Once upon a time, in a country far away, lived two beautiful ponies, Jane and Ruby, with their two owners, Charles and Amy. Charles and Amy each lived in a small, yellow house that shared a big yard, where Jane's and Ruby's barn was. Their homes were close to The Forest, and it was a tradition by the people from this area to raise ponies in a safe environment, but set them free in The Forest once they grew up. Jane and Ruby had long, hazelnut manes; the owners wanted to teach the ponies to take care of their manes by themselves because that was the best way to prepare them to live on their own, once they became horses. To take care of their manes properly, the ponies had to: eat healthy food, spend enough time in the sun and brush their manes. The owners decided to reward the ponies each time they completed a task successfully, so each time Jane or Ruby did one of the three tasks, Amy or Charles would give them an apple.
Charles enjoyed feeding apples to Jane and Ruby; he felt that they strengthened their relationships in this way. Contrasting from what his name might lead you to believe, Charles wasn't a free spirit. He was very set in his ways, rarely embracing adventures or change. As Jane and Ruby were growing into strong, wild horses, Charles was receding into a weak, predictable man. The idea that his beloved ponies would once take care of their manes instead of him made him feel worthless and scared. So to make Jane and Ruby codependent for a longer time, Charles started giving Jane and Ruby sugar cubes when they were successfully taking care of their manes. Since Amy would never support him, Charles made Jane and Ruby promise that they will never tell Amy about the sugar. Jane and Ruby discussed this and made a deal that they will talk every evening about the bad things that started happening. They were both aware that sugar was bad for their health; they just didn't know how exactly.
Ponies, as well as many other beings, like sugar; it melts in their mouths fast, it has a strong impact on their mood and the cubes it is arranged into are so practical, it's satisfying. However, because of sugar, the ponies developed serious digestion issues, so one day they couldn't eat apples anymore. Also, sugar made their hair thin and brittle, meaning that instead of progressing physically, as well as personally, they were receding. Jane was worried for three reasons. Firstly, she didn't understand how was Charles planning to hide the sugar from Amy since it became obvious that he was feeding it to her and Ruby. Secondly, her future was in danger. Thirdly, Ruby stopped talking to her about her experiences; when they would meet in the evening in the barn, Jane would ask how Ruby was doing, but the responses she would get were short and non-specific, such as "Fine." Desperate, Jane turned to Amy for help.
"Charles is giving you sugar because he wants to keep you close to him", Amy noticed. "Once you become horses, you will wander off into The Forest and Charles will no longer be your priority."
"But we will always love Charles", said Jane. "We love him now, too, even though he is hindering our growth."
Amy sighed. "You should learn to use the energy that sugar offers you and go to the forest as soon as possible; you will find better food there, and your mane and stomach will heal over time." She made a serious face. "But you must never forget that what Charles is feeding you is bad, or else you will feed yourself bad things once you're on your own. That is why you should keep eating apples."
Jane continued to eat the sugar that Charles gave her then the apples from Amy; she lived with the stomach and hair problems, trusting that she will solve them in The Forest, on her own. Jane told Ruby about her talk with Amy, and in the beginning, Ruby was doing the same things as Jane. But she soon stopped eating apples and only relied on sugar. Nevertheless, Jane was sure that Ruby would come to her senses.
One day, Charles started convincing Jane that how she is taking care of her mane is wrong; that she is spending too much time in the sun, that she uses the wrong comb and that she is eating unhealthy.
"If you know that I am eating unhealthy, why do you keep feeding me unhealthy rewards?" Jane asked.
Charles never replied; he just kept accusing Jane of being irresponsible. One evening, Jane was furious and turned to Ruby.
"Ruby, I don't see why we should keep living here if Charles is going to keep poisoning us'', Jane said. They were standing next to their beds in their barn, Jane walking back and forth and Ruby standing still, gazing into the distance. Jane couldn't take Charles's lies anymore - she couldn't even stand still as she was talking about them. She asked Ruby to run away with her.
"Ruby, it's all nature in The Forest", said Jane optimistically. "You reward yourself. You guide yourself. You take care of yourself; Charles cannot trick us there!"
As she was speaking, Ruby silently lifted her left hoof off the ground to reveal a hidden sugar cube. She brought it close to her mouth. Jane sunk to the centre of the Earth at the sight. Jane and Ruby were not only best friends, but sisters, and Jane had put all her hope into Ruby. But Ruby was a traitor. She fell right into Charles's trap and was now unlikely to ever leave the barn. Desperate, Jane turned to Amy for help.
"Ruby accepted the sugar because she sensed Charles's hidden fear. This is her way of supporting him", Amy noticed. "You should take the support Ruby offers you during your stay here and leave to The Forest as soon as possible."
Jane asked Amy to come to The Forest with her. Amy refused.
"I can only ride on your back once you become a horse. The only way I can help you when you grow up is by letting you be completely on your own", Amy explained.
So Jane stuck with Ruby and ate both the sugar and the apples, trusting that she will solve her stomach problems, grow a healthier mane and mend her broken heart on her own, in The Forest. She stayed focused on her goal to avoid being depressed.
Jane soon left to pursue her life in The Forest. Her stomach problems disappeared, her mane recovered and the love she had for Ruby shone through the disappointment. Jane would often come across plants whose fruits were similar to sugar, and animals that ate those fruits for the same reason one eats sugar. But Jane never forgot that eating sugar is bad for her, so thanks to Amy's advice, she wandered in The Forest with courage and pride. Yet, she kept asking herself: did she learn her lessons? She might never know...
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