Assignment Results

"Wow Cory! I must say. You've really improved in your writing skills these past few weeks." Commented Twilight as she examined Cory's essay. "In fact, I don't see any grammar or spelling errors to fix. How did you do it?"

"Well I suppose it was thanks to two friends of mine: Inspiration and Editing." Replied Cory

It was the day before Cory was to turn in his essay. He stopped over at Twilight's place to see if there were any last minute errors to fix. Suddenly, in came Rainbow Dash with her customary enthusiasm.

"Hey Cory." Said Rainbow Dash "Ready for today's awesome fitness lesson?"

"We sure are Rainbow Dash." Replied Twilight

"Wait, what do you mean we?" Asked Cory.

"Today," Said Rainbow Dash as she swooped up to him and threw him on her back. "You are goin on a special hike up a nearby mountain to test some of your new athletic skills."

"And we're here to be your cheerleaders." Said Twilight.

Pinkie Pie then dashed in without warning like a speeding bullet. She sported what looked like a cheerleader uniform complete with rainbow ponytails and a giant red megaphone.

"GIVE ME A C FOR CORY!!!" She shouted "CEEEEEEEE...CORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Cory covered his ears as the noise of Pinkie's megaphone vibrated across the library. Then in came Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack who tossed a hiking backpack over to Cory.

"Howdy Cory. Hope ya don't mind but I packed ya some sandwiches and a container full o water in case ya get hungry." Said Applejack.

"And I brought my first aid kit if you get into a bad accident." Said Fluttershy

"So ya ready for your little expedition?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

Cory Thought for a moment. "Yes, I'm ready for the challenge." He answered with confidence.

"C IS FOR CHALLENGE!" Shouted Pinkie Pie as she waved her pom poms in the air.

Soon, Cory found himself flying on Dash's back over the rooftops of Ponyville. Twilight and Fluttershy was flying by her side making sure he wouldn't fall off. He could see off in the distance a nearby, narrow mountain. As it got closer and closer, he noticed a steep rocky trail spiraling around its mighty natural structure. On the snowy peak, he could make out a small green dot painted in the middle.

"Now Zecora has agreed to meet up with us so you can take your necessary meditative breaks whenever you feel spiritually doubtful. Is that alright?" asked Twilight.

Cory nodded. He didn't see why he needed so much support. He felt so confident already. Ready to take on a challenge as big as this was opportunity knocking. Eventually, the mane six met at the foot of the mountain as Dash took him off her back and gently flew him onto the ground. Just as expected Zecora was waiting for all seven of them donning an obi wan like cloak. On her back, she carried a walking staff and a bag full of seeds. She approached Cory and began to speak:

"Now that you've learned a skill, trick and trade, it is time to show that you are not afraid."

"Huh?" asked Cory.

"Up this mountain you are too climb, and reach the top at a reasonable time. But be warned my fellow student. It is not all that translucent."

"What do you mean?" asked Cory

"Well." Said Rarity bashfully, "We sort of wanted this to be a bit challenge. sooo..."

"We kinda set up the mountain with about 3 or 4 mini obstacles within the obstacle itself....." Added Rainbow Dash

Cory gulped as she said this

"But don't you fret sugarcube." Said Applejack "Most of them are pretty easy, like doin pushups, liftin weights, solvin a math problem, fixin a grammatical error.."

"But we think you're pretty capable of doing it." Said Fluttershy.

"C IS FOR CAPABLE!!" Shouted Pinkie Pie over her megaphone. "You are gonna be so good climbing to top of that mountain. But for the record, I don't think anypony's ever been able to make it to the top. And since you just got started, you'll need all the help you can get and...."

Everypony covered her mouth and gave her a stern look as she solemnly scooted off a few feet.

"Do not fear my protege." Said Zecora. "I shall help you stay calm, so you won't go astray."

Cory stared at the magnitude of the mountain as Applejack placed the backpack on him. He knew he made a lot of progress since the day he arrived. But was he really up for a test as huge as this? Then he took a deep breath as walked towards the base of the track. He placed the tips of his fingers on the hard surface of the trail like a runner at the starting position. His muscles tightened and the beat of heard pounded against his flesh. He took one more glance at the mane 6 as Zecora stood by his side.

"We're right behind you." Reassured Pinkie Pie.

He turned towards his obstacle and took another humongous breath.

"Alright." He said "Lets climb!!"

And off he went.

"C IS FOR CLIMB!!" shouted Pinkie off in the distance.

The sounds of cheers grew fainter and fainter as Cory began his ascent with Zecora. At first it seemed pretty easy. Just a simple afternoon jog while enjoying the scenery of an uphill habitat. A few natural images seemed to catch his eye. Among them being an eagle flying to it's nest and feeding it's young, a pair of bighorn sheep sparring each other, and the occasional abnormal sized moth fluttering by. But after while, as he climbed higher and higher, and the air grew thinner and thinner, he started to feel a little faint. Then he remembered the jug of water Applejack had supplied him. He grabbed it out of his backpack and slugged it down like a water buffalo on a hot day. Suddenly Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Twilight appeared at the edge of the mountain.

"Yeah! that's it Cory!!" Shouted Twilight
"C'mon!! You can do it!!" Shouted Rainbow Dash
"Yay." Whispered Fluttershy.

Cory nodded with a look of confidence and continued with his run. In spite of his exhaustion, he was ready for whatever challenge lied ahead of him. It was then that he stopped at his first mini obstacle. It was a simple series of sit ups and pushups whilst solving a math problem. But first, Zecora led him with a little Tai Chi and meditation warm up. After that, it was smooth sailing as he did the push ups and sit ups and finished the problem with ease. Thus, he was able to continue his upward job. Up above him, he could see two Pegasus cheerleaders.

"Give us some courage! Give us some speed! and what do you get? CORY!!!" cheered the two pony cheerleaders.

Out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie appeared on top of them, forming a mini pyramid.

"C IS FOR COURAGE!!!!" cheered Pinkie Pie

His next stop was a ready made ladder. Here, he was to climb it while at the same time, fix grammatical errors engraved into the stone. After meditation and Tai Chi, he started his steep ascent. Surprisingly, these purposeful errors felt pretty easy to solve. Suddenly, as he was halfway up, his foot slipped on a wet handle and he started to fall. Luckily, Rainbow Dash caught him by the arm with her foreleg just in time and gently placed it back on the handle.

"So, how is our star pupil holding up?" Asked Rarity who was standing on a nearby ledge to which Cory replied with a thumbs up.

"Hey Rainbow Dash?" he asked. "What were those two cheerleaders back there?"

"Those are some old friends from Cloudsdale who agreed to be part of the pep team." She answered "C'mon Cory!! You're doin great!"

Soon, he was able to climb up the entire ladder and solve each grammatical error with the greatest of ease. By now, the sun was setting into the west mountains. As he reached the top of the ladder and stood back on the trail, he could the marvelous array of natural hues that filled the sky.

"Come my human friend." Said Zecora "There will time for all of that in the end."

Cory nodded and continued his trek

"You're halfway there Cory!!" Cheered Twilight who was flying in front of him. "I know you can make it."

"Goooooo Cory!!" Shouted Pinkie and the cheerleaders in the back.

Before he knew it, he heard his stomach growling. Remembering the Sandwiches Applejack packed for him, he took one of them out and snarfed down it's juicy essence like a vacuum cleaner. Then, he washed it down with his jug of water and poured some of it onto his sweaty forehead as he continued jogging.

He and Zecora had now reached the third mini obstacle. It was more challenging than the others, but more or less, fun to do. Here, he was to practice his self defense moves while reciting some historical facts about the founding of Equestria. After a bit of Tai Chi and meditation, he was ready to go. Rainbow Dash flew onto the podium a gave a pose as if ready to pounce on him. Cory took his position and made a self defense pose.

"Don't worry." Said Rainbow Dash "I'm not really gonna hurt ya."

She trotted forward and slowly swung her right hoof in the air, as if about to throw one in her face. Luckily, Cory dodged it in the nick of time. Then she attempted a fake blow to his stomach with her back legs, to which he blocked with his arms almost immediately. At that moment, Twilight flew to his right.

"The three original tribes of Equestria were stricken by a blizzard made by what creature?" She asked.

Cory bend back, avoiding another blow to the head.

"The Wendigo!" He said.

"Correct. Who were the leaders of the three original tribes?"

Rainbow Dash started to sneak up behind Cory and touch him on the shoulder. He responded by locking her foreleg with his arm, twisting behind her back and and throwing her to the ground until she tapped out.

"Chancellor Puddinghead, Princess Platinum, and Commander Hurricane." He said as he committed this action.

"Right. What was it that caused the Blizzard to end?"

Rainbow Dash pulled Cory into a headlock.

"It was the fire of friendship." He said "Heads...Up!!" Then he headbutted Rainbow Dash and chest palmed her a few feet back.

"Excellent!" Twilight responded. "Who was the mentor of Princess Platinum's advisor?"

Cory thought for a moment as Rainbow Dash dug her hoof in the dirt and started to charge at him. He jolted to his right at the last minute as She lost her balance and crashed against the side of the mountain.

"Starswirl the Bearded." Replied Cory.

"Yes! Well Done!" Replied Twilight.

After a few more questions and karate kicks, Cory continued on his trek. He was nearing the end of the day long journey, and could barely go through another mile run. But his friends were still cheering him on in the back.

"C'mon Cory, you can do it!" Shouted Applejack.

"Yeah, that's my boy!" Shouted Rainbow Dash.

"We have faith in you!" Shouted Twilight.

"I know you can do it!" Shouted Rarity.

"You rock. Woo-Hoo." Whispered Fluttershy

"GOOO CORY!!" Shouted Pinkie Pie and her cheerleader friends.

With those sounds of support, Cory wiped away his sweat, drank the last bit of water from his container, snarfed the last sandwich he had in his mouth, and took the final steps to the mountains peak. With every foot touching the ground, and every breath from his lips, he felt a surge of confidence he never heard before. Every doubt he ever had in his life was now behind him.
Then, with final push of his exhausted body, he felt the ground flatten again. There was no place left to climb.

Cory had reached the top.

He was about to collapse in triumph when his four legged friends all caught him just in time and gave him a big group hug. At that moment, all the negative energy those bullies and teachers gave him had finally melted away. It was as if a large boulder had been released from his back and he wipe all the sweat away. This was the most relieving feeling he ever had.

"Yee Haw!! You did it Cory!!" Cried Applejack.

"I knew you could do it!!" Cried Pinkie.

"My hero!!" Cried Rarity

"We saw the whole thing." Said Fluttershy.

"You are one awesome kid Cory!!" Said Rainbow Dash as she gave him a noogie.

"See? All you needed was a great big bunch of support." Said Twilight.

"Thanks for showing me the way Twilight." Said Cory as he wiped away his sweat.

At that moment he realized day had turned into night. All 10 of them sat down and took a moment to admire the view of Ponyville. The sky was filled with stars that twinkled like sequins on a well suited gown. It was beautiful. So beautiful he felt his heart would burst.

"Your other friends would've been very proud of you today." Whispered Twilight into Cory's ear. And with that, he smiled and drifted to sleep on her lap.

Cory woke up the next morning back in his room at Sweet Apple Acres. He looked up on the wall to check the time and saw that class started in 20 minutes. Noticing he was already dressed and his backpack was full, He sprung out of bed. Then he rushed downstairs, got a quick bite of eggs on toast and ran outside with Applebloom close to him.

He could see the school bell ringing as he sprinted closer to the entrance. Though his first experience there wasn't the happiest one, he was still pretty excited with what today had in store. Upon arrival, he could see all the young fillies and colts all scattering inside, taking their seats and ready to turn in their essays. Miss Cherilee stood up from her writing desk and did roll call. At that moment, Cory sprinted inside, sat at his desk and took out his paper. He was very confident he would ace this assignment.

"Allright class." Said Miss Cherilee with a gleeful voice. "Time for you all to turn in those papers I assigned you. I can't wait to see what you've written."

As she started collecting them with her mouth, an unexpected chill ran up Cory's spine. it was the first time he was actually given an assignment this big since he arrived in Equestria. But after that little adventure yesterday, he wasn't as nervous as he used to be.

Finally, Miss Cherilee approached him and picked up his essay. She walked over to her desk and started to grade the papers.
Cory tweedled his fingers, shook and legs and took a good look around the classroom. His classmates were murmuring to each other, making a few innocent jokes, eager to know what Miss Cherilee would think of their assignment. At the back he noticed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon with powdy looks on their faces.

"What's up with them?" Asked Cory as he leaned over to the CME.

"Oh, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon got suspended for two weeks for the way they treated you a few days back." Answered Applebloom.

"Now they have to spend the next few months sitting in the back of the class and cleaning up the room." Said Sweetie Belle

"If you ask me, they got what they deserved." Chuckled Scootaloo.

The three of them gave each other a high hoof upon stating this. But Cory couldn't help but feel sorry for the two. Though he felt it was a fair punishment, he wished they could somehow amend their ways and turn a new leaf. In the end, he decided to cut his losses and brush it off his shoulder.

At that moment, Miss Cherilee began to hoof out the graded papers. Cory took a big gulp as she walked closer to his desk. But what was he to worried about? After all, he did just climb to the top of the mountain yesterday.

Finally, it was his turn. His paper had been placed on his desk, checked and graded. The moment of truth had come. Cory hesitated to see the results. He took a deep breath and slowly began to turn the paper right side up. His heart beat, his muscles tightened, his brow began to sweat....

"Why you so nervous Cory? You got an A!" Said Applebloom.

And she was right. Cory looked straight at his essay and saw a large, sparkling "A" with a star sticker next to it. Cory tried to say something, but he couldn't think of the words. They were too feeble to describe the joyous feeling bursting inside him. He never got an A in class before. He was lucky enough to even get a passing grade. It all seemed so surreal for him. He walked outside the schoolhouse looking at his almost perfect grade when he noticed the Mane 6 and Spike waiting outside for him, including Pinkie, who was still wearing her cheerleader garb.

"Congratulations!!" They all said together.

"How did you all know about my grade?" Asked Cory.

"Sweetie Belle and her friends told us all about what happened." Rarity answered.

"Plus ya dozed off the other night before we could give ya an adequate congrats." Added Applejack.

"We're all very excited for you Cory." Said Fluttershy.

"Well, I can't believe it myself." Said Cory "I feel like I'm already in the same boat as everybody...I mean...everypony else.

"Hold on there sport." Rainbow Dash intervened. "Ya still got a ways to go if you wanna keep up with the rest of us."

"But don't you worry." Said Twilight. "We're gonna make your learning both fun and education."

"C IS FOR CUE...AS IN CUE THE TRAINING MONTAGE!!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

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