Being Brave Part II

by artman7391

Meditation

Cory found himself in a more peaceful part of the Everfree Forest. He had taken off his shirt, had his body painted with tribal like symbols and sat in a meditative position in front of her. Surrounding the two of them were trees that seemed to reach to the sky, giving it a cathedral like feel. The smell in the air was clean and refreshing, as if god had breathed a bunch of mint flavored orbit gum. The forest floor was soft and cushiony since it was covered completely by thick moss. There were flowers and leaves that were almost as big as him, with colors almost impossible to describe. An incense filled the air akin to roman scented candles and newborn saplings There were the occasional falls of petals from one of the trees as they gently landed beside the two of them. It was the perfect place to meditate and calm ones thoughts.

"Now, it is important to know that no sound, din or fuss must interfere with your focus." Said Zecora to which Cory nodded back.

"Rid of doubt and clear your mind, and the answers you seek may not be far behind. First, Close your eyes, and breath deep, but try not to fall completely asleep."

So Cory closed his eyes and took a deep breath. At first, he didn't feel any different.

"Take deep breaths in, take deep breaths out, think only of the air that channels from your snout."

Eventually, he started to have an indescribable feeling, as if something was beginning to transform within his soul. Before long, Zecora began to sing perhaps the most beautiful chant he had ever heard:

As he breathed in, an imaginary presence tightened against his body easing him of any tension and shielding him against any incoming negative chakra. And as he breathed out, these unseen, unwanted forces oozed out of his flesh, cleansing him of the past. He had never felt so one with himself in all his life.

"Now that you're calm, let us proceed. Stand upright and follow my lead." Said Zecora after an hour or so.

Cory stood up fully energized as he prepared himself to mimic Zecora.

"So what are we doing now Zecora?" asked Cory with a confused look.

"It's a simple dance from your human elite, a age old rhythm called tai chi. See?"

Then, miraculously, Zecora stood upright on two legs, much to Cory's surprise. She placed herself in a lunge position and thrust her forelegs forward. Then she gave him the nod for Cory to copy the position, to which he promptly did. As he continued to mimic her movements, he felt a feeling of the removal of pressure against an unseen force, as if all his doubts and worries we're beginning to melt away. In addition he noticed how he and Zecora were commanding with their hands and hooves a group of petals that seemed to magically levitate off the ground and form a wave of color and light.

It was a spectacular moment not just visually, but spiritually. With the afternoon dew trickling against his flesh, the clean, unpolluted air flowing through his veins, and the soft earth pressing through his feet, he seemed fused with all the natural elements of the world. Every step of his feet, every curve of his hands, every stance of his limbs was almost in perfect balance with the forces of nature surrounding him.

"Fear not mistakes, welcome them as gifts, for they may be a beneficial shift." Said Zecora as she and Cory continued Tai Chi together.

"It is not how we deal with mistakes from past, but how we live now that makes our impressions last. I was not always the skilled one myself, For trial and error, did I understand oneself. We try, we fail, we fly and we fall, but through these mistakes, only then we stand tall.

Then she picked up her nearby staff, jumped in the air and did a hoof stand on the handle. Cory's eyes widened and his jaw dropped at this sight. Other than Pinkie Pie, he had never seen a creature so flexible and defiant of the laws of physics. As Zecora gently landed on all four hooves, she gave Cory a nod, to which Cory implied as a signal to demonstrate a martial arts like movement. He didn't know how, but for some reason, as he started to execute whatever random pose popped into his head, he felt a presence surging throughout his body. It was like an ancient being locked inside him was finally released ready to follow his command. Though he stumbled over a few times, he couldn't seem to stop. With every flick of his arms, every pivot of his legs. It felt calming, powerful, and surprising at the same time. He never thought he could do these moves before. He wasn't even thinking of doing it. It just happened automatically, like some instinctive power had kicked in thanks to this new found land he discovered.

"Now that you're calm, and your doubt is at rest, lets put a basic skill to the test." Said Zecora

Twilight came over and levitated a piece of paper and pen towards him. It was a math problem he always got stuck on. He remembered how Twilight taught him tricks as to how to remember these problems. Now, since all negative thoughts were in the back of his head and he could focus on the task at hand, he saw a clear image as to how it could be done. He laid his pencil on the paper and got started. First, he solved what was underneath the square root to figure out what it was. Then, he could solve the variable below the dash line by dividing and adding the numbers together. From there, all he had to do was divide the number on top by the number below. Finally, he finished the answer and encircled it around a bold oval.

Now came the moment of truth. As he handed over the paper to Twilight for her to grave, a sense of tension began to creep into his soul. Then after a few moments of examination, Twilight calmly put the paper down and stared at him.

"Did I do it?" he asked.

"Yes! Well done!" Twilight replied as she gave him a high hoof.

"I did it!! I Actually Did it!!" Cried Cory.

He jumped for joy and Hugged Twilight. He didn't care it was a small victory. He had never solved a complex math problem and got it right before. Now that he had, it all seemed so surreal.

"You see my human friend, a bit of confidence makes it worthwhile in the end." Commented Zecora.

Cory blushed as she said this.

"Lets go home Cory." Said Twilight as he hopped on her back. "I think there's a few writing games you will really enjoy."

"Thanks for everything Zecora. I'll meet you same time next week?" Asked Cory as he put his shirt back on.

Zecora nodded with approval. And with that, Cory and Twilight flew up into the sky and back to Ponyville. Cory took a sigh of relief and hugged Twilight by the neck.

"Thanks Mom...I mean Twilight." He said as he caught himself and let go of her. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Mom Twilight thought as a motherly smile grew across her face.