You Can't Always Get What You Want

by FireflyDash

The Meeting

You could remember the first time you met Soarin. He was slightly taller than Rainbow Dash, more muscular and a bit of a potato head. Well that’s just how you perceived him. You hated to admit it at first, but you were really jealous of the guy. Here he was a Wonderbolt, something Dash had always idolized, and he had everything going his way. You sighed taking a sip of that special tea Zecora made as you reminisced the first time you met him.

---

You had just gotten off of work from your day job at the local Ponyville post office. You never knew why humans back on your world were so grumpy when they worked; it wasn’t that bad of a job.

As you walked home, you noticed that you gained a bit of fat around your belly, not over-exaggeratingly so, but just enough for you to be on par with the other ponies. Skinny fat, as you liked to call it. As much as you’d love nothing more than having a six pack, it wasn’t going to happen with the current job you were having. None of the other jobs that were available around Ponyville interested you that much. You hated the manual labor of Applejack’s farm as well as the customer service opening at Sugarcube corner. You could have probably performed the latter well since you had extensive customer service back on Earth, but it didn’t appeal to you. You couldn’t fly or stand on clouds, so taking a position on the weather team was out of the picture. The library assistant opening that Twilight offered had hours that were too short. You did need to survive in this world and five bits per hour for four hours just didn’t cut it. Designing clothes with Rarity wasn’t your forte when it came to creativeness. Plus you would have only been paid for a commission, leaving you with a varied paycheck. Fluttershy wanted you to assist her with the animals, but the pay was way too low. It’s not that you wouldn’t have taken these jobs, it’s just you wanted to do something in this new world that you enjoyed. While the post office was far from the perfect job, you enjoyed it nonetheless.

Just as you were about to reach the front door to your house, Rainbow came flying down, landing gracefully in front of you blocking your path to enter your door. “Hey Anon, what’s up?” she asked as confident as ever.

“Oh nothing, just going to go and relax for a bit. Can I help you with anything?” you asked half-annoyed, half excited. You couldn’t help it. For all of the little things she did that annoyed you, it still made you happy. It was like if she had you under some sort of spell.

“Oh yeah! I was just going to ask if you wanted to spend some time later on.”

“Sure, why not? I’ve got nothing planned for today.” Your annoyance was gone, replaced with that building inner excitement. You still had no idea why you were like that around her.

“Sweet! Can my coltfriend tag along? I had a talk with him about what happened, and he said he forgives you and he wants to meet you.”

“Uhhh….” That last part deflated your mood a bit, but not enough for Rainbow to detect it. It’s not that you didn’t want to go, it was just that you weren’t too sure about her coltfriend being there. What was his name? Sore eye? Snorey?

“I know it sounds weird, but he said that he didn’t want any animosity between my friends. He knows how important they are to me. So what do you say?”

You brought your hand to your chin and stared at the ground, deep in thought. Why is this bugging you so much? Normally on any day, you’d have said yes without a second thought. Ever since that charity two weeks ago, you were having problems on what you wanted to do. You had to rectify this.

“Sure, why not?” you said, trying to act enthusiastic. “I’m sure the dust will clear for good once I meet him.”

“Yes!” Rainbow did a flip and gave you a hug, and that hug was the one thing that made you feel more confident. You returned it, taking in all the good and getting rid of the bad. Once she broke off the hug, you felt renewed.

“DON’T think that I’m mushy or anything,” she warned. “You’re a friend and any friend deserves the approved Hug of THE Rainbow Dash.”

You chuckled at her antics. “Got it, when should I meet up with you?”

“How does seven o’ clock sound? We’re having a picnic below by my cloud house. You know where that is?”

How could you not? It was unmistakable from a distance, with its fancy grooves and its defined rainbows that nopony could mistake for the house that held Dash. It also helped that her house was unmovable. Crazy ponies and their magic. “Sure do,” you smiled.

“Awesome! See you tonight!” And with that she was off. She came and went whenever she wanted, but it didn’t bother you. With this new found confidence, you walked in your house with your shoulders and head held high.

This was actually the first time you were going to hang out with Rainbow with somepony other than her friends, so it was best to make a good and lasting impression. You stripped down from your work clothes and tossed them into your laundry basket, which you placed conveniently outside your room. You grabbed a towel from your closet and headed toward the bathroom.

Even though you didn’t actually sweat, you were self-conscious of your hygiene. You tried to avoid bathing twice a day as it was wasteful of you to do so, but sometimes you just had to get rid of the perceived feeling of being dirty. Brushing your teeth was even worse. At some points, it had taken you at least five minutes before feeling satisfied that they were clean. It was another reason why you were so hesitant on kissing a pony. You didn’t want to be known as the “Bad Breath Human.” That was your paranoia speaking.

After bathing and brushing your teeth, you put on your classic black suit and red tie that Rarity made you. A final touch of some of Big Mac’s cologne and you were ready to go. Before heading out, you made some last minute checks. Zipper zipped? Check. Boogers free from your orifice? Check. Excess shaving cream removed? Check.

Just as you were about to head out, you looked at the time and realized it was only half past five. “Oh, well I guess I have some time to kill,” you chuckled as you sat down on your sofa. With nothing to do but twiddle your thumbs, you picked up the Magic textbook you had fallen behind on. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to read a bit before going.”

Picking up on where you left off, you read that Equestria was filled with non-hostile magic fallout, which meant no harm came to you. However, that didn’t mean hostile magic fallout didn’t exist. As you kept reading, you found out that certain properties of hostile magic could lead to beneficial mutations within certain ponies that came into contact with it, though it was rare. Most mutations from hostile magic usually led to cancer and though you couldn’t magically take away the effects of cancer, there have been some experimental procedures that non-hostile magic could reduce tumors. Huh. The more you know.

You read your textbook for a bit longer before it was time for you to go. As you walked out the door, you noticed your breath wasn’t as minty as it once was, but you didn’t let that bother you. You were just excited to see Rainbow Dash.

On your way there, you noticed that the sun was beginning to set. Quite a bit late for a picnic, but the cool air that touched your skin reminded you that it was probably best to go now.

“Hi, Anon! Where are we going?”

You turned your head over to the side to see who was speaking with you.

“AHH!!” you shouted in surprise. The culprit, Pinkie Pie giggled. “How’d you get there?”

“Oh I was just wandering around when I saw you looking like you were going to get some cupcakes. I know that when I smile like that, it means I’m going to get some cupcakes!”

“That’s…good to know.” You chuckled a bit, remembering that Pinkie had a knack for being random. “I was just actually headed towards Rainbow Dash’s house. She’s having a picnic with her…coltfrend.”

“Ooooh,” Pinkie chimed. “Are they going to have cupcakes there?”

“I don’t know, actually. Rainbow invited me not too long ago, so I’m not sure what exactly it is I’m expecting.”

Pinkie just stopped walking with you after you said that. Confused, you stopped too and raised your brow. She just sat there frozen like a statue in the middle of the street, pupils as small as pinpricks, like as if she just realized something. “You okay, Pinks?” you asked, not entirely sure if you should be worried.
Then again it was Pinkie Pie, probably her just being herself. “Well, I’ll see you later, I guess?” you half asked-half stated as you continued walking.

Walking out to the suburbs, you could clearly see Dash’s house close by, which meant you weren’t much further. The sun was setting, reflecting perfectly off your eyes, giving it a saturated color. You noticed two ponies on the ground, rolling around laughing and giggling. As you came closer, you realized that it was none other than Rainbow Dash and Sore Eye. They stopped as soon as they saw you, their chuckles dying down.

There it was again! That uncomfortable feeling.

“Hey Anon!” Rainbow greeted as you approached them. “Glad you made it. This is my coltfriend, Soarin!” she said without a beat, grinning at you like if he was her most prized possession. So that was his name!

“It’s finally nice to meet you! Heard you had a scuffle with my mare over here a couple weeks ago,” was his introduction. He didn’t sound the least bit upset, which was good for you. You didn’t come here to have an altercation with him, right?

“Heh, yeah sorry about that. I just don’t know what went wrong there. I’m not even interested in ponies,” you admitted.

“Nah, it’s cool. She is an amazing mare. I’d be insulted if you didn’t kiss her like that.”

Rainbow hit Soarin’s shoulder, obviously embarrassed at his statement, but still beamed at him for the compliment.

“Heh,” you scratched the back of your head, feeling a bit awkward being around them. “So, what do you guys have to eat?” you asked changing the subject. “I probably should have brought something, at least some cupcakes.” Your thoughts drifted back to Pinkie Pie. What was her deal?

“Nah, it’s cool. Soarin made some delicious veggie sandwiches.”

“Must…be nice?” You honestly had no idea what to say; although, you could start to feel that uncomfortable pressure creeping up toward your chest again.

“Yeah, poor Dash here was ordering take out every night until I came along,” Soarin chimed in.

Another playful punch came from Rainbow Dash, only this time Soarin returned one of his own. Before you knew it, they were toppling on one another giggling and laughing as they had before when you were walking up to them. You silently grabbed one of the veggie sandwiches and took a bite out of it, feeling a bit more annoyed than usual (though you did your best not to show it).

After they had their little play fight, their chuckles died down once more and began to join you in eating. You were uninterested, averting your gaze towards them and looking at the already disappearing sun, giving off a beautiful purple and orange mix in the sky.

“So what do you do?” Soarin asked.

A wry smile was plastered on your face. The longer you sat there with them, the more resentment you had towards Soarin and what had bugged you even more was the fact that they got along so well. They certainly weren’t afraid of public displays of affection, which slightly surprised you as Dash wasn’t the type to do such things.

You sighed, feeling a bit defeated, like someone came over and handed your ass on a silver platter. You didn’t feel it, but your shoulders were slumped just as they were before Dash had given you that hug, which all but seemed like a distant memory. Whatever, it’s not like you liked Rainbow Dash anyways.

“Hello, earth to Anon!”

“Huh, what?” you snapped out of your stupor and hesitantly looked toward the young couple.

“Soarin asked what you did for a living,” Dash reiterated with a hint of concern in her voice.

“Oh! Well I work for the Ponyville post office. It’s nothing like being a Wonderbolt, but I enjoy it nonetheless.”

“That’s cool,” Soarin smiled.

God, what a cocky smirk. You swear you could feel your hand forming a fist. You swiftly took a bite of your sandwich, an angry bite out of it.

“You alright, Anon?” Dash was becoming worried by your odd behavior. You were known as the happy-go-lucky Anon and here you were, being short and ignoring them for the most part.

“Yeah, I’m just hungry,” you said dryly.

You played it off quite well as Rainbow seemed to relax a bit more, but for some reason, you just had to get out of here, before anything else happened.

“But, listen, I kind of have to cut this short. I sort of remembered that there was an error made by one of the staff members. I should go sort it out before the package is shipped tomorrow.”

Rainbow pouts a bit, but takes your lame excuse. “That was a bit quick Anon. You haven’t even been here for more than ten minutes, but I guess I can understand.”

You felt a bit guilty as you may have upset Dash a bit, but if you stayed here any longer, Soarin might have ended up on the ground with a mark on his face.

You rose off your feet and briefly shook his hoof while waving at Dash. You didn’t say anything after that and left.

In the distance as you were walking back to your house, you swore you could have heard Soarin say something along the lines of, “Now that he’s gone, what do you say we…”

That pissed you off to the point where you kicked a rock. Unfortunately, the rock was cemented in the ground and all you ended up doing was stubbing your toe. “Ow! Damn rock!” you yelled, clutching your foot in pain. “Who the hell puts a rock in the middle of the road!”

“You alright, Sugarcube?”

You froze. There were ponies this far out of town? You glanced at the pony in question and found none other than Applejack.

“What do you want?” you snapped.

Taken aback by your behavior, Applejack came closer and brought you into a hug. You awkwardly released your foot as she held you in her embrace. You sighed a bit and realized what you were doing. Here you were, upset at basically nothing and taking it out on your friends.

“Sorry AJ. I’m just not myself lately,” you admitted. You awkwardly return the hug.

“It’s alright, Sugarcube.” She broke the hug and gave you a worried look. “I jus’ never seen you actin’ like that. Figured a hug would go a long way to make ya feel better. Mind if I ask what’s going on in that little mind of yours?”

You frowned. “I honestly have no idea. I’ve been getting these weird sensations lately and I don’t know why.”

“What’re you feeling?”

“Well, lately, I’ve been feeling like a slight pressure on my chest, like a pony sitting on me. Other times I feel as if there are butterflies buzzing around in my stomach. Anyways, what are you doing out here so late?”

Applejack looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well I was just heading home after selling some apples in the market today, but I saw you lookin’ like someone really upset you. Anyways, I think I may know what your problem is.”

“This I got to hear.”

“You might be in love, Sugarcube. Least, it sounds like it. Does it happen around a certain pony or ponies?”

“Uhh…” you had to think for a moment. It all started with Rainbow Dash and the kiss. Then you stated getting those butterflies when you saw her, or when you thought about her. The pressure on your chest was relatively new compared to the butterflies. The first time you felt that pressure was when you heard Dash had a colt-

“No,” you stated. “That’s stupid.” Your frown deepened.

“No, what?” a confused Applejack asked. “Who is it?”

“Listen AJ, I kind of need to head home. I need to clear my head. I’ll talk to you later.” You walked away from her and waved.

“Come visit sometime,” she hollered.

You couldn’t see into the future, but you could tell that you weren’t going to be making visits anytime soon.

Comments

[Dash The Stampede]

Today feels like a Stones day.

Carry on. Carry on.

[FireflyDash]

5167472
It's not as good as that name you chose for yourself.

5167948
Thank you.

5168427
You know, I'm not going to lie, when I came up with the title, I could not stop humming that song. Probably not the best one to allude to given the context. But thank you.

[Warlord-1]

Like this story, looking forward for new chapters

[Catmouse229]