Sunlight beamed into Luster Dawn’s eyes as she exited her tent to start her day. She projected a clock with her magic to check the time. It was thirty minutes until noon.
"Huh... I must have REALLY been out..."
Surprisingly, nopony else was there, so it was safe to assume the villains were still sleeping.
"I guess they are out of it too..."
Questions of the map and what to do with the villains still swarmed in her head. Oh well. It was something to think about while cooking breakfast.
Luster opened the food box to find breakfast materials. All she saw when she first looked into the box were hayburgers and pies. But she knew there were more things.
One by one, she examined her rations, removing what she wasn’t looking for as she looked.
“Let’s see... hayburgers... pies... apples... pears... bread... AHA!!! Eggs.”
Luster levitated the carton out, set it on the grass, and then levitated everything back into the box, closing it when she was done.
Next: Take out the tools. Luster opened the next box full of cooking ware. Just like the food, she searched for what she needed before finding the items and putting everything back.
Finally: The cooking. Luster went around the field and gathered some more wood surrounding the forest. She was grateful that they were near a place that, while it was scary, contained the perfect burnable materials inside AND on the border.
Gathering all wood in a nice pile in the fire ring, Luster prepared to use her magic. Suddenly, a small flame appeared on the tip of her horn. It was hot, but thankfully didn't burn. Luster lowered her horn, allowing the flame on her horn to ignite the wood. The fire immediately spread, giving out a nice glow.
Success! she thought to herself. Finally, she used her magic to levitate everything in place. She sat on the log that allowed her to see the tents before she resumed work. First, she brought the cooking grate above the fire, immediately putting the pan on top. Thankful that she can multitask, Luster turned her head to the egg carton. Once again, her magic opened the carton, levitated an egg out, brought it to the fire. It only took one tap against the rim of the pan to crack the egg open. Luster poured the egg's contents into the pan, the smell already hitting her nose.
ZZZZZZZIIIIPPP
Luster looked up and saw the small filly exit her tent. Since Cozy couldn't fly, she had to grab the zipper with her mouth and jump up. Cozy walked to the fire, a nasty look on her face, not even caring that she left the tent open.
"You know," Luster began. "If there was a calendar that said we had rain today, I would tell you to close the tent."
Cozy sat on the log across from Luster and glared. She still had that nasty look. But only for a brief moment. She suddenly changed her expression to where she stuck out her lower lip and her eyes started to resemble that of a puppy's. Luster knew what she was gonna try and do. The Princess HAD told her about what the villains could do a long time ago.
"Golly!" said Cozy. "Maybe you're right. How could I forget something as simple as that? Wanna know ANOTHER simple thing I forgot?"
"What?" Luster asked, playing along.
"How important friendship could be! When I crawled into that sleeping bag, I decided to think about YOUR side of things instead of what WE said about your map. Yes, friendships CAN'T be forced, but I know A LOT about it! Maybe if YOU let me teach, my pals and I could have second thoughts about our evil ways. As for YOU, you can get ALL the rest you want."
Luster smirked. "Nice try. Twilight told me about your antics. You're just trying to have me make YOU teach, so then you and the others will secretly pretend to listen to me. Then, when the Princess comes and lifts all restraints brought upon you, it would just result in you and the others trying to destroy the world again."
Tears started forming in Cozy's eyes as her bottom lip quivered.
"Don't try that either. Twilight told me you seemed likely to use that as a second resort."
Cozy's sad, tearful face suddenly vanished, being replaced by a look of anger.
"SON OF A HORSEFEATHER!!!!!" Cozy erupted. "YOUR PRINCESS REEEEEAAALLY WANTS YOU TO PLAY IT SAFE HUH????!!! WELL, SEE THE CUTIE MARK ON MY FLANK?!?! IT REFERS TO THE FACT THAT I CAN MANIPULATE YOU!!! NOW DO AS I SAY!!!!"
ZZZZZIIIP
Luster looked past Cozy, who was huffing, and saw Tirek poke his head out of the red tent.
"We are trying to sleep here!"
Cozy rotated herself on her seat to look at Tirek.
"DO YOU SEE THE SUNLIGHT?!?!" The filly screamed maniacally.
ZZZZZIIIP
Luster and Cozy saw Chrysalis poke her head out of her own tent. Tirek turned his head right to see her.
"Although that insipid yelling woke me up, the filly has a point."
Chrysalis left her tent, leaving the entrance open, but Tirek went back in his tent and closed the entrance. When she got to the log on Luster's left, she seemed reluctant to sit down before she turned her head to the left. Cozy was still watching Tirek's tent.
"TIREK!!!!" they both said at, coincidentally, the same time.
"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I'm coming."
The tent once again opened and Tirek walked out, also not closing it. He was wearing the cloak Luster put in the tent. It fit perfectly.
Huh. Guessing he would pick the red tent was a good call after all, Luster thought to herself.
Tirek sat on the log on the right side of Luster's viewpoint, not even thanking her for the cloak.
"Anyway... I'm making breakfast. I hope you're hungry."
"I'd eat..." Cozy Glow said. "But you're Twilight's student.
"I agree with her. I wouldn't even take food from my brother if he offered it to me." Tirek said.
"I'm with them. But I have another reason." Chrysalis said.
"Let me guess... although changelings eat love, they can eat other things, but you're not accepting my offer out of protest?" Luster finished.
"EXACTLY!!!!! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO FIND A DECENT MEAL I WANTED AFTER MY HIVE LEFT ME?!?!?"
"Hard?"
"VERY! VERY!! HARD!!! THERE WAS NO FOOD WHERE I WAS HIDING BUT BERRIES!! I HAD TO EAT BERRIES!!!! AND I HATE BERRIES!!!!"
"Well, whether you like it or not, I'm making you all eggs."
"Why?" Cozy asked. "So you can FORCE us to eat eggs like how you're forcing us FRIENDSHIP?"
"No. I'm doing it to show you that if you give friendship a chance with someone who is doing NICE things for you, you will feel like a better being. I am making you breakfast, and you're not even gonna eat it. WHAT does that tell you?"
"It means we don't want what you'd call... food." Chrysalis hissed.
"Fine. Don't eat. But if you end up hungry, be prepared for me to say 'I told you so.'"
Luster levitated a plate out of the cooking ware box and slid the egg she was cooking onto it.
"Really, huh? I do think hunger is better than your friendship lessons." Cozy Glow said.
Luster smiled. "I already gave you a lesson."
"OH PONYFEATHERS!!!" Cozy yelled.
"Look. I don't know what is keeping you from understanding friendship. Hasn't there been ONE time where you helped somepony else and felt GOOD about it? When you felt that helping others felt better than making things WORSE and taking EVERYTHING away from somepony?"
The trio looked at each other. Tirek was the one to speak.
"There was... one time."