It had been for more than a few hours since they had left the mall and thankfully they had some lunch before they let. Everything that they needed was packed in bags where their clothes and accessories would be stored, even other essentials, like snacks and drinks, and thankfully Invictus got the nutrition variety, which Twilight seemed to agree. Once he placed them next to the RV that he got for working at the car dealer’s place as a way of saying thanks from the manager, Twilight suddenly had a checklist with her, wanting to go over the things that was on the list so that they would be prepared.

‘Alright, let’s see.’ said Twilight as she wrote things down, and thanks to Invictus, she was able to write like a pro. ‘Clothes for three weeks?’

Invictus looked at the bags with clothes, then focused back on her. ‘Check.’

‘Bathroom essentials?’

He looked at the bags with the bathroom essentials in it. ‘Check.’

‘Emergency medical kits?’

He took out to medical kits and showed it to her ‘Check.’

‘Snacks and drinks for the road?’

He opened one box filled with snacks and a cool bag with drinks inside. ‘Check.’

‘Food to make for the night and morning?’

He looked at the RV’s cupboards and fridge, filled with food as he said ‘Check.’

Invictus then came out with two more large bags, with Twilight wondering what they were. ‘What are those?’

‘Oh, books of course.’ said Invictus ‘Don’t want you to get bored during the road trip. I even got a list over here to see what you might like.’

Twilight nearly wanted to make a squee sound, for it was thoughtful of him for packing in books too.

She looked over the list whilst she said it out loud ‘Wow, a couple of Daring Do books I’ve never heard of. A few Mystery Novels. A few history books and…an entire encyclopedia set?’

‘Yeah,’ said Invictus ‘They update those every year so that the world can catch up on what’s going on. So I figured that you might like some, as well as learn a bit of the world around you. I even packed in some paper and writing material so you can take notes. You do love to take notes.’

She giggled a bit at that, but he was right about that, she does love taking notes. She then noticed that he had a few mix CD’s with him, whilst he explained ‘I even packed in some music. Every different genre on it. Figured you could use some good music to pass the time.’

‘Hmm,’ said Twilight as she looked through them ‘This would also give me a good chance to study the different music genres in another world.’

Invictus couldn’t help but chuckle and roll his eyes; classic Twilight.

Once everything was packed in, they were able to strap themselves in on their respective seats. Once they were settled, they set out on the road. Twilight kept looking at the city, for even though she wasn’t around here for long, she still can’t over of how amazing the city is, which she couldn’t help but smile just by looking at the place.

Sure enough, both of them have left the city and were on the road. Twilight kept looking out the open and she was amazed by the vast amount of forest outside of Canterlot City. Invictus noticed how Twilight was looking. For a mind like hers, it’s always nice to see people, er, ponies, having a fascination in learning and want to explore the great unknown around them.

An hour later, Twilight began to write a few things down, making Invictus notice. No doubt writing about her journey that she would be experiencing throughout her travels.

‘You looking forward to where we’re going?’ asked Invictus.

‘Oh absolutely.’ said Twilight ‘Sunset wrote to me a lot about Camp Everfree and though I was surprised that there was magic there, I really wanted to see what they look like up close.’

‘The forest may not look like the Everfree Forest,’ said Invictus ‘But there are some spots that have similarities. I’m sure you’ll love it there.’

‘Oh, by the way,’ said Twilight as she looked at Invictus ‘Thanks for that spell earlier. It’s really helpful. I can’t believe I never thought about this in the first place.’

‘Told you it can feel like second nature the moment you give it a try.’ said Invictus, however, he blushed and slightly looked away, remembering the kiss he gave Twilight just to pass the knowledge spell down. But it felt really…nice.

Twilight somehow noticed the blush on his face, which she realized that he was thinking about the kiss, causing her to blush to and look away. Trying to distract herself, she looked at the CD’s.

‘So uh…’ said Twilight whilst she pointed at the CD’s. ‘What kind of music to they contain?’

Trying to distract himself, he gestured for her to take a look, which she did. She looked through the CD’s. There were quite a few to select. Not realizing what to take, she placed in a disc called “Natewantstobattle” and placed it inside.

Sure enough, she heard him sing. She was amazed how his voice sounded. She then looked at Invictus and asked ‘Wow, who is this guy?’

‘Natewantstobattle?’ said Invictus, remembering the name on the disc. ‘Oh, that guy is good. He’s a talented singer. Every song that people have ever made, he also sings their songs. He’s got quite the voice. He sang a few great songs from that collection of video games I like so much. He even sings a few songs that came from movies and television series. But every now and then he sings his own songs.’

‘Oh, wow.’ said Twilight ‘Did you meet him at some point?’

‘Once,’ said Invictus ‘Principle Celestia wanted to do another showcase, considering the fiasco that Bossy, Grouchy and Dummy ruined it last year.’

‘Huh?’ said a confused Twilight.

She then remembered the Dazzlings, aka the Sirens, tried to take over this world. But then she realized who she was talking about, as well as who he described, causing her to laugh out loud whilst she was holding her gut. After five minutes of laughing, she wiped a tear away, for it was really funny.

‘Oh now that’s funny.’ said Twilight ‘That’s exactly how my friends would describe them.’

He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, for it was really funny. He then cleared his throat, trying to continue their conversation.

‘Anyway,’ said Invictus after he was able to think what he wanted to say ‘Natewantstobattle came along and asked everyone at school if he could sing their songs or sing with them. Rainbow immediately volunteered at that.’

He the whispered to Twilight, saying ‘The only reason she did that was because she’s got a huge crush on the guy.’

‘Really?’ said Twilight with her one eyebrow raised.

‘Yep.’ said Invictus, until he snickered, catching Twilight’s attention. ‘I told her that if she didn’t do it, I’d show everyone at school this.’

He then showed Twilight a picture of Rainbow Dash, kissing a picture of Natewantstobattle whilst it was attached to a mannequin. Twilight stared at it with her jaws dropped and wide eyes. She eventually couldn’t help herself as she laughed out loud whilst she raised her head in the air. Invictus on the other hand placed the picture away whilst he tried to contain his laughter, for he was busy driving.

‘She did not.’ said Twilight as she wiped her tear. She then stopped as she realized something. ‘Wait, did you blackmail her into doing it?’

‘Let’s just say it was payback time.’ said Invictus with a smirk.

‘What did she do?’ asked Twilight.

Invictus whispered into her ear of what Rainbow Dash did. After that quick whisper, Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. She then looked at him as she said ‘Okay, if she did that to me, I would’ve wanted payback too.’

‘Right?’ said Invictus whilst he rolled his eyes.

‘So did they enjoy singing with him?’ asked Twilight, hoping to change the subject.

‘They sure did.’ said Invictus ‘He even made an album of it.’

He then rolled his eyes whilst he said ‘Poor Fluttershy couldn’t handle the fame and stuff, but thanks to Natewantstobattle, they were able to give her some space.’

‘I can imagine.’ said Twilight as she remembered her own experience back in Equestria. ‘My Fluttershy back home didn’t want to perform live on stage because she has stage fright and she’s afraid others would judge her the wrong way.’

‘I mean I don’t get it,’ said Invictus as he said what Twilight talked to him about whilst they were packing and before they were on the road ‘She faced against Nightmare Moon, Tirek, Sombra, a big dragon, Chrysalis, as well as Starlight. If she could get over something like that, why couldn’t she do the little things.’

‘You know both our Fluttershy’s.’ said Twilight ‘They don’t believe in violence or doing things that’ll risk hurting others.’

‘Can’t argue with that.’ said Invictus, thinking about how Fluttershy was kind to him when he was either stuck in a rut, or when he needed a pet ‘They can be real sweethearts though. Even if they are painfully shy.’

‘Oh,’ said Twilight as she caught a hint of what he was talking about ‘You know this world’s Fluttershy too?’

‘In a manner of speaking,’ said Invictus ‘I once helped her out at her shelter to try and fix a few things. Although, she was afraid to talk to me.’

‘Really? Why?’ asked Twilight.

‘Well for one thing, she’s very shy.’ said Invictus, which Twilight nodded, over classic Fluttershy ‘And she thought I was going to ask her out on a date. Was it my fault I couldn’t understand a word she was saying?’

‘Trust me, my Fluttershy was also like that when we first met.’ said Twilight.

‘I know the girls here.’ said Invictus as he explained ‘I like Applejack because she’s always honest. I like Rainbow Dash because she’s kind of the cool one. I like Rarity because she made me that outfit I admired. I like Fluttershy because she’s always nice to me. I like Pinkie Pie because she hosted a great birthday for me. I like Sci-Twi because she always works so hard…’

‘Wait,’ said Twilight as she gave him an odd look ‘Sci-Twi?’

‘That’s what everyone calls her,’ said Invictus ‘Apparently when she was at CHS during the Friendship Games, everyone got confused and mistook her for you. So Pinkie Pie came up with a nickname for her. That and she’s a wizard at anything science related. Though I kinda thought she would continue to study magic, even if she did turn into a she-demon.’

‘Wait, study magic?’ asked Twilight.

‘Well a certain someone from a long time ago once said, “Magic is just another form of science we haven’t yet fully understand.”, whilst another said “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” and so on and so on.’

Twilight was a little surprised by the human from this world’s statement.

‘I mean think about it,’ said Invictus as he talked about Equestria ‘Earth Ponies use magic all the time, how else do you explain they’re able to plant, water and grow things until they finally reap what they sowed. Or the Pegasi, who can control any form of weather, whether is either small to extremely dangerous weather. The Unicorns were always the masters of magic, which is why they taught most ponies how to use it, even if they didn’t have any horns, whilst there were also rumors that there were once non unicorns that could wield magic through words that died out centuries ago. The Alicorns were born from all three races to instill balance in their kingdom to show that equality still exists through teamwork and ideals.’

Twilight’s eyes widened from every word he said. ‘Wow,’ she responded ‘You really have thought about this a lot didn’t you?’

‘I like to keep an open mind,’ said Invictus ‘Unlike most hypocrites that everyone knows that tends to misuse information like that. Like that stupid Top Jewel back from my Equestria.’

‘Top Jewel?’ asked Twilight, lifting an eyebrow.

‘He’s a member of Canterlot’s High Society members,’ said Invictus ‘Let’s just say ponies like him tend to voice their own opinions and take things too far. Heck, because of that guy, as well as his own racist remark, he ended up nearly starting a three way war between Equestria, the Yaks and the Griffons.’

‘What?!’ exclaimed Twilight ‘Why would he do that?’

‘Three things.’ said Invictus as he pointed things out. ‘A; he’s a greedy pig who’d rather hoard on bits rather than donating them. B; he’s a power hungry lunatic who wanted to kick ponies like Fancy Pants out of office. And C; he’s a racist.’

Invictus ended up smirking as he said ‘But he’s been taught a valuable lesson.’

‘What happened?’ asked Twilight

‘Well when I was eight, I was curious over what was going on,’ said Invictus ‘I accidentally stumbled into a secret room which belonged to Top Jewel. I looked it over and it turned out that Top Jewel and a few others from different kingdoms had conspired both a coup and an assassination attempt on Princess Celestia and the kings of the Griffons and Yaks. I took the information and the list of their fellow conspirators with me before I was caught. When I entered the large room, things were starting to get out of control.’

‘And you were able to calm them down,’ asked Twilight, with her noticing that he blushed bright red. ‘What?’

‘Let’s just say…’ said Invictus as he nearly wanted to trail off ‘I ended up taking the tacos in the castle’s green room by mistake.’

‘Why, what…?’ said Twilight, until she blinked in surprise and ended up blushing too, realizing what happened. She then raised her hands as she said ‘You know what, don’t tell me.’

‘Anyway,’ said Invictus, until he looked ahead and said ‘Oh, we’re here.’

Twilight looked ahead and saw Camp Everfree. She was surprised to see the cabins and everything else around. She even saw that some of the tree structures looked almost like the Everfree forest back in Equestria. Invictus couldn’t help but stare at her and nearly chuckled, for the way she becomes fascinated by what she sees around her is quite a treat to see.

‘I take if you’ve never been to a summer camp before, have you?’ asked Invictus with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk.

Twilight noticed and ended up blushing and smiled in a sheepish manner. ‘Not really’ said Twilight as she curled her hair a bit. ‘I’ve never been outside of Canterlot until the day I went to Ponyville.’

‘You really need to work on your social skills.’ said Invictus.

He then stopped where a handful of other cars were there. ‘Oh,’ said Twilight ‘I didn’t know there would be people here.’

‘Every now and then people make arrangements to stay here for either the week or the weekend.’ said Invictus ‘They even have schools coming here from all over.’

As they stopped at a parking area, both Twilight and Invictus stood up. But just when Twilight wanted to go outside, Invictus stopped her as he said ‘Hold it.’

‘What?’ asked Twilight as she looked at him with a flexed eyebrow.

‘You’re not gonna go out dress like that.’ said Invictus as he pointed at her outfit.

‘What’s wrong with my outfit?’ asked Twilight as she looked at her outfit.

‘See that?’ said Invictus whilst he pointed out of the window.

Twilight looked outside to see what he was referring to. She saw that all of them were wearing different outfits. Namely shoes, aka boots, that they wear for hiking, shirts that had the Camp Everfree logo on it, whilst also wearing different kinds of pants. Just as she was about to ask, Invictus had already began to explain to her.

‘They wear them as part of a whole camping experience. Kind of like a dress code. They would do other clothes, but then they would miss out on the whole camp experience.’

‘Ah, I see.’ said Twilight as she stood up. ‘So where do I…?’

‘Oh, not to worry,’ said Invictus ‘I took the liberty of picking them out for you.’

She saw that her Camp Everfree outfit was ready. It nearly resembled to Sci-Twi’s outfit, but her purple pants had only two marks on both sides of her pants that looked like her Cutie Mark. ‘Oh, well thank you.’

She walked over whilst Invictus backed away and took his clothes and went outside. Twilight looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and asked ‘Uh, where are you going?’

‘What?’ said Invictus ‘I’m just giving you your privacy.’

‘Oh, right.’ said Twilight as she rolled her eyes and sighed. ‘I’m still not use to this whole clothing and privacy thing.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Invictus ‘It’ll feel like second nature to you. If you need anything, just call out to me, okay?’

‘Sure thing.’ said Twilight.

After he got outside, he was able to find a private spot behind the truck. He was able to change quickly into his Camp Everfree getup. After he tied his shoes, he walked over to the door. And like a civilized person, he knocked on the door.

‘Excuse me, Twilight.’ said Invictus ‘You doing okay in there?’

‘Uh, sure.’ said Twilight from within ‘Could you come in here please?’

Invictus walked in after he opened the door. He then saw Twilight, thankfully both the shirt and pants, but she seemed to be having trouble with her pants.

‘Something wrong?’ asked Invictus.

‘I’m uh, having some trouble with this.’ said Twilight ‘You think you could…?’

‘Oh, sure, no problem.’ said Invictus as he walked over to her.

He stood close to her and helped her with her belt. As she looked down, she asked ‘Why would people even need these?’

‘In this world,’ said Invictus ‘The male and female would use them to keep their pants up in case they wanted to run or do something else. And the crueler humans on the other hand, would use the belts to spank their kids with it.’

‘What?’ said Twilight whilst she was shocked to hear that part ‘Why would they do that?’

‘Trust me when I say this;’ said Invictus, then looked at Twilight as he then said ‘You get a lot of sick people these days.’

After tying it up, Invictus was able to make sure to tie up her belt, but had to make sure that it wasn’t too tight, just right.

‘There you go,’ said Invictus ‘Now just put your socks on and I’ll be able to put your shoes on.’

Twilight nodded and sat down, allowing her to put her socks on. She placed her feet in the shoes, allowing Invictus to tie them up. She watched as he tied her shoes. It wasn’t too tight, but just right, then tied them again, then formed two rabbit holes around them, then pulled them, completing her shoe tying.

‘Aw, that’s so cute.’ said Twilight as she looked at the way the shoe laces were tied ‘They look like rabbit ears.’

Invictus couldn’t help but chuckle at her, which she noticed.

‘What?’ asked Twilight.

‘Forgive me,’ said Invictus as he smiled ‘It’s rare to spend time with someone who has a fascination in life. It’s really inspiring.’

Twilight blushed a bit, then ended up curling her hair with her index finger and smiled whilst she said ‘Oh uh, ahem, thank you.’

Invictus stood up and gestured at the door. ‘Lady’s first; only proper manners.’

Twilight still kept her blush, but she also kept her smile. She then stood up and headed for the door, with Invictus following her out.

After they got out, they walked towards the camp grounds, where most of the tourists had gathered. When all of a sudden…

‘Twilight?’ came a voice.

When they looked, the said girl was none other than Gloriosa. She seemed happy to see her, which confused Twilight. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you went on a cruise with Sunset?’

Before Twilight was going to say anything, Invictus cleared his throat, gaining Gloriosa’s attention, surprising her.

‘Oh, Invictus. I didn’t know you’d come out here. I thought you were at home?’ said Gloriosa.

‘I was, till I bumped into her.’ He gestured to Twilight. Before Gloriosa asked, he then said ‘Remember the geodes that you found in the cave?’

She was surprised that he remembered that. ‘Oh, uh, yes I do. Then the geodes went to Sunset and the others.’

Invictus gestured to Twilight as he said ‘This happens to be Princess Twilight. You know, Twilight’s other, where she happens to be a pony from Equestria. The same world where both Sunset and the magic geodes came from.’

Gloriosa was greatly surprised by this. ‘Really?’ she said. She smiled widely and went over to her and shook her hand. ‘Oh my gosh, it’s such a huge honor to meet you. Sunset told me so much about you.’

‘She did?’ said a surprised and also confused Twilight.

‘She did.’ said Gloriosa. She then suddenly looked sad and looked down, much to Twilight’s confusion again.

‘I owe your friends so much for what they did to Camp Everfree.’ said Gloriosa. ‘I’m sorry for misusing Equestrian magic to save my camp and turned into a monster.’

Twilight placed her hand on Gloriosa’s shoulder and said with a smile ‘It’s alright, I understand. You wanted to save a camp that meant so much to you. But you realize that you could’ve just asked for help in the first place.’

‘I know,’ said Gloriosa ‘But I was too embarrassed and ashamed to say anything. I just wanted them to experience the best time at the camp.’

She then looked at Twilight with a teary smile ‘But because of your friends, they saved it. I owe them so much, and you too.’

She then hugged Twilight and said ‘Thank you.’

Twilight hugged her back and smiled too whilst patted on Gloriosa’s back. After the hug broke, Gloriosa wiped her tear and asked ‘So what are you doing here?’

‘Oh, see,’ said Invictus ‘When she first set foot in this world, she didn’t explore much. She only explored bits and pieces of Canterlot City. So I offered to show her most of the world, to see what it has to offer.’

‘Wow, that’s so nice of you.’ said Gloriosa. Then she looked at Twilight and said ‘Well in that case Twilight. On behalf of myself and staff, welcome to camp Everfree.’

‘Thank you.’ said Twilight.

Invictus looked around and noticed someone wasn’t among them. He then looked at Gloriosa and asked ‘Where’s Timber Spruce?’

Gloriosa frowned a bit, and said ‘He uh, got arrested a while back.’

‘Wait, what?’ said Invictus, clearly surprised ‘Why?’

‘He uh, kind of made a mistake of going into the girls’ locker room at the beach when he wanted to surprise Twilight, but clearly didn’t think that she wasn’t there that day and ended up being called a pervert by a handful of woman and then got arrested.’

Invictus groaned loudly and said ‘Seriously? He knows better than doing that.’

‘That’s what I thought too.’ said Gloriosa.

‘Oh, wait.’ said Twilight whilst she realized something ‘But won’t you be understaffed?’

‘Oh, don’t worry,’ said Gloriosa whilst she reassured her ‘The last funding we got allowed us to hire more staff members on site. Now that all of them are here, camp has been going great so far.’

‘Oh, that’s good.’ said Twilight with a sigh of relief. ‘You shouldn’t overwork yourself. If you want, you could learn to take a break every once and a while.’

‘Oh, don’t worry, I will.’ said Gloriosa. ‘After what happened last time, I will.’

‘So,’ said Twilight as she was curious about the plans for Camp Everfree ‘What kind of camp activities are we doing here?’

Invictus whispered to Gloriosa and said ‘She hasn’t spent much time in the real world. She knows how to properly use her hands from time to time, but she doesn’t know how to do other stuff when it comes to simple activities.’

‘Ah, okay.’ said Gloriosa as she nodded in understanding. She then looked at Twilight and said ‘Don’t worry, if you have some trouble with any activity, we’ll be able to help you out.’

‘Oh, thank you.’ said Twilight.

‘No problem,’ said Gloriosa, whilst handing Twilight a schedule for Camp Everfree. ‘Here’s the morning schedules, as well as the one in the evening. At night, we’ll gather at the campfire for dinner. Feel free to look around in the meantime.’

‘Thank you Gloriosa.’ said Twilight. As Gloriosa left, Twilight looked over at the schedules.

‘Anything you want to do?’ Invictus asked Twilight.

Twilight thought about something, then looked at Invictus ‘Actually there is. Do you happen to know where the cave where the geodes were found?’

‘Sure do,’ said Invictus ‘But first.’

He then pulled out what appeared to be a different kind of belt, as well as a few walking sticks. He tied the belt around Twilight, and handed her a stick. She was curious about them, then looked at Invictus with a flexed eyebrow, which he noticed.

‘It’s gonna be a long walk from here.’ said Invictus ‘The bottle on the left of your belt happens to hold your water can. Don’t want you to dehydrate. And the fanny pack on the right happens to hold a couple of snacks in there. Namely some apples and a candy bar called “Apple Yum-Bo’s”.’

Twilight cocked her eyebrow at the mention of that candy bar.

‘Trust me, they’re really good.’ said Invictus whilst he reassured her. ‘They’re also from the healthy variety.’

‘Okay then,’ said Twilight ‘Lead the way.’

Invictus nodded in response, allowing him to walk, with Twilight not far behind. As they walked, Invictus was able to stick to a forest path that would allow them to easily find their way back without having to worry about getting lost. Twilight looked around and was fascinated by the forest around her, whilst Invictus was busy taking some photos for her. Twilight noticed what he was doing.

‘Uh, what are you doing?’ said Twilight whilst she flexed an eyebrow at him.

‘Oh, taking some pictures.’ said Invictus ‘I figured that you’d like some memories to remember, so I decided to take some pictures for you so that look back at this, maybe even take notes on the references and differences between this world and Equestria.’

Twilight smiled at his thoughtfulness, for that was something she would definitely do, if she knew how to use a camera. Granted she may know how to use her magic from Equestria, but she can’t operate one with her hands.

‘Oh, thank you.’ said Twilight, then she looked around and said ‘You know, now that you mention it, there are some parts of this place that reminds me of the Everfree forest.’

‘Without the Timber Wolves, Manticor, Roc birds, or poison jokes?’ said Invictus.

‘That’s right.’ said Twilight, until she blushed and thought about her embarrassing moment back then. ‘Back when I was still a unicorn, we thought that a zebra named Zacora was evil. Technically, I was the only one with any sense to see she wasn’t a threat, until they dragged me into this when we got infected by Poison Joke. It made my horn all floppy whilst they were covered with polka dots.’

‘You’re lucky,’ said Invictus ‘My experience was extremely painful.’

‘Really?’ said Twilight with an arched eyebrow ‘What happened?’

‘Let’s just say,’ said Invictus as he was embarrassed by the ordeal ‘I burped bubbles and farted fire.’

Twilight stared at him with an open jaw and wide eyes, the fire part was what caught her attention.

‘You? Farted fire?’ said Twilight as she was partially in disbelief.

‘My mother took pictures.’ said Invictus through his mumbles, which surprised Twilight.

‘So uh,’ said Twilight, desperately trying to change the subject ‘What happened after you exposed Top Jewel.’

He looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, bug shrugged his shoulders as he said ‘After he got exposed, he was arrested, along with other conspirators from both Equestria and the other kingdoms. I was the youngest for receiving an award for special services of Equestria.’

‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘You were quite the investigator.’

‘Let’s just say it’s what I’m hoping to become once I graduate.’ said Invictus ‘I have a habit of seeing the impossible and find clues that no one else would do.’

‘Like a private eye?’ asked Twilight.

‘In a way,’ said Invictus as he thought about it ‘But I’d be working alongside Law Enforcement rather than crossing lines.’

‘Smart thinking.’ said Twilight.

She then stepped on a lose stone, which nearly made her trip. Thankfully, Invictus saw that and quickly went over to grab her before she fell. He held her close to make sure she would be alright, whilst she placed her hands on his chest as if she was suddenly scared out of her mind.

‘Whoa, you okay?’ asked Invictus.

‘Yeah, I’m good.’ said Twilight ‘I must’ve stepped on a lose stone or something.’

‘It happens.’

The two of them looked at one another, and were suddenly surprised. For they were holding one another close, which caused Twilight’s cheeks to show a faint blush. As did Invictus.

Both of them slowly let one another go, whilst they felt awkward at the same time, with Invictus rubbing the back of his head.

‘Uh, sorry about that.’ said Invictus as he apologized.

‘No, no, it’s fine.’ said Twilight as she chuckled nervously ‘I should’ve seen where I was going.’

‘No, it’s cool.’ said Invictus. He then looked to his right and said ‘Oh look, there’s the cave.’

Twilight noticed it and said ‘Oh, so it is.’, causing her to move forward in order not to feel any more awkward about this.

Invictus then sighed, then groaned in frustration. He couldn’t believe he screwed it up so badly. But then again, he didn’t want to rush it. He watched her from afar since the day she came to CHS, but to actually spend some time with her. It felt amazing for some reason.

But as he watched her walk, he noticed how beautiful she looked. Though he sometimes sees her as a pony or a human, it didn’t matter what he’d think, she’s still amazing. With him muttering ‘She’s perfect.’

He then shook his head to snap himself out of it, allowing him to go after her to make sure she didn’t hurt herself.

As he was inside, Twilight was busy looking all over the place. She was amazed by the crystals inside.

‘Wow.’ said Twilight whilst she observed the place. ‘I never realized that this place looked so beautiful.’

‘It sure is.’ said Invictus. He guided Twilight towards a crystallized pedestal. He showed it to her and said ‘This was where Gloriosa found the geodes. When Sunset and the others arrived, they could feel the magic here.’

Twilight walked over to it and placed her right hand on top of the pedestal. She suddenly began to sprout wings, which surprised Invictus. ‘It may be faint,’ said Twilight once she opened her eyes whilst she observed the place ‘But I can definitely sense Equestrian Magic here.’

She heard Invictus clear his throat, which made Twilight look at him. He pointed at her wings, which surprised her the moment she looked at them. ‘Whoa, that’s new.’

Invictus tilted his head and looked at both her and her wings. ‘Huh…’ said Invictus.

Twilight noticed he was looking at her and asked ‘What?’

He cleared his throat, looked at her and said ‘I know that back in Equestria, wings are natural for all creatures. But here, whilst you have them now…it kind of makes you look like an angel.’

Twilight was a little surprised by that, as well as a little blush. At the same time, the wings faded away. Invictus looked at his watch and said ‘Oh, we’d better get back. We still have some activities to do.’. He gestured at the exit and asked ‘Ready to head back?’

Twilight was still reeling in on what Invictus called her earlier, but she shook her head and cleared her throat whilst she said ‘Uh, sure, of course.’

As they walked out of the cave and walked back, Invictus asked ‘So, I know you just started to travel, but what did you think of your first road trip travel?’

‘Oh, it’s wonderful.’ said Twilight ‘Seeing the rest of the world for the first time besides the city, it feels so great. I just don’t know where to go next.’

‘And along the way,’ said Invictus ‘On this journey, you never may know which friend you’ll meet next.’

Twilight looked at him surprised, with him noticing. ‘I mean think about it, you’ve made tons of friends back in Equestria. But just think about who else you’d meet along the way. You already met your friends and half of the Equestrians’ human counterparts, imagine who else you’ll find along the way.’

Twilight thought about it, and said ‘Well, it would be interesting to meet them.’

And at the same time, as he walked (And music began to play at the background, which is common in every story. Sorry for breaking the fourth wall.), he then said ‘And just think, the moment you do, you’ll be able to reach your hooves/hands to others who could use a friend along the way. And pretty soon, you’ll say…’

As he took two steps, he began to sing.

Tell everybody I’m on my way

Twilight was surprised by the sudden tune he was in.

New friends and new places to see

He took a step on a large rock whilst he pointed at the sky

With blue skies ahead yes

I’m on my way

And there’s nowhere else

That I’d rather be

He took another step down and walked next to her.

Tell everybody I’m on my way

He then walked like a goofball.

And I’m loving every step I take

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at Invictus’ antics, then he stood next to her and held her close whilst he pointed his walking stick at the sky

With the sun beating down yes

I’m on my way

Invictus then walked backwards whilst he showed the smile on his face.

And I can’t keep this smile off my face…

He suddenly yelped as he fell backwards in a puddle, with him making a pouty face whilst spitting out the water, making Twilight laugh even louder.

They were then near a river stream with rocks on top.

Cause there’s nothing like seeing

He then skipped on some of the rocks playfully, until he was on the other side.

Each other again

He gestured Twilight

No matter what the distances between

Twilight was able to skip across, until Invictus caught her, which she smiled at the kind gesture, allowing Invictus to guide her back to the camp.

And the stories that we tell

Will make you smile

Oh it really lifts my heart

As they walked down the path, Twilight began to dance a bit as she was now feeling it.

So tell ‘em all I’m on my way

She then pointed at the people whilst she waved to them with a smile, and them smiling back, returning the gesture.

New friends and new places to see

As they made it to the campsite, the stars slowly began to shine whilst the sun began to set.

And to sleep under the stars

Who could ask for more

Twilight pointed at the moon as it began to rise on cue.

With the moon keeping watch over me

Invictus then came out, holding both a piece of snow, and poured water out of a watering can.

Not the snow, not the rain

Can change my mind

Twilight came out with a picture of the sun, whilst also feeling the cool wind in her face

The sun will come out, wait and see

And the feeling of the wind in your face

They stood near one another as they sang.

Can liftyour heart

Oh there’s nowhere I would rather be

They walked towards where the campers were going, no doubt for the night dinner that Gloriosa’s helpers were going to make.

Cause I’m on my way

Well and truly

I’m onmy way

They soon joined many others who were at the camp, all who were sitting around as the fire was made.

(I’m on my way now)

(I’m on my way now)

At the campsite, and with the stars shining so bright, many people began to sit around, with Invictus playing on what appeared to be a guitar. As the food was being cooked, Invictus and Twilight began to sing to entertain the people as the food was being prepared.

Tell everybodyI’m on my way

And I just can’t waitto be there

With blue skies ahead yes

I’m on my way

And nothing butgood times to share

Everyone clapped their hands when they saw the two singing, especially Gloriosa, who was enjoying the sight as her helpers were helping her cook the stew for tonight.

So tell everybodyI’m on my way

And I just can’twait to be home

With the sunbeating down yes

I’m on my way

And nothing butgood times to show

I’m on my way

Yes, I’m on my way

After the song, the two of them couldn’t help but laugh. Watching Twilight smile, it felt really good. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw her having a great time.

‘Alright everyone,’ said Gloriosa ‘Food’s ready.’

Sure enough, the food was passed to the rest of the campers as the helpers dished and handed the food to them, with Invictus handing Twilight her bowl.

At first she seemed a bit nervous when she saw meat in it. Invictus, remembering that she hadn’t eaten other kinds of food when she visited last time, decided to fill her in.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Invictus, gaining her attention as she looked at him ‘I felt the same way too after I got back.’

‘How do you cope with it?’ asked Twilight.

‘It’s like this,’ said Invictus as he explained things to her ‘When I went to Equestria, I craved for something meaty, which I secretly took with me at one time. But when I ate it, I ended up losing my lunch. It was then I realized that our physiologies are a bit different from other races. When Pony kind in general tends to eat meat, well you know what happens. But as a human, you’ll be able to digest any food.’

‘Any food?’ asked Twilight with one eyebrow raised.

‘Except,’ said Invictus as he pointed something else out ‘In this case, if you’re allergic to them.’

Twilight took another look at the food, not feeling so sure. But if what he said was true, her human body should be able to handle it. She used her fork and gently jabbed it in the meat, lifted it up, whilst also noticing that it was kind of greasy.

‘Is it…always like this?’ asked Twilight.

‘Some foods,’ said Invictus ‘Sometimes they overdo the sauce of the food, but sometimes they add a tasty sensation to it. Just uh…make sure that you eat over your bowl, don’t want any sauce to mess on your shirt.’

‘Why no…?’ asked Twilight, until she remembered how Rarity one time threw a hissy fit of clothes being a mess. And the fact that you couldn’t get a greasy oil stain removed from your clothes, send her into an ice cream bender for a week, making her shudder, and eventually saying ‘You know what, never mind.’

She then ate over the bowl as she placed the meat in her mouth. She carefully began to chew on it, hoping that what Invictus had said to her was true. To her surprise, and soon her delight, it tasted heavenly, causing her to murmur in approval.

‘You see?’ said Invictus when he realized that she was smiling and enjoying the food.

‘Wow, I never knew it tasted so good.’ said Twilight as she took another bite. ‘What kind of meat is it?’

‘Ox,’ said Invictus ‘You wouldn’t believe the amazing stew they make out of it. Although I did try that one stew, which I was so disgusted I didn’t want to eat anything without making sure it wasn’t in any of the meat.’

‘What’s that?’ asked Twilight.

‘Horse meat.’ said Invictus blankly.

Twilight nearly spat her food out in shock and looked at him. ‘They eat horses?’ asked Twilight, clearly freaked out.

‘Yeah trust me,’ said Invictus ‘Don’t know what the heck they were thinking for doing something like that. Which is why I always double ask and double make sure that there aren’t any in it. You wouldn’t believe what my mom did when she protested against something like that.’

‘She took it to City Hall?’ said Twilight, clearly wondering what his mother thought, considering that she was born a pony from Equestria.

‘Yeah, and she won,’ said Invictus with a prideful smile ‘And since then, all horse meat was banned from Canterlot City, and no store would think twice about ordering them.’

‘And Camp Everfree?’ asked Twilight.

‘Oh, it became part of Canterlot City’s property ever since they made it into a national monument.’ said Gloriosa with a prideful smile ‘Apparently the mayor used to come to Camp Everfree since she was little, and she gained a lot of good memories here. Which is why I was so happy that Filthy Rich won’t make any attempts to take this land for himself.’

Twilight was surprised to hear this, with Invictus saying to her ‘In Equestria, Filthy Rich is a reasonable being. This world’s one however is a jerk, who couldn’t care less of what other people think.’

‘Wow,’ said Twilight ‘Same individuals, different personalities.’

‘Got that right.’ said Invictus.

Through the next hour or so, Invictus and Twilight continued to talk whilst they also tried to enjoy their meal at the same time. They even shared a few laughs every now and then.

After the meals, they decided to turn in. Twilight and Invictus already had their own PJs on as the two of them were getting ready for bed.

‘I hope you liked your outing Princess.’ said Invictus.

‘Oh, I did.’ said Twilight as she smiled whilst sitting on her bed ‘Now I see why Sunset and the others liked the place. If the camp and forest are this beautiful, I can’t wait to see what the rest of the world is like. Where are we going next?’

‘Remember the place where Applejack’s cousin Braeburn lives?’ asked Invictus.

‘Wait, Appaloosa?’ asked Twilight as she looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. ‘Back in Equestria, it’s at least a train ride away from Ponyville. Isn’t far from here?’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Invictus as he waved off her worries ‘I’ll go over things in the morning. In the meantime, you just get some rest.’

‘Okay Invictus,’ said Twilight, causing her to yawn and slowly lie down on the bed ‘I can’t wait to see what it looks like when we’re there though.’

‘Trust me,’ said Invictus ‘You’re gonna love it there.’

He then walked over to take a bottled water out of the fridge. ‘You want some water before you…?’

When he turned around, he saw that Twilight was already fast asleep. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her. He walked over to her and gave her a light kiss on the forehead and said ‘Sleep well Princess. Sleep well.’

Sure enough, Invictus went back to bed, for tomorrow, will be another good experience for her.

Author's Note

Sorry, I just had to do a Phil Collins song, one of my favorites for years.