The Forest

Cameron looked at the forest in front of him. The entrance that was bathed in Celestia's radiant sunlight quickly faded to darkness. It frightened him a bit. He knew what to expect from the forest. The manticores, cockatrices, timber wolves, dragons, hydras, etc. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, thinking about the dangers and what would happen if something were to happen to him during this excursion. How long would it take for them to find him? If he was severely injured, could he make it back? How would they react? Questions such as these and worse spun around in his head, filling his brain with uncertainty and doubt. He became a little more scared and weighed the possibility of just turning around and leaving. He then exhaled. His mind cleared. His nerves steadied, and he opened his eyes, staring at the entrance of the Everfree Forest, filled with a new sense of adventure and determination.

He took his first steps into the forest. The Everfree seemed to engulf him, letting seamlessly him pass into the darkness. The entrance had made it seem like the forest was pitch black, even during the day, but a few scattered rays of light manage to penetrate the dense foliage, allowing him to see, however, dim it was.

Letting the forest around him settle, Cameron got a chill. The air was different than that of the rest of Equestria. Strangely, Cameron felt the atmosphere was more natural, most likely from the knowledge that the weather everywhere except the Everfree Forest was manufactured and processed. The feeling of an area that was most like his home somewhat calmed him, but he stayed on his guard. He might have known what was lurking in the shadows, but not when they might pop out to attack. In the forest back home, one might have had the chance to see a deer or, more commonly, a squirrel searching for something. Here in the Everfree, from the many appearances on the show, the many creatures weren't afraid to show themselves.

After about eight minutes of walking, the Everfree started showing its true colors. It began with random tree roots seemingly popping up in front of his legs, causing Cameron to lose his footing and almost trip several times, with only luck stopping him from falling. Then the feeling of eyes watching him from the shadows crept up his spine. He shivered, quickly turning his head around, trying to find out what it may have been. He found nothing, of course. He knew that. He couldn't help himself to check. It was instinctual. He lingered behind him, the entrance no longer visible. He took another deep breath and continued deeper into the forest. It got progressively darker as he walked deeper and deeper, him catching glimpses of eyes in his periphery, sending chills through his body.

Four more minutes of walking and the trees and shrubs were nothing but darker shadows against a black backdrop. Cameron carefully navigated through the many florae, annoyed at the decision he had made about a minute prior. The ambiance and noises started causing Cameron to get increasingly paranoid, so he took out his phone and put in his right earbud, letting the other earbud swing by his side. The swinging was what annoyed him the most. The left speaker blew out, so putting it in his ear was pointless to him, but that led to gravity having its way and periodically pulling the right earbud out of Cameron's ear. He hated that but was too stubborn to put the broken earbud in his ear anyway to maximize comfort. Cameron did see an upside to the situation, though. While the left earbud was broken, that meant he had an ear open to hear for potential danger.

He continued walking to the rhythm of his music, singing quietly along the way. He could feel the curious stares in the dark intensify. The number of glances to the side to see if he was, indeed, being watched increased. This time he would catch golden eyes for a fraction of a second that would seem to get closer after each check. He quickened his pace, wondering why he didn't just turn around and go back out; though, he knew why. He was looking for something that would send him back. He didn't know what it was yet, but he would know when he found it. And he found it about thirty minutes later.

A vast chasm a few hundreds of feet deep sat in the way of Cameron and the rest of his adventure. He tentatively walked up to the edge and looked down. A thick fog blocked his view of the bottom. He sat down gently at the edge and looked at the of the scenery captivated by the sight. A castle in the distance standing above a myriad of trees in a beautiful sea of green. He looked down again as his legs dangled off the edge. For a split second, he thought about jumping but quickly dismissed the thought as he needed to see his friends again and let them know he was safe. For their sake.

He slowly got up to make sure he didn't fall and took one last look in front of him toward the castle.

"Maybe one day," he thought aloud before turning around to head back home. A figure stood in his way, however. A character that Cameron recognized immediately upon matching its gaze. The reddish-brown body, the haphazard collection of limbs, and the distinct air about the figure as if to say, "I'm the best." Discord stood in front of Cameron, smiling.

"I finally found you," his voice, etched with mischief and a sort of false friendliness rang out. Cameron's confusion was self-evident. The draconequus suddenly appearing left him reeling.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" Cameron's questions caused Discord's smile to widen slightly. The human's feigned innocence in the ladder was not fooling him.

"You can drop the act. I know that you know who and what I am. You may be able to trick the rest of the ponies into thinking you were just dragged here, but I know exactly who you three are. The other two don't know too much about this dimension, so that makes you their de facto leader. Aren't you excited?" Discord laughed while Cameron looked even more confused at what he had just heard, slowly putting the dots together.

"Was it you who brought us here?" Discord laughed even harder, solidifying Cameron's suspicions.

"I knew you were quick, but did I let too much slip? Oh well, no bother. My fun hasn't been spoiled yet. Cameron, show me what entertaining subjects humans can be," Discord stated as a door materialized in thin air. He opened it and called back. "Oh, and before I go, I've got an important tea party with Fluttershy to attend to, so I won't be providing any of my many wonderful protective services, so good luck." And with that, the door and the draconequus disappeared before Discord even crossed the threshold, leaving Cameron to stare at the forest digesting his last words. Magical protection? Why would Discord go out of his way to tell him that? Was it for jokes? Did he want a reaction? Cameron just stood at the opening; he came out of preparing himself.

He took several deep breaths and ran. Almost immediately, he could tell the difference. The forest seemed more unyielding, and after about a minute, he heard what he feared he would. Steady, deep, heavy thumping slowly, but surely getting closer from behind. A low growl sounded, and the thumping got faster. Cameron didn't look back and only picked up his pace. He was weaving between trees and hopping over branches and rocks, but never made any sharp turns. He knew that was a dumb decision: He was more agile and able to outmaneuver whatever was behind him if he were to serpentine, but how was he going to find his way back? He knew the main reason anyone would get lost in the woods was that people would unconsciously stray far off course. If he did that, he would only be stuck with whatever was chasing after him and much more. Running in a relatively straight line was the best option since his path into the forest was mainly straight, but that led to more chances to be caught.

The trees slowed it down a little but not by much. The sound of trunks snapping and toppling overfilled the Everfree, and the massive footprints were getting heavier. Cameron's heart pounded. His stomach started to cramp. Sweat poured down his face. He was becoming exhausted. He fought to quicken his pace. He only had two things racing through his head: don't look back and keep it up for a few more minutes. He continued straight, tripping over tree roots and small holes in the ground, keeping his balance, but falling behind, the heavy stomping turning into a hard gallop as a roar sounded in the brief quiet. Cameron ran faster. It was getting closer, Cameron worked up the nerve to quicken his pace using longer strides in an attempt to save energy. His breathing was ragged. His heart pounded. Cameron pushed through it. He knew he only had a little more to go. Twenty minutes and gone by in a flash and Cameron finally saw the first glimpse of the path with the snarling beast not giving an inch behind him. It was finally time.

Cameron burst out of the foliage adjacent to the path and took a hard-right turn. A second later, the sound of multiple trees being shattered and falling to the ground followed, and the heavy stomping turned to heavy flapping. Cameron, hearing the flapping and seeing the light let out one final push and started to sprint as fast as he could. The path was clear and straight; his body pushed their limits. He wavered he quickly outran the beast chasing after him and bound into Celestia's sunlight yet again.

He drops to his knees and starts panting, gathering every breath he can muster. His stomach churned, and his heart pounded as if it trying to break out of a cage. Bile quickly rose up through his body, and he almost vomited right there on the spot, but he held it back. Sweat drenched his upper body as his tired arms struggled to keep his body off the dirt path. He quickly looked back at the Everfree to see a manticore lumbering again into the depth of the forest. He smiled and laid down, staring at the sky, the adrenaline slowly leaving his body. His breathing got slower deeper as his heart gradually got back to an average pace. His body was covered in scratches and cuts, his shirt torn in multiple places, but Cameron didn't care. It was over. He was able to relax and enjoy the clouds that laid stationary in the sky.

Author's Note

Hey, sorry about this coming so late. The stereotypical school reasoning and not-so-stereotypical general laziness kept me from finishing this for so long