summer and Fluttershy both hugged both parents, and Fluttershy's mom asked why they were both crying.

Summer could barely speak, but she managed to say "we brought you a present from my world."

The next thing they saw was their 'dead' daughter running towards them and collapsing into tears in their arms.

The whole family just cried together for a while.  Fluttershy's mom kept saying over and over "It's a miracle..."

They cried together for maybe 30 minutes, then Fluttershy's and Summer's mom approached Summer.

"You must be an angel...  How can we ever thank you..."

Summer's Twin ran over to Summer at this point, and they hugged and cried a few minutes, then Summer tried to say "Just let her come see me..."

Summer's parents looked at the both of them.

Both Fluttershy's came over at this point as well, then all four hugged and cried.

Summer had to add "And Fluttershy too..."

Summer's mom said slowly "I don't understand what I'm seeing, but I think I like your world..."

At this point Equestria pony Summer quickly bolted off across the field.  Shysage was concerned, and followed, but he soon stopped.

Summer ran up to Principal Celestia and Principal Luna.  They were headed to their offices for some reason.

Summer asked that they come over to the group.  They needed to see both Summers or neither would be trusted.

Summer's Twin was sitting with her family on the edge of the bleachers at this point, and they were all still weeping softly.

Once they got close to her Twin, Summer said to Princess Celestia "We found the real 'Summer', she was in Equestria."

Summer couldn't say anything else.  Principal Celestia and Principal Luna had both fallen to their knees weeping.

Evidently it wasn't just Summer that they saw.  They both realized that all seven Twins were here, right before their very eyes.

After crying a few minutes, Principal Celestia and Principal Luna moved to the bottom bench of the bleachers, sat down, and asked that everyone gather round Summer, then she spoke.

"Summer, the other day I asked you if you were from Equestria, and you said you were.

"Sunset Shimmer was from there too, so I didn't think much of it, even after Princess Twilight defeated her, then returned to her world.  Sunset Shimmer soon returned through the Portal too.

"But Summer, I found the police reports from Summer's wreck, and I knew that there was no way you could be her.

"It became clear to my sister and I that there were two Summers...

"One evening after your return here the second time, my sister Luna and I went through the Portal that we watched Princess Twilight use.

"Princess Cadance quickly called for the two Princesses that were..."

Principal Celestia almost couldn't finish...  ...she was choking back tears...

"... our Twins..."

Both were crying now, but soon Principal Celestia continued.

"My sister and I spent maybe eight hours there.  Princess Celestia watched you Twins 'soul link' I think, and we did that too...  It was amazing...  I honestly hope we can go again at some point.

She looked right at Summer.

"Summer, I have you to thank for this...  If you had not come here, we would have never met your Princesses, our Twins.

"Summer, when I linked with Princess Celestia, I was awestruck at all you accomplished...  ..just by valuing and practicing simple friendship... ...and Princess Celestia saw that same thing in everything you did here as well.

Principal Celestia began to speak very sofly at this point.

"Summer I saw how much Princess Celestia treasures you...  I saw what was on her heart.  She was not able to do this, but I will for her."

Principal Celestia next got up and walked maybe 40 feet from the bleachers and asked Summer to follow.  Then she asked Summer to stand facing the bleachers.

Principal Celestia said nothing, but walked back maybe 20 feet towards the bleachers, turned around to face Summer, and bowed down on her elbows towards her.  In less than 20 seconds, everyone had joined her.

Principal Celestia simply said "Summer, you are amazing..."

Summer transformed herself into her Equestria pony form, fell to the ground crying as a pony, then said through her tears, over and over, "I'm just a pony..."

Noone moved or made a sound for maybe two minutes.  Well Princess Twilight and her girls were all weeping softly too.

After a few minutes, Fluttershy's mom got up and walked over to Summer, and stretched out her hand.  Summer changed quickly back into her Equestria Girls form and Fluttershy's mom helped her up.

"I still think you are an angel, and it seems that you have an amazing capacity for giving, and bringing good and happiness wherever you go.

"And there is no way I know of helping you see how much it means to us that you have brought our daughter back to us, from the dead it seems.

"And all these 'Twins'...  All of Fluttershy's friends, there's two now...  I have never in my life seen such love and devotion...

"And it all seems to be the result of what you have given us...

"Thank you."

Then Fluttershy's mom gave Summer a hug, and cried deeply on her shoulder, and they were both soon crying.  Everypony just gathered around and joined them.

After a little while, Principals Celestia and Luna found the Twilight Twins and cried with them.  Princess Twilight loved her two Princesses dearly, and to actually meet their Twins was amazing.  Besides, the sisters were overjoyed at meeting Princess Celestia's amazing student as well.

Oh, and Pinkie was taking pictures like mad through this whole thing on her cell.
> Chapter 50, Games Twins Play, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was not a lot of the afternoon left, but they made time to play some Soccer.

Fluttershy had picked up the ball from her apartment.

Both Principals and Fluttershy's parents stayed for this part too.  Nopony wanted to leave.

The first, short game would pit the Rainbow Twins against the Summer Twins.  It was amazing fun, all four laughed the whole time, and they called the game at 5-5.

They next tried the game with all seven Twins, placing the Equestria Girls against the Equestria ponies.  This round didn't last long.  The Twins all knew what the other was doing, and it just wasn't working.  Neither team came even close to scoring, and the game just became tedious, so Princess Twilight stopped it.

For the last game they just split the Twins up.  Rainbows, Pinkies, Rarities and Fluttershys against the Summers, Applejacks, and Twilights.  It was a close game, and the sun went down at 3-3 so they quit.

Fluttershy's and Summer's parents ordered 'pizza', and so everypony just sat in the bleachers, waiting for it to arrive.

Everypony knew what would soon happen, and nopony was smiling any more.  It would be hard from this point on.

Still, the meal was good, and they all thanked 'mom and dad' for it.

After the meal, 'mom and dad' needed to talk to their daughters.  Ordinarily they would have taken Summer and Fluttershy home for some much needed time together.

Fluttershy's mom was starting to understand what she was seeing between all these girls, and realized that their would be plenty of time later for family.

Summer also explained Fluttershy's extreme difficulty with being in her apartment alone, and so they let both girls stay for tonight, but warned them that they would probably be spending some afternoons with their special daughters to 'get caught up'.

Then they hugged their daughters and their daughter's Twins, and cried some more, then left.

Principal Celestia spoke briefly with the Summer and Fluttershy Twins.

"Am I correct that the Twins are all going home tonight?" she asked.

Equestria pony Summer looked down then said "Yes, we will return to Equestria tonight" and then promptly teared up.

Principal Luna hugged first Summer then Fluttershy tightly, as her sister said softly "Summer that is probably best.  Having to explain both of you tomorrow at school would not be easy.  I anticipate seeing you again in the future anyway."

Principal Celestia then hugged both Summer and Fluttershy.

Principal then addressed Equestria Girls Summer and Fluttershy "Girls just follow Fluttershy's schedule tomorrow, and I will let you know what we will decide.  Summer has some catching up to do."

The two Principals hugged them both as well. then worked around the group hugging the rest of the Twins, taking a little extra time with the Twilight Twins.

They were soon gone as well.

It was dark outside now.

Princess Twilight said, crying, "To the Portal Girls, I'm sorry..."

All seven Twins soon stood at the Portal crying with their Twins for maybe fifteen minutes.

Then Princess Twilight started sending the Equestria ponies back through.  This was simply heart-breaking.

Princess Twilight sent Summer and her sister through, then she asked Shysage to come last, then Princess went through.

Equestria Girls Summer stopped Shysage briefly before he went through.  "Shysage...  I think being abducted has triggered this in my Twin, but she both really needs you and increasingly wants you.  I don't know what to say..."

Shysage thought a minute, then replied quietly "Your input means a lot to me Summer, thank you.  She is absolutely amazing, well you both are.  But you also know that she is very damaged.  I am committed to being her true friend no matter what.  But beyond that we will just need to see how everything works out.  And I am scared for her...  And honestly, I think I want her too...  My options are just limit--"

Shysage had to stop a minute here.

"By the way, I wish I had a brother for you, you certainly deserve a good man.  They are just so painfully rare here..."

"Thank you Shysage." Summer replied.  Then she smiled and said "I understand what my Twin sees in you."  Summer gave him a hug, then said "Until we meet again."

Shysage was quickly back in Equestria.





Every one of the Equestria Girls Twins were weeping softly now.

Summer and Fluttershy were crying on each other's shoulders too.

Before they even moved, Twilight Sparkle said "Can we stay in someponies' place together tonight?  I really think we should stay close.  I think we will need each other a lot in the next few days.

Fluttershy's apartment was closest, and all the sleeping bags were there, so they headed there.  It was tight, but they were quickly all ready for bed and in their own sleeping bag.

Everypony was still weeping softly.

Twilight said softly "Girls, I am so glad I came with you precious ladies.  Coming back to this world will be tough, but I will always treasure my time in Equestria, and look forward to being able to return.

"But we have to make it through how ever many days we have until that time comes.  I hope I can count on your help for that, I know I will need it.

"I love you all, I hope you know that.  Princess Twilight asked me to tell you girls that every chance I got, but I mean it too."

Twilight was weeping softly now too.

Their weeping soon trailed off as they drifted to sleep.





Each of the Equestria ponies were a complete wreck soon after clearing their end of the Portal.

Three Princesses were there waiting, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were also quickly weeping as Princess Twilight explained the meeting with their Twins.

It was late, and Princess Cadance led the group down to the Air Coaches waiting in front of the Crystal Palace to take them home.

On the way through the halls, Shysage mentioned to Summer that his new house was ready, and that maybe Fluttershy and Summer could sleep together there.

He thought of inviting the whole group, or suggesting that they all stay in one place, but Shysage didn't feel that was his place.

Still Summer and Fluttershy decided to stay together at Shysages' house for tonite.

Shysage knew it would be a rough night for everypony, no matter where they stayed.  Summer and her sister would have each other, Shysage had at least worked that much out.

Tomorrow would just be tough...
> Chapter 51, Friends in Need, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

[There is no background music for this chapter.  Except for the wind rustling through the grass, it was dead silent.  -- Shysage]

Princess Twilight and the six other Equestria Ponies had returned through the Portal last night.

This was the beginning of the first day for these seven ponies, without their amazing Twins...  It would be a hard day...

Princess Twilight had left her Twin too, and felt terrible.  She knew the rest of the girls felt the same.

Princess Twilight headed into town early, and gathered Rarity and Pinkie Pie.  She found Rainbow, and sent her off to get Applejack.

Princess Twilight and two ponies headed to Shysage's house, next to Dawn's Shop, to get Fluttershy and Summer Rain.

Princess Twilight entered, and Shysage immediately bowed.

"Shysage please arise, where is Summer and Fluttershy?" Princess Twilight asked softly.

Shysage sighed, and said "They went to her tree, Summer is trying to do a mental evaluation, I think.  I'm not sure ho--"

"Girls lets go" Princess Twilight said quickly.

Shysage pressed a button on his 'scope' thing and followed them.





Summer and her sister walked quickly out to 'her tree'.  Summer did not sit under it as she usually did, but intentionally sat next to one of the short sides of Rainbow's memorial garden.

Summer loved all these special ponies, and honored them every chance she could.

Summer was soon sitting, eyes closed, head slightly up.  Tears were soon trickling slowly down her face.

Her sister was laying on her belly at Summer's side weeping softly.  Fluttershy missed her Twin too...

Summer would do this entire evaluation out loud.  She generally paused between each paragraph.  During this time, she was usually weeping softly, and thinking.  Words that are cut off, she simply had to stop for a while before continuing.  I don't think this was very easy...

...

"I think, it is maybe 5 moons and maybe a week since I was commiss--     ...at this spot...

"So much...  ..has happened...

"I clearly did the right thing, and would do it again given the chance.  I just didn't know it would be so har--

"I am more thankful than words can ever say, that Princess Twilight and these special ladies took... ...me--"

Summer stopped and cried a little here, still amazed at this.

She also knew that Princess Twilight and these same special ponies were not far behind her now.  She could also sense others near, but still didn't move, and her eyes remained closed, and her head slightly up...  ...weeping...

Princess Twilight understood that Summer shared Twilight's pursuit of organization, and that Summer had to do this.  Princess Twilight would repeatedly, softly say "Girls stay here, she needs to finish..."

Summer continued.

"The first four moons were amazing...   ...simply amazing...  ...so many...  ...new friends...  ..and I didn't even know, but that would later save--"

She stopped here and cried some.

"At four moons...  I le--  I had to leav--

"That was so hard...  My sist--"

Princess Twilight said softly at this point "Please come here Fluttershy", and Summer knew her Princess was now holding her sister.

Summer heard Fluttershy weeping too.  Even so Fluttershy said softly through her tears "I love you Sis..."

WIthout moving, Summer just said back softly "I love you too Sis...

"But I had to go...  ..even if it was hard...  ...because I love my Princ--

"I needed to go...  ..was the only one who cou--

"But it was so hard...

"I met Fluttershy's Twin at the other side...

"I think I needed to meet her firs--

"I think she needed me too, a lot, cus she--"

Both Summer and Fluttershy were crying loudly at this point.  Summer had rescued Fluttershy's Twin from 'giving up' and whatever that would have meant...

"Fluttershy was amazing, just like my sister...  I miss her...  My Twin--"

Summer stopped and cried here some too.

"Fluttershy and I went to play Soccer, and Rainbow--  She came...

"We played together, it was so...  ...fun..."

Rainbow Dash was weeping softly now too.  She saw this part through her Twin.

"Soon Applejack and Pinkie came...  ..like I never lef--"

Both Applejack and Pinkie were crying softly now too.

"Rarity was so mad at me...  ...She screamed at me...  ...It was all my fault, and I told her so...  ...I wanted so much just to be her friend...  She said yes...  We cried...  ..together..."

Rarity was sobbing too...

"Girls I love you so much" Summer said at this point...

"They welcomed me...  Why...  I...  They all helped me...  They didn't even know me...  ...but they loved my Princess..."

Twilight was crying now too...

"School was amazing...  So many new friends...  Summer's reputation was...  I don't know...

"But I was even there bacause of true friendship...  But Princess Twilight's friends were already true--    They helped me a lot...

"But I got to talk to the whole school about true friendship...  ...that was amaz--"

Few knew about this.  Summer cried here too...

"They sent you a picture...  ..their idea...  ...they loved each of you, called you their Twins...  Didn't even know yet they would come...

"We read out of Princess Celestia's commentaries some, they so enjoyed that..

"They all had Cutie Marks, so we talked about it one ni--

"Then that note..."

Summer was sobbing deeply at this point...

"I had to come back...  ..told them that...  I just had too...  My home...

"They wouldn't let me come alone...

"So we all...  ...came back...  ...to resc--

"Discord was...  He tried to kil--"

Summer stopped here and cried some.

"But we put him in that cell thing...

"Princess said it wasn't hers...  but I couldn--   ...I don't know...

"Spike helped us get...  ...down...

"It was always scary dusk...  Everywhere ponies with Green eyes...

"Sunset yelled once at Rainbow...

"So scared...  We cried...

"Took the train to Ponyville, we slept a little...  Then...  Princess' tombst--  ...terrible..."

Summer paused again and just cried loudly a little while.

"Thought we were too la--"

She cried here too, this was just gut-wrenching...

"We all just loved her back to life I thin--"

Summer cried some more.

"We found Shining Armor, and rescued...  he ran off..

"Applejack's tombstone...  Rarity's...  Pinkies...  Rainbows...  All my fr...  ...friends...  ...loved them back too...

"Then my sister...  I couldn't hel--  So scared--  Thought it would never wor--"

Fluttershy pulled free from Princess Twilight, and was quickly at Summer's side again crying...

Summer was crying too... She put her closest front leg around her sister's neck, hugged her close, and kept going...

"Sist--   ...almost go--   Princess Cadance sav--"

Summer was wailing for a minute, this was so painful...

Princess Cadance was now weeping herself...

"Thank you Princ--" Summer said through her tears...

Then Summer cried for a while more...

"Princess' friend Zecora was next...  Terrible, how could...

"Twins kept doing soul link, taking pain from my friends...  I don't deserve...  How could I...

"We moved to the train...  It was a slow ride...  We slept...

"Then had to go face...  ...terrible monster...  ...was so loud...

"Just knew Princess would die...  So scared...  Had to rescue...  Pinkie said go...  ... so loud..."

Summer again stopped here and cried loudly.

"Very scary, we had to get order right...  ...could easily die...  ...Never been so scared...

"Finally shield back...   all safe again..."

Summer paused and just cried a bit more here.

"Just some time...  Sunset Shimmer dead...

"We just held each other...  ...loved each...

"Princess Celestia and Luna, statues facing away..."

Summer heard both Princesses sniffling too.

"Turned them and just loved them back after Princess Cadance sav--

Summer paused here crying too...

"Rainbows did sonic thing...  Equestria safe again...

"Had to go back though with Twins...  Needed time to...

"I was so torn...  I so deeply loved both sets of Twins, on both sides of the Portal...  Still...  Hurts so much..."

Summer sobbed for a little while here.

"When we got back to their world, we picked apples...

"Monday night I got tak--    taken...  monsters...  How could they...  ...ruined me...  ...shattered me...

There were a lot of gasps, nopony knew this part.

Summer actually stopped here and cried a few minutes.

"Twins were so scared...  Stayed up all night..."

Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, all five were sobbing at this point.  They saw this horrible night through their Twins.

"Almost shot me...  ...Never been so scared...  Shysage sav--"

Summer cried a minute or two here too.

"Shysage...

"We drove back...  ...together... and I wrote some on my story, it was so fun...

"Just felt so broken though...

"Pinkie found Twilight Sparkle...  All I could think...  ..my Prince--

"Dawn found my Summer here too...  My Twin..."

Dawn was crying...

"Thank you Dawn... Than--  Just being a friend...  ...Thank--"

Summer also cried here for a little while.  She loved her Twin...

"Came back...  all together...  Oh our Twins...  ...so amazing...

"Then had to go... so sad...  ...didn't want to leav--   ...so torn..."

Summer paused here briefly, weeping softly.  She kept her eyes closed however, and her head still slightly up.

"My are friends all here...  ...with m--

"I love you all so very much..."

...

Some have called this 'decompression', a process of actually working back through a very difficult time, again, to allow a ponies' thinking to actually adjust to the events endured.

Summer did that for her Princess and five close friends, and others present as well.  But in the process had utterly emptied herself, as Princess Twilight guessed.

Few saw these small details, which happened very quickly.

Summer stopped talking at this point.

Summer stopped crying too.

It was quiet.

Summer fell to the ground, and simply whispered "Shysage", it was barely audible, it was all she had left.

Shysage saw this coming, had already moved, and was laying on his belly facing her.

He simply reached one of his legs forward and just set his hoof on Summer's hoof, and then whispered back "Summer, I'm right here."

And with this, Summer relaxed.  Though emptied, she knew she was safe with the one who had rescued her from monsters.  That was enough.

Summer herself...  ...rescued  by the touch of a friend...

Friendship is magic...

...

Soon after she collaped in the grass, Summer began to weep softly.

Immediately Princess Twilight and her five girls crowded around Summer, holding her, and just stayed close to her, and cried with her for a while...

A little over five moons ago, Summer Rain met Princess Twilight and her girls, under this very tree.  The events that soon unfolded would deeply impact this very circle and far beyond.

This wasn't just Summer's story any more.  It was their story too...

Who would have thought that true friendship would make so great a difference...

...

...

...

Maybe three weeks later...

The Chronicles of Summer Rain, Vol. 2 -- Homecoming
> Chapter 52, Thanks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you read this story through, thank you.  I hope you feel the time you spent was worth it.





Thank you Hasbro for this amazing series called 'My Little Pony' Gen III, that you have caused to flourish under your tent.

I don't understand a lot of the animosity I am hearing.  Hasbro exists to make Billions, and in the process, they can invest Millions on the series we love.  We should be all over that.

Besides, regardless what anyone else says or feels, at the end of the day, Hasbro continues to pay the bills for MLP, and I have not run into anyone else who can.

Rock on, Hasbro.





Thank you Lauren Faust.  The characters of this series are largely your handiwork, and they are all amazing (except Gelda).  Wherever you are, I hope you are not far from MLP.





Voice Actors you are amazing too.  I doubt I will ever meet any of you awesome ladies, and would probably either cry (Fluttershy) or bow (Princess Twilight) if I did.

But I hear all your beautiful and memorable voices in my head for every piece of dialog I write.  That is almost scary.

Your dedication to your characters has given amazing longevity to MLP.  I hope you are all well-paid.  You deserve every penny.

Rest assured that adjusting to new VA would be very painful, to me anyway.

Thank you again.





Writers, you probably feel pressure more than anyone else.  Even so you are creative and brilliant.  Relax, keep the peace, and keep up the good work.





The entire 'Twins' phenomenon in this story blows me away.  It is literally amazing, and quickly grew light-years beyond where I thought it might go.

The only Twins that the Equestria Girls movie surfaced were the main five.  I knew early on that Summer's Twin ('Corn') would be added as well.

I saw an amazing picture of a very good 'earth' Twilight on FimFic, and realized on the spot that I had to surface Princess Twilight's Twin, Equestria Girls Twilight Sparkle.  That one step amazingly rounded everything else out.  Whoever you are that drew that, thank you.  Equestria Girls Twilight Sparkle meeting Princess Twilight for the first time is priceless...  Well that whole chapter (41) is...  And it simply would not have worked if Princess Twilight did not have a Twin as everypony else did.





Lastly, a disclaimer.

I think I might know what good writing is.  It grows while constantly folding back on itself, bringing the past into the future, all while constantly rewarding the reader for their effort.

Actually writing like that usually takes hundreds of hours of very careful planning, start to finish.

I work full time, and have a lot of other responsibilities.  I don't have time for such careful planning.

This is what I did.  I grabbed a box with a 1000 piece puzzle in it, and shook it for fifteen minutes.  Then I carefully poured it out, a little bit every day, and watched in awe as the pieces basically fell right where they belonged, and this amazing story, amazingly took shape.  I can't explain that.

Volume two of Summer's Chronicles looks to be shaping up the same way, but is proving more challenging.

I know that some of this story contains both spelling and terminology errors.  I'm just scared to change anything because of how it all happened in the first place.  Besides, every time I go back and read what I have written, I cry...





Friendship is magic.  I hope we are all trying to live that out.  I am convinced this dark world will be a better place if we do.

-- Shysage
> Chapter 42, The Council of Princesses (original)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is the original version of Chapter 42, The Council of Princesses





When Equestria pony Summer Rain woke up the next morning, everypony else was up, including her Twin.

Equestria Girls Summer was laying on her belly facing Summer, with a Fluttershy on either side.  They were all waiting for Summer to wake up.

"Hi Summer" Equestria Girls Summer said with a smile.  Three special girls...  They all got a big hug.

Everypony else was already up, and mostly talking with their Twin.  Both Raritys and both Pinkies were in a group talking together.

Both Twilights were gone however.

Princess Cadance came in, and led them all to a nice breakfast in a different room.

Everypony enjoyed the meal, even the Equestria Girls.

After breakfast, Princess Cadance took everypony for a walk, that ended in a large meadow near the Crystal Palace.

They all spent the better part of the day wandering around, enjoying the calmness and beauty of this place, together.

At about noon, Princess Twilight and her Twin rejoined everypony else, and the Summer Twins hugged them both.

Summer spent most of the day with her Twin, and they talked a lot.  For a large part of that time, both Fluttershy's joined them.  It was an amazing treat.

Everypony laughed.  Everypony cried some too.

Time spent with Twins is priceless.





It was about mid-afternoon.

Equestria pony Summer wanted to write a song to try to capture just a glimpse of the 'Twins experience'.  She knew a 'glimpse' would be all she could accomplish, the amazing joy of being with your Twin was just so deep and complete.

Summer just leaned gently against her Twin, and Equestria Girls Summer seemed to amazingly, immediately, and effortlessly sense what was on her Twin's heart, that they needed to write a special song together.

Both Fluttershys were with them at this point as well.  They may have even sensed this too...  ...maybe because they were both incredibly sensitive...  ...maybe because they were the Summer's sisters...  ...maybe both, who knows.

The four of them found Princess Cadance, then asked if they could have some means to write with.  

Princess Twilight overheard what the Summers asked, and so she volunteered to write the words for the Summer Twins with her magic.

When the paper, ink and quill were ready, Princess Twilight then called everypony over.

They would do this as a group.

They would all stay in their pony form for this too.

Before long, all seven sets of Twins were laying on their bellies in a tight group...  ...crying...  ...helping with the words of the song...

This was a special song...

~~~~~

Twins Song (softly and breathy as only Fluttershy could)

Our two worlds mixed, where are you from?
How did I live without you?
Our destinies fixed, I saw you come...
I just could not look from you...

[Chorus]
I am your friend for the rest of your life,
and no one can take me away...
You are my friend for the rest of my life,
and no one can take you away...
I am you..

My hand in your hand, we fear no wrong,
you know I would never harm you
Whatever may come, our devotion is strong
and your best is all I long for you

[Chorus]

Our friendship is magic, I feel in my heart,
there simply is no explanation
This bond that we feel, so full and so real...
...sobbing deeply...  ..holding tightly...

[Chorus]

Through play and tears...
Through mounting years...
Come what may...
I will always say...

[Chorus]

[Chorus]

~~~~~

When they were done writing the words, Summer asked the two Fluttershys to make up a tune, and and sing it for them.

Fluttershys were normally much too timid for such a thing, but they both deeply loved every single pony in this group, and that seemed reason enough for them to truly want to sing.

After a few minutes, the tune was done, and they sat up and sang it together for the group.  It was absolutely beautiful.  It was hard too...  The Fluttershys were quickly choking back tears...  They had to stop twice and cry some before they could finish it...

This was ok, everypony else was crying too...

When they were done singing it together, everypony was hugging their Twin sobbing deeply...  The Fluttershy Twins just fell to the ground and did the same...

They all cried together for a while like this...

Well, it was just a 'glimpse' anyway...

The entire 'Twins' experience was so, just, 'out of the blue'.  Nopony had any idea that one pony, just making friends in a different world, would un-earth such an amazing Gem...





Later in the afternoon, Princess Cadance began rounding everypony up for the Council of Princesses.  

Before they all went back to the Portal room, Shining Armor addressed the group.  He spoke carefully and deliberately.

The goal of the council was to decide Discord's fate, specifically for his role in the events of the rebellion that placed Sunset Shimmer in power, along with his crimes against Princess Twilight and her friends.

The Council was made up of three Princesses; Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight.

Summer later learned that Princess Cadance had asked to be excused because she doubted her ability to remain objective.  Discord had tortured her for hours to find the location of the Portal.

Aside from the Princesses, Shining armor and the Military Magistrate, only the seven Twins would be in attendence.

Shining Armor soberly warned all present that a review of the timeline of the events leading up to the 'coup' was an important part of the proceedings.  He wanted everypony to be ready for that.

Shining Armor indicated that this would be a Military Tribunal, and that NOPONY should speak unless specifically addressed.

After this careful preparation, Shining Armor lead everypony back to the Portal room.

Princess Cadance, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were already there.





The Magistrate began the proceedings by admonishing everypony present that the truth was more important than anything else.  Regardless how they felt about Discord, justice demanded that they handle him fairly and justly.

As Shining Armor had warned, the Magistrate first reviewed the chain of events prior to and including all of Discord's actions which were his contribution to the coup.

Discord came to Ponyville, went to Fluttershy, then asked her to accompany him to the Library, then asked Princess Twilight to gather the other four.

After Princess Twilight and her five friends were all present, Discord then reminded Fluttershy about her promise to not use her 'Element of Harmony' against him, and she confirmed she would not.

Equestria pony Fluttershy wept, softly at first, for the rest of the council.  Her Twin just held her.

Discord then asked that Princess Twilight and the rest of her friends give him their 'Elements of Harmony" and they refused.

Standing together, without Fluttershy's 'element', they tried to fend off his magic, but quickly failed.

Discord then used his magic to knock them all over, and then he took Princess Twilight's crown, followed by the necklaces of the other four ponies, and then took he took Flyttershy's necklace as well.

Horrified, Fluttershy told Discord that he was not being friendly at all.  Discord just laughed and said "Yes I am, I just have a different, more powerful friend."

Discord used his magic to quickly strip the jewelry away, and simply mounted the six 'Elements of Harmony' as a crown on his head.

Discord then marched all six of them to Zecora's hut, and he asked for the Alicorn Amulet.  Zecora refused, so Discord squeezed this Zebra into successively smaller objects, until she finally told him where it was.

Once Discord had the Amulet, he quickly put it on saying that he "wanted to take it for a spin".

Discord forced Princess Twilight and her friends back to Ponyville, leaving Zecora squeezed into her own work table.

Starting with Applejack, Discord formed huge tombstones, and simply stretched each of the ponies, screaming, across each of their tombstones, alive, and left them to die.

Rainbow Dash flew off at this point.

After murdering both Rarity and Pinkie Pie like this, Discord found Rainbow Dash at a place called 'Summer's Tree', and placed her on her tombstone there.

Discord then murdered Princess Twilight on her tombstone behind the Library.

Discord then took the Alicorn Amulet off, and then murdered Fluttershy on the tombstone in front of her cottage.

Discord then translocated himself to Canterlot, outside Sunset Shimmer's cell.

Sunset Shimmer quickly blasted out, killed some Guards nearby, took the 'Elements of Harmony' and the Alicorn Amulet, magically embedded them in her body, and became a huge monster.

Discord then translocated himself back to the Crystal Palace.

Discord used his magic to remove the Green eye zombie spell from Princess Cadance and tortured her for hours to find the location of the Portal.  Making no headway, Discord finally stretched her alive, across five floors on the back side of the Crystal Palace.

All activity stopped at this point until Summer and the Equestria Girls arrived...  ...Probably less that 8 hours later...

The Magistrate was obviously reading this, and was not very familiar with a lot of the details.

Most of the ponies present had lived through this entire nightmare, and were weeping softly, some loudly...

After a brief pause to consult his paperwork, the Magistrate resumed.

"Discord's deeds were certainly terrible, but the main question of guilt rests on if there was any coercion involved."

"Fluttershy, was Sunset Shimmer present at any time as Discord carried out the events of that evening?" the Magistrate asked.

Equestria pony Fluttershy was a wreck, crying on her Twin's shoulder, and could say nothing.  But her Twin knew, as did both Pinkie Pies.  They all three said together "No sir."

The Magistrate accepted this and continued.  The next question focused on whether or not Discord's attitude reflected coercion, pressure or fear in any way.

"Fluttershy, when Discord first came to get you that evening, was his attitude out of character or reflecting external pressure in any way?" the Magistrate asked.

Again Fluttershy's Twin and both Pinkie Pies said "no sir."

The Magistrate next pointed out that Discord's comments, both the one about taking the Alicorn Amulet "for a spin", as well as his laughter at his own 'more powerful friend' comment, further reflected the fact that Discord was acting on his own, and not due to any coercion from any outside source or influence.

The Magistrate concluded that, according to Equestrian Law, void of any conclusive evidence of Coercion, the law would find Discord guilty.  It was ultimately up to the three Princess to agree or disagree with this finding.

The Magistrate then gave the three Princesses some brief time.  They could talk, they could discuss, they could ask any more questions.  At the conclusion of this brief period, he would ask for their verdict, one at a time.

It was silent in the Portal room for a few minutes, except for the weeping of a number of ponies.

All three Princesses sat motionless, said nothing, asked nothing.

"Princess Celestia, your verdict please" the Magistrate asked.

"Guilty."

Princess Luna, your verdict please" the Magistrate asked.

"Guilty."

Princess Twilight, you verdict please" the Magistrate asked.

"Guilty."

The Magistrate did some writing in the documents before him.  Then he said 'officially':

"The defendent has been found guilty by an honest and impartial council of three Princesses.  His crimes all commend the death sentence, and this is the resultant finding of this Council of Princesses.  This Council is now adjourned.





Very quickly, before anypony even moved, Princess Twilight asked that everypony remain seated.  Then she said to Equestria pony Summer Rain "Summer you have been strangely quiet.  Do you wish to add anything?"

Summer replied quietly with a bow "Yes Princess, if I may."

Princess Twilight said quietly "Summer, you may speak."

Summer slowly walked half the distance towards Discord's Cell.  Her words would be directed at him.

While walking slowly there, she threw herself back on her hind legs, and immediately stood up into her Equestria Girls form.

As she took the next step, her two wings materialized, substantially larger, extending from her back.  They were vaguely outlined in bright blue at first, but then quickly filled in as the light Tan of Summer's pony coat.

They next flattened straight outwards to the side and curved slightly forward...  menacingly...

Everypony saw that her Cutie Mark, though covered with clothing, was glowing brightly.

Everypony then gasped as a large, pure white Unicorn horn materialized on her head, again, first with bright blue outlines, then filled in with a pearl colored hardness.

Along with the horn came a very low, clearly discernable rumbling sound.  It was not loud, but in the confines of the Portal room, everypony could hear it, but more importantly, they could feel it in their stomach.

By now Summer's eyes were closed, her head was tilted up substantially and tears were streaming down her Equestria Girls face.

Summer stopped near Discord's Cell, and put her arms locked straight down at her side, with her knuckles outward in defiance.

"Discord..." she yelled...

It wasn't anger Summer was feeling, it was anguish.  Her voice was higher then normal, she was carrying the pain of others.

...

...

"How could you...

...

...

"The most sensitive pony in Equestria made a promise to you...

...

...

"My sister took a great risk, and promised you something very important, just to show you...  ...she just wanted to be your friend...

...

...

"You brutally forced that promise to be the basis of simply taking what you wanted from her...

...

...

"Then you forced Equestria's most sensitive pony to watch you torture and murder six of her friends...

...

...

"Then you brutally murdered her as well..."

...

...

Summer never opened her eyes during this, still crying...

After a longer pause Summer yelled...

"Please, never again..."

When Summer said the 'g' sound in 'again', she lightly stomped her right foot on the ground.

As she did, a thunderous explosion rocked Discord's cell...

It shook the floor...  it shook the walls...  the ceilings...  it shook the entire Crystal Palace...

But the explosion was wholly contained inside Discord's cell.  For 30 seconds, the brightest white flames whirled randomnly, whimsically inside the crystal cavity where Discord was.

After 30 seconds, the flames mysteriously went out, almost as abruptly as they had started.

After maybe a minute, everypony heard a distinct, growing, cracking sound, as the crystal material around Discord's cell could no longer handle the stress.  The entire front wall of Discord's cell simply fell outwards and shattered into pieces on the floor.

All that was visible inside, was a small pile of fused matter that 'used to be' Discord.

Summer still had not opened her eyes yet, and still continued to cry.

After another brief delay, she again yelled

"Please, never again..."

At this, Discord's 'remains' simply burst into flame, burning brightly.  No smoke was emitted.  The flames burned brightly until there was simply nothing left to burn, then went out.

It was then silent in the room for about another minute.  Summer had not opened her eyes through all of this, and her crying was the only sound in the room.

Summer then threw herself down on her front legs, immediately changing back into her Equestria pony form.  She brought her head down low, and said softly

"Please never again..."

Her song was done.

Then she turned to walk back to her sister.

At this point, the Unicorn horn quickly disappeared, and Summer nestled her pony wings back to her side.  The very low rumbling faded slowly away as well.

Eyes closed, Summer walked slowly to her Sister...  Crying...

Everyone could see her Cutie mark however, and gasped again.

It was a large, rapidly rotating, pure white Pearl.  It was rotating slower and slower.  When Summer was at her sister's side, it was rotating very slowly, then split out into the three drops of her normal mark, and they only then faded from pure white, to their normal colors as their rotation stopped.

Summer found her sister's shoulder and just cried, sobbing deeply.

Discord would never hurt her sister again...





Nopony moved in the room for maybe five minutes, as Summer cried on her sister's shoulder.

Without moving, Princess Twilight said "Summer Rain".

Summer quickly ran before her Princess, and bowed on her forelegs.

"Have you been using my Magic?" Princess Twilight asked.

Still bowing, Summer began to cry again "Yes, Princess, I'm sorry... I felt like I had to, like I didn't have any choice..."  Summer was sobbing again...

This was not the response Princess was after at all.  She marvelled to herself that this simple Pegasus mare before her, had no clue...

Twilight said softly "Summer..." and user her foreleg to raise Summer to a sitting position.  Summer was still crying though.

"Summer...  You were using your own magic."

Summer didn't move, but stopped crying, and looked up at her Princess in wonder...

Princess Twilight continued, softly.

"Twilight and I were at the Canterlot Library this morning doing some research.

"The magic that we Unicorns were seeing around you made no sense, it was clearly none of ours, and we would know.

"And no, you wouldn't be able to use my magic when I was dead.

"We didn't find much, but we found this.  Well, Twilight found it, someone had already marked the page in this ancient book.

"This is a copy of a tracing from a tombstone that probably dates back thousands of years."

Twilight used her magic to hold it up for everyone to see.  It was the outline of Summer's Cutie Mark.

Princess Twilight continued.

"The tombstone was for a mare named Shila the Beautiful, but that's not the important part.

"This ancient book is about Pony Magic, and catalogues the various types of magic historically known to exist in Equestria.  This is a book specifically about magic, and is very old.

"This page is at the very end of this book...

"There are some words on this page next to the tracing of the Cutie Mark.  It translates to just five words."

Princess Twilight was having a hard time not crying herself at this point.  She said them as best as she could.

...

...

...

"Phantom Alicorn

...

...

...

...

"Magical Power Unknown"

...

...

...

Princess Twilight was fighting back tears...  She loved Summer...  ...a lot...

...

...

...

"Summer, the night that Discord took away our gems, it wasn't me reaching out for magic, it was your magic trying to help us...

"It wasn't through the Portal either, your magic was trying to use the Twins in both worlds as the bridge between us...

...

...

...

"I felt the same magic as we faced Sunset Shimmer together...

...

...

...

"Summer, there is no magic known to Pony history that is stronger than yours...

...

...

...

"Summer..." Princess Twilight said softly and lovingly...  "This is who you are...  ...the rarest, and most powerful pony to ever walk...  ...to ever breath air in Equestria..."

...

...

...

Summer was still bowing before her Princess.  Shysage had accidentally prepared Summer for this

Through her tears, Princess Twilight started to say something, but Summer quickly interrupted, and spoke slowly and softly.

"Princess please....

"Please don't make me a Princess...

"I already have one Princess, you Princess Twilight...

"And I will love you and serve you until I die..."

Summer's Twin was already at Summer's side bowing, and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie Pie -- the rest of the Twins, immediately joined them.

All Princess Twilight could do was cry...

Princess Twilight tried to hug them all, really she did, and they cried together for a while.

History in the making...  ...never felt so good...

After maybe 30 minutes, Summer stopped everypony and spoke softly to her Princess.

"Princess, can tomorrow be a 'just Twins' day with no other official business?" Summer asked, her head bowed in respect.

Princess Twilight smiled at this Phantom Alicorn and said "It might be hazardous to disagree with you, but that sounds fine."  Princess Twilight had a Twin now too after all.

And they all knew Summer would never do anything to hurt Princess Twilight.

Princess Celestia agreed.  "Tomorrow will be a day just for Twins to be together."





It was dusk now in Equestria, and Air Coaches were waiting outside to take all the Twins back to Ponyville.

Everypony followed Shining Armor and Princess Cadance through the halls down to the main door.  They were soon at the Coaches.

Summer said quickly "My Twin and I are going to Cloudsdale..."

One of the lead Air Coach stallions said "We can't go there miss, I'm sorry."

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna offered to accompany them to 'the city in the sky', it was not that far from the Crystal Palace, just high up in the clouds.  Summer thought her Equestria Girls Twin may need some help.

Summer and her Twin spent maybe five minutes crying on their sister's shoulders.  They each had missed their sisters dearly.

The Summer Twins were soon on the main avenue in Cloudsdale.

Once they landed, both Summers took the opportunity to bow to both these special Princesses.

Princess Celestia left both ponies bowing, and began to speak softly.

"Summer, it is clear that your pursuit of true friendship has rapidly expanded wildly, in amazing good, on both sides of the Portal.  And a lot of this nopony may ever know.  We are all speechless at your accomplishments, arrived at simply by being a friend.

"In addition, nopony could have guessed it would come to this ahead of time, but your pivotal, no, singular role in the rescue of Equestria cannot and will not be overlooked.  Everypony in the realm owes their very life to the compassion, bravery and devotion that you and your friends showed that dark night.

"This startling revelation that you are by far the rarest and most magically powerful pony in Equestria's history will also not be overlooked, although we will probably want to keep that information concealed.  The tactical value of the Phantom Alicorn is that she can appear out of nowhere, and that quality has significant military benefits when needed.

"It might be beneficial to help you learn to use you magic in a guided sort of way, but it is doubtful that any of the Unicorns in Equestria are competent for this task.  Your precious Princess may be the best person for that after all.

Princess Celestia stopped a minute in thought, then continued.

"Such amazing power wrapped in such true humility and amazing devotion...

"You really should be made a Princess, especially since none of the rest of the leaders of Equestria could ever stand against you.  More importantly, your qualities so amazingly, completely exemplify everything that a Princess should be.  But we will let your dear Princess decide that.

"For now, let me just thank you again."

Both princesses began to cry...

"My sister and I are alive because of you...  Our realm is alive because of you..."

Princess Celestia only then drew both Summers up with her leg, and then both Princesses took turns hugging each of them.

They then flew off into the dark, back to Canterlot.





This was the first time that Summer and her Twin were alone.

For a few minutes, they just hugged and cried together.

Euqestria Girls Summer said softly "You are amazing..."

Equestria pony Summer said softly back "I'm just a pony... committed to true friendship..."

Equestria Girls Summer said "...that's why you are amazing..."

Then they just hugged and cried together a while longer.

They were Twins...

Summer and her Twin then headed off down the avenue.

Equestria Girls Summer thought for a moment, then said softly "Shysage?"

Her Twin said simply "Yes."

They were soon walking into his dimly lit house.

He rose to greet them, but couldn't speak, still amazed at the events of the day, and still trying to fight his emotions and record them, what Princess Celestia had just said specifically.

Equestria pony Summer hugged him tightly for a minute, was soon weeping softly, then they left.

Shysage tried to go back to work.

Out the door, Summer's Twin said "mom and dad next?"

Summer replied "Wow Twin you are getting really good at this!"

Equestria pony Summer walked in first, and greeted her parents, and hugged them as they cried a little while.  Summer suspected that they already knew about the events of the last week.

Only then did her Twin come in, and they welcomed her warmly, hugging her as well.  This surprised Summer, evidently they already knew about this part too.

"Can we spend the night here mom?"  Summer asked.

"Sure dear" her mom quickly said.  "You can sleep in here if you want."

"Thanks mom, we will need to leave at Sun-up though." Summer said.

"Thats fine dear, we will be heading to bed shortly too." Mom said.

It was soon dark in Summer's parent's house in Cloudsdale.

Summer lay next to her Twin.

"So Tomorrow, Shysage again?  I don't know any more..."

Summer answered softly "We are going to do his job for him tomorrow, for Twins day, and take his place.  He has been up, probably almost non-stop for maybe two weeks.  He doesn't know it yet, but he is going to get some sleep."

Well, he knew it now.  This was good, he would be up most of the night anyway, still getting down all the details for the Twins Song,  the Council of Princesses, and the revelations that followed.

It had been another amazing day in Equestria, and Shysage had his hands full trying to record everything.