Author's Note

An old idea I tossed around before I wrote Adopting Fluttershy.

Adopting Applejack (Everyone)

It's hot. Way too fucking hot. Dropping another apple from the tree and placing it in your bucket, you take off your Stetson and look over your hard day's work. You wipe the sweat off your brow and pick up another bushel of apples. The work is hard, but you got to make a living somehow in Equestria. It was simply luck that you managed to stumble into an apple orchard outside of town. From there, it was simply harvesting them and taking them to the market.

You place the basket in your cart and pick up the last empty one. Picking it up, you find it to be much heavier than normal. Looking down, you find a small orange filly, with dark white freckles and long blonde mane, gently sleeping in the afternoon sun. You smile down at your unexpected visitor.

"Well howdy there."

She rubs her eyes gently and looks up at you.

"O-oh. S-sowwy," She says disappointedly. "Ah was so tawered."

"It's fine little one... what's your name?"

She looks up at you sleepily.

"Applejack," She answers shyly.

"My name is Anon," You reply calmly. "What are ya doin out here little one? Where's your family?"

Applejack looks at the ground and bites her bottom lip.

"In the grownd," She answers sadly.

A lump catches in your throat.

"Nopony wants me around..." Applejack cracks, on the verge of tears. "Ah'll go. I'm sowwie."

She leaps from the basket and walks away slowly, her head hanging to the ground. Your heart physically hurts with every step that she walks away. This poor little filly just needs someone to care for her.

"Hey!" You call after her.

She turns around and looks back at you sadly. Grabbing an apple, you head over to her and hold it outstretched in your hand.

"Wanna stick around?" You ask with a smile.

Applejack looks up at you in pure disbelief and nods. Carefully, she takes the apple from your outstretched hand and gobbles it down quickly.

"Heh. Don't eat too fast," You tell her, standing up.

Taking off your hat, you put it on her head. It's several sizes too big for her, but the smile on her face could spread for miles and melt the hardest heart.

"Well. Let's get you a room squirt."

"Okay!" She exclaims, jumping around your feet.

"Then let's head back home then."

The cart can wait for tomorrow. You head back to your home, a moderately sized wooden home that you build from scratch.

"Anon." Applejack asks.

"Yeah, squirt?"

"Does this mean you are my new Pa?" She asks innocently.

You bite your bottom lip and close your eyes.

"Only if you want."

You feel a tug at your pantleg. Looking down, she looks directly into your eyes. Then the hat slips down over her face.

"Heh. You're too cute for your own darn good."

Picking her up, you put her on your shoulder and take her home.

"I wuv you, Pa."

"I love you too, squirt."