Section #1:
Once again, the audience clapped. The "Loyalty Campers" started making their way down. The next sixth of the Royal Guard got up. So did Yona's family. Once more, over 500 students started making their way down to the field.
"That's my camp!" declared Garble, rising up from his bleacher. I don't know about you ... but I think my assignment's the easiest. I'm very loyal to my little sister!" With his thumb, he pointed to himself.
"Wanna make a bet?" asked Charcoal (gray dragon boy with blond hair), with a determined smile.
"Yeah!" said Fizzle (white dragon with red-pink crest). "I think mine's easiest! I laugh all the time, you know!"
"And so do I!" added Prominence (aka "Belcher" or "Maar"; lavender dragon girl with purple "hair" and long ears). Finishing her marshmallows, she burped a large puff of smoke.
Spike flew back down to the scene.
"So, Spike ... my little bro!" called Garble. Garble grabbed Spike and squeezed the little dragon in his arms (which kind of knocked the fire breath out of Spike). "Which Element do you think is the easiest? Loyalty? ..."
" ... Magic? ..." asked Charcoal, rubbing Spike's head.
"... Or Laughter! ..." said Fizzle and Prominence, also getting out of their seats. Prominence burped again, this time releasing a big fireball.
Spike started to feel a little scared again. He started to fidget nervously. Could he make one of them happy without making the others angry?
"Don't be shy!" said Garble. "Tell us what you think!"
"Don't make me choose!" exclaimed Spike, popping out of Garble's arms. He hovered just in front of the gang.
Spike took a few deep breaths. "Look, my big brothers -- I love you all. I don't like to pick favorites."
"We're just having a friendly bet," said Charcoal. From his "pockets", he pulled out a big ruby. "I wager this precious ruby!"
Charcoal threw the gem onto his seat.
"I wager this big sapphire!" declared Fizzle. He pulled out a big sapphire and added it to the pile.
"I bet this diamond!" added Garble. He pulled out a big diamond and threw it down with the rest of the gems.
"Whoever wins, I'll be his girlfriend for a whole month!" said Prominence. She stuck a loaf of sliced bread onto her stick and toasted it a dark brown.
"So, my little dragon!" said Garble, tickling Spike's belly. "What's your bet?"
Spike took a few deep breaths. Then he smiled, feeling a stroke of genius.
"Well," said Spike, with a playful smile, scratching his chin ... "whoever wins ... they must do something embarrassing for the rest of us. Something to make us laugh!"
"I'll wear my necklace!" said Charcoal. He pulled out a gold necklace with silver spikes and a heart-shaped diamond.
"I'll play with my stuffed toys!" said Fizzle. He pulled out some stuffed puppies, with tags saying "My Little Puppy".
"I'll read the mushy poems I've written about Smolder -- and Prominence!" Garble pulled out some stone tablets.
Prominence giggled. She gobbled down her loaf of toast. "I love a boy who will embarrass himself just for me. You boys have fun! I know I will!" She burped another fireball.
"That all sounds great!" said Spike. "Whoever wins -- you will embarrass yourself for an entire week!"
"Deal!" said Charcoal, Fizzle, and Garble. They bumped fists. So did Spike.
Garble jumped into the air and started hovering. "See ya later, losers! Those gems are mine!"
He flew down to join the rest of the Loyalty Campers.
Section #2:
All the Loyalty Campers now stood in front of the Loyalty Camp stage. Some who could fly hovered just above the crowd, including Garble.
Rainbow Dash, Smolder, and Babs Seed stood proudly on the stage. So did Napper.
"Good morning, sports fans -- and book fans!" said Rainbow Dash. "Welcome to Camp Loyalty! As you all probably know, my name is ..."
"... Professor Egghead!" said Smolder.
Half the audience laughed (along with Trixie, Gallus, and Silverstream).
For a moment, Dash was red in the face, staring at Smolder. Then she calmed down ... and started laughing, too.
"Good joke, Smolder!" said Dash. "But this is Camp Loyalty. Camp Laughter is coming up next."
The whole audience laughed now.
"Hi, Smolder!" called Garble. Still hovering, he blew a jet of fire into the sky.
Some of the Loyalty Campers screamed, ducking and covering.
Smolder laughed. "Hello, big brother!" she greeted, waving to him. She also blew a jet of fire. "I hope you and Spike are getting along!"
"Smolder is my little sister!" boasted Garble. "She's so loyal, I think she should be the professor instead!"
Half the audience laughed. Pinkie Pie also laughed ... along with Trixie, Gallus, Applejack, and Silverstream. (Fluttershy covered her mouth, trying to suppress her own laughter.)
Smolder blushed with embarrassment, trying to suppress her own laughter. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said, Garble! Thanks for the disruption. But now I think it's time to let Professor Dash continue her speech."
"You know what, Smolder?" said Rainbow Dash, wrapping one arm around Smolder. "I think you can handle this!" Dash gave Smolder a wry smile.
Smolder looked toward the crowd. For several moments, she stopped and stared. She tried not to show it, but she was feeling a little nervous.
"Go on, Smolder!" called Garble, with an encouraging smile. "We wanna hear your speech!"
Smolder cleared her throat. "Loyalty ... It's what I am with my big brother ... and my friend Spike ... and my friends Sandbar, Gallus, Silverstream, Ocellus, and Yona. Spike is like a little brother to me. And the others also feel like my brothers and sisters."
Smolder took a few deep breaths. "Ever since I met Spike, I've felt kind of like a mother for him. He was raised by ponies. So I felt ... he could really use my guidance, as a dragon. When some scumbag pretended to be his dad ... I wanted to beat that monster with my tailspade!"
Smolder swung her tailspade, breaking a hole into the floor. Then she started to sniffle.
"But I didn't. I didn't want a violent conflict. Not when it was easily avoided. All I wanted was to make sure no one took away my sweet little dragon."
Back in the bleachers, Charcoal was holding Spike in his lap. Both their eyes were wet, as they smiled. Fizzle and Prominence also smiled.
"What is loyalty to me?" continued Smolder. "It's protecting everything you hold near and dear. It's having the courage to get hurt -- to stop others from hurting your friends. It's standing up with a baby dragon who has no voice of his own."
"That's how Capper feels about the homeless," said Napper. "Especially the kittens!"
Napper gave Smolder a big hug. "Professor Dash, what do you do to protect the weak and vulnerable?"
"Hmmm," Dash scratched her head ... "one of my best friends is Scootaloo."
Rainbow Dash flew off. One moment, she stood on the Camp Loyalty stage. The next moment, she landed right in front of Scootaloo, on the Camp Laughter stage. Dash picked up Scootaloo and flew her back to the Camp Loyalty stage.
Rainbow Dash placed Scootaloo on the floor. "As you can see, my little friend has wings. But she can't fly. That's why she rides a scooter. Yet -- Scoots is one of the coolest ponies you've met, wouldn't you agree?"
Many of the classmates voiced their agreement.
"Yeah!"
"She's so friendly!"
"She helps me with my homework!"
"She does lots of cool stuff!"
"She got me my cutie mark!"
Scootaloo laughed. "I admit ... you might say I'm handicapped. But that's because I'm a pegasus. If I were an earth pony, I'd be considered normal. So, Dashie ... have you ever made friends with some creature who really is handicapped? For example ... a weak earth pony?"
Rainbow Dash stood for a moment. "In fact ... I have!"
Dash flew off again. She came back with Quibble Pants (the brown earth pony with gray hair whose cutie mark is a talking balloon).
"His name is Quibble Pants. And safe to say, he's no athlete." Dash held him in her arms. "But he found himself a wonderful mare ... a single mom whose daughter really wanted a father in her life. Most of you could probably beat him up. But if you call him 'pathetic', you'll be suspended."
Dash placed Quibble back on the floor. "No matter how strong or weak -- I want every pony to be awesome ... in their own special way!"
Smolder sniffled, wiping her eye. "That's so amazing, Professor Dash! I feel like ... you're finally becoming my friend!"
Some members of the audience giggled.
Napper gave Dash a big hug. So did Babs Seed.
"Rainbow Dash," said Babs, "I didn't realize how much you really cared! I myself was once a bully. If I wanted to be strong, I thought I had to make others weak. But now I know that others' strength can be my strength, too!"
The audience clapped.
"We are all strong girls," said Scootaloo -- "including me! But we won't let any creature hurt our little boys!"
Scootaloo hugged Quibble Pants. So did Babs and Napper ... along with Smolder.
The audience cheered.
"That was awesome, Smolder!" called Garble. "You're #1!"
Smolder laughed again. "That's why I love you, Garble! You always want me to feel awesome! And you're starting to help Spike!"
"I must say," remarked Rainbow Dash -- "for Camp Loyalty, this place has been full of laughter. So let's give it up for ... Camp Laughter!"
The audience cheered again.
Section #3:
Carrying Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash flew back to the Camp Laughter stage. She put Scootaloo back down, and she returned to the Camp Loyalty stage.
Dash picked up Quibble Pants. Flying off again, she returned Quibble to his new wife and stepdaughter (Clear Sky and Wind Sprint). Both held him in their arms.
Once more, Dash flew back to the Camp Loyalty stage.
Pinkie Pie blew her yovidaphone, using it as a giant noisemaker. (Some in the audience covered their ears.)
"What's up, party ponies!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "What are you waiting for? Camp Laughter -- come on down!"
Once again, the audience clapped. The "Laughter Campers" started making their way down. The next sixth of the Royal Guard got up.
So did Sandbar's parents. Sandbar's mother carried Coral on her back. The parents started walking down toward the field.
"Look, Coral!" said Sandbar's mom. "We're all going to the School of Friendship!"
"And Sandbar will be one of our teachers!" added Sandbar's dad.
"Sammbah! Sammbah!" cheered Coral, waving her arms. In her hoof, she carried her Camp Harmony card. (Since she didn't yet have a cutie mark, the card showed her face.)
Once more, over 500 students started making their way down to the field. Pinkie Pie started playing a song on her yovidaphone. This time, her music actually sounded like ... music. (Still, it might be that many of us just don't like the instrument.)
Fizzle and Prominence started to fly off. They looked back toward Charcoal.
"See you soon, Charcoal!" said Fizzle.
"We can't wait to share our new jokes with you!" added Prominence. She belched some more fire.
* * *
All the Laughter Campers now stood in front of the Laughter Camp stage. (Again, some who could fly hovered just above the crowd, including Fizzle and Prominence.)
Pinkie Pie stood proudly on the stage. Silverstream hovered just above
"Good morning, party creatures!" called Silverstream. "Welcome to Camp Laughter! My name is Silverstream!"
Scootaloo ran back onto the stage. She ran up to where Pinkie and Silverstream were.
"And I'm -- YAHHHH!"
Scootaloo slipped and fell on her back, right next to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie and Silverstream gasped.
Hydroplane started laughing. He was the one who caused Scootaloo to slip ... using his watery leg!
"You have to watch your step," he teased. "Floors are slippery when wet!"
Garble and his gang laughed, along with Ember. Smolder and Gallus tried to suppress their laughter. Many in the audience were laughing or smiling -- especially most of the dragons. Spike was a little unnerved by the other dragons' sense of humor.
"That wasn't funny, Hydroplane!" yelled Scootaloo, with angry tears in her eyes. "You could have caused me to have a serious accident -- twice! Can't you have some pity for a pegasus who can't fly?"
Almost everyone stopped laughing. Most were no longer smiling, including Smolder, Gallus, and Ember. Garble and his gang were still smiling, but they at least tried to contain their laughter.
Whirlwind, on the other hand, continued to laugh out loud. Most of the dragons, in fact, continued to laugh. (Whirlwind was standing on the Camp Kindness stage, where Ocellus was.)
"QUIET!" yelled Pinkie Pie.
"STOP LAUGHING!" yelled Silverstream.
Stunned by Pinkie and Silverstream's change in tone, the creatures who were laughing stopped in their tracks.
"I thought this was Camp Laughter!" called Fizzle.
"Yeah!" called Prominence. "So why can't we laugh?"
Prominence burped again, letting out a puff of smoke.
"There's a right kind of laughter," explained Pinkie Pie ... "and a wrong kind."
"That's right!" said Rainbow Dash. Dash landed at the scene. She sat beside Scootaloo.
As Dash gave the little pegasus a big hug, she looked toward the audience. "The Element of Laughter is not separate from the Element of Loyalty -- or the Element of Kindness. The Element of Laughter is about friendship -- like all the other Elements."
"Couldn't have said it better myself!" said Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow Dash jumped back up and hovered in the air. "I must admit -- I enjoy pulling a prank now and then."
"And so do I!" added Pinkie Pie.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash bolted into the sky.
"But you have to be careful," warned Silverstream, landing next to Pinkie Pie. "You could really hurt some creature's feelings."
Rainbow Dash came back down with a small gray cloud. There was a little rumble of thunder.
"A joke should be funny for both creatures," she said. "If one is laughing while the other is sad or angry, then it's just another form of bullying."
"Twilight knows," said Pinkie Pie, "that Dash used to make such mistakes all the ti--"
With a crack of thunder, a lightning bolt struck Pinkie Pie!
"YAHHH!" Pinkie jumped, feeling shocked and surprised.
Pinkie's fur was slightly blackened. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was laughing, rolling on the cloud (which was now white).
Most of the audience was now laughing, and so were the other four members of the Mane 6. The Student 6 were also laughing, except for Ocellus. Garble and his gang were laughing, and so was Spike.
Pinkie looked toward Rainbow Dash. For a moment, she seemed upset. But then she started laughing, too!
"Wait, pink pony!" said Prominence. "You're not upset at your rainbow friend?"
"Rainbow Dash and I are in the middle of a prank war," explained Pinkie Pie. "And safe to say, it's really escalated!"
"That's payback for making me think it was winter again!" declared Rainbow Dash, with a triumphant smile.
Pinkie laughed. "Dash was scared half to death -- because her pet turtle goes to sleep for the winter."
Silverstream was getting worried. "Professor Pie, these pranks are starting to feel pretty mean to me. Professor Dash really seems to need her turtle."
"Don't worry, Silverstream!" said Pinkie Pie, continuing to laugh. "Dash and I are just playing a game. No different from hoofball or kickboxing."
"It's all right, Silverstream," assured Dash, bringing the cloud down to meet Silverstream face to face. "Pinkie can stop this game whenever she wants, and so can I. Of course, if she quits, then she's the loser!"
"Let me get this straight," said Fizzle, raising his hand. "There's a right way to pull pranks -- and a wrong way."
"It's all about having fun with friends!" replied Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow Dash broke up the little cloud, causing it to dissipate into the air.
"Just remember," said Rainbow Dash, jumping back into the air and hovering just above -- "be the friend you want others to be for you!"
The rainbow-haired pegasus dashed back to the Camp Loyalty stage.
"Wow," remarked Fizzle, scratching his head. "This laughter stuff is harder than I thought."
Section #4:
"Now!" shouted Pinkie Pie. "Last -- but not least -- let's give a big shout-out to ..."
She leapt into the air. "CAMP MAGIC!"
The audience cheered louder than ever.
Charcoal got up and started flying his way down. Sandbar's family also got up. The mother carried baby Coral on her back.
The last sixth of the Royal Guard got up -- with Shining Armor floating his way down. Wind Sprint kissed her mother (Clear Sky) and stepfather (Quibble Pants) and then flew off.
Escorted by Princess Cadance, Prince Blueblood also started walking down to the field. One last time, over 500 students started making their way down.
* * *
All the Magic Campers now stood in front of the Magic Camp stage. (Again, some who could fly hovered just above the crowd, including Charcoal and Wind Sprint.)
"Good morning, my dear students!" greeted Princess Twilight, hovering just above the stage.
Sandbar, Apple Bloom, and Striper stood together, right below the Princess.
"It's great to see you!" called Sandbar, waving his hoof.
"We look forward to making friends with you!" said Apple Bloom, also waving her hoof.
"Same with me!" called Striper, the little zebra boy.
"Magic," said Twilight ... "what is the Element of Magic about?"
"Casting spells?" asked Charcoal, raising his hand.
Twilight laughed. "Did you know that I wasn't always a Princess?"
Many of the students raised their hands or hooves. The vast majority were ponies, but some other creatures also knew the story.
"Did you know that I wasn't always an alicorn?"
Some who had raised their arms now lowered their arms. But most did not.
"Girls!" called Twilight. "Activate your Elements!"
With concentration, each of the Mane 6 started to glow with the color of her Element. The six of them now floated in the air. The other five drifted toward Twilight.
Once again, the six girls' eyes glowed bright white.
The students stood in awe. Some gasped, feeling surprised or frightened. A few screamed.
"It's all right, my dear creatures!" assured Fluttershy, with her soft, gentle voice. "It's just the magic of friendship doing its thing!"
"The Element of Magic is what gives friendship its magic," continued Twilight. "But it requires the support of the other five. When I first discovered the Elements, the Element of Magic wouldn't even appear ... until the other five were activated."
Spike flew into the scene. He hovered next to Twilight. In his hands, he held the School of Friendship shield.
"See the jewels on this shield?" said Spike. "Originally, the Elements of Harmony were six jewels. At first, Twilight and the girls had to wear these jewels -- to activate the Elements."
Spike pointed to the jewel standing for magic. "When Twilight first discovered the Elements, the sixth jewel wouldn't even appear ... until the other five were activated."
"One day," said Twilight, "when Sombra temporarily took over Canterlot, he destroyed the Tree of Harmony, where the jewels originally came from. The jewels also got destroyed. We thought all hope was lost ... until we realized that the Elements were now inside us!"
Discord popped into the scene. "I might have helped with that!"
"We appreciate your help, Discord," said Rainbow Dash. "But you didn't have to set the most dangerous villains free to prove your point."
"You might be asking yourself," said Sandbar, "how can we connect other creatures with the Elements? In the beginning, the Elements chose six girls to represent them. Will the Tree of Harmony allow more than just them?"
"You bet she will!" said Apple Bloom. "And she already has! Student 6 -- activate your Elements!"
Sandbar sat on the floor. He closed his eyes and meditated. So did the rest of the Student 6.
Pretty soon, they started to glow like the Mane 6. Each student glowed like the Element that Twilight assigned them to teach. The other five floated toward Sandbar.
"Sammbah! Sammbah!" called Coral, waving her arms again. She jumped on her mother's back.
Sandbar's parents watched in awe, as did the other students.
"Girls and boys," said Twilight -- "let's lift this whole class up ... if you know what I mean!"
Closing their eyes, all 12 Element bearers started to meditate. Spike put down the School of Friendship shield. Hovering next to Twilight, Spike also meditated.
Slowly, the other students started to glow. They glowed a faint white. Then ... they started to float!
Those standing on the ground, they now floated a few feet above the ground. Those hovering in the air no longer needed to use their wings.
Most of the students were fascinated. But some were scared.
Fume gasped.
Backdraft screamed.
"Whoa -- whoa, there, ponies!" called Garble.
Garble and his gang were floating like the others -- but the white glow kept them from doing much with their wings. For them, it was the equivalent of getting swept off their feet. The same was true for other winged creatures.
Finally, Spike started to glow. Once again, he was engulfed in a yellow light. Now he was floating, too.
"Spike!" called Starlight Glimmer. "I didn't know you had an Element!"
Spike opened his eyes, which were now glowing bright white. "Starlight, don't you remember -- the battle with Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis? I was glowing with Twilight and the girls ... along with the Pillars and the Student 6. I'm not sure where you were ... but did no one tell you?"
"You have a point ..."
"In addition, I have a throne next to Twilight's -- in the Castle of Friendship!" Spike pulled out a photo for the audience.
"I ... I already knew that ..."
Spike sighed, hanging his head. "I'm just as important as the rest of you ... but you all seem to forget ..."
"I won't forget!" called Gabby. She flew up to Spike and gave him a big hug.
"Neither will I!" called Smolder, also flying on over. She, too, hugged Spike.
Twilight picked up Spike and held him in her arms.
"Please forgive me, my little dragon," she said with a gentle voice. She gave him a reassuring smile. "I love you more than I can say. More and more, I realize how badly I neglected you."
"It's not that I don't forgive you," said Spike. "It's just that ... the healing process ... You believe in me. But sometimes it's hard for me to believe in you. ... And I don't think that's fair for you."
Spike's eyes started to water up. So did Twilight's. Twilight rubbed her nose against his. Spike returned the favor.
Spike glowed even brighter.
"Students," said Starlight, "don't be surprised if you sometimes have some good advice to tell us. We don't just teach friendship. We want to be your friends, too!"
The audience clapped.
"I feel bad for you, Twily," said Spike. "And you feel bad for me. And I think ... that is what keeps us loving each other ... and makes us feel happy to be together ... !"
"I couldn't have said it better myself!" said Twilight.
Twilight looked toward the audience. "I've been called the Princess of Friendship. But that doesn't mean I'm a perfect friend. I will teach you everything I do. In turn, I am ready to learn from you!"
Twilight deactivated her Element. So did Sandbar. The other Elements also deactivated. Gently, everyone who was floating drifted back down to the ground. Spike also deactivated his Element.
"Students," announced Starlight -- "today is your first day of classes. Here are your welcome pamphlets!"
Sunburst handed a big box of pamphlets. Starlight zapped the pamphlets. Each pamphlet was teleported to its respective student, landing at their hooves or feet.
"Enclosed, each of you will find your class schedule," said Sunburst, "along with your assigned bed. You will also find maps of all locations on campus, plus a map of Ponyville. Also enclosed, you will find a summary of each class."
"And if you ever have a problem," announced Trixie, "the Great and Powerful Trixie will help you solve it!"
"You'll also be seeing me!" added Discord. "Now and then, I'll be there to make things more interesting."
Fluttershy flew up to him. "Not too interesting, okay?"
The Student 6 laughed.