//------------------------------// // Invitation // Story: Love and Tolerance // by Final_Draft //------------------------------// Love and Tolerance My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust By: TOO S0BER --***::: Chapter 18 :::***-- Invitation Serenity. I yawned widely as another day dawned in my studio apartment. For once I did not wake up feeling groggy and like I had not had any sleep at all. It was a nice feeling from the norm. With a little more of a spring in my step, I crawled out of the doggy bed that had become my new sleeping place. Oddly enough it was definitely a more comfortable option than my couch. Dang dogs have it better than we do, I thought with an amused smile. Even moreso because of my bemused response to that very same thought that I had the other day. Things seemed a good bit easier today than they had been all week. Showering and drying off only took me half the time as that first day, though I was still trying to figure out how to braid my mane without hands. I liked the way Shelby did it the other day, and come to think of it, I bet that she would not mind doing so again. Still, I would need to figure out how. Breakfast was a fruit salad bowl and a glass of milk while I played some music on my iPod. ‘The Epilogue’ by Crosses was playing and somehow it seemed absolutely appropriate to the new reality. Done with my meal, I made a more successful - and less messy - attempt at brushing my teeth. That changed as the phone rang and I made every attempt to hurry my orange flank along. I booped the answer button just in time, which garnered a sneeze for my haste. I was in such a hurry that I didn’t bother to see who was calling. “Ugh, hello?” I answered while wiping my snout. “Hey Sam,” came Marcus’s familiar voice. My smile grew. “Hey bud, what’s up?” “Can’t quite hear you, Sam,” Marcus asked a little louder. “Oh! Sorry!” I scrambled away to turn off ‘Chalk Outline’. “Sorry Marcus. I was listening to some music for breakfast.” He laughed softly. “It’s no problem. Hey, I was wondering if you were still gonna go to the launch tonight?” I blinked. That was a good question and I had to pause to really think about it. Truthfully I had completely forgotten about the game launch in the wake of everything that had happened. “Um, I, well…” I rubbed the back of my neck as I tried to come to some decision. “If you don’t want to, it’s fine, Sam,” Marcus answered kindly. “No pressure.” I could practically see the smile behind his words. I smiled in kind and gave a nod that he could not see. “Sure, I’ll go. Though I think I’m going to cancel my pre-order.” “Understandable,” Marcus replied, then perked up as another thought seemed to occur to him. “Did you want help re-stocking your fridge?” I chuckled. “I think I’m good for now, thanks.” “Okay, see you soon!” He hung up. I hummed softly to myself and went to the closet, where my mother had hung up the re-worked clothes for me. I picked my outfit the day before; a sleeved white shirt that came down to my elbows, a purple vest, and some similar stretchy grey shorts. Likewise, of course, I wore some of the same underwear as before. The heat of a blush spread across my cheeks, despite the fact that it was just me. Somehow I felt like a crossdresser in my own privacy. And at the same time I was annoyed that this was still bothering me. “Man,” I said aloud as I slipped on the hoof-wallet. “Why can’t I just get used to this already?” Because it’s unnatural. Because it’s weird. Because it’s not me… I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Damn it, brain…” It was almost like I had another voice in my head; the male Sam and the female Sam... I shook the thoughts from my head. “Nope. Not doing this again. My mood will not be ruined by abstract and semi-relevant thoughts.” I gave a light stomp of my forehoof with a forced smile. I’m keeping this good mood, damnit. No more theatre breakdowns for me. My old glasses caught my attention and I picked them up. These simple frames had been an invaluable necessity in my life. It felt so weird to not have them perched on my head. I sighed softly at the loss and set them back down. “Maybe one day…” I murmured gently, then made stage-left exit from my apartment after making sure that I had everything. Locking the door was a little troublesome and I had a feeling it always would be from now on. Our human world just was not built to be pony-friendly. Which prompted me to think about possibilities of returning back to who I was. Predictably enough, I had none... I garnered a stare from one of my neighbors as we passed and I averted my gaze. I didn’t really know the guy, so I figured it best to ignore the situation, lest it escalate. The theatre was still fresh in my mind, after all. Once outside I had a proper chance to stretch my orange wings with a pleasured groan. The bright sun and the cool breeze that swayed my wings felt good. The crisp morning air felt fresh and rejuvenating. It was early enough in the morning that the heat felt good rather than stifling. Even the deserted tranquility of the empty apartment complex gave way to the gentle chirping of morning birds. I could not remember the last time I enjoyed the outdoors so much. Maybe being a morning person isn’t such a bad thing. I nodded to my own thought and -- “Hi Sam!” “GYAHAH!” I jumped high enough in the air to reach the nearest tree branch and comically held onto it with all four limbs. The shrill voice below was none other than a familiar teal mare. “Ohp! Sorry,” Chloe said with a sheepish smile. Whelp, there goes my tranquil morning. She’s out at night and up in the morning, too? Does she ever freaking sleep? “Jesus, Chloe!” I pouted softly, then let myself fall and land. “You just love scaring the crap out of me, don’t you.” Chloe giggled at me with an impish grin. “Ee’yup. Especially if your reactions stay this entertaining.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re horrible…” “That’s what they tell me,” she rebutted happily. I chuckled softly. Even though I should be mad at her for scaring me, I simply couldn’t find it in me to be angry with Chloe. And for once it didn’t feel like a hormone thing! Yay? Goddamnit, brain… “So what are you up to, today?” she said as she walked with me. I hummed. “Well, Marcus and I are going to a midnight launch.” “Midnight launch?” “It’s for a video game.” I shrugged. “Sometimes if a game is popular enough, it’ll have special events at retailers. People wait outside the doors until midnight to get the game right as it releases.” Chloe smiled and gave a happy bounce. “Oh cool! That sounds interesting.” Though her tone dropped a little bit. “But why wait at the store so early?” I chuckled. “It’s more of a social thing. Players with the same interests gather to chat and socialize about their favorite games.” Though, now as I thought about it, how would that go for me? As a bonus, we would be going to the same mall as before. It was highly unlikely, but I thought about whether I would see the same jerks or not. I mentally checked to make sure that I had the phone number the mall cop gave me. A poke to my shoulder told me I had zoned out again. “Oh, sorry, what did you say?” I asked with a sheepish smile. I really needed to watch the zoning out thing. “I asked if I could come, silly.” I blinked, surprised by her request. “Really?” “Really!” she happily replied. I was about to ask about her brother. “I’d like to go, I’m bored without him. Kevin is at our mother’s.” I winced. “And…” I was not sure how to approach this. “How are they taking it?” Chloe sighed deeply. “Better than I had hoped, but it’s hard on all of us.” Despite her answer, Chloe gave a happy smile. I was befuddled. “Then, how can you smile like that?” She chuckled and looked me in the eye. “There’s no reason why not, you know?” I shook my head. I did not know. “Things could always be worse, Sam,” she replied in kind, a hoof on my shoulder. “They can always be worse.”