Love is Strange

by PaisleyPerson

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Once again, the lunch rush was crazy, though things went a little more smoothly when Paw Print returned to assist them. Mindy kept looking for an opportunity to excuse herself so she could check on Alley, but it wasn’t until well after two that business had settled down enough for her to think her request would even be considered.

“Alright, ladies, well played today,” Three Cheese announced, bringing out another tray of milkshakes as a reward. He hadn’t done this since her first day, so she assumed this was his way of welcoming new staff. “Between the four of us, I think we actually handled things pretty well. Here, Lace. It’s on the house. Mindy?”

“Actually, Three Cheese,” Mindy declined. “Would be at all possible for me to run home, just for a few minutes? I need to go check on my nephew.”

“You mean you left the kid who was screaming his head off all night alone, unsupervised?” Lace glared.

“No!” Mindy lied. “And he wasn’t screaming. Look, he has a foal-sitter, he just doesn’t like to be away from me too long.”

“You also said the two of you weren’t very close,” the unicorn suspiciously narrowed her eyes.

“Whoa... is there a problem here, ladies?” Cheese awkwardly interrupted.

“No,” Mindy ducked her head.

“Well... I think we can hold down the fort until you get back. Just make it quick,” Paw instructed.

“Thank you,” Mindy gratefully sighed, sliding out of her seat and bolting for the door. She felt Black Lace’s eyes boring into her all the way down the block.

She hadn’t even reached the stairs when the melody of Alley’s latest composition reached her ears. She shot up the stairs with a vigor that made her legs burn, but she ignored the pain and flung open the door. “Shh! Hey! What are you-” A partially hollowed out leg was promptly stuffed in her mouth, effectively gagging the mule.

Alley’s wings buzzed with unbelievable energy to keep him aloft as he hugged Mindy’s face in welcome. She spat out his hoof and managed to pry him off just before resorting to the use of a crowbar. She sat him firmly on the ground, not at all pleased. “Just WHAT do you think you’re doing?” she gestured to the misplaced boxes, upturned furniture, and scattered knick-knacks strewn all through the apartment. The fins he had in place of ears flattened against his head.

“I can’t keep cleaning up your messes! I have to go back to work. Here,” she angrily shuffled to the fridge and retrieved the fixings for a sandwich. Alley curiously wandered over to investigate, and she stuffed the meal in his hooves. “There. Have at it.” She started for the door again. Alley glanced at the daisy wedged between two slices of wheat bread, then let it fall to the floor as he followed Mindy out.

“No, Alley! Go eat your lunch and behave. I’ll be back after work. Just... be good until then, okay?”

“Cllrrr?” he chirped.

“Stay, Alley. Stay.” She sadly closed the door, too tired, frustrated and angry to do anything else. The stress of becoming a single mother so abruptly on top of her confused feelings toward Alleyway were causing her emotions to roil. At present, she wanted to break down and cry, but she couldn’t spare the time. She was still on shift, after all. Speaking of, she needed to get back to the restaurant.

Her hooves felt like lead, but she forced herself to return quickly, as she had promised. Paw Print had already returned to the veterinary school when she returned, and Black Lace was taking care of another customer.

“The little guy doing okay?” Cheese inquired as she returned.

“I guess so,” Mindy sighed.

“What does that mean?” The customers still hadn’t placed their order, so he spared a moment to talk to her.

“He’s been... misbehaving.”

“Ah,” Cheese lightly chuckled. “How old is he?”

“Two, I believe.”

"You believe?" They ignored Lace and continued with the conversation.

“Ah. The terrible two’s, huh?”

“Exactly.”

“I’ve got a niece about that age. Maybe we could arrange for them to get together.”

“I... don’t know,” Mindy’s blood ran cold. “His mother doesn’t like him to get out often.”

“Why’s that?” Cheese looked truly perplexed.

“He’s... handicapped,” Mindy improvised. It was true, after all.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Cheese looked like he wanted to smack himself again. Black Lace, however, felt no such shame.

“What’s wrong with him?” she blatantly inquired.

“Broken horn,” Mindy evenly replied. That finally caused the unicorn to halt, no doubt reevaluating the value of her own appendage.

“That’s no small condition! How did it happen? If you don’t mind me asking?” Cheese quickly put in.

“I’d tell you if I knew.”

“The kid taking meds?”

“No.”

“How long ago did it happen, then?”

“Not too long ago, but I don’t know exactly when.”

“Didn’t his mom get it checked out?” Lace was becoming increasingly animated over the issue.

“I’m not sure. Won’t tell me anything,” Mindy helplessly shrugged.

“A broken horn is a serious deal! You’ve gotta get that kid to a doctor!” Lace burst so loudly that the dining couple looked over.

“Okay, okay,” Mindy quieted her, smiling reassuringly to the couple. “You should probably go check on them, now.”

“No wonder the kid threw a fit. That horn’s gotta be killing him,” Lace went on, ignoring her.

“I don’t think that’s it. He hasn’t complained at all.”

“If he’s two, he’s not going to come out and say it. He’ll wail and cry and keep us all up at night,” Lace insisted.

“He only arrived yesterday. He probably just misses his mama. Misses his... mother...” the words hit Mindy with a new meaning. The changeling had thrown a fit until he had been allowed to stay in Mindy’s bed. He’d also caused a fuss when Mindy left, but settled down when she was home. He didn’t want her to leave just now when she had returned to work, either. All that racket was because he’d been missing a mother figure, and she had become that mother figure. Could the solution really be just to spend more time with him?

“Either way, get the kid checked out,” Lace huffed, returning to the dining area when one of the ponies waved her over.

“Well, handicapped or not, I’m sure my niece would still enjoy the company,” Cheese assured. “We can work out a date later, huh?”

“Hmm,” the mule absentmindedly hummed, distracted by her own discovery. “Yeah... maybe.”

---

“Alleyway?” Mindy cracked the door, suspicious when she hadn’t been greeted with the usual clamor, and became even more anxious when his little black form didn’t come flying out to meet her again. “Alley? Where’d you go? I’m home... Mama’s home,” she coughed, but felt the beginnings of a smile tickle the corners of her mouth at the sound of that. She’d dreamed of being able to say that for so long, it felt good to be able to say it in real life. Still, she got no response.

“Alley?” Mindy called again, fully stepping into the apartment and securing the door behind her. “Are you here? Hello? Where’d you go?” Mindy tried to follow the path of strewn appliances, but since she hadn’t bothered to clean up the mess from earlier, the entire house already looked like a disaster zone.

“Alleyway? You’re scaring me. Where are you?” Mindy began furiously rummaging through the apartment for any trace of the missing changeling, but found none until she swept her bedroom for the second time, when she finally noticed that the tall lamp wasn’t where it should be. Mindy hurriedly trotted over to the opposite side of the bed to investigate, where she found the toppled lamp and a limp changeling child beneath it.

“Alley!” she gasped in horror, practically flinging the lamp in her effort to rescue the child. He must have knocked the lamp over, accidently causing it to fall on him. “Alleyway?” She picked up his unmoving body, delicately cradling the child as she checked for injury. It wasn’t until after she had removed him from the site of injury that she saw it: a hard, black shard. Another piece of his horn had been chipped off.

“Oh, Alley!” She hugged the frail form closer, a motion she would never have dreamed of performing just yesterday. She knew as well as anypony that unicorn horns were extremely sensitive, and breaking one was the most agonizing pain that could be inflicted on a member of a magic-using species. Unicorn or changeling, she would never wish such pain on any creature, especially one so young. She wondered for a moment if he may have died from shock, but she still detected a heartbeat.

“Black Lace is right. I need to get you to a doctor.” But what kind of doctor would treat a changeling without turning them both in to the police?

‘Maybe not a doctor,’ she realized, ‘but a vet!’

“Don’t worry, Alley,” Mindy desperately tried to dam up the flood of tears threatening to spill out. She rushed to find her purse, and then scrounged up her old saddlebags. She had left Alley on the bed, and now safely tucked him in the saddlebags so he wouldn’t be seen. She took the address book out of her purse where Three Cheese had scrawled his street name and house number. Unfortunately, their home was a fair distance away. She frowned.

‘Better get moving, then.’

Comments

[Deleted-account]

More people should write something on a story that they like. I'm sad about it.

But also I'm glad she's got the kid she needs - and has probably wanted. I like your work, and it makes me happy.

I might also be intoxicated so don't mind me as I read more of your stuff.

YAY ALLEYWAY IS BEST PONELING!