//------------------------------// // Movie Night Four: Four Too Many Movies // Story: Permanent Vacation // by Apple_Crack //------------------------------// “Permanent Vacation” Movie Night Four: Four Too Many Movies Screw cooking for tonight, I’m in the mood for pizza. I’m sure anybody that’s coming, which I have no clue as to who, will not complain about that. It’s not like I’m getting something they can’t eat. In lieu of me actually going out to get the pizzas, Scootaloo offered to be the pseudo delivery service, which I had no trouble agreeing to. And while she’s actually out getting the pizzas, it gives me a chance to maybe enjoy some gaming. Three quick, sharp knocks at the door promptly kill that train of thought. Going to the door, I open it. “Here for the food, drinks, and movie, Rainbow?” “You know it!” She bends down and rubs Sonja’s head, who is sticking her head around my legs. I smile and turn around. “Okay then, you know the drill. Shut the door behind ya.” I head into the kitchen and collect some papers I had laying out on the table. Mostly on matters that nobody besides myself should be concerned with. With a quick teleportation spell on the papers to deposit them in my room, I go about getting the tableware for… “Hey, Rainbow! “Geez, no need to shout. I’m standing right here.” She walks over to stand beside me. “What’s up?” “You know who else is coming?” She shrugs her shoulders. “Sorry, don’t know. I've been busy practicing my stunts all day and haven’t really talked to anypony else.” I shrug my shoulders and grab enough stuff for twelve people. “Eh, no big deal then. I’ll just guesstimate how many.” As I go about arranging everything on the table, I hear the fridge door open. “So…” I hear some bottles shift as she rummages around before pulling out a bottle of Moonlight Mist, which is apparently Equestria’s version of Mountain Dew if the name and taste are anything to go by, and shutting the door. “What’re we having to eat? I’m practically starving over here!” “Pizza once Scootaloo gets back with it.” “Sweet! Where from?” She pops the cap on the bottle and takes a long swig from it. I pause. “Uh… I’m guessing she’s going to the one over by Sugarcube Corner? I didn’t exactly specify which one.” I think there’s only two pizza places in town that I know of, but I could be mistaken. She stops drinking, belching afterwards. “Eh, makes no difference to me.” Now that everything's arranged on the table, I head over to the fridge and pull out a bottle of Moonlight Mist for myself. After kicking the fridge door shut with my foot, I then walk over to a cabinet and open it up, my various bottles of alcohol stored within. Rainbow whistles at the sight. “Nice. You thinking of sharing any?” I glance at her while floating two tumblers over from another cabinet. “No, I wasn’t. But since nobody else has arrived yet…” I shift around some of the bottles before pulling out a bottle of Captain Morgan. “Care to wet your whistle?” I shake one of the tumblers in front of her. “Hell yeah! You don’t have to ask me twice!” “On the rocks?” She shakes her head, so I fill the tumbler to a little over half full with rum. A bark from Sonja and the rattling of her collar as she heads to… Sounds like the front door, alerts me to someone else arriving. “Come in!” I yell out before heading over to the freezer to grab some ice cubes. “Hey, girl! How ya doing?” Ah, that sounds like Apple Bloom, which might mean Applejack’s here too. Sure enough, Applejack turns the corner into the kitchen. “Howdy, Blake, Rainbow.” I catch her eyeing the bottle floating beside me. She chuckles. “It ain’t that kinda party now, is it?” I smirk. “Not unless you want it to turn into that kind of party.” On reflex, I tense up. But no sudden surprise makes me calm down. Could have sworn Pinkie would appear out of nowhere at the mention of a party twice in a short period of time. “Nah, I’d only do that if you didn’t have something fragile in your hands.” Pinkie walks into the kitchen with Sonja and Apple Bloom behind her. I raise an eyebrow at Apple Bloom, who just shrugs her shoulders. “There is a method to my madness, after all.” “Okay then…” I hold up the bottle of Morgan, “Any legal age adult want something alcoholic to drink?” “You’re offering Pinkie something alcoholic… Are you insane?” “Well, yes. I do have a voice in my head that I occasionally talk and argue with.” “You know what I mean.” Applejack shakes her head. “Nah, not tonight. Not with Bloom here.” Pinkie shakes her head, but I can see the glint in her eyes. I shrug my shoulders. “Alright, just ask if you want some then. Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge.” I drop some ice cubes into my tumbler and fill it to the same volume as Rainbows. I hold out Rainbow’s tumbler to her, which she takes. I hold up my tumbler. “Cheers.” She clinks her tumbler to mine, and we both take a swig. While I’m coughing from the spices hitting my throat, I hear another knock on the door. I motion for somebody to get it while cracking open the bottle of Moonlight Mist and drinking from it. I’m not sure who got the door, but I glance up and wave to Twilight, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Fluttershy after I finish swallowing. “You three want something alcoholic to drink? Sweetie, Bloom, you know what’s in the fridge, help yourselves.” Those two go over to the fridge and rustle around for something, I’m not really paying attention to them anyway. “Um, no thank you. Water would be fine.” “Water for me as well, dear.” I point to the glasses on the table. “Please, help yourselves then.” I look at Twilight. “Still haven’t answered my question, Twilight.” She nods her head. “Sure, why not? A drink sounds nice tonight.” “Woah, hold up. Did I hear that right?” I raise an eyebrow. “Is there a problem, Rainbow?” “Twilight just asked for booze. Am I the only one who heard that?” “What’s the problem with me having a little drink?” Rainbow rubs the back of her head. “I mean, it’s not a problem…” “What Rainbow means is that we just didn’t expect you ta be having booze.” “Yeah, what Applejack said!” Twilight rolls her eyes. “I’m allowed to enjoy myself every now and again, and ever since Blake and Luna took me out for my birthday party, I’ve… Dabbled a bit with alcoholic beverages.” I shrug my shoulders. “All the more power to ya, I say. Everyone needs a little something to take the edge off now and again.” I float over another tumbler and point to the cabinet. “Pick your poison.” She grabs the tumbler and walks over to the cabinet, eyeing the bottles before finally settling on gin. “So where’s Scootaloo at?” Sweetie asks. “Okay, since I assume everyone is here, I’m only—” “You can’t start a party without The Great and Powerful Trixie!” I roll my eyes. “I can, and I will.” Everyone else greets Trixie, her doing the same to them. “You’re awfully late showing up. Something come up at the school?” She groans and rolls her eyes, snatching the tumbler I’m floating towards her as she heads towards the alcohol cabinet. “Like you wouldn’t believe. If there’s one thing in life I didn’t need to deal with, it’s the amount of paperwork. And for the love of Celestia, please don’t ask any more questions about it. I want to get away from it all, not bring it with me.” She grabs a half full bottle of bourbon and pours herself a generous amount. I shrug my shoulders. “Alright, topic forgotten.” I turn to Twilight. “You need something to mix that with, or drinking it straight?” “Something to mix it with, if you wouldn’t mind. You got grapefruit juice and salt?” I raise an eyebrow, but nod my head. “Yeah. Juice is in the fridge, top shelf at the very back. Salt is on the counter.” While she mixes whatever it is, cause I’ve never heard of grapefruit being mixed with gin before, I direct my attention back to everyone else. “Anybody know of anybody else that’s coming?” I get varied responses in the negative. “I did talk to Miss Hooves on my way over here, and I can say for certain she is unavailable to join us,” Rarity says. “And Spike said he wanted to enjoy some alone time at the library. He also said thanks for the offer.” I nod my head. “Then I’m saying this once. Scootaloo is out getting dinner, which is pizza. When she gets back, we eat. Till then, enjoy yourselves.” I spend some time socializing before moving back into the living room and firing up Dishonored on the PS4. Twilight, Trixie, Apple Bloom, Sweetie, and Rainbow are interested enough to come and watch, and whether out of genuine interest or just plain politeness, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy come to watch and talk as well. Due to the presence of young eyes and Fluttershy, I decide going for a no killing run this time. I finish the prologue, the escape from prison mission, when I hear the front door open. “I’m back!” Rainbow is the first one off the couch and racing to the door. “Took ya long enough, Squirt!” I pause the game and set the controller out of the way while everyone gradually moves to the kitchen. I step into the kitchen and grab the boxes from Scootaloo. I crack open the first of six boxes and feel my mouth water at the sight and smell of fresh breadsticks with a coating of garlic sauce. The second box is just a simple three cheese pizza, and the third is a supreme without the meat, so a veggie pizza. The rest of the boxes are just dupes of everything else. “Alright, help yourselves to whatever, there’s plenty to go around.” Being the gracious host that I am, I step off to the side and let everyone else grab whatever fancies their taste buds first. Once it’s finally my turn, I grab two breadsticks and three slices of the veggie pizza. Good food and drinks, great friends and family, and an overall relaxed atmosphere make for an enjoyable dinner, and certainly helps go through most of the food. There’s only a little bit of the three cheese pizza and some breadsticks left. Applejack kindly volunteered to help me cleanup once everyone was done, though there wasn’t much to actually cleanup. Still, I appreciate her offering to help, and wasn’t about to pass her up on her offer… This time around at least. “Thanks for the help, Applejack. Go make yourself comfortable in while I finish up out here.” “Anytime. Pizza was good, by the way. Scootaloo made a great choice.” I chuckle. “Of course she did.” A whimper from Sonja makes me look down. “What is it girl? You wanna go outside?” Her ears perk up and her tail wags. I’ll take that as a yes. “Scootaloo! Sonja’s gotta go out!” “On it!” Sonja runs off towards the front door. I finish washing the dishes and go to take a drink from my tumbler. I hold it up and shake it. Huh, empty… I turn around to see Pinkie with her hands behind her back and rocking on her feet. “So… Is your offer from before still good?” I raise an eyebrow. “If you mean about wanting to drink, yes. It’s an open bar.” “I’ll say it again, you’re giving Pinkie booze… Were you dropped on your head as a child?” “Relax, will ya? Pinkie’s a full grown adult, I’m sure she knows what she’s getting into.” “Yeah! I’ve got an incredibly high tolerance for alcohol, so there’s no worries about me getting drunk and doing anything crazy!” She giggles, “Well, crazier than normal anyway!” “Whatever. Not like I have to deal with it anyway.” “Sweet! You got vodka, triple sec, orange juice, and cranberry juice?” I float out another tumbler while going over the list of ingredients in my head. “Yeah, I got all that, but I ain’t ever heard of this concoction before.” She grabs the tumbler and heads right for the alcohol cabinet while I grab the juices and some ice from the fridge and freezer, respectively. “That’s because it’s a drink I came up with, silly! I call it the Pinkie Pie special! …I haven’t thought of a better name yet.” I give her everything she needs, and she pours the required amount of each ingredient with practiced ease. I eye the drink after she’s finished. “You know, for something called the Pinkie Pie special, I’d have thought it’d be… Pinker.” Her drink is colored more towards a sunset orange, in my opinion. “That’s the surprise! …And the fact these go down smooth. Wanna try?” I eye the drink. “Yeah, maybe later. I’m good for…” I hold up my empty tumbler. Right, empty. “Another drink, it seems. Mix one up for me, Pinkie.” She takes the tumbler from my hand and mixes up another of her special. With a clink of our tumblers, we take a sip. Hmm… A little on the sweeter side, but not bad. Pinkie and I walk into the living room. She takes a seat on the floor with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow. Twilight, Rarity, Trixie, and the Crusaders have occupied the couch. I just eye the room. Really should buy some more furniture soon. With a shrug, I levitate a chair out from the kitchen and slide it over to the right side of the couch beside Twilight. “So, what movie we watching?” “Honestly, I don’t know, Rainbow. Was just gonna wing it here.” The front door opens and shuts, Sonja running in and laying down on the floor beside me. I reach over and start rubbing her back. “Hey, Scoots, got a movie you want to see?” “John Wick.” “That’s my girl!” I hold my hand up, which she enthusiastically slaps. “Who’s this John Wick fella?” I smirk and shake my head. “Now that would be spoiling it, Applejack.” I blink. “Uh, actually, are you and Rarity okay with Sweetie and Bloom seeing this? It’s violent and does include, amongst other things, blood and death.” They eye each other. “Could you give us some time to discuss it?” I nod my head. “Thank you, dearie.” Her and Applejack stand up and head into the kitchen. Twilight looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “Well, obviously you and Scootaloo have seen it, but how bad is this movie?” “Um, I’d like to know too.” I rub my chin. “Honestly, it shows blood and death, but it’s not too graphic, and there is some swearing involved, but I wouldn’t be too worried about it.” Sweetie bites her lip. “I’m not sure Rarity’s gonna let me see it then…” “And ah’m pretty sure Applejack’s gonna put her hoof down and say ah can’t watch it either.” I shrug my shoulders. “If they say you can’t, we watch another movie.” “Honestly, I don’t see what the issue is,” Trixie says. “It’s a movie, and as long as everypony present can make the distinction between fantasy and reality, then there shouldn’t be a problem.” I shake my head. “There’s more to it than that, Trixie. While common sense would dictate being able to define the line between fantasy and reality, it all comes down to personal beliefs and choice. Beside, I’m not in charge of Sweetie or Bloom. Whatever Rarity and Applejack decide is their choice.” “Sweetie Belle? Could you and Apple Bloom come join us in the kitchen?” The Crusaders share a quick hug, and then Sweetie and Apple Bloom head into the kitchen. It’s after a couple of minutes that all four return with smiles on their faces. I raise an eyebrow. “Good news?” “Applejack and I have agreed to let them watch this movie.” “It’s just ah movie, and while we don’t like the idea of our sisters watching this, we can’t exactly shield them from it, considering what happened with the… Ya know, Diamond Dogs.” I smile. “Well, alright then. Take your seats. Scootaloo?” “Already on it.” She’s already throwing the disk in while everyone retakes their seats and I flick the lights off with a tendril of magic. After skipping through the trailers and actually hitting play at the main menu, a brief thought crosses my mind. “Oh, uh… Someone might want to hold Fluttershy… Like, really tight.” “Way to go genius, you forgot about that scene. Do you want to traumatize her?” “Why? …Oh yeah, that scene…” Scootaloo hisses through her teeth. “Yeah…” Pinkie wraps her arms around Fluttershy. “Don’t worry, I got this!” I tense up as the movie starts, slowly dreading the moments till that scene arrives. As we get closer to the scene, I realize that I’ve been absentmindedly biting my fingernails. The scene arrives, and I let it play out, pausing it only after it’s over. “Fluttershy… You alright there?” All eyes are on her. She’s quiet and visibly trembling. I slowly start to reach out towards her shoulder. “Shy?” And then she starts sobbing. We’re all quick to comfort her, wrapping her in a large group hug. Dammit, I feel horrible now for letting Fluttershy see this. It’s a while before she calms down enough to speak coherently. “That…” She shudders, “That was the most horrible thing anypony can do to an animal. Why would they do that?” I rub the back of my head. “Sadly, there’s people like that. I can’t explain what compels them to do what they do.” I sigh. “If it makes you feel any better, the dog wasn’t really hurt during filming. It was all fake. Plus, the characters in the movie get what’s coming to them.” She smiles softly. “That does make me feel a little better.” Sonja, for her part, moves away from me and curls up beside Fluttershy, resting her head in Fluttershy’s lap. Fluttershy reaches down and starts petting her. I mentally raise an eyebrow. Which part makes her feel better, that justice will be done or that it was all fake? Best not to ask. “Everyone, I’m truly sorry for killing the good mood. If any of you want to call it a night, I won’t hold it against you.” Twilight pats my shoulder. “You gave us all fair warning about what this movie is like. If any of us weren’t okay with it, I’m sure we would have said something then.” “That was a final gift from his wife, correct?” I nod my head at Rarity’s question. “Then while I don’t like what happened, which is a feeling I’m sure most of us share, I can understand why the scene was written that way.” Applejack tips her hat down. “Ah can’t imagine what I’d do if something like that happened to Winona.” Apple Bloom silently nods her head too. “And please don’t feel sorry. Like Twilight said, you gave everypony here a fair warning. It was my choice to stay and watch.” I slowly nod my head and idly take a sip of my drink. It was her choice, but it was also mine to not pick another movie. “If you’re all okay with it still, we can continue.” I hear no objections and resume the movie. We watch the rest of the movie in near silence, occasionally stopping it so I can answer a few questions. Once the credits start rolling, I flick the lights back on. “That was awesome! Except for the uh… You know…” “I for one thoroughly enjoyed it.” Glad I got Trixie to enjoy it at least. “Yes, well, I can’t deny it was a compelling story.” “Eh, it was so-so. But we were all together for it, and that’s what matters!” Twilight smiles. “You’re right, Pinkie. Being together made this a far more enjoyable experience. Although, I could have done with something a little less… Violent.” I raise an eyebrow. I’ve had time to think, and need to bring this up now. “Violence, Twilight? Need I remind you that we all watched Star Wars, a movie with war in the title, and war’s usually lead to violence?” Twilight opens her mouth, and after a short pause, closes it again. That’s what I thought. She can’t make an argument against that. “Bloom, what’d ya think of the movie?” “I’m curious to hear your thoughts as well, Sweetie.” Gotta agree with Applejack and Rarity. I’m curious to know as well. “Well, I kinda liked it. Like you said, Rarity, it’s got a good story.” “Ah enjoyed it.” Scootaloo rubs the back of her head. “I know dad already apologized, but I’m gonna say it too. Sorry for picking out the movie tonight. I just really wanted to see an action movie.” Rainbow leans back and pulls Scootaloo down to her level, holding her close and using her balled up left hand to rub Scootaloo’s head. “Don’t sweat it, squirt. It was your choice and we stuck with it. I’ll give you props on picking an awesome action movie too.” “Thanks, Rainbow!” I smile. You know, I can see Rainbow really taking on the big sister role if she really wanted to. Might actually get her to slow down and think at times. Eh, who am I kidding. I collect the tumblers of those of us that drank and deposit them in the kitchen sink while everyone else gets ready to take their leave. Goodbyes are exchanged, with me apologizing once more for my poor selection, and everyone filters out… All except for Fluttershy. “Scootaloo, go to your room.” She eyes Fluttershy and I for a second, but obliges and leaves us alone. I wait till I hear the door to her room shut before speaking. “You’ve been unnaturally quiet, Fluttershy. Well, more so than usual for you.” “Oh, I’ve just been thinking.” I sit down on the floor beside her. “About what?” “About…” She looks at me, but ultimately shakes her head. “It’s nothing, really.” I sigh. “Shy, listen. I want to—” She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Don’t apologize again for that. It’s just a movie.” I gently grab her hand and move it away. “But even if it’s fake, somebody like you shouldn’t have seen that.” She raises an eyebrow. “And you’re saying somepony like the Crusaders should have?” “She’s got you there.” I open my mouth to counter, but find I can’t come up with a logical comeback. “Alright, that’s a fair point.” She reaches down and pats my leg. “Please don’t be upset about all this. It was my choice to watch.” I sigh, but nod my head. “Alright, I won’t be upset about this. It’s just… It’s gonna take some time for me to get over it.” “And if you ever need somepony to talk to, you always have the girls and I.” I have to smile at that. “Yeah, I do.” Fluttershy stands up. “I’m sorry, but I should be heading home now.” I wave her towards the door. “Okay, safe travels now.” With that, Fluttershy leaves. I sit on the floor for some time longer, idly rubbing Sonja’s back and mulling over everything that happened tonight. She looked like she really wanted to say something at the start there, but ultimately held back. Just what was it she wanted to say?