Chapter 6

Just like anything else farm related, raising animals is tough! I mean crops are one thing, but livestock is a whole other league. Crops don't move, never cause you trouble, and they don't need that much care. But that horse was a bigger pain in the ass than I've ever expected. I have no idea why I didn't just give up after the first day, but I held on.

I named the Pony Koni, after my grandfather's horse. The stable in the farm was old, but usable as-is. At least it was good enough to keep it out of the rain. The old man gave me a whole list of things I needed to do for the horse. Naturally, I barely paid attention. I just nodded my head every now and then. I tell you, I should have listened looking back now.

I had to wake up at 6:00 am every morning to take the horse out to the field. Barley got me some grass seeds for me to plant on the field to make a pasture. I planted them on the other side of the field so that it would stay clear away from my crops. Speaking of which, was the horse responsibility enough? No, that would have been too easy. On top of caring for an animal, I still had to try growing crops AGAIN! Like if that was a ton of fun the first time around. This time, the old man made sure that I got the seed formations right. And he also made sure that I watered every last plant correctly.

At that point, I didn't mind the crops too much. But that horse was driving me nuts! Taking the horse out was not as easy as it sounds. It didn't listen to commands yet, so I had to push it out of the stable. Took me a whole hour fighting with it every morning. Have you ever heard the saying, "stubborn as a mule"? Whoever said that never met Koni.

At that time, I did not know what was that horse's problem. When it's time to go outside, it acts like it's scared to be outdoors. And when it's time to drag him back in at night, it acts scared of the stable. Dragging him back in was the worst! Sometimes, I would find it on the other side of the farm, and I had to pull him from the reins for hours. Because of that horse, I could end up getting home past midnight. But I still had to wake up at 6:00 am sharp!

I did everything I could think of to control that pony. I built a fence to keep it in the field or out of the crops. Please remember that I am no carpenter, so Koni just ends up knocking my crappy fence over. I hung a carrot on a stick, but it would not follow me. I had to try anything, it keeps trampling some of my crops. Yelling and screaming doesn't work either, and pushing it around just pisses it off even more. I even tried the old scare tactic; sneak behind him and scream to make it run away. But when I tried that, it hind kicked me. . . In the groin! There I was, covering my junk, falling to my knees, and plopping on the ground sideways. Me in the fetal position in intense pain. I tell you, horses kick harder than a harem of angry women all at once.

Weeks pass. The grass grew, but the horse still ends up trampling my crops. I was getting really sick and tired of Koni's behavior. Force it out of the stable, fight with it so it can stay out of my crops, struggle to bring it back in, and I tell you that ponies are a lot stronger than people can ever be. Eventually, I decided to take a shortcut. If it wanted to stay outside so badly, I left it there! As long as it was not raining, I let it stay outside as long as it wanted. I also decided NOT to replant any crops it trampled so I won't have to bother wasting time with them.

For a few days, I was happy. I slept better, had more energy, and I allowed myself to be a bit lazy. But leaving that horse outside proved to be a really bad idea. There was a good reason why old man Barley warned me against leaving animals out overnight. If I had listened, I would know why was it was so important.

So I was asleep one night. I dreamed that I was a millionaire back in the city surrounded by the hottest women I could pick. But my dream was suddenly interrupted when I heard Koni screaming from outside. I ran to the nearest window, and saw several wild dogs attacking my pony. I let out a few f-bombs before running outside with my tools. I pulled my hammer out of my rucksack, and charged in swinging wildly. The dogs got upset, and surrounded me with their fangs showing. They wanted to eat my horse, and they were not ready to give up without a fight. But I was pretty serious myself. One lounged at me, and I whacked one with my mallet like a baseball. I did some pretty serious damage to one of them, but I didn’t kill it. This was enough to scare the others away. The dog I hit also escaped limping.

I didn't get hurt, but Koni was pretty messed up. He had several wounds on his legs from the biting and scratching. None of them looked serious, so I brought it back to the stable. I figured that if I let him heal, he should be fine in a few days. No one would notice my mistake. But once again, that was a really bad idea.

I decided to feed Koni the next day, but found that his wounds were swollen. He was also limping a bit, and walking was painful for him. I didn't make too much of it, so I let it be. Just keep it in the stable and rest it's injuries. Day after day, it's injuries did not get any better.

A week after the attack, Koni's whinny became a light moan. It was obviously sick, and I had no idea how to treat an animal. I never owned anything bigger than a goldfish, so I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to see Barley yet, too afraid what he would tell me. But it's illness got worse and worse.

One day, Koni could no longer stand up. It started to run a fever, I didn't even know horses can even get fevers! I was out of options, so I begged Barley for help. After telling him what happened, he rushed over to the stable and found Koni hanging between life and death.

"This is bad," said the old man. "His wounds are badly infected, and it's been a while without treatment. I'm surprised Koni is even still alive."

"Can we do something?" I asked.

Old man Barley thought for a moment before answering, "I can give it an antibiotic shot for the infection, but that might not be able to save it at this point. This horse is not only ill, but I can see that it's miserable. It's chances of survival are slim to none."

I sighed. Then I took a look at Koni dying before me and felt angry. "It was all his fault. Damn horse never listened to a word I say. It's stubborn, it's stupid, and it does whatever it wants."

"Reminds you of someone?" asked Barley.

I got even more upset and yelled, "If I had it my way, I would just send it to the glue factory and-"

Before I finished my rant, the old wrinkly knuckles of old man Barley struck me right on the chin. I admit that for an old man, he hits pretty hard. That uppercut he gave me really sent me flying. A stack of hay broke my fall. Must have been from drinking all that milk and carrying fodder all his life.

The old man cracked his knuckles and yelled, "listen to yourself boy! Making excuses while a poor animal is dying right in front of you! You think animals are things you can replace? Like a TV or a car? He is a living creature, just like you and me!" After going off on me for a bit longer, he calmed down and took a deep. "Besides, you should know that if something happens to your horse, everyone in Mineral Town will hold you responsible. Think about that for a while."

I thought about getting up and fighting back. But old man Barley was right. For the first time in my life, I felt guilty. I was blaming the horse to cover the fact that I was being lazy. I left the horse outside so that I can get some sleep. Then I refused to treat the pony cause I thought it would just "go away" on it's own. Because I was so spoiled, I have never understood the idea of consequences.

I worked so hard to stay in Mineral Town, that I was not yet ready to throw in the towel just yet. The horse needs me, and I'll have to man up. I didn't know what I could do, but I felt that determination. So I wiped the blood of my face and stood up. "Tell me what to do. I don't know if I can help, but I'll do anything as long as Koni lives."

Barley sighs, but he was willing to trust me. He pulls out a small vial out of his pocket and gave me these instructions, "I'm going to give Koni the shot. Give him a single tablespoon of this medicine every day until he recovers. But let me warn you, Koni will not take it willing fully."

"Why?" I asked.

"Horses are noble creatures, but only if they respect their owners. If they hate or mistrust their owners, they will not do as their told. Some may even lose the will to live. He will die before listening to anything you say. So you'll have to find a way to bond with him, and you must do it quickly. He won't live for another day or two."

And so it began, the struggle between horse and man. Barley gave Koni the shot, but I had to give the medicine. Just as Barley promised, it was not easy. I tried spoon feeding the medicine, but Koni refused. I tried talking to him, explaining how the medicine will make him better. I told him he'll die without it, but nothing I said worked. Then I tried petting and brushing his mane in an attempt to bond with it, but he kept pulling away. I didn't know why that day, but it hated me. It would rather die than live at my farm anymore, just like Barley said.

The next day, I did not leave the stable for any reason. Screw the farm work, that pony was my first priority. I tried my best to make up with him. I apologized countless times, offered carrots and treats, I even sang to him. Whatever I did, I just get ignored.

That night, I was sure that Koni would die. But if it did, I made sure that I would not leave it's side till the end. As he laid on the hay stack barely moving, I decided to tell him a story. I stroked his mane and said, "Hey Koni, can I tell you something? One summer a long time ago, I visited this very same farm. My grandfather was alive back in those days. I admit that I was a real bad kid. I used to chase the chickens, until they ganged up and chased me back. I would catch fish in the stream, and watch them wiggle on the line. Then I tried to ride the cows, but they threw me off.

"That's when my grandfather let me ride his mighty stallion. His name was Koni too, named you after him. Unlike the cows, Koni let me ride him. It was so much fun!

"I know that you're only a pony. When you're big and strong, we can ride together too. We'll win races and impress the girls. I'm pretty sure you'll meet a pretty girl-horse you want to impress too. I'll help you bag all the girls, just like me! What do you say buddy?"

Koni then looked up at me. There was a curious look in his eyes. For a moment, I swore he understood what I was saying. But if he didn't make it it wouldn't matter. As I looked into his dying eyes, I shed tears of guilt. All of the sudden, I no longer wanted him to live for my own benefit. I just wanted him to live to have a chance at life. I felt like I had a friend for the first time in my life. We did hate each other in the beginning, but only because I treated him like an animal. Now I see him like a living being, full of life and a personality of it's own.

"Please Koni, take the medicine. You'll get better, and we'll be best friends. I promise." I went as far as to make a promise to a pony. I never kept promises to humans, but I was willing to keep this promise. Did it understand me? Till this day I’m not sure. All I know is that something indeed changed that night.

I fell asleep soon after. I woke up the next morning and found Koni laying on the hay. He didn't move, and I was sure that he died as I slept. I cried as I walked up to him, but he shrugged as I petted his body. He didn't die, he was only asleep.

"But how?" I asked. Then I noticed the medicine lying on the floor. The bottle was open, and I saw that he took enough medicine on it's own to avoid dying.

"You little bastard," I said in shock. "I don't know how you did it, but you did! You took some medicine while I was sleeping."

Till this day, I cannot figure out how did he manage to take the medicine without my help. Animals can be amazing creatures when they have the will to live. But even after taking the medicine, he is still ill. But at least I know he won't fight with me anymore, and take his medicine like a good pony.