//------------------------------// // VI: This Friday Night... // Story: The Dusk Daughter of Hecate // by DiscordFan //------------------------------// [ Yes, the chapter title's pun is intended. ] Thump!! Twilight Sparkle groaned and grasped her head in pain. Oww... She had hit her head off a bed's border (I don't know what to call it). The Hermes Cabin was crowded with ponies. The bunk beds were up against each other, and sleeping bags were sprawled on the floor. Twilight was currently in a sleeping bag. Wait... When did I get in here? Let's see... Saw Pinkie Pie. Passed out. Somepo- Somebody! Somebody must have brought me here. "You okay," a male voice asked. Twilight looked up to see a brown stallion with a blond, almost white, parted, long mane and tail. His blue eyes shined with concern. A leather necklace with five clay beads. Twilight blushed upon seeing visible muscles, showing how much he worked out. [Even if a pony works out, it's rare to see muscles. And Bulk Bisceps over does it.] "Um muh," she said distracted by the muscles. "F-fine. I'm good. You're hot..." She began to drool. The stallion was taken aback. "I... What? Uh... thank you?" Twilight blushed furiously as she realized what she said. "I, uh, mean. I'm good. Thanks for asking, um..." She motioned with her hoof for a name. "Oh! Right! Heheh, sorry. It's Backbiter." He chuckled in embarrassment. "What's your name?" "Twilight Sparkle," she said formally. "Youngest female in the Nobles of Sparkles." Backbiter raised an eyebrow. "Why so formal? Here at Camp, everybody is family." "Of course!" A bell was being rung somewhere. "Soup's on, everybody!!!" Twilight gasped. What? B-but... What?! Backbiter grinned. "Friday breakfast. Best kind of breakfast there is. C'mon!" Backbiter galloped towards the door, where the rest of the Hermes Cabin campers were lined up. Twilight trotted to the line, but she had to gallop because the line began to leave. "W-wait!" She got to the group as soon as she stepped out the door. That's when she truly saw how many campers there was. "Whoa," she whispered faintly as she kept trotting with the group. If Twilight's calculations were correct, there was over 7,00 campers. She gawked at the sight. The, the satyrs and nymphs and naiads joined the campers, which Twilight believed added up to over 1,000. She swallowed hard. "Whoa..." "I know! Isn't that a lot of creatures, Twilight!" Twilight turned her head to the sound and saw Pinkie Pie bouncing next to her. "In fact, on an normal days, there's 1,764 creatures. Isn't that a lot!?" "Uh," Twilight mumbled. "Y-yeah. Um, Pinkie?" "Yeah, Twilight?" "What are you doing here?" She froze in mid air and slowly fell to ground to walk. "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm a camper here!" She beamed at Twilight. "What are you doing here?" Twilight let her head fall. "I have no clue." "What!?" Pinkie's jaw was on the ground. "But aren't you a camper? By the way, where's your shirt?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at the question, but she then noticed Pinkie was wearing the orange shirt everyone else was wearing. "Are they important," she inquired. "Yeah." "Then I'll get a shirt later," she said with a matter-of-fact voice. "Okie dokie lokie!!" Finally, The Harmes Cabin (and Pinkie Pie) arrived at a pavilion where a lot of tables were set up. Most tables were already occupied. The Hermes Cabin went over to two tables against each other (just one table is pretty big), and the campers sat down. The other tables were crowded as well. Each group, Twilight noticed, had somewhat distinguished features. One table had only blond maned campers. Another had only red coated campers. Another had pink somewhere on the campers' bodies, be it their cutie marks, hair, or coat. Twilight absorbed this fact and realized she was sitting with all brown ponies. She immediately felt left out. "Campers," Celestia said in the Royal-Canterlot-Voice. "I am pleased to announce that tonight is Game Night..." All the campers and creatures began hollering and hooting. Celestia raised a hoof for silence. "... and that our newest camper will get to experience our fun-filled, weekly event. So happy Friday, everybody!" The campers hollered and hooted as Celestia flew away morphing into her larger form. "A'right, everybody! Time to get some grub," a southern accented voice called. Suddenly, plates filled to the brim with a hearty meal appeared in front of everybody: strawberries, pancakes, eggs, and these weird, round, brown things. Then, everybody got and walked over in a line to this raging fire. The first one in line threw in the best looking food on his plate. Back biter was already in line. He winked at Twilight and motioned for her to get in front of him. Twilight hesitantly trotted over with her plate and cut him in line. "Just throw in what you think looks the best," he whispered. "The gods like the smell." The smell? What? But Twilight did what Backbiter said. She threw in her ripest strawberry and fluffiness pancake while thinking, Whoever's my mother, please, send me a sign. Then, she felt a jolt of magic surge threw her horn. She held back as much magic as possible, but her horn released tiny, magic sparks. She kept holding back her magic until the jolt faded. She trotted back over to her table to observe the brown things. After poking and prodding to no avail, she asked the camper she was sitting next to what it was. "Excuse me, but what are these round, brown things?" "Sausage," the female camper provided obviously. "Um... What is sausage?" The camper rolled her eyes and looked at Twilight. "Ya' know? Meat?" Twilight's eyes widened. But then she relaxed. "Oh, um. Thanks." "Whatever..." Twilight leaned over the sausage and sniffed it. It smelled... okay, she supposed. She nibbled it. Her eyes widened. This is... This is delicious... Twilight stuffed the sausages into her mouth and moaned in pleasure. It tasted better then that necter stuff. She then noticed the empty goblet by her plate. Twilight's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Just tell it what you want." Twilight jumped a bit. The mare she had been talking to before was staring at her with a bored expression. "Are you thirsty or not," she continued raising her eyebrow. Twilight thought for a moment on what to drink. She picked the goblet up and stared intensely at it. "Jasmine tea." A liquid content filled the goblet. Twilight took a sip. "Well done, goblet." She took more sips. After doing several activities and eating dinner, the campers began to get ready for game night. Tonight it was Capture the Flag. "So," Twilight said, "what team am I on?" Backbiter threw her a silver helmet with a blue plume and said, "Blue." "Okay, so where am I going to be positioned?" "Defense. Just stand by the flag and don't let the other team take it." "Okay." Twilight put the helmet on and began looking for a suitable weapon. She held daggers, swords, spears, bows, shields, etc., etc. Nothing felt right. Even when she held them with her magic, it didn't feel right to her. She sighed and sat down. "I'll never find a weapon," she groaned. "Oh, c'mon, Twilight! There has to be something," Backbiter remarked. "Well, there isn't!!" Enraged, Twilight shot a powerful bolt of magic at Backbiter. "Gah!" Backbiter ducked, and the magic hit a tree, which now had a massive burnt mark. A nymph melted out of the tree with scorched hair. She stomped a hoof at Twilight and Backbiter. Grumbling, she melted back into her tree. Backbiter shook his head. "Twilight, just take a shield for protection. We'll figure out a weapon for you later." Twilight sighed, and they went to the Everfree to begin the game.