//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: To Everfree // Story: Mystery Of Everfree // by FourShadow //------------------------------// The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, it was the makings of a perfect summer day. And thanks to the sun, crops at a local farm were flourishing more than ever. And just beyond that farm, way out in an open field was a group of teenagers, standing close with some high tech gadgets and equipment. Twilight Sparkle, with her messy hair and excited smile, stood with her newfound friends; the Sonic Rainbooms. Together they were standing by a machine, about to turn it on. "Just a few more seconds girls... Okay.... now!" Applejack slammed her fist on the button, and the machine began to activate. Purple streams sparked, spinning in a circular motion before them. A small portal, big enough for people to just walk through like a door manifested out of thin air. And on the other side, they could see deep into what looked like a desolate desert, almost harsh and lifeless. But they did see a town somehow, a village with dusty houses, and ponies walking about. Ponies who were not like the others, but had very muted and dull colors, all looking exactly the same. "It works... It really works!" Twilight yelled into the air with excitement. "Yeahhh... it works. But I dunno, that town doesn't look that exciting," Rainbow said, holding the scanner. "Well it doesn't have to be; but we now have a way to look into Equestria, and without harming anyone or putting anyone in danger!" "Still can't believe Adagio gave you the okay," Fluttershy stated. "Hey, after all of those months of keeping a close eye on them, I say she's earned it," Applejack shrugged. "Okay, close it!" Applejack pressed the designated buttons in the right order, and soon the machine shut down and the portal sealed itself off before anypony on the other side could see it. "Wormhole generator test 37, I'd say is a complete success!" Twilight declared. "Well now that we've finally tested yer science doohickey, how about we go get ourselves some grub?" "Yeah! Come on, let's go get some ice cream!" Pinkie Pie squeaked. Twilight giggled. “Okay. Let me just lock my equipment first. Oh, Rainbow, can you bring the scanners back? I need to put them... Rainbow?” Rainbow wasn’t there anymore. In fact, the only thing she saw were small bits of dust vanishing into the winds. She walked around for a little bit, but she still wasn’t seen. “Rainbow?” She looked back at the direction her friends were sitting at and noticed the same thing. They were all gone as well, vanished from sight, with only bits of dust blowing into the wind. "Girls? … Girls!?” She ran through the field, looking for them. “Applejack! Rarity! Pinkie Pie?” She spun around, sweat running down her head, her palms clammy and shaky. “Fluttershy?! Rainbow Dash!?” “So. It’s you and me now.” Twilight gulped. Slowly turning around, she saw only one force standing across from her. Covered in metal, metal poles sticking out of her back with electricity sparks sizzling through, making them come across as wings, hovering in the air. Menacingly, she glared at Twilight like a disappointed parent, mixed with a deranged serial killer. “Midnight Sparkle… how is this even possible!? My friends stopped you at the Friendship Games!” “One defeat doesn’t equal complete vanquish. And I can never be stopped, Twilight…” Midnight said. “And we will finish what we started. After all… you cannot run from who you truly are…” She pointed in front of her, tons of hot fiery light reflected behind her. Twilight gasped at the horror. The world around her looked like the fiery depths of Tartarus. Fires were erupting everywhere, consuming all of the land around her. To her left, she could see her own house covered in the flames, burning to cinders. The sight just made her skin crawl and her hands clammy. “No… No…” And when she spun around, she was suddenly teleported to the front of Canterlot High which was also burning to ashes, melting down with the rest of the flames. No sign of anyone around who had survived, if there even was any survivors. They were all gone. And even the Wondercolt Statue was crumbling, with the horse statue completely gone. “I will finish what I started. And you cannot escape your destiny!” “No. This is not me, I would never—” “You will not escape!” Midnight roared behind her. She looked down at her, slashing the air with streams of light, opening up portals. “I will be back, Twilight!” And Twilight turned away, not wanting to look at her. But then she looked at the reflection of the statue; she could see herself. But it wasn’t her. She was just like Midnight, all in armor, with electricity sparking out of her back. Her heart was racing, her vision was becoming blurry, everything was echoing in her ears. “And this time I will not leave until I have all of the magic!” “No, stop!!!” *** “MIDNIGHT!” Twilight shouted, eyes open with a gasp. She breathed heavily, holding onto her heart, feeling as if it was about to jump out of her chest. In the midst of her breathing, she saw her alarm clock still beeping for her to wake up. “Twilight, it’s time to get up!” Twilight Velvet called out. “You don’t want to be late for the Camp Everfree trip!” Twilight fell out of the bed, slamming to the floor with a thud. “Ow.” And racing over to her side with an excited face was her fluffy new companion; Spike. By now, it was almost routine at this point; first thing in the morning, greet Twilight with a happy face, eager to spend the day with her. “Morning Spike,” she smiled, patting his head as she struggled to get up. “Oof, ow. Really need to set a louder alarm.” She raced over to her closet, and shirts began to fly out like grenades. Some hit the bed, a few landed on a small chest, and one of them went right on top of Spike. “Oh, sorry Spike!” She went downstairs to the family kitchen/dining room where breakfast was being served. “Morning Twiley,” Shining Armor greeted. “Morning Shiny,” Twilight smiled. “Breakfast is ready, just have a seat. I made you your favorite,” Twilight Velvet smiled. “Pancakes?” “Mmmhmm!” “Yay,” Twilight quietly squeaked. “Better eat up quickly Twilight, you don’t want to be late for the bus,” Night Light advised. Twilight whined. “Do I have to go on this trip?” “Twilight, this will be good for you. Besides, those girls are your friends, you should hang out with them some more.” “But I don’t even attend Canterlot High,” Twilight pleaded. “Yes, but they wanted to invite you along. Come on Twilight, you can’t pass up an opportunity to have some fun with your friends.” “B-B-But—” “—No buts, Twilight,” Night Light said firmly. “We’re not doing this to be mean. We’re doing this because we love you. You do like hanging out with those girls don’t you? “… Yes,” Twilight said defeated. Admittedly it sounded fun to be with them for two weeks, but that was the other problem; two whole weeks. At a camp. With tons of other students who barely knew her. And who only knew her for the biggest action she committed in October so long ago… “Now come on, eat up, you don’t want to miss the bus,” Twilight Velvet said, patting her on the shoulder and giving her daughter a quick peck. After breakfast, Twilight dashed back upstairs to get herself ready. She took a shower, brushed her teeth, combed her hair, she was all clean and ready. And back into her room, she put on a comfortable summer t-shirt blazed with the Camp Everfree logo, something that her friends had given her before they got the full notes on when they would leave for the trip. Clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, all of her things were packed into her suitcase. After finally gathering her things, she pulled up her suitcase and walked towards the door. But before she even thought about going out, her parents came to the door to give her a quick hug and kiss goodbye. Her hug with Shining Armor was even bigger though. “Just have fun, okay?” Shining spoke softly. “I’ll try to.” “Just know if you ever need to text or call us, we’re always listening,” Twilight Velvet said. “I will,” Twilight smiled. “See you, Twiley!” “Bye guys! Tell Cadence I said hi,” Twilight waved before walking outside with her suitcase. But wait, she almost forgot. “Spike, come here boy!” Twilight whistled. Spike came running out the door to his owner and leapt up into the air, just in time for Twilight to catch him. She carefully held him close, making sure he didn’t want to be away from her. The bus rolled up on her street, and she found the hatch to slide her suitcase inside. When her bags were inside, she held Spike close as she got onto the bus. “Good morning, Miss Sparkle,” Principal Luna smiled. “Morning, Principal Luna,” she said. “Hey, Twilight, over here!” Rainbow hollered. She smiled some more as she saw the rest of her friends gathered near the back; Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. She parked herself in a seat next to Rarity “Hey Twilight. Happy to see ya. Glad ‘ja could make it,” Applejack smiled. “And good to see you too, Spike,” she said, petting his head. “We are going to have so much fun! Roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories, even sleep on marshmallow pillows!” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “I don’t think that’s a real thing, Pinkie.” “Not if you don’t make it!” Pinkie Pie giggled, raising a bag of marshmallows. Twilight, upon sitting, looked around on the bus. It wasn’t particularly full, not that she was complaining. Only a handful of students were here, and luckily they were ones she recognized. Flash Sentry and Rara, sitting a seat in front of Rarity. Micro Chips and Sandalwood sitting on the other side of him. And last but not least; Derpy ‘Muffin’ Hooves, and Thunderbass. “Not a full class, is it?” “Not really. The end of year trip was optional for most of us, so we just decided to sign on because we wanted to.” “And since you’re our friend, that’s when we thought we should invite you too!” Rainbow grinned. Twilight blushed. “Don’t you think it would have been better for someone else to go instead of me?” “Come on Twilight, Camp Everfree is awesome! It’s the most peaceful campsite in all of Canterlot. Nice place to go to just get away from the city, relax, forget about yer troubles,” Applejack said, sighing in relief. "But where are the Dazzlings? Or Trixie, or any of the other girls?" Twilight asked, looking around. "They'll be joining us next week. They wanted to just do this trip for a single week," Pinkie explained. "But it means we get the camp grounds all to ourselves!" "Yep! Two full weeks of non-stop fun," Rainbow grinned. "Yeah... should be," Flash quietly muttered from the seat in front of them. The apple farmer frowned. She didn't need to be told something wasn't wrong, she could sense it. “You alright Flash? You haven’t said a word since we left,” Applejack observed. “Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just… I wish Aria was here to join us,” the guitar player admitted. “Oh don’t you worry darling, she’ll be joining us next week! You’ll be with your princess soon enough,” Rarity giggled. “I wouldn’t exactly refer to her as a princess type,” Applejack said. “I swear Aria’s the least likely person to ever become a princess.” “No argument here. But you know what? That’s totally fine by me,” Flash said with a smile. "Didn't you give her a cellphone so you could call her?" "Yeah, but she's still trying to learn how to use it," Flash shrugged. "And most of the time when I do, I usually get this." He dialed in her number, and waited for the line to pick up. He could hear it still ringing, waiting to be answered. And Applejack and Rainbow were hanging on the seat, listening. Only answer they got was a country sounding song to play with some woman singing. And it sure wasn't Aria. Slugslinger! In and out of battle Slugslinger! The legend will be known Slugslinger! Fearless to the end-- And Flash pressed the hangup button. "I set that as her ringtone, but she's still trying to figure it out." "I don't get it. How is it that those girls have been on this planet for over a thousand years, and yet somehow they're still not up to date with our current technology?" Rainbow asked. "Maybe cause they're so used to doing somethin' one way that the thought of doing it another scares 'em?" "Well, bu--a cellphone is not that hard to use!" "Try telling that to them. I watched poor Sonata struggle with it for hours. ... It was less than amusing," Rarity shook her head. "They're old," Pinkie Pie giggled. Sometime later, the trip was still going on. They made quite the distance, and they were moving at a steady pace. No one on the road at this time, aside from a few truckers which was pretty normal. The students weren't bored, thankfully. They did have means of keeping themselves occupied during this long and arduous trip. Some brought books, some brought their own snacks to keep hunger away, and of course, they did have each other to talk to. That is until the bus pulled itself into a gas station/convience store. "Okay, we're taking a rest stop everyone. If you need to use the restroom, get some snacks, stretch, please do it now," Principal Luna instructed. Everyone got off (naturally) with most of them stretching their legs or their muscles which had locked up. A few of them ran to the bathrooms. And Spike dashed off into the grassy area to find a tree for himself. Nearby the bus, Rarity and Applejack stretched their arms and legs. "You two don't have to go?" "In a gas station bathroom!?" Rarity freaked. "It's so icky and gross in there..." Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "Rarity, it can't be that bad..." She walked away, leaving the two girls to just keep stretching. And Spike came running back, finished with his business, and Twilight was back to the bus with a bag of snacks. "I hope no one minds, but I bought some snacks for the road?" "I don't mind at all," Applejack smiled. "That's very generous of you darling, you shouldn't have," Rarity cooed. "What'd you get?" Rainbow asked, about to step on the bus. "Well, I know it's not much, but I got some Cream Cakes, some Koko Kringle bars, also got some tortilla chips, some water, some beef jerky--Spike will beg for some, just letting you know," Twilight warned, earning a whine from Spike. She playfully rolled her eyes. "Spike, come on." "Oh, but how can you say no to that face?" Rarity melted, picking up the puppy and holding him in her arms. "Especially one so adorable..." And Fluttershy came back to the bus, with a face that just said it all. Eyes twitching, cringing, and they could swear she looked like she wanted to throw up. "Um. Fluttershy? Are you okay?" "I'm... I'm just going to wait until we get to the camp, I think... I'm probably going to be sick." "You sure you don't want any snacks or any--" She cupped her mouth, with an almost green turning face. "Please. No." Twilight frowned, softly patting Fluttershy's shoulders. "If you want, I do have some medicines with me. I can open up my backpack and pull one out." Fluttershy managed to keep herself together, fighting off her urge to throw off and stay healthy. She stood back up and gave a soft smile. "I'm okay. I should be okay." After refueling, some quick snacks, and whatever other business, the bus was back on the road again. The trip continued smoothly like before, now finally getting close to their destination. They were far out into the countryside, away from the busy city. Plenty of trees, mountains off in the distance, some farmlands, rivers, and much much more. Off in the distance, they could see an old locomotive driving on its track, puffing away to it's next destination. Now they were really getting close. Beautiful sunny skies, trees that reached for the air, and plenty of open spaces. The bus drove under the entrance sign and rolled nice and easy into the open parking area which was devoid of any cars at the moment, most likely at a difference space. But regardless, once they had arrived, the bus parked itself and students were now allowed to get off. "We're finally here! Welcome to Camp Everfree everybody!!!!"