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.
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I am now hooked to this story (keep it going pls)
:3
I really loved to see a great start of this crossover, please get inspiration of these comics.
img00.deviantart.net/da57/i/2013/077/4/d/nightmares_come_true_by_pony_berserker-d5q1zir.png
img00.deviantart.net/4468/i/2013/078/d/f/alternative_spike_by_pony_berserker-d5qkmit.png
pre00.deviantart.net/1f80/th/pre/f/2012/359/c/f/courage_the_cowardly_dog_meets_ponies_by_pony_berserker-d5p5sg7.png
i.pinimg.com/originals/74/0a/e2/740ae2fc370b31452ac6745984970d75.png
Return the slab~
Didn't this story used to have more chapters?
9319938
Or suffer my curse~
I've been waiting to see someone do a crossover of these two show!
Wow, the introduction trully felt like a real Courage episode... Interesting idea for a story. There are plenty of weird, scary or outright monster stuff in Equestria to keep the poor dog entertained.
Oh man, you really captured the spirit of Courage the Cowardly Dog. Eustace (with all his petty selfishness), Muriel, Courage felt in character.
I wonder how Courage will come to terms with Equestria.
9320893 He'll clearly meet ALL THE MONSTERS and be scared witless.
...PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE FINISH THIS STORY!!!! Ahem, sorry but my nostalgic side is in absolute bliss, you perectly captured the feel of the cartoon and I simply MUST know what happens next! Er, in your own time of course
I have to back up other people and say you nailed the tone of Courage the Cowardly Dog. Reading it took me right back to watching the show. Some things in Equestria Courage would love and other things would be whole new things to fear.
I wonder if Fluttershy will understand him?
I am eagerly awaiting to see how this goes.
finally a good courage the cowardly dog fic has arisen.
still, you my friend have done the most spot on descriptive way a fic could be written with one of my most favorite shows to date.
-Happy Hunting
YIPPIE! I found it finally!!😀
OMG IT's soooo much better than i thought👏👏
I am so happy to have found and read this and am awaiting more eagerly
I AM FILLED WITH SO MUCH NOSTALGIA!!!!
Finally someone makes a Courage crossover with MLP.
I am so hoping for Fluttershy to be friends with Courage as I bet they’d get on so well.
man this reads like an episode of courage.
No, just no. I can see this piece of trash fic boiling over into the bowls of hell's stupid district. Why the hell would anyone choose to read this potential piece of waste is beyond me. The plot premise is bogus, being sent through a TV. Eustace isn't even captured right pulling out his mask or Murial whacking his dumb ass. Also, WHERE ARE THE SHAMELESS INSERTS OF JOHN DILL?! Everyone knows a counterfeit piece of mess from a glory fic of Courage by the genunine seal of a Dill appearance! This fic shames the Courage fanbase, and anyone who disagrees has never appreciated the show to begin with!
9324472
I...can't quite tell if you are being serious or not, but either way might I suggest a therapist?
9324642
It's been years since I watched CtCD, but I could hear the characters voices in my head as I read their lines so much nostalgia.
I am glad to see that I am getting a wide range of feedback. Tell me what you like to see and I will continue to provide it. Conversely, tell me where my shortcomings are and I will work to improve upon them. I honestly don't care how harshly you bring it across. If you see something, say something. Looking back on some of my other work, I will be the first to admit that I had no idea what I was doing when it came to writing. Feedback from the readers helps me figure out whether changes I made were beneficial or detrimental. For instance, short simple responses like "this is good" or "this is garbage" are a form of feedback, but what specifically about it is good or bad? According to our friend from behind the Iron Curtain, I neglected to mention some of the characters' more iconic traits or the John Dilworth easter eggs, quite a unique feature from Courage. For him, it detracted from the immersion and made it seem like a "counterfeit piece of mess" (#23). In my opinion, if my work can hold its own against the likes of our Kremlin-dwelling comrade, perhaps it can be improved to weather worse. If not, take it as a sign that it just couldn't measure up to his high standards.
Regardless of the amount of praise or critique I receive, more of it in either extreme is always more useful to me than a soundbite or string of icons. I encourage any and all to take their best shot at my work. This is not an invitation for abuse, but a reminder that only through letting me learn from my mistakes can I reach for the gold standard in writing.
9324915
Well in any case thank you for the chuckle
9325115
I dunno what to make of this one, but if I had to be short and blunt, I'd say you're trying to be a smartass. Whatever the intention, I gave my two cents, take it or leave it. *shrugs* Meh...
9325621
You seemed disheartened, dissapointed you failed to incite a flame war? Oh well better luck next time comrade
9326475
Oh I don't start flame wars, what I used is too low quality. I DID start a mini flame war by adding this line to one of my comments on a different story. "And for the fanboys, don't bother commenting, your opinion does not matter and is unwanted." This statement started a flame war, as well as making my comment get so many downvotes. Such little entitled devils, fanboys of trash fics can be...
🤔
9326486
*Hides my devil horns and whistles inconspicuously* I have no idea what you are talking about