>You are Anon
>And this movie is… Not what you had expected
>Rainbow had convinced you to join her friends for some cheesy action movies and getting hammered on Sundays
>Usually it was pretty fun, but today it seems everyone else was busy, so you and RD are hangin’ alone
>Which really wouldn’t be a problem, ‘cuz the two of you get along well
>”But, my hoof polish will get all scuffed!”
>Except that this movie isn’t exactly what you signed up for
>The stallion on screen flicked his mane and blinked his outrageously long eyelashes, glitter practically exploding around him as he did so
>It’s like someone took a romance flick from Earth and ran it through a blender with sugar, spice, and everything nice mixed in
>Pretty much the polar opposite of a “hanging out with ‘The’ Dash” kind of film
>You glance at Rainbow, who’s looking embarrassed on her end of the couch
>She’s blushing and her face is fixed pointedly on the screen, not daring to glance your way
>She’s even doing that thing where her wings stick straight up when she’s flustered
>She obviously didn’t realize what kind of movie this was gonna be when she put it on
>The camera cut to a dirt-encrusted, battle-worn pegasus mare clearly not taking this guy’s shit in the thick of the action
>She sweeps him off his hooves and bodily carries him across a rickety wooden bridge, hordes of raging zebras chasing from behind and hurtling spears
>The two run, eventually making it to a waiting carriage and airlifting off the island
>The mare turns to the stallion and drops her trademark grimace
>The stallion glances in her direction, wearing a worried frown
>”Well you got me. I supposed you’re going to collect that reward, and this is the last we’ll see of each other…”
>”I suppose so,” the mare replies, pulling her hat down low over her eyes
>The stallion looks deeply wounded, and gazes solemnly out the window
>”But maybe,” the mare breaks the silence, still hiding her face with the brim of her hat, “maybe I don’t want that reward anyway.”
>The stallion perks up, shifting seats to sit next to the mare, moving his mane out of his eyes
>”Maybe we could--”
>”Oh kiss me, you stupid filly!”
>At that the two converge in a PG rated french, the camera panning back and out a window, the carriage soaring off into the sunset as the movie fades to black and familiar black and white lettering obscures the view
>FIN
>You glance toward Rainbow, who you’ve noticed seems to be stealing peeks at you before looking away, red-faced
>”Hehe, w-what a dumb movie, right anon?”
>Is she embarrassed about how cheesy her movie turned out to be?
“It was alright…”
>Dash perks up a bit
“But I’m not sure it’s the kind of movie for drunken Sundays.”
>She turns and coughs before sheepishly smiling at you
>”Y-yeah, I can’t believe how mushy that was. Didn’t see that one coming, heh.”
>She’s rubbing a leg, looking away from you, and her wings are still standing straight up, but somehow she looks disappointed
>The cover did look a little misleading, what with mare in the action pose. Can’t blame her for misinterpreting
“I mean, it wasn’t bad. Just not what I think we were going for. How about we put in Rambpone III? I hear she takes out a dragon mid-flight with a throwing knife.”
>Rainbow gives a defeated look at the sea of bottles littering the floor and table
>You hadn’t kept track of how much you were drinking, but clearly you’ve made a mess of your living room
>”Nah, I’m starting to think that it’s pointless to try and get you dru-”
>She coughs a little, stuttering
>”I-I mean, drunken Sundays are pretty pointless when you have to spend a year’s salary just to get buzzed.”
>Huh. Now that you think about it, Rainbow hadn’t really had nearly as much as you. Had she just been sipping that same bottle the entire time?
>Ponies really can’t handle their alcohol, but surely she could do better than that
>She’s such a good bro. Holding back just so you can have enough to get on her level
>Too bad that will never happen. Oh well, you had shit to do anyway
“Alright, I guess that’s fine. I gotta go do my millionth round of interviews tomorrow, so I gotta sleep early anyway.”
>”I still don’t understand why you’re bothering, Anon. You know stallions don’t need to...”
>You give her a glare and she dwindles off
>”Look, maybe things were different on Dirt or, uh, wherever it was you came from, but you know how it is here.”
>You shake your head, getting up from the couch
“Dash, how would you feel about never being able to serve as a weathermare again?”
>Her face contorts as she recoils from both the idea and from the implication about yourself
>She looks away, scuffing a hoof on the ground
“I need to find some way to support myself. Celestia was very clear; no more support after next week, and I’m not about to become some kind of stay-at-home leech. I can’t just give up as soon as I run out of ‘get acclimated’ bits.”
>Rainbow sighs, looking up to your face
>”Fine, Anon. But just… If you can’t find a job, it’s not the end of the world, you know? I always have tons of space, and money’s not really an issue.”
>You grunt before picking up an armful of bottles and walking them to the recycling bin
>Gotta make sure they don’t repeat your world’s mistakes, right?
>After cleaning up, you return to your living room to find Dash standing awkwardly by your couch
>She looks up before nodding and gathering her stuff.
>”Sorry about that Anon, but I just think you’ve gotta let go of your old world sometime.”
>She searches you for some kind of agreement or recognition.
“I’m not going to live at home on someone else’s dime. It just doesn’t feel right.”
>”That’s not what you said when Celestia offered!”
>You smile, waving a hand dismissively.
“Now, there’s a difference between being an ambassador and crashing in your friend’s living room.”
>She hesitates before piping up, “What if… What if it wasn’t just a friend?”
>You sigh, scratching your chin
“I don’t want to be a house… Husband, or whatever it is over here, either.”
>She seems to deflate before perking up again, picking up her things and marching toward your door
>”Damn new-age colt, stubborn as ever.”
>You make a face at her as you continue gathering bottles
>”I’ll see ya tomorrow, Anon. Salty Seahorse after my work is over?”
”Sure thing.”
>Dash gives a salute before stepping out the door and into the night, closing it behind her
>You finish up and brush your teeth, getting ready to sleep
>If there was internet here you’d browse on your phone while drifting off but as is you have nothing to do but rue tomorrow
>It’s gonna be hell; you hadn’t been able to find a job anywhere for the past month
>Xenophobia and sexism made for a pretty awful combination. Serves you right for all your past life’s ‘privilege’, you suppose
>You drift haltingly into an uncomfortable sleep