//------------------------------// // The Countdown // Story: The Legend of the Everfree // by Shadowmane PX-41 //------------------------------// The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts all landed on their feet back at the camp. A small shock went through their legs when they touched down, but it quickly subsided once they all stood up straight. Together, they dusted off all of the leaves, dirt, and twigs that they had collected with their arrival. "Well, that's one way of getting around..." Sugarcoat looked up at the portal just as it closed. "Tell me about it," Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest chimed together. "Alright. Let's try and figure out the best way to fix this mess." Sunset and the rest of the girls were gathered around a table inside of the visitor centre. She took a piece of paper and jotted down a number. "As it stands, the forest is pretty much bankrupt and Miasma is already cutting it down as we speak. Overall, we've gotta raise one-hundred-and-twenty-five thousand dollars by the end of the week, or it's bye-bye Camp Everfree, the Everfree Forest, and Gloriosa's home." "How are we going to raise that much money before Sunday?" Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure. All that I know is that we can't just stand by and let this happen." Sunset looked up from the paper for a brief moment before she turned it over and wrote down a list of ideas. "Now then. Music festival?" she smiled, but then remembered what happened before at CHS and shook her head. "No. Best not to think about that..." "What about a sports contest?" Indigo asked before she got glared by the rest of the girls. "What?! It'll be fair and square this time! No magic! I promise!" "We tried that too, and look how that ended..." Fluttershy gently rubbed her shoes on the wooden floor. "Ooh! How about a lemonade stand! People ALWAYS buy lemonade on a hot day like this!" Pinkie waved her arm in the air to get the girls' attention. "Too small. Add to the fact the people who want to drink that, where you'd even get the ingredients to make it, and considering the prices we'd need to charge, you'd be setting us up to fail before we even begin." Sugarcoat crossed her arms. "Uggh! It seems like there's nothing we can do to stop this!" Sunset ferociously scribbled out the ideas that the girls had put forward and threw the paper away. "Can't we just declare the place a historic landmark and have Miasma and her team back off for good?" Sunny Flare stood up and tipped her hand. "If we do and she still destroys the forest, she'll end up in prison, and we'll still have won, minus the forest we all loved as kids." "No! We can't!" Indigo Zap slammed her fist on the table. "We're not about to lose Camp Everfree! Not after everything we've been through!" She stood up as well. "This forest has given us so many happy memories, and I'm not about to just call it quits and take the coward's way out!" "What are you saying, Indigo?" Sour Sweet's eyes widened before her brows dropped. "Are you saying that we should take the fight to them? Because I'd sure like to get my hands on that woman and just..." She started to strangle thin air as she gritted her teeth. "Calm down, Sour Sweet. You're going to give yourself cardiac arrest." Applejack walked up to her and masssaged her shoulders. "Now, what were you talkin' about, Indigo?" "I'm saying that there's gotta be the perfect way to attract people to Camp Everfree and get them to donate to our cause, but we're just not seeing it yet because we're under stress." Indigo walked next to Sunset. "Maybe we should just calm down and think outside the box." Sunset took a deep breath and turned towards Indigo. "Alright. What should we do?" "We should do something that caters to everyone." Indigo took another sheet of paper from a children's colouring table nearby and wrote down some doodles of humans and the Everfree Forest. "We could have games, arts and crafts, quiet places, and many more. And the more we appeal to the masses, the more money we make, right? "So, I've got this super-awesome idea that'll put all of the others to shame." Indigo turned the paper over and scribbled for a few minutes more. "Together, we get some specialists from the forest, we plan lots of activities, and make sure that every cent we make goes to saving the Everfree Forest. And we'll call it..." She wrote down the name of the event high above the finished picture. "The Super-Awesome-Save-Camp-Everfree-and-the-Forest Gala!" "That's a great idea, Indigo, but I must say that the name is a bit of a handful." Rarity grinned at the finished picture. "Why not just simply call it the Crystal Gala. It's short, sweet, and with the word 'Crystal' in the title, you'll be sure to attract some great people to the camp!" "Why'd you pick that name, Rares?" Indigo asked. "Because you're a part of Crystal Prep of course. It should only be fair that the person who comes up with the idea gets some recognition for it." She smiled. "I myself would have picked the Rainboom Gala, but I fear that would have cut you and the other Shadowbolts out of the picture, and I do want this to be a team effort, after all." "But if it's the Crystal Gala, doesn't that kind of cut you girls out?" Sour Sweet looked towards Rarity. "It's alright. We're not in it for popularity or anything like that." Sunset reached over and patted Sour's shoulders. "We're just doing this because we love Camp Everfree, and we don't want to see it destroyed by that hag." "Being charitable and not wanting any kind of profit?" Sugarcoat's voice was apprehensive, but that mood faded away as a smile crept onto her face. "I like that. Not many people act that way these days. They're usually in it for some kind of gain." "Nah. We've already got everything we could ever want." Rainbow Dash huddled up with the rest of the Rainbooms. "We've got great memories, amazing ideas, and most important of all, we've got each other, and that's all that really matters." "Do you think you could teach us how to be like that someday?" Lemon Zest took her headphones off. "I think you've already learned from us, girls." Pinkie Pie slid up to her and wrapped her arm around Lemon's shoulders. "But if you ever need some pointers, just come to me, Dashie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, or Sunset, and we'll be happy to help." "Thanks, everyone." Sunny Flare bowed briefly. "I know that together we can save Camp Everfree and stop Miasma and New World from tearing it down." "Good. Now we've just gotta try and keep that spirit up, because as it stands, it's six o' clock now." Sunset looked over at the clock. "We've only got five days to save the camp and defeat Miasma." She pulled out her phone and turned on the countdown function. "Everyone, put in a hundred and twenty-six hours on your timers." The other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts did so on their phones and everyone hit the big green buttons on the screens of each of theirs all at the same time. The clocks all began to countdown as the girls turned their devices off and put them back in their pockets. "The game is on, and we're on a race against the clock." Sunset walked out through the doors. "We either save Camp Everfree, or we lose everything." The shot's been fired The die is cast. We come in first place Or come in last. Whatever happens to us now, we've gotta all take action now And save Camp Everfree once and for all! Sunset began to sing as she stepped forward to the nearby gazebo. She climbed the steps in time to the lyrics of the song and looked out towards the forest at the end of the first lines. The flag's been dropped The whistle blown. We save the trees Or they get mown. As the men march on their way, we won't let them get away. Miss Miasma and her machines will start to fall! When she came up the end of the first verse, the rest of the Rainbooms followed her as she stepped down from the gazebo and added their own voices to the song. Everything we loved as kids, is starting to slip away. Together, we'll stand hand-in-hand, and drive those thugs away. The games that we played, the times that we shared, all of them rest in our hands. That's why as friends, we'll see this through to the end, and foil all of Miasma plans! Rarity took the first half of the next lyrics while Rainbow Dash did the other half. What seemed to start out so peaceful, soon turned into a scare. But the twelve of us will stand together, and take risks no-one would dare. As everything seems bleak and hopeless, when others start to fall. Together, we will face the weather, 'cause friendship conquers all! Twilight and Indigo stepped forward and sang, with Twilight having the first half, and Indigo the second. When everything goes down the drain, When all we see in our world is rain, As long as we stand side-by-side There's no need to fear at all. The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts all sang together now, running towards the forest as they did so. Even when the deck is fixed, Even if we fight swords with sticks, As long as we stand side-by-side Our Friendship will Save us All! Miasma paced across her office. Her eyebrows lowered as she balled her hands into fists. She looked at the pictures of the Rainbooms on the desk and snarled, grabbing the pictures and crumpling them up into balls. How can it be that those very twee, Would stand in the way of prosperity? Why do they fight, for what they believe is right, Even when what they're causing is a blight? She sang before she threw each of the balls of paper into the nearby titanium bin. Each one was thrown in time with the music. Those urksome little pests have faced so many tests, And yet none of their foes gave them their final rests. But when fighting against me, then soon they'll all see, That facing me is like facing a giant army! She lit a match on fire and threw it into the bin, igniting the pictures instantly. Those Rainbooms and their stupid friends, will see how wrong they were. When my machines tear through their dreams and roast those pitiful little curs! I'll rend their camp, destroy their games, and crush any will to resist. Let's see how those little menaces deal with a colossal fifty-ton fist! She walked over to a punching bag that had been blotted out by the darkness and proceeded to punch and kick it as she sang her next lyrics. The game is on, The prey dispersed. Are they the best? Or just the worst? Could they really save the day, or did luck help them on the way? We'll find out when those chlidren face my bots. The cards are dealt, the field is set. So let's find out Who wins this bet. When the dust begins to settle, my many men and all their mettle Will be standing proud on top of all those tots! With a final punch, she knocked the bag against the wall completely, where it toppled over slowly. But I fear a storm is fast approaching... How much power does Miasma hold? Twilight's voice became less confident as she sang. For those miscreants and their encroaching, None of their stories will be told! Miasma continued to wail on the knocked over balloon. This forest will soon become a warzone, One where light and darkness will duke it out. Gloriosa sang from the highest point on the Housetree out towards the rest of the forest. But with the Rainbooms fighting to save it, I just wanna scream and shout! And she leapt off back into the house and slid down a slide that led to another floor. Those Rainbooms are such a wonderful bunch, Talking friendship and candy and fun. Why, I just wanna get their autographs Once this silly nonsense is done. I should be worried about it, and truth be told, I am. But at the same, I feel great! Maybe there's something else about these girls, and it's something we can't contemplate, As she sang, Gloriosa ran around the room, swinging on the ladders in her library. She eventually found a book and opened it up, flipping through the pages until she found pictures on the Fall Formal, Battle of the Bands, and Friendship Games. The images moved magically, showing how the Rainbooms won their battles. They saved our world three times over now, And I wish I could've been there too. But with everything that's been going on in this forest, I've got much more important things to do. I wish I could help them, but it's their own journey, And it's one I can't help them complete. But I do trust them all, and I know with their bond, That there's nothing that they can't defeat! Gloriosa closed the book and slid it back into the shelf before she ran back up the stairs. She kept on climbing the branches until she got to the very top and belted out the last lines to the entire forest. For all that we know, The fires will grow, And this forest will suffer the fight. But as long as we pray, Every night and day, For the selfless heroes of the light. The battle will be long, And another new song, Will be forged to record the struggle. But with those girls together, To brave any weather, Then their Friendship will Conquer All!