Author's Note
First of all, I'm sorry if this seems a little bit different or shorter than what I usually do, but this was the best that I could do given the limited amount of words that was given for this story. There's only so much that you can do with 2500 to 3500 words, but Kul was very specific, so I didn't want to her him or her down in any way, shape, or form.
Needless to say, I hope you enjoyed this story regardless. I'm still not entirely sold on LoE yet, but I think that it was nice to bring Kul's vision to life, and I hope that by making this fic, I've made them smile...
Enjoy!
I Don't Got This...
Timber Spruce was busy folding up towels in the laundry room of the newly-constructed Everfree Resort and Spa. After the events that had happened at Camp Everfree in the past, his entire life's work had been reduced down to nothing more than serving spa customers and distributing massages.
Though, given the events that had transpired, a part of his was somewhat accepting of this new job. After what his sister Gloriosa had done with the geodes back when it was still a camp, he could still never forgive her for almost ruining the lives of everyone who visited the former camp.
"Timber?" Filthy Rich strolled into the room and walked up to him. "Are you decent? I need to talk with you about something."
"Yeah. I'm fine." Timber grunted, putting the towels into a stack and heating them up.
"Are you sure about that?" Filthy walked over to him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "You don't sound like you're very happy. And one of the main reasons my businesses work so well is that my employees are always happy to help their customers, no matter the hardship."
"Trust me. It's a hardship alright." Timber took Filthy's hand off and stuffed the now heated stack into a trolley. "That camp was everything to me and my family. It breaks my heart to know that it's gone forever."
Filthy Rich sighed. "I know that it must've been a real spirit breaker to lose Camp Everfree, Timber." He follwed him out of the room with the trolley of towels. "No-one likes to lose something; not even a major family heirloom. But it's all something that we've gotta live with. The human race doesn't get anywhere by moping."
"That's not even the half of it." Timber let out a sigh of his own. "My sister, Gloriosa, still suffers from paralyzed legs each and every day. It's constant pain for her and she's been struggling to adjust to it. The money we got from selling the camp might've given her some medical help, but she's still got to use crutches to walk.
"And all this because of some stupid magic rocks that came from another dimension." He delived the towels to another member of staff and slumped down against the nearby wall, burying his head into his knees. "In a way, all of this is somewhat her fault."
"Hey, hey. There's no need to fret, Timber." Filthy Rich gave him gentle pats on the back and looked him in the eyes. "If there's one thing that I do for my employees, it's treat them like my family. Gloriosa's still got the best health care plan money can buy, and it's not really fair of me to leave behind someone who's in pain."
"That's still not going to fix this." Timber looked out towards the spa's facilities. "All of this was our childhood home for years on end, and her actions took it all away from us. Gloriosa's never going to see me accept her apology, not even if she gets down on her knees and begs for it!"
"I know just how important it is to lose something important." Filthy pulled out a pocket watch, showing a picture of him, his wife, and his daughter. "Diamond Tiara's a sweet little girl, but she often takes in some important things of mine for Canterlot High's little events and social gatherings." He shook his head. "Pearl earrings, gold bars, and sometimes even this very watch. Most of which she returns, mind you, but there is something she lost that can never truly be replaced.
"In only her second year at that school, she took in something truly special to me. My first ever teddy bear." He looked back at Timber, who was still hiding his head. "It was something to show that even the students' parents used to be little kids too, y'know; so that they weren't any different from other people. She lost that bear on the way home and hasn't found it since."
"And how does that help?" Timber briefly pulled his head out of his legs and cocked a brow at Filthy.
"She and I were both in shambles too, just like you and Gloriosa were when she got hit by that there paralysis." Filthy put the watch away and swallowed. "We let it get to us for a while, until we finally moved on. That's the way this world works, Timber." He wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders. "It can be cruel sometimes. It can take what you love away from you in the blink of an eye. But the more you whine about it, the more it's only going to get worse."
"You're not really good at inspiring confidence, are you?" Timber deadpanned and stood back up. "Well, it was nice talking with you, but I've really gotta get my lunch break."
"Before you do, I just want you to know that not everyone's happy with this spa." Filthy readjusted his tie and hung his head. "Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Rich are still quite upset that I took the camp and turned it into this, and I can imagine the disappointment that many other people are feeling over the loss of the camp."
"Why would you say that?" Timber's eyes went wide.
"To make someone feel happy, you just need to find out what they like." Filthy nodded. "You and Gloriosa cherished the camp, so I figured that saying the negative feedback that this place got would help put your mind at ease."
"I gotta go." Timber shook his head and darted off towards the employee lunch room. "It didn't help much, but thanks for the talk anyway, boss."
Later, in the lunch room, Timber Spruce was just idly staring down at his meal. Jacket potatoes with butter, a side salad, and a glass of water. For most of the time, he just stared at his food, feeling reluctant to eat it. A sigh slipped out every so often, but he was still able to eat what was on his tray.
"Hey, Timber." A girl with lavender hair with a fuchsia stripe and glasses walked up to him. She was wearing a simple purple shirt with a constellation on it and a similar-coloured backpack around her body. She gave him a gentle smile and sat down next to him.
"Twilight? What are you doing here?" Timber asked, almost jumping at the sight of his old friend. "Aren't you supposed to be in college? Why did you come and see me again?"
"My courses weren't on today." Twilight sat down and pulled out a little bag from her backpack. She opened it up and fished out two cheese and tomato sandwiches that had been cut into triangles. "My tutors came down with a bad case of the common cold, and the place was under-staffed to handle me and my class. So I figured, why not meet up with Timber? It's been a long time since we've seen each other."
"Yeah. Sorry that I'm not as active as I used to be." He rubbed the back of his head. "I've just got a lot of work on my hands now. Even when he's being nice, Filthy still pushes his staff relentlessly with his work hours."
"Sounds like a lot of work." Twilight looked over at Timber, leaving her sandwiches down on the table.
"The worst part is that because of my sister's physical condition, I get little to no time to myself anymore." Timber huffed and crossed his arms, turning to Twilight. "If only Gloriosa hadn't gotten greedy, we wouldn't be in this mess..."
"She was just trying to keep the camp safe, and in doing so, it spelt disaster for both it and her." Twilight slowly raised the sandwich to her mouth and took a tiny nibble out of it, letting the cheese and bread dance around in her mouth as she chewed and swallowed. "I can somewhat agree with her cause, but she just went about it the wrong way, and now she's been paralysed from the waist down as a result."
"Well, that's what she gets for trying to use magic to fix her problems." He took a bite out of the jacket potatoes, his teeth ripping into the hardened flesh and skin of the cooked vegetable. "She's still not going to hear me accept her apology."
"Is that the only reason you're upset?" Twilight asked.
"No. My idea for self-heating hot rocks was shot down today in a meeting, and I'm still pretty peeved about it." Timber bit into more of his food, feeling the hot flavours slide down his throat when he swallowed. "I still think that it's entirely possible that rocks can be self-heated, so why do they think it's not worth investing in?!"
"Well I can't really help you out with your sales pitches, Timber. I'm still just a college girl." Twilight readjusted her glasses and bit into her sandwich again. "But I think that you should still be there for Gloriosa."
"She cost both of us everything. The only reason I'm still with her is because she's in pain, and I'm the only one she can relate to right now!" Timber slammed his fist down on the table, making the knife and fork jolt as he did so.
"Timber. I know how siblings can get." Twilight stood up and massaged Timber's shoulders. "They argue, they quarrel, and they sometimes hate each other. But deep down, they can't live without each other. They're the bestest friends that each of them will ever have, and it'd be just wrong to hate on her for one little slip-up."
"Little slip-up? She nearly killed you and your friends three years ago! How can you be so forgiving of her?" Timber looked at Twilight dumbfoundedly.
"Because I know what it's like to be turned evil and wicked with magic." Twilight sighed herself and took the smallest bite yet out of her sandwiches. "I was driven by something as well. A desire to study and learn. And when I was a student at Crystal Prep and magic was first sighted at the Friendship Games, they used my own curiosity against me, and turned me into a malicious being known as Midnight Sparkle.
"I was hell-bent on destroying everything that got in my way as I tried to learn all about magic, and in my rampage, I myself was defeated by Sunset and her friends." Twilight let the images of that day flash back in her mind, remembering the exact words that Sunset had said to her. "They opened my eyes to the truth, and they all helped me on the road to recovery. And I know that you can do the same with your sister."
"Are you sure?" Timber stood up and slowly pried Twilight's hands off of him. "Gloriosa's been taking it really hard after all that's happened. She can't go a single day without crying now, and it's really starting to bug me."
"Timber. She needs you, just as much as you need her." Twilight gently pressed her hand against his chest. "The two of you can never be separated, and without you, she'll just feel even worse."
"But what can I do?" Timber asked.
"Go to her. Make sure that she gets all the support she needs in these dark times." Twilight pointed towards the door leading out of the lunch hall. "Just like Sunset Shimmer and her friends were there for me when I was feeling down, you need to be there for your sister when she needs it the most. You might find it hard to take her apology in at first, but give it some time, and you'll eventually forgive her."
Timber merely stood there and let the words fly around in his mind. Gloriosa had been acting on a will to save the camp, and she did genuinely have good intentions back when she became Gaia Everfree. He thought about everything that he and her had together, what connection they had to each other, and how they would both crumble without each other.
"Twilight. I know what I need to do." He broke from his train of thought and gently held her hand. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Timber." Twilight smiled as she held onto him. "Now go. Gloriosa needs you."
Nodding, Timber ran out of the room with his lunch as fast as his legs could carry him, making sure to balance the food as he ran. He nearly stumbled over a few things, but he was able to reclaim his balance and resume his dash.
Gloriosa was walking with the help of two crutches towards the nearby fridge. Planting the two sticks down and using them like her legs, she made it to the fridge and extended her fingers so that they were coiled around the handle of the steel appliance. She opened the fridge and found some cucumbers sitting gently in a plastic wrap.
Gloriosa tried to reach for the cucumbers, but she was heavily limited by the crutches. She tried to use them to prop herself against the fridge so that she could get them easier, but she was still hampered by the fact that she had to hold onto the crutches, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to stand upright. As she fumbled around with the sticks, she wobbled and eventually fell over, spilling the contents of the fridge down on top of her and covering her in a good comprised of vegetables, eggs, and milk.
"Oh, darnit!" She cursed herself and slammed the ends of her crutches down on the floor. "That's the fourth time this week, and it's only Monday!"
"Gloriosa?" Timber ran into the room and looked at the mess of food that had coated his sister.
"Timber!" Gloriosa stumbled backwards towards the nearby sink and looked away from her brother. After all of the things that she did, and the times that her brother had shot down her apology, she didn't want to be hurt again. "What are you doing here? Go away! You have a job to do!"
"No. I'm not going to leave you again!" Timber ran over to her and reached his hand out to try and help her up. "You've been hurting for far too long now, and I don't care if I end up losing my job because of you. You're my sister, and I'm not about to just let you hurt yourself like this!"
"Don't you understand yet, Timber?! I messed up, and I don't deserve to be forgiven!" Gloriosa failed to fight back the tears in her eyes as she swatted away her brother's help. "I tried to say sorry, I tried to make it up to you, and you still keep on shooting me down! I'm not fit to be your sister anymore. I should just go away and never come back..."
"You keep on denying yourself, Gloriosa. That's not the sister I used to know." He brought his hand back to his sister, who again knocked it away with minimal effort. "I was a fool. I was angry. I don't deserve to be forgiven either with the way that I treated you.
"You're hurting now, not just because we lost Camp Everfree, but also because of your physical condition." Timber didn't even hesitate and pulled Gloriosa up to her feet, watching her immediately snap back to using her crutches to keep herself stood upright. "I suppose I don't deserve to be forgiven either. I just hurt you even more the way I neglected your apologies, and if you don't want to accept my apologies either, then that's fine with me."
"That's sweet of you, Timber, but I'm more to blame for what I did." Gloriosa hung her head and let more tears drop from her eyes. "I let my own greedy ambitions get to me, and not only did it cause us to lose the camp, but also leave me with this critical condition. Some sister I am, huh? Who in the heck would ever want a sister who went evil and tried to kill everyone just to save a camp?"
"Truth be told, I would." Timber slowly walked up to Gloriosa and gave her a slow pat on the back. "We might've had our differences in the past, but we're still brother and sister in the end. We can't be split up, no matter what we do."
"Does this mean that—" Gloriosa was cut off when Timber laid his hand over her mouth.
"Yes, Gloriosa. I forgive you." Timber gently nodded and held both of her hands, looking into her eyes with a calming smile on his face. "You're hurt, so the best thing you can have right now is an apology from me. I know that it won't bring Camp Everfree back, but at the least, I can ease you a bit and make you smile again. If only just for one day."
Gloriosa was at a loss for words with her brother's actions. She thought that she was going to get another verbal attack and suffer even more with both her injuries and the loss of her camp. As she looked into his eyes, her tears still continued to flow, but they were accompanied with a smile.
"Thank you. Thank you, Timber..." She wrapped her arms and crutches around Timber's body and gave him a big hug.
"No problem, sis." Timber gently tousled her hair and returned the hug, feeling the warm tears of her sister roll down his shirt.
