Cobbletown is a relatively peaceful town, the perfect place to go if one wishes to escape the bustling cities. The townsfolk are generally friendly, and the town is always kept up. Everypony loves how peaceful it is there. Every pony except Corn Maize, that is.
Corn Maize lives on a corn farm with his parents and brother. He refuses to go into town because even the smallest crowds would trigger his demophobia. He only went into town once, but he passed out soon after.
He makes up for his inability to go into town by working extra hard on the farm. He is harvesting the corn to be sold at the market in town. His hopes rise as he notices he's almost done harvesting, but he is interrupted by his brother, Corn Kernel, "Ya need to help pa feed the livestock. Ma and I are going into town."
Corn Maize lets out a heavy sigh, "Got it."
He continues harvesting the corn until he is finished. After he puts the corn in the storage, he searches for his father. He finds him feeding the pigs.
Corn Maize notices that his father stopped and takes the opportunity to see if he needs any help, "Do ya have anymore animals to feed?"
"Nope," his father replies, "Cornbread is in the house."
"Grandma or the food?" Corn Maize questions.
"The food," his father answers.
The two stallions walk to their house and notice that it is surrounded by wolves. The ponies chase the wolves and shout at them until they flee. Corn Maize and his father enters and takes some cornbread from the kitchen table.
"Those mutts never learn," Corn Maize says between bites
"Ya got that right," his father agrees, "I don't like them one bit. I'm gonna check on the livestock. Make sure everyone's here." His father leaves leaving him alone.
He sits down and stares at the wall until his father returns. He takes a deep breath and says to himself, "Come on, Corn Maize, crowds ain't that scary. You're overreacting." He closes his eyes and imagines a crowd of ponies surrounding him. He almost instantly opens his eyes and shakes his head.
He hears the door open expecting his father, but he sees his mother and brother instead. "The shop's closed. We'll go tomorrow," his mother explains.
"I want to go with you," he requests.
" I can't afford to take you to the hospital because you faint at the sight of even the smallest crowds!" His mother explains.
"I understand," he replies. He hates his fears, and he thinks his family doesn't understand. He wants to face his fears, but he knows that being on a farm is not helping.
His father returns shortly after visibly distraught, "the wolves didn't get any livestock, but I was worried when I checked the sheep. Turns out a couple got loose. I had to fix the pen so they won't get out anymore." He walks off to his room shaking his head and grunting.
Corn Maize’s mother and brother also exit. He takes the opportunity to sneak out and go into town. He goes for only one reason, to deal with crowds. Cobbletown isn't typically crowded, but it is still too much for the farmer.
He waits at the outskirts of town watching ponies trot merrily by. His heart starts beating rapidly, but he takes a few deep breaths to slow it down.
He goes into town, and his heartbeats return even faster. He starts seeing double and feels light headed. "This is just an irrational fear," he tells himself. He takes a few more deep breaths and waits for himself to calm down.
The closer he gets to the townsponies, the harder it is for him to remain calm. When he gets really close, he knows that he would faint if he gets any closer and retreats instead. When he gets back to his house, he sneaks in so no one would know he left.
He goes into his bedroom and lays down. He is upset at himself for being a coward. He makes plans to sneak out tomorrow after he finishes his chores. He can leave whenever he wants, but he doesn't want his family to worry about him.
He closes his eyes and imagines himself with one pony. Another pony appears in his head. More and more ponies appear in his head until he starts feeling light headed. He opens his eyes and whispers, "15. You're gettin’ better. You will be able to handle those crowds in no time!" He falls asleep with the desire to face his fears in his head.
Corn Maize is awoken by the crow of a rooster. He feeds the livestock and checks the storage to make sure the corn is safe. His family will be selling corn today while he is supposed to stay home. Today will not be that day. He will face his fears, and the Harvest Festival is the perfect place to do it. He eagerly trots into town to get a better look at the festival.
Several ponies are already setting up their booths. He sees mostly corn booths, but there are also carrot booths, celery booths, and cherry booths. It is expected for the Cobbletown Harvest Festival to consist mainly of corn. Without the corn farmers, the town wouldn't exist.
The festival brings in ponies from all over Equestria. This is the only time of the year the ponies of Cobbletown would see non earth ponies. The relatively new town is not suited for unicorns nor pegasi.
Corn Maize trots back to the farm and sees his father sitting outside.
"Did ya go into town, son?" His father asks with a stern look on his face.
" No, pa. I just went for a walk," he replies. He feels guilty for lying, but he can't muster up the courage to admit that he was defying his father's orders.
He walks into the house and sits on the couch. He is bored out of his mind. He doesn't have anymore chores today, and the festival won't start for another two hours. He is tired of hiding behind his fears. He will be a brave pony and deal with those crowds.
He is twirling his Stetson around one of his hooves when he hears his mother announce they they will go into town. He waits five minutes and follows far behind them.
He sees his family setting up a booth and makes it a point to avoid them. He already feels slightly shaky, but he ignores those feelings. He knows the crowds will get bigger, so he tries not to let his fears get to him. Ponies pile in from all over Equestria, and Corn Maize starts to feel dizzy.
He tries to push past everyone to get fresh air, but the crowd is too big. His heartbeat picks up speed, and his vision starts to blur. Before he is able to get to safety, everything around him fades away.
He finds himself in the hospital with his family. His mother is furious, "What the hay were ya thinkin'?!"
"I'm mighty sorry, ma," Corn Maize apologizes, "I'm tired of bein' afraid of somethin' so irrational."
"We understand, but going into town during the harvest festival when you can't even handle a small crowd without getting signs of panic attacks is a bad idea," his father explains.
"Facing your fears is important, but it’s important to have a way to escape so you don't get overwhelmed, especially when you're starting out with getting over your fears," his mother follows up.
"I get what yer sayin'," Corn Maize tells them, "I didn't mean to worry y'all."
"Why don't we start with your training to face your fears tomorrow?" His father suggests, "we'll go into town every day until you can handle the crowds there. Then we'll go bigger, maybe Manehattan."
Corn Maize gulps at hearing the name 'Manehattan.' He still nods at his father. He has a long way to go, but he knows that with practice, he will brave even the crowds of Manehattan.