PonyPark

Jasmine was never an outgoing girl. In fact, she had been quite reserved. It wasn’t like she disliked people, she just preferred to spend most of her time alone. When other children of her neighborhood played outside or when recess was going on, she kept to herself, usually either staying inside playing with her dolls or admiring nature. Thankfully, though, she was still a sweet and polite girl, and had no trouble with schooling

Her parents had great trouble when they tried to get her to socialize, as she was an only child and needed company. It took a while to figure out the reason for her shyness, but after many years of wondering, the culprit had been identified.

Not many children had shared Jasmine’s interests. She didn’t seem interested in anything at all, really, aside from nature or cats. She loved any and all felines of any shapes and sizes, and even had a gorgeous marine coon named Angel. The white cat would keep her company over the years when she had no interest in people.

However—Fall 2010 had rolled around, just a month after Jasmine’s seventh birthday. The blonde had taken a sudden interest in a television show that was gaining traction very fast: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Kids around her school and many other neighborhoods had grew to love that show, and even adults were tuning in every Saturday morning for a new episode. The adventures of Twilight Sparkle and her friends captured the hearts of many around the globe.

It was inevitable that even Jasmine would become attracted to those cute and cuddly ponies, soon starting a collection of pony dolls that were decorated around her bedroom. However, there was a certain pony that she had collected the most, and that pony was the yellow pegasus named Fluttershy. She was quiet just like the human girl was, and was attached to animals as well. She even had a bunny named Angel, like her cat!

Of course, this led to her starting to socialize a bit more, most likely from watching Fluttershy gradually come out of her shell as the television show progressed. She started to make friends at school who would talk about the ponies at every chance they could. The teachers even allowed the children to bring their pony dolls with them for recess, and there were even times when kids would gift the staff any kind of pony merchandise.

Brightheart Elementary had just finished their lunch period, and as usual, nearly every child would group with their friends to converse about or play with the ponies. Jasmine held her Fluttershy doll in hand as she closed her lunchbox, and approached her friends, Katelyn and Elizabeth, who each held their own pony dolls in hand, specifically Twilight Sparkle and Ratity.

“Hello, darling!” said Elizabeth, mimicking Rarity’s voice as she held the unicorn doll to the Fluttershy one.

“Hi, guys!” she greeted the two. “I can’t believe it’s already Friday. There’s a new My Little Pony episode tomorrow, too!”

“I know!” exclaimed Katelyn. “Oh, I also wanted to tell you guys something super exciting.”

The two other girls looked at the red-haired, while Jasmine asked, “What is it?”

“My dad got a really big raise,” Elizabeth started, a smile widening onto her face. “So our family got lots of money. And we were able to afford...five tickets to PonyPark!”

The other girls screamed in excitement, but then Jasmine stared at Katelyn in confusion. “I thought you didn’t have any brothers or sisters?”

Katelyn nodded, and her eyes shined with excitement. “I know. You two are going with me in two weeks from tomorrow!”

All three of them screamed with joy again, at the mere thought of even going to PonyPark was enough to give them bursts of happiness. If the commercials on TV were anything to go by, it had looked like a place even more fun than Disney World. Rides, good food, an arcade, all with a signature pony flair.

“But what about paying for the flights and hotels?” asked Jasmine.

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Katelyn didn’t lose her smile. “Since it’s got so much money from all the visitors, they decided to build a hotel near the park grounds. It’s a special My Little Pony hotel! The tickets pay for the hotel and the park visit. My parents covered the flights, too.” Her news anticipated the others even more.

“That’s amazing! Thank you so much, Katelyn!” Jasmine embraced her friend in a hug as she jumped up and down excitedly. She couldn’t believe it—she was actually going to the real PonyPark!

Another Saturday meant another new episode of ponies. That alone was enough to have Jasmine excited. But the fact that right after it premiered, Katelyn would be driving her to the airport to visit PonyPark? It was practically the best day of her life. She was surprised her parents allowed her to go, with the promise of Katelyn’s parents watching over her and her friends.

She smiled, as the new episode was just about to finish. With luggage in hand she watched the television, technicolor ponies feeding her imagination with having the time of her life in PonyPark. Especially meeting Fluttershy, which was what one of the commercials highlighted.

The credits rolled, and, as if on cue, the doorbell rang. Jasmine rushed to the door, and opened it before her mother could reach her. Katelyn was waiting outside, a wide smile plastered onto her face. “Good morning! Are you ready to go?”

“I’m more than ready!” Jasmine exclaimed, heading towards her friend’s car in a rush. However, before she could reach it, her mother gripped her wrist.

“You weren’t gonna leave without saying goodbye, were you?” teased her mother, with her father approaching her as well. Jasmine gave them both a hug and a kiss, before boding them goodbye before rushing over to Katelyn’s car, where both Katelyn’s parents and Elizabeth were waiting.

“You promised you’d tell us about the new episode, Jasmine,” said Elizabeth as the three girls settled into the back seats of the car. “What happened?”

“Oh, Pinkie Pie was being her usual self,” the blonde explained. “She had this thing called...Pinkie sense, I think? It made Twilight really mad, it was funny.”

The three girls continued to speak of the colorful world of Equestria until they had finally made it to the airport. It wouldn’t be long now before they would arrive to their pony-themed hotel room.

The flight from Ohio to Florida was long, and very boring, but it was worth it. Since the group left just after eleven in the morning, they had made it to the park at around three in the afternoon. The following Monday was a teacher workday, giving them the rest of the day and Sunday to explore the wonders of PonyPark.

The three girls were led by Katelyn’s parents through the hotel lobby, which displayed many ponies in the huge room. On the ceiling was a beautiful realistic painting of Princess Celestia herself, sitting on a batch of clouds with the sun shining behind her. It was absolutely stunning.

The three girls clutched onto their brushable pony dolls, following Katelyn’s parents and stepping up the stairs that resembled Canterlot Castle’s. Said stairs led to an elevator, which took them up to the third floor of the hotel. Each door to every hotel room bared images of several ponies, even ones other than just the six main characters. The room that belonged to the five had a light yellow pony with a red mane and a rose cutie mark on it.

The room itself hosted two bedrooms, one with a queen-sized bed and another with two bunk beds. The room with the queen bed was normal, with plain white sheets, while the room with the bunk beds was decorated with images of Fluttershy and Applejack on the wall, and bedsheets that displayed Twilight Sparkle on each of the beds. There was even a small television in each bedroom for entertainment.

Jasmine lay on the purple couch in the main room next to pillows of Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie after dropping her luggage. The other girls looked outside the hotel window, admiring the view of PonyPark from a far distance. The only thing they could see from so far away was a tall rollercoaster and a large ferris wheel. Just looking at the park gave them enough motivation to immediately beg Katelyn’s parents to let them venture out into the park as soon as possible. It wasn’t long before they gave in, and they were out of the room just as soon as they had arrived.

Jasmine and her friends had changed into shirts of their favorite ponies, being Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight. They each smiled just as they entered the park, happiness fueled by the sight of lovely ponies and the sounds of excitement from all the other children around them.

“May I use the bathroom real quick?” Jasmine politely asked Katelyn’s mother, before the adult nodded to her, but told her to be fast. Jasmine dashed to the nearest female restroom which was in a small building made to look like one of the Ponyville houses from the show. Out of the corner of her eye, though, she thought she saw a flash of yellow. Shaking her head, she brushed it off before entering the bathroom.

When she returned, the other four were still waiting for her. Katelyn exclaimed, “Come on! I want to go on the Equestria Adventure ride!” She pointed to a structure that resembled the Golden Oak Library, which had a decently long line standing in front of it. Not wanting to waste time, her parents nodded, and led the children to the dark ride.

Inside the treehouse structure were flickering lights to represent candles around faux bookshelves painted on the walls, with TV screens flashing a pre-show to the long line of guests. Jasmine couldn’t hear what was being said on the screen very clearly, she focused her attention when Fluttershy had appeared. Any time the yellow pony had caught her eye, she couldn’t help but smile, thinking of how much she was like her favorite pony.

The group had finally gotten onto the ride after a few short minutes of waiting in line. The storyline was nothing special, only about Nightmare Moon’s return and the Mane Six using the Elements to defeat her. It was a little fast, sort of like an indoor roller coaster, but nothing too thrilling. The girls, along with the parents, had a fun experience.

The cloudless sky made way for many birds to take flight, as Jasmine admired the small family of robins gliding in the azure sky, just as Fluttershy would have on any day in Ponyville. Their next stop was the Sonic Rainboom coaster, which she was a little nervous about, but anything with Rainbow Dash had to be cool. Any pony fan would know that.

She snapped out of her thoughts when a brunette-haired boy bumped into her shoulder, as he seemed like he was running away from something. He fell, thankfully not injuring himself too much, but Jasmine was still concerned. She offered a hand while she noticed he had a blue DSi tucked into his pocket. She was going to ask if he was all right, but didn’t get the chance to when he simply ran off without saying anything. She hoped he’d be okay, by any means.

“How kind of you!” Katelyn’s mother looked back to her after witnessing the short-lived event. “Offering help to that boy was sweet. Reminds me of another pony who’s kind.” She threw a wink at her, and Jasmine smiled. Was she really that much like Fluttershy?

The five had gotten a bite to eat before heading to the coaster, but not before Jasmine once again headed to the bathroom. It wasn’t her fault the soda here was that good. Again locating the nearest bathroom, she stepped into a room with three teal-colored stalls.

This time, she was alone. The restroom was clean, thanks to rare use—but the mere feeling of being by herself was enough to get a whimper out of her. She stood still, suddenly afraid to do much of anything as the feeling of being watched creeped up on her.

Out of nowhere, she heard an all too familiar voice.

“You know, when I get scared, I think of my friends wanting me to be brave,” whispered a soft voice. Jasmine looked behind her, and saw that a yellow pegasus with a pink mane had miraculously appeared out of thin air. For a moment, she thought she was in a dream, as there was no way that a cartoon character could be real. Maybe it was just a very realistic costume?

Her mind raced in both excitement and confusion as she stared at her favorite pony smiling above her. The winged mare was surprisingly a bit bigger than she was. “You...you’re Fluttershy!” The pony nodded at her reply.

“Hello, there,” Fluttershy gave the girl a soft smile. “Would you like to be friends? I saw how you acted to that boy outside, and thought that I just had to meet you after that display of kindness.”

“Really?!” Jasmine had to cover her mouth after shouting that word, she had never even heard herself talk that loudly before. Fluttershy softly giggled, and held out a hoof. Jasmine accepted it, and took in just how real her fur felt. “You really are real...how did you even get here?”

“Equestrian magic,” Fluttershy said, putting her foreleg back onto the ground. “It gives me access to this park, and I can travel here from Equestria, just to meet sweet little girls and boys like you. I can even take you to Equestria so you can meet all of my little animal friends.”

Now that was a tantalizing offer. She loved animals, especially cats, as well as nature, all things that resides in Fluttershy’s cottage. “I...I love animals! I have a pet cat, named Angel, like your bunny!”

“Oh, my, how lovely!” Fluttershy’s smile grew as she listened to the girl. “I’m sure you and I will have a wonderful time if you decide to come with me to Equestria.”

“But how?” The girl’s curiosity was peaked.

“Meet me around here later,” Fluttershy looked the girl straight in the eyes, as Jasmine wondered if she would be able to fly with Fluttershy once she got to Equestria. “I’ll show you exactly how special Equestrian magic can be.”

Jasmine heard her name being called from outside, and turned to face the bathroom door. Katelyn burst through the door suddenly, and had a slightly worried look on her face. “Are you okay? What’s taking so long? The line to Sonic Rainboom is getting long!”

Jasmine smiled nervously. “Sorry, I was just talking to Fluttershy.”

“What?”

“She’s right—“ Jasmine turned to where Fluttershy was, but saw nothing but the wall of the restroom. “...uh, sorry. Sometimes my imagination gets wild.”

“That’s okay. It happens to me, too,” Katelyn grabbed Jasmine’s hand and dragged her out of the restroom. “Now come on! Let’s ride that coaster!”

Unfortunately for Jasmine and her friends, riding the Sonic Rainboom wasn’t such a good idea directly after eating so much. As a result of this, the three of them had gotten nauseous, and had to be taken to the First Aid building near the southeast section of Ponyville. After resting their legs for a bit, both the adults and the children were ready to get back into the park, as Katelyn had requested they travel to Canterlot.

The mere sight of the replica city was jaw dropping. It was if the show had come to life, as Canterlot looked exactly like it had been in the cartoon, except more realistic and bigger. The Canterlot section of the park housed the carousel, the ferris wheel, a Princess Celestia meet and greet, and a walkthrough attraction of Canterlot Castle. It didn’t have as many attractions as Ponyville, but it was worth it due to the beautiful look of the area itself.

Meeting with Princess Celestia had been a bit...weird, at least to Jasmine. The costume was well-made, but it felt almost as real as Fluttershy did when she had encountered the other pony earlier. The way the costume stared at her was unnaturally odd, too. The magenta eyes seemed to stare at her so intently, barley paying attention to the other two girls until she was asked to pose for a picture.

Later on, the girls had gotten onto the ferris wheel and conversed as the seats went around in a large circle. She tried telling her friends that Celestia was real, and that Fluttershy was too, but of course, they didn’t believe a word she said. That was a shame, as she wanted to bring her friends to Equestria with her.

“Equestria isn’t real,” scoffed Elizabeth. “I wish it was, though!”

“But she was right there!” Jasmine huffed in protest. “Fluttershy talked to me! She said that I was really kind earlier. She even said she would take me to Equestria. Don’t you guys want to go to Equestria?”

“I wish,” Katelyn laughed, as if she thought Jasmine was pulling a prank on her and Elizabeth. “Oh, Jasmine, you and your wild imagination. I wish I could imagine Twilight talking to me that easily!”

“But...” Jasmine sighed, and gave up the fight. It didn’t matter that much, anyway; she would prove to Elizabeth and Katelyn that Equestria was real after she came back. Maybe she could even show her entire school the way to Equestria, if Fluttershy taught her! Everyone deserved to be in Equestria, after all. It sounded like paradise to her, and certainly to any other child, teen, or adult.

The sun was beginning to head down the horizon, and excitement filled Jasmine as butterflies in her belly fluttered about. It was almost closing time, exactly thirty minutes away until six. The group was waiting for the nightly closing show to start, where some employees, the Mane Six and Princess Celestia would celebrate the world of Equestria and thank the guests for coming to PonyPark, complete with a fireworks show, on a stage set in Canterlot.

Jasmine, however, was more excited about something else, which was meeting up with her pony friend again. She rushed to the same bathroom that she had been in hours ago, branching off a bit from the others, but not too far. She closed the door behind her as she entered the restroom, which was empty once again.

“Fluttershy?” The seven year old called out. “I’m here!”

“Hello, Jasmine,” like she had before, Fluttershy suddenly appeared behind her from out of nowhere. Jasmine jumped a little in surprise, but was relieved to be reunited with her favorite pony. “I’m glad you came to see me. I quite like talking to you, little one.”

“I like you, too, Fluttershy,” Jasmine stroked the pony’s mane fur, appreciating of how pretty it was. Fluttershy hummed at the gesture, a slight smile never leaving her face. “So, are we going to go to Equestria now?”

“In due time,” Fluttershy giggled before pacing towards the door. “I’m going to be just on the other side of this door, okay? I need you to follow me.”

“Why can’t you open the door?” asked Jasmine in confusion and curiosity.”

“Since I come all the way from Equestria, I’m not able to be completely physical,” explained the pegasus, in a soothing, honeyed voice. “So I can’t do certain things that you can do.”

The child, believing this fully, simply nodded and opened the door once Fluttershy had disappeared. Looking to the crowd not too far away from the restroom, she carefully made sure she was not seen while following Fluttershy. She wondered why they had to be so conspicuous; shouldn’t everybody deserve to go to Equestria? Then again, it was a pretty good feeling to be picked by Fluttershy herself specially to be able to visit Equestria.

“Fluttershy?” Jasmine whispered, as the sounds of the crowd gradually faded away.

“Yes, Jasmine?”

“When I come back from Equestria, can you show my friends the way to it, too?” After that question, the pegasus had stopped momentarily in her tracks, but then began walking again, saying nothing. This made Jasmine a bit worried, but reassured enough to still want to continue to follow the pony.

“Fluttershy?” Again Jasmine called her name, but still got no response. Maybe Fluttershy was just too focused on finding the secret portal to Equestria or something? She didn’t want to bother her new pony friend.

“Will I come back? I’ll see my friends again, right?”

No reply again. Silence reigned for several minutes after.

“Jasmine,” Fluttershy said, as she finally stopped walking away from where the two were previously. “I brought you here because I found a poor little kitten that was injured in the bushes. I need you to help heal it.”

Jasmine could hear soft meows coming from nearby bushes, but then questioned as to why Fluttershy didn’t help it in the first place. “But why didn’t you help it?”

“This is a test of kindness,” Fluttershy’s voice suddenly was in a much lower tone. “Prove to me how badly you want to go to Equestria, Jasmine.”

Jasmine looked at the pony’s blank stare for a moment, before heading into the bushes, expecting to see an injured kitten, as promised. However, she had not seen anything, as the meows of the cat had been replaced with eerie silence. “Fluttershy, I don’t see it,” she said, but Fluttershy gave no reply.

“Fluttershy, please,” she came out from the bush to see that the pony was no longer there. “Please don’t leave me alone.” She stepped back in fear, looking around for the yellow pegasus, when she suddenly had felt a burning pain in her leg. She looked down as she fell onto the hard concrete, and bite marks had been marked near her ankle.

She heard something scurry near her, and her eyes widened at what she saw: a light brown scorpion had made its way into the bush, and it had stung her. White-hot pain burned through her, as her body slowly took the poisonous sting. She tried to move, but found that she couldn’t, and her body began to spasm as her breathing became irregular and erratic.

“Flu-“ she tried to call out to her friend again, but could only cough up blood, her body burning even more as every second passed. Perhaps Fluttershy could heal her wounds, or even befriend the scorpion that had stung her? She didn’t get it, though, she had been kind. Fluttershy was kind, too, and the animals always treated her fairly. Was Jasmine not kind enough?

Maybe she failed the test. She may have disappointed Fluttershy.

The negative thoughts were just as painful as the poisonous venom that ran through her, and she wondered if she would see Equestria as her world faded to pitch black.