Being Brave Part I

As he looked at himself in the mirror in his new firmly pressed uniform, Cory began to contemplate on the recent events that occurred. One day he was a battered and bruised nobody with hardly a future to look forward to, now, all of a sudden, he had the position of two reasonable jobs: A Stable Boy for Applejack, and a Chauffeur for Rarity. What's more, he was to escort this Unicorn and her friend Pinkie Pie around a foreign, alien like place filled with quadrupedal residents who had the ability to harness magic. Yet, the name of the town: CANTERLOT, sounded very familiar to him. Back in his world, the Canterlot he remembered was a high school on the other side of town which was coincidently called CANTERLOT HIGH.

Oh, how he wished to attend that school. There, he'd be allowed to talk to people, make friends and even attend clubs. Of course he knew he had to fit in with his own clique of friends, but he didn't really care. At least it was better than having no friends at all. Sometimes, when walking back to the orphanage from school, he would see some of the students from Canterlot High, and sneak closely, yet discreetly behind them, pretending for that moment he was one of them. He even fantasized of showing up at random on a school day and magically being able to attend their classes. Of course that would make him look foolish and stupid, and besides, he didn't have any money to go there.

However, one day, while walking back from school, something changed among the students. At first he couldn't quite put his finger on exactly what, but then as he observed more, he knew what it was. All the cliques were gone. Everyone was now randomly dispersed with each other. Jocks were talking to nerds. Thespians we're talking to the eco-kids, Goths were talking to preppies. etc, etc. Something must have happened that day. Something Magical. Like always, he walked behind a few of them, pretending he attended the school. Suddenly, one of his pencils dropped. A student from nearby noticed it. She went over and picked it up for him. It was a simple gesture, but it was the first time someone at the school noticed him.

Now, as Cory was straightening his tie and buttoning up his jacket, he couldn't help but notice the bundle of fabric from yesterday lying at the edge of his bed. He sat down on the mattress post and gazed at it with intrique.

"There must be way to make it useful for something." he said to himself. "But What?" "It just isn't right to throw it away."

Then he noticed a tiny pair of scissors lying right in front of his feet. He picked them up delicately and reached for a piece of the fabric. Slowly, he started to cut through the material, creating what appeared to be the shape of an apple, when suddenly....

"CORY, RARITY'S WAITING!!" shouted Applejack from downstairs.

"COMING." He responded in a clear yet solemn voice. He quickly stuffed the scissors and some of the fabric deep into his pockets and ran downstairs.

At the front of the house was Rarity dressed up in what looked like a church lady's giddup. She was waiting on what appeared to be a horse drawn carriage pulled by two butch looking colts. He looked at his uniform and knew where this was going. He was to be like Morgan Freeman and she like Jessica Tandy. A "Driving Miss Rarity" story in a nutshell. He climbed onto what looked like the drivers seat, fastened his seatbelt and grabbed the steering ropes.

"We'll need to take a stop over at Sugar Cube Corner to pick up our friend, alright." Said Rarity.

"Yes Miss Rarity." replied Cory, and off they went.

The Town of Ponyville was going about it's daily schedule. Here the usual comings and goings of the four legged residents we're in full swing. The unicorns we're out and about magically tidying up their surroundings, Pegasi we're determining the weather forecast, and filies we're outside playing the occasional game of hopscotch and jumprope. The businesses we're quaint and content with the incoming customers, each selling and trading the same items brought every day. But none seemed to attract more attention that day then the ever bustling Sugar Cube Corner.

"Just park right here darling." Said Rarity as she stepped off the platform.

"Yes Miss Rarity." Replied Cory with the tip of his hat as he steered the gentlecolts to a halt. He then carefully slipped behind the carriage and went inside so as not to cause attention. After all, he was the only human to set foot in this world.

"You wait here." Said Rarity as she walked to the back of the store.

To him, Sugar Cube Corner looked like a humongous gingerbread house supported by brick and wood. Even the smell gave passerbys a mouthwatering feel. The interior was just as welcoming as the outside, with it's bright and cheery color scheme and colonial decor, and especially the different array of delicacies at the countertop. As he waited at one of the eating tables, awaiting his next assignment, he reached into his pocket and took out the fabric and scissors. After a moment of examination, he continued with his cutting. When he finished, he looked at his little makeshift apple and thought 'why stop there?' He took out another piece of fabric and started again, this time on what he saw in the room. First he started simple with plates, forks and tables, then into more complex images such as a cupcake, strudel, chair, wallpaper design, window and even one of the silky clouds from outside. Only 30 minutes had gone by and he had already cut out 2 to 3 dozen images from fabric, each one exquisite in detail. Suddenly, just as he was about to snip another piece.....

"HIIIIIIII!!!!" cried a voice from the back that almost shattered the room. Cory flew in the air and fell to the floor. He felt as though his heart thumped into his throat as what appeared to be a bubblegum coated pony hopped towards him. He quickly grabbed his fabric creations and stuffed them away in his front pocket.

"Wellll, aren't you gonna say hi?" Said Pinkie Pie

Cory slowly raised his shakey hand and gave it an awkward waving gesture.

"Now Dear." said Rarity affectionately. "Let's be polite to our new chauffeur."

"Oh yeah right." she chuckled. "I'm Pinkie Pie. What's Your name?"

"Cory?" he answered softly.

"Where did you come from?" She said while examining his body.

"Well...I.."

"gasp, Are you one of those creatures Twilight met in the other world when she was getting her crown back and you got here after looking outside your window and seeing a weird strange light from a distance and the following Monday escaped from a mean guy that ran a school you went to and after running and running you entered a shack you and 5 other friends used to hang out at in that turned out to be a portal that transported you to the Everfree Forest and you eventually found yourself in Ponyville and now you're living in Applejacks attic and working as her stable boy?! gasp Right?!" She asked as she caught her breath.

"How did you know that?" He asked with a stunned.

"Just a hunch." she answered with a sheepish grin.

"Let's move along Pinkie, we'll be late for the trains departure." Said Rarity.

"By the way, thank you so much for letting me come along so I can deliver Mr. and Mrs. Cake's newest creation." Pinkie continued as the three hopped on the carriage.

"No problem at all." acknowledged Rarity. "To the station Cory."

"Yes Miss Rarity." he replied with the tip of his hat as they started to move along and headed towards the train tracks.

As the baggage colts loaded the carriage onto the back of the train, Cory began to study the locomotive's structure. The color scheme was an unusual one for a train. It almost looked like an array of cupcakes perfectly aligned against the tracks, with of course the exception of the engineers headquarters.

"Cory, lets not dilly dally." Said Rarity.

"Shall I sit in the storage Miss Rarity?" He asked

"Goodness no. Why not you come sit with us in the passenger seats if you don't mind?"

No one had ever asked him to sit next to them in so long. In the past year he would usually get pushed aside and forced to sit in the back row.

"Yes Miss Rarity." he replied while hopping on the train.

"So tell us about yourself." said Pinkie Pie while the train began to move. "What kind of food do you creatures eat? Do you lose balance after walking on two legs for some time? Are you color blind? Do any of you grow tails? "What kind of clothing do you wear? gasp Are those what Twilight called hands? Can you tie those appendages of your's into a knot? What kind of music do you like listening to? Do you know a lot of funny jokes or words? My new favorite funny word is Peanut. I didn't make it up. I just like saying it. Peanut. Peanut. Peanut. Peanut...."

As this continued on throughout the train ride, Cory began to realize how much Pinkie Pie's exuberant behavior reminded him of another one of his friends: Tony Bertocelli. Now Tony belonged to a long line of Italian clowns, each generation an expert in the art of humor. Tony knew almost every funny trick, joke an mime act in the book. With his rubber face, elastic body, wacky hair and over the top mannerisms, he was able to mimic almost every clown act known to man. He was what you would consider to be the class clown, which is what got him deep trouble with the principal as well as what put him in detention. But more importantly, Tony was always there to cheer people up when someone felt down in the dumps. For instance, when a little girl was crying over the death of her grandma, Tony was walking by and saw her tears. So he cheered her up by miming lifting up a heavy object, which put a smile back on her face almost instantly. His large family of uncles, aunts and grandparents always welcomed Cory into their abode with a warm reception. Each family member was equally skilled with mime and the arts, which kept Cory fully entertained, especially when he was sad. Above all the places he stayed at, this one was his favorite.

The train hissed to a stop as it arrived at Canterlot station. It was clean and neatly polished as if the place had just opened yesterday. As the three stepped onto the platform and unloaded the carriage, he stared in awe at what stood before him. It looked like something out of a storybook or a fairy tale, something only dreams could conjure. In short: HE WAS AWESTRUCK.The Carriage unloaded as Cory took his place in the drivers seat.

"Onward Cory." declared Rarity.

"Yes Miss Rarity." he replied.

Canterlot was the most beautiful and majestic city he ever laid eyes on. It was like a combination between a Dr. Seuss city, and a Port from somewhere in a Fellini flick. He looked all around him, dumbfounded at this beautiful sight to behold, almost not noticing where he was steering.

"Easy with the speed limit!" Said Rarity "Watch out for the bumps, it might mess with my mane. Don't go too speedy. Oh, now that's a little too slow of a speed. Actually, try medium speed."

"yep. He thought to himself. This is definitely Driving Miss Daisy.

"Alright here's our first stop." Said Rarity as the carriage came to a halt. "Pinkie, you can drop off Mr. and Mrs. Cake's confection over at Donut Joe's."

"Okey Dokey Lokey." Said Pinkie, and off she hopped towards her destination.

"Alright. Lets see what's needed for our important client, shall we?" Said Rarity with her 10 foot long shopping list. "We'll need about 15 rolls of linen silk, a bag full of denim leather, 1 dozen samples of blue corduroy cotton, 16 small boxes of woven polyester, 4 red and blue shoes, 13 cases of la petie ensemble a....." Upon reading this, she noticed Cory still at the drivers seat.

"Well come along." she said to him. "You don't expect a lady like me to carry all that."

"Oh. Yes miss Rarity." he answered meekly, and off they went.

The stores the two entered in were shaped like a medieval tent, a typical style among Canterlot architects. Each cone like curvature and color scheme of deep purple, marshmallow white and gold suited the buildings surrounding it, with of course the exception of the hanging sign indicating their purpose. The interiors we're further complimentary, replicating a premier french clothing store Cory saw in Vogue Magazine at home once. Here the Unicorns of high society, with their noses in the air strutted their apparel, shopping for the latest trend or ensemble that seemed to catch their eye.

Now Cory truly felt out of place. Everypony seemed to be staring at him wherever he went. They looked at him like a newly discovered specimen in a lab. Their eyes widened with their jaws slightly dropped as he passed by hiding his face underneath his cap in a state of embarrassment. How ever could he explain himself? "Hello, I'm Cory Agees, I'm not of your world." he thought to himself. Too sudden. How about, " I'm a pony with a physical defect in which I'm supposed to walk upright." Too uncanny. By midday, the two had come in and out of about a dozen stores. Though Rarity, with her convenient magic levitated some of the bags, Cory was still left with handling the majority of the shopping list, as well as trying on a few of the fabrics for what Rarity called "safety" precautions. Eventually, Pinkie Pie caught up with the group with her customary enthusiasm. Soon, they found themselves at one of Canterlot's premier Bistros where they treated themselves to the most decadent of confections Equestria had to offer (next to the Apple family of course). Cory had found himself underneath a pile of boxes and bags of which Rarity had put him in charge with. Though as strenuous as it looked, he felt comfortable with the fact he could hide himself underneath all that so as not to cause any attention.

"Cory, may I say something to you?" Said Rarity while sipping her tea. He nodded with approval.

"I'd just like to say thank you so much for escorting me here around Canterlot. It really means a lot to us. In fact, I don't think I ever would have been able to carry all these items without your help."

"Well it really was no big deal." He responded shyly

Pinkie Pie suddenly spit out a mouth full of hot chocolate upon hearing this.

"No Big Deal?!!" Pinkie said suprisingly. "Are you crazy? This is a totally big super gigantic deal!! You are the first human ever to set hoof in Equestria!!! gasp We should totally throw a big humongous welcome party for you. The best most super gigantic enormous party where everypony's invited!!!"

"Well I think that's a marvelous idea." Replied Rarity as she leaned towards Cory. "What with someone of such agility and graceful body structure as yourself."

"A Gangly and Ghastly mess is more like it." laughed a unicorn couple who happened to pass by.

"Oh, Hello Upper Crust. Hello Jet Set." replied Rarity with a distasteful grunt in her voice.

The two unicorns looked like one of those WASP residents you see in a better homes catalogue, complete with sweaters around the neck and noses in the air. They looked like they wouldn't care less about the less fortunate nor would they even try to.

"Ugh, what is this hairless, filthy pony you have next to you Rarity? Don't you know any better?" asked Upper Crust with what sounded like a whip across the ear.

"And what kind of disgusting, unkempt pony has flat hooves that look like a pair of spiders?' Added Jet Set. Cory hid his hands in his pockets upon hearing this.

"Alright, first of all," Replied Rarity with a defendant voice," This is not a pony. This is a human. Second, this human is my new personal chauffeur. So I would extremely appreciate it if you treated him with respect and dignity as I do with all my clients. Now if you'll excuse us...."

"Hold on a tad." Interrupted Jet Set. "Did you just say a human? One of those grotesque bipedal creatures Princess Twilight once encountered a while back?"

"It's no wonder Twilight had to leave so quickly." Added Upper Crust. " These so called humans wouldn't stand a chance trying to catch up with our sophisticated race." The two laughed in a snooty unison.

Cory covered his face with his cap trying desperately to hold back his tears, knowing he'd get scolded for doing such a thing. However, he was used to this kind of humiliation back home. He and his friends would be lucky enough to go through a day without getting bullied or teased.

"Hey, Leave him alone!" Said Pinkie Pie who approached herself in front of him. "Just cause he's not from our world doesn't mean he can't fit in."

"I couldn't agree more Pinkie." Rarity added "Why, he's only been here for a couple of weeks and he already has two decent jobs." She said while patting him on the head with her hoof.

"And he also has a name like everypony else." Pinkie said sternly to the Wasp couple. "Cory. Although it is kind of a weird name. But I like weird and I have a lot of friends who are weird so why should anypony complain about that!!?"

"Well then good luck on trying to make something out of him." Scoffed Upper Crust as the two left with their snouts still hanging in the air.

"I'm pretty sure he'll be able to STAND OUT above the crowd." The two laughed at this comment as they trotted away.

As Rarity and Pinkie Pie boarded back on their carriage, they noticed Cory bowing his head in shame. He was doing his best not to breakdown in tears. The two friends thought for a moment and then leaned towards him as he sat at his drivers seat, trying to concentrate on the road.

"Now Cory." Said Rarity affectionately. "You really shouldn't let those brutes get to you."

"It's ok, I'm used to it." Mumbled Cory.

"Huh?" the two said surprisingly.

"Nothing, I just...I just thought of something." He said as he focused back on his destination.

"Hey if somethins buggin ya, you should really speak up." Added Pinkie Pie "I mean, it's not your fault you're weird looking."

" Shhh Not helping." Whispered Rarity as she kicked her by her side.

Suddenly, one of the Colts drawing the carriage spoke. "I guess what those two girls are trying to say is: Don't let some fancy shmancy talk get the best of ya."

"Yeah." Said the other Colt. "I used to be teased a lot, and look where I am now. May not be the best job in the world but it still manages to put oats on the table."

Soon, before they knew it, they were back at the train station

"Those things you said back there." Said Cory solemnly as the three boarded onto the train. "Did you mean it?"

"Of course we did." Said Rarity "Nopony deserves to be talked down like that."

"Yeah," Added Pinkie "... especially someone as silly looking as...OWW" Rarity kicked Pinkie again.

"What I mean .." continued Pinkie "..is that you shouldn't be afraid to speak up for other ponies. Now lets get back to Ponyville. There's a welcome party tomorrow with your your name on it."

The train started as the three headed back home.