//------------------------------//
// 30. Camp Stories 
// Story: Guardians of the Elements of Harmony 
// by mcb893 
//------------------------------//

One Week After the Liberation of Baltimare... Some Random Field...

Moore poked at the fire with a stick, trying to keep it alive. Around him, his fellow soldiers and ponies sat, all conversing with one another. After the liberation of three more towns after Baltimare, the princesses insisted they take a small break, and just enjoy some outdoor time. Moore wanted to object, but his squad mates were exhausted, and he didn't have much energy either. Sighing, he looked around the field. Despite having wide open areas, there were still plenty of trees. Though they were spread apart from each other by quite a distance. The fire emanated a red glow, coating everything in a flickering color. Moore looked to the sky, trying to imagine what the situation must be like back on Earth. Chaotic probably, those aliens had already taken a toll on the planet before he had been transported here. Was New York still standing? Was...

"John!" He hears. Snapping out of his train of thought he looks over to Twilight. The mare is holding out a s'more, smiling away. Moore hesitates, but takes the snack. He isn't really hungry, but it was a campout. Might as well enjoy himself. The marshmallow sticks to his chin as he takes a bite of the treat.

"You know, I think we should talk about our childhoods. After all, that's the best way to know about your friends." Twilight said as she smiled. The ponies instantly agreed, but the soldiers were a bit hesitant. Before anyone else got a chance, Pinkie began talking. She went on and on about how she had been on a rock farm, which eventually was shut down.

"After that, I looked around for anywhere to get some work and live, and I came here! The Cakes had needed some help for a while, and they let me try working in the kitchen. And as my super duper luck would have it, I was good at baking! I loved making the tasty treats! At first we were just friends, but over time we became one big super happy family!" She shouts with glee as she leaps into the air. The ponies chuckle while Hans holds his hand to his head.

"What about you Jakey?" Hans frowned and glared at the party pony, but she maintained her positive face.

"First... Don't call me that... for the tenth time. And yes... I have been counting." He began. Pinkie just laughed, which was quickly followed by a snort. Moore just chuckled and shook his head. He could only imagine what the Corporal had been going through over the past week.

"Second, I had a pretty normal childhood. My parents weren't perfect, but they loved each other. I was the middle child of five, and my dad was a sports nut. My older brother was interested in computers, but I loved to play football and baseball with my old man. Whenever we went outside, my little sister and brother would always follow us and we would have a two on two. My mom would bring out fresh lemonade and cookies when we were done." Hans smiled and chuckled.

"This one time, my parents and I played a prank on my brother. What we did, was we took his bed while he was sleeping, carried out to the front yard, locked the doors, and poured ice cold water on his face. I swear he was shivering for three days straight." He said as he began laughing. The others also chuckled, it was a pretty funny prank. Hans eventually calmed down and told them that he got varsity on his school's football and baseball teams. After college, he signed up for the army. His family was very supportive, and sent him letters and books when he asked for them.

"Well you had something I didn't then. A dad." Connors said as he leaned back on a log. Hans turned to him and asked what he meant. Moore leaned forward, this was interesting.

"I mean my dad walked out on me when I was born. I'm 26 years old, and I've never met my biological father. My dad had seven children, from five different women. He was a jerk according to my mom. Still, even with that information in my head, I still felt like I needed to prove myself. But I never could. There was always some bully who was better than me. The fact that he was better than me didn't bother me. It was the fact that they flaunted it in my face that made me so upset. My mom did her best, but I still felt like there weren't any guys I could talk to. Without a dad, I was a terrible son. I skipped curfews, was a brat, and acted like a jerk towards my mom. That all changed when I was fourteen. The next door neighbor caught me trying to steal some of his groceries. What amazed me is that instead of calling the cops, he pulled me over and asked if I was alright. I was a bit cautious at first, but I relaxed when I noticed he was minister at a nearby church. Turns out he had married one of my dad's other wives. My mom had someone she could relate to, and I met and half-brother Daniel. He wasn't faring much better than I had, and I felt like I had someone I could understand. And most importantly, someone who knew what I was going through. But I still had done a lot of crap in my life, and I created some really bad relationships." Connors sighed and leaned further against fallen tree, tossing a leaf into the fire. It ignited into an inferno as he continued.

"Not having a dad... it scarred me in more ways than I could count." He said as he shook his head. He sighed and slouched against the tree. Moore fumbled with his hands as he took in what his second in command had just shared. He had heard about the fathers that walked out on their children, but he had never known how devastating the effects could be.

"Gee Derek... Ah thought I had it bad when my dad died when I was twelve, but that there story... makes me happy that Ah even had a dad that cared fer me." AJ said as he placed a hoof on his hand. Connors shook his head and looked away.

"At least you had a mom that cared... I came from an abusive home..." Adams said as he stared at the ground. Moore's head darted to the Specialist, who was already rubbing the back of his head. An abusive home? That must have been hell to go through.

"My mom and dad adored my older brother and sister, but they always hated me. I was the odd one out. They loved sports, I liked writing. But... my parents always hated it. They spoiled my siblings, they got anything they wanted, while I just got scraps to live by. They always made fun of me... how I was the runt of the litter. What's worse, I was pegged with all the chores, and if I didn't do it right..." He took his hands and smacked his hands together, causing the ponies to jump back slightly.

"They beat me. I tried several different attitudes to try and avoid getting beaten more than that. I tried being rebellious, but my dad just beat me within an inch of my life. After that I tried for sympathy, but I just got mocked and was loaded with more chores. Finally, I tried respect. That did the trick, and I was almost never beaten. Still, they made fun of me... called me dead weight... said I wasn't capable of doing anything..." Adams began to sniffle, and he brought his hand to his eyes, and began crying softly. Fluttershy comforted him and Moore placed a hand on his shoulder. There was no excuse for doing that to a child... no matter what. Adams sniffed and looked back up, having calmed down.

"When I met Frank, I was on the verge of suicide. I was just about to start when he came in. He invited me to a hangout with his other friends, even though he was a junior and I was only a freshman. I went, and had the best time of my life. The people there asked about my story, and there were even a few who had gone through something similar. I hung out with them every day. They saved my life." He said as he smiled at Barns. Frank just winked and chuckled.

"Well, how about it Frank, what was your childhood like?" Moore asked as he released Jack's shoulder from his grasp. Frank shrugged, saying that his childhood was nothing special. His parents got divorced when he was six, but they eventually reconciled and got back together when he was nine. It was also then that he got his kid sister Emily. He loved and watched over her like a hawk. Other than that, he didn't have much to say. That just left Daniels.

"Well Hank, what was your childhood like?" Rainbow asked. Daniels sighed and sat back.

"Well... It was okay I guess. I had a dad that loved and cared for my mom. And she did the same for him. One day, I told my dad I wanted to be just like him. He just smiled and told me to get some rest. Of course, I was really little, so I hopped out and followed him. I checked his room, and found him praying. He was asking God to let him be a good example for me, and I knew instantly that I had made the right choice. As for my mom, she would always work mid-day to mid-night, so I didn't get to see her much." He smiled.

"So I would always stay up and wait for her to come home. When she did, she would always smile, hug me, and ask me about my day. We would just sit in the living room for hours, talking to each other... asking about our days... dad would sometimes come and join in, as would my little sister Jessica. I loved those nights, we were one big happy family. But..." His smile faded, and he sighed.

"That all changed when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. She became really sick, and couldn't do anything. My dad never left her side, and when me and Jessica got home from school, we were right by her side. She fought the disease for a little over a year, but..." Daniels sighed and placed his head to his hand, and rubbed his forehead.

"The cancer killed her... didn't it?" Moore asked. Daniels shook his head.

"No she survived that cancer, but she had a stroke the very next day. That's what killed her. After that... my dad was never the same. He lived like someone who was already dead. He barely ate, almost never interacted with us, and all he did at night was stare at the wall with tears in his eyes. I never got mad at him, because he was just so heartbroken. I did force him to eat, and I even checked in on him and Jessica every once in a while when I wasn't busy with college. On my mom's birthday, we take him out to his favorite restaurant, and that cheers him up. He says he sees a lot of her in us, and that makes him feel better. I still miss my mom, but Jessica's a lot like her in so many ways. I feel like as long as she's alive, I'll always have a piece of my mom with me." Daniels smiled slightly. Looking to Rainbow, he rubbed her mane and smiled.

"What about you? What's your story?" He said as he took his hand away. Rainbow shrugged.

"I don't really have any sad or heartwarming stories like you guys. My childhood was just... ok. My dad was a big race star, and loved to practice flying with me. I liked it too. Whenever he beat me, which was almost always, he would just smile and say I did well. My mom was pretty cool too, she would always take me to wonderbolts shows, and even bought me a wonderbolts hat once. I still have it, but it's too small now. When I got kicked out of flight school, my dad was a little disappointed, but he still loved me. He even agreed to home school me so I wouldn't fall behind. Still, I was really social, not as social as Pinkie, but I had a good number of friends." She said. Moore nods and looks over to Twilight. Most of her life had just been her parents trying to keep her from becoming a snob like so many ponies in Canterlot. Mission Accomplished. Aside from that, they always made sure she had plenty of books to read. When she showed interest in magic, they set up an audition with Celestia's school. Since becoming her protégée, they always checked up on her and visited every so often, during which they would always sit down, chat, and have a good time. AJ was just a farm girl, raised on the farm, very responsible, loving family, lots of respect, the average farm tale. Rarity was a fashion freak from the start. She always loved designing, which actually started with her just drawing out her ideas. Eventually, she got her chance in a school play, and while her costumes came out pretty good, there was nothing special about them. So she said. When she started using gems to decorate her clothes, she became a hit. Everyone in town was asking her to make them clothes, and she was very popular. That just left Fluttershy.

"What about you Fluttershy?" Moore asked. She looked down sheepishly. Had she had a bad childhood? Moore got up and sat next to her, as Adams put a hand on her shoulder. Once Jack had reassured her, she managed to speak up.

"Well... My dad was a famous racer too, but he was really strict about it. He tried to make me a show pony to, but I was too shy. H-H-He got really angry at me sometimes, and shouted at me. My mom took the worst of it though, and she would always comfort me whenever he had yelled at me. She was the one who introduced me to animals by taking me to zoos. When I got my cutie marks, she was really happy for me. My dad was a different story. He..." The pegasus teared up slightly and whimpered. She hugged Adams as a tear fell from her eye. Adams wrapped his arms around her and stroked her mane. She trembled, and the others quickly got up and comforted her. When she calmed down, the others backed away slightly, although she still held on Jack's hand slightly.

"He disowned me. He kicked me out of the house, and told me never to come back. I guess that was the last straw, because I heard my mom yelling, and she walked out of the house crying. She took my hoof and we flew to Ponyville together. When Rainbow heard about what had happened, she came around would visit me everyday after she was finished with flight school. I still attended, but it took a longer time to get there. Rainbow's dad was like a real dad to me. He would take both our families to racing shows and zoos all the time, and that was when I really felt like I had a family. My mom still lives really close to me, and I visit her a lot." She smiled and looked up to Rainbow, who was also smiling. Moore looked around the campfire, seeing the happy faces of his men and of the ponies. Eventually they asked about his childhood.

"Well, my mom was at work a lot, and my dad was in the army, so I didn't see him too often. When I got home from school, I would be on my own for an hour or two until my mom got home. When that happened, we always talked with each other, and she would always ask how my day went. Sometimes we would watch TV, although she would get confused pretty easily. When my dad was around, he would always treat us to a good meal, some baseball games, and other stuff. He loved my mom and I, and would always try to send cards and letters on valentine's day, our birthdays, Christmas, Easter, and Father's day. I loved my old man, and always spent as much time with him as I could. When he retired, he was always around, and we were a complete family. Those were the best four years of my life. But... then came 9/11..." He said as he looked at the ground. Twilight looked at him and nodded. Sighing, Moore retold the bloody, horrible tale that occurred on that day. When he finished, he brought his hands to his head, and sighed. That story never got any easier to tell.

After a few minutes of silence, the group sprung back to life, sang campfire songs, and made s'mores. Stories were exchanged, smiles made, laughs given. As night fell, Moore laid out under the stars, staring at them with wonder. More people had hard pasts than he thought, guess he wasn't so alone after all.