Droning On
Four families were registered to stay in a total of six tents for the weekend (two of the families needed more than one tent to sleep in). Timber and Gloriosa greeted each group as they drove up to the camp grounds on Friday afternoon. They recognized every face from past stays.
“Welcome back, Mr. Gordon and Gabby!” Gloriosa waved at them, floating just a few centimeters above the grass.
Gabby was a fourteen year-old girl with steel gray hair that was pulled back into a short ponytail, revealing her neck feathers. “Gloriosa? Wow, you look so different!”
“Don't we all?” asked Timber with his trusty lopsided smile. “I mean, you two could've flown here.”
“Yeah,” agreed Mr. Gordon, “but I needed a place to put all our stuff.” He jerked his thumb at his covered pickup truck.
“Ah, good point. Wouldn't be much of a camping trip without camping gear.” Timber handed him a waxy piece of paper. “Here's your tag to park in front of Ruby Tent.”
Gabby extended a cape of silvery light from her shoulders, flying up to Gloriosa's eye level. “So, what's it like to be forest aspect?”
“It's totally rad!” said Gloriosa with a manic grin. “I may look like a freak, but I can control plants!” She raised both hands, and up sprang a fat, barrel-shaped cactus in the middle of common grounds. “I just made a cactus grow in a temperate rain forest for gods' sakes!”
“That is so cool!”
Mr. Gordon leaned toward Timber. “I'm gonna level with you,” he said in an undertone. “I don't even know if I'm alive right now. I may have died several months ago and this is the afterlife.”
This gave Timber pause. “Interesting theory, but wouldn't Sunset Shimmer have told us if we were all dead?”
“She made everyone believe magic was normal for a few months. I think she'd let us believe we were alive if she thought it gave us peace of mind.”
Timber had forgotten how weird Mr. Gordon was – and that was saying something, coming from the brother of a half-crazed magic user who looked like a wannabe comic book villain.
Before magic appeared, Timber had considered himself agnostic, for the most part. He had gone to the temple to receive his icon, but that was his only spiritual experience. But when a young woman introduced the world to magic – quite personally, in fact – many people believed she was divine. There were a few alternative theories about the Harmonious One, though, such as the theory that she was a member of an advanced alien civilization. It made about as much sense as anything else Timber had heard.
It was also rumored that if someone said her name three times in a row, she would be summoned like a benevolent Bloody Merry. Timber told himself he didn't believe that, but he'd seen stranger things just in the last week, so he didn't want to chance invoking her name any more than necessary. If an actual deus ex machina swooped down and fixed his problems, he'd feel like he'd failed somehow. Still, he might have to resort to trying to get the religious figure's attention if Gloriosa ever snapped.
“Timber? Are you okay?”
Timber shook his head, realizing that he had zoned out for a moment. Gloriosa and Gabby had started carrying gear toward the Ruby Tent. By the look of it, Gloriosa was hauling most of the supplies in one trip.
Putting on his customer service smile, Timber answered, “Of course. Don't I look okay?”
“Look, that was just a bad joke. I wasn't thinking about what happened to your mom and dad when I said that.”
“What?” Timber's smile fell only a little as he blinked at Mr. Gordon. The older man's light brown face was lined with concern.
“It's fine, Mr. Gordon,” said Timber. “I know you didn't mean it that way. I was just worrying about my sister. I think she's using magic as a distraction from her grief and she hasn't processed it in a healthy way.”
Timber and Mr. Gordon both gazed at Gloriosa chatting with Gabby. The younger girl said something, but Timber was too far away to hear her. He did, however, observe his sister jerk her hand toward her geode necklace.
“Grief is a life-long journey, and everyone has to find their own path,” said Mr. Gordon. “Gloriosa will find hers eventually. Has she had any grief counseling, if you don't mind me asking?”
Timber snorted softly. “I tried to talk her into going. Guess what she said.”
“I've got this.”
“I've got this,” echoed Timber. “You know, I wouldn't be surprised if those were my mom's last words.” His mind headed toward a dark place as his heart sank. Gloriosa was the only family he had left. If he couldn't help her . . .
He couldn't finish that thought as he saw an SUV rolling along the road toward them. “It looks like the Tree family is here. I'd better go give them their tag.”
Once all the families had halfway settled into their tents and dusk had fallen, Timber built a fire in the main fire pit. He earned laughs from the five kids with his “fire good” caveman impression. Gloriosa formed wicker-like chairs out of living vines. Her control had improved a great deal in the last few days.
Since these were experienced campers, they went beyond the typical s'mores and wienie roasts and heated up stuffed pitas and apples by wrapping them in foil and resting them on top of the hot embers. While they cooked and ate, they told stories and sang songs. Gabby managed to get everyone to sing the “Campfire Song Song” four times before they got tired of it.
Then Gloriosa rose, glowing toxic green as she hovered over the grass. “Thank you, Gabster, that was awesome! Now I have a camp song I'd like to sing.”
She took a deep breath and sang, “I have waited for the day to send this greedy wolf away . . .”
“Um, is anyone else getting a Whinny villain vibe?” asked Mr. Gordon out of the side of his mouth.
Gloriosa felt like her song went over well, even though no one picked up on the melody or lyrics. And to think Timber had suggested that she stay in the main lodge. Nonsense. She was in her element. Besides, what was the point of running the camp if she couldn't run the camp?
The next morning, the fliers stretched their light-bows and light-capes, while those incapable of flight fished, hiked, or simply sat around the fire drinking coffee.
At the moment, two earth kids, a brother and sister, were fishing from the dilapidated dock. Gloriosa and Timber had been meaning to renovate it, but the tents took priority, and it hadn't deteriorated any worse since the emergence of magic, so they kept putting it off.
Gloriosa floated toward them. “Hey campers, how's it hanging?”
The siblings shared a look, and then the brother answered, “We haven't caught anything, but it's only been twenty minutes.”
“I'm already getting bored, though,” said the sister. “Gloriosa, do you have a disc golf course?”
“No but that's a super idea!” replied Gloriosa.
“Hey, look what I caught!”
That voice came not from the two earth children, but from Gabby flying overhead. “It's a drone!”
“Cool!” The earth girl beamed up at her. “Sometimes I wish I was a griffon aspect.”
“It's great, but it has its downsides too. Do you know how many T-shirts and sweaters I've accidentally torn with these?” Gabby held out her hand and extended small, sharp claws that shone the same silver as her energy cape.
“I do love my sweaters.”
Gloriosa peered up at the unmanned quadcopter in Gabby's clutches. The front bore the words “Rich Corp.”
A red haze filled Gloriosa's vision. “Gabby, sweetie, can I have the drone for a minute?”
Gabby glanced at the rotor blades that were vainly spinning; then she stared at Gloriosa. “Okay. Um, just don't tell my dad. He doesn't like it when I catch drones.”
“Of course Gabster!” She levitated higher so she could pat the teen's head. Then she accepted the quadcopter from Gabby, lifted it in both hands, and flung it to the ground as hard as she could. The kids gasped, Gabby loudest of all. But there was not a scratch or crack in the drone's surface, and two seconds later it lifted off again.
“Oh no you don't!” Gloriosa pulled energy from the geodes and pushed them through her arms and into the runner roots on the ground. The roots responded, shooting up tendrils that grabbed the drone in midair.
“What are you doing?” asked the boy, gazing at her with wide eyes.
Gloriosa turned her head and grinned at him, which for some reason made him and his sister step back. “You see, Filthy Rich thinks he owns Camp Everfree just because he has some pieces of paper. But I am Camp Everfree's true master.” She sent a bit more magic into the tendrils, and they forced the drone toward the ground and secured it there.
“But that drone's not yours!” said Gabby, putting her hands over her cheeks.
“It's in my space, I own it.” Then, in a softer tone, she added, “But thank you for getting it for me, Gabby.”
Then she raised her foot and stomped on it.
The blades spun defiantly.
“Curse you earth aspect technology!” She kicked it.
“Gloriosa!” yelled Timber.
“What?” Gloriosa clenched her fists, not glancing up from the drone.
Her brother ran toward her. “What's going on? I heard you yell 'curse you' and I thought that was a bad sign.”
“Look at that!” Gloriosa pointed to the tied-down quadcopter. “Filthy Rich has been spying on us!”
Timber's pupils shrank. “I was right, that's bad.”
“I'm gonna march down to his office and teach him a lesson!” Gloriosa slammed her fist into her open palm.
Timber held up his fingers. “Two things: it's hard to march when you're levitating, and it's two hours just to drive there one way. And you can't levitate as fast as the truck.”
“Oh, yeah? We'll just see about that!” She leaned forward and floated at a relatively high speed, but was still only as fast as earth aspect woman can sprint. Fast, but slower than a car or truck.
Gabby zipped ahead of her in the air. “Gloriosa, you know, maybe Filthy Rich wasn't spying on you. Maybe his drone was just passing through on the way to someplace else.” She tapped her fingers together.
“It's good of you to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I know how he is. He's been invested in this land for a long time. He was probably trying to see how many guests were here and get an estimate of how much money we brought in. And I'm gonna have to take the truck because you're literally flying circles around me,” finished Gloriosa.
“Or,” said Timber, who had stayed a few paces behind her, “I could call Filthy Rich and ask him not to fly his drone over us again.”
“Call all you want.” Gloriosa put her hands on her hips. “I'm still going to show him once and for all who really owns Camp Everfree.”
“You have nothing to gain from that!”
“I'll gain the satisfaction of wiping that smug look off his face!” She spun around and swept toward their parked truck.
Timber darted in front of her and spread his arms. “Wait! I know you think you're above the law, but you're not! Just like you have to obey at least some of the laws of physics, apparently.”
“Stop telling me what to do, little brother.”
“I'm just trying to look out for you, and this camp!”
“By standing in my way?” She swooped over his head and placed her hand on the truck door.
“By keeping you from doing something you'll regret. Look, GD, before you confront Filthy Rich, there's something you need to know. Two days ago, when I went to the hardware store in the city and told you I got stuck in traffic because someone else had an accident . . . Well, that part wasn't true. The reason it took so long was that I visited Rich Corp.”
Gloriosa slowly swiveled her head to face him. “What?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“I showed him our ComeFundThis page and how many people love Camp Everfree, and he agreed to give us another month to pay off the entire loan! And I really think we can do it with the community's support. Then we'll own the land again, fair and square. But if you go to him now, like this, it could ruin all that.”
“You lied to me? No,” she corrected herself, realizing she'd emphasized the wrong word. “You lied to me? I trusted you Timber. I thought we were a team!”
“Seriously?” Timber threw his hands in the air. “Do you even listen to yourself? You never let anyone help you, not even me! It was like pulling teeth just to get you to tolerate the ComeFundThis account! I didn't tell you because you would've told me not to do it! You would've just said that you've got this! Well you don't got this, and I'm eighteen now and I can do whatever I want!”
“By going behind my back?”
“Yes! I'm sorry I lied to you, but I was just trying to do what I thought was best for you.”
“Well, you don't know what's best for me. I can handle this my way, by myself.” Gloriosa opened the driver door.
“Yeah, just you and your Precious.”
“That's right! I don't need you!” She inserted her key into the ignition and headed along the driveway. When she was about half a kilometer from the main camping area, she decelerated so she could concentrate on her magic. She took one hand off the steering wheel and drew on the geode's power. Verdant sparks danced along her arm, and the earth responded with tremendous enthusiasm. A wall of woody vines sprang into each other and rose as high as the main lodge. The vegetation extended into the woods on either side of the road. It wouldn't trap anyone, but since it blocked the only way to the highway, it would impede Timber long enough to keep him from interfering.
Then she floored it, heading for the freeway toward Canterlot.
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I have never once seen the word 'weenie' typed like that.
Also, Gloriosa is an idiot.
7722085 According to dictionary.com either is correct. Plus I like the tie to the word's German origin.
Was expecting Magical Mind-Control Drones, but Techno-Flying Drones makes sense too.
Nice zinger-thing!
She's not refuting that she's calling it her Precious. ... Not A Good Sign.
***
Yay! Gabby!
Other two families go unnamed...
That's a not a good sign/heartsong. Nice catch, Mr. Gordon!
***
Why was a Rich Corp drone there. ... Hmm... I guess Gloriosa might storm Rich Corp and do the Isolation Treedome there, locking herself in with Filthy Rich. ... And my mind just went into the gutter.
And let's get out of there, and perhaps have Diamond Tiara make an appearance and rescue her dad! ... Nature vs. Tech combat!
Or someone else does the rescuing...
7722097 Huh.
Learn something new every day, I guess.
7722102 Good observations all around.
Oh dear. This has officially gotten out of hand. I dread to see what happens next, but I get the feeling that Sunset's going to find out about this sooner rather than later.
Seriously, depending on where you go with this, you may end up supplanting my original intentions. I kind of hope you do; I love seeing how people build on what I started.
7722562 Wow, thank you!
Though there's nothing stopping you from characterizing Timber or Sunset your own way.
Uh oh ... this is going to get nasty quick. Gabby grabbing the drone was awesome ... reminded me of the videos out there of falcons nailing them right out of the sky. Have you seen those? And Gloriosa is seriously losing it ... still, I don't know if I mind her humiliating Filthy Rich, and I'd root for her roughing Spoiled up a little, but I really hope she doesn't get anyone killed.
And I wouldn't mind having some of that Earth aspect magitek myself ... I'm rough on things.
7722085 in her defense, she never liked Filthy Rich to begin with, and she's hopped-up on stolen magic. Sunset can handle her.
7723154 Yeah, those videos gave me the inspiration for the drone-grabbing.
7724564 Cool ... I kinda wondered if they had. And honestly, if you hadn't gone there, I probably would have, only with Pegasi bucking them out of the air.