A fifteen minute walk and ten minutes of driving, surely that should suffice for a period of reflection. Jackson hadn’t taken into consideration any of the responsibilities he would be forced to face in the coming months, but now that he thought of it he knew he would find a way to make things perfect for… it. Pulling into his driveway, Jackson glanced down at his new companion wondering out loud he muttered a single phrase. “Are you a boy or a girl?”

Opening up the glove compartment and grabbing a flashlight, the curious country boy slowly unwrapped the orange creature as to not disturb its slumber. He turned on the light and pointed the incandescent beam toward the hindquarters of the equine “Might as well check…”, he took hold of the top leg and carefully hoisted it up. “Well Ah‘ll be… it’s a girl…” Jackson chuckled to himself and shook his head  “C’mon then, we’re goin’ inside, Ah’ll figure out what to do with ya come tomorrow.”

Once again, the filly was wrapped up and carried to the next destination, unlike last time though that destination was a bed, rather than the passenger seat of a beat up pickup truck. He closed the door as quietly as possible and traipsed up toward the house. After they were inside and in his room Jackson went to work making his bed as comfortable as possible for the filly, which was really all the blankets bunched up with a caved in center set in the middle of the bed. He set the mass down in the crevice and turned to leave, one thought stopped him and made him turn around however. He hadn’t given her a proper ‘goodnight’. “G’night… horse… lookin’ thing.”

Jackson closed the door and set himself down on the couch in the next room, all the while smiling to himself. Kicking off his boots and reclining back on the sofa he closed his eyes and passed out.

He hadn’t expected to be woken up by a loud thumping coming from his bedroom, much less at three in the morning, but it happened nonetheless and Jackson reluctantly stood up and opened the door. From that door came a pair of orange hooves flailing after what could only be perceived as a missed kick. “The fuck are you doin’ little one?” The filly simply smiled and trotted toward him and hugged his leg. “Missed me already did ya?”

He knealt down, picked up the foal and carried her over to his bed. Setting her down and crawling onto the mattress as well he looked at her and smiled “Yer too darn cute ya know that?” He paused and looked around the room then back to his friend. “Ah don’t think ya’ll can understand a lick of what Ah’m sayin’…” Shrugging it off hay laid his head back on the pillow and felt a nudge on his arm. He turned his head and bore witness to yet another spectacle that made his heart melt. The filly had made a bed out of the crook of his arm and was resting her head on his chest.

~

Blades of light from the morning sun pierced the sanctity of the once dark bedroom jostling the young man awake. As he went to get out of bed he was startled to find an orange ball of fuzz snoozing in the crook of his arm. He was about to take drastic measures when the events of the previous night came back to him, which then took his shock and melded it to a look of adoration and contentment. Doing the best he could as to not disturb his guest he made his way to the restroom to take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later he emerged from the steamy water closet ‘fresh as a daisy‘, as the locals would have called it. He glanced toward his bed expecting to see the tangerine critter sound asleep, it wasn’t what he didn’t see that caused him great dismay, but rather what he did see. For on the bed there was no orange pony all that stood as evidence of her existence was the puddle of liquid where the two had slept prior to Jacksons shower. Jackson was about to yell at her when he realized it would be of no use, since she didn’t have a name the attempt would be pointless, and even then accidents happen.

After he tore all the shhets, blankets and other dressings off the bed Jackson had taken them all to the laundry room where they could be washed later, then returned to the old bed, what he saw disgusted him. He realized he had been sleeping on a yellow piss stained mattress ever since he had moved back in. He pushed the thought into the back of his mind and remembered that he hadn’t seen his new friend anywhere.

Jackson had scoured almost every square inch of the house up until he reached the kitchen. There before his eyes sat an orange filly merrily gorging herself on a box of cereal, whether by pure coincidence or some weird manipulation done by a deity, the cereal of choice was in fact… Applejacks. “Applejacks… You ate a whole box of cereal all by yourself…” He looked down at the adorable mess and could only smirk as he thought of a joke “Guess you’ll turn into one now and Ah’ll have to start callin’ ya Applejack.” This earned him a great beaming smile from the filly almost as if that we’re her name already.

“Tell ya what Applejack, next time ya’ll want some cereal, grab a couple bowls an some milk, Ah might want some too.” With that He hoisted AJ into the air and set her on the counter. “Now you stay right there an don’t move.” As she sat on the counter watching the man taking care of her diligently cleaning up her mess she couldn’t help but grow bored and look out the window. A sense of infantile curiosity washed over her as she glanced outside.  What she saw was a simple tree to most others, a tall sturdy hunk of wood baring fruit, nothing more, nothing less, yet it’s significance to AJ was unknown but as she gazed upon the twisted brown bark a spark seemed to set off in her mind.

“Earth to Applejack?” Jackson playfully waved his hand in front of the entranced filly breaking her of her blank state. “Ya’ll wanna watch some cartoons or somethin’?” The filly gave him a confused look so he set her down on the floor and lead her to the living room, to his delight the filly had walked right by his side to see just what it was he was trying to show her. Jackson picked up the remote, turned on the t.v. and laughed as he watched her fall back on her haunches mesmerized by the moving pictures and noise coming from the box. “Now ya’ll just sit tight, got some shi- stuff… I gotta do right quick.” That being said Jackson left the pony in her trance like state and went to throw out the disgusting mattress he had slept on for too long.

~

A month and seven days had gone by since he took little Applejack in, his change of emotion and how he presented himself was not only quickly apparent to him, but also to every person in town who had to communicate with him. Applejack had just began learning basic English thanks to listening to Jackson talk to her thinking she couldn’t understand a lick of what he was saying, this however turned out to be the complete opposite of his thoughts. He came back from the convenience store somewhere around noon and saw AJ patiently waiting for him inside. He went to give her a hug, as he embraced her he hadn’t noticed her struggling to say something, yet the more she worked at it the clearer and more apparent it became to him. She was trying to talk, something no animal save for a few should be able to do.

Yet even as those facts stayed in his mind, Jackson couldn’t help but give every ounce of attention to the filly as she tried to bring her mouth and vocal cords to make out an attempt at speech. “A-aaah-Ahhpuh”

“ABBA? Ah don’t listen to them… What are ya’ll tryin’ to say?”

The filly pressed on “Aahpuh… Apuh juh-juh-juah.”

“Ya’ll tryin’ to say Apple Juice?”

The filly shook her head and placed a hoof on her own chest, attempting to tell him what she was saying. “Apuh Jaa… Apuh Jack”

“Applejack?” The filly smiled and held out her arms as if to say ‘give them to me.’ “Ya’ll want yer Applejacks?” Once again the filly smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Jackson smiled and stood up, he walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed the box resting on top and handed them to his miniature mare.

“Apuh Jack!” As he watched the filly stuff her muzzle with the Apple flavored bits he couldn’t help but grin as his thoughts took over.

Yer a father now Jackson, ya’ll best take care of her… Next Chapter: Bubba Estimated time remaining: 7 Minutes