The city of Canterlot is known for many great things. Prestigious private and public schools, local eateries, calming forest environments, and the occasional outburst of magic-related phenomena; Canterlot has no shortage of the odd yet interesting occurrences. Some may call the chaos as being a deterrent but it’s home nonetheless to those that see it as such. Even the local youth had grown accustomed to it.
And said youths who grew accustomed to it the most was none other than Rainbooms. Their adventures began when Princess Twilight Sparkle helped the girls put a stop to a once former enemy, turned best friend. Soon, they were faced with three more entities from Equestria called The Sirens who forced almost the entire school under their spell but the Rainbooms were able to stop them as well; rendering their pendants useless and their magic useless.
Then they were in the next Friendship Games against Crystal Prep. However, magic began affecting the games and this world’s Twilight Sparkle became infected with the magic and she became Midnight Sparkle and nearly ripped the entire world apart, but Sunset was able to talk her out the dark magic and soon freed her. It was soon declared that the games ended in both teams win, where they made more friends in the outcome and had a few students become ex Shadowbolts and new Wondercolts.
However, that didn’t end there as relationships between the two schools had improved for the better, even a blossoming friendship of sorts. As a result, the two schools often did stuff together with activities like fundraisers and field trips. The latter of which was enjoyed by many students.
And on this particular field trip, the Canterlot Wondercolts were heading out on a fantastic trip to Camp Everfree. It was a nice change of pace for the Wondercolts to get away from all of the magic and drama in the city. But what CHS didn't expect was for another school to be tagging along with them. That school, however, was not Crystal Prep.
This particular school was actually Crystal Prep's tough competition and the only other school that's ever beaten them in every single competition and even humiliated them. It's this information that has everyone at CHS wondering if they're this nasty with every other school in the district. They were a little worried about meeting this school but knew that if they had Crystal Prep on their side, they could show this school whose boss.
At the moment, almost all the students on board the bus were excited with thoughts of doing various camp activities. But some of the other students… had other things on their minds that have been bothering them. One of them was Twilight, who was taking a nap, tossing and turning in distress. She seemed to be having a nightmare.
Twilight tossed and turned in seat, mumbling words to herself. Then her mumbling turned to full on words, she seemed to be screaming at something.
"Mm! No! STOP!!!" Twilight screamed out loud, causing her pet dog Spike to wake her up.
"Twilight, wake up!" Spike said, finally, Twilight opened her eyes.
"Huh? W-What?" Twilight muttered.
"We can't stop, silly! We're not there yet!" Pinkie added. “You were tossing and turning like a kitty!”
“Kitty?! Where’s a kitty!?” Spike asked, getting excited as he jumped up and down in Twilight’s lap.
“Pinkie was just using a figure of speech, Spike.” Sunset said to Spike.
“Oh dang it.” Spike said, slumping down.
Among these students were the band named the Rainbooms. They consisted of Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Sunset Shimmer. Canterlot High's most beloved band.
Though, Canterlot High has some other new students that are still trying to fit in and warm up to everyone after the trouble their former principal caused. Yes, Canterlot's newest Wondercolts were Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet.
The tension between these girls and the other CHS students was undeniably obvious. But the tension was more intense as the former Shadowbolts gazed at the school bus driving next to them.
"This field trip is probably gonna be the worst field trip ever," Sugarcoat said bluntly. “I mean… a trip to the woods?! The beach would’ve been better and there’d be fewer mosquitos!”
"The whole point of the trip was to get away from city life. Not to mention the magic that I brought to the school," Sunset said. "Trust me, girls, this trip will be exactly what the doctor ordered and maybe even more."
"I hope you’re right, Sunset.” Sugarcoat shot back, “I’m just not used to that.”
"I don't get why those bozos in that other bus have to come with us, they're all just a bunch of jerks!" Sour pointed at the other bus.
"I forget, what school is that bus from?" Rainbow asked.
"Canterlot Technical Institute. Otherwise known as CTI. It's an all-boys private boarding school and the only private high school that's ever beaten Crystal Prep at everything they beat CHS at and shamed. But only a select few students from there were able to join us on the trip," Twilight said.
"No way! Those guys actually beat Crystal Prep that badly?" Rainbow asked, smiling.
“Can we please change the subject?!” Sour blurted out, “It was bad enough being beaten by them but having to hear it from Cinch was even worse!”
"Sorry about that," Rainbow chuckled nervously. Suddenly, the subject did change, but it came from some upbeat music coming from the CTI bus. Nearly everyone could hear the CTI students singing along to the sweet beats, which made the former Shadowbolts sick to their stomachs that they're having so much fun at the moment.
“Dear lord, are they trying to be louder than Vinyl Scratch?” One particular student said.
"Hey, I heard that!" Vinyl called out. The student sank down in embarrassment and then he looked back at the bus, finding the bus annoying.
The CTI bus had an appearance similar to the city buses, but it was black with a red stripe that covered most of the center. It stuck out like a sore thumb yet one could admire the way it gave a distinct look. The loud music boomed from the bus, it seemed that these students were like old Crystal Prep times two. They then saw one of the students look up at their bus and wave to them, some of the students waved back.
"From the music, they sound cool, but we shouldn't judge a book by it's look." Rainbow said.
"It's 'Never judge a book by its cover.' Rainbow Dash." Twilight corrected her.
"You know what I meant, Twilight." Rainbow responded, checking her phone.
"They're not the only ones having fun. I'm loving the sound of their music.” Vinyl said, bobbing her head to the beat of the music emitting from the bus.
"As satisfying as it is to know that some of us are in good spirits, I'll have to ask that you all be on your best behavior. We didn't save money for this trip to act like a bunch of bumbling, babbling band of baboons," Luna said.
"Say that 5 times fast," Spike whispered to Twilight, snickering.
"Oh come on, Luna. I know you're dying to get to Camp Everfree as much as everyone else is, it's pretty obvious from the way you're holding your smile back," Celestia said. "Don't you remember back when we went there for our trip during our senior year?"
Meanwhile, in the CTI bus, as the song was coming to an end, most of the boys were celebrating early, high-fiving each other while a few others were sitting quietly, minding their own business and doing whatever they like to pass the time. These boys went by the names Eternal Flames, Heat Blitz, Tidal Wave, Ground Breaker, Hurricane Breeze, Spark Burst and lastly, Shadow Force. The last one being the son of the principal of CTI, Principal Sombra.
"Alrighty boys, enough! I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Especially you, son," Sombra gestured to Shadow Force.
"Pops, it's a camping trip. You said we're heading over there to have fun and get away from city life, right?" Shadow asked. He had the same red eyes, grey skin and jet black hair just like his dad, but it was more feathered out and covered the right side of his face.
"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, have you ever been to Camp Everfree before? If so, what was it like for you in previous years?" Heat Blitz asked politely. Heat had bright yellow skin, orange hair and purple eyes just like Principal Celestia.
"Good question. I believe I went to Camp Everfree back when I was about 16 years old, though this was way before I met my wife. Why the sudden interest?" Sombra asked.
"I was just curious, that's all. I rarely see you smiling what with all the work you've been spending countless hours just to try and get done, you know?" Heat said. Sombra chuckled when he brought the subject of his exhausting schedule.
"I have been working rather hard as of late. That's another reason why I chose to bring us on this trip. And do you know why I chose the 7 of you to come along?" Sombra asked.
"Uh… no, but could you tell me?" Heat asked.
"Because you all scored highest during your exams and even handled the funding responsibly for us to be able to come along and enjoy a little relaxation." Sombra said.
"Thank you, sir," Eternal said in a monotone voice. He has long, red hair and pure white skin with matching sapphire eyes. Underneath his eyes are scar-like birthmarks, which scares mostly anybody outside CTI's school grounds. He's got a built-up body, but he's not as bulky as Bulk Biceps, yet he's still strong and agile.
"A little hard work goes a long way, that's what my pa always says," Ground Breaker said. Ground had emerald green eyes, messy brown hair and tan skin. He was raised on a wheat farm with his dad. Even though he's never met his mother, he still shows respect to a lot of his friends and classmates.
"Are you sure you're not Sombra's son? I'm getting the feeling both you like to work," Tidal Wave said. Tidal had black hair with brown eyes and light blue skin. He's the brains of the group next to Heat Blitz, but lacks any physical training because of his parents depriving him of an essential part of life.
"I'm pretty sure they're not related. He may be hard-working, but he's a man who appreciates the simple things in life and prefers it over a life of luxury. That's a trait that not a lot of modern people don't possess as well as Ground does," Hurricane Breeze said. Hurricane had brown eyes like Tidal Wave, but had silver hair and minty green skin.
"Being true to one's self is an important step in a person's life," Spark Burst said, having his face buried in a philosophy book. Spark Burst had blonde, spikey hair with light yellow skin and faded mint green eyes. He's a young man who is following a philosophy career. He might look skinny, but he has athletic capabilities in weaponized martial arts.
Next to them, they could hear music being played from the CHS bus. Over in the school, Vinyl had decided to reply to them back with some music from the 80s to appease them, along with the help of another student who suggested the song.
“Hopefully they enjoy 80s music.” A student said, and that same student was named Blazing Waters. He had yellow skin and bright blue hair. Ruby red eyes and had many personalities and was always focused on his school work but also made time to do his hobbies which consisted of video games, beatboxing, and card tricks. However, he had a crush on a girl a few seats ahead of him who just so happen to be the leader of the Rainbooms who was none other than Rainbow Dash. He always had his eyes set on her ever since he transferred to CHS, he has only remained as good friends with the Rainbooms but has never found the courage to talk to Rainbow Dash.
"Who doesn't like 80's music? They got real good jams," Rainbow said.
“I dunno. It sounds dated to me.” Lemon Zest remarked, rolling her eyes, “They really lack the vibrant energy of the now.”
“The 80’s have tons of that, too! You have quite a narrow vision, Lemon.” Blazing said to her.
"Exactly, it's probably one of the best eras of all time!" Another student said, who was two seats across from Blazing. His name was Ulysses Hurtado. He was the same age as Blazing Waters and had long jet black hair with mocha colored skin and brown eyes. He wore a blue Camp Everfree shirt, cargo shorts and boots. He was one of Blazing's best friends and he also had a crush on Sunset.
"I just hope they aren't as bad as people say they are." Another student said, his name is Fidel Rios. He had brown eyes and mocha colored skin, he wore a green Camp Everfree shirt with camouflage shorts, he looked strikingly similar to his twin brother Armando Rios. The only difference was that Armando had green eyes. Armando wore a purple colored Camp Everfree shirt and the same camouflage shorts and boots. Fidel was the more serious type and he has been very vigilant after his ex girlfriend and him had a bad fight. Armando was more of a prankster type, he had a big crush on Pinkie Pie but hadn't gotten the guts to tell her, but he sure could make her laugh.
Fidel's ex was also on this bus, her name was Thorny Rose. She was light red skinned with dark green eyes and red hair. She wore a dark purple shirt and light blue pants and had a bracelet on her left wrist.
"You mean the CTI students? Yeah, I'm hoping the same thing, too," Sunset says, looking through the window and then suddenly, she could swear that one of the boys on the CTI bus looked so familiar, but didn't know how or why.
Luckily, she didn't need to wait long to find out. The buses had finally arrived at their current destination and all of the students looked like they wanted to run straight out of the bus and pitch their tents. Of course, these students know better than to leave without receiving any further instructions from their principal and vice-principal.
"Alright everybody. Remember to be on your best behavior and be respectful to the host of this camp above all else. Now, everyone form a single-file line, no shoving and follow us off the bus." Luna said.
The students all stood up from their seats, grabbed their luggage and did as Luna asked them to, lining up, then followed her and Celestia off the bus and onto campgrounds. The CTI students also come off the bus in a single-file line, following their principal with their luggage in their hands.
"Principal Sombra, it's been years since we first met back in Canterlot University," Celestia said.
"Yes, over 20 years to be precise. Yet you and Luna look as young as the Spring season. Have your students been doing alright as of late?" Sombra asked.
"Aside from some Friendship Games shenanigans with Crystal Prep, we're doing fine," Luna answered, shrugging.
"Ah yes, I heard all about it from some reliable sources that you tied with them. You certainly put that old bat, Cinch, in her place. If you ever have any more trouble with them, my top students will teach them a thing or two about respect… again," Sombra said.
"That won't be necessary. I think they finally get the picture," Celestia said.
"Principal Celestia, do you know this man?" Sunset asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Sombra and I go as far back as Canterlot University. He's my sister's husband and my brother-in-law. He was a very ambitious young man back then, always wanting to become the principal of his own school. And he achieved his dream through hard work and determination, probably the best back then. Is the job still treating you nicely?" Celestia asked.
"Yes. So then, shall we get this vacation underway?" Sombra asked.
"Of course. That's what we came here for," Luna said. Sombra nodded.
"Come on, boys. We've got a whole week of fun ahead," he said.
"YEAH, BABY!!!" shouted Shadow, excitedly. "Ah yeah, bring on the fun, I'm ready to turn this camp upside down!"
"Easy, Shadow. We still gotta get everything set up," Heat Blitz said.
"Yeah, you know the routine. Ya gotta work before you can play," Ground Breaker said.
Shadow chuckled nervously, then quickly calmed down and kept following the others over at the gazebo where a young lady with burgundy hair and light red skin was waiting. She looked to be at least a year older than most of the students. She wore a cute, yellow dress and had forest green eyes.
"Welcome, everybody! Welcome to Camp Everfree!" The young lady said. "I'm Gloriosa Daisy. I'll be your camp counselor for this week!"
"YEAH, BABY!!!" Shadow shouted.
'Well, this'll be interesting,' Eternal thought to himself, still in a monotone voice.
The students each walked to each other and then met face to face. All of them greeted each other with different tones. Fidel kept silent the whole time as Thorn shook hands with Shadow. He still kept himself guarded from everyone else, especially his ex as she socialized with the others with a smile. As much as he wanted to, with Thorny Rose in the mix, he felt that others would not think highly of him. Thus, he kept his distance to avoid any resulting pain.
Blazing stepped off the bus, still a tad bit shy in meeting people and slowly approached the group. He then approached one camper who had his eyes buried in his book. He didn't seem to notice Blazing at all and just turned the page, continuing on his reading. He was also keeping his distance from the other campers, but not because he was shy, more like because he was uncomfortable around large crowds.
Then, his eyes landed on Blazing when he peeked out of his book. "What is it?" he asked.
“Um, hey there, whatcha reading there?” Blazing asks.
"A book on philosophy. I'm studying it as my major when I enroll into college," Spark replied. "Why aren't you spending time with your friends? They're all waiting for you."
"What about you? Aren't your friends waiting for you?" Blazing asks.
"Normally, I'm with them, but because I'm in the presence of other people besides my friends, I'm keeping my distance," Spark replies before burying his face in his book.
“Oh well, um… ’m sorry if I seem to be interrupting anything. My name’s Blazing Waters, future singer and actor, hoping to make big in Hollywood films. What’s yours?”
“Spark Burst, you know what I’m studying and who I want to be.” Spark said, offering his hand for a quick hand shake. Blazing shook his hand happily and Spark immediately went back to reading his book. Blazing felt somewhat awkward around someone who didn’t seem to have any interest in talking so he decided to leave Spark Burst alone. His eyes soon fixated back onto Rainbow Dash, immediately setting his mind at ease and calmness.
“I just wish you would see how much you mean to me…” Blazing muttered to himself, Spark Burst was the only one to over hear Blazing and listened to him while reading his book. “I hope Rainbow Dash will see how much she means to me one day… I love her so much.”
“Yep, he definitely has a crush on her. But who is Rainbow Dash?” Spark said in his mind, he took one quick look around and instantly noticed a girl with rainbow colored hair and put two and two together to make the conclusion that that was Rainbow Dash. “Well that was easy. Gotta make sure she catches on the signs. Maybe I’ll talk to Blazing about this to help him out.” "I take it that girl over there is your crush?" he asks.
"Huh? Oh! Um… y-yeah. Rainbow Dash is her name.” Blazing said, Spark could somehow make out there being hearts in his pupils. He could tell he was all over her, he rolled his eyes.
“Well, Mr. Cassanova,” Spark scoffed, “Oggling her from afar like that is gonna be a sure fire way of getting five-across-the-eyes from her.” Blazing hastily retracted his gaze before Rainbow took notice.
“Well, how would you want me to go about it, then?” Blazing rolled his eyes, “Do you have any pointers or some shit?”
"If you hadn't noticed, I don't exactly have the most charming looks of the group, so I've never even dated any girls. Plus, I attend an all-boys school. But if you want to win her heart, just chat with her, talk about what you guys both like and do something that she likes," Spark explains.
"And… if that doesn't work?" Blazing asks.
"If she's still oblivious to your feelings, then I'll have to do something I'm not gonna like. I'll have to be brutally honest with her and trust me, it's not gonna be pretty," Spark said.
"You'd better not lay a hand on her," Blazing said, getting defensive.
"I never said I was gonna hit her. My words are the only thing she's gonna be hearing from me if all else fails," Spark replies. "Now go and talk to her, I need to get back to reading."
"You better hope this works," Blazing said before nervously walking over to Rainbow. “Okay, okay, you got this Blazing. You got this… don’t fuck this up. Just walk over to her and talk to her like your another normal friend to her.”
And while he was gathering his courage, he wasn't paying attention when he accidentally bumped into Eternal Flames. The seemingly emotionless man turned towards Blazing with the usual lifeless look. From Blazing's perspective, he thinks that Eternal looks like he's killed before, but unknowingly, he's wrong.
"Careful, will ya," Eternal said in a monotone voice. He turned his attention away from him and continued walking to get some peace of mind.
Author's Note
I promised, we delivered. I hope you'll enjoy this new revamped version as it goes along.
