The sad young boy cried as he smacked himself in the face again and again.
His parents had recently died and being from a poor family, they had left him no money. His only relatives, his brother and sister lived miles away in America, in an address whose name he didn't even know.
He wandered the street, shivering with cold and hunger, coughing up blood as he did so. He did not need a doctor to tell him he had caught Tuberculosis and he did not need a trip to the doctor to know the operation would cost him money he did not have.
"Don't come closer" his father begged him with his last words, but it was too late. His father's sneeze touched his skin and the virus found its next victim.
He stood, eyes closed and waiting quietly for death. He had no hope of survival.
"Ride me! Ride me! someone please ride me" came a gentle voice whisper further down the empty street. The boy shrugged as he crept further down the street. The voice sounded gentle enough to not be another one of those snobbish rich town brats and he welcomed the prospect of having someone friendly to talk to for once before the grim reaper claimed him and took him away.
The speaker was not a human. In the place where the boy heard the cry stood a small yellow pony with a beautiful pink mane which the wind tossed and turned.
The boy cold not believe his eyes, Surely ponies like this one were only a fantasy that would sadly never come true and were only put onto Tv shows to taunt young children like him into madness by only being fake and not real. And surely ponies could only talk in cartoons and not in real life. It was with a heavy heart he began to turn away, he had better things to do in his last minutes than to talk to an illusion.
The next words he heard changed his grief into sheer euphoria he never hoped to experience. "Please... I'm real. I'm real" begged the pony.
The boy turned around slowly. He knew this pony's name but he wanted to hear it from her anyway. "Yes, I am the Fluttershy you dedicated your life to searching for" sobbed the pony "th, thank you". She had read his mind like he hoped she would.
"Fluttershy" stuttered the boy giving a loud cough as he did so. "Yes" replied the pony.
"I'm so glad I could die meeting you. My life was not a complete waste" said the boy coughing again". The boy was happy.
"Would you like to ride me" begged the pony spreading her beautiful wings out "I like to be ridden".
"Why?" asked the boy.
"Ponies love to be ridden" explained Fluttershy cheerfully pointing to a small sign she stood next to which said Free rides. "Ponies were meant for humans to ride and enjoy" continued Fluttershy "especially sad lonely ponies like me who don't have many friends"
"I would love to" replied the boy sadly "But as you can see I have a very dangerous virus which I don't want to pass to you. You'll die and I don't want that."
"My immune system is very strong" retorted Fluttershy "don't worry about that".
"I don't have any money to pay you with"
"I charge nothing. I'm not like Rainbow Dash who charges £5000 per ride. Money means nothing to me when all I really need is a happy smile from my happy friends to make me happy". "So please" begged Fluttershy getting more and more desperate "Ride me! ride me!".
The boy was still eager to know more about the lovely friend he had dedicated his short and miserable life to. "But I, I had so much to ask you" he pleaded.
"We can talk as I take you for a lovely ride, now please, ride me!" she replied, clearly sympathetic with his plight.
"Are you sure its safe" asked the very sick boy.
"I represent the element of kindness" replied Fluttershy meekly but solemnly "Would I really lie to you."
"Is it a good ride?" he asked.
"The very best ride you'll have in your life or your death. We offer an in flight video and five star meals too on your flight" stated Fluttershy in an almost buisiness like tone, clearly trying to sound like an advertiser.
"How fast can you go?"
"Much faster than Rainbow Dash, and much safer too" she promised.
The boy was overjoyed. This pony showed obvious hatred for Rainbow Dash and was clearly the real Fluttershy.
An ominous laughter came from not very far away and Fluttershy's soft gentle smile seemed to vanish almost instantly. Her face contorted with a mixture of loathing and fear, but mostly with concern and panic. "Its him" she gasped "he's found me".
"Who?" asked the boy cautiously.
"Rainbow Dash" replied Fluttershy in a strained, worried voice "If he finds me, he'll kill me and you along with me. We have to go now!"
The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard.
"Please" begged Fluttershy anxiously "You have to trust me. Hop on my back and I'll fly you away from Rainbow Dash. Please, I don't want let Rainbow Dash take another innocent life"
The boy knew that Rainbow Dash was ruthless and could not be trusted from the few times he had found a television to stand next to in his life as a filthy slum dweller.
He did not wait to be told again, anything was better than staying here with Rainbow Dash.
With lightning speed he jumped onto Fluttershy's back and urged her to carry him away at once.
"Hang on tight and fasten your seat belts" ordered Fluttershy trying her best to sound like an air hostess. She began to gallop forward rapidly as she spread her wings out even further.
And then they were airborne, climbing higher and higher into the sky by the second.