//------------------------------// // A Game Plan // Story: TimberTwi Tales: First Impressions // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle and her friends touched down on the ground, and all the campers had cheered. Spike ran, leaping into her arms. "You did it!" Spike glanced at Twilight's new necklace. It held a purple pendant roughly the size of a quarter, with her Power Symbol in the center. "Whoa... nice bling." "What... what are these," Applejack asked as she held her orange pendant. "I'm not sure," Sunset answered. "But clearly, we have some kind of connection to them!" "I almost don't care what they are," Rarity said as she admired her white pendant. "They are gorgeous!" She gasped. "And will totally go with the other collection I was working on for the camp fashion show!" She giggled giddily, then her face slowly fell. "That's probably cancelled, isn't it?" "'Fraid so, Rarity," Applejack said sympathetically as she put a hand on the fashionista's shoulder. Rarity made a sputtering noise in disappointment. "I think we should check on Gloriosa," Twilight said to Sunset. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Timber and Gloriosa held each other even after they had finished crying. Timber sighed happily. "That felt good... I didn't realize how badly I needed that." Gloriosa shuddered. "...Oh, god..." "Glory?" "I remember everything, Timber," Gloriosa whispered. She tightened her grip on him. "I was completely out of my mind." "Glory..." "I-I could have killed you." "Glory!" Timber grabbed Gloriosa, getting her attention. "That wasn't you." "Timber's right," Sunset said as she Twilight approached Timber and Gloriosa. "You were corrupted by Equestrian magic." Gloriosa let go of Timber. "Is... is that supposed to make me feel better? That I wasn't in control of what I was doing? That doesn't excuse what I did!" "Timber," Twilight said softly. "Can you leave me and Sunset to speak with her," she asked, gesturing to Gloriosa. "Girl talk." "Right now," Timber asked incredulously. Twilight gave Timber a reassuring look. "Trust me." Timber blushed furiously as his heart skipped a beat. "O-Okay. I t-trust you." He slowly walked off. Twilight knelt down to Gloriosa. "Gloriosa... how are you doing?" Gloriosa sighed heavily. "I feel terrible. Why didn't I listen to Timber? Why didn't I listen to either of you," she asked, gesturing to Twilight and Sunset. "You weren't in your right mind," Sunset said softly. Gloriosa snorted. "Oh, what do you know about what I went through?" "A lot, actually..." Sunset briefly told Gloriosa of her Equestrian origins, then skipped to the night she transformed. How it felt, how it affected her, and the long road of recovery that had followed. Gloriosa's eyes went wide. "Oh my god," she whispered. "I went through something similar," Twilight said, gesturing to herself. "So if there is anyone who knows what you're going through, it's us," Sunset added. "If you ever want to talk, we'll listen." Gloriosa slowly got up, then walked away. Twilight glanced at Sunset. "Should we-" "No," Sunset cut Twilight off. "I think she just needs some space. She's got a lot going through her head right now." Twilight sighed and frowned. "We should go help with cleanup." "Yeah..." Sunset smiled warmly. "I know you're worried about her, Twilight, but I doubt she'll do anything reckless." "You mean like trying to run away by calling a cab in the middle of the night," Twilight asked with a grin. Sunset laughed, then put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Yeah. Now c'mon, we've got work to do!" Gloriosa slowly walked over to Luna and Celestia, downhearted. "I am so sorry," she said. "I only wanted this to be the best week Camp Everfree has ever had, and instead I've made it the worst." She sighed heavily. "Maybe it's for the best that I'm losing the camp to Filthy Rich..." "No," Principal Celestia said firmly. "It's not. This camp has meant so much to so many people, myself and my sister included!" "Why do you think we wanted our students to come here," Vice-Principal Luna said. "We can't let Filthy Rich take this place away," Twilight said, feeling fired up. "If camp meant so much to you two, maybe it meant as much to the other campers who came here in years past." "And maybe we can get them to help save it," Sunset said. Applejack stopped cleaning. "Oh! Like a fundraiser!" "Or a ball?!" Rarity's head began to swim with the design possibilities! "Our band could play!" Rainbow grinned widely. "I could help write a new song just for the occasion," Fluttershy said. The campers chattered among themselves, nodding in agreement. Gloriosa's sadness faltered, and for a moment she felt a bit of hope. "Those are all good ideas, but where would we hold it?" Sunset cupped her chin in thought, then an idea came to her. "The crystal cave!" Rarity gasped. "A crystal ball?! I love it," she squeaked. Gloriosa smiled for a moment. She'd love nothing more than to stick it to that goddamned Filthy Rich... but at the same time, time was short. Logistics would likely be a nightmare, even with all of the campers more than willing and able to help. It would be far too short of a notice. Gloriosa sighed. She had to face facts. "I admire everyone's enthusiasm. Really, I do. But I-I just don't know how we're going to plan a ball by tomorrow and invite everyone." Sunset, Pinkie, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow all glanced at each other, confidence written all over their faces. "Don't you worry, Gloriosa," Twilight said as she cracked her knuckles. "We've got this," Everyone said in unison. A solitary tear fell from Gloriosa's cheek. There it was. Hope. The hope she and Timber had thought was lost. She sniffled, then wiped away the tear. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Th-Thank you." "Don't thank us just yet," Rainbow said. "Thank us when it's over," Applejack said. The seven friends held out their arms, stacking their hands on top of each other. "All right you guys... let's do this," Sunset shouted, and they all jumped together. "YEAH!" Gloriosa smiled warmly. Mom... Dad... I hope you're watching. We're going to make you both proud.