Being Brave Part I

Cory was sprinting. He was sprinting faster than he ever did in his whole life. He didn't care where his feet would take him or where his body would point toward next. What mattered now was he was sprinting. A voice kept saying in his head, "Just keep sprinting, don't look back. Just keep sprinting, don't look back. Just keep sprinting, just keep sprinting, just keep sprinting..." He had never felt this feeling of exhilaration before. He could not explain to himself how he was able to obtain this sudden strength of his. It was as if a tiny energy inside his soul had finally revealed itself to him, running through his blood and veins, and for that moment, he forgot about all the pain in his body.

Finally, he stopped to catch his breath. He turned to the right and saw a familiar object: it was the old shack he and his friends used to go to whenever they needed to get away from all their troubles. Here they talked about their day, set up their club, told stories, ate lunch, played games and even slept there on a few separate occasions. Cory ran towards it, hoping to bring back some old memories. Just as he opened the door, his foot slipped, and he somersaulted across the room, hitting the wall. Only strangely, he didn't actually hit the wall. Rather, he went through it, and not as in "smash the wall" through it, but through it as in passing through another time, another place.

Cory closed his eyes, wishing for it all to stop as he continued to somersault through this unfamiliar experience. Sound and wind surrounded him like a blanket of energy. Everything was dark. It seemed as though there was no end to it. Then, he landed flat on his back in a pile of mud.

Cory woke up with his head looking straight towards the sky. Birds in the background were singing harmonious tunes, yet the rhythm of their chirps were of unfamiliar origin to him. Cory sat up to adjust himself. He messaged his head, checked that he still had his body intact and shook the muck off of him. He then took a good look at his left arm, numbing with pain from the gash left by the principal. He dabbed it in the puddle as the blood washed away and wiped off the residue on a nearby leaf. What was this extraterrestrial place he thought to himself:

Is this some back end of town I don't know about?
Am I dreaming of this? Clearly not.
Did I step into another multi-universe of some sort?
Am I just going mad?

He looked at his new surroundings as he staggered to his feet; the trees were tall and filled with life, almost covering the skyline; roots as big as he was jolted out of the ground; unfamiliar plants sprung out all over the place; everything was so thick and damp, he could barely tell if it was day or night.

Instinctive survival overcame Cory as he started to run through the unfamiliar terrain. Despite the pain he was still feeling all over his body, he was running. Finally, he saw a glint of daylight at the edge of the lush forest. He stopped for a breather. An old wooden sign to his right read: YOU ARE NOW LEAVING EVERFREE FOREST.

Cory now found himself at the edge of a vast open field of waving grass and dandelions. He had never felt such a cool ground that tickled his ankles and softened his steps. For some reason, he was able to move more agilely in this new found world. The sky was perfect blue and contained the most majestic clouds he had ever seen in his entire life. They almost looked like buildings as if someone, or something lived in them. In fact, he could swear that he saw some flying, winged, horse like figures zooming in and out of them. The air was cool and breezy, brushing against his bruised skin and tattered clothing. Among the usual happening of the natural world, a few butterflies and hummingbirds were off doing their natural business as they whizzed across the sky, while a couple of bunnies we're nibbling on a bouquet of dandelions. Cory had never seen anything so fragile in years.

Off in the distance, he could make out what looked like a small, quaint town off on the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, therefore he needed some hospitality soon. As he limped towards the town, the sky burned a luminous array of red, orange and purple, like something out of a romanticized painting. Finally, he reached the towns edge. A sign read in warm yet bright letters: WELCOME TO PONYVILLE. What an abnormal name he thought. But that really wasn't his biggest concern right now. All he was thinking about was a place to stay for the night and something to eat. However, all he could find was nothing but horses and fillies randomly walking across the streets.

Cory wasn't much of a socialite. This was probably due to his struggles in reading and writing, as well as the constant scoffing whenever he spoke his mind. However, in a time such as this, he needed to muster up his strength and ask for any vacant rooms with whatever words were the most proper. As he searched for any nearby inns or suites, one of the horses came up to him.

"Boy, you don't look so good stranger." it said. "Do you need help?"

Cory screamed and ran away. He couldn't believe what he had just seen or heard: A TALKING HORSE! he thought to himself, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? As he dashed down the alleys and corridors, the other horses began to whisper and mingle at his presence, much to his shock. He found himself surrounded by these four legged residents, who gazed in awe at him as if he were an extraterrestrial being. Every horse was mumbling:

"What are you?"
"What is that?"
"It's a human."
"One of those creatures Twilight met?"
"I never thought I'd see these creatures before."
"Princess Twilight Sparkle was right"
"So they do exist"
"So that's what hands are"
"Incredible"

"S...Stop..Looking...at...Please I just ....want...t..." But Cory couldn't think of what to say. All around him we're nothing but ponies (and an occasional donkey). Not a single human was to be found. His instinct kicked in as he pushed through the strange crowd and headed towards the next available hiding place.

The sun had glazed it's last glare of the day as the night settled in. Cory could still hear the murmurs from afar as he stopped at the entrance to a nearby junkyard. Figures, given the fact that probably they never even saw a bipedal creature like him. He was so tired, and hungry as well. All he could think about now was a place to sleep and a plate of mouth watering nourishments. As he searched through the rubble and wreckage, he found a little opening on one of the dumps artificial hills. It was adequate, roomy, and though certainly no cottage, it was still nicely crammed. He climbed in with the most delicate of care until he reached the bottom of the pit. After he settled himself in, found a few scraps here and there, and made a makeshift blanket and pillow out of burlap sacks and flour bags, he noticed the night sky through the opening. Here the stars twinkled in all their glory. At that point, at that moment, Cory was wondering, just wondering, if his 5 close were watching the same sky as he was, wishing, just as he he was, to see each other again.