The cinema was built into the shopping center, taking up a considerable space on the second floor of the building. Large, illuminated posters hung overhead, displaying colorful action movies and intriguing thrillers starring famous names.
Rainbow didn’t recognize any of them. She trotted down the silk red carpet underneath her hooves and into the building. The fresh smell of popcorn and refreshments greeted her as she entered the main foyer, which was void of activity.
Large illuminated digital screens advertised low prices for gigantic sizes of food, ranging from popcorn to candy. She trotted over the counter, gazing through the glass at the various candies on display inside.
“Can I help you with something?”
Rainbow looked up, surprised to find another pony standing on the other side. The mare tilted her head at her, wiping down the counter with a hoof. “You alright?”
“I… I’ve been better,” Rainbow replied with a shrug.
The mare nodded thoughtfully. “See anything you like?”
Rainbow shrugged, her eyes glazing over at the colorful packages beneath her. “Not really, I guess.”
“Well, here. I’d feel awful for you to come all this way for nothing.” The mare slid open the case and pulled out a wrapped bar of chocolate, passing it over the counter.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Well… how much?”
“For you? Nothing,” the mare replied with a strange smile.
“Huh.” Rainbow squinted at the gold metal name tag on the pony’s vest, but found that it was strangely blank.
The mare tilted her head and smiled wider. “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
She shrugged, her mind spinning like a ferris wheel. “Who are you again?”
“I think you’ve figured it out by now,” the mare suggested.
Rainbow fiddled with the chocolate bar in her hooves. “Maybe I have,” she replied suspiciously. “What do you have to do with it?”
“Absolutely nothing at all,” replied the mare, seizing the cloth again and resuming her futile task.
A strange, peaceful feeling set into the cinema around her. “Then what was this all about?”
“That’s not for me to decide,” replied the mare without breaking her stride.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “How is it not?”
“It’s your life, isn’t it?”
“Aren’t you the one telling this story?”
The mare smiled again but said nothing.
Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Seriously. Who are you?”
“I think you know already,” answered the mare tactfully. She shifted her mane from her eyes and shrugged. “After all, I think I’ve given you enough to work with.”
From down the halls of the theater, Rainbow heard laughter and cheering. She heard a song with a rousing chorus that grew and grew until it threatened to swallow the room completely.
Rainbow looked up to see a stream of light falling through the window, illuminating the lobby in a pale yellow light. And she heard something calling out to her, deep beneath the quiet wind and the waves of life.
And she saw life within the walls again.
She turned back to the mare in confusion, only to find that she was gone, leaving Rainbow alone in this strange forlorn place. But to her, it felt like she hadn’t left at all.
Rainbow began walking down the carpeted halls, passing empty theaters with closed doors and dark rooms. She passed through the liminal spaces with ease and grace, not looking back nor slowing down.
When she reached the end of the hall she paused. A door on her left was open, beckoning her to enter.
Rainbow complied, trotting into the theater. The sea of red seats were empty, facing a blank white screen at the other side of the room. She trotted up the carpeted stairs and went to the middle, easing herself into the comfy seat.
As she relaxed, the house lights dimmed, and a projector whirled to life. The screen flickered for a bit before it lit up in brilliant shades of color.
The lines blurred and the lights came together to form a picture of an empty shopping mall. The camera panned around from the atrium, showing rows and rows of empty stores and vacant halls.
Abruptly, the scene shifted again, to show a barren highway in the middle of town. The image shook slightly, as if disturbed by the wind, before it quickly blurred and faded into something else.
When it refocused, the scene had changed to that of an empty grocery store, shelves still stocked with produce and foodstuffs. A few shopping carts dotted the area, ready for use by any waiting customer.
The next picture was that of an airport, with the camera set up at the window overlooking the runway. A few airplanes were in view, ready to take to the sky at any second. The camera swept across the runway before the scene faded to black.
Rainbow smiled as a picture of a city park came on screen, leaves blowing by in the wind. The image was a little blurry, but it quickly focused on a vacant bench in the middle of the park.
There was a sharp click and the picture transformed into an art museum, with the paintings too far away and blurry to make out details. The lights in the room were hazy and began flickering, before cutting out completely after a few seconds.
When the lights came back on, Rainbow saw an empty subway platform fill the screen. A muffled voice was heard over the speakers, but the words weren’t decipherable. There was a deep rumbling overhead as the picture faded away.
The muffled voice gave way to the chirping of birds, as the video switched scenes yet again to that of a vacant campground, as the sun peeked out over the treetops. A few birds flew across the camera’s field of view, and it tried to follow them before cutting away.
The next scene was that of a stadium, filmed from the ground floor and looking up at the sky. Rainbow swore she heard the distant roar of a jet engine, but she wasn’t quite sure. The image shuddered for a bit before it disappeared.
A view of a city skyline quickly replaced it, panning over the large skyscrapers and towering buildings as the sun began to set in the background. Then, there was the telltale beating of wings, and a pony came on screen.
Rainbow watched as an older version of herself appeared, bags under her eyes and mane a little duller. The older Rainbow chuckled, settling herself down in front of the camera. “Well, well, well. Looks like you’ve had quite the journey, huh?”
Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Hey, chin up. Because it’s finally over now. You’ve made it,” her older self reassured.
Rainbow let out a sigh of relief. “Is it?”
Older Rainbow nodded with a kind smile. “You’ve come a long way, Rainbow. It wasn’t easy, and it probably wasn’t all that fun. But I think you found that answer you were looking for. And that makes this all worth it, doesn’t it?”
“You know what? It does,” Rainbow said. “It does.” She suddenly felt a weariness overcome her body.
The older Rainbow chuckled. “Good. That’s good. Because that’s what this was all about. Hey, I’m glad you found it. Really, I am. I’d hate to think you came this far for nothing.”
Rainbow yawned. “Well, of course I didn’t. But I guess all of those spaces made things…”
“20% cooler?” joked the older Rainbow.
Rainbow smiled. “Yeah. 20% cooler.”
They laughed.
The older Rainbow turned around to gaze at the city behind her. The sun was barely visible above the horizon now, and a few dark clouds were closing in above her. “Well, I guess this is it,” she remarked.
Rainbow shut her eyes and sighed. A cool breeze sent a shudder down her spine. But she wasn’t afraid. “Alright.”
She heard whispers echo throughout the theater, as if silently calling her name. They rose and fell in time with her breaths, matching the cadence of her heartbeat like a parade of ghosts.
“You ready?” asked the older Rainbow.
“Always have been,” muttered Rainbow.
The older Rainbow nodded, and a large click resonated throughout the room. The screen faded to black and took the world with it.
Author's Note
you'll be okay, Said the Sky
as Isohels burned their way
through tired eyes and False Flags
Fallin through the air
like Scribbles in my summer sky
what did we say to send Sister away
as we Brace ourselves against the waves
of Fake Oceans and leaves from yesterday
and we are.
Falling in Reverse
as this Passing Storm Passes
uttering Famous Last Words
Never, Forever
Untitled
well, are you?
Who am I?
