A lone yellow pegasus walked across the main floor of the Ponyville public library. Her mane and tail were long and pink, but tied up in great big loops to prevent them from dragging along the floor or tangling up her hooves. She stopped in front of a long folding table and curtseyed.

“Hello,” she said, “and good afternoon to all you pegasisters and bronies watching at home. You may know me as Fluttershy, but my real name is Posey and I’ve been a huge fan of all things My Little Pony ever since I was very young. My first role as a child actress was a small bit part for the flutterpony character named Rosedust all the way back in gee-one. Later on in my career, I had the wonderful opportunity to provide the motion capture performance for gee-three Fluttershy, and I also served as the model for that character’s collectible figurine. You might also recognize me from the ‘Sunny Adventures With Fluttershy’ toy, where I came with both a hairbrush and a tote purse.”

She stood sideways, posing her legs and tilting her head to replicate the ‘january carnation pose’ with unerring grace and precision.

“I remember thinking right away that it was going to be one of my favorite roles ever, and I was right. I was thrilled when they asked me to reprise my role as Fluttershy for the live-action gee-four serial, and I hope you’ve all been enjoying my work as much as I have.”

Posey walked behind the table and sat in a chair, clasping both hooves together on the table. “I know that you fans love to follow along with us every week as we learn about friendship and magic and all the exciting and wonderful surprises that go along with them, but today I’d like to talk about something serious. If you’ve been following our story from the very beginning you’ll know that I am referring, of course, to equine polysaccharide storage myopathy. It is a muscle disease that most commonly affects heavier horse breeds, such as the Clydesdale, Shire, Belgian Draft, Suffolk Punch, and Percheron. EPSM is a genetic predisposition to fail to digest grains properly, leading to damage to muscle tissue during exertion. It has been estimated by DNA testing that approximately two-thirds of all draft horses have the predisposition for EPSM... and it can have fatal results. If I still haven’t convinced you, I have a special friend who I know you’ll listen to.”

Rainbow Dash walked into view and stood next to the table. She stared directly ahead, wide eyed, and spoke in a flat, halting monotone. “Hello, everypony. You may know me as Rainbow Dash, but... my real name is Firefly. I’m here with my best... friend Posey to give you the hard facts. While many heavy horses... have the predisposition for EPSM, most do not… show symptoms. What triggers the condition... from predisposition to active threat... is not known. ESPM is not commonly... diagnosed from symptoms, but rather... by ruling out other potential causes for... symptoms.”

Posey nodded. “That’s right, Firefly! Horses that are affected are generally described as having a calm demeanor and being heavily muscled. Signs often occur ten or twenty minutes after light work in two-to-four year olds, but signs can also occur at any stage in life. These episodes may occur once or twice a year, or every time a horse is exercised. Victims are often described as being ‘exercise intolerant,’ especially when running at high speeds. If exercise is continued, profuse sweating, front and hindlimb gait asymmetry, and reluctance to move are seen. When returned to the stall, they may show signs of colic, such as rolling or pawing. Such episodes are followed by an elevated level of the enzyme creatinine kinase, or CK. Sadly, this deadly disease can difficult to detect... but there is a treatment.”

The two of them stared straight ahead for a moment, silent and motionless.

“Treatment consists of,” Posey whispered out of the side of her mouth.

Firefly straightened up. “Treatment consists of dietary management, and implementation... of a defined exercise regime. The goals... of dietary therapy are to minimize carbohydrates and maximize fat intake... by providing twenty to twenty-five percent of... the dietary caloric requirement from fat. All grain, sweet feed and... molasses should be eliminated from the diet and replaced with high quality forages... such as alfalfa hay. Exercise therapy consists of daily turnout... and as little stall rest as possible. The horse should be longed for... fifteen minutes a day, and if no increases in creat...” Firefly leaned forward, squinting both eyes. “Creatina... cretinaka... cre...”

“That’s right, Firefly! If no increases in the creatinine kinase enzyme occurs after fifteen minutes, the workload can be gradually increased. When the horse can be worked for thirty minutes without difficulty, active riding can be initiated.”

“So remember,” Firefly said, resting a hoof on Posey’s shoulder, “if you want to help fight this deadly disease, and be just as cool as your pal Rainbow Dash, you’ve got to control your diet and do your exercises every day just like a real pro athlete.”

Posey nodded. “Sounds like good advice! For those of you watching from Massachusetts, you can come and visit me in Boston on the seventeenth of February where I’ll be giving talks and signing autographs to raise public awareness for National Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy Awareness Day. You can find directions to the university on my blog and I’ll be answering questions on Twitter for the entire week leading up to it. For more information, don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor or dietitian. You can also find lots of information at your local library, or by searching the internet.”

“Internet, huh?” Firefly muttered, “you ripped all this off MLPedia, didn’t you?”

Posey jabbed Firefly in the ribs with her elbow, causing her to double over and gasp for breath.

“Thank you for your time,” Posey said with a smile. “Be aware... and be healthy!”