Chapters From Nowhere to Equestria
Nowhere, Kansas was normally a quiet place, even for the American mid-west. The only sounds to be heard were the blowing wind and the rhythmic creaking of the old windmill next to the farmhouse. Evenings this time of year were rarely eventful. In fact, the most eventful thing Courage looked forward to this time of day was dinner. He sat with an eager grin on his face, occasionally jumping up to catch a glimpse of the cooking pot on the stove.
Tonight, Muriel was cooking up some of her home made roast beef and family-secret sauce. It was legendary and not a soul outside the Bagge family knew how to make it. It had to be made cooked slowly, or else all the vinegar would simply boil away and take the divine flavor with it.
“I know you’re getting hungry, Courage,” Muriel said to try to calm her dog, “but Eustace will be back any minute and then we can get started.”
The only response Muriel received was a pitiful whine from a hungry dog. Courage remembered overhearing that Eustace went in to town to run some errands, but with him, there’s no telling when he would come back. Courage started to worry that Eustace would never return. If he never came back, they would never eat again. If they never ate again, they would starve and Courage would lose Muriel. The dark worrying fears started to overtake Courage, as they usually did, but a familiar sound cleared them all away.
A low growling sound punctuated by crunching dirt and squealing brakes set Courage’s fears to rest. He knew this sound as Eustace’s truck pulling into the driveway and parking for the day.
“Fancy that,” Muriel said as she peered out the kitchen window, “Eustace is back just in time for dinner.” She returned to the stove to continue stirring the beef sauce. Courage let out an excited cheering yip because he knew that delicious food was coming very soon. “Why don’t you go on out and let him know, Courage?”
Courage nodded in acknowledgement and headed outside to relay the message. It was a short trip from the kitchen to the parking spot for the truck, but Courage was motivated enough to push past his feeling of hunger and tell Eustace the good news.
Upon reaching the truck, however, something stopped Courage from approaching. Something big was in the bed, something that had Eustace in an unexpectedly good mood. As Eustace stepped out of the cab he had a gleeful chuckle in his voice. He lowered the tailgate and gave the large box in the bed a joyous hug.
“I know you’re gonna be worth every penny, beautiful!” The man was as excited as a man his age could physically get, but his demeanor spoke volumes. Given Eustace’s history with Courage, whatever was in the box was almost guaranteed to be bad for Courage. The worrying thoughts began to return to the nervous pooch.
What did Eustace get while he was out? A dog-eating python? A giant fighting mecha-robot? An even bigger, scarier Ooga Booga Booga mask? Courage could only shake in terror at what was to come from opening that box. While he was distracted by the thoughts that had gripped his mind with fear, Courage almost failed to notice that it had suddenly gotten dark. This was not from the setting sun. Something was blocking the sun in the sky, covering Courage with its monstrous shadow. It was Eustace trying to hand-carry the giant crate from the truck to the house, but to Courage, it was a huge object about to come crashing down on top of him.
This was enough to snap courage out of his trance with a shriek of terror, every hair on his body standing up on end. It also motivated Courage to run back inside to safety. Surprised by the sudden scream from the panicked dog, Eustace almost lost his balance but did not drop the heavy package. Courage bolted before Eustace even caught a glimpse of him.
“Stupid dog,” Eustace grumbled after regaining his balance. “Muriel! Get the door!” he barked, “I got something big comin’ in!”
Back in the kitchen, Muriel was almost done setting the table for the evening meal, humming a soft Scottish folk tune while she did. Courage’s sudden and hysterical entrance interrupted the gentle atmosphere of the kitchen. As Courage would normally do, he tried to warn Muriel about the encroaching danger outside his home. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak a language humans could understand. His babbling in dog barks was rushed and unfocussed. Even if Muriel could understand him, it would still be a slur of rushed gibberish.
“Good boy, Courage,” Muriel remarked, blissfully unaware of what Eustace was doing, “Soon, we’ll all enjoy my aunt Gertrud’s roast beef surprise.”
“Forget the roast beef!” Courage whined in protest as he tugged at his ears in frustration.
Unsure of what to do now, the only thing Courage could think to do was check up on how close the large crate was to Muriel. He was frightened at the prospect of heading toward the giant package again, but if it meant protecting Muriel, he would have to brave that unknown. As Courage reached the front door to start tracking Eustace and the box again, the door knob jiggled and twisted, but did not open.
“I just know something bad is going to happen,” Courage fretted to himself as he nervously reached for the door knob. He wouldn’t get far before he was proven right.
Without warning, the door flew open, almost knocked from its rusty hinges, pinning Courage to the wall behind it. Eustace had kicked the door open as hard as his elderly body would allow, his scrawny arms still struggling to carry the heavy package from the truck.
“Muriel!” Eustace called out in frustration, “I told ya to get the door!” He struggled to get the box to fit through the narrow doorway, but his small figure made it possible.
It took Courage a while, but he managed to wriggle out from behind the door. Flat as he was, it was still a struggle. The stars were still dancing in front of his eyes, preventing him from clearly seeing the world around him. Before he could regain his bearings, he was flattened once again by the sole of Eustace’s shoes.
From where he lay, Courage could barely make out being called a stupid dog, but Muriel’s surprised “Oh, my” was all too familiar to him. Looking around with his one good eye, the living room was somewhat different. The television set was nowhere to be seen and in a small farm house, small changes were rarely unnoticed. Of course, large changes made the timid Courage all the more uneasy. The large box was just a few feet from his face.
Reacting on pure instinct, Courage’s fear of the unknown had him fleeing behind Muriel who now stood confused as to just what it was that Eustace brought into the house.
“Eustace…” Muriel began with a tone resembling that of a scolding mother, “I thought you were going out for a few supplies.” She put her hands on her hips to convey her disapproval of her husband’s most recent shenanigans. Eustace wasn’t paying her any mind. He was too preoccupied prying the wooden crate open.
“Yeah, yeah,” Eustace replied dismissively, “I took care of it.” He had finally freed the top panel of the crate, allowing him to view its contents directly. Muriel still couldn’t make out what was in the box that had her husband so excited, so she approached for a better view. Courage stayed no more than a dog’s arm length behind her knee.
All too eager to properly lay eyes on his new possession, Eustace pried the front face of the crate away to reveal it to its new home. Muriel had to sidestep the path of the panel to avoid being hit. Courage had to react quickly to avoid being flattened again.
Once the packing material cleared away, the precious cargo inside was revealed to the small Kansas family. Muriel immediately realized what had Eustace so happy and she was not surprised one bit. Courage, on the other hand, had never seen a flat-screen television set before. Its immense size compared to the small television set made Courage feel so much smaller and helpless standing before it. Its slick black face devoid of any features save the reflection of a frightened pink dog made Courage both wonder and fear what it was capable of doing to him.
“Eustace, how much did this cost us?” Muriel asked in an accusatory tone, her hands returning to her hips.
“Ya can’t put a price on happiness, woman,” Eustace replied as he tore the rest of the crate down. Muriel knew that she wasn’t going to get anything accomplished arguing with her husband.
“Well, since you’re back, come get supper before it gets cold.” Muriel returned to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner for it to be served. As she expected, Eustace was ignoring the call for supper that Courage always loyally answered.
“Right now, Eustace,” Muriel emphasized, knowing that he usually complied the second time. As usual, he grumbled as he reluctantly walked to the kitchen.
As Courage followed behind Eustace, he shot one last glance at the device still half crated and buried in packing material. Its eerie stillness just gave Courage a sinking feeling that he just couldn’t explain.
***
Dinner had calmed Courage’s uneasiness. He now sat in Muriel’s lap half asleep from the rhythmic rocking back and forth. Muriel was keeping herself occupied by reminiscing old family memories. Eustace was busy tinkering with the new television setup. He struggled to make the power cord reach the only available outlet, but nothing could deter him now.
Without warning, the large screen of the television flashed to life, snapping Muriel and Courage out of both their respective trances. Muriel awoke with a slightly startled ‘Oh my’, while Courage jumped from his seat in a near panic. He found himself clinging to Muriel’s upper arm quivering in fear from the suddenness of what just happened.
“Come now, Courage, it’s alright,” Muriel reassured the frightened pup. Courage was still reluctant to relax his guard around Eustace’s new device.
Once the TV had tuned into the first signal it could find, Muriel was oddly fixated on what was playing on the screen.
“Oh, look Courage,” Muriel said with unusual glee, “Looks like we found something you and I can enjoy on the tele.” Normally it was Eustace who was happy to watch TV, not Muriel or Courage.
Courage was still shaken, but stable enough to check Muriel’s claim for himself. Once he did work up the nerve to face the thing that just startled him silly, even he was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.
It was a TV show alright, but it was unlike anything Courage had ever seen before. The image quality was so sharp and detailed the old TV couldn’t hold a candle to it. The characters depicted looked like something out of a children’s story book. The rich bright colors were soothing and inviting enough to calm Courage from his fear. In fact, he felt a strange sense of happiness wash over him he had never felt before. Without even realizing, Courage had settled back into Muriel’s lap. Even Muriel herself was enthralled by the cartoon horses having fun in their fantasy land.
“Oh, that pink one is such a goofball, isn’t she Courage?” Muriel felt so gleeful as she and Courage discovered the first broadcast that potentially the whole family could enjoy. Courage nodded in agreement as he let out a joyous chuckle as he drank in the sight of the adorable equines.
“What’d I miss?” Eustace asked eagerly as he emerged from behind the TV, “What’s the score?” He returned to his armchair to see what his handy work would yield for himself.
“Wait…” Eustace said as he adjusted his glasses, trying to identify the picture before him, “this ain’t the game. Where’s the game?” Eustace didn’t get a response from the other two as they were already entranced by the show that was on. He simply grumbled and started rifling through a smaller box full of miscellaneous hardware and manuals.
A few moments later, the channel unexpectedly changed. Eustace was sitting in his armchair, remote in hand and sifting through the hundreds of channels searching for something that would please him instead.
“Eustace,” Muriel snapped, “we were watching that.” Courage and Muriel both shared the same look of disapproval at Eustace’s thoughtless act.
“Well I’ve got the remote,” Eustace retorted as he held up the ergonomic instrument for them to see, “and I say we’re watching the game.” The stubborn old man had no intention of relinquishing his new favorite toy to his wife and some stupid dog. Muriel had had enough of Eustace’s behavior for one evening.
“If you’re going to be that way,” Muriel began as she got up from her rocking chair, “you’ll just have to watch the game without us. Come on Courage, let’s go to bed.” Eustace simply dismissed his wife’s passive aggression with a wave of his hand and an irritated grunt. He was still sifting through channels as Eustace and Muriel got ready for bed.
Courage paused ant took one last look at the new TV, depressed that his moment of bliss was so short-lived. He still wanted to watch the pony show that gave him that unrivaled feeling of happiness. Still, it was late and Courage liked being with Muriel more than Eustace anyway. He whined forlornly in disappointment as he followed Muriel to bed.
***
Midnights in Nowhere, Kansas were only sometimes as eventful as the day time. Many unfamiliar sounds made themselves known this time of night. One such sound reached Courage’s ears, waking him from a sound sleep. A sharp whistle followed by deep thundering sound. One eye was instantly open, scanning the master bedroom for any trace of the sound’s origin. Courage’s uneasiness had stirred him awake, but Muriel was still asleep, undisturbed by the near inaudible noises. Having a dog’s hearing sometimes had its disadvantages.
With just enough bravery to override his paralyzing fear, Courage ventured beyond the safety of the bedroom to investigate what that sound he heard was. As he slowly traversed the hall, another sound stopped him in his tracks. The closest comparison was a hissing snake followed by a screaming woman. With a nervous gulp, Courage pushed past his fears and pressed on. Every fiber of his being was telling him to retreat rather than head towards the noises. Still, he had to know if his owners were in danger.
Courage had been in the living room more times than he could count, but scarcely ever in the dead of night. The TV was still on, an old western movie playing before an absent audience. Suddenly, a sound like a rusty engine grinding to life, but quickly smothered by a wet blanket. Courage had to muffle his panicked scream, but quickly realized that Eustace was still in his chair. He was slumped over, snoring slowly but regularly. Courage breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he had found the source of the sounds.
As Courage turned to leave, something caught his eye. The remote was still in Eustace’s hand, nearly ready to fall out onto the rough wood plank floor beneath. Courage remembered the cartoon he saw earlier and reminisced about the time he had just hours ago. He thought about changing the channel to find it again and figured that since Eustace was fast asleep, he probably wouldn’t wake up now. The reward was well worth the risk he would have to take.
The rolling pin from the kitchen was roughly the same shape and weight of the dauntingly complex new remote. Courage was careful not to wake Eustace with the slightest movement. With a steady but still nerve-wracked paw, Courage began the delicate task of sliding the remote out while sliding the rolling pin in. He was nearly done when Eustace suddenly shifted.
Eustace rolled from one side of his chair to the other, his hand now gripping the rolling pin tightly. As he did, the remote went sailing through the air, threatening to hit the floor and awaken the sleeping beast that was Eustace Bagge. A dexterous dog tongue managed to keep the silence and catch the remote before the consequences could be suffered. Still nervous about moving even one inch, Courage peered to observe Eustace before deciding to reel in his catch. The beast still slumbered.
It was his second sigh of relief of the night and it was even more relieving than the first. It didn’t take Courage long to find the channel with his new favorite show. It was a different episode this time, but the familiar aesthetic, the cheerful tunes and bright colors were more than enough to make Courage forget about what a risk he was taking. Without warning, Courage was hoisted by the scruff of his neck and found himself face to wrinkly face with Eustace.
“So, you like my new TV, do ya dog?” asked Eustace in a somewhat sinister tone. Courage could only meekly nod as he struggled against Eustace’s grip.
“Well that one’s mine,” Eustace barked as his bony finger pointed out his new possession, “I got one just for you,” Eustace said as he made his way to the front door.
Eustace may have been a frail old man, but his good punting leg could still easily put a small dog fifty yards down range. Courage screamed throughout his trajectory, partly from the pain of being kicked, partly from the sensation of flying that was unnatural for dogs. The landing was no better than the freefall, face first next to the discarded television set and house garbage.
“And don’t touch my TV again!” came the shout from the front porch. “Stupid girly pony show. And on my brand new TV!” The slamming screen door silenced any more of the old man’s shallow complaints.
After Courage regained his bearings, he took a look at the farm house and considered returning, but now that Eustace was awake, there was no chance of getting back in without receiving more of his abuse. A sense of despair and hopelessness started to cover Courage like a heavy blanket that only made things colder. He may never get to see the colorful ponies again. Or so he thought.
Glancing at the old TV set, Courage noticed it was still in pretty good shape. It was no worse than the first time he could remember seeing the thing. Either Eustace was careful moving it out or it was an incredibly rugged set. Courage also recalled that Eustace finally cleared out his workshop of all the broken and cheap tools and threw them away. The pieces were all coming together into a plan in Courage’s head. If he could get the old TV working again, he could possibly see the cartoon ponies again.
With new found vigor, Courage hoisted the old TV and garbage bag full of tools and headed to the base of the windmill. There was an access panel that could be used to draw power for the old TV.
Through ingenuity and painful trial and error, Courage found the correct way to splice into the windmill’s power lines and energize the old television. He knew he would get limited reception and only in black and white, but the promise of the ponies gave Courage more than enough hope to overcome the daunting task before him.
Suddenly, the TV sparked to life. It was static, but it was a start. Courage gave an enthusiastic cheer and began fine tuning the buzzing speaker box and channel knob. His hope soared as he found a sweet spot at channel 10. It was relatively clear images of the ponies he had come to adore so fondly. His work was done. Now he could relax in relative comfort and enjoy his new favorite pastime. At least, he would if the TV hadn’t started behaving strangely.
The black and white image momentarily became colorized before returning to its original grayscale. Puzzled, Courage approached the set to verify that he had set it up correctly and not missed any crucial part of keeping it running. Before he could inspect the TV, however, the screen changed to a collage of shapeless colorful forms. The dialog of the episode became a strange tangle of soft but incoherent voices. Courage was still approaching the TV, but not of his own will. He was being pulled towards it like a whirlpool sucking a helpless boat.
His scrawny dog paws lost grip as the pull became stronger. His sense of fear grew as the voices became louder and more entangled. His desire to return to the safety of Muriel grew as his fear of the unknown eclipsed every instinct he possessed. He called out to Muriel for help, but in her state of sleep, it was no use. Out of desperation, he dug his dull teeth into the ground in a feeble attempt to remain grounded. He succeeded only in leaving tooth-shaped grooves in the ground.
An instant later, Courage was yanked from the world he knew and thrown into a swirling chaotic void of madness. Images of things from his world and others passed all around, layering over and through each other in a confusing mess. It certainly did not help that he had no control over his movements through the sea of creatures, structures and voices through which he passed at speeds he could not comprehend. His screams blended in seamlessly with all the madness around him.
As quickly as it started, he found himself falling in a more familiar way. It was still terrifying, but crashing through a wooden barn roof meant he was back in reality. The landing was uncomfortable, but once Courage shook the stars from his eyes, he could try to parse what just happened.
Looking around, he saw what he thought was the inside of Eustace’s barn, but the layout was different. Confused and a bit frightened, Courage explored the new world where he now found himself. Everything smelled and looked different. There was not a soul to be found, but he had a sinking feeling that all the frightening things were outside the wooden walls, just waiting to find him.
From the silence came what sounded like footsteps, more than one pair by Courage’s judgement. “Oh no,” Courage silently fretted, “What do I do?” His nervous whine was barely audible over his shaking on the hay-covered ground. There weren’t many hiding places and the footsteps were quickly approaching the only door to the barn.
As the heavy barn door swung open, Courage made the snap judgment to hide behind a large support beam hoping he would not be spotted. It was a reassuring move, if only for a moment. Now he felt trapped, alone and helpless. The footsteps approached, but stopped just short of Courage’s hiding spot.
“Oh, dang brittle britches,” a frustrated female voice said, breaking the silence, “I told Rainbow Dash to keep her stunt flyin’ away from my property. Why don’t that pony ever listen?” This voice sounded upset, possibly because of the damage that Courage caused with his entrance. Once again, thoughts of fear took over Courage’s mind, keeping him frozen in place, but shaking more nervously than ever. What twisted monstrosity or evil now knew of his presence? All sorts of image were conjured in the frightened dog’s mind, each one worse than the last.
“Rainbow, is that you?” the voice asked, directed at Courage’s position. Fear gave way to panic as Courage’s heart and mind raced without control. There was no more time to think. The footsteps were mere inches away from Courage as a strange creature’s face peered into the narrow hiding space. Whatever happened next, Courage’s next move would decide his fate here in Equestria.
The footsteps were drawing closer, Courage’s heart was pounding faster and terror once again kept him in place shaking nervously. He was afraid to look anywhere in case he laid eyes on his worst fears. Regardless, they always seemed to find him one way or another.
Courage felt a presence looking into his hiding place. A quick glance upward revealed a pale orange face and the largest lime-green eyes the small dog had ever seen. The imposing hat on its head only made it look bigger. Its muscular form meant it was all business and never lost a fight. The dirt on its face probably meant it had been places Courage could not even imagine.
Acting on his most animal instinct, Courage let out a scream that managed to startle the orange behemoth. “Woah, nelly!” it reacted, taken aback by his outburst. He ran for the exit, unsure if he was being pursued, but at this point, he was powerless against his instincts. The barn door was still wide open, but this did not stop Courage from leaving a fleeing dog-sized hole in the wall next to it.
Running as fast as his little legs could take him, he passed by several wooden fence enclosures. Each had a wide variety of animals Courage had never seen before. Each one was at least twice his size and made sounds from another world. His acute sense of smell would have been overwhelmed if panic wasn’t dictating where his efforts were focused.
“Applebloom!” a voice called out in the distant right, “One of the pigs got out!” He couldn’t tell where the voice was, but it sounded aged, ragged and angrier than the first he met.
“I’m on it granny!” replied yet another voice. This time, it was worryingly close to where he was. Through the planks of the fence, he caught a glimpse of something truly worrying. It was just like the one in the barn, only about half its size, but twice as threatening with the lasso of rope twirling above its head. Courage could only think of running in the exact opposite direction from the yellow beast with blood-red hair.
A tightness around his waist brought Courage to a lurching stop. He had been lassoed by the little yellow one, her orange-pink eyes looking at him menacingly. “I got ‘im!” it exclaimed through the rope in its mouth. Perhaps she wanted to make a meal out of him, Courage feared. He tried to run, but the rope was stronger than he was. He was being dragged back to an unknown fate. Fortunately, courage, when properly summoned, always quelled panic and granted strength to overcome adversity.
Once he was back on his feet, Courage started a game of tug-of-war, playing for his freedom. He was pretty evenly matched until he noticed more of his opponent’s friends were quickly approaching. The initial orange one was galloping at full speed, more determined than ever to catch Courage. “Hang on Applebloom!” she called out, “We’re a’comin’!”
In addition, a red one, taller and even more muscle bound than the first, was not far behind. Courage could almost feel the ground shake with each stomp of his mighty hooves. The ferocity in both their eyes pierced Courage like a javelin. If they caught up to him…
With newfound motivation to pull harder than ever, Courage wrenched his would-be captor from her stance and loosed the rope from her mouth. Courage also lost his footing, but only for an instant. Adrenalin still coursing through his veins, he made his way toward a grove of trees, hoping to lose his pursuers. He dared not look back, only his will to survive remained from the encounter.
***
The beating in his ears was still his racing heart, but it was beating from exertion, not fear. The former had worn off almost twenty minutes ago. Courage was running so hard for so long that he was nearly ready to collapse. His sprint had gradually slowed to a lazy jog and he was sweating like crazy. His tongue was dragging behind him like the length of rope still tied around his waist. He still panted heavily as he fell flat on his stomach, too exhausted to move.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he had not eaten since dinner last night. His latest trek had expended what little energy he had left. He knew that he had to find food soon. Fortunately, he would not have to wait very long.
His moment of rest was interrupted by a soft thud just a few feet from where he stood. This small stimulus reignited his panic mode as he emitted a shriek and he felt compelled to climb the wide tree trunk for safety. Only a few feet up, however, he observed his surroundings and noted that he was alone. It was just him and a lone apple on the ground.
Courage recognized an apple anywhere and he knew they were not dangerous. With this in mind, he cautiously approached to inspect the slightly bruised fruit. It looked like an apple, smelled like one too. A quick lick made Courage believe more and more that this was just a simple apple. Feeling confident enough to bite into it, he instantly tasted the sweet juices held within.
He had been calmed from his hysteria and was able to enjoy a small meal from the apple. Still hungry for more, he looked around for more, but could find none. He found the answer once he looked skyward: they had not yet fallen from the tree. Hopeful for more, he jumped as high as his legs could launch him, but he was nowhere near close enough. This did not erode his determination as he turned to the trunk for a solution.
It was too large to scale or climb and pushing and beating it turned out to be fruitless. Out of frustration, Courage gave the tree a head butt, trying to think of anything to get more food from the tree. The soft thud happened again. This time, Courage only flinched when it landed. That’s when a bright idea came to Courage.
With a running start, he charged the trunk of the tree headfirst. He was screaming in anticipation of the impact, willing to take the hit for the promise of more of those sweet apples. A bone-jarring hit against the tree made stars dance in front of his eyes, but they cleared with a quick shake of the head. Looking around, about a dozen fresh apples lay about waiting to be claimed. Courage let out a cheerful yip, then collected the rewards of his effort.
After gorging himself, Courage had almost completely forgotten about the danger from which he was running just minutes earlier. He was reminded by distant sounds. His acute hearing picked up several footsteps and voices to accompany them. They sounded hauntingly familiar. “Come on now y’all,” one spoke, “We’ll get this varmint before sundown.” The pack was closing in on him.
Within moments, Courage began to feel like a cornered animal. “What do I do now?” Courage fretted as he struggled to come up with a plan of action. Running was simply not enough. They would just catch up to him again. Courage noticed that he still had the rope tied around his waist. A new plan was brewing…
***
Not long after Courage was finished setting up, his four-legged pursuers were very near. Courage’s hiding spot prevented him from getting a good view of all of them, but he gleamed enough by the glimpses he did get. The leader of the group was a pale green with platinum-white hair, probably from decades of aging. Her wrinkled skin emphasized her frowning expression and narrowed eyes. She was sniffing the ground where Courage had trodden, a behavior that Courage himself exercised when tracking a scent.
The large red one gave him the impression of an angry muscular bull. He was carrying what looked like a folded-up net on his back. He too was keeping a sharp eye out for Courage, waiting to sound the alarm and catch his prey. Each step he took made an audible thump in the ground making him more intimidating the closer he got. His eerie silence made Courage fear this particular one even more.
The orange one was not quite as large, but still frustrated at having been given the slip once before. Was her large hat a status symbol among the gang? Was she the actual leader? She stood at the center of the formation, perfect for orchestrating movements and issuing commands to a small group of hunters.
Completing the spectrum was a relatively small hunter with what looked like a butterfly net. Small as it was, Courage’s body could still conceivably fit inside the netted part. He preferred not to test his discouraging theory.
Finally, they were positioned perfectly to spring his plan. Courage leapt from his hiding spot into the open between two tall trees. He barked loudly, waving his arms in a bid to get their attention. It worked.
“There he is!” shouted the orange one, pointing a fingerless arm in his direction. The red one unfurled his net and handed the other end to his orange partner. They were coordinated and intended to use the net to capture Courage. Normally, Courage would be hoofing it in the opposite direction, but his mind was clear now. He was focused and able to strafe the group darting behind trees to keep out of sight.
A few moments later, he was now behind the group. They had just caught up to his last location. He let out a howl loud enough to be heard a mile away. Once again, they turned and face him and close the distance. They charged, kicking up a cloud of dust as they ran. Courage made use of this makeshift concealment, but he was spotted behind a cloud that dissipated rather quickly.
Another emergence from cover split the group’s attention. The group was sufficiently fragmented and disorganized that Courage could spring the final phase of his plan.
A quick burst of barks to get their attention and all four sets of eyes were upon him. Courage squared off against the hunters, making his scrawny body look as big as he could manage. He barred his teeth and growled as aggressively as he could. He wanted them to charge this time.
“Come on Big Mac!” called the orange one, “We got him now!” The pair of net bearers reorganized and moved to envelop Courage in their trap. They were truly convinced that they had the upper hand and that they were going to emerge the victors. Courage had to time his next move perfectly, lest his careful planning go to waste.
“Wait!” called the elderly green one as loudly as she could manage, “Stop!” Only the smallest one had the sense to listen to elderly wisdom.
“Why stop, Granny?” the little one asked, “AJ and Big Mac got ‘im cornered!” Her answer would come in a surprising form.
With lightling-quick movements, Courage grabbed a piece of rope that was lying by his feet and gave it a tremendous yank. The hind legs of the charging hunters shot upward, taking them both by complete surprise. Courage had ensnared them in a rope trap that was well-hidden until now. The length of rope used to catch Courage had been repurposed as a countermeasure against his adversaries.
It was so unexpected that they dropped their net just short of Courage who was using what little body weight he had to keep them suspended. Tying his end of the rope to an exposed root, Courage darted off to safety once again. He had bought himself some time to make another escape. The hunters could only hang by their hind legs forlornly as their prey made its escape.
“That was why I said stop,” Courage heard the elder say with his superior hearing. He knew they were talking about him and no doubt were recovering to give chase once more. This time, Courage spied a way out of the endless expanse of trees. In the distance appeared to be a small town of sorts. Perhaps he could lose his pursuers for good. Whatever dangers lay ahead, Courage was willing to brave them.
***
Being in big cities compared to the farm house was like night and day for the timid Courage. So many people moving about, so many smells and sounds overwhelming hi s senses. At first, Courage was terrified to approach the crowd of horses. His previous encounter with them was less than comforting to put it lightly.
“I know I’m not going to like this,” courage said to himself as he summoned enough courage to venture into the more populated areas.
Not knowing where to go, Courage decided to follow his nose, as any dog would do. The wide variety of smells all mingling and mixing in over each other told Courage that he had found a food market. Stopping near the first stand he found, Courage curiously sniffed the orange spheres on display. They smelled strongly of citrus.
“Hey!” barked the stall keeper, “Go on, you. Shoo!” Courage turned just in time to be swatted in the nose by a rolled up newspaper. “Get away from me fruits,” he continued, getting more aggressive with his newspaper attacks. Courage had no choice but to flee and cower behind a lamp post. Once out of range, the elderly stall keeper ceased his pursuit. He simply grumbled obscenities under his breath and returned to selling his wares.
Before Courage could set out and begin his adventure again, he was blindsided by yet another attacker. From behind, Courage was grabbed by a pair of arms and squeezed tightly. His captor appeared no older than the young hunter he had evaded not too long ago. Try as he might, the child’s grasp was stronger than he was.
“Doggie!” exclaimed an excited young voice. Courage realized that he was being treated more like a stuffed animal than a pet.
“No,” Courage protested, “Let me go!” He tried to squirm and wriggle out of the vice-like grip, but it was no use.
“Good doggie!” the child cooed. She gave Courage a very rough and strong stroke from his forehead to the back of his neck. The skin that moved with the stroking arm snapped back in place like a rubber band, but it was not to last.
“I love you doggie!” Once again, she gave another stroke seemingly unaware of her own strength. She couldn’t even tell that Courage was so uncomfortable.
“Sunshine!” a stern voice called out from behind the child. The child whirled around to face the sound of the voice, still constricting Courage with her deceptively strong arms. In his new field of view, a new figure approached. Her figure was tall and lithe, but imposing. She had sharp creases in her clean dress and an elaborately done hair style. There was not a single wrinkle or mark of imperfection on her scowling face. Her deep hazel eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Courage. It was like a sinister angel come to torment Courage. He could not help but let out a nervous groan.
“I found a doggie, mommy!” the child proudly claimed as she presented Courage to her. The mother simply pushed Courage aside and turned her menacing gaze to the child. Courage felt slightly relieved, but still being held immobile was counteracting that small relief.
“You will not be bringing that thing home,” she asserted with a hint of disgust. Her tone was harsh and uncompromising. Not quite monotone like a machine, but lacking any real emotion of a living creature. Courage was starting to wonder what exactly was before him and whether he would survive.
“But mommy,” the child protested, her tone beginning to quaver, “I-”
“I said no, Sunshine.” She leaned in to drive the point home in the stubborn toddler. Her eyes narrowed further. Her body seemed to swell in size, making the child and Courage cower in a similar manner.
“But… but…” the child continued, tears welling in her eyes, “doggie!” The child’s high pitched piercing cry caused the mother to wince in pain. Courage’s dog hearing also heard the cry, but couldn’t reach his ears to cover them. He did, however, notice the mother’s reaction as she tried to massage the ringing out of her ears.
Thinking fast, Courage did the only thing he could think to do to escape: scream! With the deepest lung full of air he could get, he let loose a screeching cry matching the tone the child started to emit just moments ago. With the greatest volume he could manage, everyone in the immediate area winced and covered their ears. The child finally relented and released Courage.
Fleeing from danger once more, Courage glanced back to see the child being dragged by the ear wherever the mother pleased to take her. Thoughts of what wrath the mother would unleash left Courage’s mind as he passed several perplexed passersby, wary of any more dangerous children or demons in beautiful disguises. Perhaps he should have been looking forward.
Courage was suddenly brought to a stop by an unseen force. He felt as if he were being constricted from all possible directions. It did not help that he was not upside down and hoisted several feet off the ground. He realized he had been ensnared in a fine mesh net. He gasped in fear after he met the gaze of his newest captors.
Their eyes were hidden behind impenetrable dark shades, yet they penetrated Courage to his very core. The only differences between them were the color of their fur and how well-groomed their manes were presented. Aside from that, their uniformed look told Courage that they were working together.
“Another stray dog,” the taller one coldly remarked as he slung Courage over his shoulder. Courage stopped squirming and started shaking in fear as the shorter one lowered his shades to observe Courage directly. His eye had a trio of scars as if claws had found one of his more sensitive body parts. He scanned Courage like a jeweler appraising a fine diamond, his keen eyesight missing no detail.
“Are animals like this really worth that much?” asked the shorter one as he replaced his shades.
“They’re worth whatever they pay me to catch ’em,” replied his associate in a gruff voice. Courage began to nervously wonder who ‘they’ was. Probably a greater and more sinister evil than Courage could fathom. “Besides,” he continued, “they don’t need to be running around in the streets.” His tone was completely indifferent to Courage’s fear.
Like a rag doll, Courage was thrown into a small cage. He was ejected from the netting and landed roughly on the flat metal base forming the floor. His face rested against the cold steel bars as he struggled to regain his bearings. As he did, another figure came into focus.
“Hello there, friend,” spoke a weary-sounding voice. The face from which the voice came was clearly very old, evidenced by his one eye turned milky white. His brown fur was yielding to gray and white patches. The way he smiled at Courage showed he didn’t have a tooth in his head. Startled by this unfamiliar figure, Courage could not help but yelp and retreat to the far corner of the cage. To his dismay, the opening had already been closed.
“Do not be alarmed, little one,” the frail old creature said as he beckoned Courage to approach, “we walk the same path, you and I.”
Something about his demeanor, his choice of words, something calmed Courage’s panic. Perhaps it was his old but smooth voice that told Courage that this slender being was benign. Courage himself was shaking out of fear, but his cellmate was shaking from his body’s sheer age. Courage picked up the strong scent of a dog from his neighbor, but not much else.
“My name is Barnabas,” the old dog said, hoping to ease Courage’s tension, “What is yours?”
Courage debated whether he should respond. After all, strangers who knew Courage’s name were rarely friendly. “C- Courage,” he nervously replied, unsure of what would happen next.
“Ah, Courage,” Barnabas said, treating the name with grace, “such a poetic name. For one must have courage in abundance here in Equestria.”
“Equestria?” asked Courage. He had been to many strange places beyond the small farm house in the middle of Nowhere, but Equestria was not one of them.
“Yes, Equestria,” Barnabas explained, “within this land resides a place for animals like us. Have you heard the stories?” Courage shook his head. He had been in Equestria for less than two hours. He would have had no time to get situated in this land foreign to him, let alone time to learn about it.
“Well-” Barnabas began before the cage lurched forward. Both were taken aback by the sudden movement, but the ride soon became gentle rocking punctuated by small bumps. It was just like riding in Eustace’s old truck.
“We are on our way to paradise,” Barnabas explained as he regained his footing, “in Her gardens, She will care for us.”
“Her?” Courage asked, confused by the use of pronouns instead of names, “She??” Without a clear name, Courage started to fret again. It was that which Courage could not even name which brought him the most fear.
“Do not worry, friend,” the old dog reassured, “Fluttershy is not one to be feared.”
“No?” Courage asked, still skeptical of his friend’s claim. Still, there was something about that name that almost instantly calmed Courage down. He had certainly never heard the name ‘Fluttershy’ before, but after hearing it, calming thoughts inundated his mind, quelling his fear of the unknown.
“She is an angel,” Barnabas said, his passion never wavering, “She descended from the heavens, discovered all the animals on this humble earth and brought paradise to us.” Courage found himself riveted by this tale, smiling for the first time in true happiness since he arrived. “Animals of all kinds gather in Her gardens, for all are welcome. To meet Her is to meet the embodiment of kindness. Her words are our words, for She speaks the tongues of all creatures.”
Courage was oddly fixated on these stories, hoping that they were true and that he and his new friend could share this dream together. As Barnabas went on and on about the stories about the angel Fluttershy, all of Courage’s worries seemed to melt away. The pair even lost track of just how long the cage ride had been.
Suddenly, the cage stopped. Both dogs were knocked to the floor and the cage door opened. The same pair of shades from earlier greeted them with stone cold stares. As if by magic, the small cage containing Courage and Barnabas rose and levitated down a bleak hallway.
An array of cages lined the walls, like that of a prison, only more dimly lit. Each cage contained varying numbers of different animals. Ducks, rabbits, raccoons, large birds, snakes, and everything between and beyond. Some snarled and snapped at anything that moved while others cowered away from the cage door.
With one fluid motion, Courage and Barnabas were tossed from the small cage into the larger pen. Before Courage could stand, the cage door slammed shut and the familiar sound of a door lock engaging reached his ears, dashing any hopes he had for an escape.
A pained groan grabbed Courage’s attention. It was coming from Barnabas, who lay prone, seemingly unable to move. Fearing for his friend’s safety, Courage rushed to Barnabas’ aid.
“Are you OK?” Courage asked, fearing the worst and unsure of what exactly to do.
“I am fine, Courage,” Barnabas replied as he rose under his own strength. Courage breathed a sigh of relief. “You mustn’t worry yourself so much, my friend,” he continued after noticing Courage’s frantic pacing in place, “I have faced worse trials than this before. Whatever happens, I shall guide you through to safety.” Courage was moved by this act of selflessness he felt compelled to reciprocate.
“And I will help you,” Courage declared with pride, “I’ll help you find Fluttershy’s paradise, or my name is Matilda. And it’s not.” In response, Courage received a weak embracing hug from his newfound friend, but it was stronger than any gesture made to him before today. Wherever they were headed next, Courage had both a guardian and a good friend.
***
With no clock and only one window, time was hard to track for Courage. The best he could do was count how many meals were served to him at regular intervals. It was dry and tasteless, but it satisfied his hunger. At times, he daydreamed that he was back home in a more familiar setting. He longed for the farm house he knew so well, having lived no other life.
“Courage,” whispered Barnabas, waking Courage from a sound sleep, “Courage,” he repeated, this time more urgently. Courage groggily opened his eyes to find out why his rest was disturbed. Barnabas had the widest toothless grin he had ever worn. He struggled to hold up one of his ears. Some sound had caught his attention.
“Do you hear that?” he asked as eagerly as his feeble voice could express. Courage held up his ears to gather the sounds of his environment. At first, only the cacophony of various animals could be heard. There was nothing new as far as Courage was concerned.
As he focused his efforts into filtering them out, one sound stood out above the others. Something with harmony cut through the chaos. It was soft, but it stirred curiosity in Courage, compelling him to venture forth and investigate. With great strain, Courage peered around the corner of his cage and spied the source of the sound.
In the distance stood a radiant yellow creature, her long flowing pink hair and tail trailed behind her. Voluminous as it was, she still looked like a meek and innocent being. What stood out most were her wings. They were folded so neatly at her side, giving her the likeness of a four-legged swan. After her conversation with the orderly, she turned and started walking down the hallway. Her soft sky-blue eyes caught a glimpse of Courage sticking his face through the cage bars.
“Courage?” asked Barnabas from the cushion in the back of the cage, “Is anyone out there?” He was very eager to hear Courage’s observation. After pulling his head back through the bars, Courage went to Barnabas to tell him the news directly.
“The Angel!” Courage exclaimed, excited by the very sight of her, “She’s coming!” he cheered, pointing to the exit. Barnabas had no words. He simply widened his grin further and quivered on the edge of crying out of sheer happiness. Courage was so excited to get another glimpse that he hurried back to the cage door of her before she walked past them. He would soon get so much more than that.
Before he could reach the cage door, he was met by a pair of eyes that invoked feelings Courage could not quite describe. He stopped in his tracks, but he was not frightened, not even one bit. In fact, he felt more at peace than ever before. Her gentle smile beckoned him closer. Before Courage could finish processing his new emotions, she spoke.
“Hello there,” she said, her words simultaneously overwhelming and so soft-spoken to be nearly inaudible. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” she continued. Courage shook his head, confirming that, no, the two have never met.
Courage picked up the scent of many different animals from this one before him, but no fear of her came over him. Courage liked the way she smelled, the way all different animals mixed together in harmony. Courage gave an affectionate lick through the bars as his seal of approval to this stranger.
“Well, how would you like to go to a good home with me?” The offer sounded almost too good to be true, but something told Courage that she was genuine.
“Yes, yes! YES!” the excited pooch cheered as he danced merrily at the prospect of finding a good place to live.
“OK then, wait right here,” she said, “I’ll make a few arrangements and come back to take you home.”
Courage could not help but let out a joyous cheer, even as she walked away. He had a very good feeling about her. There would be good things to come, Courage could just feel it in his gut. Unfortunately, he was interrupted by a sobering sight.
Barnabas collapsed to the floor, groaning almost as if in pain. Courage gasped, shocked that something terrible may have happened to his friend and rushed to his side.
“Barnabas,” Courage called out, “are you OK?”
“I saw Her,” he replied weakly, “and She was beautiful…” He turned to face Courage, opening his good eye just a sliver. “You will go on to see what I will not… I am happy for you dear friend…” The gentle smile on his face was genuine. He had closed his eyes as if to take his final rest. Courage could only stand dumbfounded, unsure how to process what was happening.
“OK little one,” Fluttershy called as she opened the cage door, “it’s time to go now.” She was eager to take Courage home with her. Even though Courage still wanted what she promised, something held him back, something to do with Barnabas.
“Are you OK in there?” Fluttershy asked, confused by Courage’s sudden change in behavior, “Don’t you want to go home?” Courage did not verbally respond. Instead, with gentle arms and a steady pace, he carried the frail Barnabas and presented him to Fluttershy.
“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy softly exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock and surprise, “I didn’t even see him in there.”
Barnabas looked up, both eyes widening to see Fluttershy just a foot from his face. He was struck silent in awe, unable to believe that what his senses were telling him was true. The halo effect from an overhead light behind her head gave Barnabas the impression that he was face to face with an angel. The scents of a thousand different creatures of Equestria overwhelmed his sense of smell. From far and wide had these smells been gathered and she bore them all. Even in shock, her voice was soft and soothing, as if she was aware of his sensitive ears. Her eyes conveyed sympathy, seeing a weary old dog barely able to sit up under his own strength.
“Well, he certainly looks like he’s been through a lot,” Fluttershy said, formulating her own course of action. “OK, he can come as well.” It was like Courage had struck gold. He cheered, overjoyed that the best possible course of action was going to happen.
“You get one,” the orderly interjected.
“What?” Fluttershy asked, confused by what he meant. Courage stopped cheering, worried that his hopes would soon be dashed.
“You signed for one,” he explained, “you can take one home. The other stays here.”
Fluttershy meekly tried to push back, even begging to have an exception made, but the orderly was adamant. She had filled out paperwork and paid for a single animal to be adopted. The rest would stay until the next owner came to claim him.
Courage’s change to live a good life was in jeopardy. He would have to leave Barnabas behind if he chose to go. He couldn’t imagine parting ways with Barnabas; his friendship with him was just too precious. Courage looked around the small cage. Fluttershy was at an impasse with the orderly, Barnabas was too weak to continue on his own and Courage’s mind was racing, wondering what he should do given all that was unfolding around him. Weighing his options, Courage knew what he had to do.
Barking and baying to get Fluttershy’s attention, he babbled and gestured a message to Fluttershy as best he could.
Old dog
Long journey
Good friend
Take Barnabas
Happy old dog
Courage knelt and made a begging whine, hoping she could understand at least some of what he just conveyed. Courage had only rare success communicating with other creatures, but his hopes were still riding high.
“Are you sure I should take him?” Fluttershy asked. Courage nodded, reasserting his confidence in his answer. He had no intention of changing his mind.
“What about you?” Fluttershy asked, clearly worried about Courage’s safety. Courage simply shook his head. He was not concerned with himself when another being was clearly in need of what Fluttershy was offering.
“Courage,” Barnabas said weakly, “You would give up your place in paradise… for me?” His voice quavered on the edge of extreme emotion and utter disbelief.
“Go on, pal,” Courage said to Barnabas, “you deserve it.” Courage was sincere. After all, it was Barnabas who had traveled all the way from Griffonstone motivated by nothing more than a legend that so many others had dismissed as mere fantasy. For years, he had spread the word, urging all he met to seek out the enigmatic Angel of Animals. It was only right that he got to see for himself that what he had been preaching was real. Besides, to come so far and be denied that last step of his pilgrimage would be as cruel as one could be toward a stray dog.
With Courage’s help, Barnabas shakily walked toward the open door, now bathed in the light reflecting off Fluttershy’s radiant fur. Fluttershy cradled Barnabas in her arms as a mother would hold a newborn child. It was the first time in years he had rested his weary head on anything so soft. Using her front legs to carry Barnabas, Fluttershy kept herself aloft with her wings. They hardly made a sound as she kept both her majestic form and the aged dog off the ground.
“Let’s get you home. I’ll have you feeling better in no time,” Fluttershy cooed as she made for the exit. Barnabas could just barely be heard weeping with joy.
“Farewell, Courage!” Barnabas decreed with a volume uncharacteristic of a dog his age. “May all who come to pass know your name! Courage, the kindly dog! May the light of your actions shine across the land!”
Barnabas continued spouting praise long after he was out of earshot and the sounds of the other animals had drowned him out. Courage waved light heartedly feeling a great sense of pride and accomplishment, but also a sense of humbleness as he watched such a reward be granted to one who truly deserved it. He had nothing but good wishes for his friend, whatever his future would be.
The orderly slammed the cage door shut, knocking Courage back into the dark cage and onto the unforgiving floor. The feeling of isolation had never been heavier on Courage’s shoulders. Looking around, he weighed the good he had done against the price he paid for it and started to wonder if he really made the right choice. He breathed a sigh of weary resignation and took his place on the cushion at the back of the cage. He had made his choice and now he would have to live with it.
***
So many days had passed that Courage had lost interest in keeping track of time. The noises of the kennel had become background noise to him. Eventually, it was the only way he could fall asleep. Courage only awoke out of hunger any more, too empathetic to look anywhere but the confines of his cage. Only one noise could properly rouse him from his slumber and he finally heard it once more.
In an instant, he was up and alert. The harmonious voice of Fluttershy had reached his ears just as he had forgotten how it sounded. He looked around, but all he could see was the same dull gray cage walls as always. As the sound grew, he grew more excited and anxious to see her face again.
“Fluttershy?” he called out “Where are you?” He knew she was speaking; he could make out her individual words and knew it was her voice speaking them. What worried him was a voice that accompanied her. It was similar, but unfamiliar.
“The staff is very friendly here,” the unfamiliar voice said, “If Courage is still here, I’m sure he is doing well.” Courage immediately began to worry. Whatever this unseen entity was, it knew him by name. In Courage’s experiences, that was almost always bad for him.
“I sure hope so,” Fluttershy said in response. She was audibly worried.
“Fluttershy!” Courage called out before letting out a distressed howl to get her attention.
“Hang on Courage!” Fluttershy called out, “We’re coming!”
Two sets of hooves picked up their pace and galloped towards Courage’s cage. He knew Fluttershy was coming, but was she accompanied by a friend or a threat? For better or worse, Courage would soon find out...
The end of a legacy / What evil lurks
Author's Note
Sorry this chapter took so long. Between work, army training and having to re-watch episodes for inspiration, I ended up scrapping two rough drafts before you see the final cut. I hope the wait wasn't too much, but I finally managed to deliver.
The end of a legacy / What evil lurks
It wasn’t a perfect match, but Courage’s pink fur was camouflage enough against the voluminous flowing mane Fluttershy had. He was buried deep enough to be hidden, but not so deep that his nervous chattering teeth could not be heard. He was still uneasy about emerging. Twilight had come off as a bit too enthusiastic for the easily frightened dog.
“Thanks again for helping me get Courage from the pound, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, “I didn’t know animal shelters had so much paperwork.”
“It’s my pleasure, Fluttershy,” Twilight replied gladly, “Adoption agencies of any kind can be particularly bureaucratic. It was a great exercise to test my knowledge of Ponyville business law.” Twilight felt superior whenever she got a chance to display her intellectual prowess, but kept her pride in check. “Plus,” she continued, “we got to take this little guy home.” As a gesture of affection, Twilight reached out to pet Courage beneath Fluttershy's mane. Courage saw it differently. He was still uncomfortable around the tall pony princess and shied away from her.
Seeing how uneasy he was, Twilight attempted to comfort Courage. “I’m sorry you were stuck in the pound so long, Courage,” she said, genuinely remorseful, but a good idea came to her. It was sure to make up for the loneliness he had to endure. “but I bet you’ll feel better once you see Barnabas again.”
That name got both Fluttershy’s and Courage’s undivided attention. Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks, unable to get a word out in response. She looked like she had just been given the worst news in Equestria. Courage’s ears were perked up and his nervousness had been completely quelled. Both were surprised to hear that name after so long, but they had different reasons for reacting the way they did.
“Um… actually-“ Fluttershy began, but she would never get the chance to continue. Courage was suddenly so excited he could hardly contain himself. His barks were as quick as they were numerous. He suddenly found so much energy that he ran circles around the two ponies, kicking up more dust with each lap he made. The mention of the name ‘Barnabas’ was all it took to recharge his emotions. Like a child on Christmas morning, he was ecstatic. His name was mentioned, so he must be close, Courage’s dog logic dictated.
“What is it boy?” Twilight asked playfully, “Do you want to go home and see your best friend again?” Courage nodded eagerly without hesitation, his panting tongue flailing with the vigorous nodding of his head.
“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy softly interjected, but neither Twilight nor Courage heard her speak up.
“Fluttershy,” Twilight said, turning her attention to Fluttershy, “why don’t you take Courage to see Barnabas? I’ll meet up with you after I’m done with my duties in the castle.” Twilight started trotting off, satisfied that a good plan had been set for the two of them.
“I… I don’t know, Twilight.” Fluttershy replied. Confused, Twilight stopped and turned to face Fluttershy who was now looking around at the ground.
“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?” Twilight asked, perplexed by her friend’s response, “You want to take Courage home, right?”
“Well, yes, but-“
“Then let’s take him home. It’ll be good for them to reconnect after all this time.” Twilight said in a somewhat begging voice. She knew that this made Fluttershy more suggestible. At this point, even Courage was beginning to learn how to manipulate the timid pegasus. He was tugging at her mane and whining to help speed up the process.
“It would, but-“
“Please, Fluttershy?”
“But-“
“Pleeeeease?” Twilight realized that she was close, but needed one extra push to make her case final. Courage was a fast learner and he devised an argument of his own that would seal the deal. It was something the academics call ‘Boo-Boo Face and Bambi Eyes’. It was like laying a royal flush against anything Fluttershy could bring to the table.
Fluttershy was running out of will to resist. She was nearly sweating. Her eyes darted between Twilight and Courage. In a last ditch effort, she took a deep breath and her mind raced, searching for the words to say in this situation, but it was no use.
“OK,” she sighed with a defeated expression.
“Great,” Twilight exclaimed, “I have some chores to take care of at the castle, but we can meet up for lunch, OK?” Twilight was already trotting away, so it didn’t really matter what Fluttershy said at this point. She was left with Courage, who was eager to get moving.
“OK, Courage,” Fluttershy said, somewhat uneasy, “Let’s go on home now.” Courage gave a cheerful yip, happily following Fluttershy the rest of the way to her cottage. He could smell the scents of many different animals getting stronger. That was how he could tell he was going the right way.
Fluttershy spent the rest of the remainder of the trip looking down at the ground, clearly distracted by thoughts in her head. Her frown indicated that she had something heavy weighing on her mind, but Courage was too blissfully unaware to notice. He had absolutely no idea what Fluttershy was keeping from him…
***
When Courage laid eyes on Fluttershy’s cottage, he was struck with awe, intrigue, and sheer disbelief. Was he looking at a tree growing around a house, or a house built into a tree? Either way, it was strangely inviting. Courage began to see the myriad of animal residents as they approached. He had never seen such a plethora of creatures in a relatively small space before. Normally, he would be shying away from all the unfamiliar animals, but there was a strange sense of serenity surrounding each and every one.
“Hello, everyone,” Fluttershy cheerfully announced to her animal horde, “I want you all to meet Courage.” Many of the animals gathered around their kindly matriarch while many others gathered around Courage. They were investigating this outsider, as any colony of animals would do. Many welcomed the small dog with eager affection. If Fluttershy trusted Courage in her home, he must be good.
Each different animal group conversed in their own language. Birds, raccoons, snakes, even fish showed up to greet Courage in their own way. Even other dogs had made their way up to courage and started greeting him in more familiar ways. Inside, he was feeling warm and fuzzy, like he was home, even though it was unlike anything he was used to. He let out a chuckle as small birds perched on his ears and other animals sniffed at his ankles.
“Wow,” Fluttershy remarked, “Everyone’s getting along so well.” She was genuinely surprised by how Courage was universally accepted. This was truly remarkable behavior. Usually, a new arrival had at least a few who protested. This put her heart at ease, but in the back of her mind, she still had to break the news to Courage somehow…
Behind the crowd, something caught Courage’s eye. It was the lush green grass of a wide open meadow. Deep inside, something was stirring in Courage; a primal feeling that only a dog would ever feel or understand. The borderless landscape beckoned him in. His dormant dog instincts started to awaken. He started walking towards the field, but moments later had seamlessly transitioned to running on all-fours.
The exhilaration of the wind blowing past his head stirred him up even more. He had never smiled so hard in his life; so much in fact that his tongue flapped in the wind as he ran. It was good exercise and all Courage could think to do. Other creatures had a mind to join Courage as he ran. He let out a joyous howl followed by a near-delirious cackle from how happy he was to be alive this very moment. Perhaps he should have paid more attention to his surroundings…
As Courage ran through the open meadow with no obvious border to stop him, there were fewer and fewer creatures to be seen across the land. Coming back to reality, he took note of how empty the landscape now looked. He was still running as he pondered the reason why no creatures continued to follow where he was headed. His thoughts were cut short when he suddenly dropped through the air like a stone in water.
By instinct, he let out a panicked scream as he scrambled to regain his bearings and prepared for the inevitable impact with the ground. He did not have long to prepare, but that also meant the landing would not be so rough. Still, it was no more comfortable than when he crashed through Applejack’s barn last week. He shakily rose to his feet and staggered in place as the stars danced in front of his eyes. Once he recovered, he was in for quite a surprise.
Looking around, he was surrounded by tall trees that blocked out most of the sun. The wall behind him was extremely steep and had no footholds to grab onto. There was a single ray of light that managed to penetrate the canopy and reach Courage several meters below.
This didn’t stop Courage from trying to go back the way he came. It was difficult, but he made surprising headway with what few footholds he could find. The cliff face only got steeper and smoother the higher he climbed and soon, he was pawing impotently at smooth stone as he slid back down. He tried to use his teeth to slow his descent, but all that netted him was a mouthful of rocks and a few worn-down teeth once he hit the floor again.
Dissuaded from climbing again, Courage started looking around the dense forest for a way out or signs of life. Either was equally welcome at this point. It was difficult, but Courage found the nerve to venture deeper into the dark, twisted trees to find a way out. Among the deformed trees and dark background, one shape stood out like a sore thumb. It looked like a stubby thumb, but it was a cold and rough gray that was pitted with age. Whatever it was, it was to provide Courage a vital clue to where he was and how to leave.
As he approached the stone, it was as still as the scenery around him. Circling around to the other side, Courage saw that the stone was a flat slab. On its face near the rounded top was inscribed a name: “Bambi-Deer”. Courage looked at the name puzzlingly. It didn’t ring any bells nor did he have anything more to go on. However, it was not the slab that would provide more clues, but the ground where he stood.
The slab stood up at the edge of a small mound of dirt. Withered flowers that were once lively and colorful littered the mound. Courage was not exactly ivy-league educated, but even he could correctly identify this as someone’s grave. The thought sent chills up and down his spine as every hair on his body stood on edge. He was staring at the headstone of someone named Bambi-Deer.
“I should get out of here,” Courage fretted to himself as he backed up nervously. Only a few paces back, however, he tripped on a something he didn’t see. It was a smaller version of the headstone he found. This one read “Ratatouille Jr”. Worried that he had desecrated another grave, Courage ran off before the ghosts decided to show up and reap their vengeance.
He stopped when he realized he was face-to-face with an entire field of graves. They varied in shape and size. Some were as small as tennis balls, others towered more than four times his height. “Bruno”, “Pongo”, “Copper”, “Little Brother”, “Dodger”, the names were too many for Courage to count in his agitated state. What didn’t help was his perception of graveyards. At any moment, Courage feared a mass rising of zombified animals coming to feast on the one living thing that had strayed too close to their final resting place. He treaded lightly, trying not to incur the wrath of the dead.
Suddenly, a rustling branch caught his attention. Courage looked straight up where he heard the noise originate, but there was not a soul in sight. There was just the gently swaying branch that was making the noise. Fearing that the ghosts of the dead were all around him, he stood still as a statue, trying not to do anything that might provoke them. In his supremely agitated state, the slightest sensation would send him into a wild panic. Sure enough, that’s just what happened.
One small leaf that fell from one of the trees brushed past the back of Courage’s neck. The hypersensitive dog reacted instantly, sending out a panicked wail that could drown out a chorus of blaring sirens. Losing all rational thinking, he ran in any direction that was not blocked by tall trees. His scream now had a mix of crying and senseless babbling. His senses dulled to the point of uselessness as the animalistic instinct once again found purchase in Courage’s heart. If he could still see where he was going, perhaps he could avoid what was to come.
Without warning, Courage ran face-first into another headstone. A few teeth got knocked loose from the hit and he would have to peel his now flat face from the stone, but he had survived worse. After he regained his composure and reoriented himself, his vision came into focus. He could make out a name on the grave stone before him. It was one he never thought he would see again.
“Barnabas”
In that moment, a strange feeling of emptiness washed over Courage as he stood in utter disbelief of what his eyes were telling him. He didn’t feel sadness, terror, loneliness, pain, despair, or any of his usual negative emotions. There was just… nothing, like his very soul had been sucked out and died along with the old preacher dog. Courage wanted to see his old friend one more time, but not like this. Facing grim reality, all Courage could do was sit and stare, unable to process or react to what had happened while he was gone.
Courage felt so disconnected from the world around him that he couldn’t even hear Fluttershy touching down behind him. She called out to the dumbstruck dog, but his emotionally dulled hearing coupled with her soft-spoken voice meant that Courage never picked up on it. Even as Fluttershy sat next to him, she had trouble getting his attention.
“Courage?” Fluttershy begged once more. This time, Courage slightly gasped as he came back to reality. He saw Fluttershy with a look of supreme concern. “Courage, are you OK?” she asked like a mother reunited with her lost child. She wrapped her hoof around Courage’s shoulder, securing him from the danger he once perceived from the graveyard. The only response Courage could give was a forlorn whine in the direction of Barnabas’ grave. They both knew the unpleasant truth, no matter how much they wished it weren’t so.
Flyttershy’s lips quivered as she fought to hold back tears of her own. “I’m sorry, Courage,” Fluttershy cried as tears started to roll down her cheek, “There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t save him.” Courage knew that Barnabas was in rough shape when he last saw him last week, but he had no idea just how fragile he really was. As Fluttershy lamented, the weight of the situation finally sunk in and Courage lost all hope.
“But you know what?” Fluttershy interjected, her tone suddenly more optimistic, “Out of all the animals I had the privilege of caring for, none of them were as happy as he was and I owe it all to you,” she explained as she tenderly hugged and caressed Courage.
Courage was now very confused. How had he, of all creatures, deserved such praise? Fluttershy was the one caring for Barnabas, not Courage. Surely She and her animal paradise was what made him happy in the last few days of his life.
“He had nothing but good things to say about you, Courage,” Fluttershy said, the tears drying from her eyes, “I can provide food and shelter and love for all kinds of animals, but not friendship.” Friendship? What would friendship have to do with caring for animals? Courage was quite lost in Fluttershy’s explanation. “All animals in Equestria form special bonds of friendship with each other and you formed an especially strong bond with Barnabas.” All trace of sorrow and despair seemed to have disappeared and been replaced by hope and elegy. Courage was even starting to feel better despite the loss of Barnabas. A smile started to creep its way back onto his face.
“Oh!” Fluttershy gasped as her face lit up with glee, “I just remembered. Before he went, Barnabas had one last wish for you, Courage.” Courage was all ears as Fluttershy prepared to tell him the last words of his lost comrade. “He asked me to find you after he passed,” she said as she gently scratched Courage’s shoulders and back. “He believed that you should take his place here in my home once his time passed.” Every word Fluttershy spoke, they seemed to be directly from Barnabas himself, as if he were still around to give his parting thoughts.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to care for him here. We’ll all miss him dearly and I know he made the right choice to have you fill the void he left behind.” Tears of pure happiness ran down both bereaving creatures’ faces as Fluttershy gave Courage a loving kiss on the forehead. Courage responded with an enthusiastic hug and affectionate licking of Fluttershy’s face and cheeks, as his spirits rose higher than they have ever been before.
“OK, Courage,” Fluttershy chuckled as she picked him up and gently took flight, “Let’s go home now. We still have to introduce you to all the other animals.” Courage nodded and climbed onto Fluttershy’s back as she made her way back home.
As Fluttershy climbed through higher and higher, Courage gave a look back to Barnabas’ resting place. Normally, Courage would be clinging to Fluttershy for dear life, but She had purged such fear from his heart. He waved goodbye as he left his friend to his well-deserved rest. With that last bit of closure, Courage settled in for the ride back to Fluttershy’s cottage. Of fall the days Courage had lived, he was especially happy to have lived this day in particular, hardships included.
***
Compared to the quaint little houses of Ponyville, the Castle of Friendship stood out like a sore paw. It was as if a tree had a mind of its own and grew directly under a castle and lifted it several hundred feet straight up. The entire structure soared over the simple dwellings like shepherd maintaining his flock of sheep. The pointed spires at the top made it seem to be taller than it actually was. Unless it was home to giants, Courage could think of no reason for the immense castle sprouting up in the middle of the town. Its blueish-purple color was not natural for trees and gave Courage an ominous feeling about it.
“It’s alright, Courage,” Fluttershy assured Courage as she sensed his uneasiness, “My friend Twilight lives here. We’re just going to return the books I borrowed last week and we’ll be back in time for supper.” Courage was more at ease than he would have otherwise been, but something about the massive tree-castle still gnawed at him…
Fluttershy led the way as she pushed through the huge castle front doors. They creaked and groaned like an ancient structure lacking maintenance for the last hundred years. Every small sound echoed through the open foyer, from the steps they took to the sharp iron clack of the door latch closing behind them. Courage’s sharp earing could even detect moth wingbeats near the windows three stories up. All this made Courage and Fluttershy seem like flies buzzing around a massive cavern where they didn’t quite belong.
“Hey there, Fluttershy,” a voice called out from on high.
“Hi, Spike,” Fluttershy replied as she looked up to a fourth floor balcony. The source of the voice produced a small speck cast over the edge. Courage struggled to make out what the object was. In time, it turned out to be a winged creature. It was purple in color and resembled a bird. When the creature landed in front of Fluttershy, all its details came into focus. Its clawed feet landed on the solid marble with a solid thunk of bone against stone. Its semi-glossy purple and green scales resembled a suit of armor than natural skin. Its inhuman eyes locked onto Fluttershy as it stood back up to his full height. Granted, it was only about Courage’s size, but its sharp teeth made for a somewhat intimidating figure. He gasped at the sight of such a creature before him.
“Is Twilight around?” Fluttershy asked the purple winged lizard, “I’m here to return those books I borrowed last week.” Fluttershy was interrupted before she could continue further. She felt her tail being pulled backwards toward the front door. She turned around to find Courage was the one pulling as he whined in protest.
“What is it, Courage?” Fluttershy asked, a bit perplexed by the dog’s behavior. Courage replied by nervously babbling, pointing at Spike and doing his best impression of a raging fire-breathing dragon stomping on helpless innocents. Courage groaned and whined with unease as he continued to try to pull away from the scene.
“It’s OK, little guy,” Spike said as he approached Courage, “I’m not gonna hurt you.” Spike tried to reassure the timid dog by scratching behind his ears. Courage was still trying to pull Fluttershy out as the drake’s claws started scratching his ears.
Courage stopped pulling as he realized Spike was suddenly so close. Instead of the usual panicked retreat, Courage relaxed in bliss as Spike gently massaged and scratched one of Courage’s harder-to-reach itchy spots. He even leaned up against Spike to make it easier for him to reach his ears.
“Aww,” Fluttershy remarked, “You two are already fast friends.” It warmed her heart to see that Courage was
“Yup,” Spike proudly replied, “Just call me Spike the Befriender.” He puffed out his chest and unfurled his wings with pride at his new self-appointed title.
“Hey!” Courage yipped. Both Spike and Fluttershy turned their attention to Courage. “Just keep the scratches coming, ‘Befriender’,” he demanded as he nuzzled Spike’s hand. Spike didn’t speak dog like Fluttershy did, but he got the message and started scratching Courage again.
***
Courage and Spike had made themselves comfortable in the comic book corner of the library. It was not a big section for two reasons. One: comic books were not exactly a piece of literature that circulates in Ponyville. Two: Spike had repurposed this section of shelves as his own personal retreat within the castle. It was a sanctuary within a sanctuary. For Courage, it was the best place to get his back scratched while his scratcher occupied himself with the latest issue of Arachno-Pony. Both of them were lost in their own little worlds, but wouldn’t take much to bring them right back to reality.
Out of the corner of his eye, Courage noticed something. It was brief, but obvious enough to get his attention. His eyes went from half-open to fully open in an instant. Some objects were known to move while inside a castle, but there was no breeze and not another soul around. Besides, whatever movement caught Courage’s eye was not like any normal motion he ever spotted before. Curiosity took hold as Courage got up from his comfy pillow and pursued the strange sighting.
“Courage?” Spike called out after ne finally noticed he had left, “What is it, boy?” Spike was not particularly concerned, but decided to follow to see if anything was wrong anyway. Courage was quite a ways ahead, but a brisk walking pace would see Spike reunited with Courage soon.
As Courage rounded the corner of bookshelves, there was certainly somepony several aisles away. He was dressed in a clean black suit completely devoid of any features. The blackness of the suit seemed to suck all the surrounding light right out of the air. The black clothes were nothing unusual, but Courage spied something more unsettling. A pair of long wavy snakes protruded from the creature’s back. They followed as it disappeared behind the towering bookshelf section. Something about their serpentine appearance, how they seemed to move in unnatural ways, something stirred fear in Courage, but he continued to follow regardless.
“Courage, wait up,” Spike called out as he picked up his pace, but Courage was too focused to answer.
The next turn Courage made, be stopped dead in his tracks. The sight he saw before him widened his eyes in a mix of fear, disbelief and all sorts of indescribable paralyzing emotions. He tried to cry out, but he was utterly frozen with uncertainty and fear. All he could do was gasp and tremble at the end of the aisle.
It had the rough shape of a pony, but it was far too thin and tall to be so. The snake-like tentacles from its back were busy retrieving books from the shelves. The jet-black suit almost seemed to be part of its body if the pale white fur didn’t say otherwise. Its head was the most unsettling feature by far. Its featureless face seemed to be scanning the books its tentacles held in front of it. Without eyes, could it see Courage trembling? Without ears, could it hear Courage’s heart beating its way out of his chest? Without a nose, could it smell the fear exuded by the cowardly dog?
“Courage,” Spike called out as he jogged up to Courage, “Courage, what is it?” Spike got his answer as soon as he spotted the same unsettling sight as Courage. Perhaps he shouldn’t have made so much noise on his approach.
With eerie simultaneity, all four books the creature was reading clapped shut in its tentacles. After the echo of the books retreated down the endless halls of the library, a deafening silence fell over the room. The creature replaced the books on the shelf with slow and steady care. The featureless head slowly turned to face the quivering pair of Courage and Spike. With the eyes it seemed not to have, it stared into both of their souls, seeing things that would never be seen by mortal eyes. It had a physical presence, but it made no sound that even Courage could detect.
At first, it seemed to lean forward, but instead of falling, the creature made a frightening move. With its hooves firmly planted on the ground, its legs seemed to elongate even more unnaturally. The body and tentacles lunged toward the petrified duo, like a possessed mannequin with a new victim in sight. From the featureless face emerged a single unsettling feature: a wide lipless mouth lined with sharp fangs and a whip-like tongue.
Finally, Spike and Courage’s trance was broken as they both let out a terrified scream at the ghastly being quickly closing in on them. It was a near perfect harmonization of shrieks. In the confusion, Spike involuntarily emitted a small burst of emerald-colored flame, but it did not slow the encroaching monstrosity one iota. Courage’s scream rattled his fillings loose and they rocketed out of his mouth like silver bullets. They simply passed right through the monster as if it wasn’t even there.
Both terrified creatures ran as fast as their little legs would propel them. Their cries of terror were so loud they could not be ignored by the deaf and the dead. The only evidence that Courage and spike were even in that particular section of the library was the synchronized shrieks and twin trails of urine left in their wake.
Just as the pair could feel icy cold breath licking the back of their necks, they hit an unexpected obstacle: a pair of ponies. The ponies grunted as they were knocked off their hooves, the other two creatures still trying to run despite being buried at the bottom of the dog pile.
“Courage,” Fluttershy cried out in relief, glad that Courage was unharmed.
“Spike, what was all that screaming? You had us worried,” Twilight said.
Spike could barely get more than two coherent words together as he gestured in the direction from which he came. Courage similarly pointed and fretted, imitating the ghoulish figure that had chased him from his comfort zone. Between the two of them, neither Fluttershy nor Twilight could decipher the panicked babblings and jumbled tongues of the two young sidekicks. They shot each other a confused glance before Twilight spoke up.
“Calm down, you two,” she urged. Her words had the desired effect, but only for a moment. She approached Spike to comfort him, but Spike rushed in before Twilight could speak any further.
“Don’t go back there!” Spike warned in a desperate plea, pushing Twilight backwards. Courage did the same for Fluttershy as he grabbed her wing and pulled, trying to keep her away from what he witnessed.
“Spike! What happened?” Twilight spoke up, finally getting Spike’s attention.
“Big thing!” Spike replied, adrenalin-fueled panic still dominating his tone, “Tentacles! Long legs! Teeth! Coming!!”
“But there’s nopony here,” Fluttershy noted, her voice echoing through the cavernous archive. With this statement, Courage and Spike stopped their desperate attempts to flee and looked back down the aisles of shelves. Sure enough, there was nothing but the recently disturbed dust and thousands of forgotten books sitting on shelves.
“B-but,” Spike stammered, “It was right behind us.” Twilight scanned the area where they came from and then she remembered what Spike was most likely doing just minutes ago.
“Spike, have you been reading too much of those comic books again?” Twilight asked, a smirk creeping its way across her face. Twilight was aware that Spike had been gravitating toward the darker and more mature comics lately. Perhaps the edgier stories were influencing his young mind a bit too much.
“Twilight!” Spike huffed, “I’m telling you, something bad is here and it almost got me and Courage!”
“Why don’t we put down the comic books and go get some lunch?” Twilight suggested, changing the subject. Spike moved to respond, but his growling stomach responded before his mouth could.
“Well, I guess I could use something to take my mind off reading,” Spike conceded.
“Great! Where did you have in mind?” Twilight gleefully asked as she walked down the hall to the front entrance, “I was thinking that new hay burger joint down the street.”
“Um,” Fluttershy interjected, “Maybe something a bit lighter? I’ve been trying to watch my figure.” The two ponies continued chatting about food while Spike leaned closer to Courage.
“You saw it too, right? That… thing?” Spike whispered to Courage, careful not to get the others’ attention. Courage nodded and nervously grasped his paws together as he glanced back over his shoulder. Thankfully, the coast was clear… for now. In the near future, the lone shadowy figure on the far wall would have plans for the lot of them.
