Being Brave Part I

The next few days seemed all in all uneventful for the Apple Family. With the exception of their new stable boy, things seemed to be no less different. Here they continued with their day by day chores ranging from apple cider making to round up of sheep, to which Cory volunteered with no hesitation.

What intrigued Cory the most however, was how the Apple Family never threw anything away on their farm. If ever they found rotten fruit, they would just feed it to the pigs. If a tree limb broke off, they would use it for future compost. If a piece of clothing was unsuitable to wear anymore, they would stitch it as part of a piece of fabric. It was like they we're a living recycling center with the most efficient of employees imaginable.

On this particular day, He was assigned to help dismantle an old barn shack that needed to make way for a new one. As Applejack was helping unhinge the wooden boards, Cory couldn't help but notice the abnormal curvatures forming around the decaying foundations. The more he studied them, the more fascinated he was by the shapes of the algae covered floorboards and rusted hinges.

This was nothing new to Cory. In his world, whenever he and his friends felt bored, they would go out and find any discarded items in the basement, trash cans, recycling bins or even on the street. They would collect whatever they discovered, mend them together and make some of the most bizarre of creations and inventions. Basically it was art made out of junk. However, as much pride as they felt when finishing them, they would immediately dismantle it for fear of what others would think. Not to mention the fact the principal would kill them for executing art behind his back.

At that moment, he felt like he was in a trance. He picked up one of the planks of wood from the dismantled pile, found a nearby piece of rock and began manipulating it's form. It was as if some artistic instinct was building up inside of him. He hadn't felt this free before in years. Suddenly, a voice snapped him back into reality.

"Good Morning Applejack." said Rarity in a singy like voice.

"Oh, Howdy Rarity. What brings you here to Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Applejack.

"Well there is this important client who's personally asked me to create this brand new ensemble for the upcoming season, and I would be so delighted if I could find any unneeded fabric of yours."

"Sure thing. There's a couple o rolls of em out in the back o the barn." answered Applejack.

"Oh you are such a darling." replied Rarity as she trotted off in that direction.

As Cory peered behind his little self made heap, he noticed perhaps to most prima donna like specimen he ever laid eyes on: She was a luscious mixture of white and purple, with hardly a single stain on her coat, of course with the exception of the diamond tattoo on her thigh. More surprising than that, she was a unicorn, performing magic right in front of his eyes. Although it was a simple trick of picking up rolls of fabric, it was still genuine magic. As the thoughts tumbled around his brain, Cory knew this was a place where the laws of science had a looser grip on things. Like always when first encountering strangers, Cory hid himself beneath the rubble. He took a glance behind him and saw that she left. As he turned his head back, he saw for the first time Rarity staring back at him with a dropped jaw and startled eyes.

"Applejack?" she said frozen in shock. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh yeah, forgot." replied Applejack. "That there's our new stable boy, Cory. He's been helping us out with our harvestin season."

"Is he really a..hu..hu...?" Asked Rarity as she tried to find the correct words.

"Yep. a human" acknowledged Applejack. "Shocker aint it.."

"Handsome piece of work is more like it!!!" Cried Rarity as she examined his physical structure with her hooves.

"Twilight told me so many things about you humans, but, I never thought you had so much poise!" she said gleefully.

Cory crossed his legs and folded his arms as she continued to examine him.

"Could you do that thing again, uh, Cory" Said Rarity

"What thing?"

"That thing you just did with your legs."

"Ummm....Ok?

He folded his arms and legs again in the same position as before.

"Ohhhhh, such grace, such agility, such...form. It's exactly what I've been looking for" she commented.

"Ahem, Applejack. Would you mind if your new strong friend here took time out of his ever so busy schedule to...help me with a few errands?

"Well I think we got most of the stuff here on the farm under control." Said Applejack. "How's that sound Cory?"

"Well...I.."

"Excellent! Thank you Applejack." Said Rarity and before he could even comprehend what was going on, he was rushed over to the Ponyville day spa.

"Aloe!! Lotus Blossom!!" cried Rarity in a singy like as the two spa owners approached.

"oui madame Rarity?" said Lotus Blossom

"I want you to give my new chauffeur the best treatment you have. He needs to look his best for his first day on the job."

"But I never worked with a..."

"No excuses. Chop Chop!!" and off rarity went like a speeding bullet.

With the exception of ponies, the spa looked and felt like any other. With it's calm, light blue colors and soft, non threatening textures, the owners sure knew how to make a customer feel welcome.  Here they started him off with a warm sit in in the sauna. He could feel the ooze drip out of his pores as it dripped down the bench and into the drain pipe. Next came the face treatment and hooficure, or in this case, manicure. He had almost forgot how rough his face and nails were from all that time in that rundown old home of his. No matter, the spa ponies went to work right away on him. They covered his flat face with a special mud composed of lemon meringue and earth soil. His hot cheeks sizzled down to a cool, tolerable temperature as they let it sit. When it moved on to the nails however, they did not know where to start, given the fact that they had never seen fingers or toes before. So they improvised with a pair of baby pony filers they found in the broom closet. Third was the much needed message therapy. At first, Cory felt a little skeptical as to how an individual with hooves instead of hands could possibly work on the spine without snapping it in two. But as they began to carefully work on his vertebrae, all the tension in his back melted away. He had never felt this relaxed before in his entire life. After a quick mineral bath to rinse off any residue, he was ready to head outside.

Rarity was right outside waiting for him.

"Much better." she commented as she payed her two bits

"Onward." And in what seemed like a split second, he was rushed over to her carousel boutique.

From there, Cory was placed onto a what looked like a platform for fashion models with his front facing three mirrors.

"Soooo what am I supposed to..."

"Shhhh.." replied Rarity as she examined him top to bottom with measuring tape.  She thought for a moment and put herself to work on another one of her creations nearby.

"You are exactly what I have been looking for all these years." she said from afar as she toiled with her sewing machine while looking at his reflection.

"Your'e even better than I expected!"

As Cory took time to examine the surroundings of her residence, he noticed how every mannequin, or "mareiquin" in this case, was shaped like a pony. It's overall design was a combination between a French clothing store and an English Edwardian era circus tent. The color scheme consisted mostly of deep magenta and faded violet with a touch of gold and orange to compliment the ceiling. All in all, the place seemed like one of those gypsy tents you stop by to check on your fate and destiny, complete with incense and silky curtains.

At that moment, Rarity rushed with a big cardboard box levitating right next to her. Cory was now really confused.

"Hold still darling. I've been saving this fabric for just such an occasion." she said gleefully as she dunked the box over his head.

As she lifted it up and faced him towards the mirrors, he saw himself in what looked like a combination between a ringmaster and a 1930's dapper gentleman.

"My, has anypony ever told you you would make an exceptional fashion model?" she asked lustfully as she added the finishing touches.

"Not really." he answered quietly

gasp "Well they should be ashamed of themselves! You humans are a living piece of art!"

She rushed over to a nearby closet and with magic, fumbled through a few makeshift items.

"Now where did I put that...Ahhh, here we are." she said as she levitated a camera in the air.

"Could you make a few gestures with those appendages of yours?"

Cory lifted up his arms and fingers and started posing for her. She took a picture of it on the spot, then another, and another, and another until she had about ten photos of him. She rushed back to her closet, found another ensemble of  her's, stripped him down, dressed him up again and repeated the picture taking process again.

By late afternoon, Rarity had placed him in about 2 dozen outfits. As monotonous as it was, he seemed to not really mind it at all. Perhaps because she reminded him of another one of his old friends: Camden Clifton. Like Cory, he was picked on constantly by peers. But not because of his slowness, but because of his homosexuality. To make matters worse, his parents kicked him out at a young age due to his orientation. Luckily, he was adopted by loving relatives who welcomed him as one of their own and didn't even mind that he was gay. Every time and Cory got together, they always focused on a subject dealing with fashion and apparel. His house, like Rarity's, looked almost like a clothing store, complete with mannequins, rolls of fabric and even accessories carefully displayed in his bedroom. Camden always knew how to dress one up the right for each occasion. Whether it was a birthday party wedding, funeral, graduation, or just a plain get together, he and his friends would always count on him.  But despite his flamboyant lifestyle of fashion and decor, he was one of he most generous people you could meet. Whenever a kid's lunch money was stolen, he would gladly give them a piece of his. Or when someone couldn't find a necessity in his or her backpack, he would give them just what they needed without hesitation. He even on a few separate occasions, mended and stitched his friends clothing whenever they got caught up in another brawl. Basically he was a treasure chest of charity.

"Will that be all maam?" asked Cory as he took off the last outfit of the day.

"Please." she answered as she examined the photos. "Call me Rarity. Although I wouldn't mind if you called me Miss Rarity."

As he headed for the door, he noticed a large pile of discarded fabric. "Anything else...Miss Rarity?" he asked as he picked up the pile.

"MMM..Hmm, yes. Would you be a darling and head on over to Canterlot with me and Pinkie Pie tomorrow?" she asked as she continued examining the photos. " I'm in need of a strong gentleman to help me with a few items."

He thought for a moment. Then he nodded.

"Splendid. Oh and you can throw away that rubbish you're holding on your way out. Ourevoir."

Cory examined the fabric in his arms as he went outside. He couldn't help but feel this could be used for something else. So as he walked back down to Sweet Acres, he went up to his little room in the attic and placed it neatly in the corner. He then sat down on his bed, contemplating how so much could happen to him in a single week.