//------------------------------//
// Day 6 – LARP the Bald-Headed Bear of Everfree 
// Story: A Love Story in 30 Days 
// by Phantom-Dragon 
//------------------------------//

Day 6 was a beautiful Saturday, which means no class for the whole day.

Spike and Tender Taps both came walking out of their room, dressed in simple shirts beneath cargo vests, pants, and hiking boots, carrying only flashlights.

“Ready?” Spike asked.

“All set!” Tender confirmed.

They were walking down the halls, when they happened to meet the Rainbooms on the way.

“Hi Spike! Hey Tender!” Twilight greeted.

“Hey Twilight! Hey Rainbooms!” Spike returned the greeting.

“Where’re y’all going?” Applejack asked. “Ya looked as if you’re going on a camping trip or something.”

“Are you going to roast some marshmallows?!” Pinkie Pie asked eagerly, before she reaches into her hair and pulls out a chocolate bar and some crackers. “I’ve got the chocolate and the graham crackers! Let’s roast some s’mores!”

“Oh no, we’re not going camping,” Spike replied. “We’re meeting with the rest of the guys in the Everfree Forest.”

“Really? What for?” Twilight asked.

“We’re having our weekly LARP!” Tender Taps confirmed. “Every weekend, one of us guys makes up a new story for all of us to LARP together. It’s kinda like a tradition for us guys.”

“That sounds like fun!” Pinkie squealed excitedly.

"Hey! Wanna join us?" Spike offered. "There's always room for some more."

"Oh...sorry, Spike," Twilight apologized. "But we kinda already have other plans for today."

"Alright then," Spike shrugged.

“Anyway, we better get going,” Tender said as he and Spike were on their way. “See you girls around!”

“Have fun...” Twilight waved, before she turned to the girls, “You know, we used to play some LARP with Spike when we were younger.”

“Guess old habits die hard, huh?” Applejack commented.

“Well I don’t know about you girls,” Rainbow Dash began. “But I’d like to see where this is going.”

With that, the Rainbooms proceeded to secretly follow both Spike and Tender Taps.

Unfortunately, not too far away, the Three Stooges were stalking the girls.

“This is going to be great!” Snips snickers deviously. “Those girls won’t know what’ll hit them!”

“I still say we should go to the outdoor pool and watch some sexy babes in bikini,” Snails moaned.

“Well, Rainbow isn’t there,” Zephyr Breeze frowned. “So I say no way, Jose.”

“C’mon!” Snips ushered to his fellow stooges to follow. “We’re losing them!”




Meanwhile with Spike

Spike and Tender Taps were hiking through the forest, outside of the school grounds. Before long, the two boys met up with the rest of their gang, at an old camping cabin.

"So Spike!" Button began. "As today’s game master, what’s today's LARPing going to be?"

"Well, this is a story that uncle Scorpan used to tell me, to scare me, when I was a kid," Spike began. "It's called the Bald-Headed Bear of Everfree!"

"The 'Bald-Headed Bear of Everfree?'" Rumble asked. "And pray tell, what made this bear's head so bald?"

"I was just getting there." Spike replied, as he sat on an old stool and begins his story. "The place, here in the Everfree Forest. The time, when I was just three years old. At least, that's what uncle told me. My uncle was out hunting games, right here in the Everfree Forest. The birds were chirping, the sun was just setting down over the horizon. He was on his way back to the cabin, which is where we are right now!"

"Whoa!" The boys all said in awe, as they looked up at the cabin, feeling as if the story was coming to life around them.

"So anyway, my uncle just got back, after hunting some wild pigs, when he heard a strange noise, coming from the garbage can, outside his cabin," Spike pointed to some nearby cans. "He went to look out the window to see what it was, and there he saw it! It was the biggest, baddest, most fiercest bear he has ever seen! It looked just like a normal grizzly bear, except it wasn't your average everyday kind of grizzly bear. No, from what my uncle described, it was much larger, and more uglier too, with distinctive scars that run across its body and its face. It stood at least over eight feet tall, with large pearly white teeth dripping red from whatever it had eaten before it came to the cabin, and claws like Freddy Krueger's, but worse. But before my uncle had time to retreat to his room, the bear looked up! And both it and my uncle locked eyes with one another. And without wasting another second, the bear stood up on its legs, and let out a bloodcurdling roar! RAAAAAAWWWWRRRR!!!" Spike mimicked the bear's roar. "And right then and there, my uncle knew it was hungry. Hungry for human flesh!"

"And so my uncle knew that without a doubt, that bear was no ordinary bear. It was the legendary killer bear of Everfree. The infamous bear who was known for killing and devouring the poor souls of all the lost hikers who got lost in the Everfree Forest. And you should know, once a bear got a taste for human blood, it craves it, it NEEDS it. It will do whatever it can to get it. It became a man eater.”

The Guys all gulped nervously and in fear of hearing such dreadful story.

“But as you guys know, my uncle was not willing to go down without a fight! So uncle Scorpan ran to pick up his rifle, off its stands, right when the bear broke through the window to attack! The whole cabin shook! The floorboards lifted! The pots and pans fell off their shelves! The walls were shimmering! And just before the bear could get an inch closer to my uncle, he held up his rifle, took aim, and pulled the trigger! BOOM!"

“DAMN!” The Guys exclaimed.

"Ooh! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it," Tender Taps shivered.

"He killed it?!" Button asked.

"No Button! Not even close!" Spike shook his head in denial. "Even my uncle couldn't kill a monster bear that big with a shotgun!"

"Then what happened to it?"

"The buckshot shaved the hairs, clean off the top of its head. Hence how the killer bear got its nickname – the bald-headed bear of Everfree! It ran off into the forest and uncle never saw it again. But since then, people have started telling stories about a bear with a bald head, and that it still roams the forest to this very day, prowling, hunting for human meat, and to exact its revenge on the man who humiliated it for life." Spike ended in a sinister, eerie tone, before he casually added, "Pretty sure uncle said it got trapped in an old cave, somewhere. Which is what we're gonna do today! We're gonna go hunting for the bear and end it for good! So who's with me?"

The Five Guys exchanged worry glances with one another, "We're not hunting for an actual bear, right?" Featherweight asked.

"No! Of course not!" Spike shook his head. "Do you know how much trouble I'd be in with uncle if I came back and told him one of you guys died while hunting a bear? That would definitely kill our images to with the school, if not for the girls."

"True. Very true," The Guys exchanged agreements, all nodding and voicing their approval.

"Well let's go skin ourselves a bear rug!" Button Mash said, as he was the first to lead the charge, with the rest of the guys and Spike following.

After the boys left, the Rainbooms suddenly poked their heads from behind the trees.

“Huh, a bear hunting LARP?” Applejack commented. “Sounds alright.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy gasped. “A bear with a bald head? I’d die of embarrassment if something like that happens to me.”

“If you ask me, that sounds funnier than terrifying!” Rainbow Dash chuckled, before she grins mischievously. “Y’know, that just gave me an idea.”

“Uh oh...” Twilight groaned, not liking the devious look her friend was making.





"We're going on a bear hunt. We're going catch a big one. What a beautiful day! We're not scared." Pipsqueak sang.

As the boys walk down the path, Spike took the opportunity to narrate their live-action role-playing game.

"And so, Spike the Brave and Glorious Hunter, and his band of Merry Men, ventured into the treacherous reaches of the Everfree Forest, to hunt down the dreaded Bald Headed Bear that has haunted the Everfree Forest."

"This terrible bear has destroyed villages, eaten countless of innocent hikers, and slaughtered so many livestocks," Rumble added.

"So the poor frighten villagers of the local town have called on us to take this monster down!" Button Mash declared, holding up a stick, which he imitated a gun's cocking sound.

"Stop men!" Spike shouted, stopping the boys dead in their tracks as he got down to the ground and inspected it. "Our first sign! Bear tracks. The bear was here."

Rumble quickly took over as he sniffs the air, "He's definitely here..." He said. "He's close..."

"Real close..." Featherweight added.

"Really REALLY close..." Button Mash added. "He could be–AH-HA!" Button Mash pointed in a random direction.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Bursting out of the bushes, were none other than the Three Stooges. "BEEEEEAAAARRRR!!!!"

Spike and the Five Guys watched in bewilderment as the Three Stooges ran blindly in circles, before the three nimrods ran into each other and fell to the ground upon collision.

"Zephyr! Snips! Snails! What're you doing here?" Spike asked, skeptically.

"Yeah, the pool is that way," Rumble pointed. "At the school. Shouldn't you all be gawking at girls in bikinis, or getting yourselves in trouble with the new security guard?"

"Oh! Stereotyping us, eh?" Zephyr huffed. "Is that how you guys think we are?" Before Spike and the Guys could answer, Zephyr cuts them off. "Don't answer."

"We were here because we saw some girls walking into the Everfree Forest," Snails explained. "And we didn't want them to get into trouble, so we followed them for protection."

"And...do they even know you guys were following them?" Tender Taps asked skeptically.

"Well...no, not really," Snips answered.

"That's called stalking," Pipsqueak berated the Stooges. "And it's not protecting. It's being creepy! And the girls don't like that!"

"We were just trying to help," Snails said in their defense.

"Yeah, well some help," Spike shook his head. "Since day one, you guys have done nothing helpful than to make a bad impression of our school. We're trying to show the girls they can trust us, and we can trust them!"

"So...you actually trust Cozy Glow?" Zephyr Breeze countered.

"SHE DOESN'T COUNT!" Spike shouted.

"You guys are missing the point," Button Mash pinched his temples. "You guys are so way off basics that you can't even tell what's right from wrong!"

"Oh screw you," Snips brushed off the Guys' and Spike's remarks. "We've got better things to do anyway, than just chasing some killer bear that doesn't even exist–"

*RAWWWWWRRRRR*

"AAAAAAAAUUUGGGGGHHH!!!!" Snips and Snails all yelped as they jump into Zephyr Breeze's arms, screaming like little girls.

"Help! Don't let it get me!" Snips screamed. "I'm too young and handsome to be eaten!"

"I haven't even been to Paris!" Snails added.

"EVERY COWARDS FOR THEMSELVES!!!" Zephyr Breeze took off running, carrying Snips and Snails in his arms.

"HEY! Don't run!" Featherweight shouted to the Stooges.

But it was no use. The Stooges were out of sight, and disappeared into the thickets of the woods. Meanwhile, Spike and the Guys all stood back-to-back, standing still as statues, not daring to breathe nor move a muscle, as they search for whatever made the noise.

"Uh...Spike? Guys?" Rumble trembled in fear. "Any one of you got a loud stomach?"

"Gee, what makes you think it's us?" Button asked.

"Guys...whatever you do," Spike began. "Don't panic."

Unfortunately, one of the tree branches started to shake violently, startling the Guys.

"Can we panic now?" Button whimpered.

"N-N-Now calm down," Featherweight stuttered. "Wh-Wh-What's the first rule in case of a bear attack?"

"Do the hokey-poky?" Button Mash asked, earning some unamused glances from his friends. "What? I've been told it scares off bears."

"Not something I'd bet my life on, thank you," Tender Taps replied.

*RAWWWWWRRRRR*

"Play dead!" Spike shouted as he and the Guys all fell limp on the ground, doing their best impression of looking dead and lifeless.

The guys play dead as the sound of footsteps comes closer and the sound of heavy breathing was close to Spike's ear. Spike winced as he braced himself for the worst to come. But instead, something wet and slimy licked him on the cheek.

"Guess who~" A familiar chirpy voice greeted, to which Spike and the Guys look up, to see the Rainbooms and friends, giggling at them.

"RAINBOOMS?!" Spike exclaimed, with his Guys following. "Gabby?! Wha–You?!"

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she and the girls all broke out laughing.

"BWAH HA HA HAH AHA HA!!!" Rainbow Dash laughed, as she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach. "Oh! You should've seen the looks on your faces!"

"That was not funny!" Spike scowled.

"That was horrifying!" Tender Taps added.

"You scared us half to death!" Featherweight frowned.

"And you owe me a new pants," Button Mash pointed.

"Oh c'mon, lighten' up," Rainbow Dash grinned. "Admit it. We got you boys good."

After a moment of composing themselves, Spike and the boys nodded to the girls.

"You...you got us," Spike replied, swallowing his pride.

"Way to go, girls," Rumble complimented.

"But I thought you said you had other plans," Tender Taps reminded.

"Yeah, well...the other plan was to get Zephyr Breeze off my back," Rainbow Dash pointed. "And some of the others was to have some fun with you Guys."

"Especially with Spike involved!" Gabby chirped.

"That is...if it's alright with you boys," Fluttershy said.

"No, it's fine," Spike shook his head. "The more the merrier," He joked, to which everyone all laughed together.

"Though, if you don't me asking," Rumble began. "How did you girls do that bear roar? It sounded so real."

The girls all turned to exchange glances, before they nodded and turned to Fluttershy, who holds out a strange looking whistle that has a wooden carving of a bear on the end.

“That’s just Fluttershy’s bear whistle." Rainbow Dash explained. "I don't know how she did it. But she can make it so that when she blows into it, it sounds like a real bear roaring. Check it out!”

As a demonstration, Fluttershy blows into the said whistle which makes a very convincing bear roar. This scares off some of the surrounding animals.

Spike couldn't help but whistle in amazement, "Wow, that was very convincing!" He said.

"Well, I think we've found our bear, boys," Pipsqueak began. "So...what should we do with her?"

"Cage her!" Tender Taps added.

"Rope her!" Button Mash said.

"Skin her into a bear rug!" Featherweight added.

"Oh goodness! No!" Fluttershy paled at such barbarous options.

"Guys, guys," Spike calmed his Guys. "Those are classics, but...we're above those. We shouldn't treat her like that."

"No?" The Guys asked.

"I say...we give her a ten seconds head start for her to run," Spike stated. "And this time...we won't just catch her. But we'll also see if we can bag...her friends."

"Hey...Is that a challenge?" Rainbow Dash smirked.

"...Do you like a challenge?" Spike asked.

"Bring it on," Rainbow replied.

"10, 9, 8, 7..." Spike counted, as the laughing girls all split up into separate directions and hid themselves among the trees. "6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Ready or not! Here we come!"





And so, for the rest of the afternoon, Spike and his Guys all continue with their LARP game, with the addition of the Rainbooms and friends playing along.

Fluttershy, being the bear, was the main target. Though, the other girls had proven themselves to be just as formidable. Rainbow Dash was too fast to be caught and narrowly evades the Guys' nets. Applejack was a great climber and manages to climb into trees, where the Guys can't reach her. 

Twilight, Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer were all too calculative and coordinate to be ambushed so easily. Together, the three girls were able to put their big brains together to outfox all of the Guys.

Pinkie Pie in a nutshell is just too unpredictable, with Gabby being just as hyper. Wallflower Blush wasn't even trying, but somehow, she was able to hide in plain sight from the boys and the girls all together.

The only one who wasn't enjoying the game is none other than Rarity, being the kind of person who...isn't too much into nature.

The girls and boys kept on playing their game, until it was getting late, and the sun was just setting over the horizon.

"Well guys," Spike began. "Another sunset on our weekly LARP. Let's pack it up and head back."

"Next week, let's make it a pirate LARP!" Pipsqueak said excitedly.

"Oh, Pip," Rumble shook his head. "Only you would say pirate LARP."

"I can't help it. Pirates are awesome!"

"Yeah, right after ninjas," Spike snarked. "And dragons..."

"What do you guys know?" Button Mash asked. "Only a real man of culture know that robots are the real trends to today's pop culture!"

"Dinosaurs are still the kings of the movies!" Rumble argued.

Spike shook his head as he turns to the girls, "These guys, hehehe," He chuckled nervously.

"Speaking of whom," Pinkie Pie began. "Where do you think Zephyr and the others are?"

"If we're lucky, far away," Rainbow Dash replied.

"But still...Zephyr is family," Fluttershy sighed.





Somewhere in the Everfree Forest, the Three Stooges were all huddled up together in a makeshift tent they've somehow made, from tree branches and sticks.

"Is it gone?" Snips asked fearfully.

Zephyr Breeze poked his head out, "I don't see it any–AAAHH!!!" He screamed, pointing in a random direction, at nothing.

"What was that for?" Snails asked.

"Well...I just assumed that something was going to pop up from out of nowhere," As he said this, Zephyr Breeze looked up in fright. "LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

"AAAAHHH!!!" Snips and Snails both screamed, as they turned around to see...nothing.

"...And it looks like I've once again made a brief...mistake," With a shrug and a grin, Zephyr Breeze composed himself. "Well...what did I tell ya? We're safe."

"WHO WHO" A random owl hooted.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!" The Three Stooges screamed like little girls.





Meanwhile, back with Spike and friends, both girls and boys were heading back into the school, when Sunset stopped Spike on the way.

“Hey, Spike?” Sunset began. “Do you have a minute?”

"What's up?" Spike asked.

"Well...if you don't have any plans for tomorrow, I..." Sunset Shimmer began uneasily, shifting her feet, drawing a circle in the ground. "That is...can we...hang out together?"

"...Are you asking me out on a date or something?" Spike asked.

"Uh...technically, not a date...my English still needs work. I mean...it's not a date. It's just two people hanging out together, at the same place, at the same time, and...having fun separately...but together..."

"Sounds kinda like a date..."

"Really? It...it wouldn't be a date...from where I'm from," Sunset Shimmer covered her face in frustration. "It sounded so much better in my head...Look, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, Spike. I understand. I...just wanted a whole day together to...catch up with you, old friend..."

Spike pondered for a moment, before he nodded, "Sounds like a plan to me."

"すごい！(Sugoi!)" Sunset exclaimed in Japanese. "I mean, ok. What time works for you tomorrow? Noon?"

"Noon," Spike nodded as he walks off to catch up with the boys.

"やった (Yatta)!" Sunset said to herself.

"I'm glad you're happy..." Wallflower Blush said to the fiery girl from behind.

Sunset turned around to see Wallflower shooting her a neutral expression.

"C'mon, Wallflower," Sunset began. "I just want to make things right."

"Yeah...I'm sure it's easy for you to tell yourself that," Wallflower muttered as she walks pass her roommate. "Just do me a favor. Don't make it harder on him, than it was before. You've already hurt me once. Don't do it again..."