Chapters The lessons with Sunburst began with a few, simple, levitation spells. After clearing the study room and keeping everything out of the way, Cory lifted a few fruits, bookends, utensils and other knick -knacks. Next they moved onto several changing spells. Cory turned a few saltshakers into tea cups, apples into oranges, and even a little squirrel into a bunny and back again. Moving on was an advanced aging spell, where he made an old hound dog a puppy again, adding a few more years to it's life. At this point, the two decided to take a risk and partake in a little friendly, magic sparring match. They chuckled and laughed, joked and gagged, sharing a few funny anecdotes along the way.
Yes, all seemed tranquil and controlled. That was up to the point where Cory came across a rather distinct looking book. It was old, jeweled and padded with a lock. He took it out and examined it for a moments, before passing it over to Sunburst.
"Uhh, are you sure you want to try this Cory?" Sunburst asked skeptically. "These are very advanced spells and could possibly endanger your well being if not done correctly."
"Come on. I'm a prince Sunburst." Cory replied. "I have lots of responsibilities now and need all the advancement I can get."
"Alright then, just be very careful. I'l just l be hiding behind these books. You know. For safety reasons."
As he said this, Sunburst quickly made a fort of books and surrounded himself in the back corner. Meanwhile, Cory flipped to the first few pages and pointed his finger to a rather straightforward spell.
"Now remember," Sunburst continued. "... just like what we did in the previous spells, envision the image in your mind, and focus all the energy on a certain part of room. But since this is more advanced, I think we will need a simple shaped object to make this go more smoothly."
"OK." Cory replied. He searched around the room and found a marble sphere in the left corner. After carefully placing on a coffee table and positioning it in the center of the room, he placed his hands firmly on the smooth texture. Then, he closed his eyes and envisioned the spell from the book.
The room fell very silent as Cory took a deep breath and began to push his energy on his hands. At first, nothing unusual happened, but within a few moments, several small sparks began to ignite out of his fingertips. they quickly surged through his palms and down his arms until they consumed his shoulders. At first Cory tried to resist, but he remembered what Sunburst said: Just concentrate on one part of the room. He closed his eyes and pushed his energy on the sphere, pressing against it's smooth texture. The sparks eventually seceded back to his fingers as he started to feel more relaxed.
Suddenly, the sphere illuminated into a blinding flash of light. fabrics and papers began to swirl around the student and teacher. Sunburst covered his eyes, while Cory just looked in awe at the light. It was at that moment a sharp, mind numbing pain began to run through his body.
"AAAAAAAAAH!!" Cried Cory "AAAAAAH!!"
His scruffy hair piked up, his eyes turned blinding bright, and his feet lifted off the ground. And like a super saiyan at full power, an orb of lightning was established in the open space . Papers swam around faster and faster, enveloping the two in an artificial sphere. Cory screamed louder in agony as the sound of lighting and paper grew more and more intense. Until finally, all went black.
Cory wearily opened his eyes to find himself in what appeared to be a watery expanse. He panicked with bubbles as he helplessly squirmed around like a worm in the water, trying to locate the surface. As he tried to push himself upwards, a hand - like force pushed him back down, as if something was trying to drown him. No matter how much he pushed, the force shoved him back. He thought that this was it. This would be how he would die. When at the last moment, a white spotted hoof grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back to what was hopefully the surface.
Cory opened his eyes again and found himself lying on the floor, staring at Sunburst's worried face.
"Cory, Are you Ok?" He asked as he helped his student sit back up.
Cory responded with a few sharp coughs and a wheeze in his lungs. He lurched his hand out as if to grab something.
"I told you those spells could be dangerous." Sunburst added.
Cory took a moment to look around. His eyes looked very panicked, as his body was shaking , as if to imply he relived a traumatic moment from his past. He clung his hand onto Sunbursts cloak and pressed his other hand to his heart.
"How...Are my clothes dry?" He asked under deep breaths, to which Sunburst looked very puzzled.
"Why don't we take a little break?" Sunburst suggested. "I'll fix us both some soothing tea."
He propped Capricore up and guided him to the kitchen. As he offered him a seat, he noticed how his new pupil was still lightly shaking.
"Boy. that spell must have been a doozy." Sunburst commented as he stirred the brew on the kettle. "Still, I'm impressed you were able to contain it for that long. Most ponies don't make it past ten seconds the first time around."
Cory said nothing. He stared blankly at the table with his fingers jitteringly tapping the surface. He had never felt this weak in months, not since his battle with Stiffson. At that moment, a fresh brew of cherry smelling jasmine was presented to him.
"Here." Sunburst said affectionately. "This new concoction will help you ease that jitters."
Cory lifted the cub with his shaky hands and slowly pressed the liquid to his lips. The brew flowed down his throat and into his stomach, giving him much needed relief. Sunburst sat on the other side and drank his share as he looked at his student with worried eyes.
"You know Sunburst..." Cory spoke after a moments silence, "...you and I have something in common."
"I suppose it's the eyebrows and goatee?" Sunburst asked jokingly, to which they both chuckled.
"Actually," Cory continued. "..it's that we both let our insecurities get in the way with what was important."
"I'm not sure what you mean."
Cory solemnly looked at the tea swimming around in his cup, his hands shaking slightly. Then he closed his eyes tightly for another moment, as if to imply another painful memory in his had.
"From what your friend Starlight told me," He explained as he calmly opened them. "..you were hesitant to send her any letters during your time under Celestia's tutelage. It was because you were afraid of how she would view you, what with your books and papers, and other knick knacks scrambled all over the place. As a result, you two grew apart. She went on her mission of equalizing ponies and fracturing time, and you grew more and more lonely, hardly finding anyone to identify with, just like me."
"Well, from what Twilight told me," Sunburst added. "You've had a very rough life. But you know, It's good that you friends who cared about you still. And unlike me, they weren't afraid to reach out and not give up on you."
"But I did." Cory said as he buried his face. "The moment they were taken away, my insecurity got the best of me. I could have sent them a letter or gone to their homes anytime. But I was afraid. I was afraid I'd get flogged for trying to contact them. Not the mention the fact that everyone told me I couldn't read or write."
"Cory, it's Ok..."
"I could have got them back sooner." Cory said in regret. "I really could. All I had to do was run over to their homes, I could've signed an adoption contract. And that would've been the end of it. But I was such a coward. To scared to do anything..."
"Cory, it's not your fault." Sunburst said as he laid his hoof on his hand. "You didn't know what to do then. And I understand why. But eventually, you did do something about it, unlike me. You escaped that dreaded place and ventured out to see who you truly were. And you didn't stay cooped up from the rest of the world either, but I did. And I'm very regrettable about that decision. I'm just lucky Starlight came at my door one day and helped me come out of my cocoon."
Cory reached out his other hand and placed it on Sunburst's same hoof.
"And I'm glad you're helping me out of my cocoon." Cory said with a relaxed voice. "I'm looking forward to many encounters with you."
"So uh," Sunburst continued as he finished his tea. "Would you like to continue?"
"Absolutely." Cory replied as he finished his share. "But why don't we try a spell a little more basic and obtainable."
"Agreed. And how about we try one together?"
Cory nodded back as he helped him out of his seat and back into their studies. Unbeknownst to them, the lamp on the shelf began to glow a rather sinister green, with a eye-like object in the center, as if to spy on them.
It was now the next day. Cory had just returned from spending a night with his aunt and uncle, Cadence and Shining Armor, along with his new cousin Flurry Heart. So as not to scare her, he took on his Alicorn form, which still proved a challenge to him. But regardless, he used his newfound magic to entertain Flurry.
They played with her toys, played hide and seek, even played on the walls and ceiling, a spell Cory had surprisingly gotten good at. He felt very lucky to have a cousin like her. Not because she was sweet and cute, but because She had her whole royal life ahead of her. Unlike Cory, there wasn't a worry for Flurry in anyway. With a lifetime of security and a promising future ahead, what more could a filly ask for.
Before he know it, playtime was over. So he said his goodbyes, gave Flurry a kiss, and flew over to the next train to Ponyville. Today, he and his friend Tony were scheduled as a guest lecturers at Twilight's School of Friendship, where the subject of the day was "Bonding In The Arts:," a topic the two of them were all too familiar with. Cory was very much looking forward to this lecture, as it had been the twelfth one so far since the school's conception.
As he struggled to pick up his flash cards with his new hoofed appendages, Cory felt a sharp pain in his chest. But after a heavy cough, it slowly went away. Still, the sensation was rather curious, as he hadn't felt that pain in years, not since his sad years as a toddler under the cruel thumb of his deadbeat parents.
The train hissed to stop, as Cory and everypony else hopped onto the station. It was there he met up with Tony, who was also in his pony form. They galloped over and gave each other a hug, like two best friends should, and walked over to Twilight's school.
"So, what do you have planed for your half of the presentation?" Cory asked.
"Well," Tony replied. "I decided we could do a little clown act in front of the class. You remember our old routine from way back when?
"How could I possibly forget?" Cory replied as he gave him a friendly jab. "We always did it every time I felt down."
The two took out a journal and a few flash cards from their satchels as they reviewed the routine together. Tony did a few impressive moves, and Cory did a few impressive more, editing their act as they went on. However, as Cory was looking down, he lost where he was going and...
"Oomph!!" Said Cory.
"Oomph!!" Said another voice.
After a message of the head, Cory got up on his feet and noticed his papers scattered all over the place. to his right he saw a rather peculiar Hippogriff in the same position. It was Silverstream, one of Twilight's students at the school of friendship.
"Oh Dear!" She said panically as he helped her up. "I am so sorry. Are you Ok. I should have been watching where I was going!"
"No need to worry Silverstream." Cory replied . "I'll pick it up myself."
It was at this moment Silverstream saw his face and gasped.
"Oh..Um..Cory." she said as she braided her head feathers. "I didn't know you and your friend were coming today."
"Didn't you get the memo?" Tony asked. "Twilight's been telling you since last week."
Silverstream did not reply. As Tony kept talking nonsense, she just stared dreamily at Cory, who was magically picking up his papers and putting them in his satchel. After a few moments...
"Yoo-Hoo. Silver." Tony said singingly as he waved his hoof in her face, to which she snapped back into reality.
"Oh, goodness, I'm sorry again." Silverstream said awkwardly. "How about I help you Cory?"
"Umm...There's not much to pick up.." Cory said awkwardly. "But you're welcome to help."
Silverstream gleefully started gathering whatever papers were left on the ground. She bumped into him several times, after which her cheeks would blush a slight red.
"You know," Silverstream giggled nervously as she picked up the last paper. "I'm going over to class myself. You can come with me if you want."
"Always good to have another friend on our walk." Tony replied. "We're just finishing up rehearsing our routine aren't we Cory?"
"Indeed we are." Cory replied cheerfully. "Lead the way Silverstream."
As they continued their walk to the school, Cory noticed how close Silverstream was flying next to him. It was almost as if she was observing, or examining him in some say. But he ignored such things as the three of them approached the bridge to the building's entrance.
The school was perched on top of a hillside next to his mother's castle, with parts slightly merging with its natural environment. It's architecture was of an old, colonial style from victorian England, but with same color scheme as the castle. It's bottom side was decorated by magnificent waterfalls, two of which had the entrance between them.
The three walked on the stony pavement atop the moat, climbed the stairs the led to the door, and strolled down the hallways, which were much like Twilight's, except brighter in color. After a few minutes of room searching, they followed a noise, which guided them to a large room where all the students were gathered. Silverstream found her seat next to a Griffon and a Changeling and took out her journal and quill.As Tony and Cory started putting on their baggy clown costume, Twilight and Applejack entered the room.
"APPLEJACK!! MOM!!" Cory shouted as he hugged the two of them.
"Hey there sugarcube!!" Applejack replied as she gave him a noogie. "How's my little brother doing."
"Much better now that you and mom are here." Cory replied. "Sorry It's been two weeks since we last seen each other. My friend's and I have been busy spreading the word of the arts across Equestria."
"And you have been doing a spectacular job." Twilight added with a hug. "I can't wait to show my students what you can offer to the table."
Cory smiled and went back Tony to set up the props. Before he knew it, a gong was made and class was in session. Twilight magically tapped a ruler to call every creature to attention.
"Good afternoon class." Twilight said cheerfully. "Welcome to today's lesson. Applejack and I have a very special treat for you."
Everyone murmured in anticipation.
"That's right y'all." AJ added. "Today, my little brother, and Twilight's youngun, has decided to stop by along with friend and teach you a little bit about bonding on stage."
Soon, every creature's emotions turned into excitement. Cory's presence was always a treat for the students. He would always put together a special art related lecture that demonstrated how two individuals can create an astounding. Just a few weeks ago, he and Joanna had performed a little rodeo routine, with a little help from his earth pony family of course. Everyone was always thoroughly entertained, but none seemed more allured than Silverstream.
"Take it away you two!!" Applejack approved. "Y'all gonna love this."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c28Z0BCTiqw
As the act closed, every creature gave Cory and Tony the usual standing ovation. They bowed, thanked the class and repacked everything in their satchels. As Cory was fumbling through some papers, Silverstream, who once again didn't know where she was going, bumped into Cory yet again.
"Oh, goodness I'm so sorry, my fault." She replied panically as she searched for her journal on the ground.
"No problem at all." Cory said calmly. "We've really got to stop bumping into each other like this."
It was at this moment they noticed their journals lying next to each other. As they picked them up, they noticed their hoof and claw were touching. They quickly hid their appendages away as their cheeks turned red and made a nervous giggle.
"It's odd how we always awkwardly encounter each other." Cory said with a smirk on his face.
"A-HaHa!! Yes that's me!!" Silverstream laughed nervously as she twirled her feather hair with her talon. "I'm always encountering pony folk awkwardly! Hehe!"
She turned to notice her friends impatiently waiting for her.
"I need to go." She said.
"And so do I." Cory added with a smile. "Have a nice day Silverstream."
"Oh, uh, you too."
And with that, they both went their separate ways.
Nighttime had followed the rather eventful day for Cory (who was still in his pony form). He had found himself in a meditation chamber he had made for himself in a spare room within the castle. Surrounding him were neatly aligned scented candles, each with a different smell to them. He kneeled in a lotus position with his forelegs stretched out, and his eyes firmly closed.
"Inner Peeeeace..." He exhaled. "Inner Peeeace..."
Suddenly, he heard a rather faint, but noticeable flapping sound to his right.
"WHOEVER IS FLAPPING OUT THERE..." He shouted "PIPE DOWN!!!"
The flapping stopped, and he went back to his breathing.
"Innner...."
The silence was replaced with a loud thud. Annoyed, he turned around to see a familiar face with some cleaning supplies.
"Oh Spike. It's you." He said in relief. "I forgot you have wings now."
"Oh, Sorry Cory." Spike replied as he got up in a daze. "...I'm still learning how to use them. I'm just doing some wash up on the ceiling. I'll be out of your way soon."
"That would be great." Cory Replied. "Thank you."
At that moment, Starlight came into the room, much to Cory's annoyance.
"What's with all the noise down here?" She asked with a yawn.
This clearly irritated Cory as he angrily trotted down the steps of his meditation chamber and stared at Starlight in the face.
"I am trying to rid my mind of any bad memories that may still be creeping in my head, thank you very much." He stated. "And I can't concentrate with all this noise."
"Well there's no need to get mad over a little disturbance." Starlight stated. "Unless of course we were in real danger."
"Oh Starlight." Cory said in exhaustion. "If only you could understand my brain. Each day I am confronted with things I do not wish to discuss that trigger my sad past."
"Geez, I never realized you've been so sensitive lately." Spike commented.
"Well, it's not really you." Said Cory. "It's just me. I've been lately having these backwards memories of... things that are unpleasant for me."
"Well everypony has those kinds of moments." Said Starlight. "I've had those for about as long as I can remember."
"You should be lucky with your memories Starlight." Cory said calmly but sternly. "It's not filled with an empty existence and abusive parents."
"You're not the only one with annoying guardians." Said Starlight. "I mean, my dad treated me like a child until I moved out of the house and..."
"I WOULD HAVE SETTLED FOR THAT FATHER ANY DAY!!!" Cory shouted as he pressed his snout against Starlight's.
It was then the whole room fell into a deafening silence. Spike and Starlight just looked at each other with their eyes, both stunned and worried.
"A father who treats you like a child," Cory explained. "is a thousand times better than one who treats you like garbage. You wouldn't understand that."
After a sigh of exasperation, Cory blew out his candles, put his meditation items in a box nearby and headed towards his room. Starlight and Spike just stared at him as he dragged his hooves to the door.
"Cory." Said Starlight as she tried to place her foreleg around his shoulder. "We're very worried about you."
"Why should you be worried about anything Starlight?" Cory asked as he shoved her away. "You're practically indestructible."
He then walked down the hallway and blankly looked at the door to his room.
"AND PLEASE CONTROL THE VOLUME OF YOUR VOICE!!" He shouted once more, and with that, he slammed the door behind them.
"Is my voice really that loud?" Starlight asked.
"Eh," Spike replied. "Depends on who you talk to."
It was another ordinary week day at Canterlot High. The hallways were filled with students, the sports fields were filled with athletes, and the lunchroom was filled with food ready for...well...lunch.
But, that's besides the point. Cory and his human friends Camden and Sunset Shimmer we're found in the school Drama room, ready to display their recent chosen scene from their personal favorite plays. Everyone in the room, both thespians, jocks, geeks and wierdos, gathered about at the makeshift steps and emptied the floor to make an artificial stage.
"You ready for your scene, Cory?" Camden asked.
"As I ever could be." Cory replied.
"I'm excited to hear what you chose Cory." Sunset Shimmer commented.
"As am I." Cory replied. "Good luck on your presentation Camden."
"Roger that." Camden replied.
Everyone settled down as the drama teacher came center stage.
"Alright everyone." She started. "As you all know, today we will be showing a few scenes from different plays and novels you selected. I hope everyone is ready to perform and show off their skills. "
The first few performed scenes were from Waiting For Godot, Frankenstein, Of Mice and Men and King Arthur. Though a little amateur from a far perspective, they were nonetheless entertaining. In fact, they had inspired Cory to jot down some sketches for future art projects.
Next was Camden's turn. It was a scene from "Angels In America," A harrowing tale about aids, faith, love, and acceptance within the LGBT community, themes Camden could truly identify with. This really captured the class's attention with his powerful performance. As he sat down after a brief applause, Cory congratulated him on his project with a handshake and a hug.
After a few more turns from other students who chose Shakespeare, Hemingway and Edgar Allan Poe, Cory was ready to take the stage. For his selection, it was scene from the play version of "James and the Giant Peach." To him, in recent months, Roald Dahl stories held a special connection to him, as they dealt with children who endured sad lives and nightmarish adults, a situation he could truly relate to. In reality, it was a couple of scenes he put together to make a single presentation that moved the entire class to tears, regardless of the age area for the story. When he finished, the class went into an uproarious applause, to which he humbly bowed and took his seat. A few students gave him a pat on the back and 'a job well done' as a sheepish smirk fell across Cory's face.
Now it was Sunset's turn to shimmer. For her presentation, it was an excerpt from Melville's "Moby Dick." She could identify with this tale, as it reminded her of who she used to be and how power can lead to your downfall. This made Cory nervous as images of being submerged in water began to race back into his head again. But he did his best to keep his cool. As Sunset started and began to act out a scene with Ahab and the titular whale, Cory noticed how she mimicked the roaring waves of an ocean. He clung to the side of his seat as he tried to hold it together, while memories of an event he wished he forgot came flashing inside his brain. Then, as she was about to reach the end of her performance, Cory could not take it any longer.
"STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!!" He shouted hysterically. "Must you try to put me in the bathtub again!!!"
The whole classroom was aghast as everyone murmured questionable things to each other. Cory looked around as his face turned from anger to worry.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I need to go."
He grabbed his things, and rushed out the classroom door. As he walked down the hallways and towards the bathroom, everything started to spin around him. The lights above him were brighter than normal, and the sounds of lockers and people were louder than usual. With a drunk like stupor, Cory finally reached the men's bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed how his skin got more pale and clammy. So, he took out his pill bottle from his backpack and tried desperately to unscrew the lid. It was at that moment Sunset Shimmer and Camden appeared.
"Uh, hey." Said a confused Camden. "So, what was that all about?"
"It's nothing." Cory murmured. "Absolutely nothing."
"Are you sure you're all right?" Sunset Shimmer asked. "You've been acting very fidgety lately."
"Everything's fine," Cory insisted as he tried again to unscrew his pill bottle. "Everything will be fine, as long as I take these."
"I think you need to lay off those prescriptions Cory." Sunset insisted.
"Yeah, didn't the doctor say to take them in limited amounts?" Camden added.
"I've been taking them twice a day!" Cory said a little hysterically, "I've never felt better."
"Cory." Said a strict Camden. "Please give us those pills. I think you've had enough."
"No," Cory said shyly. "You can't make me."
"Give us those pills Cory." A stern Starlight commanded.
"You know," Cory said mockingly. "You're starting to sound like who you used to be."
This angered Starlight as she leaped forward and grabbed the pills from Cory's hands. This resulted in a brawl as Cory tried to grab them back from her. As the two rustled on the floor, Camden just looked on in both shock and sadness. He couldn't believe one of his best friends had been reduced to someone so desperate and addictive.
"Give me my pills!!" Cory shouted. "I Need Them!!"
"You can have them back.... in a few... weeks..Cory." Sunset replied as she held onto his wrists and tried to restrain him. "Camden... help me."
Camden reluctantly joined as as he helped pin Cory to the ground.
"Please!!" Cory shouted. "Give them to me!!"
"It's for your own... good ...Cory..." Camden pleaded in tears.
"We can't let you..." But before Sunset could finish, her eyes turned bright white.
In her mind, she saw what appeared to be a rundown house bathroom. Kneeling near at the tub was a very disgruntled woman bathing a younger looking Cory. Without warning, she dunked the helpless child into the water, pushing his head down, clearly trying to drown him. The young Cory tried to push himself back up, but it was useless. Finally, the bubbles stopped, and the poor boy just lied there, submerged beneath the water of the tub. His mother laughed without a care and shut the door behind him. However, she did not succeed in her terrible deed as Cory jumped like a wet cat out of the tub, gasping for air. He was so weak, he could barely even crawl. So with every muscle he had trudged with his arms and legs across the wet bathroom floor, reaching for the towel nearby. It was then the vision stopped and Sunset's eyes returned to normal.
She let go of Cory's arms as a stunned look fell on both their faces.
"How did you know that?" Cory asked in a whisper.
"Cory..I.." Sunset tried to think of the right words. "I had no idea how much you..."
Before she could finished, Cory snatched the pills away from her. In addition, he freed himself from Camden's grasp.
"Do me a giant favor," Cory said in angrily. "And stay out of my head."
And with that, he grabbed his backpack and headed outside.
"What did you see?" Camden asked Sunset.
"A...a bad memory." Starlight proclaimed. "I have to tell Twilight."
She grabbed her journal from her backpack and started to write away, as the two headed to their next class.
It was another afternoon at Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple Family (with the exception of AJ) was assigned to their daily chores. Big Mac was hauling a cart of freshly plucked fruit from the trees, Applebloom was tending to the Pig Sty and farm animals, and Granny Smith was cooking something in the house kitchen that would be mouth watering for just it's smell.
Meanwhile, Cory, in his pony form, was found inside the main barn, building a more sturdy leverage for the wall beams, and painting a new decor on the walls to match the floor. It was then he heard a few young voices coming from outside. It was Applejack, along with Gallus, Ocelus, Yona, Silverstream, Smolder and Sandbar. She had been assigned by his mother to lead the 6 creatures in a field trip/teamwork assignment at Sweet Apple Acres.
"Whoo-Wee!!" Said Applejack as she stopped over at the barn and tested the sturdiness of the walls. "I gotta hoof it to ya Cory!! You sure have been learning fast when it comes to fixin up a barn like this one."
"I'LL SAY!!" Shouted a gleeful Silverstream. "I..I mean, good job."
Everyone looked at her strangely as her cheeks turned red.
"Every creature." Applejack started. "As you all may know, this here is my little brother Cory."
"Hey Cory." Said every creature, to which Silverstream made a rather sheepish wave towards him.
"For todays assignment." AJ continued. "You will learn the advancement of teamwork. We're all going to split into teams of two, where..."
"I CHOOSE CORY!!" Silverstream blurted out.
"Ooookaaay." A questionable Applejack replied. "...where you'll be helping me and Cory out with various aspects of the barn. Whether that be the interior, or exterior, the floor the farm animals nearby, and the like. Every creature get it?"
They all nodded back and split into their teams. Smolder and Gallus, Applejack and Sandbar, Yona and Ocelus, and of course, Cory and Silverstream. As they picked which part of the barn to work on, (Smolder and Gallus-roof, Yona and Ocelus-farm animals, etc) Silverstream and Cory decided to continue to paint. Unbeknownst to him, Silverstream, with a pail of paint in her claws, seemed to slowly keep her eyes on her partner, as they were both painting different sides of the barn's interior.
"So, uh, I guess we're alone in the barn aren't we?" Silverstream commented.
"Uh, yes, we are." Cory replied awkwardly.
"You know, I really enjoyed your dance lecture the other day."
"Thanks. Tony and I had been rehearsing it for several weeks."
"Well, hopefully you guys get to do it a second time. I'd really like to see it again."
"That sounds lovely."
Unaware of her duties, she slipped on the side of the barn's beams and left a huge blot of paint on the floor.
"Oh, Here," Said a shy Cory upon noticing. "Let me help you up."
He came over, and, using his magic, helped pick up the residue that was already blending with the barn. As he lifted Silverstream's claw up with her hoof, she gave another huge blush and twirled her hair a little.
"Oh, my goodness," Silverstream replied. "That was very clumsy of me. Wow."
"No need to worry," Cory replied. "Believe me. I've had my share of clumsy moments throughout my younger years."
As she lifted her up, the two of them smacked against each other, as if they were about to embrace. The two of them looked at each other awkwardly, racing their eyes back and forth, not knowing what to do next.
"Um, let me." Silverstream tried to intervene.
"Uh, no. I insist." Cory replied. "How about I help?"
They muscled through each other trying to grab each others paintbrushes, which just happened to be lying next to each other. It was then they once again touched hoof and claw. They quickly snatched their appendages away and blushed at each other.
"How about I go first." Silverstream suggested. "I'm always good at using paintbrushes. Except maybe for this one time. And maybe another time."
She picked up her brush, and started painting.
"Better keep up." Cory teased. "I happen to be a great painter myself."
"I know." Silverstream giggled. "I've seen your work. It is amazing!!! I have nearly every book of your art pieces!! Thanks to you I have so much inspiration for Pinkie's art classes!!! Not to mention Rarity's fashion lessons!!!"
Cory blushed a little. No one had complemented on him that way in such a long time. It was then she noticed her five other friends staring out of the barn window.
"I mean uh, do carry on." She said as she composed herself.
"How about we use my paint bucket...together." Cory decided.
The two of them smiled in agreement as they dipped their brushes in the paint, beginning what seemed to be a little contest on who could make the most abstract canvas. As Silverestream's other five friends went to the side of the barn door for a closer look, they noticed something much more intriguing about her eyes.
"It looks like Silverstream's really infatuated with Cory's artwork." Ocelus commented.
"Or maybe with somepony else." Sandbar corrrected.
"Huh?" The other four asked.
"Just look at her." Sandbar pointed out.
It was then they saw Cory and Silverstream touching each other's paintbrushes, after which they turned to bump into their foreheads. Silverstream blushed and dopely giggled once more. One could swear there were even heart shaped bubbles coming out of her head.
"Yona no get it. Yona confused." Yona commented. "Why Pony and Hippogriff look so clumsy and dreamy together."
"Can't you see?" Sandbar asked. "The blushing cheeks, the sweaty forehead, the dumbfounded giggling, the awkward..."
"It means she has a crush on Cory, alright?" Gallus answered bluntly.
They all gasped as he said this.
"What?" Gallus asked. "I'm just making the most obvious answer."
"Ooooh, I think you got a point Gallus!!" Ocelus said gleefully.
"YONA THINK SILVERSTREAM HAS A CRUSH!!!" Yona shouted as she jumped into the air and coincidently crushed a bale of hay.
"SHHHH." Her four friends silenced her.
"What do you think we're going to do to tell her we know?" Smolder asked.
"I think right now it's best we just keep our composure and ask her within a few days time. See if it's really legit" Ocelus suggested, to which they all nodded back in agreement.
Moments later, Silverstream flew outside to get fresh paint, with heart shaped bubbles coming out of her eyes. At that moment, she noticed her friends staring at her.
"What?" She tried to ask innocently. "I was just uh..yearning, I mean, pining, I mean...paint, yes, painting, getting more paint. Ha ha. That's what I was doing."
"Sure you were." Smolder replied sarcastically.
After a nervous giggle, Silverstream flew out of the barn, while the rest shrugged and went back to their chosen positions.
As the days went by, Cory became more and more restless. Sometimes he came in human form, other times in pony form. Though his skills in magic had indeed increase in both stability and coordination, his mental state also became more contained and refined. Sometimes, he wondered if he was the same person as before his lessons with Sunburst. To add to his problems, the visions of submersion in a deep ocean expanse were frequently invading his dreams, causing circles under his eyes and a faint fatigue in his daily routine.
Regardless, he and Sunburst were becoming close friends. Following Sunset's letter to Twilight, his mother suggested that Starlight come with him on his frequent commutes to the crystal empire. This delighted Starlight as she could now spend more quality time with her childhood friend. However, this did not seem to alter Cory, as he believed his concentration was more important than ever. Yet, this did not stop Silverstream from taking a few moments moments from her flight to school, to just gander at her new love as he awaited for the next train to arrive. Every time, her eyes would turn dreamy and would sigh in affection, wondering how she could possibly have a crush on him. Was it his stature, his talent, or maybe just cause he was sort of an outsider, like her. Nevertheless, her attraction towards Cory grew stronger by the day.
One afternoon, Cory, in pony form, could be found within the studies of Sunburst, practicing on another advanced magic spell. This included the ability to contain auroras in a single, quantum mass. As Sunburst carefully examined the chosen to make sure he was doing it right, and Starlight stood nearby to make sure no negative effects would happen to him, the two of them became more and more weary of his psychological stability. Sweat began to pour down his brow, his eyes got red from not blinking, and his hooves shook as he tried to muster all his energy into this illuminating mass of pure magic.
"Maybe we should help you on this one." Starlight suggested.
"You seem to be getting very weak." Sunburst added. "There's nothing wrong with...."
Cory just gave them a glaring look, with the impression for them to back off, to which they did. As he pressed his hooves harder on the orb, veins started to pop out of his forehead and neck. Then he let out a huge scream as the orb enveloped him, as it did several times before. Once again, he found himself in the middle of a large ocean expanse, he couldn't find anywhere to the surface. As he helplessly flapped his body around the watery wasteland, he saw two hooves grabbing him back up to the unseen surface. Once again, he shuddered and coughed as Starlight and Sunburst both cradled him under their hooves. His eyes were bloodshot red and was in desperate need of a break.
"Cory," Starlight said sternly. "I know I'm not your mother but you need to lie down."
"Yes." Sunburst agreed. "You've been pushing yourself far beyond your own limits."
"No." Cory replied as he released himself from their grip. "I just broke my concentration is all. Where's a drink of wa..."
He stumbled upon the words as he covered his face with his robe. Sunburst rushed over to the nearby sink and grabbed a cup full of water for his student to drink. But as soon as Cory looked at the water slushing around the rim, he tossed it out of his hooves, shattering it to pieces, as it only reminded him of his past.
"I don't know what's gotten into you Cory," Sunburst said sternly, "But there is something disturbing going on in your head."
"What do you know?" Cory snapped back at him. "I was partially your fault for loosening my focus!!"
"There's no need to get all defendant on us." Starlight replied calmly.
"You think I don't know what this is about already?!" Said Cory with a twitch in his eye. "I know what's going on here! It's all just a scheme you're planning. Just a way for me to endure more hard times, like I used to!"
"I have no Idea what you're talking about!" Said Sunburst. "We're not plotting anything against you! No one is!"
"That's what they always say." Cory replied. "But just when my guard is down, the memory you so wistfully made me revisit, just keeps playing itself over and over again in my head!! You only want to make me suffer even more!! I should've known better than to trust you!!"
"ALRIGHT ENOUGH!!" Shouted Starlight as a flash of magic sprung from out of her horn, thus silencing Cory and pinning him to the ground with a spell.
"This is not the Capricore we know and love." Starlight said to his face. "I don't know what's going on in your head right now, but we need to find out...."
"Get your greedy hooves OFF OF MEEE!!!" Screamed Cory. With that one gasp of anger and a blast of magic, he pushed the two friends to the far corner of the room. Puffs of steam came out of his snout as Sunburst and Starlight looked on in horror. Cory then marched to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. As he took out his capsule of pills and placed them on the sink, he stopped for a moment. It was then he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked at his worn out face, with its sunken in cheeks, bloodshot eyes, and frizzled hair and goatee. He looked like somepony different now (in a mental sort of way).
"My word." he said in shock as he looked down at his pills. "What's happening to me?"
After a few minutes of realization, he walked out of the bathroom to see Sunburst and Starlight with angry looks on their faces. Cory took a sigh of shame and walked towards them with extreme guilt.
"I apologize for not telling you sooner." He said solemnly. "I have these memories from my past, and they've been creeping into my head again, for some reason. Nothing excuses the way I've been behaving in front of you. Maybe I do need some time to lie down."
"I couldn't agree more Cory." Sunburst said sternly. "You've nearly exhausted all your energy and if you push yourself more like what you just did there's no telling what would happen."
"Here, there's a couch on the side of the room for you rest." Starlight said as she escorted him in that direction. "We'll just let you sleep this one out until the next train to Ponyville arrives."
"Sounds heavenly." Cory replied solemnly.
And with that, he fell like a rock on the sofa as Sunburst and Starlight fetched a warm blanket and pillow for him to sleep with. As he slowly changed back to his human form, and shivered like a wet dog, the two friends looked on with worried faces. But knowing he needed the rest, they walked outside and decided to take a stroll around the crystal empire.
As Cory curdled in a fetal position, and continued to shake slightly, the chartreuse lamp from the shelf nearby started to glow a menacing green, giving it the appearance of an eye. Suddenly, a devious voice came from out of the lamp.
"So." It said. "The Princesse's son has been pushing himself to a breaking point. And it appears water is his most vulnerable weakness. This is most interesting. COZY GLOW!!"
"Uh, yes Grogar?" Asked another voice that sounded like a young filly.
"I want you to keep an extra close watch on Prince Capricore. Make a little...friendship with him as well. His weakness might just be the key to his undoing."
It was late afternoon. Cory, in his human form, could be found in the fields of Ponyville, practicing a few calming methods master Zecora had taught him. It had been awhile since he had a moment of serenity and put her methods to use. The spells and tai chi-esque movements were just what he needed, especially after that dramatic episode with Sunburst and Starlight the other day. Unbeknownst to him, a certain pink Hippogriff was dreamily watching him from a nearby rock, with her claws supporting her head.
"HEEEEY CORY!!" Silverstream shouted, to which Cory broke his concentration.
"Oh," Cory replied. "Hello Silverstream. I was just in a moment of trance."
"Gee. I've really never seen you in your true, human form before." Silverstream commented.
"Well," Cory replied. "Here I am and here you go."
"You doing anything interesting and important at the moment?"
"Uh, yes actually I am, I was. I was simply practicing a few moves that Master Zecora taught me to calm my nerves. It's actually very affective, you should try it some time."
"Oh, uh, Ok, I won't keep you. You keep doing what you're doing." Silverstream sighed with dreamy eyes.
An hour passed and Silverstream had still kept her eyes on Cory's face. Her attraction towards him was even stronger than before. As he made different poses and movements with his feet and hands, she watched his face carefully, wishing she could tell him what her true feelings about him were. But alas, she knew they were two of a different species. 'How possibly' she thought to herself 'could a Hippogriff and human/semi-pony create an intimate relationship.
Before she knew it, the sun was beginning to dip in the west. Cory had long retired from his practice, therefore, Silverstream came to the realization was merely daydreaming about him for the last few minutes. After looking around to make sure no one was watching her, she flew to the new clubhouse that taken the tree of harmony's place.
The interior was strikingly similar to Twilight's castle, both in theme and in decoration. Still, it seemed hollow and empty, as it had just grown out of the ground a few weeks back. Once inside, Silverstream noticed her friends were all staring at her sternly. She then looked at a nearby mirror and noticed she was still dreamy eyed.
"Oh, uh. Hello..Friends." She tried to say as she shook her head to normalcy a made a rather guilty looking smile. "I see your all..heart, I mean here...yes, all here. What is the tribble...I mean trouble?"
"Silverstream." Gallus said bluntly. "We all know what you're hiding."
"Hiding?" Silverstream asked. "What do you mean hiding? I wasn't seeing anyone...I mean anything..I mean...Uh...How are you?"
"Oh, come on Silverstream." Smolder added. "The dreamy eyes, the blush in your face, the hearts that somehow start to pop out of your head..."
"There's no need to hide it friend." Ocelus added. "You're obviously in love."
"What do you mean?" Silverstream asked.
"Yona want to ask a very serious question." Said Yona as she approached her. "Does Hippogriff..Have a crush...on Cory?"
Silverstream's eyes widened, giving a very nervous look to her face.
"Well...Uh..." She tried to explain. "It's not that..It's just that..I..Well..."
She looked at her friends and realized she couldn't hold it in any further.
"YEEEEESS!!" She shouted with glee, as the sound of her voice reverberated across the walls.
"Huh, guess Yona and I aren't the only ones to go further in a relationship." Said Sandbar.
"Oh, if only you guys knew what I feel about him." Silverstream reminisced. "He's just so...Handsome...and talented...and nice...and everything I always dreamed of in a boyfriend. I could never find the right one for me back in Seaquestria. Every seapony would find their perfect match. But I just couldn't. Now, now is real chance for me to truly fall in love with my very first crush! I just hope I don't disappoint him."
"Yeah, that's the thing about crushes..." Said Gallus
"They always end hard." Smolder added.
"And that's why they're called crushes." They both said together with a fist bump.
"Come on guys." Ocelus insisted. "Silverstream really is in love with someone. And we need to make that someone know the same."
"Really!!!? You would do that for Me?!!" Silverstream asked excitedly.
"Were all best friends here." Sandbar replied. "Besides, it's working out for me and Yona."
"Oh, you guys are the best!!! Group Hug!!"
At that moment, Silverstream grabbed everyone around in a tight embrace.
"Ugh." Smolder said. "Can't you just find an alternative to hugs for us dragons?"
Everyone but her laughed with glee.
"Alright," Ocelus said. "If we're gonna have a romantic date for Silverstream and Cory, we gotta make sure it's special. Yona, Sandbar, you come up with ideas on how to make the setting special. Smolder, Gallus, you do the effects. Silverstream and I will pick just the right music for the moment. Every creature get it."
"Got it." They all said together, and with that, they spread out to their assignments.
However, unbeknownst to them, a mysterious figure was glaring in the high bushes from afar.
"Oh, this is just too rich!!" Said Cozy Glow. "The Hippogriff is in love with Cory!! Boy, the look on his face when he figures out where she's from."
Cory headed down to Vice Principal Luna's office. Once again, the lights and sounds of students and flourescents irritated his eyes and ears. So, he covered his ears and walked with his face pointing at the floor. He wished it would all die down and things would have a calmer, deeper color to them. Then, as a consequence of not paying attention to his surroundings, he bumped into a familiar face.
"You should really watch where you're going Cory." Said Princess Luna.
"Oh, Vice Principal Luna." Cory replied. "You're just the one I wanted to see."
"What do you mean?" She replied.
" I have a question, and was curious if you knew the answer."
"Well, I'm on my way to copy a few documents. Why don't you just wait in my office and we can talk."
As she left, Cory looked up to realize he was standing right in front of her office door. As he opened it, he came to notice how silent it was, without a single noise of distraction, except for the faint echoes birds from outside and of students walking by. the calm and soothing color that adorned the space of her studies. It's lavender hue and rather deep coated purple served as a relief to Cory's eyes. On top of that, the lights were turned off, with the day seeping through the closed blinds as the only light source. As he sat down in down in the chair in front of her desk, he took a moment to close his eyes and take a few relieving breaths. But as he did, he found himself once again tossing and turning through memories and dreams. From the bathtub in his house, to the swimming pool at his school, to the wide ocean expanse that had plagued his dreams for so long. Back and forth, and on again and off again, his face twitched and his fists tightened, as the sounds and image flickered and grew into ear piercing howls and blinding flashes. Cory was about to lose it when....
"Cory?" Said Luna as she opened the door. "Is something the matter?"
"Um," Cory tried to think of the right words. "Well, that's what I wanted to ask you about."
"I'm not sure if I can, but nobody knows unless they're told about it.
"Well," Cory began. "Lately I've been having these strange dreams and thoughts about water. For some reason they've been triggering bad memories from my past.."
"Annnd how does this have to do with me?" Luna asked as she sat behind her desk.
"So," Cory continued. "In the world where I primarily live, there is another version of you, which I know sounds ridiculous but..."
"Dont' worry Cory." She reassured him. "After what's been going on in this school and around the Canterlot community, nothing sounds far fetched at this point."
"So anyway," Said Cory. "This other you, in addition to controlling the night, has the ability to venture into other inhabitants dreams and solve problems. So I was wondering...well..if"
A few moments silence passed by, as if Cory knew what Luna was going to ask him. But they just stared at each other with the blankest of faces.
"Well what is your question Cory?" Asked Luna.
"Do you know about dreams?" Asked Cory.
"Actually," Luna answered as she got out of her seat. "Now that you mention it, one of my Master Degrees was in Oneirology: That is the study of dreams. Perhaps if sit over on that sofa to your left, I can help you with what those dreams mean."
"Oh, thank you Vice Principal Luna." Said Cory as he shook her hands warmly. "You wont regret this."
He walked over to what looked like a reclining chair from a therapists office. complete with a table with box of tissues and a glass of ice cold water. As he sat down, Luna took a seat in swiveling chair facing in his direction.
"So, how about you describe to me what your dreams are, and then we can get into why they affect your thoughts. Besides, dreams aren't just flights fo fancy or scary nightmares. They can be manifestations of what we fear or desire the most, or even a reminder of suppressed memories we wished we'd forget.
"Alright." Cory began as he took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "It starts with me and my my advanced studies tutor Sunburst. See, I've been taking special lessons with this unicorn that has knowledge about powerful magic. His house is usually the place where I have my waking dream. Anyway, I choose this rather advanced spell that could prove fatal if not done in the correct way. So I concentrate on this ball, or at least an orb where all my energy will be stored. As I press my hands, or hooves in this matter, onto the object, a huge, beaming light circulates all around my body. The energy is so unbearable I let out a huge scream. Sparks start to fly all over the place, and objects fall off the shelves and cupboards..."
"Are you sure you're taking safe lessons with this Sunburst?" Asked Luna as she was taking her notes.
"Please let me finish." Cory insisted. "Before I even know it, everything goes black. When I open my eyes, I find myself deep below in this endless, watery expanse. There's no surface, theres no floor, there's no edge of anything. As I try to swim upwards, the water only gets deeper and deeper. Bubbles spew out of my mouth and nostrils, whilst I panic and look for any sign of anyone in this seemingly dead ocean. But there's nothing and no one to be found. I surrender to the thick liquid as the bubbles start to stop and begin to sink to my bottomless fate. It is at that moment a hoof grabs me by my torso and lifts me back up towards a light. And then I finally wake up gasping and coughing for breath. The worst part of it is somehow its' been re-triggering memories of my past."
"Well, let's explore that shall we?" Asked Princess Luna.
"I really feel uncomfortable talking about it." Said Cory.
"Cory, the only way we can truly combat this if if we dig deep into the core of this problem. Perhaps your recurring dream is trying to tell you something. Something you either have to let go or overcome."
"Oh, alright." Cory replied solemnly as he took another deep breath. "When I was in my early years, my mother would purposefully dunk my head into the tub during one of my baths. It was in the hopes that I would drown and die. Her desperate screams to do such were so loud and thunderous that it nearly deafened me. I had thought that she was just trying to clean every crevice in my body, and it was just a simple method she used. "
It was then Cory started to have tears come down his eyes, to which he took the box of tissues and wiped his eyes with a piece. Luna tried pat him on the back a little bit, but he nudged away.
"After what seemed like forever, I would plop my head at the bottom of the tub and hold my breath, pretending I was dead and hoping she'd stop. With a cackle, she would wipe her hands and strut out of the bathroom, after which I would launch out of the bathtub and onto the hard, wet, floor, gasping for breath. My body was always too weak to stand up. So I had to crawl over to the towel. As I looked up at the ceiling, the light was excruciating to my eyes. I could barely even open them. Finally, I had managed to grab onto the doorknob and reach for the towel."
"Cory dear." Luna said. "I'm sorry that you have to tell me all this. If you'd like to take a break, we can..."
"I'm not finished yet." Cory interrupted. "I also have been recalling memories of when I had to take those swim lap tests in my old school. The moment that whistle was blown, everyone else in the pool would dunk my head in the water, not even giving me a chance to float to the surface. With every kick, as they started their lap, I would go deeper and deeper down to the bottom of the pool. Finally, I would give in and lose consciousness. If it hadn't been for my friends dragging me out of the water and giving me CPR, I'd have been a goner."
"You seem to have a lot of repressed memories Cory." Luna commented as she wrote in her notes.
"I just don't understand why they're coming back now. Are they trying to tell me something?
"Perhaps, and perhaps it's the fact that you're holding onto something from your past that you have to let go of."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, dreams can serve as allegorical windows to our reality. They can serve as what establishes a flaw in our daily life."
"But I don't have any big flaws now, do I?"
"A great many people can deny these things. But at the end of the day, we're only human. A flaw isn't always something that is physical. It can serve as fear that is either now or in the past. And sometimes we can worry and hold onto a fear so much, the fear can make feel like we're trapped in a nightmare."
"But my life is great!" Now Cory started to raise his voice in anger. "There's no longer anything I have to left to fear."
"Is there?"
"There isn't!! I know there isn't!!"
"Everybody is afraid of something irrational Cory. Even my sister is afraid of chickens."
"I never would've guessed." Cory pondered, to which Luna laughed in secrecy.
"Something funny?"
"Oh, nothing Cory."
"Not to be all defiant Vice Principal Luna, but this is serious!! Why am I all of the sudden having these dreams and memories. Why are they all coming back to me?"
"Well," Luna explained. "You and I can agree an ocean is the largest water surface on any planet. Due to it's vastness and depth, no one knows what secrets they still keep hidden. Now in dreams, water is a symbol of our emotions, and given it's vastness, it might mean that there are emotions deep within you that haven't been explored for quite some time. The fact that you are drowning in these dreams indicate the feeling you are overwhelmed with something. You are probably highly anxious and have a lot of emotional turmoil."
"Oh, believe me." Cory replied as he wiped his tears. "I'm no stranger to those things."
"Given this dream has made you revisit suppressed memories, perhaps this dream might be a serious warning. You should try to determine what's been pulling you down and stopping your progress."
"Excuse me?" Cory asked with a voice of disgust. "You think I'm slow?"
"Not necessarily." Luna reassured him. "It's just that you have been so absorbed in your studies and duties, you haven't really had the time to combat what is really bothering you. And since your memories relating to water have a connection, I believe it is time to free yourself from these restraints you have and truly face your fear. I mean, the only part of school you haven't explored is the swimming pool. Do you see what I mean?"
"Oh," Cory said sinisterly. "I see what you mean. I see what you did there. I know what this is about. You're all against me. You want me to be slow. You're just like my old school."
"Um, What are you talking about?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow."
"I'm not going to fall into that trap again! That's why I've been having these thoughts all along. I just have to work harder now!! I have to distract my mind from any doubts! I'm going to concentrate on my work more than ever before, and none of
"I'm just trying to help you Cory."
"Well you can, by leaving me be!!"
And with that, he stormed out the door, took everything out of his locker, marched outside and stepped back through the portal, leaving a worried look on Luna's face ad prompting her to write to several students for help. Meanwhile, back at Twilight's castle, a rather small but sinister Pegusi watched the whole thing through a special orb.
"So, he's afraid and unstable." Cozy glow said quietly with a snickering laugh. "This is going to be easier than I thought."
Cory, and the Kirin village
Yona, Gallus, Ocelus, Sandbar, Smolder and of course, Silverstream just sat there with their mouths gaped open in disbelief. They had never heard a story more harrowing or depressing in their lives. Even Smolder was shocked, and she had heard some harrowing tales before.
Earlier that day, the six creatures had been scourging through the library, trying to learn as much as they could about Twilight's son and Applejack's brother. They searched through family records, historical acts of bravery, and a few other sources. Though little of his past was discovered, they did come across Prince Capricore's royal acts of bravery, with his knights of courage by his side. This made Silverstream fall in love with him even more, as her eyes turned dreamy wide with a two blushed cheeks.
Wasting no time, they asked Twilight and Applejack for an appointment in the headmaster's office to learn more about her son Capricore. So she quickly invited them to her room, but not before warning them how sad her story will be. Regardless, they begged her for the information, and with a small, heartbreaking sigh she began.
They started with Cory's devastating upbringing, how he was born into a family that didn't love him in any way, how they tried to get rid of him through lethal means, and how he was carelessly left at an airport by his mother and father, never to see them again. Then they went on about his time at the orphanage where he was mistreated all the same. Bullies picked on him, called him names and committed unspeakable acts in the most merciless of ways.
They started to feel relieved when they learned that Cory did indeed have friends. Friends who did everything together and were always on his side no matter what. That was until their school was taken over by a tyrannical dictator, determined to make miserable anyone who stepped out of line. There was no fun, no laughter, nothing but strict guidelines which goose stepped so many students into violence. Then the new 6 hearts broke again when they were told how Cory was taken away from his friends, leaving him all alone to fend for himself for a year. But once again, they turned to relief when they learned about how he escaped that world and ended up in Equestria, and is currently adopted by both her and the Apple Family.
"Oh, that poor poor boy!" Ocelus sobbed with a handkerchief as Twilight finished her story. "It's no wonder he's so quiet."
"Sorry I had to tell you all that, but there it is." Twilight said solemnly.
"Man, I've heard some depressing stories in my days, but not like this." Smolder commented
"Yona never heard more sad story than ever before." Yona added as tears came out of her eyes and nose. "Make Yona want to sing Yak song about being sad."
"Maybe you should save that one for later Yona." Said Sandbar.
"Gee, I only know one other creature that's been through that level of heartache." Gallus said. "Me."
"I'm just so amazed he was able to go through all that and still be such a sweet boy. " Silverstream said as she wiped away her tears. "He makes just want to jump onto him and give him a big hug!"
"I don't that's a great option Silverstream." Said Applejack. "He's been very sensitive lately for some reason. I've tried to ask him what's the matter, but he's still keepin a cold shoulder."
"Maybe we can help him out." Said Ocellus, "Where is he now?"
"Well, the last time I heard," Replied Applejack, ".. he ventured into the Kirin kingdom. He said he wanted some peace and quiet to continue his studies."
"Then let's go!" Silverstream declared eagerly as she rushed to her dorm room, "There's not a moment to lose."
"I'm not sure about that Silverstream." Twilight said cautiously. "Cory's been very reserved lately and doesn't like being disturbed when..."
"That only makes it more urgent!!" And with that, Silverstream pushed her friends out of the library and to their dorm rooms as well. "Everyone. Start packing.! Cory requires our help."
"Boy Silver." Smolder said unenthusiastically. "You're really taking this love boat with Cory very upstream."
"If my Cory is in danger, then there's no one who can help me better than my friends."
Realizing the predicament they were in and having finished the majority of their assignments early, the other five shrugged their heads and started packing.
"Wishing you good luck." Twilight hollered. "And please mind Cory's space."
"Uh-huh, yep sure." Silverstream replied as if not really listening.
And off the the six friends went to their destination.
Meanwhile, Cory, in his pony form, could be found in the Kirin village checking in to a new hotel they established for tourists. Attached to his back was a large amount of luggage and supplies for studying and creativity. While awaiting for the bellboy he took a moment to observe outside the nearby window.
The Kirin village was a quaint town nestled in the woods. Some buildings were made from trees, others were perched within trees, and a few were even meshed with the trees. In the center was a fountain where the Kirin had been given the gift of gab thanks to Applejack and Fluttershy on one of their previous adventures. Surrounding it was the marketplace where the citizens would buy and sell their daily bread. Today was a usual one for the Kirin. Each of this unique species went about their business as usual: Planting, buying, painting, singing, dancing, laughing, joking and the like. As Cory stood near the window, he looked a little weary and rather annoyed as to whether he would be disturbed by the sounds outside.
"Mr. Sparkle," Said the Kirin hotel manager. "Mr. Sparkle, are you ready to check in."
"Yes I am." Cory said cooly as he approached the desk of the lobby.
"Autumn Blaze." Said the hotel manager, to which approached a rather enthusiastic Kirin with a chipper look and uniform badge entered.
"Yes Sir." Autumn Blaze replied with a smile.
"Take this gentlecolt to suite DJPON3 please."
"Yesiree."
"Just one more thing." said Cory in a rather soothing voice. "I'm a very busy pony. I gotta workload of things to do. Plenty of them. So see to it that you Kirin live up to your reputation, and that I get lots of peace and quiet..."
It was then he grabbed the manager by the back of her mane and exploded into a loud booming voice.
"BECAUSE IF I'M DISTURBED AT ANY TIME..." he shouted. "I'M GONNA BUST YOU RIGHT IN THE SNOUT!!"
"Likeable chap. Isn't he?" Autumn Blaze commented.
"May I go to my room now?" Cory asked as he calmed down. "I would like to get some work done."
"Certainly Sir." The manager replied as she readjusted her mane. "Autumn blaze?"
"Yessir!!" Autumn Blaze replied as she led the way. "Boy we get lots of customers these days don't you know. Say haven't I told you the time when I wrote this speech about our leader, it was a riot I tell you. Not to mention that no one could talk at the time. But boy did they riot inside. I haven't felt so enthusiastic in all my life. But enough about me, I believe if you were looking for a place of peace and quiet, you couldn't have picked a better place!! Because if there's one thing we Kirin's are known for it's peace and quiet!! Why, I remember, when we were so quiet, you could hear a pin drop from miles away. But I just couldn't stand that and it made me batty. So I wrote about these speeches and plays and operas to keep them company. But I also made friends with my shadow and named him Silhouette gloom of the sundown lands. Anyway, a bellboy is one of many jobs I have here in the village. Some include farmer, playwright, photographer, tour guide, architect. Speaking of which have you heard of this...."
As Autumn babbled on and on about her life and her home, Cory became more and more irritated, hoping they would get closer and closer to his room. Then, finally, just when they thought she would never shut up, they finally approached the main door to the living space. So he rushed in, started to unpack and cricked his back into place, taking the breathing techniques Master Zecora taught to keep himself in focus.
"Here's your keys sir." Autumn Blaze said as she gave him a card.
"Thank you." He replied.
As Autumn Blaze left the room, Cory magically sorted out his belongings. He took a moment to look at his new surroundings with peculiarity, it was then he spotted what he was looking for.
"Deeeessssk." He said with relief, to which he grabbed his journal, art supplies and paper, popped a seat, turned on a lamplight and began to doodle away.
First he began to put together the blueprints for a statue exhibition in Cloudsdale. After hanging that up, he intricately drew a model for a set piece for an upcoming play in Baltimare. Following that, he remembered Las Pegasus was starting its own film company. So he jotted down some notes for upcoming movies that required his assistance. It was then the first disturbance of the day occurred. A couple of rowdy young Pegusi were playing buckball outside his window. Balls were hitting against the wall, shouts were being given, a whistle was being blown etc...
Without thinking, Cory dropped his things and trotted downstairs. He approached the hotel manager, and just as he promised, popped her right in the snout. As he stomped back upstairs, he swore he could hear "Pop Goes The Weasel" in the background.
With everything quiet again, Cory continued with his studies. There was another speech to write about the Buffalo in Appaloosa that he quickly edited. Then he moved on to the Family Adoption Program mural he was setting up in Vanhoover. In addition, Trottington was Setting up a special statue in their hospital square, to which he designed a blueprint on a map. But just as he was measuring the diameter of the speech, a few careless Kirin were singing a rather out of tune, but joyous song. Regardless, Cory's eyes turned a bright red as he stomped downstairs again, approached the manager and gave her another punch to the snout, with the same song playing in his head.
A few hours later, things seemed back in step for him, as he continued to immerse himself in his work. However, At this rate, his eyes were now sleepy, and his mane got even more frizzled and out of place. But no matter, he marched forward. The next thing on his large list was to literally build a large fire for the Changeling kingdom for some reason. After a while of toiling and building the elaborate set piece, he placed it in the middle of the room as a decoration. He then moved on to writing for an upcoming essay due at Canterlot High. The paper covered the subject of Hitchcockian suspense and how it impacted the motion picture department. From there, he began to implement a few teaching strategies that Sunburst had implemented for any possible future meetings they would have in the Crystal Empire. His list was a large one indeed, and Twilight would be proud of him.
As he moved back and forth between checking his list, reconfiguring the sculpture layout for the exhibition in Cloudsdale, and repurposing a store for Manehattan's jewelry district, a disturbance was heard once more. It was that Kirin Autumn Blaze who was laughing from a joke she had just heard.
"HA HA HA!! What a story..HA HA..Funniest Story I heard in years!!" Autumn Laughed out loud. "Too good to keep.. HA HA HA!!.. What a laugh!!.. HA HA..What A Palooza!!"
Just as Cory feared, Autumn came bursting through the door with her uproarious chuckle.
"Hey Mister!!" She shouted. "Come over for a minute!! I gotta tell you this super duper joke!! HAHA!!"
Before he could say anything, Autumn swiveled the chair around so he could face her, as she sat on his lap. By now his eyes were blood curling red.
"Once there was a traveling Salespony!! HAHA HAA!!" She laughed. "And he came to a farmhouse HA HA HAA!!! And he asked the farmer.."
Whilst in the middle of her giggling and excitement, Cory plopped her on the chair and went back downstairs, leaving her laughing like there was no tomorrow. When the hotel manager saw him approaching once again, she ducked down an put on what looked like a knights helmet. But, given there was a lid, Cory gently opened it and socked her in the nose once again, with that "Pop goes the Weasel" tune in his head.
"And then..And Then HAHA..." Autumn Blaze continued as Cory returned to his desk. "Here's the Pay off!! When the Farmer said do you expect come this way next year, the salespony said..HAHA!! The salespony said..HAHA!! He Said...Hey whadaya know, I don't remember what he said. But HAHA!! It was a riot!! AHAHA!! Funniest thing I ever heard!! HAHAHA!!
The second Autumn Blaze left the room, Cory had had enough. He bolted the door shut, Locked it with his key, Shut the blinds, Build boards around the window, put a trap next to the door in case anypony dared snuck in, turned off the lights, soundproofed the walls, and went back to his studies. Now he was certain no one could disturb him at this point. So he continued finishing up the previous things he had on his list, whilst checking for anything he missed. When suddenly, after a few more laboring hours, a small, taunting, filly like voice could be heard..."
"Golly." the voice said. "It must be so hard getting work done around here huh?"
"Who said that?" Cory asked as he searched the room.
"Oh, just a friend." It replied.
"Come on out and show yourself!!"
"Certainly."
From out of the shadows popped a young pegusi with a curly mane and a cheerful disposition. Cory could've sworn she was this worlds version of Shirley Temple.
"How did you get in here?" Cory asked puzzlingly.
"I have my ways." She replied while holding a spare key. "I just kindly and tearfully asked the hotel manager to share my room next to another dear friend, and have a spare key just for him. And what better than to make friends and have a room next to Prince Capricore."
"Who are you?" He asked.
"Oh, where are my manners. My name is Cozy Glow. The cutest, most caring, most adorable pony anypony could ever have. Anyway, I've been watching you for awhile and it looks like you haven't gotten a fair chance to get your work done."
"You can say that again." A disgruntled Cory replied as he wiped his eyes and messaged his goatee.
"Maybe it's time for you to accept that some ponies just aren't to be trusted. I would be on the lookout if I were you."
"Perhaps you are correct on that."
"You can always trust me Cory. I have open ears everywhere I go. And by the way, I'm sorry about your sad past. Those events must've been traumatic for you."
"I can't even bear to talk about them in front of my friends."
"Maybe it's best that you don't talk about them to anypony. A secret can really damage your reputation."
Cory thought for a moment about this..
"Anywho," Cozy Glow continued. "If you ever want me, I'll be outside shopping for food."
And with that, she reopened the door, and shut it behind him.
It had been 4 days since Cory had arrived at the Kirin village, and despite his paranoia, paler coat, and circles under his eyes, things had gone smoothly for his work. He had written a few essays, built some elaborate sculptures, and even took time to design a few sets for upcoming shows across Equestria. For the moment, he found himself taking a moment of outside air at the edge of the Kirin Village. Standing at the edge of a cliff, he looked at the amazing view on top of what looked like an abandoned treehouse belonging to Autumn Blaze. Floating in front of him was a cup of freshly brewed chamomile ginseng tea, with ingredients Sunburst had given prior to his stay. Each sip made him calmer and calmer, as he watched the sun begin to dip over the horizon. Thinking about what happened four days ago, he still seemed torn between what that strange pegusi said and how he treated that poor Kirin manager. It was rather barbaric for him to do such a thing. Then again, just as Cozy Glow predicted, he was beginning to lose trust in some of his acquaintances. He felt like he was becoming someone he did want to be, a reflection of his worst fears. Something inside him was transforming.
Whatever the truth may have been, Cory decided it was the right thing to apologize to that Kirin. But just as he turned around, six familiar faces stared back at him, carrying backpacks with them.
"Hello Cory." They said together.
"Oh, Ocelus, Smolder, Gallus, Sandbar, Yona and....Silverstream." Cory said surprisingly. "What are you doing here?"
"We came here for you Cory!!" Silverstream said solemnly as she leaped over and gave him a big hug.
"More like she came over to help you." Smolder mumbled
"What do you mean?" Cory said confusingly as he let go of Silverstream's grasp. "I don't need any help."
"Yak knows when friend should get help." Yona replied. "..Especially with sad story Yona and friends heard."
"Wh...What did you say?" Cory asked.
"Your mom Principal Twilight told us about your rough past." Sandbar explained. "There's no urge to hide it."
"Yeah," Ocelus added." ... she talked about your parents, your orphanage, your school, how you were taken away from your friends..." .
"Did she mention anything else?" Cory asked sternly.
"Just how you got here," Smolder answered. "But other than that not really.
"Great."
Cory messaged his forehead and took a few deep breaths.
"We're so amazed at what a brave, strong, boy you've become." Silverstream commented dreamily. "And handsome too..."
"What?" Cory asked suspiciously.
"Oh, uh nothing."
"I guess we just came here to tell you we're on your side." Sandbar added.
"Uh, thanks." Cory said as he walked over to the cliffside and looked over the setting sun. "I'm just glad to know there are folks out there that would support me, even though they don't know what it was like.
"Actually," Gallus added as he wrapped his claw around Cory's shoulder. "There are some creatures who kind of know what it's like.
"Yeah right name one."
"Me." Gallus replied with a deep sigh.
"You?"
Gallus nodded back. "All my life I always felt lonely, as if no one really cared about me. And coming from Griffonstone, it was harder than most. Even during the Blue Moon festival, the one time of year where Griffon's try to be nice to each other, I felt left out. Because like you were, I don't have a family, nor did I have a place where I belonged. Then like you, I got away from it all, and met my friends. For I first time, I felt like I had a family."
"Wow." Cory said tiredly as he stared at the sun. "It feels great to know there's some other creature who gets me."
"Well it's great to know I found someone I can relate to." Gallus replied, after which the two of them gave a big hug.
"Oh Cory." Said Silverstream as she hugged him again, "Despite our differences, I can feel so much energy between us."
"How so?" Cory asked.
"Well, as a Hippogriff, whenever I see such grieving creatures with such a sad life, my heart can't help but break for them. And for you, my heart breaks more than ever. Oh, you don't know how much you mean to me."
Cory looked in Silverstream's eyes and noticed a twinkle against her pupil as she batted her eyelids like two butterflies. Suddenly, his cheeks started blushing a bright red. He couldn't help but feel a sense of enchantment with this strange creature. It was as if she was magically inherent at spreading love wherever she went.
"You think we should tell him?" Smolder whispered to Sandbar.
"I think we should wait till our plan comes together." Sandbar whispered back.
"Yona also felt very sad when she heard about life of Cory." Yona said as she nestled her hide against him. "Yaks known for having very big family, and can't even think of having a life without one. But Yona now happy that Principal Twilight and Applejack have a very special brother and son, and Cory has a new family."
"Uh-huh." Cory said with his eyes still fixated on Silverstream.
"Hello!!" Smolder shouted as she snapped her fingers to get his attention.
"Huh. Wha!" he said as he shook his head.
"This might be harder to hide than we thought." Sandlebar whispered, to which Smolder shrugged.
"You know, speaking of which." Cory continued as he adjusted his glasses. "The other day, I was literally building a fire for you Changeling families for Hearts Warming Eve."
"But it's summer." Ocelus replied with a confused look.
"Always great to plan ahead." He replied.
"Either way, I'm sure we will definitely use it during the holidays."
"You're welcome to pick it up when I leave."
"And speaking of the holidays." Smolder said as he flew in front of Cory. "There's this thing we dragons do every year when we gather around to tell stories, and the dragon with the one we like the most gets a huge horde of gems. Usually the winners involve depressing endings where weak kind creatures get defeated. And with your life stories, you'd win the horde of gems every year."
"I don't see how this is supposed to make me feel great." Cory stated.
"What I'm trying to say," Smolder continued. "Is that you're welcome to come to our festive annual event. My treat."
"Gee, thanks." Cory said with a smirk. "You know, from what I've seen, you've kind of become like Spike's big sister."
"I wouldn't really go that far just yet." Smolder replied. "But thanks for the comment."
"You're also welcome to our festivities as well." Ocelus added. "Even though they're still new to us. But we do make a nice punch bowl to dive into."
Cory sweated as she said this and scooched back from her a little bit. It was then he bumped into Yona by the hide.
"Yona also wish to extend welcome to our party too. It called Snilldar Fest. Best time of year for Yak family to smash, build moss fort and make braids."
"Well if during that time of year I feel the urge to smash things, I will definitely come." Cory replied, to which Yona smiled back.
"But more important than all of that," Said Silverstream as she drew closer to Cory's lap. "You're always welcome to come to our three days of freedom celebration. Oh, you would enjoy every minute of it. It's full of singing, dancing, laughter and families from all over coming together to Mount Aris. We have the most fun time in all the world. But after meeting you, I don't think it ever could be complete without a special somepony."
Her eyes turned dreamy again, and Cory blushed with a smirk on his face. But soon they snapped out of it as if nothing happened.
"I guess what we're trying to say," Ocelus exclaimed. "Is that you should know that you have 6 new friends right here to help you with whatever problems you have. And even more so, we would love to be a part of your new extended family."
"Family?" Cory asked. "You? Listen. I know you're all trying to make me confess to something, but I don't have anything to report. I'm fine."
"Cory." Said Smolder. "We dragons might be new to this whole touchy feely thing, but we've started to learn that hiding your emotions is very unhealthy."
"I know that feeling first hoof." Cory replied.
"And that's why whenever you feel down or lonely, you can always come to us for help." Sandbar added.
That was when they all gathered around Cory and gave him a big hug, including Smolder who sighed in exasperation. Cory felt warm inside. The first time he had been in months.
"You know, Smolder." Cory said. "I think I've developed an alternative to hugs for dragons."
"You have?" Smolder replied. "Let me see it."
He clasped his hoof tightly into Smolder's hand as they both bumped chests and firmly fisted their arms around each other backs.
"Huh." Smolder thought. "Tough but welcoming....I like it."
And so, Cory and his seven new friends all sat down and stared off into the sunset, while Silverstream rested her head on Cory's shoulder.
"Now Cory." Said Jolene as she consoled him. "I know this isn't your favorite place to be, but we've got to get you some exposure, alright?"
"That's correct," Rachel would add. "It isn't my favorite place to go either, but Vice Principal Luna strongly recommended this exposure treatment."
Cory nodded back reluctantly as they entered the Canterlot mall.
It had been 1 week since Cory first met the new mane 6, and though he gained new friends, little progress had been made on his mental health, or personality. He had started talking to himself more, mumbling a few words no one could quite figure out. And due to Cozy Glow's advice, he had become more quiet and reserved from others, insisting he had more work to do. Strangely, this did not do much help for his dreams and memories, which were becoming more consistent. Due to lack of sunlight, His skin had gotten paler in color and hair more wild looking. He had also begun to mumble to himself, blurting out whatever random thoughts popped out of his head.
His clothing was now more goth in style, complete with a black overcoat and boots. It was as if he had popped right out of a mid 80s hard rock music video. His fingernails were becoming longer and gnarlier, forcing him to hide his hands in his pockets. Even more so, he had become more sensitive to light and sound, and it didn't help much that he and his friends were currently in a mall. But it was part of his exposure therapy, a method VP Luna strongly recommended for those in his predicament.
So Cory grabbed his sunglasses and earplugs, and tilted his head down to make the experience less intense. In addition his five other friends, his mother, Sunset, Starlight, and Flash decided to tag along, as they were becoming more and more worried about his deteriorating health. Knowing he just required a few distractions, all of them decided to take him through different stores and attractions. Some clothing, others gadgets, and a few toy shops. There was even one that sold instruments, where human Rainbow Dash got her first guitar for her band. Walking into stores was a bit of a relief for Cory, as the lights and sounds felt less intense than in the main atrium. Plus he could catch up and listen easier to what his friends were talking and joking about.
"Cory," Starlight repeatedly. "If you ever have to go into a corner and cool down, just let us know."
"We're here for ya bro." Flash would say, "And we all know that."
"Do not hesitate to talk about what's bothering you." Twilight would add. "It's nothing to be ashamed of.
"We will help you get through this." Sunset would say. "The stairway gets easier with each step."
After a while, the gang agreed they should go see a film to take a break from the outside. After all, it was darker and quieter in the movie theater. The film they chose was some kind of comedy fantasy adventure. A perfect distraction for Cory to watch and listen. Plus this would be the first time Twilight would experience a human film. As his friends laughed the stand out scenes, and Twilight became intrigued by this fascinating new medium that was human cinema, Cory got lost in the narrative and felt very relaxed, the first time he was in awhile.
But as the movie ended and the credits rolled back in, Cory was back at his agitated state again. Even more so, he kept hearing Cozy Glow's voice in his head over and over again, as if somehow she was able to get inside his mind. Some of her words included 'question your trust,' 'be vigilant of those who try to help,' and 'would I ever lie to you.' The noises became louder and louder. Her voice was like an earwig piercing into his eardrum. Would he really be able to trust this enigmatic pegusi? It was then he realized he had wandered off again into a corner of the mall. Regardless, his friends and extended family caught up with him.
"We've been looking all over for you." Rachel commented.
"Oooo, he doesn't look so good." Tony added.
"Ya think?" Camden replied. "Cory, not to pass any judgement on you, but....your fingernails are starting to look like old branches from a withered tree."
Cory did not respond to them. He just kept mumbling to himself in-comprehensive words and equations. It was as if they weren't even there.
"Cory, are you even listening to us?" Asked Joanna as she pulled him back into reality.
It was then Cory looked at his fingernails with disdain.
"I may not originate from here," Sunset Shimmer recommended. "But I do know a salon spa nearby that the Rarity of this world goes to sometimes."
"And fast." Flash Sentry added. "From the look of those hands, my little bro might be..."
"Just stop talking Flash." Cory insisted, much to everyone dismay. "My apologies. I'm just having trouble adjusting to these surroundings. Let's go to that spa you mentioned Sunset."
His friends patted him on the back in comfort as they went in Sunset's direction. As expected, the walk towards the salon was excruciating as the sounds and light grew louder and louder for him. So much so that he covered his ears while holding tightly to his sunglasses. Before he knew it, they reached the salon entrance.
"If you want we can sit next to you." Starlight suggested to Cory while his friends were placing a reservation. "Twilight and I won't mind."
"I'm just fine doing it by myself Starlight." Cory insisted.
"Are you sure about that Cory?" She asked. "Because the Luna in this world strongly recommended..."
"I SAID I'm fine." Cory retracted back at her. "Besides, why don't you explore a little bit more of my world. You said yourself you were interested."
"Don't worry Starlight." Twilight reassured him. "Sunset and I will be here just in case anything upsetting happens to him. Flash, how about you show Starlight that thing you call with all those magic pages..."
"You mean the internet?" Flash replied. "Uh, sure. There's an Apple store nearby. I'll take her there."
The two groups went their separate ways as Cory and friends stepped into the back of the salon.
"I'm getting really worried about Cory lately." said Sunset Shimmer.
"What do you mean?" Asked Twilight.
"He's been acting very sporadic lately. Apparently those memories of drowning have hit him very hard, including his personality."
"I know how you feel. Just the other day in Equestria, he spent an entire afternoon studying pony eyelashes for some odd reason."
"Why would he do that?"
"I don't know. But he just sat there at his desk for hours, looking in the microscope and taking down notes for any sudden change. Maybe it's just so he can get his mind off those memories of his."
"Lets just hope these ideas Vice Principal Luna came up with are any helpful."
As they talked, Cory and his friends approached one of the employees at the spa.
"Ah, you must be the 6 we were waiting for." She spoke in a rather french-like voice. "Come this way. The ladies are waiting for you."
"Cory, you are gonna feel so relaxed." said Tony. " We've been here lots of times and Uh...Cory? You still with us."
Cory did not answer, as his eyes were staring into space. And then...
"Did you know that the Twilight and Spike of this world would make a great Dorothy and Toto?" Cory blurted randomly.
"uhhh, Ok." Katherine said. "I think we should just settle into the chair right here."
The spa ladies presented a reclining seat ready for Cory to have a nice manicure and face message. With a sigh, Cory sat down and closed his eyes. First, they started with his nails, filing them to a point where they were a tolerable size. Next, they sprayed some cream on him and his friends faces, giving him a cooling, relaxing feeling of ease and reassurance. The music in the background was of a calming sort, while the lighting around him was quiet and deep in tone.
"Alright, let us now place our little toesies in the water please." A spa employee said.
"Water?!!" Cory asked as he jumped out of his seat.
"It's only the greatest way to ensure our customers have a happy ending." She replied.
It was then they took off his shoes and placed a large tub of water at his feet. As Cory stared into the watery abyss, he snapped.
"YIPE!!" He screamed as he curled into the chair in a fetal position.
"Cory, what's wrong?" Jolene asked.
"You." He replied in respite. "You tricked me."
"I beg your pardon?" Camden asked.
"You set me up." Cory said. "This was all just an elaborate scheme to get me back into my nightmares. I knew I shouldn't trust you. Just like Cozy Glow said."
"I don't know what's gotten into you." Tony said seriously. "And who is this Cozy Glow you've been talking about?"
"Aha!!" Cory shouted as he jumped out of his chair. "I knew it. You want to know all of my secrets, you just want it all for yourself. Well, I'm not going to give you that satisfaction. I am putting my foot down on this one!!"
He grabbed his coat and shoes, and stormed out the front door.
"Cory, what happened?!!" His mother shouted as she followed him.
"Did something go awry at the spa." Sunset Shimmer followed as she tried to console him.
"Get your snoopy hands off me!!" he shouted back at her. "I'm getting out of this trap."
He ran across the atrium that was the mall, which was was now louder and noisier than ever before for him. The whole room was spinning like a merry go round as the voices of people and stores buzzed like a thousand chimes. The lights above him flickered and brightened like street cars during rush hour. He covered his ears and and tightened his sunglasses, trying to cancel out the excruciating pain, he thought he had. For some reason, he could overhear what ever those nearby we're saying, or at least mumbling.
"EXCUSE ME!!" he shouted at a random couple. "This is supposed to be a shopping center not a dating app!! And whoever is breathing heavily please learn to be more quiet!!"
Everyone just looked at him strangely, and began to whisper to each other. Cory knew they were talking about him as he ran away and searched for the apple store. It was there he found Starlight being taught a few IPhone lessons from Flash.
"So, Instagram." She said. "Is it something where you bake graham crackers or something?"
"Haha." Flash laughed back. "Nah. It's this site where you upload pictures you like and share with your friends. Here let me show you."
"SO!!" Cory shouted as he stormed into the store. "Trying to steal Starlight for yourself like you did with my mother huh?"
"Cory?" Starlight asked. "Is everything Ok?"
"I know what you were up to during those three days, brother." Cory continued. "You didn't want Twilight to go back to Equestria. You just wanted her to stay here so she could be the spark to your fire."
"Uhhh, what are you talking about?" Flash asked.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. No need for me to explain it to you. Oh, it was a good thing she had duties to follow. But she nearly fell for it. And I'm not going to stand idly by and let you make the same mistake of luring Starlight into this miserable world I came from. C'mon Starlight. We are leaving!!"
And with that, she pulled on Starlight's arm and headed for the exit.
"Cory you're scaring me." Said a frightened Starlight.
"I should've known better than to come here." Cory suggested. "I have to get back to work. Maybe you and Sunburst will put me back on track."
"CORY!!" His friends shouted back at him with angry faces.
Cory stared back at them with a menacing look.
"I don't know what is worse Cory." Camden said to him. "Either the fact that you don't want to hang out with us, or that you don't want to help yourself. But either way this is not the Cory we know and love."
Cory looked at his hand tugging Starlight's arm, after which he immediately let go. Then, he looked at a reflection in a nearby window shop, and realized there was a certain, once feared principal staring back at him. He covered his mouth in shock as tears fell down his eyes. Then he stared at his friends, Twilight, Starlight, Sunset and Flash, who were staring at him in bewilderment.
"What...Is...Happening...to...me." He whispered, to which he ran out of the mall and into the parking lot.
For a moment, all was quiet, but not in a comforting way. More in a dead silent sort of way, as he collapsed to his knees and bowed his face in shame.
"Psst." Said a voice inside his head. "What are you doing here friend?"
"Who..who is that?" He asked.
"It's me. Your lovable friend Cozy Glow."
"How did you get into my brain?" He asked.
"Oh, it's just a teeny weeny spell I cooked up from a library. It lets best friends talk to each other with their minds. So tell me, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm just in the parking lot, ashamed that I..."
"Not that. I mean, why are you at a place where there's so many lights and sounds that bother you."
"Oh, my friends thought that a great way to combat my anxieties was to take it on and face them."
"Golly. That sounds like they're trying hurt you more than help you. What did we talk about when it came to making friends?"
"That I should be more vigilant and concentrate on what's really important to my intelligence? But suppose..."
"Don't be ashamed my friend. You gotta look out for yourself. And if I were you, I'd..."
"Cory!!" Shouted a voice from behind him.
Cory turned to see Sunset running down to see if he was Ok. He could no longer hear Cozy Glow's voice in his head.
"Sunset." He said in a pool of tears. "I am so sorry about what happened. I don't know what came of me."
"We understand Cory." Camden replied with with a sigh after which he was followed by the other four. "This is a difficult progress for you. For all of us actually. We're doing the best we can to make sure you go back to being the creative boy you know you still have inside."
"I know Camden." Cory shuddered. "It's just hard to get it back."
It was then he noticed Flash, his mother and Starlight approach him, the latter of which was still rubbing her arm from the strain.
"Starlight," He continued shamefully. "I am so sorry for the scare I have you back there. I...I don't know what's become of me. It's like I'm turning into something I tried to run away from all my life."
"Well, it did kind of give me a little pain in the shoulder." Starlight admitted. "But I think it will return to a tolerable state in a few days. Besides I know how it feels to struggle with your identity."
"And Flash," Cory continued. "I'm so sorry for thinking you were what I thought you were."
"No sweat Cory." Flash replied. "I get that accusation all the time."
"Like I said, you know we're all here for you on this road to recovery." Twilight said. "Don't you forget that Ok?"
"Ok." Cory replied solemnly. "It's just I'm striving so much to show I'm no longer the shy, unintelligent person I used to be."
As he talked, Sunset Shimmer walked over to rub him on the back.
"When you want something so much." Cory continued with tears in his eyes. "It becomes a consuming fireball in your stomach, especially when you once had nothing left but your bare flesh. You want it so much it hurts. I tried to live with it but it...it drives me nuts. Sometimes I just like to..."
"Cory," Sunset interrupted with a sigh. "I know what it's like to want something more, and hard it is to be patient for certain things. But if you let that become part of your life, it will lead to your downfall. Believe me I learned that the hard way."
She looked at Twilight and the two gave each other a little sheepish smirk.
"And if it helps," She continued. "I also know what it's like to start over again. But unlike me, you don't have to earn back anyone's trust for help. You've got a lot of folks by your side, including us. All you have to do is trust yourself to believe that."
Cory was just staring down at the ground, as if exhausted from the whole ordeal, with drops of tears falling off his cheeks.
"Look in your heart," Sunset said. "I know you'll do what's right."
It was then she gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek, after which she gave him a big hug. Soon everyone joined in and hugged as well, surrounding him like a warm blanket of reassurance. Cory smiled a little bit as he wiped away his tears.
"You know." He said randomly. "Human Fluttershy would play a greeeeat movie princess."
Everyone looked at each other with confusion and worry, but then decided to just play along.
"She sure would Cory." Jolene replied. "She sure would."
Kite Club/A Romantic Evening?
In is pony form, Cory was found with Starlight's after school kite flying club, just outside the School of Friendship. He couldn't figure out why he was even here, but for some reason, Sandlebar instructed him to do so and make himself a kite for this afternoon. Regardless, once again, he had spent an evening at the Apple Farm without sleep trying to perfect his gliding contraption. But it paid off however, as his work had shined among the rest, despite his attempts to soar lower so as not to show off. It was a mega dragon kite mimicked from the customs of Japanese lore, though it had more of a hippogriff tone to it's style. Not sure why, but it seemed as though he was attempting to delight that Silverstream he had bumped into several times.
Standing beside him on this particularly beautiful yet breezy day were Maud Pie, Mudbriar, Sunburst, Pinkie Pie, Trixie, Applejack, A couple of other earth ponies and Starlight herself leading the team. Each of theirs was also a nice diamond or box kite, with a little ribbon to ease the strife of the wind. Everypony seemed to be enjoying their kite creations, everyone except for Cory.
It had been a week since the incident at the mall. The lack of sleep had taken a toll on his well being, as he drifted in and out of a standing nap, trying desperately to stay awake. His head was shaking a little from dizzyness and nausea, and his mane and goatee were still messy and unkempt. In addition, he had not been eating much as usual, and his coat had become paler in complexion. What had become more disturbing were some random words and sentences he had started mumbling to himself. Cozy Glow, who was still able to get inside his mind, suggested he do that to memorize what was on his exhausted to-do list. This only alienated him from other residents in Ponyville, who were beginning to suspect he was losing his marbles.
"How's your foreleg feeling Starlight?" Asked Twilight as she approached the club.
"You should see for yourself." Starlight replied as she showed her sprained hoof in a cast.
"That looks like a nasty one Starlight. Maybe I can quicken the healing process with my magic."
"It's alright Twilight. Besides, I've already forgiven Cory. And I really don't blame him. Sunset told me all about this suppressed memory of his. It must've been one traumatizing event."
The two of them looked at Cory and saw that he was still murmuring uncomprehending sentences, while maintaining his kite flow. Though some of the words 'trust' 'water' and 'friend' came gurgling out of his mouth, and his hoof was gently messaging the ground as if to assure himself he was still on land.
"I'm not sure why this is happening now." Sunburst added. "Or why he's become this tense. But maybe with his background and previous upbringing, his memories are trying to tell him something. As if he has to combat this fear head on."
"Oh, has there been any sign of him at least trying to talk out his problems?" Twilight asked worriedly.
"I tried to check if he wanted to talk about anythin on his mind." Applejack answered. "Not a word. But I did see him makin a mural of a young Granny Smith and the first settlers in Ponyville the other day. So that's something. I mean, he's still expressin himself and all. And like always he's helpin out on the farm as any apple should."
"He was also at sugarcube corner helping me make tea cakes with Mr. and Mrs. Cake!!" Pinkie Pie added gleefully. "Though I don't really remember him talking about anything."
"Technically," Mudbriar added. "You two were making Creme Brulees that day. I saw, since Maud and I were delivering extra packs of sugar that day."
"He also gave us a huge geode to share for some reason." Maud added. "Now Boulder and Twiggy have their own playhouse."
"Odd." Twilight thought. "It's as if he's trying to hide any problems he has."
"I know." Starlight added. "He's bottling up all his personal emotions, and only letting out ones that may harm him and others, or in the very least pretend to help others. I've had that experience before with Trixie. It did not go well."
"Good thing he isn't literally bottling them up and throwing his emotions on other ponies." Trixie added. "Everypony I turned to that day acted like some mad siren."
"Whatever's up with him," Said Applejack, "I can't stand to see my little brother being so quiet like again. Somepony's gotta go talk to him."
It was then Sunburst volunteered.
"Um, Cory? Capricore?" Sunburst asked as he approached him. "I know things have been a little shaky between us, but it would be great if you could came back and became my special pupil again. I'd pay for all the train rides to and from the Crystal Empire."
Cory just stared at his kite, as if he wasn't there.
"Or, whatever works for you, I'm happy to make a deal." Sunburst continued.
It was then Cory turned his head and looked at him with a serious context.
"You know I was thinking about what you said the first time we met." Sunburst yet continued. "About how our insecurities got the best of us. I think it's time you talk about whatever seems to be a roadblock in your life. It really helped me out and my friendship. And from what I heard it helped you out when you first came here."
"Did you know that Discord would make a lovely Riddler." Cory mumbled out randomly. "Or Genie. I'm not sure."
"Um, yeah. Whatever that means." Sunburst replied. "I'll just let you be."
With a deep sigh, and upon realizing his efforts were for not, he slowly backed away from Cory.
"This is really serious." Starlight thought. "It's as if he's in a semi-comatose state."
"Why exactly is he here again?" Trixie asked.
"From what I reckon," Applejack answered with a smirk. "Sandlebar told him to wait here until dusk for somethin special."
"Ooooooh! Is this about that Hippogriff that's madly in love with him?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Shhhh. Keep it down Pinkie." Applejack replied. "But yeah. I think so. It really makes you proud to know yer little brother's already got a crush."
Meanwhile, far off from the School of Friendship, the new six, with the exception of Silverstream, who was preparing herself, were out on their ways, planning the perfect evening for Cory and Silverstream. Ocelus was off in the changeling kingdom gathering plants and chengeling to disguise themselves as ponies.
"Alright." She said in the circle "Which three of you were the bridesmaids during the Canterlot wedding."
They all looked at each other, as if embarrassed to answer.
"Come on." Ocelus continued. "No one's going to shame anyone."
Three changelings in the back raised their hooves.
"OK. Great." Said Ocelus gleefully. "I want you three to play the three violinist ponies."
At the slopes of Yak-Yakistan, Yona was buying a few rugs from her allowance to make the floor nice and warm, when she came over to a bar nearby. There, several teenage yaks just finished jamming to a yovidophone session. After asking them if they could be in the orchestra to set the mood, they said yes.
Back in dragon country, Smolder was thinking of what to add to her part in the romantic evening. With little option, she gathered a few gems for a sparkling feel at the site, while asking (or more like making) her brother Garble to write some poetry lyrics for the song. Yes it was painful for Garble, but facing Ember would've been worse.
It was more complicated to find help in Griffonstone, as their behavior didn't really gravitate towards love. But regardless, Gallus trudged forward and collected a few props from the scrapyard good enough to be used for a set piece. It wasn't much, but he was still happy to help in any way he could.
Sandlebar was off at a post office near Ponyville where he quickly mailed a letter to the Mount Aris for two percussionists. Then he went over to Fluttershy's animal sanctuary and persuaded some little critters to add to the mood of the location.
Now all was finally set in place. Celestia set the sun, and Luna raised the moon already when Cory arrived at the courtyard of The School Of Friendship. It was a pleasant evening. With not a cloud in the sky, the stars showed in all their glory. As usual, Cory was buried in his studies, trying to get a last minute read through for a test he had next week. Before he knew it, he was standing in middle of a beautiful piece of nature, complete with a fountain, trees, bushes, flowers and lily pads. Surrounding the grassy floor were a few nicely quilted rugs and tapestries. Complimenting them were pure stone gems that gave them a luminescent color.Off in the background, he could hear some birds chirping, frogs croaking, and even a few bunnies and squirrels digging.
"Oh, hello Cory!!" Said a familiar face on a nearby fence.
"H..Hello Silverstream." Cory replied nervously. "Didn't expect you to be here."
"Neither did I. Come. Have a seat."
Cory walked slowly to the bench and sat next to Silverstream. It was a long time of them just staring at each other, not knowing what to say next. Though it was a relief to know they were both just as nervous. As their cheeks blushed and a little sweat came down their heads for a good 15 minutes....
"So, what brings you here?" Silverstream asked.
"Oh, I just wanted a quiet place to read some of my studies." Cory replied. "I'm trying to perfect on a quiz I have on film theory coming up."
"I don't know what that is." Silverstream replied. "Bu..but it sure sounds like so much fun."
"So, what are you doing here?" Cory asked.
"Um," Silverstream tried to think of an excuse, when she saw a few lighting bugs whizz by. "I'm just here to watch the fireflies. Yeah, that's why I'm here."
"They are very beautiful." Cory replied. "It makes me wonder how they're able to do that."
It was then a few dozen more of these bugs came into the courtyard, creating a little happy display of blinking lights. Silverstream and Cory sat there and watched the moment pass by, as the two fo them unknowingly rested each others heads.
"C'mon Silverstream." Sandlebar whispered as he, his friends and musicians were watching and hiding behind a bush. "Profess your love already."
"You think it's time we bring out the big guns?" Smolder asked.
"There couldn't be a more better time than now." Ocelus replied. "Everyone. You know the drill."
Every creature nodded back and took their positions with their musical instruments. Smolder stood by the gems for lighting, Gallus was the conductor, Ocellus and Yona helped with the animals, and Sandlebar became lead singer. Then, they began to play a song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnjwlRA2z9k
"Ha ha." Cory laughed nervously. "Didn't know we'd get a little side entertainment tonight.
"Ha. Me neither." Silverstream replied. "But it is nice to be together with a friend. We are friends aren't we?"
"S..Sure we are. Speaking of which, I'd like to talk to you about that." Said Cory.
"Oh Dear. Did I do something to offend you? Is my mane too ruffled? Did I..."
"No, no. It's nothing like that. It's just..that, you know. Lately I've thinking a lot about you."
"Really? Me too. But not just as a friend. I mean..." Cory tried to think of the right words
"We have some kind of deeper connection between us don't we?" Silverstream asked sheepishly.
"Yeah. I guess so. It's not just what somepony thinks. It's what Somepony feels as well." Cory replied.
"I never thought I'd have this feeling towards anyone before, or any creature for that matter."
"You know." Silverstream said. "In spite of being with so many other hippogriffs, I still felt, kind of lonely. Everyone was able to find their very special someone. Everyone except for me. I always dreamed one day I'd meet someone in the world that I could, you know, spend my life with, and...well..."
The two looked at each other as their eyes got dreamier and cheeks more blushed. Without even knowing it, they saw that they touched each other hoof and claw, both resting on the bench.
"It was really a surprise when I first came here to Equestria." Cory added. "I never thought I'd find so many friends and family here, along with the ones I left back home. It's even more surprising. I never thought I'd actually have a chance to fall in love. And now, here we are....both...um.."
"So, " Silverstream said bashfully as she twirled her mane with her claw. "I guess that means.."
"Yes Silverstream." Cory replied. "I guess we are."
Cory and Silverstream leered towards each other, their faces coming closer and closer. Her beak and his snout began to form a kissing shape and their eyes closed as if to embrace. Meanwhile, her other friends smiled with glee as they awaited for true loves kiss to commence. When suddenly, just as they were about to touch each other's beak and lips, the two fell over backwards in a pond of lily pads. Cory got up ankle deep and soaking wet, while Silverstream swam around in her seapony form. Upon noticing where they landed, Cory's eyes turned menacing red and steam seemed to come out of his ears as he quickly scuttled out of the water. Now he was truly filled with anger.
"Oh my goodness." Silverstream said in panic as she unknowingly swashed her tail at him. "I am so sorry about this. I didn't know the pond was right behind us and I wanted to tell you where I came from and..."
"SO!!" Cory interrupted her with a booming voice. "EVEN YOU ARE AGAINST ME!! I SHOULD'VE KNOWN YOU WE'RE UP TO NO GOOD!! And not only that but you're some sort of..mutant...pony...Mermaid thing, Begging me to drown!!"
"What are you talking about?" Silverstream asked meekly.
"You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!! Just when I'm at my weakest, you lure me into your trap, take me into my deepest memories and swivel me down a hole of inescapable tragedy!!"
Soon tears began to fall down Silverstream's eyes.
"Cory!" Said Ocelus as her other friends came out of the bushes. "You know that's not what we meant to do."
"Oh, and I suppose you were behind this as well." Cory snapped back. "You think I don't know what's going on here. I know what's going on. It's a conspiracy, and every one around me is in on it! Just cause you got more experience you think you're better than I am!"
"Actually, most of us new to this Equestria thing." Smolder tried to correct him.
"You think I'm an idiot?" Cory asked. "I'm not gonna fall for any of this garbage you throw at me!! I should've known better than to trust some stinking, putrid creatures like yourselves!!!"
They all stood back as Cory leered over them like a menacing creature, while Silverstream sobbed her eyes out in shame and fear.
"I'm out of here." He whispered disgustingly. "I have to get to work."
With that, he gathered his things and stormed out of the courtyard and towards Sweet Apple Acres, leaving everyone horrified and speechless. As he opened the door to the Apple House, he looked at himself in a mirror again, hanging right next to the kitchen sink. Upon closer examination at his reflection, he saw what would only be described as the terrifying Principal Stiffson staring back at him once more. He looked down at the floor as his things fell to the ground.
"I..I'm the putrid creature." Cory shuddered with tears in his eyes.
He sobbed his way upstairs into the attic, where some of his finest yet to be finished creations were still on display. Anger fell through him once more as he started to lay destruction across the room. He tore down some portraits, crashed some sculptures down, smashed a few pottery barrels etc. Then, noticing how pointless smashing things are, he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily from his tirade.
"It's alright Cory." Said a voice from behind "This isn't your fault."
"Yes it is Cozy Glow." Cory replied solemnly. "I have alienated my friends, embarrassed myself in front of others, and became a complete villain of my past. Why should I even listen to you?"
"Because I'm the only friend you can trust now." Cozy Glow responded. "Just like you said. They're trying to take you away from what is important. Your work. And those that distract you from your business, don't deserve to be your friends. But not me. I'll be as considerate as possible for you. And definitely not take you on a journey of reckless memories and distracting nightmares."
Cory's eyes turned neutral as he cleaned up his things and went to his desk, conceding to what this Cozy Glow had to say. He grabbed his pencil and paper and started to draw away, with no interruption in sight.
"Yes," Cozy Glow said behind him with a menacing face. "Just keep working. There is nothing to distract you now. You can finally work in peace. Make anything you want. And you will truly find your destiny."
With that, and without Cory knowing, she disappeared with a small, evil cackle, leaving Cory all alone with his work.
It had been nearly two months since Cory isolated himself in the attic, and shrouded himself in complete darkness. He had followed Cozy Glow's instructions to not talk to anypony, and only stop for sleep, school and food, which he supplied himself with an apple tree outside of his window. With all the extra time on his hooves (or hands, as he had reverted to his human form), he had managed to double his studying and crafting ability. He had caught ahead with his homework and assignments, some a couple weeks in advance, from science, to math, to english, to even extra curricular activities.
In addition A plethora of different paintings, statues, murals, pottery, set pieces and reliefs out of any material imaginable. But, unlike his other works, they seemed to lack something. The life that he incorporated into his other creative works had vanished in these creations of his. They looked more stoic, more uptight, as if they belonged in some propaganda film about a government or something, yet they also looked more grotesque, crude, and dilapidated, like melting figures from a long forgotten empire . There was no innocence, no imagination, not even color in them. Each image and object seemed to have eyes that stared down at him, like he was a prisoner of his own making.
As for his physical appearance, it was as if he had reverted to his old, old self, like when he first came to Equestria. His body had shriveled into a skeletal, pale colored form of who he used to be. His arms had become the form of twigs, and his legs so brittle, he could barely walk upright, if not crawl. His hair had grown reminiscent of a porcupine's back and the goatee had formed into a beard along with a mustache to compliment his sanity. His finger and toenails had elongated into a style reminiscent of Howard Hughes in his final days, making it difficult for him to write, paint, draw and sculpt without mistakes.
What's more, his eyes had turned a bloodshot red, with deep, swollen bags underneath them. Regardless of his sleep, the nightmares and memories of his past flickered past him without any end in sight. From abuse of his parents, to the taunting of his peers. But most of all, that nightmare of the endless ocean was the brightest of them all. In that nightmare, he just kept sinking, and sinking, desperately trying to swim his way back up, but to no avail. As a result, he shunned himself from any liquid whatsoever, except for hydrating himself of course. But other than that, he refused to even bathe himself, or practice hygiene, causing his body to let out an odor so bad sometimes he made himself gag.
On this particular morning, the door to his attic was shut, and the windows were barricaded as usual. Cory found himself crawling on the floor, barely able to stand up. When suddenly, the door opened. It was his mother, Twilight Sparkle, who stared down at him disapprovingly.
"No more hiding." She said sternly. "You're coming with me. Now."
Using her magic, she dragged her son out of his room down the ladder and into the bathroom. Cory tried to squeal and slither away with his grunts and whines, but it was no use compared to her magic, as she placed him upright in the tub and started to shower him away. As he was to weak to bathe himself, Twilight magically turned on the shower faucet, took a bottle of shampoo and bottle of soap, and cleaned him of all the crusty residue that covered his skin. Then he dressed him up in what was a set of decent clothing: A button down shirt, pair of black, khakis, polished business shoes, a vest, and his signature cloak to tie it all together. Why she decided not to file his nails or shave his hair was beyond him. Maybe it was just to show how desperate he looked.
Finally, she made him stand upright, and, without a word, escorted him to the back side of the barn. Cory opened the door with his gnarled fingernails and peered his scruffy, shaky face outside, where he saw a few familiar faces waiting for him to to take his seat at a circle of stumps:
"What the hell is all this?" Cory mumbled as he staggered towards his empty stump.
"You can't hide your insecurities any longer little brother." AJ answered. "I want my sibling back."
"We know this is painful for you," Rachel added. "But we've got to have you conquer your fear of water."
"What fear of water?" Asked Cory as he clumsily took his seat. "I don't have any.
"C'mon, Cory. We've got to get you out of this funk." Camden added. "Stop pretending there's nothing to worry about here."
"Just look at yourself Cory." Spike added. "You're all messed up and crazy."
"Aaaaand not in a good, super duper party pony crazy way." Pinkie Pie added using the kindest voice she had. "More like a locked in your room, I haven't had a party in months crazy way."
It was then Scootaloo took a small mirror out of his satchel and gave it to Cory. To his shock, instead of seeing either himself, or Stiffson, he saw a wrinkled old man devoid of life. There was not a trace color, tint, or even happiness in any crevice of his face. Much like Pinkie when she tried to devoid herself of the yovidophone. Suddenly, a set of tears trickled down his wrinkled, battered cheeks.
"We both know what it's like to hide your feelings Cory." Scootaloo said. "And we know it's not healthy."
"So Cozy Glow was wrong with what she said?" Cory asked under his watery eyes.
"Cozy glow?!!" Everyone said together.
"I should've known that rotten pegusi was puttin ya up to this." Said Applejack. "No offense Scootaloo."
Scootaloo just responded with a raised eyebrow.
"How do you know about Cozy Glow?" Cory asked.
"We'll explain after your exposure therapy." Spike responded
"We only need the real you to come back Cory." Sunburst said gently. "I know that my talented pupil is hiding in that brain of your's somewhere, just waiting to come out."
Cory looked down at his hands and twitched his fingers a little. They looked as if they belonged to Edward Scissorhands. Then he stared further at his toenails, which were just poking slightly out of his shoes. This was followed by touching his damaged face, and finally looking at his pale white skin.
"help....me..." He said quietly.
"That is exactly what we're here to do my son." Twilight replied with a big hug. "We are going to conquer your fear once and for all. We are taking you to Seaquestria."
"Seaquestria?" Asked a puzzled Cory.
"You know. Seaquestria." Pinkie replied. "That place we went to, under the ocean, met Skystar and Queen Novo, had this orb thingy, turned us into seaponies, asked for help, they said no at first, sung about one small thing, made sea shell necklaces, they almost said yes, turned out to be trap, Twilight tried to steal the orb, got us kicked out, nearly ruined our friendship...actually that last part wasn't so fun, but the rest, good times, goooood times."
Twilight just responded with a raised eyebrow of disapproval.
"So why are you all volunteering?" Cory asked.
"Cause your'e my son." Twilight replied.
"Because you're my brother." Applejack replied.
"Because you're my pupil." Sunburst replied.
"Because you're my friend." Camden replied
"Because you're my friend." Spike replied
"Same here. And because I love marine live." Rachel replied.
"Because I'm friends with Skystar." Pinkie replied.
"And because I had a blast the last time I went to Seaquestria." Scootaloo replied.
"I can only hope this will make me take my life back." Said Cory. "But either way, I thank you all for helping me in this difficult time."
"No problem big brother." Applejack replied. "It's the least we can do."
"First, we gotta get you cleaned up a little more." Camden suggested. "Nopony wants to think you're mental."
"And quickly too." Sunburst added. "The train to Mount Aris leaves in less than three hours."
Without a moment to haste everyone went to their homes to pack their things. As Cory went inside to the bathroom for a quick shave and clipping of the nails, with the assistance of Camden, he really hoped that for once his past could be laid to rest once and for all.
The train to the Hippogriff kingdom was moving right ahead of schedule. Cory, Rachel, and Camden in their pony forms, as well as the rest of the gang, could be found occupying one of the passenger cars up front. They had just completed a huge hearty lunch that had been served to them with compliments to the train chefs. Cory, given his small dieting, had eaten the most amount, filling up his stomach to a satisfied quantity. Now, he found himself staring out the window, looking at a reflection of his newly shaved and trimmed face. His sister, Applejack was sitting by his side, holding his hoof for support.
"Everythin's gonna be alright little brother." Applejack assured him. "You'll see. Once this is over, you'll feel like you didn't even have that fear in the first place."
"And besides," Scootaloo added. "You are going to have so much fun! It'll be just like flying!"
"Yeah," Cory said nervously. "Just like flying. A thing I'm still trying to learn with my wings."
"This will be a great opportunity for me to learn about some undersea life forms." Sunburst commented. "I just can't wait to see what secrets the deep has in store for us."
"Not to mention all the cute little animals that are in need of being saved from industrial waste." Rachel added.
"I think the Hippogriffs are much more caring about their underwater home compared to your species Rachel." Twilight replied.
"Oooooo, this is gonna be so exciting!!" Pinkie squealed. "First, I'm gonna catch up with Princess Skystar, then we're gonna make some seashell necklaces, then some seashell picture frames, then we're gonna sing about one small thing, and then make more seashell necklaces, and make conga lines with other seaponies, then catch up with her two oyster friends, then make even more necklaces, and then...."
While Pinkie Pie and everyone else babbled on and on about what to do on this trip, Cory tried to relax with the absence of his prescribed medications. It had been awhile since his mother decided to take them away from him, and his head felt different as a consequence. It bobbled a little bit, shaking from the drug withdrawal, as if he had some form of PTSD. Doubt still swam in his mind, questioning if this form of therapy would actually work. So Applejack continued to hold on tightly to his hoof for emotional support.
It was then a small filly and her mother came passing through from the next car over.
"Look mommy," She gleefully said. "That's Prince Capricore."
"Why yes it is sweetie," her mother said. "It's been awhile since anypony has heard of him. Excuse me Capricore."
Cory slightly turned his head to their direction.
"My daughter is a huge fan of your's." She continued. "She's read all about your works and wants to be an artist when she comes of age."
"I made a paper about you for one of my school assignments." The filly added. "Can I have a sketch of your's please?"
Cory thought for a moment. It had been a long time since anypony requested any work of his. But regardless, he was on his way to be his better self. So he grabbed a paper cup with his magic and intricately made a figurine of a griffon out of the material. Then, after shading it with a quill, he handed it over to the filly.
"Now what do you say sweetie?" The filly's mother asked.
"Thank you Mr. Capricore." She replied.
"Uh...You're welcome." Cory replied quietly.
"Final Stop: Mount Aris Station." The conductor called over the intercom. "Final Stop: Mount Aris Station."
The train hissed to a stop as Cory looked out the window. The Hippogriff kingdom was a glorious sight to behold. It's shape was that of a grassy utopia carved into the side of a thin mountaintop that resembled a palace, with the buildings trickling down the side and towards the ocean. The gang grabbed their belongings and headed off the train, along with other ponies and hippogriffs. Because Cory was still gaunt in size, and his legs were barely able to stand upright Camden and Rachel grabbed him by the sides so he could walk down the stairs, with Applejack walking behind him in case he fell over. The stairs from the station to the dock were a challenge, since the slightest trip could cause one of his legs to break.
"Well, here we are." Twilight said as he and the others reached the bottom boardwalk. "I think our guide should be meeting up with right about..."
"TWILIGHT!" Cried a voice from the ocean. "Over here!"
The gang looked out at the water and saw a cream colored seapony with a teal mane waving at them. He touched his pearl necklace and magically turned into a land dwelling Hippogriff, landing softly on the boardwalk.
"Who are you?" Cory asked.
"This is Terramar." Twilight introduced him. "He is going to help us overcome your fear of water."
"Pleased to Meet you Cory." Terramar replied with an outstretched claw. "Twilight has told me all about you prior to our meeting."
Cory extended his hoof and gave him a subtle but welcoming handshake. It had been the first time since he had ever come into contact with another Hippogriff.
"So Twilight." Terramar continued. "Can you remind me the reason for this therapy?"
Twilight took a deep sigh and walked him over to the side. She explained to him about Cory's upbringing, how he was mercilessly treated by his parents, teachers and peers, and how they tried to drown him in both the pool and the bathtub, giving him a nearly permanent scar in his relationship with water.
"That's terrible!" Terramar replied. "It's no wonder he flees away from liquid."
"I know." Twilight replied. "But we're hoping this therapy session of ours can help make peace with himself once and for all."
"Well I'm happy to help your son in any way I can. Plus I think he's going to have a blast where we're going."
It was at that moment Cory collapsed to the ground from weakness and fatigue.
"First, we better get this guy prepared." Spike commented. "Do you know any treatments to help Cory walk on his own?"
"Sure do." Terramar replied. "Follow me."
Cory and the gang followed Terramar up the stairs and towards the mountaintop, where they arrived at a village composed of treehouses and gazebos. Everywhere, Hippogriffs big and small were playing, building, eating, practicing their flight formations, etc. It was then a few royal sounding horns could be played by several guards.
"Announcing the arrival of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her son Prince Capricore!!" Shouted the announcer from the megaphone above.
A crowd of Hippogriffs cheered as they witnessed the gang's arrival. But paused in concerned as a still weak Cory was being escorted on both sides of him. Both Rachel and Camden let go of him as he collapsed into the claws of two Hippogriffs nearby.
"We apologize for the sudden shock." Sunburst explained. "Prince Capricore has been isolated for sometime, and before we help him with his problem, he requires some medical attention."
"Not to worry fellow travelers." Said a rather brawn navy blue Hippogriff. "We have the perfect remedies for this kind of thing."
"Hi Dad!" Terramar called. "I see you've met my new friends."
"Yes son, it is most honorable to see friends among Prince Capricore. Your sister Silverstream has written many letters to me about him."
A dash of guilt grew across Cory's face.
"I think we even have a few statues in the Harmonizing Heights park that are his creation." He continued. "But no matter.."
Tarramar's dad gave out a squawk, signaling two Hippogriff guards to come forward.
"Take our guests to the doctor's wing. I believe it's time to cook up another strong shot of salmon juice and a trip to our chiropractor to have Cory walking on his own."
"Salmon juice?" Cory asked with a gag in his voice. "I'm not sure if I could stomach that."
"Not to worry Prince Capricore," Terramar's father reassured him. "We put the best spices and herbs we can find in our drinks."
The Hippogriffs flew Cory to what was likely the local doctor's home and had him sit at a table. They checked his mouth, his eyes, his ears, his ligaments and the like. After examination, they told him to take a few deep breaths. So he did his wheezing best as he coughed out a few muffled sighs. This was a sign he required that hard salmon juice fast. So the doctor fixed him the strongest drink she could make. After a few sips from the cup, Cory felt stronger than ever. It was like a surge in the system. A lighting bolt striking every organ in his body. He felt like he could lift himself up without assistance. But he was still shaking a bit.
So two Hippogriff chiropractors laid him on a nearby cot face down. Then they dipped their claws in a few magic herbs and ointments, and quickly messaged his legs, then his arms, followed by his torso and neck. At first, he felt a slight pinch, but it went away as they got the pressure points on his joints. He had never experienced this sensation before. It was as if all the tension inside him was melting away at last.
As he got up from the cot, he took a moment to practice walking by himself. He stumbled a little from the first two steps, but then easily took a little stroll around the doctor's office without any problems.
"How do you feel Prince Capricore?" asked one of the Hippogriffs.
"I..." He tried to think of the right words. "I feel like a new Colt. I feel I can conquer anything."
"FANTASTIC!!" Said Camden, who was waiting for him outside the door. "Then you should come and check out these harmonizing heights."
Camden guided him outside towards a magnificent gate shaped like flower petals. Inside, he gazed at the beauty that was an impossibly large garden. Flora and Fauna spread as far as the eye can see. From Trees, to flowers, to lily pads to bushes to selections of every creature imaginable. If ever there was something as fantastical as the Garden of Eden, it had to be like this.
Cory took a moment to sit down between Camden and Rachel, who was tending to some of the animals like Fluttershy. It was nice to get to see something as beautiful as this. As Scootaloo, Spike, Twilight, Applejack, Sunburst, and Pinkie Pie walked up from behind him and to their places on the cool, soft grass, Cory felt contempt and full of life. He hadn't felt this way since the new six met with him at the kirin village. It was then he closed his eyes and stretched out his hoof towards the wind, as the most gorgeous symphony of chimes echoed across the land.
"So Cory," Said Scootaloo. "Ya ready to face your fear?"
"You know." Cory said with a smile. "I am."
Cory and his friends stared at the edge of the ocean, ready to step into the water. At last the time had come. The time Cory would finally lay his fear to rest. He couldn't believe it was already here. For some reason, he felt as if there was something else to do. But everything had been done in preparation for this. Two Hippogriffs had touched his rib cage and back to check his breathing, which had recovered substantially. Then they checked his eyes, his mane, his hooves, and his skin, which had gained pigmentation after a few hours under the sun on Harmonizing Heights. After this physical examination, they gave Terramar the OK as he linked hoof and claw with his group. Cory stared down at the water that was just barely touching his hind legs. After a few worried breaths, he gave them all the nod of approval, and they started to wade into the sea.
First it was up to their ankles. Then they waited for a few moments walked further out. Next, it was up to their knees. Cory started to panic a little as they lifted off the sandy floor and waded against the water. So he clung tightly to both his mother's hoof and Spike's claw.
"It's gonna be alright son." Twilight reassured him.
So they pushed further into the sea, and were now waist high in water. Cory let out a few weeps and whimpers, begging that he would stay afloat and not drown.
"You're doing great so far." Camden complimented.
Now they were up to their ribcages in saltwater. It was cold to the touch, hardly bearable for Cory's already vulnerable skin. He closed his eyes, wishing he was somewhere else.
"We're almost there. Hang on Cory." Spike said.
Finally, the whole gang was nodded head deep in the ocean, still holding each others appendages. Cory looked up at the sky, and closed his eyes shut, praying for it all to stop. After a deep sigh...
"Alright." He said. "Let's just get this over with."
Terramar smiled as he touched his fragment of the pearl with his claw. Suddenly, a blinding light enveloped the crew, bright enough for Cory to see through his closed eyes. Next thing he knew, he felt the rest of his body submerged underwater. His eyes remained as tight as they could. But strangely, he felt as though he didn't have to hold his breath. So, he opened his mouth, and was able to breathe without suffocating. Through his ears, he heard the delightful laughter and joyfulness that was Scootaloo swimming, while the sounds of Rachel, Camden and Sunburst made sounds of amusement and amazement.
Cory carefully opened his eyes and looked right and left at Spike and Twilight. Only instead of seeing a young dragon, he saw what looked like a cross between a pufferfish, and Flounder from the Little Mermaid. He looked down and saw a fish tail in place of his back hooves. And in place of wings, he had a pair of sail fins for navigation.
"This is unbelievable." He said to himself in whisper.
"I'm just as surprised as you Cory." Camden replied.
"Oh, now I get to really get up close with endangered species." Rachel added with glee.
"TOLD YA THIS WAS AWESOME!!" Scootaloo shouted as she re-tested her new fins.
"Incredible." Sunburst commented while examining the new self. "It's as if I'm in the body of another species."
"Oh dang it, not again." Said Spike as he puffed up.
"Hang on Spike." Laughed Twilight as she de-inflated him.
"So guys." Said Terramar. "Wanna come meet my mom Ocean Flow? She's really eager to meet some of you."
"HEE-HEE!!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "Absotutely. I can't wait to meet my friend Princess Skystar!! And she is just dying to see you all."
Cory noticed he was still holding tightly onto his mother's hoof and Spike's fin. And yet, he started to feel there was a reason not to do so. In spite of being surrounded by his worst fear, he wasn't afraid any longer. Still, he had the paranormal idea that someone was going to push him down and suffocate him.
"Come on little brother." Applejack said. "Time's a wastin."
Cory nodded slightly as he and the gang swam towards a nearby cave. It was dark, yet colorful at the same time. filled with coral, seaweed and other invertebrate creatures. Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, it had remained untouched by the stress of climate change. As Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie gleefully swam around the school of seaponies, Cory took a moment to gaze in wonder at this natural cavern. He had never seen anything so beautiful and unspoiled before. Without even knowing it, his grasp on his mother and Spike began to loosen. For the first time in so long, he was no longer afraid. In fact, he felt right at home with the watery surroundings.
Then, they gazed at the edge of the cavern at what appeared to be a large city of Chandeliers and hanging lights, deeply nestled in a reef, filled with seaponies. Surrounding them were aquatic seapony inhabitants of every size and color. Some were playing, some were laughing, but most were going about their daily routine. Everything seemed happy and joyful, with all the living things in their right place. It was new world that would make Jacques Costeau blush. It was as if Cory and the gang had found the lost city of Atlantis.
It was then Terramar directed them to one of the hanging houses where he lived. Upon realizing Terramar lived in two places at once, Cory remembered how he had that same deal with Applejack and Twilight. Inside was a typical Seapony living space, though, like above, it resembled a gazebo. Clearly the inhabitants that decided to live on the surface had kept some of the antiquities of their world below. In the center of the living room of seashells and memorabilia was a few other female seaponies prepping a meal for their guests, with what appeared to be Terramar's mother in the center.
"Mom!" Terramar shouted gleefully.
"Terramar! Welcome home dear!!" She replied as she gave her son a big hug. "Ah and I see you've brought our guests as planned."
"I sure did." He replied. "Cory, I'd like to introduce you to my mom: Ocean Flow."
"Uh, hello." Cory replied shyly.
"Prince Capricore?!" Ocean Flow replied as she swam toward him. "What an honor to meet such a talented artist. You know, Silverstream has told me soooo much about you."
Cory's face turned to guilt once more as she said her name.
"I think we may have a few pieces of your work at the museum we have down here." She continued.
"Ya hear that little brother!" Applejack commented. "Yer famous even in these parts!"
"That sounds amazing!!" Pinkie Commented. "Well, I'm gonna go catch up with my friend Skystar if anypony wants to tag along."
"I'm with ya!" Said Spike as he swam along with her.
"I for one would love to explore this mysterious place." Sunburst added. "I would really love to study the different undersea treasures seaponies have."
"Terramar." Said Twilight. "How about you give my son a little tour of that museum your mom mentioned."
"Sure thing." Terramar replied. "You're gonna love what I have to show for you Cory."
"Well I'm looking forward to it Terramar." Cory replied. "I'm letting go of my fear already."
So as the afternoon went on, everyone was found enjoying their activities under the sea. Scootaloo was swimming and racing with her new dolphin pals; Pinkie Pie was making sea necklaces for her Skystar, and all the other seaponies; Spike and Applejack were jamming to a few tunes a local band put together, Rachel and Camden were enjoying a little light show spectacle from a school of jellyfish; and Twilight and Ocean Flow were looking at some more baby photo's of Silverstream and Terramar, much to Terramar's disdain upon hearing this.
But that was besides the point. Cory could be seen touring the various sights and sounds Seaquestria had to offer. From their various shops, to their naturally crafted caverns, to the ancient historical jewels and artifacts the inhabitants preserved over the years. Sunburst, being the antique fanatic he was, decided to tag along with them.
The collection of artistic items was more diverse than Cory expected. That being said, their first stop was at the Seaquestria historical society. There, they gazed at paintings and statues of historically significant events in their community: from when they hid from the storm king, to portraits of the leaders and warriors of yore, to battle sequences against Kraken and sea dragons, all the way to the point where the Mane 6 first arrived, to mixed results of course.
Next was the vastly unspoiled majesty of the coral reef gardens. It was like a kaleidoscope of colors splattered into the ocean, making waves against the current. Off in the distance, he saw Scootaloo playing a game of race with a school of anchovies, while to his left, he saw Pinkie and Applejack putting a prank on Spike, causing him to puff up. It was at that moment Cory took a moment to examine a group of anemones with clownfish swimming in and out of their homes. For a few seconds, he thought he had spotted Nemo and Dory from a particular film he recently saw. It was then Rachel and Camden came swimming by.
"So, how you feeling Cory?" Rachel commented.
"I feel as though I'm seeing something from Pixar." Cory commented.
"This Pixar of which you speak of sounds like a place of great power in your world." Terramar commented, to which Cory and his two friends snickered quietly.
"You know," Cory continued. "Being among these natural wonders, it makes me feel a little guilty for the ones in our world."
"What do you mean?" Terramar asked.
"Well, much as we hate to admit it," Camden added. "We're not as respectful to our coral reefs as you are."
"It's become an international issue in our world," Rachel added. "What with pollution, and greenhouse gases and..."
"Rachel," Camden interrupted. "Maybe you should save that when you're not around Cory. We're trying to relieve of his anxiety, remember?
"Oh, Sorry."
Their final stop of the day was at the Seaquestria Museum of Fine Arts. It was a tapestry of every medium imaginable from all over Equestria. The abstracts were magnificent, the sculptures were finely crafted, and the hanging installations melded in with the architecture from above. There was even a video installation of some avant garde film imported from Fillydelphia. All around him, Cory could see Hippogriffs and tourists in Seapony form looking around at the wonders each artist had to offer. This place had really become a hotspot for residents and visitors.
But among all the astounding creations that were displayed for the public to see, Cory's was surprisingly the most popular. In a special room, Cory was surprised to find that the entire area was devoted to his work alone. Some were sculptures made out of junk, others were structures made out of old barn material, and a few were even some jewelry items made out of old straws and toys.
"Gee." He said to himself. "I didn't know I'd be this popular."
"Well, you are more of an inspiration than you think Capricore." Terramar replied.
Since Cory had obviously already seen this artwork, he swam on down the museum for other things to observe. A few had caught his eye, including a recreation of a giant jellyfish and a few mosaics featuring whales and sea turtles. Some of the work even melted into the floor become a part of the carpeting, making an even more surreal experience. Finally, he rested on a chair staring at what looked like a german expressionist portrait of the city. Unbeknowest to him, Sunburst, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rachel, Camden, Scootaloo, Skystar and Spike swam up behind him to look in wonder at the beauty of the art.
"I gotta tell ya this stuff really makes you proud." Cory said enthusiastically. "I could stay down here in this room all day."
"Well it doesn't have to end now." Pinkie Pie commented.
Cory turned around to see the whole gang with smiling faces, as if they were willing to stay a little longer. Inside, he knew he had conquered his fear.
"Pinkie," Cory said humbly. "I think you know the drill by now."
PInkie made a huge smile and started to sing a song everyone was familiar with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb-6vKk3MJg
Cory and the gang emerged from the ocean, transforming back to their original selves upon reaching the shore. Though nothing changed, everything around Cory seemed more bright and colorful, as if it had all been reborn. His back was straight, his eyes were clean, and his mane was well trimmed. Even more so, his body and mind seemed to be back to their healthy selves.
"So, How do you feel Cory?" Applejack asked him.
"I..." He replied. "I feel great. For the first time in so long I feel great."
"Well we are so glad to hear this therapy worked." Twilight added.
"And we are more glad to have been able to tag along with you." Said Scootaloo
"Thank you, thank you all." Cory said with a sniffle. "It's good to know I have friends and family like you."
"We are so sorry for all the things you had to put up with." Ocean Flow said. "And we are sorry those memories seeped into your daily life."
"But I'm confident that now you can make headway with whatever obstacles come in your direction." Sunburst added. "Besides, like I said before, I still have a seat available for you as my star pupil."
"Just try and stop me." Cory joked.
Terramar guided the train back to the station and gave them tickets to the next train to Ponyville. As they awaited for their train, a sudden surge of guilt was felt inside Cory. He thought about that Hippogriff that had a crush on him, and how he hurt her in such a disgusting way. There was something about Silverstream that was enchanting and alluring. He never really thought of starting any intimate relationships, and yet this was the closest he ever got to having one. Now he felt he blew it big time with her. No apology in the whole could ever make her forgive him now. But still it was worth a try.
As the train hissed to the station and everypony climbed on board, Cory sat next to the window and breathed a little mist on the pane. Then he drew an intricate image of what looked like Silverstream in mid air.
"What's wrong Cory?" Spike and Rachel asked as they sat next to him.
"Oh it's just this girl back home." He replied. "I got so caught up in my memories, I let out my anger on her and don't how to make up for it now."
"Well, from what her friends told us, you were pretty terrifying in front of Silverstream." Spike said. "I mean, I remember seeing her in the library crying cause..."
"I think we shouldn't get into any details Spike." Rachel reminded her.
"If only there was some way I could do it the write way." Cory said. "There's just gotta be something."
"Well Big Mac was able to make everything up with Sugar Belle." Applejack commented, who was sitting int he next seat over. "Maybe you can have that chance as well."
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie added. "Who says it's too late to fall in love. Maud knows first hoof with Mudbriar."
"I suppose it's worth it's a try." Cory replied back.
"Also, if you're looking for any special 'make up for what you did' party suggestions, I'm ready to..."
"Pinkie." Camden interrupted. "I think Cory wants to do this on his own."
The train arrived in Ponyville right on schedule. Cory leaped onto the platform and ran towards his mother's school of friendship. It was there, in the great hallways, that he heard a few sounds of wailing and sobbing. After all this time, and after what he did, was Silverstream still longing for him?
As he galloped and trotted around the school grounds, the noise got louder and louder, until finally, he reached the exact spot where they last met: The School courtyard. There, he saw Silverstream underneath a willow tree, reading what was presumably a log from a textbook for some upcoming exam she had to take. A light from the cloudy sky shone down upon him as she wept a few tears. Cory, being the changed pony he was, carefully waltzed up to him, in case she wanted wanted to yell at him and to go away. As he leaned over her sobbing face, he saw she wasn't studying at all. She was writing a few sorrowful poems that dealt with love and loss. It was a journal she had kept since that infamous day, detailing her feelings and thoughts about her lost sweetheart. Silverstream really wanted Capricore to come back. Cory leaned his foreleg onto her shoulder to catch her attention, expecting the worst from her. She slightly looked to her side and noticed he was standing right next to her.
"C...Cory?" She asked in a whisper.
"S...Silverstream?" He whispered back.
Silverstream scurried a few feet back, fearing she offended him in some way.
"No, wait, it's alright!" Cory tried to explain.
"Oh, dear I'm sorry." Silverstream replied. "I must've invaded your personal space again."
"Not at all." Cory said back. "In fact, I came here to find you."
"What? to f..find me?
"Yeah. I wanted to come and apologize."
"There's no need to. Because your friends told me all about your fear of water. You would never want to be in love with a creature like me."
"What? Why would you say that?"
"Oh, don't pretend Cory. I remember what you told me. I was a distraction. We were all in on it. I didn't mean to be a waste of your precious time..."
"Silverstream, don't you dare say that! Those things I said were totally wrong. I was in a bad place, a very, very bad place at the time. I let my worst feelings get the best of me, and I forgot what was really important. I'm the one who should be sorry not you. For all I know, I'm the creature who doesn't deserve love."
"So...This wasn't my fault?"
"No Silverstream. It wasn't. It was mine. And for what it's worth, you have every right to get mad at me and dump me for what I did. I was selfish, twisted by my own indulgent ways. And for that, I am so sorry. I must've damaged you in ways that might never heal."
Silverstream lifted her claw up to Cory's chin and gave a good look at him. Her eyes became dreamy and somewhat seductive. And yet they carried an innocence to them.
"Life is full of things we may never heal from." Silverstream replied. "But my love for you is stronger than any of that."
"I..It is?" Cory asked.
"Yes. I know that sounds corny. But this bond towards each other is greater than any other. Just as much as my brother, mother, father and my whole family.
"Gee. I didn't really think anyone outside my family would feel that strong about me."
"Well now you do."
It was then she gave Cory a firm kiss on the cheek, to which he blushed a bright red. It was then they stared at each other for the longest time, hoping not to ever break from each other's gaze.
"You know," Cory said with the shyest voice. "I'm not doing anything later today. Maybe we could..."
"Talk about each other's interests and go for a night stroll near the park?!!" Silverstream asked with glee.
"Just what I was thinking." Cory replied.
And with that, the two of them trotted out of the school grounds and flew off into the night. Meanwhile, an infuriated Cozy Glow was watching them from nearby, cringing her teeth at her failed plan.
"How." she whispered with detest. "How can they still be together? I had everything planned to make sure he would detest her. I can still expose his worst fears though. I think now is time for me to call in some reinforcements."
Then, she flew over to the Ponyville Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
The building was a foreboding place. Located just at the outskirts of Ponyville, the asylum looked like something out of a horror movie. As Cozy Glow stood at the wretched gates, she wondered how she possibly could get inside. It was then seh spotted one of the guards on his lunch break. Being the cunning and manipulative pegusi she was, she put on her best adorable, sad girl face and caught the guards attention.
"What's the matter young filly?" The guard asked.
"Oh nothing." Glow replied to her tears as she pretended to be humble. "It's just I heard one of my dearest and most lovable cousins was taken here, and I don't have a permission slip to see him."
"Oh, I'd love to help you out little girl." The guard replied. "But this is a place filled with lots of bad guys and dangerous ponies. I'm sure you'll get to see him once he's validated and approved to go back into society."
It was then she tried to make the saddest face she could in order to break him.
"B...but I can maybe let you in if you really miss him." The guard said.
"That sounds wonderful." Cozy said as she dried away her fake tears. "Golly, you're such a nice stallion."
With his horn, the guard opened the rusty doors and let her inside. The front yard looked very dilapidated and overgrown, as if nopony had tended to the lawn in years. As she landed on the porch, which was occupied by two eccentric looking ponies, one of which had large teeth and made a barking sound, she could only imagine what dark secrets lied in store at this place, which only made her more excited for her plan.
The interior was nothing like the rundown exterior, as it resembled a hospital like any other. With it's polished floor, flourescent lights and blank walls, one wouldn't figure this was a loony bin. Cozy Glow was able to sneak past the front desk and find the directory of residents on a small clipboard tied to the wall. After a few minutes of scanning and skimming, she finally found the names of several residents she was looking for. Surprisingly, they were staying in the same room.
"Alright Stiffson Academy." She said to herself. "Look's like you'll be making a comeback."
Cozy Glow flew down the hallways and across the corridors. She frequently hid behind random objects so as to not catch anypony's attention. Then, as she snatched a set of keys from one of the asylum attendants, she approached a door for living quarters, unlocked it, and crept inside. It was dark and foreboding, with the exception of a faint light shining through the blinds.
"What do you want now you filthy quadrupeds." Said a demonic voice.
"Oh, not much." Cozy Glow replied. "I'm just here to say hello and ask you a few questions."
"Just as we thought." Said another angry voice. "A damn journalist looking for another self-indulgent story on poor folk like us. Why don't you be useful and GET OUT!!"
"Golly." Cozy Glow replied. "You all must have very few friends visiting."
"We are smarter than all that." Said another. "Friendship is a waste of time."
"I don't think you should be saying that." Said Cozy Glow. "After all, friendship is a very powerful thing to have."
"How should you know you winged freak." Said a rather drill sergeant sounding voice.
"Because," Cozy replied. "It nearly gave me the power to take down all of Equestria."
"What should taking down a lousy stable full of multi colored horses have anything to do with us?" Asked the voices.
"Oh, it's not Equestria I want now," Cozy Glow said with innocence. "It's just a certain someone named Cory Agees that I just can't stand."
"What did you say?" The voices replied as Cozy Glow lights went up.
It was then she stared face to face at what looked to be the most terrifying looking teachers and coaches anypony laid eyes on, tied to their beds for an afternoon nap. They looked wretched, insane, and far passed their prime. Besides the patient uniforms, each looked hideously grotesque in their own revolting way. One of them was a skeletal looking math teacher with a shriveled face, firmly pressed makeup, and a beehive hairdo. Another looked looked like a fat, pudgy sofa with a bouquet of flowers for hair and sharp ended sausages for fingers. But out of all the 7-8 of these twisted souls, the one that stood out the most was the one in the middle. He was a brawn, muscular, bald headed man who was presumably Cory's former coach. His skin was sweating significantly as if he had just had an intense workout. His veins popped right out of his neck and arms, suggesting he would explode into a tirade. And his teeth were capped and grinding together, giving the impression he could chomp anyones skin off with just one bite.
"Oh, you poor poor dears." Cozy Glow said with sympathy. "You all must be very lonely all cooped up in this room by your lonesomes. Here, let me help you loosen up."
"WHO ARE YOU AND HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE!!" Snapped the former gym coach.
"Why, I'm just a little pegusi named Cozy Glow who's looking for some friends to play a game with. I just happened to wander about town and notice that some guests here are acquaintances to that nasty, mean and ungrateful Cory."
"How do you know about him?" One of them asked.
"Well," She continued with her lie. "I was just trying to make friends with him the other day. I said I wanted to talk, but he just spat back at me with some very mean words and..."
"TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT WITH US BEFORE I CRUSH YOU INTO HORSE STEW!!!" The coach shouted.
"You all want to take your revenge on this Cory, don't you?" Cozy Glow asked.
"As much as we want to escape this hell hole." One of the former teachers replied.
"Then you will listen to every instruction I tell you." Cozy Glow said with a serious face.
"I WOULDN'T TAKE ORDERS FROM A PUNY QUADRUPED LIKE YOU IF MY FREEDOM DEPENDED ON IT!!" The coach shouted.
"Very Well." Cozy Glow replied as she headed for the door. "Enjoy your stay."
"WAIT!" Shouted the fat teacher. "We'll do anything you say."
"That's more like it." Cozy Glow commented. "How about I loosen those straps of yours."
"That would be a godsend." Said the skeletal teacher.
The little pegusi flew over to the sides of their beds and unstrapped each one of her new accomplices with the greatest of ease. They jumped out of their imprisonment like wild animals and stretched out any loose bones of theirs. Cozy Glow rubbed her hooves with glee as her plan came into fruition.
"So, we are all agreed we want to get rid of that Prince Capricore." Said Cozy Glow, to which they nodded back devilishly. "Then you will have to listen to me very carefully, because I have a plan that will bring him to his knees once and for all."
The group huddled into a mass circle as Cozy Glow drew out what was sure to be a wickedly morbid scheme.
It was another morning within The Crystal Empire. Everypony was about their daily business, including Cory, who was found once again with his private tutor: Sunburst. Cory had felt like a new colt in the past week and a half. He had stopped isolating himself, overcame his fear, and gained a new partner in the form of a Hippogriff. Everything seemed to be back in place with his life, along with the perk that was true love.
Today was a bit special, for Cory had invited a few students from the School of Friendship for a field trip to Sunbursts house. The two decided to demonstrate a very special spell he had just mastered the other night. Learning from his mistake of not to launch so deeply into advanced spells, he decided to have the assistance of his tutor.
"Welcome travelers from Ponyville!!" Sunburst declared proudly. "Today, we are to show you some very magic my star pupil has mastered over the course of his teachings. One of which involves the relief from that which is stress and migraines. "
The class groaned in boredom.
"I thought you were going to show us something a little more....awesome." Smolder commented.
"Do not get to comfortable Smolder." Sunburst replied. "This particular spell is something nopony has ever done in over 1000 years."
A few creatures gasped in awe while others just rolled their eyes in carelessness.
"But first, let us start with a few simple spells," Cory added. "Don't worry, they're just as mesmerizing."
The two started their show with a little light display from their horns. It involved a few sparks, a few spinning halos, and even a few fireworks. The second act involved about 3-4 well rehearsed card tricks, which was more engaging as it involved audience participation. Next they moved on to a little friendly duel to see who would outsmart the other with their magic. Cory felt as if he were a certain boy wizard from a popular series in his home world. As they dodged and parried each others attack and and wielded together each other's defense, the students stood their in amazement at the spectacular display their guest speakers had shown. Even Smolder seemed intrigued.
Finally, it was time for the big finale. The spell that was to be the highlight of the day.
"Oh, great." Smolder said sarcastically. "Didn't really know the finale would be the least interesting part of the trip."
"Alright!" Cory said enthusiastically, "To have a chance that this spell will work. We will need a volunteer from the audience."
"How about Smolder here." Suggested an earth pony who was sitting right next to her.
"Wait, what?" Asked Smolder.
"Yeah, you've been acting very cranky lately." Another Pegusi commented. "Even by cranky dragon standards."
"Come on guys." Said Smolder. "I'm just feeling what any dragon would feel now: bored. It's not like you don't see me like this on a daily basis. Do you?"
Everypony just shook their head.
"Alright, alright." Smolder said with a sigh as she came center stage.
"I would like every creature's complete silence for this spell to work just right." Cory said.
"From what we know, the last pony to ever conduct this spell was Mage Meadowbrook herself." Sunburst added, to which everyone gasped in shock.
"Luckily, I was able to invite her over in order to give me pointers on how to make this potion." Cory added. "It took me seven tries to get it right, but after much research, I think I've nailed it."
A hush fell on the room as Cory escorted Smolder to a stool, facing the audience. Then with magic, Cory gathered a few ingredients from the cabinet behind him and stirred them in a bowl on the tabletop. While levitating the bowl in the air, Cory messaged his hooves between Smolders cheeks to find a pressure point.
"How do you feel Smolder?" He asked.
"I feel...a little mortified?" Smolder replied.
"How do you feel Smolder?" He asked again, to which Smolder fell into a small trance.
"I feel stressed." Smolder replied in monotone. "I feel conflicted, angry, unbalanced and tuckered out. It's like I'm restless, but at the same time, wanting to sleep."
Cory nodded with interest, after which he finally found the pressure point. He dipped both his hooves into bowl, giving them a shining texture. With the firmest of aim, he pushed them on her cheeks again and messaged them once more. Instantly Smolder's face turned from distressed to relaxed.
"Now how do you feel?" He asked.
"Hey dude." Smolder replied with swag. "I feel like I'm chilling out."
"It's funny." One of the earth ponies commented. "She's acting like her brother when he's doing poetry."
"Was I wrong?" Cory replied, after which everyone applauded in delight.
The show ended and the class applauded, with both Cory and Sunburst taking a bow. As everyone else gathered their thinks and Cory put the supplies away, he noticed a rather familiar looking unicorn coming in his direction.
"Hi Cory." Said Sunset Shimmer.
"Oh, hello Sunset." Cory replied. "I never really saw you in your pony form before."
"Yeah I know. It's not often I come visit Equestria."
"So what are you doing here Sunset?"
"Oh, just came in to check on your health. Twilight tell's me you've made a speedy recovery recently."
"Yes. It feels like I'm back to my rejuvenated self again."
"That is so great to hear. Any chance you would be able to come back to Canterlot High? We really miss you there."
"You know Sunset." Said Cory as he placed his hoof on her shoulder. "I really think that's a great..."
Suddenly, there was rather ominous sound coming from one of Sunburst's shelves. Everypony just stood there in silence, not having any idea what it was. This was followed by tremor in the atmosphere, as if an earthquake was about to happen.
"Sunburst, what is going on here?!!" Cory shouted as classmate as everyone stared to panic.
"I..I don't know." Sunburst replied. "I don't really remember there being any fault lines underneath the Crystal Empire. Or at least of such magnitude."
Then, without warning, everypony started to levitate off the ground, pushed up by a mysterious green mist.
"Wow." Said Smolder, who was still undergoing the effects of the potion from before. "Now this is one rad field trip."
"Does anypony have a knowledge about this?" Asked Sunset Shimmer as screaming from the students could be heard. "Because I definitely don't remember reading about spontaneous magical outbursts in the middle of a sunny day."
"Sunburst and I studied a lot of magic together." Cory panically replied. "And this clearly is not something from our written text."
"Or maybe it is." Sunburst added. "Cory. Sunset. Round up all the students and gather them outside. There's got to be a logical explanation behind this."
They nodded their heads in approval as they escorted the visiting students into the back yard, while Sunburst swam through the air to his private library.
"Aw man." Said Smolder in disappointment. "And just when it was getting interesting."
"Alright is that everyone?" Sunset asked as the last of students headed outside, to which everyone nodded back.
"Great." Cory replied. "I have to go inside and check on my teacher."
"Cory wait!" Sunset said. "It's too risky."
"I can't just leave him in there." He said back.
He headed inside to find a whirlwind of books and knickknacks swirling around the walls and ceiling. As he shuffled and forced himself against the blowing typhoon of magic, he saw, in center of the chaos, Sunburst. Only, he was not Sunburst. His eyes a were a demonic green and his mane had turned a rather deep black.
"Sunburst?" Cory asked.
"Your mutant friend is not here you worthless maggot!!" Said a dreadfully familiar voice that came out of Sunburst's mouth.
"C...Coach?" Cory whimpered.
"That's right!!" Said another voice he hoped never to hear again. "All of us are in this body."
"You are no longer teachers!!" Cory shouted back. "Stiffson Academy is gone. Now give me back my real teacher!! If you lay a single claw on him.."
"Oh, don't worry." Said Cozy Glow's voice. "We'll take good care of his consciousness. Why, it will be like he doesn't exist."
"Cory!!" Shouted Sunburst's voice. "Help meeeee!!"
"What do you want!?" Cory shouted.
"We just want you in exchange for his soul." Said a snippy voice from another one of the teachers. "After all, you did ruin our careers."
"I don't know how you got here, or how you tracked me down, but I'm not going back to that hell hole you call a life." Cory replied. "Nopony ever should live the life I had."
"Oh dear." Said another bratty voice with a cackle. "He's even adopted the pony terms from these quadrupeds. Very well, we'll just whole on to this body for all eternity and..."
"Wait!!" Cory shouted as he looked around for the source of the evil spell, "I'll do anything you say. Just don't hurt him."
At that moment, Sunset came bursting through the door.
"Cory!!" She shouted. "What's going on here?"
"I know what's going on here!" Cory replied.
It was then he spotted the source: The old timey chartreuse lamp he gave to Sunburst as a gift. He could see the waves and sparks of the evil spell coming out of the antique, spreading everywhere across the room. With one fell swoop, he dodged a few of the items within the artificial whirlwind, jumped towards the cabinet of the targeted object, grabbed it, threw it against the ground and shattered it to pieces. At that instant, thick fumes filled the air as the spell seemed to disappear, and Sunburst along with his belongings fell to the floor.
"Oh my." Sunburst said with a headache. "What happened?"
"You seemed to be under an evil spell." Sunset replied as she picked him up, "But Cory snapped you out of it."
As the smoke cleared the room and the two of them looked around, they noticed the unsettling truth: Cory had disappeared.
In Between Worlds/Painful Memories
It was the end of another school day at Twilight's school of magic. Every creature was gathering their belongings from their lockers and heading to their homes or dormitories. Meanwhile, Silverstream could be found with four other friends chatting about some of the lessons they learned in Equestrian history. For some reason, it was on the subject of the formation of the Wonderbolts, to which Rainbow Dash had been their teacher for the day. Yet, as they were discussing their assignment on which Wonderbolt to write a co-essay on, Silverstream's mind was distracted with the memory of her recent date with Prince Capricore. It involved a pleasant outing upon the streets of shopping districts of Manehattan. Of course, given they were minors, they had done it in secrecy, and against their parents wishes. But regardless, it was an unforgettable evening. She was even still wearing the shining gold bracelet he had given her that night.
"Silverstream?" Asked Gallus. "HEY SILVERSTREAM??!!"
"Huh, what?" She replied as she snapped back into reality. "Oh yes, of course, uh what did you think about Prof. Dash's lecture?"
"Uh, that wasn't what I was asking." Gallus replied. "I was wondering when Smolder's coming back from her field trip. I've assigned the two of us to write a paper on Admiral Fairweather."
"She's supposed to come back this evening." Ocelus answered. "Cory's and his tutor have been demonstrating a few of their new magic moves to her classmates."
"Well she better be." Gallus replied. "Cause I can't do this assignment alone."
"Griffon should be lucky you already have Wonderbolt picked out." Said Yona.
"Yeah," Sandlebar added. "Yona and I are still wondering whether to do a paper on Commander Easyglider or Colonel PurpleDart."
"Silverstream and I can take the first one." Ocelus replied. "Easyglider seems like a fun Wonderbolt to write about. Right pal?"
"Oh, uh, yeah sure." Silverstream replied as if she were pretending to listen. "Uh, listen guys. I'm just gonna be heading over to the treehouse, for uh, personal reasons."
"Yeah, to probably have more fantasies of Cory." Gallus muttered, to which he was punched in the arm by Ocelus.
"C'mon Gallus." said Ocelus. "We should be happy the two of them finally made up."
"Whatever." Gallus replied. "Listen, I'm gonna head to my dorm and get started while Smolder comes back."
"Me too." Everyone but Silverstream said.
As they went to their dorms, Silverstream flew past the Everfree forest and into the crystal treehouse where the Tree Of Harmony once stood. She settled in her desk room and went to her studies, which were filled with pictures of her and Cory during their recent travels together. Sitting down, she started to think of the right way to begin her co-written paper on Easyglider. Though a challenge at first, it got a little easier, as she took out a few flash cards from class to make a rough draft of the paper.
An hour or two later, Silverstream was finished, and was able to take a moment to look at the beautiful night sky. From her balcony, there was not a cloud to be seen to obstruct her vantage point. It was as if the Pegusi themselves cleared the sky just for her. As she looked into her telescope for any astronomical phenomena, she noticed a rather peculiar haze, growing over the horizon. It was a combination of sickly green, ghastly purple, and hellish red, and it seemed to be heading in her direction. Upon closer examination, she noticed a pair of familiar looking eyes above the fog, surrounded by other pairs that were just as menacing. Before she could make any sudden moves, the cloud of smoke enveloped her, and whisked her away from the surface of the balcony. She tried to resist, flapping her wings with her might and lunging towards the treehouse, that was getting smaller and smaller, but it was no use. The outside world grew darker and darker and she hopelessly fell into a whirlwind of sounds and cackles. She closed her eyes, screamed and panicked, hoping it would somehow come to an end soon.
And then, all was quiet, still and solid. Her body felt like it was tethered to a concrete wall. Tried as she might, her arms and legs were locked tight against the enigmatic texture. As she opened her eyes, all she could see was a an empty black expanse, with a few shades of dark grey and magenta. What was this place? Where was she? How did she get here? These questions swam in her head as she still struggled to break free. Then, out of the vast darkness, came a figure she hoped she'd never see again.
"Oh, hello Silverstream." Said Cozy Glow. "How pleasant of you to join us."
"Why hello Cozy Glow." Silverstream replied sarcastically, and with a bit of ire. "By the way, I remember that time you organized a field trip to Rainbow Falls. The detour was smelly, messy and didn't give us any time to see the town."
"Golly. That's a shame." Cozy Glow said back. "Because I'm already organizing a fun reunion/get together for your boyfriend a certain group of former teachers. I wouldn't want you miss out on seeing them catch up with OLD TIMES!!!"
Suddenly, she grabbed behind her back what looked like an old, rusty whip that doubled as a belt. Silverstream's eyes curled with rage.
"Where are we? What have you done with my Cory?!!" She yelled out in anger.
"Why, Cory's right here with us." Said another menacing voice.
Silverstream turned to her left to see what looked like a desolate hallway, In the center Cory, in human form, with his arms and legs tied to a run down desk, and his mouth and eyes gagged.
"Help me!!" He muffled. "Someone!! Help me!!"
"I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM!!" Silverstream shouted as she tried once again to break free.
"Golly, who said anything about hurting him." Cozy Glow replied. "Like I said, we're just going to take a little trip down memory lane."
"And there is nothing you can do to stop us." The gym coach said sinisterly. "You see, from what our friend tells us, we're in between our world and your world."
"In between?" Silverstream asked.
"Yes." Cozy Glow replied. "By combining a certain advanced spell with some of the essence from the mirror portal, I was able to create a new reality that sits right between the Human world and Equestria's. Anything is possible for us to do, even expose a certain somepony's deepest, darkest secrets. For example..."
Cozy Glow tapped her foot on the ground and transported them all to what looked like a recreation of an old, forgotten town. The sounds of snickering and teasing seemed foreign to Silverstream's ears, but not for Cory's. It was that of those merciless bullies that picked on him each day without rest.
"No," Cory pleaded. "Please not this. Anything but this."
Silverstream budged even harder to free herself from the bondage, but it was too late. The snickering sounds turned to menacing shadows, as they picked Cory out of his desk and tossed him around like a rag doll.
"Oh, this takes us back so much Cozy Glow." Said the Fat teacher. "I remember when the hall monitors used to teach him a lesson every time he out of line."
"Yes, yes." Said the skinny teacher. "Now sock him in the stomach."
"NO!" Silverstream shouted. "Please don't hurt him!!"
But her calls were no use. The bullies began to sock Cory in the nose, stomp on his legs, and throw him against the sidewalk pavement. This was a painful memory Cory knew all too well.
"And what reunion could be complete without a trip to your old living quarters." Said Cozy Glow with an evil grin.
With the clap of her hooves, everyone was transported to the inside a shanty old orphanage on the bad side of town. The coach ripped the bandage off Cory's eyes, forcing him to look around the one place he felt the most lonely. It was then Cory let out a wailing scream, much to the torturers' delight, as he knew what was going to happen next.
"Hello Freak." Said a bully who had just opened the door behind him. "Say you're a freak! Say it!! Say it!!"
A few other bullies joined in his chant as they pushed him to the ground and pummeled his face in.
"Now you all play nice." The thin teacher taunted. "We don't want to waste his punishment just here."
"Why are you doing this to him?!!" Silverstream shouted angrily.
"Why?" Cozy Glow replied "Why?!! Well, it just seems fitting given how you broke my dream of power, and what better to exact my revenge than to watch me torment your widdle lovebird."
Silverstream saw that they were floating in the air as the bullies were now dragging him onto a bus, while other students threw objects at him at his seat. As the bus started to move, Silverstream pushed herself over to the windowsills, eventually finding Cory's. She could see the frightened look on his face, and wished she could open the sill and give him a big hug.
"Cory!" She shouted. "Listen to me! None of this is real!! You have the power to end this!! You've done it before!!"
"How?" Cory asked meekly. "How when they're controlling my mind?"
"Well show them that it's your mind! Show them what you're made of! Show them you've changed since the last time you faced...."
The bus hauled to a violent stop, causing Cory to fly several seats over and land flat on his face. The other students just stepped all over him, sometimes spitting on his skull as they headed to school. At that moment, the scene changed to Stiffson Academy's interior.
Everything was just as Cory remembered it, and hoped to forget. It was cold, damp, bland in color. There was no talking, no playing, not even laughter, except of course when a weaker student was teased upon.
"Oh, what grand memories this place had." The fat teacher boasted with pride. "If only some FREAK, hadn't burned it to the ground. "
"And the best part was, we didn't have to mandatorily close if for the night." The thin teacher added. "We could've had class time 24/7."
"GET UP YOU MAGGOTS AND HEAD TO CLASS!!" Shouted a a voice over the intercom. "ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE LATE SHALL BE SENT STRAIGHT TO WEEK'S LONG DETENTION!!"
Two hall monitors tightly grabbed Cory by the arms and dragged him towards a classroom. Meanwhile, Silverstream was seen floating up above, powerless to stop them from hurting her love.
"This isn't real Cory!!" She shouted. "Remember! None of this is real ! You took down this school! Remember?! They got rid of it!! There's a better school that replaced it!! Your mother told me!!"
But Cory couldn't hear her. He was all washed up in fear and anxiety.
This isn't Real/True Love
"Golly, where to start first?" Taunted Cozy Glow as she examined the dilapidated Academy. "So much to choose from and yet....so much time!!"
The other teachers giggled behind her with their prey dangling by the arms.
Silverstream helplessly saw the horrors unfold as Cory was dragged and tossed from classroom to classroom, each one worse than the last. First, there was English class. He was brought before a room of snickering students, forced to read a complicated version of Marquis de Sade. In his early years, Cory was scared stiff to speak in front of an audience. He tried his best, but all he could do was shutter and stammer.
"CHOKE!! CHOKE!! CHOKE!!" Students started chanting, which made Cory curl into a ball.
As the thin teacher hit him hard across the head with a pointing stick, he fell to the ground, squealing in pain. Staggering to stand back up, he looked up to see everyone laughing and yelling at him, making obscene remarks and trying to throw stuff at his head. But then, he looked to his side and noticed Silverstream staring out the window. Tears began to fall her eyes, as if she were ready to give up on her sweetheart. Then, he remembered what she said before: 'None of this is real' 'None of this is real.'
So, he put on the bravest face he could and stood back up. The adversity surrounded him. It was dozens against one. But he knew he had to conquer this memory, as he had before. He opened his mouth and began to speak from the book:
"To be or not to be...Call me Ishmael....It was the best times it was the..."
The teacher smacked him on the head with the stick, as if to shut him up. The rest of the class just laughed hysterically at his misfortune.
"Whether tis nobler to suffer the slays of outrageous fortune." He continued trying to ignore the snickers..Your'e a wizard Harry....One ring to rule them all..."
The teacher hit him yet again, this time enough to leave a little blood on his back. But he just kept going.
"Why do you doubt your senses Scrooge.." He spoke loudly as if to drown out the heckling. "You might as well say, I get what say is the same as i get what I see...Remember, remember the fifth of November..."
He was smacked a few more times, as the teacher tried desperately to push him back to ground. But it was no use. He had gotten stronger and knew of their weakness.
"Whether or not you find your way, you'll find someway....Some enchanted evening, you will see a stranger....You want the truth, you cant handle the...Wait a minute."
Cory looked at the book he was holding and noticed something different. It was just a collection of random quotes all meshed together into one poorly written notebook. He remembered how the teachers purposefully switched up sentences and rigged tests in order to have the lesser lucky students fail.
"This is a fake!!" He shouted. "This is all a fake!! Everything here is fake!!"
"That's right Cory." Silverstream replied through the window with joy. "This is no longer real."
Just then, another teacher grabbed him by the side.
"We'll show you what real is." The fat teacher muddled. "TIME FOR MATH EVERYONE!!"
The room transformed into the old math class. As Cory was thrown back and slammed against the chalk board, he saw an overtly complicated calculus problem that only a huge genius could understand.
"You remember this Cory." Said Cozy Glow as he flicked Cory's head. "The one that you slipped on during all those tests!! Everyone seemed to solve it but you! And that makes you an IDIOT!!"
Cory stared once again at the dreaded math problem. How he loathed it so. It was the reason he had been held back those years.
"CORY!!" Shouted Silverstream. "Your mother told me!! It was unsolvable! Remember!!?"
Cory nodded back as he threw a set of chalks against the board and threw the white powdered dust into his captives faces.
"You can't fool me!!" Cory shouted as he sprinted out the room.
"After him!!" Cozy Glow shouted, to which the classmates vanished and the room turned into another hallway.
Cory ran as fast as he could. But as he turned around, Cozy Glow and the others were gaining up on him. Then he turned forward and saw the edge of the hallway grow further and further away, taking on the form of what looked like a track and field stadium. Before he knew it, he found himself among a few other stronger looking classmates. Their faces made wicked sneers as they whispered into each others ears, as if to plan something wicked behind his back.
"ALRIGHT MAGGOTS!!" The coach shouted. "DROP DOWN AND GIVE ME A HUNDERED!!"
Everyone but Cory simultaneously made the position and started away. A colleague pushed him violently to the ground face first, an experience he was all too familiar with, and forced him to push up along with them. Little did they know Cory had some training experience from Rainbow Dash, and had improved vastly in the last two years. So with a devious smirk, Cory started his routine. Everyone was in shock as he swiftly pushed himself up and down with the greatest of ease.
"SIT UP'S ON THE BARS!!!" The coach shouted, to which everyone quickly ran to a set of metal bars.
"This isn't real." Cory muttered to himself as he started to easily pull himself up. "None..Of this..Is real!"
"Yes, you're doing it!!" Silverstream shouted with glee. "You can do anything in this place remember?"
"TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!!!" The Coach shouted in frustration as he pointed to the race track. "LET'S SEE IF YOU MAGGOTS CAN ENDURE THIS!!"
The class took their place on their starting marks, and began to run at the sound of the gunshot. To everyone's amazement, Cory did not run out of breath or tired out. In fact, he was in fine step with every other student.
"This isn't real, none of this is real, this isn't real, none of this is real, this isn't real, none of this is real...." He kept saying to himself.
Without even noticing, he was already in front of everyone else, speeding like a cheetah on the hunt. He felt like he could do anything, any obstacle that could stand in his way.
"GO CORY GO!!" Silverstream cheered. "YOU'RE KILLIN EM, YOU'RE SLAYING EM, YOU'RE KNOCKIN EM DOWN!! KEEP IT UP!!"
It was then the coach threw a nearby table over and slammed his clipboard on the ground.
"GET HIIIIM!!" he shouted.
Everyone ganged up on Cory and made fists, as if ready to beat him to a pulp.
"Oh you poor souls." Cory said tauntingly as he messaged his knuckles. "You have no idea where I got training from lately."
With one fell swoop, he started blocking each fist and foot with the greatest of ease. Some fell on the ground with a grunt, while others were flung away in midair. But all were no match for Cory, as they were just manifestation of his past. That being so, the classmates disappeared into dust upon impact with the ground, leaving only Silverstream, the coach and himself
"I am not afraid of you." Cory proclaimed as he caught his breath and strengthened himself up.
"We can fix that." Said Cozy Glow who appeared out of nowhere. "Care for a little swim in your old home tub?"
Everything around them started to melt, as if it were an oil canvas on a hot July day. The colors swirled together, creating a whirlpool that sucked Cory and Silverstream into the black void. Before he knew it, Cory was of smaller stature and found himself inside a bathtub filled with water that reached the rim. Cory tried to stand up, but was somehow chained by his skin to the bottom of the tub.
"SAY YOUR PRAYERS MAGGOT!!" Shouted the fat teacher as the rest cackled in joy.
Before Cory could comprehend it, a giant hand, which would only be describes as his tyrannical mother's pushed him into the watery depth, as Silverstream helplessly looked on. The tub got bigger and bigger as Cory tried to push the hand away from his face. But tried as he might, the hand only got bigger. The tub now resembled that of a large vat of blue, saturated water.
"This isn't real." Cory muttered and gurgled to himself. "This isn't real..this isn't real...this isn't real...THIS..ISN'T REAL!!!!!"
Suddenly the vat exploded on the side as Cory was washed away by the wave liquid, landing on a flat marble like surface, coughing for breath.
"It's a shame we couldn't be friends." Cozy Glow said as she stared down at him. "But luckily, I was able to make a few more. So I guess I win."
"I'll have more friends than you ever will Cozy Glow!!" Cory shouted back.
"You know Cory," Said Cozy Glow tauntingly. "I had the chance of becoming acquainted with your former tudors. They told me some rather disturbing fates regarding a few students at Stiffson."
"What are you talking about?" Cory asked.
"Golly, you never heard.? Boy have you been out of the loop lately. You see Cory, as far as they told me, some students at the academy had nowhere else to go. Stiffson Academy was their last chance for an educational future. Do you deny that?"
"No," Cory said regrettably, to which Silverstream gasped in disbelief.
"They were on a desperate search to find some kind of GED," The fat teacher added. "And despite everything, we were their guiding light."
"We were only doing our job." The thin teacher added tauntingly. "We wanted to save them from the brink of pure destitution. And you took away their chances."
"Cory, no. Tell me this isn't true." Silverstream shuddered.
Cory paused for a few seconds. and then...
"Yes." He replied. "It is true."
"You took they're one chance of really making something of themselves, and crushed it to pieces." The coach added coldly.
"I clearly remember that. But they all got another chance by becoming Canterlot High students. All of them have better futures...
"Almost all of them." One of the teachers muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Cory asked worriedly.
"Oh Cory," Said the Fat one with her head bowed in mocking shame. "You were so naive, so full in yourself you didn't even realize all of what was in front of you."
"Yes," Cozy Glow commented. "These former tutors told me all about this sad story, about a few desperate students, just like you, only smarter."
She flicked Cory with her hoof as he fell to the floor.
"Stiffson Academy was their last chance." The gym teacher said.
"Their very, very, very last chance." The thin teacher added. "Once that beacon of hope that was a school blew up, they had nothing left!"
Soon, Cozy Glow and the others ganged up on him, as if pushing him into a corner. Around them, the realm starting to spark lighting and thunder, as if a storm was beginning to brew.
"And do you know what they did next?!" A teacher asked maniacally. "WELL, DO YOU!!?"
A moments silence, then Cozy Glow grabbed Cory by the ear...
"they killed themselves." She whispered.
"No," Cory shuddered. "No! That's not true!!"
"I obtained their death records." The Gym Teacher said sadly. "Just before we played our little game!!"
Everything was beginning to shake violently around them. The floor was falling apart.
"The cause ruled suicide." Cozy Glow added. "Poor little things. All because you wouldn't leave your school alone!!!"
"I didn't know anything about these students!!" Cory tried to profess as he walked backwards. "I didn't mean any harm onto anyone!"
"In a way, you are the sole murderer!!!" The fat teacher shouted.
The tone of the realm blackened as large pool or roaring water grew from behind.
"No! I didn't lay a finger on them!!" Cory begged.
"If you had not got in our way, they would've still had a chance and sill be alive!!" The skinny teacher spat. "Do you deny it!?"
"No, but..."
"Then you are guilty!" Cozy Glow and her gang said together.
"No! I am not a murderer!!! I am not a murderer!!"
"murrrrderer...murrrderer." Said a stinging voice in his ear.
"Get out of my head, you're not real." Cory sobbed as he was pushed further back.
"Oh, you stupid little boy." Said the thin teacher. "You're letting yourself get distracted again, only this time, no is there to defend you. Because you slipped up real bad."
"Shut up!! You don't know anything about me!!" Cory shouted back.
"You have no one to blame but yourself in this Cory." Said the coach. "And now everyone knows why."
Suddenly, Cory lost his balance and fell over the edge of what looked like a diving board.
"CORY!!" Shouted Silverstream as she tried again to break herself free.
Cory found himself dangling over a large pool of raging water. Thunder and lightning could be scattered all around them. There was no turning back now.
"Golly." Said Cozy Glow as she flew towards his bony fingers. "This looks quite familiar for you doesn't it?"
She thought for a moment.
"Oh, now I remember." She said tauntingly. "This was from when you were doing those high dive examinations. Every student had to do this, regardless of their conditions. They told me you did very poorly in these exams. You had to do them over and over again, just to be excused from school. Deep into the night you dived without a moments rest. But you never got any better. Little bruise marks from the watery impact plagued your back and chest. Finally, they just gave up on you and branded you unteachable. They sent you home to that orphanage in shame, an embarrassment to their athletic stamina. All these years gone from Stiffson Academy, and you're still the same, weak, scrawny, naive, stupid little boy you were then."
"You told me we were friends." Cory shook in anger. "You told me I could trust you."
"I asked you to be MY friend Cory." Cozy Glow snapped back. "I gave you a chance and you FAILED me. Just like you failed those students. Friendship is about obedience, friendship is about trust, friendship is about POWER! And you failed all those things!!"
"You lie!" Silverstream shouted. "Cory don't listen to them. That is NOT what your mother taught you. She taught all of us what it means to be friends. I know because Cozy Glow tricked all of us at the School of Friendship. She only said those things so she could take over Equestria. But we reminded everyone what friendship truly is. And you taught me somethings Cory. Things I will forget. Friendship isn't just Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter and Magic. It's also Family and Love."
"I taught you that?" Cory asked.
"You certainly did Cory. And our friendship is one stronger than any other. It's ..it's... true love."
Cory felt his heart lift itself up from a deep cavern inside. Never before had he heard anyone say that to him.
"I love you Cory." Silverstream said under a stream of happy tears. "I've loved you since the first time we met. I feel like I was destined to be with you. Even when I was cooped up in Seaquestria from the Storm King, I felt a calling that would soon lead to you. And I would be more than willing to give my life so that you may live the best existence there is."
"I..." Cory muttered. "I would do the same for you. I couldn't bear to see you suffer like this either. I never thought in a million years I would be saying this to anyone, but I love you as well, with all my heart. Who even knew it would be that of a Hippogriff that I was destined to love."
The two looked at each other dreamily, like they were ready to embrace.
"True Love they say, True love." Cozy Glow mocked. "Blah, Blah gag. I'm tired of hearing this sentimental garbage. Time for the punishment to fit the crime."
She tapped her hoof as Cory looked down at the raging, watery abyss. Surrounding it were what looked distorted figures of students from Stiffson academy. Each one more gruesome than the next.
"Drop!! Drop!! Drop!! Drop!! They all began to chant.
"Ah, music to my ears." The coach said menacingly.
Cory closed his eyes as he tried to drown out the chant. But it was all too familiar to him. He remembered those dreaded days when he was on the high board. Every time, people would taunt, push, scream and curse at him as he started to clumsily climb those ladders. Once at the edge of the board, every one would encourage him to drop into the deep end. After a few moments, he would, nearly drowning in the process.
"Drop!! Drop!! Drop!! Drop!!" They continued as their screeches grew louder.
"Come on fellow students!!" The thin teacher shouted mockingly. "See that he gets what's coming to him!!"
Soon, the whole realm was crowded with the uproarious chant. There seemed to be no way Cory could block out the sound. Sweat fell down all over his body, as his fingers began to slip.
"YOU ARE ALL JUST BIG...FAT...MEANIES!!!" Silverstream shouted. "YOU'RE WORLD IS NOT REAL!! NONE OF THIS IS!!"
But the teachers and Cozy Glow just laughed and scoffed at her. That was when she had enough. So once again, she tried to free herself from the chains, only this time, a heavenly sparkle gleamed from her necklace and eyes. The chains began to rapidly loosen as she pushed further away from the rock.
"YOU...LEAVE....MY...CORY...ALONE!!!" She shouted with all her might.
And with those words, she broke free from her prison and lunged forward to her love. As Cory let go of his last desperate clasp on the board, she grabbed him by he claws and kissed him hard on the lips. For a moment, Cory felt as though everything was going in slow motion. Then for another moment, it was if everyting, time and space stood still. This must've been what true love feels like. As they fell further towards the watery abyss, Silverstream's necklace shimmered again, And below them their legs lusciously turned into fins. Now the water was of no problem for him, nor his love.
When the two of them had already the water, they still found each other pressed against their lips. It was then they looked at each other romantically, and tilted so they could touch foreheads. Cory wished this moment between them would never end. He had found his soul mate and she found hers. Next thing they knew, they were swimming and chasing each other across a watery expanse, filled with beautiful coral and luminous fish. The very thing Cory was afraid of had now become an intimate fantasy. His inhibitions were truly conquered.
"You really do love me, do you?" Cory asked.
"More than anything in this world and the next." Silverstream replied.
From up above the surface, they could hear the cackling sounds of Cory's foes. They looked at each other confidently and hatched up a plan, only this time, they would do it together.
"So," The thin teacher snickered. "How shall we celebrate?"
"Let's have a creme fondue with extra pickle garlic!!" The fat teacher suggested.
"No, let's find a bar and get as drunk as possible!!" The gym coach suggested. "Or.."
"How about we rebuild another school, and make it even more disciplinary!!" Another teacher suggested, to which they all laughed.
"How about we try shutting up!!!" Cozy Glow snapped back at them. "Silverstream is a Hippogriff. Remember?"
The former Stiffson Academy faculty were celebrating what seemed to be a victory of their foe, while their deceiving Pegasus leader was still carefully scanning the murky depth below.
"There's no way the two could've survived that fall." The coach scoffed back. "If the impact didn't get them the raging waters did."
"You clearly haven't been in my world long enough have you?" Cozy Glow asked.
"You dare try to question me you winged freak?!!" The Coach spat back. "I'll tear you a new mane for saying that!!"
The coach tried to grab Cozy Glow. But she easily flew above him, far beyond his reach.
"Now listen you fools." Cozy Glow continued. "If you don't recall what happened a few minutes ago, Silverstream just turned Cory and herself into Seaponies, it's only a matter of time before they pull a trick on us."
"Something like this?" Asked a voice from behind them.
Before she could comprehend, two fins slapped her against the stomach, pushing her backward and knocking down the rest of the crew like bowling pins. They got up to see two strong Seaponies sitting against the plank, ready for another fight, much to the teachers dismay.
"How did you survive that fall?!!" The thin teacher asked.
"Love," Silverstream said. "Love always survives in the end."
"Oh, isn't this precious?" Cozy Glow mocked. "The little prince and his love, together at last."
"I'm not so little any longer Cozy Glow." Cory said in return. "You used me Cozy Glow. That's not what friends do. That's not fair at all."
"No it's not." The gym coach scoffed back with gritted teeth. "And neither is THIS!!"
The coach tried to punch Cory in the nose, to which he dodged it by an each. As the coach fell head first on the plank, the two lovers jumped back in the water.
"GET THEM!!" Cozy Glow shouted.
"Uh, how?" One of the teachers asked. "We're up here and..."
"Climb back down you idiots!" She replied with her hoof to her face. "This is an alternate realm. Think of something!"
The rest of them scrambled to find a way down. So as they clumsily descended down the plank and made a set of imaginary stairs, they say what looked like a little whirlpool starting to form in the center. Cozy Glow flew over the surface for further examination as the other teachers reached the bottom.
"What are you plotting down there?" Cozy Glow muttered frustratingly.
The fat teacher took a closer look as she bent over towards the water. At first, she saw nothing. But then, without warning, two pairs of fins slapped against her face and pulled her into the water.
"HEEELP!!" She shouted. "I CAN'T SWIM!!"
"We'll fix that." Said a voice from behind her.
Before she could comprehend, she was slapped back once more by two fins and thrown against a concrete wall. Cory could've sworn she saw little birdies spinning around her head.
"GET THEM!!" Cozy Glow shouted.
The Coach gave a salute and made a dramatic dive into the water. From out of the fog were twisted versions of the students from before, each diving in like synchronized swimmers. Now, Cory and Silverstream found themselves surrounded by manifestations of his past. But he was not afraid any longer.
"You are not real!" Cory shouted. "You're just fragments of who I used to fear."
"That's right Cory." Silverstream replied. "Let's take them on. Together."
The two of them smiled at each other as they slapped, kicked and socked every student that came after them. Though they were many, they were not a threat, as with every blow, they disappeared into lightning and smoke. Cozy Glow was now immensely frustrated at this point.
"Do I have to do everything myself!!" She shouted.
With those words she flew down and performed a spell on the students, turning them into what looked like mutant squids and octopuses, capable of shooting rays of beaming light from their tentacles. Though the two lovers tried to avert them at first, they were zapped back by those beams. Suddenly, Cory was struck by a near fatal blow, after which he was coiled up in a row of tentacles.
"You big BULLIES!!" Silverstream shouted. "How dare you hurt my love!!"
"Oh, what a pity." The thin teacher commented. "You'll still have plenty of fish in the sea."
With that she snapped her sharp fingernails as the octopus slowly started to stretch Cory by the abdomen. A shocked Silverstream watched in horror as she tried to swim forward, but was pulled by two other squids. Luckily, her crystal necklace gleamed and shimmered a reflecting light onto the octopus's eye, releasing Cory and her from their grasp. The tentacles flew Cozy Glow out of balance and zapped a ray of lighting onto her mane, causing it to burn to cinders.
"You...Ruined...My....MAAAANE!!!" She shouted maniacally.
She gathered all the mollusks and teachers and formed a cloud around them, causing them to merge into what was appearing to be a terrifying creature of unspeakable proportions. Meanwhile, Silverstream swam to her love, who was falling unconsciously to the depth. As she treaded him to the surface as she looked for signs of a heartbeat, the cloud from afar was beginning to grow bigger and bigger.
"Unngh." Cory grunted. "S..Silverstream?"
"Oh Cory!" Silverstream cried with tears as she hugged him.
"L..Listen." He continued weakly. "You got to get out of here. It's too dangerous."
"No, I won't leave you here."
"Save yourself. Forget about this place. I have to face this myself."
"I'm not leaving without you. You hear me?! Quickly. We gotta find a way out of here."
Suddenly, the water around them shook with trembling force. A giant shape that was once Cory's enemies had plunged down. As the two looked into the surface , a large shape grew out of the abyss. Before she could think, Silverstream realized she was sitting on the head of a giant, unspeakable beast, rising like an island out of the water. It let out a rather bellowing laugh, echoing cross the landscape and vibrating the air. She grabbed Cory by her forelegs and jumped off towards a safer part of the pool. By now, Cory had gained a little more strength, but his enemies just grew stronger. The two lovers embraced each other in fear, gazing up at a malformed, hideous, Kraken like creature made out of Cozy Glow, The teachers and the students. The laugh began to fade down as the creature stared at it's prey.
"YOU PITIFUL, INSIGNIFICANT FOOL!!" Bellowed the voice. "THINKING YOU COULD JUST ESCAPE YOUR PROBLEMS WITH THE HELP OF YOUR FRIENDS!? DON'T MAKE ME GAG!! NO MATTER HOW THROUGH YOU MAY BE WITH THE PAST, IT WILL ALWAYS COME BITING BACK!!!"
The beast blew a large ball of white fire at the lovers, who dived deep and narrowly averted incineration.
"AND THE MORE YOU DIVERT IT!!!" The beast shouted. "THE STRONGER IT GETS!!"
A few more fireballs flung at them, they missed those as well.
"TIME TO SHOW YOU AND YOUR FRIEND IT'S NOT NICE TO FORGET WHERE YOU'RE FROM!!
Now a huge ball of blinding light echoed above them. Realize there was no way of escape, they embraced each other lone last time. But as the fire came just a yard from their skin, a large shield surrounded them. The two looked at each other, wondering what just happened. Somehow, Cory's horn and Silverstream's necklace interconnected with a small beam of light, creating a forcefield to protect them. Now confidence truly shined on their faces.
"AND IT'S EVEN LESS NICE TO FORGET WHO YOU CAN BE!!" The two shouted together.
Dumbfounded, the beast tried to throw one fireball after another, but the forcefield would fizzle it out each time.
"TH..THIS CAN'T BE!!" The frightened creature bellowed "HOW CAN YOU BE MORE POWERFUL THAN US!!?"
"Because I'm no longer afraid of you." Cory replied.
"That's right." Silverstream said. "His courage and our love make a force stronger than any of you big bullies can ever dream of."
"I'M GOING TO RIP YOU TO PIECES FOR SAYING THAT!!" Shouted the creature as he lurched forward. But it was pushed far back by the force field.
"I've faced my fears dead on." Cory said.
"And so did I." Silverstream added. "Losing my love is worse than anything. But I'm not afraid to go into the fire with him."
Suddenly circles of light radiated from the forcefield as the two lovers linked each other by the hooves.
"We have something far stronger than you will ever have." The two said together. "That is friendship. Friendship is love. And as long as we hold onto that, you can never take it away!"
The lights struck down on the beast, nearly pinning it into the water.
"Th..This can't be!!" The creature shouted. "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!"
"No," Cory said with confidence. "It's true love."
"I love you Cory." Silverstream said to him under tears of joy.
"I love you too Silverstream." Cory said back as he started to tear up.
And with that, the two made a huge wave of colors and light, enveloping the creature until it was no longer recognizable. Before they could comprehend, the two lovers turned into beams of light as well, merging together to become a force of great power. All was bright in it's surroundings, and then, all was quiet and calm.
Silverstream and Cory, (who had returned to his Alicorn form), opened their eyes and saw they were lying on the floor of the crystal treehouse. Yet ,the two of them were still holding hand and hoof. After a few moments of staring at the sky, catching their breath and gaining a bit more consciousness, they sat up and stared into each others eyes. Then they slowly turned their heads to make sure they were back. Everything was in it's place, just before Silverstream had left it.
"We...We did it." Cory said as a smile grew on his face.
"We won!" Silverstream added as she embraced her boyfriend .
The two laughed a sigh of relief when suddenly they heard a knock from downstairs.
"Silverstresm?! Cory!?" Said two familiar voices from below.
The two lovers looked down to see Sunburst and Sunset arriving at the treehouse, who had just picked up their essence from that spot a few moments before.
"We're up here guys!" Cory shouted down.
"Oh, thank goodness." Sunset sighed in relief. "We just heard Silverstream disappeared too."
"You gave a big scare back in the Crystal Empire Cory." Sunburst added. "But we were thankfully able to trace your energy back to this area."
"What happened to you two?" Sunset asked.
"Would you believe us if we told you?" Silverstream asked, to which they all laughed in unison.
"I think with what you two have gone through, we'd believe anything." Sunburst replied.
It was then the four of them heard a moaning sound coming from the crystal treehouse. They walked in one of the study rooms to find several shriveled up bodies of what appeared to be the teachers from before. They were skinny, wrinkled, bald and short in stature. They're breaths were full of wheezing and coughing, as if they were recovering from some trip into the mines. As for Cozy Glow, she was nowhere to be found. But above them was a deep, dank, sparkling mist that floated higher and higher into the air.
"What are these things?" Asked Sunburst.
"Well," Cory replied. "They were once bullies. Bullies that tormented me throughout a big chunk of my life. But now, they seem to be torn up shells of who they used to be."
"I remember you telling me those things." Sunset added. "And from the look on your face, it seems you really finally conquered them."
"Yeah." Cory said. "I suppose so."
"You fool!!" Said a familiar voice from the rising mist above. "You think you can defeat me for good?!!"
"It's done Cozy Glow." Said Cory. "I'm no longer under your power."
"I'll get back at your life someday!" Said Cozy Glow's voice. "I'll get back at all of Equestria!!"
And with those words, the mist disappeared over the trees and beyond the clouds.
"Should that be something we should worry about?" Sunburst asked.
"Nah." Cory replied. "Not for me. When she returns I will totally be ready. We'll all be ready."
Their attention focused back on the pathetic creatures.
"Shouldn't we help them out?" Silverstream asked.
Cory looked at the bodies that were once his tormentors. At first, a fireball of rage filled his stomach. But then he remembered Sheldon Stiffson, and his willingness to reform, and the fire began to sizzle down. Suddenly the creatures began to move in a squeamish way. One of them stared up at Cory with sunken in eyes.
"Aagh!!" They yelled as they suddenly scurried to their hands and feet and backed into a corner.
"Get away from us!" Screamed what was once the thin teacher
"Please don't hurt us!" Shrieked what was once the fat teacher.
"Just leave us mercifully alone!" Yelled what was once the coach.
Cory couldn't believe it. They were...afraid of him. The power on them must've been so much, they couldn't take any more of it. They didn't know how to handle this power Cory had. This power of friendship, family and love inside of him. So they reacted the only way they knew how...in fear. Cory, Sunset, Sunburst and Silverstream all looked at each other. Then they took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the helpless creatures.
"It's alright," Cory said sympathetically. "Come on out."
"Did you no hear us?" The fat teacher snarled pathetically. "Get back!"
"Shhh. It's ok." Sunset said. "We're not going to hurt you."
"That's what they all say." The coach said meekly. "They tell you they wont, but..."
"It's OK." Silverstream reassured motherly. "We won't bite."
"I still smell deceit." The thin teacher said meekly.
"We...promise we won't hurt you." Cory said. It took a lot of gumption for him to say that.
"Yeah. We're here to help." Sunburst added.
Suddenly the eyes of the strange creatures changed from one of distrust to that of awe and wonder. It was as if they had mentally become children again, curious towards something they hadn't heard before.
"H...help?" The fat teacher asked awestruck.
"Yes." Silverstream reassured. "Help. You've never been helped before?"
"Well." The thin teacher thought. "I...I suppose not."
"No one has ever said they wanted to help me." The coach added.
"Well we'd be happy to give it to you." Sunburst said.
"Isn't that right Cory?" Sunset asked.
Cory thought for a bit. This was a rather tough decision. These creatures were formerly the same people that tried to kill him from the inside out. They made it their mission to do away with him. To not cease at any cost to torture him till death. Now, here they were, shells of their former selves, only wanting to scurry away from him.
At first, he felt the urge to want to put them out of their misery and turn them to stone. His horn started to charge with a spell. An anger was filling his eyes. But then, he remembered Stiffson, and the second chance he and others mercifully gave him. He wondered if he was fulfilling his promise, and whether they would fulfill that as well.
"I'd be willing to help you." Cory replied calmly as his horn eased in energy. "On the condition that you do exactly as we say."
A short silence fell around the crystal treehouse. And then...
"Anything." The pathetic creatures said all together.
And so it was, the beginning of a new journey for Cory's former foes, and possibly a new friendship.
The train chugged it's way through the icy tundras of Northern Equestria. There was not much odd weather from outside Cory's window, save for a few icy cyclones and a tuft of cold breeze. As a result, the train would be arriving at it's destination, The Crystal Empire right on Schedule.
Prince Capricore "Agees" Sparkle (or Cory, as he liked to be called), could be found in the middle car, twiddling his thumbs and taking a few agitated sighs to ease his anxiety. Today, he decided to be in his human form, as being an alicorn was still a challenge out in public, what with the wings, the four legs and the protruding horn coming out of his forehead. And though it had only been a year since he defeated Stiffson and passed the 10th grade, he felt like he had aged very much. He had grown a small goatee and bushier eyebrows, and his face had developed a few crevices, with circles under his eyes that indicated years of experience.
In addition, much had happened in Equestria since his ascension to royalty. His sister, Applebloom and friends had earned their cutie marks and had gone on many adventures to help other ponies do the same. His mother, Twilight had become a tutor to a rather talented Unicorn named Starlight Glimmer, a pony he had just started becoming acquainted with. And on top of that, a grand school of friendship had been built right next to their castle home, where creatures far and wide would come together to learn the values of unity and cooperation. He and his tag team of friends, who had been anointed as the Knights of courage, had gone on many adventures as well, spreading the word of the Arts, Theater, and Music to every end of Equestria , their world, and beyond.
But because of his rather hectic schedule, he had only just heard of the perilous adventures his adopted mother and her friends had endured over the past few months, including the ordeal with the storm king. For you see, he and his friends were stationed in Manehattan, bringing the festival of friendship to his cousin Babs Seed, as she and her family couldn't afford tickets. Not much of the city was affected by the Storm King and Tempest Shadow's invasion, save for a few dark clouds off in the distance , and the erratic change of day and night. Other than that, everything had gone smoothly for him and his pals. All had been flourishing in the world of arts, fashion, music, theater, and everything in between. Yes, life in recent months had been good to Cory: A big family, countless friends, and adventures to remember, always.
Today, Cory was to meet with Sunburst, a unicorn Twilight strongly suggested he take advanced magic lessons from. Not to mention he was the closest of friends with Starlight. As he took a few more sighs and straightened his overcoat, he felt in his satchel what appeared to be a obscure object wrapped in tinfoil. He closed his eyes in a painful way and recalled traumatized memories of abuse, neglect and hopelessness from a time he hoped he would never see again. Just then, a little earth pony with a helicopter hat was finishing his box of apple juice and tossed it over to his chair. He picked it up and, with his gaunt, bony fingers, quickly made a small pegusi figurine out of the box and straw. Then he hopped out of his seat and gave it to the young colt.
"Now what do you say?" the colt's mother asked.
"Thanks mister." the colt replied with a cute lisp.
At that moment, the train hissed to a stop. Cory gathered his things and jumped onto the station platform. It had been the first time he set foot in the crystal empire since his solo art exhibition. As he expected, not much had changed, excepting a few new building structures and the birth of his new cousin, Flurry Heart, whom he was more than eager to meet and play with. But now was a time for him to take a stroll around the empire, as he was a little early for his tutoring. He explored a few shops, and took a stroll in the park, but yet an unwarranted feeling inside of him was bubbling from his past. He couldn't quite explain it, but certainly wouldn't recommend it for any pony.
Soon, he found himself in the center of town, in front of the grand statue that was of "Spike: The Brave and Glorious." Two crystal ponies were fashioning a set of wings on the statues back, as Spike himself had just sprouted a pair several weeks ago. It was there he sat a few minutes beneath the statue, and took out a couple pain medications his doctor from the human world prescribed. In recent months, memories of his dark childhood had resurfaced, causing excruciating pain in his membrane. He took a deep breath and stared into the sky. No odd forecast today it seemed,
"Excuse me ma'am." He asked a passing crystal pony. "Can you tell me where I can find..." He reached into his pocket and took out a name. "...Sunburst?"
"Oh, of course Prince Capricore." The Pony replied "It's just a few blocks down and to the right. You can't miss it."
"Thanks."
He stuffed the pills in his pocket and headed in that direction. As he proceeded, memories of screaming and pain began to creep back into him, threatening to give him another migraine. But, remembering the breathing techniques his aunt and mother told him, he closed his eyes, inhaled a huge sum of air, and exhaled out. After repeating this 10-15 times, he found himself in front of a house with an orange roof that resembled a wizards hat.
"This must be the place." he said to himself.
Cory walked up the steps and approached a teal colored door with an insignia that resembled the bottom of a sun. After a few seconds of admiring the architecture, he tapped his bony fingers against the door. Moments later, the door opened.
"Yes?" Asked a rather shy and awkward voice. "May I help you?"
From out of the shadows emerged a gold coated unicorn with a rather unkempt orange harvest mane. His look was unsual from most ponies, as the ends of his hooves were tinted white. Adorning him was a robe as long as Cory's, patterned with celestial markings, and on the tip of his snout were a pair of old glasses that looked ages old.
"My name is Capricore." Cory replied calmly. "My mother advised I take advanced magic lessons from you?"
"Oh yes. Yes. Prince Capricore, of course." Sunburst chuckled nervously. "How could I forget? Please. Come in. Come in."
Cory wiped his shoes on the mat and walked into his new tutor's abode. as expected the medium was crystal and hard rock, yet it's style resembled a cozy hut, belonging to that of an old sorcerer from a fantasy novel. Speaking of "novel," the whole place was stacked with books, journals and scrolls of different color. On the shelves were several knick - knacks, photos, antiques, and other forget - me - nots. On the ceiling was a orange coated chandelier, glistening across the upper walls. At the far end was, what he assumed to be Sunburst's studies, a large, spacious desk, with a lamp to compliment the edge.
"Starlight tells me you're into antiques." Cory said softly as he took out an object from his satchel. "So I decided to give you this."
With his horn of magic, a curious Sunbrust unwrapped the tinfoil to appear what appeared to be a green, antique lamp dating from the turn of the century, it was then sunburst look of awe turned to excitement.
"Sweet Celestia!" He said excitingly "Is this a chartreuse, banquet lamp?!"
"I suppose." Cory responded blandly.
"Do you know how rare this is? How did you find it?"
"Well, when they were rummaging through what was one the orphanage I lived in, they decided that I hold onto anything they could salvage. But it's just bad memories for me. So I'm giving them away, if you don't mind."
"Are you kidding me!?" Sunburst chuckled. "Of course not! This is just what I need for my collection!!"
Sunburst gleefully went across the room and placed the item in a space between two other bookends on a shelf. As he did, Cory felt a little relief, as if a memory had been taken out of him for good.
"That was so thoughtful of you." He said.
"I'm just glad I don't have to look at it anymore." Cory replied, to which Sunburst gave a puzzled look, but soon shrugged it off.
"So I suppose we shall begin?" Sunburst replied.
"I'm more than eager to learn." Cory replied.
"After you Prince Capricore."
"Please, Call me Cory."
It was the lunch hour at Canterlot High. Everyone was enjoying a nicely special meal cooked up by lunchlady Granny Smith and the loyal staff. Cory could be found sitting with all his old friends as well as Sunset Shimmer and the rest of her crew. But today, they were the only ones who weren't enjoying their meal. Instead, they found themselves staring worriedly at Cory, who was meticulously making a strange structure out of his mashed potatoes and baked crepes, using a fork as his chisel. His skin had become more pale from the lack of sleep, and his hair had become more frizzled and unkempt. In addition, his fingernails had grown to an abnormal size.
As he slightly messaged his lips with his tongue, and carefully concentrated on his work, not noticing his friends were attentively watching him. Finally, they saw what he was carving: an abstract statue of Sunset Shimmer in her demon form. The human mane 6 couldn't think of what to say as this reminded them of an event when they first used their powers. Even Twilight, who wasn't present at the event, felt speechless.
"Umm...Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash said as she tried to intervene.
"I think I'll just go and get some more fruit." Fluttershy replied, to which she scooted out of her seat and walked over to the lunch counter.
It was at that moment Cory looked up at his friends, with the most sheepish of eyes. Joanna, Tony, and Camden, who were sitting the closest to him, walked over to examine his work, much to Sunset's discomfort.
"Guys?" He said to them slowly. "I do not like it when you are invading my personal space.
"We're just a little worried about you is all." Katherine commented.
"Yeah you've been very reserved, and have talked very little in the past few days." Camden added. "It just breaks our hearts to watch you revert to who you used to be."
"Plus we miss going on those adventures like we did after Celestia anointed us." Tony added.
Cory said nothing. He just blankly stared at them. It had become usual for him to remain silent, as his mind had been preoccupied with restless sleep and the urge to enhance his level of power. He slowly turned his head around and looked at Sunset Shimmer.
"Suuunnset?" He asked slowly.
"Yes Cory?" She replied.
"Why didn't you tell me you looked so frightening as a raging she-demon and then turn all the students into mindless drones?"
"How did you know what I looked like?"
"I was fumbling through the school yearbooks last week."
"Yeah!!" Pinkie Pie added excitedly. "It was so amazing! You should've seen it. See, when she put that crown thingy, this huge cloud of stuff went around her and she grew about five times her size, and then ripped a hole in the wall, and then she made a bunch of students zombies, and then she tried to rid of us, but we got it to work against her and then..."
"WE KNOW THE WHOLE STORY PINKIE!!!" Everyone at the table shouted.
"Oh, you do?" She replied.
"Yes, you told us it a thousand times after Cory defeated Stiffson." Joanna added.
"It's something I really like to keep at the back of my head." Sunset shimmer added shamefully.
"No need to." Cory said gently. "Come to think of it, if it hadn't been for you, I probably would've killed myself."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, my mother had to defeat you didn't she? So she and her friends wielded their power and made a huge light in the sky, which I was able to see from my window. You kind of made them do it. You were, in a sort of cosmic way, responsible for me being alive today."
A small, rather comforting smile ran across Sunset's face as a little tear left her eye.
"If you wish," Cory continued. "I can make it into how you looked when Twilight here became a demon..."
"Uh, no thank you." Sunset said nervously. "I think you should eat a little. You're kind of shaking from lack of food."
And so he did, though not without his friends feeling worried. After lunch, and another class period, Cory and his six friends found themselves back in the hallways. Cory was still ruminating on his memories from his younger days. Surprisingly, a majority of them involved water, though obviously not in a pleasant way. Even when he stopped at a water fountain, he had to close his eyes so as not to see the puddle of liquid that fell on the floor when drinking. So he tried to keep his mind busy by talking to his friends about recent happening in the school, such as the new AV club, the student body council, and of course, the new School of arts that had been founded a year ago by Luna. Yet, for some reason, he was bothered by the lighting in the hallways. bright lights had become a recent nuisance to him, and he couldn't figure out why. So he put his sunglasses and bowed his head down, trying to listen in on the conversation.
"Has anyone here been able to catch that recent showing of Daring Do III? I hear it's a blast to watch!!" Said Katherine.
"Yeah, but I hope it stays more true to what it's based on." Said Joanna.
"Which one was it based off again?" Asked Tony.
"I think it was THE GRIFFINS GAUNTLET!" Camden commented. "I'm not sure. They sort of took some source materials from other volumes. But it is fun to see."
Cory just walked silently and listened to them. As Tony had said, it had been awhile since he had gone out with his friends. And besides, the mall, which was where the main movie theater was located, was far too bright and irritating for Cory's eyes. It was at that moment human Twilight and Sunset came down the hall towards them.
"Hey Twilight!!" They all said together
"Hey guys!!" She said. "I hope Cory's ready for his next project to work on."
"What is it?" Cory asked.
"Oh, you'll be creating a mural for our swim club." She replied.
Cory's heart dropped when she said this.
"Did you just say swim club?" He asked nervously.
"Uh, yeah." Twilight replied. "Is there a problem with that?"
"Uh, no not at all." Cory replied as he tried to hide his real emotions. "It's just, maybe I could do it when the water isn't in the pool? You know, just so the paint won't drip.
"Come on Cory it's not like..." Sunset Shimmer tried to say as she caressed her hand on her arm. But it was at that moment her eyes turned blank white again.
At that moment a new memory burned through her head. It was Cory, yet again at a young age. Only this time, he was wading in the pool inside Stiffson Academy. Above him were rows of obnoxiously bright lights; too bright for even the most disciplined of minds. His nearly naked body was skinny, brittle, and weak, as if it could be broken by the slightest touch.
As he helplessly kicked his feet and flapped his arms in the air to stay afloat, a few rather burly looking students, who were also in the pool, just stared at him and laughed at his misfortune.
"Well, Well, Well." Said one of them. "It looks like the loser is trying to figure out how to swim."
"Why don't we give him a lesson in how to be part of a swim club." Another Suggested.
Without even a warning, the other students dunked his head underwater with their hands. Cory tried in vain to push himself back to the surface, but several feet and hands just kicked and punched him back down. It was at that moment a loud ear piercing whistle could be heard above. Everyone took their positions in a perfectly straight formation. Cory had barely pushed himself to the surface when the whistle was heard again. Everyone kicked forward and pushed Cory into the back. Now Cory was submerged once more. He barely had the strength to even push himself up a few feet. Finally, he gave in to the waters, and slowly sank to the bottom.
Moments later, two pairs of arms from the surface lifted him up. It was Jolene and Rachel, who had left behind to do janitorial work because they were labeled "too weak." With the sweet kiss of life, Rachel carefully placed him on the ground and blew into his mouth, while Jolene performed a little bit of CPR. After a few agonizing minutes, Cory coughed out a mouthful of water. He looked up at the ceiling, which was still blazing bright from the LED's. He could barely move and his eyes were blood red from the chlorine. So his two friends picked him and carefully dragged him out of the poo room. It was then the memory stopped, and Sunset let go of Cory's arm.
"Oh," She said. "I see. You know what? You don't need to..."
"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF MY HEAAAAAAAAD!!!!!" He shouted at her.
The rest of the students nearby just looked at him bewilderingly. They did not expect this out of one of their best friends. Cory just looked around, shocked as well, and a little embarrassed.
"I do apologize." He said as he calmed himself down and fixed himself up. "I think I should get some help."
And with that, he ran down the other side of the hallway and towards Vice-Principal Luna's office.