Mystery of Everfree (Ninjago X MLP)

by Digi_Verse

I Ain't Even Asked, But Somehow I'm Here

“I’m not going.” Lloyd mumbled.

“Could it really be that bad? You’re going to school next year and we’re trying to give you a head start on meeting new people!” Garmadon smiled.

“It could be that bad. What if I get put into a cabin with a bunch of gang members. Or girls…” Lloyd rolled his eyes.

“You’re too pessimistic for your own good… come on the bus is going to take off.” Garmadon handed the boy his suitcase. Lloyd stared at him for a moment and took it resentfully.

“I’m going. But I want you to know I’m doing this against my own will!” Lloyd shouted as he walked out the door. “I can live with that!” Garmadon smirked as he shouted back.

He watched as Lloyd trudged towards the bus, his head down and shoulders slumped. Garmadon couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Maybe he was pushing the boy too hard. But he knew that Lloyd needed to step out of his comfort zone if he wanted to succeed in life. As the bus pulled away, Garmadon couldn't shake the feeling of unease. What if Lloyd was right? What if something terrible happened at camp? He shook his head, trying to banish the negative thoughts. He had to trust that everything would be okay.

“Stupid summer camp.” Lloyd groaned as he boarded the bus. He walked down the isle as he looked for a place to sit, but since he was new… people normally put their suitcases next to them or said that the seat was being saved for someone else, which Lloyd didn’t care enough to fight about and say they were lying.

He made it all the way to the back, where a dark haired boy with headphones in was sitting, not paying attention to the green eyed boy staring at him.

“Is this seat taken too?” Lloyd asked. The boy didn’t respond, as he was too into his music to say anything.

Lloyd took that as a no and plopped down, sighing heavily. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his social media, wishing he was anywhere but here. He had begged his parents to let him stay home for the summer, but they insisted he go to this stupid camp. It was supposed to be fun and help him make new friends, but so far it was just boring and lonely. And he was only on the bus!

As the bus pulled away from the station, Lloyd leaned his head against the seat and watched the world go by. The scenery was beautiful, but he was too lost in his thoughts to appreciate it. He wondered what his parents were doing back home, if they missed him, if they even thought about him at all. He felt like he was missing out on all the fun while he was stuck here, surrounded by strangers.

The dark haired boy next to him finally took off his headphones and turned to look at Lloyd. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the sad expression on his face.

Lloyd was taken aback by the sudden question. He didn't expect anyone to care about how he was feeling. "Nothing," he muttered, looking away.

The boy didn't believe him. "Come on, you can tell me. I'm Cole, by the way."

"Lloyd," he replied reluctantly. He didn't want to open up to a stranger, but something about Cole’s friendly demeanor made him feel a little less alone.

Cole waited patiently for Lloyd to speak, and eventually he did. He told him about how he didn't want to be at this camp, how he missed his parents, and how he felt like he was wasting his summer.

Cole listened attentively and nodded understandingly. "I know how you feel," he said. "I didn't want to come here either, but my dad makes me every year. But you know what? Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. And who knows, maybe you'll make some new friends here too. Give it a chance."

Lloyd thought about what Cole said. Maybe he was right. Maybe he was being too negative and not giving this camp a fair chance. Maybe he could make the best of it and have some fun.

"Thanks," he said, smiling for the first time since he got on the bus. "You're a good listener."

Cole grinned back. "No problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

Lloyd felt a warmth in his chest at the word 'friends'. Maybe this summer won't be so bad after all.

Twilight was certain that two things could happen at camp. Either it goes terribly wrong, or extravagantly great. She was recommended by her teacher, Celestia, to go to camp as a way to pass one of her friendship lessons, a thing she was not great at. Twilight stood at the bus stop, waiting for it to pull up as she looked at the watch one more time.

“I’m sure I’m here on time! There’s no way I could have missed the bus! On my first day? No Twilight, that’s not you!” Twilight spoke to herself.

“Uh, are you okay?” A voice from behind Twilight spoke up. She turned around to see a ponytail rainbow haired girl wearing a cap looking at her like she was crazy, and after that freak out session, Twilight couldn’t blame her.

“I’m quite alright! I was just wondering where the bus is for the um…camp of summer?” Twilight grinned nervously.

The rainbow haired girl laughed and pointed towards a bus that had just pulled up to the stop. "That's the one! You’re a worrisome one aren’t you?” she smiled. "I'm Rainbow Dash, by the way. Are you going to the camp too?"

Twilight nodded, relieved that she hadn't missed the bus after all. "Yes, I am. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Cool name. We should sit together on the bus. It's always better to have someone to talk to."

Twilight smiled back, feeling grateful for the offer. "That sounds great, thank you."

As they boarded the bus and found seats together, Rainbow Dash chatted animatedly about her past experiences at the camp and all the fun activities they could do. Twilight found herself getting excited, despite her initial apprehension about the camp.

“If we’re lucky, we could get the same cabin.” Rainbow explained. “Who have you been with in the past? Is it just two people?” Twilight asked. “Actually, it’s normally a group of 7, or 6 if there’s not enough people. I’m normally with my other friends, summer is the only time I see them though.” Rainbow said.

“I hope I get to meet them!” Twilight smiled. “Well shoot, there’s one right there.” Rainbow looked around until she saw who she was looking for and pointed at Cole across the bus.

Twilight followed Rainbow's gaze and saw a tall, muscular boy with medium length hair and a friendly smile. "Is that one of your friends?" she asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, that's Cole. He's been coming to this camp for years."

Twilight felt a little intimidated by Cole's appearance, but she tried not to let it show. "He looks really nice," she said.

"He is," Rainbow confirmed. "He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. And he's really funny too. You'll love him."

Twilight nodded.

“But he’s not part of my cabin. They separate the boys and the girls, so he’s with some other guys.” Rainbow told her. “Is he part of that cabin?” Twilight pointed at Lloyd.

“Hmm. Nope! He must be new too! Maybe you guys could become friends?” Rainbow shrugged and smiled. Twilight rolled her eyes at her new friend's antics.

The bus arrived at the campsite. “Camp Everfree” the sign said. Twilight stared at the sign with discontent. Didn’t this place used to be a cursed forest? But Rainbow said her and Cole had been coming here for years. So it had to be safe. Twilight was still unsure about the whole ordeal however.

As they got off the bus, Twilight couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The camp was located deep in the woods, and the trees surrounding them seemed to loom ominously over the campsite.

Rainbow noticed Twilight's apprehension and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Twilight. This place used to be cursed so they say, but it's safe now. And besides, we'll be here with you the whole time."

Twilight took a deep breath and tried to push her fears aside. She was here to learn about friendship, after all, and she couldn't let her doubts hold her back.

As they walked towards the cabins, Twilight took in the sights and sounds of the camp. There were kids running around, playing games and laughing, and the air smelled of pine and campfires. Twilight felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her, and she realized that she had missed out on a lot of summer camp experiences growing up.

Once they reached their cabin, Twilight was pleasantly surprised to find that it was cozy and well-maintained. It had bunk beds, a small kitchenette, and a little porch with a table and chairs.

“Guess who’s here!” Rainbow yelled out to the others. 4 girls ran to the door to meet Rainbow and Twilight. Twilight’s eyes panned across the girls as they lined up in front of her.

“Oh Rainbow! You’ve returned for summer!” Rarity hugged her friend. “And I see you’ve brought someone new along!”

Twilight waved timidly at the 4 other girls and tried to smile. She was nervous about meeting new people, but Rainbow had promised that her friends were nice.

The first girl was pink-haired and shy-looking. She introduced herself as Fluttershy and gave Twilight a sweet smile.

The second girl was tall and confident, with long purple hair. She introduced herself as Rarity and complemented Twilight on her outfit.

The third girl was a tomboy with yellow hair and an honest grin. She introduced herself as Applejack and offered to show Twilight around the camp.

The fourth girl was tall and intimidating with raven hair tied up into a pony tail. She introduced herself as Nya and gave Twilight a kind and supportive smile.

“Wait… one of you is missing!” Rainbow noticed. The girls slapped their foreheads as a blur popped behind Twilight, hanging from a bar across the ceiling. She turned around to a pink, puffy haired girl suspended upside down from the ceiling.

“What are you doing up there? And how?!" Twilight asked in amazement.

Pinkie Pie grinned and flipped herself down from the bar. "Just hanging out! Pretty simple actually!" she said with a giggle.

The other girls rolled their eyes and laughed. Pinkie Pie was always doing something crazy and unexpected, but they loved her for it.

Twilight was immediately struck by how different each of the girls was, but also how friendly and welcoming they all seemed to be.

As they all sat down to chat and catch up, Twilight felt a sense of warmth and belonging wash over her. She realized that she had made the right decision in coming to spend the summer with Rainbow and her friends. This was going to be an adventure she would never forget.

—————————————————————-

“And here we are, our humble abode!” Cole opened the door for Lloyd to walk into the cabin.

Lloyd stepped inside the cabin and looked around in amazement. It was cozy and well-furnished, with a fireplace, a kitchen, and comfortable beds.

"This is amazing, Cole!" he said with a grin.

Cole smiled back. "Glad you like it. We've got a lot of fun things planned for the week, so get ready to have some adventures!"

“But first, you gotta meet some friends of mine. Jay! Get off your game thingy!”

Lloyd’s eyes trailed towards a curly haired boy with freckles and a blue jacket, sitting on top of the bunk beds with a device in his hands.

“I’ll have you know Cole, this is a Nintendo 3DS XL, and I am playing Mario Kart 8, trying to get all 3 stars in each cup.” Jay grumbled as his eyes didn’t leave the screen. “Hello new guy or something…”

“He seems nice…” Lloyd pointed. “He can be a bit of a prick when he’s in his game. Don’t worry, at least he’s not cracking his TERRIBLE JOKES” Cole jokingly yelled out as Jay groaned and rolled his eyes.

“My jokes are not terrible Cole!” Jay paused his game and jumped off the bed, mumbling towards the kitchen as another person walked out. He was tall and had icey blue eyes and blond hair in a flattop.

“Greetings new camper, I am Zane, cabin head.” The boy reached an outstretched arm to Lloyd.

Lloyd shook Zane's hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Zane. I'm Lloyd."

Zane gave Lloyd a nod. "Welcome to our cabin. I hope you enjoy your stay."

The last boy walked into the main room, stretching out his arms with a jacket strung across his arm. He was sweating and grabbed a water bottle off the floor. His spiky hair gleamed in the sunlight from the window.

“New guy? Hope he’s good at soccer.” Kai dumped the bottle on his head.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow at Kai's comment. "Soccer? I'm not really that good at it."

Kai chuckled. "Don't worry about it. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Just pass the ball to me and we all got it.”

“Until Rainbow kicks your ass into next week.” Jay commented. Kai turned around to the boy with flame in his eyes. “Not like you ever help.”

Jay shrugged and went back to his game as Lloyd looked at Zane and Cole. “Ignore those two, they’re idiots.” Cole smiled as he sat down on the bed. “They’re gonna call us to mess hall pretty soon, so uh, you can just stay in here, or go explore outside until we call you, Kay?”

“And Kai go take a shower you smell like outdoors!”

Lloyd nodded and walked outside. As Lloyd walked outside, he took a deep breath of the fresh forest air. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping, and he felt a sense of peace and contentment wash over him.

He looked around and saw the beautiful landscape around him- the tall pine trees, and the glistening lake. It was a picture-perfect scene, and Lloyd felt grateful to be able to experience it.

“Maybe this won’t be the worst thing ever.” Lloyd put his hands in his pockets and walked along the path to the lake, closing his eyes and taking in the warm breeze. He kept walking until he bumped into something and heard a “woah!” And a thud of something hitting the ground.

Lloyd opened his eyes to see a girl brushing herself off.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Lloyd said apologetically. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

The girl smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. I wasn't paying attention either. Hi, I'm Twilight."

"Lloyd," he replied, returning the smile. "Nice to meet you."

Twilight looked up at him and noticed that he was wearing a shirt with a dragon on it. "Hey, that's a cool shirt. Are you a fan of dragons?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, I love them. They're so powerful and majestic. My family has always been somewhat familiar with them.”

Twilight's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Me too! I've always been fascinated by dragons. I even have a book about them."

Lloyd's face lit up. "Really? That's awesome. We should read it together sometime."

Twilight grinned. "I would love that.”

As they walked towards the lake, they talked about their shared love of dragons and other interests. Lloyd couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to Twilight. He felt like he had known her for years.

As they reached the lake, Twilight pointed to a spot on the shore. "This looks like a good spot to read. Wanna join me?"

Lloyd smiled. "I would love to."

They sat down on the grass and pulled out Twilight's book about dragons. Together, they read and talked about their favorite parts of the book. The sun shone brightly, casting a golden glow over the lake.

Lloyd felt a sense of contentment wash over him. He realized that maybe this summer camp wouldn't be so bad after all.

Lloyd heard Cole call out for him, which meant it was time to meet the directors in the mess hall. He waved bye to Twilight and made his way back to the cabin where the others were waiting and smirking at him.

“First morning at camp and you’re already a lady killer.” Kai nudged him in the shoulder, which Lloyd looked confused about.

"What are you talking about?" Lloyd asked, still puzzled.

Jay grinned. "We saw you with Twilight. She's cute. You two seemed to hit it off."

Lloyd blushed, feeling embarrassed. "We were just talking about dragons. It wasn't like that."

Zane gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Lloyd. We're just teasing you. But it's good to see that you're making friends already."

Lloyd nodded, feeling grateful for his new friends. He knew that he had only just met them, but he already felt like they were a tight-knit group.

“Shut up Jay!” Kai yelled.

Well, sort of.

Author's Note:

Thank You For Reading! If you want, you can drop a like and a favorite, and I really hope you enjoyed and be on the lookout for chapter 2! If you have any feedback, or just things you wanna see in future chapters, don't be scared to ask, as I'd love to implement any of your ideas!

Comments

[nightshroud96]

Managed to start reading this at last.

Though why is Spike left out of the trip too?