The Allfathers Station (2nd Person)

by Speedway King

6. Bowling Balls & Visitors

“So let me get this straight, you find some weird, talking Dog-…“

“Pony”

“Whatever, you find some tiny, talking Horse at the station, and instead of calling animal services or a friggin’ shrink, you decide to take it home and play house?”

You nonchalantly sip your cheap beer from your red solo cup while patiently waiting for Bram to calm down. Apple Bloom sits beside you, equally content with her bottle of cola and clearly amused by the tall, slender exasperated man pacing back and forth.

“Yeah, that’s about it.” You reply, trying to stifle a laugh.

Bram runs his hand through his messy, brown hair and exhales, unsure of how to get a grasp of the situation. Even through his perpetually tired eyes you can see his mind is moving a mile a minute in comprehensive confusion. The larger man currently standing on point at your bowling lane seems amused even moreso at Bram’s confusion whilst lining up his shot.

“Just calm down, dude,” He casually states alongside his aimed pitch. “Just go with it, she’s actually kind of cute when you look at her.”

Apple Bloom beams at the man as the ball makes contact with the pins, scattering them about with a hollow crash. He gives a celebratory fist pump and turns to Apple Bloom, inadvertently scattering ashes from the well-used cigarette hanging off of his lip. He gives her a pat on her large, crimson bow and smiles.

“I mean, c’mon, how can you resist those big ol’ eyes?” He jokingly asks in a nicotine ravaged rasp.

“Whatever Cody, just let me know before you start going fruity on us.” Bram pshaws back, taking his place in front of the foul line. “Maybe you n’ Todd can get together after this and brush each other’s hair or something.”

Cody coughs out a laugh and eases his well-built frame onto the hard, plastic seat beside you, scratching behind Apple Bloom’s ears to make her sigh with bliss.

“So anyways, you’re saying there’s some old guy following you around?” He asks, shaking his greyish brown bangs out of the way to see you clearly.

“Yeah, there’s this guy, Joe Marshall; I swear to God, this guy is stalking me. He keeps talking like he’s trying to get me to confess to something.” You pause to take another sip from your solo cup, grimacing at the watered-down taste of the cheap, bowling alley beer before continuing. “Coulda’ sworn I saw him at the park as well when I was heading back from shopping with Apple Bloom.”

Amongst the clatter of displaced pins, you can hear Bram guffaw at her admittedly girly name. He shakes his head in disbelief and returns to his seat, giving you a mocking yet disconcerted smirk. You give Apple Bloom a pat on the barrel and make your way for the foul line with her close behind, ready to impress you with her unknown skill.

“Seriously Dude, you’re letting the horsey play?” The skinnier man asks, clearly bemused by the notion of the Olive Filly attempting to bowl. “Man, why the hell didn’t we just call Tony? He sucks, but at least he doesn’t bring his freakin’ pet to the lanes.”

Cody shoots Bram a dirty look, unimpressed with his disposition.

“Because Tony thinks he’s got better things to do than hanging with a bunch of reprobates like us.” He returns with the annoyance in his voice very much apparent. “Just shut up and let Apple Bloom bowl, maybe she can actually get more than 7-10’s and give us an excuse to replace you.”

Bram shrugs his thin shoulders and goes over the scorecard in defeat, quietly muttering comebacks to use as ammunition against Cody.

“Alright Kiddo, you ready to show me what you can do?” You ask the filly excitedly to get her psyched up.

In the car, Apple Bloom mentioned having tried bowling before, yet did not remember when or where, or even if she was good or not. A serious look crosses Apple Bloom’s face as she hunkers down to stretch herself out. You can hear Cody splutter a laugh at her warm-ups, hoping not to throw her off balance. Keeping her game face on, the little Filly rears up and awkwardly takes one of the bowling balls off of the delivery line with her mouth, no small feat considering the heavy sphere is almost the size of her head. Her knees begin to buckle under the weight yet she holds on, stumbling away from the foul line in a wobbly fashion. Apple Bloom stares down the lane for a second, or at least attempts to from behind the heavy orb, before starting a charge for the line. Twisting her head to the left mid-sprint, she winds up for her throw. With an impressive swing, the ball is flung through the air, hanging for just a second before making heavy contact with the lane. Upon impact, the ball begins its slow roll towards the pins, most of its earlier momentum displaced by the meteoric landing. Apple Bloom stares daggers at the sluggish ball, almost as if she’s trying to will it away from it’s inevitable meeting with the gutter. Sure enough, the bowling ball nests itself in the all-to-familiar slot you’ve know a little too well, both on the lanes and off.

“Well, Dog-Dangit!” The Olive Filly cusses, swinging her foreleg in annoyance.

“It’s alright, Kiddo, you still got two more throws.” You remind her, hoping to keep her spirits up. “Just gotta stick with it!”

Apple Bloom’s adorably serious game face returns as she takes another one of the polished spheres from the rack, backing up further this time for more momentum. Twisting her head downwards and to the side this time, she casts the ball higher and further than before, easily clearing the divider of your lane and into the other. The ball collides into the neighboring toss that was thrown in time with hers, sending both balls hastily into the gutter with a chorus of loud cursing.

“Hey watch it, jackass!” An understandably upset man in a pastel blue polo yells at you, his similarly dressed teammates equally angry with Apple Bloom’s impromptu interruption.

“Sorry Aaron, we just got a newcomer here!” Cody yells back to the fellow league player in a hollow apology, obviously getting enjoyment out of the Equine’s interruption. Bram simply laughs hysterically, not caring what the other team thinks of him.

“Ugh, just keep track of your… Dog, or whatever that is.”

“Ah’m not a Dog, Ah’m a Pony!”

“Whatever, just keep it off our lane, the Mod Squad is trying to practise here!” The team leader finishes while motioning to his male and female compatriots, both looking at you as if you just committed an unforgivable sin.

Apple Bloom blushes with embarrassment making her crimson hair bow seem to droop with her emotion. You smile and give her amaranth mane a quick pat in hopes to quell her discomfiture.

“That’s okay, it happens to the best of us sometimes,” you tell her as you grab the final bowling ball for her. “Asides, the Mod Squad could stand to be taken down a peg.”

Apple Bloom giggles, letting the hope return to her eyes. Taking her place as far away as possible from the foul line, she prepares to unleash the best throw of her life, just for you. The electricity in the air is almost unbearable, prompting you to polish off your beer with a large gulp. The Filly stares at the cluster of pins as if they were ten desperadoes in a Wild West standoff, waiting for the clock to strike high-noon. An aura of silence seems to block out the noise of the bowling lanes, leaving only you, Bram and Cody to watch the events unfold. Apple Bloom charges for the foul line like a War Horse, her tiny hooves thundering across the polished wood panel. Rather than twisting her head as she did before, the little Filly, leaps into the air, easily carrying the heavy load like a demon possessed. The ball is flung hard, flying across the lane in what feels almost like slow-motion. Apple Bloom hits the floor with a rough tumble, leaving you to stare in disbelief at the spherical missile. The determined Filly stumbles to her feet just in time to see the meteor make contact with the pins, smashing the entire cluster with a loud rattle.

For a second, the four of you stare at the now empty lane, not sure what to make of what just happened before Cody leaps to his feet, scattering ashes with a cheer.

“Holy crap, that was AWESOME!” The larger man celebrates whilst sweeping Apple Bloom off of the slippery surface.

The little Filly laughs triumphantly as she is placed on Cody’s shoulder and paraded about the Bowling Alley like a Hero. You can’t help but laugh alongside her, glad to see her enjoying herself while you’re still sober. The thoughts of being clear headed immediately prompt you to ascertain another beer before Apple Bloom returns from her victory parade. The watered-down taste is slightly more bearable this time around as the limited alcohol attained from your eighth cup finally starts to take hold. Cody returns with your Equine charge and walks up to Bram with a cocky air.

“What do you say to that, Mr. 7-10?” He taunts as the tired-eyed man goes over the scorecard.

“She stepped over the line.” Bram responds with a wry smile before getting smacked upside the head by a distraught Cody.

Time passes and the frames go on, letting you socialize to the best of your drunken ability with your two best friends and Apple Bloom, well into the wee hours of the morning.

“Alright guys, it’s been fun, but we all got work tomorrow, remember?” Bram reminds you whilst stretching to remove the kinks in his joints. “And I think Todd needs to get home as well…”

You can barely understand him, your hearing and vision fading out as a result of your drunken exhaustion. You try to stand; only to stumble forwards into Cody’s waiting arms.

“Alright man, you’re way too plastered to be driving home now” The large man remarks as he places your arm around his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow Bram. I gotta take Sleepin’ Beauty here home before he pukes again.”You turn his words over in your head to the best of your ability, wondering what he meant by “again”.

Cody walks your drunken form out of the Bowling Alley into the snowy night and towards his car with the tired looking Apple Bloom close behind, looking very much satisfied with her evening at the lanes. He gently helps you in to the back seat of his Jeep, letting you lie down to rest your weary stomach. After lifting Apple Bloom into the passenger side, you both head for Redford Street Arms, the trip fading away into a blur as Cody regales the olive Filly with stories of your more entertaining escapades.

“-So then he said ‘Shut up, William’ and everybody started laughing, right?”

“Ahahaha! So then whut did Cameron say?”

“Well, first he was like ‘uh, if she offered’ before he-… Oh hey, looks like Sleepin’ Beauty is awake.“

Your eyes slowly open to the sound of your best friend and your equine charge laughing at each other’s stories, drowning out the loud, heavy metal music emanating from the speakers. You yawn and rub your eyes as you awkwardly sit up, still very much wasted.

“Ugh… W-where are we?” You ask whilst looking out to the city lights rushing past in the darkness.

“Almost got you home, buddy.” Cody responds in a warm tone as he pulls to the side of the road. “Alright Apple Bloom, help me move your Dad inside.”

Your mind clears up a little at the mention of that word:

“Dad”

Cody was the second person to think the little Filly in your care was your Daughter today. As the word flows through your mind like the song lyric that never leaves your head, you begin to wonder if maybe Apple Bloom really is your own flesh and blood. The backdoor opens and you can feel Cody’s large hand on your shoulder, coaxing you out of his vehicle.

“C’mon buddy, you’ll sleep better in your own bed.” He reminds you in a gentle tone, masked by his nicotine rasp. “Ugh, how many times have I dragged your sorry ass out of my car again?”

You grunt out some unintelligible answer, not even sure what you replied with as Cody helps you to the Apartment door. Apple Bloom pushes the door open to help the two of you in, only to be met once again with the European trio loitering in the lobby. The leader with his perpetual eyewear notices you first with a loud greeting.

“Well look who is back, it is man with little pony!” he practically shouts, giving you a headache. “You just missed out on your other friend!”

“Uhh, friend?” Cody responds whilst giving you a worried look. “Bram was here?”

“Uhh, the old man with the nice pin, his name is Bram, yes? He ask for you.” The leader scratches his head to wrack his memory. “He had other men with him, all with nice pin! You part of secret club or something, Pony man?”

The mention of the pin snaps you slightly from your haze just enough to put you in a panic. You stumble away from Cody to reach the elevator door, leaning up against wall to support yourself as you press the call button. Cody and Apple Bloom approach you, both wearing the same worried expressions.

“Dude, are you alright, what’s going on?”

You turn to face your friend, still leaning against the wall and attempt to formulate words.

“H-he wash *urp* here, dat guy dat keepsh followin’ me!” you drunkenly slur to Cody in what you hope sounds like an urgent tone. “I think hesh in my *bleh* p-partment right now!”

The elevator doors open and you stagger inside, followed by a worried Cody and an oblivious Apple Bloom. As the elevator rises, she looks at you with worry behind her gamboge eyes.

“T-Todd, whut’s wrong? Ah’ve never seen you this worried?”

You can barely hear her question as the elevator rises, your hazy mind awash in scenarios for what is to come next. The leader mentioned several other men; could there be a group of thugs waiting for you and Apple Bloom in your own Apartment?

“Todd, yer scarin’ me, whut’s going on?!”

“Shhh, it’s okay Bloom, just stay close to me, okay?” Cody reassures the worried filly before looking to you. “Dude, let me go ahead, you’re way too drunk to be dealing with this by yourself.”

The doors open and Cody leads you out, helping you every step of the way. You soldier on ahead, remembering what Apple Bloom said this morning:

“Jus’ put one hoof in front of th’ other!”

The door comes into view, light pouring into the hall from within. As you get closer you realize that the door has been forcefully opened, it’s splintered remains hanging off of a single hinge. Cody pushes you up against the wall and motions for you to be quite, the terrified Apple Bloom huddling behind your leg. The larger man eases the door open in a defensive position, not sure what he’ll find. You can see his eyes go wide and his guard drop after staring into the room for a few seconds.

“Dude, You’re gonna wanna see this…” He can barely whisper as you hobble to the doorway.

You look inside and gasp, the alcohol in your body seeming to instantly dissipate to bring your full attention to the horror that waits for you inside…

Comments

[Flame6666]

"horror that waits for you inside…"
I'm going to guess ether his place has been trashed... or there are more ponies there (chances are the mane 6).

[JIMMYFILLY]

I'm really liking this Bram guy...

[bucknorris]

I swear if its the fucking government I'm outta here

[TheArcher20]

this is sure to get interesting
can't wait for more!

[TheWildZero]

Hey Tooby!

[Omior Falroc]

You look inside and gasp, the alcohol in your body seeming to instantly dissipate to bring your full attention to the horror that waits for you inside…

holy shit that old man just cleaned his house for him. Then, in a drunken haze, Todd then opens a closet to reveal all of the shit and grime that covered the floor which he suddenly yells out "shi-!" before being enveloped by the empty alcohol bottles, pill bottles, and months of dirty clothes