Gloriosa began traversing through the woods, forging a path with her magic. This had become a near-nightly trip for her, as she went to check on the geodes to see if they were all still there. Just in case she needed the rest of them. It had been a strange and exhilarating thing, this magic. It gave her a greater sense of purpose.
"You don't know what those things are!"
Timber's words echoed in Gloriosa's mind. She shook her head slowly. She loved Timber, but he just didn't understand. If he had these powers, he'd probably feel the same way! She knew he'd do anything for Camp Everfree, so why didn't he agree with how she was going about it?
Gloriosa sighed, then turned her attention back to the pathway she was creating. She already had enough things stressing her out lately, and one more thing on her plate just might be the straw that broke the camel's back!
Ugh, Gloriosa needed to relax! She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds of the native fauna as she continued onward. The sounds of owls hooting and the rustling of leaves filled her ears, and she allowed herself a sigh as she began to calm.
Gloriosa was glad she took these walks, and not just because of her destination. The forest at Camp Everfree was like a backyard to her, and one of the few places she could find genuine peace. No worries. No slimeball tycoons breathing down her neck. Just nature, pure and nonjudgmental.
Gloriosa reached the rock quarry and smiled. It didn't look like anyone had been around here, or at the very least kept it undisturbed. That was just the way she like it, as this was her safe haven. Her place of peace. Well, not so much the rock quarry, but the cave itself.
Gloriosa entered the cave and beheld a sigh she would never get tired of.
The cave was spacious as stalagmites and stalactites filled Gloriosa's vision as she walked the wide-open path. Red gems protruded from the walls, and in the dead center was an unusual formation of stalagmites. A bright white light shone from it, and it radiated magic. In the center of the formation was an unusual stone with seven slots, five of them empty. A red geode and a purple geode remained.
Gloriosa glanced at her necklace again. She had five of the geodes: pink, white, blue, yellow and orange. Should she take the last two? That was a debate she'd been having with herself over the last couple of weeks. She had originally taken each of them one by one to get used to their effects on her, trying to keep her powers in check.
Gloriosa turned her attention back to the two remaining geodes, then took a deep breath and exhaled. She sat down, closed her eyes... then meditated.
The silence of the cave was soothing, and a much-needed calm washed over Gloriosa. She had been coming here nightly ever since she found it, and it was a great way to relieve all the stress she had been carrying. Oh, it would return eventually. She wasn't going to try to fool herself.
Nonetheless, Gloriosa was determined to stay positive. If she didn't, she honestly didn't know how long she'd last! Everything seemed to be falling to pieces lately. Nearly everything that could go wrong did.
Gloriosa felt a lump in her throat as some stress returned. Camp Everfree would be gone within a couple of weeks, and she and Timber were unable to do anything about it. There had to be some way to make money without stealing, and she didn't want to abuse her powers. She sniffled as tears began to fall.
"Mom... Dad..." Gloriosa hugged herself. "W-What would you h-have done?" Her voice cracked, and she broke. She felt miserable, but she also knew it was a necessary release. Truth be told, she was just as scared as Timber was. Without Camp Everfree, where would she and Timber go? What would they do?
...Would they even be able to live with themselves if they lost the Camp to Filthy? The very thought made Gloriosa shudder in the midst of her crying. These were thoughts that she wanted to avoid at all costs, but she couldn't help herself!
Several minutes later, Gloriosa calmed down. She heaved a sigh, then got back up on her feet as she wiped away her remaining tears. As good as she was with it, she didn't know how much longer she could keep up the positive attitude... real or fake!
Gloriosa shook her head slowly. So much for meditating. She began to walk out of the cave, then slowly turned back to take one last look at the purple and red geodes. She hesitated for a moment and bit her lip, then shook her head again. Only as a last resort. With the summoning of some willpower, she finally left the cave and made her way back to the main camp.
Twilight and the rest of the campers sat around the large fire they and Timber had built. Everyone had picked a spot, and s'mores were and marshmallows were being toasted over the fire as the flames crackled and the logs burned.
Twilight looked around as the campers all did their own things. Sunset and Fluttershy were going over song lyrics. Pinkie had a bouquet of marshmallows on sticks as she held them over the fire. Rarity was sketching designs for her fashion show. Applejack was a few feet away, lying on the ground and looking up at the stars. Rainbow Dash was just... sitting by herself doing nothing?
Twilight folded her arms. Should she talk to Rainbow? She hadn't been friends with the girls for too long, so she didn't know too much about them. This was a perfect opportunity to at least get to know Rainbow a little better. With her mind made up, she nodded to herself and walked on over.