//------------------------------//
// Gaia Everfree 
// Story: Flash Sentry Chronicles: The Legend of Everfree 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

Flash and Iron soon found their tent and headed inside, First joining them before going to his own tent. Despite this being classed as a camping trip, the tent looked more like a hotel room than anything else. They were as big as one, and had large beds that appeared to have been made out of the surrounding trees. There were also chests at the foot of the beds, tables beside them and a line to hang extra clothes.

Iron looked impressed, but Flash just sighed and threw his bag onto his bed before collapsing onto it. The other teens turned to him, "Problem?"

"I'm fine," Flash grumbled, "Just...doesn't matter."

"Ah," First spoke up. "This would not have anything to do with that Timber guy that Twilight was talking to, would it?" Flash tilted his head, showing one glaring eye, "So I am right."

Flash mumbled as he looked away, "I don't trust that guy. There's something about him that's just...I don't trust the guy."

"Ha!" Iron laughed as he sat down, "I don't think it's him you've got the problem with. I think it's who he was talking to that's got you all wound up." Flash raised an eyebrow at this as he slowly lifted his head, Iron and First smirking at him. "We've seen the way you look at her."

"Look at who?"

But before they could reply, the boys turned to see Heather step into the tent. "Hey guys, what's up?" Iron and First then pointed at Flash, Heather quickly catching on. "Oh, this is about Twilight and Timber."

"Yes," Flash nodded. "And I don't like that guy looking at Twilight like a piece of meat. I mean, he's too old for her. He's like, what...eighteen. She's a minor. And he works here. Isn't there a rule about administers not dating campers?"

The two guys went almost wide-eyed at how blunt Flash was being as Heather just giggled, "Possibly...but let's be honest here. If Timber was interested in anybody else, you wouldn't give it a second look."

"That's not true."

"So if he started flirting with Sunset or Rarity, you wouldn't care?" Iron asked, Flash not answering and just turning his head away. "Thought so."

"Face it," First added, "You are only annoyed because Timber is interested in Twilight. And it is obvious why that bothers you."

"You like Twilight," Heather finished.

"What?!" Flash sat up, "What are you talking about?!"

"We already said it," Iron said while rolling his eyes, "We've seen the way you look at her. Not like how someone would look at a friend or the person they consider a sibling."

"You have feelings for her," First continued, only to laugh as they saw Flash's face suddenly turn bright red.

"Ooooh, how cute!" Heather squealed, "I thought the other versions of you two made a cute couple, but something about you and her make's it even more cute. Maybe it's the glasses and hairdo."

"You guys are being ridiculous," Flash stood up. "There's nothing going on between me and Twilight."

"But you want there to be," Iron chuckled while Flash turned to glare at him. "Admit it."

First laughed, "Flash and Twilight, sitting in a tree."

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Heather continued.

"No, no, NO!" Flash yelled, "You guys are dead wrong." He pushed past First and Heather, striding out of the tent as his friends continued to laugh.

"Denial is the clinger!" Heather called out, "You're in love romeo!" Flash rolled his eyes as he continued to walk away, making Heather giggle, "Oh, the poor naive fool."

"He will never admit it to himself," First added, "And if he does not, he may miss out on something great. Twilight too."

"Maybe not," Heather smirked. "I think I know someone who can help us."





Meanwhile...

Sunset and Twilight were now getting settled into their tent. It was exactly like the boy's, though this one seemed to have a few more flowers in it. Twilight had just put Spike's bed down in front of her chest, and was sitting on hers while Sunset was rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a flashlight and checked to make sure it was working, the girl using it to make a spooky face. "Ooooooooooh," she chuckled before switching the light off. But when she put it away, she turned to Twilight, "Say...that was weird back there, right? With that guy, Filthy Rich?"

She waited for a response, but Twilight appeared to be lost in thought. That is, till Spike walked up to her, making Twilight turn to Sunset, "Huh? Oh. Uh, I guess so." She got up and started unpacking her bag, Sunset now taking out another shirt and hung it up.

"I just have this feeling that Gloriosa's hiding something." She then remembered Twilight's reaction to a certain someone and smirked at the teen, "Her brother''s pretty cute, though, huh?" Twilight was glad she had her back to Sunset, since she could hide the blush on her face.

Once she got it under control, Twilight glanced back at her. "He's okay."

"Ooooh," Sunset joked, "Now look who's trying to hide something-"

"No, I'm not!" Twilight snapped back, making Sunset turn to her and see a panicked expression on Twilight's face.

"Hey, you okay?" Sunset asked with a small frown, "You know...you seemed a little freaked out on the bus earlier. This isn't about that, right?"

"Probably had another one of her nightmares," Spike added before getting a pair of socks thrown into his face.

"I'm fine," she growled before putting a happy face on. "I mean, what do I have to complain about?" She jumped onto Sunset's bed. "Ever since I transferred here, everyone from CHS has been really nice and accepting, especially considering what happened at the Friendship Games."

Her face turned back to a frown, Sunset now sitting down beside her, "Twilight...that wasn't your fault." She put a hand on Twilight's shoulder, "Principal Cinch is the one who encouraged you to try and use all that magic to win the Games for Crystal Prep. You weren't ready to have that kind of power." She gripped Twilight's shoulder, making the girl glance over to her, "But it's over now. And if there's any group that's gonna forgive you for something that happened in the past, trust me, it's this one."

As she said that, Rainbow appeared at the tent's door, "You guys comin' or what?"

"Be right there!" Sunset stood up, Rainbow giving a thumbs up before walking off. "I just wanna put on some sunscreen." She reached into her bag, only to raise an eyebrow. "Huh. I coulda sworn I packed it." She continued to look until Twilight noticed something on the ground, the bespectacled girl seeing it was the tube of cream she was looking for.

"Found it!" But as she pointed it out, something completely unexpected happened. The sunscreen bottle began to glow a strange purple light before it started floating off the ground. Both girls went wide-eyed at this, Sunset looking shocked while Twilight looked absolutely terrified. Then, more light caught their attention and they saw several objects floating in the air. Towels, books, socks, and even Spike's bed were beginning to levitate. Sunset glanced around at all the items, her mind telling her it was Equestrian Magic, and she knew she wasn't the one causing it. She then turned to the only other person it could possibly be.

"Did you?" Twilight didn't reply, her eyes shrinking as she shrunk back, "How is this possible?"

"I can't believe this," Twilight almost cried out. "It's..."

"Amazing/Terrible!" As soon as they both said that, the light vanished and all the objects fell to the floor. Both flinched at this, but Sunset quickly recovered as she turned to Twilight.

"Are you kidding? This is great! I mean, we've all ponied up before, gotten the whole ears and wings and tail thing, shot magical rainbow lasers, but nothing like this has ever happened!" She stared at Twilight, "How...how did you do it?"

"I don't know!" Twilight yelped as she began to hug herself before looking away, "Maybe I didn't." She put her hands on her head, "Maybe it's her!"

Sunset raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Her who?"

"Nothing," Twilight pulled away, "Nevermind. Can we just not talk about it?! And could you please not bring this whole levitating thing up to Flash and the others?!"

"But...why not?"

"You heard Applejack," Twilight said as she went back to her bed, picking up some socks. "This is supposed to be the place where everyone can get away from magic." She put the socks away before turning back to Sunset. "I don't want them to know I brought some crazy new kind with me. And you know Flash. If he finds out something like this is going on, he'll wanna spend every waking minute keeping a close eye on me. He more than anyone deserves a break from that so he can have some fun." She put her hands together like she was going to pray, "Please!"

Sunset flinched at this, biting her lip as she replied, "Well...if you really don't want me to, I won't say anything."

"I really don't," Twilight added before heading for the door.

"Okay," Sunset called out as Twilight left, "But this isn't necessarily a bad thing!" She then looked down at the fallen sunscreen bottle. The pony turned human held her hands out and tried to make if float like when she was a unicorn, but the bottle remained where it was. She started making grunts and others sounds, but still had no luck. A long sigh came next as she put her fingers on her head and closed her eyes...only to open them and see it was still stationary.

Spike, who had been watching, glanced up at her, "I think you're just gonna have to pick it up."

"Awww," she moaned before reaching down to grab it. She started applying the lotion, heading out as she rubbed it into her arm. But she was so focused on that, she didn't notice she was moving toward someone until she bumped into them.

"Show up like that!" She looked up to see Gloriosa.

"What did you say?"

"I...didn't say anything." She glanced at the other campers, "Just here to make sure everyone is heading to the docks!" She then turned back to Sunset, "Did you need something?"

"Nope," Sunset replied.

"Because if there is anything I can do to make this week the best week ever, you just let me know." She pointed at herself, "I've got this!"

"Uh...thanks." Sunset barely responded, "I'm good." Gloriosa shined a big grin before walking off, leaving Sunset to talk to Spike. "People that chipper make me nervous." But as she said this, Pinkie hopped over and pulled Sunset into a hug.

"THIS IS GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN!" She screamed.

"I guess not all people." Pinkie let her go and began to skip for the docks, Sunset about to follow. But before she could, she was grabbed and pulled behind another tent, "WHOA!" She came to a stop, "What's the big-" she stopped when she saw it was the Royal Knights. "Oh. What's up?"

"We need your help," First replied, "You said our world and Equestria are pretty similar, right?"

Sunset blinked at this question before nodding, "Um...yeah? I mean, there are a few big differences, but it's mostly the same."

"Does that include couples?" Heather asked, making Sunset raise an eyebrow, "If everyone in our world has a doppelganger, then that means they must have the same parents. Which means the people and ponies in both worlds got together with the same pony."

"Uh...huh." Sunset responded, tapping her chin in thought, "I mean, I guess that could be true. Never really though about it." She crossed her arms next, "Why do you ask?"

The Royal Knights shined three big smirks, "Didn't you say that pony Flash and Twilight got together some time after the battle of the bands?"

Iron's question made Sunset go wide-eyed, only to glance over at Twilight before looking back at them, "Ooooh." She realised what they were getting at. "You think Twilight...and Flash."

"He likes her," Heather chimed in, "It's obvious to anyone who bothers to look. And I'm willing to bet Twilight would realize she likes him if we can get her to stop making goo-goo eyes at that Timber guy. So, wanna help us with them?"

Sunset grimaced at this, her mind going back to what had just happened to Twilight. That is, till the words Twilight had told her over relaxing and helping Flash. "Okay." Sunset nodded, "I'm in."

Over at the lake, most of the campers had arrived, now staring at the large body of water. Some campers were walking up the dock while others sat near some picnic benches. "Oh my," Rarity exclaimed while standing beside Fluttershy, Rainbow and Applejack, "It's beautiful, isn't it? It looks like a diamond shining in the sun!"

Fluttershy nodded, "It is lovely out here." She smiled as a gentle breeze blew past her. "The fresh air, the cool breeze." A tweeting sound caught her attention, making he look up to see a bird fly by. She held up a finger and the avian landed there, looking all so happy. "The birds that land on your finger."

Rainbow chuckled at this, "I think that only happens to you." Fluttershy shrugged as the bird chose to fly off, Gloriosa walking up to the lake next. Once the last of the campers showed up, Sunset and the Royal Knights, the woman began to explain several rules they would have to obey. This included no going into other people's tents without permission, no leaving their tents once lights out had been called, which nature trails they were allowed to use, and which ones were deemed unsafe and much much more.

"Lake activities are available every day until sunset," Gloriosa finished, "So if you want to canoe, sail, windsurf, or swim, just let me know." As she said that, Twilight was heading over to the docks. She was wearing a life vest, wanting to take this chance to try out everything she had read before about sailing.

At the same time, Flash had gotten into a conversation with Trixie until he noticed his best friend. That and he saw Fluttershy feeding the ducks and further up, Timber. Twilight passed by her, nodding at something she had said. But in that moment, something happened and she tripped over something, crying out as she fell back. Flash was about to run to her side, but stopped when he saw Timber manage to catch her.

"Whoa!" He heard Timber say as he helped her back up. "I know I'm charming, but you don't have to fall for me." Twilight blushed at this, Flash now feeling the gut wrenching sensation fill him.

In that moment, Sunset stepped up and saw the look on his face. "If the wind changes, your face is gonna be stuck like that."

"Very funny," Flash grunted before Sunset placed a hand on his shoulder.

"So, Heather and the others told me about the discussion you guys had before." Flash inwardly groaned with a roll of his eyes, "I think they might be right. You like Twilight, don't you?"

"No," Flash growled, "And what do you care? The way you were smiling when they talked earlier, I figure you'd be on Timber's team."

"I'm not on anyone's team," Sunset replied before correcting herself. "Actually, I am on a team. Twilight's team. And if there's something that can make her happy, I'm all for it." She then stared right in his eyes, making him blink.

"You're joking, right?" She shook her head, "You think I can make her happy?"

"Well, you've been her friend for years, so you already know everything she like and dislikes. You care about her, so you can easily be trusted not to take advantage of her. What else do I need to know to think you two would be a great couple?"

"Well it's not happening," Flash instantly responded, "Twilight and I are just friends."

"But you clearly want it to be more than that," Sunset countered, "And don't try to hide it." Flash opened his mouth to respond, but came to a stop before words came out, "See? Now is there really any shame in having feelings for her?"

Flash let out a long sigh, "Look, even if I did have feelings for her, and I'm not saying I do, because I don't, that doesn't mean she thinks about me in the same way. If I did care about her like that, and again, I don't, I couldn't risk expressing my feelings. If it turns out she doesn't like me, it could ruin our whole friendship."

Sunset raised an eyebrow at this, "That's a lot of denial. Though you do know there's a good chance she could have feelings for you. After all, the other Flash and Twilight are together."

"That doesn't mean anything," Flash grumbled as he looked away.

"Couples in both worlds seem to mirror each other. So if those two are together-"

"Well of course Twilight would fall for that Flash!" Flash snapped, making Sunset flinch, "I mean, who wouldn't? That Flash is practically a superhero!" He turned to her. "When I leapt into that portal, I saw what he's done! He's fought power mad tyrants, all powerful gods and monsters that would make the bravest man on earth weep like a baby. He's not only fought them without a hint of fear, but beat them all." He looked away at this, "Compared to him, I'm nothing special."

Sunset sighed at this, seeing what he was getting at. "Well...I guess you're right." Flash turned to her. "Compared to that Flash, you're pretty ordinary. I mean, you don't have any super powers or magical weapons to fight against evil." Flash stared to glare at her, only to hear her continue, "But despite not having any of that, you've done some pretty amazing things. You fought against killer plants to save Twilight, and even leapt into a magical portal even though you had no idea what would happen to you. And all without a hint of magical power."

"Well...yeah, but-"

"But nothing," Sunset patted him on the shoulder. "You're more amazing than you give yourself credit for. And Twilight's lucky to have you in her life, and even more lucky to have your affections." She then pointed at Twilight, who was still talking to Timber as Celestia, Luna and Gloriosa inspected the docks. "But do you know why she seems to like Timber?"

"No."

"Because she doesn't know you're an option." Flash turned to her with wide eyes, "The way I see it, you've got two options. Either tell Twilight how you feel and see where it goes from there, or don't tell her and find a way to get over your feelings for her. Because even if you're not willing to risk your friendship, getting jealous every time she shows interest in a guy isn't going to do it any good."

"Ouch," Flash added, "You're not pulling any punches."

Sunset playfully punched him in the shoulder, "Not really my style. Sorry." They looked back at the adults, the two seeing that Twilight had tripped over a broken board on the docks that someone could easily fall through and hurt themselves.

"This is a safety hazard," Luna commented, "I suggest we close down the dock for the remainder of the camp." The students all complained about this while Gloriosa stepped up and saw their disappointed looks.

"Oh, I'm sure it won't have to be for the remainder of camp. Just needs to be patched up a bit. I've got this!" However, Applejack and a few others could hear the sound of creaking and groaning. The sound was coming from the boards she was standing on, along with the ones the principals stood on.

"Or maybe we do!" Applejack chimed in, "If yah ask me, this whole dock needs to go." She kicked one of the support beams, only for the top to break off. "Building a new one could be our camp gift," she turned to the others. "Sure, it would benefit us, but a nice new dock would benefit future campers, too."

Everyone smiled at this, liking the sound of it. That is, till Timber spoke up, "I don't know. It's an awful lot of work." He moved over to Gloriosa, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't want you guys to miss out on doing other fun camp stuff because you're so busy building a dock for future campers."

He shot Gloriosa a glare when he said that last part, Glorisa glaring back as they were about to get into an argument, at least that's what Sunset thought, but Rainbow suddenly leapt over and slid in between the two. "I hear what you're saying, Timber." She leaned up against him, "But we're Canterlot Wondercolts! We've got a reputation to uphold!" She sprinted back to the other campers, "And there was no way we were gonna leave this place without contributing the most awesome camp gift ever!"

"Besides," Flash spoke up. "Where's the fun in doing something simple and easy." He walked up to the others. "I say we don't just replace this dock, we make it the best looking dock any camp has every seen! Lets make one so awesome that future campers will keep annoying Timber and Gloriosa by asking who made something so awesome!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Rainbow yelled, "Let's build the biggest, baddest looking dock the world has ever seen! What do you guys think?!"

The campers all cheered in agreement as Gloriosa smirked at her brother, "Looks like it's settled, then."

"Looks like it," Timber hissed while crossing his arms.

Sunset sighed at the sight, "That's some tension, all right."

And so, the Canterlot Wondercolts began their work on the new dock. Flash, Iron and some of the stronger boys began pulling to rooting the old dock apart as the girls began working on the design for the new one. One of the more artistic students, Watermelody, had offered to draw it while Heather and the Rainbooms gave their suggestions.

"We can reinforce the foundation," Twilight suggested.

"Make it nice and sturdy," Applejack added before Sunset spoke up.

"And we can add a wood-carved sign that says Camp Everfree."

Heather then made a suggestion, "We can make flower chains that we can wrap around the posts to give it a floral look."

"And add little boxes with food so you can feed the ducks and fishies," Fluttershy chimed in.

"Oh, and let's add lanterns so you can see at night!" Rainbow finished as Watermelody now had a rough sketch, which she then used to draw the actual design. When she was done, she held the notepad up for them to all see the T-shaped docks that had everything they suggested.

Rarity gasped, "It's stunning!" She then spun on the spot, "And will make an absolutely perfect runway for my camp fashion show!" She looked like a kid on christmas while the others rolled their eyes.

"More importantly," Applejack spoke up, "It will be a great place for docking canoes and feeding the wildlife."

"Oh," Rarity waved her off dismissively. "You say tomato, I say perfect place to showcase glamorous boho-chic stylings."

Twilight then turned to Celestia and Luna, showing them both the design. "What do you guys think?"

Celestia took a good look and nodded, "It's going to be a lot of work, but we can do it!"

"YES!" Pinkie screamed beside her, causing Celestia to recoil in fright. "Adult supervision!" The adults stared at her like she was a ticking time bomb, Pinkie's friends all laughing before they got to work. It took them another thirty minutes to get the old dock deconstructed, with not a single piece of wood deemed safe enough to be made part of the new one. After that, they spent the next hour and a half putting it together, using varnish on the wood to stop it from instantly rotting again, something Rarity, Heather and Fluttershy helped with, while the others gathered the wood along with the nails.

Flash and Iron continued to help with the removal of the old wood, though they still had no idea what to do with it. Iron had made the unfortunate mistake of suggesting they use it as firewood, so he and Flash had to suffer through a fifteen minute lecture from First and Heather about moisture absorption and the harmful toxins that the burning would release. It probably would have been longer if Luna hadn't told the group to stop lollygagging.

Despite the suddenness of the build, the dock quickly came together. The main shape got built, so all it needed was some extra reinforcements and the additions they had suggested. Flash smirked at this as he returned to grab another plank of wood, he saw Rainbow nailing a board down as Applejack walked up to her, "Huh," Rainbow looked up at her, "Nice hammer. Where did yah get it?"

"Uh..." Rainbow stood up stared at the tool, "The toolbox?"

"Hah!" Applejack laughed, "That's cool." She then pulled something out from behind her back, "I made mine." And sure enough, Applejack had made something out of a caveman exhibit: A large flat rock tried to the end of a stick.

"Ugh," Rainbow rolled her eyes while Flash chuckled. He looked away from the two and headed to the area they were storing the wood. But along the way, he spotted Timber sitting at one of the benches. He was working on something, and Twilight was beside him.

"Making lanterns out of solar-powered garden lights!" She exclaimed while moving closer to him, a smile on her face. "Pretty crafty there, Timber!"

Timber smirked as he put the lantern down. "You think that's crafty? You should see my macaroni art." He then whispered something Flash knew wasn't funny, through Twilight clearly found it because she started giggling.

Flash let out a growl, unconsciously tightening his grip on the wooden board. He remembered what Sunset had told him, wanting to not be jealous, but he couldn't help it. That is, till the plank in his hands suddenly exploded. He felt his hands touch as sawdust and large splinters scattered everywhere around him. The sound caught the attention of everyone around him, Twilight turning to him, "Flash?" She moved over to him, "Are you okay?"

"I...I'm not sure," he looked at his hands and saw they weren't hurt. Not a single splinter had pieced his skin, "The board just shattered."

"It must have been really badly rotted," Twilight commented while Timber picked up some of the wood.

"I don't think so," he responded, "In fact, this one doesn't appear rotten at all." He looked up at Flash, "How hard were you holding it?"

Flash opened his mouth to reply, only to stop himself as he wanted to make sure not to tell why he was gripping it so tightly. That is, till Twilight spoke up, "It doesn't matter how hard Flash was holding it. The board was pretty thick, so it would take a lot of strength to break it into this many pieces. Flash is strong, but not that strong."

Timber just shrugged and walked off to grab a broom and bucket they could use to clean the debris up. As he did this, Celestia spoke up, "All right now, you've all made a lot of progress, but it's going to be getting dark soon. We can pick this up tomorrow between our other camp activities."

Gloriosa nodded in agreement. "Everyone, get cleaned up and we'll gather by the fire pit at eight to share s'mores and scary stories!" Saying this caused Pinkie to jump out of nowhere, holding a bag of s'mores, box of crackers and chocolates.

"S'MORES!" She screamed.

After laughing at her antics, they all quickly tidied up and headed over to their tents to get some clean clothes and wash up at the showers. When the last camper had finished, the sun was almost completely set. They all headed for a small clearing where Timber and Gloriosa were lighting a fire-pit. When the flames got going and the sun was completely set, the campers began making their s'mores while they each told the best scary story they knew.

Flash managed to get a fright out of most of his classmates with a story Shining had told him once, even working in a shock scare by yelling bang at the end, causing Fluttershy to accidently leap into Iron's arms while Rainbow and Applejack hugged one another. Once they had settled down, a blushing Fluttershy scooted away from Iron while Rarity tried her hand at telling a story.

"And that's when she looked down and realised she was wearing purple socks with a burgundy dress!" Rarity let out a scream, but found she was the only one. "Purple and burgundy, darlings! The same color family!" She let out another scream, while the others just mumbled.

"Uh," Applejack tried to think of what to say, "That was a terrifying story."

Rainbow let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I'm terrified she'll try to tell it again."

They both looked like they were about to laugh, but Luna cleared her throat to grab everyone's attention. "Anyone else have a spooky story?" There was no reply, Luna now seeing everyone exchange silent glances.

But before she could bring the day to an end, Timber raised an arm. "I have one. But I'm warning you, you might as well hug a friend now. That's how scary it is!"

Spike leapt into Fluttershy's arms at this as Snips and Snail's clutched one another, only for Bulk to reach out and pull both toward him.

"It's time I told you about the legend of Gaia Everfree."

"Gaia Everfree?" Flash replied, getting a nod from Timber.

"Many years ago, my great-grandparents came to this forest. Seeing its beauty, they decided that it would be the perfect place for a camp. But once they started building, strange things started to happen. One pitch black night, when the wind was howling, a tree branch crashed through the roof of their cabin! They screamed and ran outside, only to see the giant creature rising from the earth! She had wild hair like the roots of a tree. Her mouth had jagged rock teeth and her eyes were pools of black tar. But her aura shimmered like diamonds. Anywhere she went, she left a trail of gem dust in her wake. Trembling, my great-grandparents asked who she was and what she wanted. In a deep and hollow voice, she told them that her name was Gaia Everfree, an ancient spirit who held domain over the forest, and that my great-grandparents were trespassing on her land. They begged her to let them stay and build their camp, to share this wonderful place with others. Gaia Everfree finally agreed but warned them that they would not be able to keep it forever. Someday, she will return and reclaim the forest as her own."

Flash had to admit, he had been pulled into the story. And glancing around, he saw that he wasn't the only one as Timber continued, "So if you see a trail of gem dust, you'll know that it is...GAIA EVERFREE!" As he screamed this, a pair of eyes appeared in the darkness behind him. The students all froze up, most screaming at the sight of those eyes.

That is, until the owner stepped into the light of the fire and revealed herself as Gloriosa. "Hey guys!" She walked up and patted Watermelody on the shoulder. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you!"

"Then why'd you come out of the bushes?" Sunset barked back.

"I..." Gloriosa tried to reply, "Took the scenic route, because the forest is beautiful at night." She then glared at the group, "But no one else should do it without a guide, kay?" Her face then turned back to the happy go lucky woman she appeared to be. "All right everybody, time to head to your tents." As she said this, Snips and Snails moved over to ask for a few things they forgot.

Flash didn't pay attention, more focusing on Fluttershy as she held Spike even tighter. "Fluttershy?" He cried with staggered breath, making her gasp and loosen her grip.

"Sorry Spike. I guess that story got to me."

"Why?" Applejack asked, "It can't be real."

"I don't know," Rainbow replied with a slight gulp, "Gaia Everfree could be some creature that got booted from Equestria and ended up in this world." She began to hug herself, "That's what happened with the sirens."

"What are the odds of that happening twice?" Flash added, "Even if that Star...swirly guy did like banishing evils to other worlds, he'd have to be a total idiot to send them all to one world. That's just asking for trouble."

Applejack nodded in agreement, "That whole story sounded more like something that Timber was makin' up just to scare us." She tilted her hat down, "At least I hope it was. Last thing ah want is to have camp ruined by some power-crazed magical creature."

"Oh, hear-hear," Rarity chimed in, "We've had to deal with more than our fair share of those. At the Fall Formal, our musical showcase, the Friendship Ga-" She quickly stopped herself as she saw Twilight flinch at her words, "Well, I mean, you know, everything turned out all right, of course."

She let out a nervous chuckle, Iron rolling his eyes. "Smooth," he told her before Twilight turned to walk off.

"Mmm. I'm kinda tired. I'm gonna turn in." She walked off for her tent, the others now frowning as they stared at her fleeing figure.

Sunset turned to the others. "Maybe lay off bringing up what happened at the Friendship Games? I think she's still pretty sensitive about it."

They all nodded as Pinkie grabbed a melted piece of marshmallow and covered her mouth with it. "Our lips are sealed," she giggled, though with her mouth plastered shut and full of marshmallow, it could have been anything.

Flash just stared at Twilight, a sigh leaving his breath as he remembered how much those events had affected her. That is, till Heather walked up and leaned against his shoulder, "So, you and Sunset were talking earlier. What was that about?"

"You know perfectly well what it was about," Flash grumbled as he jerked away, making her almost fall over.

"Alright," First continued. "So was she able to make you realize the truth about your feelings?"

"That's really none of you business," Flash growled back, "And even if I did have feelings for her, now's really not the time to act on them." He began to head for his tent at this, the others following. "Twilight's still struggling with everything that happened to her before, so it wouldn't be right to confuse her more by admitting I like her."

"So what?" Iron asked, "You're just gonna wait until she's over that whole fiasco?"

Flash didn't reply, making First chime in, "You realize something like that could take years to overcome. By then, it may be to late. She and Timber might be in an official relationship and you will have missed your chance."

"If that's what happens, so be it." Flash turned to glare at them, "I'm not gonna cause Twilight any more problems just to fix my own problems."

Heather let out a sigh and shook her head, "It's not wrong to be selfish every now and again. If you don't do something for you every now and again, you'll wake up one day and realize you're completely miserable." Flash hissed at her at this, but Heather just gave him a deadpan stare.

"Just...drop it!" Flash turned to run off, the other three staying where they were and sighing. The teen then stormed into his tent, grabbing a flashlight on the table next to the entrance due to how dark it was. But as he did this and flicked the switch, something happened.

As soon as the light came on, the flashlight's bulb exploded. Flash quickly dropped the device, making it hit the ground with the broken glass surrounding it. He stared at the destroyed tool in shock, soon walking around to reach a lantern, which thankfully didn't explode. The teen began to pick up the broken glass next, grumbling to himself as he finished the job right before Iron showed up.

He was so focused on this task, he didn't notice the sparks of electricity coming off his body. His mind was muddled, thinking about Twilight what had been happening just a few hours ago. Hopefully, things would get easier starting tomorrow.