Camping, Brony style

“Wow!” A.J. exclaimed. They all stood on the edge of the waterfall, looking at the sparkling lake 20 or so feet below.

It was a very small waterfall, pony-sized if you will.

The fleeting water left the stone smooth, much of that of a waterslide. The current snaked down the stone and left room for a 10-foot drop into the crystal-clear lake.

“Dusk Shine, this is amazing!” A.J. said in awe.

“And it’s so close to the camp,” Twilight added. “How long DID it take you to plan this trip?” she nudged him playfully. He blushed at their praise.

“Come on guys, you’re embarrassing me…” he mumbled, sheepishly dragging a hoof along the smooth stone.

“Ah, for one think you did a great job. Ah’m all for modesty sugarcube, but you outta be pretty proud of yourself.” Applejack said as she scruffed up his hair. The ponies all voiced their approval in unison as Dusk smiled bashfully. Below, Rarity bathed in a secluded area in the lake, occluded by bushes and shrubs.

“Yes darling, this place marvelous!” she called over the uproar of the waterfall.

“Dusk Shine!” Elusive called from below. “To the right of you, there is a tree. It looks like it could fall at any moment.” At the head of the fall, a lean tree hung on the edge of the water, swaying at the mercy of the vicious current.

“I’m afraid one of you might be harmed,” Elusive called. “You must come down from there.”

“Elusive, it’ll be fine.” Blitz said, waving off the absurd notion. “It’s not going to fall anytime soon. Just so long nopony messes with it.”

“WHEEE!”

Just as soon Blitz finished his sentence, a bubbly cheer came in the direction of the plummeting tree. Bubble Berry hung upside down off a low hanging branch, bouncing with his usual enthusiasm as Pinkie shook the tree with her forelegs.

“What are you doing?!” Dusk exclaimed. The two froze with gravity defying positions with Berry in mid bounce and Pinkie leaning back for another push.

“What?” they asked in unison.

“Where you two NOT listening just now?” he scolded. “That tree is. Dangerous. Leave it alone!”

The two snorted with discontent as they hopped off the tree, shaking it closer the ground.

“We’ll be fine, Elusive.” Dusk Shine shouted back. Elusive gave a curt nod before rejoining with Rarity, having finishing her luxurious soak, and headed for the single path that led out of the lake.

“We’re going to head back to check on Butterscotch and Fluttershy.” Elusive called over his shoulder. “Hopefully, they’ve gotten over their little ordeal…” he muttered as they disappeared behind the thick growth around the lake.

“Well, enough with all the chit chat, let’s party!” Berry shouted. He popped underneath Pinkie, hoisting her up with a mischievous smile. And, head first, he dove for the start of the waterfall. Screams of fear and excitement rose above the roar of the ‘fall, ending in a *splash

They all peeked over the edge as Pinkie resurfaced, taking a gasp of air.

“Come on, guys! The water’s great!” she splashed around playfully, completely oblivious to the dark pink mane ominous rising out of the water.

“RAWWR!” Berry pounced on Pinkie’s back, dragging her back underwater. The two reemerged moments later, laughing. Pinkie started making her escape, slowly backing away for the shore. But Berry caught on quickly and chased after her. The ponies all backed away from the edge, listening to the laughter below.

“They must be crazy…” Twilight said with a wary smile. And like that, a double rainbow flashed in front of their eyes. Blitz and Dash stood at the lead of the ‘fall.

“And so am I!” they proclaimed in unison. They two blinked at each other.

“What are YOU doing?” Blitz challenged.

“Sliding down the slide FIRST!”  Dash said quickly before leaping for the start of the slide. But her hind legs were caught in the air before she could hit the slide.

“No. Your. NOT!” Blitz shouted with effort as he pulled her away. He tried darting ahead of her, but she bit on his tail, anchoring herself on the ground.

“Yesh. Iah. AM!” she shouted into his tail. The two fought for the first ride, pulling manes and biting legs, until A.J. stopped them.

“Enough!” A.J. barked. The pegasi stopped.

“Now, ya’ll ain’t gonna be fightin’ like this all week!” he stomped.

“Rainbow Blitz, let Dash, here, go first.” Applejack asked kindly.

“And WHY should I do that?” Blitz snorted.

“It would be the gentlecoltly thing to do.”

Blitz opened his mouth in protest, but thought better of it.

At the same time, a spine-chilling smile crept on his face.

“OK, Applejack.” He backed away from the mouth of the waterfall. “Go ahead, Rainbow Dash.” He said with a gentlecoltly bow. His smile began to grow more sinister. Dash opened her wings in defiance as she pasted a still bowing Rainbow Blitz, nose in the air.

She stood tall at the highest point in the area, looking over everything and everyone.

It was her proudest moment. (Today anyway…)

But just as she was about to push off, Blitz pushed her. He smiled mischievously at she hung in the air for a moment. But that smile soon vanished as Dash grabbed onto his hoof, yanking him from the safety of the cliff.

The two plummeted down the slide, screaming in fear as they surpassed the 10 foot slide and just dropped down, apparently their ability to fly evaded them. They clung onto one another for dear life as they hit the water, resurfacing in each other’s arms.

Again, the ponies watched it all from the edge.

“Woah.” Twilight said in bewilderment.

“Twilight!” Dusk Shine stood at the start off the fall, looking enthusiastic.

“Wanna go down with me?”

Twilight blushed. “O-ok.” She left A.J. and Applejack and joined Dusk Shine at the mouth of the slide. Together, they sat at the start. Under the current, Dusk Shine found loose lodgments for his hind legs. He wrapped a hoof around her waist to keep her from starting prematurely, but Twilight couldn’t suppress the blush as his hoof pulled her closer.

“Ready?”

Twilight nodded reluctantly. Dusk Shine lifted his hind legs and, in an instant, they were swept away with the current. Their screams faded away into the distance, ending in a splash.

That just left A.J. and Applejack.

Below, Pinkie and Berry’s laughter could still be heard above the roar of the waterfall, along with Dusk & Twilight’s splashing and Blitz and Dash’s arguing.

A.J. gulped. “Hey, uh Applejack. ‘Suppose ya’ll want to ride down this here ‘fall, do you?” He scratched his mane awkwardly.

“With me?”

“You ready?” A.J. asked. Applejack squeezed her hooves around his waist and shoulders as she rode, piggyback style, on his back.

“Eeyup.” She smiled. He lifted his legs out of the water and they soon found themselves being swept away by the raging water.

The sun had fallen behind the horizon, decorating the sky with hues of red and gold. The roar of the waterfall could still be heard from the campsite. Crickets and beetles chirped their pretty song as the fire danced in the moonlight. The twigs cracked in protest as Twilight dropped them into the fire. She sputtered out the horrid taste the twigs left in her mouth as she took her seat by the fire. She rested her head behind her hooves, just barely peeking over them.

She watched Elusive and Rarity snuggle warmly by the fire. Their horns glowed brilliant shades of blue as the several apple slice skewers rotated slowly above the fire. One of the skewers grew dark than the rest as it levitated back to them. One slice twisted itself off the stick and dunked itself into the tub of caramel by Elusive. Elusive blew on the apple before it popped itself into Rarity’s mouth. Rarity moaned in delight as she rolled the treat in her mouth, savoring every bite.

A few feet away, Butterscotch and Fluttershy had finally worked up the courage to sit by one another. Fluttershy spook softly with a blush, still thanking him for finding her no doubt. She leaned onto his small frame, and after a pause of hesitation, she nuzzled him gently. His wings popped out of their resting positions, frozen in the air. His cheeks turned a dark shade of red as he looked at her with disbelief and blissfulness.

Twilight sighed as she watched them with envy.

‘I wish I had something like that…’

A large clash of metal and a fap of fabric pulled Twilight out of her thought and looked toward the rear of the camp. Dusk Shine sat in the middle of a heap of rods and fabric, smiling sheepishly at A.J. and Rainbow Blitz. Twilight could just make out A.J. and Blitz’s angered expressions inn the distant glow of the fire.

“What are you doing?” Blitz shouted. Dusk lifted himself out of the mess, shaking the dust off his lavender coat. “I was holding the center rod, like you told me,” he said with a hint of defiance.

“Clearly not. If you were holding it, the tent would be standing by now.” Blitz said angrily.

“But I WAS holding it!” The two colts argued amongst themselves, disrupting the peace.

“Alright you two, cool it,” A.J. said as he pushed between them. “We’ll just do it again.”

“We’ve been working on this tent for hours!” Blitz complained. “It’s obviously defective but you insist on using this one.”

“We only have five tents, Blitz. We need all of them to sleep in.” Dusk explained.

“Well, whoever sleeping in this one can sleep on the ground tonight.” Blitz scoffed as he tossed the fabric over his shoulder and headed for the warmth of the fire.

“Well, I guess you’ll be sleeping outside tonight.” A.J. said smugly. Blitz froze.

“WHAT?!”

“This is your tent, Blitz. You brought this tent from home, so you got to sleep in it.” Dusk said matter-of-fact-ly. Blitz groaned as he stalked his way back to the tent.

After several minutes of failed attempts, Blitz groaned aloud again.

“I’m done! I’d rather sleep on the ground.” Blitz crossed his hooves over his chest with a pout.

Twilight rolled her eyes and put her magic to good use. The rods all rose off the ground and into the air, aligning themselves in different positions. The fabric floated above the assembly, allowing the rods to slide into it’s slots before gently setting itself down. Four stakes levitated  off the ground and shot for the holes in the tent, pinning it down.

“Woah, thanks Twi.” Blitz said with appreciation. The boys joined the others by the fire, which had already began eating. A.J. sat by Applejack and Dash, handing him an apple kabob. Blitz settled in beside Elusive and Rarity, who pay him no mined as they were lost in each other’s eyes once again, making him gag.

Dusk Shine sat by Twilight, making her heart flutter.

“Some day, huh?” Dusk said, turning to Twilight with a mouth half full of apple slices and caramel.

“Yeah, it was something.” She pulled her last slice off the skewer and dunked it into the tub of caramel next to her.

“The waterfall was the best part.”

“Aw yeah, that was the best. Maybe tomorrow we can go hang out by the lake tomorrow.” Dusk smiled. Twilight blushed. “We?”

“Yeah, A.J., Elusive, and I are going to hold a tournament of chicken fight and I sorta need a partner.”

“I would love to play,” Twilight started. “But I don’t even know what ‘chicken fight’ is.”

“It’s like wrestling. The first pony gets on the second pony’s shoulders. Then first pony wrestles with another team’s first player. The first team to knock over the other wins.” Dusk explained sticking more apple slices in his mouth.

“I guess I could…” Twilight said uneasily.

“Great! Thanks!” Dusk Shine smiled warmly. He yawned with a large stretch and rub of the eye.

“Guess it’s about time we hit the hay, huh?” With a grunt, he forced himself up off the ground. “It’s about time we go to bed guys.” The ponies mummered in agreement and began heading off to the six tents. Blitz trotted hastily to Dusk Shine’s side.

“Dusk, do I HAVE to share a tent with HER?” he asked, pointing at Rainbow Dash, who dumped a bucket of water over the fire.

Dusk looked at him in confusing. “What makes you think you’ll be sleeping with a girl?”

“Well, aren’t WE sharing a tent?” Twilight asked.

“What? NO!” Dusk shouted with a blush. “I already made the sleeping arrangements. No colt is sleeping in the same tent with a mare.”

“Well, you might want to tell them that…” Twilight said pointing at the ponies. Elusive held open the entrance to one tent for Rarity. Beside that tent, A.J. emerged into the tent with Applejack waiting patiently behind. The shadows of Pinkie and Berry bounced around the tent accompanied by giggles and snickers. Fluttershy and Butterscotch blushed madly at the foot of the tent, too embarrassed to make a move.

“STOP!”

The ponies all stopped and looked at a red faced Dusk Shine.

“You guys KNOW your not going to sleep like that.”

Elusive scoffed. “Dusk Shine, don’t be such a stick in the mud.” He nudged Rarity into their chosen tent as he continued. “It will be fine. No one will know so don’t worry about it.” Rarity giggled inside the tent as Elusive entered, chortling seductively. Dusk’s horn flashes a quick purple and Rarity and Elusive reappeared outside. Everyone stared wide-eyed as they saw the two unicorns’ current positions. Rarity laid on her back while Elusive kissed her stomach, trailing up to her neck. The two froze in shock when they realized they were, again outside.

“I think I should be worried.” Dusk Shine said flatly. The two scrambled off one another, blushing.

“I-I-I see you point.” Elusive stammered quietly.

A.J. stared up at the fabric ceiling, lost in thought. The fireflies hummed softly in the jar beside Elusive, dancing their nighttime waltz. Elusive pulled his sleeping mask over his eyes and stretched his hooves.

“Goodnight  A.J.” the suit-maker yawned.

“Elusive, can Ah ask you somethin’?” A.J. asked with a distraught tone. Elusive lifted his mask.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. A.J. rolled away from him.

“I-I-I don’t know. All day I’ve had this funny feeling in mah stomach. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Are you sick?”

“Naw.”

Elusive rubbed a hoof on his chin, already accumulating a morning peach fuzz.

“Tell me…were you with anypony when this feeling?” He eyed A.J. with a mischievous gleam. A.J. turned back to him, leaning on his forelegs.

“What are you getting-,” Then it hit him. “No! It’s not even like that!” he shouted with a blush.

“Oh, come now A.J. You know, just as well as I, that the funny feeling you’re experiencing is love.” Elusive waved him off.

“If Ah were in love, I would know it.” A.J. said defiantly.

“Ok, suit yourself.” Elusive said, pulling his mask over his eyes. “Goodnight.”

The cicadas chirped fitfully outside along with the crickets and grasshoppers. A.J. listened to their empty music as he laid there in silence. Elusive snored softly beside him, muttering a few words here and there.

“Could Ah really be in love with her?” he said softly. “Ah mean, she’s ok, I guess. She’s easy on the eye, that’s for sure…” he chuckled. His smile soon dropped as he continued to talk out loud. “Aw, but she wouldn’t want anything to do with me. ‘Probably has some fancy-shmancy boyfriend back home that Ah don’t even know about.” A.J. sighed at his conclusion.

He rolled over in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, welcoming a well-earned rest.

“Applejack probably didn’t even care about me…”

Soon, A.J. became to snore.

A smile crept on to Elusive’s face.

“Applejack, huh? A.J., you silly colt…”