The Little Pony Legend: Legend of Everfree

by MaggiesHeartLove

Catching up on old times

Catching up on old times

After getting the couple from the airport, the group decided to catch up on old times at Sugar Cube Corner. Kuvira was especially surprised at how colorful and cheery the place was. And how delicious their pastries and smoothies were. So much so, that she ordered several of their cupcakes and breadsticks. The others were happy to allow her to eat, considering she clearly needed a bit more substance in her body.

This was the first time, in so long, Kuvira felt relaxed. The only other times she did was when Korra visited. Being around these girls was kind of like being around Korra and Team Avatar. Them being counterparts of her friends back home gave her a sense of familiarity, and being in a completely different setting definitely took off the load of the former great uniter/dictator woman she was known for back home. Granted, they still knew about her past mistakes, but they didn't hold it against her.

"Normally I'd go for a more exotic theme, but this place is also my fav." Starlight said, taking a sip of her mocha latte.

"Sugar Cube Corner definitely has the best smoothies in town." Flash said after taking a sip of his. "One of the many things I miss about this place."

"I know." Twilight agreed, "You can't get these anywhere else."

"How's that music school treating you guys, by the way?" Rainbow asked, sipping on her coffee.

"Great. Flash and I designed the soundtrack for a class music video last month."

"It got over thirty million hits online!" Flash said excitedly.

"I saw that one!" Pinkie Pie said, "That music is so contagious I can't get it out of my head!"

"So what else is new in Republic City?" Twilight asked Sunset.

"Well, our world's Twilight will be having a baby soon and Korra and Mako have their hands full with Iris. You guys should see her, she's gotten so big already!"

"What about you and Sunburst?" Fluttershy asked Starlight Glimmer.

"We're doing great. We've been married for several months now."

"I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. Oh, and Sunset Shimmer learned a new spell."

Sunset blushed, "Ah, it's nothing. Just a spell that allows me to read minds."

"So you're a mind reader now?" Flash.

"Well, kind of. It only works when I touch somebody."

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened in wonder. "Ooh, fancy! Try me! Try me!" the pink girl took Sunset's hand and placed it on her forehead. Sunset's eyes glowed a brilliant white and she saw into Pinkie's mind. What she was the girl skipping over a field of brightly colored flowers, candies and a rainbow sky all in a surreal environment. The candies, the sun and even the plants all eyes eyes and mouths, smiling happily. Pinkie Pie happily skipped along and took out the petal from one of the flowers, which was made out of taffy which she hate.

Once Sunset removed her hand from Pinkie's forehead, she just sat there, completely stunned. "That explains so much."

"Yep!"

Kuvira swallowed another mouthful of a cupcake, not noticing some of the icing on her lip. Once she noticed all the eyes staring at her, she stopped. "Sorry." she apologized.

"I'm guessing they don't give many sweets at that prison of yours, huh?" Applejack asked.

"Only when Korra visits." Kuvira replied, wiping the icing from her lip with the back of her wrist.

"You said you did community service." Fluttershy said, "What kind?"

"Well, you know, working out in the fields, construction work, things like that."

"How many days a week?" Rainbow asked.

"Every day. Thirteen hours."

Rarity spit out her drink in shock, "Thirteen hours?!"

"Korra had them cut it down to just eight hours and only five days a week, but I still volunteer to work more than that."

"Well, no wonder you look so worn out!" Rarity snapped her fingers, getting the waiter's attention, "Garçon! Bring us a slice of your famous apple pie, some fruit punch and water bottles, thank you!"

Kuvira blinked in surprise. "You really don't have to do that."

"Oh, I insist. Just because you're paying your debt to society doesn't mean you should murder yourself for it."

Kuvira didn't know how to respond to this. She felt…so touched by this act of kindness. It was the first anybody besides Korra had done something so nice for her. She still didn't feel she deserved this, but while her guilt said one thing, her stomach said another. Maybe Rarity was right and she shouldn't slowly torture herself like this. The reason why she was still alive was because Korra made sure she didn't starve herself yet. Even when she didn't visit she would teleport Kuvira delicious and nutritious meals so she wouldn't be submitted to eating the same slump every day.

The whole time, Spike sat on her lap. The dog took an immediate liking to the former dictator, much to her surprise.

Sunset placed her cup onto the table, a serious look dawned on her face. "As much as I would love to chat about the good old days, I'm pretty sure we all know why we're here to begin with." said Sunset. The once cherry mood had died down.

"It's true." Twilight said, both she and Flash sharing the same worried look, which was shared with the others. "The dreams I've been having."

"The ones with Midnight Sparkle." Rainbow said.

"Yeah. It all started a few months ago. I dream about the day we left for Camp Everfree, then Midnight Sparkle shows up and then I wake up. It's been the same every single night in a never changing pattern. Camp Eveefree, and Midnight Sparkle. After two weeks of none stop nightmares, I finally decided to do some research." she rummaged through her bag and pulled out her tablet, showing websites she found about magic, primarily forests and some sites about Camp Everfree.

"Ever since graduation Canterlot High, we never had any magical happenings. At all." she said sadly. It was a sad day when they realized they could no longer pony up the way they used to.

"Yeah, I miss those pony ups." Rainbow Dash said sadly, resting her chin on the table.

"So, I started thinking, we lost our magic not too long after we came back from Camp Everfree. It didn't happen immediately so it was easy for us to miss the connection."

"You think the camp took our magic?" Fluttershy asked.

"Freaky-deaky!" Pinkie Pie said, popping out from behind Fluttershy.

"It's a theory, but a pretty good one." Twilight continued to explain why showing them more images she found online with her tablet. "After looking up more information, I discovered that in many world folklores forests are known for containing magical energies, sometimes even absorbing them. Kind of like a magnet. And when I looked up Camp Everfree, I found some articles from hikers and campers nearby reporting seeing strange things happening."

"Weird how?" Kuvira asked.

"Like gem dust found all across the forest floor, strange lights underneath the full moon, even wolves howling at night."

"But, Camp Everfree doesn't have wolves." Applejack said.

"Exactly. Most are just brushing these off as hoaxes or jokes and the so called wolves are just stray dogs, but these are very recent. Interestingly enough, according to their dates, they started popping up not long after I started having the nightmares. If that's not a connection, I don't know what is."

"Wait a minute." Starlight intervened, "I can buy something weird going on in this camp, but the whole forests can absorb magical energies stuff, that's kind of a stretch."

"I have to agree." Sunset said, "Humans don't know how magic works the way we do. Half the stuff I read in comic books and seen in movies is all just superstitious junk."

"And yet you wonder why we never brought you along when we went to see The Knight and the Sword when it came out." Rainbow said, remembering the event.

"Not after you kept on criticizin' The Last Unicorn throughout the entire movie." said Applejack in a disproving tone.

"Unicorns do not have reflection-less eyes or lion tails! And our necks are not that long!"

"We get it!" the entire group, minus Kuvira and Starlight, all exclaimed in unison.

"Still, even if it's not really a science back home, who's to say it can't be the case here."

"What do you mean?" Kuvira asked.

"Based on what Twilight found, and the dreams, maybe it's possible that, somehow, Camp Everfree's forest did absorb our magic. I don't know how, but after everything we just heard, I wouldn't put it past the possibility."

"Wait, if the magic was gone, then how can Spike still talk?" Kuvira asked.

"Well, last time Spike didn't come with me to Camp Everfree." Twilight explained.

"I had a sprained paw that day so I stayed with Shinning Armor." Spike said.

"That's probably why he still has his magic. Which only further proves my theory. We all lost our pony up abilities after we came back from camp, and Spike was hit by magic once but he still has his. He was the only one of us who didn't go."

Starlight pondered, "So if the camp stole your magic, and if anybody else got their hands on it…"

"And didn't know how to control it…" Rarity added.

"Who knows what could happen." Twilight concluded. "For all we know, we could have another angry raging daemon monster pooping up."

"Twilight's right." Kuvira said, speaking from personal experience. "Equestrian magic is extremely powerful, and anyone who doesn't know how to control it, or understand it, can have unforeseen consequences."

"I can relate." Twilight said, surprising Kuvira a bit. The only other person who ever said anything like that was Korra. It was extremely rare to find somebody else say something similar.

"So, the dreams could be a message." Flash theorized, "A message that we need to go back to Camp Everfree."

"But what do we do once we get there?" Applejack asked.

"We find the magic and bring it back to Equestria." Sunset concluded, "We've all seen what magic can do to people who don't comprehend its use. The best thing we can do is find the source and return it back home. The alicorns will know what to do with it."

"You know what this mean!" Rainbow pounded her fists into the air, "The Wondercolts are back in business!"

"Wait a second." Twilight intervened, "The camp is very exclusive. You can't just walk right in without an invite. Oak Pines was very strict about it."

"Who's Oak Pines?" Kuvira asked.

"He used to be the camp director." Pinkie Pie explained. "Until Gloriosa Daisy took over."

"Who's Gloriosa?"

Rarity pulled out her smart phone and showed Kuvira pictures from their trip to the camp. She saw images of when the girls were a few years younger compared to how they were now. They appeared to be seventeen at the most, and in many of them they stood side by side with a girl the same age as them. A beautiful young lady with light green eyes, two toned moderate raspberry hair with a crown of daisies on her head, and pale amaranth skin, freckles across her cheeks and bushy eyebrows but they did not diminish her youthful beauty.

"Gloriosa Daisy." Rarity said, pointing her finger to the girl in the picture, "Oaks Pine's daughter. Oh, she was such a sweetheart. She mades friends with literally everyone from school."

"We practically a Wondercolt the moment we met." Applejack said, "A true genuine outdoors chick if I ever did see one."

"And she had her own secret aviary to feed the birds." Fluttershy said, beaming with glee at the memory.

"She nearly whopped me at rock climbing." Rainbow Dash said.

"And she was kind enough to convince her father to have an outdoor fashion show." Rarity said, giggling, "With the most fabulous camp looks modeled by our classmates, designed by yours truly."

Applejack groaned, "I still can't believe you got her and Oak Pines to agree to it."

"It was very clear from Gloriosa's own wardrobe that she appreciates a well put together look."

"Sounds like you guys were good friends." Starlight said.

"Totally!" Pinkie Pie agreed with glee, "And she made a mean sugar cookie!" she licked her lips, she could still taste the sugary treat.

Kuvira then noticed one boy who stood beside Gloriosa, Twilight and Flash Sentry. He had light tangelo skin, grayish green eyes and dark aquamarine hair mixed with forest green. He had strong handsome features with an athletic build. He playfully ruffled Twilight's hair while Flash ruffled his. The two looked almost like brothers based on their antics.

"Who's this?" she asked, pointing a finger at the boy.

"Oh, that's Timber Spruce. Gloriosa's brother." Rarity said, "Quite the handsome fellow, isn't he?"

"Oh, I remember Timber." Rainbow Dash said, "Always with the lame jokes that, for some reason, always got somebody laughing."

"Come on, he was a cool guy." Flash said.

"You guys did grow pretty close." Sunset said before taking a sip from her cup.

"Yeah. We were camp bros for life!"

"Plus, he made all of us these cool wooden wolf keychains." Twilight pulled out the said keychain, which was indeed the carving of a wolf, but it was carved to look like it was facing the right.

Flash pulled out his own, which was identical to Twilight's, only his wolf was facing left. "He costume made ours and Twilight's." he said. The two placed their respected wolves foreheads together, and the two created the shape of a heart.

The others girls swooned, "Awwwwwwwww!"

"He made those?" Kuvira asked, genuinely impressed by the craftsmanship of the two objects.

Flash nodded his head, "Yeah, Timber was always making these wild wooded carvings all around camp, but he always loved carving wolves. It's why I used to call him Timber "Wolf"."

To everyone's surprise, Starlight Glimmer started laughing out loud. She hugged her stomach and wiped away a single tear, only to slowly stop when she noticed everyone's expressions of either concern or confusion. She sighed, "Oh, if only you knew."

"Does Timber run the camp with Gloriosa?" Kuvira asked.

"Nah." Twilight shook her head, "As much as he loved the place, his biggest dream was to go to this fancy art school in Germany."

"We've been writing to him ever since but, one day he just…" Flash trailed off, scratching the back of his head, "He just stopped responding."

Kuvira's eyes slightly widened as memories of a similar event flashed before her eyes. The times where Korra would write to her, sometimes just to see how she was doing, and one day she just stopped. It wasn't long after she met the sirens and allowed their silver tongues to coax her into abandoning Korra's friendship for theirs. Granted, it wasn't the exact same thing, but the fact that a close friend of theirs suddenly stopped writing, it definitely hit home. And not in the good kind of way.

"But if Gloriosa runs the camp now, I'm sure she can let us in." Starlight said.

"I don't think we can." Fluttershy said, "The new senior class for Canterlot High is going there next week, and Gloriosa is so dedicated to the camp, I don't think she'll have time for us to investigate what's been happening."

Sunset Shimmer pondered for a moment and an idea came to her mind, "What if we came with the students?"

"Darling, we'd have to be students." Rarity pointed out.

"Not necessarily. What if we got jobs as chaperones? We can ask Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna. I'm sure once we explain the whole thing they'll be more than happy to let us join them."

"That's a great idea!" Applejack cheered, "I get to spend some time with Apple Bloom before she graduates!"

"And I get to spend time with Sweetie Belle!" Rarity squealed with delight.

"And I bet Scootaloo will just love hearing about when my professor accidentally electrocuted himself with a taser gun!" Rainbow Dash laughed, slapping her knee. "That was hilarious!"

"That's perfect!" Twilight said, placing her two hands together, "This way we can investigate the camp while being inconspicuous."

"Plus, we get to visit Gloriosa!" Pinkie Pie said, throwing confetti everywhere.

"Then it's settled." Sunset declared, "I'll give Celestia a call and we'll have enough time to get ready."

Flash looked down at his watch, seeing what time it was. "Wow, I had no idea what time it was." he said.

Twilight looked at his watch and gasped, "Oh my gosh, we better hurry. The motel gets booked like crazy at this hour."

Rarity's eyes opened wide and spit out her drink, completely wetting Applejack's new shirt. "You guys are staying at a motel?!"

"It's got four stars." Twilight said, thinking that was what Rarity was referring to by how shocked she was. There was no way Rarity would allow her friend to stay at anything lower than a three star motel.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what she meant.

"So, you two are staying at a motel." Rarity said, her nose crinkling, "You and Flash. The two of you…alone…."

"In separate rooms, Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed with bitter annoyance while rolling her eyes.

Flash crossed his arms and rose a brow, "Seriously, what do you take us for?"

Rarity scoffed, "Well, forgive me if society of going in that direction and don't want my best friends to flow with the current."

Both Twilight and Flash rolled their eyes and got their bags, "Anyway, where will you three be staying?" Twilight asked the three other worldly natives.

Sunset and Starlight shared uncertain expressions and turned to their friends. "We haven't thought about it yet." Sunset confessed.

A spark flashed in Flash's blue eyes, "Hey, we've got some extra cash, why don't you guys book a room at the motel where we're staying?" he offered, "Sunset and Twilight can share a room and Starlight and room with Kuvira."

"You sure you won't mind?" Starlight asked, almost completely unaware of Kuvira's stun expression.

"Not at all." Twilight said, casually waving her in a rotating motion. "It'll be just like old times. Remember when we shared the same sapphire tent back in Camp Everfree? Or, I'm assuming it was sapphire, technically sapphires aren't just blue. They can be pink, purple yellow."

"Plus, sapphires are technically rubies without cranium." Flash finished. Only to be met by several blinking eyes of surprise. He blushed and scratched the back of his neck, "I read it online once."

Twilight giggled and ruffled his hair, "You're adorable." she said before turning to the others, "So, what do you say?"

"Beats sleeping in the local library." Sunset said, placing a hand on her hip as she stood up and she and Twilight shared a hug.

Kuvira bit her bottom lip, nervously fiddling with a loose strand of hair, while Spike looked up at her with concern.

(~)

It didn't take long for the rest of the group to settle into their rooms for the time being. Spike made himself comfortable in Twilight's bed and Flash was kind enough to help Twilight with her luggage, as he always did. Chivalry was something he was known for, even back in High School.

"Thanks, sweetie." Twilight said, giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

"No problem. You girls have fun." he gave Sunset a fist pump before leaving the two to catch up on old times. The two old friends just started giggling like gossiping school girls.

"He still hasn't changed." Sunset said.

"Neither have you." Twilight mentioned, "I mean, you're still the same spunky pony girl we knew back wen."

"And you're still the same book loving scientists. Who can make a wicked pop remix."

"I was always kind of a natural." Twilight said confidently with a flip of her hair.

"And your confidence is still growing." Sunset said, ruffling Twilight's hair, making the latter laugh. "Guess Flash has been really rubbing off of you." she said with a knowing grin, which only made Twilight blush. "Things have been going pretty well, hasn't it?"

Twilight smiled, her cheeks still red as she unzipped her bag to pull out her pajamas. "We're okay." she tried to say casually, but her face said otherwise.

"Oh come on, you can't tell me you and him haven't talk about…taking that next step?"

Twilight's face became reader, "What?" she scoffed, "What makes you think that?"

Sunset knew this world's Twilight oh too well, and she knew she was keeping something. "Oh, now look who's trying to hide something."

"No I'm not!" Twilight exclaimed, rather quickly, which caught Sunset off guard.

"Sorry, I was just--"

"No, not it's fine. I get it. It's just, these dreams are…well…." she turned away, slightly tugging on the sleeve of her shirt.

Sunset placed a supporting hand on her shoulder. "What are you scared about? You can tell me."

"I guess I'm still overwhelmed. The last time I had nightmares of Midnight Sparkle was not long after I transferred to Canterlot High after the Friendship Games."

Sunset remembered that time. Just like herself, Twilight was traumatized by the nightmares of her past mistakes. Of course, Sunset could understand why she would have trouble with this, but Twilight? Unlike herself, Twilight was never cruel and dishonest or too pridefully ambitious. And yet, she still turned into a wicked monster once she opened up that device and felt all of that magic. For those in this world, who did not have the genetics to handle Equestrian magic, the energy would reflect what they wanted most and warp it around. Magic in this world acted somewhat like a mood ring, just like when the Element of Magic turned Sunset into a monster because the magic reacted to her dark heart's desires, and thus turned her into something she was on the inside. The second time she used magic here in her human form, she turned into a creature of light, not darkness. Because she had gained light in her heart.

Twilight suffered gravely from that experience alone. "What if with the magic coming back, she does too?"

"That won't happen." Sunset stated, "There is no Midnight Sparkle. There's only you. Besides, you've already felt the magic inside of you and you embraced it for good. Remember?"

Twilight's mind drifted back to one school event. One that allowed her to embrace the magic inside herself.

…………..

The audience was cheering loudly, chanting her name. This was the first time she ever thought about singing in public. It wasn't being on stage of the cheering folks that terrified her. It was that, ever time she practiced her song, she was so close to sprouting wings and ears. She felt the energy of the magic within her, and it frightened her to no end.

What if she came back? What if she allowed this feeling to take control, she'd harm those she held dear. She couldn't allow that to happen. Her fear took hold and she made a run for the door, only to be stopped by a hand gripping her own.

"Twilight, what are you doing? They're waiting for you."

"I can't do it, Sunset! I just can't!"

"Why? You've been preparing for this for months. You and Flash worked so hard on the lyrics and everything, you can't just call it quits."

"But what if I sprout wings again? What if I transform in front of everybody? What if I hurt you guys?"

"Twilight, you have to stop thinking about this as a bad thing."

"Easy for you to say. Magic turned you into something beautiful. The last time I tried to use it, it turned me into a monster! I'm just so afraid it's gonna happen again."

"Yes." Sunset said, placing a hand over her heart, "Last time, I turned into something amazing. But I've let magic turn me into a monster too. When I first got my firebending, I saw it was a sign of my dark sign resurfacing. But some good friends showed me that it's not the power that makes you evil, it's what you do with it. Once I realized my power was a gift and that I wasn't the same person I was before, I was able to control my powers."

"Is there a point to this?"

"My point is, yes, you allowed magic to turn you into something terrible, but that's not who you are now. If anybody understands what you're going through, it's me. I can help you, Twilight, and the rest of our friends can be there for you too. But not if you run away."

Twilight sighed, bitting her bottom lip, only to see more of her friends surround her. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Flash Sentry, even Spike, all rallied beside her, showing their support.

"You don't have to be afraid." Flash said, "We're here for you."

"And we'll be here no matter what." Rainbow Dash said with great confidence. "You never have to face this alone."

Twilight felt touched by their kind words and encouragement. She took in a deep breath and walked up on stage. Her eyes briefly blinded by the stage lights. The audience watched in anticipation and Twilight adjusted the mic. Flash stood beside her, guitar in hand, nodding his head and smiling.

Her heart raced rapidly but she took in a deep breath, hesitantly singing her song as Flash strum on his instrument.

When I was young…

I played for fun…

She gulped

Made up the words…

Nobody heard…

She shifted her eyes to her side, seeing her friends, all giving thumbs up. The more she sang, the more at ease she felt.

But now, I see…

All eyes on me…

And suddenly…

I'm in a dream

Flash slowly speeded up his strumming and Twilight's voice started to grow more stable and a smile formed across her face. Her body relaxed and her smile growing. Her music made all of her troubles fade away.

I've got a feeling now

Everything's right somehow

Here I am

Being who I want

Giving what I got

Never a doubt now

Here I go

Burning like a spark

Light up the dark again

The lights brightened, and the rest of the Rainooms watched with great pride before quietly sneaking behind the stage. Spike wagged his tail, his tongue sticking out at the side of his mouth and Flash could see his girlfriend's confidence growing, so he speeded up the music, making Twilight feel even more energize.

I'm stepping up

Right to the top

That's how I'm wired

I take it higher

I'm in control

I broke the mould

The girl you see

Is up to me

I'm lifting up the ground

Finding the perfect sound!

As she sang, Twilight was surprised to hear more instruments being played behind her. The Rainbooms each played on their respected instruments, but none had a microphone near them. No doubt they would only be providing the music, so Twilight could have her moment to shine.

She looked at her boyfriend, who simply shrugged and continued to play. However, the smile and sparkle in his eye indicated he was in cahoots with this plan the entire time. That was the sneakiest, and yet sweetest thing he had ever done for her. With the music playing, Twilight bursted out into a powerful ballad unlike anything she had ever sang before, wowing the crowd while also dancing like a pop star.

Here I am!

Being who I want

Giving what I got

Never a doubt now

Here I go

Burning like a spark

Light up the dark again

Again

Again

Again and again and again!

As Twilight continued to sing her heart out, the others noticed something amazing. Her back started to glow, as did the ends of her then high ponytail, and even on her head. However, she was just so emerged into the performance she thought the warm feeling of happiness was just the effects of the song.

There's a star that's right inside you

So come on and let it out

Find out what you're about and just shout

"Here I am!"

Being who I want

Giving what I got

Never a doubt now

Here I go

Burning like a spark

Light up the dark

Again!

Twilight's body levitated off the ground, sparkles spiraled around her and, for the first time ever, she ponied up! Wings, ears and tail formed, and she witnessed it. She couldn't believe it, she transformed just like her friends. She was magical once again, only she didn't feel fear or a hunger for magic, if anything, she felt peace. She felt joy. She felt happiness. Sunset Shimmer was right, she was not Midnight Sparkle anymore, and this magic wasn't what made her evil to begin with. Now that she knew what friendship truly was, she was finally free.

Here I am!

Being who I want

Giving what I got

Never a doubt now

Here I go

Burning like a spark

Light up the dark again

Here I am!

Being who I want

Giving what I got

Never a doubt now

Here I go

Burning like a spark

Light up the dark again

Again

Again

Again and again and again and again and again!

The entire student body cheered and jumped up with joy. Twilight lowered down, admiring her new wings. Her friends all embraced her in a group hug, and Flash surprised her by spinning her around in a tight embrace. The two shared a loving kiss, completely ignoring the fact they had an audience, and Spike jumped up, licking her face.

That was the first time she had ever felt the magic within her again. As well as the first time she was on the road to fully letting go of Midnight Sparkle. That night, the only thing she dreamed about were the music, her friends, and flying high in the sky, free as a bird.

………………

Twilight smiled at the memory. She would never forget how powerful her voice was that day, it felt a bit soar for a while, but she had no regrets whatsoever. She was able to do it again with little effort after much practice, but that musical showcase would be the one event that truly skyrocketed her love of music and desire to peruse it as a career.

She and Sunset sat on the side of the bed, the latter wrapping her arm around her best friend. "If we encounter any weird magical stuff back at camp, you don't have to worry about being Midnight Sparkle again. You're proven you are a lot stronger than she is. The past doesn't defy you…"

"Because my past is not today." Twilight concluded. "I know. Thanks, Sunset." she said, embracing her friends into a hug.

"Anytime, Twilight."

(~)

While the two old friends were catching up, Starlight was having a difficult time trying to feel comfortable around Kuvira. The metalbender hardly said a word. She just sat on her bed, looking down at her hands, completely spaced out. Starlight knew well enough Kuvira was the "reformed but troubled" type. Much like herself, Pi'Li, the Earth Queen, Sunset Shimmer, even Zaheer, but at least they made an effort to try and form a connection with others to make up for their past mistakes. Not that they always succeeded on the first try, but at least they were willing to take the first step. Kuvira, on the other hand, didn't even think she could take the first step. All she did was be polite and apologetic, but overall, she was just an empty vessel. And for someone as impatient as Starlight, she was not having it.

"Okay, I know this is weird for you and all, but you don't have to feel like somebody's gonna jump at you at any moment." she said, but her roommate remained silent. "Look, Kuvira. I can understand what you're going through."

"I doubt it." she finally said, not even bothering to look up at her.

"Come on, we're not so different."

"How are we not different?"

"Well, we both did something we regret and hurt the people we now consider our friends."

"What are you talking about?" Kuvira asked, finally looking up at Starlight with confusion.

"Wait, you never knew about what I did?"

"No. Actually, this is literally the first and only time we've ever talked."

Starlight blinked in realization. "Oh. I…I guess you're right."

"What did you do?"

Starlight sat down on the bed beside Kuvira, "It's kind of crazy, really. When I was little, I fell in love with my best friend Sunburst. We did everything together and we had so much in common. But, one day, he got his cutie mark before I did. He became more popular and his parents send him off to Canterlot to Celestia's School for gifted unicorns. I was left alone."

"He just forgot about you?"

"That's what I thought, but no. In reality, he wanted to include me in his new friends. He was always trying to reach out to me, but I let my jealousy and insecurity blind me. I faulted it all on his cutie mark, so I never made another friend because I was too scared if we became too different we'd grow apart." Starlight looked down in sadness at the memory. She then fiddled with her fingers, chuckling rather nervously. "Then, I may have gone completely crazy and started my own crazy cult, complete with brainwashed ponies, and used a spell to strip a pony of their cutie mark, which includes their specials talents and individuality so everybody would be "equal"." she said, using air quotes, "Or at least, my version of equality."

Kuvira was rendered speechless beyond compare. For the first time, she felt as if she was staring directly a past version of herself. Starlight Glimmer too had felt the traumatizing sting of abandonment, and she allowed that to motivate her to create a civilization where nobody would ever feel the pain she felt. However, even if they did share a lot of similarities, they were not flawlessly identical.

"But then Team Avatar came along." Starlight continued, "They showed me the error of my ways and opened my eyes to the true Magic of Friendship….riiiiight after I may cast a time spell and nearly wiped out all living life just to get back at them." she bit her bottom lip. "Still not proud of it."

"Did you ever take someone's life?" Kuvira asked, her eyes darting to her hands, which slightly trembled.

"Well, not directly. I mean, I guess the time traveling could have been considered but--"

"But everyone still survived. And if we're talking time travel, then chances are it never happened once you set the timeline back into place, am I right?"

Starlight blinked in alarm, only to fully realize where she was going with this. She instinctively placed a hand on Kuvira's shoulder. "Kuvira, I'm so sorry. I know you feel awful about what happened, but it wasn't entirely your fault."

"Oh it wasn't?" Kuvira's head spun rapidly to face Starlight, startling her so much she reeled back, removing her hand as Kuvira stood upwards, marching towards the window, her fists clenched to her sides, not making eye contact with the pony-turned human.

"So, it wasn't my fault that the sirens got their power back? It wasn't my fault they became so powerful they took control of the spirit vines and my machine to destroy a place of harmony and friendship? It wasn't my own pride that thrived me to enforce my Empire on others? It wasn't my fault that I placed those innocent people into prison camps? Not my fault I took Baatar away from his family? Or Bolin away from Asami? Or gave Korra that potion that made her forget everything about her friends and family?"

As she spoke, her voice grew higher and higher, cracking every once in a while, before finally facing Starlight. Her face red with anger, her eyes watery and her fists clenched so tightly they turned white and her nails dug into her skin.

"And to top it all off, I preached on and on about how I wanted to make the world better so I would feel like I had a place in the world? To feel I was accomplishing something great, and instead I tore families apart and I took away the only family Asami ever had left! I made somebody and orphan! You can't just sit there and say none of it was my fault! The very idea that Korra even looks at me without any hint of anger or regret is still baffling for me that I literally want to torture myself for everything! For having such a wonderful friend, who believed in me and cared enough to spare me my life even after all I had done, and even invited to me her own wedding even when I deserved none of it! She's everything I strived to be! Adored, smart, fearless, but when I didn't get what I wanted the moment I wanted it I turned to those who ended up using me as a human battery charger! Their power came from ME! Those lives lost, it was all because of ME!!"

The woman got on her knees, tears spilling from her eyes with no end in sight. She shielded her face from Starlight's view, no longer caring she was watching. Starlight could only feel heartbreak for the poor woman. What the unicorn did in the past was pretty bad, but compared to what Kuvira did…she really could have been worse.

None the less, Starlight got down beside her and, without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around the weeping woman. Kuvira breathed heavily, the tears clouding her vision. The waters dripped down Starlight's arms.

"W-why?" Kuvira muttered in between her sobs.

Starlight smiled compassionately. "I may not relate with everything you've been through, but that doesn't mean I can't relate to you at all."

Kuvira let out a raspy gasp, those were the exact same words Korra said to her. The more she thought about it, Korra could relate with Kuvira in dealing with a past trauma. They spoke about it many times in the past, how Korra dealt with the dark version of herself for years, and that Kuvira will be able to confront her own. But it would seem Kuvira was still placing a wall around herself. It wasn't that Korra wasn't doing her job well, because she was…it was that Kuvira still had much to learn.

Meanwhile, Starlight was beginning to see why Korra told her and Sunset to take Kuvira with them on this journey. Seems the Princess of Friendship knew exactly what she was doing, and she understood Kuvira better than the meatlbender herself could ever comprehend.

"It's okay." she said, still hugging Kuvira. "Everything's going to be okay."

(~)

Flash Sentry was just about ready to retire to bed, until he noticed his wolf keychain fell from his jacket pocket and onto the floor. Once he picked it up, he smiled. The craftsmanship and detail were nothing short of amazing. Even though his talent was more on music than in sculpting and carving, he could always appreciate a fellow artists' work when he saw it.

………………………

The moon radiated its natural light down upon the forest floor, and a couple of young high school lovers were strolling along the woods, their fingers intertwined.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Twilight said with a smile, "You know we're going to get in trouble for staying up past curfew, right?"

"Relax, we'll be back before anyone notices we're gone. Besides, the forest is beautiful at night." Flash stopped on his tracks, gently tracing his fingers against the skin of Twilight's face, making her blush as he adjusted stray traces of her hair. "But not as beautiful as the light in your eyes."

Twilight giggled and playfully shoved him aside, "I bet you say that to all the campers." she said jokingly, only to have Flash wrap his arms around her waist and rest his chin on her shoulder.

"Not true." he kissed her cheek and Twilight spun around to properly give him a kiss on the lips. It truly was a perfect moment. The two of them together, underneath a moonlit sky with stars shimmering like fireflies. Speaking of which, several fireflies flew around them, which only made the moment all the more magical. Once they ended the kiss, Twilight kept her arms wrapped around Flash's neck, admiring the way the moonlight reflected off of his gorgeous blue eyes.

Her smile faded and her eyes widened once she heard the sound of something in the bushes. A light shown overhead and the two screamed once they saw the silhouette of a wolf. Flash instinctively shielded Twilight, only for the two to realize the wolf wasn't moving at all.

"Wait a minute." Flash squinted his eyes to get a better look. "Is that wolf made out of…wood?"

"Oops, sorry!" a voice came from behind a tree. It was a young man, around the same age as them eighteen at best, with light tangelo skin, grayish green eyes and dark aquamarine hair mixed with forest green.

"I didn't think anybody else was out here." he said, holding up a flashlight and a pocket knife in hand. Flash and Twilight eased themselves once they saw they were never in any real danger.

"That's a relief." Twilight said, placing her hand over her heart. "That thing looks so lifelike."

"Thank you." The boy said, "I just added the finishing touches."

"You made that?" Flash said, astonished as he approached the wooden carving, his fingers tracing against the smooth surface. "All by yourself?"

"Yep. Pretty cool, right?"

"It's amazing! It's so lifelike, I almost had a heart attack."

"Sorry about that. And, sorry I ruined your date."

"It's okay." Twilight said, trying to be polite, "We were bound to get discovered anyway."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." the boy said with a wink and then offered his hand for her to shake.

"Thanks. It's Timber, right?"

"Yep. Timber Spruce. And you're…um, sorry I forgot your names."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is my boyfriend Flash Sentry."

Timber slapped his forehead, "Oh, now I remember! You guys suggested that open mic night to my dad. Good choice, this place could use some new tunes. My sister and my dad are always playing the same oldies stuff. It's fine and all, but it gets boring really fast."

"Well, lucky for you, Twilight and I are known as the best musicians in Canterlot High." Flash said, oozing with confidence and pride. "Some even call us the Dynamic Duo."

Twilight gently shook her head, "Yeah, nobody calls us that."

Timber laughed, "You guys are hilarious. I think we're going to get along just fine."

And get along they did. For the next week, Flash, Twilight and Timber became close friends. Twilight and Timber bonded over a similar knowledge, though Twilight was able to beat him at trivia every single time. Flash and Timber would often have playful competitions with each other, with either one being the victor. One time, it was Flash who won, and the second time, it was Timber. He even showed them more of his work, which mostly consisted of clay sculptures, diagrams made out of arts and crafts materials, and of course, the wooden carvings he had around camp. Primarily wolves, which were his favorite animals.

Timber hosted arts and crafts, where he tried to teach Flash and Twilight as well as the other campers how to make wooden wolves. The young couple did their best, but their wolves were…not that great. None the less, Timber appreciated the effort.

"So, you really lived in this camp your whole life?" Flash asked as he and Twilight carved their wooden wolves. "That must have been so cool."

"Yeah. Though it has its downside." Timber admitted, "Don't get me wrong, I love Camp Everfree and it means a lot to my family. But, when I was younger I sometimes wished we lived in a town like normal people."

"Really?" Twilight asked, surprised by this answer.

Timber shrugged, "Eh, I was ten. I really wanted to hang out at the mall." he chuckled, which led to his two new friends to chuckle as well. "But, I won't be here for long. I'm working to get into this amazing art school in Germany. A chance to see the world outside of this forest."

"Wow. Big dreams, huh?" Flash said, being able to relate to that.

"Yep. What about you guys? Where do you plan on going after you graduate?"

"We both got accepted into this music performing arts school in California." Flash said, "Twilight's going to be a composer and music video editor and I'm planning on being a song writer and music teacher."

"Nice!" Timber said, before lowering his shoulders, "Must be nice to have someone who shares your interests. My sister doesn't really understand what I do. She wants me to join her and inherit the camp."

Twilight and Flash shared a glance and looked back at Timber with sympathy. It really must be hard to be misunderstood, even by one's own family. Timber chuckled when Flash made a howling sound with his wooden wolf, which really wasn't the best. Twilight followed suit, making Timber chuckle more.

"What are you doing?"

"The strength of the pack is the wolf." Twilight said.

"And the strength of the wolf is the pack." Flash finished.

Timber blinked until they placed their wolves alongside his. It was then, he understood what they meant. His sister might not completely understand him…but his new friends certainly did.

He playfully ruffled their hairs before wrapping them into a hug. The three laughed.

When the day to go back home arrived, Timber was saddened to say farewell to his friends. Flash was especially sad to say farewell. Timber had become somewhat of a brother in such a short time.

"Thanks for everything, Timber."

"Anything, Flash. You and Twilight take care of each other, alright?"

"We will." Flash promised, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend."

"Oh, before you go…" Timber rummaged into his pocket and pulled out two extra wolf keychains for the two of them.

"These don't look like the rest you made for the other campers." Twilight noticed.

"I know. Put them together."

The two complied and did just that. They were both pleasantly surprised to see that the wolves formed a heart when their foreheads touched.

"Call it a thank you present. I've never had friends who really get me."

"Well, if you ever need anything, you know you can always give us a call." Flash said, "Or text, email, letter, whatever you want."

Timber and Flash locked hands and shared a brotherly hug. "Take care of yourself, Flash."

"You too, Timber Wolf."

"See you around, Twilight."

"See you around, Timber."

The young couple waved farewell to their friend, with the promise that they would stay in touch no matter what.

……………………………..

Sadly, they did not stay in touch for long. Once they heard Timber got accepted into the school of his dreams, he wrote to both him and Twilight for a while, but then suddenly stopped. Flash looked out the window, the memories of their summer at cam replayed in his mind like an continuous loop.

As he got ready to go to bed, he could have sworn he heard the sound of a wolf howling outside.

(~)

Comments

[Wildcard25]

Definitely a new twist on Legend of Everfree. Still can't wait for the rest.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

I like the personality you give Timber. You actually make him likable here. Coming from me, that says a lot.