Tambelon School of Knighthood

by Catrina37

CMC Camping Trip

Chapter 1: CMC Camping Trip

It’s a bright, sunny day in Sweet Apple Acres. The apples shined brightly by the sun, making them right for the picking; and a small, green lizard is peacefully sunbathing on a nearby rock. This was no ordinary day...

Applejack and Apple Bloom are preparing for their camping trip in Winsome Falls. They are not only going with Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, but also Scorpan, Thorne, and Rep. The sisters are just packing up and ready to meet the others.

“Ready for our camping trip, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asks.

“Ready, Sis,” Apple Bloom replies.

“Let’s get goin' then.”

Wagons rolling, the Apple Sisters head out to meet the others at the intended destination.

****

Apple Bloom and Applejack arrive moments later to see Scorpan and Thorne meeting them. Thorne was laying on a tree branch, watching the clouds until he noticed Apple Bloom and Applejack coming. Scorpan was drawing some pictures on the ground with a stick when he noticed the Apple sister coming. he goes over and greets them.

"Hey, Applejack!" he greets with a wave.

“Howdy, Scorpan,” Applejack greets them, “Nice of y’all to meet us here.”

“Well Thorne did want to get to know the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and when he heard of your camping trip, he saw it as a chance to bond with them,” Scorpan says.

"Well you caught me red-handed," Thorne admits with a chuckle.

Thorne then decides to use the branch he was on to swing down on the ground, so he could be at eye level with the others.

“Where’s Rarity and Sweetie Belle?” Thorne asks.

“Knowing her, bringing her bare necessities,” Applejack says cynically.

They suddenly see Rarity and Sweetie Belle coming up the hill. Sweetie Belle is hauling a carriage full of Rarity’s “necessities” while she wears her finest outdoor ensemble.

“Rarity, why didn’t you take the whole boutique?” Thorne mocks.

“Laugh all you want, but you will thank me once I make the finest outdoor outfits in Equestria,” Rarity says while snubbing Thorne.

Sweetie Belle is struggling to haul up her sister’s things when Thorne approaches her.

“How about if I haul that stuff for you?” Thorne offers.

“Thanks, Thorne,” Sweetie Belle says.

Thorne takes the harness and puts it on himself. Then, he hauls Rarity’s stuff, like it was no problem, much to Sweetie Belle's amazement.

“Let’s get up and meet the others,” Scorpan says.

“Thorne is mighty helpful,” Applejack says.

“Yeah. Hard to believe he used to be a part of Ahuizotl’s crew,” Scorpan says.

“Wait. He used to be Ahuizotl’s friend?” A surprised Rarity asks.

“I’ll explain tonight once we get settled. The three of us want to tell the Cutie Mark Crusaders a story about how we became knights.”

The group walk uphill to where the campsite is.

****

Moments later...

The group of six arrived at their camping spot. The sun's rays were shining through the trees, and the birds like it was the light of their show. The sweet sounds entered harmoniously into everyone's ears.

But a new sound came as the gang was nearing a stop. The sound of fast-flying and zooming came from the sky. They knew there is only one pony who can make those sounds: Rainbow Dash.

They see her coming in, with Scootaloo on her back, enjoying the ride.

"Wahoo!" they cheerfully shout.

Pretty soon, Rainbow Dash makes a perfect landing, landing her hooves on the ground with not a single scrape made in the dirt. Scootaloo hops off of Rainbow Dash's back with no problem at all.

"Hey guys," Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo greet.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash. Hey, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle greet.

The crusaders immediately get into a group hug, happy that each of them made it to the camp.

"You got here just in time, rainbow Dash," Applejack says to Rainbow Dash.

"Eh, you know me. In ten seconds flat, I'd be right here. Even with Scootaloo by my side," Rainbow Dash brags.

When the crusaders end their group hug, Apple bloom and Sweetie Belle couldn't help but notice that there was one more friend who still wasn't there. They also saw Scootaloo smiling, as if she knows something they don't.

"Where's rep?" Apple Bloom asks Scootaloo.

They suddenly hear the sound of a bird coming.

"CAAAWWWW!!!"

Scootaloo points her hoof in the direction where the sound came from, showing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle that where ever the bird was, it is heading their way. They turn around to see that she was right.

It was rep, and he is in the form of a peregrine falcon, flying below the trees with magnificent grace and ease.

He spots a place to land at the campsite, across from the ponies and knights.

As soon as he lands on the ground, he transforms back into his lizard form.

Hi, everybody," Rep says with a wave.

"Hey, Rep," Scorpan responds as he and the others wave to him, "Glad you could make it."

"Me too," Rep says in agreement, "It's nice to be in tune with nature every now and then. Don't you think?"

"Yay," Thorne agrees.

"Do you all want to grab some firewood for the night?" Applejack asks the knights.

"Sure," the knights respond.

"It would be our honor. Be back in a few minutes," Thorne tells the ponies.

It didn't take long, but the knights were soon out of sight in search of firewood.

Just then, Rarity starts to remember something very important that Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo weren't told about yet.

"Oh! Rainbow Dash! Scootaloo! You're never going to believe what Scorpan told us before we came here!" Rarity says with excitement.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash says before she flies in front of Rarity, "What is it?!"

"Scorpan told us that Throne was once part of Ahuizotl's Brigade."

"Whoa! No way!"

"Yeah," Apple Bloom says excitedly, "and tonight, they're gonna be telling us the story about how they met and became heroic knights."

"That's so cool!" I can't wait for them to tell us! It'll be so awesome!" Scootaloo says while flapping her wings with exuberance.

"I'm mighty excited, too," Applejack chimes in, "Right now, lets just get everything ready so we can hear their story tonight."

****

That night, everyone has put up their tents and set up the campfire. As a reward, they roasted marshmallows, for a snack, even adding them to chocolate and graham crackers to make s'mores.

"It's too bad Catrina couldn't come with us. I bet she would have loved coming out here," Sweetie Belle says while roasting a marshmallow.

"You and me both, Sweetie Belle," Rep says while roasting a marshmallow, "But, as much as I'd like for her to come, she and Twilight wanted to do some magic time together."

After Rep finishes roasting his marshmallow, he takes out some chocolate and graham crackers, and combines them altogether to make a s'more. With a lick of his lips, he takes a bite into it, and enjoys his delicious snack.

“So Scorpan, you said that Thorne use to be one of Ahuizotl’s friends,” Scootaloo says.

“Yeah. How did someone Thorne change from a member of the Ahuizotl Jerk Club to a knight like you?” Rainbow Dash asks.

“If you all sit down by the campfire, we’ll tell you the story of how we started out,” Rep says.

All the ponies sit themselves down at the campfire, ready to hear the whole story.

“Well Ponies,” Thorne starts, “My story contains some not-so-proud moments.”

“It all began long before Grogar took over Tambelon, back when we were kids like the Cutie Mark Crusaders…” Rep begins the story.