//------------------------------// // Camp Everfree // Story: Legend of Everfree: Another Story // by ArcanaMaverick7 //------------------------------// The Rainbooms and their classmates from CHS stepped off the bus and began to collect their bags when they arrived at the campgrounds. "Isn't Camp Everfree just beautiful? I can't wait until we have our first nature walk," Fluttershy said as she admired the beauty of the surrounding area. "I definitely wanna go on one of those," Spike, who was wearing a Camp Everfree hat on his head, told her. "You wanna see all the adorable woodland creatures, too," Fluttershy asked Spike. "Yeah," Spike answered. "Specifically squirrels. More specifically, so I can chase 'em," the dog remarked before barking excitedly. "I'm just lookin' forward to roughin' it," Applejack said as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'm gonna make my own shelter, forage for food..." "Uh, you know they provide us with food and tents, right," Rainbow Dash reminded her friend. "Yup. Still gonna forage though," Applejack told Fluttershy and Spike. "I'm just after some R&R," Rarity sighed as she leaned against her large pile of luggage, which was likely materials for making new outfits when she got the inspiration for new designs. "The past year has all been a bit too much for my tastes." "I'll say," Pinkie agreed. "We fought three evil sirens who tried to hypnotize everybody with their singing, one ridiculously competitive rival school, an invasion of soulless black monsters with burning red eyes, and two demon friends," she listed. After seeing Sunset Shimmer look at her and Twilight looking a little upset at the mention of both the Fall Formal and the Friendship Games, Pinkie caught herself. "Uh, heh-heh, no offense." "None taken," Sunset remarked to Pinkie. But unlike when her corrupted transformation was brought up during the Battle of the Bands, Sunset was taking the comment in stride. "You'll get used to it," she told Twilight in order comfort her while playfully punching her shoulder. "Yep. Canterlot High has become a regular magic magnet. Gonna be nice gettin' away to a place where we don't have to worry about that kinda stuff," Applejack said. "Same with us," Sunset Blaze said as she and several members of Fragment Hunter walked over to their friends from Canterlot High. Unlike the CHS campers, the visitors from Remnant chose not to wear any summer clothing and chose to keep their regular outfits on. "But, replace magic with Creatures of Grimm instead." "So, who was flying that awesome airship we all saw," Rainbow Dash asked with a grin on her face. "Several of us actually know how to fly those kinds of vehicles, but most of the time it was Ventus piloting," Silver answered. Soon, everyone heard an excited and deep-sounding barking noise coming from behind the group. "Why me," Silver complained as a large shadow covered him and Azalea's Great Dane/Wolfhound mixed breed, Dante, landed on top of the Wolf Faunus. "Hello, Dante," Fluttershy greeted with a sweet smile before the large dog licked at the girl's face, causing her to giggle happily at the affection canine's behavior. Soon, a tricolor collie and a tan corgi ran up to Fragment Hunter and Fluttershy with wagging tails. "Aww, who are these two?" To answer Fluttershy's question, Ivy Dahlia Holstein walked up and kneeled down to pet the collie. "The collie is Diana and the corgi is Drei," the elder Cow Faunus replied. "They're our other pets from home." Fluttershy and the other Rainbooms fawned over the dogs while Spike started to sniff the new arrivals before determining if they were friendly enough. After he did, Drei started to run off in order to play with Spike. Suddenly, a pink blur started to begin passing through the area and startling the campers. Everyone from CHS was wondering what it was specifically while Slate Quartz was chasing after it. "COME BACK HERE, YOU BRIGHTLY-COLORED PINBALL," he shouted out to the blur. After the pink thing zoomed past Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings, Slate leapt where it last was and fell between the two girls. "Sorry about that," he apologized to them as they helped the boy to his feet. As everyone looked at Slate spitting grass out of his mouth, the blur stopped in front of the Rainbooms and revealed itself to be a 14-year old girl with short pink hair and viridian eyes. "Hi there," the girl said cheerfully as she zipped by each of the Rainbooms before stopping at Pinkie Pie and gasped. "Your hair is so pretty!" "Thanks," Pinkie replied with a smile on her face. "I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name?" "Pinkamena Momo Quartz," the younger girl said with a smile that was just as big as Pinkie's. "I go by 'Pinkie', too. This is so exciting," she exclaimed and started bouncing around. Unfortunately for her, Slate grabbed her by the collar of her t-shirt and lifted her up like a cat. "Calm down, Sugar Rush," Slate told the girl. "I see you've all met my sister." "And now we have two of Pinkie," Rainbow Dash commented as she looked at her friend and the girl with the same name. "Just call her 'Momo' like I'm 'Blaze'. It'll be easier that way," Sunset Blaze suggested. The Rainbooms watched as Momo got loose from her brother's grip and placed his hat on her head. Azalea laughed at the antics of Slate and his sister before another arrival showed up with the rest of Fragment Hunter. "Hey, when am I going to meet these new friends you guys made," asked a blonde girl with large white feathery wings emerging from her back. "I mean it, Azalea. You've actually been making more friends than I thought since you went to Vale." The girls were speechless at the new arrival looking like an angel with the wings coming from her back and her golden blonde hair. "Darling," Rarity said as she turned to Azalea, "why didn't you tell us that you knew an actual angel?" "She's not an angel," Azalea replied. "She's a pop star back in Remnant and my childhood friend from my hometown of Mirabelle. Everyone, I want you to meet Bianca Coloratura. She's a Dove Faunus. Bianca, these are Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie." After the girls were introduced to Bianca, Rarity began looking over the Faunus' attire and made comments on the simple, yet charming style of her sweater and skirt. While Rarity did that, Applejack looked at Bianca and mentioned something. "You know, I have an old friend that has the name 'Coloratura' as well. I'd say that you could be her own 'Remnant version', but the Coloratura I know has black hair." "Hehehe, what would the odds be that she's a singer as well," Bianca remarked. As everyone spoke with each other about things in Remnant or what they could do at Camp Everfree, Ventus Gaia flew above the group with a backpack on and landed next to Ivy. Terracotta soon joined everyone as Flash Sentry came by with Twilight's own backpack in his hand. "Here you go, Twilight," he said as he handed the bag to the girl. "Thanks. It's... Flash, right," Twilight said as she was given the bag and tried to remember the boy's name. Even though she previously met him back during the Friendship Games between CHS and Crystal Prep, Twilight didn't remember much about him and barely got to know her new classmate since transferring. "Yup, that's me! And you're you. And we don't know each other very well," Flash said awkwardly as he began to remember the two different versions of Twilight Sparkle. "Cool story, bro," he muttered as he began to walk away. Everyone watching felt sorry for Flash while Twilight was feeling just as awkward as he was. While Twilight was confused by Flash's behavior, Sunset Shimmer explained it by reminding her of something that happened soon after the Friendship Games and the transfer to CHS. "You know how there's that girl who looks just like you when she's here but lives in another dimension and she's a pony princess," Shimmer told Sci-Twi, who nodded in reply. "Flash kinda had a... thing for her," Shimmer explained. "Oh," Sci-Twi responded in understanding as she and the others watched Flash walk away. "At least there isn't a Twilight from Remnant visiting here," she commented. "Well, we do know a girl named Twilight Roseus from Vacuo," Cereza remarked. Suddenly, a horrible screech sounded off from the feedback of the P.A. system and forced everyone to cover their ears. "It's a good thing Ebony isn't with us! She'd hate that noise," Cereza shouted over the feedback. When the feedback stopped, a young woman's voice sounded off. "Hey, everyone! If you could start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad," said a chipper-sounding female. "It's time to start the best week of camp ever!" "Guess we should go and see who's in charge," Sunset Blaze stated as she lead everyone to the camp's courtyard. When everyone from CHS and Remnant arrived at the courtyard, they saw a young woman with pale amaranth skin, long raspberry-colored hair, and light green eyes. She was wearing yellow shirt with green details on the collar and waist, blue shorts, a crown of daisies on her head, and wore a necklace that had five differently colored crystals hanging on it. "Hi, everyone! Welcome to Camp Everfree," the young woman greeted the large group in a cheerful tone. "I'm Gloriosa Daisy, your camp director! Think of me as your friendly camp and nature guide," she said as she introduced herself before gesturing to a young male standing beside her. "And this is my brother, Timber Spruce!" Timber Spruce was a young male who looked about 17 or 18 years old, the same age as the members of Fragment Hunter. He had green eyes similar to his older sister, green hair under a black beanie, and seemed to have a tan. He wore a red t-shirt with the Camp Everfree logo, a pair of cargo shorts, and a pair of brown boots. "Think of me as that awesome guy... who should always be invited to fun things," he said to the campers before he immediately Terracotta in the crowd. "Is that a minotaur," he asked with a hint of fear in his voice. "Yo," Terracotta greeted. "Don't worry, my brother's harmless unless you get him angry," Ventus reassured as he leaned against the Bull Faunus. "Plus, we brought our own supplies so that you don't have to worry about us." "Alright then, the more the merrier," Gloriosa said before continuing to address the campers. "We aim to please, so before we hand out our tent assignments, we'd like to hear from all of you. You're free to do whatever you like here." "Uh, except hike near the rock quarry. That's off-limits," Timber warned. "Y-Yes, but otherwise, your options are wide open," Gloriosa added. "So what activities will make this the very best week of your lives ever?" Immediately, Rainbow Dash raised her hand and started making suggestions. "Ooh! Rock climbing!" "Done," Gloriosa replied. "Archery!" "Of course!" "Thetherball!" "Naturally!" Before Rainbow Dash could make any other suggestions, Sunset Shimmer and Sunset Blaze grabbed the girl's hands before she could raise them again. "Rainbow, I know you're excited, but maybe give somebody else a chance to make a suggestion," Shimmer said to her friend. "Arts and crafts," exclaimed Bulk Biceps. Not expecting that suggestion from him, Sandalwood, Flash Sentry, and Slate Quartz looked at him in confusion. "My mom... needs new pot holders," he explained hesitantly. "I'll supply the looms," Gloriosa agreed. "Cookie decorating," Pinkie Pie and Momo suggested excitedly and licked their lips at the thought of making sweets. "Ooh, I do make a mean sugar cookie," Gloriosa remarked. "Early morning nature walks," Fluttershy asked with wide eyes. "With walking sticks for everyone who joins in," Gloriosa said. "Karaoke," Bianca voiced as she spread out her wings. "Timber says that I have a great singing voice," Gloriosa commented and her brother nodded in agreement. "Paintball," Slate suggested as he started to pose like he had a paintball gun in hand. "There's a section of the forest that would be perfect for a few rounds," Gloriosa advised. "Capture the Flag," Rebecca voiced. "Sounds like fun," the camp director stated. "Combat lessons," Rua exclaimed as she threw a few punches in front of herself. "Never hurts to learn self-defense," Gloriosa said. However, some of the campers were a bit wary as they remembered what the members of Fragment Hunter were capable of. Soon, Rarity thought an activity to suggest and called out to Gloriosa. "Ooh! Me! Oh, uh... a fashion show! Where I design the most fabulous camp looks inspired by today's hottest trends and have them modeled by my classmates in a gorgeous outdoor setting!" "A camp tradition," Gloriosa replied, much to the surprise of her younger brother. "We have literally never done that," he remarked to his sister, who ignored his comment. While Gloriosa continued to talk about how she was going to keep taking requests during camp, Timber looked out to the crowd of campers and noticed Twilight. As he smiled at her, she blushed and smiled back. Sunset Shimmer, Sunset Blaze, Pinkie Pie, Azalea, and Bianca noticed this and started giggling before Principal Celestia spoke up about something. "What about the camp gift," Celestia asked. "That was my favorite Camp Everfree tradition!" "The camp gift! Of course," Gloriosa exclaimed, but Timber looked a bit worried and whispered to his sister in an annoyed tone. "Really?" "Yes, really," Gloriosa whispered back as she covered her microphone. The two siblings had a quiet argument that didn't go unnoticed by several campers. "Anyone else picking up on a little tension between Gloriosa and her brother," Sunset Shimmer asked as Terracotta and Ivy approached her and the others. Most of the group agreed and stated that they could feel a little tension between the siblings. "Probably just a sibling argument," Ivy remarked. "My sister and I used to get into them all time time when we were younger." "Me and Ven tend to get into some even now," Terracotta added. Finishing her quiet fight with her brother, Gloriosa began to explain what the camp gift was. "Every year, campers work together to create something useful. A gift for future campers. Working toward this common goal is key to forming the strong bonds that will last well beyond your time here at camp," she stated to everyone. "Which is why it's so important," she whispered to Timber before continuing. "This gazebo was a gift from last year's group. Oh, oh, oh, and the totem pole and the sundial were also made by campers!" "The sundial was our year's gift," Celestia said as she gestured to herself and Luna. "Even though some people thought it was a little impractical, since the sundial can't be used at night," Luna remarked with a small cough and using air quotes when she said 'some people'. "That may be true. But if some people had a better attitude about it, they wouldn't have been sent to the Moonstone tent," Celestia said to her sister, even using air quotes on the same thing Luna said. "Luckily, some people were eventually forgiven for their rash behavior," Luna retorted as she turned her head away from her sister. The CHS students were listening to the conversation with wide eyes as their principals argued with each other. It was easy for them to forget that their teachers were once campers themselves, as well as sisters who got into their own little fights. Gloriosa chuckled a bit nervously before trying to change the topic back to the current year's campers and the camp gift they could create. "You all seem like a-a really amazing group. So I'm certain you'll come up with something inspiring to leave behind." "Speaking of leaving things behind, now's the time when we give out tent assignments so you can leave your heavy bags behind." Timber announced after the campers cheered over the idea of the camp gift. Gloriosa shook her head as she looked at her brother attempting to be cool before she elaborated on the assignments. "Uh, girls will be getting their assignments from Timber. Guys, you're with me." Timber and Gloriosa soon held out bags that were filled with cards for the campers to choose at random and find the tent with the appropriate gemstone image on the card. Just before Timber let Azalea choose a card, Terracotta stepped forward and reached for the claymore on his back. "Don't worry," he said as he drew his weapon and walked over to where the tents were located. "We can manage," he told Timber and Gloriosa before planting his blade in the ground. With a flash of light coming from the stone in the pommel of the weapon, eight large slabs of rock shot up from the ground and leaned against each other to act as makeshift tents. "We normally do where we come from," Terracotta remarked as he put away the weapon. Gloriosa and Timber's jaws and bags dropped to the ground after seeing Terracotta use Earth Dust to raise slabs of rock at will while the campers from CHS all had wide eyes from what they witnessed. "You sleep in those rock tents if you want, bro," Ventus told everyone from Remnant as they started to figure out their own sleeping arrangements. "I'll just do the same thing as when we were kids," he said as he started digging through his backpack and found a hammock. Heading over to some nearby trees, the Falcon Faunus started to hang it up while everyone returned to their senses. Ivy walked up to her husband and placed her hands on his chest as she leaned against him. "On the bright side, there's more tent for us," she said with a flirtatious tone and half-lidded eyes. As soon as she said that, Azalea rushed over to the closest bush and retched at the thought of her parents being intimate. Picking up the bags and giving Azalea a bottle of water, Gloriosa and Timber started handing out the cards to the Rainbooms and their classmates. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were given the Emerald Tent, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were sharing Aquamarine, Fluttershy was bunking with DJ Pon-3 in Amethyst, and after Sunset Shimmer was given the Sapphire Tent with Twilight being her bunkmate. "I got Sapphire too! I mean, I'm assuming I am," Twilight said before she started to explain more about the gemstone. "Technically, sapphires aren't just blue. Heh-heh. They can be pink, purple, yellow..." "Yeah, but they're mostly blue. That's why they're named after the Latin word sapphirus," Timber told Twilight as he approached her after giving tent assignment cards to Sweetie Drops (aka Bon Bon) and another CHS camper named Watermelody. Twilight was impressed by his knowledge and smiled at him. "That means 'blue'," he whispered playfully to Twilight. "I know," Twilight playfully whispered back. "But did you know that sapphires are just rubies without chromium?" "No," Timber replied. "But did you know that Sapphire Tent is the best one?" "Why's that," Twilight asked as Timber took the card from her. "Because you're in it," he said as he tried to be suave. Twilight rolled her eyes and took the card back from Timber with a smile on her face at how he was attempting to flirt with her. "Oh, I bet you say that to all the campers." Soon, Bulk Biceps came along and Timber helped him find the Ruby Tent before saying that he and Twilight would see each other again around camp. As Twilight smiled, she heard giggling behind her and saw the Rainbooms and Fragment Hunter laughing at her. "What," Twilight asked in annoyance and defense. "Nothing," Applejack and Azalea said. "That was adorable," Rarity, Celadon, and Bianca remarked before they heard a whistle blowing and saw Gloriosa Daisy getting everyone's attention. "Okay, everyone, go get settled in. We'll be meeting at the docks in fifteen minutes to go over some camp safety rules," she told everyone. "Let me know if you need anything!" "I need somethin'," a man's voice said as a large hulking businessman with bad hair closed a limousine's door and walked up to Gloriosa. "Filthy Rich! So nice to see you," Gloriosa greeted the man before pushing him back to him limo. "What are you doing here?! Camp is just getting started," she exclaimed to him in a whisper to hide her anger at man's unannounced arrival from the other campers. However, Sunset Blaze could sense Gloriosa's anger with her Semblance. "Just takin' in the scenery, Gloriosa Daisy," Filthy Rich said to the young woman he towered over. "It's so... hmm... relaxin'," he said as he got in her face. "Well, you can look around when camp is over," Gloriosa told him. "Now, if you don't mind..." While the two narrowed their eyes at each other, Terracotta approached the limo and lifted it up like it was nothing. The feat of strength surprised both Gloriosa and Filthy enough that their attention was caught and the Bull Faunus spoke to the businessman. "I insist that you leave now, sir," he told Filthy Rich as a crowd started to draw around them. "I'm sure that you would be disturbing our camping trip if you stayed here longer than you needed." After processing Terra's size, strength, and visible horns, Filthy Rich calmed down and checked his watch. "Fine. I'll be back later to talk, Gloriosa," Filthy Rich said to the young camp director. "As for you, Mister..." "Gaia," Terracotta stated. "Mister Gaia. Would be so kind as to place my limo back down," the businessman asked. "I'm certain that my driver is as startled as I am." Terracotta placed the vehicle back on the ground and made sure it was facing toward the exit before knocking on the driver's window. "Sorry about that," Terracotta apologized when the window rolled down. "Just needed to get his attention." The driver nodded and accepted Terra's apology before Filthy Rich entered his limo and the car drove off. "So, who was the big guy with bad hair and the limo," Ventus asked as he turned to Gloriosa. "Filthy Rich is, uh, an alumni of the camp. He likes to check on his old stomping grounds every now and again," Gloriosa explained, the Rainbooms and Fragment Hunter were suspicious about why the man showed up like he did. "But enough about him. Find your tents and put away your things. We've got the best week of camp ever to begin!" As the campers went back to their tents, Terracotta and Sunset Blaze thought that something was going on and it involved the camp director.