//------------------------------// // Homestretch // Story: The New Normal // by TheMixtapeHorse //------------------------------// The colors of the October countryside painted the landscape outside of Whinny City as farmers began their morning routine. Tractors and buggies took up most of the tree-lined roads out of the city. Max and Katie sat in the back of a hay truck as they traveled through the farms that lay over the ruins of Rosemont. It was hard to imagine that this quiet countryside was once covered in office parks, a stadium, and one of the biggest highway interchanges in the city. But all around them were subtle hints of the past city. Misshaped hills sat where office towers once stood and the rusted and burned tails of past airline returns to O’hare sat untouched in open fields. It was odd enough the iconic Chicago skyline was stripped down, but the hundreds of square miles that were once nothing but suburban sprawl being turned into vast farms was surreal. “I remember going to a show around here when I was fourteen,” Max said as he rested his head on a soft pile of hay. “High School Musical on Ice. I remember Kelly wanted that stupid slushie so badly. Ten damn dollars for it, and she didn’t even get any refills.” “You went to see High School Musical?” Katie giggled. “On ice!” he retorted. Katie rolled her eyes and lied down next to him. “I’ve never been to Chicago before. What was it like?” “Depends on what part of Chicago you want to know about.” Katie looked back toward the small skyline obscuring the sunrise. “All I’m asking for is a summary.” “I considered it my second hometown.” he started. “Just looking at the magnificent skyscrapers from a distance brought a sense of wonder. A marvel of human ingenuity that could be seen over twenty miles away. But to be completely honest, the loop was just an office park and the Magnificent Mile was a boring version of The Strip. But the one thing I loved more than anything were the observation decks. The Sears Tower was the highest up, but the Hancock Tower had a great cafe and an outdoor platform. Granted, a cookie up there was five bucks.” Katie looked over at Max. “Sears Tower? I thought they changed it to the Wi-” “Don’t you dare finish that sentence” he snapped. “Never ever call the Sears Tower that stupid Willis name.” “Willis Tower.” Katie teased. Max grumbled. “You’re lucky I like you.” Katie stopped for a moment and glanced over at Max nervously. Was that him coming out to her? Should she respond? She dodged the statement by throwing some hay at him. “Of course you do. Everyone likes me.” Max flailed his forelegs around, not expecting to be pelted with hay. “Oh, it’s on now.” He stuck his hoof into the pile and sent a bundle into her face. Katie grinned devilishly as her horn lit up. Without time to react, Max was buried under a pile. She fell onto her back laughing, letting out a couple of snorts. The truck began slowing down as it pulled to the side of the road. By the time Max had dug himself out of the pile, the driver had gotten out of his cab and was glaring at the two young ponies. “Hey! What did I say when I agreed to take you to New Elgin?” the stallion asked angrily. “No horsing around!” With the end statement, both Max and Katie started laughing maniacally. “Okay. Both of you, get off. Now.” The driver said, opening the rear hatch. Max wiped a tear from his eye as he hopped down with his companion, who was still giggling like a filly. The stallion rolled his eyes and threw their bags at them. He returned to his truck, leaving the two on the side of the country road. “Well shit,” Max said, still smiling. “We lost our ride, but I think it was worth it.” Katie sat and caught her breath. “Agreed. I needed a good laugh.” “Well…” Max sighed as he strapped his bag onto his back. “Now what do we do?” “I’m sure there’s some kind of town around here somewhere.” She said as she began trotting west. “We’ll find another ride there.” “We better not horse around then,” he said, trying to hold back a snicker. ------------- It was afternoon by the time the duo made it into the village of Schaumburg. The place once known for its massive shopping malls and convention centers now a farming town surrounded by the artificial hills of Chicagoland. It did, however, feel like a classic American farming town. The main street lined with brick and stone storefronts led to a town square being used as a farmer’s market. Street vendors graciously sold families the fruits of their labor while some offered other things like jewelry, toys, and even furniture. Next to the square’s fountain, Max and Katie sat enjoying some candy apples. A well deserved treat after their ten mile walk. Max kicked his rear hooves off the side of the fountain. He kept thinking about Hal’s advice. Offer to be the stability in her world because she was the stability in his. But his fear of rejection had kept his mouth shut. He just couldn’t risk it. He finished up his apple and threw the stick at the trash can across from them, missing of course. “Well… I regained all that weight I lost walking four hours straight,” he said with a smile. “You feeling alright, Katie?” She nodded while chewing the rest of her apple, floating her stick and his into the trash can. “Yep.” she uttered with her mouth full. “Do you have any idea how we’re gonna get to Rockford? Cause I’m all out of ideas.” Max asked in a frustrated tone. Kate swallowed the rest of her food and nodded again. “I saw there’s a cargo train going up there this evening.” “How’d you figure that out?” Katie got to her hooves and floated a newspaper of her bag. “They have a train schedule in the paper.” Max leaned in to take a look at the paper which was appropriately named ‘The Daily Whinny.’ The front page was just a bunch of boring news stories except for an ad near the bottom. It was for a guided tour through what looked like an old shopping mall in the picture. But what really caught his attention were the cartoon renditions of human faces along the side. All November long, get half price admission to ‘The Woodfield Experience’: one of Whinny City’s most popular Chicago re-creations! “They remade Woodfield Mall?” Max said, staring at the paper. “What?” Katie scanned the paper until she stopped at the ad. “Looks like a tourist trap. Why? Did you go there often?” “Not as often as I would’ve liked.” he shrugged. “The mall at home sucked. Especially after they got rid of the Disney Store.” “We’ve got a few hours before the train leaves. Let's go see it.” Katie said, looking at the directions on the paper. She tapped Max with her hoof and motioned him to follow. As they walked, they attracted some attention from the locals. They wondered what was making them stand out until they noticed they were the only ones wearing pants. To the others, it looked like they were in full winter gear as they were wearing jackets and pants. “I don’t think these guys are used to seeing returnees,” Max whispered to his friend. “Gee. You think? I thought we blended in pretty well.” Katie deadpanned. “Maybe… we should take our pants off. You know, to blend in.” Max gasped and shook his head “No, no, no, no! Let’s definitely not go streaking.” he shouted nervously. “Why? You got something in your pocket you’re trying to hide from me?” Yes. “No!” he shouted defensively. “Fine,” Katie said with a chuckle. For the rest of the walk, Max kept quiet. He couldn’t handle awkward situations well and boy did Katie know how to stir them up. Though he’d be lying if he said that he didn’t want to see Katie without her pants. It did take some time, but Max was beginning to see mares the way he once viewed women. Deep down it still didn’t feel right, but with Katie, it did. He couldn’t explain it, but there were also times he could smell her. Not like in the way you would smell body soap or body odor, but a smell that just identified her. It was strange to him because not only could he identify her with his nose, but sometimes he could make out her emotions as well. Max shook these thoughts out of his head. It was bad enough he was terrified of coming out to Katie, but he didn’t want to be a creep as well. A few minutes pass until they made it to a small building built into the side of one the many hills surrounding the town. This particular hill, however, flattened out at the top in one area, hinting at a much larger structure hidden inside. As the two trotted through the door, they found themselves in an entryway with an area lined with velvet ropes that corralled a queue leading up to the ticket booth. All along the walls were artist renditions of what the old mall looked like in its glory days. Max stared at these paintings, basking in his nostalgia until they made it to the ticket counter. “Oh! Well don’t you two kids look like humans.” the unicorn mare from behind the counter said lightheartedly. “Wearing pants and everything. Is it just you two?” Katie smiled at the welcoming mare and nodded. “Yup. Just us.” Max couldn’t help but smile as well from the infectious midwestern attitude of the ticket mare. The clerk floated out a couple of wristbands from under the counter. “That’ll be fifteen dollars, sweetheart.” Katie floated a couple of paper bills out of her bag and placed them on the counter. The ticket mare took the bills and simultaneously attached the wristbands to the couple’s forehooves. “And five dollars is your change,” she said, floating another bill back to Katie. “You can go right ahead into the mall, but if you want to take the tour, it’ll start in a few minutes at the front doors. Then, you’ll be able to shop like the humans once did. Have fun dears!” “Thanks!” the two of them both exclaimed in unison. Upon entering the lobby area, they were greeted with a small group gathering in front of a series of glass doors leading into the mall. The tour guide was yet to arrive, but they could look into the replica mall. It was very sleek and clean, which was an immediate hint to Max that this was indeed just a replica. Faux storefronts lined the walkway which was cluttered with benches, poster stands, and vending machines. It was difficult to see further into the mall as the aisle deviated to the left after a few stores. A unicorn stallion turned around that corner and swiftly trotted to the door. He flung the doors open and stood in front of the small gathering. “‘Ladies’ and ‘Gentlemen.’ Welcome to Woodfield Mall!” he chanted as the ponies started walking through the doors. “You can call me Ben. I know it’s a strange name, but here in the ancient world of old Chicago, it’s a very common name.” Ben floated several small maps out of a kiosk and gave them out to the ponies in the group. “Before we get started, I want to lay out the path of our tour. Our first stop will be at a clothing store, where we’ll tell you all about the popularity of clothing among the human culture. Next, we will visit a technology store where we’ll teach you about all the highly advanced machines humans would use in their day to day lives and let you interact with some actual working devices! Then afterward, you’ll be able to walk around and shop at our marked stores and try out some authentic human cuisine in the food court. Now let’s get started.” The group moved forward past the fake stores and turned into a large open atrium. It was much smaller than the old one but shared many similar features like the glass elevators and freestanding walkways across the large open space. The stores surrounding the atrium were renditions of pre-event stores, but many were mispronounced versions of their original counterparts. “How off do you think their information is gonna be?” Katie whispered to her companion. “I don’t know. They captured the architecture well enough.” Max whispered back. The small group walked into a store as Ben switched the lights and displays on. It was a clothing store that looked similar to young adult oriented clothing stores with bright colors and contemporary displays. All around the fairly small store were clothing racks that displayed attire that would only be able to fit a fully grown human. “So here we are in a recreation of the “AeroPostal” store. It was a clothing store, whose target market was the teenage generation of humans. Now, on top of the obvious fashion gaps between generations, clothing was a necessity in human society. Everybody had to cover their torso and their upper legs. Not doing so was a sign of indecency and it would also prevent them from being able to enter public places. In fact, if you weren't covering your private areas with clothing, you could be arrested.” The ponies in the group mumbled questioningly to each other, the concept of public indecency due to a lack of clothing seeming unheard of to them. “Yes, it is very strange, isn't it?” Ben continued. “But you have to remember, everypony, that humans didn't have tails to shield their privates from unwanted glances, so clothing was their only defense to perverted stares.” Nods and agreements floated about as it became a little clearer to the tour group. “Well, they mispronounced the name, but everything else is spot on,” Max mumbled slyly. Ponies in the group began walking through the aisles inspecting the clothing and accessories on display while Ben continued on with his lecture about gendered clothing and the importance of style in different scenarios. Max and Katie gingerly walked around the store a couple times waiting for the tour to move on. When it finally did, they made their way up a flight of stairs to a computer store. “And here we have “Radioshack.” They were a very popular electronics store that sold all sorts of things like ‘televisions’ and ‘home computers.’ But what they were really popular for was their radios!” Max held back a couple of chuckles, but still caught the attention of the tour guide. “Something funny, friend?” Ben asked. “Radioshack kicked the bucket a month before the event.” Max responded. “Not to mention nobody went in there for anything other than cheap phones and RC cars.” “And how would you know that?” Ben asked sternly. “Because we’re returnees,” Katie interjected. “And he used to come here on a regular basis.” “Sure. And I’m Archive.” Ben said with attitude. “If you guys are returns, I guess you wouldn’t have a problem explaining the things on display in here, would you?” Max and Katie looked at each other and nodded. “Challenge accepted,” Max said as he started at the front of the store where they had a couple fake desktop computers set up. “These are computers. They were invented as a means to calculate complex math problems and store information but were hijacked by the consumer market in the 90’s thanks to a computer nerd by the name of Bill Gates. From this time until the event, computers got much cheaper, much more powerful, and became an increasingly bigger time waster.” Katie trotted over to the display cases near the front counter of the store that had both flip phones and smartphones in them. “These are cell phones.” she started. “They were phones you carried around with you that connected wirelessly so you could call anyone at anytime. They started as giant blocks you had to carry around in a backpack in the 80’s but got hand sized, sorry, hoof sized by the 2000s. It wasn't until about a decade before the event that the smartphone was created by the Apple Corporation. It was a computer, but less powerful than those over there. You could use them to listen to music, take pictures, and play video games. And it was also a phone, I guess.” Max was already standing by the televisions by the time Katie finished up with the phones. “The television, or TV if you don't have much time, is an old technology from around the World War Two era. It’s like going to a movie today, but it’s not a projector. You hooked it up to a cable box, paid the cable company, and you got, like, a hundred different channels to choose from. Most of them boring and uninteresting reality tv shows. But if you didn't wanna watch live television, you could get a DVD player and watch whatever you want at any time. And if you didn't want to watch anything, but instead, wanted to interact with something, you could get a video game console. Plug it into the tv like a cable box or a DVD player and you can play games right on the screen of the TV! Basically, the time wasting part of a computer condensed into a DVD player style box.” “Everything else in here are radios and batteries and children’s toys,” Max concluded before catching his breath. Ben stood at the door, mouth agape. These two kids just explained his entire tour in less than a couple of minutes. Furious, Ben pointed to the store’s entrance. “Get out. You lost your privilege to play with the working devices.” Katie snorted and levitated her phone out of her bag. “That’s okay, we have our own.” The two of them strode proudly out the door before busting out into laughter down the hall. -------------- It was just after sunset by the time Max and Katie made it to the Schaumburg train yard. The only lights coming from several lone light posts across the yard. Despite being after dark, the yard still had some workers milling about. “Katie?” Max said looking through a chain linked fence. “There aren’t any passenger trains here.” “I know,” she said firmly, watching a freight train begin to slowly roll forward. “We’re hoboing it.” “You said nothing about hoboing it earlier!” Max said in a loud whisper. “C’mon Max. All we need to do is sneak our way to that train car and we will be set. Easy peasy.” Katie said, standing up. “This doesn’t seem like a good idea, Katie.” “You trust me, right?” she said, the lights of the trainyard twinkling in her eyes. “...I do” he replied timidly. Katie reached out to Max with her hoof and helped him stand up. “All you need to do is take a leap of faith. Everything will work out in the end.” Max took in a long breath and sighed. “Let’s take the leap then.” Katie’s horn and the padlock on the fence gate began to glow a light violet, illuminating their faces in the darkness of dusk. Along with the strange humming of the natural magic field came the soft clicks of the lock’s pins as they locked into place one by one. Eventually, the lock popped open and fell to the ground with a metallic thud. The two of them froze in place, hoping nobody in the yard heard it. When no one came to investigate, they moved into the yard. Max had been a goody four-horseshoes his whole life, so the thrill of breaking and entering had him giddy with excitement. Something about being bad felt so right. And in a world without security cameras, it was a lot safer. But that relief was thrown out when they realized they had to get onto the loading platform to get onto the train. The two recuperated behind a couple of boxes near the platform, which was bustling with yard workers loading freight into the boxcars. Max looked at Katie nervously and held his hooves out, mouthing the words ‘what do we do now?’ Katie peeked over the boxes to inspect the situation. There were about five ponies pushing the pallets into the train cars and organizing them while a griffon sat with a clipboard in one talon and a pen in the other. The number of waiting freight pallets was almost diminished, signaling that the train was almost loaded and ready for departure. “Okay,” Katie whispered. “They’re almost done. When they leave, that’s when we run.” Max nodded and peeked over the boxes as well. Within the span of a minute, the last pallet was loaded and the loading team left the platform. The griffon stayed behind, however, to eye the boxcars one last time before closing the doors and locking them. Katie had to think quickly. It took her awhile to pick the gate lock, she wouldn't have enough time to unlock one of the cars before the train started to leave. Watching the griffon close the door to a car, she quickly grabbed one of the boxes inside with her magic before she lost her visual on it and tipped it over. The griffon paused at the loud crash inside the boxcar. She slid the door open and let out a dramatic moan before leaning over to pick up the box. Katie pushed Max out from behind the box and pointed to one of the cars that had not been closed up. They watched their hoofsteps carefully, knowing that a single misstep would cause their hooves to clop on the concrete platform. In the nick of time, they made it successfully inside. Now another dilemma; they needed to hide. Noticing a tarp on top of one of the pallets, Max tugged at it, causing it to gently cascade off the top and onto the smaller crates below. Max pushed a crate out of the way to create a little enclave in between that they could use to hide in while being covered. With the sound of the car behind them slamming shut and being locked, Max pulled Katie into the small gap and covered themselves with the tarp. The two of them, literally squished against one another, tried not to so much as breathe when they heard the tap of a talon just outside the protection of the thin sheet of plastic. What were only a few seconds felt like hours as the two young ponies held their breath. Finally, the door to the car slid shut and locked into place with a loud clang of metal. They both let out a sigh of relief as they made it into the clear. Katie lifted the tarp off of them as she rolled off of Max’s belly and onto the floor beside him. “I… don’t think I’ve ever been that close to you before,” she said, her blush visible even in the dim lighting. The equally flustered Max stayed on his back between the boxes, turning towards his friend as the train honked its horn and began moving. After waiting a couple minutes, Katie went to work on the door’s lock. Turns out it wasn’t a padlock like the fence gate, but just a sliding metal bar. With a simple horn glow, the door clanked and began sliding open, letting in the fresh air. The two sat in the door watching small townhouses give way to harvest season farmland. Looking back in the direction they came, the sky above the renewed city miles away glowed a familiar orange. An orange only found in the soft soothing streetlights of the Chicago Max once knew. But away from the lights, they went, into the dark and star-filled countryside. “I’m glad I took the leap with you,” Max muttered, staring out into the dark. “I told you it would all work out,” Katie said with a giggle. “No. Not that.” Max sighed before turning towards her. “I’m glad I took the leap into this new world with you. I would’ve never been able to live like this had I gone out on my own. You are the reason I wake up in the morning and say ‘everything is okay,’ even when my entire world has disappeared. You are my world now. You push me to be a better person with every passing day. No, not a better pony. A better person. I know we're young and stupid and we got well over two hundred years left, but I’m so certain that I want to spend every second with you because I… I…” Max was silenced with the soft touch of Katie’s lips on his. He melted into the kiss, letting her take full control. When their lips parted, Max stared into Katie’s twinkling eyes, his heart fluttering uncontrollably. “I love you.”