//------------------------------// // The Last Weekend Day 1-2 // Story: The Girls // by Chelis //------------------------------// The drive from Lake Forest to the City of the Angels was one through the endless expanse of suburbia. The girls were unimpressed to say the least, seeing how it looked exactly like home. Once the city skyline came into view, however, the girls were awestruck by the beauty of the city; even if in my opinion it was a piece of shit. Should of taken them here sooner. They were wide-eyed and awake as they saw the chaos and commotion of the city, and even the human suffering with the likes of homelessness and poverty. The conversation quickly turned to one about why we would let the homeless be homeless. I really didn't want the car talk to go down that road, so I was relieved when we reached the Mall of the Angels. Couple of hundred stores, a great food court, you get the idea. "So this is a mall...." Rarity said out loud. "Yea, its a building filled with shops, restaurants, and I think a movie theater." "Just like the Canterlot strip?" Uhh.. "Can't really say, I haven't been there." "Well, it's really just as you described this place." "Interesting." We entered the mall; and for some reason it was not as packed on a summer Thursday. Usually, it would have some people and not just soccer moms and their little bundles of snots. Still, the girls were astounded by the size of the place, which was easily twice the size of the high school, which until now was the biggest building they had been in. I stood back and smiled at the wonder in all of their faces. "Go have fun, girls. I said as I let them loose. They had their phones so if they needed me it wouldn't be hard to contact me... and I also happen to have their locations on my phone as well, so if any of them left the mall their phones would let me know: I really did not want another beach house incident. They went by themselves and in different directions. I felt like a mommy bird watching her kids fly away from the nest for the last time. I was worried, but I knew the girls can take care of themselves. And just like releasing the young into the cold world, one refused to leave. "So what do you want to do first, Rainbow?" I asked. "I don't know, you're the tour guide." She said as she playfully nudged me on the shoulder. That was a good question, I had no idea what I wanted to do. But, if this was a mall, most likely it would have a..... "To the arcade!" The sounds of 8-bit music and screaming kids was the beacon to a magical place. There was easily 50 or more games in the place, From skeeball to the basketball nets, and even had a DDR machine, this one had a lot of good games. "We have arcades back in ponyville." She said unimpressed. "Well you haven't seen my arcade yet." Dash has never experience the joys of making children cry over rounds of street fighter. I felt like it was time I changed that. We entered the neon and fluorescent light filled electronic playground, and I became eager to show Dash the time of her life. First stop: loosen the legs. "So how does this work again?" Dash asked as she stood on the machine, unsure of that to make of the of the metal platform with 4 directional squares. "The screen will tell you what squares to step on." "Like the tire sprints at practice?" "Exactly. The song is about to start so get ready." I wish I can say the song was not intentional, but no. I realized that I had feelings for Dash, and that I knew she felt the same. I wanted to tell her, but I knew what Jenna told me when she first me the girls. I was planning to tell Jenna that night. Jenna would of been cool with it, but the question was the whole 'those girls need to be back home' and the accompanying half-hour speech. We were working up a sweat keeping up with the commands, but we kept going with the beat. We both were on easy so it wasn't too hard. Well, the song ended with her on top of the score count. "I win!" she screamed as she collapsed into my arms in victory "Yes you did." "Don't I deserve a kiss for winning?" "Maybe." I felt my heart race, my head lighten up, and I became a bit more sweatier It's finally happening? We went for the kiss. I wanted this for a while, even though I was like a father to these girls. I was more like a best friend and a confidant to Rainbow Dash. I treated her differently. I treated her like the girl I wanted to be with. She treated me as the man she wanted to spend time with. From the first minutes of meeting her, and starting the crazy ride that was taking care of the girls, we had a connection. That connection was about to come to head by our first kiss. My lips were inches from hers, and I felt like nothing at that point could stop me from showing my deepest feelings for her. Nothing can stop the purest expression of love like the meeting of lips- "Excuse me," The child voice asked. We both stopped the chance to kiss, and looked. It was a boy and a girl around 10, they did not look like they were related. "Can we use this?" "Uh, sure" I said. We stepped away from the machine and watch the two kids step onto the platform. "Why are you paying?" The girl asked. "Because I'm your boyfriend. I have to pay for everything." Rainbow and I both giggled at the two kids. Of course they played the song in extreme mode and were getting destroyed, but they were just dancing together and did not care about the score. I turned to Dash, who was still in my arms. "Wanna play something else?" "Like?" "Good question" I scanned the machines around me, trying to decide what to play next. There was types and genres of all times. One of the machine stood out from all the rest: Contra. "This way, Dash." We headed to the machine and I deposited two quarters for her and I. "Does this makes me your girlfriend?" she asked with a mischievous smile. " Funny. Okay here's how it works. This is the analog stick, up, down, left, right, ya know general directions, A is to jump and B is to fire, got all that?" "Yep!" Before we started, I did the oldest cheat code known to mankind, and one that would be remembered for all eternity. >99 lives. "Get ready."