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// 2. Chow Mein & Scotch 
// Story: The Allfathers Station (2nd Person) 
// by Speedway King 
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A northern wind rushes past you as you reach street level, chilling you through your thin jacket and making Apple Bloom shiver in your arms. You hold her closer to cover more of her tiny body with your sleeves, hoping to cease her quivering as you walk through the frigid gust towards your old automobile. You fumble about your pockets for your key ring, bypassing receipts, business cards and various bits of junk too precious to throw away, yet not important enough to care about. The familiar jingling reaches your ears and you pull the ring free, letting the slowly setting sun glint for a second off of your metal bowling ball keychain. You open the rusty passenger side door of your faded grey 89’ Sprint and clear the discarded junk you were too lazy to throw away before from the seat into the back, making empty promises to clean it away later.

You place the olive filly in her seat and pull the safety belt over her breast, buckling her safely in place before getting into the driver’s seat. As the engine struggles to life, the radio crackles over the cheap speakers with the local radio personality:

“KRDL, Kurdel 109! We spoil music for everyone!”

Apple Bloom looks about the vehicle with genuine excitement, straining under the seatbelt to see every angle of the rusty transport.

“Ah’ve never been in a carriage like this before! “ She exclaims while bouncing in time to the fuzzy rock music droning almost inaudibly from the ancient radio. “How does it move without any ponies pullin’ it?”

You smile at Apple Bloom’s innocent question as you put the vehicle in gear, creating a cacophony of groaning and grinding before pulling onto the street and away from the station. Her eyes go wide with the sensation of speed, looking out excitedly at the various people, stores and vehicles that line the streets with childlike wonder.

“I guess you’ve never been in a car before?” You ask as Apple Bloom scans the cars whizzing by at the stoplight.

“No, never." She replies, not taking her eyes off of the screaming police car that rushes past. “Ah never saw any of these things when Ah lived with mah Daddy!”

Your thoughts go back to the letter from her Father, wondering just who he was and why he would leave his daughter alone on that mysterious train.

“Who was your Dad, anyway?” You ask, instantly regretting it as Apple Bloom’s look of innocent joy turns to confusion and sorrow.

“A-Ah cain’t remember…” She replies, looking at a discarded hamburger wrapper on the floor of the passenger seat.

“But… Didn’t he put you on that train and give you that letter?” You continue to press with equal parts curiosity and regret.

“Yeah… A-Ah mean Ah think he did…”

You decide to stop questioning the pony, feeling increasingly guilty for pushing her like that. You decide to take her mind off of her former Father by changing the subject:

“My name’s Todd, by the way.” You say with hopeful optimism.

“Whut?”

“Todd Smith, you asked for my name back at the station and I… err… forgot to tell you.”

“Oh…” The fillies smile returns as she mulls her new caretakers name over. “Well that’s a nice name, Mister Smith.”

“Just Todd is fine.” You correct her with a grin. “Mister Smith sounds so… impersonal.”

Apple Bloom watches the road with less excitement then before as you turn down your street, the novelty of the sights probably waning with time. You slowly pull to the side of the road in front of a large apartment block with a flickering neon sign giving a clear indication of the buildings less-than-stellar quality:

“Redford Street Arms”

You pull the parking brake as the Sprint chokes and grinds itself to silence, something you’ve gotten used to since you bought it from the Armenian couple living next door to you. You unbuckle Apple Bloom from her seat and open her door before getting out yourself and stretching in the golden sunset. A pain shoots down your bad back as you stretch, instantly making you hunch over in pain. You thank whatever invisible force watches from above that you’re home as you hobble to the door your key in hand and Apple Bloom at your side. She looks at you with genuine worry in her gamboge eyes as you fumble with your keys; still griping your back in pain.

“Are ya alright, Todd?” She asks as you open the door with visible pain on your face. “Whut’s wrong with yer back?”

“I’ll be fine.” You groan, trying to sound tougher than you really are. “I just gotta take my meds and I’ll be fine…”

You hold the buzzing door open for Apple Bloom as she wanders inside, the innocent wonder returning to her eyes as she looks about the dingy lobby. She follows a cockroach that skitters across the old, tacky carpet while you check your mailbox in hopes of finding some good news for once instead of just the usual bills and useless flyers promoting deals on toilet paper and how you can buy two bags of chips for the price of one. It’s just that as you tuck your mail in your jacket and limp for the elevator.

Before you can press the button to call the homeward lift, the doors open to reveal a pair of gaudily dressed young men with a woman who would look more at home in a trashy hotel than your cheap Apartment… Actually, she looks like she would fit right in at your Apartment considering the other walks of life living here. The trio talk to each other in an eastern European language you cannot recognize, speaking at a machine gun pace that makes your head hurt. Apple Bloom gives up on the cockroach in the lobby and walks over to your side, beaming at the chattering threesome with a look of pride over being with her new caretaker. They stop talking when they notice the colorful filly at your side with looks of confusion and amusement:

“Ehh… Nice dog…” One the men states, lifting his sunglasses for a better look at the little pony.

“Ah’m not a dog, Ah’m a pony!” She replies with annoyance in her voice.

The man with the sunglasses sniffs and wipes his nose before emitting a hearty laugh, probably thinking whatever substance he ingested had begun to take effect early. The other two soon follow suit as they exit the elevator, looking like they might double over in laughter at the anomaly in the lobby.

“Alright then, little pony, you stay cool, yes?” The bespectacled leader chortles in a lightly teasing tone as he leaves the Apartment with his entourage.

You enter the now empty lift with Apple Bloom right behind you and press the button for the ninth floor, letting the sliding doors creak to a close and separate you both from the dingy lobby. Her knees buckle as the elevator begins to rise with a look of panic on her face.

“It’s alright Apple Bloom, we’re just going up.” You reassure her while stifling a giggle.

She seems visibly shaken as the elevator comes to a stop, probably feeling sick to her stomach from the movement. The doors creak open once more and expose you to a hallway with cream colored walls and the same tacky carpet as the lobby, reeking of cigarette fug. Apple Bloom hesitates for a second as she tries to rearrange herself to the unmoving floor but soon follows you into the hallway. As you both walk the halls in silence, the sounds of various people talking, dogs barking, radios being played far too loud and pipes from above, rattling with rust and age ring from behind closed doors. These sounds have been a part of your life since you started living here, 3 long years ago. Every voice is named with your own simple titles and every creak in the floor is committed to memory. The sound of Apple Bloom’s muted hooves on the carpet are a strange comfort, something new to fill these halls of nostalgia.

Your door comes into view soon enough: Room 921 on the left. You struggle through your ever increasing back pain and unlock it, letting the smell of your own vices wash over you as a reminder of what your life has become. Apple Bloom follows you inside and looks about the simple Apartment. It is as normal as any single bedroom apartment can be: A dirty, white carpet covers the floor up to a simple half divider that lets you distinguish the living space from the kitchen complete with the same cream colored walls from the hallway. An old, blue, three person couch sits against the divider and faces a coffee table across from the television. To the right of the couch is a large window that gives you a good, if not inspirational, view of the never ending city, its various towers and skyscrapers creating a peaceful urban ambience in the setting sun. The kitchen is simple enough, with an old stove and fridge side-by-side on the green laminate floor. A round, wooden tables sits covered in scattered papers and bills, having lost its use as a dining table long ago.

“Home, sweet home…” You mutter to yourself as you always do upon entering your destitute abode.

Apple Bloom looks about in amazement at her new home as you head over to the coffee table and grab a small, orange pill bottle alongside a dirty glass.

“What chu’ got there, Todd?” She asks with intrigue as you take a pair of tablets and the foggy cup to the kitchen counter.

“It’s, uh, my medicine… for my back.”

A fancy bottle of Scotch sits beside a few dirty dishes, the only thing that really stands out amongst your pile of filth. You fill the glass halfway and swirl the amber liquid for effect, looking for imperfections behind the fog. Satisfied with its appearance, you take the tablets into your mouth and balance them on your tongue. A quick swig of the Scotch easily chases them down your gullet, warming your body as it comes to a stop in your stomach. You finish the glass and shudder as the painkiller cocktail begins to take effect, making you feel pleasantly lightheaded.

“So, you thirsty, Apple Bloom?” you ask as you pour yourself another glass of Scotch, feeling giddy as you look forward to the pleasant night ahead. “I don’t have much, but there’s probably something here.”

You open the fridge and look about for something you might serve to a child, finding only a carton of 1% milk that will expire in two days next to a box of leftover Chow Mein.

“How does Milk sound?”

“That’d be great! Ah’ve been thirsty since Ah got here.”

Apple Bloom crawls up with some effort onto the chair, grunting as she positions herself comfortably at the table. She can barely see over the edge, but soon rears up to balance herself on her front hooves. You pour some of the 1% into a plastic cup and place it in front of her, complete with a bendy straw found at the back of the cupboard.

“Thank ya, Todd” She acknowledges in a recited schoolgirl-like manner before happily drinking down her Milk.

You take a sip of your Scotch as you grab the Chow Mein from the fridge, giving it a sniff to see if it’s still good. After confirming it’s at least not growing anything, you obtain a pair of plates from the cupboard and spoon out equal portions for the two of you. You place the cold noodles in front of Apple Bloom, her milk now finished, and get a fork for yourself.

“It’s not much, but it’s supper…”

The olive filly grazes the synthetic Chinese food with a smile on her face, not caring that it’s almost stale. She is simply happy eating a meal with her new caretaker in her new home. You barely touch your food, opting to simply drink your Scotch and let the painkillers take a hold of your body. You silently watch her eat, trying to think of a conversation topic that could be shared with a tiny, prepubescent horse.   

“So… You’re a pony, huh?” You ask, knowing full well the pills have properly mingled with the alcohol.

Apple Bloom looks up from her Chow Mein as a few loose noodles hang from her lip.

“Uhh, Ah guess Ah am… An’ yer a Human?” she jokes at your drunken question.

“As human as I can be.” You respond plain facedly. “So where are you from anyway, Apple Bloom?”

She slurps the rest of her noodles before looking out the window longingly.

“Ah’m from a place called… it’s called…” She wracks her brain, trying to remember where she came from. “Ah cain’t remember…”

You figured this would be her response, how can she remember where she’s from if she can’t even remember her father putting her on a train.

“It’s alright, kiddo, this is your home now.” You remind her in an effort to raise her spirits.

She gives you a weak smile before motioning to your uneaten Chow Mein with a glint of hope in her eyes, hoping to change the subject.

“Are ya gonna finish that there, Todd?”

You place your plate on top of hers and finish the rest of your Scotch with a hard swig, shivering at the hard liquor’s aftertaste. As Apple Bloom finishes your food, you stumble over to the old couch and pull out the hidden bed.

“This’ll be your bed, s’that alright?” You slur to the little pony, feeling properly wasted from the heavy mixture.

“That’ll be jus’ fine.” She responds with her final mouthful of cold noodles.

A simple quilt and couch pillow make up the rest of the rusty bed. You take seat on it to keep yourself from falling over, unsure of what Apple Bloom thinks of seeing you like this. She finishes grazing her first meal in her new home and returns to you with a loud yawn, looking very much tired. Without getting up from the bed, you lift her in your arms and place her down with her head against the pillow. You pull the patchy quilt over her body, gently tucking her in for her first night in her new home.

“I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” You inform her while motioning to your tiny bedroom past the kitchen. “Sleep tight, Apple Bloom.”

You run your hand through her soft, amaranth mane, gently giving her head a comforting scratch.

“G’night Todd, Ah’ll see ya tomorrah.” She yawns back before closing her eyes for the night, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Her soft snoring is a strange comfort that floats through the room, making you wonder what the future is going to bring for you and Apple Bloom. You sigh deeply before rising awkwardly to your feet, trying not to trip over your own shadow in your drunken stupor. You ease yourself into the kitchen and take two more tablets from the orange bottle, downing them with a long swig from the bottle of Scotch itself, not bothering to use the dirty glass on the table. With your final drink of the night out of the way, you stagger to your bed with the grace of a tornado in a trailer park. Without even entertaining the thought to getting undressed, you fall face first onto your unkempt, double bed and pass out for the night…