Chapter 11: We Can Only Make the Best of it...
The entire group stared at the clearing smoke. Twilight used her magic to dissipate the remaining clouds to reveal what Graham had hoped for: His old friend Cammy.
Cammy, otherwise known as Cameron, stood at about six feet and three inches, just slightly taller than Graham who stood at six foot two. He was twenty years of age, and had short chocolate brown hair, along with light green eyes, ones that matched the color of Rainbow Dash's green streak that ran through her hair. He had on what appeared to be a blue overcoat that was zipped up, which had the marking of a slightly lighter blue dragon as the logo. His pants were of a black color, with nothing too special, except for a chain that hung from the right pocket. He was wearing basic white trainer sneakers, complete with a red stripe that went across one side of the pair to the other to make it flash.
Cammy was in the action as if he was holding something in his hand, possibly a remote control, trying to press a button, until he noticed that he was indeed not at home. He looked at his hand to see that there was nothing in it, and looked forward to see Graham with a goofy smile on his face, waving his hand.
"Cammy! So glad you could make it!" He shouted as he slowly walked over.
"Make it to where, now...?"
"Why, to Canterlot Castle, of course!"
"Castle—" Was all he said as he slowly looked around to see where he truly was. He saw what appeared to be white stone wall surrounding him, instead of his house's wooden texture. His eyes slowly got wider and wider, and he mumbled something, but whatever it was, it was completely indeterminable. He made a one eighty degree turn to see what appeared to be Princess Celestia herself in all her glory, along with her dear sister Luna, and the joker Discord sitting by her side.
"Dude, you ok?" Aramis asked as Cameron darted to his direction.
"Graham...where the bloody hell is this?" He completed his sentence with a few stutters. Graham could only chuckle.
"Like I said, Canterlot Castle! Welcome to Equestria, Cammy!"
Cameron could've sworn he was going completely insane. How in the world did he get here? He was just minding his own business , tuning into one of his favorite shows "The Amazing World of Gumball", when all of a sudden, BAM! He was standing up to see his friend, who he was able to talk to thanks to the Internet, standing right in front of him, but he couldn't possibly be standing in front of him, he lived in the United States, where-as Cameron lived an ocean away in the United Kingdom. The amount of impossibility in this situation was excessive, and yet here he was.
He looked around frantically as if he was caught in a corner or something. Graham had a fantastic idea, so he looked behind him at Pinkie, giving a quick motion of his hand to tell her to hop on over to him. She only giggled and bounced right past him, towards the new member of the human group.
"HelloCammynicetomeetyouI'mPinkiePie!" She announced in a fast pace, with another giggle and a snort at the end. Cammy stopped what he was doing and stood there dumbfounded as the pink mare's voice shot through him and instantly calmed him down from his frenzied panic. Her voice always had a soothing quality to him, despite the ever-present excitement in it. He turned his attention to Pinkie Pie and stood for a short while before giving her a large hug.
"Pinkie! My word, if this is a dream it's already fantastic!" His voice was filled with excitement as his arms wrapped around the fluffy haired mare. Graham gave a hearty laugh and looked on as his friend moved back from Pinkie Pie, an excessively large grin on his face.
"I knew that you'd enjoy it here." Graham said while looking towards Cameron's direction. He looked behind him, seeing that the others were still confused. Time for an introduction.
"Everypony, may I present to you my dear friend Cameron, one of my best friends from the not-so-magical land of the United Kingdom!" He announced with a chipper tone in his voice. Cammy only sneered and looked towards him.
"Not-so-magical? It's a lot better than your horribly run United States of FAIL. In fact, we're even better in the financial shape then your worthless country." Cammy said in a blank response. Discord only laughed at what was going on.
"I was right! This is fun! You two are fighting like an old married couple! Hahaha! Aren't you glad I brought Cammy here instead of somepony else, Graham? I was going to bring your mother into this, but this is much better!"
Graham growled at the disfigured creature, "My mother's dead, you ass-clown."
"I KNOW!" He responded with a cackle, barely staying upright as he started wheezing with laughter.
"I should bop you one, you freak-a-nature!"
"Aww, you're no fun!" Was his final say as he gave a chortle. Graham rolled his eyes as Cammy laughed at Pinkie Pie's infamous bouncing around.
"Anyways, enough. Despite our...argument, I'm glad to see you're taking everything well."
"Taking everything well? Are you joking? This is incredible! Best dream ever." He replied, oblivious to the actual truth. Graham looked over at Celestia expectantly, hoping she would explain the situation to the young man. However, all he received was a shrug. Sighing, Graham turned back to Cammy and slapped him across the face.
"OW! That hurt, you..." Cammy started before realizing what he had said, "That...hurt...this isn't a dream, is it?"
Graham cackled, "Nope! You're in Equestria, buddy! One hundred percent, bona fide pony central!"
Cammy started to grin for just a moment before he realized what he had been doing before he was rudely interrupted via teleportation, "Dammit! I'm going to miss the new episode!" He hung his head, Graham's cackling only intensifying.
"Let me guess, Gumball." He watched as Cammy went into a fit of rage.
"Yes! That show!"
Pinkie made it her goal to catch Cameron's attention once more, so that the others could talk things out about the remaining newcomers.
"Well, what the heck happened? I heard there were four more, we only have one." Graham asked.
Discord only shrugged, "Oh, I don't know. They might be...around."
"Discord you better tell me RIGHT FUCKING NOW." Graham angrily threatened.
"Or else what, Graham, you'll slap me with those ape hands of yours? Attacking me, really? Actually, it's probably more like flailing angrily. Please, I don't even need to touch you and I can hand you your...how you say 'Ass', on a silver platter!"
Graham's temper only boiled over; His face's color clearly showing it. Cammy looked at him with only a calm expression,"Graham...Chill out, would you? It is Discord, we are talking about."
Graham didn't answer him at all. He looked straight at Discord, red fogging his vision. Aramis put his hand on his shoulder to give him a quick word of advice.
"Graham, you know your blood pressure, don't do this, think about what you're really doing for a sec—"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME!" He shouted as he threw Aramis's hand off his shoulder.
Graham couldn't control himself. After all the taunts, the humiliation of bringing up a dead family member, and even making fun of him and Twilight's relationship, but this!
"DISCORD... YOU'RE DEEEEAAAAD!" Was all he could yell as he screamed out a battle cry. Discord could only look at him with a bored expression.
"Really, You're going to try to TACKLE me. Did you forget who you're dealing with? Well, time to go get that platter..." He said aloud as a large silver plate formed out of thin air into his claws. He then lowered it so that the face was directly pointing towards the raging man. Graham ignored this, grabbed it, and smacked Discord right in the face with it!
As soon as he made contact with the mish-mash creature's face, Discord exploded into a dozen rag dolls. They harmlessly dropped onto the floor, but as soon as they did, they made a POOM sound, their stuffing exploded into the air, but it wasn't just any stuffing...
"COTTON CANDY? YOU... YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Graham roared, looking around. He soon felt a grab at his shirt. Turning around, his vision showed Aramis.
"Dude, calm the fuck down!" He yelled. Graham shook himself from his grip.
"Y-YOU GET THE FUCK OFF-A ME, ARAMIS! HE'S A DEAD MAN! OR WHATEVER THE FUCK HE IS!"
Discord was up above, floating on the cotton candy cloud he snapped up, with a big sign showing 'Graham = Sucker' in Broadway-styled lights hovering above him. A puppet of a pony announcer sat on his right claw.
"That's Discord: 1, Graham: 0." The announcer pupped called out in very sports-commentator-like voice, "Now back to you, Celly."
Celestia looked at Graham, concerned, "Graham, please calm down."
Graham couldn't hear anypony around him whatsoever. His anger turning towards Aramis.
"Don't you fucking tell me how to act! The fuck do you think you are, my mother?"
"I'd have to be dead to be that though." Aramis mocked with a sarcastic sneer.
"You leave my FUCKING MOTHER OUTTA THIS, YOU ASSHOLE!"
"Sounds like someone needs to cool off." Discord smirked.
Graham looked up to see him staring down at him, his anger rising dramatically.
"GET THE FUCK DOWN HERE SO I CAN GUT YOU LIKE A FUCKING-"
He couldn't finish his own sentence before something wet and floppy hit him on the noggin. He slowly grabbed it to realize that it was a dead fish in his hands.
"Like a fish, Graham?" Discord finished for him, snickering.. He easily dodged as the fish was tossed right back at him, slapping wetly into a ceiling, which was surprisingly about 35 feet above them.
"Ich werde dich töten! ICH WERDE SICHER NICHT auch nur ein einziges Stück bleibt übrig, wenn ich damit fertig bin!"
Discord couldn't stop laughing at Graham's anger. "Oh, you! You are just so funny when you get all riled up like this!" He wiped a tear from his eye between chuckles. "I-Is that German I heard? Oh, please. You cant even get up here! How are you going to make sure that not even a piece of me remains, when I, dear sir, am up here, and you, down there."
Twilight couldn't stand it anymore. She's seen enough to know what she was seeing was not Graham at all, but something completely different. She remembered the story he told her; about his mother and how much she meant to him. He clearly had issues, and he needed guidance. Twilight used her magic to grab him, making him float into the air. He swung his fists, helplessly trying to escape.
"Lassen Sie mich gehen! ZWIETRACHT IST MINE zu zerstören!" He screeched as he wriggled and squirmed. Twilight guided him towards her; his face right next to hers.
"Now you listen to me, Graham and you listen GOOD! I understand what Discord said was hurtful, but you shouldn't be trying to destroy anypony! This isn't you, and I KNOW it isn't because of all the things you've said and done these past couple of weeks. I love the Graham that gave out advice, and helped with anything he could, not this... this monster!"
Those words hit him harder than a speeding Mack truck. He never really thought about it, but he really did have mental issues. He told her everything before, and never really let it get in the way, but why now? He took a deep breath before he started talking again.
"You're... you're right, Twilight." Graham said shakily, exhaling and lowering his head, "I'm...sorry I acted like that. I let Discord get the better of me... I promise I won't let it happen again."
Twilight smiled. She felt he should be rewarded for coming to his senses with a kiss. As soon as she finished giving him his prize, she let him down gently. "I understand your anger, Graham. I can help you, when we're done here, I'll take it upon myself that you relieved of these issues, whether it kills me!" Graham nodded as he brushed himself off. Both of them looked towards Celestia.
"Celestia, I am SO sorry about what I said...please don't be mad...I just...I cant stand anypony saying anything about my mother. She gave me everything I needed to be happy, and she was stripped from life at a very small age. It still hurts me to this very day that anypony would mock her, when all she did was make me exist, take care of me, and die of a fatal disease. I cant exactly go into details, but Twilight understands the entire thing."
Celestia nodded her head once in understanding. "It's alright. I can certainly understand why you would not want the reputation of your mother disgraced by anypony, even if it is in joking." She then shot Discord a glare, to which he chuckled.
"Discord, apologize, unless you wish to return to your prison." She bluffed. She knew fully darn well Discord would do anything not to get sent there. He hated it there! Spending every waking moment in stone, never moving, and never having anypony to talk to at all, only his thoughts for company. She smirked as Discord gave a startled look and proceeded with floating back down to the ground, for his apology.
"Oh, alright, I'll apologize. But only because you asked so nicely..." Discord looked Graham in the eye. "I'm...s...s...so...sooooooorrrrrrrr...sorr..." he stuttered, apparently almost incapable of forming that last word. He sighed before continuing. ". There, happy now?"
Graham started to chuckle. This really hit him in the ego. "Yeah I guess that's enough." He extended a hand towards the spirit, who lightly shook it with his lion's paw. The stood there for a moment, neither moving or blinking.
Twilight cleared her throat loudly. "Back to the matter at hoof..." she started. The human and draconequus separated and everypony turned their attention to the purple mare. "We need to find the other three humans," she continued. "If it's anything like when Graham and Aramis arrived here, they're likely in great danger. Discord, can you please tell us where you sent them?"
The spirit chuckled. "Oh, and what fun would that-" He was cut off by a death glare from Celestia, "Oh all right, I suppose I can tell you, but only in riddles!"
Discord teleported above the group, spreading his talon and paw in a dramatic fashion. The lights started to dim as he recited his rhymes. "Three humans there are to find, every riddle you must mind."
He teleported behind Graham. "Where in Equestria the country folk all reside, your missing friend you will find."
Next to Aramis. "Find another human in the place where the bears sleep, lest his life you wish them to reap."
And finally, behind Cammy. "And in the place where the ponies are all high-class, your final missing friend, you will find at last."
Discord then teleported out of the room, his laugh lingering as the lighting returned to normal.
Aramis' whistling was the first thing heard. "Well, that was certainly the weirdest poetry I've ever heard." Everypony nodded in agreement.
"Regardless of how strange the recitement was, I think the message was clear." Luna said. "You three humans must split up to find the missing three of your compatriots. Where they are exactly, I will admit I am at a loss."
"Appleloosa!" Applejack shouted suddenly, catching everyone's attention, "Think about it! He said 'where the country folk all reside!' There ain't no other place like Appleloosa fer that sorta thing!"
"Then that's where I'll find this guy...whoever it is." Graham looked down at Twilight, "And that means I'll need you to come along, since I don't know where I'm going."
Twilight smiled back at him. "I'd be more than happy to go with you Graham." The man smiled as well, unable to wait for some alone time with his mare.
"That still leaves the other two riddles, though," Dash pointed out, " 'Where the bears sleep'... I don't know. The only bear I've ever seen was that Ursa..."
Aramis spoke up and finished her train of thought, "Everfree forest Dash. That's where the human lies... Hopefully alive." he muttered the last part quietly in hopes of not jinxing himself.
Cammy only sighed, "Looks like I'm heading to Manehattan."
Pinkie smiled wide, "Ooh! You're smart! How smart are you? Are you as smart as Twilight?" Cammy smirked, his ego swelling up.
"Probably smar-Ow!" Was all he got to say before Graham slapped him in the back of the head.
"What is WITH you and slapping people in the head?" Aramis pointed out.
"I LOVE hitting people!" Graham laughed, but then got all serious face, "But, if anyone says anything regarding Twilight that isn't a compliment, I'll murder them."
Cammy rubbed the back of his head and glared a second before turning back to Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing in place, "Anyways, the poem was easy enough. This other person shouldn't be in Canterlot; It would be too easy. The only other fancy city I would know is Manehattan."
Pinkie bounced around him giggling, "Then let's go!"
It was settled: Graham, Aramis and Cammy were going to split up. Or at least for a little while. Graham and Twilight picked up Spike and headed off. Gypsy, who was following Fluttershy the entire time, but without anyone's notice, followed Her master. Applejack thought that she would most likely be needed with them, as she knew more about Appleloosa than anypony else. They decided it was best to take the train from Ponyville.
Cammy and Pinkie Pie, along with Rarity decided to it would also be best to take a train ride to reach their destination. Rarity needed a few things from Manehattan, so she decided it was best to go with them.
Aramis and Dash were going to trek through the Everfree Forest. Since Aramis was not sure what creatures were inhabiting this place, he knew he would need something blunt to protect himself with. He knew Rainbow Dash was an athlete, and might have a spare bat he could use. They would travel back into town and retrieve it before heading into the unknown. They decided Fluttershy was a necessary tag-along, since she was so good with animals. Although it took a bit of time to persuade the shy pegasus to agree to going at all.
The team of three humans and six pones bade the princesses farewell, and took another carriage back to Ponyville, where they would split up and prepare themselves for their individual trips in search of the remaining humans.
