//------------------------------//
// Ch. 14 - Friendship in the Forest 
// Story: Since You Came Along 
// by Sky Scraper 
//------------------------------//

Lyra gave her boyfriend a gentle nudge. "Sky!" she hissed. "Wake up!"
Sky slowly opened his eyes and lifted his head off of Lyra's shoulder. "Huh? What is it?"
Lyra pointed out the bus window to a wooden sign, which read "CAMP EVERFREE - 1 MILE". "We're almost there!" she laughed.
"Oh... right," Sky said sheepishly. He had been admiring the scenery for most of the bus ride, but Lyra's shoulder made such a nice pillow that he had eventually fallen asleep.
At that moment, Twilight Sparkle, who had transferred to Canterlot High after the Friendship Games and was sitting two rows ahead, screamed in terror. "Guess I wasn't the only one who fell asleep," Sky chuckled to himself. "Well, at least I didn't have a nightmare... and I had a nice pillow to lean on."
"Attention, students, we're almost there," said Principal Celestia. "But before we arrive, we just wanted to say how proud we are of you for raising enough money to go on this class field trip."
"When we were your age," said Vice Principal Luna, "we made some of our favorite memories in these woods, and we're sure you will, too."
Celestia smiled. "Now who's ready for Camp Everfree?!"
All of the students cheered as the bus made one final turn and entered the Camp Everfree grounds. When the bus came to a stop, everyone grabbed their bags and began getting off.
"Wow... this place is sick!" Sky exclaimed as he stepped out, holding a small navy blue duffel bag over his shoulder. "Look at that lake over there!"
"Totally!" Lyra agreed. She put her arm around Sky's shoulders. "We're going to have such a good week here, babe."
For the trip, every camper had gotten a shirt with the Camp Everfree logo on the front. Lyra was wearing a white T-shirt with magenta sleeves, along with a pair of teal cargo shorts. Sky had a similar outfit, though his T-shirt had black sleeves, and his shorts were a light shade of gray. He set his bag down on the ground and stretched. "How about we take a walk around the lake?" Sky suggested. "I could use a chance to stretch my legs and enjoy a nice view with my favorite girl."
"That would be lovely!" agreed Lyra.
Just then, a nearby loudspeaker screeched into life. "Hey, everyone!" shouted a voice. "If you could start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad! It's time to start the best week of camp ever!"
"Who was that?" Sky asked.
"It's probably the camp director," Lyra replied. She pointed to her right. "I think the courtyard is somewhere over there."
So Sky followed Lyra and the rest of the campers to the courtyard, where the director and co-director were waiting to welcome them to Camp Everfree.





Once Gloriosa Daisy and her brother Timber Spruce had explained all of the camp's traditions and safety rules, it was time for tent assignments to be given out. The girls got their assignments from Timber, while the boys received theirs from Gloriosa.
While Sky waited in line to pick a card from Gloriosa's bag, he glanced back at Snips and Snails, who were a few spots behind him. I really hope I don't get paired with one of those idiots, he thought.
Fortunately, there was no need to worry about that. Sky reached into the bag and grabbed a card that had an opaque white gemstone on it. "Which one is this?" he asked.
"That's Moonstone!" Gloriosa replied cheerfully. "One of my personal favorites!"
Emerald Leaf came running up, his light green hair tied in a ponytail. "Sky, did you get Moonstone too?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Sky exclaimed. He and Emerald excitedly high-fived each other.
"Sweet!" said Emerald. "I got a good tent mate!"
"Me too!" Sky agreed. "Though I can't guarantee that I won't sneak off to Lyra's tent sometimes."
"I'll probably do the same with Tree Hugger's tent," Emerald chuckled. "Anyway, let's go find ours. I could use a nap - that bus ride was way too early for my liking."
Sky raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you could function on only a few hours of sleep per night?"
"Yeah, but last night I barely slept at all," Emerald admitted. "There were just too many videos on MyTube that I wanted to watch. I have a really weird circadian rhythm."
"Well, as long as you don't keep me awake too much, that won't be a problem," said Sky.
"Don't worry about that," replied Emerald. "I'll probably just be watching MyTube videos on my side of the tent, or going out on night walks with Tree Hugger."
"Fine by me!" said Sky.
Moonstone Tent was located near the back of the tent area. On the way there, Sky and Emerald ran into Lyra and Bon Bon. "Sky!" said Lyra. "Which tent did you get?"
"I got Moonstone!" Sky replied. "I'm with Emerald Leaf here. Which one are you in?"
"Bonnie and I are both in Garnet!" said Lyra. She pointed to the tent behind her, which was marked with a red gemstone. "Even with random tent assignments, we still ended up together!"
"I guess things just work out sometimes!" chuckled Sky. "Let's get our tents set up, and then we can go to the lake."
Lyra smiled. "Sounds good to me!"
Sky and Emerald found that everything had already been set up for them. The beds on either side of the tent were perfectly made, a potted plant sat on the back windowsill, and a small lantern hung from above. There was a small wooden cabinet in each of the front corners, as well as an ornate trunk at the end of each bed.
"Which bed would you rather have?" Emerald asked.
Sky shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."
"All right, then I'm taking this one," said Emerald. He went over to the bed on the right and placed his backpack on the floor next to it. He then fluffed up the pillow and flopped onto the mattress.
Sky placed his backpack on top of the other cabinet, and sat down on the other bed. He then noticed something crawling up the wooden bedpost. "Hey, Emerald! Look at this!"
"What is it?" Emerald asked.
Sky pointed to a large cylindrical myriapod at the end of his bed. "It's a giant millipede! I can't believe I found one here!"
"Well, millipedes are quite common in forests like this," said Emerald. "But it's still nice! You should be like me and take it home with you."
"That might be difficult, since we're not going home until Friday," chuckled Sky. "But in the meantime, I hope it sticks around."
"I hope so too!" Emerald agreed. "The three giant millipedes I have at home are a lot of fun."
"I remember them!" said Sky. "When I was younger, I would find little millipedes under plant pots all the time, but my mom wouldn't let me keep them. Anyway, I'm going to go walk around the lake with Lyra now. See you later!"
"See you!" Emerald replied. "I might still be asleep when you get back."
Sky left the tent and went back out to find Lyra again. Not seeing her outside, he went over to Garnet Tent and poked his head in though the flaps. "Hey, Lyra! You ready?"
"Yup!" Lyra replied with a smile. She came out of the tent and linked arms with Sky. "I love it here already. See you later, Bon!"
As she watched Sky and Lyra walk down to the lake together, Bon Bon sighed. She was happy for Lyra, but had begun to feel more and more like a third wheel whenever Sky was around.
"Lake activities are available every day until sunset," Gloriosa announced to the campers. "So if you want to canoe, sail, windsurf or swim, just let me know!"
As Sky and Lyra passed by the picnic tables near the lake, another girl came running up to them. She had white skin and pink hair with a white streak. "Hey, Lyra!" she said with a smile. "What are you up to?"
"Hi, Candy!" said Lyra. She turned back to Sky. "This is Candy Blossom. She's a friend of me and Bon Bon. Candy, this is my boyfriend, Sky Scraper."
"Lyra's told me all about you!" said Candy. "So nice to finally meet you!"
"Sky and I are just going for a walk around the lake," Lyra explained. "Do you want to come with us?"
"Sure!" replied Candy. "I'm sure my boyfriend would enjoy a nice walk too." She pulled out her phone and sent her boyfriend a quick text.
A moment later, a boy with light green skin and blonde hair came out of the boathouse. "Apologies, Candy, I was busy checking out the boats," he said with a soft but clearly discernible German accent.
"No worries, darling!" said Candy. "We can go sailing any time you like."
The boy smiled, then introduced himself to Lyra and Sky. "My name's Hanzal. Hanzal Fray."
"I'm Sky Scraper," said Sky. "Lyra's boyfriend, of course!"
Sky, Lyra, Candy and Hanzal began walking along the lake's sandy shore. The clear blue water was perfectly calm, rays of sunlight glistened on the surface, and the mountains to the west provided a stunning backdrop. "I've been looking forward to this trip for a while," Candy remarked. "It'll be nice to get out of my element for a few days."
"Indeed," agreed Hanzal. "I believe this is the first time I've left Canterlot since moving here."
"Really? When did you move here?" Sky asked.
"Over the winter break," Hanzal replied. "My parents and I moved here from Germany as my father had gotten a new job in the city. Although it's not my homeland, I have been enjoying it here so far."
"That's great!" said Lyra. "Canterlot is a really fun city. I've lived there all my life."
"So have I, but I've moved houses and schools a couple times," said Candy.
"Meanwhile, I just transferred schools a few months ago!" Sky chuckled.
"Oh, that's right!" Candy recalled. "You came over from Crystal Prep, didn't you?"
Sky nodded. "Yep! About a week before my first day at CHS, Lyra and Bon Bon gave me a tour of the school, and that's how I met my favorite girl!" He smiled and gently brushed shoulders with Lyra.
"Mm-hmm!" agreed Lyra. "Right from the start, we had each other's backs."
"That's very nice!" said Hanzal. "I have a similar story with Candy, as she was the first friend that I made here."
"I had an empty seat next to me in my History class, so when he came in, I invited him to sit next to me," Candy explained. "His knowledge of European history amazed me right away."
"It's a rather strong interest of mine," added Hanzal. "But more than anything else, I was happy to meet a nice girl who cared for me. I must admit, I did not have many friends at my old school."
"I know how that feels," remarked Sky. "My only friend at Crystal Prep was my cousin. I didn't get along with anyone else there."
"Yeah, that school is known to be full of snobs," agreed Candy.
"But now that they've got a new principal, hopefully things will change," added Lyra.
As they continued their walk around the lake, Lyra and Candy shared stories about the fun times they'd had with their respective boyfriends. Hanzal's left hand was crippled from being born prematurely, which had led to bullying when he was younger. But Candy had seen past that, knowing that a good heart counted for much more than a minor physical fault. "Besides," said Candy, "Hanzal does things better with one hand than some people do with two!"
On the other side of the lake, there was a large rock that sat partially in the water and partially on the sand. "You think I can climb up onto that rock?" Sky asked.
"Go for it!" said Lyra.
So Sky went ahead and scaled the rock in just two steps. "Wow, you're fast!" Candy remarked.
"Well, running cross-country and track will do that to you!" Sky chuckled. He extended his hand for Lyra, and helped her up onto the rock as well.
Lyra put her arm around Sky and leaned against him. From where they were standing, they could see all the way across the campsite and into the thicket of conifer trees beyond. "What a view this is, huh?" Lyra remarked.
"It sure is!" agreed Sky. Camp Everfree was located 37 miles north of Canterlot and situated firmly within the northwestern part of the state, an area dominated by the Everfree Forest and the Zircon Mountains. "I love places like this... especially when you're with me."
Lyra smiled. "Me too, Sky."
Next to the large rock, there were several smaller stones and pebbles scattered on the ground. Hanzal picked one up with his right hand and tossed it into the lake. It made twelve skips across the water before sinking.
"How the hell did you do that?" Sky exclaimed.
Hanzal smiled. "You see, I may not be able to open my left hand very far, but my right arm has become quite strong."
"Well, I can certainly see what Candy was saying about you earlier," Sky chuckled. "If I play any cornhole games while I'm here, remind me to be on your team." He and Lyra climbed down from the rock, and the two couples continued their walk around the lake.





The first day at Camp Everfree ended up being much more arduous than expected. While Sky and Lyra were on the other side of the lake, one of the boards on the old wooden dock had caved in. Vice Principal Luna had initially advised closing the dock for the rest of the week, but Applejack suggested that the campers could build a new dock as their camp gift. When Sky and Lyra came back to the campsite, they agreed to help with the project, but constructing the foundation was hard work.
The camp's bath house was located in the same area as the tents. As soon as Sky got the chance that night, he went in and took a much-needed cool shower. After drying himself off, he changed into the same white T-shirt and light blue sweatpants that he always wore to bed, then returned to his tent. When he got back, he found Emerald sitting around and watching MyTube videos on his phone.
"Hey, Emerald," said Sky. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed."
"Oh, were you working on the dock today?" Emerald chuckled. "I barely did anything with that."
"Yeah, Lyra and I helped put in some of the foundation," Sky replied. "Of course, we also walked all the way around the lake before that."
"Nice!" said Emerald. "Tree Hugger and I spent today exploring different parts of the forest. We kinda went off on our own instead of sticking with everyone else."
"Lyra and I will probably do that tomorrow," said Sky. "I figure we've done our part with the dock." He then glanced at the end of his bed. "Hey... that millipede from earlier is still there!"
Emerald looked over and noticed it too. "Really? Wow! I guess it wants to be your friend!"
"I guess so!" chuckled Sky. He sat up to look closely at the millipede, and the millipede lifted the upper half of its body to look at him too. One of its segments was missing its legs. "If the millipede has a missing set of legs, that means it's a male, right?"
"Yep," replied Emerald. "I have a male and two females at home - Octavia and Pandora both have an extra set of legs that Sebastian doesn't have."
Sky nodded. "All right, then... I think I'll name this guy Bertram."
"That's a good name!" said Emerald. "Are you gonna take Bertram home with you?"
"If he's still here on Friday, maybe!" replied Sky.
Just then, Emerald's phone vibrated, and he typed out a quick text message. "Well, Tree Hugger's invited me to take a night walk with her, so you and Bertram will have this place to yourselves for a while."
"All right," said Sky. "See you later!"
Emerald left the tent to meet up with his girlfriend, while Sky laid back down and kept an eye on his newly named millipede friend. A few minutes later, his phone vibrated too. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Lyra. "Wanna come over and snog with me? 😉"
"Oh yes! 😊" Sky quickly responded. He got out of bed and quickly went over to Lyra's tent.
Lyra was laying in a seductive position on her bed, wearing the same pretty pink pajamas that she had worn during her sleepover with Sky. On the other side of the tent, Bon Bon was quietly reading a book and paying no attention to either of them. "C'mere, Sky..." Lyra whispered, winking at her boyfriend.
Sky blushed and smiled, then gently crawled into bed with his girlfriend. Lyra put her arms around Sky, who did the same to her and gave her butt a gentle squeeze. Lyra blushed and giggled quietly, then began kissing Sky's face. Sky kept one hand resting on Lyra's butt while gently stroking her soft hair with the other. All the while, both he and Lyra could feel their faces heating up and their hearts beating faster and faster. In one wonderful moment, their lips met and they began making out, lovingly caressing each other and exploring each other's lips with their tongues.
While Sky and Lyra soaked up all the pleasure and excitement of making out with the one they loved, Bon Bon was left feeling extremely uncomfortable and annoyed. She tried pulling the blanket over her head, but eventually, unable to take hearing any more of Lyra and Sky gently moaning to each other, she threw the covers off and stormed out of the tent.
On the other side of the tent area, Octavia and Flitter were in Diamond Tent getting ready for bed. "Do you mind if I turn off the lantern now?" Octavia asked.
Flitter shook her head. "Nope! You don't snore, do you?"
"Bless you, no!" Octavia laughed. "Certainly not as badly as Cloudchaser, from what you've told me."
"That's a relief!" Flitter chuckled. "Good night, Octavia."
But just as Octavia was about to turn the lantern off, Bon Bon suddenly poked her head into the tent. "Oh, goodness!" Octavia exclaimed in alarm. "Oh... it's only you, Bon Bon. What's the matter?"
Bon Bon sighed. "Do you mind if I come in?"
"Not at all, dear," replied Octavia.
So Bon Bon took a seat at the end of Octavia's bed. "It's Lyra and Sky," she explained. "They started making out while I was right there with them. As if I didn't feel like enough of a third wheel whenever they're together..."
Octavia nodded. "I must say, there are times where Lyra and Sky's affection for each other becomes a bit... excessive. I suggest you speak to Lyra about it when you return. If not tonight, then tomorrow morning."
"Well, that depends on me being able to catch her," Bon Bon scoffed. "She'll probably be out and about with Sky before I even get a chance. Ever since she and Sky made themselves official, Lyra's barely talked to me at all outside of school. It's like she's ditched me for him."
"I've heard that such things can happen when a new relationship begins," said Octavia thoughtfully. "If you're feeling left out, I certainly don't blame you."
"I know that feeling, too," agreed Flitter. "I felt the same way when Cloudchaser had this really loud, annoying boyfriend last year. In fact, that was worse because she's literally my twin sister. Just give it some time, and try telling Lyra how you've been feeling."
"All right," said Bon Bon. "I'll try. But do you mind if I stay here for a while? There's no way I'll be able to sleep in my tent until Sky leaves."
"Of course we don't mind," said Octavia. "We'll be glad to keep you company until then."
"Though we might be asleep by the time you leave," added Flitter.
"No worries," replied Bon Bon. "I'll get out of your hair before I start falling asleep myself."
Bon Bon stuck around for a while, talking quietly with Octavia while Flitter read a book. Eventually, Flitter put her book down and began drifting off to sleep, and Bon Bon decided that it was time she went back to her own tent. "Good night, Tavi," Bon Bon whispered as she left.
"Good night," Octavia replied with a yawn.
When Bon Bon returned to Garnet Tent, she saw that Lyra was already asleep and Sky was no longer there. "Figures," Bon Bon muttered to herself. She climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over her head, hoping that she would fall asleep quickly.





It took a while for Bon Bon to fall asleep that night, and she was still feeling tired when she awoke the next morning. She looked across the tent and saw that Lyra's bed was empty. She sighed and reached over to grab her phone from the nightstand. Her phone's digital clock read 9:19 AM. "Ugh... guess I'd better get up now..." she muttered. She rolled reluctantly out of bed and stretched, then changed out of her pajamas and into her camping outfit.
Bon Bon went into the bath house to apply her hair spray and put on her bandana. On her way out, she saw Cloudchaser. "Morning, Bon Bon!" said Cloudchaser.
"Hey, Cloudchaser," said Bon Bon. "Do you know where Lyra went, by any chance? I just woke up a few minutes ago."
"I think she and Sky went on the early morning nature walk with Gloriosa," Cloudchaser replied. "Flitter went on it too. Not sure when they'll be back, though."
"Oh, all right," said Bon Bon. "I'll just talk to her whenever she gets back here. For now, I need to get some food. See you around!"
The mess hall was empty when Bon Bon got there, as most of the other campers had already eaten. She filled up a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice, and sat down by herself at one of the long wooden tables.
After she had finished breakfast and brushed her teeth, Bon Bon walked down to the lake, where the campers' new dock stood mostly completed. Only a few other campers were sitting at the picnic tables. "Seriously, where is everybody?" she wondered. "I hope Lyra comes back soon so I can work things out with her."
Just then, Timber Spruce walked up. "Ahoy, Bon Bon! Looking for something to do?"
"Yeah..." Bon Bon admitted. "I'm waiting for my friend Lyra to come back. In the meantime, I think I'll just canoe around the lake for a while."
Timber smiled. "Sounds like a plan! Want to hear my recommendation for that?"
"Um... all right," said Bon Bon.
Timber walked over to the boathouse and placed his hand on a royal blue and purple canoe. "This here is one of our Kingfisher canoes. It's the fastest model we've got at Camp Everfree. Want to give it a try?"
"Sure!" said Bon Bon. "The paddles are in the boathouse, right?"
Timber nodded. "Paddles, life vests, everything you need is right here in the boathouse. Need any tips before you head out? I'm quite the expert at boating, if I do say so myself."
Bon Bon shook her head. "No thanks, I think I'm good. I've paddled canoes before."
While Timber placed the canoe on the shore, Bon Bon went up the stairs into the boathouse, and came out with a life vest and paddle. She sat down in the canoe's cockpit, and Timber pushed it from behind to launch it into the lake. "Thanks," said Bon Bon.
"No prob!" replied Timber. "If you ever need anything, I'm your man!"
"At least he's not bragging as much as he was yesterday..." Bon Bon chuckled to herself.
The Kingfisher canoe was indeed fast, but it was also highly unstable. As Bon Bon paddled through the water, she felt the canoe rocking from side to side every time a small wave rippled past. "Whoa!" she exclaimed as a slightly larger one hit. She paddled quickly to steady the boat and keep it straight.
Eventually, Bon Bon had to slow down to prevent the canoe from tipping over. As she paddled around the lake at a leisurely pace, her thoughts shifted back to Lyra, and what she would say to her friend about the previous night. Bon Bon became so lost in thought that she didn't notice a sharp rock poking out of the water. She began to absentmindedly pick up speed, and by the time she realized what was in front of her, it was too late.
Bon Bon was jolted out of her thoughts by a loud cracking noise. She looked down and saw that a hole had been torn through the bottom of the canoe. The boat rapidly filled with water, flipped on its side, and began to sink. "Oh, help!" Bon Bon cried. She began climbing out as fast as she could. She managed to get her left leg free, but she turned at the wrong angle and her right leg became stuck. She paddled desperately at the water, trying to keep herself afloat and calling out for someone to help her.
Meanwhile, Sky and Lyra had returned to the campsite after their nature walk. Emerald and Tree Hugger were also with them, along with Flitter and a few others. Sky looked down at his left shoulder, where Bertram the millipede was hitching a ride. "Boy, you're just glued to me today, aren't you, Bertram?"
"It's so cute how you named him!" Lyra giggled. "You've definitely made a new friend there."
"I know what it's like," chuckled Emerald. "I've got three millipedes at home, and they love me just as much. I feel like a proud father whenever I look at them."
"They really dig my vibes too," added Tree Hugger. "Millipedes are such beautiful and radical creatures."
Flitter glanced out at the lake. "Hey... did somebody's boat capsize out there?" she asked. She then squinted for a closer look. "Wait a minute... I think that's Bon Bon!"
"Wait, what?!" Lyra cried. She looked to where Flitter had pointed, and saw her best friend flailing in the water. "Oh no, you're right! Come on, Sky! We need to go help her!"
"Of course!" Sky exclaimed. "Emerald, you hold Bertram for now. Lyra and I have to go!"
Emerald gently plucked Bertram off of Sky's shoulder, and then Lyra, Sky and Flitter ran toward the boathouse. Flitter went inside and grabbed a pair of life vests. "Here!" she said, tossing the vests to Lyra and Sky. "You guys get in a boat. I'll go tell Timber what's happened!"
Lyra simply gave Flitter a thumbs-up. She and Sky quickly put on their vests and jumped into the nearest sailboat.
A moment later, Timber came running up. "Yep, I see her!" he said. "I'll give you a push, and then you sail straight over there as fast as you can." He gave the boat a shove, and it glided into the water. Lyra and Sky adjusted the sail to get the boat up to speed, then set off to rescue their friend.
When Lyra and Sky found Bon Bon, she was panting heavily and struggling to keep her head above the water. "Oh, thank goodness!" Bon Bon gasped.
"Take our hands!" Lyra and Sky shouted in unison. They each extended a hand, and Bon Bon grabbed onto both. Together, Lyra and Sky pulled Bon Bon free of the canoe and onto the sailboat. They got her aboard just in time, as the wrecked canoe sank beneath the surface.
Bon Bon was very wet and completely exhausted. Getting stuck in the cockpit had left her with a bruise on her knee. Nevertheless, she was relieved to have been rescued. "Are you okay, Bonnie?" Lyra asked with concern.
Bon Bon nodded. "I think so. I got distracted while canoeing, and hit a rock."
"Well, that could happen to anyone," said Sky. "So don't feel bad about it. The important thing is that you're safe now."
Lyra put her hand on Bon Bon's shoulder. "Now that I have the chance, I also want to apologize for what I did last night. As soon as you left, I realized how uncomfortable you must have been."
"From now on, we'll keep our displays of affection private," added Sky. Lyra nodded in agreement.
"That's all right," said Bon Bon. "Starting a new relationship is exciting, I know. I don't blame you for wanting to spend time together. But lately I've been feeling like a third wheel around you two, and I don't want our friendship to fall apart over that."
"I'm really sorry if I was making you feel that way," said Lyra. "We'll always be besties, whether we're in relationships or not." She bent down and gave Bon Bon a hug.
When Sky and Lyra brought the sailboat back to the dock, Gloriosa ran up to check on Bon Bon too. "Are you all right, dear?" Gloriosa asked. "That looks like a nasty bruise on your knee."
"I think it looks worse than it feels," replied Bon Bon. "But it could definitely use some ice... and I could use a towel to dry myself off."
"You got it!" said Gloriosa. "I've got plenty of ice and towels in my office. Come with me!"
As Gloriosa helped Bon Bon back to her office, Lyra couldn't help but smile. She was relieved that Bon Bon was safe, and she was glad that they had been able to patch things up after what had happened the night before. And of course, she, along with everyone else, was still blissfully unaware of the chaos that would unfold over the remainder of that week.