There once was a young boy, and his name was Leo. He loved to frolic around with the little ponies, but he never let his dad see this. His father had a major grudge against ponies, so he kept them in the barn without feeding them at all. Leo kept them company, cleaned up their messes, and gave them water and food. As a reward, the ponies let him play with them.

One day, Leo was just getting ready to ride around with the ponies, but suddenly, the door banged wide open.

“Leo! What are you doing in here?! And while you’re at it, GET OFF THAT PUTRID HORSE RIGHT NOW!”

“I..I..I’m really sorry father, I didn’t mean to…” stammered Leo.

“I don’t care what you meant to do, just get of that thing immediately young man!” shrieked Leo’s father.

“Yes father,” mumbled Leo, with his head hanging down.

From that day on, Leo’s father put security cameras right next to the entrance of the barn to see if Leo went in. Leo spent the rest of his days worrying if the little horses were hungry or thirsty. But, don’t think that Leo isn’t brave enough to go into the barn. He is! He had tried countless times, but they have all resulted in a punishment and severe scolding. Leo sat himself down on the side of the barn, feeling miserable and hopeless. When he hung his head down low, he spotted an ant trying to pick up a piece of meat. The tiny ant just couldn’t get the meat on his back! He tried and tried until it had been 30 minutes and he still hadn’t gotten it yet. Yet, the little ant did not give up. On his 97th try, he finally managed to slide it onto his back and safely carry it home to eat!

This sparked a new fire in Leo. He knew what he had to do for the things he cared for most. He yelled to his dad, “Father, I know that you hate horses, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t like them either! I think you’ve been wrong this whole time. I’m destined to be with the horses, and I don’t care what you say to me.” With that final note, he charged into the barn, hopped onto the fastest pony, and sped away into the night.