//------------------------------// // Anxiety // Story: TimberTwi Tales: First Impressions // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Gloriosa wandered the campgrounds in search of ways to improve the week for the campers. So far, she had yet to find anything, but she'd be damned if she let that stop her! She'd check every last square inch of the entire campground and forest if she'd have to! She had only been outside for a little over an hour, so she doubted it would come to that. Gloriosa eventually reached the clearing where all of the campers were gathered, but stayed out of their sight. It wouldn't be good if they all discovered she had magical powers! She noticed a boat in the middle of the lake, where one camper was trying to move it by blowing at its sail! Gloriosa frowned slightly, then began to channel her geodes... Twilight and Sunset walked towards the new dock. "Hey," Sunset said. "I know you don't want to, but I really think we need to figure out what's going on with your magic." Twilight tensed up, feeling a little fearful. "If you could learn to control it-" "But that's just it," Twilight snapped. "I'll never be able to control it!" A sudden crash behind the two interrupted their conversation, and they turned around. The dock was in shambles. The boat that Derpy and Sandalwood were on had crashed into it, and they both floated in the water. Timber had fallen on his bottom, looking dazed. Fluttershy had frozen up, horrified by the accident. Rainbow Dash ran up to Sunset and Twilight. "What happened?!" "I-I didn't mean to," Twilight said in a panic. "We didn't see anything," Sunset said. "So we don't know what happened." She ran off with Rainbow to help the campers while Twilight simply stared at her hands as a chill ran down her spine. "Are you okay," Sunset asked after helping Sandalwood out of the water. "It was so weird," Sandalwood said. "We were stuck in the middle of the lake with no wind. Then all of a sudden, bam!" He pounded his fist in the palm of his hand for emphasis. "The wind picked up, and we were pushed right into the dock!" While everyone was focused on the dock, Timber tossed some gem dust into the lake. Pinkie gasped. "You don't think it was the spirit, do you?" Another chill flowed through Twilight as guilt set in. "No," she said softly to herself. "It was me." She slowly walked away from the dock. She ignored whatever Trixie was saying with a heavy sigh, then ran into the forest. Gloriosa stood still in shock. She didn't mean for that to happen! She grit her teeth, trying to turn herself away from the damage she had caused. W-What if one them got injured... or worse?! Gloriosa took a closer look at the dock, then heaved a sigh of relief upon noticing nobody was hurt. She put a hand to her chest and felt her heart pounding. Next time, she'd be more careful... After checking up on the two campers involved in the crash, Timber fumed. He didn't have to guess what was behind the sudden propulsion of the boat... or rather, who. "Dammit, Gloriosa..." What was she thinking? Timber had warned her about the magic, and what did she do? She used it and damn near killed the campers! He knew she couldn't control it! Timber took a long, deep breath, then exhaled. He'd need to stay calm. No need for anger right now. The next time he'd see Gloriosa, however... He shook his head, then did a headcount of all the present campers. After doing some mental math, he realized that Twilight was gone. Timber walked over to Twilight's friends. "Hey, have you guys seen Twilight?" They all shook their heads. "She probably just went back to the Sapphire Tent," Sunset said. "I'll check over there." "You should probably check the forest," Pinkie said with a grin. "Now why in tarnation would Twilight be in the forest," Applejack asked. Pinkie shrugged. "Just a hunch." Timber blinked, then shrugged. A hunch was better than nothing to go on, so he walked to the forest. Twilight heaved a sigh as she wandered through the forest. She needed some time alone. You're never alone, Midnight taunted, then cackled. Twilight just needed some time to think. What she was going to think about, she honestly didn't know... but she was at her best when she had some space to herself. And yet... it all used to be so simple. She understood pretty much everything. Twilight reached a clearing in the woods and stopped for a moment, in awe of its beauty. There was a small waterfall that poured water into a pond, where several lily pads rested. She had been surrounded by foliage and trees with mushrooms growing out of them. Several rocks were scattered about, and daylight trickled through the treetops. Twilight sat down on a nearby log and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do? Could she even do anything? There had to be a solution. Every problem always had a solution! Twilight lifted her head from her hands, then gazed at her reflection in the pond. She watched as a frightened and unsure girl stared back, then slowly grew wings. "...No..." The reflection gave Twilight a sinister grin, and its eyes began to glow as a horn materialized on its forehead. "No!" Twilight kicked at the water, and the ripples she created caused her reflection to turn to normal. She shuddered, then glanced at her reflection again. Tears were running down her... its eyes. Twilight sniffled, then wiped the tears away. She didn't want her friends to see the monster residing within herself... not again. Not if she could help it. She hugged herself tightly, and her breath stuttered. She hadn't been this frightened since the Friendship Games! Twilight rapidly shook her head. The Friendship Games were the last things she wanted to think about right now. She was never going to live that down, was she? She sighed again, then got up off of the log. She turned back to take one last look at the tranquility she knew she wouldn't ever have again, then walked out of the clearing.