Natalie the Talking Horse.

> 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 been having 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 coming up fast
> Natalie slows, but barrels through it nonetheless
> It feels like a gust of hot, humid air for the half second you pass through it
> Then you are on the other side, and Nat stumbles to a stop
> You are no longer on your uncle's land
> You can't see any fences, just apple trees as far as the eye can see
> "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 beneath you
"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."