Twilight's Friendship School and Summer Camp

by Violet Frost

Enter the Classroom

Diamond Tiara’s saddle bags were heavy. She kept her head down as they, she and her father, walked through ponyville. She had attempted to get him to carry her bags, along with all the other things he was carrying to the castle for her camp only for him to turn her down. “You’re a big girl princess.” Was his response to her whining.

Diamond Tiara continued to drag her feet as they neared the castle. Even the promise of doing a fashion show wasn’t enough to make her keep her head up. She wished summer could just hurry up and be over. Then she could see her friend and get to do the show her mom promised.

They were stopped by a group of guards who were stationed outside of the Palace of Friendship, “Name and business?”

“Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara. I’m dropping my daughter off for the Friendship School and Summer camp,” Filthy Rich stated.

With a nod the unicorn guard said, “If you can remove the luggage I will transport it up to your daughter’s quarters for her stay. Princess Twilight wants them to all enter the area set aside for the camp at the same time.”

The princess also stated that escorts can come in for a brief meeting if they have any questions, but as she wants the foals to have a true camp experience that you just drop the foals off in front of the castle,” relaxing his face he added, “We’ll keep a good eye on her Mister Rich.”

“If you’re sure, I wouldn’t want to impose,” Filthy Rich stated as he pulled off Diamond Tiara’s belongings.

Suddenly Diamond Tiara felt hooves around her as the other guard pushed Filthy Rich to the ground. “Look out below!” Came a cry from the sky as a chariot being pulled by two royal guards sped right for them. A sound of hooves skidding to a stop and wheels on dirt resounded through the street, the two pegasi ending up right in front of the guards who’d just moved Diamond Tiara and her father out of the way.

With a loud shout the unicorn who’d offered to take her things demanded, “What the hay was that?!”

With a salute the from the pegasus on the right and the one on the left looking more nervous and letting his head dip close to the ground instead of moving to attention. “Sir, we were delivering the filly from cloudsdale on request from Princess Twilight Sir!”

“Did the Princess specifically order you to run over one of the fillies and their escort when you came in?” the unicorn seethed getting into the face of the still saluting Pegasus.

“No! No she did not sir!” The Pegasus didn’t move from their position with the exception of their mouth, while the other simply tried to look away from the obviously angry unicorn.

“Then why did you nearly run us over?” he continued in an obviously stressed manner. “Name and rank soldier.”

“Airpony Quick Fortune! and flying to my far side is Airpony Sword Strike!” Quick fortune entoned still keeping his hoof up.

The unicorn pulled out a small notebook and quil and took down a notation before using his magic to hand it over to the pegasus. “Hand that to your superior officer air pony, and I will know if you followed through,” he threatened.

“Sir, my task has not been completed,” Quick Fortune told the unicorn only now putting his hoof down.

“Then drop her off here airpony. Then you better be reporting to your superior officer or I’ll have you flying laps until your wings fall off.”

Quick Fortune turned his head around, “You can disembark now miss,” he called to the sky chariot. A small light dusky blue filly slowly stepped down and around, at the sight of diamond tiara she ducked back behind the cart. “No one’s gonna bite you miss,” Quick Fortune continued, “I know Corporal Steel Magic seems scary, but he’s not a bad pony.”

A minutes passed and the small filly finally took a couple of steps out and walked over to Quick Fortune. Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened as she took in the small filly, who was a freak. She had bat wings and small fangs like the guard ponies that had pulled Princess Luna’s chariot. Her darker dusky blue mane and tail were tied into topknots at the top of her head completing the weird filly’s look. A small white and purple flower made up her cutie mark.

Filthy Rich cocked his head as he looked at the small filly. He knew what Twilight Sparkle’s plan was, but this he hadn’t realized that this would mean that his daughter would be going to camp with bat ponies.

“Now that you mention it I do have one question,” he told the earth pony guard who had knocked him to the ground.

The guard nodded, “This way Mr. Rich, Corporal you’ll find watching the foals?”

Steel Magic simply nodded as the earth pony guard lead Filthy Rich inside the castle. Steel turned toward the cowering bat pony filly, “Name?” he asked in much the same gruff manner as he had talked to Quick Fortune.

The filly mumbled something and the unicorn twitched his ears in irritation, “Come again?” The filly mumbled again though this time it came out as a squeak.

“Her name is Sky Orchid,” Quick Fortune stated.

Steel Magic held up a clipboard and nodded. “Alright Air Ponies you’re dismissed. No get to your superior officer.”

The two pegasi trotted off still connected to the cart, but not without Quick Fortune giving a small smile to Sky Orchid. The little filly smiled back before sitting in the dirt, fidgeting her wings nervously.

“I want an explanation,” Filthy Rich started as Twilight scribbled away some notes on her lesson plan.

“About what? Are you having second doubts about how this will help your daughter’s behaviour-” Twilight implored.

“About how hanging out with a bat pony will help! They’re nothing but bad influences,” Filthy Rich huffed.

Twilight frowned and pulled out some folders quickly sorting through and finding Sky Orchid’s folder. “I should remind you that we aren’t taking in ponies based on stereotypes Mr. Rich. She came with much the same issues your daughter had,” Twilight stated skimming over the report, “I don’t discriminate against any pony, and who knows perhaps Sky Orchid can learn a thing or two from Diamond Tiara.

But Really Mr. Rich bat ponies aren’t that different from their pegasi counterparts. Other than them keeping to the old clan family system for survival after the banishment of princess Luna, and thus keeping the old mirroring family clan system alive really quite fascinating-” Twilight began to lecture.

“You sure she won’t be a bad influence on my daughter?” he stated again.

“Mr. Rich,” Twilight held her head up and looked him straight in the eyes, “I’m more concerned about the older students being a bad influence. Sky Orchid is one of the younger foals and I don’t for see any problems from her that I wouldn’t be able to handle.”

It had been a few minutes since Filthy Rich had left Diamond Tiara with the grumpy unicorn guard and Sky Orchid. She let out loud sigh and sat on the road. This was so boring. She wanted nothing more to go home and relax by her pool, or go play with Silver Spoon.

She let out a snort, Silver Spoon must be having fun without her, away at a camp that allowed her to practice her special talent, and leaving Diamond Tiara to hang out with a bunch of freaks that Princess Twilight must have scrounged up from the streets.

“Your tiara’s pretty,” came a high pitched voice. Diamond turned sharply and glared at the filly who had just complimented her.

“Who asked you?” she spat causing Sky Orchid to flinch. “I don’t talk to freaks like you.”

“S-sorry,” Sky Orchid responded flattening her ears.

Diamond Tiara turned away from the filly and huffed. The sound of hoofsteps from the west side of the castle suddenly came within hearing range distracting her, and causing her to turn her head in the direction of the filly again. A unicorn guard, was leading a group of foals up to the palace. A mixed group of ponies from all colors and sizes were trotting along, goofing and bumping into each other as the unicorn came to a stop in front of Steel Magic. “Private First Class Iron Myth,” he said with a salute, “All eighteen foals are accounted for sir.”

Steel Magic took a clipboard from the other guard and double checked it against his. “Very good Private. You may return to your station now.”

Iron Myth ended the salute and trotted away leaving Steel Magic in the company of twenty foals.

As Iron Myth began to walk away two of the foals in the bunch got into a fight, scuffling along the ground with other ponies cheering them on. Diamond Tiara flattened her ears, what kind of camp would allow ponies who brawl in the street into it?

Steel Magic took several steps away from the door as his horn took on a gray glow. Suddenly both foals were pulled apart from each other and held against the ground. “I’m going to make one thing clear right now,” he growled as the foals stared at him. “But I will not tolerate fighting in the Princess’ castle, and neither will my superiors. This is your last warning.”

The foals started had him as he let the magic fade, though he didn’t move from his spot. “Corporal Steel Magic is everything alright?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she stepped out with Filthy Rich following her.

“Just a bit of a tussle, won’t happen again, right?” Steel Magic answered glaring at the two colts who had started the fight. There was a moment of silence before the two colts nodded.

“Well if that’s all it was,” Twilight smiled, “how about all you foals line up and I’ll give you a tour of the castle to start camp off right?”

“And this is our learning room. I know it looks like a classroom now but it won’t be like this all the time. I’d like you to find your seat and we can get started with an ice breaker after that. then we can move on to the rest of the plans today,” Twilight said completing the tour. The foals grumbled as they entered the room.

‘This was supposed to be a camp not a summer school’’ Diamond Tiara thought to herself as she situated herself in the front row. She glanced around at the other foals who gradually took their seats.

Author's Note:

This was originally going to span the first entire day of the camp but I think I'm going to split that into two chapters as there are a lot of names and OCs to go through.

Also if anyone is curious the flower on Sky Orchid's flank is Cremastra appendiculata a type of orchid. I'll let you guys try and figure out what her cutie mark means.