The remainder of the night proceeded as anyone would expect, assuming that the anyone in question expected the reactions of a being from across the folds of time and space watching a movie from the early nineties. A movie that was about a cartoon rabbit doing very much the same thing, in a sense, and also trying to solve a murder mystery.
The entire stew of ingredients led to some very eye catching reactions and circumstances indeed.
Twilight had her hands entangled in her hair, eyes and eyelids stretched as wide as they would go, yet still glued to the television.
"I have no idea what I'm seeing right now." She murmured out the words in a whiny voice, trying as hard as she could to make sense of the appearance of these so called 'cartoon characters' in what certainly looked like reality. Her ears thundered from the calamitous racket and plethora of sound effects the strange characters used, who also despite their obviously technicolor bodies, appeared very real in the context of the movie.
"It's as if Discord made this film, why did you pick this one!?" Twilight turned to look at Alice, who was busy giggling absently from the bizarre antics of some of the cartoon age's best characters.
"Cause it's funny!" Alice grinned back.
"It is pretty funny..." Jo agreed, taking another handful of popcorn.
"Ah huh..." Twilight murmured back.
Twilight was left to watch the film with a mixture of fascination, intrigue and horror as the cartoon events unfolded in front of her. The horror aspect was greatly reduced though, as more and more it sunk in that it was just a very, very intricate movie. More than once she wished that films had progressed so far in her own world.
The overall plot revealed itself to be a little similar to her own after all. 'Roger' the main character was after a fashion away from his home world, though it seemed by choice. A better parallel was that he was leaning on a somewhat unwilling protagonist for help. Though his need was one about proving his own innocence, rather than a means home, Twilight understood what Alice had meant and drew enjoyment from that.
Overall, the prodigal student of Celestia, an avatar for harmony, was able to find significant fun in the film. It helped that Alice kept pointing out every little comparison she could between the grumpy detective character and Jo. Each time both the purple and blonde haired girls would erupt into a fit of giggling, while their darker haired friend's face would heat up, and she would bury it in the popcorn.
Towards the end, the villain character who was oh-so-obviously the bad guy, made his big reveal, at which point Twilight immediately yelped in surprise. On the TV, Christopher Lloyd's cartoonized eyes were bugged and quivering chaotically in what might best be described as the embodiment of madness.
Alice and Jo both jumped themselves from the sudden interruption in the room and looked at one another. Said interruption, was an outcry of shock, and the sound of a blanket wooshing in the air. The blonde girl lifted the blanket, finding that Twilight had hidden beneath it during the climax of the movie. "Twilight?" She asked the huddled form worriedly.
"I'm okay. I'm not scared. I mean, wasn't scared." Twilight replied with the words in a flat tone, but remained scrunched up against Alice's side.
The movie ended, and the room's lights flicked on. All three girls groaned and stretched from having sat still for so long. Twilight stretched more from having fidgeted constantly.
Jo stood up and began putting in the next film. "It's too bad they don't still make movies that good, I could watch that every few years and never get tired of it."
"Aah, you're too judgmental Jo, they still make good movies." Alice resisted against the skeptic's remark.
"I liked it." Twilight agreed. "You really have to take the film in the context of its own...weird though." After a moment, she added in a normal tone, "Are there a lot of detectives like, Eddie, that investigate murders on Earth?"
Jo sat back on the couch. "Sorta, they're around, but mostly it's done by the law enforcement and police-"
Alice laid a hand on Jo's arm, stilling her from starting the next movie with the remote. "Speaking of violence, Twi' you were really quiet during the serious parts. How did this one make you feel?" Alice studied the newly made human's face as it flickered between the blank television set and her.
"Uhm, well I liked it, it was funny sometimes, and made me smile most of the time..." Twilight shrugged and put on a sheepish look. "But I think you mean the sort of 'fake' violence I guess, right? It was dark, but still very foal friendly, from a watcher's stand point that's actually very clever, I think. Although I'll admit it wasn't my cup of tea. I bet Spike would have loved it though." She giggled and covered her mouth, looking longingly at the TV again.
Alice lit up and clapped her hands. "Yay! I'm glad you liked it. Roll the next clip Jo!" She slapped her friend on the back, earning an oof from her.
"Aye aye captain..." Jo drawled back trying to ignore her friend's weirdness. "Anyway, I didn't think that any of my favorites would have been a good choice, like Alien, but this one is pretty cool-"
"Why wouldn't the movies you like have been a good choice, Jo?" Twilight leaned over Alice, who was seated between the two of them on the couch. "Aliens have always been a fascinating concept to me-" She took a moment to try and forget the images of humans fighting for their lives she had seen before. "Anyway, there's a book I once read that suggested there were other forms of life on the moon. That would be entirely silly of course, but it was entertaining nonetheless."
Jo flashed Twilight a short smile. "...Well, assuming Christopher Lloyd didn't traumatize you in Roger Rabbit, maybe we could watch My Favorite Martian later." She pressed play, beginning the opening credits. "Anyway, this one is another comedy, even if it doesn't look like it, Twilight. It's also a bit of a look into morality from a neutral perspective. I don't think too deeply about it, what with the Three Stooges jokes in it, but this movie has a pretty profound deeper message."
Twilight eagerly leaned forward. "Oh wow, it sounds...educational...." On the Television, whirling gears and sprockets churned energetically. Other things she had read about in the last two weeks popped onto the screen, such as circuits and voltage testers and wires and more. Her eyes drew themselves open wider and wider in rapt fascination.
"I'm being ignored aren't I..." Jo sighed and sat back on the couch.
Alice giggled quietly, watching the egghead beside her get drawn further and further in while absently ignoring Jo on accident. She leaned over and nudged Jo's side in the ribs. "Clean up on aisle four, eh Jo? Eh?"
"Would you behave?" Jo made a disgusted look, and only just suppressed a guffaw of laughter. "Watch the movie, ever seen this?"
"Nope!" Alice shook her head. "I never watched another robot movie again after A.I."
"Ahh," Jo responded in understanding. "That'll do it alright."
Twilight felt mixed things about this movie called 'Short Circuit'. She could see easily where Jo had meant to say that it was a look into the neutral perspective of morality. The protagonist, a robot made by the human 'American' government, was named Johnny Five, and was a weapon built and designed apparently to...deliver nuclear weapons.
That was a very small point to the plot though, to which Twilight was thankful. It turned quickly into a comedy, as Johnny Five gained 'life', despite being an automaton. After escaping the lab he began an adventure into the countryside, and was found by a young, human woman, named Stephanie.
Everything revolved around the robot's slow acclimation to sudden life, and it was adorable.
Twilight found herself giggling and bouncing, and having to stop herself, every time Johnny seemed to get smarter or do something cute. It was like watching some sort of brilliant creation or a new foal taking its first steps, and doing great things with the gift it was given, despite having a horrible hand of cards dealt to him to begin with...
It was uplifting. At every turn, Johnny was able to confound and defeat the evil human army chasing him.
Although, Twilight considered at one point. I guess they aren't really evil, though. She sighed, wearing the first frown since the earliest stages of the film. Just...wow, why are humans so complicated? She took a moment to glance over at her two friends, lounging relaxedly in the dim glow of the television's light. I may never know. The idea of understanding them seemed more insurmountable to her than understanding how Pinkie's Pinkie Sense worked.
Alice glanced at Twilight, once again glued to the screen of the television. "Hey Jo." She whispered to her true-human friend.
"Hm?" Jo glanced over, wearing the bored expression she had watched the entire movie with, and the last. No one would ever be able to tell that she was actually enjoying either.
"Have you seen the way Twi' looks at Steve?"
Jo blinked, not fully understanding. "Oh, you mean Newton Crosby. Steve Guttenburg?" She asked. "What about him?"
Alice poked Jo again, still giggling. "Watch Twilight next time he's onscreen, it's cute." Contented now that her message was delivered, she resettled against the back of Jo's couch.
Jo scrunched her face up into a skeptical, half irritated look, but glanced at Twi'. The once-unicorn was watching the movie with an innocent, child-like rapture. What the heck is she- The web designer watched stealthily in stark confusion as Twilight began blushing for some reason. She flicked her eyes back to the TV, on it, the dorky, weirdo scientist character was on the screen, talking about theoreticals or math or something. Oh. She would fall head over heels for the oblivious scientist type...
The end credits rolled, ending with the team of heroes riding off into the sunset in a stolen government van. Johnny Five was safe, while Stephanie and Newton Crosby were both on the way towards living happily ever after.
"That was so. Good." Twilight said immediately after the lights came on.
Alice started cackling madly with giddy laughter. I don't know why, but it is so satisfying to hear her say that. "I could tell you felt...really attracted to that movie Twilight." She winked at the other girl before standing up off the couch and heading towards the bathroom. "B R B!"
"Well, yeah! It was good." Twilight nodded happily at the fast retreating blonde.
"What was your favorite part?" Jo asked before she could stop herself. She was curious of what the stranger from another world thought though.
Twilight blinked for a moment, a considering look on her face, until it snapped immediately into an embarrassed look. "I liked how it said that killing was wrong the most, yup. That was a really great way to convey that message, I can definitely see that humans really do inherently oppose violence now, or at least some. That was really good to see, thanks for showing me the movie Jo." Yawning, she stood up and began heading towards the door. "Well, it's late, I should get to sleep. Night!"
"You thought Newton was a cutie, didn'tcha?" Alice was suddenly in the doorway.
Twilight cried out and fell over. "Wha-!?" She stared up at Alice, aghast with a stare of confusion and mild terror.
"Which is kinda funny. Don't get me wrong, it's not because you're a pony." Alice leaned on the wall and blew on her upturned fingernails in a none-to humble way. "I'm just pretty sure Steve's gay, that or he was just getting paid a lot to be in those flamboyant movies he did. Either way it's kind of funny if you think about it." She began chuckling again.
Jo sighed and got across the room's floor quickly to help Twilight stand back up, glaring at Alice and her acts of sudden reappearance.
Twilight continued stare at the human girl in stark shock, but could feel her blush returning. Alice's assumption was in no way accurate, nor was it well founded. Sure, the man had displayed that he was intelligent, kind, brave and willing to defend his friends... but he was just an actor. It was clear that Alice was just trying to tease her, which Twilight eventually realized. Her blush ceased its steady climb up her face, and her attention caught on a certain, strange word that had been used.
Besides confused, Twilight also wanted desperately to change the subject. "Uhm, what's gay?" she asked, interrupting Alice's laughter.
Jo paused in the act of helping Twilight back up, and almost dropped her. Alice let out a gasp, similar to what Twilight remembered Pinkie's sounding like on occasion, then burst out laughing again.
Overall, the night ended on an embarrassing sort of high note. Surely, it could only get less embarrassing from there.