//------------------------------// // Bite // Story: How to Disappear Completely // by shortskirtsandexplosions //------------------------------// "So..." With a sly smile, Lyra sat down at the chair across the table from Flash Sentry. "Now that you know how to fly..." She leaned forward with an earnest smile. "Where are you going to go?" Flash blinked hard. His ears tickled to the sounds of Bon Bon rummaging behind the counter. "Well... uhhhhh... I guess I didn't think that hard about it." "Surely you weren't planning on just fixing everypony's gutters!" "Maybe, maybe not." He pretended to glare. "And don't call me 'Shirley.'" "Huh?" "Eh..." Flash chuckled out the side of his muzzle as he waved a hoof. "Never mind." Bon Bon suddenly trotted up. "So long as you stay clear of the Everfree Forest." She placed a tray of cupcakes down before him. "I hear manticores can snatch pegasi out of the sky. All they need is a hundred meters and they'll be in striking range!" "What... exactly is a manticore?" Flash asked. "I mean... besides a really clickbaity Ninja Sex Party song?" Lyra giggled. "You're silly, Brad." She looked at Bon Bon while pointing the stallion's way. "He's silly." "Yes. You're regular peas in a pod." Bon Bon rolled her eyes before smirking at their guest. "Eat up." "You... uh..." Flash squinted at the tray of cupcakes. "...you guys always make a full course meal out of dessert?" "Yeah?" Lyra cocked her head aside. "Why not?" "Don't get me wrong... eheh..." Flash picked up one of the colorful treats. "I'm not complaining. Just... you're making me feel extra special." "I started baking them over two hours ago." Bon Bon shrugged. "If you didn't show up again, I figured it would give Lyra and I something to munch on while we closed." "Well, dig in," Flash said, gesturing. "Don't let me be a cupcake hog." "Nonsense. You must have worked up an appetite by now." "Well..." Flash smirked as he leaned in for his first bite. "Can't say that you're wrong. Thanks a bunch. This is super gracious." He took his first bite—and his mouth exploded. Like firecrackers. The sensation was so extreme that he nearly fell out of his seat. "Mrmffffffffff!" He spat out the crumbly mess of cupcake bread and teetered over, wheezing. "Ghkkkktt!" "What?!" Lyra hopped up, eyes wide. "What?!" "Are you okay—?!" Bon Bon gasped. "Gah! What... that... mrnnnghhh..." Flash flailed, eyes watering. "Water... w-water!" he pleaded. Bon Bon scampered towards the kitchen, but Lyra's telekinesis had beat her to the punch. A glass pitcher floated over, sloshing with liquid. Flash grasped the thing in two shivering fetlocks and poured half the contents down his throat. At last, he calmed down, settling back in his seat with a long and winded exhale. Wiping his eyes dry, he looked at the frazzled confectioner. "What d-did you put into that mix?" he gargled. "Nitroglycerin?" "Nothing!" Bon Bon squeaked. "I swear!" She pointed. "They're just normal cupcakes!" "But... but..." Flash fidgeted in his seat. He placed the pitcher of water down. "It felt like a million tons of Frosted Flakes were exploding against my t-tongue!" "Huh?" Bon Bon blinked. "Brad, please... believe us," Lyra spoke, ears folded back. "We didn't mean to do anything bad." "I'm not insinuating that—" "There's no pony in town who bakes better, more delicious, more wholesome sweets than Bon Bon here!" "Well..." Bon Bon blushed slightly. "There's Pinkie Pie—" "No pony!" Lyra stuck her tongue out at her friend before turning to look at Flash again. "Maybe you're... uhm... allergic to sugar?" "'Allergic to sugar?'" Bon Bon droned. "Come on, Lyra..." "It can happen!" In the meantime, Flash was reexamining the cupcakes on the tray. He leaned in, sniffing the icing and bread. His nose tingled as if he was just inches away from lit sparklers. With a brave breath, he turned the bitten cupcake over and nibbled at the very edge of it. He winced; each crumb was stabbing him with sweet, sugary flavor. It was almost the same sensation he got from consuming hot sauce... only induced by the sweet centers of his taste buds. It was then that the thought occurred to him that the whole experience wasn't brought upon by the dessert itself. But rather by... "Say... uhm..." Flash looked up. "Sorry to be a bother, but do you have something not sweet lying around... by chance?" Lyra's brow furrowed. "Not sweet?" "I... er... I have some carrots lying in the back," Bon Bon said, gesturing. "It's part of the lunch I made for myself this morning. I didn't get around to eating them." "Yeah. Carrots. That sounds nice and horsey," Flash said. "They're... kinda stale, though." Bon Bon smiled nervously. "Been sitting untouched for over a day—" "May I?" Flash asked. "If that's not a problem, I mean." "Not a problem at all! Just... uh... stay right here..." Bon Bon left. Shortly thereafter, she came back with a few bright orange stalks that matched Flash's coat. "I promise I haven't nibbled on any of them." "I doubt you have any germs to give Brad, Bon Bon." "I'm only trying to be polite, Lyra!" "Sometimes I think you try too hard." "And you try too little!" "Ladies... please..." Flash smirked before picking up a carrot in his hooves. "I'm experimenting." "Experimenting?" Lyra squinted. "How?" "Shhh!" Bon Bon insisted, as if she was suddenly curious. In the meantime, Flash was biting down on the carrot. His eyes twitched... for as soon as the vegetable bits rolled around in his mouth, his synapses were firing on all cylinders. It felt as though he had just bitten into the world's sweetest, most decadent slice of chocolate cake... with vanilla frosting. He took a second bite of the carrot, just to be sure. Again, it felt like his birthday. A shudder ran through his body—only now he was prepared for it: the sheer delectable pleasure. Soon, the math was done in his head. He rolled his tongue around, pressing the carrot mash against his gums. Swallowing, he looked up at the two mares. "Does... everything taste so sweet to ponies? Like... all the time?" "Well... uh..." Bon Bon rubbed the back of her head. "I guess so? I mean... I really don't understand the question." "Me neither." Lyra nodded. "You've got us stoop-pooped." Flash took another bite of the vegetable. Slowly, one mouthful at a time, he was starting to get used to the insane sensory overload. "Christ on a bike," he exhaled, swallowing again. "If this is what food tastes like to you guys... it's a wonder you're all not super, super fat by now." Lyra giggled. "I take it you approve?" "Carrots have never tasted so good." He looked up with a smile. "So yeah. Mesa approves." "You say that as if this is the first day you've ever been a pony," Bon Bon mused. Flash sweated, paling. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." The bell above the front door rang. "Good evening, my dears," Octavia's voice rang as she and Vinyl Scratch entered. "I do hope we're not too close to closing." "H-hey! Fuzziness has arrived!" Flash exhaled with relief. He waved. "Miss Melody! What's up?!" "Erm..." Octavia adjusted her bow-tie. Her gray brow furrowed. "The sky?" Vinyl face-hoofed with a smirk. "Hmmmmm..." Flash accompanied the sweet moment with another carrot bite.