//------------------------------// // Love // Story: Love and Tolerance // by Final_Draft //------------------------------// Love and Tolerance My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic © Hasbro & Lauren Faust By: TOO S0BER --***::: Chapter 8 :::***-- Love Patience. Just a little longer, I told myself as I rolled my eyes. Marcus was buying snacks for himself and Shelby, while Ashley and I waited just outside the hallway that led to the theater auditoriums. I sat down on the floor, still feeling exhausted from that face-first meeting with the movie poster. The fiery burn in my shoulders had dulled down to a throbbing ache. Resting my head on my forehooves, I watched the human as he grabbed this and that. Jeese, I thought, blinking. How can he still be this hungry!? What's he trying to do? Buy all the food in the place? Ugh. Apparently a triple decker burger was nothing more than a snack to the dark skinned man; my stomach still lurched at the thought of the meat patties. That part sucked more than anything right now. I really hated that realization: no more meat, no more chicken, or beef, pepperoni, everything. While I didn't really have anything against fruits and/or vegetables, there was just a void left at the thought of only being able to eat the plant food, and not the other stuff. I thought about what ifs like, maybe I could just eat the stuff anyways and maybe get accustomed to the smell making me nauseous; but there's always the other side of that coin. What if that nauseating feeling was a mere prelude to what would happen if that kind of food was ingested? For all I knew, doing so could make me sick for a whole week, wrenching my guts out every few hours or minutes for days on end; or worse, it might even be fatal. I scoffed at that last thought, surely that was over dramatization right there on my part. Surely a pony's digestive system wasn't that different from our own. It was probable that they could eat meat, yet just never did. But even as I thought about that, I remembered one important detail. Ponies we were, sure, but not ponies from our world. Earth as we knew it did not have unicorns or pegasi. Ponies, while they were smaller than full grown horses, were not this small (that shortness again, arrugh!). And I recalled no instances if ponies eating meat in the cartoon show. Or even being mentioned, matter of fact. I came to the conclusion that it'd be best not to even try. Trying to distract myself from that train of thought, I glanced around the theater. My eyes landed on the myriad of signs that announced what wasn't allowed inside the theater. Typical stuff like no smoking, no outside food or drink (most likely so customers would be forced to buy their overpriced garbage), and other such signs. One such poster held my gaze, one that had a black silhouette of a dog being crossed out. An interesting thought occurred as my mind toyed with the idea of the 'no pets allowed' ad. I imagined the manager or some theater employee waltzing up all cocky and arrogant, informing Marcus that pets were not allowed in the theater while he pointed at Ashley and myself. My eye twitched, thinking about that indignity of being referred to as a pet; it felt far more insulting than being talked about like a 'thing'. That pit formed in my stomach at the thought, hoping that that scenario never came to reality. But then again, less-likely events have happened today... My ear twisted to a melodious voice next to me, Ashley had asked me something while I was in a trance of my own thoughts. Lifting my tired head, I looked at her with my equally droopy eyes, ceremoniously answering, “Huh?” Ashley huffed, apparently slightly miffed that I wasn't paying attention, and repeated, “Are you okay?” that annoyed expression turned to one akin to worry. Huh, maybe I was receding into the dumps a little too far at the thoughts beforehand. I smiled weakly, admiring Ashley's beautiful big eyes. “Yeah, I'm okay. Just... thinking.” Ashley puffed at me, “Should not do that. You know what thinking does to you...” she teased, attempting to joke with me as she smiled – even through that grin her concern was palpable. Not very surprising, considering my proximity to a mental breakdown back at the house before Shelby came home from school. Actually, I had multiple near-insanity attacks today – all of them cut short by either Marcus, Ashley, or my little sister. I chuckled softly, taking the prod in stride. “Heh, guess so.” I tried and failed to come up with some witty comeback, my brain just deciding to fart instead. I rose up to a sitting position, wincing as my sore pegasus body protested. That damn wall did more than a number on me. For a moment, I wondered if the orange fur might have been concealing bruises underneath. The firm wall certainly showed no mercy. Ashley stared into my eyes and I stared back, just holding that gaze for the longest time. Again I couldn't help but admire how cute she was even as this new unicorn thing. For some reason I especially liked those two green stripes running through her long, flowing mane. They just caught my eye like nothing else. Even though the color gray was pretty bland, it, for some reason, looked beautiful on her. The only thing that didn't really change were the way her brown eyes could just swallow me. If only... My heart began to ache, and I fought back a sigh. That stare was held for a while longer before Ashley's own smile waned. I was a little too distracted to realize my staring was making her uncomfortable. “Is there a reason you're staring at me?” She asked, turning her face away from mine a little bit, but kept those eyes locked on mine. The question snapped me out of my reverie, “Huh? What?” I blinked several times. When it dawned on me what I'd been doing, my face began to burn, ears pasting against my head again. “Well, is everypony ready?” Marcus suddenly said from behind a sizable mound of sweets and treats in his arms; that mountain seemed bigger than it actually was since I was far shorter than him. Phew, saved by the 'bell', I thought as I stared up at him. It took me a moment to register that he said 'everypony', instead of everyone... “Bit much,” Ashley gestured with a hoof, my gawking awkwardly at her completely forgotten (or so it seemed). “don't you think?” I couldn't help but agree as I cocked an eyebrow at him. I mean really, how much could the human eat!? That was probably enough food for several people! “Well, you know me,” Marcus said with a sly grin. “my stomach is a black hole.” I rolled my eyes, and was about to start suggesting he store that junk for later, when he continued, “You were so hungry after using your magic, and Sam just flew for the first time, I thought you two would need more food...” he shrugged, then added. “some calorie dense stuff will help recover your energy faster anyways.” To confirm, Shelby, a popsicle ice cream in her hand, nodded in agreement. Just then my stomach growled with a vengeance, my ear twisted to a similar noise to my left. I facehooved, thinking about my reaction to what was just Marcus being generous – as he usually was. Of course he wouldn't buy all of that for just himself. That's another thing I'd have to repay to him later; theater snacks were not cheap. “Hehe,” Ashley chuckled next to me. “seems so...” With that, we headed off into the hallway that lead to the multiple auditoriums, searching for the one with our number and showing. Even though I had several minutes to rest while Marcus was at the concession stand, I still felt extremely tired. That dull ache a constant companion as I began to lag behind the others. Even though I tried to ignore it, those stares from what few patrons that were around, were still very noticeable. The same reactions as those from the food court. A few stood out from the rest, looking at me with not fear or apprehension, but something that seemed more akin to disdain or even hatred. That deeply concerned me; why was I getting such hateful stares from complete strangers? It simply didn't make any sense. Whether it was comprehensible or not, I still balked. As per usual, my ears plastered back and my head lowered closer to the ground. At the same time, my tail pressed against my rear again, and the feathery wings fluttered slightly on my back, my nervousness thick. Putting the situation as 'uncomfortable' wouldn't have done the feeling justice. I briefly recalled an old childhood memory of me throwing up in a public restaurant – I had the remnants of a flu that week, and the spicy food wasn't agreeing with me that day. The stares I garnered now were virtually the same; no one at that restaurant cared that I was miserable and suffering. All they were concerned about was how gross the event was. What's going on inside their heads? I asked myself as I tentatively glanced at each face. I almost immediately regretted that thought as all kinds of hurtful, loathing names scrolled their way across my mind. Each one worse than the last. I felt myself blushing, but not from embarrassment. I didn't have to actually hear those names; they didn't have to say them out loud. It was apparent on each of their faces what they wanted to say to me as they stared. What the hell! What right did they have to treat me like that!? They didn't know me, and right now, I didn't care to know any of them! The pot was boiling over. I stopped suddenly in the middle of the hallway, stomping a forehoof hard on the ground, “And what the hell are you all staring at!?” I shouted at the top of my lungs as I glared at each of the people that had been looking at me so rudely. I had my hooves spread wide, a stance not unlike the one I took after kicking the police office, wings spread high and wide. The ones closest to me jumped at my outburst, while the humans that were slightly farther away just continued to gaze at me. One or two even backed away, perhaps even in fear. My eyes started to mist over. This weird ponification thing happens and everything just felt like it was falling apart. The damned police officer came to mind, his unique choice of words calling me a thing with contempt in his voice. The three teenage punks from earlier with their bullshit, immature game. Even my own family member hated me for something that was completely beyond my control. The love of my life even screamed at the mere sight of me. I've had enough! I clenched my eyes and grit my teeth as the tears flowed down my cheeks, staining the orange fur on my face. I didn't want this, I just wanted everything to return to normal; the way they used to be. Naked in public, shorter than even a nine-year-old child, being switched in perhaps the most violating way possible! It was simply too much, my head started to throb intensely. All kinds of different, made up voices laughed and repeated those names my evil imagination conjured up. Embedded in all that misery was a profound sense of confusion; why was this bothering me so much? I couldn't recall any time before when I had reacted in such a way. Normally I didn't care what other people thought of me, especially complete and utter strangers. As far as I was concerned, they could take their opinions and shove them where the sun doesn't shine. So why now? Why was this happening? Why did this feel so vindictive, and personal? Why am I crying on the ground, trying to hide my head in my hooves? It made utterly no sense as I sat there with my eyes clenched, wishing the world away. As my mind raced and raved, time seemed to slow down significantly. For a moment, I began to believe I had been abandoned there to weep endlessly. Like some used and discarded paper cup from a restaurant, infinite crowds of people walking by, going about their business like I wasn't even there. It was a combination of feeling utterly pathetic, and a desperation to want to be invisible – to be completely away from it all. It was the same kind of stage fright that any young child got whenever the teacher called on them to stand in front of the class. It was those stares that got to me; that, and the uncomfortable, unimaginable events that unfolded in an extremely short amount of time. I couldn't handle it. The shock was too much, the anxiety ate at me in chomps. Ashley had had that breakdown almost right away, even though it was magnitudes smaller, but mine built up and simmered until the seal broke. Again I questioned whether I'd came out of this sane or not. I barely took notice as a small girl knelt to my left, followed by a smaller, gray equine to my right, and finally, a large, dark skinned man whom sat in front of me. Only when they made physical contact with me did I finally acknowledge their presence. When that first hand (a small hand, I might add) gently caressed my shoulder, followed by a short arm wrapped around my neck; I jumped noticeably, not expecting it. Whatever it was didn't flinch at my reaction to their contact. Shortly after that, I felt a pair of hard... I don't know – my brain couldn't think right now – softly squeezing my right foreleg. Lastly, another, larger hand held that opposite, unoccupied hoof, rubbing it softly. The last hand pulled away after a final, last squeeze, and before I could do or say anything in response, a familiar voice spoke up, “Okay people, come on, that's enough!” For the first time in... well, ever, if I recalled correctly, Marcus sounded very annoyed; maybe even slightly angry. My brain was too frazzled and foregone to fully comprehend what was going on right at that second, but somewhere in my subconscious I knew he was trying to disperse the nightmarish crowd. “Yeah, that's not very nice,” a softer, younger voice chimed in from my left. “if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.” I recognized that lynch-pin in teaching patience and tolerance to others. I'd been so distracted in my own head that I hadn't heard any of the names or words spoken by the random people around me; I wasn't sure if any words had been said at all, but I could still see the voice's point. With that last word, the two arms around my neck tightened lightly. At that point I opened my blurry eyes, the tears hadn't stopped yet, as I still felt new ones making their escape down the sides of my fur-covered face. God, I must look like a mess. Since my head was hung low, I saw one of the arms clad in a long sleeve shirt wrapped around my neck in the bottom of my vision. In my peripheral, I made out the gray things holding my foreleg – which my brain now remembered that they were hooves. “Honestly,” the last voice to my right added. That voice was slightly deeper, but still had a very similar softness to the second. She also sounded quite annoyed as she continued, “don't you people have anything better to do than stare rudely at random people?” It was less of a question and more of an accusation, but that's not what made me look in the voice's direction. She had said people, still acknowledging me as a person. The image of that abandoned trash cup was swept away in a whirlwind. Slowly I looked at the source of that third voice, eager to connect it to that face. There was a brief moment of disappointment when I wasn't met with Ashley's old face – that memory, of her face and mine, was still gone. Like it's been utterly erased – but her equinized visage with the gray fur, elongated snout and large brown eyes. Her smile and sad eyes bore into me, and I couldn't help but smile despite the pitch black cloud that hung over my mind, controlling my current emotional state. I glanced, now, to the second voice. Shelby sat with her legs underneath her, similar to how I was sitting on the carpeted ground. Sensing that I had moved, she turned her head in my direction. My little sister held nothing but love in her eyes as she smiled brightly. Just like when I stared into Mom's eyes, there was no judgment, no contempt, no negative emotions of any kind. Just her brightly grinning face full of love. Despite having a brother that didn't care for family at all, I felt incredibly lucky to still have Shelby. I had stayed by her side through numerous dark times, and now she was repaying that without hesitation or pause when I was having mine right now. I smiled back at her, and that dark cloud seemed to lift. As indicated when his hand left my hoof, Marcus had gotten up from in front of me, and began waving the crowds away like an officer directing traffic. Most people seemed to get the hint when the trio had spoken, but those that didn't were getting motioned away by the darker skinned human. He waved away a pair of other guys, whom left with little protest, and glanced in my direction. Our eyes met and held that gaze for a few seconds, Marcus seemed fairly grim. After a moment of that, he smiled small and gave me a slight nod; saying without words that he was there for me. I nodded back, deciding to sit and wait until the crowds had gone back to whatever their previous business had been. That didn't take long, especially with officer Marcus hurrying them along. Shelby and Ashley still sat with me the entire time. I imagined their looks had given several others pause, warning them not to say anything. It took a little bit of time, maybe a minute or two, before I felt good enough to compose myself. I motioned to stand, the pair at my side giving the space I needed to do so, and stood up on all four legs. I then used a foreleg and wiped my face; I doubted that it did any good, but the effort needed to be made. This time I walked with Ashley and Shelby on either side of me, an attempt to hide newcomers whom didn't know about the pegasus pony having an emotional outburst just moments ago. Calmed down quite a bit, I reflected on that strange scene that just unfolded. Again, normally I didn't care about other's opinions, yet now I did... and greatly so it seemed. Never before had I cried in public, but mere minutes ago I bawled like a small child on the floor, with dozens around to see. And now my face began to burn – this time I took a few mental steps back and 'observed'. Okay, irrational emotional episode, I examined. Followed by a face full of embarrassment. I saw from the show that some of the ponies tended to act very emotionally – a certain white unicorn came to mind, name escaping me – but even so, this felt different than that somehow. I had little examples to fall on; so far I saw only Ashley and myself as equines, and couldn't determine whether it was the ponification or the... other major change. I recalled a thought I had before I left the apartment earlier this same day: ...but I did seem more... I don't know, emotional?... That stereotype again. Was that why I did that, the gender change? It seemed to make sense. I huffed, and that drew the gaze from Shelby and the rest. Oh, guess I should watch what I do for the time being; I smiled to signal I was okay. They didn't seem too reassured, but we all kept walking nonetheless. I was actually grateful that the two blocked my view from the hallways. While my mind had calmed, I could still feel that anxiety, mixed in with adrenaline, pumping through my body. There was little doubt that more stares would cause a similar reaction and maybe even another emotional outburst. And I didn't need that! Today, when I woke up to this pleasant surprise, I thought my biggest challenge would be adjusting to a four-legged, furry, winged body. But it seems that life had other plans. Not only would I have to deal with all of that, but emotional changes as well. I glanced down at my hooves as I marched; walking was easier now, and took less mental strain than several hours prior. Keeping those emotions in check would be difficult, trying to control mood swings as well. Briefly I wondered if this was a regular thing that females had to deal with on a constant basis... Great, I thought bitterly. I am going to be that crazy and dramatic... wonderful. __---***::: :::***---__ Shortly thereafter, the four of us found our theater. I made a huge effort to avoid anyone and everyone's face as we traveled, ducking my head and hiding behind stuff. Shelby and Ashley had still volunteered to shield my sight from seeing others. When we passed through the door and the short hallway opened up into the auditorium, the lights were dimmed, the movie had started already. I inwardly cursed, and wanted to kick myself. Damn it, I berated. Because of me, we already missed some five minutes or so of the movie... Suddenly, something small and soft thwacked me behind my right ear, eliciting a surprised yelp from me. I turned my head and looked up at Marcus, whom was giving me a stern look. At first I thought he was annoyed at me because the movie had started and I made us late; I blushed and opened my muzzle to apologize. “Don't do that,” Marcus said quietly. To my surprise, it didn't seem to be about the movie. “that's not your fault.” He held that stern look a moment longer, then smiled warmly. I wasn't sure if he meant my outburst out in the main hallway, or missing the movie's beginning; but I suspected it was the former. I glanced at Ashley and Shelby. Neither of them seemed to care that the movie started without us. Regardless, it made me feel like crap knowing that I was the cause, as ears folded back and my eyes were drawn to the floor. All this because I couldn't control myself. I sniffled softly once... Ow! I got another thwack on the same ear. This time I gave Marcus a flat look. That thwacking was starting to annoy me. What was with him getting so violent today? He's tossed and turned me in a laundry sack, slapped me across the face, held me upside down by my tail, and now he's flipping my ears. What's next? A drop kick, punch in the gut maybe? I toyed with the thought of him giving me another Charlie horse. Ugh. I continued to stare at him, and he just stared back. “Could we sit down maybe?” Ashley interrupted the staring contest. That made me blink, “Uh, yeah... sure.” The theater was barely crowded – which was a little surprising since this movie was a prequel to the much-loved Lord of the Rings films, and if I had my dates right, it hadn't been out too long. There were maybe a dozen people sitting scattered about in the rows upon rows of seats. Thankfully, due to the darkness of the room and the fact that the movie had started already, no one paid any attention to the two equines that entered. “Um,” I spoke up tentatively. “could we sit in the back?” I asked. Even though the place was scarcely populated, I didn't want any more people staring at me. I imagined those few eyes boring into my orange head, staring at my large ears. “Er, if that's okay with you guys...” I blushed when Marcus stifled a chuckle. Shelby smirked at me. Again I got the feeling there was some kind of inside joke at work here. The only one that didn't appear to know (aside from myself) was Ashley, as she cocked an eyebrow at the two's reaction to my request. Anyways, they all obliged as we headed up the stairs to the top row of seats; devoid of all life. Marcus took the end seat, desiring the extra leg room awarded by the lack of chairs in front of him. I sat between Shelby and Ashley. The unicorn and myself had a little trouble trying to climb into the folding seat; I was a might distracted by the fact that my bare limbs were in unshielded contact with the unbelievably dirty theater floor. I almost hurled when the sound of stickiness was accompanied by my hoofsteps. Freaking gross! Did they ever mop in here!? Ickyness and poor climbing skills aside, we both managed to mount our seats. Ashley sat in the same manner in the chair as we did on the floor. I, however, was trying to lounge back in the seat. Forearms placed on the arm rests, back partially hunched between the seat, with my rear hooves partially draped over the cushion's edge. Just like with the stairs in the lobby, this position felt very awkward; again, it was like my body wasn't meant to do that or something. Just another quirk to this ponification. Another snicker rendered a twist from my ear, and I turned my head to see what was so funny. Marcus and Shelby were staring at me with the biggest grins on their faces. I blinked once, then twice before I whispered, “What?” “Lyra would be so proud,” Marcus muttered back. Huh? Who the hell is Lyra? I cocked an eyebrow, wishing that the human would elaborate, but it seemed he was more content with leaving me in the dark. I rolled my eyes and huffed, stashing the thought in the back of my mind for now. Eventually I'm going to get answers from him. __---***::: :::***---__ I had a difficult time focusing on the movie. Some time ago I abandoned that first sitting position which seemed to be so hilarious for whatever reason, and spent several minutes trying out different poses. Eventually I settled on the same form as Ashley, since she was still in that same position when we initially sat down. The Hobbit seemed to start off exactly the same as the first Lord of the Rings. An awesome, action packed and exciting opening intro that was the premise for the whole movie (and of course the goal for the whole trilogy), with a lot of talking and exposition almost directly afterwards. Talking was anesthesia on my brain, as I started to lose interest in watching this movie. I was certain that it'd pick up fairly soon, fantasy movies always did. But for right now it was boring. With that I turned my thoughts back to Ashley. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't too into the movie either; fantasy and action movies weren't her thing. At the same time though, dramas and romances were just as boring to her as well as to me. Ashley was unique in that she liked mysteries and science fiction stuff. I liked those kinds of movies too, but I'd take massive medieval armies clashing over a detective solving an elaborate murder conspiracy any day. At that moment Marcus offered each of us some of the candy he'd bought, even being so generous as to open and set it up. I took a chocolate bar with almonds in it, while Ashley asked for a bag of peanuts, also coated in the dark brown sweetness. It seemed that some of the junk Marcus bought wasn't actually junk at all. Thinking ahead, he had asked for some empty cups and shallow bowls – for the purpose of making it easier on Ashley and I – that made the pile seem larger than it truly was. It felt slightly degrading, bending my head down into a bowl and nabbing one of the rectangular bits. Even so it worked, and the chocolaty goodness started melting in my mouth. Come to think of it, we liked the same treats; any form of nut or fruit coated in chocolate... hmm. A bright flash of light caught my attention. Despite the chair still being large enough to encapsulate my body, I could see said light through the crack between the seats in front of me. There was only one thing it could be; someone was doing something on their cell phone. Ugh, I groaned. It never fails. Every movie I ever go to. It was one of my biggest pet peeves. Did people not realize how annoying that was? Pfft, more than likely they didn't care. I rolled my eyes and continued glaring at the source. At this point I really wished I had fingers so I could chuck something small and hard at that person's head. It worked before. For some reason I found that annoying jerk's cell phone more interesting than the movie. They were playing some game – I could pick out the tell-tale rapid movement of colored pixels. Even though my eyesight was sharp enough to recognize that it was a game, I couldn't specify which. That also made me think of Ashley. Our taste in movies was slightly opposite, but games were pretty much spot on. She like first person shooters, so did I. Role-playing games? We liked those too... we even had the same dislike of fighting and sports games. Hate them. I turned my head ever so slightly, looking at Ashley from the corner of my eye. A good portion of her face was obscured by her long, green striped black mane. The world partially slipped away into blackness, everything gone except for Ashley. For just a moment, I thought her human face appeared in my mind's eye, and smiled at me. Conflicting emotions of sadness and joy washed over me. It's too bad she isn't into... Wait! Wait a minute. I'm no longer a guy; could that possibly... was there even a chance that, maybe now, me and her? Again I was conflicted. The thought of possibly being with the girl I loved in a solid, romantic way was absolutely intoxicating. Like one of those impossible dreams becoming a reality that's actually tangible. And yet... I wasn't wired like that. I was straight, not gay or even bi-sexual; lesbian didn't apply because I was male. So what about now? Was I supposed to like men – er, stallions – now? Could I simply ignore the years of what society programmed into my brain of what was acceptable? Should I care about that now that my heart's desire was, possibly, within reach? After all, wasn't anything worth sacrificing for happiness? Especially of it was something so... seemingly superficial? Briefly I recalled all the protests, flame wars, and the religious/political blargon spawned from the controversy. On that issue I had always rode the fence, indifferent to whether or not homos could wed or not – naturally that decision stemmed, at least partially, from Ashley informing me of her own choice. I furrowed my brow as I contemplated this. Perhaps it was time to pick a side on that issue, I thought to myself. I would have to tread carefully though. Everyone who has seen me thus far, with the exception of strangers and a certain emo teenager, has been very accepting of me becoming a pony. Honestly, what could they do? What could I do? It just happened; no warning, no indication, no nothing. But this thing, it would be a choice... a potentially very hairy choice. There was no way to know what anyone's reaction would be to this decision – hell, not even mine, if that made any sense. Although I wasn't even certain that I should make one yet... The feeling of something pressing my left forearm drew my attention, snapping me out of my thoughts. I blinked, and the relative darkness of the movie theater winked back into existence. I then realized I had been staring intensely at the sticky, cola stained, grimy floor. Ew... I looked up towards the source: Ashley's worried, yet beautiful, gaze looking back at me – directly into my eyes. Then she smiled. Not just that ordinary, warm smile, but one that sent butterflies maniacal in my stomach. I was grateful for the theater's darkness, as I could feel my face burning intensely. Was... could that have been something more? Perhaps I should have been cursing the darkness instead; I could barely make out more than that smile. Despite that, I could see her eyes, and my heart warmed as a result. We held that gaze for – I have no idea how long, but it was a while. Every second was better than the last, perhaps better than the sweet chocolate we were snacking on. What was she thinking? Even though it was an incredibly, unlikely, nigh-impossible shot, could Ashley have been thinking the same thing I was? I simply had no idea. A sudden roar forced my down-turned ears up to full attention, and snagged my head back to the screen; heart thumping even more rapidly in my chest. Apparently at some point, huge monsters made of rock started to stammer and fight across the screen with the group of heroes caught in the crossfire. My jaw dropped. Wow! I tried to pick up on what was happening – and was completely lost. We must have been very far in the movie for that to happen. Well, I may have bigger problems to worry about, I tried to relax, pushing those concerning thoughts out of my mind, but for now, I'll just enjoy the moment. I glanced back at Ashley, again from the corner of my eye, and felt something I haven't felt for quite a while. Hope. __---***::: :::***---__ As expected from a Lord of the Rings movie, The Hobbit was long. So long in fact, that my rump had gone numb. Nothing unusual, as that happened whenever I went to any movie that had a duration of more than two hours. At least it wasn't as intense as my wings were that morning. The credits were rolling, and the majority of the scarce crowds filed quietly through the seats, converging in the hallway to exit. We waited until most of the people had departed until we made our move. I looked down at the icky floor and grimaced. I didn't want to step on that crap again. With that in mind, I motioned for Shelby and Marcus to go ahead and get up first. The larger human waited for a moment, before he shrugged, and descended a few steps down before pausing with my little sister. I glanced over at the now empty seats. Instead of trotting over that filth, I decided to try and navigate over the seats instead. Hopefully I can do it without landing flat on my face. I stood up on all fours on top of the cushioned seat. Cautiously, I braced my forehooves on the arm rest. After a moment's calculation, my rear hooves joined, and before my balance could be lost, I stretched across the breadth of the next seat to land on the opposing arm rest. I was now stretched over the seat, but not so much so that I couldn't caterpillar myself across. I chuckled softly at my success. At least with this way, I was most likely to land on the soft theater seats rather than the floor; and there were no blood thirsty coffee tables around. I reached the last seat without incident, and jumped down to join my friends. Ashley followed suit, probably beating my time by at least a few seconds. When it came to obstacles like that, she definitely had some kind of edge over me; I remembered her passing me by on the main staircase, just before I turned into a kamikaze poster bomb. The Japanese must have been proud. Together we left the theater and re-entered that same hallway. Oh, I stopped in my tracks. “Hold on a sec,” I said, and they all halted. “be right back!” I started trotting away quickly, but I thought I heard Marcus yell something about waiting downstairs in the food court. I didn't slow down as I trotted down the hallway, twisting my head this way and that, searching for what I was looking for. If memory served, it was almost completely down the hallway, near the last pair of theater auditoriums. I grew annoyed, for not the first time, at the fact that they put it way the hell back here. Although, I couldn't help but feel grateful for it this day, simply because of events from earlier. About a minute later, I could see my query at the end of the hall: the bathroom. I smiled and picked up my pace, the pressure in my loins urging me along. As I approached my smile waned and disappeared. There were two doors, not one. I knew there was a restroom down here, but I thought it was a small unisex one, not two designated, separate bathrooms! Damn it! As typical, they were each marked with a blue and white sign, one for men and one for women. Which one was I supposed to use...? Oh damn the moon straight to hell! I was hoping to avoid this particular problem by using a not-so-used bathroom, and a single occupant one so I could lock the door. Normally I just waited to use the restroom in the food court, since it was on the way out; this time I wanted privacy because of... well, yeah. I glanced around the deserted hallway; not a soul in sight. Everyone was either gone or inside one of the two or three theaters nearby, but that wouldn't last forever. Ugh, I needed to hurry! I looked back and forth between each of the doors, and bit my lower lip. Using the female restroom seemed to make the most sense, but that hardwired society customs in my brain made me mentally recoil from the thought. It felt so unholy, that a semi-hilarious image of a priest sprinkling holy water on the idea, and repeatedly chanted 'the power of Christ compels you!' invaded my thoughts. There was no way, it was impossible, I was not going to... My loins started to burn, and as a result my rear legs quivered and I half-crouched down from the uncomfortable pressure. Argh!! Okay! I thought, prancing back and forth on my hooves comically. Just frigging pick one! There's no one around! Just. Pick. One!! “Oohhh!” I moaned aloud, still looking back and forth between the two intimidating, and for some reason I thought miss-labeled, doors. Inexplicably, another blush burned its way across my face. I felt my wings peel away from my body, not quite like a flutter, but probably from the discomfort. “Damn it!” Enough of this! I charged for the doors, closing my eyes when I got close, and picked a random direction. When the distance felt right, I made my move, and turned left. The door gave way and I headed straight for one of the empty stalls. __---***::: :::***---__ “Ahh,” I sighed as I exited the bathroom, the oddest, droopy-eyed smile on my face. It was always so relaxing to relie – why am I thinking about this!? Changing thoughts now! I hope I wasn't in there figuring stuff out for too long, Marcus and the others might start worrying. With that in mind I picked up my pace. Before trotting around the corner, I paused and checked the coast, and it was mostly clear. There was maybe one person, asleep on a nearby bench. As much as I liked this mall, I had had enough people for one day. I tip-hoofed past the sleeping man, and made my way into the lobby. I came to the same staircase I had flown up earlier. I could, maybe, simply trot down the steps, but where's the fun in that? I flapped my wings, knowing just how much power to use now, lifting myself off the ground by about a yard. Funny, the effort which left me breathless earlier now felt utterly easy. Guess those muscles were developing faster than I thought. That was good news for when I would employ full-fledged flight outside. I angled my body downward, and held the wings stiff; using them to gently glide down the stairs. I couldn't help but grin again, enjoying the success of this recent attempt. Although, I wasn't prepared for the number of people, as a quiet eep escaped my lips at the sight of only a few dozen standing in line, waiting to purchase tickets. My ears folded back in apprehension, but luckily no one appeared to notice me yet. As quickly, yet quietly, I trotted towards the exit, more than eager to leave... when something caught my eye. It was three individuals standing in line at the ticket booth. They wore dark sunglasses and baseball caps, but that wasn't what was odd about them. They didn't wear regular clothes like everyone else; they seemed to be wearing bleached-white robes with a light gray trim. I blinked, there was something eerily familiar about those robes, but I couldn't put my hoof on it. Briefly I slowed to get a better look. Who would dress like that in a public place like the mall? I mentally questioned; maybe that's why no one was staring at me. They probably had those three in mind. One of the robed figures, leaning against a wall, noticed me and frowned intensely. He gestured with a hand, and the other two followed suit, imitating that same grimace. I balked, and quickly turned my head away, focusing on my own trotting. I hated this awkward shyness feeling, but I hated those stares more. Once more I felt my head reel, and my mind wound down that spiraling path that led to my first breakdown. Don't think about it! I repeated desperately in my head. Focus! Find Marcus and the others, get out of here. I thought about how horse blinders, while incredibly degrading, would have been immensely useful right now. And honestly, I hated that thought too right now. I caught that hatred, and used it to focus. I let it simmer and sharpen inside my mind. I suddenly felt indifferent about everything, and it felt good not to care so much right now as I partially grit my teeth behind my mouth. Somehow, in a twisted Dan-ish sort of way, everything felt easier. It seemed like I could do whatever I wanted and not be concerned by it. I stopped in the middle of the food court, checking myself mentally. No, I couldn't let a train of thought like that manifest itself too much; I recalled that outburst just before Shelby came home -- how I unfairly and unjustly screamed at Ashley and Marcus. I took a deep breath and sighed, "Not again." I muttered to myself. Then a familiar voice caught my attention, Shelby was waving frantically at me, sitting at a table with the rest. I smiled back and trotted in their direction, eager to sit down. Perhaps we don't have to leave right away, I pondered as I began to relax. Just sitting around to talk would be good right now. Who knows, maybe something interesting will happen for once...