//------------------------------//
// Twilight Purple 
// Story: Flash Colored 
// by MythrilMoth 
//------------------------------//

Twilight Sparkle slurped a vanilla milkshake as she walked Flash through the finer points of his overly complicated math homework. "I will never use any of this," Flash complained.

Twilight shrugged. "Probably not, I mean, you're probably going to be a musician or a retail worker, but just try to get through it."

Flash shot her a pained grimace. "A retail worker? Seriously?"

Twilight cringed, glasses slipping. "Ah! S-sorry! I didn't...I mean, I'm not saying you're not good at anything or anything, I just...I mean..." She poked her fingertips together. "Oh boy." Her lavender cheeks flushed, turning a beautiful royal purple.

Flash leaned his cheek on a propped-up hand and smirked wryly. "It's okay, Twilight," he said. "I suck at math, but so do a lot of people."

Twilight ducked her head. "Y-yeah," she said. "Sorry. I really, really didn't mean that the way it..." She coughed. "I, uh, still have trouble with the whole talking to other people thing sometimes."

Flash sighed. "It's cool," he said. "Really, you're probably right. I mean, I don't really stand out in any way, so I'll probably wind up with some kind of thankless, menial job nobody appreciates."

"Don't say that about yourself!" Twilight said. "That's an awful attitude to have!"

Flash shrugged. "I can't help it," he said. "I mean, I look around me and I see so many amazing and vibrant people, and I'm so..." He grimaced. "Bland. I just...don't stand out in a crowd."

Twilight blinked repeatedly. "Wait," she said slowly, "is this...is this a chromism thing?"

"Huh? N-no, it's—!"

"Because chromism is all a bunch of nonsense based on stereotypes and prejudice," Twilight said, slipping into her lecturing tone. "For all that we still don't completely understand about chromelanin, what is scientifically proven is that saturation and skin tone have no bearing on a person's personality, societal worth, or—"

"I know all that," Flash said. "It's just..." He sighed. "I look at you and your friends and I see this beautiful rainbow of colors, and you all stand out so much, and shine so bright, and I'm just..." He gestured at himself. "This. Drab, bland, forgettable, boring. I just..." He shrugged. "I wish I didn't look so boring sometimes."

Twilight frowned. "Applejack's chromelanin profile is similar to yours," she pointed out. "With allowable variance for the tan she's developed from farm work. I wouldn't call her boring, would you?"

Flash grimaced. "Honestly? A bit, yeah. I mean, no offense, but I'm not really...I don't connect with the whole country-twang farmer type."

Twilight looked like she was about to protest, but stopped, one slim purple finger raised, and pursed her lips. "Fair enough," she said. "If I'm totally honest with myself, Applejack's role in our group social dynamic is...fairly limited." She frowned. "Come to think of it, she gets a lot less attention from boys than the rest of us, too. Huh." She shook her head. "I'll have to research that later. Look, Flash...you're not a nobody just because you aren't purple or blue or pink or whatever." She smiled. "Everybody's special in their own way. You just need to find yours."

Flash smiled. "Thanks, Twilight," he said. He stretched and groaned, cracking his neck. "Think I'm gonna call it quits for today. Same time next week?"

"Same time next week," Twilight promised.

Flash tossed some money on the table to pay the check, then left Twilight and her milkshake and his half-eaten chili fries behind. As he shuffled up the street to where he'd parked his car, he turned Twilight's words over again and again in his mind.

He sighed.

"She's right," he muttered. "It doesn't matter to anyone else..."

He looked at his pale peach hand as he opened the door of his car. He frowned.

"...but it sure as hell matters to me."