TimberTwi Tales: First Impressions

by CapNTilfy

Highs and Lows

Twilight opened her eyes as the sun shone in Sapphire Tent. She slowly got up and stretched with a yawn, then grabbed her glasses and put them on. She turned to see Sunset stirring in her own bed, then watched as she slowly sat up and turned her head.

"Morning, Sunset Sleepyhead," Twilight said with a smile.

Sunset snorted. "Sunset 'Sleepyhead' needs coffee," she muttered.

Twilight giggled, then crawled over to the end of her bed, and looked down to see Spike asleep. She smiled warmly. He always looked adorable when he slept. "Spike," she said softly as she leaned forward, then gently scratched his head.

Spike stirred, then stretched and yawned. He looked up at Twilight sleepily. "Morning, Twi..." he paused, then yawned again. "-light."

"Morning," Twilight chirped. "The girls and I are going to eat breakfast, then do some magic training. Want to join us?"

"For breakfast? Yes. Training? Nah."

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. Of course food was his first priority. Besides, she and the girls would need to concentrate if they wanted to hone their abilities. "Squirrel chasing?"

"Yeah, squirrel chasing," Spike replied with a laugh.

"All right, you two," Sunset said, slightly more awake. "Let me get dressed. I wasn't kidding about the coffee."

Twilight and Spike left Sapphire Tent, and they were welcomed with a gentle breeze.

Twilight sighed happily. "Another beautiful day."

"You said it," Spike said dreamily. "Perfect for squirrel chasing!"

"And magic training."

"And a party," Pinkie exclaimed directly behind Twilight, causing her and Spike to yelp in unison.

"You guys okay," Sunset asked from inside Sapphire Tent.

"Hi, Sunset," Pinkie chirped.

Sunset emerged from the tent fully clothed. "Hey, Pinkie," she said, then stretched. "All right, Twi. Your turn."

Twilight nodded, then walked into the tent.

Sunset yawned. "Hey, Pinkie, you wouldn't happen to have anything caffeinated on you, would you?"

"Hmm..." Pinkie cupped her chin for a moment, then dug her hands into her hair. "Let's see here..." She produced a bag of marshmallows. "Nope." She fished out a tiki mask, then imitated a game show buzzer. She pulled out a comic book. "I was wondering where that went!" When she pulled out an easel, Sunset gave her a funny look. "What? It's for art emergencies!"

Sunset opened her mouth, as if she were to say something, then closed it and shook her head. Sometimes, she came to realize, in her interactions with Pinkie, it was better to not ask questions.

Twilight came out of Sapphire Tent as she ran a hand through her hair. "All right, girls. To the mess hall!"

---

Timber opened his eyes and slowly removed the covers to his bed. Today was going to be a busy day... even more so than usual! Between setting up the party and keeping an eye on the campers, he had his work cut out for himself! Glory, too! The thought of her gave him pause, as he was still worried about her mental state.

Timber's cheerful mood fell slightly. He'd have to check in with Gloriosa as soon as he'd see her. He sighed, wondering what he could possibly do to help her? He didn't have any experience with magic or the corruption she had suffered.

A glimmer of determination filled Timber. It was true that he couldn't help Glory with the magic... but he could be there for her as her brother! He hurriedly got himself dressed, then made his way to the kitchen.

---

Gloriosa nearly shot out of bed with a gasp. She slowly put a shaky hand to her forehead and wiped sweat off of her brow as she took a shuddering breath.

Another nightmare.

She had felt trapped in her own body, completely out of control. Unable to do anything as she helplessly watched the campers, teachers, and even Timber become cocooned in vines. She remembered being able to see through the vines... by the Universe, the looks on their faces as they slowly and painfully suffocated at her hands...

Gloriosa whimpered as a lump formed in her throat. Her vision became blurred with incoming tears, and it was at that moment that she needed to find Timber. She... s-she didn't want to cry alone!

Barely able to keep her emotions in check, she hurried out of her room.

---

Timber reached the kitchen as his stomach growled. He'd have to have an extra hearty breakfast to get the right amount of energy for the day ahead! His attention was diverted, however, when he heard a door being flung open and footsteps rapidly approaching him.

Timber recoiled for a moment, then stood still as a small dash of fear surged through him. A dash of fear which was almost immediately quelled as he saw Gloriosa appear in the doorway, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Glory? What's wro-"

Timber was cut off as Gloriosa rushed towards him, then embraced him with a shuddering breath. She let out a sniffle, then slowly broke.

Timber sighed in mild relief, then relaxed as he returned the hug. "It's okay, Glory," he said softly as he held her close. "I'm right here... you're gonna be okay."

The siblings stood there for several minutes until Gloriosa calmed herself down. She looked up at Timber, her nose runny and her eyes puffy.

"Feel better," Timber asked.

Gloriosa sighed. "A little, I guess."

"Here," Timber said as he broke the hug. "Let me get you some tissue." He grabbed a tissue, then handed it to Gloriosa. She blew her nose and threw the tissue in the trash.

"Gloriosa... listen," Timber said softly as he put his hands on his sister's shoulders. "I may not know how it feels to go through what you're going through... and I may not know anything about magic... but if you ever need something, you can still talk to me." He smiled warmly. "I'm your brother, after all."

Gloriosa returned the smile. "Thanks, Timber. It really means a lot to me to hear you say that." She hugged him again.

"I'm glad," Timber said as he returned the hug. "Now why don't you get dressed while I prepare breakfast? Then you can tell me all about what's troubling you. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay too."

Gloriosa laughed softly as she broke the hug. "I'll think about it, then get back to you on that, okay?"

"Of course, Glory," Timber said as he watched her head back to her room. Once she shut her door, he went to work on cooking.

When she returned, she took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay. I'm ready to talk."

All throughout breakfast, Gloriosa told Timber everything she felt while she was under the influence of Equestrian magic, and how it had subsequently affected her.

"My god," Timber said in a hushed tone, completely awestruck by all that he was told. "I-I... I don't know what to say..."

Gloriosa smiled warmly. "It's okay," she said soflty as she put her hand on his. "You don't have to say anything. I feel a little better now that I've told you."

"I'm glad."

"Now come on, let's get everything cleaned up... we've got a party to work on!"

Timber nodded. He and Gloriosa cleaned up, then left their home, arm in arm.

---

Twilight and her friends left the Mess Hall, full of food and energy. "All right, girls. You all ready for training?"

Rainbow cracked her knuckles with a wide grin. "You know it!"

"Indeed," Rarity chimed in. "Let's get to it!"

"I'm all caffeinated and good to go," Sunset said.

"Private Pinkamena Diane Pie, reporting for duty," Pinkie chirped with a salute.

Applejack cracked her neck. "Ah've been wonderin' what my limits are for a while now."

"Ready when you are, Twilight," Fluttershy said.

"All right then, let's go!"

Author's Note:

Apologies for the delay. The wait for the next chapter won't be as long.

Comments

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

Glad to have gotten to this chapter. I enjoyed it!

The real highlight of this one , in the dramatic sense, was the sibling moment between Timber and Gloriosa. That was very nicely done, I thought.

And then on the lighthearted side of things, Pinkie rummaging through her hair was hilarious.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"Hmm..." Pinkie cupped her chin for a moment, then dug her hands into her hair. "Let's see here..." She produced a bag of marshmallows. "Nope." She fished out a tiki mask, then imitated a game show buzzer. She pulled out a comic book. "I was wondering where that went!" When she pulled out an easel, Sunset gave her a funny look. " What ? It's for art emergencies!"

Uh huh...