The seven-year old Dusk returned home from school, full of excitement.
"I'm home!" He called.
As he walked into the main room, he was ambushed from behind; A small, yet heavy figure jumped on his back, causing him to collapse on the floor.
"Horsieback ride, Dusk!" The two-year old Starlight squealed, hopping up and down, Fuzzy riding on her own back. "Horsieback ride!"
"Okay, squirt." Dusk groaned as he got back on his hooves. "But next time, ask before you jump on my back, okay?"
"Kay." Starlight nodded. "Now, giddyup!"
"Hang on!" Dusk chuckled, as he slowly galloped around the room.
"Whee!" Starlight squealed.
"Dusk, what have I told you about doing that in the house?" Twilight admonished him. "You could trip and hurt yourselves!"
"Sorry, mom." Dusk stopped in his tracks.
"We very bad." Starlight hung her head.
"Anyway, I've got some great news!" Dusk smiled, kneeling down to let Starlight off.
"What's that, son?" Flash asked.
"Our scout troop is going on our very first campout this weekend!" Dusk beamed. "It's gonna be awesome! Me and my friends, out in the wild, having all kinds of fun adventures, sleeping in tents all night..."
"Congrats, kiddo." Flash ruffled his son's mane. "You never forget your first campout. I know I haven't."
"I've never been on one myself." Twilight admitted. "But from what I've read, it should be a lot of fun... as long as you're careful."
"I will, mom." Dusk chuckled.
"Dusk... go?" Starlight asked, her bottom lip trembling. Her brother had never been away from her for so long before.
"Relax, squirt." Dusk patted her on the head. "I'll be back."
"Pinkie promise?" Starlight smiled.
"Pinkie promise." Dusk nodded, making the requisite movements with his hoof. "I might even bring you back a little something."
"Yay!" Starlight hugged Dusk.
On Saturday morning, Dusk got up early, washed, had breakfast, then, stopping only to give his parents, Spike and a tearful Starlight quick goodbyes, gathered his things and headed for Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack and her husband Caramel (the scoutmasters) were waiting. Years ago, Caramel had taken a part-time job at Sweet Apple Acres when Big McIntosh had suffered an injury. As they worked side-by-side, slowly but surely, he and Applejack fell for each other, eventually marrying and having Crab. They had even started the pony scouts together.
All of Dusk's friends were there, too... along with Gold Chain and Silver Plate.
"What are you two doing here?" Dusk groaned.
"It wasn't our idea." Gold snorted.
"Somehow, our parents got it into their heads that we could do with some outdoorsy experience." Silver said distastefully. "Bad enough already, but we didn't expect to have to camp out with you and your commoner friends."
"Why, I oughta..." Dusk snarled.
"Okay campers, lissen up!" Applejack called.
The scouts stood to attention, Crab most of all.
"We're about to move out, y'all." Applejack declared. "But first, let's have us a last-minute equipment check. Everypony got everythin' they need?"
The young ponies checked their saddlebags, then chorused "Yes!"
"Alrighty then." Caramel smiled. "Let's go, campers!"
The troop made their way to the forest near rainbow falls. Along the way, the scouts were comparing the patches they had collected on their sashes. Crab had the most by far.
"I wish I was as good at this stuff as you, Crab." Dusk smiled.
"Yeah, just look at all those patches!" Purple blared. "Maybe when you've got them all, you'll get an 'I got all the patches' patch!"
"Please." Gold snorted. "Like he really got those on his own merits."
"What's that supposed ta mean?" Crab growled.
"You probably only got them because your parents are the scoutmasters." Silver sneered.
"That ain't true!" Crab shot back. "Ah earned these."
"And who are you to talk, anyway?" Rainbow butted in.
"Yeah." Thunder sniped. "You don't have any patches!"
"For now." Gold smirked.
"You just wait." Silver bragged. "We'll get more of these lousy patches then you can count."
Before long, the troop made it to their camp site.
"Okay, first things first, y'all." Applejack declared. "Let's gather us some firewood."
The young scouts scoured the surrounding area, looking for any pieces of wood that could be used to make a fire. Naturally, Crab found the most.
"Well done, son!" Caramel congratulated him.
"No big deal." Crab modestly shrugged.
Gold and Silver, who had only managed two sticks apiece, glowered at him.
"Everypony gets a 'wood gathering' patch!" Applejack declared.
As the patches were handed out, Gold and Silver smirked at each other.
"Getting all those dumb patches is going to be easier then I thought." Gold boasted.
"Too bad." Silver shrugged. "I at least want to make an effort over these lousy things."
Next, they all set up their tents. Crab put his together perfectly, but the others weren't as succesful; Dusk's was a little unsteady, Honeysuckle's leaned to one side, Dazzle's was fine, but she obsessively kept trying to make it "perfect" by adding bows and plastic flowers from her bag. Rainbow and Thunder had tried to combine their's into one big "super-tent", but it had collapsed on them. Purple's had nearly floated away when she tried attaching balloons to them. Gold and Silver, on the other hand, were still struggling with the support rods.
"I think mine's defective." Gold frowned.
"This one was put together the wrong way!" Silver pouted, holding one upside down.
"Need a hoof, campers?" Applejack offered.
"Thought you'd never ask." Gold tutted.
"Make it snappy!" Silver ordered.
"That's no way to talk to your scoutmaster!" Caramel admonished them.
"Sorry." The two muttered.
Before long, everypony's tent was up.
"Well, it weren't by no means poetry in motion, but most a' ya earned yer tent-pitching badges!" Applejack declared.
The young ponies (with the exception of Gold and Silver) were given a patch with an image of a tent on them.
"Whatever." Gold snorted.
"It was a stupid patch, anyway." Silver added.
"Alright, scouts." Caramel smiled. "Let's get our campfire going, and cook up our lunch!"
"Anypony who can start a fire all by their lonesome earns a patch." Applejack added. "And by 'their lonesome', I mean with whatever's at hoof. No magic or weather trickery, ya hear?"
Complying, the scouts got to work. Crab was able to start a fire in moments using the classic "rub two sticks together" method. Rainbow and Thunder, on the other hoof, clapped two rocks together, creating a shower of sparks which ignited their small pile of wood.
"Awesome!" Thunder cheered.
"Sweet." Rainbow smirked.
Dusk was trying to replicate Crab's success, but wasn't having any luck.
"Why isn't this working?" Dusk groaned.
"I feel your pain." Dazzle sighed over her just-lit fire. "I almost chipped a hoof trying to light this thing."
"Come on guys, don't give up." Honeysuckle encouraged them. "We can do it. And besides, you're still doing better then they are."
Gold and Silver, in utter frustration, were hitting their piles of wood with their sticks.
"Light, you stupid thing!" Gold roared.
"Useless twigs!" Silver chimed in.
"Good point." Dusk chuckled. Changing tack, he placed a long, thin stick on the pile, and spun it round his hooves. The friction created a small ember, which he lightly fanned with his breath. A fire emerged soon after. "I did it!"
Eventually, with a little help from Applejack and Caramel, all the fires were lit, and the scouts gladly roasted the food they brought. Purple, to everypony's bemusement, was roasting an entire baguette.
"Mm-mmm!" She licked her lips. "Long-bready goodness!"
After they'd eaten, the scouts were led on a hike. Most of the young ponies gazed in awe at the wonders of nature. The exceptions were Gold and Silver.
"Are we there yet?" Gold asked.
"My hooves hurt." Silver whined.
"Oh, hush up back there." Applejack told them. "Try an' enjoy the experience."
"What experience?" Gold groaned.
"Everywhere you look, there's just dirt and trees, and..." Silver stopped mid-complaint, her attention caught by something. "Hey, what's that over there?"
She and Gold wandered off from the group. Dusk, wary of what might happen, followed them. The two priveliged ponies approached a crop of blue flowers.
"Check these out." Silver gasped.
"I've never seen these before." Gold noted. "They must be rare."
"Then by rights, they should be ours." Silver smirked.
"Wait'll the scoutmasters see we found some plants." Gold smirked.
"It'd put Dusk and those commoners in their place, that's for sure." Silver chuckled darkly.
The spoilt brats leaned in to pick some of the plants.
"Stop!" Dusk yelled. "Don't touch them!"
"Mind your own business, princey." Gold sneered. "We found 'em first."
"What's goin' over here?" Applejack asked, as she and the others caught up to them. "Dusk, ya oughta know better'n to break from the group like that!"
"I'm sorry, scoutmaster Applejack." Dusk said respectfully. "But these two were about to touch some poison joke."
"That's poison joke?" Crab stared. "Ah've never seen it before."
"He's lying." Gold snorted, as he picked one of the flowers.
"He's jealous of our discovery." Silver sniffed one of the flowers. "So sad..."
"Ya'll shouldn't have done that..." Applejack face-hoofed.
"Please." Gold smirked. "See? Nothing's happening."
"Yeah." Silver nodded. "This isn't poison joke."
"Wait for it..." Dusk grimaced.
Suddenly, Gold's legs shrunk down, becoming tiny stubs. At the same time, Silver's ears stretched to three times their size.
"Told you." Dusk shook his head, as the rest of the kids laughed.
"My ears!" Silver tugged on the overly long ears in question.
"What happened?!" Gold balked, hopping up and down on his tiny hooves.
"Poison joke happened." Dusk joked.
"Alright, settle down." Caramel stepped forward. "Lucky for you two, I always carry a couple a' bottles of poison joke cure, just in case."
"Pretty neat how you knew what poison joke looked like, Dusky." Purple smiled.
"Oh, it was nothing." Dusk said modestly. "I saw a picture of it in one of my mom's books once."
"Well then, Ah guess you deserve this." Applejack handed Dusk a new patch, on which was the symbol of a flower. "The 'know your plants' patch."
Dusk friends cheered for him.
"Way to go, pal." Crab smiled. "Even Ah don't have that one."
Dusk's elation lasted all the way back to camp. Soon after their return, Caramel filled a basin with the poison joke cure, and Gold and Silver took turns soaking in it.
"Worst. Day. Ever!" Gold growled.
"No doubt." Silver pouted.
As night fell, the fires were lit again, and the scouts looked in awe at the stars above.
"Princess Luna's done a really good job tonight." Dazzle smiled.
"She sure has." Dusk agreed.
"Alrighty, everypony." Caramel called. "Bedtime!"
The scouts entered their tents and climbed into their sleeping bags. As Dusk, lulled by the gentle sounds of nature, drifted off to sleep, he reflected on how great his first camping trip had turned out.
The next morning, the troop returned to Ponyville. After bidding his friends goodbye, Dusk made his way back to the library.
"I'm back!" He called as he opened the door.
"Dusk!" Starlight squealed. She charged across the room, tackling him in a hug that knocked him on his back.
"Easy there, squirt." Dusk chuckled. "I missed you too. Here, I got you this."
Reaching into his bag, Dusk pulled out a daisy chain, and placed it around Starlight's neck.
"Pretty..." Starlight cooed. "Thanks, Dusk!"
Starlight gave Dusk another hug.
"You're welcome, squirt." Dusk smiled.
"So, how was your first big campout, son?" Flash asked.
"It was great." Dusk declared. "I even got a patch that nopony else managed to get."
"Well done, Dusk." Twilight smiled.
"I couldn't have done it without you, mom." Dusk told her.
"Excuse me?" Twilight tilted her head quizzically.
"If I hadn't seen what poison joke looks like in your book, I never would've earned that patch." Dusk explained. "So thanks, mom."
Dusk hugged Twilight.
"You're welcome, darling." Twilight beamed.
"I can't wait for the next campout." Dusk smiled.
"I come with Dusk next time?" Starlight asked. "Pleeeease?"
"We'll see, squirt." Dusk ruffled her mane. "We'll see... But for now, how about another horsieback ride?"
Twilight cleared her throat loudly.
"Uh, an outside horsieback ride?" Dusk corrected himself.
"Yayyy!" Starlight squealed, as Dusk lifted her onto his back.
As their children dashed into the garden, Twilight and Flash looked on.
"Our son, the outdoorspony." Twilight smirked. "Who'd've thought it?"
"I'm not surprised." Flash chuckled. "Any kid of ours can do anything, just like their mother."
"Oh, stop." Twilight flushed.
The two proud parents shared a kiss as their offspring played together in the garden.