> A New Friend
>  by WolfWatcher7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A New Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mom, Dad!”, I yell, trotting into the living room, “ Ah have something to show you!”, I say excitedly. I can tell that they aren’t very interested and would rather just stay on the couch and read the newspaper than come outside and see the surprise I have for them. “What do ya need?”, Dad says as I drag him out of our house.

I  get him out of the house and now he see’s what I am so excited about, the most awesome dog I have ever seen. I saw her walking on the road by herself on the way home from school and thought it was a great idea to bring her home for us to keep.We had always needed a dog to help out on the farm but couldn't afford it and then a stray dog just appears out of the blue.It must have been a sign.

The second dad sees her, his demeanor goes from calm to disappointment and then he looks straight into my eyes.
“Dad? What do ya think? Can we keep her, I already have a name picked out. It’s Winona!” I say, trying to cheer him up.
“Bless yer heart Aj but you can’t just bring home a stray dog, Applejack! You have no idea where that dog has been.” Dad says, with worry in his eyes.Mom comes out to see what all the ruckus is about, then she sees Winona and gets the same worrying look on her face. “Why is there a dog in our yard?” She says with a slight amount of amusement in her tone.They were at sea with the uses that this dog has.

I spent about an hour trying to explain to her all the ways I can take care of the adorable dog I had just picked up from the side of the road. Then for a split second I do see where my parents disdain is coming from. Winona is filthy dirty with matted hair and mud stuck to her everywhere. Mom says nothing, then all of a sudden she tells me I should take Winona to the pound, where Mom thinks she belongs. Tears are starting to become pools in my eyes and I keep trying to convince them that I will take care of her, that I will help, but they say nothing back to me, they just stare with disappointment. 

Dad tells me that we could maybe get a dog later in life when I’m older and more responsible but I know he is just saying that, and we would never really get a dog unless we kept Winona. I storm out of the yard with tears running down my face. I’m never going to get rid of her, they will learn to love her, I think to myself. I just have to make a plan on how to keep her.

I am trying to brainstorm ideas but the anger overwhelms me, I can’t think. As I am trotting down the road I see other ponies pass me with frowns wondering why I was crying. I wonder if they notice how hard I am crying, or if they just ignore me altogether like I am part of the view, just another act of nature. I wonder if they are trying to guess why a teenage mare is walking in the snow in the middle of winter, slipping on the glossy ice. I stop. I just want to think. I can tell that Winona is getting cold but she stays by my side, like she has been my dog forever.

I am so angry that I accidently trott into the Everfree forest. Winona starts barking but my legs keep moving forward. Rain starts pouring down and I start to slide all over the place, I started to realise where I was and hurried back to the town. On the way there I slipped into a small whole that was hidden in the grass. I started to climb out but soon discovered the it was to muddy to climb and the pit was rapidly filling with water.

Then I hear yelling, “Applejack? Where are you?” I can hear the faint voices of my parents, then a small whimper of the dog I rescued off the street just hours before. I hope I can stay afloat long enough for them to find me, my body is sinking into the water like jello. When I hear footsteps coming into the forest above. I know that they are close. 'Please see me!', I think to myself. Then water fills my lungs, and I rush back to the surface of the water.

“Appplejack! We can see you! Just hang on a minute longer!” My parents yell from nearby, their voices are muffled from the water, I can barely hear them. My body is starting to give up, my brain is seizing, all I want to do is surrender to the ice cold and drift away. Splash! I can see her out of the corner of my eye, Winona just jumped in the water, and that's when I feel a tug on my fur. The next thing I know I’m laying on the rocky shore, and my parents are standing above me, seeing if I will respond to them, regretting the fight we had only an hour before. All they can say is, I’m sorry. I feel my Dad's loving arms pick me up and set me in the back seat of the car, then Winona jumps in right after us, her tail hits my frozen face. Under my Mom’s breath I can hear her say, “Maybe we should keep the dog, she did save our daughters life.” And that's when I know things will be getting better, so I let myself relax.

As I lay in the on my father's back I can feel the warmth from him slowly thaw my frozen skin and I melt into his back. I am awoken from the sound of the front door closing and I know that we are home, and Winona is still lying beside me, like she has always been mine. When I get out of the car my legs feel weak. I walk straight to my room. All I want to do is sleep, but the first thing I notice is our perfectly white carpet now has brown stains in the shape of paws. A slight smile spreads across my face. When I crawl into bed Winona lays besides me. I cover us both with my blankets. I put my hoof on her and weave it through her fur. I drift to sleep. This is the beginning of something new and beautiful.