Chapters In the River's Golden Flow
Cameo trotted along the dirt road that led to the park. She had decided that it was a lovely day, so she might as well go for a stroll around Ponyville. She trotted along as she looked at the beautiful towering flowers that only she could see. Some ponies stopped her and asked why she was smiling, but she couldn't answer so she just continued on her way.
After a while she finally got to the park. She sat for a while in the center of the field, still admiring the flowers. After a minute or two she saw a beautiful river. She trotted over to it and saw that the banks were covered with daisies and tulips, and the water flowing through the river itself was the most perfect shade of gold.
Cameo placed a hoof into the river, and when she pulled it back out, it stayed the same gold as the water. She looked back down at the river and noticed a small rock that glimmered brightly on the other side. She didn't see any ways around the river, so she slowly submerged her entire body into the cool water. Carefully keeping only her head out of the river, she made her way to the other bank. Cameo tried to levitate the stone out of the river, but because her horn had been broken, she could only levitate things that she was very close to.
Cameo took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Horn glowing, she ducked her head under the water and came back up with the stone. It floated in front of Cameo's face, and the light blue magic that surrounded it just made it shine even brighter.
Cameo waded out of the river, and trotted back to her home with her new treasure.
Cameo awoke in the middle of the night. She had had a bad dream. It was the first bad dream she had had since... the incident. In this dream, everypony was laughing at her. She didn't know why. Nopony had ever given her a hard time about her blank flank since... ugh! You know what I mean! Cameo's best guess was that they were laughing at her because she was strange. If there was one thing she remembered her mother telling her, it was that ponies make fun of things they don't understand. Sometimes, Cameo would make herself feel better by telling herself that everypony made fun of her because they were just ignorant. Nothing more.
Cameo hugged her teddy bear close and rested her head back on her pillow. Soon, she drifted back off into sleep.
...
Cameo found herself in a darkened hollow. She knew she was looking for somepony, but she couldn't quite remember who. She looked over her shoulder and saw her saddle bags resting on her back, and Teddy's face was peeking out of one of them. This provided some comfort for Cameo, but overall, she still felt scared. Really, really, really scared. You know that feeling you have right after you watch a scary movie, or read a scary story? And then you hear that sound just outside your door, or under your bed, or in your closet... Well Cameo had that feeling right now, except it was multiplied by one million and two.
"Cameo." The unicorn began to back up. Somepony, somewhere, had said her name. "Cameo," the voice said again. Her heart racing, she turned tail and began to gallop away from the voice. She didn't care who it belonged to; she just wanted to get away. "Cameo." The voice was right behind her now, so she turned around. She didn't want to, but you know how dreams are. There, standing in front of Cameo, was the pony who had been saying her name. It was her mother.
"Cameo, don't be afraid. It's only me," she said as she embraced her daughter. "I've missed you so, so much." Slowly, the sun rose up above the trees and the whole forest became bright. Everything was beautiful. Cameo stepped back to look at her mother, when she realized that the pony standing before her had wings. She reached out a hoof to touch them, and they felt so soft.
"Yes, Cameo, I do have wings. I live in another place now, remember? I mean we live in another place." A familiar stallion appeared and stood next to Cameo's mother. It took her a minute, but then she recognized him to be her father. She stood for a second as a few tears rolled down her cheeks, but then she embraced her parents.
"Cameo, we have to go," said her mother.
"Yes. There are ponies waiting for us," said her father. The family joined together in one last heartfelt embrace before Cameo's mother and father spread their wings and flew up to the sky.
...
Cameo sat up in bed. She looked around, and was sad to find that she was back in her room, and her parents were nowhere to be seen. Slowly, she turned her head to look up at the ceiling.
I love you guys, she thought. Then, hugging Teddy, she rested her head on her pillow once again, and had sweet dreams for the rest of the night.
Canterlot Vacation Part Two
Cameo carefully tucked Teddy back into her saddlebag. She used her magic to pull her suitcase back out from under her seat and unfold the wheels. Slowly she made her way through the crowd of ponies on the train, and stepped off onto the pavement of the Canterlot Train Station.
Her eyes widened as she took in the beautiful scenery. Most ponies already thought Canterlot was beautiful, but Cameo saw things differently. There were beautiful giant gardens next to every house, and all the ponies were wearing dresses that were even more beautiful than Princess Celestia herself. Canterlot Castle looked so tall, and it shone with the brightness of a thousand stars.
Cameo began to walk through the city. She walked slowly, as to take in every detail. Then, finally, she got to her hotel. She entered and trotted up to the desk.
"How may I help you, young filly?" he asked. He stared at Cameo for a while before asking again. "I said, how may I help you?"
Anticipating this situation, Cameo levitated a paper and a quill out of her saddlebag, and set it on the table. Using her magic, she wrote on the paper:
My name is Cameo. I have come to Canterlot on vacation. I would like a room for one, please. I will be staying here for one week.
"Well why didn't you say so then?" the man asked, looking angry.
He must be having a very stressful day, Cameo thought.
I couldn't say so because I cannot speak.
"Oh. Well..." the stallion stuttered. "Let me take you to your room." Cameo look the handle of her rolling suitcase with her magic.
...
After a very long stair climb, they finally arrived at Cameo's hotel room.
"Here is your room key," the stallion said. "I hope you enjoy your stay at Canterlot Towers." Then, he departed. Cameo opened the door and stepped inside. She locked her door behind her and placed her key in her saddlebag.
What a lovely room, Cameo thought as she removed her saddlebags and placed them by the wall. I hope it doesn't cost to much to stay here. She took her teddy bear out of her bag and sat him on the bed against the pillow.
Cameo looked up at the ceiling and admired the thousands of sparkling chandlers hanging from the ceiling, and the millions of flowers that decorated the walls that only she could see. She opened her rolling suitcase and gasped at what she saw.
Oh no! she thought. It's empty!
Canterlot Vacation Part Four
Cameo and Timber trotted merrily through the streets of Canterlot looking around carefully for the missing necklace. It had been hours since they had met and the sun was beginning to set.
"Maybe we should just call it a night," Timber said sadly. "We could meet somewhere tomorrow morning and keep looking then." Cameo nodded her head in agreement. As much as she wanted to find the necklace, she was exhausted. "Where do you live? I could walk you home," Timber asked. Cameo levitated a quill and paper out from her saddlebags and began to write.
I'm actually just on Vacation here. I live in Ponyville. I'm staying in the Diamond Gardens hotel.
"Oh, ok! I know where that is. I live a few blocks away from there. I'll walk you." Together, Timber and Cameo walked through the streets of Canterlot. Cameo tried as hard as she could to explain to her friend what had happened. It was hard to write and walk; even for a unicorn.
As they passed the train station, something sparkly caught Cameo's eye. She looked up and saw a box with the words Lost and Found sloppily painted on the side. She nudged Timber and galloped into the building. She peered into the box and her heart skipped a beat as five special words caught her eye.
Happy anniversary, Merideth. I love you.
Mother's necklace! I found it! Cameo thought. A smile spread across her face as she happily levitated it and showed the man at the desk her drawing. Then, Timber explained and the man nodded, approving Cameo's taking the necklace. The two friends, happy that their quest was complete, skipped the rest of the way to Diamond Gardens Hotel.
Canterlot Vacation Part Five
Cameo awoke from very sweet dreams of Timber, and cotton candy, and peaches and cream. She jumped out of bed and trotted out of the hotel room. Today was the second day. She had just arrived in Canterlot the day before, but sadly, she had planned a short vacation and was scheduled to return to Ponyville tomorrow afternoon.
Cameo pushed open the glass door on the front of Diamond Gardens hotel and trotted into the beautiful star covered streets. She smiled at everypony she passed, even though she had a very specific unicorn in mind that she wanted to find. She trotted past gardens, and snack stands, and a number of fancy restaurants. Then, finally, when she got to the park she saw the familiar peach colored unicorn she had made plans to meet the previous evening.
Timber! she thought as she trotted towards her friend. Then, she noticed for the first time what Timber's cutie mark was. It didn't make any sense at all; her cutie mark was a peach and a peach slice that was dipped in cream. That doesn't make any sense, Cameo thought. Shouldn't her cutie mark be a tree or something? she kept on trotting until she reached her friend. She sat down next to her on the grass and pulled a paper and quill from her saddlebags and wrote down her question about Timber's cutie mark.
"Oh, that. My real name is Peaches N' Cream. Timber's just a nickname; but I like it better." she explained. Cameo levitated the quill and wrote the word "why" on the paper.
"Because ponies started calling me 'Peachy,' and I don't really like that. So I started going by Timber. That's my grandmother's name." She said. Cameo nodded. That made sense. Her grandmother's name was Glitter, and she would much rather be called Glitter than Peachy. The two unicorns talked and played in the park until they got hungry.
"Want to go get something to eat?" Timber asked. "We could go to one of those fancy restaurants." Cameo nodded and the ponies trotted out of the park.
...
"I think I'll get the Hibiscus Salad, with golden bell flowers on the side. What about you, Cameo? I can order for you if you want," Timber offered. Cameo levitated the quill and wrote "Manehatten Salad" on her paper.
"Have you made your decision?" the waiter asked them as he slowly walked to the table.
"Yes," Timber began. "I will have the Hibiscus Salad, and my friend will have the Manehatten Salad. Oh, and put the golden bells on the side, please."
"Very well," the waiter said as he levitated a quill to write down the orders. "Your food will arrive very shortly."
"Thank you," Timber said. The waiter nodded and left the table. Cameo looked out the window at the sunset. Then, her smile faded as she remembered that she was going to leave her new friend behind tomorrow. She hesitated, then levitated a quill to write the devastating news.
"You- you're leaving?" Timber asked as a tear formed in her eye. Cameo nodded sadly. "I'll miss you. Maybe I can come visit sometime."
I would like that, Cameo thought. As if on cue, the sound of light raindrops began to pitter-patter on the roof, and the ponies sat quietly and listened until their food arrived.
Canterlot Vacation Part 6
Cameo awoke the next morning, excited to see Timber. Then, she remembered that she had to go home. She sighed and climbed out of her comfortable hotel bed. Slowly, she packed her things into her suitcase with wheels and her saddlebags. Her pens, her paper, and her mother's necklace. The object that had brought Cameo and Timber together. After she finished packing, she hesitated, and then took the necklace out of her saddlebag and put it on. Then, sadly, she left the hotel room.
Cameo walked along the starry streets of Canterlot looking for her friend. She wanted to say one last goodbye before she went back to Ponyville. Finally, she reached the train station, and Timber was nowhere to be found.
"All aboard who's comin' aboard!" The conductor yelled.
Aww. I wish I got to see Timber again before I went home. Cameo thought. Then, with a heavy heart, she gave her ticket to the conductor and began to step onto the train.
"Cameo!" A familiar voice called. "Cameo, wait!" Cameo turned around and saw her best and only friend rushing towards her.
Timber! Cameo thought. The two unicorns galloped to each other as quickly as they could and embraced each other.
"Oh, Cameo, I'm so glad I caught you! I went to her hotel room but you weren't there so I thought you had left already!" Timber said quickly. The ponies stopped hugging and looked at each other. Then, Cameo had an idea. She levitated her mother's necklace from her neck and fastened it around Timber's.
"Wh- What? Cameo, isn't this your mother's necklace?" Timber asked. Cameo nodded. She levitated a quill and parchment from her saddlebag and began to write.
It's very special to me, but so are you. I want you to have it. Goodbye, Timber. See you again sometime.
Timber carefully read the paper and nodded.
"Bye, Cameo. See you later," She said. Cameo nodded in response, then turned around and slowly walked to the train. She sat next to a window and looked out. She found Timber in the crowd. She was waving at Cameo with a sad smile on her face and tears running down her cheeks. Cameo waved back.
As the train started, Timber ran with it until it finally passed her and Cameo could see her no more.
See you later, Timber. Cameo thought.
End of Canterlot Vacation
Author's Note
I cried while writing this chapter. It reminded me of when my BFF moved to a different city.
A Visit to Sugarcube Corner
Cameo pushed open the door to the little bakery called Sugarcube Corner. She wanted to try out a new recipe! You see, that morning she found a flier for the treat in her mailbox. She thought it looked tasty, so she decided to give it a try.
The unicorn trotted up to the counter and dropped the flier in front of Pinkie Pie, who was currently holding down the fort.
"I'm guessing that means you want a Lemon Drop Creme Cake, huh?" the pink pony said with a smile. Cameo nodded quickly in response. "Okey dokey lokey!" she said. "One L-D-C-C comin' up!" Pinkie Pie turned and hopped into the kitchen, and Cameo took a seat.
Sugarcube Corner looked very different to Cameo than it looked to other ponies. To Cameo, the walls were swirled with rainbows, the door and window frames were lollipops, and the tables and chairs looked like giant flowers. She smiled at what she saw.
"I have a Lemon Drop Creme Cake here! Fresh out of the oven and ready for pickup! Did anypony order a Lemon Drop Creme Cake?" Cameo looked over at Pinkie Pie who had already seemed to have forgotten who ordered it. She trotted over to where the pink pony had placed a large paper bag on the counter.
"Oh, yeah! It was you!" Pinkie said with a laugh. "Silly me, I'm always forgetting the orders." Cameo smiled and looked inside the bag. The smell of the cake was delicious and it had tons of sprinkles on top that looked to Cameo like a million Twinkling stars.
"That'll be three bits please!" The unicorn placed her money on the counter before she picked up the bag and stepped out of Sugarcube Corner.
...
Cameo was almost to her house when she bumped into Lemon Hearts.
"Whoops! Sorry, Cameo," she said. Cameo was pleased that Lemon Hearts had remembered her name, but the Lemon Drop Creme Cake was squashed. Cameo dropped the bag on the ground and it tipped over, letting the remains of the delicious looking treat spill into the dirt.
She was a little sad at first, but her smile returned as she saw all the little stars float up into the sky. Meanwhile, poor Lemon was looking up too, but she couldn't tell what Cameo was smiling at.
"Uh, yeah... I gotta go, so... bye!" Lemon Hearts began to quickly trot away as Cameo levitated the remains of the cake back into the bag and tossed it in the trash. She would go get another one later, but right now, she just wanted to look at the stars that nopony else could see. Cameo finally felt like she was special.
Canterlot Vacation Part One
Cameo jumped out of her bed and ran to the calender. She crossed off one day, then looked at the square next to it.
Yes! she thought. Finally! It's vacation day! She galloped to the front door of her house and grabbed the saddlebags that were resting there. Then she remembered that she didn't pack her teddy bear the night before because she couldn't sleep without him. She galloped back to her bedroom and levitated him into her saddlebag with just his little face poking out so he could breathe.
Cameo galloped back to her front door and used her magic to pull the rolling suitcase along behind her.
Time to go! she thought as she looked at the clock. She trotted out of her house as she pulled the suitcase behind her.
...
She arrived at the train station a few minutes later, and handed the conductor her ticket.
"Thank you, young lady," he said. Cameo nodded in response before she got on the train.
Cameo selected a seat near the back of the train car. She folded in the wheels of her rolling suitcase and slid it under her seat. Then, she took off her saddlebags and set them next to her as she carefully removed Teddy and put him in her lap. She never went on vacation without him, not even when she was a little filly.
Cameo could barely remember her first vacation, but she remembered when she got Teddy. Her parents had taken her to Fillydelphia for a week, and they went to the carnival. There was a prize shelf at a really hard game, and Teddy was perched on top of it in between a pony doll and a bunny toy.
"Mommy, I want the teddy bear!" Cameo said.
"Well then you'll have to play for it!" replied the grimy stallion at the counter. Cameo's mother gave a couple bits to the stallion and he let her play. It took a couple of tries before she started crying.
"I can't get it, Mommy!" she said in between sobs. Cameo's father couldn't stand to see her cry.
"Give me a try," he said as he slammed some bits on the counter.
"Go for it," the stallion said.
Cameo didn't remember what happened next; what she did remember is that her daddy got her the teddy bear she wanted.
"Next stop: Canterlot!" The conductors voice echoed through the train.
Yay! That's my stop! thought Cameo. Finally!
Canterlot Vacation Part Three
Oh, what to do, what to do? Cameo asked herself as she paced back and fourth. She didn't know what to do! The contents of that suitcase were very important! She could have sworn she packed them! Ok, let's see what I'm missing, she thought. My extra quills and paper, my fancy dress, my books, and, what else? She continued pacing until she figured out what else she was missing. Cameo gasped when she finally remembered.
The necklace! The necklace mother left me! I lost all I had left! Cameo fell onto her bed and began crying. Her mother had left Cameo a beautiful jade necklace in her will, and she lost it. I have to get it back! Cameo thought. She kissed Teddy on his fuzzy little forehead, packed her saddlebags with pads of paper, and galloped out of the hotel.
...
Cameo galloped through the streets of Canterlot. She looked carefully in every nook and cranny, and she asked every pony she saw if they had seen it. Well, she didn't really ask them; she just held up a paper that said: Have you seen this necklace? Underneath the words, there was a drawing of it. Every pony in town shook their heads.
After asking what seemed like the zillienth pony, Cameo slumped to the ground and began crying once again. Not even the stars decorating the sidewalk that she alone could see cheered her up. Then, all of a sudden, Cameo heard a soft voice.
"Um, excuse me?" Cameo looked up to see a unicorn mare looking down at her, wearing her necklace. "I think I have the necklace," she said as she levitated the paper Cameo had been showing to everypony.
Cameo jumped up and nodded excitedly. The mare took off the necklace and gave it to Cameo.
"I found it next to the train station," she said. "It looked valuable, so I thought I would try to find who it belonged too." Cameo looked over the necklace with a smile that faded when she failed to find a small detail. On the necklace her mother had given her, the words "Happy anniversary, Merideth. I love you," had been engraved on the back of the jade. On this necklace, there was nothing. Cameo levitated the necklace out of her hoof, and levitated a quill. She wrote This isn't mine, on a paper, and gave the necklace back to the unicorn.
"Oh. I'm so sorry," she said. "I'd love to help you look for your necklace, though! My name's Timber." she smiled at Cameo, who took in the details of her new friend for the first time. She was a peach colored unicorn, whose cream colored mane hung over her shoulders in long ringlets. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of rose, and she had saddlebags to match. The necklace looked better on her anyway. Cameo didn't get a chance to look at her cutie mark, yet.
"So, what's you name?" Timber asked. Cameo smiled and levitated the quill once more. After all these years, she finally had a friend.
