Chapter 8: Farmer Bonsai and the Forest Rustlers
~Fluttershy took Spike and Stitch together on the next pathway. She anxiously hopped from one foot to the other. A lot was to unpack from that crazy encounter, but nobody knew what to say, or even where to start. If anything, they were too tired to speak. The third night was still high, but the Rainbooms didn't want to rest just in case Whitey and his terrifying timberwovles appeared again, and came bolting after them.~
~Thinking about that, Lightning glanced towards Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, and she was charmed, knowing fully that she could trust them now. What they did back there with Whitey and his wolves was inspiring and she was happy that they have become a part of her allegiance now, along with Fluttershy. This made her realise that this adventure was helping them bond, just like what Chief Steven wanted. All that was left to trust was Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Sunset. And speaking of her, the fiery girl was leading the party. But, worried about where they were going, the blackness didn't make it any better. She looked at the time on her phone.~
"It's coming up to midnight now, we really should find somewhere to shelter."
~But where? And more importantly, how? They've lost their items once again, and this time, they were not getting them back. Spike, Stitch, and the Rainbooms have survived this long enough, but they were not invincible. They were wet, they were tired, but most importantly, they were hopeless. That is, until they reached the top of a green hill, where the Rainbooms stopped as if they were in a trance. Lightning was about to ask what was wrong, but then she turned and saw what they saw. Right before them, lying still and dark in the night shadows, was a calm mountain lake, as well as a dock, boats, buildings, a campfire, rock quarries, and tents, all in a square circle, with gems printed on the front.~
"Is this…?"
"Camp Everfree!" The Rainbooms chroused.
~Suddenly, all seven made their way promptly down the hill, almost falling on their faces, they were jogging down so fast. Pinkie Pie was the first to make it down, so she approached the door of the main house and repeatedly banged on it, non-stop. The door opened after the twentieth hit. There, in his pyjamas, the Rainbooms were met with a familiar figure that they knew oh so well.~
Twilight cried his name. "Timber!"
"Twilight?"
~Timber Spruce was immediately embraced the moment he said Twilight's name. He was bewildered to see his 'girlfriend', and her companions at his front door in the middle of the night. Loads of questions came to his head.~
"What- What are you doing here?! And so, late at night, too?" he yawned.
The tech girl sighed. "Oh, Timber, I'm sure you have alot of questions on your mind right now, but we've been through alot. Can we talk about it in the morning?"
~Timber was confused but, seeing their faces drained out of all energy, nodded in understanding. Taking and lighting a torch, he led them over to the tents. The sweet-smell of beddings were neatly laid out softly and calmly, and it filled the girls with delight. All eight instantly crashed down upon them, and Stitch and Spike dozed off. Then, moments later, drowsiness overtook the girls, too, and, likewise, they all soon fell fast asleep.~
~It did not take long for the girls to rouse by the time the next morning rolled around. They felt refreshed, as it felt as if they had slept for days. The Rainbooms left the tents and led themselves across the green grass where they soon reached the centre of the camp. There, they saw Timber Spruce talking with his sister, Gloriosa Daisy.~
~Timber Spruce was a young lad, with tan brown skin and forest green hair. He had a look of charisma in his eyes, and a loving smile. He seemed like that good-natured, outdoor, goofy-looking guy, Lightning thought. As for his sister, Gloriosa looked to be about five to seven years older than him. She also looked good-hearted and full of spirit. And that proved to be true as she approached and greeted the girls as if they've known each other for years.~
"Hi, girrrls!" she started. "Timber told me that you arrived here last night. How are you feeling?"
"Much better now, thank you, Gloriosa," Sunset smiled.
"Sorry we came in ever so unexpectedly, but we had no other choice." Lightning apologised.
"No, no, it's fine, no need to apologise! Our doors are always open to you,…" she stopped as she addressed Lightning.
"Who are you?" Timber asked.
For a brief instant, the flushed face of the spy girl clouded. Then, Twilight spoke. "Oh right! This is Lightning Star, our new friend from another world."
"Wow." said Timber. "What happened to your eye?"
"Oh. It's a long story," Lightning said, trailing her hand over her bandaged eye. "In anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Please, pleasure's all ours!" Gloriosa said happily. "I'm Gloriosa Daisy, the camp director, and this is my brother, Timber Spruce."
~The two siblings lent out their hands, and Lightning shook them both warmly. To her, Gloriosa Daisy certainly sounded like that over-enthusiastic, friendly, American camp and nature guide. With a reef of daisies around her head, bright-wearing colours, and pink hair and skin. As for Timber, Lightning could see why Twilight had a thing for him, and she gave the tech girl a backwards smug as she was talking to him and catching up. She was blushing so hard.~
"So," said Lightning. "Do you guys live here?"
Gloriosa nodded, evidently pleased by her reaction. "For as long as we can remember! It's a quiet place, but we love the tranquillity. And since you are a friend of Canterlot High School, you are very welcome to stay as long as you like until you get back on your feet! If there's anything I can do for you, too, please let me know. I've got this!"
Lightning chuckled. "Thank you."
"We've been through so much, so it would be great to rest today." Fluttershy explained.
"I'll say!" added Rarity.
"Really? Why? What's happened? Tell us."
~At Gloriosa's bidding, the Rainbooms told of all their adventures. When they had finished, the camp leader gave them a solemn look, and Timber asked if they were harmed.~
"No, we're fine," Sunset assured him. "But, we've met some pretty…interesting people along the way."
"Yeaaah, are you aware that there is, like, a bearded forest man living down there with the birds and the bats, as well as a timberwolf whisperer that loves riddles and nearly tried to kill us!" Lightning exclaimed.
At that, Gloriosa and Timber stared blankly. "...No. Not at all." said Timber.
"W-well! Besides that, you're here now, and safe." Gloriosa assured.
"Would you like us to call a cab maybe, and help you get back?" Timber asked.
"I think we can manage it. Camp Everfree isn't too far from the city." Twilight chuckled.
"Besides, we still need to find my best friend." Lightning reminded them for the three-thousandth time.
"B-BUT," Rarity tutted. "For the most part, I'd like to freshen up before we go. We've been dawdling in this forest for days without showering, nor many changes of clothing, and now, not a single hairdryer to tuff up this loose strand! I need this."
~Everyone agreed. So, with that, Gloriosa guided them down until they came to the crystal camp lake. The sight that met Lightning's eye was magical. All the colours of the rainbow flashed and flickered about the crystal-like ripples. It was like a diamond shining in the morning sun. Rarity couldn't wait to sustain and refresh herself in it. Gloriosa took eight life vests from the cabin next door and once they put them on, Lightning, the Rainbooms and Spike dove into the lake. The water was warm and sweet, and the moment they bathed in it, a thrill ran through their bodies. Only Stitch remained on the top of the dock and watched.~
Lightning noticed him. "Hey, Stitch! Aren't you coming in?"
The dog shrugged. "Ehh. I can't remember the last time I ever took a bath. Or rather, took any sort of thin' that involves cleanin'. Besides, I hate water."
"Hate water? You've been living in the forest, toughing it out all your life! This is the place where it rains the most- almost nine times every month, and you hate water!? What happened back at the construction site, then?!"
"I can survive the rain, it's just gettin' into the water. I can't swim." Stitch admitted. "No one taught me 'ow."
"Welp. That's about to change. I can't have a pet that can't swim. Come. Follow my lead."
But before Lightning could show him anything, Stitch woofed in surprise. "Did you just call me a… 'pet'?"
"Uhm…w-well... I meant- friend. I can't have another friend that can't swim…"
"Huff!"
There was an awkward silence that Lightning broke with a sigh. "I'm sorry…" she said. "If that offended you in any sort of way, I..."
"No, no, it's fine." Stitch interrupted, assuring her. "It's just bin a while since I wos lasted called that."
~Lightning wondered what he meant by that. Was he someone else's pet before he came here? Did he have a life before this one? Her thoughts were suddenly shut off when the Shiba barked again.~
"Anyways, I'm sorry, but I refuse to go hobblin' in that water!"
Lightning gave him an evil smug. "Don't knock it 'til you try it, Shiba."
~All of a sudden, Lightning seized the dog firmly by the paw, and yeeted him into the lake without a moment to blink. Stitch screamed as he landed with a splash and, at once, his head emerged above the surface. He began flailing about desperately for help. Splashing those all around him, the Rainbooms went over to him and helped him calm down. Then, they allowed Lightning to take it away.~
~Transforming into her penguin form, the girl dipped her head underwater and began tracing with her flippers in the lake. Slow, paddling-like movements, encouraging Stitch to copy her. He watched with contentment, then stared down at his doggy paws. He clawed at the water, then kicked to give himself a boost. He repeated this action two more times until finally, he felt as if he got the hang of it. Claw, kick, claw, kick. He was doing it. He was swimming. He howled in excitement as he approached Lightning with a grin and licked her face. She was surprised while Fluttershy smiled.~
~Later, the heroines all got changed into some spare Camp Everfree outfits that Timber and Gloriosa had lying around. For the Rainbooms, they had the exact same outfits they wore during their time here with their school. As for Lightning, they equipped her with a brand new short-sleeved blue and white Camp Everfree shirt, with logo, as well as a sleeveless jean jacket to throw on top, matching her jeans. Afterwards, they all settled down at the campfire to have a pancake brunch, and tell some tales.~
~Lightning introduced Stitch first to the two camp directors, and explained how they just met, before going on about their goal of finding Karly Crystal, as to why they were in the forest. Gloriosa and Timber listened with intent. They knew about what happened throughout, just not about why they were there in the first place. Now, they did, and they were quite shocked to hear.~
~Suddenly, interrupting their conversation, an unfamiliar man on a horse came emerging from the forest behind them. He looked to be in his mid-fifties and his skin was very pale and sickly, suggesting he was quite ill. His tufted grey hair and stubble made him look quite comical. He was dressed in a charming farmer-like outfit, along with red buckling suspenders holding up his rough jeans and a red chequered shirt. As he got off the horse, he straightened up his straw hat and the wheat held in his mouth.~
"Gloriosa Daisy," he spoke in an old, deep, kind, country-like voice. "I thought I might find ja here."
"Oh! Hello, Farmer!" said Gloriosa. "So nice to see you!"
"Hmm? Who is this gentleman?" asked Rarity.
"This is Farmer Bonsai. He lives just down on the other side of the lake in a cottage. He was a good friend of our parents." Gloriosa explained.
"Sure was. I don't see as many people 'round these parts as I do now though." he said.
"Really? Why? Where do you come from?" inquired Applejack.
"I own a farmhouse down by this land. Been in ma family for three generations. Came down here with my old trusty steel, Dusty. What a gander he is, don't you think?"
~He pointed to his beautiful blonde coated horse, whose ears pricked up and eyes rolled. It clipped its hooves on the earth and showed its strength by pushing against a large log. Fluttershy went up to the animal and rubbed her hand gently down on its soft nose. The horse stood still, then, it suddenly nuzzled against the girl and made happy, little snorting, neighing sounds.~
"Oh, he is beautiful." the shy girl marvelled.
The farmer chuckled lowly. "Why, thank you, little lady. Ya hear that, Dusty? That's the second compliment you've gotten from a girl this week!" the horse whinnied as if it understood.
Sunset narrowed her eyes in thought. "Second compliment from a girl? What do you mean by that, Mr. Bonsai, sir?"
"Oh. Well, not too long ago, I came across another young lady trailin' along in these woods," said Bonsai. "Bout the same age as you; pink scarf, rosy cheeks, two shades of blue eyes…"
Lightning arose suddenly. "Karly… That was our friend! Th-The whole reason why we were in the forest in the first place! Which way did she go?"
"Oh, she asked me to direct her towards the city, so I gave her the assistance she needed and pointed and she went on her merry way."
~Lightning's breathing slowed down from excitement to relief. Sunset was surprised by her reaction.~
"You're not mad that we've been going around the forest in search of her for days?" she asked.
"No. I'm just happy that she is okay, and in one piece."
"So, that means she must be on her way back home now, right?" Twilight asked.
The farmer nodded. "Yes."
Lightning smiled. "Well, that's wonderful news! I guess that means we can just…" suddenly, she trailed off from her sentence and glared. "Wait…"
"Wot? Wot's 'rong?" Stitch barked.
"How can we be sure you are telling the truth?"
By that, the farmer got nervous. "Well, I…I…"
~He tried to make out the words he wanted to say, but the change in Lightning's voice and stern look made him unable to comprehend the words. She's already been fooled once, she was not about to let it happen again. She approached the farmer, and was about to lash out and interrogate him when Applejack and Sunset stopped her.~
"Lightnin', stop,"
"Yes, I have a better, less drastic way of finding out if he's telling the truth. Sir, may I?"
~Sunset held out her hand warmly, and while the farmer was still very nervous and confused, he took it, expecting a simple but oddly-timed hand shake. A pale red glow rose from Sunset's neck and it felt like the sighing of the wind in the trees. Then, the girl's eyes turned white and she allowed herself to flow into the farmer's brain for memories. After a while, she came back to, and turned to her friends with a sincerely nod.~
"He's telling the truth." she said, and at once, Lightning relaxed.
Bonsai, however, was confused. "I'm sorry, but what did you just do? Your eyes turned white for a brief moment."
"Please, do not panic, sir, Sunset here just simply read your…memories." said Twilight.
"My memories?" The farmer was still confused until Gloriosa came to him and whispered something in his ear. His eyes lit up. "Ahhh…so you are the girls who saved this here camp from Gaia Everfree. Huh. No wonder."
"You've heard about us?" Pinkie said.
"Sure have. Your stories make the daily headlines in the newspaper."
"Newspaper?" Lightning said.
~The farmer reached down under his horse's saddle and pulled out a black and white newspaper. Lightning's eyes opened wide when she and the Rainbooms saw themselves in the photos on the front page. The story's headlines read everything about the times at CHS. The Fall Formal, The CHS Musical Showcase, The Friendship Games, even the time here at the camp. The paper looked old, but there was no proof of fake printing. The girls were amazed.~
"Wow. They've really caught my eye, haven't they?" Rarity admired at the pictures.
Lightning stuttered. "I'm…I'm speechless."
"Me too. I don't believe this… Where did they even get these pictures from?!" Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her hands forwards.
"From our classmates, I presume." Applejack answered, still looking at the newspaper.
"Millions of people must know about this then…" said Sunset.
Pinkie smiled. "Cool! We're famous!"
"Actually, that's not cool." said Twilight unfortunately. "This means that loads of people know about us and our powers. It's great that we saved our school and Camp Everfree, and all, but this could be dangerous."
Lightning agreed. "Yeah! What if criminals will find out about this? It'll make you targets for power and people to watch out for when they are committing crimes! This will then include me too!" she breathed a sigh. "Okay, okay, calm down, Lightning. After all, who reads newspapers nowadays? Perhaps we'll get lucky."
Rarity took out her phone and scrolled through it a bit. "It's not just the newspapers, it's all online too!"
"Oh, who's gonna believe what's online, too?" Lightning laughed nervously. "If anything, they will think it is photoshopped. Scepticism!"
"Nope!" Pinkie said, pulling out her phone. "Reading the comments, they think it's real."
"...Grrreat."
"Is this too late to fix it then?" Fluttershy said.
"No," said Lightning. "It just honestly means I have a lot more work to do. In the meantime, we will just have to be careful…"
"Okay. We'll worry about that later." Fluttershy shrugged.
~After that, they all calmed down and offered Farmer Bonsai to join them for brunch. He obliged.~
"So, Mr. Bonsai, what are you doing here, instead of hardly working back at your farm?" asked Sunset.
The farmer sighed. "I came to chat with Gloriosa, and warn her about the forest rustlers that have been stalkin' up some trouble around here." he explained.
"Forest rustlers?" the girls quired.
"Ay. They've been comin' here about once every year. Muckin' up my crops, feedin' themselves on 'em, even to the birds that swoop down and finish what's left. I'm already havin' trouble keepin' them alive as it is. And what's more, they even took one step further this year, and stole my herd! I had about fifty of 'em! Only Dusty remained..."
"Oh yeah, I fink I've bin seein' 'em around these parts," Stitch claimed. "Horrible 'umans, they are."
"Indeed. They used to only terrorise me, but now they're comin' over here."
"What?!" Everyone chorused.
"They're coming to our camp!?" Timber cried.
"But…for what reason? Camp Everfree doesn't have anything I would think they could possibly want." said Sunset.
"I'm afraid I don't know either. I only found out what they were plannin' because I heard them when I was takin' Dusty here for a walk."
~Bonsai gestured at his horse and he perked up and nodded, as if he understood and felt his owner's feelings. He then snorted a sigh, feeling useless. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stepped out boldly.~
"We gotta do something about this then!"
"Yeah, No way are we havin' a bunch of creeps comin' in here and messin' up our campsite!"
"Really? You will do that?" Bonsai asked, surprised.
"Really? We will do that?" Lightning repeated, shocked.
"Of course. I know how to deal with rustlers. Granny Smith taught me how throughout the years." said Applejack. "What I reckon we do is we should look for them and where they stored ya herd, before they come to us. That way, they won't bother us here at the camp."
"Yeah! Maybe Stitch and I could get a scent to where the rustlers and your herd might have gone!" Spike added, wagging his tail.
"And we'll return back what was stolen for you." Sunset finished, smiling.
"You girls would do that for me?" Farmer Bonsai said softly. "Thank you."
"It's no problem. Helping people is our thing." Rainbow said.
"But what about Karly?" said Lightning. "Can't we at least find her first?"
"You're a superhero." Stitch said brightly. "Helpin' folks like the farmer 'ere is your main goal, right?"
"Yeah, but I- "
"Well then, there ya go." he turned to Spike. "Spike, let's get-ta whiffin'!"
~The two dogs bounded a few feet ahead, and began to sniff around the farmer and his horse for a clue. While they were wandering, some strands of grass accidentally got stuck up their noses, but because it was so thin and small, all it did was make them sneeze cutely. Suddenly, Spike glowed.~
"I got a scent. Come on!" he encouraged.
~He scampered away with the rest eagerly following him. Except Lightning, who had her arms out in confusion.~
"But I- Ugh!" Lightning finally groaned and headed off too.