Our class is sitting on the bus to Camp Everfree. I'm sitting next to one of the windows, and Sunset is beside me in the aisle seat. Twilight and Spike are in the seats in front of us, Rainbow and Pinkie are in front of them, and Olivia and Rarity are in front of them, while Fluttershy and Applejack are in the seats behind us.

Other than being banned from attending Pinkie's slumber parties by her father after he found out she had a boy over – and her sister Limestone insisting I was only there to "get with" the girls – nothing special has happened over the past month. Obviously, the universe didn't implode from both Twilights meeting each other. The encounter was what you'd expect: The girls explained to Sci-Twi and Olivia why there's another Twilight, they told Twilight how the Friendship Games went down, and Olivia had a lot of questions for Twilight.

Sunset and I have gone on a few dates, but we're still at the hand-holding step. I'm not sure when we'll reach the kissing phase, but I hope it's soon. At the same time, I don't want to seem too eager. I'll wait until either the right moment or she makes the first move. Sitting next to her on the bus isn't very romantic.

Olivia's been having a lot of fun hanging out with us. I haven't seen her so jubilent since we were dating.

"No... Stooooooop!" Twilight?!

"Twilight! Wake up!"

"We can't stop, silly," Pinkie says. "We're not there yet."

"You okay?" I ask.

"Heh... I'm fine," she says with a not-too-convincing smile.

"You sure? It seemed like you were –"

"We are gonna have so much fun!" Pinkie interrupts. "We're gonna roast marshmallows and eat marshmallows and sleep on marshmallow pillows!" Uh... pillows?

"Yeah," Rainbow says, "probably not gonna do that."

"Maybe you're not!" She takes out a bag of marshmallows, then rests her cheek on it. I guess you can make a pillow out of anything.

"Attention, students," Principal Celestia says. "We're almost there, but before we arrive, I just wanted to say how proud we are of you for raising enough money to go on this class field trip." Because if the school doesn't have the budget to fix the lights, it damn sure can't afford a class trip. Why not fundraise to fix the statue out front?

"When we were your age," Vice Principal Luna says, "we made some of our favorite memories in these woods, and we're sure you will, too."

I sigh. Vinyl Scratch is still wearing her headphones. At least take them off while the principals are talking, geez...

"Now," Celestia says, "who's excited for Camp Everfree?!"

Everyone – except Vinyl, of course – cheers. I'll have to ask Twilight about that outburst later. I'm pretty sure she was having a nightmare.

I look out the window as the bus stops at an intersection. There's someone walking along the side of the road.

Sonata? I knock on the window to get her attention. She looks at me, and I wave. She smiles and excitedly waves back as the bus starts moving again.

"Who are you waving to?" Sunset asks.

"An old friend."

Once the bus pulls into the camp, we get off.

"Did you ever go camping in Equestria?" I ask Sunset.

"Nope," she says. "Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns had a couple camping trips as rewards for doing well throughout the year, but I was too focused on studying to care."

"I'll say!" Pinkie says, obviously having a different conversation. "We fought three evil sirens who tried to hypnotize everybody with their singing, one ridiculously competitive rival school, and two demon friends!" That's an odd way of wording it, considering Sci-Twi didn't even know Sunset back at the Fall Formal. "Uh, heh heh... No offense."

Sunset puts her arm around Twilight. "None taken," she says to Pinkie. "You'll get used to it," she says to Twilight.

"Yup," AJ says. "CHS has become a regular magic magnet. Gonna be nice getting away to a place where you don't have to worry about that kinda stuff."

"About time we have one normal school-sanctioned event," I say.

"You're already bored of magical adventures?" Twilight asks.

"It's not that. It's just –"

"Here you go, Twilight." What is this, Interrupt Cloudflare Day? Flash hands Twilight her backpack.

"Thanks," she says. "It's Flash, right?"

"Yup! That's me! And you're you, and we don't know each other very well..." He mutters something.

"Right. I guess I'll see you around."

Flash sulks off, and Twilight shrugs her shoulders.

"You know how there's that girl who looks just like you when she's here but lives in another dimension and she's a pony princess?" Sunset says.

"Uh-huh?"

"Flash kinda had a thing for her."

Had? "What do you mean he had a thing for her?" I ask. "I thought he still –"

Loud feedback over the PA speakers interrupts me. "Oh, come on!" Is this gonna be a recurring thing all week?!

"Hey, everyone!" the voice on the PA system says. Oh boy, she's one of those camp counselors... "If you could start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad! It's time to start the best week of camp ever!" Rad? Who even says that anymore?

I look at the... mountain of bags... Rarity, I know you want to be prepared for anything, but the idea behind camping is to pack lightly.

A couple minutes later, we're in the courtyard. Pinkie is chasing after Spike. I gave up trying to figure her out ages ago. Also, doesn't this place have a 'No pets' policy? Or does Spike get an exception because he talks?

"Hi, everyone," the lady from before says as she walks onto the gazebo. "Welcome to Camp Everfree! I'm Gloriosa Daisy, your camp director! Think of me as your friendly camp and nature guide." Too friendly, if you ask me. She walks over to the guy standing next to her. "And this is my brother, Timber Spruce."

"Think of me as that awesome guy..." He throws the mic in the air and catches it with his other hand. "...who should always be invited to fun things." Or that guy who tries too hard to be cool.

"We aim to please, so before we hand out our tent assignments, we'd like to hear from all of you! You're free to do whatever you like here."

"Uh, except hike near the rock quarry. That's off-limits." Guess we know who the serious sibling is.

"Yes, but otherwise, your options are wide open. So what activities will make this the very best week of your lives ever?!" This sorta reminds me of the sirens' fake sincerity. Except they weren't this over-the-top.

"Rock climbing!" Rainbow says.

"Done!"

"Archery!"

"Of course!"

"Tetherball!" Okay, Rainbow, sheesh!

"Naturally!"

As Rainbow's hand goes up again, Sunset grabs it and pulls it down. "Rainbow, I know you're excited, but maybe give somebody else a chance to make a suggestion."

'Arts and crafts!" Bulk Biceps says. "My mom needs new pot holders." That guy is full of surprises.

"I'll supply balloons!"

"Cookie decorating!" Why just decorating, Pinkie?

"Ooh, I do make a mean sugar cookie!" That... was a pose.

"Early morning nature walks?" Gonna have to speak up, Fluttershy. The mic barely picked you up.

"With walking sticks for everyone!"

"Oh, me! Uh..." I think Rarity is even more excited than Rainbow was. "A fashion show!" Of course... "Where I design the most fabulous camp looks, inspired by today's hottest trends, aaaaaand have them modeled by my classmates in a gorgeous outdoor setting!" Olivia in a fancy outfit... That'll be a sight I never thought I'd see.

"A camp tradition!" Really? This doesn't seem like the place for such a thing.

Might as well throw my idea into the hat. "A magic show! To be honest, I've always wanted to see Trixie's act!"

"Outta sight!" I'm not sure if that was a magic joke or another phrase from her book of outdated lingo.

"Guess you do have good taste after all," Trixie says. "Very well. Prepare yourselves for the Great and Powerful Trixie's Camp Everfree Illusion Spectacular!" Basic, but it gets the point across. "It's a working title."

Vinyl's standing close to her. Take off your damn headphones!

"A music competition!" Olivia says. Wait, what?!

"We've got some musical instruments in the storage shed for you to get your shred on!"

"Why did you suggest that?" I say quietly. "We're supposed to avoid magical adventures this time."

"You suggested a magic show, so I thought you changed your mind."

"Trixie doesn't have Equestrian magic. She does illusions. That's different!"

"Oh, right..." She sighs. "I'm sorry. It's all this Equestrian magic stuff. I automatically associate that with the word 'magic' now."

"...just ask." Missed what Gloriosa said. Oh well.

"What about the camp gift?" Principal Celestia asks. "That was my favorite Camp Everfree tradition."

"The camp gift! Of course!" Hm...

Timber says something to her quietly, then she covers the mic and responds. I can't hear them, but from their facial expressions, it's some sort of disagreement.

"Anyone else picking up on a little tension between Gloriosa and her brother?" Sunset asks.

"They're siblings," I say. "Of course there's a little tension from time to time."

"Every year," Gloriosa says, "campers work together to create something useful. A gift for future campers. Working toward this common goal is key to forming the strong bonds that will last well beyond your time here at camp." She quietly says something to her brother. "This gazebo was a gift from last year's group. Ooh ooh ooh! And the totem pole and the sundial were also made by campers!" I hope it's just me being paranoid. I should voice my concerns anyway.

"The sundial was our year's gift," Celestia says.

Vice Principal Luna clears her throat. "Even though 'some people' thought it was a little impractical since a sundial can't be used at night." Well, it's not a moondial. If such a thing even exists.

"And you all seem like a-a really amazing group," Gloriosa says, trying to calm the principals down. "So I'm certain you'll come up with something inspiring to leave behind."

Everyone cheers.

"Speaking of leaving things behind," Timber says, "now's the time that we give out tent assignments, so you can leave your heavy bags behind." I wonder if he's talking about Rarity.

The two step off of the gazebo. "Girls will be getting their assignments from Timber. Guys, you're with me!"

I walk over to her. I reach into the bag and pull out a card. There's an image of a black stone on it: Onyx. "Okay, then." I wonder if we're getting team points for doing well in these activities. 20 points to Onyx tent! I return to my friends. They all have their cards. Pinkie's already wandered off. "So what tents did you girls get?"

"Rarity and I are in Emerald," Olivia says.

"AJ and I got Aquamarine," Rainbow says.

"I got Amethyst," Fluttershy says. Vinyl walks up, and she's also holding an Amethyst card. They give each other a thumbs-up.

Okay, so she doesn't take them off, but I guess she turns the music down.

"Sapphire," Sunset says.

"Me, too!" Twilight says. "I mean, I'm assuming I am. Technically, sapphires aren't just blue. They can be pink, purple, yellow..."

"And there she goes on one of her scientific tangents," I say.

"What about you?" Sunset asks me.

"Onyx."

"Hey, Cloudflare?" I look at Olivia. "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"Back in a sec," I tell Sunset. Olivia and I walk away from the others.

"So... We're in different tents..." She sounds disappointed.

"Yeah. We picked from different bags. Is that a problem?"

"Well... It's just... Some of the people here were teasing me before I left CHS. I know they've been nicer since I came back, but..."

"You're afraid of them going back to their old ways?"

"They've been nice in school, but out here, it feels like it'd be a lot easier to mess with me..."

"Don't worry about it. Our friends won't let anyone get away with teasing you. If you're afraid of somebody sneaking into your tent, Rarity will make sure it's the last thing they do."

"You sure?"

"Positive. She might look all prim and proper, but you don't want to get on her bad side."

She smiles. "Okay. If you say so."

We rejoin the group.

"What?" Twilight says to them. Rainbow is snickering.

"Nothin'," AJ says.

"Ooh! That was adorable!" Rarity says.

Did I miss something?

Glorioisa blows her whistle. "Okay, everyone. Go get settled in. We'll be meeting at the docks in 15 minutes to go over some camp safety rules! Let me know if you need anything!"

A door opens behind us. A limo has pulled up, and a man dressed in a suit and tie steps out. "I need somethin'."

Gloriosa walks up to him. "Filthy Rich! So nice to see you." They walk over to the limo and start talking quietly. This isn't what I meant when I had my suspicions, but I guess I was right anyway. Filthy Rich gets in his limo, closes the door, and the limo drives away. She looks at us. "Filthy Rich is a, um, alumni of the camp. He likes to check on his old stomping grounds every now and again." No one's buying that. "But enough about him. Find your tents and put away your things. The best week of camp ever is about to begin!" Speaking of not buying it...

I walk into the tent area. I find the one with an onyx above the door... or whatever the entrance to a tent is called. It's a door, right?

I head inside. Flash is getting his things unpacked. "Hey, Flash."

"Oh, Cloudflare! You got Onyx tent, too?"

"Yup." I put my clothing bag on the bed. "The stone's kinda plain-looking, but I don't care for fancy stuff anyway."

"Sounds perfect for you."

I get my bottle of sunscreen out. "Personally, I was hoping for Ruby." I squirt some sunscreen on my hands and rub it on my legs.

"Which one's Sunset Shimmer in?"

"Sapphire."

"I see. And Olivia's in Emerald?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Well, you wanted Ruby, and Sunset's in Sapphire. Makes sense for Olivia to be in Emerald, wouldn't it?"

"I... guess?" What is he on about?

"Never mind. So you really want to see Trixie's magic show? Isn't having six magical friends enough?"

"Trixie's an illusionist. I've always enjoyed those types of performances, and she's always talking about how 'great and powerful' she is. I want to see if she can back it up. Besides, it's a nice change from actual magic."

"You don't like that stuff?"

"It's not that. Too many school events have marred by magic outbreaks this year." I put sunscreen on my arms. "Well, maybe not 'marred'. The Battle of the Bands is what improved my school life. I just want something normal for once."

"I wouldn't mind another magical adventure. It makes things a little less boring."

"Sometimes you need a break in the excitement. Pony-ups when playing instruments are fine, but evil entities threatening the world? I've had enough of that for one year."

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"I mean, it's certainly better than what I went through back in September. Speaking of, I never asked about what made you want to go out with the old Sunset Shimmer." I put a bit of sunscreen on my face and neck. "Were you going through a 'bad girls are hot' phase?"

He chuckles. "Nah. She acted like she was genuinely interested in me, and it seemed like she had some redeeming qualities, so I gave it a shot. We had an okay relationship. She was being flirty – a little too flirty, even when we first went out. One day, I overheard her talking to Snips and Snails about how she was using me to get more popular, and that's when I dumped her. The video she made about you also helped with that decision."

"Why would she need you to become more popular? She was already the reigning Fall Formal princess."

"Every little bit helps, I guess."

I put the bottle of sunscreen back in my bag, then slide the bag underneath the bed and leave the tent.

I look toward the Sapphire tent. Sunset, Olivia, and Gloriosa are talking. I walk over to them.

"Because if there is anything I can do to make this week the best week ever, you just let me know!" Gloriosa is saying. "I've got this!"

"Thanks," Sunset says. "I'm good."

"You're up to something," I say to Gloriosa.

"Up to something? Whatever do you mean?" she says in the same innocent tone.

"You're acting too cheerful. It sounds very forced and insincere. I spent time with the Dazzlings, so I know a thing or two about fake attitudes. Then there's that shady deal between you and Filthy Rich." I lean toward her and glare at her. "I've got my eye on you."

"Well, I'm flattered, but you're not my type," she says with a smirk. Her phone rings. "Damn it, I thought I shut that off." She takes it out of her pocket. "Excuse me." She answers it as she walks away. "Hey hey!"

That ringtone... "That's an actual song?! I thought it was just a cheesy euphemism!"

"Yup," Olivia says. "Also, the song's filled with lines like that."

"I didn't think you listened to songs like that," I say.

"I don't. Lemon Zest wanted me to hear it. It's hella cheesy, but I kinda like it. At least it's better than Yeezy."

Heh. "You're not wrong."

"Seems I'm not the only one nervous around people that chipper," Sunset says.

Pinkie surprises Sunset with a hug from behind. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

"Well, not all people."

Twilight walks out of the tent. She looks uneasy. "Are you okay?"

"She's just a little anxious," Olivia says. "This is her first school outing in a long time."

"Uh... Right!" Twilight says.

"You sure? You weren't like this any other time today."

"Well, it's... It's taken a while to sink in," Sunset says. "Now, come on." She takes ahold of my hand. "Let's get to the docks."

Maybe it's because I'm on heightened alert from Gloriosa's act, but I get the feeling these three are hiding something. I'll worry about it later.