Sorry it's took so long, I've been ill lately. Stuff that involve scratching, painfully bad skin, and a blood test. It's kinda an ugly story.

Anyway, the votes are in. 11 people like watching new episodes on YouTube, while 4 people like to watch them when they air for the first time.

I get why you like it on YouTube, but remember everypony! The shows popularity grows by the number of people who watch it on TV. If we want to see a Season 4, we need to get as many people watching the new episodes on TV as possible.

I can't do this, because I live in Britain and we don't get The Hub. So I have to watch new episodes on YouTube.

So here's something you can do. Watch each new episode on TV when it airs, then watch it as many times as you want on YouTube.

This is a suggestion, but it will help Season 3 become as popular as the last 2 seasons.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter! (Warning: long chapter…again)

Chapter 32: Camp Spring

It's been 2 weeks since I started filling in for Miss Cheerilee after she broke her leg in an accident…mostly caused by me.

Cheerilee is out of the hospital, but she's wearing a cast on her leg in a wheelchair. She's still not fit to teach again yet, but she's getting better.

Over those weeks, the kids and I have grown a connection. They really like me teaching them, and I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would.

Ponyville Schoolhouse

It was nearly the end of the day, I was teaching the kids about animals and how different types survive their environment.

I was standing in front of the calk-board with a picture of different animals drawn on it with calk. All the kids watch me as I talked.

"Ok, lizards are cold-blooded, so they need to stay in a hot environment to stay alive. Creatures like frogs are amphibian, meaning they can stay underwater longer than normal animals can. Any questions?" I asked the kids.

The room was silent until Applebloom raised her hoof. "Yeah, Applebloom?" I asked.

"Yeah, I've got a question about my pigs. One time, two pigs went into their pen and the female stayed in there for months. And when she finally came out, there was a smaller pig with her. How'd that happen?" Applebloom asked innocently.

I knew exactly how it happened, but I couldn't tell her about stuff like that just yet. I stared at her in silence before I spoke. "Errr….sorry, that's a different class."

"This is the only class." Silver Spoon stated with a raised eye brow.

I rolled my eyes before I looked over to her. "Different school, then." I responded.

I then looked back at Applebloom. "Sorry, Applebloom. But that's probably a question you should ask your sister or brother. I don't think I'm allowed to tell you those kind of things." I said.

Applebloom then nodded in agreement.

Just then, the bell rang and it was time for me and the kids to go home. "Alright, kids. As always, enjoy the rest of your day and remember to gather all your things for the camping trip tomorrow!" I announced.

All the kids then jumped off their stools before they made their way over to the exit, with me following them.

Later: Ponyville Streets

After saying goodbye to the kids and locking up the school, I was carrying Applebloom back to Sweet Apple Arches. These days, she liked it when I did.

It was peaceful in the streets, there weren't many ponies walking around as usual. It was nice to have a quiet day for a change.

Just then, I heard Applebloom yawn from my back. A smile came on my face as I felt her lie her head down on my mane. "Tired, Applebloom?" I asked.

Applebloom raised her head up off my mane and yawned again. "Yeah, today kinda wore me out." She said with a sleepy look in her eyes.

I knew how she felt, school use to tire me out all the time back in England. I turned my head around to face her and gave her a sweet smile. "Well, you take a short nap! I'll handle getting you home."

Applebloom smiled warmly at me. "Thanks, Matt." she said before she laid her head back down on my mane and closed her eyes.

As she fell asleep, I continued walking to Sweet Apple Arches.

Sweet Apple Arches

Later that evening, I arrived at Sweet Apple Arches and Applebloom was fast asleep on my back.

I walked up to the front door of the Apple Family's house and knocked on the door with my hoof.

After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Applejack. Once she saw it was me, she smiled. "Well howdy there, Matt. bringin' back Applebloom as usual?" She asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, she fell asleep on the way here." I said before I turned my body around so she could see Applebloom sleeping on my back.

Applejack smiled sweetly at her sleeping sister. "Aww…ain't that just the cutest thing?" she said before she walked up to her.

Applejack then gently poked Applebloom with her hoof. "Applebloom…wake up." she said quietly.

Applebloom then slowly blinked her eyes open before she yawned. She then noticed Applejack before she turned her head to face me. "Matt?...are we here already?...that was fast."

I smiled at her. "You fell asleep, maybe you should take a nap." I suggested.

Applebloom slowly nodded before she slipped off my back and passed Applejack to go inside her house. "Remember to get your things ready for tomorrow!" I called.

Applebloom looked back at me as she approached the first step of the stairs. "I will, thanks for bringin' me home again, Matt." she said with a kind smile before she made her way up the stairs.

Once she was upstairs, Applejack gave me a thankful smile. "Thanks for that, Matt. I don't know why, but she likes it when you walk her home these days."

I shrugged. "I don't get it either, but I like doing it. She's been like this ever since my first day, it might have something to do with me helping her when she hurt her knee."

"I figured as much. Matt, I want ya to do somethin' for me when ya'all on this campin' trip." Applejack said seriously.

"Ok, what is it?" I asked curiously.

"I want ya to take good care of my sister and her friends! Campin' can have its dangerous moments; I'm depending on ya to protect my sister." Applejack said in a firm voice.

I gave Applejack a serious look. "I'll protect her like she was my own daughter." I said.

"Thanks, Matt. I'll make sure she has all her things ready for tomorrow." Applejack said calmly with a smile.

I smiled back. "Ok, see ya tomorrow, Applejack." I said before I turned around and started making my way towards the farms exit.

"See ya, Matt." I headed Applejack call from behind me as I kept walking.

I then walked out of the farm before I flapped my wings and took off into the sky; I flew back to the library to spend the rest of the day with Twilight.

The next day: Schoolhouse

Luckily, it was a warm sunny day for our trip. I was standing in the playground with all the kids as we waited for the right time to go.

All the kids had saddle-bags and camping-bags on their backs as they talked amongst each other. I also had my saddle-bag and I had a camping-bag.

It was nearly time to go. Just then, I felt a small hoof tap my left front leg. I turned my head to see Pipsqueak standing beside me. "Err, Mr Matthew, can I ask you something?" he asked politely.

I smiled down at him. "Sure, what is it, Pip?"

He rubbed his hoof against the ground with an unsure look on his face. "Are you sure a camping trip is safe? What if one of us gets lost in the woods, or something?" he asked with slight worry.

I gave him a warm smile as I placed my hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Pip! I'll look after all of you." I said calmly.

"…Ok, Mr Matthew. I trust you." Pip said with a small smile.

"Thanks, Pip. Now go and join your friends! It's almost time to go." I said before Pip walked away to join up with a small group of other kids.

After a few minutes, it was finally time to go to the train station. "Alright, everypony. It's time to go, everyone form a group and stay close to me." I called.

With that, all the kids gathered up around me. They all looked excited, the only ones who weren't showing much excitement were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I wasn't very surprised.

Once I saw that everyone was together, I knew we were finally ready. "Alright, let's get going." I said cheerfully.

"YAAAAY." Most of the kids cheered as we began to walk out of the school grounds.

Once we were out of the school grounds, we headed into town to go to the train station.

A few minutes later: Ponyville Train station

After a short walk, we all reached the train station. I was glad that the kids behaved themselves on the way here, they always were good.

"This is gonna be awesome, I've been waiting for this day for a long time." Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, I'm so excited. What're you gonna do there, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I've brought my scuba-diving suit so I can go diving in the lake, who knows what could be at the bottom." Scootaloo said.

"I'm gonna see what kind of things I can find in the woods, there's so many things you can find in there." Sweetie Belle said.

"Well, I can't wait for it to get dark. Things always get better at night, like when we tell the ghost stories during the camp fire." Applebloom said.

"G-Ghost stories?...I don't know, I kinda get scared when someone tells a ghost story." Sweetie Belle said in a slightly frightened voice.

"Oh come on, Sweetie Belle! They're just stories, they're not real." Scootaloo stated with her arm around Sweetie Belle's shoulders.

Applebloom walked up to them with a comforting smile. "Yeah, there ain't nothin' to be afraid of." She stated.

"That's what you think, but all forests have some sort of danger." A voice said coldly.

The girls looked in the direction the voice came from to see Diamond Tiara with a mean smirk on her face.

"What are you talking about, Diamond Tiara?" Scootaloo asked with a glare.

Diamond Tiara walked up to them. "Look at you three! You think camping is fun? HA, more like a disaster waiting to happen. Don't you know that every year many ponies go missing during camping trips?"

"T-That's not true, you're makin' that up." Applebloom said.

Diamond Tiara turned her head to face her. "No, I'm not. And you don't even want to know about the wild-life."

"W-What?" Sweetie Belle asked with slight fear.

Diamond Tiara grew a small devious grin. "Oh, nothing much. Just bears, Timber-wolves, bees, all sorts of creatures. And do you know the one thing they like to eat more than anything?"

The girls silently shook their heads with their eyes wide open.

Diamond Tiara's grin grew. "They like to eat…little camping fillies."

Suddenly, Silver Spoon jumped up behind the girls. "BOO!" she yelled; causing the girls to scream loudly.

I heard the scream and quickly looked over to see what was happening, I walked over to them. "What's going on over here?" I asked.

Applebloom and Scootaloo looked frightened, but Sweetie Belle was quivering as if she's seen a ghost.

"Diamond Tiara was sayin' the animals in the forest were gonna eat us, then Silver Spoon jumped out of nowhere and scared the day-lights out of us." Applebloom explained.

After hearing this, I looked down at Diamond Tiara with a firm look. "…What? We were just playing." Diamond Tiara stated.

"Really? Sounds like you were trying to scare them. I'll let you off this time, but if you or Silver Spoon so much as jump out of a bush to scare anyone, you'll both get detention for a week. Am I clear?" I said in a serious voice.

Diamond Tiara then looked down at the ground in annoyance before she let out a loud sigh. "Yes, Mr Matthew." She groaned.

"Good, now both of you go re-join with the group and stay where I can see you!" I said before Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked away to do as I said.

Once they were taken care of, I walked over to the girls. "Hey, you three alright?" I asked with concern.

Sweetie Belle gave me an unsure look. "Matt, I don't know if I can do this anymore. What if something bad does happen?"

I gave her a confident look. "Don't worry! I'll look after you, I'll look after all of you. Just try to have a good time! Alright?" I said in a calming voice.

The girls then looked at each other before they looked back at me, they then nodded. I was glad they chose to try.

I smiled down at them. "Ok, now let's get back to the group! The train will be here any minute."

With that, I the girls walked passed me to re-join the group with me following behind. However, after seeing the worry in Sweetie Belle's eyes, I knew for curtain that I would have to do more than my best to make sure that nothing happens to any of them in any way.

After a few minutes, the Friendship Express finally arrived at the station. "Ok, kids. Let's go!" I said before they cheered in excitement.

We all got in one of the train cars and we all took our seats. I sat by the window because I get a bit travel-sick sometimes; Pip was sitting next to me.

Of cause, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were sitting together. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were sitting as far back away from everyone as possible. They all started talking amongst each other as we waited for the train to start moving.

Just then, I felt Pip tap my hip and I turned my head to look down at him. "Mr Matthew, where are we going again?" he asked.

"We're going to the Spring Forest; it's like a park for ponies to camp in. There should be some park rangers waiting for us at the station there." I explained.

"Do you think we'll see some wild-life there?" Pip asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Probably, it is a forest after all." I said.

"I hope there aren't any dangerous animals there." Pip said.

I gave him a trustful smile. "I wouldn't worry about that, Pip. I'm sure most of the animals there are friendly. If there are dangerous ones, they won't bother us if we leave them alone."

Pip smiled as he nodded. "Ok, Mr Matthew. So when does the train leave?" he asked.

"It should be any time now, I'll check my watch." I said before I looked down at my arm.

Pip gave me a confused look. "Errr…you're not wearing a watch, Mr Matthew." He said.

He was right, I wasn't wearing a watch, I was just looking down and the fair on my arm. "…Oh yeah." I said with a sheepish smile before I put my arm down.

Just then, I felt the train start to vibrate beneath me before it slowly started to move. All the kids had excited smiles as they sat in their seats.

I heard the whistle from the engine car as we began to pick up speed. In a matter of seconds, we were going full speed and we were on our way to the camp.

Meanwhile: Ponyville Streets

Twilight was walking through the streets with Jeff on her back. They were heading back to the library after visited Cheerilee in her home to check on her.

"I'm glad that Cheerilee's getting better, it won't be long before she can teach again." Twilight said with a pleased smile.

"Yeah, she's doin' good…despite from the fact that she's in a wheelchair." Jeff said.

Twilight turned her head around to face Jeff with a firm look. "I thought I told you not to stare." She said.

"I wasn't staring…it was just easily noticeable, that's all." Jeff stated with his wings crossed

Twilight then rolled her eyes before she turned her attention back on where she was walking.

Suddenly, something fell out of the sky and crash landed right in front of Twilight; making her let out a small yelled as she flinched backwards.

After a second, Twilight saw that it was Derpy who crashed in front of her. She had her mail-bag around her. "Derpy, are you ok?" Twilight asked.

Derpy then got up from the ground and shook the dust off her body; she then smiled with her eyes still crossed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just making my mail deliveries, like usual."

"Oh really? That's nice. How've your deliveries been today?" Twilight asked.

"Fine, just fine." Derpy answered as she nodded.

"That's great, Derpy. Well, I'd better get going. I have a lot of work to do back at the library." Twilight said before she walked passed Derpy; who just stood there with her eyes crossed.

As Twilight walked away from her, she heard Derpy call behind her. "Wait!" she yelled.

Twilight and Jeff turned their heads around to face Derpy as she walked up to them. Derpy then shoved her head into her mail-bag and pulled out a letter in her mouth.

Twilight looked at it in wonder. "What's that for?" she asked as her horn glowed and the letter floated out of Derpy's mouth and hovered in front of her face.

"It's a letter for you. I was gonna deliver it to you place, but I think it's better if I give it to you now while you're here." Derpy said.

Twilight gave Derpy a smile. "Oh…thanks, Derpy."

Derpy saluted to Twilight with a smile. "No problem. Well, I'd better get back to work. Say hi to Matt for me, will ya?"

Twilight nodded. "I will. And again, thanks."

"Ok, see ya." Derpy said before she turned around and walked away from Twilight.

Once she was gone, Twilight returned her attention to the letter in front of her. Jeff climbed onto of her head and looked down at it. "What's it say?" he asked.

Twilight then used her magic to open the envelope and the letter lifted out of it. Twilight then started to read it.

"Dear: Twilight and Matthew.

Come to Sugar Cube Corner tonight at eight o'clock! We have a special surprise for you. You may bring Jeff and Peewee if you wish, Spike will already be there.

P.S. Pinkie says hi.

Signed: Rarity."

Jeff had a wondering look on his face."I wonder what the surprise is."

Twilight looked up at him. "I don't know, but knowing my friends, it'll be something worth it." She said.

"But the letter says they want you and Matt there, he's not here until tomorrow." Jeff stated.

"Well, we'll just have to explain that to them." Twilight said as she hovered the letter up to Jeff and he held on to it. He then walked down off her head and back onto her back.

Twilight then turned around and began to walk back to the library again. "Now, I really need to get home. Those reports aren't gonna do themselves."

"If you use your magic, they will." Jeff said before he let out a small chuckle.

Twilight just rolled her eyes again. "How Matt puts up with you, I'll never know."

Jeff smirked. "You get used to it, doll-face."

Twilight turned her head to face Jeff with her eyes narrowed. "Don't call me doll-face!"

"You got it, sweet-cheeks." Jeff said with an even bigger smirk.

Twilight let out a loud groan as she turned her head back around. As she kept walking, something suddenly caught Jeff's eye up ahead.

"Dove, dove, total dove." He said as he pointed forward.

Twilight looked at what he was pointing at to see a female white dove flying towards them.

Jeff lied his back down against the back of Twilight's neck with his wings behind his head to make him look cool.

"So yeah, I totally saved those baby chicks from that vulture. I sent him cryin' home to his momma." Jeff said out loud; hoping the dove heard him.

However, the dove took no notice and flew straight passed them. Jeff leaned back up and let out a small sigh. "Well, that was a swing-and-a-miss." He said.

Twilight shook her head with an amused smile before she kept walking back to the library.

Later that day: Spring Forest station

After a long train ride, the Friendship Express finally arrived at the station in front of the Spring Forest.

Once the train came to a complete stop, we all got off the train. I turned around to face all the kids. "Alright, kids. Everyone stay together so I don't lose any of you!" I said.

Once the kids did as I said, I looked around the station platform to see an Earth pony wearing a red park ranger uniform. "Huh, that must be the guy." I thought.

I then walked over to him with all the kids following behind. Once we reached him, he smiled at us. "You must be the campers from Ponyville that I was told about, welcome to the Spring Forest, one of the most peaceful camping grounds in all of Equestria."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, so where should we set up our tents?" I asked.

The park ranger then pointed into the forest. "Just follow the path up the hill! There'll be a large open space in the middle of the forest with a blue flag stuck in the ground, that'll be your camping sight." He explained.

I nodded. "Easy enough, thanks." I said before I turned my head around to face the kids. "Alright, kids. I know where we're going, follow me!" I said.

I then began to walk towards the trees with the kids following behind, the park ranger waved to us as we left the station.

It wasn't long before we were walking through the forest. It wasn't creepy like the Ever Free Forest, so none of the kids were frightened.

"Err…Mr Matthew, are you sure you know where we're going?" Twist asked.

I turned my head around to look down at her. "Pretty sure, that guy said to follow the path until we reached a big open space. It shouldn't be too hard to find, just keep your eyes open for a blue flag in the ground!" I said as I looked around.

After what seemed like an hour of walking, we finally made it to the end of the path. There, we found our camp sight.

It was a large open area with no trees or bushes in it, the only trees that were seen were the ones surrounding the area. There was more than enough room to set all our tents up, the only thing inside the area was a pile of burnt logs covered in soot and ash; apparently someone used this area before us.

I then noticed the blue flag on a small pole stuck up in the middle of the burnt logs. I walked over to it and pulled it out the ground before I placed it on the ground. I then turned around to face the kids.

"Ok, everypony get out your tents and set them up! Don't set them up near the fire, set them up near the trees! And if anypony wants me to help them with their tent, just ask." I announced.

With that, we all took our camping-bags off our backs and pulled out our tents. Some of the kids like Pip and Scootaloo asked me to help them at some point, which I did.

When we were done, I had my tent up. It was a large green tent big enough for two.

I then looked around to see how the kids were getting on, was interested in how everyone's tents looked different.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were sharing a large dark blue tent with their Cutie Mark Crusaders symbol on the front.

Twist's tent had red and white stripes going across it.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were also sharing a pink tent which looked like a small castle.

And Snips & Snails also shared a tent, although it looked as though they had made it themselves, it was covered in stitches and different coloured fabric.

Once they were done, the kids wondered around the camp site to admire their surroundings. They looked excited and ready to start.

I then stepped forward. "Alright, kids. We're only here for one day, so what do you want to do first?" I asked out loud.

At that moment, Applebloom came up to me. "Oh, oh, let's go explore in the woods!" she suggested.

Suddenly, Sweetie Belle came up beside her. "No, let's go animal watching!"

And finally, Scootaloo came up beside her. "No way, let's go fishing!"

I then rubbed my chin as I thought about what to do, I then got an idea. "How about we go with Scootaloo's idea and go fishing?" I said hoping they'd agree.

The girls then looked at each other before they nodded and looked back up at me. "Ok, that'll be fun too." Applebloom said.

I smiled in delight before I looked out to the other kids around the camp. "Attention, kids! Me and the girls are gonna go fishing, anyone who's interested is welcome to come. If not, you're allowed to stay behind, but stay in the camp site at all times! Ok?" I announced.

Some of the kids (including Snips, Snails, Pip and Twist) smiled as they came over to join our group. Some of the kids like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just stayed sat on a small log.

"Eww, the last thing I'm gonna do is go out into the disgusting forest. And we're certainly not gonna go near some icky lake with a bunch of smelly fish swimming in it." Diamond Tiara said out loud.

"Yeah, I'm staying here with her." Silver Spoon stated as she and Diamond Tiara crossed their arms.

I let out a silent sigh. "Fine, suit yourself! But stay in the camp like I said!" I said in a serious voice.

"Don't worry! We're not going anywhere." Diamond Tiara said.

She and Silver Spoon then reached into their saddle-bags which were lying by the log they were sitting on and they each pulled out a magazine before they started reading them.

Once I saw that all the kids who were staying behind were settled, I looked down at the small group in front of me. "Well, it looks like we're all ready. Now everypony stay close to me and don't go wondering off!" I said.

The kids then nodded to tell me they understood. I then walked over to my tent before I went inside, I was thinking about doing a bit of fishing while I was here, so I brought my own fishing-pole in my bag.

It was a put-together pole, meaning it could fold up so I could carry it around without poking anyone. It was in a small black bag with straps so I could carry it on my back.

After I found it, I came out of the tent with the black bag on my back. "Alright, let's go!" I said before we all started walking towards a path in the woods.

There was a wooden sign beside the path with an arrow on it with the word 'Lake' painted next to it, We all began to follow the path to find the lake.

Later: The lake

We had managed to find the lake easily; I took the black bag off my bag and got out my folded-up fishing-pole.

I spent a few minutes putting it together because it was difficult to do that with no fingers. But finally, I got it together and my fishing-pole was ready.

I stood next to the lake where I could see the water perfectly before I turned around to face the few kids. "Ok, so has anyone ever gone fishing before?" I asked.

Nopony raised their hoof before Applebloom raised hers, I smiled down at her. "Oh good, so do you know what we have to do next?"

Applebloom gave me a confused look. "Why are ya askin' me? Have you ever gone fishin' before?" she asked.

I nodded. "I have, I'm just asking you." I explained.

"Oh…well, first we need to put bait on the hook." Applebloom said as she pointed at the hook dangling on the fishing line.

I nodded. "Very good, Applebloom. So who can tell me what we can use as bait?" I asked.

At that moment, Scootaloo came up to me. "Oh, I've got something that'll work." She said with one of her hooves behind her back, she was holding something.

She moved her hoof around from her back to show me a shiny red apple. I looked at it in confusion. "Err…that's an apple. Fish don't eat apples, they eat things like worms."

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, I know. There's a worm in the apple." She said; causing some of the kids to laugh slightly.

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Haha, very funny, Scootaloo. But seriously, I don't think it's gonna work like that."

Scootaloo smirked up at me. "Bet you it will."

I smirked back. "You're on. If it works, you get to reel in the fish." I said as I placed the fishing-pole down in front of her.

Scootaloo then picked the hook up with her hoof before she attached the apple onto it, she then picked the pole up in her hooves before she held the pole back and swung it forward; casting the apple into the water.

While Scootaloo focused all her concentration on the bobber floating on the water-surface, Applebloom turned her head to face her. "I think I have to agree with Matt, I've never heard of a fish that goes for an apple with a worm in it." she said in an unsure voice.

After a few short minutes, nothing happened. I was about to tell Scootaloo to pull the line back before the bobber started to bob. Suddenly, the bobber went under the water and the fishing-pole bent.

"WHOW." Scootaloo yelled as she used all her strength to hold the pole back.

I watched her in full surprise by the fact that a fish actually took the apple bait. "…Well, how 'bout that. It worked." I said.

As the fishing line pulled harder, so did Scootaloo. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had to grab hold of her to keep her from being pulled into the water.

I then walked up beside the struggling fillies. "Need some help?" I asked.

"…Yeah…h-hurry! I don't know if I can hold on any longer." Scootaloo said as she pulled back on the pole with all her might.

I nodded before I held on to the pole handle with Scootaloo and started to pull back with her, this fish was really putting up a fight. Suddenly, Scootaloo's hooves gave in and they slipped off the pole; now I was the only one pulling back on the pole.

As I tried to pull back, I was slowly being pulled towards the water. I tried to take a few steps back, but the soil beneath my hooves was slightly wet and slippery from being near the water. It wasn't long before I slipped and fell straight into the water with a big splash.

I swam back up and spat out the water that was in my mouth with disgust, luckily the water wasn't so deep. I heard the kids laugh loudly as I kept myself floating in the water. "Not funny, guys." I said.

"Hahaha, it's pretty funny from here, hahaha." Snips laughed.

I blushed brightly as I felt embarrassment take over. But after thinking about how silly I must look, I started to laugh along with them. Now we were all sharing loud laughter.

But as I tried to swim back to land, I felt something around my leg. I dunked my head under the water to see the fishing line tied around my leg, the line was starting to straighten as if it was being pulled by something. I knew exactly what was coming next.

I brought my head back up from the water with my eyes wide open. "…Oh crap." I said under my breath.

Suddenly, the line straightened completely and I yelled loudly as I was pulled along the water-surface. The kids watched me with wide eyes as I was pulled away from them.

I was in this mess for a short time; my yells were sometimes muffled by the water splashing hard in my face. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever stop.

Just then, I saw something up ahead. As I was pulled closer to it, I saw that it was a long tree branch sticking out from a tree on the land. I saw this as my one chance to stop this joy-ride.

Once I was close enough to it, I grabbed onto the branch and wrapped my arms around it to hold on better. However, the fish at the other end of the line continued to swim. My leg was forced to straighten and the branch I was held onto started to bend.

I held on as hard as I could and tried to pull my leg back, but this fish was determined to keep going. I didn't know what would happen; I figured the branch would snap at any moment now.

Then something unexpected happened, the branch was stronger than I thought it was. It flung me out of the water and I flew back to the land before I crash-landed on the ground. The fish must've been overpowered because it landed in front of me and flapped around.

I looked at it to see it was a big grey fish. "Ha, got'cha." I said with a smirk.

At that moment, the kids galloped out from the bushes and looked at me with concerned faces. "Mr Matthew, are you ok?" Pip asked.

I weakly got up off the ground and groaned as I rubbed my head with my hoof. "I think that's enough fishing for one day." I said before I fell back down to the ground.

Meanwhile: Sugar Cube Corner

It was 8:00 and Celestia's sun was starting to lower.

Twilight walked up in front of Sugar Cube Corner with Jeff and Peewee on her back. "What do you think they wanted us here for?" Peewee asked.

Twilight shrugged. "No idea, the letter just said to come here at eight o'clock."

"Well, let's go inside and see what all the secrecy's about!" Jeff said.

Twilight then walked up to the front door before she pushed on it with her hoof, the door slowly opened for her to see that all the lights were off, the room was completely dark.

Twilight walked inside and looked around in the darkness before the light's shot on and the rest of the main 6 and Spike jumped out. "SURPRISE." They yelled.

Twilight was surprised, she looked around the room to see it was decorated with white balloons and multi-coloured confetti. She had no idea what this was for. "What's all this for?" she asked.

Pinkie Pie then shot up beside her and wrapped her arm around her. "You big silly, this is your celebration party."

"My what?" Twilight asked in confusion.

"Darling, don't you remember? We said we'd throw you a party to celebrate your engagement to Matthew." Rarity explained with a warm smile.

Twilight then remembered what she was talking about. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. That was weeks ago, I thought you decided not to throw it."

Pinkie Pie gasped loudly. "Decided not to throw it? Are you crazy? I'd never miss the opportunity to throw a party, especially when it's one for you and Mattie."

Pinkie Pie then looked behind Twilight before a wondering look came on her face. "Hey, where is Mattie anyway? OH, is he playing hide-and-seek? I'll seek." She yelled in excitement.

Pinkie Pie then started looking around the room. She looked under the couch, she looked in a jar, and she even looked under Jeff's tail feathers.

"HEY, what're ya doin'?" Jeff yelled was he covered his rear with his wings.

"I was looking under your tail for Mattie." Pinkie explained indecently.

"Trust me! I'd know if he was under there." Jeff stated in an irritated tone.

Twilight then turned her head to face Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie, Matt's not here. He's taken the kids at the school on a camping trip; he won't be back until tomorrow."

"But this party was for you and Matt, how is it supposed to be a party for both of you if he's not here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight turned her head to face her. "Don't worry, Rainbow! We can just throw another party for him when he gets back." She said.

Pinkie Pie then grew a large excited smile. "You mean I get to throw the same party twice? (Excited squeal) I better reload my party cannon." She said before she shot off into the next room. After a second, she shot back in.

"So Twi, how's Matt been anyway? Has he had any problems with guilt over Thorn's death or somethin'?" Applejack asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No, no problems what-so-ever." She said as she shifted her eyes left and right.

Pinkie Pie then gave her a suspicious look. "She's lying."

Fluttershy then looked at her with a raised eye brow. "How do you know?"

"I can tell in the sound of her voice. Plus, you only shift your eyes around when you're trying to hide something." Pinkie Pie said.

Fluttershy then walked up beside Twilight. "Twilight, is there something wrong? Do you want to tell us?" she said in her gentle voice.

"There's nothing wrong." Twilight protested.

"Twilight!" Applejack said in a firm voice.

Twilight looked around to see the wonder and concern on their faces. "Well…Matt's not been sleeping well lately. He keeps tossing and turning in his sleep, she mumbles things that I can't understand. Sometimes, I get so worried that I have to wake him up to get him to calm down."

"It sounds like he's having rather nasty nightmares." Rarity said.

"I don't think it's anything serious, but it's happened three nights in a row. What should I do?" Twilight asked.

"Nightmares come and go, Twilight. Trust me! He'll be back to his old goofy self in no-time." Rainbow Dash said with confidence.

"I hope you're right, Rainbow." Twilight said still feeling worried.

"Well, enough with all this talk about Thorn and nightmares! Let's get this here party started!" Applejack said as she stood on her hind-legs and kicked her front-legs in the air cheerfully.

Pinkie then ran over to the gramophone before she threw a record disc in it and music started playing. With that, Twilight and the others started dancing to the music as their party began.

Later that day, Twilight and the others were taking a break by sitting on the floor and talking. "This was the best party ever." Pinkie Pie said.

"That's what you said about the last party you threw, and the one before that, and the one before that, and so on." Spike stated.

"To me, every party is the best." Pinkie Pie said with a large smile.

After a moment, Twilight spoke. "So, do any of you think marriage will be hard? I mean, I don't know much about a married life."

"Neither do we, Twilight. We're not exactly the right ponies to ask that question to." Rarity stated.

Just then, Mr and Mrs Cake came into the room with a tray of drinks in Mrs Cake's mouth. "Would any of you like some refreshment?" Mr Cake asked.

Twilight and the others all nodded to them before Mrs Cake placed the tray down on a small table in front of them. They each took a cup.

Twilight used her magic to hold her cup before she looked over to Mr and Mrs Cake. "Emm…can I ask you two a personal question?" she asked politely.

Mr Cake turned his head to face her. "Of cause you can, Twilight. What is it?" he asked as Mrs Cake became curious in what she wanted to say.

"What's it like to be married? I mean, is it hard?" Twilight asked.

Mrs Cake stepped forward. "Well…not always. True, there are some hard times in a married life, but they're worth it if you're with the one you love."

"She's right, Twilight. I know marriage is a big step in your life, but if it means being with the one you love forever, it's a step defiantly worth taking." Mr Cake said kindly.

"Don't worry, dearie! I know how you feel. Before I married Mr Cake, I also wondered if a married life would be hard. And you know what; it isn't as hard as I thought. What I said was right; there will be times where things seem hard. But in the end, everything works out. And I'm sure you and Matthew will have a great life together." Mrs Cake said.

Twilight gave them both a thankful smile. "Thank you, both of you. I just needed to know that."

"Any time, Twilight." Mr Cake said before he and Mrs Cake went back into the kitchen.

After they left, Rarity looked over to Twilight. "So Twilight, what would you like your dress to be like? Something ravishing? Something original?"

Twilight gave her a confused look. "What're you talking about, Rarity?"

"Twilight, you don't really expect me to sit by and not do anything while you prepare for your wedding, do you? You simply must let me design your gown for you." Rarity said.

Twilight gave her a sweet smile. "Aww, Rarity. I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to put a burden on you."

Rarity put her hoof up. "Nonsense, it won't be a burden, I'm more than happy to make your dress. I mean really, when'll be the next time I get the chance to make a wedding dress for one of my friends?"

Twilight didn't have to think long before she made her decision. "Alright Rarity, you can make my dress. Knowing your skills, I bet it'll be beautiful." She said with a smile; causing Rarity to smile with excitement.

"Well, that's my dress taken care of. Now I just need to find someone to make all the food." Twilight said out-loud.

"Well shucks, Twilight. If ya'all need someone to make the food, why not ask me? Me and my family make tons of apple treats all the time." Applejack said.

Twilight looked over to her. "But Applejack, that'll mean you'll have to cook lots of food. I don't want you to work that hard for me."

Applejack waved her hoof. "It's fine with me, I like a good challenge." She stated.

"Oh, and I can ask my bird friends to sing the music. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to do it." Fluttershy said with a small smile.

Just then, Pinkie Pie appeared beside her. "And don't forget the party after the wedding! I'll throw you and Mattie the best reception ever." She said as she jumped up and down on the spot.

"Are you all sure you want to do this for us?" Twilight asked.

Everyone then nodded. "Trust us, Twilight! We're all wantin' to do it, we're your friends and we want ya to have the perfect weddin'. Plus, we're doin' it for nothin', those fancy weddin' organizers would want ya'all to pay for it." Applejack said with a smirk.

Twilight smiled warmly at her friends. "Thank you, thank you all so much. I don't know how I can repay you."

"You don't have to do anything, sweetie. Just focus on the planning, and let us do the rest!" Rarity said while smiling warmly back at her.

With that settled, they all went back to partying. "Who's ready to play pin-the-tail-on-the-pony?" Pinkie Pie yelled with excitement before everyone else raised their hooves.

They all then got up and walked towards the wall with a large picture of a pony attached to it with a small fury purple tail pinned to the side of the picture.

That night: Camp Spring camp site

After a long day of different camping activities, we were all sitting around the camp fire enjoying the warmth and the beautiful starry night sky above us.

We'd done a lot of things today, the kids convinced me to throw the big fish back in the water, which I did.

We went to see what kind of animals there were, we saw many different types. Like Racoons, squirrels, and different birds.

And finally, we all had a swim in a near-by swimming hole. We really enjoyed that, even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

Good thing there wasn't a breeze in the wind, we were still wet. We were all wearing towels while sitting in front of the fire. Scootaloo had brought some marshmallows and we were roasting them over the fire with clean sticks.

"Roasting marshmallows remind me of going camping with my Mom and Dad." Sweetie Belle said as she used her stick to hold her marshmallow above the flames.

"Did you ever go camping with your family, Mr Matthew?" Pip asked.

I looked down at him. "I never went camping back where I'm from, but I did use to roast marshmallows over a candle. Me and my sister use to do it all the time when we were young." I said.

Applebloom looked up at me with surprise. "I never knew ya had a sister, what's her name?"

I looked over to her. "Her name was Jess, she was my older sister."

"So, where is she now?" Sweetie Belle asked; causing all the other kids to look at me with interest.

"She's…back home, very far away." I said with slight sadness.

"Do ya miss her?" Applebloom asked curiously.

I looked down at her. "Yeah, I miss my family. But I'd miss Twilight more if I left her, I love her so much. If I went back, I'd probably go into a deep depression. True, I miss my family and I'd like to see them again, but I want to stay here with Twilight and my friends."

"Did you fight bad guys back there too?" Snips asked with a large smile.

"Do video games count?" I asked.

Snips narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Then, no, I didn't. But I wanted to; I wanted to become a policeman." I said.

Sweetie Belle gave me a confused look. "What's a policeman?" she asked.

"Oh, it's like a guard…only with a uniform instead of armour. They don't have spears either, but they have other things to defend themselves with." I explained.

"If they don't have armour, what's to stop them from getting hurt?" Scootaloo asked.

"Errr…you know what, forget I said anything! Let's just get back to roasting these marshmallows!" I said before I looked back at my marshmallow in the fire.

I then lifted my stick up and the marshmallow came out of the fire to reveal it had caught fire; I went wide-eyes before I shook the stick up and down to put it out. Once it was out, the marshmallow was completely burnt. "Well, that didn't go well. Ahh, don't like these things anyway." I said.

Snails then put his hoof up. "Oh, oh, can I have it? please." He quickly asked.

I gave him a strange look before I passed my stick over to him. "Errr…sure." I said.

Snails then took the stick and ate the burnt marshmallow with delight.

"Ooookkkk…so, anyone got any ghost stories?" I asked hoping someone did.

With that, Scootaloo quickly stuck her hoof up. "I've got one, I've got one." She said before she took out a flashlight and turned it on, she shun it up to her face to make her look more scary.

"This is the tale of a pony called Ripper; he was picked on by everypony in town. But after he had a tragic accident, the ones who picked on him soon wished they didn't." Scootaloo started with a spooky voice.

After a while, Scootaloo was coming to the end of her story. To me, it wasn't that scary. But to some of the other kids, it was.

"And as she sat in the darkness, the only sound she could hear was her own breathing. Just then, she heard a faint creaking noise. She turned around slowly…and just behind her…was RIPPER." Scootaloo yelled; causing some of the kids to scream loudly.

Scootaloo burst out laughing; she had to drop the flashlight to hold onto her stomach. "HAHAHA, you should totally see your faces! Hahaha." She laughed.

It didn't take long for the scared kids to finally calm down; they were all taking deep breaths. "Nice story, Scootaloo. That was a scary one." Sweetie Belle said.

"Thanks, I always try to keep things interesting." Scootaloo stated.

Applebloom then looked up at me. "You got any, Matt?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No…well, I could have one, but I'd be way to scary and gruesome for you." I said.

"Oh, come on, Matt! We can take it." Scootaloo said in a brave voice.

I looked over to her. "Trust me! The stories I know are very mature. I do know a scary camp story; it involves an undead guy with a machete and a hockey-mask. But like I said, it's too scary for you."

"Ok then, so has anyone else got one?" Scootaloo asked to the others.

At that moment, Diamond Tiara stuck her hoof up. "Oh, I have one. And I know it'll scare all of you because…it's a true story." She said with a menacing smile; causing some of the kids to grew frightened looks.

Diamond Tiara then took the flashlight and shines it under her face.

"A long time ago, a mean pony who was the cause of hundreds of disappearances throughout Equestria, was sent to a maximum prison which was rumoured to be inescapable. But one dark night, he managed to escape and disappeared into the nearest forest.

Though the prison guards tried to hunt him down, they couldn't find him, some of the guards didn't even report back to the prison.

After months of searching, they finally gave up and accepted that the pony would be long-gone…but they were wrong.

Over the years, many campers went into that forest, and only a few have come out. And ponies still go in that forest today, and they don't all come out.

And do you know what the name of that forest was?...it was called…THE SPRING FORSET."

Once they heard the name of the same forest we were in, the frightened kids all screamed their heads off. Snips was so scared that he fainted off the log he was sitting on. Diamond Tiara just laughed at them. "You ponies are way too easy to scare."

I just shook my head in silence. "With all these scary stories, these kids are never gonna sleep tonight." I thought.

After a few minutes, everyone calmed down. "Ok, I think I've heard enough scary stories for one night. Can we do something else, please?" Sweetie Belle begged.

I gave her a concerted look; I then gently wrapped my arm around her. "Hey, hey, calm down! It was just a story, she only said it was real to scare you." I said softly.

Sweetie Belle gave me a warm smile. Suddenly, Applebloom screamed. I quickly looked over to her. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's Silver Spoon, she's gone." Applebloom yelled as she pointed over to the empty space next to Diamond Tiara.

Once I saw this, I became worried that something had happened to her. "Where'd she go?" I asked with worry.

"It's the kidnapper pony, he's real, he's gonna get us all." Twist yelled in fright.

I looked around at the kids to see that they were all quivering with fright, Sweetie Belle held me as tight as she could around my waist for protection. "Alright, everypony calm down! I'm sure there's a reason why she's not here."

"Like what? She decided to take a walk in the dark woods? She'd never go in there. At least, not without me." Diamond Tiara said.

I looked over to her. "Look, there're many reasons to why she might not be here. We just need to wait here, and if she doesn't show up soon, we'll report it in to the ranger." I said.

With that, the kids started to calm down. The place was silent for a moment before. "BOO." A female voice yelled behind me and the girls; causing them to scream.

I turned around quickly to see Silver Spoon laughing before she walked around the camp to join up with Diamond Tiara, who was also laughing. "Nice one, Silver Spoon. That work just how we wanted it to." She said.

"Wait! You mean to tell me you set that whole thing up just to scare us?" I asked slightly angry.

The two fillies then nodded. "Yeah, and you all fell for it. Hahaha." Silver Spoon laughed.

At that moment, I became angry and I stood up off the log. "That's it, I told you two that if you scared anyone like that on this trip, you'd both get detention. So now, I'm givin' it to you. Detention for a week, both of you!"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked at me with open mouths. "What? That's not fair, we didn't do anything bad." Diamond Tiara argued.

"Wanna make it two weeks?" I said with a firm look.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon then went silent as they looked down at the ground, I could hear faint groans from the angered fillies. "No." they answered.

"Good, now you two get in your tent! I think it's time to sleep anyway." I said as I pointed my hoof to their tent.

I watched as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked towards their tent. "You had me dead worried, Silver Spoon. I thought something happened to you. I'm not happy about what you did." I said to them.

Once they entered their tents, I looked at the other kids. "Sorry, kids. It's time for bed now, I hope you all enjoyed today, and goodnight."

As I made my way towards my tent, all the kids did the same. Snips was still passed-out, so Snails had to drag him to their tent.

Later that night

Everypony was sound asleep in their tents. However in my tent, I was tossing and turning in my sleep. I was having another nightmare.

I was standing in a place I've never seen before; there was a thick cloud of freezing fog around me. The only warm air I could get was the air coming out of my mouth as I breathed, it would quickly mix with the fog and turn cold.

I slowly walked through the fog, minding my steps each time I lifted my hoof. I couldn't see through the fog and I was worried that I would trip on something.

Just then, the wall of fog in front of me split open; revealing a giant black mountain full of caves. There was a ghostly green glow shining inside each cave. It was in that moment, I knew where I was.

"Mount forbidden…no, it's not real. This isn't real…" I said to myself.

"Oh, but it is…it's nothing but real." A dark familiar voice whispered behind me; causing me to freeze in fear.

I slowly turned around to see a pair of glowing red eyes in the fog, the eyes came closer before the fog started to form into a face which I thought I'd never see again.

"Thorn…no, you're dead. I saw you die." I said in horror.

"You killed me, you're the reason I'm trapped here in this fog. I will see to it that you will pay, and I'll be here waiting for you to join me…and when you do, I'll make you suffer even then." Thorn yelled before he pounced towards me.

I fell back onto my back as Thorn landed on me and pinned me down, his fog-like horn glowed and a beam shot down towards my face. Everything went black.

"Matt?...Matt, are you awake?" a soft female voice echoed in the darkness.

My eyes shot open and I looked around my surroundings to see I was back in my tent. I breathed heavily as I felt my heart pound against my chest. I took one last deep breath as I calmed down.

"Matt?" the female voice said again, I turned in the direction it came from to see Sweetie Belle standing at the entrance to my tent.

"Sweetie Belle…what're you doing? Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" I asked as I rubbed my left eye with my hoof.

Sweetie Belle then came closer to me. "Yeah, but I can't sleep. Diamond Tiara's story's really scared me, can…can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked sweetly.

I looked into her eyes to see she was frightened; I then gave her a warm smile. "Sure, there's a spare pillow and blanket in my bag." I said.

Sweetie Belle then gave me a small smile before she walked over to my saddle-bag and pulled out the pillow and blanket. She then set up her bed beside mine before she laid her head on the pillow.

"Goodnight, Matt. And thanks." She said kindly.

"No problem, Goodnight." I said before I laid my head back down on my pillow and closed my eyes.

After a few minutes of trying to sleep again, I felt something strange beneath my blanket. It felt as though something was crawling up along the blanket.

As I started to wonder what it was, Sweetie Belle's head emerged from the blanket and laid down on my pillow beside my head. I felt her small body snuggle up against mine and I looked at her.

She had a smile on her face while her eyes were closed. I didn't know what to think; she had gotten out of her own bed and joined me in mine. Does she feel safer with me? Does she want me to keep her warm? All these questions went through my head.

I couldn't help but smile warmly at her as I wrapped my wing around her and pulled her closer. I then planted a small kiss on her for-head. "Goodnight, Sweetie Belle." I whispered.

I closed my eyes and soon went to sleep. And with Sweetie Belle sleeping safely beside me, I somehow knew I wasn't going to have a nightmare again.

The next day: Ponyville Schoolhouse

After another long train ride, we were finally back in Ponyville.

I was standing in front of my desk looking at all the kids sitting behind their desks waiting to go home. "Well, did everyone enjoy our trip?" I asked.

Everypony then nodded. "Great, now one final thing before we all go home. I'd like to say that despite Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's little prank, I think you all behaved yourselves really well while we were there, I'm proud of all of-"

I couldn't finish my sentence as I heard the door open, I looked over to the door to see Cheerilee walk in. "Miss Cheerilee?...Your leg, it's better." I said in surprise.

Cheerilee walked up to me with a smile. "Yes, it is. I just got out of the wheelchair this morning. Now I can come back and teach again." she cheered.

Even though I felt happy that she was better, I felt kinda sad that this would mean I would have to go. "Oh…t-that's great, Miss Cheerilee. I'm happy for you." I said with a forced smile.

"Matthew, I can't thank you enough for filling in for me. Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Cheerilee asked with a thankful smile.

"…Can I say one last thing to the kids?" I asked.

"Of course you can, Matt. go right ahead!" Cheerilee said as she took a few steps back to give me room.

I then turned my attention to the kids before I spoke. "Well…it looks like I won't be teaching you anymore. But hey, you got Miss Cheerilee back, how great's that?" I said.

All the kids then smiled in delight that their teacher had come back; I smiled back before I looked back at Cheerilee. "Well…I'll just be going then. Everyone's glad to see you back, Miss Cheerilee." I said trying to act happy.

Cheerilee noticed the odd sound in my voice. "Are you ok, Matt?" she asked with slight concern.

I quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll just…leave you to take care of the kids." I said before I walked passed her.

Cheerilee watched me as I walked passed her and towards the door. But just as I was about to walk out of the school, I felt a hoof touch one of my hind-legs. I turned around to see Applebloom with a small frown.

I turned around to face her better before I spoke. "Don't worry, Applebloom! You'll see me around town; this isn't a goodbye forever thing." I said.

"I know…we're just gonna miss ya and all." Applebloom said as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walked up beside her.

I lowered my head down to them. "You girls know that Miss Cheerilee is the best teacher in town, you had her way before me."

"Yeah, Miss Cheerilee's the best teacher we could ever ask for…but you're the best substitute we've ever had." Sweetie Belle said with a warm smile.

I felt heart-warmed by what she said and I smiled warmly back, the three girls then came closer to me before we all shared a nice hug. "…I'll miss you too." I whispered.

Cheerilee watched us with a sweet smile before she rubbed her chin with her hoof, her smile then grew as she gained an idea. "Umm…Matthew, I think I may have a proposal for you."

I broke my hug with the girls before I looked over to her with wonder.

"You see, I have lots of paperwork to do at my house, and sometimes I can't do them because I'm too busty teaching the kids. So whenever I'm busy at home or I'm ill, can I count on you to fill in for me in those times?" Cheerilee asked.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked up at me with large smiles. I was surprise by this offer; she wanted me to be her backup teacher when she's unable to come. I smiled at her. "Yeah…I'd like that." I answered.

Cheerilee nodded. "It's settled then, you can be my backup teach whenever I'm busy at home."

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had cheerful smiles as they hugged me again, I hugged them back.

Suddenly, the school bell rang and all the kids jumped off their stools and made their way towards the door. "Ok, kids. Enjoy you're weekend! I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday." Cheerilee said as she watched the kids leave.

"Yeah, see ya then, Miss Cheerilee. See ya, Matt." Applebloom said as she and the others walked passed us and out the door.

Later: Ponyville streets

After all the kids were gone and the school was locked up, me and Cheerilee were walking through the streets of town together.

"Well, it looks like somepony's taken my place while I was gone." Cheerilee joked with a smirk.

I quickly looked over to her. "Oh, no…I'd never do that. They're all glad you're back, Cheerilee. I know they are, it's probably just-"

"Matt, calm down! I was teasing you; I saw how much they love you, you've done a great job with them. Now I'm really glad I asked you to fill in for me." Cheerilee said.

"Thanks, Cheerilee. It's funny though. At first, I thought I wouldn't like it because I didn't like school back home. But after my first day, I started to enjoy it, I enjoyed being with them." I said.

"That's exactly how I felt after my first day, that's how I got my cutie mark. When I realised how much I loved teaching, my smiling flowers appeared." Cheerilee said as she looked back at her cutie mark.

"Yeah…well, I'd better get home to Twilight. I've missed her while I was at that camp. See ya some other time, Cheerilee." I said as I began to walk away from her.

Cheerilee waved me off. "Bye, Matthew. I'll see you later, and thanks again." I heard her say.

"No problem." I said loudly as I began to gallop towards the library so I could get there faster and see Twilight again.

Meanwhile: Far away village

In a village far away from Ponyville, a forger was working hard. He was a grey unicorn pony.

He pulled a hot piece of metal out of the fire and placed it on an anvil before he used his magic to lift his large hammer and hammered it hard.

Once he stopped, he wiped the sweat of his head before he turned around to get another object to hammer. Once he turned back to the anvil, he was surprised by the sight of the silhouetted alicorn with the fiery red mane and tail standing on the other side.

"AH…oh, it's just you. What're you trying to do? Make me jump out my skin?" the forger said in annoyance.

"Not quite…I'm here for…it." the alicorn said with shifty eyes.

"…It?...don't know what you're talking about." The forger said.

The alicorn glared at him. "Oh, I believe you do. The artefact…where is it?" he asked aggressively.

The forger remained silent, the alicorn the smacked him across the face with his hoof. "WHERE?" he yelled.

The forger rubbed his cheek as it stung. "Urr…what makes you think I know? I've haven't seen that thing is years."

"You had position of it once; I need to know who you gave it to and where I can find them. And you're going to tell me, one way, or the other." The alicorn growled.

The forger glared up at him. "I'm not saying anything to the likes of you, you don't scare me as much as your brother does." He said.

The alicorn glared harder before his horn glowed red. Just then, the chains hung up on the walls shot towards the forger and wrapped around his limbs. As he struggled, chains wrapped around his head and pulled it down onto the anvil.

The alicorn then used his magic to pick up the forger's largest hammer and hovered it above his head. "Don't worry! I'm sure if I bash your head open, all sorts of secrets will dump out." he said darkly.

The forger's eyes widened in fright as the alicorn raised the hammer up. "WAIT! WAIT! Ok, I don't know where it is, but I think I know how you can find it."

The alicorn raised his eye brow before he dropped the hammer on the floor and released the forger. After taking a few deep breaths, he spoke. "I've heard that there's this spell…one that helps you find things that are lost. But it's not as easy as normal spells."

"Yes…I am familiar with it. My brother's book holds that spell, but it requires a magic far greater than any other." The alicorn said before he thought deeply.

"I believe…I may know just what needs to be done." The alicorn said before he turned around a walked towards the exit.

"So…does this mean I'm off some kinda hook?" the forger asked nervously.

The alicorn then stopped in his tracks before he smiled deviously. His horn glowed red again and the chains once again wrapped around the forger's limbs and pulled him up against the wall.

"HEY, w-what're you doing? Let me go!" the forger yelled in fright.

The alicorn turned around to face him. "Oh, I can't do that. You didn't expect me to let you go with knowledge of my plan, did you?" he asked in a sly voice.

The forger gave him a confused look. "W…What knowledge? What plan?"

"…My plan to overthrow my brother, of course." The alicorn said darkly.

The forge looked at him with wide eye. "B-But, I didn't know anything about that."

"Well, now you do. And from my point of view, you now know way too much." The alicorn said as his horn glowed brightly.

"No…no, please…don't! NOO." The forger yelled in horror.

With that, a large bolt of red lightning shot out of the alicorn's horn and struck the helpless forger; killing him.

The room was then silent, the chains untied themselves and the forger's lifeless body fell to the floor. "Too bad…he made such good armour." The alicorn said.

He then walked out of the forger's shop before he turned around and his horn glowed again, red flames then shot out of his horn like a flamethrower and ignited the entire shop. He stood there as he watched it burn.

"I must convince my brother to agree to use the spell to find the artefact. But one problem, the spell requires a great amount of magic to do it. And I know exactly what we need. And once my brother finally locates the artefact, I just need to get it before he can…then he'll be like clay in my hooves for me to mould." The alicorn said with an evil smile.

His horn then glowed again before a bolt of red flames formed around him. When the flames cleared, he was gone; leaving the former forger's shop to continue to burn to the ground.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Looks like one of the alicorn's has plans for the leader, and it must be bothersome to only know him as the alicorn. So that's why I'm giving you all a vote to know his name early.

The choices are.

1: Learn the traitor alicorn's name in the next chapter.

Or 2: Wait until later in the story.

And don't just tell me in a review, go on my profile and vote!

Please remember to review!

Next chapter will be up soon.