The Tale of Cameron Harrison
Cameron Harrison lay in his bed, the loud and all too familiar sound of his parents fighting filling his ears, treating him to a rude and abrupt awakening. This routine of theirs had become a near daily occasion. For how long, Cam could not say. All he knew was that these violent exchanges were beginning to dishearten and weaken his resolve.
“Please, you two, stop fighting!” he mumbled, attempting to hold back a tear that was beginning to form. In an attempt to tune out the screams, he switched on his TV. There wasn’t much on the news, mainly missing person reports that made him even more depressed. So, he decided to change the channel to something more enjoyable. As he entertained himself with some Doctor Who, he took note of the time. It was 7:45 AM, which meant his sister Kristen was already at school. ‘It’s fortunate that she doesn’t have to go through this.’ Cam thought to himself as he went back to his programs.
Cam was a rather eccentric young man. He had a sharp mind, a sharp wit, an open heart and an optimistic outlook. He lived by words he heard on one of his favorite movies, "Don't try to be a great man, just be a man." He had many hobbies, from piano playing to his unorthodox - and perhaps overly complicated ‘gadgets’; like taping several combs together to make a backscratcher. He’d even tried tutoring, a hobby that sadly didn’t last very long.
After a while, Cam turned the TV off and, to his surprise, still heard screaming. This fight was longer than any previous quarrel between his parents - and it was louder.
"I guess letting this run its course isn’t going to work..." He groaned, walking into his bathroom to start his morning routine.
“You’re the only sane person here, aren’t you...?” Cam sighed, gazing at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He chuckled slightly, as he knew this made him seem the opposite. Taking a moment to silently wish he could escape, he looked at the man in the mirror. He wasn’t the tallest 20 year old man in the world, but he was of decent height. His short, brown-red hair practically glistened from the overhead light, while his short but full beard was finally the way he wanted it. He was thankful he got laser surgery and did not need glasses anymore. It was one of the few things that had actually went well in his life, it seemed; what with him losing both his job and his girlfriend last week. It took a lot of willpower not to just go back to bed.
“I can’t believe you’d do this again!” Cameron’s mother screeched, just before she noticed her son walking out of his bedroom and into the living room.
“Again?” Father scoffed, “I’ve never done this once.”
“You did it on our anniversary, my birthday, Valentine’s day, heck, even Christmas!”
“Must you two always fight?” Cam questioned. “I mean, don’t you remember why you married each other?”
“Yes... “ Mother sighed, “And I still don’t think it was a good enough reason, really.”
“It wasn’t good enough, was it?” Father retorted, “Well then, why’d you say yes?”
“Because I didn’t know you’d be like... like this for the rest of your life!”
“You guys really need to chill out a little.” Cam sighed, swearing he could hear a faint laugh. “All this stress is starting to make me hallucinate”
“Cameron Gregory Harrison!” Father frowned. “Now is not the time for jokes! You go sit outside!”
“I was only trying to help, Dad.”
“You were trying to help?” Father laughed, “You never help! You just sit there and play your little games, watch your little ‘Who, M.D.’ or whatever. You do nothing but ‘chill out.”
“I-it’s Doctor Who...”
“Does it matter? The point is, you’re just a useless slacker!”
“Don’t you talk to him like that!” Mother retorted. Pretty soon the two of them were right back where they left off. Cam sighed somberly and made his way towards the back door.
‘This always tears me up inside...’ Cam thought as he stormed out the door to the woods. It was a rather short walk, as it was cold and uneventful in the early morning. Yet, it was also calming. The serene beauty of the wilderness made a part of Cam shine inside. Watching the morning dew roll from the leaves and hearing the calls of birds and beast alike helped clear his mind. He managed a ghost of a smile before stopping. He had made his way to a lone hill among the trees.
“I can’t believe them...” Cam sighed, looking off into the distance as he sat against a lone tree on the hill. The old oak trees rose high into the sky, their branches joining to weave together to form a second landscape. Above them the sun cast its light down, which danced in the water on their leaves. The view was, perhaps, the thing he liked most about this spot. “Always fighting like this...”
“Oh, look at you,” a strange voice laughed. “My perfect new tool to... horse around with.”
“W-what?” Cam shuddered at the foreign voice. “Who’s there?”
“Oh, nobody, really...” the strange voice whispered. “Just your typical interdimensional being in need of some good fun.”
“And what does that mean?” Cam asked.
“Oh, you’ll find out soon enough!” the voice said before letting out a fit of laughter.
“Is this some kind of joke?” he frantically scanned the area, “Dad, is that you?”
“Oh, yes sonny boy. It’s me, your father,” the voice giggled. “I’m sorry, I can’t say it with a straight face! No, I’m not your father.”
“What in the... what are you then?”
“Me?” the voice inquired mockingly. “I just told you what I am! You ‘humans’ are forgetful creatures, aren’t you?”
“What the heck have I gotten into? You know what? I’m out.”
The young man sprinted through the forest, attempting to escape the voice. Jumping here and ducking there, he swore he could outrun anything in these woods. Yet, wherever he went, the echo of the voice followed. After a while it sounded like it was drawing closer. He turned his head around to look, but still saw nothing but trees. At least until his foot caught onto a large root and sent him stumbling forward.
“Holy chicken, someone save me!” Cam screamed as he tripped. "Wait, why am I calling for help? I’m trying to escape some kind of... thing. It’ll be able to find me if I yell.” He mumbled to himself as an afterthought.
“Ah, hello?” a feminine voice called out, cautiously. “Is someone there?”
“I tripped, can ya give me a hand?” Cam called back, silently hoping that this wasn’t that monster thing he’d heard. He looked around for a bit, scanning for the source of the voice.
Maybe it’s just the angle, but the forest looks completely different now, he thought as he heard rustling, indicating that his savior was getting nearer.
“Just twisted my ankle.” the lad muttered as he assessed the damage. The rustling sound grew louder and he began to fix on its origin. He shifted his head in the sound direction and spotted a shadow in the trees. Cam was at first relieved by the sight, but immediately noticed something off about it. He focused closely on the figure and managed to make out a very equine shape about it.
“What the... is that a horse?” he looked closer at the shape to confirm his suspicion. What is a horse doing in these woods?
“Horse?” the feminine voice said with confusion. “I think you meant to say pony.”
“Ok, what’s a pony doing in these woods?” he began looking around the area. “And where are you anyway?” Before he could question things further something fell from one of the nearby trees and impacted with his face.
“Oh my, are you alright?”
Cam held his head carefully, barely taking notice of the voice.
“The heck was that?” he groaned, picking up a toy anvil not 3 inches long. He stared at it confusingly until he saw the lavender hoof right next to him. Carefully he followed it up until he was met by two massive violet eyes.
“Ah!”
“Ah!” the eyes backed up quickly, allowing the rest of the thing to come into focus. It was definitely a pony, though much smaller than any he’d ever seen. Cam made a rough estimate at about three feet. The pony was colored a bright lavender, with its mane and tail being darker with a single streak of pink through them. Its face was also quite different than any normal equine. It was shorter, rounder, and almost had a human look about it. But what really caught his attention was the short, rounded horn poking just above its forehead.
“Wait... you’re the one talking? Oh, some kind of costume, eh?”
The pony blinked in confusion. “Y-yes I spoke.”
“Alright, so take off the costume and tell me what you’re doing here. This is private property, after all.”
The pony looked oddly at him and tilted her head. “You must have been hit pretty hard. What are you anyway?”
“Don’t try and change the subject. I want to know who you are and what you’re doing here.” Cam’s voice was beginning to grow with irritation.
“Well I’m Twilight Sparkle, personal student to Princess Celestia,” she said proudly. “As for why I’m here, I had just gotten some of my favorite tea from a friend and was on my way home when I heard you cry for help.”
“So... there have been talking ponies in the woods behind my house this whole time? And I’m only noticing now?” Cam laughed.”I’m sure. Take off the costume, Kristen.”
“Kristen? I just told you my name,” The pony said. “That toy must have really done something to you.”
“Okay, sis. Joke’s over. You really should be in school, you know. Now, let’s get back home and... I dunno. We’ll figure that out when we get there.” He held out a hand to grab the pony.
“What are you doing?” she asked while backing out of his reach.
“Uh... taking you home, sis.”
“Seriously, I’m not your sister. I’m Twilight Sparkle. How can I prove it? Oh, I know!”
She concentrated hard on Cameron and her horn began to glow a bright lavender color. Cameron’s hands then began to glow with the same color as Twilight moved them away from herself.
“What in the world...?”
Cam’s whole body began to shine brightly as he was moved completely away from the pony.
“Okay, Okay! I believe you! Put me down!” his voice filled with fear, and confusion. Twilight gave a smug smile and lowered him to the ground, the glow vanishing from his body.
“So... uh... miss.. pony horse person. Twilight, was it? Where exactly are we? And... why did it get so dark so suddenly?”
“This is Everfree Forest.” Twilight responded with confusion. “And... well, that tends to happen when the sun goes down.”
“But, when I left it was a bit after seven in the morning.”
An ear shattering screech rang through the forest.
“W-we’d better get back to my place for the night. We’ll figure out what happened in the morning.”
“What the heck was that?”
“Um... either a Manticore or a Cockatrice. I can’t tell the difference, but either way, we don’t want to be anywhere near one.”
“Cockatrice? Sounds familiar. Turns things to stone or something?”
“Yes, which is why we really need to get going.”
“Oh, by the way, Twilight,” Cam rubbed the bump on his head, “What in the world was with that toy anvil that hit me?”
“I don’t have a single clue,” Twilight shrugged. “Let’s just get out of the forest, then we can talk.”
Cam and Twilight ventured through the now dark forest, keeping to the path with only the light coming from his new friend’s horn. Cam went over the day again and again in his head. Twilight - on the other hand - continued to observe the boy, taking in every detail she could.
“So, tell me about you, mister...?”
“It’s Cameron. Cameron Harrison.” the lad smiled. “And what’s to tell? I was born-”
“No, I mean like... what are you?”
“What am I? I’m a human. You don’t have them here?” he asked curiously.
“Nope. All ponies. And the occasional Gryffon, Zebra and Minotaur.” Twilight said nonchalant
“Oh man, gotta see that.” Cam said excitedly. “What other cool stuff is there here?”
“I can tell you all about it later, right now I’d like to learn some more about you.”
“Okay, what’d you wanna know?”
“Why haven’t I heard of your people before?” she asked curiously. “I’ve read many books on foreign races and they’ve never mentioned a human before.”
“Well I’ve never read anything about a bright colored pony who can use magic.” he replied.
“You’re literate? How fascinating!”
“Excuse me? Why wouldn’t I be literate?”
“Well,” Twilight chuckled nervously, “Typically only ponies and other sentient species would be literate. And you’re some new thing from Everfree... something nopony has seen before.”
“Which automatically makes me illiterate?”
“No, it... well... it’s really new, and neat.”
“As new as this seems to you, it’s making me curious. I’d like to read something, see if I can figure out what’s going on.”
“I have plenty of books at my house-”
A second screech echoed its way through the dark forest.
“We’ve got to go, Cameron. Now!”
As they stood at the edge of the forest, Cam looked over the darkening sights.This was not his forest at all. He took note of what appeared to be a house, or perhaps a cottage, near the edge of the forest.
“That your place?” Cam asked, gesturing toward the cottage.
“No, it belongs to my friend.” Twi stated. “Let’s just keep moving.”
“How much further?”
“Not too much further.”
As the pair reached town, Cam was feeling quite tired. He wasn’t quite used to walking so much lately.
“H-how long have we been walking?” Cam quizzed the pony.
“About 15 minutes.”
Cam sighed and lay on his back for a moment. Looking at the sky, he could see that it was now fully dark. Wondering back yet again on where the time went, that dark voice echoed in his head - Did it pun? It was clear that whatever that voice was, it brought him here, and for a reason.
“Cameron? Are you alright?” Twilight gasped when she saw him laying down.
“I’m fine, Miss Sparkle,” Cam sighed, “Just tired.”
“Well come on then, we’re almost to my house!” Twilight ordered, grinning at the word ‘miss.’
As the two entered Twilight’s house, Cam noted the large bookcases - a library. He knew that if Twilight could not send him back home, he might be able to find out more about this “Dark Voice” in these books.
“Wait here,” Twilight commanded, “I’ll go fix up the guest bed for you to sleep in.”
“Miss Sparkle, you’re too kind,” Cam yawned. “Thank you very much.”
After all that, I could use some sleep... but what about the voice? Why did it want me? What did it mean by me being a tool? Cam thought to himself, barely holding onto consciousness at this point. And talking ponies? This is all too crazy.
“I’m gonna lay down for a minute while I wait, if that’s alright,” the lad informed his new friend. As he lay down, more thoughts filled his head.
What if I can’t get home? What if I’m stuck here? What’ll happen to Kristen? Kristen... Everything began to fade away into black.
"Talking ponies. What a silly dream. " Cam muttered as he began to wake. As he sat up, his back stung.
“Note to self:” he grunted, “Don’t sleep on the floor.”
As he got up, he not only noticed that this wasn't his room, but what appeared to be a two-foot-tall purple humanoid lizard staring back at him.
"Uh, Twilight?" the lizard quizzed. "What the heck is this... thing in the library?"
"Oh don't mind me, just a figment of your imagination," Cam joked, trying to overpower the shock with his usual humor.
Just keep an open mind, old boy, Cam tried to calm himself down. Focus on either getting home or finding out more about the voice, not how crazy all of this is.
"That's Cam." Twilight yawned as she came downstairs, "He's a... what was the name? Ah, right, 'human.'"
When she saw him again, Twilight’s intrigue at the sight of a new type of creature in the world - especially an intelligent one - came rushing back.
"Twilight Sparkle!" Cam smiled, recalling the pony. "Who is your little lizard friend here?"
"I'm Spike! And I'm not a lizard, I'm a dragon!" the little one frowned.
"Terribly sorry," Cam raised an eyebrow. "I'm not really used to seeing dragons. Lizards on the other hand, I’ve seen quite a few."
As Cam finished his sentence, more emotions poured into his mind - he hadn’t realized that the other species Twilight mentioned were sentient. What more could there be in this world? He opened his mouth to try to joke again, but found his mouth rather dry suddenly.
"Can I have some water?" Cam asked as he began to feel lightheaded. He had no doubt it was due to the overflow of emotions, but still tried to resist any kind of freakout.
"What exactly happened at Zecora's last night?" Spike asked as he and Twilight went outside to get water from the pump.
"Well," Twilight tried to explain despite her own confusion, "After I left Zecora's I heard some cries for help, so I followed the calls and found him. I wasn't going to just leave him after I noticed he wasn't a pony. Besides, I was curious as to what he was."
"Isn't taking care of animals what Fluttershy does best?" Spike raised an eyebrow. "I mean, he might be some kinda creepy monster that eats ponies and dragons for breakfast! He did come from Everfree Forest after all."
"Spike!" Twilight frowned as she pumped water into a cup. "You know that's not true! He's intelligent, just like us, and he even told me that he's from a world where his kind are the dominant species just like ponies are in ours! Besides, why didn't he eat us already?"
"Maybe he only eats dragons," Spike shrugged, "and he didn't want you to find out."
As the pair came back into the house, they found Cam to be unconscious.
“Poor guy, did he faint?” Twilight cooed
“I got this!” Spike shouted as he dumped the water on the lad. This did the trick, as Cam sprang right up and ran straight into the bookcase.
"Oww," Cam sobbed, rubbing his forehead. "This is what happens when you try to block off too many emotions at once."
"Blocking off emotions?" Spike pointed a finger. "Dude, that’s unhealthy."
"You can say that again," Cam chuckled. "Now perhaps I should just say this..."
"Say what?" Spike and Twilight asked in unison.
“This is really, really freaky," the young man explained, pushing the anxiety away. “I need some time to absorb all this craziness. Not everyday you meet talking ponies and dragons.”
As Cam slowly became less confused, and was able to focus better, he took a quick look at his surroundings. The books in the library reminded him that he intended to read up on how to get home.
I’m going on the off chance that these ‘ponies’ write and read English. Them speaking it is far-fetched enough as it is, but I could take the chance. Otherwise, I can see if there’s some kinda portal still open back in the woods.
“What do younz think we should do?” Cam asked, with a plan in mind.
“Younz? What’s that mean?” Spike scratched his head. “Is that like some kinda monster thing?”
“Younz, y’all, yinz, you ones, you guys, whatever,” Cam sighed. “Just tell me what we should do.”
“What were your ideas?” Twilight asked, unsure of what to think.
“Well, we could go back into the forest and see if there is anything there that can help.” Cam explained. “Or, we could sit here and try to read up on what happened. But I’m assuming that won’t work. Like I said... not every day this kinda thing happens.”
“Well, on the one hoof, I do have quite a few books. I’ve got at least one on just about any subject imaginable,” Twilight pondered. “On the other, though, There could be some magical residue left over in Everfree that we can use to identify the specifics of your being here.”
“That’s a good point,” Cam smiled. “I’m clueless about magic. Doesn’t exist where I’m from, after all. I’d like to see that.”
While Cam wrapped himself in a blanket, Twilight grabbed a few books, knowing they would help in finding portals and other strange goings-on in Everfree.
“I, uh, I’m gonna stay here, see if I, um, if I can find anything in these other books so conveniently here and not in the forest where you’re going. Totally.” Spike stuttered.
“You still think he’s a monster, don’t you?” Twilight sighed.
“What gave me away?”
“You’re shivering.”
“Oh, right,” Spike nervously chuckled, “but I can’t help it, i mean, he came from Everfree. You know what else came from there. Manticores, Cockatrices. Or is it Cockatri? But yeah... Timber Wolves... I could go on all day! Am I supposed to believe that he’s not gonna be like those things?”
“Spike! Quit being so judgemental! He’s not a monster, he’s basically a pony! Well, a pony that walks on two legs... and has fingers... and... okay, so he’s very, very loosely, kind of like a pony. Barely. But he’s not a monster! He’s just scared and he wants to get home!”
“Yeah, well, it seems really fishy to me.”
Rolling her eyes, Twilight went out the door with Cam, who was already covered in the blanket and ready to go.
“Cam,” Twilight laughed, “I think if we’re quick, you won’t need to do that.”
“That’s a relief,” the boy sighed as he stood back up and began to sprint his way toward the forest, retracing his steps from last night.
“Wait up!” Twilight cried as she rushed to catch the speedy boy. “What’s the rush?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Sparkle. Guess I was a little overly excited.” Cam laughed. “Plus, you did say I had to be quick.”
About an hour had passed as the pair hunted high and low for any trace of magic or portals through where Twilight found her new friend - with no luck. As they continued their search, they heard someone approaching.
“Twilight? For what do you search near this lonely old Birch?” a voice rang out.
Cam raised an eyebrow at the rhyme.
“Ah, hello Zecora! This... um... how should I put this?” Twilight pointed a hoof at Cam. “He was lost near here last night. We’re trying to retrace his steps and see if we can find him his way back home. We’re having trouble, though.”
“If a way home is what you seek, perhaps you should try a new technique,” Zecora suggested. “What is your name, lost one?”
As Cam turned around and stood up, Zecora was quite surprised at his height. He was much taller than any pony she had ever seen.
“Never before in all my years, have I seen anything quite as tall as this one appears.”
“My name is Cam. I’m a human. Very nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“A pleasure, young Cam, to meet one with the manners to call me ‘ma’am’. Why don’t you both come with me, we will go to my hut and have some tea.”
As Cam and Twilight followed Zecora home, Cam took note of an interesting sight; a large patch of blue flowers. There was something about them that intrigued him greatly. He was about to reach forward to pluck one he noticed the others had already gone onwards
“I guess I’ll check these out later on. Or I’ll ask this ‘Zecora’ about them.” he told himself as he rose to his feet and followed after. Pretty soon they came to a simple hut made from a crooked tree. The two equines entered first, with Cam shortly thereafter.
Upon entering the house, Cam noticed a rich herbal smell - Zecora was a potion brewer. An apothecary or alchemist of sorts. Perhaps she held the key to getting home?
“What kind of tea do you desire? Black, chai, or Cheshire?” the Zebra asked as she prepared some water to boil.
“Oh, tea? Earl Grey, hot,” Cam ordered, not paying too much attention.
“Early Gray? What kind of tea is that? Nothing I’ve ever heard of, “ Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“No such thing in this world? Blast. Um, Oh! I saw some kinda blue flowers outside-”
“Oh no... you didn’t touch them, did you?” Twilight grimaced.
“What if I did? What would happen?”
“Oh no, oh no. You’re gonna want to brace yourself for the things that might happen. Zecora, get the bath ready.”
“Bath? What does that stuff do? I didn’t actually touch it. I was just curious.”
“Oh thank goodness,” Twilight sighed in relief. “They’re called Poison Joke. There are all kinds of things they might do to you. They’re a bit of a scientific anomaly. Each effect is different and unique.”
“Really? That’s actually kind of cool. Say... do you think those could have had something to do with my being lost?”
“I’ve not heard of that happening before, but to the list, we can always add one more.”
“Miss Zecora, I’m terribly sorry, but I fear we may need to head out soon. I really enjoyed the chat, but... well... I really need to get back home as soon as possible.”
“I’ve gotta help Cam get home, but I’ll come back this evening or so, Zecora. Take care!” Twilight chuckled nervously, trying to help Cam’s apparent social deficiency.
The time was noon as the pair returned to Twilight’s house. Something seemed rather strange, as if the town was rather empty. It was almost like they could waltz right through without any fear of discovery. It was an eerie feeling to say the least.
“Where are all the ponies?” Cam asked, rather confused. “I mean, with so many houses you’d think the town would be more lively.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight murmured as they finally approached the library. She lit up her horn and opened the door slowly. “Maybe there was some kind of town hall meet-”
“SURPRISE!” many voices rang out from inside the house, all at once.
“Ah, crud,” Cam facepalmed. “So much for low-profile.”