The Legend of Everfree

by Perdita Finn

  “It’s stunning,” Rarity gushed. “And will make an absolutely perfect runway for my camp fashion show!”

  Applejack glared at her. “More important, it’ll be a great place for dockin’ canoes and feedin’ the wildlife.”

  “You say tomato… I say perfect place to showcase glamorous boho-chic stylings,” said Rarity with a toss of her perfectly brushed hair.

  “What do you guys think?” Twilight asked their teachers.

  “It’s going to be a lot of work,” admitted Principal Celestia. “But we can do it.”

  “Yes!!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Adult supervision!!”

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  They had their project—and it was going to be a blast.

  Campfire After Dark

  The campers got to work right away. Both Celestia and Luna were keeping a close eye on safety, making sure no one misused any of the tools. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had pulled off the rotten boards and were hammering new ones onto the supports.

  This was just the kind of project Applejack loved best. She looked over at Rainbow Dash. “Nice hammer,” she said. “Where’d you get it?”

  “Duh,” answered Rainbow Dash. “The toolbox.”

  Applejack grinned and held up her hammer proudly. “That’s cool. I made mine!”

  Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

  Fluttershy and Rarity were painting the little boxes that would hold fish and bird food.

  With a happy flourish, Rarity put a last dab of paint on hers. “Voilà! Poisson!” she said in French, pointing at the decorated fish she had designed. It wasn’t exactly designing couture, but it was still fun.

  Pinkie Pie was supervising teams of campers carrying long planks over to the docks. She was skipping back and forth, shouting encouragement. “Come on! We can do this!”

  Sunset Shimmer was panting, trying to keep up with her. “I wish I had some of your energy, Pinkie.”

  “I know!” squealed Pinkie delightedly. “Wouldn’t that be amazing? If I could just touch you and you’d be all GO, GO, GO like meeeee!” She galloped forward.

  Sunset Shimmer stopped to catch her breath. “I take that back. One Pinkie Pie’s more than enough.”

  Twilight was sitting at a picnic table, putting together a lantern. Timber was offering her tips on how to keep it lit.

  “Making lanterns out of solar-powered garden lights? Pretty crafty, there, Timber,” complimented Twilight Sparkle.

  “You think that’s crafty?” Timber joked. “You should see my macaroni art. I’m like the Picasso of noodles.”

  Twilight laughed delightedly. In addition to being smart, Timber was so funny.

  “Hey, everyone,” announced Celestia. “You’ve made a lot of progress, but it’s going to be getting dark soon. We can pick this up tomorrow between our other camp activities.”

  Gloriosa Daisy joined her. “Everyone get cleaned up, and we’ll gather by the fire pit at eight to share s’mores and scary stories.”

  “S’mores!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. Was there anything better than chocolate and marshmallows? This was what she’d been waiting for.

  By the time everyone had gathered together again around the fire pit, the stars were twinkling in the sky. The moon was reflected in the glassy surface of the lake. The flames of the fire sent sparks into the darkness.

  Pinkie Pie had a stack of s’mores and was toasting another marshmallow while she listened to Rarity finish up a ghost story. Only Rarity’s tale of terror wasn’t very terrifying.

  “And that’s when she looked down and realized she was wearing purple socks with a burgundy dress!” concluded Rarity. She looked from camper to camper expectantly. Why wasn’t anyone screaming? It was a horrifying story—to her, anyway.

  “Purple and burgundy are in the same color family,” she explained.

  Still, no one said a word. Snips and Snails clapped politely, but they had no idea what she was talking about.

  Applejack stifled a giggle. “That was a terrifying story.”

  “Yeah,” teased Rainbow Dash. “I’m terrified she’ll try to tell it again.”

  Vice Principal Luna invited the other campers to tell stories but no one jumped in—until Timber spoke up. “I have one,” he said. “But I’m warning you, you might as well hug a friend now. That’s how scary it is.”

  Fluttershy trembled. “Oh dear.” She pulled Spike onto her lap and held him tightly.

  Timber cleared his throat and waited until all eyes were on him. “It’s time,” began Timer Spruce, his voice deep and hushed, “to tell you about the Legend of Everfree.”

  The fire crackled. An owl hooted. The campers listened, goose bumps prickling their arms.

  Spooky Stories

  Timber described the dark forest his great-grandparents had discovered. The trees grew close. Animals scurried through the shadows. The lake was deep and still. He told them how his great-grandparents knew that this was the perfect place for the nature camp they dreamed about. They set about building it: the mess hall, the docks, the fire pit where they were all sitting.

  Timber’s voice dropped very low, as if he was sharing a dangerous secret. “But once they started building, strange things started to happen.”

  A gust of wind blew through the trees. Fluttershy shivered.

  “One pitch-black night, when the wind was howling,” Timber continued, “a tree branch crashed through the roof of their cabin! They screamed and ran outside, only to see a giant creature rising from the earth!”

  The campers leaned close. They were enthralled.

  “Her skin was made of dirt,” said Timber. “She had wild hair like the roots of a tree. Her mouth had jagged rock teeth, and her eyes were pools of black tar. But her aura shimmered like diamonds. Anywhere she went, she left a trail of gem dust in her wake.” He paused dramatically for a moment.

  Some of the campers looked up at the trees around them. Could one of them be the creature?

  “Trembling, my great-grandparents asked who she was and what she wanted. In a deep and hollow voice, she told them that her name was Gaea Everfree, an ancient spirit who held domain over the forest, and that my great-grandparents were trespassing on her land. They begged her to let them stay and build their camp, to share this wonderful place with others. Gaea Everfree finally agreed, telling them that she would leave the forest and allow them to build their camp, which they offered to name in her honor. But before she left, she warned them that they would not be able to keep it forever. Someday she would return and use all of the forces of nature to reclaim the forest as her own.”

  Timber told the campers of how Gaea hovered above the ground, summoning the winds, making waves swell on the lake, and sending bolts of lightning across the sky. As she disappeared, she left behind a glittering trail of jewel-like dust.

  Fluttershy gulped. Spike nuzzled closer to her. Even Rainbow Dash’s heart was beating faster.

  “She kept her word,” said Timber. “Until now!”

  Rarity gasped.

  “Strange things keep happening all over camp. And who knows? It could be the wind howling—or it could be the scream of a spirit. But if you see a trail of gem dust, you’ll know that it is the return of Gaea Everfree.”

  No one moved. Everyone was spooked. A nearby bush began to rustle. Fluttershy screamed!

  Gloriosa emerged from between some scraggly bushes, dusting leaves out of her hair. “Hey, guys! Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Sunset Shimmer frowned. “Then why’d you come out of the bushes?”

  “I took the scenic route because the forest is beautiful at night. But no one else should do it without a guide. Okay?” Her smile disappeared and she looked unexpectedly stern. “All right, everybody, time to head to your tents.”

  Snips bumbled over to where Gloriosa stood. “Do you have extra toothbrushes? I forgot mine.”

  “Sure do,” chirped Gloriosa. “I’ll get one for you.”

  Snails hung close to Snips. “I
’m scared of the dark. Do you have flashlights?”

  “Of course! I’ve got this.” Gloriosa was ready for everything.

  Fluttershy was staring into the fire, frozen with fear.

  “Fluttershy, Fluttershy!” Spike barked. “Let’s go.”

  “Sorry, Spike,” she said. “I guess that story got to me.”

  Applejack shrugged. “Why? It can’t be real.”

  But Rainbow Dash wasn’t so sure. “I dunno; Gaea Everfree could be some creature that got booted from Equestria and ended up in this world. That’s what happened with the Sirens.”

  The Sirens were a devious trio who came from the world of pony magic to Canterlot High to make trouble, until Sunset Shimmer saved the day.

  But Applejack didn’t think Gaea Everfree was anything to worry about. “Sounded more like something Timber was makin’ up just to scare us.” An owl hooted again. “Least I hope it was. Last thing I want is to have camp ruined by some power-crazed magical creature.”

  “Here, here,” agreed Rarity. “We’ve had to deal with more than our fair share of those. At the Fall Formal, our musical showcase, the Friendship Games…”

  Twilight felt uncomfortable. She’d made all the problems at the Friendship Games by experimenting with magic and turning into Midnight Sparkle.

  Rarity noticed she was embarrassed. “I mean, everything turned out all right, of course,” she backtracked.

  “I’m kind of tired,” announced Twilight. “I’m gonna turn in.”

  Spike hopped off Fluttershy’s lap and headed over toward the Sapphire tent with Twilight.

  When they were gone, Sunset Shimmer scolded Rarity. “Maybe lay off bringing up what happened at the Friendship Games? I think she’s still pretty sensitive about it.”

  Pinkie Pie poked her finger into a toasted marshmallow and spread the sticky sweet goo across her mouth. “Our lips are sealed,” she mumbled.

  Then she stuck out her tongue and licked off all the marshmallow. Delish!

  The Mysterious Case of the Crash Landing

  Twilight Sparkle was tossing and turning. She was having another nightmare. She murmured unhappily in her sleep.

  She was dreaming that she was by the campfire again, toasting marshmallows. But she was all alone.

  “Here I am,” sang a high-pitched voice.

  She whirled around, breathing hard, but no one was there.

  “Over here,” the voice teased from the opposite direction.

  Twilight peered into the darkness, but she couldn’t see anything. The fire crackled. Midnight Sparkle burst out of the flames. “I’m always here!”

  “No!” screamed Twilight, jolting up in her bed in alarm.

  “What is it?” Sunset Shimmer asked blearily.

  Twilight looked around. It was almost dawn. She was in the tent—far away from the campfire. It had all been a nightmare. “Nothing. Sorry, Sunset.”

  But a more alert Sunset Shimmer wasn’t reassured. “Uh, Twilight. I think something happened.”

  She pointed at Twilight’s cot. It was floating in the air!

  “AAAAAHHHHHH!” Twilight screamed again. The bed dropped with a thud.

  Spike opened his eyes. “Is it time to get up already?” He snuggled back into the folds of the sleeping bag. “I think I’m just gonna snooze a little longer.”

  Sunset Shimmer was concerned. What was going on? “Twilight, we really have to talk about this—”

  “No. We don’t,” Twilight interrupted her. She stormed out of the tent and headed down to the lake.

  A few early risers were already out canoeing and boating as the sun rose.

  Sunset Shimmer came up behind Twilight. “Hey,” she said gently. “I know you don’t want to, but I really think we need to figure out what’s going on with your magic. If you could learn to control it…”

  Twilight whirled around. “But that’s just it,” she cried. “I’ll never be able to control it.”

  Crash! An out-of-control boat sailed into the docks at full speed. The boat swamped, and the sailors were hurled overboard. Luckily, they had on their life jackets. No one seemed to be hurt. But the freshly built dock was destroyed. The lanterns were floating in the water toward shore. Pieces of wood drifted in the waves. It was a mess.

  Timber rushed out of the boathouse to help the campers.

  “What happened?” Rainbow Dash raced out of her tent.

  Twilight was upset. “I didn’t mean to…”

  Sunset Shimmer stared at her, realizing something. “We didn’t see it. So we don’t know what happened.”

  She ran over to the kids staggering out of the water. “Are you okay?”

  Fluttershy and Rarity appeared with towels.

  Sandalwood dried himself off as he tried to explain what had happened. “It was so weird. We were stuck in the middle of the lake with no wind, then all of a sudden—bam! The wind picked up, and we were pushed right into the dock!”

  Pinkie Pie gasped, her eyes wide. “You don’t think it was the spirit, do you?”

  “Spirit!” announced Trixie. “Show yourself. The Great and Powerful Trixie commands it!”

  Nothing happened. Or rather nothing seemed to happen.

  Rarity squinted, peering out toward the middle of the lake. “What’s that?” She pointed.

  A glowing trail seemed to divide the water in half.

  “Is that crystal dust?”

  “It’s Gaea Everfree!”

  “No way!”

  “How else do you explain it?”

  Everybody was talking at once—scared, excited, confused. What was going on? Had Gaea Everfree really returned?

  “No,” whispered Twilight to herself. “It was me.” She slipped away from the other campers. She was upset.

  Rainbow Dash went down to the dock to take stock of the damage. “Man! All our hard work. Ruined.”

  “At least the fishies are eating well.” Fluttershy pointed to a tub of fish food that had broken up and was floating on the lake.

  “Let’s salvage what we can out of the water,” Sunset Shimmer suggested. “Maybe we can still fix this.”

  “We have to try,” agreed Rarity. “Camp Everfree needs a runway.”

  “Dock,” Applejack corrected.

  Rarity sighed. “Yes, that’s what I meant.”

  Sunset Shimmer noticed that Twilight Sparkle had disappeared. She had to get to the bottom of what was going on. It was all connected. But how?

  All Alone in the Woods

  Twilight wandered deep into the woods. She stepped over moss-covered logs. She wandered down a trail. She came to a secluded clearing near a small pond. She needed to think everything through by herself.

  She’d been so lonely at Crystal Prep and so happy to transfer to Canterlot High. But was she destined to always lose control and make a mess of things? What was happening to her?

  “It used to be so simple, the world I understood.

  I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and life was so good.

  Then I had to ask questions. The peculiar caught my eye.

  And what I’ve seen can’t be unseen. There is no way to hide.

  Every time I think or feel, the monster inside proves to be real.

  Even though I reach for the light, I can’t escape Midnight.

  Wrestling with the darkness takes its toll.

  It’s seen my face; it knows my soul.

  How can I protect my friends, make sure my world doesn’t end?

  Even though I reach for the light, I can’t escape Midnight.”

  She had come here to feel better, but instead she felt defeated.

  Somehow the magic had gotten away from her and made that sailboat crash into the dock. What would happen next?

  If only she knew.

  A Natural Nature Guide

  Sunset Shimmer hurried back to the Sapphire tent. No one was around—except for Spike, who was still asleep. Sunset jostled his shoulder, trying to wake him up.

  He murmured in his s
leep. “So many squirrels.”

  “Spike!” shouted Sunset Shimmer.

  He startled. He yawned. He looked around. “Ah, man, I was having the best dream,” he said. “Wait! I’m in the middle of the woods. That dream could be a reality.” He rubbed his paws together, imagining a day of chasing squirrels.

  “Before you run off, do you have any idea where Twilight could be? I really need to talk to her.”

  “What happened?” Spike was suddenly concerned. “Did she do that lifting-things-off-the-ground thing again?”

  “That’s just it,” said Sunset Shimmer. “I don’t know if it was her. But if it was, we need to deal with it head-on.”

  Spike’s nose wiggled. He sniffed. “I can track her down.”

  Meanwhile, far off in the forest, Twilight was trying to summon her courage to return to camp. But she couldn’t calm down. She paced back and forth near the pond. “Keep it together,” she told herself. “Deep breaths. You are not a monster.”

  “Nope,” announced Timber, appearing beside her. “It’s just Timber.”

  Twilight tried to pull herself together. “Oh, hi,” she said as casually as she could. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you.” Timber grinned at her.

  “O-oh,” Twilight stammered. “I just… went on a… nature walk. I got a little lost.”

  “Let me show you the way,” said Timber. “I’m kind of an expert at these woods. I’ve lived here my whole life.”

  They began walking along a trail, side by side.

  “That must have been nice, growing up at camp,” Twilight said, trying to make conversation.

  “Yeah, although it has its downsides. When I was younger, I wished we’d sell this place so we could live in town like normal people.”

  “Really?” Twilight was amazed.

  “I was ten,” explained Timber. “I really wanted to hang out at the mall.” He smiled shyly. “I’ve never told that to anyone. You must be special, and not just because you have a tree branch in your hair.” Timber gently reached over and pulled a small twig from Twilight’s purple locks.