> Be Anon, on the weekend at your uncle's
> You've been coming here most weekends since you were a kid, riding horses and helping out with chores
> It's not like you're crazy about horses, but they are kinda cool, and Uncle Nemo has back problems from time to time
> It also helps that he gave you a chestnut mare for your tenth birthday
> "Anon, this is your horse. She's a good filly, treat her well. She is your ticket to all the girls you could want."
> At the time, you weren't that interested, you were ten after all
> You did notice old Nemo did have a different "aunt" every three or four of months, so he must have been onto something
> So you took care of Natalie, as you called her
> Feeding her apples and carrots to gain her trust, taking her for rides, brushing her down, and so on
> She grew up with you, following you around the enclosure, nuzzling you from time to time
> It was nice, and made up for how few friends you had in high school
> Natalie would listen as you complained about your day
> About how your crush didn't notice you
> About the dumb things you said
> You poured out your soul to that horse, and she did her best to comfort you
> Three months after you graduated, you got the news
> Uncle Nemo is selling his home
> Seems his back problems finally got the best of him, and he's stuck in a wheelchair
> He has buyers for most of his horses, old friends of his for the most part
> But you have to figure out what to do with Natalie
> There aren't that many stables close by, and you will not, cannot sell her
> The Saturday noon sun finds you on her back, riding around Nemo's pasture
> You have until the end of the month to find a new place for the both of you
> But you aren't thinking of that right now
> It's a relaxing, exhilarating feeling, the wind on your face, the powerful muscles churning beneath you
> You feel more safe in the saddle than anywhere else
> Natalie whinnies, churning the ground as she turns the corner of the fence
> There's a shimmering in the air further down
> You press your knees into her sides, signaling a halt
> She slows down, whinnying 
> Once Nat stops, you slide down from the saddle and lead her forward
> Is there some sort of geothermal activity over there?
> As you get closer, the shimmering intensifies, then abruptly clarifies into a clear image
> A sun-dappled apple orchard lies before you, in a rough oval with wavy edges
> You approach slowly, crouching to rip up a handful of grass
> Natalie snuffles behind you, no doubt smelling the apples laying spoiled on the ground
> Once you are about a yard away, you throw the grass up in the air
> It drifts through the portal, scattered but undamaged 
> You almost wish the portal went somewhere cool, but that would be too convenient
> You feel a little reckless doing this, but you inch your left hand towards the portal, pinkie extended
> It doesn't even ripple as it passes, and you still feel normal
> You risk your entire hand with the same results
> Then Natalie brushes past you, trotting right through
"You can be pretty dumb, you know that?"
> No helping it
> You jog through the portal, hoping she didn't just doom you both
> You catch up to her pretty quick
> For some reason she's stock still, except for her twitching ears
"Everything okay, girl?"
> You glance back the way you came, and are relieved to find that it is still open and the same size
> The orchard itself is pretty normal looking, just big
> "What the neigh? Where the neigh am I? Apples on trees, on the ground...am I in neighing heaven?"
> The voice is a pleasant contralto, with only the slightest rasp
> It's also decidedly female sounding
> ...
> You look down at the trembling mare beside you
> This is getting seriously weird
"Nat, are you talking?"
> She turns her head to the side, her eye going wide
> "Holy neigh, you can understand me? Anon, I- I think we're in heaven."
> You pat her neck
> ...
"Excuse me a moment. WHAAAAAAAT. THEEEEEEEEEEEE. EVERLOVING. FUUUUUUUUUUUNIONS."
> Nat prances in place, glancing around 
> "Feel better?"
"Yeah."
> Natalie walks forward, ears twitching 
> "See any angels or whatever?"
> You smile a little
"Natalie, we are probably not in heaven. This is an orchard, where apples actually come from. We are probably still on Earth."
> Nat paws at the ground a little
> "What about that orange foal? That's weird."
"What?"
> You glimpse some movement in your peripheral vision
> Turning your head, you spy what seems to be an orange pony with a cowboy hat, pulling a wagon full of apple bushels
> The pony stops when she sees you and Nat, then unhitches herself
> You slide out of the saddle, no point in being more intimidating than you have to be
> Your horse nickers at you, but her eyes and ears are focused on the newcomer
> The orange pony halts at about three yards from you and tips her hat
> "Howdy, mah name's Applejack. What brings y'all down to Sweet Apple Acres? You ain't lost, are you?"
> You should feel more surprise at another talking horse, but the cowboy hat bothers you
> There is enough civilization here to produce a hat, how is that possible?
> Meanwhile, Nat does the talking
> "We might be lost. Is this heaven?"
> Applejack tilts her head
> "Nah, this here is the Apple family orchards right outside Ponyville. You have heard of Ponyville, right? Or at least Canterlot?"
> That last one snaps you out of your thoughts
"Canterlot? Is there some King Arthur horse ruling this horse Narnia?"
> The orange pony turns to Nat with concern 
> "Did your stallion here hit his head? He ain't makin' a lick of sense."
> Natalie flicked an ear
> "I don't think so. Humans are just silly sometimes, it's what makes them cute."
> You blush a little at the comment, and Nat nickers in amusement 
> Applejack looks between the two of you, a small smile on her face
> "If you say so. Well, ah guess the other thing is if you were from some other world or something."
> Your horse swings her head to the side to look you in the eye
> You shrug
"Might be. I've never heard of those places, or even talking ponies before."
> Applejack looks a little troubled by your answer
> "Right sorry to hear that. Ah'll introduce you to Twilight, she's been dealing with that portal stuff a lot, she oughta be able to help you."
> She turns and trots off into the apple trees
> You shrug at Nat and move to follow
> You are getting some serious Narnia vibes, there better not be some magical monarch oppressing the land
> At least it's not winter
> Natalie walks behind you, occasionally bumping her snout against your arm
> You smile, reminded of all the times she did the same thing, begging for treats
> ...
> "Hey Anon, ask her if I can eat these apples."
> Yup, just like old times
"Say, Miss Applejack, it' been a while since Nat and I had breakfast. Would it be alright if we had a few apples?"
> Applejack chuckles, glancing at you
> "Ah'll do you one better. Let's stop by the house an Ah'll fix a proper lunch for everypony."
> You raise your eyebrows 
"That's very generous of you, thank you very much."
> She snorts, a smile lingering around her lips
> "What kind of mare would Ah be if Ah let a stallion starve? Hope y'all like apples though, it's something of a family specialty."
> Nat grins
> Can horses normally grin?
> Usually it's baring their teeth, right?
> Narnia magic, that's your bet
> "I'm looking forward to it."

> You look down at your portion
> A huge slice of apple pie, some toast, and a glass of what can only be apple juice
> You knew that horses have a sweet tooth, but dessert for lunch?
> Well, one time can't hurt
> There doesn't seem to be any forks or anything, guess you'll have to use your hands
> You pick it up and take a bite
> You nearly moan from the taste
> A perfect mix of apple and cinnamon, sweet but not too sweet
> The crust is flakey and buttery and not too dry
> The apple filling practically melts in your mouth
> You swallow with some regret, consoled only by the prospect of more pie
"This is, without a doubt, the best apple pie I have ever had. I think I'm in love!"
> Applejack blushes, tipping her hat
> "Glad you like it."
> You turn to see how Natalie is enjoying it, only to see her large tongue mop up the last of the crumbs on her plate
> She eyes the rest of the pie in its tin
> The cowpony follows her gaze and smiles
> "Go on and have it. Ah imagine it takes a lot to feed a big mare like yourself."
> Nat's eyes sparkle with happiness as she digs in
> What a glutton
> Of course, the entire time, you have also been tearing into your slice of the pie
> It gets kind of messy, with some of the syrup dripping onto you fingers
> You look around, but there doesn't seem to be any napkins on the table
> You simply lick your fingers clean
> When you look up, you see both mares staring at you
"It was really good filling, didn't want to waste it."
> Applejack blushes 
> Natalie's nostrils flare
> "Applejack, are you in a herd?"
> The pony's blush deepens
> "To be honest, no."
> Nat turns to you, ears flicking happily
> "Let's add her to our herd, so we can have delicious apple foods everyday. She already wants to rut you."
> You have no words
"What?"
> Except that one
> Applejack hides her face with her hat
> Natalie tilts her head
> "Your uncle had his herd of horses he would rut, and I think it's time you start making one of your own."
> You feel queasy 
> What the hell, Uncle Nemo?
"Tell me he never... with you..."
> She shakes her head
> "Of course not, you're my human. Speaking of which, any time you are ready, just let me know. I've been looking forward to it ever since you started smelling like a real male."
> Applejack puts her hat back on her head, a determined expression on her face
> "Anonymous, Ah can't rightly couple with you unless you've had your alpha, wouldn't be proper. So don't you mind about mah inclinations. And Natalie? You got to be more roundabout with stallions, they don't cotton to being propositioned so bluntly."
> Your horse nickers sadly
> "Do you not want to rut me, Anon?"
> What are you supposed to say?
> You stroke her neck, trying to think
> She leans into your touch, nickering happily
> Back home, you wouldn't even consider it
> Here, though
> She can talk, and has a rather nice voice
> Nat is a person here, not an animal
> And she likes you
> Really likes you
> And you were going to move out of home, just to continue living with her
"I do, Nat. Just give me time to get myself ready for it, alright?"
> Natalie smiles
> "Alright. And then after, you can rut Applejack."
> The pony hides her face again
> This is so ridiculous 
> You laugh
"I want to get to know her a bit more before anything like that. Besides, we still need to find a place to live here."
> Applejack peeks at you from under her hat
> "You ain't trying to get back home?"
> You shake your head
"I will want to send a letter to my family, but I think this world is the best place for Nat and I."
> Natalie nuzzles your cheek
> "My human takes such good care of me."
> You hear a new voice
> "Awwww, that's sweet."
> Tiny hooves paw at your thigh
> "How long have you been together? And what should Ah eat to grow as big as your mare?"
> You look down to see a little yellow pony with a red mane tied with a large pink bow
"About eight years, and mostly hay and grass."
> Applejack scowls
> "Applebloom, don't go bothering our guests."
> You smile
"It's okay, kids are naturally curious."
> Applebloom brightens at this
> "Are you a minotaur? You look a little funny, if you are."
> Applejack facehoofs
> "You shouldn't tell a stallion they look funny. And besides, Anon looks very handsome, not funny at all."
> There are minotaurs here?
> Neat
"No, I'm just a human. Minotaurs are part cow, part human."
> Applebloom tilts her head, then looks at Applejack 
> "You fancy him, Sis? You finally gonna join a herd?"
> Applejack gets to her hooves and strides over
> "Anon, let me just put this filly away, and Ah'll take you to Twilight. If you'll excuse me."
> She picks up her sister by the scruff of her neck and carries Applebloom off despite the filly's protests
> Nat nudges your arm
> "I really want her in the herd. She's fun."
> You chuckle
"I'll think about it."