Conversion Camp

by Cool writer

1 Ready for camp

“I got in… I GOT IN!” I cheered. Holding the letter in my hand, I raced into the kitchen where mom was making dinner. “Mom! Mom! I got in!” I held up the acceptance letter, with a comical green checkmark ribbon at the bottom.

My mom (the aptly named, Lavender Petals) smiled at me. Before you ask, she’s not my biological mother, she’s my step mother. I’m just used to the idea because I’ve known her almost all my life. I literally can’t remember life without her. But I don’t love her any less. The lavender unicorn wrapped her forelegs around me in a hug.

“That’s great!” She exclaimed. Mom released me from the hug. “Can I see it?” I held it out to her, and her levitation took it from me. She read the rest of the message. “Oh my! You need to leave by tomorrow oh my… good thing you won't need any clothes!” She joked. I laughed, feeling a bit nervous about what she was referring to…

I’m Alton, a 14 year old human living in the big apple. The thing I got accepted for: Conversion camp! A few years after the conversion bureaus got popular, the conversion camps were started. Lot’s of kids (and people in general) wanted to either experience it temporarily, or convert permanently, but due to the age requirement for conversion, kids couldn’t. So, all of these needs were met with a simple solution: conversion camp. People (mostly kids and teens) could spend a whole summer as a pony! It was super exclusive, and I GOT IN! ...Sorry, I’m just super excited! I’ve always wanted to go to summer camp, and most of my friends are ponies… also I’ve been wondering what Equestria’s like, because humans can’t go in… I honestly don’t buy that for a second, but I’m not crazy enough to test it. I’ll leave that for some idiots online. Wait...

“Wait, I leave tomorrow!?!” I asked. Mom nodded.

“Yes, that’s what it says here. May 18th, and today is the…” She levitated her Iphone P up to her face, and clicked the home button. “... 17th, so you leave tomorrow.” Then my thought process dawned on her. “Oh… we need to pack, good thing we don’t have anything too important planned for you this summer, besides this.” I nodded in agreement.

“I… still can’t believe it… I’m gonna be a…” I stammered to myself.

“This is wonderful!” Mom chirped. “I wonder what you’re gonna look like… what what race you’ll be! Oh! You’ll even get to see…” I eventually tunned her out as doubts secreted themselves into my mind. What if something went wrong… what if I got stranded there!? What if the potion/serum/spell/whatever wore off and I died!?!

“... Hey, you ok?” Mom asked, noticing the look on my face.

“Just a little nervous.” I grinned.

“Don’t worry, they’ve been around for a few years now, you’ll be fine.” Mom said, patting me on the shoulder.

The rest of the day passed painfully slow. I tried playing video games (Destiny, mostly) I lost interest, and my mind kept turning back to camp. I’d texted all my friends that I was going (the friends who would be in Equestria at any point were first on that list), the ones who responded were excited. Like I said, most of my friends are ponies… including my crush. Her name is Sunshine, we’re close (but strictly friendzoned). I hope we can be a thing one day… but not today. Right now, she’s cute. Nothing more.
“Dude put your sword away!” My friend said. My eyes bulged… before I realised he was talking over a mic, about my Guardian, with sword in his hands. I started laughing. He’s not like that… who am I kidding, he’s totally like that.
“So, what’s your name gonna be?” Steven asked in a mocking way over my headset. He was one of my few human friends, and he reveled in that fact. He… didn’t like ponies... to say the least. He also was really into guns, military, that sort of things. But he was not disciplined like a military officer. He had good intent… but he came out wrong. Now was not one of those times. “You can’t go around walking on four hooves, calling yourself Alton… now can you?”
“I guess you’re right.” I said, tilting my head side to side. “I haven't put much thought into what my pony name should be.”
“How about retard,” Steven said. I rolled my eyes. “It would sum you up perfectly as a pony.”
“If names are supposed to sum you up, then yours should be racist.” I shot back.
“I am not racist.” Steven retorted, not caring at all about this “argument.”
“Then what do you call someone who makes a generalisation about a group of people?” He didn’t respond to this.
“That’s what I though- CRAP! Watch out!” I called as I saw the fallen walker’s missile rocket through the air towards us. I jumped up, gliding away.
“Oh sh-”
“Steven! What did we say about cursing.” I tutted the recently deceased guardian. I slowly strolled over to the orb of light (with rotating shell fragments) that was his ghost. I pressed and held down the X button, reviving my fallen comrade… no pun intended.
“Alton! Time for bed!” Mom called up.
“Yes ma’am!” I called back. “Hey, I gtg. Time for bed.” I said to my friend. “And hey, don’t tear apart any ponies while I’m gone.”
“Yes sir.” Steven said with mock annoyance. I could tell he saluted to me, even though I couldn’t see him. “Bye man. See you around.”

---

I didn’t get much sleep that night. I was too excited. Sure it would suck, not having hands for a few months… but I could live with it. Maybe I would be a pegasus, and have the power of flight, and control over the weather! Or maybe, I’d be a unicorn: master of the arcane! I chuckled to myself. I couldn’t wait to get there!

Comments

[Seeking Dusk]

Interesting concept. I've pondered the age thing before, but this looks like it will be an interesting take on the situation.

[Mix-up]

this could be interesting, if their is enough of an intrigue to the story. sens the human have the choice to come back as a human than you story doesn't seen to happen in the standard TCB universe. Still I wander what sort of activity they are going to do during this summer camps they can't do all the same things that your standard human sumer camp do so what will it make it different. I could easily imagine that they will have little trouble finding food while they travle seen they will be able to graze on grass for basic sustenance. It seem that their is going to be a lot of traveling in this story a lot of chances to get lost or to discover strange magical mysteries or a lot of cultural exchanges with the equestrian. I tought that their is going to have anything to do with the HLF or the PER but they could be used as hostages by the former organization. In this case I thing that it would be best if the main character becomes an hearth pony but the get to have a pegasus friend as well a unicorn to make it a well rounded team and that he would start off hating it but would progressively start to appreciate the strength ans resilience of the Hearth Pony. I hope you get a new chapter out soon and if possible make it at least 3k words to make it interesting.